Smile and Keep Reading...

Inspired by tradition... A weekly blog hop where writers share their inspirations. Please join us! I entered Facebook and saw so many pictures! I love pictures. As you might know, this week is Holy Week . It is celebrated in the town where my novel takes place, which is why I was inspired to write this post. Whenever I see something, I always think of ways I can incorporate elements in my work. This happens to be the case. The tradition is that a bunch of guys dress in colorful cloths and mask themselves! Are you following? They have a whip! Some have bags filled with seeds. They chase people (usually children) still, people, and ask for money. Creepy yet? If you don't give them money, they will WHIP YOU! I'm serious! They will literally hit you with their whips. And it hurts like hell. What I'm saying, if you don't have change (money), stay away from town! So here I am thinking: masked men, asking for money. Now, there is s...

Inspired by a friend A weekly blog hop where writers share their inspirations. Please join us! This week I've been struggling to edit my novel for two reasons: no time, and lack of knowledge/closure. As you might or might not know, my novel takes place in Tlazazalca, Michoacan . Tlazazalca is a town, Michoacan is a state in Mexico. If you are wondering why my novel takes place there, well, it is because I am from there. Okay, I lied. My novel takes place there because it tells a folklore legend that exists there, although  it is dying, because not many people know it. The old generation tell it, the young generation don't care about it because their minds have been stuffed with reality. Anyways, me being away from the town where my novel takes place is a struggle. I had to do a lot of research, get places right, things, facts, etc. I spent two months reading the history of the town. Did any of it stuck in my head? NO! I was told by someone who kno...

3/5 stars! A recluse emerges from the backwoods on the eve of his son’s romantic, southern wedding. Dinner spirals into chaos when the self-proclaimed prophet announces he hears spiritual messages, straight from God. The voices tell him to prepare the way for the end of the world. His disturbing words find a foot-hold in undeniable facts, as disbelief dissolves into terror. Those who gathered to celebrate are suddenly faced with an unthinkable dilemma. They must follow him into a remote, secret sanctuary, prepared exclusively for their survival… or, they can die. As apocalyptic events begin to unfold, the ancient battle of darkness and light quickly becomes a modern reality. [May contain a few spoilers] My thoughts: This book starts with Sarah, who I guessed would be the main character in the story. Everyone in her family is preparing for this wedding. I thought, great, let’s meet the family. I regretted meeting the family. There were a lot, a lot of characters. I’ve l...

2.5/5 stars! On one side of the Rift is a technological paradise without famine or want. On the other side is a mystery. Sixteen-year-old Glenn Morgan has lived next to the Rift her entire life and has no idea of what might be on the other side of it. Glenn's only friend, Kevin, insists the fence holds back a world of monsters and witchcraft, but magic isn't for Glenn. She has enough problems with reality: Glenn's mother disappeared when she was six, and soon after, she lost her scientist father to his all-consuming work on the mysterious Project. Glenn buries herself in her studies and dreams about the day she can escape. But when her father's work leads to his arrest, he gives Glenn a simple metal bracelet that will send Glenn and Kevin on the run---with only one place to go. My thoughts: ** spoiler alert ** So, I was challenged to read this book in 4 hours. And I tried. I finished reading it in 4 hours and 7 minutes. (Yes, I put a timer on myself and...

3/5 stars! In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a gr...

A city girl. A small town boy. A summer they'll never forget. Spending the summer at her Grammy's in Lilac Bay, Devon, is city girl Alexis 'Lexy' Edwards idea of hell. That is, until she reconnects with her childhood friend, Jen, and meets Alec Johnson. Alec is the kind of guy Lexy knows she needs to stay away from. He's the village flirt, ridiculously hot and very dangerous to her self-control. But there's a problem – she can't seem to keep him out, even though she knows he'll break her heart. As Alec slowly strips away Lexy's defenses and the two embark on a summer romance she never wanted, their feelings grow to more than either expected. But nothing lasts forever, and reality intrudes. As her world is shaken to its core, Lexy's self-made prediction comes true when she discovers she's spent six weeks surrounded by secrets. Kept out by her family and the only guy she's ever trusted, she falls apart. And when Grammy tells her that ...

Give me a few years and then ask me again! I was searching the internet the other day and I decided to search for myself. I mean, I assume most of us have done it—type our names on Google and hope for the best. In my case, I wasn’t looking for myself, I was looking for who I was. I wanted to find something that described me. I wanted someone to know me, even though I do not even know myself. Yes, I’ve thought about having my hand read. But then, no. That’s just cheating. I do not want anyone to tell me my future. I would love to know what awaits me, but if I know, then when it comes it won’t feel right. Okay, maybe that is just me. Great! Moving on. LICEA. Licea! What do you think about last name? LICEA? Say it, I know you’re trying hard! Okay, you’re saying it wrong! [Laughs] I found this site, which I lost, that described me just and purely by knowing my last name. I was actually very shocked, my jaw dropped, even drooled a little. [Just kidding on the last part] Eve...