Happy New Year!

2021 is over and 2022 is just starting! I can’t believe yet another year has passed. How did that happen so quickly?

What are some of your memorable moments from 2021?

For me, 2021 leaves me with mixed feelings. It was a hard year, but good. It felt like there was a lot of growth involved as it seemed like there was always something I had to make a decision about or change. I also found myself struggling with being thankful and positive, which is unusual as normally I see the best in situations. However, in reflection, there was a lot of good but it was just subdued and I think that’s why it was hard for me to spot. I am excited to see the progress I’ve made as an individual and as an author. At the start of 2021, I made the choice to put more effort into the publishing side of writing and it is thrilling to see that it was a profitable year. A very small profit but I still celebrate it because it is encouraging! The year also saw two more books published which I’m super excited about.

And now as I look forward to 2022, a part of me wonders if I’ve thought that far ahead. for the most part, I want to moving forward in my present writing goals. Books two and three in The Twilight Realm trilogy will be published later this year. Also I’m planning on adding a new section to the website that will have short stories. Check out the first one here!

An Invitation: This story takes place after Twilight’s Curse and before book two Twilight’s Child. It is told from Nix’s point of view. Let me know what you think!

So what do you expect from 2022? Do you have any goals? Or sometimes our plans are just for a better year, a better us. These goals are just as worthy!

If you’re looking for help with your journey to a new you, check out this book: Shadow Work. It is a reflective prompt journal that’s perfect for living your best life!

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New Release and Freebie!

After much waiting (on my part) I’m excited to announce that The Original has finally gone live on Amazon. It is available for the great price of $2.99 (U.S. dollars).

Book Blurb

Brie:
All I want is to get to grandmother’s house, heal her and find out what really happened the night my parents were killed.

But the elders refuse to let me leave the small town where our tribe lives. My magic is stronger than the rest of our people. This makes the elders protective. They believe there are monsters out there that hunt our kind. And if I leave, the monsters will find me and kill me like they did my parents. Myth and fairy tales if you ask me. And I’m tired of the stories.

So I make a plan. It’s a good plan. A simple plan. And then I meet him. And his kind.

I think I should have listened to the elders.

Colin:
Why should I care about weak pathetic humans? Yet I do.

It started the day I met the unicorn shifter centuries ago. She offered a chance to restore my humanity, but I wasn’t ready. Something happened to my blood thirst that day and I haven’t drunk from a human since.

And then today, Brie wanders into vampire territory. She’s more human than shifter with a flicker of magic. Such a disgrace to what her clan once was.

My cousin and his family thirst for her blood. My former lover clings to the hope of rekindling what we once were. And I’m stuck with this crazy compulsion to save Brie.

I shouldn’t care. But I do.

The Original a new adult urban fantasy. A fast-paced read full of vampires, a unicorn shifter, magic and a touch of clean romance.

Buy Now!

And to celebrate, Hidden, will be offered as a free give-a-way from Thursday, December 23rd (TODAY) to Monday, December 27! FIVE DAYS. So snag your copy. If you’ve already bought a copy, then make sure to let others know who might like the book or a free gift. 

That’s all from me for now. I can’t wait to hear from you and what you think about this latest book. And don’t forget to leave an honest and positive review that’ll help sell more books!

Thanks for being an awesome community during 2021 and joining me this year for this adventure

Wishing you the best!
K. M. Wray 

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Check out this fun Christmas Puzzle book! Silent Night Puzzle Night

Or if you’re interested in a bit of reflective work for the new year! New year! New You, check out Shadow Work

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Book Review -Centaur of the Crime -Michael Angel

I’ve seen this book series for a while and it’s intrigued me, so I decided it was time to check it out. I started with the first book in the series because I wasn’t sure if I’d like it not.

The series interested because it has fantasy characters and a crime investigation. From the blurb and the picture, I thought it’d be Urban Fantasy where our world has fantasy creatures. However, it was a cross-over fantasy. The main character does work crime scenes but when a different realm needs her services, she’s pulled in to solve the case.

Overall, I really liked the story and the characters. They were a fun team and each character had it’s own personality. The story was procedural as the main character and her menagerie worked through the clues. It had a very who dun’ it or cozy mystery feel to it. The only thing I wasn’t fully satisfied with was the pacing. It did feel a bit slow at times which made it easy to put the book down. However, the story is interesting and the plot is well developed so my natural curiosity about the outcome encouraged me to continue.

I do think I’ll read more in the series though I’m not a huge fan of a crime investigation style so it might be a while before I get the next book. But it’s definitely made my ‘to be read’ pile.

Do you like crime fiction? Or cozy mysteries?

Check out this fun Christmas Puzzle book! Silent Night Puzzle Night

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Book Review: The Watcher Academy -S. K. Gregory

Okay, I confess that I purchased this book simply because of the cover. The image made me smile and I thought the book would be humorous. The blurb sounded interesting and… was I disappointed?

Yes and no. The story was amusing and the character was a bit charming. There were really enjoyable elements and the ending wasn’t quite what I expected. I don’t want to give anything away, but I finished with, ‘not how I thought things would finish.’ And this was a disappointment. The book did have a satisfying conclusion, but you know there’s more to the story, so it naturally leads to the next in the series. However, the book does not have a cliff hanger. (I really don’t like those because it feels like lazy writing to me. Not a criticism to the author, but because a cliff hanger is a ply to make the reader buy the next book. This doesn’t work on me.) So back to The Watcher Academy. I found the main character a bit intriguing and the relationships she’s building a nice feature.

I was disappointed by some aspects of the writing where it felt like the story could have been developed more. The relationship the main character has with her roommate doesn’t really have a purpose. The two don’t get along, but there’s no connection to the overall story. There were a few other relationships the main character has where I wondered, what’s the purpose of this and had hoped the author would have developed them more. The book is the first in a series, so perhaps there will be development, but it’s hard to tell. I’m considering reading the next book to find out, so I’ll keep you posted if I do.

What makes a book good in your opinion?

Check out this fun Christmas Puzzle book! Silent Night Puzzle Night

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Freebies and Sales!

Greetings fellow adventurers! We are bound by our common love of a good book, and as you know, I often give book reviews or make you aware of discounted books, sales etc. Something new I’ll be adding to my blog is Freebies and Sales!

To clarify, Freebies are books (ebooks) gifted by authors for newsletter sign-ups. Sales are ebooks authors are advertising. Some are on sale and some are at their regular price. So check out the links below and the amazing offers available. Feel free to return for more or share the links to fellow book lovers!

Sales

Fantasy and Sci-Fi Sale

Let Your Imagination Soar

YA High Fantasy Book Fair

December Book Review

Portal to Fantasy -December Book Fest

Freebies (newsletter sign-ups)

Fantasy & Sci-Fi Giveaway

Fantastic Realms Free Fantasy Reads

Fantastic Reads

December Fantasy & Magic

Give a Gift of Fantasy and Science Fiction ebooks

Free Urban Fantasy

Free Urban Fantasy

Fantasy Magic for Kids and Teens

Urban Fantasy Freebies

NOTE: Yes, two have the same title

Let me know what you think of the reads. Did you find a new favorite author? What are some of your favorite reads or styles of books?

Check out this fun Christmas Puzzle book! Silent Night Puzzle Night

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Story Telling

So when a writer sits down to pen a tale, do they intentionally try to teach a lesson? That’s a great question and I’ve noticed that some people seem to think this. I think this reflects the power of a good story.

As an author, I can honestly say that I’ve never written a story to ‘teach a lesson’ rather, it is the character’s story and their struggle that creates the character arc that drives the narrative. In Breaking Enchantments, Erin had to come to terms with her identity as being Korean -Canadian and be at peace with her Korean side. For Tully in Hidden, as she learned the truth about the past, she had a choice to choose differently and not follow social norms. And Zoe in Twilight’s Curse had to forgive so that her magic would no longer be fractured.

When I sit down and feel inspired, I question the inspiration. And with those answers, the main character’s story begins to form. A writer get immersed in their character and this journey needs to be developed so the reader is satisfied and doesn’t feel cheated in the journey. And when a reader also feels that they are on the journey with the main character to the point that they learn the lesson. As an author, that is a breath taking moment. For a reader to connect that strongly with the character is powerful and amazing.

What’s a story or who’s a character you’ve connected deeply with?

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Check out this fun Christmas Puzzle book! Silent Night Puzzle Night

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Brainstorming: The First Step to Writing Your Book

Do you have a creative idea you’d like to turn into a novel but aren’t sure of the first steps today? That’s totally understandable. The biggest first step is to explore your idea and something that helps me the most is to ask questions.

Usually a story idea begins with something that inspires us. What is the idea? Explore it and ask as many questions as you can to get your creative ideas engaged. Ask questions about what happened before the picture, during and after to get a sense of story continuation.

If you see characters, begin to figure out who they are. Sometimes it’s fun to interview these characters. When I’ve done this, I get a really strong sense of who they are because my imagination is giving them a voice, body language, tone, etc.

Other questions to ask are about the story itself. World building is one of the biggest steps you have to take as a writer to make your story come alive. So where does your story take place? Over how many days? weeks? months? What’s the weather like? What’s the genre?

Depending on the kind of writing you do, you’ll have to ask a lot more questions. If you write fantasy, for example, then you’ll have to explore the magic in your world and the variety of fantasy creatures for starters.

Other ideas to explore are the different scenes: beginning, middle and end as well as themes and narrative questions. To help you with your world building, I’m including a link to a Brainstorming document. Let me know if it was helpful and I can include more documents like these in future posts.

So what are some ways you brainstorm and build your story ideas?

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Book Review: The Merging -John P. Logsdon

Are you a fan of cop shows? Think urban fantasy/paranormal/speculative fiction mixed with a police show you enjoy and you have The Merging by John P. Logsdon.

The story begins with a routine check-in with a vampire feeding on a human. Something the PPD (Paranormal Police Department) of Las Vegas frown on. It seems regular enough until they’re attacked by a paranormal who’s too strong to take down. They have a case! Because it’s not one but many super naturals: vampire, werewolf and fairy who are wreaking havoc on a quiet Las Vegas night.

The story was a quick read that kept my attention. It was like experiencing the shift with the workers and the action was constant going from one paranormal mishap to the next. I wasn’t sure I fully understood the working of all the magic especially the lead character’s magic. He’s supposed to be special, but why he’s special wasn’t clear to me. Perhaps with future books this will make greater sense and the author reveals more of this world. The book itself is definitely episodic so each book in the series would center around solving a case (I presume).

Click this link to check out this read: The Merging

What do you think of this kind of urban fantasy read? Have you read other books like this?

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Twilight’s Curse: Behind the Scenes -Zoe

Zoe was a character I loved writing. She had such depth and pain but also incredible strength. She was in a way a real hero because she faced her fears and came out stronger. I think this is the reality for all of us when fear comes knocking in our lives. There’s the tap at the door and our hearts begin to race as anxiety clutches as us. Will we be brave enough to move forward despite the fear? Or will we let it keep us a prisoner in our circumstances?

Deep questions and when I started writing Twilight’s Curse, I hadn’t planned on Zoe being such a deep character, but that’s the fun of writing: stories often go in directions we don’t always expect. I do spend a lot of time mapping out my novels, and my conclusions seldom change, but as the character is written, I learn so much more about them that brings in a lot of dimension and complexity.

When I first imagined Zoe, I had this picture in my mind of a girl who had tattoos of daggers on her forearms. They’d separate from her skin and solidify into weapons she’d fight with. I began to ask questions about who she was, how did she get her weapons, and why is she fighting… the brainstorming process was extensive, but Zoe and her world was born and it is my privilege to share it with the world. I hope you enjoy her journey and maybe she’ll inspire you!

What kind of characters do you find the most inspiring? Is there a character that seemed to come alive on the pages of a book? I’d love to hear about these adventures.

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Book Review: Ready to Fumble -Christy Barritt

Imagine if your real life and imaginary life converged. What would that look like for you? And better yet, would you want to face that kind of life?

In Ready to Fumble by Christy Barritt, the main character, Joey Darling, was a detective on a T. V. hit series in Hollywood. But when life took a turn, she found herself in a beachside sleepy town making a living as a hair dresser Accepting her situation, Joey wonders if she even has what it takes to cut hair since her last cut left the town’s detective with a crooked edge. Then someone walks in who recognizes her as her T.V. alter-ego and offers Joey a case. She’s not sure she wants the job but the money is good and it wouldn’t hurt to sneak around… right?

The story is a sweet read that kept my attention. It was light and not my usual fantasy genre, but I do like to dip into other genres once in a while. NOTE: this is a cozy mystery with a touch of romance though nothing happens in this book. There’s just two guys: one who scowls and one who’s a laid-back surfer with magic fingers (masseuse).

I’ve read Christy Barritt before and I might continue with the series if I’m in a ‘mystery’ mood. She’s a great writer who adds humor to her stories. Her books are clean reads and come to satisfying conclusions.

Click this link to check out this book:

Ready to Fumble

So do you like the odd mystery book? Do you like the odd scare or prefer the sweet cozy mystery? Who are some of the authors you like to read?

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