Beta Reader Application Open

I’m excited to announce that I have opened the application for my next book: The Bautista Sisters and the Murders at Enchanted Hills.

This is a new adult horror/mystery with 3 female protagonists of color. The book does have sensitive topics such as rape/sexual assault, abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, verbal), self-injurious behavior (ex. Self-harm, eating disorders), depression, violence, kidnapping (forceful deprivation of/disregard for personal autonomy), death or dying, and blood.

The story begins with our three main protagonists, Cassie, Janelle, and Rhem Bautista watching a scary movie and discussing how they wished there were more horror movies with smart female protagonists. After switching over to the evening news, they learn about a set of murders that occurred in a wealthy neighborhood in their city. The sisters have a reputation in town for solving crimes and providing tips to the police to collect the reward money and support themselves, as they come for a single-parent household.

This murder becomes personal for them when they learn the victims were sisters from their school, so they agree to find the killer as soon as possible to not only bring justice to their murdered classmates, but to also keep the town safe. Each sister has her own theory of who murdered the students, but when they realize the murders also took place in Enchanted Hills, a wealthy, but haunted neighborhood that was built over the city's penitentiary, the sisters begin to wonder if the culprit could be the ghost of Milton Astley, a serial killer from 100 years ago, who promised to come back and kill again.

If selected, I will send a PDF copy of the book to your email in exchange for feedback on the book through completing a survey. Those selected will potentially be asked to return as ARC readers when the final copy is created. To be considered, please apply by November 18th. I will send out communication by November 25th to let you know if you have been selected. You can apply to be beta reader here.

A New Website

I’ve been meaning to launch an official website for YEARS. I’ve always had some sort of blog or website, but there have been several times when I’ve created it and then deleted it shortly after because it felt cringy. This still feels cringy, but I’ve decided to go through with this one because I finally have an idea of the kinds of things I’d like to share.

If you’re a family member or friend, you probably know that I published my first book in 2020: Late Night Might As Well Be Drunk Writing. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I failed to create a platform and following that would target the types of readers I wanted to share my book with. So, like many people did in 2020, and despite my promises that I would NEVER be one of them, I joined TikTok. Immediately, I realized how quickly you can grow on the platform and began posting about my book, books I’m reading, college tips, and the occasional trend or transition video.

After about 6 months of posting, I had a video go viral and developed a small following. It was then I realized that I needed to niche down. I didn’t want to, because I was having too much fun posting whatever I wanted. That’s okay too, but after reflecting on how many friends reached out and said they were going to check out a book I recommended or the number of random students who told me they wished their high school teachers taught them the college tips I shared, I realized that I had information that could be value to other people, even if I didn’t see the value in it myself.

Last year, while I was doing my goal-setting and vision boarding for 2022, I added launching a website to the list. I wanted to give everyone a central place to come to, where they wouldn’t have to dig through my make-up transitions and stupid Harry Potter videos to find what they were looking for. So I guess this website is for everyone: for those looking for more stuff for read, for people trying to navigate college for the first time, and for me, to finally be brave enough to share what I know, to acknowledge that I can be an expert at something, and to continue to help myself grow in my career.