The Writer's Voice 2014 (Part Two)

Image used with permission

The Writer's Voice 2014 entrants are nervously awaiting the coaches' picks, and you can share their anxiety over on Twitter. The hashtag to use is #TheWVoice. (Of the 159 entrants, I'm only missing 23 Twitter names. If you haven't stopped by before, then let me know your details - I'm @AnnetteTDodd or you can post in the comments below, along with your entry number.)

Following on from my previous post, I'll update details of the teams here over the next few days. Already it sounds like some of the coaches will be slugging it out over entries, so stay tuned for a ringside seat!

COACH PICKS:

Brenda (#TeamBrenda): #6  #8  #15  #45  #56  #106  #120  #129
     #15   = Adult Historical
     #8     = Adult Romance
     #45   = Adult SF
     #6     = MG Contemporary Fantasy
     #129 = MG Magical Realism
     #106 = YA Contemporary
     #56   = YA Gothic Romance
     #120 = YA Urban Fantasy

Elizabeth (#TeamRockStar): #1  #7  #13  #51  #69  #142  #149  #155
      #149 = Adult Historical Romance
      #69   = MG Contemporary
      #7     = MG Fantasy
      #51   = UMG SF
      #142 = YA Contemporary
      #1     = YA Dark Contemporary
      #13   = YA Fantasy
      #155 = YA Western Fantasy

Kimberly (#TeamSuperNova):  #65  #67  #81  #89  #101  #118  #121  #145
      #89   = Adult Romance
      #101 = Adult SF/Political
      #65   = MG
      #81   = YA Contemporary
      #145 = YA Historical Fantasy
      #121 = YA Magical Realism
      #118 = YA Paranormal Suspense
      #67   = YA SF

Monica (#TeamMonicaFTW):  #27  #38  #83  #95  #97  #127  #132  #143
      #127 = Adult Urban Fantasy
      #27   = MG Adventure with light SF
      #95   = MG Fantasy
      #143 = UMG Contemporary LGBT
      #132 = YA Coming of Age
      #83   = YA Road Trip
      #38   = YA SF
      #97   = YA SF

FIGHTS!:
Brenda v Elizabeth v Monica (#13) - WINNER: Elizabeth
Brenda v Elizabeth (#142) - WINNER: Elizabeth
Brenda v Monica (#95) - WINNER: Monica
Elizabeth v Kimberly (#67) - WINNER: Kimberly

Additional pages have been requested by:

Brenda - #118
Kimberly - #60,  #118  #158  #81  #8
Krista (on behalf of Elizabeth) - #69
Monica - #10,  #37,  #77,  #132  #38  #145  #47  #17  #127

The Writer's Voice 2014 (Part One)

Image used with permission

I can't believe it's been a year since I participated in The Writer's Voice, hosted by Brenda Drake, etc. The contest has returned and, whilst I didn't make it into the next stage, I had so much fun keeping people updated with stats last year that I'm going to do it again this year. It's also a year since I first joined Twitter - #TheWVoice people were having a whale of a time so I plunged in and signed up.

If you've made it through the Rafflecopter lottery and are one of the lucky 159 people in this round, I'll (hopefully!) have subscribed to your post so I can keep track when one of the coaches says she wants you on her team. I'm also trying to capture your Twitter handles (those I haven't already connected with), so if you can put a comment below with your details I'll be very grateful. Thanks!

Okay, off to update my spreadsheet now. Good luck to all the entrants!

P.S. I'm hoping to add updates here (as well as on Twitter), so stay tuned.

ETA: STATS! (If you haven't put YA or MG in your title, I'm assuming it's Adult.)

159 entries: Adult - 45; YA - 83; MG - 31 (6 Upper).

Adult Contemporary Romance - 5 (1 with paranormal elements)
Adult Fantasy - 7 (1 epic, & 1 with historical elements)
Adult Historical - 6 (1 with fantasy elements, & 1 literary)
Adult Historical Fantasy - 2
Adult Historical Romance - 1
Adult Paranormal Romance - 3
Adult Romance - 4
Adult Romantic Suspense - 1
Adult SF - 6
Adult SF Romance - 1
Adult SF Thriller - 1
Adult SF/Fantasy - 1
Adult SF/Political - 1
Adult SF/Steampunk - 1
Adult Spec Romance - 1
Adult Thriller with SF elements - 1
Adult Urban Fantasy - 2
Adult Western - 1

YA - 3
YA Coming of Age - 1
YA Contemporary - 14 (1 LGBT, & 1 dark)
YA Contemporary Fantasy - 4
YA Contemporary/Magical Realism - 1
YA Dystopian - 1
YA Fantasy - 24 (1 epic, 1 low, 1 with SF elements, & 2 historical)
YA Gothic Romance - 1
YA Historical - 1
YA Horror - 1
YA Light Romance - 1
YA Lite SF Fairytale Retelling - 1
YA Magical Realism - 2
YA Noir - 1
YA Paranormal - 3 (1 fantasy, 1 romance, & 1 suspense)
YA Road Trip - 1
YA SF - 15 (1 romance)
YA Social Science - 1
YA Spec Fiction - 1
YA Thriller - 2 (1 spec)
YA Urban Fantasy - 3
YA Western Fantasy - 1

MG - 2
MG Adventure - 2 (1 with light SF)
MG Coming of Age - 1
MG Contemporary - 3
MG Contemporary Fantasy - 3
MG Fairytale Retelling - 1
MG Fantasy - 7 (1 fantasy adventure)
MG Historical - 1
MG Humorous - 1
MG Magical Realism - 2
MG SF - 1
MG Supernatural - 1
Upper MG Contemporary LGBT - 1
Upper MG Fantasy - 3
Upper MG Paranormal - 1
Upper MG SF - 1

Quest to read 100 YA books (Part 4)

Another April, another block of 25 YA books to list that I've read. (Part 1 found here, Part 2 found here and Part 3 found here.) This quest is now complete - hoorah!  Drum roll, please.

76) Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
77) Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
78) Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

79) Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
80) Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake
81) Arclight by Josin L. McQuein
82) Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
83) You Don't Know Me by Sophia Bennet
84) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
85) The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
86) Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness

87) Adorkable by Sarra Manning
88) Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
89) The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
90) I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
91) Cross my Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter
92) Don't Judge a Girl by her Cover by Ally Carter
93) Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter
94) Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter
95) United We Spy by Ally Carter
96) Dark Song by Gail Giles
97) The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher
98) Dead Girls Don't Lie by Jennifer Shaw Wolf
99) The Moth Diaries by Rachel Klein
100) Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty

Quest for a new steed

My trusty steed of thirteen years has suffered one too many visits to the metal horse repairer lately. Since it was getting harder and harder to shift into reverse without crunching the stirrup each time, I have let poor Mossy (so named because of the moss growing behind the side trims) go to pastures new.

Double rainbow

My faithful companion has been exchanged for the same breed, and I saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky on the day I took young Wish Maker out for a test ride. This was a sure sign that our adventures together would be as happy as the ones with Mossy, and I collected my new steed on the day of luuuurve. Hoorah!

(Do you suppose medieval adventurers ever traded in their trusty steeds for a newer model?)

Quest: Successful!

National Libraries Day

Kingswood Library

It's National Libraries Day today. I supported another of my local libraries and borrowed a YA title ('What Happened to Goodbye' by Sarah Dessen, in case you're interested).

How about you? Have you borrowed any books from the library today?

Seeking more shelf space

What's a girl to do? Too many books to read, not enough shelf space to store them.

Downend Library

Thankfully, LibrariesWest (a public library consortia involving five local authorities in partnership) solved the problem for me and I have access to their many hundreds of bookshelves - and their many thousands of books! Last year I borrowed seventy-five books from thirteen different libraries and I've borrowed seven books from three different libraries so far this year. I'm not sure whether I'll beat last year's total of 105 books read, but I'll give it a shot. (My personal TBR pile at home is reaching headbutt heights, so I won't be running out of reading material any time soon.)

Hillfields Library

I'd also like to add some new libraries to my 'collection'. Hillfields Library was one such last year. When I checked the availability of a book I wanted to borrow, I discovered Hillfields Library stocked it so I paid them a special visit. The librarians there were lovely and were very pleased to see me (I think most people are surprised to find Hillfields even has a library!).

Incidentally, National Libraries Day is taking place on Saturday 8th February and a visit to my local library on that day beckons...

What about you? Do you need more shelf space? Have you joined your local library?

What's your favourite Christmas movie?

Is there a particular movie you just have to watch at Christmas?  Perhaps it's a perennial classic like The Wizard of Oz or White Christmas or A Miracle on 34th Street or A Christmas Carol.  Or maybe you prefer more recent fare like Home Alone, Love Actually, The Polar Express or Elf.

My go-to movie to get me in the Christmas spirit is, aptly, a ghost story: The Amazing Mr Blunden.  I first saw this when I was at junior school - it was such a treat to gather in the assembly hall and watch a film instead of doing schoolwork!

A Salvation Army band plays God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman whilst a white-haired man in a top hat and cape walks through a street market as snow falls around him.  He visits a widow and her children to tell them about a job as caretakers of a derelict, partly fire damaged country mansion.  Whilst the mother is out of the room, the man asks Jamie and Lucy if they'd be afraid if they saw a ghost...


Two children were killed in a fire at the mansion one hundred years ago and Mr Blunden wants Jamie and Lucy's help in making amends for that fateful night.

I love, love, love this film.  The cast are perfect, the setting is so atmospheric and the incidental music totally adds to the mood of each scene.

Incidentally, the film is based on a book (see, it's not just recent books like Harry Potter or Twilight that have made it to the big screen).  The Ghosts is by Antonia Barber, and I managed to track down my very own copy of couple of years ago.

What's your favourite movie to watch at Christmas?