The minute I saw this cover, I knew I had to read the story. How cool is that hand reaching out of the puddle on the sidewalk? Continue reading “Jump back into the superstition of childhood in A. Renee Hunt’s ebook thrill, Puddle. [Book Review]”
Tag: Fiction
“The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.” – Jane Austen
Look at a book. A book is the right size to be a book. They’re solar-powered. If you drop them, they keep on being a book. You can find your place in microseconds. Books are really good at being books, and no matter what happens, books will survive. – Douglas Adams
2016 Goodreads Reading Challenge
In 2016, I read a lot. I read books I bought, books that were given to me as gifts, and books I was given for the purpose of reviewing. I read books on Kindle, brand new hardbacks, and paperbacks well-used and bought for a dime. I read new books, old books, famous books, and obscure ones. I read books on my To Be Read list… and more that weren’t.
I read a lot.
If you want to know how I liked all those books, check out my master book reviews list.
2017 Goodreads Reading Challenge
This year?
This year I plan to read at least as many as I did in 2016.
Your Call
What would you recommend I read this year? Was there a book that changed your life, opened you up to a new genre, or made you spitting mad? Is there a book that encompasses who you are as a person – or embodies an idea you want to fold into yourself?
Leave me a comment. I’d love to discuss those books with you!
If you want to be notified when I make a new blog post, you can now subscribe! Click over on the side of the page where it says GET EMAILS to be notified when I post. If you also want free books, updates, and special offers not available to anyone else, you should definitely join my mailing list. (There’s a popup for that.)
Looking back on my beginnings: The First Anthologies to Publish My Work
Two years ago this month, I published the following post on my little blog that almost no one read. I guess it just goes to show that you can start from nowhere, and end up being a published author.
I can’t believe how far I’ve come, and I look forward to more years of writing, publishing, and collaborating with other awesome writers and editors.
Watch this space in the future for writing tips, discussions, author interviews, and more.
Here’s the post:
The First Anthologies to Publish Me
Originally published 2014-12-12: Anthologies | Beyond the Nightlight and Strange Portals
I’m proud to announce that my short stories have been featured in two anthologies recently, Beyond the Nightlight and Strange Portals.
My story, “In Mirrors”, is featured in Beyond the Nightlight. I have two in Strange Portals. Click on the covers for more information. I can’t begin to express how happy I am that I was chosen to be among the many talented writers in each of these anthologies.
Stay tuned for more information and progress reports on my upcoming novel, [Maladaptation], the story of two young women in love and snared by a dark destiny.
Grab the books mentioned by clicking on the covers below.
Have a great New Year, everyone!
If you want to be notified when I make a new blog post, you can now subscribe! Click over on the side of the page where it says GET EMAILS to be notified when I post. If you also want free books, updates, and special offers not available to anyone else, you should definitely join my mailing list. (There’s a popup for that.)
A prosecutor takes on a seemingly unwinnable case with a dark secret. [Book Review]
I came across this book by accident, and only stopped on the cover because of the author name.
Marcia Clark?
As in the O.J. Simpson trial prosecutor, Marcia Clark??
She writes fiction?!
…Yeah, okay, so maybe I should have known that, but I didn’t. So I had to get this book. I wanted to see what kind of novels a former prosecutor would write. And, honestly, the sheer novelty of it was quite a draw, even though I was skeptical that she could write anything… well, good.
Lessons from a Plantser: 2016 was a big one!
When this year began, I had a couple of goals in mind. I knew I wanted to grow my readership, publish at least three books, and start some new habits that would help me toward my ultimate goals of being a full-time author with a healthy body and mind.
But as we know, even the best laid plans can sometimes go awry, and I’ve never been much of a planner anyway. So, even though I had a basic idea of what I wanted to do this year, I tried winging it… with mixed results.
Lessons from a Plantser
One of the biggest lessons I learned this year came relatively late, but I think it’s pretty important, so I’m throwing it up front. I got the notice that my domain name would be expiring in October, and had to decide what I wanted to do. Would I simply renew it, and stick with the plan I had through WordPress.com, or would I change to a new service?
The easier way would have been to stick with WP.com. I already had it set up. I had a following. I had posts and pages from two years of trying to make this website thing my online home. I even had a theme I liked relatively well.
So, naturally, I decided to change.
Continue reading “Lessons from a Plantser: 2016 was a big one!”
The last thing a lonely woman wants is hired help… right? [Book Review]
Frequent readers of lesbian-centered fiction will likely already have heard of Harper Bliss. She’s somewhat of a legend in the lesfic world, and is one of those authors so prolific it makes you wonder how they have time to sleep, eat, or go about their day-to-day lives.
That being said, this is one of the first Harper Bliss stories I’ve ever read. I know, right? Where have I been – under a rock? I can definitely say now that I can’t believe I waited so long to start.
Book Description
Olivia’s girlfriend walked out on her months ago and she’s desperate for some action. Her best friend recommends some hired help.Warning: This title contains graphic language and f/f sex.
Continue reading “The last thing a lonely woman wants is hired help… right? [Book Review]”
Just Juliet by Charlotte Reagan [Book Review]
This book cover caught my eye right away. I love the rainbow and I love the obvious depiction of love between two girls.
Despite being an out and proud queer, I didn’t read a lot of LGBTQ fiction until I was an adult, so I’m still catching up on everything I feel like I should have read growing up. That’s why, even though YA isn’t my normal reading fare, I decided to give this book a shot.
Book Description
The coming out story that will completely change the way you look at love.
Juliet represents the road less traveled. Will Lena take it?
Lena Newman is 17, her best friend’s a cheerleader, her boyfriend’s a football player, and as far as everyone is concerned, her life is sorted. But that’s before she befriends the new girl. Juliet is confident, slightly damaged, drop-dead gorgeous and a lesbian.
Lena realizes that her interest goes beyond just friendship. She sets off on a path of self-discovery where the loyalty of those closest to her will be tested.
My Rating
I wish there had been books like this readily available to me when I was a teenager. I think the road I traveled would not have been near as hard, nor would I have been as confused, or felt so alone.
Lena’s a normal, boring girl living a normal, boring life. She’s got all the trappings of a typical teenage life, and she never wants for anything more… until she meets a new girl named Juliet, and she starts questioning everything.
This is one of those coming-out stories that is more about the individual than the people who love her, and that made it a little different from the kind of things I normally read or hear about. Sure, she has strife with the people she loves when she finally decides to go public, but her real struggle is an internal one. Lena must learn how to accept that she is the one in charge of her own life, not her friends and family, so that she can finally live the life she wants.
It’s a bittersweet story, but it’s full of hope. I love the side characters of Scott, Lakyn, and Georgia. Scott is the GBF all little lesbians and bi girls need. Lakyn is a quiet stream that runs quite deep and dark. As for Georgia, she is not your typical teenage girl; she’s got a little girl who she’s trying to co-parent while finishing high school. And she’s great at it.
I did think this book could have been a little shorter. It got a little repetitive near the middle, closer to the end. But it picked up and finished well. I give it four of five stars and recommend it for anyone looking for an inside perspective of LGBTQ teenage life in America these days.