"Murder, Mayhem, and Macarons" by Kimberly Titus

Current Tags

mystery, humor, millionaire, romance, love, murder, funny

Categories

Mystery / Humor

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Murder, Mayhem, and Macarons

Author's Description

Alex Davis had barely gotten her feet wet as an accountant in New York City when a travel mixup landed her in the middle of a murder. Her life takes an unexpected turn as she plays detective, as well as accountant, with sexy millionaire, Kent Abrams. But the more she digs, the more skeletons she finds lurking in the shadows. Can she unravel the mystery before her own life unravels before her eyes?

Why I Chose it

This starts with a meet-cute and it's such compelling writing (the main character has a job! that she's good at!) that I was three episodes in without a body dropping and hadn't even noticed. (The murder happens in episode four.) If you had asked me if it was possible to wait four episodes to get to the murder, I would have said no, but this story proves you can do anything if you can get away with it. And it does!

[Story complete at 23 episodes.]

Who Might Like This

Fans of murder mysteries starring characters with amazing chemistry will enjoy this!

Unrelated Griping

Yep, the "Completed" carousel is still the same.

In other stuff: Vella recommends having just an image with no text, which can be an issue for people who already have a full cover done. But I ran into one today that had such terrible typography that I can't believe a professional was involved.

Pro tip: If you like the upper case "L" so much that you just have to use it in your title, just change your title so one of the words starts with L. Don't use the big showy "L" in the middle of the word among lower case letters (twice!). Trust me. Please. This was a source of much amusement.

"She Whispers to the Stone" by Darva Green

Current Tags

dark fantasy, romance, bisexual, magic, newadult, fantasy, lgbtq

Categories

Fantasy / Romance

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She Whispers to the Stone

Author's Description

Eilwyn shouldn't be alive. Not when magic was purged from Corstylia years ago. Yet she lives, locked away in a castle tower. Few know her secret, but the kingdom is about to find out. Casimir is a prince out for blood, stopping at nothing to avenge his slain family and stolen throne. Their paths are about to cross, and their alliance may be more complicated than expected. Content warning: this series features violence, blood magic, and sex

Why I Chose it

Episode one starts with the main character powerless, but it's clear she once had power and could have it again if she can scheme her way into the magic again. It's a compelling story with strong writing.

[12 episodes so far, 3 in the last 30 days.]

Who Might Like This

Fans of gritty fantasy with compelling characters should check this out!

Unrelated Griping

Yeah, the "Completed" carousel is still the same.

In other news, I scheduled a promotion for Dragon Freehold through BookDoggy for next week. I suspect it will be a waste of money, but it's worth the $18 to run an experiment.

"A Shot in the Dark" by Jake Allen Coleman

Current Tags

scifi, action, adventure, mystery, space opera, suspense

Categories

Science Fiction / Action & Adventure

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A Shot in the Dark

Author's Description

He survived the war, but will he survive Anissa Howe? From the casino district on Larissa to the bowels of an abandoned warehouse, follow Galen Tor as he unravels the mystery of her kidnapping.

Why I Chose it

I'm a sucker for space westerns (think Firefly, but hopefully with less of Joss Whedon's madonna/whore misogyny), so this was an easy pick.

[13 episodes so far, 13 in the last 30 days.]

Who Might Like This

Space western fans should check this one out!

Unrelated Griping

The story with the image I have dubbed the "Christmas ass" picture in the completed stories section is still in the sixth slot. Apparently the "Completed" carousel just doesn't get updated...

"The Broken Road" by Pieter Lars

Current Tags

femalehero, monsters, apocalypse, worldbuilding, adventure, psychics, quest

Categories

Dystopian / Action & Adventure

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The Broken Road

Author's Description

It's been three years since Buttonwillow McKittrick ran away with her mother's guns. Since then she's worked as a caravan guard on the outskirts of Builder territory, trying to find any information she can about the fate of her mother and the other Shapers taken by the Builders. She has all but given up by the time she meets young Jude, a ragged orphan and a Shaper, and she vows to save him from her mother's fate.

Why I Chose it

Confession time: Pieter is in my critique group, so I already knew he was a phenomenal writer. He brings the weird and intriguing to life in a way that few people can, and this story is no exception. I've been nagging reminding him to post more episodes. Anyhow, it may take a while to get everything edited to the point where he's happy with it, but if you like the first few episodes as much as I do, just hit follow on this story and enjoy the new episodes when they get posted.

[4 episodes so far, 1 in the last 30 days.]

Who Might Like This

Fans of dystopian tech vs magic stories should definitely check this out!

Unrelated Griping

The story with the image I have dubbed the "Christmas ass" picture in the completed stories section is now in the sixth slot, so either only four stories have been completed in the last week, or once again we have a carousel with no obvious rhyme or reason. I really don't think it's popularity, because the first one showing up only has three thumbs up (and that's probably just the author making sure it doesn't bagel).

For reference:

"Moondancer- A Forbidden Romance" by Evelyn Shine

Current Tags

werewolf, vampire, shifter, romance, steampunk, fantasy, steamy

Categories

Romance / Fantasy

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Moondancer- A Forbidden Romance

Author's Description

One dance with him changed everything. Kiara's solace resides in the open skies and the dance halls of Paris. Until she meets blood drinker Lucius Marlowe. She's spent years avoiding his kind. But thoughts of the sensual kiss they shared that night linger in her mind. After one moment of closeness with Kiara, Lucius is ready for more. He knows better than to fall for a shifter, his kind have been at war for centuries with them, but the taste of her leaves him longing for the impossible.

Why I Chose it

Steampunk with vampires and werewolves — from the first scene at the dance hall, I was intrigued.

[14 episodes so far, 14 in the last 30 days.]

Who Might Like This

If you're a steampunk fan who also loves a forbidden romance between a vampire and werewolf, check this out!

Unrelated Griping

There's another story (uh, with no likes for some reason) that describes itself as a "daily devotional without all of the feel-good and emotional garbage which seems to permeate most of the contemporary devotionals", which...

I guess if you're looking for people hoping to make themselves absolutely miserable, that's the best description to go with. I'm not sure those readers are on Vella, but then again, I'm not sure many readers are on Vella. Good luck, you poor miserable sod.

"Jase Dauphin and the Island in the Swamp: A Kindle Vella Middle Grade Ghost Adventure" by Ken Griffin

Current Tags

middle grade, spooky, ghosts, mystery, story puzzles, comedy, funny teenage boy voice

Categories

Teen & Young Adult / Action & Adventure

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Jase Dauphin and the Island in the Swamp

Author's Description

Twelve-year old Jase Dauphin is thrilled to spend summer vacation exploring his grandfather's spooky, swampy island. There he discovers a hidden cave, a disappearing haunted house that moves around, and his father's old ghost-hunting notebooks. Oh. Right. He ALSO finds bats, gator-filled bogs, and the general presence of ghosts! Soon he and his new friends are waist-deep (literally, in quicksand!) trying to solve the mystery that chased his dad off the island.

Why I Chose it

I don't run into too many middle grade stories. This one sets up the family dynamics in the first episode and also brings in the adventure portion. Who wouldn't want to go live on an island for the summer?

[24 episodes so far, 22 in the last 30 days.]

Who Might Like This

For the middle grade action/adventure fans!

Unrelated Griping

The "Completed stories" carousel hasn't changed since they added it a week or two ago, and there's an erotica story with a fairly racy cover that shows up in a prominent position. I'm surprised that isn't more of an issue.

"Kingdom of Lies" by Cat Humes

Current Tags

epic fantasy, romantic fantasy, fantasy romance, slow burn, friends to lovers, fantasy, romance

Categories

Fantasy / Romance

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Kingdom of Lies

Author's Description

Cursed. Witch. Saint. The firstborn child of the King of Naporia, Ara Palacios, has been hidden away for all her life because of her uncanny resemblance to her mother--the late Queen that saved one King by killing another. But the two are nothing alike. Her mother was a legend; Ara is just a normal girl. When her lies get the only boy who treats her like a normal person tangled up in her life forever, she'll have to embrace the thing she fears the most: that they might have actually been right.

Why I Chose it

The first two episodes introduce the very likable leads and sets up a conflict that is just around the corner. I know I was rooting for these two by the end of the third episode!

[60 episodes so far, 11 in the last 30 days.]

Who Might Like This

If new adult epic fantasy is your thing, check this out!

Unrelated Griping

The "Recently added stories" section was a complete disaster today, but I don't think it was a coincidence that I went through 15 terrible stories in a row. There were similarities in the keywords and the way the stories didn't make sense, so I think either a few people uploaded a lot of trunked stories under multiple names, or maybe a teacher made uploading a story to Vella a requirement for some class. In any case, yikes.

That does bring up another point, though. Because the discovery on Vella is so bad, authors really have to seek out readers from another source. In this case, I found today's recommended story from a post in a Facebook group.

While I was setting up a newsletter promo for one of my books on BookDoggy.com, I noticed Kindle Vella is one of the choices, so it looks like those businesses are getting in the game. I'm not sure it would be worth the $20 — maybe you could make it back in the monthly bonus, but since there's no real info on how that is calculated, who knows? I may try it some month with the knowledge that I may just be throwing money away.