Bookcast Episode 39- Tales from Tangy Mae Kindle & writing update

Speaker A [00:00:00]:

You. Hello and welcome back to The Bookcast, my platform for sharing short fiction and updates on what I'm reading and writing. I'm your host, D. L. White, an Atlanta based author of romantic fiction featuring black men and women. I am also a big fan of books and the writing ass writers who write them. So this podcast is usually book heavy with a smattering of writing updates because you all know how I do. I write when I write, but I'm mostly reading.

Speaker A [00:00:29]:

I do have a tiny writing update, so I am excited to share that with you in a couple of minutes. If you like this kind of thing and want to support it, you can do that. I will not turn it down. I don't have a patreon, but you can buy me a coffee head to my support site, it's Coffee Kofi.com Booksbydiowhite, and make a one time or recurring gift to support me as an author or this podcast. Mama has audiobooks she needs to record, and every little bit helps. I do pay for Riverside, which is the platform that I record on. I do pay for Buzzsprout, which is the platform that hosts the podcast recordings and makes it look all nice and pretty so I don't have to keep it up on my website. I have a microphone.

Speaker A [00:01:15]:

I have a computer. I have books. Everything costs money. Everything costs money. So every little bit does help. If you are new here or a seasoned listener, a bibliophile, or just looking for a good read, I hope you'll enjoy today's show. I am so happy to have your ears for this time, and I'm excited to share my love of reading and writing books with you. Today is Saturday, April 22.

Speaker A [00:01:40]:

I don't even want to pretend I didn't have to look that up. I did look it up just before I started recording. It is 09:16 a.m.. It's a gray Saturday in Atlanta, but at least it is not raining. I have my coffee. I have this microphone. I am ready to dig in. I have a shortish show today, I think.

Speaker A [00:01:58]:

We'll see. I just get to talking and then it is 27 minutes long. I want to talk about what I read, what I'm reading, and what I am trying to write. But first, coffee. All right, we begin, as always, with the book report. Because I am a book head. I'm 21 books ahead on my goodreads challenge. I find that hysterical, actually.

Speaker A [00:02:26]:

I am 21 books ahead. My goal is 100 books. It's April. I'm 51% of the way there. I think I can calm down. I can chill out a little bit, but we'll address that later in the year because I always like, read read the first half of the year, and then I hit a wall and I just don't want to look at a book for like a month. And then I get heavy into my Netflix Hulu Prime video era and then I'm like, hey, books are coming out. I should read some.

Speaker A [00:03:01]:

Like, September is like a book heavy month. So I'm good for now. I think I'm usually ahead in this time of year. So, yeah, I'm 21 books ahead. I don't remember where I left off on the book report. I know I talked about Topaz, which was a delightful read from Beverly Jenkins. I don't remember what's next on my list, but it's whatever was published after Topaz, I haven't got to it yet. I do know that I read Love Intolerant by Jessica Terry, who is a new to me author.

Speaker A [00:03:37]:

Like, within the last year. She just writes, like, fun, romantic, regular ass black people stories. Her introvert series is funny because I'm very much an introvert, and I feel it. I feel that. So I read love intolerant. That's a new release from Jessica Terry. It is available only on her website. I believe it's.

Speaker A [00:04:02]:

Jessica terry.com. I read My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni. I spoke recently that I discovered a new mystery thriller crime fiction author, read his latest release, fell in love with it. And so now I'm going all the way back to his first books because that is who I am as a person. I read The Academy, actually, which is a prequel to the Tracy Crosswhite series. Really enjoyed it. Like, Tracy is a bad ass. Bad ass.

Speaker A [00:04:37]:

She's a sharpshooter and she's a female detective. And the men on the force, at least one of them, aren't all that into having a woman on the team. But she is a force to be reckoned with. And the powers that be are like, yeah, we're bringing her on. And the dudes are like, no, love it inject. It directly into my veins. So I read The Academy, which is a prequel. There's another prequel that is I don't think it's available on audio, so of course I haven't read it.

Speaker A [00:05:10]:

But my sister's grave is Tracy Cross white book number one. Did I talk about that one? Yes. I read my sister's grave. I read her final breath. Which is Tracy cross? White number two. Not as exciting as My Sister's Grave, but an enjoyable read. And I am now on in the clearing. Tracy, Crosswhite number three.

Speaker A [00:05:35]:

It is not as interesting, of course, as book one, but I'm trying to give it a chance. I'm having a hard time really concentrating on it because this week was nuts. With the last two weeks, I have had two day meetings, which require a lot of setup, and then it's just a lot of running around and doing extra stuff in, like, 1214 18 hours days. So I had the last of my two day meetings this week. I worked Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. No, actually Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. Thursday was the last day of the meeting. Yesterday I was like, I'm here, but I'm not.

Speaker A [00:06:18]:

And so I'm just really trying to decompress from heavily concentrating on work and getting back to having a little bit of a modicum of free time where I can listen to books during the day and while I'm working and doing stuff, I mainly work alone. I'm an executive assistant, so I do a lot of reporting and stuff on my own. I'm pretty independent and then I touch base with my boss and my team members and hey, can you do this block? Can you do that? They just send me the work and I grab it and do it. That really works great for me. But if I have to be in the office, what we call work at work, I don't have the time and I don't have the brain power to balance that. So it's all work or all books. So I am getting into in the clearing. Hopefully I can finish that up this weekend.

Speaker A [00:07:20]:

It's on audio. And then I'm reading Return to Hummingbird. I am not cutting that out. Return to Hummingbird way by Reese Ryan who is one of my favorite black romance authors. I believe she has some indie books. She might have one or two, but she is primarily traditionally published. Lots of Harlequin releases, some Kimani books, which is where I found her and then she has moved on to now let me see, who is she published by? I want to say Avon. Forever.

Speaker A [00:07:56]:

Forever Publishing. This series is the Holly Grove Island series and I just love me like a beach set or like a small coastal island setting. It's got a small town romance feel. It's called Return to Hummingbird Island. And it's out on Tuesday. I just love like I don't even know what to call it. Just a gentle romance. This is a small tone.

Speaker A [00:08:25]:

Small I cannot speak this morning. I perhaps may need more coffee. It's a small town romance set on fictional Holly Grove Island, which I believe it's somewhere off of South Carolina. And this book is about two high school hate crushes who have been thrown back together to plan projects. I believe they're planning a wedding or an engagement party or something. I really just started it. It's out Tuesday. It's very good.

Speaker A [00:08:56]:

So far it is between Garrett Davenport and Sinclair Buchanan. Ambitious real estate agent Sinclair Buchanan is ecstatic to be her best friend's maid of honor until she discovers the best man as Garrett Davenport. Sin and Rhett's mutual hate crush ignited when they were teens and hasn't let up since, except for that one extremely hot and extremely regrettable night they shared five years ago. Nothing gets Rhett fired up like going toe to toe with Sinclair. She is as infuriatingly stubborn and as absolutely gorgeous as when he fell for her back in high school. Working together to plan their best friend's last minute wedding is one thing, but when his matchmaking grandmother gets involved, rhett knows he is in deep. By the way, I love that he is being called Rhett instead of garrett that is fantastic and genius and brilliance. I love it.

Speaker A [00:09:50]:

Attraction has always simmered between them, but this time they're both in danger of losing their hearts. So I'm loving this book because it is seriously reminding me of A Thin Line, which is My Enemies to Lovers Romance, about two former high school sweethearts who do not realize they still love each other until their best friends push them back together by making them plan their destination wedding. There's a lot of similarities between Return to Hummingbird Way and A Thin Line, but I will say I hope these characters get it together sooner than Angie and Preston did. But I did really like dragging out the hate part of The Hate to Love. So Angie and Preston really did dislike each other for quite a long time. I call that one my hate to happily ever after. So I'm really enjoying this one. It is out on Tuesday from Forever Publishing.

Speaker A [00:10:48]:

Reese Ryan has actually a lot of books coming out this year. I want to say like, four books coming out this year. So CIS has been writing and I am all about it. So enjoying that. That is the only advanced reader copy that I have coming out this week, so that means I have time to read some indie work. I did just download Cheryl Green's new one. I am looking for the title right now, and of course I can't find it, but I got a bunch of stuff in my backlog I need to read. Stephanie nicole Norris has Arch out, which is part of the Clarks of North Shire North Shore North Shire Bend series.

Speaker A [00:11:32]:

I had Norian love. I'm way behind on his money powered sex series. There's like four novellas that I haven't read. I am so behind. But I'm also 21 books ahead. I'm also behind on my own stuff. I still need to edit Hay Lover so that the paperback edition can be final. I got to get on that.

Speaker A [00:11:58]:

I'm dragging my feet because I don't want to read this book again. So that's where I'm at with the reading report. The writing report is this. I'm still on chapter two, but it's coming together. It's coming together in my head. I have been since I can't really write. All I can do is think and take notes and mull it around, kind of toss it around in my head a lot. I call it Marinating, and it's been marinating this week.

Speaker A [00:12:25]:

I'm still on chapter two. Really still pulling my story together, still creating my characters. It is I believe his name is Vance Griffin and Athena Wilcox are my hero and my heroine. I want this to be a novella. It's set on Black Diamond, which is the manmade island that I created in beach thing. I keep saying I'm not a series writer, but then these follow up books keep popping up in my head, and I need my head to understand that I am not a series writer, all right? Just knock it off. Okay? But anyway, I want this to be a novella. It may be a longish novella, but I want it to lead us back to Black Diamond, because yesterday I read through the next Black Diamond book that I had started, and I hit a wall, and it's actually not half bad.

Speaker A [00:13:21]:

It's a little overcomplicated. I need to simplify it a little bit, but it's not half bad. And I feel like if Elysium, which is what I'm naming this novella, I feel like if that can lead us back to Black Diamond, then it can lead directly into The Pearl, which is the next Black Diamond book that I have in mind. It's kari Savoy is my heroine, and Davis Scott is my hero. He is the beleaguered general manager of a brand new hotel on Black Diamond, and it just is having trouble getting on its feet, and Kari is basically brought in to help Davis get it together. And if you were on Brown Girl readings dee Dede's Instagram Live yesterday we talked a lot about workplace romances and how it's just not sexy and why would anybody want to sleep with someone they work with? And then in the back of my mind, I talked a little bit of trash. I did talk a little bit of trash. But I'm going to write a workplace romance.

Speaker A [00:14:36]:

I've got to do it. I've got to do it. This is most definitely a workplace romance, and it's going to be spectacular. It's going to be awesome. So a thing I like to do is talk trash about things and then be like, you know what? That's actually a great idea. I love that about me. So I'm looking back on my Facebook page because that's typically where I'm going to post things that I'm watching. I don't do a whole lot of TV, except they did catch up on Will Trent, which is a series based on Karen Slaughter's Wilt Trent series, which has a new book coming out, I think, in August, and I am the most excited about it that I could ever be about a book.

Speaker A [00:15:21]:

I love the Wilt Trent series. It is the longest, slowest, slow burn romance that you could ever imagine. But it's not a romance series. It is an investigator series. It is definitely a police procedural. But the relationship that develops in the background among I think the series is like, 17 books long. If you step back and think about the story behind the story, the relationship between Wiltrent and Sarah Linton is like, the longest running, slow burn romance ever. And I love it.

Speaker A [00:16:08]:

It kind of reminds me of if you ever watch the series Bones and watching Booth and Dr. Bones dance around each other for, like, four seasons before they got together. Spoiler. That show has been off for, like, five years, so relax. I have watched Bones probably like, I don't know, three, four times by now. And it is a consummate, slow burn romance. Love it. The whole come here, go away thing.

Speaker A [00:16:45]:

I love it. Anyway. I love a slow burn. So I'm looking back because I watched a couple of documentaries and okay, here we go. Reflections of the Past, which was kind of a boring documentary about author Anne Perry. I don't know if you know who this person is. I did not know who this person is. But apparently Anne Perry, who was I believe she was a mystery author, died recently this week.

Speaker A [00:17:16]:

And I just discovered that when she was a teenager, she and her friend murdered somebody. Isn't that interesting? Under another name, like Judith or Judy or something like that. She changed her name to Anne Perry. She served very little time for that. This happened in New Zealand. So, of course, I had to find a documentary and learn all about the story. So I watched it. It was very dry, super dry.

Speaker A [00:17:46]:

But it had some interviews with people that knew her, that knew both girls. I don't know what happened to the other girl. I don't know if she's still alive. But Anne Perry died this week or last week. Never knew anything about her. It's crazy. Absolutely crazy. What's funny is I brought this up to one of my friends who we are both big into crime shows, forensic files, investigators, anything on Dateline, if it's on investigation, discovery, she knows the case front to back.

Speaker A [00:18:22]:

And I was like, how about I didn't know about this woman and Perry who murdered somebody when she was a child? And Torita was like, all the details about the case. And I was like, how do you know about it? And I don't? And I'm a writer. How do I not know this? She's like, Girl, it was on some show, whatever. So it's always nice to have a friend to talk murder with. Then I watched Money Shot, which is sort of a behind the scenes of the pornhub. You all know what that is. So it was good. I liked it.

Speaker A [00:18:56]:

What? A friend of mine watched it and said she was kind of bored. It's a little bit behind the scenes of how that site came to be a big controversy that they went through early in the pandemic. I liked it. That's the kind of thing where I watch and then I start getting ideas. It makes me want to write like a script writer. Like, they hire people to actually write scripts for movies. And she's like, yeah, I got hired by this company, and they happen to own this website. And that's how I got involved.

Speaker A [00:19:37]:

And I was like, interesting. It's so like a regular person job at a very salacious place. But it reminded me of a limited run podcast on phone sex operators that was really good. I think it's by wondery. It's called operator. I think it's, like, four like six episodes or something. It was really, really well done. But it's just about the regular people that work in this industry, like their lives behind the dial tone, like, who calls in and what do they say and how do you say it and why are people calling in and what is the purpose of this? It was a really good limited run series.

Speaker A [00:20:22]:

If that's a thing that interests you, dig into it. It is very girl. Six, like, super enjoyed it. So I think that's about the extent of things that I watched this week, aside from my live streams that I always tune into between the Reads. It's not live stream, but it's a podcast. Between the Reads books are pop culture staying on Code Reese Ryan's, the story behind the story. She has had some really good guests on this week. I do still have those shows on my list of podcasts and YouTube shows, and I'll pop up a link to that again when I do the show notes.

Speaker A [00:21:09]:

So I am looking through my list to make sure I didn't miss anything. I did say today was going to be a good show and it's going to be under 30 minutes. I'm very happy about that. So I have a couple of books I want to finish reading. I have a book that I need to plan and perhaps continue writing. And I have some coffee I want to enjoy. So thank you for joining me for this episode of the bookcast. I will be back next week with more books and hopefully more writing.

Speaker A [00:21:42]:

It is my goal to do more writing this week. Also, it is my goal to finish looking through Hay Lover and making my last minute corrections and getting that print edition up and for sale. It's about it. Great episode, good times, great chat. Thanks for joining me. We'll talk next week. Bye.