Melody Writes

And all good things come to an end... at least for this year. Welcome to my last set of mini-interviews featuring the semi-finalists of the 2026 Small Spec Book Awards. Today's authors are: Yolanda Sfetsos, author of Fallen Destiny, Fantasy Semi-finalist; Brennan LaFaro, author of Song Dogs; and Dale Smith, author of As a Kang Should Be.  More information on the awards can be found here . The full list of the 2026 semi-finalists can be found here . Each author has been asked the same questions: 1. What inspired you to write this book? 2. What was your favourite part of writing it?   3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)     Fallen Destiny by Yolanda Sfetsos Destiny isn't human and she has the horns to prove it. She's also damned good at blending into the human world. That, along with her powers, has helped her forge a career out of locating supernatural beings and objects. Got demon troubles? Need a mystical artifact found? Destiny's the o...

For my SSBA 2026 semi-finalist series, I have focused a post each on fantasy, horror, and sci-fi. So, it only make sense that post #4 be a mix of all three categories. Our authors this week are: Val Loughcrewe, author of Puppet's Banquet (Horror); Blair Bidmead, author of Rose-Coloured Crosshairs (Sci-Fi); and Keith Miller, author of The Witch's Journey (Fantasy). Every Sunday between now and when the finalists are announced (or until I run out of mini-interviews), I will be highlighting the semi-finalists at a time. More information on the awards can be found here . The full list of the 2026 semi-finalists can be found here .   Each author has been asked the same questions: 1. What inspired you to write this book? 2. What was your favourite part of writing it?   3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)     Puppet's Banquet by Val Loughcrewe Married couple Celia and Martin are brutally attacked on their drive through the Irish countrysi...

Better Living Through Alchemy by Evan J. Peterson Published by Broken Eye Books   Kelly Mun is a private detective... with an uncanny sense of smell. She runs Non-Linear Investigations with her cousin Critter, using psychic and esoteric methods to try to earn a living. When a mysterious businesswoman hires them to find the source of a deadly new street drug called bardo, Kelly's life gets even stranger than usual in this occult-noir Seattle. The monsters are incidental.    Buy the book here   My Review: We open with a drug-fuelled dancing frenzy. Tonya is high on a mysterious new drug and swept away in the music. The scene is chaotic, sexy, and almost ethereal. The New Year is on the horizon and as the clock counts down all around her, Tonya finds herself in the early stages of a threesome. Everything is lining up for an exciting start to the new year, when Tonya's body comes apart at the seams and falls broken to the floor. This is the mysterious new drug calle...

First, I featured fantasy authors , then horror authors. For my 3rd SSBA Semi-finalist post, I will be focusing on 3 of the science-fiction semi-finalists: Koji A. Dae, author of Casual; Rachel Hartley, author of Dear Stupid Penpal; and Amy Orrell, author of Tomorrow Was Beautiful Once.  Every Sunday between now and when the finalists are announced (or until I run out of mini-interviews), I will be highlighting the semi-finalists at a time. More information on the awards can be found here . The full list of the 2026 semi-finalists can be found here . Each author has been asked the same questions: 1. What inspired you to write this book? 2. What was your favourite part of writing it?   3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)     Casual by Koji A. Dae Valya’s neural implant is amazing. Its game-like app, CASUAL, has managed her depression and anxiety, stabilized her mood, and helped the infertile Valya get pregnant. But new laws for...

These Familiar Walls by C. J. Dotson Published by St. Martin's Press In 1998, desperate loneliness pushes preteen Amber to ignore the misgivings of her family, particularly her younger sister, when she befriends the troubled new kid in the neighborhood—a boy with dead eyes, a fascination with fire, and no remorse. Their turbulent relationship is brief but creates lasting consequences. Twenty-two years later, in 2020, he resurfaces to kill Amber’s parents, and is in turn betrayed by his accomplice and killed in Amber's childhood home. After the deaths, Amber inherits the house and, in an effort to save money, moves in with her husband and two children, hoping to reclaim some sense of stability in the grief and chaos surrounding her. Instead, she finds that the familiar walls are haunted by more than just bitter memories and lockdown stress. She shifts in and out of dreamlike trances, her reflection won’t meet her gaze, and a menacing voice whispers to her from the gathering shad...

The rain is pouring pretty hard outside today as I put together this post, casting the sky in darkness and gloom. It's a perfect day to feature three of the SSBA Horror Semi-Finalists: Hazel Zorn, author of Reef Mind Jacy Morris, author of We Like it Cherry M. Christian, author of Running Dry Every Sunday between now and when the finalists are announced (or until I run out of mini-interviews), I will be highlighting the semi-finalists at a time. More information on the awards can be found here . The full list of the 2026 semi-finalists can be found here . Each author has been asked the same questions:  1. What inspired you to write this book? 2. What was your favourite part of writing it?   3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)     Reef Mind by Hazel Zorn The coral reef rose from the seas, spreading across the land with incredible speed. A rapidly evolving invasive species. It transformed the landscape. Mutated every living creature ...

Happy summer everyone! I hope you are managing to keep cool during all of these heat waves.  Today, I am embarking on my second annual series of SSBA Semi-finalist Mini-Interviews. I am starting with a trio of fantasy authors: Molly Haniszewski, author of Beyond the Border Forest; Lucy A. McLaren, author of Echoes of the Etherstone; and Arlo Z. Graves, author of The Ice Moves for No One More information on the SSBA can be found here , and the full list of semi-finalists for 2026 can be found here . Each author has been asked the same questions:  1. What inspired you to write this book? 2. What was your favourite part of writing it?   3. Where can we find you and your work? (socials, blog, website)     Beyond the Border Forest by Molly Haniszewski Two kings rule the woods—the Oak King in Summer and the Holly King in Winter—and no mortal may enter their realm without permission. But when Rowan Gwózdek’s older sister goes missing, Rowan must search the forest ...

  For the second year in a row, I am an official influencer for the Small Spec Book Awards. What are the Small Spec Book Awards? You can check out my post from 2025 , or visit the website for information. On July 1, the semi-finalists were announced! Like last year, between now and when the finalists are announced, I will be conducting a series of mini-interviews with the semi-finalists. As of writing this, 9 authors have already completed my mini-interview questions. Posts will be going up on Sundays with authors in groups of 2 or 3. Again, all of the semi-finalists should be proud, and I encourage anyone reading this to check out all of them and their work! So without further delay, here are the top 30 books of the Small Spec Book Awards!   Horror Fantasy Science Fiction JK-LOL  by Patrick Barb (Mad Axe Media) THE WITCH'S JOURNEY  by Keith Miller (Elsewhen Press) ...