Saturday 19 April 2014

Review of Cassie Mae - Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend, and all the others!

Recently I wrote reviews of 'Switched' and 'How to Date a Nerd' by Cassie Mae on Goodreads. Those of you who read it may recall my response was something like this:
So how could I not go and read all her other books? I can start by saying there weren't enough of them! I downloaded Reasons I Fell for the Funny Fat Friend.
 
I was this as I started to read:

Basically, I'm a fan! It was funny.

On to the actual review:
Was it as good as Switched? No, it was a simpler storyline with two great main characters. Hayley isn't actually particularly fat, which for some reason I found disappointing, but she did have some self esteem issues and was a total sweetie. Brody is a way too lifelike! He's a boy in the real sense rather than the romantic sense. I loved following his train of thought and watching him being won over by the girl with the bigger personality. There's no cliff hanger here, but it's a fantastic fun read and I'm keeping it for a reread sometime. I think Cassie is an author who is clearly going from strength to strength. I also read 'Friday Night Alibi' and loved it, but I think her later stuff is even better. Switched was brilliant, but How to Date a Nerd made my top 5 fav books.

I know, I know, I've just reviewed 5 books all at the same time without giving each one enough credit, but when I find an author I like, I tend to devour on mass.

I guess my final word is that I love Cassie Mae and each book has been even better than the last, so start with the first one and work your way up and if you value my opinion at all then go and pre-order the new one:
http://www.amazon.com./dp/B00ILMKZGS/

Because it's gonna make you feel like this:


Hurrah! Halloween Magic & Mayhem now Free on Amazon!

That's right folks! Ahead of the release of the sequel, Amazon have now made Halloween Magic & Mayhem FREE! Zero, Zip, Nada, Nothing, Nought! LOL, Grab a copy while it stays that way and hopefully you will like the sequel too :-)

Find it here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9M7IGC

Halloween Magic & Mayhem
How on earth did I end up here? I was supposed to be at a party kissing the boy of my dreams, instead I’m dancing naked on the town common, on Halloween, with a Coven of strange women who might be witches, a bunch of zombies that I have to return to their graves, a talking crow, and my pet ghost thrown in for good measure. Just yesterday I was an ordinary teenager…

On her sixteenth birthday Emily Rand discovers that she is a witch. Unable to control her spells she unwittingly raises zombies, and corporealizes the ghost haunting her house. She finds herself in a race against time to put everything right if she has any hope of getting to a certain Halloween party and seeing a certain boy again. 



If you would like to be kept informed of new releases from Stella Wilkinson, don't forget to sign up for her mailing list here:  http://eepurl.com/wEMmD


Monday 14 April 2014

Cover Reveal! Werewolf Magic and Mayhem

Book One - Halloween Magic & Mayhem ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G9M7IGC ) was a fun Halloween novella about sixteen year old Emily Rand, and the chaotic and amusing consequences of her first night of being a witch.

Following on from the success of that book and bowing to your requests for more from Emily and her Familiar, Bob; I have written a full length sequel.

Werewolf Magic and Mayhem - Due for release 22 April 2014

So here is the much awaited cover! Find the blurb below and don't forget to check out Book 1 first if you're interested.



Werewolf Magic & Mayhem

New witch Emily Rand and her crow Familiar, Bob, are back for another bout of magical mayhem. Emily is approached by a werewolf called Fletcher who wants her to cure him of his affliction. Despite her lack of experience, Emily decides to try to help Fletcher. Unfortunately her spells aren’t known for going according to plan, and Emily accidentally divides Fletch from his handsome human body and brings forth his inner wolf in a very real sense. Now she has to find a way to put it right by the next full moon or Fletcher will be stuck as a wolf forever. A Paranormal - Comedy - Romance novel from best selling young adult author Stella Wilkinson.

If you would like to be kept informed of new releases from Stella Wilkinson, don't forget to sign up for her mailing list here:  http://eepurl.com/wEMmD


Sunday 13 April 2014

Great Article for Young Adult Writers / Readers

Re-blogging this from TED Blog

The best way to get a book deal? Write a story 19 million people want to read

BethReeklesBlogHeader
17-year-old Beth Reekles had a really good year. She published two books; appeared on national TV; sold the film rights for her first book, The Kissing Booth; graduated from high school and started college; and earned a spot on TIME’s list of the most influential teens of 2013, alongside household names like Malia Obama and Justin Bieber. And still she found time to watch five seasons of Gossip Girl.
How did such a young woman get so far so fast? When Beth was 15, living at home in Wales, she wrote a novel (“the kind of book I wanted to read”) and put it up on the story-sharing website Wattpad. 19 million views later, she won a three-book contract with a young adult division at Random House to publish that first book, The Kissing Booth, and two more, including the recently published Rolling Dice. That kind of transition from self-publishing to traditional publishing is rare — but her true-to-life stories of teen romance, sans vampires and werewolves, must have tapped a void that needed filling.
This much-in-demand writer has developed a routine that helps her stay focused. Beth likes to write alone with her computer and a cup of tea. (She avoids writing with others in the room, because she hates the idea that someone might be reading over her shoulder.) If she’s feeling blocked, she turns on background music — such as the soundtrack to Doctor Who or Pirates of the Caribbean — to help her feel more creative. “Something emotive and exciting,” she says. She experiments with form as well — on her Wattpad page, you can find short stories, chapters and novellas, including the holiday one-off “Deck the Halls.”
She’s a freshman at the University of Exeter now and plans to major in physics. She’s busy preparing for January exams and working on her third book. This summer, when classes end, she’s excited to spend her summer typing away, possibly working on a sequel to The Kissing Booth.
We talked to Beth via email about self-publishing, J.K. Rowling, and letting go of bad reviews. Our first question:
What inspired you to write a novel at 15? Here’s Beth –
I was looking for a high school romance that didn’t involve a vampire or werewolf – every teen romance seemed to have a paranormal element, and I was sick of that. So when I couldn’t find the kind of book I wanted to read, I decided to write it instead. That’s how I ended up writing The Kissing Booth.
What did you think when Random House called you up and said, “Hey, want to write a few more for us?”
I was thrilled! I’d thought about traditionally publishing my books, but I didn’t think it would actually ever happen, and certainly not like that! Sometimes I still can’t believe it.
A lot of people in the publishing world are wary of self-publishing. What is your take on it?
Self-publishing is making writing something that a lot more people take seriously now. It gives a lot of new and younger writers the opportunity to try and put their work out there quickly and easily, so it’s encouraging more and more people to write.
What are you writing now?
Right now I’m working on my third book for Random House, which is going to be another young-adult romance, called Out of Tune.
How do you come up with a new character or story? What’s your process?
I usually get the ideas for characters before I come up with a story. My characters seem to have lives of their own that I have to try and put down on paper. I’ve never been any good at planning stories; I often go with the flow and don’t know how the story will turn out until I’ve finished it!
Which authors do you really admire?
J.K. Rowling has always been one of my role models. I’ve loved the Harry Potter series since I began reading it as a child, and when I read about how she persevered despite all the rejection letters, it’s really encouraging and inspiring to me as a writer.
Are there any responses you’ve gotten from fans that have really stuck with you?
I get so many messages from young girls telling me that I’ve inspired them to write, or that they don’t usually read but tried my book and loved it. Those are the ones that really stick with me. They’re very humbling messages to receive, and they always make my day! It’s brilliant to hear that I’ve encouraged other girls to read and write more.
What is one thing you know that you wish everyone knew?
One bad piece of criticism can make you feel like everything you’re doing is a waste of time, but you really need to put it in perspective. Take note of all the good things people are saying!