»

Sunday, November 18, 2012

CREATED--by Cindy Hogan






I had the pleasure of reviewing the 3rd book of Cindy Hogan's YA suspense novels, CREATED. I haven't read WATCHED or PROTECTED yet, but I certainly will. However, you don't need to read the others to be completely drawn into CREATED. 
Judging from CREATED, I am certain both WATCHED and PROTECTED are every bit as action-packed and exciting. In fact, the events that lead up to CREATED are woven into the story in such a way that it answers enough questions to make CREATED satisfying, but opens up enough questions that I DO want to read the others. 
What teen wouldn't love to go to a spy school and learn the ins and outs of all kinds of hi-tech gadgets to help them successfully complete clandestine and suspense-filled missions, especially when they get to accomplish the greater good in creative ways?
Ari Agave has many tasks to complete now that she has been enrolled in an elite spy school. She struggles to come to terms with the events leading up to her attendance at Bresen Academy, including being placed in the Witness Protection Program, never being able to see her parents and siblings again, and making amends for past mistakes ... all the while coming to grips with her new reality. She has to forget the person she was so that she can become the person she needs to be.
Too bad it isn't as easy to erase the past as it is to forge a new present. CREATED has it all: friends, enemies, mystery, intrigue, breath-taking suspense, moral dilemmas (without being preachy).
Most of all, CREATED gives today’s youth permission to be who THEY want to be, by helping the reader engage in Ari’s very real struggle to start over and still be true to who she knows she wants to be.
It isn’t easy as she goes quickly from one intense situation to another, battling self-doubt, trying to make her way through the difficulty of adolescence with the added drama of true life-and-death danger around every other corner.
Being a principled person is hard enough without bullets flying past you and having to decide if you can rely on the person next to you in a cut-throat world of espionage, never knowing who your true friends are, and always having to be leery of making any. “Trust no one” is a hard motto to live by for a regular teen, but for a teen who wants to be a spy, it may be the only policy that will keep them alive.
Cindy does an awesome job balancing the very real dilemmas teens face while weaving an engaging story that sucks you in, heart and soul. I am looking forward to reading her past books and will be sure to stay caught up when the next one comes out.
     











Created Blog Tour




October - 

23 Sumos sweet stuff            http://www.sumossweetstuff.com/2012/10/review-giveaway-book-created.html
25 Donna K. Weaver           http://weavingataleortwo.blogspot.com/2012/10/review-of-created-by-cindy-m-hogan.html
26 Jaclyn Hardy Weist          http://nothoughts2small.blogspot.com      
27  Andrea Pearson             http://andreapearsonbooks.blogspot.com/2012/10/halloween-iap-created.html

29 Michelle Muto                 http://michellemuto.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/blog-tour-created-by-cindy-hogan/
30 Mary Ann Dennis



November

 1 Lisa Nowack                    http://lisanowak.wordpress.com/2012/11/01/new-releases/
2  Mikey Brooks                  http://writtenbymikey.blogspot.com/2012/11/author-interview-cindy-m-hogan-author.html
 
Angie Carlie                       http://www.angelacarlie.blogspot.com/2012/11/blog-tour-created-by-cindy-hogan.html


5 Shelli Proffitt Howells         http://shelli-proffitt-howells.blogspot.com/
   Heather McCorkle            http://heathermccorkle.blogspot.com/2012/11/giveaway-winner-and-great-read.html


7 Laura Josephsen                http://laurajosephsen.blogspot.com/2012/11/interview-with-cindy-hogan-author-of.html
   Kathleen Brebes                http://kbrebes.blogspot.com/2012/09/cover-reveal-for-created-by-cindy-hogan.html
    Jessie Harrell                     http://jessie-harrell.blogspot.com/2012/11/indie-author-spotlight-cindy-hogan.html

8 Donna McNicol                 http://donnamcnicol.blogspot.com/2012/11/guest-post-cindy-hogan-how-do-i-get.html
   Karly Kirkpatrick              http://www.karlykirkpatrick.com/
   Tristi Pinkston                    http://tristipinkston.blogspot.com/2012/11/happy-anniversary-day-8.html
    Ali Cross                          http://www.alicross.com/2012/11/cindy.html

9 Shantal Hiatt Sessions        http://shantalhiatt.blogspot.com/2012/11/a-book-plug-and-pretty-please.html
   Stacey Benefiel                   http://staceywallacebenefiel.com/2012/11/created-by-cindy-m-hogan/

10 Jennifer Jensen                  http://jenniferjensen.com/2012/11/ya-author-cindy-hogan-balancing-writing-with-real-life/
     Christine Bryant                 http://www.christinebryant.blogspot.com/2012/11/dear-me-by-cindy-m-hogan.html

11 Gaynell Parker
     Elle Strauss                     http://ellestraussbooks.blogspot.ca/2012/11/created-by-cindy-hogan.html#comment-form
   
12 Renae Mackley               http://renaeswritespot.blogspot.com/
     Deanna Henderson          http://deannahenderson.blogspot.com/

13 Tamara Heiner                http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com/
     Carolyn Frank                http://franklycreative.blogspot.com/

15 C.Michelle Jefferies         http://cmichellejefferies.blogspot.com/
16 Deborah Davis
    RaShelle Workman          http://www.rashelleworkman.com/

17 Arla Cook                         http://leavemommyalone.blogspot.com
18 Melanie McCullough         http://melaniemccullough.blogspot.com/
19 Monique Bucheger            http://moniquebucheger.blogspot.com
20 Canda Mortensen              http://candamortensen.blogspot.com/

21 Rachelle Christensen         http://rachellewrites.blogspot.com/


 Cheri Lasota                      http://www.cherilasota.com/blog/
Susan Quinn                     http://www.susankayequinn.com/
Laura Pauling                   http://www.laurapauling.com/
 Sheila Staley                     http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com
SRJohannes                      http://srjohannes.com/
Magan Vernon                  http://maganvernon.com/
Katie Klein                       http://www.katiekleinwrites.blogspot.com
Julie Daines                         http://juliedaines.blogspot.com/
Sara Kovach                      http://sosimplesara.blogspot.com/

Jenna Cooper                   http://findingthewriteway.blogspot.com/
Britney Wyatt                    http://living-fictitiously.blogspot.com/

 Jean Book Nerd               http://jeanbooknerd.blogspot.com/

Kathleen Doyle                  http://writingreadingandlife.blogspot.com/
 Maria Hoagland                 http://mariahoagland.blogspot.com
 Sarra Cannon                    http://sarracannon.com/category/the-sweetie-chronicles/
 Elizabeth Mueller               http://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/
Carrie Butler                     http://soyoureawriter.blogspot.com/
Celesta Rimington              http://celestarimington.blogspot.com/ 
 Karen Hooper                    http://karenamandahooper.blogspot.com/

6 Debbie Roberts-Cluff        http://debbiecluff.blogspot.com/
   Karen Hoover                   http://karen-hoover.blogspot.com/

Thursday, November 15, 2012

HAPPY DANCE!!I

I am so very happy!! After months of plotting, writing, rewriting, editing, re-editing, I sent my 3rd Ginnie West novel off to my editor!

Whew... then came the second thoughts: will she like it? Will she get it? Will she want me to rewrite the WHOLE thing or make major changes?

Thankfully, my editor is a very personable person and as an author of 16 books, she knows very well how it feels to bundle up your 'baby' (or Manuscript in this case) and ship him or her off to another. She was gentle as she gave me a heads up about some changes she was suggesting. It turns out that she knows very well what she is doing (which is why she comes highly recommended  :) ) and her suggestions weren't too hard to apply.

As a matter of fact--I LOVED and applied pretty much all of them. And now I am VERY HAPPY to report:

SIMPLY WEST OF HEAVEN: A Ginnie West Adventure is officially done!

YAY!!! (Minus the cover, which my illustrator assures me is mostly finished.)

My illustrator, Gary Rasmussen, is the author of his own book: 90 Days in the Pen as well as an artist and horse whisperer and too many other things to list here.

In other words--he is a very busy man and I am so grateful he loves my West family enough to cover my books so beautifully.

In this season of Thanksgiving I would also like to express my gratitude for my friends, family, readers, and beta-readers as well as the experiences (good and bad) and opportunities that help me grow. I am extremely grateful that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with this interesting, crazy, up-and-down journey called 'my life.'

He has filled it with amazing people and adventures (inside and outside of my head. ;) ) that make it S-O-O-O worth living.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!

Laugh lots... Love much... Write on!