REMINDER! Last Week to Vote "Pinned but Fluttering" as Top 10 Twilight Fan Fic of 2013!!

Yes, we're in the final week of voting at Twi Fan Fiction Recs for the Top 10 Completed Fics of 2013, and voting closes February 28th!! 

Since Pinned but Fluttering came in #8 in the January 2013 voting, thanks to my amazing readers on Wattpad and FanFiction.net, it's among the 120 fan fics open for voting. Thank you!!

You may vote ONCE EVERY 24 HOURS THROUGH FEBRUARY 28TH at TwiFanFictionRecs-Top 10 of 2013. The works are listed alphabetically, so scroll on down to the P's to vote for Pinned but Fluttering!! Thank you!!! :D

~Cassandra :)
xxxooo

Book Review: The Truth in Lies

Image from www.JeanneMcDonald.com

One of the most amazing perks of writing and publishing Twilight fan fiction novels chapter-by-chapter in serial-style (we're following in the literary footsteps of Charles Dickens, after all) is the amazing authors I've come to know as I read their work and they read mine. And as some of my favorite fan fiction stories are being revised into original fiction novels, these former fan fiction stories and their talented authors deserve our support.

Obviously, the most famous example of Twilight fan fictions being revised is the Shades of Grey trilogy. While I never read the fan fiction version of this bestselling trilogy, I've been a bit loathe to read them because of its blatantly erotic subject matter. However, I do want to support and spread the news of some of my favorite fan fiction authors and their amazing accomplishments.  

Jeanne McDonald is one of those authors. I read the original version of her The Truth in Lies Saga on FanFiction.net under the pen name Sparklingwand, and I loved A Different Kind of Pain so much that I read it THREE times. (Yes, that is really *3* times--the latest over Christmas break.) So I was thrilled when the revised version of A Different Kind of Pain, now entitled The Truth in Lies was available on Amazon both in e-book and print options.

As much as I loved A Different Kind of Pain, I adore The Truth in Lies even more. Much, much more, in fact.

Here's a quick plot synopsis (minus spoilers) of The Truth in Lies: The main character, Mackenzie (formerly Bella), a speech pathologist, undergoes a traumatic experience and, when her relationship with boyfriend Nate (formerly Mike Newton) sours as a result, she moves in with her longtime best friend, the fashionable Olivia (formerly Alice). However, Mackenzie finds greater understanding, friendship, and solace in the handsome and athletic attorney, Andrew (formerly Edward), Olivia's new boyfriend, than she does from her best friend. Despite the fact that the connection and attraction between Drew and Mackenzie is immediate and undeniable, they both attempt to resist each other since Drew is still with Olivia. Complications also arise with Jared (formerly Jasper), Mackenzie's best guy friend who works with her as a music therapist and who can't stand Olivia. And, since I don't want to give away any spoilers, let's just say that "chaos ensues."

Jeanne McDonald did more than revise an already excellent novel; she completely transformed the plot details while keeping the compelling character dynamics intact; in fact, she focused and sharpened the intriguing relationships. With Drew and Mackenzie, she added more complexities, more uncertainties between them yet also removed some of the moral culpability for their feelings and actions, placing the reader squarely on their side. In the first version, some events occurred between them that would definitely be classified as "cheating." Although I loved the characters of Mackenzie and Drew in the first edition, I didn't like and couldn't approve of some of their actions which muddied my feelings toward them. And with the other main characters of Nate, Olivia, and Jared, the author made their motivations far more direct and clear-cut with fewer gray areas.

My only reservation is that I truly wonder how Mackenzie could be "best friends" with someone as unlike her as possible; the character of Olivia seems to have few redeeming qualities which makes me wonder how both Mackenzie and Drew were drawn her. The good that Alice had in her seems to be absent in Olivia, yet the plot hinges on Olivia's need to get her own way however she can, no matter whom she injures. 

In addition, new characters appear in this revised edition, such as Mackenzie's parents, while others seem to have disappeared, namely the main character's first husband (formerly Jacob who has married Leah after his divorce from Bella) and their son (formerly Sam) with Asperger's (a high-functioning type of autism) who live in a different state. The overall effect of these alterations results in a more unified story that eliminates some of the questionable moral decisions made by some characters while bringing other characters into the action, creating more direct participation and less feeling of their being mere bystanders in the resulting drama.

But the big surprise was a HUGE plot twist at the end of this first volume of The Truth in Lies Saga that I did not expect; in fact, I was simply flabbergasted in the best way. (I love it when books absolutely surprise me, and considering that I had read the earlier version of this story several times, the most recent time only a month ago, shocking me was quite an accomplishment!!) The possibility of this twist never occurred to me, and I practically dropped my Kindle, jaw unattractively agape, as I read the end of this first volume.

Admittedly, this first volume ends with quite the cliffhanger--and a rather distressing one at that. It seems impossible for good to happen to our couple at the close of The Truth in Lies. Of course, I'll have to wait until the second volume, The Certainty of Deception, is published in June to find out what happens next. The suspense is delightfully delicious, and despite the bleakness of the end of this volume, we can't help hoping that good will happen to Mackenzie and Drew, formerly Bella and Edward.

And I have to admit that I am waiting quite impatiently for June 17 to arrive....

Okay, okay, I'll admit it: I'm counting the days until the appearance of The Certainty of Deception. (Just 135 days to go!! Yay!!)

I highly recommend The Truth in Lies, the first volume of The Truth in Lies Saga. It's a human-interest story with compelling characters and a plot full of twists that somehow seem completely natural and works incredibly well, taking into careful account the characters' personalities and foibles. The few weaknesses of  A Different Kind of Pain have been remedied, and a much stronger and more suspenseful novel awaits us in The Truth in Lies. 

I also highly recommend following Jeanne McDonald on Goodreads and her website at JeanneMcDonald.com as she is writing and releasing additional books in 2014 and beyond. An extremely talented writer, Jeanne McDonald is an author whose work I plan to follow for a long time to come.

I give The Truth in Lies (Book 1 of The Truth in Lies Saga) 4 1/2 stars (of 5 stars possible, a rating only given to my favorite classic novels).

Enjoy!!

~Cassandra :)
xxxooo

Pinned but Fluttering Is Up for Top 10 Fave Fics of 2013!!

The lovely people at Twi Fan Fiction Recs are now listing all of the Top 10 Completed Fics for each month of 2013, and voting is now open for Top 10 Fics of 2013!! 

And Pinned but Fluttering is in the running as it came in #8 in the January 2013 voting, thanks to my amazing readers on Wattpad and FanFiction.net. Thank you!!

You may vote ONCE EVERY 24 HOURS FROM TODAY--FEBRUARY 28TH at TwiFanFictionRecs-Top 10 of 2013. The works are listed alphabetically, so scroll on down to the P's to vote for Pinned but Fluttering!! Thank you!!! :D

And I am still (yes, STILL!!) working on Chapter 12 of Only by Moonlight. This chapter has me tied up in more knots than I ever thought possible. I'm planning to spend the rest of the weekend working on it, and I'm hoping to post it by Sunday night.

I also will be posting reviews of Jeanne McDonald's amazing The Truth in Lies very soon; I'm also doing a little proofing, too--and Jeanne is so gracious that she's letting me! :) For those of you who remember the brilliant fan fic A Different Kind of Pain by Sparklingwand on FFn, this is the first volume of the original fiction version. And Jeanne has revised it beautifully!! I can't wait to share my thoughts with all of you!! :)

So now that I just finished teaching an online grammar class in January and have NO online classes to teach in February, I hope to be seeing a lot more of all of you this month!! :)

Warmly,
Cassandra :)
xxxooo

 

Fan Fiction Stories I Read in 2013

In the sidebar of this blog, I keep a list of the fan fiction stories I have read each year; I also keep a list on my computer of all of the fan fiction stories I have ever read so that I know whether or not I've read a story when the title kind of rings a distant bell. 

The image above of "The Cullen Legacy" by pattyrose illustrates Cassandra's Favorite Fan Fiction of 2013, with "Copy Room" by Edward's Eternal a close second.

All of these stories are complete and were read from FanFiction.net unless noted otherwise (some are posted on Wattpad). Some stories may have been removed either by FF.net or by the authors as they revised them into original fiction books (or took them down for other reasons). 

And yes, I read a lot of fan fiction--about 165 multi-chaptered fan fics this year, plus 41 non-fan fiction books. With my health issues, sleep is often elusive, so I read on my Kindle until sleep overtakes me. 

So here is the list of the Fan Fiction stories I have read in 2013. 

Fan Fiction Stories Read in 2013 
(in alphabetical order)

"29 Dimensions" by Catastrophia 
"A Compendium of Thoughts" by ItIsRaining 
"A Different Kind of Pain" by Sparklingwand (re-read) 
"A Getty Romance" by rinabina 
"A Home for the Holidays" by CullensTwiMistress 
"A Life Less Ordinary" by CullensTwiMistress 
"Against the Odds" by knicnort3 
"All That Jazz" by javamomma0921 
"Always" by knicnort3 
"An Angel's Promise" (Angel #3) by drotuno 
"Anatomy of a Human" by Amethyst Jackson (re-read) 
"Angel's Embrace" (Angel #2) by drotuno 
"Arrogance and Animosity" by pattyrose 
"At What Cost?" by Artemis Leaena 
"At the End of the Day" by Edward's Eternal 
"Awaken" by EdwardsEternal 
"Bear Valley" by Lady Gwenydd (re-read) 
"Beautifully Sacred" by Ailisraevyn 
"Bella's Anatomy" by CullensTwiMistress 
"Beyond Time" by TKegl (reread) 
"Beyond the Break Room" by discordia81 
"Beyond the Scope" by Catastrophia 
"Black Diamond" by Dishie 
"Branching Inward" by LifeinTheSnow 
"Breathe" by knitchick (P&P) 
"Broken Angel" (Angel #1) by drotuno (re-read) 
"Chance Encounter" by Besotted 
"Clair de Lune" by Amberdeengirl 
"Clementines" by Nachos4Children (re-read) 
"Close to the Pin" by rinabina 
"Come Closer" by Chloe Masen 
"Come Home" by samekraemer 
"Coming Home" by Sarge's Girls 
"Complicated" by LyricalKris 
"Copy Room" by Edward's Eternal
"Cracks in the Pavement" by VampiresHaveLaws 
"Cullens Go to Hogwarts" by Erica.K.Bailey (crossover) 
"Cups Full of Wishes" by Chloe Masen 
"Days Like This" by Soft Ragoo 
"Departures" by TheFicChick 
"Don't Fight It" by tardis19 (Wattpad) 
"Don't Take the Girl" by Sparklingwand (re-read) 
"Down Home" by MrsSpaceCowboy 
"Dreamcatcher" by ocdmess 
"Easy as Pie" by Edward's Eternal 
"Eddie and the Cruisers" by Holly1980 
"Empty" by Hev99 
"Evermore Experience" by dejean Smith 
"Fall to Ruin One Day" by sleepyvalentina 
"Figmentum" by thimbles 
"Five Times They Never Met" by TheFicChick 
"Forgotten" by D-Twilighter/by DeePattinson (Wattpad) 
"Fortune Favors the Bold" by capricapra 
"Foul Territory" by rinabina 
"From This Day Forward" by HopeSparkles (re-read) 
"Frontline" by MissAlex 
"Grand Jete" by stella luna sky 
"Hands-On History" by dejean Smith 
"Hard to Love" by drotuno 
"Hatchet" by PrettyKittyArtist 
"Haunted Mindscapes" by Simaril 
"Heading West" by CullensTwiMistress 
"Heavenly Scent" by infinitypoet 
"Help Wanted" (and outtakes) by Jaxon22 
"Hide in Plain Sight" by FangMom 
"High Stays the Tide" by capricapra 
"Hit by Destiny" by ocdmess 
"I Hope You Dance" by Lissa Bryan 
"I Love You" by Dooba 
"I Thought I Loved You Then" by kyla713 
"I'm Not Falling for You" by ronOReds 
"In Plain Sight" by Dishie 
"In Pursuit" by Sarge's Girls 
"Indecent Proposal" by pattyrose (re-read) 
"It Begins Like This" by iambeagle 
"Just a Number" by LyricalKris 
"Let's Get Physical" by Lalina 
"Love Hurts" by LostinFanFiction 
"Love Rescue Me" by Emmamama88 
"Make Me Believe" by Lost In FanFiction 
"Masen Rules" by CaraNo 
"Meyer University" by Sh.C. (and re-read) 
"Mise-en-Place" by callmepagliacci 
"More Than Life" by tardis19 (Wattpad) 
"My Biggest Mistake, My Greatest Salvation" by LyricalKris 
"My Perfect Match" by HappyMess 
"Nature of Love" by drotuno 
"Nine Months: A Cullen Legacy Story" by pattyrose 
"Nobody's Little Girl" by HelloElla 
"O Holy Christmas" by CaraNo 
"On These Icy Waters" by kyla713 (one-shot) 
"One Weekend" by StormDragonfly 
"Only Human" by Amethyst Jackson (re-read) 
"Osa Bella" by myg 
"Out of the Mouths of Babes" by Edward's Eternal 
"Outbound" by aftrnoondlight 
"Penalty Shot" by Edward's Eternal 
"Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps" by ChocolateLoverr82 
"Professionally Personal" by DH78 
"Que Sera, Sera" by Livie79 
"Reality vs. Expectations" by BellaEdwardlover1991 
"Reassigned Identity" by Mk Marle 
"Rescission" by GeekChic12 
"Sandstone Cove" by cosmogirl7481 
"Serenity's Prayer" by ladylibre 
"Seven Days to Christmas" by CullensTwiMistress 
"She Speaks Fear and Truth" by ericastwilight 
"She Will Be Loved" by knicnort3 
"Sins of My Past" by content1 (re-read) 
"Sleep on the Floor" by sexycereal 
"Snapdragon" by PrettyKittyArtist 
"Stay" by FictionFreak95 
"Suddenly" by LyricalKris 
"Summer of Salt" by lola-pops 
"Swear Not by the Moon" by hmonster4 
"Take the Ice" by bellamarie117 (re-read) 
"Teacher of the Year" by DH78 
"Terms and Conditions Apply" by TheSaintsMistress 
"Terroir" by thimbles 
"The Back Road" by TallulahBelle 
"The Cullen Girl" by evieeden 
"The Cullen Legacy" by pattyrose 
"The Daily Grind" by Emotion Masen 
"The Disillusioned" by PhoenixRising25 
"The Harvest of Avarice" by Emmamama88 
"The Lady's Champion" by javamomma0921 
"The Loving Kind" by thimbles 
"The Mail Order Bride" by Lady Gwenydd (re-read) 
"The Man in Black" by PrettyKittyArtist (re-read) 
"The Music of the Night" by theladyingrey42 
"The Other Side of Me" by BelieveItOrNot 
"The Practice of Love" by belladonnacullen 
"The Practicum" by TheFicChick 
"The Runaway Bride" by A Cullen Wannabe 
"The Search" by Amber1983 
"The Short Sugar Plum Fairy" by Amberdeengirl 
"The Silver Lining" by kimpy 
"The Sound of Silence" by Besotted 
"The Space Between the Notes" by LyricalKris 
"The Tales of a Charming TruckNapper" by MK Marie 
"The Tide Is High" by capricapra 
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" by pattyrose 
"The Wallflower and the Flyboy" by A Cullen Wannabe (re-read) 
"These Hearts Adore" by YellowGlue 
"Through the Flames" by SparklingTwilight 
"Timing Is Everything" by Virginia May 
"Tomorrow Is Another Day" by LyricalKris 
"Touching Solitude" by catharticone (and re-read) 
"Twisted" by knicnort3 
"Unexpected Circumstances" by Savage7289 
"Unintended" by knicnort3 
"Unintended: A Loss of Faith" (alt ending) by knicnort3 
"Unrequited" by Perry Maxwell 
"Until Next Time" by Lost in Fanfiction 
"Vines" by FictionFreak95 
"Virgins and Villains" by Emmamama88 
"Voices" by coloradoperson 
"Waning Moon" by mpg 
"Washed Away" by Emotion Masen 
"We Could Run" by CaraNo 
"Whatever Comes Next" by HappyMess 
"When You Close Your Eyes" by Chloe Masen 
"Where Roads Converge" by FluffyLiz 
"White Lies" by netracullen 
"Wild Turkey" by tardis19 (Wattpad) 
"Win Some, Lose Some" by Savage7289 
"With or Without You" by Rochelle Allison 
"Work of Art" by abstract way 
"Wrap You in My Arms" by Emmamama88 
"Wrenfield Hall" by Wannabe Charlotte (re-read) 

In the sidebar near the bottom, I keep a list of my favorite fan fiction stories with links, and I'll also be starting my new fan fiction list for 2014 as well. In fact, I just added two fan fics to my 2014 list this morning. ;)  

Wishing you all happy reading for 2014,
Cassandra :) 
xxxooo

Only by Moonlight Nominated for Fandom Choice Awards!!

Wonderful news!!! 

Only by Moonlight has been nominated for Best Supporting Cast in the 2014 Fandom Choice Awards!! 

Basically, the Fandom Choice Awards are similar to the Academy Awards, but for Twilight Fan Fiction. Only the seven stories with the highest vote counts in each category become nominees, and voting is going on currently. :) 

Here's the link for voting: Fandom Choice Awards: Vampire

Voting is open from December 1, 2013--January 3, 2014. I would really appreciate your taking the time to vote for Only by Moonlight for Best Supporting Cast!!! (It's Question #25 of 29, so it's near the bottom.) 

I can't tell you how very THRILLED BEYOND WORDS I am about this nomination!! I couldn't be happier!!! 

And you make YOU happier, I just sent **two** chapters of Only by Moonlight to my amazing and uber-talented pre-reader, ladylibre, tonight. :)  They need a lot of work, but I hope to get the first chapter up within a week or so, and the second one up by Christmas. :)

So I thank all of those who nominated Only by Moonlight and I'll really thank you for voting!!!! 

And I especially thank ladylibre--this story would literally not exist if it weren't for her stellar and clever ideas. And I also thank all of my incredible readers on Wattpad.com and FanFiction.net--you all inspire me!! 

Doing a definite Happy Dance,
~Cassandra :)
xxxooo

Recognition from Wattpad...and Apologies

Yesterday I received a very cool recognition from Wattpad for being one of their most-read authors! Here's the little widget they sent. As I couldn't fit it in my sidebar (darn!), I thought I'd share it here.

And I apologize for not updating Only by Moonlight. I had grand plans for writing my heart our for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and generating chapter after chapter of raw material for the story. I got a good start going...until I saw my class list for my new online class: Literary Analysis: The Great Gatsby. Most of my literary analysis classes have 8-10 students, occasionally 12 at most. But this class was FULL. At capacity.

Twenty students.

20.

The big 2-0.

Crap was my first thought. There goes NaNoWriMo.

And I've already pulled two all-nighters since class began on November 4, trying to keep up on all of our amazing discussions of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel--perhaps the most important American novel of the 20th century--and perhaps of all American literature. The students are incredible. Ranging in ages from 13-17, they are wonderful and insightful writers. I adore them all.

But they are keeping me far busier than I've ever been in teaching any class in my nearly twelve years of teaching online classes to homeschoolers.

They're writing three major responses to discussion questions per week, then commenting on each other's responses as well. Multiply those six posts (minimum) per week times twenty students, and I have a minimum of 120 posts to read and comment on per week. Plus I still have my Expository Essay I and II classes I teach at our homeschool co-op and--oh, yeah--my own two teen boybarians to homeschool.

It's crazy. Fun, but crazy.

So that's where I've been this month--NOT doing NaNoWriMo and NOT working on my stories very much. But teaching my own kids and other students is my other passion, one that was confirmed to me in a very unusual way last night.

So I needed this affirmation from Wattpad about my writing during a month when I've felt disappointed and a wee bit guilty for not being able to pursue NaNoWriMo and Only by Moonlight (and a second story I've started writing by hand in a composition book with my trusty fountain pen). So, thanks, Wattpad, for being so good to me!! :)

So back to writing in December, I hope!! 

Love to you all,
~Cassandra 
xxxooo