guest post – Zakiya N. Jamal

10 Books I Did Not Finish (DNF) (Guest Post)

Posted on September 27, 2017September 26, 2017 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog, Guest Post

*This is a guest post written by Kattiah Richardson. If you would like to do a guest post for To Borrow or Buy, please email me at toborroworbuy@gmail.com*

Hello Bookdragons and Bibliophiles….Wait, this isn’t my blog…. Ah! I am super ecstatic to be writing a guest blog post for one blogger I have read before I even made mine. *gasps and fangirls* When this opportunity arose, I jumped onto it let me tell you. Zakiya is so kind and sweet, and if y’all haven’t followed her yet, do so now. Anyway, my top 10 book DNFs.

When a book lover hears “DNF,” some gasp and scream at the horror of those letters, while others shrug it off because it’s a part of the reading experience. If you don’t agree with the second kind of reader, let me tell you one of my greatest pieces of advice: Life’s too short to struggle through a book you hate just so you don’t have to put it down. There are too many good books in the world to read one that is not your type of book. This thinking brought me to my blog post today…

1. Red Queen Series by Victoria Aveyard

This book just did not do it for me at all. I found the characters irritating, the story familiar, the pacing slow, and there was a love triangle I was just not here for. I know many people love this series and as much as it is disheartening to say and hear, I will be getting rid of it and have no plans to read this in the future.

2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Ah, this book…. I couldn’t handle it. I was not a fan of the characters or the writing. I think I might have tried to pick it up again if it were not for James Dashner’s writing. I did not enjoy his writing for reasons still unknown to myself. I am willing to possibly try this again, but only if my life depended on it. It doesn’t, so I won’t be picking this up again any time soon.

3. The Finisher by David Baldacci

I could not stand this book. I got to page 57 (I still have my bookmark in it for some reason) and I could not deal with the author’s writing, style, or word choice. Also, the characters seemed flat and one dimensional. The premise was not my cup of tea. Overall, younger Kattiah could not pick a book correctly.

4. How to Meet Boys by Catherine Clark

If you know anything about me, you know I love contemporaries as long as they are developed well and not a morally wrong concept. My mistake picking this up. I knew the friend would be attracted to her best friend’s ex, but as the story progressed, it didn’t stop. I thought it would be a situation where she would explain herself and swear off boys or whatever, not sneak behind her best friend’s back like a coward. Why would you do that?

5. Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

This book. I can’t. First of all, the writing is terrible. Secondly, the characters are terrible to each other. I had to force myself to read this book. Not good. .000001/10 recommended. Enough said.

6. The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey

The Fifth Wave, book one in this series, was great! I really loved it. Then I got this one, started it, and wanted to cry. It was terrible. It definitely has a case of middle book syndrome. I couldn’t even finish it even though the last book was supposedly epic. I’m sad the relationship between me and this book did not work out, but you live, let go, and learn!

7. Where She Went by Gayle Forman

I tried really hard (twice) to read this book, but I could not do it. It was worse that any word to describe bad. Times ten. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first book, If I Stay, but I thought the sequel might be worthwhile. Haha, no. The characters changed. It was much moodier. It was terrible. DNF!

8. I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson

This was my first DNF book and so I cannot remember, specifically, why I stopping reading, but I do remember not clicking with the main character.

9. I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

Not. A. Fan. To be honest, I did not really give it a shot, but I just didn’t like it. It seemed too millennial for me. Some love it, I did not.

Book Ten: Hoot Carl Hiaasen

10. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Ah, don’t shoot me! I know this is a beloved book by many and that it clearly won an award. I, however, did not like it. At. All. I thought the writing was bad and the beginning didn’t suck me in like I had hoped. I am sorry to say, but this book is not a personal favorite.

If you are still reading then you have been here through all of my minor hate on these books, but these are my personal opinions as we are all entitled to our own. PLEASE follow this blog and like this if you liked it and if you want to see more of my writing head over to my blog here! You can also follow Zakiya’s bookstagram here and mine here! Thank you so much for reading. Bye!!

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Amber Sea of Children

Posted on August 6, 2015August 6, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Guest Post

*This is a guest post written by Morissa Schwartz and she is the author of the new book Notes Never Sent, a collection of inspirational creative non-fiction made up of anecdotes and letters . Check out this amazing sneak peak of her book and check out her publisher’s site to learn more. Thursdays are guest post day. If you would like to be featured email toborroworbuy@gmail.com.*

Hi, I’m Morissa Schwartz. My new book, Notes Never Sent, is being released by VIP Ink Publishing next month. It’s an inspirational creative non-fiction book made up of anecdotes and letters that form a cohesive tale of growing up.

The people I write about have shown me that you never truly know a person until you let yourself get to know them. No one is shallow; they only appear that way when you view them from afar. I like to delve into what makes us each an individual and express that sentiment in letters to those who inspire me to write. I have learned just as much about myself from the stories of those around me than from many of my own experiences. Although, I do have my own story to share.

Amber Sea of Children

A sea of children clad in their amber Catholic school uniforms surrounds me. They all know each other and yammer on about their summers and plans for the school year. They gather around the flagpole in the center of the school entrance, where a Mary Mother of God statue sits, but the statue is hidden behind the uniformed legs of the students.

I look on in horror. I cannot make sense of any of it. It is my first day of Catholic school. There are more students than I have ever seen in one place here. My last school had class sizes that rarely exceeded a dozen.

All these surroundings are so foreign: the students, the building, the crucifix…I have never seen anything like this in my ten years of life. I should take solace in the familiarity of the Pacific blue sky I would gaze at every morning, the leafy trees like I have my backyard, and the hard blacktop similar to the one in the park that I had taken a tumble on, but I cannot. I am too distracted by all these new things to notice the true beauty surrounding me. Particularly, I am sidetracked by the students my own age who I can only hope to fit in with.

Past the students is the school building. An old building, which according to the welcome brochure that my mother picked up from the office, has been around for over seventy-five years. It obviously needs some serious renovations. The bricks no longer appear strong, and the paneling on the gymnasium building looks like it can crumple if hit by a heavy storm, but I’m more afraid of the other students than by the faulty architecture.

In the worn windows, behind the damaged shades, above the elementary part of the building are cardboard cutouts of students in their little yellow uniforms. The faculty made them to welcome the younger students. They didn’t add anything for the older students; we are expected to already know our way.

The entrances are numbered. Entrance 1 is to the gym behind the playground. The other entrance is 2, which is where middle-shoolers enter. The doors are open, but we are not allowed in yet.

The middle school students wear custard yellow shirts, skirts, and shorts, as opposed to the lemon peel jumpers the younger students wear. This is our privilege, and if one has their skirt too short, it is off to the principal’s office and a note home to Mommy. Many girls are testing these rules. I am not. I measured my skirt before coming here against my fingers about five times for fear of being chastised.

The middle school students gathered around the flagpole have segregated themselves: boys on one side, girls on the other. I barely even notice the younger students walking hand-in-hand with their parents; I am too fixated on the students my own age and how different I am from them. Even our shadows look different. Mine includes long braided strings on my bag, long hair that goes way past my shoulders, and a purse. I’m the only girl carrying a purse. Are purses not allowed here? Or are they just not cool?

I stand farther back from the students, centered with my long hair glowing auburn under the sun, like my defiantly red backpack. Just as I am original, my backpack radiates just how unique I am to this school. While the girls on the right have their magenta and bluebonnet backpacks and the boys on the left have their blue, black, and gray ones, there I stand with my fire-engine red hiking bag, which is bolder than me. I don’t actually feel that confident. I just feel different. The only other bold backpacker is Kayla, who stands to my right in her buttercup bag. It was that moment of sharing distinctive backpacks that spawned our three-year friendship.

Our shoes are also telling of how different the other girls are from me. I am wearing penny-loafers or “old-lady shoes” as the girl next to me in the Pumas calls them, but I simply followed protocol, just as I did with my skirt. The nun on the far left, standing with the middle school boys says, “no heels, no colors, no sneakers.” I follow her commands, because her scowl scares me. But not as much as the unfriendly woman in the turquoise dress on the right, Ms. Endlolf, who does not care for those who are different. It is obvious even on this first day. She is heading to the middle-schoolers, where she will lecture them about the nail polish they are not supposed to wear and the gum they cannot chew. Then, she commands them to proclaim the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by Hail Mary, and My Country Tis of Thee. She reprimands those who do not follow along and punishes anyone who talks.

I have no one to talk to, so I do not have to worry about Miss Endolf’s punishments today. All these people are strangers…scary strangers…scary strangers in amber shirts. I am too fixated on the people to notice the air-conditioning units in the windows that signify that for the first time in my life, I will have to sit in a hot classroom. And I definitely do not notice the reflection of the “exit” sign in the window of the middle school entrance, even though that is what I want to do more than anything. I want to exit this scary new land where I surely won’t fit in. If I flip around, you will see the fear on my face. It is a helpless fear like none I have ever felt before, because I have never experienced anything like this before. I have never been to such a large school or seen so many new people and things at ones.

I see the playground on the far left and wish I could just go back and play all day on those slides. I find it funny how no one, not even the little kids, are playing on the playground. If I were just a few years younger, there would be no prying me off those monkey bars, but in this foreign place, the playground is a ghost land. This whole place is like an alternate universe. It is a crowded place of many rules, religious objects, and amber…lots of amber.

Then the nun stands next to me, “I like your shoes,” she says. For the first time that morning, I smile. Those four simple words change my entire frame of mind, as I realize that if that scary nun is actually nice, maybe everyone is. I think this place is going to be okay.

Five Great Book-To-Film Adaptations

Posted on July 30, 2015July 30, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog, Guest Post

*This is a guest post written by Shant Istamboulian, writer of Shantipedia. Check out his awesome post and fantastic blog. Thursdays are guest post day. If you would like to be featured email toborroworbuy@gmail.com.*

Adapting popular books into films has always been a popular idea. Since the silent era, filmmakers have reached into the publishing realm to inspire their vision. D.W. Griffith’s infamous and controversial movie, The Birth of a Nation, was based on Thomas Dixon, Jr.’s equally incendiary novel (later play) The Clansman, while Cecil B. DeMille used the Bible as the impetus for his 1927 film based on the life of Christ, King of Kings.

Classics ranging from Ben-Hur (the silent version and the Oscar-winning masterpiece starring Charlton Heston) to Gone with the Wind, were all based on best-selling books that entertained and challenged readers young and old alike.

The trend continued this past weekend with the release of Paper Towns, the popular YA novel by The Fault of Our Stars writer John Green, while later in the year we’ll see the release of the eagerly anticipated final chapter in the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, Mockingjay—Part II.

Books are constantly being turned into movies, sometimes great, sometimes not, but in the past 30 years there’s definitely been some standouts. Here’s my top five.

The Color Purple (1985, based on the book by Alice Walker)

When screenwriter Menno Meyjes set out to adapt the Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name, he was met with a tall order. Alice Walker’s piece is structured as a collection of letters written by protagonist Celie (played by Whoopi Goldberg in the film). How do you turn that into a feature film screenplay? The unenviable task was handled with care by Meyjes and the resulting film is touching and powerful from first frame to last and proved to be a classic example of how to adapt tricky material. Filled with wonderful performances by a great cast, including Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey in early, career boosting roles, The Color Purple also had the distinction of providing a bridge for Steven Spielberg to segue from blockbuster filmmaking to more prestige films which would later include Empire of the Sun, Schindler’s List, and Saving Private Ryan.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009, based on the book by Roald Dahl)

Roald Dahl was a children’s writer but his books always contained an edge missing from others published in its day. This is why adapting his books has never been easy as filmmakers desperately try to toe the line between the sweet and salty. Most Dahl adaptations are serviceable at the very best. (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is considered a cult classic but a great adaptation of a Dahl book it is not.) The one filmmaker to successfully translate Dahl’s voice from page to screen was Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel). His version of The Fantastic Mr. Fox is a great time, thanks to wonderful stop-motion animation, a collection of star talent (George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray) that gets the material, and the perfect blending of tastes between author and filmmaker. Anderson’s style is not for everyone, but I dare you to watch this Fox without a smile on your face.

GONE GIRL (2014, based on the book by Gillian Flynn)

It’s rare for an author to adapt their own book into a screenplay. Rarer still is for them to knock it out of the park as Gillian Flynn did with her script to her dark page-turner. Working with David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club), Flynn perfectly eliminates all the fat from her novel to deliver a tautly-paced stunner that never lets up, even to those who read the book (the “shock” moment in the book’s climax still managed to get me in the silver screen version). The Gone Girl script serves as a master class on how to adapt a popular novel and it was unfortunate that the Academy failed to nominate Flynn for a much deserved Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar (she would’ve deserved the win, too).

JACKIE BROWN (1997, based on the novel Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard)

Crime novelist Elmore Leonard always seemed like the bridesmaid when his work was adapted into films. While some of his westerns (3:10 to Yuma, Hombre) became minor classics, his crime novels never turned out the way you expected. Anyone remember 52 Pick-Up or Cat Chaser? It wasn’t until the late nineties when a trio of his books were turned into films that are now modern classics. Between 1995’s Get Shorty and 1998’s Out of Sight, Quentin Tarantino adapted his comic thriller Rum Punch into Jackie Brown. The brilliance of Jackie Brown is how Tarantino made the source material completely his own, changing protagonist Jackie Burke, a white, blonde-haired Miami flight attendant, to Jackie Brown, a black Los Angeles-based woman, while still retaining Leonard’s voice. Jackie Brown was Tarantino’s follow-up to Pulp Fiction so it didn’t get the proper attention it deserves, but with outstanding turns by Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, Bridget Fonda, and the one and only Pam Grier (in the role of her career), who makes magic with co-star Robert Forster in his Oscar-nominated role, this is a must watch. Better yet, read Rum Punch before watching Jackie Brown and marvel at Tarantino’s achievement.

MISERY (1990, based on the book by Stephen King)

A Stephen King film adaptation comes around almost every year but none have reached the perfection that is Misery. Director Rob Reiner tackled King for the second time (after Stand by Me) with a little help from Oscar-winning screenwriter William Goldman (All the President’s Men) to deliver a sometimes darkly comic, mostly chilling take on what it means to take fandom to its limits. James Caan (as novelist Paul Sheldon) and Kathy Bates (as his “number one fan” Annie Wilkes) are superb, playing the ultimate game of one upmanship. Goldman (against his will) even managed to soften the novel’s most brutal moment (SPOILER ALERT: in the book Annie chops off Sheldon’s foot and cauterizes the wound) without sacrificing its integrity and created an iconic moment in the interim. Bates won a well-deserved Oscar for Best Actress and her performance still tingles the spine.

Old Stories, New Life: Persephone Books

Posted on July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog, Guest Post

*This is a guest post written by Shelbi Starnes, writer of The Nobby Life. Check out her awesome post and fantastic blog. Thursdays are guest post day. If you would like to be featured email toborroworbuy@gmail.com.*

Old Stories, New Life: Persephone Books

Shelbi Starnes

If you’re a reader (and if you’re reading this post, I assume that you are), you can sympathize with the fact that it can often be a challenge to find new, compelling books to read when you are in need of a fresh story that is simply a pleasant experience. I often find myself in bookstores, scanning the shelves for the elusive book to pop out at me, or to discover a beloved author’s lesser-known work that I can probe and explore. Perhaps the most rewarding of all is to find an author I’ve never heard of before – and thanks to Persephone Books, this happens more often than not these days.

I discovered my first Persephone book several years ago when it was sitting primly on a Barnes & Noble bookshelf, and I must admit, it was the cover that caught my eye. On closer inspection, I noticed with interest that the book was a story by Frances Hodgson Burnett, of The Secret Garden fame. That she had written other novels had never occurred to me, but now that I held The Marchioness in my hands, I wondered how many more she had written, and how many other authors had books that they had labored over but, for whatever reason, had never enjoyed success.

I also found another Persephone on the same visit (it was Christmastime and I believe the store had received a special shipment, as I have never been lucky enough to discover Persephone books at Barnes & Noble again), and I noticed with interest that it had been penned by Monica Dickens, Charles Dickens’ granddaughter. Wondering if she was as compelling an author as her grandfather, I purchased it and began reading it shortly after with my book club. When we met the following month to discuss it, we all agreed that we hadn’t been able to put it down. Who knew that Charles Dickens had offspring who wrote? and wrote in a style worthy of her literary heritage? Since then I have been on a quest to collect more of Monica Dickens’ books (not easy here in the US, as they were published in Britain quite some time ago) and have been interested in discovering more unknown literary greats.

Persephone books not only brings overlooked authors to life, they also focus on women authors by publishing works that were neglected over the years because they were not written by men. In bringing these novels to life at last, Persephone is helping to right a literary injustice. It is also interesting to note that this publishing company is owned by a woman, and her extraordinary vision and dedication to her business has imparted a unique credibility to her desire to publish female authors.

Not only am I discovering “new” authors and works, but there are authors who became successful without all of their books being well-received. To that end, Persephone brings out those neglected, overlooked novels and introduces them to a new audience.

Persephone Books is not just a publisher, but the creator of a reading experience, as their books are lovely in their simple gray covers with exquisite interiors awaiting those who crack the covers open to peek inside. A matching bookmark will begin to slide out as you open the book further, and if you’re not hooked by now then you are probably not appreciative enough of a bookish experience (of course I speak tongue in cheek…).

Should you happen into their store in London (which sits on the cutest, quietest street that just begs you to stop awhile and take it in), you will be greeted with more of the publisher’s simple, but elegant aesthetic. Clean bookshelves bearing neat stacks of their gray books beckon invitingly from a tiny, sun-filled room. Just beyond the counter, you may glimpse employees having afternoon tea. While I was visiting, a young employee popped into the shop with a profusion of flowers in her hand “just because”. It is perhaps because of their attention to beauty that Persephone has been able to succeed in creating a literary life of its own – one that is simple, beautiful, and worth exploring.

The Blessing Bank Account

Posted on March 23, 2015March 23, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog, Guest Post

*The following post is a guest post written by my friend Jordan D. Blackwell. Enjoy!*

Why should I be grateful?

Theoretically, I feel we all know being grateful is good for us. The question is why? Well what do we ultimately want out of life? Once we know that, it’s easy to see being grateful is a necessity in our lives.

What I personally want out of life is to be healthy, wealthy, and a positive influence in this world. I don’t want to worry about finances, about my family being in danger, about the future, etc. Of course there are other things that I would love to have, but if I had those few basic needs met I would be happy. I think many of us would be more than satisfied to be healthy, wealthy and positive. Just imagine having all that you could want and being able to enjoy it without worrying about whether you deserve it or if it’s okay to have it. Imagine having the house that you want, the boyfriend/girlfriend you want, the relationships you want. Wouldn’t that be amazing? How would you feel if you had those things in your life? Would you feel happy? Peaceful? Grateful?

For myself, those things would give me an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I would know that there is a higher power that loves me and wants the absolute best for me. I’d know that I’m being taken care of and I don’t have to worry about my needs being satisfied. My God has blessed me and continues to bless me because I am loved.

Interestingly enough, I already have most of the things on my list! How is it that when I think of the things that will make me happy, they end up being things I already have? Why aren’t I happier?

We aren’t as happy as we could be because we aren’t always aware of all the blessings we have in front of us. We don’t consciously try to keep count of the blessings we’ve already received and naturally we’ll forget about them as we live out our lives. We’re holding ourselves back from being happier people by not acknowledging the things that we already have. It’s a little sad but it’s also pretty amazing to think about. Just by increasing our awareness of what we have we can all become happier with our lives.

I was thinking of how I could best keep track of these things and started thinking about other aspects of my life that I do a good job at keeping a track of. I immediately thought of my finances. Most of us are pretty good at keeping track of our money. We check our accounts regularly and make withdrawals and, hopefully, deposits on a regular basis.

Why don’t we do that with our blessings? What if we had a sort of blessing bank account? We’d check our account regularly, make deposits whenever we could, and withdrawals when needed. I have a box in my bedroom with a pad and pen in it. I could make it even easier by using my phone or computer but I use the box because I can physically see it every day. Whenever I can, I write something that I’m grateful for on a slip of paper, fold it, and “deposit” it into the box. They may be things, experiences, or people; anything I’m grateful for.

If we continuously make these deposits, over time we will see our box grow and grow until we have an abundance of blessings from which we can “withdraw” whenever we need to be reminded of how wealthy we truly are. Whatever mood you were feeling before reading over your blessings, I’m sure you’d feel better after reading them. I believe using this method would make us all more aware of our blessings and therefore much happier people.

The crazy thing that’s happened to me since starting this habit has been that I have not yet looked over my list. Months have passed by and I haven’t needed to make any withdrawals because the simple act of regularly listing my blessings has caused me to become more aware of them as they enter my life. Taking three minutes out of my day to do this has caused a positive shift in my perspective and I have no doubt that it would for anyone else who tries it.

I hope this post has helped you out in some way and I truly believe that this exercise could change your life for the better. I love y’all. Be grateful and, as always, be well.

Author Guest Post: “Why I Love the Young Adult Genre”

Posted on June 8, 2014June 8, 2014 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Books

“Why I Love the Young Adult Genre”

Guest post by author, Sherry Soule

Today author, Sherry Soule has some exciting news to share with us! She will be publishing a brand new Upper YA / Sci-Fi Romance series: the “Starlight Saga” with scorching-hot character chemistry, exciting suspense, and epic romance on June 26, 2014.

To help promote this amazing interstellar love story, “LOST IN STARLIGHT,” Sherry is doing this guest post to share the news with fellow bibliophiles.

Hi everybody, I’m author, Sherry Soule—waving from the SF Bay Area. Thanks for letting me visit today, it’s an honor to be a guest here and meet fellow booklovers.

Ever since I was a child, I have recognized that books are a way to travel to other places and have incredible adventures. Even though I am older than the average teen reader, I’ve always loved reading Young Adult books and strongly believe you’re NEVER too old to read them.

One reason that I enjoy reading YA Lit is because most novels in this genre are fast-paced and thrilling. And teenage characters tend to have a more hopeful perspective, which draws me in—plus the fact that I’m really a big kid at heart. I also adore that there are so many books created into a series nowadays, so that you can continue to have additional adventures with your favorite characters.

Could my love of YA Lit be simply because I’m still stuck at age sixteen, just a teenager-at-heart in disguise?

Could be. And like many of you, I’ve read hundreds of YA books and I can actually say that I enjoyed almost all of them. Some I genuinely loved, and these books became like good friends that I didn’t want to part with, so they adorn my bookshelves and wait patiently to be reread again one day. Other novels were simply read and then disregarded with a contented smile.

Although I buy many of my books through Amazon, I am never embarrassed to buy YA novels in bookstores, or carry them around with me. I love the genre and always have and always will.

We all have diverse tastes in literature. Most of you will have various genres that you love to read, and probably some of my favorite books are simply your forgotten reads. That is what makes the world of YA Lit, and reading as a whole, so fascinating. Each one of us will enjoy different types of characters, plots, and, of course, a writer’s voice, the way only they can tell a story.

At its core my new novel, LOST IN STARLIGHT, is basically a love story about two lonely hearts finding each other and how their “forbidden” friendship changes both of their lives. Sure, there is an element of danger regarding this star-crossed romance, but they are both young and reckless. Who isn’t at that age?

And I don’t know about you, but I need some romance in almost every book I read. Even in YA! And if you’re a hopeless romantic at heart, then you’ll enjoy reading my new book.

Thus, LOST IN STARLIGHT is the first book that I’ve ever written that focuses mostly on romance rather than any paranormal baddies trying to kill the heroine or having the plot center around a supernatural mystery to solve. And I think the heroine of my new series, Sloane, is rather unique. To me, she’s not your average “Mary Sue” or flawless heroine. She has some self-esteem issues, but she’s also headstrong and gutsy, with an eccentric fashion sense.

Thank you for letting me chat about my love of young adult literature. I hope you enjoyed this post. Now go feed your mind and read a book! Preferably one of mine. 😀

Please mark your calendars to buy your copy of LOST IN STARLIGHT on June 26^th 2014!

Read the first five chapters for free on wattpad.

VOLUME ONE of the Starlight Saga

High school reporter Sloane Masterson knows she has one helluva story when she witnesses hottie Hayden Lancaster bending forks with his mind.

Like any good journalist, Sloane sets out to uncover the truth, even if it includes a little stalking. When the superhuman feats start to pile up and the undeniable heat rises between them, Hayden has no choice but to reveal his secret: he’s an alien hybrid.

They’re as different as night and day—she’s a curvy, purple-haired, horror junkie and he’s a smoking hot, antisocial, brainiac—yet the intense fascination between them refuses to go away. Even at Hayden’s insistence that dating each other is “off limits” and crazy dangerous, their fiery attraction threatens to go supernova.

Now Sloane’s dealing with creepy government agents, über snobby extraterrestrials, and a psycho alien ex-girlfriend out for revenge. After a crash course on the rules of interstellar dating, Sloane must decide if their star-crossed romance is worth risking her own life.

About Sherry Soule

Sherry Soule lives with her family and one very spoiled black cat in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the bestselling author of the adult novel, “Immortal Eclipse” and the popular YA series: Spellbound. Sherry writes thrilling tales of romance and suspense, often mingled with a dash of the mystical and a splash of trendy fashion. Her love of literature began when she was a young girl and it has continued throughout her life.

Her published novels do not include any graphic sex scenes or explicit violence, nor excessive profanity, so that all of her novels can be read and enjoyed by both teens and adults.

Sherry’s debut novel, “Beautifully Broken” was nominated for Best Paranormal Romance in the 2011 Wizard and Witch/Sorcery category by The Romance Reviews (TRR). Her adult novel, “Immortal Eclipse” is a *TOP PICK* by Night Owl Reviews.

Places you can find Sherry Soule:

Official Blog

Twitter @SherrySoule

Please add LOST IN STARLIGHT to your TBR on Goodreads:

The awesome book cover was designed by the talented, Kristen Thompson-Oh of KCT Designs

Eager to read a sneak peek on your Kindle? FREE every Friday from Amazon