Elizabeth Maria Naranjo's Blog

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It’s been raining for weeks, I’ve been lost in the luxurious limbo of Fall Break, and there’s never been a better time to share spooky book recommendations. Here are five new releases that are perfect for autumn.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia bewitched us all with her 2020 breakout novel Mexican Gothic. The prolific and versatile author’s newest is a multigenerational horror story filled with magic, mystery, witches, and Moreno-Ga...

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A few years ago I was cleaning out my closet and decided to dedicate a shelf to my writing. I dusted off my Fourth Wall poster board and stood it upright. I unpacked boxes of author’s copies of the books I’d published and lined them up with the poster. Next to those I added all of the anthologies I’ve been featured in over the years. 

It never occurred to me why I’d chosen a shelf in the closet.

When a local author shared a photo recently of an entire bookshel...

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In February, ReaderLink, one of the biggest book distributors in the US, announced they will stop distributing mass market paperbacks at the end of the year. Up to seventy percent of mass market paperback sales in the US are sold by ReaderLink’s customers, including Kroger and Walmart. And, with the exception of classics and cozy mysteries, it doesn’t look as if the Big Five publishers or major retailers like Barnes & Noble will do much to save the dying format.

I...

Image courtesy of Five Minute Lit

My son turned eighteen on May 28, the same day this piece was published in Five Minute Lit. Another year gone by. Another milestone. They are adding up to one long road, and it’s sure to be a little lonely. Such is parenthood.

As always, thanks for reading.

The post Read “Driving Lessons” in Five Minute Lit appeared first on Elizabeth Maria Naranjo.

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The owner of WiDo Publishing, Karen Jones Gowen, recently shared a post lamenting the absence of writer blogs, which were once so prevalent in our community. The sense of loss expressed in Gowen’s post is relatable; I think many of us miss visiting other authors’ personal blogs that chartered their journeys and processes. In exploring this topic, Gowen presents a list of questions she’d like to ask her fellow writers, the kinds of questions so often answered ...

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This month’s post was supposed to be about reconnecting with the past. I’ve long been in search of a writing community, and recently I thought I’d found a solution. Remembering the excitement and the sense of belonging when participating in Camp NaNoWriMo years ago, I decided to join the April session. I’d set a goal of two pages per day for an edit on my current novel. I’d meet some new writer friends in my virtual tent. It’d be just like old times.

But, as m...

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No matter what’s going on in the wide world or the tangled web of my own thoughts, I can always find comfort in the Harry Potter series. 

Maybe it’s a yearning for days’ past. I remember reading Sorcerer’s Stone while pregnant with my daughter; a little over a decade later, she’d read all seven books on her own. For my son’s 5th grade Meet the Teacher night, we were treated to a room decorated so lavishly in Harry Potter themes that it felt like we’d stepped stra...

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In October, Amazon announced they were shutting down Kindle Vella. The serialized story platform launched in July of 2021, offering an exciting new way for authors to self-publish their work—one episode at a time.

Unfortunately, the idea never really took off. There have been numerous articles theorizing why, so I won’t do that here. Instead, I want to pay tribute to the platform that inspired me to take the plunge and begin self-publishing. I want to talk a...

The Pralines & Creamed reviews tour wrapped up earlier this month, kicking off another year of Sweet Dreams! I am so grateful to everyone who’s read and reviewed the first two books of my cozy mystery series. Check out some of the reviews below, and then head over to Women on Writing to enter the giveaway for a print copy of Pralines and Creamed.

Good luck!

Linda says: 

A lovely young adult read. Elizabeth seems to be able to conjure up a scene in words so perfectly—from the ice cream parlour m...

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Twenty twenty-four was a whirlwind. Writing-wise, I devoted the entire year to my cozy mystery series, publishing the first Sweet Dreams Mysteries book in July and the second in October. The third, which I’d hoped to publish in December, is now slated for release next winter.

The behind the scenes of publishing is probably not very interesting to most people, but to sum up I worked almost daily from the first of January until the first of October, editing ex...