Beta Readers Ready!

Okay, so I’m a day late posting this week’s blog, but again it’s for a very good reason. The last two days have been entirely consumed with final touch-ups on my next book, and as of this afternoon, Beta Reader copies have officially been sent out!

This stage always feels like a strange mix of nerves and excitement. You work so hard on something for months (sometimes years), and suddenly you’re handing it off to someone else, hoping they’ll love it or at least tell you what needs to be adjusted before it goes out into the world. It’s a vulnerable position, but it’s also one of the most energizing parts of the process for me. It means the book is getting real.

Unfortunately, this also means that I have to say goodbye to these characters soon, and that's one of the hardest parts of the process. Of course, I'm looking forward to writing about the next set of characters in The Barrenmire Lights, so that cushions the fall, but it's not always easy to say goodbye, even if I am going to have little bits of each of the other characters from the books scattered throughout.

I felt this same way when I finally hit 'publish' after finalizing Love: The One Who Leaves. It helps that I was looking forward to finally getting to Hollow: The One Who Remains, but I still had to say goodbye. Right now, I'm going through the same kind of emotions with Hollow. I don't want to say goodbye to these characters, but I'm truly looking forward to working on the next book in the series. The title is chosen, but readers will have to wait!

If you want to get an early peek at one of my books and be part of the process, now is the time. ARC reader signups are open! If you're interested in receiving an advance copy once it's ready, feel free to reach out to me on my website, Instagram, or TikTok. ARC copies will be e-ARCs sent through Book Funnel. You do not have to have a Book Funnel account in order to receive an ARC.

Current Reads

After last week's scroll through my Libby memories, one of the books I decided to pick up was The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. This book was HUGE, absolutely hugely popular in the mid-2010s. I actually attempted to borrow this book at one point around that time, which is why Libby probably told me that I borrowed it, however, I don't think I did. I'm pretty sure I was put on the wait list, and the list was so long that I most likely gave up and told myself that I'd pick up this book another time. Well, that other time is now!

I'm also still currently reading through, for the third time, Fighting for Evie by Taylor Delvaux, but I've put this book mostly on pause at this time. I'll get through this read-through of it eventually, but I'm focusing my efforts this week on books that I've never read before.

Reading Recommendations

Published the same year as The Power of Habit was Trafficked by Sophie Hayes. I want to recommend this book, but it comes with a major warning. This book is real, non-fiction, and it should be rather obvious why and what this book contains. This is a serious read, but it truly is remarkable and almost inspiring in a way, told from the perspective of a victim. Sophie Hayes really shows what happens when people are trafficked, and it doesn't happen in the way some people think.

There is a one-star review on Goodreads that I believe explains very well just out of touch some people are with what it means to be trafficked. Sure, there are the stereotypical ways of human trafficking, but there are sleeker and more modern ways that it is being done by using powerful manipulation on the victims. I won't post the one-star review here, because I will not give that person any more attention or time, but I want you to keep in mind that if you decide to read this book, trafficking does not always happen in the way the media and movies portray.

And if you want a fictional story that has a brief focus on what happens when someone is trafficked, check out Love: The One Who Leaves by yours truly. Yes, it is fictional, and no, it certainly does not portray trafficking in the way the stereotypical media does or in the way Trafficked by Sophie Hayes does, but it is a form of sex trafficking. The book does not place a heavy focus on the how or the exact story that happens, as this is a romance novel with dark themes, but it is a story to consider. Manipulation takes many forms.

Finds Unrelated to Reading

In an attempt to stray from the heavy topics above, and keep this section relatively unrelated to reading, I created a Tiktok video last year from a trending sound, and it actually took me a while to think about what I was going to say using that sound. But I found it, and this created an entirely new goal for me someday: signing copies of my books at a Black Hat Convention.

If you’re not familiar, it’s one of the biggest cybersecurity conferences in the world, packed with hackers, researchers, and tech minds. Some background: a black hat is a hacker who uses his skills for malicious purposes, whereas a white hat is a hacker who uses his skills for good with the permission of the software/website/hardware owner. Seems kind of funny that it's called a Black Hat Convention, right?

So, what does this have to do with me? Well, two of my four books (or soon to be four, once I finish the third in The Barrenmire Lights collection at the end of this year) explore elements of technology and the dark web, albeit through a fictional, romantic lens. It might sound like an odd pairing, but I’ve always been fascinated by the hidden corners of the internet and how they impact our lives, relationships, and fears. And I love researching new technology and trying to keep up with the news of the tech world.

Someday, I’d love to sign books at a Black Hat Convention. It’s a stretch, yeah, but how cool would it be to bridge that gap between fiction and real-world tech? 

TV Shows & Movies

In relation to the above section, I give you: Spycraft and True Spies.

If you’re at all fascinated by covert ops, real-life spy stories, and the psychological edge of espionage, then the True Spies podcast is for you. Each episode dives into the minds of actual spies and the missions that shaped their lives and the world. The narration is cinematic, intense, and honestly, it gives you that perfect blend of history, intrigue, and storytelling.

if you're more of a visual person, Spycraft on Netflix is worth checking out. It’s a documentary-style series that explores the tools and tactics used in modern spy work, from surveillance tech to psychological manipulation and even poisons. Some of it is jaw-dropping, especially when you start thinking about how this technology filters into fiction—and how close some fictional stories actually get to the truth. And yes, I do weave some of these pieces of technology into my books, while also using this as inspiration to create my own tech.