Welcome to the August 2022 roundup!

Finally, I can write a monthly roundup and use the words: I released a book! It’s been 2 years between novels, which was not something I intended. Like everyone in the world, the pandemic threw things for a loop and my creativity was not where it needed to be to get book 3 out 6 months after book 2, but I’m hoping to not have the same issues when it comes to the fourth and final book, and I promise it will be out ASAP.

In case you missed all of my other blog posts this month, book 3 in the Blackbirch series, The Ritual is available now in paperback and ebook from various retailers. The links are here and all the books in the series are still at a lower price for a few more days if you’d like to read them.

The launch went well and I just want to thank everyone who shared posts on social media and their well-wishes. It was so lovely to see all of the support. The Ritual even hit #1 and #2 on some of the Hot New Release charts for Amazon.com.au, so thank you to everyone who bought a copy and contributed to that awesome event.

As for the 8th month of 2022, this is what else I was up to…

What I’ve Been…

Writing

Blog posts – With Blackbirch: The Ritual ready and then released, I spent August getting ahead with blog content so I can start working on draft 7 of Blackbirch 4 for the majority of September.

Watching And Reading…

Paper Girls (Season 1) – When four newspaper delivery girls from the ’80s get caught in the crossfire of a time travel war, they are thrown to the current day where they have to team up with adult versions of themselves to try and get home. This was such a fun concept and I loved the time travel issues and the friendships between the girls, who are strangers when things go haywire. They form a good bond by the last episode, and there’s a nice little cliffhanger at the end to keep you on the hook for season 2.

Locke And Key (Final Season) – Concluded after 3 seasons, Locke And Key became a real fave of mine and I think they did the story and characters justice. It was also a planned wrap-up of the series, so everything finished in a neat bow, which (in my opinion), is always a win when a TV series ends. The final season focuses on the youngest Locke sibling, Bode, as he uses a newly found time key to undo some of the events of the previous season, but not in a good way. Teaming up with his sister Kinsey, brother Tyler, and their mom Nina, who now knows about the magic of the keys, they try to put things right and finally come to terms with the event that started it all–the death of their dad. Giving closure to threads from all seasons, this was definitely one of the better show finales I’ve seen.

Project Pandora (Fortune’s Well Book 2) by Chantelle Atkins and Sim Alec Sansford – Once again Chantelle Atkins and Sim Alex Sansford have expertly blended their writing voices together to continue the story from Fortune’s Well of JJ and the strange mist he can control. After being taken from his Uncle’s farm and having his contact with Darcie cut, JJ is made a prisoner. In the search for him, both teens discover more about the town’s past and its secrets. JJ isn’t the only one with powers and the reveal of who else has them and how the powers came to be is just one of the great things about this book. Also noteworthy is the twist return of a character introduced in book one, and the cliffhanger ending to lead to book 3, which I can’t wait to read! Highly recommended for fans of small-town secrets, powerful teens, and paranormal storylines.

The Throwaway Queen (Ushallav’s Queen Series Book 1) by Whitney McGruder – When Queen Anjali and her entourage are ambushed on the way to visit her home country, everyone thinks she and the baby she was weeks away from delivering are dead. Instead, she’s spent two years re-gaining her strength so she can go back to her first child and husband, King Damir. But upon her miraculous return, she finds her husband remarried with a new family, and that the person who tried to assassinate her is prepared to finish the job. Not only does Anjali need to work out who it is, but also who she can trust. While it’s a little slow pace-wise (for me), The Throwaway Queen does a good job of exploring big subjects like gender and racial discrimination, and motherhood. It also brings things home in the end with an action-packed finale, villain reveal, and sets everything up for the next book in the series.

If you’ve got any good book recommendations, let me know in the comments, or be my friend on Goodreads and share your books/recommendations with me! You can also find and follow my reviews and book recommendations on Amazon and BookBub.

Also, if you’d like to add the Blackbirch books to your Goodreads “Want to Read” shelf and/or check out the reviews, click the following links:

• Blackbirch: The Beginning (Goodreads)
• Blackbirch: The Dark Half (Goodreads)
• Blackbirch: The Ritual (Goodreads)

Taking Photos Of

The changing seasons! While some mornings are still cold and foggy, we’re quickly morphing into spring, which has been adding plenty of color to my daily walks.

On The Blog…

In case you missed any of my posts, or want to read them again, here are the latest blogs.

• July 2022 Roundup
• Things To Accept When You Put A Book Into The World
• Blackbirch: The Ritual Cover Reveal
• Blackbirch: The Ritual Is Out Now!
• Thoughts That Run Through Your Head When You Release A Book That Was Hard To Write

Writing Tip Of The Month…

#WritingTipWednesday posts are added to my social media feeds every week and here is the most popular tip for this month. It’s taken from my blog post, Character Motivation: Tips and Tricks.

For more tips, visit my Writing Tips Pinterest Board.

Blackbirch Review Of The Month…

This review is one of the latest for the new book, Blackbirch: The Ritual, and was the most popular review posted this month on my social media feeds.

If you’d like to read the books released so far or find out more about each novel, here are the links:

• Blackbirch: The Beginning (Book 1)
• Blackbirch: The Dark Half (Book 2)
• Blackbirch: The Ritual (Book 3)

If you’ve read any of my books—and haven’t done so already—please consider leaving a review or even just a star rating. It really helps indie authors get their books noticed, and also helps fellow readers find books they’ll like.

Quote Of The Month…

I’ve hoped you’ve enjoyed my August Roundup. Let me know what you’ve been up to in the comments!

— K.M. Allan

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