#i preordered it on cover reveal day lol

[night-dark-woods]

ID. OP images are screenshots from Arkady Martine's review of Traitor. the reblog image is an excerpt from one of the Masquerade books itself.

review excerpt:

But here’s my real criticism of this book: I don’t buy the seduction of the Masquerade. And I think if this book fails, it’s there: in that its empire is too easily read as undesirable. As profane, unethical, fundamentally wrong. It is really overtly evil. It punishes sexual “deviants” with mutilation and death. It murders children callously. It inflicts plague and withholds vaccines. It lobotomizes its own emperors for the sake of convincing its populace that the emperor is just. Most of all, the Masquerade is a eugenicist empire: it is explicitly founded on not purity of bloodline but on purification of bloodline, on making people useful to it. It makes people: it breeds them carefully, it indoctrinates them through schools, it uses drugs and operant conditioning to transform their minds and make them into automata tools. It commits every atrocity that a modern Western reader recognizes as abhorrent. This is a problem. It is a problem because we are asked, as readers, to believe that there are reasons besides blackmail that a person would willingly become an agent of the Masquerade. We are asked to imagine that the Masquerade is a beautiful machine.

Dickinson tries, I will absolutely give him that credit: he knows he has to convince us. He tells us through Baru’s own noticing that the Masquerade gives literacy and prosperity and those selfsame vaccines and that when a person or place has been subsumed, it’s probably not all that bad to be a part of the Masquerade – and then he undoes it all again, by showing us that in-Masquerade people are engaged in a constant level of horrific policing of their neighbors for social sins. I cannot imagine being happy in this society. It is too awful. What it asks of the people within it is not sustainable as a society; it’s also too brutal and un-orthos for me to respond to it as something which is an entrapment and a promise.

book excerpt:

In our grand successes over the past century we have invented a monster called a middle class. Our predecessors pillaged the Ashen Sea, and now the people are accustomed to receiving that pillage. And they are accustomed to their innocence. If they learn what we do on distant shores to secure their safety and prosperity, I am certain they would hang us all. Not for the crime of what we did, mind! But for the crime of allowing them to know. Once I told a man in Commsweal Square that in our foreign provinces we still force women into reparatory marriages or sterility. He laughed! Not us, he told me, not us: those things happen elsewhere, they happened once, but not in our Republic today.

i think a memory called empire is good but that one time arkady martine said that the traitor baru cormorant was unrealistic because the empire committed too many open atrocities was so fucking funny. like girl let me tell you about a little thing called Britain

[sailorspazz]

10 Dance Volume 7 Preview

Volume 7 is set to release in Japan on January 19th, which is less than a week away! On January 13th, Comic Days and Yanmaga both put up a four page preview ad for the volume. It features a sneak peek at the bonus content, including both the special chapter and the calendar. The preview can be viewed for free on the sites above, but I've also included the pages under the cut along with explanations.

First is the scene with Sugiki talking to Liana from chapter 37, repurposed to have him informing her about the special edition for volume 7. (and I figured out the reason he appears to be barefoot here is because this panel originally didn't show his feet, so that's why his shoes were never drawn lol)

Next we get a look at the calendar, with the example page showing July. The calendar starts from April 2023 and features 13 illustrations. It's a large size calendar as well, which makes me wonder how it'll be packaged with a standard size manga. On the July page, we see the promised birthdays and blood types listed for a couple of characters (Urashima on the 10th, type O and his first name is revealed to be Satoru, and Max on the 28th, type AB). It asks the teasing question of when each of the Shinyas are born.

The newly drawn sexy bonus comic is 16 pages long and features a guest appearance by Dr. Itsuki from Inouesatoh's previous work Endorphin Machine. Suzuki thinks he looks like a quack, and in the lower left panel we see Sugiki panting as Itsuki says that his lower half seems tense and offers to help him relax. I'm curious how a hot doctor feeling up one or both of the Shinyas will lead to sexy times between the two of them (unless they just distract themselves with fantasies while they get felt up?), so I'm very interested to see how this story turns out...

Lastly we get a page showing off the special edition cover, noting smaller and off to the side that there's a regular edition, too.

If you haven't purchased yet, a lot of the sites have already finished taking preorders for the special edition (the regular edition is easy to find though), but one place that still has it up as of this posting is CDJapan. If you're looking to buy digitally, so far I have seen it pop up on Bookwalker. (It lists the calendar in its description, though I assume it will only include the booklet? We shall see.)

[someplace-that-is-else]

GOOD EVENING, LIKERS!!! How is the #nightlife? lol.

Horoscope for the day called for me to take a break. I could write an blog (hmmm) on how Type A I could be about taking a break. Especially with so much on the horizon.

So it's been a day of #fitsandstarts. A little bit of stuff here. Some errands there. Some more writing stuff here. Some idle there. Brainstorming again. Errands and #icecream over here. Lol.

And now here were. At?

Well...EDITING, TYPING, and WRITING!!!!

EDITING. #oddsandends.

Why?

Remember that I've been talking about #surprises? Well...here's one.

HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES's cover...has been found. Its cover has been fitted. The book itself...should be out #This WEEKEND!!!

You heard correctly. THIS weekend.

I was late (by an hour) on the deadline for #preorders on the physical book. But you can easily preorder the e-book as I type this.

I was excited. I was also nervous.

This book was the conclusion of a book I've been working on for decades. It was also a different genre from what people were used to. Would my readers like this different more dramedy approach?

I guess I was about to find out.

TYPING. Nothing to see here. More along.

WRITING. I continued to #pingpong between writing projects. Like I mentioned last week, I've been focused on HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVES. But now...it's just a wait for this weekend when my book becomes LIVE.

So...what to do, what to do.

So I'm probably going to take advantage of my down time and just...#write. Something. Anything. Let's see what would grab my mind.

Until then...I did mention a cover #reveal. You can find that below. ;)

[sekaiichis]

possibly vol 15 cover reveal today...? would line up w previous schedules (announcements always being around/on fridays + vol covers being shown around this time of year)

i would guess smth like a second pv for the ova but idk if they’ll even bother w that, maybe next week when it’d be closer to the release if at all

[entryno17]

For ask game Gaster

Its inevitable

yeah uh. this entire post should probably be under a read more. sorry </3

favorite thing about them -

personally, gaster was what elevated my love for undertale into full blown infatuation. somehow, he manages to appeal to literally every stupid thing that i love. he’s absolutely my favorite character in the game that’s not a character in the game. (papyrus is my favorite character, but gaster is my favorite non-character, you see.) i’ve basically always had a fascination for strange things in technology, starting at age 4 when i played my first video game. with access to action replay and all kinds of weird cheat codes, i found myself running into tons of weird glitches and oddities. they were scary, but they were incredible to me. they shattered the veil of immersion and revealed the game’s true nature: it wasn’t magic, it wasn’t real; it was lines of codes strung together. but that didn’t disappoint me—actually, it thrilled me. my interest grew further after discovering video game creepypasta (at a far-too-young age of course lol.) that stuff horrified me, the idea that something organic could be born from lines of code, whether it was an evil murder ghost or just a strange glitch—something about the concept just captured my imagination like nothing else. i’m still in love with the idea; i’m always reading about computer viruses, artificial intelligence, the mechanics of games and programs; anything that captures the strange wonders of technology. unused content in video games is another love of mine because of the unique insight it gives on the development of games. this interest has led me to learn and do so much, from writing simple code and romhacks to inspiring me to develop a game of my own. i don’t think i can explain just how much i love this stuff. SO. imagine how i felt when a certain game (that i already adored) had an entire character literally stuck in the game’s data both in and out of its universe, at the time only accessible through datamining and file editing. even though my first fixation on undertale died out in 2016, gaster has occupied a special place in my mind for all this time. but now that i’m once again obsessed with the game, i think he just is my entire mind at this point? deltarune’s next chapters cannot come out soon enough i'm going insane here

least favorite thing about them - the fact that he managed to dissolve my brain into goo. also that there’s so little content of him in game of course </3

favorite line - wow i get to pick something from his like 3 lines of dialogue!! anyway it’s the quote in my blog’s description, “I LOOK FORWARD / TO CREATING / A NEW FUTURE / WITH YOU.” it’s just... so ominous and exciting. and he’s talking to YOU!

brOTP - alphys probably? they might seem really different from each other at first glance but at heart they’re both just kinda dorky and weird. in my personal pre-core headcanon universe they’re really close—alphys and sans were both his assistants and they were all best buddies basically. alphys has always been really insecure but i think gaster would be good at reassuring her (one thing sans would probably absolutely suck at,) they’d both just be really positive presences in each others life and that idea makes me happy.

OH JEVIL TOO, this would be post-core gaster so like. man i don’t even know. they’d both just be fucking insane together and i love that

OTP - still got nothing. honestly, i don’t ship in general unless there’s really good reason to?? kingdings is kinda cute though, mostly because the name is fucking perfect and amazing it makes me cackle. OH MY GOD i forgot, i saw gaster x jevil referred to as jeviled eggs and just. why are these ship names so fucking good i can’t stand it nOTP - grillster I’M SORRY I JUST DON’T GET IT. no hate at all towards people who like it though, it just doesn’t interest me at all. also sanster because i personally believe gaster is related to him so like....... yeah no. (AND EVEN IF HE WASN’T I’D STILL HATE IT TBH. SRRY.)

random headcanon - gaster’s body is made from coagulated black goop of unknown origin. there could be a skeleton under there, but there’s probably not much of it left, if there is one at all. he has a white turtleneck, but only the neck part. his sweater fused into his body at some point—it’s literally just stuck there and he can’t do anything about it. he doesn’t have legs; the definition of his body terminates just below where his ribcage would be, and everything beyond there is an amorphous pile of goo. he can manifest arms (for hugs), but he usually floats his hands around since it’s easier. when he’s stressed or excited, his body melts a bit. he slithers on the ground like a slug, though he actually can move unnervingly fast? he may or may not leave traces of goo everywhere he goes. it’s horrible.

unpopular opinion - alright this is my hottest take in the entire undertale fandom: dadster is GARBAGE. grandpaster is clearly superior. i KNOW you fuckers just want to draw gaster as a hot dad BUT HE’S AN OLD SLIMY PILE OF BONES. YOU CAN’T CHANGE MY MIND. (YOU COULD JUST DRAW HIM AS A SEXY OLD SLIMY PILE OF BONES. IF YOU WEREN'T ALL COWARDS.)

song i associate with them - umm i can’t actually think of anything. maybe tout petit moineau - igorrr??? mostly putting it here bc it’s just one of my favorite songs like ever LMAO. it’s just very haunting, and the absolute chaos it further falls into with each passing moment is so incredible.

maybe also database batadase - gangpol und mit??? this association is even MORE nonexistent but fuck you i can do whatever i want. i associate gaster with synthesized voices in general and i really like this song. yeah that’s it.

favorite picture of them - GASTER ON THE UNDERTALE VINYL SET.

THIS IS THE ONLY OFFICIAL GASTER ART ASIDE FROM HIS SPRITE AND HE’S FUCKING ADORABLE

i still can’t believe i actually own this thing LMAO. as far as i know, he’s only on the cover if you preordered on the day of undertale’s anniversary which i happened to do. although the second set of prints haven’t been shipped yet??—he’s been removed from the boxart on fangamer’s website so there’s honestly a fair chance that he’s not going to be on those copies at all... if so, jesus christ i’m lucky. i can sleep so much more comfortably knowing that he is haunting my room.

[authoraliwinters]

Repost from @stepintothepages • What is one of your book goals for the year?⠀ ⠀ For me, I would love to buddy read more and also learn to vlog. So stay tuned for my awkward videos and lots of book recommendations and reviews. LOL⠀ ⠀ Happy cover reveal day to A Sky of Shattered Stars by @authoraliwinters This is a New Adult fantasy romance AND an ANASTASIA retelling! I’m so excited for this story and I’m loving the pop of yellow.⠀ ⠀ When the Stars call, they demand to be answered.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Oriana has spent her life keeping her head down, waiting for the day she will no longer be a ward of the Kalodorian court. About to be sold into servitude, Oriana knows she must escape or she will never be free. ⁠⠀ ⠀ She was not born to serve others.⁠⠀ ⠀ Freedom is within her reach—until she steals from the wrong man. ⁠⠀ ⠀ Oriana will let nothing stop her from gaining her freedom, not the threat of fifty lashes if she’s caught, and certainly not the man who makes her heart beat a little too fast, and who has his own plans for her.⁠⠀ ⠀ After chasing a thief halfway across the kingdom, Lucian can’t help being intrigued by the spitfire. Taking pity on her, he agrees to escort her to her destination. ⁠⠀ ⠀ Along the way, he comes up with a plan to use her uncanny resemblance to the missing Solairian heir to start a rebellion that will free the five kingdoms of Alterra from the Erisaan empire. ⁠⠀ ⠀ But if anyone finds out she’s an imposter, death will be the least of their worries.⠀ ⠀ ⠀ A Sky of Shattered Stars releases May 25th, 2021.⠀ Preorder now: www.books2read.com/askyofshatteredstars⠀ ⠀ #ASkyOfShatteredStars #S3coverreveal #newadultfantasy #fantasyromance #retelling #ASOSS #AliWinters #Anastasiaretelling #nabooks #nafantasy #newyearnewbooks #fantasyretellings #Anastasia #indieauthorsrock #indiebooks #Iloveindiebooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #readerforlife #flatlaylove #popofyellow #blackandyellow https://www.instagram.com/p/CJrWoKGgD_x/?igshid=1jx9u1xs9tvxn

[hotarutranslations]

Photobook Covers Big Release!!!

Evening

Its Ishida Ayumi

Thank you for waiting!

January 7ths release of my photobook "believe in oneself"

Finally,

Here,

IS THE COVERS BIG RELEASE~ <3

somehow, its that,

its embarrassing to change like this, that is,

this,

its not like that, is what I want to say←

How the photobook will be,

"Oooooh!" that is to say, is it alright if I just have some preparations?

huh?

this has big expectations?

Well, the introduction is already good lol

Thank you for waiting, I'm really uneasy but I'll reveal it

<Normal Cover>

<Amazon Limited Edition Cover>

With the title "believe in oneself" I think that with those words its an appropriate cover...!!

↑ its not there but,

the words are also attached to the obi, I'm really happy about it so I want to see it soon

For photobooks my 4th's "20th canvas" and the 3rd's "It's my turn", I was continuing to be conscious of my serious adult expressions but,

the cover has the atmosphere of a sparkling 23 year olds photobook, thats kinda nice! like, perhaps I'll think that myself when I collect all 5~

Wh, which one do you like!!!

The normal cover is,

Wani Books Mail Order

there is a lottery for signed book! They're taking preorders till the 16th so, hurry!

Amazon's Limited Edition Cover is,

Amazon

I'll also be waiting for preorders there!

What will those who can't choose do!?←

Inside the photos are, from the more mature photos that are on the cover, its full of innocent photos as well to grab at your heart, again,

Please look forward to the release on January 7th <3 <3 <3

that is the sea is really beautiful......

Nationwide Simultaneous Handshake

We're also holding this for 2 days! are you preparing for it in advance!? this is also going steadily!

Morning Musume 68th single commemorative release Nationwide simultaneous Handshake Event Lottery

Everyone prepare for it......

reviewing your means of transportation and things reviewing over the event start time and the sales start time thinking about to wear luggage should be easy right~

......is it like that feeling?

the comments and on Instagram,

"what time would be good to go" there were questions like that but, with this its just that I honestly can't say "what time", with that, up until what time can people get it and gather for CD's, I don't know every time

sometimes its sold out before the event begins...

sometimes the handshake starts and then it sells out...

(thank you for both of those things)

Furthermore it'll be 3 of us at 1 place this time, how will it be with us...

Even if all of the tickets are gone, if there is a free space, you'll be able to see the event so,

In any case with those feelings,

I'll be waiting!!! its limited to that!!!

Buy 1→seeing the talk event →being able to have a handshake with the 3 of us......since it will flow like that, please participate without any preparations

(......please tell me if its different than that...)

see you ayumin <3

https://ameblo.jp/morningmusume-10ki/entry-12556740800.html

[prettyquickpoetry]

@calicojackofficial what was the hardest part of the process (other than writing it lol)? what was the easiest? also what was the most time consuming aspect? and where/how did you do promo?

The most difficult part of the process was definitely editing, but aside from that, perhaps formatting. Nothing was particularly difficult, but making a linked table of contents that links to image chapter headers for the ebook was…. not fast lol. The easiest was probably designing my cover. I’m also an artist, and I had a lot of fun doing that.

As for promo, I did a lot on my Instagram like a cover reveal, posting character art, opening preorders and including incentives, doing a giveaway… I also enlisted 10 ARC readers as well as a few Booktokers and Bookstagrammers to read a copy early and post a review/make a post around release day.

I’ve heard that Goodreads giveaways work well too, but I haven’t tried it. Writers in the same genre with the same readership also do newsletter swaps sometimes where they send emails to each other’s email list to increase their exposure. That might be worth a Google!

I self-published a book. Ask me anything!

[sungwanns]

LOL yes the pictures were very helpful...i think they're giving me ideas of what to make for your present as well 👀

aww, well i'm with you there - my albums haven't arrived yet either...actually i'm not sure where they are HAHAHA i should probably check the with the courier. WHAT IS THIS COINCIDENCE THO - i keep pulling han, you keep pulling hyunjin. we really our pulling our twins! (≧▽≦) ohh and now that you mention height...this just cements our theory. i'm a bit shorter than changbin so my height is definitely closer to han's than hyunjin's. (also, if you don't mind me asking, how tall are you?) AND OMG YES THE SEASONS GREETINGS. i guess you're going to preorder? i told myself i probably won't buy it because the planners and all are too pretty to be used for work-related stuff, but now i'm heavily considering it...

okay that's adorable that felix visits you so much in your dreams. and chan too! hmm maybe the method of watching MVs before going to bed is the way to go to summon them XD i've had a few dreams of them already even one where i married chan and no i still don't know how to feel about it tho it doesn't hurt to invite them into the subconscious on purpose hahaha.

oh my - skz hunted you down too! sounds like it's fate that they wouldn't stop getting your attention until you finally caved and joined stay. and man, i totally feel you. i already support a lot of other groups (plus my wallet can only take so much merch) so that's probably why i was in denial as well ( ;∀;) nice to know i'm not the only one! and yes - WE STRUGGLE TOGETHER, EVEN FROM WHEN SKZ WAS FIRST CALLING US

ahh another july baby! i was born in july too, tho a few years earlier than you, so this is such a cool coincidence (and funnily enough, i get the opposite treatment. there was a time the country i live in had age restrictions due to the pandemic, so only those aged 16 and above are allowed out. i had to keep showing my ID to prove i'm already an adult (;'∀'). i have the slight rbf too tho so idk what everyone else's problem was HAHAHA). also I AM SO HAPPY YOU GOT TO MEET THEM! man i wouldn't know how to survive intense eye contact with any of them either, but that's hilarious that felix kinda just left you there HAHAHA. i hope you get to see them again soon! even if it's through a video call...have you tried applying for those?

i'm glad i could give you more stuff to watch! will definitely look into season 2 of well-intended love because i'm a sucker for role reversals. agh i need to find more time for dramas - it's like there's not enough time in the day to do anything.

oh yeah i forgot about the rose! aw dude seungmin could pull their songs off EASY. where do we sign to make this happen? (≧▽≦) ohh yeah i noticed a lot of red velvet stuff while stalking your blog - YES HYUNJIN IN THE PSYCHO COVER! these boys are so versatile they'll fit any genre istg...tho not gonna lie, i'd love to see a cover where seungmin raps too HAHAHA

aww that's so cute - clare the bear! (is that why bear is your nickname btw?) and as for me...hmm i know i'm not supposed to reveal who i am yet, but to give you a clue, my name sounds like 'autumn' in a language that isn't english. you can just keep calling me your secret santa for now tho!

oooh actually tho, i think i do, tho tbh i'm not sure why these are the colors i associate with them. chan is gray, changbin is red, minho is black, hyunjin is blue, han is green, seungmin is purple, jeongin is white, and felix is yellow. what about you??

also how's your week been so far? going well i hope!

- your secret santa ^^ (i keep forgetting to sign my messages off like this i'm sorry)

Oh i’m so excited!! I really look forward to it!! 🥺

HAHA i feel that i got a notification that mine shipped just the other day but besides that ??? i have no idea LMAO Wait that’s so cute that your height is close to jisung’s too 🥺 I don’t mind at all !! haha i probably should’ve mentioned it last time!! but im 5’10 or 177cm depending on what you use !! it’s kinda a love hate relationship with it🥲 im definitely a bit taller than lix LMAO but i’m about the same height as seungmin!! I think he’s 178cm so he’s got like one cm on me <<3 same height… perfect for good hugs… Ah!! I really wanna preorder if i can scrounge up the money!! Yeah i would never use the stuff it came with either HAHA i just really want to be able to look at it and admire it 🥴 i just really love the roommate theme they have going this year …

everytime i dream of lix we’re besties and it’s so cute like !! we would be besties my subconscious just knows it but you and chan that is so cute!! 🥺 but yeah i bet the mv watching does help a lot LMAO maybe i should watch some more skz videos before bed and run a little experiment 🤔

RIGHT HAHA it’s like please i can’t afford anymore… but i watched two skz mvs and i just knew i wasn’t going anywhere LMAO I was like fine!! you win 😭 It’s still a struggle though LMAO like i swear im always missing out on something!!

Oh yay!! july twins!! In that case are you a cancer or a leo? I love astrology sm as you could probably tell from my blog LMAO but that’s so funny that we’re opposites in that way!! like i go to restaurants all the time and like even when i was like only 18 they’d ask me if i wanted wine and im american so the drinking age is 21 and i’d be like… oh … im not old enough and it always shocks them 😭 like i don’t think i look that much older but maybe it’s bc i have kinda sharp features rather than like soft ones?? I’m really not sure!! AH BUT THANK YOU i was so nervous it was so embarrassing HAHAHA but it’s funny to think back on now!! I haven’t entered for any video calls before!! I’ve thought about it and i would like to try sometime!! but AH my social anxiety and i get super nervous!! and if i get too nervous i get sick to my stomach!! I would probably see them and completely forget what i was gonna say 😭😭 That already happened to me with jeongin at the hi touch i got so nervous i blanked and just said “hi” and he laughed at me and said hi back with a slight tease in his voice… KAHDKWSJ it was so embarrassing but im glad i made them laugh ???

No i totally feel that!! like im so far behind on a lot of things show wise i just feel like i have so many things in my list to watch that i never have time for them all!! I’m behind on a lot of animes too… Do you like any anime?? But that’s so true im constantly trying to do so many different things that the days just don’t feel long enough but sometimes i get too tired to stay up any later !!

RIGHT that’s what im saying like it would suit him so well!! and like i adore the rose i wish they had better treatment and more songs :(( Seungmin this isn’t a joke im begging you to cover she’s in the rain i’ll do anything KWNDKW yeah haha once again im not very subtle and i love crying in the tags too haha!! but hear me out skz vocal line covering automatic or be natural by red velvet… a dream but fr all of skz are just all rounders like they can do anything!! I watched that cover so many times it’s a little unhealthy … but you’re so right!! Seungmin would be an amazing rapper i would die to hear a cover of it…

Thank you!!🥺 but yes!! haha it is lmao my family always called me clare bear which then turned into bear and now i just use them interchangeably!! Oh but that’s so pretty!!

Yes i do as well!! That’s funny some of our colors are actually very similar!! let’s see mine are chan - bright green, binnie - red, minho - dark green, hyunjin - dark blue/purple, jisung - orange, lix - yellow, seungmin - lilac, jeongin - like a pink/orange !!

My week has been pretty good so far!! rather relaxed and a bit uneventful but that’s okay!! I think i’m gonna decorate the tree later and watch national lampoon’s christmas vacation bc i love that movie!! I hope your week has been good too and i hope if you celebrate any holidays around this time of year that they’re going smoothly!!

[skzfaker]

oh wonderful!! wooyoung yelling "my son" is one of my favorite moments too. lol I'd scream about my ult and the performances he gave during kingdom but I don't want to reveal myself, I will simply be shrouded in mystery 👻 it was so excellent having both ateez and skz there, I enjoyed it tremendously

👀👁️👀 we'll see what I do! Planning on starting the fic after finals are over lol. I have exactly a week and then I am free

I AM YOU LOL. we're the same person actually. Wolfgang was such a cool concept but I agree, vampires ftw

jskdkfks for the music stuff, thank u :') I rly love music quite a lot, it just Connects with my brain haha. I'm not going to say exactly but there's a rather cursed version of a stray kids song that I transposed and then posted om Tumblr. It's a song in a minor key and I made it in a major key. It's horrible. It's awful. It's wonderful

as for other genres, I rly love rap and classical. Lmao quite the difference, huh? I also like rock a whole lot. The band Paramore is 10000/10

And I haven't done any covers of ateez yet rip, it's quite hard to and also I'd have no groups/orchestras that would play them so I don't rly see a reason for why I should write them. Also the rap parts are harder to transpose 😭😔

AND YEAH I'LL SHARE W U MY PC COLLECTION HAHAH. it's actually quite easy to get photo cards, I use Mercari and buy them from there. I have so many of My Boy he's just very neat

who do u think My Boy is?

- 🎅

awww true tho - my friend (who's a fantasy) and i used to stream the episodes live together and rooting for more than one group was fun! seeing her react live to SF9 wearing jeans of all things on sports day was almost as entertaining as sports day itself HAHAHA.

eyy can't wait! i'm still counting down the days until i can take a vacation too, and in the meantime, also planning what to make for the person assigned to me...yes after making how many graphics last week i'm kinda burned out ( ;∀;) also these are the graphics i made for both my esports team/tumblr namesake and my jpop group bc ngl i'm proud af of them HAHA 👀

...okay i'm sorry but i read "cursed" and "stray kids song" and i immediately thought of hip fuck sin (soz han) HAHAHAHA. now i'm REALLY curious about what your transposed song sounds like tho...i've heard major songs transposed to minor keys before but i don't think i've heard the reverse. i'm 1000% sure you're right tho - it's bound to sound wonderful (≧▽≦) if i dig through your blog, will i find it? oooh and what song did you choose?

AHHHH I AM YOU INTENSIFIES. I LOVE ROCK TOO! and omg paramore - i still jam to their songs to this day, though my ult group is my chemical romance. man, this combined with being past twihards - we never grew out of our emo phases, have we.

oohh i hope you and some band friends can work to cover an ateez song one day. ngl an orchestra version of...idk - inception or pirate king, maybe - would sound EPIC. though yeah i wish you luck working out how to do the string versions of the rap parts lol. if you had all the people you need available, what song would you cover first?

nice - i get my stuff from mercari too! ...just not the PCs i guess HAHAHA. i got overwhelmed seeing the complete collection of all skz PCs since time immemorial - i don't think i can catch up with that anymore ( ;∀;) to make up for it tho, i'm thinking of just printing some of my graphics and keeping them in a binder for the lolz. the danceracha posters i made is on the list of stuff to be printed, and definitely the skzoo game of thrones banners. speaking of merch tho...are you going to preorder skz's seasons greetings? or do you have ateez's bought already?

okay i asked my atiny friend who she thinks your boy is, and she guesses it's mingi because that's her boy HAHAHA. how off the mark am i/is she?

also random question for today - what's your favorite skz MV?

[deannawads]

Cover reveal for HIS RANCH HAND

I’m so excited to share this super HAWT book cover Katy Souders made for my latest novel, HIS RANCH HAND, coming August 17th.

Isn’t this cover GORGEOUS!!!

HIS RANCH HAND is an American Western romance that I’ve dreamed of writing for a long time. I’ve been in love with the American West since I was a little girl, and I am incredibly proud to finally have a western of my own. Some of the first books I enjoyed reading were the Louis L’Amour novels my grandfather gave me. And I cannot tell you how many hours I’ve spent watching movies and shows about the West, and even writing my own teenage western romances. One holiday break in school, I checked out the entire ten volume Time Life series about the Wild West.

Yes, I was a writer and a nerd even then. LOL

These days however, my books are a little sexier than I wrote as a teen LOL. And HIS RANCH HAND is more reminiscent of my earlier erotic writings, so pull up your boots and hold on to your Stetson, because it’s one steamy ride!

BLURB:

Cowboys don’t cry.

West of the Pecos, if a man shows a vulnerable side, his last glimpse of this life might be at the end of a barrel.

Cowboy and drifter, Myron Poste shrouds his life in mystery, carefully following a strict code to stay alive. Fellow ranch hand Cade Buchanan is big, hairy, and strong—not the sort of man to trifle with.

One fateful night while driving a herd of Longhorns north to Santa Fe, Cade confronts Myron. With the swiftness of a West Texas wind, desire seizes control and a passionate affair begins. Pride has always held Myron back, but he can no longer deny his submissive nature when Cade gives him just what he craves—pure, lustful dominance.

When the drive ends, they must part ways. Will the memories of their untamed passion under the big Texas sky be powerful enough to reunite them?

AVAILABLE FOR Kindle Unlimited PREORDER NOW: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CNNQD2C

To introduce you to Myron Poste (the narrator of the book) and his love interest, Cade Buchanan, I’ve selected a sweet excerpt to tease you. Myron is on a journey of self discovery and an even bigger journey of self-acceptance. Words like submissive and dominance didn’t have the same meaning in 1873, so Myron has a real struggle accepting that his need for dominance doesn’t make him less of a man. And Cade? Well, he has his own hang ups about the things that he desires most too.

EXCERPT:

First day of the drive, no men got hurt, but a cow broke its leg, so it was steak for dinner. With a full belly and muscles tired from a long day in the saddle, Myron went to check on Lucy. He’d ridden her this morning, taking out Duke and Brave the rest of the day. Lucy was a jealous sort, so he brought her an apple before he hit the hay. He didn’t have watch duty, and a full night’s sleep called his name.

Young Jacob wasn’t watching over the horses, it was Cade. He leaned against one of the posts of the makeshift corral, having a smoke and his back to Myron.

He only hesitated a moment before casually walking up. “Evening.”

Cade didn’t startle, probably already heard his approach. He turned and a waft of smoke obscured his face. “Poste.”

Ignoring the way the much bigger man’s very presence made Myron jumpy, he clicked his tongue to get Lucy’s attention. Several horses stirred, and after a shuffling of beasts, Lucy, ears up, made her way over. He withdrew his knife and sliced off a piece of the apple.

“Here, girl,” he said, holding out the slice with a flat palm. Her velvety lips fluttered over his hand as she took the treat.

“Gonna have them all over here in a moment,” Cade remarked, as Duke, the bay Myron had ridden this afternoon pushed up against Lucy. He cut him off a piece too.

Cade shifted to lean sideways on the post, smoking. His gaze stayed locked on Myron as he alternated cutting pieces of apple off until it was gone, and a third horse had nosed its way over too, seeking a treat.

“All gone,” Myron told them all, hands up.

“You spoil that horse,” he remarked.

“I do.” When Myron put away his knife, Cade held out his cigarette in offering.

He only hesitated a moment before taking the cigarette and having a nice toke. Cade’s tobacco was sweeter than his, and he liked it. He held the smoke in, and passed the cigarette back, briefly allowing himself to think that once more, their lips had both been on a cigarette. Would Cade’s kisses have the same lingering sweetness of his tobacco?

“Beautiful night,” Cade offered.

Myron stroked Lucy’s nose, desperate for something to anchor his wayward thoughts. He wanted to stay, he needed to leave, and he dreamed about stepping closer. Instead he patted his horse and agreed, “It is.”

“There’s the Big Dipper,” Cade said, pointing up. “And the little one.”

Cade seemed to be in a chatty mood, and though it only made Myron’s yearning stronger, he felt obliged to indulge him. He gazed up at the star-spattered navy blue sky, identifying several constellations right away. He pointed to one. “Orion.”

“Which one is that?” Cade stepped closer, gazing up in the direction Myron had indicated.

There had been no need for Cade to come so close, for no tree obscured their view. And there should be no reason for Myron’s heart to race like a cattle stampede either, but it did nonetheless. He cleared his throat, not surprised by how hoarse he sounded or the way his hand trembled as he pointed at the constellation. “See there, the three small ones all clustered? That’s Orion’s belt.”

Cade moved closer still, but his gaze remained heavenward, using Myron’s finger like the sight on a rifle. “There?” He pointed up too, their arms flush now.

He stood so close, Myron could make out his thick eyelashes in the moonlight, see how long they were, the blond tips disguising that fact at a distance. There was no distance between them now, and their arms were still touching. Helpless, Myron gazed at his full lips and licked his own in want.

“Y-yeah,” Myron choked out, his body responding to Cade’s overwhelming manly scent, his nearness, and the fact that he didn’t mind having his arm pressed against Myron. “Th-that’s it.”

At the peculiar sound of his voice, Cade turned his head and looked right at him. Not moving away, he offered a sideways grin. “You sure? You ain’t even looking up.”

Shit!

Myron stepped away so fast, Lucy reared her head and huffed her disapproval. Even in the dark Cade had probably seen Myron staring at his mouth. His heart pounded, his arm on fire where it had been pressed to Cade’s. He could still feel the heat of his body and the cold absence of it in the air between them.

“Yes, I was,” Myron argued, feeling a fool. He pointed up with confidence. “You’ve got it. That’s Orion.”

Still smiling at him, Cade flicked his cigarette to the ground, and only released his gaze to glance down and extinguish it. When he looked back up, Myron hoped he didn’t notice the growing bulge in the front of his trousers.

What the hell were you thinking, staring at him so openly?

And why did he stand so close in the first place?

“Thanks for sharing it with me,” Cade said, voice a heady timber that did nothing to quell Myron’s ardor.

“Y-you’re welcome.”

“Now I know three constellations,” Cade said, then he looked up. “Know any more?”

He cleared his throat, and pointed out Pegasus. “That there square? It’s Pegasus.”

“The flying Greek horse?”

Myron couldn’t help but smile at the childlike wonder in Cade’s tone. “Yes, the same.”

“I suppose the stars’ll look different in the Dakotas.”

“Suppose so,” Myron agreed, stuffing his thumbs under his belt and feeling off kilter. “They’re different down here in Texas than they are in Pennsylvania.”

“You stayin’ on another season with Lawson?” Cade questioned after a moment.

“Nope, gotta head back east. My family’s got a bit of a situation I need to tend to, now that Mama’s passed.” He didn’t want the ugliness of what lay in store for his future to tarnish this rare moment alone under a blanket of beautiful stars with a man he craved more than air itself, so he asked, “You’re really going that far up north?”

“Yup, parcels are cheap up there. Public domain land to graze on too.”

“You plan to work it by yourself?”

“At first,” Cade said. “Plan is to get there and build a shelter for me and a couple horses. Figure I’d buy cows in the spring. Won’t let me take Longhorn up there because of the ticks.”

Myron nodded, knowing full well all the hassles settlers and farmers, not to mention the government, inflicted on Texas cattleman because of a tick the cows carried. Didn’t bother the herd, overmuch, but it did cause problems for folks and other animals. That’s why they were driving the herd on the west side of the Pecos through Apache lands to Santa Fe. Too many restrictions on the safer route to the railhead in Abilene.

“Thinkin’ I’ll plant corn for feed,” Cade continued, the excitement evident in his voice. “Maybe have me a little vegetable garden come springtime. We set out later than I wanted with this herd, and the seasons come faster up there. Maybe I can get a few things in the ground before the frost. Or at least till some earth for early spring planting.”

Myron smiled, thinking of Cade harvesting things like tomatoes. He could imagine him taking a bite of one, still warm from the sun and ripe with sweetness, the juice dribbling down his chin and beard, the way Myron had done as a child. Though the visions Cade conjured held none of the innocence of childhood.

Pushing those images away, he said, “Good plan.”

“Don’t suppose I need much more than a snug shelter and supplies for me and the animals over the winter. I’ll be able to hunt too. Can ya just picture it?” Cade said wistfully. “Your own land, a ranch, small house. Maybe someone to share it with.”

At that last whispered sentence, Cade dropped his gaze from the heavens and looked at Myron with a faraway smile.

Myron’s throat went dry but he managed to nod. “You paint a pretty picture, Buchanan.”

He imagined his own version of that picture, the two of them holed up the entire winter, snuggled in one bed inside a tiny little cabin that smelled of man, soot, and horse. His thoughts shouldn’t go to places like that because it made his cock throb. Thankfully the darkness, and Cade fixing his attention back on the sky, provided him a moment to adjust the indiscretion. 

Pre-order your copy of HIS RANCH HAND now!

from Cover reveal for HIS RANCH HAND

[nostroviapress]

2017 Chapbook Contest: Week 14 Review

It’s another big day at Nostrova! Press, as our video excerpts from our 2017 Series continue! We also have news about Goodreads listings, updates to the main website, and some notes about FB ad campaigns!

Katie’s Video Poem

Be sure to get your limited edition copy from Nostrovia!’s 2017 Series at our online store. As always, prices are pay-what-you-can + $5 shipping! 

Goodreads Listings

I saw a post a few weeks ago on FaceBook noting all the different ways a press can better promote their writers, and it inspired me to create some Goodreads listings. Here they are for our 2017 Series(!), so be sure to use these listings if you’ve already preordered:

Katie’s Goodreads Listing Joseph’s Goodreads Listing Alain’s Goodreads Listing

I’ve also gone and updated the main page for our 2017 Chapbook Contest winners, so everyone has their Goodreads link + Featured Finalist excerpt shared alongside their listing at our online store:

FB Campaigns 

I’ve started spending some decent chunks of time on FB, learning more about their ad system + analytics. Along those lines, I’ve used FB’s Power Editor (lol) to setup a split campaign this week, testing two different ad groups to see what works better for ad engagement. Somewhat a pain in the ass, and I do dislike a lot of FB’s algorithms, but it’s silly not to consider what works best for promoting your writers.

The print proofs should be arriving very soon, so I hope to have some pictures in the next weekly review!

Much love, and see you next week! <3 -Christopher

*

We’ll have a new Tavern post each Wednesday, giving an inside look at the N! process, so stay tuned for more updates!

Week 1 Review    (Opening the Floodgates) Week 2 Review    (Reading + Ordering Supplies) Week 3 Review    (Reading + MSS Observations) Week 4 Review    (Reading + Starting Search for Finalists) Week 5 Review    (Picking Winners) Week 6 Review    (Featured Finalists + Announcing Winners) Week 7 Review    (Cover Art + Additional Pieces) Week 8 Review    (Blurbs + Excerpts + Review Copies) Week 9 Review    (Timeline Check + Interior Design) Week 10 Review  (Front Covers Revealed!) Week 11 Review  (Action Items) Week 12 Review  (Presales Began!) Week 13 Review  (Joseph’s Video Story)

[borntoslay]

some Johannesburg thots

DIAMOND HEART

I was surprisingly oblivious to the fucking fact that

Because

TBH ...

like T B H... i was so annoyed when she got engaged LMFAO like literally she was like He Gave Me His Heart On Valentines Day<33 and i LITERALLY was like

But once it was pointed out to me the whole song made sense Lol it chronologizes her life in a similar way to BJ † AF, with the first verse covering her go-go dancing days with her newly revealed (post-Till It Happens To You) trauma, (“some asshole broke me in, wrecked all my innocence”), with the second verse “a cruel king made me tough” being about Lüc Carl (”I’m just a holy fool, oh baby, he’s so cruel”)... which could place the trauma sometime either RIGHT before she made it big (~2008), or during The Fame (2008-2009), because she dated Lüc again during TFM/BTW... but with the bridge (“better get a good look baby, ‘cause soon I’m breaking out of here...”), we can place the entire song as pre-The Fame (2008)!

So the song is saying that she’s had bad ...romances in the past, but she managed to find “the one,” (”I might not be flawless, but you know I got a diamond heart”)

The only thing I’m confused about is whether she wrote this song pre- or post-breakup with Taylor... it seems like everything from LG5′s first attempt (the one that RedOne produced 8 tracks for, with a single to be debuted at the 2016 Grammys) got scrapped when Mark Ronson was brought in to produce (~January/February 2016), and Gaga was notably distant from Taylor throughout early-mid 2016 before announcing they broke it off...

Hmm

A-YO

JOANNE

So obviously I know this post is mostly just a joke but... what if it’s not?

Honestly, I know where you’re going And baby, you’re just moving on And I still love you even if I can’t see you anymore Can’t wait to see you soar

“So just so you know, someday you'll be up here instead of me, and I'll be sitting in the back cheering all you guys on.” (~2010–2011 at The Monster Ball)

“I hope that you always remember this time in our lives together, when we painted each other’s faces and called each other “Monsters”. Talked about love and art, all night long. Every year when I travel around the world, I always wonder if things will be different. Maybe one year you won’t come to the show, or you’ll be less festive, or not dressed up. What I realized during ARTPOP is that we belong together and sometimes some stories have no end. I will follow you around the world as long as you’ll have me because I love making music, I love making art and I love, love meeting all of you beautiful and creative people. When this song is over, the clock will start ticking until the next time. I appreciate you so much, thank you for believing in me always. I’ll always believe in you. When I die, they’ll say, “Lady Gaga was special, but her fans, her Monsters, they were really something.” (2014 at the final ArtRave)

JOHN WAYNE

All songs with male names as the title are metaphors for her male partners; all songs with female names as the title are metaphors for herself!

Alejandro, Judas, John Wayne

Bloody Mary, The Queen, Venus, Donatella, Mary Jane Holland, Gypsy (with the exception of Joanne... except technically Joanne could be literally named after herself S0)

Hmm... John Wayne is lyrically about going for joyrides and both John Wayne and Judas had motorcycles in their videos so I was thinking maybe there was something more to it... like maybe all of the songs about male partners have this in common... except Alejandro doesn’t have anything to do with cars...

but then I remembered the existence of Summerboy, which technically could count as a male name... “hey there Summerboy, let’s go for a drive...” and THEN i remembered that there’s this:

which was pointed out as eerie foreshadow 1.5 years ahead of this:

which is might’ve lead to “bust the rearview and fire up the jets ‘cause it’s you and me, baby, for life” in Gypsy... not to mention we also just got this for John Wayne

So she’s told this same story... on every single album.......¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿ and it still slays us every single tiMe¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿???//¿¿

DANCIN’ IN CIRCLES

This song is about masturbation, and some fans noticed it’s also an acronym for DIC...

Glitter and Grease is also a song about masturbation, and also an acronym for GAGA (Glitter And Grease Around)...

PERFECT ILLUSION

EXPECTATION: COULD THE METALLICA / GAGA COLLAB AT THE GRAMMYS FINALLY BE THE DEBUT AMERICAN TELEVISION PERFORMANCE OF PERFECT ILLUSION?? 

Reality:

Anyways, as with all her lead singles that I initially hated, I have really grown to adore Perfect Illusion. I hope it gets a true epic moment that it deserves... sigh

MILLION RAISINS

If you think about it, every single song performed at the Superbowl was laced with a double entendre, whether it was already written into the song, or it was freshly baked in due to current events.

Obviously her God Bless America / This Land Is Your Land medley has been deciphered as the latter was written as a protest song, tapped off with her excerpt of the Pledge of Allegiance, “ONE nation, under god, INDIVISIBLE, with liberty, and justice for ALL”...

Dance in the Dark, a song about finding a way to be happy when you’re living in fear and insecurity; “Tell ‘em how you feel, girls”

LoveGame, a song essentially about embracing your sexuality

Paparazzi, “We are the crowd” / “Don’t stop for anyone”

The Edge of Glory, a song about the passing of her Italian-immigrant grandfather who she saw as a champion of life in his dying moments

Poker Face, a song about bisexuality!

BORN THIS WAY IM FUCKING CRYING

Telephone/Just Dance, following her mission with this performance of wanting to make everyone feel good + forget about their fears, “I don’t wanna think anymore, I left my head and my heart on the dance floor” / “Just dance, gonna be OK”

Million Reasons has a new meaning for everyone feeling scared, feeling unsafe, wanting to abandon the country altogether, maybe even wanting to give up on life altogether; “I’ve got a hundred million reasons to walk away... but baby I just need one good one to stay”—she starts off the whole song with “America... world... how you doin’...”, ever-so-subtly changes just ONE lyric, and saying it while looking and even pointing to camera TWICE, “I bow down to pray, I try to make the worst seem better. Lord, show me the way, to cut through all his worn-out leather...” and it’s immediately a different song from the one she wrote and released pre-Trump presidency.

Bad Romance, with the country of course!

SINNER’S PRAYER

When The Fame first came out, there were reviews for it citing Brown Eyes as the worst tracks because they come off inauthentic and I was like

But now we enter the Joanne era where she’s a country/folk singer seemingly out of nowhere, and although this is a perfectly good song, this one stands out the most, to me, as inauthentic. A-YO, John Wayne, and Dancin’ in Circles manage to take influences from the genre and turn them into pop songs, Joanne manages to still sound like a traditional Gaga ballad (Princess Die, Living on the Radio, I Wanna Be With You, etc)... but Sinner’s Prayer just... doesn’t.

I was thinking maybe it’s the instrument choice (guitar instead of piano)... but Joanne is basically done entirely with a guitar and there was no problem on that one... IDK

COME TO MAMA

“So why do we gotta put each other down when there’s more than enough love to Gaga-go around?”

God imagine if this was a Born This Way bonus track would we all have even made it all the way to 2017? Holy fucking shit. This song feels like every single good time I’ve ever had with the friends I’ve made through Lady Gaga, and, to that extent, this song sounds like every single time I was happy since 2009. I love this song so MUCH

The double-entendre here is that I can almost guarantee that this song was written with the intent for it to have become Hillary Clinton’s theme song, so it touches a lot upon the current state of our country... AS WELL AS, of course, the current state of her fans as she, “Mama” Monster is seeing that we all seemed to have forgotten all the love and acceptance we practiced during the Born This Way era.

Man, it wasn’t that long ago we were all living in the jungle...

Who are you gonna follow? There’s gonna be no future if we don’t figure this out...

Speaking, of course, about Hillary’s candidacy in regards to the country’s problems, as well as about needing to resolve her fans’ sudden indifference following ARTPOP and C2C if she’s to maintain her career!

Dude in a lab coat and a man of God Fought over prisms and a forty-day flood Well, I say rainbows did more than they've ever done So why do we gotta fight over ideas? We're talkin' the same old shit after all of these years

This is a beautifully written second verse talking about the age-old battle of religion vs science...

As well as the age-old battle of Monsters VS people who like this person; “rainbows” is Born This Way, as she suggests, being more successful and impactful than both... BUT dismissing stan wars altogether “so why do we gotta fight over ideas? We’re talking the same old shit after all of these years; Come to Mama”

HEY GIRL

This, to me, is the most important and necessary track to ever come out of 2016 and literally if you even slightly disagree, fucking block me please

ANGEL DOWN

When this song title and the concept was announced, I was so sure (and uncomfortable at the idea that) she was going to use it as a double-entendre for herself and her hits and misses post-2011, especially with this

But it would seem that she really did dedicate this solely to Trayvon Martin and the Black Lives Matter movement, and that’s exactly how it should be.

I also have a theory about alternate universe timelines and how this song would’ve gone into play if democracy actually existed and Hillary had won the election, but I’ll save that for another one of these days

Ok we are in for a treat, because although I preordered the physical release of the deluxe edition of Joanne, I was so busy through the end of last year that I was never able to import the CD into my library, so I just had the downloaded standard edition leak and have just been listening to that since then...

I heard (a live version? of) Grigio Girls, surprisingly never heard or saw proof of the existence of Just Another Day (which makes me sad that it might not be very good Lol) but I just sat my ass down and imported the remainder of the deluxe edition... so In The Words Of Mother Monster, Hear We Go...

GRIGIO GIRLS

Ok the production on this is just right, it would’ve served as a bridge between Diamond Heart’s genre crossover and Sinner’s Prayer’s flat out genre jump.

I... think,, this might be the weakest song on the album LOL AND I ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE, objectively, it is. However, I do recognize how important it is to them and their friendship and if I was in that circle of friends, this song might be my absolute favorite song she’s ever WRITTEN! However I’m not, and I can step outside of that bias and see that this song isn’t nearly as strong as the rest.

It’s kind of like that “Monster For Life” song Gaga wrote for SPW and Lady Starlight + performed a capella at the 2014 SXSW set. It’s very sentimental for them and their circle of friends, but the melody is all over the place, the lyrics are pretty half-assed, so maybe it would’ve been better if these just stayed personal songs

I have a rule for songs (which I’ve started using with ARTPOP), and that is, “IF the song I dislike were a bonus track, would I like it more?” When Applause first came out I HATED it, but used this rule and TBH if it were a bonus track, it would’ve SLAYED MY WHOLE LIFE! (For the record, I ended up loving it all on its own just a couple of months later so don’t come for me) I also used this rule on Donatella, Dope, Fashion! and even Swine and Gypsy... and magically they’re all perfectly ok songs... but this rule doesn’t seem to be working on actual bonus track, Grigio Girls!

AGAIN, don’t come for me, I understand its importance and how personal it is

JUST ANOTHER DAY

OH MY GOD. WHAT THE FUCK THIS SONG IS SO GOOD... I THINK PROBABLY TOP 5 OR EVEN TOP 3 FAVORITE FROM THIS ALBUM??? HOW THE FUCK YALL PAID IT DUST IT IS SO SWEET AND PERFECT OMFG IT KINda sounds like Oh Well and Blueberry Kisses¿ especially with the horns and the way her voice sort of marches across the melody

Honestly this was literally me listening to it just now oMFg

but anyways omg i LOVE IT WHAT THE FUCk wow ok here’s my final rating I THINK

Come to Mama / Hey Girl

Just Another Day

A-YO

Dancin’ in Circles

Million Reasons / Angel Down / Perfect Illusion / John Wayne

Sinner’s Prayer

Joanne

Diamond Heart (sorry)

Grigio Girls (SORRY)

AnYwAyS thats all! I love this album : ‘ ) I think aside from Grigio Girls (SORRY!!!) even the songs that I don’t really like are still really good

And I still stand by the idea that she should re-release Joanne like she did with The Fame/The Fame Monster and call it Stefani Joanne

Ok thats all

[bentchcreates]

Project Saving Noah by Six de los Reyes

This is one of my highly anticipated releases this year because a.) It’s the second romanceclass Flair book and y’all know I highly anticipate steamy releases. LOL b.) It’s Six de los Reyes!

We’ve also been given snippets and bits of info about it the past year or so, without a definite release date so when the cover reveal dropped last week (without warning!) you bet your ass I screamed IRL in excitement.

Fast forward to today, where I’ve already dedicated a Taylor Swift song to Lise x Noah and have been retweeting random ocean things bec they would find it interesting. HUHU. I’m so affected!

Let me explain why, in this non-spoilery (hopefully) review:

1.       The romance is delicious. It’s rivals-to-lovers and the banter is peppered with scientific puns, math jokes, and good ol’ flirting. This is not my first SixDLR book, but I still find the nerdy flirting between the protagonists v enjoyable. And that’s when they’re still rivals. When they finally become lovers, ugh, I assure you, your insides will turn to mush.

2.       The math and science are sound. I may not be knowledgeable on most of the math & science-y things but those parts are delivered with sincerity and, obviously, more fun than the textbooks. I’d also like to note one part where Lise was deconstructing the process for finding ‘x’, a glimpse on how her mind worked, and I couldn’t help but think that had my math teachers in the past explained it to me in that simple and practically applicable manner, I wouldn’t have spent so much time and energy flunking and hating math.

3.       The steamy parts are *bites lower-lip* exquisite. I don’t want to elaborate so much on this because I feel like everyone would enjoy this more with zero expectations. Expect it to be really good, though, because, it is. LOL

4.       The water metaphors are brilliant. The premise is Ocean Boy x Math Girl goes out to sea to fight each other and then fall in love so ocean lines are a given, but I wasn’t prepared when the simplest of things, even the deepest of things, were translated beautifully into narrative with ocean metaphors. And they fit perfectly with the scenes or the emotional state of the characters in that given moment. They don’t feel forced; they flow naturally. (See what I did there? Flow? LOL. Nevermind.)

5.       I don’t know how much has already been revealed about Lise’s thing, but it goes without saying that it is dealt with utmost sensitivity and respect – a romanceclass trademark. The Author’s Notes after The End discussed this even further and offers more insight on the matter. My only comment is that I would’ve liked if Noah’s thing had been discussed too, bec, well, that was what I personally resonated most with. Read the whole thing, and let’s discuss it. (I’m dying to discuss this with someone! LOL)

So yeah, if this long-ass review didn’t convince you to pre-order the book right now, might I suggest to take a long, hard look at that cover? Because it’s got something we don’t usually find on romanceclass covers. Heh. Hopefully after this we see more of this in the covers. We live in eternal summer on a beachy archipelago after all. (Anything to do more shirtless cover photo shoots! LOL)

Also, the special preorder price of $1.99 on the Kindle edition is going to be there only for a few more hours! I don’t have news of the print edition as of this writing but you know I’ll scream about it on Twitter when it comes out.

5 of 5 Stars.

*I received a free eARC in exchange for an honest review. It doesn’t affect my opinion of the book, whatsoever.

Blurb: Noah might be the best oceanographer the Institute has seen in years, so he’s in no hurry to finish his Master’s degree...until a new arrival threatens his chance at a once-in-a-lifetime research grant. Suddenly, it’s sink or swim time. Lise knows there’s a slot at the Institute’s newest project with her name on it. But she’s all math and very little science, and when it comes to the ocean, she’s completely out of her depth. Lise and Noah are determined to win—even if it means working with each other to overcome their fears. But what begins as a shallow bargain lands them straight into the deep end when they realize they want the same thing—each other. Unable to ignore their physical chemistry, can they balance personal ambitions against an illogical attraction that threatens everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve?

Buy Links: Amazon: bit.ly/flairbook2

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42016094-project-saving-noah

About the author: Six de los Reyes has been reading and making up stories for as far as she can remember. In fifth grade, she learned to write about the stories she wanted to read. As a pretend grownup, she writes contemporary romance novels. Her day job doing science has something to do with being a part-time mermaid and a part-time labrat. She currently lives next to the sea.

[jenmedsbookreviews]

Made the most of the beautiful weather this weekend and went for a lovely walk early on Sunday morning. A few miles and several steps covered, I also cleared 40% of an audiobook so it is all good. Productive day for me then. Whoop whoop.

So – how has your week been? I’ve had a bit of an emotional one again this week unfortunately. Took my little kitty to the vets as he’s been under the weather and we’ve been monitoring him for the week. Sadly, this time he hd lost more weight and the vet felt a mass in his intestinal tract which doesn’t look good. He’s on steroids to manage his condition and hopefully improve his feeding but we both know it is simply a matter of time before I have to say goodbye to Mars too. I am trying to psyche myself up for it, but I have to be honest, as nice as the gesture was, it didn’t help that the same evening I came home to a card from the Vets with their best wishes after the loss of Kaycee the other week. Can anyone guess who was an emotional blubbering mess? No? That would be me. Again.

I did manage to complete two of my three online courses, which sounds like far more of an achievement than it actually is, but hey. I now have certificates. Go me, lol.

Taking my mind off things, I had a meeting in Crawley on Thursday so I took the opportunity for a quick stop off in the city the night before to attend the launch of Roxanne Bouchard’s wonderfully lyrical crime thriller, We Were The Salt of the Sea. The event was hosted by the Canadian Embassy, the venue and the evening amazing, and a big thanks to Karen Sullivan for the invitation. Certainly a very memorable event with brilliant readings by translator David Warriner (in English) and Roxanne herself (in French) which made the night perfect. Might have picked myself up a sneaky signed copy of the book too, courtesy of the lovely Karen again. The dedication is in French but I have just about enough knowledge of the language to translate. It was lovely to meet both Roxanne and David and their respective partners, and to see a number of my good blogging pals too.

You know my theory that book post is like buses? Well – proven again this week. While I was away I received three letters/parcels. The first was a book-plate for The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton. If I hadn’t been expecting it then it would have been quite unnerving lol. The second was a copy of Her Name Was Rose by Claire Allan from Avon Books. The third was something pretty special – a finished copy of The Ice Swimmer by Kjell Ola Dahl where I am quoted on the cover!!! My first (and probably only) time as a cover girl. I will treasure this for sure. Might even have to get it signed by the man himself as a super special copy.

Saturday saw me attending the blogger author meet up in Stoke organise by Stephanie Lawrence and Kerry Parsons. It was fab to catch up with some old friends and make some new ones. I am crap with pictures so there is no evidence to be found on this blog, but if you search about you may find some in existence elsewhere.

I’m probably a very naughty bunny – depending on your perspective – but I did go onto Netgalley again this week, In my defence, I had to as I needed books for blog tours … I just might have strayed and requested a couple more while I was there. Whoops. I picked up The Date by Louise Jensen, Follow Me Home by DK Hood, The Puppet Show by MW Craven and Strangers on a Bridge by Louise Mangos. I also received an advance copy of After He’s Gone from author Jane Issac, the first in a brand new series which I am really looking forward to tucking into soon.

Purchase wise – not so well behaved I’m afraid. I made a few pre-orders (as you do) and picked up a couple of bargains too. As well as preordering Follow Me Home, The Puppet Show and  Strangers on a Bridge, I picked up Dead Blind by Rebecca Bradley; The Adulterer’s Wife by Leigh Russell; The Dying Place by Luca Veste; The Promise by Katerina Diamond; Dark Winter and Original Skin by David Mark. No audio books, the then I think I have enough to be going on with, don’t you?

Books I have read

Absolution – Paul Hardisty

Sequel to the critically acclaimed The Abrupt Physics of Dying, The Evolution of Fear and Reconciliation for the Dead. Claymore Straker returns in another gripping, page-turning, socially conscious thriller, with more at stake than ever…

It is 1997, eight months since vigilante justice-seeker Claymore Straker fled South Africa after his explosive testimony to Desmond Tutu’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In Paris, Rania LaTour, journalist, comes home to find that her son and her husband, a celebrated human rights lawyer, have disappeared. On an isolated island off the coast of East Africa, the family that Clay has befriended is murdered as he watches.

So begins the fourth instalment in the Claymore Straker series, a breakneck journey through the darkest reaches of the human soul, as Clay and Rania fight to uncover the mystery behind the disappearances and murders, and find those responsible.

Events lead them both inexorably to Egypt, where an act of the most shocking terrorist brutality will reveal not only why those they loved were sacrificed, but how they were both, indirectly, responsible. Relentlessly pursued by those who want them dead, they must work together to uncover the truth, and to find a way to survive in a world gone crazy. At times brutal, often lyrical, but always gripping, Absolutionis a thriller that will leave you breathless and questioning the very basis of how we live and why we love.

The final Claymore Straker novel but by god what a hard hitting, emotional read, full of social conscience and a clear passion for his subject. Paul Hardisty takes us on a roller coaster rise as Straker seeks to reunite himself with Rania, possibly the only woman he has ever loved. Full of action, tension and subterfuge this book has many facets, covering environmental and humanitarian issues whilst providing a compelling story told in such beautifully crafted language. Action with a heart. Loved it. It’s available now in e-book or from 30th May in paperback so you can pick up or preorder a copy here.

…

The Reckoning – Yrsa Sigurdardottir

A chilling note predicting the deaths of six people is found in a school’s time capsule, ten years after it was buried. But surely, if a thirteen-year-old wrote it, it can’t be a real threat…

Detective Huldar suspects he’s been given the investigation simply to keep him away from real police work. He turns to psychologist Freyja to help understand the child who hid the message. Soon, however, they find themselves at the heart of another shocking case.

For the discovery of the letter coincides with a string of macabre events: body parts found in a garden, followed by the murder of the man who owned the house. His initials are BT, one of the names on the note.

Huldar and Freyja must race to identify the writer, the victims and the murderer, before the rest of the targets are killed…

The best thing about long drives down to London are the hours of audio book I can consume while travelling. I devoured the previous book in the Freyja and Huldar series and couldn’t wait to read this one. I was not disappointed. A dark central story and a very chilling aspect to this novel as a whole, not just its setting, but by god was it a good read/listen. You can pick up a copy here and I’ll be sharing my review soon.

…

Summer at the Little Cottage on the Hill – Emma Davies

Take an endless stroll through wild meadows and breathe in the sweet aroma of flowers in full bloom. The first ever guest at the little cottage on the hill is looking for an escape, but her past is not far behind her… 

Thirty-two-year-old ‘ice queen’ Isobel slams the cottage door and pulls the curtains shut. She has just six weeks to practise for a secret project that could save her career and no one must know she is here. 

When Tom, the local thatcher with eyes as blue and deep as the ocean, hears the sound of her violin on the breeze he feels a tug at his heart-strings that reminds him of happier times. Who is this mysterious new lodger, and why does she look so familiar? 

Desperate to find out more, Tom is devastated when Isobel refuses to enjoy everything the farm has to offer. He won’t give in, but just when it looks like Isobel is coming out of her shell, someone recognises her and the troubles from her past threaten to take away everything she has been working towards. 

Will the lessons Isobel learned at the little cottage help her to stand up and face the music? Will Tom ever find a way to unlock the emotion she needs to move on? 

After all the darkness I needed a little time in the light. And it doesn’t come much lighter and brighter than summer days in the beautiful gardens of Joy’s Acre, in my home county of Shropshire, the setting for Emma Davies’ Little Cottage on the Hill series. More romance, friendship and feel good story telling and a set of recipes and delicious sounding dishes to get your mouth watering. I’ll be sharing my review soon but you can pre order a copy here.

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Thirteen – Steve Cavanagh

THE SERIAL KILLER ISN’T ON TRIAL.

HE’S ON THE JURY…

‘To your knowledge, is there anything that would preclude you from serving on this jury?’ Murder wasn’t the hard part. It was just the start of the game.

Joshua Kane has been preparing for this moment his whole life. He’s done it before. But this is the big one.

This is the murder trial of the century. And Kane has killed to get the best seat in the house.

But there’s someone on his tail. Someone who suspects that the killer isn’t the man on trial.

Kane knows time is running out – he just needs to get to the conviction without being discovered.

I have been intrigued by the sound of this book since I first heard about it late last year. I’ve had it on preorder since before christmas and it was one of my most anticipated reads of 2018. I will admit – this was my first time in the witness box with good old Eddie Flynn but it will not be the last. Dark, twisted and ingenious, I loved this serial killer thriller with a twist. I’ll be sharing my review in a couple of weeks as part of the tour but you can order your own copy here.

…

Four. Been better been worse. I am also slotting in short stories from the Ten Year Stretch anthology too along the way, so it’s not all bad really. Busy week on the blog – highlights below.

Dead Blind by Rebecca Bradley

Ten Year Stretch Part 2: Ten Years of CrimeFest.

The Retreat by Mark Edwards

Book Love: Sandra Danby

Summer at the Comfort Food Cafe by Debbie Johnson

The Louisiana Republic by Maxim Jakubowski

Ten Year Stretch Part 3: Ten Years of CrimeFest

The week ahead is a little slower. I’ve a few blog tours lined up and perhaps a couple of reviews if I get a chance to type them up but my main focus (other than the cat) will be attending CrimeFest in Bristol from Thursday. Really looking forward to it. Be prepared for much tweetage as a result.

Blog tours are for The Old You by Louise Voss, Fault Lines by Doug Johnstone, Dying Truth by Angela Marsons and Freefall by Adam Hamdy.

Hope you have a fabulous week all. I’m not sure if I’ll be back with a post next Monday – it really depends on how I feel after CrimeFest lol. We will know by this time next week if I am funny though so that will be nice.

Enjoy your week,

Jen

  Rewind, recap: Weekly update w/e 13/05/18 Made the most of the beautiful weather this weekend and went for a lovely walk early on Sunday morning.

[bentchcreates]

Scandalized - Tara Frejas (New Cover Reveal!!!)

Remember when I reviewed this book last year? Well, HO HO HO! It has a strapping new cover!! (Artwork by Shai San Jose and calligraphy by Porcupine Strongwill)

This repackaged edition has the same story as the previously released one, as well as two short stories: Gabriel’s Checklist from the #romanceclass Christmas anthology Make My Wish Come True, and 548 from The Reading Belles’ Say Feels Special - which all happen in the same universe! 

It will be available on Amazon and paperback very soon, but if you already have a copy, there will be an option to be get the ebook for FREE once it's ready. Follow Tara on Twitter and Instagram (@tarafrejas) or Facebook (/authortarafrejas) for updates on how to download it.

IN OTHER NEWS (THAT IM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT!!)

Preorders of the paperback edition will include freebies (like these UBER CUTE cartoon stickers of Fi and East Genesis Project!!!) and i’m super excited to get these! I hope they’d be available on April Feels Day (and huhu, I hope i still have money to spend by that time bec I’m spending too much [on other stickers, lol] this month!) 

ANYWAY, Get it when it’s ready!!

“You are Golden!”