A Q&A with “Conspiracy Game” Author Adam Holt

On December 27, 2013December 27, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn CoziesLeave a comment

I’m pleased to introduce you to an up-and-coming author who has written a book that is out of this world! Literally, the book is set in outer space. If you’re among the legions of syfy/dystopian fans who love books/blockbuster movies like The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game or Divergent, I highly recommend checking out The Conspiracy Game. Adam Holt, the mastermind behind this intergalactic coming-of-age story, was kind enough to answer a few questions about his brand new book. Read on to learn more about the first of many adventures that lie in store for Tully Harper! Be sure to visit his blog for more about the book series.

Tell us about The Conspiracy Game.

The Conspiracy Game recounts the adventure of Tully Harper, a 14-year-old boy who sneaks aboard his dad’s spaceship on a covert mission. Along with his best friends Tabitha and Sunjay, he uncovers The Conspiracy Game, which could be no big deal, or it could change the fate of the solar system. It’s an upbeat, heartfelt space adventure, and the first in a trilogy. I wrote it as a young adult crossover: accessible to teens but with a larger audience in mind.

What made you decide to become an author?

Writing and creating stories always elevated my soul, ever since I was in elementary school. I remember the joy of writing my first novel, entitled Space Vampire. It was two pages long, done on construction paper and Crayola. I show it off sometime. That one isn’t available on Amazon…

Becoming a novelist was different: I’ve written poems and short stories since I was a teen, but those don’t take commitment. Then I dreamed up a novel idea that would not leave me alone. At the time I was teaching middle school English. Writing a novel while grading essays and midterms is a recipe for insanity—for me and for the students, too. I needed to devote myself to being a teacher or a novelist. I left my teaching job and wrote The Conspiracy Game—starting in my condo in Dallas, finishing when I was traveling in Europe, and revising when I made it back to Houston, where I now live. It’s been an eventful year.

What draws you to the realm of deep space?

I was born into the space business. My dad worked in Mission Control during the Apollo missions. He helped send people to the Moon and managed many shuttle missions. That didn’t fascinate me much as a kid for some reason. I never went to Space Camp. He never talked about work when he got home, which I respect. I was too busy to notice his job anyway. I was playing, reading, and ironically, memorizing every line in Star Wars. Over the past decade I’ve gained a good perspective on what human space exploration means for humanity. It’s lead to so many amazing breakthroughs that impact us every day on Earth. So I wanted to write a story that, among other things, showcased that opportunity.

I feel like people are best when they have big things to achieve. That’s certainly true for Tully, Tabitha, and Sunjay. I wanted to remind people that they have enormous challenges and opportunities in front of them. Traveling into space gets us away from our daily concerns and helps us focus on the bigger picture of life. Astronauts talk about that—coming back and feeling more connected to the world around them. So that’s one way to answer: leaving Earth makes us better people.

Secondly, space is captivating. Weightlessness is all kinds of fun for fiction. The cold vacuum of space is all kinds of danger. It’s a place we can explore but only with the mind, for the most part. I think committed readers love to do just that—visit fascinating other worlds, see our own planet from the surface of the Moon. I wanted to bring readers on a short, intense trip into such a world in this first book. Really, it’s also a possible world, where we have colonies on Mars and androids to help us in our daily lives. The second novel, Tully Harper and the Rathmore Chaos, delves deeper into our solar system and the relationships previously formed.

How did the idea for The Conspiracy Game come about?

A toddler inspired me. I went to see the movie Prometheus on opening night by myself, and I was alone in the theater except for two women seated near the screen. They had a seat between them, but I quickly realized the seat wasn’t empty—a little hand popped up and reached for popcorn in one of the women’s laps. Prometheus is a great sci-fi movie, but it’s also part of the Aliens franchise. It’s gory, scary, and my stomach turned when I realized what this child was about to sit through. So I walked down and asked the mother if she knew this was a violent R-rated movie, thinking that they meant to see Brave or Madascar. She smiled at me and said, “Oh, yes, my daughter just loves scary movies!” I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t watch the movie with that little hand reaching for popcorn in the corner of my eye. I thought about how this child was about to see some magical and gruesome images that her mind couldn’t yet understand. It was at that point that I made up my mind to write a space exploration book, one that captured the wonder of space travel but that this young girl could one day enjoy. So the book was inspired by hope and fear, two potent emotions, and the ones which drive Tully Harper into space as well.

I’m intrigued by Tully Harper’s sidekick, Tabitha, who bears some similarities to Hermione Granger. Could you briefly describe this character?

Oh, definitely! I wanted my readers to find people like themselves swept up in the action of this novel, and I know not all of them would naturally relate to Tully, a 14-year-old only child. Tabitha Tirelli is less like a sidekick and more like Tully’s teammate. She keeps Tully and Sunjay focused on the right problems throughout their adventure. She is the wise counselor that Tully needs if he’s going to survive in space…and he’s not quite sure, but he might be falling for her, too. Tabitha is always so busy with local theater that they don’t spend much time together except in the summers when she has time for him…and for Cave-In!, their favorite video game.

The problem is that Tully holds some crucial things back from Tabitha at times. He has his reasons for hiding things from her, but she is intuitive. She can sense that something is wrong. I was pleased with how this played out once they get into space. So she’s a resourceful, divergent thinker, and she tackles problems in ways Tully never considers. That’s the beauty of friendship, isn’t it? It’s Tabitha’s beauty. My editors helped me mold this character into a tough, capable young woman. Oh, and Tabitha also likes vintage clothing from the early 2020’s. The book is set in 2069, so the 2020s are retro-chic by then. Anyway, she has a vintage scarf that changes colors with her moods. It’s Tully’s (and the readers’) window into her thoughts sometime.

Of all the characters in the book, which one would you like to spend an afternoon with and why?

Maybe Queen Envy. She’s a pop diva who is on board the Adversity to record the first album in space. She’s also there to disguise this mission as just a routine trip to the Moon, which it is not. Tully and Tabitha think she is ridiculous, but there’s more to her than meets the eye. If I could have a few minutes with Tabitha, that would be awesome, too. She could tell me things about Tully that I don’t know.

How can teens – and even adults – identify with some of the challenges Tully is experiencing?

Tully may be sneaking into space, but his motivations for doing so are real. He is an only child from a single-parent home. He is petrified of losing his father, but also brave enough to help him on a dangerous mission. I think that’s momentous—those moments when we’re struggling to put others first. Tully makes that transition—from fearful child to brave son. If you’ve seen or read Les Miserables—my favorite novel—remember when little Gavroche helps with the student uprising? He has an innocent bravery that I’ve always admired, and I hope Tully has a bit of Gavroche in him.

Of course, life isn’t always full of nation-inspiring moments. It can’t be. People are too quirky and unpredictable, and Tully is a teenager. He’s stumbling upon love for the first time. That’s fun and funny. He’s also figuring out that he can trust some adults, and others he can’t. How to navigate love and friendship is a universal struggle. I think readers will find Tully right in the middle of life changes that are familiar, either at sharp and present or as a distant, muddy memory.

What do you hope your readers will get out of this book?

What a reader takes from a book often has more to do with what they bring to the book—what hopes and fears and doubts. I hope they’ll see in Tully someone who is determined to live life to the fullest. There’s this great thing that Jesus once said: “I came that they might have life, and have it to the full.” I hope they’ll see in my characters people that are striving for lives full of love and accomplishment—and they’ll see those that oppose his efforts, too.

What I hope they will get is this: take risks in life, let the chips fall where they will, and be satisfied with the results. For Tully, that’s going into space to follow his dad. He hears a voice in a vision one night: “Go, and do not delay.” He follows that voice. I hope that phrase resonates with readers. What must they do with their “one wild and precious life?” as Mary Oliver wrote. It’s different for every person, but to be the people we could become, we have to step out and do things that take bravery.

What’s next for Tully Harper in the second installment of the trilogy?

The Rathmore Chaos. There are hints at the end of the book about this, and Google can help uncover the mystery of the name. I’ll just say that, by the end, both Tully and his enemies have lost some valuable people and things, and The Rathmore Chaos will give them a chance to win back their losses. It’s much more an action book than a thriller. You now know the characters and motives—or think you do. So the pace picks up.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Sure. I’ve received great feedback on the novel so far, and I’m nothing but grateful for that. For readers that like the book, I ask them to spread the word about The Conspiracy Game: email a friend, suggest it for a book club, like the Facebook page. There are some great self-published novelists out there, and all of them rely on readers as their best promoters. Since this is my debut novel, that goes double for me. I love to correspond with fans and other writers, so look me up on Twitter (@adamholtwrites).

The Clue is in the Pudding by Kate Kingsbury

On December 24, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn CoziesLeave a comment

It isn’t Christmas without a Kate Kingsbury mystery! And at the Pennyfoot Hotel, the holiday shenanigans don’t begin until someone gets bludgeoned with a nutcracker or incinerated by a flaming Christmas tree. Nestled in a quaint little coastal English hamlet, the Pennyfoot may look like something straight out of Dickens’ Village, but if you plan to spend the holidays there, you’re goose might just get cooked!

When the guests start streaming into the hotel for the Christmas holidays, Cecily Sinclair Baxter worries about the inevitable Christmas curse. Like clockwork, her loyal crew of housemaids will stumble upon a dead body, and she will have to take it upon herself to hunt down the murderer.

You see, in this tranquil seaside village, the police force leaves much to be desired. Oh and you can forget about her milquetoast of a husband helping her out. While she’s out in snowstorms chasing down murderous fiends, he’d much prefer to settle down by the fireplace with his newspaper. For once, I would love to see him take the initiative and tag-team these murder mysteries with his wife instead of constantly lecturing her to stay out of harm’s way. Hello! The cops are useless, so do you prefer to be a sitting duck?

Wow, that was quite the tirade. Sorry, Kate. I love your mysteries, I really do. But can you please make Baxter man up in the next book? Aside from my minor gripes, these mysteries are perfect holiday reads. There’s nothing I’d rather do on a cold winter’s night than nestle down into my comfy couch with some fireball whiskey, a tubby gray housecat and a Pennyfoot Hotel mystery. The author does a fine job unraveling just bits and pieces about the eclectic cast of hotel staff and dangling that carrot as their love stories develop. In this book, I finally got to see some sparks fly between Gertie and the enigmatic groundskeeper, Clyde. I promise to not give anything away, but I will say that there was a moment between them that was so incredibly sweet, I had to re-read it several times!

So this year, the Christmas curse comes in the form of a dead actor named Archibald Armitage. Seriously, what mother would name her kid Archibald? Well, I guess you could nickname him Archie like that cute freckled redhead dude in the comics…but I digress. So when the maid stumbles upon Archie’s dead body, it appears he was poisoned by a lethal dose of arsenic-laced plum pudding. All eyes point to the temporary head housemaid Beatrice Tucker (aka Tucker the Terrible), who personally served him the plum pudding up in his suite. She may be a tyrant, but is she capable of murder?

As Cecily hunts down the clues, she finds that several houseguests – and even some of her staff – have a beef with Archie. While her staff prepare for the holiday festivities, and her husband continues to sit on his ass with the newspaper, she will stop at nothing to ferret out the killer before he (or she?) strikes again.

I raise my mug of spiked cider to the author for delivering a deliciously atmospheric Christmas mystery filled with loveable characters, red herrings and romance! I look forward to meeting up with my old friends at the Pennyfoot next December.

Merry Christmas to all – and be sure to not accept unsolicited puddings from frienemies.

Gizzy’s Christmas Reading Roundup!

On December 14, 2013December 14, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn Cozies6 Comments

Christmas is s almost here and I’m scrambling to get all of my holiday reading done before the fat man in red drops down my chimney with a bag full of more books! I love the holidays, I really do, but December is becoming a dizzying month of nonstop rush, rush, rushing. Can you believe I haven’t even had time to get a stinking tree? But don’t fret, my dear readers. I do have priorities, and I vow to never let the holiday chaos interfere with precious reading time. If you’re looking for something Christmassy to read by the fire after battling it out at the mall, here are some hits and misses.

The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen

I scored this on Audible for a mere five bucks, and it’s worth every penny and more! The narrator is top notch, and the characters are highly amusing. This is my first venture into the the Royal Spyness mystery series, and I assure you it won’t be my last! Set in the Great Gatsby era, the irrepressible Lady Georgiana is stuck in Scotland with her bumbling brother and his odious family. Seriously, these creatons could give the Dursleys a run for their money. As luck would have it, she gets hired as a holiday party hostess at stately old manor in a picturesque English village. It all seems too perfect, until the dead bodies start stacking up. From the moment she arrives, people drop off like flies in a series of “accidental deaths.” Do these freak accidents have something to do with a long-standing witchy curse? Or are escaped prisoners to blame? You’ll have to read the book to find out! If you like jigsaw puzzle mysteries with a dash of humor and romance, this book’s for you.

Elvis and the Blue Christmas Corpse by Peggy Webb

I must confess, the cover is the reason why I bought this book. How can you go wrong with a dog detective who might just be the reincarnation of Elvis Pressley? The slapstick humor is front and center of the mystery, so this should appeal to those who like their whodunits loaded down with zany hijinks and slapstick banter. Amidst the silly shenanigans, there’s a mystery involving a murderous Ebenezer Scrooge with a vendetta against mall Santas. The mystery begins when Callie’s beloved uncle Charlie almost dies in an “electrical accident” while sitting in Santa’s throne. The hijinks ensue when she teams up with her binge-eating cousin/BFF to ferret out the killer. Complete with a cast of eccentric Southern women, this series is somewhat of a mashup of Steal Magnolias and Janet Evonovich’s Stephanie Plum series. The off-the-wall antics got a little tiresome, but I’d be lying if I said that some of the girls’ ill-fated escapades weren’t amusing. Plus there’s some romantic intrigue going on between Callie and her soon-to-be ex hubby.

Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber

I don’t typically read Debbie Macomber books because they tend to be a little too sugary sweet. I also shy away from any story that revolves around a struggling mother with needy little children. Sorry to be a total grump, but I don’t like whiney kiddos muddling up a romantic moment. But when Christmas rolls around, I turn into a softy and end up reading one of her cozy little romance novels. To be honest, the Lifetime movie version of this book was more entertaining, mostly because the kid was a lot less annoying. Yes, the movie was contrived and somewhat silly, but Lauren Holly really stole the show as the over-the-top dragon lady boss. She was HILARIOUS! Oh and Doris Roberts is just the perfect master manipulator/guardian angel. I loved how she seamlessly moved things in the right direction while completely befuddling people in the process. In the book, however, the stoic Mrs. Miracle takes more of a backseat to the paint-by-the-numbers love story. My advice: skip the book and watch the movie. I know that seems very backwards, but I’m just being honest!

Step Away from the Mall and Hit Up Your Local Bookstore!

On December 9, 2013December 9, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn Cozies6 Comments

Sheeba approves this message. This sweet girl is up for adoption! Visit her website at Austin Pets Alive.

Spoiler Alert! If you’re a member of my family, stop reading this! Lucky for me, none of my family members habitually frequent my blog, so I should be in the clear.

Here you will see how Christmas shopping can be painless, quick and – gasp! – even enjoyable! I didn’t even do it online. Nope, this year I decided to stop fueling the Amazon machine and made a beeline for the crown jewel of Austin, Texas: BookPeople.

Have I ever told you how much I love BookPeople? It is the largest – and coolest – independent bookstore in all of Texas. It’s a haven for writers, coffee fiends and author groupies. Needless to say, this is my happy place. So instead of pushing my way through gaggles of screaming kids and their scowling mothers at the dreaded mall, I decided to tackle my entire shopping list in one stop. Come to think of it, I actually did have to push my way through gobs of people. But this time, I was happy to see such a huge crowd of people buying books and keeping my favorite store in the black.

While I was weaving my way through the labyrinth of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, I found the perfect gift for my dad, a voracious reader who loves all things dark and spooky. Doesn’t’ this book look like the perfect Gothic thriller for a cold winter’s night?

He’s also a big time eater, so I couldn’t resist getting him this signed copy of Austin’s most historic restaurants. Yum…I’m craving a Huts Hamburger right about now.

For my crazy marathon man, I scored a signed copy of Eat and Run by Scott Jurek. I sure hope this doesn’t inspire him to run 100+ miles in Death Valley, but hopefully it will give him a kick in the pants to start training for the Austin Marathon. This author is pretty incredible! I still can’t wrap my mind around eating a plant-only diet, let alone running a zillion miles through a desert inferno.

As for the little kiddos, I got my 7-year-old niece a little Texas doodle book because she’s obsessed with all things Texas. When she becomes a famous artist, I expect her to tell everyone that her crazy Texas aunt is her muse. Since she’s a fan of those obscenely expensive American Girl dolls, I couldn’t resist getting her an Agatha Christie inspired kiddie mystery.

My little bitty 3-year-old niece loves furry little critters, so I got her this picture book about a stealthy tuxedo kitty. I have to confess, I read the book the second I got home. Hey, someone has to make sure it’s kid-approved!

My fellow crazy cat lady friend is getting some sweet kitty swag. How can you go wrong with a Bad Cat calendar?

Of course, not everyone has time for reading, especially if you’re chasing around four kids! So my sister-in-law is getting an address book. She’s refreshingly old school about keeping records on paper instead of apps.

These are just a few gifts from my shopping binge, but I’ll stop right here before this blog post turns into a book all in itself. Books really are perfect gifts. They’re cheap, easy to wrap and ship! But most importantly, they’re thoughtful and personal gifts. Sometimes it’s a risk buying someone a book because reading takes time, and it seems like a lot of people have to schedule their bathroom breaks. But it’s a chance worth taking. Worst case scenario, it will get donated to Goodwill and eventually land in the right hands. Best case scenario, it will give your loved one hours upon hours of entertainment – and possibly inspire them to read more and more and more!

Happy reading, everyone! I hope you have many literary adventures waiting for you under the tree! 🙂

Teaser Tuesday: The Secret of Cypriere Bayou by Jana Deleon

On December 3, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn Cozies5 Comments

It’s Tuesday Teaser time! On this chilly December morning, I bring you an intriguing little snippet from Jana DeLeon’s creeptastic romantic mystery The Secret of Cypriere Bayou.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here’s how it works:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser:

She’d tromped through a swamp in the rain, been chased by a man with a gun, fallen two stories, twisted her ankle and been locked in a dark tunnel in a haunted house. It had definitely been a full day.

Yikes! Sounds like she’s in a bit of a pickle! Perhaps rattling around a haunted mansion all alone in the middle of Louisiana’s swamp country isn’t such a bright idea. Good thing the stud muffin caretaker decided to stick around!

Swoon Worthy Saturday: Zak Bagans

On November 30, 2013November 30, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn CoziesLeave a comment

Swoon Worthy Saturday is a meme hosted by Stay Bookish that shines a spotlight on a fictional boy who has swept us off our feet, given us butterflies, made our hearts do acrobatics and driven us absolutely crazy!

Hooray for Thanksgiving weekend! Four blissful days of uninterrupted reading time! This book was meant to be my Halloween read, but October zipped right on by in a blur of moving, traveling and work, work, work. But no matter what time of year, this is a spooky, entertaining read. To be honest, I’ve got a smidge of a crush on Zak Bagans, Ghost Adventures frontman and “author” of Dark World. I use the word “author” very loosely because I’ve heard this guy speak on TV and a lot of words in the book don’t’ seem to be a part of his vernacular. Articulate he is not, but he does have some interesting stories from his ghostly escapades, particularly the demonic infestation at Bobby Mackey’s Music World. Let’s just say I will never look at dusty old honky tonks the same way.

It was fun getting an inside look at the Ghost Adventures “lock downs” and learning about the stuff that follows Zak and his crew home. Isn’t it terrible that the ghostly hitchhikers seem to have it in for all of his lady friends? So sad…really I’m not being sarcastic at all. 😉

Broken by A.E. Rought

On November 14, 2013November 30, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn CoziesLeave a comment

Oh how I love teen love stories filled with dark love, dead boyfriends and sadistic mean girls. And A.E. Rought delivers all this and more in her revamped version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

It all begins with our tortured protagonist, Emma, who spends her days roaming the local cemetery where she and her dead boyfriend, Daniel, spent their happiest moments drinking whiskey atop gravestones. Huh…is it just me, or doesn’t that seem like a rather bizarre pastime? Kids these days…

So Emma breaks out of her funk when the mysterious new boy, Alex Franks, enters the scene at the local coffee stand, Mugz and Chugz. Wow of all the names you could give a coffee place…really? Emma soon finds herself enraptured by his otherworldly connection to Daniel.

Keeping with the formula of most YA dark romances, Emma and Alex are bewildered by their instant connection, and after a lot of push and pull they eventually fall headfirst into the deep abyss of teenage love. Sorry if that was a spoiler, but I’m sure anyone who reads the synopsis will know where this is heading.

After encountering the enigmatic new boy in town, Emma’s obsession with the dead boyfriend ebbs away. For this I am very thankful because a lot of teen brooding goes a loooong way. Although she’s out of her funk, she still insists on clinging onto Daniel’s damned hoodie to the point of obsession. My god, the word “hoodie” must have appeared in the book at least 500 times! I was really tired of that effing hoodie. And wouldn’t you know it, Alex wears a hoodie all day, every day too. I’m willing to bet this author is a fan of The Gap.

So as Emma and Daniel grow closer, she finds that he possesses qualities that are intrinsic to the dead boyfriend. He knows her secret pet name. He has the amazing ability to open her temperamental locker with just a wiggle and a punch. It’s all very uncanny. Things get even weirder when she finds Alex’s father is the town’s resident Dr. Giggles. What is going on with Alex’s otherworldly connection to dead animals? What caused all of those ghastly scars that he’s hiding under that darn hoodie? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

To be fair, this book is made for teens, so I’m not going to get down on all the melodrama. Teens are hypersensitive drama junkies, so I’m sure they can totally relate to all the brooding and over-the-top descriptions of high school hell. I was, in fact, thoroughly entertained by the mean girl antics in the “Ugly Room.” Anyone who wasn’t a part of the “in crowd” knows that high school gym was created solely to torment young girls with body and self-esteem issues.

Overall, this is an entertaining book for teens, not so much YA-loving adults. Although the pacing was rather slow, I have to give A.E. Rought props for her lyrical prose. She does a fantastic job setting the scene – complete with moonlit cemeteries, undead night-walking creatures and leering jack-o’-lanterns. I’m not sure if I’ll read another book in this series, but I certainly will look out for other titles by this author because she truly is a gifted writer.

Short & Sweet Sundays

On November 10, 2013November 10, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn CoziesLeave a comment

These past few months have gone by in a blur – and I’ve been reading more books than I have time to review! But don’t fret, my wonderful bookish friends, I have plenty of reviews coming your way. And today, I bring you a veritable cornucopia of short and sweet book reviews! Here’s a few hits and misses from my fall reading list.

Hits

Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen (Audiobook)

This was a quality audiobook. Great narrator, fast-moving plot, interesting characters, swoony teen paranormal romance – pretty much the perfect escape from reality! I’m hoping there’s going to be a romantic triangle brewing in the next book because Craven and Samantha would be dynamite together! The author did a fine job tying up the story at the end, while leaving her readers with lots of questions. All in all, this is an entertaining read for paranormal romance enthusiasts.

Dead of Night by Charlaine Harris and Amanda Stevens

Confession: I bought this book at an airport because of the spooktacular cover! As expected, Charlaine Harris delivers a quality novella titled Dancers in the Dark. It’s a deliciously romantic mashup of Dirty Dancing and True Blood. The author did a bang-up job slowly unraveling the characters’ mysterious backstories while bringing their simmering romance into a rolling boil. I read this thing from start to finish in one sitting. Five stars all around! As for the next story, The Devil’s Footprints, I’m only halfway through it. So far, it’s pretty darn creepy. Stay tuned for the review!

Haunting Violet by Alxyandra Harvey

This may very well be my most favorite YA paranormal novel. Set amidst England’s lush and foggy countryside, this is the perfect atmospheric gothic romance for a blustery winter’s night. The mystery behind the drowned ghost girl kept me glued to the pages as Violet searched for clues in a stately English manor. Complete with masquerade balls, danger and romance, this book is everything I could ever ask for in a paranormal mystery. If you love Barbara Michaels (how could you not?), I highly recommend this one!

Misses

Mid Summer Night’s Scream by R.L. Stine

Oh R.L. Stine! I love you. I really do! This book just didn’t do it for me. I love the concept of young actors getting terrorized on a cursed movie set. And I certainly wasn’t expecting a whole lot, except for maybe some campy 80s horror movie fun. Yet it’s never a good sign when you’re rooting for the masked killer to knock off the utterly despicable characters. I absolutely loathed all of the kids in this book, mainly because they’re a bunch of rich, fame-obsessed brats in the Hollywood Hills. I get that R.L. needs to keep up with the times and market his books to the “Me Generation,” but at what cost? I can see how this book might be of interest to fans of the Kardashians and those Jersey Shore lushes, but do those people actually read? I don’t know, guys, after this sad attempt of a paranormal thriller, I might have to write R.L. off. Life is too short for lame-ass books.

Phantom Evil by Heather Graham (Audiobook)

I’ve always been very “meh” about Heather Graham’s formulaic thrillers, but sometimes she delivers some quality stuff. Plus, this audiobook was on clearance for five bucks, so I decided to go for it. Unfortunately, I got what I paid for. Lured by the haunted New Orleans setting, I really wanted to like this book, but sadly it was stilted by flat characters and a very tedious plot. It all seemed very rushed, and the author failed to make the most out of an incredibly spooky location. When you’re setting a horror story in New Orleans, you owe it to your readers to take a page from Anne Rice’s playbook and delve into the evocative, mystical Louisiana setting. I hardly ever quit a book, but I had to stick a fork in this one long before the Scooby Doo cast of characters solved the mystery.

Gizzy’s Halloween Treat!

On October 31, 2013November 1, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn Cozies4 Comments

Happy Halloween, fellow bookworms! In honor of my most favorite holiday, I bring you a roundup of incredibly spooky reads for a blustery, or in my case muggy, Halloween night!

Last October I rounded up a handful of nostalgic Halloween reads, but this year, I’m much more in the mood for balls-to-the-wall frightening tales of blood-sucking fiends, demons and nightly visitors from the great beyond. Here are a few deliciously creepy books that are sure to keep you glued to the page way past the midnight hour. Pleasant nightmares…and pay no attention to the scratching on the window. I’m sure it’s just the wind….

The Shining by Stephen King
From Goodreads: Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote . . . and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

Ghost Story by Peter Straub From Goodreads: For four aging men in the terror-stricken town of Milburn, New York, an act inadvertently carried out in their youth has come back to haunt them. Now they are about to learn what happens to those who believe they can bury the past — and get away with murder. Peter Straub’s classic bestseller is a work of “superb horror” (The Washington Post Book World) that, like any good ghost story, stands the test of time — and conjures our darkest fears and nightmares.

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
From Goodreads: Aging death-metal rock legend Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals…a used hangman’s noose…a snuff film. But nothing he possesses is as unique or as dreadful as his latest purchase off the Internet: a one-of-a-kind curiosity that arrives at his door in a black heart-shaped box…a musty dead man’s suit still inhabited by the spirit of its late owner. And now everywhere Judas Coyne goes, the old man is there—watching, waiting, dangling a razor blade on a chain from his bony hand.

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
From Goodreads: Four decades after it first shook the nation, then the world, William Peter Blatty’s thrilling masterwork of faith and demonic possession returns in an even more powerful form. Raw and profane, shocking and blood-chilling, it remains a modern parable of good and evil and perhaps the most terrifying novel ever written.

The Right Hand of Evil by John Saul
From Goodreads: When the Conways move into their ancestral home in Louisiana after the death of an estranged aunt, it is with the promise of a new beginning. But the house has a life of its own. Abandoned for the last forty years, surrounded by thick trees and a stifling sense of melancholy, the sprawling Victorian house seems to swallow up the sunlight. Deep within the cold cellar and etched into the very walls is a long, dark history of the Conway name—a grim bloodline poisoned by suicide, strange disappearances, voodoo rituals, and rumors of murder. But the family knows nothing of the soul-shattering secrets that snake through generations of their past. They do not know that terror awaits them. For with each generation of the Conways comes a hellish day of reckoning. . . .

The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson
From Goodreads: In December 1975, the Lutz family moved into their new home on suburban Long Island. George and Kathleen Lutz knew that one year earlier, Ronald DeFeo had murdered his parents, brothers, and sisters in the house, but the property – complete with boathouse and swimming pool – and the price had been too good to pass up. Twenty-eight days later, the entire Lutz family fled in terror…

Summer of Night by Dan Simmons
From Goodreads: In the summer of 1960 in Elm Haven, Illinois, five 12-year-old boys forge the powerful bonds that a lifetime of change will not break. An ancient, sinister evil lurks in the dark, and when a long-silent bell peals in the middle of the deepest night, the people know it marks the beginning of terror. Now Mike, Duane, Dale, Harlen, and Kevin must wage a fraternal war of blood against an arcane abomination.

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
From Goodreads: Something strange is going on in Jerusalem’s Lot … but no one dares to talk about it. By day, ‘Salem’s Lot is a typical modest New England town; but when the sun goes down, evil roams the earth. The devilishly sweet insistent laughter of a child can be heard echoing through the fields, and the presence of silent looming spirits can be felt lurking right outside your window. Stephen King brings his gruesome imagination to life in this tale of spine tingling horror.

What’s your favorite scary story? Post a comment and tell me all the gory details!

Audiobook Pick of the Month: On Writing by Stephen King

On October 21, 2013October 21, 2013 By Bubble Bubble Books and TroubleIn Cozies2 Comments

From the publisher: Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999 — and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, “On Writing” will empower and entertain everyone who reads it — fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.

Why I LOVED it: I’ve got a stack of writer’s reference guides on my shelf, and this one is – by far – the most inspiring. I have always admired Stephen King’s God-given talent for storytelling, but now I have a deeper appreciation for his work. This book isn’t about writing and selling books per say; it’s more about writing with joy and authenticity. This quote from the tail end of the book pretty much explains it all.

“Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy.”

On Writing is also somewhat of a love story between King and his wife, Tabitha. The first half chronicles his early years as a fledgling writer, including that fateful day when he fell in love with Tabitha in a creative writing class. He was mesmerized by her lyrical poetry and it was love at first sight. Oh swoon! Does it get any more romantic than that?!? Stephen King fans have a lot to thank Tabitha for supporting his writing even while they were on the verge of collecting food stamps. She also saved Carrie from a landmine. Who knows what would have happened if his first bestseller never came to be? Throughout the book, he waxes poetic about his literary soul mate, and it just made me love him more and more!

This book is not, by any means, a quick writer’s reference guide, but he does throw in some of the most valuable writing tips. One crucial piece of advice: If you consider yourself a writer, you must be an avid reader. I wholeheartedly agree that those who rarely read have no business writing.

“Good description is a learned skill, one of the prime reasons why you cannot succeed unless you read a lot and write a lot. It’s not just a question of how-to, you see; it’s also a question of how much to. Reading will help you answer how much, and only reams of writing will help you with the how. You can learn only by doing.”

Also important: You must write for yourself. If you’re trying to please others – or to just make money – you should find a different path to notoriety.

“If you expect to succeed as a writer, rudeness should be the second-to-least of your concerns. The least of all should be polite society and what it expects. If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered, anyway.”

And whatever you do – stay away from those darn adverbs! Adjective modifiers are for lazy writers – and Stephen King hates them with a burning passion.

“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops. To put it another way, they’re like dandelions. If you have one on your lawn, it looks pretty and unique. If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day… fifty the day after that… and then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally, completely, and profligately covered with dandelions. By then you see them for the weeds they really are, but by then it’s—GASP!!—too late.”

Most importantly, believe in yourself. Ignore the naysayers and keep pushing forward.

“I have spent a good many years since―too many, I think―being ashamed about what I write. I think I was forty before I realized that almost every writer of fiction or poetry who has ever published a line has been accused by someone of wasting his or her God-given talent. If you write (or paint or dance or sculpt or sing, I suppose), someone will try to make you feel lousy about it, that’s all.”

The narrator: Who better to narrate this book than Stephen King? While listening to this book, I closed my eyes and imagined myself sitting across from the world’s greatest horror writer and learning the ropes from the dark master himself! My only complaint is that I can’t highlight or bookmark an audiobook, so I’m going to have to buy the hard copy as well. This is definitely a book that I will revisit often.

Summed up in three words: Inspiring, authentic, fascinating.