#suzanne collins i am your biggest fan

[mybookplacenet]

Author Interview: Haley Cavanagh

Tell us about yourself.: I am an award-winning YA sci-fi/fantasy and self-help book author, a military veteran, a wife of 20+ years, and a mom to two teens. Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?: I was a scrappy apartment kid who joined the military right after high school. I was fortunate enough to have some amazing teachers and adults influence my life along the way. My writing reflects this from the characters to their surroundings. I love to write about a normal person who goes through extraordinary circumstances. Do you have any unusual writing habits? I can't write without my dog. My dog loves to cuddle my ankles while I write. I don't know who started it, but to this day, I can't really focus on anything unless I have my furry cuddle buddy. What authors have influenced you? I was a scrappy apartment kid who joined the military right after high school. I was fortunate enough to have some amazing teachers and adults influence my life along the way. My writing reflects this from the characters to their surroundings. I love to write about a normal person who goes through extraordinary circumstances. Do you have any advice for new authors? Don't ever give up. Believe in yourself and in your potential, and no matter what, keep writing. What is the best advice you have ever been given? "From here on out, it's sink or swim. Decide what YOU'RE going to do." What are you reading now? Ikigai What's your biggest weakness? Charcuterie! And chocolate. All the chocolate. What is your favorite book of all time? The Stand by Stephen King The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins Intensity by Dean Koontz When you're not writing, how do you like to spend your time? Spending time with my family and doing fun things together. Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you? I remember reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott when I was six or seven. It was my first full-blown book, and it catapulted me into a love of literature. I wanted to be Jo, she was so cool! What has inspired you and your writing style? My military experience and growing up the way I did. What are you working on now? I am writing a second book in the Evol-Human Chronicles world - a 2nd book after Shadowed Skies. It takes place both on land and in an underwater village. I'm having fun with it. What is your favorite method for promoting your work? Instagram and blog tours are the easiest. When it comes to marketing I much prefer to just write my head off, but I like being able to interact with readers, so if it's not an in-person book signing or a workshop, I love seeing everyone's comments and hearing what they have to say. What's next for you as a writer? I plan to continue writing YA books for the foreseeable future. How well do you work under pressure? One of my strengths is I deal very well with stress. I try to help others in stressful situations. I'm grateful for my military experience for that. How do you decide what tone to use with a particular piece of writing? I ask myself if the emotional actions are honest and gauge the age, self-awareness, and environment of the characters. If the action or tone is appropriate for their situation, then that's what I go with. If not, there's always the old editing cutting board! If you could share one thing with your fans, what would that be? Nothing you ever do with your imagination is wasted. Adulting: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet began as a few lines scrawled onto a Post-It Note. So if you've got a dream, no matter how ridiculous or weird or small it might seem, believe in yourself and pursue it with all your heart. Haley Cavanagh's Author Websites and Profiles Website Amazon Profile Goodreads Profile Smashwords Profile BookBub Profile Haley Cavanagh's Social Media Links Facebook Page Twitter Instagram LinkedIn Pinterest YouTube Account Read the full article

[alyssandrasplace]

suzanne collins i am your biggest fan

“What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again.”

[theastrophilearchitect]

March TBR/W.

Every book, audiobook, tv show and movie I want to consume in March 2021.

-Hence ‘TBR/W’ - to-be-read/watched.

I’m not usually a fan of pre-planning my media for the month - I plan out all my media obsessively, but doing it by month seems a little too much like setting deadlines for my taste, and I’m sure I’ll somehow manage to turn watching tv into a chore. Regardless, it’s worth a shot, so this is going to be a rough guide - I’m going to pick four of each category, one per week, because I’d rather underestimate and surpass than overestimate and have to defer things to the next month. So let’s go.

Books

1. Skyward and 2. Starsight by Brandon Sanderson

Skyward is set in a future where the human race is on the verge of extinction, trapped on a planet constantly attacked by alien warriors. Spensa, a teenage girl stuck on the planet, wants to be a pilot, but it seems far-off. Then, she finds the wreckage of a ship that appears to have a soul, and she must figure out how to repair it, and persuade it to help her navigate flight school.

In truth, I mainly want to read this because of how highly it’s been praised by Hailey in Bookland on YouTube. I actually tried reading Sanderson’s Mistborn series a couple years ago, and just didn’t click with it. I love fantasy, but I can pretty confidently say epic fantasy just isn’t for me. However, Sanderson’s work is adored by many, and Skyward and its sequel Starsight appeal so much more to me, and I can’t wait to get to them.

3. House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

This is Maas’s first technically-adult book; Throne of Glass is young adult, ACOTAR being classed either as young or new adult. I’ve been a fan of Maas for a long time, and, though I enjoy her books less now than I have in the past due to how seriously they tend to take themselves, I’d still love to read this one. Where her previous series were both fantasies, this sits somewhere between that and a sci-fi, but I can’t say as-of-yet what I think, because I haven’t read it yet.

Bryce Quinlan finds herself investigating her friends’ deaths in an attempt to avenge them after they were taken from her by a demon. Hunt Athalar is a Fallen angel, enslaved by Archangels, forced to assassinate their enemies, when he’s offered a deal to assist Bryce in exchange for his freedom.

4. Scythe by Neal Shusterman

I listened to this as an audiobook in 2019 as part of BookTuber Book Roast’s Magical Readathon, and didn’t hugely get along with it in truth. The audiobook was excellent as an audiobook, but the story Ian’s I just didn’t really vibe. I think I just want to like this book, so I think it’s worth a reread to see if my opinion changes.

This follows Citra and Rowan, a reluctant pair of apprentice Scythes - in a utopian future where humanity has the means to live forever, it is the job of the Scythes to control the population by essentially reaping the souls of those they choose to die. Neither Citra or Rowan want it, but I don’t remember enough about this book to say any more.

Audiobooks

1. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

This is the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy, and you either already know what this series is about, or you’ve been living under a rock for the last thirteen years. I read this book for the first time nearly seven years ago, and it’s stuck with me. It sent me into a phase of only reading dystopian books (The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken was part of this, and was the series that really got me into reading), but this was the main one that stuck with me. 

It contains a powerful message about capitalism and discrimination, and this is the second time I’ve listened to the audiobooks, though the god-only-knows-what time I’ve read the series. I listened to The Hunger Games and Catching Fire in February, which automatically puts this on my to-listen for March.

2. Ghosts of the Shadow Market by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Kelly Link and Robin Wasserman

This is a novella bind-up set in the Shadowhunters world, that I would imagine has quite a bit to do with the Shadow Market, an aspect of the Downworld introduced in The Dark Artifices, which I finished in January.

In truth, I’m mainly planning to listen to this audiobook because it’s the only Shadowhunters novella bind-up with an audiobook, and I’d just rather read additions to the main Shadowhunters series in this format rather than physically.

3. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

This is a Hunger Games prequel that was released early last year, and I just wasn’t going to read it. I heard several reviews, the general consensus of which was basically that it’s not as good as the trilogy and is somewhat unnecessary, but, in truth, my curiosity’s got the better of me, especially since I started listening to the trilogy’s audiobooks again.

This prequel follows Coriolanus Snow as a mentor in the Games before he became President of Panem and the wonderful villain of the original trilogy.

4. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

I mentioned this in my physical TBR post a couple weeks ago, but have decided to listen to the audiobook instead. A few weeks ago, I’d started to run out of audiobooks I wanted to listen to, and didn’t want to read anything on my regular TBR in this format, including this book. But, I went through a load of audiobook recommendations, and this was one of them, so it joined my to-listen.

I’m not hugely into contemporary books, but I’ve wanted to get more into the genre for a while, and this was the first one to join my TBR.

This novel follows Eliza Mirk, your typical high school outcast, who publishes a hugely popular web comic under the pseudonym LadyConstellation. Then Wallace Warland, the biggest fanfic writer of her comic transfers to her school and begins to draw her out of her shell.

TV Shows

Before I go into my list, I’d like to mention that I am currently watching WandaVision and am definitely planning to watch Falcon and the Winter Soldier on Disney+, but both come out on a weekly basis, so aren’t being included on this list. Also, I’ve been watching way too much YouTube recently, so I’m not sure I’ll get through all of these this month, especially since I’m watching the Arrowverse shows, which have such long seasons.

1. Love, Victor Season 1

This Love, Simon spin-off follows a character named Victor at Creekwood (I think that’s the name?) High School. I saw Love, Simon twice in cinemas when it was released, and, miraculously, it made me cry. I love that movie.

This series was released last year on Hulu, which is only available in the US, but as of February 23rd, it’s one of the shows that came to Disney+ as part of Star.

2. The Flash Season 1

As mentioned, I’ve started watching the DC Arrowverse shows. I watch tv shows through alternating seasons - as in, I watch season 1 of show A, then season 1 of show B, then 2 of A, etc., then when I finish one, I start watching show C - but I’m treating the Arrowverse as one show (even though it isn’t) so it’s not the only thing I’m watching. So this is technically Arrowverse S3, preceded by Arrow S1+2 (though I haven’t actually started S2 as of writing this because of how much YouTube I’ve been watching, so I’ll be finishing that first).

I genuinely don’t know that much about most DC superheroes, Flash included, but I’m going into this having been assured it takes itself less goddamn seriously than Arrow. It’s my sister’s favourite Arrowverse show, and I can’t wait.

3. Dare Me Season 1

I added this Netflix show to my watchlist when it came out, and my basic understanding is that it focuses on the cheerleaders at a high school, and begins when a new coach arrives. It focuses on the psychological damage behind competitive cheerleading, and I’m not convinced I’m going to love it, but I think it’s worth a shot.

4. Arrow Season 3

I’m so confused by this poster. This is specifically the season 3 poster, and I’m so confused, but I’m sure it’ll make more sense when I watch the season.

I explained the weird way I’m watching Arrowverse (named as such because Arrow was the first show in it) already, but Arrow follows Oliver Queen, the son of one of the billionaires of Starling City upon his return after being stuck for five years on an island when a cruise ship carrying him and his father sunk. His father left him with a list of names of the people ‘corrupting’ the city, and Oliver takes it upon himself to assume a vigilante identity and take them down.

Movies

I’m not a huge movie-watcher, but I end up compiling so many to watch that, to ensure I get round to them, I watch a movie every time I finish a tv show season. I’m also currently re-watching the MCU movies in chronological order.

1. Instant Family

This is just something that came onto Netflix recently and I thought might be entertaining, and so it joined my list.

This follows a couple who decide to adopt a teenager, only to find out she has two more siblings.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 

This is just a continuation of my MCU re-watch - I love this movie. I love Guardians of the Galaxy, full stop (on another note, I just generally don’t understand why British people call it a full stop and Americans call it a period. Neither name makes particular sense). 

3. Avengers: Age of Ultron

And here we have another continuation of my MCU rewatch. I honestly think this is my favourite Avengers movie, because the whole teams actually together, and Wanda, Scarlet Witch, is introduced - I love her. I really didn’t like Vision until WandaVision came out, though.

4. Behind The Try: A Try Guys Documentary

Not technically a movie, but still. (Are documentaries movies? I tend to think of them as separate categories, but I guess they’re both movies. Hm.) I’ve been watching the Try Guys for years, which means I need to convince my sister to give me her Google password so I don’t have to pay for this.

I’m probably not going to stick to this list, and even if I do, I’m either going to also consume things not on it, or just not finish it. But, you’ll have to wait for my March wrap-up to find out.

[the-opal-scholar-blog]

Dystopian YA Novels

For my AP Lang class I am supposed to read a dystopian novel for an independent reading project and I could really use some recommendations!!! It can be non YA as well, but I think I might enjoy YA books a bit more c: the thing is that it CANNOT be any of the books below, as I have already read them and they do not count.

Please send me your suggestions!!!!!!!

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

Divergent (first 2 books) by Veronica Roth

The Maze Runner (first book) by James Dashner

The Giver by Lois Lowry

1984 by George Orwell

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Anthem by Ayn Rand

❤️ = Loved it

🧡 = Really Liked it

💚 = It Was Okay/Not the Biggest Fan

💜 = I didn’t like it/hated it

[andreabaideas]

@mzannthropy

Seeing your tags in the previous post ("I come across as a hater" one) was the final straw for something that has been eating me for months :

I've been seeing (and many other peoples tags here at Tumblr or Twitter and Instagram opinions, or TikTok) kinda justifying or explaining themselves for liking or disliking things...

And I am so fucking tired of seeing women, ALWAYS, having to defend their things, I wonder why Only women? Never or almost never men, I feel so envious of their self confidence tbh.

No one truly should have to explain themselves. You can like and dislike whatever you want...

Heretics rock!!!!!!!!

I enjoy reading different opinions...I mean I am a fandom war veteran at this point!!! I survived Supernatural drama, TVD drama, The Hunger Games love triangle war....Even the biggest one : Team Edward vs Team Jacob on Twilight fandom for fucks sake!!! XD.

And as a Twilight veteran fan (since 2007) believe me, i've learned to not give a DAMN crap about others opinions on my little beloved things that make me happy ("Twilight suck" , "Its just for Girls", "vampires dont sparkle"....🙄🖕Let me enjoy my shitty problematic beloved saga!!!! ) cause i'm happier like that XD.

On a personal note about you @mzannthropy and to show my example.

I like things similar to you that we share and we speak about, which make me very happy to talk-write about with you (or with other whom i share interests with) like : Sam Claflin, Florence Welch , The count of Montecristo, Agatha Christie, Cats...I even started reading LM Montgomery for curiosity , as i had just read Anne of the Green gables as a teen, i am re reading her now and i'm liking her!!!! I Will read everything I find of her ASAP.

But i also have different tastes to you: I dont hate me before you (I dont like It either Its so so to me like 6/10) , I like Peeta a lot while I dislike Gale with an intensity (Im always going to say that id rather have him dead than Finnick, i'll die on that hill, forever angry at Suzanne Collins) and I fucking love Riley Keough (I know you dislike / hate her).

And what? Does that make me unable to relate to you??

Noooopeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We just have different tastes and thats okay!! I like /reblog your posts that I like, the ones i dont...i ignore, and that's It. You probably do the same I guess?

I dont get why people make such a fuss! I myself received hate for liking daisily, like... Calm tf down girl , i'm just a (still) young woman reposting photos and gifs?! What harm can i possibly make you with my things??...But i blocked and I moved on. And I bitch about hatefull people like that Sometimes.

Related to the previous Sam post :

I must admit i dont dislike any of Sam's co-stars, I like most or feel neutral tbh. I even made a post with Sam + Chemistry, with my personal list of faves, those Who I didn't post about were neutral to me, fine but not super Special, and I know how you feel about that C word XD...

Believe me I find It cheap myself...but I don't know how explain that to people without that word , in english that's it...In spanish (and french too) there are way better more complex words for romantic / frienship /sexual or mixed complex conections?? English sometimes Its poor compared. We mediterraneans are messier we need those words to figure ourselves out XD.

Conclusion to this long post :

Everyone has right to their opinions and speak for themselves, Thats freedom of speech, if everyone thought the same It would be super boring tbh.

And @mzannthropy You are not a hater you are yourself. Period. Keep posting the way you do, cause Its very you , and It makes It very cool :)

Looooong pooost aaagaaaiin.

Sam Claflin and Holliday Grainger in ‘Any Human Heart’ (2010)  

[koffeehouse]

Hey em, what's some of your favorite books and why? I've been looking for new things to read and I figured I should ask you because you seem like a wonderful person and you always have amazing answers for everyone. Hope you're having a good day, if not, I hope it gets better🌻🌻🌻

Gah, this was so sweet, I fucking love you guys, y’know that? Thank you, first off, I just...like helping you guys and talking to you, and I’ve had quite the relaxed day myself, I hope you’ve had a good day as well! Fair warning, I’m such a book nerd so this list might be a little lengthy, I can’t help myself from going to a bookstore bi-weekly and dropping hundreds of dollars on books. They’re my aesthetic, but I digress!

Harry Potter series by JK Rowling: A classic. I grew up on this series, think the first book I read was Goblet of Fire (after a fun birthday party to go see the movie when I was like, 7) and I devoured them, there’s something just so special about those books that I can’t put my finger on and I’ll love them forever. It was probably the first book series I ever truly fell in love with, so that holds a special place in my heart as well, and Hermione Granger was the first character in books I found myself actually being able to relate to? So yeah.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins: Another fun book series that has my heart. God, I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am for these books - once again, saw the movie first (in my defense, I had the book and just wasn’t really prompted to get past chapter 3 until coming home from the movie) and then went through the whole series in 48 hours. My copy of THG 1 is so battered, it deserves more. But yeah, this series was one I got so invested in, I fell in love with literally all the characters, it was what prompted me to even join Tumblr in the first place, what got me seriously writing, where I met 95% of my closest friends to this date, etc. etc. etc. I love it.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: I impulsively bought this at an airport and read it all before I even boarded my plane. I find it a little irritating how books and such nowadays encapsulate ‘the fangirl’ because it’s completely off and Rainbow does such a good job of nailing it, especially the fanfiction writer aspect of the story, the way she did it made it feel real and relatable and it honestly felt like someone who was a native fanfiction writer went and wrote that story themselves. Beautifully done. Such a cute read.

The Illuminae Saga by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff: I could literally sing my praises about this series all the live-long day, but I’ll try to contain myself. It was on my List for awhile (I have a whole note in my phone dedicated to books I want to buy) but I was so iffy about spending twenty bucks on a book, so I waited to get the first one for Christmas this past year. Personally, I love the style of a traditional book and a lot of times when people venture beyond that traditional format it’s either a huge hit or a huge miss (most of them miss) but this was absolutely perfect. The story lines are intricate, funny, heartbreaking, headache-inducing, action-packed, everything I look for in a novel and it just stuck with me. I happily had no issue dropping 20 bucks a piece for the hardbacks because they’re beautiful.

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks: Back in the day, I would have done literally anything for Miley Cyrus, and buying this book was one of them. I ended up falling in love with it beyond the whole “Oh my god MILEY” reasons I had to begin with; I’m not the biggest fan of romance novels, to be quite honest? Nowadays I like a story beyond just two people falling in love (despite that being all I used to write) but the characters, the twists, the setting, all of it reminds me of a simpler time in my life and I just love the vibes that story gives me. 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: Holy shit. Okay, so if there’s one thing you gotta know about me, it’s that I’m fascinated with WWII. Easily my favorite part of history, it interests me more than any other point in time and if I’m gonna read historical fiction, it’s gonna take place during, SURPRISE, WWII. I wound up watching the movie for this first because it landed on my radar first and y’all...it’s such a good thing I watched it illegally because I was sitting in my chair bawling my eyes out, and the book was no different. It’s such a powerful, powerful story, the POV is absolutely genius, the way Markus writes just in general is amazing...god. If you’ve never read this book, do yourself a favor and do it.

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas: This book confused the actual living hell out of me, to be quite honest, but that’s the effect the author wants you to have. Nothing I love more than a book that’s gonna make me question my whole life. I love true crime-related/inspired things, and this book got on my radar after finishing a different book that was inspired by the Amanda Knox case that didn’t leave me satisfied enough. I love a good book with a plot twist, and this one had me scrambling the whole time, I actually had to go back and read it again because it gave me such a headache. Truly a good one, finished it in one sitting.

The Silence of Six by E.C. Myers: My most recent finish, and I had to finish reading it in one sitting because the longer it sat on my brain, the more terrified I was. This book honestly had my hairs standing up reading through it, some of the stuff in the book is stuff that happens now and we’re totally oblivious to and it’s scary. It’s a thriller in every sense of the word, which usually isn’t my speed? I don’t enjoy being scared by media (horror movies are a hard no in my life) because I overthink everything and my anxiety rules me and I essentially freak myself out. But it appeals to my conspiracy-theory-loving self, so if you like conspiracy theories that kinda revolve around technology or the government, this is definitely one that you’ll enjoy. 

I’ve read so many books, to be real with you, especially over the last 9 months that we’d be here forever if I went through and named all the ones I had an affinity for, but I hope you find one here that you haven’t read and you give it a try! xx