So I did something huge today. I published an episode on Kindle Vella. It’s my first time publishing something I’ve written in the fiction realm. While I don’t think anyone will actually read it because I’m anxious about marketing it and it being me as the author and people knowing that, I am proud of myself for finally doing it.
Shoot, maybe I’ll finally finish the thing too!
However, if anyone is interested, you can find it for free here!
Here’s our cover for it!
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
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
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
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
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
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
We’re book babes, we love getting cozy and reading, especially when we have things to make that experience better. So…I’ve compiled a list of my favorite accessories to go with reading.
Amazon Kindle (I mean, duh.)
Personally, I prefer the Oasis, but I think they must be doing a sneaky update behind the scenes at Amazon, since it’s currently unavailable. My second choice, though, is the Kindle Scribe, but it is fairly pricey. However, my favorite thing about it is that you can write and annotate your books. It also has a notebook option, which as someone with ADHD, being able to take notes on the Scribe rather than my iPad keeps me from going down a rabbit hole on the internet.
The best bang for your buck Kindle is just the plain old kindle, but the Kindle Paperwhite is the most popular from what I’ve seen on Bookstagram. I get it, I’m a lover of physical books too. I like having my shelf trophies, but it’s so nice to just toss my Oasis into my purse or diaper bag and go. Plus, there’s literally hundreds of thousands, if not more, books at your fingertips––just a click away. Speaking of clicks, that leads me to my next fave.
A Page Turner
The page turner lets you prop your kindle up, or use one of my other favorite accessories, and tuck your hands away under the blanket or grab onto your cup of tea or glass of wine and just tap a button on a remote to turn the page.
Lefties unite, no more stretching your thumb to hit just the right spot on your kindle screen to flip forward, No more aching thumb after a long reading session.
Kindle Holder
This one you have options. For me, I don’t have a bedside table, so the ones with a clamp don’t work for me, I have to use a kindle stand that has a foot to set on the ground or tuck between the mattress and the bed frame. Like this one!
Is it bougie? Sure! But how nice is it to not have to hold your arm up for ages when you’re reading or having to find the perfect pillow and position to prop your arm up?
A Blanket–specifically an electric blanket
I am a big fan of being warm and cozy. Despite it creeping closer toward summer, I am still using my electric blanket in the evenings while I read. This one from Amazon has six settings and is the perfect size to curl up with in my chair at night. It heats up so quickly and stays on for quite a long time. Bonus, it comes in nine colors!
A Coffee Mug
Is this one necessary? No, but well…are any of these actually necessary? I mean, to make things a little easier and more luxurious, yes. I love my heated coffee cup. This one is useful outside of reading too. I have a toddler that I’m always chasing around and next thing you know that coffee I made two hours ago has been forgotten. My heated coffee cup keeps it nice and toasty.
Bringing it back to reading, I love when my tea is still warm after I’ve finished that super intense chapter that makes me forget that I’m even in the real world.
That’s it for now! Hope you guys have a stellar day!
I love all of Lena’s main male characters. Whip King was no different. I had the distinct pleasure of being sent this book as an ARC, and let me tell you, I was so thrilled to get my grubby paws on it.
I have been dying for the King’s side of the feud and more of their back story. This initial dive into their nuances left me wanting so much more. I cannot wait for this series to continue. As always with interconnected series and standalones, we get glimpses of other characters we’ve met before. Seeing Whip’s relationship with Lee in the fire house and the secret soft spot they all seem to have for Duke.
Back to Just This Once.
Hendrix gives us a spicy, sweet, cocktail with a piercing bite to it. Yes. Piercing is emphasized right there. One of my favorite things about Lena and her writing is her ability to give me just enough spice without compromising her incredible plots. Plus, she writes a killer feud that I’ve been hooked on finding more about for what six books now?
If you haven’t picked this one up yet, it’s available on KU—Here!
Happy reading, bookworms!
It’s been awhile…
Staind
Did you sing that in your head too? If you did, you are my people. I’ve been active on my bookstagram, but sometimes life has a way of speeding up and getting in the way of things, you know? Since the last time I posted on here, I’ve had a son, left my job with the college I worked with, launched my freelance editing business, signed on with an indie publisher as a copy editor, and moved to a new state!
Exhausted reading that? Hey, me too. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last couple years. I’m so excited to start offering more editing services, especially to the indie author community. That is my main love. There are many stories ready to be told, and I’m just here to help those stories along.
Reading, writing, annotating, and editing have been my passion for so long, and I just want to say I’m grateful that I have this opportunity to make those loves my job.
Until next time, bookworms!
Cayla
Hey Bookworms Editing 