Hello hello, folks! I'm putting together a screenplay, movie, tv show pilot and script analysis series. Why? As a script reader, and future professional screenwriter (you can read my Daphné scene here and my Philip scene there), I thought this would not only serve as an immensely rich training ground for me and you, but also as quite an interesting way to look at movies, shows and stories we love and the screenwriting at work behind it! Continue reading

I’ve been a fan of Hippocrene Books for a few years now, following them on social media and craving their books. As a polyglot, their books, both language learning guides and cultural books, seemed to be of quality and they’re quite varied. They cover languages rarely tackled by other language publishers, such as Croatian, Romanian, and Icelandic. I’m always looking for new resources and tools to improve my own learning, and I love exploring. So, when I contacted them about reviewing books for them, they kindly agreed to send me a few, including Beginner’s Croatian with Online Audio. I wanted to learn Croatian since I was fourteen years old (I’m double years old now…shhhhh), so it’s exhilarating to review this book for them. Plus, finding good quality Croatian language learning materials is hard, even more so in physical format. A huge thanks to Hippocrene Books for sharing Beginner’s Croatian with me and helping my learning process! I discovered a great new resource, and definitely fell in love with their products. Let’s break down its several qualities and few flaws together, shall we? That way you’ll get a better idea to enhance your own language learning! Let’s go! Continue reading

Hi, folks! I've got two news for you relating to my novel Rise of a Heroine: Resurgence, a.k.a Miranda Kane (my main character). So, I'm using Inkitt, a publishing platform similar to Wattpad, to post my novel online and land a publication contract with said platform. Unfortunately, I've been neglecting it those last few months... BUT FEAR NOT! I am back in the ring with the 7th chapter now posted and ready for you to read! YAY! Are you excited? I AM EXCITED! :D Continue reading

I want to thank Lily, Gay Book Promotions, and Sara Dobie Bauer for letting me take part in this blog tour! :) I enjoyed collaborating with them, and we need more promotions about LGBT+ stories. ^.^ So, I'm glad I could help make a small change in the way of things. Now, enough with the blah blah, you probably want to know what this horror book (exactly, it's NOT a horror movie ;)) is about. Well, you can read the blurb below, and behold, an excerpt, too! :O I hope you enjoy it. Happy reading, loves! Continue reading

Hello, folks! We have a winner for my very first giveaway! It was for an ecopy of Bloodlaced, the first book in the Youkai Bloodlines series, by Courtney Maguire. You can read my review here. Continue reading

Finally, another great comic book arrived. So, I was fortunate enough to get an insider's look at Texas Horror by David Doub and Halo Toons (writers), and several artists such as Dominic Racho (art), Daniel Chan (letters), Terry Parr (art), Diego Garza (art), and Miguel Ángel Hernández (art). This comic anthology has everything: diversity, LGBTQA+, horror, gore, humour... Name it! The drawing styles are different from story to story, which renews your attention, and there's one you'll like for sure. Ingenious creators turned to crowdfunding. After all, the public gets to read those comics, so a little contribution to the artists and writers can go a long way. Continue reading

This was how I was approached with the opportunity to review this book: “Courtney Maguire's latest M/M dark paranormal romance, Blood Pact. Blood Pact is book two of the Youkai Bloodlines Series, and following its predecessor (and Author Shout Reader's Pick) Bloodlaced, this novel is once again set in a fictional world of a feudal Japan where monsters belong only in tales whispered in the dark--until they come creeping from the shadows.” An M/M, dark paranormal, romance, Youkai, feudal Japan, monsters… What is there to say expect “YES, PLEASE! (ONEGAI SHIMASU!)”?! It was exactly what I love about books, and honestly, I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I was enthralled, highly entertained, and I fell in love unabashedly with this series. To know how it happened, let’s go through this review together, shall we? Continue reading

Hey, folks! Today is blog tour day for Blood Pact by Courtney Maguire on Ad Librum Aeternam, yay! I was fortunate enough to be offered review copies of Bloodlaced and Blood Pact, the first two books in the Youkai Bloodlines series. Stay on the lookout for my upcoming reviews. Meanwhile, have fun reading the excerpt exclusive to my blog and you, my dear readers, and make sure to read until the end for the giveaway! Continue reading

I’m not an avid romance reader… In fact, I dislike that all books have strong romance storylines. So, I read a few per year, and they must be different from the get-go. When I was offered by BookTasters to review A Dash of Romance by Paullett Golden, the charming cover caught my attention as well as the clever, sweet title. I read the blurb and… A regency-era romance with a lie surrounding their marriage, a big misunderstanding, and a young woman strong enough to write in those times? Sign me up! I mean, yes, please, let me read this! Let me tell you it didn’t simply meet my high expectations of a romance book… it exceeded them! So, here’s my review and why you should totally give this book a read! Continue reading

Hi, loves! I've continued writing my TV show, and I managed to finish Philip's exercise scene I mentioned in Daphné's scene. Hopefully, you will connect with Philip and his quirky but loving personality. Who is my faceclaim for dear Philip Grayson? The amazing Cameron Monaghan, ladies, gents, and all other folks! Yes, in my head, my Philip is a redhead ^.^. Continue reading

About the Book: In Hiro’s world, youkai are a supernatural story used to scare children into obedience, and to keep men out of back alleys and brothels. Until Sakurai Hideyoshi walks through his door with a fantastical tale of a samurai who had killed a thousand men and drank the blood of his enemies, a man that lived in darkness but sought beauty to keep it at bay. A story both terrifying and romantic…and completely ridiculous. Unless it is true. Convinced something softer lurks behind Hideyoshi’s hard mask, Hiro follows him home. And discovers the story is real. Continue reading

Hello, folks! So, I've told you a year ago how I started screenwriting. I love it! While I paused the writing of my movie, I'm having a blast writing my TV show! I took three screenwriting courses, including one last month for a TV show pilot and it was not only extremely enjoyable but also very informative (which I'll tell you about in another post as a review). As an exercise in the last course, I had to write a scene where my protagonist went to a restaurant alone. Since I have two protagonists, Daphné and Philip, I decided to write two scenes. Thus, I am sharing the scene with Daphné so you can get a taste of my screenwriting and connect with her (hopefully). Continue reading

What do I have to say about Yellow Wife? Here, summarized: I… Well… my feels… I just… Wow!!! Okay, wait a minute now! Let me explain my reactions better. Please do proceed by reading my review and I promise it will make sense. Continue reading

Now, what a title: Exorcism! Shocking, I know. But when it comes to horror stories, whether movies or books, my favorites are about possession (demonic, please). Why? I don’t know but I find it fascinating and horrifying. So, when I was offered by BookTasters (thanks!) to read The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner, how could I say no? It was right there in the title! Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion, while it has some strong flaws, it’s also pretty enjoyable and I had a good feeling reading it. Care to know all of my reasons and why it’s a good book nevertheless? Read on, folks! Come with me into the abyss of a possession story… Continue reading

I don’t know if I’ve been clear enough, being a polyglot and all, but I adore languages. They make me vibrate and live! But the grammatical cases in certain languages such as Greek (the first time I encountered them), Finnish, and Polish. While they’re all difficult in their own right (I deem Greek’s cases being the “softest one”, thus the easiest), none beats those in Polish. I love the language, its sounds and conjugations and vocabulary and rhythm just make my heart warm. But the cases? They’re my biggest hurdle in learning this wonderful language, and they’ve been from day one. However, I’ve lately realized to change my usual learning pattern in order to better accommodate to the Polish specific requirements. I believe the answer to master the cases lies in a simple switch of thought pattern and method. Since I applied this new technique, I learned the genitive, the accusative, and the instrumental, which is a great improvement from my stagnation! Now, how did I do it and how can you implement it, too? Let’s see this together, folks! Continue reading

Get this: I’m at the 70% mark in my novel The Rise of a Heroine: Resurgence!!! Yup, I’m nearly at 3/4 and I think my progress amazing! I never got this far in any of my books, but this one’s really hitting it (if I may say so what with Miranda being a boxing student). Continue reading

When I saw Other Worlds Ink offering a blog tour for Warren Rochelle’s The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories, I immediately felt compelled to sign up to help spread the word about an LGBTQ fairy tale retelling short story collection! I hope you'll do just the same. Missed the book review? Click here! Today I've got something special for you, dears. An interview between the author, Warren Rochelle, and one of his characters, His Majesty, Aidan IV, King of Joria and Prince of New Roesk. Now, that's exciting! I always had a fondness for character interviews, so this delights me, too! Ready? Have fun reading like I have! (And read until the bottom of the page: there's an Amazon giveaway!) Continue reading

When I saw Other Worlds Ink offering a blog tour for Warren Rochelle’s The Wicked Stepbrother and Other Stories, I immediately felt compelled to sign up and review it. Kindly enough, I received an ARC of what felt both a revelation and an exciting event: an LGBTQ fairy tale retelling book by an own voice for us! I. just. couldn’t. resist! There are so many good sides in this book to explore. Care to do so with me? Read on, loves! Continue reading