#BookLover Thoughts Opinions and Experiences #NationalBookLoversDay

#NationalBookLoversDay https://t.co/cocK6kf2rF Writing Book Reviews As An Author https://t.co/Ofuuwmz48w Fractions of Existence https://t.co/5N7FROJrqZ Lumber Of The Kuweakunks

Celebrate by writing reviews, reading an urban fantasy, or solving a short story fantasy mystery

— J Lenni Dorner (@JLenniDorner) August 9, 2022

That's my tweet for National Book Lovers Day. 

I can't overstress the importance of book reviews to authors. Several bookselling websites use the number of reviews to determine the ranking of a book and author. Not the positive or negative, not the stars earned. ⭐ It's all about how often a book got a reader to put fingers to keys ⌨ and say something, anything at all, about what they just read. 

Interestingly, it's especially difficult to get our fellow authors to write reviews. Even knowing how important reviews are, authors are often scared to write them because they don't want to say the wrong thing. It might burn the relationship with a fellow writer, or offend an agent or publisher. Some authors stick to the "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" rule. I tried to help alleviate this problem by writing a guidebook, "Writing Book Reviews As An Author." 

There's also a full-length novel and a short story available from my collection.

Currently, there are 41 books on my list of "favorites" on Goodreads. Check those out!

Top 5 from that list (in no particular order)

1. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard  -- Futuristic Fantasy Sci-fi (Speculative Fiction) [Amazon lists it as a historical romance for reasons I cannot fathom, as the subway scene makes it clear that this story takes place either far in our future or in a multiverse version of Earth, but certainly not in the past. 🤦🏽‍♂️]
   
2. Runaway by J.R. Vincente -- Erotic Choose Your Own Adventure novel.
   
3. Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora -- LGBTQIA+  Genetic Engineering SciFi Fantasy (Speculative Fiction)
   
4. Magic at Midnight by Ronel Janse van Vuuren -- LGBTQIA+ Dark Fairytale Fantasy
   
5. Self-Help 101 or: How I Learned to Take Over the World Through Tolerating My Family by L.G. Keltner -- YA Holiday Humor Romance
   

I don't know if it means anything that my top 5 list here happen to be all female writers. I can easily add Stephen King and Patrick Rothfuss. It may also depend on my mood, because I have a slightly different list on my NaNoWriMo Profile.

What books would you recommend to me, based on the ones I just suggested to you?

#BookReview Fragile Remedy #atozchallenge

The Operation Awesome theme for the #atozchallenge 2021 is book reviews (even though we're a blog about the publication journey, not a book review blog-- the team loves to read!). I've selected books by Debut Authors that I've interviewed on this blog. Read Maria Ingrande Mora's interview here.


Fragile Remedy --  Publisher site

LGBTQ+ Science Fiction

I'm giving this book only five stars because that's the highest quantity available on review sites. (There's no "click here to give all the stars in the sky" ... that I know of, anyway.) To say this book is good is an understatement. Exceptional, marvelous, superb, wonderful-- I LOVE this book. I had to update my NaNoWriMo profile to reflect having a new favorite. Can I add some hearts instead of just stars?

💗🤍❤💕😍

Set in the fictional future (which doesn't feel so fictional-- thanks, 2020), on the poor side of town- the quarantined island, everyone struggles to survive. Nate wasn't born but created, and his blood can do amazing healing on others, at a painful cost to him. (It sounds like "donor babies," but since they're grown in a lab, people care even less.) The world has a drug problem (like the opioid crisis) and a respiratory problem (do I even have to mention the "C" word that ruined and ruled all of our lives in 2020???). All the science in this science fiction is plausible. You might think that kind of reality-smacking-into-fiction would make this harder to read, yet I found the opposite to be true. Because the book isn't really about those things, that's just well-written background noise. The book is about relationships, making your own family, loyalty, love, and giving everything and anything for the one you love. 

It might not sound like it, but this is my honest and unbiased review. I got an ARC copy of this book when I interviewed this debut author for Operation Awesome. (To be clear-- this is a DEBUT book! 😲 Ground-level fandom. Start the party!) I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a really great story with a teenage chaotic good main character. There's diversity in that most of the main characters are extremely poor, multiple characters are gay, Sparks is probably trans ("when her appearance matched who she was"), and various skin colors are mentioned (bronze, brown, pale). I don't read a lot of science fiction, but I do love diverse books and especially ones with such well-written characters and storylines, and this book is an example of the kind of scifi I like the most. I would absolutely read another book from this author. Even though Fragile Remedy is a stand-alone book, I'm hoping it will turn into a series. The ending does wrap up the story, but it leaves room to add to it. (Reed for mayor, president, whatever leadership roles exist!) Plus, I want to read about Pixel growing up, I want to see her improve the world. And what about other GEMs in the Gathos City towers? We need more books so Nate can go save them!

This book is realistic fiction with a bit of science that hasn't happened yet. It was happily-ever-after (as much as it can). It's romantic in that will-they-or-won't-they way where the reader can see how perfect Nate and Reed are for each other but Nate's anxiety needs to get out of the way first. (And also, shower first, guys! There's a great scene where they kiss, but it gets interrupted by sneezing. LOVE that part of the book.) Fragile Remedy is thrilling, action-packed, fast-paced, and has many plot twists. (The current book description, that's just the first third of the story. There is so much more!) It's fun and entertaining (especially Alden). "Only Alden could make falling asleep a dramatic exit." 

It seems like the antagonist is everyone from Gathos City, since they've abandoned all of these people, leaving them with sickness and poverty. But there's another antagonist who is revealed later. "We didn't start riots, people did," the antagonist says. Similarly, the backstory of how the characters met each other is skillfully woven into the book, each revealed at precisely the right moment. Also excellently done is how Mora wrote Nate's fear of heights without being direct about it. 

I learned the term hiccoughed from reading this book. A word that instantly makes sense and has an obvious meaning and sound, yet I've never seen used before. 

The scratchy blue cover with the crumbling city and the vial makes sense when reading the book. The title also matches the story. I saw only one possible typo in the entire ARC. 

I imagine Pixel is the author's favorite character, though there are many excellent characters in this story. The book was hard to put down because there is so much action and so much heart. Every action, every choice, has a purpose in this book. I could relate to several of the characters because of my life, and I've known some people who remind me of several of the characters. (Notably Alden and Brick.) Speaking of Brick, I enjoyed that the character names were easy to remember because the names "fit" the characters. Though there's a strong romance element, it just barely hints at PG-13 level of steam. The setting is well fleshed-out, allowing the reader to feel the poverty and ruin in which the characters reside. Nothing came easy for any of the characters. The book absolutely holds up a mirror to society, to how we too often treat the sick, how people can turn on one another and use each other, but also how people can really love and give everything for someone. It's the very best of people versus the very worst, which is what makes it so wonderful. 

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J's favorite books and authors- NaNoWriMo profile
https://nanowrimo.org/participants/j-lenni-dorner

GOODREADS

a-to-zchallenge.com

To what website do you think Operation Awesome should give our next recommendation award?

Spotlight on New Book Debut Author Maria Ingrande Mora #giveaway

Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora

LGBTQ+ Science Fiction

1- What is your favorite brunch?

My favorite brunch is outside in the shade on a pretty day with pancakes and mimosas and a side of floppy bacon. I love it when brunch lasts for a couple of hours. I’m a bigger fan of a one-on-one brunch than a group.

2- Would you please, in 160 characters or less, give a #WriteTip ?

Every word counts as practice. Write what feels good. Don’t judge your writing; celebrate your effort.

3- What most motivates you to read a new book?

Usually some element of it catches my attention -- such as a trope I know I love, or a character who sounds like someone I’ll fixate on. Sometimes the concept itself is something I know I’ll love. Lately (basically during the entire pandemic and counting), I’ve had a hard time focusing on sitting down and reading.

4- March is Women's History Month. What contribution or specific achievement by a woman in American history is your favorite? (http://womenshistorymonth.gov)

Mae Jemison went to Stanford at 16, traveled the world with the Peace Corps, worked on critical medical research projects, and then made a career change to become an astronaut and was the first Black woman to go to space. She is so cool. Her foundation, 100 Year Starship ™ ( 100YSS ), is working toward human travel beyond our solar system within 100 years.

5- Would you share a picture with us of your book with a pet?



6- How far off do you think we are from GEM technology actually existing?

I think we’re already at a place where dehumanization is excused and ignored. From a cultural standpoint, regardless of how close we are technologically speaking, I don’t think we’re particularly far from a situation similar to Gathos city’s GEMs.

7- What's your Twitter handle, and do you have two or three writer friends on there to shout-out to for #WriterWednesday ?

I’m @mariamelee on Twitter. I’d like to shout out @linseymiller and @dancingofpens .

8- Do you have a favorite #bookstagram image or account/ profile?

I love @peireads on Instagram. It’s so cool to me that she balances being a doctor and running a beautiful bookstagram account.

9- Are you a Plotter, Pantser, or Plantser, and how did you adopt that style?

Ugh, I’m a pantser. I’m a pantser. It’s the worst. It’s so hard in revisions. I am TRYING to become a plantser. My current WIP was lightly outlined and lo and behold, it helped a ton.

10- What does your basic writing schedule look like, and how often do you write?

When I’m drafting, I write 5 days a week and aim for at least 500 words a session. I prefer to hit 1000 words a session. I write in the evenings after work and after dinner. When I’m revising, I have a harder time structuring my time but I try to hit a chapter in one session.

11- What is your favorite book by someone else, what's the author's Twitter handle, and what do you love most about that book? #FridayReads book recommendation time!

Author name: TJ Klune @tjklune
Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea
Love because: I don’t read many books shelved for adults, but this one was an absolute delight and so magical and soft. It was nice reading a main character close to my age, too. This is an easy, warm read that feels very cozy.


12- What emotions do you hope your book will evoke for the reader?

Devastation followed by hope.

13- What kind of impact do you hope your book will have?

I’d love for teens to have fun escaping into a high stakes world where characters just happen to be queer.

14- What is your favorite creative non-writing activity to do?

I enjoy cooking every once in a while! It’s nice to follow a recipe and end up with something that feels like a huge accomplishment. I’m not a natural cook but I love eating.

15- In what ways are the main characters in your book diverse? diversebooks.org #WeNeedDiverseBooks

Fragile Remedy’s cast includes gender diversity, queer characters, a character with chronic illness, and characters of color. I am a bisexual cis woman.

16- What method do you feel is the best way to get book reviews?

I am a professional marketer, but when it comes to my writing, I have a very hard time “selling” it. I’d love to know the best way to get book reviews. I believe that when people find a book they connect to emotionally, they want to share that connection with others. So I hope that Fragile Remedy finds its audience.

17- What was the deciding factor in your publication route?

I always knew that I wanted to go traditional publishing. Flux is an indie publisher, and very supportive and hands on. It was important to me to work with a publisher who could help get my book into the hands of teens, educators, and librarians. This is tough the self-publishing route.

18- What's the biggest writing goal you hope to accomplish in your lifetime?

I’d like to remain consistent in my writing and publish books on a regular schedule, even if that schedule is a little slow compared to authors who are able to publish a couple of books a year.

19- Would you please ask our audience a question to answer in the comments?

What’s your favorite tag on AO3?

20- Anything else you would care to share about your book and yourself?

Maria Ingrande Mora is a content designer and a brunch enthusiast. Her love languages are snacks, queer joy, and live music. A graduate of the University of Florida, Maria lives near a wetlands preserve with two dogs, two cats, and two children.

Sixteen-year-old Nate is a GEM—a Genetically Engineered Medi-tissue—created by Gathos City scientists as a cure for the elite from the fatal lung rot ravaging the population. As a child, Nate was smuggled out of the laboratory where he was held captive and taken into the Withers—a quarantined, lawless region. He manages to survive by becoming a Tinkerer, fixing broken tech in exchange for food or a safe place to sleep. When he meets Reed, a kind and fiercely protective boy who makes his heart race, and his misfit gang of scavengers, Nate finds the family he’s always longed for—even if he can’t risk telling them what he is.

But Gathos created a genetic fail-safe in their GEMs—a flaw in their DNA that causes their health to rapidly deteriorate as they age unless they are regularly dosed with medication controlled by Gathos City. When violence erupts across the Withers, Nate’s illegal supply of medicine is cut off, and a vicious attack on Reed threatens to expose his secret. With time running out, Nate is left with only two options: work for a shadowy terrorist organization that has the means to keep him alive, or stay—and die—with the boy he loves.

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Fragile Remedy by Maria Ingrande Mora