UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
*~*~*

Of great debate in my author circles is whether or not to read reviews, how much stock to put in them, and whether they should have any impact on your writing.

I’ll admit, I didn’t understand the importance of reviews when I first started publishing.  As time went on, and as I immersed myself in all things publishing, I learned just how critical they can be.

Case in point (from a guru I respect) — all things being equal, if a book has one 1* review, it will sell better than the equivalent book with no reviews.  At first, that feels counterintuitive.  Someone hated the book, why would others want to read it?  But that review is social proof — someone bought and read the book.  Okay, they didn’t like it. The book wasn’t for them.  Doesn’t mean the next person won’t love it (some book lovers choose books with bad reviews for the fun of it).  But the book with no reviews?  Well, no one bought it or if they did (and if they read it), it didn’t inspire enough emotion in them to leave any kind of feedback.  The book lacks social proof.

Now, look up any great work of literature and there are plenty of horrible reviews.  Not everyone loved Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre. I can’t fathom that, but I look at some other books I didn’t enjoy, read the glowing reviews, and realize there’s someone out there who will love every book.

I admit to sending out review copies with my books, even knowing the reviewers have the option to decline to review, review even though they didn’t enjoy, or enthusiastically tell everyone what a great book I’ve written.  Obviously, I prefer the latter, but even the middle doesn’t bother me.  If someone didn’t enjoy my book, that means they weren’t my target audience.  The key, with the hundreds and hundreds of romance books being released every week, is to find the reader who wants your book.  Who needs your book?  Who will see the genius in your book?

Which brings me back to reviews.  Advanced reader copies (ARCs) for my book releasing this week, Love Without Reservations, went out last week.  Normally I try to give a longer lead time, but things kind of got away from me with this book.  Therefore, I wasn’t expecting reviews for a bit.  Some readers, though, grabbed it and dug right in.  Soon after, I began to receive notifications that reviews were being posted.

To read or not to read: that is the question.

In the end, I took a peek.  Who wouldn’t?  Well, at least one of my mentors doesn’t…and good for her for having the strength to resist.

Alas, I’m a weak woman.

The reviews are generally positive.  Readers enjoyed the book.  Understood what I was trying to convey.  Didn’t regret having picked it up.

But one reviewer…  Man, this gutted me.  She pointed out I’d missed an opportunity with one of my characters.

I literally gasped in…anger?  Frustration?  Annoyance?  Not at the reviewer, of course, but at myself.  They’d found a plot point I’d forgotten about.  A thread I’d meant to tie up.

One line.  I just needed one line.  And I’d forgotten it.

Now, after writing 38k, a writer can be forgiven for missing one sentence.  Only it was a really important one.  So here it is:

Aaron managed to secure a job overseeing the renovations of the Grand Hotel.

Now, that doesn’t mean anything to anyone who hasn’t read the book.  But for those who have, it solidifies the happily ever after.  It ties off that loose thread.

Alas, I didn’t format the book myself and making the change would be monumental.  So, dear reader, you are the only ones who know about it.  I fully intend to weave that fact into a future book (I write in series and my characters ALWAYS come back…)

Thank you, Delilah, for hosting me.  I enjoyed sharing my little angsty story.  To a lucky randomly selected commenter, I would love to give a $5 Amazon GC.  To win, please consider answering the following question: what would make you leave a review?  Or, let me know a book you read that left a loose thread that drove you nuts.  Thanks!

Love Without Reservations

Noel

I’ve tracked down my wayward sister to Cataluma, California, and my goal is to drag her back to Canada before she gets in trouble with the American authorities. The problem? She’s gone and fallen in love with some dude and refuses to come home. I need to stick around to talk some sense into her, but there’s only one damned inn in this podunk town and they insist they’re full. I can’t get the handsome innkeeper to make an exception, not even for the few days I’ll need to get Kendra safely headed back across the border.

Aaron

I love my job as the owner of the quaint Cataluma Inn. I also pride myself in being a peacemaker. When I find squawking siblings arguing about a good friend of mine at our traditional barbecue, I have to step in. Next thing I know, I’m offering to share my one-bedroom apartment with a very attractive Canadian. Oh, and he’s gay too…

Love Without Reservations is s story in the Shopping for Love in Cataluma series. The book is a 38k word small-town gay interracial romance novella with a grumpy Canadian entrepreneur, a sunshine American motorcycle rider, and the love they never saw coming.

Links:
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/LoveWithoutReservations
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Without-Reservations-Sunshine-Shopping-ebook/dp/B0BZK316JS
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123814916-love-without-reservations

About the Author

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Personal links:
Website: https://gabbigrey.com/
Newsletter sign-up:  https://sendfox.com/gabbigrey
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbigrey/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabbiGrey
Facebook (page): https://www.facebook.com/AuthorGabbiGrey
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/gabbi-grey
Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15456297.Gabbi_Grey

June is Pride Month. Specifically, June 28 is Pride Day. I would be remiss if I didn’t in some way acknowledge these months. For some, this post may seem unnecessary or as “Duh!” However, let me briefly explain why I’m writing it.

In 2020 when the world broke, many terrible things occurred. However, personally, I found a silver lining in all of it. It humbled me and allowed me to grow as a person. My eyes widened, and I found compassion in places I did not know existed. I also engaged in a lot of streaming, and it was this streaming that I discovered something that caused me to pause in my steps. As a writer, there are always discussions about pushing limits. Now, the next few statements are not made to point fingers, climb on any political or social agenda soapbox, shame, slight, or belittle anyone. I’m not about that life. Everyone is entitled to his opinion whether right, wrong, or indifferent. And I’m not one who decides what is right or wrong. I’m simply outlining the events that happened.

There is a saying in the writing community that authors should only write what they know. This view in its strictest sense means men cannot write female characters and women cannot write male characters. Additionally, it suggests that writers are only allowed to write characters of the same race, nationality, ethnicity, culture, religion, and sexual orientation. Following such strict guidelines would gravely limit the types of characters and books authors create. The argument is that a person who is not of the same group/community cannot accurately or intelligently discuss, depict, or communicate the group/community in question. And here is where the issue became super complicated.

In one of the series I was viewing during that time, a character of a marginalized group expressed that it was not his place to educate others about his community and, if people wanted to know, they would learn for themselves. However, when people began to ask questions to educate themselves, they were accused of being rude, nosy, and offensive. So, when these same people took to the internet for answers and received misinformation, they were chastised for not knowing better. My question was then, how can one adequately become educated if no one is willing to teach and discussions can’t be had? Attitudes of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” have benefits but also drawbacks. In many ways, it is like walking on eggshells.

At a former job, there was a rule that if the institution paid for an employee to attend a professional conference or workshop, the employee would have to give a brief summary presentation to coworkers who didn’t attend. Not only did I think this was a fair rule, but I also enjoyed it because it encouraged the spread of information. Why bottle up education and restrict it from anyone wanting to learn?

In my novels, I attempt to include diversity in my characters. I also heavily research any unfamiliar topics. My blog (Creole Bayou) is 98% researched based. (I do occasionally write an opinion piece which I always clearly indicate.) So, as I was sitting pondering what to write, I saw a post on Twitter that included the acronym 2SLGBTQIA+. I admit, I didn’t know what the 2S stood for. Later the same day, someone asked me what the Q and the I in LGBTQIA meant. Now, before the pandemic, if someone had said they didn’t know what the Q and I stood for in LGBTQIA, I would have given them the side eye for not knowing. I would have thought, “How could you not know? It’s all over the place.” However, we all have different lives and experiences. We all have different experiences and levels of exposure. Just like I assumed everyone would know what the Q and I meant, there are people who would think I should know what 2S meant. Thus, that is what has led me to this post. I thought why not share what someone would assume to be common knowledge but that may not be for everyone?

1. What is the acronym 2SLGBTQIA+?

• Lesbian
• Gay
• Bisexual
• Transgender
• Queer and/or Questioning
• Intersex (a concept that exists not in objective reality but has been created and accepted by the people in a society that reflects a variation in sex characteristics including chromosomes, genitals, and/or gonads that do not appear to fit into conventional definitions of male or female)
• Asexual/Ace (may not experience sexual attraction to anyone or has a low or absent interest in sexual activity) *NOTE: Some people consider the A to represent Ally (a heterosexual person who supports the LGBTQ+ community)
• + reflects the countless affirmative ways in which people choose to identify (e.g., aceflux, akiosexual, aromantic, demisexual, graysexual, pansexual, reciprosexual, etc.)
• 2S – Two-Spirit (a term used by some Indigenous people to describe the behavior or gender expression of persons who do not match masculine or feminine gender norms in their communities.)

Read the rest of this entry »

The calendar says it’s summer, but when I look outside the window the view doesn’t quite agree. The trees are just getting leaves on their branches and the flowers are beginning to poke their heads above the soil. I live in a cold climate so this isn’t unusual, but I do love summer and can’t wait for it to truly begin.

Summer…just saying the word conjures up images of steamy hot nights and long sultry days. Warm sand and cool drinks with little paper umbrellas, backyard barbeques, picnics, and long holiday weekends. People slow down more in the heat of the summer, they’re not as frantic, and they relax more and go with the flow. There are baseball games to watch while sipping a cold beer, vacation days to enjoy to the fullest, and books to read while lounging on the deck.

Looking for a sizzling summer read to enjoy on the deck or by the pool? Check out the latest book in the Forgotten Brotherhood series.

Hunter Avenged
Forgotten Brotherhood Book 6

It’s taken Viking hunter Sven Knutson six frustrating months to find her. To track down the angel responsible for compromising the Forgotten Brotherhood and waking the drakon. She may be clever. Resourceful. But no one ever gets away from Sven. Ever.

All Rivka longed for as an angel was a chance to serve on Earth and help humans. Instead, it all went impossibly, horribly wrong, and she still doesn’t understand how or even why. All she knows is that she’s on the run—not only from Heaven’s dangerous elite guard, but also from the Brotherhood, who want answers.

She might just have to trust the immortal Viking whose icy blue eyes make her feel almost wickedly human. Because someone wants Rivka dead and the Brotherhood eliminated. Someone powerful enough to take on the most dangerous assassins who have ever lived. Someone who could unleash the fury of both Heaven and Hell…and Rivka is the key.

Teaser from Hunter Avenged…

Rivka awakened longings, needs he’d never experienced. I should walk away.

That would be the intelligent thing. His mottos in life were simple. Show your opponent no weakness. The most dangerous weapon in the world was a warrior’s brain. A thinking warrior lived to fight another day.

He was tossing out every tenet he’d ever lived by, allowing his emotions to overrule his common sense.

*~*~*

Want to read more? Click on one of the links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMYKZQ2T/
Entangled Publishing: https://entangledpublishing.com/books/hunter-avenged
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hunter-avenged-n-j-walters/1142718008
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/hunter-avenged-2

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, assassins, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit her at:
Website: http://www.njwalters.com
Blog: http://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/gdblg5
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

UPDATE: The winner is…Jennifer Beyer!
*~*~*

Although writing is often a solitary pursuit, many writers reach out to others who labor as well.  After I wrote my first couple of books, I realized I didn’t know much.  About any of it.  I joined a couple of writing groups, started attending conferences and classes, and did my best to immerse myself.  Why reinvent the wheel?  Why not learn from those who came before me?

That journey led me to a group of writers in Vancouver, Canada, near where I lived.  Life was going along great until the pandemic.  That group wound up shuttering, but luckily, I found an online community that welcomed me with open arms.  And my world expanded as I made friends with other writers literally from around the world. Friendships were born, relationships cemented, and support networks put in place.  The great thing was I wasn’t just learning—I was sharing what I knew.  And as my career grew as a writer, I found ways to connect with others.

During that time, I connected with a group of women who wrote books similar to mine.  And, during some crazy meeting, someone proposed we write a series together.  A shared world.  Between my love of these woman and FOMO (fear of missing out—which is real for me), I knew I had to be part of this.

Cataluma, California, was born.  It’s taken us about a year to plan, write, edit, and then publish our stories.  Along the way there’ve been laughter, tears, frustrations, and true joys.  I’d written in shared worlds before—and will continue to do so—but this was the first time I’d been so involved in the process from the very beginning.

High on Love is the fifth story in the series.  The books start off sweet and work their way to steamy.  My book definitely has a steam factor, which matches the other Gabbi Powell books I’ve written.  And not to stray too far from my brand—my heroine comes from the small town in British Columbia where I’ve set my other books.

Connections.

There are ties within the stories, within the series, and within the friendships that’ve been tested and cemented.

I hope you check out High on Love.

Thanks, Delilah, for letting me visit!  As a thank you, I would love to give out a $5 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky commenter.  Let me know—how do you approach a series if you don’t know all the authors?  Do you start from the beginning, grab your fave’s book, or pass altogether?  Leave a comment!

High on Love

Kendra Barker’s a long way from her Canadian home. Her road trip has landed her and her 1983 Harley in Cataluma, California, but she only plans to stay long enough to rest, maybe make a few dollars, and enjoy the Strawberry Festival. As a bonus, the one place she finds to stay is an empty apartment with a super sexy landlord.

Javier Fernandez has been cruising through life on autopilot. His marijuana shop is doing well. His mother is, for the most part, under control and managing her job as mayor of his beloved Cataluma. Now, he just needs to get this pesky Canadian woman out of his head. He gave her a place to sleep, and he very much wants to be in her bed, but come the end of the weekend, she’ll be moving on. Javier doesn’t do one-nighters and he doesn’t want to deal with a broken heart. Long-distance, and cross-borders is a recipe for disaster, right?

High on Love is a story in the Shopping for Love in Cataluma series. The book is a 39k word small-town interracial romance novella with a tattooed heroine, a stoic hero, and the love affair that’ll change their lives forever.

Links:
UBL:  https://books2read.com/High
Amazon US:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BZ2M8Z4G
Add it to GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125352653-high-on-love

About the Author

Gabbi Powell has been a lover of romance since she first put pen to paper in the eighth grade to write her first romance.  She writes her novels while living in Beautiful British Columbia with her trusty ChinPoo dog a as companion.  She also writes gay romances as Gabbi Grey and contemporary dark erotic BDSM novels as Gabbi Black.

Personal links:
Website:   http://gabbipowell.com/
Newsletter sign-up: https://sendfox.com/gabbipowell
Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/profile/3142441314
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/authorgabbipowell/
Facebook (personal): https://www.facebook.com/gabbi.powell.9/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/powell_gabbi
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Gabbi-Powell/e/B08T8NTQNY
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21065056.Gabbi_Powell

UPDATE: The winner is…Mary Preston!
*~*~*

What is it with the media and ageism? I will turn 67 this year and I bristle when some commentator denigrates President Biden for being 80. Gray Panthers unite! I guess the media hasn’t heard 80 is the new 60. So to those who view seniors through a negative lens I’m using this Juneteenth to celebrate 95-year old Opal Lee, the Grandmother of Juneteenth.

On June 19, 1865, enslaved African-Americans in Galveston Texas learned they had been free since the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. Born October 7, 1926 in Marshall, Texas, Opal fondly remembered the games and food of her community’s Juneteenth celebrations. She also remembered a June 19th in 1939 when a white mob burned her family’s home, forcing them to relocate to Forth Worth. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1953 from Wiley College. She received her Master’s degree in counseling and guidance from North Texas State University in 1963. She retired in 1977 from her work as a home/school counselor.

With forty years of community activism under her belt, Opal made it her mission to have Juneteenth celebrated as a national holiday. In 2016, she started a walking campaign comprised of walks 2.5 miles long to represent the 2.5 years it took for enslaved African-Americans in Galveston Texas to finally learn they had been freed by the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation Act. She accepted invitations to walk in cities all over the country. These walks ended in 2017 in Washington D.C. where she presented her petition of over one and one half million signatures. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee from the 18^th district of Texas co-sponsored a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. President Biden signed that bill in 2021, making Juneteenth, June 19^th the nation’s 12th federal holiday.

Honors and tributes poured and continue to pour in for the retired schoolteacher. Hers is the second portrait of an African American to hang in the Texas state house. Her alma mater University of North Texas bestowed an honorary doctorate upon her. This year, Philadelphia declared June 5^th Opal Lee Day.

But not one to rest on her laurels, Opal’s walks continue because work still needs to be done. She told an NPR interviewer that Juneteenth is not just a Texas thing or an African American thing. It’s about freedom. “As long as there’s homelessness and joblessness and things some people get that others can’t, climate change that we are responsible for, as long as we don’t address these things, we aren’t free.” She is working on establishing the National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth. You can check out Opal’s continuing activities on her website: https://www.opalswalk2dc.com/about.

So, the next time you hear someone make an ageist remark, think of Opal Lee and all the other remarkable seniors who don’t let age stop them from changing the world. For a chance at a $10 gift card leave a comment about Opal’s story or about a senior in your life whom you admire.

“The Spirit to Resist” by Michal Scott from
Hot and Sticky: A Passionate Ink Charity Anthology

A woman may be made a fool of if she hasn’t the spirit to resist, but what does she do if, for the first time in her life, being made into a fool is exactly what she wants?

Excerpt from “The Spirit to Resist”

He scooted closer so his lips brushed her ear. “I’ve got a viewing room booked at Mrs. Wanzer’s. You have heard of Mrs. Wanzer’s?”

His breathy syllables coiled in Florence’s ear with serpent-seducing slyness. A jolt of arousal skittered across Florence’s labia.

“Of course I have.” Florence firmed her lips. Who didn’t know about Mrs. Wanzer’s and what went on there? Or at least, imagined what went on there.

William huffed on his nails and polished them against the lapel of his jacket. “Bet there’s a lot of knowledge you could glean there.”

An arousing but annoying friction roiled Florence’s sex at the possibility. No one spoke of Mrs. Wanzer’s except behind hands covering salacious whispers. What she wouldn’t give to have firsthand experience about sex rather than book knowledge.

“Are you vanilla enough to take advantage of this once in a lifetime offer?”

A wet yes pooled between her legs. She scrutinized William. Was this really a chance to gain the firsthand knowledge she wanted? Or was this serpent, like the one in the Garden of Eden, using knowledge of her desire to his own end?

William shrugged. “But you’re heading back to Brooklyn tomorrow,” he said in a tone heavy with resignation. “Having to pack will, I’m sure, curtail any time you’ve got for real schooling.”

He stood then turned to leave. She grabbed his arm and forced him to face her.

“What time can we go?”

Buylinks: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5RSJS5M
https://books2read.com/u/3nNDnx  (ebook preorder only)

Not so very long ago, most of the strange and usual, the mysterious and unexplainable, pretty much anything that had no obvious explanation, was thought to belong in the realm of magic. Sadly, these days we are far more likely to believe in science than magic but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist.

Maybe a little salt sprinkled over our shoulder will get in the devil’s eye and stop him from bringing misfortune to our door. Who can say for certain that crystals don’t clear away the negative energy from a space and maybe dragonflies do bring us messages from the dead. I don’t want to live in a world where we have let magic die, where machines create art, and where children no longer search for fairies in the bottom of the garden.

I believe that there is nowhere better to rediscover some of the magic and enchantment than between the pages of a book.

Here’s the spell I used to create Bewitched in the Inbetween:

Mix together:

A good dose of romance
A smattering of longing
A dollop of passion
A scoop of danger
A serving of adventure

Sprinkle liberally with magic and a touch of dreams then let it all simmer with a slow burn.

Best enjoyed with a warm mug of hot chocolate and a cosy blanket xx

Bewitched in the Inbetween

Demonic haunting, mystery and dark romance intertwine with everyday magic in this bewitching tale of cursed love.

Ayla grew secluded and protected by her grandmother and their enchanted cottage, free to explore and nurture her magical gifts. This blissful existence is shattered when her grandmother dies, leaving Ayla vulnerable to the darkness that seeks to steal not only her gifts, but her very life and the life of those she loves.

And then she meets the one she cannot live without.

The wolf that lurks somewhere beneath Ash’s skin draws him deep into the darkest forest, where the last thing he expects to find is the terrified young witch, running for her life.

Drawn together by fate, their growing attraction puts both their lives in peril.

Get your copy here!
It’s FREE in KU!

About the Author

I live and work with my family and menagerie of pets in Sydney, Australia. Aside from writing, I work as a teacher, graphic designer, and artist. I love to believe in the possibility that magic might exist in our everyday lives, hidden just below the surface of our day-to-day existence. I enjoy using words and art to create landscapes where magic and fantasy collide and overlap with ordinary, everyday experiences, bringing a new dimension of colour and light to the world.

Connect with me through:
https://www.instagram.com/smilingmoon_books/
https://linktr.ee/smilingmoonbooks

I know it’s Flag Day, too, and everyone will be waving their Stars & Stripes, but it’s also the U.S. Army’s birthday! On this date in 1775, the American Continental Army was founded.

I’m a proud retired Army vet with over 21 years of service, so this day means something to me. The photo below isn’t the best I have, but it was the easiest to get to. That smile looks like more of a grimace—my chin looks really long! LOL! At the time, I served on the general’s staff at Fort Gordon—now, Fort Liberty—Georgia.

I hope you have a great day! Cook those hot dogs. Raise a beer. Or head to the pool, like I will. 🙂