A.J. Maguire

Tag: Reading

  • Happy Thanksgiving (2025)

    This is my favorite holiday.

    From the turkey and stuffing to the golden-brown hue outside my window, I can’t help but love this time of year. That’s why I scheduled Nora’s final book to release on the 28th.

    Well, technically it should have been released for Halloween but life had other plans.

    At any rate, the Nora Grayson Adventures have concluded, Advanced Readers have the novel, and pretty soon everyone else who wants it will be able to snag it from Amazon.

    I am deeply grateful to those Readers who have followed Nora’s journey from the beginning and whose comments and encouragements helped push me to the finish line. For the record, I know some questions have been left unanswered – not the MAJOR questions, mind you, but some of the littler things – and that is by design because I intend to return to this world.

    It just won’t be Nora Grayson leading the fray.

    I want to do a separate standalone with Derrick and Vessa that deals with Derrick’s mother and those known as the Lost.

    I also have plans for Eucilla. She’s a dracken and can outlive everyone else, so I imagine that novel taking place a century or so later.

    Also (mild spoiler alert), the romantic in me can’t help wondering what the Atlas Court will be like for Nora when she finally steps into that role, but insofar as the storyline of Nora’s family is concerned, we have an ending.

    For now, I have several novels that have been sitting on the back burner while I finished up Nora’s books, and it’s time I gave them the attention they deserve. (More on that in a later post.)

    So what am I thankful for this year?

    I have a home. Food in my pantry. Pets who adore me. My book is complete and I have a group of amazing readers who are ready to get their hands on it.

    I have a son who is also a creative and I know he is working on his own writing and worlds. He’ll be 18 in January, which hurts my heart in weird ways and terrifies me at the same time because he’s about to get his license.

    I have a loving husband who believes in me and works hard so that I can continue to live my dream.

    And I have family and friends who remind me every day that I am loved and appreciated.

    Thank you. All of you. Whether you’re friend, family, or reader, I hope your day is amazing and that you are equally blessed.

  • A Hill to Die On

    I’ve been watching the Bookish/Author community for a while now and I can’t help but notice some trends that are cropping up. Or at least a certain cycle of events that keep circling.

    It has become the popular thing to do to draw lines in the sand or find hills to die on. Some of these are in good fun, told in a tone of voice that proves the creator is merely claiming their opinion on something silly.

    Things like which Book Boyfriend is the best or which magic system they would prefer to live in. Things like this I have no problem with, they are meant in a joking manner and are both entertaining and fun.

    But then there’s the other type of Hill to Die On.

    Said with capitol letters.

    Things like, First Person POV is the best POV.

    Which, hey, if you love First Person and that’s where you go to relax and enjoy a book then hey… You do you! I’m so glad you enjoy those. I do too.

    However, there seems to be this trend that says “If you don’t die on this hill with me, then you’re wrong and you’re awful and we’re going to throw bricks at you until you come around to our viewpoint.”

    These Hills to Die On are everywhere.

    Audiobooks don’t count as real reading!

    Em-Dashes mean it was written by AI! (Reminder, this is utterly false and AI learned to write based on all of us authors, using tools we often use, so OF COURSE AI learned how to use the em-dash.)

    Clean romance versus spicy romance!

    Romantasy is killing literature!

    Now… because I am a human being, I have opinions on these things, but I have them with the understanding that my opinions and tastes are going to change as I grow. So, why would I want to die on a hill here?

    Further, why would I want to alienate people by deciding to plant my flag on that hill and start shouting it?

    Again, when it is all in a joking manner there’s no issue but these days it seems were are hunting for ways to divide ourselves. Instead of a Reading Community that is welcoming, we start congregating in subsects and ganging up on anyone who likes different things.

    I’ve watched it get super ugly.

    And I can’t help but wonder why.

    Why do we do this?

    Why can’t we say – Hey! You read? That’s amazing! What are you reading right now?

    And then, you know, NOT JUDGE THEM for what they choose to read?

    There doesn’t need to be a war here. If someone reads a book you don’t like, why does it matter to you? For the love of God, stop trying to control other people. Their decisions are not up to you.

    Yes, you can have an opinion, but don’t cross the line into – You are so stupid for liking that book.

    Or

    That book is ruining literature by merely existing.

    First of all, the hubris on that last accusation is so high that maybe you should take a few moments of genuine self-reflection. Literature existed long before you were born and it’ll survive long after you’re gone. Further, literature is a reflection of the culture and times in which it lives.

    I digress.

    And I suppose I have found my own Hill to Die On.

    Stop the division. Stop finding reasons to hate each other. Stop attacking people who have taken the time to read and stop trying to control people.

    You’re allowed your opinions. You can write them in your reviews and give your stars, one through five, but at the end of the day it is nothing more than your opinion. It is not something to foist on other people and demand they agree with you.

    We’re beautifully diverse. It’s alright to compromise here. It’s alright to be different. You live, you laugh, you love, you matter. And so does the person sitting next to you.

    Happy Reading, everyone.

  • A Tale of Two Dirigibles

    When I first set out to revamp/revise/and Re-release Witch Born, my steampunk fantasy romance with Robin Hood flavor, I did not realize it was going to turn into an emotional journey.

    For the last several weeks it has felt like I was in a conversation with my younger self. Things that I never blinked at when I was younger have taken on a new light. Situations that were raw back then have somewhat dulled and I can approach them from an angle of healing – something I could not have done at 20-years-old.

    At the same time, I recognize certain patterns in my imaginative worlds. Such as the two dirigibles that I have now created.

    It would seem that I very much like the idea of a dirigible travel. In the original drafts of Witch Born, Elsie and Dorian are allowed a respite as they travel back to Delgora Lands and I took great pains in creating the cabin suite where they are able to connect. It is very steampunk in its copper and bronze trimmings and plush furnishings.

    Some fifteen years later, enter the Nora Grayson novels. In Nora and the Duke of Autumn, Constable Elliot Cade showcases Fairy to Nora by taking her on a trip via dirigible. This dirigible was built a little different. Instead of the classic gondola passenger car, it is a galleon ship with a massive air balloon holding it in the sky. The internal spaces are all a little different too, but it is safe to say that dirigibles are a staple in my writing.

    Some other staples I found in my personal craft are the strong female lead – even the villain of the story is a female – and the romantic counterpart that struggles to keep up with her. I will say that Dorian and Elsie showcase this struggle to find balance between them far more deeply than the rest of my books.

    Magic tends to run rampant in my stories as well. With the exception of Persona, a historical fiction, and Pawprints on the Wall, a contemporary romance. Unless you count love as a magical force, in which case… they would be chock-full of magic too.

    It has been a lot of fun revisiting this work and I am deeply proud of this newest iteration. I hope readers love Dorian and Elsie as much as I do, and I hope that somewhere in the pages its message of healing reaches those who need it most.

    Happy Reading. Happy Writing.

  • A Candid Conversation about Spice (Yes, Book Spice)

    Warning, this conversation may make some uncomfortable. But you know what, sometimes the hardest conversations to have are the ones that help us grow the most, so let us go ahead and dive in.

    Let me start by stating that not all books are for all audiences. Only you can decide what you like and dislike, so my job here is not to sway you one way or another in that argument.

    If you like spice, good for you.

    If you DON’T like spice, also good for you.

    You know yourself and that is a great place to begin.

    Now then, do you know what ELSE is not my job? Judging other people for what they like to read.

    The beautiful thing about humanity is that we are all different. Our tastes sometimes align, but then vary in the next instant, and that’s GOOD. What isn’t so good is deciding that because someone’s tastes are different from yours, that they are somehow lesser human beings and unworthy of respect and space.

    I beg of you, stop doing this.

    You breathe, you live, you laugh, you matter. And so does everyone else. Give people the space to live differently from you because, at the end of the day, the only choices you are held accountable for are your own.

    Now that we’re on the same page, I am going to admit that Blood of the Witch Heir gets a little racy. I still close the door/fade to black, but the intimate scenes are more noticeable in this book than in many of my other works, and this was on purpose.

    Trigger Warning – The book does deal with SA. The actual event is not shown on the page, but it is relevant to the characters and has to be dealt with, which means that the intimacy between our two main characters was as much a part of the story as the grander plot.

    Why?

    Because intimacy after SA is difficult. It can also be either a detriment or a healing moment for the survivor. This is a sensitive subject, I know, and I suppose I am risking a lot in how I have done things in the book, but I believe the message is important.

    Spice in books is not inherently bad. You either enjoy it, or you don’t, but please don’t shame the people around you who do because, quite frankly, it is none of your business. Not to mention the fact that books are a safe space where survivors often find healing.

    No, sincerely, this is a thing.

    Books permit us to explore in a safe, private manner and (at least one hopes) showcases healthy relationships on the page. I know that often there are unhealthy relationships (codependency/ jealousy/ etcetera) in these books and we end up swooning anyway but they are FICTION and still a safe space.

    So whether you want no spice, low spice, closed door, open door, or the spiciest of the spice, please respect the rights of other readers to be different from you.

    Read responsibly. Read often. Read Happy.

  • A REAL Summer Reading List – 2025

    In response to the Chicago Sun Times debacle where they have printed an AI generated list of books for Summer Reading, which includes books that DO NOT exist, I thought I would be a little cheeky and send out a REAL Summer Reading List.

    Or at least, MY Summer Reading List, which is curated by my personal tastes and some of them are literally waiting on my TBR pile. I lean heavily Fantasy / Romantasy / and Science Fiction in my reading.

    FIRST UP – Broken Souls and Bones by LJ Andrews.

    This is for my Romantasy friends. It is a happy blend of Vikings and Magic following Roark Ashwood and Lyra Bien and you can bet it has all the yummy Romantasy elements we open these books to find.

    You can check it out HERE

    SECOND – A Taste for Lies by LC Whitehouse

    I devoured this book in a day and a half. It is new and I enjoyed the world the author built. This is also a Romantasy (hey, I like what I like) but its pacing alone is impeccable and the characters on the page were absolutely vibrant.

    You can check it out HERE

    THIRD – Litany for a Broken World by LJ Cohen

    Admittedly, this one is on my TBR. I have enjoyed this author before, particularly her novel Future Tense and the amazing Halcyone Space Series, so I am excited to see what loveliness is in store for me with her newest novel.

    You can check it out HERE

    FOURTH – The Maya Bust (Boneguard 4) by E. Chris Ambrose

    Again, this is from my TBR pile and now that I’m looking I see I have SO MANY to catch up on with the Boneguard series. I loved Indiana Jones when I was growing up, so of course I’m going to love Grant Casey and the thrillers that Ambrose writes. We get history and action and a whole lot of fun in these novels.

    You can check out the Boneguard series HERE

    FIFTH – The Crimson Moth series by Kristen Circcarelli

    I read the first novel, Heartless Hunter, and love the mix of magic and Scarlett Pimpernel that was presented, so its second book, Rebel Witch, is patiently waiting for its turn on my TBR pile. I’m putting them both on here because, if you haven’t read the first one then you’re seriously missing out.

    You can check them out HERE

    Actually, now that I’m looking at my TBR pile it is starting to grow teeth and I fear for my life. I have a lot of reading to do!

    But hey, Chicago Sun Times… There are at least 5 actual, real life novels by actual real life people you could have put in your list instead of consulting a robot. Please hear the creatives in the room when we say that Art, and the consumption of Art, is a purely HUMAN experience. Stop trying to cut the humanity out of it.

    (P.S. My own novel, Blood of the Witch Heir, debuts in June, so it could ALSO count as a Summer Reading Book. If, you know, you like fantasy. And romance. And witches kicking some serious butt.)

  • Book Review – Heartless Hunter: The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli

    Laying all my cards on the table here, I love The Scarlet Pimpernel. I watched every iteration I could find as it came through the silver screen, to include the TV series in 1999-2000. To FURTHER lay my cards on the table, our English teacher in the 12th grade showed us the 1982 version in class over one of those weird weeks in school.

    You know, the ones where the teachers were busy finishing up grades and didn’t want to assign anything more until they had caught up.

    I loved the hiding in plain sight. The facade put forward to make everyone else unsuspecting of the true nature of one’s movements. I loved the frightening civility covering a bloodthirsty and desperate time.

    And, of course, I loved the romance.

    So when I picked up this book I did so with a wary eye. I did not think anyone could quite grasp all of those lovely things and implement it into a fantasy novel.

    I have never been more pleased to be wrong.

    I devoured this book. From start to finish I loved it. This is basically Scarlet Pimpernel meets Witches and I am all for it. The enemies to lovers (to enemies) was weirdly satisfying. Normally the angst eats at me and I put those sorts of books down, but this one kept me turning the pages.

    There is some mild spice in this book, for those who need to be warned of that.

    Five stars. Well done.

    Here’s the PURCHASE LINK!

    Happy reading!

  • LibGen, Meta, & Me

    This week has been illuminating.

    We of the Indie Community read the recent Atlantic article and tested our names in the LibGen search bar and most of us are on there. For a quick run down, Meta used LibGen in order to download many, many, MANY books and feed those books into its AI system known as Llama. To train that AI on how to write in an engaging manner.

    Yes, it has the Nora Grayson series on there too. Not the third book, as it hasn’t reached shelves yet, but the first two are in there. I’d show you the screen shot but it’s not the best quality. You can test it out yourself at the link provided if you don’t believe me.

    So, what is LibGen?

    Library Genesis, or LibGen for short, calls itself a shadow library.

    In short, it is a pirate site. It takes data files (aka eBooks) and offers them out for free. I know a lot of people decried Amazon for taking away the ability to download eBooks onto their computers because they think they should own the book and be able to access it on any device they want but…

    BUT this is how pirate sites get our work. And no, letting someone borrow your personal copy, or even giving it away to whomever you want, isn’t the same for an eBook because an eBook file can be copied. It can be copied INFINITELY. So I support Amazon’s move here. Because it protects ME. And maybe my books wouldn’t be on these sites if those protections had been in place from the beginning.

    Why does this matter? Don’t I let real libraries have my books to loan out? Don’t I leave physical copies of my book in random places sometimes so that someone might pick it up?

    Well, it matters on two fronts.

    First and foremost, people who have my physical copies can’t download the content into an AI system so that it can learn how to write in an engaging manner. Yes, we know AI is here and it’s not going anywhere. The technology will continue to grow no matter how hard we kick and scream and scoff at it, but that does not mean we want to help it grow. And we most certainly do not want our work stolen in order to feed that machine.

    Second, pirated eBooks don’t just steal royalties from the author, they steal our ability to be seen in the marketplace. Algorithms work based on engagement. The more people click on my books, the more that algorithm shares those same books with new potential readers. The more people who SEE, the more likely it is for someone else to click on the book and investigate.

    So it does matter. Because it directly affects my ability to reach new readers.

    Before you ask, there are already lawsuits in progress regarding this. If you are an author and this is the first you’re hearing about this (unlikely, the rage is everywhere at this point) then you will want to take a look at the Author’s Guild. They have a lot of information and even a form letter you can sign if you find your books on the LibGen site.

    For those of you who read my Blog and are NOT authors, but you want to help support us, the easiest and best way to support your favorite authors has not changed.

    1. Buy their books – yes, even when on sale for free on Amazon, that algorithm helps boost us, so don’t be ashamed if you get the novels for free that way.
    2. Tell people about the books you love.
    3. Review the books on Goodreads and Amazon and Barnes & Noble, if you have the time. We all know that can be a hassle. Just clicking on the Star rating will do. I promise.
    4. Remember that you, as a Reader, are amazing. We love you. We are here directly BECAUSE of you, and your thoughts and support mean the world to us.

  • Boycotts, Kindle Unlimited, & Indie Authors

    Why yes, we have another controversy sweeping through the internet. It’s all over my social media feeds and still going strong. Because this actually does affect me as an Indie Author with titles on Kindle Unlimited, I’m going to go ahead and comment on it.

    Many of my dedicated readers are not writers and therefore do not have insider knowledge of how this all works. Sure, they hear snippets where they start to get outraged at how they perceive authors are treated on various platforms and, historically, things haven’t been great for us.

    However…

    For Kindle Unlimited in particular, I can tell you that I have made a decent percentage from having my titles on there. Enough of a percentage that it’s worth it to me to keep the titles on that platform – the current boycott against Amazon notwithstanding.

    I imagine once the boycott is over, we will see an uptick in people reading on KU again. Or at least I sincerely hope we do.

    The truth is, Authors have always had the short end of the stick in publishing. The BIG publishers in traditional publishing get the largest slice of the pie regardless of any advances they may hand out to their authors. It’s a business. You’re getting your name under their imprint, which they have worked hard to gatekeep in such a way that readers who frequent their titles trust that they are buying a quality product.

    That’s part of the incentive for going Traditional. You get the stamp of authority that says your work is of the quality that these professionals hold. Notice I say PART of the incentive. The marketing budget they can offer is another one, and if we’re really honest, the rise of Indie Publishing has made it so that most people know they don’t actually need that imprint’s stamp of approval to put out a quality book.

    Many Readers are catching onto this fact too.

    This is where Kindle Unlimited comes in. Readers are able to access millions of books for a set price every month, so they are more willing to give an unknown Indie Author a chance. Yes, sometimes they find a stinker that didn’t take the time to research properly, didn’t hire an editor, and (these days) maybe even used AI to help ‘craft’ the story.

    Brief Sidebar: Please don’t support AI created stories.

    For all its faults and business practices that make people cringe, at the end of the day KU has become a space where Readers can take a chance on an independent author that they otherwise would not have. For a lot of us, that chance is all we need. Die-Hard fans are made in the KU publishing space.

    Is the pricing fair to authors who publishers there?

    I mean… let’s point again at literally every other publishing outlet on the planet and recognize that the authors are almost always on the short end of the stick. With KU, at least we’re getting paid regularly for people flipping through the book. Even if a Reader puts the book down because they don’t like it, the chance was taken and we get a little money for creating something.

    Now we come to the argument of ‘going wide’ with publishing.

    This is where the author puts their books out through many sites and not just Amazon. Places like Smashwords, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble are all viable outlets for selling books and have their doors open to Independent Authors. You absolutely can ‘go wide’ and have your books available on Amazon Kindle at the same time, you just can’t have them in the KU pool.

    I have books that I published wide, and books that I published to Amazon KU. The bottom line is, I make more money focused on Amazon KU. Don’t ask me why. Don’t ask me how their algorithm works. Because I honestly don’t know. All I know is, KU works.

    Which brings me to the current boycott.

    I understand standing up for what you believe in. I’m an author. 90% of the stories we tell are all about struggling against the Giants of the world to demand the right to not only exist, but live happy and free.

    So, you do you.

    But please do it with your eyes open. If you’re doing it because you feel the authors aren’t being treated fairly, I’m afraid that’s just how the cookie crumbles in this business. Aside from buying the book directly from us, we’re always going to get the short end of the stick.

    If you’re doing it for all the other business practices you disagree with, then hey, my proverbial hat is off to you. The lack of sales for a week is a small sacrifice I can make toward your cause as well, and I’m happy to make it.

    I like to fight Giants too.

  • Book Review – Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

    For those of you who are still shaking their fists at KU and trying to boycott it, I am going to shrug at you and let you have your opinions. KU gives me access to books that I would otherwise not be able to snag on my monthly book budget. And before you suggest a library instead, I live on the top of a mountain in a small town. Not that I should have to justify my life circumstances to random strangers on the internet, but there you have it.

    Besides, and which has been pointed out by Indie Authors everywhere, boycotting KU doesn’t hurt the people you want it to hurt. It only hurts the Authors.

    That said, I recognize Yarros is a far cry from an Indie Author. I still read her books. Or at least I’m reading the Empyrean series. And I’m enjoying them.

    Still here?

    Awesome. Let’s review Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros.

    The world in this novel opened up in a big way. I loved learning about the different cultures and watching as they fought to open the eyes of an entire nation to the lies it had been told. The characters all grew and I was excited to see Violet aligning back with her friends. The love story was fun but…

    And here I get into my criticism of the book…

    I hated the Cat storyline. I’m not going to get into spoilery specifics here, I’m just going to eye this with a healthy dose of “I thought these were adults” because it sure didn’t feel like they were being very adult. Especially given the fact that lives are at stake and literal war is happening.

    I recognize that the characters on the page might be categorized as ‘new adult’ given the ages at which they were introduced but there was a level of pettiness on the page that drove me absolutely insane. Which might have been the point, in which case, I applaud the author. I’m rarely that annoyed whilst reading, and you hit all the right buttons to get me there.

    Also… thank you, Yarros, for breaking my heart again. Didn’t think you could do it twice, but you did. And now I’m terrified to read the third book.

    I have it.

    My husband bought it for me.

    But I haven’t opened it out of some weird PTSD you’ve given me.

    Five stars.

    Happy reading, everyone!

  • Book Review – A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

    This book had great atmosphere. I loved the gaslamp aspects of the setting and the villains were quite hateable very early on. I particularly enjoyed Kell, ostensibly the main character, and was drawn into his tale early on.

    What knocked this down to a four star instead of a five star book for me was the OTHER character in the novel – Lila. She just felt so very shallow that I was never really rooting for her. I understand that some of her past was likely deliberately left off the page, that the author may have been distant from all the things that make the girl who she is because she herself was distant from them and didn’t want to confront all that she had been through.

    However, I needed her to confront some of it. The constant yearning for another place and wanting to be more than she was and daydreaming about a pirate ship fell flat for me because she never really revealed anything of herself. Sure, she had some moments with Kell where things slipped out, but we were inside her POV and head enough that we – the Reader – deserved to know more.

    That said, I recognize this is a ME preference and problem. And perhaps the novel was showcasing a personality who deliberately lived “in the moment” because she chose not to dwell on the things that built her into the thieving, I’m-ok-with-killing-when-I-have-to personality that she is. I could kind of see that perspective on the page, but as a reader I felt I deserved a more blatant confrontation with herself and subsequent understanding afterward.

    What knocked this UP to a four was most assuredly Kell. He had all the questions and few of the answers and that drove me forward. I loved how much of an underdog he felt like, and the magic system in general. I loved the dynamic between Kell and his brother, though I have weird feelings about his so-called parents. I’m curious to see what happens next in their story.

    PURCHASE LINK

    Happy Reading, everyone!