Not So Innocent

Review of Eating Lizzy by Zan McDowell

Moissanite Jewel — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:22:16 +0000

Title:Eating Lizzy

Author: Zan McDowell

This is the first non-scifi and non-fantasy review since the move to Not So Innocent, but it has single handedly made me change my policy to including unique books. I mean unique books, books that can’t be easily described, that aren’t overdone. And this? This is one of them.

Eating Lizzy. It’s not a funny name, it’s not a sexy name. We are talking the move ‘Alive’ here folks. Cannibalism.

Stating up front, this is a Not Innocent book. It’s not for children, and it’s not YA. This is definitely an adult book.

Eating Lizzy was a tough book to read, and it wasn’t anything I would normally pick up. In fact, I have been associating with writers lately and this was a book I had to pick up for my writers group. I read the first part, but turned off my kindle and forgot about it. Next time I turned my Kindle on, seriously…I thought I was reading a different book I had just bought about a screwy vacation. I got them mixed up!

So, yeah. I don’t do reviews for books I don’t finish which is why ‘author projects’ never really get mentioned anyhow. Anyway, this one…it was crazy. It doesn’t start off all gloom and doom, it’s pretty much ‘where do you want to go for vacation?’ They take a few pages to decide, and the main MC Jason Leyman decides for his family it will be Barbados by being underhanded and using it for work.

I kept reading because I was like “He is so going to get it.” It never really occured though, which was disappointing. Instead his wife is actually happy about the decision when she gets there. The book goes on with a few antics, getting used to their co-habitants.

Then yes, then I remembered the real title when little Lizzy showed up.

I won’t go much farther than that, because I won’t hit spoilers on you. However, the real hard thing about this book is that we got to know these characters in depth. They were funny, they were emotional, they were normal people. I almost want to choke the author for taking these seemingly innocent characters and putting them into that situation.

But that was the focus of the book and what it was about. How for survival, even the most normal people you wouldn’t expect could go to great lengths to continue living. The ending is going to twist your heart, so if you buy it, do expect to cry. This isn’t a light hearted read at all.

I am going to go with seven hair crows. I am probably not going to read this book again, it only took once to have such a severe impact on me. However the author has shown me what kind of potential and writing style they have, so I will be more receptive to checking out their future works.

This isn’t erotic, but it does have some sexual situations, as well as some indepth situations that should only be read by mature readers.

+This book is best for people who want intense emotional feelings from a book

+This book is best for people who want some ‘could happen in real life’ dastardly situations.

+People who are looking for something that is definitely, definitely different.

This book does have some sexual situations, but it never got in depth enough that I really considered it erotic. Nonetheless, I would hold this toward the high end of very mature adults though.

Friday Follow

Moissanite Jewel — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:51:47 +0000

I am going to bed, but before I do, I wouldn’t be the responsible person I am without doing some kind of Friday Follow.:) I’ve been busy with copyright registration as well as putting together a tour and everything. But dear oh dear, can’t forget Friday Follow. Let’s see what the question is this week!

Q: Define what characteristics your favorite books share. Do they all have a kick ass heroine or is the hot love interest the Alpha Male?

Hmm…(counts latest books on her fingers.) No, sorry. Not all the time. Looking back at the books I love they have cute dogs being abandoned and then loved…magic…comedy and thriller…thriller comedy fantasy. Hang on, I am trying to find a connection. Umm…*jeopardy theme*

Thriller and/or comedy mixed with romance/no romance/plutonic with science fiction and fantasy that are usually children/YA/adult?

The only thing my favorite books share so far is that they all have a cover with a title attached.:) Shoot they don’t even share the same ereader or format half the time.

Thanks for stopping bye!

Yeeha baby, this looks like a good one!

Moissanite Jewel — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:13:34 +0000

I love Scifi and fantasy, I really do, but sometimes I find unique books that are just a kick in the pants. Check these suckers out.

Snagged from Amazon Description of FAT ASSASSINS

– “Southern style sweet-potatoes Shasta and Ulyssa have stuck together through thick and thin since their escape from third grade fat camp. But on one dark day, they both find themselves unemployed. A hazardous job hunt sees them turn down egg harvesting, drug dealing and phone sex before they settle for an exterminator job. Confusing mafia lingo leaves the girls thinking they’re being interviewed to cope with a rodent infestation. Confident that they can handle the job, they oversell their skills and demand half payment up front to seal the deal. Skeptical at first, the mob boss decides to hire this unlikely pair when he mistakes their attitude for professional stoicism. The girls are shocked when presented with a target profile and an envelope full of cash. They want out, but it’s too late. The mob doesn’t allow do-overs. And certainly not when they’re whacking one of their own. The clock is ticking and when the body count is still zero after multiple attempts, the boss decides to bring in additional assassins to finish the job and tie up loose ends. And the girls just happen to be one of those loose ends.”

This is going to be incredible, I have to get it. You know I tell you when I know the author, but this time I don’t. The story just sounds fantastic. I don’t know if I’ll get to review it on the site because I’ve no idea if there’s any erotica in there. Probably not, but i can’t make any promises.

Now onto an author I did get to know. I’ve been associating with a bunch of authors lately for business purposes, but this one stands out to me. The writing also isn’t Scifi/fantasy, but dang is it ever UNIQUE. I mean Unique. You will hate this book. I mean, you will hate to love this book.

Think Cannibal. Think young girl. Think a normal family trapped in a desperate situation. It made me think, a lot about life. So I will be writing a review over that book soon.

There are still some great books I need to write reviews for too, but I’m trying to pace myself. I only read what I’m in the mood for, and if I only read part of something and didn’t quite finish, it usually means there was a slow part and life with my daughter overran it. If Abb can lure me out of a book completely, there’s probably something to it.

Besides, I was just enthralled with Eating Lizzy. Not the kind of mood to start reading Sam the Garbagehound. Although I do love that book, I’ll share that with you sometime. It must be one of my daughters favorite book, and it makes me feel so good inside when we read it together.

Big Bang and Doctor Who reference!

Moissanite Jewel — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:43:28 +0000

Yes. I believe Doctor Who should count as a date. If it doesn’t, then I haven’t had a date in some time with my hubby. If it does, then we’ve had over 300 dates the last two years.:)

Whether you enjoy the Big Bang or Doctor Who, you’ll get a kick out of this.

Welcome, Tinker Bell! by Victoria Wagner

Moissanite Jewel — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:36:49 +0000

My very last review using stars.:)

Title:Welcome, Tinker Bell!

Author: Victoria Wagner

Yikes! It’s only Tinker Bell’s second day at Pixie Hollow, and she’s already misplaced her tinker hammer! Follow along as she learns how to be the best tinker fairy she can be in the Welcome, Tinker Bell! Play-a-Sound book. Enjoy 4 magical lenticular pictures and 12 whimsical sound buttons while you read!

This book does do the job of entertaining my almost four year old, so I can’t rate it low. The purpose of a play a sound book is usually to hear the sounds. On the stimulation this book gets a five. The story however, it’s almost like they purposely decide to make it play a sound for a reason. Lots of sound effects (twelve total), but the story isn’t as well.

I enjoy reading stories to my daughter, and although fun, it’s much too distracting for that one on one time with her. It has these beautiful 3d motion images inside which are very beautiful, but it doesn’t do anything for the story itself. Tink is new and has lost her hammer. She takes a couple pages to do different things and then her teacher finds her hammer.

I find interactive books sometimes miss the most important thing: The story. I think the book has potential, but it’s all about the features and the story never reaches fruition. Take something simple like Critters Day at the Sea Park, and you’ll see what I mean. I feel like they could have done something a little nicer for the book. You don’t even get to open up the book, it’s all wrapped up in plastic, so you can’t look through the pages.

So for this book, rating is difficult. However, I would go this:

For Play a sound and 3d motion:

5. Very beautiful, and the sounds are gorgeous.

For the actual story, it doesn’t hold attention.

2. Take away the interactivity and enjoyment plummets.

For the final score, combining the age group who will read this along with the technology and hours of fun, I will give this a final three.

Children and young children. This is a fun filled book, that is Innocent. Great for all ages, but should only be handled by 3 and up. There are small parts that could be dangerous for younger than three.

Friday Follow

Moissanite Jewel — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 06:24:26 +0000

Q: Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why?

BIOGRAPHIES. I reject most non-fiction but not all. I like reading about tarantula’s, and facts about Doctor Who, and some things like that. But Biographies? No way, just not my thing. I am not interested in biographies, or anything too real. I like fantasy and plots that are fiction but might feel real are okay. But not biographies.
I’ll watch Food Network Biography before I waste my time on biography in a book. Because well, that was the only place I’d be interested in Biographies.

Now I need to shut up before anyone starts trying to send me cookbooks.:)

Wow, that sounds harsh? Am I harsh? I am harsh.

Let me try that again. I do many awesome things, but I do not, my dear, do biographies. Why? Just cause…

Biographies

I don’t GFC so to follow the rules, you can like my facebook or subscribe directly if you think Not So Innocent is the blog that will fill in those gaping unsatisfied holes in your life. Or, you know, if you want to be nice. One or the other.

Good to see you again.

Moissanite Jewel — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:07:41 +0000

We have been going through a whirlwind of activities. The biggest one is changing my partnership ‘family press’ to a solo job. Yep, all on me. My hub gets home way too late to help with anything these days, so I’ve had to change a lot of my ways to a one woman handling thing perspective. When I became sick with an infection, it was really hard to pull through, and so many things fell behind because I wasn’t well.

I had some serious back aches, some womanly problems, I was fatigued, complete loss of appetite (went 36 hours before my body really wanted food!) I was working really hard to try and keep up the pace, but without any help or support at home, it was too tough. I was moving too fast, and I made myself sicker.

I was sick, still raising my toddler with our two dogs and cats, and no one to help until after 9:00-9:30 PM. It was coming to the point where I didn’t even know how to wash dishes. I thought at first that I might have to lose my publishing company.

However, two out of three authors believed I would be okay and kept up. One of them, Rob Andrews, showed great confidence, and looking at the lack of what I’d been able to do for him since KDP select showed up, (same time as publishing) I was fairly confident he would like me to help him self publish.

He didn’t want to leave though, and neither did the other. It made my heart almost burst. I knew I would have to start changing things, take on fewer things, and concentrate on different angles to get Dam Good to run.

Which is really the weirdest thing. Whenever visitors visited Read It In 7 Days (My long term review blog before this) or Not So Innocent, I rarely mentioned my books. Really rare, I just wanted to frickin’ read and share. However, to keep my sanity I am blending the two together. So people can see my press books and my books who visit. So I can talk about the ups and downs of publishing. So I can still be reviewing books, while at the same time, still working on business.:)

I still have my Dam Good site, but I revamped it so there was no blog. No one really wanted to visit anyhow. I mean seriously, who wants to comment on a press blog? I mostly got SPAM. The site is a simple but professional looking site, that labels activities coming up for the author as well as easy ways to buy from anywhere.

I’d rather really use my lovely blog for sharing books I love to read and review, for sharing my passions like Doctor Who (I love Doctor Who!) and to share a little about the publishing life too. After all running two blogs is ridiculous. It’s better to pair up everything, that way I don’t go insane.

You’ve seen a lot of authors self publish, but rarely when they start a press do they leave their own books out. That’s the kind of weird person I am. That’s the kind of publisher I want people to see.

Because in the end, publishing really doesn’t make you money. Does your book review blog make you rich? It’s just a passion to find the greatest manuscripts and help give them life and recognition. You might know what I’m talking about, if you think about it. Have you ever read a book and it was so good, all you wanted to do was jump on the computer and tell people about it?

It’s sort of like that, but even better, ’cause I help create the awesome.

Hmmm…Dam Good. I help create the awesome. I like the way that sounds!:)

So if your on Book Blogs, don’t expect much out of DGPublishing member now. That was my husband’s member name, and he is rarely in action anymore. Moissanite Jewel is my personal account there. You’ll notice me as the weird chick with the First Doctor. I probably freak people out when I have a grumpy old man as my signature, yet I’m just a 30 year old fun lovin’ woman. Ha!

Also, I will be tweeting Not So Innocent stuff though @DGPublishing, and I will be working on Not So Innocent’s facebook with Dam Good news too because I update with it much more than the other.

Less places, less stress. Especially since I’ll still be taking medication well into February.

That feels like a long post, but it was an important one too. I also made a new symbol for the company. Something a little more me.

I did lose one author by our company going solo, but I’m okay with that and we ended on good terms. I even helped her self publish it without charging any kind of fee. It may not be a Dam Good book, but it’s still a damn good book.

2012 TBR Reading Challenge.

Moissanite Jewel — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:25:37 +0000

Boy, have I got a lot of those to take care of. Right now I can’t even accept reviews right now except children’s. So why not? Here’s to getting myself sorted out.

I am starting out with a Firm Handshake but I won’t be surprised if I end at a Sweet Kiss or Married with Children. We’ll just have to see. I will post the list of books I have for selection on it.

Welcome to 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge!!!

We all have those books. We buy them, win them, they’re gifted to us.. Then we put them up on a bookshelf and there they stay, collecting dust, waiting for the time when we’ll finally decide to pick them up..

Join us on a quest to dust off your TBR Pile and read all the books you’ve been telling yourself you’ll read next time you’ll get a chance.. This is your chance! And we’ve got PRIZES!!!

Challenge guidelines:

This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 – Dec 31, 2012.
As we would like to see quality reviews linked up to our monthly wrap-ups, only bloggers can enter. Sorry about that!
Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that’s been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2011 and earlier! NO ARCs and 2012 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge (You need to include the info + host list + challenge button. You can also grab the button code and add it to your sidebar!)
You can move up levels, but no moving down.
Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it’s unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It’s open to INTERNATIONALS. For participating in the mini-challenge you will get +1 entry.
If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice – we will be checking
December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you’ll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway – 12 books, 12 winners, INTERNATIONAL.
You don’t have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!

Levels:

1-10 – A Firm Handshake
11-20 – A Friendly Hug
21-30 – A Sweet Kiss
31-40 – Love At First Sight
41-50 – Married With Children

Hosts:
Evie from Bookish – http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com @SeoEvie
Nicole from All I Ever Read – http://www.nicoleabouttown.com/ @Nicoleabouttown
Bonnie from Hands and Home – http://www.handsandhome.ca/ @HandsHomeBlog
Donna from Book Passion For Life – http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/ @BookPforLife
Caitlin from WatchYA Reading – http://whatchyareading.net @caitlingss
Rie from Mission To Read – http://missiontoread.com/ @missiontoread
Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea -http://booksbiscuitsandtea.blogspot.com/ @alouetteuette
Christa from Hooked On Books – http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com @ChristasBooks
Jenna from Fans Of Fiction – http://fansoffiction.blogspot.com/ @fansoffiction
Angel from Mermaids Vision – http://mermaidvision.wordpress.com @mermaidvisions

Wrap-up POST Schedule:

January – Donna (Theme: Let It Snow + Book Cover Challenge)
February – Nicole (Theme: Un-requited Love/Love Gone Wrong + Advice Column Challenge)
March – Rie (Theme: Green or Pinched + Green Cover Challenge)
April – Bonnie (Theme: Easter + Mini Challenge)
May – Christa (Theme: MayDay – Disaster Books! + Cover Disaster Challenge)
June – Jenna ( Theme: Camping + Sentence Challenge)
July – Rie (Theme: International Day + Cover Comparison Challenge)
August – Angel (Theme: Summer Memories + Send Your Fav Character On Vacation Challenge)
September – Nicole (Theme: Life Changing Books + Mini Challenge)
October – Caitlin (Theme: Thanksgiving Theme + Share-A-Book Challenge)
November – Vicky (Theme: Spooky Halloween + Book Puzzle Challenge)
December – Evie (Theme: Xmas Bliss + Book Bachelor Challenge)

Review over Welcome, Tinker Bell! by Veronica Wagner.

Moissanite Jewel — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:21:48 +0000

The image of this book is extremely hard to find. It is not on Amazon, not on Goodreads, and I could only find it on a Disney site. So here is the link so you can see the cover.

http://www.fao.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4107804

Product Description on back of book: Yikes! It’s only Tinker Bell’s second day at Pixie Hollow, and she’s already misplaced her tinker hammer! Follow along as she learns how to be the best tinker fairy she can be in the Welcome, Tinker Bell! Play-a-Sound book. Enjoy 4 magical lenticular pictures and 12 whimsical sound buttons while you read!

My thoughts: This book does do the job of entertaining my almost four year old, so I can’t rate it low. The purpose of a play a sound book is usually to hear the sounds. On the stimulation this book gets a five. The story however, it’s almost like they purposely decide to make it play a sound for a reason. Lots of sound effects (twelve total), but the story isn’t as well.

So for this book, rating is difficult. However, I would go this:

For Play a sound and 3d motion:

5. Very beautiful, and the sounds are gorgeous.

For the actual story, it doesn’t hold attention.

2. Take away the interactivity and enjoyment plummets.

For the final score, combining the age group who will read this along with the technology and hours of fun, I will give this a final three.

Recommended for:

10 uses for TBR lists

Moissanite Jewel — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 05:19:54 +0000

Ten Uses for blogger TBR lists

1. Tie one end to a tree and go through maze cornfields.

2. Set it next to Santa’s list in his workshop and see if he actually grabs it instead.

3. Recycle it and delete the use of one landfill

4. Cut into strips and crochet the first TBR crocheted quilt.

5. Lift someone out of a well

6. Write the entire series of Doctor Who in transcript.

7. Split in two and made a world record of the first whole town jumping rope.

8. Cut it in sections and fold to create a steel cutter.

9. Make an ebook and set it free for the world to see HOW MUCH can fit in one book.

10. Break it into tiny pieces and make it snow over your town!

If your TBR list is long enough to do any of these things, you’d better trim. I trim by only taking books I really, really want. Really want. I also trim it by not putting dates or books I will be reviewing very far ahead. I also trim it by now accepting self published books in paperback form, or for a Book Tour.

Now my list is literally two books long:

The Wolf and the Shark.

Terra Incognita.

I have more books. I definitely have many more books, but not committing to as much keeps my blog fresh, open, and a delightful surprise.:) Help Santa out, don’t let him get confused. We all need our toys this Christmas, not for him to be reading Wither.

Seriously, you never know, he might be addicted to books too.