Okay! My thoughts on chapter two of  Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic. I tweeted my fav quotes as I came upon them, but I’ll share a digest below as well.

WARNING: I assume there may be spoilers in the comments – because this is hopefully going to be a discussion – but I’ll try to keep my main post pretty spoiler free. Though, as the chapters progress, I’m sure that will change.

Side note: I’ve noticed as I do these blog posts that I’m obviously I’m fixating on Jade as I read rather than the plot, but that’s cool. Since this exercise is about getting me back in Jade’s head before I tackle Dowser 4 again, it’s good that she is grabbing my attention.

If you have thoughts/questions about the plot though, let me know 🙂

Okay, so … reading between the lines (at this point) Jade is surrounded by dysfunctional relationships. She has her head deep in the sand about it, though. On a personal note, Jade is a lot like me in this instance – loyal to a fault and willing to give and give …

Jade’s break-up with an ex-boyfriend is cast as a joke here, but this simple passage could really be read into if you were so inclined.

It had been an expensive lesson. Don’t break up with people when they’re in your home and holding onto fragile, expensive stuff.

The second section that stood out for me was a conversation between Rusty and Jade. She just has such an amusing way of distancing herself from things that utterly terrify her … sarcasm – and chocolate – are her coping mechanisms.

“I’d prefer to not be bitten at all, rather than just have my death avenged.”

“Right. Well, if he was crazy, there’d be bodies everywhere.”

Oh, that was comforting. Insane vampires were slaughtering fiends. Since I hadn’t noticed anyone dead, I must be first on his list.

I absolutely adore the entire scene in the club bathroom – is it okay to love a scene I’ve written so much? Jade is certainly nothing like the vampire expected her to be.

“I thought you weren’t going to bite me tonight,” I said, pleased that my voice sounded much calmer than my mind.

He tilted his head and gazed at my neck … actually, at my carotid artery. My pulse sped up; I was surprised it could get any higher.

“I wasn’t,” he murmured.

“Well, watching my blood move through my veins isn’t going to be helpful, then.”

And this:

Well, that was terribly flattering news. I’d always wanted to feel odd.

And add Sienna to the mix:

“And you were … what? Giving him a blow job in the bathroom stall?”

“Yes, Sienna. I was giving a vampire a blow job, because that’s all vamps really want from a girl.”

What are your thoughts on the second chapter?

Read-a-long with the author:

Chapter One

Chapter Two – above

Chapter Three

N.B.: I’ve made this post sticky, so you can start with Chapter One here and follow the links at the bottom to the other chapters. If you scroll down, the posts appear newest first – opposite to the chapter order – as I post them.

Okay! I know I said I wouldn’t start reading Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic until today, but I cheated a little and read ahead yesterday so I could blog this morning. I tweeted my fav quotes as I came upon them, but I’ll share a digest below as well.

WARNING: I assume there may be spoilers in the comments – because this is hopefully going to be a discussion – but I’ll try to keep my main post pretty spoiler free. Though, as the chapters progress, I’m sure that will change.

I absolutely love the opening line for the book/series. I believe I’ve managed to nail genre and tone in a single line. This line came to me as I was writing the very first draft of Cupcakes (Etc), and served as a launching point for the entire book, which was super cool. Whereas the opening lines for Trinkets (Etc) and Treasures (Etc) had to be honed much more. Especially the opening of Trinkets, but more on that later 🙂

The vampire stood at the door to my bakery.

The next line that stood out to me as I was reading – for what must be the tenth or more time – is a long time favourite, and if you’ve ever received an email from me you already know I use this as my signature. Again, this line really encapsulates the tone I was going for with Jade – I adore writing Jade.

The customer looked familiar, like maybe he’d been in the bakery a few times before. The vampire, however, was new.

The next bit jumped out at me, and I’m not sure that it had ever really stood out before. Perhaps after writing three (and a half) books from Jade’s POV I really recognized this section as really, truly her. This is Jade in two sentences – an observation and a … well … ill-informed follow-up?

The vampire was gone.

I was nowhere stupid enough to step out onto the sidewalk to look for him … okay, maybe a quick peek.

I thought there was some great interaction between Sienna and Jade in this chapter as well, but I wasn’t compelled to highlight any of it. Some readers wonder about the relationship between the two sisters and why Jade reacts/acts as she does when it comes to her family. I would encourage them to look closer at these sections in the very first chapter. Sometimes, we’re guilty of reading for plot instead of character – I know that’s pretty much all I read for the first time I gobble up a book – but if you read between the lines here, I think Jade’s decisions/actions to come, and her loyal love for one of the ONLY family members she has, might become more clear.

What are your thoughts on the first chapter?

I’m going to pin this post and link the other chapters back to it … I hope …

Read-a-long with the author:

Chapter One – above

Chapter Two