Author: byjehunter

I'm the author of the Black Depths and Artifacts of Avalum series. I'm also a reader and I love posting young adult book reviews and blogging about everything related to books. In the morning, I can be found drinking coffee and wishing it was still dark outside. In the afternoon, I'm stuck at my day job, and in the evening, I'm probably working on my latest creation.
Blogging · book review · Young Adult · Young Adult Books

What I’m Reading: The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey

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Well, I finally did it. I finally read those last ten pages of The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey.  Yay. It might have taken me forever, but I loved this book. I really wish that life hadn’t been so full of interruptions and that I could have read The Shadow Hour (associate link) in a shorter time frame, since I hate when I begin to forget what’s happening.

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I read Girl At Midnight last summer, and ever since I’d been looking forward to the sequel, and it didn’t disappoint. Echo is a lovely heroine, the right amount of fierceness and vulnerability. The characters are all stars, really, but Jasper was my favourite in this book. Full of action, The Shadow Hour didn’t disappoint. There were a few nit-picky things about it though, like the purposeful use of cliches’ that grated my nerves just a little bit, but for the most part, I could forget about these lines and move through the story. There was a lot happening, and rarely a slow moment, so it was easy to keep moving (when life didn’t interrupt).

Now, the only thing I hate about reading new releases is how long you have to wait for the next book in the series. Summer 2017 can’t come fast enough, I can’t wait to read more of Echo’s adventures.

5/5 Stars

JEH

J. E. Hunter is the author of the Black Depths Series. Tales of a Redheaded Sea-Witch, and Broken Tide, the first two books of the series can be found on  Amazon,  Kobo,  iBooks,  Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. The third book, Dark Shores, was released April 1, 2016. The fourth and last book of the Black Depths series, Twisted Currents, will be released in the fall of 2016, after Dead Water and Doomed Seas, two Novellas featuring Caesar.

Blogging · Self-Publishing · Writing Goals

My September New Year Goals and Challenges

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I haven’t been a student for a long time, but September has continued to feel much more like a New Year to me than the much more celebrated date in January. Maybe it has something to do with the season change come September, or all the new school supplies I still buy (hello, notebooks!), but I just love this time of year. Fall always brings with it a new start, and this year I’ve decided to set some new goals. I’ve been talking about it for a few weeks now, and as it’s almost the end of August, I’m finally going to tell you just what it is I’m planning.

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Here’s my cat sitting on my goal book. Is he trying to deter me? I won’t let it happen!

I’ve been getting busier and busier. I’m getting ready to wrap up the Black Depths Universe (for now, at any rate), and have new drafts that need rewriting. I also have a storm of ideas in my head that need writing. This all adds up to one thing: I need to get to work!

So here’s what I’m going to do:

  1. I’m pledging to myself that I will write 1,000 words everyday, for a total of 365,000 words from September 1, 2016, to September 4th, 2016. Why September 4th, you ask? Because that will be the end of the 3-Day Novel Writing Contest 2017, which—just in case I fall behind on this massively huge goal—will give me the chance to make a mad dash to the end. But, I’m truly hoping that pledging to write a modest 1,000 words a day  will become habit, and therefore highly achievable.
  2. I will use that 365,000 words to finish 5 pre-determined projects which have been banging around my space in various stages of completion for the past couple years. I’m not coming up with anything new in the next twelve months. Or rather, I’m going to keep new ideas to simple jot-notes and very vague detailing. I’m not going to get sidetracked *firmly crosses-arms*. I’m going to stay ON TASK.
  3. I will go to the gym once a week (or run). Yeah, this has nothing to do with writing. But I’m putting it down here anyway because it’s important. And I’m only pledging once a week because I do have 1,000 words to write a day. Also, going from 0 to 1 seems like a pretty big jump, I’ll have to see how I handle it.
  4. I will check in on my blog once a week to update my goal progress (I’m shooting for Thursdays—we’ll see how that works).

Alright, those are my goals. As I’ve said, i’ll update here once a week to make sure I stay on track. If you feel crazy enough to join me in any or all of the above goals, comment on the post, and after each weekly post you can check in, too.

Next week, after a massive start doing the 2016 3-Day Novel Writing Contest, I’m going to update about one of those 5 pre-determined projects. Now, Ready, Set, Write!

JEH

J. E. Hunter is the author of the Black Depths Series. Tales of a Redheaded Sea-Witch, and Broken Tide, the first two books of the series can be found on  Amazon,  Kobo,  iBooks,  Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. The third book, Dark Shores, was released April 1, 2016. The fourth and last book of the Black Depths series, Twisted Currents, will be released in the fall of 2016, after Dead Water and Doomed Seas, two Novellas featuring Caesar.

book review · Young Adult · Young Adult Books

What I’m Reading: Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

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YA Book Review: Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

Mechanica (associate link) by Betsy Cornwell, is a Cinderella Story. Now, Cinderella is probably my second favorite fairy tale (after the Twelve Dancing Princesses), so I thought I would like this book. And I did like Mechanica, but I didn’t love it. But I did love the cover, which is why I picked up the book.

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The first bit that slowed me down was the beginning. Right at the start the author gives us a couple of chapters of backstory about the main character Nicolette. Okay, this is a Cinderella story, I don’t need background, I already know how the main character (who is later called Mechanica), got to be in her present situation

And because of all the background, the pace felt really slow.

But there were some things I really did like about the book. I liked the steampunk element, and I loved the description. My favorite was the Night Market, and if you’ve read the book you’ll know why. I could have stayed at the Night Market forever. But while there was a fair bit of tension, there just was not enough action, and there really could have been.

It appears that this book is the first in a series, with the second book due out next year. I’ll be honest. I’m not likely to read book 2, as there are many other series I’ve enjoyed more. However, I still found the book pleasing to read, if not exciting.

3/5 Stars.

 

J. E. Hunter is the author of the Black Depths Series. Tales of a Redheaded Sea-Witch, and Broken Tide, the first two books of the series can be found on  Amazon,  Kobo,  iBooks,  Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. The third book, Dark Shores, was released April 1, 2016. The fourth and last book of the Black Depths series, Twisted Currents, will be released in the fall of 2016, after Dead Water and Doomed Seas, two Novellas featuring Caesar.

Blogging · Writing Goals

Heading for 3-Day Novel Craziness

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Well, here I go again. Ten years ago I participated in my first ever 3-Day Novel writing contest. I wrote, I hiked Lake Louise, I stayed up all hours of the night, and I got something done. I loved it. But it was a crazy and insane three day week. So I’ve decided to do it again.

Yep, you heard right, and it all has to do with my September New Year plan that I’ll be revealing next week. And also to get out this little idea I’m calling The Crazy Lady and The Crow, or maybe, The Crooked Lady and the Owl, or possible, The Twisted Hag and the Spin of Fate…. So many possibilities.

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Want to share about of the craziness, have an idea you want to get out? Check out the 3-Day Novel Writing contest Website and all it has to offer. My favorite is the survival guide.

Then go get yourself some supplies, you want it.

JEH

J. E. Hunter is the author of the Black Depths Series. The first three books of the series: Tales of a Redheaded Sea-Witch,  Broken Tide, and Dark Shores can be found on  Amazon,  Kobo,  iBooks,  Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. The fourth and last book of the Black Depths series, Twisted Currents, will be released in the fall of 2016, after Dead Water and Doomed Seas, two Novellas featuring Caesar.

Blogging · Nature · Self-Publishing

There’s a Disaster Waiting for Me

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I’m back. It was a long, and wonderful vacation, full of writing conferences, visiting with old friends, nature, and even a bit of fishing and dinosaurs…

Sadly, there was barely any reading, we just had too much to do. And now I’m home and there’s a disaster waiting for me to clean it up…

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I’m hoping that somewhere under all of this mess is The Shadow Hour, a great book that I’ve been trying to finish forever so I can post a review. I think I only have about twenty pages left, so I’m really hoping I can find it soon and that the mischievous house sprites that like to misplace my things haven’t lost it forever…

When the book shows up, I’ll finish it and post my review here. If I haven’t been lost in the mountain of stuff that needs putting away. Once I’m done with the reading and the cooking I’m going to begin my new year listing (I’m much more a September New Year person than I am a January New Year person). I’ve come up with a writing challenge for myself, which I will post more of here in the next week, as well as some updates regarding the Black Depths Universe. Meanwhile, I hope you’re all enjoying these last few beautiful weeks of summer. What have  you been up to?

 

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A Sea-Witch Review Up On The Cosy Dragon

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One of my self-publishing struggles has been finding people to review my books. But the lovely Cosy Dragon reviews my book this week. You can find that review here: http://www.thecosydragon.com/2016/08/review-je-hunter-tales-of-a-redheaded-sea-witch.html


Currently, I am on vacation . We just left today and will be touring around for almost two weeks, the first stop being Drumheller, and the second the When Words Collide Writers Conference in Calgary. I will attempt to blog from the road, but I’m not making any promises! I’ll definately update when I return!