Review: Miracle on 5th Avenue

Miracle on 5th Avenue is the third and final book in Sarah Morgan's From Manhattan with Love series. I wrote about the first two books (Sleepless in Manhattan and Sunset in Central Park) earlier this year. OK, maybe "wrote" isn't strong enough..."gushed" might be more accurate. I just adored this series and was both sad and happy to finally read the last story.

Here's the synopsis:

It will take a Christmas miracle for two very different souls to find each other in this perfectly festive fairy tale of New York!Hopeless romantic Eva Jordan loves everything about Christmas. She might be spending the holidays alone this year, but when she's given an opportunity to house-sit a spectacular penthouse on Fifth Avenue, she leaps at the chance. What better place to celebrate than in snow-kissed Manhattan? What she didn't expect was to find the penthouse still occupied by its gorgeous—and mysterious—owner.
Bestselling crime writer Lucas Blade is having the nightmare before Christmas. With a deadline and the anniversary of his wife's death looming, he's isolated himself in his penthouse with only his grief for company. He wants no interruptions, no decorations and he certainly doesn't appreciate being distracted by his beautiful, bubbly new housekeeper. But when the blizzard of the century leaves Eva snowbound in his apartment, Lucas starts to open up to the magic she brings…This Christmas, is Lucas finally ready to trust that happily-ever-afters do exist?

I knew even before I read the synopsis of this book that Eva was going to be paired with Lucas, who also happens to be one of Eva's best friend's favourite authors. I could sense how Morgan was setting it up in the first two books but I was looking forward to seeing how she was going to have the pair actually meet. And seeing how on earth they'd get along. Eva is all sunshine and sweetness and Lucas is a crime writer who tends to see the worst in the world. Talk about opposites attract!

And attract they did! It's almost always amusing to be the reader and know that both the heroine and the hero are attracted to each other but aren't doing a damn thing about it and/or trying to deny their attraction. Why they tried to resist it, I'll never know but I did love reading as the attraction between Eva and Lucas grew. And grew...and grew...until they finally gave in.

I'll admit I was very worried about Eva because she's such a sweet character. But don't confuse sweet with boring or helpless. She is a strong female who just loves love and tries to be positive as much as possible. I did like that Morgan allowed Eva to finally grieve some more for her grandmother without feeling so guilty about it. I was worried because I knew there would come a time in the book where Lucas would inevitably hurt her (I'm no newbie to romances...I know the formula and don't mind it as long as the author makes me want to keep reading. And Morgan always makes me want to keep reading) and I didn't want to see her hurt. Of course, I also knew I'd get the Happily Ever After I wanted :)

I had put off reading the third book in the series for a couple of reasons. I like to give myself a break between books when I know the main characters are going to change. I fall in love with them and I want to keep reading about them and I know if I switch too soon then I won't love the next pair as much as I should. I also wanted to wait to read this until closer to Christmas because I knew it would help get me in the holiday spirit. It's not so Christmassy that you can't read it at any time of year but it has enough festive cheer to make it a fantastic read for the season. Decorations, holiday galas, New York in December, and the magic of Christmas...it just all works so well for romance novels!

I don't know how much else I can say about Miracle on 5th Avenue that I haven't already said about the first two books in Sarah Morgan's series. I loved it and didn't want it to end because I just adored spending time with Eva, Lucas, and the rest of the characters (though I found they don't make as many appearances in this book as in the others...perhaps because Lucas isn't part of their group and he's holed away trying to finish his novel). I highly recommend the From Manhattan with Love series. In fact, the first book would make a great stocking stuffer for the romance lover in your life!

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, Harlequin, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

It's always so much fun to find new-to-you authors. Especially if they've been writing for awhile and have an extensive backlist for you to become obsessed with. The list of new to me in 2015 authors is a mix of debut and more established authors, with quite the Canadian contingent. What authors did you discover this year?

Sally Christie (The Sisters of Versailles)
I read Christie's debut novel, the first in a trilogy, earlier this year and reviewed it for Niagara Life magazine. I was also lucky enough to meet her at the Ontario Blog Squad Meetup in July. She is so nice and the book was so addictive. I cannot wait for the second book to be released. (The Rivals of Versailles is out in April!)

Marissa Campbell (Avelynn)
Campbell's debut novel is another I reviewed for Niagara Life. And, once again, I was obsessed with it. Rumour is this historical fiction novel will have a sequel and I am thrilled! She's another of the Canadians on the list.

Karina Halle (Where Sea Meets Sky, Racing the Sun, The Pact)
I had been hearing of Halle's work for awhile, particularly because I knew K.A. Tucker (one of my favourite authors) is a friend and fan of Halle. I don't think I'll read all of Halle's backlist (she's written a lot more darker romantic suspense than I think I'd enjoy) but I will definitely check out all of the contemporary novels she publishes. Plus, Halle is the third of four Canadians on this list.

Taylor Jenkins Reid (Maybe in Another Life)
I know, I know. I received an ARC of her first novel - you know, Forever, Interrupted that so many people lost their minds over? - early on but I just never got around to reading it. I know now that I've been missing out because I thoroughly enjoyed her 2015 release.

Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (The Royal We)
I reviewed this book for Novel Escapes and it's probably one of my favourites of the year! I can't wait to see what they write next.

Scott Wilbanks (The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster)

This was a novel that really surprised me. I wasn't expecting to be as sucked in as I was! Wilbanks' debut novel is worth a read if you like time travel stories.

Kate Beaton (Step Aside, Pops)

Can you believe 2015 was the first time I had read Kate Beaton? I had heard of the Canadian's work but just never checked out her site, Hark! A Vagrant, or her first collection of the same name before reviewing her latest for Niagara Life.

Colleen Hoover (November 9)
Yep. I've met Hoover twice and this was the first book I've read by her! I know others have said it's not her best but I really enjoyed it. I'm excited to read the two other (signed!) books I have by her at home and find copies of all the rest if I continue to enjoy them.

Abbi Glines (Twisted Perfection, Simple Perfection, Until Friday Night, While It Lasts )
I've met Glines twice as well but I just never got around to reading my copies of Twisted Perfection and Simple Perfection. I finally read them this spring and, hoo boy, did I get addicted. I read one on a Saturday and the next on Sunday - each in one sitting!

Raina Telgemeier (Drama )
A friend of mine knew I wanted to start reading more graphic novels so she suggested one of Telgemeier's. I adored Drama! The story, the art, everything! Definitely need to check out more of her work.

Top Ten Tuesday: Most Read Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

I've read a lot of books in my life. That means I've read quite a few books from the same author. I've only been keeping track on Goodreads for the past few years though so I'm not sure how accurate this week's list actually is. It was actually quite a surprise to see which authors I've read the most from!

Janet Evanovich 

34+ 

My first response to this was "Seriously?!?" Never would have guessed she was my top read author. I've read 21 of her Stephanie Plum books (I've decided I'm not going to read another until the series is done...I'm so bored with it!), maybe 3 of the Between the Numbers books, I think all 6 of the Full series, 1 of the Lizzy & Diesel series (or was it 2?), 3 of the Fox and O'Hare series (ooh, there's a fourth one coming!). and a handful of others. Holy crapola.

Meg Cabot

20?

I've probably read at least 6 Princess Diaries books (I'm going to work on a reread since I want to be totally up to date by the time I get to the latest, Royal Wedding, which I got at BEA.), both All-American Girl books, most of the Vanished/1-800-Where-R-You series, most of the Mediator series, maybe 3 of her teen standalone books, both of the Insatiable books, the 3 Queen of Babble books, and I think just 2 of the Boy series.

Sophie Kinsella/Madeline Wickham 

15 or 16 

I've read the Shopaholic books and all of her standalones but I actually can't remember how many of the Madeline Wickham books I've read and since they're the same person I decided to combine them.

Joanne Fluke 

16

I was surprised by this one, too! Her Hannah Swensen series is a lot of fun. My sister has most of them so I've been able to read all of her copies!

Sarah Dessen 

12

I've read every single one of her books and will read every single other book she publishes.

Nora Roberts 

10

She's my go-to when I need a good, sweet, and entertaining romance! 10 sounds like a lot but she's written approximately a bazillion.

Heather Wardell 

10

I freaking  love Heather and her books. I'm actually a little glad that I'm behind on her books - she has 17 published right now - because it means I have so many more to catch up on. And she's a speedy writer so there will be 18, 19, 20 soon enough!

Laura Ingalls Wilder 

9

I adored the Little House books when I was a kid! I'm looking forward to rereading them soon.

J.K. Rowling/Robert Galbraith

9

I haven't read the entirety of Rowling's other Potter books (Fantastic Beasts, etc.) so I'm not counting them. But the 7 Potter books add up, plus I've read both of the books she's written as Galbraith (can't wait for the next one).

Emily Giffin 

8

And I actually own all of them, too! 

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I Still Need to Meet

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

I've been lucky enough to meet a lot of my favourite (or, er, used to be favourite) authors over the years: Sarah Dessen, Rainbow Rowell, Jennifer Weiner, too many amazing indie authors to name (ok, I'll try a few...Heather Wardell, Samantha Stroh Bailey, Lydia Laceby, Meredith Schorr, Samantha March, Cat Lavoie, Romi Moondi), Chantel Guertin, Marissa Stapley, Gayle Forman, Sarah Mlynowski, Joseph Boyden, L. Marie Adeline, K.A. Tucker, Emily Giffin...I could probably go on but those are some big ones. I'm also lucky that I don't live too far away from Toronto so I can get to the city to see the authors when they come to Canada. I'd say half of those authors were met in brief signing lines so I'd for sure love to spend more time with some of them. (I'm positive Sarah Dessen and I would be besties.) The authors I've listed below are some of my favourite authors, or at least have written some of my favourite books, and it'd be so awesome to meet them! Which authors would you love to meet? Which authors have you met?

All links, including for the authors above, lead to their Goodreads pages so you can check out what they've written.

Lindsey Kelk
I've read far fewer of Kelk's books than I'd like but social media makes it seem like she's super awesome.

Cecelia Ahern
I'd really like to hear, from her not from articles, more about her publishing journey as she was quite young when she was first published. Her books all have some romance and magical element and I'd love to see what she's like in person.

Beth Kendrick
I just love her books and think she'd be an awesome person to meet!

Sophie Kinsella
One of the queens of chick lit. Need I say more?

Catherine McKenzie
I love love love Catherine's books and have not been able to meet her yet. I've been tempted to arrange to (finally) visit Montreal just so I can go to an author event of hers. I think she's going to be at BEA though so maybe these two Canadians can finally meet...in America. :)

Sara Gruen
I'm kind of kicking myself for not looking into her travel schedule when her latest book, At the Water's Edge, was released as I believe there was a most excellent event in Toronto that I would have loved to have attended. Ah well!

Laura Chapman
Laura and I are virtual besties so one of these days she either has to travel to Ontario or I have to travel to Nebraska so we can get some serious hang out time in.

Stephanie Perkins
Would she not be just awesome in person?

J.K Rowling
Though I'm sure I'd be SUPER nervous and tongue tied and would make a complete fool out of myself.

Jenny Han
I've actually only read To All the Boys I've Loved Before but I adored it. I own the Summer series so maybe I'll tackle them this summer :)

Anna Garner (also goes by Libby Mercer)
I've emailed with her in the past and I really want to be able to meet her in person one of these days!

Lucie Simone
I sometimes read manuscripts for Lucie's small press, Simon & Fig, so we've had the chance to virtually get to know each other. She's a sweetie and I'd love to meet her face to face!

Top Ten Tuesday: Favourite Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

Trying to come up with ten favourite authors is quite the daunting task, let me tell you. I had to include two sub-categories because, let's face it, it's pretty much impossible to come up with just ten. My process was to list the ones that came to me right off the top of my head and then went through my five star rated books on Goodreads. I also kind of love that every single author, all thirteen of them, are women. Sure, I've read some amazing books by male authors but there aren't any that are on my autobuy list (though Kevin Kwan comes close...I cannot wait until China Rich Girlfriend is released). It's also no surprise that many of the authors on this list are ones that I've met. Though, on the flip side, there's one author who I used to list on my favourites but I no longer will since I saw her in person. (Any guesses?) I'm sure I'm missing a few but these authors are always recommended and dearly loved. Who are your favourite authors? Which ones are on your autobuy list?

My Favourite Ladies
Sarah Dessen
No one should be surprised that Dessen tops my list. She is an amazing writer, I've loved her since I was in my teens, and she's just an absolute sweetheart. I'm counting down the days until Saint Anything is released!! Definitely an autobuy author.

Rainbow Rowell
I've loved both Rowell's adult and young adult books, which is important, but I also found her to be amazing in person when I met her a few years ago.

Jennifer Weiner
I've been reading Weiner for years and have always found her books smart and engaging. Meeting her last year cemented my love for her because she is one amazing woman.

Heather Wardell
Heather was one of the first indie authors I read and now, many years later, I consider her a friend. (Hopefully that's not presumptuous...) Not only does she write amazing novels but she is also great at connecting with her readers.

Meredith Schorr
I've loved all of Meredith's books and she's another author who I like to consider a friend (she's offered to make sure I don't get lost in NYC when I'm there for BEA next month...that's a friend!) She also wins a ton of points for writing an awesome book about a chick lit blogger, appropriately called Blogger Girl, that is one of my all time favourites.

K.A. Tucker
Tucker's stories completely suck me in. They have interesting characters who you're immediately invested in. Plus, when I met her at a signing last year she saw my name and knew what my Twitter and Instagram was (it helps that my name is so unique!). She's definitely my favourite New Adult author.

Gayle Forman
I first read Just One Day and Just One Year and fell in love with Forman's writing. The love sort of lessened when I read If I Stay and Where She Went. I just didn't connect with that story. I decided to try her latest, I Was Here, and fell in love all over again. I also met her at the Toronto International Book Fair last year and she was really nice!

Catherine McKenzie
McKenzie is on my autobuy list as well. She's written so many amazing novels, though Arranged is by far my favourite. I haven't met her yet but I'd absolutely love to.

Beth Kendrick
I fell in love with Kendrick's books when I read Second Time Around and have thoroughly enjoyed all of the others of hers that I've read. Happily, I still have a few from her backlist still to read to tide me over until she releases a new one.

Stephanie Perkins
I freaking love Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and Isla and the Happily Ever After. Plus, the book of short holiday stories she edited, My True Love Gave to Me, was absolutely amazing (plus it featured authors like Rowell and Forman). I like that Perkins seems so real and awesome. I'm looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

Dearly Departed Authors
Lucy Maud Montgomery
I've been rereading the Anne of Green Gables series and I'm remembering how much I loved them when I was younger. The books and writing are just so delightful!

Jane Austen
I admit that it can sometimes be difficult to read Austen but her stories are intelligent and entertaining...she's a lot funnier than a lot of people give her credit for.

The Ultimate Queen of Authors
J.K. Rowling
Do I really need to explain this one? Harry Potter is my all time favourite and Rowling herself is one awesome lady.

Top Ten Tuesday: 2014 New-To-Me Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

It's been awhile since I've done a TTT (it's been awhile since I've blogged, really. Damn new job getting in the way of, well, everything.) but I love end of year wrap ups and knew I had to set aside some time to figure out which authors were new to me over this past year. It doesn't mean that these are debut authors. These are (eleven) authors I hadn't read before this year. Did you discover any new authors in 2014?

Joseph Boyden: Can Lit master. I must read more of his books.

Gemma Burgess: I really like her series about 20-somethings living in Brooklyn and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Jenny Han: I hadn't read Han before this year and I really don't know why. I LOVED To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

K.A. Tucker: She is probably my favourite New Adult author - and she's Canadian!

Laura Chapman: I'm so proud of blogger-turned-author Laura. Her debut novel was amazing.

Marissa Stapley: Another Canadian makes the list! Mating for Life is more serious than I tend to read but it's amazing and Marissa is a total sweetheart.

Morgan Matson: Another YA author I had been meaning to read for forever. Since You've Been Gone was a lot of fun.

Sarah Jio: I can't believe this was my first Jio book. I cannot wait to read her latest, The Look of Love.

Sara Shepard: I don't really have any interest in Pretty Little Liars but The Heiresses intrigued me and I was hooked from the first page.

Tahereh Mafi: I blew through Mafi's Shatter Me series and I'm really glad I read them!

Terry Fallis: While No Relation wasn't my favourite book, I still really want to read the rest of Fallis' novels.

Top Ten Tuesday: Why Haven't I Read More of their Books?

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

Have you ever read a book, loved it, and then decided you had to read more books by that author? And then...didn't? That's what this week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about. In alphabetical order, here are ten authors whose book I read and now find that I need to read more of. Note: it was completely unintentional that the first three on the list ended up being Canadian authors! Links lead to Goodreads or review.

Angie Abdou
I adored The Bone Cage. The writing and the story were fantastic and I want to see what Abdou's other work is like.

Joseph Boyden
I couldn't stop thinking about The Orenda after I finished it and I've heard that Boyden's other works are just as good.

Terry Fallis
I recently read my first Fallis book, No Relation, and enjoyed it. The boyfriend has read all of Fallis' others though and tells me he likes the older books better. I liked the humour so I imagine I'll love the other books even more.

Katie Fforde
I freaking loved Wedding Season and I still haven't read any more of Fforde's books. Silly because I really do love British chick lit.

Michele Gorman
Bella Summer Takes a Chance was so much fun and so enjoyable so I'm amazed that I haven't read more of her books yet.

Jenny Han
I was a Jenny Han virgin before reading To All the Boys I've Loved Before, despite owning the whole Summer series. I can't wait to read more of Han's work!

Sarah Jio
Yeah...I know. I've only read one of Jio's novels! I loved loved loved Goodnight June so I cannot wait to read the rest of her books.

Morgan Matson
I devoured Since You've Been Gone this past summer and Matson will now be my go to author when I need a good summer book. (Since I've read all of Sarah Dessen's. Multiple times.)

Ali McNamara
McNamara is another British chick lit author and I really enjoyed From Notting Hill with Love...Actually. There are more in that series so there's plenty more McNamara to love! 

Ali Novak
I really liked My Life with the Walter Boys and am really looking forward to reading other books from this young author. Particularly My Life as a Walter Boy!

Bonus: Two Cheater Entries

Gayle Forman
Technically I've read two Forman novels, Just One Day and Just One Year, but they're kind of the same, right? I mean, they're not, but they take place during the same time period so it's sort of the same. So I really need to read her others. Like, need to.

Erin Morgenstern
This is a cheat entry because she only has one book published and there are no upcoming titles listed on Goodreads. But The Night Circus was so freaking amazing that I cannot wait to see what she writes next.

Top Ten "Tuesday": I Obviously Love These Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

Yes, I know today is Wednesday. But I had a super busy (but awesome) weekend and just didn't get the chance to put together this week's list. I wanted to share it though because I love talking about my favourite authors. And clearly I own a lot of books by my favourite authors! It was actually kind of difficult to come up with this list because half of my books are at home and the other half are at my mom's. So, here's a pretty much accurate list (with a few bonus entries)! Which author dominates your bookshelves?

Sarah Dessen - 11
She is my all time favourite author so it's no surprise that I own every single one of her books. And a good number of them are signed, too!

Emily Giffin - 7
Giffin is another auto-buy author and I own all of her books - most of them in hardcover. And, bonus, four of them are signed!

Jennifer Weiner - 7
I love Weiner so it's not really surprising that I've somehow managed to accumulate 7 of her 11 books. I just wish I had had a few more of them with me to get them signed when I met her last month!

Catherine McKenzie - 5
I was hooked on McKenzie's writing ever since I read Spin a couple of years ago and I now own a copy of each one of her books.

Beth Kendrick - 6
I have yet to read a Kendrick book I don't like so I will happily buy her new ones as soon as they're out!

Ann Brashares - 6
This is actually a bit of a cheat since I no longer own six of Brashares' novels. I still have all five in the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series but I donated another of hers that I didn't exactly love.

Jane Austen - 6
I haven't read all six yet (shame on me) but I WILL. I own them so there's no excuse!

Mindy Klasky - 6
I own two of her trilogies and they're both such fun magical romance type novels (Jane Madison and As You Wish - check them out!).

Series Authors
Megan McCafferty - 5
LOVE Jessica Darling.

J.K. Rowling - 9
Duh. I have all of Harry Potter plus Quidditch Through the Ages and Tales of Beedle the Bard (a super fancy edition my boyfriend bought me years ago!)

C.S. Lewis - 7
I have the whole Narnia set but still haven't finished it.

Lucy Maud Montgomery - 7
I really need to do a reread of the Anne books soon!

Laura Ingalls Wilder - 9
I love my boxed set of the Little House books. I should really reread these ones, too!

Life as a Bookworm: Not Write Now

No, that's not a typo up there in the title of this post. My (not so) clever play on words has to do with the fact that I do not want to write a novel. At least, not right now. But why am I sharing this? Well, this is something that comes up more often than you'd think in this book blogger's life. I had a job interview a week or so ago (it had nothing to do with books - it was for a retail position because that's where I'm at in life right now...sigh.). During the interview I explained why, after leaving my full time job to pursue a publicity internship at Random House of Canada, I was not working in publishing. The interviewer thought that perhaps I wasn't working in publishing not because I don't want to live in Toronto (I really don't) or because I don't want a publishing job enough (I'm still not sure) but because I'm meant to work with books in another way. By writing them myself. The interview moved on to other, more relevant, topics but that idea stuck with me for the rest of the day.

Why am I not writing a novel?

The simple answer is that I just don't feel like it. And, really, that's the only answer I need.

This topic came up after BookBuzz Toronto last year as I was the token non-author in our group. The women I was with asked me, and rightly so, if I ever thought about writing a book. Writing novels is, after all, what they love to do.

The truth is that I have thought about it. I have a few half-formed ideas floating around in my head but that's all there is and that's all there will be for awhile.

If I'm remembering correctly, one of the women told me that if I don't feel the desire to get a story idea onto paper (or screen, I suppose), then it's not going to go anywhere. I've talked to, and consider myself friends with, enough authors to know that deciding to write a novel is a big deal. It's not a serious decision or a life or death one, but it's one that you shouldn't enter into lightly. You have to dedicate time and energy into creating the best possible story. And if you don't really have that burning desire to get those thoughts and characters out there, then you're just not going to want to dedicate the time to write the thing, let alone decide what to do with it after you're finished.

I love writing. I always have. I was a diary writer and aspiring poet when I was growing up (oh boy, I do not want to reread some of the angsty stuff I must have written when I was a teen). My high school yearbook has "journalist" listed as my dream job next to my grad picture (though now that I'm dating a journalist I realize that is so not the job for me). I have countless notebooks that are just waiting for ideas to fill their pages. Keeping this blog is a way to continue writing in a way that works for me right now. That's why you see posts like this popping up more and more on here.

And, ok, maybe there's a bit of fear in this decision, too. I can review books and critique what I read with the best of them...but can I really do any better than those authors I'm reviewing? I worry that my writing wouldn't be good enough. That my story wouldn't be interesting enough. That I wouldn't be able to find an audience. And those worries are sort of overpowering any other thought at the moment. I'm sure every single author has those same worries but the difference is that they push past those fears and worries and write anyway. Why? Because that's what they're meant to do. I may not have any freaking idea what I'm meant to do at this point (you'd think at almost 27 that I would, but no) but I realize that I'm not meant to write a book. Yet.

I know that, if I ever decide to take the plunge and write a book, I have a great group of women to advise me. I've been lucky to meet some amazing authors through my blog and I know there's more than one who would be happy to give me a hand, should I need it. But, for now, the only writing you'll see is on this blog. Maybe on other sites if someone wants me to write words for them. "Author" isn't a title I'm looking to add to my name yet but feel free to keep asking. Maybe my answer will change one day. You never know.

Top Ten Tuesday: New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2013

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

'Tis the time of year when everything starts compiling the best of lists! This week's Top Ten Tuesday is all about the best authors I read this year. Some authors I was totally behind the times on and others were pleasant surprises. Did you find any amazing authors this year? Links lead to my reviews.

Don't forget to check out their blog for a full list of everyone participating this week!

Gayle Forman
I just recently read Just One Day and Just One Year and can't believe I haven't read Forman's novels before! I for sure plan on reading more of hers.

Stephanie Perkins
I fell in love with Anna and Lola (and Cricket) and I cannot wait for Isla. Perkins has written an amazing series in my favourite kind of YA: contemporary.

Meredith Schorr
I've been aware of Meredith for awhile but for some reason I hadn't read her until this year. Her third novel, Blogger Girl, is one of my favourites of the year!

Rainbow Rowell
Rowell's first novel, Attachments, has been on my radar for awhile (like a couple of years awhile) but I just hadn't read it. Then this year I read both Eleanor & Park and Fangirl and loved them both (especially Fangirl!).

Kevin Kwan
Kwan is technically a debut author so he's new to pretty much everyone but he deserves to be on this list. Crazy Rich Asians was an amazing novel - another favourite of the year.

Angie Abdou
I had to read a lot of CanLit for my Project Bookmark Canada internship this year and Abdou's The Bone Cage was the first that I read. I adored it and I really want to check out the rest of her work.

Tish Cohen
I was randomly asked to review The Search Angel, Cohen's latest novel, by HarperCollins Canada and I am so glad that I was. It wasn't something I ever would have picked up on my own but I really liked it.

Veronica Roth
How did it take me so long to read Divergent? Man. I absolutely adored this series - depressing ending and all.

Katie McGarry
I sort of fell into McGarry's Pushing the Limits series and I'm so glad. It's a great, gritty, intense YA series.

Mia March
I've had March's debut novel The Meryl Streep Movie Club on my shelf pretty much since it was released in June of 2012. I look forward to reading her second book, Finding Colin Firth, soon!

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I'm Thankful For

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature.

This week we're to list the authors or books we're thankful for. Even though I celebrated Thanksgiving over a month ago up here in Canada, I still thought this was a really nice idea and I wanted to take part in this week. Reading has always been such a huge thing for me so I really am thankful for certain authors and books. I decided just to go with authors for this week. Are any of your favourites on this list?

Don't forget to check out their blog for a full list of everyone participating in this week's thankful list!

1. J.K. Rowling
I know she's going to be on lots of people's lists but I couldn't not include her. The Harry Potter series contains some of the best books I've ever read and that's enough to get her on my list. If you also think about all of the kids she got reading because of this series then you've really got an author to be thankful for.

2. Jane Austen
I'm not huge on classics but Jane is one author who I will willingly read. Not only do I enjoy her novels but I love the huge following she has all over the world. She's sort of a cultural icon and I love that.

3. Sarah Dessen
As I've said on here before, she is one of my favourite authors. I discovered her books way back in high school when I was working at my public library. This was a few years after she had published her first two books and I've been lucky enough to sort of grow up reading her novels. I may be almost a decade older than some of her teenage characters but I still love reading her books. When I was still working at the bookstore, I was also always glad to have her books to recommend to those teenagers (or mothers of teenagers) who weren't into the whole vampire thing!

4. Emily Giffin
My favourite chick lit author. Her books are a great mixture of light and dark and I love when she has a new book coming out. For me, her novels have given me hours of fun and thought provoking reading - a great combination.

5. C.S. Lewis
Personally, I can't imagine a world without Narnia. I also have to admit that I haven't finished the entire series (bad Kaley). I remember reading the first few books when I was in elementary school and just being captivated by the story.

6. Suzanne Collins
I was late on the whole Hunger Games phenomenon because I didn't think I'd enjoy the books. Boy, was I wrong. I am so glad she created this series. It was awesome to see a strong female character who didn't care about sparkling creatures romance. Ahem. :)

7. Laura Ingalls Wilder
I was obsessed with her books when I was younger. Just obsessed. My best friend at the time loved them as well and we used to have sleepovers where we'd pretend to be Laura and play by candlelight. Yep, I was a pretty awesome kid :) Her novels opened up a whole new world for me - one that was actually real. I read everything I could about her and her family. Boy, am I glad my mom got the box set for me when I was super young and held onto it for me.

8. Lucy Maud Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables was huge for me when I was younger. I have all the books (though it'd be nice to have an actual pretty box set instead of the hodgepodge of books I have at the moment) and loved them. I got through the entire series in one summer years ago. I should really give them a reread. I had read a few of her others and enjoyed them just as much. I had Anne dolls, bookmarks, pictures, and all sorts of other things. Someday I'll get myself out to PEI so I can see the actual Green Gables!

9. Rick Riordan
Seems like an odd choice, I know. I loved his Percy Jackson series and that's why he's on this list. Not just because I loved it but because I saw first hand how much young boys loved the series too. One particular little boy sticks out for me: I was working at cash and a mom and her son (about 7 or 8) come up to purchase some books. The little guy was already reading the Percy book they had picked up and would not relinquish it for me to scan. Instead, he held it up so I could take the scanner, scan it, and not interrupt his reading. It was pretty awesome. Also - the fact that he created the story for his son who loved Greek mythology and was being tested for learning disabilities is just so awesome. Check out the interview on his site for all the background on that :)

10. Helen Fielding
I find it almost odd to have her on this list because I couldn't tell you much about the Bridget Jones books. I read them and I enjoyed them - but I didn't love them. Why, do you ask, is she on this list? Because she was essentially the start of chick lit. As I chick lit lover, I can't imagine a world without this genre and I'm so glad Fielding wrote Bridget's story - and that she's writing another book in the series!

Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish People I Want To Meet

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created by the lovely folks at The Broke and the Bookish. They created it because they're "particularly fond of lists" and since I also enjoy lists, I've decided to participate in this fun feature. 

This week we're to come up with ten bookish people we want to meet. They could be authors, bloggers, and the like. I decided to split my list into the two (since I couldn't think of any other bookish people I'd like to meet! haha).

Don't forget to check out their blog for a full list of everyone participating.

Authors (in no particular order)

1. Jane Austen

I think this is a no-brainer for me. I figure if I have the power to meet anyone, I also have the power to bring people back from the dead! I love Austen's work and I'd love to be able to talk to her about what it was like to live and write when she did. 

2. J.K. Rowling

Another no-brainer. Rowling is the author of one of the best series ever and it would be so awesome to just be able to talk to her about her life and how it changed after publishing Harry Potter.

3. Emily Giffin 

I actually just recently "met" Emily when she was in Toronto but she seems like so much fun and I'd love to hang out with her for the day.

4. Sarah Dessen

Again, I did get the chance to meet Sarah when she was in Toronto last September. That was when I realized how much we had in common. I love reading her blog and think it'd be great to hang out at the beach with her - her favourite place. 

5. Cat Lavoie author of Breaking the Rules

I recently read Cat's debut novel and also had the chance to interview her. Not only did she write a kick ass book but it turns out we have a lot in common. We live in the same country so it shouldn't be too difficult to pop over to Montreal to share a good chat over cupcakes!

Bloggers (in no particular order)

1. Samantha from Chick Lit Plus 

I'm cheating a bit since Samantha is also an author :) Samantha's been a great help to me since I started my blog. If I have a question she never hesitates in answering it for me. We've had several entertaining email exchanges and I'd love to meet this fabulous lady in person!

2. Liz and Lisa from Chick Lit is Not Dead 

Another author/blogger pair! I think it would be so cool to meet them and have a drink or two and chat about the chick lit genre.

3. Laura from Change the Word

Laura and I have similar tastes in books. Most important is our love of the Little House series. Laura has actually been to Laurapalooza - which sounds amazing. I'd love to buy her a drink to thank her for the bookmark and pen she picked up for me while she was there and then chat books - and sports!

4. Lindsay from Turning the Pages

Lindsay and I read a lot of the same books and we've recently been messaging back and forth about various things and books. And - this is the awesome part - I will actually be meeting her tonight! We're off to the same bookish event in Toronto and will finally meet in person! Yay!

5. Amy from Chick Lit Central

Really, any of the ladies from CLC would be great to meet but Amy's always first to retweet one of my reviews or mention any giveaways I do. She's incredibly supportive to everyone in the book blogging world. She deserves a chocolate cupcake for all she does (two of her favourite things) and I'd love to be able to give her one in person!

Wow. I didn't realize how easy that would be. There are soooo many other bookish people I'd like to meet! How about you? What author would you LOVE to be able to meet in person?

Author Guest Post: Heather Hummel

Thank you to Heather Hummel for writing this interesting blog post for Books Etc. I really enjoyed learning more about her ghostwriting experience and I hope you do too!

The Mystique Ghostwriting

There is an air of mystique that comes with “author” as the label that defines you. People are intrigued by the behind-the-scene-goings-on of author-hood. They wonder how authors string together tens of thousands of words, let alone come up with plots, characters, and a compelling story. Now throw the role of ghostwriter into the mix and their heads could spin wool.

The characters in my fictional Journals from the Heart series come into my head and tell me how it’s going to be! They show up in my mind and take me along each step of their journey…in other words, my protagonists own me while I write their novel!

But, my role as a ghostwriter is quite different. I wear a different pen for each client. Being a ghostwriter does not mean you’re hidden away behind the scenes pounding out words for your client. It’s a very interactive approach. Since I work with people ranging from public figures to celebrities to corporations, I have to be quite flexible and diverse in my writing. The number one challenge is writing in the client’s voice. This means leaving any personal agenda (i.e. ego) aside while stepping into their shoes, learning their voice, their message, and their agenda for delivering it. That doesn’t mean I don’t coach and guide them; they hire me for my expertise in writing, formula and format of a manuscript. It becomes such a collaborative effort more so in some cases more than others that by time the first draft is complete, I have to step aside and touch base with Heather Hummel again!

The ghostwriting project that launched my career was Gracefully: Looking and Being Your Best at Any Age (McGraw-Hill, 2008), co-written with Valerie Ramsey (my mother), who became a model at the age of 63. It’s often assumed that it was easy for me to write from my mother’s voice. But, it’s not that simple, especially when penning a self-help book. As I wrote, I constantly thought about the reader and what they would get out of the message, which is to seek new challenges at any age while staying healthy in body, mind and spirit. As the writer, I interviewed nutritionists, healthy aging experts and a Pilates instructor. After manuscript submission, I continued to collaborate on edits with John Aherne, our editor at McGraw-Hill. Susan Lucci and I wrote the Foreword and the Introduction respectively. In Gracefully’s case, I did receive public recognition as “with Heather Hummel” acknowledgment on the cover. (I’ll touch more on ghostwriters’ credits in a minute.) 

Just recently I signed on with Tamra Barney of the Real Housewives of Orange County as her ghostwriter.  I love the essence of her book! Its ultimate message is that once you learn to love and appreciate yourself, you will attract people into your life who love and appreciate you back. The book delves into her personal life, some of which millions of viewers witnessed on Sunday nights, but it also blends in aspects that people don’t know about Tamra. Ultimately, it inspires and helps others who are going through a divorce and reinventing their lives. It’s has been a very collaborative effort. I tell Tamra that just like a personal trainer whips your body into shape, a ghostwriter whips your book into shape! With her story and message, I can do what I do best editing, co-writing and consulting her on the formula and format of the book right up to working with the publisher and the book’s release, marketing and promoting. In this case, I do receive book cover credit: “with Heather Hummel.”

Another nonfiction book that I’m ghostwriting is almost ready to be sent to the client’s publisher. In this case, I’ve signed a NonDisclosure Agreement (NDA), but I can say that it’s a book that will change the way readers perceive dating and finding the love of their life. I will be able to promote and discuss it in great detail next spring when it launches. In this case, I will not receive public credit for authoring the book because having my name on the cover would not fit into the client’s corporate brand…or mine, for that matter. 

By keeping myself open to new ideas and projects, I have not pigeon-holed myself into one genre. That can certainly work against a writer, but if done right, it can push you in directions you never thought possible.

Heather Hummel is the author of the Journals from the Heart Series. She is an award winning author and celebrity ghostwriter. Her published works include:
Journals from the Heart Series: Whispers from the Heart and Write from the Heart
Nonfiction: GO BIKE & Other Signs from the Universe and  Gracefully: Looking and Being Your Best at Any Age - Merit Award of the 2009 Mature Media Awards
Heather's books have appeared in newspapers such as: Publishers Weekly, USA Today and the Washington Post; and in magazines that include: Body & Soul, First, and Spry Living.
Visit Heather’s website, follow Heather on Twitter, and "Like" Heather's Fan Page on Facebook.