Review: Where are you now? Audio Book

I want to start this review off by telling you that I ADORE Mary Higgins Clark. Now, her books fall into a simple category...

Mystery - Modern - 'Least likely to do it, did it.'

That said, I enjoy her books. I love to figure out who the bad guy is.


Where are you now? however... Well....

Ugh, I disliked how it ended so much, I couldn't wait to move onto my next book.

Why? One simple reason.

At the end, after the MC had been badgered and hounded and damn near stalked, by the police... When we jump to the 'one year later' ending, she's working with them all 'Oh them? They're my friends now.'

I heard that and went 'What the FUCK?'

Sorry but the way they went after her was terrible. Not only that, but when they 'woke her up early' at one point to harass her, the cop was HAPPY about it.  As in, he liked that he was being difficult and annoying her and disturbing her already disturbed sleep.

Honestly it pissed me off. They weren't trying to find the killer. No, what they were doing was picking 2 people that 'worked' for them to be the bad guy, and going after them without a care in the world.

I'm trying not to give anything away here, but... Ugh, the ending bugged me. The cops were lousy and normally her books aren't like that. If anything, Ms. Clark shows a great deal of respect for police. But not this time.

Anywho, I'm working to read through most of her books right now. The ones I HAVEN'T read yet. And 90% of the time, I happen to have loved. Starting with 'Around The Town'.

Re: Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

I couldn't do it.

Got about 100 pages in, but NOTHING was happening. Oh, the MC was making lists, but... It felt like she jumped at a chance to dump her boyfriend, then never gave him a chance to talk to her about it. Not gonna lie, it sounds like he was a cheating jerk.

But that doesn't mean he was. And her actions are suspect on how she found out about it. I mean, so you see something online. Jumping to conclusions isn't the way to go.

And following that up with 'I'm dropping the modern world' seems like a bad idea.  Worse, she forces someone else to do it too.

So, I've returned the book and am moving on to the next. Let ya know how that goes.

Kristy C

2015 Books Read

I didn't think I'd read (or listened) to that many books this year.

1. The Hobbit
2. Vampire Academy 
3. Frostbite 
4. Wizard of Seattle 
5. Soul Keepers
6. Paper Magician
7. Glass Magician 
8. Wicked Appitite 
9. Wicked Business 
10. Superhero
11. Quick Study 
12. The Witness
13. Skin Games
14. Dead Key
15. Monster Hunters International 
16. Finn Fancy Necromancy 
17. Steam & Sorcery 
18. Extracurricular Activities 
19. Mayhem at the Orient Express 
20. Uncommon Grounds
21. Act One, Wish One
22. Super Dark
23. Wings of Arian
24. So, Not a Hero
25. Worth the Trouble 
26. Dirty Dancing 
27. The Roommate Situation 
28. Crazy from the Heat
29. Fault Lines 
30. Fledglings
31. Agent L1: Tristan
32. Enchanted Inc.

There are a few others I've missed, but... That's a lot of books. I'm back in the reading game!!!!

Kristy

Complaints about readers...

Who complain about a book, but don't read it.

Its one thing for me to say 'I won't read those books, because I don't handle horror well' and another to say 'those books are crap, I haven't read them but I've read all about them from other people.'

Sure, I read about books all the time, and sure I won't tend to read those books, but not because of what I've heard... Rather, because the plot and contents don't seem to fit with what I'd enjoy. What don't I do?

I don't post long posts on social media saying 'Hey, this book is bad and says this!!!!' and blast it all over the place, while admitting that I've not read them.

It would be the same as saying 'I don't like the feel of silk. I've never touched it, but I've read all about it.'

Sounds silly, doesn't it?

Kristy C

Books, books, books...

Not sure how long, but iBooks has several 'first books' for free right now.

I waded through and grabbed several.  My review from yesterday is one of those books.  Last night I took a friend to the store and read while she shopped.  The book isn't 'good', but I can't seem to put it down.

The start has a wizard advisor yelling at the king that the 'evil' has returned and they need to find someone important, that it won't be easy and could take time.  Next thing we know, we've got the person and have been training them a little over a week.  That skip bothers me a bit.  Normally, you want a story to move... But this sort of moves too fast.  Doesn't stop me from reading it however.

On to the next bit... I'm going to take part of the 2015 book challenge.  Goal is to read 50 books, each one falling into a category.  The image will be posted at the end.

A group on FB is taking part in the challenge, and we've got a spreadsheet to help us along.

This means, I'll be sharing more reviews along the way, as well as my progress.

Kristy C

Blog Tour - Day 8

Woot!!!  We're here!!  And you've kept up!  Nice.  This is our last day, and I've gotta say... Good timing.  I was about out of sun screen.

Anywho, where are you going today?  Debbie Manber Kupfer has also interviewed me today, so check out her blog Paws for Thought and see what I answered.  ^^

Kristy C

Blog Tour - Day 7

Today we're visiting a good friend of mine.  A few... Ah, some time ago I reviewed her amaaaazing book and posted it here.  She saw the Wandering Wizard when he was in first draft, and helped me turn him into the published story you've read.

~checks compass~

This would be easier if I understood how to use it, and knew where I was going...

She interviewed me for the tour, and I hope you enjoy checking out ML John's blog.

Kristy C

Blog Tour - Day 6

We're really moving along now.  Thanks for sticking with it.

Got some big hills to climb as we get over to the next spot, so I've made sure to bring my lucky walking stick.

Jennifer Ponce was kind enough to give me a spot today.  So head over to her blog, Jen Ponce Author
Writer of Kick Ass Women and Oogy Monsters and check it out.

Kristy C

Blog Tour - Day 5

Whew, day 5 and we're still going strong.  ~fans self~  Make sure you're keeping yourself hydrated during the trip.  Don't want you passing out and missing the end.  ^^

Today we're at Jessie Marie Loftus's blog, Dare to Dream, Live to Write.  She asked me to answer one of two questions, but being me.. I answered both.  :D

Fill up your bottle at a clean creek and lets get back on the trail.

Kristy C

Blog Tour - Day 4

~Checks the Map....~

This doesn't look right...

Oh well.  Day 4 of our trek, and we haven't gotten lost yet.  :D

Now, lets head over to S LeFave Scheets' blog, Lost Lore Books where I've written an oddly wacky and in depth post.

I hope you enjoy it.

Kristy C

Blog Tour - Day 3

Whew, hope you're ready for another day at it... We're just getting started.

Its kind bright out, make sure you've got your sunglasses on.

Next up, we're off to Denise Drespling's blog, The Land of What Ifs, for an interview she did with me.  I hope you enjoy it!!

Kristy C

Blog Tour - Day 2

Did you have fun over at Em Ray's yesterday?  I hope so.  Today, we're going to visit Fiona Skyes Blog.

~puts on her hiking boots~

Wait... These aren't them... I'll catch up and see you over there.

Kristy C

Blog Tour - Day 1

Today we start on a tour of blogs, all of which have given me the keys to their cities and allowed me to do as I please.

MWAHAHAHA!!!

>.>

Or, you know... Post for a day, and answer some questions.  It could be that.

Today!!!  We're trooping on over to Em Ray's Blog, Saga of Menyoral.

Kristy C

Review... Only Lovers Left Alive

You most likely haven't heard of this movie.  I only did while I was surfing Redbox for movies of interest.

Only Lovers Left Alive stars Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton.

I'm new to the enjoyment of Tom's movies, outside of his being Loki.  This is in part because his fans are rabid twits who manage to ruin who he is, but also because I dislike the character of Loki so much.

But after some searching I stumbled upon a few scenes of him being something so much better and changed how I looked at him.  Now, he's one of my top English actors [Tom and Aidan Turner top the bill currently.]

Tilda's an actress I haven't watched too much of.  I think that's mostly because she tends to play weird parts in weird movies.  At least beyond the Narnia movie.

I'm writing this as I watch, so it'll be a little different and weird for a review, I'm sure.

Tom's character is kinda silly at times, a depressed, reclusive musician who buys lots of guitars and as he plays them, knows not just their name, but also their sex and history... In a way only a really good, reclusive and eccentric musician could.

You can tell this is a more indie film in its stranger styling, cinematography and music.  But I think that's how you can tell an actor's skill, in the weirder movies they make outside the hollywood norm.

Eve's [Tilda] fascination with books is something I adore.  I'd almost say that when you're that old, you're best at picking up an odd habit or addiction.  Beyond the whole, drinking blood thing.

Which, btw, I love how they show.  These are vampires that don't kill.  But they're still battling the struggle with it.  Blood attracts them like nothing else.  They see it and know its there.  And Adam [Tom] and Eve fight to look away and see it as no longer there.

Adam gives us a tour of Detroit that makes me want to visit.

The dialogue is surpurp.  While a little formal, it makes sense when you realize that you're dealing with being who are a couple hundred, or longer, years old.  It all makes the silliness of it great, and the seriousness of it stand out.  Best yet, it feels real.

Just the same, the film isn't afraid of silence, or movement to speak for the actors.

Any more about it, gives away the pieces of the story.

Warning, this isn't going to be for everyone.  Its plot and action are subtle and unless you're prepared for an art film, you may feel like you're wasting your time.

If you're looking for something to make you think a bit and take your mind off the world, this is a good 4 out of 5 stars film.

Kristy C

Who am I... The Author

I've got a few titles I like to go by, Author, Friend, Daughter, Screw up [don't actually like that one, but its accurate], Artist, Designer, Weirdo, Geek...

And each one interacts with at least one other at any given time.  But I wanted to break it down a bit and focus on just one element to introduce to you first.

Author, or Writer.

When I was 12 my family went to a convention in Orlando, FL and being who my mother was, given a choice of putting me with the 10-13 year olds or the 14-18 year olds, she put me in the older age group.  I never minded, as I've often found people my own age are idiots.  Could just be the ones I met however.

Anywho, they were doing some career assessment or something by Larry Burkette and I found it thrilling.  As the youngest person in the room, I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up.

I wanted to own a bookstore.

Years later, this translated a bit into being a writer and the love I feel at asking questions and being able to suggest a book to someone.  The idea that I might have helped pick out a book you'll adore, not much else comes close to the happiness that brings me.

Once again, years passed and I saw the decline of the bookstore and it broke my heart.  I still dream a bit of perhaps owning one, just to own it, but its more dream than anything else now.

3-4 years ago, I'm honestly not sure which.. The time bleeds together as it was either just before or just after my mother passed away, I was talking with my best friend about a realization I'd had.  It wasn't bad, just hurt a little to admit.

I hope you're ready, because I want to explain the wholeness of where my mind was coming from at the time AND how I explained what I felt.

At this time, I was trying to work through getting my degree online through Kaplan [Got it, graduate of 2013 with a BS in Business].  I'd already put together a little faux business plan for a cafe I'd dreamed up, that would sit next to my bookstore.

But more and more I was seeing that the bookstore wasn't something realistic.  Dreams don't have to be realistic, but for them to happen... You have to face the reality of the dream  That was this moment.

Not everyone understands how I decided this change was good.  After all, at this point I'd been dreaming of the bookstore for about 25 years.

So, I used a book to show how dreams or ambitions can help shape our realities.  The Cross and The Switchblade.

In the store, the MC is a pastor of a small church.  He comes from a line of pastors, but hasn't felt he's found his place as one just yet.  One day, he sees a report about 4 gang members in New York and feels a calling on his heart to go and see them, to witness to them and reach out.

After prayer and talks with his wife, they raise the money and he goes to NY.  He is unable to see the 4 gang members, but ends up meeting others and after some time starts a small group and after years of hard work, starts a small program called Teen Challenge.

His life is altered, but he's found his calling in faith.  To reach out to the youths in cities and help them clean up to a better life.  At the end of the story, he comments that he NEVER got to see those 4 young men that inspired him.

What does this have to do with me?  I dreamed of owning a bookstore.  There are two main parts to that dream.  Books and the Store.

One day, I realized I just had to split it into two dreams.  Writer and Store owner.  It hurt a bit, but it also made sense.  I'd been writing more and found jewelry design.

But without that dream, that goal, I may not have been prepared for either of the others when the time came.  The dream had to alter to become reality. Doesn't mean I didn't fulfill my dream.


---

Like many out there, I started my writing in Fan Fiction.  Don't look, you can't find the clean or the dirty pieces any more.  I actually tried recently to find the dirty ones.  Gods, did I have big eyes back then.  I took 4 of my favorite Anime's, melded them into one world and introduced counterparts for almost all of them.  By the end of my 'planning' stage, I had building lay outs, room assignments, over 70 characters and micro bio's for nearly every one of my characters.  Even those I hadn't created.

I wrote a story that took place 2 years into the whole thing, at a turning point.  At the time, I thought it was epic.  Looking back, I try to remember why.  I also had a start to it all, but got so bogged down with the details I felt I NEEDED, that I lost the story and now have a huge STACK of folders and notebooks with information on them, sitting uselessly on a shelf.

Star Wars also saw my hand, but it didn't get that far as new books kept coming out and ruining my continuation stories.  Final Fantasy 8 caught me, and those ones were NSFW.  :D

For a while, I also had [and hope to someday plot out a bit more] a kinda epic fantasy I'd created, with races and quests and all that jazz.

Then, I just stopped.  I didn't bother writing and didn't care to continue and I was OK with that.  Well, I thought I was.  I'd try starting things, but couldn't get into it.  Yes, much of that was during the 7 year battle with cancer my mom had, but I still made a choice somewhere to stop, even when I tried.

In the end, 2010 was a sorta big year for me.  It started changes that wouldn't be able to fully manifest until 2012ish.

November, 2010... I wrote a novel.

No, you can't find it out any place, as its been sitting in files, still in first draft mode.  But I did it.  I wrote something that's considered a novel.  It is my baby.

Which is why, its not around for you to see yet.  Before I touch it, I want to understand myself as an editor. I compare it to Walt Disney and Sleeping Beauty.  He loved the story and wanted badly to animate it.  But he waited until they understood animation more, because he wanted to do it justice.

That's how I feel.

But, I spent some time writing and I spit out YA Romance in pieces on DeviantArt. I wrote a story about a prebreed of Werewolves, who were cooled and NOT called Werewolves. I dallied and didn't do much, but I was writing.

In 2011 I started another NaNo Novel, The Seer.  I did research, planning, all that.  Even created a front AND back cover for it.

For all the work I put into it, I have about 5000 words of story and no real goal in mind for it, except I travel through time and everything is centered on a single place.

I ended up being inspired by Once Upon a Time [before I gave up on the show.  Midway through season one.].  I rewrote fairy tales.  Personally, I loved how it started out.

Once upon a time... Words synonymous with fairy tales and happy endings.  You've heard all the stories, of prince's that sweep in at the last minute and rescue the princess from certain death, while managing to look dashing the whole time.
Let me tell you, they tend to take a very different when you're standing on the inside looking out at one.  Very, very different.

It was different than what I normally do.  I got to insult the reader and tell a story how I dreamed it could have happened. The narrator explained why the changes happened, shares the truth and even why fairy tales aren't believable.

The story is still there, and I have worked on it some.  But I got distracted by school, work and life and it sits, waiting for my return.  And the Seer also waits for me to one day know the story a little better and make it happen.

2012 was the start of my 'demise' in writing.  I started a story, Key to the Fae, based off a necklace series I'd created. I know where its going and elements of the story, but it sits alone with the others.  That year I ended up using schoolwork and odd shorts to pad my NaNo numbers.

By 2013, I wasn't working on much.  I'd started a story calle A Clockwork World, and its about 1/3-1/2 finished.  At the very least, part one of the story is finished AND is halfway edited.  I like that story and hope to work on it next.

At some point during the year, I did a challenge called 'The 7 Day Story'.  It was fun and I did just that, writing a short story in 7 days.  The Wandering Wizard.

In October of 2013 my car, which at the time had all of my jewelry, was stolen.  Exactly two months and two days later, they found the car.  Elements had been broken, but it was in tact.  What had been inside, was gone.  And after two months, lost forever.  Because of the whole event, I had to make a choice as November rolled up.  Struggle to rebuild while splitting my muse in two, or put aside writing to focus only on the jewelry... Because it was actually making me some money.

My 2013 Resolution was to be published, or have my story in the hands of a publishing editor, by the end of 2014.  At the start of the year, I edited it, left it alone, worked on it, left it alone and at the beginning of the year, sent it out into the world to a few places for possible publication.

In July I'd received another rejection and said 'Screw it.' and self published my short story.

The Wandering Wizard, .99 on Amazon

Currently, I'm working on a superhero like story called 'I've Always Known When I Died.'  It had only been an idea from last year, until I found DIY MFA, who had also done the 7 Day Story Challenge, nee challenge, Conquer the Craft.  29 days in August where each day you receive a prompt and are encouraged to write for 29 minutes on that prompt.

It opened doors in my head and even though we're only on day 20, I've already written tons for my next story.  Right now, it's all in pieces and I'll have to put together the puzzle, but damn does it feel good.

For the first time in years, I've felt like a writer.  Sure I've only got a 25 page story out there on the market, and only sold 3 copies of it... But, it is out there.

And at this same time, I've felt like I stand a chance to make it as a jewelry designer, which I'll chat about more on another day.

Not sure if I actually answered my own question of Who am I, the author... But I enjoyed getting all this written out.

Kristy C

A new start...

I hope.

This has been sitting here, unused and long forgotten for some time now.  And I am sorry about that.  Went through some pretty bad spots in my life and I'm only just now starting to get back on my feet.

Oddly enough, I feel a desire to start this up again.

I can't promise it'll be daily, my goal will be at least once a week.  The content will be a mixture of daily living, writing and jewelry design, because that's what my life consists of right now.  I hope it attracts some people along the way.

For now, hello and welcome to a new start, complete with a new name.

The Life & Times of a Would be Somebody.

Kristy C