Discussion: Cover Colors

We've all admitted to being cover whores!  What's not to love about beautiful artwork that houses beautiful literature, amiright?  More than just a pretty cover though, do you ever find yourself drawn to covers of a certain color?

I was scrolling through my Bloglovin feed and I found myself drooling over posts that featured PURPLE covers! Blue is my color but I ADORE purple covers!  There's something about them that lures me like a moth to a flame. 

I mean, look at all the pretty!  Makes my eyes all happy!

Tell me, dear readers, is there a certain color that you just love to see on book covers?

Discussion: Reality In Fiction

One day, I was blog hopping and read another blogger's review of a book I had also read. This reader had given the book a slightly lower rating [than I did] because she felt that the opening scene was not realistic enough for the book's setting, which got me thinking about reality in fiction.

The book in question here is One Good Earl Deserves a Lover, a historical romance by Sarah MacLean.  In this story, our heroine is engaged to be married but is concerned about her inexperience in intimate matters, so she propositions our would-be hero whom she has to convince to "educate" her.

Honestly, this blogger wasn't wrong.  It's clear to see how this particular scene would have been highly improbable for the time period that it's set in.  However, this scene is an important one because it's the catalyst for the entire book's plot so does this now mean that the book isn't as good as it could've been had the opening made more sense?  

I was willing to be more forgiving for the sake of fiction, particularly where unlikely romances are involved.  I feel that sometimes authors have to take some creative license in terms of how "realistic" to make certain scenes if it means making it work for the story.

Ok, so authors take A LOT of creative license - but then that's okay if you're writing science fiction, or dystopian, or high fantasy, right?  What about with the little things though, like how two characters meet?  Are you less willing to overlook it because it's too small a detail to cross the line from the logical to the fantastic?

My opinion is that no one knows a story better than its author and so they know what their characters have to do to get to the next plot point.  However, does this necessarily mean that it's okay for characters to do things that don't make sense?  Yes and no.  Even fiction has to have limitations.  I am willing to accept a changes like the one in this book because it's relevant to the story.  Now had our Victorian heroine showed up in a BMW to meet the hero...then I'd be like, uh NO!  Besides, this is a romance and I want the irrational, illogical, sweep me off my feet kind of story!

Tell me, dear readers, how much reality do you like in your fiction?  What kind of details are you willing or unwilling to overlook?

Discussion: Boyfriends

COFFEE TALK
with Isalys and Jen

A few feature we're still tweaking whereby we discuss stuff we have on our minds. Sometimes it might be a vent session. Sometimes it might be a 'squee' session. Hell, sometimes it might even be a ramble session. Whatever it turns into we’ll try to make it one helluva good time.

Today’s topic is:
Real Boyfriends vs. Book Boyfriends

Isalys: Have you guys ever stopped to think about the qualities you love most in your book boyfriends and then realized that they are COMPLETELY different from the things you love about your real boyfriends/husbands?

Think about this!  For instance, when it comes to my books I am a total sucker for the Alpha Male. Guys like Bones, Barrons, ALL the Lords of the Underworld...these guys with their 6’5” rippling bodies who grab you by the hair, look you straight in the eye and growl, “you’re mine!”

*melts into puddle of girly goo* What was I saying again?  Oh yeah! There’s nothing more delicious than a dominant male...in my BOOKS!

In real life though, not so much. I am not above admitting that I’m kind of an alpha female and that while I love me a good alpha male in books, in real life I’d probably sock ‘em right in the mouth, or junk! In real life, I love a man who is kind, compassionate, gentlemanly, and hilariously funny! I’d certainly be okay with a 6’5” rippling body, but considering that I’m 5’5” and weigh 100 lbs soaking wet, we’d probably look ridiculous, lol.

Jen: I’m totally with you on this one my friend. I love when my book boyfriends are all growly, slightly possessive and mildly intimidating. There’s something about these brooding heroes that make the me in my head want to climb these lads like a tree. They make my knees go weak. I really enjoy watching my heroines face off with these delicious Alphas. Especially when they make the ladies all flustered and throw them off their game.

However, the me in real life would be none too pleased if my real life boyfriend displayed any of the signs I listed above. Slightly possessive?! Yeah right! Him and I would have some serious issues. I wouldn’t do well if he was the slightest bit intimidating either. I love that my real life boyfriend is easygoing. If he had been just an itty bitty bit intimidating I would’ve run for the hills.

Isalys: I married the perfect guy for me who is all of the things I listed above and not a gigantor! Luckily, I also have my MANY book boyfriends to satisfy my other boyish tastes. And what’s my motto, ladies? (If you guys really know me you should know this ;)

“A Book Slut is the safest kind of slut to be!” 

I really should get this on a t-shirt already!

Jen: Another type of book boyfriend that I love to read about but would definitely not dig in real life is the elusive bad boy. We all know the type ladies. Dark good looks, edgy, rough around the edges and exudes that air of danger. He’s also the guy who is a little bit cocky, probably slightly arrogant and who either drives the heroine crazy which leads her to seek him out and/or who completely dismisses our heroine which leads her to seek him out. The me in my head is all like, ‘RAWR! You can run by you can’t hide!’ The me in real life wouldn’t touch that guy with a ten foot pole. Been there, done that and absolutely not the least bit interested.

Isalys: Indeed!  Also good BOOK boyfriend material; not actual boyfriend material.  Example, Victoria Scott's The Collector.  All who have read this book know exactly what a "bad boy" looks like, and he looks like Dante Walker.  He epitomizes the bad boy with his rugged good looks, I-am-untouchable attitude, arrogance and money in spades, etc.  Yet bring one of these bad boys home?  My dad would have flipped his shit and locked me up! lol

Now it's your turn!  Tell us about your favorite book boyfriend and if they're anything at all like the real men in your lives!

Discussion: Ever-changing Book Covers

COFFEE TALK
with Isalys and Jen

Welcome to our first segment of Coffee Talk! We created this feature to discuss stuff we had on our minds. Sometimes it might be a vent session. Sometimes it might be a squee session. Hell, sometimes it might even be a ramble session. Whatever it turns into we’ll try to make it one helluva good time.

Today’s topic is:
What’s up with publishers changing all these covers?!

Jen: Being the cover lover that I am, often times I buy a book solely on what the cover looks like. Most of the time I end up really loving the book (lucky for me) which causes me go into full on research mode. So if this book ends up belonging to a series you can bet your right butt cheek that I have combed the vast expanse of the interwebs for the cover to the next book(s). After seconds, minutes or hours I finally manage to lay eyes on what more often than not is an amazeballs cover. All shiny and pretty and stuff. And then something really bizarre happens. For some reason, unbeknownst to me, someone decides that the cover needs to be changed. Not just minor changes to say the font or something. Oh no. That would be crazy. I’m talking changes to the ENTIRE cover. This thing that was once so shiny and pretty and stuff has been morphed into something that defies logic. Why?!?! Why, why why?!?! *shakes fists at the heavens*

Isa: What about the left butt cheek? I assume you don’t want to bet that one ‘cuz then you’d be left with no butt cheeks and what kind of life would that be? Am I right?

Anyhooizzle! I present to you, Exhibit A: Belladonna by Fiona Paul. On the left, I give you the original cover. The colors. The font. The lighting. The lovely girl/woman on the cover in a sultry pose yet mysterious enough not to ruin your already established mental image of our heroine Cassandra. It’s all lovely, IMHO. And most importantly, IT MATCHES THE FIRST BOOK! *breathe* Now the image on the right *sneers* is the NEW cover with it’s rudimentary Photoshopping. Oh sure, let’s just take that tiny Venetian bridge hiding in the back of the original cover, blow that bitch up and start overlapping some romantical stock images. Voila!

 

I swear, it’s like I’m reliving the atrocity that was Nightshade and Wolfsbane all over again *headdesk*

*rolls up a newspaper* Bad publisher! Bad, bad publisher!

Jen: Oh, my dear Isa, it would be quite a miserable life indeed. *sigh* Oh, and when you’re done with that newspaper hand it over so I can get a couple of licks in. *gets in batting stance*

Anykerfuffle, all kidding aside I would like to meet the person in charge of these often times horrendous decisions, look him/her in the eye and slap the face off their heads. Okay, fine perhaps that’s a wee bit violent but an interrogation is going down and it ain’t going to be pretty. Don’t these pubs have people in charge of making sure their people don’t make BAD decisions? Because if they do they’re FAILING miserably. It’s a plot to rob us blind I tell ya. They have to know that I can’t possibly tolerate owning a series whose covers don’t match. Of course they do. Why else would they do such a silly thing?!

Isa: My theory is that this is all an evil marketing ploy into tricking us into...oh, I don’t know what because this accomplishes nothing but sticking in my craw (<-did I use that correctly?) (Just looked it up and yes you did.)

Now in the case of Belladonna, the lovely Ginger from GReads! came to my rescue by passing along her ARC. THANK YOU, G! YOU RULE! However, I have too many other books on my shelves that are part of a series and no longer match (eg: Shatter Me (1 vs 2), Delirium (1 vs 2 & 3), Shade ( 1 & 2 vs 3) and note that these changes follow absolutely no pattern whatsoever) and I am not happy about this!

"Dear Publishers,

This is just a friendly reminder that we bookworms are not just readers, but COLLECTORS as well! Our fully stocked shelves are a source of pride for us. These books are our babies and included in the list of “Top 3 things we’d save if our house caught fire” so on behalf of the Reading Community, I beseech you to STOP redesigning the covers and messing up our collections. I can deal with you changing the cover when going from HC to PB but it must end there. No mas changing the cover within the same print type!

Love,
An annoyed Isa who cannot afford in money or space to own multiple sets of one series because you guys cannot make up your minds about what covers you want to print!”

Jen: *golf clap* Well said my friend. Well said. So we’ve bashed on the pubs quite a bit and I definitely don’t want to end this on a negative note. Even though there are several series that have suffered the bad cover change up I’m sure there’s just as many that haven’t, right? Can you think of any books or series where the covers were changed for the better?

Isa: Actually, some of the titles I mentioned above weren’t “bad” changes. I really dig the new Shatter Me covers. The new Delirium covers aren’t too shabby either and make the original look plain by comparison. Oh, and I like the new Vincent Boys and Vincent Brothers covers because hot boys on covers is always a win! In these instances, it’s not that the changes were bad, it was that the changes were done MID-series to the same print version (hardcover vs hardcover) or (paperback vs paperback).
 
Jen: See. We can be nice.*wink wink*

Now it's your turn! We know that this topic has gotten on more than one nerve lately so feel free to RANT, VENT, BITCH, MOAN about this...or whatever comes to ya. We're here for you! You can let it all out.

My Reading Support Group

I've read some really great and intensely emotional books lately.  What's a girl (or guy) to do when you get to that scene that infuriates you or makes you all swoony or tears your heart out?  Turn to your bloggy and Twitter pals, that's what!

No one understands a bookworm's highs, lows and woes like other bookworms!  My husband can make fun of me all he wants, but when a character I love dies, I am AFFECTED dammit and my reader pals know this!  While reading Just Breathe by Kendall Grey, Just One Day by Gayle Forman and Boundless by Cynthia Hand, I had the support of some pretty awesome ladies to help me get through these books and it made me realize just how much I rely on them to fangirl, gush, vent, or cry with when we read books "together".  We have become each other's support group...a #BookBloggerSupportGroup (thanks for the stellar hashtag, Amy) :D

So here is MY Blogger Support Group ♥ Thank you ladies! Couldn't get through these stories without you ;)

• Amy from Book Loving Mom (@amabe21)
• Jenna from MTG Reviews (@MTGReviews)
• Andrea from The Bookish Babe (@BookishAndrea)
• Mirely from Rumor Has It. (@Mirely)
• Danielle from Consuming Worlds (@y311er)
• Jess from Gone With The Word (@gonewiththeword)
• Ash from Smash Attack Reads! (@SmashAttackAsh)
• Jaime from The Perpetual Page Turner (@brokeandbookish)
• Carrie from Stalking The Bookshelves (@OneBookishMom)
• Lindsay from The Violet Hour (@violethourBR)
• Christen from Goldilox and the Three Weres (@Goldilox3Weres)

Do you have a Reader/Blogger Support Group too?

Do you find that you rely on them more than you realized?

Or do you need to rely on them more?

Who are the peeps that you just can't get through a book without?

And next time you do reach out to them, feel free to use the #BookBloggerSupportGroup hashtag ;)

Beverley Kendall on Virginity

Today we have special guest author, Beverley Kendall with us. I originally became acquainted with Bev through her historical romance work, but she has since branched out to include more contemporary New Adult *woot*. Below she tell us a bit more about the difference between the “value” of a virgin bride, then vs. now.

Virginity, undervalued or overrated?

Beverley: Not only do I now write new adult and adult contemporary romances, but I began my writing career writing historical romances. 

Now I don’t know how many of you read historical romances but in that particular romance sub-genre virginity is a highly valued commodity in a bride. I’ll also note that it is highly valued in contemporary Harlequin Presents but beyond that, not so much. 

Society has changed quite a bit in the last two centuries. At least in most developed countries. Divorce is the norm and women are waiting until they marry to have sex—men never were. Actually, 16.4 years is the average age that girls lose their virginity. Which means, Olivia, the heroine in WHEN IN PARIS… who is eighteen and still a virgin, is on the slightly older side of that average.
Olivia wouldn’t let her high school boyfriend pressure her into having sex with him and she doesn’t regret that but she does feel like she’s one of the very few in her graduating class who still has hers. Until she doesn’t. But she doesn’t give it away easily, although after she experiences it there’s no going back. To Olivia, sex is more than physical pleasure and I think she believes that the guy *cough* hero *cough* she gives it to should recognize that too. 

Isalys: So I’m going to go out on a limb here and overshare.  Sex for me has always been something incredibly personal and goes far beyond physical pleasure. It’s about a human connection and the intimacy shared between two people who deeply care for each other.  It’s about creating a special kind of connection that not just anyone can have [with you].  I kissed my fair share of boys *yes, I was a total smooch whore* but when it came to sex, I was off limits.  Until I fell in love…with the man that became my husband.  (And yes, that means exactly what you think it means. I’m on a one-guy gal!)  I have no problem with women who’ve had more than one partner, nor will I ever judge them, and I certainly don’t think a woman’s virginity should be part of her worth as a “female”.  When, where, how, and why a woman has sex is her choice!  However, because of my own personal experiences in life, I appreciate the heroine that is not so quick to give it up.

When I was in college, before my #1 came alone, I specifically remember having a conversation with a guy about exactly this.  He mentioned wanting to meet a girl who was still a virgin (at approx 18-19 yrs old) and  I remember thinking, “but what would he do with her?”  Would he be kind and patient? Would he understand why she was still a virgin or go straight to finding fault with her?

So we ask you...
What do you think: Do young men today believe that being given a girl’s virginity is something special? Or do they look at someone like our heroine Olivia, a very pretty eighteen-year-old, and wonder what’s wrong with her and why she still has it? And do your own personal experiences affect the kinds of heroes and heroines that you are most drawn to?

Beverley is giving away 3 digital copies of WHEN IN PARIS…. Enter via the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win :)

IMPORTANT LINKS

www.BeverleyKendall.com 

Follow Bev on Twitter at @beverleykendall and @season4romance 

Friend Bev on Facebook at authorbeverleykendall

ABOUT WHEN IN PARIS...

College freshman Olivia Montgomery is thrilled at the chance to start over, escape the rumors that plagued her in high school. And she can finally put her juvenile crush, Zachary Pearson, where he belongs—in her past. Then her unrequited love strolls into her French class, shattering Olivia’s newfound peace, and the feelings she'd thought buried for good come rushing back. Now she can't shake her unwanted attraction to the one guy who can twist her stomach into knots with just a smile...but has never given her the time of day.

Zach’s good looks may have always gotten him his pick of girls, but it's the star quarterback’s skill on the football field that gives him his pick of the Big Ten colleges. To escape the crushing demands of his win-at-all-costs father, Zach opts for a private university in upstate New York where...his present and past collide. And the one girl he’s always wanted but can’t have—and a class trip to Paris—turn out to be the ultimate game changer that has him breaking every one of his rules.

WHERE TO BUY

iBook | Kindle | Nook | Kobo | Smashwords

OFFICIAL CONTEST

• To enter, please fill out the form below.
• Entrants must be 18 years of age or older.
• Contest open internationally.
• The winners will be announced on a blog post at the conclusion of the contest.
• The winners will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.  Prize will be emailed directly to winner from author.
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Discussion: Classifying Genres - Part 2

You may recall that a few weeks ago I did a post titled Classifying Genres - Part 1 all about how we, as bloggers and bookworms classify book genres. We got some really great feedback on this post.  Some of you even went so far as to do your own posts about how you classify genres: 

The Overstuffed Bookcase: Genre Definitions

Project to be Read: Genres

We love that you did this because it proved how varied classifying genres really is.  If these posts taught us anything, it's that genres are far from "black & white" which leads us to our next discussion post, "Classifying Genres Part 2: The Crossovers".

*rolls up sleeves*

Ok, it's about to get serious!
If classifying genres isn't confusing enough, let's muddle it up some more but trying to classify the crossovers.  Ya know, those books that fit into not just one, but TWO or more categories.  Here is where my head goes all Beetlejuice!

Examples:

YA Historical Fiction
YA Horror
Historical Paranormal

Horror / Humor 
Sci-Fi / Fantasy

Dystopian / Post-Apocalyptic
Etc.

Let's start with the easy ones, the YA crossovers. For the sake of simplicity, we'll just say that YA is any book where our protagonist is a teenager and the book is aimed at the adolescent market.  Since YA is such a broad category, it stands to reason that we'll have a great variety of sub-genres within YA: Contemporary YA, Teen Romance, Paranormal YA, Fantasy YA, etc.  Enter YA Historical Fiction and YA Horror and that's where I have to stop and think.  

Here's an example of a YA Historical Fiction in which I was torn whether to categorize as either YA OR Historical Fiction.  In our New Release post, I filed it as a Historical Fiction because that was my first reaction to it when I saw the cover and read the blurb.  In addition, Philippa Gregory is a known Historical Fiction writer.  However, I was "corrected" and told that it was actually a YA.  Well, both are correct so I guess it's really up to us decide if it's a YA first or Historical Fiction first.   

Tidbit: If you go to B&N, you'll find this book in the Teen section.  In Goodreads, though, more people have filed this book as a Historical Fiction than YA.

Jenny Pox by JL Bryan is a good example of what I consider a YA Horror.  Jenny is a teenager as well as her love interest and the villain.  What makes this book horror are some of the intense and graphic scenes in the book.  There's an especially mature sexual scene as well as some pretty gory scenes that I would not suggest a 15 year old read.  In my opinion, this book is more appropriate for older teens and beyond which begs the question "Is "Jenny Pox" more teen or more horror?".

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake is another good example of a YA Horror.

This is an example of a Historical Paranormal.  Firelight by Kristen Callihan is set in Victorian London. The heroine has a very dangerous and powerful ability and the hero is plagued by the consequences of a mystical mistake.

Kiss of the Rose by Kate Pearce is also a good example.  It's set in Tudor England where King Henry VIII's life is threatened by vampires and he must turn to Druids for protection.

This is a genre that I enjoy but is not so common so I always have this weird sense of conflict when I try to place it.  I guess creatures of the night are reserved for modern times (we'll just ignore the fact that the original Dracula was written and set in the 19th century).  Alas, these books went into my Historical shelf.

Horror Humor is a wee bit more uncommon and I imagine it's because telling a story that is both horrifying and amusing is a daunting task.  I personally haven't read Pretty When She Dies by Rhiannon Frater but I was told that it's gory, scary but also contains scenes that make you laugh.

Another that I think would fit nicely into this genre is Shaun of the Dead.  Most of you have probably seen the movie so you know that it's hysterical, but the zombies galore and gore qualify it as a horror as well.

The Pendragon Legacy by Susan Kearney...
Oh, where do I even begin with this?

Spaceships and alien planets = Sci-Fi √
Dragons = Fantasy √

Telepaths = Paranormal √
Society enslaved & ruled by enemy tribe = Dystopian √

Hot, steamy smexy smex = Romance √

So tell me, where in the hell do I file these?  That's right, on the Sci-fi/High Fantasy/Paranormal/Dsystopian/Romance shelf...DUH!

And now our favorite: Dystopian / Post-Apocalyptic

We all know what these mean and while they do seem like they'd be synonymous with each other, I don't think that's entirely true. 

*takes deep breath*

A Post-Apocalyptic event is likely to lead to a Dystopian society but a Dystopian society can exist without having been created by a Post-Apocalyptic event.  A fellow blogger and rockin' chick commented on our original post stating that she couldn't think of a Dystopian that was NOT the result of a Post-Apoc event but Delirium by Lauren Oliver, Divergent by Veronica Roth, and Matched by Ally Condie are good examples of just that.  In those, a broken society is the result of people on power-trips or trying to "reorganize" society.  My blogger pal said that she could, however, think of books that are Post-Apoc but NOT Dystopian which I'm not so sure of.  In my opinion, a dystopian society is not just a people ruled by a corrupt government but can also be a people who live with no societal structure so in effect wouldn't Post-Apoc be a sub-genre of Dystopian?

*phew*

Examples of what we can consider a Dystopian / Post-Apocalyptic is:

In these stories, a dystopian society is the direct result of a catastrophic event that negatively impacted society.

Also a good post that elaborates on Dystopian Fiction is:
Dystopian Fiction: What is it Really? over at Giraffe Days

So there you have it folks.  I'm sure there are LOTS of other "crossovers" that I haven't mentioned but these are the ones I've personally come across.  I guess the line that divides one genre from another will continue to blur as writers experiment with new ideas and stories and we, the readers, will just have to do our best to keep up :)

Are there any other interesting "crossovers" you've encountered?

Discussion: Characters To Remember

My mom and I were watching one of the new Sherlock Holmes movies recently.  After the movie, we started discussing the longevity of certain literary characters.  The character of Sherlock Holmes is now 125 years old and since his conception in 1887, has been featured in countless adaptions (not including its own original novels and stories).

He's not the only one though!  

We all know who Mr. Darcy, Heathcliff, Scrooge, Frankenstein and Robin Hood are. We all know about Alice's famous adventures in Wonderland and that Romeo & Juliet died for love.  These are just a few of the characters that we grew up with, that our parents and even grandparents grew up with.

What makes them so special and so timeless? 
What gives them such enduring longevity?

My opinion is that they were created with so much depth and complexity.  More importantly, their stories tap into basic human nature and necessities such as love, hate, curiosity, fear, greed and generosity.  Is that what truly makes their stories, any story great though?  The idea that a character's life and actions in some way mirror our own thoughts...in more exaggerated or adventurous terms.

This discussion with my mom led to my next question: 

Which characters from OUR lifetime have at chance a standing the test of time?  Will OUR great-great-great-grandchildren one day read and study and learn about Harry Potter or Katniss Everdeen?

Image via Brain Foggles

So I ask you guys, what makes a character so timeless?  Which modern character(s) from the last 20 years (whether you love or hate them) can you see future generations reading?  Which stories do you think or hope people will still be reading and studying 100 years from now?

Discussion: Classifying Genres - Part 1

The other day, Loretta from Between the Pages was working on a project where she had to discuss YA Paranormal Romance and she was gathering opinions on what counts as a "YA Paranormal Romance".  This simple question sparked a rather elaborate scientific discussion.  It got me thinking:

How do we classify genres?

I've come to realize that classifying genres are like opinions: varied and subjective.  We've all been readers and bloggers long enough to come up with our own set of criteria.  Here are mine:

YA Paranormal:  The main character(s) are adolescent, have some supernatural element(s) and the plot essentially revolves around saving the world.  (Eg: Descended by Blood by Angeline Kace and Exiled by M.R. Merrick)

YA Paranormal Romance:  The main character(s) are adolescent, have some supernatural element(s) and fight to be together (sometimes while trying to save the world) and ultimately end up together. (Eg: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead)

Adult Paranormal Romance: The main character(s) are adults, have some supernatural element(s) and fight all sorts of obstacles to be together (sometimes while trying to save the world) and ultimately end up together. (Eg: Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward and Lords of the Underworld by Gena Showalter).

Urban Fantasy: To me, it's the adult equivalent of 'Paranormal'.  The main character(s) are adults, live in an urban/city setting, have some supernatural element(s) and kick monster ass to save the world.  Oftentimes, there's a romance involved by it doesn't affect the main plot and you don't always get a HEA. (Eg: Downside Ghosts Series by Stacia Kane and The Fever Series by KMM)

Here's one thing that's been bugging me: Barnes & Noble (not sure about other stores) has filed The Fever Series by KMM as Paranormal Romance and this is NOT correct.  Fever is not about Mac and Barrons.  In fact, there isn't even a Mac and Barrons until book 4 and even then the and part is a loose interpretation of their relationship!

Steampunk:  Sort of like an Urban Fastasy (located in the 'Fantasy' section) except that instead of an urban setting, the main character(s) are in a historical setting and they use neat gadgets to save the world.  There may be a romance involved by it doesn't affect the main plot and you don't always get a HEA. (Eg: Soulless by Gail Carriger and Phoenix Rising by Philippa Ballantine)

Horror: The main character(s) are adults, involve monsters (vampires that you DON'T want to sleep with), zombies (because you never want to sleep w/ those *eww*) and they eat people.  Little or no romantic elements are present. (Eg: Dracula by Bram Stoker)

Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic:  Ok, here's where I get all confuzzled because in my mind dystopian WAS post-apocalyptic but I'm starting to realize that maybe that's not exactly true.  I consider The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater to be dystopian but it's not post-apocalytic.  However, Hunger Games and Divergent are also dystopian, but are they also post-apocalyptic?  Oh vey!

Tell me, do you guys agree or disagree with my assessment of these genres?  Do you have your own sets of criteria?  Maybe even have your own special genre categories on Goodreads?

Discussion: What would you be?

This morning I was thinking about the various occupations available within the literary industry and how cool it would be to wake up and be a paid part of that world.

Isn't that what we're really doing as bloggers after all?  Being a part of this world that we love but don't get a W2 or 1099 form from.

As a voracious reader, the question I get most often is as I'm sure you guys do too, "would you ever want to write your own book?"  My answer is NO!  I've never had a desire to be a writer.  I know that I'm not clever or creative enough to write anything even remotely entertaining.  I am perfectly happy to be a reader and a reviewer.  What I would have *loved* to be (and shame on me for figuring this out wayyyy too late) is an Editor.  I love grammar and I love the review process.  Whenever I read a book, whether written by a debut author or a seasoned writer, I always "grade" it in my head using an imaginary red pen ;)  That's what I really love!

So if you could have ANY job in the literary/book industry, what would YOU be?

Discussion: Blogger Image!

So I've been thinking...yes, that's what that burning rubber smell was...I've been thinking about IMAGE.  That persona or part of ourselves that we put out for the world to see.

I've come to realize that I have multiple personalities...thankfully, I'm not quite like Sybil...not yet anyway, but I somehow have gotten into the habit of changing my mannerisms to suit my audience, whether it's on Facebook, or Twitter, or our blog, at work, etc.  

The reason I'm bringing this up today is because it's been frustrating me lately.  It's exhausting actually!  I've read posts written by some of my favorite snarktacular chicas {The Bookish Brunette and Supernatural Snark to  name a couple}  and thought, "damn, why can't I write more like that?  I'm snarky too!" *pouts* I really admire those people who are "what you see is what you get".  The people who are the same across the board and make no apologies for it.  Frankly, I could never be one of them and I know it.  However, while I think it's perfectly acceptable to be one way at work, another at home and another with friends...I took it one step further and split myself to suit different forms of social media.  You see how complicated and confusing it's gotten *facepalm*

 Now don't misunderstand me...I am NOT fake...I am everything you've seen/read on these various sites.  I am a grammar nazi, I am sarcastic, I am temperamental & moody, I am perverted, I am sweet, I am funny, I am a perfectionist, and above all, I'm very complicated.

When we first started Book ♥ Soulmates, I wanted to be perceived as a professional.  I developed a very specific review style, wrote my posts a certain way, never cussed and was rarely sarcastic.  Now those of you who know me know that I had to work at hiding those last two because I've had moments where I'm pretty sure I could have made a pirate blush...but sometimes I want to cuss and be all Miss Smartass on the blog but I feel like that goes against the IMAGE that I've developed as a blogger.

So what I want to know is:
What is your perception of me as a blogger? 
Not fishing for compliments *pinky promise*
How would our readers feel if I was more "Twitter-like" on the blog?

Am I the only one who does this?
How far do you guys take it?
 And most importantly, how IMPORTANT is image to you as a reviewer/blogger?

Discussion: The Science of Comments

Every once in a while, a random thought will pop into my head and I will feel compelled to address it with you guys in the hopes that perhaps one of you will help shed some light.  

This week it's comments.

Example: A popular meme on one blog could have just a handful of comments while the same meme on someone else's blog could have a zillion comments.  Ok, maybe not a zillion - but close, like 30 or 40.

Aside from varying degrees of blog popularity, why is it that the same meme on certain blogs get such an abundance of comments while others remain commentless?  (Think: IMM, TGIF! or Tempting Tuesday, etc.)

Hell, for that matter, why is it that certain POSTS get more comments than other (like) posts of the same feature on the same blog from one week to the next?

What exactly is the science behind commenting, if there is one?

I know blogging isn't just about getting comments, but let's be honest here.  Getting comments feels good.  It means that someone has taken the time to not only read your post but to give you their two cents about it.  It also encourages dialogue between bloggers.  Truth is that if none of our posts received comments, then there wouldn't be a point to blogging because where's the proof that our posts are even being read.

Am I over-analyzing?  Probably - cuz I do that - often!

But I really wanna know: Why do some posts/bloggers get so many more comments than others?

Discussion: Email killed my handwriting!

Today, I thought I'd share some of the randomness in my head and one such randomness is "email killed my handwriting!"  {BTW, I'm totally humming "video killed the radio star" as I type this, lol}

I used to have such pretty handwriting, once upon a time.  I could do print, all capital for emphasis and even write a decent cursive.  Now my handwriting has been reduced to that of a 7-year old!

It's funny because Vanessa and I have these playful little arguments about whose handwriting is better.  She'd say, "I love your handwriting!" and I'd reply with "You're high...I love yours!" and we would banter back & forth about who actually has the better handwriting.  I still say she has the better one =P

And I blame YOU, Mr. Electronic Mail.  Yes, you conspired with Mr. World Wide Web to make it so damn convenient to communicate electronically that the only time I actually need to write anything is when I have to sign a check...and even that happens once in a blue moon!  I feel like working off the blasted computer for 12-hours a day is slowly killing my hand muscles so that I can barely hold a pen anymore, let alone actually write nicely!  

I hate this...I really, really do!  I used to pride myself on my pretty handwriting.  Now whenever I do write something, I sit back and marvel at how lazy and uneven it looks.  I'm tempted to sign up for interior design classes because they actually teach you how to write.  {Did you guys know that?  If you're an ID major, there are classes where they actually teach you how to do the special handwriting used by designers for their drawings & specs.  And that is your useless tidbit of the day!}

Seriously guys, am I the only one who has noticed her handwriting slowly deteriorating thanks to the excessive amount of typing we do?