Books That Always Make it to the Top of my TBR Pile

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about which books I always put on the top of my To Be Read pile when they come out!

Warrior Cats.

This one shouldn't be surprising if you've read my blog posts in the past. No matter what, Warrior Cats always goes to the top of my pile. Even if I'm reading something else, I put that one on pause to get through the Warrior Cats book.

Dungeon Crawler Carl.

I absolutely love this series and it was recommended to me at work. I devour this series whenever a new book comes out because I can't wait to see what craziness will happen next. There aren't too many books in this series left, so at some point it will lose its spot on this list.

Chrysalis.

This is another LitRPG book that I always bump straight to the top. Like Dungeon Crawler Carl, I can't wait to see what craziness happens in this series. Whenever it comes out, it gets bumped straight to the top so I can find out what happens next.

Wings of Fire.

I discovered this series during lockdown and can't believe I didn't know about it sooner. I read the series so quickly and was disappointed when I caught up so I had to wait for the next one. Now it gets the top spot whenever a new book comes out. Luckily, a new one is coming out this year so it can reclaim its spot!

My TBR pile is always growing, but it's nice that I have books that I know that I can read first when they come out. Maybe as I get further into my pile, I'll find a new favourite that can get bumped to the top in the future.

What books do you always read first? Let me know in the comments!

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week. 

PS; before you go, don’t forget to check out these book bundles:

SFF Plot Before Passion

Kindle Unlimited with the occult and supernatural

My Favourite Second-Hand Bookstore

Hi all,

This week I'm going to tell you all about my favourite secondhand bookstore: World of Books!

I came across them randomly when I was looking up Doctor Who books. They have a wide variety of books in paperback and hardcover. I usually buy books from there when I've gotten through a batch of paperbacks (or when there's a really good deal on).

I don't mind getting secondhand books because I like the thought that someone loved them before I did. It makes me happy knowing that someone sold the books so they could be bought by others who will get the chance to read it for the first time.

There are so many amazing books on World of Books, in a variety of genres too! Most of the books I've bought from them are Sci-Fi and mythology books, but I always find myself browsing to see if there are any other books I might like on there too.

If you're looking for good books to read for a discount, I'd highly recommend them. It's a great way to recycle old books and get them into the hands of new people without pulling on the purse strings too much.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles to find your next read:

Young Adult Book Giveaway

Lengedary Lores (All Genres)

My 2026 Writing Goals

Hi all,

As this is the first blog post of 2026, it's time for my goals for 2026!

Write three books.

This year I'm going to write three books, and I want to get the remaining books in the Original Elementals series done. I haven't decided whether I'll write those first or if I'll get a standalone done first, you'll have to wait and see!

Finish writing the Original Elementals series.

This series has been ongoing for a while and I want to get it finished this year. I've got other books planned in the Elemental Dragons universe as well, though once Original Elementals is drafted I'll take a break from it for a bit.

Self-edit three books.

I want to get Game of Air and Lightning, Empty Skies #1: Missing Constellations and Empty Skies #2: Freezing Constellations edited. Once I'm happy with what I've done, I'll send them to my editor.

Get two covers designed.

Two covers will be getting designed by Deranged Doctor Design this year!

Publish two books.

I'm going to publish the last book in the Curse of Anubis series, The Dead Kingdom, and Game of Air and Lightning this year!

Publish the Curse of Anubis Complete Collection.

With all the books in this series released, there will also be a Complete Collection so you can buy all four books at once.

Read 100 books.

Seeing as I read 121 last year, I'm going with 100 this year. I've got a lot on my TBR list right now and I'm sure I'll find more to fill it out as well.

Run regular Facebook ads.

My Facebook ads did well for a few months last year but then fell off. This time, I want to try to keep on top of them more and expand my knowledge about how advertising works on Facebook. I'm gathering images and excerpts from my books, so this might not start until the middle of the year.

Write and send out the Game of Air and Lightning prequel.

This year I will get that prequel written! It will also be edited and then sent to my newsletter subscribers.

Plot the Empty Skies reader magnet.

I'm still not sure what the story will be for this book, and I'm looking forward to playing around with a few ideas until I find one that sticks.

Plot a Norse mythology series.

I've got the basics of this one already, but I want to expand on it further. I'd like to be able to start writing this series in 2027, so that means I need to get a solid outline done this year.

Plot a YA Fantasy series.

This one is very bare bones at the moment, but I have the characters and the magical system worked out. This one will be a massive project that will contain werewolves, vampires and eldritch beings that created magic in the first place.

Plot a horror book.

As this is one of the books I want to write this year, I need to flesh out the plot a lot more. I know where the book starts and ends, but I need to fill out all the middle bits, characters and side plots.

That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed my first blog post of 2026. See you next Sunday. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles before they disappear:

Long Live the Queen: Amazing Women in Fantasy & Science Fiction (Dec 2025-Jan 2026)

New Year, New Monsters 6: From the Skies

2025 Year in Review

Hi all,

It’s time to take a look at my goals for 2025 and see what I achieved. I wanted to push myself a little bit this year and I think on the whole it was manageable. I didn’t hit all of my goals, but that’s okay!

Write three books.

This year I wrote the first drafts of:

Game of Air and Lightning

The Severed Pantheon

Cloud’s Core

It was the year of standalone books, it seems!

Publish two books.

This year I published Curse of Anubis #2: The Blazing Serpent and Curse of Anubis #3: The Frozen Eye.

Get two covers designed.

The covers for Curse of Anubis #3: The Frozen Eye and Curse of Anubis #4: The Dead Kingdom were both designed by Deranged Doctor Design this year.

Self-edit two books.

The last two books in the Curse of Anubis series were self-edited and sent off to my editor, ready for publication.

Send all my reader magnets to my editor.

All of them were edited by her and I feel like the stories have really improved!

Read 100 books.

This year I read 121!

Write the Game of Air and Lightning reader magnet.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get this one done. I’ve had so many ideas for it that I’ve started writing and then scrapped not too far in. I’m still trying to find the perfect story to write.

Change my writing schedule.

My writing months are now March, July and November. It works a lot better now that they’re more stretched out.

Write 12 short stories.

I initially planned to write a short story a month, but I forgot about the months that I’d be writing books. So, I managed to write ten short stories this year. My newsletter subscribers have read most of them.The stories are:

Affection

Blue Once More

Fire Dragon

Neglected Vote

Red

Run-Along

The Bus

The Last Excavation

Two Paths

Unnamed

Research different kinds of mythology.

I’ve done a lot of research this year into Japanese mythology and Celtic mythology. I haven’t come up with any concrete story ideas for either yet, but I’m hoping the more I read about it, the more ideas will come to me.

That’s it for this week! Next week I’ll be posting about my goals for 2026, so you don’t want to miss it. See you next Sunday.

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles before they disappear:

Brand New December Fantasy Adventures

Long Live the Queen: Amazing Women in Fantasy & Science Fiction (Dec 2025-Jan 2026)

New Year, New Monsters 6: From the Skies

Reasons Why I DNF Books

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about reasons why I DNF (Did Not Finish) books. I know there are a lot of readers out there who will persevere throughout books, even if they aren't enjoying them. Just so they can say that they have finished them. But if I'm really not enjoying a book, then I won't continue reading it.

Too much description.

When I'm reading books, I hate it when there are just paragraphs and paragraphs of description. I tend to skip over these parts a lot if they're excessive. But if a book starts and there's just pages of description and it doesn't improve the more I get through it, then I will DNF it. If I end up skipping most of the beginning of the book because of description, then I don't see much point in continuing to read it.

Stereotypical characters.

If all of the characters in the book are just stereotypes, I don't continue reading it. I don't want to read a book about a woman constantly having to get saved by the male main character, who she then immediately falls in love with. I want characters who have a bit more depth than that.

Graphic abuse scenes.

I don't like reading books with sexual abuse scenes in them. If I come across one, no matter how much I'm enjoying the book, it will most likely get DNF'd.

Annoying child characters.

I hate it when a book contains an annoying kid that keeps getting everyone in tough situations that then ends with people dying. Especially if that child will then do so the same thing again and again, without learning their lesson.

Very slow burners.

I'm usually okay if a book starts slow, but if it feels like a slog to read, then I will DNF it. If I have to force myself to keep reading after one hundred pages where nothing is really happening, I just put the book down.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week. 

Tips on How to Get Out of a Reading Slump

Hi all,

I know we've all been there, where we just can't bring ourselves to read a book. Where it starts to feel like a chore rather than an escape. This week, I thought I'd give you some tips on how to hopefully break out of your reading slump!

Re-read old books

If you have a comfort book, give it a read again! It doesn't matter how many times you read a book, as long as you enjoy doing it. Re-reading an old favourite might reignite your passion once more.

Read audiobooks

This can make reading easier as you just have to listen. You can read while doing chores, going out or even just laying in bed. Instead of having to focus on the page, you can just let your mind drift off.

Read graphic novels

Graphic novels are easy to read and have plenty of visuals for when your mind doesn't feel like imagining the book's events. Some of them can be quite short as well, so you don't have to spend hours reading it if you don't want to.

Read a short book

Instead of picking up a full-length novel, try a novel or a smaller book. You'll find yourself enjoying reading again without devoting too much time to one story.

Read fanfiction

If there's a book you absolutely love and that's what you want to read more of, try fanfiction. There are thousands of stories out there written by fans to suit anyone who loves a book.

Read short stories

Short stories won't take too long to read, so it won't take too much of a toll on your mind. After reading a few, you might find yourself building up to bigger books again.

Read a book by your favourite author

If you've previously loved a book by your favourite author, why not try one of their other books? You might be pleasantly surprised to find a new favourite!

Read in short bursts

Instead of pushing yourself to read a few chapters or for an hour, read in short bursts instead. Maybe ten pages and then take a break, or just a chapter. Your mind will dwell on the book's events more and you might find yourself going back to read more.

Read a new genre

If you're not interested in any of the books that are out in your favourite genre, why not try a new one? Several genres have a lot of crossover that can make it easy to read a new one. Like horror? Try mystery or paranormal books. Like fantasy? Try LitRPG books.

That's it for this week! I've had reading slumps before and they can be tough to get out of if you're not motivated to read. But I hope this post helps anyone who might be struggling. See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out this month’s book bundles:

Spring into a New Woo-niverse Giveaways: Supernatural, Fantasy, Paranormal, Magical Realsim, and Sci-Fi

Kindle Unlimited with the occult and supernatural

Witchy Ways: An All-Genre Giveaway for Stories with Witches or Magic

May Giveaway

My 2025 Writing Goals

Hi all,

Here are my goals for 2025!

Write three books.

Although I haven’t decided what books I’m going to write yet, I still want to write three. At least one will be in the Original Elementals series.

Publish two books.

This year I’m going to publish Curse of Anubis #2: The Blazing Serpent in April and Curse of Anubis #3: The Frozen Eye in October.

Get two covers designed.

Deranged Doctor Design will be designing my next two covers, both in the Curse of Anubis series.

Self-edit two books.

The last two books in the Curse of Anubis series will be self-edited this year and both will be sent to my editor.

Send all my reader magnets to my editor.

I’d like to get all of my reader magnets edited again so I’ll be sending them to my editor to look through. I want to make sure that they are the best they can be for you!

Read 100 books.

I love reading so I’ve set my goal for another 100!

Write the Game of Air and Lightning reader magnet.

Game of Air and Lightning is the next book I want to publish after Curse of Anubis, so I would like to get the reader magnet done this year. It will probably be about the backstory of the two gods, Aerus and Bolt.

Change my writing schedule.

Due to the fact that I’m no longer doing NaNoWriMo, I thought I would change up my writing schedule a bit. At the beginning of the year, the gap between two of the writing months is a lot smaller which I think creates more pressure for me. I’ll write a blog post when I’ve decided what months I’m going to do instead.

Write 12 short stories.

I’d like to write 12 short stories this year, as I’ve been neglecting my shorter works a bit. A few of them might even get submitted to anthologies!

Research different kinds of mythology.

I’d like to look into otehr kinds of mythology, such as Japanese and Celtic. I love writing mythology books and want to expand my knowledge.

Last year my goals were still attainable while having a challenge to them, which I want to keep this year, I don’t want to stretch myself too much. I love writing and want to keep that love as I go through the year.

Do you have any goals for 2025? Let me know in the comments!

PS; don’t forget to check this book bundle before it disappears!

New Year, New Monsters 5: From the Seas

I Participated in Another Strong Women, Strange Worlds Live Reading

Hi all,

I attended another live reading done by Strong Women, Strange Worlds on August 2nd. I aboslutely loved the first one and really wanted to do another one, so when I was invited again I was ecstatic! I read an excerpt of Mute this time and offered to give away two copies to two lucky winners!

This time I was the last one to read, which gave me a lot of breathing room to prepare before it was my turn. I also loved hearing everyone else’s stories and the different genres that were read. If you want to check out the other authors, here are their websites:

Dianna Gunn

Liza Wemakor

Kelli Owen

J E Hannaford

M V Melcer

Once again, the stories were fantastic and were all read so well. We did another Q&A session at the end where we discussed our next projects and advice on how to stop short stories turning into longer novels.

If I get invited again I would love to attend as the organisers are so lovely. Both times I’ve been on I really enjoyed it once my initial nerves passed. I would highly recommend checking Strong Women, Strange Worlds out and giving them a listen when they hold another live reading.

That’s it for this week! If you attended Strong Women, Strange Worlds, thank you for doing so! See you next week.

PS; don’t forget to check out this book bundle if you’re heading on holiday soon:

Binge-Worthy Books to Read on Holiday!

My Favourite Film of All Time

Hi all,

I know I've discussed a few of my favourite films and also dedicated a few blog posts to my favourite TV series. But I haven't made one on my favourite film of all time! It does have a cat in it, very briefly, as I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear. No dragons though. 

Aliens

It's a classic and I absolutely love it. I can watch it over and over and never get bored of it. The xenomorph has a brilliant design and I absolutely love seeing it every time. The introduction of a queen alien is great too! It was cool seeing how they reproduce and how quickly they can take over a small colony.

I didn't actually watch it until I was twenty, as I wasn't too keen on horror until then. I got into reading Stephen King books and that was my gateway into horror. Soon enough I was watching horror films and series and absolutely loving them. I bought all the Alien films at the time, along with Predator, because I really fell in love with the sci-fi horror genre. I started by watching all the Predator films, and then moved onto Alien.

I absolutely loved the first film and when I heard the second one was even better, I knew I would love it. Now I've watched it so many times that I've lost count! Of course I really liked seeing Jonesy in the beginning and I hope that he was looked after during the events of the film. At least this time he didn't have to face the Alien himself.

The Xenomorphs look amazing and I love seeing them on screen. I've now seen all the Alien films, and the crossover ones with Predator too. Each film is great in its own way but it can't beat Aliens in my opinion. I can watch it again and again and not get bored.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles:

Fantastic Fantasy and Sci-Fi in Kindle Unlimited!

Kindle Unlimited Horror Bookfest!

Strong Women, Strange Worlds Live Reading

Hi all,

On March 1st I did a live reading for Strong Women, Strange Worlds. I've never done a live reading over Zoom before and it was actually really fun! I read a excerpt of Blood and Water and got to listen to the work of five fabulous authors!

I was first up, so I was incredibly nervous and wasn't really sure what to expect. Luckily Mishka didn't try to interrupt, instead she just slept next to me while the event went on. It would have been embarrassing to try to read while Mishka was practicing a musical number! There was a live chat which was really nice because I could get real time feedback when I get as reading. Next time I'll try not to look at the chat as I think that distracted me a bit when reading.

The other authors that read were: (click on their name to go to their websites)

Wen Wen Yang

Anne Karppinen

Phoebe Walker

Ilana DeBare

Carmen Baca

All of their stories were absolutely amazing and it was great watching them read in real time. I loved the different genres and tones that each reading set. Seeing the audience get excited about the readings as well was so lovely to see.

After all the readings were done we had a Q&A session where the audience could ask questions. We discussed researching books, what genres we write and if there's anything we would change about a book published years ago. It was a great session and I really liked getting to interact with the other authors and listen to their opinions on the different questions.

I gave away an ebook copy of Blood and Water to one lucky winner and I hope that they're enjoying it!

Now onto the big question: would I do this again?

The answer is a big fat yes!

I loved every aspect of it and my nerves disappeared quickly once I realised how nice the organisers and other authors are. Everyone was really friendly and supportive.

I would really recommend listening to Strong Women, Strange Worlds as they have a variety of authors on there with so many fantastic stories. If you want to check them out, click here.

That's it for this week! If you tuned in, I hope you enjoyed it. See you next week! 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles before you go:

A Box Set of Young Adult Magic

Epic Fantasy Spring Giveaway

Fantastic Fantasy