A review of Sacred Valley: Obversion by Shaun M. Jooste, a dark, visceral horror novel about addiction, guilt, and a rotting mirror world. 4/5 stars.
Tag Archives: Justine Castellon
The Simple Stuff: Publishing Insight by Gaius Konstantine
You finally finished your first manuscript. Before you query an agent or hit publish, make sure it looks the part, because agents and readers are judging the formatting first.
What’s New This Week at #JustReadingNook?
Dragons, a Paris kidnapping, and Colleen Hoover back on the charts lead this week’s NYT bestsellers. On the indie side, there’s a 1980s mafia confession, a runaway heir, a revenge thriller, a marriage tested by a storm, a deadly mansion game, and a grimdark legend told before the noose.
Manuscript Too Short? Why Word Count Can Cost You a Deal: Publishing Insight by Gaius Konstantine (Part 2)
Sent 70,000 words when they asked for 80,000? That shortfall can get you rejected before anyone reads a page. Part 2 of Words That Get You Into Trouble looks at the hidden cost of writing short.
Book Feature: Dead Beat by Leigh Bardugo
Have you ever reached the last book of a series and wanted to read it slowly, just so it wouldn’t be over yet? That’s exactly where I landed with Dead Beat, the final Alex Stern novel from Leigh Bardugo. Ninth House came out in 2019. Hell Bent followed in 2023. And then we waited, again, for Bardugo to tell us what happens when a girl who can see the dead drags someone back out of hell and forgets to close the door behind her.
#JustReadingNook Halloween Picks
Five horror legends, seven indie standouts, and the double features to read them in. Your October stack starts here.
Publishing Insight by Gaius Konstantine
How long should your novel be? Gaius Konstantine explains why word count matters for debut authors, whether you’re querying agents or publishing indie.
Book Review: Itsy Bitsy Spyder by J.R. Larriba
J.R. Larriba’s Itsy Bitsy Spyder: Evolution starts as a gritty Marin County murder case and ends somewhere far stranger. The genre swerves can jolt you, but sharp banter, a creeping sentient fog, and real heart make this a wild ride worth taking.”
Spotlight: Dr. Dakota J. Miller
Dakota J. Miller wrote a Southern Gothic novella about a family fleeing the Salem witch trials. Then the internet came for him over AI. Here’s what actually happened, in his own words.
What’s New This Week at #JustReadingNook?
Here’s what’s new for the week of September 25, 2026 at #JustReadingNook