One author's journey through self-publishing
Hey everyone! Just dropping in super quick to let you know that, to celebrate the first anniversary of publishing Where Giants Fall, we're running a discount on the book! Snag a copy on Amazon ASAP, from February 28th through March 3rd! Grab your copy to support our amazing authors!
Click HERE to check it out.
Hey everyone! Today I've got a review for a sci-fi/fantasy novel with a great old-style twist. Black Bottle Man by Craig Russell is chilling, attention-grabbing, and a fast read. Check out my review below!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Winner -- Gold Medal Moonbeam Awards
Finalist for Prix Aurora Award & McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award
A CCBC Best Books for Teens selection
From the back cover:
Forced to move every twelve days, what would happen to your life? It’s 1927. Rembrandt is the only child in the tiny community of Three Farms and his two aunts grow desperate for babies of their own. Hope and Hell arrive in a mysterious black bottle, and on a moonless night a dark spell is cast. Soon after, a man wearing black top-coat, and a ‘glad-ta-meet-ya’ smile comes to visit. The devil seeks payment, and a dangerous wager is made. Until they can defeat him, Rembrandt, Pa, and Uncle Thompson must embark on the journey of their lives, for if they stay in one place for more than twelve days terrible things happen. But where and when will they find a champion capable of defeating the Black Bottle Man?
Time ticks. Lives change. Every twelve days.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Craig Russell’s fantasy novel, Black Bottle Man won the Moonbeam gold medal for YA fantasy and was a Canadian Aurora Award finalist. His SF climate crisis novel, Fragment was selected for the Yale University Climate Connections reading list and was shortlisted for the Michael Van Rooy Award. Craig a retired lawyer living in Winnipeg, Canada.
MY REVIEW
This book is a fantastic fantasy that bridges Old West and literary genres. It’s a great, thought-provoking story, with engaging prose that I absolutely loved. While it took me a little bit to get into the groove of reading it — I loved the beginning but found a few chapters hard to follow — I ended up reading the majority of the book in one sitting. While my eyes will never recover from that, it’s a story that you’ll want to mull over long after you’ve closed the cover. 4.5/5 stars!
I'm not letting the grass grow under my feet right now, folks, and here's proof: I'm sharing a few tidbits about The Healer of the Brigade, book two of the Legends of Lanaria series, and also opening up cover reveal signups!
Hey everyone! I just wanted to drop in and let you know that Kindle preorders are still live for Eyes To See, the third installment of the Midnight Hour series through my pen name Makenzie Gray! $2.99 for a brick of a book full of gritty faith that moves mountains despite being broken and bleeding, of deep depths and how nothing will separate you from God -- but you have to accept the hand He holds out to you, not shy away from it. You can't be full of faith and full of doubt at the same time, or you'll be no more than waves tossed by every wind that passes through.
I remember boldly setting the release date for ETS and then not being able to write for months because I was so fixated on what I felt needed said and done. There was no life in the idea. I thought I was seeing the end of the series before I got to the parts I'm most excited for. But instead, I had to surrender my ideas. Trash the plot I had figured out. Trash the multi-book arc I had for the rest of the series. And restart again. And only then did the ideas start coming, a flood of them. I had to throw away my fears that this book would be too much, that there would be too much of some stuff and too little of other things, redo themes, and then ended up dumping the title I had given it for MONTHS because it felt weird and then something hit me square in the forehead at church. This was a challenging book to write, safe to say. But now that I have the author copies ordered, I can't wait to read it again. ETS is full of new ideas I haven't mulled over for very long, but I very strongly felt that they had a place in this book. I'm excited to start work on book four, which will hold a lot of the answers to questions presented and cliffhangers in Eyes To See. A lot happens. A few ideas that I took from headlines that were coming out as I drafted ETS. And there's still a long way to go for these characters. I hope you'll join me for the ride.
Click HERE to snag your Kindle copy, or if you just can't wait, the paperbacks are live N O W.
A false messiah emerges, Tarik Azrael announces a death penalty for Unmarked, and wicked beasts lurk in the shadows.
Two months after Noam’s prison escape, Tikvah and the group find themselves on a new mission: find Halfway, a strange place promising shelter, buried deep in abandoned woods. But there’s a price on their heads and the work of liberating Unmarked refugees grows harder. Riskier. Even Noam’s liberation was not a clean escape.
When a ghost from Noam’s imprisonment is assigned a deadly new mission, the team scrambles to stay ahead of the game. To make it worse, the horrors they’ve witnessed come calling in unusual ways. Will they have eyes to see the spiritual and physical war they fight against?
A story of sacrificial love and surviving in defiance when the world demands your death, Eyes To See is the third installment of the Midnight Hour series.
Hey folks! If you follow me on Facebook and Instagram, you know that I've been sharing some of my favorite recommendations for a Valentine's Day TBR -- basically, if you love the romantic genre, you'll want to pick up a copy or fifteen ;) BUT I thought it would be a good idea to share some on my blog too, in case you don't follow along on social media. These books aren't ranked in order or anything, but they will have a review linked if I've reviewed 'em. Let me know what your favorite recommendations are -- sound off in the comments!
Brown Roses by Tope Omotosho -- order HERE and read my review HERE.
First In My Heart by Rachel Blanchard -- order HERE and read my review HERE.
The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin, one of my favorite books of the year so far -- order HERE and read my review HERE.
A Solstice of Fire and Light by Angela R. Watts -- order HERE.
The Remnant Trilogy by Angela R. Watts -- Okay, so romance is a subgenre in this series but FINN AND AMA, GUYS. FINN. AND. AMA. And if you're more of a fantasy lover, this one's for you. Order HERE.
Tales From The Tower Anthology -- Hosted by Michelle L. Levigne and Deborah Smith. Order HERE!
Nefarious Creatures by Camille Caliman -- order HERE.
The Quest of Og by Camille Caliman -- order HERE and obsess with me.
Driving Force by Lynette Eason and Kate Angelo -- order HERE and tell me they aren't OTP.
The Tradewinds Series by Taylor Bennett, perfect for if you prefer beachy settings. Order HERE!
And of course, I can't get away without sharing one more time about the Tell Me You Love Me Anthology, which releases tomorrow. Snag a copy HERE. It's romance galore!
If you're excited for romance, fantasy, and new beginnings, make sure to tune in next week. I've got some updates I'm thrilled to share. See you then -- and make sure to support some of these great authors!
Well, folks, it's that time of year again. If you've been following for awhile, you'll know by now that I do a romance sale every year because, well, the romance author's birthday is close to Valentine's Day, so why not have a freebie sale that bridges both days all at once?
Hey everyone! Today's romantic pick is Brown Roses by Tope Omotosho. This was the first book I've read by this author, but I'm excited to read more of her works! Check it out below.
ABOUT THE BOOK
What if the only way to discover who you are is to look for it in your scars?
Erinma Roberts thought her life was perfect because she was the CEO of a multinational beauty corporation, had an adoring boyfriend, and amazing friends. Tragic events, on the other hand, have a way of defining who is most important and what truly matters.
Erinma picks up the pieces of her world after multiple surgeries and therapy sessions, deciding how to best move forward and appease her guilt. She realizes this is the time to ask God what He has in store for her life, but it will necessitate drastic changes that will be met with opposition.
Hurting people hurt people.
Andrew Madu knows firsthand that love stories between two different social classes rarely end happily ever after. He goes out of his comfort zone to make Erinma smile again after seeing her scars and realizing the trauma she's been through. No matter how hard he tries, he can't ignore their undeniable attraction. When history wants to play it again, it introduces a new plot twist and puts their attempts at new beginnings and God's healing power to the test.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tope Omotosho is passionate about impacting the world through timeless wisdom and knowledge found in her thought-provoking stories and writing that applies to all ages. Her stories and articles cut across love, relationship and romance in a way that does not deny the relevance of God in our everyday life.
She is a devoted Christian passionate about bringing people to the knowledge of God’s true and unfailing love.
MY REVIEW
This is a great story on God’s calling for your life. While at times I struggled to keep up with the character POVs, the story was great, impactful, and the characters were interesting to follow. The author’s prose is crisp and engaging, very visual. It’s a great story for fans of contemporary Christian romance! And look at that cover!! 4 out of 5 stars!
Hey everyone! If you're on my mailing list, you already know about this -- but if you're not, keep reading!
If you've read my fantasy before, you know The Lady of Lanaria leans more toward historical than fantasy within its "historical fantasy" genre. This is a stepping stone, one that will open up a progressively deeper story. War. Spiritual warfare. Spiritual gifts. And realizing who we are is nothing without the one who created us. That even on the darkest night, we only need to turn toward the Light of the world to be held in safety.
So the series I'm working on? I was going to share about this after Valentine's Day, but I can't wait anymore. I'll be sharing more details after then, plus cover reveal info, so on, yada yada. *is tired just thinking about it*
BUT I'm thrilled to announce:
LEGENDS OF LANARIA will be a six-book series, of which The Lady of Lanaria is now considered book one. Book two will, God willing, be released MAY 23, 2023. The title is:
The Healer of the Brigade.
Merging loose themes from Beauty and the Beast as well as Tennyson's "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (one of my all time favorite poems), this book will focus on strength in weakness, forgiveness, and healing.
As for the fantasy elements? We'll have some actually quite real elements that just happen to work perfectly in the fantasy realm. Read the book of Acts if you want some ideas -- what the disciples were able to do in Jesus' name. We serve the same God who gave that power to the disciples, and the same Spirit dwells inside us if we're believers. That's something I've been learning more and more of this past year. It's something that hit me square between the eyes last year. Many of the characters will have very strong spiritual gifts, which are also completely biblical.
I know this series won't be for everyone, and that's mainly why I waffled about going this direction with the books in the first place. I've gotten some guff after I shared my testimony of being healed from chronic migraines and crippling anxiety back in June. That scares folks. It used to scare me too. But that event is something I can't shut up about. It made me want to grow closer to God, to learn more about Him. And I'm pretty sure that's a good thing! It happened for a reason, and I feel more and more that I'm being led to write about what I'm learning. I'm learning (slowly) (painstakingly slowly) to speak Truth even if that means losing support or friends. I won't hold it against you if this is something that makes you uncomfortable. But I do hope you'll stick around.
So without further ado, the newly redesigned The Lady of Lanaria is now available on Amazon, and you'll be able to pick the Kindle edition up for FREE from February 10-14th. Please note this book does not have any additional content (like, a few sentences were changed but that's it), but the interior design and exterior have been updated to match what will be the rest of the series.
Hey everyone! Today I'm privileged to share a review of First In My Heart by Rachel Blanchard! This is a sweet contemporary Christian romance that has some solid themes and relatable characters. If you're looking for some sweet reads to add to your Valentine's Day TBR, this one's it!
ABOUT THE BOOK
A thousand miles away from all she’s ever known, can Ava’s heart finally find a home?
Ava Keller is a recent graduate who traveled from her small hometown in Eastern Iowa to sunny Florida in the hopes of starting a teaching career. She finds the members of the local community to be more than welcoming—all except Pete Harrison.
Pete had been getting along just fine until Ava came along, creating another opportunity for his “well-meaning” family members to marry him off. He’s seen enough change in his life to know that nothing good can ever last. But Ava keeps showing up again and again, and in time, he finds himself wanting to help her succeed.
Can Pete open up to the possibility of love? Or will the uncertainty of Ava’s future send her back to her family? Both must rely on God to show them the way, and to remind them what is truly important.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rachel Blanchard is a teacher, wife, and mother of two young children. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri before moving to Central Florida. She is passionate about sharing lessons learned, and the message that we can trust in God’s goodness.
MY REVIEW
This is a great, clean Christian romance, which drives home the theme of finding love where you’d least expect it. Not to mention following God when we're living in uncertainty. While it took me a little while to warm up to the male love interest, he did become endearing with his concern and selflessness toward Ava. The characters are easy to empathize with and Blanchard’s prose is fresh and fun to read. I look forward to reading more from the author! Five of five stars.
