Month: February 2023

My Human ATM by Rowena Wiseman Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A woman who struggles in the wake of financial loss and the dissolution of her marriage finds herself working as a financial dominatrix and must not only learn to come out of her shell but discover a means of saving the man who has hired her to humiliate him from financial ruin in author Rowena Wiseman’s women’s fiction and humor novel “My Human ATM”.

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The Synopsis

People pleaser Liza has been financially screwed by her ex-husband, Lewis. When @relinquish808 asks her to be his financial dominatrix she has to learn how to curse and dominate a man to get her life and finances back together.

Liza is broke. She co-signed loan forms for her ex-husband Lewis’ men’s supplement business, TestoBoost. The business failed and so did their marriage.

@relinquish808 asks Liza to be his financial dominatrix. She needs the money. But she’s been a people pleaser all her life. She’s been brought up to be polite and acquiescent. Now, she needs to learn how to dominate a man – how to curse and humiliate him financially. @relinquish808 is wealthy and generous, and the more Liza demands, the more he gives.

But when @relinquish808 really does want to relinquish the responsibility of money, she realises being a financial dominatrix isn’t just a game. She has to find a way to save her money slave and his staff and investors.

Liza discovers that even a human ATM requires his own currency … and exchanges of goods and services can become murky …

This clever and funny modern satire explores financial abuse, power, submission and domination. It is a tale for anyone who has been through a break up or divorce and is on a journey of self discovery. It’s a feel good look at the lucrative world of findom and dominating an alpha male. A billionaire sugar daddy can take a woman from rags to riches. But most importantly, he can change a people pleasing female into a confident woman.

The Review

This was a thrilling, emotional, and oftentimes funny read. The author does an incredible job of balancing the humor of the situations and the interactions between Liza and the mystery man on the other end of the dealings she makes with the emotional depth that Liza finds herself in as the story begins. The relatability of Liza’s journey, from both the perspective of a woman living a post-divorce life and those who have struggled financially as a result of bad business dealings with loved ones, will instantly connect readers to the narrative, as will the lightness of the story’s atmosphere and the captivating tone the story takes on.

Yet for me, it was the evolution of Liza as a character that really sold this story. The way Liza begins as a people pleaser is something that I can relate to, and to see her come out of her shell and go on this journey of self-discovery is both inspiring and engaging to read about. The direction her arc takes into this very specific and rarely explored world of kinks and domination is definitely new, but the struggle of finding confidence and strength in herself while still caring for people in her life was great to see. The way her relationships in her personal life evolve as a result of her journey was moving and investing as a reader.

The Verdict

Brilliantly written, entertaining, and authentic in its delivery, author Rowena Wiseman’s “My Human ATM” is a must-read women’s literary fiction and humor novel of 2023. The rich character dynamics and twists and turns in the narrative itself will keep readers invested as the story progresses, and the themes of growth, change, and self-discovery are powerful motivators that will keep readers engaged with the protagonist and their arc until the book’s final pages. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

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About the Author

Rowena Wiseman grew up in Melbourne. Her education came mostly from reading Dolly magazine and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, listening to Pulp’s Common People and spending a year as an exchange student in Latvia.

These days, she works in the arts sector and lives on the Mornington Peninsula.

Rowena Wiseman writes contemporary fiction, young adult and children’s stories. She is the author of The Replacement Wife (HarperCollins, 2015), Bequest (Tenebris Books, 2014) and Searching for Von Honningsbergs (Leafless, 2014, longlisted for the 2007 Australian Vogel Award).

Subscribe to her blog for tips on reading, writing and publishing in the digital revolution: www.rowenawiseman.com 

https://rowenawiseman.com/

https://twitter.com/Rowena_Wiseman

Interview with Author Matthew Marullo 

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn InterviewsLeave a comment

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

Always a reader, I wrote my first short story in third grade. At the age of eleven, I remember begging my parents to let me read Stephen King’s The Shining. They relented (though it would be some time before I was permitted to watch the movie version), and I subsequently spent several years writing short horror stories. After my grandparents donated their upright piano, music took over my life, culminating with a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition and Theory. Though I never stopped writing–so far, four novels, and counting.

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2) What inspired you to write your book?

The ideas for all of my novels began with a “what if” thought experiment. For Welcome To Opine, I asked myself: “What if somebody buries deep in the earth a digital computer holding a vast record of mankind’s history and achievements, and billions of years later, it is dug up by a second Homo Sapiens species?”  The other inspiration for this particular novel was sparked from recent disturbing world events. In particular, recent attacks on democracies, including ours. I am not a politician, so the next best thing I could do was write a novel.

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

There is no such thing as a perfect society, no such thing as a utopia, simply because people will never agree on what constitutes universal values. Yet the trajectory of history teaches us that societies always strive to better themselves, strive for that unattainable utopia. It is an ongoing struggle to better ourselves as individuals and as communities. This book is just one way of thinking about that struggle, and offers, I hope, a thought-provoking perspective on how to approach that struggle.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

I have always been drawn to works of literature that manage to entertain us and enlighten us at the same time. Works that teach us about the human condition with a satirical bite have always been particularly fascinating to me. Two great novels in this vein are Heller’s Catch-22 and Vonegutt’s Slaughterhouse-Five. Films such as Dr. Strangelove likewise are very effective in teaching us important lessons, while we can’t help but cringe and laugh as we learn.

5) If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

I would definitely want to talk to Mr. Figgle, and ask him what he really thought about his supposed utopian society established by a controversial genetic therapy, the Self Suppressor, imposed on every citizen. It’s not obvious what his real intentions are, even at the very end of the book. I am the author and I do not know what he really thinks!

6) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

Facebook has been helpful, buy I also run a podcast, Dr. Music, which is also effective in promoting my books (even though it is a music education podcast).

7) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

Anybody who aspires to write should do an enormous amount of reading, and then, after that, an enormous amount of reading. Read the classics and modern books, read fiction and non-fiction, and it’s always a good idea to write about what you know. But you should also write about what you don’t know—after all, that’s how we learn, right? I didn’t know a thing about political philosophy before I wrote this book. Now I do.

8) What does the future hold in store for you? Are any new books/projects on the horizon?

Yes, I will certainly be writing more novels. I try to make each one very different. My third novel, Till Times Are Done, is a world away from Welcome To Opine. I do have an idea for my next book…stay tuned!

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About the Author

Dr. Matthew Marullo holds a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Boston University and has been writing all his life. He is the author of four novels: The Octave Displacement (2006), Gludman’s Proof (2013), Till Times Are Done (2019), and Welcome To Opine (2022). A member of ASCAP, PEN America, and the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Marullo lives with his family in Long Island, New York. Visit his website at matthewmarullo.com.