Adventures in Crafting with Words

I discovered a cache of promising indie/self-published authors while attending the FB Book Release Party of Megan O'Russell's latest book -  How I Magically.... The Tale of Bryant Adams (to be read and reviewed soon). So many books captured my attention, one of which was I Am Amyara by Hannah Earl.  The premise caught it so  quickly I couldn't wait a couple of hours to see if I'd won the giveaway and went ahead and bought it! (I did win the giveaway, by the way,  which was surprising because I never win giveaways, but I'll get Book 2 instead of book one. Female readers of the Percy Jackson series will enjoy this one. We meet Sophia Pappas and her sister, Callidora, in the middle of a life-threatening car accident.  We don't know the cause until later, but this car accident plays a big role in Sophia's - and Callidora's - life. Turns out Sophia is the daughter of the Greek God Eros! No, he isn't a chubby baby that shoots arrows at people; an

A few weeks ago I mentioned checking out two Sarah Dessen books - Once and For All  ( click here for review ->    ) and Saint Anything. Whereas OaFA had more light-hearted moments, Saint Anything is darker. We begin in a courthouse hearing a verdict when we meet Sydney and her family.  Her older brother - the charming, bigger than life, troublemaker - was being sentenced for an accident when he was under the influence and hit a 15-year old boy, leaving the boy paralyzed and in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. The rest of book takes up months later when Sydney is trying to start over at the local public school.  In order to avoid 3 hours at home along (her 'old' friends are busy after school) she stops by the pizza place close to the school. There she meets Mac and Layla - siblings whose family runs the pizza parlor with the best pizza ever. Layla adopts Sydney into her bunch of friends and everything takes of from there. This book is about finding your voic

I first encountered Sarah J. Maas on fictionpress.com. She was a popular author on there with a very popular first draft of Throne of Glass. I couldn't ve happier for her when the final draft of ToG was published. It's the dream most authors have. This book review is not about ToG and its sequels.  I'm still working on them.  This review is for The Court of Thorns and Roses. When I first started reading I got Beauty and the Beast vibes.  Not the cartoon B&B either but the original tale with the three sisters and merchant father.  But with Fae. You can see the set-up as it's happening.  A mix of modern and fairy tale. Old and new.  Modern sensibilities about relationships and proper sensibilities about relationships mixed in one. Yes, that was a subtle hint towards the main character, Feyre, having a friends with benefits relationship amid people arranging marriages for money, to get enough food to eat. To using marriage to get out of dir

You know how non your kindle book recommendations pop up underneath the "closed" title? I was taking a break from another book and rereading The Cosy Tea Shop in the Castle when this book popped up into my recommendations. The title caught my attention. On occasion a bit of whismy hopeful wishfulness pops up inside me and I start dreamimg that "someday" planning this particular hopelessly singleton is doomed to repeat on occasion. This means British authors (not classic) and/or books containing weddings. Perfect for this author/book blogger to escape into as I take a break from writing.  Set around Devon and Cornwall (I admit to being hopelessly clueless about English grography.  And using hopelessly too much.) is a a bridal shop by the sea.  There we meet Poppy - the baker, Josie - the owner, and Sera - the wedding dress designer. Book One follows Poppy. Poppy is a baker living over the wedding shop.  After what is implied to be a prett

I've allowed a backlog of unfinished reviews pull me under (along with the etsy shop blog and up-coming craft shows). We all have that author.  The one you put on the top of your to-read pile as soon as you can get your hands on their next book.   The one where you renew expired library cards for.  Stalk their social media and author website looking for new book updates. Sarah Dessen is my young adult author of choice.  Sarah Dessen is my writing inspiration. I HIGHLY recommend her books.  All of them. I first discovered her through a really old Mandy Moore movie - How to Deal - which was a combo of two Dessen novels. Naturally I had to read them. Then every single thing she had written.  (I did the same thing with John Green before The Fault In Our Stars was written.) So now I wait and watch.  The last two books I waited for.  I was busy. Last week I headed to the library.  They had Saint Anything (next on the pile) and Once And For All was c