Review: Heart of the Wren by Glenn Quigley

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re having a wonderful day. Today I want to share my review of Heart of the Wren (find it here) by the incredible author Glenn Quigley (find him here).

Here is the blurb:

In Ireland, Wren Day comes right after Christmas, and should be a time for music and merriment, but for burly gay farmer Lorcan Fitzgerald, it might just be the last day of his life.

When he unearths an ancient Celtic brooch on his remote farm in 1980s Ireland, he becomes plagued by mysterious fires, breakages, and disappearances. His beefy new lodger and farmhand Dara might be able to help — after all, he is a witch.

Accustomed to a solitary life on the road, friendly Dara must navigate life in the small village while drawing closer to lonely Lorcan, who carries an old pain that threatens to keep them apart.

Encountering a young woman with ESP, a terrifying spectral horse, and a fateful game of Hurling, can the men put a stop to the increasingly sinister supernatural forces gathering at the farm before Lorcan meets his final, horrible fate on Wren Day?

Here is my review:

Heart of the Wren is a lovely story. As someone from the US I was not at all familiar with Wren Day or a lot of the local mysticism from Ireland. I was hoping that Quigley would spell out all the details in his story so I didn’t miss anything and through context and wonderful dialogue I learned a lot about Wren Day and the Fae that inhabit Ireland, which made the story a lot of fun to read.

The characters, of course, are charming and sweet, and Quigley does a masterful job of making them rich and full of life. Which I always appreciate. What I love about Quigley’s stories is his characters, they are never the typical 20 somethings that you read about in all other books. These are adult men who have seen a few years and have history making them to much more relatable. His characters also aren’t what most people would consider ‘beautiful’ they represent most of us in society and I love that. I love seeing real people having wonderful adventures and falling in love.

If you want to read something that will give you a blast for the past (the 1980s) and give you an even bigger smile, then run, do not walk, and buy a copy of Heart of the Wren, it’s totally worth it.

That’s all I have for this week. I hope you’ll go and pick up Heart of the Wren by Glenn Quigley, you won’t be disappointed. Until next time have a great week.

Review: Skin Sessions: All Hell Breaks Loose by J.P. Jackson

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re having a wonderful day. Today I’m here to share my thoughts about J.P. Jackson’s (learn more here) newest short story Skin Sessions: All Hell Breaks loose (find the book and the series here). So, without further ado here is my review:

Skin Session: All Hell Breaks Loose is the seventh installment in the series, and like the others, it’s a short story. A quick read but filled with atmosphere. As always, Jackson delivers dark, sensual writing that pulls you in. This particular entry doesn’t dive as deep into plot, which makes sense as we near the end of the saga. I believe there’s only one more installment to go.

While this wasn’t the most interesting chapter, it serves an important purpose: setting the stage for the finale. It’s more about positioning the characters and preparing for the finale. I’m especially eager to see what happens to Gavin as he’s the one character I feel the most connected to.

Jackson continues to impress with his ability to juggle a large cast without losing track of anyone. Every character gets some screen time, and the continuity across all seven stories is seamless.

I’m genuinely excited for the conclusion. I’m hoping the end will deliver and be dark, sexy, and unforgettable.

Well done, Jackson. Well done.

Well, there you go! If you haven’t checked out J.P. Jackson’s you really should (click here). Now go get your copy of Skin Sessions: All Hell Breaks Loose (click here). You won’t regret it. Until next time have a great week.

Haunted Hearts - Season of the Witch

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re having a great week. Today I’m thrilled to share that in October 2025 I’ll be participating in Haunted Hearts–Season of the Witch. What is Haunted Hearts, you might ask, well I’ll tell you. Haunted Hearts is a collection of eleven OwnVoice Authors who have written MM Paranormal Romance novels celebrating the theme of male witches. Each story is different and unique, however they are all romance and all involve witches (and there might be one or two other surprises that link all the stories together). The book I’ll be contributing to the collection is Currents of the Heart. And I’m excited to be able to share the cover with you today. Check it out:

Magic was never part of Regan’s grief—until it became his destiny.

But that’s not all, here is the blurb for Currents of the Heart (that will be out on October 4th, so mark your calendars):

Regan Cruz thought grief was his greatest battle—until his late husband Max’s secrets shattered everything he believed about their life together in San Jose, California. When the family attorney calls him in, Regan learns that Max had been hiding a fortune in money and property. Even more shocking is a cryptic letter instructing him to visit a secluded cabin in Boulder Creek, California, where a journal and a man named Lutin will explain everything.

At the cabin, Regan encounters an eccentric old man who seems unhinged. Brushing off the bizarre meeting, he discovers Max’s journal, only to find claims that defy reason—Max’s family were Hereditary Witches, and Regan himself is an Elemental Witch. Feeling like the world has gone mad, Regan attempts to leave—until he meets a handsome man who introduces himself as Lutin. As inexplicable events continue to unfold around him, Regan begins to suspect that reality is far more magical than he ever imagined.

Can Regan, with Lutin’s guidance, control his newfound elemental powers before they consume him? As the two grow closer, will they remain strangers or become something more? And as Regan comes to terms with his abilities, he may realize there’s more than magic at play—it might be fate.

I’m very proud of this new novel and I can’t wait for you all to meet Regan and Lutin. If you’re as excited as I am you can pre-order the book here.

As I mentioned there are eleven other books in the Haunted Hearts-Season of the Witch collection, so you’ll want to get them all. Here is a list of the authors and the books they will be contributing (click on the title to pre-order these books as well, you won’t be disappointed).

Memories in Bone - J.P. Jackson

Andalusia Dogs - Christian Baines

Currents of the Heart – M.D. Neu

Grayson’s Magical Mishaps – Kevin Klehr

Heart Shaped Wreckage – Shane K. Morton

I Will Always Find you – Ryan Lawrence

Heart of the Wren – Glenn Quigley

A Tall Cup of Joe – Matti McLean

The Bairwick Witches – Eric David Roman

Jade Lion and the Witch Boy – CD Rachels

Rift Witch – Tal Frost

As you can imagine I’m pleased to be included in this collection of books. I hope you’ll all go out and support each of the authors and help us make Season of the Witch a huge success. Now go out and pre-order all these wonderful books today, so you’ll have them right when they launch! Until next time have a great week.

When Book Events Go Wrong

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you’re all having a great week. I once spent four days at a Con (including travel, hotel, meals, plus Con expenses) and sold one book. One. It was brutal-but also one of my most educational experiences I’ve had. Book Events and Conventions are the best way to meet readers and sell your books. There’s no denying, if you’re an author, the best way to engage your fans is to attend book events and conventions. People might tell you there are other ways, and they may be correct, however most authors will concede engaging at events is the top way to reach and build a readership. So, what happens after you’ve researched the best book events and cons for you to attend, spent the time and money to travel, and ensured you have your books (in some cases ordering more books) and ‘poof’ you don’t sell anything? Or, readers for your books aren’t there? What do you do? How do you justify doing an event again? You had huge expanses, and you had next to no return. How do you overcome such an awful experience?

The short answer is you don’t.

The Long answer (and better way to evaluate the event) is you focus on the experience. Let me explain.

Each event you go to is boiled down into did I sell books? And, did I make my money back? But there’s more to a successful con than book sales (I know crazy right). Here are ways I look at events where I didn’t sell anything:

  1. Allow yourself to be upset, hurt, and angry. Feel all your feelings, but don’t take out your frustration on others. This is difficult, I know. But denying yourself the moment to vent (privately) will do more harm than good.

  2. When you’re at the event and you notice sales are going to be bad (and you can always tell within the first day of a multi-day event or the first couple of hours of a single day event), practice different elevator pitches for your book or books. (don’t have an elevator pitch for your book, you need one and I did a whole separate article on the topic you should check out). Use the downtime to audit your display- is it cluttered? Are your Book Inserts clear and useful (Book Inserts are a snapshot of your book’s genre, heat level, series number, type of story, etc.)? You can learn a lot about your book display by observing other vendors. If you’re around other authors, see what they’re doing? Look at how they display their books. Listen to how they speak about their books? If you’re not selling, then spend time absorbing and learning (this never stops, even if you’ve been doing events for years, there is always something to learn).

  3. Use this opportunity to try different ways to sell and market your book. Maybe put together a book bundle to drive sales:

    Offer any two books for ‘x’ amount of money. Giving folks a discount

    Offer a series at a lower price

    Do you have a book you want to get rid of, maybe offer the novel as a freebee?

  4. Next up, talk to the other vendors, get to know them (especially if they are other authors) ‘dead’ events are a great place to network and build relationships. The down time gives you a chance to compare notes and ask questions. If you’re having a bad selling event, chances are so are they, so talk (avoid venting publicly-save those moments for private) to them and ask questions:

    Have you been to this event before?

    Is it always this quiet?

    I really like your display. How did you do it? Where did you get your racks from? Where can I find a banner like that? I love your bookmarks; did you create them or have them created for you?

    Talk about their books and listen to what they have to say.

    If you like their cover, ask about their cover artist (even if you are with a publisher and they have an in-house cover artist, you can still get the name).

  5. If you’re at the event alone and you can’t walk around, you can still chat with the surrounding folks, which brings me to my next point.

  6. Walk around the vendor's room at the con/event, if you have someone with you who can watch your books and your booth. This will give you opportunity to network with other vendors. Chatting up others is a great way to get a feel for the conference and you might hear about other events you may be interested in attending. It may also drive some sales to your booth as folks talk about the really cool author they met.

  7. At most cons/events, there will be various media walking about, they will often stop by and chat with you. This is a great time to talk up your books and to talk a bit about why you wrote your novels (don’t do an info dump on them, have your elevator pitch ready to use, if they want to learn more they will ask follow up questions). Often times the media are looking for people to interview or who will be willing to write an article for them. Almost every event (good sales or bad) I’ve been approached by a Vlogger/Blogger or traditional media who want to interview me. I would have never gotten the opportunity if I wasn’t at the event, so keep that in mind when you want to pack up your books and go home.

  8. Another opportunity for a bad selling con is to use the event as a Marketing/PR experience. You can use your social media to hype up the event and your attendance. Post images of you sharing news about the con (be positive in your posts, do not use your social media to blast the con and attendees for not buying your books.). Remember to tag the con and your publisher. If you are taking pictures with others, tag them. It may not sell any of your books right now, but you’re creating a buzz and by being positive and sounding like you’re having a great time the con may share your post and so might the other people you’ve tagged, which gets more eyes on you and your novels, which could lead to more sales. Also, by using your social media to promote the event you’re at, other potential cons/book events might take note of how you promoted the current event and invite you to be a vendor at their event.

  9. Get to know the Con/Event staff. Chances are if your sales are down and foot traffic is light, they know. Again, avoid venting about the event, however as you talk with the staff/volunteers it’s a great place to ask questions; Is the con/event always this slow? How is the con/event going to get more folks here in the future? Are there any panels I can join (you’d be surprised at how many speakers back out for one reason or another leaving a panel with an open spot)? The friendlier you are with the staff/volunteers and the more you chat them up, the more they will see what they can do to help you out and get you on any open panels (assuming there are panels at the con you are suited for).

  10. Most importantly after the con/book event provide feedback. Offer suggestions on improving the event for next year. People will listen to constructive critiques, but will shut down when they feel attacked. The more positive feedback you can offer (with suggestions on improving the event) the better your input will be received.

There are several other ways you can evaluate a low-performing book event, but the reality is you need to decide was the event, overall, worth it for you? And that is a call each individual needs to make for themselves. The information above is provided as additional ways to evaluate a book event/conference where you had next to no sales. Keep in mind some events aren’t known as large sale events, you go to them and participate for many of the reasons listed above and remember even a no-sale event can plant the seeds of future success-if you know were to look.

That’s what I have for this week. I hope it helps. Until next time have a great week.

Davis Pride 2025

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re all having a great day and a wonderful Pride 2025. Today I wanted to share a couple of photos from Davis Pride 2025 (learn more here). The day was warm (translate to hot) and the celebration went from 3pm to 8pm at the Davis Civic Center Park (6th and B Streets) located behind Davis City Hall. The day was filled with music, families, food, and fun. I’m so thrilled to be back at Davis this year for their pride event. As always, I was with the wonderful folks at QSac (learn more here). We had seven authors selling books from many genres: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Horror, Romance, Sapphic Romance, Mystery/Thrillers, SteamPunk, Anthologies and so much more. Here are some pictures from the day.

 If you want to learn more about these wonderful authors and you want to support queer authors, please go to QSac and learn more (click here). Until next time, have a great week and a wonderful Pride.

Elevator Pitches for Books

Happy Wednesday Scribblers and Happy Pride 2025! I hope you’re all having a wonderful week. Today I wanted to talk to you about something we authors don’t always do well; explaining our novels to potential readers. When we talk to someone about our book or books, we want to tell them the entire story. We want to explain the characters and the nuances. We are so excited to engage with someone about our novel that we ‘info dump’ on them. And that’s the best way to kill a potential buyer and turn off a potential reader. The sad truth is we all do this. I can’t count the number of times I start to explain my book to someone (including my husband) and I see the glassy look and vacant expression form. In Brittney’s words, ‘ops, I’ve done it again.”.

There is a solution.

The Elevator Pitch.

Every author needs to describe their book in one sentence (this is not a compound sentence either). You need to sum up your novel in as few words as possible. A group of us were at a book event this last weekend and we went around the group and asked each other to describe their books in one sentence. If someone struggled, we helped them. Here are some descriptions we came up with to help sell each other’s books:

  • Sapphic Nancy Drew mystery thriller with fade to black romance.

  • Contemporary historical Italian family gay drama

  • Mother Nature kills humans in thirty short stories

  • MM college roommate summer romance

  • Historical French steam punk novel where the French Revolution doesn’t happen

  • Dungeons and dragons meet AI

And the list goes on, but this should give you an idea of what I mean when I say, Elevator Pitch. Are these descriptions perfect? No. But what this information does, or should do, is peak the potential reader’s interest. The goal is for the reader to get enough information to want to ask more about your story if they’re interested. If they aren’t interested, you didn’t ‘info dump’ on them to where they will never ask you about your writing or your books again.

If you still aren’t sure what an Elevator Pitch is, this is how Harvard University, Writing and Communication Center (learn more here) defines a general Elevator Pitch:

What is an Elevator Pitch?

An elevator pitch is a compelling introduction about who you are, what you do, and why it matters. It is a teaser that lasts 60 seconds or less to begin a conversation and make meaningful connections with confidence when meeting new people.

Why Do We Need an Elevator Pitch?

First impressions matter. Impressions about people are formed immediately after meeting them.

I hope this helps. Now go write an Elevator Pitch for each of your books and practice that Elevator Pitch with your family and friends until next time have a great week and a great Pride 2025.

Sacramento Book Festival 2025

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re all having a great day and a wonderful Pride 2025. Today I wanted to share a couple of photos and an update from an exciting event I attended last week (well two weeks ago now). This year I was invited to be part of the Sacramento Book Festival (learn more here) this is the first book festival that Sacramento has held in eleven years and what an event it was. The festival had over 140 authors from all over Northern California and an estimated attendance in the range of 3k–4k people, but there could have been more.

The book festival was wonderful and I loved being around so many terrific authors (publishers, bookstores, and writing groups). There were some terrific panels (that I unfortunately didn’t get to see), a kids’ zone, a scavenger hunt with amazing prizes, and so much more. It really was a beautiful day and everyone who came to the event was there to support their local authors.

After the event, a few of us went to dinner and hung out for a while. The day was truly delightful.

The event organizers are already working on next year’s book festival, which will be in a larger location with more parking from my understanding. This will also allow for more authors and vendors. If you want to learn more about the Sacramento Book Festival so you plan for next year (click here). Until next time, have a great week and a wonderful Pride.

Sac ComiCon - Spring 2025

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. How are you all doing? I hope you’re all taking care of yourself this week. Today, I wanted to share on March 22nd and March 23rd I attended the Sac ComiCon (learn more here) event in Sacramento, California. I was with the QSac group (check them out here and learn more here). I had an absolute blast. Thank you to everyone who came out and said, ‘Hello’ and picked up a copy or two of my books.

Despite being a smaller event, the crowd and the costumes were fantastic.

Coming up in just a few short weeks (April 18–20) I’ll be up in Roseville at the Sac Anime–Spring Event (find out more here). If you are in the area, come on out and say, ‘Hi’. It’s always a lot of fun.

Here are some pictures from Sac ComiCon (the droids were fun, however I think my favorite were the Fembot and Austin Powers):

I hope I’ll be seeing you up in Roseville, CA at Sac Anime- Spring 2025 (April 18th - 20th). Well, that’s all I have for now, so until time, have a great week.

Romance is a Drag

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re all having a wonderful week. Today I’m thrilled to announce that on March 28th I have a new short story coming out. The short story; Miss Vina Volaria–A Volaria Story will be part of a new anthology; Romance is a Drag.

This is an own voices gay men anthology. All stories have been written by gay men in honor and to celebrate the lives and loves of our drag community. Drag has been around as long as humans have been walking the planet. These stories were created to celebrate the drag community and to give these artistic and creative people romance stories and to show our love and appreciation to the drag community.

Here is the link to where you can buy the anthology (click here).

About the anthology:

A queer Anthology that embraces the romantic life and happy ever afters of drag queens navigating the LGBT landscape. All stories are written by Own Voice gay authors! From small towns to big cities, drag queens are the heart of the gayborhoods they belong to. Stories by Shane K Morton, Blake Allwood, Jole Cannon, Kelvin Young, J. Scott Coatsworth, Kristian Parker, Brent Archer and M.D. Neu.

Go out and grab your copy of Romance is a Drag (click here) and kick back and enjoy some amazing stories, but some talented authors. Until next time, have a great week.

SacAnime - Winter 2025

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and your New Year is off to a great start. I’ve been a bit quiet these last couple of weeks because I wanted to finish up my next novel, Hawaiian Sun. Once I got the first draft written, I then wanted to get as much editing done as possible before sending the book off to my Beta Readers. I can’t wait for this next novel to come out. Writing the book was a lot of fun.

Also, during my winter break I went to SacAnime 2025 with the wonderful authors from QSac (find them here) and had an absolutely amazing time. I got to reunite with so many fans and I had the opportunity to meet so many folks. Overall, the con was a great time, if not a bit exhausting. Below are some photos from the event and you can see all the shenanigans we got into.

If you have the opportunity to go to one of these cons, I suggest you do; they’re a lot of fun. Well, that’s all I have for now. Until next time, have a great week and Happy New Year!!