I'm also not convinced this is helping drive traffic to the Vella stories. So while I hope the platform grows and gains readership for everyone, I'm going to concentrate on my own stories for the time being.
Thanks for reading!
Thursday, February 24, 2022
On Hiatus
It was a good exercise for me to read a thousand story openings, but at this point there are diminishing returns on the time investment required for this blog. And speaking of time... I'm concentrating on getting through the edits for my latest book, so time is something I don't have much of.
Monday, February 21, 2022
"Green Witch Mean Time" by Cherry Northcutt
Current Tags
witch cozy, cozy mystery, young adult, paranormal mystery, female sleuth, amateur sleuth, magic
Categories
Mystery / Paranormal
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
It was a nice day for a magic show, until the magician was found stabbed in the heart! What's a teenage witch to do? Jade Green is taking a gap year, selling potions at the farmers market, and saving for a trip to Europe. Things take a turn for the worse when she finds the traveling magician lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Can Jade find the killer before she becomes the next victim? If you like mixing magic, mystery, and fun with a pinch of romance, then this is the story for you.
Why I Chose it
I enjoy cozy mysteries! There aren't too many on Vella.
[11 episodes so far, with 11 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If you're a fan of paranormal cozy mysteries, check this one out!
Unrelated Griping
Yes, the "Completed" carousel is unchanged, and the bots have taken over the new releases. But what annoys me the most is all the posts in the FB groups asking when bonuses are going to be posted. Seriously. It goes on for a week.
Sunday, February 20, 2022
"The Seduction" by Eloisa James
Current Tags
regency romance, romance, plus size heroine, steamy, love triangle, grumpy hero, wallflower
Categories
Romance / Historical Fiction
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Miss Beatrice Valentine is having a horrible first Season, shamed for her curves by a group of young ladies led by Lady Regina Haywood, daughter of a duke. Despite Regina's bullying, Bea finds herself torn between the rakish Lord Peregrine (engaged to Lady Regina) and the gentleman war-hero, the Duke of Lennox (Lady Regina's brother). Bea is determined to marry a kindly man, and certainly no one attached to Regina. But both gentlemen are determined to seduce her...and one will succeed.
Why I Chose it
The humor and conflict in this story drew me in before I was halfway through the first episode.
[3 episodes so far, with 3 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If you're a fan of regency romances with a generous dollop of humor, check this one out!
Unrelated Griping
Someone just created a new story and uploaded 166 episodes. I salute that person's ability to accomplish repetitive tasks — Vella doesn't have a bulk upload option.
Friday, February 18, 2022
"Crescent City: Underworld Crime Unit" by S. J. West
Current Tags
fantasy, romance, mystery, magic, adventure, urban fantasy, paranormal romance
Categories
Paranormal / Fantasy
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
When a series of gruesome murders begin to take place in the streets of New Orleans, Detective Rex Stone partners with the city's only supernatural private investigator, Eva Chambers, to solve the crimes. Eva, the only child of the goddess Hela and granddaughter of Loki, joins Rex in the UCU to not only help the people in her community but also protect a city she loves from someone hell-bent on tearing it apart from the inside out.
Why I Chose it
How can you not like a paranormal private investigator? And a murder mystery to boot!
[29 episodes so far, with 5 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If a paranormal private detective solving murders with a human police detective sounds like a fun time, check this out!
Unrelated Griping
I think you may only be able to end up in the "Competed" carousel if you mark your story complete when you first create it. The nicest thing I can say is... that's an interesting choice.
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
"The Makers" by Tim Niederriter
Current Tags
portal fantasy, sword and sorcery, urban fantasy, contemporary fantasy, mythology, multiverse, dimensions
Categories
Action & Adventure / Fantasy
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Saul is a maker, destined to create new worlds until he was exiled to Earth. The society he once believed in is now his enemy. The people he once looked down upon are his only help. Monsters lurk between the worlds, but the true horror of the multiverse is human.
Why I Chose it
This starts with a great scene that shows the magic system of this story and exposes the tensions between some of the characters. It's a nice example of how to set things up quickly.
[12 episodes so far, with 5 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If tales of creation magic and betrayal are your cup of tea, check this one out!
Unrelated Griping
The "Completed stories" carousel still hasn't changed. I can only console myself with the knowledge that probably nobody would have looked at it anyhow.
Monday, February 14, 2022
"Soul Flame" by Heather Meloche, Devin A Harris
Current Tags
anthropomorphic, furry, animal fantasy, horror, lgbt, fantasy adventure, swords and magic
Categories
Fantasy / LGBT Fiction
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Sen, a junior spirit Speaker of the ursine Rusidei Empire, has witnessed the unthinkable: the fall of one of the great Shrines, lost to the umbral shadow that lurks beyond death. With the umbra feeding on the bones and souls of the dead, and threatening the living, Sen and his friend Tama must find a way to stop its spread before the Empire is plunged into darkness. Updates twice weekly on Monday and Friday!
Why I Chose it
Lots of great world building in the first few episodes, and there's some nice character building as well.
[14 episodes so far, with 8 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If you're in the mood for fantasy adventure, check this one out!
Unrelated Griping
I marked Dragon Freehold complete on Saturday. The "Completed" carousel hasn't changed in a week. I wish they would either do a better job of curating the carousels on the main page or just let all the stories appear there when their status changes.
Saturday, February 12, 2022
"Restless" by RM Alexander
Current Tags
ghost romance, romantic suspense, haunting, thriller
Categories
Paranormal / Romance
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Skylar Hale had one job: ready the family estate for sale and return to life. But family mysteries lurk behind every wall and around every corner. And something even darker hides in the shadows.
Why I Chose it
This is one of those atmospheric reads. The house is so lovingly described as Skylar views it, and only as things move forward do you realize there's something else happening under the surface. Clearly there's something haunting the house (literally or figuratively) and the mystery behind it all will be fascinating.
(RM Alexander is also the author of Immortal Guardians.)
[6 episodes so far, with 3 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If romantic suspense involving a haunted house makes you shiver, check this one out!
Unrelated Griping
Not a gripe today, but I'm considering creating a publicly-readable spreadsheet of the stories reviewed. And if I really get ambitious, I could create a script to generate the html of the blog post from a new entry in the spreadsheet...
Friday, February 11, 2022
"The Hunter & The Wolf" by Erica Jackson
Current Tags
vampires, werewolves, vampirehunter, enemiestolovers, actionadventure, strongheroines, romance
Categories
Fantasy / Paranormal
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Lydia learned from an early age to keep to herself. And the people around her tend to like it that way. Half-bloods might as well be full fledged vampires as far as the world is concerned, and Lydia is well aware the only reason she's kept alive is for her coveted skills as a hunter. But as fate would have it, her next job would force her to decide where her true loyalties lie. A daunting task, considering how annoyingly attractive her target is.
Why I Chose it
Like many romance stories, this has alternating point of view chapters. But unlike many romance stories, I found the viewpoint of both characters different but still intriguing.
[4 episodes so far, with 4 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If paranormal romance between a half-vampire hunter and her werewolf prey is your jam, check this out!
Unrelated Griping
More AI-generated word salad stories in the "Recently added stories" section. I assume someone must be making money on them, but as a reader, they're really annoying.
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
"The Bridge to Isla Sofia" by Jennifer Daniels Neal
Current Tags
new adult college romance, watcher at the windows, whatsdokingsnakeseat, forced proximity, mystery romance humor, cousins and family, great smoky mountains
Categories
Romance / Mystery
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
This mountain cabin has been in my family for seven generations. When Jake died, and the bridge was flooded as it is now, we had to bury him on site. It was like losing my twin. I came back to move past this feeling that I was buried too. With the bridge closed, my cousin's friend has to shelter in with me, which is surprisingly nice. Even when we discover several disturbing entries in the visitors' log. But now gruesome gifts are appearing along with a watcher at the windows.
Why I Chose it
From the first episode, it's clear the main character is damaged, but she also has a sense of humor that keeps this from becoming maudlin. Then a handsome stranger appears...
I've read the first three episodes, and it feel more like a thriller with a romance than a straight romance, but Vella categories are hard to pin down sometimes.
[4 episodes so far, with 4 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
In the mood for a romantic thriller? Check this out!
Unrelated Griping
I'm not sure if someone posting "I think my ending isn't working. Please read my entire 10-episode Vella story and let me know how to fix it." is a not-very-clever marketing technique or just a new writer being excessively clueless. Generally the author pays the developmental editor, not the other way around, but maybe I'm being hopelessly old fashioned.
Monday, February 7, 2022
"Healer to the Ash King" by Rebecca F. Kenney
Current Tags
wicked king, steamy, dark fantasy, enemies to lovers, romance, fantasy romance, magic
Categories
Romance / Fantasy
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
A young healer with water powers is conscripted to serve in the Capital during the "Calling of the Favored," a competition during which the King will choose his bride. Her sympathies--and her friends--are with the Undoing, a band of anarchists intent on overthrowing the monarchy. So when she meets the fire-wielding Ash King, all she can think about is removing him from power by any means necessary. (Adult fantasy romance, spicy content)(The Bachelor X The Hunger Games with Thranduil/Zuko vibes)
(Daily episodes)
Why I Chose it
The first sentence grabbed me: "I live in a land full of memories, fossilized and crystallized by time."
Plus, this definitely starts at a time when everything changes — in a disastrous way — for the main character.
[9 episodes so far, with 9 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If you're in the mood for a dark fantasy romance, check this one out!
Unrelated Griping
No gripes today. I'm still laughing about the number of article links ProWritingAid sends me every week, as if maybe I'll finally learn the rules for comma placement if they just keep nudging me...
Saturday, February 5, 2022
"Corsairs" by Percival Constantine
Current Tags
space opera, sci-fi, aliens, space western, adventure, spaceship, mercenary
Categories
Science Fiction / Action & Adventure
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Earth is gone and humanity has moved to the stars. In a galaxy where corporations are the new governments, the crew of the Corsair must find their own way to survive by taking on odd jobs--sometimes legal, and sometimes not so legal. Join Elias Starr and his crew on their adventures in a universe filled with space pirates, synthetic cultists, genetically engineered monstrosities, and more!
Why I Chose it
Right from the start, episode one is full of energy and humor, just as a space opera should be!
[5 episodes so far, with 5 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
Looking for some fun space opera? Check this one out!
Unrelated Griping
The "you must release 5 TikTok videos every day to be an author" brigade is sweeping through some of the Facebook groups. What they don't say is that for every author who finds an audience that way, many others just waste a bunch of time when they could be writing and still don't have anyone reading their stories. There's a lot of survivor bias happening.
Friday, February 4, 2022
"Tastes Like Magic" by Stephanie Fazio
Current Tags
paranormal romance, fantasy, romance, fantasy romance, magic, love, slow burn
Categories
Paranormal / Fantasy
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Their connection is instantaneous. Combustible. Forbidden. As a witch born without magic, Samara is the lowest member in society. All she wants is to escape the kingdom that forsook her. Everything changes when she meets Wilsean, a deadly bowman with an even deadlier smile. The problem is that the law dictates he marry a noblewoman. The price of their forbidden love? Exile for him. Death for her. But now that Samara and Wilsean have gotten a taste of each other, how can they let go?
Why I Chose it
This starts off with the person with the most power being rude to a person with the least power (in a way that turns out to be uncomfortable but has no lasting harm), thus cementing the reader's desire for the main character to get ahead. And that's all it takes to hook a reader!
[Complete at 32 episodes.]
Who Might Like This
If a slow burn paranormal romance is your thing, check this out!
Unrelated Griping
No griping today. I know, I know, it's a rare thing.
Tuesday, February 1, 2022
"Laura T. Peters - Paranormal Investigator" by Emily K. Stevens
Current Tags
midwest, vampire, female sleuth, college theater, amateur sleuths, humorous paranormal, cozy mystery
Categories
Paranormal / Mystery
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Laura has a comfortable life as a costume professor and cat mom, so she is slightly confused when her friend, Ellie, requests her help in discovering if her sister's boyfriend is a vampire. Not wanting to be impolite, Laura agrees and tries hard not to mention that vampires are works of fiction. She soon finds herself on a wild ride that shakes up what she thinks she knows about the world around her.
Why I Chose it
All too often, we get vampire hunters who are the dark and broody chosen ones with no friends. And sure, that's fine, but it gets monotonous. In this story, we get a costume professor in the theater department who wants to help her best friend. And a sure sign things are serious is when they say goodbye and her friend actually hangs up instead of doing the twenty minute Minnesota end-of-the-conversation dance.
Anyhow, this is fresh and funny and you should check it out!
[33 episodes, 5 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If you like urban fantasy with a fresh and funny twist, this may be your jam!
Unrelated Griping
A while back, the people in charge of the Kindle Vella user interface ignored all the gaping wounds in the site and added "(Author)" after the author name on every serial, even though you can't actually add anyone who isn't an author to the story.
Now they've completed the trick by switching it so the last name is first. So today's author shows up as "Stevens, Emily K". Since none of these stories are sorted alphabetically, and that's not how it works in the entire rest of the Amazon book website, I'm really not sure why they would do this.
But in a further display of incompetence, only stories that were added recently have the name displayed this way, because they didn't add the "surname" & "first name" fields until last month. So half the stories have the last name first, and the other half don't. And it changes depending on where you are looking.
Amazon, call me. I have thoughts on your user interface and I'm clearly more qualified than whoever is currently in charge.
Saturday, January 29, 2022
"How to Fix a Flubbed Summon" by L. N. Clarke
Current Tags
witches, magic, sword and sorcery, friendship, fantasy, humor, adventure
Categories
Fantasy / Humor
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Making new friends as an adult is difficult. Summoning one is even harder when you're a lonely apothecary in possession of a witch's grimoire. Growina Crowe may or may not be responsible for the greatest evil to befall her community in centuries. She won't know for sure unless one of the adventurers flooding her town agrees to take her along. Is it wrong to withhold healing potions and force a friendship?
Why I Chose it
This is cute and it's just a sweet and funny story.
[16 episodes, 4 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If you enjoy feel-good stories with magic and adventure, check this one out!
Unrelated Griping
DON'T MAKE ME CREATE TIKTOK VIDEOS TO PROMOTE MY STORIES! YOU'LL BE SORRY!
Friday, January 28, 2022
"Improbable: The Outlandish Adventures of Miriam Cole" by Rysa Walker
Current Tags
mystery, science fiction, time manipulation, alternate history, adventure, sherlock holmes, gaslamp fantasy
Categories
Mystery / Science Fiction
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Nine heiresses are missing in Gilded Age New York with no ransom demand. Journalist Miriam Cole's sister was the first to vanish twelve years ago. The only connection? They all attended the exclusive Pembroke School. Now, a bizarre murder has Miriam on the run, questioning the very nature of reality as she joins forces with a handsome ex-Pinkerton agent, a reluctant psychic, Mark Twain, and the NY League of Skeptics. Can Miriam find the girls or will New York City be destroyed in the crossfire?
Why I Chose it
A mystery with a science fiction twist — who wouldn't chose that?
[38 episodes, 5 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If you're a fan of fantastical mysteries, check this one out!
Unrelated Griping
Someone suggested the New Releases section is manually curated, and it's depressing if that's the case. My new story disappeared is less than two days. Meanwhile, the carousel is filled with a bunch of stuff that appears to have been AI-generated (ie, nothing makes sense, the story refers to the "author" and "narrator" but sometimes also random character names — and I don't think this is intentionally experimental fiction), and there's one "story" where the first episode is all one paragraph, has about fifty names, no plot, no coherent narrative, and yet somehow the story has 76 likes.
I guess what I'm saying is that so many people are gaming the system with garbage just to get the bonuses that Vella is probably doomed.
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
"Fighting Fate: A Science Fiction Romance" by T.M. Baumgartner
Current Tags
scifi romance, paranormal, space opera, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, fated, romance
Categories
Science Fiction / Romance
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Bred and raised to become a guardian for a dreamer, Shara fled home after a disastrous bonding attempt, stealing the identity of a permanently indentured criminal in order to hide from the dreamer's family. But her attempt to get off-world backfires, leaving her heading to the one place she never wanted to go, trapped in the company of the one man she needs to avoid
Why I Chose it
I'll be honest — I chose this one because it's mine and it just came out today. But I wouldn't have put it on Vella if I didn't think it was a fun read. I'm a sucker for the forced proximity trope in romance, and I know I'm not alone. Plus, it has space ships, aliens, and buffacows!
[5 episodes, 5 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If SF romance with a forced proximity trope is your thing, check this one out!
Unrelated Griping
I'd like to mark my other Vella story (Dragon Freehold) complete so it would show up in the "completed" carousel and maybe get an extra bump from the exposure. But the completed carousel has remained essentially unchanged for a week, so I suspect it's not automatically updating. What to do, what to do...
Monday, January 24, 2022
"The Frost Dragon's Tavern" by Rachael Dunn
Current Tags
dragons, fantasy, magic, elves, racheal dunn, strong female lead, dwarves
Categories
Fantasy
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Updated every Monday through Friday! Ruth runs the most popular tavern in the city of Tarra's Key. The beer is always cold no matter what. But when she discovers a stash of gold beyond the cellar wall, she has to take it. Her half-elf daughter needs an education at the magical academy and tuition isn't cheap. But the gold belongs to a slumbering frost dragon and they are not known to share. How will this tough, streetwise, single mom handle the biggest, rudest patron the bar has ever seen?
Why I Chose it
This is inspired by D&D, but it's the characters that pulled me in. At the heart of the story we have a single mother trying to figure out how to keep her daughter safe, and — given the daughter's uncontrolled wild magic — how to keep the town safe from her daughter. The writing is solid and I've added this one to my list of stories to follow.
[5 episodes, 5 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If a D&D-inspired tale of a mother trying to keep her daughter safe while dealing with a grumpy dragon sounds like your favorite brew, give this one a try!
Unrelated Griping
Wouldn't it be nice if you could click on the author's name in Vella and automatically be taken to a list of their other stories? Hard to believe that doesn't yet exist.
Sunday, January 23, 2022
"Beauty and the Vampire, Book 1 (A Paranormal Retelling of Beauty and the Beast)" by Demelza Brown, Em Brown
Current Tags
vampire romance, dark romance, fairy tale, historical romance, adult paranormal romance, bwwm interracial romance
Categories
Romance / Paranormal
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
This vampire is worse than a beast... Daliyah, an oppressed indentured servant, yearns only for her freedom. When she finds herself trapped at Castle Blackbourne, it's not just her freedom that's in peril. If she succumbs to Lord Blackbourne's thirst for blood and flesh, her body will be his to ravage and her life his to drain. If you like your fairy tales dark and steamy, enter the darkness of Beauty and the Vampire today.
Why I Chose it
I know, I know, this is at least the third retelling of Beauty and the Beast I've featured, and each time I've sworn I don't like fairy tale retellings.
But hear me out — the characters introduced in the first episode here are so well drawn, who cares if it's a retelling? By the end of the first episode, I care about what happens to the main character. Other characters have made bad choices, but I understand why they did and I even sort of agree with those choices, even while I hate the character (as I'm meant to).
I guess what I'm saying is that the writing on this one is excellent and you should give it a try.
[22 episodes, 22 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If a retelling of Beauty & the Beast with vampires and themes of class and race sounds like a great mix (and it should!), check this one out!
Unrelated Griping
What I've learned from the "Humor" category on Vella is a whole lot of people think they're funnier than they are. So... kind of like life.
Saturday, January 22, 2022
"Simple as Time: A Wizard Repairs the Past" by Judy Shank Cyg, William Horn
Current Tags
timereaper, time wizard, holy knights and wizards, tracking evil beast, wizard priest, dragonrider and wizard, plotting time
Categories
Fantasy / Action & Adventure
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Wizard Allen crosses spacetime and the past to track and destroy a timereaper, a nightmare creature that devours events and people who accomplish positive outcomes, including the path that contained his parents. He plots his steps and enlists knights to help him, including one who will create more trouble and assistance than even a time wizard could predict. Dedication, loyalty, and love prove to be more powerful than the best-planned spellcasting. A time wizard rescues the past
Why I Chose it
Though I usually avoid time travel stories (personal preference!), this one has the distinct advantage of being set in a secondary fantasy world, so I'm not expected to automatically know where reality and fantasy diverge. In the first episode, our wizard is assembling a team to fight the terrible beast destroying timelines. You have to love a "gathering the group of people who hate each other" trope!
[Complete at 18 episodes.]
Who Might Like This
If secondary world fantasy involving wizards, (female) knights, and dragons is your thing, check this out!
Unrelated Griping
This isn't really a gripe, but since "what happens in Vella stays in Vella" (ie, there's almost no audience crossover between Vella and books), I've decided to go ahead and release some novels in Vella that I love but don't quite fit with my current brand. I don't know if I'll ever put them in book form, but they fit a serial form reasonably well.
Friday, January 21, 2022
"Red Stone One" by Sam Renner
Current Tags
space opera, science fiction, action, thriller, adventure
Categories
Science Fiction / Action & Adventure
Affiliate Link
Author's Description
Anchor McClain has piloted the Red Stone all over the galaxy, his band of thieves picking up whatever work needs doing from whoever needs it done. But when an old friend approaches them with a job, it's going to put the team in more danger than they've ever seen and test loyalties that McClain didn't know he still had.
Why I Chose it
I like space opera. This story drops us right in the middle of the drama in episode one. This one is a space western inspired by Robin Hood, which is a nice combo.
[33 episodes, 4 in the last 30 days.]
Who Might Like This
If you liked Firefly, you should check this out!
Unrelated Griping
Have I really run out of things to complain about? This seems unlikely. Maybe I'm coming down with something...
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