Hello and Updates!

Hi everyone!

I know, I’ve been suuuuper inconsistant with the blog the last couple years. Well, the world got turned upside down, didn’t it? Like it has for many of you I’m sure, the last couple years have been confusing, trying, and stressful for me. Lately I’ve struggled greatly with my writing, be it the blog or my fiction projects.

Last night I did have a BURST of creative energy and wrote SEVEN pages in one evening of my Harry Potter fanfic! That’s teh biggest writing spree I’ve done in the last two years!

I guess what’s held me back from the blog in particular, is not knowing WHAT to write. I’ve been really interested in writing reviews lately, but I don’t want to leave my writing community followers hanging either (if any of you are left after my long break). So going forward, it’s probably going to be a mix: reviews of books, movies, and anything else I’m interested in, as well as writing tips so I can keep helping my fellow writers.

So It might start looking kind of random around here, but I really do want to get back to having blog posts. To get back into practice, the posts might well be about….well, just about anything. Because writing requires the brain muscles, so to speak. And typing last night (and right now) has proven that I have pretty much forgotten how to type and spell, lol!

Anyway, that’s the update. Such as it is. If you have any requests for writing-related posts, please drop me a comment! Or if you have book or movie suggestions. I have been reading, both fiction and nonfiction, so I’ll have new reviews up soon.

Thanks to everyone who have stuck with me!

New posts soon!

The Savior’s Sister Release Day!

A couple years ago, I was able to participate in the release day blitz for Jenna Moreci’s dark fantasy novel, The Savior’s Champion and today I am super excited to help her celebrate the companion novel, The Savior’s Sister!

The Savior’s Champion

The Savior’s Sister

In The Savior’s Champion, we followed the story of Tobias, an artist turned laborer who enters the Soverign’s Tournament in an effort to provide a living for his mother and sister. He doesn’t actually care to marry the Savior and he couldn’t care less about how magical everyone thinks she is; he’s simply tired of seeing his sister in pain.
Of course he knows the tournament is dangerous and only one man will come out alive…but he soon finds out that there is much more to it than he ever expected.

If for some reason you haven’t read TSC yet (it’s been out for two years, what are you doing with your life?!) check it out on Amazon, Audible, or on Jenna’s website!

The Savior’s Sister is the companion novel to TSC: it follows the events of the tournament that we didn’t see in TSC, as told from Lelia’s point of view.

SYNOPSIS:

Tobias Kaya’s journey through The Savior’s Champion was only half the story.In the thrilling companion to one of Book Depository’s Best Books of All Time, experience the peril and heart-stopping romance through Leila’s fresh perspective.

Leila Tūs Salvatíraas, Savior of Thessen and magical Queen of Her realm, is worshiped by all.

Except Her father. He wants Her dead.

The Sovereign’s Tournament—a centuries-long tradition designed to select The Savior’s husband—is days away, but Brontes’s plan to overthrow his daughter ignites, shifting the objective of the competition from marriage to murder.

With the help of Her sisters and some unexpected allies, Leila must unravel Brontes’s network and prevent Her own assassination. But as the body count rises, She learns the deception runs far deeper than She imagined.

When She finds Herself falling for one of the tournament competitors, Her father finds himself another target for murder.

Can Leila save Herself and Her beloved, or is their untimely end—and the corruption of Her realm—inevitable?

Jenna is hosting a YouTube livestream today, 6:00 pm, PST. Here is the link; there’s going to be prizes, games, and all sorts of writing community fun and a visit from Princess Buttercup is always a possibility, so make sure you’re there!

To say hi to Jenna and congratulate her on her book, or to keep up to date with the next book in the series, TSA, follow Jenna on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Patreon, and YouTube! And make sure you check out Jenna’s merch store for lots of TSC, TSS, and writerly swag!

Want to check out The Savior’s Sister? Read the first three chapters here!

Genre: Dark Fantasy Romance/Adventure

Category: Adult

TRIGGER WARNINGS: This book contains graphic violence, sexual situations, physical abuse, adult language, and references to suicide.

Meet the cast here!

See you tonight at the livestream!
And a HUGE congratulations to Jenna on another epic book!

Book Review. The Codex of Tyler Grayson: Creatures Among Us

It’s book review time! Yes, I finally got all the way through a book! 

I recently read The Codex of Tyler Grayson, written by my writer friend, Richard Gibbard.  

Summary from Amazon:

Magic, monsters, and murder. Not usually three words that describe the life of a typical high school student.

But in the world of Tyler Grayson, these words describe his new life immaculately.

Upon discovery of his family’s treasured heirloom, the Codex of Creatures, everything changes. The tome speaks of Merfolk, Gadwen, Dragons and Demons, and all that was once fairy tale becomes real as tragedy and treachery strikes Tyler down and forces him to choose:

Comfort or Danger? Friend or Foe? Honor or Vengeance?

A new and exciting magical world awaits him, but it’s one that he never belonged to. Will the creatures trust him, an outsider, to fulfill the destiny wrought by his ancestors 2000 years prior?

The fate of the world depends on it, for it’s not only faeries and forest dryads that roam the realms of man. The dark and sinister lust for the Codex, and only Tyler Grayson stands in their way.

So just before Tyler turns 18, he finds out his mother was a Scribe. She traveled the world, filling the Codex with information about magical creatures — both good and bad. That job now falls to Tyler, with some help from his grandfather, his Adjutor Erika, and several mythical creatures along the way. 

My favorite part of the story (as usual) was the characters! I especially liked Erika right away, as well as Mossy. What I really appreciated that amid all the crazy stuff — Tyler discovering magic, dealing with deaths, running from demons — the characters still did real, normal stuff. Like celebrating Tyler’s birthday and Erika’s love of music no matter how she was feeling. This is just a personal preference for me, and it’s something that makes characters feel much more real to me.

I also enjoyed reading about new creatures! I mean, I’m into the old classics like Elves, unicorns, and centaurs. But it was neat to have new creatures introduced by the Codex — with Tyler literally spelling out what the creature is and what its temperament is. I think that was a great way to introduce lots of new information without it being boring or slowing the pace of the plot.  And on that note, the magic was explained well and wasn’t too complicated to figure out, which is a big bonus for me with fantasy books! 

The sequel is in progress and I’m excited to see what happens next for Tyler!

If you want to check out The Codex of Tyler Grayson: Creatures Among Us (and you do!), you can find it on Amazon.

And follow Richard on Twitter for the Mythical #QuestionOfTheDay (always lots of fun) as well as news on the next book!

I’m going to give Creatures Among Us 5/5 stars!
Favorite scene, without giving too much away of course: Mossy and the creature gathering. (Felt very Narnia-ish to me)

Where I Find New Books

Like any book dragon, I need to know where to find new books to read. Now, this can be a really broad answer: bookstore websites, Google, etc. But I’m talking about reliable avenues from my own kind. People whose opinions I trust and whose recommendations I’d be willing to try. Sometimes that means hearing about a book in a video, or reading a synopsis they posted or even just seeing a pretty cover in a picture.

So here are the places I go and the people I follow to hear about new books:

Instagram:
Check out #Bookstagram. This is a great place to see what other people are reading and find some awesome profiles to follow. Here are some specific profiles I follow for stunning bookish photos and new book discovery:
PaperFury
Spearcraft
Enchanted Book Box
Pop Reads
Book Book Owl

Please note that I do not endorse any of the above book subscription boxes, as I have never ordered from them; I just follow them for the bookish pictures. I HAVE ordered from Book Book Owl; Jen makes beautiful bookmarks and I do recommend you check out her profile and her shop!

Twitter:
Again, hashtages are your friends. Try #amreading (tack your genre onto the end, ex. #amreadingfantasy) or find books to review or betaread for via #betareading #ARCreviewer And of course follow any writer or reader friends you have or authors that you like. The authors will not only have their own books, but they’ll also promote books that they liked or book written by their friends. Also profiles that connect reader to books or book promotion sites that promote books in the genre you read.
Some Twitter profiles I follow are:
Book Cave
SFF Book Bonanza (if you don’t mind getting their emails, Book Bonanza also has frequent giveaways for Kindles, books, and Amazon gift cards!)
Amazing Bookshelves
Eight Little Pages

YouTube:
Among writers, the nickname AuthorTube has become super popular, as authors are starting to take on a platform that most people never thought writers could use to promote a book.
I started out on AuthorTube when I stumbled across a Jenna Moreci post, then I started check out authors that she followed and eventually several authors I found on Twitter also started vlogs on YouTube.
Bethany Atazadeh
Bella Rose Pope
Marisa Mohi
Cloud Kitten Chronicles
Hannah Lee Kidder

What are your go-to hashtags or places for finding new books? Share them with us in a comment! And yes, you may link your own books!

Happy #amreading!

 

 

Book Review: The Stolen Kingdom

I was recently given the privilege to be an ARC reviewer (Advance Read Copy) for The Stolen Kingdom, written by my friend Bethany Atazadeh. Bethany is a young adult and children’s book author. I interviewed Bethany last year, and I was thrilled to be on her most recent ARC team!

The Stolen Kingdom is a re-telling of Aladdin. But more exciting, if you ask me.

Arie is the princess in this story and she has a Gift. Gifts on their own are not a bad thing, but only men are trusted to use them correctly. All women before Arie, have stood trial and died for possessing their gifts. So what would happen if the very woman who will be queen is discovered to have magic?

When a man she despises uses his own gift to try to force Arie into marriage — effectively taking control of her kingdom — Arie goes into hiding, hopeful that she can buy herself and her father time.

Enter our “Aladdin.”  Kadin leads a band of thieves who have more at stake than money. When they cross paths with Arie, both the thieves and the princess see a way out of their troubles. But where each of them once had a cut and dry plan, they soon find their goals tangled in a web of friendship, divided loyalty, and danger.

I loved the characters in this book; I thought they were all well-developed and I appreciated that they each had their own goals and motivations, even when working together. The descriptions of locations were excellent too — I felt like I was seeing those places right along with Arie and Kadin!

There are indeed some parallels to Aladdin, but I liked that there are definite differences as well. The twist on the magic was something I greatly enjoyed, rather than the overused “three wishes” bit. I also liked seeing Kadin as a leader, watching out for his friends, whereas in Aladdin, we don’t really have opportunities to see that develop.

I think what I appreciated most was Arie’s reactions to everything that happened: the injustice of knowing a gifted woman was going to die, just for being a woman. Her terrifying yet determined plan to protect her father. Her courage no matter what she came up against, even when she was scared or unsure.

Which leads me to my number one favorite line: “I’m not looking for a prince! I’m looking for a sword!”

For a fantasy spin-off story with lots of excitement and great characters, I definitely recommend checking out The Stolen Kingdom!

 

Ten More Things About Me!

Over a year ago, I did a “Ten Things about Me,” post. You guys seemed to like it, so today I’m giving you another ten, and sharing some things about me, what I like to do, etc.

1. I want to write fiction books, but also be a travel writer.
   Might sound like an odd combo, I guess. But I do love making characters and I also love to travel. So I’m going to give it a try.
2. I work in a collage library.
   You’ve probably seen me mention this in other posts and on Twitter. I love this job and the people I work with! Sometimes it’s really slow and not much happens, other times we’re packing up the entire library to work from a mobile building during renovations. Things can be really interesting and I love it!
3. I am an ARC reviewer.
   I think I can claim that at this point. I have done reviews for authors I’ve met on Twitter and I’ve reviewed books I’ve signed up for on Hidden Gems. I review in romance, mystery, fantasy, and children’s books and I’ve done more than a dozen. I love doing this because I get to be among the first to read a new book, I get to help an author out, and it enhances my reading and writing skills to see what works for a book and what does not.
   
   

   

   
4. I have a Manx cat named Windy.
   Her official title is Little Miss Windy. Manx is a breed that is tailless; she has a tiny stub tail that is just visible. True to the breed’s personality, she acts more like a dog than a cat, in that she’s not a lap cat, she likes to play in water and drink out of the toilet (yes, really!) and plays keep-away.
   
5. I knew a celebrity before he was famous.
   Ever heard of The Incredible Doctor Pol? He’s been my family’s vet for years.
   
6. I like Stargate better than StarTrek.
   StarTrek: Enterprise was ok, but overall I think Stargate is better.
7. I like tea but not coffee.
   I love the smell of fresh, black coffee, but I can’t stand the taste of any coffee. A friend of mine used to work in a tea shop in Kalamazoo, MI, so when I went to visit her at work, I started trying out teas and now I’m an avid tea fan! I definitely recommend Tudor House Tea and Spice, even if you don’t live in the area!
   
   

   
8. Carbonated water, not pop.
   I still drink pop on occasion, but I’ve started drinking flavored waters recently and now I greatly prefer them to all the sugar found in pops.  ICE is my favorite!
   
9. I still watch Arthur.
   Yes, that lovable aardvark that many of us watched as kids and is still running! The kid who taught us that libraries and books are cool, not to mention his best friend, the alien-believer Buster, are still my afternoon pals. (Even though it took them 15 seasons to turn 9 and get into 4th grade, Lol!)
   
10. I’m going back to college.
    Yay.
    Not what I had planned when I graduated two years ago, but a few more classes to help me out in the worlds of freelance writing and marketing would be a good idea as I look for freelance gigs and plan to self-publish a book.

 

Book Review: Clockwork Prince

So a few weeks ago I did a review on Clockwork Angel, which I loved! I just finished the next book and I was equally impressed.

Clockwork Prince picks up where Angel left off. The first round of the enemy has been fought off, but the main threat remains and the Shadowhunters are racing to find Mortmain, leader of the Infernal Devices.

Tessa now knows exactly what her abilities are worth to both sides and what her friendship means to those inside the Institute.

Book summary from the Shadowhunters website (all rights to author Cassandra Clare):

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street—and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa’s powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister’s war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move—and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, but her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will—the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

Where I had a little difficulty getting into the first book, this time I was captivated right from the start. Mainly because there was so much going on in this one: I found out why Will is a grumpy-wumpus, Jem and Tessa’s friendship really takes off, Charlotte’s leadership is threatened, Will’s past walks right into the Institute, and I discover there is a lot more to Gabriel Lightwood than I thought.

I can honestly say that my favorite part of these books has been that Cassandra has pulled off a love triangle that works. And if it isn’t evident to you in the first book, it will be in this one. Most love triangles consist of a guy or girl simply not being able to choose between two people — Tessa’s story is much more complex than that though, and it works! There are legit reasons for the dilemma and I love that.

I would never let anyone touch a hair on your head. You know that, don’t you, Tess?”

Aside from that, I really enjoyed seeing a different side to Will in this book. He’s my favorite character and in the first book he was distant and cold and downright mean sometimes; now I see the reason for it all and I see the transition into the person he is and the person he really wants to be. He acts braver — not just reckless — kinder, and even more fun when the occasion merits it. His closeness with Jem is still a highlight for me, but also seeing him support Charlotte and the others for the first time since he met them was fantastic!

I had come to think I would never love anyone.”

On the note of Charlotte, I saw a new side of Henry and Charlotte. They do not have what I would call a typical marriage and honestly up to this point, I saw Henry as an extra character, I didn’t really see any great value in having him there. But to my great relief, Henry showed his true colors in Prince. Up to this point, Henry reminded me of Belle’s father in the original animated Beauty and the Beast: intelligent, great potential with inventions (though it wasn’t until Prince that an invention actually worked), but lacking in the feelings and social departments. That all changed in this book — I saw Henry as fiercely protective of Charlotte, letting her know on no uncertain terms that he loved her and would not have chosen any other (something that concerned both myself and Charlotte).

I didn’t really have a clear imagining of Charlotte in Clockwork Angel. She was described as small and protective of those in her care in a rather motherly manner, but highly skilled in fighting. This time around, I got it, she reminds me everything of Hetty Lang from NCIS: L.A.

And it sticks for me. Just put her in period clothing or Shadowhunter fighting gear.

I also got a vastly improved image of Jem and Jessamine. They came to life much more for me. Jess is far more resourceful and manipulative than I previously gave her credit for. And Jem’s faithfulness to the Shadowhunters, but especially to Will and Tessa is outstanding. His own world is uncertain, but he gives friendship and support as easily as his companions draw breath.

“She’s annexed my plan!”
“Will,” Tessa said firmly, “Do you are more about the plan being enacted or about getting credit for it?”
“That,” he said. “That second one.”

As expected, the stakes were raised in this book, not just as far as the main plot goes, but also for each character — even Gabriel Lightwood, who as is intended, I don’t care for very much. This is one thing I love about Cassandra’s writing: she writes a fantastic plot for sure, but also each character gets their moment, each character gets time to develop and I can see their motives, their changes, their interactions with each other as well as their internal dialogue. This makes for characters with true depth and devices that seamlessly drive the plot along.

I am currently reading the last book in this trilogy, Clockwork Princess and I will post a review as soon as I have it done!

“You struck her over the head with a mirror and tied her to her bed?”

“I think I may be in love with you, Sophie. Marriage may be on the cards. Many’s the time I wanted to hit Jessamine over the head myself. No one could blame you.”

In the meantime, I give Clockwork Prince five stars and highly recommend you check it out — I doubt any fantasy fan could be disappointed in these books!

The wall is coming down.”

Best of ’18

Did anyone do it? Did anyone actually walk 2 miles a day or eat five vegetables each day in 2018? I didn’t. But I did do some really exciting stuff! Today I’m sharing my top 10 things I did in 2018 — things I saw, things I did, things I tried and recommend you try!

1. Celtic Nights.
   This is how to start a year off right! I went with two of my best friends to the Midland Center for the Arts and saw Celtic Nights on St. Patrick’s Day. For Sarah and I, the Center was local, but Emma had quite a drive, but we made a weekend of it, so that was fine. I believe our tickets were about $36 each, and we had really good seats, near the isle but not far from the front rows.
   If you haven’t been there, Midland Center for the Arts is a beautiful venue! I’d never been in the auditorium before and it was just gorgeous — clean, comfortable, and like the rest of the building, everything had meaning. For example, the theme of the room is trees: the ceiling lights are made of thousands of light-reflecting pieces of glass, all different to represent the leaves of a tree. The seats are green like a tree.
   The show was amazing! Emma’s birthday is also on St. Patrick’s day and she said it was the most Irish thing she’d ever done on her birthday.
   Celtic nights followed the tale of the Irish people’s heritage, their many reasons for leaving their beloved homeland to come to America, and the new lives they built here. There were dancers, several types of instruments and of course wonderful singers! They even had a sing-along in which they sat on the edge of the stage and talked with the audience and sang popular tunes like “Whiskey in the Jar,” and “Danny Boy.” They also had a meet and greet time after the show!
   I’d definitely recommend seeing them sometime and check out Midland Center for the Arts! They have many types of shows throughout the year including theatre, Broadway shows, comedy, and much more!
2. Later in the year, I went back to the Center for the Arts with another friend and we saw Whose Live Anyway? Which of course is the touring portion of the popular T.V. show, Whose Line Is It Anyway? We went for Carolyn’s birthday and it was again an amazing show! Anyone who’s seen the TV show knows there is a fair amount of adult humor, but it was a blast for us! Definitely a high point was seeing Ryan Stiles in person after watching him on TV for years.
   They had a lot of audience involvement and the sketches were a lot of fun! We laughed until our sides hurt!  
   Whose Live tours every year with various members of the TV cast. Check out their tour schedule!
3. One of my new “Happy Places” movies came out in 2018: Peter Rabbit. This was a really fun adaptation of the Beatrix Potter books! You can read my review of the movie here.
4. Diamonds To Die For.
   
   This is one of the first books I reviewed with Hidden Gems and I loved it! It is a romantic mystery/suspense and it was one of the best mysteries I have read in a long time!
   Book blurb (all rights to Kathryn Jane):
   An old flame, a cold fire, and the will to live.When the men in her life start dropping like flies, Kate will sacrifice everything to keep an old love safe.

   But Jason knows who the killer is…

   A horse trainer and a private detective might seem like an unlikely pair, but they have a steamy history neither one would mind revisiting if she wasn’t in mortal danger and if he wasn’t fighting to keep her alive.

   Join Kate while she runs for her life, avoids trouble, and is for the most part successful. As for keeping Jason at arm’s length? Well, as a former jockey she knows, you can’t win ‘em all.

   I loved the suspense in this book and really it almost left like two different stories to me, the plot twists were that good! Because at first you’re just reading along in “happy-solve-the-mystery” land, and suddenly the MC changes the entire game and you’re reading almost an entirely different character!

5. Hidden Gems. I’m not going to go into great detail here, because I reviewed this site in last week’s post. But I am a huge fan of Hidden Gems! They are a site where you can read ARCs for free in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. They are worth checking out if you like to read and want to give reviewing a try — and they are not just fiction books!
6. Critter Haven.
   Critter Haven is a Middle Grade, Dark Fantasy novel that just released a few days ago! I was fortunate enough to be a beta reader for this book and I really enjoyed it! I am expecting my copy any day now, and I will be re-reading a posting a review for you guys as soon as possible (I need a refresher on what all went on). But the story revolves around Koda and Sully, two hamster brothers who get way more than they bargained for when they sneak out of their cages on Christmas Eve. What follows is a world of totems, tricksters, critters and friendship.
   
   Book blurb (all rights to Angelina Moretti):
   A PERILOUS ADVENTURE OF THE WORLD’S DARKEST LEGENDS, FROM NATIVE AMERICAN TO EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. For house rodents Sully and Koda, sharing a room with an ill-tempered bearded dragon is as dangerous as it gets. That is, until on a night of disaster they leave their burrows for the first time and enter the forest where deep within hide the wooden heads of monsters. Gruesome, weathered by floods, the totem poles guard a precious secret: a world without humans beneath the forest floor. The world is eerily familiar to home aside from a starry sky made of faces, Tricksters that glow seafoam green, and a new creature, the Smoking Beast, who soon could be the death of everything Sully and Koda care for. To return to Giant’s nest, the brothers must rescue the Haven in a race against Critter-eating totems.
7. Fuller House.
   Gotta say, I was skeptical. I grew up on Full House and I thought no way could a spin-off be as good. Well, I still don’t know if it’s “as good”, but I was pleasantly surprised by this series! I’m so happy to see the old house again and the first episode was a reunion show of sorts that included Jessie, Becky, Joey, and Danny as well as Kimmy, Stephanie, DJ, and DJ’s three boys. I started watching during Christmas break and I’m now about half way through season two. I’m loving how DJ and Steph turned out and how they’re handling their new lives together. It still feels like a great family show, tackling age-old things kids go through every day, along with new issues brought up by social media. And ya’ll have no idea how much I’ve missed that theme song!
   
8. Last Man Standing came back!
   I’m a big fan of this show as well! My family didn’t discover it until the show was on its second season and we were so disappointed when it was cancelled for “totally not political reasons.” Thing about this show is it does show both sides of a lot of social, political, religious, and family topics we all deal with every day. And true to Tim Allen, he pokes fun at both sides — because that’s what comedy does. Real comedy brings out points on both sides of the spectrum. Now, do I think it’s a highly conservative, right-winged show? Yes. BUT, note that Mandy, Kyle, Kristen, and Ryan lean the other way, and while fun is poked at them now and then, they are still loved and valued by their family and that, I think, is what brings the show together.
   
9. The Invisible Library.
   This is another book that I tried out this year and I was highly impressed by! It’s a fantasy novel and it includes some of my favorite things: mystery, magic, dragons, friendship, and people who just really understand how to treat books! You can check out my review for The Invisible Library here.
   
10. BookBookOwl.
    BookBookOwl is a profile I follow in Instagram, and in November, I decided to treat myself with some bookmarks, so I placed an order with Jen. They arrived promptly and in fantastic shape, considering they come to the U.S. from Australia. Jen’s bookmarks are amazingly beautiful and come in themes ranging from book quotes to Hogwarts Houses to Christmas themes! Check her out, follow her, get some beautiful bookmarks for your bookish collection!

So those are my top ten things of 2018, what are some of yours? Did you try anything new?

Site Review: Hidden Gems

In an effort to read more and gain some experience as a reviewer, I recently started using Hidden Gems. This site came up as a suggestion in my Instagram feed. Once you sign up, you get a number of books to choose from to read for free and exchange for an honest review on Amazon.

Step one after signing up is picking what genres you’d be interested in reading. You can edit your choices at any time. I chose romance, mystery, fantasy, young adult, and children’s books. So I get several options on my user dashboard every week. Bear in mind that sub-genres apply, so for example in romance I may get contemporary, historical, western, paranormal, etc. Erotica is listed as a different genre altogether, which I did not choose.

Side note: I signed up for children’s’ books because they are obviously shorter, which works great for when I really want to get a review in for that week, but I don’t have time to devote to a novel. It’s an easy way to keep my skills sharp without looking for a ton of reading time when I’m busy with other things.

When books show up on your dashboard, they list the author’s name, they show the book cover and nine times out of ten it has a good description of the book; that one out of ten times, it’s a one-line description, no description, or just a word count. And the word counts are usually listed. I don’t sign up for books without a word count, because the turnaround is too short for me to not know. Also, on the far right, below the signup button, some books will let you know if they really need readers — this will ensure you a greater chance of being chosen as a reader.

Yes, the turnaround is rather short, so make sure you have time. Reviews will be due 5-8 days after you receive the book. All books will list the day they will be emailed to you and the date the review will be due. A late review, or no review at all will tarnish your gem status; too many tarnishes and you will be booted out. Naturally, it is Hidden Gems’ concern that you are there to leave helpful reviews for the authors, not just smooch free books off them.

At the bottom of your dash is a list of books that you have signed up for. Note that your name is put into a pool of potential readers, and you will not always be chosen to read every book you sign up for. If you don’t get the book emailed to you the day the book goes out, you were not chosen. This list will also remind you when you have a book review due and will prompt you to fill out the reader form.

Basically the reader form is just proof that you reviewed the book. It will ask for a link to your Amazon review and you can add an anonymous note to the author if you wish to.

Obviously, because the reviews will be on Amazon, you have to abide by Amazon’s rules. Personally, I think it’s ridiculous that you have to spend $50 on anything before you can review a book, but that’s how Amazon is. I had a little trouble getting started; I had made $50 worth of orders, but I still wasn’t able to leave a review. But I contacted Hidden Gems and explained my problem and they worked it out with Amazon so I could leave reviews, so I’m very happy with their assistance!

On every review you leave, you’re going to be asked to say in some way, “I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.” Another of Amazon’s policies, and a good way for an author to keep track of reads and reviews and a way to know if Hidden Gems was a good investment of that author’s time.

On the right side of the dashboard, there is a big gem — go figure! This gem lets you know what your reviewer status is. Mine currently reads, “You’re a Gem!” and lists below it Reviews: 4, Reasons (not completed but I told them why): 1, Incomplete (no review and no reason): 0. And at any time you can press the yellow button below the gem to have them email you a list of all the books you have reviewed.

At the bottom of the dashboard page is the list of preferences with checkboxes beside them. This makes it easy to add or subtract your reading genre preferences at any time. This is also where you will find your email and newsletter options.

One of the biggest pluses for me is, Hidden Gems books can be read on your phone, kindle, or computer! A lot of review sites will only send books to Kindle devices — which I understand that’s a big avenue for ARCs. But not all of us have that option. I get my Gems in PDF format and read them on my laptop, so the print is larger and it’s not taking up a bunch of storage on my phone. I see this option as a benefit for readers, but even more so for the authors to get more opinions on their books.

If you want to read new books this year, as soon as they are available and help an author out while getting experience writing reviews, Hidden Gems absolutely has my recommendation! For me, the only con is the short turnaround — basically having a week to read the book, no matter how long it is. But I give Hidden Gems 5/5 stars anyway for variety, use on any device, easy to use, great communication, and excellent books!

They even have a blog so you can learn more about reading and writing!

If you want to have your own book featured, check out their Author Services page or contact them directly.

Hidden Gems is absolutely free for readers (except of course that $50 rule from Amazon).

2018 Wrap Up

Yes, I know it’s almost the end of January. But I figure as long as we’re still in the first month of the new year, it’s still a good time to talk about last year.

A lot happened in the last year. I did a lot of things and learned a lot about myself.

The thing: Early in 2018, I accompanied some friends on their family vacation. We drove 14 hours from mid-Michigan, up through the U.P, and to Minnesota, where we spent a week.
The take away: Riding 14 hrs in a car with a total of three adults and two kids and a lot of luggage is not something anyone should do, ever. But whad a lot of fun and saw The Mall of America, went to the zoo, the aquarium (I’d never been to one before), and an indoor kids’ playground, we went swimming in the warmest hotel pool ever. I also got food poisoning, but it gave me a day to myself in the hotel to regroup, so whatever.

The thing: I read 12 books! I haven’t read that many in one year in a really long time.
Take away: I like ebooks more than I thought I did, because some of those 12 I could read on my phone any time. My buddy book club failed after one month (insert grumbling sounds) but I was able to beta read an amazing book and I read and reviewed several ARCs!

The thing: I learned how to say no.
Take away: I’m happier. I don’t have people depending on me when they are perfectly capable of caring for themselves. I’m not so bloody tired all the time.

The thing: I stopped watching mainstream news. I do still watch the news; I am aware of what’s going on in the world.
Take away: I’m SO much happier! If you listen to fear-mongers every single night, yes you’re going to start hating life and questioning existence. So I’m limiting my intake. Disclaimer: I totally think it’s important to know what’s going on in the world! But I’m taking smaller doses and I’m not relying on mainstream media. Instead of the CBS Evening News, I watch TCT more often and actually see that there are some good things that happen every day. Or I read articles online.

The thing: I put my book aside.
Take away: My book is on hold indefinitely, while I figure out how to make a day to day plan to make income. I’m looking into freelance writing, proofreading, transcribing jobs, and most of all travel writing. I’m taking online classes through Udemy. And since the end of October, I’ve been working on a fan fiction that is now at 50k words and I’m editing and getting ready to post the first part online.
The thing with the book was I no longer wanted to work on it, to the point that I was starting to hate writing. I’m not saying Kya will never be published; I’m just not ready for it right now. And I do still plan to write fiction, but right now I need to start making writing into a real job and start planning. Because I’m 29 and I need goals.

The thing: I had to deal with car problems several times this year.
Take away: I might possibly be an adult now. Patches had to get towed three times this year, I safely pulled into a parking lot after navigating roughly a half mile of city traffic after my brake line broke, so I had no breaks, and my wipers stopped working right when I needed them so I went to an auto parts store on my way home all by myself and got them replaced. I also got my windshield replaced. Thankfully, my dad was able to do most of the repairs on my car so I only had to pay for parts, and my grandpa let me use his AAA Membership to have my car towed because my insurance would only pay for 5 miles and home was 40 miles away on all three occasions (starting to think Patches doesn’t like the city).
On that note, I bought myself a AAA Membership card, which I highly recommend! I paid $117 for a one year premium membership. Some of the things my plan covers is: free gas delivery, roadside assistance, roadside medical assistance for me and my passengers, (1) hundred mile tow, and up to I believe (2) 400 mile tows. If you want more info, definitely check out their website, this is a great addition to my car insurance, for when I’m far from home or need a little extra help!

The thing: As I mentioned above, I am taking some online courses through Udemy, though I plan to use some other sights as well. I know SkillShare is a great place, but what I was looking for was a site that lets me pay once per class. For me, this makes way more sense than paying a monthly subscription and trying to do as much work as possible per month. On Udemy, I pay once per class and have a lifetime access to it — this seemed like a way better deal. Their class prices vary, but keep en eye out for sales! I bought three classes at their New Year’s sale, when everything was 50% or more off! Most of the classes in this sale were $10 each, so I scooped up the three most expensive classes that I wanted all at once: a value of  $380 for just $30!
Take away: Obviously, if timed right, this is a huge value. Plus the lifetime access means I can visit these classes and instructors at any time in my writing journey. I’m loving my first class so far and I plan to do a review on it as soon as I’m done.

The thing: I made a lot of new writer friends this year!
Take away: I was able to interview some exceptional writers for my Author Spotlight posts; and because we were communicating much more than usual, I was able to become friends with a lot of them.

The thing: I started an Etsy shop!
Take away: I’m very excited to be sharing my love of nature and photography! All income from the photos will be used to further my writing, be it retreats and conferences, or my new laptop fund, or travel expenses or classes. I made my very first sale last week and that was very exciting for me and I’m happy to see that someone enjoys my work! At this point, I’m selling them only as digital downloads. You can check out my shop here and follow me on Facebook.

The thing: Beta read for the first time!
Take away: Beta reading was a lot of fun and I learned how to be a better reader and writer. Mostly I learned how to communicate better. PS, Critter Haven is now available, check it out! I loved this book!

So that’s my year in a nutshell! I also went camping with my best friend (in a tent) for the first time, I got my old job back at the library where I work with some awesome friends, I’ve recently been offered publication for one of my stories (more on that later), and I sent out fan mail for the first time. I have plenty of goals for 2019 to keep me busy.

What were some highlights of 2018 for you?