Author Revealed -- Demetria

Today’s author in Author Revealed is no other than Demetria, also known as Thischickisbomb on Wattpad. Demetria is an 18-year old College student and lives in the United States. She has completed several stories so far, of which two novels. At this moment in time, Demetria isn’t focused on getting any of her work published, but that doesn’t take away that she has gained numerous fans already who truly enjoy her stories.

• My name is… Demetria
• I am known for… laughing when nothing is funny.
• Instead of doing this, I should… be preparing for colloge, writting, cleaning.
• I am the best at…laughing:D
• I envy the people who…can be themselves around any and everyone.
• I wish I were better at…alot of things.
• When I am old I… want to be successful
• I love… music and words
• I don’t like…bugs
• I’d really want to… travel the world someday.
• I shouldn’t laugh at…people when they fall, but it's entertaining to me. lol
• One day I will…meet the man of my dreams. lol that was so cliche.
• I have learned the hard way…that not all people are nice and everything isn't what it seems.
• I couldn’t live without…family, friends, music, and animals.
• When I look in the mirror… I see me!
• I will never…sell my soul, it's very wrong!
• I want to move to…any place other than here.
• I love singing along to…omg anything. I love music so I can sing along to  anything from Paramore to Eminem to Trey Songz to Kings of Leon to Drake to Parachute to Josh Turner to Michael Jackson and then to Keith Sweat or Elton John. I love music. Any genre I'm up for! I really love old music though! Okay let me stop because I can talk for days about music.
• One book I recommend is… The Kite Runner by: Khaled Hosseini. Very inspirational book. Definitely a tear jerker which I love and it stays on you mind months after you have read it.
• I want to watch… Pretty Little Liar, The Closer, CSI: Miami, and Bad Girls Club
• I love life because… it was given to me for a reason, and I won't take it for granted.
• I am terrified of…death... that was kind of eerie!
• My guilty pleasure is…singing in the shower to the top of my lungs.
• Sleep is… the best thing ever. I should probably get more of it.
• I prefer…vanilla over chocolate in some cases.
• Sometimes I should…think more about others
• If I could go back in time… I would keep in touch with everyone I have met.
• Last time I stood in line… was at the waterpark, oh wait no! It was the Red Box.
• I don’t see myself writing…just to get published. I'm not even interested really at the moment. It's just a hobby.
• I would steal if… it was my last option. I've only stolen once and it was a pack of gum when I was like five. I didn't know any better. I'm definitely not into the five finger discount.
• One day I will write a story that… everybody can relate to.
• The smell of…Fall always makes me happy. It just had a notstalgic smell to it.
• A song I could keep listening to is…Breakeven by The Script or Obssession by Frankie J
• When I watch TV… I clean.
• My motto in life is no other than…nothing. I don't have a motto, maybe I'll gain one in the years to come.:D

--> Read some of Demetria’s work here: http://www.wattpad.com/user/Thischickisbomb

My Playlist - June 2011

My June 2011 Playlist. It's rather short, but I think that's because I had all those exams in June and I spent a lot of time studying downstairs where the radio was on but it wasn't exactly my genre. However, I did have the song "Rat in my kitchen" by UB40 stuck in my head for a couple of days.

(The titles of the songs are a link to the song on Youtube)

- Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall by Coldplay

- Is There A Ghost by Band Of Horses

- Ode To LRC by Band Of Horses

- The Hope Killed The Hype bv Not Advised (video has the wrong title, but it's this song)

- Shadows by Warpaint

- Here Are The Young Moderns by Kill Hannah (couldn't find a video)

- A&E by Morning Parade

- Vampire Money by My Chemical Romance

- Thick As Thieves by Kasabian

- Melvin by Arsenal

- The Messenger by Linkin Park

- Why I have My Grandma's Eyes by Kill Hannah

- Cats In The Cradle by Ugly Kid Joe

- Beat The Devil's Tattoo by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

- Save The World Tonight by Swedish House Mafia

- Carry On by Valencia

- Set My World On Fire by The Feeling

- Father Of Night by Triggerfinger

- Lokemo by Arsenal

Author Revealed -- Emma Lowe

Emma Lowe comes from Australia and is 20 years old.  At this moment, she's in the middle of getting her first novel published. Emma also posts (some of) her stories online where you can read them for free (see link at the end). She has gained a lot of fans already, and I'm sure there are still many to come.  In between editing and writing, Emma found some time to participate in this week's Author Revealed, and this is the result:

• My name is…Emma.
• At this moment, it is…Emmiie.
• I am known for…Writing, procrastination, and unleashing the beast.
• Instead of doing this, I should…procrastinate…write…put on music because my dog snores, and FINALLY find out who killed the queen. Team Ozera! <3
• I am the best at…being a ninja, but love to write!
• I envy the people who…have a huge vocabulary and don’t have to use thesaurus.
• I wish I were better at…writing. There’s always room for improvement. xD
• When I am old I…will have a midlife crises and buy lots of cats. *Twitchy eye*
• I love…writing, Monster, cats, the colour red.
• I don’t like…running, talking on phones, and the number 23 (it haunts me).
• I’d really want to…confuse people with my answers. =p
• I shouldn’t laugh at…people falling over, but sometimes, it’s really funny to watch.
• One day I will…take over the world. Just you wait. It will happen! O.o
• I have learned the hard way…to not get too attached to fictional characters. <3
• I couldn’t live without…writing, reading, music, colours, letters, words, sounds, Webby, Lissa, and Moe. Occasionally Kyle. I guess. Lol.
• When I look in the mirror… it tells me I’m the fairest of them all. >.< 
• I will never…tell a lie. xD
• I want to move to…Belgium and Canada! But only so I can kidnap Webby, Lissa, and bring them back to Australia. Dean will appreciate this.
• I love singing along to…Justin Beiber. I jest, I jest. Korn. *Rocks out*
• One book I recommend is…Anything by Richelle Mead. The woman is a genius. We should all worship AND fear her.
• I want to watch…The Vampire Diaries, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Modern Family, OC, Random videos on Youtube.
• I love life because…I was born this way. (Yes, I’m actually quoting Lady Gaga).
• I am terrified of…everything. Mainly: the dark, being buried alive, maggots (ew!), glass, spiders that talk, King Kong, and that unexplored spot in the back of my twisted mind.
• My guilty pleasure is…Caffine and Christian Ozera.
• Sleep is…important but not necessary for nightwalkers.
• I prefer…to rock out in my socks to “Old Time Rock and Roll” and other 80’s songs.
• Sometimes I should…take things seriously.
• If I could go back in time…I’d visit my past self and tell them the movie ‘The Terminator’ was right, and that the world was taken over by evil robots.
• Last time I stood in line…I really needed to use the bathroom. >.<
• I don’t see myself writing…*does not compute* Emma wants to write anything and everything. Now, if only she could perfect cloning. Hmmm. O.o
• I would steal if…I myself or someone I loved literally needed it and there was no other option. I don’t like stealing. :/
• One day I will write a story that…changes lives, hopefully. Yes, I’m actually taking this one seriously. I’d love for my writing to help people, to write for a reason, something more than entertainment. I’d love to write a story that sticks with people; that they learn positive things from.
• The smell of…burnt popcorn. Seriously. I wish I was joking.
• A song I could keep listening to is…probably by Korn. They’re awesome. xD
• When I watch TV…I wonder why I’m not writing or reading. There should be a book version of everything. (And not an eBook, either, I can’t sniff those…it’s weird).
• My motto in life is no other than… "I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room  and smile at you."  -- That, to me, is so true. ‎Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful.

--> You can read some of Emma’s work here:  http://www.wattpad.com/user/Emmiie

 

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Linger is, as it says at the end of the book itself, "the story of a boy who used to be a wolf, and a girl who became one"

"A nice read", this is the best, and the only way for me to describe "Linger" by Maggie Stiefvater.

This second book in the "Wolves of Mercy Falls" series is rather slow-paced and while reading I didn't feel like I 'had' to know what was going to happen. I didn't feel the 'need' to continue reading. But, nonetheless, I didn't stop reading because I wanted to know what would happen. Maybe it was more because I had a familiar feeling with the characters, like, because I knew them from Shiver that now I also wanted to know how their lives continued. Needing and wanting to continue to read a story are two different things, and while reading Linger, I didn't find myself sitting on the edge of my seat to find out what would happen when I turned the page.

Linger was, just like Shiver, written in a mixture of different perspectives. I'm not sure if this adds to the story or not, but it's what makes these books what they are. I think the point of view changes are what characterizes the books in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series and it seems to work for these books.

While reading "Linger", I came to the same conclusion as when I read "Shiver": I'm not the biggest fan of the "The Wolves of Mercy Falls" series, but I don't dislike the books either. The books are a nice read, but they don't keep me up at night. 'A nice read for when you feel like reading something light', that's the best way to describe how I feel about the books. 


Quotes:

- "Not dead - dying. Funny how two things could be so similar and yet so far apart." 

- "The entire room was so yellow that it looked like the sun had thrown up on the walls and wiped its mouth afterward on the dresser and curtains."

- "There was something awful about terror trapped behind silence."


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The Undead Heart by Tate Jackson

The Undead Heart: by Tate Jackson

Several weeks after I started this book, I still haven't finished reading it. Sometimes a book doesn't manage to suck me right into the story, and I've come to realize that "The Undead Heart" by Tate Jackson is a book like that.

I don't like to give up on a book. Doing that, I feel like I might be missing out on an amazing book, because after all, you never know when it'll make a turn for the better.

"The Undead Heart" by Tate Jackson involves vampires, time-traveling,... maybe too much to be good? I have to say though, that to me the combination of time-traveling and vampires is quite new, but it didn't seem to work in this story.

Usually, I don't mind lengthy novels, but this time, the length didn't do the story any good. And even though it had a lot of description, I still found the storyline confusing sometimes. Also, at some points the story moved to fast and at others it seemed to drag on.

Some events and decisions didn't make sense to me and the characters never really grew on me. The characters' emotions were described, but I couldn't 'feel' them.

All of this made it very hard to read "The Undead Heart" and that's why I have decided to give up on it for now. Who knows, maybe one day in the future I'll have the patience and the time to finish it, but for now, it'll remain unfinished.



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Computer vs. Pen and Paper

Which do you prefer, typing or writing by hand?

Both ways have their pros and cons. But when it comes down to it, I usually write on my laptop but I prefer to write on paper.

When I use pen and paper, it seems easier to write. It’s motivating to see how much pages you’ve written already, though, when you type it on the computer afterwards, it’s rather depressing to find out that you didn’t write nearly as much as you previously thought. However, when you’re writing ‘'the old-fashioned way'’, you don’t have as much distractions. Plus, you can write anywhere you want without having to worry that your laptop’s battery might die.

Then again, when you write on a computer, you have immediate spell check and you don’t have to type it again later on, so it isn’t as time-consuming.  Yet, staring at a blank screen isn’t really motivating, and you get distracted oh-so easily; Facebook, Youtube, Wattpad and all those other sites are only one click away – which is awful for a person like me, someone who gets distracted by the simplest of things.

Sometimes, when I feel like I’m stuck, it helps to switch from typing on my laptop to writing in my notebook  and vice versa, just like putting my music on/off can help as well.

In short, I’m rather indecisive when it comes to answering this question. I can’t really choose one or the other. Basically, I write on my laptop when I intend to write bigger parts, whereas I use pen and paper when it’s only (part of) a scene, or simply a couple of lines or ideas that I don’t want to forget. 

How would you feel if someone wrote a popular fan fiction about your own original story?

Shocked at first, maybe a little upset but after a lot of rationalizing, I'd decide to think of it as something good, something flattering. Then again, it all depends on whether the person asked permission or not. I would feel a whole lot better if that person had told me about writing that fanfiction beforehand rather than I'd have to find out about it through someone else...if that makes sense :)

Ask me anything

Teaser Trailer for 16 Moons

This is a small teaser trailer I made for the book I'm currently working on. It'll be titled 16 Moons, and sometime this Fall (October or November 2011), you should be able to read it on Wattpad

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I think I've read "The Host" about 3 or 4 times now, and each time I think it's still just as amazing as the first time I read it.

In "The Host", Earth is invaded by an alien species originally from the "Origin" -- we know them as 'Souls' because they take over the bodies of the original species on a planet, these bodies are referred to as "Hosts". "The Host" follows one 'Soul' and one 'Host' in particular as they both try to find peace with the situation their in.

Unlike most hosts, Melanie isn't willing to give up, and Wanderer, the Soul, sees this as a challenge. At first they struggle both, but soon both the Host and the Soul learn that the other isn't as evil and horrible as they believed at first.

In short, the story could be described as the struggle of two minds in one body, both fighting to survive.

This time, as I started reading the story, I was convinced that I would be able to read "The Host" at a reasonable pace since I already read it a couple of times before. I knew how the story would end, but to no avail... after the 2nd or 3rd chapter I got sucked into the story, once again, and I ended up reading the remaining 500pages in no more than 1 day.

And no matter how much I like this story, I still find the start of the story rather boring. If it hadn't been for my curiosity about Stephenie Meyer's writing other than the Twilight books, I wouldn't have continued to read on the first time I read The Host. But, I did continue and that's something I'm really glad for, because once past the beginning of the story, it gets really, really good - in my opinion.

Like in every other book, there are some minor things that I don't like in "The Host". First of all, the beginning. Secondly, at some points there's just too much description for me. Personally, I didn't mind the length of the book, but I can imagine that a 600+ pages book can scare some people off. Something else is the ending of the story, I wasn't quite satisfied with that. To me, it was a little rushed. I wouldn't have minded if there was like an extra chapter before the final one. And then there are the names of the different planets, or at least the species on the different planets. To me, they seemed unbelievable, not realistic enough. Then again, "The Host" was, and always will be a science fiction novel - fiction being the keyword here.

Things I loved: the inner battle. I don't mind mental rambling in a story and this is something inevitable for the storyline in "The Host". It was actually my first sci-fi novel that I read and therefore it was 'refreshing' and 'unique' to me, but I can't tell if that's the same for other people. The main reason why I think I love this novel is probably because it isn't entirely focused on the alien invasion. There's more to the story than just that.

I read the edition with the bonus chapter, and as I pointed out earlier, I found the ending a little rushed, but, now that I've read the story with the bonus chapter, I think it's a little better.

While reading the story the first two times, I wasn't really a big fan of Ian, but the more I read the story, the more I seem to like the guy. My favorite character must be Jamie, though - or maybe Jeb. What's not to like about that crazy old man?

I've read "The Host" multiple times already, and I'm sure this wasn't the last time.


Some quotes that I liked:

- "It's not the face, but the expressions on it. It's not the voice, but what you say. It's not how you look in that body, but the thing you do with it. You are beautiful."

- "I knew it would begin with the end, and the end would look like death to these eyes. I had been warned."

- "Even if we all want you here, you don't belong until you decide you do."

- "We should have been wiser; we should have died yesterday."



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A Cartoon So Close To Reality

There simply is something about close deadlines... It's either sink or swim and I've found out that I usually float on the water, enjoying the cloudless sky and then at the very last minute I give it my all.

Blu by There For Tomorrow

Every now and then I have a song that I can't stop listening to, songs I play on repeat over and over again. Ever since a couple of days ago when I found out that the band There For Tomorrow had  a new album, 'The Verge', I haven't been able to stop listening to their song 'Blu'

My favorite line: 

"Every wave brings me bad news..."

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


After I read Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, I somehow thought Leaving Paradise was the next book in that series. It didn't take me long to realize I was wrong. But, when I read the blurb, I was convinced I would like Leaving Paradise even better than Perfect Chemistry.

Thinking back to all the books I've ever read, Leaving Paradise fit more in that list than Perfect Chemistry did. When I started the book, I expected for the story to be different than how it turned out to be. It wasn't a bad book, not at all, just not completely what I expected.

The story and the (main) characters were very similar as the ones in Perfect Chemistry, yet, in a different setting.

Again, I loved the point of view switches. Sometimes point of view changes are a bad thing for the story, but for some reason the changes work perfectly for Simone Elkeles' books. Personally, I enjoy to see how both the main characters come to the wrong conclusions, are totally wrong when they think to know how the other one feels, and so on and on...

This story was a nice read, however, I wasn't quite ... satisfied with the ending. I don't want to spoil anything, but I had expected for the story to have the usual happy ending, not that it had a bad ending, it was good in its own way, just not what I expected.

Something else that I liked in this story was the truth, the secret that Caleb kept and how hard it was for him not to tell it to Maggie.

All in all I still enjoyed reading this book and I may even read it again in the future.



Some Quotes I liked:

- "I'm wondering if paradise is just some word in the dictionary with the definition: this doesn't fucking exist."
- "It's hard keeping everything the same when the same things look and feel so different"


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I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Have you ever started a book that made you laugh during the first few pages? Well, it happened to me when I was reading I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak. To me, it had one of the best first chapters I have ever read. Most first chapters are boring, but this one definitely wasn't.

In short, the story is about an average guy, Ed Kennedy, with an average life, average job, ... he's not special, as he points out several times in the story. But then, one day, he starts to receive clues...and as soon as he figured out what the clue means, and when he succeeded in delivering 'the message', he receives a new clue, and so on and on.

And even though that might sound boring, it is told in such a way that makes you feel his confusion, frustration, desperation,... and some of the messages he delivers are so simple, yet heart-warming and they make you really think about how small actions can have such a big difference on someone else's life. To put it simple, it's a book that holds a message to the reader.

The writing style itself was something I truly enjoyed. I loved the dialog, the sarcastic comments, how Markus Zusak made it so close to reality,...

I loved the conversations Ed had with 'the doorman', and some of the descriptions/metaphors that Markus Zusak used were absolutely amazing.

Some of my favorite quotes:

- "If a guy like you can stand up and do what you did, then maybe everyone can. Maybe everyone can live beyond what they're capable of. "
- "My voice is like a rumour. I'm not sure if it came out or not, or if it is true."
- "My heart applauds inside my ears, first like a roaring crowd, then slows and slows until it's a solitary person, clapping with unbridled sarcasm."


I really enjoyed reading this book, but if you happen to have the time, I recommend the audio book as well. The way the story is read makes it even more real and enjoyable! (Listen to the first 10 minutes here)



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Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I started reading this book a few days ago. I was at a 5-day-long festival and during the mornings there wasn't really anything else to do. The weather wasn't good at all, so I started reading this book. "Perfect Chemistry" had been on my to-read list for a while now and I decided it was the perfect time to give it a try.

At first I struggled a little with the present tense. I've always preferred to read stories in the past tense - for whatever reason that may be. But, soon I found that the characters had grown on me. I no longer cared about the tense...no, I just wanted to find out what would happen next. What Alex and Brittany's story would be like, how it would end.

What I loved about this story is the fact that because of the point of view changes between Alex' and Brittany's you had front row seats to their lives. As a reader you realize how they both have the wrong opinions, how their views are biased, based upon stereotypical thinking and rumors. And because of this, you also experience first hand how they struggle when they find out that the way they viewed the world and/or each other personally perhaps wasn't 100% correct.

Things I didn't like as much about this story were, like mentioned before, the present tense. Though, again, like mentioned before, the story sucked me right into it and I couldn't care any less about the used tenses. Something else that I didn't find quite as satisfying was the ending, the so-many-years-later part, because it was a bit abrupt in my opinion. Also, while reading the story, I felt like certain parts could use a little more explanation to be a little less confusing - but maybe that was only me.

For some reason it didn't take me long before I had an idea of who the person would be whom Alex was looking for, but I didn't find that annoying. If anything, I was curious to find out whether I'd be right, for once.

Over all, I found it a nice read. I'm not going to say it was my favorite book ever, but I definitely enjoyed reading it. It's one of those 'lighter' reads that deal with 'real life' problems and it was written in a realistic way. It was definitely worth a read and I'm pretty sure I'll be reading it again.





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