Review: Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Five Stars to Mike Mullin's Ashfall.

I won this book from NiNoCon (and yes, I am a Ninja). I was so surprised that I won. Once the shock of winning wore off, I was anxious to get the book and start reading. My schedule tends to be crazy, and it was hard to find time to read at first. As I got further into the book though, I read more and more.

This was a great story, that kept my interest the whole way through. From the beginning I connected with Alex and by the end I was ready for book two. A post apocalyptic type of novel, with enough twists and turns to keep me on my feet. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, or going to happen-something happened to prove me wrong.


NOW IT'S TIME FOR MY SPOILERS. STOP HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE STORY.

Sick Kids, Migraines, Linky Followers, and A to Z

This week my daughters were sick-strep throat. It was very exciting. Especially since on top of that, I have a migraine that has been going strong since Monday. I never like my kids feeling bad, but it gets really hard to focus and nurse when you feel like your head is going to explode. Makes it harder to get critiques, revisions and writing done too. I did manage though. Well, I didn't get enough revisions done, but some is better than none.

On a different note, I did learn about Linky Followers and I signed up. You can follow me with it, the link is on the sidebar to your right. I hadn't heard anything about Google Friends going away, but I read about it when I was on a blog so I thought I should go ahead and sign up. You haven't checked it out yet? Perhaps now is the perfect time. Head on over and see what it's about. :)

And finally, the April A to Z Challenge-I wrote a post about it previously (Find it here), but I wanted to mention it again. I brainstormed some ideas this week, and I wrote a few posts. That way I start off in ahead when April comes around. So, if you haven't yet--GO sign up!

That was my week, much better then last week :)

How was your week? Have you signed up for Linky Followers? Are you going to do the A-Z Challenge?

Love

Late on the poem again this week...Sorry y'all :)

Love


A mother's protection
A father's affection
A sister's objections
A brother's obsessions

A baby bird learning to fly
Its mom letting it go
A baby bear hibernating alone
During its first snow

A puppy given to a child
Learning all sorts of new tricks
A kitten given as a gift
Soft, warm, cuddly, the perfect pick

A couple in the park holding hands
Sitting on bench, discussing their life plans
A proposal as she stands
And of course an acceptance

A mother's gentle touch
Lying next to your puppy snug
Or something your man does
Bottom line, life is love.

Thursday TAG! - Caterina Torres

From the inspiration of last weeks little game of TAG, I've decided each week I will post a Q&A from various people.

First up is Caterina Torres (AKA Cat). She is the author of Zombie Whisperer and a friend of mine I met on my favorite website Agent Query Connect. You can find her on there as well as on Twitter @CaterinaTorres and Facebook here. She has a short story segment on her site as well.


1. When did you start writing?
I started writing when I was 13 years old. I started Zombie Whisperer last year and through hard work and perseverance, finally published it yesterday. But I hope to one day revisit the book I wrote at 13 and rewrite it.


2. What made you want to write?
Nothing really made me want to write, I think it had more to do with having a large imagination that was fueled by reading fiction. Finally one day I wanted to put my imagination down on paper and thus my dreams began.


3. When did you decide you wanted to write to be published (as opposed to writing just to write)?
It was actually the same time as I started writing; at 13 years old. I always knew I just wanted to share my crazy ideas and see others enjoy them or help make them better. I love to make people smile.


4. What genre(s) do you write?
I write Science Fiction as of this moment. I hope to stick to it, but I also want to see if I can do a bit of Fantasy or Science Fiction Romance. Who knows until I try, right?


5. Why that(those) genre(s)?
I'm not sure. I guess I really love trying to logically quantify the moment and make it as realistic as possible, as if it could really happen in our lifetime. Otherwise I feel like I'm not doing my readers justice.


6. Do you have any particular ritual when you write? (A specific way things are done during the process)
Hmmm, I'm not sure if I could call what I do a "process." Usually when I start writing, I have no clue where I'm going or how the story is going to end. I let my characters talk to me and tell me where they want to go, and what sounds most exciting. Then I just write, write, write until it's finished and send it off to someone to tell me if they liked it. Then it's off to a ton of revising and editing of my own before giving it to a professional editor. With some final spot checks, I send it off to publishing.


7. Do you use an outline, or do you just start writing?
There is absolutely no outline whatsoever, except maybe a general timeline to keep track of the days. I literally do not know how my story is going to end, or what characters will pop up until I write into the story.


8. Is there anything you MUST have when you're writing? (Aside from the typical writer tools-laptop, pen, paper, etc)
Confidence. I need to feel comfortable with where my story is going and if it makes me happy, otherwise I get major writer's block.


9. Do you write out your story on paper then transfer to a computer, or straight to the computer?
It goes straight onto a computer. No hand written notes whatsoever, unless I need to calculate something to gain some perspective (such as a timeline).


10. How many books/short stories have you written? (Published or not, even those that you wrote and then thought, what the hell is this?)
Well, counting the one I wrote when I was 13, two books total plus the half written book #2 of the Zombie Trilogy. I have one short story that is continuous on my website and I might have written several one-off short stories that never saw the light of day.


11. Is there, or has there been anyone in your life (real or online) who thought being a writer is/was just another hobby, or that you are/were wasting your time as a writer?
In the beginning, several people close to me thought nothing of it when I began to write. My mom thought it was cute and my husband didn't understand my obsession, but now that it is published it's almost as if a light clicked on in their brains. My close family/friends actually see what I've been doing as a real business and not just a hobby.


12. Do you do Social Media sites? If so, which ones and if not, why don't you?
I use twitter - @caterinatorres

And Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003333249962&sk=wall
And AgentQueryConnect, although I don't use it to market my book but to gain perspective on my projects.
I also use Goodreads.com which is an excellent way to see reader reviews.



13. Any advice for writers that makes you cringe every time you hear it? (Obviously there is some cringe worthy advice that you still follow, so, only some you don't)
Cringe Worthy Advice? "Try not to pay attention to everyone's opinions." I completely understand there will always be nay-sayers out there that hate what I wrote, but I can't help but hang on to their every word. Especially since I have such thin skin when it comes to hurtful words. BUT there is something good out of those nay-sayers - it gives me some insight on what is not liked in my story and what I might or might not change later. If 2 out of 100 people don't like one part, who cares. But if 80 out of 100 people didn't like something, I better listen up.


14. Why do you write about zombies?
I write about zombies because they are one of my greatest fears: a world where the apocalypse has struck the nation and those around me are turned into the undead. My main character might kick butt, but I am just your average american girl. I can't shoot a gun more than I can lift an elephant.


15. What would you do (how would you react) if an apocalypse happened and everyone around you started turning into the undead?
Freak out! I would gather my family and barricade ourselves in someone's house. I guess I would try to be logical about it and treat it like a natural disaster: gather enough supplies for weeks, try to make sure we had outside contact, make sure we had enough water for months; etc. But ultimately, I would be really scared.


16. Do you think you would be one of those people who got infected, or would you be able to survive?
Hmm I can't give an honest answer because I have never been put in a life threatening situation before. I would love to say I'd survive, but considering I don't know how to shoot a gun who knows.


17. If you survived, who is the ONE person in your life you would want to survive with you?
Apologies to families and friends I don't mention, but my husband of course.


18. What would you have in your survival pack (no bigger than an average backpack) is a zombie-filled apocalyspe struck?
Wow, just like a page out of my recent blog post: Would You Survive a Zombie Apocalypse?

In a situation I had no shelter and a simple backpack filled with the tools I needed to survive, it would be filled with - Weapons (like a knife or handgun); Food/Water (plastic bottle of H2O and food bars); Rechargeable Crank Radio (to keep up with what's going on in the rest of the world); One extra pair of clothes; Paper Towel (for obvious reasons, but could also be used as toilet paper); First Aid Kit (which should have been listed first, but it's on the list none-the-less); One Blanket; and a small water purifier that fits on water bottles. I'm sure I could fit more, but those are the most obvious things I would need.

19. What do you do when you aren't writing?
Working, LOL. I'm a full time worker and wife. I do my general 40 hours per week and then come home to cook for my family. I also try to spend time with my family because they mean the world to me.


20. Any words of wisdom for anyone who is thinking of becoming a writer, or just something you think all writers should know?
Do what you love, and love what you do. Plain and simple. Who cares if others tell you it's a waste of time or if rude people say you suck. If you love to write, write.

To Do List: Review

This is more a weekly or biweekly or even monthly type of thing, but it's still on the to do (at least you should have it on your to do)

Review:


Yep, it's on there, and yep, I'm talking about reviewing that book you just read. I already talked to you about reading, so I know you're doing it, right? Yes, of course you are. Now, that book you just finished? Go review it somewhere. Even if all you do is go to Goodreads and mark it with five stars and write, "I loved it!" (Or 1 star and say, "I hated it!") There are several places you can go to review a book, and you don't have to write an excessive review. Just take the time to put your feelings about the book out there. Good or bad, reviews are important. So many people out there base what book they are going to read on what the reviews have to say about it. So many authors look for your reviews to find out how their audience feels about their writing.

How do you make the time for this in your to do? Well, since we all read at different paces, it's that much simpler. This is not a weekly to do, but it should be on your list regardless. Fit in a time to say something about each book you read. It's only going to take up five minutes max (well unless you feel like you need to write an excessive review-which is okay, it just may take more time.), and you can do it first chance you get after the book is done. My Goodreads and Amazon reviews typically take a total of five minutes to write both. Then, by my choice, I write a blog post about the book. Since I can schedule blogs to post when I choose, it's easy to make time to write up a review on my blog. Point is, authors need to have reviews for their books, and readers need to have the option to check out the reviews before they read the book.

Yes, another short and sweet one. Makes some of my other to do posts look way too long, but it's another easy thing to check off the to do list.

Happy Reviewing :)