Back Down the TBR hole

Back in 2017, at the former location of this blog, I took part in a regularly-scheduled bloghop called "Down the TBR hole." The objective was to highlight books the blogger intended to read, highlight books the blogger intended to purchase, and/or highlight the fact that we have huge piles of books we intend to read (to-be-read= TBR) but fail to make the time to do so (hilariously, by spending time making a list rather than reading). I used it for the buying purpose, as my Amazon wishlist (https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/ZRW0Y5LGHMN9) grows out of control and I forget why I intended to buy certain books!


[My "Price "wishing" for: $ (US 💵💰)" section is because I'm cheap lately as income has decreased significantly over the last five years, and is in NO WAY a reflection of the value I know books have, but rather the 💸 lack of my own funds.]

1. TITLE: Well of Ash
   
   LINK: https://amzn.to/3M18hVs
   Interested because: "If you like dragons, magic, and a fierce heroine with a wounded heart, then you’ll love Well of Ash, a YA Fantasy novella by Elle Cardy."
   Price "wishing" for: $ .99 (US 💵💰) 135 pages feels like it should be a dollar.
2. TITLE: Binti: Home
   
   LINK: https://amzn.to/3O1U3Ei
   Interested because: Really loved the first one.
   Price "wishing" for: $1.99 (US 💵💰) Hoping for a sale.
3. TITLE: Give the Dark My Love
   
   LINK: https://amzn.to/4rg3grd
   Interested because: Great descripition for a fantasy.
   Price "wishing" for: $3.99 (US 💵💰)
4. TITLE: The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature
   
   LINK: https://amzn.to/46cHM6d
   Interested because: "new scientific discoveries to show how humans are deeply connected to the natural world" I love trees! 🌳
   Price "wishing" for: $2.99 (US 💵💰)
5. TITLE: Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini
   
   LINK: https://amzn.to/4pWL7xu
   Interested because: Love other books by this (deceased) author.
   Price "wishing" for: $3.99 (US 💵💰)
6. TITLE: The Snowball Book Launch: How To Create A Huge Buzz And Massive Pre-Order Sales Before You Release Your Self-Published Book
   
   LINK: https://amzn.to/4q1b6no
   Interested because: I self publish
   Price "wishing" for: $ (US 💵💰) 🛒 PURCHASED
7. TITLE: Creating Character Arcs Workbook: The Writer's Reference to Exceptional Character Development and Creative Writing
   
   LINK: https://amzn.to/4abvUUp
   Interested because: Interesting topic
   Price "wishing" for: $1.99 (US 💵💰)
8. TITLE: The Author Blog: Easy Blogging for Busy Authors
   
   LINK: https://amzn.to/4aigrkD
   Interested because: I consider myself an expert in this, so what has someone else written about it? "* What authors should blog about at different stages of their careers* What authors should blog about at different stages of their careers"
   Price "wishing" for: $ (US 💵💰) 🛒 PURCHASED
9. TITLE: Breaking the Habit (Irascible Immortals Book 1) by Ronel Janse van Vuuren
   
   LINK: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1254852
   Amazon took her books down! 🤷😡 Interested because: Love this author.
   Price "wishing" for: $ (US 💵💰) Actually tried, but Smashwords wouldn't let me checkout.
10. TITLE: The People's Library by Veronica G. Henry
    
    LINK: https://amzn.to/4rhz9Qe
    Interested because: science fiction fantasy set in near-future Cleveland
    Price "wishing" for: $ (US 💵💰) 🛒 PURCHASED {First-Read}
11. TITLE: Famous Once: A Short Story by Jane Green
    
    LINK: https://amzn.to/4adGZnW
    Interested because: What they uncover will shake the foundations of rock music history and the powerful people who shaped it.
    Price "wishing" for: $ (US 💵💰) 🛒 PURCHASED {First-Read}

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IWSG Writing Plans for 2026

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

Shout-out to Alex and the awesome co-hosts for today: Shannon Lawrence, Olga Godim, Jean Davis, and Jacqui Murray!

January 7 question - Is there anything in your writing plans for 2026 that you are going to do that you couldn't get done in 2025?

I'm planning to get book three of my Existence series done in 2026. Any thoughts on the cover of Cave of Existence? 



Cave of Existence (Book 3) — Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Myths and Legends, Speculative Fiction, New Adult, "Superhero Fantasy"

Fractions of Existence (Book 1) — Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Myths and Legends, Speculative Fiction, New Adult, "Superhero Fantasy"
Proof of Existence (Book 2) — Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Myths and Legends, Speculative Fiction, New Adult, "Superhero Fantasy"

 

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📚💙 — J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Watch for special features: 

Jan 7- International Creativity Month - Arlee Jan 21- National Be On-Purpose Month - J

Feb 4- Women's Role in History Month - Csenge Feb 18- Fondue Month - Jayden

Best Gift for A Writer #IWSG

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

Shout-out to Alex and the awesome co-hosts for today:

Dec 3 question - As a writer, what was one of the coolest/best gifts you ever received?

As a writer, the best gift is a review. 

I believe in the value of reviews so much that I wrote a book about how to easily write them!
Writing Book Reviews As An Author: Inspiration To Make It Easier - https://amzn.to/3MDhEKQ

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📚💙 — J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Watch for special features: 

Nov 19- Dream Destination - J

Dec 3- Books Make Great Gifts month - Ronel  Dec 18- Keith Richards 🎂 - John

Jan 7- International Creativity Month - Arlee Jan 21- National Be On-Purpose Month - J

Feb 4- Women's Role in History Month - Csenge Feb 18- Fondue Month - Jayden

Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Day

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📚💙 — J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Watch for special features: 

Nov 19- Dream Destination - J

Dec 3- Books Make Great Gifts month - Ronel  Dec 18- Keith Richards 🎂 - John

Jan 7- International Creativity Month - Arlee Jan 21- National Be On-Purpose Month - J

Feb 4- Women's Role in History Month - Csenge Feb 18- Fondue Month - Jayden

Writing Life #IWSG and Grammarly AI update

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

Shout-out to Alex and the awesome co-hosts for today: Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove!

November 5 question -

When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

I don't know that I did imagine my life as a writer. It was just something I started doing one day, and some people liked it, so I kept doing it. Eventually, an elder told me that writing (or "story keeping") was likely the purpose of my soul. That was part of a ceremony. So I kept at it. 

Definitely experienced some unexpected twists. I was working on a publishing team, making connections and whatnot. One day, the place I had been working at was blown up. I wasn't working there at the time, but most of the connections I made did not survive the tragedy. (Details are possibly political, so I won't go into more about this. But you almost certainly know about the buildings falling down.) Those connections who did survive, most were no longer in the field. I started over from scratch a few years later, after many more major life changes. 

There was a time when I thought being a Native American would actually help me in the publishing world. 😅 I have no idea why I thought that, but it was certainly untrue. 

I did believe, at one time, that I'd be able to traditionally publish, despite various obstacles. Okay, see, that belief was fueled by elders saying this is the "purpose of my soul" and such. I thought it meant the universe would be on my side, that there'd be some help along the way. 

None of these are complaints! Just observations. Actually, I feel liberated by the self-publishing path. I have a fiction series, a few short fiction books, and two writer's reference books. Some on Amazon, some on other sites. (Smashwords connections.) 

Amazon sales graph

Despite the Existence Series discount during the Amazon Prime Days event, my book sales only happened on other days last month. And the big seller was:


Writing Book Reviews As An Author: Inspiration To Make It Easier — Writing Reference, Literary Criticism

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Grammarly Inc., Coda Project LLC, and Superhuman Labs LLC are now subsidiaries of Superhuman Platform Inc.
Here's how to check if you're training their AI (if you use Grammarly).

Go to your account settings, as per the new privacy notice.
If you move the slider to the left, you aren't PAYING Grammarly to use you to train AI.

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I saw a post on Facebook about this banned books image. I got the sticker for myself, and the shirt for a friend.

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Sad News: Sue of the Elephant's Child blog has passed away. I mostly knew Sue from WEP. The last comment left on this blog was a year ago:

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📚💙 — J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Watch for special features: 

Nov 5- Gaming - Jayden Nov 19- Dream Destination - J

Dec 3- Books Make Great Gifts month - Ronel  Dec 18- Keith Richards 🎂 - John

Jan 7- International Creativity Month - Arlee Jan 21- National Be On-Purpose Month - J

Feb 4- Women's Role in History Month - Csenge Feb 18- Fondue Month - Jayden

Favorite Writing #IWSG 📚💙 an Email Scam and Banned Books

InsecureWritersSupportGroup.com

Shout-out to Alex and the awesome co-hosts for today: Beth Camp, Crystal Collier, and Cathrina Constantine!

Oct 1 question - What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?

I still love my (Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Myths and Legends, Speculative Fiction, New Adult, "Superhero Fantasy") Existence series, the first of which is Fractions of Existence. I still get giddy on the rereads at certain scenes. (My favorite being when Xavier and Wend are at the pier.)

My #bookiversary for Fractions of Existence (urban fantasy). #booksky Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 19, 2017 amzn.to/4pnOBKe

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— J Lenni Dorner (@jlennidorner.bsky.social) September 20, 2025 at 12:52 AM

Alex- I'd like to volunteer to co-host in February.

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In other news:
This email happened. Sounds like a scam to me!

(It IS a scam. https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18063778520360608/ )




Oh look... prices... 😧🫨

Does it sound like a scam? 

(Again, it IS a verified SCAM. https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18063778520360608/ - Do NOT get tricked!)

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Good Monday Morning #BookSky! Did you add care & joy to the world this weekend? Great! As part of Banned Books Week @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social is organizing Let Freedom Read Day on October 11. On that day, we're asking everyone to take 1 action to protect the right to read. More info & actions👇

[image or embed]

— Authors Against Book Bans (@authorsabb.bsky.social) September 15, 2025 at 8:45 AM

Let Freedom Read Day on October 11! #LetFreedomReadDay and #BannedBooksWeek!  

UniteAgainstBookBans.org Will you take part?

Legendary Actor/Author/Activist George Takei Named Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week 2025 (click)

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📚💙 — J (he/him 👨🏽 or 🧑🏽 they/them) ~ Speculative Fiction & Reference Author and Co-host of the April Blogging #AtoZChallenge

https://bsky.app/profile/jlennidorner.bsky.social  My current favorite social media site.
https://amzn.to/41QBB4P Author page on Amazon — please consider following and supporting this indie author!
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-lenni-dorner  BookBub author profile— I'd be grateful if you'd follow me.
  #AtoZChallenge a-to-zchallenge.com Kindly check out the blog hop's website. Watch for special features: 

Oct 8- Family History Month - Csenge Oct 22- Eat Better, Eat Together Month - John

Nov 5- Gaming - Jayden Nov 19- Dream Destination - J

Dec 3- Books Make Great Gifts month - Ronel  Dec 18- Keith Richards 🎂 - John

Jan 7- International Creativity Month - Arlee Jan 21- National Be On-Purpose Month - J

Feb 4- Women's Role in History Month - Csenge Feb 18- Fondue Month - Jayden

Jewels of Darterra— New novelette, only 12k words. A fantasy about a world on the brink of change. (Comp title, perhaps, Allegiant- book 3 of the Divergent series, because the society collapses and the main character is betrayed by a former ally.) Only .99cents at Barnes and Noble!