Spooky Reads Week & Giveaway | Oct. 27th – Nov. 2nd

October 27, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 2 Comments

From October 27th – November 2nd, I will be participating in Spooky Reads Week hosted by Paris Baker’s Book Nook. I will be reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Fortunately, my future father-in-law had the book and is letting me borrow it. Score! If you are participating, let me know what you will be reading.

There’s also a giveaway that you can enter for Spooky Reads Week! Paris has a great giveaway package which includes the following:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Paperback)
Grim Crush by S L Bynum (Paperback)
Fate’s Exchange by Sasha Leigh (E-Copy)
Tristen: The Last Seeker by Fleur Calancho (E-Copy)
Plus some Halloween Treats!

Click here to enter into this amazing giveaway. i already did!

Sunday Quotes

October 26, 2014August 21, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

Speaking At My Alma Mater | Woodbury University

October 25, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

On Saturday, October 18th, I was asked to speak about my time at Woodbury University, during my school’s 130th Anniversary celebration. I attended Woodbury for both my undergrad and graduate degrees and loved every minute I spent there. I can’t imagine having gone to any other University.

I’m a big supporter of my Alma Mater and agreed whole heartedly to tell my Woodbury story. I wanted to share my speech with you today.

“I remember when I discovered Woodbury University.

I was 17 years old looking at this gigantic book listing colleges across the country. I finally found Woodbury at the end of the California section and told myself, “I’m going there.”

Woodbury had everything I was looking for. Small class sizes, excellent academic programs, and was only an hour away from home.

My freshman year here was like that of any other student. I made friends, went to class, pulled my hair out during finals and when it was over, breathed a sigh of relief that I made it through my first year of college.

When my mom unexpectedly passed away during my sophomore year, I wasn’t sure I could continue, but somehow I did with the help of the wonderful people who study and work at Woodbury.

During the most difficult time in my life, at a time when I felt like giving up, I found comfort at Woodbury. My peers, my professors, and my co-workers helped me move forward and reminded me that I need to continue working towards a better, brighter future for myself. The people at Woodbury became my family and Woodbury became a home away from home.

Woodbury means much more than a diploma I can hang on my wall.

I found myself here.

I discovered untapped potential in myself and developed in things I was most passionate about.

I become more confident and wasn’t afraid to take a few risks.

I owe that to Woodbury University. I owe that to my Woodbury family.

I’m so proud to have attended such a wonderful University, for both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, and credit my success to everything I learned here.

I look forward to what my future holds and I know Woodbury will have prepared me for it.”

Book Update | Renewed Motivation

October 23, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 8 Comments

I was laying in bed one night and couldn’t fall asleep. It was one of the nights when my mind just keeps running and I can’t turn it off. That’s when I have to get up, go into the living room, and write out everything I’m thinking, even if it’s 1am. This happens quite often.

I’m reading all these wonderful books and dreaming about the day I will be able to hold mine in my hand. Even if I don’t sell a million copies, getting my book published will be one of my biggest successes. The book reviews I do are really motivating me to keep writing. Perhaps one day my readers will be reviewing my book.

Going to author readings and panel discussions has also made me more motivated. I’ve heard about how long it took some of them to finish their books. Some 10 years. Some less. But they all kept moving forward and did draft after draft until someone finally agreed to publish it. These authors reminded me that I’m not alone in this writing world. That each author goes through the same struggles. Sometimes words flow freely and I get a lot done. Other times, it’s a struggle to get one sentence on the page.

To get even more serious about finishing my book, I’m going to do the following:

Join a writing group
Spend 1 hr per day writing
Get up earlier on the weekends to write
Write on the train to work
Try out different places to write (i.e. Starbucks, bookstore, park)

If I stick to these I’m sure I can finish my book soon. The getting up early on the weekends might be the toughest task though. I do like my sleep.

Now, it’s time for me to…just keep writing, just keep writing, just keep writing, writing, writing (think of Dori from Finding Nemo when reading this).

What do you do to stay motivated and keep writing?

Upcoming Book Review | This Is Falling by Ginger Scott

October 19, 2014October 18, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 1 Comment

This was another book I found on Net Galley and I absolutely loved it. I think I’m addicted to Net Galley, but how can I not when I find gems like This Is Falling. My review of this book will be coming soon.

Here’s a bit about the book from Ginger Scott’s website:

“First, I had to remember how to breathe. Then, I had to learn how to survive. Two years, three months and sixteen days had passed since I was the Rowe Stanton from before, since tragedy stole my youth and my heart went along with it.

When I left for college, I put a thousand miles between my future and my past. I’d made a choice—I was going to cross back to the other side, to live with the living. I just didn’t know how.

And then I met Nate Preeter.

An All-American baseball player, Nate wasn’t supposed to notice a ghost-of-a-girl like me. But he did. He shouldn’t want to know my name. But he did. And when he learned my secret and saw the scars it left behind, he was supposed to run. But he didn’t.

My heart was dead, and I was never supposed to belong to anyone. But Nate Preeter had me feeling, and he made me want to be his. He showed me everything I was missing.

And then he showed me how to fall.”

About The Author

I tell stories for a living. It’s a pretty great gig, actually. Each story has led to an amazing encounter, be it a new appreciation for the view from atop a polo horse to a deeper understanding of what it means to be the parent of a child with autism. I’ve told the stories of Olympians, comedians, doctors, teachers, politicians, activists, criminals, heroes and towns. You can check out a small sampling here or, heck, just Google me — my journalism work is usually under Ginger Eiden. I published my debut novel, Waiting on the Sidelines, in spring 2013, and in August 2014, I published my fifth novel, a really raw college romance called This Is Falling. Its sequel will be out in December. Check back for updates on You And Everything After.

Author Links: Website, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads

Sunday Quotes

October 19, 2014August 21, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

Announcing Sideswiped Giveaway Winner

October 18, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

I would like to thank everyone who participated in the Sideswiped Giveaway. I was given a Net Galley copy of Lia Riley’s book Sideswiped and now it’s time to announce the winner!

I’d like to congratulate Paris Baker from Paris Baker’s Book Nook. You can check out my review of Sideswiped and keep an eye out for upcoming giveaways.

Stories Unfolded | Liebster Award Nomination

October 15, 2014October 15, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 9 Comments

I’m excited to say that I have been nominated by Ophelle Taban of Bookburnn for the Liebster Award. Thank you for the nomination and I’m glad you enjoy my blog! As a weird side note, I keep seeing the word “Lobster” instead of “Liebster”. I think I need to satisfy this lobster craving of mine soon.

Here are the rules:

Link & Thank the blogger who nominated you
Answer the 11 questions your nominator gives you
Tag 11 other bloggers who have 200 or less followers
Ask the 11 bloggers you nominated 11 questions and let them know you nominated them!

Ophelle’s Questions to Me:

1. What are your top three favorite genres?

My three favorite genres are Romance, Mystery & Thriller, and Memoirs, but I also want to throw in New Adult. Couldn’t narrow it down to just three.

2. Do you have any “unpopular opinion” towards any book?

This is my personal preference, but I can’t read books that contain a lot of religion in it. I’m not a very religious person, so I keep away from those books to avoid getting frustrated.

3. What’s your favorite series?

Um..is it a cliche to say that the Fifty Shades series is my favorite? I read all three books in a week! Couldn’t get enough of them.

4. Do you read non-fiction? Why or why not?

Yes, I’m a big fan of non-fiction books, specifically memoirs. I love reading about other people’s lives even if some of those books are sad. It makes it that much more impactful knowing that this actually happened to someone.

Some of my favorite memoirs are:

On Writing by Stephen King
Two Kisses for Maddy by Matthew Logelin
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Reading memoirs also helps me work on mine…which I’ve been working on for quite some time now (crossing my fingers that I get it done within the next year).

5. What book would you recommend to a “beginner” reader?

This is a tough question to answer because it depends on the type of person the “beginner” reader is. I don’t think I would recommend any of my favorite Nicholas Sparks books to someone who is totally not into romance, but if I had to pick a book I would say The Hunger Games trilogy (ok that’s three books). I know a lot of people who read these books and all of those people are very different, so perhaps those would work for a “beginner” reader.

6. Who’s your favorite character? And why?

I like the guys who are into the average girl and not into the post popular girl. And I usually love the male characters who really fight for a girl. I guess I can’t really narrow it down to just one particular character from a book.

7. What book adaptation you hated the most?

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. So, Nicholas Sparks is my favorite author and I’ve loved all his movie adaptations expect this one. I don’t know what it was, but it didn’t feel like all the other movie adaptations. Something was off about it and everything felt very rushed to me. I didn’t really feel anything like the book made me feel.

8. Have you always enjoyed reading?

Yes! For as long as I can remember, I’ve been reading books. I would be locked up in my room for hours when I wasn’t at school or had chores to do. I still love it to this day (obviously right?).

9. Can you imagine, what’s life like without books?

It’s very hard for me to imagine a world without books because, as a society, we probably would still be living like cavemen. Books are the reason we know what we know and have the technology we do. Plus, I NEVER want to think of a world without books.

10. What’s your favorite book format?

My favorite format will always be paperback, but I’ve come to appreciate the ebook format. When I purchased some books at B&N the other day, my fiancé asked, “why do you have to buy those now that you have a Kindle?” I told him sometimes I need to have the physical book in my hand. It’s just something I will always love, especially when I want to cuddle up in a blanket. Plus I’m very attracted to book covers. If the cover isn’t good I usually don’t read the book, but if I see one I like I usually buy it.

The ebook format has it’s advantages though. I can carry multiple books around at one time and ebooks are cheaper. My fiance likes that I use this format because he says there’s no more room in our apartment for anymore books. That doesn’t keep me from buying any though. Lol.

11. What does your dream library look like?

Ever since I can remember, I’ve always wanted a library like the one in Beauty & The Beast. The books seemed like they were never ending. I still dream of having a library of my own like that one day.

Questions to those I nominated:

If you were stranded on a desert island and only had one book, what would that book be?
What’s your favorite part of going to a bookstore?
What are you currently reading?
What book from your childhood has stuck with you the most?
What book has had the largest impact on your life?
What is a book from your childhood that you absolutely want to read to your children?
What is the most books you’ve read in a single week?
What’s your favorite quote from a book?
What literary character do you most identify with?
What’s your favorite movie adaptation of a book?
Who is your favorite author and why?

My Nominations:

Balancing Life, Books, & Blogging

October 14, 2014October 14, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 3 Comments

On most Tuesday evenings you will find me sitting in a USC picnic chair, ebook in hand, watching my fiance play softball. Yes, there are times when I want to stay home and read in bed or work on my blog, but that’s part of the balancing act right? I have to find time to read, write, and spend time with the people I love, especially my future husband.

I’m very lucky that my fiancé is supportive of my writing ambitions because I spend a lot of time doing it. Sometimes I have to consciously tell myself, “Hey, you’ve been doing this for a few hours, now it’s time to watch a show with your fiancé”.

There are times when I find it difficult to do everything. I still hold a day job during the week and that takes up 40 hours. I read books to review and I’m continuously working on other things to post (like this one). I also need to find time to go to the gym, that’s about 1-2 hours per day, 5 days per week. I play softball and that takes up to 3 hours per week.

My fiance is the most important thing I need to factor into everyday. There are nights when I say I have to catch up on posts and he’s ok with it. He understands that I love writing and reading. He supports my dreams and knows that the hard work I’m putting in will pay off. When I am writing in the evening, he makes dinner and does the dishes…what an amazing fiance I have!

But there are the days I feel bad because I spent almost no time with him. Those are usually the days I go to work, go to the gym, take a shower, write, and read a bit. Seriously, 24 hours in one day is not enough!

Oh and I can’t forget about our wedding we need to plan. We are a little over 6 months away from the big day and there’s still tons to do. I’m sure that I will be pulling my hair out soon.

I love everything I do, otherwise why would I do them, but it’s a tough job fitting everything in and sometimes I have to sacrifice doing one thing for another.

I don’t like the idea of having to make a schedule for my entire day, but at some point I might have to. There’s always something to do and somewhere to be that a little more structure won’t hurt.

Does anyone else have to constantly balance life, books, and blogging? I know there must be. What do you find the most difficult thing about balancing everything?

Oh…and this is my 100th post! Yay!

Book Review | Walt Before Mickey by Timothy Susanin

October 13, 2014October 13, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

Book Review | Walt Before Mickey

“For ten years before the creation of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney struggled with, failed at, and eventually mastered the art and business of animation. Most biographies of his career begin in 1928, when Steamboat Willie was released. That first Disney Studio cartoon with synchronized sound made its main character—Mickey Mouse—an icon for generations.

But Steamboat Willie was neither Disney’s first cartoon nor Mickey Mouse’s first appearance. Prior to this groundbreaking achievement, Walt Disney worked in a variety of venues and studios, refining what would become known as the Disney style. In Walt Before Mickey, 1919–1928, Timothy Susanin creates a portrait of the artist from age seventeen to the cusp of his international renown.” – Net Galley

***

Many people who know me and know my fiance can see that we have a love of Disney. We go to Disneyland at least once a month, we love watching Disney movies together, we took our engagement photos at Disney California Adventure, and we may incorporate a few Disney elements into our wedding. With that being said, I was excited to read about how Walt Disney started this great empire of his. I wanted to know where the billion dollar company came from and what it took to get there.

In the year 1919, when Walt Disney was 18 years old, he began working at Gray Advertising Company as an art apprentice in Kansas City. It was at the Gray Advertising Company that Walt’s animation career began. Then in 1920, he worked for the Kansas City Film Ad Service where he made his first animated cartoons.

It was clear that Walt never liked working for other’s, but was grateful for the opportunities to learn more about the industry and hone his skills. Walt would eventually start Kaycee Studios, but would only last from 1921 to 1922. Then in spring 1922, he opened Laugh-O-Gram Films, Inc.

Unfortunately, what Walt thought would be his big break turned out to be another failed company. Laugh-O-Gram Films, Inc. wasn’t making any money and Walt eventually had to let it go. This was when he decided to move to California and the rest is history.

***

The story of Walt Disney is quite inspirational for me. Even though at times he had no money, he still believed in what he was doing. He believed that he would be successful even when it seemed like everything was crashing down on him. He is living proof that when you fail at something you love just keep on going because sooner or later your hard work will pay off. When I start submitting my books to get published, I will try to remember Walt’s journey and not let rejection get to me.

His story also shows that having people who believe in you makes all the difference. Many people are mentioned in the book who helped Walt during those years before he created Mickey. Whether it was loaning money or letting him use equipment, there was always someone who believed in what Walt was doing. His biggest supporter seemed to be his brother Roy Disney. Personally, having family and friends that support my ambitions makes me work that much more to be successful.

The only thing I didn’t like about the book is that it included a lot of addresses and building locations (i.e. this building is located on the corner of..). I don’t think that was necessary, but it could be for other people.

If you’re a Disney fan (like me), I would recommend reading this book. I’m not sure if someone who doesn’t enjoy anything related to Disney would want to read about how the company began.

***

In November 2014, the movie adaptation of Walt Before Mickey will be released. Just watching the trailer gets me excited, especially since I recognize many of the actors and actresses.

Thank you to University Press of Mississippi for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Favorite Quotes

“Never once did I hear him express anything except determination to go ahead, because he believed in himself and he believed in what he was trying to accomplish.”

“I want the characters to be somebody. I don’t want them just to be a drawing.”

Overall Rating