Nenia Campbell's Blog, page 14
November 7, 2021
Now taking more What the Actual Fuck Wednesday requests!
So I read Taken by the T-Rex, which ended up being my pick for last week. I'll be posting my review and maybe an Instagram video for it this Wednesday, but let's just say somehow it managed to exceed even my expectations for being the absolute WORST.
I'm taking new recommendations for the following week NOW just in case I get told to read something longer. I don't have many rules for what I will and won't read, but I do have SOME. You can read the rules for this challenge here: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Anyway, thanks for encouraging me to participate in this challenge. It's been fun seeing everyone get excited about bad books with me and I look forward to seeing what y'all come up with. ♥
I'm taking new recommendations for the following week NOW just in case I get told to read something longer. I don't have many rules for what I will and won't read, but I do have SOME. You can read the rules for this challenge here: https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
Anyway, thanks for encouraging me to participate in this challenge. It's been fun seeing everyone get excited about bad books with me and I look forward to seeing what y'all come up with. ♥
November 3, 2021
QUID PRO QUO is FREE in the Kindle Store!
Do you like FREE books? Because my newest book, a dark stepbrother romance, is currently free for download in the Kindle store!
https://www.amazon.com/Quid-Pro-Quo-s...
I'm actually really proud of this one. Nick and Jay are probably my favorite couple I've written (I know you're not supposed to have favorites, but I totally do LOL #sorrynotsorry) and since I'm getting closer to finishing the companion book set in the same made-up LA suburb (BATTER MY HEART), I thought it would be fun to make it free to celebrate my progress!
So please enjoy and have a great day! Also, if you end up reading it, I'd love it if you wrote a review! Positive or negative, your feedback is totally important and can make a difference to both authors and readers!
https://www.amazon.com/Quid-Pro-Quo-s...
I'm actually really proud of this one. Nick and Jay are probably my favorite couple I've written (I know you're not supposed to have favorites, but I totally do LOL #sorrynotsorry) and since I'm getting closer to finishing the companion book set in the same made-up LA suburb (BATTER MY HEART), I thought it would be fun to make it free to celebrate my progress!
So please enjoy and have a great day! Also, if you end up reading it, I'd love it if you wrote a review! Positive or negative, your feedback is totally important and can make a difference to both authors and readers!
November 2, 2021
Introducing "What the Actual Fuck Wednesdays" (WtAFW)
So people are ALWAYS telling me to read weird, fucked-up books and I thought I'd lean into that and make it a weekly feature, where every Wednesday I read and review a book that is... weird. That you recommend! (Because you're going to do it anyway, you like seeing me suffer, admit it.)
I do have some ground rules though!
1) Nothing that supports hate speech, far-right politics, or bigotry. I don't want to give a platform to that, even if it's meant to be funny. Also, NO eroticas set in high school. Reading them makes me very uncomfortable.
2) I would prefer to restrict this exercise to bad romance and bad erotica.
3) Please keep it under $4.99 or on Kindle Unlimited. I do not have a lot of money to spend on books on a weekly basis. :D
4) HAVE FUN!
I do have some ground rules though!
1) Nothing that supports hate speech, far-right politics, or bigotry. I don't want to give a platform to that, even if it's meant to be funny. Also, NO eroticas set in high school. Reading them makes me very uncomfortable.
2) I would prefer to restrict this exercise to bad romance and bad erotica.
3) Please keep it under $4.99 or on Kindle Unlimited. I do not have a lot of money to spend on books on a weekly basis. :D
4) HAVE FUN!
September 19, 2021
QPQ on sale for a limited time!
Hellooooooo,
In case you missed my status update, my darktastic stepbrother roamnce will be on sale for a limited time. Right now the price is only 99 cents! Then it will go up to $1.99 before returning to its original price of $3.49!
It will be 99 cents for about one more day so if you are interested in this ~FANTASTIC~ deal, make sure you grab it while the getting is good. ;D
Look, here's an Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...
There ARE trigger warnings for this book so please check out my GR review if you have any specific concerns: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cheers!
In case you missed my status update, my darktastic stepbrother roamnce will be on sale for a limited time. Right now the price is only 99 cents! Then it will go up to $1.99 before returning to its original price of $3.49!
It will be 99 cents for about one more day so if you are interested in this ~FANTASTIC~ deal, make sure you grab it while the getting is good. ;D
Look, here's an Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08...
There ARE trigger warnings for this book so please check out my GR review if you have any specific concerns: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Cheers!
September 13, 2021
FAQ You: AKA, Nenia 101
Hello!
I have gotten a number of new friends and followers and some of you have been asking me questions on my socials, so I decided to do an FAQ here:
How old are you?
That is PRIVILEGED INFORMATION. But the correct answer is somewhere between 30 and 447. Guess at your own peril.
How do you pronounce your name?
NEH-NEE-AHH CAM-BULL
What kind of a name is that?
The first bit's Latin. *dons a gothy cloak* It means funeral dirge. The second bit's Scottish.
Wait. You are an author... who writes critical REVIEWS?
Yes! And sometimes people get mad at me for it, but most people seem to understand that I am just a crazy person on the internet having my crazy fun. I one-star my own books after all. No one is safe.
Is writing your full time job?
It is not. I work in a STEM field even though I majored in a social science. FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS, INNIT?
How much do you make from writing?
AGAIN, VERY PRIVILEGED INFORMATION. But also-- not that much, tbh. If I tried to live off my writing earnings, I would literally be living in a shack somewhere. Day jobs are a must.
Why don't you become a writer full-time?
HEALTH INSURANCE AND MONEY. And also, I kind of love my day job. But also the health insurance and money.
What kind of books do you write?
The kinds that come with trigger warnings! I write some pretty messed up things LOL.
What's your favorite thing you've written?
Ahh! Don't ask me to choose! But probably Wishing Stars: Space Opera Fairytales, Escape, or Quid Pro Quo. Most of my books have something about them that I wouldn't do the same if I'd written them today, but I'm pretty happy with those.
What are you working on now?
I'm almost done with a bully romance called Batter My Heart. After that, I'm planning a mafia romance, a modern gothic, and a fucked-up second chance romance. I also maybe have another book in my Horrorscape series that will sort of be a bonus companion book.
Where do you live?
The United States! Specifically California. Specifically San Francisco. Specifically not in a shack. (Thank you, day job!)
Do you have a YouTube channel?
I do not! I am actually very shy around people and do not like the way my voice sounds in recordings. You can find me on Instagram though, @alwaysbeebooked and on Twitter @NeniaCampbell.
What sorts of books do you review?
Mostly vintage/retro romance although also newer romance, nonfiction and sometimes science-fiction-fantasy. I'm also really making an effort to read more books by PoC and LGBT+ authors. On my Instagram, I primarily feature older romances with pretty covers but I try to spotlight newer books that I think are especially fun or important.
What's the weirdest interaction you've ever had online?
Creepy-weird? Funny-weird? Or wholesome-weird?
Creepy-weird: Messages from men who seem to have a fetish for Persian girls and think I am one. (Note: I am not.) When told that I am not, one of them even asked, "Are you sure?" This has happened more than one time. It might have happened even more than five times. It's creepy all the time.
Funny-weird: People who clearly haven't looked at my Goodreads author profile who tell me, "You try writing a book sometime if you think it's so easy." Okay! I'll take that in stride as I approach Published Book Number Thirty.
Wholesome-weird: My mom randomly found one of my reviews on the internet and told me she thought it was too mean. I laughed at her but then a few days later, I decided that she was probably right and edited the review.
Why can't I comment on your reviews?
I made my comments friends-only because I was getting a lot of not-so-nice comments when I started consistently placing in the top ten "best" reviewers every week and they were really bumming me out. Yes, I'm a coward-- a coward with FEELINGS!
Can I be your friend?
Please do! I like friends! I add almost everyone except for creeps, spammers, and people who just don't seem to be very active and might be better off just following me instead.
Do you speak any other languages?
Yes! I speak Spanish, and I know about a hundred characters in Mandarin. I can also read sheet music and I used to be able to code.
Tell us a fun fact about you.
I'm allergic to GMO corn and can't eat most processed foods because of it. Technically it's a sensitivity and not an allergy because it doesn't cause a histamine response, but if you say "sensitivity" people hear "high maintenance bitch who's picky about food" and not "I'm literally going to puke and shit my guts out if you feed me corn," so sometimes I let people think that I might die if they mess up my food order because I would prefer not to wreck a toilet that night.
What are the most stereotypically Californian things about you?
I think anything below sixty degrees is "freezing." I'm obsessed with wine and avocados. I pepper my sentences with "likes" and "you knows." Also, I'm a food snob. Like, obnoxiously so.
Do you have any other hobbies besides writing and blogging and reading?
I like food, art, music, and gardening. I'm basically your grandma. We probably even have the same sweater.
If you have more questions for me, feel free to ask! No guarantee I'll answer but it never hurts to try. ;)
I have gotten a number of new friends and followers and some of you have been asking me questions on my socials, so I decided to do an FAQ here:
How old are you?
That is PRIVILEGED INFORMATION. But the correct answer is somewhere between 30 and 447. Guess at your own peril.
How do you pronounce your name?
NEH-NEE-AHH CAM-BULL
What kind of a name is that?
The first bit's Latin. *dons a gothy cloak* It means funeral dirge. The second bit's Scottish.
Wait. You are an author... who writes critical REVIEWS?
Yes! And sometimes people get mad at me for it, but most people seem to understand that I am just a crazy person on the internet having my crazy fun. I one-star my own books after all. No one is safe.
Is writing your full time job?
It is not. I work in a STEM field even though I majored in a social science. FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS, INNIT?
How much do you make from writing?
AGAIN, VERY PRIVILEGED INFORMATION. But also-- not that much, tbh. If I tried to live off my writing earnings, I would literally be living in a shack somewhere. Day jobs are a must.
Why don't you become a writer full-time?
HEALTH INSURANCE AND MONEY. And also, I kind of love my day job. But also the health insurance and money.
What kind of books do you write?
The kinds that come with trigger warnings! I write some pretty messed up things LOL.
What's your favorite thing you've written?
Ahh! Don't ask me to choose! But probably Wishing Stars: Space Opera Fairytales, Escape, or Quid Pro Quo. Most of my books have something about them that I wouldn't do the same if I'd written them today, but I'm pretty happy with those.
What are you working on now?
I'm almost done with a bully romance called Batter My Heart. After that, I'm planning a mafia romance, a modern gothic, and a fucked-up second chance romance. I also maybe have another book in my Horrorscape series that will sort of be a bonus companion book.
Where do you live?
The United States! Specifically California. Specifically San Francisco. Specifically not in a shack. (Thank you, day job!)
Do you have a YouTube channel?
I do not! I am actually very shy around people and do not like the way my voice sounds in recordings. You can find me on Instagram though, @alwaysbeebooked and on Twitter @NeniaCampbell.
What sorts of books do you review?
Mostly vintage/retro romance although also newer romance, nonfiction and sometimes science-fiction-fantasy. I'm also really making an effort to read more books by PoC and LGBT+ authors. On my Instagram, I primarily feature older romances with pretty covers but I try to spotlight newer books that I think are especially fun or important.
What's the weirdest interaction you've ever had online?
Creepy-weird? Funny-weird? Or wholesome-weird?
Creepy-weird: Messages from men who seem to have a fetish for Persian girls and think I am one. (Note: I am not.) When told that I am not, one of them even asked, "Are you sure?" This has happened more than one time. It might have happened even more than five times. It's creepy all the time.
Funny-weird: People who clearly haven't looked at my Goodreads author profile who tell me, "You try writing a book sometime if you think it's so easy." Okay! I'll take that in stride as I approach Published Book Number Thirty.
Wholesome-weird: My mom randomly found one of my reviews on the internet and told me she thought it was too mean. I laughed at her but then a few days later, I decided that she was probably right and edited the review.
Why can't I comment on your reviews?
I made my comments friends-only because I was getting a lot of not-so-nice comments when I started consistently placing in the top ten "best" reviewers every week and they were really bumming me out. Yes, I'm a coward-- a coward with FEELINGS!
Can I be your friend?
Please do! I like friends! I add almost everyone except for creeps, spammers, and people who just don't seem to be very active and might be better off just following me instead.
Do you speak any other languages?
Yes! I speak Spanish, and I know about a hundred characters in Mandarin. I can also read sheet music and I used to be able to code.
Tell us a fun fact about you.
I'm allergic to GMO corn and can't eat most processed foods because of it. Technically it's a sensitivity and not an allergy because it doesn't cause a histamine response, but if you say "sensitivity" people hear "high maintenance bitch who's picky about food" and not "I'm literally going to puke and shit my guts out if you feed me corn," so sometimes I let people think that I might die if they mess up my food order because I would prefer not to wreck a toilet that night.
What are the most stereotypically Californian things about you?
I think anything below sixty degrees is "freezing." I'm obsessed with wine and avocados. I pepper my sentences with "likes" and "you knows." Also, I'm a food snob. Like, obnoxiously so.
Do you have any other hobbies besides writing and blogging and reading?
I like food, art, music, and gardening. I'm basically your grandma. We probably even have the same sweater.
If you have more questions for me, feel free to ask! No guarantee I'll answer but it never hurts to try. ;)
September 7, 2021
Batter My Heart update!
Hi all,
First, thank you all so much for your support and excitement about my upcoming bully romance, BATTER MY HEART. It means everything. 💖
I'd hoped to release it in July but the story was really flawed so I've postponed publication to flesh out the book, clean up the narrative, and improve upon the characters. I'd like for it to be out by December or so, but it all depends on the writing process and how that goes. I don't want to publish anything inferior and would rather wait than under-deliver. I'm also working full time and doing blogging and influencing on the side, which eats into a lot of my time, and sometimes I'm too tired or drained to write. 😅
The book will be coming out, though-- and SOON. I just crossed the halfway point in edits and I'm eager to publish. Especially because I have 4+ upcoming projects I'm very excited about, including a mafia romance, another book in the Horrorscape series, and a book I'll be cowriting with my mom!
Anyway, thank you so much for your patience and understanding! I'm really excited about BATTER MY HEART and I feel much better about the rewrite than I did about the original. I'm so excited to share it with all of you. 🤗
Love,
Nenia
First, thank you all so much for your support and excitement about my upcoming bully romance, BATTER MY HEART. It means everything. 💖
I'd hoped to release it in July but the story was really flawed so I've postponed publication to flesh out the book, clean up the narrative, and improve upon the characters. I'd like for it to be out by December or so, but it all depends on the writing process and how that goes. I don't want to publish anything inferior and would rather wait than under-deliver. I'm also working full time and doing blogging and influencing on the side, which eats into a lot of my time, and sometimes I'm too tired or drained to write. 😅
The book will be coming out, though-- and SOON. I just crossed the halfway point in edits and I'm eager to publish. Especially because I have 4+ upcoming projects I'm very excited about, including a mafia romance, another book in the Horrorscape series, and a book I'll be cowriting with my mom!
Anyway, thank you so much for your patience and understanding! I'm really excited about BATTER MY HEART and I feel much better about the rewrite than I did about the original. I'm so excited to share it with all of you. 🤗
Love,
Nenia
June 20, 2021
QUID PRO QUO is on SALE for 99 cents!
Hi everyone! To celebrate QPQ almost having 150 ratings (and also just because), I put the book on sale. For a limited time, you can buy it for 99c in the Kindle store!
https://www.amazon.com/Quid-Pro-Quo-s...
It's a dark stepbrother romance (a villain one, I would say!) with dubious consent and various other triggers. If you need specifics, feel free to ask!
I can't wait to see what you think!
https://www.amazon.com/Quid-Pro-Quo-s...
It's a dark stepbrother romance (a villain one, I would say!) with dubious consent and various other triggers. If you need specifics, feel free to ask!
I can't wait to see what you think!
February 20, 2021
Writing Update!
Hi everyone!
Good news! I'm actively writing again. For several years I was on unofficial hiatus because I was so busy with my day job and didn't have very good work-life balance, so I only wrote one full length novel, one novella, and one poetry collection in four years. Eek.
I finally have time to write (and it feels fun again! Yay!), so I'm trying to cross off all the projects and unfinished series I've left sitting over the years. In the past year alone, I've already published three books (Escape, Through a Glass, Darkly, and Quid Pro Quo) and it honestly feels pretty good!
Now that I've finished the Shadow Thane series (the last book is Dragon Queen) and the Horrorscape series (last book is Escape), I'm going to try to finish my last unfinished active series, which is the second book in the Blood Bonds duology, Court the Night.
CtC currently has about 20,000 words. I just need to figure out an ending for it, which means rereading the original until I have it practically memorized! I want to make sure I do a good job, so this might take some time, but I haven't forgotten about the book!
Other projects I hope to complete within the next year or so are Batter My Heart, a standalone bully romance, Evergloom, an erotic horror novel, and Babydoll, which will be a standalone erotic horror/thriller. BMH currently has about 15,000 words, Evergloom has about 30,000, and Babydoll has yet to be started.
Going forward, most of my books are probably going to be standalones just because I feel better about having a firm end in sight to a story arc. I really feel awful about letting a series hang and then not having any idea to end it. It's frustrating for me and I know it's really frustrating for my readers, which is why I want to focus on stories that are neatly tied up from the beginning. It just feels so much better to have that instant closure.
I'm really excited about all of my upcoming projects and I'm very grateful to everyone who has read and reviewed my work (and especially to those who have been patient with me and my erratic writing ways).
If you have any questions about ongoing or past projects of mine, please feel free to ask me!
Good news! I'm actively writing again. For several years I was on unofficial hiatus because I was so busy with my day job and didn't have very good work-life balance, so I only wrote one full length novel, one novella, and one poetry collection in four years. Eek.
I finally have time to write (and it feels fun again! Yay!), so I'm trying to cross off all the projects and unfinished series I've left sitting over the years. In the past year alone, I've already published three books (Escape, Through a Glass, Darkly, and Quid Pro Quo) and it honestly feels pretty good!
Now that I've finished the Shadow Thane series (the last book is Dragon Queen) and the Horrorscape series (last book is Escape), I'm going to try to finish my last unfinished active series, which is the second book in the Blood Bonds duology, Court the Night.
CtC currently has about 20,000 words. I just need to figure out an ending for it, which means rereading the original until I have it practically memorized! I want to make sure I do a good job, so this might take some time, but I haven't forgotten about the book!
Other projects I hope to complete within the next year or so are Batter My Heart, a standalone bully romance, Evergloom, an erotic horror novel, and Babydoll, which will be a standalone erotic horror/thriller. BMH currently has about 15,000 words, Evergloom has about 30,000, and Babydoll has yet to be started.
Going forward, most of my books are probably going to be standalones just because I feel better about having a firm end in sight to a story arc. I really feel awful about letting a series hang and then not having any idea to end it. It's frustrating for me and I know it's really frustrating for my readers, which is why I want to focus on stories that are neatly tied up from the beginning. It just feels so much better to have that instant closure.
I'm really excited about all of my upcoming projects and I'm very grateful to everyone who has read and reviewed my work (and especially to those who have been patient with me and my erratic writing ways).
If you have any questions about ongoing or past projects of mine, please feel free to ask me!
February 18, 2021
Last chance to get my books on sale!
I just changed the prices of my books back in the Kindle store so all of them will be reverting from 99 cents to their original prices.
If you enjoy my work and would like to get it while it is still cheap, you still have a few hours to do so before the prices change! Now is your chance to complete that series or catch up on some of my newer releases.
https://www.amazon.com/Nenia-Campbell...
If you enjoy my work and would like to get it while it is still cheap, you still have a few hours to do so before the prices change! Now is your chance to complete that series or catch up on some of my newer releases.
https://www.amazon.com/Nenia-Campbell...
January 24, 2021
Thank you so much for reading Quid Pro Quo!
My newest book, Quid Pro Quo, has been out for just under two weeks and already nearly 100,000+ pages of it have been read in KU! (Which is kind of amazing???)
So I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for supporting me as an author by reading my book. And also, once again, huge thank yous to my friend, Heather Crews, who beta-ed and made the cover.
And everyone who wrote a review or expressed an interest, thank you.
Whether you love it or hate it, your readership means everything. ♥
So I just wanted to say THANK YOU so much for supporting me as an author by reading my book. And also, once again, huge thank yous to my friend, Heather Crews, who beta-ed and made the cover.
And everyone who wrote a review or expressed an interest, thank you.
Whether you love it or hate it, your readership means everything. ♥
