What are you currently reading?

[Heather19]

I'm about halfway thru The Manse by Lisa W. Cantrell. I wanted a Halloween book to read. Loving it so far.

[Mattrick]

I'm reading The Kite Runner for school. I'm about 1/6 of the way in. It's pretty good so far.

[ur2ndbiggestfan]

Just finished FACE IT by Debbie Harry. I really enjoyed it. I like reading autobiographies of movie stars/rock and rollers I like, whether they actually wrote every word themselves or not or whether I agree with all their beliefs or not. To me it's fascinating stuff. Recommended.

[ur2ndbiggestfan]

I am now reading the Suntup Press Artist Gift Edition of Horns by Joe Hill. Not only does the book smell nice, it is a surprisingly good story and I am on page 94 already, with some very nice color illustrations to bring it to further life. This is the first Hill novel I have ever read and I am very glad I am doing so! Way to go Mister Hill and Mister Suntup and Ms. Kaczan!

[zelig]

Thanks Steve. Very kind of you.

[mattgreenbean]

I am now reading the Suntup Press Artist Gift Edition of Horns by Joe Hill. Not only does the book smell nice, it is a surprisingly good story and I am on page 94 already, with some very nice color illustrations to bring it to further life. This is the first Hill novel I have ever read and I am very glad I am doing so! Way to go Mister Hill and Mister Suntup and Ms. Kaczan!

I remember reading the first couple of chapters standing in line at my Walmart when it came out. Had me hooked!

[Heather19]

I've been reading some Halloween books recently. Finished The Manse which I absolutely loved. Also read This is Halloween by James A. Moore. There were some really good short stories in this one. And then I've been reading random stories from Doorbells at Dusk. So far its had some good stories, but then also some not so great stories.

[Tommy]

Frankenstein, finally. It might be the last book I actually read. I may have to turn to audio books from now on. Anyway, been meaning to read it for years. The fact that a teenage girl wrote this dark, dark work with such heavy themes makes me smile. God bless the Darkness!

[Ricky]

I've been reading some Halloween books recently. Finished The Manse which I absolutely loved. Also read This is Halloween by James A. Moore. There were some really good short stories in this one. And then I've been reading random stories from Doorbells at Dusk. So far its had some good stories, but then also some not so great stories.

You've been doing some serious Halloween reading!

So, are you gonna keep it going after tomorrow? I finished The Turn of the Key today (my second Halloween read of the month) and am torn whether to read Lore, or force myself to end the Halloweening.

[Mattrick]

I'm actually getting ready to send out another update soon. I finally received my editorial notes so now the process of applying them begins!

That's where the fun begins. Hopefully your editor didn't say you should cut roughly 70 pages of content like mine did haha

[Heather19]

I've been reading some Halloween books recently. Finished The Manse which I absolutely loved. Also read This is Halloween by James A. Moore. There were some really good short stories in this one. And then I've been reading random stories from Doorbells at Dusk. So far its had some good stories, but then also some not so great stories.

You've been doing some serious Halloween reading!

So, are you gonna keep it going after tomorrow? I finished The Turn of the Key today (my second Halloween read of the month) and am torn whether to read Lore, or force myself to end the Halloweening.

So I'm going back to my youth and I'm also currently reading Fear St. Halloween Party by R.L. Stine today But then I'm torn. I also have The Torments which is the sequel to The Manse, but I did put King on hold last week to read these books, so I'm thinking I should really finish up The Institute. Maybe I'll keep The Torments for next Halloween.

Also how was Turn of the Key? It sounds good but I really didn't care for her 2 other books that I read so I've been hesitant to try this one.

[ur2ndbiggestfan]

Frankenstein, finally. It might be the last book I actually read. I may have to turn to audio books from now on. Anyway, been meaning to read it for years. The fact that a teenage girl wrote this dark, dark work with such heavy themes makes me smile. God bless the Darkness!

I read FRANKENSTEIN many, many years ago. Time for a re-read, I think.

[Garrell]

1/3 of the way through Seed by Ania Ahlborn. Spooky and enjoyable.

[kingfan2323]

1/3 of the way through Seed by Ania Ahlborn. Spooky and enjoyable.

Kindly let us know if it tops Brother, Garrell.

looking for: The Terror S/L,
Dead Zone 1st/1st F or NF, Boy's Life S/L

[Garrell]

1/3 of the way through Seed by Ania Ahlborn. Spooky and enjoyable.

Kindly let us know if it tops Brother, Garrell.

looking for: The Terror S/L,
Dead Zone 1st/1st F or NF, Boy's Life S/L

That will be hard to do (top Brother). I will let you know

[kingfan2323]

1/3 of the way through Seed by Ania Ahlborn. Spooky and enjoyable.

Kindly let us know if it tops Brother, Garrell.

looking for: The Terror S/L,
Dead Zone 1st/1st F or NF, Boy's Life S/L

That will be hard to do (top Brother). I will let you know

Figure that Brother is her best but curious. There is a movie she mentions at the end of Brother that served as her inspiration for the story. Watching that this weekend.

looking for: The Terror S/L,
Dead Zone 1st/1st F or NF, Boy's Life S/L

[webstar1000]

1/3 of the way through Seed by Ania Ahlborn. Spooky and enjoyable.

Kindly let us know if it tops Brother, Garrell.

looking for: The Terror S/L,
Dead Zone 1st/1st F or NF, Boy's Life S/L

That will be hard to do (top Brother). I will let you know

Figure that Brother is her best but curious. There is a movie she mentions at the end of Brother that served as her inspiration for the story. Watching that this weekend.

looking for: The Terror S/L,
Dead Zone 1st/1st F or NF, Boy's Life S/L

What movie?

[Kongo]

1/3 of the way through Seed by Ania Ahlborn. Spooky and enjoyable.

I loved Brother so much, I just started Seed as well. The more I read, the more I hope Paul gives it the same treatment he gave Brother. Although ultimately Brother is pretty damn hard to top

[Ricky]

That's where the fun begins. Hopefully your editor didn't say you should cut roughly 70 pages of content like mine did haha

Nothing quite that extensive. If anything, she wants more. More character depth, descriptions, expansions on some scenes, etc. I want to keep my momentum going as I finish up my current project before I jump into edits, though. My goal is to have the new one done by Thanksgiving.

So I'm going back to my youth and I'm also currently reading Fear St. Halloween Party by R.L. Stine today But then I'm torn. I also have The Torments which is the sequel to The Manse, but I did put King on hold last week to read these books, so I'm thinking I should really finish up The Institute. Maybe I'll keep The Torments for next Halloween.

Also how was Turn of the Key? It sounds good but I really didn't care for her 2 other books that I read so I've been hesitant to try this one.

Nice! I never read any R.L. Stine when I was a kid (I did watch the Goosebumps show, though), but I red Red Rain a few years ago and loved it. I'd definitely recommend it. He describes it as a book for the kids who grew up on Goosebumps who are now adults.

And I enjoyed Turn of the Key, though I wouldn't rave about it. The writing was just okay and I wasn't completely happy with the resolution. It was very readable, though, and a page-turner. Which others of hers did you read? As I was finishing it up I was thinking I don't think I'll be in a rush to check out her other stuff. I do have In a Dark, Dark Wood, though.

[Mattrick]

That's where the fun begins. Hopefully your editor didn't say you should cut roughly 70 pages of content like mine did haha

Nothing quite that extensive. If anything, she wants more. More character depth, descriptions, expansions on some scenes, etc. I want to keep my momentum going as I finish up my current project before I jump into edits, though. My goal is to have the new one done by Thanksgiving.

My main issue was pacing. Too much characterization in the first half and it took too long for the horror stuff to really start. My editor said it took to long to get going for horror fans, and the horror was far too graphic and violent for those who like the dramatic aspect.

I always find I add more on later drafts and then take away. I haven't quite gotten the feel for nailing description and character depth on the first go around, but I'm getting better at it. Once I'm done with school in two months I'm going to take a few weeks and really nail the final edit of The Need and finally shop it around. I've currently got 3 different new novels in various stages of completion as well (and one of those is Vol 2 of about 7 volumes), so It's going to be years before I don't have something to work on.

You have any issues coming up with a second book? The second book for me was hit and miss, but the third book I literally wrote in three weeks. Came out of me like a deluge.

[Heather19]

That's where the fun begins. Hopefully your editor didn't say you should cut roughly 70 pages of content like mine did haha

Nothing quite that extensive. If anything, she wants more. More character depth, descriptions, expansions on some scenes, etc. I want to keep my momentum going as I finish up my current project before I jump into edits, though. My goal is to have the new one done by Thanksgiving.

So I'm going back to my youth and I'm also currently reading Fear St. Halloween Party by R.L. Stine today But then I'm torn. I also have The Torments which is the sequel to The Manse, but I did put King on hold last week to read these books, so I'm thinking I should really finish up The Institute. Maybe I'll keep The Torments for next Halloween.

Also how was Turn of the Key? It sounds good but I really didn't care for her 2 other books that I read so I've been hesitant to try this one.

Nice! I never read any R.L. Stine when I was a kid (I did watch the Goosebumps show, though), but I red Red Rain a few years ago and loved it. I'd definitely recommend it. He describes it as a book for the kids who grew up on Goosebumps who are now adults.

And I enjoyed Turn of the Key, though I wouldn't rave about it. The writing was just okay and I wasn't completely happy with the resolution. It was very readable, though, and a page-turner. Which others of hers did you read? As I was finishing it up I was thinking I don't think I'll be in a rush to check out her other stuff. I do have In a Dark, Dark Wood, though.

I think I have Red Rain already on my kindle. I should bump it up my tbr list. And maybe I'll pass on Turn of the Key. It sounds like it might be somewhat similar to her others. I've read In a Dark, Dark Wood, and The Woman in Cabin 10. I urge you not to waste your time with Woman in Cabin 10. It was horrible. Super unreliable narrator, predictable, and exactly the same as every other book in that genre I've read. In a Dark, Dark Wood was a little better but I also wasn't impressed with it unfortunately

[Ricky]

My main issue was pacing. Too much characterization in the first half and it took too long for the horror stuff to really start. My editor said it took to long to get going for horror fans, and the horror was far too graphic and violent for those who like the dramatic aspect.

Yeah, I can understand that. It sounds like that's one of those things that outside readers would pick up, so that's good that you got some good feedback to use when re-writing.

I always find I add more on later drafts and then take away. I haven't quite gotten the feel for nailing description and character depth on the first go around, but I'm getting better at it.

You have any issues coming up with a second book? The second book for me was hit and miss, but the third book I literally wrote in three weeks. Came out of me like a deluge.

I feel similarly in terms of better with descriptions and characters upon later drafts, especially because a lot of times when I'm writing, I realize I don't really "get" the characters until after I've spent a long period of writing time with them, so then the latter half is great, but the first half needs some more depth and tweaking.

And no, no issues with a new book. SHOWTIME was my second and I'm currently finishing up my third. SHOWTIME was more difficult than the first in terms of juggling logistics with the plot devices, but I feel like the characters and writing and pacing were better than my first. As for the third, I feel like it's been the most easy writing process of the three.

I think I have Red Rain already on my kindle. I should bump it up my tbr list. And maybe I'll pass on Turn of the Key. It sounds like it might be somewhat similar to her others. I've read In a Dark, Dark Wood, and The Woman in Cabin 10. I urge you not to waste your time with Woman in Cabin 10. It was horrible. Super unreliable narrator, predictable, and exactly the same as every other book in that genre I've read. In a Dark, Dark Wood was a little better but I also wasn't impressed with it unfortunately

Yes, you should bump up Red Rain. It's a pretty quick/page-turning read.

Oh jeeze, sounds like The Woman in Cabin 10 isn't great then. I wonder if she's a one trick pony? I'm not a fan of unreliable narrators. Was it written in first person? I'm really tired of this whole "domestic suspense" trend: women with secrets who "might have done something horrible", unreliable narrators, alcoholism, etc.

[WeDealInLead]

I needed a lighter read after battling The Ceremonies and Harvest Home simultaneously, so I picked up a few biographies: Dave Mustaine, Dave Ellefson, and Harley Flanagan's. Flanagan's was by far the favourite.

[ur2ndbiggestfan]

Just finished CARI MORA by Thomas Harris today, which I started late yesterday. It seemed more like a very elaborate outline than a full novel, and I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it had been more fleshed out and twice as long. Too many characters and details thrown at me at once. I still liked it, but not near as much as I liked his other novels. I still have to read BLACK SUNDAY one day.

[kingfan2323]

Just finished CARI MORA by Thomas Harris today, which I started late yesterday. It seemed more like a very elaborate outline than a full novel, and I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it had been more fleshed out and twice as long. Too many characters and details thrown at me at once. I still liked it, but not near as much as I liked his other novels. I still have to read BLACK SUNDAY one day.

Interesting breakdown. Well said. His writing style is like no other, which I enjoy.

looking for: The Terror S/L,
Dead Zone 1st/1st F or NF, Boy's Life S/L