An Open Note to Authors

I read. A lot. More than is strictly necessary, to be honest.

And you know what I'm noticing? There's a scary new trend in describing the lead male character: The Adonis.

So here's what I have to say to authors:

Stop. Just, stop. Unless your story is based in Greek mythology, and Adonis is actually a character, stop comparing your characters to him. I don't care if you are writing a YA dystopia novel with a romance twist, or a full blown romance novel with all the interlocking parts. Stop it. There is a whole world of adjectives out there.

Put down the Doritos. Pull up the OED website. Use the thesaurus. There you go.

I understand that your lead male is definitely the most beautiful man to ever grace the Earth. No, really. Him and every other male lead. But it's cool, it's your story, do what you want. Except for call him an Adonis.

Greek God is tolerable, but barely. Why not make your male lead not necessarily the most attractive dude ever, but just plain old attractive? Or nothing special to the general populous, but the most breathtaking creature to his romantic counterpart?

There are SO MANY WORDS out there. Beautiful words that roll off the tongue (or the brain) like honey. So use them. They're getting lonely.

Adonis is starting to look a little haggard.

-Kayla (a writer)

Chapter One, of sorts

Welcome!

A little background info is needed, don't you think?

I'm a recent graduate from Northern Michigan University, nestled in Michigan's picturesque Upper Peninsula. I got my Bachelor of Science in Writing, with a minor in Psychology. Writing is my passion, closely followed by reading.

My reading habit is absurd, and has only grown more extreme since I justified using student loan money to buy an Amazon Kindle. I love it, and I've spent more money than I'd care to admit on books.

So, in an effort to curb my budget, I've started trying to gravitate toward books that are five dollars or less. Just because a book is self published certainly doesn't mean that it is not worth your time. In fact, there are some "budget books" that are more worth a read than some put out by more well-known, major publishers.

Which brings us to this blog. Here, I will help you, the readers, navigate the murky waters of the Amazon Underbelly. I will offer reviews of each book I read, provided it is under $5. I may splurge once in awhile, but don't worry, you'll be forewarned. Each book review will be prefaced by the price, both print and Kindle edition, but my price cap is based on the digital price. No printing materials=lower prices, after all. I will also indicate genre and reading level, so you can decide whether or not the review is worth your time. Editing issues will be addressed, but only if they really, REALLY bother me. I'm not, after all, going to make much of a difference if I dissect someone's work page by page and completely disregard it due to a wayward comma.

And I take suggestions! So if you have a book you love, let me know, and hopefully I won't destroy it.

So stay tuned! I'll have to reach back through my Kindle History, and catch up on many of the things I've already read. But don't worry, if you write it, I will come.

-Kayla