Kara's Book Cravings: The Stranded

 

I got several gift cards for Mother's Day, and of course I chose to spend them at Barnes & Noble. I mean, duh, right?? So, my daughter and I made the drive to the closest one to us -- which is 45 minutes away -- and we spent a while wandering around. 

I typically go straight for the young adult section first, and while there, I stumbled upon THE STRANDED by Sarah Daniels. 

This is another YA thriller / dystopian / romance that takes place on a cruise ship. I've been in a mood lately for settings that are contained like this or for plots that revolve around the characters being somehow trapped. Something about it just really ramps up the stakes, and I like that. 

Anyway, a virus hit the world, and refugees from Europe came to the US on a cruise ship. Due to fear of infection, all the passengers have been stuck on this ship for decades! Some people have even been born on the ship. Due to age and weather, the ship is deteriorating badly, and life isn't all that great. 

Cue the rebellion and the plot to get people off the ship and onto land. There's a lot of political stuff going on, which is to be expected for this type of plot, but it's not overbearing to the point that it makes the story unenjoyable. I like all the characters, though they're not always nice to one another.

The amount of betrayal and deception and morally gray characters is both astounding and impressive. I really didn't think I could be any more surprised, but each chapter left me with my jaw on the ground. There is a character death that sucked big time, and I didn't see it coming. 

The ending is a tad predictable, but what I didn't expect was to get to the last page and find out this is just the first book. Now I have to wait a year or so until the second book drops. I'm not a very patient person when it comes to stuff like this. Haha. I will say, though, that the very last line in this book is chilling! 

Kara's Book Cravings: No Escape

 

My daughter found this book, and when she told me about, I asked to borrow it because it's a teen thriller, which is right up my alley. But what makes this even better is that it takes place in an escape room! I've been to a few of them myself (only ever gotten out once), and I've seen both of the movies. I'm lowkey fascinated by escape rooms and the possibility of getting stuck inside without anyone there to help you. I mean, the story options for this type of setting are limitless!

And so I took NO ESCAPE by Maren Stoffels with me to the gym one night and read while I walked on the treadmill. I read half the book without realizing it, (and spent over an hour on the treadmill) and then when I got home, I finished the book. So, yes, I read this in one day. 

The pacing is super fast, and there are quite a few twists and turns and reveals I hadn't expected. Despite being teens, each of the 4 main characters had very well-rounded and rich backstories that they were dealing with while trying to get out of the escape room. 

My only complaint is with the end. While the escape room aspect was resolved in if and how they get out, the reason behind everything was extremely confusing. A random character is introduced at the end who isn't given a name but has a narrative that's very mysterious. I don't know if there's another book planned or not, but the end left me scratching my head with confusion. 

I did, however, enjoy the author's style, and I'm now waiting for the rest of her backlist to arrive so I can read them, too. 

Kara's Book Cravings: Lying in the Deep

 

Back in February, I took a cruise, and I had grand plans of reading while laying in the sun. Well, I did lay in the sun, but sadly, I didn't get much reading done. But that's okay. The trip was a blast! 

Anyway, I'd bought LYING IN THE DEEP by Diana Urban to take with me on my vacation. Why? Because it's a teen thriller / murder mystery set on a cruise ship, and I thought it would be cool to read that while on an actual cruise ship.

I'm sorry it took me so long to finally read this! It was so good. Definitely had lots of teen drama and complicated relationships. The lies and deceit were incredibly well written. The pacing is really fast, but the book itself and the characters are so deep and well-rounded. 

The mystery of the whodunit was complex and difficult to figure out as you were reading, but once you read the end you have that moment where you're like, "Oh yeah, it all makes sense now!" I love books that do this. 

I loved all the twists and turns, too. The reveal at the end made my jaw drop. Part of me was happy with it, but another part of me was a little bummed. I'd wanted something a little darker, I guess. I'm not sure. Either way, the book was fantastic, and I'll definitely be reading more by this author. 

Kara's Book Cravings: Killer Content

I am not a TikTok girl. I don't like making videos, and I don't understand the whole influencer thing -- yeah, yeah. I know. I'm showing my age. And that's what this book is mostly about: teen influencers living under one roof, competing for sponsors, views, followers, etc. So, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book when I bought it, but it was only $5.00, and I figured I'd give it a shot.  

I'm glad I did. 

KILLER CONTENT by Kiley Roache is a YA thriller / murder mystery. As I said above, a group of TikTok influencers live together in a house and are doing sponsored ads and collaborations, etc. While I don't fully understand that life, I found myself oddly invested in it. 

But then one of the housemates ends up dead, and everyone inside the house becomes a suspect. Each person had clear motive to kill, and so it really was a crazy ride trying to figure out who did it. 

And then the twist is revealed, and my jaw dropped! Now, I've seen this twist used before (I don't want to spoil anything, hence the vagueness), but never done as well as this was. What also shocked me was that the reveal of "whodunit" was done near the middle of the book, rather than closer to the end. I thought that would effect the overall pacing and my enjoyment of the book, but it really didn't. If anything, it kept me engaged even more because I needed to know what was going to happen next. I really do love books that make me feel that way :-)

It's safe to say that I really liked this book. I don't know if this author has written anything else, but I plan to find out!

What was the last book you read that really surprised you?

Kara's Book Cravings: Little Monsters

Again, I found this book at 5 Below and was super intrigued. Of course, I've seen this author's books at almost every bookstore I've gone to, so I knew her name, but I've never read any of her stuff. Until now...

LITTLE MONSTERS by Kara Thomas is a wild ride! This is another YA thriller / mystery that really hit all the right notes for me. 

Told from various points of view, this book kept me guessing right to the very end. Dealing with blended families, step-families, friends, and the pressures of those relationships, this was  both emotional and shocking. Sadly, though, the "friendships" in this book are all too realistic. When you think someone is your friend but they're really not... When nasty rumors start floating around that you can't disprove...  When you think you know someone but really don't...

The twist at the end of this book was fantastic! I didn't see it coming, which is always good, but when I look back on everything, it all makes sense. 

I really liked the author's writing style, too, so I'll be reading more of her books. I have THE CHEERLEADERS on my shelf, and I'll be diving into that one soon, but I'll definitely be investing in her other books, too. 

Have you read any Kara Thomas books? 

What's your favorite?

Kara's Book Cravings: The Game

 

This was yet another 5 Below find, and I read this is a matter of a day or two. Books like this are great to read in between longer series, and thankfully, I have a lot of books like this one.

THE GAME by Linsey Miller is a teen thriller. This book was very reminiscent of PANIC by Lauren Oliver, which I absolutely loved. The show on Amazon Prime was pretty great, too. Naturally, I was eager to dive into THE GAME. 

Every year, seniors play a game in which they have to "assassinate" their fellow classmates with a water gun. It's supposed to be very hush-hush, and there are some very strict rules that, if broken, will result in being disqualified. 

Our heroine has been waiting and planning for her turn to play this game for years, and she is prepared! But then someone starts actually killing the players, and she's being framed. 

The author did a great job making me guess who the killer really was, and the motives behind the killings was well thought out, too. And sadly, it's something that I'm sure a lot of teens feel. 

Overall, this was a good read and a nice break from the romantasy I've been reading. 

Kara's Book Cravings: Prom House

My girls love to shop at 5 Below, and so I'm often dragged along for the ride (and the money). LOL. It's always fun to look around, and naturally, I always stop at the their book table. Imagine my surprise when I found a selection of YA thrillers! I just had to grab them--I think I got 3 in total--and this was the first one...

PROM HOUSE by Chelsea Mueller is a classic teen slasher.  A group of friends rent a beach house for a weekend after-prom party. One by one, the friends end up dead. And to make matters worse, a hurricane hits, and so everyone is trapped inside the house. They soon realize that one of them is a killer, and they begin to turn on each other. 

This book reminded quite a bit of SCREAM, the movie, which is one of my all time favorites. The plot, while simple, kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn't figure out who the killer was until almost the very end. 

Overall, this was a quick read, and I could easily picture this as a movie in my head. The only thing I didn't like was the last couple of pages felt like the author was giving me a lesson and it felt a little "preachy." But it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book as a whole. I highly recommend this for anyone who likes slasher flicks / books. 

Kara's Book Cravings: Playing With Fire

 

This was another thrift store find that I snagged at the same time I'd bought The Girl in the White Van by the same author.  I think I'm quickly becoming a fan of this author's work...

PLAYING WITH FIRE by April Henry is another young adult thriller and just as faced paced as the author's other book I read. This one really checked all my boxes -- "stranded" setting in that they are trapped on a hiking trail while trying to outrun a wildfire, survival elements, a romance, and a random group of people thrown together and forced to work as a team if they want to live. 

There's quite a bit of danger and mystery in this book, which I loved. I do have to caution you, though, that the backstory of our main character is intense. She survived a house fire as a child, but her baby brother did not. The circumstances surrounding that are much darker than the blurb leads you to believe. So, if child death is a dealbreaker for you, then you might want to skip this one because the author does not shy away from this trauma. I will say that it's handled well, but as a mom, this was hard to read about. Thankfully, the flashback chapters are minimal. 

Overall, this was another quick read that's a good addition to my YA thriller collection. 

Kara's Book Cravings: The Girl in the White Van

 

In one of my many trips to a my local Goodwill and used bookstore, I stumbled on THE GIRL IN THE WHITE VAN by April Henry. This is a young adult thriller, which we all know is one of my favorite genres!

The cover is okay, but the blurb is what really grabbed my attention. Basically, this is a story about a teenage girl who is kidnapped while walking home from Tae Kwon Do class. She's kept prisoner in a ratty old RV, along with another teen girl who'd disappeared almost a year prior. 

This was on the shorter side, less than 150 pages, and I was able to read it in one evening. The pacing was tight, and the tension was incredible!

The concept of this book is every woman's nightmare, and definitely every mom's fear. My heart was racing at points, and I had a surge of adrenaline at the end, which is always a sign of a good thriller. 

What I really liked about this book, though, was that the author didn't fall back on the girls being raped or sexually assaulted in anyway. They were simply being held captive by a deranged man with some very messed up ideas about gender roles. I also really enjoyed seeing the two girls take control, fight back, and save themselves. Yes, they have help eventually, but for the most part, they don't just sit around and wait. 

I also snagged another book by this author, and I'm excited to dive into that one next. 

Kara's Book Cravings: The Sleepover

 

Yet another used book sale find, and I was admittedly on the fence about this one. But I gave it a shot, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. 

THE SLEEPOVER by Samantha King is an adult domestic thriller / mystery. Normally, I can really get lost in this genre, but something about this one didn't quite click for me. 

First, this is every parents worst nightmare -- dropping your child off for a sleepover and returning the next morning to pick them up only to find they're just gone. And no one knows what happened or where your child is. 

Once I got beyond that... the bulk of the story is the search for Isobel's son (Nick) and trying to piece together what happened to him. This was all really well done, and I suspected a few people who didn't turn out to be the right suspect. That was interesting because I was so sure I was right about one specific character. 

For me, the ending is where this book fell apart. Not only were parts of it confusing to follow, the "bad guy" while shocking was also a little disappointing. Their motives were a little weak, and the things this person did -- I don't know. It just didn't click for me and felt a little like it might be out of the realm of possibility. I realize I'm probably not making much sense here, but I don't want to spoil the end, either. lol. 

The author's writing style was good and easy to read, and I'll more than likely try another of her books at some point. 

Anyone else read this one? What did you think?

Kara's Book Cravings: Camp Murderface -- Doom in the Deep

 

If you want to go read my thoughts on the first book, Camp Murderface, you can go HERE to do so. Go ahead... I'll wait...

All set? Good!

So, Camp Murderface: Doom in the Deep is the second book in this series. I think it's the last one, too, which is kind of sad because I'm really invested in these characters now!

This story picks up almost immediately after the first one ends, and we're once again alternating points-of-view between Corryn and Tez. I thought a lot happened in the first book, but this one... whoa! So much stuff happens, and it's all very chaotic in a very good way. There are missing counselors, snake-people, a creepy lake that's trying to kill the campers... Like I said, so much going on. 

I enjoyed this book a lot more than the first one, which is rare for me. Maybe because I knew the characters better or the setting and relationships were already established. Either way, I devoured this book in a matter of two days -- oh and this one is longer than first, too, coming in at over 400 pages! 

There was a twist at the end that I really didn't see coming, and I *almost* stopped reading because I was mad, but thankfully, another twist came out of nowhere and then I was happy again. 

Have you ever read a sequel that you thought was better than the first book? 

Kara's Book Cravings: Camp Murderface

 

Anyone who knows me, or has ever peeked at my #MSWL for Anaiah Press knows that I have a soft spot for books set at camp. I don't care if it's summer camp, Bible camp, fat camp, or a family camping trip -- I just absolutely LOVE the setting and the atmosphere of being in the woods and "roughing it." So much can go wrong, and there's so much room for conflict and danger. So, when I found this book, I snatched it so dang fast.

CAMP MURDERFACE by Josh Berk and Saundra Mitchell is a middle grade story set at a summer camp. Told in 1st person alternating points-of-view from the two main characters, Tez (male) and Corryn (female), this is a delightful tale that blends contemporary and paranormal when our two characters have to solve the mystery of Camp Sweetwater, which they nickname Camp Murderface. Missing girls, strange happenings, creepy camp counselors, screaming faces in the bonfires... A lot happens in this book, but none of it ever felt like too much. The pacing was good, despite this book being just over 300 pages -- which seems rather long for an MG book, but I think the market has been trending toward longer books lately. 

My only complaint with this book, and this is really very minor, was that at times, it felt like the adults writing this book tried a little too hard to sound young and cool. Though, this book is set in the 80s, and I was just a baby back then, so maybe I'm completely off base here. lol. 

Either way, I enjoyed this quite a bit, and I've bought the sequel and am happily diving into that next. 

Anyone else read this book yet? What did you think? 

Do you have any good recommendations for books set at camp? 

Kara's Book Cravings: End of Days Series (Books 6 and 7)

 

So, I did it -- I finished the final two books in this series, and boy do I have a lot of thoughts. If you've been following along, then you know I was immediately sucked into this series, and I've blown through it really fast. If you need to catch up, you can do so HERE and HERE. Okay, now that we're all on the same page, let's do this!

GRIP OF EVIL is book 6 and is basically the book where everything really just falls apart -- way more than things already have, anyway. This is the ultimate climax where we finally get more information about the madman terrorizing the town and what his goals are. All of this books so far have had quite a bit of action, but this one was definitely the most action packed by far. 

We also learn a lot more about Isaac in this book, and his backstory, while I'm sure was meant to be tragic (and it was to an extent), it also felt a little over the top. And the connections to the small town and everyone in it was also too much, in my opinion. I mean, I get it -- I was born and raised in a small town, but at times, I felt like the author was throwing everything in just to shock readers. That didn't work for me. 

GRIP OF HONOR is the 7th and final installment in this series, and I struggled with this one. It was a quick read just like all the other books, but after all the action and reveals in book 6, this one fell flat. The defeat of the madman was way too easy. The rescue of one of the main characters was also too easy. 

The overall ending was rushed, yet still felt unfinished. I was left with so many unanswered questions. Like, the town elects a new mayor, yet we never see who. The book ends just before the announcement is made. 

The characters still have no concrete answers as to what happened or when the world will return to normal. I don't know if the characters are going to stay in town or move on. 

Also, beyond the end of the world survival aspect of this, I was really intrigued by the idea of the characters being raised by preppers. While we do get glimpses into their childhood and how they were raised, the whole prepper thing seemed like an easy plot device to give the characters the skills they (conveniently) needed to survive. I would have loved to had more interaction with the prepper parents / community. 

Overall, this was an engaging series, and I did enjoy most of it. Though I do feel like 7 books plus a prequel was too much. What do I mean by that? Well, tune in this Thursday for a more in-depth explanation, because I have a lot more to say on this! 

Thursday Thoughts: Why that Genre?

 

Growing up, I was always reading something. Basically, whatever I could get my hands on. I used to love the Sweet Valley High series, and I read almost all of them. Then I moved on to V.C. Andrews -- Flowers in the Attic and whatever else she'd written. I was hooked by the twisted, often horrific stories she told. From there, I graduated to Dean Koontz and Stephen King. As a teen, I would watch The X-Files with my dad every week. I realized early on that I had a penchant for the dark and scary stuff, which has carried on through adulthood. Now, I find myself gravitating toward teen and adult thrillers, spooky / haunted non-fiction, horror movies, etc. The spookier and creepier the better. 

Yet, I write romance. 

I've had people ask me why. Why write romance when you seem to love all the scary, spooky, haunted, twisty thriller type stuff so much? And my answer is: I don't know. Honestly. I really don't. Maybe because I do read and watch so much of it that I worry I won't be able to come up with anything new or unique. Or maybe I'm just suffering from severe imposter syndrome and worry I won't be able to pull off a good thriller or horror novel. Though, I have started to shift toward more spookier stories, with my paranormal series. And I have started (and stopped) working on a few thrillers. 

But I'm coming to another realization: The more scary stuff I read, the more post-apocalyptic books I read, the more horror movies and shows I watch, the stronger my urge to write within this genre. And so I've decided I'm going to really put some effort into finishing a new book in one of these genres. 

Will I completely abandon writing romance? Absolutely not! Even within these other genres, there will be romantic subplots -- I can't not write romance into my books. I'm looking forward to this challenge!

Anyone else read or consume media that's outside of the genre they write? If so, what's your reasoning? Is there a genre you've always wanted to try writing? Got any tips for anyone just branching out? Share in the comments!

Kara's Book Cravings: The Girl From Widow Hills

 

Time for a book confession: I absolutely love reading (and writing) YA, and I tend to choose YA over adult books. But there are just some authors who write in both age categories, and I prefer their adult books over their YA books. Megan Miranda is this author for me. 

I prefer her adult books over her teen books. Why? Because of her writing style. Don't get me wrong -- I love her voice and overall style, but personally, I find her unique style to be better suited to adult books. She tends to write very densely, with quite a bit of exposition and character reflection. For me, that works in adult but not so much in YA. 

So, what led me to this realization and ultimate confession? This book did:

The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda is an adult mystery / thriller, and it is phenomenal! From the very first page, I was hooked, and I had a hard time putting this book down to go do all that adult stuff I have to do on a daily basis. 

This is a story about a woman who, when she was just a child, was swept away during a major storm and stuck in the town's drainage system for three days. Her ordeal became a national story, and her mother cashed in on that by writing a book about everything. On the anniversary of her rescue, the press comes out in droves to check in on "the girl from Widow Hills," when all she wants is to be left alone. Naturally, there's a lot more to this tale that meets the eye. 

The twists and turns combined with the intentional misdirection is just... wow! As a reader, I was impressed with how the story unfolded, and I know this one will stick with me, but as an author -- I strive to write as well as Megan Miranda, to be able to weave a tale that leads readers down one path and then shoves them in a completely different direction. 

Has anyone else read this book? What did you think? What other books have you read that left your jaw on the floor? Share in the comments!

Kara's Book Cravings: The Haunted

 A few years ago, I'd read Survive the Night by Danielle Vega. I think I'd found that at a local used bookshop, and I was intrigued enough to buy it. Unfortunately, I don't remember much about that book other than the ending was extremely confusing in a very creepy sort of way. But I didn't have any issues with the author's writing style, so when I found this gem at a local garage sale, I couldn't pass it up. 

The Haunted by Danielle Vega is a mix between a horror and a thriller, which is so my thing! And this book didn't disappoint. It was a quick read that was easy to follow. Parts of this were definitely high on the creepy meter, but I didn't find it particularly scary. Though, if this were made into a movie or TV show, I can easily see a lot of great jump scares. 

The only real complaint I have about this book is the romance subplot. It felt both forced and rushed. I thought for sure the main character was going to end up with one guy, and then BAM! She's in love with someone else. Didn't make much sense to me, but I also realize romance isn't the focus of this story, so... *shrug*

Overall, this was a quick, immersive read. The ending was unexpected, so that's always a bonus. I see there's a sequel, but I'm not sure I'm invested enough to buy and read it (especially with how this first book ended). 

Anyone else read this book? Or anything else by this author? 

What're your thoughts? 

Kara's Book Cravings: The Shadow Sister

 

One day, I was scrolling through Twitter, as I often do when I'm procrastinating, and I saw a tweet with an absolutely STUNNING book cover. Even though, at the time, I wasn't following this author, the cover made me stop and take a closer look. It was the author's debut release day, and if the cover hadn't already snagged my attention, the tag line on the front certainly did. As I followed the links in the tweet, I read the back cover blurb, and I've never hit "buy now" so fast in my life! (Seriously, anyone who tells you Twitter doesn't sell books is a liar.) I mean, just look at this cover!!

Gorgeous, right? I'm sure that purple being one of my favorite colors helped my buying decision, too, but that's really not the point. Haha. 

The Shadow Sister by Lily Meade is a YA thriller, and I devoured this book so fast. I had no idea what was really going on until the very end, and I wasn't able to guess the twist, either. The author does a fantastic job of misdirecting the reader in a way that makes sense and fits within the story and the characters. I will say that neither of the sisters in this book are very endearing, but having raised 4 girls myself (all in various stages of teen years and young adulthood), the sibling relationship that's portrayed is accurate, based on my own experiences anyway. 

If you're a fan of twisty YA books, then this is definitely the book for you! I'm eagerly awaiting this author's next book. 

Has anyone else read this yet? Do you think you'll check it out? 

Kara's Book Cravings: Fragments of the Lost

 

Now that I've dug myself out of a reading rut, I'm dipping my toe back into my first love--teen fiction. Mainly thrillers. These are like crack to me. Seriously, I have sooo many of these types of books on my shelf, and I'm constantly buying more. But I digress...

A few years ago, a friend of mine suggested I read All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda, which is an adult mystery / thriller. He raved about the unique story telling. (The author tells the story in reverse, which is just... *chef's kiss*) Anyway, I loved the book and have read it twice now. So when I was perusing a bookstore, I found that this author has written some YA books, too. Imagine my excitement!

And so I bought this one: Fragments of the Lost by Megan Miranda.

Like All the Missing Girls, this book is told in a unique way, too, in that it's jumping a lot from present to past. Not tense, but actual events. The premise is that a girl is doing a favor for her ex-boyfriend's mom in cleaning out his room after he died in a tragic accident. So each time she finds something in his room, it triggers a memory about them as a couple. It's really done very well and not at all confusing. 

However, I had trouble getting into this book. In fact, I started it and then walked away for a month or so before finally coming back to it. I'm one of those readers who has a real hard time DNF-ing a book, especially one I paid full price for. I was determined to get through this, and I'm glad I did. 

The pacing does eventually pick up (and once it did, I had a hard time putting this down), but for me, it took a little too long to get to the mystery / thriller part, which was what ultimately made this book for me.  I do have another of this author's YA books on my shelf, and I do plan to read it. I hope it doesn't start as slowly as this one. 

Overall, while this one didn't blow my mind quite like All the Missing Girls, if you're a fan of unique story telling methods, then definitely grab one of her books.

Has anyone else read any of Megan Miranda's books? What do you think? Do you have one you recommend I read? 

Spill the Tea Tuesday: The Scary Part of Being a Writer

Today, author Audrey Grace is here to spill the tea...

What’s scarier than publishing your first book? 

Delving into a completely new genre, one you haven’t spent much time writing in decades. 

That’s me, taking the plunge into the horror and thriller genre. Let me call it horror light because there’s more thriller in it than horror, but it still doesn’t count as straight up thriller. The ghosts involved and some of my deepest darkest fears come alive on paper would agree it’s a horror book. 

Like anything else in my life, I jumped in without thinking too much. It all started with a challenge--to write a romance with horror. Somehow, I pulled it off and loved it. It reminded me of the old days when I could stretch my writing fingers and have no limits to my creative flow. This book isn’t romance at all. As a matter of fact, I gave myself a higher challenge of making it a YA book, where teens and adults alike could enjoy it. And I jumped right in and forgot to plug my nose. 

Maybe jumping is too harsh - It was more like tiptoeing for a year while finishing other projects and then getting the green light to go, go, go. And go I did. This passion project started with a cover, one that sparked a Google search and a legend I couldn’t pass up. I threw in a few cups of  my passion of lesser known history, and sprinkled in a dash of ‘what am I doing?’ before baking up a wonderful finished novel that my early readers say they would love as a movie. 

Did I stop in the middle and wonder what was I thinking? Yes, yes I did. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. Spinning interesting stories with twists and turns is my passion, one I’ll keep doing for as long as I’m able. 

Paper Flight might be the first book for Audrey Grace, but it won’t be the last. With my love of urban legends and huge cover collection, I won’t run out of ideas anytime soon.

Audrey Grace lives in the Midwest and grew up with the influences of some of the greatest horror and thriller writers of all time. Her own writing journey began with short spooky stories to tell around the campfire and eventually, she started writing them down. As she did so, they grew into full books. With the nudge of her friend, she decided to throw caution to the wind and become an author. Her favorite stories to write are terrifying spins on urban legends from around the world. 

While Audrey likes to write on the dark side, she loves romance, Victorian era cosplay, musicals, and history shows. You can find her visiting haunted locations whenever she gets a chance. You can also find her on Facebook.

The tea has been spilled! Who's gonna clean it up? 

Drop your thoughts in the comments!

Spill the Tea Tuesday: Writing with Your Love

 Today, author Ashby Frost is spilling the tea...

Writing short stories and novels with your significant other can be challenging but extremely rewarding. I love collaborating storylines and ideas off Crespin; bouncing that level of imagination at work off each other is incredible, and I'm blessed to have a husband who supports my writing and understands each book's creation and publishing process. 

Do we clash on some ideas? Of course, we take a step away from that WIP and work on another or start a new one, then return to the last one with fresh eyes and a clear mind to tackle the storyline again. I love writing with Crespin, and although we write together and co-write short stories and novels, we also write our own projects. 

I highly recommend writing with the one you love but be sure you have enough coffee, wine, and chocolate.

Ashby Frost is a thriller author who recently delved into the horror genre while writing with her husband, Crespin Frost, a horror author. Ashby & Crespin went to high school in North Central Texas, where they developed a bond of love and friendship and married as teenagers. Residing in a small lake town in Texas with their dog Odie Beau they embark on many adventures and enjoy writing together and running their business Twisted Wolf Graphix. 

Ashby has been writing almost all her life; she has found that her love of writing thrillers and murder suspense is her favorite. She loves not knowing where a story or character will take her at the beginning; she just lets the words and imagination flow onto the screen and is usually very pleased with the new short story or novel she has created. Ashby is fascinated with female serial killers and loves to use them in her stories; she also writes stories of strong women; even if they get knocked down, they get back up and do whatever they must to save their own life!

You can learn more about Ashby on Amazon and Facebook.

The tea has been spilled! Who's gonna clean it up? 

Drop your thoughts in the comments!