Once Upon A Time Project Begins!

Hello everyone!  Welcome to the launch of the Once Upon A Time Project.  After some thought we have finally got this up and running.  So here's what you need to know.

What Is 'Once Upon A Time'?

Once Upon A Time is an ongoing project.  You have 3 weeks to email me your stories.  Between myself and two other book bloggers (who aren't submitting their own stories) we will agree on a Winner and 2 runners up.  I will then post the 3 stories up within a few days of the close off date and prizes will be sent off. (unless winners have stated they do not wish to have their stories posted)  This will happen every 3 weeks until otherwise stated.  Once there enough stories picked I will put together a book and have this published, and given away as a SUPER Prize.    I will do my best to supply each winner and runner up with a copy of this book but this may take a little time (depending on funds)  The book will be available for all entrants at the end of the project.

Down the track we will have a Cover Contest where you all can enter your designs and the winner that is chosen will have their cover placed on the front of the Once Upon A Time Project.  There will also be a Name Contest as well. 

Entry Rules

Word Count: Between 500 - 1000 words

Time To Complete: 3 Weeks

Genre: Whatever tickles your fancy!

Stories sent to me must be the entrants original work!

Entries must be in english.

Conditions of Entry

All work posted for Once Upon A Time Project is (c) copyrighted and no work is to be reproduced in any way (e.g. copying, broadcasting, making available on another website etc) without the Authors permission.
I will not be held responsible if this does occur, but I will do everything I can to ensure this does not happen.

 Warnings will be in bold red text at the beginning of the winning entries post if any of these stories include sexual content, swearing etc (depending on the words I may also *** out some)  and if you continue to read this is your choice.  Obviously any *** that are entered will be taken out before the book is published.

Okay so now that stuff is out the road let's get to the PRIZES!!

1st Prize

Read, Remember, Recommend: A Reading Journal For Booklovers

Writing Great Books For Young Adults by Regina Brooks

Edgar Allan Poe Manuscript Journal 

Runners Up Prize

$10.00 Online Gift Certificate for Barnes & Noble for each Runner Up.

Every few days I will post up inspirational quotes, writing tips etc to keep you all motivated.

Please have your stories in by 27th May 2010 10:00pm AEST.  You can email me your stories at spellboundbybooks{AT}gmail{DOT}com

If you have any questions, suggestions (or if I've left anything out on this post) etc for future Once Upon A Time Giveaways, you can either use my contact form on the side bar or email me.

Look forward to reading the entries!!

Waiting on Wednesday (10)

Waiting On Wednesday was created by Jill over at Breaking The Spine. It's a weekly post for you to share what upcoming books you can't wait for!

This week I couldn't help but pick a few.  There are so many books I'm waiting for so I'm making this week a double WOW.

First up is Paranormalcy by Kierston White which will be out 21st September 2010.

Synopsis(from Goodreads)
Sixteen-year-old Evie's job is bagging and tagging paranormals. Possessing the strange ability to see through their glamours, she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency. But when someone--or something--starts taking out the vamps, werewolves, and other odd beasties she's worked hard to help become productive members of society, she's got to figure it out before they all disappear and the world becomes utterly normal.

Normal is so overrated.







And last but not least Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes which is out 8th June 2010.

Synopsis (From Goodreads)
Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two.

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

Quick Poll

The Once Upon A Time Project will be starting on Thursday.  Last chance to get your thoughts in about how the voting system will work.  Majority rules.

All work posted for Once Upon A Time Project is copyrighted and no work is to be reproduced in any way (e.g. copying, broadcasting, making available on another website etc) without the copyright owner's permission.
I will not be held responsible if this does occur, but I will do everything I can to ensure this does not happen.  You'll find the Voting Poll on my side bar.

Those of you out there submitting your entries to Once Upon A Time have a chance to vote.  The Winning entrant and runners up will have their story posted on my blog unless otherwise stated.


Okay hopefully this will fix things.

Poll Closed.
52.14% to the Book Bloggers choosing
Thanks Guys

Undone by Brooke Taylor

Title:  Undone
Author:  Brooke Taylor
Genre: Young Adult
Publisher:  Walker Publishing
Publication Date: July 2008
Stand alone or series:  Stand Alone
Book Length: 310
First Lines:  'Kori came with a warning label - a black T-shirt that read: DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR ABOUT ME.'

Synopsis (Goodreads)
When Kori Kitlzer, the “dark angel” of the 8th grade, tells Serena Moore that they are more alike than she thinks, Serena is instantly intrigued.  As their friendship solidifies and their lives entwine, Serena tries to become more like the fearless, outspoken, and ambitious Kori. Soon Serena doesn’t know where she begins and Kori ends. But when a twist of fate yanks Kori away from Serena, she will need to find a way to complete her best friend’s life left undone.

My Thoughts
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I'm glad I read it.  The cover won me over and when I read the back I was thinking, this could be good.

The story begins with Serena and Kori becoming friends.  An unlikely duo at the very beginning but as the story progresses I could see the similarities between both girls.  I loved both these characters.  Kori, for her carefree take on life and not giving a damn what others think.  And Serena, computer geek, a bit of a loner and happy to have Kori 'look after her'.  But when Serena loses her best friend and security blanket, she must learn to stand on her own two feet as she tries to complete Kori's assignment - Five ways to tempt fate.

I found this story to be well written, and the little details that would normally be overlooked in some novels, all tied in together to better understand the story as a whole.    My only gripe (and this may sound silly) is that the tragedy didn't happen closer to the beginning.  I think that would have added a little extra mystery to the story as a whole.  I can understand the reasoning behind why it was written the way it was.  To me, it seemed so the reader doesn't dismiss the character after the first 15 pages.  Personal opinion though.

This does include the usual issues involved at school:  Parent-teen and peer relationships, smoking and drinking, rebellion, you name it.  Self discovery and friendship are the strongest themes throughout and I really enjoyed the journey these characters took me on.  Admittedly it has alot of the same usual things that pop up in most YA books, the bitchy cheerleaders blah blah blah but last time I checked that is how most highschools divides themselves (into groups that is) and I don't think the YA books would ring as true and reach out to teenage readers as much without some of these stereotypes.

Overall, a fantastic book!

Sticky Beak (9)

Sticky Beak's all about sharing.  Sometimes we can't all get around to every single blog and website available so thats very Sticky Beak comes in.  By word of mouth (well you get what I mean) we are more likely to get to those blogs that we wouldn't have normally seen without someone pointing them out to us.

The links could be to your own post, a favourite blog post you would love to share, an author's website/blog, book/writing contests, reviews you really enjoyed, tour info or anything that you would love to share with others.  Just use the comments section for your links!!

Heres mine:

New Bloggers I've come across:
STRiCTLY ANTiSOCiAL:  This blog is a combined effort of four sisters.  Look forward to reading more from this blog.
About Happy Books - Especially Romances:  Great little blog to check out.
Book Mogul:  Another great blog.
Book Lush: Romance, Sci-fi and Young Adult book blog.
A Novel Source: Collection of Reviews, Recipes and journery to opening an independant bookstore.
Confessions of the Un-Published: Blog of an aspiring Author. 

Writers, writing etc
Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for better writing.
WritingFix: Home of interactive writing prompts for Teachers, Students and Writers.
Novice Writers Forum:  For Fiction, poetry etc.
Fifteen Minutes of Fiction: A site for people who love to write, but don't have time to write! It's never been this much fun, or this easy...just fifteen minutes to write poetry and prose, and publish for all the world to see.
Flogging The Quill: Art and Craft of compelling story writing.
Slushpile: Writing about writing.

Okay thats all from me for now.  Hope you enjoy these links.  Also, I'm hoping to start Once Upon a Time Project either tomorrow or Thursday.  The Official Blog Button will be on VERY SOON.  Will let you know how I go this arvo via Twitter on when this will begin.  Thank you guys.  Enjoy the links and feel free to post your own in the comments section.

In My Mailbox (11)

In My Mailbox is a weekly post created by The Story Siren and inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie!! (This post was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.)

Bought

Synopsis
'Truth or dare?' She asks.
I hesitate. 'Truth,' I say finally. 'I can imagine one of your dares, and I don't fancy running down Oxford Street naked tonight.'
'Truth,' Alice says slowly, drawing out the vowel sound as if she's savouring the word. 'Are you sure? Are you sure you can be completely honest?'
'I think so. Try me.'
'Okay.' And then she looks at me curiously. 'So. Were you glad, deep down? Were you glad to be rid of her? Your perfect sister? Were you secretly glad when she was killed?'

Katherine has moved away from her shattered family to start afresh in Sydney. There she keeps her head down until she is befriended by the charismatic, party-loving Alice, who brings her out of her shell. But there is a dark side to Alice, something seductive yet threatening. And as Katherine learns the truth about Alice, their tangled destinies spiral to an explosive and devastating finale.

 Synopsis

Succubus (n) - An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasures mortal men.

Pathetic (adj.) - A succubus with great shoes and no social life. See: Georgina Kincaid.

When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants. The wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid’s life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven’t stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess get-up complete with whip and wings. And she can’t have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy’s life. At least there’s her day job at a local bookstore—free books, all the white chocolate mochas she can drink, and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can’t.

But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle’s demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won’t help because Georgina’s about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny…

Cruzito's Mailbox
Empty this week.

So that's all from me this week.. What did you get in your mailbox?

Shift by Rachel Vincent

Title:  Shift
Author:  Rachel Vincent
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher:  MIRA Books
Publication Date: March 2010
Stand alone or series:  Series (Book 5)
Book Length: 441
First Lines:  ' "You should leave. Now." My father's growl of warning resonated in some dark, primal part of me, and suddenly I craved torn flesh and fresh blood glistening in the moonlight.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE OTHER FOUR BOOKS

Synopsis
Being the first female werecat enforcer isn't easy. Scars accumulate, but I'm stronger in so many ways.
As for my personal life? It's complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother's death and my father's impeachment, it's all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.
With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option….

My Thoughts 
This is one of the best Shifter series I've ever read.  I wouldn't have found any of Rachel Vincent's books if I hadn't been shopping at Target and come across the cover of Stray sitting out of place in the Thriller section.  The cover won me over instantly, and although at the time I was reading mostly crime and mystery books, Stray was the one that pushed me into the Fantasy genre.  Thank you!

Shift picks up immediately after the end of Prey where the Sanders Pride is preparing to go into battle after the unjustified death of Ethan.  Alliances are being made and Calvin Malone is fighting for power bringing down whoever he feels necessary to get the job done.

If you thought things were bad, well they get worse.  Thunderbirds, who can shift faster than any werecat alive, begin attacking the Sander's Pride.  The number of casualties are rising, and any hopes of winning the battle with Calvin Malone are falling fast.  Then young tabby Kaci is kidnapped and the race is on to find the answers in order to have Kaci released and all the pressure is placed on Faythes shoulders.

Faythe has grown so much over this series and while the stubborn streak is still there, the realization of how important she is to her pride is sinking in and in turn her decisions are more justified than ever.  Can't help but feel for her though.  She seems to find trouble even when she's not looking.  Her love life is on the verge of being shattered.  The love triangle between Marc, Jace and Faythe is intense throughout Shift and Faythe is torn between two men, both she can't bear to lose.

Edgy, action packed and dramatic, Shift is a MUST read.  While this can definitely be read on it's own I highly recommend reading the other four Shifter books for maximum impact.  Sad to see yet another awesome series coming to a close, this has been one helluva ride and well worth all the hours I've invested in reading.

The Last book, Alpha will be out on the 1st of October 2010.