Posts

To e-reader or not to e-reader?

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 I am considering an e-reader, so naturally, I decided to blog my research on whether I should get one or not. Easy blog topic and it'll benefit anyone debating the same thing. Let's get into it.  Courtesy of bestereaderreview.org For reference, I don't think you can get a Kobo e-reader and a Kindle e-reader in the same e-reader device. They are brands competing, thus it makes sense they'd make Kindle tablets so they won't play your Kobo books. Not fun. Not helpful. Can't Kobo and Kindle just be friends? The short answer is only on your laptop and phone. Not on anything else, as far as I know.  The reason I am looking for an e-reader is eye strain. I want to enjoy my Maggie Sullivan mysteries without getting tired of staring at a laptop screen or phone screen. All the same, I know that if I wanted to get an e-reader the Kobo and Kindle books aren't friends. It means I might have to get two if I wanted both. The real decision might be deciding on a Kobo or a ...

suspense, mystery, and spy novel suggestions

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Today I'm going to be suggesting my favorite mystery and spy novels. Here's to the suspense junkies! Let's get started.  These book suggestions are my favorites. I read these all year long. I love them. If you do not, that is okay. If you share my opinion, great. Any suggestions for other mystery and spy series I might like can absolutely go in the comments.  I can't wait to read your suggestions! James Bond James Bond, the beloved 007 that's inspired so many films, was originally written by Ian Fleming and was then continued by other authors. The books haven't stopped. We could make many more films and not run out of material. It isn't a stretch to say the films may not stop, either.  Courtesy of technadu.com Why do I love it? The action, the adventure, and the plot twists. If you do the character of Bond correctly he should be a very scarred (inside and out) man. He should be intense, too. Daniel Craig is probably the closest I've seen. If we combined ...

light reading suggestions

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Today's topic is light reading. My suggestions for a light, summer/fall read are here. I saw how well the last post about book suggestions went and decided to suggest more series and standalones for you. Enjoy! The topic at hand was chosen because the book suggestions seem to do well. If you have light book suggestions put them in the comments and I might check them out. Meanwhile, let's talk light reading.  Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Nancy Drew mystery books go all the way back to 1930 and haven't stopped. There are several series of them, including the classics (175 books approximately), Nancy Drew Girl Detective (approximately 47 books), The Supermysteries that have Nancy paired with the Hardy boys (6 girl detective-based ones, and 36 from the 1980s/1990s), The Nancy Drew Files (124 books), graphic novels, and the handful of mostly kid-focused Nancy Drew mysteries (Nancy Drew Notebooks, Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew). I excluded Nancy Drew On Campus as a series on this list be...

BookTubers 101

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 I have gotten into watching BookTubers (people who focus entirely on book-related content) on YouTube. I have taken on some of their lingo and challenges as time has gone on. Some of their terminology will leak into my blog posts, thus I find it a great idea to inform you of what their lingo is and what their reading challenges actually are.  BookTubers are YouTubers who focus entirely on books in their content. They review hyped-up books, do reading challenges, talk about what they've read, talk about unhinged books they've endured for the sake of making content, and generally just talk about books. Fun, right? I like it.  What might leak into my blog content is their lingo. Today we talk about what the reading challenges are and what their terminology means (for those of you who don't watch people talk about books in your spare time). I'll also put some videos of BookTubers I enjoy in the post itself.  What you'll see BookTubers post most often are reviews, TBR i...

Wrenville is on Kobo!

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 I have another announcement to make. Wrenville is on Kobo now! Kobo is an ebook and audiobook service, much like Kindle. It is simply a variation. Having Wrenville and all my future books on Kindle and Kobo gives me a better chance as an author.  To find my ebook  go to this link.  I am beyond excited to announce this to all of my blog readers. Thank you for being my village as I promote my book. I can't do this without you. Please go check it out. Tell your friends. Share this post out to your personal tribe. I can't wait to see how this goes.  Never heard of my book? Let me introduce you to it. Wrenville is a standalone suspense novel about a private investigator named Jack Thomas. He is running from a previous case (involving assassins) in the small town of Wrenville, Illinois. Can he hide from his previous case or is it going to catch up? Find out by picking up my book today.  Wrenville is currently available in Kobo, Kindle, Hardcover, and paperback....

men writing women - some help for male writers

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 For fun, I am going to address men miswriting women. And I'll talk about how not to do this. I will also be doing the flipside of this eventually (women miswriting men). Let's get into it.  I'm going to begin by showing you a video I find absolutely hilarious. It is women writing men. Buckle in, ladies and gents. Get ready to fall off your couch laughing.  Today's discussion is on how to actually write the female human. We're going to start with mistakes to avoid. We'll also discuss the sexism. If you have read (Ian Fleming or otherwise) men writing a female character as if they were fantasizing you understand. I do love James Bond books, but simply put, I'd like to shake Fleming for writing the phrase "silly b*tch" in a book. Do I still love James Bond books and collect them? Yes, but that's because they are otherwise great books you should pick up at least once. Fortunately, only Fleming is sexist. The other authors drop the sexist tone pret...

Hardback cover for Wrenville is available!

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 Today is a joyous day! The hardcover edition of Wrenville has arrived at the party. I am here to tell you all about it.  In case you were wondering what the new cover looked like, this is it. You are no longer left in suspense (not that I left anyone in suspense, really). I decided to do this because it needed to be done. It was crying out to be done. I changed the ebook to this cover and released the hardcover edition with the alternate cover you see before you. I can't wait to see how this shakes out! Can you still buy the original paperback cover? Sure, you can buy the paperback version. I'm leaving that cover as it is so any collectors who want all the covers can have that one, too. There are also people like me who don't care as much about the cover as they do about the story inside it.  Where can I get the hardcover edition? That's easy,  just go to Amazon at this link.  It'll take you directly to the hardcover edition of the book. Obviously, this post wi...