Shafted!

So I got shafted at work today!  I know I don't normally vent my personal life here, but I need to vent.

I've been with the company for just over 7 years and I've been on my current job for just over 3 and what sort of thanks do I get?  I get demoted!  That's what I get!  I don't know if anyone remembers a few weeks ago I posted on here about anxiety and depression, well that was because of my personal experiences at the time.  I had a little melt down at work and it's been just downhill from there.

Deep down I am a bit relieved because I am starting to hate my job, but then I am losing around $4000.00 a year in extra wages.  So the budget is going to suffer and I'm going to have to think of other ways of making money.  Here are my current options:

1. Get another job;
2. Step up the affiliate promotions;
3. Start writing freelance - like I've always wanted;
4. Start working on that book I've always dreamed about and fiddled with a few times; or
5. Just put up and shut up and end up a 75 year old public servant.

To be honest I like option 3 the best.  I've often thought about pursuing my writing, but I've never had the confidence to start anything.  I've now been spending so much time on here writing that I might as well start writing and seeing if anyone is interested in actually paying me for my work.  At least I still have my full-time work so it's not like I have to do it, but if it works out then it's a bonus.

I feel like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde right now.  My brain is having a fight with itself - I can do it, but you're not good enough...you know the drill!

I need to talk to my poet friend - she is awesome and she thinks I'm awesome and I love her for it.  She has too much faith in me, whereas I have none.

Any ideas?

http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=pinkacquarius

Book Review - A Plain Jane Book 1

I was feeling adventurous one day and decided I'd try my luck and read a free downloadable book from the iTunes store.

Which one to pick?  There were so many!

So finally I decided on A Plain Jane by Odette C. Bell.

The book is about plain Jane - who constantly laments about being boring, ordinary and just being simply plain.  The story is set on Earth well into the future, but from the book it is not clear how far into the future.  There is all sorts of technological do-hickeys available, which are presently not available.  So it is safe to say that the story must be quite a few hundred, maybe even thousand, years into the future, where the technology is very advanced.  There are Star Trek sized spaceships, aliens of all colours and sizes and best of all there are in-built bio suits which enhance human capabilities.

As in all good action/romance stories there is also the tall and extremely handsome super-hero, Lucas Stone, who is of course equipped with the latest bio technological weapons and armour and happens to be a galactic enforcement officer of the highest ranking.  He is misunderstood, as all super-heroes are, but underneath the bravado is nothing but a genuine caring and extremely sensitive man.

The story doesn't go as far as mention a blossoming romance, but I can just feel it in my bones that there will be a romance in book 2, which is why I must have it!!!!

Needless to say the story is engrossing, once you get over the first 100 hundred pages, which just keeps going on and on and on about how plain and ordinary Jane is.  The redeeming feature of this book is that you just know that it will eventually get to what the author is trying to tell and unfortunately, you just cannot put the book down, deep down you know it's going to be good.  So once you've waded through the bad grammar and the enormous amount of spelling errors there is quite an interesting story line.

I think this book would peek the interest of anybody who is into sci-fi books.  The take off is a bit slow, but once you're there it's full action, with a side of romance thrown in - I'm hoping in book 2.

The twist at the end is heart wrenching and is another reason why I want 'book 2' today!    In fact I'm so hooked that I am contemplating downloading it at a cost of $3.99 from iTunes.  That's the only place I found it available for Australians, as this author is self-published.  The other place it's available is on Barnes and Noble, but not for Australian residents - shame!  If you're from the United States you shouldn't have a problem downloading Book 1 for free from Barnes and Noble or iTunes.

To me this is good story writing, where you hook the reader in and keep them so interested that they just have to run out and get the second, third, forth or whatever number of books in the series and just keep reading.  It must be good, especially if the reader continues to read after the amount of grammatical and spelling errors.  Those things you can read around if the storyline is awesome.  So get out there and get your reading glasses on as this is one book/story I'm definitely recommending.

Book 2 here I come!!!!



http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=pinkacquarius

Tribute to Bryce Courtenay

Tributes have flooded in for South African born Australian author, Bryce Courtenay, after news of his passing was released.

The 79-year-old novelist passed away at 11:30pm on Thursday night in his Canberra home, surrounded by his beloved family and pets.  He was suffering from stomach cancer.

Bryce Courtenay moved to Australia in the 1950s and has written 21 novels including the best selling Power of One, which later became a best selling movie.  His latest novel, Jack of Diamonds, was released this month through Penguin books.

Some of his other works include The Persimmon Tree and Jessica.

Bryce Courtenay was the 2012 National Year of Reading ambassador and he was one of Australia's greatest storytellers.

Biography courtesy of Wikipedia:

Born	Arthur Bryce Courtenay[1] 14 August 1933 Johannesburg, South Africa
Died	22 November 2012 (aged 79) Canberra, Australia
Occupation	Novelist
Nationality	South African/Australian
Period	1989–2012
Genres	Bildungsroman, Historical novel
Notable award(s)	British Book Awards 1990 The Power of One APA Who Weekly Reader's Choice Award 1998 Tommo & Hawk APA Who Weekly Reader's Choice Award 1999 Jessica APA Who Weekly Reader's Choice Award 2000 Jessica

Fortune Cookie

Other novels:

The Story of Danny Dunn

http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=pinkacquarius

Day 3 - Rangitoto Island

Today we took a half day trip to Rangitoto Island with Fullers.  The island itself is just a barren lava rock island; however it is starkly beautiful.  Us being who we are, we decided to take the guided tour offered by Volcanic Explorer Tours.  The cost was $60 for adults and $30 for kids.  There really wasn't much to see on the island except the amazing volcanic rocks created by the lava which spewed forth over 600 years ago.  There is no electricity, phones or bitumen roads on the island.  Our mode of transportation consisted of a tractor, which was able to manouver the rocky and jagged lava rocks.  The beauty and serenity of the place is astounding and it really makes you stand in awe at the summit as you gaze down towards the shoreline, with a 360 degree of the surrounding area.  The Summit is a sheer 374 step climb - not so challenging when you're fit, unike me - new resolution is to hit the gym all out when I get home.

I loved it, and even though there is no electricity, no roads, no phones or mobile phone reception and no shops - I don't regret spending the money and exploring this barren stark landscape.

I have pictures; unfortunately limited uploading capabilities.

Please come back to check out my entries which I will be working on once we've arrived back home.

I've decided to write a travel piece here and also I'm going to try and sell it and see how I go.  This will be my own work.  I know I can do it.  I am a trained writer!  I will do it.

Tomorrow we've hired a car and we're heading off to the Waitomo Caves.  I can't wait... More pictures and stories to come.

BTW   We met a lovely American couple from Virginia - they were really nice.  I regret not getting their details to keep in contact with them.

I'll try and get back tomorrow, but if not, please come back and check this site out after Thursday.  I'll have plenty of information and photos to share.

Good night.

http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=pinkacquarius

New 'book review' Book!

I finally remembered to buy a new 'book review' book.

In honour of this auspicious occasion I'm going to write down a list, call it a wishlist, if you like - of books I'm going to endeavour to read over the holidays.  That's from NOW until late February 2013!

These books have already been acquired, but I just have not had the time to read any one of them.

And because I've lost my first 'book review' book, I'm going to have re-read some, which are earlier books in a series.  Very frustrating!

This list is not going to be alphabetical, because that would just take forever and I don't have that kind of time.

Justin Somper

Justin Somper is the British author of the children's horror novel series Vampirates.Justin Somper is the British author of the children's horror novel series Vampirates. He was born in St Albans and graduated from Warwick University. He worked as a publicist before starting his writing career.

Vampirates

Dead Deep (2007)
1. Demons of the Ocean (2005)
2. Tide of Terror (2006)
3. Blood Captain (2007)
4. Black Heart (2009)
5. Empire of Night (2010)
6. Immortal War (2011)

Nancy Fairbanks

Culinary Mystery with Recipes - I have read a few of these books and they are excellent, very entertaining.  Because I don't have my trusty books I don't remember which ones!

1. Crime Brulee (2001)  2. Truffled Feathers (2001)  3. Death A L'Orange (2002)  4. Chocolate Quake (2003)  5. The Perils of Paella (2004)  6. Holy Guacamole! (2004)  7. Mozzarella Most Murderous (2005)  8. Three-Course Murder (2006)  9. Bon Bon Voyage (2006)  10. French Fried (2006)  11. Turkey Flambe (2007)  12. Blood Pudding (2009)

Rachel Caine

Weather Warden

I started reading this series, but unfortunately due to time constraints I had to stop. I'm now going to re-start with Ill Wind - it looked promising when I was reading it before ;-)
1. Ill Wind (2003)
2. Heat Stroke (2004)
3. Chill Factor (2005)
4. Windfall (2005)
5. Firestorm (2006)
6. Thin Air (2007)
7. Gale Force (2008)
8. Cape Storm (2009)
9. Total Eclipse (2010)

This Author also writes the Morganville series - I have a friend who has read this series and she swears they are great, so while I don't actually own any of these books I am going to buy them and start reading!  Check out the Book Depository for great prices on books and best of all FREE delivery to anywhere in the world!

Morganville Vampires

1. Glass Houses (2006)
2. Dead Girl's Dance (2007)
3. Midnight Alley (2007)
4. Feast of Fools (2008)
5. Lord of Misrule (2008)
6. Carpe Corpus (2009)
7. Fade Out (2009)
8. Kiss of Death (2010)
9. Ghost Town (2010)
10. Bite Club (2011)
11. Last Breath (2011)
12. Black Dawn (2012)
13. Bitter Blood (2012)
14. Fall of Night (2013)

Becca Fitzpatrick

Becca Fitzpatrick grew up reading Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden with a flashlight under the covers. She graduated college with a degree in health, which she promptly abandoned for storytelling. When not writing, she's most likely prowling sale racks for reject shoes, running, or watching crime dramas on TV. She lives in Colorado.

Hush, Hush

1. Hush, Hush (2009)
2. Crescendo (2010)
3. Silence (2011)
4. Finale (2012)

I've read the first one in the series and it was fantastic.  I've also purchased 2 & 3 in the series but have not had time to read them.  Over the next few months, I plan to re-read 1 and then read on to the next 3 (once I've purchased the final one in the series - that is!)

Gena Showalter

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in paranormal and contemporary romances, as well as young adult novels. Her series include White Rabbit Chronicles, Angels of the Dark, Otherworld Assassins, Lords of the Underworld, Alien Huntress and Intertwined.  Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated in all over the world. The critics have called her books "sizzling page-turners" and "utterly spellbinding stories", while Showalter herself has been called "a star on the rise".

White Rabbit Chronicles
1. Alice in Zombieland (2012)
Intertwined
1. Intertwined (2009)
2. Unraveled (2010)
     aka Unravelled
3. Twisted (2011)
Tales of an Extra-ordinary Girl
1. Playing with Fire (2006)
2. Twice as Hot (2010)

Robert Gregory Browne

Robert Browne is an AMPAS Nicholl Award-winning screenwriter who ran screaming from the movie industry and jumped into writing novels.

His first novel, KISS HER GOODBYE, was recently produced in Chicago as a pilot for a CBS Television series tentatively titled THE LINE, by Sony Pictures and Timberman/Beverly Productions, with a script written and directed by Michael Dinner.

Novels

Kiss Her Goodbye (2007)

Whisper in the Dark (2008)
Kill Her Again (2009)
Down Among the Dead Men (2010)
The Paradise Prophecy (2011)
Trial Junkies (2012)
I have to admit I've read 'Kill Her Again' and it was great.  The twist at the end was so unexpected that I still can't believe it!  I would definitely read more of this authors books, which is why I have purchased 'Down Among the Dead Men'.

Alex Duval

Alex Duval was born and raised in Paris, before moving to California to pursue a career in fashion photography. Alex loves all sports, especially surfing. When not writing books, Alex loves watching movies, especially The Lost Boys, and visiting art galleries around the world. Alex has homes in both Paris and LA.

Vampire Beach

1. Bloodlust (2006)
2. Initiation (2006)
3. Ritual (2007)
4. Legacy (2007)
5. High Stakes (2008)
6. Hunted (2008)

Thomas Emson

Maneater

1. Maneater (2008)
2. Prey (2009)

Vampire Babylon

1. Skarlet (2009)
2. Krimson (2010)
3. Kardinal (2012)

Novels

Pandemonium Road (2011)

Darren Shan

Darren is a massively successful author of numerous fantasy and horror books for both young people and adults.His most famous works include the 12 books of The Saga of Darren Shan; the 10 books of The Demonata, The City Trilogy; The Thin Executioner and his most recent series of 4 books, The Saga of Larten Crepsley. A movie of Cirque Du Freak was completed in 2009. 

By the start of 2010, Darren's books were on sale in every continent, in 39 countries, in 31 languages, and have been children's bestsellers in America, Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway and other countries. The books have topped adult bestseller charts in Hungary, Japan and Taiwan. In total, his books have sold close to 15 million copies worldwide.

Saga of Larten Crepsley

1. Birth of a Killer (2010)
2. Ocean of Blood (2011)
3. Palace of the Damned (2011)
4. Brothers to the Death (2012)

Nikki Gemmell

Nikki Gemmell has written four novels, Shiver, Cleave, Lovesong and The Bride Stripped Bare, and one non-fiction book, Pleasure: An Almanac for the Heart. Her work has been internationally critically acclaimed and translated into many languages.

Bride Stripped Bare

1. The Bride Stripped Bare (2004)
2. With My Body (2011)

Veronica Roth

Veronica Roth is from a Chicago suburb. She studied creative writing at Northwestern University, and wrote DIVERGENT, her YA dystopian thriller (Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011!), while she was supposed to be doing homework. This was a decidedly good choice that will unfortunately make it difficult for her to someday lecture her future children on how important it is to get your homework done.

Insurgent Trilogy

1. Divergent (2011)
2. Insurgent (2012)
Free Four: Tobias Tells the Divergent Story (2012)

Steven Dunne

Steven Dunne is 50 years of age and have been writing since he left university in Kent in 1979. He spent some time being a freelance journalist writing for The Times, Independent and Guardian.

D. I. Damen Brook

1. The Reaper (2007)
2. The Disciple (2010)
3. Deity (2012)
4. The Unquiet Grave (2013)

Rachel Vincent

A native of the dust bowl, Rachel Vincent is the oldest of five siblings, and arguably the most outspoken of the bunch. She loves cats, devours chocolate and lives on flavored coffee. Rachel's older than she looks--seriously--and younger than she feels, but remains convinced that for every day she spends writing, one more day will be added to her lifespan.

Werecats

1. Stray (2007)
2. Rogue (2008)
3. Pride (2009)
4. Prey (2009)
5. Shift (2010)
6. Alpha (2010)

Soul Screamers

My Soul to Lose (2009)
1. My Soul to Take (2009)
2. My Soul to Save (2009)
3. My Soul to Keep (2010)
4. My Soul to Steal (2011)
5. If I Die (2011)
6. Before I Wake (2012)
7. With All My Soul (2013)
Reaper (2010)
Never to Sleep (2012)
I've read some of the Soul Screamers books and they are great - that one will be the first series from this author I will be tackling!  Just in case I run out of time!

I think that should do for now.

I plan to start reading as soon as possible.  What I want to do is write a review as I finish each book and hopefully do a little research about each author and story as well, but we'll see how I go - no promises!

The information about the authors is taken from the Fantastic Fiction website.  I find this site great for information about authors, their books and also new release books.  My friend put me onto this site and I don't know how I ever got along without it!