YA Highway RTW: Leslie Reads Origin on Bus

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This Week's Topic: What was the best book you read in September?


Okay before I start I just wanted to tell you that I had already planned out what book I was going to choose. But then I started reading my book for my Literary Interpretation class and I could not put it down. It's Room by Emma Donghue. It's not YA but it's fantastic.Here's the a link to it's page on amazon. Seriously though, I read over 300 pages in less than twelve hours.

Since this is YA Highway, the best YA book I read this month was Origin by Jessica Khoury.

"Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.
Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever."


There was a lot of hype for this book. I saw it a Kroger (yes Kroger) and had an external debate with myself in front of the woman who was stoking the books. Eventually I caved in and sacrificed a few unnecessary things (like vegetables and eggs) from my grocery list to buy the book.
Origin exceeded every one of my expectation. The plot was riveting, the characters were (mostly) likable and there were a ton of surprises. Every chapter left me hanging and wanting more. I was up until three one night because I was waiting for the right place to stop reading. It was impossible put down. I was late to class that day.
I'm usually the reader who predicts how the story would end after the first few chapters. I was caught off guard multiple times. It was great. I did a lot of reading on the bus. I was quite vocal. I felt bad for the people who were on the bus with me. :D
I recommend Origin to anyone who enjoys a fast paced YA SyFi/Fantasy Thriller.
Have you red Origin? What did you think? What was the best book you read in September?

Vlog: College is Hard

Filmed a video today. It pretty much sums up my life struggles.

Happy Reading!

YA Highway RTW: Fairy Tale Retelling

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This Week's Topic: In honor of this month's Bookmobile book, Marissa Meyer's CINDER, name a fable or story you'd like to see a retelling of. If you're feeling creative, come up with a premise of your own!

I'm back. Sorry I left. College and whatnot. So I love fairy tale retellings. Cinderella is my absolute favorite to be retold. That's why I loved Cinder so much. There are so many retellings out there, but there are thousands of concepts not even though of yet. To me the story can not be overdone.
I also like the other basics like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast and a lot more. But there are is one fairy tale that I adore that I have yet to see a retelling of is Snow White and Rose Red. 
If you don't know the story it's about two sisters, Snow White and Rose Red, who one winter help a bear out of the cold night and they become friends. When summer comes around he leaves to go protect his treasure. That summer the girls find a dwarf in the woods who is constantly in trouble so they help him out each time. He's ungrateful and mean to them instead of saying thanks. One day the see the dwarf being attacked the the bear. The bear kills him and he becomes a prince. As it turns out the dwarf turned him into a bear so he could steal his treasures. In the end Snow White marries the prince and Rose Red marries his brother. 
That's a basic summary of the story. I would love to see a modern retelling of Snow White and Rose Red where the bear is a homeless teenager who is taken in by Snow White and Rose Red's family during the winter and when he turns eighteen he revels himself to be the heir to a fortune. The dwarf could be someone close to the bear character who tries to steal his money from the inside or something. It's just an idea. Maybe I'll write it eventually.

Also this idea has been bouncing around in my head for years: An African American Rapunzel with magic weave. I'll write it someday...

I'll leave you at that. What fairy tales would you like to see retold?

Happy Reading!

P.S. Earlier this year I wrote a short play. It was produced for a 10 minute play festival. It's a dark story of what happens to fairy tale princesses after their happily ever after. For mature audiences only.

More Life Updates

Sorry I haven't been around. I promised that I would do YA Highway's Road Trip Wednesday regularly, but  For some reason I keep getting the days mixed up and by the time I realized it's Wednesday I don't have time to write a post. Ugh. I said I wouldn't do this when I started school, but it did. I'm not super busy right now. I'm just sleepy. Really really sleepy. 

In Reading: I'm currently reading Jessica Khoury's Origin. I'm halfway though it and I can't put it down. I suggest you all check it out. 

In Writing: Oh, yeah writing, I said a long time ago that I don't believe in writers block. I take that back. I am seriously blocked. I've tried almost every trick I know to get writing again, but I'm at a stand still. I'm sure I'll get through it soon though.

In Chocolate: Mmm Chocolate. Yeah. 

So that's my life. Questions for  you. What are you reading? Do you have any trick/advice for writers block? What is your current chocolate obsession?

Happy Reading! 

College Life Recap #1

College.
Yay. It's only been the first week but I can already tell you that I've made a lot of changes in my writing routine (i.e. I'm actually writing).
Baby steps.

This happened. Little did he know I stole his Lucky Charms.

Classes are good. I've already dropped a class after one day and swapped it for a new one. I also had to drop a really fun class because I thought it counted as a GenEd but it didn't. Boo. But I did a required class for my minor so that's fun. I have homework. I'm totally doing my homework early (okay I'm lying, but I am actually turning it in). Yeah. Big change for me.
I have a lot of required reading and since I'm actually doing homework this year, I'm doing the readings. So reading for fun time is limited. What's new. Usually it's the internet keeps me from reading, now it's reading. Weird right?
If you missed my deceptive room tour video, here it is. 

I'm still Vlogging. Morphinominal Mondays will resume. So stay tuned. I'll also be making other videos. If any of you have suggestions leave a comment below or on one of my videos. Or you can tweet me.

So what's new with you? For those of you who started school (high school or college) how is adjusting to the changes. Don't you just miss summer?

Happy Reading!

YA Highway RTW: Love List

Road Trip Wednesday is a ‘Blog Carnival,’ where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

This Week's Topic is: Inspired by Stephanie Perkins' post on Natalie Whipple's blog, what is your novel's "Love List"?

Since my novel is a WIP I have a very short list. These are the first few things I thought of when I started.

Friendship

missed phone calls and texts

Secrets

Lies

Jealousy

Cheerleading (I just really wanted a collapsing pyramid scene)

making fun of cliches

Then I had an idea for my NaNo novel for this year. I haven't started it's just a few ideas I have. But I made a love list for it too.

Superheros

Love

A not so mild mannered secret identity

a dramatic origin story

An evil pool playing shark mob boss

What's on your "Love List"? 

Happy Reading!

And So It Begins

I'm back at school. Another year of balancing classes, theatre, a social life and trying to write. In the last couple years I slacked on one or two of those, mostly it was writing. I want to do so much this year, but the question that keeps running through my head is "can I have it all?"
Classes and theatre are set in stone. Without classes, I technically wouldn't be in college. Also theatre and classes sort of mix. Theatre is my major and it's what I want to do in the future (and writing of course). So I can't give that up.

My new desk!

I just got a social life. Seriously. It took a long time to get one, but I got it and I'm not letting it go. I've only been to a hand full of parties. Technically I've only been to cast parties. But those still count. Right? Anyway I also have a few circles of friends I hang out with at during the day or in the evening. It's fun just being around people. If I become a hermit again I would miss so many of my friends and the opportunity to make new ones.
 Then there's writing, which for two years got the short end of the stick. I've tried so hard over the summer to get my first draft finished. But life decided to be a douche and punch me in the stomach saying "Not on my watch." So now I have a first draft that is halfway to my goal and I start classes and the crazy madness of college in the next few days.
So what am I going to do? Well at WriteOnCon I found a whole group of college students in my predicament. Some were further than me, like on their third and fourth draft others were in the same boat. They all shared how they find time to write and trying to be well rounded in school. Honestly I don't know how these kids do it, but I know it can be done.
It will be. I'll have it all. Maybe not at the same time. I'm positive I can do it this year.

Bookshelf. I could only bring unread books.

Now usually with the new school year I fail at blogging. This will not be the case this year. I'll be doing YA Highway Road Trip Wednesdays and I'll attempt to get in a few post a month. Also the vlog is still a thing. 30 Days of Vlogging might have ended but I'll have "Morphinominal Monday" and maybe another video in the week. I might cheat and put the video up on the blog. Vlog on the blog. That's fun to say.
This has been a great summer and I'm thrilled to start the school year.
Happy Reading!