Jot it Down Blogger
Kari Nunez
BOOKISH CONTENT CREATOR
I love a good story.
For a decade, I taught junior high-age students the history of ancient and modern civilizations, the European invasion and settlements in the Americas, and the rules, influence, and power of politics and activism in the United States. While teaching full-time, I earned a Master's Degree in Interdisciplinary Education - the art of teaching, learning, and curriculum development. As a teacher, I created lesson plans, assessments, and classroom activities for school-age children. When you do this kind of work for so long, it's challenging to put it aside (especially when you enjoy it).
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, people worldwide experienced mass isolation. People barricaded themselves indoors, and as my door closed, my books opened. With my good friend, I started a book club in March 2020. We selected Delia Owen's "Where the Crawdads Sing." This book included book club discussion questions for our group to reflect on, share, and discuss the story. Our next couple of books contained questions for readers, but several of our reads did not. Thus, I stepped up and began writing.
The Book that Sparked the Blog
I published my first blog in February 2022. Our book club selected "The Ex Hex" by Erin Sterling. This was an anticipated read. This story hit all my guilty pleasure points - magic, witches, black cats, and romance. Here is a brief synopsis of the story:
"Never mix vodka and witchcraft" is solid advice and, for us mere mortals, a helpful reminder that alcohol mixed with emotions can be a recipe for regret. That day of remorse could come the following day, or in this case, nine years later. Once upon a time, nineteen-year-old college student Vivienne Jones locked lips and held hands with heartthrob Rhys Penhallow. Rhys has charm, looks, and the family name that tethers him to Graves Glen's founding and infamous warlock status. As the summer came to an end, so did the relationship. Rhys returned to England, leaving heartbreak for Vivi, who, in turn, left Rhys with a curse."
I loved the book cover as it evoked a nostalgic feeling from the tv series "Bewitched." But as I turned the pages, the story and its characters were not as I had expected. The cutesy cover was misleading, so I designed a book cover that felt true to its genre and themes.
The photo pictured here is the first graphic I designed.
To those curious to read this post, this blog is a negative book review. I took a great pause before publishing this blog. As a rule, I strive to support artists and commend all who put themselves out there. Erin Sterling is Rachel Hawkins, a well-known author who took a different direction in her writing. I settled on being honest and reporting on how our book club responded. Turns out that other bookworms share a similar opinion.
With every story we read after, my imagination went wild. The memorable scenes and their characters inspired my artwork, which led to more blogs.
