Cleaning out my closet - an update

I hope some of you out there took part in BioB's spring clean event.

I shortlisted ten books that I'd had hanging around from when I first joined the genre. Ten books in a week was probably a little bit optimistic, but it gave me a certain degree of choice. I did try not to think too hard about which book to pick, although I purposely left Dangerous Ground as my last choice because I have the full series now and will be bumping the book up my to read list.

As it happened I didn't get as far as book ten so Dangerous Ground remains unread. However, I cleared five books from my closet of unread books (to be fair I dnf'd one). By far my favourite of the five was Cop Out by KC Burn.

All in all I found the idea of going back to those older books in my stack an interesting one. I got a lot more original fiction read than I would normally get done in a week, even if it was not always as satisfactory in quality as the books I was reading earlier in the year where I cherry picked my titles from 'must reads'. Even the less than satisfactory reads had certain advantages to finally reading them.

Of the remaining five books on the list, as I've said Dangerous Ground will hopefully be bumped on to one of my monthly reading lists, but I will leave it in place and the list in existence since I plan to repeat the whole process in the autumn. Probably October.

I'd be interested to know if any of you managed to clear out some books.

Last day to get 40% off

Last day to get 40% off Waiting for a Spark.

From JMS Books website:

This weekend, we're having a HUGE sale on our site! All e-books, all lengths, all formats, in all genres, are 40% off now through April 20th! If you don't celebrate Easter, no big deal. Save 40% off on our Spring Weekend Sale instead! (See what I did there?) Either way, shop our websites this weekend and save BIG on all our awesome e-book releases!

There are no calories in books. 

Happy Easter!

Cleaning out my closet

How many of us have a huge 'to read' pile? Some books languishing at the bottom of the pile for months, maybe even years, as new, cheaper, more hyped books come along to bury them. I'm ashamed to say that I have.

What's the solution? Read them, obviously, but how to get the drive to read something buried for so long?

Well, the girls over at Boys in our Books have the answer. (taken from their facebook page)



JOIN US! We're having SPRING CLEANING WEEK at BoiB. 

Here's what to do: find the ONE book that's been on your TBR shelf the longest. Commit to FINALLY reading & reviewing it! Our entire review team, along with a bunch of guest reviewers, will be participating.

EVERYONE who joins us will be eligible to win a $25 gift certificate for books. Sign up RIGHT HERE in the comments (tell us the book & the date it was added to your TBR) or comment on ANY of our posts during Spring Cleaning Week, April 21 - 27!

Let's dust off and organize those shelves!

If you don't have a facebook account (or hate the site with a vengence, as I do) look out for their posts on the blog during Spring Cleaning week.

I'll be signing up once that first post goes live, check out my cleaning out my closet shelf at Goodreads to find out what I intend to read. See what I mean, Dangerous Ground is on there, I've been meaning to read that book in forever.

Any books buried at the bottom of your e-reader you've been itching to read?

Therese Takes Over

Hello, everyone! Therese Woodson here and I’m guest posting on Lillian’s blog today to promote my newest novella Clockwork Horizon.

The story follows the life of Malachi Covington, an affluent resident of Aerial City, who lives by the stringent expectations of his wealthy uncle. However, Malachi dreams of airships and adventure. He meets Ian, a charming airship pilot, who agrees to show him the ropes aboard the Mockingbird. With Ian’s encouragement, Malachi breaks out of his shell and embarks on his own adventure.

The fun part about writing this novella was definitely building the steampunk world. Not only is it filled with airships and clockwork trinkets, but it also has a distinctive vocabulary and its own superstitions and lore. Developing the airship culture was my favorite part and writing Ian’s view of the world versus Malachi’s was an interesting dynamic to explore. I feel like these two have many more adventures to tell. One of those is the sequel, Clockwork Bargain, that I just found out is slated for release in November/December!

Official Blurb: As a major airship port, Aerial City welcomes visitors from all over the world. Despite being surrounded by new inventions and colorful people, Malachi Covington partakes of little outside his books and studies. He aches for adventure and excitement but labors under the rules and expectations of his wealthy uncle.

Five airships arrive in port, keeping his uncle busy and, as Malachi’s best friend Millie reminds him, they’re carrying parties full of crew members. Excitement finds him in the form of Ian, a charming airship pilot who invites him to tour his ship, the Mockingbird. With Ian at his side, Malachi discovers a world beyond his books and takes daring steps to become his own man.

Excerpt:

An electric tension rose in the air, a heady sense of attraction building in the scant inches between them. Malachi wanted to reach out and touch, trail his fingers over the soft-looking skin at Ian’s collar, trace the shell of his ear, interlock their fingers. Malachi’s body hummed with it, his skin tingling in the slight breeze, his face flushing with warmth.

“You….” Ian licked his lips. “You really are a sight for a man who has had nothing to look at but his crewmates and the sky for the past three months.”

Malachi straightened from his slouch against the pub. It put him in Ian’s space, something he hadn’t planned but wasn’t sorry for.

“I knew you worked on an airship!”

Ian raised an eyebrow. “I thought it was obvious.”

Malachi winced. “Well, I don’t… I’ve never… I’m not allowed….” He stuttered, curled his hands into fists, and blew out a breath. “I don’t get a chance to meet many people.”

“Really? What do you do, then?”

Malachi nervously licked his lips, and Ian’s steady gaze dropped to his mouth. “I study,” Malachi said. “I read.”

“Books like on the merchant cart? The adventure ones?”

Malachi blushed. “I don’t have much adventure in my life.”

Ian reached out and brushed his fingertips along Malachi’s wrist, and Malachi’s fingers instantly slackened from their defensive curl. He took Malachi’s hand in his, and Malachi snapped his mouth shut. He stared at the sight of Ian’s fingers wrapped around his own, the contrast of tan and calloused against pale and soft. Malachi met Ian’s gaze, and Ian stared at him, amused but fond.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, Mac,” he said. “But I get the feeling you might like to come see the ship.”

Malachi nodded, giddy with excitement, heart in his throat. “I’d love to.”

Ian twined their fingers. “Good.”

Author Bio: Therese Woodson is a wife, mother of two, and writer of stories, who lives in the Blue Ridge mountains. She is an avid reader of all literature. She holds two degrees—one in Psychology and one in English Literature and hopes to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing in the near future. She is a fan of watching bad television shows, superhero movies, and anything sci-fi. She loves creating interesting characters, universes, and plots with happy endings.

Purchase Links: Dreamspinner

Social Media Links:

Twitter: @writer_reese
Blog: http://theresewritesthings.wordpress.com/