The Neighbor Favor, Beyoncé, and Books I’ve Read So Far This Year

Hi, everyone! Happy August. I hope you’ve all been enjoying summer. Like many people, I’ve spent the last few days listening to Beyoncé’s Renaissance album on a never-ending loop. I’m actually listening to it right now as I draft this newsletter. Renaissance has disrupted my Beyoncé album tier ranking. I’m still trying to figure out where it falls, but it’s definitely top three. I can write another newsletter specifically dedicated to my love for Beyoncé, so I will move on (for now). I feel like I’m finally coming up for air since ZYLA & KAI published in June. Thank you to everyone who bought a copy or borrowed a copy from the library or posted about it on social media. I’m so thankful for it all! My last Z&K related request is that if you’ve read it, please consider leaving a review on retailer sites (like Amazon and Barnes and Noble). This definitely helps with exposure and visibility!

Another book related update is that I revealed the cover for my adult romance debut, THE NEIGHBOR FAVOR last month! It goes on sale February 28, 2023 and it’s currently available for pre-order here. The cover as well as a synopsis are below.

Shy, bookish, and admittedly awkward, Lily Greene has always felt inadequate compared to the rest of her accomplished family, who strive for Black excellence. She dreams of becoming a children’s books editor, but she’s been frustratingly stuck in the nonfiction division for years without a promotion in sight. Lily finds escapism in her correspondences with her favorite fantasy author, and what begins as two lonely people connecting over email turns into a tentative friendship and possibly something else Lily won’t let herself entertain—until he ghosts her without a word.
 
Months later, Lily is still crushed, but she’s determined to get a hold of her life, starting with finding a date to her sister’s wedding. And the perfect person to help her is Nick Brown, her charming, attractive new neighbor, who she feels drawn to for reasons she can’t explain. But little does she know, Nick is an author—her favorite fantasy author.
 
Nick, who has his reasons for using a pen name and pushing people away, soon realizes that the beautiful, quiet girl from down the hall is the same Lily he fell in love with over email months ago. Unwilling to complicate things even more between them, he agrees to set her up with someone else, though this simple favor between two neighbors is anything but—not when he can’t get her off his mind…

I’m planning to a preorder campaign for this one. More soon!

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If you’ve been here since the days of my first newsletter, you might remember that in addition to writing, I also worked full time in children’s books publishing. Well, as of August 1st, I am now a full-time writer! I was able to make this choice for a few reasons. The main reason is that over the years I haven’t really had to spend money from my book advances because I had income from my day job, so I’ve saved a decent amount over the years. I also don’t have children or any dependents. Another major reason is that I moved out of NYC and came back to NJ and I’m no longer giving half of my money away for rent. Writing full-time (because writing is a full-time job, whether you also have a day job or not) and working my day job started to become way too stressful. I’m hoping to make this last for as long as possible, but I’ve already accepted that if I have to go back to corporate America at some choice, at least I’ll know I tried. I’m a pragmatic Capricorn and the instability of being a full-time artist did not sit well with me for a long time. But I’ve been wanting to take this leap for a while, so regardless of the outcome, I am proud of myself for finally trying.

Now that I’m no longer working in publishing and I’m not obligated to read YA for work, I’m hoping that I can get back into reading more YA for pleasure. And on that note, here are the books I’ve read so far this year in order of when I read them. My reading rule for 2022 is to DNF a book if I’m not enjoying it. So I can confirm that I enjoyed reading (or listening to) each of the below books.

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (adult romance)

Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski (adult thriller)

Pride & Prejudice (audiobook) by Jane Austen

The Sisters of Reckoning by Charlotte Nicole Davis (YA)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (audiobook) by Robert Louis Stevenson

One True Loves by Elise Bryant (YA)

Make a Scene by Mimi Grace (adult romance)

The Princess by Jude Deveraux (adult romance)

Ice Planet Barbarians books 1-7 by Ruby Dixon (adult romance)

The No-Show by Beth O’Leary (adult romance…although I might categorize this as women’s fiction)

Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen (reread) (YA)

Chicago Stars books 2-6 by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (adult romance)

Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk (YA)

Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl by Joya Goffney (YA)

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon (adult romance)

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi (adult romance)

What a Match by Mimi Grace (adult romance)

I’ll be spending the rest of the year writing my next YA and my next adult romance, and I’m not exactly sure when my next newsletter will be. Until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of summer and stay safe and healthy!

xo,

Kristina