Flicker & Burn by T.M. Goeglein - Review and Guest Post

Flicker & Burn
(Cold Fury, #2)
by T.M. Goeglein
Released |August 20th 2013 by Putnam Juvenile|
Edition |Physical ARC|
Source |Author/Publisher|
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Sara Jane Rispoli is still searching for her missing family, but instead of fighting off a turncoat uncle and crooked cops, this time she finds herself on the run from creepy beings with red, pulsing eyes and pale white skin chasing her through the streets in ice cream trucks; they can only be described as Ice Cream Creatures. They're terrifying and hell bent on killing her, but they're also a link to her family, a clue to where they might be and who has them. While she battles these new pursuers, she's also discovering more about her own cold fury and more about the Chicago Outfit, how the past misdeeds--old murders and vendettas--might just be connected to her present and the disappearance of her family. But connecting the dots is tough and time-consuming and may finally be the undoing of her relationship with the handsome Max--who's now her boyfriend. But for his own safety, Sara Jane may have to end this relationship before it even really starts. Her pursuers who've shown her her mother's amputated finger and the head of the Chicago Outfit who's just whistled her in for a sit-down make a romance unthinkable. The only thing that matters is finding her family and keeping everyone she loves alive.

Man. Oh. Man! Like, where to start? Flicker and Burn was ACTION PACKED and I loved every single moment of all that extremeness! I could not wait to dive back into the mystery of Sara Jane's missing family, to the creepy ice cream creatures, and finally to the mysterious book of all the old Outfit's secrets. So many amazing things, good and bad, happened within within this installment that has me really anxious to see how everything will end in the final book! If you enjoyed the first book, then I really suggest you give the sequel a try :) It was awesome! And if you haven't started this series and like a good action packed mystery, then I would definitely recommend starting the series!

Lets start with how awesome Sara Jane is. I mean seriously, that girl is kick ass! From the outside looking in she's your average, plain Jane (haha), but once the Rispoli in her kicks in, she is no joke. SJ has an ability called Cold Fury (ghiaccio furioso), which stops a person in their tracks and makes them see there WORST FEAR come to life! Not only that, but her power is an important part in settling the Outfit's business disputes. Now, a teenage girl, handling mob business?! Awesome :D I loved when Sara Jane shows all the big bad mobsters who's boss! But I feel for SJ in so many ways. With the kidnapping of her family (Mom, Dad, and little brother), the girl is handling so many emotions while trying to find her family and also keeping up with the Outfit so they won't get suspicious of why her parents are really 'away'. And I really don't know what to think about Max, SJ's love interest. I really liked him, but I have no clue of what will become of them or if there will be anything going on with them at all within the next book. And what about Tyler? So confusing! And I did not like that letter from Max at the end. And let's not forget Doug! I also feel for him and can definitely relate to him about his insecurities. Everyone has their own personal insecurities that they deal with and that really makes me like him more and more as a character.

Now on to those creepy ice cream creatures. I'm not going to lie to you... When those things showed up in the story, multiple times, I was seriously FREAKED OUT! The way they're described is so disturbing to me lol But they really make for great action in the story, especially the creeper Teardrop! But like I said before, this book was complete with the right kind of running for your life and trying to escape and to finding out more secrets about yourself, family and the mob. Uh, I loved it! I am a die hard action kind of girl and this book pleased me in that department! The only thing bad I can say about the book is that sometimes info about the mob can pop up at the weirdest times in the story. Like, SJ will be running for her life and book she's home and we get some mob history. Unless the information was about the Rispoli family history, I honestly didn't care for it. But I did love learning about that deadly shooting! And Heather :( That was sad!

Overall, I really loved the story! :) And am dying for the next installment! I love the mystery aspect of the book and of course all the action. And I must say, the drama in the romance department of the story really kept me entertained! Thanks so much T.M. Goeglein for getting me an arc of  Flicker and Burned! I would definitely recommend this series if you like a good mystery and LOTS of action :D

Guest Post

How and Where I Write

-T.M. Goeglein

Every writer works differently (so I’ve been told.) Some sit. Others stand. Still others pace, stare out the window, and kick things (non-living, of course.) Despite an individual’s posture or habits, the goal is the same: finding a comfort zone where one’s mind can freely roam. I know an author who prefers to stretch out on a daybed in a laundry room and turn on the dryer; only then is she ready to work. To each her own.

Personally, I write everywhere. My mind is humming when I’m working on something, so I stuff my pockets with little notebooks. The guts of my books start this way, with declarative, scrawled thoughts, and grow from there. Eventually I build an outline, but a simple one, knowing that it will change as the story expands. Every scrap of paper goes onto a large bulletin board and is used or discarded until the book takes shape.

When it’s time to sit down and write (yes, I sit,) I go to a small, mainly empty space in an old Chicago high rise. An expanse of Lake Michigan is visible from my desk. I know the Obamas are in town when black military helicopters thump past the windows. The only ritual I follow includes coffee (hot or iced, as long as it’s caffeinated) and music (everything.)  In another lifetime, it involved cigarettes. Bubble gum now serves as a sad but non-life threatening replacement. 

I’ve always been a poor follower of rules. I impose very few on myself as a writer, other than one and it’s ironclad: pay attention. I once wrote a passage describing how machine guns work, read it, and thought, ‘who the hell cares?’ Too much exposition, dull dialogue, and sloppy facts aren’t fair. Readers deserve the best I can give them.