Ally Aldridge's Blog, page 30
March 9, 2020
My To Be Read Pile
When I tell people I would love to read their book but unsure when I can because my reading pile grows faster than I can keep up with, this is what I am talking about…. I’m really not joking!
Here is my current reading pile… okay, so this isn’t even half of it, but these are at the top.
Sorceress of Truth by J D Groom
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The Sentinels (series) by Cassidy Reyne
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Sea Witch Rising (series) by Sarah Henning
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Number Eight Crispy Chicken by Sarah Neofield
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A Court of Thorns & Roses (series) by Sarah J Maas
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The Mirror Souls by Julia Scott
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[More of] The Red Queen (series) by Victoria Aveyard
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Join or Die by J Adrian Rut
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The Mermaid’s Sister by Carrie Anne Nobel
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Dying Ember by River K Scott
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Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
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The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz
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Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
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The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
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As you can see this is a rather long list considering I’m lucky if I manage to read one a month. Have you read any if the above? Are any of these in your pile?
If you enjoyed this you will like:
Book Review: Crown of Conspiracy by Kara S Weaver
Book Review: Blind Tiger by Rachel Vincent
Book Review: The Practice Boyfriend by Christina Benjamin
Click my link tree to discover more ways to connect:
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March 5, 2020
Recipe: Grilled Chicken with Mango and Salsa
This is February’s recipe. The month flew by so fast that it didn’t make the blog for the end of the month. But, this super simple recipe was worth the wait.
My hubby leaves out the chilli for the kids as they don’t handle spice well. It’s super quick, healthy, and fills hungry tummies.
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If you enjoyed this, you may like:,
Recipe: Salmon Fillet with Pesto and Mozerella
Aria’s Alice in Wonderland 1st Birthday
March 2, 2020
Book Review: Trust Me by Maddie James
The novel is set in the future. Cyan and her mother are hunted because they are the last Caucasian women. They are wanted for science, trafficking, etc. Cyan’s mother was lost, presumed dead, when she was younger during an attack in their home. Cyan has spent most of her life on the run with her dad until he was murdered. Cyan is then on the run getting help from an unlikely companion, her father’s murderer.
Beginning
The book starts off by showing us this futuristic world. As Cyan’s needs to live off the grid to keep her safe, they actually live a very simple life. Cyan grows up in an extremely sheltered life where her mum is her main companion.
The start of the book is a little disorientating as we jump back and forth in time and between the viewpoints. You best get used to this style of story telling as it is used throughout the book.
Middle
I’m not keen on books where the characters are travelling. As Cyan is never safe, she’s always on the move.
Cyan lost her mother when she was young during an attack in the family home. She then spent a number of years raised solely by her dad. Her dad is getting old and struggling to keep her safe so he gets Devin (someone who has hunted them for years to get the bounty) to kill him and take on the role of protecting Cyan. The promise Devin makes to Cyan’s dad forces them together.
It was uncomfortable to read at times. There wasn’t only one rape scene but several, told by different characters and at different times.
At first Cyan doesn’t like Devin, he killed her dad. Devin keeps their relationship strictly business as he worries that if he gets emotionally involved it will cloud his judgement. Cyan learns to depend on Devin for protection and Devin learns to trust Cyan and her premonitions. The romance between them grows and I enjoyed the steamy scene in the barn.
I also liked Cyan’s powers and would have liked to have seen more of this but then she would have been less vulnerable. She gets a vibration feeling when danger is coming and premonitions that cone true. She also has a very destructive power which she used to attack hunters when they hunted her family. All the time in hiding, they never thought to encourage her to practice her powers to use them to keep them safe. So sadly, Cyan can’t use them.
The End
There was a decent end to the book. There were two plot twists and Cyan finally used her powers to save them.
The ending is left open for possibly another book.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this book was not for me. I was provided this book by Net Galley for an honest review.
I wasn’t keen on the constant danger or the idea that being the last woman with blue eyes meant men wanted to rape you. I found it hard to understand and it felt racist at times because men of colour were unable to control their urge and behaved like savage animals. If these are trigger points for you, give this book a miss.
Another gripe was her father’s plan for her survival. I found it a bit odd – why die. I couldn’t understand why Devin was risking his life for a promise to a dead man he had never really known. I didn’t believe Cyan would willingly go with Devin after seeing him murder her dad, especially as she didn’t know why and only had Devin’s word that it was what her dad wanted.
However, there are also many good points. The book is very well written with lots of showing and the world was brought to life in a natural way that sucked you in. I loved Cyan’s powers and wanted more. I loved the secret behind her necklace and it was a great reveal at the end. The slow burning romance kept me turning the page and I was thrilled when the pair finally got it on.
The author has written plenty of other books and maybe another title would be more my thing but I don’t think I will be in a hurry to read another one unless it comes highly recommended by someone who knows my reading tastes.
Have you read a book by Maddie James? Do you like novels set in the future or characters with powers?
If you liked this post you will enjoy?
Book Review: Who runs the world by Virginia Bergolt
Book Review: The Gender Game by Bella Forrest
Book Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Book Review: Deepest Blue by Sarah Beth Durst
Discover more ways to connect by clicking my link tree.
February 27, 2020
Writing Progress: February 2020
This a summary of the highs and lows of my writing this month.
Sick
Eugh! February did not start out good. I felt incredibly tired for three days and then felt better for two days. Then I was very sick. Followed by my son being very sick. Followed by my husband being very sick. And, I literally mean sick! Luckily, my daughter did not get sick and she kept our spirits up.
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Sadly, her turn came later in the month when she caught a bad cold and couldn’t breathe due to a blocked nose. It was the worst night ever. I sat up cuddling her and couldn’t sleep for worrying. Then, the next day she cried over every little thing because she was tired. Even though I wasn’t ill, it took its toll on me.
Story Seller Academy
The end of last month I won a place on this content rich course by Pagan Malcolm. So far I have done Module 1 which is about mindset. I thought I had a good mindset but she called me out on some fears I had been ignoring but are definitely there and holding me back.
I need to figure out a way to fit this course into my life as I can tell it is full of information I am going to need in the coming months.
Website New Look
When I bought my site last month I discovered the theme I use is no longer supported. So, this month I updated to a new theme.
This also prompted me to review my site pages. My home page is now ‘my books’ instead of my blog. My home page also features my three most recent book reviews!
I recently learnt that Instagram doesn’t like Link Tree and shadow banned a friend for using a Link Tree link in their profile. I use Link Tree too but thankfully not been shadow banned. To be cautious the link is now to my website.
World Indie Warrior’s Brochure
I have been raising awareness to remind people that if they are an indie creative then they can be included.
View this post on Instagram
February 24, 2020
Beta Readers vs Arc Readers
Have you heard the terms Beta reader and ARC reader. Ever wonder what they mean? Here is a simple info graphic breaking down the difference.
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Another term occasionally used is Alpha Reader. This is someone who reads a very early draft. Usually it is someone who is known personally by the author.
Beta and ARC readers might be voluntary or a paid service.
My Beta Readers
My goal was to be seeking Beta readers by the end of February. Unfortunately, I am still editing so this is more realistically going tao be end of March,
My plan is to use BetaBooks. It is a platform where you can share you book and gather feedback from Beta Readers. Readers can sign up for free. Writers can use it for free or pay for additional features.
I want to give it a go is because initially it looks really promising. Of course, I’ll review it afterwards to help other writers decide if it is right for them. Once I’ve used the site I will be able to talk about it in more details.
Please let me know if you are interested in being a Beta Reader and how best to notify you. I am most likely to do a shout out on IG.
My ARC Readers
Currently my plan is to either use BetaBooks to share my ARC or to send it as a pdf document if I or readers don’t get on with the site.
I expect the ARC copy will be in a manuscript format. While they read, I will get it formatted for print and eBook, and once I know the page count I will be able to get the cover finalised.
I am hoping my ARC readers will be able to provide reviews in time for release. It would be a bonus if they are able to highlight quotes from my novel that captures the essence of the book that I can use for marketing.
Please let me know if you are interested in being an ARC Reader and how best to notify you. Again, I am most likely to do a shout out on IG.
If you have enjoyed this you will enjoy:
How to name your novel
How not to miss out
My writing progress – January
Self publishing
Click my link tree to discover more ways to connect:
February 20, 2020
Behind the Book: Crown of Conspiracy by Kara S Weaver
Crown of Conspiracy by Kara S Weaver
What genre is Crown of Conspiracy and can you name any similar books?
Crown of Conspiracy is a court-intrigue high-fantasy book, although I’ve heard it called epic fantasy as well. I’d say it’s new adult, others have said young adult, but because I know where book 2 is going, YA is out of the question.
Similar books I think would be by Trudi Canavan (Age of the Five, the Black Magician trilogy), perhaps the Kushiel Series by Jacqueline Carey. I think my writing style has certainly been inspired by these amazing female authors.
What inspired you to write Crown of Conspiracy?
Writing Crown of Conspiracy started out as a challenge to do NaNoWriMo 2018. I had no idea what to write, until I remember the four lines of the prophecy I came up with over 15 years ago. I remembered the MC (Shalitha) of the story idea I had way back when and decided to roll with it.
When I started writing, I had no idea where the story would go. In fact, it took me writing a first draft, and a second completely different draft to get a much clearer idea.
How long did the first book take to write from the first idea to publishing?
Eight months. I started writing CoC, as mentioned before, during Nano 2018, and I published the book in June 2019.
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How many books do you anticipate in the series and is the whole series plotted out?
Currently, I anticipate 4 full novels in the Ilvannian Chronicles, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up writing novellas too from the PoV of side characters; or novellas of events that happened in between the main books. I already have ideas for that.
Can you share tips from your world building process?
Oof, hard. I’m a pantser, so I write as I go, which means my world is built as I go. What I try to do though is draw inspiration from cultures we have around the world and give it my own twist.
I know there’s tips out there which go as far as thinking about the sewage system and where waste goes, which is totally fair, but I wouldn’t get to that until the end, and here’s why. The chances of you writing about that, unless your characters have to escape through said system (for example) aren’t as high as for example learning about their way of life. My tip would be to think about HOW the world around your character influences them and go from there.
Characters and their surroundings go hand in hand; their immediate surroundings create their beliefs, their morals, their values. Think about those first, and continue onwards.
I loved the MC, Shalitha. She is such a strong character. Who inspired the character?
I’m glad you did! I think she goes two ways. People either like her, or don’t. Some people see her as strong, others as weak—to me, she’s both. She’s not infallible. She makes a lot of rookie mistakes in book one, and then tries to deal with the outcome as best she can.
As for who inspired her… I think in a way, I modelled her a lot after my own experiences, or rather, someone I would like to be in the future; strong, a fighter, someone who doesn’t do nonsense, fuelled by sarcasm and witty remarks while still able to care and love.
[image error]Crown of Conspiracy blurb
Please share a snippet or teaser from the book.
Having something to do took my mind off the worst of things. When I picked up a book to place it back on the shelf, a piece of paper fell out. I nearly dropped it when I saw what it was—a clear overview of names with suspicions scribbled below them. Xaresh had found out much more than he’d led me to believe.
“Fool,” I murmured. “You stupid, wonderful fool.”
A knock on the door alarmed me and I spun around to see Evan sticking his head around the corner, a smile on his face. I folded the piece of paper behind my back and tucked it deep inside my boot.
“Is everything all right?” he asked with a frown as he saw me hopping around on one leg. “Eh, Elara said you’d be here.”
“I’m fine. Got something in my shoe.”
Tell me about a typical day in the life of Kara S. Weaver?
A typical day in my life? Hah! Welcome to the madhouse.
A typical day for me would be a work day, I guess, where I get up between 5 and 5.15 am, shower, dress, and slap on some make-up so I only look like half a zombie. I prefer getting up before my husband and kids so I can wake up properly without anyone harassing me. I am a morning person, but 5am is pushing it. My husband and kids wake up 6am; I dress them while he gets ready. At 6.45am I leave the house for work. It’s a 45 minute drive, but I don’t mind it as much. It gives me time to think, listen (and sing) to music, plot, whatever.
Then I teach from around 9am to 3pm, go home, pick up the kids from daycare and plop on the couch.
After that, I either read/write/edit/revise/do what needs to be done. My husband cooks, thankfully. It’s something I really do not enjoy doing. After that it’s time to get the kids ready for bed, and depending on how tired I am, I do something for myself and go to bed at 9pm.
[image error]Kara S Weaver – Author Bio
What project are you currently working on?
I am currently working on Dance of Despair, book 2 in the Ilvannian Chronicles, although by the time this goes online, I wouldn’t be surprised if I have started on book 3!
BREAKING NEWS: Dance of Despair will be available to buy on 27 February 2020!
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February 17, 2020
Behind the Book: Gem of Meruna by Elexis Bell
[image error]The Gem of Meruna blurb
Gem of Meruna made you a published author, but you recently released it again, why?
The first time around, I was woefully undereducated about the publishing world. As such, I didn’t know to run (as fast as possible) from any publisher that expects you to pay them. I thought it was normal for the author to cover part of the costs. But…it definitely isn’t. That was just a vanity press.
My novel received no edits. It got no marketing. I was inundated with phone calls from their marketing people trying to sell me promotional packages, all of which were pitiful yet expensive.
Basically, it was a legal scam and my novel suffered for it. Now that I’m self-publishing, I’m making it right.
You now have three self published books, does publishing get easier?
It does, actually. It’s still very time-consuming and certain aspects are tedious, no matter what. But the metadata, copyright, and ISBN process gets easier with practice. Each time through, I have little tricks I picked up the time before.
What was the earliest story you can remember writing about?
In 3rd or 4th grade, my class was assigned a creative writing project wherein we had to write about a horse and a bat. I don’t remember the story I came up with, but I do recall something my teacher said when she called for me to read it. Apparently, I already had a reputation for writing darker stuff, because she said, “Knowing Elexis, the horse and the bat probably both die.” Lol.
What genre is Gem of Meruna and can you name any similar books?
It’s high fantasy romance. As for similar books…I’m really bad at finding comparison books. That was one of the hardest parts of querying when I was pursuing traditional publishing.
Please share a snippet or teaser from Gem of Meruna?
A noise startled Kiluna awake. It was far too close. The sound came again, right at her ear, but this time, she realized what it was.
Father had often snored when he slept, and Grandmother had, as well. But Kiluna hadn’t heard that sound since they died. Joseya’s snore was much softer, quieter, but its proximity made it seem far louder.
That was when Kiluna noticed it. Joseya no longer faced away from her, rather he nestled in close. One arm curled under his head, but the other wrapped around her waist.
Nothing about it felt strange though, just…right. She didn’t want to move, or even breathe too hard, for fear of waking him. The embrace would be retracted if he woke, she knew it as sure as she knew her scars were still there.
So, she laid still. She concentrated on his breath on the back of her neck. She relished the moment, all the while wondering if this would be the only time she lay near another Leey.
Her eyelids fell, blocking out the world as she savored the closeness. She didn’t notice when she drifted back to sleep.
Several moments later, she felt Joseya stir. His sudden movement made her jump. Instantly, he pulled his arm back to himself, muttering apologies as he did so. Kiluna flinched at his words but held in her pain. A single tear escaped her eye, leaving a tiny wet spot on the earth.
Which character from your books is most like you?
Every character gets a little piece of me. Sometimes it’s my favorite color, sometimes it’s more than that. Annabelle from my novella and Chloe from World for the Broken (my upcoming dark post-apocalyptic romance) have a lot of big experiences from my life, but so does Christian (also from World for the Broken).
What project are you currently working on?
I’m currently editing a dark post-apocalyptic romance, a dark high fantasy romance, and a dark supernatural high fantasy romance for release. Hopefully, I’ll be releasing all three this year, but at the very least two of them. I also just started writing another dark high fantasy romance wherein a deposed prince teams up with a druid high priestess to landscape their enemies to death.
Where can we find out more and buy your books?
My website has information and links for all my published works, as well as little tidbits about my WIPs. My blog is chock full of (blunt) writing advice and updates on all my work.
http://www.elexisbell.com
All my books are available on Amazon, and can be found on my Amazon author page.
http://www.amazon.com/author/elexis_bell
[image error]Elexis Bell – Author Bio
If you enjoy this, you should check out:
Behind the Book: Number Eight Crispy Chicken by Sarah Neofield
Book Review: Crown of Conspiracy by Kara S Weaver
Why I have chosen to Self-Publish
To discover more ways to connect, click my link tree:
February 13, 2020
Creating a Catchy Novel Title
Recently, on Instagram we have been discussion how to create a catchy novel title. It appears to be a very personal decision. Some people can’t name their novel until they have finished whereas I can’t start my novel until I have a name for it. Although, as you will see,my ‘working’ titles are not set in stone.
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Here is a collection of some of the covers I have created for my debut novel over the years (there are more). I am now going with Ocean Heart.
Originally my book was called Drift. You will also notice one called Wipeout. At one point my novel was two books but during a brutal edit, I cut loads and they became one.
In 2019, I tore my novel apart (again), deleted loads and added new content. It changed so much since the first draft, I renamed it Jewel of the sea.
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My novel is now set for a new venture as I enter the world of Self Publishing. Now, I am paying for editors and working with other professionals to take my novel to print. As a result I have renamed my novel again. The new title is Ocean Heart.
I have no idea what the new cover will look like. Once I finish my current edit and know the final word count, I will instruct a professional cover designer. But for now… edits.
If you enjoyed this you may like:
Alwyn Hamilton at Felixstowe Book Festival (shares how her publishers named her novel)
Why I have chosen to self publish
Click my link tree to discover more ways to connect.
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February 6, 2020
Writing Progress: January 2020
This a summary of the highs and lows of my writing this month.
New Title
You may have seen in other posts that I have renamed Jewel of the Sea as Ocean Heart. In my pursuit of self publishing I am getting my book professionally edited and I want the new improved version to be easily identifiable.
Not only that but I have also renamed book 2, Diamond in the Sky as Sky Heart. The name for the whole series will be Soul Heart.
Keep your eye out for my upcoming post on ‘Creating a Catchy Novel Title’. Follow to get notified.
My Domain
My first achievement for 2020 was purchasing my domain. That’s right, as of 1 January 2020, you will now see my site is www.allyaldridge.com!
My current theme is no longer supported so I need to look at updating that in the upcoming months.
Ill
I hadn’t factored in getting ill but it has really knocked my schedule back. Luckily, this happened before Ocean Heart was back from the Developmental Editor so there is no urgency there. It has impacted my progress towards finishing Sky Heart.
Then my husband caught the lurgy. I am allowing him to rest and picking up the slack. This has impacted my free time to work on my projects.
Mighty Network
I have been exploring creating a Mighty Network. It is a social site for creatives. I’m currently a member of a Mighty Network by Willow Editing. I have been Beta Testing a self-editing course by Elzevera of Willow Editing.
I am considering the network as a potential way to share extra bits with my readers. I am also exploring it as a space to share writing resources as many of my followers are fellow writers.
Click here for my ambassador link and create a Mighty Creator profile. Then you can join Mighty Networks that interest you and see what I am on about. Let me know what you think.
NB: The link above is an ‘ambassador’ link for sharing the network but I don’t know what ambassadors get for doing it.
Developmental Feedback
I received my manuscript back from my editor on Mon 13th Jan. At first, I was scared to open it but what Avery McDougall had written was really encouraging and constructive.
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February 3, 2020
Book Review: Crown of Conspiracy by Kara S Weaver
I bought this book because I fell in love with the cover. It is stunning. I also have gotten to know the author who is lovely.
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