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)

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.

†

 

New Releases, Audiobooks and an Early Easter Sale!

One Summer in Montmartre audiobook is live! I thought about doing an audiobook for a long time, but hesitated to take the plunge. However, after a reviewer's encouragement (thank you, Steve!) I finally went for it. As my first audiobook it was a real learning curve, but I’m thrilled with the final result. One Summer in Montmartre was also the first book I published on Amazon in 2014 and has a special place in my heart. There's also a large print version for those who are visually impaired but still enjoy reading. 

Here’s the blurb:
Paris 1873: Despite being a devoted husband and father, Luc Marteille, a charismatic Impressionist artist, becomes obsessed with his young model, Hélène. Flattered by his attentions, she becomes torn between Luc and her fiancé; and faces a decision that could destroy the lives of everyone around them.
Paris, 2007: Grieving over the death of her son, and with her marriage in trouble, Anna's life is falling apart. When a long-hidden love letter is discovered in the back of her favorite painting, she seizes the opportunity to go to Paris. Intending to research Hélène, the mysterious recipient of the letter, she is thrown together with the arrogant François. Dependent on his help, Anna realizes the tension between them is attraction. Should she continue a lifetime of playing it safe or listen to her heart?
 

You can download the audiobook as one of two books in a free trial with Audible: 

https://www.audible.co.uk/       or        https://www.audible.com/

I hadn't planned to publish another new book this week, but I recently pulled together and polished some short stories I’d written, and my marvelous editor returned them sooner than expected. So I'm thrilled that my first short story collection, Untender Lives, is live!

 

Here’s the blurb:
Five compelling stories about five women who face very different challenges—some more common, some less so. From a young rock singer, who wonders if her dream of success is about to disappear, to a billionaire, who’s looking for a shortcut to salvation, this entertaining mix of genres is perfect for a quick read.

The book is now available at all amazon stores and free with Kindle Unlimited. 

And last, but by no means least...an EARLY EASTER SALE!!

If you want to grab a bunch of my books to read immediately or over the Easter break, now’s the time to go for it. From today Saturday 24th March to 26th March the following books are free or part of a kindle countdown deal.  

Happy Easter reading!

To download:  go to your country's amazon page, type in Teagan Kearney in the search box, click on the book(s) you want, and when you arrive on the book's page, download and enjoy!

This weekend, the following books are FREE :

The following two books are part of KIndle Countdown Deals:

The Kala Trilogy countdown deal starts 24th March. One Summer in Montmartre countdown starts 25th March.
Both books are 99 cents the first day.

That's all for now, folks. I'm off to start Book Three of the Saoirse Saga, and in the meantime, a genuine thank you for your invaluable support. Have a great Easter break.

Stay well, keep reading and best wishes,
Teagan.

Happy Days!

Hi everyone,

I hope, whether you celebrate Easter or not, you're having a great long weekend. As for me, well, I've just had a week of intense, full-on striving to meet a deadline. The mixture of emotions after pressing the 'Publish Now' button for Sorcerous Deeds, the second novella in the Adept Solutions Series, includes exhilaration, satisfaction, and, if I'm being honest,  a degree of relief.

"JB’s private detective agency is successful, even if he can’t say the same for his love life, but when two elven princes turn up and demand he fulfil a blood bond by finding a missing princess, he has no choice but to take the case.

Heading up an alliance with others provoked by a vindictive sorcerer’s murderous deeds, JB tracks the princess to the blighted Wraithlands. The allies face exploding portals and monstrous shapeshifters, but can they rescue the kidnapped princess in time to prevent her death releasing havoc on an unsuspecting world?"

A big thank you to my editor, Sarah Watts, who offers invaluable feedback as well as reminding me I don’t need to cram everything into one sentence. To everyone else who helped with feedback on the story, the description, and the cover, you're the best!

If you read and enjoyed Hekate’s Chalice, Book One in the series, want to follow the latest  adventures and shenanigans of the gang at Adept Solutions, enjoy gripping mysteries interwoven with generous doses of magic and humor, then click the link below to enter this imaginatively creative world today!

https://tinyurl.com/l2c2rye

PS If you're with the Amazon Prime program, you can download the book for free.

My next writing project is finishing up a book I started in 2014. I’ve been working on this science fiction/young adult novel intermittently ever since, mostly when I finished a stage (first draft, second draft etc.,) in whatever novel I was writing.

It has taken time, and it's an interesting exercise to see how my writing has changed, but at last, I’m on the final tweaking stage before sending the manuscript off to my editor. I’m hoping, fingers and toes crossed, the book will be ready for publishing by the end of May. My blog is called ‘writingmynovelnoworkingtitleyet’, and as far as this story goes, this is very true. It’s probably time to give my subconscious some strict instructions in this matter.

So, while I have a very serious debate with myself about whether or not to get that large tub of Baskin and Robbins to reward myself for achieving another step toward my dream of being a writer, I hope you have a brilliant week.

Stay well, keep reading, and best wishes,
Teagan.