Description

 Amber Kathleen-Cleaver Turner is ten-and-a-half years old, four-foot-seven and seventy-eight pounds. She has curly light brown hair, hazel eyes, and light brown skin.

Personality

  She is boy-crazy, outgoing, and friendly, but can be a total brat when she doesn’t get her way.  She’s smart but chooses to play dumb and thinks she’s a Disney Princess.

Likes

 Amber loves texting and talking with her friends and her phone is practically glued to her hands. She also likes makeup and frilly dresses, and still plays with dolls. She’s also obsessed with K-pop boy bands like BTS, EXO, and SHINee. She also loves Disney movies.

Dislikes

 Amber dislikes not being old enough to date, not fitting in, and being treated like a baby. She also hates that her parents won’t let her stay home alone. She also can’t stand insects and hates cats.

Goals

 Her main goal is getting a boyfriend and having her first kiss before all her friends. Also, she wants to have a separate, coed birthday party.

Desires

 Amber greatest desire is to be seen as her own person separate from her twin brother Bobby. She also doesn’t want to be treated like a little kid anymore and wants to be the most popular girl in school.

Fears

  Her greatest fear is losing her friends and being alone.

Morality/ Religious Beliefs

 Morally, Amber is lawful good and follows the rules. Religiously, She’s Catholic and tries to be on her best behavior.

Political Alignment

  If she were old enough to vote, Amber would be a democrat.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading and be sure to share this on social media. Next week’s post will be on the lessons I’ve learned self-publishing Palingenesis, my debut YA dark SFF novel, which is available now.

Welcome!

The tie has finally arrived. Palingenesis releases today, and I couldn’t be more excited you all to dive into this book.

The idea for this story has been stuck in my head since middle school, some 20+ years ago. I’ve been working on this book sporadically for the past 12 years. But it was until the pandemic hit that I got the impetus to finish and release it.

As my amazing editor—Charlie Knight (they/them)—can attest to, this book required a lot of TLC. But after a complete rewrite and multiple revisions, I’m proud of my book baby. I can’t wait for you to meet Travis, Josh, and Pro and have all the feels.

Here’s the blurb:

Hell has no fury like a seventh-grader scorned.

Twelve-year-old Travis Turner fought the devil and won . . . barely. But evil never dies, and now he must master his supernatural abilities before Oblivion grows strong enough to defeat him and jump-start the apocalypse.

However, Travis’s powers cause genome instability, leaving him only months to live if it’s not reversed.

He’s resigned to dying, until JJ Giovanni, the cocky redhead who’s bullies him for years, befriends him.

As their relationship intensifies, so do Travis’s powers, until he’s called to a cave, where he learns truths that forever change him.

To save the people he loves, the world and himself, Travis must let go of all he knows and embrace the hero within.

For fans of Buffy, The X-Men, and Shonen anime/manga.

You can buy Palingenesis at the following universal buy link here.

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


These Violent Delights by Chole Gong, is a fantasy retelling of Rome & Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai. In this version, Roma Montagov is heir to the White Flower Gang, and Juliette Cai is heir to the Scarlet Gang; these gangs have been in a blood feud for years and Roma and Juliette are lovers-turned-enemies forced together to solve the mystery of a madness sweeping through the city that causes people to claw out their throats.

I wanted to like this book, but it just didn’t do it for me. I will say the prose was gorgeous, poetic and at times lyrical. And I loved the interaction between Roma and Juliette and Marshall and Benedikt. However, this wasn’t enough to overcome the books many shortcomings.

First, it wasn’t until 100 pages in that plot picked up, then it crept along at a glacial pace. Events would happen, then you’re forced to slog through tons of exposition that had little to no relevance to the plot. I get world building is a thing, but if you’re going to info dump, make it interesting.

Second, this book drags on. It rightly could have been cut in half and you wouldn’t notice it. So many of the scenes/chapters are spent with characters sitting around discussing things that have no bearing on the plot. Politics and social commentary, when done well, are a joy to read, but in this case, I was bored to tears waiting for something to happened. The only reason I didn’t DNF was because of Benedikt and Marshall’s scenes. But by the 60% mark, I started skimming the pages.

Third, there were too many POV characters. Don’t get me wrong. I love books with more than one POV character, when they are done well. In the case of These Violent Delights, outside of Roma, Juliette and Benedikt and Marshall, the other POVs weren’t needed and in the case of Tyler Cai’s lone section, it added nothing that couldn’t have been incorporated into Juliette’s chapters/sections.

Ultimately, by the last 20% of the book I didn’t care who the Larkspur was, who the monster was, or what happened to the main characters.

I also, saw the setup for a sequel coming, but was still angry when the book ended on a massive cliffhanger.

Overall, this felt more like a second or third draft than a finished book. I loved the concept, but it lacked a ton in the execution. If I do read the sequel, I’ll rent it from the library.

I give These Violent Delights 2.0 out of 5 stars. Rent this one from your library or buy when it’s on sale.





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Description

 Sarah Sophia Turner nee Aurum is thirty-two, five-six, 140 pounds, with blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin.

Personality

  She is pretentious, haughty, and money hungry. She often dreams up get rich quick schemes that fail and is a lotto addict.

Sarah can be cold and distant, especially when money is tight. She’s also quick to anger and holds grudges easily. As the only child of Marshall and Helena Aurum, she grew up having anything she wanted, and now that she has to live on a budget, she resents being lower middle class. She and her mother rarely talk since she disowned Sarah for marrying Sampson Turner and having Travis young.  

Likes

 Sarah likes window shopping at luxury stores and dreaming about one day affording said items. She’s also fond of old shows and movies that remind her of her lavish childhood. Sarah also likes dolphins and has a dolphin pendent, which Sampson gave her for their first anniversary. Also, she likes money, power, and being in charge, and is addicted to watching all those real housewives of . . . shows and reading bodice rippers.

Dislikes

Sarah dislikes when people question her authority, disrespect her, or make her feel like she’s not good enough. She hates anything that reminds her she’s not rich or as powerful as she ought to be.  

Goals

  Sarah’s primary goal is becoming wealthy, through any means necessary. Second to this is keeping her family together until the twins graduate college. Third, is becoming the head of the nursing department and head of AP Prep’s PTA.

Desires

  Sarah’s primary desire is to be rich and not have to ever work again. Second, is keeping her kids safe. Third, making sure Travis never finds out about his powers and what she and her husband allowed the government to do to him.

Fears

Her greatest fear is losing everything and being homeless. She also fears Travis finding out about his powers and the harm he could do.

Morality/Religious Beliefs

 Morally, Sarah is lawful neutral; she follows the laws she agrees with, ignores those she doesn’t, and puts the needs of herself and her family above all others.

Religiously, she is Catholic and attends Mass when her job allows time for it.

Political Alignment

  Sarah is a conservative democrat; she’s liberal on fiscal matters but leans to right on social issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, and trans rights.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading. Next week’s post will be all about my book release details. Then I’ll resume the next post in this series on Sampson Turner, Travis’s father.

Call to Action

If you liked this post, please share it on social media.

Also, my aforementioned book is available for pre-orders NOW, at the following link:

Books2read.com/Palingenesis

Description

He’s in his thirties with fiery-red hair, which he keeps in a Caesar cut with a trimmed beard. He’s six-four and 220 pounds of pure muscles, with green eyes and swarthy skin. 

Personality

While sophisticated, he holds boorish opinions on things like gender norms, gender identity and sexual orientation, believing men should be men and women should be women.

He’s highly critical of those around him, expecting only the best. He’s also an ass when it comes to his job as an investment banker, often going out of his way to screw over his competitors and seize assets in hostile takeovers.

He’s best described as a bully and is hard on Josh because he believes his son is “soft”.

Likes

Cain likes cigars, whiskey, and fast food. When not working, he likes to exercise and watch old gangster movies.  He loves power and fame and can never get enough of either. He also loves sex and has several mistresses across the globe who he hooks up with while on business trips. He also likes traditional gender roles, believing women should stay at home and tend to the children. He also loves hunting and fishing when he has the time. Cain’s also a fan of the police and military.

Dislikes

 Cain dislikes anything that can be described as ‘woke” and “progressive,” and hates anything to do with social justice. He thinks BLM and LGBTQ+ rights are a bunch of nonsense and that anyone who believes in them are traitors to the country. He also hates anyone who says, “happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.”

Goals

Cain’s primary goal is gaining enough power, money and fame to take over the world. Second, he wants to mold Josh into a suitable heir, then marry him off to a good family to produce grandchildren.

Desires:  Cain desires sex, adoration, power, and money.

Fears

His greatest fears are being ignored, losing his wealth and power, and never succeeding in his plan for world domination.

Morality/ Religious beliefs

 Cain is Neutral evil and will achieve his goals by any means necessary. He’s a lapsed Catholic and aside from Josh’s baptism and first communion, he hasn’t attended church in decades.

Political Alignment: He’s an outright fascist.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading, please share this post on social media if you liked it. Next week’s post will be a profile of Travis’s mother Sarah Sophia Turner.

Call to Action

Preorders for Palingenesis, my debut YA SFF novel about evil’s chosen one and his boyfriend, are available NOW!

Book2read.com/Palingenesis

Description

Lilith has platinum blonde hair, hazel eyes, and fair skin. She is five-one and 105 pounds, and often wears heels and designer dresses. She’s in her thirties.

Personality  

She is snobby, condescending, ambitious, and driven. She is also ruthless when it comes to getting what she wants, and critical of everyone, including Josh.

A shopaholic, she has a taste for the finer things in life and can be best described as a grown-up mean girl.

Likes

She likes going to the opera and the Detroit Institute of Art. She’s fond of red wine and shoes, the latter of which she has hundreds of pairs.

She also likes power and being in charge, and loves her job as an investment banker, where she revels in crushing her competition. While she is hard on Josh, she does love him in her own way—as she does her husband.

Dislikes

She dislikes sweating, camping, or doing anything where she can’t get cell reception. She also a neat freak and germaphobe, who dislikes poor people, believing they’re lazy and should be dealt with.

Lilith also dislikes any negative attention brought on her and her family. She absolutely hates being belittled.

Goals

Her primary goal is to be the best at her job to maintain her lifestyle. Second, she wants to maintain her image as mother of the year. Third, she wants to become famous and expand her influence in the world.

Desires  

Lilith desires power, individuality, and control over her life. She also wants Josh to become a respectable man.

Fears

Her greatest fear is being powerless and finding herself enslaved by another. Also, she fears being poor and losing face in her social circle. She also fears something happening to Josh.

Morality/Religious Beliefs

Morally she is neutral evil and believes gaining power is the most important thing in life and will use any method to achieve this goal. While an atheist, she raised Josh to be Catholic.

Political Alignment

She is an authoritarian with fascist leanings.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading. Next week’s post will be Cain Giovanni, Josh’s father.

Call to Action

If you enjoyed this post, please share it on social media. Also Palingenesis is now available for preorder at the link below and releases September 1^st.

books2read.com/Palingenesis

Description

She has grey hair with pale blue eyes, and a heart-shaped face. She’s seventy-seven, five-foot two, and ninety pounds. Her full name is Helena Troy Ziglar-Aurum, and she’s the richest woman in the world, owing to her being the oldest of the Ziglar children and heiress to the Cadmus fortune.  She has a hunch due to having polio as a child.

Personality

 She’s fiercely protective of her loved ones but has a legendary temper and will hold grudges for years. Old-school and no-nonsense, she says what’s on her mind with little regard for people’s feeling. When she was younger, she was a big tomboy, preferring climbing trees and going hunting to playing dolls and having tea parties. She’s also a reformed racist and tries to keep up with current events like LGBTQ+ rights and BLM.

Likes

She likes her mystery novels and watching movies from her childhood on the Classic Movie Channel. She’s also fond of horses and has several on the Aurum Estate, along with a few pugs and cockatoos to keep her company. Helena is passionate about helping others and attends several charity events each month, and when not doing that, she plays bridge with her friends and takes salsa lessons on the weekends. She also knits and crochets clothes for her family and friends Her favorite person in the world is Travis.

Dislikes

Helena hates rude people and people who think they’re better than everyone just because they’re wealthy. She also has a long-standing feud with Travis’s mother, her daughter and only child, and their fights are epic. She also hates how Travis’s parents treat him and how they allowed the DMRC to experiment on him.  Her biggest pet peeve is fake people who only act nice to her because of her vast fortune.

Goals

Helena’s primary goal is enjoying her golden years and using her money to do the greatest good. Second, she wants to spend time with her loved ones, such as her great nephew Austin and grandson Travis. She also wants to find a suitable successor to run her businesses until Travis comes of age to assume control of them.

Desires

 Helena wants to undo all the evil her husband and his friends have caused over the years. She also wants Travis to use his powers for good.

Fears

 She fears not having enough time with her loved ones and not being able to counteract her husband’s evildoings. Helena also fears whomever she chooses as her successor will use their wealth and power for nefarious means and all the work she did will be for naught.

 Morality/ Religious Belief

 Morally, she’s chaotic good and follows her own code of conduct with little regard for what the law says. Religiously, she’s Protestant and goes to church several times a week. She’s very serious about her faith.

Political Alignment

Helena is an east coast liberal elite who favors libertarian values like individualism and freedom of choice and association.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading. Next week’s post will be on Josh’s parents.

Call to Action

Palingenesis is now available for preorder and you can pick up a copy at the link below.

books2read.com/Palingenesis

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I Wish You All the Best, by Mason Deaver, is a YA contemporary romance and coming of age novel about Ben De Backer, a high school senior who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.
After coming out to their parents, they are kicked out in the middle of winter and go to live with their older sister Hanna and her husband Thomas.

At Ben’s new school they are befriend by Nathan Allen, and they soon develop feelings for him. However, Ben isn’t out to Nathan or anyone else at school.

I loved this book, and though I’m cis, Ben’s journey to accepting their self and dealing with their anxiety, depression, and issues of self love and self worth resonated with me as I’ve struggled with those issues too.

Also, the way they overthought things, were super self conscious, and how they expected the worst gave me flashbacks of my teen years.

I loved the voice in this; it was as though Ben was telling it right to me. But have a few issues. I found some of Ben’s actions stupid/borderline selfish such as how they resented Hanna for abandoning them when she left home or how they didn’t tell her about the message from their mom and their meeting with their parents.

Also, I felt Nathan’s character did veer into manic pixie dream boy and magical negro territory at times. Nathan spends the bulk of the book trying to get Ben out of his shell and being his emotional support. Aside from his being comedic relief, hot, and liking books (which he’s never shown reading), there isn’t much to his character. And most of the other characters get the same superficial treatment. Besides Ben and Nathan, Mariam, Ben’s nonbinary Muslim vlogger friend, is the only character who’s given depth.

The ending also felt a bit rushed.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and highly recommend it. I give I Wish You All the Best four out of five stars.




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The Taking of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Taking of Jake Livingston, by Ryan Douglass, is a YA horror novel that follows the eponymous Black, gay, teen medium as he attempts to stop Sawyer Doon, a school shooter turned vengeful ghost, from continuing his killing spree and possessing Jake.

Jake attends St. Clair Prep, a prestigious private school where he is one of only two Black students there and is often the target of racist comments and actions from students and teachers alike.
Jake lacks confidence in himself and rarely speaks up, the former of which Sawyer plays on to torment and possess him.

I connected with Jake’s selective mutism as I was bullied in school too and stopped speaking completely unless I was forced to talk by teachers.

Only by finding his voice and confidence in himself can Jake banish Sawyer for good.
I was on the fence about continuing this book after learning Sawyer was a POV character, and I could see how others would be put off by reading about a psychopathic killer who ultimately kills himself during his school shooting.

However, Douglass wrote Sawyer’s chapters in such a way to humanize him without condoning his actions or painting him in a sympathetic light.

Though, I think this book could have benefited from content warnings regarding scenes depicting the school shooting and a sexual assault later in the book.

Overall, I loved this book and devoured it in three days. All I have to say is wow and when’s the sequel coming out.

I Give The Taking of Jake Livingston five out of five stars. Definitely read this one.




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Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun, by Jonny Garza Villa, is a YA romance about Julian “Jules” Luna and Mat Pham, two high school senior boys who begin a long-distance relationship when Mat slides into Jules’s DMs after He gets drunk one night and comes out on social media
This book deals with toxic masculinity, domestic abuse, and general homophobia. Jules’s father forces him to go to a private Catholic prep school and beats him when he does anything that seems “gay”.
Over the course of the story, Jules finds the strength to stand up for himself against his father and the homophobic students at his school and live his best life.

I loved the voice in this. It was so conversational, and it felt like Jules was a friend telling you the story. It reminded me a lot of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, only gayer, more modern, and set in Texas.

Jules’s friends all seemed like real people, and I especially loved his friend Lou who stole the show in every scene they were in. His friend Jordan was also hilarious. However, I thought Jules’s older sister Xochi was a bit one note, and I thought she was little more than a plot device to move the story along.

Another thing I loved about this book is it addressed the issues queer people of color deal with, such as racism from white LGBTQ+ folks and queer phobia within communities of color.

Another issue I was surprised that this book tackled was how some nonblack people of color are racist towards Black people.

I also loved how Mat and Jules were both people of color. So often in YA romances you have a passive love interest of color paired with a white one. So, it was nice to see a brown queer couple in love and unapologetically embrace their cultures.

If I had one criticism, it’s that the ending felt a bit too Disney. But otherwise, I loved this book. Five out of five stars. I highly recommend you read this book like now!




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Description

Agent Anderson is white and in his early thirties, with light-brown hair and blue eyes. He’s five-ten and 165 pounds. His full name is Thomas Anthony Anderson.

Personality

He has a geeky, raunchy sense of humor and is shy around women. He’s serious about his work and ambitious. When nervous he makes jokes.

Likes

He enjoys reading comics, working out, watching action movies and comedies, and playing video games. His favorite food is Swedish meatballs. He loves a good larger or IPA and is into microbrewery. He’s also a big NCAA basketball fan and tries to go to at least one Penn State game a year. He’s also big into classic rock.

Dislikes

He dislikes paperwork and doing assignments he feels are beneath him. Also, he hates egghead types because they make him feel insecure about his intelligence, and he doesn’t like being condescended to or treated like a kid just because he’s younger than most agents at the DMRC. He also hates how Kyle and the other Metahumans are treated but goes along with it to not rock the boat.

Goals

Agent Anderson’s primary goal is to facilitate the smooth extraction of Subject Prometheus, AKA Travis, and get a big promotion with a nice corner office and pay raise.

Second to this, he wants to find a way to improve the conditions of the Metahumans. However, his goals shift when he meets Travis. He decides to help Travis in the hopes he is the key to saving the other Metahumans.

Desires

As the middle child of five kids, Agent He wants to stand out and be recognized, which is why he accepted the DMRC’s offer to be a handler for metahumans. He wants to be the boss of his division, but he didn’t count on bonding with Kyle, Marie, Echo, and the others.

Now he wants to ensure they’re treated better and eventually allowed to go back to their families. He also wants to settle down and live that picket-fenced suburban life.

Fears

Agent Anderson fears being powerless to prevent the Metahumans from getting hurt, and what Travis is capable now that his powers have reactivated.

Morality/ Religious Beliefs

He is neutral good, doing what is asked of him by superiors, even if he doesn’t agree with them. But he will break the rules when he sees fit. Religiously, he’s a lapsed Catholic, but still says his Hail Marys and Our Fathers when he does or says something bad.

Political Alignment

He considers himself center right and has voted Republican every election since he was 18, though he doesn’t always agree with their platform on things like immigration or foreign policy.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading, Next week’s post will be on Oblivion, The Father of Demons and ultimate incarnation of evil.

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Description

Jenny is white with hazel eyes, black hair, and large breasts. She is 32, five-foot-eight, and 175 pounds.

Personality

She is fiercely protective of those she cares about, is a big flirt, and takes her job as an RN seriously. She doesn’t mind working hard if the reward is worth it. She’s a bit of a tomboy owing to her having four older brothers. She can be a bit prissy, though. She’s also a hopeless romantic.

Likes

She’s fond of harlequin romances and paranormal romances a la Twilight, and shows like Friends, Gilmore Girls, and Girls.  Her favorite dish is biscuits and gravy, and her favorite drink is Jim Bean whiskey. She likes rom-coms, Korean dramas, and country music.

Dislikes

Jenny hates liars and cheaters and can’t stand people who take advantage of others. She also hates when doctors condescend to her like she’s dumb. She doesn’t like spicy food or take out, preferring to make her own meals. She also hates the attention she receives because of her breasts. She sees red when anyone messes with Travis.

Goals

Long term, Jenny wants to settle down, get married, and start a family. Short term, she wants to become head of St. Michael’s nursing department and use the pay rise to start saving for her wedding. Also, she wants to keep Travis safe no matter the cost to her.

Desires

Jenny desires to love and be loved. Ultimately, she wants to move to the country, buy a plot of land and use it to raise some chickens, rabbits, and goats. She also has dreams of starting her own line of artisanal sausages and cheeses. And she wants to start a free clinic for rural people.

Fears

Jenny fears not being good enough at her job and having to move back to Mobile, AL with her family. She’s also afraid of losing those close to her, especially Travis. And bugs creep her out.

Morality/Religious Beliefs

She is Lawful Good and follows rules even if she doesn’t always agree with them. Religiously, she is Southern Baptist.

Political Alignment

She is a centrist, conservative on some issues like gun control and abortion; and liberal on issues like LGBTQ+ rights, taxes, and freedom of speech.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading! Next weeks post will be on Agent Thomas Anderson.

Call to Action

Please add  Palingenesis to your want to read list on Goodreads.