Natalina Reis's Blog, page 15

Coming Up Roses – Review

Coming Up Roses – A Cozy Mystery (with dragons): A Beaufort Scales Mystery, Book 6 by Kim M. Watt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I stumbled on this series a while back and I can’t tell you how happy I am I did. Just like all the other books in the series, this one did not disappoint.

What a concept! Cozy mystery with dragons (and talking cats). Readers like me that love many different genres will absolutely be enchanted by this series. It has mystery (always a good one with many surprises), lots of humor (the chases in this book had me laugh out loud), amazing characters from the ladies of the Womens Institute to the dragons (each one with their own personality from the cranky elder to the rebel young dragon), the police detectives of Toot Hansel, Rose’s bickering “boy toys”, and of course the talking dragons.

Oh and for those of us who have a sweet tooth, the author always ends her books with a collection of tried and tested baking recipes. I have tried a couple of them and just like the stories, they sure do not disappoint.

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Operation Get-Smart

A writer friend pointed out that everything sounds better if you turn it into a snazzy non-military maneuver (thanks Sam) and isn’t that the truth? LOL

This particular “operation” refers to my one and only New Year’s resolution, to get smart (and I’m not talking about the goofy spy of the 60s) and take much better care of myself.

The last two years have been crazy pretty much for everyone in this blue planet of ours. I actually was cocky enough (or delusional, not sure which) to believe I was left unscathed by the madness of the last two years. I was so wrong!

I might have thought I was handling it well because of an epically bad year at work when the pandemic hit. At the time, I worked with some very toxic people who made the school year so unbearable I was actually happy when the pandemic closed our schools, and I had to teach from home with improvised tech support and materials. It was a relief not to have to go to work and deal with people who single purpose in life seemed to be to make mine as difficult as humanly possible. I couldn’t understand why my friends and colleagues were so stressed about teaching from home.

I was fine.

In fact, I was better than fine.

In that second half of 2019 I was super productive. Not only did I work even longer hours than before, teaching my students (the few that were able to get online), but my creativity was at its best. You know the old saying, necessity is the mother of invention. I needed to be creative in order to successfully teach my students, and thanks to some fabulous collaborators (thank you Keshia and Karen), I think I succeeded. My lessons were great and creativity begets more creativity, right?

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That year I wrote like a fiend. Stories just poured out of my head and into the keyboard of my laptop almost effortlessly. When there were no masks to be found, I came up with creative ways of making my own with materials I had around the house. I was on fire!

I spent that summer taking classes to master the new platform we were going to use for teaching in the 2019-2021 school year. I was excited about it as I prepared lessons and turned my home office into a virtual classroom. Except I ended up being one of only three teachers (me, my fabulous co-teacher and friend, Jessica and one of the special education teachers) who would be in person with a handful of children while concurrently teaching the rest of the students online. I’m a ESL specialist which means I normally have anywhere between 30 and 45 students.

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That year I had an average of about six in-person and close to thirty virtual students. It was crazy but between my co-teacher and me we were able to master enough creativity to make it work as we wrangled different schedules (we had first, second and fourth graders in our in-person group all with different schedules and curriculum), different languages, and different abilities while still coteaching virtually with the classroom teachers (I collaborated with three of them) and teaching small groups throughout the day. All of this while wearing a restrictive N95 mask that made me look like a duck (comedy relief really, lol). I’m getting a headache just remembering it. I don’t know how we did it, but we did! Coffee had a lot to do with it, methinks.

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I also published five books. Yes, you heard me correctly. Five books. If you’re not an author you might not realize all that goes into publishing, be it by a publishing house or self-publishing. There are never-ending edits, marketing, rewrites, cover art searches, online events, you name it. Hours and hours of brain-exhausting work.

I didn’t even notice it at first but my writing gradually slowed down which eventually made me stress. I had to write, I had to publish books. In the publishing world today it’s extremely hard to be noticed and way too easy to be forgotten. Writers feel the need to publish book after book in order to stay “fresh” in reader’s minds. I wasn’t immune to that fever. Every class I took on the business of writing taught the same, “Write more, publish rapidly, don’t let the readers forget you.”

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My writing slowed to a crawl. The more I stressed about writing, the less my muse spoke to me. Writing had always been my therapy, my escape, the one thing that made me happy. Now, that was as good as gone. I spent most of the day staring blankly at the screen, anxiety growing inside me and threatening to explode.

My other wake-up call was when I noticed I had such large holes in my memory they made the craters in the moon look like potholes. I began misplacing things, forgetting names, forgetting appointments, deadlines… I even forgot to edit one of my upcoming books.

The kicker was when this woman who never naps almost fell asleep while teaching. I mean, while I was talking to the students. That really scared me and made me reevaluate the way I’ve been dealing with life in general. Something has to change.

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So, back to the beginning of this very long blog (sorry about that. Just be glad I left the part about my son’s mental health crisis and COVID outbreak in my house out). I have made ONE resolution and that is I have to slow down.

A lot.

I want to be able to enjoy my writing again without stressing about whether or not I will publish enough so the very few people who know my books will buy the next one. I have to stop trying so hard to get followers in my social media accounts and then keep up with trends.

I am old. I started my authorship very late in life and I cannot escape the reality that my energy level is not the same that it was when I was thirty years old, that my brain and my body get tired easier now than they did ten years ago, that I’m on the last stretch of my lifespan and that I need to enjoy it and not live these years in a constant state of stress and anxiety.

I need to be good to myself.

So stick around. I’m hoping to post here about my progress in this new year’s operation. Wish me luck and have an amazing, relaxing and satisfying 2022.

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The Love Hypothesis-Book Review

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book kind of renewed my faith and love of romance. It was well written, funny (and yes, it required some level of suspension of reality, but that’s the fun of fiction, right?), romantic and smart. I kept expecting for something bad because of a few reviews I had read about the book but was excited to find out I had nothing to fear. Flawless storytelling, great character development (even with the male protagonist despite what I had read in some reviews), the funniest awkward moments, and a great ending. Love it and highly recommend it to anyone who truly loves romance (not just the “in the sack” parts–which were hot by the way but thankfully sparse). My favorite part was the serious issues it touched on under the humor. Great side kicks also. And I do love an underdog protagonist…

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Cover of the Month

They say not to judge a book by its cover but I need you to do just that. If you liked the cover of my book, Kiss of the Swan, please vote for it for the Cover of the Month contest on AllAuthor.com!

I’m getting closer to clinch the “Cover of the Month” contest on AllAuthor! I’d need as much support from you guys. Please take a short moment to vote for my book cover here:
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Gild-A Review

Gild by Raven Kennedy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I almost didn’t finish this book. The first few chapters were painful to read, not only because of the main character’s situation as basically a caged pet but also because of her attitude toward it. She was so comfortable with the fact she was little more than an animal for the man she loved and accepted his deviant inclinations as nothing to fret about that I cringed at every page for the first few chapters. The book starts with an orgy that the main character is made to watch. Even now, after reading the rest of the book, I still feel that scene was unnecessary–or at least how long and detailed it was. The other thing that made me almost give up on it was the language and the frequent use of the word c***. Profanity is great to emphasize certain character traits or situations but when used too much it loses its power and becomes, well, cringeworthy. That’s, of course, just my opinion.
Another reader convinced me to continue to read it, and I’m glad I did because the story is fantastic and full of surprises. After the first few chapters, the character begins to change and rebel against her situation even if not fully and the plot thickens. I’m definitely reading the second in the series. Caution: there is a detailed rape scene that is very hard to read (or listen to, which was my case). Not a book for the faint of heart.

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River City Chronicles

J. Scott Coatsworth’s LGBTQ+ magical realism “circle of friends” book The River City Chronicles is out in audiobook format! And there’s a giveaway.

Everyone in the River City has a secret, and sooner or later secrets always come out.

A group of strangers meets at Ragazzi, an Italian restaurant, for a cooking lesson that will change them all. They quickly become intertwined in each other’s lives, and a bit of magic touches each of them.

Meet Dave, the consultant who lost his partner; Matteo and Diego, the couple who runs the restaurant; recently widowed Carmelina; Marcos, a web designer getting too old for hook-ups; Ben, a trans author writing the Great American Novel; teenager Marissa, kicked out for being bi; and Sam and Brad, a May-September couple who would never have gotten together without a little magic of their own.

Amazon Audiobook | Amazon Kindle | Amazon Paperback | Amazon Hardcover | Amazon Large Print | Amazon Dual Language eBook | Amazon Dual Language Paperback | Amazon Italian Language eBook | iBooks Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Payhip | Scribd | Thalia | Vivlio | QueeRomance Ink | Publisher | Goodreads

Giveaway

Scott is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card with this tour.

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Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47211/?

Excerpt

UNIQUE EXCERPT

Chapter 9: Sparkle

Brad Weston closed his office door and sat down, thinking about Meghan, the transgender kid who’d just left. So many queer kids were still kicked out of their homes for coming out. Increased visibility was a double-edged sword. The Laverne Coxs and Caitlyn Jenners of the world had inspired so many to speak their truth, a truth some parents just weren’t ready to hear.

His office was a far cry from his last one at the State Capitol, working for a Republican senator, smaller but cozier. He’d left it a year earlier, after he’d come upon a strange medallion that had allowed him see what people around him really thought, and it hadn’t been pretty. This office was warmer and filled with books.

The Sacramento LGBT Community Center was small, located in an old two-story Victorian at 20th and L streets, a block from the heart of gay Sacramento.

Every day, rain or shine, he rode his bike here from his home off R Street. He’d never regretted leaving politics, not even for a moment. Here he could touch actual lives.

Someone knocked. “Come in,” he said. Devon, the front desk volunteer, popped his head in. “Someone to see you,” the young man said. “Says his name is Marcos Ramirez?”

Brad smiled. “He’s our webmaster. Send him on in. You can leave the door open.” He tidied up his desk. He had a thing about organization.

He wondered what Marcos wanted. He hadn’t needed to call the web designer in months. Marcos entered the office, smiling. “Hey, Brad, how are you?”

“Good. Can’t complain. Yourself?” They hugged, and Brad gestured for Marcos to sit.

“The last week has had its moments.”

“How is… Tony?”

Marcos shrugged. “We broke up two weeks ago.”

“Ah.” Marcos was a bit of a Casanova, never managing to make it work with one guy for more than a month or two. He wondered who had broken the poor guy’s heart. “So what brings you in? Is there a problem with the site?”

Marco shook his head. “Actually, I need a favor.”

“Sure. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m great. Look, I took this cooking class on Sunday. It was just something I kinda fell into, but it was pretty great.”

“I never thought of you—”

A train rumbled by outside. One of the reasons the rent was cheap. He waited until the noise subsided.

“—as much of a chef.”

“Seriously. Anyhow, I met this girl there—”

Brad laughed. “That must be a first.”

“Funny. Anyhow, she was a cute little thing… Maybe seventeen? Spiky blonde hair. Marissa.”

Brad stared at Marcos. “You’re not asking me to divulge private client information, are you? You know I can’t.”

Marcos nodded. “I know. But she was kicked out of her parents’ house and has had a rough time of it. And something happened in the class. It was like she came alive. But I’m afraid she’s not going to come back.”

“I’m sorry, Marcos… I just can’t help you.”

“I just want to know where I might find her.” Marcos touched his arm, and the air sparkled.

Brad blinked to clear his eyes. “Why do you care about this so much?”

Marcos broke contact. “I don’t know. There’s just something about her. I was thrown out too when I was a kid.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“It was tough. I just thought if I could help her…”

“It would be like helping your younger self.”

“Yeah. I guess it’s stupid, huh? Sorry for wasting your time.” Marcos stood to go.

“Wait.” He opened his filing cabinet and pulled out Marissa’s file. “These files are private. I can’t share the information with you. I just want to be clear.”

Marcos looked confused. “Yeah, I got that.”

“I think I need a coffee. I’m going to make a run to The Everyday Grind. I’ll be gone for about ten minutes.”

Marcos smiled. He stood and gave Brad another hug. “I understand.”

Brad left the Center, enjoying the beautiful late September day. He ordered his usual decaf latte and returned to his office, feeling better.

When he got back, Marcos was gone and the file was where he’d left it on the desk. More or less.

* * *

Brad put his Schwinn under the stairs in their small but well-manicured backyard and climbed upstairs, hoping Sam had dinner ready. They cooked at home a lot lately—his salary at the Center didn’t pay much, and Sam was still working to get his career off the ground. His first book, Read between the Lines, was due out next month. The advance had been decent, but they had to be careful.

He found Sam in the kitchen. “Hey, handsome,” he said, putting his arms around the younger man’s waist and kissing Sam’s neck.

Sam turned to kiss him back. “Making tacos tonight. Mom’s recipe.”

“Sounds good.” Brad went to hang his jacket in the coat closet by the front door. “Marcos came in today.”

“The web design guy?”

“Yes, him. He wanted to contact one of the Center kids. Hey, can I help?”

“Sure,” Sam said. “Chop those green onions, please. What did you do?”

Brad began chopping. “That’s the weird thing. I told him I couldn’t help him. Confidentiality and all. Then he touched my arm.”

“Oooh, should I be jealous?”

“Of this old thing?” Brad laughed. “No, it wasn’t like that. But I felt like I needed to help him. So I left the file for him to look at and left for a coffee.”

Sam set aside the frying pan and turned to face him. The smell of caramelizing onions filled the air. “Is Marcos a good guy?”

“Yeah.” He laughed “Bit of a slut, but a good guy.”

Sam chuckled. “Then you did the right thing.” He gave Brad a hug, and Brad nodded.

“Now let’s get dinner finished. I plan to reward you for your good deeds later.”

Brad grinned and resumed chopping with renewed vigor.

Author Bio

Scott lives with his husband Mark in a little yellow bungalow with two pink flamingoes in Sacramento. He inhabits the space between the here and now and the what could be. Indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine, he devoured her library. But as he grew up, he wondered where the people like him were.

He decided it was time to create the kinds of stories he couldn’t find at Waldenbooks. If there weren’t queer characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.

His friends say Scott’s brain works a little differently – he sees relationships between things that others miss, and gets more done in a day than most folks manage in a week. He seeks to transform traditional sci fi, fantasy, and contemporary worlds into something unexpected.

A Rainbow Award winning author, he runs Queer Sci Fi, QueeRomance Ink, and Other Worlds Ink with Mark, sites that bring queer people together to promote and celebrate fiction reflecting their own reality. Scott is a full member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).

Author Website

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Bookbub

Gods & Monsters – A Review

Gods & Monsters by Shelby Mahurin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this series and this last book was not any different. It is definitely a page-turner. I particularly liked the group of unlikely friendships that are developed through the series and culminate in this last book. And Ansel… no spoilers but oh-my-heart! Highly recommend it.

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Blood Bound-Cover Reveal

Courtney Maguire has a new MM paranormal historical romance out, and we have the cover reveal: Blood Bound. And there’s a giveaway!

Two hundred years can strain even the seemingly eternal love of the youkai.

When Hideyoshi’s coldness drives them apart, Hiro finds comfort in his friendship with Takanori, a vociferous human man he met at a ramen shop and can’t seem to keep away from.. Everything Hiro had to fight for from Hideyoshi, Takanori gives freely, making it all too easy to turn away from his responsibilities–and Hideyoshi–in favor of something sweeter.

But while Hiro is off playing human, danger is brewing among the Youkai. Hideyoshi, still reeling from his breakup with Hiro, struggles to uphold the promise they made to the Hunter leader, Kyo, but the Youkai’s loyalty has been challenged by Hiro’s abrupt disappearance. With Hunters literally banging at the door, Hide must find a way to bring Hiro home or risk igniting the war they’ve spent the last two hundred years trying to prevent.

Warning: graphic violence, terminal illness, depictions of grief and depression/mental illness, suicidal actions

Publisher | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

Giveaway

Courtney is giving away an eBook copy of book two, Blood Pact, with this tour:

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Author Bio

Courtney Maguire is a University of Texas graduate from Corpus Christi, Texas. Drawn to Austin by a voracious appetite for music, she spent most of her young adult life in dark, divey venues nursing a love for the sublimely weird. A self-proclaimed fangirl with a press pass, she combined her love of music and writing as the primary contributor for Japanese music and culture blog, Project: Lixx, interviewing Japanese rock and roll icons and providing live event coverage for appearances across the country.

Author Website: https://www.courtneymaguirewrites.com/

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://www.facebook.com/CourtneyMaguireWrites

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/PretentiousAho

Author Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymaguirewrites/

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19774498.Courtney_Maguire

Author QueerRomance Ink: https://www.queeromanceink.com/mbm-book-author/courtney-maguire/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B082S34S7W

Tears of a Writer

I needed another social media page like I need a hole in the head, but I was curious about all the fuss so I joined TikTok. I’ve only posted maybe four videos and they are nothing to brag about and there is a very strong possibility I won’t do much more than that. However, I got to say, if you are discriminate about what you follow and watch on TikTok there are some true jewels among the trash. But that’s a subject for another blog because this one is all about the tears of a writer.

What does that have anything to do with TikTok, you ask? Well, it all started when I was browsing through the very funny and sometimes compelling videos of teachers, comedians and yes, writers. A post by a writer I “know” from a local association really hit the spot; it brought tears to my eyes and a familiar sadness and frustration to my heart.

This author writes rom com/women’s fiction and she had had a new release that day. Like all of us who write to publish–be that Indie or traditionally published–a new release is always a big deal. This is the day that normally sells the most and that signals the success of the book or lack thereof. That’s why most of us make a big deal about it and work like crazed people to have an awesome release. However, the reality for some of us is that no matter how much work and money we invest on our books, release day is often a crushing disappointment.

She had published her 17th or 18th book (can’t recall which) and like any other author she checked her sales and KU page reads throughout the whole day, bright eyed and hopeful that this would be The Book. You know, the one that will validate all the years of working your butt off and spending a ton of money. The one that will prove you were not crazy to think of yourself as a marketable author.

But then it happened! Only one book sold and a little over one hundred pages were read. She was crushed and posted a heartfelt video about it on TikTok. It resonated with me because this has been my norm. Since May I have published two books. The first one sold maybe seven books within the first week of release and received two or three reviews. The second sold even less and got zero reviews. I don’t claim to be the best writer in the world but I tell a good story. Most people who actually read my books enjoy them. They all have great covers, they are well edited and formatted and yet, very few people pick them up even when they are discounted to close to nothing. I had great hopes for my last book. It has an amazing cover, a beautiful interior, and it tells a magical story of love against evil. The sales were worse than dismal. It’s disheartening and makes me wonder whether I have been a total fool for the past few years as I run home from an exhausting day at school teaching small children, to go sit with my laptop and work for another five or six hours writing, editing, marketing, networking, and losing sleep over it.

What do I have to do to make my work visible? I’ve tried everything I can think of and afford (sometimes even things I shouldn’t have spent money on), I’ve reached out to other writers, I’ve taken classes after classes about marketing… nothing seems to work for me. In fact, even the simple act of asking other writers and bloggers to share my new release posts often fall flat. I have a handful of wonderful people who support me all the way, but not nearly as many as I see supporting others. I know it’s something I’m doing wrong but I don’t know what it is. It makes you feel very alone. It makes you feel stupid and worthless. It makes you want to quit.

But like the author on TikTok I won’t quit because I love writing too much. I have wanted to be a published author since I learned how to write and no heartache is going to make me give up on the dream. However I have been distant, my social media posts have shrunk to just a few and even those I have posted are not my usual quality posts, just something to fill the empty space. I have another new release coming soon and I’ve been half-ignoring it because I can do without more disappointment.

I haven’t really written for the past couple weeks because my brain keeps telling me it’s a futile exercise, a folly. I miss it. I miss the excitement of creating worlds and characters with my imagination, of escaping this world and this reality to one of my own creation. I know I’ll get over it. I always do, but until then I will continue to believe Robert Frost’s words, “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader” and hope that one day soon my tears will reach their target and my stories will finally find a home.

True Love: A Writer’s Odyssey

I was setting up at the Community Market when I began second guessing myself, chiding really; after all I spent a lot of money for that space and if it went as well–or badly–as the last time it would all be for naught. It would suck time, work, and money for no return at all, financial or otherwise. As a writer of romance I often wonder whether I’m pursuing a fool’s dream. Like many prospectors during the gold rush who yielded nothing but shiny dirt, am I investing my own sweat and tears (not to mention money) for nothing?

If it wasn’t for the fact I absolutely love writing more than anything else in the world (even more than coffee) I may have given up by now. As the years pass, I have developed a thicker skin, a good thing in this business. The first few years of attending events were depressing. I would go home in tears and not touch any writing for days on end, too discouraged to continue. But that love, that passion for the written word, always pulled me back. Now, I finally can take the blow and roll with the punches. I go to these events with a different attitude, not that starry-eyed hope I will somehow sell a lot of books and even better, engage in great conversations with readers.

If you’re just beginning this journey, you may get lucky and strike gold, or you might be like me, a writer who is yet to crack the code, you know the one that will make me a best-selling author. Hell, I’ll settle for someone who sells a few hundred books a month. If that’s the case you’ll have to ask yourself one very important question: will you bear not writing anymore? Will you feel empty and lost if you don’t have a manuscript going, a search for the perfect cover or a great editor? If the answer is yes then keep going like me, always hoping the next book will hit that sweet spot. If you say no, then maybe it’s time to give up because being a writer is not for the faint of heart.

With all of that said, the thrill of seeing your words in print never gets old. And when a reader tells you how much they’ve enjoyed one of your stories it makes up for all the heartache. For me writing is true love and who wouldn’t do everything for what they love?

Image Credit: Deposit Photos