5 Facts On My Current Working Projects

5 FACTS ON MY CURRENT WORKING PROJECTS

I did one of these back in June (found here) but since there's been some changes to projects, I thought that I would do another one. I am currently working on five projects. I have three in revision and rewrite status, one in revision status and another in the final stages of the editing process. I thought that I'd give you one fact about each other them.

REVISING & REWRITING

FACT #1: PENNEY IS MEANT FOR GREAT THINGS
The first project is a YA paranormal trilogy dealing with psychics and danger and intrigue. Penney is a born psychic and she has a death vision, one that would see her best friend, and long time crush, die on their first date. While I don't want to go into spoilers, I will say that Penney has no clue about the truth and motive behind the things happening in her life. She's sure she's on the right path, but what she doesn't realise is everything happens for a reason, even if there doesn't seem to be one, there's always a reason behind other people's actions.

This book is coming to the end of the revising and rewriting stage, but for now it's still there as I have more tweaks to add.

FACT #2: NOT EVERYONE WANTS THE SAME THINGS FOR ABBY
This project is the first in a YA urban fantasy trilogy dealing with pandemics, witches, and the hunt for a diagnosis. Abby is a witch and suffering with some, as of yet, unknown conditions, and she's trying to both find herself, and also save other witches from the worst thing there is: a witch hunt. Newly induced into a coven, she's desperate to save everyone she can, solve the mystery, and stay healthy, only there are people in Abby's life who do not want the same as she does, and they will do everything they can to make sure that she never finds out their truth.

This book is also coming to the end of the revising and rewriting stage, but there's still some bits and pieces that I want to explore more.

FACT #3: SOMEONE NEEDS TO SAVE JESSIE THIS TIME
This book is the fifth and final book in the Cramping Chronicles series. It's a YA urban fantasy series dealing with empaths, and mysteries all wrapped up in one. Jessie is an empath, but after what happened in the last book (pre-order here) she's finding that she's the one that needs to be saved, she needs someone to stand up for her, and without it, she might be lost to the world as we know it.

This book is in the revising and rewriting stage as there are lots of things that need to be changed before it moves onto the plain ole revision.

REVISION

FACT #4: NO MATTER HOW IT MAY SEEM, THERE'S BAD ON ALL SIDES
This project is the third book in the Invisible quartet, a YA dystopian series dealing with disability, a virus, adaption, and bringing an end to the cruelty of a Leader dead set against anything outside of his vision for their world. Jonah and Zya are doing the best they can to make sure they, and as many as their friends, survive but there are no good guys here, and they have a battle ahead of them that may end them all.

This book has been to the sensitivity readers, and right now I'm doing the changes suggested and reshaping the story before it goes to the editor in November.

EDITING CYCLE

FACT #5: JESSIE HAS NO CLUE WHAT SHE'S BEING TOLD TO DO
This book is the fourth Cramping Chronicles book, (pre-order here) which is a YA urban fantasy series dealing with empaths, and a threat to our world. Jessie is an empath, but she's been isolated from her peers and she doesn't really know what she's being asked to do. If she follows through, and even if she doesn't, there are going to be catastrophic results for everyone.

This book is with the proofreader, and should be out on October 14th!

So there we go, those are five facts about my current working projects! I'm loving them all for different reasons and excited to keep going with them all.

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments! 

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Interview With Hope Bolinger

I'd like to welcome Hope Bolinger to the blog for an interview! I read one of Hope's books last year and loved it!

Onto the interview!

Do you have a set routine for writing? 
I do. It's all mathematical. I tend to have a research period. And once I have compiled enough to be an "expert" in a topic, I feel ready to write. I craft a skeletonic outline and then I get going. I have a set word count I try to aim for each day, until I hit the final word count for the first draft.

What's your favourite tip for newbie writers? 
Have fun with the process. Writing is, unfortunately, the easy part. The editing, the marketing, everything afterward can be soul-sucking, so have fun with it. Write something you really believe in. 

Which genre is your favourite to write in? 
This is so hard to choose because I write MG, YA, and sweet romances. I think it depends on my mood, but the weirder, the better. Anything that stretches my imagination.

Do you have any pets? 
I do! Two very silly cats named Odin and Freya. They love each other. They tolerate me. 

Paperback or ebook? And why? 
I'm a paperback girlie. There's just something in you that feels so accomplished when you're physically flipping pages.

Where do you see yourself, and your writing, in ten years? 
I'm not sure, because I've been surprised by the last ten years of writing. I imagine I'll keep being surprised.

What's your favourite writing snack? 
I actually forget to eat when I write. It's a problem. 

You can follow Hope on Instagram.  

Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here  

Life Of Joey - August 2025 [CC]

Telling you all about what I got up to last month! #Authortube

 

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#TeaserTuesday

Jessie's parents are not all that understanding about her empath abilities...

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[ID: A dark green background with the title CRAMPING CHRONICLES: THE FOURTH TORMENT at the top and coming October 14th 2025 just below the title The except reads:

“I will not have that man in our house!” Mum hissed.
“Kaye, you have to agree the way he went about this, telling Jessie to tell us, points to him not being a bad guy,” Dad whispered. “I know you're worried. I'm worried too, but I feel like maybe there's a grain of truth in what Jessie’s saying.”

At the bottom is Joey Paul and just below that the website www.joeypaulonline.com, and in the bottom right corner is the logo for Bug Books. END ID]

 

20 Years As An Author

20 YEARS AS AN AUTHOR

Yesterday was my 20th Authorversary, in that it was 20 years since Blackout, my debut, was first published. I look back to that launch party and I can't quite believe it's been 20 years. I didn't ever really think, back then at least, that I would get to this point. I didn't think I would publish a second book, let alone over twenty more of them. It was a whole lot of fun coming down to my office all decorated for the occasion and I was spoilt and celebrated, as it should be with this kind of milestone. 

I usually do a post around this time every year that talks about what I've learned in the time since I first became a published author, and while I plan to touch on that a little today, I also wanted to talk about the fact that dreams may always seem way off and like you'll never get there, but you will. It takes time, sometimes a lot more time than you first realise, but you will get to that point where you look back and wonder why you thought you'd never get there. 

I wrote my first 'book' when I was 13, I refer to it that way because it wasn't, by any stretch of the imagination, a complete novel. It was 36 pages of A4 and I even sent it off to publishers in hopes of making it big. They were lovely about it, sending me back letters about their young writers programs, but I kinda assumed that was it for me, and I wouldn't ever actually be published. I never planned or dreamed of being an author from a young age, it just felt like something I could do as well as my other plans.

See, I'd always, from a very young age, wanted to be a doctor. It was probably a side effect of spending a lot of my time as a kid in and out of hospital. That didn't get any better with age, and I was so sure that was what I would be doing with my grown up life. It was only when my health got worse, and I picked up a few other conditions, and even before that, when I realised that I didn't have the smarts to do medicine, that I turned to other pursuits.

When I was retired at 19 on medical grounds from the working world, I didn't really know what to do with myself. I didn't want to do nothing, and my health limited what I could do otherwise. That's when a story idea, one that had been brewing from those school days, burst forth from my mind onto paper and I found a way to do something with my life. I could write. I could be published, and a few short years later I was, but I never imagined it going beyond that.

See, there wasn't the indie world then as there is now, and the only way I could be published, having tried the early 2000s version of querying, and not been successful, was to go with something called a vanity press. I have many regrets about doing that, but the truth is that I also wouldn't have taken that leap into publishing if I hadn't. I knew it wasn't something I could afford to do again, so I took my best work at the time, and pushed the button to send that out into the world.

I kept writing, sure, because I wanted and needed to write, but I always kind of assumed it would be my one and only published work. How wrong was I? It became my career, it became something where I don't actually know where I'd be without. Thanks to the advent of ebooks and KDP and the indie life, and I finally had a way to share the stories I'd already written, and write a whole load of new ones. So while I regret using a vanity press because of all the hassle they brought me, I do not regret publishing when I did.

I was 23 when Blackout hit the shelves, I'm 43 now, and have written just under 50 books. I would love for them all to, one day, also be out there for people to read, but I honestly don't know if I'll manage it. I know I was made to be an author, and I know that I will always celebrate getting that chance to. My stories were made to be told, just as a lot of other writers are the same.

So here's to the next 20 years of author life. I can't wait to take you along on the journey with me.

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments! 

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Review of The Princess And The Fraud by Sarah Sutton

 

A cello prodigy who walked away from music. A charming heir with no fortune and no filter. Their deal was supposed to be simple… until feelings complicated everything.

Lovey Hahn had a plan: work at the swankiest country club in the state, save every penny, and finally buy her late mother’s dream house—the one that was supposed to fix everything. Sure, she had to put her own dreams of being a professional cellist aside, but achieving her mother's dream would be worth it.

What she didn’t plan on? Aaron Astor crashing back into town.

The travel empire heir is infuriatingly handsome, absurdly confident, and says he’s “looking for love”—which is rich, considering he’s actually broke. As in, disowned-by-his-family broke. And he’s not chasing romance so much as chasing redemption: if he marries the right kind of girl, he gets his inheritance and his family’s respect.

Lovey doesn’t blow up his plan. She sees an opportunity—and makes a counteroffer: buy her mother’s dream house, and she’ll keep his little secret.

Totally reasonable. Totally business.

Except Aaron keeps showing up. In her space, in her head, and unfortunately, in her heart. And somewhere between the fake flirty smiles and real stolen moments, Lovey starts to wonder if she’s fighting for the wrong dream entirely.

Because chasing her mother’s dream is one thing. But choosing her own path and risking her heart for a guy who swore off love? That’s a whole new kind of terrifying.

Amazon

My Review: 5 STARS

I’ve read all of Sutton’s previous books and loved them all for different reasons, but this one hit different. This one felt like coming home, and being wrapped up in a warm hug that pulled you along through the trials and pitfalls, making you fall in love with a character that you’d previously not liked. I adored Lovey, the relatable part of her, the pain, the angst, and the way she came out of her shell and stood on her own. Sutton always has a way of making you root for the characters, for their love, and this time it was a delight to sink into the pages and just lose myself in this romance. Very much recommended and one that I can see myself going back to read again and again.

Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here 

Signings When Chronically Ill [CC]

Giving you some tips of prepping for signings while chronically ill! #Authortube

 

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#TeaserTuesday

 

There's no escaping this terror...

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[ID: A dark green background with the title CRAMPING CHRONICLES: THE FOURTH TORMENT at the top and coming October 14th 2025 just below the title The except reads:

“You awoke the beast, empath. And there's no going back from here.” She leaned in close, her breath hitting my face and making me recoil. “Until next time,” she whispered, before pushing me away.

At the bottom is Joey Paul and just below that the website www.joeypaulonline.com, and in the bottom right corner is the logo for Bug Books. END ID]

 

The Trials Of A Crime Writer: Learning Your Limits

THE TRIALS OF A CRIME WRITER: LEARNING YOUR LIMITS

I've always been someone who knows my own limits. It's helped me write stories, it's helped me keep up with publishing, and it's helped me work out new ideas, and make them work for me. In all the time I've been writing, I've never once tried to push myself past those limits when it comes to stories, plot, or the grisly details of a crime.

I wanted to talk today about learning those limits, because I feel like as someone who reads, and writes, crime a lot, it's good to know where you draw the line. For some writers and readers, they want to know everything. They want details of the blood, the gore, and everything in between. I know that as a reader I can read most things, but when it comes to do much violence, especially when it feels unnecessary, I will be pulled out of the story and not find myself enjoying it.

When I first started writing, I didn't like writing fight scenes. I didn't really know much about fighting, being in a wheelchair and not the most athletic person, and I didn't have a pool of knowledge to pull from. So I mostly shied away from them. It was only later when I started branching out into dystopian and urban fantasy that I realised there would be a need for a lot more action and detail. I even did that in some of my later crime novels, where I had to really find a way to work in the action and have it flow nicely.

It was something I learned with a lot of reading, and a lot of input from editors. Some of mine weren't okay with too much violence, others preferred that graphic scenes were toned down, and each and every time, they usually had a point. I truly feel that some scenes hit harder, and impact the story, and reader, more, when they're not too drawn out and detailed. Others need to be pushed to the limit, mine or the readers, to draw out the feelings and impact you want.

But how do you know which is which? How do you work out where that limit is? I'm gonna give you some of my tips that I've learned over the years.

#1 VIOLENCE FOR THE SAKE OF IT USUALLY ISN'T NEEDED
I found this working with my editor on one of the Dying Thoughts books. She felt like there was too much detail in certain scenes and that because of the subject matter, they would turn readers off, and also draw attention away from the impact. If you're feeling like you need to go into extreme details about wounds, about scenes of assault, then ask yourself is that detail needed, or are you just trying to shock your reader. If it's the former okay, but if it's the latter, you will probably end up upsetting people and losing readers in the process.

#2 SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE
Have you ever read a scene in a crime novel and realised that the terror and uncertainty is impacted more because you're given such little detail? I have, and I've found it works well for certain scenes. If you don't give the reader every single detail, their imagination can probably fill in the blanks, and might end up with something that pulls them into the story even more so.

#3 EMOTIONAL IMPACT CAN BE BETTER THAN PHYSICAL
I've written some scenes that just work better with the focus on the emotional impact of the character. Whether that be not including details of the wounds, or the fight, but rather the pain, the terror, the fear, the loss. All of that can drive your reader to relating to the character and feeling those wounds emotionally themselves. It can be so much more impactful and works really well to draw the reader in.

So there we go, finding out what works for you limit wise is a good thing, but also it can be the difference in a reader's experience with your work.

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments! 

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Interview With Lisa Amowitz

I'd like to welcome Lisa Amowitz onto the blog today for an interview! I recently reviewed three of her books and loved them all!

Onto the interview! 

Do you have a set routine for writing?
Generally, I try to get in 1-2 hours of writing/revising each morning.

What's your favourite tip for newbie writers?
Focus on your craft, take criticism graciously, and don’t be in a rush to publish.

What was your experience writing your first book?
My first book was TERRIBLE. It took me three years to write and is now in a dark, dark drawer never to be seen again. My second book wasn’t much better, but it only took me a year to write. My third book got me my first agent, but was never published. My fourth book got me my second agent and became my THIRD published book, and my fifth book, BREAKING GLASS became my first published book. I still love that book and indie-published it in 2022 after getting my rights back from my publisher.

Do you have a favourite place to write outside of your usual space?
I love writing outside on the deck of the little cottage we rent every summer in upstate NY.

Do you hoard notebooks or anything else writing related?
Yes. I hoard notebooks! And books. And bookshelves.

Which genre is your favourite to write in?
Up until this year I have written only YA. This year I’m starting a new genre, cozy paranormal mystery.

Which social media do you enjoy using the most?
I don’t love social media and that’s why I’ve hired an assistant to help me with it.

What's your favourite writing snack?
I guzzle either coffee, coconut water, or tea. Not much of a snacker!

 You can follow Lisa on her website, Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky & TikTok.

Join Joey here on the blog on Fridays for interviews, reviews and guest bloggers. If you'd be interested in doing any of those, you can contact Joey here