Ania is known as LondonGirlWrites on Instagram. I’ve been following her journey to publication for over two years and somehow missed the release during the December holidays. As soon as I realised, I ordered it.
I am still reading book one, A Choice of Essence, as an eBook. It’s so good I’m thinking of buying a physical copy and want to get my hands on book two!
I discovered Danielle via Net Galley and was fortunate enough to ARC read her Debut novel And The Stars Were Burning Brightly. I loved it so much I bought a physical copy. I have also applied to ARC read her new release & preordered the book.
Roxy was a PitMad success story. We met via Instagram and collaborated together on a post to help people with pitching their books called 7 Secrets to PitMad Success.
Ciara was one of the authors that joined my Street Team to help spread the word for Ocean Heart’s release. Now she is working on the release of her debut shifter novel, Wolf Bait. But, if you cannot wait, you can sign up to her news letter to get the sequel Killer Instinct.
Following Jodie’s story publishing her debut novel Sorceress of Truth inspired me to go indie, and she’s been very supportive answering my questions, and even was part of my Street Team. I’ve waited over a year for this book and I’m desperate to read it.
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I’ve set myself a challenge for 2022 to read as many book twos as I can. I often start a series and never get to the next book so I have plenty of choice. Join in with the hashtag #AllTheTwos
Check out the link at the end to get a free printable to track you books read!
I’m planning to publish book two this year. Enjoying amazing book twos is sure to keep me motivated to publish mine.
Here are ten, 2nd in the series, books I’m looking forward to reading in 2022:
Sea Witch Rising by Sarah Henning
You can read my review of book one, Sea Witch, here: https://lde.tuq.mybluehost.me/book-review-sea-witch-by-sarah-henning/
I am currently reading book one, Forever Burn, but hopefully should have a review very soon!
FREE Book Tracker
I created this freebie for my followers on Ko-Fi. It’s free to follow me there and in return you will updates on my writing, be able to buy exclusive merchandise, and access to my Freebies.
This post contains some affiliate links. To learn more visit my Affiliate Disclosure page.
My Goodreads Reading Goal was to read 10 Books this year. I set it low because I’m often juggling reading and writing, and I’m lucky to read one book a month. This felt like a realistic goal. I’m please to confirm I read 16 books.
I managed to read 15 books. My reading increased over the summer when I took part in World Indie Warriors book bingo challenge.
This is a summer YA Romance with a fake boyfriend plot. It has all the feels, following your dreams, and brings to life the feeling of sticky watermelons. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Contemporary Fantasy Romance where a mer-Princess is stranded on an island and has to hide her true self as there is a war between humans and merfolk. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A super powered YA Fantasy about a rebel being captured and forced to fight to the death in the arena. But, there are greater dangers beyond the arena. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A dystopian fantasy WW Romance about a patriarchy evolved from the Cinderella fairytale. One girl will not go to the ball, she will escape the curse and break the spell. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Here are the books we are reading over the winter holidays.
This post does contain affiliate links. To learn more about these please visit my Affiliate Disclosure page.
Empire of the Vampire by Jay Kristoff
This book was gifted to me by my cousin. My personal goal is to read it in December, but it’s a big book and I’m a slow reader.
The book is really special as it has art work every couple of pages.
This book makes me fantasy about a life where I could read all day. It’s the sort of book you are sad to put down. It reminds me of interview of a vampire, except it’s the vampire interviewing a vampire Hunter to record his tales before ultimately dying (I’m guessing the end).
Snuggled on the sofa with my book ?
Julia & the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
I saw how incredible this book looked on Instagram, and decided to buy it for my son’s Christmas Eve box. I like to give them PJs and a new book the night before Christmas so they are excited to go to bed. ?
The book is extra special as it is signed by the author. The book’s edges are decorated with crows, and their is art work and velum pages inside.
The first chapter was sad as the child’s mother has died. However, my son was fascinated about the idea of someone living in a lighthouse and is excited to get to the “shark” bit. I actually don’t know if there is any sharks in the story but we’ll read & find out.
Roald Dahl Collection
As a child I loved Roald Dahl. My son borrowed George’s Marvellous Medicine from schools for we were really enjoying it, but ran out of tile before it had to be swapped.
So, I bought this set for him for Christmas so we could relive mummy’s childhood reading together. This pack of six cost £14.99 from Scholastic.
Christmas Day he started The Twits and read three chapters together. He enjoyed it so much that he’s continued reading more on his own. This is great, as books are competing with computer games, and he is a gamer.
The Girl & The Dinosaur by Hollie Hughes
I chose this book because my daughter has red hair and is into dinosaurs at the moment.
The story is about a little girl that digs up dinosaur bones at the beach. The beach looks a lot like Felixstowe – awesome. She then wishes that the dinosaur would come to life. Then, with magic, the dinosaur comes to life and they go on an adventure.
I love stories about imagination. I think imagination is underrated but without it many cool things would never have been created.
Tilda Tries Again by Tom Percival
This was a gift from my family to my daughter. My son already has Perfectly Norman. It’s part of Big Bright Feelings series.
The story is about a little girl (with red hair) that feels her world has turned upside down and doesn’t want to play with the other children. She then stops trying at everything. Then she watches a upside down ladybug right itself, and it inspires her to start trying again. Finally she is confident enough to try playing with the other children.
It was a nice read with a good message . My daughter is crazy confident but I was a very shy little girl. This book would have been amazing for me, and if my daughter ever loses her confidence, it’s nice we have this book on her shelf.
Book Token
Getting a book token is an incredible gift.
National Book Token: My kids were fortunate enough to get a book token for Christmas so we are planning an outing to a local bookshop so they can choose their own book. Book Tokens can also be spent online at Bookshop.org.
Amazon Voucher: My online book friends clubbed together and treated me for my birthday. I waited until after Christmas to spend it incase I got books as gifts. Now, I get to spend it. ?
Smashwords: Smashwords sell eBooks that can be read on any device or app, and are saved in the readers library. They have the option to gift eBooks which is a cool option to consider. Just pick the book you want and choose to gift, and the book will be sent to your recipient.
The cold weather is a perfect excuse to curl up with a new book. I hope you are reading something you love, and I’d love to hear what it is.
This post will contain affiliate links. You can learn more about these on myAffiliate Disclosure page.
There are tons of good reasons to support bookshop.org which was why I created an affiliate account with them. But, I strongly believe you shouldn’t recommend something you have not tried yourself. So…
What a good excuse to go book shopping!
Joy’s Summer Love Playlist by Piper Bee
I won some book merchandise in an Instagram giveaway from this author. I then felt compelled to buy the matching book. How could I not?
Ordering was super simple. I searched Bookshop.org, found Joy’s Summer Love Playlist, added it to my basket, and checked out like I would any other online store.
The only extra step was choosing which bookshop to support. Bookshop.org gives the sale to independent bookshops. I choose my local bookshop, Stillwater Books, to support my local high street.
My book arrived in a cardboard book mail envelope – exactly like Amazon would.
Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent
Just to be sure that my first buy wasn’t a fluke, I had to buy another book – a great excuse to preorder my all time favourite authors latest release!
Again, my order came packed perfectly. No damage. No issues. And, so incredibly gorgeous.
More reasons to shop with Bookshop.org
Supporting Independent Bookshops
Bookshop.org support local bookstores by creating an easy to use online store to rival Amazon. I’ve nothing against Amazon but I don’t want to see independent bookshops wiped from the high street because they can’t compete with Goliath. Thanks to Bookshop.org the battle field is more even, giving consumers more choice.
Bookstores can earn commission for supporting Bookshop.org. They get 30% if a buyer uses their affiliate link. In addition 10% from sales goes into a kitty that is shared between all bookstores in the program, so they can make money even if they didn’t make a sale!
Bookshop.org will tell customers about upcoming events and book deals at their favourite store, and give the store your email so they can keep in touch to with their newsletter.
Bookshop.org do all the leg work for the sale. Books are distributed by Gardners, and they promise to keep deliveries Carbon Neutral.
Bookshop.org can connect people with their local bookshop. I expect you know where yours is. But, if you’re on holiday in the UK, use their map to find when the nearest independent bookstore is.
They have an awesome affiliate program!
You may have seen my Affiliate links on my site. One of the affiliate programs I’ve joined is Bookshop.org
My own Bookshop
It’s only virtual but to have my own bookshop is a dream come true. Okay, it’s not a real bookshop, it’s an affiliate shop, but I get to pick the books to go on my “shelves” aka lists.
Not only can you share links to your books, but you can create book lists to recommend a collection of books.
Here’s a Book List I created for my Redfae bookshop.org to showcase indie books. I definitely should be using this feature more!
Anything else…
Bookshop.org accept National Book Tokens. If you got one as a gift, add it to your account and spend it.
Any issues…
Well, the only problems I’ve had are that I can only create affiliate links for the UK Bookshop.org. I’ve applied for a US account too but they’ve not approved me, so, I think it is restricted to my own country.
They also don’t have book reviews or ratings. I like readings reviews as they help me decide if a book is right for me.
I’ve not yet made any money from it but I’m not bothered about that as I see it as a free tool to embed books in my website that is aesthetically pleasing.
These things are very minor and don’t put me off using or recommending Bookshop.org . And, maybe one day in the future they will have those features or it’ll become an income venue for me.
Final thoughts…
You should look at getting a Bookshop.org account if you recommend books for others to read. I love it, the ethics, and how easy it is to use.
If you are thinking of buying a product using an affiliate link, you should because it costs you nothing extra. It just helps out the person making the recommendation, and in this case it also helps independent bookshops.
I don’t think I would have bought this book if I hadn’t won the book merchandise, because I’m not into music. I’m so glad I did because I couldn’t put this back. It was the perfect summer read!
Setting
It’s set in modern times in America. The MC and her family moved to the town for a fresh start following an incident that ruined her brother’s football career.
Characters
Joy is the main character. She always puts her brother’s needs before her own as she feels responsible for what happened. She loves to sing but puts off her own dreams to keep everyone else happy.
Her best friend is the beautiful Lena. And, her other best friend Cale asks her to fake date him, so he can get closer to Lena who he is crushing on. He’s not the only one, as Joy’s brother is into Lena too. But. Lena has her eyes fixed firmly on her incredibly charming neighbour Jin.
Joy lets Jin in on the plan. As they work together to set Lena & Cale up, everything gets complicated.
Review
I loved this book so much more than I thought I would. Piper is an expert at story telling, I felt sticky in watermelon juice, and every heartache.
A fake dating plan rarely delivers the desired results for the parties involved, but this one surprised me as it wasn’t what I initially thought. It was better.
The characters are all well developed with their own motives, needs, and growth. Together they pushed the story towards a very satisfying ending.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Below are some affiliate links. Visit my Affiliate Disclosure Page to learn more about these.
Thank you so much for agreeing to an interview about your debut fantasy novel.
Tell me about your beautiful book cover?
The beautiful artwork was illustrated by Yu-Hsuan Tseng who I happened to find online. I came across her wonderful art from a graphic design website and fell in love with the colours and imagery that she used. The style felt the right vibe for what I was imagining for The Waterfall Warrior. I got in touch with her and she was very happy to create my front cover. I was hugely honoured as it can be hard to find the right image for your work that captures what was originally in your mind, but not in this case. Yu-Hsuan Tseng listened to my ideas and with her talent and unique style she made the most perfect artwork I could ask for.
The Waterfall Warrior is book 1 in the Wilcroft Chronicles, how many books do you anticipate in the series?
I plan to do two more. When I came to write the first one I always had a trilogy in mind. It’s exciting because now the first book is out there, people can find out about this world and these characters I have created. I have lots of ideas for what’s to come. I know how it all ends, but there’s a lot of exciting things to happen before that.
Can you introduce the main characters, Hannah and Callum:
Hannah Barrington is a twenty-five year old woman who works at a hotel. She roams Epping Forest whenever she is feeling depressed. It brings comfort to her as she has fond memories of staying there with her grandparents and siblings when she was little. One day she comes across a waterfall which seems out of place; she walks through and finds a portal that transports her to a different world called Therrhain. Hannah befriends a Warrior there called Fay. To get Hannah back they must go to Wilcroft University to meet a woman named Carol Wells, but first Hannah and Fay must unveil the secret of the ancient prophecy before Therrhain is destroyed.
Callum Barrington is Hannah’s youngest sibling. He’s currently a student at university in Manchester. He also deals with mental illness. There’s a young man named Elliott Heartwood that he can see through his mirror, and in the early chapters Callum isn’t quite sure if he’s real or if his mind is playing tricks on him.
Is the Epping Forest in your book based on the real Epping Forest? Why did you choose this location for your fantasy book?
Yes and no. It’s real in the sense that in the story Hannah is walking through the actual Epping Forest, but I have added things that aren’t there in real life, such as the house that her grandparents lived in. I chose this location because I needed a forest that was out in the middle of nowhere but also close enough you could travel there from London, and also because Hannah needed somewhere to go that gave off a childlike and magical atmosphere.
The book includes your main characters facing mental health issues. Is mental health something that’s important to you?
Most definitely. Over the last few years I have been very open about myself having mental health problems. I also used to be a care worker before I became a writer, so I have worked with a lot of people who also have had mental health issues. I think it’s an important theme to put into stories, especially when it’s not the main plot device; the character just so happens to have these issues, but they also are shown to still live a life and have other qualities to them.
What advice do you have for anyone that may be struggling with similar issues to your main characters.
I’m not sure I am the right person to give advice, but I guess all I would suggest is to talk, and not be ashamed of the difficult emotions you are facing. From personal experience when I talked about it I felt better for it.
Can you share a short snippet from The Waterfall Warrior?
Walking through the forest brought back so many memories. It seemed smaller than it had when I was a child. I remembered the time I had fallen over a branch, the one that was still sticking out menacingly between the trees. It had made me fall and cut my knee. I had cried for hours. I used to play there with Chloe, Laura and Callum. They were my only friends back then. It was a time in my life before I realised you could have friends that were not part of your family. We used to use sticks as swords and playfight with each other. We even made dens with blankets. There was a house there that looked as though it was about to collapse. It used to belong to my grandparents, Grumbles and Numbles I called them for some strange reason. Back then I used to think this forest was their garden. When I passed this area, I could almost smell the cooked dinner that my grandmother used to make. It had always tasted as good as it smelt. My mouth was watering. The memory cheered me up but not for long. I was now further into the forest. I wasn’t very familiar with this part. We were told to never cross this point when we were kids, or we would be in “very serious trouble”. It was hard to believe it now, as this part of the woods felt very innocent and peaceful compared with the rest. The ground was flatter, there were no stones to graze your knees if you fell, and no hills to climb and fall down. I came across the stump of a tree. It was right in the middle, all by itself. Lines of trees standing tall on either side of it, squashed together like sardines. I went and sat down on the stump. Without even a thought I broke down and cried for about ten minutes. I didn’t understand why I suddenly felt so upset. I was feeling low, but I didn’t think I was as bad as all that. Then something startled me. The strangest, but most beautiful sound. Someone was singing.
Where can readers connect with you and discover more about your books?
The best place to do that would be at my book launch. It’s being held at Bristol’s Waterstones on September 28th at 7pm. I will be talking about the book, and there will be readings by two actors who narrated the audiobook edition of The Waterfall Warrior, which is also out soon. I will be signing copies of the book. It’s a free event but you still need to claim a ticket by visiting Waterstones website and going to the event section.
The challenge was set by World Indie Warriors on Instagram. They created three #WIWBingo boards; YA, Romance, and Fantasy.
The aim is to read and review the books on Instagram and tag @worldindiewarriors
The goal is to get three in a line, and help indie books get seen.
I’m doing the challenge. I’ve already read some of the books on the board so I’ll be reposting them this month, and I’m hoping to read some new one too.
The challenge was set by World Indie Warriors on Instagram. They created three #WIWBingo boards; YA, Romance, and Fantasy.
The aim is to read and review the books on Instagram and tag @worldindiewarriors
The goal is to get three in a line, and help indie books get seen.
I’m doing the challenge. I’ve already read some of the books on the board so I’ll be reposting them this month, and I’m hoping to read some new one too.
