Hi! We are looking for more Literary Spotlight submissions to be posted this upcoming Monday.  Last week's Literary Spotlight was a great success and I'm hoping that this week's will be too!!!  So if your a writer and you want to put your work out there then submit something to us.  To learn more about Literary Spotlight and how to submit entries click here.

"The author of acclaimed novel Longleaf continues the saga of teenage sleuth Jason Caldwell. Set at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Space incorporates factual information about astronomy and America's space program into its intriguing tale of suspicion and pursuit. The story communicates values of empathy and integrity as Jason struggles to understand his acerbic sidekick and makes promises to respect the confidence of others." (Barnes and Noble).

This book has more of a mysterious feel than the first book.  This has some pretty surprising plot twists that I would have never expected.  Again, there are also some pretty cool scientific facts thrown into the novel.  I like how the facts aren't just randomly thrown in but intertwined within the novel and plot.  This novel definitely does lack adventure.  There are some really exciting parts in this book.  Overall, it's an ok book. 

This book was AMAZING!!! Here's the synopsis:

"Abby's family prides itself with its knowledge of its rich family history.  Unfortunately they may be kidding themselves.  While trying to survive her summer job armed only with her sarcastic wit and her best friend Cory, she thinks things couldn't get worse.  But when she is kidnapped, she learns to be careful what she wishes for!" (back of book)

OMG! This is officially one of my favorite books, its right up there with Twilight!  I loved the different POVs especially the POV of Emma so we can see how it was in her situation and also so we could see the parallel between Emma and Abby.  I absolutely loved the relationship between Cory and Abby and how they turned out.  Very  cute :).  This book gets really intense at times with the kidnapping and how that situation turns out.  I felt really bad for Abby and was really mad at Wilhelm!  I don't want to give anything away but this book is really good and I suggest you go out to the store and buy it right now!

You’re ready, then. Now, remember what your grandma told ya: 'No one is born with courage, but we are all born with potential.’ You’re gonna get that job, and on the way you’re gonna look em’ all right in their hateful eyes and say, “Hey, you; you see me? You like what you see, huh? You like the sassiness of my walk, the haughtiness of my laugh. You’ve seen me moving on the dance floor, yeah? I saw that look in your eyes. I can move and I can be any-damn-thing I want to be, and you don’t like it, do you? Little Miss Prissy.”

Yeah, that’s what I’ll say to the working men with their crude remarks, and the fancy ladies, shopping for hats. They’re all gonna see me rise.

Time was, I’d have walked with my head slung low, my back curved over, my timid face pointed at my bare’n’bleedin feet. Those stories of the whippings and the hangings, of the raping and beatings; they all put the fear of God into to us, kids. There were no sassy black ladies, shoulders back, taking on the world, then.

I grew to feel that I’d never have nothing, never be nothing, never see nothing. Even so, I’m rising above all that, now. They don’t like it. They don’t want it. They want me scared; they want me locked away within my colour, for eternity.

History books at schools, they never tell the story like it was. I’m gonna keep the truth out there. It’s the only way to keep my folks, and their folks and their folks, alive. The only way to free their dreams and hopes is through me. And others like me. And every day, there are more like me.

Throughout my life, I’ve been looked at like I’m two feet tall, now I stride like I’m twenty feet or more. Ladies fear their husbands wanna pluck diamonds at the meeting of my thighs. Men fear the self respect I ooze in every movement of my curves. The funny thing is, I ain’t got diamonds, but I dance like I do, and the freedom I seize makes me the richest one in any room, on any street. Hell, I walk like I got oil wells pumping in my living room.

They will make cruel remarks, sure. I ain’t stupid, and I ain’t never gonna lose my memories, let alone my pride. It ain’t us who enslaved innocent people; I feel no shame. No way, no how! But as they trip me up, shoot me with their eyes, and target me with hate; I’ll rise like the moon, the sun, and the tides. I’ll breathe the air, and kick up the dust, just as they do. I got rights, just like they do.

Lord, through ingrained fear, casting off nights of terror – I will rise. Through their shame, I rise. Beating on their prejudice, I’ll face my future head-on. I'll stroll into a dawn that’s clear, bearing the dreams and hopes of every slave. Through it all, for us and for them, for freedom and for peace – I’ll rise.

Now, where was I? Purse: Check. Keys: Check. Okay – let’s go get me that job!


I am the sickness, which allows each lie I tell of inaccessible futures, to deceive you; I am the oracle of lies itself. I will ensnare you with deceptions of such beauty; you would have to be dead to deny me. And yet, in time you will wish to be dead, to escape my grip.

I am, in fact, the enemy of everyone, and the most dangerous enemy of all. No one will agree with this you see, because everyone secretly or evidently wants what I offer.

The biggest secret around is that I am not fit for purpose.

I do not bring everlasting happiness. I do not bless lives with euphoria in abundance. I merely give you a taste of it, I tease and then, when it will hit the hardest, I withdraw; often without reason.

False love is cruelty incarnate.

Sometimes, even after a lifetime of my presence, I will leave and touch others, elsewhere. I especially like to tease those who believe they possess me, because they are the biggest fools; blind to my cunning, my betrayal.

I seek to teach the truth of me, of my ways, but by the time the lessons are learned, my students are old, alone and damned to solitude; fearing a repetition of such sorrows. By then they are consigned to emptiness. And I have won...again and always.

So see here, I give my lesson early to you lucky readers; a one-time deal. You young, careless and clueless boys and girls – listen up. I am schooled in treachery; I am a temple devoid of worship; the mother of all longing. I will thwart all sources of refuge; I will lead you and leave you to beg for release from a maze of grief, without end. I will fool you with temptations as yet without match in either taste or sound; and then when all is good and smiles enrich your daily rituals of love, I will vanish and leave only wreckage, for my own, torturous amusement.

I am not poetry, not happiness, not about truth or eternity; I am death in disguise - Hell dressed as Heaven. I am the darkness in the light, an abyss within the joy! A false love.

Blood and life are merely transitory; souls are easily gained when love rears its pretty head. So, if you should come to know me, do not be the fool; dare to bid me a sweet farewell. And deny yourself the sweetest taste of pain you would ever know.

Hey hey hey!  I'm back to write my second review to day!  I just finished Longleaf by Roger Reid so of course I am dying to tell you what I thought but first here's the synopsis:

"When 14-year-old Jason Caldwell goes camping with his scientist parents, all he expects is peace and quiet. But before they arrive, Jason has already been the witness to a crime, and soon he'll find himself lost among the very longleaf pines that his parents hoped to study. Now Jason--and his new forest-smart friend Leah--will have to use all their knowledge of the outdoors to outwit a trio of villains and make it home safe. Set in the real-life Conecuh National Forest, Longleaf is a thrilling adventure for boys and girls--and an excellent introduction to the plants and animals of the Conecuh region, written by Discovering Alabama producer Roger Reid." (New South Books).

This is a great, short, quick to the point, adventurous, and educational book!  This book does not have all the fluff at the beginning that some books have.  It states everything you need to know in the second chapter.  I also like how the chapters are short and sweet.  I love the budding relationship between Jason and Leah.  I think it's really cute :).  This book also contains lots of adventure and has alittle heart pounding moments here and there.  Not only does this book contain adventure and romance, this book also contain some very educational facts about science in general and about the Conecuh National Forest.  No, it is not some boring educational book but there is a few facts thrown into the mix.  Overall, I think this is a very good book and I currently have my nose in the second book.

Hey fellow bookworms!  I have just finished Soul Quest by Amy Jones...man am i on a roll!  It was a great book and you should definitely buy it and check it out :).  Here's the synopsis:

"Liv Glyn is torn between two worlds, Earth, her home and Arcadia, a world unknown to Liv. Never the less, duty calls for Liv and her companions of Spirit, Laith, Brayan and Meena, to take action. What ensues is a supernatural showdown at Forest Hills High, corpses mysteriously surface in the Hudson and a Valentine's Day Dance turns into a murder investigation. A quest for humanity begins. "

This is definitely an action packed book!  One of my favorite things about this book was how Amy Jones starts the book off in the present but then goes back to show us how they got to that point. I like how we get to see the different points of view from all the characters in the book.  It helps to depict their feelings and reactions toward things. I love all the romantic relationships that Liv and her friends have.  I also the relationship between the Guardians and the Human Oracles.   This books grips you in the first chapter and makes you want to continue reading so that you can figure out what's going on.  I just love the whole storyline of this book and I can't wait for the second book to come out!  Overall this was a great read!

I just finished The Immortality Virus by Christine Amsden yesterday so I decided to write the review today! Here's the synopsis:

The Immortality Virus by Christine Amsden

"In the mid-21st century, the human race stopped aging. Those who know why aren't talking, and the few who are brave enough to ask questions tend to disappear. To an elite few, The Change means long life and health, but to the increasing masses, it means starvation, desperation, and violence.

Four centuries after The Change, Grace Harper, a blacklisted P.I., sets off on a mission to find the man responsible for it all and solicit his help to undo The Change - if he's still alive. To complicate matters, Grace's employer is suspected of murdering his father, and when the police learn of their connection, they give her a choice - help them find the evidence they need to convict Matthew Stanton, or die. But if they discover Grace's true mission, they won't hesitate to kill her in order to protect their shot at immortality." (Barnes and Noble).

"'Can you imagine eternal Darkness, sir?'


So asks the sickly stranger who staggers into Peg Leg Nel's birthday party. Before the man dies, he tells Ray and his friends of a Darkness spreading like wildfire across Kansas, turning good people bad and poisoning anyone who tries to escape. It's clear that though the evil Gog is dead, his devilish machine has survived and is growing stronger. Now a full-fledged Rambler, Ray leads his friends on a mission into the heart of darkness. Vital to their success is tracking down the legendary Wolf Tree, rumored to be a pathway to the spirit world. Only with one of the tree's limbs can the Nine Pound Hammer be repaired and the Gog's terrible machine finally destroyed. The search for the Wolf Tree grows desperate as the Darkness spreads, threatening Ray, his friends, and all of humanity." (Barnes and Noble)

If The Nine Pound Hammer was amazing then The Wolf Tree was extraordinary!  This book sucks you in right at the beginning with the talk of "The Darkness".  This sequel was in my opinion more suspenseful and kept me surprised the more I read.  My favorite part was finding out that....well, I don't want to spoil it for you ;) .  There were so many events happening that I couldn't put the book down.  Another thing I liked about it is that it's not only told in Ray's point of view this time around.  We get to see things from Sally's point of view and her feelings toward everything thats been going on.  We also get to see the thoughts and feelings of Jolie, Conker, and other characters in the book.  There are a few new characters introduced spicing the book up a bit also.  There were some HUGE surprises in this book!  Some questions are answered but mostly new questions asked.  Overall, this is my favorite book in the series so far but I do have one more to read so we'll see :)

Hey! Here's the first review for The Clockwork Dark Experience.  Today I'm reviewing The Nine Pound Hammer by John Claude Bemis.  One word......AMAZING!  Here's an summary:

The Nine Pound Hammer by John Claude Bemis

"What if John Henry had a son? Twelve-year-old Ray is haunted by the strangest memories of his father, whom Ray swears could speak to animals. Now an orphan, Ray jumps from a train going through the American South and falls in with a medicine show train and its stable of sideshow performers. The performers turn out to be heroes, defenders of the wild, including the son of John Henry. They are hiding the last of the mythical Swamp Sirens from an ancient evil known as the Gog. Why the Gog wants the Siren, they can’t be sure, but they know it has something to do with rebuilding a monstrous machine that John Henry gave his life destroying years before, a machine that will allow the Gog to control the will of men and spread darkness throughout the world." (Barnes and Noble)

This is one of the best books I ever read!  There are many twists and turns throughout the novel that kept me on the edge of my seat.  Once I started I couldn't put it down until I was finished.  I love the budding relationship between Ray and Conker.  I love that this book also has some historical aspects because it makes the book even better than it already is.  It helps add to the sense of mystery throughout the novel.  This book also has a great sense of adventure.  Ray and his newfound friends end up going on many adventures as the novel progresses.  My favorite part of the book is the end.  It was so intense and surprising.  Overall, this is a great novel!!  You should definitely go pick it up at your local bookstore.

The winner of the 100 follower giveaway is.....suspenseyourbelief! Congrats, I hope you enjoy Killer by Mari Miniatt!

If you didn't win this one don't be discouraged because we have another giveaway going on as we speak! Check out The Clockwork Dark Experience post for more info :)

A: Very much so. While I didn’t know every detail, of course, the arc of the story from gladiator game, to revolution, to war, to the eventual outcome remained constant throughout the writing process.

Q: We understand you worked on the initial screenplay for a film to be based on The Hunger Games. What is the biggest difference between writing a novel and writing a screenplay?
A: There were several significant differences. Time, for starters. When you’re adapting a novel into a two-hour movie you can’t take everything with you. The story has to be condensed to fit the new form. Then there’s the question of how best to take a book told in the first person and present tense and transform it into a satisfying dramatic experience. In the novel, you never leave Katniss for a second and are privy to all of her thoughts so you need a way to dramatize her inner world and to make it possible for other characters to exist outside of her company. Finally, there’s the challenge of how to present the violence while still maintaining a PG-13 rating so that your core audience can view it. A lot of things are acceptable on a page that wouldn’t be on a screen. But how certain moments are depicted will ultimately be in the director’s hands.

Q: Are you able to consider future projects while working on The Hunger Games, or are you immersed in the world you are currently creating so fully that it is too difficult to think about new ideas?
A: I have a few seeds of ideas floating around in my head but—given that much of my focus is still on The Hunger Games—it will probably be awhile before one fully emerges and I can begin to develop it.

Q: The Hunger Games is an annual televised event in which one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts is forced to participate in a fight-to-the-death on live TV. What do you think the appeal of reality television is—to both kids and adults?
A: Well, they’re often set up as games and, like sporting events, there’s an interest in seeing who wins. The contestants are usually unknown, which makes them relatable. Sometimes they have very talented people performing. Then there’s the voyeuristic thrill—watching people being humiliated, or brought to tears, or suffering physically—which I find very disturbing. There’s also the potential for desensitizing the audience, so that when they see real tragedy playing out on, say, the news, it doesn’t have the impact it should.

Q: If you were forced to compete in the Hunger Games, what do you think your special skill would be?
A: Hiding. I’d be scaling those trees like Katniss and Rue. Since I was trained in sword-fighting, I guess my best hope would be to get hold of a rapier if there was one available. But the truth is I’d probably get about a four in Training.

Q: The trilogy’s premise is very brutal, yet is handled so tastefully. Was this a difficult balance to achieve?
A: Yes, the death scenes are always hard to write. It’s difficult to put kids in violent situations—Gregor (the protagonist in The Underland Chronicles) is in a war, Katniss is in a gladiator game. Characters will die. It’s not fun to write, but I think if you can’t commit to really doing the idea, it’s probably better to work on another type of story. Given that, you have to remember who you’re trying to reach with the book. I try and think of how I would tell a particularly difficult event to my own children. Exactly what details they need to know to really understand it, and what would be gratuitous.

Q: What do you hope readers will come away with when they read The Hunger Games?
A: Questions about how elements of the book might be relevant in their own lives. And, if they’re disturbing, what they might do about them.

Q: In The Hunger Games, Katniss and Gale have an extensive knowledge of hunting, foraging, wildlife, and survival techniques. What kinds of research did you do, if any?
A: Some things I knew from listening to my dad talking about his childhood. He grew up during the Depression. For his family, hunting was not a sport but a way to put meat on the table. He also knew a certain amount about edible plants. He’d go into the woods and gather all these wild mushrooms and bring them home and sauté them. My mom wouldn’t let any of us go near them! But he’d eat them up and they never harmed him, so I guess he knew which ones were safe, because wild mushrooms can be very deadly. I also read a big stack of wilderness survival guidebooks. And here’s what I learned: you’ve got to be really good to survive out there for more than a few days.

Q: How long would it take for North America to deteriorate into the world depicted in the books?
A: You’d have to allow for the collapse of civilization as we know it, the emergence of Panem, a rebellion, and seventy-four years of the Hunger Games. We’re talking triple digits.

Q: What was it like to return to the world of the Hunger Games to write Catching Fire and then Mockingjay?
A: Honestly, I feel like I never left it. The revisions of Book I overlapped with the writing of Book II, just as Book II has overlapped with Book III. Since each book feeds into the next, I feel like part of my brain’s been in Panem continuously

Q: Do you have every book completely mapped out, or do you have a general idea and then take it from there? Did you run into things that were unexpected plot-wise or character-wise?
A: I’ve learned it helps me to work out the key structural points before I begin a story. The inciting incident, acts, breaks, mid-story reversal, crisis, climax, those sorts of things. I’ll know a lot of what fills the spaces between them as well, but I leave some uncharted room for the characters to develop. And if a door opens along the way, and I’m intrigued by where it leads, I’ll definitely go through it.

Q: How do you typically spend your workday? Do you have a routine as you write?
A: I grab some cereal and sit down to work as soon as possible. The more distractions I have to deal with before I actually begin writing, the harder focusing on the story becomes. Then I work until I’m tapped out, usually sometime in the early afternoon. If I actually write three to five hours, that’s a productive day. Some days all I do is stare at the wall. That can be productive, too, if you’re working out character and plot problems. The rest of the time, I walk around with the story slipping in and out of my thoughts.

Q: You are probably getting a lot of fan mail! What is the most surprising feedback you’ve received for The Hunger Games? (Or, what has surprised you the most about the feedback you’re getting for The Hunger Games.)
A: Probably how differently people view the book. Some are attracted to the dystopian world, others are there for action and adventure, still others for the romance. The readers are defining the book in very personal and exciting ways.

Q: What were some of your favorite novels when you were a teen?
A: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Lord of the Flies by William Golding Boris by Jaapter Haar Germinal by Emile Zola Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

So, I just finished reading Water for Elephants today. I know alot of you were anxious to see what I thought about it, so here it is :)  Here is the summary from the back of the book:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

"As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.  I was the early part of the Great Depression, and for Jacob the circus was both his salvation and a living hell.  A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie.  It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer.  And he met Rosie, and untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show.  The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was ultimately their only hope for survival."

Hey!! Just wanted to let you guys know that I have finished Water for Elephants so a review should be up for that later today and I have just started The Clockwork Dark Trilogy by John Claude Bemis.  After I finish reading all three I will be having a giveaway of all three books so get excited!!! Also, there is an interview with Suzanne Collins coming up soon!

Hey guys! I just to spread the word about this awesome blog at http://www.scottareighard.blogspot.com/.  He's new to the game just like me so go show him some love and follow his blog :)  He has written 3 awesome books also!