Tag Archives: indie author

Instagram Challenge

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I started an Instagram Challenge this month, then thought it might be fun to share those posts here.

#MerryandWrite

Join along with us! Follow the above hashtag to find the daily posts. Find me @author_cmmartens

Day 1: Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, or none of the above

I am a Christmas gal. It’s my favorite time of year, snow and all. It’s the only time of year I’m glad for snow and not cry over cold weather. Growing up in a temperate climate, it just doesn’t seem right not to have a “white Christmas.”

Day 2: What are your writing goals as the year comes to an end?

This one was easy for me- I hit my goals! Book Two is on schedule to release on Christmas Day, and Book Three is well underway. I’ve also made some major decisions about the state of my “marketing” profile. I’m excited for what’s to come, and even more excited about the projects I have on deck and my capability to complete them.

Day 3: Introduce the main character(s) of your WIP or your fav of the year.

My current main Work in Progress is The Fool’s Path series. Book One released in July, and Book Two is set to come out on Christmas Day.

Desiree “Dee” Galen is my MC. She’s a little bit of a spaz, completely unsure of her world, and even less sure about how she should move through said world. The Fool’s Path follows her along her journey as she learns about herself, her past and tries to figure out a future that belongs solely to her.

         

What’s on your agenda?

I’d love to hear from you, about your projects and goals. Send me a comment, or DM 🙂

The End of the Beginning

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The End of the Beginning

When my editor finished highlighting the oversights I’d missed in Book One, I found myself renewed in my task of telling this story in its best possible way.

So, I set to refining those last details of my piece.

It was the first time I really felt like an artist.

 

I’d been told this craft of writing is art. I consider other writers artists, but I never brought the title to bear on myself. Through the time of turning a slew of crappy words thrown together into a coherent story, I’d never thought I was making art. But in these final steps, there were fleeting moments that I was.

In these moments, I was proud of what I was doing 🙂 Proud of what I’d done.

Chiseling away to bring forth the final details that would make this piece better than it was, I was a sculptor of words. I saw the art. I saw that art wasn’t some mystical ambrosia that spawned inside some and not others. It was blood and hurt and patience and perseverance. It was showing up every day. It was practicing a craft until I was good at it. It was practicing more until I was better.

Like a giant hurdle has been vaulted, I’m even more committed and excited to continue this journey. I feel like the beginning has ended. I’m confident to move into the sophomoric stage of this journey, where I hope to learn and grow by leaps and bounds.

  • Tell me about the learning curve in your art
  • What eureka moments have you had that kept you moving forward?

 

Xacier’s Prize: Galactic Courtship #1, By Lily S. Thomas

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Xacier’s Prize: Galactic Courtship #1

By Lily S. Thomas

Science Fiction Romance. Erotica.

3 Stars

A quick, fun read

Xacier was once king of the proud Kell Empire, but after his cousin’s betrayal he is enslaved in the fighting arena. The only way to survive? Kill everyone and be the champion. With his strength and skill, only a few battles now stand between Xacier and his freedom, and he will stop at nothing to get out and get his revenge. But when a human woman is thrown into the arena, Xacier will find himself fighting to defend her, at the risk of losing his freedom – and his life.

Samantha is crossing the galaxy to visit her ailing mother, when she is sold to the Frirens and tossed into the middle of an arena battle. Completely out of her element, her only hope of making it out of here alive lies with the strong and ruthless alien who claims her as his prize. Winning their freedom won’t be easy, though, and even if they do make it out together, Samantha isn’t sure she’ll be able to part ways with this warrior who captured her body and her heart.

Happily ever after guaranteed! Can be read as part of the series or as a standalone romance.

Xacier’s Prize was my first experience with “SciFi Alien Romance,” and I was a fan. I liked this new perspective on this type of story.

While I liked both characters, Xacier and Samantha, I was disappointed a bit with things moving too quickly. This is a common issue I have with these kinds of books, and maybe I’m too nerdy for them, but I wanted more stretching of the story.

Xacier was great. From the beginning, he was likable and relatable and most especially, consistent. I appreciated that.

There was a portion of the story I thought a bit forced, and I was confused by its use, though I guess it was the catalyst for things to happen. Still, this point swallowed some of the rest for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and will be taking a look at more of Lily S. Thomas‘ work. If you’re looking for a fun, quick read with elements of action and romance, this book is for you!

Happy Reading 🙂

Check out more of my reviews HERE

West End Montana, by N. M. McGregor

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West End Montana; The Montana Series Book 1

By N. M. McGregor

5 Stars

Literary Fiction. Romantic Fiction. New Adult.

I couldn’t stop reading.

Meet Montana Stanford, a precocious teen with an iron will and a passion for life that affects everyone around her. Living with her brothers in Vancouver’s West End, she seeks love and excitement in everything she does. Of course, life is no bed of roses as she attracts the ire of some easy opponents and makes some enemies who are harder to shake. The first in a series, West End Montana establishes N.M. McGregor as an author of impactful romantic fiction.

Another one off the “I don’t normally read that” shelf. I really need to stop saying that. This story was captivating and riveting and all those words the Times uses to help sell books. But this one really is all those things, and more!

Montana is a character I just adored. Tough-as-nails with a confidence I wish I’d had a quarter of when I was her age, I had to keep reminding myself of her age; to re-ground myself to the story from this perspective. So many things that I never had to deal with -ever- Montana deals with before her sweet sixteen. Listening to her recount her tale was seamless, and I couldn’t stop once I’d started.

So many characters perfectly woven together to create this community of people I loved to hear more about. The brothers. The friends. The friends-of-friends. And all told in a wonderful use of flashbacks not many can pull off. It was this I most enjoyed, the teasing of the tragic now mixed masterfully with the story of how it reached that point.

There wasn’t one page of this book that was unnecessary. Heartstrings pulled on so many levels was a gift I, as a reader, cherished. I feel this is a book I will read again and again.

If you like coming-of-age stories, this is a book for you. If you like well written, smartly paced tales of ordinary peoples lives and their struggles, heartaches, and triumphs, this is for you. If you want to laugh and cry and love, this book is for you, as well.

Happy reading 🙂

 

Shadows of McComb, by Sarah Squires

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Book Review: Shadows of McComb

By Sarah Squires

5 Stars

Literary Fiction. Suspense. Novella.

So Real, I don’t believe it’s not biographical.

How far would you go to save your mother’s life?

Haunted by her father’s suicide, Bern Baylor vowed to keep her mother alive at all costs. When her mother is brutally beaten by the vicious drug dealer Shooter Jennings, Bern offers to work off her mother’s debt.

As she is dragged deeper into Shoot’s dangerous trade, Bern adopts his skill at cunning manipulation and his questionable moral code. If she makes it out alive, will Bern be able to live with the steep cost of saving her mother?

This literary suspense novella with a strong female protagonist will have you holding your breath until the end.

I don’t typically read this type of fiction, and novellas aren’t my thing either, but as the author is a friend of my sisters, I had to give this a shot.

This book was great! On every level, it delivered. Superb dialogue, real characters and a setting that was easily envisioned, I found myself wondering if this wasn’t actually a story told from first-hand accounts.

Love a well paced and perfectly crafted story? This one is for you!

 

Happy Reading 🙂

More of my Reviews HERE.