Month: May 2024

General Bookish, Sunday Spotlight

Sunday Spotlight: The Ardelean Bloodline – Sarah Jaeger

Cayla

We’re starting something new today. I’m going to feature a different indie author every Sunday, in addition to reviews, ARC reads, and y’know, just general posts about indies.

Today, we’re focusing on an indie that I actually stumbled upon right before releasing her debut novel, Smoke. I signed up for her ARC team on a whim, and I’m so glad I did because she’s become a dear friend of mine.

Smoke is a wolf shifter romance with bodyguard, politicians daughter, “she’s mine,” and star crossed lovers vibes. There’s also fated mates, some delicious hand necklaces, outdoor spice, plus size rep, and mental health—specifically, anxiety—rep.

Shifter romances are so hard to make seem not cheesy. It’s common for shifter romances to feel like the MCs are just going through the motions and don’t feel like they really have an option other than ending up together. Not the case here! I love the struggle between the characters as well as the outside world.

While I thought Cade was my end all be all of sexy, alpha wolves, Finn came barreling in the door in book 2 knocking that thought right out the window.

I mean….isn’t he just delectable.

Irish. Mobster. Alpha af. Caretaker.

Sign me tf up. These books are chunky. Jaeger doesn’t leave any world building out and does it so beautifully it all feels seamless with the real world. On top of that, each book’s politics build on the last so they don’t end up being ships passing in the night in terms of an interconnected series. Plus, we love a well-written woman in STEM.

Our third MMC in this series is near and dear to my heart….not only because he lives in my backyard basically, but because he is so perfectly flawed and troubled. I won’t give anything away about who he is, other than her dad’s best friend and deliciously alpha.

Sarah’s books are some you don’t want to miss.

They’re on Amazon here! You can also follow Sarah Jaeger on insta here!

Happy reading, fam!

Editing

4 ways to fix a comma splice.

Cayla

Comma splices are so common. I think everyone was taught to just add a comma if you pause, but comma splices are just one problem that arises.

So what is a comma splice?

It happens when two independent clauses are joined by a comma and nothing else. It feels natural to take pause between those two clauses, but that pause should be a full stop period or it requires different punctuation and another device to reach a proper sentence.

So, what are the ways we can fix that?

1. You can use a conjunction!

Let’s throw it back to freshman English. Fanboys, do yall remember those? I’ll be honest, I forgot to use them all the time before I really got into focusing on grammar and writing.

2. Fix it with a semicolon!

Are your two clauses related to each other? Great! You can now get rid of the splicing comma by swapping it for a semicolon. Easy fix, right?

3. Fix it with a semicolon and a transition word.

This one adds a little flair to our last option. The transition is a bridge between two thoughts. However, although, in addition, furthermore, and understandably are all examples of those transitions.

4. Fix it with a period!

By far the easiest way to fix the comma splice is to just use a period. This is your best option when the two thoughts or clauses do not relate to each other.

Hopefully this helps someone out there! Happy writing!

Cayla

General Bookish, To Be Read Pile

Latest Book Mail

Cayla

Book Mail always makes me feel so special. I love opening up my mailbox to find PR boxes and books I’ve pre ordered. It feels like Christmas year round, ha!

I totally was not expecting to receive Lucia Franco’s books, but I’ve been impatiently waiting for Heaven Breaker and A Curse of Blood and Wolves.

Hush Hush by Lucia Franco

Blurb:

I knew the rules.

Never reveal my true identity.
Play the game, give the illusion.
Don’t get close to the clients.

The dark and glamorous lifestyle of the rich and shameless open my eyes to a lavish world of sin and wealth, and a man I can’t have.

A man I desperately want—James Riviera.

We’re treading a fine line as we live the ultimate double life until we make a startling discovery that tests both our loyalties.
I only had to follow the rules, but rules are meant to be broken.

Find it here!

A Curse of Blood and Wolves by Melissa McTernan

Blurb:

Is it possible to be drawn to someone you’ve never met?

When Ruby feels the eyes of a stranger in the woods, she knows she should be scared, that she should run away, but she can’t. Instead, she feels a thrill, feels drawn to this stranger who follows her in the woods. Yearns for his eyes on her every night as she walks home, hoping to hear the crunch of leaves under his feet that signals he’s there.

Will he ever reveal himself?

After all, fate doesn’t make mistakes …

Spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Find it here!

Heaven Breaker by Sara Wolf

Blurb:

Bravery isn’t what you do. It’s what you endure.

The duke of the powerful House Hauteclare is the first to die. With my dagger in his back.

He didn’t see it coming. Didn’t anticipate the bastard daughter who was supposed to die with her mother―on his order. He should have left us with the rest of the Station’s starving, commoner rubbish.

Now there’s nothing left. Just icy-white rage and a need to make House Hauteclare pay. Every damn one of them.

Even if it means riding Heavenbreaker―one of the few enormous machines left over from the War―and jousting against the fiercest nobles in the system.

Each win means another one of my enemies dies. And here, in the cold terror of space, the machine and I move as one, intent on destroying each adversary―even if it’s someone I care about. Even if it’s someone I’m falling for.

Only I’m not alone. Not anymore.

Because there’s something in the machine with me. Something horrifying. Something…more.

And it won’t be stopped.

You can snag it here!

Happy reading, friends!

Cayla

General Bookish

Dearest beloved…oh wait

Cayla

What personal belongings do you hold most dear?

Since this is a book blog, we’ll relate this back to my book collection.

But I think my old typewriter is one of my most dear possessions. It holds a special place in my heart because it relates to my love of reading, my job of editing, and my dream of writing.

Over the years, I’ve found solace and comfort between the pages of a book, I’ve found joy in my small editing business, and I’ve rediscovered my creativity in writing.

What is something that’s a little unconventional you hold dear?

Cayla

General Bookish

What defines a collection?

Cayla

Do you have any collections?

I always wanted to be a collector of things when I was younger. I saw people with those little fancy spoons, my relatives collected tea cups, or the little old man down the street with his stamp and coin collection.

I had nothing of the sort, but looking back, I’ve always been a collector of the written word. I feel like the acknowledgement of books as a collection didn’t rise in popularity until recently—especially with the movement of special edition books.

So, I guess I am a collector with a collection of a bunch of paper and ink. Although, that begs the question: what is a collection? Is it just a handful of items in the same category? Are we all collectors of silverware and clothing? Does the group of items have to have some sort of monetary or sentimental value? I mean, looking back, I had two full binders of CDs, is that a collection? Technically, it had a monetary value. But, I digress from my collection that I actually claim.

I love my collection of books, they feel a bit like a hoard of trophies of things I’ve read and loved. Well, it’s also my TBR too—I do, at least, sell the books that I didn’t enjoy so I don’t just continuously add books that didn’t bring me joy.

What do you collect? Are you a book collector that has a penchant for special editions?

P.S. these are my favorites that I own!

Happy Wednesday!

Cayla

Editing, General Bookish

You can’t edit a blank page…

Cayla

I’ve been staring at a blank page for far too long trying to think of something to talk about today when I realized that I actually made a post on my Instagram about that this week.

Ironic, no?

My post feels a little on the nose after having sat here for who knows how long. I can’t even edit a blog post if there’s nothing there.

I think that’s something all of us creators need a reminder of every now and then. Your first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t even have to make sense. Just get the words out on the page. Get the ideas going because sometimes, once you get going, the words just keep going.

For me at least, staring at a blank page will breed self doubt and apathy toward my project, but once I get going, I find myself on a roll. Do I go back and edit out a good bit of what I’ve written or rewrite things and add others? Of course, but you can’t edit what isn’t there!

Just dump the words out

Throwing it back to middle school here. Do a mind dump. Just let the stream of consciousness take over the page. Don’t let anything tell you that it doesn’t belong on the page. Put it on there and go back later to make cuts and changes.

Set a timer

I find quick sprints to be really effective. When you’re dumping out the words or just trying to work on an idea, set a timer anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes and just work. Put your phone on do not disturb, ignore that email notification that just came in, just let your brain focus on one task. Get your coffee or your snack before you set the timer so you’re not tempted to make a trip to the kitchen mid sprint.

Doodle

Okay hear me out, do you ever let your mind wander while you’re on the phone and somehow you have this great idea but then you don’t remember it? Start doodling so your brain is focused on that, but once your brain wanders and the idea strikes, open the word doc and work! Or just start making notes on your doodle paper!

What do you typically do when you’re staring at a blank page?

Cayla

Book Reviews, General Bookish

Retellings You Should Totally Read

Cayla
Photo by David Gonzales on Pexels.com

What is that quote that’s been circulating bookstagram lately? “I still read fairytales, they’re just dirtier now?” Well, that feels rather accurate with some of the books I’ve been reading and also adding to my TBR lately. Beauty and the Beast is a super popular fairytale in the retelling world, but I recently read a Rapunzel retelling, and thought to myself, you know, I should make a list of retellings that *aren’t* Beauty and the Beast. So, here we are.

Kept by Evelyn Flood

I devoured this one. Fair warning, it is why choose, but it is so well done. I thoroughly enjoyed that one of the MMCs is named Ryder. Shout out to Disney’s Tangled. I’ve never actually read the original fable, so I can’t say whether or not the villain is supposed to be a male or female, but I liked that the “Mother Gothel” in this situation was a male, it added some interesting twists and turns.

You can read it on KU free here! Evelyn Flood has a whole series of retellings too!

Gild by Raven Kennedy

This one is a few years old, but Kennedy just released book five, book six will be released in September! Gild is a King Midas retelling, which if you aren’t familiar, King Midas turned everything he touched into gold. In the legend, he was gifted this power from Dionysus and delighted in turning his garden into gold, but he later lamented his choice of gift when he turned his food and drink into gold and could not control the power.

The Plated Prisoner, though, is the story of Auren, the true source of King Midas’ power. I loved the twists and the drama and the emotional rollercoaster that this one sent me on.

You can snag a copy on KU or order here!

A Ship of Bones and Teeth by Karina Halle

I love a good Little Mermaid Retelling, and this one did not disappoint! Princess Maren has a secret and now she’s trying to escape the bargain that she made with the sea witch Edonia. This one is dark, as many of Halle’s books tend to be, so check trigger warnings before diving into this one! However, it is such a delectable and emotional ride between Maren and Captain Ramsay.

You can find it on KU or order a copy here!

A Curse of Shadows and Thorns by LJ Andrews

So, I think I said earlier I wouldn’t do a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but I couldn’t leave this one out. I think this is one of my favorite BatB retellings. It has Viking vibes and the MMC is such a delicious morally grey cinnamon roll. If you’ve read her Ever King series, you definitely need to pick up this series. Even if you haven’t read Ever King, this one is a great read. Honestly, just thinking about this one makes me want to go reread it.

You can snag a copy here!

There are so many retellings out there, but these are just a few that I thoroughly enjoyed! I love new and original stories, but sometimes revisiting our favorite fairytales in new formats can be such a comfort. Do you have any that you always recommend to people?

Cayla