Sunday, January 26, 2014

Demonica Series by Larissa Ione

I love reading a good series. Why, you might ask? It’s because I hate to fall in love with characters and then never see them again. I have been known to have withdrawals after a really good standalone novel. Throughout the years I have read some really fantastic series. For that reason, I’ve decided that I should share some of my favorites with you all. I will admit that I don’t always make it to the end of a series. I often reach a point where I feel that the series should end, or I am just unhappy with the direction the series takes. I still plan to include these series in my list of favorites. Many of these are still very popular so don’t let my reasoning for abandoning them  influence your opinions.

I randomly selected my first series and I plan to post a new one each week. You can find them under the category of Sensational Series.”
Demonica

If I had to pick two words to describe the Demonica series they would be "fun" and "sexy." When dealing with a series of books that prominently feature sex demons, it is no surprise to find a lot of really hot sex. What I also found with these books is the characters are written so well that they seem almost real. I have said things like “Wraith would like this place,” when out with others who have read the books.

I considered these books to be really light reads. They have a lot of really graphic violence but they still manage to have the right amount of humor to keep them fun. This series does branch off into The Lords of Deliverance series but I consider them all part of the Demonica series.

I’m not bored yet and this series is still on my list of books that I must have on the release date.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Triple Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies

I got a lot of requests for this recipe during the holiday season so I thought I would share it on here. These cookies stay soft for a week and they can easily be frozen.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened (not sweet cream or European style)

  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar

  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

  • 1 small package of instant pudding mix (chocolate or chocolate fudge)

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/2 teaspoon chocolate extract

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 1/4-2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

  • 2 cups chocolate chips (mix of white, milk and dark chocolate)


Preheat oven 375

Cream together butter and sugar for at least 5 minutes. Add eggs, pudding mix and extract(s) and mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and mix together. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop them on a baking sheet (greased or lined with parchment paper.) Bake 10-12 minutes. Let them cool on a wire rack.

Thank you to my good friend Sarah McHugh for first turning me on to the idea of using pudding in my cookies. It really keeps them soft.

 

Can a word really be bad?

As a mother and a writer, I often find myself thinking about those elusive bad words. I can still remember my early days in grade school when someone would use the “F word” or the “D word” at recess. Now, I wasn’t always sure what those words were or why they were considered bad but they were all so horrible that we could only refer to them using the first letter of the word. They were the boogie man of the English language. As I got older I began to wonder more and more if a word could be bad. Is it possible that a series of harmless letters and sounds can combine to form something that is universally bad?

A little over a year ago my sister-in-law got a new dog. Because I like to shake things up with my nephew I asked, “How’s your new bitch doing?” My nephew was shocked by what he felt was an insult to his new dog, Precious. This is one of the problems with “bad words.” Precious is a bitch, a female dog. This is not an isolated incident for me. I love to use words that are considered bad in their proper context. Recently I called my husband over to see a variety of rooster that comes from Spain. I said, “Honey, this has got to be the biggest cock I’ve ever seen.” The truth is that many terms that are often called profanity still have other uses. It is also important to consider the speaker’s origin. If you were in London, the term “clever dick” would have an entirely different meaning than it would in New York.

From my perspective, most profanity is not offensive. Yet, I find myself highly offended by racial slurs or derogatory terms about sexual orientation. The new use of the term “retard,” is distasteful to me. All of this leaves me with much to consider when deciding how I should teach my children to handle the issue of the elusive bad words. Should I just tell them that there is no such thing as a bad word? Actually, I do tell them that. All words really are just a series of harmless letters. The meaning assigned to these groupings of letters can change throughout the years. So, I don’t think there is a ‘bad word’. What I try to teach my children is that all words have power. One of the powers that a word can have is to offend or hurt others. For that reason, we need to think about the words we use carefully. We need to make intelligent choices and strive to be respectful of others.

As a writer, I find myself in an entirely different position. Whether a word is offensive to me or others may not matter when I’m writing fiction. If I am writing about a character who likes shocking people with her sassy mouth, then why would I temper her language? I am sure I will write stories that involve characters that are offensive or even bigoted. In order to portray them accurately, I will use offensive language. Are the words bad? No, they are tools but like any tool they should be used with care. Whether writing or speaking our words should be chosen with care.

 

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Review of THE LEGACY: FATE

Author: GG Atcheson

Book Description: LX (or Alex for us Earthlings) is a Navigator. From the moment of his birth until he became of age, he prepared for his calling. On a routine exploration mission that shouldn't have taken more than a few months, an incident propels his spaceship light-years away from his destination, leaving him stranded on the third planet from a star called Sol.

The laws of survival are strict; he must not fraternize with the natives. However, an encounter with Mellie changes everything. She has speed and strength unknown to Earthlings yet strangely similar to his own species. This new discovery compels him to learn more about her and those who call themselves vampires. For her, he will break rules, his people's rules, until there is no turning back.

Meanwhile, mysterious storms are devastating cities. When they learn of their origin and humans fail to see the threat, he, and his new friends, might be their only chance, but to save them and the one he loves, he may have to break his primary Oath: the vow never to take a life.

LEGACY COVER

 

Book Review


Let me begin by saying that I don’t normally read sci-fi. For that reason alone, it took me a little time to get into this book. I decided to read it because I just love something creative and new. Vampires and Aliens certainly fit that description. The story is written from the perspective of LX/Alex, an alien. While I was skeptical of this decision it turned out to be a brilliant choice. Alex’s perception of the world and the vampires was essential to this story.

The book is very descriptive and entertaining. Once the story got moving, it progressed nicely and kept my interest. I found myself disappointed when it came to an end and glad that the next book is coming out soon. I was actually surprised at how much story was in this 329 page book.

This book is part of a series so it does end with somewhat of a cliff-hanger but not one that left me feeling irritated or cheated. I can’t wait to see what is in store for Alex. No spoilers here, but the last chapter was a truly an OMG! moment for me.

Overall, I gave this book four stars and consider it a great first novel for a promising new author.

Where to buy: Amazon.com     Barnes & Noble     Amazon UK