Tuesday, 6 June 2023

#TeaserTuesday

Harriet isn't good at making friends...

BUY NOW: http://www.books2read.com/DUKN

[ID: A pale brown background with the title DESTINATION: UNKNOWN at the top and out now in ebook, paperback & audiobook just above the title. The except reads:

“You don’t have any ulterior motive?” I asked, instantly regretting it when I saw her face. It had gone from her smiling face to a stony expression. I was about to apologise when she spoke.
“You know what, Harriet. I’ve been nothing but a friend to you over the past couple of days. I’ve listened to you when you wanted to talk, I didn’t tell anyone about our talk about seeing ghosts because I felt like I’d found a friend and I didn’t listen in to your conversation with your Mum and I watched out for you while you made the call. I’ve been sympathetic and I’ve let some really rude things slide because I assumed there was a reason for it. Now I see that there is a reason you don’t have any friends here, basically you’re a bitch!” she snapped, grabbing her bag and storming off.

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

 

Monday, 5 June 2023

Living The Author Life - The Creative Process

LIVING THE AUTHOR LIFE

I have been published for almost 18 years now. It blows my mind to think about that, think about what it means and how far I've come. That said, it also feels like this has been something I've done my whole life. It's hard for me to separate the actual true past, and the thought that I've always been writing, always been working to a point where I can live the author life full time.

I get to see a lot of different sides of the author life because of my process, and because of the way I've gone about it. From dealing with a shady publisher, to the advent of ebooks and KDP and self-publishing getting a leg up to help those authors like me who just wanna publish their books, and have them reach the right readers, but also be able to support ourselves.

I've said before that I'm a very small fish in a very big pond, and that I'm okay with that. It's still true. I know that because I'm indie, and because I suck mostly at advertising and marketing, then I may always stay as a small fish. For me the reason I write is because I have stories that I need to tell. Stories that live inside me and are itching to get out.

Here's an example of what I mean, these past two months I've been going through a massive pain flare, and doing the smallest thing has felt nigh on impossible. I've needed more pills than I usually do, and because of that have been sleeping more, needing more downtime, and the only thing that I have consistently been able, in fact needing to do, is write.

Now, I know that some of you might think that the better option for me was to rest and recover, and while I have been doing a whole ton of that, some of the relief I've found has come from letting my words flow out onto the page and just lose myself in another world. Readers do it when they pick up a book, but authors and writers do it too. They open their document, and just sink into the known, the familiar, the unknown sometimes, and that can be a balm to the soul.

No one ever said that writing would be easy, or that being an author would be easy. No one tells you that all you have to do is write a book, publish it, and then boom, instant recognition. It doesn't work like that for anyone, apart from maybe celebrities but they already had the instant recognition, so I don't think that counts. For me, living the author life is hard. It something where there are times I struggle, and there are times when I think that I'm not going to be able to make it much further, or that my ideas will dry up, or that my body will give out on me, and I won't be able to write any more.

And being honest? That terrifies me because losing the ability to write my stories and share them with my readers is something that keeps me going at times. It can be lonely, it can be isolating, it can be hard, you can cry and sweat and get frustrated at the way things are going, but, and here's the thing, you have to keep going. You can't give up and throw in the towel, because those stories will not write themselves, and you just gotta keep writing, keep moving forward. It's the only way to do it. I wish you all the luck in the world!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments!

Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books. 

Friday, 2 June 2023

Review of Dragon Lost by Sean Fletcher

 

A lone dragon is a vulnerable dragon, and the Slayers are closing in…

Kaden shouldn’t have left. Not the guilds. Not Astrid when she needed him most.

But the deadly Slayer Nico is working on his next plan to destroy the dragon-kin, and Kaden is determined to take him down, no matter the cost.

Only, Kaden’s broken, in both body and spirit. And when he finally uncovers part of what Nico’s planning, it may be too late for Kaden to stop him. Or for anyone to save Kaden himself.

Astrid’s searching too, for the Slayers, for Kaden, and for answers about the mysterious visions she’s having and voices she’s hearing. A poison has left her full dragon magic more unstable than ever, and the Convocation’s creepy new trainer is only making things worse.

If that’s not bad enough, her best friend Holly has discovered something insanely, dangerously, powerful long hidden within the guilds. It could be the very thing Astrid needs to stop the Slayers…or be Holly’s death.

Desperate for answers, Astrid has to seek help from the very person who tried to kill her. She knows he has sinister motives of his own, but she’ll have to play his game if she wants a chance to save her friends, and all dragon-kin, before it’s too late.
 

My Review:  5 STARS

I’d read the first book in this series and loved it so when the next three were out, I had to pick them up to binge read them ASAP. I adore Astrid and Kaden, watching them both come through things in their own different way and seeing where their journey takes them. Fletcher has a way of building a world that has you hooked from the first page and leaves you desperate for more. This book was no exception to his usual skill, and I breezed through it in a day, not wanting to stop because every page is begging to be turned. Overall an amazing read, and one that I recommend!

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

Thursday, 1 June 2023

#MilesForRefugees

Joey is wheelchair walking the English Channel for British Red Cross #MilesForRefugees in June!

For those wishing to sponsor her, the link is here!

Joey has been wheelchair walking around her local park three times a week since the beginning of the year, and when she saw this event, she knew she had to take part. She will be completing fourteen wheelchair walks over the month of June, all of which will make up the 22 miles of the English Channel.

For updates follow her on Twitter or Instagram.

5 Tropes I Love To Write [CC]


Talking about the 5 tropes that I love to write! #Authortube
 
SPONSOR JOEY WHEELCHAIR WALKING THE ENGLISH CHANNEL: https://miles.redcross.org.uk/fundraising/joeypaul
BUY CRAMPING CHRONICLES: THE SECOND PANG: http://www.books2read.com/PANG
BUY CRAMPING CHRONICLES: THE FIRST TWINGE: http://www.books2read.com/TWINGE
#AUTHORCITY BIRMINGHAM JULY 2023 SIGNING TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3fRLjxg 

 

Tuesday, 30 May 2023

#TeaserTuesday

Tara needs to find some clues fast if she wants to save Kaolin...

BUY NOW: http://www.books2read.com/DTFW

[ID: A ldark brown background with the title DYING THOUGHTS - FOURTH WEEK at the top and out now in ebook, paperback & audiobook just above the title. The except reads:

A vision meant that Kaolin was dead and we could find her and prosecute her killers, which I totally didn’t want. However, it just being a mobile meant that I was no closer to finding her and for every hour that ticked by was another hour that she wasn’t back safe and sound and another hour that something bad could happen to her.

Above the title is Joey Paul and just below that the website www.joeypaulonline.com, in the top right corner is the Readers' Favorite Review Seal, and in the bottom right corner is the logo for Bug Books. END ID]

 

Monday, 29 May 2023

Changing The Focus Of Your Writing - The Creative Process

CHANGING THE FOCUS OF YOUR WRITING

I am, if you're not already aware, very much a multi-genre author. I have written a lot of crime/mystery, but I've also had paranormal, done urban fantasy, done sci-fi, dystopian, and a lot of others in between. I have no problem with this, my readers don't seem to mind either. I stick it all under one name because I don't like being held to one or two genres. I go where my ideas take me and if that happens to be somewhere new, or somewhere familiar, then I don't mind.

That said, I do know that it can be easier for indie authors, and trad pub too, to stick to one genre for a period and not do too much crossing all over the place. I know of some authors who have one pen name for romance and another for fantasy, but for me it's never really worked. I want to see my actual name on my books. I've never been someone who can cope with having all these different social media for all these different names, and the thought just makes me get cross-eyed about it!

If you're looking for advice on how to do that, then I would suggest you go elsewhere because I don't have the first clue what to say and it would be wrong of me to pretend otherwise. I know there is lots of information about having multiple pen names and such all around the internet, and I'm just not someone who that has ever mattered to, and it's never been something I've thought about, or experienced.

So, then what am I trying to talk to you about? Simple, that sometimes you will spend time in one genre, and other times your ideas will switch and take a hard left turn and you find yourself in a completely different one. I was someone who was sure, I mean completely sure, that I would never write any kind of fantasy, and then I got the idea for Cramping Chronicles, and after that, other ideas that have yet to see the light of day. If you've been following along with me for a while, you'll remember the 5 facts I've given about a variety of different WIP and not all of them have been one genre. I do write all over the place, and I'm happy with that.

So with all that in mind, I thought I would give you some tips on what to do if you find yourself switching to a new genre, or changing the focus of your writing. It's not the end of the world, and I'm not anti-muliple pen names, I just don't have the experience to guide you if you choose to take that route.

#1 NEVER SAY NEVER
While I'm pretty sure I will never write epic fantasy, simply because I very rarely read it, it's important to allow yourself some leeway. There are some genres that might not appeal to you now, but that doesn't mean you won't ever get an idea that leans into that space. I've not written any books where romance is the main genre, I've had sub-plots of it, but it's never been the whole focus of the book, but that doesn't mean I won't ever be hit with an idea that allows me to branch out into that genre more. You gotta be open to change, if that's what you want to do.

#2 QUESTION YOUR END GOAL
Is this a project that you want to publish one day? Or is it something that you just want to write and get the story out of you? I've had projects like that, some of them eventually get to the point where my goal changes and I do want to send the book out into the world, but when you're first planning (or not) maybe think about what you want the end product to be for. From there you can work out whether or not it's something you want to put a lot of time into.

#3 IS IT SOMETHING YOU'LL ENJOY?
This is a question that I ask myself every time I think of a new idea. I have a folder on my computer that has them all written down because my memory is not the best. But I will go back through and read them and decide whether or not I want this to go anywhere, because if I'm not going to enjoy the process most of the time (it doesn't have to be all of the time) then is there any point in putting that on my shoulders? If the answer is yes, then you know that this is something you're going to want to explore.

#4 ALLOW TIME TO EXPLORE

A lot of the time, for me at least, I will have one genre in mind when I'm planning my book, and it can, and does, switch while drafting it. For that reason I try not to be too limited in what I see as my chosen genres. Like with Cramping Chronicles, it started as a paranormal/mystery, but it soon became very clear that it was urban fantasy, but if I'd not allowed myself that time to work through it, then I wouldn't have gotten it to the point where it is now. So this is a very important part of it.

So there we go, those are my four tips, if you have any, or want to add something more, then lemme know in the comments!

Follow Joey here on her blog, or on Facebook or Tumblr to be kept up to date with the latest news regarding Joey and her books. 

Friday, 26 May 2023

Review of Blink And We'll Miss It by Ginny Kochis

Mae Griffin’s last blink was six hundred and fifty-three days ago, when she left Minnesott Beach, North Carolina, for good.

It might have been the move. It’s probably the lack of stress now that her mom is stable. All Mae knows is that her world no longer shifts. She doesn’t glimpse people from the past or fall headlong into their private moments. As long as she can go to school, keep her friends at arm’s length, and make sure Mom takes her medication, she’ll have a pretty solid end to junior year.
 
Except stability breeds complacency, and when Mae’s not looking, life falls apart. Reeling from a tragedy she should have seen coming, Mae returns to her grandparents’ centuries-old house on the Carolina coast, to the friendships she destroyed and the stoic, dark-haired boy who makes her heart ache.
 
Back to the blinks that plague her mental health.
 
As Mae’s blinks ramp up in intensity and frequency, she discovers an unsettling truth. Her greatest fear is the key to healing old, brutal wounds and unearthing family secrets that sparked a bitter feud. Torn between loyalty to the friends she once loved and protection from the pain of starting over, Mae must decide if she can open her heart. Not just to the life she let go, but to the parts of herself she’d rather keep hidden.

Amazon

My Review: 5 STARS

I picked this up on release day because the cover was gorgeous and I loved the sound of the blurb and I ended up reading it all in one sitting. Mae is an engaging character who pulls you into her world, and let’s you get settled in, desperate to know more about the blinks, about her family, about her fears and worries. I adored the friendships, and the ups and downs, twists and turns that were told perfectly through the story. It was beautifully told and had me hooked until the very end. Very much recommended for some great mental health rep and great characters too!

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

Thursday, 25 May 2023