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And time vanishes

12 Tuesday Jan 2021

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So I lost my weekend to the best reason possible. All the words. All the words is definitely a good thing to lose time to though. My co-author on Project Norse and I decided to try and do a 10K words in a day challenge for our respective Saturdays.

As a whole, the challenge went well. We realized fairly early on that our time zone difference made for an interesting addition to the challenge, because with her in the Philippines and me in the United States, being fourteen hours apart means we can’t just boomerang the novel back and forth between us all day. For a good chunk of the writing time, one of us was sleeping while the other was writing.

We made it work though by working on different scenes in the novel at once. Like, I think we were working on four or five different areas to go back and forth with each other, but then also we had a couple areas where one of us took the lead on a certain scene and ran with it.

Neither of us hit 10,000 words on Saturday, but both of us got a little more than halfway through. She finished her 10,000 words on her Sunday. I didn’t, because I ran into a secondary challenge for a long da like that. So back in May 2019 I had my dominant hand’s wrist in a cast. And ever since that accident I’ve had serious problems with my wrist when I over work it.

Well apparently it feels that 6,372 words it decided was over working it. My morning went super well and I was able to get a little over 2,000 words before breakfast, but it had started to ache after that and just get progressively worse through the day as I tried to alternate between resting it and working on more words as I could.

Sunday was pretty much a get nothing done, only rest it day. Also, all the grocery shopping and things I had meant to do that I pushed off from Saturday, so no real other words happened over the weekend. But still, we were able to get about 16,000 words collectively on our novel over the weekend, which is awesome! Since we have that July deadline for publishing, it’s great that we’re able to make so much progress on it as a whole for draft one. As well, when we were awake at the same time and not writing, we were able to flush out our outline to really hone into the timeline of what we what to happen when and how we kind of want it to go so we have guiding things to get us there. Overall, it’s a super productive weekend.

And then yesterday I also realized part of the problem with my wrist is that when I have to work on campus and cover the front desk, that the angle the desk is at compared to the chair is part of my problem. We’ll see if anyone complains about the chair, because I lowered it by like a TON, but I’m hoping since it’s just a little lever, that they’ll just shift it for them when they’re on campus and no one will complain. But the angle was not okay for me anymore. within the first hour of working at the desk my wrist felt like it did after writing 6K words from Saturday, only worse. So yeah, something had to change. I also shifted how the monitors were set on the desk, but those were put back after my shift so no one had to worry about them.

I’m hoping my work week goes fairly quiet as a whole, and I can continue to get words in on the novel. I really want to continue this momentum that we’ve found on getting things done on the different chapters. I’d personally love it if we could have draft one finished by either the end of January or the really early beginning of February so we can get those edits in hard and fast.

Hope your week goes well, readers! And if you did anything you’re proud of, drop a comment and let me know!

Also, if you’re wondering what the image has to do with this post, well, it’s partially just because it’s my kitty and I love him. And partially because that’s legitimately how tired I feel right now.

2021 – Forward We Move

04 Monday Jan 2021

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Can you believe that we’re already four days into the new year? Hopefully your New Years celebrations, even if quiet, was good. Mine was mostly quiet with some Star Trek Discovery watching with my mom and some Among Us with some friends before that.

So far, I’d say my year is progressing well as a whole. I’ve been getting some writing in, but then my co-writer and I have set a very ambitious goal for our joint book so can’t take too many days wtihout touching it.

Let’s just get right into my goals for 2021!

  1. Finish, edit, market, and publish the book I’m working on with my co-author. Our ambitious deadline for it all is July. Six months. We’re that ambitious. But we’re also extremely motivated to get it done!
  2. Finish editing and publish faerie novel.
  3. Finalize and publish at least two shot story/novellas
  4. Read 24 books – this is two books a month. Which, if I carve out a little time occasionally, should be more than doable.
  5. Be more active on both Instagram and Twitter.
  6. Work on both Esty shops to get them up and going a little better.

They’re fairly ambitious goals for the most part, but they’ll keep me going through the year. And they’ll hopefully mean that I’ll get all the things done. Though for the first six months of the year, my main focus is definitely going to be on that first goal. I’m super excited to both work on it but also get it out in the world. We both are. Closer to it’s release, I’ll share a little more details about it.

To keep up with visuals of my progress, be sure to check out my Instagram account! You can find both my Instagram and my Twitter in the left side bar on this blog.

Do you have any goals for the new year? If so, please let me know in the comments below!

Book Review: Rogue Huntress by Thea Atkinson

30 Wednesday Dec 2020

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Author: Thea Atkinson
Publisher: Thea Atkinson
Series: Rogue Huntress Chronicles
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: July 6, 2016
Rating: 4 Stars

Find Rogue Huntress on Goodreads

Brief Synopsis

Shana, an assassin for the Beo pack, has been taken hostage by her foster brother, Caleb, after he kills her father, the alpha. By pack law, Caleb is now the alpha of the pack, but Shana and her brothers are a threat to his leadership and he’ll do what he can to force Shana into submission with the lives of her brothers.

Can Shana fake submission long enough to turn the tables on Caleb and take her pack back? Or will the human mercenary Caleb’s brought in be too much of a distraction that she’ll lose it all?

Review

The book starts off right in the thick of everything. We don’t start before Shana’s capture to get to know any of the characters, but with Shana already captured, trapped in the manor she called home. Caleb, her foster-brother turned captor wants her to submit to him and be his mate, but naturally Shana doesn’t want to mate to the man who had killed her father and put her essentially in a cage, even if her wolf thinks the idea of mating to such a powerful wolf isn’t a terrible idea.

A lot of the backstory about Shana and Caleb comes to us through Shana reflecting back on the past and both who she thought people were coupled with what Shana has gone through to make her the woman she is today. She thinks several times that she’s not sure who this Caleb is, because he wasn’t the man she’d grown up with, trained with, and knew as a brother. Though short of those comments we aren’t ever shown that juxtaposition against the Caleb we see keeping her captor and wanting her to be his. It’s a lot of telling in that respect.

Throughout the book, we’re teased back and forth with Jeb, the human mercenary that helped Caleb take over the pack and had been helping keep Shana captive. He seems cold and calculating, but then there are glimpses where we think we can maybe trust him, that he’ll be there and come through to help Shana take Caleb down and free her pack from his influence.

The worldbuilding that exists is good, because we’re mostly kept at Shana’s manor and the surrounding woods and ravine around it there isn’t too much to have Shana describe or see to us. But the descriptions of the old trees, the roots that in some scenes are large enough for Shana to duck under or around, the bramble bushes with their pricklers are described nicely to be able to visually see what Shana is going through. Even the description of the halls of the large manor as we’re taken through it in the different scenes left me fairly confident I knew about where things were from walking the halls with Shana.

The characters are mostly well thought out. Shana, being the main character feels the most alive, and her inner thoughts, motivations, and drive are well written. She’s very much a well flushed out character. As were the others over all. I don’t know if I’m over thinking it too much, but the only piece of the puzzle I feel like I’m missing is Caleb’s motivation for killing Shana’s father and taking over the pack.

Throughout the book Shana’s telling us that this isn’t the man she grew up with, and yet Jeb mentions at one point that this had been years in the planning. And Caleb didn’t take the pack over by way of the normal trial by combat normally associated with an alpha battle but crept in the shadows and took the wolves he knew he couldn’t beat fairly by deception and blind surprise. It leads well to why some of the pack wouldn’t follow him because it reeks of cowardliness despite the strength Shana’s wolf tells us Caleb has.

While I liked the book over all, it’s the lack of understanding Caleb’s motivation for turning on the people that had welcomed him in as a family for centuries if Shana’s offer of growing up with him is caught correctly is what leaves this more at a four star read. The story does hook you, and I followed it happily. I am also considering picking up the next book to see where Shana goes. However, even after I read it, I still have the serious, but why did he do it, nagging at the back of my head. There were also quite a few noticeable errors in spelling and punctuation being funky that while it didn’t completely pull me out of the story, were distracting.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion. All thoughts are my own, and were not colored for receiving a free copy.

2020 – Looking back at the year

28 Monday Dec 2020

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So 2020 has been quite the year. I’m not going to rehash what all happened, because let’s be honest. Unless you’ve literally been living in a cave since February, you know, and if you have been living in a cave, well, you’re likely not reading this blog.

It brought a lot of change, which while not great in the how it did, change that will hopefully move us better for the future and the coming year. But that’s not why I’m writing this post. This post isn’t about the future, but about looking back at the year from my goals as an author and seeing where exactly I lined up with them. Maybe digging into a little of the why, though I know a big portion of the why already wtihout needing too much reflection on that part.

So let’s remind ourselves of the goals I’d put into motion via a post on this blog back in January:

  1. Publish at least 2 short stories in 2020
  2. Publish one full-length novel in 2020
  3. Read 50 books in 2020
  4. Relaunch jewelry shop
  5. Sticker shop – create and open

Okay, so let’s go through each and every one of these together and see how I did.

1. Publish at least 2 short stories in 2020? Accomplished! I was able to publish two shorts this year, so woo! go me!

Treasure of the Deep follows Kari, a headstrong Princess that loves to explore the ocean floor for treasure. But her heart ends up at risk when she saves a diver from a shark attack.

On the Clock is a super short read that follows an office tryst.

2. Publish one full-length novel, which did not happen. I’ve got it in editing still, though I am hoping to get some headway in it over the week between Christmas and New Years because I have it off from my 9-5 job that has gotten demanding. – Failed

I can say that I didn’t have the time, or that things came up, which feels true in most senses. But part of it has been I’ve been having trouble focusing on words as a whole. There’s not one thing that I can narrow it down to, but I will say that work has stressed me out more and I’ve found more than one night where I was working on things well past 6pm from home because I needed to make sure something gets done by a certain time. Which after the stress is gone has left me literally wanting to sleep more than anything.

Here’s hoping that getting elbows deep into the editing will mean I can get it polished and out by end of January, maybe mid February at the latest.

3. Read 50 books in 2020 – Failed

I’m gonna be completely honest, this is another fail. I haven’t had time to write, and that also leads to haven’t had time to read much. I think I read like three books this year. I’m in the middle of one that I’m finishing for a review coming Wednesday. But mostly, I’ve been using my time for crafts instead of writing or reading because there’s an instant gratification  of having it done like an hour later and it’s been really fun and made me smile.

4. Relaunch the jewelry shop – Accomplished

This one is technically accomplished. The etsy shop is up and running, though I need to dig into some serious work on getting it back to where it was. A lot of that is involving sitting down and doing a hard inventory and cleaning, but I did get the shop up and it has some items listed on it, and we did make one sale for 2020. So I count it as a win!

5. Start a sticker shop – Kind of accomplished?

So this goal kind of changed after a little while. After really working on stickers, I decided that the time it takes to design them, lay them out, cut them, make sure the print and cut is correct, that it’s time I would rather put into trying to write or read or do other crafts that I enjoy a little more. Like, it was a fun experiment. I made stickers for about two months for my self. I use my cricut machine like crazy still for other things.

But trying to keep up with designs for every week and month is a lot of work. Like full time job work. And if I’m going to put that much work into something, I’d much rather put that time and energy into my author stuff.

Now, I know you’re looking at it though and going, but Meri, you marked it as kind of accomplished. Why is that? Because deciding not to start a sticker shop isn’t technically accomplishing that goal, it’s technically more taking it off the table. Well that’s because while I didn’t open a sticker shop, I did open MBenson Creations on Etsy.

My original jewelry shop is fine gemstone jewelry. Real stones in a sterling silver or 14K gold setting.

MBenson Creations is going to be more of a catchall for my non-fine gemstone jewelry stuff. So I have some acrylic pour necklaces up right now. I’m looking to list a few bookmarks I’ve made, as well as some resin keychains I’ve made. Once I finally get books that are large enough to make into books that can be published on demand I can offer signed copies through this Etsy shop as well. A place for all my creative creations to go up on.

I could have listed them all through the same shop technically, but at the same time I personally wanted a difference in branding for the two. So it made sense to separate them.  But because I did actually create a new shop for that stuff, while not a sticker shop, I count it as an accomplished goal because it revolves around the same goal.

So looking back over, I’ve accomplished three out of five goals. Which in the grand scheme of things, is actually fairly good.

I’ve also jotted down new ideas for some shorts or novels depending on where they go once I get to writing them. I’ve started a joint novel with a friend, and she’s determined to push us to get it out by the end of next year, so goals you’ll be seeing in my next post regarding that.

While 2020 has been crazy, it’s also been a somewhat productive year between the 9-5 stress I’ve been handling. So all in all, while it hasn’t been the easiest year to deal with and learning to work at home has been interesting, more in the I’ve learned that I have problems walking away after I’ve technically clocked out and am not getting paid for the work I’m doing now, I’ve made some good strides as a whole.

Hopefully, looking back on your 2020, you’ll find some bright spots among the cloud that’s been hanging out over the year and can find some reasons to smile, take a deep breath, and move toward 2021 with your head held high and your optimism next to you.

The end is coming…

15 Tuesday Dec 2020

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By end, of course I mean the end of the year. We have 17 days left in this calendar year if you count today as well. I’m not even sure where most of it went, if I’m being honest. I feel like it should still be closer to like July or August, not rolling into 2021 shortly.

I didn’t get as much writing, editing, or reading done as I’d hoped to accomplish this year. I always seemed to be doing the, I’ll get to it soon dance and of course, as in most cases when that word is involved, soon never came.

And while the pandemic did keep us at home, keep me working from my desk with my cats, I was still working the job that pays the bills. Something which took an ever increasing time out of my day because while it’s been nice to not have to commute, to snuggle with a fur baby when the day is getting long and frustrating, and I could sleep in just a little more. Because I was moved into a different position at work, one that came with a lot more work, it meant that my balance was thrown off in everything too. Where normally I knew I had time during certain parts of the day, I no longer had them, and where I normally rolled out of work at 5pm, because things needed to get done by certain times, I now found myself rolling out of work closer to 6/6:30pm.

I have been writing. I have a few stories in the fire at the moment that I’m working on. Some shorts, editing my faerie novel, and working on a Norse Mythology based thing with a friend. All things I’m excited for and all things that are slow going as I work out the time to get them done.

Truly, if there were a way to get things straight from my brain and onto paper in a quick, flash motion, that would be fantastic, because I have so much in my head and so little time to get it onto paper. And then of course there’s the issues where occasionally things get lost in translation from my brain to my fingers, which I never understand. If I had it in my brain perfectly before I fell asleep, and my dream of it was vivid, why is it such a pain to get it out onto paper.

And with it being the Holiday time of year, I’m getting gifts and cards and things together. And of course I decided I needed to do home made gifts for my family, which takes what little time I have and blows it up again. But hopefully people will like their gifts and everything.

How is your end of the year going? Are you ready for Christmas? Are you sending gifts to family members? Cards to friends?

Hello September

04 Friday Sep 2020

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Yes, I know that it’s not Monday, and yes I know I missed last week for posting. But September started slightly mid-week and since we’re welcoming September, well, it’s only fair that we start it in September instead of saying hello to September during the last day of August, right? That’s not exactly fair to our dear August as it left us.

Last week was a mix of not posting because it was my birthday and I took a little time off, but also coupled with a small downswing in my mood that threw everything off for most of the week. I’ve since recovered from said downward swing of mood – partially by taking walks around the part to get some fresh are because I think a lot has to do with just being cooped up inside for so long.

My introverted self doesn’t mind being able to work from home and not having to deal with the random issues and questions that slide past my desk back when there was the old normal – a normal I do hope that we get back to soon though I think I heard that the best case if the vaccine works for widespread distribution is like next summer? Because once we find a vaccine, it takes time to make and then get to everyone so we’re able to go back to what we used to know as normal. My go-to when I’m feeling too closed in is outside. Be it the park or Mom and I have really gotten a lot of use out of our Arboretum passes this year. I used to enjoy going to like the outdoor mall to get away but shopping has become very stressful over all so it’s not exactly an escape from the house anymore. But the Arboretum with all the plants, sunshine – and sunscreen I remembered last time and will remember this weekend when we go – and sure there are occasionally people but it’s a large enough area with timed entrances so there’s never too many people in the place wandering around at a time, it’s actually relaxing and helps.

Plus, I get to take some really nice pictures, like the one at the top of this post. Crafting is normally my go-to for relaxing too but writing has been hard, I think partly from the stress of everything going on, and crocheting while it has been fun and I made some cute bees has aggravated my wrist so it’s been hard to work on that as much as I want. And with the heat, my garage where I do my painting hasn’t been friendly either. So all the things are letting me down for stress relief, at least in their own ways.

But September is here, and with it, hopefully, some cooler weather. I say hopefully because the last week or so here in Illinois it’s been record-breaking highs in the 90’s. Which has left me melting and not wanting to do much because ugg too hot.

This weekend Mom and I are headed to the Arboretum again because I wanted to get out. Plus they’re having their annual plant sale, so I’m curious to see what they’ll have that we can buy and bring home. All the pretty fall plants hopefully. I’m also, as of September, started last Tuesday, going to try to do a million words in a year. Not solely novel type words, though that is a large part of why I want to strive for this. But all words, even the words from this blog will count. There’s an authortuber I watch that’s decided to do it and I thought it would be an interesting challenge to try and do along with her. It’s a good motivational goal to try and do. The authortuber in question is Kate Cavanaugh, and you can find her channel here.

For those trying to count it, it’s roughly 83,333 words a month which, thankfully she did the math for in one of her videos. It’s roughly 2,741 words per day if you write every day or, if you’d like to be able to take holidays and weekends off, it’s 3,831 words per workday. Which, as a whole, is a lot more than a NaNoWriMo month, but at the same time counting editing words, blog words, and other words writing past your writing project, it does help to add up a little better, or well, should.

So September word count, all words, goal is 83,333 words. Will I hit that goal? I certainly hope so or this new million words in a year challenge will be off to a really poor start.

I’m also trying to aim to edit and finish my one novel that’s been in editing for a while maybe by the end of this year. So gotta get cracking on that. I did around six chapters of it originally but I think I’m going to do another quick run-through of them because it’s been a while since I even did those. So to finish editing the novel, starting from technically scratch, we’re looking at twelve chapters a month for September, October, and November, and then ten chapters and the epilogue for December.

Overall, I think it’s a do-able goal. Then track down some beta readers to give it a once over, and I think I’ll feed it through my Writer’s Group to get their feedback on it too.

Naturally, I’d also like to get some new original words. I have a few short stories I started that I’d like to finish, edit, and get released as well. Plus new shorts and novellas that are sliding around in my head that want to get out and written. So I think for this year I’m going to try and finish a few that are halfway or more toward completion and then start new things with the new year in January.

So kind of a quarter goal for me right now instead of just a September goals list. But I think over all if I can keep myself moving, it’s an achievable goal.

Wishes and Rainbows

17 Monday Aug 2020

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I could say that I missed last Monday’s blog post because we had a storm! We lost power! All of which is true. About 4pm on Monday last week, a storm rolled in with tornado level winds and knocked my power out within a minute of the storm hitting my area and about five minutes before any actual rain happened. And we were left in the dark until about 10pm, which is luckier than some of the people I know who were without power for up to two days. Overall, the storm lasted maybe an hour and disappeared East rather quickly. But I also can’t deny that the post should have been written before 4pm on Monday as well.

The truth of the matter is that work gets to me and everything else kind of falls to the wayside. Which is not a good thing and I’m working to rectify it but it takes time.

Saturday before my missed Monday I was feeling super caged in with this whole stay at home order, so Mom and I went out to the Arboretum – wearing masks when around people but for the most part not too many people because large tree and plant area with lots of paths to walk and super limited in how many people come in over an hour to ensure limited interaction between visitors.

I was able to get some nice photos while we were there. Which is something that I always love to be able to do. It felt good to get out, spend some time really outside with some nature, and getting some sun. Yes, I can get sun in my backyard but it’s not the same with the neighbors talking on either side, someone playing music and the traffic noise from half a block away because we live off a busy street just an alley away.  There’s something a lot more relaxing about being able to go somewhere that’s quiet and for the most part just you and the trees and the bees.

And Sunday was spent mostly just vegging out to some Stardew Valley – it’s my go to game when I need to just relax and chill and get out of my head because it’s such a chill game.

And then the work week started again, and time just flew by. It seems to be doing that a lot lately. I never really know where the week goes, if I’m being honest. Even when I have enough to show that I’m being productive, it still feels like the day is gone before I really blink, and then it’s the weekend again and I need to try and rest before more work starts again.

I’m looking to really start getting back into writing again. I’ve probably said that before in posts, but I do mean it every time I say it. I want to get back on schedule, to get more words in, and to really get more stuff getting out in the world. Which means continuing to carve out some time to do that every week, and every day of said week.

I’ve also decided to try doing a million words in a year. All words technically. So like, the blog would count toward it, as would any non-fiction words I write – like my dabbling in RP, plus my actual original words.

I have a few plots that have been kicking around my head, begging to be written. And I really want to get my one Fae novel finished so I can get it out in the world. So lots of plans. I also want to see if there’s any way to get myself on like a full schedule – in so far as, have edits done by X, this idea plotted by Y, and first draft finished by Z to get a fairly good pace. I just also don’t want to push myself. The more stress I feel towards something, the more I tend to roll away from it.  Which wouldn’t be good either.

For the right this second, as I type it, it’s all just hand wavy plans. But I’m looking to make good on them all.

How is your August going so far? Can you believe we’re half way through it?

It’s Only May, Right?

03 Monday Aug 2020

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Okay, so the title sounds stupid, but like, I feel like in some ways it shouldn’t be August. I shouldn’t be prepping at work for school to start back up while juggling the continued stay at home stuff while also balancing the idea of having to go back into the office once a week, twice if someone is on vacation. There’s a part of me that feels, because we were stuck inside, and still are to a point, for so long that the year has kind fo whirlwind by.

Work is stressful because while it’s nice to work from home and the commute being from bed to desk and lunch being just rolling to the kitchen where I can cook pretty much anything I want for my meal has taken some of the stress off, in other ways it has added to the stress. Whereas before if I needed a signature today I could hop down to the office and get said signature, now I am dependant on hoping they see my email, open my email, actually read my email, and then digitally sign the paperwork I’ve sent over to them. And only have following up by email to get stuff fixed. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but when someone’s diploma is dependant on that signature, it’s super stressful to get it when it needs being gotten. There’s also the whole international students being able to get here stress. Can they still take their first semester of courses while waiting for their Visa appointments in October… can they still work as TA’s while in their country of origin… how do we pay them if they are in said country of origin since they don’t have the required paperwork that is usually given to them when they arrive here… It’s not easy answers, it’s not easy fixes, and it’s a world of headaches as the days pass by and the first day of classes steadily gets closer.

There’s also the added stress of having to deal with being in public to get basic human needs and all that it entails with keeping distant, wearing masks, making sure even with all that you are careful on how close people get and wondering who has things and who doesn’t and why is that woman coughing by the crackers.

In the beginning of the pandemic, I was crafting. I did resin, I painted, and I even made jewelry out of some of the paint skins that came from the paintings I did.

But stress kind of eats away at people. Or at least me. That and it got super hot out, and painting in a garage with no real air flow isn’t exactly easy, coupled with the town doing work on the street and painting has taking a back burner for the moment. Plus I have necklaces that need to be sold to good homes now. I’d originally, back in April hoped to sell at a couple conventions at the end of this year, beginning of next year but both have been postponed a year in order to hopefully see this pandemic over.

When painting wasn’t a thing I was doing, I read a little though not as much as I’d like. And I haven’t been writing. I think part of it’s just being cooped up inside and all. I donno if I should see if I can go to the Arboretum and find a tree and see if I can get some writing done in the outdoors. The tree picture above is from said Arboretum. My Mom and I went and walked around for the morning out there and I do have to say that it is lovely and quiet. They’re limiting the number of people that come in, and they’re all timed entrances so people will end up more spaced out than normal and so it was actually super peaceful when we went.

I’ve considered going to the park, but I was at the park a couple times the last few months and no one wheres a mask, no one adheres to social distancing, and the runners – I get why the runners don’t wear masks but still – aren’t exactly careful when they go by you for how close or far they are from you. And with living with Mom, it’s just not worth the risk.

I’ve also been doing a little crocheting in my spare time. I’ve made a few bees.

I think they’re super cute. Yes, these are going on my ‘I think I want to sell them’ list, though we’ll see. Ever since my wrist was in a cast, I can’t use it to crochet fast or often anymore so I’ve been slow to make these furry guys up. Granted since it looks like the next convention I’ll be attending is in November of 2021 – so help me if we haven’t gotten through this pandemic by then – I should be able to make up a small stock of them.

Also, I need to really buckle down and write. And edit. And get writer stuff done. The last few weekends, I’ve written about a hundred original words each, but it’s mostly staring at a blank computer screen or staring at a blank notebook page, which also doesn’t help the stress because now it’s like, but why can’t I write, why are the ideas up there in my brain but I can’t find the words to get them down on paper?

This is honestly the first time I’ve felt motivated to do anything social media wise that wasn’t post a photo of something cute, delicious or pretty – seriously my Instagram is getting the most love right now and even that’s few between. I’m working to get back into the posting game. Maybe if I go back to the posting on here and twitter and Instagram, finding a little more balance of normalcy, I can find my words again.

Here’s hoping anyway.

Book Review: A Whisper in the Dark by K.J. Sutton & Jessi Elliott

28 Tuesday Apr 2020

Posted by in New Release, Reviews

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Author: K.J. Sutton & Jessi Elliot
Publisher: K.J. Sutton & Jessi ElliotJessi Elliot
Series: Charlie Travesty
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
Release Date: April 28, 2020
Rating: 4 Stars

Find A Whisper in the Dark on GoodReads

Growing up and being raised in the world of luxury and comfort, Charlotte Travesty doesn’t know the world that awaits her after her Awakening. Everything changes when she blinks open her eyes and faces her new life. A life that doesn’t include a warm bed and no worries.

The world this book takes place in is vivid in it’s descriptions without feeling like there’s too much information just dumped on you. The characters feel real and three dimensional, which is always something I look for in a new series I might want to follow, and I found myself feeling for Charlotte as her world tilted sideways and everything she new disappeared from her life.

The new take on vampires is interesting, especially the cast system that’s introduced and the world the vampires have created in respect to both themselves, the humans and other creatures, and the halflings feels well thought out and planned. And the plot of this story has me waiting for the next installment already.

Keep in mind, this is the first installment of four for a serial which means it does end on a cliff hanger, but because going into it I knew it was a serial this doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

Disclaimer: I did receive an arc of the book in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion. All thoughts are my own and were not colored by receiving the arc.

A Whisper in the Dark is out now!

Amazon | Goodreads | K.J. Sutton | Jessi Elliott

 

Book Review: Twisted Devotion by Jessi Elliot

22 Wednesday Apr 2020

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Author: Jessi Elliot
Publisher: Jessi Elliot
Series: Twisted #4
Genre: New Adult Paranormal Urban Fantasy Romance
Release Date: April 21, 2020
Rating: 5 Stars

Find Twisted Devotion on GoodReads

Warning – There will be Spoilers for Twisted Fate (#1), Twisted Gift (#2), and Twisted Desire (#3). It’s recommended to pick up copies and read those before you continue with this review!

It was really nice to return to Rockdale and the cast of the Twisted series while getting a whole new level of understanding for a few of the side characters from other books.

While the war between the human and the Fae is over and The Experiment has been ended, there is still a lot of healing and settling to be done in the Fae world. And with the science that the humans have created that allow a Fae to be turned human, there’s a world of possibility left open to Fae who may not want to live for eternity.

Lucky for them Jackson Hawthorne is ensuring that those who might want to become human again have that choice should they want to take it – after being told the full extent of the risks that come with the procedure. But even knowing full well how things might fall, that a Fae might not survive turning human, surviving family members don’t stop from threatening him and his life in the face of their loss.

Which is why Kelsey Young is tasked with keeping him safe. Offered substantial compensation to keep Jackson alive as his personal bodyguard, Kelsey puts her plans to leave Rockdale in the rearview on hold to protect the arrogantly charismatic entrepreneur.

The ups and downs as Kelsey and Jackson spend several months together throughout the book keep the book moving. We learn a lot more about Kelsey’s past, how that has affected her now and why she really just can’t stay in Rockdale. And the budding romance between Jackson and Kelsey is a sweet contrast to the heat that they have between each other fro the moment he greets her at the door of his rather large home.

While this book focused on Kelsey and Jackson, it was great to be able to see the cast from the first three books weaved throughout to not just bring more life to this wonderful world that Jessi’s created, but also give us sneak peeks as to how they’re doing without taking over the story to do so. The world lives, breaths, and is this magically vibrant place that I would love to visit whenever Jessi wants to invite us back to it. The characters are just as strong developmentally as they were in the last three books, and my heart is all the warmer for reading Kelsey and Jackson’s journey.

Disclaimer: I did receive an arc of the book in exchange for my honest, unbiased opinion. All thoughts are my own and were not colored by receiving the arc.

Remember to find Twisted Devotion on GoodReads

Official Synopsis

Being responsible for the survival of someone you loathe really dwindles all hope for a fresh start.

Kelsey Young is ready to leave Rockdale—and the darkest parts of her life—in the past. After barely escaping the massacre of her foster family and taking down the evil behind The Experiment, she wants nothing more than to relocate and start over.

That is, until the fae leaders offer a reward too good to refuse, derailing her plans in the process. Kelsey agrees to put her future on hold to protect an arrogant creature with far too much charisma for his—or her—own good.

While she’s no stranger to the rumors of Jackson Hawthorne, she is new to his charm. And soon, she finds it nearly impossible to resist—especially when he makes no effort to hide his blatant desire for her.

Tensions run high as Jackson’s well-being is threatened by angry fae and humans alike with a mission to destroy his business—and him.

But temptations run even higher after Kelsey swears to safeguard his life—even on the days she wants to kill him herself. And what about his heart—or hers? When they find common ground in new territory, lines blur, defenses crumble, and devotion begins to outweigh duty.

Available Now!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Signed Paperback | Google Play

Get the rest of the Series

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Signed Paperbacks | Google Play

About the Author


Jessi Elliott is a law clerk and author of both young adult and new adult romantic fiction. Her love of writing was born after many years of reading and reviewing books on her blog.

She lives in Southwestern Ontario with her adorable cat, Phoebe. Yes, named after the Friends character.

When she’s not plotting her next writing project, she likes to spend her time hanging with friends and family, getting lost in a steamy romance novel, watching Friends, and drinking coffee.

You can find Jessi at www.jessielliott.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can join her newsletter to stay up to date on book news and upcoming releases.

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