Corrine Jackson's Blog

Bear with me. This is going to be a long post.

In January, I shared about my struggles with depression. Putting that post out there in such a public fashion made me nervous, but I decided to share, hoping that maybe the post would help someone else feel less alone. The outpouring of support from readers, colleagues, and friends was overwhelming. And beyond that, I was touched by how many of you shared your own struggles. I think that the more we talk about a thing, the less stigma we’ll have attached to things.

In that spirit, I want to offer an update. At the time of that post, I was coming out of a dark period. For the first time in months, things were looking up. Unfortunately, a month later, I was back in the pit of despair. It wasn’t pretty. The one bright spot was my day job, which I adore. I love the challenge of my work, and the people I work with are so wonderful.

BUT… aside from my day job, I shut down again. I wavered between crying and emptiness. I couldn’t find the joy in anything. And once again (or maybe still) I couldn’t write. When I’m depressed, there’s a small voice in my head that gets louder and more authoritative. It tells me that my writing is crap. It’s unoriginal, uncreative, unimportant, unsellable… I’ll spare you the rest of the litany, but just know that it’s an unending loop of negativity all directed at me.

This time I realized that I could no longer cope on my own. Just slogging my way through it wasn’t working anymore, and it just seemed like a hellish way to live. So I decided to go to a psychiatrist. I’d tried that last year, but didn’t really connect with the person. But I lucked out this time and found someone who I really like. He asks questions, he listens, he’s empathetic, and he’s incredibly insightful.

And here’s where I tell you something that scared the hell out of me. He suggested that my struggle with depression might be something more. He – very gently – suggested that I might be bipolar. My writing and excessive productivity occur during my hypomania phases after which I crash into a depression.

My first reaction was a politically incorrect, uninformed “Oh, hell no. I’m not crazy.” But as he explained what the symptoms of bipolarity are I felt these inner pangs of recognition. This rightness that what he described was something I’d been experiencing for years, but I’d never had the vocabulary to be able to talk about it. So many things made sudden sense.

I left his office shell-shocked. I called my sister and then sent my best friend a picture of a bipolar bear because, you know, humor is one of the few tools I have to deal with news that sweeps my feet out from under me. And then I began to do my research.

It turns out that a kajillion creative people have had (or were suspected of having) bipolarity. Sherman Alexie, Katherine Brooks, Patricia Cornwell, Richard Dreyfuss, Stephen Fry, Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, Edgar Allan Poe, Jackson Pollock, Nina Simone, and Virginia Woolf just to name a few. I found dozens of articles about the link between creativity and bipolarity. Somehow, I transitioned from horror to acceptance. It feels like a huge relief to know that I’m not alone. There’s comfort in having a name to put to what I’ve been going through.

It’s also an odd thing to understand that in addition to the depression that I accepted as part of me, a lot of the parts of me that I take pride in are also derived from this. When I’ve been going to school full-time, working full-time, writing and editing novels, vlogging, marketing my work ALL AT THE SAME TIME, I could go on forever. I slept very little. I worked incredibly long hours. I was a machine, but one on fire with new ideas. These are the highs of the hypomania. I’m not going to lie. They are FREAKING AWESOME. I feel like I can take on the world and anything is possible.

But when I crashed, I crashed hard. I couldn’t be productive anymore. I didn’t feel creative. And I couldn’t understand why I could be that way sometimes at such an extreme level and then so far in the other direction at other times. I blamed it on depression, or worse, I saw it as a personality defect. Why couldn’t I just do it? Why couldn’t I get myself together? Why was I so lazy? I’d say these things to my friends and family, and they’d just look at me like I was crazy. Because they perceive me as hard-working, and they are right. I take pride in my work ethic. It’s one of my core values, which is why I was so hard on myself when I couldn’t find the energy to keep going.

It’s such a relief. A stunning, brilliant relief to suddenly see myself through a new lens. I don’t know if I can explain how much this has changed me to the people I know. I’m still working through the sadness, but somehow I have found this internal peace. I don’t have to beat myself up anymore. No person could maintain the highs that I was managing at. It’s never been a matter of pushing myself. It’s basic damned chemistry. I can’t tell you what that means.

And that’s why I decided to write this post. First, because my initial uneducated reaction is normal, and the more people are informed, the less likelihood there is for this kind of response. Second, if one person feels less alone, less terrified by my admission, then I’m okay with putting it out there.

It’s not without fear, though. The few people I’ve told have been supportive. Only one person has cautioned me about letting this out there, genuinely worried that doors will close to me in the professional sense if people know. And I know that’s a very real possibility that people will judge me.

To which I say, fuck that. This is my song of myself, my celebration of what makes me ME. I am bipolar. It changes nothing about who I am. I am driven. I’m very good at my job – both of them. I am funny. I am kind. I am creative. I am filled with satisfaction when I teach someone a new idea.  I spend too much time on Pinterest. I adore Spaghetti O’s and mochas. I feel guilty about liking American Dad. I trip over my own feet. I’m addicted to personality type tests. I love to debate things to death. I think one of the best sounds in the world is my best friend’s snort when she laughs. I love to shop way too much. And I believe that people are too good at heart to think that I’m less than I was before I wrote this post.

*****

If you want to read more about bipolarity and creativity, try these links. Note: there are different types of bipolarity. If you have better links, I’m happy to add them.

Bipolar Disorder and Creativity

Depression, Bipolar II

The Best Bipolar Health Blogs of the Year (compiled by Healthline)

 

A Milestone, or Something

So you know how one day you get this idea, this spark of something that overwhelms you? At first, it just kind of sits there in the back of your mind, whispering at you to pay attention. Then the idea pervades more and more of your thoughts, occupying your brain when you should be sleeping or doing dishes or driving down the freeway. Finally, you can’t ignore the persistent thing, and you decide to test the idea out on a page somewhere. See what there is to see. Disprove the theory that this is something so that you can take back your brain. Only that isn’t what happens. Instead you tap out 50 pages. It’s raw and you have know clue how to plot and you’re pretty sure that end you thought up is ridiculous, BUT…

It could be something.

You are equal parts crazy (because what makes you think you can write an entire book?) and alive (because the enormous, boundary-less world of your imagination has opened up to you). And you just have a feeling about this idea of yours…

It might be something.

That’s what it was like to work on my first novel TOUCHED, the first book in the Sense Thieves trilogy. Excitement, confidence, doubt, stark terror, frustration, depression, hope – so many emotions mingling and co-existing all at once. A fragile ego overridden by an all-encompassing drive. I don’t know how else to explain what makes writers (or at least this writer) tick. I think we are mad to do what we do, but with the madness there is a desperate joy. The what-ifs and possibilities of that something carried me through writing and editing that first book without a roadmap. They carried me through the months it took to find my agent, and then the year it took to sell that series.

Fast forward five years. I’ve learned so much about writing and myself in that time. So much has changed that I no longer feel like the same person. A move, a new job, new friends, an MFA, a plethora of conferences, traveling, battling depression, an unexpected foray into vlogging, getting an agent, suffering through an Absolute Write addiction followed by a Twitter addiction followed by a Pinterest addiction (Hi, my name is Cory, and I pin every braided hair style I can find. Proof.), and cutting my hair into a pixie cut and then growing it back out – twice.

Perhaps most momentous of all (although the hair thing is pretty epic), IGNITED, the final book in the Sense Thieves trilogy, releases today. It marks the publication of my fourth book in three years. 

And that, my friends, is something.

****

For more information about the trilogy, click on the images below. I would be ever so grateful if you would purchase a copy of IGNITED. Also, I will put my Pinterest skills to good use and braid the hair of anyone who buys it.* Or paint your nails with the “it” colors I’ve pinned to my boards.**

If you are waiting on a prize from me, I’ve packed up about 60 books (not joking). I just need to get to the post office this week. Thanks in advance for your patience.

Buy the Book:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million| IndieBound

Add to Your Shelf:

Goodreads

*That’s a lie.

**Also a lie. It’s like I have no shame.

I’m so excited to announce that TOUCHED Die Macht der ewigen Liebe – the final installment in the Sense Thieves series is now available for German readers (US readers, IGNITED will be available May 27). I can’t wait for readers to get their hands on this book! Please be sure to leave a review on your favorite sites.

German Description:

Remy zwischen Asher und Gabriel …, … für wen wird sie sich entscheiden? Remys Großvater, einer der wenigen männlichen Heiler, hält ihren Vater in Gefangenschaft. Von ihren Freunden unterstützt, versucht Remy, ihn zu befreien. Sie taucht dabei tief ein in die Geschichte der Heiler und Beschützer und erfährt, welche Rolle ihr zugedacht ist. Welche ganz besondere Rolle. Daraufhin bekämpft sie nicht länger ihre beiden zerrissenen inneren Hälften, sondern akzeptiert sie. In einem aufwühlenden Kampf besiegt sie ihren Großvater, ihr Vater kann befreit werden. Das alles verändert Remy und ihre Beziehung zu Asher sehr. Wie soll sie damit umgehen? Und mit ihrer zarten Liebe zu Gabriel? Aufwühlendes und gefühlvolles Finale der Romantasy-Trilogie.

Gebunden

448 Seiten

Ab 14 Jahren

ISBN: 978-3-522-20166-7

Preis: 16,99 €

Österreich: 17,50 €, Schweiz: 24,90 sFr

Erscheinungstermin: 19.03.2014

More information:

Publisher: Thienemann Verlag

Facebook Fan Page - Remy und Asher

Website - www.remy-und-asher.de

German Reviews

Buy the Book:

German Amazon

Add to Your Shelf:

Goodreads

Thanks for following along with my blog tour for the last two weeks! If you’ve missed any of the posts, you can check them out here. And thank you for helping surpass 3,000 followers on Twitter. I promised you all a sneak peek at IGNITED (Sense Thieves #3) if I met my goal, so here is a little preview of a scene with Gabe and Remy for all those people who begged to see more Gabe. (If you joined my Twitter party, you may have already had a sneak peek at this scene.) Without further ado…

*****

I took myself down two flights of stairs, happy to let my mental walls relax once I was away from the others. Keeping my defenses constantly up took energy I didn’t have. At the bottom of the stairs, I hesitated, unsure which way to go. With a shrug, I went toward the direction that faced the street. I passed through the family room Lottie had mentioned and ended up in the wine vault. Dozens of bottles were slotted into the wall in front of me and lined the wooden counters on both sides.

“This place is like the Met,” I muttered. I’d once gotten lost in the huge New York museum, and I felt the same way now.

“It’s easy once you know your way around.”

I whipped around to find Gabe standing in the doorway blocking my exit. He didn’t seem inclined to move aside, either, crossing his ankles and bracing a lean hip against the doorjamb. He watched me, his mouth quirked with another of those odd smiles he’d worn on the plane and at the airport. He reminded me of a cat who had found a mouse to toy with.

“Oh, I think you’re more the cat than the mouse,” he said in a silky voice. “Like a cat, you’re crafty and hard to pin down.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Very funny. Does that make you the mouse?”

“Catch me and find out,” he challenged, his green eyes darkening.

I sucked in a breath as unwanted awareness scorched through me. Embarrassment burned my cheeks. He couldn’t have meant that how it sounded. Because it sounded like the kind of thing a guy told a girl he liked.

“In case you’re confused, Remington, that was me flirting with you. And I more than like you.”

My systems went on red alert, shrieking warnings to my brain. My hands went damp with nerves, and my heart raced like I’d chased a Red Bull with a gallon of espresso.

“Uh, Gabe. I don’t think…” I stumbled to a stop as realization hit. Gabe was flirting with me. If Gabe was flirting with me, then he knew…

His full lips curled into a satisfied smile, making them look more sensuous than usual. “That you and Asher broke up? Hell, yes.”

And damn it if he didn’t look happy about it.

“How?” I said, reduced to a one-word response.

“Lucy. She let it slip on the plane. And before you get angry at her, she had no clue that I didn’t know.” Gabe straightened, taller and bigger than I’d remembered. More everything than I’d remembered. I took a quick step back and he matched it with one forward. “What I find really interesting, Remington, is that you didn’t tell me in all the times we’ve talked.”

It was ridiculous to feel stalked, right? I knew Gabe. He was my friend. And yet I glanced both ways, looking for a way to escape. “Don’t read into it. Asher’s reasons for breaking up with me are tied to what’s happening to him. I thought it wasn’t my place to tell you about that.”

“No,” Gabe answered emphatically, taking another sure step when I stumbled back. “That’s not it.”

Affronted, I came to an abrupt halt. “Excuse me? Are you calling me a liar?”

“About this?” He stopped, too, and tilted his head to one side like he was considering it. Then he said, “Yes.” I gathered myself up to yell at him, but he stalled me by pressing a finger to my lips. “Before you argue, let me add that I don’t think you’re doing it intentionally.”

“What are you talking about?” I mumbled against his skin.

He dropped his arm. “I think maybe you know that you and I could have something, and it scares the hell out of you. You didn’t tell me about Asher ending things because you’re afraid to give us a chance.”

I glared at him. “Nice theory, but I’ve told you that we’re just friends. It’s been two weeks since Asher and I broke up, and my feelings haven’t suddenly changed because we’re not together.”

I thought maybe I’d gone too far, that maybe I’d hurt his feelings, but Gabe raised one brow and leaned forward to say, “I agree. You’ve had feelings for me since San Francisco.”

Denial rose up fast and furious, and I shook my head. He was insane. He’d gone completely mental. I opened my mouth to tell him, and that’s when he took two giant steps forward, invading my space with all his muscles. I tripped away until my back hit the wall. I had nowhere to go, and Gabe was practically plastered to my front. I threw a panicked gaze his way and slid to one side to duck past him. He planted a hand on the wall by my shoulder, ending that plan. He did the same on the other side, before the thought occurred to me to change direction.

I was caught between his body and the wall. I stared up at him, helplessly confused. “Gabe…”

“Have I ever told you what it was like when my parents died?” I shook my head, thrown by the non sequitur. The last thing I’d expected him to talk about was his parents. “Asher was eighteen and Lottie sixteen. We had suddenly become immortal in a battle that we didn’t intend to fight. Our parents and older brother were dead. And I’d suddenly become responsible for keeping my family together.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, trying to concentrate on his words. It became more difficult when our breaths synchronized and our bodies brushed with each inhalation.

“We got by. Everything I’ve done since that day has been about keeping my family safe. All of my choices have been about them. Where we lived. How we lived. What was best for them, even when it meant giving up what I wanted. Because I was the oldest. And I was okay with that.”

I got that. Hadn’t my life changed when Lucy had become my responsibility? Gabe’s breath brushed my face, and I trembled. Duh, it’s cold in here, I told myself.

“And then you came along. Tradition and history say the Healer bonds to the oldest brother, but then you’re not like other Healers.” He shook his head ruefully. “No, you fall for my brother and bond to him. I wanted you for myself, but I stepped aside. Because I love Asher. And I hated watching you together, but I tried to be okay with that, too.”

He took an extra deep breath, touching me from chest to waist in an action I suspected was deliberate. I held my breath for all of two seconds and then gasped for air. Because I’m dying from lack of oxygen. Obviously.

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked, jumping when his hands landed on my shoulders.

“When you chose Asher in September, I left to give you both space. But now my brother has made his choice. I love him, but he had his chance, and I’m not leaving again.”

Gabe’s fingers traced my shoulders and stroked upward to cup my neck. His thumbs tipped my chin up. The heat in his eyes weakened my knees, and I would have fallen if my hands weren’t braced against the wall behind me.

“I’m rushing you, and I’m confusing the hell out of you. This isn’t the right time. I know that. But I heard your thoughts on that roof, Remington. You’re planning on leaving when we find your dad. I can’t let you go without giving us a try. This time I’m going after what I want.”

He bent his knees and leaned in to press his lips to my neck. His mouth kissed a damp path to my ear, and I shuddered at the steam, hotter than fire, curling under my skin. His words tickled my hair when he whispered, “This is me giving you fair warning that I’m going to chase you with everything I have, and when you decide to let me catch you, you’ll never doubt how much I love you. Even when I become a weak human and you can kick my ass six ways to Sunday.”

****

What did you think?

 

I’m so proud to introduce you all to AC Gaughen, a talented author and an amazing critique partner. This Tuesday, her latest novel LADY THIEF released. I read its predecessor SCARLET (see review here) and found it to be a highly imaginative and unique retelling of Robin Hood. I was lucky to interview Annie to get a little background on the series. Check out what she had to say, plus read below the interview for information on LADY THIEF. I highly recommend this series!

   

Q: Okay, so I read SCARLET, and I’ve already fangirled you (and I cannot wait to get my hands on LADY THIEF). You chose such an original approach to Robin Hood by making Scarlet, a traditionally male character, female. What inspired your creation of Scarlet, a strong female heroine in any time period?

A: I wanted to make a female character that was grumpy and angry and mean and spoke to a lot of the things that I was at that point struggling to accept in myself.  Can you still be loved and be angry and wrong and stubborn?  I’ve always thought YES, and I wanted to write that into existence.  A lot of writing feels like being a fortune teller, and if you write it, by the power of suggestion it will become true.  So yes, I wanted to show myself and a lot of other women that girls don’t have to be perfect to be loved.

Q: In LADY THIEF, you introduce Eleanor of Aquitaine. Can you tell us what it was like to write a historical figure?

A: THIS historical figure is everything to me!  She was so cool. She’s a rockstar of history–essentially a very talented PR maven, an incredibly tough mother, and a very passionate and manipulative wife.  She’s so complicated and utterly unapologetic.  Writing her–getting to empathize with her for a few brief moments–has been one of the highlights of the whole series.  She’s just so cool.  And then, that kind of excitement for a character makes researching her a total joy.  For example, a lot of people don’t know that the notion of “courtly love” came from her–she and her daughter would actually hold “courts of love” and “try” lovers for their light-hearted disputes.

Q: Let’s get down to the important question. Rob. Rob. Rob. He is one very hot thief. The tension between Scarlet and him burns the pages, but so far they haven’t acted on it. Please, please tell me that Scarlet is going to get some love from Rob in her future.

A: Yes.

Ha!  Ok, I’ll say a little more.  Scarlet and Rob–come on, they’re done for.  Their love is LEGENDARY and trying to live up to that in a series and still totally feeling every moment of it is definitely a challenge, but yes.  In LADY THIEF, they have their first kiss–one of my FAVORITE scenes!–and they definitely get to bask in the sweetness of loving each other–even if that love is constantly, if not tortuously, tested.

Q: At the end of SCARLET, things aren’t so great for Rob. Without giving too much away, can you talk about how you approached PTSD in a historical novel?

A: It was surprisingly easy.  Mostly because I think this term PTSD is new, but this scarring that occurs after warfare is so incredibly common when we look back into history.  Worse, when you’re living in a medieval society in which the everyday brutality of which closely mimics the brutality of war, there’s a lot of blurring going on–they even quite literally mimic war for the tournaments.It was easy because it felt very real to me how that would have manifested for Rob.  How strongly he would have felt that, and then been thrown into spirals of shame, guilt, pain and confusion.  And I think LADY THIEF suffers a lot of consequences for all of the characters–there is no easy way to run away from what Rob suffered in the Crusades, and there are no easy answers and certainly no easy choices for Scarlet.
I will say the part that wasn’t at all easy was trying to represent with dignity and accuracy how incredibly painful and complicated PTSD can be, and how many people around the one who is suffering it can effect.  Ultimately, the story is told from Scarlet’s perspective, and she has really difficult choices to make about how to support him and protect herself at the same time.  There’s no easy road there.

Q: In addition to the massive amount of research that you did for this series, you also introduced a unique dialect for Scarlet’s character. It was one of my favorite things about SCARLET, and something that is so difficult for an author to pull off. Can you share some words of advice on writing dialect?

A: Stick to rules.  Her dialect really came out of an intellectual curiosity on my part–how did people learn English with all its complicated rules without formal training?  I had her dipping in and out of all of these things, and my editor told me that–make rules, and stick to them.  The two rules I had were 1.  She uses “were” instead of “was”, and 2. She doesn’t use very many adverbs (there are some exceptions to this for clarity purposes) except “honestly”.  Because she’s dishonest.  Get it?

Q: And now for a quick round!

Favorite YA Author:  Can’t pick just one!  All time: Tamora Pierce.  Then Libba Bray.  Then Meg Cabot.

Favorite Writing Deadline Food:  Diet Coke.

Where You Write:  Panera!  Free refills on the diet coke!!

The question you never get asked but wished you would get asked:  I don’t know if it’s a question, but I always want the chance to explain more about John.  A) I never intended for him to be seen as a point in a love triangle–it always seemed obvious that when you come to the big twist in SCARLET, you know Rob and Scar are all-time.  B) People call him a creeper, or say Scar is a little shameless with him, but to me they hit that weird line that you sometimes hit with opposite sex friends, when you really can’t tell the difference between friend love and love love.  I think Scar just figures it out a lot faster.

 

**********

LADY THIEF (Scarlet #2) by AC Gaughen

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Scarlet’s true identity has been revealed, but her future is uncertain. Her forced marriage to Lord Gisbourne threatens Robin and Scarlet’s love, and as the royal court descends upon Nottingham for the appointment of a new Sheriff, the people of Nottingham hope that Prince John will appoint their beloved Robin Hood. But Prince John has different plans for Nottingham that revolve around a fateful secret from Scarlet’s past even she isn’t yet aware of. Forced to participate at court alongside her ruthless husband, Scarlet must bide her time and act the part of a noblewoman—a worthy sacrifice if it means helping Robin’s cause and a chance at a future with the man she loves. With a fresh line of intrigue and as much passion as ever, the next chapter in Scarlet’s tale will have readers talking once again.



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Join me on Twitter (@Cory_Jackson) for a Twitter party to celebrate PUSHED (Sense Thieves #2) as I reveal behind-the-scenes PUSHED trivia, the PUSHED playlist, and character inspiration photos. There will be prizes! Use the hashtag #pushed to join in the fun. Here are the details:

Tonight, February 11, 6PM PST, on Twitter using hashtag #pushed

Best,

Cory

Friends! There are so many things happening! In honor of Valentine’s Day, some fabulous bloggers and authors will be helping me share the love of PUSHED, the second book in the Sense Thieves trilogy.

Here’s just a small sampling of what you’ll see in next two weeks:

Giveaway
Blog tour extravaganza with behind-the-scene looks at PUSHED and reviews from bloggers you know and love
Giveaway
Twitter Party
Giveaway
German paperback release of PUSHED (TOUCHED DIE SCHATTEN DER VERGANGENHEIT)
Giveaway
Books Inc. Event with authors Talia Vance and Katherine Longshore
Giveaway
Valentine’s Day cards to share with your friends and loved ones
Giveaway
Not one but TWO chances to get a sneak peek at IGNITED, the final book in the Sense Thieves trilogy

And did I mention that there will be a massive giveaway? You could win copies of PUSHED, and I’m even giving away a couple of coveted copies of IGNITED before it’s available in stores. How cool is that?

Be sure to check the official tour page to see all the upcoming posts, and remember to visit all of the tour stops for more chances to win!

Official Blog Tour Schedule

Today marks Day 31 of 31 Days of #BookLove – the final day. Rather than review all 323 books I read year, I decided to share one of my favorites. I meant to wrap this up in December, but I got hit with the plague. So…the #BookLove continues into 2014.

****************************

OBSIDIAN (LUX #1) by Jennifer Armentrout

Genre: YA

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I’d pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring…. until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something…unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon’s touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I’m getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don’t kill him first, that is.

 

What I Liked:

THIS SERIES. It’s like crack. Daemon is a jerk to start with, but you find out the boy has his reasons. And once he saves Katy’s life, that’s it – these two are stuck together. There’s a lot of heat between them and a TON of sexual tension. It’s great fun to read, though there were times I wanted to slap Daemon. Yes, he’s rejecting Katy to keep her safe and to keep his family safe. I liked that Katy had a backbone to her. Admittedly, I liked the first book enough to keep reading, but it wasn’t until the third book in the series that I solidly fell in love. And by the end of the fourth book? I wanted to throw my iPad across the room at that ending because it has left me yearning for the final book in the series, and I was bitter that I had to wait. Read all of them. This weekend.

Like the sound of the LUX SERIES? Give the author a little #BookLove. Jennifer Armentrout tweets @JLArmentrout.

BONUS: First, let’s talk about these covers. The cover models are insanely hot. And how much do I love the ORIGIN cover where he looks like he’s about to burn down the world to get his girl back? Meep! I can honestly say that the books live up to the covers. And ORIGIN ended on a major cliffhanger, so I can’t wait to get the final book in the series. Why must we wait???? See the series here.

 

Buy:

Amazon | Kobo| Goodreads

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The 31 Days of #BookLove

Day 1: BULLY by Penelope Douglas

Day 2: THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Katja Millay

Day 3: TANGLED by Emma Chase

Day 4: UNSPOKEN by Jen Frederick

Day 5: PLAYING FOR KEEPS by R.L. Mathewson

Day 6: ONE WEEK GIRLFRIEND by Monica Murphy

Day 7: WAIT FOR YOU by J. Lynn

Day 8: SIGNIFICANCE by Shelly Crane

Day 9: FALLEN CREST HIGH by Tijan

Day 10: HER BEST WORST MISTAKE by Sarah Mayberry

Day 11: CHARADE by Nyrae Dawn

Day 12: THE COINCIDENCE OF CALLIE AND KAYDEN by Jessica Sorensen

Day 13: HOPELESS by Colleen Hoover

Day 14: SEDUCING MR. KNIGHTLY by Maya Rodale

Day 15: MY UNEXPECTED FOREVER by Heidi McLaughlin

Day 16: BREAKING NOVA by Jessica Sorensen

Day 17: RULE by Jay Crownover

Day 18: DEEPER WE FALL by Chelsea M. Cameron

Day 19: THE BOY WHO SNEAKS IN MY BEDROOM WINDOW by Kirsty Moseley

Day 20: WIFE FOR A WEEK by Kelly Hunter

Day 21: REAL by Katy Evans

Day 22: CARTER REED by Tijan

Day 23: ON DUBLIN STREET by Samantha Young

Day 24: BREAKING BEAUTIFUL by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Day 25: BROKEN AND SCREWED by Tijan

Day 26: WALLBANGER by Alice Clayton

Day 27: INTO THE DEEP by Samantha Young

Day 28: OFF COURSE by Sawyer Bennett

Day 29: FALLING INTO YOU by Jasinda Wilder

Day 30: REASON TO BREATHE by Rebecca Donovan

Day 31: LUX SERIES by Jennifer Armentrout

Today marks Day 30 of 31 Days of #BookLove. Rather than review all 323 books I read year, I decided to share one of my favorites. I meant to wrap this up in December, but I got hit with the plague. So…the #BookLove continues into 2014.

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REASON TO BREATHE by Rebecca Donovan

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Indie 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

“No one tried to get involved with me, and I kept to myself. This was the place where everything was supposed to be safe and easy. How could Evan Mathews unravel my constant universe in just one day?”

In the affluent town of Weslyn, Connecticut, where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She’s more concerned with feigning perfection—pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises, not wanting anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is. Without expecting it, she finds love. It challenges her to recognize her own worth―at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she’s desperate to hide.

One girl’s story of life-changing love, unspeakable cruelty, and her precarious grasp of hope: Reason to Breathe is the first installment of the acclaimed Breathing Series.

 

What I Liked:

This book – this entire series – will shred you. Emma hides the abuse and neglect she’s suffering at the hands of her aunt, which is progressively getting worse. She’s afraid, but counting the days until she’ll be free. In the meantime, she mostly keeps to herself, trying to avoid the questions people would ask if they saw her injuries. Then she meets a boy who makes her want more and puts her plan in danger when he begins to notice things. And that’s just the first book. Emma is such a strong girl trying to survive a terrible situation. You feel for her even if you wish she would tell someone what is happening. And seeing what she and Evan go through over the course of the series will gut you. Highly recommend this series.

Like the sound of REASON TO BREATHE? Give the author a little #BookLove. Rebecca Donovan tweets @BeccaDonovan.

BONUS: There are sequels to this story! BARELY BREATHING and OUT OF BREATH get progressively more heartbreaking. In fact, BARELY BREATHING leaves you more than a little depressed. But hang in there. There’s a lot of good in OUT OF BREATH that makes it all worth it, and I loved seeing how much the characters changed after everything they’ve experienced. See the series here.

 

Buy:

Amazon | Goodreads

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The 31 Days of #BookLove

Day 1: BULLY by Penelope Douglas

Day 2: THE SEA OF TRANQUILITY by Katja Millay

Day 3: TANGLED by Emma Chase

Day 4: UNSPOKEN by Jen Frederick

Day 5: PLAYING FOR KEEPS by R.L. Mathewson

Day 6: ONE WEEK GIRLFRIEND by Monica Murphy

Day 7: WAIT FOR YOU by J. Lynn

Day 8: SIGNIFICANCE by Shelly Crane

Day 9: FALLEN CREST HIGH by Tijan

Day 10: HER BEST WORST MISTAKE by Sarah Mayberry

Day 11: CHARADE by Nyrae Dawn

Day 12: THE COINCIDENCE OF CALLIE AND KAYDEN by Jessica Sorensen

Day 13: HOPELESS by Colleen Hoover

Day 14: SEDUCING MR. KNIGHTLY by Maya Rodale

Day 15: MY UNEXPECTED FOREVER by Heidi McLaughlin

Day 16: BREAKING NOVA by Jessica Sorensen

Day 17: RULE by Jay Crownover

Day 18: DEEPER WE FALL by Chelsea M. Cameron

Day 19: THE BOY WHO SNEAKS IN MY BEDROOM WINDOW by Kirsty Moseley

Day 20: WIFE FOR A WEEK by Kelly Hunter

Day 21: REAL by Katy Evans

Day 22: CARTER REED by Tijan

Day 23: ON DUBLIN STREET by Samantha Young

Day 24: BREAKING BEAUTIFUL by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Day 25: BROKEN AND SCREWED by Tijan

Day 26: WALLBANGER by Alice Clayton

Day 27: INTO THE DEEP by Samantha Young

Day 28: OFF COURSE by Sawyer Bennett

Day 29: FALLING INTO YOU by Jasinda Wilder