I’m so excited to announce I’ll be returning to the WriteHive Mentorship Program for my second year as a mentor. I had a great experience as a mentee in 2023, and again as a mentor in 2024, so I highly recommend this program to anyone looking for some help in whipping their manuscript into shape! I’ve included my mentor wishlist, profile and expectations below, but I highly recommend you check out all the mentor profiles here.
While you don’t submit to a specific mentor, I found it super helpful last year when applicants listed a few mentors they thought would be a good fit in their query/submission letters.
Also, if you’re curious as to what I’m looking for in submissions, you can find my breakdown of the submissions from last year here.
Last year, I went with Erin Scheuer‘s sweet new adult romantic comedy with YA crossover appeal which had huge K-drama vibes that I absolutely adored. But honestly this year, I’m pretty open when it comes to target audience and genre. There will be a Mentor AMA on WriteHive’s Discord & Bluesky next week if you have more questions, but if you’re on the fence about submitting, I hope you decide to take the leap!
Submissions will be open from Nov 14-16 and I can’t wait to see what comes in. If you’re submitting, good luck, and I’m excited to read your pitch!
The number one question I get is about my books is: “Are you books ‘clean’?” That is a super hard question to answer, because everyone’s definition of ‘clean’ is different. So I’ve made these *very* specific content guides to help readers and parents determine if my books are right for them. Of course, if you have more specific questions, please be sure to reach out!
The number one question I get is about my books is: “Are you books ‘clean’?” That is a super hard question to answer, because everyone’s definition of ‘clean’ is different. So I’ve made these *very* specific content guides to help readers and parents determine if my books are right for them. Of course, if you have more specific questions, please be sure to reach out!
This post is specifically about my Odriel’s Heirs series, but you can find the content guide for my Into the Churn series here and my upper-middle-grade stand-alone, The Gatekeeper of Pericael is coming next week. Thanks for reading!
The number one question I get is about my books is: “Are you books ‘clean’?” That is a super hard question to answer, because everyone’s definition of ‘clean’ is different. So I’ve made these *very* specific content guides to help readers and parents determine if my books are right for them. Of course, if you have more specific questions, please be sure to reach out!
This post is specifically about my Into the Churn series, but I will also make posts for my Odriel’s Heirs series and my upper-middle-grade stand-alone, The Gatekeeper of Pericael. Thanks for reading!
Okay friends, I get it. When you read hundreds of books a year, books can be expensive. If I go look at Sunrise on the Reaping, for example, It’s currently $19.17 for a hardcover (list price $19.17), and $18.99 for an ebook.
If you read 100 books a year. Then we’re talking $1899/year… and that’s if you don’t DNF (do not finish) some. Over the course of a lifetime (which Google tells me is about 78.4 years here in the states), that’s $148,882.
But… let me tell you a secret. I read about ~50ish books a year (and I probably DNF three times as many), and I get 95% of them for free.
How?
I use the library.
The library doesn’t have the books you want? You can request the library order them. You’re an ebook reader? Most libraries now have a library app called Libby in which you can download ebooks (for free.) All you need is a library card number. Ditto audiobooks. They don’t have what you want? You can request them. And Libby lets you check out a book for up to 21 days, and (for my library), I can have as many as 10 books on hold. If one becomes available before I’m ready, I can delay it’s delivery for a certain number of days in order to stagger my reads.
Libraries are an *incredible* resource.
However, they’re not the only option for free books. Every day, *hundreds* of ebooks are listed for free on Amazon. How to find them? Go to your favorite book. (Let’s just say it’s Sunrise on the Reaping.) Scroll down to the Product Details and check out the best sellers rank. Sunrise on the Reaping is currently in the top 100 best seller ebooks on Amazon. You can click on that. Amazon will show you their best sellers in two lists: top 100 paid and top 100 free. If you click on free, voila! 100 free ebook recommendations.
Looking for a specific genre? More books like Into the Churn, for example? Well, Into the Churn is currently in the top 100 for Teen & Young Adult Space Opera Ebooks (once again this is in product details under the best sellers rank.) You can click on that genre, and it will show you the top 100 paid and top 100 free in the Teen & Young Adult Space Opera Ebooks genre! If you click on Top 100 Free then voila! 100 free recommendations in Teen & Young Adult Space Opera Ebooks! And bonus, if you own the (free) ebook, then you can buy the audiobook at a discount, and whispersync keeps your place so you can switch between listening and reading.
But wait there’s more!
If you want access to giveaways (specifically of hard copies), I highly recommend following your favorite authors on Goodreads, Instagram, and subscribe to their newsletters. These are where I see the most giveaways posted. (Personally, I post my giveaway opportunities on Instagram)
Or, if you’re willing to leave an honest review, you can sign up to apply for ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) via BookSirens or NetGalley. It costs nothing to sign up, and NetGalley has both ebooks and audiobooks available. These are often books that aren’t even released yet. Free Audiobook Codes and Audio Freebies are two other sources where you can apply to receive free Audible codes in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly, I’m sure there are other sources as well, but these are the ones I’m most aware of. Kindle Unlimited is also a popular service because it’s $10 a month for as much as you can read (as long as they’re enrolled in the program.) For example, my Into the Churn series is available on Kindle Unlimited, so if you wanted to binge all 5 in a month, it’s cheaper for you to buy KU for the month ($10) then to buy all five ebooks ($24.95.)
So yeah, if you want to read on the budget, there are some awesome free ways to do so. And since we’re here, I might as well mention where to find my books for free or at budget prices:
Odriel’s Heirs & The Gatekeeper of Pericael: Ebooks Permanently Free Everywhere
Burning Shadows, Idriel’s Children, Night of Ash: Ebooks are 0.99 on Amazon and permanently free everywhere else (B&N, Kobo, Smashwords, Apple Books etc.)
Time’s Orphan: Available on Kindle Unlimited & Free Ebook Promotions run four times a year
The Odriel’s Heirs Series & The Gatekeeper of Pericael also have bargain paperback prices ranging from $3.58 (for the novella) to $8.99
Into the Churn Series: Available on Kindle Unlimited
You can also use my discount code (CHOW) to get a discount on hard copies from Whimsical Publishing’s website. They also have deeper discount promotions throughout the year.
Anyways, hope that helps, and thanks for reading!
Support your local libraries because they’re basically like the best things ever!
Loved the dark atmosphere, heartwarming themes, sweet romance, and strong found family in this enchanting fantasy with super strong Howl’s Moving Castle vibes. Definitely recommend for fantasy fans looking for a mix of gothic and cozy! And the audiobook is narrated by Carol Beth Anderson who is just absolutely lovely!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Basically if it has Howl vibes, I’m already sold. Heart fingers!
I stopped everything so I could inhale this series, so that makes this a series review!
Book One:
So this was a complete surprise! I stumbled on this book when I was on a road trip searching Libby for an audiobook to read and picked this one up at random without knowing anything about it. Based on the cover, I honestly thought it would be too spicy for me, but it was so fun! It basically felt like Dexter except with more romance and if Dexter was a girl out for vengeance and also falling for the FBI agent that’s on her case.
Super fast paced with spice and some darkness, I’ll totally be looking for book 2!
Book Two:
I loved the first book but then explicably forgot to download the second. I’m SO glad I remembered because this series is legit addicting and the audio narration I amazing. Reminds me of Dexter during the best seasons and I had to download book 3 immediately and took the dog for a walk so I could listen. 🤣 Definitely recommend!
Book Three:
The series continues to be amazing. I really need to read the other audiobook loans I have from the library that are about to expire, but I want to binge the rest of the books so badly.
Book Four:
Literally could not stop reading. The amazing binge continues as I immediately pick up book 5.
Book Five:
I loved very second of this series, and literally COULD NOT put it down. I have never been so glad that a series was complete and binged the crap out of this. Dexter + The Count of Monte Cristo + A Splash of Spicy. If that sounds like your thing, you’re going to LOVE this. Definitely going to go on my top reads of the year list, and one of the best series I’ve read in a while. Kept me hooked from start to finish. SIX STARS and recommended so hard.
Loved getting Haymitch’s point of view, but just as a rule, I’m not a huge fan of prequels since we pretty much know how it all turns out, and this one’s definitely not a feel-good sort of story. For that reason too, I don’t think I’d go see the movie. In general though, I’d recommend this for Hunger Games fans who are a still looking for more!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Prequels and Villain origin stories just aren’t for me I guess. But they might be for you!
This isn’t my favorite Emily Henry book, but I think this is the one that’s cemented me as a fan. I would describe it as Beach Read meets the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and I would describe the romance as sweet (though with moderate spice) and almost cozy in nature. Though there is some mystery to it, I wouldn’t say it’s a page-turner even though it certainly kept my interest throughout. At the end of the day, it was the lovable characters, the lovely, accessible writing, and the Georgia coast scenery that sold it for me. And I’ll definitely be picking up whatever Emily Henry writes next.
Which leads to my personal ranking of Emily Henry books: 1. Book Lovers (Adored) 2. Beach Read (Loved) 3. Great Big Beautiful Life (Enjoyed) 4. Funny Story (Liked) 5. People We Meet on Vacation (Did not Like) 6. Happy Place (Really didn’t like)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What can I say? Emily Henry is popular for a reason!
A little, emotional story about the realities of growing older and the ties between generations. Some beautiful thoughts here, but the story didn’t stand out to me overall. The narration is great though, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a short, thoughtful read.
Hayley Reese Chow 