Joey Paul's Blog, page 9
June 19, 2025
Review of Foresight by Justine Alexi
Junior FBI agent Eliot Wong is assigned to Zylen Mental Hospital on a tip that they might be performing unethical research on their patients. At first, there doesn't seem to be much to it. At least, nothing to justify his commissioner's unease.
But then Eliot meets Kanara Jensen, a patient with a violent past and a (deceptively?) pretty face. Kanara has been hearing a voice in her head that gives her the ability to predict the future. It can't predict everything, but when it does make predictions, they're always correct.
And it started when she got to the hospital.
My Review: 5 STARS
I picked this up because I read the first book in the series and wanted to read how it all started. With Eliot first starting out and knowing the twists that come in the first book, I was enthralled to read the very start. A quick read, but one that had me turning the pages rapidly, desperate to know how it would all come together. Very much recommended, but also to be read after you’ve read the first book so that you get those twists and such in the right order!
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
June 18, 2025
Writing With... Anxiety [CC]
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June 16, 2025
#TeaserTuesday
Lock has ended up in the middle of a fight she wants no part of...BUY NOW: http://www.books2read.com/LOFF
[ID: A smokey forest background with the title LIGHTS OFF at the top and out now in ebook & paperback just below the title The except reads:
“That's my point!” he said, jabbing his finger towards me. “They see you as someone who has done something! Sanna’s a name known to older people, and to the people here, she's been dead for five years!”
I swallowed down my nerves. I'd wanted an active role, but I couldn't help but think that Kit had it wrong. People would just dismiss me, I was nineteen and not from Evendown, add my obvious disability, and the people here wouldn't stand behind me, maybe back home, or in Cardown, but here? I couldn't see it working. I also couldn't see Sanna being okay with it.
“Will you do it?” he asked.
I nodded.
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]
June 15, 2025
Remembering To Pace Yourself
REMEMBERING TO PACE YOURSELF
Last week I talked about life getting in the way of your plans (found here), and this week I thought I would touch on something that is usually only applied to the chronic illness community, and that's pacing yourself. I know that people who are pretty much healthy don't really think too much about pacing themselves, but I have to say it's an invaluable tool no matter your health status.
While pacing can be used for health reasons, it can also just be good practice when you've got a full work load, or you're doing some kind of creative pursuit. Now I don't know the first thing about artistic talent in that I have none, but I do know what it's like to be facing down deadlines when you've got a few different projects on the go. Right now I'm doing revisions on three projects and edits on another. I have varying deadlines for each one, and I know what I want to achieve in any given month, but I also know that to keep moving forward, I need to make sure I don't overload myself.
And that's where pacing comes in. While it might feel like you need to pile on all the things, I promise it will only end up hurting you, and no one wants that. Goals are a way to motivate yourself sure, but they're not supposed to be at the expense of mental or physical health, and even if you're normally healthy, that doesn't mean that pushing yourself to the brink won't bring some physical or mental side effects.
While pushing yourself a little can be a good thing, when you're doing it to the point where it's a detriment to your sense of well being, that's a red flag, and all you're doing is setting yourself up to fail. I get that the urge is to cross all the things off your to-do list, but there is a better way to do this. What is it? Lemme break it down for you.
#1 MAKE A LIST OF WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
This is as simple as it sounds. If you know that you have a bunch of things that have to be done by a certain date, or different dates, then just write it down. Make that list, and put everything you can think of on there, and make sure it's as complete as it can be.
#2 ORDER IN IMPORTANCE
Obviously there are going to be some tasks and deadlines that are way more urgent than others. If you have a lot of different deadlines, then the ones due first are going to be the bigger ones to get done. The idea is to make sure you have as much time to get the things done as possible. Try not to add things that aren't really necessary to get done in the time frame. If this means moving things to a different list, then do so.
#3 SET UP A WORKING DAY
So I know that I can, mostly, only do one work thing a day. I just don't have the mental and physical energy to do more than that. I make sure that some days I have two things, like when I'm doing dev edits, I'll always have a two tasks a day but it's not sustainable constantly, so I need breaks, but on the majority of my days, I will make sure to only have the one important thing to get done. If I can do more on the day, that's something different, but the pressure is off to try and accomplish all these varying things.
#4 PARCEL OUT EVENLY & GO
Make sure you don't overload certain days, and no matter what you do, allow for days off, and allow for days when you might need to catch up from another day. I suggest both because you will need time off, everyone does, and that's not something you have to earn by using your days off as catch up days. We're all human, we all need breaks, and we all need to time to unwind.
I hope that helps, and good luck with pacing. Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!
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June 12, 2025
Review of An Island Strange And Wild by Lisa Amowitz
Live for today, before the island eats you alive…When her fellow climate activist and secret crush dies unexpectedly, 18-year-old science prodigy Rosalie Gatell ditches her prestigious summer program for the remote, uncharted island where he was born. There, she discovers shocking secrets about her own past—and an island that defies the laws of nature, complete with a vanishing walled garden, a miraculous healing plant, and an unknown aunt trapped in a tree. But nothing confounds Rosalie as much as the enigmatic Liam, a reckless and beautiful island boy with a supernatural green thumb.
Falling for Liam is the worst idea imaginable, especially since he’s under a diabolical curse—but Rosalie can’t help herself. The closer she gets to unraveling his secrets and the island’s mysteries, the more she discovers that she possesses unexpected abilities of her own. But there’s no time to revel in her newfound magic. An ancient evil is stalking Salttain Island. And Rosalie will have to rely on her powers, instead of logic or science, to free Liam from his curse while keeping the corrosive threat from consuming her and everyone she’s ever loved. Amazon My Review: 4.5 STARS
I picked this up because the cover called to me, and the blurb sounded exceptionally interesting. The thought of secret gardens and a fantasy world wrapped up in intrigue and thrilling twists kept me reading and interested. I adored Rosalie, adored the way Amowitz peeling back the layers of the truth of the island and brought things to a point where you, as the reader, are lost in the world, the pages, and all the hints and marvels that are woven through the pages. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and very much recommend it!
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
June 11, 2025
Life Of Joey - June 2025 [CC]
Giving you all the details of what I've been up to over the past month! #Authortube
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June 9, 2025
#TeaserTuesday
Jonah's keeping secrets that might harm him later...BUY NOW: http://www.books2read.com/TRANSLUCENT
[ID: A blue DNA background with the title TRANSLUCENT at the top and out now in ebook & paperback just below the title The except reads:
“All you have to do is act as escorts to the hub,” Ana said, softly as she stepped back. “I assume that's where you're going, right?”
I swallowed down the lump in my throat. She'd read my messages with Zya, and I had to make sure Lumi and the others didn't know that. I needed to think of some lie and I needed to think of it quickly. I felt Lumi's eyes on me, and I knew they'd be thinking I'd been in contact with Ana this whole time.
“Y-you did tell us it was the only way to get answers before we almost got arrested for treason,” I stammered.
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]
June 8, 2025
When Life Plans Get In The Way
WHEN LIFE PLANS GET IN THE WAY
I've always been someone who plans a whole lot, especially when it comes to work life. I've done pieces before about the planning I do (found here, here, and here) but I thought that today I would talk about when life gets in the way of those plans. No matter how organised you are, life can sometimes throw you a curve ball and then you end up have to adjust, adapt, and redo things in a completely different way.
As someone with several chronic illnesses, my plans are usually knocked awry by health stuff. I'll be planning to do this or that, and then I'll end up in a flare, or get sick, and it's like all work stops. All life stops. And suddenly I'm having to deal with something else entirely. I've gotten better at dealing with this. I usually have been through flares and such so much before that I know what works and what doesn't to keep me on track, or as close to on track as possible. But sometimes a new problem will emerge and it's a case of trying to find a way to keep myself working or thriving and still hit my goals.
I've never been someone who's decided that goals must be completed above all else. I know there are writers and other creatives out there who will push and push because getting a goal done is the big thing for them. I've never seen the point of that, for me at least, because I'm chronically ill and disabled, I know that pushing too hard is only going to make things worse for me, so instead I'll pivot or just decide that this goal is not going to happen, and that's okay.
Like right now I'm finishing up dev edits for my next release. I know that I have to get the project to the line editor by a certain date if I'm going to be able to get it to the proofreader and such on time. But I also know that if I were to get sick, or something else was to go wrong, I've not yet announced a release date, I've not yet set up pre-order, so I can, easily, pivot and change things to manage that deadline differently. I don't like doing it, but I've learned the hard way that life will get in the way and pushing just ends up with me in a flare or worse, hospital, and I do not want that.
Too often, people don't account for life mishaps in their plans. They make goals, and they make plans believing or relying on nothing else going wrong. I get that, it's something I used to do too, but then life showed me just how badly things could go and it was like, okay, let's make plans and account for the possibility that something terrible is going to happen. I think it was an Authortuber I follow who pointed out that when making plans, you should make them as if you were going to be sick the whole time. That's sound advice because you will not be operating at 100% the whole time. No one does, and to think otherwise just sets yourself up to fail.
While I've found ways to plan around health stuff, and I've adapted to deal with getting this done on a certain day, and then having some days when I could move things around if needed, don't be afraid to do the same. Even if you're completely healthy, there is always the chance that something could go wrong, and it's better to prepare for that, than to ignore the possibility. While I am, mostly, positive, I like to not get caught up in this idea of perfectionism because if you do that, you only end up hurting yourself, and no one wants that.
So be ready for life throwing a curve ball, put it into your plans, and allow yourself the space, time, and energy to pick yourself back up, and keep going onwards. You'll end up thanking yourself later, even if nothing does go wrong, it's the fact that you allowed for the possibility that will ease stress and anxiety levels.
Good luck! Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!
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June 5, 2025
Review of That Girl Who Ran Off And Kissed A Vampire by KRS McEntire
Eighteen-year-old Raven has always had a plan: college, a stable job, and marriage to her high school sweetheart—all within the safe boundaries of her comfort zone. As a neurodivergent girl adopted into a family of high achievers, she understands the importance of stability. But when a single disastrous day leaves her without a job, her best friend, or her boyfriend, Raven’s carefully planned future unravels.
Desperate for a fresh start, Raven takes a leap of faith in the form of a mysterious job offer that lands her in a magical realm where humans coexist with fae, dragons, vampires, and other fantastical creatures. Her unlikely guide is Hunter, a snarky and secretive vampire who insists her bloodline holds the key to breaking an ancient curse. Reluctantly, Raven agrees to help, embarking on a quest filled with impromptu hip-hip concerts in medieval taverns, sassy talking unicorns, and growing feelings for Hunter. But as sparks fly, so do her suspicions about his true intentions.
To save a kingdom—and herself—Raven must uncover the secrets of her heritage and decide if she’s willing to risk everything for a magical world and a love that feels too impossible to be real. Amazon
My Review: 5 STARS
I’ve read other books my McEntire and so knew I was in for a treat with this one. I always love their rich worlds, with a hint of more beneath the surface. I adored Raven, and loved how the story drew me in and made me sit up and want to finish it all in one sitting. I only didn’t because sadly sleep isn’t optional. I adored Hunter too, the twists and turns had me flicking through the pages, feeling like I’d find the answers but knowing that I was still going to be surprised. That ending cinched it for me and I can’t wait for the next book! 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
June 4, 2025
Dealing With Imposter Syndrome [CC]
Giving you some tips about dealing with imposter syndrome! #Authortube
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