One Paragraph Review Assessments – Clockwork Angel

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Up For This O.P.R.A. Blog – Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Angel – The First Installment in The Infernal Devices Series

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Overall Rating 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The setting – fascinating, the characters – compelling, the world-building and backstory – you’re groping in the dark a bit if you haven’t read the Mortal Instruments series first, but you can get by. This was the case for me as I dove into Cassandra Clare’s Shadowhunter world here with Tessa, Will, and Jem. There were moments and characters you could tell were nods to the other series, although you weren’t exactly sure of their significance, and there were world logistics the book could have used a quick rundown of that were missing, but the story itself was very well told. Action balanced with intrigue and a healthy dose of romance as Tessa struggles to figure out who she truly is and her importance in this world. London is always an interesting setting for a novel and place this world of monsters, mischief-makers, and reluctant heroes in the industrial revolution era and you’ve really got a readable premise. The complexity of the characters keeps you turning the pages as much as the questions in the plot demanding answers, and this first installment in the series leaves enough meat on the bone that you’re scrambling to pick up the next one. 

Other Ratings:

Spiciness: 🌶️🌶️
Gore: 🗡️🗡️🗡️🗡️
Profanity: 🤬🤬

O.P.R.A.s or one paragraph review assessments are quick overviews of some of the books I’ve read and enjoyed or not enjoyed. A snapshot to give people a glimpse into these books and my opinion about whether I think they are worth devoting any time to. As an author, it’s always great to read others’ works not only for inspiration but to learn and challenge oneself. Hopefully, you get a little something out of my musings and if you are an author interested in having me review your book please feel free to contact me.

Until Next Time!
Cheers and Happy Reading.

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Go On A Vacation

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I just got back from Florida a little over a week ago. It was a family vacation months in the making. A surprise trip to the sunny shores of America’s southernmost continental state with some Disney magic thrown in. We woke the kids up at three a.m. with the good news, we were heading south and we were going with my husbands’ sister and her family. They were ecstatic at the thought of a holiday with their cousins.

We all piled into the eight-passenger vehicle and made the 2200km trek across one province and eight states until we reached our beautiful resort townhouse where we spent the next week. It was a long journey, but a fun journey. Really a moment where the journey felt as integral to the vacation as the destination.

The Magic

It’s been over three years since we’ve taken a family vacation of this nature. We’ve managed to get away for a weekend sporadically, or gone to the cottage a little, but it’s been quite awhile since we’ve crossed borders, and dedicated a significant amount of time to being away from everyday life. And I have to say… it’s glorious.

There is something so magical about just taking a break from the push and pull of routine. Time moves with this peaceful flow. You get to decide exactly how you spend your day and how much or little you want to achieve. The anxieties of life fade, and you can simply focus on being in the moment and enjoying every drop of it.

This trip also ended up being a great time of connection for our family. Where tons of laughs were shared, new experiences were had, and many memories were made. Truly special things happen when you’re just waiting in the Slinky Dog roller coaster line and you get the opportunity to just be with and listen to your kids.

A Creative Spark

I also find that going on a vacation is a great way to boost creativity. To be in a new place, trying new things, seeing different people (potential characters), it ignites those creative juices that just make we want to sit down and write. I came back from this trip energized and excited to start writing again.

Life moves very fast, and although it can be a challenge to coordinate time off and the financial means necessary, I would urge you to make vacationing a priority. Things happen on vacation that just can’t occur in everyday life. Special moments that we will hold dear for the rest of our lives.

So here’s to the blessing of a vacation.

Cheers and Happy Reading,

Becky

 

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Why YA Matters

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The book that sent the YA world on its head, love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Twilight shook things up. That juggernaut of a semi-bland, yet guiltily-entertaining romp of a vampiric/werewolf love triangle created a catalyst that’s ripple effects are still rippling today. It’s hard to walk through a bookstore without seeing at least one cover touting mythical monsters attempting to save the day, win the girl, or just blend in.

Twilight made reading cool again. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always thought reading is cool (that sounds very after school special doesn’t it?). But Twilight brought in a wave of other books about vampires and not; all marketed directly to that angsty, hormone-driven demographic we love to rag on. Who are usually more insightful and definitely less jaded than we give them credit for. Young adults; the age is actually defined as people anywhere from 12-20 years old. And although there have always been books written for this age group, Twilight seemed to ramp up their production.

The Beauty of Youth

YA books are attractive because they’re written about people in that glorious time right before adulthood. When, they might not always see it, but the world is theirs for the taking. The doldrums of adult life haven’t taken hold of these characters yet, squashing the positivity of youth. Their belief that they really can do or be anything they choose. And that is why the conflict often created in YA books of adult issues being heaped onto YA characters is so delicious to read about. The paradox is intoxicating and draws readers in from any age group.

We want to believe seventeen and eighteen year olds can cause corrupt political regimes to topple. That they can create a new better society in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Or that they can just find sincere selfless love that will forever alter their lives. There are certain genres I gravitate to when strolling up and down the library aisles, I think any avid reader would admit to that. YA almost always tops that list for me. I love relishing in the coming of age struggles, the young-love drama, and the happy endings that only a youthful spirit can bring.

If you’re looking for a good YA love story with a slight fantastic twist, why not check out Hleo.

Happy Reading,

Becky

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The Empty Manger

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A few years ago, our church was in the town’s Christmas parade. We went with the classic manger scene, as many churches do, ‘reason for the season’ after all. When the parade was over we were left with a makeshift stable, and being the resourceful folks that we are, decided to set it on the front lawn of our church. We propped up the little three-sided building and set the characteristic feeding trough in it, but then we discovered we didn’t have any statues or figurines to complete the scene. On the parade float, real people had taken the lead roles of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and angels, and a doll had played Jesus, but we didn’t have any artificial versions to use. We could have bought some, or even made some I suppose, but time simply marched on and then the Christmas season was over and there sat the empty manger.

At first, I was annoyed with my own laziness, that I couldn’t just get this task complete. I mean, what’s a manger without its Christmas characters? But then a thought struck me. How splendidly that shabby, less-than-perfect empty stable represents our own being.

When God decided to join the human race by sending Jesus; he had an endless amount of options in how that could look. If prophecies from the Old Testament had been a little different, Jesus could have been born to wealthy merchants within the Jewish society, to one of the Pharisees or religious leaders of the day who held so much cultural sway. He could have been born as a servant into the household of a Roman soldier or even into the palace of Caesar Augustus. Any of these certainly would have been a little more worthy for the one who created it all. But we all know that he came, born in a lowly stable, not even getting the dignity of a bed for his first nights on earth.

Being Good Enough

I think a lot of the time there’s a misconception in our society about Christianity. That you have to be good enough to be a Christian. I’ve heard many times from all kinds of people, “I’ve done too many bad things for God to love me,” or “There’s no way God could forgive and love me, I’m just not good enough.” Being a Christian has absolutely nothing to do with being good enough; quite the opposite in fact. People who have become Christians have looked at their lives and said, “You know what, I’m not perfect, and I believe I need a Savior to be deemed worthy for the perfection of relationship with God, who is perfect. Jesus is that Savior.” Being a Christian is about owning the fact that we aren’t perfect, but still asking Jesus to come in and be part of our lives.

It’s About Willingness

That empty stable so many years ago would have been dirty, likely rundown, definitely smelly. It would have had areas that needed tending to, spots that the owner probably wished he could hide from the public. But even in its ugliness it was ready to receive that bundle of joy. It stood empty but waiting for something truly special.

No matter where your life has taken you, what things you have done or not done that leave you feeling unable to be accepted by Jesus, I urge you this Christmas to think of the empty manger, completely unworthy of His majesty, yet still open and willing to receive Him in.

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas!

Becky

And if you want to find out more about any of my other writing feel free to check it out here.

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East Halton – A Town I Want to Live In

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I love the beach, always have, I imagine I always will. But when I say beach I don’t necessarily mean tropical, ninety degrees in the shade, destination vacation beach. You might be saying a beach, is a beach, is a beach, what’s the difference? Well, for me, the difference lies in the landscape that surrounds the beach. The sand, the surf, the sun, those all make me smile, but I also want the strip of quaint shops selling kitschy crafts or home baked goods. I want the beach that bustles all summer with tourists, but fades to a quiet lapping of waves along the shore in fall and winter. I love a small town beach.

Hleo is set in such a town, East Halton. A fictional location inspired by the different beach towns I’ve frequented over the years. To me East Halton is warm, inviting, picturesque and yet quirky. In original manuscripts of the book, the collection of supporting characters Hannah encountered included many colorful members of the East Halton community. But, as purpose of character and pacing dictate storyline, these characters were one by one discarded when it was realized they didn’t move the plot along or add anything essential to the story.

A Simple Hometown Feel

Still, my East Halton is a wonderful place to reside. Because I want to live in a world where the town bakery hands out cookies at the end of the night, or where I’m greeted daily by Mr. Brisby walking his dog, or where Marge the mail lady accidentally gives people the wrong mail constantly. Give me a town like that any day, as long as I can also dig my toes in the sand and stare out at the waves of the lake waters that border the town.

If you want to find out more about East Halton or the world of the Hleo check it out here.

Happy Reading,

Becky

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Give Me A Fairytale Ending

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I don’t think anyone would argue too greatly with me when I say, “life is hard.” Between the pressures of succeeding at love, career, family, social ability and personal fulfillment, adulting can keep you feeling as though you’re constantly running a race you don’t completely know the track layout for. That’s why reading is such an incredible diversion. An opportunity to take all of those pressures and shove them aside for a little while. It’s escapism in its simplest form.

And while I do believe that all genres and types of stories have their place, give me a fairytale ending any day. I want the quest to be successful, I want the hero to win, for the lovers to find happiness in each other. Nothing is more satisfying to me than when I reach that last page of a book and the conclusion wraps everything up in a succinct and pleasant manner. If I’m going to have to leave these characters behind and put them back on the shelf I want to feel as though their lives are going to be okay. That I’m walking away at the right moment.

The world can be such a bleak place, any cursory glance at a newsfeed will verify that. So I find I always gravitate to books that are going to fill me all the right kind of feels. Pragmatic reality and hard truths have very little space in my entertainment regime.

Happy Reading and Happy Writing

This flows into my writing as well. My characters struggle, it’s not all puppies, kittens and rainbows for them. Personal growth and conflict create interesting storyline. The journey can be a difficult one, my goal is simply that the end of the journey will be a happy one. One where when I read ‘and they all lived happily ever after, I believe it to be true.

If you want to find out more about Hleo and it’s ending check it out here.

Happy Reading,

Becky

 

In The Nick of Too Late

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Is it Too Late to Be A Writer?

Do you know the best time to plant a tree? The answer is ten years ago. Sometimes we can feel like we’re coming late to the game. Especially as an indie writer when you log onto Amazon and see that you’re precious body of hard work is hovering around the 734,567 ranking. When almost 1,000,000 books are published each year, in the US alone, it can be rather discouraging. It almost feels like throwing a proverbial needle into a haystack and hoping that everyone around will gravitate to it; by sheer force of will. Surely your needle has to be the pointier, shinier, and all around more interesting needle than any of the others being added to the stack, doesn’t it?

So with this sort of level of competition—it seems anyone with a laptop and an Amazon account has written a book and thrown it on there to see how it will do—it can feel like you’ve missed the boat. Has the time for people submitting their self-published works online and actually eking out some modicum of success come and gone? To a certain degree it’s not inaccurate thinking. There are seemingly countless book choices for readers of all tastes with more being added every day. And since there is little being done online to ensure quality of self-published works there can be a lot of, how do we say, less than good, stories out there. But not all is lost.

So What’s A Writer To Do?

Just because competition is fierce doesn’t mean things are hopeless. It simply means you have to rise to the occasion, and make sure that your work is top notch. It means you have to get someone besides yourself to edit your work. You have to network. Offer the book away for free, and beg for reviews. And you need to connect on as many social media platforms as you can. Gone are the days where you can just upload your book and watch it rise the ranks, but if you are willing to put in the effort you will get your words out there.

Maybe I waited too long for this to be easy, but it doesn’t mean I’ve waited myself into impossibility. I still believe in the world I’ve molded, in the characters I’ve created, and in the story I’ve written. They deserve their time to shine. So I’ll keep plugging away, trying to share Hleo with as many people as I can, because I’d rather have started late than never started at all.

If you’re interested in giving Hleo a read check it out here.

Happy Reading,

Becky