Weekly Writing Update: 2/18

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I’ve mostly stuck to my goal of writing 20 minutes per day, though I did skip Friday. However, I made up for it with an extra 20 minutes on Saturday, so I didn’t get behind.

I’m still working on the character interview with one of the major characters from book #4 in the Pithea series (currently titled “Morano”). in the section of the story I’m most uncertain about. I can’t pretend that it’s not starting to feel like I’m stalling with this interview, dragging it out so I don’t have to figure out what do to next, but I’m still walking through the storyline and getting some great insight, so I’d definitely call it productive. I also use the double session yesterday to do some freewriting (something I haven’t done in a while), which started out rocky but ended up being a peek at the later life of a character in Outcast (book #2) that I really enjoyed getting out.

While I work on continuing the series, if you’re interested in reading where it all starts, Pithea is available on Amazon in multiple formats (e-book, paperback, and now in hardcover) as well as Kindle Unlimited.

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Book Review: The Raven

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The Raven
Coffey & Hill #2
by Mike Nappa

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Thriller/suspense, Christian

When a street magician (deception specialist), who calls himself The Raven and tends to pay his rent with what he can steal out of the pockets in his audience, gets in over his head with a local politician and his enforcers, he finds himself in the middle of a mysterious plot code-named “Nevermore.” Private investigator Trudi Coffey and her ex-husband, ex-CIA agent, ex-private investigator, now Atlanta cop, Samuel Hill race to uncover the details of the plot and stop it before it, whatever it even is, can happen.

For as much as I liked the previous book in this series, I liked this one even more. It kept me in suspense all throughout, with high stakes, real danger, and well-developed characters. Nappa made me care about people on both sides—good guys and bad guys alike. Though Coffey and Hill are the overall focus of the series, The Raven was really the protagonist in this story, with his attempts to turn his life around and some backstory that culminated in a couple of very emotional moments. I didn’t care for Raven’s insta-crush on Trudi, but overall, it was downplayed enough to not be a problem. 

Like the previous book, this one also has three perspectives: Trudi Coffey, a woman named Bliss that is connected to Nevermore in some way, and The Raven (whose POV is in 1st-person, present tense, while the other two are 3rd-person, past tense). There is also a lot of jumping around in time, which seems to be one of the biggest issues for other people. Even when a chapter starts in “present time,” it will sometimes jump back and tell something that happened minutes, hours, or days earlier, before getting back to “now.” I didn’t have a problem with that flow; in fact, I think it really added to the suspense.

This book had a little more Christian content in it than the previous, which only took the form of Trudi recently becoming a Christian and trying to filter her life through that newish lens. The Raven brings more of that into the story, struggling with an upbringing as a pastor’s son and his guilt over some particularly bad things he’s done in his life. That and the lessened violence and gore (compared to the previous) are probably the biggest contributors to my higher rating of this book. Needless to say, I loved this book and recommend it to fans of suspense and thriller novels, especially with a Christian leaning.

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Book Review: Storm Warning

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Storm Warning
The 39 Clues #9
by Linda Sue Park

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s mystery, adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review will contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

On the trail of pirates, someone else is on the trail of Amy and Dan Cahill, but then, what else is new? But now they’re learning that the threat may have been closer than they knew all along.

We’re nearing the end of the main series now, and the story is ramping up appropriately; this book dives right in with Amy and Dan confronting Nellie about her deception. Personally, I’ve figured Nellie was more involved than she claimed from the beginning, when her snake nose ring was described, but that seemed to be a red herring, since it wasn’t brought up again in 9 books. The real truth about what Nellie has been keeping from Amy and Dan isn’t exactly earth-shattering or completely unexpected, but it’s nice to start getting things out into the open. The Madrigal involvement in the clue hunt is close to what I suspected partway through the book, but there are still some surprises.

In this book, Amy is awkward and stumbles over words when she’s with her family, but later, she doesn’t seem to struggle at all talking to people she doesn’t know, even in stressful situations. This might not have been something I’d have pointed out, except that it seems likely it’s due to this book being written by an author who’s new to the series. Though overall, I’ve really enjoyed the journey, I do sometimes feel that the one-off authors could have had more of an understanding of the characters before writing their contribution. Or that there should have been an editor who read all of stories with an eye toward fixing any characterization issues. Though the final book in the main series is written by yet another new author, I’m still looking forward to seeing how all of this ends. I’ve already strongly recommend this series to my 13-year-old daughter who has just recently gotten into reading more heavily, and I think kids as young as 10 would enjoy this series as well.

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Book Review: Beyond the Wand

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Beyond the Wand
by Tom Felton
Read by the author

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Memoir

Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, shares experiences from his time on set as well as parts of his life before, during, and after the movies. I listened to the audiobook like I always try to do with books like this that are narrated by the author. The parts of his life that he chose to share are best heard in Felton’s own voice, with some chuckles now and then and a conversational style that brings the stories to life. 

To put my interest in Felton as Draco Malfoy into perspective, I only read the HP books for the first time a few years ago and have watched the movies once through (working on twice now with my daughter, who’s watching them after she reads each book for the first time). I’m actually not a huge fan of the movies overall, but that did not diminish my interest in and enjoyment of this book. The last section talks about Felton’s time in rehab for an alcohol…overindulgence (he’s reluctant to call it an addiction, so I certainly won’t contradict him), which really seems to boil down to a need for healthy relationships in his life. I appreciate that Felton was willing to include this in his memoir, since it could certainly make some people think poorly of him. Personally, I applaud him for recognizing his shortcomings and needs and his willingness to talk about these issues. Not to sound preachy, but I know that anything short of accepting Christ as his savior will be a shallow, temporary fix, but all I can do is pray that God will lead Felton to the truth in His way and timing. I’m really glad I read this book and recommend it for fans of the Harry Potter movies or Tom Felton in general.

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Book Review: Hatchet

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Hatchet
Brian’s Saga #1
by Gary Paulsen

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Classic middle grade adventure

I remember reading the story of teenage Brian stuck alone in the wilderness for several weeks when I was a kid, though the only parts of it I could recall were that the plane went down into water and that at some point he dove into the water to try to salvage supplies from the plane. When I read it again recently because my daughter read it for school, I remembered a lot more of the challenges Brian faces. The reader easily roots for Brian to solve the next problem, to overcome the next hurdle. He has setbacks and moments where he contemplates giving up, which make the story all the more realistic. On top of it all, he’s reeling from a divorce caused by a horrible Secret that he’s kept buried, and while his dangerous situation tends to overtake that trauma, it’s always there, waiting to creep in during his weakest moments. Overall, the story is engaging, and when a potential major issue happens near the end of the book, I found myself groaning and shaking my head for poor Brian.

My only gripe with the book is the author’s style, which involves a lot of repetition within sentences and paragraphs. Though some might be seen as showing Brian’s mental state, it started before the plane even went down, so I think it’s purely a style choice, and one that I don’t personally care for. Otherwise, though, I think this book is still great for pre-teens and teens to read, maybe with parents for pre-teens.

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Weekly Writing Update: 2/11

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While I wait for my beta-reading sisters to read “Power,” book #3 in the Pithea series, I’m starting to work on book #4. I wrote the first draft during NaNoWriMo in 2020 and haven’t touched it since then, so first I have to figure out what major changes need to be made and how to go about making them. I spent all of this week doing a character interview with one of the major characters in the section of the story I’m most uncertain about. It has been very helpful so far, and I’ll continue it this week.

I’ve stuck to my goal of writing 20 minutes per day, even with a few days this last week where I didn’t feel much like doing any work. It’s easier to push myself when the work ahead of me is a character interview, though, because it really doesn’t feel much like work.

While I work on continuing the series, if you’re interested in reading where it all starts, Pithea is available on Amazon in multiple formats (e-book, paperback, and now in hardcover) as well as Kindle Unlimited.

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Book Review: Good Girl, Bad Blood

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Good Girl, Bad Blood
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder #2
by Holly Jackson

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: YA mystery, suspense

After solving the mystery of Andie Bell’s and Sal Singh’s deaths, Pip and Ravi create a limited-run podcast to share their discoveries. Due to the podcast’s success, when Jamie Reynolds, the brother of one of Pip’s close friends, goes missing, his family asks her to use her audience to try to find him. Pip is resistant at first, not wanting to get caught up in another investigation, given how damaging the last one had been for her and those around her, but since the police don’t consider the disappearance a priority, Pip knows she can’t leave her friend and his family without answers.

I liked this book a tad more than the previous, I think because it felt a little more focused than the first one, with so many paths Pip went down to get to the real truth. I liked the merger of the updates from the previous investigation with the new case at hand. I have to admit that I pegged the main bad guy really early in the book, which is not normal to me, but I honestly don’t know if it was majorly telegraphed or if I just took a guess based on tropes of the genre. I think there was at least one thing that happened that wasn’t explained, which I wish had been. And the reader is definitely not given a chance to figure out the motive in advance, but then again, this isn’t exactly a cozy mystery, so I think that’s okay.

I still get serious Veronica Mars vibes from this series (in a good way). I take issue with some of the ethical and legal lines Pip is willing to cross in this book, with no consequences, though they may come about in the next book. For those who want to know about content, there is some language and references to drug use and rape, though nothing explicit. If you’re concerned, I’d definitely recommend reading it before your teen does (especially a younger teen). I’ve enjoyed this series thus far and look forward to the conclusion.

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Book Review: The Diary of a Young Girl

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The Diary of a Young Girl
by Anne Frank

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Memoir

It’s difficult to rate or review a book like this, which was written with no intention to become something read by others. Though partway through her time in hiding, Anne heard that diaries and other writings kept by people during this time would be of interest to the world later and started to make some edits to her diary, it’s still mostly raw introspection and secret thoughts. I think also that the translation left a bit to be desired at times, as there were sections that didn’t really make a lot of sense to me. But overall, I would say that, though the Franks and others in the Secret Annex were in hiding during the Holocaust and that fear and pain permeates the diary entries, it’s really more a study of being in hiding and living in close quarters with a group of people who have vastly different (or sometimes too similar) personalities. These people did not get along, even within their own family. Anne discovered that her family wasn’t as close as she thought they were and feels completely alone almost all the time. Anne herself is almost painfully naïve and immature at times, even while she talks about how much she thinks she’s matured and learned. 

My thirteen-year-old daughter decided she wanted to read this book, so I thought it was a good time to re-visit it myself. She was incredibly uncomfortable during one particular part that was understandably omitted from earlier publishings of the diary, and I would say that it’s a wholly unnecessary section (Anne describing in quite vivid detail what a female’s genitalia looks like). I really can’t imagine why Anne felt the need to write about that in her diary, but again, she didn’t expect it to be read by millions of people over the next several decades. In the end, would I say this is necessary reading for teenagers or for those interested in learning about the Holocaust? No. I’d actually recommend quite a few other books before this one (The Hiding Place and Night for starters). But it certainly does provide some insight into something that a lot of people went through during a very dark time.

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Book Review: First Degree

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First Degree
Andy Carpenter #2
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

Defense attorney Andy Carpenter is reluctantly brought into a case when a man confesses to murder under the protection of attorney-client privilege. The case takes a turn when Andy’s girlfriend ends up being accused of the murder, and it’s up to him to unravel a conspiracy and prove her innocence.

Frame-ups and high-reaching conspiracies are the common ground in this series so far. I like that these stories look at both the investigation and the trial, because even when Andy knows his client isn’t guilty, he still has to be able to prove it. And that’s when discovering the real culprit(s) comes in. I’m not remotely an expert in what goes on in a courtroom, but Rosenfelt makes those scenes seem much more real that what I normally see on TV. Maybe it’s just because he includes so many details that others leave out. I also really liked the bits of the previous book that continued into this one, especially Andy helping his previous client with a lawsuit against those who caused him to be incarcerated for years. The question of whether or not Andy will win the trial is probably not as suspenseful as it could be, since solving the mystery is pretty tied up in proving his client innocent, and I suspect that will be the case throughout the series, but it doesn’t make the mystery less interesting.

Only two audiobooks in, Gardner is already the definitive voice of Andy Carpenter for me. Gardner really brings Andy’s wit and sarcasm to life. I’m definitely sticking with the audiobooks for this series as much as possible. Fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas should consider reading this book.

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Weekly Writing Update: 2/4

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For three years, I have posted book reviews almost exclusively on this blog, which started as a place to keep myself accountable while working on my writing. I used to post every single day that I did writing work, lowering that amount to weekly when I didn’t need the daily accountability anymore. Then I stopped writing consistently for a while. Though nothing new (I’ve had gaps in my daily writing before, both long and short), when I did get back to writing again, I didn’t get back to posting. It’s time to remedy that. So I’ll dive back in with a brief update of what I’ve recently accomplished in my writing.

I finished draft 6 of “Power,” book #3 in the Pithea series only a few days ago, the last draft that I will work on alone. I have asked my 3 sisters, who helped me immensely with the revision of book #1, to read it and give me feedback—as vague or as detailed as they want to or have time to give. I’m not putting a deadline on them, though, since they’re all busy and it’s important enough for me to get their feedback before I publish it. I figure it’s been long enough since book #2 was published, what’s a little longer?

In the meantime, I’ve turned my attention to book #4. I wrote the first draft during NaNoWriMo in 2020 and haven’t touched it since then, so I’ve been taking it slow getting used to the story again while I start to work out where the first major changes need to be made and how to go about making them. Right now, it’s mostly reading and brainstorming. And I plan to do some freewriting this week, since after so much revision for so long, I really want to do some actual writing, which still isn’t needed with the first draft done of the next book.

I’ve done a pretty decent job of sticking to my goal of writing 20 minutes 20 days out of the month. This month, I’m pushing it to 20 minutes every single day (and if I miss a day, I’ll make it up). This is how I’ve maintained a pretty steady habit for several months now. Plus, I often write with my daughter (working on different projects, but at the same time, usually sitting at the same table), so we kind of spur each other on to write most days.

While I work on continuing the series, if you’re interested in reading where it all starts, Pithea is available on Amazon as both an e-book and paperback (it’s also on Kindle Unlimited).

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