Wednesday Reads and 100 LIKES!

This has been one awesome week so far. I finished the first draft of Ghostly Interlude AND I got my 100th like on Facebook! Yay! If you’d like to like my page, here is the URL: https://www.facebook.com/StacyMcKitrickAuthor.
Let’s see how long it takes to make it to 200!

Anyway, with my WIP finished, the reading binge has started. Here’s what I read this week (and it’s a long list!):

Aug 5: “Finders Keepers” by Stephen King, #2 in the Bill Hodges Trilogy, a suspense/thriller at 431 pages. Blurb from book: “Wake up, genius.” So begins King’s instantly riveting story about a vengeful reader. The genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famously beloved character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just beause Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel. Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away in a high-security prison for a different crime. Decades later, a young teen names Pete Saubers, whose father was injured in the Mr. Mercedes killings, finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family whom Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he is released from prison after thirty-five years—and wants his money and his notebooks back. Wasn’t sure how this was the second book in the Bill Hodges trilogy, since Bill Hodges doesn’t even make an appearance until the middle of the book, but it all comes together after his appearance. Can a person really be that obsessed with books? I believed it! I had a hard time putting down this story. Only issue I had was the flip-flopping from past tense to present tense (don’t know if it was intentional, or what), but it was a very minor issue. Can’t wait to see what the finale is all about (although I can almost guess).

Aug 6: “Her Shirtless Gentleman” by M.Q. Barber, a contemporary romance at 163 pages. Blurb from Goodreads: After her marriage ends in betrayal, Eleanora Howard finds herself struggling to navigate the dating scene as a thirty-one-year-old divorcee. But feeling undesirable, and living alone in the house she once shared with her ex, is hardly the recipe for finding new love—until she meets Rob. He’s just the kind of charming, old-fashioned guy she needs—but he’s also eager for intimacy… After serving in the Air Force and getting a well-paid civilian career, Rob Vanderhoff planned to settle down with the right woman and raise a family. But at thirty-six, he’s still single and searching—until he meets Eleanora. She’s everything he wants. All he has to do is draw her out of her shell. Soon he’s taking her on high school-style dates, fanning the flames of her desire—and helping Nora re-discover the sexy, adventurous woman they both know she really is… While there are some sexy scenes in this book (and Rob is one hot-hot guy!), this isn’t an erotica like M.Q. Barber’s other books. No BDSM in sight. But it is just the kind of romance I love to read (making me feel all gooey inside) and it went much too fast (I might just have to re-read it!). I love M.Q. Barber’s books and she’s an automatic buy for me.

Aug 7: “SEAL My Destiny” by Sharon Hamilton, #6 in the SEAL Brotherhood series, an erotic romance novella at 87 pages. Blurb from book: Navy SEAL Luke Paulsen, on the verge of PTSD stemming from the death of his fiancée and a brutal tour overseas, knows he is damaged goods and unsuitable for relationships. While paying respects to a fallen comrade, he is unprepared for the chemical attraction he feels for the carefree dark-haired beauty playing in the surf one evening. Julie Christensen befriends the troubled SEAL, motivated by her yearning to sooth the young man’s troubled soul. Fueled by intense mutual desire, they succumb to one night of mind-numbing passion. Afterwards, he is unable to shed the memory of his lost love and disappears. When they meet again at a wedding that will forever bring their two families together, their passion and longing for one another forces them to confront their pasts in order to find a future together. There are two versions of this story. The novella (which I read) and a larger novel. The novella was a quick & sexy read. Julie’s plot line isn’t resolved, though and that kind of bummed me.

Aug 11: “Bloodlines” by Richelle Mead, first book in the Bloodlines series, a young adult paranormal/urban fantasy at 421 pages. Blurb from book: When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she’s still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir—the sister of Moroi /Queen Lissa Dragomir—is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding. To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill’s guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the unlikeliest of places: a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. The last thing Sydney wants is to be accused of sympathizing with vampires. And now she has to live with one. The Moroi court believe Jill and Sydney will be safe at Amberwood Prep but threats, distractions, and forbidden romance lurk both outside—and within—the school grounds. Now that they’re in hiding, the drama is only just beginning. I loved the Vampire Academy series, so when this series began, I knew I would eventually read it. I also knew each book would end in some kind of cliffhanger, so I told my daughter I wouldn’t start the first book until the last one was released. Then, when she brought over the entire series (there are six books), I knew I couldn’t read them until I finished writing Ghostly Interlude. And boy, was I right in that regard. I’m back in this world, eagerly turning each page. I can’t wait to dig into the next book. YA is not my “thing,” but I do love this world. And now it’s told through Sydney (instead of Rose). I like Sydney. And Adrian. And yes, there was a little bitty cliffhanger (not too bad—yet). Can’t wait to see what happens next!

My husband thinks I should only read one Bloodlines book then get back to work writing the novella I want to write. I think I deserve at least a week’s break. And since I’m in charge of ME, I win!

Doesn’t mean I won’t start on the novella. But why tell him? J

So… Do you give yourself rewards for finishing a project? What kind does it usually entail? Food? Event? Books?

Happy Reading!

Stacy