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I recently reviewed Sophie McAloon‘s debut romance/science fiction novel Top Choice, giving it an enthusiastic 4 out of 5 tiaras! (Read my review here!) I also got the chance to chat with McAloon afterward. Read the interview below, in which McAloon‘s intelligence and humility shine through in her insightful responses. We discuss the #MeToo movement, why revenge isn’t always the best answer, and why we can’t just focus on setting girls up for future success (while leaving out the boys)!
Elizabeth May Jahns: Tell me about your background. What led up to you deciding to write a novel? How did you then go about getting it published? Tell me about your journey.
Sophie McAloon: I’ve always loved to write but didn’t ever take the time (or have the guts!) to write a full-length novel until a few years ago. I wrote Top Choice in 2013, pitched it to agents in 2014, and signed with an agent that same year. Although the manuscript received mostly positive feedback from publishers, they were not picking up many new dystopian stories at the time, apparently having over-purchased following the “Hunger Games” and “Divergent” craze. A couple of editors requested samples of my contemporary YA writing, since this genre was just starting to gain popularity. So although I drafted a few concepts, my heart just wasn’t in it and to be honest, the drafts were pretty terrible… So I decided it was a sign that I needed to take a break from writing and parted ways with my agent later that year (on amicable terms, I should add – she is an amazing woman and we’ve stayed in touch).
Last year, with the political climate in the U.S. and the surge of the #MeToo movement, it seemed like a good time to re-visit Top Choice. However, after doing weeks of research, I decided that I wanted to go the self-publishing route this time around – and I have not regretted the decision since! It’s certainly tough and lonely at times, but I love the freedom that it gives me. Publishing Top Choice has been such a positive experience that I’m already eager to self-publish my next book as soon as possible!
I mention in my review that many romances I’ve read switch back and forth between the hero’s and heroine’s respective points of view. However, you made the decision with Top Choice to tell the story only from Ali’s point of view. What was behind you making that decision? Was that how you planned to tell the story from the beginning?
I definitely considered writing from both Ali and Tag’s perspectives. But I was worried that interspersing Tag’s point of view might act as a sort of “flashlight” shining a beam on all of Ali’s flawed beliefs and actions (during the first part of the book at least), to a point where it would become difficult for the reader to root for her as the ultimate hero of the story. So, my hope was that by seeing the world only through her eyes, we would get a better understanding of why Ali is the way she is – and would therefore be more likely to cheer her on and want to see her change and grow throughout the story… and eventually come out on top.
In my review, I also mention how a small part of me feels a sense of triumph, like, “Now the men in Top Choice finally have to pay for their thousands of years of oppression of women. Haha!” Is there any part of you that felt like that while writing this book?
Ha! Great question! Hmm… no, I don’t think I ever did. Having so many incredible men in my life – and having raised two boys (in addition to my daughter), I am firmly rooted in the belief that the male gender is not innately oppressive or barbaric or power-hungry. They are rough and clueless and competitive at times, for sure – but at their core, I believe men have an innate desire to be loved and to please. If they grow up to become aggressive and entitled, then that is not a result of their genetic makeup, but rather because of a species-wide aversion to challenging the status quo (in this case: gender roles and norms).
In fact, I think there is a false assumption out there that the expectation and pressure on girls to be weak and chaste and selfless is somehow more damaging than the pressure placed on boys to be fearless and perpetually confident – to be “protectors” immune to physical and emotional weakness. Men actually have up to 80% higher suicide rates than women – so clearly there is an emotional toll that comes from male gender-role pressures, as well. And the percentages are even higher when we look at deaths in the workplace. Dangerous and more life-threatening jobs are still filled mainly by men. So despite how it appears on the surface, if we dig deeper, I think we’ll find that women are not the only ones suffering under our society’s skewed gender regime.
What are your thoughts on the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements and the new wave of hyper political correctness that seems to have taken hold?
I think it is fantastic and mind-blowing to see the wave of change and credibility and justice that the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements are creating. And I believe we’re going to see permanent and concrete changes as a result of this – which is so, so powerful. We are lucky to be alive at a time when this is happening.
Obviously, there is also the potential for people to abuse the type of influence that comes with any movement with this kind of powerful momentum – from politicians using it as an easy way to falsely de-base opponents to clothing companies cashing in on the marketing potential of the movements’ tag-lines. But I’d like to think that this will balance out over the next few years, once more positive changes come about and gender equality becomes the norm – as opposed to a massive wave that some people are unfortunately just trying to ride for commercial or political gain. Better for there to be a movement that opportunists can abuse than for there to be no movement at all.
My other hope is that this next generation of young women will have the maturity to continue fighting for true equality and not simply for ‘their turn” at being in power. I already see a tendency for some women to use the momentum of the #MeToo movement as a catalyst towards bitterness and power – which is a scary thing.
Do you think that a society like the one in Top Choice could ever really happen?
Yes. Absolutely. Not in all the same ways, obviously, but certainly I could see the tables turning at some point. I think it is human instinct to want to exact revenge any time we have been wronged or oppressed. In fact, it takes exceptional strength not to come back from oppression fueled with anger and the desire to hold some sort of power over our oppressors. Nelson Mandela had that kind of strength, for example. He had resolve and was an amazing leader. That is a rare, incredibly admirable combination of traits – the kinds of traits we should be instilling in our daughters, actually. Not this constant push towards asserting power; to “take” instead of “give” and to be entitled simply because they are girls in the twenty-first century. If we raise our children – regardless of gender – to be driven and confident, but also empathetic, open-minded, and un-entitled, then we might actually have a shot at true equality.
Conversely, do you think that we will ever achieve a truly equal society?
I want to be optimistic and respond with a resounding “YES!!!” But I’m not sure that that would be an honest answer. Just the other day, I saw a Facebook post with a photo of a beautiful young girl with bright streaks painted on her cheeks and the caption “Raise your daughter to be a warrior!” And this is just one example of the widespread misunderstanding out there today of what equality means – that it means instilling in our daughters all the same traits we instilled for years in our sons. As if it is the fact that women were not raised to have these traits that is the issue – not the fact that these traits were abhorrent to begin with. In any gender.
Also, we humans have a consistent tendency towards discrimination – whether it’s based on gender or race or religion or whatever. I don’t see that basic flaw changing any time soon. Especially since I think discrimination is a flaw that stems from fear… which is one of the most powerful human emotions. The fear of being viewed as “less than” or “weaker than” someone else, for example, is a trait we’ve been instilling in boys for centuries and is the root cause of so many instances of male chauvinism and aggression. That’s something we all need to take responsibility for if we want to instill even the desire for equality in both genders.
What does the world outside of Ali’s country look like? Have other nations within your novel shifted to more matriarchal structures, as well?
Funnily enough, the world that I created in Top Choice did not stem from some idea of an evolution of our current society and the resulting future world, but rather from a re-imagination of our past society – in say, the late 1800s or early 1900s. Therefore, there was no real backstory in my mind as to how the world came to be the way it is or how other nations might have similarly evolved. And I made a conscious decision not to get into too much large-scale world building or backstory since this might have altered that original concept (and also lead me down distracting idea tunnels that would cause me to take even longer to finish the book!).
However, now that I’ve started fleshing out more details for a sequel, I have been forced to do a little more brainstorming about these bigger picture questions, and have decided that while many other nations would have also shifted towards matriarchal regimes, a few would not… and would in fact be strongly resisting by swinging the pendulum back to the even more male chauvinist days of the past. This scenario creates the best potential for conflict for the storyline, I think. And I’m all about conflict in YA!!!
What are you working on now and when can we expect to see it on the shelves?
Since publishing Top Choice, I’ve received a surprising number of requests from readers asking about a sequel – which is awesome! I’m actually working on another book right now called The Player, but since I already have a pretty sturdy outline already drafted for a Top Choice sequel, I will probably turn back to that as soon as I publish The Player.
The Player is a YA dystopian about a future world where creativity has become a commodity. Kids who show creative potential early in life are sent to The Creative Institute, where they are essentially left to run wild in an environment most likely to encourage pure, unfiltered creativity – and result in outlandish and awe-inspiring masterpieces that can then be sold for millions of dollars.
The story is about a teen girl who wanted desperately to go to the Institute but never made it in, and a boy who was raised within its walls from an early age – but has recently been banished as a “Fallen Artist” for not living up to his full potential. She is cynical, cautious, and intent on keeping to herself. He is reckless, playful, and not afraid to stand out. But, she soon realizes, he is also very damaged. And when she stumbles across the world he’s been living in since his banishment from the Institute, her initial wonder turns to concern… because there is so much darkness lurking behind his world’s colorful façade, and there are no straight lines anywhere – especially between imagination and deceit, and freedom and corruption. So when he becomes the main suspect in a gruesome murder, she is not sure what is crazier: the inner workings of this boy’s mind, the fact that she believes he is innocent, or the notion that she may be falling in love with him.
I’m hoping to publish The Player sometime in the fall and a sequel for Top Choice sometime later in 2019. So keep your eyes peeled! Better yet, sign up for my newsletter at sophiemcaloon@yahoo.com to receive updates about specific release dates and promos!
What question do you wish that I had asked you, and how would you answer it?
I loved all your questions! They were so thought-provoking, in fact, that I’m worried I may have rambled on too long at points or come across as overly philosophical. Please know that I wrote Top Choice mainly as a fun, easy read and do not presume to have the intellect or skill level required to impart any sort of real deep commentary on gender or society. I’m just happy that the book seems to be sparking conversations – since that’s one of the most important steps towards change, I think: healthy debate, the sharing of different perspectives, and open dialogue. So thank you for providing an outlet for just that sort of thing!
Image courtesy of SophieMcAloon.com
Sophie McAloon was born and raised in small rural towns across the East Coast of Canada, and now lives in historic Saint John, NB (quite possibly the friendliest, most awesome city in Canada) with her husband, three amazing kids, and Waldo the dog. She has explored Antarctica and Africa and a bunch of places in between, moved more times than she can count on both hands, and worked at a handful of jobs – many of which she hated, but none of which she regrets. She has always loved to write, and she is grateful that she gets to fill so much of her free time now playing on paper (okay – so it’s a laptop, but paper sounds so much more poetic). She is an introvert by nature, so what better way to experience the thrill of being the boldest guest at the party or the toughest leader during a wild revolt – without even having to raise her voice! Visit her website, and follow her on Goodreads, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram! Sign up for her newsletter here!
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing
Release date: June 27, 2018
Genre(s): Historical romance
Pages: 283
Image courtesy of Amazon.com
London, April 1825
Lord Jakob Radclyffe left his past behind in the Far East. Or so he thinks until a ruthless thief surfaces in London, threatening to ruin his daughter’s reputation. With the clock ticking, Jake needs the scandalous Lady Olivia Montfort’s connections in the art world to protect his daughter’s future.
Olivia, too, has a past she’d like to escape. By purchasing her very own Mayfair townhouse, she’ll be able to start a new life independent from all men. There’s one problem: she needs a powerful man’s name to do so. The Viscount St. Alban is the perfect name.
A bargain is struck.
What Olivia doesn’t anticipate is the temptation of the viscount. The undeniable spark of awareness that races between them undermines her vow to leave love behind. Soon, she has no choice but to rid her system of Jake by surrendering to her craving for a single scorching encounter.
But is once enough? Sometimes once only stokes the flame of desire higher and hotter. And sometimes once is all the heart needs to risk all and follow a mad passion wherever it may lead.
Tempted By The Viscount is by far one of the best romance novels I’ve read! And I can’t believe it’s only Sofie Darling’s second book! The chemistry and heat between our hero and heroine were palpable throughout. There were plenty of sexy, steamy scenes! Lord Jakob Radclyffe is definitely a man I could fall for, and I did.
I also adored our heroine, Lady Olivia Montfort. She is a thoroughly modern and intelligent woman who certainly knows what she wants: independence. Being divorced, she is something of a social outcast, but she doesn’t let that stop her. What she wants more than anything is the freedom to make her own choices on her own terms. You could set her down in a 2018 discussion on feminism and she’d have no problem holding her own.
Overall, the novel kept me guessing the whole way through. The characters and plot have stayed with me. I think of it and still get shivers!
I will offer a word of warning, though… Read at your own risk. You won’t be able to put it down. I was up until 5:30 in the morning reading this book, even though I had to be up at 6:45 to get ready for work. The only reason I went to sleep was because I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. The next day at work was rough, but worth it!
Note: Tempted By The Viscount is book two in Sofie Darling’s Shadows and Silk series, but it is a standalone novel. I can’t wait to go back and read the first book in the series, Three Lessons in Seduction!
P.S. I received this book for free from HiddenGemsBooks.com in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links.
Image courtesy of SofieDarling.com
Sofie Darling is an award-winning author of historical romance. Her debut novel, Three Lessons in Seduction, won the Writers’ League of Texas Manuscript Contest in the Romance Category of 2016. She spent much of her twenties raising two boys and reading every book she could get her hands on. Once she realized she simply had to write the books she loved, she finished her English degree and embarked on her writing career. Mr. Darling and their boys gave her their wholehearted blessing. When she’s not writing heroes who make her swoon, she runs a marathon in a different state every year, visits crumbling medieval castles whenever she gets a chance, and enjoys a slightly codependent relationship with her beagle, Bosco. Visit her website, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Goodreads.
P.S. This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
“When someone asks you to spend your life with him, it shouldn’t come as a surprise – or happen in front of 45,000 people.
Unfortunately, this happened to freelance writer Nikole Paterson while at a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend. And if a scoreboard proposal after only five months of dating isn’t enough, saying no and facing a stadium full of disappointed fans is just icing on the cake.
Handsome doctor Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik’s rescue when the proposal video goes viral and she receives hate in the media. Nik knows that Carlos can’t be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes.”
Image courtesy of Read It Forward
Image courtesy of JasmineGuillory.com
Jasmine Guillory is a graduate of Wellesley College and Stanford Law School. She is a Bay Area native who has towering stacks of books in her living room, a cake recipe for every occasion, and upwards of 50 lipsticks. As well as writing books, Jasmine sometimes writes about books, pop-culture, and food, some of her favorite things. Visit her website, and follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram! Subscribe to her updates here!
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Publisher: Little Whimsey Press
Release date: June 21, 2018
Genre(s): Medieval Fantasy
Pages: 67
Image courtesy of Amazon.com
The mysterious Cheval triplets live a peaceful life in a secluded cottage on the edge of the Mystic Wood. Yet when their mother’s illness creeps her closer to death, the three sisters, Morganne, Amara, and Fae must leave their quiet sanctuary in search of a rare cure within the darkened forest.
But they are not the only ones lurking in the midnight shadows, so when fiendish witch hunters capture the sisters, their search for a cure turns into a desperate escape attempt. Their only hope rests with the exhausted, worn out horses pulling the cart to the witch trial, and the secrets the sisters keep locked in the deepest chambers of their hearts.
When they unleash the truth will it set them free, or send them closer to the burning witch pyres?
As a fan of both witches and horses, I was disappointed by this novella. At just 67 pages, it didn’t exactly drag on, which was nice. Within just a few pages, we are thrust into the center of the action—the sisters being captured by witch hunters.
“Got’cha!” growled a gruff voice.
A net whipped through the air, bundling the three sisters together and catapulting them high into the trees.
“We’ve gor’em, Boris! We’ve captured them witches!” cried a hunchbacked man. He giggled and dribbled beneath the trap filled with the struggling sisters, rubbing his hands together with greed and mirth.
Okay. Let’s dissect that, shall we? The scene is cartoonish in its artlessness. The sisters are all three entangled in a net that, in all likelihood, was only meant to capture one witch at a time. There they are, swaying from the limb of a tree, the way we have seen many animated unfortunates do so many times. The Russian name Boris—because no one in the English-speaking world has ever encountered a Russian villain. Also, of course the lowly lackey is hunchbacked. And there he stands—er, hunches—rubbing his hands together “with greed and mirth,” just like the stereotype that he is.
As for writing style, it seems that Rees’s favorite method of description is to use similes and metaphors. Fae’s voice, for example, is described in numerous ways. First, it is “a threatening summer storm,” her eyes “wide as the low full moon.” Later, she whispers “as sadly as a late autumn breeze stripping the last leaf from a tree.” Finally, her voice is “as soft as wind from a butterfly wing.”
Rees’s writing is often less than subtle. At one point, Amara thinks “of the witch trials and all the innocent women and children who came before her, just to line the pockets of the infamous Witch Hunter General. The witch trial had nothing to do with magic and everything to do with power; the power of gold coins.”
Later, one of the witches is asked, “Should you be judged just because you are different? Should our differences not be celebrated?”
Not exactly any hidden meanings there…
As I said, Rees does a great job of dropping us right into a sense of urgency with the sisters. Their mother is deathly ill, and they venture into the woods near their home in order to find a cure to save her life. The story quickly builds to the climax, after which we are granted a few pages of falling action.
Warning: the end of this novella is a cliffhanger! This was another reason that this book just wasn’t for me. I’m not generally a fan of any series in which the individual novels cannot stand alone.
For many fans of witches and horses, this would probably be a great read. In fact, that statement is proven true based on all the four- and five-star reviews that Witch Hearts has received on Amazon. It just wasn’t for me.
P.S. I received a free copy of this book from Hidden Gems in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own. This post contains affiliate links.
Image courtesy of AngharadThompsonRees.com
Angharad Thompson Rees is a comic scriptwriter, author, and emerging scriptwriter of all things magical. When Angharad is not lost in enchanted forests searching for tree fairies or unicorns, you’ll find her on the sunny shores of Sydney, Australia with a notepad, a coffee, and a curious expression on her face as she images unseen worlds for her next story. Visit her website, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and Goodreads!
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Image courtesy of Amazon.com
“As a future leader of the female-led regime her grandmother fought hard to establish, Alice Kearns is no stranger to pressure. Being the best in a society where women are expected to be high achieving is the only option her powerful mother has ever accepted for her. But fortunately, as of her eighteenth birthday, Ali now has a place to blow off steam: she’s finally allowed into the Choice Clubs.
Filled with an enticing mix of music, drinks and gorgeous guys, the Choice Clubs were founded to ensure that smart girls wouldn’t get distracted in their real lives by anything as trivial as a shallow crush or a handsome face. Choice guys are fun, flirty, and the perfect eye candy, but Ali would never dream of actually falling for one – until she meets Tag.
Tag MacPhail is Top Choice. With his mischievous grin and chiseled abs, he is exactly the kind of boy that Ali’s mother believes needs to be kept contained. But after he kisses Ali at the Choice Club, she suddenly sees him everywhere – and she’s surprised to learn that there’s more to him than his perfect looks. Tag is sweeter, smarter, and funnier than Ali ever expected. And, she soon discovers, he’s also dangerous… because Tag leads a double life: when he’s not working at the Club, he’s part of a rebel group trying to overturn the girl-power society that the women in Ali’s family have worked so hard to put in place.
Getting closer to Tag upends everything Ali thought she knew. But will she betray everything she was raised to protect for a guy she’s not even sure she can trust?”
As I say on my review policy page, I’m not usually one for science fiction. However, when I read the description of Top Choice—in which a society exists where men and women’s power roles, as we know them, have been switched—the curious feminist in me couldn’t resist. And that curious feminist was not disappointed.
The pacing was extremely well done. In so many romance novels, I feel like the instant electricity between the two main characters is so exaggerated that it’s almost laughable. However, Sophie McAloon manages to create a story in which the hero and heroine are given the chance to truly get to know each other and form a connection—both emotionally and physically. The pace is believable but not so slow that McAloon risked losing my interest. Ali’s mother also forbids them from being together, which of course adds a good bit of fun!
However, as Ali and Tag grow closer, Ali struggles with knowing whether Tag truly has feelings for her or whether he is simply manipulating her with ulterior motives in mind. In other romance novels I’ve read, the author will switch between the hero’s and the heroine’s respective points of view, but not here. McAloon’s choice to tell the story only from Ali’s point of view allows us to wonder about Tag’s motives right along with her, which had me constantly guessing what was going to happen next.
As a woman and a staunch feminist, I’m used to identifying with the underdog. However, I had an odd feeling throughout the novel of being torn. On one hand, I wanted the Violent Sentinels’ (the rebel group mentioned in the Amazon summary) cause to triumph and for men to gain the right to vote and be educated. That’s democracy. That’s human rights. However, on the other hand, I didn’t want the Sentinels to win. I didn’t want the women in this society to be forced to cede any power to the men. Part of this is my own pettiness. Like, haha! Now maybe you’ll realize how it feels to have your rights stripped and then dictated to you by people who have no idea what it’s like to live inside of your oppressed body. Another part of it is knowing that men had their chance with the world, for thousands of years, and they ruined it. Now it’s our turn to see if we can do better. Like I said, the entire novel is told from Ali’s point of view—descended from a long line of powerful females who have been instrumental in the seizing of power from men—so what I know of the society is biased. She tells us how Rape Culture and incidents of domestic violence have all but disappeared, how the number of murders has decreased phenomenally. It seems better. But still, in the back of my head is the voice: but it’s not equal. Like I said, I was torn throughout the novel regarding which side I would be on, were I a member of this particular society. Not only was that fascinating to think about, but it also added layer after layer to McAloon’s work.
One memorable passage along these lines:
“You know what they’re doing is wrong.”
“Yeah,” I pause. “But so is what you guys are doing. It’s not about equality anymore. It’s about power now. For both sides.”
He drops his head back and exhales, then lets his swollen lids fall closed. His breathing slows and it makes me wonder how long it’s been since he slept. Then he speaks again.
“It is about power. About taking it back – making them pay for all their messed-up rules, and their power-trips, and all the barriers they put up to keep us down.”
I wish that we had learned more about the actual women-led society in which they were living. We are given snippets here and there. Men cannot vote. Men are largely uneducated. Forced sterility for criminal men is apparently a thing. But I wish we knew more than just those small bits. I wanted details! This is a good thing, because it means that I found the setting so interesting that I was craving more!
McAloon briefly describes the dystopian aspects of the novel here: “The rows of apartment complexes and townhomes here are all covered in ad Flashes. Commercials and giant images play across the entire surface of each street-facing wall. It’s only in the richer neighborhoods that homes are completely Flash-free. Anywhere else, people willingly offer up their exterior wall-space for extra income. It takes a lot of money to go non-digital, from smaller items like books, games, and vintage appliances, to the bigger possessions – like wall space.”
Ali’s mother also acts as a symbol of their dystopia. Her constant, eerie repetition of the phrase, “We’re doing the right thing,” is to her city and her people, what George Orwell’s unforgettable mantra of “War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength,” is to the poor inhabitants of his novel 1984.
One problem I had was that bisexuality isn’t really treated as being a real thing. So as to avoid spoilers, I won’t name names, but… At one point, a high-profile man is seen coming out of a VIP room with a Choice guy. Ali (having thought the Choice guy was straight up until this point) immediately changes her mind and assumes that he must be gay. The option of bisexuality is not even entertained as a possibility. For such a liberal society, their ideas regarding the spectrum of sexual identity is still clearly lacking.
Still, my complaints are few. Overall, Top Choice kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through, wanting to find out what would happen next. Not only that—it also had my mind constantly wrestling with ambiguous ethical dilemmas, as well as questioning any feelings it brought up that weren’t 100% politically correct. I would definitely recommend Top Choice by Sophie McAloon. It appeals to a wide range of readers, from romance lovers to science fiction junkies.
P.S. I received a free copy of this book from Hidden Gems in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own. Amazon affiliate links are contained within this post.
Image courtesy of SophieMcAloon.com
Sophie McAloon was born and raised in small rural towns across the East Coast of Canada, and now lives in historic Saint John, NB (quite possibly the friendliest, most awesome city in Canada) with her husband, three amazing kids, and Waldo the dog. She has explored Antarctica and Africa and a bunch of places in between, moved more times than she can count on both hands, and worked at a handful of jobs – many of which she hated, but none of which she regrets. She has always loved to write, and she is grateful that she gets to fill so much of her free time now playing on paper (okay – so it’s a laptop, but paper sounds so much more poetic). She is an introvert by nature, so what better way to experience the thrill of being the boldest guest at the party or the toughest leader during a wild revolt – without even having to raise her voice! Visit her website, and follow her on Goodreads, Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram!
Elizabeth May 