All is right in my world again…

My replacement copy of THE REPLACEMENT arrived and I finished it last night. It was awesome! I expected it to be given how much I love Brenna’s short stories and memories of the past, but it was so good that I really didn’t want it to end. I know she’s already submitted a second book, but does anyone know if it’s a sequel to this or is Mackie’s story just over? I would really love to read more. He was a seriously lovable character (whether he thought so or not) and he has an amazing group of friends surrounding him. Even his family was quality people.

While I waited for that book to arrive though, I started & finished BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS (the second book in the CASTER CHRONICLES). Again, I was not surprised by how much I loved this book. I loved Ethan in the first book and loved him even more in the second. And this one had so many twists and so much adventure I couldn’t get enough of it. I’m glad there will be 4 books in this series, but I hate having to wait for their release. I hope whenever they get around to making these into movies that they don’t butcher the stories. They are so awesomely written.

Question for LJ friends: Are there any books you’d recommend about or involving Christmas for me to read in December? I know what books I intend on reading next month, but I only have one slated for December so far (ENTICE by Carrie Jones), which will not involve Christmas at all. But I love Christmas and I’d like to read a Christmas themed book come December to keep my spirits high. Suggestions would rock!

So now that I’ve fulfilled my monthly goal reading wise and there aren’t too many other “scary” or “creepy” reads in my possession I think I’m going to dedicate the rest of the month to working on my writing goal. It feels like forever since I put a decent dent into my WIP and since the bulk of my story takes place in fall and it’s so wonderfully fall outside now I should really use it to my advantage.

I’m having a slight problem with my book though. I’ve been stuck on these two in between chapters for what feels like forever now and I think today (after re-reading almost everything I’ve already written) I realized it’s because during this re-write I tried to speed things up and reduce the word count and in doing so I lost the room I once had to really show the growth and depth of Teagan and Bryce’s friendship (which for the story is really important for Teagan in particular because she’s never had friends). I don’t want to lose this aspect of their character building, but before it took so long to cover and I’m so aware of the word count now that I don’t want it to drag on. Still, I don’t think it can just be summarized and have the same affect as it was meant to. I have to include a little more, but I’m undecided on how much more and how to really cover it all so the reader grasps how influential it is to Teagan. I hope I figure something out soon.

Peace – Sarah

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