Author: Lena Frank

Reviews for Writers: Shiny Golden Spiral Journals

Posted by

0

Welcome to my Reviews for Writers series where I post reviews for materials aimed at writers, specifically those who write by hand.

There are a bunch of journals and pens and desk tools out there, and I want to give my thoughts on them specifically from an author’s perspective. I’ve gotten to where I write my first drafts almost exclusively by hand and I used to think that made me a unicorn in the writing arena because of it. Now, I realize how common it is, and I want to help my fellow authors find tools to make the job easier.

DWIYITTN Spiral Journal 4-Pack

My first thoughts? How shiny and golden these journals are! They lay flat with the spiral binding and even have an elastic closure. I was a little sad to see that the backs of these journal have no decor, just a solid color. But the front is quite beautiful. I could easily see these being an inspiration for journaling or for jotting down ideas about a fantastic world. They aren’t quite pocket sized, but they would fit nicely into a large purse, a bookbag, or a cross-body satchel. The front cover folds nicely behind it for taking notes while out at a library or while listening to a talk.

Next up, the pen test. These pages are a little thinner than I expected, but they still handled basic writing utensils nicely.

  • Fountain pen ink can smear, so make sure you let it sit for a few seconds. It doesn’t take long to dry, but could be problematic for lefties.
  • While a basic gel pen like the Pilot G2 has no problem drying and has only some bleed through the page, the Pentel Medium Roller Ball had lots of bleed through.
  • The Sharpie bled through the page and also could be seen on the next page.

Although the paper is a little more thin than I like, this is a wonderful notebook for jotting down notes, getting some rough ideas onto paper, or for casual journaling. I could see the golden cover design inspire younger authors too.

See my video below for my full breakdown and thoughts.

Disclaimer: I obtained these items through the Amazon Vine program. Other than receiving the items for free, I was not compensated in any way by Amazon or the manufacturer. All opinions here are my own.

Happy Cover Reveal to The Fury of Kanta

Posted by

1

Look at that gorgeous cover for the fourth book in The Wolves of Kanta series!

I’m absolutely in love with this amazing cover by Harvest Moon Designs! The colors just really make this piece stand out. I love the branches above Mercy’s head and how determined she looks. The trees in the background with the crows give it a mysterious vibe. The gun in Mercy’s hand really hints at the danger in this book too.

This entry in the Wolves of Kanta series has some major thriller vibes simply because she’s been captured. It’s something Mercy has evaded for years but eventually her luck runs out.

I’m so in love with how this series is going and I can’t wait to get this book out into the world. I’m working on finishing up edits and prepping for ARC readers now. This book hits bookshelves on December 20th!

The Fury of Kanta

Captured!

It didn’t matter that Mercy found a cure for lycanthropy or fended off bloodthirsty werewolves in Crowsmirth. Oscar the hunter still found her. Finding herself in a place she never wanted to return to again, her captor insists she play a twisted game.

Oscar wants to be the father she never had, and Mercy his doting daughter. Refusal is not an option. Plotting to escape while playing along is dangerous, but Mercy is determined to get home.

She must unravel the mystery of her parents’ past and conceal her growing fury if she hopes to see her friends again.

Pre-Order The Fury of Kanta
Explore The Wolves of Kanta Series

Reviews for Writers: Beautiful Hardcover Notebooks

Posted by

0

Welcome to the first post in my new series: Reviews for Writers! Throughout this series, I’ll be posting my reviews for materials aimed at writers, specifically those who write by hand.

There are a bunch of journals and pens and desk tools out there, and I want to give my thoughts on them specifically from an author’s perspective. I don’t see enough of that out there.

Labkiss Hardcover Notebook

My first thoughts on the Labkiss Hardcover Notebook are how nice they feel! These hardback journals are smooth and remind me of some of my favorite journals to use growing up. They have a sturdy bookmark in them and a binding elastic that feels pretty solid too.

Most important (to me) are the pen tests. For those of us who write by hand, the feathering, bleed through, and drying time are some of the most important aspects of a potential writing journal. Here are my takeaways:

  • Fountain pen ink went down wonderfully and has hardly any shadowing on the opposite page
  • Highlighters might bleed through if you double your lines
  • Sharpie markers will bleed through to the opposite side of the page, but not onto the opposite page, which is really great for a Sharpie

See my video for my full breakdown and thoughts.

If you haven’t already, subscribe to my Youtube channel. I’ve been getting back into posting videos again. I post post a new video every week.

Disclaimer: I obtained these items through the Amazon Vine program. Other than receiving the items for free, I was not compensated in any way by Amazon or the manufacturer. All opinions here are my own.

The Mysterious Disappearance of Charlene Kerringer — Now in Audio

Posted by

0

This strange noir mystery short story may have only been released as a solo ebook in November 2019, but this story actually has quite a history. This story was entered into a competition back in 2012 with a publisher who is no longer active. It came in as a semi-finalist, the first award I ever received for my writing. It was ultimately published twice by them in two editions. Once as part of the anthology, RealLies, which you still might be able to find in print somewhere. Then again as a standalone story. I almost ended up having a novel of mine published with them, but then negotiations fell apart and ultimately the publisher closed its doors.

Long story short, the rights came back to me. For the longest time I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it. At almost 10,000 words, it was too long to really submit to most short story calls and it was far too unique to really fit into an anthology of my own work. Trolls that change form, a film noir style, and a hard boiled detective story surrounded with sarcasm and a dry sense of humor, it had a hard time fitting in anywhere.

Then in November 2019, I got curious about independent publishing. I was sad that this weird and funny story was gathering dust on my computer and I didn’t like that I associated it with its previous publisher. It needed a new place to call home but was far too strange to fit in anywhere. So I decided to self publish it.

Now I’m happy to announce that it is available in AI audiobook format, free to listen to in its entirety on Youtube. For the first time in ten years, it’s available in an audiobook format.

Rest assured, it’s still a strange and has a very dry sense of humor, but I’ll always have a soft spot for it. I hope you’ll take an hour and give it a listen, if you’re okay with trolls speaking with an AI voice!

Night Feeders is Now Available as an AI Audiobook

Posted by

0

For years I’ve struggled to produce audiobooks for many of my stories due to the high price point. Especially for my shorter works. This has been frustrating since I know I have readers who prefer some form of audiobook over ebooks. It’s always been an accessibility issue that’s bothered me. It can exclude readers with eyesight issues or those who are uncomfortable with ebooks.

I’m happy to share that with the power of Google AI, I finally have the chance to get many stories into audiobook format that never would have had the chance before such as Night Feeders.

I admit I listen to a lot of AI audio on YouTube. Spooky Reddit stories are some of my favorite late night content when I want entertaining background noise. I’ve gotten accustomed to AI voices reading stories. When I found out that this was an option and other authors were doing this too, I knew I had to join in.

I’m happy to share that I now have my first AI read audiobook up on YouTube with my short story, Night Feeders! It’s also available on Google Play for the same price as the ebook. I plan to have it on my Ko-Fi shop and possibly Kobo too.

Look for more AI audiobooks to be posted up on YouTube soon. Be sure to Like, Share, and Subscribe so you don’t miss them!