30 April 2016

Announcing the winner of the Schism giveaway and a little ramble

I have been quite excited since it's my first giveaway with physical copies and it's even international so everyone could join. I got a lot of entries and I was looking forward to announcing the 10 winners, yes, there was going to be 10 winners but I had to disqualify so many that I only have a single winner! 

I had 3 obligatory entries; be a follower of my blog, leave your email and visit the author's FB page and the majority had just followed on twitter or IG instead of through bloglovin' or GFC. People also said that they'd left a comment, which they hadn't and so many other things. I was so excited about giving something back to my readers and know I'm just left with a feeling of bing worthless. 

How can I change this? 


Let's leave it at that before I get too emotional. I have already contacted Ria, the sole winner of the giveaway. Ria has won a lot of giveaways on here, because she's a loyal reader and she's usually one of the only ones who enter. 


I have to think about what to do with the last 9 copies. 

25 April 2016

An interview with Dean Moses, author of A Stalled Ox

Dean Moses is the author of A Stalled Ox, a novella about a religious cult and cannibalism. 

Your novella, A Stalled Ox, sounds like an interesting and special read. Where did the inspiration come from?
Thank you. Before moving to New York City I grew up in England. Whilst writing A Stalled Ox, I often thought back to my childhood for a very specific reason: Mad Cow Disease. I can vividly recall newscasts reporting on the epidemic, and the horrific images—my TV screen bursting with thousands of dead livestock. To a young child (especially a vegetarian child) the news seemed to be reporting the end of the world. That footage has stayed with me, so imagining a world without meat was pretty easy. This was just one inspiration, another came from an interest I have in religion. It is my belief that religion can be a powerful force for good, but in the hands of a malevolent few, it can also be an equally powerful force for evil—a tool used to make otherwise good people perform wicked acts, simply because they are taught that it is right.    

Even though it’s a challenge to summarize any book in just a few words – try to describe A Stalled Ox using only 3 words.
Morality, compulsion and ideology.

I can’t get over the fact that you’re writing about a religious cult and cannibalism – I find it so different yet intriguing! Is there a special reason why you choose to write about those subjects?
Addiction can originate from many different paths: drugs, sex, television, video games, and food— things we could all, potentially, become addicted to. I remember my father becoming angry when he did not receive his dinner at the expected time, which almost always consisted of meat products. So I wondered: If something as widely available as meat suddenly became a rare commodity, would it also become an addiction? This, in turn, got me thinking about cults. Sects throughout history have often preyed on people’s desires and impossible expectations. A cult seemed to go hand in hand with my invented addiction.

How long did it take you to write A Stalled Ox?
I began working on it in January of 2015 for an annual competition, jointly held by the website JukePop Serials and my Publisher 1888 Center: The Summer Writing Project. The objective is to write a novella, one chapter at a time, for readers and fellow writers to enjoy. I am very thankful and happy to say that A Stalled Ox was one of three novella’s chosen for publication, alongside Let’s Stalk Rex Jupiter! by Allison A. Spector and Beneath Blair Mountain by Shannon Barnsley. Despite having prepared in advance, it was still a very difficult and nerve-racking experience. Attempting to release each chapter on schedule, not to mention the fear of readers’ feedback, was a scary thing. A part of being a writer means giving a bit of yourself for another’s enjoyment, yet I am not going to lie, I was terrified. But in the end all the hard work paid off. After A Stalled Ox was chosen, I had a great editor, Shaunn Grulkowski, who helped me clean the story up and make it even better. It was published in November of 2015, so, all in all, it was about a year of continuous work.           

I always love to hear other people’s favorite books, especially when it comes to authors. So, which book is your favorite and why?
This is a tough one—I have so many. It has the potential to change each day. Today, I would have to say Peter Pan is up there. I love its coming of age theme, and, subsequently, its longing to reject it. Also, The Great Gatsby, I think it’s truly a masterpiece.   

Please tell us something unusual about yourself to end with;

It’s difficult to say, what I may think is normal another may believe is unusual. There is one thing that does stick out, though. Moving to and living in New York City, followed by becoming an author, is a dream come true. So, I am extremely afraid of losing the place that has since become my home. Whenever I see the Empire State Building I have to stop in my tracks and blow a kiss to one of my home’s grandest symbols. For some, unknown reason this act fills me with confidence.      

 

An isolated religious cult has reportedly been consuming meat while the rest of the planet has been forced to live a life without it. Presuming this sect has resorted to cannibalism, two agents from an organization known simply as The Agency are dispatched to investigate. Will they find evidence of humans eating one another? Or is something even stranger taking place?   
 “In the tradition of Serling and Bradbury, A Stalled Ox is a gruesome, yet beautiful story that wraps a complex morality tale in an engaging and fast-paced horror story with a touch of espionage. Crafting a world where no one is truly innocent, Moses invites the reader to follow Agent Howard Harrington as he discovers what true evil is.”


Find A Stalled Ox here; Amazon US / Amazon UK / Goodreads

24 April 2016

Dewey's 24 hour readathon, April 2016 - Report

MY PROGRESS TRACKER IN MY BOOKISH BULLET JOURNAL
Before
All the snacks have been prepared and the cookies are now OUT of the oven! Can't wait to start reading! 15 minutes to go. 


Opening meme
1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
Denmark! 

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

I think my TBR is quite exciting so I can't choose one book but The Girl from Everywhere, The School for Good and Evil and Carry On are definitely on the top! 

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

My chocolate chip cookies and strawberries! 

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I usually fail miserably when it comes to this readathon - let's change that today! 

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

Well, I've prepared all the snacks ahead of time and I sent my boyfriend to his friends instead of letting him stay home - he always interrupts me! I also have a ton of snacks and I've made a great TBR! 

After 
So, the readathon ended 3 hours ago and I'm now doing my wrap up post! I feel a bit behind..
Nevertheless. I had quite a relaxing readathon! I stayed away from all social media - which unfortunately means that I forgot to make updates - so I didn't feel pressured and I just read. 


I began with The School for Good and Evil because I've been wanting to read it for a while! A magic school and fairy tales - that's basically everything I want in a book. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I'd hoped to and even though it is a middle grade it was tough to get through. I'm still debating whether I should write a review or not!

I then picked up Black Box in the final hours before midnight (the 10-11 hour) and I was surprised! It was so intriguing and hard to put down! It's written in second person and it's some sort of spy log. Definitely a great read for a readathon.

I then went to bed and I picked up The Girl from Everywhere the moment my eyes opened. I also found this one hard to put down! It's so different from anything else I've ever read and I just love it! Nix can navigate through time using maps! LOVED IT!

That adds up to a total of 933 pages and I also listened to half an hour - 45 minutes of Flawed as an audiobook!

How did your readathon go?

22 April 2016

Dewey's 24 hour readathon, April 2016


Dewey's 24 hour read-a-thon happens twice a year; in April and October. Read more about Deweys and participate here

I love readathons and my favorite is definitely Dewey's! I love the fact that it takes place over 24 hours instead of a weekend or a week. I'm much more focused and, even though I haven't been awake for the complete 24 hours yet, I prepare snacks, books, even clothes - I definitely make it a big occasion! I want this one to be the best one yet! 


My reading stack
I'm really looking forward to the books in my pile! I have 5 books and 2 novellas;
  • My 2 novellas are Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell - which I've saved for this occasion - and Black Box by Jennifer Egan! 
  • The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani is definitely at the top of my pile - it might be the first one I pick up! I love fairy tales and a fast paced middle grade should do the trick for a readathon! 
  • The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig arrived on Thursday and I immediately put it on my TBR for Dewey's! I didn't expect it to arrive already but, since it did, I can read it NOW! 
  • Blue Diary by Alice Hoffman. I found this in a second hand bookshop a few weeks ago and I knew it would be a perfect read for a readathon! It's a thriller about a guy who've brutally raped and murdered a young girl, he then gets married and 13 years later new evidence surfaces and he's in the search light. I find it intriguing! 
  • Carry On by Rainbow Rowell (yes, I love Rowell!) is my boyfriend's pick for the month of April and I think it will be great! 
  • The last one is an untranslated Danish book called Skyggeporten by Lene Kaaberbøl! It's the last book of hers that I own and have yet to read! I've read all the others this year actually! 
So, that's my reading stack! I'm also planning on listening to Flawed since I have about 4 hours left and it's perfect for when I have to do chores or need to rest my eyes! I of course have some back up books like The Book Thief and Violets & Violence



The snacks and beverages
I told you I liked to prepare snacks - well, I basically prepare everything when it comes to food and beverages! 
  • For fruit I have raspberries, bananas and green grapes! 
  • For biscuits and crackers I have chocolate chip cookies ready to be baked!And I have something called crystal cookies which is a meringue on top of a cracker - delicious.  
  • Chips are green pringles and 'cannonballs' which is like cheese shrimps but with cheddar and in balls! 
  • I also have chocolate! I love munching on chocolate while reading but I don't always feel like it.
  • Lastly I have some pretzels, walnuts, raisins and almonds! 

When it comes to beverages I have;
  • Water! Either basic with ice cubes or with lemon and lime infusion! 
  • I also have bubbly water with a taste of blueberry - yes, this year I try being more healthy with my options! 
  • Since I have a sore throat hot cocoa with marshmallows and chocolate drizzle is a must! 
  • I of course have an extensive collection of tea but I'm thinking strawberry tea, my green/white pomegranate tea and earl grey. 
  • I always have some faxe kondi on hand which gives a great energy boost and since I've been craving apple cider for a while - I have apple cider! 
I always buy a ton and never eat everything but most of it can keep so it's not so bad! The fruit is always eaten so at least I'm no too unhealthy! 


And lastly
When it comes to prepping I try to buy everything a few days in advance and the fruit the day before! I prepped the dough for my cookies some hours ago and I'm doing a test run right now! Looking forward to tasting them! Since I have to sing in our church tomorrow I only have 2 hours before the readathon starts - since it begins at 2 pm here in Denmark. I'm planning on making my infused water after church and getting the snacks in different bowls so I don't have to worry about that! 

Lunch tomorrow is probably going to be a sandwich and dinner is tomato soup! So it doesn't take too long and it tastes great! 

I don't plan on updating too much on here since it takes a lot of time from reading. I'm primarily going to do updates on instagram and they always go up on twitter! I might update on here in stages though instead of small updates at a time. I'll do an 'in reflection' post on Sunday or Monday! 

I can't wait to read with you guys!