Pens are like swords, and relationships are like glass...

If you are intrigued by the title, I'm glad, because that was the point. *chuckles*

Welcome to the book review for "The Unlikely Debut of Ellie Sweet" the sequel to "The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet" by Stephanie Morrill. 

She has a pen for a sword... but what can she use for a shield?

I got this book for Christmas from good ol' Santa Claus. 

I'm not unfamiliar with this authors work (obviously, since I read the first book in this series), in fact I read her blog fairly often (Go Teen Writers), she's also partnered with Jill Williamson, the author of The Blood of Kings Trilogy and The Safe Lands, to write with her on the blog. 

I've also read the first book in Stephanie Morrills' other series "The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt". 

Moving on with the review, the opening certainly did not disappoint and I was hooked so well that I stayed up much later than I should with a flu flying about my home. Stephanie Morrill's book starts off at a steady incline to reach the climax of Ellie Sweet's story and leaves you with a satisfactory sigh by the end. From the very first sentences I enjoyed the comic sprinkled throughout it and the iron-clad strengthening in the personalities of the characters. In case those words are a little fuzzy... I'll elaborate:

What I mean by that is we see different sides and much more is revealed about the main characters during the time reading this book. Especially Ellie. A whole new batch of troubles is opened up for Ellie Sweet in this novel and being able to go through them with her so vividly because of Mrs. Morrill's steady hand in her craft makes it that much more enjoyable. 

Ellie Sweet's story contains everything you'd think would be happening in a teenage girls' life: high school drama, boys, schoolwork... the only huge difference is that she is on the verge of becoming a published author at the start of the book. And then perhaps that there is a love triangle weaved into her life story, which was actually established in the first book to begin with, but let's just say that the triangle is continued in this one - without giving to much away. 

Mrs. Morrill balances the elements of Ellie Sweet's writerly life without overdoing it, though I could be biased since I am a writer myself and I find things about it fascinating. And moving past that I think she handled the love triangle masterfully and definitely to her own style, she clearly avoided the cliche average formula for love triangles in many Young Author genre books nowadays. That's saying something coming from me, don't get me wrong, I love romance, but I can only read truly more original romance tales without cringing occasionally. Just because it's been done so many times.

But my favorite thing about this book (and the first book about Ellie Sweet) is how tasteful yet out in the open Mrs. Morrill tackles subjects like sex, beer, and drugs. She makes no clear effort to sugar coat it, and I really admire that, because after all; every high school girl comes across conversations like that. 

If I had one complaint/critique towards this book it would only be the way she cut the scenes and timeline. During my time reading it I feel like there was a 50/50 share of it being to slow, but then to fast at times. 

As I close this post I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. A job well done! =)

I look forward to buying the other books in the Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series. ( And more books about Ellie Sweet? Please? No pressure of course haha :D )

Love

Jazmine

Dos Scribblings Weekly: Using life in your writing

Hey everybody,

It's been a long-long time. But coming this new year I'll be blogging twice a week like I should be.

Anyway, what this post will be about is certainly a little more personal for me. The idea for this post came to me only a little while ago when I was chewing on some thoughts about what's been going on in my life lately. I will not go into to much detail, but it's been difficult and very frustrating dealing with these problems and not being able to do anything about it for fear of screwing up any chance I have. And then on the flip side of things I feel I'm being far to paranoid, and that I just need to knock it off, but then I begin wondering all over again and feeling depressed. As you can see what I'm going through is just one vicious cycle of nasty feelings. As are most things in life unfortunately.
But on a happier note I have been working hard on seeing that I really don't have anything to be that sad about. Sure, the things I'm dealing with right now are difficult and irritating, but I'm a very blessed girl and I have everything I could ever need right in front of me. I may want things, but that doesn't mean I don't have everything I need. That's something I feel God has been putting on my heart lately to grow as a person.

So as I listen to The Piano Guys on my iPod I'll get down to the point of this blog post. All of those feelings I expressed above the picture of the heart (Isn't it a cute heart by the way? I just love it!) I plan on using somehow in my writing. I give credit to the book "The Revised Life of Ellie Sweet" by Stephanie Morrill for making me realize how important that concept really is for any author.
The mentor character Bronte for the main character Ellie Sweet said something like "If someone hurt you Ellie, use it. Use your anger and put it in your writing. Don't dwell on it, just use it." This is the most useful advice to date that I've received from a book or anyone.
Even though I've done it unconsciously for years during my writing career (I don't know if I should call it that?) I've never actually read or heard someone tell me to do specifically that. When I was around 12 or 13 and trying desperately to find who I was, I expressed... age appropriate feelings for the time in my life I was going through in a very excited fashion. Was it good writing? No. But now that I know consciously that using life experiences in your stories can create life in a novel, I can use it to my advantage and craft better stories. Especially now that my writing has simply improved from when I was a pre-teen. (I'm now going to graduate High School in May 2014)
My advice to you: I don't care what it is in your life, whether it be happy experiences or absolutely heartbreaking experiences you must seize the opportunity and write it into one of your novels somehow. This is, after all, what makes us writers; painting on a blank canvas for the onlookers to see and be drawn into our world.
I don't know any of you personally, but for me, this is a way I deal with pain in my life. Writing gives me a way to vent out those experiences that leave me breathless with sadness or anger. Of course you do not have to stay 100% detailed to what you experienced, but to give the reader something so raw from your own soul (whether or not the reader actually knows it) makes the characters all that more real, and the world they live in very real. I can't stress that enough.

So: use your experiences to write. =)

On a last note, I probably won't post again until after the new year. Just to get a fresh start, so I bid thee goodbye.... for now.

Love,

Jazmine