Adventures in Crafting with Words

I don't even remember how I came across this book.  I can say that it was a throughly enjoyable escape while things were falling apart around me.  First off - Not a Young Adult.  I promise, the next couple of books will be YA books.   This book appealed to me on a few levels.   Like Ellie, I had a job that caused me to be miserable a good part of the time.  Like Ellie I love to bake. Unlike Ellie, the Choffee Cake wasn't appealing, but I'm not a fan of coffee, much like many of you might be.  Reading about Joe fighting his feelings for Ellie as Ellie works on getting over her ex (more getting back on her own two feet than anything) and learns about running a tea shop was exactly what I needed.  This was a charming British read.  Yes, a UK author! Castles! Dragons and moats!  Okay, no dragons and moats, but a simple lighthearted read that can make anybody feel better when things aren't running smoothly....

There are few books that draw me in like this one did.  From the very beginning we learn that Kit had a twin sister that was kidnapped by fairies, or so she dreams. She also has an ex-boyfriend, Tommy, who is clearly still crazy about her. There's a few reasons why Kit doesn't do serious relationships, even though the reader can tell she wishes otherwise with Tommy.  Our main character has issues stemming from her missing sister and a genetic disorder - Cystic Fibrosis.  She doesn't want Tommy to end up resenting her as her disease progresses. So she flirts with David Terry, eventually agreeing to go on a date with him even though a mysterious stranger warned her against him.  Even though she initially had a bad feeling about him. On their date, she inexplicably revealed details about her life that she hadn't even shared with her roommates or Tommy.  Despite their connection, Kit feels uncomfortable when David comes on too strong.  ...

It should be little surprise to some that I released The Bookworm Next Door early. There was a support indie authors event I wanted to be in on. Here's the other surprise.  Tomorrow and Saturday BND will be free.  Then the price will go to its full price of $2.99. BND is also available for Kindle Unlimited. The Expanded and Revised Bookworm Next Door

First up, why am I expanding and revising The Bookworm Next Door?   At first I seriously thought that The Bookworm Next Door (BND) was complete.  I had been working on it for over seven years and the overall story never changed.  I've had so many possible endings, but I kept coming back to the one I ended the story with.  Then I hit publish and the prequel short stories started appearing.  Then the questions of "what happened to Aimee?" Kelly?  What about Jennifer?  Wesley?  Gloria and Brady?  That was when I realized that BND wasn't finished.  What is different about the current Bookworm Next Door and the revised and expanded edition? Over a hundred pages of new material.  What caused Grace to be shy and quiet when she's the oldest of X number of siblings?  What caused Aimee to set her sights on David? Some names have changed.  A Beta reader pointed out that she was having trouble keeping Grace and Gloria...

As promised... the cover reveal. Stay tuned for more later.

I took a bit of a break.  Went camping. Waited impatiently for Betas to finish reading and making their comments. The good news is that one Betas has finished and has submitted her edits and comments.  Final reviewing begins tonight and the new version od The Bookworm Next Door will be released soon. I just have to decide how I'm going to do it... Stay tuned, readers.  Cover reveal and release date coming soon. A

Something about this book caught my attention.  The adorable cover?  The unique title?  The book blurb? All three.  The trio promises a quirky ride through one senior's brain. Sally Spitz (unfortunate name that) is unlucky enough to have a boy crazy best friend determined to help her find Mr. or - in the opening set up's case - Ms. Right.  It doesn't help that her own mother is willing to help out Hooker (poor best friend with another unfortunate last name).  This didn’t actually make sense to me.  We learn early on that Sally's mother divorced Sally's father because he was cheating on her.  Would she be so willing to set up her daughter repeatedly while the girl is in high school?  I doubt it.  It's more likely she'd be content to let her daughter not date or find her own boyfriends.  Especially since she hasn't moved on and started dating again herself...  Maybe if Sally was 30-years old... But th...