My Reading List

Like all of you, I love to read.  There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book and spending a few hours with a cast of characters in an imaginary world.  Unfortunately, it’s sometimes a challenge to find the time to read while juggling deadlines, family obligations and just plain ol’ life.  So what that means is I always have a huge TBR stack of books in my bedroom. Today I want to tell you about two of them that I’m really looking forward to reading.

First is Halo by Alexandra Adornetto.  Here’s the blurb:

Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone—especially herself—from the Dark Forces.

Is love a great enough power against evil?

Next is ShadowSpell 2 by Jenna Black.  Here’s the blurb.

On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm. A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana’s in trouble, since it’s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her – and her rare Faeriewalker powers – dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking’s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?

So, what about you guys?  What’s on your reading list?  Have you read any of the books on mine?  If so, please share your thoughts.

C.C.

As a writer, I’m curious about some strange things.  Like why some people can curl their tongues, making a cylinder like shape, and others can’t.  I recently read that the tongue rolling ability is hereditary–as is the ability to touch your nose with your tongue   (I wish I had a spy camera to see how many of you are actually doing this right now.  But don’t feel bad, I’m doing it myself.) And there is the other hereditary oddity of the connected or non-connected earlobes.  Some people’s lobes are danglers and others people’s end where the lobe connects to the head.  Supposedly, non-ear-dangler parents can’t have a dangler-eared child.   How weird is that?

The other day, while reading my RWA chapter loop digest, another curious writing person posted another strange thing.

While sitting at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.  Now, while doing this, draw the number ‘6’ in the air with your right hand. Your foot will change directions.

Why?

You bet your bottom dollar I tried it.  And she was right.

Another favorite subject of mine is the whole right brained/left brained phenomenon.   I know it’s  a real puzzler as to why I’m curious because, one of my conditions of dyslexia is that I don’t know my left from my right, but I still love reading about this stuff.

Several years ago, someone posted this link.  It’s a dancing girl and depending on how you see her move will tell you if you are right or left brained.  Go check this out.  I promise, if you are one of the ones curling your tongue, attempting to touch your nose, or checking out your earlobes you’re gonna love it.   http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22556281-661,00.html

Now when I first did it, I thought it was a hoax.  But then my husband came by and he swore that the girl was moving counter clockwise at the same time I swore it was moving the clockwise.

So, just for fun, let’s do a survey.  How many of you can:  touch your nose with your tongue, curl your tongue?  How many of you could see the dancing girl moving clockwise or counter clockwise?  Could you make her change directions?

Here’s my own answers:  I can touch my nose with my tongue and can curl the my tongue.  I definitely saw the dancing gal moving clockwise, which they state means that I’m right brained.  I couldn’t seem to change her directions this time, but I swear I could do it last time.

Okay…let’s share what all of you discovered.  It will be intriguing.

CC

Well, it’s here.  The cover for Turned At Dark.  I love it.  I think it really captures the tone of the story.  There’s a scene in the book that I swear the cover artist yanked out of my head and depicted on the cover.  Below is my quick blurb for the story.

Independent and strong-willed Della Tsang hadn’t believed in ghosts until she saw her dead cousin darting into the shadows of an alley.  She hadn’t believed in vampires until in the dark of that same night she is turned into one.   Introduced to a strange world of supernaturals, she struggles to accept this new reality.  Unfortunately, the boy she loves senses something different about her and can’t accept her.  Should she follow her vampire cousin’s lead–walk away from everything she’s knows and loves—and fake her own death?  Or should she set her pride aside and ask for help from the camp leader of Shadow Falls—a camp where supernaturals go to learn how to cope with their powers.  Either way, her life as she knows it, will never be the same.

Remember, Turned at Dark will be available for free download on March 14^th on  http://us.macmillan.com/bornatmidnight.  On March 29^th, you will be able to download it from any e-reader site: B&N, Borders, Amazon.  And, yep, they will all have it for free.