The 'Hard Work' Stage of Blogging (Or basically another post to entice people into checking out my blog)

So here we are, the second post, and I'm reliably informed that I've made it further than 50% of people that start a blog these days. It's several days after I started, and I'm already feeling the burning desire to just give up waiting until I get 200 followers on twitter before posting my first chapter - but patience is a virtue, so I'm sticking to it.

For my second post, I'd decided I was going to divulge more about the genre or general idea of the book. I'm not a fan of likening or comparing it to other works (because I would rather it became a benchmark of its own) but instead I think it would be appropriate to list some of my main sources of influence to give all you potential readers out there an idea of what you're letting yourselves in for. In no particular order:

The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan - This has been a firm favourite series of mine for a while now, and many of the storylines that revolve around travelling and quests have had a particular impact on some of the themes I've tried to connect with. Also the recurring Greek Gods and 'higher powers' of the books: many of which have both negatively and positively had an impact upon my own deity-like creations.

The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson - I've always loved how these novels were so fast paced, and that the action was so vivid and continuous throughout.

Darren Shan - The horror side of my work that I've tried to lace in alongside the reality.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J.K.Rowling - Again with the theme of travelling throughout, and need I even mention Rowling's genius when it comes to character development.

The Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer - Unfortunately, I have to give a great deal of credit to Meyer for the way she crafts the detail in her narrative. I'm not a huge fan, however I do admire the depth of detail she works with.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess - The last book I read; an amazing psychological exploration that I got through in three days - captivating!!

Cherri Bomb, Courage My Love, Hole, Orianthi, Paramore and We Are The In Crowd - Not actual works of fiction, but still a huge influence on the way in which I write. All of these names in rock music (be them young, old, classic stadium fillers or rising stars) share the common, female fronted theme. I've always admired a strong female frontwoman or guitarist within a band, and I've tried to emanate this fierce attitude in my somewhat reluctant protagonist (more on her later!) at various points throughout.

So before I go off on a music-based tangent, I guess I'll draw my second post to a close. Remember, if you're a fan of fiction that isn't geared towards the stereotypical teen vampire romance novel, or are sick of hearing about the pornographic raunchy romps of a charismatic businessman, spread the word: follow me on twitter, promote my account and check out the blog from time to time.

Peace. x