A Few of my Favourite Things: 2013 Wrap Up

Did you know that gratitude and worry are incompatible? Apparently the act of focussing on what we have and the pleasure it brings actually diminishes anxiety and increases feelings of satisfaction. For this reason, when I find myself fixating on the "what ifs" of the future, I try to think about what I'm grateful for. So, in the spirit of gratitude here are my favourite literary moments of 2013.

1. Self-publishing Unbound (All Good Things #1): I didn't set out to self-publish Unbound in 2013. In fact, I had begun to send out queries again to select agents when a friend suggested I look into self-publishing. I did and I haven't looked back. I'm so grateful for what I've learned in the last few months. There is a whole world of bloggers, bibliophiles, and authors out there that I may never have known about had I stayed in query mode. On that note, I'm also very grateful to my friend and editor, Sonia, who still has no idea what she volunteered for (voluntold?) and how much it meant to me. 

2. Discovering Rainbow Rowell: Eleanor and Park and Fangirl shot straight to the top of my list of favourites for 2013. In addition to her rich characters and great dialogue, what I love about Rowell is that she is unique. Rowell writes across boundaries and categories and does not seem exclusive to any one of them. Fangirl was about a girl in college, but nobody seemed to be arguing about whether this was YA or NA. And although Eleanor and Park is considered contemporary, it had such a different feel than the other YA contemporaries on the market. Rowell has reminded me that I must only strive to be best version of myself. 

3. The Raven Boys: This book did something to me. I won't bore you again with my love of Stiefvater's evocative writing. Just read this. 

4. This review and this one and this one: I'm a new author and the self-doubt that came along with sending Unbound out into the world has been crippling on occasion. Although I am certain I have a lot to learn and there is much room to grow, these reviews gave me a few moments of peace and satisfaction. Not to worry, the self-doubt came back quickly. I'm told this is normal for writers. Oh goodie. 

5. This guest blog: I had such a great time writing my first guest post. It also forced me to learn how to use (and pronounce) gifs (sort of). Look Ma! I'm just like the cool kids (sort of). 

5. Unknown (All Good Things #2): I'm grateful to be writing again and feeling motivated by the story I want to tell. It's so important for me to remember how rewarding the writing process can be, without all of the editing and revising and marketing that comes later. Those things can be rewarding too, but in a different way. For now, I'm just thankful that a part of me believes this is only the beginning. 

My New Year's Resolutions

I know. I know. You don't care. And everybody talks about resolutions at this time of the year and few people really follow through. Still, I'm a traditionalist and it doesn't feel right to head into 2014 without having set a few goals for myself.

1. Watch Dr. Who: I was a big Dr. Who fan as a child. When I was about ten years old I wrote letters to the president of the UK Dr. Who fan club. He sent me a recording of the new Dr. Who theme song and for awhile, we talked plot twists, new doctors, and Daleks. However, despite strong endorsements from people I know, I just haven't gotten around to watching the new series. Until now. 2014 will be my year of the Doctor.

2. Read more books: I always wish there was more time to read. While at work I fantasize about being at home, reading. And then while at home, after the wee one is in bed, I catch myself checking Facebook, or emails, or fiddling about on the internet. This year I'm going to work really hard to skip over the pretend productivity I engage in on my laptop and head straight for what I really want to do. Which is read (but also see #1 and #3).

3. Finish Unknown: I started Unknown shortly after I finished writing Unbound. I just couldn't get Rachel and Eaden out of my head. And Unknown kept writing itself when I was trying to sleep, or drive or run. But life has interfered several times since then and it remains half-formed. Now that Unbound is out in the world, I'm going to finish Unknown with a goal to publish it in 2014. I'm also hoping my dear friend will edit again while she's still on maternity leave.

4. Write every day: I'm hoping that #3 will be be a big part of this particular resolution, but my writing hiatus after my son was born has left me feeling a bit rusty when it comes to word retrieval. And I'm starting to imagine a future where writing is as much a part of my life as my other job, the one I actually get paid for. I can't tell you how exciting it is to imagine that this is only the beginning.

5. Practice acceptance: I can be very hard on myself. It has taken me years to realize that this isn't a good thing. And sending Unbound out to be judged by the world has done nothing to diminish my inner critic. Instead, my inner critic nods sagely at negative reviews as if to say, "See? I TOLD you it was rubbish." So in 2014 I am committed to letting Unbound be exactly what it is to whomever stumbles across it and to stop imagining I have any control over what others think of it, and by extension, me.

Another Book Review

Merry Christmas. A book review from We Live and Breathe Books.

http://weliveandbreathebooks.blogspot.ca

Book Review: Unbound by: Georgia Bell

Book Review: Unbound by: Georgia Bell

A Holiday Excerpt from Unbound (All Good Things #1)

That day, the first time I saw him, we hadn’t stayed at the park for very long. My mother had grudgingly begun her overseas Christmas shopping that afternoon, hoping to package up and ship off the gifts for her Scottish in-laws ahead of the holiday rush. Thoroughly uninterested in helping her pick out pyjamas for my cousin Dawn, I trailed behind her as she impartially flipped through racks of polyester nightgowns. With my eyes squeezed tightly shut and one hand stretched out in front of me, I used the belt of my mother’s winter coat like a lifeline. Fumbling along cheerfully, I was pretending I was blind.

Eventually growing tired of my game – mostly because my mother had stood in one place for so long – but also because my arm was starting to ache from holding it out in front of me, I let my eyes slide open and turning my head slightly, was stunned into stillness.

Past the racks of children’s clothes, near the entrance of the department store, lay a Christmas village built completely out of gingerbread. Almost as tall as I was, the walls of the houses were stacked upon cotton candy snowdrifts – the crystallized sugar a fair mimic of ice warmed by the sun. The warm smell of cinnamon wafted under my nose as I gazed in wonder at the chocolate wafer streets that had been patterned like cobblestones and lined with candystick light posts. At the end of the street, a licorice car was stopped at a cherry red lollipop stop sign.

Captivated, I drifted towards the village, staring at the snow-capped peaks on the roof. Was it icing? Tentatively, I reached out with one finger to touch the outer edge of the sugary wall and stopped, suddenly aware of the slack in my other hand. Looking back, I stared uncomprehending at the tan belt that lay on the floor like a sick snake, no longer attached to my mother’s coat. No longer attached to my mother. She was gone.

Looking around wildly, stomach clenched and eyes stinging with soon- to be- shed-tears, my hands fluttered up from my sides like two startled birds from a hedge. With a sickening lurch, I realized I was alone.  I caught a glimpse that day, understood the fragile wall that stands between our sense of security and anonymity. Between being loved and being annihilated by loneliness.

Seconds before I melted down into a hysterical, I want-my-mommy kind of panic that only young children are capable of, I felt a hand rest comfortingly on my head. Gazing up, I saw a man with kind grey eyes staring down at me. He wore leather gloves that were soft on my hair and he smelled really good, like new wool and musk.

Looking back, I realize I should have been scared. Instead, I’d admired the long tartan scarf he wore loosely wrapped around his neck, underneath his long dark coat. I had almost reached out to touch it as he knelt down beside me, wondering if it was as soft as it looked. The man with the grey eyes that smiled, even though his mouth did not, said, “Don’t be afraid,” and I realized I wasn’t.

Something about his deep, warm voice was familiar and I thought maybe he knew me, or maybe he was a teacher at my school, because I wasn’t really feeling shy, like I usually did.  Instead, it felt like he liked me. I think it was because he looked right at me, and not through me, like most adults do with kids.

As I looked silently back at him, he reached for my hand and placed it firmly in his own. We walked to the counter of the department store together, this tall man with the nice-smelling leather gloves and kind eyes. He waited his turn in line and then smiled at the clerk and inquired politely if she might make an announcement.

Glancing up at him, I’d felt completely safe, as if nothing had ever been more natural than to be hand in hand with a stranger in the mall. I would have left with him, if he’d asked me to. 

Instead, he had leaned down to me and whispered, “Stay safe, Rachel, I’ll be watching for you,” and then he walked away, leaving me with the department store clerk. She looked very disappointed that he didn’t stay.

But the reason I remember that day so clearly, the reason I think I remember this at all, is because I am sure, certain in fact, that I never said a word. 


I never told him my name.

What I'm Thinking About Today 2.0

1. Bad behaviour: So I'm new to marketing and self-promotion and I'm learning as I go, just like everyone else. I have a solid amount of respect for writers who hang their creation out there for the world to see and judge. Doing so has made me feel intensely vulnerable and I understand how neurotic people can get in response to negative reviews. Seriously, I'm there. But I'm really struggling to understand  the intrusive and unprofessional behaviour I've seen on the part of some authors. And I'm worried in this world of self-publishing it's going to get worse before it gets better. Perhaps out of ignorance and perhaps because there are no well established boundaries that keep people in check. And I think that a few authors behaving badly makes it harder for those who respect professional boundaries (as best as we can) to engage and build relationships in this post-publishing house world.

 2. Eleanor and Park: Warning. More gushing about Rainbow Rowell imminent. I am so in love with this book right now. I love Eleanor and Park as characters, I love Rainbow Rowell's writing, and I love how real this story feels. Eleanor and Park captures how intensely dramatic teen angst can be without condescension or hyperbole. It's lovely and painful and genuine in a way that so many books try to be and aren't. I feel like the book gods have called my bluff in response to my mutterings about not finding stories that moved me. Rainbow Rowell and Maggie Stiefvater are my new heroes.

3. Holidays: I have my first holiday Christmas party tonight. And it's pretty much all a jumble of work and social gatherings from here on in. This part of the holidays is like looking down the first hill on a roller coaster. It's exhilarating and a bit scary and so, so fun. And about two and a half weeks from now I'll look back and wonder how it all went by so fast.

4. Mental Health: I'm concerned about our understanding of mental health. And by "our" I suppose I mean the general understanding of mental health in North America. I'm seeing a lot of messages that equate mental health disorders to physical health disorders and while I appreciate the parallel, I do think we are talking about apples and oranges. Particularly I'm concerned about the implicit message that depression is a disease and people have no part in it's treatment, maintenance, intensity or frequency. I'm worried that in our efforts to discuss mental health without shame we have externalized it as something genetic and inalterable without prescription medication. And I'm concerned that means that we're going to have a generation who feel helpless and hopeless about their own health, mental and otherwise.

5. Supernatural versus paranormal versus urban fantasy? Gillian Berry, the person behind the blog Writer of Wrongs reposted this on twitter the other day. Very helpful. Except now I'm even more unsure what genre Unbound (All Good Things #1) falls into. I think perhaps it's more supernatural than paranormal and perhaps even borders on urban fantasy. And YA or NA? I don't know. Rachel is eighteen, but  I certainly don't think she fits into the NA category as things stand now (so. much. sex). It has always felt YA as I was writing it, but I didn't want to make her a pseudo-mature 16 year old. If you've read Unbound, I'd be happy to hear what you think.

Happy Endings

My son loves the song Puff the Magic Dragon right now. He sings it every night and only gets about a third of the words right. It's adorable. So I pulled up the song on youtube so he could hear the original Peter, Paul and Mary version. Do you know it? I had to leave the room by the end. I was sobbing. It's such a sad song. And what surprised me was that there was no happy ending. The dragon goes into his cave and…that's it. He's lonely and no longer brave and Jackie Paper is probably an accountant in Ohio who has lost his soul.

I've been wracking my brain trying to come up with other examples of unhappy endings in pop culture or children's entertainment and…I've got nothing. Instead, I'm starting to suspect that slowly and  methodically, happy endings have taken over. Is it a coincidence that the much-mocked generation of entitled young adults have been raised on stories where everything worked out in the end? Maybe I'm over thinking this, but I'm wondering if the hullabaloo (ahem, a literary term) over Allegiant might be in some small way connected to our inability to tolerate unhappiness. The sheer lack of exposure people have had to things…not working out. Real life is ambiguous and uncertain. Sure, we can slog on believing our happily ever after is just around the corner, but on a day to day basis, it's a work in progress isn't it?

Maybe we need more unhappy endings to normalize the idea that life isn't fair. And to increase our sense of wonder and gratitude when things do work out in our favour?

Your turn. Could we all do with a dose of ambivalent endings? 

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

This book. This goddamn book. Just when I thought I had myself all figured out, this book came along and shook it all up again. Seriously. This f-cking book.

When I was a teenager, I used to sneak cigarettes on the back stoop of our house. Late at night, I'd sit on the cold cement in the dark and shiver as I smoked and listened to the wind blow through the trees. I felt so grown up and yet so young and uncertain. I was wistful and melancholy as only a teenager can be, mulling over my relationship and dreams and the things that stood in my way.

This is how this book made me feel. Young and uncertain and melancholy. I yearned while I read this book. Yearned to be young, to be Blue, to know Ganzy and Adam and Ronin and Noah. I yearned to ride in the orange Camaro and to have a Southern accent and to live in a warehouse.

I have said that I don't care about beautiful writing. That poetry and prose will always be second to good characters and a story that sweeps me into the plot. But this book. It was more writing than story. But the writing made these characters. Made them in a way that I didn't know they can be made. It made me want to be near them in a way that I'm not used to.

This f-cking book.

A very melancholy five stars.

What I'm thinking about today.

Well, I promised you navel gazing and it seems I'll deliver. Here's what I'm pondering today.

1. I like reviewing books, mostly because I love reading so much that discussing books is a close second. Only I've never been successful at turning off the portion of my brain that is pretty critical. And so my ratings are, at times, reflective of that critical voice in my head. Not of authors (sidestepping that land mine) but of plot and character and theme. But I'm worried. Can I keep reviewing as a writer promoting her own writing? Is there something inherently hypocritical about straddling both sides of the fence? Or do I need to pick up my poms-poms and cheer for those who write? Am I over thinking this?

2. GIFS! A lot of debate in my real life in the last couple of days if this is pronounced "Gif" as in giraffe or "Gif" as in gift. Hopelessly uncool, I was saying G-I-F, which I've been told is unequivocally wrong. At any rate, I've just learned how to use them and finally understand what tumblr is for. This is proof (for me, at any rate), that I'm still young enough to be considered hip. Or I'm Phil Dunphy.

3. The Raven Boys. This book is blowing my mind. Mostly because it's changing how I feel about writing. I love the way Maggie Stiefvater writes. LOVE. And I'm usually more partial to story and characters than writing. Her writing is gorgeous and evocative and makes me want to curl up into a ball and pour myself between the pages of the book. It makes me want to be a better writer.

4. Red wine and chocolate. That is all.

5. I've been in a monogamous relationship for a long time. A really long time. I'm committed to this relationship as I happen to have an amazing husband who turned out to be pretty kick ass father to boot. Nothing to complain about here. Except that last night while writing about oxytocin and virgins (see http://tangledinpages.blogspot.ca) I realized that this might be one of the reasons I love YA so much. That maybe I'm looking to recreate the excitement that I felt so very long ago and clearly will never really feel again.

TBR Top 10

I don't have a lot of free time these days. What free time I do have is split between reading, writing, and catching up on a few of my favourite TV shows (hello, TVD). Lately, it seems that writing and promoting Unbound has taken up a greater share of the time pie than usual and there are so many amazing books I can't wait to get my hands on. I'm hoping to spend a good portion of my holidays with my nose stuck in many of these titles. 

1. World After by Susan Ee. Have you read Angelfall yet? Please tell me you have. Penryn and Raffe are fast becoming my OTP. 

2. The Iron King by Julie Kagwa. Have no idea why I haven't picked this up yet. So many great reviews. 

3. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. I loved Fangirl. I'm hoping I will love E & P just as much. Everyone else has so my hopes are quite high.

4. Covenant Series by JL Armentrout. Another series that seems to have fallen outside of my radar. I love finding a great series that has so many books written. It means I can go back to back. 

5. Unteachable by Leah Raeder. If the reviews are to be believed, I'll need to make sure to start this when I don't have to get up early the next morning. This has "stay up all night" written all over it. 

6. Dare You To and Crash into You by Katie McGarry. Pushing the Limits was one of my favourite contemporary picks of 2013. I've been trying to avoid all of the gushing on goodreads so as not to spoil my experience with these two. 

7. Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo. This was a fun summer read. I'm hoping for good things from the sequel. 

8. The Fault in our Stars by John Green. I know, right? I'm like the last person on earth to read this book. 

9. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. Great write up. I'm intrigued. 

10. Allegiant by Veronica Roth. I haven't been put off too badly by the sh-t storm surrounding the last book. Not expecting much but I'm too stubborn to leave the series unfinished. 

Excerpt from Unbound (All Good Things #1)

“Rachel! Now please.”

That morning, my mother had stood at my bedroom door, arms folded. “I’m going to start counting.”

Leaving my motley crew of stuffed animals stranded on my bed, I darted to the hall closet, pulled my coat off the hanger, jammed my feet into my boots and quietly slipped under her arm towards the sidewalk.

A late November wind ripped the few remaining leaves from the trees to mingle with the garbage that coasted along the curb in front of our house.  Realizing that I’d forgotten my mittens, I shoved my hands into my pockets and hoped she wouldn’t notice.

We stopped at the park on the way, sitting on the cold, hard bench while she drank her coffee, watching as the squirrels scurried across the ground, foraging the last scraps of the harvest while the weather held.

My mother and I filled in the long hours until my father came home as best as we could. Like toys discarded in the playroom, we only truly came to life when my father walked through the door at the end of the day. Busying ourselves with household tasks, we allowed the minutiae of ordinary life to distract us for as long as possible, until – with the banking done and the dry cleaning dropped off – we would wander over to the park to wait. And watch.

That day, the first time I saw him, we hadn’t stayed at the park for very long. My mother had grudgingly begun her overseas Christmas shopping that afternoon, hoping to package up and ship off the gifts for her Scottish in-laws ahead of the holiday rush. Thoroughly uninterested in helping her pick out pyjamas for my cousin Dawn, I trailed behind her as she impartially flipped through racks of polyester nightgowns. With my eyes squeezed tightly shut and one hand stretched out in front of me, I used the belt of my mother’s winter coat like a lifeline. Fumbling along cheerfully, I was pretending I was blind.

Eventually growing tired of my game – mostly because my mother had stood in one place for so long – but also because my arm was starting to ache from holding it out in front of me, I let my eyes slide open and turning my head slightly, was stunned into stillness.

Past the racks of children’s clothes, near the entrance of the department store, lay a Christmas village built completely out of gingerbread. Almost as tall as I was, the walls of the houses were stacked upon cotton candy snowdrifts – the crystallized sugar a fair mimic of ice warmed by the sun. The warm smell of cinnamon wafted under my nose as I gazed in wonder at the chocolate wafer streets that had been patterned like cobblestones and lined with candystick light posts. At the end of the street, a licorice car was stopped at a cherry red lollipop stop sign.

Captivated, I drifted towards the village, staring at the snow-capped peaks on the roof. Was it icing? Tentatively, I reached out with one finger to touch the outer edge of the sugary wall and stopped, suddenly aware of the slack in my other hand. Looking back, I stared uncomprehending at the tan belt that lay on the floor like a sick snake, no longer attached to my mother’s coat. No longer attached to my mother. She was gone.

Looking around wildly, stomach clenched and eyes stinging with soon- to be- shed-tears, my hands fluttered up from my sides like two startled birds from a hedge. With a sickening lurch, I realized I was alone.  I caught a glimpse that day, understood the fragile wall that stands between our sense of security and anonymity. Between being loved and being annihilated by loneliness.

Seconds before I melted down into a hysterical, I want-my-mommy kind of panic that only young children are capable of, I felt a hand rest comfortingly on my head. Gazing up, I saw a man with kind grey eyes staring down at me. He wore leather gloves that were soft on my hair and he smelled really good, like new wool and musk.

Looking back, I realize I should have been scared. Instead, I’d admired the long tartan scarf he wore loosely wrapped around his neck, underneath his long dark coat. I had almost reached out to touch it as he knelt down beside me, wondering if it was as soft as it looked. The man with the grey eyes that smiled, even though his mouth did not, said, “Don’t be afraid,” and I realized I wasn’t.

Something about his deep, warm voice was familiar and I thought maybe he knew me, or maybe he was a teacher at my school, because I wasn’t really feeling shy, like I usually did.  Instead, it felt like he liked me. I think it was because he looked right at me, and not through me, like most adults do with kids.

As I looked silently back at him, he reached for my hand and placed it firmly in his own. We walked to the counter of the department store together, this tall man with the nice-smelling leather gloves and kind eyes. He waited his turn in line and then smiled at the clerk and inquired politely if she might make an announcement.

Glancing up at him, I’d felt completely safe, as if nothing had ever been more natural than to be hand in hand with a stranger in the mall. I would have left with him, if he’d asked me to. 

Instead, he had leaned down to me and whispered, “Stay safe, Rachel, I’ll be watching for you,” and then he walked away, leaving me with the department store clerk. She looked very disappointed that he didn’t stay.

But the reason I remember that day so clearly, the reason I think I remember this at all, is because I am sure, certain in fact, that I never said a word. 

I never told him my name.

Love Polygons

"Anyway, why is it always a triangle? Why isn't it a square or an octagon?"

Franny Banks ~ Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham 

This feels like a dangerous post. I know some people feel very strongly about love triangles. In fact, some people speak about them with a vehemence that is typically reserved for cockroaches. And since all of my posts seem to be of a confessional nature, I'll stay true to form and admit it: I like love triangles. *ducks as fellow book nerds throw things at her*

I know, I know. Love triangles are overused and too often portray girls and women as too helpless to make decisions in their lives. And it seems that every other up and coming YA book throws a love triangle in, sometimes seemingly as an afterthought or a selling feature. And, of course, there was that love triangle, the one that had the world divided between Werewolves and Vampires. I blame that love triangle for giving other love triangles a bad name. 

But I think love triangles, well executed, can do wonderful things for a story. A love triangle represents the dialectic in all of us. The acknowledgement that we have multiple and sometimes conflicting needs. In our attempts at regret management, we pretend that we can be certain of our choices. But most of our decisions, particularly the ones related to love and relationships, are so rarely straightforward. Some small part of us always regrets the path not taken, the boy not kissed, the journey never begun. But a love triangle demands a choice, forces us to choose one over the over. Demands certainty when none exists. 

"Look, the romance in these movies, it's not supposed to be some sort of dark mystery. It's a conceit, a way to show different sides of the main character, what she's struggling with. It's a way to make an internal struggle dramatic. People see themselves in that struggle. They keep using that structure because it's familiar to most people and makes sense to them." Dan ~ Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham 

Taken at face value, love triangles can be silly and vain. And too often they are used to showcase a person's desirability, in the lamest sort of show, don't tell kind of way. But if we look a bit deeper, love triangles acknowledge that in love, the choices we make are mutually exclusive. In the right context, they are symbolic of the risk that accompanies those choices. And the sadness and anguish we feel when we let go of one thing we need in order to hold on to another. 

It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't
It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed

Ross Cooperman - Holdin On and Letting Go 

Ten Notable Love Triangles

King Arthur, Lancelot, & Guinevere - I am such a sucker for this one. Love, and tragedy, honour and duty. I think of this as the template for so many modern day love triangles. The choice between loyalty and passion. For a lovely interpretation of this love triangle - see Guy Gavriel Kay's The Fionavar Tapestry.

Angela, Jordan Catalano & Brian (MSCL) - Why did this show end when it did? Why?! The boy next door versus the boy we can't have (or doesn't want us). My heart used to ache for Brian and just when Angela had begun to look at him in a new way…cancelled. 

Andy, Ducky & Blaine (Pretty in Pink) - Right? We all loved Ducky getting his Otis Redding on. But we knew, didn't we? That he wasn't going to be the one she kissed in the parking lot. 

Buffy, Angel & Spike (Buffy) - Notable for the lack of emphasis on the triangle. But it was there. Even after he left, Angel's presence was felt in every Buffy/Spike interaction. He was the one Spike would never live up to and Spike was the one Buffy settled for in his absence. It was painful to watch. 

Elena, Stefan & Damon (TVD) - arguably one of the most hotly debated triangles on television. Delena and Stelena have created shippers that are rabid in their devotion for one pairing over the other. Kudos to Julie Plec for continuing to give each side some satisfaction even though a (new) choice was made. Just for the record though, I'm Delena all the way. 

Veronica Mars, Logan, & Piz (VMars) - More fist shaking at universe. Why TV gods? Why did you take VMars away from us before we were done with her? The upcoming movie is apparently heavy on Piz versus Logan. Classic nice guy versus bad boy. I like nice guys, but I'm still Logan Echolls (swoon) all the way. 

Katniss, Gale & Peta (The Hunger Games) - Am I the only one who didn't like how the movie interpreted the Katniss-Peta relationship? Maybe I'm naive, but I really thought there was something other than survival in her connection to Peta. I liked to think of Peeta as the boy who was so kind, deep down, she didn't believe she deserved him. 

Clary, Jace & Simon (The Mortal Instrument Series) - More good guy versus bad guy. I'll admit that I liked the relationship between Clary and Jace. Nice tension, until, well, my quiver was doused by the whole incest thing. 

Jehane, Rodrigo & Ammar  (Lions of Al-Rassan) - Now this, THIS is a love triangle done well. Both men of worth and a woman who can stand on her own with or without them. Guy Gavriel Kay writes women so beautifully. Smart and funny, and accomplished. If you like High Fantasy, The Lions of Al-Rassan is a gem. 

Elayne, Min, Aviendha, & Rand (The Wheel of Time Series) - This one is just silly. An actual love rectangle. And I although I've tried twice, I run out of steam around book eight. It's just too much. 

Archie, Betty & Veronica (Archie Comics) - I was so confused by this love triangle as a kid. Why on earth would anybody like Veronica? She was such a mean girl. And Betty was kind and funny and pretty. Truly Archie - why the indecision? 

Who did I miss? Let me know which triangle you love. Or love to hate. Or just plain hate. 

Giveaway: UNBOUND

In honour of the release of UNBOUND, I'll be giving away FIVE free copies of the ebook in exchange for an honest review on goodreads and Amazon. The first five people who contact me at georgiabellbooks@gmail.com with the word GIVEAWAY in the title will be sent the ebook in whatever format is requested (.pdf, .mobi, .epub). Happy reading!

Here’s a brief synopsis to whet your appetite.

What if the person you’ve trusted with your life turns out to be the biggest threat to your existence?

After her father dies, Rachel realizes she is scared and stuck. Scared of heights, of cars, of disasters harming the people she loves. Stuck in a life that is getting smaller by the minute. Stuck with a secret she has kept all her life: Someone has been watching over her since birth. Someone who tends to show up when she needs him the most. Someone she believes is her guardian angel.

Eaden is a 1,500-year-old immortal who wants to die. Drained by a life stretched too thin, he has requested his final reward – a mortal sacrifice bred specifically to bring him death. But something went wrong. Rachel’s 

ability to grant death has mutated in ways that threaten to upset the uneasy alliance between mortals and immortals. And utterly beguiled, Eaden discovers that although Rachel is the key to his death, because of her, he no longer wants to die. And he will do anything to protect her.

Swept into a world of legends, caught between the warring political factions of immortals, and carrying the future of mortal kind in her flesh and bone, Rachel must risk everything to save her world and the man she loves.

Many thanks,

Georgia 

Release Day!

I'm so very, very excited to share the news that my debut novel, Unbound, is NOW available on Amazon. A huge thank you to all who have supported me to get this book out of my head and into the world. Now go buy it and tell me what you think: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GDU3OP4

Mine, Yours, and Ours

One of the first year university courses I took was Lit 101. I sat in an overcrowded, soft-seat theatre that had been converted into a student lecture hall, clipboard balanced on my knees, sweating in my winter coat, listening to my prof speak about selected topics in English literature. I remember almost nothing else about that course except that I was completely blown away by the fact that I had been given permission to interpret a story, in whatever way I liked. All through high school, I had laboured under the delusion that there was one right way to understand plot and theme. That my job was to try to figure out what the author was trying to say. Imagine my surprise when I found out that although anyone could debate the merits of one interpretation over the over, it was truly up to me to figure out what a story meant. Like a literary Rorschach, I could make whatever pictures I wanted to, and ultimately, no one could say I was wrong. It was liberating.

If you're a lover of YA, you will not have missed the release of Allegiant this month and the kerfuffle (that's a literary term) over the ending. I haven't read Allegiant yet, and so have no idea what the ending might be, but it sure seems to have gotten under the skin of some Divergent Trilogy fans. It also seems to have sparked debate about readers' expectations and the author's responsibility to meet them. As a reader, I can understand and relate to the intense disappointment that results from a beloved character dying, or a storyline that veers in an unexpected and unwanted direction. Who hasn't shaken their fist and yelled "No!" at the pages, or wanted to toss a book across the room when things go south (really, just me?)? But as a writer, the prospect of writing to please people scares the pants off of me. As soon as someone else's expectations are introduced, I'm blocked. That's not to say I don't try to please people when I write - of course I do. But trying to please everyone will result in a storyline that is as bland as the food they serve on airplanes. Instead, I write the stories I like to read and hope that others will, too. I think the answer, if there is one, is that both author and reader own the story and neither has any claim to the real estate on the other side. Don't like the ending? No problem. Review, rant, and rave. It's your right. And authors? Don't answer to us. Write your version of the story. Keep things spicy, and surprising, and yes, even disappointing.

10 Random Thoughts: TVD edition

This is totally self-indulgent so please forgive me. Instead of a full TVD recap, I've decided to begin a 10 Random Thoughts feature that sums up my reactions to the latest The Vampire Diaries (TVD) episode. If you're not TVD fan, feel free to just move along. Nothing to see here.

The Vampire Diaries Episode 5.04

1. Awesome car crash scene with Stefan and Damon. I like amnesia Stefan. He's way cooler.
2. Damon is bugging me in this episode.
3. I love that Mystic Falls has all of these made up traditions that involve alcohol.
4. Um, Elena? You have a boyfriend. What the hell are you doing?
5. Seriously, I like Stefan more than ever right now (but don't worry, not with Elena).
6. Sometimes I really, really like Caroline. And I totally buy her and Stefan as best friends.
7. Am I the only one who really doesn't care that Bonnie is dead?
8. Elena really does a good ugly cry.
9. Why does Tyler look like he's been starving for weeks? Has he been struck mute?
10. Another evil professor? Must be Thursday.

Jack and Diane

I sense a theme emerging.

I fall in love with fictional characters easily. And typically without good judgement. I get so swept up in a good romance that, at the end of a book, I find myself liking characters and couples that I'd likely hate if I met them on the street. But there are some couples that really, really work. Even after the book is over. Couples that make you believe in honest-to-goodness-head-over-heels romance. When I began Unbound, one of my goals was to create a couple that I could fall in love with. I think Eaden and Rachel embody some of what I find so appealing in other twosomes (and I hope you do too). Below is my list of favourite couples, drawn from books, movies, and television. Let me know who would be on your list.

1. Claire and Jamie - Outlander
When I read Outlander for the first time, I could not get enough of these two. I loved how feisty Clare was and how their relationship unfolded. No insta-love in this relationship. I also liked how brawny and gruff Jamie was, and at the same time, how he could be so loyal to his family and those he cared for. I liked how you could like him, even though he was a d-ck sometimes.

2. Henry and Claire - The Time Traveller's Wife
Have I mentioned how much I loved this book? Like really, a lot. The last time I was in Chicago I walked around the city imagining I was Clare, trying to find Henry. Something about their relationship was so genuine, perhaps because they knew so many parts of the other person, over time. Their whole darn relationship made me swoon.

3. Buffy and Angel - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Back before DVR and Tivo and apple TV there was this thing called VHS. And I would lose my sh*t if my VHS did not properly record Buffy, because even if I was home to watch the latest episode, I needed to rewind many times to savour my favourite Buffy moments. And most of them, right up until the bitter end, had to do with Angel. It was all about the angst.

4. Angela and Jordan Catalano (because you have to say both his first and last name, every time) - My So Called Life
Oh, Angela. I could so relate to her awkwardness and uncertainty about who she was, or wanted to be, as well as her all consuming obsession with Jordan Catalano. That was me. Exactly. And the guy, just as much of a loser. And I loved him still.

5. Romeo and Juliet - Romeo and  Juliet.
My first real experience with Shakespeare was reading Romeo and Juliet. I think it set the stage for my love affair with tragedy (also see #4). And both versions of the movie (Zeffirelli and Lurhman) reduced me to a snotty, blubbering mess.

6. Veronica and and Logan Echolls - Veronica Mars
I came late to the Veronica Mars party, but damn, I love her. And him. Which is awesome because I never saw it coming. I hated Logan Echolls for most of season one, and then one day I realized I didn't hate him quite as much. And then, just like Veronica, I started to see him in a different, very exciting, way. And together, they were hot. Their break up never rang true to me. I'm hoping the movie addresses this.

7. Damon and Elena - The Vampire Diaries
If you are a TVD fan, you already know. Chemistry, baby. They have it in spades. Pretty sure they are the world's hottest fictional couple.

8. Arwen and Aragorn - LOTR
I read LOTR for the first time at a very young age. Before I really understood what romance was, or why anyone would  care. But I still remember my heart pounding during Arwen and Aragorn's few scenes together. The idea that destiny and responsibility could so control a relationship overwhelmed my formative mind. It's just seemed so epic (also see #6 for best use of this word).

9. Penryn and Raffe - Angelfall
My newest, most favourite couple. Penryn rocks. She kicks ass in so many ways I just can't count them. And although Raffe is playing his cards close to his chest, you just know he's so into her. And I can see all the qualities I love beginning to emerge in their relationship (integrity, passion, loyalty). Can't wait for The World After!

10. Edward and Bella - Twilight
I know. I hate myself, okay? But if I'm truly honest and ignore that part of me that wants to completely dissociate myself from Twihards, I did love Bella and Edward. Before the movies, before Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart and the media sh-t storm that surrounded them, I loved them. There, I said it.