October 2023 Roundup

The Secrets To Writing A Series (Part 2) The Basic Book Launch Marketing Check...

October 2023 Roundup

Welcome to the October 2023 roundup!

It’s been a big month of getting everything ready before I go on a holiday that’s been a year in the making. Mid-next month, my twin sister is coming to town for two weeks, and during part of her time here, we’re going on a Disney cruise with two friends. This holiday gave me a deadline for getting my October and November blogs ready, reading the books I have on my TBR list for both months, and getting Blackbirch 4 prepared for release. This made October go both fast and slow as I swung between having a lot to do and being overwhelmed, and not having things to do as I waited for outside parties to do what they needed on their end (in the case of getting Blackbirch 4 ready). The good news is that everything is on track now as I hit the end of this month. As for the rest of the tenth month of 2023, this is what else I got up to…

What I’ve Been…Writing

Blackbirch 4 – This is more of an editing/polishing entry as that’s what I’ve been doing this month. Blackbirch 4 ARCs went off to readers, and one let me know about the errors still in the book (like missing quote marks, apostrophes, and an unclear sentence or two) so I could fix them, and another told me how much she loved it, pretty much making my month. I then spent the last few days of October finalizing the formats for the ebook and paperback, approving the cover, making/ordering some book swag for my betas, ARC readers, and a release competition I’ll be announcing later. Formatting files and putting everything through IngramSpark and assigning ISBNs also reminded me how much I hate that part of indie publishing, but it gets the book into the world, so it’s a necessary frustration.

Watching

Sex Education (S4 – Final Season)

One of those shows that knows how to bow out on a high. After the school shut down at the end of last season, 4 opens with the kids going in different directions. Some, like Otis and Eric, have to find their place again at a new school, and for the first time in their lives, they might not be in the same circle of friends. Otis also has to contend with another student running a sex education club. Maeve has taken off for America, where she struggles in a writing program and is then called back to the UK after a death in the family. This allows her to finally be in the same place as Otis so they can start their very long overdue relationship. While not every relationship survives the season or goes the way viewers may want, there is closure for every character, which makes it a satisfying ending all around.

Only Murders In The Building (S3)

Our favorite podcast detectives are back! When yet another murder takes place at what is the unluckiest building ever, the Arcadia, Mable, Oliver, and Charles set out to solve it. The victim is the star of Oliver’s play (the always excellent Paul Rudd) and the suspects are of the usual kind. Both Oliver and Charles are in relationships with women who have ties to the play and victim, and even Mable starts to date another suspect. The red herrings are as plentiful as the big-name guest stars, though, the show does keep you guessing. It may not be at the brilliant heights of the first season, but Murders continues to be a binge-worthy show.

Totally Killer

Getting ready for Halloween, Jamie is lectured by her mom to stay safe. As a teen, a serial killer bumped off her friends, and when that serial killer strikes again, and then chases down Jamie, a chance encounter with a time machine/school science experiment transports her back to the time of the original murders. With the knowledge to stop them, she sets out to unmask the killer. This fun take on time travel is in the vein of Happy Death Day and spends just as much time making fun and poking holes in time travel and slasher movies as it does being a combination of the two. With an excellent performance by Kiernan Shipka as Jamie and some fun surprises to the events she changes, it’ll keep you entertained.

Goosebumps (S1)

This is a nice update to the classic stories and original TV series. Going for a darker tone, the main characters are teens and the episodes all connect via an overall ghost story that started back in 1993 with the accidental killing of a teen. He’s back, causing chaos for the now grown-up friends involved in his death and their teenage children. There are some creepy moments, and it features Justin Long, so it’s worth checking out if you’re a fan of spooky TV and/or the original Goosebumps books.

Reading

The Day The Earth Turned Book 2: Autumn By Chantelle Atkins

Picking up where book one left off, Autumn sees the unusual heat of summer broken when the rain finally arrives. The initial relief brings danger when floods, lightning, and animals and nature continue to gain the upper hand on the humans. The humans have their own problems and are still divided into two groups—most of the kids with Gus and his bullying ways, and the survivalists, led by Reuben, his Grandfather, and Chess. Both groups also come face-to-face with the only other adult around, a man who has decided he’s on a mission from God to rebuild the world. He’s doing so by sorting his kid followers into groups and looking for a wife. Author Chantelle Atkins does a fantastic job at making him the creepy, pastor-like cult leader he needs to be to pull off his storyline. She’s also a master at taking mean characters like Gus and giving them a human side that makes you root for them. The kids now all have to work together against a common enemy, and I can’t wait to see where it will lead as this gripping series continues.

Save The Cat! Writes A Young Adult Novel By Jessica Brody

Another brilliant Save The Cat! Book, and another must-read from best-selling author, Jessica Brody. This time the beat sheets revolve around popular YA novels, and there are so many examples and fantastic tips that you’ll be an expert at plotting by the end of your read. Other highlights include a chapter on crafting and perfecting your logline and short synopsis (back blurb), and how to plot a series. Highly recommended for writers of all levels.

When Ghosts Call Us Home by Katya de Becerra

When Sophia is 12, her 17-year-old sister, Layla, convinces her to film a horror movie in a creepy house their family is restoring. Not one to believe in ghosts, Sophia dismisses the otherworldly things she sees as nothing more than special effects created by her sister.

5 years later, the movie is a cult hit, complete with a fanatical following, and Layla has been missing for 2 years. In a bid to find her sister, Sophia returns to the house to film a documentary and soon realizes the ghost of her childhood may not have been made of nightmares and special effects, but a very real creature that is very glad she’s back amongst its walls.

Written in a first-person style that just pulls you right in, Katya de Becerra’s latest novel is creepy and mesmerizing. It will stay with you for days as your brain connects all of her expertly planted details and hints. Although I wasn’t a fan of the ambiguous epilogue, mainly because I personally hate those types of endings, the rest of the book held me from the first chapter to the last, and I can’t recommend it enough for anyone who loves tight, smart plots, layers of foreshadowing, and supernatural stories and mysteries that are so intriguing you can’t put the book down.

Christopher Pike Books

Inspired by the Netflix series, The Midnight Club, I decided to spend 2023 re-reading the books of my favorite author, Christopher Pike. It was his books that put me on the path to writing for Young Adults, and it’s interesting reading them now as a writer rather than just a reader. For these books, I’m enjoying the nostalgia and reading for fun and not to review.

This month I read The Secret Of Ka, and Thirst 4: The Shadow Of Death.

If you’ve got any good book recommendations, let me know in the comments, or be my friend on Goodreads and share your books/recommendations with me! You can also find and follow my reviews and book recommendations on Amazon and BookBub.

If you’d like to add the Blackbirch books to your Goodreads “Want to Read” shelf and/or check out the reviews, click the following links:

Blackbirch: The Beginning Blackbirch: The Dark Half Blackbirch: The Ritual

Taking Photos Of

A Book Launch! This month, I caught up with my fellow #6amAusWriters, Belinda Grant and KD Kells to attend Katya de Becerra’s book launch for When Ghosts Call Us Home. After reading her book via NetGalley and loving it, I was super happy to get a signed paperback copy to add to my bookshelf. She was even nice enough to invite us to the launch after-party where we played games and shared delicious nibblies.

On The Blog

In case you missed any of my posts, or want to re-read them, here are the latest blogs.

September 2023 Roundup The Secrets To Writing A Series (Part 1)The Secrets To Writing A Series (Part 2)
Writing Tip Of The Month

#WritingTipWednesday posts are added to my social media feeds every week and here is the most popular tip for this month. It’s taken from my blog post, 3 Simple Ways To Make Readers Care About Your Characters.

Blackbirch Review Of The Month

This awesome 5-star review is for my debut, Blackbirch: The Beginning.

If you’d like to read the books released so far or find out more about each novel, here are the links:

Blackbirch: The Beginning (Book 1)Blackbirch: The Dark Half (Book 2)Blackbirch: The Ritual (Book 3)

If you’ve read any of my books—and haven’t done so already—please consider leaving a review or even just a star rating. It really helps indie authors get their books noticed, and also helps fellow readers find books they’ll like.

Quote Of The Month