Ready to go back to my editor!

I cannot believe that August is almost over! This summer flew by for me. 
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In terms of writing, it was also incredibly productive. 

I just put the finishing touches on the first round of edits from my editor for Test of the Four and I’m getting ready to send Second Glance, the second Serrulata Saga romance, off to them, as well. I also started writing a third romance and will hopefully have a first draft of that ready by the end of the calendar year. 

I do have more Serrulata Saga spinoffs planned. And there is, of course, Book Three of the series, though I’m leaving that for 2023. I need to get Test of the Four out into the world first!

Even though this season is coming to a close, summer break for me starts today. I’ll be offline for most of next week for much needed R&R.

As always, stay safe and well, y’all!
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Hello all! Today is my stop on the Romance Me with Books tour for Pistol in the Petals. 
 
This is an 80s-tastic, enemies to lovers, second-chance romance. 
 
As the story opens, we meet main character Bristol. She’s getting ready to walk down the aisle and get married, but has reservations – and not just about her wedding day. She’s wondering if all of the choices she made, including leaving her band, are the correct ones. 
 
Bristol, we learn, is a mega-talented drummer and former member of one of the most successful bands in the world. After rising to super-stardom in the band made up of her childhood friends, she realizes there is a price to pay for fame. Leaving her partying days behind, she strikes out on her own. When tragedy strikes, however, she’s drawn back to her band-mates – and the one true love she left behind. 
 
This book was fun and steamy, though I had a really difficult time liking Bristol’s love interest. In the first act, I found myself yelling at her over and over again to just leave him in the past. While there is a redemption arc, I just couldn’t get past how awful he was in the beginning.
 
An entertaining read! 
 
3/5 stars
 
Check out my Goodreads page for more reviews!

Last Saturday, I had the honor of being a guest on The Picky Bookworm podcast!
 
I had a blast and Pamela welcomed me with open arms. We chatted about how we met, Twitter friends, and one of the biggest mistakes I made as a self-published writer. 
 
Also, listen for several book recs by fellow indies from me!
 
In writing news… I’m continuing to plod away on the first draft of this new romance WIP. Like all first drafts, it’s a bit of a dumpster fire, but I can’t make improvements if I don’t get the words down first, right?
 
Have a great weekend, y’all!
 
Bennett’s Books – July Wrap-Up
 
A list of the indie books I read this past month with links to my Goodreads reviews:
 
Take His Place – M.E. Aster 
Drifting (Diving In, #1) – J. Calamy
The Moon's Eye (The Relics of War #1) – A.J. Calvin
The City Below the Cloud – T.S. Galindo
Bound (Blood Moon, Texas Shifters, #3) – Kat Kinney
Meliora: a novel – Talli L. Morgan
Lady Night (Chronicles of the Guardians, #2) – Rita Rubin

Today's my stop on the Escapist Book Company's tour for The Moon's Eye. This is my first ever book tour and I'm honored to be a part of it!

​An epic fantasy and an amazing adventure, this first installment in The Relics of War series is one you’re not going to want to miss if you’re a sword and sorcery fantasy fan. 
 
Vardak is considered the strongest and best warrior of his people, the Scorpion Men, and is favored by the god of war. This success comes at a cost, however, because he must serve this god no matter what. As the story opens, we learn that Vardak has been tasked with protecting the Fire Maiden’s mortal daughter, Janna. 
 
Janna must go on a quest to retrieve a magical relic called The Moon’s Eye but she is inexperienced and, quite frankly, scared to complete her task. But she must, however, for The Moon’s Eye is the only thing that can stop the evil Soulless from rising to power. 
 
Calvin expertly builds a fantastic world of gods and different mortal races. The character development ensures you’re able to find a favorite and root for them. That being said, there are a lot of characters and it did take me several chapters to figure out exactly who was doing what. 
 
Overall, this is a distinctive read!

​4/5 stars

Check out my Goodreads page for more reviews!

In case you missed it, I did a cover reveal earlier this week!

I’m so excited to bring you another Serrulata Saga romance. This one is the story of two side characters from Test of the Four: Book Two of The Serrulata Saga, which is coming out in November, so don’t forget to pick that one up!
 
Bennett’s Books – June Wrap-Up
 
A list of the indie books I read this past month with links to my Goodreads reviews:
 
Legends & Lattes – Travis Baldree
Coffee-to-Go – Grayson Bell
Under Stone and Shadow (Sands of Theia, #2) – A.E. Bross
Wayward (A Soldier's Heart #1) – Kimber Delaney
Hollow Road (The Maer Cycle #1) – Dan Fitzgerald
Here Today, Scone Tomorrow (Baker's Rise Mysteries Book 1) – R.A. Hutchins
Pulsus Cordis Mei - The Pulse Of My Heart (Omnia Vincit Amor #3) – Maxime Jaz
The Master of Time (The Windermere Tales #2.5) – Talli L. Morgan
A Stranger Sort of Fairy Tale – Cherry Pickett
Soul of Lucifer: Found – Rune Rivers
Arabelle's Story (Tales of Aloseria, #1) – Rita A. Rubin
The Witch and the Wolf: A Wicked Woods Chronicles Novella – L.V. Russel
The Fable of Wren - Rue Sparks
Proper Scoundrels (Roaring Twenties Magic, #1) – Allie Therin
A Little Sin – Sionnach Wintergreen
Lover, Destroyer: A Grandimanderian Tale – Sionnach Wintergreen
 
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I wanted to take the time to share some beauty this week. I think we all could use it. Enjoy!

National Capitol Columns at the National Arboretum

An orchid at the National Portrait Gallery

Spring blooms

Split-Rocker by Jeff Koons - Glenstone Museum

Gardens at the Hillwood Estate, Washington, D.C.

Staying on the path and moving forward. Or something like that.

Well, I was supposed to get this blog post up last week, but between the day job and family obligations, I just didn’t get to it. 
 
So… BONUS! You get a blog post from me in the middle of this week!
 
When I do get free time, I’m continuing to edit, edit, edit on this latest WIP. As I’ve said before, I love both of these main characters so much. Romance is shaping up to be a genre I adore writing!
 
I’ve fixed most of the glaring errors my wonderful critique partners found, so now I have to concentrate on the nitty-gritty, which can be difficult for me. 
 
I’m aiming to have this edit done by the end of next month, but my calendar remains packed, so I’m going to have to be disciplined. 
 
As always, we’ll see…
 
What Are You Watching?
 
Those of you who follow me on Instagram know that I sometimes post about the shows I watch. Below are a few I’ve enjoyed so far this summer. 
 
Atlanta (FX/Hulu) – Season Three is more surreal than the past two season, but well worth it. This show consistently hits it out of the park.
 
Love, Death, and Robots (Netflix) – The third season of this anthology was a bit hit or miss for me, but I still really enjoyed seeing different animation styles in each episode. The brevity of the episodes helps, as well. I still want to see more from this series!
 
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon) – While I’m still very much enjoying this one, it is starting to lose a bit of steam. I think they’re doing one more season and then ending the show, which, in my opinion, is a good choice 
 
The Twilight Zone (Paramount Plus) – I’m a die-hard fan of the original and really enjoyed the first season of this reboot. The stories in Season Two are not as strong as those in the first in my opinion, but I still really liked this and have my fingers crossed they’ll do another one.
 
We Own This City (HBO) – Based on actual events, this was a fascinating look into wide-spread corruption throughout the Baltimore City police department. Some of the time jumps were a bit confusing, and the subject matter can make it a tough watch, but overall this limited series is worth the time. 
 
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From The Dreamkeepers Tarot

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably know by now that May was a whirlwind of a month for me. We left town on vacation and then moved into a new apartment right when we got back. Needless to say, my routine was completely thrown. Even though we’ve been in our new place for a week now, I’m struggling to adapt. I’m still feeling very ungrounded, which I suppose is normal after such chaos, but I’m ready for everything to settle and it hasn’t yet!
 
I’m hoping to get back to writing today. 
 
Earlier this year, I put the finishing touches on the first draft of my second romance, which I was very excited about. I sent it out to critique partners and, unfortunately, got some rather unkind feedback from one of them. I know, I know – writers need to have thick skin! And this is what I told myself, but doubt creeped in. Honestly, y’all… I lost confidence not only in the draft but in myself as a writer. Back in April I said I was taking a break, but really I couldn’t write. Every time I sat down at the keyboard, negativity overwhelmed me. I felt so lost. I cried more than once about it, not gonna lie.
 
Then, well… life happened. I left town. Had wonderful experiences in a different place. Relaxed. Uprooted my family and prepared for the next adventure. 
 
And now I’m back at the keyboard. And I’m ready to write again.
 
A special thanks to those of you who keep coming back here, sign up for my newsletter, and interact on social media. The Serrulata Squad isn’t large, but it is very dear to me. I appreciate every one of you!
 
Alright, enough from me. Y’all have a great weekend!   
 
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Peaceful path on the National Mall.

Hello Squad! 
 
I don’t have much in the way of updates this week. I’m going to be taking a short hiatus here, but I’ll be back in June.
 
In the meantime, stay safe and well…and maybe read and indie book or two!
 
Bennett’s Books – April Wrap-Up
 
A list of the indie books I read this past month with links to my Goodreads reviews:
 
Untouched – Jayme Bean
Hotel Fen (Nine Book 1) – Meri Benson and Marie Sinadjan
The Unwanted Prophet – Carolina Cruz
Shattered Magic – Emily Huffman
Avis Aurea - The Golden Bird (Omnia Vincit Amor #2) – Maxime Jaz (ARC)
Mighty Quill – Emmaline Strange (ARC)
The Dandy Medium – Dez Schwartz
Campaign of Wood: Book One of the Against the Thorns Series – Payne Sillavan
Out of Due Season: The First Transit – Benjamin X. Wretlind
 
Reminder: Vote for Yours and Mine in the Picky Bookworm Awards!
 
As I told you last time, voting is open for the Picky Bookworm Awards. Yours and Mine has been nominated in two categories: Best Romance and Best Hetero Couple. Please head on over to the site to vote—and check out the other categories where more great indie books have been nominated. Voting is open until May 31st.
 
Also, be sure to catch The Picky Bookworm Podcast every week. 
 
See you in June, y’all!
 
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(Image used with permission.)

Well, hello Serrulata Saga Squad! 
 
Spring has certainly sprung here in the DMV, though it has been unseasonably cold, and I feel like I haven’t had a chance to rest since I last blogged. 
 
I haven’t written much this month, since I’ve been sorting out some personal stuff (nothing bad—but it’s been a lot of adulting) and next month is shaping up to be fantastically busy, so I don’t think I’ll be back at my keyboard until this summer. (Reminder: I’m taking a break from my newsletter in May, so the next one will come in June.)
 
My biggest news at the moment involves the Picky Bookworm Awards. Yours and Mine has been nominated in two categories: Best Romance and Best Hetero Couple. I’d love it if you’d head on over to the site to vote—and I’m sure Octavia and Gerald would like it, too. There are a lot of fantastic indie books nominated in every category, so please be sure to check out each one!
 
Also, be sure to catch The Picky Bookworm Podcast every week. 
 
Catch y’all later!
 
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