Tag: Reviews

What She Didn’t Know Gets Big Review

On By dotluvs2writeIn Beauty, Fiction Writing, humanity, Inspirational, Life, Marketing, Nature, News Events, Publishing, Reviews, Writing Techniques2 Comments

My gritty novel, What She Didn’t Know, has been reviewed by BookLife that is a supplement to Publishers Weekly Magazine that is shown both online and will be in print form May 29 of this year. I’m excited to see the review made by someone at PW/BL that has never read my work! This is a huge moment for me! Thank you, IngramSpark, for this opportunity!

PS: When I get the print copy, I’ll post a picture of my review in it!

Here’s the review via BL online (along with the grades for my story):

Blending aspects of romance, family, trauma, escapism, and spirituality, this novel from Anna (author of Passage of Promise) finds the Barstone sisters—Michaela, Gloria, and Seraphima—reunited by personal will and tragedy in a story set amongst city life and immersed in the natural beauty of Colorado. Years before, as Michaela watched a 13-year-old Gloria disappear from their family’s home after a horrid night of beating and fear, there was no certainty they would ever all be together again. But an entreaty from their ailing mother to “find her” sets Michaela (and eventually the others) on a journey back towards each other—and a past that’s still hard to face. Watching a family return, discover, accept, and heal can be a most astounding step-by-step process.

Anna’s empathetic novel takes on many difficult topics, yet it is still written with an inviting ease—with a featherlike touch—capturing the essence of pain and hurt but not dwelling too much on the details. Readers can infer just how much abuse Gloria endured, what horrid drinking bouts Michaela’s husband has started on, and how not-involved Seraphima’s boyfriend was in their relationship. Anna doesn’t give all of this away to us. Instead, she sets us into small spaces with each sister and paints their individual versions of escapism. Michaela escapes through denial and self-righteous blame; Gloria’s escape is physical (running away); and Seraphima’s is through world-building, a fantasy of marriage.

Gloria’s relationship with discovering spirituality stands out, reflecting her youth and naivety, though she later expresses what she learns in clear, direct terms: “Reality will always return. If there’s anything I’ve learned lately is you’ve got to face your problems, not run from them.” Fitting Ana’s admirably light prose, What She Didn’t Know offers a warm, simple message of allowing oneself to accept and heal. Readers will feel comforted even amongst the chaos and come from it hoping for continued healing for the Barstone sisters.

Takeaway: Touching story of a family’s step-by-step process of healing.

Comparable Titles: Annie M. Ballard’s A Heart for the Homeless, Karen McKenna’s Just Last Year.

Production grades

Cover: B

Design and typography: A-

Illustrations: N/A

Editing: A

Marketing copy: A-

Go Where Intrigue Is

On By dotluvs2writeIn Fiction Writing, humanity, Inspirational, Life, Marketing, Nature, News Events, PublishingLeave a comment

If you’re looking for a deep and engrossing story with relatable, complex characters, pick up a copy of my newest novel, What She Didn’t Know, on Amazon, B&N, or other online retailers. Dive into a substantial read today.

Newest 5-star review:

What She Didn’t Know is a well-written story about three sisters who emerge from childhoods marked by trauma and dysfunction to become adults with very distinctive personalities. The author does a wonderful job of creating each character as a unique individual with both strengths and weaknesses. This is a story of relationships, forgiveness, and reconciliation which all end up bringing the reader to the explosive secret that both shocks and heals the family – what she didn’t know. The author’s ability to create a scene with her vivid descriptions brings the story to life in a wonderful way. I truly enjoyed this book and found myself not wanting to put it down, anxious to see what happened on the next page!

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Books, Critiques, and Writing

On By dotluvs2writeIn Fiction Writing, News Events, Writing Techniques2 Comments

I’ve found I spend the majority of my time critiquing other writers’ stories’ chapters via the online writing group of which I’m a part. I do count those as “reading books”.

I sporadically write and revise my stories with no particular schedule or pattern. Although, I do write pretty regularly, just not every day, that’s probably not the best approach.

If you’re a writer and wondering about writing daily or whenever, I’m not the best example. ha ha.

I’ve read you should write every day at a particular time to discipline yourself, but I’ve also read you can write when the mood hits you. The important thing is being able to finish what you’ve started, and I usually do–more than not!

Because of the activities I just mentioned, reading physical books takes me quite a while to get through. I get through a few pages then set it aside and go back to what I mentioned above.

While browsing blog posts and Facebook groups where people talk about their favorite books for the year or at any point in time, I thought it would be nice to write down the few books I’ve read over the past couple of years that I found extremely good reads.

Warning: It’s a very small list. Oy

The Witness by Nora Roberts — This book was incredibly good with regard to the suspense, storyline, and characters. It really kept me engaged, and it seems difficult these days for me to keep engaged in most books, which is very odd since I’m an author! Well worth the read. FOUR STARS

The Girl Who Lived by Christopher Greyson — One of the best thrillers I’ve read in ages. I read one before this, and it was overall lacking any type of thrill or suspense. But this one had me on the edge of my seat, gave me the chills, and had me worried about what was going to happen to the main character. Excellent character development, extremely exciting, suspenseful scenes, and amazingly, a pretty clean book. The only hiccup for me was the outcome. It seemed a bit of a letdown, but because the rest of the story rocked, I could excuse that. Well worth the read. FOUR STARS

House Rules by Jodi Picoult. I read this several years ago. The best Picoult book I’ve read. Its storyline was fascinating, characters intriguing, and the plot had a bit of suspense in it. Really enjoyed this read. FIVE STARS

The Great Alone — Nothing I’ve read in the past several years has topped this book. It is one of my all-time favorite books. I was totally sucked in, engrossed, and a part of the characters’ lives. The suspense and that sense of something sinister looming ahead carried me through the chapters with angst. I also cried four times in different sections/chapters of the story. AMAZING READ. FIVE STARS.

And there you have it. My short selection. Hope there are some good reads for me in 2021.

Incidentally, my novel, What She Didn’t Know will be out in mid-February to late March 2021. I’ll have a solid date in the coming weeks.

Hope you consider my book while compiling your to-be-read list.

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