K.J. Chapman's Blog, page 6
May 29, 2023
Book Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Review: Juliette can kill by touch alone. The Reestablishment threw her in an asylum to contain her, now they need her to be their monster as the world falls apart. Only, Juliette doesn’t want to be a monster. Juliette hates everything they stand for.
Wow! I love Mafi’s writing style and prose. I loved the strike through sentences and the way they give real depth to Juliette’s inner monologue.
A dystopian with a healthy dose of romance is always a win for me. Adam and Juliette are a couple to root for, and I am looking forward to continue on the series.
The opinions expressed here are those of K.J. Chapman and no other parties. All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman. K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review.
Content belongs to KJ Chapman
May 20, 2023
Book Review: The Eve Illusion by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher
The Eve Illusion by Giovanna and Tom Fletcher
Review: Eve is free… or is she? Are you free if you have to cower, hide, and still answer to others? I like that Eve grew into herself and had some back bone in this book.
I enjoyed the world building in this one, building on what we were offered in book one. The sci-fi element was on point, and I was more than happy with the plot twist. I saw the revelation at the very end coming from a mile away, though.
I felt the second half of the book was where I got fully invested and the narrative ramped up a notch. The added POV in this book was needed, and I’m glad we got to know Michael more.
The opinions expressed here are those of K.J. Chapman and no other parties. All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman. K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review.
Content belongs to KJ Chapman
May 16, 2023
Who’s Telling This Story?
The title sums up my current WIP perfectly. I am more of a pantser than a plotter, so sometimes (all.the.time), my MC leads the narrative. They can be very bossy, you know .
I do like to try and find balance between character driven narrative and plot driven in my books, but I am a sucker for character development when writing and reading.
Pros for Character Driven NarrativeIt allows for more rounded character development and realistic/ believable narrative development based on the characters reactions to a given situation.Helps develop strong character voice.Can allow the writer more space to be creative than with a rigid plot-driven narrative.Cons for Character Driven NarrativeYou don’t have a firm narrative goal to work with and can end up with plot holes or writing yourself into a corner.The focus tends to be on the characters inner conflict rather than external ones to a certain degree.Compelling plot can sometimes fall by the wayside if focussing solely on character arc.Are your stories character driven or plot driven? Do you prefer reading well developed characters and believable reactions, or do you prefer the focus to be the plot?
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May 3, 2023
Thrown to The Blue is FREE!
One of my most asked about books is Thrown to The Blue! I’m super super proud of this one and how well it has been received. I’m glad to finally tell you it’s on free promotion for a limited time.
Get you free copy of Thrown to The Blue from Amazon Kindle. This offer lasts until the 7th.
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April 30, 2023
April Update 2023
How is everyone? Did anyone else feel like April flew by and kind of left you behind?
My 20k word count goal was a little ambitious it seems. I wasn’t far off, but I think, going forward, target word counts are not for me.
Here’s a teaser from this month…
Did you catch my post on pen names? You can check it out here:
I hope you grabbed a free copy of Zombie Playlist this month? Happy reading! A review on Amazon and Goodreads is always appreciated.
ReadingI had planned to review two books this month, but only finished reading the one. It was a corker of a read, though.
What’s Next?I plan to focus on writing sprints in May. I will keep you updated via my Instagram account.
I should have 2 book reviews for you this coming month. Once again, you can find my current reads on Instagram.
With all my fingers and toes crossed, I hope to be able to do a title reveal for my WIP. More on that soon.
Finally, don’t forget to watch out for my free book promo on May 3rd.
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April 20, 2023
Book Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Review: You can’t go wrong with a dark and twisted faerie world, woven with romance, lies, betrayal, and mortality.
Jude is a strong MC, and out to prove herself powerful to the fae. As a human, and subsequently looked down upon by her fae peers despite being the ward of the High King’s General, she finds herself embroiled in a throne war.
Will the enemies to lovers trope be elaborated on in book 2?… we shall see.
The opinions expressed here are those of K.J. Chapman and no other parties. All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman. K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review.
Content belongs to KJ Chapman
April 13, 2023
Let’s Talk Pen Names
Let’s Talk Pen NamesI have a pen name. It’s not very original and includes my maiden name, but I don’t write under my actual, legal name. I know authors who totally reinvent their persona and a pen name to match. Why do this, I hear you cry?
There are many reasons why someone would chose to publish under a pen name, such as privacy, to have a more interesting author name, and to create a brand.
There are also many authors who use pseudonyms when they choose to write in different genres, and I find it a great idea when you already have a loyal fan base for a certain genre. JK Rowling is also Robert Galbraith, Nora Roberts is also J.D Robb. Stephen King also wrote under the pen name Richard Bachman. Apparently, he did this because in the 1970s and 80s, authors were expected to only publish one book a year to not saturate the market.
There are, however, some cons to using a pen name. If you want total anonymity, a pen name doesn’t guarantee that. But on the reverse, promoting a book whilst hiding your identity can be really difficult. Also, you need to make sure of the legalities around your chosen pen name.
Do you have a pen name. What was your main motivation for choosing your pseudonym?
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April 2, 2023
Zombie Playlist is FREE!
Are you a zombie fiction fan, or fancy dipping your toe into a bit of gore and humour with a sarcastic bitch of a main character? Then this freebie is for you.
Get you free copy of Zombie Playlist from Amazon Kindle. This offer lasts until the 7th.
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March 31, 2023
March Update 2023
March felt like a hectic month for me. How about you? I was much more productive than previous months *fist pump*, but I’m in need of a rest.
If you follow me on social media you will know that timeline issues were plaguing my draft. It got to the point of me re-drafting 27 chapters before I could continue on with the narrative.
I’m happy to say that I am at a good place with the redraft, and doing it actually changed the plot for the better.
Word counts weren’t really a thing for me this month because it was more about sorting the timeline issues.
Here’s another teaser…
Did you see my cover reveal post for my writing prompts book? That was another March goal ticked off my list. You can check it out here.
I hope you grabbed your copy of EVO Ghost this month? All three books in the EVO trilogy have now been on free promotion this year. If you downloaded them all, I hope you enjoy them!
ReadingI reviewed one book this month. It was one of those months where I had to make time to read because life took over. I was happy that I finished the one novel, to be honest.
Big AchievementLast month, I said I had planned to get my books – even the novellas – in paperback this month. I well and truly smashed that goal!! It consumed my month, and I think I went cross eyed from formatting multiple times, but I’m happy to say you can grab paperback copies of all my books from Amazon!
My goals for April are a little less taxing. I plan to continue to work on my current WIP. I’d say 20k words is a doable goal.
I also plan on reading at least 2 books. I have some corkers in my to be read pile! Watch this space for reviews.
Don’t forget to watch out for my free book promo on April 3rd.
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March 26, 2023
Book Review: Icebreaker by Hannah Grace
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace 
Review: This was a ‘bookstagram made me buy it’ book for me. I was seeing rave reviews everywhere, and wanted in on the action. Boy was there action… , but also a healthy dose of romance.
If you like romances that don’t skimp (if you know what I mean), then this is for you. I’m not blushing, you are blushing!
Nate is the perfect match for Stassie, she just doesn’t realise it straight away. There are many well-loved tropes in this book: enemies to lovers, college romance, opposites attract… So, if you enjoy a good trope, then try this read.
The opinions expressed here are those of K.J. Chapman and no other parties. All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman. K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review.
Content belongs to KJ Chapman
