The Disappointment Dilemma - Starting the Wrong Book

WHEN CHAPTER 1 BETRAYS YOUR TRUST

In my previous post, I said I would show you how to make sure your next book matches up to your expectations. We all know that time is a precious commodity, and we’ve all been in the situation when we finally have some peace, we’re sitting in our favorite reading spot (window seat, perfectly positioned chair or stretched out on the couch) with a soft cozy blanket and beverage in hand, ready to escape into another world…

But by chapter two — or sooner — we’re checking our phones, sighing and wondering where it all went wrong. Maybe the story drags, or the characters feel stereotyped, like cardboard cutouts, and the latest plot twist? Well, we saw that coming three pages ago.
Yes, reader disappointment is an emotion we’ve all felt— and none of us are eager to repeat that particular experience.

So, here’s a quick trick from one booklover (and author) to another, try this before committing to a full read:

THE 10-MINUTE BOOK TEST:

1. Read the description — but skip the hype words.
Look for what it’s really about, not just the marketing sparkle.

2. Skim the first page. You’ll know right away if you’re drawn in by the tone, voice and mood.

3. Flip to a random page in the middle. If it still holds your attention, that’s a keeper.

This little ritual (the short-term pain of delaying the choice of a new book vs the long-term gain of waiting and finding a better one) can save hours of frustration, and your chances of finding your next read have shot up dramatically. Now you and your next read really do deserve that blanket and beverage combo.

Now that you know how to pick the right book… Next time, I’ll show you how to make sure you never run out of them.

UPDATES

Allie couldn’t believe this was the fifth day in a row Quareem had devoted to teaching her how to fight. As if that wasn’t challenging enough, each day he demonstrated with a different type of sword: an Arabian scimitar, a Japanese katana, a European broadsword, and a modern rapier. The names confused her, and she ended up giving them nicknames: the thin, bendy one; the massive one she could barely lift; the slender curved one; and the short, thick one with a curved blade.

This is an excerpt from Allie & The Djinn which is currently available for preorder on Amazon, Kobo, and many other digital retailers. I’ll be honest, I don’t get very many preorders, but it increases the book’s visibility, so my thinking is, why not give it a go?

In the meantime, I have 3 days left for advertising and promotion before the release date. It’s around this time I get excited about sending another book out into the world. Then it’ll be on to the next one.

Until then — may your next read be exactly what you were looking for, whether that’s gripping, enthralling, entertaining, etc., and transport you to another world.

Warmest wishes and happy reading.

Teagan.

(aka Author & Chief Book Disappointment Prevention Officer)

Too Many Books, Too Little Time

How to find the story that's calling your name!

Hey there lovely readers,

I hope you and yours are well and enjoying the seasonal changes. Here, in the Scottish Highlands, the trees are displaying their glories in shades of lemon through to deep copper. However, the leaves on the cherry tree outside my window have already turned a crispy brown. Another windy storm and the winter view to the distant hills will reappear. This time of year makes me feel philosophical about life as the temporary nature of the world (here today, gone tomorrow, as they say) is clear to see.

The other day, I was looking for a new book to read, and I realized that being a reader today is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, there’s a universe of stories waiting for us—epic space operas, heart-racing thrillers, dark domestic dramas, and romantic adventures that make our hearts skip a beat. On the other hand…so much choice.

This results in spending a long time, endlessly scrolling with too many tabs open, and too many “Top 100” lists to plough through.

But by answering these three questions you can narrow down the field and find that next book—fast:

1. Mood: What do you crave right now? Suspense? Romance? A touch of danger?
2. Setting: Are you drawn to gritty city streets, mysterious suburban secrets, or far-off galaxies?
3. Time: Do you want a quick evening read or a story to get lost in all weekend?

If you spend a little time thinking about and answering these questions (though sometimes the answer pops into your brain immediately), you’ll narrow the field down and can start searching for the books that actually fit your mood.

In my next email, I’ll show you how to make sure your new book delivers—so you’ll never again start a story that fizzles out halfway through.

Of course, if you’d rather skip the hunt entirely and save time, that’s where my bookstore comes in. 👉 teagankearney.com I have 18 eBooks, including thrillers, urban fantasy, sci-fi, romcom, cozy supernatural mysteries, and more. Whether you’re after a romantic escape, a dark psychological twist, or an epic space adventure, I hope you’ll find something that speaks to you.

UPDATES

Allie & The Djinn’s cover is complete, and you can read the Prologue by visiting my website: Teagan Kearney: Writer
Here's the blurb:

One djinn and one junkie, both desperate to escape their past. What could go wrong?

Quareem, one of the most powerful djinns of his time, has finally escaped the Hunters’ prison cell and is looking for a host. Allie possesses a wealth of untapped hidden magic but spends her days chasing oblivion to ease the pain of losing her family in a tragic accident.

When Quareem jumps into Allie’s mind, they strike up a mutually beneficial arrangement. That is, until the Hunters arrive…

Blending dark fantasy, romance, and myth, this novella explores the limits of magic, memory, and love’s redemptive force. Perfect for fans of Deborah Harkness, Nalini Singh, or Anne Bishop, this tale delivers a rich, emotional adventure filled with danger, desire, and destiny.

The book will be released on 31st October 2025, a perfect day for a supernatural tale with magical creatures, don’t you think?

I’ve switched newsletter platforms to Klaviyo, which will help me stay in closer touch and share updates more smoothly. And as a thank-you, new Klaviyo subscribers will receive one of my audiobooks for free! Please sign up to my newsletter here: 👉 teagankearney.com

In the meantime, keep reading, stay safe and have a great week.

Teagan.

Preview of New Release: Allie & The Djinn!

Please find below an excerpt from Allie & The Djinn, my upcoming release. My latest book, a novella, is a modern-day magic realism romfantasy which will be published on the 31st of October. After all, what better time to publish a story featuring magical creatures!

One djinn and one junkie, both desperate to escape their past. What could go wrong?

Quareem, one of the most powerful djinns of his time, has finally escaped the Hunters’ prison cell and is looking for a host.
Allie possesses a wealth of untapped hidden magic but spends her days chasing oblivion to ease the pain of losing her family in a tragic accident.

When Quareem jumps into Allie’s mind, they strike up a mutually beneficial arrangement. That is, until the Hunters arrive…

Allie & The Djinn will be available for pre-order soon!

Read a sample:

Allie & The Djinn

PROLOGUE

Quareem raised his hands, the walls of his tiny prison cell expanding with the movement, and concentrated on chanting every syllable with flawless pronunciation. After all, his goal wasn’t to end up as a sandworm in some wasteland, was it? After completing the spellbreaker, he waited.

No sound of a heartbeat, because the sorcery that placed him here had left him suspended outside of time and space.

I do exist, a quiet voice inside his head insisted, although, as far as the rest of the universe knew, his life had stopped the second the Hunters had trapped him and slapped their nullcuffs around his wrists.

He counted: one, two, three. The unmitigated sensory deprivation would have driven him mad if not for the sanity of numbers—and gasped as a bolt of lightning sliced through him. A sudden violent shivering had his teeth clacking against each other like knucklebones, and his heart slammed against his rib cage, beating an erratic rhythm—then a sideways shift and a glistening iridescence lit up his cell.

The next minute, he was… elsewhere.

He flinched as thunderous growls and blaring horns blasted his eardrums and squinted to limit the sharp sunlight piercing his eyeballs, before gradually opening his eyes wider and wider as he tried to make sense of the bewildering scene in front of him.

Metal boxes on wheels in various sizes and colors streamed by inches from where he stood, emitting a variety of honks, toots, and snorts. Men and women sat inside the raucous machines, their gazes fixed on the vehicle in front. People wearing outlandish outfits hurried along the sidewalk.

He drew in a long, slow breath, coughing as acrid, fusty fumes entered his lungs. This wasn’t the pure, clean air of his desert home. But so what? There was always a price to pay, and he didn’t care; he’d gained his freedom! He ran fingers over his face, through his hair, and patted his smooth cheeks. He stretched, and unused muscles and tendons expanded and released. His body was solid, no doubt about that, but somehow light, his bloodstream fizzing with bubbles. Water leaked down his smooth, golden-brown cheeks. A sensation he couldn’t identify coursed through him.

A flash of insight revealed it wasn’t the bewildering sights that blinded his vision, nor the cacophonous sounds invading his brain through his ears, nor the folk rushing along the busy street; it was the wild mixture of their emotions that overwhelmed him. Little did they know that their fears, anxieties, hopes, and loves all seeped out through their skin into the atmosphere. Such a porous membrane to contain such a wealth of power, and for a djinn with his abilities—when they were at full strength, that is—so easy to access.

He grinned. He had succeeded. Of course, he, the great Al Quareem, once acknowledged to be among the most powerful djinns to grace his society, most certainly wouldn’t cease to exist because he garbled his own spell—a spell that had taken eons to remember, hidden from his own mind by the Hunters’ hex. But he had at last remembered and escaped. He wanted to laugh and dance, but while he had liberated himself from their dungeon, his jailers would have known the instant he disappeared. His new, unfettered state would surely provide multiple opportunities, and he would rather die than allow them to incarcerate him again.

He inhaled deeper and caught the faintest whiff of something different. Alien. He spun around, searching, sniffing. Yes, there. He glimpsed the shimmer of a crimson cloak, sliding past on the other side of the veil that separated the Hunters’ world from this one. Fear, a dark wall, rose inside him. How could they be on to him so quickly? He froze, his limbs refusing to respond, and his heartbeat accelerated, ricocheting around his chest, thundering through his body.

A man clutching a bulky leather case to his chest banged his arm as he hurried by, breaking his trance. Quareem lifted a finger, pointed, and let it drop before the pain began. He sighed. No more blasting of defenseless humans—one of a hundred reasons the Hunters had incarcerated him.

He scanned the crowd, primed to move, to run, the urge to hide overwhelming him. He needed someone vulnerable. Ah! There. He cringed. His master, Shaitan curse him forever, would have beaten him senseless for considering a dirty beggar—and a female at that. This must be one of the lowest steps he had ever taken, but as a desperate fugitive, he would accept what the universe offered.

†