Blue Bloods by Melissa De La Cruz Book Review

Goodbye Edward, hellooo Gabriel. According to Anne Rice, angels will soon replace vampires as the sex icon of the literary world. If Rice is ready to give up her creatures of the night it must be true. What to read before the great switch from fanged bad boys to gorgeous guys with wings? Try a compromise: The Blue Blood Series by Melissa De La Cruz.
In this novel, the vampires are fallen angels bound to Earth as a punishment for siding with The Morningstar (Satan) in the battle of Heaven and Hell. They are cursed to remain until they have advanced the human race to God’s satisfaction, when they believe they will be taken back into Heaven. The problem is that they’ve become indulgent and neglectful of their mission. Reincarnating after every human life cycle with access to eternally expanding wealth could do that to anyone. Among the society papers, designer wardrobes and penthouses, however, evil is approaching. It will be up to the new generation of Blue Bloods (good vamps have blue blood running through their veins) to convince their elders of the danger. Ultimately they must choose between their charmed lives and the fate of their race.
Most famous for her Au Pair series, De La Cruz delves deep into theology and mythology for her Blue Bloods novels. She delivers the world-building depth of urban fantasy that Twilight lacked while her fashion roots peek through the story to give the books a kick of Gossip Girl double-edged fame and fortune.
Blue Bloods is a fun book to curl up with on a blah day. It's a quick read with a fast-paced plot and a cast of memorable characters torn between adolescence and a powerful responsibility.

Spring Cleaning

In the world of full plates, I might as well be trying to haul the buffet back to the table. I'm taking 19 hours of school (x2 for homework), attempting a new novel, working with another author on her children's story (internship), supposed to be looking for a "real" job for May and cleaning up after a Border Collie who sheds cotton balls on an hourly basis. Not three weeks into the semester, my boyfriend found me curled up on the kitchen floor with my hands over my face.

Stress and college students are practically synonyms. Experts tell us that a little stress is good. Stress is the sharp prod we often need to get things done. Generational and culture developments, however, have upped the importance of perfection. Coffee, energy drinks, prescriptions and even hard drugs are used to keep people conscious long after they should be. Therefore, there is no excuse for less than Superwoman. At one point or another, however, everyone cracks.

We know life is more than work, work and more work. We know sleep is important, as is healthy eating and exercise. So why haven't we done anything about it? Part of me believes we crave stress like an addiction. If we aren't going like the Energizer Bunny, we're slouching on the couch. Stress is also kind of a rush. We feel like Batman in a corporate race against time. I can't stop everyone. As for me, I quit.

Resolutions don't work for me, so let’s call this "Stephanie's Spring Cleaning."As I clean the apartment, the dog, the blog, I will clean my life of stress. I cannot get rid of all my obligations, of course. Instead, I will manage them in the same way I rationed my Halloween candy as a kid. Stuff it where I can't see it and take out one a day. Two, if I really deserve it.

I'll break down everything in my aesthetically-pleasing agenda because I know that I am drawn to color and organizational tools. For me, highlighters are better in green. Sticky notes are more effective if they are in the shape of a speech bubble. If expensive fountain pens turn you on, use them to fill out a boring report. At least you will feel stylish while you complete it.

Then, on my honor, I will look at the "Today" page and only the "Today" page. Each time I finish something I will slash through it with Zorro-like gusto. If I only finish one thing that day, I will be proud and reward myself.

I also promise to recognize that an uninspired person is an unmotivated person. Before I start on said work, I may start my work day with the following:

1. Going for a long walk.
2. Going to Zumba or simply putting on my workout clothes and cranking up Lady GaGa. I will dance like a fool until there is simply no energy left for stress regardless of the strange looks I get from the dog.
3. Reading Deadline Dames or any other subject -related blog/magazine/book I find.
4. Talking to my Very Important People so my "I am loved" tank is full.
5. Meditating (napping) for 30 minutes. I will set the timer so I won't need a clock in the room.
6. Writing something I want to write instead of starting with something I have to write.

One thing I won't do is stress about trying to be stress-free. I promise to forgive myself if I slip up. It's easy to start in when someone asks about your day or talks about their own problems. It will take a while. I don't expect to be cured before the semester is over. I hope, however, that if taking the time to relax, it will get easier.

Have a reduced-stress weekend, everybody! Tell me what you do to unwind in the comments.

Consider The Writer

This week has been all about preparing for the Greater Grad Career Fair Downtown. Appropriate yet stylish new suit? Check. Ironed button-down shirt in the loudest color I could get away with? Bright pink, yeah! Panty hose and heels? …unfortunately, yes. Twelve resumes on cardstock paper? Got it. 60-second promotional speech on what a professional writer could do for them? Yes…wait, what?

I came to the career fair intending to sell my business minor and my previous work experiences. (I’m interning at a publishing company! I used to teach French college students to speak and write English!) Oklahoma is known for their oil and gas industries and not their writers. I was amazed when I realized they were actually interested in my Blog Critics articles, my blog and that I worked on the paper in high school.

One statement I’m not sure I responded to well enough was “You seem to be into the creative side of writing.” They were looking for a technical writer. The real question was, “Could you handle the business side of writing?” My answer to that is, Absolutely.

But how could someone who aspires to be a fantasy novelist possibly possess the skills to write about management or IT?

The proof is in the practice not the content.

Here are three things writers are universally that make them universally valuable:

First, writers are researchers. It doesn’t matter if I’m writing a news story or a character sketch or an instruction manual. Before anything goes down on the page, I have to believe without a shadow of a doubt that I know what I’m talking about. The agreement when a reader chooses to spend their time on our writing is that we won’t waste their time by being uninformed. That’s trust. That goal is also applicable in any respectable job field. A person unafraid to spend the time getting her work right is invaluable.

Second, writers are teachers. A writer bangs furiously on the keyboard for three main reasons: to inform, to persuade, or to entertain. Informing is arguably the most important. We love to share our knowledge and experiences. If you don’t believe me, think briefly of the massive self-help section in Barnes & Noble. We love teaching! In our (sometimes unsolicited) wisdom, we strive to connect you to the reverence we have for human rights, politics, conservation and, yes, shoes. We translate political-speak into something that makes sense for you. We take apart difficult concepts (what exactly happened to the economy, anyway?) discard the finger-pointing and give you what is important. Successful companies are founded on excellent communication (as are all relationships.) Successful communication is what writers do.

Third, writers are self-motivated. Writing is not a profession people go into for profit. There isn’t a niche for writers who hate writing but want someone to pay them. Writers without passion don’t fare well. They never make it that far. Part of this is because our passion is directly proportional to the amount of money we make. Yeah, we could just write that one piece for the paper or magazine per month, but we’d like to use the air conditioner this summer so we’ll pick up other opportunities to make that happen. If we’re very lucky, we’ll spend months and months and months locked up in the home office trying to create the next bestseller while our friends have forgotten what we look like and our family is afraid to knock on the door because of what happened "last time." Giving unlimited time to a profession that may never give back the amount of time we spent on self-educating and creating isn’t for the weak of heart. That’s passion, dear readers. There are plenty of employees out there, but tell me: how many are passionate about what they do?

The job hunt is getting worse every day, and the girl with the ‘Professional Writing’ sticker isn’t always taken seriously. She knows, however, that she’s every bit as capable of doing a great job as the business majors. So please, esteemed readers, consider the writer.