Liebster and Sunshine Blogger Award! (Another Blog Tag!)

Hello Readers!

I got tagged by the lovely G. H. Mitchell from A Writers Corner.

With no further ado...

Liebster Rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you. Thank you, Miss Mitchell!
Display your award. (It's at the top of this post)
Answer the questions you were asked. (Will do ;))
Nominate 5 bloggers.
Ask 6 new questions.
Let your nominees know they were nominated.

Sunshine Rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link back to their blog so others can find them.
List the rules and display an award logo on your blog post.
Answer the 11 questions the blogger asked you.
Nominate 11 new blogs to receive the award and notify them by commenting on any of their posts.
Ask the nominees 11 new questions

Okay, here we go:

Leibester Questions!

What do you like most about a good book?
Ahhh... this is such a hard question! I'd probably have to say the characters. 

What is the oddest object you own?
I'm not sure... *glances around* I can't think of anything...

What do you normally order at Starbucks (or the nearest coffee shop, depending on where you live)?
I don't really go to Starbucks, but when I get coffee, it's usually a Medium Carmilla Blended from the local coffee shop. (Which is better than Starbucks if I do say so myself) And now I want coffee 😂

You’re going to camp, and you forget one object. What is it?
I went to help out at a marriage retreat and forgot a towel. (That was rather embarrassing since I was told several times "Don't forget your towel!" 
Aside from that, I can't think of anything, probably a toothbrush or something important. 

If you were a book, what would you be about?
I don't really know, probably something about writing, loving Jesus, shining lights, music. Maybe about faith or trust... *shrugs* 

Say you drew a map of your mind (this isn’t about how good you are at drawing, lol). What would be that one place that you just love with every bone in your body?
(I'm glad this doesn't have to do with my drawing ability because that... will not be discussed.)
Maybe my lungs or brain. Probably brain, because that's where the smarts are. (Not that my brain has many smarts 😂)


Sunshine Questions

What do you look for in a friend?
Someone who won't leave. Someone who is there for me. Someone to encourage me. Someone, I can hang out with and do fun things with. 

What do you enjoy doing when you’re home alone?
Talking to friends, listening to music, getting things done. Writing ;) 

Why did you start blogging?
Mostly because I wanted to... (Kinda cause I wanted to advertise my book a lil' bit.) But honestly, doing things like this and getting to ramble on about life and things. Being able to share my thoughts and opinions with more people than my family. 

What is your favorite tv show and/or movie?
TV Show, hands down, Sue Thomas F. B. Eye, if you haven't seen it, Go. Watch. It. Now!
Movie, I'm not really sure, I like a lot of movies. Maybe Overcomer. (Or Princess Bride. ;) )

Where do yourself in five years?
A famous published author who travels the world... I'm kidding. Probably writing, maybe married... (If that's God's will :) )

How ‘bout in fifteen?
Maybe have a family. And writing of course ;) 

What is your favorite thing about summer?
Going to the lake, swimming, and water balloon fights! 

Where would you go if you were invisible?
And why would I tell you?

Deep sea or outer space?
Deep sea.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three items you want to have with you?
Probably a gun, a sword, and a bow and arrow. 


If you were an ice cream flavor, what and why?
Maybe coffee, or Salted Carmel... Maybe Mint n' Chip. I'm not sure XD


*Rubs hands together* And now for the new questions!

Sunshine Questions:

1) What is your Favorite Soft Drink
2) What is your Favorite Flavor of Popcorn
3) Roller Coaster, yay or nay? 
4) What is your Favorite National Park
5) Would you prefer to swim in a lake or a pond? 
6) Describe yourself in one word.
7) Nuts in brownies, yay or nay?
8) Favorite kind of food (Meaning something like: Italian, Mexican, American, Chinese)
9)In-store or On-line shopping?
10) What is your favorite song? 
11 Who is your favorite musical artist?

Liebster Questions:

1) Rain or Shine? 
2) Right or Left hand?
3) What is your Favorite Bird?
4) If you were to start a business, what kind would it be?
5) What is something you started, but never finish? 

And now for the chosen bloggers! (I'm sorry I didn't go and find all that I needed, buy y'all have fun and feel free to snag this tag)

S. J. Winters at When Ice Sings And Stars Fall
Kitty at Minds Unknown
Cressida at Cressida's Universe
Ari D. at Aria D. Original
Julia at Lit A Flame
Isabel at Chasing Fantasia
Sarah at Paraphernalia
Ashley at Ashley Hope Roche Blog
Mary at Wild Writing Dreams
Syberyah at attagirlinpink (because she needs more tags XD)

And that's a wrap!

Cheers,
Mattie May

First Official Book Review! Echoes by Miranda Marie

Hello All! 

I'm super excited about today's post! I've never done a book review, but I will give it my best shot! 

I'm going to start by saying I've never in my life read anything like Echoes. I honestly don't read much outside my favorite genres, so reading Echoes was a step into the unknown. Although I'd heard many splendid things about it, I didn't have high expectations. 

Let's dive in, shall we?

(Isn't the cover lovely <3)

Description from the back of the book: 

"You’ve started a countdown equivalent to a nuclear bomb detonation. And once the weapon latches onto a goal, there’s not a person on earth who can change it.”

Emma White is the most dangerous weapon the world has ever seen.

She’s not a child; she’s a hurricane, an earthquake, a force of nature. She’s been trained as the world’s most deadly assassin – capable of stopping and starting wars as easily as others breathe. Under her skin crackles the type of power that most people only ever dream about.

And she doesn’t remember any of it.

Adrae Silverman is the Queen of the Night. She’s clothed in darkness and washed in royalty, and Emma is her newest conquest. She wants the kind of power Emma wields, and is willing to do whatever it takes to make Emma remember – and embrace – what she was created to do. She’s going to rise into the skies, one way or another.

But Emma has made a promise to protect humanity – from a past she can’t even recall. To keep it, she must find a way to defy Adrae, and she must do it without the help of the hurricane under her skin.

Set in a surprisingly normal, modern-day world, Echoes mixes contemporary with science fiction and is told from the scattered, poetical style of Emma’s thoughts. Stunning comparisons and Emma’s breathtakingly raw honesty weave a heartbreaking story of Emma’s attempt to protect humanity – from her own past.

I thought it would be fun to do something similar to my last post and look at Echoes from both the writer and the reader sides of my mind. 

The Reader: 
Since it is outside my usual reading the style and poeticness (that is a word I'm sure) It's so pretty, like a huge painting. As I continued to get to know the characters I got more and more drawn into the story. The story is engaging, though not a real page-turner.  It's slowly paced, but it's enjoyable because you see a little of yourself in Emma White. The way Emma constantly compares and contrasts almost everything is beautiful. Her relationship with Natan is so sweet. Natan is the sunshine in Emma's storm. Natan's sunshine warms the coldness of the world around her. Natan sees her not as a weapon, but as a girl, a person just like any other; in need of love and sunshine. 

Honestly, the ending is what made the book. Everything leading up to it suddenly clicked. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

(Trying to do this without spoilers is very hard.😂) 



The Writer:

The genre is poetic contemporary with a tinge of Sci-Fi. The MC (Emma White) uses abundant metaphors and similes to process the world around her. The story is told from solely her POV. Emma's POV is unique, she sees the world for what it is. As the story progresses, Emma finds out who she really is and what she is capable of. Her mind is constantly whirling with thoughts and tucking away minute details about everyone and everything. The ending was satisfying, but left me wanting the sequel, Mirage. 

***

Favorite Quotes

I hope y'all enjoyed that; I had a lot of fun putting this together! I'll end this post with some very important information. 

Buy Echoes on Amazon!
Check Out Miranda's Website!
(You'll find out about her other books and about how amazing she is as a person)

I hope y'all have a lovely rest of your weekend! 

~Mattie May.

Why We have The Novel + Writing Update

Hello Readers!

I apologize for once again disappearing, but I'm going to be (hopefully) posting every-other-week again soon. 

As I've been working on some school that got neglected during my writing class. In British Literature, we just learned about Daniel Defoe. He is the father of the novel. 

Daddy has been reading Defoe's novel, Robinson Crusoe out-loud to us as a family and I have been enjoying it. 

I admire Defoe in two ways: One as a writer and two as a reader.

As a Writer:
Defoe wrote in first-person narration. I've tried that and it is very hard to write for two reasons: 1) It can be hard to keep the story moving and 2) It's easy to give too much detail. Most novelists prefer third-person because it's easier to write and to read. As a writer, I appreciate the different themes and descriptions woven throughout the novel. Defoe balanced, giving enough detail, and keeping the story moving along. Because of this, it's easy to put yourself in his character's shoes and become immersed in the story. 

As a Reader:
First-person works well for this novel because it's easy as a reader insert yourself into the story. I love the biblical truths that Defoe inserts so perfectly without coming across as preachy or annoying. The principles shown in the book are good examples for our lives today. It's an engaging story. It's also has a good vocabulary and doesn't dumb anything down. 

Defoe knew what people loved and wrote it well. Whether you're a reader or a writer, I encourage you to check out Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. 

Writing Update:
So some of you may be wondering if I've even been writing in all this crazy and what I've been up to. 
I went through Everlasting Gold and picked out the typos and corrected them. It's currently in the capable hands of my proofreaders. After they are done, I'll fix the formatting and republish it! This should happen around mid-August.
Sadly, I had to pass on July-Camp this year :( 
A question everyone seems to be asking me is 'Am I going to do NaNoWriMo?' The answer is... Yes! Do I know what I'm going to write about? Nope, I haven't the foggiest. (Pardon the British that popped in there) 


I hope you enjoyed this and I'm hoping to publish my first official book review. (I don't consider this post a book review for some reason...)  

Have a lovely week :)

~Mattie May