My younger son absolutely loves proclaiming every night as movie night. Now, if only he'd set aside time for reading without his parents nagging him…I guess that's why we know we're not living in a utopia! So, there are two conundrums…how can we find something to watch the entire family will enjoy, and what about reading time? Shows for the Fam Luckily, there are plenty of options out there, especially with streaming. Unfortunately, finding shows everyone can enjoy is a trial. For better or worse, our older son, a tween on the verge of being a teen, rarely will join the family for a movie ..read more

Pages2Screen Today, I bring you another post in my occasional series Pages2Screen, where I compare movies/series to the book or books they are based on. Wool to Silo When I saw Apple TV adapting Hugh Howey's Wool for the small screen, I was intrigued, to say the least. The trailers made the show look full of suspense and mystery. It had been several years since I read Wool, so even though I was familiar with the source material, it wasn't so fresh in my mind as to ruin the viewing experience. Wool Wool was a book I had a hard time getting into and finishing. When I ..read more

Have you read books recommended on #BookTok? I have. Some are great and others are more…well, meh. #BookTok books I've read The Hit Legends and Lattes is a book I first encountered being recommended in a Facebook fantasy and science fiction book group. Soon, I discovered the novel is considered a #BookTok phenomenon. At the time, I knew zilch about  #BookTok or TikTok other than if you went viral there, you could sell scads of books. So I did what any scribe would do. I got a copy to discover precisely what made the yarn astounding. First off, I listened to the audiobook, which is narra ..read more

Today on the blog, author Azalea Ellis asks what kind of ruler would you be and offers that being a writer is a better occupation in her guest post. She also shares info about her fantasy novel A Conjuring of Ravens—what a great title, BTW. Also, there's a giveaway, so read on! What kind of world ruler would you be? Man, ruling the world would be such an arduous, thankless job.   People not only put their own interests first, but they also have different core values (think Safety vs. Freedom vs. Duty) that make it impossible to satisfy everyone with one set of rules. I think it's pr ..read more

Today on the blog, Gail Z. Martin gives us the deets on her epic dark fantasy trilogy, The Darkhurst Chronicles, including her new release, Reckoning. Personally, I find the somber connotations of these books' titles intriguing. Read on to see if this series is for you and to enter the giveaway! Scourge A Darkhurst Novel Book 1   Three undertaker brothers fight the monsters who killed their family—and uncover a plot larger and far more dangerous than they ever imagined. In a city beset by monsters, three brothers must find out who is controlling the abominations. The city-state of R ..read more

Along with the release date for The Wrath of Monsters, I share several other updates of interest: Deets on The Allison Lee Chronicles Volume 4 A new dark fantasy short story A new reader magnet A recent podcast interview Mark Your Calendars! There is big news to announce in the world of Allison Lee! I have a release date for book three. As I suspected for some time now, The Wrath of Monsters will be an early summer book released in time for all those book dragons getting out of school. Drum roll, please.The Wrath of Monsters will hit bookshelves everywhere on June 19, 2024! Volume ..read more

Ever wish to peer into the mind of an anthology editor? Today on the blog, we do better than that. We're getting insights from the editing team of the monster-themed anthology Novus Monstrum. Are We All The Monsters? A conversation with Douglas Gwilym & Ken MacGregor, editors of NOVUS MONSTRUM   Douglas: Hey, Ken. What’s different? There’s… something in the atmosphere.   Ken: Hey, Douglas. Is it…poisonous gas? No, wait. This is Valentine’s Day, so…it’s love, isn’t it? Love of monsters!   Douglas: Nailed it in one. I think it’s safe to say we each have what you might ca ..read more

In my latest entry of my book marketing series, I am revisiting email list promotion. You can find my original post about this topic and others below: Email List Promo - What I've Experienced Social Media Promo - What I've Experienced Build your Newsletter list 101 Influencer Marketing As I've stated previously, I'm not a book marketing maven. I'm just another soul lost in the promo wilderness! Recently, I tried a promo stack promotion from Written Word Media. It was a splurge for me. I usually only pay the price they want for BookBub promotions. However, I was pleasantly surprised and happ ..read more

Today on the blog, I have a review of ,Scars of Fire by Raina Nightingale. The author gave me an ARC in exchange for a review. I previously read and reviewed Heart of Fire and was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. Middle grade and YA readers will find plenty to enjoy and ponder in Camilla's fantastic adventure. Many of the powerful emotions she feels and must contend with are what all young people face as they grow up. In the second installment of her story, Camilla continues to deal with the emotional trauma of her past and physical pain from wounds taken battling the Ni ..read more

Okay. Okay. Bear with me. I know 2024 has only just begun, but I suspect I have already experienced the best fiction I will this year. One is a classic of apocalyptic literature first published over thirty years ago. The second is a new anime on Netflix that harkens back to the classic samurai films of the 1960s. The Best Fiction I'll Experience in 2024? Best Book: Swan Song To say Swan Song is an excellent book is a severe understatement. Simply put, it's one of the best books I've ever read. I put it right up there in my pantheon of the best of the best alongside Dune and the series A Song ..read more