Book Nook: The Architect of Song

Welcome to the wonderful world of Reading!

I will try and not completely take this novel apart today. I LOVED this book. I can't wait to get my hands on the others in the series (yup, I've once again stumbled upon a series. It must be a brick that's constantly in my path).

(Disclaimer: The image is not mine. The only thing that is, are my opinions of this novel.)

Title: The Architect of Song
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Haunted Hearts Legacy
Book Number One


First off, I will laud how much I love this author. Her novels are some of the best that I've had the pleasure of reading in a while. She can take a fairy tale, or previous novel, and embellish it in such a way that draws you in and literally keeps you up until the wee hours of the morning reading constantly.

There are two types of books she writes:
Y/A - taken from fairy tales, or amazing novels. (The Splintered series, and RoseBlood)
Adult Historic Fiction - original stories that are geared towards adults more than young adults.


I stumbled upon this novel after reading the Splintered Series and RoseBlood (my personal favorite, for phan reasons). I'd heard about it before and was eager to read it.

One of the things that intrigued me was the background of the characters. It kept me guessing if this was based on a Tale or not (it's not). The imagery used to conjure each background story for the main characters were compelling and vivid.

Through the novel I kept thinking about possible end scenarios, as I usually do. This one was compelling enough that I managed to be befuddled by the end game. When the final deck was revealed I found myself kicking my mental prowess for forgetting key hints that were given throughout. (In rather plain terms, I might add. Though I will defend this by saying I read only a few chapters each night for about a week, as I do have a busy schedule during the day.)

If you loved her previous novels I would definitely recommend this.

IT IS AN ADULT NOVEL, NOT A Y/A.

I cannot stress that point enough - she even states it on the GoodReads page for this book. Please, read that review before picking up the novel.

Well, this has almost everything I love most about a novel:
     History
     Fairy Tale elements
     Victorian Era
     Mushy Romance (not my favorite, but if done well, then yes)


Check out a copy at your local library. Or purchase your own via the nearest bookstore.

What are you reading this week? Any novel you think I should check out? Leave a comment below and I'll chat at you next week.

WIP Week - Outlining

Right, well let me tell you about my writing style.

I get the story in my head. When I'm in the mood (or the zone) I write/type depending on what I prefer. I NEVER outline. Not even when I was supposed to do so in high school.

The last some odd years - basically since middle school - I've had this story idea in my head. I'm not ashamed to admit it began with a fanfiction for Lord of the Rings, spanning into Pirates of the Caribbean, Van Helsing, and The Phantom of the Opera.

Over the course of those many, many years it has evolved into something far more frustrating and life/mind consuming. (It may be a miracle I managed to stay sane for so long.)

Now, to this outline.

I realized that this massive fanfiction had an excellent plot, great locations, interesting tech, and a bunch of characters ripe for the picking. Only....they weren't their fictional characters anymore.

Through the course of years the characters left behind their rather copyrighted persona and became something more original. It was a miracle.

So I spent a few hours (yup, hours) going through the story. I made an outline for the first time in forever.

(.....yup....good luck getting that song outta your head.)

Right now it's at seven (7) pages, and I'm still not even close to being done with it.

The only issue I now face.

Writing.

I have 2 1/2 pages written out, but I'm taking my time in doing so. I did set a deadline to have chapter one done by the 15 of April. See how well that didn't turn out? Life happens, and we can't always keep up. (Well, I'd be more inclined to do so if I was getting paid for it. Or if I had an editor or a BETA reader.)

Huzzah for being a free writer!

Here's a little snippet of my outline for WIP week!

THE LIEBRARY

-Liebrary houses ancient books, of magic, obscure, rare finds

- A group of Magicians were in charge of keeping it

- They abused the power in the books

(Possible ghost of the past in charge of it now)

What's something that you are working on? Would you be interested in reading my novel, piece by piece?

Volunteer!

Today I wanted to go over a few things that I do in my personal life.

While there is plenty of time for random videos based around the internet (I'm looking at you, YouTube), or looking at other things, there are other things which can occupy that time as well.

One of the things I was glad to begin back in the fall of 2015 was being a volunteer at one of the theater's in Atlanta. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to share my time and help out.

While ushering isn't a "glorified" job in any theatre, I find it a unique opportunity to help others .... and the benefit of seeing the show for free is the best reward imaginable. While volunteering my time - arriving two hours before the show is supposed to begin - it's a fantastic way to do something that I love while meeting new people.

I have also volunteered time at local theatre groups around my town, helping backstage with moving sets, props, and costumes into place. The techies and stage hands do most of the work for a show, making sure that the actors have everything they need and keeping them on time with their cues. They are the cogs of the show that you never see, but know are working.

During the summer our local library has a Summer Reading Program. Throughout the two months of no school, there are events for all age groups ranging from magicians, to reading with a rescue cat, to movies each week, and writing groups. Helping out at those events not only relieves stress from the librarians (who often have to go it alone without help). And who doesn't want to be a Librarian nowadays?

There are dozens of ways that you can volunteer your time. If you don't know where to start, ask your neighbor, or church leader. Guaraenteed there is someone close to you who knows of a project that needs extra hands helping.

What are some ways you give back?