The Masquerade Crew

October is going to be a special month for The Masquerade Crew. We are going to showcase anything and everything Harry Potter. This includes reviews of each of the books, analyses of the series in general, reviews and analyses of the movies in relation to the books, and anything else we think of along the way. Our Amazon Ads on the right sidebar of both the main site and our Tumblr spin-off will feature Harry Potter material. A lot of the material we are starting off with has been written by Bec C., one of our dedicated inhouse Harry Potter fans. However great she may be, she can't do it all. We need your help.

Bored readers don't buy books. If a reader buys your book and gets bored, they won't buy your next book. What is a writer to do? How can one spice up a story so that readers don't start yawning and fall asleep? We present six tips to get you started.

Book Synopsis Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body’s desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she’s never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

So, you have an idea for a story. What do you do now? Perhaps your idea is very simple. How do you organize yourself so that you can fill in the gaps? Try out some of these tips.

By Charlotte Parr ‘King of spades,’ Damia announced as she laid her card on the table, her expression cool, calm and collected. Her dark hair was pulled back tightly, away from her face, in an intricate knot. Across the table from her, Rowena sat with her hair falling loosely over her shoulders and down towards her waist. She studied her cards closely before taking from her hand and laying the card on top of Damia’s. ‘Three of spades.’ They’d been playing for a few hours, and Rowena was winning seven games to five. She didn’t think Damia was trying very hard, though. People weren’t meant to beat royalty, and those that did usually paid for it. Damia put down the three of clubs, rapping the table with her knuckles as she did so.

Book Synopsis When Pip is young, he helps a convict on the moors, shortly before being summoned to mysterious Miss Havisham’s house and meeting the beautiful, but cold-hearted, Estella. A gift of money leads him away from the blacksmith life he has known into London to learn to become a gentleman. But, as Pip becomes a man, Estella is still in his mind, as is the secret of who is his unnamed benefactor.