Tag Archives: romance books

3 stars: Never Say Never by Kailin Gow

A lot of hot guys, and only one girl. See the problem?

Never say Never tells the story of Never, one lucky young lady who is the only chick in a rock band. She has established a code that has kept the band together: do not date a guy in the band. Then her sexy college TA, Danny Blue, decides to join the band. Knowing Danny wants to use his mouth for much more than just singing, Never is left hot and wanting. She has to make a choice, stay true for the band’s sake or miss the passion of a life time.

Because Gow’s writing was simple and not bogged with unnecessary description, this was a very quick, and dirty read. One I found myself not able to put down very much.

I liked all the characters because Gow did a very good job making all of them distinguishable. Even though the dialogue was so melodramatic at times, I believed these people were in college. A lot of writers I have read lately seem to forget the difference in mindset between someone attending high school and college. Having the ability to do things on your own without a parent’s watchful eye makes a huge difference in how one perceives things. Our mistakes suddenly become our burdens. All the characters reacted accordingly.

I thought it was a little weird for all of Never’s boy band dudes to be gorgeous, in love with her, and she be totally not interested at all. Not even a minor crush. But soon as Danny walks in the room, she’s hot with fever and ready to go against the code.  Although Danny seemed interesting enough, he would not have made my list of top ten to date. He had to grow on me, but I’m team Kyle. And why not? He’s gorgeous, in love with Never, has known her forever, he can make connections with her mentally Danny can only hope to do because he barely knows her.

Truth be told there are questions I still had by the end of the book. The abrupt ending left me thinking, “Well that was mean. Where’s the rest?” It could have been done smoother. It did not feel like a close, even though I knew another book was going to be written.

At the end of the day, I really enjoyed the book. College students and young adult readers will enjoy this story most.  Get it Miss. Gow, you’re on your way to defining a generation.

Kailin Gow is the bestselling author of over 80 books. She has traveled all over the world, conducting research, and collecting stories. Some of the more interesting places she’s been to are: Dracula’s Castle in Transylvania where she was presented with a sketch of Dracula, The Stanley Hotel in Colorado where she saw something quite odd, the lost city of Pompeii where both her cameras were drained of battery, St. Petersburg where she held an hour-long conversation with a Russian soldier who didn’t speak English and she didn’t speak Russian, and the orphanages of Thailand where she distributed toys, books, and hugs to hundreds of disabled orphans.

As a teenager, she was a voracious reader, who always had one or two books with her at all times. She was on her newspaper staff, participated in drama productions, was on the yearbook staff, played sports, competed in kung fu, played violin, and yes, was even on the pep squad at one point.

Her books include the bestselling Gifted Girls Series, The Frost Series, The Phantom Diaries Series, The Stoker Sisters Series, PULSE Vampire Series, Queen B Superheroine, The Wordwick Games Series, The Alchemists Academy, Harold the Kung Fu Kid, and Shy Girls Social Club. Her books have been recommended by PBS Kids, the PTA, US Mental Health Association, homeschooling organizations, and mother-daughter book clubs.

She is also a filmmaker and radio host.  Her short short of The Stoker Sisters recently screened at the prestigious 14th Annual LA Shorts Film Festival, officially accredited by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.  She has written for and produced television series with Emmy-award-winning producers and directors.  As a radio host, she was recognized and featured by The Los Angeles Times as a young Asian American Journalist.

She holds a Master’s Degree Communications Management from USC’s Annenberg School of Communication, and Bachelors Degrees in Drama and Social Ecology from UC Irvine. Kailin loves reading, writing, watching old and new movies, filming, playing video games, playing board games, traveling, and location scouting for settings in her books and films.  In her past life, she was a news journalist, talk show host, tour director, and corporate executive.  She is a mother, a mentor for young women, and the founder of the social group for teen and young adult girls called Shy Girls Social Club at http://www.shygirlssocialclub.com where girls can develop positive friendships and skills in the creative field.  Members of Shy Girls Social Club can get a chance to win prizes, scholarships, and internships.

She is an authority on women, youth issues, self-esteem, and leadership and has appeared on over 100 radio shows, television, and top U.S. network affiliates.

You can find her here:

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/KailinGowBooks

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/kailingow

Book club and Group Discussion Questions for All YA titles here:  http://theedgebooks.com

YA Books from Kailin Gow

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Valerie Bowman: writing to seduce

Seducing readers to read your novel to the very end is a dirty business, one that is not for the weak-fingered.

Valerie Bowman, a Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Finalist and author of  the historical romance novel Secrets Of A Wedding Night, seduces readers with strong plot. Some of her writing wiles are  preparing a strong story and character outline. This foundation leads to creating short and intense scenes in her chapters.

RWA really focuses on drilling this type of writing into its members heads. When I attend workshops, every workshop leader will chant, “plot, plot, plot.” They’ll shout even louder, “conflict, conflict, conflict.” It’s the blood a manuscript needs. Without it? Well, you can start opening bottles of wine and digging a grave.

Taking all that she has learned in RWA workshops, Bowman landed herself a contract with St. Martin’s Press.  In her author feature, she reveals some of the tools she used to entice readers to the final page.

Straight from the author’s mouth: writing to seduce

1. Can you tell us about Secrets of a Wedding? Why did you choose to write this story?

SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT is a Regency romance novel. It’s the first story in my Secret Brides trilogy. It’s about a destitute widow who writes a scandalous pamphlet to thwart the marital ambitions of the marquis who broke her heart five years ago. When the marquis shows up on her doorstep and demands she write a retraction or prepare to be seduced, the fun begins!

I decided to write SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT after I came up with the title, actually. It just came to me one night. I loved it. Then I had to think of a story that matched the title. So far, this is the only story I’ve written where I came up with the title first!

2. How long did it take you to complete Secrets of a Wedding Night? Can you talk about your writing process?

Let’s see. I began writing SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT in July 2010, I believe, and I was done in time to enter the manuscript into the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest which closes around Thanksgiving. Happy to say, it was a 2011 finalist! I was so thrilled.

As for my writing process, it has evolved the longer I write. Basically, I need the general plot, characterization, GMC, character arcs, and turning points to be mapped out before I can begin. I type out roughly 40 chapter headings (I love to keep my chapters short [5-7 pages mostly] to write TO hooks) and then I type 1-2 sentences for each chapter directly underneath the heading, indicating what the scene will be about and ensuring each scene has a goal. Once I like the layout of the chapters, it’s just a matter of typing quickly.

“When I go back to edit, I spend time on the details”

3. Any editing tips? 

I’ve learned I’m a fast draft writer, which basically means when I’m typing that first draft, I don’t let anything stop me including word usage or historical research. I just type, type, type. When I go back to edit, I spend time on the details including burying my nose in the etymological dictionary online. LOVE that thing! Also, while I’m writing, I highlight anything I think needs more work in blue/bold text and then when I edit, it’s flagged for me to spend more time on it.

4. Who are some of your favorite authors and how have they inspired your writing?

Lisa Kleypas is one of my all-time favorites and she’s greatly inspired my writing. I was stuck in a snowed-in airport in February 2007 and had read all the books I’d brought with me. I found one of Lisa’s books in the airport bookstore. It saved me from a three-hour flight delay AND by the time I was finished, I was seriously inspired to write. Lisa was kind enough to provide a cover quote for SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT and that moment, when I received her email with her lovely quote, was truly a dream come true for me. Seriously, I had a dream about it once. : )

5. What do you love most about the writing industry? What do you dislike? 

I love that it’s an industry full of people doing what they love. You don’t always find that in other industries. It’s really a passion for most people in the industry and that’s a wonderful thing to be a part of. Dislike? Well, I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of change (who is, right?) and the publishing industry seems to change on an hourly (I’m only exaggerating a little!) basis these days. It can be kind of overwhelming, but it’s also a smorgasbord of opportunity for writers.

6. Do you have any other books or new releases that you would wish to talk about? SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT is part of a trilogy.

The second book, SECRETS OF A RUNAWAY BRIDE, will be released in Spring 2013 and SECRETS OF A SCANDALOUS MARRIAGE will be released Fall 2013. Some of my favorite characters from WEDDING NIGHT get their happily ever afters in the sequels.
7. If you could share one tip you learned with self-published and traditionally published authors who share the same dream of being a successful author what would it be? 

When I was a little girl, my mom used to quote some famous actor (though I’m really not sure who originated this quote and a Google search turned up a variety of supposed sources). “If anything can stop you, let it.” I adore this quote. And it completely applies to the publishing industry. You have to want it badly enough to just keep writing, querying, submitting, and writing more. No matter what.

Connect with Valerie Bowman:

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