Guest Post by Lucy Kelly; "Holding On and Letting Go."

Lucy Kelly recently wrote a guest post for me. 

She's promoting her new book titled "Holding On and Letting Go."

This should have been up a lot sooner, but due to my recent illness it's been delayed.

However, please feast upon the greatness of this guest post--
This tour is being hosted by "Irresistible Reads."

Writing the Perfect Characters

Some authors may tell you that their characters are nothing like them or their life, but I basically think that's a lie. It is impossible to write relatable characters without a tiny bit of you slipping into the character. Close family and friends often tell me they can hear my voice in Emerson's voice in Holding On and Letting Go, and they are absolutely correct. If you were to have a one on one conversation with me, I would sound much like Emerson's character in the book. The same sense of sarcasm is there as is the relentless need to stand up for myself and others. In that way, Emerson and I are one in the same. With that said, my life is vastly different than Emerson's life. I only have one older brother who is still very much alive, married, and has children. My parents are extraordinarily wonderful people. To put it mildly, I've never been in the situation I wrote for that character. I did, however, consider how I would react if that was my life, and I'm very certain that the reaction would not be pretty.

To write a relatable character, I have to emotionally take the same trip as I've written for the character.  Trust me, there are days when I can't write a scene because I know I'm going to have to break my own heart a little to write the scene in a way it deserves. I am so excited to begin work on the third book once the second book has been edited, but I know where that third book is headed. There are going to be a few days of sincerely ugly crying in my upcoming summer. Do I think it will be worth it in the long run? Yes, absolutely.  Do I dread writing a few of those chapters? Yes, absolutely. If you follow me on twitter, I am certain you will be able to tell which days I'm breaking my own heart.

There seems to be two schools of thought on creating characters. In the first school, you have the authors who write the characters who are so perfect that you fantasize about meeting and marrying them, i.e. Edward Cullen.

Personally, I hate being cold, so I don't think the relationship would last, but he is quite the hit with essentially every female age group. I respect the authors who write those characters. They have had a great deal of success writing those characters.

Here's the thing. I can't bring myself to write one of those characters. I don't want the damsel in distress and knight in shining armor characters because I have no idea how it feels to be in either one of those roles. I have never been the girl waiting to get saved, but I have also never been the perfect person with unparalleled good looks and morals. Like most people, I think I live somewhere in the middle. While I'm not interested in having plastic surgery whatsoever or going on a crash diet, you will also never see me on the Victoria's Secret runway (there goes my shot at meeting Adam Levine). Though I do my best to be a good person, I have my moments where I say the wrong things or get frustrated a little too easily. Like I said, I live somewhere between the two extremes. Again, I think most people do. I want the imperfect and slightly (or really) broken characters because those characters are far more realistic. In the end, I truly believe the realistic characters matter just a little more. They are the characters you see bits of yourself in and you find yourself nodding because you too have had that thought or reaction to something. They are the characters you wish you could talk with over dinner. They are the characters you continue to wonder about finish reading the book. All in all, I am perfectly happy writing the "imperfect" character. 

Information on "Holding On and Letting Go" as well as Lucy Kelly.

Synopsis: Is there a way to describe the ties that bind us together? What happens when one of those ties is unexpectedly severed? Can everything else remain the same? Will the other ties hold strong? Two years after her little brother's death, sixteen year old Emerson Caulfield returns to a home that she spent the last two years missing. In theory, everything should be the same. Her best friend, Matt, still lives next door. Her house is in the exact same condition as they left it. The scenery and hallways haven't changed, yet for Emerson, everything is completely different. The place may be the same, but Emerson is most certainly not. She returns home hurt, angry, and miles away from the girl she once was. The 60,000 word novel alternates between the perspectives of Emerson, who is struggling to keep breathing on a daily basis, and Matt, who wants to have his old best friend back so badly that he is willing to overlook the fact that she has completely changed. Though their friendship and relationship is a major part of the story, it takes backseat to the unique bonds between siblings, what happens when your worst enemy is in fact yourself, and the hardships that come with growing up and changing.

Links to find/buy the book:
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Blog Tour Hosted by "Irresistible Reads."
Click HERE for the initial Blog Tour post.

Divergent Casting News!!

As you may know, Divergent is one of my favorite books and series for that matter. When I heard the recent cast announcements I thought I'd post about them, but also gather up the entire confirmed cast so far to give us all a better look at how the movie is coming together!

I also found this movie synopsis/ storyline on Divergent's IMDB... it doesn't stray too far away from the actual book synopsis which I enjoy that fact quite a bit.
"Set in a futuristic dystopia where society is divided into five factions that each represent a different virtue, sixteen-year-olds have to decide if they want to stay in their faction or switch to another - for the rest of their lives.

Beatrice Prior makes a choice that surprises everyone. Then Tris and her fellow faction-members have to live through a highly competitive initiation process to live out the choice they have made. They must undergo extreme physical and intense psychological tests, that transform them all. But Tris has a secret she's kept hidden, because if anyone knew, it would mean a certain death. As she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, this secret might help her save the people she loves... or it might destroy her."

The main character in Divergent is Beatrice "Tris" Prior. I was very nervous about this character because in book to movie adaptions it's always a direct hit or miss, but Shailene Woodley has been casted and I couldn't be more pleased! I could not have picked a better Tris. I'm a big fan of Shailene's. You may recognize her from the ABC Family hit show "Secret Life of The American Teenager," but my favorite work of hers so far has been her role in "The Descendants" alongside George Clooney! 

In a interview with MTV Shailene talked about what kind of actor she believes should earn the role as her love interest "Four." -- “The thing about Four is that he has to be a man. No feminine actors, please,” she said. “You cannot walk in that room in pretty little boots and pretend you’re a man. I’m sorry. You need to walk in there, and you need to not have muscles that look good and not actually work. There have been a few guys that have this power about them. It’s a natural masculine power that some people have and some people don’t. There’s nothing good or bad or wrong or right about it. This character needs to be extremely masculine, and his eyes need to scream vulnerability and sensitivity. It’s really hard to find in a dude, especially a dude who can act.”
This makes me even more excited because she said everything I'm thinking and it shows how much she understands his character as well. Very impressive.

Caleb Prior, Tris's twin brother has been announced as well. He will be played by Ansel Elgort. Although, I am not aware of any of his work I think his appearance fits the character well and he compliments Shailene as Tris. So, let's just hope his acting chops are as exciting! It makes me even more hopeful to know that he is also starring in the new remake of "Carrie" alongside Chloe Grace Mortez. He must be doing something right, huh?

This next casting that I'm a bit obsessed with involves Maggie Q as "Tori." Tori is one of Tris's friends and allies while entering into "Dauntless." She's a tattoo artist and a all around badass. Coming from a background like the hit television show "Nikita" knows a little something about putting up a fight which is a major understatement. 

The next confirmed casting is Zoe Kravitz as Christina! The daughter of Lenny Kravitz has joined the Divergent cast to share the spotlight as a fellow "Dauntless" initiate and eventual friend. Tris and Christina share a lot in Divergent and I can't wait to see what Zoe does with the role. She is probably best known for starring in "X-Men First Class." 



*I've also heard RUMORS about Kate Winslet being a part of the Divergent cast, but it hasn't been confirmed nor has it hinted to what character she might play, so that remains unknown.*

Now I'm just going to sit back and not so patiently await the announcement regarding who is going to play "Four."

Thoughts??

Television/ Books/ Music and Movies I'm Loving:

I've decided to compile everything entertainment wise that I've been loving!

Television:

Pretty Little Liars is a all time favorite of mine and I've really been loving season three. It continues to amaze me and confuse the hell out of me at the same time. All the actors have really stepped it up this season, especially Troian Bellisario! The Vampire Diaries is another all time favorite show of mine and the episodes lately have had me even more obsessed! I'm loving the storyline and somehow The Vampire Diaries has the absolute perfect mix of cutthroat human emotion while still having supernatural elements. The Carrie Diaries is a new favorite of mine. It's really fresh and fun. I was never a huge fan of Sex and The City, but I adore The Carrie Diaries. It is essentialy a prequel, but one truly has nothing to do with the other. AnnaSophia Robb is perfection as Carrie and I love Austin Butler! The entire cast is fabulous and hilarious!

Books:

These are my absolute favorites because listing what I've read lately and enjoyed is just too much. Unravel Me by Taherah Mafi has been my favorite book of February. Shades of Earth by Beth Revis is definitely a close second!



Music:
I've been playing "Better Dig Two" by The Band Perry, "I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift, "It's Time" by Imagine Dragons, "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men, "When I Was Your Man," by Bruno Mars, AND "Next To Me" by Emeli Sandé.

Movies:

 

I was actually kind of disappointed with Beautiful Creatures because of the gaps in the storyline. However, I did enjoy it and I hope they make the sequel. That'd make everything so much better because I feel like the ending of Beautiful Creatures we just not enough for a fan like me. I also loved renting Taken 2, Hit and Run, and So Undercover. Plus, The Perks of Being A Wallflower came out on DVD! Yes!

Beneath The Glitter, Elle and Blair Fowler Review.

Title - Beneath The Glitter.
Author - Elle and Blair Fowler.
Publisher - St. Martin's Griffin.
Rate - 3/5 Stars.

I wanted to do a quick review of this book. I'm not going to go into character details, but instead stick to the overall basics of how I felt regarding this story!

Synopsis - From Internet stars Elle and Blair Fowler comes a scintillating new novel that takes readers Beneath the Glitter of the glitzy L.A. social scene.

Welcome to a place where dreams are made.  And where nothing—and no one—is ever what it seems. After their make-up and fashion videos went viral on YouTube, sisters Sophia and Ava London are thrust into the exclusive life of the Los Angeles elite.  Here fabulous parties, air kisses, paparazzi and hot guys all come with the scene. Sophia finds herself torn between a gorgeous bartender and a millionaire playboy, and Ava starts dating an A-list actor.  But as they’re about to discover, the life they’ve always dreamed of comes with a cost.

Beneath the glitter of the Hollywood social scene lies a world of ruthless ambition, vicious gossip…and betrayal.  Someone close to them, someone they trust, is working in the shadows to bring the London sisters falling down. And once the betrayal is complete, Sophia and Ava find themselves knee-deep in a scandal that could take away everything they care about, including the one thing that matters most—each other.

I've watched Elle and Blair's YouTube videos for years and I adore them! When I found out they had a book coming out I was very interested. Interested in a way that I was intrigued, yet confused. These two girls are beauty guru's who basically blew up over night on YouTube and have branched out in many ways, like their own make-up and cell phone case line. Etc. They're very accomplished, but I never saw them branching out into writing... I honestly wasn't expecting anything phenomenal and the book reeled me in out of curiosity. I never insult people's work because I think anyone who can write carries a fantastic imagination and talent. However, it was weird to think that both of them wrote a book that is basically a more scandalous version of their own lives. I had mixed emotions, but I easily fell into the trap.

It's honestly a good book...

The more I got into it the more I was unable to put it down. It's a very quick and easy read. It's cute, girly, and somewhat suspenseful. The characters were more of your every day Hollywood types, but otherwise relatable. I enjoyed reading about their adventures with their close friends, their relationships, and the bond they share as sisters. There's a bit of drama to spice everything up and enough intrigue to make you continue to turn the page. For two girls who've never really written anything other than a blog post before, I think they did a fantastic job with the story. I also noticed that as I got further into the book it was almost as if I could see the writing progress in front of me. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

One thing I'd like to see more of is Elle and Blair's original writing style. I know it was a joint effort and that's amazing, but I'd like to see something a little more personal between the two. I'd like to see what the girls can come up with on their own and then join up ideas. The book was very fluid and I couldn't tell it was co-written whatsoever, which is initially a good thing because it's supposed to flow. I think it'd just be cool what to see what came from who. If you like Lauren Conrad's books, I'm sure you'll love this. 

Pretty Little Liar Theories: "What Becomes of The Broken Hearted."

"What Becomes of The Broken Hearted."
Season 3, episode 19.

I must warn you that I'm still a little overwhelmed. Insane in the membrane... but, Here we go...Disclaimer: [If you have seen the episode, let's discuss... If you haven't seen the episode and you don't want spoilers, I don't recommend going beyond this point. However, you should stop what you're doing and go watch it, and then COME BACK because it's amazing!]

Recap:

The biggest storyline of the night goes to Miss Spencer Hastings. Her downward spiral hit a all time high, but I very much enjoyed it. She started out getting overthrown by Mona only then to be visited by Andrew, the cute nerd after school. Spencer then suggests what I like to call, "Strip Trivia" as a way to get back on the team.

Talk about a "AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL."

Meanwhile, Emily is trying to reach out to Spencer and comes crashing into Spencer's little game. All I can say regarding that is... CUPCAKES. [If you saw the episode, you know the reference is epic] The scene between Emily and Spencer was absolute perfection. The acting between Shay Mitchell and Troian Bellisario was electric. My favorite line is when Emily said, "You don't have a monopoly on pain, Spencer!" It's so true, but the fact that the other girls don't know that she's dealing with far more than a breakup is the most painful thing of all. I can't wait until the girls find out about Toby. Another HUGE storyline was Spencer being visited by Wren. I'm all about the British and very gorgeous, Mr. Julian Morris coming back on the show, but he was called by Mona. She claimed she was worried about "Spencer's mental state." Considering what they've been through and who Mona is, I would've snapped too. Mona is in one word "psychotic." She's a lot of other things, including several words that don't start with the letter A, but definitely the letter B. The culmination of it all ended with Spencer jumping across a table at Mona screaming "DIE!" It was one of the greatest scenes of the entire series because the fear on Mona's face was legendary.

Regarding Hanna, she finds out that Caleb's uncle is actually his father. She gets the two of them together and it actually goes down really well. At the end of the episode when Hanna's mom finds Caleb's dad a job, Hanna gets the idea that Caleb's dad hasn't entirely lost his old ways.

Emily and Jason went in search of a specific picture of Alison in Cape May. They find a picture of Ali, CeCe, and Detective Wilden. CeCe becomes more and more suspicious. Emily and Jason show up to a house owned by the Dilaurentis family that was covered in bottles of liquor as a hit to Jason since he's a recovering addict. That really grinded my gears. After their sleuthing, Emily and Jason find the picture and try to leave immediately only to get trapped in a elevator. Jason gets the shaft. It was a terrible moment because for a brief second I wondered if he was going to make it. It then shows Jason in his hospital room where he informs Emily that the picture disappeared in the accident, and then he somehow ESCAPES from his hospital room. I mean, let's hope he escaped on his own, but God knows he could've very well been taken.

Aria and Wesley start steaming up the Rosewood scene. The wrong Fitz
Aria gets a call to help CeCe, so she takes Wesley as a "assitant." CeCe leaves for a long amount of time, lies about her car being towed, and is out when Jason and Emily get trapped in the elevator which leads me to believe that there's a very good chance she could be the culprit. Aria and Wesley end up sharing a brief kiss that I think I enjoyed a little too much.
It was very akward, but it somehow felt right...

Jason also had a flashback of CeCe and Melissa talking on the night Ali died. He thought it had been Ali talking to Melissa, but it was CeCe the entire time. Ali and CeCe both had on yellow tops and looked practically identical with their backs turned.

All of this leads me to believe that CeCe may be more involved that anyone ever thought. We know the woman in the red coat is in charge and at this point it could very well be CeCe. I'm not sure how far I want to go with that theory because the writers don't put that many clues out there to have them end up being exactly what you thought they would be. Nope, those crafty Pretty Little Liars writers are always coming up with bigger and better things. My suspicsion meter has gone up significantly regarding CeCe and Detective Wilden. CeCe and Alison were two pea's in a pod. They're far too much alike and knowing that is the icing on the cake. This "beach hottie" that could've impregnated Ali and skipped off into the sunset while she was murdered leans to Detective Wilden, but... nothing is ever as it seems in Rosewood.

At the end of the episode it shows all of the girls pictures taped to individual whiskey bottles, the same bottles that were on Jason's porch. There's two black gloved hands that spin the bottle. It shows them actually cutting out Emily's picture and taping it to her bottle. It also shows the bottle landing on Aria's face, but then one of the hands points the bottle at Spencer.

THOUGHTS/ THEORIES?

I hope this wasn't too all over the place. Sometimes it's hard to contain as much information as the episode holds. That's why I love it, though.

(I searched "What Becomes of The Broken Hearted." Major credit to whomever made these. I did find this great Pretty Little Liars Tumblr where I found a few pictures off of too. They're all over Tumblr! It's so hard to find the original sources, though)

The "Beautiful Creatures" Hype!

I read the entire "Beautiful Creatures" series in the span of less than two weeks, give or take. I'm absolutely in love with every single character, every single storyline, and every single book. I find them all to be just brilliantly written, detailed, and etched to perfection. I knew they were making a movie before I read the books, but I wasn't really aware of the cast at the time. I started reading the books and I was still able to really think about each characther and to sum them up in my own mind. Once I did delve into the movie details, I was really ecstatic to see the cast. I think all the actors and actresses are going to be phenomenal. The trailers are exactly what I imagined them to be. The scenes and clips they've shown so far have been so close to the books in my mind that I cannot wait to sit in the theater and just be amazed. Every single time I see the trailer on television I can't help but smile. I'm one of those people who are so into the books, the characthers, and the authors that when the stories do get more recognition, I get extremely proud. So, with that said, I thought I'd talk about all the excitement surrounding the big movie release and promotions.

Yes, I am that stoked.
First of all, I will be at the midnight premiere. I bought my sister and one of my best friends the first book, "Beautiful Creatures" for Chrismas and they're both loving the entire premise, as I have. [I love it when that happens] The release date, which is Febuary 14th is around my friends birthday, so we're making it part of her birthday night. I can't explain how excited I am. Plus, can I please just mention how cute it is that it's coming out on Valentines Day? How perfect?


Here are some of my favorite photo's that I've found so far:

Up until the cast was announced I'd never heard of Alice Englart or Alden Ehrenreich, but I'm excited to see them transform on screen as two of my all time favorite characters. On the other hand, I'm already a big fan of Jeremy Irons, Emma, Thompson, Viola Davis, and Emmy Rossum. I couldn't have picked better people to play their roles. I especially think Emmy Rossum embodies Ridly as no other. When it comes to Sarafine, Emma Thompson is going to absolutely kill her role, I have no doubt about that. On another note, I'm pretty sure Viola Davis and Jeremy Irons can do no wrong. I love them so much. This cast is magical. Too cliche'?
Here's the cast/ movie IMDB page: Beautiful Creatures IMDB.

There's also one more thing that I'm EXTREMELY excited about... there's a Beautiful Creatures makeup pallete. Um, excuse me? Two of my favorite things in one? Yeah, they went there. I'm getting this immediately. I will be creating a look to where to the midnight premiere and I'm sure tons of other looks as well. I think I'll post them too and possibly make a seperate post entirely for it. You can find it at Ulta. Here: Beautiful Creatures Makeup Pallete.

And finally... here's the Beautiful Creatures Trailer:



So, are you going to the midnight premiere? Are you planning on seeing it in theaters? Have you even read the books? Let me know! Share my excitement.

Follow me on Twitter too: I talk about everything imaginable, so you better believe I'm talking about books as well, and of course about Beautiful Creatures! My Twitter: Click here & follow :)