Amazon’s Best Books of 2025!
Settle in. I’ve got lots of exciting updates to share!!
As you may have guessed from the title of this blog post (or the echoing shouts of surprise a few weeks back), Amazon Editors named Soulmatch ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR!! AHHHHH!!!! When I stumbled across the recognition, I literally started shaking. It was SO very out of the blue! Only 20 YA novels are chosen annually for this distinction.
2. I reached 1000 ratings on Goodreads, and the number keeps climbing! As of today (December 16th), it’s at 1072 ratings. Also, I’m up to 135 Amazon reviews!! YAY! THANK YOU to everyone who has taken the time to rate Soulmatch and/or leave a review. The more ratings a book has, the more likely someone else will purchase it. It’s as simple as that! (Also, more reviews could lead to more foreign deals, so there’s that!)
If you haven’t already, please leave an Amazon review today. Only takes a minute!
3. Soulmatch was included in the Holiday Gift Guides for Parnassus Books and Cracking the Cover!
4. I attended Yallfest in November (a young adult book festival in Charleston, SC), and had an absolute blast! I got to meet up with lots of 2025 and 2026 debuts and other author friends like Diana Wallach and Jill Tew! On Saturday, I dressed in my “Where’s Waldo” attire and gave out Soulmatch bookmarks and fortune cookies!
5. I had my very first school visit! I barely slept the night before because I was SO VERY NERVOUS, but my fears were for naught! My early years as a teacher came in useful as I spoke to two groups of 7th and 8th graders at Eagle Ridge Middle School. They were the BEST audience and asked great questions! They especially liked the “Wheel of Fortunes” in my presentation where a few volunteers learned who they were in their past lives and how much money they inherited.
If you’re a middle or high school teacher or librarian in the Northern Virginia area, please reach out to schedule an author visit at your school!
6. I was a panelist at the St. Louis Teen Book Festival! This was perhaps the pinnacle of my author career so far (though I’ve had so many, so ask me next week. LOL), but I got to spend two days with 18 of my author idols and met the most amazing readers. Y’all, just look who I got to eat dinner with Friday night. It was everything I could do to retain my cool. I told my son (who’s studying musical theatre), “Imagine spending two full days with your favorite Broadway stars. That’s how it felt.” Also, this was the most well-run event I’ve ever experienced. Since I don’t have that much experience with author events, just know that the other authors there (who’ve attended far more than me) felt exactly the same way. It was incredible. A special shoutout to the reader who added her own sprayed edges to Soulmatch!! Isn’t it gorgeous?
7. Okay, last one. While I’m waiting for notes on my Predestined revision, I’ve gone ahead and set up a Goodreads placeholder with a temporary cover. Go ahead and click “Want to Read” now! (please!)
What I’m Reading
It’s been super busy, so I’m abysmally behind on my TBR, but I did read and LOVE The Good Vampire’s Guide to Blood and Boyfriends. It’s like Sookie Stackhouse meets the vibes of Red White and Royal Blue. 100% recommend if you like smiling and giggling while reading.
I’m halfway through For No Mortal Creature by Keshe Chow, and it’s SO good. But I had to set it aside to finish my bookclub book, The Star and the Strange Moon by Constance Sayers, because I’m hosting in a couple weeks. Absolutely devouring it!
