Lyndsey Hall Writes

Reading | Writing | Reviewing

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ARCs of The Fair Queen now available!

ARCs of The Fair Queen now available! | Lyndsey Hall Writes #amwriting #indieauthor #ARCs #selfpublishing #YA #fantasy

Less than 3 weeks to go until The Fair Queen is published! I got the finished ebook and paperback files back from my interior formatter and cover designer today and it is so beautiful I could cry. I uploaded them to KDP immediately and ordered my proof copy of the paperback so I can check for any errors before the hard copies go on sale. I can’t wait for it to arrive next week!

The Advance…

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Cover reveal and release date for The Fair Queen

Cover reveal and release date for The Fair Queen | Lyndsey Hall | Author #indieauthor #debutnovel #coverreveal

Back in January, I decided to go all in and self publish my debut novel this summer. I worked with a cover designer, booked an editor for April and arranged to have the interior formatted beautifully, and started looking into the pros and cons of Amazon and Ingram Spark.

Then the pandemic hit.

I’m lucky that the virus hasn’t impacted my plans to publish The Fair Queen. I know lots of book…

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The one writing podcast you need

The one writing podcast you need in your #writerslife | Lyndsey Hall Blog #88cupsoftea

I’ve been a podcast addict for a few years now. If you’re sceptical, don’t worry, you’re not alone. I don’t particularly like listening to the radio because I just want to hear my favourite songs, I don’t need all the inane chatter – so when it came to podcasts, I assumed that’s all it would be. That, or dry topics like politics. Nothing that would interest a creative type like me. *flicks hair*

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Traditional publishing vs. self publishing

Traditional publishing vs. self publishing | Lyndsey's Book Blog #amwriting #amediting #publishing

Happy New Year! I know I’m a little bit late, but I hope 2020 brings you lots of happiness and success, especially if you’re querying or plan to self publish a novel this year.

2019 was a particularly challenging year for me, for so many reasons, and some of the struggles aren’t quite over yet, so 2020 should be a pretty interesting and exciting year. I’m hoping to be in a completely different…

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Review: Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

Review: Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas | 5 stars | Lyndsey's Book Blog #review #bookblog #5stars

It’s been almost a year since I finished Kingdom of Ash, the final book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, and one of my all time favourite book series. I think that means it’s about time I wrote a review, right?

I wanted to wait until I’d read the entire series before I reviewed it. It’s a long one, with seven increasingly wordy books (the final book is over 1000 pages!).…

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Review: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

Review: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty | Lyndsey's Book Blog #amreading #bookblogger #review

As epic fantasy novels go, it doesn’t get much better than The City of Brass! Set partly in ancient Cairo, it’s a richly diverse and beautifully descriptive novel, and even better, it’s the first in a series! The Kingdom of Copper is out now and The Empire of Gold is due in 2020!

TL;DR An Aladdin-esque fantasy with djinn warriors, elemental spirits and a smart, sassy con-woman. Nahri…

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Writing and emotional blockages

Wow, six months really flew by! Sorry for the radio silence, I’ve been busy with work, being a mum to a now one-year-old (how did that happen?!) and actually reading again! After months of barely managing to pick up a book and read more than a sentence before my eyes drooped shut or someone needed me, I’m starting to get some time back for myself, and have even gotten back to my writing. (And…

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Review: The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

Review: The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee | Lyndsey's Book Blog #amreading #bookblogger

Any other giant Mackenzi Lee fans in the house? If you haven’t read The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, where have you been? Get thyself to a reputable book store immediately! The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (winner of the best book title of the year award) is a companion novel that follows Monty’s sister Felicity in the aftermath of Gent’s Guide.

Spoiler warning – if you…

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On the writer's block - Author Toolbox Blog Hop

On the writer's block - Author Toolbox Blog Hop | Lyndsey's Book Blog #authortoolboxbloghop #amwriting #writersblock

Happy New Year! It’s been a few months since the last Author Toolbox Blog Hop, what with NaNoWriMo and the festive break, but we’re back with the first hop of 2019. (I’m a little late as I’ve been away for a couple of days!)

Whether you’ve been writing for years, or you’re new to the craft, you’ll almost certainly have heard of writer’s block. You’ve probably even suffered from it, to some…

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Ten books on my Winter TBR

Ten books on my Winter TBR | Lyndsey's Book Blog #bookblog #amreading #TTT

Following on from my last post, I thought I’d join in with Top Ten Tuesday and share ten books I’m excited to read over the coming months. It’s a mix of wintry stories and books I’ve been looking forward to reading – some physical copies and some audio books (you know how much I love an audio book!), so hopefully there’s something for everyone on this list.

Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones

I’ve…

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Reading and writing goals for 2019

Reading and writing goals for 2019

Happy holidays! I cannot believe 2018 is almost at an end, this year has been an absolute whirlwind. I thought I’d have a look back at my goals and how badly I did at achieving them, and then set some more for next year that I probably won’t achieve either! Ah, new motherhood. It’s all fun and games until somebody drops their biscuit.

So, last January I shared my Reading and writing goals for…

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Review: Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco

Review: Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco | Lyndsey's Book Blog #amreading #review

Excuse me while I do a happy dance, because this isn’t the final book in the series! I was absolutely expecting the series to come to an end at the conclusion of Escaping from Houdini, but I was wrong. According to Goodreads, book four will be the last, so we’re getting one more instalment, people!

Check out my review of Hunting Prince Draculato find out what I thought of the previous two books…

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Famous first words - Author toolbox blog hop

Famous first words - Author toolbox blog hop | Lyndsey's Book Blog #amwriting #AuthorToolboxBlogHop #nanowrimo

Hi folks! I’m a little late with my Author Toolbox Blog Hop post this month, but as it’s the last one of the year (anyone else doing NaNoWriMo?), it’s better late than never!

This month I wanted to look at one of the most important parts of any novel, because as we all know, first impressions last. Lots of writers spend hours (days, weeks, etc.) agonising over their story’s first line, usually…

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Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Review: Red Rising by Pierce Brown | Lyndsey's Book Blog #amreading #bookblogger #review

I’d heard so many good things about the Red Rising Saga from other book bloggers and readers online, so when I saw it was on offer on Audible a few months ago, I had to buy it!

TL;DR Darrow is a Red, one of the miners living in a colony on Mars, tasked with the job of making the planet inhabitable for the rest of mankind when Earth dies. Treated as second class citizens by the ruling class, the…

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Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore | Lyndsey's Book Blog #amreading #review #bookblogger #5stars

Wow. I haven’t read a book I’ve enjoyed as much as Graceling in ages. If you’re looking for a book to get you out of a slump, or just a really fantastic little YA fantasy, you can’t go wrong with this one.

TL;DR Katsa is Graced with the ability to kill. Her uncle, the king of one of seven kingdoms in the realm, has trained her to be his enforcer and assassin, but Katsa has had enough of killing.…

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Finding your tribe - Author toolbox blog hop

Finding your tribe - Author toolbox blog hop | Lyndsey's Book Blog #authortoolboxbloghop #amwriting #blogger

It’s time for another Author Toolbox Blog Hop! Huge thanks to Raimey Gallant for hosting this fantastic link up between writers at every step of the publishing journey, and those who just do it for fun!

Being a writer can be a lonely existence at times, especially if it’s your full-time job, so this month I thought I’d give you some tips on finding your tribe – those like-minded individuals who…

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Review: Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

Review: Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco | Lyndsey's Book Blog #amreading #bookblogger #review

Love historical fiction? Fan of dark fantasy? You’ve come to the right place! Today we’re talking about Kerri Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack the Ripper series, and more specifically book two, Hunting Prince Dracula.

(I just looked for my review of Stalking Jack the Ripperto see how many stars I gave it, and realised I never wrote one! Sorry about that, I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads, so it’s…

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