Just Finished Reading...The Year Of The Great Seventh

The Year Of The Great Seventh by Teresa Orts

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Published July 6th 2013 by Drayton Press

Sophie has always felt out of step—an outsider, even amongst friends in her high school with all the hype about celebrity culture. Her life in L.A. seems to have been already written for her, but when her junior year starts, it all takes a drastic turn. When she crosses paths with the school's heartthrob, Nate Werner, they fall for each other in a way neither can understand. What they don’t know is that by giving in to their desires, they are unlocking an ancient Egyptian prophecy that threatens to return Earth to the dark ages.
To undo the curse, Nate and Sophie embark on an adventure that takes them across the country. But their quest is not only to save the world as they know it. It is also a fight for their very survival. Behind the scenes, there are those that are counting on them to fail.

My thoughts~

3.5 stars 

The Year Of The Great Seventh was an enjoyable read, and I will definitely read more of Teresa Orts writing in the future.

I will start off with saying that Teresa is a talented writer. The images she provided for us were very easy to picture and I feel like I got to know the characters very well. I do think a lot of people will like this story, but I do have to admit, the book was not exactly for me. Let me explain.

This story is outside of my usual reads, as it is set in a modern, contemporary world. But the reason I was drawn to this story is the hint of the Egyptian mythology that was given to us in the summary of the book. The mythology was there, but in my opinion, for the first half of the book we only get little hints of it. The plot finally kicks in when we reach the halfway mark, and once it got started, it was exciting; it just took a while to get there.

Over all, I must have found it enjoyable, because it was hard to put down. Even when I felt like I was not really into the story, I had the desire to keep reading, and I cared enough about the characters that I had to know how it ended.

The Writer's Journey

One of the first things I learned when I began writing, was how to write the Hero's Journey. When I started this endeavor, one thing I never thought about was the Writer's Journey.

I have to admit, I was pretty naive back then. The only thing I knew was that I had a story that I wanted to tell and I was going to tell it. Looking back on that simple idea now, I laugh hysterically. "I'm gonna write a book," I proudly proclaimed to the world.

I will be honest here, I had no idea what I was doing, or how much work I was in for. I enrolled in a few classes at my community college, bought every "how to" book I could find on writing, internet stalked all of my favorite authors to scrounge up any writing tips that they may causally mention, joined a critique, and started my blog.

Like most writers I sacrificed time with friends, family, television, sleep, and even reading. *gasp* I KNOW! READING! In the mean time I found a professional cover designer, editor, proofreader, and formatter. Even though I was self publishing, I wanted to create the best and most professional book in my power.

The journey was full of surprises, some good, some bad, and most of time I was exhausted. But it was all worth it. Through all the hard work and stress I reached my goal and have a real book to hold in my hands with my name on the cover.

I just finished a blog tour, was featured in my local paper, and had a release party in a real book store.  People came and everything! I partnered up with my friend, Carolyn Rose, and together we did readings, passed out prizes, signed books and shoved cake and wine down everyone's throat. It was great!

So where does that leave me now? I'm starting all over again and working on book 2, Transcended. It guess you can say I came full circle. All the hard work is starting all over again, and I love every minute of it!

Release party at Cover To Cover Books

Carolyn Rose reading from, No Substitute For Money

photo by Victoria Lindstrom