hrchow12

Posted on January 24, 2023December 20, 2022 by hrchow12

Book Review – Dibs

Okay, when I say slowburn, I mean this book is SLOWBURN. Dibs follows Olivia 6 months after a rattling divorce as she goes on a work training trip notorious for hook-ups. Enter Adam, the incredibly attractive guy that her roommate has called dibs on, but who seems much more interested in Olivia.

But after Olivia’s divorce, she’s understandably loathe to trust again, and Adam is reeling from his own personal trials. Both of the characters are likable and definitely have the kind of chemistry that makes you hardcore want to will them together immediately. The slowburn is thick with tension, and ultimately leads to a satisfying ending, but there were times I found Olivia’s self-doubt and their interactions just a little repetitive.

Overall though, a solid romantic read that walks the line of steam, and one I would definitely recommend to fans of slow burn contemporary romances.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Whew. There is nothing that makes me want to shove characters together (in the best way) like slowburn.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on January 23, 2023January 23, 2023 by hrchow12

NYC Midnight Challenge Entry: Eve Resurrected

Eve Resurrected

November 2022 (First Round)
Genre: Science Fiction
Word: Pare
Action: Hair Falling Out
Time Constraint: 24 hours
Length: 250 words

Sophie awoke to a blast of frigid air, pain, and blinding light. God, was she hungover? It must’ve been a rough night. Groaning, she squinted at the man in a surgical mask and cap leaning over her hospital cot. Oh. Make that very rough.

“What hospital is this?” she croaked, her fingers registering the tubes connecting her body to the room’s white walls. Her parents were probably freaking out. Where was her phone?

The man straightened stiffly. “That is difficult to answer, but I can reassure you that you are safe.” Although his tone was calming, the words came out stilted, like English wasn’t his native language. “May I ask what you remember?”

Sophie ran her fingers through her hair, only for a clump of her blond locks to separate from her scalp. Horror rose up her throat like bile, and she muffled a shriek. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Do not fear. Radiation was a necessary component of the revival process, but you are well now.”

“R-revival?” A deep wrongness niggled in Sophie’s gut. “Who are you? What happened to me?”

“My name is Tom. I am an android created to ease your transition.” Tom stared at her with pale, unblinking eyes. “You, Sophie Jones, are the first human to successfully recover from cryosleep.”

“Android?” This was a joke right? A nightmare? “But where are the people?”

Silence stretched between them. “Until now, humanity was extinct. You are the only one, Sophie.”

Her newly reborn wails echoed long and loud.

JUDGe’s Feedback

This one placed 9th, just barely squeaking into the second round, but I’m not going to lie, I may have to write this full-length novel one day.

WHAT THE JUDGES LIKED ABOUT YOUR STORY

{2061} I like the pace at which you allow Sophie to wake up. There’s not much of a panic in her thought process early on, and that really helps the build to the ending.

{2290} This story has a nice contrast between the clinical and the mammalian. It’s comedic that the first thing Sophie imagines is a self-inflicted hangover. It’s a clever choice too to make the first human to be revived semi-dependent on parents. That helps with making her all the more lost when the truth is revealed.

{22} The story is unique, and I especially appreciate that in this “hard” science-fiction plot the focus was on the feeling and reaction of Sophie rather than the mechanics of the world. The story attempted to keep the focus on what is interesting and compelling—the story—rather than the science-fiction universe surrounding it. By doing that, the science-fiction aspects feel more fully realized than if they were over-explained. That balance is well-maintained.

WHAT THE JUDGES FEEL NEEDS WORK

{2061} I wonder if an image or something could pass through Sophie’s mind as she’s trying to make sense of “revival.” Is there anything in her memory that might hint to what’s happened?

{2290} I think Sophie’s reaction at the end is a bit preemptive. Sophie does not yet know if there are others undergoing the revival process, and indeed if her parents are safely in cryosleep. As reader, I pondered long about why Tom did not answer Sophie’s question about which hospital they were in.

{22} The set-up is distinctive, which is great and not easy. The focus on Sophie feels like the right decision. However, it is not clear to me how she is waking from cryosleep and her first reaction is that it was a “rough night.” That feels a little like a cliche when someone wakes and doesn’t know what’s going on. It distracts from what is working and it feels false when authors do that. It feels like a crutch. There has to be a more interesting way into that moment that doesn’t feel familiar and does something to reveal character and story. Why doesn’t she remember? What kind of things does she do in her life (beyond drinking)? Does she actually remember something hazily? There are a lot of things that could be done with that to match how distinctive the rest of the story is.

Posted on January 17, 2023December 20, 2022 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – What Lies in the Woods

I was definitely in the mood for a dark thriller, when Netgalley sent me an email with this audiobook ARC. What Lies in the Woods follows Naomi when she returns to her childhood town where she was the victim of an attempted murder that put a serial killer behind bars.

The tension and dark atmosphere is thick right from the beginning and definitely drew me in with the obvious mysteries lurking in Naomi’s story. However, I didn’t really find Naomi to be a compelling character – she’s super self-destructive and honestly just frustrating sometimes – and I had trouble to connecting to her. Mostly I got annoyed when she kept actually saying out loud “I know I should go to the police BUT…” or “I know I should do the logical thing BUT…”

However, I found the mysteries here to be really satisfying, and there were definitely some twists and turns along the way that I didn’t expect (and some I did). I wish the ending had been a touch more uplifting and less open-ended, but overall I enjoyed the read (and the narration was fantastic) and would recommend to those looking for a dark thriller with few gratifying surprises.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! What Lies in the Woods comes out today!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy birthday, you dark little book! Here, have a review!

Thanks for reading!

Posted on January 10, 2023December 21, 2022 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – All the Dangerous Things

So Netgalley dropped two thrillers in my inbox on the same happy day, and while I was certainly in the mood for a thriller, this wasn’t my favorite of the two. All the Dangerous Things follows a sleep-deprived mother a year after her son has gone missing as she (understandably) is still obsessing over the very-cold case. The narrative is also interspliced with relevant scenes from Isabelle’s childhood as well as how she and her estranged husband first came together.

First, I found this novel to be rather slow (though disclaimer: I prefer a breakneck pace, so please keep that in mind). With no leads and not a whole lot of urgency, I found the tension hard to feel for most of this book. Not to mention, Isabelle is NOT a good person, so I found her hard to relate to as a character. Even as the story took some interesting twists and turns, I feel like she had a very detached reaction to them. While the books ends on a nice up-note, it still felt like some very messy things were put away a little too cleanly, and I wish we’d gotten some more depth from the supporting characters.

However, if you like psychological thrillers that take their time, this book is well-written and well-narrated with plenty of dark atmosphere and a karmic ending. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! All the Dangerous Things comes out today!

⭐⭐⭐½

Thanks for reading!

Posted on January 3, 2023November 23, 2022 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett follows an octogenarian who has had ENOUGH of life. Largely cut off from the world, and very much unimpressed with it, she’s ready to take matters into her own hands when she gets 10-year-old Rose as a neighbor… and new BFF. Their relationship and banter absolutely made this book, and overall I found their narrative to be a very relaxing, wholesome story about life in your last decades, the choices we make, and redemption.

Interspersed with their story, we also get Eudora’s montage of memories of what her life has been like – from her childhood in the midst of WWII London through the present day. And honestly, that was… kind of a downer. While it makes you totally get why Eudora has cut herself off from the world, there were choices she made that were a bit frustrating, and honestly I wish she had at least some happy memories interspersed in there to balance it out and really make her life more “brilliant” rather than depressing.

But that aside, I found this a quick, refreshing read, and really enjoyed Eudora’s proper and unapologetic take on things, especially in contrast to those around her. Recommended for those looking for a thoughtful but fun reflection on life, death, and our connections to those around us.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cheers to the privilege of getting old, my friends. Not to brag, but I think I’m going to make a fabulous unapologetic old woman. 😂

Thanks for reading!

Posted on December 26, 2022November 23, 2022 by hrchow12

Book Review – We Could Be Villains

I absolutely love when a book delivers on its premise, and this one is right on the money! We Could be Villains follows Rosemary, a huge Vigil & Ante (read: Marvel-esque) fangirl as she stumbles into the high-stakes reality behind her favorite movies. With her difficult home-life, cinematic passion, and quirky tagalong co-worker, Rosemary is definitely a character that you can connect with almost immediately, and it’s so fun to follow both her excitement and fear as she navigates the new and dangerous world of undercover superheroes. It was really interesting to see the Vigil & Ante world unfold before her, along with some twists that definitely caught me by surprise.

Interspliced with her narrative is an interrogation of Ironfall, the smooth villain of Vigil & Ante and Rosemary’s blackmailer. I absolutely loved seeing the contrast between his take on events and Rosemary, and the chemistry between them is intense! Let’s just say I’m a big Ironfall fan. The promise of a enemies-to-lovers romance is THICK and definitely has me checking for the release date of the sequel!

Definitely recommend for any superhero fans looking for a fast-paced romp through a world that you’ll definitely will want to jump into for yourself!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Throwback to that one time I was a superhero! It’s always a good time.🦸‍♀️

Thanks for reading!

Posted on December 20, 2022January 1, 2024 by hrchow12

2022 Writing Sum-up!

So this is the time of the year where I try to reflect on how the last twelve months of my writing life went. Was it… productive? Fun? Fulfilling? Disappointing? What did I learn? What did I do well? What could I improve for next year?

And, you all… a LOT happened this year, and my small potatoes writing career took some big steps. So let’s take a look!

first, the numbers

Words written: 55,000 (The Ninth Circle) + 77,000 (Time’s Orphan) + 22,000 (Night of Ash) + 60,000 (Inky & Heater IRL) = 214,000 words (3 complete, 1 partial)

Words revised: 77,000 (TO) + 22,000 (NoA) + 99,000 (ItC) + 75,000 (TBA) = 273,000 words (4 books)

Words published: 22,000 words (1 book)

Words queried: 99,000 (ItC) + 75,000 (TBA) = 174,000 words (2 books)

2022 Total Words Worked: 758,000 words

Sales Numbers: 650+ self-published books sold. Another 200ish downloaded for free. (Draft to Digital makes it little harder to distinguish between which books were bought and which were downloaded for free)

And the Goodreads numbers.

Odriel’s Heirs: 165 ratings / 4.33 stars
Burning Shadows: 17 ratings / 4.94 stars
Idriel’s Children: 50 ratings / 4.34 stars
Night of Ash: 9 ratings / 5 stars
Time’s Orphan: 8 ratings / 4.88 stars
The Gatekeeper of Pericael: 84 ratings / 4.08 stars
Into the Churn: 4 ratings / 5 stars
My Goodreads total: 341 ratings / 4.34 stars

For reference, the 2021 total was 214 copies sold, 136,000 written, and 554,000 words worked. So yeah. Obviously, still small potatoes. But numbers wise, this years kicked the pants off of last year in pretty much every single way, and that wasn’t even the best part!

The best parts

I got not one, but TWO publishing deals with Whimsical Publishing, and I absolutely ADORE working with them. It has been the best experience. And not only that, but I actually had another 2 publishing offers from small presses this year. 😱 This was new and exciting territory for me, and I was absolutely thrilled to make the leap from self-pub to small press with a publisher that loves me books as much as I do. 💛

Then, my YA paranormal, The Ninth Circle, got picked up for a WriteHive mentorship with EJ Dawson! 🎉 What?! Is this even real life? The first call was so awesome, and I can’t wait to whip the manuscript into shape with them!

The Gatekeeper of Pericael was a semi-finalist in the Book Blogger Novel of the Year Awards. I love my upper middle grade fantasy, but it can be so hard to market, so this was an exciting moment!

Odriel’s Heirs got over 100 Amazon ratings and finally got BookBub US and International marketing deals! 🎉 I was so stoked to get more exposure for my first book child, and I definitely had a positive experience with these. Fingers crossed I can get more books accepted in the future!

I got accepted to be a participating author at both OwlCon 2023 and StoryBound Fest 2023! StoryBound Fest will be my first in-person author convention, and I’m pretty nervous! So that’ll be an exciting new challenge for next year.

What I learned

This year, I really nailed down my outlining process with the Save the Cat formula, which really helped me churn out those first drafts. Thanks to Story Genius and an obsession with K-drama, I also had a crucial epiphany on how to develop likable, relatable characters.
I love dual-POV and the depth it brings to a story. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back.

I grew a lot more comfortable as a critique partner and have collected a few more writing friends who I can reliably swap feedback with.

I also was able to consistently read and review books on my book blog here! 62 and counting this year! This has been great way to give back to the writing community, bring more traffic to my little site here, and also sharpen my critiquing skills.

I learned how to create decent covers in Canva Pro! This was a super fun tool for my creative process and marketing purposes, but if I ever self-pub in the future, I’m glad I can use this as a viable option to cut costs. (However, if anyone has any recommendations on graphic design online resources, they would be so appreciated! I definitely still have room for improvement. 😅

Making playlists for my books and WIPs on Spotify is ridiculously transportive, and I can’t believe I didn’t discover this earlier. I now have a playlist for every single one, and it is an amazing way to get in the writing mindset and pivot quickly between WIPs.

Finally, I learned that small presses can be amazing, and honestly I wish I had investigated/considered them a more with first two books I queried.

What I still need to work on

Oh boy. So much. I’ve been making some strides in the last few months, but the balance of writing and social media engagement still eludes me, although I feel like I’ve grown more comfortable being my ridiculous, goofy self in reels and selfies. And I actually have a TikTok now – who would’ve thought that?!

Advertisements. I tried again this year, buutttt still failing big on this one. If anyone wants to point me toward some learning resources, I would LOVE that.

Querying agents. I had several full requests this year, but per percentage of queries I send out, my numbers are nothing to write home about. As I’ll probably end up querying two WIPs next year, I definitely want to focus on sharpening my query materials to boost my request stats next year.

Minimizing publishing expenses. Although writing is definitely more of a passion project for me than a business (thank goodness for the day job!), I definitely want to start streamlining my expenses so I can write long-term without permanently denting my wallet. Moving to small press helped immensely this year, and while I hope to publish more with small presses in the future, if I ever selfpub again, I’ll be streamlining my process to cut costs.

A brand? Right now I’ve been kind of all over the place: YA Epic Fantasy, MG Fantasy, YA Sci-fi, YA Paranormal, YA fairytale retelling, YA romance… I know one day, if I decide to really get serious, I’ll probably need to pick a lane of some nature, but right now I’m just having fun, so I’ll save that conundrum for future me.

Goals

So what can I go after? As always, I try to keep my goals measurable and attainable.

Get Time’s Orphan out into the world on February 8th, and officially complete my first series. 🎉

Launch Into the Churn on April 4th… and cross my fingers that it does well enough to write the sequel. 🤞 (p.s. If you read it and want more, don’t forget to rate, review, & spread the word on social media!)

Revise my YA Paranormal with my mentor and toss it into the query trenches

Revise my YA Romance and storm the query trenches with that one too!

Attend Storybound Fest and live to tell about it. (Did I mention I was nervous?!) 😅

And of course, write the next book. I have three outlines waiting for me, but I’m not sure which will win out here, so it’ll be exciting to see what I’m working on next.

So yeah, it’s been an incredibly fantastic writing year for me, and I’m so grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had and the people that have supported and encouraged me along the way. 💛 Here’s to more growth and adventures in 2023. As always, thanks so much for reading!

So thrilled with how much I’ve grown this year as a writer and so proud of these two books. I can’t wait to see them out into the world!

Posted on December 19, 2022October 25, 2022 by hrchow12

Audiobook Review – Kingdom of the Wicked

This book had so many elements that I enjoyed. The Italian vibes, the creepy darkness of the prose, and a plot of murder, princes of hell, and witches. I was totally on board. But, the MC, Emilia, kind of ruined it for me. Oh boy. Seriously, I could not Even with her. Though the audiobook was beautifully narrated, there were a couple times I had to pause it because Emilia was killing me. Again. The mental gymnastics she goes through to repeatedly end up at the wrong conclusion was exhausting, and her treatment of Wrath (who saved her life way too many times to count) was not cool. Seriously, run, Wrath. I’m sure there have to be other witch fish in the sea. So, great premise, great writing, but a nonsensical MC I really couldn’t find redeemable. But! That’s just my opinion, so if you’re into dark fantasy with strong Italian flavor, maybe give it a look!

⭐⭐⭐

Emilia, girl, seriously, I just can’t with you.

Thanks for reading!

Posted on December 16, 2022December 8, 2022 by hrchow12

BESt young Adult read

Not only is this the best Young Adult book I read this year, but this is probably one of the best young adult books I have read EVER. Yeah. A contemporary rivals-to-lovers romance with a fun premise that is paced to perfection. Seriously, give me the movie now!!! *Grabby hands* Full Review here!

Best Fantasy

Okay. I read Kemmerer’s A Curse so Dark and Lonely and enjoyed it, but not enough to read the sequel. THIS book, however, was on a completely different level, and I will DEFINITELY be reading the next book in the series. I adored the double POV here, the high stakes, the interesting world – basically everything I love about books. And I currently have the book 2 audiobook on hold! Squee! Full Review here!

Best Romance

Okay, you know I think highly of a romance when I recommend it to my mom, and I can definitely say we both loved this one. Emily Henry’s “People We Meet on Vacation” didn’t work for me, but I absolutely adored this one. I loved the emotional depth, and the progression of their relationship was just so sweet. Loved it, and I have the Book Lovers audiobook on hold now. Full review here.

Best literary

This one’s definitely not my usual read, but I’m so glad I picked it up. Nana’s voice is so strong, and lends a light, sardonic air to this bittersweet reflection on life. Heavy and yet so soothing at the same time. Yes, I loved this one too. Full review here.

Best series

Okay, generally speaking, I’m not a series person. If the first one is amazing, I often find the sequel disappoints. And if the first one wasn’t amazing, why would I want to read the second. It’s such a trap! However… sometimes they do suck me in, and this one was SO worth. The characters, the romance, their quirky little town, the mystery – I loved it all, and I would read a million more of these suckers. Please write more Sunshine Vicram novels! Pleassseee! Full review here.

A fantastic reading year over all! But if you think I missed some of your favorites, please feel free to drop them in the comments and I’ll check them out on Goodreads! I’m always on the lookout for new gems, and I’m excited to see what books 2023 brings my way. Please remember to support your favorite authors with ratings and reviews, and as always, thanks for reading! 😊

May your 2023 be filled with new and amazing books!

Posted on December 14, 2022December 6, 2022 by hrchow12

Author Interview: Valinora Troy

Author interview time! Thanks so much to my twitter friend and fellow indie author, Valinora Troy (she/her), for participating in a Q&A! (Also as a reminder, if you’re interested in being featured in one of these author interviews, please feel free to reach out via email/social media/or carrier pigeon!)

Valinora Troy is a Children’s Fantasy writer, living in Ireland. She recently completed an MA in Creative Writing specialising in Children’s & Young Adult fiction. She has published short horror stories for adults. She has recently served as a round 1 judge in the CYBILS award, elementary/middlegrade speculative fiction.

Hayley: Hey Valinora! Thanks so much for letting me ask you a few questions! I read your debut middle-grade fantasy, The Lucky Diamond in spring, and absolutely loved it! It’s actually funny because one of my critique partners and I were just discussing the other day how hard middle-grade is to get right, so I actually have loads of questions for you. Prepare for an onslaught!

Valinora: Thanks so much, Hayley! I’m thrilled to be featured on your blog, and I have my defences ready so fire away!

Hayley: First of all, I loved how in The Lucky Diamond, your cast of kids felt both capable and yet they definitely still felt authentically children. For an age group transitioning between young childhood and teenage-dom, how did you find this balance? Any particular inspiration(s) you draw from?

Valinora: I’m so happy you found them convincing! I started writing The Lucky Diamond when I was about six. I kept re-starting the story every year until I finished a full draft when I was 14. The five siblings (and Lucky the Diamond) have been there from the start, so I was their age as I wrote the original story. Of course, I have rewritten and developed the story since then but the characters haven’t changed to any extent. Part of me hasn’t either, I am still a child at heart!

Hayley: Aw I love the idea of your childhood story finally coming to the page! The second thing that totally stood out to me in The Lucky Diamond is how capably you handled a large cast on a big adventure. There are lots of characters in our band of heroes, and yet all of them had a unique voice and relationships to those around them, and I was never lost in who was who in the scene. This is something I feel like a lot of authors (including myself) struggle with. Any tips or advice on how to navigate a novel with large groups?

Valinora: I’m from a large family (5^th of ten children) so it was natural for me to have lots of children in the story when I started writing. Rewriting the book as an adult, I seriously considered reducing the number of characters – but Yvonne would never forgive me if I got rid of her or any of her siblings, so they all had to stay! To get around the challenge of having so many characters, I split them up into separate adventures, which actually benefitted the revised story line. Multiple POVs also helped. I think it’s important to know your characters really well and be clear on the role each one plays in the story or scene so you, the author, don’t lose sight of them!

Hayley: That’s so awesome that your own experiences brought authenticity to Yvonne’s big family! The Lucky Diamond also gave me *huge* Narnia vibes while I was reading it. Something about your style just totally screams classic, feel-good fantasy adventure, so I’m curious, what would you say are your biggest writing inspirations?

Valinora: I’m very flattered! I read as much fantasy as I could get hold of when I was a child, and of course I read the Narnia stories as well as lots of other fantasy books but reading The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit when I was 9 or 10 was hugely inspirational, especially when it came to creating a secondary world and setting high stakes. I’m very drawn to Tolkien’s idea that the humble and overlooked ‘ordinary folk’ can save the world, and children slot into that category! I’m also inspired by Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom stories (books 1 -5) as well, because the contrasting free and charter magic is a super depiction of good and evil. I love magic systems! (Can I mention certain spell rings or yanaa here??)

Hayley: Oh man. I LOVE the Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom series. That probably explains why I liked The Lucky Diamond so much! (And your talk of spell rings and yanaa is totally going to make me blush! 🤣) I haven’t read The Lucky Diamond’s sequel, Revenge of Queen Rose yet, but how many books are you envisioning for this series? Is that something you plan out beforehand or do you play it by ear?

Valinora: The Lucky Diamond, Revenge of Queen Rose and The Great Forest (which I plan to publish next year) wrap up the Queen Rose trilogy. I have a follow on story with the children already drafted, and a second one with one of the side characters as protagonist also awaiting revision. I didn’t plan to write the series at all; the books were written as the ideas popped into my head. However I have a middle grade horror series with an over-arching story in mind so I am determined to plan that one out in advance (it will be a first for me!)

Hayley: OOooo! Middle-grade horror sounds right up my alley! So, do you have any other upcoming plans? Do you think you’ll stick with the middle-grade fantasy, or are you planning on jumping to other age groups or genres?

Valinora: I have a lot of characters in my head at the moment demanding I write their stories, and they are all kids so definitely planning to stick with middle grade for the moment! I want to start my horror series next year. I’ve another fantasy world that’s longing to get written too as well as a paranormal/monster tale that’s hanging around for a while. If only I could stop time for a bit or split myself in three so I could get them written. But then maybe that would mean three times the amount of reading, writing and sleeping to do!

Hayley: I can definitely relate to all the story ideas clamoring for attention, but all of that sounds like so much fun, I can’t wait to see what you come out with! Thanks so much again for participating in the lovely Q&A; now it’s time for a Lightning Round!

o Favorite genre to read?

Fantasy, all ages

o A favorite word?

Serendipity

o Favorite character you’ve created?

Ches in book 2, he was such fun to write

o Favorite winter tradition?

The three hour long present opening ceremony on Christmas day (accompanied by a few nice beverages) – there’s a lot of us and we open presents one at a time!

o Advice for aspiring indie authors?

Never lose sight of why you’re doing this, and remember you are in control of the deadlines, so give yourself lots of time and don’t put yourself under pressure. Oh – and do the research and a marketing plan in advance, instead of playing catch up all the time like I do!

I really need to follow your advice about not putting myself under pressure! I always get so caught up in my arbitrary deadlines.😅 Thanks so much to Valinora for the fantastic interview! To read more from Valinora, you can check out her socials and books at the links below. Thanks so much for reading!

Read more from Valinora here: Twitter, Instagram, Website, The Lucky Diamond, & Revenge of Queen Rose