Hello world!

 

Shelfie of my favorite classics

 

…and welcome to my reading nook. I’m Susanna, 41-year-old indie author and an avid reader. Here’s a little bit about myself, what kinds of books I read and write, and what you can expect to see in this blog.

My favorite genres

Some of my favorite books

I always have multiple books on the go – usually at least one classic, one modern fiction, and one non-fiction book. I’m not too picky when it comes to genres. My favorite genres are classics, historical fiction, and dystopian fiction, but I also like fantasy, especially historical fantasy. I occasionally dabble with sci-fi and mystery. I read both YA and adult books and occasionally venture into middle grade. Strong female characters are a must, and a dash of romance never hurts. Make me cry uncontrollably for the last twenty pages, and you’ve got yourself a fan in me.

I don’t read horror, I don’t read a lot of thrillers, and I’m not interested in books set in contemporary world (unless there’s some fantasy elements involved). Erotica and romance novels with a lot of sex scenes just make me yawn.

Last year, I started using a reading journal to track my reading and to write down reviews, and I liked that practice so much I plan to continue it for the foreseeable future. I don’t have the time or the patience to set up bullet journal style spreads by hand, so I made my own reading journals. I’m in love with my 2024 reading journal, which is fantasy-inspired and dragon-themed – a perfect journal for this year, as I’m hoping to read more fantasy books in 2024.

Writer’s life

Caytee, a Jane Austen retelling

My debut novel Caytee is a modern YA retelling of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey. The main character is an avid reader of YA paranormal romance who is certain that the guy she has a crush on must secretly be a vampire. It features a narrator that constantly breaks the fourth wall and makes fun of overused tropes in YA books. If that sounds like something you’d like, you can find the book on Amazon.

My current work in progress is a coming-of-age story set in a fictional prehistoric matriarchal society. It follows the two main characters (an insecure boy and a privileged girl) as they grow up in this world. The working title is Project Prehistory, and I’m currently writing the fourth draft. Even though I self-published Caytee, I want to try to get Project Prehistory traditionally published, or at least query it to see what the process is like.

I also have plans for several fantasy and dystopian novels as well as historical fiction. I’m a huge plotter and an outliner and a slow writer and even slower reviser, so getting those books out will probably take me the next few decades!

Pretty interior designs (of books, that is)

My love for books is not limited to reading and writing them. I like making books look pretty as a freelance book formatter. My goal is to help indie authors and give them the physical book (or e-book) that truly reflects their story.

I love how fonts and illustrations can help bring the story to life. Here’s an example from my own book Caytee and Wildwood Revisited, a book by my friend and fellow indie author Cinasee Pollett. The owl-design in Wildwood Revisited perfectly fits the story while the fun font captures the whimsical mood of the novel, if I do say so myself.

Examples of book formatting

What you can expect to see in my blog

Books books books! I plan to post a review of every book I read. A lot of them will probably be traditionally published, but I also want to support my fellow indie authors by reviewing their books. I plan to offer tips and tricks on reading journaling, and I want to document my author’s journey and share snippets of writer’s life. If that’s something that you’d be interested in reading about, be sure to follow this blog.

Let me know in the comments what your favorite genres are! Do we share any favorites?