Oh what a difference some warning makes

This is my review of the book Hush Hush. If you haven't read it, then don't read this post, because there are spoilers in it.

I heard about this book a long time before I read it. And, truthfully, I heard every plot point and spoiler the book had to offer. I participated in discussions concerning the characters, their choices, motivations, etc, based on the info that I'd heard. I even went to a signing and got to meet the author. Only then did I finally pick the book up and read it.

Based on other people's reactions, I expected to get annoyed or flat-out angry during some point in the book and want to throw it against a wall. I kept waiting for the book to get bad, and.... it never did. I had a good time reading it and found the dialogue and witty banter to be very enjoyable.

I wonder what I would have thought of it had I gone in and read it without knowing all the big spoilers, or without hearing the "how this book was written and what inspired me" stories from the signing. I'll never know. I definitely think that having a guy stalk you because he tends to use you and kill you is NOT romantic and any girl who thinks it's okay to date a murderous psychopath needs intense therapy. That being said, I've been on the wrong end of a sociopath determined to win me over and, compared to real life, what happened in the book was far less shocking and/or disturbing. I saw it more as an exercise in how a girl would handle having an intense attraction to a guy she knows for sure is bad news and not knowing how to stop it . It bothered me that Patch was messing around in her head . However, by the end of the book she knows what's going on and she's able to deal with it.

All that being said, I approached this book from a "What if you're being romanced by a seriously dangerous guy " point of view rather than a "Oh my gosh this is SOOOOOOOO romantic" point of view, and I liked it.

Indelible Party Pics

Here's what the front of the room looked like before all of the guests arrived (the seats were all filled!) Aren't the huge posters awesome!? The tv/dvd player was set up for the world premier of the Indelible book trailer. The podium, although you can't see it from this angle, was set up with the excerpt Lani read from Indelible, as well as treats for the Q & A session, and the gift cards for the giveaways.

Here's a close-up of the display from the front table. Here you can see Yara's necklace containing the pankurem plant, which she wears at all times to protect herself from baddies like Thomas (and also from the new ghost we meet in Indelible). The keys are a teaser. They feature in Indelible and every time I hold them I feel like the little kid from Galaxy Quest. "It's real, it's all real! I knew it I knew it I knew it!"

Here's the refreshment table, as it looked about 5 minutes before the party started. As the guests arrived the refreshment table got fuller and fuller until it was stuffed to capacity with homemade treats. My favorite part, which you can't see from this angle, is the slices of oranges and lemons floating in the punch bowl, which made the water taste soooo good. Corona oranges are the best in the world (that's right Florida, I'm looking at you!)

I'm calling these four ladies The White T-Shirt Brigade. These creative, beautiful, amazing ladies came up with these slogans and surprised us with these shirts. Lani and I loved every single one of them... and we want some for ourselves! You know who you are, ladies, and you are A-mazing!

Here are the books on display, ready to buy. Having been to several book signings, and seeing tables filled with books, it gave me a thrill to see Intrinsical and Indelible have their own table.

Does anybody recognize this guy? This is Delco, the model who plays the part of Brent in the book trailers as well as the photos online and on the title page of Indelible.

Party Pictures

Here's what the room looked like right after everything was set up, but before the room flooded with guests. The tv/dvd player were ready to go for the world premier of the Indelible book trailer and the podium was set up with everything Lani needed to work the crowd- candy, give aways, and the excerpt from Indelible that she read for the crowd.

Here's what the refreshment table looked about 5 minutes before the party started. By the time the party was in full swing, the refreshment table was fully stocked and overflowing. A big thank you to everyone who brought goodies to share. Our refreshment table rocked. My favorite part, besides the chocolate: the orange and lemon slices floating in the punch bowl. Mmmm, it made the water taste sooo good! There's nothing quite like a Corona orange (that's right, Florida, I'm lookin' at you!)

These are t-shirts from what I'm naming The White T-shirt Brigade. These awesome girls came up with these sayings themselves, and they're so awesome it makes me want one myself. They were incredible supporters, both with their shirts and their enthusiasm. You know who you are, girls, and you rock!!

Here on display we have the necklace Yara wears, filled with pankurem, to protect herself from ghosts. Also on display are two keys, which feature in Indelible.... although I'm not saying how. You'll have to read and find out. Personally, I'm overjoyed about these keys. I happened to find them at the last minute and I just had to have them. I knew nobody at the party would get the reference, but I know what happens in the book and I love holding these keys. It makes me feel like that excited kid from Galaxy Quest. "It's all true! I knew it I knew it I knew it!"

The selling post, where you could buy both Intrinsical and Indelible. I've seen book stacks like these at signing parties I've attended for other authors, so seeing it for Indelible gave me this fan-girl-like glee that I could barely contain.

Indelible Release Party

Yesterday was the book launch party for Indelible, a book written by Lani Woodland. I was able to help with the party planning and act as the MC. It was held at the El Cerrito branch of the Riverside Library and I have to tell you, it was a blast.

First off, the party for Intrinsical, the precursor to Indelible that was released last year, happened to fall on a day when I had a final. I was in design school at the time and while everyone else at the library was setting up for the party, I was on one of the library computers throwing together a last minute power point presentation (don't judge me, I had the rest of the project done, just not the dumb power point). I even had to leave the party early in order to make it to class on time. So, the opportunity to be at the Indelible party from start to finish was joyous for me.

Lani knows how to throw a party. Long after I've declared things "good enough", she's still working on new ideas. The party ended up with: a brand new book trailer, a Q & A session that got wild, thanks to a potent combination of bribery by candy and Lani's self-proclaimed "horrible throwing skills" (which led to many people ducking out of the way when the person behind them asked a question and received their piece of bribery candy via Lani's air mail delivery system), a drawing for several gift cards (my daughter, thankfully, was out of the room when her ticket was pulled to win the gift certificate to Cold Stone, and the prize went immediately back into drawing circulation), a dessert bar, a live musical performance of the original song Dreaming of You, featured in the books, and a signing session.

There were two things about this party that I'm especially excited about. Thanks to an article in the Press Enterprise, we had guests arrive who had never read the books before. One of these was the head of the Corona Historical Society. This is a real society which is featured in Indelible. She bought a copy of Intrinsical and Indelible and I keep imagining her reading through the books with a hi-lighter, marking up any Corona references and making sure the research is accurate. (On a side note, I received an email from her later that night inviting me to a Corona: Then and Now event. I plan on attending, and sitting next to an exit for quick escape in case they decide they don't like me).

The second thing that put this party over the top was the laughter and delight of the guests in attendance. I've been to several book signings and there's always an air of tension in the room. Lani was able to charm the socks off everyone. She really worked that crowd, and I admire her for not only all of her hard work, but for taking the time to make sure each person was thanked for coming and showing their support.

The most fulfilling part of this experience was working with Lani, her husband, Cheryl Brown, Clint, Gary, and everyone else who contributed their creativity and resources to making such a fun evening possible. Being creative on your own is fun, but being creative as part of a group is a hundred times better.

Pictures will be posted soon, including several shots of fan-made shirts.

Getting Started

The time has come for me to surrender to the inevitable and start a blog. Up until now I've used Facebook as my means of communicating with the world, but since I have a book trilogy coming out, I need to broaden my horizons. Expect delightful things such as a head shot to come soon.