Tag Archives: Crux

What is the biggest obstacle in writing a sequel?

Posted on May 9, 2016 | 5 comments

Mini interview today!

I’m super excited to have Julie Reece hanging out with us!

Julie is the author of one of my favorite Viking-god-like books, CRUX

And let’s just take a few minutes to sigh over the cover love! [ahhhhhhhh]

And more recently she authored the hit Beauty and the Beast retelling called “The Artisans” and the sequel out this week, “The Paladins.”

Hi Julie!

Hi! Thanks so much for having me here today! I’m always excited to talk about anything having to do with YA books and writing. : )

Awesomeness! I’m going to throw you a tough one today….

What is the biggest obstacle in writing a sequel?

I’m going to admit up front this was a hard topic to write about. When I first read your question, you asked for the biggest obstacle in writing a sequel, and my brain shouted EVERYTHING! However, I don’t think one word—even in all caps—will cut it. I’ll try and explain.

The characters that I write are often brave. That’s in direct opposition to my knee-jerk reaction to any challenge, which is more like—cut bait and RUN! Every book I’ve written up to this point were stand-alones. One and done. That was my motto. When I sold my first story (THE ARTISANS) to my publisher, I was confident they’d see the novel the same way I did. A single title. They didn’t. They asked for more books in the series.

What the …? Color me shocked! I couldn’t believe it. And what’s more, I was really nervous about the prospect since I’d already said goodbye to the characters in that story.

For some inexplicable reason, prior to writing THE PALADINS, sequels, or the idea of producing one, scared the crap out of me. Yeah, I know, ironic since I’m a writer, but the more I thought about it, the more I understood the underlying reasons …

Brace yourselves, I’m taking you inside my rather strange brain for a minute.

A lot of our fears are imagined, and therefore irrational. No, not If you’re facing a Grizzly bear on a hiking trip. I’m talking about fears in your mind. Insecurities. Fear of failure. Have you ever had a discussion with yourself over whether you should or shouldn’t do something? Oh, come on, sure you have. You’re sitting in your car actually arguing with yourself about whether or not to go to that party, date that guy, take that job, talk to that friend. The driver in the car next to you looks over and you pretend you’re on your Bluetooth so he doesn’t think you’re crazy.

The conversation in my head looked something like this: You can’t write a sequel. Yes, you can; you’re a great writer. No you can’t; you won’t have enough material for a good plot. Relax, you’ll think of something. I won’t. You will. A sequel won’t be as good as the first book. It will. You’re right; it will; I’m writing the sequel.

And I did. Once I started, the ideas began to flow. My fears were unfounded, and the more I wrote, the more ideas came. I learned to push through my fear, thank God. It felt good to know I was capable. Sequels are doable and not nearly as scary as I’d first thought. I could write a third! Whoda thunk it? Lol.

Maybe I’m braver than I thought. And whatever the argument or battle in your mind, I bet you are, too.

Thanks again for having me here. I had a blast.

Has there ever been a time you were nervous about something and dared to try anyway? I’d love to hear about it.

Julie XOXO

Born in Ohio, I lived next to my grandfather’s horse farm until the fourth grade. Summers were about riding, fishing and make-believe, while winter brought sledding and ice-skating on frozen ponds. Most of life was magical, but not all.

I struggled with multiple learning disabilities, did not excel in school. I spent much of my time looking out windows and daydreaming. In the fourth grade (with the help of one very nice teacher) I fought dyslexia for my right to read, like a prince fights a dragon in order to free the princess locked in a tower, and I won.

Afterwards, I read like a fiend. I invented stories where I could be the princess… or a gifted heroine from another world who kicked bad guy butt to win the heart of a charismatic hero. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Later, I moved to Florida where I continued to fantasize about superpowers and monsters, fabricating stories (my mother called it lying) and sharing them with my friends.

Then I thought I’d write one down…

Hooked, I’ve been writing ever since. I write historical, contemporary, urban fantasy, adventure, and young adult romances. I love strong heroines, sweeping tales of mystery and epic adventure… which must include a really hot guy. My writing is proof you can work hard to overcome any obstacle. Don’t give up. I say, if you write, write on!

About The Paladins:

The Artisan curse is broken. Souls trapped in a mysterious otherworld called The Void are finally released. Now, Raven Weathersby, Gideon Maddox, and Cole Wynter can finally move on with their lives…or so they thought. If the ancient magic is truly dead, then why are mystical fires plaguing Gideon at every turn? What accounts for Raven’s frightening visions of her dead mother? And who is the beautiful, tortured girl haunting Cole’s dreams?

Last year, a group of lonely teens sacrificed secrets, battled the supernatural, and faced their own demons to set one another free. Yet six months later, the heart of evil still beats within The Void. And the trio is forced to face the horrific truth: that their only way out is to go back in.

The Paladins completes this eerie YA Southern Gothic where loyalties are tested, love is challenged, and evil seeks them on the ultimate battlegrounds—in their minds, their souls, and their hearts.

Purchase Links:

Giveaway Information: Contest ends May 20, 2016

Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of The Paladins (The Artisans #2) by Julie Reece (INT)

Click here to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway
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5 Comments

Posted in Author Interview

Tagged Crux, jennifer eaton, jennifer M. Eaton, julie reece, The Artisans, the paladins

Six Sentence Sunday – A fun Six from “Crux”

Posted on November 4, 2012 | 2 comments

Here is a fun Six Sentences from “Crux” by Julie Reece. This is a fun YA Novel with a paranormal twist and a really hot guy (The girl’s cute to for anyone who feels left out)

This scene happens during a high-speed car chase where our hero and heroine are running for their lives from the bad guys. Told in first person present, the main character is in the passenger seat.

When he tugs the wheel to the right, I lose my balance.

My hand juts out, and I brace myself against his upper thigh; his muscles flex beneath his dark jeans, and with blood rising up my neck to sear my cheeks, I pull my hand back as fast as gravity allows.

“Oh, I’m sorry!”

“Don’t apologize.” He cuts in front of a Dodge minivan. “That’s the most fun I’ve had all day.”

Tee Hee. This is a great couple written with a lost of chemistry.

2 Comments

Posted in Six Sentence Sunday

Tagged car chase, Crux, Dodge, grey, julie reece, Six Sentences

The best dang book I’ve ever read with such a Sh*tty beginning

Posted on October 25, 2012 | 22 comments

If you are looking for the Spooky Halloween blog hop, click HERE

Ha! Nothing like letting it all out in the title. Note to self … never write a book review when you’re in this kind of mood… but I am in this kind of mood, and I already started, so here we go…

Today, we’re going to talk about the YA novel Crux, by Julie Reece. Now for starters, I am going to openly admit that Julie Reece is the author I spoke about several months ago who jumped out of the Scribophile world and offered to help me when I needed a beta reader for Last Winter Red. Will this skew my review? (I think you know me better than that by now.) I can honestly say I’ve never met Julie Reece, and wouldn’t know her if I tripped over her in a Wal-Mart. So, no… no problems there.

So this is the deal. I picked up Crux for two reasons. #1: Awesome cover. Totally love it and I’ve made a note to find out who the cover artist is, ‘cause it stopped me dead in my tracks several times. Brilliant cover in my opinion.

The second reason this moved up in the ranks of my “to read” list is because the author is uber nice, and really helped me out when I was in a bind. (It’s that marketing think I’ve been talking about)

So, the basics…

This was written in first person “I” which I’ve subtracted a cookie for in the past, but I’m going to stop doing so now because I’m starting to see first person written well. Crux is no exception.

Tense: This was written in present tense. Ugh! Sorry, Ms. Reece, but it drove me a little batty. Now, don’t get me wrong. She did it well. Once I got used to it the tense was okay. The problem is I needed to “get used to it” every time I started reading the book. I’m not sure why this is, and I am willing to admit that it could just be me. Within a page of reading every night, I was swept away by the story and forgot the tense… but since it jarred me every time I picked up the novel, I need to subtract a cookie.

Were there any explosions? Yes! Well, no… Ummm… sort of. Geeze! I’m gonna say yes. It wasn’t really an explosion, but it had to do with a whole bunch of water and it was uber-fun. Loved it! I will let this fall into the explosion category and give her the extra cookie for it. (I can’t tell you what happens with the water or it will be a spoiler)

Okay, so starting with five cookies, she dropped to four and then hopped back up to five for the modified explosion. Here we go:

The Oreo Cookie concept… Start with the crunchy goodness, dig into the gooey bad stuff, and end on a crunchy good note

The top of the cookie:

Crux is a wonderfully imaginative story, completely original with kick-but characters that are wonderfully easy to relate to (right down to the dog) Even the bad guy is the sleazy gotta-love-him type. There is a strong romantic plotline and the attraction between Grey and Birdie is both completely believable, and undeniable. This is probably the most cleanly written relationship I have EVER read. There was no doubt in my mind, for a single second that the characters were attracted to each other, and acted the way the way they did…

… and Grey… DANG. For the first time ever I can understand how women can swoon over a guy from a book. I don’t know if she just hit on exactly the type of guy I like or what… but his “package” (tee hee) has more to do with his actions and personality than his looks. Awesome Character.

Birdie, the female lead is a great “kick butt” chic. She comes from a troubled past, doesn’t think of herself as strong, but all of the sudden the weight of the world is on her shoulders. This is a “super hero like” story with a likable and believable teen in the role of hero.

The middle of the cookie: The bad stuff

I already subtracted a cookie for the present tense, so I won’t go into it again. There is actually only two other things I have to pick on about this novel because this sucker is CLEAN (not even any typos, come to think of it… I should have mentioned that earlier.

Anyway…

Near the end of the novel, our hero Birdie is holding someone’s hand and “thinking”. She opens her eyes, and the person who’s hand she is holding is on the other side of the room and walking towards her. Huh?

I read the passage over and over again, trying to figure out what I had missed. This bothered me so much that before I wrote this review, I contacted the author and asked about it. She sent back a marked up version of her manuscript page that clearly showed that when she was “thinking” she was in a flashback, and she was never actually holding the person’s hand at all (At that very moment in time). It made complete sense to me as I looked at the marked up manuscript pointing out the elements that I’d missed.

However, I went back to my Kindle, prepped with my new information about what I’d missed… AND I READ IT EXACTLY THE SAME WAY I did when I had read it the first, second, third, and fourth time. Now, I am willing to admit that this may be just because I am a bimbo, but I’m figuring I’m probably not the only bimbo out there. If the author didn’t point out what I’d missed, and couldn’t explain the passage, I would have subtracted a whole cookie, but for this confusion I need to subtract at least a quarter of a cookie… just to make the bimbos of the world not feel so bad.

Another thing… The beginning. Ugh. I really didn’t like it. I am Sooooo glad that I had already purchased the novel, because if I read the first few pages in a preview, I would have dumped it. It’s a shame really. A Kick-Butt novel like this should have a kick-butt beginning… something with more excitement. Frankly, I was bored and completely uninterested.

When I finished the novel, I actually went back and re-read the beginning, and found it read WORSE than it did the first time. Mainly it had to do with the character of Jeff, who I really didn’t like or understand the first read. In the second read, I found everything in the beginning both out of character, and completely unbelievable in the realm of the overall plot. The beginning felt like it was written after the rest of the novel… I have to think that at one time it was written another way, but the author got some bad advice and changed it toooooo… ugh. I’m gonna pretend the novel starts at the point of Birdie running into the restaurant and meeting Grey and his family for the first time. That is followed by a KICK BUTT car chase. From this point on, the novel is an awesome roller coaster ride. The beginning would have been better taken care of in “gentle” backstory and inner thoughts, in my opinion.

Since many reading Crux might dump this novel before it gets good enough for us action lovers, I need to drop another quarter cookie.

The bottom of the cookie; Ending on a crunchy good note.

About three quarters of the way through the book, a little light bulb went off in my head. It had to do with the dog. When that little bulb blinks for me, it is a do or die trigger for the novel. I think “If I’m right, it will ruin the entire novel for me”. As I read the end, my neck muscles tightened, because it looked more and more like I was right… but in the last seconds, what I was dreading didn’t happen. “Whew” what a relief. I’m still not completely convinced that I’m not right… but at least it did not ruin this book for me (although it might blunder a sequel if not done well)

The ending was action packed and exciting. Lots of swords and mayhem and even a few heads getting lopped off for those of you who are in-to that sort of stuff. It was all done without the gore factor though, and the person doing the lopping was not enjoying it one iota. Even with the violence, I have added this to the Monomaniacle Middle Grade Reviewer’s reading list, just to see if he enjoys the book as much as I did.

The only minor thing I will mention about the ending, is that I think it could have sewn up just a little faster. Yes, I know sometimes I complain things sew up tooo fast, but I think this dragged on just a touch too long. I realize though that the next book was being set up, and a few things needed to be ironed out…. Which is good.

Everything is ironed out… even the minor side plotlines, but a few things are left “kind of open” which leaves us ready for a sequel, without leaving the reader feeling cheated. Yes, there is an ending, and it is solid. Nicely done.

So… the verdict is?

We start with five cookies. She lost one for present tense, but gained one back for the “water-kinda like an explosion” thing. We lost a quarter cookie for the beginning of the book, and then we lost a quarter of a cookie because I’m a bimbo. (Sorry, my review, my rules)

So, we have four and a half out of five Oreos for Crux… and a firm place in the top five novels I have ever read, (despite the Sh*tty beginning… which says a LOT about the strength of this story.)

Pick up Crux to research: Great character development, relationship building, realistic dialog, pacing, and just for an all-around fun read.