See Ya 2016!

I know 2016's been crazy, but for me, it's been amazing!

I've kept up with my blogging, which is some kind of miracle quite honestly. This year I've somehow managed 53 blog posts, which means I've hit my target of once a week.

The most popular blog post this year was the book review I did for India Taylor and her book All Change, which has come as a shock. My book reviews are never the most popular of my posts. Go, India! After that, it was I Am ZA Ready, which I guess means that you guys have been spending the year preparing for the Zombie Armageddon. I don't blame you after the year we've had!

This year I managed to read 32 books, which is a few less than normal, but I've been super busy, as you'll see as this post goes on. I'm still happy though as I hit my target of 30.

Out of those 32, here are the top 10 in the order I read them: 

Next of Kin - Dan Wells

Girl of Nightmares - Kendare Blake

The New Hunger - Isaac Marion

The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness

The 5th Wave - Rick Yancey

The Art of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson

The Infinite Sea - Rick Yancey

The Last Star - Rick Yancey

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne

Beautiful Broken Things - Sara Barnard

You should all go out and buy these books right away. They're all incredible!

Reading-wise, this year Rick Yancey stole my heart. I loved The 5th Wave trilogy so much! I promise I won't blabber on too much, but here are a few words and phrases I've used to describe the trilogy: reading bliss, tore me down and built me back up, phenomenal, both killed me and made me want to live, will stay with me always, a masterpiece, This book became me, need a stronger word than beautiful. I think you get the picture!

As well as reading, I also did some writing too! I'm happy to report that I'm back to my usual two books a year target. I have at last reached the end of my After trilogy, with the final book in the series now complete. I'm proud to announce the current title right here on this blog: Everafter. Make of that what you will! It took longer to write than the others, but that's probably down to tying everything up at the end. I'm going to be honest, the prospect of working on this trilogy is scaring me a little bit, so don't expect to see Abia in any book shops next year. I'm going to have to work out what to do with her first! If you want to know what on earth I'm talking about, you can read the first book on Movellas. Be prepared, it's unedited and an old draft at this point! But I like to share what I can with my readers :)

I also, of course, took part in NaNoWriMo 2016, which marks my 6th NaNo done and won! Woo! Also, I hit a total NaNo count of over 375,000 words, which is a pretty mean feat. All I'll say about this book is that Iris Hale is one badass demon hunter, and I love her. Again, this is even less of a sure thing than the After trilogy, so don't expect to hear about Iris for a while! Though you can read the first few (unedited!) chapters on Movellas.

The most exciting thing that's happened to me this year was the release of ZA, my pride and joy. My absolute world. I'm so thrilled with it I'm not sure I have the words to describe it. I've had such amazing feedback from my readers, and I couldn't be more grateful. If you haven't picked up ZA yet, maybe it's time for you to get ZA ready! You can buy it here :)

If you want all the ZA gossip, you should join my fantastic group of survivors! You can find more about all the cool stuff you can discover, such as facts and new POVs, here.

Because of ZA, I had the opportunity to do some truly amazing things this year. I've been on three radio shows (Phoenix FM, BBC Essex, Gateway FM), been a guest on a podcast, been to an author event, had an author event, run a competition, run a Goodreads giveaway, spoken at a writers' group, and had my very own book signing at Waterstones! I feel like the luckiest author in the world that I've been able to spread the ZA/writing/NaNoWriMo love with everyone!


As well as all that, I finished my website, which you can visit here, and my beloved Molten Publishing turned one! You can visit us at our website, which also went live this year! If you send us a submission, we'll give you feedback!

So, what's next? Gosh, I'm not sure how 2017 can top 2016, but I'm going to try and ramp it up even more! Not to mention, in 2017 I'm getting married to my wonderful fiancé who I've now known for 10 years. Wow.

Fingers crossed, next year I shall be bringing out another book, which needs a rather major fix up, so I'm not going to give you any more than that for now. Though I don't like keeping things a secret, so I'm sure I'll make an announcement sooner rather than later!

And of course, I'm going to write more! Again, I've set my goal at two books: one in spring (probably), and another for NaNoWriMo. But as well as that, I'm also going to be re-writing a book, so wish me luck!

Thanks to every one of you for supporting me this year. Whether you follow me on Twitter (I hit 10,000 followers this year), read my blog, listened to me on the radio, came to my signing, bought a copy of ZA, follow me on Movellas, whatever it is, I love you all.

Thank you for an incredible year, and here's to 2017!

Molly x

Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

Book Signing at Waterstones

On Saturday, I had one of the greatest days ever! I spent the day at my very first book signing. All day I got to chat to readers and YA lovers, and not to mention recommend some of my favourite books. I couldn't help myself! Sometimes you just have to point people to Patrick Ness's The Knife of Never Letting Go or Jenny Downham's Before I Die.

The Waterstones staff were so friendly and encouraging, and I felt so welcomed. It was a mad rush being so close to Christmas, but they asked me how I was getting on every now and then, which was so kind of them considering how busy it was. 

I'm so proud ZA's sitting on the shelf with some of my favourite authors!

And let me tell you, there's something magical about staying in a bookshop all day and talking about nothing but books. Everyone who came to talk to me brightened my day, and I hope I brightened theirs too.

To everyone who bought a copy of ZA, I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you drop me a line to tell me what you thought. I always love hearing from my readers.

And thank you for coming and making my day awesome!

Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriM0 2016 Post #5

So, the race is over. Welcome to December, everyone! And relax.

Well, not for me. I'm STILL WRITING, though I must admit I took this weekend off as I was hanging out with my family. But back to it this week. I better finish this stupid novel this week. Can't wait to have a really long nap.

NaNo was pretty eventful this year. I wrote 75,643 words in total, which I'd just like to point out is a NaNo and a half! It is also the most I've ever written during NaNoWriMo. I drank 52 cups of tea while writing, which is one every 1,450 words.

Here's a recap of how I got on.

Everyone who took part, winner or not, should be super-proud of themselves. We are writers, and we are superheroes.

Until next year, Wrimos.

Read my NaNoWriMo Pep Talk on Movellas!


Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

Survivors Unite! Who's ZA Ready?

Exciting news!

Do you want exclusive facts, stories, quizzes and more from the zombie Armageddon?

Of course you do!

Join us now! Us survivors have to band together!

All you have to do is send me a photo of you with your copy of ZA so I can share it with the world. After that, I will send you background information, character stories, thoughts on what happens next, and maybe even snippets of narrative from other characters' points of view! Who knows, maybe I'll want to put your name in my next book...

What are you waiting for? Email me your picture to molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk and join us for an awesome ZA ready fest.

Yours,

Molly
Survivor, ZAReady

Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo 2016 Post #4

Yes, I 'finished' last week. And yes, I'm still writing like I've got to hit the word count. What can I say? Writers gonna write.

As usual, continuing after 50,000 words is actually the easiest part. Of course it is. The world's just that kind. In answer to why I don't take a break after reaching the word count, it's because I can't. It's not just in November than I write every day until I finish. That's my writing style. I'll start a book and write every day until I reach the final full stop. Otherwise how can I be sure it'll ever get finished?

On the plus side, I hit 70,000 words today, meaning I've written 70,000 words this month, which equates to 2,500 words a day. If that's not a super power, what is?

Keep writing, Wrimos. I believe in you!

Read my NaNoWriMo Pep Talk on Movellas!



Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo 2016 Post #3

Week three, the enemy of all writers. I don't remember feeling it this hard for a few years, but this year hit me. Hard. Week three put me in a slump. Every day was a struggle. Every day I didn't want to write at all, not even a page. But every day I made myself because I'm a writer, and that's what we do.

So I battled on, starting to hate this stupid book. But then something amazing happened. I reached 50,000 words. And then everything didn't seem so bad.

I say it all the time, but I'm going to repeat it. The only thing that makes you a writer is writing. And the only way to get better is to write more. NaNoWriMo is the perfect opportunity to teach yourself this. Being a writer means writing every day, even if you don't want to. You have to make yourself, because this is what you do.

Don't worry, some days it'll be fun!

Now to finish the novel. Not sure I can get that final full stop in before the end of November, but NaNo has been won for another year, so I can sleep easy.

Read my NaNoWriMo Pep Talk on Movellas!



Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo 2016 Post #2

I found week two so much easier than week one! Most days I stormed through my words, and on a few days, I decided to keep writing past my goal of 2,000 words a day. This was the week I fell in love with my story.

And thank goodness for that! I had such a slog in week one, and I'm glad to be out the other side.

Though I'm already fearing week three, I'm sure I can conquer it. In fact, this time next week, I want to be finished. Well, not finished, but have reached 50,000 words at least.

I'm happy to report that I'm ahead of all my other NaNo novels at this point (except one which was finished by now!). It seems I usually reach 50,000 words around day 21-22, and I'd like to beat that this year.

Fingers crossed the good writing vibes continue!

Read my NaNoWriMo Pep Talk on Movellas!



Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo 2016 Post #1

Here we are Wrimos, NaNoWriMo 2016!

I've been waiting for this for months, and it's finally here!

However, I didn't get off to the start I imagined. I've wanted to start this book for what feels like a long time now, so I thought I'd write a load on day one. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Almost every word had to be forced out of me. At one point I stopped and said, "I'm supposed to be good at this."

The good news is, as I stand now, I'm ahead of 3 of my past 5 NaNoWriMo counts at this point.

The thing I learnt this week was to stop looking at other people's word counts. Some people are just superhuman. I am human. And that's okay.

So today before writing, I stood at 14,254 words, and that's perfectly good thank you very much!

Fingers crossed I can keep this up during the dreaded week two!

Read my NaNoWriMo Pep Talk on Movellas!



Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

The Chicken and Frog is ZA Ready!

Yesterday I had a great time at the incredible Chicken and Frog children's bookshop in Brentwood.

I've been looking forward to this event for months, so typically, I had a stinking cold! Of course. I never get ill, which made it even more annoying!

The silver lining to that though - isn't there one for everything? - was that the nerves I would normally feel before speaking in front of an audience didn't show up. And that was fine by me! I talked about my journey as a writer and why ZA's so special to me, a subject that if written down, would fill far too many pages!

Of course, I came dressed as a ZA survivor.

James, my incredibly talented fiancé, carved me some amazing pumpkins which will be displayed proudly in our window tonight. He never ceases to amaze me. Anything can become art when he's around.

I had an awesome time meeting and chatting with fellow zombie lovers. Thank you to everyone who came to listen to me! I really appreciate it! And a massive thank you to the Chicken and Frog for having me!

Also, while we're in the Halloween mood, you can check out the zombie blog I wrote for Movellas!

Happy Halloween!

Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

ZA Goodreads Giveaway!

Exciting news! You can win a signed copy of ZA on Goodreads! The giveaway is running until 12th November in celebration of both Halloween and the start of NaNoWriMo!

                          TO ENTER GO HERE!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

ZA

by Molly Looby

Giveaway ends November 12, 2016.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Good luck, survivors!


Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

The Owl Service - Alan Garner

I've had The Owl Service on my bookshelf for a long time. My writers' group told me to read it years ago. This is no exaggeration. I think it's been on my shelf for almost four years. So on a bookless free Saturday, I decided to pick it up.

The first issue I had with this book was its age. I rarely read books that are over ten years old, and this one's almost 50 years old. I didn't think this would matter, but even in the first chapter it felt very strange as it's so old-fashioned and dated. The dialogue especially suffered from this. I'm fairly certain children don't speak this way to one another in the 21st Century. By the end of chapter one, I wondered what I'd got myself in for as I struggled onwards.

The characters were bi-polar a lot of the time. One minute they'd be happy chatting to each other, and then they'd be arguing or fighting and hating each other. A lot of the time none of the characters liked each other at all, and I found it very strange. I could hardly keep up with their emotions they changed so fast. I also didn't feel like I got to know them very well. I wanted to know their fears and hopes and dreams, and I felt I only got a little snippet of that.

As for the plot, I'm not sure what was going on a lot of the time. I followed it, sure, but nothing seemed to happen.

It might be because this is aimed at younger readers than I'm used to, but this felt more like a short story than a novel. It seemed to end quickly, and I was left wondering what I was supposed to have taken away.

I'm not sure if I totally followed it. It's very bizarre and strange. I put it down thinking, what did I just read? I wasn't really sure what to think. I didn't particularly enjoy it or know what to say.

Just a very, very bizarre, old-fashioned book.

The Owl Service may have been great once, but today it's strange and old-fashioned.



Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

Book Reviews: July-September

Here's another collection of my book reviews. These reviews are from July to September. Maybe I'm writing too many reviews again. Oh well. Don't worry, there will be many a NaNo blog post coming soon. In the mean time, enjoy :)



No Plus One - Steph Young and Jill Dickman 7/10 (Fangs, Claws, and Wings)

The Art of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson 5/5 (Movellas)

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J.K Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany 9/10 (Fangs, Claws, and Wings)

My Heart and Other Black Holes - Jasmine Warga 4/5 (Movellas)

Follow Me Down - Tanya Byrne  4/5 (Movellas)

All the Bright Places - Jennifer Niven 4/5 (Movellas)

The Revenge of Seven - Pittacus Lore 7/10 (Fangs, Claws, and Wings)

The Infinite Sea - Rick Yancey 10/10 (Fangs, Claws, and Wings)

Phage - Mark Tamplin 7/10 (Fangs, Claws, and Wings)

The Last Star - Rick Yancey 10/10 (Fangs, Claws, and Wings)

Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk


Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

The Revenge of Seven - Pittacus Lore

Before you read this review, please note that The Revenge of Seven is book five in the Lorien Legacies series.

I went into this book a little wary because it'd been a year and a half since I finished book four, The Fall of Five. I couldn't really remember what was going on other than the basics, and I was concerned it was going to take me a long time to get into it. Massive credit must go to Lore, as it turned out I hadn't forgotten any of the main characters.

Even though I was thrilled to fall back into the story without much  of a worry, I struggled to get into it. It felt really slow to start, especially because everything is running out of time and some serious battles are about to happen. I just wanted to get on with it. I couldn't help but feel like a lot was saved for the next book as, to be honest, not that much happened in this one. The Revenge of Seven felt a lot shorter and simpler than usual. It didn't feel like it had quite as much plot. Not that there wasn't enough going on -- there was -- but it didn't feel as much as usual. There was less action than usual too, but it was still pretty intense.

Once I got into it, I read huge chunks at a time, and it didn't take me many sittings to devour the whole thing. I even bought the last two books before I finished this one! This series sort of grabbed hold of me when I read I am Number Four, and it hasn't seemed to let go of me since. I still have no idea how the series is going to end, and I love that.

As before, I liked Six's narration the best, and I was disappointed when her chapters were over. Nine and Six are still my favourite characters, but I do love all the Garde. They're all so different from each other, which makes them interesting to read about and kept me turning pages. I have to say though, the human characters didn't grip me nearly as much.

Unfortunately, I've only just finished The 5th Wave trilogy, and as far as alien stories go, I can't help but compare. I know I shouldn't because John and the Garde are awesome and we're not so fussed by the humans in this seires, but I'm afraid the awesomeness of The 5th Wave did make this a little less exciting than it would've been a few months previous.

Even so, I had a wonderful time reading this book, and I can't wait for books six and seven to come through my letter box.

The Revenge of Seven felt like a filler book, but was still intense and gripping!


Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

Happy Birthday Molten Publishing!

Thank you to everyone who's worked with us in the past year. I've loved every minute of it - almost - and although we've had our ups and downs, I wouldn't change it for the world. I have learnt so much more in the past year than I ever have before, and I love it!

And waking up on a Monday morning and actually wanting to get started with your work is a feeling like no other.

I am changed for the better, and I can't wait to see what the next year brings. It's going to be bigger and brighter, just you wait!

To celebrate our birthday, we can finally announce that our website is up and running! Go visit us there! 

Thanks for all the love and support. I don't know where I'd be without it.

Molly :)

Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

NaNo's Coming

I know it's only September, but in a blink, it'll be the 31st of October and you'll have to scrape your plans together ready for the starting whistle at midnight. You might not like the reminder, but there are only 56 days left until we're scribbling away into the night.

Unlike other years where I've blogged just before the start of NaNo, I thought this year I'd do one earlier to try and convince as many of you unsure writers as I can.

For those of you that don't know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, where hundreds of thousands of writers plan to write a novel in November. More specifically, we pledge to write 50,000 words in 30 days.

Yes, it's as mental as it sounds.

But wait, before you run off into the distance screaming and waving your arms, I'm here to tell you it is an incredible experience. I've taken part in this madness for the past five years, and NaNo '16 will be my sixth year. NaNoWriMo, honestly, is one of the main reasons my writing improves year on year. There's nothing quite like writing only for yourself with only the pressure of word count to contend with. During NaNo, we don't care what our words sound like, only that they're making it onto the page. 

We are free.

I wouldn't miss a November for the world, and I want to share this magical experience with all of you. And I'm here to tell you that you can do it. And if you're still in doubt, there's no reason not to try. At the end of November, you could have a finished novel, and whether it's your first or fifty-first, there's nothing more amazing in the universe.

Please join us as we pledge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. It's only 1,667 words a day. I know you can do it.

The community is so fantastic and supportive as well. We help each other through times of hardship, sleep deprivation, and caffeine lows. I'll be cheering you on! Just add me as a buddy on NaNoWriMo's website. My username is MollyLooby, you can get to it here.

Give it a go. It might be just what your writing needs.

And Wrimos past and present, I'll be waiting for you at the starting line!

Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

The Thing About Dreams Is . . .

Now I've written many blog posts in the past to do with my self-published books and recently one to announce ZA and it's arrival in the world, and it's got me thinking about how dreams warp and change as we do.

When I first started writing, my dream was to finish a book. Then a trilogy. Write five books. Write ten. Now I'm not sure I'll hit another goal until I've written twenty-five, fifty, a hundred. What I do know is that I won't stop setting them.

I'm one of those people who loves to set huge goals and then race towards them with little time for celebration once the end has been reached. I might have a tiny celebratory whoop with my hands in the air before I move straight onto the next thing. When I was fifteen and I wrote the final full stop of my first novel, I mourned for a few days and then asked myself, so what should I write next? The answer to that was, a book's not challenging enough, let's write a trilogy.

Then when I was in the midst of doing that, I decided the next thing was to get published. Of course, I got rejected over and over (who doesn't?), and now with that beautiful thing called hindsight, I know my books weren't ready. But that didn't stop me ploughing towards my goal. I self-published all three of the trilogy, which was exhausting and stressful and . . . well, either you know the joy and pain of the self-publishing world or you don't. Let's just say I had mixed feelings.

Boom, another dream realised.

So why wasn't I satisfied?

Here I am typing this now, co-director and editor-in-chief of Molten Publishing, and I think maybe I'm getting somewhere. Sharing my knowledge with people and going around talking about books seems to be giving me much more joy than these stupid targets ever did.

Don't get me wrong, writing is my ultimate passion, and there's nothing like writing--and finishing--a book, but now I'm a little older and a little wiser, and I know that dreams aren't always what they seem.

I have officially landed in the publishing world, and I'm so excited to see what everyone thinks of Zane and ZA. And this time, I'm making the most of it.

Here's hoping my little whoops get louder. Maybe next time you'll hear them . . .


ZA will be back in stock on Amazon in September! Watch this space! :) #ZAReady

Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, Jack Thorne

I know a lot of people loved The Cursed Child and a lot of people were disappointed by it and that's fascinating to me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and it made me want to watch the play even more than I already did!

It took a little while to get into the format. After all, I've never read a play for pleasure before. I wouldn't call it a challenge to read, it was more of a challenge for my imagination. But as usual, I relish challenges. It was a little bit bizarre not to have any description, and a lot of people felt like it lacked 'magic' because of it, but I'm a dialogue girl, so I got on with it really well. It was exciting to read something not quite like anything I've read before.

I laughed more than I thought I would. Maybe more than I was supposed to. Not sure if that's a fault or not. It might just be me. Those Potters are still full of sass. 

It didn't take long for me to be speeding through the pages. I couldn't turn them fast enough. I was so desperate to know what was going to happen next. I got so into Act Two that I actually felt my body growing hotter and hotter. At one point I shouted at the book like an idiot. I was so invested that I kept gasping. I did it so much that I started to annoy my fiancé. 

I read all of Act Two and almost Act Three in one go. I would've read all of Act Three in one goo too if not for needing to eat and sleep and stuff. Stupid human necessities.

Although I wanted to stop and savour it, for the life of me, I couldn't. I actually couldn't stop myself. And once I realised that I felt like an addict. I wanted to savour each page because I knew I could only have the experience of reading it for the fire time once, but nothing could stop me from devouring the pages. This book made me an addict. A regular reading junkie.

However, for most of the book I wanted to follow round adult Harry, Ron, and Hermione and that really isn't the point. It took much longer than it should've for me to become invested in Albus, and that kinda made me think I was focusing on the wrong thing. Don't get me wrong, I loved Albus. Though Scorpius Malfoy was easily my favourite character, and I am not alone in that opinion!

I did start getting jumbled at times, but at least I could stop and think about it. I'm glad I read the script first. This way I know I won't get confused!

Just one final thing, I know a lot of people are criticising this book by saying it reads like fanfiction, and it does, they're not wrong, but really? It's been nine years since we've had any Potter, and it's set well after the Deathly Hallows, so I don't think there would've been any way to avoid it sounding this way.

Whatever people think, I don't care. I loved every page.

I'm a true Potterhead forever!

Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

Being a Writer

Being a writer . . .


Waking up in the middle of the night to write something down.

Re-reading old notes and wondering what you were thinking.

Not writing something down and regretting it.

Having incredible ideas whilst out walking, in the shower, watching TV. Sit in front of a computer: nothing.

This is the best thing ever! Everyone will love this! This is the worst thing I've ever written. Why would anyone be interested in this rubbish. Repeat.

Constructing fantastic sentences on paper. Sounds like you don't know English when you speak.

Write thousands of words and feel like a superhero. The next day you write three sentences and want to go back to bed.

NaNoWriMo is a word you both love and hate to hear.

What's that word? Oh no. I know it's a word. Check Thesaurus. But I swear there's a word that should be here!

I'll just check *insert social media app*.

What an awesome backstory. So excited to reveal it. Never reveal it/ reveal too much and ruin character.

But that's not what they would do.

No, I'm not crazy.

Where's that notebook? Search through twenty and get distracted.

But first, tea/coffee.

Spending hours researching something complicated and never using it in the story.

Bored of having to explain to people why you won't be the next *insert famous author*.

Talk about writing because someone asked, only to realise they stopped listening.

Why don't you write *insert genre you do not write*?

Getting halfway through a story and three new ideas pop into your head.

Finishing a story and all other ideas vanish.

Writing something you're proud of only for your first reader to hate it.

Reading over your old work and cringing.

Having more imaginary friends than real friends.

Where is this story going? Somewhere good I hope.

Spending all day writing and someone asks how much you've written: "that's not important."

Using *insert video game/TV show/book* as research.

Having a very disturbing Google search history.

The pressure of writing competitions is too much.

Staring at a computer screen all day but not touching the keyboard nearly enough.

Having to look up grammar rules because you're doubting yourself.

Questioning the very fabric of the universe.

Picking apart the human psyche and discovering that humans are disturbing.

Wat r werds?



But I wouldn't change my hobby for anything.




Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo

The Last Star - Rick Yancey

Before you read my review, you should know that The Last Star is the 3rd book in The 5th Wave trilogy (which you should read right now!). You have been warned.

I was half excited and half terrified to read The Last Star. I loved every sentence of this series, and I didn't want it to end. Plus, I knew if I read it, characters were going to die. But I had to brave it. I couldn't put it off any longer, even though I knew it was going to break me.

For some reason, it took me a little longer than normal to get into it. Maybe because I was terrified. But once I got into it, I felt myself reading too fast, but I didn't know how to stop. I did get to a point where I almost put the book down because I knew I was getting closer and closer to the end. I almost put the book down to save it. Almost. But I couldn't. I had to cover the words with my hand until it was time to read them. It was almost impossible to resist the urge to look ahead.

As with the previous two, The Last Star surprised and wowed me with little bits and pieces. Some of the sentences were just so right, they really struck home. As usual, such beautiful observations. Humanity has never been torn down and ripped into its bare basic form as much as it is in The Last Star. It's a masterpiece. Truly.

"No one tells you how close rage is to lust. I mean, the space between molecules is thicker."

As well as the beautiful thoughts and insights into human nature, the narration, as usual, was spot on. I've said it before, and I'm going to say it again, I totally adored Cassie's narration. It's so perfect. She couldn't sound any more real than she already does. And I'm so jealous of Yancey's skill.

The Last Star really is a rollercoaster ride. One minute I was laughing, the next I was trying not to cry. At one point, I had to put the book down to have a little cry. I've cried at many books in my time, but hardly ever have I had to put a book down to do so.

I'm not sure I have enough words to express how phenomenal this series is. There are literally no words for how mind-blowing The Last Star is. It made me think about life, love, fear, hope, faith, humanity. Everything. Like The Infinite Sea before it, this book tore me down and rebuilt me. Better. Stronger. This book did more than keep me entertained for a few hours. This book became me. I can't explain it any other way.
I am Cassie.
I am humanity.

I wanted to weep like a baby when I finished. I need a stronger word than beautiful. But that's all I have. Beautiful. I wrote down three goddamn pages of notes, and it'll never be praise enough.

New favourite book of the year. Dare I say it, new favourite book, period.


Molly Looby

Author / Editor in Chief at Molten Publishing / Freelance Editor / Writing Coach / Reviewer / Blogger / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly@moltenpublishing.co.uk

Visit me on Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / Movellas / NaNoWriMo