Announcement day!


Yes because announcement day is totally a real thing

Here I am, and there you are--let's get to announcing, shall we?

So I've had many things 'in the works' for Defying Impossible for over five hundred years now, and I think it's time to clue you lot in on some of the future going on's over here, considering you all are fantastically amazing people for actually READING the crap on this blog.

Really you are.

So, for starters, I want to tell you something that's been stirring around inside the vast, chaotic world of my brain for quite some time.

I was more-or-less recently introduced to something beautiful: Booktubers.

Booktubers are people who talk about books on Yutube. Pretty self explanatory, yeah?

I follow a great deal of awesome people, and just fell in love with the whole idea of it.

And then I got to thinking (Because clearly I don't have enough to do already and that there was one place Defying Impossible had NOT yet conquered): wouldn't that be fun if I gave it a try?

So that's basically the story.

Defying Impossible is going to YOUTUBE!

*Party music* *To the right to the right to the left to the left NOW KICK NOW KICK*

That's right--I'm going to be a Booktuber! Except I'm going to add my own little spin to it, and include writing in the process!

What would you call a writing/reading Youtube channel? WriteBookTube?

Hm, how about I just make a Youtube channel for all things words?

WORDTUBER!

I'M A WORDTUBER.

Well, not quite yet, really. I have a really super nice camera for filming, and I'm still trying to figure out when exactly would be a good time to start. What do you think? Are you looking forward to seeing Defying Impossible on Youtube?

Another very exciting announcement: I have offered a Guest-Post to the wonderful  Meghan Gorecki, and my post will go live Monday, June 2! 

I will post on that day with the link to the post and much squealing, but in the meantime go check out her Blog over HERE, and don't forget to read all about the book that she recently got published! She's an amazing person! So proud of her! (It also include a giveaway which can be found HERE.)

Speaking of Guest-Posts, this leads to my next announcement. I'm working on a new page on my blog the will be something of a 'feature me' page, where you--yes, YOU!--can submit your own post about writing/reading, and I will feature you here right on this very blog!

And last but certainly not least, I have many giveaways planned.

YES I DID JUST SAY GIVEAWAYS.

Book giveaways, writerly giveaways--all of the free things giveaways! Look for ward to it, because I am!

And that concludes announcement day.

Oh wait.

One more.

I got City of Heavenly Fire at Walmart at midnight last night and I'm reading it non-stop but MORE ON THAT IN A LATER POST!

Tell me your opinions! Are you excited for some new features? Or do you have any suggestions or complaints?


Thanks for reading, and I'll see you Thursday!

"The Evolution of Mara Dyer" Book Review!


Can you seriously believe that I fell even MORE in love with these books?

Like, I thought I loved it, but now it's just like I hated it compared to how much I love it now and-

I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I?

Today I'm going to tell you about The Evolution of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin, because seriously everyone needs this in their life.

Going to keep it spoiler-free, considering it's the second in the series, but here's a bit about the first to clue you in on what it's all about:


"Mara Dyer doesn’t think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.

It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can’t remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn’t believe that after everything she’s been through, she can fall in love.

She’s wrong."

(Blurb taken from Goodreads)

(Aren't those covers ABSOLUTELY STUNNING?)

Not much to read,  is it?

Trust me, I know--I had no idea what these books were about.

But then I read the first one literally in one day, and soon after got the second one for my Birthday, and sadly didn't have to read it in a day.

But I wanted to. I walked everywhere with this book open in front of my face and thus had many near-death experiences, but it was worth it because WOW.

More Hallucinations. More dreams and flashbacks and confusion and wickedly painful realizations. It was all just beautiful.

Mara really is one of my favorite YA heroines, because she's wise about things and she's motivated and she's determined. She's not annoying or obnoxious nor is she timid and complaining. She's perfect, basically.

Noah... Well, Noah is the best of the best, but in this book you really didn't get to see a lot of that. Because Mara is doubtful of him at some points, naturally I was as well, but by the end I was totally in love again, thinking:

"Oh my dear, why did I ever doubt you?"













There are a ton of beautiful characters around in this book, and some of them are evil and some aren't and some are both which is why this book is so great.

It was intense and fast paced and it held me thoroughly, as the first one did.

But...

That ENDING???













You don't understand my pain right now. I finished that page in a crowd of people, and I couldn't even pretend to be put together. I was in complete and total denial.

Nope nope nope.

Oh, and now we have to wait until NOVEMBER 4TH, to find out what happens next? That's just now fair! 

Sighh... So I shall wait and beat my head against a wall or two and try to pretend that that ending isn't tearing me apart. and maybe murder a few people.

Ha.

Haha.

Have you read the Evolution of Mara Dyer? What about the Unbecoming? What did YOU think?

Thanks for reading!

Top Three Thursday: Places to Read!


Sorry today's post is up so late! Spent all night prettying up the books on my shelf.

How pretty are they, you might ask? Please, do stare:



This is just the tops one's, but aren't they lovely? I just sit and stare all the time.

Anyway, today I want to talk about my Top Three places to read!




                     1. In my room

Preferably buried underneath ten blankets on my bed with music playing or in silence. Though honestly my number one time to read is right before I go to sleep.

                     2. In the car

Because my family usually has the radio on or they're talking, so it's the perfect time for me to slip away and knock out a chapter or so.

                      3. Anywhere and everywhere

I couldn't even come up for a third one.

I can literally read anywhere. I don't really need any specific setting.

I've read walking down sidewalks or in the car or in a crowded room or alone with only a book light.

I know people that must be alone, must have silence, must not be interrupted, ect, and this is fine, though I can not pretend to relate to people that are like this.

It might be because I spent my whole life with two older, noisy siblings and just grew up learning how to tune out the chaos around me, or maybe it's just because I can easily focus on one thing, or maybe all of the books I read are just so good that it doesn't matter if the world is falling apart, I still couldn't put it down!

Whatever it may be, I always carry a book with me--not just because it makes me feel safer and more comfortable, but also because if there a pause in my day, out comes the book to read a page or two.

What about you? Do you need to be in silence? Or can you be in a crowd of people and still get int he zone of another world?

Thanks for reading, and check back Saturday for a book review of "The Evolution of Mara Dyer", by Michelle Hodkin!




Never Stop Learning!



I believe that Authors should never stop learning.

That's right--I don't care if you're published. I don't care if you're a writing teacher or if you've taught 100,000 classes to 236 famous, best-selling authors. I don't care of you've researched for three hours straight. I don't care if you've been New York Times best seller list for six hundred years in a row.

You can always learn more, and it sickens me when writers--PEOPLE--think otherwise.

There are a million different articles and blog-posts out there about the same exact thing, with a million different views and opinions. You can learn so much about the same thing, and even if you have your own beliefs about something doesn't means everyone else is wrong.

We as humans, in our own lives, should learn every hour of our lives.

No, I don't mean sit down and take a test for school or read a huge book about the History of the entire Earth.

I mean we should learn small things. Big things and small things and things that might not even matter. I am always seeking to know more--about people, about the world, about writing, about everything and anything I can. Anything I care about.

Most people may think they know everything about a certain subject, and you probably know a lot. I'm not doubting that. It's good to research and be able to be resourceful on topics that you are passionate about.

But someone who's really smart about things will know that they don't really know everything, and that there are still tons of information left out there to discover.

You may be ten or sixteen or thirty or eighty years old. It doesn't matter. There is always going to be knowledge out there to better yourself with.

Because even now, today, writers young and old are still writing and talking about character development and the easiest way to outline a plot and how to be a brave writer and what's the best route of publishing.

As long as there are people breathing and minds thinking there will be new opinions, and to shut of your own mind and say "No, I already know enough." is an absolutely horrible thing to do.

We will never know enough. We can discuss theories and create writer groups and share our own ideas with the world and though it's all probably been done before it doesn't matter because it hasn't been done by YOU, and there has never, ever been another you, and there never will be.

So never stop learning and never stop looking for ways to help yourself write better. Never stop practicing and helping others, and let others help you.

Do you still search for ways to do better? What's a subject do you know a lot about?

Thanks for reading!


Top Three Thursday: Books I Didn't Enjoy, and Why!


So today's subject is a tricky one, considering if I could I would deeply love any and every book ever.



Before I list my Top Three least favorite books, I need to write a disclaimer:

I do not hate any book. I can not see many good qualities in it, I can be confused and angry and bitter after finishing a book, but in no way do I regret reading it.

Not only because, as a writer, I think it's valuable to read books you dislike to note what you DON'T like in books. It's very important, maybe even more so than reading books and finding out what you DO like.

But also because, as a writer and an avid reader both, I believe that any idea is a good idea.

Who am I to say that this authors idea wasn't a good one? Who am I to say that anyone who actually likes this book is wrong? I don't believe in judging, in any way, and I would never want to offend the author or the reader. Ever.

I don't like squabbling over what's good or what's not, but I'm also really grateful, in reviews, when they also touch on the worse parts, as well as the good.

So, here goes, and take my opinions just as they are--just expressions of thought.

          1. Across the Universe, by Beth Revis

On my list of books that I didn't fully enjoy, this has to be number one, sadly.

As I state in my review HERE, I was really terribly excited for this book. I ordered it along with The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken, and read this one first. I was... Pretty disappointed.

Let me make it clear that this was literally the first Sci-Fi book I've ever read, and I haven't read one since because this one left me with a really bad feeling. It was disturbing and boring and it was hard to find things to like about it. I really wanted to like this one, too, which is the worst part of it, because I knew that so many people did.

Alas, it simply wasn't the book for me, and until I read more Sci-Fi-, I can't say if it's the whole genre that I don't really like.


          2. Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell

You're shocked, aren't you?

But, sadly, it's true. I just seriously didn't enjoy this book.

You can read my full review and reasons HERE, but for a brief summary:

I didn't get the connection I was supposed to from the characters. The feel of the book was way off, and I tried to love it but it was very hard.

There's supposed to be a movie? What? I really can't imagine this making a really great movie, honestly. I know that lots of people love this book, but safe to say that it wasn't for me, so I will likely not be going to see it. But who knows, maybe they'll make it awesome?

        3. Pegasus: The Flame of Olympus, by Kate O'Hearn

This one is actually a MG book, but that's really not any reason why I couldn't have absolutely loved it.

I've read many MG books that have blown me away, and still today they are some of my absolute favorites, but this one was so incredibly flat and boring and ultimately nothing special.

I bought it because of all of the Rick Riordan fans screaming about it from the rooftops. This was when I didn't have much to read (HA.), and I was so sure I would love it I dived right in.

Little did I know, I was diving off a building headed straight for concrete.

There are many other books in this series, and I don't really know how many, but I won't be reading the rest, sadly. Besides, this first one ended so wrapped up and happy, you'd think it was a Disney movie or something, rather than the start of a series.

You can read the little I wrote about it HERE, but overall it was a huge let-down--especially after being so fondly compared to Percy Jackson.

So there are my top three, and really my ONLY three, because I love every other book I've read!

Don't hate me now, okay?

Have you ever read a book you didn't like? What was it? Have you read any of these?

Thanks for reading, and meet me back


Ignite Me Book Review!


So I have a bunch of posts and Reviews and Super Secret Epic Things to get caught up on, so I finished this book quite a while ago, but just got around to turning my ASDFGHJKL notes into something more coherent.

Warning: This post contains slight spoilers of you haven't read Ignite Me!

Ignite me, By Tahereh Mafi, is the third and final book in the Shatter Me Trilogy.

Want to know more about Book One?:

"Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.


Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior."

(Blurb taken from Goodreads.)


Check out my Review of book One HERE, and book Two HERE!

When I started this series, I really didn't know if I would like it.

I'm not a big fan of the whole 'crushed society, barren lands, hopeless war' type idea, because there are SO MANY. They're all about a ruthless ruler and a murdering army and a small rebellion that arises to fight against the odds.

This was a refreshing topic at first, but after the tenth and eleventh remake of the same story, I just got so sick of it, and I'm still constantly seeing the same boring feel to books.

But eventually I bought this one because of all the hype it was getting, and even reading what is offered above, I wasn't too impressed.

But this story is exactly what I was looking for.

A completely new take on the same old thing.

So, three books later, The characters are new and exciting and the plot is so quick I literally couldn't put it down until my eyes wouldn't stay open any more.

I also firmly believe that this series would be nothing without the magic sprinkled over it by the wonderful author, who is ranked up to my favorites. Her writing is emotional and intense and overall extremely poetic and breath taking.

Each and every character in this became as close as family in this book and that made me so happy.

Juliette and Warner are just the best-est, cutest in the world, we really get to see that in this book.












But there was one thing in this book that grated on my nerves.

One thing that annoyed me to death and made me want to explode with rage.

Adam.

Okay. 

I don't know if this is the authors fault, or if I'm just really missing something.

I get the whole situation. I'm trying not to spoil anything, but I get all of the feelings, and Juliette tries very hard to explain it in a way that makes sense, and it does.

But it was so incredibly unbelievable the way that Adam acted throughout this entire book.

He can be mad. He can be upset and torn and absolutely destroyed, but he just crossed way too many lines. He was annoying as heck and I really really wished someone would just shoot him.

And I used to absolutely LOVE Adam. I always shipped Warner and Juliette faithfully, but still I loved Adam's character but by the end I lost all respect for him and that made me so upset.

This could have easily been done so that you still like Adam as a character, and he could have respected Juliette as a person. If he really loved her, he would love her no matter who she was with, and not tell her to 'go out and freeze to death'.












He insulted her many times over and it really ticked me off, and I just thought it was so unrealistic and such a dramatic change for his character, I really had to question the entire story, because this was a fatal flaw in it that was very hard to see past.

But really that's the only bad thing about this book. Warner and Kenji and Castle and all of the others made it plenty worth it, and I absolutely loved the way that it ended. It was perfect.

But just.

Adam.

UGH.

Have you read Ignite Me? What about Shatter Me? What did you think?

Thanks for reading! But UGH ADAM.




Top Three Thursday: Genres!



Hello lovelies!

I'm back with new posts and new enthusiasm and TONS OF NEW SECRETS to be revealed within time.

Spoilerrsssss...

Hemhem.

Today I'm going to tell you about my Top Three favorite genres to write in!


Until recently I never really had the need to put my books into different genres, because to me I was only ever writing a story and I didn't care if it would be considered a MG or a YA or a Fantasy or a Thriller. I wrote the story my characters had to tell, and the rest wasn't important.

But, of course, I've lately had to really think about the categories and age groups my books would be put into with the view of publishing that will be happening in the later future.

For Editing and Revising and such, I've really had to get into the right mindset for who my readers will be, so that will make this list a bit easier to create.

           1. Romance

Okay.

When I first thought about it and realized that I mainly wrote YA Romance, I almost threw up, because this is DEFINITIVELY not what I ever imagined myself writing. But though there is so much more to the stories I've written, the main theme is a love story.

Either between two characters or the character and their power or the character and a villain--my stories  would be considered to have a big touch of Romance, whether I intended to or not.

Though it's truly not very surprising considering when I was little I was all about true love and riding into the sunset to live in a big fairy tale castle.

I guess I never really outgrew it.

         2. Fantasy

I think that really I mainly write Fantasy Romance, if that's a thing, but it feels weird to separate them considering I don't strictly write one or the other.

I like using Supernatural/Magical elements in my stories, from Ghost to Dragons, but I absolutely hate the standard basics.

I make them my own because I believe the world's to small to be full of the same ideas repeated over and over, right?

         3. Realistic

That last on tho.

Wow.

This didn't happen until recently, actually--I'd had many, MANY ideas for ideas set on Earth, with no magic elements. I have a ton of little plot bunnies, but none of them really grew into a fluffy rabbit of plot twists.

But this April's Camp NaNoWriMo Novel did, and it carried me to 50k words, and it's still not finished.

It has a plot and characters and I was shocked to find how much I loved writing in a modern day setting, because this is a first for me.

I found that instead of having, say, Dragons and Ghosts, I put the Magic into the words instead of into the plot. It's been neat to try something new.

It's also gotten me wanting to try a few other genres, though really I believe I dabble in many things.

Stories can, even in a single book, range from Sci-Fi to Mystery to Comedy to Adventure to Tragedy to Action. I think the best stories are a mix of many things--too big and too great to be defined by one measly little category.

What about you? What Genres do you enjoy writing in?

Thanks for reading!

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