2012 is finally here! Say what?

2011 just flew right on by, I almost can't believe it!

So I'm sitting here, now, trying to conjure up thoughts of what I want to post. I mean, it's the new year and all, I want my first post to start out right. A good start is being thankful of the past, eh? Well, I think so. Perhaps a recollection of the best, most relevant, adventure that I experienced in 2011 is in order.

Diana had called me to go on this trip with her for a book signing. I told her that I would think about it because I had exams to study for. I remember calling her back and saying that I'd go because how could I say no? The date was set.

And as soon as we were off, I realized that this was not going to be an ordinary trip to say the least.

Diana and I went on this journey to not only make it to our destination but to also just be us for a day. It was a day to leave everything behind. We were worry free, except for getting lost, which we did, get lost, I mean. Anywy, what kind of road trip would it have been if we hadn't? Not the kind of road trips Diana and I make, that's for sure. We did eventually make it to Costa Mesa where we met Tessa Dare, Zoe Archer, Sylvia Day and Suzanne Forster at their book signing.

The book signing was held at an adorable book shop called Toni's New & Recycled Romances. Loved the place. Shelves upon shelves of books. All romance novels. Walking in just felt amazing. It was beautiful. And I loved the quirky charm to the place, making the experience personal and intimate. The bookstore owner was kind and welcoming. And wow, meeting the authors, seeing them face to face and even chatting with them... It was amazing. Diana and I were even able to take some pictures with them. If you haven't already seen them, you could view them in Diana's epic first post of the year.

We had such an awesome time, we didn't want to leave. But when that time came, we left the book store feeling good and with an arm load full of new books to read. And they were all personalized with autographs!

We had such a fun time and are so thankful that we had such an opportunity. Hopefully, we can do it again.

Just think of the new year. 2012 is here and already happening. Oh, the possibilities...

Bring it, 2012!

Here we are at the end of the year, and I'm glad to note that I've actually achieved one of my goals this year. I signed up for a 100-book challenge and I actually even surpassed it! Yay!

This is also the year in which I started reading romance novels. Everything was new to me, it was fabulous! I can't believe how many brilliant and breathtaking stories I've fallen in love with, not to mention the heroes and heroines that are so beloved and dear to my heart. I have so many favorites, I cannot even begin to choose but I'll be back with my top moments/characters soon.

This year, I got a bit braver and actually managed to share a review on a very well-known website (Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean), which inspired me to write more. One of my goals actually this year is to be able to write more reviews. I find my shelves on Goodreads to be helpful, but I do want to actually sit down and describe how each book has made me feel.


Carrie and I also got to meet Tessa Dare, along with Sylvia Day, Zoe Archer, and Suzanne Forster, during a book signing. It's in my top three of my most magical moments for 2011, to be sure.  Everyone was so amazing and welcoming, and as I sat there listening to these ladies speak, I just tried to absorb the whole experience. Wish I'd have found my voice early on, but alas, I was too starstruck, hahaha. What can I say? I'm a Tessa Dare fangirl for always. ;)

The wonderful and brilliant Tessa Dare.

C and I learned a lot of the behind-the-scenes and  work that goes on beyond the writings.

I'm so glad I discovered the world of romance and that I was able to share my obsessionenthusiasm for the books. Here I am now with so many friends to share the love with. <3 Hopefully I can continue reading these amazing and heartfelt romance stories, but I would also love to pick up books from other genres. I want to go back to reading fiction, young adult, and some of my non-fiction books as well. Oh, and I vow to at least finish one epic series (like GoT!)  :D




I hope 2012 will bring more joy and more fulfillment! Cheers, everyone! :)

First for everything...

Been trying to figure out my next post. And then I had an epiphany! I was like, dude, just start from the beginning!

Actually, before I get to the beginning, I should probably introduce myself first. Here goes: My name is Carrie. I have a bagillion nicknames, from Dot to Cupcake (no kidding, but there's only one person, so far, that can call me that!) to Carebear to... Well, you get the picture.

I'm incredibly shy, but only up until the point of meeting a person. I'm verrry easygoing, which is why, I think, I get along with just about everybody. Basically, if you're nice to me, I'll be your bestfriend.

I do have walls though. I hate talking about myself. I guard my heart well. But I also wear my heart on my sleeve. I'm cheesy. I'm laid back. I love wearing sweaters and yoga pants--just give me the weather for it! I contradict myself. I get cold super easily. I like being alone, but I hate feeling lonely (who doesn't?). I love to people watch. I'm told that I'm oblivious, especially by my Partner-In-Crime, D, AKA Diana. D is what I call her in my head. (PERHAPS SHE WILL INTRODUCE HERSELF SOON? *wink wink*) I love secondary colors: purple, green and orange. You can always catch me doodling on scraps of paper. To get away from the horrors of real life, I escape in whatever world books can offer me. Or I make up my own stories and write and write until I forget. I like post-its and highlighters and paperclips and stapling things. My grammar sucks and I'm comma happy. You have been warned!

What else is there? I'm 27, and single (am I a spinster yet?). I have two peek-a-pom dogs, named Chirippa and Pichu. I'll choose chocolate over vanilla. Mangoes and watermelons are the best. And I take my tea with honey.

This is getting tl;dr, isn't it? Anyway, all that stuff doesn't really say anything about me. And you probably aren't interested LOL

So, let's get to the beginning...

Who remembers their first romance novel? I do! I remember just how I obtained it. I remember who I was with when I got it. I remember opening the book and flipping to the first page. I remember feeling both very grown up and like a kid in a candy store all at once. I remember when I finished, and feeling like I had a new friend.

The novel: Zoya, by Danielle Steele. Zoya is a story that was beautifully crafted with detailed history, memorable characters and an epic love story. A classic. So glad that it was my first. Zoya was the perfect novel to introduce me into the world of romance.

I'm not going to post a review, that's not what this post is about XD This post is about beginnings. And, for me, it began in high school, when I went with one of my best friends to the library. And we found the romance section! It was awkward. It was embarrassing. It was awesome. I remember how we stuffed our backpacks full of Silhouettes and Harlequins and whatever else that caught our eye. It was absolutely thrilling. One of my best memories. Ever.

And that was where it all began. :)

As life continued, I found myself drifting away from the romance section and towards the suspense section. And after that, the memoirs section. Then back to the suspense and the thrillers.

And then--And then D pulled me back into the wonderful world of romance with her new found enthusiasm for it. Here. In this romantical world. Now. Everything is beautiful.

It seems now that I'm older (and hopefully a bit more experienced), I feel like reading romance is quite different for me than it was a decade ago. Not that the stories changed. They still generally run under the same formula. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I respect the stories more. I see things under a different light, in a new perspective. I'm applying and relating. I'm learning a great deal about people and how they interact. There's just something about romance novels that are special.

I feel like I've come full circle, but made it into a different circle that's more bright and colorful. I guess to sum it all up, I'm glad to find myself back in the romance section. ;)

♥ c

Do I dare to keep this up?

It's officially Friday. It's 12:07 a.m. to be exact. And I'm in bed, staring at my computer screen and willing myself to put pen to paper, or rather, fingers to keypad to get something down. Something that is not anything. Something relevant. And just... what is relevant? Forgive me, I'm babbling. I tend to do that. And besides, it's been a long day. Where was I? Something about something. Yes.

This, here, is a blog. About books. About books I've read and or wish to read. And sometimes about books that NEED to be read, because, you know, sometimes reading a certain book at a given time becomes a necessity.

Like today, which is now yesterday, but whatever! Today was one of those days when I absolutely had to finish a book that was so good I ached whenever I put it down. I seriously felt like I would simply die if I left it unfinished for another day.

I was sitting in class, listening to a chemistry lecture about solutions, reactions and equations that would determine half-life. And every now and then I would happen to look at my tab, my dear sweet tab, innocently displaying lecture slides. But my tab also held something deliciously tempting, a romance novel (ebook) that I had started reading the previous night. And I was hungry to finish it.

I did finish it. I read it every chance I got when I had downtime. No regrets.

I just had to read those words. Many of the words were not only sweet, but filling. They were words of passion, of heartbreak, of love. They were words that filled me with hope--all things good. And some bad things as well, which only made it more gratifying, and just more of everything, really. This feeling I had of being full of feelings from reading is what I would like to try to express, and to share these stories. Why?

Doesn't everybody need something that just might put a smile on their face, something that might make them feel good, something that they could get lost in and escape into a different world? Because. Just. Because. Why not?

Why not live part of our lives getting to know characters that may or may not be like us? Why not travel to a place we may or may not have seen before? Or why not travel to a time not of our own? Why not fall for heroes and heroines? Why not grieve with them? Why not share in their joy of happiness? Why not?

Am I being relevant yet? Am I even making sense? It's too late. It's early.

It's Friday.

I promised a friend. I promised myself. This blog will be kept. I will keep it up. When we're here, let's share the love in romance novels and the love of romance novels. It'll be fun!

♥ c

New to blogging. Well, sort of.

I have been doing a lot of reading this year. Always, always enthralled by the new worlds I enter ... truly captivated by new characters I have come to love (even dislike -- I don't know if I've encountered one I actually hate) ... mesmerized by the easy of flow of words and slayed by momentous occasions and actions. I have discovered a new genre for me to love, and I have devoted most of the year in reading romance fiction.

I love it. I love reading romance. It makes me happy. HAPPY. It's the guarantee of a happy ending. I get to the end of the story and I am sitting there, grinning, sometimes shedding a happy tear or two, my heart swelling with so much love it seems impossible that a person is able to contain it all in. It leaves me with the happy feeling that despite everything, there are at least two people who have found each other and you are left with no doubt in your mind that they will survive it, they will be able to bear all, because of the Power of Love. Because of hope. All romances are the same. 

Even greater than my love for the happy endings, it is the journey that the Hero and Heroine must weather to get to that most coveted Happily Ever After that makes it truly all worth it for me. Each person is different, with their most basic needs and their most heartfelt desires ... each person with their own revelations to make and new wonders to discover. To have two souls meet, whether by chance or by choice, and be able to follow circumstances that lead to the ever so changing emotions, feelings of confusion and doubt and apprehensions until clarity sets in and the world changes because of a simple understanding; the dawning of love, because they choose to share the love. All romances are different.

I'm certain I won't make sense half the time. That the words will just come out as jumbled and disorganized as any/all of my ramblings tend to be. Sometimes my words will not be enough. Sometimes I'll even have to borrow someone else's words to convey what I feel.  I know I'm no writer, but I'll try my best to express what is in my heart anyway. And if you've reached this part of the blog, thank you. For sticking.