- GOBLIN MONDAY (Goosebumps House of Shivers #2)
- THE FIRST EVIL (Fear Street Cheerleaders #1)
- THE PROM QUEEN (Fear Street #15)
- THE FIRST HORROR (99 Fear Street: The House of Evil Trilogy #1)
- THREADS OF ASH: SOUTH (The Frayed Kingdom #1)
- POOR UNFORTUNATE SOUL (Disney Villains #3)
- MISTRESS OF ALL EVIL (Disney Villains #4)
- BEAUTY & THE BEAST (Usborne Peek Inside a Fairy Tale):
- LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD (Usborne Peek Inside a Fairy Tale)
- SLEEPING BEAUTY (Usborne Peek Inside a Fairy Tale)
- SWEETPEA (Sweetpea #1)
- SOXORCIST II
- NOW OR NEVER (Stephanie Plum #31)
Tuesday, 31 December 2024
Books Read in 2024
Monday, 30 December 2024
2024 Goals
This year turned out to be a very strange one. Lots of cool stuff happened, and some not-very cool stuff happened as well. Some shitty people revealed themselves and some disappointing crap went down, but I'm not going to concentrate on that mess because as a result, my first self-published book is now available and I'm SO PROUD of it. Yay! 🥳
Anyway, here's how this year turned out:
- Go for long daily walks: THIS IS SOMETHING I CONTINUED TO DO ALL YEAR. (FROM MONDAY TO FRIDAY, I WALK FOR ALMOST TWO HOURS. ON WEEKENDS WE GO FOR LONG SUBURBAN WALKS.)
- Really get back into yoga and schedule maybe two workouts a week: THIS WAS A TOTAL FAIL. WE SQUEEZED IN SEVERAL YOGA WORKOUTS, BUT THEY WERE SPORADIC. 😬
- Brainstorming a bunch of ideas: YES! I BRAINSTORMED 4 NEW IDEAS & I CAN'T WAIT TO WRITE THEM. (WELL, I ACTUALLY ALREADY WROTE ONE.)
- Celebrate the book/s coming out this year: I CELEBRATED THE RELEASE OF THREE NOVELS (ONLY DARKNESS, NUMB, THROUGH THE BLUR) + HAD A TWO-SENTENCE SHORTIE INCLUDED IN THE VERY COOL SHORT SCARES ANTHOLOGY.
- Write between 100-200k words: I WROTE 196,816 WORDS.
- Read 52 books: I READ 59 (DNFd 4).
- Revise/finalise the first draft (unhinged women/girls novel) I wrote during November: I REVISED & FINALISED THIS BOOK BACK IN JANUARY.
- Work on edits as they hit my Inbox: I DID THIS AS WELL.
- Write a novel or two: BECAUSE I SPENT SO MUCH OF THIS YEAR EDITING & REVISING, I DIDN'T ACTUALLY WRITE ANYTHING NEW UNTIL NOVEMBER. THEN STARTED WRITING ANOTHER NOVEL THIS MONTH! 😳 YEP. (AND I WON'T BE FINISHING THIS ONE BY THE END OF THE YEAR.)
- Write a novella or two: I DIDN'T WRITE ANY NOVELLAS THIS YEAR.
- Write some new short stories: WHILE I DID START WRITING A FEW SHORT STORIES, I DIDN'T ACTUALLY FINISH ANY OF THEM. 😖
- Finally put together/finalise my first short story collection & find a place to sub it to: I DEFINITELY DID THIS! ACTUALLY, I COLLATED SO MANY STORIES THAT I PUT TOGETHER TWO SHORT STORY COLLECTIONS! I REWROTE/REVISED EVERY SINGLE STORY. THAT'S 34 SHORT STORIES! THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT MY DEBUT COLLECTION, MELANCHOLY DELUSIONS, WILL BE RELEASED BY CEMETERY GATES MEDIA ON JANUARY 28!
- Continue to submit stories: I DID THIS TOO! AND ASIDES FROM THE ABOVE ACCEPTANCE, I ALSO HAD TWO NOVEL ACCEPTANCES: THESE STAINED WALLS (Horrorsmith Publishing) + FALLEN DESTINY (Brigids Gate Press).
- Keep playing Animal Crossing and get into some other cozy, cute puzzle games (ie. Fae Farm): STILL PLAYING ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS. OF COURSE I AM. 😁 BUT I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO START ANY NEW GAMES. 🫤
Saturday, 28 December 2024
More words added...
We're now in the middle of that liminal time between Christmas and New Year's, which always feels a little strange. Something about this particular time of the year seems... unreal. But unlike every other year, when I usually wander around aimlessly, I'm actually still writing a story.
So, this week was pretty cool. My husband worked two days, had two days off, went to work on Friday, and now the weekend is here again. Yay!! 😁
As a result of the above, I didn't actually write every day this week but I did make some great progress on my WIP.
Here's how it went:
- Monday: 26,359 (+5050w)
- Tuesday: 31,555 (+5196w)
- Friday: 36,856 (+5,301w)
Saturday, 21 December 2024
Busy, busy...
Last Saturday we got the latest Covid booster (finally available in Oz) and had to take it easy over the weekend because of the usual side effects: headache, sore arm, tired, sleepy. We had plenty of snacks, stayed hydrated, and took several naps. Almost a week later, I think that the hardest parts are over. Well, I did wake up with a killer headache this morning that eventually subsided, but sucked a lot of energy out of me. 🫤
Anyway, onto what I got up to this week.
The other day, Cemetery Gates Media revealed the fantastic cover for my upcoming debut short story collection! And it's beautiful. Hit the link if you'd like to see it, or scroll down a bit. Seriously, it's stunning and totally fits the dark vibes. Luke Spooner/Carrion House nailed it. I absolutely love it!
So, that means that I spent most of the week working on the final proofread of 17 short stories. Yikes. I'm SO excited, and very proud of this book. I can't wait to share it with the world. Actually, I've already seen a few ARCs in the wild, which is SO freaking cool!!
Not long to go now. The release date is: January 28!
Since I've been working on something else and my husband had an RDO on Thursday, I put my WIP aside for most of the week. But I still got a chance to add some words and have been taking a bunch of notes on my phone.
So, here's my progress for this week:
- Monday: 17,037 (+2,661w)
- Friday: 21,309 (+4,272w)
Friday, 20 December 2024
REAP, SOW by S.H. Cooper

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This week, I got the chance to read an ARC of this awesome novelette, and I was hooked instantly.
When Lucky finds herself inside a long corridor with closed doors that have no handles and faceless people who hunt her down, she doesn't know what's going on. But as her family members start showing up, the past returns with a vengeance...
Wow. This story is as dark as it is fantastic. I enjoyed every minute of it and loved how the mystery started to unravel. It's raw and tragic, full of heartbreak and the worst kind of betrayal. It's about the worst choices we make and how easily they can ruin our lives and chase us forever.
Loved it!!
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Thursday, 19 December 2024
Cover Reveal!
Saturday, 14 December 2024
More words?
Yet, in typical 2024-style, that's not what happened.
Instead of sitting back and taking it easy after finishing the first draft of a novel last month, I ended up spending the beginning of this month making additions to that story. I also updated my research and inspirational pics last weekend. Hell, I even wrote a bunch of backstory notes and figured out several timelines on my phone.
When I said this story was eating my brain, I wasn't kidding. At the beginning of the week, after I made the latest lot of changes and additions, the word count jumped to 88k. Yikes.
Then THIS happened. 😳
Yep. You read that right. I ended up starting another story. And here's how it went:
- Tuesday: 1,968w
- Wednesday: 5,500w (+3,532w)
- Thursday: 9,503w (+4,003w)
- Friday: 14,376 (+4,873w)
Friday, 13 December 2024
TROG by Zachary Ashford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Firstly, I want to thank Zachary for sending me an ARC of his upcoming novella.
After a traumatic ordeal in the city, Aisha's parents decide to relocate to a property in the middle of nowhere to keep her out of danger. What they don't know is that something is imprisoned beneath their new house, and that danger isn't limited to the city...
Wow. This novella is an action-packed, chaotic creature feature full of interesting characters, terrifying situations, human monsters, and a Yowie with a taste for human meat.
I had a total blast reading this bloody tale about a teenage girl trying to get over a terrible incident that almost ruined her life. Sometimes a fresh start isn't the answer, but you'll have a great time finding out all the things that can go wrong in the sticks.
I know Trog is a wild, feral creature hellbent on destruction, but I did feel for the beast. Humans have a tendency to make everything worse.
Anyway, this is a great and very cool novella!
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Saturday, 7 December 2024
Thinking & Adding
Thursday, 5 December 2024
NOW OR NEVER by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A few weeks ago, we went to K-Mart and my husband found this book on the shelf. I was so excited and couldn't wait to get stuck into it, but I was busy writing a book of my own during November and decided this would be my reward.
Stephanie has managed to say yes to the two men in her life, and still can't decide which one she's going to marry. Luckily, she's got a lot on her plate at the moment. There's an influencer, a YouTube star, a wholesale criminal, and a vampire. That's before considering the new man trying to insert himself into her life...
OMG. As usual, I had a blast with Stephanie's latest adventure. In typical Plum style, the hilarious situations and zany characters are balanced out by some pretty serious and dangerous situations. And everything fits together seamlessly.
This instalment also had an added mystery that you don't find out until the very end: who does she choose as her husband? Is it the hot and dangerous Ranger? Or the hot and irresistible Morelli? Hard choice. No wonder she said yes to both. 😅
Anyway, Lula, Grandma Mazur, Connie, Bob, and Steph's family go along for the ride. Like I said before, SO MUCH FUN!!
One last thing: it was great to meet Mr. Big because you can never have too many cool doggies in the mix.
Can't wait for the next book!
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Friday, 29 November 2024
My WIP is done!
Hi! How are you? I'm pretty good. Even if I got caught in a downpour and got drenched during my walk.
So, my right side/lat muscle prob is still there but it feels like it might be getting a bit better. It's hard to tell because every day is different. But I've got my fingers crossed and hope that being patient helps. We did a yoga workout the other day that seemed to help, so that's cool.
Anyway, enough about that. Let's talk about writing.
At he beginning of the week I decided that getting to the end of the first draft I've been working on this month would be great. For several reasons: I wanted to finish by the end of this month, and my husband has an RDO on Monday so we have a long weekend together. Awesome!
So, how did I do? Here's how it went:
- Monday: 65,135 (+6,612w)
- Tuesday: 70.543 (+5,408w)
- Wednesday: 77,843 (+7,300w)
- Thursday: 83,063 (+5,220w)
- Friday: 85,411 (+2,348w)
Saturday, 23 November 2024
The Writing Continues...
- Monday: 41,064 (+5,585w)
- Tuesday: 45,422 (+4,458w)
- Wednesday: 50,372 (+4,850w)
- Thursday: 54,215 (+3,843w)
- Friday: 58,523 (+4,308w)
Saturday, 16 November 2024
A Week Full of Words
- Monday: 21,550w (added 4,015)
- Tuesday: 25,450w (added (3,900)
- Wednesday: no new words
- Thursday: 29,247w (added 3,797)
- Friday: 35,479w (added 6,232)
Wednesday, 13 November 2024
DIAVOLA by Jennifer Marie Thorne

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is another book that I've had my eye on for a while and finally decided to get stuck into the other day.
This year, Anna is going to Italy for the annual Pace family vacation. She's not looking forward to spending time with her dysfunctional family (twin brother, his boyfriend, older sister, brother-in-law, two nieces and parents) but she instantly likes the villa in the remote Tuscan town. Yet, there's something about this place that bothers her. And it's not just the locked tower door...
Fucking creepy. In the best way possible.
I really love it when a character's voice is so compelling and strong that I'm instantly hooked. I'm also a sucker if she's obviously flawed and definitely keeps secrets that slowly slip out. Add family complications, a spooky haunted house, plenty of unreliable situations to the mix, and my curiosity will keep me there during the duration of the book.
Seriously, I wanted to devour this story in one sitting but forced myself to slow down. To savour every creepy moment for as long as I could.
Everyone in the Pace family is annoying af, which only adds extra flavour to everything else that's going on. And there's a LOT. But mostly, I had a great time following Anna until she reached that very satisfying and unexpected unending.
Loved it. Great book!
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Saturday, 9 November 2024
November is here!
- Monday: 2,342w
- Tuesday: 6,146w (added 3,804)
- Wednesday: 10,378w (added 4,232)
- Thursday: 14,371w (added 3,993)
- Friday: 17,535w (added 3,164)
Monday, 4 November 2024
SALLY'S LAMENT by Mari Mancusi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favourite movies. Sally is one of my favourite characters. Sally and Jack are one of my favourite couples. So of course I wanted to read this lovely book.
Remember when Jack discovered Christmas Town? Well, imagine it was Sally and Zero who actually discover the tree and find themselves in the snowy wonderland. Except, Sally discovers there's something really dark going on...
I loved this! I was captivated from the very beginning because the opening scene is directly from the movie, but seen through Sally's POV. After that, this becomes a whole different story, an amazing adventure that both Sally and Jack share together. And because of that, the way their connection grows is more organic, and romantic.
I found this reimagining of Christmas Town intriguing, and loved the new cast of characters that are introduced. Plus the scenery, because this adventure expands the winter wonderland to include some dangerous places. Not to mention that Sally having her own agency makes her mission to help those who need it most even more exciting.
Yeah, I LOVED this charming story. 😍
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Friday, 1 November 2024
CASTLE OF THE CURSED by Romina Garber

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have to admit that the first thing I noticed about this book was the awesome cover. It certainly captures the creepy gothic vibes I enjoy so much.
After Estela loses her parents under mysterious circumstances, she feels like her life is over. She's totally alone and desperately wants answers. But when she finds out she has an aunt living in Spain, she suddenly finds herself inside a castle called la Sombra. A place full of secrets and shadows...
Wow. What a wonderful and strange story this turned out to be. It's about a teenager who is struggling with the grief of losing her parents and has trouble moving on. And if that's not enough, she has to move halfway across the world to discover her heritage, while uncovering a bunch of shocking secrets about her past. And learning Spanish from scratch. As well as realising that there are many things hiding in the darkness.
I really like how Estela changes as the new experiences she's forced to face shift as quickly as her surroundings. How she discovers that she didn't know anything about her parents, and that the world is full of unfathomable mystery. Her voice is strong and interesting, and I love the writing style because it really dragged me in.
There's an air of darkness that shadows the story from start to finish and the depth of weird that throws the story into unexpected territories was enough to keep me glued to the pages.
Oh, and did I mention that there's also a love story buried within all of the danger and uncertainty? Plus a twist that I quite enjoyed.
Great book!
Thursday, 31 October 2024
It's Release Day!
Happy Halloween!
Today is the day...
My first self-published book is now available! And you can grab a copy from Amazon right now.
To say I'm excited doesn't even begin to capture the way I feel about this book being out in the world again.
This particular story has gone through a lot, and I'm not even joking when I say that. The first version (which is only the first part of the book) got caught up in some pretty nasty business earlier this year, but I refused to focus on all that crap and instead forged ahead to put together a novel in two parts, that tells the story some of you might already be familiar with. As well as the continuation in the Roscoe family curse.
I want to thank my husband, Eugene, because this was his idea in the first place, Erin Al-Mehairi for doing the final copy edit, and Adrian Medina from Fabled Beast Design for not only the perfect cover, but also for the book's awesome interior.
This has been a wild ride and I hope you'll revisit, or take a look around Brittle for the first time. I'm not sure if you'll Suffer or Surrender, but I hope you enjoy it.
THE DARKNESS IN THE WOODS BECKONS HER...
A bleak tale about a cursed family and the mother trying to keep them together. The Exorcist meets Hereditary in this small-town horror story that will force you to embrace the darkness.
SUFFER
Kae Roscoe’s daughter vanished sixteen months ago and all she wanted during her absence was for Molly to return. But when her daughter comes back, she isn’t the same.
Molly hardly speaks and refuses to eat. The only emotion she displays is violence.
As much as Kae hates to admit it, there’s definitely something wrong with Molly, and her reappearance sets off a dark turn of events that threatens to tear the town apart.
SURRENDER
Summer Urbina has finally graduated from college and is excited about spending time with her mother. But as soon as she gets home, everything feels odd.
When her best friend sends an ominous text, Summer decides to trek across the country to make sure he’s okay.
She might not understand why, but the town of Brittle seems very familiar. The darkness calling her from the woods threatens to consume her entirely, and she’s not strong enough to resist.
Thank you for reading!
Saturday, 19 October 2024
Thinking Time...
Thursday, 17 October 2024
REALITY BUT MORE FUN by Madeleine Swann

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Let me start by saying that the cover is absolutely fabulous. And the story intrigued me so much, I got stuck into it last night and didn't want to stop.
Jade and Louise are sisters staying in the surreal Belle Epoque theme park with their mother. They're not supposed to stay there long, but can't remember how long they've been there, and stranger things than usual start to happen...
Peculiar. Bizarre. Awesome.
I found this story to be utterly delightful in its quirky weirdness. It's quite the trippy ride and the imagery is bright and beautiful with a very dark veneer. I love stories where everything seems perfect and lovely, almost to the point of being a sugary utopian experience... but the ugly truth slowly pushes its way through.
First, it's a simple glimpse at the utter confusion about what's really going on, but it doesn't take long for the eerie truth to become clear.
The sisters were quite charming. Louise is married and trying to do the right thing by her mother. While Jade longs for adventure and finds herself in the clutches of an unsavoury individual with questionable intentions. I also really liked Samir and Gillian because they're quite the problem-solving duo.
I had a LOT of fun reading this charming slice of strange, and loved the descriptive writing style.
Wednesday, 16 October 2024
SOXORCIST II by Jamie Kort

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Well, I have to start by thanking the author for sending me a copy of this depraved slice of horror. It's the fourth erotic sock puppet story I've read, and it's certainly turning into Jamie Kort's subgenre. 🧦🪡
Anyway, here are my thoughts:
The Soxorcist needs help. She's sick and something is stirring inside her stomach, but what she finds is a terrifying nightmare worse than her memories...
O.M.F.G. The stories in this series might be short but require a lot of brain bleach. That doesn't ultimately work because the dark and gross imagery weaves its way so deep that the filth seeps too fast to stop.
In usual fashion, this story is as weird as fuck. Bizarre in too many ways to list without spoilers. Also very addictive. The writing is engaging and I didn't stop reading until I reached that very violent and disturbing end because I always want to know how it's going to end.
I also really like the addition of Sam the Raven.
If you enjoy being grossed out, but at the same time, intrigued by a storyline so strange that you're sucked right in... then definitely check this out. You won't regret it. Or maybe you will. 😅
SWEETPEA by C.J. Skuse

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I've had my eye on this for a while, and when I found out a new show based on this book was coming out, I wanted to read it before watching.
Rhiannon is a bored editorial assistant caught in an unfulfilling relationship. She has an adorable dog she loves. She's also part of a group of friends she barely tolerates, and has an unhealthy addiction to making kill lists. But these aren't her biggest secrets...
Well. Rhiannon is really something, isn't she? She's certainly a flawed character, and quite unlikeable in many ways. She's full of insensitive opinions, isn't exactly nice, and has quite a few skeletons in her closet.
The journal/diary storytelling style really worked for me. It dragged me into the events that were unfolding very quickly. I also like how Rhiannon conveniently drops clues about the bizarre situations she finds herself in. Some details aren't clear right away, but it doesn't take long to figure out what this sweet little psycho is up to.
She certainly has a way with words. And men. And with insults. Lots of politically incorrect assumptions and judgements are made in this tale of murder, deceit, and how a violent past can morph someone's way of thinking forever.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Rhiannon's insane adventures. But like I said, she's not the nicest person in the world, and that's fine because while she's obviously a disturbed individual who constantly attempts to justify her despicable behaviour, there are a few glimmers of goodness that shine through. Occasionally.
Great start to the series, and that cliffhanger ending... 😳!! Good stuff.
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