Bookish Musings

The first line of this poem was the prompt I found online. It called to me, made me want to write something, so here it is :) Lost in the sea of faces Standing in the middle of a crowd I was struggling to breathe  Struggling to find any comfort No one cared enough  To stop and ask if I was alright  No one waited a moment Just to say a word or two Perhaps they had it all in control  Or perhaps they struggled too My voice fell on deaf ears  No one around to hear my pleas Overwhelmed and terrified  I sunk to my knees and prayed Realising no one could save me I had to stand up on my own now As people passed me by I found myself stumbling  Yet somehow I managed And the journey continued Ever so often, I feel lost The feeling lingers in my heart But I know I can breathe longer Let me take time before I live If this poem resonated with you, check out The Day the World Forgot Me , a micro story exploring similar themes of isolation and quiet resilience. And fe...

The indie author journey is exciting, but let’s be real—it can get overwhelming. From plotting your next story to launching your book and everything in between, it’s easy to feel like you’re juggling a hundred things at once. That’s exactly why I created a few affordable digital resources on my Ko-fi shop to help fellow authors stay organized, inspired, and supported. Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll find: 📝 Indie Author Book Launch Checklist – $1 Launching a book is a big deal, and this checklist helps you stay on track. It breaks down everything from pre-launch to post-launch, including setting up promos, contacting ARC readers, and more. It’s a simple, printable guide designed to reduce stress and keep things moving smoothly. ✍️ Story Outline Planner – $3 Not sure where your plot is going? The Story Outline Planner is perfect if you love a bit of structure before diving into your draft. It includes sections for character development, plot points, and major story beat...

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Bookish Musings! I received an ARC copy of this book; all opinions are mine. I just finished reading this ARC (currently crying and sobbing over the beautiful ending, thanks for asking); where do I even start? I read the first book of Natalie's series (Read my review here ), and was so excited when I managed to get this ARC copy. At the beginning of the book, though, I struggled a little to understand the world we were in and fully immerse myself. I was worried because Natalie is a friend of mine and I love her books so much. I think my reading slump was at blame though because things took a turn when I was 15%! Lilje, god, she is so easy to love! Her humor had me dying laughing at least twenty times, and her pain broke my heart every time. Her perspective on the human world made me think about my life and how I see the world, whic...

“This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Bookish Musings!”  I’ve been in a bit of a slow reading phase lately (life, anxiety, and all the usual suspects), but I still wanted to show some love to the indie authors on my TBR this month. Whether I’m halfway through or just a few pages in, these three books are ones I’m excited to finish—and hopefully review soon on the blog! 1.  Pieces of my Heart: A dark poetry collection by Despoina Kemeridou The author is a great friend of mine on Twitter, so I downloaded this on Kindle last month and am so excited! I don't read much poetry, but this seems like something I will love. I love writing romantic poems (my  links  if you want to read some of mine :) ), so I am excited to get to this one! I haven't started reading yet, so not much to say. But I am excited! 2.   Dark: A Paranormal Shifter Romance ...

Welcome to the first post in Writing While Healing, a series where I speak with indie authors who’ve found light through writing during their darkest times. Today, I’m honored to feature Autumn Kaufer, a fantasy author and a great friend who writes powerful characters and beautiful love stories. You can learn more about her here . Please tell us a little about yourself and the kind of stories you write. I grew up an avid reader and have loved writing for as long as I can remember. I write a variety of stories, from epic fantasy to paranormal romance. Regardless of the subgenre, at the heart of each story are two people who find each other, and because they do, their lives are changed and enriched because of it. Would you feel comfortable sharing a bit about your mental health journey? I would. I suffer from severe anxiety & C-PTSD. Back in 2021, I was ready for my life to be over. For my 40th birthday, I sat down to write one final short story. Instead, the short story took 6 month...

Recently had a very vulnerable moment, and then found this prompt on Pinterest. I had to write something, so I hope you like this poem :) Words frozen on my tongue Tears rolling down my cheeks I remember that afternoon  The day I confessed my truth Terrified, I hide my reaction  Truths, scary as they are, freeing  To have the weight on my shoulder  Yet to worry if things would change I would love you the same I knew as I waited anxiously  I knew things wouldn't change Yet I was only okay when you smiled It's been years since those nights  Days when I used to drown in guilt  Now beside you, I exhale in relief  Finally able to breath without remorse I'm not okay yet, won't be for a while  But tonight, I'll sleep easily, I know Truths, scary yet they must be said For things to be okay for us one day  Hope you know how thankful I am Exhausted, yet I've never felt better You accept me, with all my flaws The truest I've been is when loving you...

  “Baby, where are you?”   Leena murmured, half asleep, eyes closed as she searched around the bed for her. It took her a while before she realised what she said, and almost instantly, she stiffened. Moments later, she exited the bed and walked into the bathroom, head shaking in disbelief and hands clenched. It happened too often lately. Touches linger a little too long. Words escaping her lips without permission. Sarah noticing when Leena didn’t reply because she was lost in those mesmerizing blue eyes. “You alright?” She murmured to Leena, lips frowning and eyes raising in concern, making it impossible for Leena to breathe. Yet she managed to smile softly, shrugging her shoulders. They did the dance they did every morning — Making breakfast, talking about work, and then saying a quick goodbye before leaving the house separately. It was a routine. A comfortable one. Comfortable. I guess that was what Leena was now. It was a terrifying to say the least. Pretending to not care ...

Roaring over my wild heart Faster than the passing trains The sound of your voice echoes Bringing another smile to my face It's been a while since we met Been a minute since I fell in love Yet seeing you again, I am breathless As if I could fall for you once more Gentler than the wind in my hair Are those words as we whisper  Like before, you remind me to breathe Grounding me before I could collapse You're prettier than the evening sunsets I watch you, mesmerised and in love The pain fades like it never existed Bad memories rushing away slowly Like the stations blurring past us The past faded into nothingness And I hoped to keep you there Just so I could love you some more Make sure to follow for more poems! 👉  Share your thoughts in the comments below!  I’d love to know if you’ve ever struggled to express your feelings too. 💭 Explore more heartfelt poems on  Bookish Musings .

  This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Bookish Musings! I received an ARC copy of this book last year and I loved it! I read this series out of order, but I have loved both books so far! The third one comes out soon, which I have signed up to get the ARC for (I am so excited!), so I wanted to post this before :) You can read the review for the 1st book in the series here -  Kingdom of Forgotten Curses Damn, what a rollercoaster! I love Autumn's books, but this one had me in all sorts of feels.  My heart was hurting for Luella so much! Poor girl had to go through so much heartache and pain, and I admire her for it. At times, she was a little hard to understand, but eventually I fell in love with everything she was. Her stepmother is awful! God, I have never hated a character so much. So happy Luella was able to find confidence in herself and find the happines...

  There's still so much you haven't seen Nights you haven't been through Jokes you haven't told anyone Tears of heartbreak breaking through There's a world behind the one you see That you haven't been given a chance yet For it to consume the way you live And show you that life can also be good There are dreams that you haven't fulfilled Even after the constant hard work you do Things you haven't experienced yet Just because you are scared of the results There are days when we are going to be happy Days when you and I can be the authors Write the story that we never imagined Only if we give ourselves a chance to live So many parts that are unknown to our eyes So I hope we can be a little brave tomorrow Give ourselves a chance to do what we want To see the beautiful life we haven't yet seen If this poem spoke to you, feel free to share it with someone who might need a little reminder to keep going. If you enjoyed this poem, you might also like - Bruise...

  “This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Bookish Musings!” A review for one of my top indie reads of 2024 :) This is going to be a long one! No spoilers though 🤞 Wow. What a freaking adventure this was. It was my first time reading about space and ships and that kind of world. The reason I chose to read this one is how mental health-focused it seemed. Plus, Natalie is a great friend of mine on Twitter (Barry is the bestest boy!!) And now that I am done reading, I can confidently say the author did that topic justice in this one. The world-building is absolutely gorgeous! The characters are so amazingly written and I fell in love with them thoroughly. My primary preference is the romance genre, but even though it didn't have that much, I absolutely adored this story! Merlon. Oh, poor Merlon. My heart still hurts for him. Even in this book, he lost so much, constantly l...