Book Shop Chats

About the author:Tara Sexton writes adult contemporary romance and fantasy. She can often be found with her nose in a book and a coffee at hand.Book Blurb: The hot new soccer romance for fans of Ted Lasso and She's the ManShe's met her match. But will the winner take all or lose everything?Marcee Ackerman's dream job as head soccer coach at Pemberton Prep is turning into a nightmare. Her new boss has given her an ultimatum—win the state championship or she’s fired. To make matters worse, Pemberton's rival school hires hotshot ex-England player Remington Lockley as their new coach. How can she compete against a world-class pro?To keep her job and her reputation safe, Marcee will do whatever it takes. But one steamy encounter with Remy has thrown her plans off-course. Falling for the enemy may be just what Marcee's boss needs to get rid of her for good, yet she is powerless to resist as she gets to know the real Remy behind the tabloid scandals.Soccer is life, but love is the greatest game of all. Even Marcee’s competitiveness might not be enough for her to win…This steamy sports romance is perfect for fans of Meryl Wilsner, Amy Lea and Elena Armas.Connect with Tara HERE: LINKSAbout Victoria:Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together. Here’s how I can help:📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.Grab it HERE📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit victoriajaneeditorial.substack.com

About Kim: Nothing makes me happier than when someone tells me a book I recommended expands their perspective, brings them joy, or makes them feel less alone.Aside from being a self-proclaimed bibliotherapist, I’m a mom and wife, book reviewer for Good Things Utah, and one of those people who call their Holland Lop bunnies “part of the family.” I graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in English, but apparently that wasn’t enough school nerdery for me, so I’m headed back to get my master’s degree in creative writing.I’ve practiced my writing skills as producer for the “Arts in Utah” segment on a local radio station, then as a book blurb writer, PR specialist, and audiobook narrator for publisher Covenant Communications, professional namer for Eat My Words, and associate editor for Utah Valley Magazine.I had the opportunity to turn my passion for writing and journaling into a business, Loom Journals, with my friends. We were acquired by Promptly Journals, where I now create prompted journals and educate people on the power and science behind writing for wellbeing.I’m working on two novels: A dual timeline women’s fiction based on a tiny village I fell in love with in the English countryside, and a contemporary romance set in a quaint New England bookstore.Some obsessions: Hiking, BBC dramas, and putting on my pajamas.I started Talk Wordy to Me in 2016 as a place to build community around reading and writing. So glad you’re here!Follow Kim HERE:  LINKSAbout Victoria:Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together. Here’s how I can help:📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.Grab it HERE📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit victoriajaneeditorial.substack.com

About the Author:Born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. Ryan graduated from John Curtin College of the Arts before later taking on a career as a drag queen. Through drag, Ryan found a love for cabaret, burlesque and circus. Relocating to the United Kingdom (March 2017) to further pursue the arts, Ryan hit the cabaret scene with a bang, hosting sell-out shows at Edinburgh Fringe and producing his own weekly resident show in London’s Kings Cross, as his alter ego Vicious Von Vixen. He worked his way into programming on the West End for the world’s largest theatre company ATG and gave away hosting entirely, wrapped up and all-consumed in the glittering world of A-Lister star casts, both confronting classics and new world-class come five-star reviewed plays, alongside debuting global musical hits transferring from / to Broadway! After a couple of years Ryan found his way to the UK’s leading entertainment and production company Underbelly, where he still works today, representing its first and only permanent venue in central London — Underbelly Boulevard Soho! All Ryan’s written work is inspired and motivated by lived experience in the theatre and cabaret industries, as well as diversity… from his own situations as a pansexual, genderqueer deemed “man”, seven-years polyamorous but now happily married and monogamous — devoted to his non-binary wife — Ryan hopes to bring whatever little change he can to the world, by writing exciting, thrilling, magical and engaging yet horrific stories, to intrigue a wider range of readers before enlighten them with characters that expose and provide awareness to ways of life outside the patriarchal created world that has set society norms and showcase the possibilities to readers of the different paths they can take.Book Blurb:A lost soul.A vaudeville that comes with an extra price for entry.Grief. Love. Sex. Blood.All under the filament lights of the Big Top.When Thomas discovers the lights of the funfair at his lowest point, his life takes a different direction and continues on, in a liberating yet macabre way.He finds acceptance with a troupe that he meets, all from different walks of life, but now all on the same path and with the same curse. A curse that isn’t holding any of them back. In fact, it’s what brings each of them together.What if a curse could save, could mean finding family, and could give lost souls a new purpose and enjoyment of life?Follow Ryan:  LINKSAbout Victoria:Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together. Here’s how I can help:📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.Grab it HERE📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit victoriajaneeditorial.substack.com

Story Synopsis:   The Devil & The Details is a dark, emotionally charged slow-burn romance that blurs the line between love and danger. After escaping a past built on control and silence, Bethany Martin is a woman learning to trust again when she meets Kevin Sinclair, whose calm warmth feels like redemption. Their connection is instant—magnetic, consuming, impossible to ignore. But the more she lets him in, the more the truth beneath his tenderness begins to surface.What begins as healing turns into something far more complicated. Boundaries blur, and the intensity that once felt safe begins to smother. Bethany, torn between desire and dread, realizes that some love stories aren’t meant to save you—they’re meant to destroy you.Told with haunting intimacy and cinematic tension, The Devil & The Details explores how easily passion can become possession and how survival sometimes means walking away from the person who swore to protect you. Because sometimes the devil doesn’t come to destroy you; he comes disguised as everything you ever wanted.About the Author — Kelly R. NelsonKelly R. Nelson is an independent author who writes emotionally charged romantic suspense layered with realism, raw vulnerability, and characters that linger long after the final page.Drawing inspiration from music and human complexity, her stories explore the thin line between love and destruction, healing and heartbreak. When she’s not writing, Kelly works full-time and balances life as a mother, dreamer, and storyteller.She currently resides in California and is the author of The Devil & The Details, the first book in her riveting duology exploring the darker edges of love, trauma, and redemption. Social Media & Author Links  Instagram, TikTok & Threads: @kellyrnelsonstorytellerWebsite: www.kellyrnelsonstoryteller.comUniversal Book Linkshttps://books2read.com/kellyrnelsonAbout Victoria:Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together. Here’s how I can help:📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.Grab it HERE📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit victoriajaneeditorial.substack.com

BlurbAfter her father vanishes, Dani Fetter begins high school already carrying the weight of abandonment. She expects her best friends to support her, but they prioritize parties, hookups, and popularity instead.Left behind, Dani meets Kevin Martin, an outsider who seems to give her everything her world is missing. Until betrayal cuts deep, leaving her reeling once more. Dani's circle keeps reshaping again and again: new friends like Ryan O’Leary offer comfort, while old wounds resurface.Through each season of high school, Dani is tested through heartbreak, mistakes, and hilarious missteps, as she wrestles with who she is and who she wants to be.Told in a unique blend of letters and chapters,  HIGH SCHOOL EPIC captures the chaos of teenage life in the early 1990s with raw honesty, humor, and heart. BIO Psychotherapist by day and writer by night, award-winning author Hannah R. Goodman prefers tea over coffee, cats over dogs, and staying in over going out. Her newest YA novel, High School Epic, captures the chaos of teenage life in the early 1990s with raw honesty, humor, and heart. Her other recent book, New Adult romance I Love That Girl, has been praised as "simultaneously joyous, sexy, and uncertain."  Her contemporary YA romance novel Till It Stops Beating, published in 2018, was praised by Literary Titan for "tackling a difficult issue like anxiety and making a story that was funny and sweet without making light of the issue." Though released as a stand-alone book, Till It Stops Beating is the fourth book in The Maddie Chronicles series. The Maddie Chronicles began with her first book, My Sister's Wedding, which won first place in the 2004 Writer's Digest Self-Published Books Awards Children's/Teen Division. She published the follow-up, My Summer Vacation, in May 2006, which went on to win a bronze IPPY in 2007. The third Maddie book, Fear of Falling, was released in the fall of 2009 and was praised by teachers and readers for tackling subjects like homophobia and coming out. She currently writes about writing, publishing, and mental health on her Substack called Writing My Way Through It.    Follow Hannah here: https://linktr.ee/hannahrgoodmanAbout Victoria:Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together. Here’s how I can help:📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.Grab it HERE📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit victoriajaneeditorial.substack.com

About the author: Author of swoony romances full of real characters you can’t help butroot for.  When I’m not writing you’ll find me with my nose stuck in a book... Ormore realistically, you’ll find me chasing my two kids, spending timewith my husband, and helping our household to thrive.  I am an avid reader though and adore the way I can get lost in a worldoutside my own every time I flip those pages. I never thought I’d write a book. Never thought I’d have a story to tell.But lo and behold, here I am, and I have never loved an adventure more! Book Blurb: Eight summers. Two broken hearts.One shocking truth.It took eight summers for Avonlea Stewart to give her heart to her best friend but only moments for him to shatter it. In the wake of her heartbreak, she found herself facing a life-altering decision—one that drove her away from the Isle of Skye and the memories of her first love.More than a decade later, the opportunity of a lifetime pulls her back to the place forever stitched into her soul. But returning means confronting the past—especially when the man she’s hidden it from is the first person she sees: her childhood best friend, her first love… the father of her child.Jamie Murray loved Avonlea Stewart, but he realized it too late—after he’d already broken her heart. That mistake cost him more than their friendship; it cost him Scotland—the home he left behind, believing she’d moved on with someone else.Years later, a devastating family situation calls him back, but the past he’s fought to forget is still there, waiting for him, because Avonlea’s back too. And facing her, and the life she built without him, is more than he can bear.Stuck together under the same roof, Avonlea and Jamie are forced to face everything they lost—and the truth they once promised each other.Connect and follow J.A Forde here: LINKSAbout Victoria:Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together. Here’s how I can help:📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.Grab it HERE📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit victoriajaneeditorial.substack.com

Author bio:K.C. Harper grew up on Canada's east coast and spends her time plotting to destroy the happiness of her characters. She’s an avid reader, developmental editor, and a full-time human servant to a 4.5 lb teacup Chihuahua. She's represented by Helen Lane at the Ki Literary Agency.Book blurb:Speed can be dangerous. Letting your past catch up with you is deadly. An ex-con bad boy is brought to his knees in K.C. Harper’s contemporary debut, perfect for fans of Lauren Asher’s Dirty Air series.Xavier Bosch has yet to find a rally-car course he can’t handle—or a woman he wants to share the road with. He’s worked hard to keep his criminal record a secret, but when the news breaks that his abusive father will soon be released from prison, his past threatens to catch up fast. Letting a woman into his world would only make her a target.But when a nasty crash brings Ryah Nolan into his life, all bets are off. Psychology student Ryah Nolan doesn’t trust easy. Not with a professor determined to make her life hell, an ex-boyfriend who isn’t quite an ex…and a terrifying stalker no one but her best friend takes seriously. Letting someone in is a risk. But despite his gruff exterior and need for speed, Xavier makes her feel safe.The closer Xavier and Ryah become, the more they want to put their pasts in the rear view. As they race the clock and the dangers they’ve run from give chase, one thing is certain—they will win or lose together.Links:To keep up on my publishing related news or purchase my books, people can sign up for my (semi-frequent) newsletter at my website:www.kcharper.comhttps://linktr.ee/kcharperauthorAbout Victoria:Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together. Here’s how I can help:📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.Grab it HERE📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit victoriajaneeditorial.substack.com

About the author:My name is Ashley & I am writing my debut novel in dystopian speculative fiction. It is a work in progress but I hope you join me wild journey of discovery and growth as I navigate the complexities of the writing, literary and publishing world.I reside in East Austin TX with my partner ( Danny) and 3 fur baby rescue mutts ( Bently, Fredrik & Bruno). A self declared bibliophile and always a storyteller casting tales from a young age along the way I’ve typed away for various scholarships and minor publications. Now though, I’ve thrown myself into the realm of novel creation. When I’m not writing you can find me out in nature far from the chaos of the world, hiking, kayaking, enjoying good, inventive food or a matcha latte. At home my garden and library are my solitude though I deeply enjoy the artistic, quirky offerings of Austin. Having traveled the world each place and community has deeply impacted my life in ways I’m beyond grateful for. I can’t predict what’s next because it’s always an opportunity to take part and I’d rather hop on an adventurous side quest than die a bore. Book Blurb:"Jessi is forced to choose to flee to the forest with her dog, Janus, after facing abetrayal and to avoid arrest from the newly established authoritarian regime.Deep amongst the trees she must learn what it means to survive-both in thewilderness and this new world.Convinced she can live, unnoticed in the forest, Jessi must grasp to her humanity,uncover dimmed skills, and cling on to the hope there's a way through this.Lurking beneath the surface is the nagging question: Is she truly alone in this vastexpanse?Each day a lucky gift, hiding away from the other shoe that threatens to drop, justbeyond the horizon, as signs of the world she left behind begin to creep in.Survival demands everything. Without an option to opt out, every day living is anact of resistance.Every choice demands her re-evaluation of what is necessary to endure in theface of erasure."Connect with Ashley belowLINKSAbout Victoria:Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together. Here’s how I can help:📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.Grab it HERE📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit victoriajaneeditorial.substack.com

About the author:Saoirse Raylene Morton is the author of the Faeries of the City series and is co-authoring a steampunk fantasy series with her husband, Cody Owen. She has a degree in English Education and worked as an editor for many years before stepping away to pursue her writing career.She lives in her suburban townhome with her husband and a possible pantry ghost, and spends most of her free time playing video games, writing in coffee shops, and teaching herself hobbies she doesn't have time for.Book Blurb: Is a dream worth having if no one else believes?When Reverie Vyse loses her barista, she hires a man from a neighboring city to work in her bookstore's coffee shop. But when he arrives, so does the music.Decan Jarris, a barista and violinist, just wants to start his career as a musician, even going so far as to run away from his old life. It's a test of bravery, trust, and resolve as Reverie, who has already fulfilled her dreams, helps Decan fulfill his own.But is resolves enough when no one else believes? And can a blooming romance survive the hardships of dreaming?Dive into a cozy fantasy that feels like sipping coffee in a moody, dark library -- and dream as if anything were possible.Follow S.R Morton & Grab the books: LINKSAbout Victoria:Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together. Here’s how I can help:📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.Grab it HERE📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit victoriajaneeditorial.substack.com

About the author:Ming Louie Stein grew up in East Vancouver and now lives in Port Moody with her husband and their two beloved pets—a poodle-terrier mix and a British shorthair cat. She has two grandchildren who inspire her every day. Ming began writing after her retirement, and this is her debut book. She is currently working on two additional novels and has a children’s book set for release in summer 2025. Ming is a Tai Chi Devotee and loves nature. She participates in writing groups and attends book fairs and author events throughout the Tri Cities area.KINTSUGIA WomanWorthless to GoldAuto-fiction / Creative non-fiction / Memoir of a first generation chinese immigrant. It is 1960 and inside a Vancouver home, a spirited four-year-old girl is beaten to submission. She endures repeated episodes of what her mother calls corporal punishment. At school, she blooms under her encouraging teachers and the camaraderie of friends, retreating once she's home. As the years pass, her confidence erodes, leaving her unprepared to face adulthood.Lacking healthy role models and essential life skills, she searches for love through a series of failed relationships. But it is only through these interactions that she learned to live like she never knew possible.Written with candour, the story is sad but heartwarming. It's an emotional journey with our heroine toward her path to healing and happiness.She is Kintsugi. A metaphor for the woman— who was once considered worthless. Once broken, now a beautifully mended vessel*, stronger and more resilient than ever, for each restored piece is a treasure that completes her.*Throughout history, women are viewed as vessels as they contain, guide, and protect. A woman's womb is a cradle that gives life.LINKS:https://minglouiestein.com/About Victoria:Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together. Here’s how I can help:📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.Grab it HERE📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit victoriajaneeditorial.substack.com