As a family with small children in the US, and also just because I’m me, we are big fans of Halloween. I’d love to be that family that has matching costumes, but I’m more of a chaos goblin with children who have very strong opinions. So my youngest doesn’t yet have a costume as I write this, my three year old is a make-shift witch more concerned with attending her new dance class, and my two oldest have had costumes picked since last month. And I may or may not wrap my husband in toilet paper to make him a mummy per our three year old’s request.

The first draft of Untamed is a few chapters shy of being complete. The alpha readers are loving it and putting in the hard work of helping me clear up inconsistencies and plot issues. I’m at that point where I’m convinced that this is the worst thing I’ve ever written while also knowing how far manuscripts come from the drafting phase to publishing.

Great news, though! Next week, I’m going to introduce you to our MCs!! I can’t wait for you to meet them.

Ok, so as you know from last week, Meta is being a total asshole. I still do not have access to any of my accounts. I thought it was the pumpkins and I was extremely confused. I’ve since learned, that’s not the case. Although I can see why a bot was offended by my content, the reality is actually really funny (to me) but I cannot reach anyone at Meta to explain why I am not, in fact, a child predator.

TLDR: A bot identified some private memes between my daughter and I as inappropriate and Meta has no real way to appeal this. So make sure you’re following me on Discord and TikTok.

The details. My teenage daughter recently got her first Insta account. It’s a teen account and I created a reader account with very limited posting to keep an eye and because she likes to share reels with me. Mainly K-Pop Demon Hunters related or bikers, not that it matters. No, I didn’t connect my account to hers because we’re open and it was already private so I had low expectations that anything huge would happen. Who knew I’d be the one to cause the issue?

We often joke about different creators from social media, and you may or may not be familiar with one who made a video in his bathroom about getting his girlfriend back from someone who stole her. In this video, he also claims to be part dragon, including demonic eyes and some roaring. At the end, he gets the girl (obviously) and says “Come on girl, let’s go to my bathroom.”

So while I was looking for stock photos for my upcoming covers, I sent my daughter a few of a shirtless man. On one I added the quote from above, and on another I added a dragon emoji. Her responses were along the lines of humorous disgust. Then I told her to go to bed and threatened to send more if she didn’t. So…there you have it. Child exploitation, abuse, and nudity. Because I sent a man without a shirt on.

By the way, that header is what happens when I don’t have access to market on social media and resort to playing on snapchat. I’ve definitely realized over the last week how much time I spent on socials!

My books are leaving Kindle Unlimited. I’m not going to say this is forever, but recent events have been a reminder that you can’t put all of your eggs in one basket. I’m excited to be going wide to give other readers a chance to access my books, though. Not to mention, libraries will still have access to the e-books, though you may need to request them first. If you’re a Kindle Unlimited reader who hasn’t had a chance to read my books, here is the timeline by which you need to make sure to download them!

When Sparks Fly - November 9th

When the Smoke Clears - November 30th

A Penny For Your Thoughts - November 18th

As long as the book is in your library, you will be able to keep it for reading after the books have left KU. However, if you return it, you won’t be able to borrow it again, so make room while you can!

(Spoiler: I also have an alternate pen name which is erotica and taboo works only. Reach out to me for details, if that’s something you’re interested in. Those will also be leaving KU.)

Also, this is your friendly reminder to review the books you read. Reviews have a massive impact on how platforms share available books with readers, and one reader review holds far more weight than the words of the author. So, if you haven’t already, I beg you to pop onto your favorite platform to review any of my books, or any others you’ve missed lately!

If you missed the memo, you can find my books (signed or unsigned) and some goodies at The Crafty Bookstore in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition, they have some really fun options for advent book boxes this year! You pick the duration: 7, 12, or 24 days, as well as the genres, and they curate a fun box for the book lover in your life (ahem, or you).

If you were planning to see me at Books & Bourbon Spooky Soiree, the new date has been announced! The event will take place October 23rd and 24th of 2026 in Bardstown, Kentucky.

Tickets go on sale November 14th! Make sure to grab your tickets between then and November 28th during the Black Friday Sale. Use code: earlybird for 10% off all tickets. Get all the event details, tickets, and access to the newsletter at booksandbourbonsoiree.com.

If you’re celebrating today/tonight, I hope you have a fun-filled, safe event!

XOXO, Amanda