Favourite quotes for writers and readers — Part 2

My book blitz for Drowning in You is going on April 12–19 and I wrote three guest posts as part of it that I had lots of fun writing. I don’t want you, my Novel Girl readers, to miss out so here is the first post, inspired by my part one quotes here on the blog last year.

*** Guest post one from my book blitz for Drowning in You ***

We social media addicts are suckers for a good quote. From our favourite books. One of those inspirational pictures on Facebook. The right quote can make your day, and being the social media junkie I am, I have my favorite ones from books and writing in this guest post to get you going.

As the author of Drowning in You, I have many favourite quotes and snippets, but these are others I’ve collected and I hope they resonate with you, too.

I know. You’re welcome. Here you go with my first one:

“First drafts are like falling in love; you think everything is great. Second drafts are like marriage; you see all the faults.”
Rebecca Berto

I came across these from Tweeters and still I cry, “YES!” when re-reading:

“Overly describing a passing character is like hiring a decorator for a hotel room you’ll only be staying the weekend.”
— @PureText

“Female PoV characters notice more facial expressions, male PoVs typically notice posture more.”
— ‏@RayneHall

Image credit: diedphotography.deviantart.com

Image credit: diedphotography.deviantart.com

And then there are my favourites from awesome authors that make me LOL:

“i have never regretted staying home with a book. i have often regretted having conversations with people.”
— @TaherehMafi

“I’m listening to that Mariah Carey song ‘Always Be My Baby’ because I need to unlock my inner-high school angst to write this book.”
— @MirandaKennealy

And, my bookish addicts, these are some from my favourite books:

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

“He’s like a drug for you, Bella.”
— Stephenie Meyer, Eclipse

hopeless kiss.gif

My HOPELESS kiss! (you’ll get it if you’ve read it)

“The moment my lips touch yours, it will be your first kiss. Because if you’ve never felt anything when someone’s kissed you, then no one’s ever really kissed you. Not the way I plan on kissing you.”

— Colleen Hoover, Hopeless

“There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There’s .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities. A writer we used to like taught us that. There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbounded set. I want more numbers than I’m likely to get, and God, I want more numbers for Augustus Waters than he got. But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.”
— John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

***

On book quotes, I truly love those that are about love, but also the struggles in life. Drowning in You is the type of book that will take you on a journey of love and pain. I hope you can find a favourite quote from my novel too!

↓↓↓ ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT TO WIN 1 OF 5 eCOPIES OF DiY! ↓↓↓

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♥♥♥

Buy on Amazon!

DrowningInYou AMAZON<<< Buy Precise from Amazon for Kindle.

Buy Drowning in You for Kindle, too. >>>

Or, follow my blog by the buttons in the top left corner of the home page.

Amazon suggests Colleen Hoover fans buy Drowning in You

You heard right. Since Drowning in You went live on Amazon Kindle, something crazy, explosive happened and I debuted as a category bestseller for Coming-of-age fiction, ranked at #518!

You. Heard. Right. A mini-bestseller!

Thank you to everyone who has shared the word and bought my novel. The reception has been better than I’d dreamed. As proof, here’s the screenshot with Amazon suggesting buyers of New York Times bestselling author, Colleen Hoover’s Losing Hope!

The Losing Hope page on Amazon and "Customers Also Bought" suggestion

The Losing Hope page on Amazon and “Customers Also Bought” suggestion

OMG!

You know you’ve hit it big when Amazon even breathes your name in the same sentence as Colleen Hoover!

If you hop on to my Facebook album, you’ll see I’m also suggested to buy for people who have bought USA Today bestselling author, Monica Murphy’s Second Chance Boyfriend, and other New York Times and bestselling authors’ books such as Gina Maxwell (Rules of Entanglement), my friend, Kim Karr and Amazon bestselling author (Connected), Molly McAdams (Stealing Harper), K.A. Tucker (Ten Tiny Breaths), and Nyrae Dawn (Charade).

Has your mind blown too? Mine did.

Thank you. So, so much!

My release week book blitz begins April 12 (USA time), and five eBooks of Drowning in You can be won, as well as featured guest posts by my on a) best New Adult fiction, b) my favourite quotes for readers and writers (a newbie inspired by my original here on Novel Girl), and c) on writing my fictional characters. Lots of fun stuff as well as writing advice.

The book blitz will be all over your favourite blogs since I was fortunate to have tonnes of people sign up so keep your eye open for the posts!

As a reminder, the below link goes live ~ April 12, USA time.

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♥♥♥

Buy on Amazon!

DrowningInYou AMAZON<<< Buy Precise from Amazon for Kindle.

Buy Drowning in You for Kindle, too. >>>

Or, follow my blog by the buttons in the top left corner of the home page.

DROWNING IN YOU buy link: eBook live on Smashwords!

Second post link: Drowning in You is live for sale on Smashwords, too! And, for the price of a cup of coffee: $4.00!

Click to view and buy!

Click to view and buy!

I’ll post again when Kindle is live! Happy buying!

Buy: Smashwords (eBook types: HTML, mobi, ePub, PDF and RTF)

DrowningInYou - AMAZON

Rebecca Berto

Related posts:

Guest Post: Come To Me Quietly by AL Jackson—Blog Bonus

Come To Me Quietly

Blog Bonus

CTMQDate

Guest post by: AL Jackson

Hi Everyone! I’m so very excited to have the opportunity to give you a first peek at Come To Me Quietly, the first in my upcoming series, Closer.

I received some really incredible news that I want to share with you all—Come To Me Quietly will be published with New American Library/Penguin as part of a two-book deal and should come out no later than early 2014—just a little bit longer than first anticipated, but I do hope it will be worth the wait. This will be the first time any of my books have been widely distributed in print to bookstores, and I can’t wait for the chance for more readers to have access to Come To Me Quietly.

And the good news is since Come To Me Quietly will be pushed back, you all are going to get more of Christian Davidson sooner rather than later. Christian and Elizabeth’s story from Lost to You and Take This Regret will be coming late summer. Stay tuned :)

But first let’s take a closer look at my latest working manuscript, Come To Me Quietly. I can’t even wait to get Jared and Aleena into your hands. Jared Holt has absolutely taken over my heart and mind, and I hope you fall in love with him just as hard as I have. Come To Me Quietly will be packed with all the emotion you’ve come to expect from my novels, but it’s also a whole lot sexier and much Closer. So here you go—the complete synopsis for Come To Me Quietly.

 CTMQ.quote3 Book description:

Aleena Moore is content with her life. She has goals and dreams and an easy smile. She also has a secret she holds locked inside.

Jared Holt believes he doesn’t deserve to love or be loved. He destroys everything he touches. Haunted by the mistake that shattered his life, he’s fled from the memory of that pain.

Jared doesn’t know why he’s compelled to return, but finds himself drawn back to the place where it all began. The exact place where it ended. When he runs into his childhood best friend, Aleena’s older brother Christopher, he agrees to share Christopher and Aleena’s apartment while he looks for a place of his own.

Aleena is no longer the little girl Jared remembers from his past and evokes feelings in him he never wanted to feel again. Terrified of destroying her, he fights to keep her away. But her touch is something he can’t resist—the touch that sealed his fate.

Their pasts are intertwined and their futures uncertain. The only truths they know are the secrets they whisper in the night.

CTMQ.quote2

A taste of what I’ve been tossing around as I delve into Jared and Aleena’s World:

Excerpt:

Dashed lines blur until they become a solid line. My bones vibrate from the thousands of miles I’ve spent straddling this leather seat, the muscles in my right arm screaming from the hours my hand has been locked on the throttle.

But I don’t stop. I can’t, and I don’t know why. Something in my gut spurs me forward. I plough ahead.

Hot air blasts my face and my hair thrashes in uncontrolled chaos.

I bite back a bitter laugh.

Uncontrolled chaos. That’s exactly how they described me.

The desert sky goes on forever, an ocean of the deepest blue. The city rises like a beacon in the distance. Because I am drawn.

What am I doing?

There is nothing here for me. I know it. I’ve already destroyed it all. I destroy everything I touch.

Still I can do nothing but press on.

♥♥♥

I hope you’re all as excited to meet Jared Holt and Aleena Moore as I am to bring them to you! I want to thank you so much for all the support! You all have rocked this year and made this 100% possible!! Be sure to check out the drawing below—we are giving away some FUN FUN stuff!!!

xoxo

Amy

Come To Me Quietly Giveaway

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Author, AL Jackson

Author, AL Jackson

About the Author: 

 A.L. Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of Take This Regret and Lost to You, as well as other contemporary romance titles, including Pulled and When We Collide.

She first found a love for writing during her days as a young mother and college student.  She filled the journals she carried with short stories and poems used as an emotional outlet for the difficulties and joys she found in day-to-day life.

Years later, she shared a short story she’d been working on with her two closest friends and, with their encouragement, this story became her first full length novel. A.L. now spends her days writing in Southern Arizona where she lives with her husband and three beautiful children. Her favorite pastime is spending time with the ones she loves.

Author links:

Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Book links:

Pulled: Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Take This Regret: Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

When We Collide: Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Lost To You: Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

♥♥♥

Buy on Amazon!

DrowningInYou AMAZON<<< Buy Precise from Amazon for kindle or from Smashwords for all types of eReading devices.

Or, follow my blog by the buttons in the top left corner of the home page.

>>> Enter to WIN, and add, Drowning in You to Goodreads (comp. ends April 30). (Novel coming April 12, 2013)

DROWNING IN YOU buy link: paperback live on Amazon!

It happened! Drowning in You is live for sale on Amazon!

I accidentally published it early for paperback, so the eBook will still come on April 12.

Click to buy on Amazon

Click to buy on Amazon

I will post more links as the eBook goes live later on. Happy one-clicking!

Buy: Amazon (paperback)

DrowningInYou - AMAZON

Rebecca Berto

Related post:

Review: Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker

Ten Tiny Breaths - K.A. TuckerTitle – Ten Tiny Breaths

Author – K.A. Tucker

Genre – Contemporary Romance

Age Group – New Adult

Published – December 2012

Rating – 5 of 5 stars

Novel Girl rating stars-5

Blurb:

Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

My review:

I’ll start with a question: how would you describe the first time you kissed someone? Not so easy to say?

Ten Tiny Breaths is this for me. There’s so much in this novel that I loved but what touched me the most was the story of the redemption of Kacey from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder through her relationship with Trent. In real life, we don’t always get happy endings, or even happy stories, but Ten Tiny Breaths breaks you into tiny pieces and sews you up better than before.


ten tiny breaths.gif

“Just breathe. Ten tiny breaths … Seize them. Feel them. Love them.”

Kacey is one of my favourite female characters. Often in romances, I tend to fall for the couple, but it was also Kacey’s strong will that was amazing to read. She, unfortunately, is a strong girl in her beliefs but after a tragic accident that killed many of her loved ones, she is traumatised and falsely believes terrible things. She can’t hold or touch anyone’s hands. She went through a few types of coping mechanisms to her detriment.

Kacey doesn’t always make you go “what a smart choice!” but everything she does is realistic. She’s not a stable person and so you find yourself strangely agreeing with anything she does. And man, she’s done some things!

“I’ll make you whole again, Kacey. I promise you, I will.”

But then she meets Trent. God, he’s swoon-worthy all right. I could go and explain how great they are but you may get bored, so picture skin, limbs tangled and lots of mind-blowing passion.


ten tiny breaths.gif

Ten Tiny Breaths is as funny as it is heart-breaking and sexy and angsty and wild. I can’t wait for the rest of the books in the series to come out because the supporting characters, Livvie and Storm are as much my favs as Kacey and Trent and I’m soo wanting their stories too.

On my Best Everrr shelf.

5+ stars and recommended!

View all my reviews

♥♥♥

Book links:

Amazon US  | Amazon UK  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo (ePub)  |  The Book Depository (paperback pre-order)  |

Author links:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |

♥♥♥

Buy on Amazon!

DrowningInYou AMAZON<<< Buy Precise from Amazon for kindle or from Smashwords for all types of eReading devices. Or, follow my blog by the buttons in the top left corner of the home page.

>>> Enter to WIN, and add, Drowning in You to Goodreads (comp. ends April 30). (Novel coming April 12, 2013)

Review: Just Remember to Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles

justremembertobreath (1)Title – Just Remember to Breathe

Author – Charles Sheehan-Miles

Genre — Contemporary Romance

Age Group — New Adult

Published — November 2012

Rating – 5 of 5 stars

Novel Girl rating stars-5

Blurb:

Alex Thompson’s life is following the script. A pre-law student at Columbia University, she’s focused on her grades, her life and her future. The last thing she needs is to reconnect with the boy who broke her heart.

Dylan Paris comes home from Afghanistan severely injured and knows that the one thing he cannot do is drag Alex into the mess he’s made of his life.

When Dylan and Alex are assigned to the same work study program and are forced to work side by side, they have to make new ground rules to keep from killing each other.

Only problem is, they keep breaking the rules.

The first rule is to never, ever talk about how they fell in love

My review:

Boy. One of my favourites, everr.

A peek at some of the sizzles to expect >>>


wall make out.gif

Just Remember to Breathe has been written to perfection from the easy language to the way that seemingly simple writing style grabs your heart, squeezes and then bursts you into millions of pieces.

But then there’s the romance, and it develops, not enhanced by hot sex. Don’t expect to love this book only for the intimate moments. I loved this book for how much the pain got to me, for how much I could tell the guy, Dylan, and the girl, Alex felt for each other. And God, their intensity was so much more than sexual tension. They wanted each other fully in every way. I loved this book for the fact I loved the supporting characters (namely, Carrie and Sherman) as much as I adored the main characters, Dylan and Alex.

And I waited. OMG, Charles Sheehan-Miles makes you agonise over wanting the couple to get together. This is a second-chance love story, after all, but God. The man can write.

Which brings me to my final point: Charles is the author and he’s also a man and he has also written one of my favourite contemporary romances, and has smashed the likeability in this book compared to so many other female romance writers. I don’t know how he can write females so well, but if that was stopping you, you’re silly for making this regrettable choice to not try Just Remember to Breathe. It’s amazing!

Quick to devour, yet deep, this novel will move you and give you a sweet romantic feeling.

5+ huge stars!

[P.S. Make sure to try book #2 in the series, A Song for Julia. My review here.]

View all my reviews

♥♥♥

Book links:

Amazon US  | Amazon UK  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Kobo (ePub)  |  The Book Depository (paperback)  |

Author links:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |

♥♥♥

Buy on Amazon!

DrowningInYou AMAZON<<< Buy Precise from Amazon for kindle or from Smashwords for all types of eReading devices. Or, follow my blog by the buttons in the top left corner of the home page.

>>> Enter to WIN, and add, Drowning in You to Goodreads (comp. ends April 30). (Novel coming April 12, 2013)

Your life isn’t complete if you haven’t read… (Part 2)

Part 2 is here! (Please visit Part 1 here if you haven’t already.)

Just some of my favourite books I would regret not reading. Please give these a go—they’re amayyyyzing. Sorted by Genre/Subject area, all are:

Novel Girl rating stars-5

*** Click to view on Goodreads ***

Contemporary:

Just Remember to Breathe - Charles Sheenhan-MilesATSS - Khaled Hosseini

Classics:

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Historical:

The Book Thief - Markus ZusakThe Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey

Literary:

The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards

Romance:

????

Note: NA Contemporary Romance

TTTW - AN

Young Adult:

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green2

Note: YA Thriller

Note: YA Thriller

Note: YA Paranormal Romance

Note: YA Paranormal Romance

Science Fiction Romance:

The Host - Stephenie Meyer

Thriller:

TGwtDT - Stieg Larsson

Memoir:

A Stolen Life- Jaycee Dugard

♥♥♥

Buy on Amazon!

DrowningInYou AMAZON<<< Buy Precise from Amazon for kindle or from Smashwords for all types of eReading devices. Or, follow my blog by the buttons in the top left corner of the home page.

>>> Enter to WIN, and add, Drowning in You to Goodreads (comp. ends April 30). (Novel coming April 12, 2013)

Your life isn’t complete if you haven’t read… (Part 1)

Just some of my favourite books I would regret not reading. Please give these a go—they’re amayyyyzing. Sorted by Genre/Subject area, all are:

Novel Girl rating stars-5

*** Click to view on Goodreads ***

Contemporary:

ASFJ - Charles Sheehan-Miles

Dark Contemporary:

Suicide Watch - kelley York

Literary:

The Storyteller - Jodi PicoultHarvesting the HeartMy Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult

Literary Romance:

The Enchanted Orchards

Contemporary Romance (incl. New Adult):

A Happy Accident - Evan TylerHopeless - Colleen HooverThe Edge of NeverTSOT-book-cover Atria BooksBD - Jamie McGuireSlammed - Colleen Hoover

Erotica:

Captive in the dark cj robertsSeduced in the Dark - CJ Roberts

♥♥♥

Buy on Amazon!

DrowningInYou AMAZON<<< Buy Precise from Amazon for kindle or from Smashwords for all types of eReading devices. Or, follow my blog by the buttons in the top left corner of the home page.

>>> Enter to WIN, and add, Drowning in You to Goodreads (comp. ends April 30). (Novel coming April 12, 2013)

Character Profile Template — ready to download

English: Venn diagram depicting the relationsh...

Venn diagram (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I began wondering about research for my next manuscript. So I hunted down a character profile sheet so I could fully flesh out my characters, therefore cutting down revising, rewriting and drafting time. (And freaking out time.)

The result is this table below. It profiled everything I wanted to flesh out/note down and much more I didn’t think of.

I cannot take credit for this amazing reference guide. I found it here, by someone on the NaNoWriMo site forums.

I’ve searched many times in the past and there are tonnes — it’s just a matter of finding one that suits your needs as a writer. Please share this post for all your writer friends!

To download
I formatted this into tables (unlike the plain text on the original site) and pretty headings and such. It will look the most user-friendly if you download this Word document:

Character Profile Sheet

Though, you can just highlight, copy and paste the tables below. It may just look messy. [NOTE: the following is for viewing purposes.]

Happy drafting!


The Basics

Assumed Name:
Full Name:
Nickname:
Race:
Gender:
Age:
Birthday:
Place of Birth:

Physical Appearance

Height:
Weight:
Body Type:
Skin:
Eyes:
Hair:
Scars:
Tattoos:
Racial Distinctions:
Any Other Physical Distinctions:

Family Relationships

Mother:
Relationship with Mother:
Father:
Relationship with Father:
Siblings:
Relationship with siblings:
Other Relatives:
Relationships with other relatives:
Almost family members:
Reason for closeness:

Social Relationships

Sexual Orientation:
Romantically Involved:
Martial Status:
Spouse:
Children:
Friends:
Allies:
Enemies:

Personal Characteristics

Physical Strengths:
Physical Weaknesses:
Mental Strengths:
Mental Weaknesses:

Skills

Fighting:
Magic:
Technology:
Stealth:
Secrecy:
Manipulation:
Thievery:
Piloting:
Persuasiveness:

History

Childhood:
Teenage Years:
Adulthood:

More Details

Life

How would you describe your life overall?
What is your most memorable moment?
What has been the most important event in your life?
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
What is your number one regret?
When were you the most afraid?
What is your greatest fear? Why?
What is the most honorable or “good” thing you’ve ever done?
What is the most “evil” thing you have ever done?
Have you ever been in love? If so, describe what happened.
Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor/relative? Does that affect you?
Do you have any secrets? If so, what are they?

Personality

What three words would you use to best describe your personality?
What three words would others probably use to describe you?
Why are you risking your life to adventure?
Do you tend to argue with people or avoid conflict?
Are you a listener or a talker?
How long does it take for you to trust others?
Do you hold grudges?
Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations?
Do you like interacting with large groups of people?
Are you generally introverted or extroverted?

Personal Emotions

What makes you sad? Happy? Mad? Why?
Do you have any biases or prejudices?
What do you think of love?
Do you believe in self-sacrifice for the greater good?
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Personal Relationships

Who is the most important person in your life and why?
Who is the person you respect the most? Despise the most? Why?

Goals

What are your goals?
What goal do you most want to accomplish in your lifetime?
Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years? Twenty years?
If you could choose, how would you want to die?
What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for after your death?

 ***

Do you use character profile sheets?

♥♥♥

Buy on Amazon!

DrowningInYou AMAZON<<< Buy Precise from Amazon for kindle or from Smashwords for all types of eReading devices. Or, follow my blog by the buttons in the top left corner of the home page.

>>> Enter to WIN, and add, Drowning in You to Goodreads (comp. ends April 30). (Novel coming April 12, 2013)