In this update:

- Happy Make a Book Day & The Magic of POD
- A New Feature you don't wanna miss
-Survey Results
- Current Read: Love Deleted

Hi ,

If you keep track of weird niche holidays like I do, you might be aware that today is Make a Book Day. Initiated on May 9, 2014, this day encourages people to explore creative writing and the art of bookmaking.

While this holiday is admittedly more of a novelty (I’m seriously supposed to make a book from scratch?), it offers more than just whimsy. It provides an opportunity to highlight the wonders of print-on-demand book publishing, an innovation Amazon introduced eighteen years ago this month.

When TimeBlink launched at the height of the 2020 pandemic, I wasn’t thinking about the technology behind POD, other than to appreciate that I could order a paperback and have it in my hands in about a week. Of course, with health restrictions now a distant memory, delivery can be as quick as the next day.

Furthermore, Amazon continues to open new fulfillment centers worldwide, making delivery all that much faster.

About a year ago, one such facility opened just 23 km from my house. I only found out that it featured a POD wing this February when I noticed my order of Dragonfly paperbacks had been 'Manufactured in Acheson, Alberta’.

Historically, my books had been coming from locations across Canada and the US, like Bolton, Ontario; Middletown, Delaware; and Monee, Illinois.

So, whether you're a fan of Amazon or would rather have a tooth extracted than support the corporate giant, you have to admit their delivery system is second to none.

Are you curious about how a book gets to your doorstep so quickly? Check out this video for a behind-the-scenes look at an Amazon POD center.

Speaking of the amiable Dr. Scott, you might recall that I ran a survey last month asking if you would prefer I write Morley’s prequel in first- or third-person point of view. Out of 16 respondents, 12 voted for first person (75%).

I've long held the belief that people prefer third person, so this result was a welcome surprise because I'm most comfortable writing in first person anyway. Thanks for taking the time to complete the survey.

Love Deleted by British author Paul Indigo presents a compelling premise: a woman seeks to erase her love for her cheating husband through a groundbreaking surgical procedure known as Fluorogenetic Synaptic Deletion, a fictional term relating to the real science of optogenetics.

I wanted to love this book, but unfortunately, it fell short. Here are my reasons why.

First of all, plot twists normally hit me like a good old punch to the gut—like they’re supposed to—but I saw this one coming a mile away. So when it finally came to light, I felt both clever and disappointed at the same time.

Second, I found it difficult to embrace the author’s unique writing style. The prose was full of quirky Britishisms that got in the way of my enjoyment of the story. Take, for instance, they pulled the car out the ditch in place of they pulled the car out of the ditch. I might've thought this was an intentional choice to lend the prose an authentic British flavor. However, because these colloquialisms appear in the narrative itself rather than the dialogue, I’m inclined to believe they simply reflect the author’s natural speech. Coincidentally, my husband and I are heading to England next week to visit his relatives. I’ll ask them about it while we’re there.

There was also an element of intense repetition that was likely meant to emphasize the protagonist's emotional turmoil. Instead, it served as a constant source of irritation for me. To paraphrase how it often went: “Oh no, Jethro. Not you, Jethro. Oh Jethro, Jethro, Jethro.”

Finally, there were several punctuation and spelling errors, including the misspelling of the author’s own word, Fluorogenetic.

With those annoyances aside, what kept me reading was the very idea that a person’s love for another could be erased. It reminded me of the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a connection the author seemingly acknowledges by referencing it in one of his scenes.

Ultimately, Love Deleted wasn’t my cup of English Breakfast, but here's the link if you wish to judge it for yourself.

What are you reading this month?
Recommendations are always welcome. 🤩

Thanks for spending time with me today, . I appreciate your interest in my stories.

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