New Project - Spring 2014

Happy Monday, Angels! Just wanted to announce my plans for my next series! Now that I'm wrapping up the third and final book of the Alyx Rayer Chronicles, I've been doing a lot of thinking as to what project I'll be working on next. The one I've chosen will be a YA Paranormal Romance series and is actually a spin-off of one of the characters in Book Three. I can't tell you who, of course, or it will give everything away. The only thing I WILL tell you is that the story is based off a character you haven't met yet. :)

As of right now, the project is untitled, but in good time I'll share tidbits with you along the way. All I have for you at the moment is a time frame, and that's Spring of 2014! So excited!!!!

Fun Facts about the Alyx Rayer Series

I LOVE to read extra tidbits that any of my favorite authors decide to throw out about what inspired them, where some of their ideas came from, etc. So I've decided to share a few of my own on the Alyx Rayer Series. You can find them on my "About the Alyx Rayer Series" page above, or simply click here.

Enjoy!

~SJ

Movie Review- Snow White and the Huntsman

Released: June 1st, 2012

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, and Chris Hemsworth

Directed by Rupert Sanders

I know, I know... I'm incredibly late to the party. And not even fashionably late, either. For some reason, even as much as I anticipated seeing this movie, I never ended up making it to the theatre to see it. Well, I finally had a night to myself at home *gasp* and it's free on On Demand. So with a plate full of Chinese left-overs and a glass of wine, I settled onto the couch to watch.


The Good:

Kristen Stewart's accent was believable. Not as believable as Charlize's, but much better than I anticipated. Maybe its because she's dated Robert Pattinson for so long that she dang well better be able to speak with an English accent in her sleep. lol I was also quite impressed with her acting. As big a fan as I am of the Twilight Saga, let's face it... they never won any Oscars and we all know why. But it was nice to see her in this type of role, especially at the end when she had to give a speech to get the army riled. I was quite proud of her!

Charlize. She's my hero, and I've loved everything she's in. She played the dark queen like nobody else could, in my opinion. She brought a dark intensity to the role that made you think she'd been secretly devouring young souls her entire life. I love her!

Chris Hemsworth. He could save me from an evil queen any day. ;) And he, too, could act circles around most.

The art direction of the film - exquisite. The dark forest, the enchanted forest, the battle scenes... all very well done. It reminded me of Lord of the Rings blended together with Alice and Wonderland (the one with Johnny Depp).

And last but not least, I'm glad they (mostly) stayed true to the original  story with the  poison apple, the magic mirror and seven dwarfs.


The Bad:

One of the complaints I have about the movie is that I wish there would have been more chemistry between Snow White and the Huntsman. The movie is, after all, named after the two of them. By the time we get to the end and he kisses her to wake her from the witch's spell, it almost seems anti-climatic. Didn't feel, to me, like a true-love-breaking-the-spell kind of thing, and it almost ruined the entire movie. Isn't that the WHOLE idea behind the story? The prince waking her from the spell so the evil queen can be defeated? True love conquering all?! But I don't think it's the actors' fault; I blame the writing/ direction for not giving their story enough screen time and development. I know the movie was already two hours long, but give me a break, you could have found a way to give the two characters a chance to build a believable romance. And the end- they didn't even show if they ended up together or not! Hmph! And yes, I'm crossing my arms and pouting like a five year old.

The only other complaint I have is the queen herself. And let me start this off by saying that I do NOT fault Charlize for this. As I mentioned above, she's a phenomenal actress. I also blame this on the writing. I was hoping for a more multi-faceted character. Yes, she's evil. Yes, she's dark and twisty. But everyone, yes, everyone has more to them somewhere. Even the way she treated her brother was borderline heartless, given how selflessly he'd served her.


The Ugly:

I have nothing to say in this category. Ok, well maybe the queen's brother's haircut. And I can't even remember the guy's name because every time he's on the screen, all I hear is "BAD HAIR" lol


My Rating:

So, to sum it up, I give the movie a healthy B-. If they'd ramped up the romance and given the characters a little more depth, it would have been at least an A for me.


Favorite Scene:
When two of the dwarves were about to shimmy out of the gutter, one said; "We must act as one." And then they try and leave at the same time and can't because they're too big. lol Too funny.


Favorite Line:

"But I have come to learn there is no peace as long as others suffer." So true.

Had to Share! Destined for Fire Update!

I have officially typed the words, THE END! And I have to admit that I teared up! I feel such a sense of completeness and finality. I can't WAIT to share with all of you the final conclusion of the Alyx Rayer Chronicles. It will still be weeks before Destined for Fire is fit for public consumption, though. I just had to spread my joy! :-)

And, as always, I can't part without throwing a crumb or two, so I've decided to share the table of contents! Just as it is with my book titles, I'm very choosy on the words I use to represent what each of the chapters hold.

Prologue: Little Hope
Chapter 1: Angel on Fire
Chapter 2: Hanging by a Thread
Chapter 3: Into the Night
Chapter 4: An Unlikely Alliance
Chapter 5: Sinister
Chapter 6: Still Waters
Chapter 7: Blood-stained Teeth
Chapter 8: A Familiar Voice
Chapter 9: Intoxicated
Chapter 10: Prayer for Direction
Chapter 11: Savoring a Moment
Chapter 12: Watching from Above
Chapter 13: Bittersweet
Chapter 14: Destiny of Flames
Chapter 15: Absolute Precision
Chapter 16: Armed with Words
Chapter 17: Reinforcements
Chapter 18: Heavenly Sacrifice
Chapter 19: (Too revealing. You'll have to wait until August! Sorry!)
Epilogue: (Too revealing. You'll have to wait until August! Sorry!)

Love to all! :-)

My Domain Name has Changed!

My new blog address is www.sjpiercebooks.blogspot.com!

With Love,
~SJ

Publishing Day! A Race to the Finish: A Novella, The Alyx Rayer Chronicles has been Published!

Happy Monday, Angels! I'm pleased to announce that the Novella has officially been published! I am over halfway done with this series now, and the idea of that is exciting yet sobering at the same time. So far, its been an incredible journey, and I can't believe it's almost come to a close. But fear not, after the very last chapter is written, there might be more in store for one of the characters from the series. I'll see where my creativity takes me!

So without further ado, purchase your copy of the Novella at Amazon here!

Add to your Goodreads TBR list here!

As for ten lucky subscribers to my mailing list, they'll receive a free copy via Amazon Gift! The winners are as follows:

Maria S.
Leigh-Ann M.
Gretchen W.
Jackson P.
Fiona J.
Jessica O.
Cassie R.
Kristen P.
Tracy R.
Justin L.

Also as promised, since today is the first of the month, the winner of the monthly $10 Amazon Giftcard drawing is Rochelle D. Congratulations, Rochelle! Thanks for signing up for my mailing list!

And last but not least, I'd also like to announce that in celebration of the Novella's release, the first two books of the series are on sale for .99 cents the first week in April. Purchase Marked for Vengeance here, and Tethered by Fate here.

Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful week! Happy Reading! :-)