This author has been recommended to me by many people over the years. When I read the blurb for this book I was excited to finally get to her work. A pet whisper who helps take down a killer/drug dealer. I'm a sucker for paranormal stories, add animals and I'm a happy reader. I was not a happy reader while reading this. I'm warning you I was feeling a bit rant-ish after finishing it.

What went wrong for me: Never ending telling and retelling, over explained everything down to the smallest little detail, repetitive explanations, cold mechanical sex, weird methodical dialog, silly goading, too many dialogs, one dimensional characters, conversations that I could not figure out who was speaking, the conversations with the animals were odd and didn't feel emotional like they were told to be. Yes, told, the book spent a lot of time telling me how it was to be felt. They talked/inner dialog/explained so much I just wanted them to shut up so I could read the story. The romance, sigh, what romance ? It was ridiculous, heated glares, glances, and "let's have sex" after you kidnapped me and plan on using me in a way that could get me tortured and killed. It was step A, step B, step C, done. Really, is that supposed to work ? The suspense, was so cheesy, the big bad guys so hollywood derived, I never felt it. The ending was, nothing, it went to nothing.

What did I like about the story ? When she rescued Juno, that was a good moment. Till the dog started talking, ugg ruined moment that lasts and lasts. I hope that I never get to talk with animals if they keep repeating themselves like Juno. My dog is looking at me now and I'm so grateful I can't hear a word, sorry pup.

Stubborn to the end I finished this book even when I knew at 10% in it wasn't working for me. I will not be reading more from this author her style does not work for me. 

 

 

Aaaand the final one in my Personal bundle.

I'm glad to say: This one was a lot better than the other two. I actually really enjoyed this. Huge part of it, was of course, Ed. I adore this guy! He made me laugh, he broke my heart and he made it all better.

Because, I have to be honest, KC Wells' writing just doesn't do it for me. Even though I did feel better about this one, in the grand scheme of things, her style doesn't really speak to me. It's more the little things now, instead of basically everything in the books prior, but there is still a lot of telling going on. A lot of conversations and thoughts that felt artificial and forced to me. But I really liked the characters here. Ed was my favorite guy so far, with Colin coming in a close second. But Ed was the star. I liked how he had to work hard to open himself up for Colin and the possiblity of being with a man. The little misunderstandings weren't terribly original, but at least these guys were able to open their mouths and TALK.

So, yeah. Writing still not my cup of tea. But the rest of it was pretty good.

3 happy-and-farewell stars from me.

Mastering Showing and Telling in Your Fi... I finished reading Showing and Telling in Fiction by by Marcy Kennedy a month ago, and have been meaning to review this excellent how-to guide since I put it down. Eliminating 'telling' is an issue I needed a lot of help with to fully understand and overcome in my own writing, and this book has helped set me in the right direction. In a nutshell, the classic argument states that writing that shows the reader what is happening is more compelling, engaging, and descriptive than writing that tells the reader what is happening (or has already happened).

Showing and Telling in Fiction begins by clearly explaining what defines showing and telling, the differences between them, and why showing is (usually) the preferred choice for exciting, engaging prose. If you like to know the reason behind the rule, you'll find this part satisfying.

Understanding the differences between showing and telling is just the first step in addressing the problem. Chapter Two provides practical techniques to easily spot weak writing in your own manuscript. By identifying the 'red flags' of telling, the book teaches you to recognize the signs in your manuscript.

Kennedy states that using telling to write your first draft may help you capture your story, which can then be edited in the ensuing drafts to turn telling sections into showing. If you're struggling to write your draft by 'showing' everything, using 'telling' to get the words out of your head may be a useful technique.

Obviously, writing that is 100% showing is not the goal of this book. In certain situations, telling can be more effective and appropriate than showing. Chapter Four shows you opportunities for using telling effectively to make your story flow cohesively.

An apt finish to Showing and Telling in Fiction provides you methods to attack your manuscript efficiently, and offers a link to print versions of the revision checklists.

In summary, this concise (88 pages) instructional tome is full of examples and techniques, light on fluff and filler, and currently has a 4.8 star rating on Amazon (48 reviews). I'd definitely recommend this book if you struggle with any part of the showing versus telling battle.

I liked this writing guide on showing versus telling quite a bit, and it's a book that I will likely return to in the future for some of the things I was able to gain from it. I would say it's more beginner to intermediate level in terms of writing advice, but I think those who would want a quick refresher would find this helpful. The guide is broken into two main sections - relying on the distinction of "showing" versus "telling" by explaining the different functions of scenes and summaries and where they're most appropriate. As for the advice contained within, I cannot express how important some of the advice Alberts gives because I see beginning writers making these mistakes all the time, and she gives good insight into where these missteps occur, and provides examples that are brief enough to comprehend. There are a few spoiler warnings as far as some of the movies she references in the beginning of the novel, but once you get past that exposition, the points she gives are sound. There's a sample of the author's own writing at the end of the book as well for perusal, which I thought was okay.Overall score: 3.5/5