Avis M. Adams

Your Next Favorite Author—Cara Bertoia!

The Perfect Breasts a short story about boobs!

Hannah Clein will always remember the day she went to a department store with her mother to buy her first bra as her last best day, “B.C.” before the cancer. She considered herself an ordinary child who loved challah bread, reading, and her family – often in that order.

With a normal life in the rear-view mirror, we follow Hannah over three decades, as she navigates the tricky transition from girlhood to womanhood. All her life, she just wants to belong. Be normal.

In a tale that explores a women’s complicated relationships with her body, and the love of her life, we learn the psyche is a funny thing. What are the perfect breasts? And how does the loss of a loved one affect those left behind?

The Perfect Breasts mixes family lore with imagination in a compelling tale of loss, longing, and love.

I have published it on Amazon Kindle for breast cancer month, and all the profits will be donated to cancer research. All proceeds from every page read on Kindle Unlimited to every book bought will be donated to cancer research!

The Perfect Breasts — Amazon

Cara Bertoia grew up in a strait-laced Southern family, but she was always fascinated with casinos. In her twenties on a summer hiatus from teaching in North Carolina, she drove to California and became a dealer at Caesars in Lake Tahoe. She discovered that after teaching high school, handling an unruly gambler was a piece of cake. Her mother highly disapproved of her working in a casino, “a place so bad it has ‘sin’ in the middle.”

Eventually, she succumbed to pressure from the family and returned east to take a hi-tech job in Boston. She also began working on her MFA in writing at Emerson. Her goal was to write the first realistic novel about casino life from the perspective of an experienced table games dealer. She is always amazed that normal and sometimes quite intelligent players become absolutely clueless in the casino. They repeat superstitious nonsense, and no amount of logic can change their position, maybe her novel will.

While in Boston she was offered the opportunity to join Princess Cruises as a croupier. Jumping at the chance, she spent the next five years circling the globe. Sometimes life exceeds your dreams. She was awed by the wonders of Venice, the fjords of Norway, and the Northern Lights in St. Petersburg.

Cara returned from ships with a very special souvenir, her Scottish husband Ray. They went to work at the Spa Casino in Palm Springs, and now live in Hollywood, Florida, where she writes about her casino years while wistfully gazing out at the ocean.

She loves to connect with her readers. Please send her a picture with any or her work. She will post those pictures to social media.

Avis: Welcome to another author interview on YNFA! Today we have Cara Bertoia joining us for her second time with a new short story, “The Perfect Breasts!” Great to have you on the interview again, Cara! Welcome! Let’s begin, shall we?

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Cara: I believe that there are three traps for aspiring writers. The first is that their book won’t be good enough because there is some secret formula to writing a good book. So why even bother if you don’t have the formula. An easy way to disprove that is to look at any book you like, you will see that the reviews range from one star to five stars. There are many ways to write a book, and not everyone will like your writing style.

Second is that you need to have an agent. In this day and age unless you are a celebrity or have connections in the publishing world that probably won’t happen, but that could be a blessing in disguise. My first novel was self-published, and it did very well. The best part was that I got to keep all the profits. My second novel was published by The Wild Rose Press. You will find that there are many publishers who will accept manuscripts directly from writers. I am self-publishing my short story The Perfect Breasts because I want all the proceeds to go to breast cancer research.

The third piece of advice is that they are uncomfortable with criticism. As soon as you finish your novel convinced it is the best it can be you send it out to agents, and surprise- they all want to change it. Or you send out queries and the rejections follow shortly after. If you are lucky enough to get a book deal, the publisher assigns you an editor, and it seems like they want you to rewrite your book. Then once your book is out in the world the readers weigh in. It is said you aren’t a writer until you get a one-star review, at least they feel passionately about your book. Listen to every comment then decide if you think they are valid or not. The best advice I can give you is to develop a thick skin.

Avis: Great advice on all three points! Thick skin is a must, and the confidence to push past doubt! Great advice. I admire this story so much, and the fact that you self-published it so all the proceeds will go to cancer research is awesome! Let’ move on to question number two!

Does a big ego help or hurt writers?

Cara: I think a big ego can hurt a writer when you are uncomfortable with criticism because you are sure that you have written the next great American Novel. But writing is just part of the job, and a big ego can help with the marketing. Trust me the author will be responsible for the majority of the marketing.

It takes a bit of ego to put yourself out there. You need to ask readers to review your book, social media influencers to promote it, you need to pitch yourself to book clubs, and local and national media.

I love to follow authors like Jeneva Rose on Tik Tok, her videos with her husband are fantastic. I have to believe it takes a healthy ego to produce such funny content. Although she might have a big ego, and I mean that in a good way, she also possesses the ability to make fun of herself. I love the videos she makes about Scott, her disgruntled reader. She writes good books but killing it on social media also helps sell books.

Avis: I love how you answer this question and are so right on both counts! Not accepting critique is a problem, but being able to promote your work is huge! It does take a lot of ego and creativity to grab the attention of readers with so many books out there to choose from! Here’s our third and final question!

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Cara: All of my books need to stand on their own because I like to switch genres. My first novel Cruise Quarters was a romance about my five years working on a cruise ship. It is a novelization, but it tells the story of my whirlwind romance. I met and married my husband within three months.

My second novel Casino Queen is a thriller. I wrote it because I have worked in the casino industry for over two decades, and whenever I read a book or watched a movie about casinos there were always technical errors in it. I watched Croupier and there were five mistakes in the first ten minutes. I knew I could do better. I gathered all the stories I had collected over the years and wrote a realistic thriller. I knew I had succeeded in my goal when The Desert Sun raved, “The author pulls from real-life experiences to create a worthy piece of fiction. And her own life is a vivid kaleidoscope of adventure.”

Now I just released my short story The Perfect Breasts. I wanted to examine loss, longing and love. It is a raw story which I believe belongs under the women’s fiction genre. It was a story I was compelled to write for breast cancer awareness month. Sometimes there is a story you just have to tell.

Avis: Bravo, Cara! You are so talented to write so successfully in different genres, and your short story is a real eye-opener for anyone who hasn’t experienced the loss of a loved one to breast cancer. For more information on Cara Bertoia and her work visit her links. There are also buy links so you check out her latest short story “The Perfect Breasts!” And finally, for a review of “The Perfect Breasts,” please scroll down.

Thank you for joining us today for our interview with Cara! Until next time!

Social Media Links:

Review by Avis M. Adams

Author Cara Bertoia’s latest work is “The Perfect Boobs,” (oops! I mean Breasts) a short story about a daughter who watches her mother change from a healthy, vibrant woman to a victim of breast cancer. Hannah, a shy, unassuming Jewish girl, admires her mother’s strength and womanly figure, but like most daughters is mortified by her mother’s ability to embarrass her.

Hannah’s journey begins precancer at a mother/daughter day at the local school. Hannah learns about menstruation, her changing body, and the hormones that come with puberty. She also notices the other moms’ jealousy over her mother’s beautiful, full figure. Hannah soon learns the hardest lesson of all, that her mom has breast cancer. She watches as her mother fights and wins the first round, but when the cancer returns the results leave Hannah without a mother and with heartache and loss.

Bertoia moves us through Hannah’s emotional journey with her mom and the progression of a disease. As she grows into her teen years and then college, Hannah develops into a full-figured young woman. She learns about her perfect breasts and the gene mutation that causes breast cancer.

She learns that Ashkenazi Jewish women, of which Hannah is one, along with a few other ethnic groups of women have a higher incidence of carrying this gene, and she realizes all too well that her own body might be a ticking time bomb. As Hannah becomes more mature, her thoughts turn to testing for the gene. It takes a special man to finally help Hannah make the dreaded decision.

Bertoia masterfully examines what it is to be the surviving daughter of a breast cancer victim. She explores the possibility of what it means to carry the defective gene. She develops a story and hero who is haunted by her mother’s death and how that informs her relationships with men and with her own body.

Bertoia’s “Perfect Breasts” brings to light excellent information on the gene mutation that causes breast cancer. She fills a gap currently filled with medical brochures and health documents with a short story that draws readers in and helps them process through Hannah’s experiences what it means to be a survivor.

All the proceeds from the sale of “The Perfect Breasts” will be donated to cancer research.

Your Next Favorite Author—Jacquie May Miller!

Will their second chance at love lead to someone’s final journey?

When Jack and Mary married on a cruise to Mexico, they had no idea the scene of their wedding would become the scene of a crime only a few hours later. After forty-five years in difficult marriages these two thought they had finally found their ‘happily ever after’. But when Mary’s abusive ex-husband, Vern, crashes the reception and lays an all too familiar hand on Mary, Jack threatens to kill him if he touches her one more time. Vern leaves reluctantly, but a few hours later, he is missing, and Jack is the prime suspect as all clues lead to Vern falling–or being pushed–overboard. Did Jack make good on his threat or did someone else have a hand in Vern’s disappearance? Take a trip on the Queen of the Seas with Jack and Mary Madison as they follow the path that could lead to someone’s final journey.

Jacquie May Miller published her first article at age eleven in her neighborhood newspaper, the Nosy Neighborhood News. And now many years later (not saying how many) she turned her love of writing into a book and is now a published author.

Jacquie’s debut novel, THE PRICE OF SECRETS, is a work of women’s fiction which explores the tenuous thread connecting family and a love left behind so many years ago. Secrets of the past will either break or strengthen that slim thread, but not without a price. If you like her first novel, the sequel (a mystery), DO YOU TAKE THIS MAN? is scheduled for release September 18, 2023. For a taste of her writing, Jacquie has created May Daze, a blog exploring the value of friendship, family and life’s little surprises.

You will find her at www.jmaydaze.com where she has attracted a loyal following.

Avis: Welcome to Your Next Favorite Author Jacquie! This is your second book with The Wild Rose Press, so congratulations! It’s also your second interview on YNFA, so welcome back! I have to say that I really enjoyed this novel, so let’s jump right in with questions, shall we?

What did you learn writing your first book that helped you write your second book?

Jacquie: I learned that an outline may be nice for some people, but it didn’t work for me. As soon as I started down one road, the characters took me on another path. I truly did not know how my first book was going to end until I got to the last few chapters.

I used that same philosophy with my second book and was very happy to meet some new characters I had never imagined until they showed up on the page. Writing is an emotional journey guided by a cast of interesting people (yes, I know they are not real, but my imagination might disagree) who led me to an ending I couldn’t have written without them.

Avis: That’s so interesting and true! I find that plotting out some outline features will get me started! I love how your characters just introduced themselves to your story, those pesky, wonderful characters! Let’s move on to question number two:

How did you decide on your characters’ names? Do any of them have significance in some way?

Jacquie: They say you write what you know. My protagonist, Jack Madison, is the personification of my dad, Jack May. He’s been gone quite a while now and although he had a relatively happy homebody life, I could tell he would have loved a little more travel and adventure. Taking him on a cruise and involving him in a mystery was my way of bringing him back to life. Some of the other characters were patterned after people I know (including myself – Jamie is me, for sure), but others are pure figments of my imagination.

Oh, and the names were chosen for their similarity to the names of the people who inspired them.

Avis: The story of name assignation is one that is always fascinating to me!I love that you brought your dad back and took him on a cruise! I loved Jack as the good-guy-hero of the story! Your readers will love him! Here’s our next question:

Did you start out wanting to write a series?

Jacquie: To be honest, I never thought I would write one novel, much less two. While the second is a sequel, it can easily be read independently.

Avis: I agree! Both books could be stand alone reads, but you do such a lovely job of dovetailing your characters from book one, that I’m sure many readers will go back for more! Here’s our last question!

If you could tell your younger writing-self anything, what would it be?

Jacquie: I would tell her not to listen to people who told her to ignore her dream of becoming an author. Although I put my aspirations on hold for many years, I’m glad I finally dared to believe in myself and follow that dream.

Avis: I’m so glad you picked up your pen as well! Your books are testimony that you are in fact, an excellent writer and author! Kudos to you!

That is all for today, readers. For more information about Jacquie May Miller and her work please find links to her social and website below!

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jacquie.m.miller/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JacquieRMay

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacquiemaymiller/

Website

May Daze www.jmaydaze.com

Review by Avis M. Adams

Jacquie May Miller’s latest novel, Do You Take This Man? Takes on a cruise, and we’re invited to the wedding!

Miller opens on the high seas, where Jack and Mary are at the altar. Everyone seems thrilled, but Robert, Mary’s oldest son who hasn’t gotten over her divorce to his dad, Vern. Unbeknownst to Mary, her ex is onboard, and once he makes his entrance, all bets are off!

The honeymoon cruise becomes a crime scene, and Robert accuses Jack of murdering his father, but there is no body. Jack and Mary have found true love in their silver years, but will their marriage end in a prison term for Jack? Will Robert and Darlene win over the jury and convince them of Jack’s guilt in Vern’s murder? And what of Carmen? Will she keep her mouth shut, and finally there’s Gladys, Darlene’s mom and Vern’s lover of over thirty years. What role will she play in the trial?

Miller hosts a cast of characters that you will love to love and hate in Do You Take This Man! The plot is complex, and the twists will keep readers turning pages! I give this fun mystery/thriller/romance five stars!

Your Next Favorite Author–Susie Black!

Who wanted Butch Oldham dead? The list was as long as your arm, but who actually killed him?

Butch Oldham didn’t have an honest bone in his body. So, the question wasn’t who wanted him dead. The question was, who didn’t. Mermaid Swimwear sales exec Holly Schlivnik finds colleague Queenie Levine standing over Mermaid CEO Butch Oldham’s bloody corpse nailed to a fabric cutting table with a big honkin’ pair of cutting shears plunged deep into his chest.

When the cops discover Queenie’s blood-soaked sweater, learn about her stormy relationship with the victim, and her public threats to make Butch pay for destroying Mermaid Swimwear by stealing it blind, Holly’s colleague shoots to the top of the suspect list. When Queenie is arrested, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth jumps into action to flesh out the real killer. But the trail has more twists and turns than a slinky, and nothing turns out the way Holly thinks it will as she tangles with a clever killer hellbent for revenge.

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.

She reads, writes, and speaks Spanish, albeit with an accent that sounds like Mildred from Michigan went on a Mexican vacation and is trying to fit in with the locals. Since life without pizza and ice cream as her core food groups wouldn’t be worth living, she’s a dedicated walker to keep her girlish figure. A voracious reader, she’s also an avid stamp collector. Susie lives with a highly intelligent man and has one incredibly brainy but smart-aleck adult son who inexplicably blames his sarcasm on an inherited genetic defect.

Avis: Welcome to another Your Next Favorite Author interview! Today’s guest is Susie Black, and I know many of you already know her from her fabulous Holly Swimsuit Series! I’m so glad to see so many books in your series now, and I’m delighted to talk with you about one of your latest releases! Your fans must be delighted, and new readers just finding you are in for quite a treat!

So, let’s get started! This isn’t your first time on YNFA, but still we have so many questions! Here’s our first one:

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

SUSIE: The art of writing is a skill as well as a craft with techniques that must be learned. Like anything else, writing well takes practice to become proficient. Most aspiring authors don’t take the time to learn how to craft a story properly.

Avis: I’ve heard that writing is like any kind of professional activity such as pro-baseball or pro-football, to use a sports metaphor! You need years of practice and coaching, and lots of training of that writing muscle to prepare for writing a publishable draft. 😊

That brings us to question number two!

Does a big ego help or hurt writers?

SUSIE: I come from the world of sales where to be successful you must learn that you are selling confidence in your ability to put the right product at the right time into the buyer’s store. In essence, you’re not selling a product, you’re selling yourself. So, if you don’t come across as someone who believes in themself, how do you expect anyone else to? I’ve discovered that writing and selling share a lot of commonalities.

In both you’re telling a story that has a beginning, middle, end, and most of all A POINT OF VIEW. In my opinion, if you don’t have a big ego and exude that “can do confidence,” your writing is going to show it and fall flat with no emotion and the reader will not respond to a story that has all the excitement of reading the New York telephone book.

Avis: Just a moment, everyone, I’m taking notes! Exude confidence, got it! It’s easier said than done for many of us, but your words are so inspiring and true! This is something I’m constantly working on. Thanks!

On to our next question.

What is your writing Kryptonite?

SUSIE: I have two: Overusing certain words. Using cliches that can make the stories unintentionally dated.

Avis: I have so many echoes in my early drafts! I don’t even see them! Thank heavens for my critique groups!

Ready for our last question?

If you could tell your younger writing-self anything, what would it be?

SUSIE: Believe in yourself, trust your gut, keep writing no matter what, never let anyone step on your dreams, and most of all, don’t be afraid to fail. You will learn more from your failures than you ever will from your successes.

Avis: I love your response to this question! As hard as it is to hear, it is the failures that teach us the most!

That’s our last question everyone, and thanks for joining us for YNFA’s interview with Susie Black! For more information on Susie please see her social links below, and please scroll down for a review of Death by Cutting Table!

Contact Susie at:

Website: www.authorsusieblack.com

E-mail: mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com

Review by Avis M. Adams

Susie Black fans rejoice! Another addition to the Holly Swimsuit Mystery, Death by Cutting Table, is coming soon. This one stars our favorite sleuth, Holly Schlivnik, of course, and she has burst out laughing on the second page because, yes you guessed it, someone’s been murdered!

This time it is Mermaid Swimwear CEO Butch Oldham, and whoever killed him took the time to pin him like a butterfly from his coveted collection to the cutting table where Queenie Levine found him with cutting shears protruding from his chest.

Queenie becomes the prime suspect in the murder, and Holly begins her quest to find the true murderer because there is no way, no how that her best friend murdered their boss, even if she was his spurned lover.

But who done it? Kelly, his soon to be ex-wife, whose short marriage to the fashion mogul will leave her penniless because of the prenup agreement? Or was it David, the demoted CEO, who lost his job to Butch, or Dick Green’s wife Mariana who hated Butch for putting her husband in prison?

With a cast of characters rich in murderous potential, Holly begins her search, much to the chagrin of Detective Josiah Jones, who needs someone tampering with his crime scene like he needs another murder to solve.

Holly enlists her best friend and Assistant Medical Examiner, Sophia Cutler, MD, also known as Snip. Both women know Jones will go ballistic if he catches them working on the case, but Holly insists, and Snip cannot resist helping her friend or aiding in proving Queenie’s innocence.

When Holly finds herself in car trouble, then houseboat trouble, and not the kind that happens because something wears out but the kind meant to hurt her, she knows she’s on the right track. Soon threatening notes begin to arrive, but nothing can dissuade our hero. However, when the killer decides to get up close and personal, can Holly save her own neck, let alone Queenie’s?

This fast-paced summer read will delight Susie Black fans, cozy mystery lovers, and readers looking for a hilarious romp through LA and the swimsuit industry. Susie Black has done it again with another fabulously entertaining five-star cozy!

Your Next Favorite Author–Jill Piscitello!

When murder provides a welcome distraction…

On the heels of a public, broken engagement, Maeve Cleary returns to her childhood home in Hampton Beach, NH. When a dead body turns up in a dumpster behind her mother’s music school, three old friends land on the suspect list. Licking her wounds soon takes a back seat to outrunning the paparazzi who spin into a frenzy, casting her in a cloud of suspicion. Maeve juggles her high school sweetheart, a cousin with a touch of clairvoyance, a no-nonsense detective, and an apologetic, two-timing ex-fiancé. Will the negative publicity impact business at the Music Box— the very place she’d hoped to make a fresh start?

Jill Piscitello is a teacher, author, and an avid fan of multiple literary genres. Although she divides her reading hours among several books at a time, a lighthearted story offering an escape from the real world can always be found on her nightstand.

A native of New England, Jill lives with her family and three well-loved cats. When not planning lessons or reading and writing, she can be found spending time with her family, trying out new restaurants, traveling, and going on light hikes.

Avis: Welcome Jill Piscitello to Your Next Favorite Author! Readers will love your new release, A Sour Note. Very clever title by the way! I know readers can’t wait to find out more about you and your writing life, so let’s begin!

Our first question is one that many new writers wonder about and hope to avoid!

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Jill: Always ask a reliable friend or family member to read your manuscript before sending it out to potential literary agents and publishers. After proofreading multiple times, much of your book is memorized. Major and minor errors become easy to overlook because your brain automatically corrects the mistakes while you’re reading. Someone with fresh eyes (preferably an avid reader with decent spelling and grammar skills) will pick up a slew of items that require editing.

Avis: That is so true! I’ve heard that it’s impossible to edit and proofread one’s own work because we read over the mistakes. Having a good editor on your team is so important! Thanks for your great response.

How about something more personal?

What is your writing Kryptonite?

Jill: Technology of any kind is my biggest distraction. I accomplish far more work if my phone is on mute in another room. Going down a winding rabbit hole of research is also one of the fastest ways to reduce my word count for the day. And last, but certainly not least, attempting a new social media post such as a book trailer or trying to learn a fancy new feature on my website is a huge drain on time. Sometimes these activities are worthwhile, but finding a balance is necessary and a work in progress.

Avis: Ditto! Technology helps make our lives easier, but it also draws us into interesting searches about butterfly migration that has nothing to do with our story! I like your idea of muting the phone. But then there is also the black hole of marketing, which takes up so much time, but is so necessary! What are busy authors to do?

Here’s one of my favorite questions:

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Jill: When publishing my first novel, I thought long and hard about using a pseudonym. Romance and cozy mystery authors often have short and sweet names. Piscitello requires a bit more work to spell and pronounce. My editor suggested sticking with my own name because it didn’t look like everyone else’s.

Avis: That’s interesting advice, and it makes a lot of sense. It is your work after all, and so satisfying to see your name on the cover!

Here’s our last question:

If you could tell your younger writing-self anything, what would it be?

Jill: Don’t wait so long, and don’t listen to people who say something can’t be done.

Avis: Great advice, and something I’ve heard so often at conferences and writing workshops! Don’t listen to the nay-sayers! I love Joseph Campbell’s famous quote, “If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living.” This is so true for authors. 😊

Thank you so much for joining us today on YNFA, Jill! I look forward to reading more books from you, and I know readers will love The Sour Note!

Please scroll down for my review of Jill Piscitello’s A Sour Note, an uplifting cozy mystery!

For more information on Jill and to purchase her books, see her links below!

social media

Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ Amazon ~ GoodReads ~ BookBub

Purchase links:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ ITunes ~ Google Books ~ Walmart ~ BooksAMillion ~ Indie Bound ~ Kobo

author web site:

Jill Piscitello’s Website

Review by Avis M. Adams

In Jill Piscitello’s latest cozy mystery novel, A Sour Note, we meet Maeve Cleary, a hero still in shock from the public reveal of her fiancé, Greyson Walker’s, infidelity with film siren Shannon Plum. Piscitello masterfully creates Maeve and a huge cast of realistic characters that leap off the page and into our imaginations as murder plays out on the quaint and cozy streets of Hampton Beach.

When Maeve’s life implodes, she moves back home to lick her wounds. But how can she show her face in public again with her humiliation splashed all over social media? When she finally decides to venture out, she lands in the middle of Trixie Bell’s murder, and her friends Paige and Seamus become the prime suspects.

Maeve knows they are innocent, but how can she prove it when she’s been sworn to secrecy? The other problem is how to narrow the list of suspects because who didn’t want to kill Trixie? Maeve goes on a sleuthing mission that soon puts her own life in danger, as she clashes with the local detective, Spencer Taylor, for messing with his crime scenes and tampering with witnesses.

Piscitello plots a murder that only Maeve can solve, but Maeve is distracted by the man she loved before Greyson, Finn, her high school sweetheart. Add to the mix the good detective, and we have instant rivals in what Maeve doesn’t want—or does she? All Maeve knows is another relationship so soon on the heels of her humiliating and public breakup with Greyson is the last thing she wants to think about right now. Her focus is on clearing the good name of her friends who won’t come forward with the truth because of their own secret.

So, who killed Trixie Bell? Piscitello keeps us turning pages, as she unfolds a crime scene filled with clues and a cast of suspects that keeps Maeve searching and interviewing until she ends up in the hospital. But nothing will stop Maeve from finding the truth. Piscitello’s A Sour Note will satisfy murder/mystery, romance, and cozy mystery readers alike, along with anyone who loves a great read. This is book 1 in the Music Box Mystery series, so keep your eye out for more from Jill Piscitello! Five stars!

Your Next Favorite Author–Everlyn C. Thompson!

Even death can’t stop one determined hermit.

After surviving a horrific attack by a dark fae, Theodora Edwards is happy to put the magical world of Fairie firmly in the past-until she learns the reason behind the abrupt disappearance of Farranen, the guardian of the gate. Unfortunately, her improvised rescue attempt ends in death-her death. As if surviving death isn’t weird enough, her magic takes on a life of its own and starts creating flawed ghosts. While struggling to control her magic, she’s forced to deal with a deadly band of pixies, amorous advances from the intimidating dark prince, and political upheaval in Fairie that’s left the entire realm in chaos.

Born and raised on the beautiful Canadian prairies, Everlyn prefers to spend her time outdoors with her family kayaking, skating, fishing, and hunting. She loves reading and writing about vampires, witches, fae and zombies that get to find their own version of happily ever after.

Avis: It’s my pleasure to welcome Everlyn C. Thompson to Your Next Favorite Author. Her paranormal/fantasy/romance novels are a romp through her imagination of the world of fairies, vampires, and lands filled with magic.

Hi Everlyn! I’m so happy to have you on my blog, and I’m sure readers are excited to hear more about you as an author and what goes on behind the books you write. Here’s our first question:

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Everlyn: I do write under a pseudonym to keep my personal life private.

Avis: That makes perfect sense. I know many authors who do this. Privacy is important, and keeping your professional and personal life separate is not easy to do otherwise! Here’s a question that is geared toward your approach to writing:

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Everlyn: I like to be original and write for myself. And there are so many different readers out there, that I’d never be able to give them all what they want.

Avis: So True, and good philosophy! We can’t please all people all the time, but I’m sure readers of your genre find a lot to love about your books and your writing style. Our next question is one I’m always curious about:

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Everlyn: My best friend is an editor who dabbles in writing, so we meet once a month to talk about our WIPs and keep each other motivated.

Avis: You are so lucky to be best friends with an editor! I love getting together with my writer friends and talking about writing, and it’s so true that to stay motivated and on track is to discuss your works and your ideas with friends and other writers!

Your series The Grave Reaping Series has two books completed and a third on the way. The next question deals with writing books in a series:

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Everlyn: I like to keep my stories limited to nice, neat series, where all the loose ends are neatly tied up at the end, and then I move on to another series that has no connection to the first.

Avis: I like nice tidy endings, but I notice in your individual books you leave room for the next book to continue, which I also love!

It’s been so interesting to get to know more about you and your writing, and I was very excited to read Grave Reaping Shrew! I thoroughly enjoyed the second book in your series, and I look forward to book three! Readers can find links to Everlyn’s socials below, and to buy links for this and all of her wonderful books!

Hi Everlyn! I’m so happy to have you on my blog, and I’m sure readers are excited to hear more about you as an author and what goes on behind the books you write. Here’s our first question:

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Everlyn: I do write under a pseudonym to keep my personal life private.

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Everlyn: I like to be original and write for myself. And there are so many different readers out there, that I’d never be able to give them all what they want.

Avis: So true, and good philosophy! We can’t please all people all the time, but I’m sure readers of your genre find a lot to love about your books and your writing style. Our next question is one I’m always curious about:

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Everlyn: My best friend is an editor who dabbles in writing, so we meet once a month to talk about our WIPs and keep each other motivated.

Your series The Grave Reaping Series has two books completed and a third on the way. The next question deals with writing books in a series:

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Avis: I like nice tidy endings, but I notice in your individual books you leave room for the next book to continue, which I also love!

Readers can find links to Everlyn’s socials below, and to buy links for this and all of her wonderful books.

https://everlyncthompson.com

Buy links:

Review by Avis M. Adams:

Everlyn C. Thompson’s Grave Reaping Shrew, Book 2 in the Grave Reaper Series, takes us back to the land of fae where Theo and her shapeshifter, Dog go in search of her guardian and answers to questions like who killed her vampire husband?

Sound like a mouthful of adventure? Hang on to your hats because this book does “pass Go” and does “collect $200.” This not-stop paranormal adventure brings together beings that don’t usually rub shoulders, vampires, faeries, shapeshifters, and brings them together to fight the evil Faerie Queen we met in book one of the Grave Reaper Series.

Theo accidentally receives faerie magic in Book One, and she’s still learning to control it with embarrassing and deadly consequences. When her ex-husband disappears and it looks like murder, she goes in search and is attacked and killed, but her magic, and the fact that she’d been bitten by a vampire herself, keeps her alive, and now she not only can’t control her faerie magic, but she must learn how being a vampire is going to affects her. The problem is that the folks who should know this answer don’t, and they’ve only heard of one other case like Theo’s. That person died.

Theo pushes on, though, because no one messes with her guardian and gets away with. Our saucy heroin must contend with Leif, the Dark Prince, who wouldn’t mind sampling Theo’s magic, and her guardian, Farranan, who left her heartbroken and alone. Ozzy the vampire/detective sent to work on her ex-husband’s disappearance, is as baffled by her magic and vampire blood keeping her alive as anyone else, but Theo has other people/fae to worry about.

Readers will fall in love with Theo as she talks smack to creatures, warriors, and royalty in this paranormal world. Thompson adds a level of humor that lifts the dark magic off the page and keeps us turning the pages as we root for Theo against all odds. Will she save her guardian? Will he reciprocate her feelings? Will she finally succumb to death, or will she morph into a creature with more power than ever seen before?

Thompson leaves readers biting their nails to find the answers to these questions and more. This action-packed series is on a roll and will appeal to paranormal/romance readers and those just looking for a strong female character who won’t take no for an answer and finds out the hard way how to answer the calling of her heart. This is a five-star read.

By Avis M. Adams

Your Next Favorite Author—K.J. McElrath!

A mash-up of three children’s book classics tells Alice, Wendy, and Dorothy’s story if one were to become a psychiatrist, another a cowgirl, and another a detective. McElrath’s imagination is on fire.

When she was seven years old, young Alice Liddell went gathering mushrooms in the woods. After finding several beneath an ancient oak, she popped one into her mouth.

An hour later, a large, anthropomorphic rabbit came along, wearing a waistcoat and carrying a pocket watch, complaining about being late for some appointment. Alice later remembered following it down a dark hole…

Thus, Alice began learning early on about the psychoactive effects of particular plants and fungi. Now, 40 years later, psychiatrist Dr. Alice Liddell-Dodgson takes on two nine-year old patients who have had remarkably similar experiences. One is the daughter of a London investment banker. The other is being raised by her aunt and uncle on a wheat farm in rural Kansas.

Wendy Moira Angela Darling and Dorothy Gale are as different as two young girls can be, but they – as well as Dr. Liddell-Dodgson – have all experienced what she terms as ‘delusional psychosis.’ After a year of ‘Doctor Alice’s’ treatment and counseling, Wendy and Dorothy have accepted that their experiences in ‘Neverland’ and the ‘Kingdom of Oz’ were nothing more than visions, the product of extreme physical and emotional trauma – little different from Dr. Liddell-Dodgson’s own girlhood delusions of ‘Wonderland.’

But were they delusions?

What are the odd slippers Dorothy was found wearing the morning after a cyclone? Where did they come from and why does she refuse to take them off? And why does Wendy’s mother speak so strangely about old Celtic folk legends? What do they have to do with a buccaneer ancestor and a Lost Cause of two centuries ago?

Even Dr. Alice, a woman who has dedicated her life to science, finds herself confronting disturbing reminders of a manic-depressive haberdasher and a dangerously psychopathic monarch with a fetish for decapitation . . .

K.J. McElrath started writing professionally for search engine optimization firms in 2006, and thus has written about everything from insurance and litigation to diet pills and lingerie. His first published work of contemporary fiction was Tamanous Cooley, a modern-day take on Dante’s The Inferno with a Native American twist.

Mr. McElrath is also a composer of numerous works for orchestra and winds as well as incidental music for theater and the score for a stage musical, The Adventures of Dex Dixon, by Pacific Northwest playwright and screenwriter Steve Coker. He is known for his witty song lyrics in the style of masters such as Ira Gershwin, Al Dubin, Johnny Mercer, et. al. Several sets of Mr. McElrath’s song lyrics appear in The Loves of Natalie Greenbaum, an LGBT romance series set during the Big Band Era and the Second World War.

Avis: Welcome to a new edition of Your Next Favorite Author! I’d like you to meet Kevin, K.J. McElrath, a friend of mine since graduate school, and a multi-talented musician, singer, performer, and author! He’s gifted, and I’m happy to introduce his latest work today, Three Lost Girls, the surprising story of three girls from the pages of our favorite children’s classics!

Shall we begin? Here’s our first question.

Have you ever gotten reader’s block?

Kevin: Only when the plot doesn’t hold my interest, or I don’t care about the characters.

Avis: Sounds like you move on to the next novel like I do! So, you probably haven’t had reader’s block! Our next question is about names:

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Kevin: I’ve actually done that. I still self-publish some graphic novellas and comics under a pseudonym.

Avis: Cool! You really are talented! Now I want to know the pseudonym! How about this question?

Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?

Kevin: Depends. Most fiction, no – but non-fiction topics such as history, politics and society and science, I think detachment would be very helpful.

Avis: Good point! Non-fiction allows one to remain detached to a certain extent. Great answer! Here’s the next question.

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Kevin: There’s my former spouse, Athena – she reads or listens to my material and always has helpful feedback. She is also a merciless editor. There is also a gentleman in Florida who writes under the name Staten Rall, with whom I share an interest in 19th-Century U.S. history.

Avis: Finding a merciless editor is a gift! Having other writers in our lives improves out own writing by leaps and bounds. Our next question always interests me.

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to

build a body of work with connections between each book?

Kevin: I tend to favor book series. It gives me more opportunities to explore the characters, how they grow and change over time and respond to historical events and trends. Even when I do different series with different characters, most of my stories take place in the same ‘universe,’ and occasionally, these characters meet and interact briefly.

Avis: I can see that playing out in Three Lost girls. The historical facts you include really peak the reader’s interest. Ready for our last question?

If you could tell your younger writing-self anything, what would

it be?

Kevin: Stick to writing what you know. Don’t try to tell a love story when your 17. Life experience is necessary in order to write a convincing narrative. Also, if you’re setting your story in a different time period and/or place, be prepared to do a whale of a lot of research. Even if you change historical events and geographic locations (as Mark Twain did), it’s good to ‘know the rules’ so you can break them convincingly.

Avis: LOL! What great advice! These are words of wisdom that every writer could ascribe to!

It’s been great getting to know more about you as a writer and published author, and I look forward to seeing the next installment of this series! Yes readers, there are two more books that follow Alice, Wendy, and Dorothy on more adventures through the early to mid-20^th century!

For more information about K.J. McElrath see his social links below and check out my review of Three Lost Girls below!

Kevin’s Social Links!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/891979061341607

https://www.instagram.com/kjmcelrathauthor/

https://kjmcelrath.com
https://3lostgirls.com

Amazon: Three Lost Girls

The Review of Three Lost Girls, by Avis M. Adams

KJ McElrath is releasing another novel, and this one is a mash-up of Through the Looking Glass, The Wizard of Oz, and Peter Pan. McElrath uses his prodigious knowledge of history and historical events to infuse this mash-up with influences of the early 20^th century to the 1930 and 40s, and it works.

McElrath fans will revel in identifying the “Easter Eggs” he plants as the story unfolds. There is always a subtext to twist what our heroes know and understand, and there is always an exploration of economy, class, and gender roles and identity as the story progresses, so even though this could be considered a historical novel and retelling of these classics, it is also very current in its discussions.

New readers to McElrath might get lost in the long windup in chapters one and three, but hang with the story because once McElrath pitches the ball, the game is on, and this book becomes a fast paced and very enjoyable read.

So let me back up a bit. Have you’ve ever wondered what happened to Alice to make her follow that white rabbit, or if Wendy’s flight with the fairies and Pan captured your imagination? Have you wondered how Wendy or Dorothy fared after their return from Neverland or Oz? Did you ever wonder how they resolved what happened to them?

McElrath grapples with those questions and more and brings in a much older Alice as the guide and therapist to counsel Wendy and Dorothy. We meet psychiatrist Dr. Alice Liddell Dodgson in her practice at The Liddell-Dodgson Asylum for Juveniles in 1905. Wendy is her patient and Dorothy’s case has come to her attention. Dr. Liddell-Dodgson is well poised to help the girls deal with all of their issues, and the good doctor, as a trained scientist, will use her experiences and knowledge to bring both girls back from the trauma of their fantastic experiences, Alice begins in 1905 shortly after the inception of the talking cure in 1895, and continues her work with the girls into the 1940s.

The book moves between three points of view, Alice, Wendy, and Dorothy, and we see the experiences and the retelling of these favorite children’s tales retold through the eyes of Alice, a scientist, and Wendy and Dorothy as prepubescent children. By the end of the book, two young women have come to terms with their supernatural experiences in an interesting and unexpected way.

To say that this book is entertaining is an understatement. Readers won’t be able to put the book down, and the wonderful references to each of these time-honored tales raises the reading pleasure. I highly recommend this novel but be prepared to wade through the first several chapters. I promise, it’s worth the wait! This is a well-crafted and highly entertaining book, and I give it four stars.

Your Next Favorite Author—Jennifer Ivy Walker!

Interwoven fates. Otherworldly mates. Destiny awaits.

Wielding a trio of enchanted Elven weapons to battle a dark wizard and a legion of diabolical dwarves, Tristan is faced with the impossible choice between saving the woman he loves or defending his endangered kingdom. Inexplicably compelled to remain in the sacred forest where he hears the voice of her heart, the heir to the throne of Cornwall incurs the wrath and scorn of his army when he decides to hunt for his captive mate.

Her verdant magic greatly enhanced by the mystical Morgane la Fée, Issylte must summon a coalition of Naiad nymphs and celestial fairies to destroy a nascent evil as she fights to reclaim her rightful crown.

When the Black Widow Queen unites with a malignant menace and a ghost from Tristan’s haunted past, the Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight must ally with a triad of shapeshifting warrior tribes to defeat a Viking Trident and defend their trinity of Celtic kingdoms.

Enthralled with legends of medieval knights and ladies, dark fairy tales and fantasies about Druids, wizards and magic, Jennifer Ivy Walker always dreamed of becoming a writer. She fell in love with French in junior high school, continuing her study of the language throughout college, eventually becoming a high school teacher and college professor of French.

As a high school teacher, she took her students every year to the annual French competition, where they performed a play she had written, “Yseult la Belle et Tristan la Bête”–an imaginative blend of the medieval French legend of “Tristan et Yseult” and the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast”, enhanced with fantasy elements of a Celtic fairy and a wicked witch.

“The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight”—book 3 and the conclusion of “The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven” trilogy–is a blend of her love for Celtic legends, the romantic French language, and epic fantasy. It is a paranormal fated mates adaptation of the medieval legend of “Tristan et Yseult” (Tristan and Isolde), interwoven with Arthurian myth, dark fairy tales from the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande, and otherworldly elements such as Avalonian Elves, Druids, forest fairies, and magic.

Explore her realm of Medieval French Fantasy. She hopes her novels will enchant you.

Avis: Welcome to another edition of “Your New Favorite Author.” Today we welcome back my colleague and friend, Jennifer Ivy Walker, whom I shall refer to as Ivy if that’s okay. I’m so happy to talk with you again and hear more about your writing process and other things behind the scenes of your writing life.

The release of The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight, book three of her The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven Trilogy, lands on the summer solstice. How magical and appropriate for your fantasy/romance!

My first question is one I grapple with myself. So, let’s begin!

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

Ivy: Yes, I considered a pseudonym because I have just written three contemporary steamy romances, which is quite different from my usual genre of Medieval French Fantasy. But I decided not to use a nom de plume and keep my name so that I might build a larger reader base.

Avis: I totally agree with using one name for all your writing. It makes good sense because authors are part of this business of promoting their books and generating sales, right? Great answer!

I always love knowing more about my favorite authors and who they hang out with, and my next question gets to the heart of that.

What other authors are you friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?

Ivy: I’m friends with several authors, including Laura Strickland, whose steamy medieval romances are to die for, and Mary Morgan, whose Scottish heroes are sexy, scandalous, and swoon worthy! Both have inspired me to write passionate paranormal romance and medieval fantasy. But, unlike their works, my novels all have a uniquely French flair.

Avis: What great writers to have for inspiration and friends! You do have that wonderful French flair that sets you apart! It’s what draws me into your novels. I just love it! Writing a series is such a challenge, and my next question deals with that idea.

Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Ivy: My first three books, including this summer solstice new release, The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight, are a continuing story which unfolds throughout The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven trilogy.

I recently realized that it’s often preferred to have stand-alone novels, so that’s what I plan to write in the future.

For example, my novel, Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle (to be released November 15^th), is a spinoff story of my trilogy but a separate novel in its own right. I also plan to write a new series based on the characters and themes introduced in my trilogy, but each one will be a standalone novel, and my three contemporary romance novels are all separate, unique works.

Avis: Wow! That’s such good news for all your fans. I can’t wait to read more books in your unique themes in this world you’ve so masterfully created. I look forward to reading them all!

For more information on Jennifer Ivy Walker and her novels, check out her social links below, and please scroll down to read my review of The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight, her wonderful third book in the The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven Trilogy releasing today!

Jennifer Ivy Walker’s Socials:

Website: https://jenniferivywalker.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22671046.Jennifer_Ivy_Walker

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-emerald-fairy-and-the-dragon-knight-the-wild-rose-and-the-sea-raven-book-3-by-jennifer-ivy-walker

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferIvyWalker

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bohemienneivy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferivywalkerauthor/

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jenniferivywalker

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Fairy-Dragon-Knight-Raven-ebook/dp/B0C28XRHR2/ref=sr_1_1?crid=WC4MNXW6LNY2&keywords=the+emerald+fairy+and+the+dragon+knight+jennifer+ivy+walker&qid=1683425307&sprefix=the+emerald+fairy%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-emerald-fairy-and-the-dragon-knight-jennifer-ivy-walker/1143179531?ean=2940161094518

Website: https://jenniferivywalker.com/

Review by Avis M. Adams

Jennifer Ivy Walker’s The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight, Book 3 of the Wild Rose and the Sea Raven Trilogy, is the perfect grand finale to a tour force reimagining of the Tristan and Isolde legend. Walker takes this story of forbidden love and turns it into a story that conquers all the forces that would try to destroy it.

This novel picks up where book two left us, with Isolde and Tristan preparing to win back their rightful kingdoms of Cromwell, Lyonesse, and the Emerald Isle, and complete their quest to stop the evil warlock Voldurk, thwart Queen Morag, and destroy La Fée Des Ombres, Malfleur. A tall order for any young couple starting marriage and a family; however, where magic is involved, do our lovers stand a chance? In this paranormal, fantasy, they certainly do.

The love our heroes Tristan and Isolde share transcends the world of mere mortals and with their network of support from the lands of elves and fairies, they call upon every resource, human and supernatural to fight their war against evil.

With their childhood kingdoms at stake, along with their reputations, Tristan as King Mark’s heir, and Isolde as her father’s heir, their mission is one to reclaim their honor and their kingdoms. But this war against the mighty sorcerer Voldurk, evil stepmother Queen Morag, and the sinister, dark-fairy Malfleur, seems ill-fated and doomed to fail.

Walker masterfully develops the conflict between the forces of good against evil and leaves us with nail-biting tension. She develops villains we love to hate and battle scenes that keep us on the edge of our seats. Can Tristan survive his clash with the mighty sorcerer? Can Isolde survive her stepmother’s will to kill her and rule in her stead?

Walker presents her rendition of this legend, recreating a form of storytelling that originated from an oral tradition, the ways of expressing prowess and emotion through repetition of titles and terms of endearment. She expertly weaves this style into the characterization of our heroes and shows Tristan and Isolde as we’ve never seen them before, victorious in the fight for their love.

Jennifer Ivy Walker delivers a historical/paranormal/romance triumph in The Emerald Fairy and the Dragon Knight. Fans and readers of magic and myth will love this grand finale and third book in The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven Trilogy, a five-star read.

Your Next Favorite Author: D.V. Stone!

On the turbulent high seas, an archeologist must protect a historic shipwreck from treasure hunters—not fall for one.

Bio:

D. V. Stone is an award-winning, multi-genre, traditionally and independently published author. She writes books people want to read. Whether romance or fantasy, contemporary or mid-grade, her stories are about the importance of friends and family. About overcoming obstacles while often with humor. Around the Fire is a popular weekly blog where she introduces both established and new authors giving an insider’s look into their lives and books as well as tidbits about her own life. D. V. is also a bi-monthly contributor to Still Moments Magazine sharing beloved recipes.

Now retired, she is a full-time author and incorporates her life experiences into her books. After a varied career as a former Emergency Medical Technician, the proprietor of a coffee shop, and a small restaurant/ice cream stand. The years following were as a manager in an animal emergency hospital, and her last position in a human medical office.

When not behind the wheel of 2Hoots—a 41-foot long 13.2 feet high 5th Wheel camper, she rambles around town in Northern New Jersey in a white Camaro. She also loves travel and history.

D.V. is a wife to an amazing husband, mother to one son, and not your average grandma to three beautiful grands. A woman of faith, she believes and trusts in God.

“My greatest pleasures are spending time outside with friends and family, cooking over the open fire, sipping a glass of wine, and reading.”

Hali, her rescue dog, always reminds her to let readers know, “Woof, woof.” (Loosely translated as support your local animal rescue).”

https://www.dvstoneauthor.com/

Buy at this book at Amazon or wherever books are sold!

Review by Avis M. Adams:

D.V. Stone’s “Sea Hunter” is part of The Mortar & Pestle Series. All the books are stand-alone and by different authors. In “Sea Hunter,” a historical, paranormal romance set in WWII, Stone gives us Zahra Corbin, Ph.D., and underwater archeologist as our hero in search of artifacts for Corbin University. Zahra is sailing home on a ship when she encounters Mr. Wrong, Hugh. In the war, she danced and sang in the USO, and Hugh thought that made her easy. When she differs with him, he tosses her overboard, and Zahra has her first glimpse of Davey Jones’ Locker, and a bright light that might be the long-lost Sea Wraith, rich in archeological artifacts.

An experienced diver, Sarah realizes hypothermia is setting in, but Jack Alexander sees something go overboard and motors over to check it out. He finds Zahra and pulls her from the clutches of the deep. Zahra regains consciousness and on his boat Freya, and the sparks are immediate. Zahra is thankful, but when she learns he really is a pirate, She doesn’t want anything to do with him.

Fast forward a couple weeks to the halls of Corbin University of History and Archeology where Zahra teaches. Her College Dean, Malcomb Armitage, informs her that she has been chosen for an underwater archeology project to recover the Sea Wraith, but her little toss in the drink episode has left her with PTSD and a feeling of drowning that incapacitates her, but Malcomb persuades her to overcome her fears. She regrets her decision when she finds she is working with a rich entrepreneur and antique seeker, Gilbert Carter, a man she despises.

Then she learns she’s also working with her rescuer, Jack Alexander, because he owns the missing piece of the map, so she’s in the frying pan without a spatula. Little does Jack or Zahra know that Carter hired Nicklaus Roth to infiltrate the group as Jack’s first mate and inform him of Jack and Zahra’s movements. Carter also calls Hugh Turnbull, the tough who tossed Zahra in the drink when she rebuffed his amorous advances. Hugh is Carter’s strong arm and gopher and will be Carter’s second in command as he follows Jack and Zahra and the students from CUHA on their search of the Sea Wraith. When Jack hires Nick, little does he know, he has a rat in his wheelhouse, and thus Stone has set up her novel with multiple twists and lots of tension in the first two chapters!

Zahra is a woman of her time, but she is singularly independent with a fair streak a mile wide, and she just wants to do what’s right, but as they closer to finding the treasures of the Sea Wraith, can she convert Jack, the man she can’t seem to keep her hands off of? To be fair, he can’t keep his hands off her either, and every time they meet, the tension is thick, and their encounters steamy.

Stone melds, mystery, mystique, history, romance, and adventure in the rollicking tale of love and treachery on the high seas, and in the middle of it all is the mystical pestle calling out to both Jack and Zahra. This is a wonderful tale of love and betrayal with villains you’ll love to hate, and couples who would love to love, but—well—it’s complicated! This is a five-star read, and a page turner to the very end.

And furthermore:

The Pestle is used in each of the seven stories in this series, and the magical vessel comes complete with this folklore:

“A wisp of smoke, a swirl of promise, a breath of destiny…a message within the Mortar & Pestle for those who want to believe.

Throughout time people have sought their heart’s desire. But true love is often elusive.

Carved with ancient Norse runes, the Mortar & Pestle shows paths to happily-ever-afters.

Once you capture the Mortar & Pestle’s scent of magic, you’ll want to read all seven individual romances.”

Your Next Favorite Author–Susie Black!

She gave “skeleton in the closet” a whole new meaning.

Who wanted Lissa Charney dead? The list was as long as your arm….but which one actually killed her? The last thing Mermaid Swimwear sales exec Holly Schlivnik expected to find when she opened the closet door was nasty competitor Lissa Charney’s battered corpse nailed to the wall. When Holly’s colleague is wrongly arrested for Lissa’s murder, the wise-cracking, irreverent amateur sleuth sticks her nose everywhere it doesn’t belong to sniff out the real killer. Nothing turns out the way she thinks it will as Holly matches wits with a heartless killer hellbent for revenge.

Named Best US Author of the Year by N. N. Lights Book Heaven, award-winning cozy mystery author, Susie Black was born in the Big Apple but now calls sunny Southern California home. Like the protagonist in her Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series, Susie is a successful apparel sales executive. Susie began telling stories as soon as she learned to talk. Now she’s telling all the stories from her garment industry experiences in humorous mysteries.

Website: www.authorsusieblack.com

E-mail: mysteries_@authorsusieblack.com

Hi readers! Welcome to YNFA with Susie Black, cozy mystery author of Death by Pins and Needles.

Avis: This is your second visit to YNFA, and I’m so glad you’re back with another gripping cozy for us to devour! Your second book in the Swimsuit Series follows Holly Schlivnik once again, as she defies the authorities and solves yet another mystery at the California Apparel Mart! Here’s our first question:

What is the most difficult part of your artistic process?

SUSIE: Accurately and realistically writing male characters. Fortunately, I have two experts-a husband and a grown son- who I can and do consult regarding male personality traits, how a male character would approach, handle, or react to a situation versus a female etc.

Avis: You are so lucky to have willing family to help you fine tune your male characters! That’s worth so much to a writer! I have trouble with my male characters too, and the male members of my crit groups call me out when I get it wrong! 😊

Here’s our next question:

What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?

SUSIE: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. In my opinion, this book and The Diary of Anne Frank should be required reading for every young woman coming of age.

Avis: Two thought-provoking and powerful reads. Thanks for these choices, and I know how hard it is to choose just ONE! Both titles are excellent. Our next question:

How do you balance making demands on the reader with taking

care of the reader?

SUSIE: By delivering to the reader what I promise to. I do this by not leaving the reader hanging at the end, and by giving the reader all the information they need to figure out whodunit on their own. But I make them work for it by throwing in enough red herrings to twist the story into a surprise as to who the killer is. So far, no one has told me they figured out whodunit!

Avis: Good answer! I know I’ve never figured it out, and I really tried on this one! It will surprise readers, for sure! Next:

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

SUSIE: I think that some aspiring writers do not understand the importance of writing what they know or do not do sufficient research on a topic and their writing lacks the authenticity that readers demand.

Avis: Amen, sister! Readers are savvy, and they will point out the gaps if the research isn’t thorough! Good call! Next:

What is your writing Kryptonite?

SUSIE: Overusing certain words.

Avis: I must ditto you on this one, sister! Next question:

Have you ever gotten writer’s block?

SUSIE: No, not yet…One way I’ve avoided it is by allowing the characters to take the story from the middle to the end. Of course, if I don’t like what they have done, they know I can change it. Or, if I absolutely HATE what they did, they know I can either write them out of the story or kill them off…so they are highly motivated to do a fabulous job.

Avis: LOL! Way to manage your characters! Characters do drive the story, so way to let them keep you in writing mode! Next question:

Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?

SUSIE: Susie Black is my pseudonym. When I chose to write under one, I had to select one I could remember. LOL My real middle name is Susan and Black is the English translation from the German of Schwartz, my legal surname.

Avis: Very interesting! All I know is it’s working well for you and looks great on your covers. 😊 Next question:

How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?

SUSIE: I have four contracted and completed, but unpublished books that will all be published in 2023. I have one half-finished book that should have been completed a long time ago but keeps getting pushed to the back of the line. I am determined to complete and submit it to my editor before 2023 is over.

Avis: Wow, Susie! That’s a library! You’ll fill a shelf at the bookstore before you know it! Congratulations, and such good news for us because you give us such great stories! Next question:

What does literary success look like to you?

SUSIE: When a reader says, “I could not put your book down. I stayed up all night reading it because I simply had to find out what happened next.”

Avis: Another great answer because we are nothing without our readers, and if they love your stories that much, it truly is success! Last question:

What’s the best way to market your books?

SUSIE: Because I find it impossible to quantify success with most marketing ploys, my knee-jerk reaction to this question was to throw in the towel and hire someone who knows how to do it. But I have found that doing guest spots on podcasts and blogs, and Facebook book clubs are some of the most effective ways to introduce myself and my books to a widespread audience of captive listeners.

Avis: Marketing is difficult to say the least, but I like your ideas and might borrow the FB book club idea! That’s a good one!

Thank you so much for joining us again on YNFA, Susie! I can’t wait to see what you have coming next, but in the meantime, readers, make sure you pick up a copy of Susie Black’s Death by Pins and Needles. Also, check out Susie’s socials below, and for more details on the book, please read my review of this five-star cozy from award-winner, Susie Black!

Review by Avis M. Adams

Susie Black is at it again! Her newest release in the Holly Swimsuit Mystery series, Death by Pins and Needles, takes us back to the California Apparel Mart with Holly Schlivnik, the Yentas, Queenie, and the world of swimsuit fashion for another murder mystery, one that only Holly can solve.

Holly Schlivnik and the Yentas join forces to withstand the competitive backstabbing that takes place at the California Apparel Mart. Enter Lissa (same as Melissa but leave off the Muh) Charney. Luck seems to follow Lissa as she moves from a successful job in sales for Barely There Swimwear to showroom manager with Royal Swimwear, so why does everyone hate her? Hmmm.

When our hero, Holly, gets stuck in a marketing meeting, she has to rush back to the Mart for a late Friday afternoon meeting with “her majesty” Sue Ellen MaGee, a hard to please buyer. But Holly can’t find her keys to the office. When she goes in search of Lissa who has a spare, Holly finds something that makes her laugh hysterically. Yes, Holly has inherited her nana’s fear of death, and she overcompensates with nervous laughter, so when she finds Lissa’s bloody corpse, she does just that.

When she finishes laughing, she calls 911. The police follow the clues, which leads them to former showroom manager, newly reinvented multi-line independent sales rep and mother of two, Joan Binder. Joan travels the roads in search of a sale. Where once she worked from a desk, she now works out her car and cheap hotel rooms. Demotion doesn’t begin to cover what Lissa has done to Joan.

The police see motive written all over this woman, and the blood on her coveralls doesn’t help. When the police arrest Joan, Holly knows they have the wrong person, and she won’t let Joan take the fall for a murder she knows Joan didn’t commit.

Holly goes on the hunt, but along the way she picks up enemies like lint on a mohair jacket. She can handle; hate mail, which don’t frighten her but provide clues, and she proves Joan’s innocence, which means the cops have to search harder for their perp. Holly has really stuck her chutzpah in it now.

Our hero goes through a long list of haters who all have cause to snuff the cold-hearted Lissa, like Eileen, head of her own company, who fell in love with Lissa, but Lissa spurned her. Ah ha, your say. But then there is the handsome recipient of her love, Rez Javadi, or Bobby as he likes to be called, an immigrant who is in danger of losing his green card. He fears deportation, and Lissa refused to marry him to help out.

Intriguing so far? This delightful cozy follows the intrepid Ms. Holly Schlevnik as she forges her way from clue to clue, against the wishes of LAPD homicide detective “AJ” Yakamura, and Holly does so with all the flair and humor that Suzie Black brings to her all her novels.

Black has crafted another gem with Death by Pins and Needles. Fans will adore this fast-paced frolic through death, and readers new to Black will delight in her mastery with the cozy mystery genre. Death by Pins and Needles reads like a stand-alone novel but beware because you’ll want to read the first one, Death by Sample Size, too!

Be prepared to read into the night, as Holly Schlivnik’s search for the murderer takes her to dark warehouses and dark, bankrupt businesses to solve the mystery of who murdered Lissa Charney. This is a riveting five-star read!

Your Next Favorite Author—Dan Rice!

Sometimes there’s no going back.

Allison Lee wilts under the bright light of celebrity after being exposed as a shape-shifting monster. She’d rather be behind the camera than in front of it. Being under the tooth and claw of her monstrous mother is even less enjoyable. All she desires is for everything to go back to the way things were before she discovered her true nature.

But, after she accidentally kills a mysterious man sent to kidnap her, she realizes piecing her old life back together is one gnarly jigsaw puzzle. When Allison’s sometimes boyfriend Haji goes missing, Allison and her squad suspect his unhealthy interest in magic led to his disappearance. Their quest to find Haji brings them face-to-face with beings thought long ago extinct whose agenda remains an enigma.

DAN RICE pens the young adult urban fantasy series The Allison Lee Chronicles in the wee hours of the morning. The series kicks off with his award-winning debut, Dragons Walk Among Us, which Kirkus Reviews calls, “An inspirational and socially relevant fantasy.”

Avis: Welcome, Dan Rice, to Your Next Favorite Author! I’m so happy to meet another YA fiction author from the Pacific Northwest! First, I have to say, I love your cover! It gives reader’s an idea of what’s inside the book, which is why we’re here!

Let’s begin, shall we? My first question is one I’ve been warned not to ask, but out of all the questions I sent to you, you were brave enough to tackle! Here it is:

Do you believe in writer’s block?

Dan: I don’t suffer from writer’s block. Do I believe in it? After a fashion, I suppose. In most cases, I suspect what people call writer’s block is a lack of planning. To write a novel, you must juggle the plot, subplots, and a whole cast of characters at once. Trying to make everything up as you write the draft leads to a greater cognitive load. I think people get overwhelmed by the minutia they need to keep track of, become frustrated, and eventually give up. They call this writer’s block. I believe the remedy for this is upfront planning. I wrote extensively about my planning process for Author News Daily https://authornewsdaily.com/planning-to-streamline-your-writing-process/.

Avis: Good answer, and I encourage people to check out Dan’s link to a really great article! Here’s another question that gets some great responses:

Does writing energize or exhaust you?

Dan: Writing energizes me! It’s the best time of the day! On a typical weekday, I’m at the computer by five a.m. when everyone else in the household is still asleep. I never have a hard time leaping out of bed to write. Often, I’m awake before my alarm. Even on the weekend, I usually arrive at the computer by six a.m.

Why is writing so energizing? It’s so much fun stringing together stray thoughts into a plot and characters. When I first started writing, I didn’t enjoy editing one bit. Now, I find the editing process one of the most rewarding aspects of writing. It’s incredible how much your story can improve when you take the time to cut away the excess words, tighten up the plot, refine the characters, and plug all the plot holes. It still astounds me!

That’s not to say everything about being an author is rainbows and unicorns. Marketing is a tough nut to crack and is essential if you want anyone to read your book. While it’s not exhausting, it takes a bite out of my precious writing time. For the busy author, time is priceless.

Avis: Another great answer! No wonder you have so many books out! I too like the wee hours of the morning to write. And I agree, marketing takes precious time away from the writing! I really appreciate your comments about revision as well. Turning revision into fun is totally key! Here’s a question that many readers and aspiring writers wonder about:

What are common traps for aspiring writers?

Dan: The one I fell into was not editing nearly enough. After I finished my first novel-length rough draft, I told my writing group’s resident writer my work wasn’t good enough to spend time editing. He told me I should edit it anyway to complete the entire novel writing process from planning, drafting, and finally editing. I followed his advice half-heartedly and was soon working on a different project. What a foolish lad I was! I have subsequently discovered that it is during the editing process, which can take as long as writing the rough draft, that life is breathed into the story.

Another problem that impacts aspiring authors is lack of focus. At least, based on what I read on Twitter, it is. Many people proudly proclaim to be working on multiple projects at once. I think this is a recipe for not accomplishing much. Writing a novel requires concentration and long-term commitment. In my mind, juggling multiple writing projects is the antithesis of this. Now, a full-time fiction writer might be able to pull off numerous projects at once successfully, but even then, it’s an uphill battle leading to projects that drag on and on and on. For example, how long has George R.R. Martin been working on Winds of Winter? A decade? I contend that his many authorial commitments are slowing down his writing process, and he is a full-time author.

Avis: Wow! These are excellent pieces of advice from an author who is producing good results! It’s sometimes difficult to listen to the wisdom and advice of more experienced writers, but it sounds like you did eventually, and now at the wonderful books you have to show for your hard work!

Thank you, Dan, for joining us today, and giving a bit of insight to you and your writing process! Please check out Dan Rice’s social media links, and his other books! And don’t forget to scroll down for my five-star review of his latest work, The Blood of Faeries, releasing from The Wild Rose Press February

Review by Avis M. Adams

Dan Rice’s The Blood of Faeries: The Allison Lee Chronicles Volume 2, is a YA fantasy, action/adventure that brings to the stage dragons, faeries, skaags, and magic. Rice continues the saga of Allison Lee. Set in the Pacific Northwest with environmental and social undertones, Rice picks up thus story after the battles in which she finds out what she is and that her perfect mother is the reason why. They are both skaags—monsters.

Allison’s new life requires a protection crew and has attracted the media who now know she’s a skaag, a shapeshifter capable of morphing into an alligator, eel abomination. Hence, Allison’s new nickname, monster girl. Her fan base has made her something of an idol but the haters, and yes there are many, have turned her into something to fear. What Allison wants to avoid at all costs is a “one-way trip to a lock-up on a military base.”

Her biggest problem is how to return to “normal.” She’d really like to go to school, hang out with her best friend Dalia, and she’d like her teen life back please. Fat chance any of that will happen with her protection detail trying to save her from “the crazies” who want her dead. Rice makes sure she knows in the first couple chapters, though, that she can’t trust her own bodyguard who lets in an assassin, Timmy the little kid next door who takes seemingly innocent selfies with her to post on Monsterspotting.com destroying her anonymity, and then there’s Haji. He’s the boy she locked lips with, the boy she hoped she could trust.

Allison and her friends slip through the surveillance, on their way to a protest march about the environment, but when Haji badgers Allison to agree to an interview with a podcaster keen to host a monster on his show, she gets angry. No. Pissed is more like it, and when the “sleeper” within her threatens to wake, she begins to fear herself and what she is capable of, i.e., murder, mayhem, and general chaos on a grand and epic scale.

Then Haji disappears, and Allison has a very bad feeling. Haji’s increased interest in magic has led him to some of the sketchiest places in Seattle because in this world it is well known that heroin enhances the capabilities of magicians, and Haji would do anything to impress Allison with his magical skills to win her back. Allison and Dalia enlist a creature they can trust, Mauve, a dragon hidden in human form, to join their team and rescue Haji, but what they encounter proves to be too much even for Mauve.

Dan Rice develops a strong female protagonist in Allison, and her sense of loyalty to her friends gets her in and out of trouble. She would never hurt her friends by transforming into a skaag, and her decision never to kill again is becoming harder to resist, but will she have to in order to save humanity? She grapples with these internal struggles as she tries to save Haji from the evil scientists who have found a way to enhance human abilities and form a magical army to fight the monsters. How are they doing this, you ask? By using the blood of faeries.

Rice’s masterful plot twists and action scenes will keep you reading as you root for Allison and her friends in what seems at times a lost battle for the lives of her friends. Magic, dragons, skaags, and technology straight out of the best science fiction has to offer are the fuel that launch this novel in page turning overdrive.

Dan Rice’s novel is a force of magical creatures against evil, but it’s up to Allison to figure out what is real, what is illusion, and how can she manage and control the powers within her own body. This paranormal, fantasy, adventure takes on the environment, the establishment, and any form of authority to show a strong female hero at work to make the world a better place.

Until the next time.

Dan Rice’s The Blood of Faeries: The Allison Lee Chronicles Volume 2 is a five-star page turner that will captivate your imagination.

To discover more about Dan’s writing and keep tabs on his upcoming releases, join his newsletter: https://www.danscifi.com/newsletter.

Dan’s social media links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanSciFi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanRiceWrites
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/dan-rice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danricewrites/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@danricewrites
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPLHTWSP
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-blood-of-faeries-the-allison-lee-chronicles-book-2-by-dan-rice
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64682970-the-blood-of-faeries
Author’s web site: https://www.danscifi.com

Review by Avis M. Adams

Until the next time.

Dan Rice’s The Blood of Faeries: The Allison Lee Chronicles Volume 2 is a five-star page turner that will captivate your imagination.