Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Publisher: SeaMonkey Ink
Publication Date: August 14, 2012
Pages: 208
Format: ePub
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Oh how I love historical fiction!

Ida
I wasn't so sure about Ida at first. I knew she was meant to be a slave but she was pretty dang bossy for a slave. She was rough and harsh. She seemed very unwilling to be a slave girl born with nobility in her blood.

Eventually though, life tamed her a bit. She became head slave and a beloved friend of the Queen Ankhesenamun and childhood friend of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, and eventually his forbidden and secret love. Quite an admirable feat for this woman to bear and live with.

The moment that Ida chose to be Tut's wife of his heart, her life was set for an entirely new path. All the supporting characters played their parts well for Ida's story to flourish. I enjoyed the happiness that Pharaoh Tutankhamun before his unfortunate death at such a young age, the secret that Ida carried to as much safety as she could muster, and the eventual just desserts for the scheming Queen Ankhe.

This is a short, sweet historical fiction with a lovely touch of romance with one of Ancient Egypt's most famous Pharaoh's.

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Publisher: CreateSpace
Publication Date: March 25, 2016
Pages: 298
Format: ePub
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This was definitely a unique read for me. It mixed the apocalypse, an advanced dystopian world in which people are surviving the best they can with what they have and the skills they've learned. It's also managed to sew Native American beliefs into the story quite seamlessly.

The author has done a great job at building his world, creating unique characters, adding in new and old lore and adding in the horrors of a lawless world with monsters at your back, and monsters in humans.

That all being said, the story does possess some pretty tough topics. Although we've all gathered that in a dystopian world with no laws, people show the worst of the worst. With no one to have them face their crimes, they get away with it. Especially if someone is desperate enough to turn blind eyes.

Either way, this was written well and I did enjoy it, as dystopian sci-fi is a favourite of mine. I recommend it for any other dystopian sci-fi fans.

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure
Publisher: Words Matter Publishing
Publication Date: August 15, 2018
Pages: 340
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Grace's nine-year-old son, Jordan, is dying. First, the Metagenesis disease will tear his soul from his body, and then it will kill him. Desperate for a cure, Grace agrees to take part in an illegal clinical trial cloning souls. Supported by her best friend Kay, the two embark on the ultimate "Vegas Vacation" to the past in search of the right soul to clone, racing against time to save Jordan's life. But someone is trying to stop them and when they discover why, Grace must make a choice: let her son die or kill her husband. If she kills her husband, she triggers widespread Metagenesis, sealing the fate of the human race with a new plague.

Humanity is counting on Grace choosing to let her son die.

Raquel Rich is a self-employed English Language Teacher and an author with Words Matter Publishing. She loves to travel, suntan, walk her dog, and is obsessed with all things Beauty & the Beast. She despises cold weather, balloons, and writing about herself in the third person but noticed all the real authors do that. Raquel recently left (ok, got let go from) a career in the travel industry and rather than looking for a real job, she wrote her first book, HAMARTIA. Born and raised in Canada to Brazilian parents, she lives in the Toronto area with her family. Married to the guy she’s been with since she was fifteen (her baby daddy), her superpowers include being a mom to their two awesome grown-ass boys and one fur baby. She’s also an okay step-mom and an auntie to a clan of classy ladies.

Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Almond Jones LLC
Publication Date: July 31, 2018
Pages: 476
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Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea?
AJ: I write because I have a story to tell. My ideas  come from stories that need to be told. We live in a time where there is a strong need for people to understand each other. That is a large part of this story. 

How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone?  
AJ: No, my characters aren’t based on anyone. I pull them from my imagination. Once I know my characters, I know their story and what they will and won’t do.

Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to?
AJ: I write consistently. If I’m working on a project, I write a little bit everyday. If I’m starting a new project, depending on what it is, I do the character work first. Then I can write.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing?
AJ: Write the story. Figure it out. No one is going to tell you how to do it or how they did it, so get to work.

Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write?
AJ: I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer. In fact, I tried everything I could not to be one, but God had other things in mind. It was something that took years to figure out. So, I’m just getting started.

How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely?
AJ: I separate myself from all my characters. They react differently than I would and make different choices. It’s difficult to write about myself, so I make sure my characters are their own person.

What has helped shape and improve your writing?  
AJ: Getting an editor and other industry professionals to proof my drafts. They can tell me things about my writing that will help me write a better draft and get my projects to where they need to be to proceed to the next phase.

What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations?     
AJ: I lean toward nonfiction in my personal reading times. I finished reading Redefining Moments in Black History:  Reading Between the Lies by Dick Gregory a few months ago. I’m looking for my next good read.  

Genre: Horror, Anthology
Publisher: KJK Publishing
Publication Date: October 22, 2018
Pages: 358
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Kevin J Kennedy is an author/editor from Scotland. He is the co-author of You Only Get One Shot, and the man behind the best-selling Collected Horror Shorts anthologies and 100 Word Horrors. His stories have featured in many other notable anthologies in the horror genre and he has recently become a guest editor for several publishers. He is an active member of the Horror Writers Association.

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: On the Fly Publications
Publication Date: March 5, 2018
Pages: 440
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Drew explores what happens when technology clashes with magic. He’s been compared to Ursula LeGuin (Harry Potter’s biggest influence), Elaine Cunningham (queen of dark fantasy and Forgotten Realms), and Fydor Dostoevsky (godfather of Crime and Punishment), but he takes his greatest pride in the fact that he can juggle more balls than any other author on the planet. His books feature post-apocalyptic genetically engineered humans joining forces with magically empowered aliens (Moon 514), superstitious steampunk societies warring with a magical society temporarily deprived of its magic (Unproven), high-tech assassins trying to distinguish memory implants from reality (Assassin Hunter), drug enhanced magic systems (Slice), psionically gifted dragons, telepathic griffons, symbiotic vampiric vines, and entrancing world building. He aims to deliver thriller pacing a la Dan Brown and tightly outlined Brandon Sanderson-esque plots all while exploring deeply personal character growth. He accidentally found himself a bestselling author in YA SFF Steampunk (#1) and Action & Adventure (#2)(Unproven) and SFF Anthologies (#1)(5 Blades) and a Top 5 Author at SciFiFantasyFreak.com (Moon 514). Currently, Drew’s working on a screenplay for Unproven (as a teen animated series) and Sea Dragon Apocalypse (a technothriller-epic-fantasy-mashup).

Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea?
DB: I find ideas everywhere (books, movies, advertisements, history, science articles, etc.) but often, the most inspiring ideas for me come from fantasy art. The first scene from Unproven came from a painting I found where a group of people come across what appears to be dinosaur bones but they are intact as if on display at a museum - but they are half buried. I started asking myself questions about the painting. Who were these people? What were they searching for? Are those dragon bones? Why are they intact but half buried? About the same time, I came across an article about microraptors that really inspired me and voila, I began writing a story about the unearthing of kotrakoy, the cursed beasts of Ali'ikiswan.

How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone?
DB: I attended FantasyCon. An editor there complained that no one was writing about conflicts between tech societies and magical societies. I spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about that and researching a tech society that wouldn't overwhelm a magical society if they were at war. By surprise, I ended up writing about a steampunk society warring with a magical society, but that wasn't creative enough for me. I wanted something more interesting than a simple political conflict so I started looking for a character I hadn't seen in literature I'd read before. Brandon Sanderson thinks like this so I took a page from his book, so to speak. I ended up with a self-exiling, powerless mage who stumbled upon the scene I described above, which in turn became one of a few precipitating events to begin a war between the two societies. My characters are often based on someone. I usually pick a few of my own traits to create a foundation for my main character. I find this allows me to more intuitively know how he or she will react to events and it allows me to write more authentically. All of us have several character traits so it is easy to choose a few and rotate for each book. I took a course by David Farland about character development that helped me tremendously with Unproven. I spent time with each character, asking myself who they were most like (using people I know). Then, I asked questions about how they felt about what the main character was doing, how loyal they could be to the main character, how their motivations aligned with the main character and how they might run into conflict with the main character's aspirations. After exploring these and many similar questions, I ended up with characters that were fairly well flushed out and with subplots that made the story much more interesting.

Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to?
DB: Both. When I can write every day, I usually feel very inspired and happy to write. The only times I'm not inspired to write are when something bad is happening in my personal life that keeps me from being able to slip into fantasy land ... and frankly, that takes a lot. So, I try to keep a schedule. When I'm not on a schedule, I find myself getting more and more anxious to write so when the time arrives that I can sit down to write, I'm more than ready and the juices are flowing.

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing?
DB: There are many things required of authors in today's society. Even if you find a traditional publisher, you'll likely need to learn how to market on your own or else your sales may lag. My advice is to take a step back, look at the big picture, and learn everything there is to learn about the industry, whether that is how to write an engaging query letter or how to use effective keywords on Amazon or how to avoid using too many plot cliches while keeping your story grounded in familiar tropes that audiences are looking for. Everyone has their own unique weaknesses so don't be afraid to find yours and tackle it. For me, that's been marketing and not writing too high brow. For others, it may be writing a story that is truly unique. Whatever it is, don't allow yourself to be blind to your weakness or to use excuses that allow you to remain in that weakness.

Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write?
DB: I took a creative writing class in high school and realized that this was something I really enjoyed. As life's journey progressed, I found myself telling bedtime stories to my children and wanting to write them down so I wouldn't forget. Then, I started writing on Wattpad with my daughter to support her efforts. By surprise, I found myself #2 on Wattpad and writing furiously to publish at least one chapter per week to keep fans happy. That was it. I was hooked. I don't know what inspires me to write. I could say art or stories or other things that inspire stories in me but what inspires me to want to write in the first place ... that is too deeply philosophical for me to answer. What makes you like chocolate? I don't care for chocolate but many people are really passionate about it. I've written a dozen books. I literally have five or six others in progress (some non-fiction as well as fiction). I focus on one to ensure it gets finished but others are very close to my conscious mind, begging for their turn. I don't know what makes me like that. DNA. Spirit. OCD. All three. Who knows?

How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely?
DB: Both. What I relish the most about writing is putting myself in someone else's head and trying to think like them. Even when I base a character on myself, I give him/her traits that are very different from me and I put them in situations I'd never be in so I have to think like they think. For instance, I'd never really think, "which spell will help me get out of this situation safely?" but when I'm writing, I think those thoughts frequently. I first realized this was a very enjoyable thing about writing when I wrote a chapter from an aging black dragon's perspective. That was probably the most engaging chapter I've ever written from an author's point of view. It changed my world.

What has helped shape and improve your writing?
DB: Masterclasses and the Great Courses and other writing course. I'm constantly taking new courses to hone my skills and to make me think from a different perspective.

What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations?
DB: Tagana. I'm not sure if I'd recommend it or not. It's a best seller so it must have something worthy of attention but it's a bit slow moving right now. I know better than to give up on a novel like that (though I did give up on Name of the Wind because it didn't feel like it had a plot after 100 pages) so I'll keep reading but so far, it's only okay. A few months ago I read This Mortal Coil. That was a fun read and it was mostly very creative.

Bonus Questions:
Do your novels carry a message or do you feel it's subjective?
DB: My novels definitely carry messages, though I don't always plot them out. Unproven, for example, deals with mental illness as a subplot but I never planned that. It just happened. My wife had been recently diagnosed with a severe mental illness so it was hounding my subconsciousness, I guess. Other themes can similarly be unintentional. Usually, I discover them while doing a broad edit and enhance them so that they are more meaningful and usually, I try to keep them subtle anyway.

What works best for you: Typewriters, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand?
DB: Scrivener. Hands down.

Genre: Historical Fantasy
Publisher: Purple Toga Publications
Publication Date: September 1, 2018
Pages: 362
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This is the second story of Togas, daggers, and Magic – for lovers of Ancient Rome, Hard-boiled detectives, and Urban Fantasy.

A rich landlord finds tenants are abandoning his apartment buildings, spouting tales of horrific events and whispering that the old gods - the numina - came alive and cursed the buildings.

Enter Felix, a professional fox. Dressed in a toga and armed with a dagger, Felix is neither a traditional detective nor a traditional magician - but something in between. Whenever there is a foul business of bad magic, Felix is hired to sniff out the truth. Now he must separate fact from superstition - a hard task in a world where the old gods still roam the earth.

In Numina is set in a fantasy world. The city of Egretia borrows elements from a thousand years of ancient Roman culture, from the founding of Rome to the late empire, mixed with a judicious amount of magic.

                                                                                 via goodreads  

Assaph has had his nose in a book since he was five, so it wasn’t surprising that he turned to writing. All those years reading on ancient Rome, sci-fi, fantasy, and mysteries while practicing various martial arts, travelling the world, and working odd jobs lead to some interesting combinations in his stories.

Genre: Romance, Suspense
Publication Date: October 22, 2018
Pages: 318
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Hot soldier + brilliant doctor = a thrilling romance in the desert sands.

Doctor Mae Jones had no idea when she agreed to assist the army in vaccinating children half-way around the world what she’d face. She didn’t sign up for a sexy British officer trailing her every move, his giddy smile and sunshine good-looks distracting her. Nor did she expect the sudden rebel attacks and bullets flying while she attempts to try to cure an unexplainable virus about to threaten the whole world. It’s up to her to try and stop a war before it even begins while she keeps falling for this man who’s her total opposite in every way but the heart.

In the second entry of the Inquisition series, this stand-alone novel presents Alistair Young. For those tired of the alpha who want someone sweet as cotton candy, Alistair is your man. Easy on the eyes, and light on the heart — he’s prone to cracking jokes and playing card games with the sick kids. For all his easy-going ways he knows how dangerous growing close to the new genius doctor can be, but he can’t look away either.

Ellen Mint adores the adorkable heroes who charm with their shy smiles and heroines that pack a punch. She recently won the Top Ten Handmaid's Challenge on Wattpad where hers was chosen by Margaret Atwood herself. Along with her husband and black lab, she spends a lot of time with her skeletons -- don't worry, they're just Halloween props.

Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publication Date: October 24, 2018
Pages: 302
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A TRUE WOLF IS BORN, NOT MADE…
Raven Cade is new to the sleepy little town of Wolcott and desperately in need of a job. So it seems like a good idea when she hastily accepts one at a seedy dive bar she finds along the side of the road. Especially when she ends up meeting an unbelievably gorgeous man who arrests her attention and inflames her desire like never before. But when two terrifying men start an equally terrifying bar brawl in an attempt to kidnap her, she realizes she made a horrible mistake. Her first night on the job becomes an incomprehensible nightmare that threatens her life and her sanity, and has her questioning everything she knows.

Emmett Weylin isn’t human. He and his family are part of a pack of werewolves living in secret in the tiny town of Wolcott. Drawing undue attention to himself is the last thing he can afford, so hitting a shady bar outside of town with a questionable reputation is a necessary evil when he needs to scratch an occasional itch. He never expected to find his mate and the love if his life there. And when he sees her, both the wolf and the man inside him instantly take notice. Wanting. Needing. Coveting.

But when two evil and inhuman abominations show up to take her away from him, can he keep her safe long enough to do something about it? Or will the shocking truth about what he really is, and what they are to each other, scare her off before he even has a chance?

Samantha is a self-professed nerd from the Midwest, who loves anything with a good plot. She'll watch anything with werewolves, vampires, or zombies in it. She is a voracious reader and loves smutty romance novels and contemporary fantasy. Samantha started writing her first erotic romance in February of 2015, and now she can't stop. It's a passion that she can't shut off, nor would she want to. She loves animals, especially dogs, and if her husband let her, she'd have a dozen, but 2 are his limit. She's looking forward to sharing more of her books with the world.

Genre: Novella, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Publication Date: October 25, 2016
Pages: 136
Format: ePub
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This was a decent retelling of the Little Mermaid (Disney, not the Brother's Grimm). Skye, too, couldn't let Vince drown. Rescuing him thrust her into his world and him into her world. Sometimes it takes living in one another's "shoes" to really understand what each other's life is about.

Skye is bright, intelligent and compassionate. When she should have done as she had been taught, she found her humanity and saved the boy. Trading places taught Skye the lessons she needed to go on in life.

Vince is a rich, spoiled party boy slowly dying. Although he clearly had friends, he was very lonely and I feel like Skye was one of his first true friends.

However the romantic interest between Skye and Vince was really quite bland. I know this was a clean romance, but there was no spark there. It was a little too innocent for my liking, I feel.

But for those who enjoy a clean romantic fantasy read, this is a decent enough one.

Angel Leya focuses on creating clean young adult fiction with a touch of magic and romance. It also happens to be what she enjoys reading, and she blogs regularly about her latest reads. With a tendency towards writing different shades of fantasy and light sci-fi, her stories are intended to transport readers into worlds of possibility and wonder. When not writing, you can find her daydreaming about her stories and searching for her own adventures. Feel free to drop her a line any time. She hopes you enjoy her fiction as much as she enjoys writing it!

Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Anthology
Publisher: Troubador
Publication Date: February 19, 2016
Pages: 144
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Where do you get your ideas for your books? Who or what inspired your idea?
SPO: The inspiration for my stories comes from all sorts of places, often unexpected and sometimes unexplained. It can come from an overheard snippet of conversation, something I have seen in passing and so on. A good example is an especially vivid dream which became 'Sleep, Think, Die,' a story about the zombie apocalypse. This story ended up being a trilogy. Another example is when I overheard a young child mispronouncing 'Madagascar' as 'Mad Gasher.' He became a prominent character in the first book of the trilogy.

How did you develop the plot and your characters? Are your characters based on anyone?
SPO: I try not to base my characters on people, although I may borrow a trait or a characteristic. I often think that writers subconsciously create characters that my be based in part on 'real' people. Speaking for myself, I don't do this deliberately.

Do you write when you're inspired? Or do you have a schedule you keep to?
SPO: I write when I am inspired, in the main. This can often mean in the wee small hours, when everyone else is asleep. I know this is a cliche but in my case, for reasons I won't bore you with here, it is true! Usually with my little Cocker Spaniel for company. The only schedules I have to keep are self-imposed in the main. I try to be disciplined but it is not always easy!

Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Maybe a piece of advice that stuck with you from your adventure into the world of publishing?
SPO: Don't give up! Learn from your mistakes, take on board constructive criticism and professional advice whenever you are fortunate enough to receive it, and learn from it. Don't let the detractors and nay-sayers stop you. No matter the size of your audience, just keep writing. And keep reading too - it helps enormously and you learn so much without even realising it. Plus of course, it is thoroughly enjoyable.

Tell us a bit more about yourself. How did you know you wanted to be a writer? Who or what inspires you to write?
SPO: Another cliche coming up, but again, it is true. I have always had the desire to write. Ever since I was a very small child, I was writing little stories and poems, and I just kept on doing it. The older I got, the more I wrote (when other commitments allowed) and the more willing I became to share it with audiences other than my family. I have learned a tremendous amount in the process and I am still learning.

How much of yourself goes into your writing? Or do you keep yourself separate and base the character on someone else entirely?
SPO: In terms of passion, intention and a desire to tell the story, I put a lot of myself into my writing. However, I don't believe I have ever based any character upon myself. I prefer to keep them at arms length, so to speak, so that I can observe their actions and dialogue and 'keep it real' as far as is possible. I don't necessarily base my characters on anyone, at least not knowingly, though I borrow certain traits, I am sure.

What has helped shape and improve your writing?
SPO: Practice! Just keep writing, keep reading, be willing to accept that you are not perfect and that you make mistakes, some of them so glaringly obvious you feel like banging the keyboard off your head, others that only those in the know can spot and if you are lucky, they will point out to you. Be open to feedback, both good and bad, be prepared to learn from it but don't allow yourself to be so changed as a writer that you no longer recognise yourself or your story.

What are you reading right now? Do you recommend it or have any other recommendations?
SPO: I have just finished reading The Falcon of Sparta by Conn Iggulden. I would recommend any of his work to lovers of historical fiction, especially the Conqueror series depicting the life of Genghis Khan. Excellent writing and a thoroughly absorbing read.

Do your novels carry a message or do you feel it's subjective?
SPO: I never intentionally write a message into my work, so it always fascinates me when readers find one anyway. That is the beauty of creative writing, in particular poetry - it allows the reader to interpret it as they may. Wonderful!

What works best for you: Typewriters, fountain pen, dictate, computer or longhand?
SPO: All of the above, with the exception of dictation. I need to see the written words on the page as I go along. Dictation has its place, but it is not what I would naturally revert to. I do the bulk of my writing on the keyboard, but now and then I need to do things the old-fashioned way and put pen to paper. It is useful to keep a pen and pad close to hand, to jot down those unexpected ideas that just form in your head out of nowhere, too. For instance, at 2 am or when you are staring out of the bus window...

Thank you to S P Oldham for kindly providing us with this awesome interview!- Leticia

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance
Publisher: DysCovered Publishing
Publication Date: August 25, 2015
Pages: 192
Format: ePub
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9/11 was possibly one of the scariest times in the Western world. I don't think we ever would have thought things would end up the way it had. But could you imagine a world where the fear of terrorists completely changed how the United States of America functions, right down to continuously creating fear of terrorists? Oh, wait, parts of that is already happening. This is eerily familiar, almost creepy how familiar this is to what is currently happening all over the world.
The Office of Civilian Safety and Defense was created to keep civilians safe from the on-going threat of terrorism. But it functions in a way that what you eat, drink, listen to, watch and so on is determined by the OCSD. Keeping the people ignorant and the people's fear high.

Careen
As a lead character, she is admirable. Careen is smart, enough to know that the antidote wasn't really right as it makes her feel silly and loses hours. She's independent enough to try to fight it. Questioning the motives of the OCSD is brave, especially as people who speak out are often detained.

Tommy
He was tough to read about, having to grieve the loss of his family and be contained to his house with a broken leg. The antidote became more of an escape for him from his reality, even though Careen's presence makes him question what really happened to his parents, what the antidote does and what the OCSD is up to.

So with the chaos of the end of the book, it will be interesting to see if Careen and Tommy have what it takes to bring down the OCSD. If you enjoy dystopian, young adult, new adult genres, this might be a very good read for you.

Once upon a time, Tracy Lawson was a little girl with a big imagination who was obsessed with telling stories. Her interests in dance, theatre, and other forms of make-believe led to a twenty-year career in the performing arts, where “work” meant she got to do things like tap dance and choreograph musicals. A mid-life career change has yielded six books–a four-volume series of thrillers for young adults, and two nonfiction history books based on the lives of her pioneer ancestors.

Tracy, who is married with one grown daughter and two spoiled cats, splits her time between Dallas, Texas and Columbus, Ohio.

Whew, 2018 though, am I right?

New year, new goals.
2019 will be a year of continuing my personal journey of growth. Like learning time management AND to not be hard on myself if I fail that. The latter will be toughest, ironically.

So what is to come with 2019?
Well, I suck and fell super behind on my 2018 reviews. My goal is to try to pump those out as quickly as I can so that my current reviews don't fall super behind as well.

Second, I decided to change things up a little and challenge myself, knock some TBR off with my reviews and shelves, add some new recommended reads from people in my life. One of those being that I sat and read Bird Box by Josh Malerman in one evening because my friends would not stop teasing me with info about the movie! Haha.

The change is this: POPSugar  Reading Challenge
Essentially it's to encourage me to read a bit more and to branch out with different prompts to follow. I will make a page on here to show off which prompts I've followed through with. I think this will be awesome and it'll help me strike off some of my review books as well.
There are 50 prompts in total, however, to be fair to my review books I am only going to read the first 40. I might throw an advanced prompt in but I think 40 is fair, I can then focus the other 10 on more review books.

I've also changed my blog just slightly and I'm going to be more focused on posting in it, even if it's just posts like this or updating my side bar of my reads, featured books, etc.

Third, I have added a Guest Post feature. It's in the little drop down bar under Requests. I really hope to see some authors take me up on that. I've offered some prompts but you're welcome to write your own as well.

My other goal is to do much more self-care. Things that are important to me. Like sitting in the living room late at night, snuggled up in my nest, reading books and listening to music instead of gaming. To put makeup on just because (especially since I received some awesome lipsticks!). Drink tea. Challenge myself to take a walk. To not let myself get stuck in my head and go back down the dirt road to my abyss of darkness. To write more. To divinate, read my tarots, find peace in the moonlight.
Instead of a resolution, I am focused more on just improving what I already have with the things I need to do more of. I think it's a pretty important step to take.

I think this will be a much better year for me, and I do hope, dear Book Dragons, it is a good year for you as well! If you do the POPSugar Reading Challenge, be sure to let me know! I encouraged my bestie to try too, but I so hope that others do as well.

Be well, Book Dragons, be well!

Genre: Crime, Thriller, Mystery
Publisher: C.J. Standal Productions
Publication Date: June 28, 2017
Pages: 150
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The most recent issue (10): Amazon
Act 1 to 6: Amazon

Rebirth of the Gangster is CJ’s first comic work, but he has been active as a writer in other contexts before that.

He wrote for the now-defunct Slant and is now writing for Graphic Policy; he also writes a blog at his own site, cjstandalproductions.com.

In his spare time, he teaches high school English, including a class on graphic novels, bringing his lifelong love of comics to academia.

When not writing or teaching, he can be found snuggling up for a good read next to his girlfriend and cat in Wisconsin.

With 2018 ending soon, I thought I would touch on some of my favourite books that I read this year. Some of these books are also review books and I haven't gotten to their reviews yet. I'm still working on that and digging out my inspiration. Those are coming, bit by bit. As always, your patience is appreciated.

As I said, a couple will be review books that have had reviews done or are awaiting reviews. I will write a little blurb as to why I enjoyed it so much and why I'd recommend it, even if I haven't reviewed it.

The One Unspoken by Sarah Bryant
I'm still recovering from this book, even though I read it earlier in the year. 1841 with a forbidden love between a white woman and a freed slave's son. It was a beautiful tale with so many emotions right from the get go.

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
This was one of the rare times that both the book and the movie were absolutely awesome. While the zombie genre is quite overdone and it's tough to dig out new ways to spruce up the genre, this book manages to do it with ease.

Graveminder by Melissa Marr
The world building in this story was so inventive. It pulled you in immediately. I loved the idea of a grave minder helping a mortician with the fantasy element of keeping the dead in the ground.

The Martian by Andy Weir
As terrifying as the thought is to be left behind on an alien planet with dwindling food and no access to be able to tell NASA what is going on with you. But Mark Watney had to be one of the most likable characters. His sense of humour made him seem more human and I enjoyed every time he defied the experts and did things that would have probably killed him any other time. It was great.

These were my 5 star reads, but many others also hit the mark of being pretty dang good. It was a good year for reading for me. I hope if you haven't read these books and that you're looking to something new to read that you give one of these reads a chance.