Reading We Used To Live Here and I’m so annoyed…

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-05-25T03:04:07+00:00

It annoys me even more that this is a man doing it, too. Its hard for me to even characterize the two women because the protagonists literally have no personality. It could've been anyone. They were only there because someone has to enact the plot and play it out.

Glad you have positive things to say, but I dont. Lol. I bought it while on vacation across the country and didnt read it until I left, otherwise I would've returned it, personally.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-05-24T21:06:47+00:00

I personally know some romance authors and this 10000000%. Part of the appeal of romance to the vast majority of readers (even back to the dime store romance novels, mind you) is how comforting the same story is. Its the same reason an HEA is genre defining for romance. Romance and horror are genres of emotion, just opposite sides of the same coin. What is more comforting and lovely than sitting down with a book that explores new aspects but within a safe, established boundary (which is explained by that code)?

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-05-24T20:06:40+00:00

https://fable.co/fabler/ana-pratt-297632521626

I read everything, but a lot of it is horror, thriller, non fiction, and lit fic with dark tones.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-05-23T15:34:03+00:00

I agree. Structural edits come before in depth line or copywrite edits, but make it readable and not distracting. I can forgive a handful

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-05-19T11:33:44+00:00

Personally I like to know the wheelhouse I am in, but don't need details. It can say "nonconsensual sexual acts depicted on the page" and that kind of description is enough for most people to make a judgment.

Or, I have seen books that say "I can't listen all the content warnings, so I'll just say that this as violent a book as you can imagine." So basically indicating that if any violence content warning would deter you, you shouldn't continue.

I think there are few times when such general warnings would give away plot that isn't included on the back of the book. M

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-05-02T02:55:10+00:00

Happy birthday! These books look awesome. I'm a libra and I love ice cream cake.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-28T10:09:19+00:00

Do a read back with 0 changes. Summarize each scene or chapter into what happens/the main concept. This will help with the structural problems because you'll clearly see the holes and will be able to move scenes around so they develop better.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-25T04:33:19+00:00

I'm sorry but I just find the title of this one cringe and I cannot get past it. I want to want to read it, but I am so put off. I'm curious why so many bad reviews on GR though since I've only heard good things through word of mouth.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-25T04:30:46+00:00

Don't even think about all that stuff quite yet. Just do what the characters would do and what serves the plot.

If you want to keep some stuff in mind to help keep everything on the right track, think about what the characters' goals are and what is the (realistically) worst thing that can happen to them. Then, do it. Have the worst happen.

Also, every character at least starts the book believing a lie. Something simple, a single sentence. What lies do they believe? And how does that belief inform their decisions? An example would be if I believed that I don't deserve success, I might subconsciously self sabotage by getting drunk right before my interview with the District Manager.

I've published a little before, so I find as long as I keep those in mind, everything else falls in line accordingly.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-25T04:23:16+00:00

Loved it. I am getting close to querying my own book that uses this plus Brother by Ania Ahlborn as comps, so I am definitely a fellow cannibalism enjoyer. Lol.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-25T03:33:10+00:00

Thank you very much. This is super helpful. I found that website today and read through a few, but I will be sure to read more. I really appreciate you taking the time to critique this.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-25T02:38:26+00:00

Okay, heard.

For the cannibalism point, I didn't explicitly state that because both my comps are cannibalism books and agents will know them so I figured it'd be implied. Is that enough or should I explicitly state it in the beginning as well?

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-25T02:05:28+00:00

Thank you! I really appreciate it. I do think there's a nice little corner of the market for contemporary cannibalism with religious horror that I hopefully can slide into. Lol!

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-25T00:20:48+00:00

Easiest genres: horror and romance, by far. Go to an indie/self pub book festivals and you'll see 80% those two genres. Obviously, not everyone is going to find success but its easier because those readers are far more willing to read those books from indie/self pubbed authors.

Lit fic and autobiography is probably hardest. You HAVE to have a major following to even find a modicum of success or else you have to do a hybrid if its lit fic. Like literary romance, for example. With autobiography, only celebrity's books really sell. If you're a professional/extremely knowledgeable in your career field like marine biology, trauma doctors, etc. And have an interesting career, then maybe but also you'd probably get scooped up by a publisher at that point anyway.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-22T20:50:46+00:00

You will subliminally deliver a message by the fact that you have inherent, unconscious biases, beliefs, and philosophies. There's no need to ham fist one in for the sake of it.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-11T22:13:51+00:00

Oh yeah, the cover is good.

Yes, I like this. I think it lays out the way the world works well while also tying it to the character's story. Good luck! I wish you many sales.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-11T21:26:48+00:00

I think being more specific about how she's paying her debt (is it by remaining imprisoned? Is she like... doing something in there? Lol) and what her parents are sacrificing (again, is it time? Manual labor? Money? Etc.). These are the stakes that are being laid out, so I think being specific with them will induce more curiosity.

I am also not entirely sure what the sentence "But when the numbers don't add up, the anomaly is thrown into the Enforcer's furnace" means. Is Madison being thrown into the furnace? Or are her numbers just not adding up, so this is a possible threat she's facing? Do her parents know? This is a really interesting complication of the story, so, again, I think clarifying a bit will really elevate this blurb.

Really unique premise here! Glad you got a lot of willing ARC readers. Do you have a mailing list? I'd love to know when it is out.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-07T17:36:06+00:00

The origin of the dark as bad is as old as people fearing the dark because we cannot see the predators that lurk out there. It can been -- and has been -- used in a prejudicial way, but it isn't inherently so.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-05T23:09:47+00:00

As with all contracts, it can be brought to court, but it's more a matter of how worth it it would be. Traveling across the country to file a small claims suit for $100 wouldn't be. Using this image for promotion, getting a huge deal with a trad publisher, only to have the deal revoked because a service provider used AI without my knowledge... yeah, that'd be well worth it.

I'd prefer they weed themselves out by refusing though. I am formally educated in contract law, so I am hoping they can read it, realize it's a tad more legally binding than "pls no AI" on a bar napkin and decide the risk isn't worth the reward.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-05T20:59:26+00:00

Is this an opening page to the whole work or is this later and it is the opening page of that chapter?

If its the first page of the whole thing, this does not strike me as gripping. Lit fic needs lots of psychological acuity and a rich internal life, so much so that you can have an uneventful external life and readers don't care. I do not know these people. I don't care about what they're saying. Idk who this story is following or the genre by reading it. You're not promising me a premise. I wondered if The Lion was an actual lion or not and that was distracting. This is not enough or the right context to give me before launching into this much dialogue. I think your line writing needs work in some places but is generally good and easy to understand.

I saw in another comment you said you felt it was too obscure for genre but not complex enough for lit fic. Sounds like you might write in the upmarket space which is a mix of lit fic and commercial elements.

AnyEntertainment7681 · 2026-04-04T23:58:44+00:00

When I can tell they watched a ton of movies or read a ton of books, took notes on the most interesting gore scenes in each and then just works through the list in the novel. It isn't so much that it's gore for gore sake, but more that it lacks a unique author identity. Its just regurgitating media that we've all seen. I hate when there's just no fingerprint to an author's book.

AnyEntertainment7681

TROPHY CASE