Beth Martin's Blog, page 10
May 8, 2019
Board Game Review: Unsolved Case Files
Unsolved Case Files
My Rating: ★★★★☆
You have the files from a cold case and are tasked with the challenge of finding out who really murdered Harmony Ashcroft twenty years ago. With the original witness interviews, newspaper clippings, coroner report, and other information collected for the original investigation, players can pick through all the details, looking for new connections and any
My Rating: ★★★★☆
You have the files from a cold case and are tasked with the challenge of finding out who really murdered Harmony Ashcroft twenty years ago. With the original witness interviews, newspaper clippings, coroner report, and other information collected for the original investigation, players can pick through all the details, looking for new connections and any
April 28, 2019
Announcing my Next Book: Puzzling Escapes, Mystery of the Spaceship and the Missing Crew
I feel like I’ve talked about this for a while, but I’m finally ready to officially announce my next book, Puzzling Escapes: Mystery of the Spaceship and the Missing Crew, which will launch on June 14, 2019.
The crew on the Oort 7200 Spaceship mysteriously disappeared over a decade ago. Since then, brave travelers have navigated to the abandoned ship, but none have ever returned. Despite the
The crew on the Oort 7200 Spaceship mysteriously disappeared over a decade ago. Since then, brave travelers have navigated to the abandoned ship, but none have ever returned. Despite the
April 22, 2019
Board Game Review: Dominion Renaissance
Dominion: Renaissance
by Rio Grande Games
My rating: ★★★★★
The card building game Dominion was first released ten years ago, and after hearing a number of good reviews, I decided to give it a shot. I bought the base game, as did a few other friends who I met up with weekly for our long-standing game night. After getting a hold of how to play the game—using treasure to buy cards, playing
by Rio Grande Games
My rating: ★★★★★
The card building game Dominion was first released ten years ago, and after hearing a number of good reviews, I decided to give it a shot. I bought the base game, as did a few other friends who I met up with weekly for our long-standing game night. After getting a hold of how to play the game—using treasure to buy cards, playing
April 14, 2019
Spring Writing Update
My most recent novel, In the Midst, came about two weeks ago, and since then I’ve been asked the same two questions several times: “Where can I buy a copy?” and “When does the next book come out?” The first one is easy. Amazon! The second is, well, a little harder to answer.
The puzzle book I’m currently working on is super close to completion—if you follow me on Instagram, then you may have
The puzzle book I’m currently working on is super close to completion—if you follow me on Instagram, then you may have
April 1, 2019
Today is Release Day for In the Midst
When I was getting ready to release my first book, a few people told me I should consider writing a sequel since series sell better than stand-alone novels. If you’ve read The End of Refuge, you already know that the story doesn’t really have series potential. I did have a multi-book arc in mind when writing Mental Contact, but ultimately, I really love crafting stand-alone stories. I’ve always
March 10, 2019
Building a Puzzle Book
If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably already know that I've recently been working a bunch on a puzzle book. I'm a huge fan of logic problems, boards games, escape rooms, and strategy video games, so I decided to use my background with those to build an engaging puzzle book. Even with that, as well as my experience publishing novels, putting together a puzzle book has presented
March 4, 2019
How to Judge an Indie Book
Sorry for the clickbait-y title, but this subject has been on my mind recently. Since I read a lot of indie books, I spend a lot of time sifting through books on Amazon and Twitter (yes, I sometimes browse social media to find my next read) looking for something to purchase. It’s hard to tell whether a novel will be worth reading at first glance, but I also don’t want to spend hours upon
February 18, 2019
Board Game Review: Codenames Duet
I thought I’d try something new and review a board game this time. I certainly play a whole bunch of them, so I have some experience in this arena.
Last time I took my kids to a toy store, my husband and I ended up buying a ton of games for ourselves in addition to letting the kids pick something out. One of the things we grabbed was Codenames Duet. I had heard good things about Codenames,
Last time I took my kids to a toy store, my husband and I ended up buying a ton of games for ourselves in addition to letting the kids pick something out. One of the things we grabbed was Codenames Duet. I had heard good things about Codenames,
February 11, 2019
On Soliciting Critique
I found this week particularly nerve-wracking. Since I already struggle with anxiety, I try not to pile needless stress on myself, but sometimes I don’t plan things out very well, and other times that’s just life.
I’ve been working hard on this puzzle book idea I had, and I finally reached a point where I wanted to get feedback before continuing on. No matter how many people get excited when
I’ve been working hard on this puzzle book idea I had, and I finally reached a point where I wanted to get feedback before continuing on. No matter how many people get excited when
February 3, 2019
Book Review: Origin by Dan Brown
Origin by Dan BrownMy rating: ★★☆☆☆Origin is the fifth Robert Langdon novel, in which we follow the distinguished Harvard professor as he uses his extensive knowledge of art, literature, and symbology to solve the details surrounding a murder. In this novel, Edmund Kirsch has determined the origin of life and puts together a presentation which will reveal his discovery. But before his theory
