Joey Paul's Blog, page 17

#TeaserTuesday

Tara doesn't have an uncle, and she doesn't know how to deal with the press...
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[ID: A blue background with the title DYING THOUGHTS - SEVENTH DEATH at the top and out now in ebook & paperback just below the title The except reads:

“When did this uncle call, and did he leave a name?” I asked, my voice shaky.
“A few times yesterday and then once early this morning, is there a problem, Tara?” she said, picking up on my tone.
“As far as I’m aware, I don’t have any other living relatives. I don’t have an uncle,” I said, trying to force the words out over the lump of fear now lodged in my throat. “If he calls again, can you get his name please? Or at least a number for me?”

At the bottom is Joey Paul and just below that the website www.joeypaulonline.com, in the bottom left corner is the Readers' Favorite review seal, and in the bottom right corner is the logo for Bug Books. END ID]

 

5 Facts On My Current Working Projects

 5 FACTS ON MY CURRENT WORKING PROJECTS

It's been a while since I did a five facts piece, but since I've not been drafting for over six months, it's just not been something I could do. I thought that I would give you five facts about the projects I'm currently working on. But before I get into that, lemme tell you about those projects.

I am revising four projects currently. I'll See You Thru is a YA paranormal/romance standalone. It's about witches and curses and falling in love. This Is How It Ends is a YA thriller standalone. It's about friendship, death, loss, secrets, and hunting for the truth. Visible is the third in the Invisible quartet which is a YA dystopian series. It's all about viruses and disability, adaptation and resilience. And Cramping Chronicles: The Fourth Torment is the fourth in the Cramping Chronicles series, which is YA urban fantasy. It's about empaths, disability, and saving the world whether you want to or not.

So those are my four projects. I'm also doing line edits for Translucent which is the second in the Invisible quartet and due out later this year. I'm gonna focus on the revision projects though since I feel like I can give some facts on those without falling into spoilers. So here we go!

FACT #1: ALYA & FREYA HAVE NO IDEA THE THINGS THEY'LL GO THROUGH
So these two are from I'll See You Thru and both of them are about to sit their first year A-level exams, so about seventeen. Both of them wake up as see thru, wraiths in other words, and they both have to work together to find out who cursed them, why, and how to undo it all. While Ayla has no experience of the witches in their world, Freya does, even if she's not a fan of them. Both of them have to overcome their own worries and try and stay together to find answers. It's not easy, there's a lot keeping them apart, and also Ayla isn't fond of lying, and she's in a position of having to do a lot of that which she is not happy about. But hopefully, at the end, all will turn out right.

FACT #2: MAGGIE HAS NO IDEA THE SECRETS SHE WILL UNCOVER
Maggie is the main character of This Is How It Ends. She's been sure that when Delia died, she knew everything that happened, but a random photo on Facebook has her questioning everything. She wants to believe that Paula and Juliet will tell her the truth, but it soon becomes clear that both are hiding something, and with the mysterious DJ demanding Maggie uncover the truth, she's in a position of having to question everything. Would her friends lie? Did they have something to do with Delia's death? And if they did, how did they get away with it? Along the way she's going to uncover a whole bunch of secrets, some of them she kinda isn't sure what to do about.

FACT #3: ZYA ISN'T SURE ABOUT THE SAFETY OF WHERE THEY ARE
Zya is one of the main characters from the Invisible quartet and while I can't go into details of where they are because that would spoil book two, I will say that Zya is sure that while they've all been told one thing about the people in charge of the country, she's not completely sold on it being the whole truth. She's lost a lot, faced countless dangers, and she's not sure that this is the end of it all, and she has no idea who to trust.

FACT #4: JONAH WILL FIGHT FOR WHAT'S RIGHT
Jonah is the other main character from the Invisible quartet and the same applies here in that I can't go into major details because of book two not being out yet. I will say that Jonah is pretty solid on his use at the end of that book, and things happen in Visible that allow him to see for himself that he has something he can do to save the people he cares about. Betrayal and violence lay ahead, but he's going to get through it, if he can.

FACT #5: JESSIE WAS NEVER PREPARED FOR THIS
Jessie is the main character in the Cramping Chronicles series, and I need to be somewhat careful with spoilers because of how Third Ache, the third book, ended. Jessie has a battle on her hands and she is woefully unprepared for what lay ahead. She doesn't have much time, but enough to maybe come out of it and save everyone, even if she loses herself in the process.

So there we go, those are five facts about my current projects. I should be handing over Fourth Torment to the editor in April, so that's in the later stages, and the first two will be done with revisions, for now, in March/April time so it's gonna be different projects I work on then.

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

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Review of Flicker by Melanie Hooyenga

 Biz is a perfectly normal teenager except for one minor detail: she uses sunlight to jump back to yesterday. She takes advantage of flickering by retaking Trig tests, fixing fights with her boyfriend (or reliving the making up), and repeating pretty much anything that could be done better.

Trouble is, flickering makes her head explode from the inside. Or feel like it anyway.

No one knows about her freakish ability and she’s content to keep it that way. Guys don't stick around because she refuses to let them in, but all that changes when Cameron, her best friend, starts looking oh-so-yummy. Suddenly she's noticing his biceps, his smile, and the cute way his eyes crinkle when he—gah! This is her friend!

But the butterflies come to a screeching halt when little girls start disappearing, then take a nosedive when the police link the kidnappings to Cameron's sister, who vanished years earlier. As the police grasp for clues, Biz photographs a strange man lurking in the shadows and realizes that her flickering can help more than just herself.

Amazon

My Review: 5 STARS

I picked the perfect time to read this series because it helped keep me distracted while I was in hospital myself. Hooyenga has knocked this one outta the park. Biz and her ability pull you in and allow you to get lost in the twists and turns of the story. I adored the romance and mystery element, and she brings it all together to allow you to get hooked on her words, as well as desperate to know more. I’ve already picked up book two because I need to know what lies ahead for Biz and everyone else involved. An amazing start to a series and one I very much recommend!

Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here

Tracking My Time: 2024 [CC]

Giving you all the details of where I spent my working time in 2024! #Authortube 
BUY CRAMPING CHRONICLES: THE THIRD ACHE: http://www.books2read.com/ACHE03BUY SIGNED BOOKS AT MY KO-FI SHOP: https://ko-fi.com/authorjoeypaul/shopBUY LYNNE & HOPE IN AUDIOBOOK: http://www.books2read.com/LANH 
BUY BLACKOUT IN AUDIOBOOK: http://www.books2read.com/BOUT
BUY THE FRIENDSHIP TRIANGLE IN AUDIOBOOK: http://www.books2read.com/TFTA
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BLOG: http://www.joeypaulonline.com/TUMBLR: http://authorjoeypaul.tumblr.comFACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/JoeyPaulOnlineBLUESKY: https://bsky.app/profile/msjoeybug.bsky.social
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/authorjoeypaulTHREADS: https://www.threads.net/@authorjoeypaul

#TeaserTuesday

Crime waits for no one, not even sleep...
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[ID: A dirty green background with the title WALK A MILE at the top and out now in ebook, paperback & audiobook just below the title The except reads:

I was rudely awoken the next day at three am by my tablet and my watch buzzing with an important call. I worried it might be Mum getting back to me.She wouldn’t normally call this late unless there was a problem. I answered the call, feeling my heart beat a little faster than normal.
“Sorry to wake you, Fyfe, but there’s been another murder and the DI wants us to check it out,” she said, with a grimace.

At the bottom is Joey Paul and just below that the website www.joeypaulonline.com, in the bottom left corner is the New Apple Award seal, and in the bottom right corner is the logo for Bug Books. END ID]

 

Celebrating Your Wins - The Creative Process

CELEBRATING YOUR WINS

I did a video about this last year (linked here) and thought that I would also write about it because I feel like it's something that often gets forgotten about. Everyone has wins sometimes, and a lot of the time, in the writing space at least, we're kinda taught that we have to only celebrate the big ones. Whether that's getting a publishing deal from trad pub, or hitting a bestseller list, or anything huge like that, those are seen as the ones that are more 'worthy' than the others.

To be honest, I've been guilty of this. When I first started writing when I was 19 (turned 43 last month) I celebrated every little thing. If I finished my work early, then that was cause for a little joy. When I finished a book, same thing. I got into the habit, and then, as things changed, I got out of it again. It's really only been the last five or so years that I've started to get back into it. I celebrate book releases of course, always have done, though they've become a bigger celebration in recent years, but I don't always think to celebrate when I finish the editing cycle, or when I finish a draft, or when I'm done with revisions. And these things should be celebrated.

At the end of the day, writing is hard, most creative pursuits are because you're putting a piece of yourself into your work, whether planned or not, and sending it off into the world to be seen and looked at by other people. That is terrifying! And sometimes they do really well, and other times they just don't. But for me as an author, someone who doesn't make lists, and who rarely gets shoutouts from readers, it can be easy to fall into that trap of thinking that you didn't really achieve anything because you didn't get one of these huge things.

That's not true. I write my books because I know there are people out there who need my stories. I don't know if that's a huge number of people, or just a small pool. I don't know if they will ever get to the point of going viral and being huge breakout hits. But, I still did an amazingly impossible thing. I wrote a book. I wrote a lot of them, and I managed to get through all those many steps to publishing, and they are out there, for people to read and devour and love. That is huge. It is something that should be celebrated and hyped up, even if only by you, and the people who care for you.

I know it can be hard to acknowledge your own wins. Like I said, it's not something that comes easy to me, but it is something that you should, hopefully, learn to do. You are the only one who can define what a win for you looks like. For me right now, I'm celebrating finishing dev edits for my next release. I'm into the line editing phase and that always feels like a much smaller mountain to climb than dev edits. It's something I'm proud of myself for managing, especially with everything else going on.

My wins may not match your idea of your own wins, and that's okay, but it is something you should think about doing, because at the end of the day, you did something amazing, and you should be proud of yourself, even if no one else in your home life is, or even online. You should be proud of you for managing to do this.

Happy writing!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments! 

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Review of Afterthoughts by Justine Alexi

 Kanara never meant to kill her mother. A lifetime in prison awaits her. But the judge gives her a break and sentences her to ten years at Zylen Mental Hospital.

At first glance, the hospital isn’t bad. The food is edible, the other patients don’t know about her crime, and Eliot, the intern assigned to her case, is gentle and kind, not to mention gorgeous.

But the hospital has a few secrets of its own.

Like the cryptic message on the wall in Kanara’s room, written in a cipher only she and her sister know.

And the new voice in her head that seems to be able to predict the future.

And the doctors whispering in secret that their experiment is failing, the patients are dying, and they’re all running out of time. Amazon  My Review: 5 STARS
I picked this up on pre-order because the blurb and cover intrigued me and I dove into it the day it was released. I loved the world, the characters, seeing them put the pieces together and all the danger and intrigue, the twists and turns the plot went through, and overall just how real and engaging it was. Alexi has crafted a world and characters that you want to know more about, that you root for, that you want to win the day and come together at the end. All of it was brilliantly crafted and well written and I will be reading the next in the series. Very much recommended! 

Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here

Tips & Tricks: Social Media [CC]

Giving you some of the tips I've learned for social media! #Authortube BUY CRAMPING CHRONICLES: THE THIRD ACHE: http://www.books2read.com/ACHE03BUY SIGNED BOOKS AT MY KO-FI SHOP: https://ko-fi.com/authorjoeypaul/shop
BUY BLACKOUT IN AUDIOBOOK: http://www.books2read.com/BOUT
BUY THE FRIENDSHIP TRIANGLE IN AUDIOBOOK: http://www.books2read.com/TFTA
BUY WAITING ON YOU IN AUDIOBOOK: http://www.books2read.com/WOYBUY MY BOOKS: http://www.joeypaulonline.com/p/aboutjoeys-books.htmlSIGN UP TO MY NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/h89_5fBUY TICKETS FOR WONDERLAND 2025: https://buytickets.at/wonderland1/1078461
BLOG: http://www.joeypaulonline.com/TUMBLR: http://authorjoeypaul.tumblr.comFACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/JoeyPaulOnlineBLUESKY: https://bsky.app/profile/msjoeybug.bsky.social
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/authorjoeypaulTHREADS: https://www.threads.net/@authorjoeypaul

 

#TeaserTuesday

This is a case like nothing else Tara has worked on...
BUY NOW: http://www.books2read.com/DTSC

[ID: A blurred photo of firelights with the title DYING THOUGHTS - SIXTH CHANGE at the top and out now in ebook & paperback just below the title The except reads:

“Hang on, phone’s ringing.” I dug it out of my jeans and answered. It was Mike. “What’s up?” I asked.
“I need you to come to the station,” he said, sounding solemn.
“Case?” I said.
“Worse. He struck again, Tara, and this time he raped someone,” Mike said.
I could feel Kaolin’s eyes on me.

At the bottom is Joey Paul and just below that the website www.joeypaulonline.com, in the top right corner is the Readers' Favorite review seal, and in the bottom right corner is the logo for Bug Books. END ID]

 

Spoonie Writer: Writing Every Day Doesn't Apply

SPOONIE WRITER: WRITING EVERY DAY DOESN'T APPLY

I talked recently about pieces of writing advice that I hate (found here) and among them was this gem about how you have to write every day to be valid as a writer. It's something I've been outspoken about over the years simply because it's not true and it leads to things like burnout. I don't want any writer, abled, healthy, or otherwise to face the fear that because they don't or can't write every day, they are therefore not valid or not a 'real' writer.

I've been writing since I was 19, I just turned 43. You wanna guess how many days I've written every day? Probably a number close to zero. I was, when still drafting, writing most days, but there were always, and will be always, days when I didn't write, because it's harmful piece of advice, and none of us are machines that can function on nothing but caffeine and writing advice. It just doesn't work like that.

When it comes to spoonies, of which there are a lot in the writing space, it feels even more harmful because there can be serious medical issues that stem from pushing your body into writing every single day even if you do not feel well enough. So let me be clear when I say that for spoonie writers especially, this piece of advice does not apply to you. It doesn't, or shouldn't, apply to anyone else either, but there are some writers who swear by it, so I guess they do what works for them.

In the days when I still did NaNo, before it blew itself up I mean, I would set out to write a certain number of words, but I wouldn't write every single day because it's not sustainable for me, or for pretty much anyone. I am chronically ill, disabled, and I have days when I just can't. Writing and being an indie author is my job, it's the thing I do to make money to live and function, and yet even with it being my one and only full time gig, I can't push my body to sit down at my desk and work and write every single day because it's just not feasible.

So if any of this resonates with you, then know that you do not have to write every day to be a 'real' writer. You can write a chunk here and there, still a writer. You can write once every full moon, still a writer. You can be taking a chunk of time off, guess what? Still a writer! There is too much emphasis on being productive and being worthy of time off, and while it's something that I struggle with myself, it's also something where I will try, and continue, to challenge.

At the end of the day, we all need breaks. Writing is a creative pursuit and if you don't refill your well at times, then you will run out of steam and end up in burnout, and trust me, no one wants that. The hustle culture and the whole productivity tied to worth that's been popping up for years now is something that needs to stop. I don't like it. I never have. I don't like even that because of being organised and knowing how to best use my spoons to get work done, that I'm held up as productive and therefore worthy, despite (which I hate that word when used in this sentence) my disabilities and conditions.

I am a disabled, chronically ill, indie author. I have found a way that works for me, but that is not, and never will be, writing every day. I am also not more worthy of the title of author because I get as much done as I do. It's not a race. It's not a competition. It takes as long as it takes, and that's okay. You do not have to write every day to be valid, and that is a hill that I will gladly die on!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

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