Categories
Book Club Books

What I #read in March. ’23 & what I #amreading!

Today the IWSG Book Club launches our April discussion about what we are reading. It doesn’t have to be a book club selection just something you are excited about. Let’s all share what we are reading, and perhaps, we’ll find something to add to our own TBR lists. Click this link to go straight to the discussion. I’m currently reading Brides of Maracoor and Lulu’s Library.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

In March 2023, I completed 3 titles. My goal was 3, so an overall success. One was a super short read, but that was the point. As of today, I am ahead with my Goodreads Challenge.

2023 Reading Challenge

2023 Reading Challenge
Toi has
read 2 books toward
her goal of
36 books.
hide

Below you’ll find my star ratings and review tags for each title I completed in the indicated month. You can also click the images to see the thorough reviews. There may even be a video for you to watch below, but I make no promises.

Rating: 4.0 – Review | Amazon

Rating: 5.0 – Review | Amazon

Rating: 5.0 – Review | Amazon

Check out my Goodreads Wrap-Up video or watch my Book Review video below (I elaborate on the public reviews I’ve posted).

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IWSG BOOK CLUB THEME CHALLENGE

#iwsgbookclub

This a voluntary monthly challenge, just for fun. Click this image to try the challenge.

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So tell me, what are you currently reading?
Did you read anything interesting in March?
Are you going to try the April theme challenge?

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
IWSG

#IWSG Apr. 2023- Proof of Existence is here!

Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click here to learn more or sign up.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

Optional Monthly Question: Do you remember writing your first book? What were your thoughts about a career path on writing? Where are you now and how is it working out for you? If you’re at the start of the journey, what are your goals?

I do remember writing my first book. I wrote my first book when I was in the 7th grade. It was absolute teenage garbage, but I remember it being fun to write. At that point in my life, writing was not part of me and definitely not something I wanted to pursue. I remember writing the book while attending summer school (voluntarily- I was trying to graduate early).

Fast forward many years, I begin to write to help me cope with the world and process my emotions. I had many failed daily journals and was beginning to think that writing just wasn’t going to work for me. Then I took a creative writing class in college and realized that I could write stories to help me process, I didn’t have to write about myself or my day-to-day.

Fast forward one more time to me as a married woman and college graduate with a job that left me with PTSD. I found myself writing furiously. Then I had a dream about a gray man and wrote a whole series about him. While that series is currently unpublished, I do hope to re-release it one day.

For the past few years, I’ve put a focus on writing and illustrating picture books, while working on the craft of writing short fiction and constantly trying to develop a larger piece. This month, I’ll be speaking at the RavenCon in Richmond, VA. I do several local library and vendor events each year to promote reading and the book industry.

I went through a period where I was making money with my writing, even though I still had a day job. It never replaced my income, but was nice to have around the holidays. Now, I’m not trying to make money with writing, and therefore I’m not. I have a small Patreon community that helps keep me motivated and I’m really enjoying the process of creating with them. I’m focusing on writing better and perhaps I’ll create something that I feel is worth promoting to the masses again.

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Hey, did you know it is Peeps Day?

Proof of Existence
Book 2 of the Existence series
By J Lenni Dorner

The main characters of the Existence series are omnipotent beings living in our world. (As the cover image suggests, several of them live in New York City. The Brooklyn Bridge is a part of two scenes in Proof of Existence.) Here’s an unusual inclusion in Urban Fantasy: a recipe!

Jezebel (Jez) loves bread crust. It’s one of her unusual quirks, as many people dislike those. In this scene, which is part of Chapter 9, her mom Jyotisha is making “Pinwheel Crust.” I was inspired by a friend of mine who included cooking in her story as an action for a character. I hope you’ll enjoy this short excerpt. And, if you make this treat, please upload a picture and tag me so I can see it. (My spouse prefers I stay out of the kitchen. You set two or three little fires…🔥👩🏽‍🚒🧯👨🏽‍🚒🚒.)

Check out J’s Pinterest board for a variation with bacon.
https://www.pinterest.com/jlennidorner/my-existence-series-books-would-have-this/

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World-ending secrets and threats…

Proof of Existence picks up from Fractions of Existence‘s cliffhanger, where Gwendolyn is among the hostages of the Eyes in the Shadows, a religious sect that has been trying to free humans from the “prison” of life on Earth for millennia. Rescuing her requires the Existence to expose themselves. As omnipotent beings, their work to protect humanity has been mostly in secret for the last two centuries.

Gwendolyn must remember and embrace what she truly is, though fear and doubt stifle her. She risked everything by acting on her attraction to Xavier, but her religious beliefs stop her from taking the important next step. Life-threatening news has her wanting to go home to see her family. Will they still love and accept her, despite her actions and choices? Or could a secret rip her family apart?

Feeling lonely, tormented, and useless, Existence member Heath goes off the grid. A ransom video from Eyes in the Shadows demands he be traded for the lives of others. Can the Existence find him in time to tell him about the threat? Even if Heath can be reached, would his kind really trade him to potentially save someone else?

The Eyes in the Shadows is set to finally end all human life on Earth forever. Only if the Existence is reunited, with all members at full power, could they stand against them. How many will suffer if the Existence should fail? How much damage could possibly be done in the next twenty years? Proof of Existence, the second book of the Existence mythological urban fantasy series from J Lenni Dorner, is set during the first half of 2006.

J Lenni Dorner is best known for the Existence book series. Book one, Fractions of Existence, and book two, Proof of Existence, are on Amazon. Author of the short story, Lumber Of The Kuweakunks, on Smashwords. Also known for the writer’s reference books, Preparing to Write Settings that Feel Like Characters and Writing Book Reviews As An Author: Inspiration To Make It Easier.

J is part of the Operation Awesome Team, where he runs the Debut Author Spotlight on most Wednesdays. J is an April Blogging from A to Z #AtoZchallenge international bloghop co-host.

(he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author, OperationAwesome6 Debut Author Interviewer, and Co-host of the #AtoZchallenge

https://jlennidorner.blogspot.com 
https://twitter.com/JLenniDorner 
https://www.facebook.com/WhatAreThey
https://www.instagram.com/jlennidorner 

Buy it here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BYN6SG7Y

Add to your TBR here. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/65150644-proof-of-existence

Glimpse it here. https://www.bookbub.com/books/proof-of-existence-by-j-lenni-dorner

Enter the Giveaway here! http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4fa90ac752

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IWSG BOOK CLUB ON GOODREADS

#iwsgbookclub

This is a voluntary monthly challenge.

Member Spotlight

Spiral of Hooves- Goodreads, Amazon

Craft Book

Fight Like A Girl- Goodreads, Amazon, Bookshop

Now, on to the personal updates.

I have been feeling very discouraged in my efforts to record and post videos. Moving from a PC to a Mac has not been a great experience. I’m at a loss, but I’ll keep trying. If you want to know more, check my Patreon Monthly Update– it’s a public post (free).

I’ve been reading, writing. I completed the IWSG Book Club challenge for Horses last month and got a head start on the Library challenge this month. I’ve also been writing, which makes me happy, even if I’m not writing as much as I’d like.

I continue to test out food recipes for my new diet. I’ve had some hits and some misses, but at least I’m not relegated to eating plain chicken and rice for the rest of my life. I know that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world considering people in this world are starving, but it does improve the quality of life when you have options. I’m just happy to be able to eat without ending up in the ER (I can’t bring myself to call it the ED, just not a habit for me yet).

Here is a fun video I posted on YouTube (with great effort). Next week, I’ll be sharing my March book reviews here, but you can see them now over at my YouTube channel.

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Do you remember the first book you wrote?
Are you trying any reading or writing challenges this year?
It may take some time, but I promise, I will eventually stop by your blog.
My response time has gotten slower but I’m still making my rounds.

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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Jemima Pett,
Nancy Gideon, and
Natalie Aguirre!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #28).

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.

Categories
About Toi WIP Updates

#Contentcreator Update & What I #amwriting Mar. ‘23

Greetings one and all. This post is obviously late, but that’s life. Here’s what I’ve been up to.

Content Role call:

Blog – IWSG monthly blog hop – Public
Patreon – Monthly Update– Public
Blog – What I Read in Feb… – Public
YouTube – Goodreads Wrap-up – Public
YouTube – Book Reviews – Public
Patreon – Dressed to Impress (short story) – Public
Blog – Check-in post – Public
YouTube – Counting My Blessings – Public
YouTube – WIP Update – Public (featured above)
Patreon – Collaboration Update – Patrons Only
Blog – Content Update post – Public (This is what you are reading now).

Scheduled content:
Patreon – Monthly Short Story – Patrons Only
Patreon – Monthly Writing Prompt – Patrons Only

This post contains affiliate links. If you click through to make a purchase, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Any amount I make goes towards my dream to host a book fair in Hampton Roads, VA. Please see my About page for more details. Thank you for your support.

This is a slow week for the IWSG Book Club. Discussion threads are open for any who want to share their progress and or suggest questions for the discussions; however, the discussions themselves won’t start until April 27, 2023. Please don’t share any reviews or spoiler feedback until discussion day.

Member Spotlight

Spiral of Hooves- Goodreads Discussion, Amazon

Craft Book

Fight Like A Girl- Goodreads Discussion, Amazon, Bookshop

Thank you for making it this far down the virtual page. Kudos to you! I’d love to know what you thought of this post in the comments below. Stay safe and be blessed.