The Parasites - Book Review

Marjorie DeLuca's The Parasites (The Iduna Project Book 2) grabbed hold of my imagination and didn't let go. While I enjoyed reading The Forever Ones (Book 1), DeLuca's storytelling shines in Parasites. The plot is tighter and the characters are better developed.  I loved the growth shown by Paige, the main character. And I had some serious character love going for Crime Lord Antoine.  But my favorite part of this book was the action - there was a lot of it - and it gets really intense.  This is where DeLuca shined.  I enjoy an action-packed movie that has me on the edge of my seat and while reading The Parasites, I could see the scenes - the explosions, the carnage - and I loved it!

Amazon Purchase Link

Blackout is the first novel in the Darkness Trilogy by Madeleine Henry. 

Amazon Book Description:

One wall divides life from darkness. After the worldwide Blackout, America built a concrete wall--the Frontier--across the middle of the nation to isolate its precious electricity in the top half. Everyone below the Frontier was forsaken, and now only a few survive in the grim region known as the Dark Zone.

Sixteen year old Phoenix Troublefield endures the dark with his girlfriend, Star Windsong. When America announces that it will trade electricity for immigrants, Phoenix and Star sacrifice themselves for the power that might save her younger brother. On the other side of the Frontier, they find America is not what they expected, and instead they are thrown into a shocking and deeply personal contest that threatens to destroy their love. When the chance comes to escape back into the Dark Zone, it may already be too late.

What I thought:

The author is gifted with a wonderful writing style.  Blackout moves along at a quick pace while maintaining an intense mood.  The story is told through the eyes of Pheonix.  He is tough and loyal and I just loved him.  There are other characters to love as well (and some you may love to hate).  

I was drawn into the story and was disappointed when I reached the end and realized the 2nd book hasn't been released.  If you enjoy reading dystopian novels, I highly recommend you check this one out.

To purchase, click here.

Novel Notions welcomes RJ Crayton to Self Published Sunday!

It is my pleasure to welcome author R.J. Crayton to Self Published Sunday.  Today she's talking about inspiration and it's well worth reading!  Before we get to her post, I thought you might want to meet her!

RJ Crayton lives in the Washington, DC, area and writes suspense and thriller novels that have a touch of romance. She has published two novels set in an exciting dystopian future: Life First and Second Life.  

What to do if inspiration doesn’t find you at your desk

by R. J. Crayton

“An idea is like a virus: resilient, highly contagious. And even the smallest seed of an idea can grow. It can grow to define or destroy you.”

-Inception (2010 film)

One of my favorite movies of recent years is Inception. The 2010 film is fun for anyone who works in the field of ideas (so that would be you, if you’re a writer). The movie’s basic premise is there are corporate espionage agents who specialize in stealing secrets from sleeping CEOs by invading their minds. The agents in the film get hired to do something considered impossible--inception. In the movie, stealing data is easy, but planting an idea in someone’s head and getting it to stick and to grow — inception — is impossible. Why? Because for an idea to stick, it must be original. According to the film’s lore, the brain rejects ideas that feel foreign. To get true inception, the idea has to feel random, like a grand epiphany that occurred when the mind secretly connected the dots. Inception isn’t about a random, insignificant idea — like, yum, strawberries would be tasty right about now — but ideas that a person will remember and act upon.

So, now that I’ve given you my movie lecture, what does it have to do with today’s post? Well, the topic of this post is inspiration, and I find this notion of inception incredibly relevant to the inspiration.  When people say they feel inspired, it’s rarely something they forget twenty minutes later (if it is something we forget in a few minutes, I’m inspired a lot; most often about car keys). If we’re going to tell someone we feel “inspired” or even just say it to ourselves, it tends to be an  idea that feels original, unique, different, important, fun, serendipitous, or maybe even life-changing.

For writers, this is why  finding inspiration can sometimes feel difficult. Assuming corporate agents aren’t going to invade our brains and implant ideas (I know this is a tough assumption to make, given how regularly this happens), what’s the best way for writers to go about finding inspiration when they’re not feeling it?

Well, while writing itself tends to be a solitary affair, done alone in a room, inspiration is not. It’s something that requires writers get out and move about. The things that inspire people are little nuggets that happen at dinners with friends, overheard conversations at the mall, watching children play at the park, or even watching a butterfly flutter through a field.

If you look at famous writers, and their habits, they all have things they do to get the creative juices flowing. Jodi Piccoult said she goes on a three-mile walk in the morning with a friend. Kurt Vonnegut had a routine of working in the morning, followed by doing his daily errands and exercising. Authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote wonderfully vivid tales, and based on their life’s history, did so, in part because they had such active social lives.

So, if you feel you’re lacking inspiration, head out of the house and sightsee at the mall, go gossip with your neighbor, or even just go hang out at the park. Though inspiration is codified while sitting at the screen, it rarely comes from staring at it. 

If you’re looking for more information on ways to feel inspired and creative, check out these two very interesting articles on when our brains feel most creative:

1. Why you’re more creative at night

2. Ten Surprising Facts about how your brain works

Stay connected:

Website: http://rjcrayton.com

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/rjcraytonauthor

Twitter feed: https://twitter.com/RJCrayton

Goodreads Page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7111348.R_J_Crayton

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/rjcrayton/

Purchase Links:

Life first: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DFNWFX4

Second Life:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H314SOS/

Review of The Runner by J.M. Johnson

I received a copy of J.M. Johnson's debut novel, The Runner in exchange for an honest review.  The Runner is a Young Adult Dystopian novel with a touch of science fiction and fantasy.  

Amazon's book description:

Ten years ago the president of the United States declared that global warming had reached a tipping point from which it would not recover. In answer to this dilemma, modern technology was shut down. The elderly and other volunteers could opt to live out the rest of their lives in a virtual world, but all others were left to fend for themselves. 

Seventeen-year-old Avi Bloom lives in a world in which each family must contribute one child as a runner. A runner risks life and limb to travel from village to village delivering news and other small items. Avi is one run shy of retiring when she discovers that whole villages are disappearing, leaving only a few dead bodies and the youngest children behind. Now, Avi must find out who or what is responsible for these missing people as she goes on a journey and discovers friendship, love, and betrayal. She also discovers that the forces behind these disappearances are much larger and more frightening than she could ever have imagined.

What I thought:

There are several characters in this story and the author knows them well. Johnson did a good job giving each character a distinct personality and voice.

The main character is Avi Bloom, a runner for her village.  Her mother is dead. Her father is missing and she knows statistically a runner's life expectancy isn't very good.  When it comes to danger, she knows how to handle herself. Avi is no fainting flower. She's tough and smart.

Johnson did a great job imagining her world.  The descriptions are vivid and compelling.  I particularly liked the inclusion of the Amish as well as what seems to be "preppers."  It was easy to believe that these folks would be prepared to survive.  

I like a story where the author swiftly introduces the action and Johnson did precisely that.  She moves the tale at a quick pace but in doing so, I felt as though some of the relationships weren't as developed as they needed to be. For me, this created a bit of a disconnect.  I wish that the author had spent just a little more time showing how certain relationships/feelings evolved. 

The Runner is the first book in the series.  The ending was a bit disappointing in that it was more of a set up for the next book in the series. That being said, the author leaves the reader curious as to where the story will lead.  

3 1/2 stars