Misti Wolanski

Misti Wolanski has always loved to play in fantasy land and practiced writing all through her teens. She now freelances as a web writer for her day job, to use those writing skills. In her spare time, she likes crocheting and knitting jewelry, baby clothes, and small toys. She does not, however, embroider.

Website: http://mistiwolanski.com
Twitter: Carradee

• carradee: *laughing* RT @chazleydotson: I wonder how long a marine animal COULD live in a pineapple under the sea. #funny #nowthecatisstaringatme
• carradee: @ShoshannaEvers Try spraying it down with white vinegar? The vinegar will lose the stink when it dries—& it should help the smoke odor.
• carradee: @ShoshannaEvers With your dislike of/headache due to carpet, maybe you're sensitive or allergic to chemicals in it?
• carradee: Ty! MT @wayneborean: The #MyWANA Daily V2 is out! http://t.co/i6Geu8tf ▸Top stories via @roniloren @kerrygans @lairdsapir @angela_peart [me]
• carradee: Me: *opens door so kitten can get out* Kitten: *attacks door, shutting it, then asks to be let out* And the cycle starts again…

Blog: http://carradee.blogspot.com

aleyi    changeling    classic fantasy    darkworld    elves    epic fantasy    fantasy    fantasy short    high fantasy    historical    historical fantasy    magic    new adult    paranormal    selkie    short    short fantasy    short fiction    short story    surreal fantasy    traditional fantasy    urban fantasy    vampires    werewolf    werewolves    ya    young adult    young adult fantasy   

Ilona Andrews
Latest book: Under Her Skin. Published on October 9, 2010. (4.63 from 8 reviews)
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Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Latest book: Facade. Published on January 31, 2012.
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Lindsay Buroker
Latest book: The Assassin's Curse. Published on January 16, 2012. (4.67 from 12 reviews)
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Margo Lerwill
Latest book: Keep. Published on October 24, 2011. (4.00 from 1 review)
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• Smart Self-Publishing: Becoming an Indie Author on Feb. 21, 2011
  
  I tend not to buy books on writing or anything like that, because my experience with library options have been disappointing, and then there's all that free info available for free online. Then, after finally joining the Absolute Write forums, I kept seeing Zoe Winters post all sorts of fabulous information and advice. I decided to buy this book as a thank-you, not expecting to find much of use after all the research I'd already done, myself. I'm pessimistic like that. It helps avoid disappointment. But it also means I can get ecstatic when my low expectations are blown out of the water. Zoe's clear with tons of good advice, including information that I already knew but had taken hours to find on my own. I wish I'd had the book sooner. It would've saved me, oh, at least 40 hours of research time, in my estimation. It's well worth the investment, even with the misused "it's" I found on page 44. (An ENTIRE typo! *gasp*) Now pardon me while I pull my tongue out of my cheek. Does that mean I agree with everything she says? No. But each thing I disagree with makes me stop and consider why my opinion differs. It seems like we each have some different resources (mainly she has Windows and I have Mac), and then I'm following a different business model than she is—and, frankly, I'm too early into my own model to recommend it to anyone.
  
• Blindsight:: A Mirus Short Story on March 16, 2011
  
  Highly enjoyable read, with vivid descriptions. There were a few points that were a bit heavy on the telling, and the ending was quite abrupt and left me expecting another scene, but I'll definitely move on to reading the rest in the series.
  
• Devil's Eye on March 24, 2011
  
  First, a caveat: I read paranormal romance for the paranormal, not the romance. I find that entire "Love at first sight" and "I don't know you but I love you anyway" stuff silly. That is, however, a matter of personal taste and is something I try to ignore. This story has that "Love at first sight" stuff in it, so if you can't stand it, move along. Otherwise, "Devil's Eye" offers an enjoyable read with some lovely turns of phrase. I love how the hurricane tied into things. There were still a few sluggish descriptions, but that's standard when you have an entire world involved that nobody knows about. Worth buying, and I look forward to reading more by this author.
  
• Forsaken By Shadow on March 30, 2011
  
  I read Kait Nolan's "Blindsight" and "Devil's Eye" before I read this, and it could be that I've gotten used to her style, or maybe I'm brain-fried from fatigue, but I didn't notice major infodumps in this one like I did in those other two works. It was enjoyable, with a fast pace… but perhaps a bit too fast. I understood the characters and what drove them at the beginning. As things moved on, I found myself being told more motivations than I was shown. (I did skip the sex scenes, tbh, which ended up being a bit confusing, but I don't think I missed THAT much.) It was still a highly entertaining read, but with what else I've read by Kait Nolan, I can't help but feel that it could've been better.
  
• Under Her Skin on March 31, 2011
  
  I bought this for the Ilona Andrews story, though I also tend to read much of Jeaniene Frost's work (I say "much" because I skip the steamy sex, and Frost seems to have a lot more of that in her stories than Andrews does.) I enjoyed all the stories in this e-book, though Ilona Andrews is my favorite. It's nice to read something that considers how inequity of power affects a relationship, instead of ignoring that issue altogether or going "So what? Our love will conquer!" *wince* (Note that *wince* is over things I said Ilona Andrews did NOT include in her short little love story.) Also, in all 3 of them, I could nicely see (at least some) where the characters' romantic interest came from, even though it of course seemed kinda… fast. (Of the 3, Meljean Brook avoided that issue b/c the characters already knew each other. Ilona Andrews, I could at least understand why it moved so fast. Jeaniene Frost pulled that "Oh! You smell like my mate!" instinct thing that instinctually annoys me, but I still found the story worth reading.
  
• Inevitable, a Paranormal Romance (The Inevitable Trilogy #1) on April 05, 2011
  
  I noticed _Inevitable_ for the cover. After reading it, I definitely think this book will appeal to readers who like sweet and emotional romances like those of Stephanie Meyer or Amanda Hocking. The writing style is different, though, so I recommend trying the preview before buying. _Inevitable_ was an interesting blend of realistic with the ridiculous, but I don't mean that as an insult. A being charged with keeping all the possibilities of the parallel universes "fair" decides to give herself a body so she can improve a guy's last year of life. If the idea sounds ludicrous to you—well, it does to me, too, and I enjoyed the story. Despite everything the girl knows—and despite her awareness that her ability to "see" possibilities suffers when she dons a body—she's caught off-guard even by certain things linked to plans she made before taking a body, which suggests she can't foresee events she's influenced, but I don't believe it ever said that outright. She's also remarkably emotional, but that does sorta make sense, since she's not used to having to deal with hormones. Still, certain scenes didn't work for me, mostly towards the beginning. It's possible that's because I'm a fairly logical, rational girl and therefore don't have much frame of reference for understanding an emotion-ridden girl. Even though I do have a hormone disorder that sometimes screws up my moods for no reason beyond my hormones going bonkers. Honestly, I wasn't planning to read any more in the series, but the last section really made the book for me, because it was perfect in the characters' imperfection. The ending line in particular makes me want to pick up book 2.
  
• The Freelancer's Survival Guide on April 14, 2011
  
  Fantastic. I had read much of the blog posts before buying this, and bought this as both a thank-you and a way to have a copy handy. Now I'm wondering if I should get the paperback version, because I know a lot of people who can benefit from this. "The Freelancer's Survival Guide" isn't just for independent contractors. I'm an independent contractor who also independently publishes fiction, and much of what's in this book is helpful for both my endeavors.
  
• Dis: An Urban Midgard Short Story on June 07, 2011
  
  Dis is an enjoyable short story that introduces the reader to a promising world. Definitely recommended to urban fantasy fans. A few details are confusing if you aren't too familiar with Norse mythology, but I'm sure they'll be clarified as Margo writes more in that world. Colbie didn't seem to like Zaj much, which made me wonder how he got access to enter her apartment. Also, I felt the… avatar-ish thing… needed another line of introduction; it completely lost me about what was going on there until I'd finished the story and pondered a certain character action. Those 2 things kept me from enjoying the story as much as I could've, but it was still enjoyable. I'll definitely watch for Margo's further releases!
  
• Replaced: A Short Story on June 28, 2011
  
  Did a good job of capturing the story in an appropriate word count, and the story itself is one I'll probably remember for some time.
  
• The Cannoli Factor on July 01, 2011
  
  Some pretty obvious typos that distracted me, but I still enjoyed it. A cute little story.
  
• Red on Aug. 26, 2011
  
  I read this book right after it came out, and since then I've been trying to come up with something negative I could say about it, to add some balance to this review. Not happening. If the premise interests you, read it. This is a fantastic YA werewolf title that I'd gladly hand to friends. Elodie is a girl who believes she's due to become a werewolf, a ravaging monster, due to a family curse. Sawyer is a hereditary werewolf who's fighting his own demons for the recent death of his mother. Making things work out between them is difficult enough--and someone might be trying to kill Elodie...
  
• Keep on Dec. 27, 2011
  
  I've been eyeing this short story for a while and kept wanting to buy it. It was the first thing I read on my new nook Simple Touch. I had some trouble getting into the story, due to some turns of phrase and sentence structure that I found awkward. As I kept reading, I was drawn in and realized I wasn't reading it with the right flow, and therefore I wasn't quite picking up on all the meanings right. Once I caught on, I *loved* it. I'm sure I'll be re-reading it in the future. "Keep" is a fascinating classic fantasy story that both abuses and uses the overused tropes. I recommend it to anybody who likes traditional fantasy.
  
• City of Dis: An Urban Midgard Short Story on Jan. 03, 2012
  
  This story picks up where "Dis" left off (but also can stand alone). Snappily written though long enough to be considered a "novelette", "City of Dis" tantalizes with hints about what's forthcoming in further Urban Midguard books. Fans of urban fantasy will enjoy the rich worldbuilding and Norse-based mythology. Like urban fantasy, particularly when the author doesn't use the usual mythologies? Try this.