Day One

Day Two

Day Three

 

Woke up on Friday morning thinking this convention is too long. I think if I go in the future I will just do the weekend pass and not the full convention because boy howdy was I tired. Not jet-lagged, just tired from being around so many people. I did breakfast but skipped the early morning author signing. First panel I went to was completely chosen at random - Path of Responsible Representation hosted by YA authors Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra (they write as a team the YA series Tiny Pretty Things). I liked this panel because the writers gave concrete examples of what to look for and what to avoid in works with diverse characters.

 

The next panel was The Worlds of Regency and Georgian Romance with authors Valerie Bowman, Anna Bradley, Eileen Dryer, Elizabeth Hoyt, and Julia Quinn. I was not impressed this panel or the questions. The panel kept going off on different tangents that had nothing to do with the topic. I left a little early to get in line for the next author signing event, but I don't think I missed anything worthwhile. A quote from Julia Quinn sums this panel up - "Who wouldn't want to marry a duke?" Real deep there (sarcasm font).

 

I then went to the 1001 Dark Nights Sparkler. I had one goal going into this event - meet Lara Adrian and get her to sign my personal copy of The Midnight Breeds Series Companion. She did and was lovely - and surprised to see someone having a companion book. I got a pic with her too. Day made 10x over. The organizers wanted the attendees to talk with each author there and ask them an "either/or" question, then fill out a card for a chance to win something. I didn't care about winning whatever prize because, once again, the room was too small for the amount of people inside. I left soon after meeting Lara and went for lunch.

 

Next author panel I went to was Seasoned Romance, Vintage Love with Karen Booth and Morgan Malone. Another diversity panel, but this one was about older characters and ageism. This trend of having older characters is making a small, but noticeable comeback thanks to self-publishing. The idea of older characters also work with other diverse characterizations such as race, sexuality, and religion (for example, a m/m featuring 40 year old men). There is a FB group called Seasoned Romance that connects authors with readers. Also, the FB group made a GR List of romances with older characters (heads up: there is a lot of Kristen Ashley's books on this list). They were giving away free books from authors in the FB group; I picked out Killer Countdown (Man on a Mission #6) by Amelia Autin and Midnight in Legend, TN (The McClains of Legend, Tennessee #1/ Ladies of Legend #1.2) by Magdalena Scott. I really enjoyed the conversation.

 

Last author panel for me was Shifters Between the Sheets with authors Molly Harper, Paige Tyler, Robyn Peterman, and Eve Langlais. I wanted to go to at least one paranormal panel, and this one was fun and funny; the ladies are not only fans of the subgenre but of each other's works. The questions were basic, but the answers were varied and experiences were talked about; each author came to writing books and paranormal genre from very different backgrounds. It was a great way to end the last day of panels.

 

I started to go to the Avon signing event, took one look at a line that was snaked five times around the door to the event, and said to myself "hell no" and went up to my room to relax. Soon I went out for dinner and when I came back, Twitter and the RT app were lit up with many unhappy attendees. Turns out the Avon event started 35-40 minutes late and some people were in line for a hour or more before the scheduled time. Again, there were also complaints of overcrowding and someone almost fainted. I'm so glad I skipped the event.

 

I went to the late night party, Magnolias and Moonshine, but didn't stay long. There was just nothing there to hold my interest. I did a quick turn about the room and then left. If you ever go to RT, feel free to skip the evening parties - they are more work than reward.

 

 

 

I recognize that this isn't the type of poetry for everyone, and the lower reviews made me hesitate for a while before buying it. When I saw it in a bookstore, though, I finally picked it up and flipped through a bit of it to get a feel for Michael Faudet's style and things he wrote about. I liked it enough to buy it, and I'm glad I did. If you're on the fence about it, I suggest doing the same, to see for yourself if it's something you'll like.

This isn't my favorite collection of poetry, and it's probably not one I'll revisit often, but I did enjoy it. Some of the poems worked for me, making me feel something or conjuring up a memory because I related to it, but some didn't. The prose was...well, I didn't dislike it, but I think I only really liked one piece. Still, I liked this one enough to add his other collection to my tbr and I'll probably pick it up next time I'm shopping for poetry books.

*I wouldn't recommend this if you don't enjoy the styles of poetry used, or if you have a problem with reading about alcohol or sexual things.*

I think my favorites from this collection were "Lost Words," Stillness," "Deception," "Playing With Matches," and "The End," but I have sticky tabs on about 20 pieces that I liked and wanted to mark to find again easily.

**This review first appeared in The Alternating Review's online review column The Coil**

As the medium of poetry continues to evolve, one particular style has been gaining popularity among readers on the Internet, a genre that has been unofficially dubbed ‘Tumblr poetry’ by fans and critics alike. This ‘8-bit wisdom’ is a perfect example of the struggle between the desire to rewrite the rigid, conservative boundaries of poetry and the continued notions of what aspects such as form and subject matter should be like. This genre is somewhat hit or miss, though one worth paying attention to, particularly because it is almost impossible to overlook. There are some rather big names circulating in the publishing industry that have gone from being unknown writers, to having built an image and massive following for themselves. One such writer is Michael Faudet.

Faudet’s first collection, Dirty Pretty Things, is more of a pseudo-poetry collection, made up of poems, fragments, one-liners, and a few longer ‘short stories,’ all in one. Focusing on the familiar topics of love, lust, loss, and the search for comfort and home, the collection establishes itself right away as intimate in a slightly different manner, speaking less to the reader than it does to the author’s past self, the lovers and events that have left a mark.

It isn’t a surprise, therefore, that the mention of kissing and sex is the most common throughout the poems. And for the first quarter of the book or so, there were some simple but touching lines on both of these topics, striking in their honesty as they declared how

Kisses dream of lips like yours. (“Lips,” p. 11).

The writing gives off a naïve and hopeful sort of vibe, at least in the beginning: the sorts of emotions I always look for in a book, the kind that make me become engrossed in it and curious to see what would happen next. And that is exactly what the beginning of this collection made me feel.

The wonder ended up being short-lived. I eventually ended up keeping a tally of how many times the words “panties” and “fuck” were showing up, or how many times I was reading about the same rain motif and unmade beds. The simplicity can only go so far until it begins to border on limited, which was the ultimate conclusion I made about the collection. The one-line pieces stopped being charming after a certain point, instead capturing a thought that seemed obvious and unnecessary to put in such blatant terms, the words taking away any possibility of engaging with the work. It became, with every following page, more like a diary of a hormonal teenager who was desperate to have sex in order to cover up the inner turmoil. The topic is so common that to present it in such an elementary fashion no longer sets the work apart from the other contemporary ‘Tumblr poets,’ arranging words into simple and often awkward lines and strange stanzas in order to, for the nth time, tell a lover to take off her cotton panties and bend over.

What I think Dirty Pretty Things is most suited for, is perhaps a kind of literary foreplay with a lover — The contents certainly feel no shame in the matter. But when it comes to recollecting a memorable piece, I can only think of “The Mermaid” which, in its premise, is yet another story of a mermaid and young man falling in love, managing nonetheless to be sweet in its wording and sentiment. These are poems best read out loud to either a significant other or to someone for whom one feels the stirrings of love. They are neither memorable nor unique, some of them a bit ridiculous and still others coming close to losing their genuineness. It is only the occasional startling line that slightly redeems this otherwise run-of-the-mill collection, a tiny, persistent voice still fighting to remind us that

Love and loss share the same unmade bed. (“Reality,” p. 17).

Pretty Things: The Rock and Roll Fantasy... Audible Book: Pretty Things: The Rock and Roll Fantasy Collection: Rosalyn and Friends, Books 1-3
Author: Diane Rinella
Narrated By: Hollie Jackson
Reviewed by: Tammy Payne- Book Nook Nuts
My Rating: 5 Stars


REVIEW

"Three Hilariously Funny Stories !! "

Would you consider the audio edition of Pretty Things: The Rock and Roll Fantasy Collection to be better than the print version?
I loved listening to the audio version and I wouldn't know the answer to this as I did not read the books.

What did you like best about this story?
Each story is centered around a spirit, Each story is about Rock & Roll

Which scene was your favorite?
Well there are three stories but I will say Scary Modsters and I loved Peter Lane

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Long Live Rock & Roll !!

Any additional comments?
These are three fantastic stories with a hint of paranormal. Loved it and the narrator did a fantastic job !
[a:Diane Rinella|6592108|Diane Rinella|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1395862244p2/6592108.jpg]

This is my first book of poetry. I do not like poetry. I don't get it and it doesn't get me. Usually, it does nothing for me. But when I was checking out the nominees for GoodReads best of 2015, something about this book spoke to me. I was intrigued and for the first time in ever, I WANTED to read poetry...voluntarily. So I put it on my 'maybe-i'll-check-this-out' list and then later, I put it on my Christmas wish list.

Well kudos to my hubby because not only did he get me practically everything on my list this year, he got me this book specifically.

This was just lovely. It captivated me. It was haunting, and dirty, and pretty, and beautiful. I loved the poetry and prose and short stories all mixed together. It drew me in. I cannot wait to read it again so I can decide which are my favorites. And then read it again so I can pick all new favorites.

Michael Faudet has given me a new...I wouldn't say love because so far it's only his poetry that I have enjoy reading, but I will say I have gained a new respect, or maybe just a curiosity for poetry and I look forward to not only rereading this, but his next book.