My birthday was back in November and my online writer friends clubbed together and got me an Amazon voucher. I didn’t spend it right away. I wasn’t sure if I might get books for Christmas. Plus my book Wishlist is insane so I took my time narrowing down my choices.
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Here’s what I got:
Fiction
This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron
The Weavers by Ania Whiteley
World for the Broken by Elexis Bell
And The Stars Were Burning Brightly by Danielle Jawando
PREORDER: When Our Worlds Collided by Danielle Jawando
Non-Fiction
Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes
The Rural Setting Theasarusby Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
The Urban Setting Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
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About the Author
I met Roxy Eloise on Instagram. She reads and reviews books on her Instagram channel. She has done a live reading of Ocean Heart.
She has an upcoming author event, where she will be giving a talk at Herts Book Festival on 7 May at Hertford Castle.
My thoughts
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is set in a futuristic boarding school where the students train to become enforcers. Aurora was taken there at a young age and told she was an orphan. She has questions about that night but is not allowed to ask.
She gets coupled with Pax, giving them certain privileges like going out on patrol and competing in the tournament. Things get heated until they discover something that drives Pax to attempt to get uncoupled. Meanwhile, the cocky juvie Aurora has been allocated seems to know her better than herself.
As Aurora uncovers secrets about herself, she will discover there’s more to her than just being an enforcer.
This futuristic sci-fi had great world-building and characters. This book left me wanting more. Bring on book two.
I delivered my first ever face-to-face author event for World Book Day. It was extra special because I got to attend the high school where my book Ocean Heart is set.
The Setting
Ocean Heart is set in Felixstowe. When I started writing the novel there were two high schools in the town. Deben High School and Orwell High School, both named after local rivers. The two schools had some rivalry and I didn’t want my book about that so I merged the schools together and made Felixstowe High School.
Little did I know that the council were going to do this. The old schools were knocked down and a new modern building erected.
I’ve never had the opportunity to visit the high school so it was really fun to see if it was anything like I imagined. The school was lovely, and very modern, and a lot bigger. I was very impressed.
The students
I met up with groups of five to six students from Key Stage 3. The plan was to introduce myself, and my book, and discuss what had inspired my writing.
I’m not great at public speaking, so I took a notebook with some conversation bullet points to boost my confidence and feel more prepared. I’m not sure what I’m scared will happen, other than making a fool of myself.
The students were very sweet and polite. Once I flipped the attention off myself and onto them, I was able to relax and the conversation flowed better.
We discussed my writing, debut novel, and reading. The students came up with some great questions for me, some that madrWhen we discussed their interests they even had some book recommendations for me.
The book recommendations
My notebook came in handy to write down the books the students recommended I read.
Reflection
I’m so thankful to Felixstowe High School for having me. I appreciated that Deputy Head, Darren M arranged for me to chat with a small groups rather than in-front of a large audience.
Darren also got me thinking about delivering some leisure learning courses for Creative Writing. I’ve been going over old books, notes from courses I’ve done, to explore the idea. Ifurther
I think the more I do, the easier it will get. As a natural introvert, I have to push myself outside my comfort zone but this is good for my professional development. Plus, afterwards I was buzzing that I did it.
Perilune Karri Thompson (The Legend of Tena, #2) Publication date: March 8th 2022 Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
A truce has brought the Grove peace—but things are not as they appear.
Deep within a secret rainforest, live the keepers of unknown spells—a lost Landaffen colony with the power to keep Laura from fulfilling her fate by setting a trap and using Prince Brell as bait.
But Laura has become more Landaffen than human, her abilities sharpening as she infiltrates the forgotten and unforgiving Grove. She must learn to control the colony’s magic before their powers are at their peak.
If she fails, Prince Brell will die, and the joining of both worlds will be incomplete. It is Laura’s duty. Her calling. Faith must be restored, and the enemy defeated.
With a broken treaty and imminent conflict bringing death and war, Laura must build trust and bring order . . . before the PERILUNE!
“You’re not supposed to be doing this!” I warned. “You’re breaking an agreement between kings.”
“An arrangement concerning a half-race is not a contract to keep,” Daveen said.
“What do you want?” I asked and took two steps backward, stretching out my arms to catch my balance as I lifted my feet from the snow.
“This is not about what we want,” Reenk said. “It is about what we need.”
I reached behind my back to grab the door handle, but I was too far away from the door.
“Why are you here?” I asked again. “What do you―?”
“You are to come with us,” Reenk said. She patted her sword through her jacket.
Daveen pulled a coil of rope from his backpack. He pulled his feet through the snow and stood next to her.
I readied my right foot to push off while keeping my eyes on theirs. With one leap, I reached the door. Daveen sprung forward, catching me by the arm with one hand and prying my fingers from the handle with the other.
I kicked behind me, tugging to jerk free, and fell to my knees. My backpack landed in the snow. Daveen yanked my arm, and I pulled him to the ground next to me. I rolled on top of him. Holding him down with one hand and using all my weight, I worked to get to my feet.
My coat collar wrenched hard against my throat, cutting into my skin. Reenk had me by the hood, and as she pulled, it became harder for me to breathe. I shoved my fingers between the top of the zipper and my neck, twisting away as I rose to my feet.
From behind, Daveen grabbed me around the arms and waist, holding me with such force, I was unable to move my arms or raise my feet.
The door flung open, but neither Laramiss moved.
Todd walked from the building. “Hey! What are you doing? Let go of her!” Todd screamed.
Daveen tightened his grip, and he and Reenk threw confused glances at one another.
Author Bio:
Karri Thompson, a native of San Diego, attended San Diego State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degree in education. When she’s not writing novels and teaching high school English, she can be found nerding out at San Diego Comic-Con and cooking delicious meals for her family. Karri is the recipient of the San Diego Book Awards Best Published Young Adult Novel for 2014.
Gage by Christina Bauer (Angelbound Offspring, #8) Published by: Monster House Books Publication date: 16th June 2022 Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:
“An action-packed series full of adventures, romance and fun! If you want a fantasy world with sexy times, this series is for you.” -Rosee Reads
Gage runs the L’Griffe, AKA the dragon shifter mafia on Earth. Since the human realm has no supernatural police, the L’Griffe do more than loan money or sell contraband. When it comes to dragon shifters, the L’Griffe are the law. And Gage isn’t the only sheriff in town, either. Other secret groups have their own gangs, including ghouls, demons, and everything in between. It’s an awkward balance, but it works.
Until the demons consolidate into the Horde. This alliance plans to take over Earth, and that’s just for starters.
Now Gage must build his own connections to fight this new threat. Fortunately, Gage’s true love, Huntress, comes from a family of superhuman warriors. All of them agree to team up and put down the Horde. Success seems just around the corner.
Then the truth becomes clear.
Thanks to magical cloning, the Horde is led by an old enemy of Huntress’ family—one that everyone thought had been destroyed forever. Now their archnemesis is back and more powerful than anyone could have imagined.
Looks like defeating these demons may also destroy Gage, Huntress, and everyone they love.
Don’t miss the exciting conclusion to the Angelbound Offspring Series!
ANGELBOUND OFFSPRING 1. Maxon 2. Portia 3. Zinnia 4. Rhodes 5. Kaps 6. Mack 7. Huntress 8. Gage * This is a completed series.
Perfect for teen and young adult readers who want their book series to deliver: badass world building, angels, demons, paranormal romance, fresh themes from contemporary fiction, LOL romantic comedy, gods and goddesses, dark fantasy, strong girls and women as heroines, themes about loners and outcasts, the best laughs in humorous literature, general coming of age whackery, and (most importantly) truly unusual epic fantasy.
Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates
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About the book
Blurb for Forever Burn by Trinity Lemm
My thoughts
Tatum & Axel have a complicated past. This bad boy romance is a rollercoaster ride of their ups and downs as they figure out if they work or make things worse. On top of that, girls are throwing themselves at Axel, and Tatum has a persistent creep.
There were points when I thought they’d never get a happy ending, but I kept turning the page after every drama. It led to a satisfying ending that definitely left me wanting book two!
This project is set in the same low fantasy world of The Soul Heart Series. In fact, for readers of Ocean Heart they may recognise the main character, Denny.
This story is a prequel. It’s set in the 90s, back when Denny was a teen herself. It will cover how she became friends with Gwyn, started her Sparkle Cake business, and the highs and lows as a new mum.
Preparation
I feel more prepared now I have created a title, cover, and blurb. Of course these are all just a work in progress, so could change but it helps me feel more focused.
I’ve started writing an outline. I intended for this to be a novella but I already have a sneaky suspicion this could become a full length novel.
I’ve also made a spreadsheet to help me track my word count. If this works successfully, I will look at making a version available to my followers on Ko-Fi.
The Goal
I’m going to aim for the big Five-O (50,000 words). If I don’t make it, I will still have made progress, but if I do, it’d make me so happy.
I’ve been struggling with motivation because Sky Heartis on hold until I can afford the professional services I need to move it forward. I’ve also been bummed out with all the germs (sick kids) ruining September, and fracturing my ankle ruining October.
I really want to get back into the habit of writing again. My ultimate goal for November is this: To write!
Are you doing NaNoWriMo? What’s your project, goal, and how do you prepare?
There are tons of ways to own your very own copy of Ocean Heart. Check out my webpage About Ocean Heart for full details, but here are a few:
Some of these links are affiliate links. Please visit my about Affiliate Links page for more details.
Signed Copy
You can buy a signed copy of Ocean Heart from Ko-Fi, and there are two options:
Personalised & Hand Signed
This is limited to the UK due to postage costs. First, I order the book, sign it, and then send to you. If you’d like a personalised message for you or someone special, I can do this.
This was the method used for the first 20 copies of Ocean Heart bought during my book signing event at Stillwater Books.
Now, you can get a hand signed copy by supporting me on Ko-Fi & visiting my Ko-Fi Shop.
Personalise & Digitally Signed
This is limited to countries with an Ingram printing facility. I will design a personalised page for you, that will be added to the book when printed. Ingram then will send out directly to you (saving on international postage costs/emissions).
Currently there is only one copy of Ocean Heart like this that I gifted to a TikToker.
Now, you can get a digitally signed copy by supporting me on Ko-Fi & visiting my Ko-Fi Shop.
Paperback
Bookshop.org
I recently blogged a ton of reasons to shop with Bookshop.org but the main one is to support your local independent bookshop.
Amazon
Amazon encourages shoppers to leave product reviews, helping consumers to make more informed decisions.
If you are not UK/US, try this universal link to find Ocean Heart at your local Zon: http://getbook.at/OceanHeart
eBook
Smashwords
The great thing about Smashwords is you can buy your eBook and choose the format, enabling you to read on whatever device is your favourite. In addition your eBook is saved to your Smashwords library, so you keep it forever.
Amazon
Kindle is one of the most popular eReaders both as a tablet and app.
If Smashwords and Amazon aren’t your thing, you can get Ocean Heart from many other popular eBook stores. Click this link to discover more eBook buying options: https://books2read.com/OceanHeart
