Molly Zenk's Blog, page 2

Mailing List is operational

I’ve tried to set up a mailing list for awhile.  WordPress and Mailchimp code didn’t want to play nice together.  Every embed option I tried did not work.  Finally, after much “why isn’t this working?!?”, I set it so the link takes you to a different page to sign up.  No more messing with wonky code. If you sign up, there’s a free eBook in your future.

Molly’s author mailing list sign up page

[image error]High five for mailing list sign up forms being operational!!!

Stock Photo Storytelling Fun

Stock Photos are awesome.  You can find almost anything to create memes, use as book cover art, website graphics, or anything else your little I-need-graphics heart desires.  I don’t know the origin of the unfaithful guy/jealous girlfriend meme, but the “intense backstory” someone created based on combing through all their shared stock photos is genius.  Take a look:

Distracted boyfriend meme backstory

That got me thinking…what other stock photo people have whole lives lived in staged photos?

Meet “Laughing Guy”, sometimes known as “Laughing Man” courtesy of Pexels.

[image error]Listening to music on my phone? Hysterical!
[image error]What’s that off to my right, your left? I’m not telling, but it’s FUNNY!
[image error]Oh work emails, you make the time pass and keep me laughing. (This cup of coffee is tiny!)
[image error]Bet you didn’t know I had so many tattoos. Neither did my boss! Haha.

What stock photo stories can you come up with?

I look super productive!

Thanks to the “import” feature, I ported 33 blog posts from my other site.  Now everything is in one place AND I look super productive!  hahahahaha.  Let’s see how long that lasts.

(PS: This stock photo guy laughs in a lot of pictures.)

[image error]Photo by bruce mars on Pexels.com

I need to blog more…said every author ever.

You’ve heard this before.  I’ve said it before.  “I need to blog more.”  I always have the best intentions but have little free time to make a good intention a reality.   Wordpress is being helpful by prompting me on things you may want to know.

Name? Molly

Location? Denver Metro area, Colorado

Why did I open the site? To share info about myself and my books. I don’t like writing about myself so plan to hear more about my books and the writing process in general.

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OUT OF CHARACTER Spotlight and Giveaway

Out of Character
by Molly Zenk
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Inspirational

238 pages




After the loss of her brother, actress Harmony Jones struggles with daily life. Landing the lead role on the hit faith based living history show, 1700s Life, might be the perfect way to reconnect with her faith and be her big acting break. 

Tired of hiding his strong faith and convictions to get secular roles, David Hawkins jumps at the chance to play the curate on 1700s Life. It’s the perfect vehicle to spread God’s word.

Elliot Banes’ career needs an image makeover, so he accepts the naval hero role on 1700s Life. Getting away from his overbearing mother is an added bonus. His true hope is to learn to speak his mind instead of always fading into the background.

When a scripted love triangle between Harmony, David, and Elliot becomes a real life love triangle, Harmony must make a difficult decision. . She hoped to find her wavering faith, she didn’t count on finding love as well. If that was her only obstacle, the role would be a breeze. Unfortunately, there’s an on-set spy intent on causing drama. Can Harmony see through all the lies and secrets to the truth in her heart, or will she end up falling for the wrong man? 

Goodreads* Amazon






MOLLY ZENK was born in Minnesota, grew up in Florida, lived briefly in Tennessee before finally settling in Colorado. She graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine, FL with degrees in Secondary Education, English, and Creative Writing. She is married to a Mathmatician/Software Engineer who complains about there not being enough “math” or info about him in her author bio. They live in Arvada, CO with their young daughters, 1 dog, and 1 cat.


Website* Facebook * Twitter* Amazon* Goodreads





Follow the tour HEREfor exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!


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Book Review: LOVE BITES: A Paranormal Romance

It’s been awhile.  I needed to take a break from blogging and reviewing (thanks summer), but I’m back with a short review for an amazon short reads.

LOVE BITES, book 1 in an intended short reads series, is a fun, fast paced, light paranormal romance. It’s appropriate for teens +. I liked that it wasn’t just the same old same old tired vampire tropes. There were new ideas like some (but not all) vampires were able to have children and go out into the sunlight. That could lead to some really interesting twists in later stories in the series.

For the plot itself, Brooke is desperate to find her sister Clara. They don’t have the best relationship, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t love and worry about her. When she finds a mysterious letter addressed to Clara from the house of Sanguin with the word “vampire” on it, she decides to take her sister’s place at the scheduled appointment. George’s job is to turn humans into vampires. He turns Brooke thinking she’s Clara…and gets in trouble for doing it. The also fall into (slightly) insta-love. It’s a romance trope so I can deal with that. Especially since there’s some insecurities, doubts, and secrets that jump up later. Brooke settles into her life at House of Sanguin but George must deal with the consequences of accidentally turning someone into a vampire. Clara’s return complicates matters even further.

I liked that sisterly love is just as important as romantic love in LOVE BITES. Even if Brooke and Clara have had their differences in the past, they still love and care for each other. I’m interested to see what else is in store for the House of Sanguin in the rest of the short reads series.

Book Review: CHANGE YOUR CHILD’S NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR by Nurit Levi

[image error] I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

CHANGE YOUR CHILD’S NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR is part of  Nurit Levi’s Peaceful And Calm Home book series.  She offers insights, support, practical advice, and easy to follow exercises to help you achieve a peaceful and calm home — especially in regards to your childrens’ behavior.

My favorite part of the book was the easy, down-to-earth writing style.  It feels like Levi  is sitting down across from me listening and giving advice after the latest ‘guess what my kids did today’ story.  There’s a warmth that emanates from the page.  I feel like I can trust her and she’s not just trying to sell me a book or a method (even though she really is).  There’s no finger pointing and ‘do this, don’t do that’ in CHANGE YOUR CHILD’S NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR.  Instead, Levi gets to the root cause of why your child may be acting out.  She follows this up with advice and easy to follow exercises.

I give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars.  The reason I’m not rating it higher is all three of my children are special needs.  The advice in the book is geared more toward normal developing children.  I would have appreciated a section on special needs.  Maybe Levi can address this in a further edition or another book in the Calm & Peaceful Home series.  Overall, though I would recommend CHANGE YOUR CHILD’S NEGATIVE BEHAVIOR if you’re looking for a gentle, down to earth, non judgmental, brief parenting guide.  At 57 pages, it’s easy to read in one sitting. [image error]

Book Review: STORIES OF LOVE & WEIGHT LOSS by Adi Tsin Ben-Nun

[image error] I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Whatever your relationship with food — good or bad — the thought of eating probably brings up some sort of emotion in you.  Food can symbolize comfort, love, and the often painful struggle with self love and acceptance.  STORIES OF LOVE & WEIGHT LOSS  is a collection of short monologue like vignettes based on real cases the author experienced during her years of private practice. They are at times sad, poignant, joyous and uplifting.  You go through a gamut of emotion while reading the vignettes.  Chances are, you’ll find at least one (or more!) stories that you strongly identify with.

I enjoyed the first person point of view the stories were presented in.  You feel more connected to the narrator if you can get into their head and really explore their emotional ups and downs with them. I don’t think it would have worked as well in third person due to the person nature of the stories.  At first, I thought it was going to be a non fiction collection sort of like Chicken Soup For The Soul, but all about the weight loss.  The further I read, the further I enjoyed the fictionalized accounts of real cases. The story lengths vary from a paragraph or two to several pages.   It was a quick, easy read with a great message at its heart.   I personally struggle a lot with body image so I especially appreciated the message of  ‘you’re beautiful just the way you are.’ [image error]

Book Review: THE SORCERY CODE by Dima Zales

[image error] I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of  THE SORCERY CODE by Dima Zales is fairly unique but still rooted in fantasy genre staples. Outcast sorcerer Blaise has spent over a year looking to create a way that makes it easy for everyone to use magic — not just the elite, superior sorcerers.  His obsession loses him his fiancee Augusta who doesn’t agree with his ‘poor people deserve magic too’ stance.  Still, Blaise sticks to his work and creates Gala — a beautiful girl that’s the human embodiment of magic.  He expected a talking mirror, and got a hot chick.   Awkward — especially for a guy who hasn’t really seen the outside of his house in over a year.  While Gala experiences all the world has to offer, Augusta is bent on stopping Blaise’s goal of magic for all.

First off, the cover really drew me in. It has the just the right mix of mystery and fantasy. The color scheme is beautiful with the sunrise (set?) matching the magic in the globe/orb.  I enjoy fantasy books but haven’t been an avid reader of the genre since I was a teenager.  The cover really intrigued me.  I quickly read the blurb and knew it was something I’d be happy to read and review.  The writing was fresh and well paced.  I found myself thinking “I can see why Dima Zales in a NYT Bestselling author.”  There was an ease and flow that I appreciated.  There was some info dumping in the first chapter but it came in the form of dialogue between Blaise and newly formed Gala instead of just a big exposition info dump.  While I got a little restless during that scene, once all the essentials were out of the way, the pace picked up again.  The story is told in multiple points of views so you get equal time with Blaise and Augusta’s sides. Each chapter is clearly marked just in case you need to be reminded who the main POV character is for that chapter.  Yeah, Augusta isn’t the nicest sorcerer on the block and wants things to stay status quo, but it’s nice to be able to see where she’s coming from with her beliefs and actions.  Blaise spends a lot of his time obsessing over Gala’s hotness.

I enjoyed THE SORCERY CODE and would definitely read the sequel.  The deft, well paced writing and flawed but still relatable characters pulled me in.  I’m invested now.  That’s the sign of a good writer and good story.

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