NaNoWriMo 2023 – Count Me In!

It’s been a while since I shared anything writing related. If you read my first post since I started blogging again, you already know that the end of 2019 through early this year, I’ve been in a real writing rut. Between US politics, the pandemic, and my own personal health issues (only related in part to the pandemic!) I just haven’t had the mental capacity to create via writing.

That’s not to say my characters haven’t been screaming at me, believe me, they have!

I’ve recently gotten my feet wet by pulling up the WIP I abandoned in 2019 and working on that again. I’m feeling good about where it’s going, and I’m hoping to have it ready to publish sometime in 2024. (No promises!)

But let’s talk NaNoWriMo. My first NaNoWriMo was 2009, I lost. In fact, I’ve lost 5 of my 6 attempts at NaNoWriMo! I don’t know about you guys, but November winds up being a very busy month!

The last (and only) time I “won” NaNo was 2013, with my YA vampire/witch novel that I never published. (Someday I hope to heavily rewrite/revise the book and bring it into the world as the first in a series. I even wrote a prequel, which I liked way better! So if nothing else, I’ll release that as a book on its own someday!)

Even with my many losses, I’ve used NaNo as an excuse to make progress on Peace in Flames (2016) and Something I’m Good At (2017), both of which have been published. Just because you don’t hit the 50k target, doesn’t mean you’re a loser, it just means you need more time to let the creativity out.

Which brings us to 2023. This is the year of Sol del Mar High book 2. The working title is You Belong With Me (because I’m a Swiftie and that song fits) but I know that sounds super possessive and I’m working on a new title, promise. 😉 This will be Mark’s book. If you read SIGA (my loving nickname for Something I’m Good At), you might remember Mark as Kane’s quiet but loyal BFF. I’m soooo excited to share Mark’s story with the world. This book will pick up soon after SIGA ended, so be prepared for love, surfing, and drama! And don’t worry, Kane, Summer, and Abigail will all be returning to help tell Mark’s story. (I’ll do my best to not let Kane steal the show!) You’ll also get to know Hannah, the quiet girl with more baggage than any high school student should have to endure.

It’s only October, which means I’m doing something I’m very bad at. I’m plotting! I normally go into my writing with a general idea of what will happen and a few big scenes, but that’s it. And then I get lost and jump to another project. (This is actually how I wrote Peace in Flames and Summer of Peace! I got lost in PiF so I jumped over to SoP, then I got stuck again and jumped back! In the end I had two novellas to release back to back, so that was good!)

I’ve dedicated at least an hour every Tuesday this month (while my daughter is in her dance class and I’m sitting in my car) to storyboarding scenes in Scrivener. I love that I can move the virtual notecards around if I decide that a scene should happen sooner or later. This is my first time using it in this way, and so far, I’m loving it! I currently have 23 scenes planned. I’m not sure if I’ll manage to pre-plot all of the scenes I need, but I have a solid foundation to get started.

So why start a new book for NaNo instead of continuing that previously mentioned WIP? Well, my WIP (tentatively called Windego Summer) is sitting at a little over 20k words and I don’t know that I have another 50k left of this story to tell! I may hop back over to this one if I hit a wall on Mark’s story though, only time will tell!

If you’re planning on participating in NaNo this year, leave a message below. And/Or I’d love to connect with you on NaNoWriMo.com – my user name is FaerieTears.

Here’s to a fruitful NaNoWriMo and for me finally releasing another book baby into the world sometime in 2024!

Review: Happy Place by Emily Henry

Happy Place Book Cover Happy Place
Emily Henry
Contemporary | Second Chance Romance
Berkley
April 25, 2023
Audiobook
400
Public Library
August 18 - 28, 2023

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up six months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing the largest bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blue week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week… in front of those who know you best?

A couple who broke up months ago make a pact to pretend to still be together for their annual weeklong vacation with their best friends in this glittering and wise new novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Emily Henry.

Review

Okay, okay. This isn’t a bad book. It just wasn’t what I expected. Did I read the blurb before I started? No. Should I have? Probably. But I’ve loved every other Emily Henry book! I had no reason to think I wouldn’t love this one when I dove in sight unseen!

With that out of the way, let’s continue and talk about what I liked: Wyn and Harriet. Wyn was very sweet and Harriet very kind. They were both stellar characters, with Harriet having a little more character growth. I also really enjoyed the chapters that dove into their past and the start of their relationship. I preferred that to the present day chapters with the rift between them.

What I didn’t like so much was their friend group. For one, they kind of blended together in my head. They were each different, but they were all introduced so quickly that I couldn’t name them now, and while listening to the audiobook, I couldn’t keep them all straight. I also didn’t like the lack of communication between Wyn and Harriet. It’s one of my least favorite tropes, the characters who wouldn’t have a problem if they’d just freaking be honest and vulnerable with each other! 

All that said, I think if I had gone into this knowing it’s a second chance romance I would have liked it a lot more. I just wasn’t in the right headspace for this type of book though. 

Fans of Emily Henry: It’s good, but read the blurb first so you know what you’re getting into!

Review: House of Silence by Sarah Barthel

House of Silence Book Cover House of Silence
Sarah Barthel
Historical
Kensington
December 27, 2016
Paperback
261
Goodreads First Read
August 6 - October 6, 2023

For fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age, explore the dazzling world of America’s 19th century elite in this lush, page-turning saga…

Oak Park, Illinois, 1875. Isabelle Larkin's future--like that of every young woman--hinges upon her choice of husband. She delights her mother by becoming engaged to Gregory Gallagher, who is charismatic, politically ambitious, and publicly devoted. But Isabelle's visions of a happy, profitable match come to a halt when she witnesses her fiancé commit a horrific crime--and no one believes her.

Gregory denies all, and Isabelle's mother insists she marry as planned rather than drag them into scandal. Fearing for her life, Isabelle can think of only one escape: she feigns a mental breakdown that renders her mute, and is brought to Bellevue sanitarium. There she finds a friend in fellow patient Mary Todd Lincoln, committed after her husband's assassination. 

In this unlikely refuge, the women become allies, even as Isabelle maintains a veneer of madness for her own protection. But sooner or later, she must reclaim her voice. And if she uses it to expose the truth, Isabelle risks far more than she could ever imagine.

Weaving together a thread of finely tuned suspense with a fascinating setting and real-life figures, Sarah Barthel's debut is historical fiction at its most evocative and compelling.

House of Silence

Review

2.5 Stars

After witnessing her fiancé, Gregory, murder a woman, and having nobody believe her, Isabelle Larkin stops speaking. This is a conscious decision, because why speak if nobody believes you? And when she refuses to speak for a period of time, her mother and her doctor feel there is no other choice than to send her off to Bellevue sanitarium. Isabelle is glad to get away, it means she won’t see Gregory; however, if anyone were to find out, Isabelle’s reputation would be ruined. 

While at Bellevue, Isabelle acquaints herself with the other patients who have various issues, and befriends the staff. And then the former first lady of the USA, Mary Todd Lincoln takes up residence. It is Mrs. Lincoln to whom Isabelle confides.

This book was well written, and the characters fleshed out, however I don’t feel like there was enough substance in the middle of the book. After Isabella witnessed the murder, the book seemed to drag as she did her day to day tasks at Bellevue, and went on carriage rides with Mrs. Lincoln, until we finally reached the climax, which I did enjoy. I would have been more invested had anything happened to Isabelle throughout the middle of the book. As it was, there was one small incident that was barely a blip. It happened so fast, I wasn’t even sure if it was real or Isabelle’s imagination.

I did enjoy learning a little more about Mary Todd Lincoln though. I had no clue that after the assassination of her husband President Abraham Lincoln, she was sent to a sanitarium due to her behaviors that her son found troubling. 

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book unless you’re a big fan of historical novels. 

Review: November 9 by Colleen Hoover

November 9 Book Cover November 9
Colleen Hoover
Contemporary Romance
Atria Books
November 10, 2015
Audiobook
310
Public Library
September 11 - 14, 2023

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?

Review

I was warned. 

They said “Don’t start (reading Colleen Hoover) with this book, it will break you.”

I ignored them. 

November 9 is my first foray into the literary world of Colleen Hoover.

As I read this book I wondered to myself, “What are they talking about? I saw this ‘revelation’ coming from a mile away. I’m not shattered into a million pieces.” 

But then it hit me. Not the first “twist” but the second. 

November 9 is the story of Fallon and Ben. Both 18, they meet on November 9, the anniversary of the date Fallon was trapped in her fathers burning house. Ben expresses his interest in Fallon, but Fallon tells him she refuses to get into a serious relationship until age 23, plus she’s moving across the country that night. Ben, an aspiring author, makes a suggestion – every year they meet on the same date, at a prearranged time location, and he’ll write a book with her as his muse. They do not exchange phone numbers, email addresses, and block each other on social media, so nobody can cheat.

Each subsequent November 9 we see them meet again, and watch their relationship blossom and grow, despite the fact they only spend a few hours with each other each year. By the final year, it’s clear they’re in love, but when Fallon learns a hard truth about Ben, she can’t just forgive and forget. She’s utterly devastated. 

I literally can’t say anything else or I’ll ruin the entire book. Just know that if you guess the ending, you are not safe from shattering as the story continues. 

I am officially on the CoHo bandwagon and am on the waitlist on more of her books with my local library.

Read this book. Just do it. You and your broken heart can thank me later.

Review: Love, Pamela by Pamela Anderson

Love, Pamela Book Cover Love, Pamela
Pamela Anderson
Memoir
Dey Street Books
January 31, 2023
Audiobook
256
Public Library
August 31 - September 11, 2023

My dreams often come true -- a curse, and a blessing.

Pamela Anderson's blond bombshell image was ubiquitous in the 1990s. Discovered in the stands during a Canadian football game, she was quickly launched into superstardom, becoming Playboy's favorite cover girl and an emblem of Hollywood glamour and sex appeal. Yet the Pamela Anderson we think we know was created through happenstance rather than careful cultivation. Love, Pamela brings forth her true story: that of a small-town girl getting tangled up in her own dream.

Growing up on Vancouver Island, the daughter of young, wild, and unwittingly stylish parents, Pamela lived a hardscrabble childhood but developed a deep love for nature, populating her world with misfits, apparitional friends, and injured animals. Eventually overcoming her natural shyness, Pamela's restless imagination propelled her into a life few can dream of, from the beaches of Malibu to the coveted scene at the Playboy Mansion. As her star rose, she found herself a fixture of tabloid fodder, at the height of an era when paparazzi tactics were bent on destroying a person's image and self-esteem.

Pamela forged ahead with grace, finding sanctuary in her love of art and literature, and emerged a devoted mother and activist. Now, having returned to the island of her childhood, after a memorable run starring as Roxie in Chicago on Broadway, Pamela is telling her story, a story of an irrepressible free spirit coming home and discovering herself anew at every turn. With vivid prose interspersed with bursts of original poetry, Love, Pamela is a pensive, layered, and unforgettable memoir.

Review

As an 80s baby, I grew up watching Baywatch. (The shark episodes were always my favorite!) so of course I knew who Pamela Anderson was. As a kid, she was just C. J. from Baywatch! As I grew older, I learned a little more about her, like the fact that she got her start modeling for Playboy. And of course, despite being too young to understand, I was well aware when the infamous stolen video of her and Tommy Lee blew up. All that to say, when I saw she had a memoir, I was eager to read it.

Now that I’ve read this (listened actually—always listen to memoirs when read by the author!) I can say that I wish Pamela was my friend. She has a beautiful soul to match her beautiful face. She is a woman who has experienced trauma throughout her life, starting as a young child. A woman who has been painted as a brainless “dumb blonde”. A woman who was torn apart by the media. But she’s so much more. 

Pamela Anderson has a kind heart, she’s generous to a fault, she loves her kids and sacrificed amazing career opportunities so that she could be there for them when they needed her. Sure she’s jumped from bad relationship to bad relationship, but I truly believe so much of that stems from her trauma and her ability to see the good in absolutely everyone. 

This book is surprisingly poetic and lyrical. I wish she’d delved a little deeper, but I’m not mad at what she did give us. This book is a keeper, even if you don’t necessarily care about Pamela Anderson, it’s worth it to read what the media did to her. 

Review: Night of the Witch by Sara Raasch & Beth Revis

Night of the Witch Book Cover Night of the Witch
Witch and Hunter #1
Sara Raasch & Beth Revis
Paranormal Romance / Fantasy
Sourcebooks Fire
October 3, 2023
E-ARC
416
NetGalley
August 13 - September 10, 2023

A witch and a hunter. Vengeance is their mission. Love is their destiny.

Fritzi is a witch. A survivor of a brutal attack on her coven, she's determined to find her only surviving family member and bring the hexenjägers—zealot witch hunters—to justice for the lives they ended. To do this, she will need to take down their leader—Kommandant Dieter Kirch.

Otto is a hexenjäger and a captain, the second in command to Dieter Kirch—but that's just his cover. Years ago, the hexenjagers burned his innocent mother alive and since then, he has been planning a move against the witch hunters that tore his family apart. And now the time has come for them to pay for what they've done.

When Fritzi and Otto are unexpectedly thrown together, neither is sure they can trust the other, despite their common enemy. But all they have is one another, and they both crave revenge. As truths come to light and trust shifts, Fritzi and Otto uncover a far more horrifying plot at the center of the hexenjäger attacks . . . but their own growing feelings for each other may be the most powerful magic of all.

Review

When I began reading the first chapter of this book, I honestly didn’t think I’d like it. We’re immediately thrown into a battle as the witch hunters (hexenjägers) are storming the witch village. I’m not big on battles in books (or, to be honest, TV/movies either) I find them overwhelming. I knew the whole book was unlikely to be one big battle, so I kept reading. But there was another thing nagging at me from the get go—Fritzi. I couldn’t gauge how old she was. The way she interacts with her mother, I assumed she was a child, 13 at most, this pulled me out of the story.

And that’s where my criticisms end. Once Fritzi leaves the remnants of her village in search of her cousin, who’s been captured by the jägers, I was fully engaged. (The authors also mentioned Fritzi’s age, so that nagging detail was finally put to rest, so I could form a .) 

The story alternates between Fritzi, the witch, and Otto, the witch hunter. When their paths collide, shortly after Fritzi leaves her village, and she becomes Otto’s captive, the real story begins. 

I love Fritzi. I love Otto. I love them together. I love them fighting or not. 

Ultimately they end up on a mission to save Fritzi’s cousin and magic on a whole. I loved the magic system in this book, the wild magic vs the magic of “The Well”. The goddesses and the sanctuary of the well. 

The end of the book? Amazing.

I need the next book in this series.

Content warning: Though this book reads like a YA, there is one sex scene.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and the authors for the chance to read this awesome book! ❤️

Review: Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood

Love, Theoretically Book Cover Love, Theoretically
Ali Hazelwood
RomCom / Contemporary Romance
Berkley
June 13, 2023
Audiobook
391
Public Library
August 7 - 15, 2023

The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs. Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job. Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?

Review

I have read all three of Ali Hazelwoods published books and this one is probably my least favorite, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it!

Elsie is a theoretical physicist slaving away as an adjunct professor making almost no money, therefor to pay the bills, she has a side gig as a fake girlfriend. Through a service, she can be hired to act as a fake girlfriend. A pathological people pleaser, Elsie is a pro at becoming exactly what someone else wants her to be. 

Enter Jack. He’s the brother of her favorite fake dating client, and also a roadblock to her gaining employment as a tenured professor. Of course the sparks fly! 

This book is far too smutty for me. So, so much smut. But I loved the characters (though Jack is a little too alpha for me) and I loved that some old friends from previous Hazelwood books make an appearance. Elsie’s character growth was great as well, and much of that she has Jack to thank for. 

If you’re into romcom contemporary novels, and you’re okay with a high level of smut, this could be the book for you! 

Review: Off the Map by Trish Doller

Off the Map Book Cover Off the Map
Beck Sisters #3
Trish Doller
Contemporary Romance
St. Martin's Griffin
March 7, 2023
E-ARC / Audiobook
272
NetGalley / Public Library
August 7 - 19, 2023

On the road to love, you don't need a GPS...  Carla Black’s life motto is “here for a good time, not for a long time.” She’s been travelling the world on her own in her vintage Jeep Wrangler for nearly a decade, stopping only long enough to replenish her adventure fund. She doesn’t do love and she doesn’t ever go home. Eamon Sullivan is a modern-day cartographer who creates digital maps. His work helps people find their way, but he’s the one who’s lost his sense of direction. He’s unhappy at work, recently dumped, and his one big dream is stalled out—literally. Fate throws them together when Carla arrives in Dublin for her best friend’s wedding and Eamon is tasked with picking her up from the airport. But what should be a simple drive across Ireland quickly becomes complicated with chemistry-filled detours, unexpected feelings, and a chance at love - if only they choose it.

Review

First of all – I grabbed this book when I first dove back into NetGalley and had zero restraint. I received an email with a few romance novels available and I requested them all. Even though I don’t particularly like this cover. (I think it’s the fact that her hair makes it look like it takes place in the 1920s or something, when it does not.) I do appreciate that the cover is actually a scene from the book. That’s not super common. 

With that out of the way, this book has a lot of heart. Carla has a lot of baggage (despite traveling with very little baggage! Haha) Her father, the only parent she has, is slowly fading away from her, losing his memory to dementia or Alzheimer’s (sorry, I can’t remember which.) He doesn’t want her to watch him suffer, so he tells her to keep traveling—which was their thing—and see as much of the world together as they could. He doesn’t want her to watch him waste away and forget her.

When Carla arrives in Ireland for her BFFs wedding, the grooms brother, Eamon, picks her up. And they almost immediately jump into bed, which is something I absolutely abhor in romance novels. Buuut they won me over in the end. What starts as a fling, becomes so much more once the pair get to know one another.

Eamon is Carla’s opposite. While she’s home, she works as a bartender saving all her money to travel the rest of the time. Eamon has a well paying desk job, and has never given himself the chance to travel, despite his desire to do so. Despite being so opposite, they connect. And experiencing that relationship build up was a joy. And, as with any good book, both of these characters have to face the things in their lives that are pulling them down and make some big choices.

Bonus points for all the descriptions of Ireland. That’s a location on my bucket list, for sure!

So, do I recommend this book? Well, I plan to read books 1 and 2 in the series, so what does that tell you? 😉  

Review: The Confidant by Judy Corry

The Confidant Book Cover The Confidant
Eden Falls Academy #4
Judy Corry
YA Contemporary Romance
Cherry Blossom Romance
October 13, 2022
E-Book
478
Amazon
June 17 - July 11, 2023

I love Judy Corry’s books, but I was a little nervous going into this book because I knew it delved into the subject of religion. Typically, in my experience this means having religion shoved down my throat. However, Corry did a fabulous job of depicting a relationship between a believer and a new non-believer. In no way did she disrespect the views of anyone who did or did not believe in any religion. 

This was Hunter and Scarlett’s story, who we’ve met in the previous Eden Fall’s Academy books. Though we’ve met them, I never felt like we got to know them very well. They always seemed just a little bit apart from the others. (Note: I have not yet read book 3, but I’ll get around to it one of these days!) 

Scarlett is a true believer of The Fold, the religion she grew up in. Her father is even her pastor. Hunter was a believer as well, until something happened in his life within the past year that made him rethink his beliefs. Hunter hasn’t found the right time to tell Scarlett about his change of heart though. 

Scarlett’s dad is very protective of her and has forbid her from dating until she’s 18, which means she and Hunter, despite loving one another deeply, can’t be together. Not yet anyway. 

Once the truth comes out about Hunter’s change of faith though, can Scarlett still accept him? Can he still accept her, knowing what he knows about The Fold and her devotion to her religion? 

This is a wonderful story about tolerance, love, and there’s a little bit of suspense and danger thrown in for good measure. One of the best books in Judy Corry’s catalog. 

Review

I love Judy Corry’s books, but I was a little nervous going into this book because I knew it delved into the subject of religion. Typically, in my experience this means having religion shoved down my throat. However, Corry did a fabulous job of depicting a relationship between a believer and a new non-believer. In no way did she disrespect the views of anyone who did or did not believe in any religion. 

This was Hunter and Scarlett’s story, who we’ve met in the previous Eden Fall’s Academy books. Though we’ve met them, I never felt like we got to know them very well. They always seemed just a little bit apart from the others. (Note: I have not yet read book 3, but I’ll get around to it one of these days!) 

Scarlett is a true believer of The Fold, the religion she grew up in. Her father is even her pastor. Hunter was a believer as well, until something happened in his life within the past year that made him rethink his beliefs. Hunter hasn’t found the right time to tell Scarlett about his change of heart though. 

Scarlett’s dad is very protective of her and has forbid her from dating until she’s 18, which means she and Hunter, despite loving one another deeply, can’t be together. Not yet anyway. 

Once the truth comes out about Hunter’s change of faith though, can Scarlett still accept him? Can he still accept her, knowing what he knows about The Fold and her devotion to her religion? 

This is a wonderful story about tolerance, love, and there’s a little bit of suspense and danger thrown in for good measure. One of the best books in Judy Corry’s catalog. 

The Confidant by Judy Corry

Review: Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton

Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard Book Cover Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
Tom Felton
Memoir
Grand Central Publishing
October 18, 2022
Audiobook
288
Public Library
July 24 - August 2, 2023

From the magical moments on set as Draco Malfoy to the challenges of growing up in the spotlight, get a backstage pass into Tom Felton’s life on and off the big screen in this #1 New York Times bestseller. Tom Felton’s adolescence was anything but ordinary. His early rise to fame in beloved films like The Borrowers catapulted him into the limelight, but nothing could prepare him for what was to come after he landed the iconic role of the Draco Malfoy, the bleached blonde villain of the Harry Potter movies. For the next ten years, he was at the center of a huge pop culture phenomenon and yet, in between filming, he would go back to being a normal teenager trying to fit into a normal school. Speaking with great candor and his signature humor, Tom shares his experience growing up as part of the wizarding world while also trying to navigate the muggle world. He tells stories from his early days in the business like his first acting gig where he was mistaken for fellow blonde child actor Macaulay Culkin and his Harry Potter audition where, in a very Draco-like move, he fudged how well he knew the books the series was based on (not at all). He reflects on his experiences working with cinematic greats such as Alan Rickman, Sir Michael Gambon, Dame Maggie Smith, and Ralph Fiennes (including that awkward Voldemort hug). And, perhaps most poignantly, he discusses the lasting relationships he made over that decade of filming, including with Emma Watson, who started out as a pesky nine-year-old whom he mocked for not knowing what a boom mic was but who soon grew into one of his dearest friends. Then, of course, there are the highs and lows of fame and navigating life after such a momentous and life-changing experience. Tom Felton’s Beyond the Wand is an entertaining, funny, and poignant must-read for any Harry Potter fan. Prepare to meet a real-life wizard.

Review

This is a must read for any Harry Potter fan. Scratch that, this is a must listen as any memoir read by the author should always be listened to rather than read. 

Tom Felton aka Draco Malfo was, apparently, cast in the role he’s become most famous for simply because as a child, he was a little shit. From the sounds of it, all of the children cast to play the roles because their personalities were similar enough to their characters. Tom and I would not have been friends back then, but maybe we’d get along now.

A lot of this book talks about how it was on set for both Harry Potter and Tom’s first big role in The Borrowers. It was fascinating to me to hear about how live on set is, especially for a child. The bits about Alan Rickman cracked me up. It sounds like he was a very intimidating man (RIP). 

This book also delves into Tom’s personal life, growing up with his brothers who kept him grounded. He wasn’t allowed to let his fame get to his head. It was also interesting to hear about how he was actually bullied for being in the Harry Potter films!

Felton also touches on mental health, both his family history and his own. On rehab. On a lot of personal issues. I also learned about what drove him to continue looking for acting jobs once Potter was in the past.

As far as memoirs go, this one is very entertaining and enlightening, one of the better ones I’ve read (er, listened to).