Monthly Review | October 2014

November 3, 2014November 6, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 8 Comments

My busy work and wedding planning schedule really put a dent in the blog this last month. I didn’t do nearly as much as I would have liked. We are less than 6 months away from the wedding and now it’s all about getting the little things done…and little things add up.

Even though it was pretty busy in my personal life, I think I accomplished a lot on Stories Unfolded this month. Again, not as much as I would have hoped. I still have some catching up to do on book reviews.

Here’s my October in review:

Books Read:

Very short list of books I read this month. I usually like to read at least 5 per month, but I’m happy with the books I did get to read.

Currently Reading:

Posts This Month:

Here are my October posts (excluding my weekly Sunday Quotes) –

Giveaways & Challenges:

I participated in the Sideswiped Blog Tour and posted a review that included two giveaways. Look out for more giveaways in November!

Book Review | Sideswiped by Lia Riley

Announcing Sideswiped Giveaway Winner

To get in the Halloween spirit, I participated in Paris Baker’s Spooky Reads Week. I picked Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn to read during that week. Still working on this book and a review will follow soon. After I’m done reading it, I’m going to see the movie with a friend.

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

Blog Awards:

This month I received two blog awards! Yay! Thank you to all my followers for making it possible.

Another One Lovely Blog Award

Stories Unfolded | Liebster Award Nomination

Book Events:

I’ve been trying to attend more book events. I went to an author panel hosted by the Women’s National Book Association and an author reading event called Book’d in Burbank. Look out for the posts about these two events.

Social Media:

In October, I was trying to be more active with my social media efforts for my blog. I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job.

Follow me on:

Twitter: @elise_dani

Instagram: @storiesunfolded

Facebook: Stories Unfolded

How was your October?

Sunday Quotes

November 2, 2014August 21, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 1 Comment

Friday Finds | Happy Halloween

October 31, 2014October 30, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 1 Comment

Guess what today is? It’s Halloween! Tonight, my fiancé and I will be sharing a nice meal (that I’m cooking), some special Halloween inspired cocktails, and watching a scary movie. Shhh…this is a surprise! He doesn’t know that I’m doing all this for him.

In honor of Halloween, I added the following books to my reading list as Friday Finds. These were approved Net Galley books.

***

“After years as a patrol cop, detective Jocelyn Rush is almost immune to the depravity that stalks the meaner streets of Philadelphia…almost. After saving her three-year-old daughter from a carjacking, she ends up in the emergency room—and discovers that Anita, a former prostitute and acquaintance from her old days on the beat, has been hideously mutilated in a brutal assault.

With the help of her partner and Philadelphia’s Special Victims Unit, Jocelyn discovers that Anita isn’t the first victim of these attacks and it looks like she won’t be the last. When the violence hits closer to home, Jocelyn knows she must do whatever it takes to stop the sadistic attacker—even if it means confronting a terrible secret from her painful past.”

***

“Nik is an eccentric art student obsessed with painting his dancer girlfriend, Jennifer. When one day she inexplicably disappears, Nik’s world is shattered. Determined to find her, he embarks on a cross-country journey following a scant trail of clues. He doesn’t anticipate how far he’ll have to travel, what he’ll do when he runs out of money, or the fact that an intimidating stranger is looking for Jennifer, too.

Nik and Jennifer fade into the background of their own tale, surfacing now and again like ghosts as the rest of their mysterious story unfolds through a series of chance encounters with intricately linked strangers. An English professor coping with a dying mother, a rebellious teenage girl, a debt-ridden civil servant, a disillusioned ex-anarchist documentary filmmaker, and other disparate characters who encounter the separate couple as they circle one another in a tentative dance.

I hope that everyone has a safe and fun Halloween. Let me know what books you found this week.

Upcoming Book Review | If I Stay by Gayle Forman

October 29, 2014October 28, 2014 ~ Danielle Olson ~ 3 Comments

I purchased this book during one of my trips to Target. I had been wanting to read it since it was getting good reviews and I’ve been wanting to see the movie. I refuse to watch the movie before reading the book. Anyone else agree?

Well, this is being added to the list of book reviews I need to catch up on. Wedding planning is in full swing, so book reviews have been pushed back. The fiance and I just sent out the save-the-dates and we have our menu tasting this Saturday. I’m really excited to try the food that we will have at our wedding, plus I just love good food.

So for now, here’s a brief description of the book:

“In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, this will change the way you look at life, love, and family. Now a major motion picture starring Chloe Grace Moretz, Mia’s story will stay with you for a long, long time.”

If you’ve read this already, let me know what you think.

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.