January 2025 News

. . . from J.P. Choquette's writing desk

Good morning and happy New Year! I hope you had a nice holiday season and have eased back into the normality of regular life.

This month, I have some book and author recommendations, a quick life update to share, and a question about your birthday. If you don’t already, please consider finding me on Instagram. I tend to post there more than write newsletters now, as things are a bit busy (more about that in the life update part of this note).

Book Recommendations

While I don’t often deviate from the mystery/thriller/suspense (M/T/S) genre, I occasionally need a break from the dark and sometimes gritty books I read. I read two historical fiction novels recently about Titanic. I’ve always been fascinated by this event, horrified by the outcome, and intrigued with the beauty of this ship.

I liked how Kate Alcott tied two intriguing things—Titanic and dressmaking—into an interesting novel called, aptly, The Dressmaker. It follows a young woman employed by Lucile Duff-Gordon, a real-life famous and very influential dressmaker in England in the early part of the twentieth century. While I thought the story dragged a bit in parts—and focused a little too heavily on Tess’s loyalty to this snooty woman—overall it was an enjoyable read.

Next, and sticking with the Titanic theme, I read The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor. This novel’s heroine was easy to relate to. Maggie Murphy is just 17 when she sets off on Titanic with her aunt for a new life in America following the death of her mother. Her down-to-earth view of things, appreciation for life, and enjoyment of the beautiful ship were all refreshing.

The novel switches between a 1982 timeline—and Maggie’s great-granddaughter, Grace, and the 1912 timeline of Maggie’s crossing of the Atlantic. I much preferred Maggie’s story and found parts of Grace’s a bit unlikely and impractical. But the writing was great, the descriptions captivating, and the story very enjoyable overall.

Again, I found the book a little on the long side. I’m wondering now as I pause to think about it, whether it was the books themselves or the fact that there was no M/T/S plot to keep me on my toes. I’m someone who needs all those questions and the suspense they bring, to keep me intrigued.

I’m back in my lane now, with two new M/T/S books going! I received two new Agatha Christie novels from my son for Christmas (hurray!) and am currently reading a new-to-me author (more below).

Authors to Check Out

Stacy Claflin is a prolific writer. She’s authored more than 90 books and incorporates elements of suspense into all her novels. I’ve followed Stacy online for years as we’re both authors writing in the same genre. Embarrassingly, I realized late last year that I had yet to read one of her books. I initially felt a little overwhelmed since I had so many to choose from.

However, Stacy ran a free sale on Instagram, which sealed the deal for me. I chose The Perfect Death.

Kenzie Brannon is shocked when her older sister, Claire, is found dead, apparently by suicide. Still reeling from that news, Kenzie learns that her sister left her teenage daughter in her care. As they struggle to rearrange their lives—moving back into the house the sisters grew up in—Kenzie and her niece, Ember, begin to question not only Claire’s untimely death but the secrets surrounding the family’s ancestral home.

So far, it’s a very good read, quite fast-paced, and easy to immerse myself in.

Stacy has a lot of other great-looking M/T/S books which you might want to check out via her website.

Before my historical fiction romp, I finished a good book by one of my new favorite authors in the thriller/suspense genre, London Clarke. I’ve read a few of her novels now and they are all rich with atmosphere, gothic elements, and creepiness.

One thing I enjoy about London’s books is that they are fairly clean. In fact, I can’t think of any with highly descriptive “romance scenes.” Is there gore? Yes. Scariness. Definitely. But even with those things, I would rate these books as PG-13. She doesn’t use those things with abandon or simply to shock or gross out her readers.

While The Meadows remains my favorite of hers to date, I read and enjoyed The Neighbor in December. Warning: this one is a little darker and more disturbing than most books I recommend. There are some painful topics involving children.

Life Update

I am not sad to see 2024 go. Following a heartbreaking loss at the end of 2023 when my father passed away, our family was hit with more family illnesses and an injury with my mother/both in-laws in 2024.

It was also my first year as a full-time graduate student. While I love learning and have always felt comfortable in an academic setting, this year was tough. It was challenging to balance schoolwork, an internship, and freelance writing simultaneously.

However, if all goes according to plan, I will have my master’s degree in social work at the end of 2025! I’ve already made a little chart so that I can color in each class as I complete it. My long-term goal is to be a therapist, but I’ll see how my next internship (working as a mental health counselor) goes before deciding what to do after graduation.

Whatever specific branch of social work I end up in career-wise, I hope to continue writing fiction. It brings me so much joy and adds so much to my life (and to my readers, I hope).

For the coming year, however, I’m not putting pressure on myself to write a book, or even to write fiction consistently. I will likely not be doing any book-related shows or events until my coursework is done. If that changes, I’ll be sure to let you know via this newsletter.

Poll: Your Birthday Plans

January is my birth month and I always look forward to taking the day off of work to do whatever I want. Some years that’s looked like thrifting and taking myself to lunch, other years I’ve gone on a “field trip” to a new place to explore something interesting or stayed home and read, had leisurely coffee, and played with art.

I’m wondering what YOU like to do on your birthday? Do you plan anything special? Do you take the day off of work or ignore the day completely? Please let me know in the comments.

Until next time, happy reading.

xoxo

-J.P.