It's ALL About The Cover, Baby!

Earlier this month I stumbled across this blog by Jim C. Hines, in which he imitates the poses of female characters on the cover of fantasy novels. Needless to say, I cracked up. So did Natasha, or as she is better know, Wicked Lil Pixie.

Now, I had already spoken to Natasha about stopping by her blog during my virtual release tour for The Sphinx Project. My mistake, though, was to mention the insane idea of doing a 'response' to Jim's blog. She jumped on it straight away, and now I can't back down, or delete those tweets....

The thing is, I need suggestions. I want to know which fantasy covers you think have forced their characters into unrealistic or comedic poses. Now I'm primarily looking for pictures of men here, just to do it properly, but if you have certain female images you find particularly giggle-wrothy let me know about them.

So there you have it... I'd really appreciate it if you could help me out here guys. What covers do you want me to recreate?

Switched Giveaway Results

Were you the lucky winner? Check out the photo below to find out!

Congratulations Renae! Sorry about the spelling, I didn't notice until it was too late. Please email me on k.c.hawkings@gmail.com with your mailing address and I'll send it out when I'm next in town.

Girl Crush Monday - Patti Smith

I'm really excited to welcome Carolyn Crane to the blog today to share her Girl Crush! I've been looking forward to finding out who inspires her for some time!

Girl crush: Feelings of admiration and adoration which a girl has for another girl, without wanting to shag said girl. a non-sexual attraction, usually based on veneration at some level.

Urban Dictionary

It was easy to come up with my girl crush: Patti Smith.

Patti Smith is widely known as a singer/songwriter, and one of rock’s most important innovators, but she’s also a poet, an activist, a visual artist, a writer of fiction and non-fiction, and just an amazing person.

Now for the hard part. Because while I absolutely love love love her music, it’s not specifically her music made me pick her as my girl crush. And it’s not her journey to fame or struggles and triumphs that inspire me. In fact, I’m not even much of an expert on her life.

More, it’s something about her spirit, her strength, and her way of being in the world that puts her in girl crush territory for me.

Sometimes when I listen to her music, or when I hear her just talk, I feel like her voice has this raw, truthful power—this mix of artistic bravery and vulnerability.

That artistic bravery and vulnerability is a big part of it for me. And, if you know her music, you know her lyrics are very visceral and creative. And also, she’ll do these stream of consciousness riffs during songs. When I hear that, I have this sense that she is connected to something important deep inside herself and isn’t afraid to go where it takes her. I think that makes her an awesome role model for any writer, any artist, really.

Instead of following a well-worn path, Patti Smith tried new things in music and in life. I have this feeling about her as a woman who trusts her gut and her vision. Not that she’s closed to influence and feedback—I think she’s very open to everything that comes at her—I think most strong artists are. But, she clearly has this bold vision and this fierce will to march to her own drummer, so to speak. I love that about her. She is completely unique and expressive, and doesn’t seem to care what people think. OMG, this is the most incoherent guest post I’ve ever written!

I’m reading over what I wrote and thinking to myself, You don’t even know Patti Smith. You could be projecting all this on her! Idealizing her!

But then I go back to her music and to that raw, truthful, brave, vulnerable quality of voice she has and I know that I’m exactly right about her. And I know from everything she has recorded that she has a huge heart and loves things deeply. Rock on, Patti!!

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Carolyn Crane lives in Minneapolis with her husband and their two cats. She is the author of the Disillusionists Trilogy (urban fantasy). Website: authorcarolyncrane.com Twitter: @CarolynCrane

Deadlines And Other Things

I don't often write what I would consider personal blog posts, but this may be venturing slightly over the line into that territory. It's a bit of a random selection of updates and rants.


Editing
It's what I should be doing right now, editing, but I just can't get my head around it. With everything going on here, and with work I've been rushed off my feet for the last few weeks. My sleep has suffered to the point where I've had to get a prescription to make sure I can 'kick into' a regular pattern once I finish my night shifts for the week, but I can't pick it up until tomorrow. I only got 2 hours sleep last night, and I'm starting to crash already. I told my editor that I'd have the manuscript of The Sphinx Project to her by tomorrow, but now I'm panicking. I've still got 30,000 words that are pretty much being completely rewritten, and I really can't push back the submission. If I did it would delay the publication and I refuse to do that to you guys again. I'm contemplating a walk to the shop to clear my head, and a steady supply of caffeine, but according to the pack I need to wait a while before consuming any more. From now on I'm not going to release a concrete release date until the book in question is completely ready for release, it just causes too much stress in the long run.

teasers
If you follow me on Facebook you'll know that I've started releasing more teasers for The Sphinx Project. Each night a challenge is set and if you (collectively) manage to unlock the teaser the new excerpt goes live at midnight of that day. The first one was reached easily, but I've upped the ante. Check the page at 8pm each night for the next unlock challenge, but for now this is the most recent teaser unlocked. Remember, all teasers are unedited and may or may not appear in the finished draft.

His hand lifted to my chin, caressing the soft skin along my jaw. His featherlight touches sent sparks dancing wherever they touched. He nudged my face upwards until I was forced to look him squarely in the eye. His gaze caught mine, holding it with an intensity that stirred something deep within my chest. I couldn't have looked away even if I wanted to. The air rushed from my lungs as his other arm tightened around my waist, pulling me closer into his body. For a moment he didn’t move, the unspoken question lingered in his eyes. Taking my silence as approval he lowered his face, very slowly, towards mine....

Giveaway
Don't forget, you still have a couple of days to enter the giveaway for Switched. For your chance to win head over to the post now [clickity click].

So that's all I can think of now. I'm going to get back to editing and hope like hell I can get through this in time.

Switched: Review & Giveaway

I'll admit it: In the beginning I was hesitant to say yes when I was approached to review Switched. I'd heard stories indicated it probably wasn't my cup of tea, and I was worried I wouldn't like it. I'm not in the habit of giving bad reviews. I'm not a book reviewer by trade, so I don't see it as my responsibility to rant about books I dislike. I don't like tearing apart other people's writing, because I know exactly how hard it is to hear things like that myself, even if I do know it's 'part of the job.'.

Now, I had downloaded the ebook edition of Switched some time earlier, while it was still self-published. They pulled it down while they edited and recovered it before the official relaunch. I'd read a few pages, but had intended to wait until the new edition was released before continuing.

As soon as I opened the cover I felt a certain sense of dread. The first line caught me at a rough angle; it may not be grammatically incorrect, but it scraped as I read it. It just annoyed me. I was certain I hadn't had that reaction the first time I'd started the book and, after checking to make sure, I realized it had been changed. It was only one word different, but it made me worry about what I was about to read.

I shouldn't have. Switched was actually a relatively entertaining read. I liked the concept of the trylle and their changelings, it was nice to see a unique idea in a market so saturated by vampires and werewolves (not that I'm complaining about either.) It did take some time to adjust to the idea of them though, the last time I ran into a troll was some television show about King Arthur where Buffy's Giles is seduced by one parading as a queen.

In the beginning Wendy, the main character, sort of annoyed me. I could understand that she'd had a tough life, and therefore I was more forgiving, but to put it simply she was a brat. She grew on me over time, especially as she had trouble adjusting to her new life. That said, I did rather like quite a few of the others such as Rhys, Rhiannon, Willa, Tove and Matt.

About now I'm running into trouble; there are many more things I'd like to mention, but can't because it would just spoil the plot. I can say I would have liked to know more about the Vittra. Although the short story in the back of the book did answer a few questions, it raised a lot more.

Overall it was an enjoyable read. As a cross between Vampire Academy and The Princess Diaries, it is entertaining and fast-paced enough to speed through in an afternoon.

***

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Now, how about a chance to win one copy of the U.K. adult paperback? Fill in the form below for your chance to get your hands on it!

My Most Anticipated Movies Of 2012

For some time I've been thinking about one particular film, which is due to be released this year. Of course, this got me wondering about what else would be appearing on the big screen over the coming months.

Now I'm by no means an expert when it comes to movies. I know what I like, and I know what I don't (usually) even if I've been told I have pretty awful cinematic taste. But no matter, I'm going to go ahead with this anyway.

I'm sure this list will probably mirror many others that you've seen, but honestly, there's a reason for that. These are the movies that I'm really looking forward to. There are dozens of films set to premier in 2012, most of them look fairly average, and the rest I just can't figure out if I'm excited or not.

The films next year that I've excluded from the list seem to fall into three groups; there are fairytale retellings (although I have included one), films I've never heard of, and new sequels to old movies. I initially attempted to make a top ten list, but decided to stop when I figured that the ones on this list are only the ones I'm really excited about. There is no order to this list, apart from my absolute most anticipated the rest are fairly interchangeable. Want to know what I'm most excited about? It's the last one.

Now in a moment I will dive into it, but first a question: Is it sad that I seriously contemplated adding Beauty and the Beast 3D to this list?

The Amazing Spiderman
To be honest I'm not sure if excited is the right word for this. I'm cautious about expressing my interest in Spiderman after the last series of movies featuring Toby Maguire. The only reason I'm really keeping an eye on it is because of the casting and the early promotional pictures. I adore Emma Stone, and after The Social Network I kinda fell in love with Andrew Garfield. I have to admit the early photos of Andrew in costume show great advancement from the earlier films, and I like seeing him tackling his own stunts.

Haywire
Before tonight I'd never really thought about Haywire. I'd seen it mentioned elsewhere, but never took much notice. What changed? The trailer popped up while I was watching television. There's something about a kick-ass heroine that you just can't beat. 

The Avengers 
I think Marvel have gone about this incredibly cleverly. I loved Robert Downey Junior as Iron Man. He built a strong foundation for the rest of the franchise and reeled me in hook, line and sinker. Thor helped too; what's not to like about Chris Hemsworth without his shirt? The same goes for Captain America. There are a few more lovely gentlemen who I'm sure are suitably talented in the looks acting department to keep us occupied. Last but certainly not least we have Scarlett Johansson rounding out the team, kicking ass as the Black Widow. Did you see her mop the floor with those guys in Iron Man two? Now that was awesome.

007 Skyfall
I want to be a Bond girl. There, I said it. I've always loved Bond films, and the Bond girls have held a certain fascination for me since the very beginning. Although there always seems to be negative connotations attached to them, there is also one factor that many don't consider: Many of the Bond girls are independent, with their own jobs and careers. Many of them, such as Vesper Lynd, Gala Brand, Tatiana Romanova and Mary Ann Russell worked in intelligence or law enforcement. Others, such as Tiffany Case and Pussy Galore are on the complete other side of the tracks. Either way, they knew their minds and went after what they wanted. On top of that, Daniel Craig is probably my favourite Bond. Even though he's blond he just pulls it off so seamlessly. I've always liked the Bond men, but he's my favourite so far.

The Dark Knight Rises
Now this is going to be stunning. I'm so excited for this movie. I absolutely loved the previous two films because not only does Christian Bale make the perfect Batman, but Christopher Nolan has just cottoned onto the mood and direction of the films so wonderfully. He's created an awe-inspiring visual feast with s much suspense you're afraid to blink in case you miss something. With Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway added to the mix this is going to be one hell of a party.

The Hobbit
I read The Hobbit when I was eleven, and although it took some time (and two attempts) I finished it. I was so proud of that. To be honest though, my reading the book has absolutely nothing to do with my interest in watching the film. I hadn't read The Lord of the Rings when I watched the movies, and it didn't hurt me one bit. The Lord of the Rings films are the most amazing movies I have ever watched. They keep me spellbound from beginning to end, no matter how often I see them... and by them, I mean the extended editions. As a Kiwi there's also a sense of pride. Peter Jackson is one of our own, and he has built so much, and included New Zealand for much of the journey. In every scene you see New Zealand landscapes and Kiwi extras. And so much of the design and special effects work was done by New Zealanders too. Since leaving home they've grown in meaning to me, reminding me of what I'm missing.

Snow White And the Huntsman
When I first heard about a Snow White movie I was a little disgusted, to be completely honest. Even more so when I learned that there would be two takes on the same fairytale filmed by different studios. The idea just made me shudder. It definitely didn't help when they announced that Kristen Stewart would be taking the title role either. That all changed when I saw the first picture. That profile shot of Kristen holding the shield set the scene, and the trailer released soon after piked my interest even more. Now I can't wait to see the kick-ass version of Snow White. Please don't let them ruin this!

The Hunger Games
This is the one movie that I would choose over all others to see next year. If I was only allowed to see one, this would be it. I fell in love with the book from the very first page. That book made me feel emotions unlike any other I've read... I don't think I've ever cried that much. I was so excited when they cast Jennifer, even more when they released the pictures, and more so when I finally got to see the trailer. I have to say, I just can't express in words how excited I am. If you were next to me you'd hear a strange "squeeing" noise as I try not to squeal in excitement.

And there you have it, my most anticipated movies of 2012. Keep an eye on the blog, because in the next week or so I'll be posting about one of those trends I mentioned earlier. I have to say, the topic really baffles me.

Girl Crush Monday - Jackie Morse Kessler

Girl crush: Feelings of admiration and adoration which a girl has for another girl, without wanting to shag said girl. a non-sexual attraction, usually based on veneration at some level.

Urban Dictionary

Photo by Michelle Rowen

This blog has been a long time coming. If my Goodreads is correct, nine months and thirty days to be exact. On February third last year I read Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler. I read it in one sitting and it is one of the most touching books I've ever read. Now I've read and thoroughly enjoyed many, many young adult books over the years. A fair number of them have messages, or tackle some of the harder issues in life, but this is one of the ones that has done it the best.

Hunger is about an anorexic young woman called Lisabeth Lewis. After a failed suicide attempt, Death appoints her as Famine. She has a horse, and a set of scales, but how does an anorexic seventeen-year-old girl from the suburbs fare as one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? I'm not going to tell you that, you'll have to read and find out for yourself.

Anyway... Like I said, this book was amazing. It was well written and brought up emotions that I hadn't felt in some time. The thing is, Hunger is only the first in a series of four titles, each dealing with a difficult issues. 

Earlier this year the Wall Street Journal published an article by Meghan Cox Gurdon slamming some of the 'darker' issues explored in young adult fiction. She singled out several titles, but in particular paid a lot of attention to Rage, the second title in Jackie's series. 

Books focusing on pathologies help normalize them and, in the case of self-harm, may even spread their plausibility and likelihood to young people who might otherwise never have imagined such extreme measures. Self-destructive adolescent behaviors are observably infectious and have periods of vogue. That is not to discount the real suffering that some young people endure; it is an argument for taking care.

Now I admit, I haven't yet read Rage (it's on my to-read list) but based on my experience with Hunger and other similar books I was furious. I firmly believe that these books have a place in society. Indeed, I feel that they are a necessary education tool. I am a believer of education as the best prevention, and hold a great hatred of censorship in reading (that blog, my lovelies, is still to come.)

Neil Gaiman with a copy of Hunger

Jackie was classy thoughout, posting a well researched blog in response. To be honest, just reading that again makes my blood boil. You can also find other great blogs on the subject by Heather Brewer and Maureen Johnson.

I strongly encourage you to head out and purchase Jackie's books. Not only are they fabulous, but a portion of the sales goes towards charities offering help to those who need it, such as the National Eating Disorder Association.

I'll be mentioning books like Jackie's in a blog later this month addressing censorship in reading. It's an issue I feel quite strongly about and it's highly likely I'll be including quotes from my mommy.