Book Review: Another Great Novel From A.J. Finn!

END OF STORY

By A.J. Finn

 

I loved A.J. Finn’s debut novel THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW. Now I am ecstatic over his second novel, END OF STORY.

 

Finn is the master of mysterious protagonists, plot twists, and surprise endings. In END OF STORY, terminally ill crime novelist Sebastian Trapp invites his longtime correspondent Nicky Hunter to visit him and write his life story. Nicky hopes the reclusive author will reveal the truth about the night, twenty years ago, when Trapp’s first wife and son mysteriously vanished.

 

Finn seamlessly shifts between multiple points of views: Nicky’s, Sebastian’s, Sebastian’s daughter, and his second wife’s. San Francisco and Sebastian’s eerie manor house provide palpable backdrops to the past and present mysteries. END OF STORY kept me guessing until the end, although I did figure out a major plot twist just before it was revealed. END OF STORY is a page-turning cat-and-mouse mystery that will leave you in awe of Finn’s writing.

MY WRITING UPDATE

The third novel in my Two Realms trilogy is in the capable hands of my fabulous editor, Barbara Millman Cole. Yay! 

Haven't read the first two novels or the Two Realms companion novella? 

THE BELTANE ESCAPE, 

THE AMBER ELIXIR, and 

THE VIKING MIST can be read for free with Kindle Unlimited, or purchased in ebook or paperback. 

Happy Reading!

Ariella Moon

2 Events That Will Help You Market Your Books!

 

Upcoming Events!

Image by Survivalist Castle on Pixabay

 Author Panel on Book Marketing

June Writers Forum

June 1, 2024, 11:00 AM - Noon (Pacific Standard Time)

Mizell Center, 480 S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, CA 

Presented by the Palm Springs Writers Guild

What works, and what doesn't work?

Please Join authors Ariella Moon and Joanne Hardy for a panel discussion on Book Marketing moderated by Kristina Hoffman. 

Learn more or register

Image by Geralt on Pixabay

Social Media For Writers

An online Zoom class presented by Ariella Moon

and the Palm Springs Writers Guild.

June 7, 2024, 1:00 M - 3:00 PM on Zoom

• Do you need to be on all social media platforms?
• Which social media platform do your readers likely use?
• How do you balance creating content for social media with writing your book?
• What is the “must have” platform for every writer?

 In “Social Media for Writers,” Ariella Moon will answer these burning questions, plus give writers tips on blogging, using Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, and explain how to use social media to connect with readers.

Learn more or register

An ebook $0 .99 Sale and More!

Two Realms Book Bargain 

               Amazon Kindle $0.99 Sale   Read For Free With Kindle Unlimited

Praise for The Beltane Escape

“Ms. Moon creates a magical world and a complex cast of characters that leap right off the page!” ~InD’tale Magazine, Crowned Heart for Excellence review.

 

“I want the second one, I want more of everything. More Fenella, more Wizards, more Fae, more half-Viking hotties…just more of everything! If this novel has any foreshadowing of how the rest of the series is going to be, I can’t wait!” ~Jessica, Taking It One Book at a Time

 

Writing News 

The sequel to The Beltane Escape and The Viking Mist is EPIC! The manuscript will go to my editor this weekend. In honor of this milestone, and to celebrate the Celtic festival, Beltane, I have created a kindle $.99 sale for The Beltane Escape, good through May 7, 2024 

The Beltane Escape, The Viking Mist, and The Amber Elixir, a Lady of the Lake novella, are also available in paperback, and Kindle Unlimited.

Cat Consultants 

Thank you to all who heeded my call for Cat Consultants! 

 

Muirgen, the fairy cat in The Viking Mist, returns to play a vital and sometimes humorous role in the upcoming third book in the Two Realms Trilogy. (Stay tuned for the title and cover reveals!)

 

When I first conceived Muirgen’s character, the only facts I knew about cats were:

 

1.     I am allergic to them.

2.     They will bypass a room full of cat lovers to rub against me.

 

Recently, I happily welcomed a new cat consultant team, Suze and Beanz.

 

Beanz was originally shown at the Frisky Business Palm Springs Cat Café, a coffee shop that features shelter cats to help them get adopted. But among so many cats, shy Beanz returned to the shelter, where he remained for about six weeks until he met Suze. Beanz wouldn’t leave his hiding spot for the shelter volunteer, but when Suze stuck her hand in, Beanz head butted her hand, then placed his paw on it. Suze and Beanz are now enjoying their Happily Ever After and send me article links about cat whiskers.

 

 

Photo of Beanz by Suze.

Happy reading!

Ariella

Kindle countdown ends May 7, 2024!

Random in Death Book Review

 

Random in Death

By J.D. Robb

 

My writing breaks from revising my next book in the Two Realms Trilogy have been spent reading thrillers. My latest from the library's "Hot Off the Press" table:

Random In Deathby J.D. Robb is a thrilling futuristic crime mystery. Robb expertly builds suspense and increases the stakes as Lieutenant Eve Dallas of the NYPSD pursues a serial murderer with a vendetta against women, especially sex workers.

 

Dallas, her wealthy husband Roarke, and her police team use the limited evidence, particularly the unusual murder weapon, to build a profile of the killer. As they race the clock chasing down leads, each new discovery reveals a more horrifying picture of the killer and increases the desperate need to find him before he strikes again.

 

Robb gives us a chilling, slowly revealed, and expertly fleshed out villain. The skillful plot, likable victims, and lightning pace will keep readers rooting for Lt. Dallas, Roarke, and the rest of the NYPSD. 

Don't miss my 99 cents kindle deal for The Beltane Escape May 1-May 7, 2024!

 

Or read The Beltane Escape and its sequel, The Viking Mist, for free with Kindle Unlimited. Both books are also available in paperback.

Both Books on Kindle

The Beltane Escape on Amazon

The Viking Mist on Amazon

Brandon Sanderson's Frugal Wizard: Book Review

 

Fans of Terry Pratchett’s offbeat humor and world building will enjoy Brandon Sanderson’s The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook For Surviving Medieval England.

This is the first Sanderson book I have read, and it is not linked to any of his other series. However, the fake author of the book-within-a-book, Cecil G. Bagsworth, has appeared in other Sanderson novels. (A fact I learned by reading the Postscript.)

 

Skewing towards science fiction, the novel is set in an alternate dimension of medieval England, which our totally unprepared, amnesiac hero suddenly finds himself. Sanderson cleverly embarks “Johnny” and the reader on a rollercoaster of partial memories, hopes, fears, love, and shame all while Johnny and his new friends struggle to survive Hoardamen, Vikings, gangsters from Johnny’s past, and Woden, an insecure god.

 

I appreciated the strong female characters and loved that the bizarre magic eventually made sense. Being inside John’s mind proved to be an excellent journey in self-discovery.

Manuscript Update

I have finally typed THE END on my manuscript for third book in the The Two Realms Trilogy!!!

Once I've done another read-through, revised and polished, I'll send it off to my fabulous editor, Barbara Millman Cole. Stay tuned for more updates.

Happy reading,

Ariella

AMAZON

 

A.I. For Authors: What Every Writer Should Know About A.I.

 

 

“What Every Writer Should Know About AI”

February 16, 2024

1:00 - 3:00 Pacific Standard Time 

Online zoom class for writers

$55.00 PSWG Members

$110.00 Non PSWG Members

 

 

In the rapidly developing field of artificial intelligence, authors and other creatives

may be tempted by AI’s promise of shortcuts and easy money. But using AI the wrong way can pose several risks to your publishing contracts, your copyrights, and your monetary interests.

 

·     How generative A.I. collects text, images, and other content

·     The US Copyright Office stance on A.I.

·     Legal challenges and legislative proposals concerning A.I.

·     Audible restrictions on A.I. generated audiobooks

·     Copyright restrictions on A.I. generated images used in graphic novels

·     Positive ways authors, artists, and other creatives can use A.I.

 

Award-winning author Ariella Moon will walk registrants through the current issues involving generative AI and how (and why) some authors, and several author and creator-led organizations, are fighting to protect writers’ intellectual property and copyrights in the United States and Europe. 

To learn more or to register: Palm Springs Writers Guild Event

Cassandra Clare's New Fantasy Series!

 December’s Top Book Pick!

 

New York Times Best-selling Author Cassandra Clare launches a new epic fantasy series with Sword Catcher, Book One, The Chronicles of Castellane.

 

“It began with a crime. The theft of a boy.”

 

So begins the tale of Kel, a boy stolen from an orphanage to become the secret Sword Catcher—the body double for the sole royal heir, Prince Conor of Aurelian. All the trappings of royal life, including abundance and hedonistic thrills, and Kel’s growing closeness to Conor, are countered by the weight of living a lie and knowing his destiny is to die for Conor.

 

 Like Kel, Lin Caster is an outcast. A rare female doctor, Lin is      forced to live behind walls within the city because she is an Ashkar. After the Sundering, only the Ashkar possessed the last vestiges of magic, and all magical creatures disappeared overnight. But neither charmed talismans nor Lin’s extensive medical skill have succeeded in healing her best friend.

 

 After an assassination attempt, Kel, Conor, and Lin’s lives become entwined in a dangerous web of forbidden love, secrets, conspiracies, and betrayal.

 

Clare employs enviable writing to breathe life into disparate characters and factions. Her complex world building may send the spatially challenged (like me) puzzling over the included map. But once the pieces come together, readers will find this hefty book difficult to put down and eager for the sequel.

Wishing you all a wondrous holiday season. Be sure to take some time for yourself to snuggle up with a good book!

 

CopyrightⒸ2023 By Ariella Moon