February 18, 2023 · 9:00 am

Book Review: The Arrangement by Lyn Stone

The Arrangement was the 2nd book I finished in 2023! It was another random grab off the shelf for my bookshelf cleanout (a project that is going to take the rest of my life, I think).

I dove into this book without reading the back cover (because I’m such a rebel). A short way in, I was so caught up by the odd premise that I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue reading it. Due to a case of mistaken identity, the hero plays the role of both himself and his fictional disabled brother. It was a little uncomfortable, to be honest. I pushed through and finished the book anyway.

I honestly feel that this strange premise makes it difficult for me to write a decent review about the book. I think the characters and setting were decently developed, but I can’t say this was my favorite historical romance ever. I feel that it stuck in my mind more because of the oddity of it than anything else. I recommend The Arrangement if you love historical fiction and are looking for a trope you haven’t seen before.

What have you been reading lately? I’d love to know!

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Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside Detective.  Her short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

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February 13, 2023 · 5:37 pm

Book Review: Sanctuary by Nora Roberts

Hello fellow bookworms! If you haven’t already seen it, I’ve started a list of all the books I’ve read in 2023. You can find it here! I already was keeping a comprehensive list, but I thought it’d be fun to see how many books I read just this year.

Sanctuary by Nora Roberts was the first one I finished in 2023. I know, I know. There are a lot of books by Roberts on my blog, but she writes a lot! And I have to say I’m impressed that so many of them are so good! Sanctuary was definitely one of them, though it was a little more tense and suspenseful than I was expecting!

From the Cover: Photographer Jo Ellen Hathaway thought she’d escaped the house called Sanctuary long ago. She’d spent her loneliest years there, after the sudden, unexplained disappearance of her mother. Yet the sprawling inn on an island off the Georgia coast continues to haunt her dreams. And now, even more haunting are the pictures someone is sending her: strange close-ups and candids, culminating in the most shocking portrait of all—a photo of her mother—naked, beautiful, and dead.

Now Jo must return to the island, and to her bitterly estranged family. With the help of Nathan Delaney—who was on the island the summer her mother disappeared—Jo hopes to learn the truth about the tragic past. But Sanctuary may be the most dangerous place of all.

As always, Roberts does an excellent job of establishing character and setting to create an immersive experience. Like I said before, there were some very tense moments. I won’t spoil anything by giving them away, but they definitely kept me turning the pages.

Is there a book you’re looking for a review on? I’d love to know!

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Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside Detective.  Her short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

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February 4, 2023 · 12:36 pm

Books I Read in 2023!

I’ve had a book log for a long time that keeps track of everything I read, but I thought it’d be fun to do one just for 2023! Here it goes!

January

Sanctuary – Nora Roberts (review here)

The Arrangement – Lyn Stone (review here)

One for the Money – Janet Evanovich (review here)

The Map of True Places – Brunonia Barry (review here)

Cooper’s Wife – Jillian Hart

Inner Harbor – Nora Roberts

February

Chesapeake Blue – Nora Roberts

Final Command – Warren Norwood

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January 14, 2023 · 9:00 am

Open for Submissions!

Hey everyone! I’m happy to say that I’m currently open for guest posts! Short fiction, poetry, writing and publishing tips, book reviews, and a twist of new age or spiritualism is always welcome! You can check out all the guidelines here, but please feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

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Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside Detective.  Her short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

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January 2, 2023 · 7:29 pm

Book Spotlight: An Enemy Like Me by Teri M. Brown

Hey everyone! I’d just like to take a moment to let you know about an upcoming book available for pre-order: An Enemy Like Me by Teri M Brown. Her previous book, Sunflowers Beneath the Snow, has already won numerous awards and recognition. You can pre-order An Enemy Like Me on Amazon or through Teri’s website.

About the Book:

How does a man show his love – for country, for heritage, for family – during a war that sets the three at odds? What sets in motion the necessity to choose one over the other? How will this choice change everything and everyone he loves?

Jacob Miller, a first-generation American, grew up in New Berlin, a small German immigrant town in Ohio where he endured the Great Depression, met his wife, and started a family. Though his early years were not easy, Jacob believes he is headed toward his ‘happily ever after’ until a friend is sent to an internment camp for enemy combatants, and the war lands resolutely on his doorstep.

In An Enemy Like Me, Teri M. Brown uses the backdrop of World War II to show the angst experienced by Jacob, his wife, and his four-year-old son as he leaves for and fights in a war he did not create. She explores the concepts of xenophobia, intrafamily dynamics, and the recognition that war is not won and lost by nations, but by ordinary men and women and the families who support them.

About the Author:

Born in Athens, Greece as an Air Force brat, Teri M Brown graduated from UNC Greensboro. She began her writing career helping small businesses with content creation and published five nonfiction self-help books dealing with real estate and finance, receiving “First Runner Up” in the Eric Hoffman Book Awards for 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home Now, finalist in the USA Best Books Awards for How To Open and Operate a Financially Successful Redesign, Redecorate, and Real Estate Staging Business and for 301 Simple Things You Can Do To Sell Your Home Now, and Honorable Mention in Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award for Private Mortgage Investing. In 2017, after winning the First Annual Anita Bloom Ornoff Award for Inspirational Short Story, she began writing fiction in earnest, and published Sunflowers Beneath the Snow in January 2022. Her second novel, An Enemy Like Me, launches in January 2023. Teri is a wife, mother, grandmother, and author who loves word games, reading, bumming on the beach, taking photos, singing in the shower, hunting for bargains, ballroom dancing, playing bridge, and mentoring others. Learn more at www.terimbrown.com.

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December 28, 2022 · 9:00 am

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: The vintage pen you purchased only allows you to write the truth.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

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Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside Detective.  Her short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

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December 21, 2022 · 9:00 am

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: The ornament you inherited from your grandmother has a note inside.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

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Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside Detective.  Her short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

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December 14, 2022 · 9:00 am

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: There’s a ghost in your house, and it simply refuses to leave.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside Detective.  Her short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

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December 7, 2022 · 9:00 am

Writing Prompt Wednesday

If you’re looking for a little bit of mid-week motivation, welcome to Writing Prompt Wednesday!

Your prompt: The mall Santa is the exact same one who was there when you were a kid, but he hasn’t aged.

If you’re feeling inspired, I’d love to see where this idea leads you. Feel free to leave me a comment! You can also check out my Writers’ Resources page for more help and motivation! I also accept guest post submissions, so if this exercise leads you into a great short story or piece of flash fiction, consider sending it in. Thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside Detective.  Her short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please consider using my links to do your shopping and help me out at no extra cost to you!

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December 2, 2022 · 8:44 pm

Book Review: A Class Reunited by Susie Murphy

There are so many great books out there in the world. When you’re sifting through everything available on Amazon or other retailers, it’s difficult to decide where you should start. I’ll save you a little bit of time: Just pick up Susie Murphy’s A Matter of Class series!

The most recent installment is book five, A Class Reunited. It’s yet another fantastic foray into the past, with danger, adventure, love, and terror around every corner. It kept me so engaged that I found myself tensing up every muscle in my body as I read, waiting to see what would happen! The depth and detail in every scene is incredible. I’m now quite sure that I’ve been through some of the same trials and tribulations that the characters have, because I felt every bit of it.

We’re far enough into the series now that I don’t want to give too much away about books 1-4, but the tale of Bridget, Cormac, and their family is a riveting one. Susie Murphy is a truly gifted writer, one who is surely going to make her own place in history with these books!

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Ashley O’Melia is an independent author and freelancer from Southern Illinois.  She holds her Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.  Her books include The Wanderer’s Guide to Dragon Keepingand The Graveside Detective.  Her short stories have been published in The Penmen Review, Siren’s Call, and Subcutaneous.  Ashley’s freelance work has spanned numerous genres for clients around the world.  You can find her on Facebook and Amazon.

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