Write Stuff: April 2015

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

After Reading: Prodigy (A Legend Novel) by Marie Lu

Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic's most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots - a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games? (Goodreads)

I read this one a while ago and haven't managed to get in a post about it. It was a good read, but again, I didn't find myself as drawn into it as I would have liked. In some way I think this has to do with the fact that the characters, whom I really like, are said to be only 15 years old. This just bothers me. While I'm reading, they are at least 20 or thereabouts. It's impossible for them to be so mature, and especially to have had so many of the experiences they've had, and be so young. I know that's rather silly, but it's something that keeps coming up to me as an issue. But, other than that, I found this to be an interesting read. I especially enjoyed seeing the gov't that's on the other side of the border from the Republic. Lu has some serious political undertones to her work that I found really interesting. That being said, I did enjoy this book and will read the last in the series, though I'd continue to age these people up a few more years :)

Movie Weekend: Age of Adeline, and Ex Machina: #AgeofAdeline #ExMachina

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Hubby was in town this weekend and we did something I don't think I've ever managed in my adult life: we went and saw two movies :) There were a few out that we've wanted to see, and we both just needed to decompress. Did anyone else see these?? I'd love to hear what you thought!

Age of Adeline was just magical. It hit on themes that I find cropping up in my own writing a lot, which was probably why I liked it so much. Immortality, San Francisco (oh dear, I was so homesick!!), true love, and loss--all of it was so fun. The story line was weak, but the characters made up for it. And the costumes! I wanted every last one of Adeline's outfits. Also, someone to teach me how to do my hair in all the great '40's styles that I love.

Only one minor pet-peeve: the "scientific" explanation they gave to her condition was utterly cringe-worthy. As in, they strung together some "scientific" sounding terms that are peripherally related to aging and tried to make it sound smart. Look, movie people, either do it right, or just call it magic, and those of us in the crowd won't want to throw something at you :)

I left the theater very content after this movie. Also, thinking to myself that if you liked this movie, you're very much going to enjoy Coincidences (if I can ever sell it!).

Ex Machina was a fascinating film. I'm still thinking about it and parsing out the themes. Honestly, it was kind of a mind-trip. I walked into the theater thinking that it was going to be a scary film, and while I don't want to give too much away, it really wasn't frightening, at least not in a typical horror-film kind of way. Instead it was a glimpse into the not-so-distant future and some of the tough questions we'll need to be asking ourselves. I've watched quite a few AI films lately (one I saw in Spain that I can't find anywhere and it really annoys me because it was awesome!) and this one is near the top of my list in terms of addressing some of the weight of the topic.

The film itself was pretty heavy on the science side of the Turing test. Hubby and I have read a great deal about this, and it's one of our favorite dinner discussion topics (yes, we are that nerdy...and I'm sure we've given some people some strange ideas if their table is within earshot of ours). I found it odd that the film's previews and other marketing make it out to be more "scary", which came across as a bit of a misnomer. Not one I was sad about, but just something to think about if you haven't seen it yet :)

My 1000th Post!

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

I was getting ready to write some random and rather silly blog post about a book or two, but went to write it and realized it would tip me to my 1000th post here on this blog. And that kind of set me back on my heels. It's kind of incredible. I love this blog and keeping it up, and seeing as how I've been at it since February 2009 (and before that on LiveJournal, but let's not go there), it's pretty dang sweet. Thanks to everyone who has stopped by over the last 6 years, contributed posts, and basically made my online home a very happy place!

And just for randomness sake:

My most popular post: Eugenics
My most popular book review: Fire of Stars and Dragons
Most common search to get to my blog: meradeth houston (props to people for spelling it right)
Most random search term: Japanese headdresses, and science stuff
Number of books published: 4 (soon to be 5)
Number of agents gotten and left: 1
Number of posts where I thought I'd lose my mind: about 10
Degrees received while writing: 1. My doctorate. Sometimes I think that should count for more.
Number of jobs I've had while writing: 2. Grad student TA/instructor, and professor.
Number of amazing people I've met: waaaaaay too many to count!

That's it from here today, but I hope you're all having an awesome week!

#TeaserTuesday from Coincidences

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

I'm home from my travels! Well, for the time being at least :) I had a blast at the conference in San Francisco, and loved getting to see my family (even if it was way too short). Anyhow, it was great being home, getting to explore, listen to some awesome conference talks (holy hannah were there a lot of people at the Society for American Archaeology meetings--5k+ archaeologists! That's a lot of flannel. And too few whips--sorry Indiana Jones ;). But because it's Tuesday and my house is a maelstrom of laundry and unpacking and student papers, I'm going to share a short snippet and a couple of pics!

I pulled into a parking spot two minutes late and rushed inside. Three faces turned to greet me and I slumped into the booth next to Luke, flashing him a tight grin. The cracked vinyl seat dug through my leggings and pinched, but I didn’t dare complain.

Luke pushed a mug of coffee to me, along with a slice of pumpkin pie. “Thought you might like that. It was the last one.”

I raised my brows, unable to help the incredulous look. “Thanks. It’s my favorite.”

He shrugged like it was no biggie and turned back to Theo.

Taking a quick bite, my mind couldn’t help going back to Mel’s earlier words. He’d gotten me pie. Somehow he’d know my favorite kind. And my favorite Indian dish. Did that mean something?

For crying out loud, it’s pie, I chastised myself. How many times had Luke made it perfectly clear he didn’t feel a damn thing about me beyond friendship?

When was I going to get that through my thick skull?

“What?” Luke’s voice cut through my thoughts and my fork paused in midair, loaded with another bite.

“Nothing. Nothing at all,” I replied, taking a bite and keeping my eyes glued to the scarred, beige Formica tabletop.

I've shared this before but I still love it, so it's going here again :)

Note to self: stop broadcasting to Luke at random times. How long had I had that ability under control? Way, way too long to start screwing up now. Especially when I couldn’t stop the niggle of thoughts about what was going on with this job and its impact on ‘us.’

Blog Tour: THE EXTRACTION LIST by Renee N. Meland

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

I have a fun book to showcase today! Be sure to say hello to Renee :)

The Extraction List

GENRE: Young Adult Dystopian

When fifteen-year-old Riley Crane finds out her best friend Olivia is being abused at home, she knows just who to turn to: her mother Claire, writer and spokesperson for President Gray's Parental Morality Law. Under this law, Task Force Officers remove children from their homes if their parents do not meet certain guidelines, taking them to government-run boarding schools. Once they arrive, supervisors rehabilitate them, turning them into productive members of society. Or at least that was how it was supposed to work...

Now, after a government official threatens to make Riley the law's latest victim, Riley and Claire must rely on Cain Foley, a gifted killer with a tongue as sharp as the knives he carries, to get them out of America alive. Though he slices through men's necks as if they are warm butter, Riley can't seem to keep her cheeks from flushing every time he speaks. But when they stumble upon a deserted boarding school, Riley sees that escaping the country is only part of their problem. Together, Riley and Cain figure out that a killer can save a life, and a mother can damn a nation.

RELEASE DATE: April 7th, 2015

Website: Twitter: Goodreads: Facebook

Renee N. Meland lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two dogs. Her favorite obsessions are Rome, learning new recipes, and exploring the world around her. She is an avid reader of speculative fiction, and believes that telling stories is the best job in the world.

EXCERPT:

Sometimes a killer can save a life. In this case that life happened to be mine. I wish I had met him before the whole mess started. Maybe he could have saved more of us.

Maybe he could have saved us all.

I met the man who saved my life exactly one month after he killed his twentieth person. Of course he didn’t call it “murder,” he called it surviving, though sometimes I thought he should try to explain the difference to the people buried in the ground. To me, one label didn’t necessarily cancel out the other.

***

One of my teachers used to say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Trust me, I knew all about it; I called that road “mother.” That teacher never mentioned what the road back was made with. I figured it was because nobody’d ever found one. Hell sort of struck me as a one-way-ticket kind of thing.

The night the Taskforce showed up on our doorstep, my mom screamed. After my brother Aidan’s death, then Dad leaving, hearing her carrying on like a crazy person wasn’t exactly new and different. I didn’t even flinch at first. I figured maybe she was missing my dad all the way to the bottom of a tequila bottle—again.

After a couple minutes though I slammed my copy of Crime and Punishment shut and left my room. I took my sweet time going downstairs to see her, hoping to hold on to the little bit of normal I’d had just seconds earlier. I stopped by the bathroom and grabbed a giant bottle of aspirin. Just in case.

Then I decided I was kidding myself. I knew better. There was no way she wouldn’t need aspirin.

“Riley! Get your stuff! We have to leave right now!” I ducked as Mom greeted me with a scene full of flying paper, jackets, and a few photo albums. They seemed to spin like a paper and plastic tornado, twirling through the air and landing unevenly in a giant duffel bag spread open at her feet. Even in the chaos I paused for a second to wonder how Mom’s hair managed to stay fastened perfectly in place. The image in front of me looked almost ordinary, a beautiful blonde woman in a fitted black skirt, white blouse, and hair pinned back in a bun, with a briefcase resting just inside the door.

Except this woman had thrown half our living room into orbit.

“Mom, what’s going on? What happened?”

Mom grabbed me by the shoulders and stared right into my eyes. “We need to leave right now, okay? I need you to not ask questions and just go pack a bag. You need to just trust me and do what I tell you, okay? And do NOT come downstairs until I say so.” Mom didn’t blink. I remembered the last time she didn’t blink during a whole conversation: When she told me that she and Dad needed to “work on their communication.” I found out later that was Mom-speak for “Dad’s about to abandon us and slam the door for the last time.”

I suddenly wished for the empty tequila bottle.

“You are my life.” Mom kissed my forehead, and I ran up the stairs. I didn’t come down again until I heard the gunshots. At fifteen, I was all too familiar with the sound. A person was never too young to know the snap of a gun anymore. But it was different coming from our house, like a firecracker going off inside my brain.

When I got to the entryway, a pool of blood belonging to a man in a gray suit tried to hold my shoes to the floor. The sticky mess grabbed the soles of my sneakers and smelled like raw steak fresh out of the plastic wrap. I winced as I stepped through it toward my mom. A pink piece of paper rested on top of the pool, slowly flooding with the dark red liquid. Bo, my mom’s best friend, had appeared too. Pistol smoke swirled gently from the tip of his weapon.

It wasn’t the blood, but the paper that made me scream. I felt the color drain from my cheeks, and I wondered if I looked as white as the dead man lying on our floor. “What the hell is going on? Is that pink paper what I think it is?”

Mom ignored my question. I hated being ignored more than anything, especially by her. But since there was a dead body involved, I figured I’d make an exception.

“Oh my GOD—you KILLED him!” Mom screamed, and in all her stick-thin glory started flailing her arms, hitting Bo with the strength of a flightless bird. Her bony fists bounced off his body as if his chest were made of rubber. If it hadn’t been a murder scene, it would have been kind of funny.

“Are you SURE? I saw him push you and I panicked. Maybe he’s just wounded.”

Thank God Bo didn’t panic more often.

Mom took a deep breath and stepped through the blood. She gently picked up the man’s hand and placed two fingers on his wrist. When she released it, her fingertips were stained red. “Yes. He’s dead.” She made a grand gesture, starting at his head and finishing toward his feet. “That’s what dead people look like. What are we going to do?”

My hands shook, partially from fright and partially because no one would tell me why there was a dead guy in the entryway.

Or why he had the pink slip of paper.

Bo grabbed Mom by the shoulders and held her still. “Claire, we’re going to grab Riley and we’re going to get out of here before more people come looking for this guy. I’ll tell you the plan on the way.”

Mom scoffed at him with wide eyes. “Plan? I don’t need your plan. I’m going to go straight to President Gray about this and he’s going to fix it. He has to.”

A twinge of hope rose inside me, working its way up from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. Maybe we wouldn’t have to leave our home after all. Maybe our little visit was just a really complicated, really messy misunderstanding. “Yeah, Mom’s right. I’m sure he’ll fix this. I can’t actually be on the Extraction List, right, Mom?”

“Of course not. There’s no way.”

Mom started toward the door, but Bo stepped in front of her.

“Claire, you saw the paperwork with your own eyes. Gray knows all about this. His signature is there.” He pointed to the guy on the floor. “This guy was going to grab your daughter. We need to go right now.” Bo took Mom by the hand and dragged her out the door.

I hesitated, frozen in the growing pool of red. Sweat broke out on my forehead, and it wasn’t because of the crippling D.C. heat. If I was on the Extraction List, I was supposed to end up like all those other people from my class, the ones who the Taskforce grabbed right from their desks. Those were the ones who disappeared. Since Mom had written the law that the Taskforce was responsible for enforcing, I never thought that I would ever be a target. Politics was all about protecting its stars, and there was no bigger star than my mother.

But that little pink piece of paper could only mean one thing. I forced myself to look down at it. I searched the document, eyes falling on the bottom right corner. It was faded, stretched by the blood into an unnatural shape, but it was there—the President of the United States’ signature.

I grabbed the bag Mom had been trying to pack and zipped it shut. I swung my own bag over my shoulder and followed Mom and Bo out of our house, hoping that I would someday be able to come back. But deep down, I knew we were about to drive away forever.

After Reading: 25 ROSES by Stephanie Faris

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Mia moves from the shadows to the spotlight when her matchmaking plans go awry in this contemporary M!X novel from the author of 30 Days of No Gossip.

Mia is used to feeling overlooked: her perfect older sister gets all the attention at home, and the popular clique at school are basically experts at ignoring her. So when it’s time for the annual Student Council chocolate rose sale, Mia is prepared to feel even worse. Because even though anyone can buy and send roses to their crushes and friends, the same (popular) people always end up with roses while everyone else gets left out.

Except a twist of fate puts Mia in charge of selling the roses this year—and that means things are going to change. With a little creativity, Mia makes sure the kids who usually leave empty-handed suddenly find themselves the object of someone’s affection. But her scheme starts to unravel when she realizes that being a secret matchmaker isn’t easy—and neither is being in the spotlight. (Goodreads)

Stephanie is an awesome blogger and I was so excited to win a copy of this! I haven't read a tween novel is way, way too long and loved the sweetness of it. Mia is incredibly identifiable, especially in how she thinks about sending roses to those who don't normally get them. I could completely understand her motivation, and panic at getting in over her head. And after being one of those people who never got a rose/carnation/candy or whatever else they sold in middle and high school, it made total sense to me what she did. It am also so grateful to no longer be in middle school and dealing with that kind of drama ;) The cast of characters were great and felt incredibly authentic, and the little bit of romance was just adorable. I also enjoyed Mia's family and older sister--I liked that they were normal and even if her sister was popular, she wasn't mean to Mia. Bratty older sibs is something that I see a little too often and a healthy sibling relationship was refreshing. Overall, this was a quick and very fun read and I loved it!

SURRENDER THE SKY is on sale for #99cents & a #Giveaway!

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Happy Friday!! One more week down, and just a little over a month until summer break (not that I'm counting or anything ;). Okay, so I'm taking part in the 99 Cent Book Blast, which is actually friggin' amazing. There's a ton of amazing books that have special pricing this weekend, and SURRENDER THE SKY is one of them. You can check out the rest of the titles here!

Want to grab a copy? Trust me, this is the lowest price it will ever go, and it'll be going back up again shortly :) (I know, blatant sale's pitch...I can't help it!) Here's the link: Surrender the Sky (Sary Society)

If you're feeling up to it, I would also love some help spreading the word :) And I'll make it worth your while: sharing on twitter or facebook and pasting the link to your post below (and tagging me with either my facebook page name, or twitter handle--@meradethhouston), will enter you into a giant swag pack giveaway. I'll even include one of these, with the word and design of your choice:

Other shares elsewhere will also be incredibly helpful, and please paste links in the comments so I can count them up. I'll run this through Friday the 17th of April. International entrants can also participate, but the prize will be one of my backlist books--any two of your choice. Questions? Let me know!

Some potential tweets:

Gabby lives by 2 rules: don’t expose her kind & don’t fall in love.SURRENDER THE SKY by @meradethhouston #YA #99cents http://amzn.to/1tg1aZp

SURRENDER THE SKY by @meradethhouston is on #sale for #99cents! amzn.to/1tg1aZp #amreading #amwriting #YA #amreadingfantasy #ebook

Or a few images :)

Thank you!!!

After Reading: DOUBLE LIFE by S. Usher Evans

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Piracy is a game. How much are you worth?

Since she was a little girl, everyone - from her father to the Great Creator himself - told Lyssa Peate the same thing: she's worthless. But when she becomes the pirate bounty hunter Razia, she can see the price tag on her own head. Employed by one of the four pirate syndicates, she uses bank transactions and her considerable wits to capture rival members. At least, she would be if Razia's boss ever gave her a chance. It's a man’s world, and all she’s allowed to hunt are purse snatchers while she languishes on probation.

To pay the bills, she's stuck in her old life as Lyssa, discovering and analyzing distant planets and selling them for cash. She's doing just enough to stay out of trouble, pretending to be continuing her father's mysterious research while away for long periods of time. Her slimy boss is always asking questions and even assigns one of her younger brothers, Vel, to intern with her. Already struggling to keep the balance between her double lives, she tries everything to rid herself of the kid...

...until the universal police mistake Lyssa’s intern for Razia's hostage. (Goodreads)

Have you ever seen the show Cowboy Bebop? It's a really amazing anime that I'll admit to watching many times (and seeing as how I don't watch much anime at all, that's saying something :). Anyhow, Double Life really reminded me of this great show in all the best ways. I love a good piracy game, and in space just makes it more fun. Add in some characters who are wonderfully complex (though at times make you want to scream at them, *ahem* Razia...), this was a really fun read. I did find myself thinking that the world building could have been a bit more creative in places, but I was invested in what happened to Lyssa and needed to know how she'd fare to overlook that. While the ending was a touch on the predictable side, I did enjoy it, and definitely can't wait to read more of this series!

Have you had a chance to check out this series?

Monday Mishmash

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

After a week of traveling and other assorted fun, I figured today this is the easiest way to blog :)

Did you catch my Flash Fiction this weekend? Go check it out here--it's a fun, suspenseful story, promise! :)
My birthday was great! I was even bumped up to first class while flying home from Calgary, which was amazing. Though considering that will probably never happen again, it certainly makes coach look a whole lot less fun ;)
I also got a FitBit for my birthday, which has been a lot of fun. I haven't managed to get the networking thing figured out, but if you'd like to friend me, you can find me here. (I think!)
I explored a ghost town for my birthday outing and took about a million photos. I'll share a few below, and you can always catch more over on Instagram (which is seriously my favorite addiction of the moment--love all the awesome photos!).
I have a little over a week to get a giant presentation put together for a conference. Have I started it? Nope. Am I good working under pressure? Not at all. *gulp* Should be a fun week, lol!

I hope you all have a great week!

#FlashFiction Piece up on Lightening Quick Reads: The Promise of Hope

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Hi everyone! It's that time again: another of my little flash fiction pieces is up over on Lightening Quick Reads :) You can check out some awesome posts this month on the theme New Growth, including mine!

(Source)

Her cigarette landed with a hiss in the snow, right next to the tender green shoots of the first

signs of spring. She didn’t even look down to use the heel of her boots to grind out the bud, taking out the plants in the process.

Better to put such things out of their misery. Hadn’t they heard that winter wasn’t going anywhere?

The warnings had been airing for years. Newspapers. Conferences. Screaming scientists. No one cared. No one listened. And so things changed. The weather, to start with. The predictability of the past was just that—the past. Spring marked on the calendar no longer meant anything.

Of course there were plenty of other things tied to the weather. Including billions of human lives, not to mention trillions of other occupants on the planet.

Better to spare those poor old bulbs the torture of a slow death.

The same couldn’t be said for the man she watched through her eyepiece. She’d enjoy the plans she had for him. Until he begged. Cried, too, with any luck.

And then? She’d kill him.

It was a small price to pay for his role in mucking up the planet. For sending so many people to watery, or scorching graves. And if no one else was going to take a stand, she had to do it.

Movement. The curtains, fourth window from the left. His room.

The compound was guarded well. It had to be, what with the milling Hungry, eager to take down anyone or anything they might fill their bellies with.

Once, she’d had a roommate with a penchant for old films from before. They used to watch them, casting them onto their ceiling. The water stains made for an interesting backdrop, but it worked. The films she remembered best were the zombie ones. There were so damn many of them. Drooling, shuffling, damaged people, milling around like mindless fools.

A little like the Hungry hoard. A comparison that struck a little too close.

Again, another movement. This time she was certain. Ducking low, she slid down the embankment to the electric fence. Taking a tool from her belt, she located the repeater that she’d spotted before. A quick shot, and the fence was nothing more than something to hop over.

It took exactly three minutes to get inside. Another two to reach the second floor. Laughter filtered through the posh interior from hidden recesses of the house, where people who didn’t worry about filling their bellies lived.

They’d have more than enough concerns by nightfall.

Her boots didn’t make a sound with the deep carpet. Carpet. Who had that kind of thing anymore? They must have salvaged it from somewhere—no one made the stuff any more.

Counting doors with crown molding and ornate knobs, she found the fourth room down. The one with the lace curtains.

At the door, she forced herself to stop. Listen. To get her heart rate low enough that she’d hear anything amiss. And more importantly, so she’d remember what was coming.

She’d pinned a small camera to her shirt to capture it all, but nothing would compare to her memories. To the smell and feel and sound of it all.

A deep breath out through her mouth and she knew she was ready.

There was no lock on the door. Who would need one in such a well-armed estate? The only locks were on the outside gates and on the evacuation rooms.

The heavy door opened without a sound. She stepped inside, the glare of the electric lights taking an extra heartbeat to adjust to.

“So, you’ve finally decided to come for me.”

Want to know what happens next?? Come swing by the blog!

After Reading: MILAYNA by Michelle K. Pickett

By: Meradeth Houston on 4:00 AM

Happy April Fool's Day! I hope you haven't been caught the fool :) I don't know what it says about me, but this is one of my favorite days of the year. I love coming up with the perfect little prank!

It’s hard being good all the time. Everyone needs to be bad once in a while. But for seventeen-year-old Milayna, being good isn’t a choice. It’s a job requirement. And it’s a job she can’t quit. Born a demi-angel, Milayna steps in when danger and demons threaten the people around her, but being half angel isn’t all halos and happiness. Azazel, Hell’s demon, wants Milayna’s power and he’ll do anything to get it. But he only has until her eighteenth birthday, after which she becomes untouchable.

With the help of other demi-angels, Milayna thwarts the trouble Azazel sends her way. Fighting by her side is Chay. He’s a demi-angel who's sinfully gorgeous, and Milayna falls hard. But is Chay her true love… or her nemesis in disguise?

When she learns of a traitor in her group, there’s no one she can trust… not even the one she loves. (Goodreads)

I've been looking forward to this one for ages because I love Michelle's work! This was a seriously fun read, and I loved the world and characters that populate it. Milyana is hilarious and strong willed, and I loved her for those things. She goes through some serious craziness throughout the book, but handles it well. And then there's Chay. Michelle has a way of creating book boyfriends that you really, really wish would walk out of the pages (and maybe be a decade or so older.... ;). But, yeah, he's swoon-worthy for sure. His and Milayna's relationship was just so sweet--it's nice to see a good, healthy relationship in YA, ya know? Something that I wouldn't be horrified to have a child of mine experiencing (or, for myself, because let's be honest here!). Anyhow, I can't wait for the next two books in the series and definitely recommend this one to those who enjoy some butt-kicking female leads, great chemistry, and all kinds of fun!