Liv's BDAY contest!

Liv is holding a prettyyyyyyyy big contest.

Check her blog for more details.

You could win one of three prize packs!


Quote of the Day:

Their prison is only in their minds, yet they are in that prison, and are so afraid of being taken in that they cannot be taken out.
-- C. S. Lewis (The Last Battle)

So You've Seen the Review...

Yep, I've gotten Breaking Dawn out of my system. However, I don't think I'm going to post a review for it. After all of the negative reviews and criticism I had read, PLUS knowing what was going to happen, I expected that I wouldn't like it.

Well, I was wrong... sort of.

I did like it. But I didn't LOVE it like I did the other three books. In fact, I felt like it was completely written by someone else. I'm not saying that I didn't have major criticisms about the novel. I did. But I kind of liked it... like a 5 on a scale to 10... you know? Kind of in between.

So no review... but you're getting other reviews that I've been putting off... soo... fair deal? Excited that I'm back to posting reviews (and reading books!)

Put in your imput!!

Oh, and btw, not announcing contest now (prob tomorrow), but.....

Random (It's a personal one, so double extra entries if you can get it):

August 16, 1991

(Tell me why you think it's important to me by emailing me at darklaceoflight@aol.com with AUGUST 16, 1991 as the SUBJ line. If you forgot what this is about, click here.)

Oh, and PS -- You have until August 15th at midnight central time to email me :]

PostSecret Sunday

So if you haven't heard, the highlight of my Sundays is PostSecret. If you've never heard of it, PostSecret is a blog run by a guy named Frank Warren who encourages people to send their secrets to him on 4x6 postcards.

Quote of the Day:

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.

-- Charles W. Eliot

Review: Violet in Private

Violet in Private
Melissa Walker

Violet Greenfield’s back, but the question on everyone’s mind is “for how long”? Sure, she said she’s finished with modeling (except for that huge contract she landed) and going to college. And Violet’s worried that people will recognize her, or worse. . . that they won’t.

Of course, she really likes college and most of her classes. But when her ad comes out, she realizes that most people know who she is… and don’t like what she portrays in the ad. So Violet writes a piece for the campus newspaper. And it gets picked up by the Herald, she gets an offer that many would kill for: to be an intern at Teen Fashionista magazine.

But then, she’s Chloe’s responsibility. She has to deal with her when all she wants to do is be with Roger. Then, something happens that completely rearranges Violet and Roger’s friendship.

I’ve enjoyed all of Melissa Walker’s books in the Violet series. This one is no exception. When I picked up this book, it was like I hadn’t missed a single thing. The characters came back to me, and I was immediately absorbed into their story.

However, I do have one small criticism. It wasn’t enough for me to dislike the story (remember that, because I liked it a lot), but I didn’t really like how Violet and Roger’s relationship played out. When it got to a certain point, I kind of wanted to throw the book against the wall. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. Still, it was a great book, and you should all immediately rush out and buy it!


Quote of the Day:

And our dreams, they are made out of real things
Like a shoebox of photographs with sepia-toned loving.
-- Jack Johnson, "Better Together"


Expect another post later today or tomorrow.

Book Vault’s Birthday Contest Riddle

This is the next leg of The Book Vault’s birthday book riddle contest! For more information on the contest, go here: http://the-book-vault.blogspot.com/2008/08/birthday-contest.html
Each correct answer counts as an entry into the drawing on August 29th!

Riddle: She was #71 until she and her friends found a way to get her higher on the food chain. But the main character learns that the popular crowd might be full of more betrayals than glamour and true friends.
What book is this?

Know the answer? Send Dominique an email at bookvault@yahoo.com with:

“BDAY CONTEST” in the subject line

Please include:

Name:

The Riddle: She was #71 until she and her friends found a way to get her higher on the food chain. But the main character learns that the popular crowd might be full of more betrayals than glamour and true friends.
What book is this?

Answer: (full book title + author)

The name of the site where you found the riddle: From the Corner of Megan’s Mind

Your site’s URL: (if you have one)

Please send a separate email for each riddle you answer!

Good luck!!

Quote of the Day:

The trouble with fighting for human freedom is that one spends most of one's time defending scoundrels. For it is against scoundrels that oppressive laws are first aimed, and oppression must be stopped at the beginning if it is to be stopped at all.
-- H. L. Mencken

Authors in the Corner: Jessica Burkhart

Today's author feature spotlights Jessica Burkhart, an upcoming debut author. Her novel, Take the Reins (a Canterwood Crest Novel), will be released in January of 2009.

(I know I usually do the author feature on Wednesdays, but you'll see why I didn't tomorrow.)

-----------------

The awesome Megan was kind enough to offer to let me guest blog today! Woo hoo!

So, I wanted to talk a bit about what’s coming up on my Websites and blog. :) There are going to be lots of things going on that will gear up for the release of Take the Reins and future Canterwood Crest books.

The Blog

When the Canterwood Crest site goes live, my blog will have a brand-new look. It will be THE place for the latest Canterwood Crest news including giveaways, contests, vlogs and more. I’ll be taking my camera everywhere I go, so look for brand new Diary of a Debut Author videos and follow me as I count down the days till January 27.

JessicaBurkhart.com

The events calendar is going to fill up! I’ve got events scheduled from Florida to the mid-West starting early next year. I’ll be hitting Florida book fairs over the fall and you’ll find the complete list on my Website in September. If you’re hitting the Florida circuit, maybe I’ll see you around!

CanterwoodCrest.com

This is an ALL new Website coming in September that’s just for my Canterwood Crest series from Aladdin M!X. What will you find on the site? A quiz, downloads, never before seen photos of the Canterwood Crest models and much more. The site is being designed right now and OMG, it’s going to be great. You’ll find announcements on my blog and personal Website when the site goes live.

So, there are lots of ways to keep in touch and my journey as a soon-to-be debut author is just beginning!

If you’re a writer, what’s one thing YOU most look forward to when your first book is published? Share! :)

Thanks so much, Jessica!

Until her websites are up, you can visit and chat with Jessica at her blog, http://jessicaburkhart.blogspot.com/.

Quote of the Day:

To be amused by what you read -- that is the great spring of happy quotations.
-- C. E. Montague

Quote of the Day

Today starts the quote of the day... where I find and pick a quote and post it.

If you'd like to see a quote up here, email me at darklaceoflight@aol.com with your quote.

Quote of the Day:

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books.
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow