S.M. Stevens's Blog, page 4

Read 3 Excerpts from Beautiful and Terrible Things

Beautiful and Terrible Things has been earning rave reviews and even some early awards, I’m happy to say. Now it’s time to dig into the content a bit.

If you’re wondering if this novel is for you, read these three excerpts, which were recently published on book review blogs. Then you can decide if it’s time for you to check out this contemporary story, which is available now in paperback and ebook, and will be available very soon in audiobook.

Reading Nook Excerpt

The Reading Nook book blog published an excerpt (or extract as it’s called in the U.K.) that occurs early in the novel. Quirky activist Xander is slowly pulling introverted Charley out of her self-imposed social isolation. In this scene, they are on their first outing together, hiking in the woods.

This scene demonstrates how Xander’s Zen outlook on life coaxes Charley back into the real world. Read the Reading Nook excerpt here.

A Little Book Problem Excerpt

This blog, which has one of the best names ever IMHO, ran a Beautiful and Terrible Things excerpt that features Charley and her new friend Buwan. It helps to know that Buwan is Filipino-American with bronze skin. The two, plus four other friends, are spending the weekend at Buwan’s family’s summer home when Charley and Buwan walk to the general store for ice cream.

If you’ve ever wished you stood up for a friend, or wished you’d been stood up for, read this excerpt.

Book Inspector Excerpt

The excerpt published by book blog Book Inspector occurs quite far into the story. Xander and Buwan are having a few beers before heading downtown for a Black Lives Matter protest.

They discuss (mild spoiler coming) Xander’s new romance with Charley, and we see how Bu’s bipolar 1 manifests itself in risky behavior. Read the excerpt here.

Many thanks to Sarah, Julie and Raminta for publishing these excerpts, and for their support of Beautiful and Terrible Things and authors everywhere!

Oh, and one more way to check out the book before you buy: Amazon offers a free preview of the beginning of the book. Just click on Free Preview below.

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Launch Day: Beautiful & Terrible Things

It’s official! Today is “Launch Day” for my novel Beautiful and Terrible Things and I have big news to announce.

Thank you for being by my side during these last few months of pre-publication promotion. I’ve been posting more than usual and it’s been an exciting ride. I am also very grateful to my publisher, Black Rose Writing, which took me on after my first publisher failed to deliver.

To celebrate Launch Day, following is a review of some of the accolades the contemporary novel has received recently. But first, my two bits of big news:

Reader Views 5-Star Review

Beautiful and Terrible Things has earned a 5-star review from Reader Views, which is even more special than the other 5-stars reviews received to date because Reader Views is one of the few book review programs that takes into consideration “social relevance” when rating books.

And, I was blown away by the reviewer’s sentiments: “Much like finding love when you’re least expecting it, sometimes a book comes along and literally takes your breath away. Beautiful and Terrible Things by S. M. Stevens stole my heart from the first page. The author has successfully woven a tale of friendship, love, and identity amidst the chaos of today’s dangerous climate, where there is so much hatred and intolerance. For readers who love stories about transformation, revolution, and advocacy, don’t miss out on this emotional and highly inspirational reading experience.”

American Fiction Award Finalist

In my other bit of news, Beautiful and Terrible Things was named one of seven finalists in the General Fiction category of the 2024 American Fiction Awards, sponsored by American Book Fest. Past winners include Amy Tan, George Sanders, Julie Andrews, Clive Barker, Vanessa Williams and other well-known writers. That’s some serious company.

Other Early Awards

In addition to the just-announced American Fiction Award, you may recall that Beautiful and Terrible Things also won a Literary Titan Silver Book Award. Literary Titan is an organization of professional editors, writers, and professors. Their review of the book said, “Stevens’s prose is lyrical and rich, capable of drawing readers deeply into the emotional landscape of the story—from introspective quietude to the fervor of protests and activism. The authenticity and emotional resonance of each scene are palpable.This novel remains with you, a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the complexities of life it navigates.”

Other Early Reviews

Midwest Book Review (which does not rate books in its reviews) wrote: “Beautiful & Terrible Things is a novel about social exile, awakening, and new discoveries in modern-day America. Its main character, 29-year-old Charley Byrne, is just coming out of self-imposed isolation in an unnamed city in 2018. The move from hermit to hero is immense. Libraries and readers interested in tales of connection, trauma, recovery, and social discovery will find the many currents of transformation in Beautiful & Terrible Things give much food for thought. It’s highly recommended for diverse audiences interested in how social and political consciousness evolves and how self-analysis influences that process.”

In addition to Reader Views, the novel has earned five-star reviews from:

Indies Today: “With a bustling contemporary backdrop, a sobering dose of stark realities, and a kaleidoscopic cast that is both flawed and fascinating, Beautiful and Terrible Things reads like a rousing anthem for social evolution. A potent juxtaposition of things painful to bear and inspiring to behold, Beautiful and Terrible Things is an eloquent novel that fully lives up to its name.”

Readers’ Favorite: “Through vivid descriptions and dialogue, the author creates emotionally rich, often tense, and heartwarming scenes. Beautiful and Terrible Things by S.M. Stevens is a compelling literary novel with resonant themes and characters that stay with readers after the last page is turned.”

Reedsy Discovery: “The six protagonists have the type of friendship that makes the Reader think, ‘I want to live in that city and be a part of that group.’ They are from various ethnicities, diverse backgrounds, three genders, and have different outlooks on life yet strive to retain loyal connections with each other. They are almost like the Friends gang, only more diverse and set in the 2020s.”

Availability

Beautiful and Terrible Things (ISBN 978-1-68513-447-1, 389 pages, $24.95) is published by Black Rose Writing and distributed by Lightning Source, Ingram Book Company, Amazon and Espresso Book Machine.

It is available on retail sites including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Target and Walmart. (Click here for links to all.)

It is also available to stores and consumers directly from the publisher at https://www.blackrosewriting.com/literary/beautifulandterriblethings.

It is also available to libraries and their patrons through Indie New Hampshire/Biblioboard and LibraryThing.

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Can You Help? Pre-Orders Matter

Today’s topic is an uncomfortable one for me, as I am not a natural-born salesperson. But with launch day for Beautiful and Terrible Things fast approaching, I have a request: If you are considering ordering the contemporary novel, please consider pre-ordering it now. (Yep, that’s the extent of my ability to hard sell.)

In today’s world, pre-orders really matter. Why? For several reasons.

Why Book Pre-Orders Matter

You’ve probably got some sense of how much clout Amazon has when it comes to marketing products. All pre-orders of Beautiful and Terrible Things on Amazon will count as sales on the book’s launch day (July 18), which gives the book a big bang on that day. That helps the book appear higher up in Amazon’s various lists, which makes Amazon take notice and consider the book for other promotions. (The image above is a screenshot of the current Amazon rankings for Beautiful and Terrible Things, which are not bad considering the book isn’t even out yet!)

But it’s about more than Amazon. Healthy pre-order numbers (on any retail site) also demonstrate to the publisher that people want my book, so they will invest more of their limited marketing dollars in promoting the title.

Plus, bookstores are watching. They have access to pre-order numbers. Books with strong showings are more likely to be ordered by bookstore managers for their shelves.

Librarians are also watching, and are more likely to order books with strong early sales.

Where to Pre-Order

Beautiful and Terrible Things is available for pre-order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Target, Bookshop.org (which benefits local bookstores), and Black Rose Writing (my publisher).

If you pre-order Beautiful and Terrible Things directly from the publisher’s online store, you can use discount code PREORDER2024 when checking out to save 15% off the list price. You can save even more if you sign up for the publisher’s Rosevine newsletter. You’ll get 25% off all your Black Rose Writing purchases. Sign up for the newsletter here.

If you want to order in bulk for your Book Club, I can ask the publisher about a volume discount.

The paperback and ebook versions of Beautiful and Terrible Things can also be pre-ordered on these retail sites, some with discounts. (Click on the store’s name to get to the book’s page.)

Bonus Materials Available A Little Longer

I’ve been offering a pile of free Bonus Materials related to Beautiful and Terrible Things to people who sign up to follow me. That offer won’t be available forever, so if you know someone who might be interested in the free novelette, short stories and bonus scenes, please forward this email to them so they can consider signing up to follow my news and get access to the Bonus Materials.

ICYMI: Recent Posts

I’ve been churning out more updates than usual, as we get closer to Beautiful and Terrible Things‘ publication day. (Don’t worry — I’ll return to a more sedate pace soon!) In Case You Missed It, here are a few recent posts on topics that may be of interest:

Readers’ Favorite 5-Star ReviewBook Launch Party, Goodreads Giveaway & Free ARCPre-Order & Discount Information

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Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Review

Sites like Amazon have made consumer reviews of everything from refrigerators to socks the most important form of marketing and advertising out there. But consumer reviews of books have always mattered. How many books have you picked up to read because a friend or family member said it was great and you had to check it out?

So while reviews from literary journals, traditional media outlets and book-focused blogs and websites are craved by authors, reviews from “real people” a.k.a. everyday readers, are just as treasured.

Readers’ Favorite Rates “Beautiful and Terrible Things” 5 Stars

So I’m thrilled to tell you that Readers’ Favorite has bestowed upon Beautiful and Terrible Things a coveted 5-Star Review. Readers’ Favorite is a website and program that helps readers find new books, and get free books in exchange for honest reviews. Their goal is to help books from self-published authors and smaller publishing houses get more attention.

Here’s an excerpt from the Readers’ Favorite 5-star review of Beautiful and Terrible Things:

“Beautiful and Terrible Things brilliantly articulates contemporary social issues, featuring characters with different ethnicities and backgrounds. The protagonist is genuinely flawed, and readers instantly sympathize with her inner struggles. There is excitement in watching her evolve and emerge from her shell. The conversations between Charley and Xander help Charley confront her past traumas and rediscover herself, while Xander’s exuberance and compassion offer her a glimmer of hope.

“Through vivid descriptions and dialogue, the author creates emotionally rich, often tense, and heartwarming scenes. Beautiful and Terrible Things by S.M. Stevens is a compelling literary novel with resonant themes and characters that stay with readers after the last page is turned.“

“Trade” Reviews of Beautiful and Terrible Things

Those professional reviews I mentioned above? Happy to say a few of those have come in as well, in advance of the novel’s publication. Here are some highlights (and links to the full reviews, if you want to read more):

Midwest Book Review: “Beautiful & Terrible Things is a novel about social exile, awakening, and new discoveries in modern-day America…[Charley’s] move from hermit to hero is immense…S.M. Stevens creates a fine juxtaposition of beautiful and terrible moments in a life already frayed by self-destructive tendencies, depression, and isolation. The title of this book aptly mirrors the ebb and flow of a challenge that evolves as Charley’s life takes dramatic turns, moving away from patterns that once seemed engrained.”

(You have to scroll down on the MBR page to reach the BATT review; or search on the title.)

Literary Titan: “Stevens’s prose is lyrical and rich…the authenticity and emotional resonance of each scene are palpable…This novel remains with you, a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the complexities of life it navigates.”

Indies Today: “With a bustling contemporary backdrop, a sobering dose of stark realities, and a kaleidoscopic cast that is both flawed and fascinating, Beautiful and Terrible Things reads like a rousing anthem for social evolution…From embarrassing habits to shameful memories, the hyperrealistic characters are elegantly portrayed…A potent juxtaposition of things painful to bear and inspiring to behold, Beautiful and Terrible Things is an eloquent novel that fully lives up to its name.”

More Reader Reviews of Beautiful and Terrible Things

More advance reviews from readers can be found on these sites:

Barnes & NobleBookBubGoodreads

I am grateful for each and every one, and am enthralled by many of the positive comments. But this has to be one of my favorites, because I loved the critically acclaimed book A Little Life, and because The Big Chill vibe (or Friends) is exactly what I was going for:

“SM Stevens’ brilliant novel, Beautiful & Terrible Things, carries the emotional weight of Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life with characters resembling a diverse version of The Big Chill. — Author Cam Torrens

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Book Launch Party, Goodreads Giveaway & Free ARC

As the book launch for Beautiful and Terrible Things approaches, the calendar is filling up with summertime events. And, my publisher is organizing various giveaway contests for readers to nab free copies of the contemporary novel. Read on for details.

Save the Date: Book Launch Party!

The Bookery, a wonderful independent bookstore in Manchester, NH, offered to host my book launch party for Beautiful and Terrible Things, to which I, of course, said yes! I hope those of you in Southern New Hampshire/Northeastern Massachusetts can swing by. The party will include readings from the novel, a Q&A, and book signings. The event will be Friday, July 19, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM. The Bookery is at 844 Elm Street in Manchester, NH.

Other Upcoming Events

In addition to the book launch party in Manchester, NH, I’ll be at a few other events in the coming weeks, including an Author Meet & Greet with about a dozen local authors at the library in Hillsborough, NH, on June 29, and an Artisan Fair at Waterville Valley Resort in NH on July 13. I’ve also got events scheuled in Exeter and Henniker. Read about those and other upcoming appearances on my Calendar page.

Goodreads Giveaway Happening Now

Win a free paperback copy of Beautiful and Terrible Things, a $25 value (even more with shipping), in this Goodreads giveaway contest. No purchase is required, but you must have a free Goodreads account to participate.

Goodreads is the world’s largest site for readers looking to find and share books with other readers.

Click here to enter.

How You Can Preview BATT for Free

As a special offer only for my followers, you can download and read for free, before the rest of the world, an “Advance Review Copy” or ARC of Beautiful and Terrible Things, via BookSirens. Click here to download the book. Participation is free and the download is secure. (Caveat: I have never used this well-established promotional service before; if you have any issues, let me know.)

More ARC Programs

Beautiful and Terrible Things is also entered into a few other programs in which “early readers” get access to Advance Review Copies of forthcoming books. The idea is that in exchange for the early look and the free book, those people will post online reviews of the books. Actually posting a review is not technically required because it’s considered unethical to pay for reviews, and providing a book for free is sort of like paying. But even a one-sentence review or a simple rating goes a long way in helping out the authors who don’t have the power of a Big 5 publisher behind them.

Honestly, I think these programs are only worth joining if you’re serious about reading, have lots of time to read, and want to be a “professional reader” if you will. Otherwise, you’re just setting yourself up for a lot of unwanted emails and maybe a smidge of guilt for not following through, if you find you really don’t have the time. That’s why many members of these programs are people with serious book review blogs.

With that rousing endorsement, here are the additional ARC programs where advance readers can access Beautiful and Terrible Things, if you’re interested in joining one. (And feel free to share this with a librarian or other heavy reader you think might be interested!)

Library Thing (My book will be listed there in early July)NetGalleyVoracious Readers Only

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Pre-Order & Discount Information

It’s hard to believe Publication Day for Beautiful and Terrible Things is just over a month away. For those of you who like to get ahead of the game, the novel is now available for pre-order on various online retail sites, some with discounts.

Links to those sites are below. Then, keep reading for information on how to get a special author appearance (moi, of course) at your Book Club, and for exciting news about an audiobook version of Beautiful and Terrible Things.

Pre-Order Sites

Beautiful and Terrible Things will be officially published on July 18 but you can pre-order the paperback or ebook now if you want, on these sites:

Discounts

If you pre-order directly from the publisher, Black Rose Writing, use the discount code PREORDER2024 when checking out to save 15% off the list price. Scan this QR code with your phone (or click on the image) to go to the Black Rose Writing online bookstore.

You can save even more if you sign up for the publisher’s Rosevine newsletter. You’ll get 25% off all your Black Rose Writing purchases. Sign up for the newsletter here.

Also, note that the other sites listed above offer discounts of their own sometimes.

Available for Book Clubs

Midwest Book Review gives Beautiful and Terrible Things a thumbs-up for book clubs: “Beautiful & Terrible Things [is ideal for] book club discussions about a range of subjects, from social and political individual growth, to breaking free of individual isolation to enter the wider social arena. It’s highly recommended for diverse audiences interested in how social and political consciousness evolves and how self-analysis influences that process.”

And let’s not forget, it’s a lot of fun to read, with early reviewers comparing the camaraderie of the six friends in the book to the TV show Friends, the movie The Big Chill, and the book A Little Life.

If you’re in a Book Club and you’d like to me to join in on your discussion of Beautiful & Terrible Things, or The Wallace House of Pain novelette for that matter, count me in. Nothing is more fun than sitting with a bunch of people willing to provide candid feedback on your novel! I’ll join by Zoom or, if feasible, in person. Contact me here.

Audiobook Coming

For you audiobook fans, YES – there will be an audiobook version of Beautiful and Terrible Things. My publisher has signed the fabulous Nicole Cash to narrate the book. I couldn’t be happier to have her bring my six friends to life based on her earlier work and her audition for this book.

The audiobook should be released within a few weeks of the paperback and ebook.

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Bookworm Reviews: “Like the Friends Gang”

Thanks to Julie Sara Porter at Bookworm Reviews for posting an advance review of my forthcoming novel Beautiful & Terrible Things. Here is an excerpt from the full review:

Review Highlights

“The best thing about this book are the well developed characters. The six protagonists have the type of friendship that makes the Reader think, ‘I want to live in that city and be a part of that group.’ They are from various ethnicities, diverse backgrounds, three genders, and have different outlooks on life yet strive to retain loyal connections with each other. They are almost like the Friends gang, only more diverse and set in the 2020’s. 

“As memorable as they are as a team, they also stand out as individuals. The group’s idiosyncrasies develop them and make them come alive. From Xander’s overly flowery language, Terrence’s monochromatic wardrobe, Jessica’s insistence on referring to the others by their first initials, Buwan’s dragon tattoos, Sunny’s fascination with marriage and children, to Charley’s superstitious nature, these little quirks and characteristics reveal much about the people who inhabit them in a way that is natural and not cloying. 

“Beautiful & Terrible Things is a book that is a lot like modern life. There are many terrible things [that] can test us physically, mentally, and emotionally. However, there can be beautiful things as well.”

The six protagonists have the type of friendship that makes the reader think, “I want to live in that city and be a part of that group.” They are almost like the Friends gang, only more diverse and set in the 2020’s. 

The Friends line would have to be my favorite part of the Bookworm Reviews review, because Friends (and The Big Chill) featured exactly the vibe I was going for when developing the camaraderie between my characters.

Read the Full Review

Read the full review on Bookworm Reviews here.

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Announcing Free Bonus Materials for “Beautiful and Terrible Things”

Special Offer: To celebrate the forthcoming publication of my contemporary novel Beautiful and Terrible Things, I am making a slew of Bonus Materials related to the book available to those who follow my blog and receive my semi-occasional News.

Existing followers (if you got this blog post in your email inbox, you are one) will get another email later today with instructions for accessing the Bonus Materials.

If you are not yet signed up to follow my News, read on for details on how to do that.

What Do I Get?

The free Bonus Materials are:

A full-length, award-winning novelette, The Wallace House of PainA short story, Two Kinds of People10 bonus scenesBonus #1: Novelette – The Wallace House of Pain

Published as a standalone book, The Wallace House of Pain has won numerous awards, including First Place in the Chanticleer International Book Awards, and the 2023 American Fiction Award in the novelette category. You will receive a free digital copy when you follow me.

The novelette encapsulates Xander Wallace’s personal journey, which I hated to cut out of Beautiful and Terrible Things. But, as with the other deleted scenes, these were the least pivotal to the main plot. To my delight, the series of dinners with Xander’s father and stepmother, to which Xander drags each of his friends in turn, worked very well as a novelette. In The Wallace House of Pain (which is also available as a paperback for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble), we see how the friends support Xander as he struggles to find common ground with his dad.

Bonus #2: Short Story – Two Kinds of People

The character Queenie, an old homeless person killed by the police, had much more “screen time” in the first version of the novel than in the final book. Those scenes also helped readers get to know Sunny and Bu better.

I am grateful to Smoky Quartz magazine for letting Queenie see the light of day in my short story Two Kinds of People — a phrase you may recognize as one of Buwan’s favorite sayings.

Bonus #3: Bonus Scenes

Spend more time with all six characters in 10 deleted scenes.

In some, the characters’ platonic and romantic relationships are developed further, and in some, the novel’s social justice themes are explored further. Some scenes will help you get to know secondary characters like Bertie and even bad guy Liam Flammer better.

What Order Should I Read In?

The Wallace House of Pain and Two Kinds of People work as standalone stories and can be read before or after the full book. In fact, WHOP is a great introduction to the six friends in Beautiful and Terrible Things. One reviewer of WHOP wrote:

“This is a short but rewarding read which manages to embed us in Xander’s life and social circle very thoroughly and made me eager to read more about them all. Given that these characters feature in the author’s upcoming new novel, I guess this was the idea and one that has certainly been successful in my case.” – A Little Book Problem

However, I highly recommend reading the full novel before you read the Bonus Scenes as those scenes will make a lot more sense then, and you’ll avoid confusing spoilers.

How Do I Access the Bonus Materials?

You need a special subscriber-only password to access the Beautiful and Terrible Things Bonus Materials. More specifically:

New Followers: If you’re not yet following my News, enter your email address in the “Subscribe” box at the top right of this page, or at the bottom of the page. (WordPress may email you to confirm, to make sure you’re not a bot.) Within a few days, you will receive an email from me with the password and link to access the Bonus Materials.

Existing Followers: Watch for an email with a link and password for the Bonus Materials page and materials later today.

What Does “Following You” Mean?

When you sign up to follow me, in addition to getting the Beautiful and Terrible Things Bonus Materials, you’ll get occasional emails from me with the latest news on my books. Never fear, I will not inundate you with spammy messages. In fact, I’m an irregular blogger at best, only posting when I have actual news to share.

That’s it. No commitment. No overwhelming and annoying amount of email. No hard sell. Just the occasional update on my books plus the occasional funny photo because life is short.

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First Place Prize for “The Wallace House of Pain”

It’s been a long journey — more than seven months — but I’m thrilled with the end result: The Wallace House of Pain has been awarded a First Place prize in the Chanticleer International Book Awards (CIBA) competition for 2023. For those of you who have been riding along on this entire journey, as my little story was named to the Long List, then the Short List, and then the Finalists list, this should be the final update!

CIBA has been recognizing excellence in writing for 13 years. My First Place prize was in the Short Stories and Novellas category.

There are actually seven First Place winners (don’t ask me to explain that…I can’t), and one Grand Prize winner: C.H. Brown‘s story The Heart of Kublai Khan’s Menagerie Keeper. Congratulations to her!

The Same Cast of Characters

The cast of characters in The Wallace House of Pain is the same as in my novel Beautiful and Terrible Things, which comes out in mid-July. So if you read the novelette and like the group of six friends, you can spend more time with them in the full-length novel.

Other Awards

The Wallace House of Pain has also been awarded the 2023 American Fiction Award for Best Novelette, and a 5-Star Review from Readers’ Favorite, as you can see on the cover above.

(Hmm, where am I going to put the CIBA award-winner badge on the cover of The Wallace House of Pain? It’s getting a little crowded.)

Readers’ Favorite Review

If you’d like to know more about the novelette, this Readers’ Favorite review offers a good summary:

The Wallace House of Pain: A Novelette centers around Xander and his estranged father, Jim. S.M. Stevens uses this short story to introduce us to Xander and his uncomfortable dinners with his father and his second wife, Kathy. Xander and Jim don’t seem to see eye to eye on anything and it’s getting increasingly harder for Xander to truly be himself around his father. Through a series of dinners, Xander introduces Jim and Kathy to the greater, less conventional world out there. The exposure forces them to see that not everything is black and white and that fighting for something important is worth the effort. Fortunately, it turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks.

S.M. Stevens uses The Wallace House of Pain to introduce us to several central characters. Stevens tackles sensitive but relevant topics that many of the older generation don’t understand or refuse to acknowledge, including gender identity, sexual preference, racism, and women’s rights. The book might very well mirror a lot of young people’s upbringing or family situations and detail their difficulty in either coming out or going against the grain, so to speak. Stevens has done a wonderful and respectful job of bringing across a positive message of acceptance and love that any person who has ever struggled with that would love to read. I’m excited to read any future novels by this author and see what impact she has on the world today!

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Advance Reviews Praise “Beautiful and Terrible Things”

The first advance reviews of my forthcoming novel Beautiful and Terrible Things are in, and they offer high praise!

Sending “Advance Reader Copies” (also called “Advance Review Copies”) out to publishing trade magazines and media before a book is published is a time-honored tradition in the process of publishing a novel. The idea is that publishing experts can offer unbiased, professional opinions to help readers decide whether or not to pick up a book for themselves.

Of course, these days, reviews from other readers who are not industry professionals have become as important — maybe more important — to many people. Online reviews by consumers are the equivalent of digital word-of-mouth advertising, in my opinion. And word-of-mouth has always been the most powerful form of marketing.

Either way, reviews matter, more than ever these days. (Hint hint: Be sure to review or at least rate any books you read; you’ll be doing the authors a huge favor.)

But enough marketing talk. On to the reviews!

Here are highlights from the first two advance reviews of Beautiful and Terrible Things in the trade press:

Indies Today

With a bustling contemporary backdrop, a sobering dose of stark realities, and a kaleidoscopic cast that is both flawed and fascinating, Beautiful and Terrible Things reads like a rousing anthem for social evolution.

From embarrassing habits to shameful memories, the hyperrealistic characters are elegantly portrayed.

A potent juxtaposition of things painful to bear and inspiring to behold, Beautiful and Terrible Things is an eloquent novel that fully lives up to its name.

Read the full review here.

Literary Titan

Stevens’s prose is lyrical and rich, capable of drawing readers deeply into the emotional landscape of the story—from introspective quietude to the fervor of protests and activism, the authenticity and emotional resonance of each scene are palpable.

Beautiful and Terrible Things is not just a story about overcoming adversity but also a reflection on the intrinsic beauty that can be found in life’s most formidable moments. It challenges readers to consider the enduring impact of human connections and the personal strength that can emerge from hardship.

This novel remains with you, a testament to the indomitable human spirit and the complexities of life it navigates.

Read the full review here.

What’s Next

Beautiful and Terrible Things will be published in July. I’ll be sending discount codes and Bonus Materials to my followers before then.

And if you missed the release of the official video trailer for the book, or want more information and a description, hop on over here.

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