Author Archives: lydias

About lydias

I'm a sci-fi writer who loves lifting weights and hates eating Brussels sprouts.

May 7, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Mayday Mayday Mayday

Title: Mayday Mayday Mayday

Author: Holly Schindler

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 7, 2022

Genres: Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary

Length: About 21 pages.

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

Forever Finley Episode / Short Story #6: A tale that explores how holiday magic can carry forward into the rest of the year, featuring Natalie and the mysterious George from “Come December.”

Engagement should be a happy time in a young woman’s life, but for Natalie, it’s plagued with doubts. She’d only known Damien four months when she accepted his proposal, and now, when the two are together, she hears a distinct Mayday distress call. Where is the voice coming from? Does it have anything to do with the enigmatic figure she encountered in the cemetery last winter? Or is Natalie finding a way to tell herself she thinks she’s about to go down in flames?

Mayday Mayday Mayday is part of Forever Finley, a series of stand-alone episodes or short stories that released once a month throughout 2016. Previous releases include Come December, January Thaw, Forget February, Dearest March…, and April’s Promise. Stories following Mayday Mayday Mayday include Chasing June, A Hundred Julys, Under the August Moon, Song for September, October Omen, and the Forever Finley Finale (Pale November / December Bells). Stories can be purchased individually, or readers can purchase all installments in Forever Finley: An Episodic Novel.

Content Warning: World War I, a plane crash, and a dangerous accident on a balcony. I will be briefly referencing the first two topics in my review.

Review:

This is one of those rare series that only gets better over time.

There was the perfect amount of conflict in this short story, and I’m saying that as a reviewer who previously had constructive criticism about this topic when I was first introduced to this universe in Under the August Moon. It’s important to acknowledge growth when it happens, and I loved the direction Ms. Schindler took her tale for the May instalment of it. Yes, the core of it remained whimsical and romantic, just as I’d expect from this setting, but the inclusion of higher-stakes moments as well kept my interest levels high.

As someone who doesn’t read much romance, I appreciated how that genre was woven into Natalie’s life as she adjusted to living in a new community and dealt with a mysterious figure she’d recently met in the local cemetery. The themes fit together naturally which is always something I enjoy discovering in books that dip their toes into more than one genre. This was an excellent example of how to do just that while satisfying both readers who may not be well-versed in romance or paranormal fiction as well as those who already know they like those types of stories. I love it when authors create these seamless pathways to discovering new genres!

World War I isn’t as common referenced as World War II is in a lot of modern fiction, so my ears perk up when a blurb mentions references to the First World War. There were no graphic descriptions of war included, but there were a few scenes that mentioned a plane crash from that era. I found them tastefully written yet also heartbreaking given the subject matter involved. These moments also added layers of depth not only to the storyline itself but also to Natalie’s personality as she figured out who was calling for May Day and why.

Mayday Mayday Mayday made me yearn for more.

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Something I Could Give a Speech About With No Notice

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

I’ve talked about living with a food allergy previously on my blog, so the topic I’m picking for this week’s prompt is migraines.

Migraines are a painful neurological disease that can do everything from make you temporarily go blind to mimic some of the signs of a stroke if you have symptoms like trouble speaking or numbness or weakness on one side of the body.

(Not everyone has the most severe forms of this disease or these symptoms, of course, but anyone who has migraines or knows someone who does should be aware of all of the possibilities).

I’d talk about all sorts of things in my speech:

When to go to the emergency room for an attack
How to tell the difference between a migraine (which isn’t generally dangerous unless you’re throwing up too much and get very dehydrated) and a medical emergency like a stroke or brain tumour
Home treatments to help avoid an ER or Urgent Care Centre visit when possible
Vitamin and mineral supplements that may reduce how common and how severe your migraines are
Which supplements don’t currently have scientific data supporting their use for this diagnosis
The neurological link between migraines, strokes, epilepsy, and seizures and why more people should be aware of it
How to help someone you love who is having a migraine
How to help an acquaintance or stranger who is experiencing a migraine in a public place
Food and drinks that are triggers for some people
Food and drinks that may reduce symptoms
How to respond to well-meaning people who think migraines are a fancy term for tension headaches
How to have patience with less amenable people who don’t understand invisible illnesses and think you’re being dramatic
Other triggers, both common and uncommon
Why getting enough sleep and eating meals on a regular schedule is vital for us
Your chances of passing this disease onto your kids if one or both parents have migraines
How to complete necessary life tasks when you feel another attack coming on
Why resting during the postdrome phase (right after the migraine ends) is so important
The latest research on what causes this disease and possible new treatments for it

And so much more.

(I feel like someone else in the WWBC community has migraines, too? Was that you, George? If so, I’d invite you on stage to talk, too).

4 Comments

Filed under Blog Hops, Personal Life

Tagged as Health, Migraine, Personal Life, Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge

May 5, 2026 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors You Wish Were Still Writing Today

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Two ballpoint pens lying on an opened hardcover book that’s filled with beautiful calligraphy. Nearby is an inkwell. Here are some authors I wish would have written more.

1) Octavia E. Butler

Her Parable of the Sower (Earthseed, #1) series was never finished, but there is a film version of Parable of the Sower in pre-production as of now.

I would have loved to see how she wrapped up this story and what she would be writing now if she were still alive.

2. Jean M. Auel

The Clan of the Cave Bear (Earth’s Children, #1) series was technically wrapped up in 2011, and I’ve grumbled here before about how many conflicts sputtered out and moments of foreshadowing were never addressed in the final instalment. I wish she’d write one more book to properly explain all of the things that were ignored.

3. Rachel Vincent

I loved her Stray (Shifters, #1) series that began in 2007. It had a satisfactory ending, but she hasn’t written much since then and I couldn’t get into the few books she did release.

4. Sarah Waters

Nothing new from her has been published since 2015. It’s been far too long.

5. Me

A combination of writer’s block, my own health issues, loved ones with health issues, and other stuff going on in my life has seriously slowed down the amount of fiction I write..

39 Comments

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Tagged as Top Ten Tuesday

April 30, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Technosphere

Title: Technosphere

Author: George Saoulidis

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: November 6, 2019

Genres: Science Fiction

Length: 5 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 5 Stars

Blurb:

A hoarder planet is not feeling so well. Must have been something it collected. Will the AI tasked to repair the technosphere manage to find what’s causing the quakes?

Content Warning: Hoarding, but portrayed in a funny way.

Review:

A little spring cleaning goes a long way.

I loved the humour in this short story. So much of the science fiction I’ve read these past few years has contained dark themes that I really needed to switch things up a bit and be reminded of the lighthearted possibilities in this genre. While I can’t go into much detail about what, exactly, was funny about a planet that was hoarding resources without giving away spoilers, it was important to keep a playful approach to the characters as they revealed what they’d been up to.

There were a few fantastic references to other science fiction universes here that made me smile as well. The storyline did still make sense without them, but readers who know what the author is talking about will have some wonderful Easter Eggs to look forward to. That is exactly how these things should be written in my opinion as it leaves room for everyone to enjoy what is happening instead of closing certain passages off to those who might have not read certain older works yet.

The last page or two was what convinced me to give this a full five-star rating due to how Mr. Saoulidis struck the right balance between answering some of the reader’s questions while leaving other ones up to our imaginations. Would I have loved to have even more closure? Yes, of of course, but I was left with enough information to imagine what would probably happen next as well as having a decent understanding of how this planet ended up in such a predicament in the first place.

Technosphere was a refreshing break from the serious matters in life.

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Celebrities I’d Like to Meet

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

The existence of media training makes this week’s theme a tricky one. Just because a celebrity has developed a particular public image doesn’t mean that they are at all like that persona behind closed doors.

I think you can enjoy someone’s work without falling into hero worship. It’s so hard to tell what is PR spin and what is real. (Well, unless we’re talking about the first two people on my list. Everyone seems to love them!)

Maybe they really are wonderful human beings behind the scenes, or perhaps not. I don’t judge anyone based on a single story or assume I know a singer, writer, or other entertainer personally just because I read, watch, or listen to their stuff.

To stick with the spirit of this post, though, here are some celebrities that seem to have a lot of positive stories floating around about them. If I needed to meet someone famous, I’d start with this list and hope they were just as delightful behind the scenes as they are when they’re in the public eye.

Mr. Rogers
Dolly Parton
Dave Chappelle
Tom Hanks
Viola Davis
Patrick Stewart
Sean Patrick Thomas
Gina Rodriquez
Ed Sheeran
Julia Stiles
Keanu Reeves
Denzel Washington
Barack and Michelle Obama
Ms. Rachel

8 Comments

Filed under Blog Hops, Personal Life

Tagged as Celebrities, Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge

April 28, 2026 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: Things That Keep Me From Reading

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Thank you to Cristyn @ Draconic Breath for coming up with this topic in 2024. You gave me the inspiration I needed to write this week’s freebie post!

1. Migraines

There are at least a few other TTT bloggers who already know what this illness is like. For everyone else, Reading is difficult when I’m in the migraine cycle due to symptoms like brain fog, nausea, and pain. Staring at a screen can also trigger migraines or make them worse, so I do try to limit screen time on those days.

2. Doomscrolling

It’s so tempting but such a time waster as well!

3. Repetitive Storylines

I love speculative fiction, but I also find myself growing bored with some of the common plot lines in this genre because of how often they seem to be repeated. This is one of the reasons why you’ll find other genres mentioned in my Top Ten Tuesday posts. Switching things up keeps me interested in reading.

4. Medical Appointments

There have been a lot of them in my household this past year or so, and they can certainly cut into the time one has for more pleasurable things like reading.

5. Nice Weather

I know I’ve mentioned this a few times before on my blog, but when Ontario has nice weather, often in the spring and autumn, I feel compelled to go outside and enjoy it instead of read. There will be plenty of other days in the year when it’s too hot, cold, icy, stormy, or humid to enjoy a walk in the park or a visit to the beach.

6. Overwhelming Choices

There are so many amazing books out there that I don’t always know which one to read next! This is not a problem I ever had growing up as ebooks didn’t exist back then and my parents weren’t always able to take us to the library. I feel fortunate to have it now even if decision fatigue does sometimes make it hard to decide what to read next.

7. Social Media in General

I have been trying to be more mindful of my use of it in 2026, but it can be quite easy to spend an hour watching short videos or reading stranger’s comments online instead of picking up one of the books I’ve been meaning to read.

8. Writing

Striking a balance between writing and reading isn’t always easy.

9. Meeting Other Goals

Whether it’s related to work, exercise, or spending time with other people, I do have limits on how much energy I have for reading!

10. Chores

The dishes won’t wash themselves, after all.

66 Comments

Filed under Blog Hops, Personal Life

Tagged as Personal Life, Top Ten Tuesday

April 23, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Interruptions

Title: Interruptions

Author: P.B. Cannon

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: February 16, 2013

Genres: Fantasy, Contemporary

Length: 20 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Cady and Sam don’t like excitement. So, they have good reason to love their lifestyle in the small town of Matthews, N.C. They’ve got a cute kid, good jobs, great neighbors, and their home beats the wheels off their last address. Unfortunately, interruption rears its head when it’s least expected, leading to that unwanted unrest they’ve been avoiding. What’s a couple of homebody werewolves to do?

Content Warning: Brief references to sexual harassment and humans being attacked by fantasy creatures.

Review:

Werewolves need to rest, too.

Cady’s character development was quite well done. Her relationships with her husband and child were explored in depth as well as her feelings on a variety of topics ranging from race to European beauty standards to why she so desperately wanted her neighbourhood to remain a quiet and peaceful place to live. She was the sort of protagonist I’d love to invite out for a cup of coffee so I could get to know her better as what I learned about her from this piece only made me more curious about who she was as a person.

The ending felt abrupt to me. I should note that this is part of a serial, a type of tale that is well known for ending on cliffhangers, so do keep those facts in mind while reading. Even when including them, though, I wished more attention would have been paid to developing that final scene. The way it was written felt more like the end of a chapter in a book than a short story. In my opinion, serials work better when each instalment in them stands alone as a fully formed tale, and I did not feel like this quite met that standard even though I deeply enjoyed reading it otherwise.

This was a good example of how to write an exciting fantasy story in a suburban setting. Most modern fantasy that I’ve read has either been set in rural or urban areas, so it was refreshing to see a different sort of setting being utilized. I especially liked the brief moments where Cady talked about simple aspects of living in the suburbs like finding a good parking spot or maintaining positive relationships with the neighbours. Yes, both of these topics were relevant to her adventures on this particular night, but I’ll leave it up to other readers to discover why.

Interruptions was exciting.

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: A Few Happy Memories From My Life

Hosted by Long and Short Reviews.

Click here to read everyone else’s replies to this week’s question and here to see the full list of topics for the year.

Here are a few of my happy memories.

Age 4. My mother was heavily pregnant with her third child. Me and my toddler-aged brother sat on the couch next to her, gently touched her belly, and talked to the baby that would soon be joining us.

Age 8. Our family lived in a trailer home next to a highway that was built on a big hill behind our home. We were very low income, and I know my parents worried about how that would affect their kids. The biggest thing on my mind then was how often I’d get to go sledding down that hill. We had some lightweight plastic sleds that glided down that hill perfectly. It was my favourite thing in the entire world other than reading, and I did not care that my parents couldn’t afford to buy us fancy new toys or name-brand clothes.

Age 18. Exams were wrapping up, and winter break was just about to begin. I sat in my college library and thumbed through the magazines they had there, paying special attention to the ones about science, literature, or history. It was neither a big library nor a fancy one, but I loved how quiet and peaceful it always was. I spent a lot of time there between classes even if I didn’t have any papers to write or upcoming tests to study for.

Adult. Recently married and living in Canada now. We couldn’t afford to travel on our honeymoon, so we explored a lot of free or low-cost stuff to do here in Toronto instead. I was amazed at how large, clean, and beautiful High Park was. Out of all of the parks in the world, it’s still my favourite one.

Adult. My first book was published, a collection of short stories. (There’s a link to it at the top of this site). I really should try to get more of my work published sometime. Writer’s block is terrible.

8 Comments

Filed under Blog Hops, Personal Life

Tagged as Childhood Stories, Personal Life, Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge

April 21, 2026 · 1:00 am

Top Ten Tuesday: April Showers

Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Here are ten books with rainy titles.

1. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

2. Rain Is Not My Indian Name by Cynthia Leitich Smith

3. Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Prasadam-Halls

4. Madras on Rainy Days by Samina Ali

5. Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years With a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway

6. Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression by Brooke Shields

7. Raining Sardines by Enrique Flores-Galbis

8. The Thing That Walked In the Rain by Otis Adelbert Kline

9. Tales of a Shaman’s Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searches for New Medicines in the Rain Forest by Mark J. Plotkin

10. Zonia’s Rain Forest by Juana Martinez-Neal

64 Comments

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Tagged as Top Ten Tuesday

April 16, 2026 · 1:00 am

A Review of Cosmophobia

Title: Cosmophobia

Author: George Saoulidis

Publisher: Self-Published

Publication Date: December 26, 2018

Genres: Science Fiction

Length: 24 pages

Source: I received a free copy from the author.

Rating: 4 Stars

Blurb:

Who is watching the stars, every second of every day, so we can better understand the universe? This short story was awarded the 2nd place in the Science Fiction category, in the Athens Fantasticon 2016 competition. Inspired by the James Webb Space Telescope which will be launched and deployed in 2020. It will hopefully be as invaluable as Hubble was, opening our eyes to the cosmos.

Review:

Eternity is a matter of perspective.

The first scene was momentarily confusing, but as soon as I figured out what was going on I was hooked on the storyline. There’s definitely something to be said for playing around with the audience’s expectations in any genre, and this was a good example of how to do just that. I’d recommend other readers avoid spoilers as much as they possibly can so that they, too, can have the chance to be surprised about exactly what was going on here.

I would have loved to see the last scene expanded by a page or two. The twist in it was what really brought everything together for this reader, and it would have been even better had it been given more time to develop. It’s difficult to go into detail here without sharing exactly what it was, but it made me smile and wish I could keep reading about this universe. This is a minor criticism of something I thought was otherwise well done.

Stargazing is something I like to do on occassion, and I was intrigued by how this topic could be turned into a science fiction story. There were elements of hard science fiction here that I found intriguing and would have loved to read more about. With that being said, I also liked the creative flair the author added to it and had plenty of questions about how that change happened and what a sequel might entail if such a thing were ever written.

Cosmophobia made me want to go observe the stars again.

4 Comments

Filed under Science Fiction and Fantasy

Tagged as 2010s, Book Reviews, George Saoulidis, Science Fiction, Self-Published, Short Story, Xenofiction

Author Archives: lydias

About lydias

A Review of Mayday Mayday Mayday

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Something I Could Give a Speech About With No Notice

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors You Wish Were Still Writing Today

A Review of Technosphere

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Celebrities I’d Like to Meet

Top Ten Tuesday: Things That Keep Me From Reading

A Review of Interruptions

Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: A Few Happy Memories From My Life

Top Ten Tuesday: April Showers

A Review of Cosmophobia

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