Tag Archives: Darie McCoy

#WOTR24 – #Review – Love on the River: A Charity Anthology

A 2024 Writers on the River Charity Anthology with stories from A.D. Ellis, AJ Renee, Amanda Zook, Brandy Slaven, C.A. Harms, Danielle Keil, Darie McCoy, H. D’Agostino, J.M. Walker, Jade Waltz, Jamie K. Schmidt, Jen Talty, Joel Shoemaker, Kate Hawthorne, M.J. Haag, Mellanie Szereto, Miranda Lynn, Molly McLain, Nikki Landis, and Vinni George

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Twinsie Kelly

I honestly don’t know where to start with this review. I have many anthologies and I will be the first to admit that I have never read every single story within. Well, I made a decision not to do that again. I read and read and read…..

Every.

Single.

One!

This is a decision that I do not regret in the slightest! There are so many great stories from all sorts of different genres and tropes. I have read stories from a handful of these authors (Nikki Landis, Miranda Lynn, Darie McCoy, AJ Renee, Brandy Slaven, Mellanie Szereto, JM Walker, and Jade Waltz), but I have not read stories from the remaining. I fell in love again with the writing of the authors mentioned above but boy do I have a bunch more that I am going to have to start stalking…just sayin!

Some of these stories are a bit of a teaser and will continue on and others may only be here for the anthology. However, there is a disclaimer at the beginning of each story so if there is a trope that is a hard no for you or perhaps has a trigger that you feel you should pass up, you have fair warning. I have to say, even with the warnings/disclaimers, I am happy to keep touting that I read every single one!

Now the real problem is that I don’t know which author to read next! There are not enough hours in the day. What a conundrum!

H. D’Agostino – Let Me Love You

A.D. Ellis – Reconstructing His Heart

Vinni George – Isaac and Andre

MJ Haag – Demon Sky

C.A. Harms – Starting Over

Kate Hawthorne – Flip a Coin

Danielle Keil – Between Pages and Hearts

Nikki Landis – My HERO Biker

Miranda Lynn – The Mating Cabin

Darie McCoy – Thrive

Molly McLain – It’s Always Been You

AJ Renee – The Boy Who Left (A St. Fleur Short Story)

Jamie K Schmidt – Beach, Please

Joel Shoemaker – A Mai Tai at the Edge of the Universe

Brandy Slaven – Second Chances

Mellanie Szereto – Mom I’d Love to Marry

Jen Talty – Harper’s Heart

J.M. Walker – Time Will Tell

Jade Waltz – Project: Adapt: Refresh

Amanda Zook – Healing a Gold Star Heart

#WOTR24 #Review – The Glassmaker’s Helper: The Getaway Chronicles by Darie McCoy

In a world of the blessed the unblessed, the Glassmaker proclaims the gifts of those in the realm with their reading of the sparks. They are the only ones with the ability to work the glass and declare the goddess’s blessing.
Generations before Ophelia was born, her birth was prophesied. The Enchantress proclaimed that a blessed girl child would restore honor to the Leander line. However, when she was presented to the Glassmaker to learn of her blessing, she was turned away. Many Winters passed and Ophelia remained unblessed. Until she and her brothers journeyed to Thistledown.
Rylan, the Glassmaker of Thistledown is able to do what none other before him had achieved. He read Ophelia’s blessing in the sparks. The gift from the goddess so rare, Rylan fears for her safety. Knowing the potential danger, he agrees to travel with Ophelia and her brothers on a quest to help her learn to use her blessing to its fullest potential.
The two are drawn together by an inexplicable bond that neither can ignore. As they trek across the realm from his home to hers, they are unable to deny their attraction. While danger lurks, they must reach the Keeper of the Blessings before it’s too late.
Can Ophelia navigate her new blessing and help restore her family’s honor? Can the bond between her and Rylan survive the obstacles before them? Together, can they bring about a change to the realm which hasn’t been seen in centuries?

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Twinsie Kelly

“With every great blessing, evil is always present.” What an amazing story! All the while reading this story, and even more so after I finished it, I have been trying to figure out how to categorize The Glassmaker’s Helper. It is definitely fantasy with a historical feel to it, fated mates, romance with some sexy time, and beings that are blessed and unblessed.

“I don’t question gifts from the goddess. I simply appreciate them.” The world building and character development is fantastic. Being unblessed or without a gift from the goddess isn’t uncommon but when your birth has been prophesied that you will save your family’s line and restore honor, there is no pressure…right? Wrong! Ophelia gets turned away from glassmaker after glassmaker. They cannot read her sparks. Until Rylan (wags eyebrows). Immediately their connection is strong and the need to protect Ophelia is completely instinctual. An unsavory character is now after Ophelia and her very rare blessing. The villain is a collector of sorts. From here, we follow Rylan and Ophelia on a quest that not only brings answers for the prophecy but is enchanting as well.

Highly recommend!

Darie McCoy profile image

Darie McCoy is an independent author of contemporary, interracial, romantic suspense and paranormal/shifter romance books. A reader first, she enjoys reading books across many genres although romance holds a special place in her heart. Her experience working in a STEM field offers her a unique perspective which she uses in each story she pens.

Her first novel, For Real, began as a short story written for a reader competition during an Authors and Readers conference. It was published in November of 2021. In July of 2022, she expanded her writing portfolio to include Kindle Vella serial stories.

When she doesn’t have her nose in a book or her fingers on the keyboard, Darie enjoys working in her vegetable garden. A serial hobbyist, she also enjoys knitting, sewing, baking and canning. One of her favorite treats to make is salted caramel popcorn. Amongst her friends, she’s known to transport the sweet treat in large quantities to share whenever they get together.

Born and raised in the south, Darie stands by the staunchly held southern sentiments that the best tea is sweet tea and college football is life.

#WOTR24#CharityAnthology #CoverReveal – Love on the River Anthology

🌷IMPORTANT ATTENDING AUTHORS ANNOUCEMENT 🌷
Love on the River: A Charity Anthology

Love on the River is available for pre-order now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPYWFTFL

Brought to you by 20(ish) of your 2024 attending authors, Love on the River is a MASSIVE book with one thing in mind…LOVE. And money for Thistle Farms, of course. 

Our author line up is subject to change, but currently includes stories from: A.D. Ellis, AJ Renee, Amanda Zook, Brandy Slaven, C.A. Harms, Danielle Keil, Darie McCoy, H.D’Agostino, J.M. Walker, Jade Waltz, Jamie K. Schmidt, Jen Talty, Joel Shoemaker, Kate Hawthorne, M.J. Haag, Mellanie Szereto, Miranda Lynn, Molly McLain, Nikki Landis, and Vinni George.

Love on the River will ONLY be available to purchase from April 1 – July 31, 2024 (ebook and paperback). Don’t miss out on this one of a kind collection of stories and be part of Writers on the River history!

Thank you to all of our contributing authors for their time and work, to Eric McKinney for donating a GORGEOUS photo for the cover. But most of all, thank YOU for reserving your copies and helping us raise money to donate to Thistle Farms in 2024.

🕯️Links and Dates:

E-BOOK PRE-ORDER –  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPYWFTFL

PAPERBACK ORDERS – https://forms.gle/oarzp1rzBKB1XjHJ7

RELEASE DATE  April 1, 2024

LAST DAY TO BUY  July 31, 2024

🕯️About the Anthology:

2024 is YEAR 9 for Writers on The River and that feels like a great time to break some donation records. Healing With Words is only $22,000 away from donating over $100,000 dollars to Thistle Farms and we’re hoping this anthology can help get them not just over the $100k hump, but also over HWW’s personal goal of a $25,000 donation. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this anthology will go to the charity. 

🕯️About Healing with Words:

Healing With Words is a 501(c)(3) not for profit established for healing survivors of abuse, addiction, trafficking and prostitution. We feel the best way to spread love is to share the love of reading. Through the written word, persons can find an escape and a form of entertainment. Our mission is to bring together readers, authors, and survivors in a positive manner that affects change and relief from negative influences.

🕯️About Thistle Farms:

Thistle Farms is a nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to helping women survivors recover and heal from prostitution, trafficking, and addiction. We do this by providing a safe place to live, a meaningful job, and a lifelong sisterhood of support.

#WOTR24 #attendingauthor #AuthorSpotlight #EventSponsor – Darie McCoy

Darie McCoy

Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.

Darie McCoy. I write across the romance subgenres from contemporary to paranormal/shifter to sports romance with a couple of others in between. I’m a serial hobbyist who likes to keep her hands busy.

When you are writing a book, which is harder? The first book in the series or the others after it?

I’d say the ones after the first are harder, because I don’t want to lose the momentum from the first book.

When writing a series how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?

Each couple has different challenges. They are connected, but not identical. Their responses to the various situations are rarely the same.

Writing can be an emotionally draining and stressful pursuit. Any tips for aspiring writers?

Find something you can use to renew yourself. Be it a warm bath, or taking time off when you finish a rough scene or chapter- find a way to let yourself get grounded again before you move on to the next thing.

On a typical day, how much time do you spend writing?

I write five days a week anywhere from 5 to 7 hours.

Do you have a favorite character that you have written? If so, who? And what makes them so special.

I love them all, but there are a few who have a slight edge. Driscoll Kelly (For Real), because he’s the first book boyfriend that I wrote. Stephanie and Jian (Involuntary) are the others because their story came to me in a dream and hasn’t let me go since.

What is your definition of success?

Being able to have your career doing what you love while providing for your needs along with your wants.

Do you have anything you want to share that didn’t fit on one of these questions?

I’m still new to the author life, but I’ve enjoyed this journey immensely.

What are your social links?

www.facebook.com/darie.mccoy;

www.instagram.com/authordarie;

https://www.tiktok.com/@dariemccoy

What are your buy links? (Provide links to your Amazon/iBook’s/Koko/etc Author Home Page if you have quite a few. Also include audible links if applicable.)

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Darie-McCoy/author/B09LNH41K8; https://books.apple.com/us/author/darie-mccoy/id1628855173;

Want tickets to Writers on the River #2024?

They are available starting November 6th at Writersontheriver.com

$75 VIP Plus – 11-12 Lunch with the Authors , 12-1 VIP hour, 1-4 General Admission time. You get a filled VIP bag and admission to the after party is included. *Limited Quantity expected to sell out first day*

$50 VIP -12-1 VIP hour, 1-4 General Admission time. You get a filled VIP bag and admission to the after party is included. *Expected to sell out first day*

$25 Early Access – 12-1 VIP house, 1-4 General Admission time. You also get a filled VIP bag but NO admission to the after party. *Expected to sell out opening day*

$10 General Admission – 1-4 General Admission time. You can purchase a bag but it is not filled with VIP swag. There is no admission to the after party included.

$35 After party – 7-11 After Party with food and cash bar. Dj with a photobooth is also included in the fun.