My NaNoWriMo2k14 Experience

When I found out that November was National Reading Month and National Writing Month, I felt like November really is my month (coz birthday too). When I went to the NaNoWriMo website, my mind suddenly raced of thoughts of what I wanted to write, what themes I was going to pursue and what I wanted to achieve afterwards.

I thought that 20 days was going to cut it, I mean 50k words in 20 days might be possible if I polish up with my typing skills and vocab. But I think I overestimated my thought process and also my inherent laziness because I've only written 5000 words to date. That's right. 5000! I didn't exactly know what I was gonna go up against with my head drifting to different things for the past 2 weeks of my semestral break. In fact, I even wrote another story consisting of 5000 words in 2 hours, but not the novel I really had on the first place.

It seemed that my overly active imagination went into a shut down for those past couple of days and then I realized that I'm not really good with rushing myself with stories or maybe I'm just a short story type of girl. There was even a moment when I doubted myself that I wouldn't be able to finish what I started at all, which is not very unlikely.

But challenges propel you to greater heights in the end, and it's normal to stumble on the way. I don't plan on writing much for the novel unless I find the time since I will be busy with my thesis for almost a year, so, I don't even know if I'll find the time to think up of a scene or a story. However, I do plan to stick to what I started and grow my characters somehow in the process. Maybe in the middle of 2015, I'll be able to do something about it and maybe reach that 50k in November too.

I do think that I'll get the chance to write something more inspiring and novel worthy when I do get to graduate and focus on widening my imagination more and improving my writing skills. Let's hope for the best, I guess.

So how about you booknerds? Did you write anything for NanoWrimo this year? How did you fair up? Did you have to work against unusual circumstances or was it easy for you? Leave comments below and let's talk about it! 

Congratulations to the Wrimos who finished 50k words in 20 days! Good luck to the finalists and may some good novels come out of those chosen! 

Waiting For Wednesday #15: All The Bright Places + Red Queen

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are just waiting to have our hands on!

Title: All The Bright Places
Author: Jennifer Niven
Publication:  Knopf Books for Young Readers
Expected Release Date: January 6th 2015
Pre-order or buy on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | iBooks | Kobo

SYNOPSIS:

The Fault in Our Stars meets Eleanor and Park in this compelling, exhilarating, and beautiful story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

About The Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

By the time I was ten, I had already written numerous songs, a poem for Parker Stevenson ("If there were a Miss America for men, You would surely win"), two autobiographies (All About Me and My Life in Indiana: I Will Never Be Happy Again), a Christmas story, several picture books (which I illustrated myself) featuring the Doodle Bugs from Outer Space, a play about Laura Ingalls Wilder's sister entitled Blindness Strikes Mary, a series of prison mysteries, a collection of short stories featuring me as the main character (an internationally famous rock star detective), and a partially finished novel about Vietnam. I was also an excellent speller from a very early age.

In 2000, I started writing full-time, and I haven't stopped... I've written eight books (two of those are forthcoming), and when I'm not working on the ninth, I'm contributing to my web magazine, Germ (www.germmagazine.com), thinking up new books, and dabbling in TV. I am always writing.

Title: Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publication: Orion/HarperTeen
Expected Release Date: February 10th 2015
Pre-order or buy on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | iBooks

SYNOPSIS:

A thrilling new fantasy trilogy for fans of DIVERGENT and THE HUNGER GAMES.

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of

those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

About The Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

I'm a screenwriter/YA author who likes books and lists. This site is the nexus of my universe.

My book RED QUEEN will be published Winter 2015 from HarperTeen at HarperCollins. I'm repped by the incomparable Suzie Townsend at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc. 

The genres I'm into include YA, Fantasy, Historical, Adventure, Apocalyptic - if people are dying, I'm buying.

Things You Do When Waiting For A Book Sequel

Well hello there Misfit Booknerds! As a booknerd, we tend to have moments when we get attached to a book we loved. Knowing that a book is a trilogy and there are still a book or two left, we can't help but feel incredibly empty, and our longing for the next book grows each passing day. Yeah, the struggle is incredibly real at this point.

So how do you even wait for a sequel? Or how to do you cope with it? Well, I have here some of the things I normally do or some of the things I notice some people do while waiting for a sequel.

1. Reading fan fiction

Oh fan fictions of your favorite books are everywhere! And with a good book, say, Divergent, different fan fictions can be seen all over the inter-web, and waiting for example for Insurgent or Allegiant, a fan may end up seeing fan made stories of Tris and Four going through a certain challenge or killing off a friend. Of course, fan fictions are well, made by fans, so the relevance of it to the real story may or may not be at all connected. It's just like some form of medicine to the longing that a reader may have. Keep at it, Tumblr. You are helping the bookish universe!

2. Constantly stalking authors

Now, if you have Twitter and are following your favorite authors, there's a huge chance that some of them post tidbits of the sequel to their first or second book. It's mostly done to tease fans of course. But fans, while waiting, tend to keep their favorite authors on a list or making sure to check their Twitter pages every two hours or so, glued to their phones or computer screens. Chances are your favorite author may post a paragraph or an excerpt or even a quote from the next book, and we all die.

3. Making conspiracy theories

Remember when all of us had this theory that Nico D'Angelo will die in Blood of Olympus? Well, the fans can't help but freak out everytime someone in the fandom says something about an idea that Nico might die or another character may be trapped in the depths of Tartarus forever. Theories like this are what keeps the fandom alive at some point, giving the hope or even the despair as to what the sequel will hand out to us.

4.  Praying for a NOT SO DEAD character to come back

If you've read The Young Elites, you'd know what I'm talking about.

5. Making an altar at your room for preparation

This may involve stocking up on tissue papers, highlighters, sticky notes, pens or whatever as well as bookmarks, fan arts to look at while waiting, placing the book on a special standee and staring at it for an hour and then rereading it again and then crying coz the sequel is taking too long. 

Seriously, I do prepare some of the things on their but not exactly make an altar. HAHA! But still, you never know what a booknerd/fan of the series or trilogy is capable of. Well, as I've said, these are only from observations of what I do and what I've observed on others.

How about you? What things do you do when you are waiting for a sequel of a favorite trilogy or series? Is it weirder of far more drastic on the things above? Let's discuss that! Thanks again misfits for the countless support! Much love!

November Playlist: TOP 5

This month of November, I decided to try out making playlists on Spotify and hopefully you listen to some of the song that I chose. Actually, I was going to feature Taylor Swift's 1989 album, but since it's been stripped off from either Youtube and Spotify, I went with some of the songs that I have also been listening to frequently this month!

1. Yellow Flicker Beat by Lorde
Again, from last month's playlist, I want to feature it again. This song is the headliner for the upcoming The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay (Part 1) which will be premiering worldwide in a few days! The song really does speak of Katniss' resolve to fight for the people and go against Snow and The Capitol. This, I think, is one of Lorde's most powerful and endearing lyrics yet because it tells the story as it is and kudos to her music video too for being so wonderfully quirky and dark. 
2. Cool Kids by Echosmith
I'm kind of late to the party on this one because the song has been making waves throughout radios and interwebs. And dude, the music video is amazing! Though the lyrics are sort of contradictory to my belief, coz misfit here, I think that the song is kind of telling more of an otherwise story, being that if you are COOL as maybe yourself and you are unique, so you are cool. Yeah, it's kind of ironic really, but I still love the song. And please, the Sierota siblings are an epic, beautiful bunch!
3. Heart Out by The 1975
Have I never told you I love The 1975? Well, I do and I am addicted to their self titled album especially with this song which has been playing on stations and charts. I just love the lyrics in this song, with like a desperate cry to the girl you love yet can't exactly say anything, how raw and subtle it could get but also powerful in some of the rifts. And Matt's voice is just so sexy.

4. Voodoo Doll by 5 Seconds of Summer
You all know I loooove these boys and would practically support them in whatever they do. Anyway, this song is a current favorite, which has been out for sometime now, in their EPs and stuff, but I've only been invested to this song ever since the album came out. The playful lyrics and the cute voices that are somehow dragged into a situation of helplessly falling in love with a girl they don't exactly like. But seriously, I just can't help but laugh to this track. 

5. Afire Love by Ed Sheeran
I don't know. I just don't know how Ed Sheeran does it. I mean, not only are the lyrics to this song heartbreaking but will course through your body, making you regret those small things you've never done with people in your life and all they can do is reminisce those moments of the past... This is one of Ed Sheeran's best songs from X and I do not regret playing and playing it again, but at the same time, it does scare me for what may happen in the future.


So tell me, what have you been listening to lately??? Leave comments below and share your playlist with me!

Stacking The Shelves #7: OH LOVE

Stacking The Shelves is a feature hosted by Tynga’s Reviews where bloggers share what books (both physical and digital) they received, won, bought, and borrowed.

On this week's Stacking The Shelves, I received some fantastic digital ARCs from amazing publishers. Both books are surrounded with the theme of love and also with their titles. Unfortunately, I haven't exactly purchased new books, so. Anyway, here they are.

FOR REVIEW

Love May Fail by Matthew Quick

Love Hurts by Malorie Blackman 

with contributions from Maureen Johnson, Catherine Johnson, Philip Pullman, James Dawson, Jenny Downham, Patrick Ness, E. Lockhart, Lauren Myracle, Laura Dockrill, Gayle Forman, Markus Zusak, Susie Day, David Levithan and Lauren Kate 

Special thanks to HarperCollins Publishers on Edelweiss for allowing me to read a novel of one of my favorite authors of all time and to Random House Children's Books UK on Netgalley for surprising me with this copy of Love Hurts!

Tell me what you have on your stacks this week! Leave comments below!

Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Authors: John Green and David Levithan
Publication: April 5th 2011, Speak
Format: Trade Paperback, 310 pages
Source: Borrowed from Joemar! (Thank you so much!)
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | iBooks | Kobo | National Book Store / Fully Booked (PH)

SYNOPSIS:

Will Grayson, meet will grayson

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two strangers cross paths. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, culminating in heroic turns-of-heart and the most epic musical ever to grace the high school stage.

Misfit Review:

I had always been soooo fascinated with getting to read Will Grayson, Will Grayson when I first saw it in my local bookstore's shelves. It was even before I got obsessed with John Green novels and barely knowing David Levithan's works. It was also around that time that I was scared to hoard books because my Dad wasn't a fan of me buying any. Fast forward to a couple years and I got to borrow a friend's copy. Fast forward to a few months and I read it and all of my fascination was given what I really, entirely needed.

The book talks about two Will Grayson's that happen to meet in a sex shop and the encounter binds them somehow unusually. As we progress towards the book, we are given a full on access to the worlds of both Will Graysons and how delicate or grave both of their situations are.

“Maybe there's something you're afraid to say, or someone you're afraid to love, or somewhere you're afraid to go. It's gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt because it matters.”

Love At Bookstores?

Serendipity. Fate. It's all too mainstream. In young adult books, it caters to these factors in love and we can't help but think that one day we'd actually find a person meant for us in the most unusual of moments or through a shared connection.

Almost a month ago, I was actually inside a bookstore and I saw the first batches of Marie Lu's The Young Elites. I had this instinct to go to it and stroke it so lovingly, cradle it in my arms and just basically run my fingers on it. Then I noticed someone next to me, a guy, who started smirking. I felt embarrassed and headed to the next shelves just to get away from the guy because well, again, embarrassed, and for one, I don't do well with guys at all so, yeah. Jayvee, scoot over to the sides please.

Anyway, I really wanted to stare at The Young Elites, so I headed back to the pile, hoping the guy was gone and he was but then I found him at the cash register and he meets my eyes, he lit up, starts waving at me with a copy of The Young Elites in his other hand and smiled at me. Again, embarrassed, I walked away, the heat rising up my ears, I felt it. After that, I left the bookstore, hoping to get something to eat. Then, I saw the guy at a local fast food chain, from a top the escalator. He then noticed me and smiled again, his friends looked at me too. I  tried to not be wary of him and of course the fact that he actually had The Young Elites already. I decided to head to a music store instead of the fast food restaurant to get away from all the embarrassment.

Then, I told my book club or lets say book group about it and they laughed and freaked out. One of my friends said that he thought the guy was gonna buy the book for me. WHOA!

So, it left me thinking. Would it be possible to actually just meet a guy at a bookstore and connect in a way that is far beyond chit-chat?  It's not like I don't know cases like these. I have seen love blossom among booknerds too but I've never actually notice it happen among people who come and go of bookstores. I wish I would. There are reasons why we have become unexpectedly taken by the idea that we'll find our soulmate inside a bookstore, mainly of course because of, you guessed it, BOOKS!

1. THE "HE LOOKS AT YOU" SEQUENCE

When you find out that a guy or a girl is actually looking at you while scanning a book or checking out what new books came out of the shelves, it definitely triggers the mind into thinking, "How do I look right now?" "Am I too weird?" It's either the guys a stalker or just plain interested in what you are doing.

2. THE "WHAT ARE YOU READING" ACT

It's actually funny to use this line on to a girl, especially towards a guy. Unless you are an upfront girl and your definitely interested in knowing what he is reading. Yet, in reality, not many people are like this, really. Again, unless he or she is basically just interested in the book, then yeah, people can be like that, but for reasons that love is involved, it could use a lot more work.

3. THE "WOW, YOU READ THAT" SEQUENCE

It's a lot more natural to approach a person when they have actually read a book that you know or currently reading. It gives more grounds to knowing each other than sounding really creepy.

4. BOOKS ARE THERE TO LOVE YOU BACK

Prince Charming or the princess of your dreams may not be present in the bookstore, but you'll always find love in the books that are around you. They will always be there to love you. I know Matilda was very loved by them! Way to get a catch! *winks*. But also, you know, find someone who you can share them with.

But honestly, as Ed Sheeran's song Thinking Out Loud says, "PEOPLE FALL IN LOVE IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS." Maybe a guy would see you freaking out over one of Rainbow Rowell's books or  just end up sitting there in a corner, quietly reading a book then a girl finds it adorable. Finding love at a bookstore may seem like a total doozy, but it is never impossible and as for me and my experience, well, I may as well use it as a reference in the near future.

So hey! Tell me if you've had an encounter like this at your local bookstore or if you've ever found real love in the process in the comments below. 

{BLOG TOUR} Review + Giveaway: The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Title: The Young Elites
Author: Marie Lu
Publication: October 7th 2014, Putnam
Format: Trade Paperback, 355 pages
Source: Own Copy from NBS
Buy it on: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iBooks | The Book Depository | Kobo | National Book Store / Fully Booked (PH)

SYNOPSIS:

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Misfit Review:

When I found out that Marie Lu was going to release a new trilogy, I didn't hesitate but to dive in into it and involve myself with the hype and everything. Reading The Young Elites, I found myself in the deepest parts of my mind and relating to Adelina Amouteru in some cases.

“I hereby pledge to serve the Dagger Society, to strike fear into the hearts of those who rule Kenettra, to take by death what belong to us, and to make the power of our Elites known to every man, woman, and child. Should I break my vow, let the dagger take from me what I took from the dagger.”

So the story starts with Adelina, a malfetto, a person that was affected by the Blood Fever, sitting on the stairs, listening to her father make a wager with a merchant and sells her off to marriage even if she was just 16. She runs away but is captured by her father after her younger sister tattles out of fear. As she struggles, she finds out about her strange abilities, conjuring black silhouettes that kills her father and leaves her in the Inquisitors hands. She is then saved by a group called The Young Elites before she gets murdered in front of the crowd. She is then taken to the Dagger Society and must learn to hone her powers. But an innate evil threatens to eat up Adelina whole, and she might, in her own ways, enjoy it.

“The only way to clamp down on my energy is to erase my emotions, and so I fold them each away, one by one. My sorrow turns to anger, then to ice-cold fury. My soul curls in one itself in defense. I am gone. I am truly gone.

I am not sorry.”

There's a lot of character building in this book, particularly in Adelina's part of course. The darkness swoops in on her and somehow clouds her thoughts and as noticed in many of her monologues in the book, we can tell that there's something up with her that seems to be rather interesting and unique. I love how Adelina embraces those moments of pure dark intents. I love it when there's internal conflict in a character and what they do to deal with it. Sadly though, I found Adelina a bit weak in dealing with her self. Again, it's all in the character building. I bet she'll be sooo badass in the 2nd book! 

All the characters are given a spotlight to shine and progress. I really like how Teren was manipulated to become what he is and what he will be and of course the people in the Dagger Society. There's so much mystery behind the organization no matter how much we readers try to even dive into it as much as we can. Enzo and Rafaelle, please! You've already corrupted my mind with your endless beauties, charm, wit and unbelievable strength. But that "thing" though! Please read the book because I want people to  feel what I'm feeling.

"I loved him too."

The world where they are is incredibly fascinating and reminds me of somehow how the French Revolution was and how streets looked like, but with a twist of course. There are so many facets as to how the world in which they are living in, allows for us to sink in to the catastrophes caused by the Blood Fever and how it has affected the lives of many in the different areas. 

I am left frustrated with what the future holds for the book, but it also left me incredibly excited with what's about to come! I just want it right now... Maeve, please!

The Young Elites is a great mix of finding ones self in the face of adversity, may it be good or evil, and learning to deal with the harsh realities of life. Marie Lu was able to allow Adelina to make herself a household name in the world of Young Adult fiction as a anti-hero of sorts, which is not very apparent in many stories lately. She was also able to provide a sense of longing and despair for the next book which just proves that she's one of the authors that love to torture us readers. HECK! We enjoy it nonetheless.

“Be true to yourself. But that's something everyone says and no one means. No one wants you to be yourself. They want you to be the version of yourself that they like.”

The Young Elites is a fascinating read about superpowers, a corrupt government and a girl just trying to steer away from the norm and we all love that don't we? It's a new take on a young adult novel that you won't regret picking off from shelves.

GIVEAWAY

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About The Author:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

I write young adult novels, and have a special love for dystopian books. Ironically, I was born in 1984. Before becoming a full-time writer, I was an Art Director at a video game company. Now I shuffle around at home and talk to myself a lot. :)

I graduated from the University of Southern California in '06 and currently live in LA, where I spend my time stuck on the freeways.