Calmer Girls: a Book Review by Luanne Castle

Published on December 20, 2021 by J. Kelland Perry20 Comments

Happy Monday, everyone!

I’m thrilled to see that my debut novel, Calmer Girls, has been reviewed by American writer and poet, Luanne Castle, on Goodreads and Amazon. This is something that never gets old for an author, and is especially appreciated when such a sparkling review is from an esteemed writer like Luanne. Have a look below! You can also check out Luanne’s website and blog here.

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Calmer Girls and its sequel Calmer Secrets are on sale for 99 cents each on Kindle until January. Here are the links to Amazon:
Calmer Girls
Calmer Secrets

5 out of 5 stars – “Exciting, gritty coming-of-age story”
“Samantha is the introverted, artistic, good girl sister of beautiful party girl Veronica. Veronica is very self-absorbed and can be cruel to her little sister. Their parents have separated and their mother has moved the girls across the island, away from their father. Their mother, Darlene, upset over the separation and her husband’s responses (including not always sending money for the girls) finds it hard to keep a job and begins to drink far too much. Samantha feels so alone. She falls for a handsome boy, Ben, but what will happen? Every boy is always attracted to Veronica at Samantha’s expense. The book explores these events and lead to a dramatic climax.
The characterization of Samantha is so well done. She is a good girl, but when she goes a bit “bad,” we can understand why. She’s only human, after all. Perry uses quotes from the Bronte books to begin every chapter, and they relate very well to what is going on. When Samantha begins to “act out,” the very next chapter begins with a quote that made me nod my head in agreement. The quotes add to the story being told, and they are meant to show what Samantha herself is reading (Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights). Veronica is less carefully drawn, but that is because the reader is really seeing her through Samantha’s eyes. Samantha has every reason to despise her sister. The question is, does her view change by the end of the book? Read it and find out! You won’t be disappointed!”

Thank you so much, Luanne!

Summer E-book Sale

Published on June 28, 2021June 28, 2021 by J. Kelland Perry24 Comments

Hey, Book Lovers!

It’s the perfect time to add to your summer reading list. This week only, both Calmer Girls and Calmer Secrets Kindle editions are on sale for 99¢ each on Amazon.com and £0.99 on Amazon.co.uk. Check out the latest five-star review of Book 1 below the book graphics and grab one or both before July 5th.

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and complicated teen/family relationships (Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2021):

“I usually don’t read much YA relationship-based drama, but this book has been on my radar for a few years, and I decided to dive in. I’m glad I did. The writing is polished, the story had me hooked, and these aren’t teenage characters with frivolous problems. Samantha, her sister, and her mom are all flawed, as is Ben, the love interest of the two sisters.

The story unfolds in Samantha’s point of view. Her family is falling apart. Her father has moved away, and her mother is drinking too much. Money is tight. Samantha has a crush on Ben, but he falls for her sister, Veronica. Samantha takes a hit to her self esteem, but when the relationship fails, Samantha and Ben get a chance at love.

But it’s not that easy. Resentment drives a wedge between the sisters, and mistakes aren’t going to simply disappear. Ben has some problems of his own that the author waits to reveal. The mystery around his character and issues was intriguing, and I didn’t fully trust him. I had no idea how the story was going to resolve, and that question made me read well into the night.

Ultimately the story is about a family growing up, about dealing with love, disappointment, and wounded hearts. I could relate to how painful that process was for every character in the book. Wonderful writing and highly relatable characters. Definitely recommended for readers of YA drama and family sagas.”
— D. Wallace Peach
dwallacepeachbooks.com

A cup of tea and a Calmer Girls book on a chair in the sun

Calmer Girls FREE on Kindle

Published on January 18, 2020January 18, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry

Calmer Girls is free on Kindle until January 22.

Grab this edgy coming-of-age novel here: http://getbook.at/CalmerGirls

#CalmerGirls #NewfoundlandBooks #CanadianAuthor #EdgyYAFiction #ComingofAge

Calmer Girls Giveaway!

Published on March 8, 2019March 8, 2019 by J. Kelland Perry

In honour of International Women’s Day,
I’m having an e-book Giveaway!
↓ ↓ ↓

Grab your FREE copy of #CalmerGirls

Book One of the Calmer Girls 2-Book Series:

getbook.at/CalmerGirls

Free promotion ends Monday

#YA #teenfictionbestseller #loveandheartache #siblingrivalry

Free Summer Read: Calmer Girls

Published on August 9, 2018August 9, 2018 by J. Kelland Perry

For a limited time, grab Calmer Girls – Book 1 of 2 – FREE on Kindle or Kindle app from August 8 through August 12 right here:

http://getbook.at/CalmerGirls

*******

My blog’s summer hiatus is almost over.
See you all soon!

Throwback Thursday: She Writes

Published on June 7, 2018August 3, 2018 by J. Kelland Perry19 Comments

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Here’s a throwback to July 2013, when I was in the thick of creating the first draft for Calmer Girls. At the time I was also blogging twice a week, but hey, when your muse is whispering in your ear to pen a poem and she won’t shut up, you pen a poem. There’s no getting out of it.

She Writes

She wakes tangled in themes
through a cobweb of dreams
with gossamer remnants
that linger and tease,
pushes back dusty curtains
and on a page blank and white
she writes.

She deletes the clichéd
yesterday she okayed
and contemplates words
like ephemeral and moonglade
they taste like confections
with her tangerine sections
and jolts of black coffee
she writes.

She’s reminded of chores
she keeps trying to ignore
with the scatter of crumbs
that litter the floor,
shrugs her shoulders and thinks
it will be there tomorrow
she writes.

The bills wait, unpaid
And the bed’s still not made
There’s this blog post to write
and it can’t be delayed
her novel must wait
it’s a musing or rhyme that
she writes.

She reaches again
for the manuscript when
her mind can’t break free
from the plot line within
and it makes him uptight
there’s no dinner tonight
but he digests her flaws.
After all, it’s because
she writes.

***

First published here.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

Happy…and Busy!

Published on January 10, 2018January 10, 2018 by J. Kelland Perry

It’s a cold and snowy day here at home, but the following warms me down to my toes.

I’m thrilled to see another powerful 5-star review on Amazon for Calmer Secrets!

Take a look:

“Calmer Secrets is a fascinating and mature, well-written second look into the lives of the Cross girls which takes place some four or five years after the events of the first book. The time gap and the substantial content in each novel support Jennifer Perry’s decision to split this story into two books.
Samantha is all grown up, Ben is gone, and against her self-centred, irritating sister’s advice she tumbles into a relationship with old friend Kalen – who has turned into a hot rocker. Their mother continues to wrestle with her issues, and the charming Henry, Veronica’s four-year old boy, is Samantha’s darling. The scene is set for a gritty, realistically told and engrossing unravelling of events, and old secrets, which will change everyone’s lives.
The gripping story kept me helplessly reading on, late into the night. Hints are dropped, with a thud, or a tickle of the mind, and I yelled at Samantha not to be such a fool, at Ronnie for her attitude, at Kalen, at Ben, at Darlene, at Cash… the only one I didn’t yell at was little Henry.
*Much* is explained as the final secrets are revealed and the ends of the story are resolved, and one begins to understand the complexity and depth of these beautifully crafted characters.
This is an excellent novel of family, love, and the damage that secrets can do. Highly recommended, but you have to read the first book first. Together, they make an epic story of ordinary life.”

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1D4NN653C42PN

*Comments are closed because I’m feverishly writing this week and trying to minimize distractions. See you on Sunday!

Reflections on a Good Week

Published on September 28, 2017 by J. Kelland Perry23 Comments

As anyone who follows me regularly can attest, I don’t use this blog too often for shameless self-promotion of my novels.

Please allow me to make an exception for today.

I am on Cloud Nine since Wednesday, when my debut book Calmer Girls peaked at Number One on the Amazon Canada Bestseller list for Teen Fiction, specifically in the Kindle Store categories of Teen Pregnancy, as well as a peak at Number Two for Dating & Intimacy.

Yay! 😀

What a nice feeling to hit those numbers.
Thank you, Canada.

Calmer Girls Series

***end of self-promo***

I now return you to regularly scheduled programming.
See you on Sunday!

Hello, August. Here So Soon?

Published on August 1, 2017August 1, 2017 by J. Kelland Perry23 Comments

July is over! Whaaa?
Can you believe how quickly it whizzed by?

This month is shaping up to be
another busy one for yours truly.
First, there’s this:

I am honoured to be making three appearances during this Author Tour.

Getting to rub shoulders with the literary talent in our fair province is a huge part of the fun. Do drop by our libraries if you’re in Gander or Clarenville on these above dates, or if you’re in St. John’s for the Grand Finale. (More about the finale later)

I will also be busy with my two grandkids + one little friend, who are coming tomorrow for a week-long stay here on Perry’s Point.

And then there’s work on the new novel in between all of this, not to mention all those chances to soak up more summer.

FYI:
I’m running an Amazon Countdown Deal
for Calmer Secrets from
August 2nd to August 9th.
Score a Kindle copy
of this sequel to Calmer Girls
at a discount on Amazon.com
and Amazon.co.uk.

What are your plans for August?
Do tell!

Calmer Girls Setting in Pictures

Published on April 25, 2017April 27, 2017 by J. Kelland Perry29 Comments

Although Calmer Girls is a fictional tale, its Canadian setting certainly isn’t.

It was fun writing a pair of novels set in my birthplace of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and perhaps the following pictorial will better explain why it had inspired me. After all, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words!

All of these locations are featured in scenes throughout the first novel. Calmer Cove is not included as it is semi-fictional.

Samantha and her sister took their first ride in Ben Swift’s T-bird to Signal Hill and along the harbourfront. Later, Samantha took pictures of a cruise ship in the Narrows.