Archives for August 2022

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set In a Place I’d Love to Visit (real places or fictional)

August 2, 2022 By 42 Comments

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Since traveling isn’t possible for me at the moment (kids, pets, COVID, the usual), I’ll stick to traveling via the books I’m reading.

Places I’d like to visit that I discovered in books:

The Continent from Andrezej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series.  I’d love to meet elves, dwarves, and of course, Jaskier!

Icewind Dale, home to Drizzt Do’Urden, Bruenor Battlehammer, and more interesting characters.

Romania.  This has been featured in many books, but Mark Edwards’ Follow You Home really reawakened the urge to visit.  Just as long as nothing insane happens to me, thanks.

This is a two-fer: Charlotte, North Carolina and Montréal, Quebec, Canada. Kathy Reich’s Temperance Brennan series has really made me want to explore both cities.

The futuristic version of the US and Canada as depicted in Sean Grigsby’s Smoke Eaters.  I mean, dragons exist in that world!

Not exactly a place, but I’d love to take a trip on The Heart of Gold – the ship from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.  I want to know what it’s like to experience the improbability drive for myself.

Dublin, Ireland.  Although, in Catherine Ryan Howard’s book 56 Days, the country is in COVID lockdown, it’s still high on my list of places to visit someday.

Burning Lake, NY, a small, but exciting little town featured in the Natalie Lockhart novels by Alice Blanchard.

North Devon as it appears in Ann Cleeves’ Two Rivers series.  Although, I’m not sure I’d survive the cold!

Bellamy Bay, the bustling little coastal town in Esme Addison’s Enchanted Bay series.  A town where mermaid magic is alive and thriving?  Count me in.

What are some places you’d like to visit, either in real life or through the pages of a good book?

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings Tagged With:

Real Sugar is Hard to Find by Sim Kern

August 1, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Real Sugar is Hard to Find by Sim Kern
Publisher: Android Press
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A collection of short stories by Sim Kern, Real Sugar is Hard to Find explores intersections of climate change, reproductive justice, queer identities, and family trauma. Whether fantasy, science fiction, or terrifyingly close-to-home, the worlds of these stories are inhabited by flawed characters whose lives are profoundly impacted by climate change and environmental degradation.

Arranged in a progression from dystopian to utopian worlds, the stories chart a path from climate despair towards resilience and revolutionary optimism. Even in the bleakest of futures, however, Kern offers reasons to hope, connect, and keep fighting for a better world.

Like Kelly Link’s Magic for Beginners or Karen Russell’s Vampires in the Lemon Grove, Kern’s stories are unflinching, intimate explorations of trauma and our deepest fears, rendered irresistible through the infusion of fantastic speculative elements and a dark sense of humor.

What the world looks like generations from now depends on what we do today.

Jane developed the ability to hear the thoughts of trees in one of the first scenes of “The Listener,” and she was tormented by their suffering. The plot twists were clever and kept me guessing. At one point I literally had to suppress the urge to argue with Jane because of how shocked I was by one of her decisions. She had excellent reasons for her choices, though, and I enjoyed being surprised by them just as much as I did imagining what might happen to her and her family next.

While I deeply enjoyed this collection in general, there were some stories that I wished had been given more opportunities for development. “The End of the Nuclear Era” was one such example. It showed what happened when children were given the legal right to leave their biological families and live with other people if they so desired. I was intrigued by how such a system would work and yearned to learn more about the practicalities of it all. For example, how old would a kid need to be before they could make this choice? What made some of them stay home and others venture forth? How did they learn that such options existed in the first place? I would have happily gone with a full five-star rating if every tale was equally fleshed out.

In “What Can’t Be Undone,” a witch named Stitcher Lorra tried to fix herself and those around her who requested help with a crude form of magic that didn’t always work the way it was intended to. The world building was fascinating and made me yearn for more information about how magic worked in this universe and why so many people had unrealistic expectations of it. I also appreciated figuring out how Lorra’s deepest faults were related to her work and how far she was willing to go to correct her character. Those scenes were as thoughtful as they were realistic for her personality.

Real Sugar is Hard to Find gave me hope for the future.

Filed Under: Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , ,

Loving Summer Rain by Megan Slayer

August 1, 2022 By Leave a Comment


Loving Summer Rain by Megan Slayer
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic Romance, LGBTQ
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

A match made in heaven? More like a match made in Norville and made to last.

Arthur Burton wants a lover and partner, but no man seems to want to be with the local insurance agent. He’s not the bland two-dimensional man on the billboards, but he hasn’t been given the chance to show his colors.

Summer Rain Davis embodies the bohemian lifestyle. He loves his arts and crafts. He’s always had a thing for the buttoned-up professional types and when he’s set up with Arthur, sparks fly.

Love is possible in a small town if Arthur and Summer Rain are willing to give their romance a try.

Can these two men, seemingly total opposites, find common ground and love to last a lifetime? Or will their differences keep them apart?

Very fast-paced with lots of smoochy bits.

On paper, Summer Rain and Arthur are not a match. However, the resident fairy godmother/hairdresser/dog rescuer James, thinks they are perfect for each other. They agree to be set up on a date and there you go. They click instantly and their relationship moves at supersonic speed.

It is low angst for the most part. Some of the relationships and occurrences didn’t make sense to me. Billy – I got. I understand where he was coming from. But Cash? Don’t get him at all. Or Benji for that matter. The whole scene with him felt off, including Summer Rain’s reaction to him.

This is the first book in the series (Love Me Do) so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next in the town of Norville. Recommended by me for a light read.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

How to handle negative criticism (throughout the journey of becoming an author) by Lena S. May – Guest Blog and Giveaway

August 1, 2022 By 7 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Lena S. May will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

How to handle negative criticism (throughout the journey of becoming an author)
When you’re eight years old and proudly show the very first story you have ever written to your elementary school teacher and your parents, negative criticism is highly unlikely.

When you’re fourteen years old and your teachers invite you to do a project that allows you to leave class three times a week to work on your very first novel, and then have to present said novel to your entire school – including your classmates who actually had to attend Chemistry and Physics – negative criticism is pretty much guaranteed.

Note: This deal includes free bullying for at least another year.

When you’re fifteen years old and your heart is still screaming I want to be an author, and you’re also determined to prove to your peers that you can actually make it, one night you might grab your manuscript and start contacting the biggest publishing houses you can find. Their submission guidelines tell you that you have to be patient, and so you wait.

Three months, six months, a year.

The good news is, at that point receiving negative criticism is extremely unlikely again – because you’ll never hear from them.

Note: That is technically not true; one or two might eventually send a standardized rejection letter, which hurts like hell, but at least they noticed you, right?

Sixteen, and not writing is still off the table. You’ve got the stories in your head and the characters in your heart, and somehow you’re still convinced it’s all going to work out. For now, the people who read your stories are your little sister and your best friend, and negative criticism comes in the form of He’d look better with bright blue eyes and I’d rather you write another story about that boy with the eating disorder.

Note: This stage is invaluable and you’ll be eternally grateful for it, but they’ll refuse to take the credit, so years later, you’ll put their names in the acknowledgments of your debut and there’s nothing they can do about it. Ha.

Eighteen, and somehow life has gotten in the way. You haven’t written anything decent in a while, and you probably won’t for another year, two, maybe even three. You’re now supposed to pick a university, or a career, start to figure things out, but you can’t – all you want to be is an author, after all. Negative criticism has turned into Being an author can’t be your Plan A and You’ll never make money writing and At least get a decent degree first.

Twenty-three. You still haven’t managed to get that “decent degree” – all you want to do is write, like it always was. By now, you have studied four different subjects and quit two of them; you have tried to learn Spanish, Italian and Ancient Greek so now you can order a beer in four languages and forget how to even read another one; you have worked in daycare, in a bakery, at a language school – but you’re still not an author.

Enter: A pandemic.

Note: If you’re lucky and there’s no pandemic, just pretend.

You stay at home. You gather all the bits and pieces you have written about those characters having lived rent-free in your heart since you were sixteen. You sit your ass down and write that manuscript, and you just know this is the one. This is the novel that you want people to read, this is what you will find a publisher for. Unfortunately, no publisher has kicked in your door yet. So you do the research.

You contact the agents and publishing houses, five or six at the time, for months. You have an excel sheet to keep track of the rejections. You know there will be a lot of those. You don’t know if you’re ready for that, but you have to try.

One, two, twenty-five, then a small publisher shows seemingly serious interest, then ghosts you.

Negative criticism, if any is included in the rejections, looks like I just couldn’t connect to the characters like I had hoped.

In my experience, this is the exact moment that decides whether you will succeed or not, and I don’t think this is limited to becoming an author. From what I’ve heard and read, it’s similar for all kinds of visions, dreams, goals.

You know exactly what you want. The world has repeatedly told you that you can’t have it. A little voice in your head starts telling you to quit.

Do you?

Don’t. The moment you feel your biggest failure might just be the moment right before your biggest success.

I’m twenty-five years old now. My debut novel is on the verge of being released, my publisher’s criticism sounded like Let’s work on this together and I think we have done a pretty good job.

If you’re going to take any piece of advice from me, let it be this:

Listen when your heart tells you where it wants to go. And refuse to quit until you get there.

Thrown out by his mother, 17-year-old Luke hopes to overcome his narcotic addiction and depression by changing his surroundings. At his new school, he quickly becomes friends with Sean, but finding that his developing feelings aren’t returned, Luke retreats into old habits. Determined to hide his self-injurious behavior and an advancing eating disorder, he soon risks much more than a broken heart.

When Sean meets Luke, the last thing on his mind is falling in love with a boy. Grappling with his own conflicting emotions and trying to keep them from his suspicious girlfriend, he brushes off Luke’s strange behavior. But when Luke suddenly cuts him off, Sean is forced to confront the truth and take action to save his best friend.

Enjoy an Excerpt

It’s my fault.

I’m not sure how yet, but it’s what the white blank hospital room walls keep hammering into my head as the pungent, antiseptic smell makes my eyes water when all I’m trying to do is keep my composure.

My fault.

It’s what they’re all trying to say – the half-dead, bled-out body of the boy lying in the bed beside me, his fingers slowly losing their grip on mine, the over-worked and under-paid nurse already rushing down the corridor, the non-specialist assistant doctor, paying half his attention to the arrhythmically beeping monitor, the other half to fumbling his phone to mute.

And then there’s my brother, leaning against the wall in the corner, his crystal blue eyes asking not what I’ve done but when I’d planned on telling him that I was gay – which I’m really not. When I don’t react, he looks down to the face resting on the pillow next to my elbow, and I do, too: empty whiteness staring back. I’m beginning to think it’s burning into my retina, sucking every last speck of color out of the sky as I finally raise my glance to the window. I can’t let myself get lost in the void that is now his face if I want to clear my head, but there isn’t a single cloud drifting by to take hold of my attention, not a single leaf left in the trees, no bird, not even a gust of wind. It’s just me and my trembling heart and my racing thoughts, and yet, my loneliness is nothing in the face of what I now know he has been going through.

About the Author:Lena S. May is a Germany-based author and student. Living with her dog, she enjoys long walks, ideally followed by a cup of tea and an equally long reading session. After graduating university with a degree in English and American and German Studies, she is working towards her Master of Education to become a secondary school teacher. With her writing, Lena hopes to raise more awareness for mental health and the importance of looking out for one another and oneself. Her debut novel will be published in August 2022.

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My Do-It-Yourself Writer’s Retreat by Kerry Crisley – Guest Blog and Giveaway

August 1, 2022 By 8 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kerry Crisley will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

My Do-It-Yourself Writer’s Retreat
 

Here’s how – and why – I planned it
Last Christmas, my husband’s gift to me was a weekend away to write. I’m planning on taking it this fall, and it will be my second writer’s retreat. I use the singular form of writer’s as I was the only at the first one in 2021.

I planned it for two reasons. First, I was stuck with my second book. I had a general idea, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. Why? That brings me to my second reason.

At the time, I hadn’t been alone in my house for more than a year. My husband and I had been – and still are – working from home during Covid, and our kids were learning remotely. The writing nook that I had carved out for myself when writing my first novel was now where I did my day job. My home wasn’t the same, and it was not an environment conducive to kick-starting my creativity.

I fantasized about a writing retreat, one that was free of distractions and offered guidance to get me past my writer’s block. But the cost – upwards of $1,000 or more for travel, hotel, meals, and conference fees – was simply out of my reach. At least, until I can get this book written and sold (optimism!).

One Saturday afternoon, as I sat at my writing-desk-turned-work-desk struggling with Untitled Book Two, an image of myself clacking away on my laptop with the ocean outside my window came to mind. It occurred to me that a change of scenery might be the solution. If I couldn’t attend an official writers’ retreat, I’d create a budget version of one for myself. As I started planning, I thought about what I wanted and needed in order to call it a success. Keep in mind that these are the things I wanted and needed. Your wants and needs will be different for your own retreat, but the process I followed in planning mine may be helpful.

What I wanted

● A room with a view not too far from home. I didn’t want to purchase a plane ticket or spend hours in a car, nor did I want to be so close that it would be tempting to pop home and check in on everyone. And the view? Well, it is a wish list after all.

● Comfortable – and separate – spaces to sleep and write. For me, this meant a room with desk or table for my laptop and notebooks.

● Access to nature. If I was going to write successfully, I’d need a rejuvenating break in between sessions. For me, that meant time outdoors in the woods or near the ocean, preferably close enough to walk.

● Minimal distractions in the form of chores. A hotel stay appealed to me over renting a cottage or condo. For the cost savings, yes, but also for one embarrassingly trivial reason. I just didn’t want to spend my retreat doing dishes. The idea of two days free of standing over a kitchen sink scrubbing mugs and silverware felt like a vacation in itself.

What I needed

● Goals. In order to justify bidding my family farewell for two days and spending my limited rainy day fund on this retreat, I needed something to show for it. What would satisfy me was 4,000-6,000 words of solid writing that moved my story forward.

● Structure and a schedule that worked for me. There’s so much good TV out there, isn’t there? And being alone with no one to swipe the remote was going to lead to temptation. If I stuck to a schedule and met my daily writing goals, a movie or a few episodes of whatever show I was currently into would be an evening reward.

● A coach. Part of the draw of a writers’ retreat was the access to experts and keynote speakers. Since there wouldn’t have a live expert in my hotel with me, I brought a paperback one: Story Genius by Lisa Cron. It turned out to be an excellent choice for me.

I ended up at the Hampton Inn in Bourne, Massachusetts, an hour’s drive from my house and just steps from the Cape Cod Canal, which is lined on both sides by a seven-mile walking and biking path. The rate was within my budget, the stay included breakfast, and the room came with a coffee maker, a microwave, and a refrigerator, which allowed me to bring my own supplies for lunch and dinner.

In a perfect world, I’d have two full days on retreat. But since the world isn’t perfect, I had to get creative. I arrived at 3pm on the dot for check-in, and arranged for a late check out of 1pm two nights later. Over the next 46 hours, my retreat unfolded as follows:

Day 1:
● 3:00-4:00pm: Check in, unpack, settle in.
● 4:00-6:00pm: Write
● 6:00-7:00: Walk on the canal path
● 7:00-bed: Dinner, movie (The Next Three Days – not bad!), journaling, reading

Day 2:
● 8:00-10:00am: Breakfast, coffee, an episode or two of Arrested Development
● 10:00am-1:00pm: Read Story Genius/Write
● 1:00-2:00pm: Canal path run. Lunch.
● 2:00-5:00pm: Write
● 5:00-bed: Dinner, movie (The Car – hilariously campy 1977 horror film with James Brolin and Ronny Cox), journaling, reading

Day 3:
● 7:00-8:00: Breakfast, coffee, another episode or two of Arrested Development
● 8:00-10:30: Read Story Genius/Write
● 10:30-11:30: Canal path run.
● 11:30-12:30: Write
● 12:30-1:00: Pack up and check out

Cost:
● Two-night hotel stay: $313
● Groceries: $20
● Gas (four gallons): $12
● Housekeeping tip: $10
● Total: $355

On a scale of 1-10, my retreat was an 11. My room was sunny and comfortable, the canal path was a welcome mental and physical break, my schedule afforded me the right blend of writing and relaxation, and the coaching and guidance within Story Genius gave my novel the jump start it needed. I drove home excited and empowered, which was precisely how I wanted to feel.

Deep into her 40s with a lackluster career, Georgie wonders how she became so…underwhelming. If she’s not battling her micromanaging boss and egotistical CEO, she’s trying to quiet her inner voice, the one whispering that she hasn’t lived up to the cool, funny and creative person she used to be.
When she’s fired for finally pushing back on her CEO’s questionable business practices, Georgie – with the support of her husband and book club friends– uses her free summer to rekindle latent talents and redefine success. But just as she figures out what’s next, an unexpected hurdle threatens to turn her summer of opportunity into a zero-sum disaster.

Summer of Georgie is a fresh and likably snarky take on the “middle age do-over,” with an authentic portrayal of friendship, marriage, motherhood, and that inner critic inside us all.

Enjoy an Excerpt</b.

“Hey mom, if we won the lottery, could we go to Godzilla Fest?” Max asks, starting one of our favorite mealtime conversations.

“Yes,” I say definitively. “We’d fly first class, and stay in the largest, nicest room in the whole hotel, and you would get any figure you wanted, no matter how much it cost.”

“And then,” Shannon picks up the thread. “We’d go to Paris and ride to the top of the–“ she pauses to consult my phone. “Eiffel Tower!”

I turn back to the stove as Dan joins the kids at the breakfast bar to make plans for our imaginary future. Right, I think. Chicago and Paris. With my 22 hours of vacation.
At the thought of work, a small knot forms in my gut. My sizable gut, the criticism comes before I can stop it. It’d been coming a lot since discovering early on that my job move was a profoundly bad one. How much have you gained this year, Georgie? Ten pounds? Twelve? Is it worth it? The weight? The pay cut? Lena? The complete and utter misery?

“Oh, shut up,” I mutter quietly to my inner commentator, shifting the pan on the stovetop so Dan can’t hear me. At least it’s Friday. And yes. As a matter of fact, it is worth it.

I give my head a small shake and turn around, smiling. “And then, we would find a beautiful house on a lake and spend the rest of the summer in it. Nothing but swimming, kayaking, and paddle boarding all day.” I pause. “Except if it rains. Then we’d have movie marathons or read on the porch. Because there would definitely be a screened porch.”

Shannon gets up from her stool and puts her empty bowl in the sink. “Would we invite Nana and Bop Bop?”

I place my hands on her small shoulders and plant a kiss on the top of her head. “Well, duh,” I say. “Of course we invite Nana and Bop Bop!”

“Better stock up on gin,” Dan offers, goading me.

“Helpful,” I say, swatting him on the shoulder.

About the Author:Kerry Crisley is a communications professional, with a focus on the nonprofit sector. Fiction, however, is her first love; she wrote and directed an original play performed by her second grade classmates and has been writing ever since. She lives in Wakefield, Massachusetts with her husband, their children, and their (very spoiled) rescue dog. When not at work, Kerry can usually be found reading, hiking, or getting into a wide variety of shenanigans with her book club. Anything to avoid housework.

Kerry is a current member of the Women’s Fiction Writing Association, and also muses about life as a writer, autism mom, dance mom, and rescue dog mom on Lazy Sunday Days. Summer of Georgie is her first novel.

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Potion by Dorlana Vann – Spotlight and Giveaway

August 1, 2022 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Dorlana Vann will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

#WitchesBeBitches

A Contemporary Retelling.

Eight years ago, the wicked witch held Hansel Lucas Jaeger and his sister, Melrose, captive. They barely escaped with their lives. Now, with high school, a garage band, and a part time job, Lucas finally feels normal.

But everything changes when Lucas sees his awkward, loner sister, hanging out with Star, one of the hot and hated popular girls known as The Bitches. At first, he’s just confused, but when he sees the tarot cards between them, he’s reminded of the curse the witch cast on Melrose.

His fears escalate when Star warns him about two witches from school who plan on using his sister for a ritual. Lucas wants to trust Star; he needs someone to confide in since Melrose thinks his fear of witchcraft is irrational. But Star is unpredictable and has toyed with his emotions before.

As Lucas searches for answers, more mysteries begin to unravel about Melrose’s childhood, Star’s motives, and his own family legacy. Lucas will have to make life and death decisions; but whom can he trust, and how do you rescue someone who doesn’t want to be saved?

Enjoy an Excerpt

Melrose sat on the bed across from someone with bouncy, blonde hair that flowed down her back. When the girl turned and flashed a smile at Lucas, goosebumps rose from his feet to his face. He did a little head jerk to move the hair out of his eyes, but yeah, Star, the hottest girl at Tangleforest High, was in his house, casual, like his sister’s room was a normal place to hang out.

Be cool, he told himself. “What’s up?” He looked to see what homework they had, thinking a tutoring session was the only sane explanation for Star’s visit. But instead of books or paper, a few oversized cards were laid out on the bed. A second ticked by before he realized what type of cards. Tarot. Immediately, the tension he’d felt earlier returned. “What are y’all doing?”

“Playing a fortune telling game,” Melrose said innocently.

Lucas’ adrenaline started to pump, and suddenly his ears buzzed, the details from the past erupting through his head in a concentrated instant: swirls of color, lost in the trees, gingerbread house of horror, the witch, the cage, the curse. “The hell you are.” He stormed across the room and with one quick whoosh, the cards went flying off the bed.

About the Author:

Dorlana Vann loves taking elements from fairy tales (characters, mood, moral, plot) and mixing them with a paranormal element and then dropping them in a contemporary setting.

She has several supernatural fairy tale inspired stories, including novels, a short story collection, and Kindle Vella series. Her latest adventure is A Witchy Fairy Tale series; book 1: Potion.

Besides writing, life is all about family, food, book-club, BBQ team, festivals, trivia (even though she’s horrible at it), and drinking on patios – All of which she shares on Instagram

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