Building Baby Brother by Steven Radecki

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you are having a wonderful week. I’m back again with another book review (I’ve been working my way through my ‘to be read’ list… finally). Today I’m here with a Sci-Fi (AI) novel that I think you might enjoy:

Building Baby Brother by Steven Radecki

Children will always grow up, whether we're ready for them to or not.

One truth about parenthood that I've learned is that there will come a time when your children will ask you difficult, and perhaps even uncomfortable, questions for which they expect you to have the answers.

It's also true that we often find it difficult to deny our children the things that they most desire--like freedom.

AI Built with Heart

What if an AI was built with a heart? What if AI was built out of a father’s love for his son? Given the world we live in, these are questions we needed to ask before the launch of all our current AI technology. Given the nature of Building Baby Brother (find it here) and that the novel was written ten (10) years ago, this story is one that anyone who is working on AI now needs to read. The novel by Steven Radecki came at a time when AI was still Sci-Fi but it shows us how thoughtful creation would have changed everything and perhaps made AI what we all thought it was going to be. 

Building Baby Brother is a story about a divorced father who wants to provide his son, Josh, a baby brother. Josh asks his father several times for a baby brother. And Dad does just that. This story is written in a way that is very claustrophobic (but in a good way). We focus on Dad, Josh, and Gavin (the AI baby brother). There are a few interactions with Dad’s ex-wife, Carolyn, but other than that the story is about the three ‘boys’, which I found interesting and a bold choice for the author. 

Dad spends most of the story taking care of Josh and working on Gavin, asking himself all the questions any good engineer or scientist should. I loved when Gavin started asking questions of Dad and how the two had to face some difficult choices and have some difficult conversations together. Josh, isn’t left out of the story (as it’s about him). We see how the introduction of Gavin changes how Josh interacts with his parents and how Dad is left to ask himself many questions, that I believe, all parents ask themselves about their children and how they grow up and change. Becoming their own person. 

There is a lot of heart in this story, and there is a lot that all readers can and should take away from what is written. What the story boils down to is family and growing up and how wonderful and sad it all is. If you are looking for a story with a lot of heart and that is character driven, Building Baby Brother is the book for you.

Those are my thoughts on Building Baby Brother by Steven Radecki. I hope you’ll pick up your copy and give this book a read. It’s worth it. Until next time have a great week.

Bermondsey Girl by BJ Sikes

Happy Wednesday Scribblers, I hope you are all having a great week. Today I’m back with a new book for you to check out; Bermondsey Girl (get your copy here) by BJ Sikes (learn more about Sikes here). This is not your typical Climate Fiction story, there is a lot to this novel.

Here are the details:

“I remember how things used to be. I had a garden with flowers in it. I’ve seen the ocean, I’ve eaten real food. Now all we’ve got is this.”

Bermondsey’s inhabitants are shut in, all their needs met in automated tower blocks. No one goes outside because the streets regularly flood. Just to keep rich people on the other side of the river safe.

Idonny’s days are spent answering pointless online surveys for luxury goods she’ll never see, her nights in the arms of tough guys who only see her as a warm body.

Everything shifts when Idonny meets Kaver, an injured stranger who needs her help. For the first time, she defies her current boyfriend to help Kaver. She reaches out to her neighbors in the tower block, banding together against the gangs prowling the hallways.

Then, the government begins withdrawing resources from her community and food becomes scarce. Idonny tries to get involved in the underground economy providing for her fellow residents, but they don’t trust her. And her forbidden friendship with Kaver deepens, offering her a chance at real love—if she’s brave enough to take it.

When violence between rival gangs erupts around her, Idonny must decide whether to stay enmeshed as the ever-loyal girlfriend or strike out on her own.

Here is my review of the story:

Bermondsey Girl is unlike anything Sikes has written before. The story is post-apocalyptic and will stay with you, continuing to make you think. I will admit there are points in this book that drove me mad and I got frustrated with the characters, not because of anything the author did, but because of the choices the characters made and how they interacted with the world and people around them. I’m used to Sikes writing strong female characters who, despite their circumstances, manage to deal with what is happening to them in an intelligent and, what I believe to be, honest way. I’ve only known strong women in my life and to see a character like Idonny so not what I’m used to was hard for me to read, however the more I read, the more I understood her. I found myself believing in her growth and transformation in the story, which I enjoyed. And that is what this story is about for me, not what is happening around Idonny or the people she meets, but it’s about her; Idonny. Idonny by the end of the story has changed so much that I almost wish this is where the story started and we got to follow this character (maybe Sikes will write a squeal).

As mentioned this story is post-apocalyptic (climate fiction) and by it’s nature is not meant to be a fluff read. The world is flooding and the divide between the rich and poor is on full display. What this story makes you face is that we are already living in this world. We see it every day. The poor are pitted against each other while the rich live a comfortable life. Our world may not be at the extremes we see in Bermondsey Girl, but I fear we will be there in not too long. This story is a warning of what we may see in our future.

Sikes, as always, is a brilliant writer and you can see that in the story and how the novel is crafted. Congratulations to Water Dragon Publishing on picking up this book and releasing it. I doubt any of the large publishing houses would, much to their loss.

Characters are rich and interesting, I appreciated Sikes having the love/friend interest in the story; Kaver, being someone who is non-binary, I felt brought a unique take to the story and I doubt Idonny would have grown as much as she did in the story if Kaver was anything other than who they are.

I wanted to hate this book, but I can’t. It’s too well written, too good, and honestly too important. Well done Sikes! Now I’m off to read something with a lot of fluff, cause I need to give my brain a break.

I wanted to hate this book, but I can’t. It’s too well written, too good, and honestly too important. Well done Sikes! Now I’m off to read something with a lot of fluff, cause I need to give my brain a break.

Well there you go. I hope you will pick up your copy of Bermondsey Girl (click here) and support this incredible author. Find more incredible stories over at Water Dragon Press here. Until next time have a great week.

BayCon 2026

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re having a great week. Over the Fourth of July weekend I was at BayCon/Westercon (learn more here) at the Santa Clara Marriott in Santa Clara California. I have to admit I love been at local events, it’s nice to be able to support and attend a con that is in my own backyard.

This year I wasn’t part of the usual group I go with; LimFic (check them out here). This time I was part of the delegation with one of my publishers Water Dragon Publishing (learn more here). I absolutely love when small publishers support their authors by attending events, I know not all publishers do this, but I believe they should doing these events together gives the author a chance to attend an conference they might not have been able to attend otherwise, and that was my case this year. I was able to return to this con instead of missing out. I had an absolute blast and really enjoyed hanging out with folks. I also got to represent not only myself but some of my fellow authors; BJ Sikes (learn more here) and J. Scott Coatsworth (find him here). They weren’t able to attend this year so I was happy to be their ambassadors.

Here are some great customs I saw there (and yes there were loads more).

Despite not being on any panels this year I really enjoyed hanging out at the booth and talking to readers and fans (it’s so nice when people come up and say hello and tell me how much they loved my book and they want to see what else I have). We even managed to set aside almost two hours to have some author readings (again I didn’t get to read this year, there were a lot of authors).

Thank you to everyone who made this a great event. Now here are some of the pictures that I took and want to share. Enjoy!

A couple shots of the reading (this is at the start, by the time we finished we needed to pull in more chairs and we have folks standing around to watch and listen.

Well that was BayCon/Westercon 2026! Until next time I have you have a great week.

Love Out Loud - Pride Own Voice Anthology

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you are having a great week. Also, I want to wish you all a Happy Pride Month! Today I’m here to share a new anthology I’m part of; Love Out Loud -Pride Own Voice Anthology (get your copy here). The anthology is the creation of eleven own voice authors wanting to share romantic stories all around Pride.

The authors include:

  • Adam J. Ridley

  • Kelvin Young

  • Jole Cannon

  • Dan B. Fierce

  • Connor Peterson

  • Derek Puddester

  • R. Frank Davis

  • Andrew McQuinn

  • M.D. Neu

Here’s a little about the anthology: A queer Anthology that explores the romantic life and happy ever afters of gay men navigating the LGBT landscape. All stories are written by Own Voice gay authors! From small towns to big cities, each story shows that Pride is Pride and love is love, no matter the season.

Grab your copy now (click here)! Until next time have a great week.

Bay Area Book Festival - May 2026

Happy Sunday Scribblers. I hope you’re having a great weekend. I bet you’re wondering why I’m posting on a Sunday, well it’s very simple. I forgot to post this on Wednesday. Opps!

Today I wanted to share on May 31st, I was at the Bay Area Book Festival in Berkely, CA. This is the first time I’ve been back to the Book Festival since 2022 and I was there as part of the Small Publishing in a Big Universe Market Place (click here for more info). It was a busy day with a lot of readers and book lovers. The weather was fantastic (considering we were in Berkely one can never be too sure).

As part of the day I got to see several friends from BAQWA (Bay Area Queer Writers Association) click here to learn more.

Here are some photos from the day. Enjoy!

If you get the opportunity to go to the Bay Area Book Festival (click here to learn more) I highly recommend it, the event is a lot of fun and you can meet so many great local authors it’ll be worth the effort. Until next time have a great week.

Sacramento Book Festival – 2026

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re having a great week. This last weekend I was at the Sacramento Book Festival (click here to learn more) and I had an absolutely amazing time. My understanding is we had over 6000 people attend the event and from what I saw the venue was packed. Here are some photos from the day.

At the book festival I was lucky enough to be on a panel talking about Other Worlds: Fantasy and SciFi. The panel was a blast. I had the opportunity to share my thoughts on both SciFi and Fantasy which are, as you know, very close to my heart. I was joined on the panel with authors; Michele Drier (click here), Andrea Stewart (click here), Michael R. Johnston (click here) and Jason Denzel (click here). They were incredible to chat with and the conversation flowed with ease. Our panel covered everything from how we create our worlds to what got us interested in writing.

As always at these sorts of events the day flies by and I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to do, but I still had a magnificent time and I got to meet so many of you wonderful readers who stopped by and said hello. Here are a couple of folks that came and said hello.

Well that’s all I have for right now. Until next time have a great week.

Her Runaway Lady by BJ Sikes

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re having a great day. Today I’m thrilled to share a new sapphic historical romance coming soon by author BJ Sikes (learn more here). The novel; Her Runaway Lady will be out May 1, 2026. but you can pre order the novel here.

Here is the blurb and more details about the novel:

An ambitious young milliner.

A shy noblewoman.

Love is a risk neither can afford.

Solange’s ambition doesn’t leave room for longing. And love was never part of her plan.

Louise-Marie escapes a gilded cage, trading the halls of Versailles for a cramped millinery. She expects hard work—but not Solange.

As their secrets threaten to unravel, one wrong stitch could cost them everything.

I can’t recommend this author and her novels enough. She is a brilliant author and I’m sure you’ll love her books. Pre order Her Runaway Lady now (click here) so you don’t miss out. Until next time have a great week.

Interesting Take on a Holiday Wedding

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re all having a great week. Today I want to share my thoughts on this short story I picked up by G.B. Lindsey (learn more here) The story is Out with the Old (find it here). Check out my review below:

I’m so happy I picked up a copy of ‘Out with the Old’ by G.B. Lindsey. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting with this holiday MM Christmas Romance, however, as I read the story, I began to understand (I think) what the author was trying to do. This story is about miscommunication, youth, and pain, and how it affects us through our lives. In this case, we get to see the lives of three former friends who get back together for a Christmas wedding of their friend Amanda-Claire (or Mandy). The wedding is over the top and awkward, as most weddings are. We follow along with Trey as he goes through all the emotions and memories of the past and present and how his first kiss with Sandy affected him not only in his last year of highschool, but even now (10 years later).

Lindsey gave us all the background via flashbacks, but only through Trey’s eyes, which I enjoyed because when you only see one side of a memory you are bound to miss things, and that is exactly what happened here. Reading this short story might not be easy for some people, as Trey has a long-held grudge, rightly or wrongly the grudge is part of who he is and makes him the man he is currently. For me, I found his grudge and pain interesting, and I enjoyed seeing the story play out through his eyes (even though I’ll admit I found Trey a bit frustrating and annoying at times).

I think what helps this story is it’s length, if this was a typical novel length story (around 300 pages) I would have had a hard time with the book, but as the novel is, I felt it was perfect.

The characters are interesting and engaging, and most importantly, they felt honest to me, another big plus in my book. I also really liked that Lindsey didn’t go full bore with sex in this story, there was no need for it. You got the romance elements without them jumping in bed (or a bathroom, or closet) to have sex.

There are a lot of great elements to this story and it’s worth an absolute read, but I will offer this warning to you, if you want a short story about two hot guys hooking up at a holiday wedding this isn’t the story for you. If you want to read a well-crafted tale about youth, life and love (and how it can affect us for both good and bad) then give this read a go. I would love to see a follow up story with these same characters, perhaps from Sandy’s point of view, maybe that will happen, maybe not, but I would read it.

Well there you go. I hope you’ll pick up a copy of Out with the Old (click here) by G.B. Lindsey (check them out here). Until next time have a great week.

When the World Lets You Down

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you’re having a good week. Today I want to share my thoughts on, when the world lets you down.

It’s 2026, and the world is still circling the sun, and life is going on all around us. There is still good in the world and, yes, there is still bad (so much bad) in the world. Today I want to talk to you about disappointment and what we all need to do when the world lets us down. As authors, our lot seems to be to suffer. We are constantly getting rejections. We don’t get the sales we want. People don’t follow through with promises they have either made or implied (this is a big one). We are often guaranteed of something, and as soon as we get our hopes ups along comes life to take it away. It’s even more painful when we did everything we were supposed to do. When we followed the rules and did our best and we still get cut short.

It’s all crap.

We’ve all been there.

It hurts, and we feel less than.

What do we do when we feel like we’ve been kicked in the teeth? I had a boss say to me once, after a difficult day, ‘Time to go home and kick the husband and hug the dog.’ We both laughed, and for a moment we both felt better. When life gives us a gut punch, we feel our feels. We take stock of the pain and the hurt. We tell our spouse. We tell our friends, and we take solace in their love and support. This isn’t always easy. I for one, have a challenging time sharing my feelings. I’ve had friends come after me for not sharing the pains and the disappointments. I’m getting better, but I still struggle with sharing. Still, that is the first thing we should do.

After our well-earned hurt and pain, we have to pick up and figure out what to do next. This isn’t easy. This isn’t fun. And this is especially challenging if we have to see and deal with the people who hurt us. The writing community can be small, so when something falls through there is a good chance we are going to be or be around events and people who may have done us wrong. We can’t control what happened. We can’t control the people around us, all we can do is control our reactions. In this regard, we never want to do anything that is going to make us appear in an unfavorable light or cost us an opportunity. When things happen and we get upended, there are going to be people out there watching and waiting to see how we react. They may not say anything, but they will watch, and if you react badly, they will take note, and unfortunately people love spectacles, so they will gleefully share that drama (and possibly embellish), and that is what can come back and haunt us. That can hurt us even more than the original occurrence.

Are you going to stop all the drama and gossip? No, but you can give them as little fuel as possible to work with.

If you get a critical review.

Leave it.

You got rejected by an agent.

Move on.

You got turned down by a publisher.

Keep looking.

Your speaking engagement fell through.

Thank them and tell everyone how excited you are to see what they do.

An event falls flat.

Celebrate how much fun you had or how great the people were.

Someone trying to rain on your sunshine.

Then shine brighter.

We all know this. We’ve all heard everything I’ve just said before. But we need the reminder. We need to remember that when things fall apart and when we are hurting, that is the time to take stock and show the world you aren’t beaten. If you didn’t get selected for some award that you darn well deserved. Cry, shout, ‘kick the husband and hug the dog’, but when you see and hear from the people that were involved thank them, share how thrilled you are for the person they picked. Importantly, remember you’re not doing any of this for them. You’re showing who you are and you’re showing them what they missed out on.

To paraphrase a great song; You’re still standing better than you ever did? Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid. You’re still standing after all this time.

Have a great 2026 and remember, no matter what; never let the bastards get you down.

Well, those are my thoughts for this new year. Please don’t take this wrong, I’m fine and nothing is bothering me, this is all about how we look at the world and how we deal with disappointment. Until next time have a great week.

Like catching up with old friends - Down the River by J. Scott Coatsworth

Happy Wednesday Scribblers. I hope you had a good holiday season. As you can see I’ve been quiet for a while, but that doesn’t mean I’ve been busy, it just means I haven’t had a lot to share (and I took a bit of a break). Today I’m back and I’m here to share my thoughts on Down the River by J. Scott Coatsworth (learn more here).

Here is my review:

I read The River City Chronicles a while back, and today I finished Down the River (the second book in the series), both by J. Scott Coatsworth, but I have to say that this didn’t feel like a typical book two. Reading the story was more like catching up with old friends whom you haven’t seen in a while. You jump right into the story, and never once did I feel like I missed something or needed to go back and check what happened in the first book. What I kept thinking as I read was; yes, this is a sequel, but it feels more like a standalone novel. And I loved that.

The characters felt so real and honest. And life had certainly moved on for all the characters, which I appreciated. Not everything was perfect for the characters either, which again I really liked. This story has some magical elements, but it’s not a magical book (if you’re looking for a magical fantasy or urban fantasy with magic this isn’t the book for you), in fact for me, the story read more like fate ensuring that things happened the way they were meant to. Coatsworth is a master at writing about the human experience and giving each character a unique voice so you never have to think about who you are reading about (there are several characters, and that can be a bit much, but not in this case).

What the story boils down to for me; friendship, love and life. And there is nothing more beautiful to read about (especially these days). I didn’t want the story to end, and I wanted to keep reading. My only criticism of the story is that the world created in the book was almost too ideal. Maybe I’m a cynic. Maybe I’m jaded by our current reality, or maybe I’m jealous that I don’t inhabit the world that Coatsworth created. Either way, I want to live in this world, and I want to visit Ragazzi for a meal and see these wonderful people living and loving.

This is a must read, if to just take a break from what is happening around us right now.

Well those are my thoughts on Down the River (by it here), I hope you’ll check it out. Until next time have a great week.