The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

Paperback, 2005, 464 pages.

I can't remember where I heard about this book, but I was kind of intrigued since it got so many low reviews on Amazon (415 one-star reviews!) and yet it was a bestseller. It's based around a real-life book called Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a thick book about a man who dreams about his love. In the novel, however, it's full of mysteries and puzzles. The main character Tom's dad was obsessed with the book, and he meets another student at Princeton who also becomes entranced with the book and its secrets. The story follows the two of them as they try to solve the last puzzles while dealing with two men who've been studying the book for years. It's a mystery and action/adventure.

I picked it up from the library, and I liked it. I think I can see why a lot of people wouldn't like it. There are a lot of infodumps, and sometimes the backstory or history relating to the puzzles completely interrupts the current story. The writing isn't stellar, but the story intrigued me. I wanted to see what happened to the characters and what the big secret of Hypnerotomachia was. I wasn't disappointed, either.

I liked the friendship between the four guys. They're all different, but they clicked, and I really liked the bond they had. Charlie was the nicest guy, too. Paul really annoyed me after a while, but I suppose that was the point, to show how much the book had taken over his common sense.

There was a lot of cool history in this. I commend the authors for doing all that research! Seriously, a lot of time and effort must have gone into this book. The adventure aspect was great, too; they wrote great action scenes.

I think it was a good read. Like I said, not stellar, but I didn't feel like I wasted my time.

One random question I have. . .how on earth can someone write a book with another person? It's probably just me and my writing style, but that seems next to impossible. It's my book! My story! My characters! Although I have to confess that in middle school, shortly after the Lord of the Rings movies came out, me and my friends wrote this ridiculously silly fan fiction. I can't remember what it was about, just that it made us giggle during church and Legolas was probably in love with me. Still, today, that seems impossible. I might want to try it sometime, just to see what it's like.

A few things I could learn from this book.

Research. I didn't look up any of these references, but I'm sure some people did. I'm sure they got as accurately correct as they could. They even had an author's note that explained some of the things they didn't quote correctly. In my writing, I avoid the research until later, but I need to be sure it's accurate.

Backstory/Infodumps. Some of the backstory and infodumps were necessary for the story, but they completely interrupted the fast-pacedness (yep, it's a word now) of the story. In my own stories, I want to find a way to tie that into the story so it isn't so jarring.

New Story on Smashwords - Melanie's Secrets

New story is up on Smashwords - Melanie's Secrets. I know I said Death of the Sun would be next, but it still needs some tweaking.

The first paragraph of Melanie's Secrets:

My sister and I used to be good friends. Halloween used to be our favorite holiday. One time, we got this idea to see how long we could stay out of the house before our parents noticed. I don’t remember if it was my idea or hers. It was a test. We wanted to see how much our parents cared about us.

Read the rest here!

Books Read in 2010

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
2. The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
3. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
4. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien
5. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by Tolkien
6. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
7. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King by Tolkien
8. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
9. The Prestige by Christopher Priest
10. The Case for a Creator by Lee Strobel
11. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
12. Replay by Ken Grimwood
13. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
14. Pretties by S.W.
15. Specials by S.W.
16. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
17. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis *
18. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis *
19. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle *
20. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
21. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
22. Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
23. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
24. The Giver by Lois Lowry
25. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
26. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
27. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis *
28. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
29. The Last Battle by C.s. Lewis *
30. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
31. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling *
32. Children of Men by P.J. James
33. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
34. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
35. WWW:Wake by Robert J. Sawyer
36. A Wind In The Door by Madeline L'Engle
37. Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer
38. Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
39. The Dead of Night by John Marsden
40. A Killing Frost by John Marsden
41. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
42. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
43. Light Raid by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice
44. Darkness, Be My Friend by John Marsden
45. Halfway to Each Other by Susan Pohlman
46. On Writing by Stephen King
47. The Green Mile by Stephen King
48. Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer
49. Burning for Revenge by John Marsden

Reviews: Goodreads (not too detailed, trust me)
A few of these books were reviewed here on the blog. Check the "book review" tag :)
* - previously read

Great House by Nicole Krauss

Great House by Nicole Krauss

Hardback, 2010, 289 pages.

I loved The History of Love, so I had to check this out. After a long waiting list at the library, I finally got to pick up this book.

It's hard to explain the plot of this book in just a few sentences. There is a collection of characters: a writer who lives a reclusive life, a father who was too hard on his son, a student who falls in love with the son of an antique's dealer, and more. They're all connected by a desk, an old piece of furniture that looms in their lives.

I can't deny Nicole Krauss has a way with words. She pulls me into the minds of her characters. She speaks about the human state with such effortlessness and brings all the sorrow and joy and mystery and loneliness and community of life into her pages.

That said, I guess I'm a stickler for tradition. This novel reads more like memoirs from four different people who happen to be connected by a desk. It's great writing, but I was left wondering, 'What's the common thread? What binds all of these people together?' Some of them love the desk, some of them hate it, some don't even know it exists.

I loved the characters and their stories, but I'm okay with the fact that I don't read novels like this often. I feel like they're stories I can only take every now and then because if I read novels like this consistently, I'd probably get bored or, worse, I'd start talking in sweeping generalizations that don't really make sense but sound pretty anyway, and my writing would start getting really long-winded, like this sentence, and all my paragraphs would be a page or more long.

Regardless, this book comes highly recommended from yours truly. This is the kind of book that's a special treat, a gem, even, but I'm still glad it's not the norm for novels today.

A few things I could learn from this book:

Rules can be broken. Nicole doesn't use quotation marks and doesn't make a new paragraph every time someone new speaks in dialogue. She more often tells than shows. But breaking these common rules in her writing really works for her and for the story. I think it's important to remember that this isn't the norm for a reason, but that, if the author is really good at what she does, she can make anything work.

Goals for 2011

Happy New Year, everyone! I had a great weekend in Pendleton, where Chris and I used to live before we moved to Salem.

My writing/reading goals for 2011:

1. Read 75 books. This year, I read 49, which you can see on my Goodreads. My goal was 50, but my last week was busy, or I would have finished Great House by Nicole Krauss.

2. Get The Second Generation out to agents. Right now, it's in beta-stage (others are reading it, and I'm waiting on the feedback). I hope to have it out to agents by June.

3. Finish Finding Fiona. I want to finish this novel/novella, polish it up, and then I'll see where I want to go with it. If it ends up being a novella, I may publish it on Smashwords. If it's longer, then I'll seek traditional publication.

4. Figure out what to do with Stones of Cilean. At this point, I'm really not sure where I want to take Stones of Cilean. The major plot line needs some work, and it's hard to find beta readers for any novel. If I decide to pursue publication, I need to write the sequel.

5. Publish more short stories on Smashwords. I don't have a definite number, but I do plan on at least one a month. I think stories over 2,000 words I will sell for 99 cents. I think this'll be a good way to build up my platform. It'll also keep me writing, because if I publish only one a month, I'll be out of short stories by April.

Other goals for 2011:

1. Travel. Chris and I have tentative plans for a trip to Mexico and a trip to Europe. God willing!

2. Develop Ward's Murder Mysteries. Write more mysteries and advertise the business!

3. Set up an istockphoto account with Chris. With original photographs and old scanned photos from antique shops that are out of copyright.

4. Update All Bible everyday. A new blog of mine that goes through the bible chapter by chapter, book by book.

5. Expand my volunteering. I currently volunteer for Odyssey Hospice, but I'd like to volunteer for the Salvation Army shelter in town and the Kroc Center library. I want to do something consistent for all three of these organizations, especially if I'm going to have a lot of free time since I'm unemployed.

Coming soon to Smashwords

Death of the Sun
It's hard to believe it was so long ago. I sat in my car, parked at the lookout spot we used to come to. Beyond the cliff, the city lights were spread out for a few miles. The silence was strange and yet comforting at the same time. I rolled down my window. There was a slight breeze, but the summer air was still warm. Tomorrow, I would get in my car and drive to Portland. Tomorrow, I would leave this small town, and everything in it, behind me. But tonight, I was still here, still haunted by the things that had happened two years ago.

Keep your eyes out for this new short story, coming soon!

New short story on Smashwords

I published a new short story on Smashwords tonight.

The Jensens is about a young woman who finds an inspiring book at a garage sale where an older man is selling the things of his deceased wife. (Say that five times fast!)

Here are the first few sentences:
Mrs. Gellar is now yelling. I watch from my position by the table of books. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen her without her hair curled. She waves her arms, and her face grows red. The others in the yard are trying to politely ignore the scene, but we are all listening.

Read the rest of it here!

You can find a few other stories and nonfiction pieces at my Smashwords profile.

Thank you to the critters at CritiqueCircle for helping me perfect this story!

I write like. . .

I did this once before, but I don't remember who I got. This time around, Stephen King. Not bad!

I write like
Stephen King

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Underwhelming Books

There are some books that I cannot put down, but when I've actually finished it, I think, 'Wow. . .that's it?' Or I'm like, 'That was a good book' and a week later, I fail to tell you what it was about. Books that hook you, but don't make a lasting impression on you.

For me, these books fall into that category:
1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

2. Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

3. The Uglies series.
It started out strong. The first of the series (Uglies) is my favorite, but I hardly remember the next two, Pretties and Specials.

4. A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

5. The Gossip Girl series.
I didn't finish it, but what was the point of those books??

6. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.
When I was reading the books, I was like, 'Omg, amazing!' Now, I couldn't tell you the basic plot beyond Valentine being evil.

7. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.
500 pages of nothing.

I do have some level of respect for these authors. A lot of them are bestsellers, so some people obviously loved them. They had me turning the pages, desperate to learn more (well, some of them - Gossip Girl, not so much). But I felt kind of cheated at the end. Like, what was the point of that?

Did I learn anything? Let's look at the themes of these books.
Water for Elephants : love.
Lovely Bones: family??
Uglies: now, this theme did stick with me. The people of this world surgically enhance themselves at a certain age, and the establishment even inflicts brain damage to keep people compliant. There was a lot of social commentary in this series, so I appreciate that.
I know A Gate at the Stairs dealt with interracial families a littl bit. The main theme, I think, was growing up.
Gossip Girl: no, don't get me started on the LACK of theme and depth in those books.
The Mortal Instruments series: no idea. Don't fall in love with your brother?
Memoirs of a Geisha: I guess the theme could be "ambition makes people horrible"?

Did I feel anything for the characters beside, 'Ooh, what happens next?' Generally, no. I thought Jacob in Water for Elephants was lifeless, Tally Youngblood could have had a lot more personality, and I don't even remember the main character in Memoirs of a Geisha.

My writing has a tendency to be fast-paced and plot-centered, and the last thing I want is for someone to race through my book, and then say, 'Huh. Okay. Whatever.' I want my characters and themes to stay with the reader.

New Website Layout & Smashwords

I recently updated the layout at http://emilyannward.com. No joke, this is the third layout I've had! I just love doing new ones, iWeb is so fun!

I also recently got a Smashwords account, where you can find some free short stories and nonfiction. I'm considering eventually self-publishing, but I honestly don't know. Both "traditional" publishing and self-publishing have ups and downs, and I'm very torn right now. Do you guys have any thoughts?

What I've posted on Smashwords thus far:

The Prodigal Daughter placed second place in Young Salvationist's 2009 Creativity Contest for the fiction category. It was later published at Pond Ripples Magazine. It's a short story about a daughter that visits her mom in the hospital. From when I published this Friday night, it's already had 83 downloads! I personally think part of it's because of this awesome cover. Thank you, Seer for the great photograph! (Seer's profile on sxc.hu contains NSFW images)


You Remember is a short literary piece written in second person. It's actually the only second person story I ever remember writing. It reads kind of like a poem. The story looks at glimpses of a relationship.

I wrote Invisible Walls on a plane on the way back from South Africa. It's about my husband, but at the time, we were just friends, and I had a small crush on him. It's just my thoughts about our relationship and where it might.

I also published Agape, which is actually a collection of nonfiction. It includes two devotionals that were published in Young Salvationist, a short piece about what it would be like to Jesus in the flesh, and my thoughts on God's love.

At this point, I like the uniform look my covers have. I think I'll stick to this theme (stock photo with Trajen Pro font over it) for my short stories, and have different ones for my novels, if I choose to publish them on Smashwords.

Check them out, leave a review! Do any of you have Smashwords accounts? I'd love to read your work.