When it starts feeling real...

I, like many other writers, tend to doubt myself, my writing and my achievements. I think it would feel strange if there ever was a day when I didn't have a moment of "oh my god, how did I ever think I could write? I suck!".

But then there are moments when I believe that I can write and that the things I write are good. Sometimes we writers need to be reminded though.

Getting my contract from my publisher Usborne was one of those wonderful reminders.

Even doggie was excited and wanted to take a look at my contract!

So now whenever I think: "Maybe I'm just imagining the whole thing. Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up and that lovely bookdeal turns out to be a big dream.", I'll just take a look at these pics:

Signing your contract is one of the things on the journey to publication that make it feel real, that convince me that I was lucky enough to not only get an agent but also a bookdeal. And then I allow myself to believe that I'm really living my dream.

Review: Entangled by Cat Clarke

Read as a part of the Debut Author Challenge 2011

Publication Date: January 6th 2011

Publisher: Quercus Publishing

Summary:

The same questions whirl round and round in my head:
What does he want from me?
How could I have let this happen?
AM I GOING TO DIE?

17-year-old Grace wakes up in a white room, with a table, pens and paper - and no clue how she got here.

As Grace pours her tangled life onto the page, she is forced to remember everything she's tried to forget. There's falling hopelessly in love with the gorgeous Nat, and the unravelling of her relationship with her best friend Sal. But there's something missing. As hard as she's trying to remember, is there something she just can't see?

Grace must face the most important question of all. Why is she here?

A story of dark secrets, intense friendship and electrifying attraction.

Review:

I picked up Entangled because of its gorgeous cover. The red of the girl's hair and her white skin and the way she looks at you...Gorgeous. Needless to say that I would have bought Entangled even if the plot hadn't interested me.

But Entangled is more than a beautiful cover. So much more.

I loved it.

It made me cry and I don't cry often and almost never because of a book. But Entangled made my vision all blurry and the only reason I didn't start bawling was my husband who sat beside me on the sofa and who would have gotten a shock if I'd cried over a book.

But back to why I loved Entangled:

Grace.

I was nothing like her when I was a teen and I don't understand her actions and I don't support them, but nothing of that matters.

What matters is:

Grace is a character that feels real. She's got flaws. She does stupid things – lots of stupid things. And sometimes I wanted to shake or maybe slap her. And sometimes I wanted to hug her. And sometimes I wanted to cry with her because her worries and pain and insecurities felt so real.

She's someone who'll stay with me even after I've put down the book. I certainly won't forget her name any time soon.

Cat Clarke did a fabulous job telling Grace's story and I loved the way she did it. I loved how we found out more about Grace's life through her writing, how she wrote down her emotions and experiences and how she learned about herself through it.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot, so I'll stop here.

Just one more thing: Go, buy the book!

New books!

Nothing is better than new books. If you live in Germany and love to read books in English buying books isn't as easy as it sounds. I can't just walk into a bookstore and buy or order all the lovely new books. I have to wait weeks for debuts like Across the Universe, or Warped or Timeless (*glares at bookdepository*)

But sometimes my local bookstore surprises me with a small but nice selection and then I can't resist and simply have to buy every book I might want to read. I'm still waiting for three debut novels that I ordered a few WEEKS ago but bookdepository is taking their time. *sigh*

Right now I'm reading Graceling by Kristin Cashore and A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. Of course I'm already wondering what to read next. On the photo are the books that I bought this week. They are all awesome and I love the cover of Entangled, but I don't know which book to read next.

So what do you think? Have you read some or all of the books?

Apocalypsies interviews!

Something you don't want to miss!

The Apocalypsies (2012 Debut authors) will be interviewing the Elevensies (2011 Debut Authors) all through the year! The first interview with Maurissa Guibord, author of WARPED, is now up on the Apocalypsies blog.

So go read it and leave a comment!

My shiny new Website!

Look! I have a website!
www.susannewinnacker.com

Let me know what you think! :D

Reading stats 2010

I always love to see what other people read, so I thought I'd make a list of the books I read in 2010.

My favorite Adult read of the year.

Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs (adult)

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (adult)

Visions of Heat by Nalini Singh (adult)

Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh (adult)

My favorite YA read of the year.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (YA)

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (YA)

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs (adult)

Wake by Lisa McMann (YA)

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (YA)

Tithe by Holly Black (YA)

13 Reasons why by Jay Asher (YA)

Black Dagger #1 by J.R. Ward (adult)

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (YA)

Fade by Lisa McMann (YA)

Soulless by Gail Carriger (adult)

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson (YA)

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (YA)

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (YA)

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (YA)

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (YA)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (MG)

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve (YA)

Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson (adult)

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong (YA)

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong (YA)

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (YA)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (YA)

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel (YA)

If I Stay by Gayle Forman (YA)

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (YA)

Wish you were dead by Todd Strasser (YA)

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (YA)

Bad Girls don't die by Alender Katie (YA)

My favorite MG read of the year.

The Poisoned House by Michael Ford (MG)

The Passage by Justin Cronin (adult)

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl (YA)

Wings by Aprilynne Pike (YA)

Valiant by Holly Black (YA)

Ironside by Holly Black (YA)

Evernight by Claudia Gray (YA)

Stargazer by Claudia Gray (YA)

Hourglass by Claudia Gray (YA)

13 to Life by Shannon Delany (YA)

A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee (YA)

Matched by Ally Condie (YA)

Stats : 2 MG books, 9 Adult books, 34 YA books

What was your favorite read of the year?

Contest Winners!

First of all: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Now it's time for some winners!

Since I'm a traditional kind of girl, I chose the old fashioned way to determine the winners of my contest.

That's my hand writing down all of your names. It took a while and my intention to use my best handwriting was soon abandoned... ;)

Here I'm cutting the paper into nice little pieces.

Then I put them into a nice cookie bowl and mixed everything up.

You can't see it but my eyes were closed as I pulled one of your names from the bowl.

And here's the first winner: Lori O'Connell!! Congrats!

My husband volunteered to find the second winner! That's his arm (that's pretty obvious, imo. My arms aren't quite as hairy. LOL)! :D

And the second winner is: Kathy Bradey!! Congrats!

I'll contact you soon and then you can tell me which book you'd like to get.

Lori, I don't have your email, so please contact me at books(at)susannewinnacker(dot)com.

Congrats to the winners!

And for those who didn't win, don't be too sad. I have another contest in the planning for my blogoversary in March and many more exciting things as I prepare for the publication of The Other Life in 2012!