Well Met By Water, Another Winner by Joy V. Smith

BOOK TITLE: WELL MET BY WATER

AUTHOR OF BOOK: Joy V. Smith

GENRE: Science fiction 

ISBN: 979-8-232-59597-5

PAGE COUNT: 210

AMAZON or FAVE LINK to BUY BOOK: 

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Well+Met+by+Water&i=stripbooks&adid=082

VK13VJJCZTQYGWWCZ&campaign=211041&creative=374001&tag=x_gr_bb_

amazon-20&ref=x_gr_bb_amazon

 

THE REVIEW ITSELF:

 

Review Rating: 5 Stars

Reviewed by David Jaggart for Readers’ Favorite

Joy V. Smith's WELL MET BY WATER is about a family of mermaid–human hybrids trying to live 

peacefully while protecting themselves from danger. The main character, Cathay, is a young 

woman who can breathe underwater, swim with dolphins, and move between land and sea. 

Her entire family shares this gift, although only the daughters inherit the full merfolk abilities. 

Their tranquil life suddenly changes when Cathay rescues Rand, a former thug, chained under 

a dock and left to drown. After saving Rand, Cathay encourages him to leave his criminal past 

behind and use his life for good. This incident sets off a series of events involving hardened 

criminals, polluted oceans, kidnapped merchildren, and the ongoing quest to keep the family’s 

identity a secret. Follow Cathay on this riveting journey as she protects her loved ones from 

impending danger.

WELL MET BY WATER is a captivating tale that feels a lot like stepping into two worlds at once — the human 

world and the hidden, fascinating world beneath the surface. I love how Joy V. Smith defines Cathay's family. 

Her family doesn't portray classic mermaids from traditional fantasy-based stories. They depict an authentic 

family with real concerns, disagreements, and loyalty. Their merfolk abilities add another layer to the many 

challenges they already face, especially with secrecy, safety, and identity. I deeply appreciated Rand's character 

arc. His presence brings uncertainty and hope, showing how a person with a dark past can find redemption 

when given a second chance. The environmental themes stand out, too. The author clearly cares about the 

ocean and uses the story to highlight pollution and the importance of protecting marine life in a way that feels 

natural to the plot. I enjoyed reading this intriguing tale and you will too! Highly recommended.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

 

Joy V. Smith has been writing stories since she was little and created her own little 

books.  Her stories and articles have been published in print magazines, ezines, 

and anthologies; her SF has been published in two audiobooks, including Sugar 

Time (also available in print). Her books include Detour Trail, a western; Strike Three; Sugar Time, Velvet of Swords; Cold New Planet; Seedlings and Crystal Quest, the sequel; a collection of her 

published short stories, The Doorway and Other Stories.  She lives in Florida with 

Samwise Gamgee, a Chihuahua cross, and Pemberley, the tortoiseshell cat.

 

 

X Permission to publish the the review.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Joy V. Smith has been writing stories since she was little and created her own little books.  Her stories and articles have been published in print magazines, ezines, and anthologies; her SF has been published in two audiobooks, including Sugar Time (also available in print). Her books include Detour Trail, a western; Strike Three; Sugar Time, Velvet of Swords; Cold New Planet; Seedlings and Crystal Quest, the sequel; a collection of her published short stories, The Doorway and Other Stories.  She lives in Florida with Samwise Gamgee, a Chihuahua cross, and Pemberley, the tortoiseshell cat

MORE ABOUT #THENEWBOOKREVIEW BLOG The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in Lois W. Stern’s silver circle icon in the right column of this blog, in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in the right column of this blog’s home page (a silver and gold badge with three silver- circle icons beneath it. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author and veteran educator, she also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing HowToDoItFrugally https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews.

Want to Sell More Books? Check Out This Tip from TheNewBookReview Affiliate, Lois W. Stern

SECRETS FOR SELLING MORE BOOKS 

By Lois W. Stern

Founder, Contributor and Editor of the #Tales2Inspire Series of anthologies

Contributing #AuthorsHelpingAuthors associate here and on the #SharingwithWriters Blog

Did you ever think of selling your books from the comfort of your home? At one time I thought about it too, looked into several inernet pay options, but nixed them all as they seemed too involved.

Then I learned about ZELLE.

The name of this game is SAFE, QUICK 'n EASY and FREE. 

Zelle is a safe, flexible, no fee way to make or receive a payments - all from the comfort of your home. 

SAFE: Despite all the talk of internet scams, when used properly, Zelle is extremely safe because you are not giving out either credit card or bank account information. This bank to bank transfer of funds moves a dollar amount from the buyer’s account to the account of the seller. The buyer’s bank simply transfers that inputted amount from one account to the other, without revealing the account number of either party. If you already pay your bills online, you're good to go. Once you sign in, there will be a drop down menu for paying bills. At my bank it looks like this:

• You can set up your Zelle account using either your cell phone number or your email address. I set up my Zelle account with my email address because I knew those placing book orders would be familair with the words Tales2Inspire, but preferred to keep my cell number private.
• 
  
• QUICK: When making a Zelle payment, you simply input the amount owed, the name and identifier (either e-mail or cell number, but not both) of the person you are paying, click a button and DONE. An immediate Bank-to-Bank transfer of funds takes place.

 

EASY: I asked Siri to compare Zelle with traditional payment options and up came the chart, below.

FREE: Absolutely no charges for this service.

Most major banks now use Zelle. Many are now incorporating an additional step, such as multi-factor authentication, for first time payments to any given party. 

STILL NOT CONVINCED? If you're still not sure this is for you, do what I did: Ask a friend if you could Zelle them $1. Once it arrives, have them return the favor and Zelle $1. back to you.  

CAUTION

Only use Zelle to make payments to people you know and trust. To avoid falling victim to a scam, never use Zelle to buy goods or services from online marketplaces or strangers. 

SINCE USING ZELLE, MY BOOK SALES HAVE TRIPLED:

Since I have published all twelve of my Tales2Inspire books with Amazon KDP, I came up with a creative idea for selling more books while offering Zelle as a payment option. It all starts with a Jotform I created, and you can create one too, for free. Click here, to check it out (or copy and paste https://form.jotform.com/260094023611041 into your browser). 

COMING SOON: A whole new Sharing with Writers section, where I'll be sharing details of my project and inviting readers to post their best marketing tips as well. 

Want to Sell More Books? Check Out This Tip From TNBR Affiliate, Lois W. Stern

SECRETS FOR SELLING MORE BOOKS 

By Lois W. Stern

Founder, Contributor and Editor of the #Tales2Inspire Series of anthologies

Contributing #AuthorsHelpingAuthors associate here on the #TheNewBookReviewBlobSpot

Want to Sell More Books? Check Out This Tip From TNBR Affiliate, Lois W. Stern

Did you ever think of selling your books from the comfort of your home? At one time I thought about it too, looked into several inernet pay options, but nixed them all as they seemed too involved.

Then I learned about ZELLE.

The name of this game is SAFE, QUICK 'n EASY and FREE. 

Zelle is a safe, flexible, no fee way to make or receive payments through your bank account - all from the comfort of your home. And most major banks now use Zelle. 

• SAFE: Despite all the talk of internet scams, when used properly, Zelle is extremely safe because you are not giving out either credit card or bank account information. This is a bank to bank transfer of funds which moves a dollar amount from the buyer’s bank account to the account of the seller. The buyer’s bank simply transfers that inputted amount from one account to the other, without revealing the account number of either party. If you already pay your bills online, you're good to go. Once you sign in, there will be a drop down menu for paying bills. At my bank it looks like this:

You can set up your Zelle account with your bank using either your cell phone number or your email address. I set up my Zelle account with my bank using my email address. You see, my email address, tales2inspire2@gmail.com is posted everywhere, but I wanted to keep my cell number private.

• QUICK: Once you have set up your Zelle account with your bank, the payee can make payments by simply inputting the amount owed using your identifier, (either e-mail or cell number, but not both), click a button and DONE. An immediate Bank-to-Bank transfer of funds takes place.

• EASY: I asked Siri to compare Zelle with traditional payment options and up came the chart, below.

• FREE: Absolutely no charges for this service.

STILL NOT CONVINCED? If you're still not sure this is for you, do what I did: Ask a friend if you can Zelle them $1. Once it arrives, have them return the favor and Zelle $1. back to you.  

CAUTION

Only use Zelle to make payments to people you know and trust. To avoid falling victim to a scam, never use Zelle to buy goods or services from online marketplaces or strangers. 

SINCE USING ZELLE, MY BOOK SALES HAVE TRIPLED:

Since I have published all twelve of my Tales2Inspire books with Amazon KDP, I came up with a creative idea for selling more books while offering Zelle as a payment option. It all starts with a Jotform I created, and you can create one too, for free. Click here to check it out (or copy and paste https://form.jotform.com/260094023611041 into your browser). 

COMING SOON: A whole new TheNewBookReviewBlogSpot section, where I'll be sharing details of my project and inviting readers to post their best marketing tips as well. 

MORE ABOUT TODAY’S CONTRIBUTOR

Lois W. Stern, the Book Review Facilitator for TNBR (TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com), is the founder, editor and contributor to Tales2Inspire, an authors helping authors project to help aspiring writers on their paths to discovery. As such, she has now published twelve  award winning Tales2Inspire® treasured anthologies of her contest winners' stories. Lois is a multi award winning author herself, whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Newsday, Long Island Press, Barnard Magazine, on Local Access TV and in live presentations in varied venues. As TheNewBookReview review coordinator, Lois serves as an outreach to help other authors brand themselves as authors of talent. 

                              CLICK HERE to get a FREE Tales2Inspire Sampler book.

 https://www.facebook.com/tales2inspire

Interested in pzrticipatimng in her FREE annual contest?

CLICK HERE to lern more:

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER 

 Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the multi award-winning author of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. She is also a marketing consultant, editor, and author of the multi award-winning #HowToDoItFrugally Series (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T/ ) of books for writers including "The Frugal Book Promoter" (https://bit.ly/FrugalBookPromoIII), and "The Frugal Editor" both offered in their third editions by Modern History Press. Others in that series are "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically," and two booklets, both in their second editions also from Modern History Press. The booklets, "Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers" (https://bit.ly/LastMinuteEditsII) and "Great First Impression Book Proposals" (https://bit.ly/BookProposalsII) are career boosters in mini doses and both make ideal thank you gifts for authors. The one on writing book proposals is also available as an Audio Book. "The Frugal Editor "(https://tinyurl.com/TheFrugalEditor), was recently released in its third edition. It is the winningest book in this series for writers. Carolyn also has three frugal books for retailers including one she encourages authors to read because it helps them understand what is needed to convince retailers to host their workshops, presentations, and signings. It is "A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques" (https://bit.ly/RetailersGuide). In addition to this blog, Carolyn helps writers extend the exposure of their favorite reviews at https://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com. She also blogs all things editing--grammar, formatting and more--at "The Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor" (https://TheFrugalEditor.blogspot.com). Learn more and follow it to get news on her new releases directly from Amazon at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile.  

ABOUT #THENEWBOOKREVIEW BLOG The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in Lois W. Stern’s silver circle icon in the right column of this blog, in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews Authors and publishers will want to access use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors services. All are free and listed in her silver-circle icons in the right column. WARNING some cell phones cut off the right column of the blog, so try it using your desktop!) Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author and veteran educator, she also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing HowToDoItFrugally https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews.

Owner of The New Book Review Extends Invitations for You To Extend the Power of Reviews

Dear Visitors and Subscribers to The New Book Review:

Maybe you’re visiting this blog to find great new reading. Maybe you’re a reviewer looking for great new books to review or to extend the exposure or the many reviews you have already written! Maybe you’re an author who would love to like to do your book a favor by having more people read a review of your book that you love--or of a way to thank a reviewers for reviewing your book!  You are in the right place.  The New Book Review isn’t like other reviews.  We’ve made a place for everyone.  Even publishers who have similar motives to the ones I mentioned above.  

Here are a few more reasons to stick around along with an invitation and some answers to other questions you might have! 

Maybe if you ran across a review you’d like to publish! (-:  : Have you become an author to give your business more credibility?  I’d love to have you participate in my free book review blog.  It offers alternative processes that allow me to serve more of the readers of my HowToDoItfrugally Series of books for writers.  Start with recycling one of the great reviews you already have ready to go! If so, you’ll find a tab at the top of the home page of this blog titled SubmitYourFaveBookReviewHere where you’ll find  submission guidelines or surf for this free service and a couple other ways to participate—free of course! (http://TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com). And, yes. I say it is FREE, right? 

I’ve been dong this blog with and without help from fellow authors who are also believe in lending a hand to fellow authors since early in the new millenium.  Have you noticed the changes that my associate Lois W. Stern and I are doing? It’s a sure thing, I couldn’t do it without her.  There are lots of new perks and you’ll find them in her lovely little silver circle icons in the right column of the blog if you are using a desktop. (Unfortunately, many smart phones don’t display that column. It’s worth checking it out with your Microsoft, Dell, Apple or other device!  Your invited.  Try it once and come back with another--a month later with another review for the same book or another book you’ve written. Yep, use that same template each time. 

Did I mention that Lois sends all participant their own banner featuring their book cover image and headshot to use in any and all of your book promotion--even your e-mail signature! 

Sending best wishes to each of our peeps--past participants or newbies. We are grateful for including #TheNewBookReview in your promotional plans!  

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

  

MORE ABOUT #THENEWBOOKREVIEW BLOG 

Example of one of Lois W. Stern’s FREE Banners: All participants need to provide is the cover image and headshot!

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in Lois W. Stern’s silver circle icon in the right column of this blog, in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews Authors and publishers will want to access use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors services. All are free and listed in her silver-circle icons in the right column. WARNING some cell phones cut off the right column of the blog, so try it using your desktop!) Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author and veteran educator, she also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing HowToDoItFrugally https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews.

GREAT REVIEW FOR RON ROMAN'S BOOK, OF ASHES AND DUST

BOOK TITLE: OF ASHES AND DUST

AUTHOR OF BOOK: RON ROMAN

GENRE: THRILLER

ISBN: 978-1-59211-178-7 (hardcover); 

ISBN: 978-1-59211-240-1 (eBook)

PAGE COUNT: 260

AMAZON or FAVE LINK to BUY BOOK: https://a.co/d/jjafFfS

THE REVIEW ITSELF: FULL REVIEW (Permission Granted)

REVIEWER: Ramon Mesa Ledesma

5.0 out of 5 stars

 AS GOOD A STORYTELLER AS YOU'RE LIKELY TO READ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2025

Format: Paperback

As if from above, I saw myself walking naked in this world and asked God to forgive me for any crimes I had committed during the war at the behest of the American Government in the name of democracy. All the shame, the guilt I carried within me for years, decades, came rushing out. I shook violently and wept uncontrollably with such intensity I could barely breathe. My tongue rolled back, and I choked on the spit and mucous pooling inside my mouth. I almost vomited in my throat. Wave after wave of remorse and penitence washed over me and then, abrupted as the convulsions had begun, they ceased.
And I was made whole

As well written as I've ever read.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Associate Professor of English, ESL, and Humanities, Ron Roman taught with the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC- Asia) since 1996. He retired from full-time employ and later as adjunct during the COVID-19 crisis (2020). He has written extensive travel, academic, and political articles for regional, national, and international publications. He studied writing (both fiction and creative) for his third graduate degree (Humanities) from Wesleyan University in Connecticut.  Currently he resides in South Korea with his wife where he works on US military installations assisting US military retirees and dependents. He continues to write and has acted in numerous Korean TV dramas and motion pictures like Operation Chromite portraying Admiral Forrest Sherman opposite Liam Neeson as General Douglas MacArthur. His alternate-history apocalyptic doomsday thriller Of Ashes and Dust was a November 2022 release by Histria Books.  It was a 2023 Finalist for the Chanticleer International Book Award (CIBA) Global Thrillers category. He is the recipient of the UK’s THE POET magazine international POET OF THE MONTH award (May 2022) for his contributions.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Ramon Mesa Ledesma is the author of several full-length critically acclaimed books. Check out his website at migrantsun.com

MORE ABOUT #THENEWBOOKREVIEW BLOG The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in Lois W. Stern’s silver circle icon in the right column of this blog, in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in the right column of this blog’s home page (a silver and gold badge with three silver- circle icons beneath it. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author and veteran educator, she also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing HowToDoItFrugally https://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews.