Kaye Lynne Booth's Blog: Writing to be Read, page 29

Growing Bookworms – Young Adult Fiction #YAfiction #GrowingBookworms

Young Adult fictionWhat is young adult fiction?

Young adult fiction, abbreviated as YA, is fiction aimed at a reading audience aged between thirteen and eighteen years old.

YA fiction is intended to bridge the gap between middle-grade fiction and adult fiction. It is more emotionally and thematically advanced than middle-grade fiction.

Characteristics of young adult fiction?The characters are young adults in the same age group as the target audience;The language and writing style are designed to be relatable to the target audience;Common themes explored in YA novels are personal identity, self-discovery, and the transition to adulthood. Friendship, substance abuse, alcoholism, and sexuality are frequent sub-themes;YA novels often present dilemmas relating to the themes and sub-themes that face young adults; andYA novels are generally fast paced, emotional, and end on an optimistic note.A list of fantastic YA books

I have read all of the following YA books and recommend them highly:

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan

The Book Thief by markus Zusak

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Holes by Louis Sachar

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. By Judy Blume

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

A few excellent quotes from YA books

“His voice rose under the black smoke before the burning wreckage of the island; and infected by that emotion, the other little boys began to shake and sob too. And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of mans heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.”
― William Golding, Lord of the Flies

“It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

I have written a YA novel, Through the Nethergate. It is intended to make young people think about technology, politics, extremism, and the potential threats they pose to peace and cohesiveness in our world. Of course, things have deteriorated significantly in the world since I published this book in 2018, so its messages still ring frighteningly true.

About Robbie Cheadle

Award-winning, bestselling author, Robbie Cheadle, has published fifteen children’s book and three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

The eleven Sir Chocolate children’s picture books, co-authored by Robbie and Michael Cheadle, are written in sweet, short rhymes which are easy for young children to follow and are illustrated with pictures of delicious cakes and cake decorations. Each book also includes simple recipes or biscuit art directions which children can make under adult supervision.

Robbie and Michael’s new Southern African Safari Adventures series is aimed at teaching young children about Southern African wildlife in a fun and entertaining way. Each book contains a rhyming verse story about a particular animal, as well as illustrations by Robbie Cheadle, photographs and links to video footage about that animal.

Robbie’s blog includes recipes, fondant and cake artwork, poetry, and book reviews. https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

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Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “Growing Bookworms” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.

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This segment of “Growing Bookworms” is sponsored by the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series and WordCrafter Press.

The My Backyard Friends kid’s book series is inspired by the birds and animals that visit the author Kaye Lynne Booth’s mountain home. Beautiful illustrations by children’s author, poet, and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, bring the unique voices of the animal characters to life.

Purchase Your Copy Now.

Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird

Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (Ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle

Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (Ages 6-8):  https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee

2024 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Anthology: Title & Cover Reveal

I am pleased to announce that the 2024 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Anthology will be released in October under the title Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow, and bearing the fantastic cover above, designed by Sonoran Dawn Studios. Midnight Garden will be joined by last year’s anthology, Midnight Roost: Weird & Creepy Stories, and next year’s anthology, Midnight Oil: Stories to Fuel Your Nightmares, to make up the Midnight Anthology Series from WordCrafter Press.

Midnight Garden features 21 fabulously dark stories – the works of seventeen talented authors, including Paul Kane, El Rodman, DL Mullan, Joseph Carrabis, Robbie Cheadle, Denise Aparo, Jon Shannon, Paul Martz, Zack Elafy, Robb T. White, Abe Margel, Julie Jones, Molly Ertel, Peter McKay, Kaye Lynne Booth, Daneka Scrimshaw, and the winning story in the 2024 WordCrafter Short Fiction Contest, “The Seagull Man”, by M.J. Mallon

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This post is sponsored by Midnight Roost: Weird and Creepy Stories, book 1 in the Midnight Anthology Series from WordCrafter Press.

On Sale Now.

Get your copy today: https://books2read.com/MidnightRoost

Book Review: Love Can Be Murder

About the Books

NOW THERE WILL ALWAYS BE LOVE. AND … THERE WILL ALWAYS BE MURDER

For P.I. ferret Lee Alvarez first comes murder, then comes love, then comes marriage… and now Lee and her drop-dead gorgeous Navy SEAL groom Gurn Hanson are stumbling across bodies together.

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This wryly romantic box set is a bonanza for fans of The Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries, featuring a full-length novel, Book 5 The CEO Came DOA, PLUS two novellas. Together they tell the story of the action-packed, homicide-solving week leading up to Lee and Gurn’s wedding followed by the too-eventful weeks in Kauai and their return home when they were supposed to be resting and relaxing. Not to mention romancing.

Lee and Gurn – think Nick and Nora Charles in Silicon Valley…with a Mexican flair – will delight fans of PI stories, cozy mysteries, and women sleuths, especially if they love sharp funny female protagonists like Sue Grafton’s witty Kinsey Millhone and Janet Evanovich’s lovable Stephanie Plum.

Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Murder-Alvarez-Family-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0B65RB6N7

My Review

I received a free box set from The Alvarez Family Murder Mysteries series, Love Can Be Murder, including The CEO Came DOA, and two novellas, Marraige Can Be Murder, and Honeymoons Can Be Murder, by Heather Haven, from a newsletter which landed in my email.

In Lee Alverez, Haven has created a female Sherlock Holms, and her significant other, Gurn, becomes her Watson, as mystery, mayhem, and murder seem to find her wherever she goes in this series. In the Love Can Be Murder set, it finds her during a routine cybercrime investigation in the main story, The CEO Came DOA, (which is Book 8 in the series), on her honeymoon, and as a favor to her mother, in the two novellas, Honeymoons Can Be Murder and Marraige Can Be Murder.

Each of these stories hold their own, and could be read as a stand alone, but there are plenty of Easter Eggs hidden for those who read through in sequence to find. The characters are pleasant to spend time with, if a little too perfect at times, and the storylines carry an underlying humor, which makes them comical at times, and always entertaining.

The CEO Came DOA

A routine technology theft investigation turns into more than Lee Alvarez bargained for when she comes upon the apparent suicide of the company C.E.O. Something is off, the circumstances are strange, and Lee is determined to get to the bottom of it. But proving a murder and solving the who done it makes it difficult to prepare for a wedding and a honeymoon with the man she loves. To top things off, someone doesn’t want Lee to uncover the truth, and they’ll go to any length to stop her.

Honeymoons Can Be Murder

Ready for the three Rs: Rest, Relaxation, and Recuperation, Lee Alvarez and her new husband, Gurn, are off to a tropical paradise for their honeymoon after solving a harrowing case of technology theft which turned into murder. But murder follows Lee. She can’t seem to get away from it. And when a murdered woman is discovered outside their bungalow, her new husband is on the radar of the local law as the prime suspect. Lee and Gurn must stay one step ahead of the police, to discover who the real murderer is.

Marriage Can Be Murder

When a overly melodramatic former actress, who changes moods more than she does outfits, falls prey to a series of mysterious accidents, Lee Alverez and husband Gurn are called on to investigate the situation. The list of suspects includes her seven ex-husbands, as well as a her household staff, or perhaps her long lost daughter, who has recently appeared on the scene. While it appears the actress is quite generous, and everyone seems to love her, Lee and Gurn find eveidence that the accidents were not accidental, at all. It’s up to Lee and Gurn to discover who done it, and why, before the would be murderer succeeds.

The Box Set

This set of mystery stories, Love Can Be Murder, was a fun and entertaining read. Light and humorous storylines and likeable, diverse characters. I give Love Can Be Murder five quills.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.

Reminder: WordCrafter’s Summer Reading List at Great Prices

The anthologies on WordCrafter‘s Summer Reading List are still discounted with some great summer prices through August 31. Fill your summer reading list with outstanding short fiction anthologies from WordCrafter Press for under $5 each. Add these titles to your digital library.

Purchase Links:

Refracted Reflections: https://books2read.com/RefractedReflections

Once Upon an Ever After: https://books2read.com/OnceUponanEverAfter

Lingering Spirit Whispers: https://books2read.com/LingeringSpiritWhispers

Midnight Roost: https://books2read.com/MidnightRoost

Visions: https://books2read.com/VisionsAnthology

Writer’s Corner: Collaborations for Writers

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“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller

I love collaborations.

They offer me the opportunity to meet and work with many wonderful authors. Collaborations are mutually beneficial to all participants involved, and there are many types of collaborations to choose from.

Co-Authors

There are different ways to handle this type of collaboration.

Some co-authors handle different character’s POV, like Mark Leslie did with his co-author, Julie Strauss with his Canadian Werewolf series book, Lover’s Moon. Mark wrote the chapters that were in the POV of the protagonist, Michael Andrews, while Julie wrote the chapters which were in girlfriend, Gail’s POV. They also narrated the audiobook in the same matter, which worked quite well.

Other co-authors just alternate chapters, or even sections of the book, passing it back and forth, each author beginning writing where the other author left off. I’m sure they begin with some type of outline, so everyone has a general idea of where the story is going.

I’ve never co-written a book in this manner, but I think it would be fun to get several authors together and improvise a story without an outline, with unexpected twists and turns galore, so none of the authors know where the story is going ahead of time. My most recent collaboration of this nature was an author/illustrator collaboration, with my children’s book series, My Backyard Friends. In this type of collaboration, I wrote the stories and Robbie Cheadle did the illustrations. The ways that you can collaborate on a book are endless.

Anthologies

I publish one or more anthologies each year, and they really are a lot of fun, in spite of all the hard work that goes into them. Anthologies are great because they multiply the promotional power of each book and offer extra editing power. They also offer opportunities to work with several talented authors, who also happen to be some pretty cool people.

During the editing process, after I’ve gone over each story, the authors have revised them and they’ve been compiled and edited as a whole, I send the manuscript out to all the authors to get a second, and even a third set of eyes on every story. I have them go over their own story, as well as the story of one or two others, instead of tying up their time editing the whole thing, because we all know authors are busy people.

Anthologies multiply promotional power, too. Each contributing author brings their own fan base with them, increasing the number of potential readers for the work as a whole. How many more readers will see a book promoted by twenty different authors than one promoted by a single author? The reach of the book is increased expotentially.

Blogs and Other Publications

That’s right. I collaborate with my wonderful blog team members, because each one brings something different to the table to help Writing to be Read offer some really great content which I couldn’t produce on my own, making it something of interest which draws traffic and brings in readers. Each one of them brings their own following with them, and over time, some of their readers have become fans of my works as well. Without my team, there would be no “Mind Fields”, “Undawntech”, “Growing Bookworms”, “In Touch with Nature” or “Treasuring Poetry” series, which currently make up the blog’s content.

“Treasuring Poetry” offers antoher collaboration opportunity in the annual themed poetry anthology in the Poetry Treasures series, which Robbie and I co-edit, working with the poets who have been guests on the blog series from the previous year. 2025 will be our fifth year for the anthology. Through this endeavor, I’ve been privaleged to work with so many talented and creative poets.

Other Types of Collaboration

Online magazines, ezines and other publications, podcasts or online talk shows or other interviews, or even online courses are collaborative and mutually beneficial to all collaborators. I’m sure there are others, but these are the ones that come to my mind.

Some types of collaboration benefit many, such as participation in writing events, either online or in person. As a graduate student and intern, I participated in a large public book signing with multiple authors, and WordCrafter hosted and organized two online virtual writing conferences, in 2020 and 2021. It was a lot of work, but it was an opportunity to work with many talented writers when setting up workshops and panel discussions, as well as promotional efforts. It also offered attendees opportunities to learn and make connections.

I’m thinking about doing another conference in 2025, and would welcome feedback from anyone who would be interested, either in attending, (I promise, tickets would be affordable), or collaborating on the program end.

About Kaye Lynne Booth

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

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This post is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press .

Being an author today is more than just writing the book. Authors in this digital age have more opportunities than ever before. Whether you pursue independent or traditional publishing models, or a combination of the two, being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.

In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.

Topics Include:

Becoming Prolific

Writing Tools

Outlining

Making Quality a Priority

Publishing Models & Trends

Marketing Your Book

Book Covers & Blurbs

Book Events—In Person & Virtual

And more…

Purchase your copy today: https://books2read.com/The-DIY-Author

Undawntech: Discover the Future in the Past

Welcome to the halfway mark in the inaugural year of Undawntech. We are looking into the past to see the future of creative expression.

What have we learned so far?

Undawntech: Innovative Creativity introduced this column to the Writing to be Read audience.

Undawntech: Emergence of the Engineered Reaction discussed how humanity is being manipulative by new technologies like AI, or Artificial Intelligence, and how that impacts our sovereign beings and our legal standing.

Undawntech: Corporate Terms of Service and Theft of Intellectual Property showed how Terms of Service (ToS), policies and other forms of corporate contract law controls our intellectual, social, and political lives. More importantly, this article revealed how corporations are using their muscle to muscle into your livelihoods, by stealing your copyright for their use.

Undawntech: Technology That Is Stranger Than Fiction allowed readers to see beyond the veil. That science and corporations are developing technologies at such as quick rate that is leaving out the most important element: open discussion. Without the application of ethics, moral boundaries, and common sense, industries are seizing upon the public’s ignorance to push the threshold of the common good into a dystopian nightmare.

Undawntech: Weaponized Technology for the Growing Mind delved into the machinations contrived by others in positions of power to subvert the human intellect into mindless zombies. Knowledge, events, and other realities stripped from textbooks and replaced with alphabet agency level propaganda, it is no wonder our world is unhinged.

Undawntech: The Creative, Ethical, and Legal Considerations of Artificial Intelligence in the Creative Writing Field illuminated the issue of AI being used to steal intellectual property without the creator’s knowledge or permission in the publishing industry.

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Many readers wondered why I disseminated this knowledge in a creative writing column. The issues raised, herein, are difficult to find anywhere else. Tech giants “curate” or control the knowledge base. They tell you what you should know, what you should feel, who to blame, and when to riot. This manipulation of our minds through technology are realities humanity faces, with or without our consent. Our knowledge, experience, and personal sovereignty are being upended to push a meritless and twisted demagoguery, which pits individuals against each other. In short, humanity is embroiled in Fifth Generational Warfare. Our biggest ally and adversary is technology.

What are creators to do? Should we become reactionary, so that we feel accepted and supported as a part of a destructive, activist mob? Or, do we do our due diligence and stand up to this oppression?

Undawntech has only skimmed the surface of these underlying issues that detract and subtract from our creativity, innovation, and ingenuity. Without giving readers a common referent in which discourse can be exchanged, then future dialogue is stunted. The future is in our past.

Are you ready for more Undawntech?

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DL Mullan holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning with Technology. Her lecture, Spacescapes: Where Photography Ends; Imagination Begins, debuted at the Phoenix Astronomy Society, which then led to her Sally Ride Festival lecture invitations. Her presentation, Bridging the Gap between Technology and Women, won her accolades at a community college’s Student Success Conference. As Editor-in-Chief of her local newspaper, the Villa de Paz Gazette, Ms. Mullan has earned accolades for her investigative journalism, in depth research, dot-connecting articles, and fact-based op-eds, which effected national politics, saved industries, and thus lives. She has been a panelist at speculative fiction, science fiction, and other regional conventions. Her digital exhibition pieces have won awards at convention art shows, as well as garnered her Second Premium at the Arizona State Fair. Currently, Ms. Mullan’s artistic renditions are seen on book covers, blog sites, video presentations, and various merchandise. As an independent publisher, she uses her technical background to innovate the creative arts.

As a writer, DL Mullan loves to stretch her imagination and the elasticity of genres. She writes complex multi-genre stories in digestible and entertaining forms, be it poetry, short fiction, or novels. Her science, history, mythology, and paranormal research backgrounds are woven into her writings, especially in Undawnted’s Legacy Universe. Ms. Mullan’s creative endeavors are available in digital and print collections, from academia to commercial anthologies. She is also an award-winning poet.

Be sure to subscribe to her newsletters and follow her on social media. For further information, visit her at www.undawnted.com.

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Want to be sure not to miss any of DL Mullan’s “Un dawn tech” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or informative, please share.

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This segment of “Undawntech” is sponsored by The D.I.Y. Author and WordCrafter Press .

Being an author today is more than just writing the book. Authors in this digital age have more opportunities than ever before. Whether you pursue independent or traditional publishing models, or a combination of the two, being an author involves not only writing, but often, the publishing and marketing of the book.

In this writer’s reference guide, multi-genre author and independent publisher, Kaye Lynne Booth shares her knowledge and experiences and the tools, books, references and sites to help you learn the business of being an author.

Topics Include:

And more…

Becoming Prolific

Writing Tools

Outlining

Making Quality a Priority

Publishing Models & Trends

Marketing Your Book

Book Covers & Blurbs

Book Events—In Person & Virtual

Purchase your copy today: https://books2read.com/The-DIY-Author

Mind Fields: Being In Love

Being in Love

I feel as if I could look at you forever

I could hear your voice whose quiet soothes

the roaring waterfall inside me.

Your eyes flood onto your face

like the Nile’s release of the fertile season.

The boatmen sing a love song,

a forlorn and yearning call

as the sun dips below

the water and the trees

reflect a blinding moment

when the light overcomes everything.

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About the Author

Arthur Rosch is a novelist, musician, photographer and poet. His works are funny, memorable and often compelling. One reviewer said “He’s wicked and feisty, but when he gets you by the guts, he never lets go.” Listeners to his music have compared him to Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Randy Newman or Mose Allison. These comparisons are flattering but deceptive. Rosch is a stylist, a complete original. His material ranges from sly wit to gripping political commentary.

Arthur was born in the heart of Illinois and grew up in the western suburbs of St. Louis. In his teens he discovered his creative potential while hoping to please a girl. Though she left the scene, Arthur’s creativity stayed behind. In his early twenties he moved to San Francisco and took part in the thriving arts scene. His first literary sale was to Playboy Magazine. The piece went on to receive Playboy’s “Best Story of the Year” award. Arthur also has writing credits in Exquisite Corpse, Shutterbug, eDigital, and Cat Fancy Magazine. He has written five novels, a memoir and a large collection of poetry. His autobiographical novel, Confessions Of An Honest Man won the Honorable Mention award from Writer’s Digest in 2016.

More of his work can be found at www.artrosch.com

Photos at https://500px.com/p/artsdigiphoto?view=photos

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This segment of “Mind Fields” is sponsored by the Roberta Writes blog site, where you can find the poetry, photos, videos, and book reviews by Robbie Cheadle and so much more.

WordCrafter News: Winners of Surprise Giveaway & Projects for August

Update for the WordCrafter My Backyard Friends Book Blog Tour

The WordCrafter My Backyard Friends Book Blog Tour was a lot of fun, but unfortunately, no one replied to the question posed at the last tour stop, on Writing to be Read, so there are no winners of the surprise giveaway to announce. And because we didn’t raise any money at the My Backyard Friends store for the print editions of the series, featuring Robbie Cheadle’s lovely illustrations, it looks like the books will only be available in ebook format for quite awhile, as I will not be printing them in black & white.

The My Backyard Friends store is gone, but you can still get digital copies of all three books from your favorite distributors at the following Books2Read purchase links.

Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend (ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-HeatherHummingbird

Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans (ages 3-5): https://books2read.com/MBF-TimothyTurtle

Charlie Chickadee Gets a New Home (ages 6-8): https://books2read.com/MBF-CharlieChickadee

August Projects

August will be a lull for me with no new releases to peddle. But, I’ll be hard at work preparing the last two anthologies planned for release this year. Submissions have been read, edited and the last revisions are coming due. I will be compiling them for release in September and October.

Tales from the Hanging Tree – Release Date: September 10th, 2024

Tales from the Hanging Tree is an by invitation only, themed anthology which is based on the following premise:

You would think being a paranormal tree with a life spanning over eons since the beginning of time would be pretty boring, but I’m here to tell you, I am far from bored. I suppose if I was a normal tree, I would be, but you see, I am the hanging tree and I’ve absorbed the lives and memories of every hanging that has ever taken place throughout time. I see their lives, I share their joys, I feel their pain. It would be too much for a normal tree to absorb even one life, so I exist to absorb them all. And I have seen many.

I’ve seen those accused of being outlaws and witches, some guilty, some not. I’ve seen those hanged from pure hatred, due to the color of their skin or the lifestyle they chose. When lives are cut short by the hands of others, or by their own doing, there must be somewhere for their life memories to go. For hangings, that’s me.

A boring existence, no. An often painful one, yes. But here I stand in the plane between life and death, with no recourse but to experience the lives of all hanging victims over and over again. I can’t get away from them, so I thought perhaps they would be easier to bear if I shared them with you here.

Between these pages, you will find their tales, for better or for worse. Many different lives, many different stories, with one thing in common. None have a happy ending. 

Featuring stories by Joseph Carrabis, Paul Kane, C.R. Johansson, Sylva Fae, DL Mullan, Robbie Cheadle, Matt Usher, and Kaye Lynne Booth.

2024 WordCrafter Dark Fiction Anthology – To Be Released in October ___________________________________

This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services .

Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.

Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/

Authors should be aware

As authors, we should be aware of many common practices of Amazon that affect our books. In this post by Stevie Turner, she points out a new development on Amazon which I find quite alarming.

I work hard to get reviews for my books, and still get only a few, but I am constantly working toward that goal. If Stevie is correct, and Amazon is now summarizing our reviews for us what does that mean to we authors? I often use the reviews I do get in promoting efforts. Do our actual reviews disappear so that readers will not longer see the actual reviewers words?

As a reviewer, I also find this alarming. If my actual words are never seen by potential reader, then does that not inhibit the power of my influence and devalue what I do?

A.I at Work on Amazon

Book Review: Love, Death, & the Art of Cooking

About Love, Death & The Art of Cooking

Software engineer Reid Lucas loves to cook and has a history of falling in love with married women. When he leaves his complicated past in Chicago for a job in California, he runs into trouble and must call a virtual stranger to bail him out of jail. Alyssa Knight, a tough street cop waiting for a church annulment from her passive-aggressive husband, is the roommate of the woman Reid calls for help, and she reluctantly provides bail for Reid. He falls for her immediately, and cooking for her is an act of love. She just wants to be friends, but they keep ending up in bed together. When his boss is murdered, Reid is a suspect. Or is he the intended target?

My Review

I received an audiobook copy of Love, Death, & the Art of Cooking, from the author, Linda Griffin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The story is well-crafted and well-paced, feeding the reader the backstory one small taste at a time, with minimal servings of exposition. The narrator, Catherine Hein Carter, did a good job with the narration of the story, although I felt like this story, with it’s male protagonist might have been served better by a male narrator.

When Reid Lucas takes a new software job in a new town, he’s hoping for a new start on life. But when his boss turns up dead, it brings back memories of why he left Chicago, and as the events back there come to light, it makes him first a prime suspect and then, a possible target. Alone in a new town, there are few people he can turn to for support except a girl he only knows from a chance meeting, but he gets her roommate, Alyssa instead, a woman he doesn’t know at all, who turns out to be a cop. Alyssa doesn’t trust him, her roomate wants to sleep with him, and all he wants to do is cook for them. But can his delicious meals win overcome her doubts and win Allyssa’s heart? No spoilers here. You’ll have to read the book.

Everything a romance suspense novel should be, I give Love, Death, & the Art of Cooking four quills.

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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.