A confession

I really hope that you don't judge me after reading this post.

As you must have noticed, another blogging hiatus has occurred.

And instead of saying that I don't have the time, I'm going to tell you the truth. The honest and ugly truth.

I have depression.

Now, before you go off saying bad things about me, please listen.

It's been so long since someone's actually sat down and LISTENED.

It all started almost one year ago, during my exams. It may have been all the stress and pressure, or there might not have been a reason at all. Depression, after all, is a silent predator.

I started to lose interest in the things I loved to do, including blogging, and the few times I did blog, it took me a huge amount of effort to do so.

The thing is, I don't enjoy blogging anymore.

Even worse is, I've even stopped reading. I can't find the energy or motivation to read. It really is so hard to believe that it was something I used to love doing. Now, it's almost a year and I can't believe that I'm still stuck with it.

What touches me the most is the fact that some of my blogger friends still reach out to me, especially during times of distress. The blogging community is one I don't want to leave because I've met so many lovely people out there.

I want to specially thank Nova from Out of Time and Kayla from The Bookish Owl for always sticking with me no matter what. I love both of you so so so so much.

You are my constant reminder that someone out there actually cares. Thank you so so much.

It may sound cliché, but depression can happen to anyone. It doesn't discriminate, and I didn't know this until I was hit by it.

Be nice to everyone out there, no matter what. Anyone out there can be suffering, and you may be the only one who can help them. You don't want to be depressed, or suffer from a mental illness, because it's AWFUL.

Thank you for listening. This may be the last time you've heard from me, or it might not. I hope that it's the latter.

Cover Reveal: Everything (Songbird #3) by Melissa Pearl

Everything by Melissa Pearl

COVER REVEAL

March 12, 2015

Jody Pritchett had a dream...but life had other plans. Instead of singing and dancing on Broadway, Jody's a twenty-year-old single mom, living at home with her disapproving father and overbearing sister. The choice to keep her little Angelia came with a high price and although she adores her baby girl, it doesn't take away the sting of kissing goodbye her chance at a career on the stage.

Leo Sinclair had his own dream...but got lost along the way. After a failed marriage that left him hollow and downtrodden, the Australian songwriter wonders what joy his future could possibly hold. Encouraged by the one family member who doesn't think he's a failure, Leo decides to stop living the life everyone expects him to and start chasing his dreams again.

When the perfect opportunity comes knocking, Leo leaves Australia behind and hops a flight to LA. With his sights set on selling a musical to a Broadway producer, Leo is determined to finally realize his life-long dream. But life gets in the way again, when he spots a young mother outside his apartment in tears. He never realized how one person, one voice, and one Angel could have him contemplating abandoning his dreams once again.

As these two burned hearts wrestle to overcome their past struggles, Leo and Jody must decide which dreams are worth clinging to...because, sometimes, everything you want is not everything you need.

ADD IT TO YOUR GOODREADS TBR: http://bit.ly/1KxH2KR

~*~ABOUT MELISSA PEARL~*~

Melissa Pearl was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but has spent much of her life abroad, living in countries such as Jordan, Cyprus and Pakistan... not to mention a nine month road trip around North America with her husband. "Best. Year. Ever!!" She now lives in China with her husband and two sons. She is a trained elementary teacher, but writing is her passion. Since becoming a full time mother she has had the opportunity to pursue this dream and her debut novel hit the internet in November 2011. Since then she has continued to produce a steady stream of books, ranging in genres from Fantasy to Contemporary Romance. She loves the variety and is excited about the books she has coming up in 2015.

"I am passionate about writing. It stirs a fire in my soul that I never knew I had. I want to be the best writer I can possibly be and transport my readers into another world where they can laugh, cry and fall in love."

TGIF- Feature & Follow Friday

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY is a blog hop that is designed to provide as much exposure towards other bloggers as well as yourself, and to expand following. It's hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, each whom feature a chosen blog for a week, it's also an interesting way to get to know one another bloggers.

Question of the week: Your house is burning down and you have time to select three books you own to take with you. What three books?

My answer: Why have you got to do this to me? This is AGONY.

Can you make it ten? I can't stand the guilt of leaving some books behind. BUT, if it really happens... I guess... NO DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE. This is way too hard. Ask any other book lover and they'll be giving you the same answer as me.

OK OK, deep breaths, Elicia. Deep breaths. I would choose... The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

What about you? Comment down below!!! I'd love to know what you're going to take!

(Late) Waiting on Wednesday: Spinning Starlight by R.C. Lewis

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that highlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication 'can't-wait-to-read' selection is:

Title: Spinning Starlight
Author: R.C. Lewis
Release Date: 25th October 2015
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Find on: Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old heiress and paparazzi darling Liddi Jantzen hates the spotlight. But as the only daughter in the most powerful tech family in the galaxy, it's hard to escape it. So when a group of men show up at her house uninvited, she assumes it's just the usual media-grubs. That is, until shots are fired.

Liddi escapes, only to be pulled into an interplanetary conspiracy more complex than she ever could have imagined. Her older brothers have been caught as well, trapped in the conduits between the planets. And when their captor implants a device in Liddi's vocal cords to monitor her speech, their lives are in her hands: One word and her brothers are dead.

Desperate to save her family from a desolate future, Liddi travels to another world, where she meets the one person who might have the skills to help her bring her eight brothers home-a handsome dignitary named Tiav. But without her voice, Liddi must use every bit of her strength and wit to convince Tiav that her mission is true. With the tenuous balance of the planets deeply intertwined with her brothers' survival, just how much is Liddi willing to sacrifice to bring them back?

Haunting and mesmerizing, this retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans strings the heart of the classic with a stunning, imaginative world as a star-crossed family fights for survival in this companion to Stitching Snow. 

R.C.Lewis is awfully good at re-tellings. I've never seen anyone give the story such a twist as she had in Stitching Snow, but it's definitely one I'd love to see in her next book. Also, isn't that cover just mouthwatering?

Why do we write reviews?

Are reviews actually helpful?

DUH. They're really helpful.

Or I might just be saying that because I'm a reviewer.

But let me tell you what I think from the perspective of a full-time reader.

When I see positive or negative reviews regarding a book I've wanted to read for a long time, I will try to look at what the reviewer has said about that particular book in terms of characters, plot, world-building and more.

I also look at the number of positive to negative reviews so I get the bigger picture: whether people actually liked it or not.

In the past, reviews have actually helped me with deciding what to read next, and I normally have to choose from a huge TBR pile, so it makes things easier for me. Goodreads is the best place to get reviews, as well my favourite bloggers.

Reviews are important, not just for readers, but authors too. To them, it's good publicity, especially when there are 5 star reviews of that book everywhere. (By the way, that's why there are ARC copies). Even negative ones help, because these critiques will help the author as this will give them an idea of what readers want.

Andddd when the person reviewing the book is someone from NY times, Entertainment Weekly, etc.? Or even a famous author?

BOOM. The book gets boosted to instant popularity. Trust me, that's how New York Times bestsellers are made.

Or not. It really depends. I mean, not all reviews are positive, right?

But the truth is, reviewers are important to everyone in the book community: authors, readers, publicists and even cover designers. This isn't me saying I'm great or anything. It's me saying that reviewers are such a beautiful and awesome part of the bookish community, and I love every single one of them, even the ones I haven't met, and also the ones I have met.

So if you finish a book and you love it a lot, leave a review. It doesn't matter if it's one word, or one sentence, because if it says what you really feel about this particular book you've finished, then it's something worth writing down. If you didn't like it, write it down as well, it's still a memory, even though it was a bad one.

Let me tell you another thing. Reviews are as important to reviewers as they are to authors, etc. They're something we can look at after a while, a memory of reading the book we'll never have again unless we do reread it. And sometimes, the feelings won't be the same when we read it the second time, or the third, or fourth. Think of writing reviews as writing a reading journal. Doesn't it sound fun?

I decided to write about this topic because sometimes I question myself. Do my reviews get read? Do they really help people? Why do I write reviews?

Now it's time for you to answer these questions. As a reader or a reviewer, how important are reviews to you?

TGIF- Feature & Follow Friday

FEATURE & FOLLOW FRIDAY is a blog hop that is designed to provide as much exposure towards other bloggers as well as yourself, and to expand following. It's hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, each whom feature a chosen blog for a week, it's also an interesting way to get to know one another bloggers.

Question of the Week: Do you like fantasy or realistic books?

My answer: This is a really hard question... But if I weigh them against each other, fantasy ultimately wins. It helps when you have a bad day and you are transported to another world.

Waiting on Wednesday: Shadow Study (Soulfinders #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that highlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication 'can't-wait-to-read' selection is:

Title: Shadow Study (Soulfinders #1)
Author: Maria V. Snyder
Release Date: 24th February 2015
Publisher: Mira
Find on: Goodreads

New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder wowed readers with Poison Study, the unforgettable story of poison taster Yelena. Now she's back with a new tale of intrigue.

Once, only her own life hung in the balance.

Oddly enough, when Yelena was a poison taster, her life was simpler. But she'd survived to become a vital part of the balance of power between rival countries Ixia and Sitia. Now she uses her magic to keep the peace in both lands and protect her relationship with Valek.

Suddenly, though, they are beset on all sides by those vying for power through politics and intrigue. Valek's job - and his life - are in danger. As Yelena tries to uncover the scope of these plots, she faces a new challenge: her magic is blocked. She must keep that a secret - or her enemies will discover just how vulnerable she really is - while searching for who or what is responsible for neutralizing her powers.

Yes, the days of tasting poisons were much simpler. And certainly not as dangerous...