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    To re-read or not to re-read …

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    MONDAY MORNING MAILBAG
     
    Question: Do you ever re-read favorite books by other authors for fun?
     
    Answer: Nope! I can’t remember the last time I re-read a book by another author for fun.
     
    Why not? A big part of it is how many times I have to read – and re-read and re-read (!) – my own books.
     
    For example, I think I’ve read Only Cold Depths, Galactic Bonds #4, about seven times now from start to finish, and I am thoroughly sick of it. LOL.
     
    After reading through the same book over and over, the last thing I want to do is re-read another book, even if it’s by another author and I absolutely loved the book when I first read it.
     
    I used to re-read books all the time when I was a kid, especially things like The Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High. But as an adult, I hardly ever re-read. Why not? Mainly because I have more than 1,000 ebooks waiting on my tablet that I’ve never read before.
     
    I also don’t rewatch a lot of movies/TV shows. Again, mainly because there are sooo many new movies/shows to stream all the time. On the rare occasions I do rewatch something, it’s usually just a favorite episode or a really cool fight scene. It is a very rare movie/show that I love enough to rewatch the whole thing again.
     
    What about you all? Do you re-read favorite books? Why or why not?
     
    Only Cold Depths, Galactic Bonds #4, will be out Oct. 29. The ebooks are online now, and the print and audiobooks will go online later this summer. Thank you for reading.
     
     ONLY COLD DEPTHS DESCRIPTION:
     
    New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep continues her Galactic Bonds series with a new, action-packed adventure that blends science fiction, fantasy, and historical romance. This rollicking space opera features a mix of magic and technology, along with a soulmates story and “Pew! Pew! Pew!” battle scenes. Perfect for fans of Star Wars, Dune, Bridgerton, and Pride and Prejudice.
     
    A WOMAN WHO CAN’T CONTROL HER POWER . . .
    Everyone knows the name Vesper Quill. I used to be a lowly lab rat working in a Regal-owned corporation, but thanks to my truebond with Kyrion Caldaren, I’m now one of the most wanted fugitives in the Archipelago Galaxy.
     
    Kyrion and I have spent the last few weeks avoiding bounty hunters, along with the Arrows, the elite Imperium warriors tasked with capturing us. Now we’ve journeyed to a distant planet that’s supposed to be a refuge for truebonded couples, but when new enemies appear, we’re once again in grave danger.
     
    As a seer, inventor, and engineer, I’m skilled at figuring out how things work, but I can’t quite understand my growing magic and newfound psionic abilities. The clock is ticking, and if I don’t figure out how to tap into my power, I’ll doom myself to a gruesome fate, along with Kyrion.
     
    A MAN WHO CAN’T LET GO OF HIS FEAR . . .
    As Kyrion Caldaren, I’m used to being respected and feared, especially given my telekinesis, telepathy, telempathy, and other powerful psionic abilities. What I’m not used to is being on the run, but as a rogue Arrow, I’ll do anything to protect Vesper.
     
    Just when I think we’ve finally reached a safe haven, trouble finds us again, reigniting all my fears about losing Vesper.
     
    When the cold depths of our enemies’ plan are finally revealed, the truth is more terrifying than anything I could imagine. Soon Vesper and I are fighting for our lives again, but even with our growing truebond power, this is one battle we might not survive.

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    Jennifer’s book release schedule for 2022 …

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    Here is my book release schedule for 2022. Please note that these dates could always change due to various publishing whims:

    Write Your Own Cake — worldbuilding essay — Feb. 8, 2022

    This is a worldbuilding essay I wrote a few years ago as part of a subscription box. In the essay, I talk about writing and some of the things I thought about when I was creating Kill the Queen and my Crown of Shards epic fantasy world. So if you are interested in writing and worldbuilding, you might enjoy it.

    Tear Down the Throne — Gargoyle Queen #2 — May 3, 2022

    This is the second book about Gemma Ripley that is set in my Crown of Shards epic fantasy world. Capture the Crown is the first book in the trilogy.

    Dirty Deeds 2 anthology — Heart Stings (Lorelei Parker/Elemental Assassin novella #19.5) — June 7, 2022

    I’m so excited to be participating in this urban fantasy anthology with Faith Hunter, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Devon Monk, and R.J. Blain.

    My novella will be from the point of view of Lorelei Parker and take place after Last Strand, book #19 in my Elemental Assassin series.

    TENTATIVE PROJECTS:

    Here are a few tentative projects that I also hope to release in 2022:

    Science-fiction romance — Fall 2022

    I have written a science-fiction romance. I’m not sure what will happen with the book yet, and I might end up self-publishing it. I’ll just have to wait and see how my writing schedule shakes out, among other things.

    Section 47 holiday novella #1.5 — Fall 2022

    I have decided to continue my Section 47 urban fantasy spies-with-magic series. I’m hoping to write a holiday novella featuring Charlotte and Desmond that would be set after the events of A Sense of Danger, book #1.

    As of right now, this is all that I have planned for 2022, and like I said before, some of these dates/projects might change, due to various publishing whims. But you all will have lots of stuff to read from me this year. 😎 

    What books are you looking forward to reading this year?

  • Hello, summer binge-watching …

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    Can you guys believe that it’s June already? It seems like it was still January just a few weeks ago. Sigh.

    The broadcast networks have wrapped up their shows for the season (I’ll miss you, superheroes!). But with those shows off the air, it gives me time to check out some new programs. Here are some of the shows that I hope to binge-watch this summer.

    Note: The descriptions are from Amazon. Also, I believe that Bosch is only available through Amazon, but you can get the other shows on DVD or through a variety of TV/streaming services.

    Bosch — Season 3 — Amazon

    Angered by the truths behind his mother’s murder, LAPD detective Harry Bosch struggles to find integrity in an imperfect justice system. The killing of a homeless veteran, the suicide of a serial killing suspect, and the high-profile murder trial of a Hollywood director pit Bosch against ruthless opponents who all threaten to destroy him. BOSCH Season 3 promises to be the most compelling yet.

    My thoughts: I really enjoyed the first two seasons of this show. I love a good cop show, and this one not only looks at various crimes, but it also focuses on the internal politics between various officers, departments, prosecutors, etc. The show is based on the books by Michael Connelly, and I’m hoping to read some of those this summer as well.

    iZombie — Season 1 — DVD

    From the executive producers of Veronica Mars, iZOMBIE stars Rose McIver (Masters of Sex, Once Upon a Time) as Olivia “Liv” Moore, a medical resident on the fast track to a perfect life … until she’s turned into a zombie. Now stuck between half-alive and undead, Liv transfers to the city morgue to reluctantly access the only thing that allows her to maintain her humanity — human brains. But there are side effects to Liv’s new diet. With each brain she consumes, she experiences flashes of the corpse’s memories — including, at times, clues as to how they were killed. Her boss, a brilliant but eccentric conspiracy theorist, encourages her to embrace this gift and to work with an eager, unproven homicide detective to help solve these murders … and quiet the voices in her head. iZOMBIE is based upon characters published by DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint. Malcolm Goodwin, Rahul Kohli, Robert Buckley and David Anders also star.

    My thoughts: I’m not a zombie fan, but this looks like a really fun show. Plus, I like David Anders.

    The Good Witch — Season 1 — DVD

    The Good Witch series follows the adventures of a mysteriously enchanting woman, who peaks the curiosity of her neighbors. Based on the “Good Witch” series of cable movies, Season One follows Cassie Nightingale and her young-teenage daughter Grace, who shares that same special intuition as her mom. When New York transplants move in next to the Grey House, they are immediately spellbound by the mother-daughter duo next door.

    My thoughts: I love When Calls the Heart on the Hallmark Channel, and I thought I would check out this series too.

    What about you guys? What shows are you planning to binge-watch this summer?

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    Do you binge?

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    Note: This post will also appear tomorrow at Magical Musings.

    Earlier this year, I finally subscribed to Netflix. I know, I know. I’m a couple of years behind the times.

    But for the first time, I understood why people binge-watch TV shows. Just … one … more … episode!

    In the space of about a month, I watched both seasons of Marvel’s Daredevil, along with Marvel’s Jessica Jones. Since then, I’ve tried some other shows, including Marvel’s Luke Cage, which premiered in late September, and I’ve watched some episodes of shows that I already follow.

    But I find that I don’t always do the same kind of binging when it comes to reading.

    Rocket Raccoon Chasing TaleOne of my goals over the summer was to finally (finally!) whittle down my TBR pile, especially when it came to all the comics/graphic novels. And I did that. I read a lot of comics over the summer, including Rocket Raccoon Volume 1: A Chasing Tale by Skottie Young and Jake Parker, some Deadpool, several different Captain America series, and more.

    But I didn’t sit down and read them all back-to-back-to-back, and I didn’t read just comics. I also read some contemporary and paranormal romances, action-adventure thrillers, and young adult books.

    So why don’t I binge on a certain series or a certain genre when it comes to reading?

    When it comes to a TV show, I want to know what’s going to happen to the characters next, and the Marvel shows are very good at ending their episodes on cliffhangers to keep you watching. Plus, in some ways, a season of a TV show feels like a book to me, especially the superhero-type shows that usually feature a big bad villain who is defeated by the end of the season. When I get to that last episode, I feel like I’ve finally seen the whole story (at least for the current season), and I can set it aside and move on to something else. Plus, sometimes I just want to laze around on the couch and watch TV. 🙂

    When it comes to a book, I still want to know what’s going to happen to the characters, but I also want to absorb the words and story, especially if the characters are really interesting, or the book has some great, snappy dialogue. I tend to savor the experience of reading a good book a little more than I do watching a TV show. And I like to read in one genre, then read something else in a different genre. The variety just makes reading a little more fun for me.

    What about you guys? Do you binge-watch, binge-read, or both? What are some of your favorite movies, TV shows, and book series to binge?

  • Re-watching Saved by the Bell …

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    Note: I posted about this a couple of weeks ago over at Magical Musings, but I thought I would share the post here too.

    Every summer, I pick out a TV show to watch. Sometimes, it’s a new show that I’ve heard folks buzzing about. But more often than not, I chose an old TV show — either something that I remember watching as a kid or something that I always wanted to watch and just never had time to.

    In previous summers, I’ve re-watched The A-Team, which was my absolute favorite show as a kid. And yeah, probably as an adult too. LOL. I’ve also watched all eight seasons of Magnum P.I., which was escapist fun, and I’ve checked out the first season of Miami Vice, which was way darker and more depressing than I thought it would be.

    Saved by the BellThis summer, I decided to re-watch Saved by the Bell.

    As a kid, I loved Saved by the Bell, especially Mr. Zack Morris. I was totally Team Zack from day one. Seriously, Kelly, why did you spend so much time dating Slater? Zack was always so much cooler.

    I have fond memories of Zack and the gang and all their hijinks, and I remember a lot of the episodes. Seriously, a lot of them. I don’t know if my memory is that good, or I just watched the episodes that many times as a kid. Probably a little of both.

    But it’s interesting going back and watching the show now. I’ll admit that some of it makes me cringe — the bad fashions, the cheesy jokes, how mean everyone was to Screech.

    But you know what? I still really like the show. If nothing else, it’s a chance to look back fondly on something fun and goofy from my childhood. And I think we could all use a little more fun and goofy in our lives, don’t you?

    What about you guys? Are there any shows you want to check out or re-watch this summer?