tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27353146092544469312024-02-19T13:01:30.701+00:00Keeping Sane with BooksQuality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.comBlogger816125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-36550701654365281422015-04-18T11:00:00.000+01:002015-04-30T21:46:55.007+01:00"Hannah" from LUCIFER & THE INDIGO KIDS by @Lord_Ra_Krishna #AmReading #Religion<b><span style="font-size: large;">Hannah </span></b><br />
<br />
Butterflies and Blunts<br />
Surfboarding in outer space <br />
<br />
Amber and crystals <br />
on my fingers<br />
Beautiful tattoos on my face...<br />
<br />
Inspiration...<br />
Interracial...<br />
Cocaine nights <br />
And track shoe days...<br />
<br />
Inspired me to live my music...<br />
I won't forget the way we slept<br />
<br />
Like two snakes on Hermes Scepter<br />
Entangled in a warm embrace...<br />
<br />
The name... the same...<br />
Backwards or forwards...<br />
H-A-N-N-A and H<br />
<br />
Yellow diamonds on a butterfly ring<br />
Her name is tattooed on my neck<br />
<br />
Now we're married / then divorced<br />
In strawberry fields is where we met...<br />
<br />
Krishna... Buddha... Jesus... Loki... <br />
Achilles.... Alexander and me<br />
Interracial... and taboo...<br />
I won't forget the way we slept<br />
<br />
Was it love? Or just a fling?<br />
Do you still have that butterfly ring<br />
<br />
I think I took it back from you...<br />
You hurt my feelings in the club...<br />
<br />
Like somebody else I know?<br />
And we are kinda married still<br />
<br />
A god no monster can defeat...<br />
But love is my Achilles heel <br />
<br />
1000 leagues beneath the ocean<br />
Further than the deepest depths...<br />
<br />
Like 2 snakes on Hermes Scepter<br />
I won't forget the way we slept<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
"This
“new age” book of poetry reflects the diverse views and philosophies of
it’s author Ra Krishna EL. It’s an intimate, humorous and thought
provoking group of poems intended to evoke strong emotion. To quote the
German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, this style of poetry can be
called “Zukunfts poesie“ which translates into “Poetry of the future”,
where truly original ideas are presented thru poetry. Also known as post
Nietzschean poetry.<br />
<br />
It’s subjects include society, pop
culture, love, religious dogma, God and the new age of Aquarius. This
book was written and published during the false incarceration of its
author in Chicago’s notorious Cook County Jail, the largest jail in the
country."<br />
<br />
Bu<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">y Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-indigo-kids-Last-Prophet-ebook/dp/B00L3VL7E8/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406567843&sr=1-1&keywords=lucifer+and+the+indigo+kids" href="http://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-indigo-kids-Last-Prophet-ebook/dp/B00L3VL7E8/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406567843&sr=1-1&keywords=lucifer+and+the+indigo+kids" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Poetry, Philosophy</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Lord%20Ra%20Krishna%20EL&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Lord%20Ra%20Krishna%20EL&search-alias=books&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with Lord Ra Krishna EL on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-Ra-Krishna-El/729737850380185?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-Ra-Krishna-El/729737850380185?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/Lord_Ra_Krishna" href="https://twitter.com/Lord_Ra_Krishna" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-15033102185223407812015-02-28T09:00:00.001+00:002015-03-01T04:38:11.932+00:00Pendelton Wallace's Thoughts on #Blogging & How It Affects Book Sales #AmReading #AmWriting <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Why Blogging is Important </b><br /><br />I
don’t know if blogging works or not. I have been told it takes five
years to build a viable book selling business. I’m in year one. I’m
taking on faith that some of these things are going to pay off someday.<br /><br />For
me, blogging is important because it builds your reader base. I started
out with blogs about my adventures sailing down the coast to Mexico. I
got about two hundred hits per post and was pretty happy. Then I hit the
jack pot.<br /><br />I live with my girlfriend and her Great Dane on my
56-foot sailboat. People always ask “How do you live on a boat with such
a big dog?” I decided to write a blog post about living with a Great
Dane.<br /><br />One post became three. Then Odin, the Great Dane in
question, took exception to what I was writing about him and wanted to
set the record straight. He wrote about three blogs, to which I had to
respond.<br /><br />During this blog debate, readers started flocking to my
blog. Dawn, my significant other, posted the blogs to her Great Dane
Facebook groups, I posted to my sailing/cruising groups and people just
appeared from nowhere. Suddenly, thousands of people were reading my
blogs.<br /><br />Has it done any good? Not a lot. My book sales are still
pretty low, but I get email from readers saying things like “I really
liked your blog, so I decided to buy your book.” Now I just need to get
more people to follow suit.</span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/hacker.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If Clive Cussler had written Ugly Betty, it would be Hacker for Hire. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hacker for Hire, a suspense novel
about corporate greed and industrial espionage, is the second book in a
series about Latino computer security analyst Ted Higuera and his best
friend, para-legal Chris Hardwick. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The goofy, off-beat Ted Higuera, son
of Mexican immigrants, grew up in East LA. An unlikely football
scholarship brought him to Seattle. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chris, Ted’s college roommate, grew
up with a silver spoon in his mouth. His father is the head of one of
Seattle’s most prestigious law firms. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ted’s first job out of college leads
him into the world of organized crime where he faces a brutal beating.
After being rescued by beautiful private investigator Catrina Flaherty,
Ted decides to go to work for her. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Catrina is hired by a large computer
corporation to find a leak in their corporate boardroom when the
previous consultant is found floating in Elliot Bay. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ted discovers that Chris’s firm has
been retained by their prime suspect. Now he and Chris are working
opposite sides of the same case. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ted and Catrina are led deep into
Seattle’s Hi-Tech world as they stalk the killer. But the killer is also
hunting them. Can Ted find the killer before the killer finds him? </span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hacker-Hire-Ted-Higuera-Book-ebook/dp/B00KH3Z53W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1405401192&sr=1-1&keywords=Hacker+for+Hire" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Mystery, Thriller</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Pendelton%20Wallace&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Pendelton Wallace on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/penn.wallace" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.pennwallace.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-lvi4hquGvTx3TTco7IMaVQe7wYA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.pennwallace.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-15646462368407558262015-02-28T08:00:00.000+00:002015-03-01T04:13:25.072+00:00James Rada Jr. Shares an #Excerpt from LOCK READY @JimRada #Historical #Fiction #Mustread<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This excerpt introduces a romantic rival for David to Lock Ready. However, Ruth has her own secrets just as David does.</i></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ruth
bent down to pick up her baskets. She was still having trouble holding
both of them as overbalanced as they were. David picked up the baskets
and held them.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Well,
thank you for your kindness, but that man is right. If you want to stay
around Cumberland, you probably don’t want to be seen with me,” she
said.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Why are you so certain about that? You don’t seem like a desperado to me. Maybe it’s you who shouldn’t be seen with me.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">David
could guarantee that if the truth about him ever came out. If she knew
he was a former Confederate soldier, she would probably run away
screaming for help from a Union soldier. Then Ruth said something that
surprised him.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I support the South.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She stared at David waiting for a reaction from him.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">David paused, probably for too long, but her comment had surprised him. Finally, he said, “Is that all?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her
eyebrows lifted. “It’s enough in a town occupied by the Union Army. I’m
watched all of the time because people know where my sympathies lie.
The only reason the army or townspeople haven’t run me off is because
I’m a woman and my family has lived in Cumberland since soon after it
was founded.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Is your entire family in support of the South?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ruth shook her head and her blond curls bounced around. “Just me. They’re ashamed of me, but not enough to turn me out.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">David
knew that feeling and worse because his father had been willing to turn
his back on David when he decided he could no longer fight in this
war. David had been proud to serve Virginia at first. He had seen it as
a way to prove himself to his father and perhaps find his place in the
world.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But
battle hadn’t been like David had imagined it would be. Even winning at
Manassas hadn’t been without its costs. Men had died on both sides of
the battle and they always would. David’s best friend, Ben Kyle, had
been ripped apart by an artillery shell that nearly landed on top of
him. All David had found of his friend afterwards had been Ben’s right
arm, shoulder, and head. The rest of him had been unidentifiable.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then
David had been asked to spy on the North along with two other miserable
representatives of Southern life. One had been killed trying to
sabotage the canal and David had killed the other when he had tried to
rape Elizabeth Fitzgerald. That was the final straw that had led to him
abandoning the army.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">His
father hadn’t understood that. How could he? His father had never
fought a battle. He had only grown up on the exploits of his father and
grandfather, two men who had served with honor unlike David.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I
married a soldier who was killed at Gettysburg last summer. I had a
brother who was killed there, too. Sometimes, I feel like my parents
think I killed my brother. They don’t seem to remember that the same
battle that cost them a son cost me my husband,” she said with a bit too
much anger in her voice.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">David
was struck by a sense of guilt. He had given up everything to stay with
the Fitzgeralds. His country and his family. True, he didn’t have much
of a choice at first because he had been wounded at the time, but that
had been two years ago. Since then, he had had plenty of opportunities
to return. He hadn’t, though; because he had believed that the
Fitzgeralds needed his help and that he might have a future with Alice.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He
wasn’t with the Fitzgeralds now, though. He could return to Virginia if
he wanted to, but the truth was he didn’t want to. He had abandoned his
duty while men with Ruth Abercrombie’s husband and brother had fought
and died to do theirs.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m sorry,” David replied.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ruth
took a deep breath and gave David a small smile. “I am, too. We had
only been married a few years. My family doesn’t like my decision to
support the South, but they already lost one child and they don’t want
to lose another one. So they tolerate their <i>Southern</i> daughter,” Ruth explained.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You can’t be too horrible then if they still love you,” David suggested.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Well, they’re the only ones who do love me.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">David didn’t know how to respond to that so he said, “Can I carry these baskets for you to wherever you’re going?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ruth stared at him for a few moments. “You don’t have to prove that you’re a gentleman to me.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m not trying to prove anything. I’m just trying to be of assistance.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Well then, thank you, as you can see I need the help.”</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/lockready.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
Civil War split the United States and now it has split the Fitzgerald
Family. Although George Fitzgerald has returned from the war, his sister
Elizabeth Fitzgerald has chosen to remain in Washington to volunteer as
a nurse. The ex-Confederate spy, David Windover, has given up on his
dream of being with Alice Fitzgerald and is trying to move on with his
life in Cumberland, Md. Alice and her sons continue to haul coal along
the 184.5-mile-long C&O Canal. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It
is dangerous work, though, during war time because the canal runs along
the Potomac River and between the North and South. Having had to
endured death and loss already, Alice wonders whether remaining on the
canal is worth the cost. She wants her family reunited and safe, but she
can’t reconcile her feelings between David and her dead husband. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her
adopted son, Tony, has his own questions that he is trying to answer.
He wants to know who he is and if his birth mother ever loved him. As he
tries to find out more about his birth mother and father, he stumbles
onto a plan by Confederate sympathizers to sabotage the canal and burn
dozens of canal boats. He enlists David’s help to try and disrupt the
plot before it endangers his new family, but first they will have find
out who is behind the plot.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lock-Ready-A-Canawlers-Novel/dp/0692211454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400758482&sr=8-1&keywords=lock+ready+rada" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Historical Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=James+Rada+Jr.&search-alias=books&text=James+Rada+Jr.&sort=relevancerank" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with James Rada Jr. on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jim.rada" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/jimrada" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://jamesrada.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28d4iaix3UBtVx6pNwPpNkw3GcEKA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">jamesrada.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-16444893497430304782015-02-28T07:00:00.000+00:002015-03-01T04:02:31.262+00:00#Excerpt from THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ICE by @TheobaldSprague #Memoir #Marriage #Family <div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On August 16, at 2 a.m. <i>Bagan </i>officially
stopped making forward progress. We were hopelessly trapped, unable to
make even an inch forward, backwards, or sideways. We were locked in
with a haunting and deathly en- compassing fog and had completely and
decisively run out of options. Ironically, despite our array of modern
day electronics and safety devices we were no better off than those who
went and died before us and could do nothing about it. The ice had
caught us and we had lost.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Have I brought my family together only to lead them to their deaths?” I wondered.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While
the past eighteen hours were filled with physical and navigational
challenges, the mental toll was also brutal. Although fairly recent
cruisers had done The Passage over several seasons with seemingly no
concern or fears, I found my experience to be the complete opposite. The
myriad pre-trip pressures—losing funding, the personality conflicts, my
health issues, the documentary, and now the responsibility of my kids’
lives—it was almost more than I could handle. Reading other reports of
previous transits, I found my experience was entirely different because
few of these books or articles mentioned the deep and raging fear that
could start and grow inside of you.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
we had entered the ice, I was still being plagued by the black thoughts
of how the trip could potentially end. Fears and fatigue showed
nolimits to their depths and, as each futile hour ticked by, the sounds
and experiences became more frightening. At first I thought that the
great creaks, moans, and explosions I could hear from deep inside <i>Bagan </i>were
her hull, her structure being overcome by the icy and deadly pressures.
With each deep and rumbling snap I heard, I could “see” damage being
done below the water line. At one point, I called Sefton into the
pilothouse and quietly asked him to go below and pull some floorboards
because I feared we had compromised the hull. After a few minutes below,
Sefton found that the bilges were as dry as the day we left Newport,
then headed back outside into the sharp Arctic air to continue fending
ice off the bow. I’d be relieved momentarily, until the next groan and
explosion told me that what I’d been listening to was the massive
amounts of thick ice giving way with great protestations as <i>Bagan </i>gained another two or three feet.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At
various times during that first day, we lost power in the bow thruster,
lost two push poles, several sets of gloves, and a two-way radio over
the side only to watch them get swallowed up in a matter of seconds by
the ice. <i>Bagan</i>and crew became a floating, small island of
survival that at any moment could be broached, and if past history had
anything to do with it, could be snuffed out and ground into the bottom
in a heartbeat. These were my most fearful of thoughts, not based
entirely in reality but by the same token entirely possible. They didn’t
rule my thinking for the next few days but did manage to lower the bar
of my experience; “Who the hell were we, was I, to think we could take
on a transit in a part of the Arctic which had claimed so many hundreds
of lives before?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The
audacity and seeming hubris of undertaking such a project gained a loud
and unrelenting voice inside of me, one that I had to constantly
struggle with and try to keep in check for had the others gotten a whiff
of these fears and insecurities, I felt it would be detrimental to
keeping their own fears at bay. It was a constant balance of letting
them know that I felt our situation to be extremely difficult but not
deadly. That first night of being held captive in the Arctic ice was
brutal. That night potential headlines ran through myhead: “Father Leads
Family To Icy Death,” “Half-assed Explorer Loses Not Only Funding But
Boat As Well.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/TheOtherSideOfIce.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A sailor and his family’s harrowing and inspiring story of their attempt to sail the treacherous Northwest Passage.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sprague
Theobald, an award-winning documentary filmmaker and expert sailor with
over 40,000 offshore miles under his belt, always considered the
Northwest Passage–the sea route connecting the Atlantic to the
Pacific–the ultimate uncharted territory. Since Roald Amundsen completed
the first successful crossing of the fabled Northwest Passage in 1906,
only twenty-four pleasure craft have followed in his wake. Many more
people have gone into space than have traversed the Passage, and a
staggering number have died trying. From his home port of Newport, Rhode
Island, through the Passage and around Alaska to Seattle, it would be
an 8,500-mile trek filled with constant danger from ice, polar bears,
and severe weather.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What
Theobald couldn’t have known was just how life-changing his journey
through the Passage would be. Reuniting his children and stepchildren
after a bad divorce more than fifteen years earlier, the family embarks
with unanswered questions, untold hurts, and unspoken mistrusts hanging
over their heads. Unrelenting cold, hungry polar bears, and a haunting
landscape littered with sobering artifacts from the tragic Franklin
Expedition of 1845, as well as personality clashes that threaten to tear
the crew apart, make The Other Side of the Ice a harrowing story of
survival, adventure, and, ultimately, redemption.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">( <b>TO WATCH THE OFFICIAL HD TEASER FOR “The Other Side of The Ice” [book and documentary] PLEASE GO TO:</b> <i><b>VIMEO.COM/45526226) </b></i></span></span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Other-Side-Ice-Treacherous-Negotiating-ebook/dp/B008QD8OTC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1396289433" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Memoir, adventure, family, climate</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Sprague%20Theobald&search-alias=digital-text" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Sprague Theobald on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheOtherSideoftheIce" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/TheobaldSprague" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.spraguetheobald.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-hqap-1OaYQfgpmkVVaj6tZwQK7A" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.spraguetheobald.com</a></b></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-14939344878956171292014-11-08T09:00:00.000+00:002014-11-21T15:45:03.707+00:0010 Elements of Heaven on Earth and More by John E. Wade #Goodreads #AmReading #Inspiration<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">While
I know this size of this small book indicates that it will be a quick
and easy read—and does not take long to read—its impact on the reader
will be much deeper than they might anticipate. As billed, the book
indeed contains “inspiring quotations and insightful essays.” The
chapters are organized by topics, which are the ten elements of heaven
on earth which I have identified: peace and security, freedom,
democracies, prosperity, gender harmony, racial harmony, spiritual
harmony, ecological harmony, health, and moral purpose and meaning.
There is also a chapter entitled, “Individual Paths to Heaven on Earth,”
which includes some well-known quotations, as well as quotes from
“regular people” who state what heaven on earth would feel like for
them.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">I previously published<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>How to Achieve a Heaven on Earth</i>, and the four other co-authors of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Glimpses of Heaven on Earth<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>each
contributed an essay to this first book. I think readers will be
interested in reading about the different backgrounds of each of the
co-authors, as I am a retired CPA who now devotes my time to investing
and writing. I have several active blogs which can be found on<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.JohnEWadeII.com" href="http://www.johnewadeii.com/"><span class="s3">www.JohnEWadeII.com</span></a>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.HeavenOnEarth.org" href="http://www.heavenonearth.org/"><span class="s3">www.HeavenOnEarth.org</span></a>, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="http://www.HonestJohnWade.com" href="http://www.honestjohnwade.com/"><span class="s3">www.HonestJohnWade.com</span></a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(which focuses on politics). </span></span></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">Charlotte
L. Piotrowski spent ten years litigating complex cases before she
turned her attention to writing, editing, and content creation for
websites and blogs on a freelance basis. Charlotte and I both live in
New Orleans, and work closely together on my many creative projects.
Daniel Agatino practices law and teaches in New Jersey, while Michael
Nagler founded the Metta Center for Nonviolence (<a data-mce-href="http://www.mettacenter.org" href="http://www.mettacenter.org/"><span class="s3">www.mettacenter.org</span></a>) and Martin Rutte is the founder of Project Heaven on Earth (<a data-mce-href="http://www.projectheavenonearth.com" href="http://www.projectheavenonearth.com/"><span class="s3">www.projectheavenonearth.com</span></a>)
and is a popular inspirational speaker. I think this diversity is what
really brings this book alive and makes it so relatable to any reader.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">Not
to brag too much, but I think we did an excellent job locating and
including wonderfully inspiring quotations that truly relate to each of
the ten elements. Here are some examples:</span></span></span></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson</span></span></span></i></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“Prosperity is only an instrument to be used, not a deity to be worshipped.” - Calvin Coolidge</span></span></span></i></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“Prejudice is the child of ignorance.” - William Hazlitt</span></span></span></i></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">“I
expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any
kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let
me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way
again.” - William Penn</span></span></span></i></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="s2">There
are many lesser-known quotations included as well, and as should be
evident, the more you really contemplate the quotes, the more impactful
they become. I expect each reader will have her or his own favorite
portions of the book, to which they will want to return time and time
again. For this reason, I believe this book is destined to become a
classic. It can truly help to start some much-needed and interesting
dialog. So I cannot help but to highly recommend this book, and hope you
enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg"><img alt="Glimpses of Heaven on Earth" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-42087" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Glimpses-of-Heaven-on-Earth.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Editor
and author John E. Wade II has compiled a spiritual guide of invaluable
insight for finding peace and meaning in life while making the world a
better place for all. Along with co-authors Charlotte Livingston
Piotrowski, Daniel Agatino, Michael Nagler, and Martin Rutte, this
collection of enlightening essays and inspirational quotes from renowned
thinkers and leade</span></span>rs throughout history provides the intellectual tools needed to live a more harmonious life.<br />
<br />
Buy <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/GLIMPSES-HEAVEN-EARTH-Quotations-Insightful-ebook/dp/B00LOYGN3O/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1405439205" href="http://www.amazon.com/GLIMPSES-HEAVEN-EARTH-Quotations-Insightful-ebook/dp/B00LOYGN3O/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1405439205" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Inspirational</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=John%20E.%20Wade%20II&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=John%20E.%20Wade%20II&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with John E. Wade II on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/jwadeii?ref_type=bookmark" href="https://www.facebook.com/jwadeii?ref_type=bookmark" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-66163860817296494452014-10-23T11:30:00.000+01:002014-10-23T15:03:31.553+01:0010 Things You Didn’t Know About @MarcADiGiacomo #Thriller #AmReading #MustRead <div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10 Things You Didn’t Know About Marc A. DiGiacomo</span></span></b></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) I am a real New York Police Detective (retired) who worked for a small town.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2) In A Small Town was my first published work but it isn’t my first story.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3) I am a huge fan of the band Pearl Jam, In A Small Town, is a shortened title of one of their songs.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4) I have saved someone’s life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5) I have a dog named Lola, she’s really sweet, sometimes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6) My favorite time of year is the fall.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7) My favorite NFL team is the Miami Dolphins.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8) Unlike Matt Longo, I can never remember any of my dreams.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9) I married my high school sweetheart.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10) I can eat an entire watermelon, as long as it’s perfectly sweet.</span></span></div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/backintown.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/backintown.jpg"><img alt="backintown" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-42265" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/backintown.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/backintown.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
The
small town of Hutchville, New York is turned upside down. No longer is
it the quaint, sleepy, suburb of New York City. Detective Matt Longo is
back on the job and embroiled in his latest nightmare. Further
complicating matters is the revelation of his partner’s corruption and
organized crime ties; Donny Mello has left a bitter trail of lies and
deceit. With his kid brother and newly promoted Detective Franny Longo
by his side, will Matt be able to put his past behind him?<br />
<br />
Special
Agent Cynthia Shyler, (F.B.I.) has been reassigned due to her meeting
with Matt Longo. Will this move complicate their relationship? Or will a
new stranger in town spin a web that entangles the entire Hutchville
Police Department, especially our most seasoned detective, Matt Longo?</div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Back-Town-Small-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B00KWE2PK2/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=18M6XPX181RWK0SA250N" href="http://www.amazon.com/Back-Town-Small-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B00KWE2PK2/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=18M6XPX181RWK0SA250N">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Thriller</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Marc%20A.%20DiGiacomo&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Marc%20A.%20DiGiacomo&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with Marc A. DiGiacomo on <a data-mce-href="https://facebook.com/MarcADiGiacomo" href="https://facebook.com/MarcADiGiacomo">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/MarcADiGiacomo" href="https://twitter.com/MarcADiGiacomo" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-75850168694810083902014-10-23T07:30:00.000+01:002014-11-04T15:06:38.037+00:00Mike Hartner on Nobody's Life is Perfect & Inspiration @MHartnerAuthor #Historical #Romance <i><b>What Inspired Me to Write This Book</b></i><br />
<br />
This book is the second in a series of books called The Eternity Series.<br />
<br />
The Eternity Series has several inspirations.<br />
<br />
The
first inspiration is to show that each life, each person, is different.
We all have our crosses to bear, and how we overcome them determines
who we are as a person. Whether we blame everyone else and fester in
the crap that we are given by fate, or overcome the challenges and have a
good life is up to us.<br />
<br />
The second inspiration is to
show that nobody’s life is perfect. Everyone has challenges. And
appearances are not always what they seem.<br />
<br />
More than
that though, The Eternity Series is an epic saga of good vs evil, of
man’s desire to survive and thrive, and of what we can be if we come
together.<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg"><img alt="IJames" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41780" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/IJames.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">James Crofter was ripped from his family at age 11. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Within a year the prince was a pauper in a foreign land. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Is nature stronger than nurture? And even if it is, can James find the happiness he so richly desires? </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/I-James-Eternity-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00MQHIG0Q/ref=la_B009VJQBEA_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409891856&sr=1-5" href="http://www.amazon.com/I-James-Eternity-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00MQHIG0Q/ref=la_B009VJQBEA_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409891856&sr=1-5" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Historical Fiction, Romance</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Hartner/e/B009VJQBEA/" href="http://www.amazon.com/Mike-Hartner/e/B009VJQBEA/" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Mike Hartner on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Hartner-Author/368690356556759" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mike-Hartner-Author/368690356556759" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/MHartnerAuthor" href="https://twitter.com/MHartnerAuthor" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-19679370022278746412014-10-15T08:30:00.000+01:002014-11-06T13:33:04.379+00:00Kirsten Mortensen on the Joys & Perils of a Towering TBR Pile by @KirstenWriter #AmReading #Fiction<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Eeek! She’s Gonna Crash! The Joys and Perils of a Towering TBR Pile</b></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By Kirsten Mortensen</span></span></i></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The leaning tower of Pisa? Ha. That’s nothing. You should see my To Be Read pile!</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
can’t help it, I guess. I love books so much, and I’m interested in so
many different types of books and so many authors, that I always end up
buying more books than I could possibly read.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And,
to make it worse, I’m one of those people who reads multiple books at
once. At any given moment, I’ve got a half dozen books piled up next to
my bed with bookmarks stuck in them. I’ve got another half dozen in my
Kindle that I’ve started, then set aside.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But
you know what? I’ve made peace with it. I know that some of the books
in my TBR pile will remain unread on the day I breathe my last.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And is there anything wrong with that!</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No, I say!</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh,
sure, it’s satisfying to finish a book. It’s like finishing any
project. You close the cover—or click past the last page on the
e-reader—and sit back, and you get this marvelous feeling of
accomplishment. Even aside from the pleasure of a well-realized plot,
there’s a sense that you did it. You completed the journey. You crossed
something important off your to-do list.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But
I’m also of the opinion that guilt is never a very helpful emotion. So
why torture yourself needlessly if you have books you don’t get to? Or
books you start but don’t finish?</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They
still serve a purpose. Maybe that indie title you bought helped push a
book onto a best seller list. Maybe the classic sitting on your shelf
will one day spark the interest of a young family member, and start him
or her on a reading journey.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And in the meantime, having a generous TBR pile is a bit like having a well-stocked pantry.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No
matter what you’re in the mood for, chances are you’ll find the exact
book you need at that moment. You have all the ingredients on hand for a
satisfying reading experience: your own personal library, there for the
sampling.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So to me, my leaning pile of to-be-reads is never a burden. It’s a blessing—it’s a towering stack of riches.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How
about you? Do you ever feel anxious or stressed about your TBR pile? Or
does the pleasure of knowing you have plenty of books in your reading
queue make you feel good?</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg"><img alt="darkChemistry" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41412" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/darkChemistry.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A woman's worst nightmare</span></span></h1>
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Drugged by something...that makes her think she's fallen in love.</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">All Haley Dubose has ever known is beaches and malls, clubs and cocktail dresses.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>But now her father is dead.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And if she wants to inherit her father's fortune, she has to leave sunny Southern California<br />for a backwater little town near Syracuse, New York. She has to run RMB, the multimillion dollar<br />chemical company her father founded. And she has to run it well.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Keep
RMB on track, and she'll be rich. Grow it, and she'll be even richer.
But mess it up, and her inheritance will shrink away before she gets a
chance to spend a dime.</span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Donavon Todde is her true love. But is it too late?</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He's RMB's head of sales – and the more Donavon sees of Haley, the more he's smitten.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure,
she comes across at first as naïve and superficial. But Donavon knew
Haley's father. He can see the man's better qualities stirring to life
in her eyes. And Donavon senses something else: Haley's father left her a
legacy more important than money. He left her the chance to discover
her true self.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Donavon has demons of his own.</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b><br />He's
reeling from a heartbreak that's taking far too long to heal. But he's
captivated by this blond Californian, and not only because of her
beauty.<i> It's chemistry.</i> They're right for each other. But has
Donavon waited too long to woo this woman of his dreams? Because to his
horror, his beautiful Haley falls under another spell.<i> Gerad's spell.</i></span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A web of evil.</span></span></h2>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gerad
Picket was second-in-command at RMB when Haley's father was alive. And
with Haley on the scene, he's in charge of her training. But there are
things about RMB that Gerad doesn't want Haley to know.</span></span><br />
<h2 data-mce-style="color: #cc6600;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And he must control her. Any way he can.</span></span></h2>
<h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Romantic suspense for your Kindle</span></span></h1>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will Haley realize that her feelings are not her TRUE feelings?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does Donavon have the strength left to fight for the woman he loves?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will the two of them uncover Gerad's plot to use RMB pheromones to enslave the world?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And even if they do – can they stop it?</span></span><br />
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Chemistry-Kirsten-Mortensen-ebook/dp/B00KEYP3QI/" href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Chemistry-Kirsten-Mortensen-ebook/dp/B00KEYP3QI/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> &<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/422146" href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/422146" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Romantic suspense</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Kirsten-Mortensen/e/B001JP7X50/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Kirsten-Mortensen/e/B001JP7X50/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Kirsten Mortensen through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirsten-Mortensen-Writer/195344590544496?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirsten-Mortensen-Writer/195344590544496?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>& <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/Kirstenwriter" href="https://twitter.com/Kirstenwriter" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://kirstenmortensen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29OlqrTvuWJGs0Xbb3RDK_7VviC8A" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://kirstenmortensen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29OlqrTvuWJGs0Xbb3RDK_7VviC8A" target="_blank">http://kirstenmortensen.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-44084221381090907252014-10-07T12:30:00.000+01:002014-10-07T12:30:01.141+01:00Kari Nichols's Thoughts on Writing as Personal Therapy @TheKariNichols #HistFic #Romance <b>Why Writing is a Form of Personal Therapy</b><br />
<br />
I
use writing as therapy for several reasons. First, it’s the one thing
that I can always count on to calm me down no matter what else is going
on in my life. When I put all my concentration into the lives of my
characters, I don’t have to worry about what’s happening in my own life. I guess it’s my own little escape from reality.<br />
<br />
Second, if I’m really
upset or excited about something, I can funnel those emotions into my
work. I enjoy taking the excitement of good news and using that
enthusiasm to connect with a character that is experiencing a similar
situation (and the same goes for when I’m feeling sad or angry).
Finally, when I’m able to see the fruits of the hard work that I’ve put
into my novels and short stories, I have the most incredible sense of
accomplishment and relief.<br />
<br />
When I write, I feel like
I’m developing as a person. Creating worlds and characters stretches my
mind and forces me to grow to new heights to attain the next level of
mastery I need in order to develop a unique story.<br />
<br />
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/rogue.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/rogue.jpg"><img alt="rogue" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41803" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/rogue.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/rogue.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
“We stand united, Family of Immortals. Plagued by life. Cursed by the hand of God …” <br />
<br />
Rogue
was born into an immortal family whose wealth is marked by a trail of
blood. But when he meets the unnervingly familiar assistant of his next
target, an unexpected rush of emotions begins to unravel his carefully
laid plans. <br />
<br />
Lissie lives a mundane life filled with
work … and little else. She hasn’t taken a risk since she moved to New
York City after college—seven years ago. But when the mysterious Matthew
McCloud walks through the door of her office, she finds herself diving
head-first into a whirlwind romance she never saw coming.<br />
<br />
Bu<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">y Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-The-Plagued-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00MRO73PM" href="http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-The-Plagued-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00MRO73PM">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Kari-Nichols/e/B00MSDYFFS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Kari-Nichols/e/B00MSDYFFS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Connect</b> with Kari Nichols on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/TheKariNichols" href="https://www.facebook.com/TheKariNichols" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/thekarinichols" href="https://twitter.com/thekarinichols" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: bold ! important;">Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://karinichols.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28HIGv7lmiQgoz5heNUjD3hpL5yEA" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://karinichols.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy28HIGv7lmiQgoz5heNUjD3hpL5yEA" target="_blank">http://karinichols.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-66215226873277689892014-10-04T09:30:00.000+01:002014-10-23T15:13:16.444+01:00@AmyLewisAuthor Says #Life is Much More Fun When You Are Fearless #Memoir #GoodReads<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Five Things Being a Young Widow Has Taught Me</b></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I
was 27 when my first husband died unexpectedly after an eleven-day
illness. While our marriage was far from perfect (and I do mean far), I
loved him with an open heart. Now 15 years later, I can clearly say his
death became the turning point of my life. If I had a before and after
picture, the day he died would be the point in time where my path
radically diverged. Nothing beats being a wise, young woman and here are
the top five things that widowhood taught me about life, death and
loss.</span></span></div>
<ol style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Strength &amp; courage are not
qualities you either have or don’t. It’s an energy field that you can
tap into that stretches and expands to meet the needs of that which you
are facing in the moment. You have no idea how strong you are until you
are faced with a situation that calls it out of you. The same goes for
courage. Have faith that whatever is needed in the moment, you’ve got
it.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="2" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Help is everywhere; all around
you, all you have to do is look for it. Easier said than done, I know,
but that doesn’t make it any less true. And I’ve experienced this
countless times, when I really need something, if I can stay out of my
fears, exactly what is required always comes to me – no more, no less.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="3" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Life is much more fun when
you’re fearless. One thing became very clear to me after losing my
husband: his essence, his soul (whatever you choose to call it) was
still about. I know it in my bones, and it was quite a shock to me.
While I’m not ready to let go of my body just let, I am no longer afraid
of death. In fact, I don’t even like the word death but “transition”
still sounds little too<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>New Agey</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>for me. And once that granddaddy of fears dissolves, man oh man, does life get fun.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="4" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Loss is part of life, so give
yourself the gift of grieving. We are all individuals and grieving is
highly personal business. No two people do it alike. Don’t listen to
anyone else about what you should be doing, feeling, thinking,
experiencing. Get rid of all your conditioned thoughts about what
grieving should look like. Give yourself the freedom to do it your own
way. Grieving can actually be a creative process and experience. Give
yourself the gift of expression and your uniqueness. And I don’t just
mean from losing a loved one, loss comes in many forms.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="5" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You are not in control here. I
know we spend our entire lives trying to pretend like we are in control,
but we are not. This can be a terrifying idea, or it can bring you
peace. I remember the only thought that gave me solace right after he
died was I could have done absolutely nothing to save him. It was
essentially out of my hands. The more I tested it out, I learned when I
give up trying to control everything, my life actually becomes easier
not harder.</span></span></li>
</ol>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg"><img alt="whatFreedomSmellsLike" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41176" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/whatFreedomSmellsLike.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" id="outer_postBodyPS" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<div id="postBodyPS">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Diagnosed
with Borderline Personality disorder, Amy struggled with depression and
an addiction to sharp objects. Even hospitalization didn't help to heal
her destructive tendencies. It took a tumultuous relationship with a
man named Truth to bring her back from the depths of her own self-made
hell.Amy's marriage to dark, intriguing Truth was both passionate and
stormy. She was a fair-skinned southern girl from New Orleans. He was a
charming black man with tribal tattoos, piercings, and a mysterious
past. They made an unlikely pair, but something clicked. During their
early marriage, they pulled themselves out of abject poverty into wealth
and financial security practically overnight. Then things began to fall
apart.</span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Passionate
and protective, Truth also proved violent and abusive. Amy’s own
self-destructive tendencies created a powerful symmetry. His sudden
death left Amy with an intense and warring set of emotions: grief for
the loss of the man she loved, relief she was no longer a target for his
aggression.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Conflicted
and grieving, Amy found herself at a spiritual and emotional
crossroads, only to receive help from an unlikely source: Truth himself.
Feeling his otherworldly presence in her dreams, Amy seeks help from a
famous medium.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her
spiritual encounters change Amy forever. Through Truth, she learns her
soul is eternal and indestructible, a knowledge that gives Amy the
courage to pursue her own dreams and transform herself both physically
and emotionally. Her supernatural encounters help Amy resolve the
internal anger and self-destructive tendencies standing between her and
happiness, culminating in a sense of spiritual fulfillment she never
dreamed possible.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An amazing true story, What Freedom Smells Like is told with courage, honesty, and a devilishly dark sense of humor.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Freedom-Smells-Like-Memoir-ebook/dp/B00JTHDCSC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Freedom-Smells-Like-Memoir-ebook/dp/B00JTHDCSC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Memoir</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Lewis/e/B00KERPYYQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Lewis/e/B00KERPYYQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Amy Lewis through <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/AmyLewisAuthor" href="https://twitter.com/AmyLewisAuthor" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000; text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-u-DEq6B2o3ZSLOwj9JWZOYB9gHA" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-u-DEq6B2o3ZSLOwj9JWZOYB9gHA" target="_blank">www.WhatFreedomSmellsLike.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-47400166837587694372014-10-03T08:00:00.000+01:002014-10-14T17:25:24.049+01:00Kimberly Shursen on Getting Un-Stuck When Writing @KimberlyShursen #AmWriting #Thriller <div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Help! I’m Stuck in the Middle and I Can’t Get Out</b></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By Kimberly Shursen</span></span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span>Author of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Itsy Bitsy Spider</i>,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Hush,</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Lottery</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ever
get to the middle of writing your book and didn’t have a clue what to
do next? You’ve set up the story; you’ve described the characters, the
scenery, the wallpaper in the kitchen, and now what? You’re excited to
write that unbelievable ending you already have conjured in your head,
but how in the world are you going to get there?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Answer: resolve the issue<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>before</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>you start staring at those intimidating blank pages on the screen.</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Have a secondary plot. By this I don’t mean a separate plot, but one that weaves nicely into your story. Using my novel<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>HUSH</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>as
an example, there is Ann and Ben’s life, and then there’s Ann’s lawyer
Mac McConaughey’s story. The plot remains focused on the main
characters, however, Mac and his wife Jazz’s life is a secondary
heart-warming storyline readers can identify with.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When you’re stuck, think of the
most pivotal moments of your life; the birth of a child, a challenging
life hurdle you’ve finally succeeded in overcoming, or the feeling of
finally letting go and falling in love. Bring these pivotal moments to
life in your characters. Set the platform in the first few chapters of
your book and you will have a beginning, a middle, and an end that,
although cliché, will wrap up into one sweet little package. Never write
a chapter that doesn’t have substance or doesn’t move the story
forward. Each single word, sentence, and chapter needs to have meaning;
so no cheating filling in with drawn out dissertations of the scenery.</span></span></li>
</ol>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I never place my novels in one
city as it’s just too much fun to travel via the net. It is important
that my characters and the places they live or travel not become
redundant. In<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>HUSH</i>,
there are three cities I visited in cyberspace. How do I do this? Just
as a couple of examples, I use images, descriptions of buildings and
restaurants, and neighborhood overviews found in personal travel
documentations, along with studying the official websites of the city. I
do a ton of research so that if anyone who lives in these cities or
neighborhoods happens to read my book, they would think I’d been there
not just once, but several times. The bulk of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>HUSH<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></i>was
set in Minneapolis, and even though I lived in Minneapolis for many
years, I still had to check out the facts. How many miles around is Lake
Minnetonka where Mac’s wife Jazz lived? How far was it from Dinky Town
where Ann lived to the courthouse? Where are the prestigious
neighborhoods in Minneapolis? Which suburbs are the poorest? Mileage
from one place to the next takes me to Mapquest.</span></span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I took<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><i>HUSH</i><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>to
Lake Geneva, Switzerland was when I really had to dig deep into the
bowels of the net, close my eyes and envision not only the Jet d'Eau
that surges 459 feet above the lake, but the Swiss Alps, and the
peaceful inlet of water that borders this quaint, wealthy city.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Don’t
be afraid to reach the middle; embrace it. If you’ve done your
homework, and set up your storylines, there will be nothing to fear when
you proudly present your baby to the public.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg"><img alt="hush" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-41080" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/hush.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Soon
after Ann Ferguson and Ben Grable marry, and Ben unseals his adoption
papers, their perfect life together is torn apart, sending the couple to
opposite sides of the courtroom.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Representing
Ann, lawyer Michael J. McConaughey (Mac) feels this is the case that
could have far-reaching, judicial effects -- the one he's been waiting
for.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Opposing counsel knows this high profile case happens just once in a lifetime.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />And
when the silent protest known as HUSH sweeps the nation, making
international news, the CEO of one of the top ten pharmaceutical
companies in the world plots to derail the trial that could cost his
company billions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Critically
acclaimed literary thriller HUSH not only questions one of the most
controversial laws that has divided the nation for over four decades,
but captures a story of the far-reaching ties of family that surpasses
time and distance.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>***
Hush does not have political or religious content. The story is built
around the emotions and thoughts of two people who differ in their
beliefs.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">EDITORIAL
REVIEW: "Suspenseful and well-researched, this action-packed legal
thriller will take readers on a journey through the trials and
tribulations of one of the most controversial subjects in society
today."<span style="font-family: inherit;"> - </span>Katie French author of "The Breeders," "The Believer's," and "Eyes Ever To The Sky."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Hush-Kimberly-Shursen-ebook/dp/B00HZKBGW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1404820465&sr=1-1&keywords=hush+and+kimberly+shursen" href="http://www.amazon.com/Hush-Kimberly-Shursen-ebook/dp/B00HZKBGW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1404820465&sr=1-1&keywords=hush+and+kimberly+shursen" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Thriller</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Shursen/e/B00C7ZBTIS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Shursen/e/B00C7ZBTIS/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Kimberly Shursen through <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimberly-Shursen-Author/286879094678995" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kimberly-Shursen-Author/286879094678995" target="_blank">Facebook</a> and <a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/kimberlyShursen" href="https://twitter.com/kimberlyShursen" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.kimberlyshursen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-uex70LjIEkr9CbwWbuB4zDHIOKw" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.kimberlyshursen.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-uex70LjIEkr9CbwWbuB4zDHIOKw" target="_blank">http://www.kimberlyshursen.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
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Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-28138250089767400412014-09-19T11:00:00.000+01:002014-10-07T12:19:19.734+01:00Craig Staufenberg on Writing What He Likes to Read @YouMakeArtDumb #AmWriting #MiddleGrade<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Why Book Covers are So Important</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There’s
marketing, of course, but I don’t want to get too hung up in that. For
me, my book cover was so important because it gave me a way to like my
book again.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In
general, I like what I write because I write things that I’d like to
read. But the process of soliciting feedback, editing, and otherwise
sitting with your book in an analytical way can drive away a good chunk
of that affection. Especially when you’re about a year deep into the
project and you aren’t feeling quite the same rush you did when you
blazed through the first draft. And after you’ve been grappling with how
seriously to take the 1 out of 40 beta readers who ended up hating your
book and tearing it apart. I faced this scenario with my book, and I
was having a very, very hard time liking my book right when I was
finishing it up and getting ready to publish it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But
working with a good friend of mine to design the book’s cover pulled me
out of this funk. The process and the final cover design helped me
like, and then even love, my book again.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why?
Because instead of worrying about the text, I got to sit back and work
with her to create a piece of art that was beautiful in its own right,
but which also tapped into the book’s overall theme and tone.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What’s
more, I got to bring someone else in to help work on the book with me.
So I wasn’t just sitting by myself worrying about whether everyone was
going to hate what I wrote. Instead, my friend and I just chatted on the
phone, sent a lot of emails with pictures of book covers we liked, and
talked about art. And then we talked about what we liked about the book,
and why it resonated with the two of us. And suddenly I had this great
avenue for thinking about, and appreciating, the book, while remembering
why it meant so much to me in the first place.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even
better, I was able to give my friend a great opportunity—she got to
design her first book cover from scratch. She’d worked on many book
covers before mine, but she didn’t get to take full ownership of a cover
design before. So no matter how I felt about the book, I knew that
putting it out there would at least help my friend take a step forward
in her career.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And
ultimately, the whole process gave me something to love about the book
that didn’t come from me. It’s always hard to feel totally positive
about something that you made with your own two hands. Even if you like
it, and even when you fall in love with it again, you still look at it
and see the seams. And hear everything negative anyone has ever said
about it. And think about all the worries, and concerns, and anxieties
that went into it. But I can look at this cover that my friend designed
and love it unconditionally. And that means there’s at least something
about this book that I can approach without doubt.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg"><img alt="The Girl Who Came Back to Life" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-40597" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Girl-Who-Came-Back-to-Life.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When
you die, your spirit wakes in the north, in the City of the Dead.
There, you wander the cold until one of your living loved ones finds
you, says "Goodbye," and Sends you to the next world. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />After
her parents die, 12-year-old Sophie refuses to release their spirits.
Instead, she resolves to travel to the City of the Dead to bring her
mother and father’s spirits back home with her. <br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #000000;" />Taking
the long pilgrimage north with her gruff & distant grandmother—by
train, by foot, by boat; over ruined mountains and plains and
oceans—Sophie struggles to return what death stole from her. Yet the
journey offers her many hard, unexpected lessons—what to hold on to,
when to let go, and who she must truly bring back to life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Came-Back-Life-ebook/dp/B00JQRR0JM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402517344&sr=8-1&keywords=craig+staufenberg" href="http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Came-Back-Life-ebook/dp/B00JQRR0JM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402517344&sr=8-1&keywords=craig+staufenberg" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Middle Grade</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Staufenberg/e/B00J4CHMX8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Staufenberg/e/B00J4CHMX8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>with Craig Staufenberg through<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/YouMakeArtDumb?ref=hl" href="https://www.facebook.com/YouMakeArtDumb?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-mce-href="https://twitter.com/YouMakeArtDumb" href="https://twitter.com/YouMakeArtDumb" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 19px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://craigstaufenberg.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-DrQ3iDj9YlxIz66ffrjCdBEDC8Q" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://craigstaufenberg.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-DrQ3iDj9YlxIz66ffrjCdBEDC8Q" target="_blank">http://craigstaufenberg.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-42337127238294043512014-09-10T10:30:00.000+01:002014-09-10T23:51:35.628+01:00The Three Sisters by Bryan Taylor #AmReading #Humor #Politics <div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mrs.
Ram had insisted that this be their first stop since cemeteries had
been her life’s work, but she was distinctly disappointed when they got
there. “Looks just like something a government bureacracy’d do,”
commented Mrs. Ram. “Our cemetery was much nicer than this. At least our
people felt at home.” At JFK’s gravesite, the group saw the cracked
circular stone with a flame coming forth from the center which lay atop
his grave. “Freud would have loved this memorial,” K commented to break
up the solemnity of the occasion. “A true tribute to JFK’s
extracurricular activities here on earth.”</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I
have a dream,” revealed Regina at their next stop, the Lincoln
Memorial, as the Rams read the Gettysburg Address. “I’ve always wanted
to do a musical interpretation of the Emancipation Proclamation here.
Abraham Lincoln and Harriett Beecher Stowe would tap dance together like
Fred and Ginger accompanied by four-score-and-seven dancers
representing the Union soldiers, Confederate soldiers and black slaves.
It would be a large production similar to ‘The Continental’ or ‘The
Lullaby of Broadway’ with the soldiers and slaves dancing up and down
the steps of the Lincoln Memorial while Abe Lincoln and Harriett Beecher
Stowe tripped the lights fantastic in front of his statue. They would
sing “I Got Freedom” using the song “I Got Rhythm” for the tune. Busby
Berkeley would be proud.”</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I
told her we should follow in the footsteps of Ives and have ‘The Battle
Hymn of the Republic’ and ‘Dixie’ intermix and battle with each other
in the music,” interjected Coito. “If we can’t do that, we could push
FDR down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in his wheelchair. I think
Eisenstein would have liked that.”</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Just
look at it here. The Lincoln Memorial was built for a giant musical
number, anybody can see that. Unfortunately, the National Parks Service
has no artistic vision,” sighed Regina.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/TheThreeSisters.jpg" href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/TheThreeSisters.jpg"><img alt="TheThreeSisters" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-29844" data-mce-src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/TheThreeSisters.jpg" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/TheThreeSisters.jpg" height="200" style="border: 0px none; cursor: default;" width="130" /></a></span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nuns
just want to have fun! But when three former Catholic nuns have too
much fun and get in trouble with the law, they become nuns on the run.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Driving
back to Washington D.C. where they work at the Kennedy Center for the
Performing Parts, the three sisters are arrested in Tennessee. After
defeating the local deputy in strip poker, they escape from jail, and
are pursued by the zealous Detective Schmuck Hole, who has personally
offered a $10,000 reward for their capture on The 700 Club. Little do
they know that when the three sisters visit the Washington Monument,
their lives will change forever.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Set
in 1979, The Three Sisters is a sacrilegious satire that skewers not
only organized religion, but the government, the media, intellectuals,
corporate greed and every other part of the establishment. Maybe not the
greatest story ever told, but possibly the funniest.</span></span></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy @ <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Three-Sisters-ebook/dp/B00E4Y6F4I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1374713459&sr=1-1&tag=booaremag-20" href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Three-Sisters-ebook/dp/B00E4Y6F4I/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1374713459&sr=1-1&tag=booaremag-20">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Humor, Satire, Catholicism, Politics</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Bryan-Taylor/e/B00E65E8C6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" href="http://www.amazon.com/Bryan-Taylor/e/B00E65E8C6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Bryan Taylor on <a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/BryanTaylorAuthor" href="https://www.facebook.com/BryanTaylorAuthor" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 1.3em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a data-mce-href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.threesistersnovel.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29_7ty-sYYIf-cMT5co6t8zgz7B7A" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.threesistersnovel.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29_7ty-sYYIf-cMT5co6t8zgz7B7A" target="_blank">www.threesistersnovel.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-70717619791492120862014-08-26T01:30:00.000+01:002014-08-26T01:30:00.368+01:00The Bully Barn: A Lesson For #Bullies, Bystanders and Victims by Robert Gioia #ReviewShare <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20941381-the-bully-barn" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Bully Barn: A Lesson For Bullies, Bystanders and Victims" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393700522m/20941381.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20941381-the-bully-barn">The Bully Barn: A Lesson For Bullies, Bystanders and Victims</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7908862.Robert_Gioia">Robert Gioia</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1036366018">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
A simple picture book that delivers a strong message. Robert Gioia explains moral, ethics and bullying in the best way a child can understand and relate which are colourful pictures. This reader liked the fact that he picked a barn to showcase his story because it shows how different people can live in a single environment without fighting and bullying each other. <br />
<br />
I do think that if the author creates a series from these barn animals, he will definitely have a following of his own. Changes occur so rapidly in a child’s world today and reading material such as these should be made compulsory in schools and reading groups for children. Highly recommended. <br />
<br />
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads UK Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for my book review. This book review is based on my thoughts, opinion and understanding of the book. This book review does not reflect the opinion of other book club members. <br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/17897642-gentiva-grant">View all my reviews</a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16537820641297145031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-19676162632102594152014-08-23T20:30:00.000+01:002014-10-07T12:13:12.693+01:00A LIFE LESS ORDINARY by Victoria Bernadine @VicBernadine #AmReading #ChickLit #BYNR<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny glanced up as her assistant energetically bounced in.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Morning, Manny.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Morning, Roxie. How was your evening?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Great–went to that new Robert Downey Jr. movie–<i>rrrooowwwrrrr!</i> Phil wasn’t too impressed with my drooling though.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny laughed. “I’d expect not. I guess I need to go see it then.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yeah, sure. When was the last time you actually went to a movie in the theatre?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny paused, considering the question then shrugged carelessly. “Can’t remember, actually.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roxie
shook her head in exasperated fondness and sat down in front of Manny’s
desk. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “So, the new boss
starts today?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yep,” Manny replied absently, reviewing the e-mails in her inbox.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Are you going to be okay with this? I mean, you–”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Of
course I’m okay with it. Steph’s a nice person, bright, energetic,
competent, levelheaded, full of new ideas. She may have a bit of a
learning curve ahead of her, but she’ll do just fine. She may be just
what we need around here. Perk us up a bit.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yeah, but you–”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny
took her hands off the keyboard and turned to face Roxie directly. She
gave her a reassuring smile and calmly held her gaze.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I’m
okay with it,” she said. “Really. I didn’t want to be the boss anyway.”
She paused then continued. “Everything’s going to be fine. You’ll see. A
new boss will be fun!”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roxie grimaced cynically and Manny shook her head in mock disapproval.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“We should get to work,” she urged gently.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roxie nodded and stood. “Yeah, that at least never changes. But Manny…”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manny raised a quizzical eyebrow.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It should’ve been you.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/ALifeLessOrdinary.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div id="postBodyPS" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; text-align: center;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For
the last fifteen years, Rose “Manny” Mankowski has been a very good
girl. She turned her back on her youthful fancies and focused on her
career. But now, at the age of 45, she’s questioning her choices and
feeling more and more disconnected from her own life. When she’s passed
over for promotion and her much younger new boss implies Manny’s life
will never change, something snaps. In the blink of an eye, she’s quit
her job, sold her house and cashed in her pension, and she’s leaving
town on a six month road trip.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After
placing a personal ad for a travelling companion, she’s joined in her
mid-life crisis by Zeke Powell, the cynical, satirical, most-read – and
most controversial – blogger for the e-magazine, What Women Want. Zeke’s
true goal is to expose Manny’s journey as a pitiful and desperate
attempt to reclaim her lost youth – and increase his readership at the
same time. Leaving it all behind for six months is just an added bonus.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now,
armed with a bagful of destinations, a fistful of maps, and an
out-spoken imaginary friend named Harvey, Manny’s on a quest to
rediscover herself – and taking Zeke along for the ride.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AMJBOSQ" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> & <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/299257" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – ChickLit, Contemporary Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG-13</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-Bernadine/e/B00AN2VS5G/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Victoria Bernadine on <a href="https://twitter.com/VicBernadine" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Blog <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://victoriabernadine.wordpress.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2_NZu0iup6n2vJwBd--NRvslbSPnw" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">victoriabernadine.wordpress.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-75694475334876955692014-08-21T08:30:00.000+01:002014-08-28T22:59:35.016+01:00Riddle Of The Diamond Dove (Arkana #Mysteries) by N. S. Wikarski #AmReading #HistFic<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Cold Case</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leroy
Hunt stood in the middle of Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago holding a
cup of steaming black coffee. He grimaced at the very thought of
swallowing that witches’ brew. Its sole purpose was to keep his hands
warm. He stamped his booted feet in a vain attempt to get the blood
circulating to his toes. The March wind off the lake was cutting right
through his denim jacket. March! Back where he came from it would be
spring already. He gazed up humorlessly at the Picasso statue staring
down its long nose at him. It looked like a fifty foot cross-eyed horse.
At the moment, Leroy wished he had a real horse that he could mount and
tell to “giddyup.” Why in the name of creation did old Abe want to meet
here? Leroy’s first choice would have been a bar, closely followed by a
strip club but he knew that a Bible thumper like Metcalf wouldn’t
cotton to those suggestions. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught
some movement on the opposite side of the plaza.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">A
late model limo had parked just long enough to let out its passenger.
Leroy waved to the geezer climbing out of the back seat and motioned him
toward a bench under a tree. Of course there was no shade since the
branches were bare but sitting near the trunk did cut the wind some.
Hunt got to the bench first and sat down.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Abraham
Metcalf, prophet and Diviner of the Blessed Nephilim, took his sweet
time hobbling over. “Good afternoon, Mr. Hunt,” the old man said
stiffly.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Boss.”
Leroy tipped his Stetson hat. “Set yourself down and take a load off.”
The cowboy marveled at the change that had come over his employer in the
three months since they’d met last. Although the old man was in his
seventies, he’d always carried his age well. Now it looked as if the
years had piled onto him like a pack of coon hounds on a cottontail. His
eyes were sunken and the bags underneath them had sprouted little bags
of their own. Both his beard and mane of white hair were shaggy. The
black overcoat that covered his funeral suit hung on him like a sack.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leroy
tried not to show his reaction to this transformation. “How you doin’,
Mr. Metcalf?” he asked jauntily, setting the coffee cup down on the
bench between them.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Metcalf shrugged off the question. “I’ve had better years.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“No doubt, no doubt,” Hunt agreed sententiously. “Must be hard for you with your Missus still missin’ and all.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Metcalf winced at the reference. “Yes, that’s the reason I wished to speak to you. Have you had any luck finding her yet?”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leroy
thought back to his fruitless search for Metcalf’s fourteen year old
runaway bride. The trail had gone cold at an antique shop in the city.
Of course, he knew she’d made her getaway with the help of Metcalf’s son
Daniel but he couldn’t afford to tell the old man that. Daniel was
Leroy’s meal ticket—the one person in the world who could find those
blasted gewgaws that Metcalf had such a powerful urge to collect and
that Leroy had an equally powerful urge to steal afterward. The last
thing Hunt wanted was for the old coot to catch wind of the fact that
his own son helped his wife to give him the heave ho. Metcalf would kill
the relic hunt and his son, not necessarily in that order.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Shielding
Daniel wasn’t Hunt’s only concern. He had to make sure he got to Hannah
before any of the Nephilim did. That way she couldn’t get chatty with
anybody at the compound about who helped her get away. The mercenary’s
face betrayed none of these worries. Instead he replied blandly,” I’m
sorry to say, I ain’t had no luck findin’ the little gal yet. I’m
guessin’ your own crew ain’t done much better?”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Metcalf sighed deeply. “The devil has taken her. Mark my words, this was no ordinary disappearance.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“You
don’t say,” Leroy drawled, sporting an expression of innocent surprise.
He knew the devil had nothing to do with it—unless the devil had taken
to disguising himself as a pasty-faced runt named Daniel.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“She
was only a child. The devil led her astray and spirited her beyond our
reach. None of the brotherhood can find her. I had hoped that one of the
Fallen, such as yourself, might have had a better chance.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It
always rubbed Leroy the wrong way whenever one of the Bible thumpers
referred to outsiders as “Fallen” but he couldn’t very well let the old
man see his annoyance. Instead he asked, “How much time I got left
before your son and me need to hit the road to find that next doodad?”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Metcalf
sighed even more deeply than before. “Daniel spends all his days at the
library in this city.” He looked around the plaza with distaste. “I
don’t like the amount of time he is forced to toil in the land of the
Fallen.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leroy ignored the “F” word again. “Now you don’t need to worry about Daniel none. He’s true blue.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Metcalf
shot him a grateful look. “Thank you, Mr. Hunt, for that reassurance. I
believe he is. He says he’s approaching a breakthrough—that within the
month he should know where to search for the next relic.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“That
suits me just fine,” Hunt agreed, picking up the coffee cup to thaw his
fingers. “Can’t stand much more of this northern air. Them folks that
hid the doodads a couple thousand years back seem to favor your warm and
sandy lands. I’ll take a hot desert over this iceberg any day of the
week.” He glared at the Picasso as if it was somehow responsible for the
misty drizzle that was freezing his face off.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Since
you came back from your last mission, surely you’ve discovered some
small scrap of evidence that might lead to my Hannah,” Metcalf persisted
bleakly.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leroy
wasn’t about to tell him that he’d spent every day since their return
three months ago tailing Daniel. He figured that Miss Hannah might try
to make contact with her rescuer again once she was somewhere safe but
that idea hadn’t panned out. Hunt was going to have to cast a wider net.
“No, sir, nothing so far but there’s a couple of other things I could
maybe try.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Good, I’m glad to hear it.” Metcalf’s voice held a glimmer of hope. “She must be approaching her time to deliver my son.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hunt
recollected that she’d be pretty far along in her pregnancy by now.
Inwardly, he was baffled by the old man’s yen for a little gal that was
barely old enough to ride a bicycle without training wheels. He wondered
if the Nephilim allowed their kids to have bikes at all. Probably not.
It might smack of too much fun. He couldn’t see what the old coot was
carrying on about anyway. He had three dozen other wives stashed in the
cupboards and closets of his creepy compound. So what if one went
missing? He returned to the conversation. “You’re sure the baby’s gonna
be a boy? Did you have her checked before she ran off?”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Diviner seemed puzzled by the question. “Of course it’s a boy. What else could it be?”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Deciding
not to pursue the question any further, Leroy changed the subject. “I
gotta wonder why you picked this spot to meet, sir. I don’t mind drivin’
way out to your place in the sticks.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Your
presence at the compound has attracted an inordinate amount of
attention lately. Every time one of my flock sees you in my office, the
gossip and speculation begin all over again.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">“Gotcha, boss. Best I do my work for you out of sight.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The old man stared at him hard. “Bring her back to me, Mr. Hunt. You’re my last hope.”</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Leroy
smiled reassuringly. “I mean to do exactly that, sir. Don’t you worry
none.” He failed to mention the shape she’d be in when he did bring her
back. Dead.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/RiddleofTheDiamondDove.jpg" /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>THE ARKANA SERIES: Where Alternative History Meets Archaeology Adventure</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Volume Four – Riddle Of The Diamond Dove</b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>“</i></b><i>From
Kindle Nation fave N. S. Wikarski comes the long-awaited fourth book in
her fascinating seven-part Arkana archaeology thriller series — with
more of the wonderful characters, sly humor, intrigue and mayhem that
come together to create the absorbing world of her intricate, fast-paced
mysteries.” (Kindle Nation Daily)</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Global Treasure Hunt</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Where
do you hide an ancient relic that has the power to change the course of
history? As Cassie Forsythe and her Arkana team discover, you
scatter clues to its whereabouts across the entire planet. Five
artifacts buried among the rubble of lost civilizations point to the
hiding place of a mythical object known as the Sage Stone. Thus far
psychic Cassie, bodyguard Erik, and librarian Griffin have succeeded in
recovering two of those artifacts.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Opposing Forces</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cassie
and Company find their lives threatened at every turn by agents of a
religious cult known as the Blessed Nephilim. The cult’s leader,
Abraham Metcalf, wants to exploit the power of the Sage Stone to unleash
a catastrophic plague on the world. The quest for the next piece of the
puzzle has led both sides to Africa. They must comb an entire
continent–their only lead a riddle carved onto a mysterious dove
sculpture. Even as the Arkana team struggles to decipher the clue, new
dangers hover over their colleagues at home.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Other Dangers</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Metcalf’s
child-bride Hannah has taken refuge at the home of the Arkana’s leader
Faye while mercenary Leroy Hunt creeps ever nearer to her hiding place.
His search for the girl brings him dangerously close to the secret
location of the Arkana’s troves–a collection of pre-patriarchal
artifacts which confirm an alternative history of the origins of
civilization itself. While Hunt closes in on Hannah, Metcalf’s son
Daniel dogs the footsteps of the Arkana field team in order to claim the
next artifact before they do. Daniel recruits a clever ally along the
way who might be more than a match for the opposing side.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Collision Course</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When
the forces of the Arkana and the Nephilim converge on a ruined city in a
forgotten corner of the dark continent, the shocking outcome is beyond
even Cassie’s powers to foresee. The quest for the Sage Stone will veer
in an unexpected direction once both sides solve the Riddle Of The
Diamond Dove.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H203THC?tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Alternative History Fiction</i></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/N.-S.-Wikarski/e/B001K8RR5W/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with N. S. Wikarski on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/N-S-Wikarski/111546722263900" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-36566064998587732872014-08-20T18:00:00.000+01:002014-08-20T18:00:02.242+01:00Wicked Greed (Greed Series #3) by @JWMefford #ReviewShare #AmReading #Thriller <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22700692-wicked-greed" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Wicked Greed (Greed Series #3)" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408152003m/22700692.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22700692-wicked-greed">Wicked Greed</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5308409.John_W_Mefford">John W. Mefford</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1031780414">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
I have read many books in my years. I don’t think any have come close to Wicked Greed. While I do not entirely agree with the way the dialogue is written throughout the book, the author’s choice of words and settings had me floored. In the early stages of the book, characters seemed to pop out of nowhere and I thought, oh no. I was afraid I couldn’t keep up. <br />
<br />
But before you get to halfway of the story, John W. Mefford takes you on an adventure like no other. I have read three books in the Greed series the author has just released, this is my favourite. It is raw and has a certain edge to it the other two books did not have. <br />
<br />
It was easy for the reader to form personal relationships with the characters and every single detail was thought of and brought to the reader’s attention - smell, food, drink, touch, behaviour - nothing was missed. Expertly done and highly recommended. <br />
<br />
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads UK Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for my book review. This book review is based on my thoughts, opinion and understanding of the book. This book review does not reflect the opinion of other book club members.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/17897642-gentiva-grant">View all my reviews</a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16537820641297145031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-66224330947784396332014-08-20T17:00:00.000+01:002014-08-20T18:03:31.832+01:00The Kramski Case (Tales of Mi7) by @MI7Ward #ReviewShare #AmReading #Thriller <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18604838-the-kramski-case" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Kramski Case (Tales of Mi7)" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382333881m/18604838.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18604838-the-kramski-case">The Kramski Case</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2623437.J_J_Ward">J.J. Ward</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1031776432">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
J.J. Ward is one of those authors who will never run out of ideas. The Kramski Case is proof that he pays attention to his craft and presents the reader with a mind numbing adventure that few authors are capable of doing. <br />
<br />
I enjoyed the direct and indirect political innuendos especially given the current state of Russia. If you are not a fan of politics, mystery and thriller readers will also enjoy this book. Each of the characters were well developed and quirky. <br />
<br />
I was a bit disappointed with the ending but in all fairness, I wasn’t expecting it so the author had done a terrific job with twisting things right from the start. Also, if you read the ending without the epilogue, I liked that better. <br />
<br />
Disclosure - As a Quality Reads UK Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for my book review. This book review is based on my thoughts, opinion and understanding of the book. This book review does not reflect the opinion of other book club members.
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/17897642-gentiva-grant">View all my reviews</a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16537820641297145031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-80682731033383770322014-08-20T11:30:00.000+01:002014-09-05T18:08:14.381+01:00Roland Hughes' Thoughts on Where the #Publishing Industry Will Be in N Years? #AmWriting <div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This
has been a popular interview question for the past few decades. It is
one of those goto questions interviewers use to pad the time/space. In
theory it allows a writer to spout off about what is wrong with the
industry, but a traditionally published author who isn’t looking to be
out in the cold any time soon can rarely afford such a venting. While
it may be filler on for the interview, it has been a question which has
created heated debate within the ever shrinking walls of traditional
publishers. One needs a frame of reference to understand any answer
though.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Long
before my great grandfather was even a gleam in the eye traditional
publishers used to invest in a new author. An author was nurtured and
promoted. The publisher built a franchise around the author. These
people were few and they were cherished. A publisher endeavored to
produce a product high enough in quality for it to still sell many
years/decades after the author was no longer. Basically they wanted
that product to still be in demand up until the day the last copyright
extension ran out.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our
current industry has basically Walmartized publishing. Gone are the
days of mega advances and mass marketing campaigns. Your own personal
press agent isn’t going to happen unless you either outsell Stephen King
or hire them yourself. There was a great article in <i>the Writer</i> magazine
talking about public relations people. One traditionally published
author found out the publicist assigned to their work promoted 40
different titles each week. Given a standard work week of 40 hours you
can guess just how much publicity each title got. That advance? Well,
if you get one don’t expect to quit your day job and write full time.
In fact, you will need your day job to help fund your own marketing
efforts so bank that vacation time if your company will let you cash it
out instead of forcing you to take it.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now
we are at a tipping point. The pervasiveness of businesses allowing
writers to upload work and make it available in numerous electronic
markets has pulled writers with resources out of the slush piles
publishers receive daily. It has also changed the stigma. When I first
started writing computer books it was considered a mortal sin to
self-publish. The industry rule is that no publisher would touch you if
they found you put out even one title without using a dignified
publishing house. Not any more. There are various tracking services
tracking actual reported sales numbers, not free downloads but the ones
which actually sold and the retail price range. Now we have numerous
stories of publishing houses pursuing indie authors who sell above X
units over a given time frame. Some jump, but more and more do not. In
fact, a growing number of authors who “made it” working for a
traditional house are jumping ship to self-publish and get a larger
share of the money.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This
tipping point is quite fragile. A butterfly flapping its wings on a
continent far away will determine which way the industry goes and that
determination isn’t far off. The pervasiveness of the downloadable book
services is also the problem with them. I have yet to find one which
has any requirement a work have had professional editing, let alone
multiple rounds of professional editing. I am seeing a growing number
of people who purchased reading devices post rants about how they are
not going to download anything (free or otherwise) which doesn’t come
from a known publishing house because they are sick and tired of wasting
their time on titles rampant with spelling/grammar/plot
line/insert-error-type-here errors.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So. <i>If</i> one
or more of these pervasive services wakes up and smells the iced tea
brewing (coffee is nasty!) they will wipe the slush from their servers
and institute professional editing requirements. Paying for
professional editing will remove most of the free and 99 cent titles
from their stores. One simply cannot spend thousands of dollars on
professional editing and give the work away. Once a vendor takes their
cut of the 99 cent fee an author has to have a run away hit to break
even. Simple economics ensure there won’t be much on the virtual
shelves which suffers from poor editing.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then
we will see if people come to the realization an industry cannot
survive giving it all away for free. If they do, traditional publishing
houses will cease to exist or will be down to just a handful who now
specialize in taking wildly successful electronic titles to print
markets.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What
is more likely is that people will be too addicted to “free” stuff to
pay a fair price. They will continue to suck down low quality free
stuff until they overdose on it and leave the reading world forever.
When that happens we will see a dramatic shrinking in the size of the
eBook market. The physical print market will then either stabilize or
begin growing in size because that will be the last place people can
toss a stone and hit a quality product.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/johnSmith.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“John
Smith: Last Known Survivor of the Microsoft Wars” is one big interview.
It is a transcript of a dialogue between “John Smith” (who, as the
title of the book implies is the last known survivor of the Microsoft
wars) and the interviewer for a prominent news organization.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/John-Smith-Known-Survivor-Microsoft/dp/193973200X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> & <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/john-smith-roland-hughes/1102176003?ean=9781939732002" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">B&N</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Dystopian Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Roland+Hughes&search-alias=books&text=Roland+Hughes&sort=relevancerank" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://johnsmith-book.com/&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-70oxuHXvWgcvombsi9GJmpfL5eA" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://johnsmith-book.com/</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-34918180607803949632014-08-20T09:00:00.000+01:002014-08-28T22:34:35.450+01:00#Excerpt from 'Night's Favour' by Richard Parry @TactualRain #AmReading #Fantasy #Thriller<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“We’ve got the prints back.” Elliot banished the serenity with practiced ease.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Carlisle
looked up from her computer — fucking thing — and gave her partner a
stare. “Prints? From what? The meticulously clean van? Or from
inside the bar with the ten thousand other prints? No — you’ve got good
news, I can see it from your face. Something from the shotgun?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Elliot’s
smirk was almost unholy. “You work too hard. Maybe you should just
take the rest of the day off. Shoot some pool. You’re clearly not made
out for the long hours of real police work.” He had a manila file,
CONFIDENTIAL in faded red ink blocked out in capitals on the front. He
tapped on it with a finger. “Leave this one to us.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“You’re just sore you lost the bet.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“I didn’t lose the bet. It’s just been… deferred.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Deferred
my ass.” The murderer had been meticulous enough to stack the bodies
in a single location, but had left two things out of place. One, a body
impaled on an elephant — sans head — and two, a severed hand. The body
had printed easily, ex-military records describing a man better off
dead. Sealed file, no name, but the memo from Defence had described an
SAS officer deployed into Afghanistan, then dishonourably discharged.
The only thing longer than the crimes against noncombatants was the list
of heroic missions. The memo had politely suggested they contact
Ebonlake Associates, a private security contractor known to pay good
rates for men with moral flexibility.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was on her to-do list.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No,
the bet was all about the hand. Elliot thought it had simply been
misplaced, that they’d find a matching right hand, or maybe an arm.
Carlisle didn’t think so — the killer was too particular. Forensics had
done a pretty good job of assembling near complete cadavers from the
remains, only a few pieces still out of place. Smart money was on the
hand belonging to someone who got away.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So
far Carlisle was in the lead. The hand hadn’t matched any of the
bodies. Sure, it was possible that it was all that remained of someone,
but the killer hadn’t seemed to take trophies. Complete corpses
remained, albeit disassembled. It wasn’t conclusive, but it wasn’t
looking good for Elliot.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Prints
from the hand on the sidewalk. Valentine Everard, works in computers.
Haven’t been able to track down his boss yet. Everard’s on file — we
got him for DUI a couple years back.” Elliot flipped a page in the
file. “Here it is. Vehicular homicide.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Let
me guess. He’s not turned up at the hospital yet?” They’d thrown up
nothing but dead ends at the ER when they called from the scene, the
staff harried and unhelpful. Yes, they were sure that they’d have
noticed someone coming in without a hand. Of course they’d call if
something turned up.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Nada.” If anything, the smirk grew wider. “So why’s a guy missing his left hand not turn up to the ER?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Carlisle
turned off her screen, grabbing her jacket from where it hung in a
crumpled mess over the back of her chair. “The only reason I wouldn’t
go to the hospital is if I’d just killed twenty guys.” One arm through
her jacket sleeve, she scrabbled around the clutter on her desk for a
notebook. “What I don’t get is why you’re so happy. This is only going
to prove that I’ve won the bet.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Elliot
nodded. “I just took your view, opened an office pool. I might lose
to you, but I’m going to win against — so far — five other fine
detectives.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Even if you lose, you win?”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Yep.”</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/NightFavour.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Valentine’s
an ordinary guy with ordinary problems. His boss is an asshole. He’s an
alcoholic. And he’s getting that middle age spread just a bit too
early. One night — the one night he can’t remember — changes everything.
What happened at the popular downtown bar, The Elephant Blues? Why is
Biomne, the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, so interested
in him — and the virus he carries? How is he getting stronger, faster,
and more fit? And what’s the connection between Valentine and the
criminally insane Russian, Volk?</span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EBNA0MU/ref=cm_sw_su_dp?tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Action, Thriller, Urban Fantasy</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R16</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Richard-Parry/e/B00EBQJTI8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Richard Parry on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/therealrichardparry" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/TactualRain" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.rage.net.nz&usd=2&usg=ALhdy298b5_o0TqkCRTGBjb5UB4LozGGHQ" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.rage.net.nz</a></b></span></span></div>
Quality Reads UKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03216387289293473067noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-31160297218207828792014-08-05T07:00:00.000+01:002014-09-20T05:16:28.521+01:00@MargaretWestlie on Stories from Her Elders #AmReading #AmWriting #HistFic <div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I was taking the Masters’ Degree in English at the University of Missouri at Kansas City I was taught the germ theory of writing. You hear a story or read an article in a magazine and take a word or a phrase from it and create your own story around it. It need only be a word or two, something that triggers your imagination and sends it off into the wilds of your creative mind. As long as you take the idea and don’t repeat it word for word you can go where you will with it. It really is only something to spark your creativity. You can separate the idea completely from its source once you get going on your project because it will have no relationship to its origin anymore and is probably no longer even recognizable as coming from there.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I get my stories from my elders. They’re all great story-tellers. <i>Anna’s Secret</i> is a case in point. The story is based on the story of Anne Beaton’s hollow where a murder took place 150 years ago that was blamed on an ancestor of mine. He was subsequently cleared of the deed and left Prince Edward Island. I took the fact of her murder and fictionalized it by changing her personality, the circumstances surrounding her life and death, and putting in characters who never existed outside of my imagination. I asked myself questions like: What if she had been someone entirely different than who she was purported to be? Who was she really? Who did she really go to see? Was it an innocent visit or was it a clandestine affair as everyone thought? Who really murdered her? What were the motivations? Questions of this nature lead to a well fleshed-out novel not based on the original story, which was probably based in truth. Then I took the original question of who she really was and who I thought she should be and dug and explored all her fictional relationships which eventually led to the denouement.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have never used an outline. I tried it once because I was told it was the best way to work but it didn’t work for me. It kept me too bound by the structure of the outline. I felt I had to write by the rules when my characters wanted to do something different. I had to let them be themselves. They become living people in my mind and you have to let people do whatever it is they need to do. They talk to me and argue with me and agree with me just like real people. You can’t be too controlling or your story will become too rigid and awkward. Let you characters tell the story. Keep notes as to who is related to whom and when they did a certain thing and anything else you think you might get hazy on as the story moves along. That way you don’t have to keep going back to look for it, should you need that information again. So try writing without an outline, you never know where your characters will take you or why they want you to go there.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/annasSecret.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Anna Gillis, the midwife and neighbour in Mattie’s Story, has been found killed. The close-knit community is deeply shaken by this eruption of violence, and neighbours come together to help one another and to discover the perpetrator. But the answer lies Anna’s secret, long guarded by Old Annie, the last of the original Selkirk Settlers, and the protagonist of An Irregular Marriage. Join the community! Read Anna’s Secret and other novels by Margaret A. Westlie.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IEEXUMO" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a> & <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/418795" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Smashwords</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Fiction, mystery, historical</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – G</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Westlie/e/B00HZRKK10" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Margaret Westlie on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/margaretwestlienovelist" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/MargaretWestlie" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.margaretwestlie.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy29ilE1Iu2yMnk-3FJ1ZhE-qq3C3Qg" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.margaretwestlie.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-13997759146460546682014-06-26T10:30:00.000+01:002014-06-26T17:55:47.114+01:00@ScottMoonWriter on the Tricky Business of How to Price a Book #SciFi #WriteTip #AmWriting<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Wherein we discuss the most agonizing decision a writer makes since deciding to publish</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Self-published authors wear many hats–writer, editor, marketing director, cover designer and more. Many of these tasks can, and often should be, left to paid professionals. The indie crowd is full of creative people who can do it all. I thought I was such a prodigy once, but realized I needed to pay people to edit and design book covers. Could I do it? With training and practice, why not? But there are issues of objectivity and time management. Like many writers, I decided to focus on my first love and put the other parts of self-publishing in the (very modest) budget.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately, decisions are harder to contract out. Which means I have to decide how to price my urban fantasy and science fiction novels. In this post, I will list factors I’ve considered and make some general statements regarding my final decision.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Perceived value</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Readers may judge a book by the price. Ninety-nine cents screams “indie author.” Legions of angry writers clamor against low priced books, calling the strategy a race to the bottom. How can the industry survive if the product is so cheap?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Business Pricing</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The cost of the book is balanced against how many units must sell at a certain price to achieve a reasonable return on investment. The point is to make money. The strategy is to price the book as high as it will sell, following the rule of supply and demand.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Emotional Pricing</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Selecting a price based on how much heart and soul the author put into the manuscript. Emotional pricing could also be influenced by ego; real authors use real prices. I tend to believe my writing is pretty darn amazing. Things would be simpler if everyone would just acknowledge my expertise in this area. I’m a hero author in my own mind. And my mom says I’m special.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Wherein I just make a decision</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I did not set out to start a business. Like many writers, I have a generalized goal of “writing full time.” Professional business persons must cringe at this oft repeated, laughably vague declaration. It is also a bit ridiculous, since few traditionally published authors have achieved this gold standard of success. I know that I need to write great books full of interesting characters striving toward compelling goals. I know to show more often than I tell and I understand the value of hiring the best paid editor I can afford.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also understand I must build an author platform. If I wrote non-fiction, I could build a resume based on knowledge and experience. Do speaking engagements. Lead seminars. Get a PhD in awesomeness.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How does a novelist demonstrate expertise other than to write novels that can’t be put down, or turned off, or whatever?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My first marketing concern, after writing the best book possible, is to get the word out. I want people to read my stories and be entertained.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For quite a while, I read the blogs on ebook pricing and took the welfare of the industry to heart. But in the end, the decision is really simple. The price of a book should be the price that sells. A fat advertising budget or a viral You Tube video might raise the perceived value and demand. Skyrocketing sales would drive the price up, though some might argue it shouldn’t.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the end of the day I ask myself two questions. Is my book selling? Am I reaching more readers than I was yesterday?</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a hotly contested topic in the publishing world, so please abuse me with your comments if you must. (But keep in mind I am an artist, and thus very sensitive.)</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/enemyOfMan.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<h2 style="background-color: white; line-height: 40px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
Lost Hero</span></span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Changed by captivity and torture, hunted by the Reapers of Hellsbreach and wanted by Earth Fleet, Kin Roland hides on a lost planet near an unstable wormhole.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When a distant space battle propels a ravaged Earth Fleet Armada through the same wormhole, a Reaper follows, hunting for the man who burned his home world. Kin fights to save a mysterious native of Crashdown from the Reaper and learns there are worse things in the galaxy than the nightmare hunting him. The end is coming and he is about to pay for a sin that will change the galaxy forever. </span></span></div>
<h2 style="background-color: white; line-height: 40px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
Books</span></span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enemy of Man: Book One in the Chronicles of Kin Roland was written for fans of military science fiction and science fiction adventure. Readers who enjoyed Starship Troopers or Space Marines will appreciate this genre variation. Powered armor only gets a soldier so far. Battlefield experience, guts, and loyal friends make Armageddon fun. </span></span></div>
<h2 style="background-color: white; line-height: 40px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
Movies</span></span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you love movies like Aliens, Predator, The Chronicles of Riddick, or Serenity, then you might find the heroes and creatures in Enemy of Man dangerous, determined, and ready to risk it all. It’s all about action and suspense, with a dash of romance—or perhaps flash romance. </span></span></div>
<h2 style="background-color: white; line-height: 40px; margin: 10px 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
From the Author</span></span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thanks for your interest in my novel, Enemy of Man. I hope you chose to read the book and enjoy every page. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you have already read Enemy of Man, how was it? Reviews are appreciated! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Have a great day and be safe.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Enemy-Man-Chronicles-Kin-Roland-ebook/dp/B00DAIQO9A?tag=booaremag-20" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Science Fiction</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Scott-Moon/e/B0082VIWL8/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <b>Connect</b> with Scott Moon on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/scottmoonwriter" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/Scottmoonwriter" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-63201974746256594692014-06-25T09:30:00.000+01:002014-10-08T14:42:53.282+01:00Amanda Lee on Loving Hawaii @GayleTrent #Mystery #GoodReads #Giveaway<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. How do you categorize yourself: pantser or plotter?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. Both. I start out with a general idea and then try to plot chapters as I go along. I’ll outline chapters as opposed to the entire book, because if the chapter changes the book might go in an entirely different direction.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. What are you working on now?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. I’m working on the next Fontaine book. This time Brandy and Luke are in Las Vegas. I’m really having fun getting to know these characters, and I hope readers will too.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. How do you deal with the dreaded writer’s block?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. I whine and panic and then I what-if. I’ll start with a blank page and type “What if” at the top. Then I’ll put something to the effect of “What if ____ comes to the hotel room?” Or “What if the phone rings, and Luke is called away on business?” Eventually, I’ll come up with something that will advance the plot.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. I’d be somewhere WARM! Hawaii would be wonderful! Want to join me?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. How do you work through self-doubt and fear?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. I struggle with self-doubt and fear every day. Some days I handle it better than others. Other days, I simply try to set my feelings aside and work through my insecurity. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel that I’m “good enough.” But do any of us? (If you answer “yes” to that, <i>please</i> write and tell me how!) J</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. What scares you the most?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. The thought of something bad happening to my children.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. What makes you the happiest?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. Spending time with my children. I can’t imagine life without them!</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. What books did you love growing up?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. I adored Victoria Holt’s gothic romances. They were so romantic and intense!</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. Is there any book you really didn’t enjoy?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. I hate to admit this, but I could not stand <i>Lord of the Flies</i>. I detested the idea that without societal boundaries, we’d all turn into animals.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. What is hardest—getting published, writing, or marketing?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. All of the above! It all really does take a great deal of effort and makes up the entirety of writing. If you want your writing to be more than a hobby that you share primarily with family members, then publishing and marketing are essential.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Q. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?</b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A. Part of me wants to say Hawaii, because when we vacationed there years ago, I fell in love with the place and didn’t want to come home. I’m afraid, though, that the novelty would wear off and that I’d miss the “mainland.”</span></span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/threadEnd.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Embroidery shop owner Marcy Singer is about to have the rug pulled out from under her….</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Marcy can’t wait to see the new exhibit at the Tallulah Falls museum on antique tapestries and textiles, including beautiful kilim rugs. But her enthusiasm quickly turns to terror when, the day after the exhibition opens, she discovers a dead body behind her store, the Seven-Year Stitch, wrapped up in a most unusual fashion.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The victim appears to be a visiting art professor in town for the exhibit. Did someone decide to teach the professor a lesson, then attempt to sweep the evidence under the rug? Along with her boyfriend, Detective Ted Nash, Marcy must unravel an intricate tapestry of deception to find a desperate killer.</span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Thread-End-Embroidery-Amanda-Lee-ebook/dp/B00GSBEDI0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390178732&sr=8-1&keywords=Thread+End" style="text-decoration: none;">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre – Cozy Mystery</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – PG</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Amanda%20Lee&search-alias=digital-text" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Amanda Lee on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GayleTrentandAmandaLee" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/GayleTrentandAmandaLee" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><a href="https://twitter.com/leah_beth" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.gayletrent.com&usd=2&usg=ALhdy2-YTHdt59oPNToypDfFq2iQ7Epl5g" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.gayletrent.com</a></b></span></span></div>
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Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-61015016191750000982014-06-21T10:30:00.000+01:002014-06-21T15:39:58.840+01:00Writing that Evolves - Birth of an Assassin @Stone_Rik #AmWriting #AmReading #Thriller<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nearly all stories have a general platform from which to launch into exclusivity. I wanted to write something that I felt hadn’t been done or at least something different to what I’ve read. Of course, there’s no such thing as a tale that hasn’t been told. All you can hope for is that you might create a unique twist. Mine was a simple enough idea. I would present a set of non-western characters. How is that different? Well, in the novels I’ve trawled my way through over the years I’ve found that even in the most exotic of settings there is an American or European hero to sort out the mess. If you read Birth of an Assassin you’ll see that needn’t be the case.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But what stage could I use for my story and what genre? Being a thriller addict the genre went without saying, but what about setting? Well, I have an uncle by marriage whose parents fled anti-Semitism under late 19<span style="line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span> century czarism. My uncle passed on little odds and ends relating to the hardships Jewish people had at that time and I thought there might be a story waiting to be told.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I researched the period and there were lots of events that could easily be weaved into a single fictitious account. I’ll give a couple of examples to explain what I mean:</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the second half of the 19<span style="line-height: 0; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span> century, a Jewish boy was conscripted into the army to fight on one of the many battlefronts against The Ottoman Empire. The boy was killed and tsarist police operating in The Pale, a barren stretch of land where the Jewish population was forced to live, came to the house of the boy. They didn’t tell the parents he’d been killed in action. No, they said he was a deserter, and that the family was left responsible for his crime. The parents were fined several hundred roubles. Their belongings were sold for 40 roubles, leaving the family with a debt of, yes several hundred roubles. This became ritual; they rebuilt and their belongings were taken and sold as payment towards the fine.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the early 1900’s a Russian child was murdered. The Jewish population was blamed and a series of state supported pogroms followed, ending in Kishinev in 1903 where the worst of the persecutions took place. Later, it turned out the child’s family had been responsible for the murder – and police had covered it up.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I could go on, there were a multitude of travesty’s over many years. Enough to say, I collected the makings of a story, but looking into that period, I saw no believable way that anyone Jewish could possibly come out on top, so I worked my way through Russian history looking for a home for my plot. It wasn’t until reaching post war Soviet Russia that I found a window. That isn’t to say my hero wins out in Birth of an Assassin, but I needed a place where he at least had a chance. Unfortunately I had to take my protagonist’s religion away, but his burning ambition to be a part of the Red Army wouldn’t have worked with it.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, I had someone to represent the Jewish population. Now, I needed a core of anti-Semitism: along came Otto to provide the conduit for my story.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you read Birth of an Assassin you can be forgiven for not seeing my analogy. When all’s said and done it’s simply an adventure thriller with goodies and baddies. And if I were to itemise now what happens in the book against its past equivalent I would be giving you a series of spoilers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Birth-of-an-Assassin.jpg" /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Set against the backdrop of Soviet, post-war Russia, Birth of an Assassin follows the transformation of Jez Kornfeld from wide-eyed recruit to avenging outlaw. Amidst a murky underworld of flesh-trafficking, prostitution and institutionalized corruption, the elite Jewish soldier is thrown into a world where nothing is what it seems, nobody can be trusted, and everything can be violently torn from him.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Birth-of-an-Assassin-ebook/dp/B00DIFVC3S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382547441&sr=8-1&keywords=rik+stone" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/birth-of-an-assassin-rik-stone/1115953870?ean=9781783010998" style="text-decoration: none;">B&N</a>, <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-gb/books/birth-of-an-assassin/-ykZ9LomEEqWVVtGlJrG-A" style="text-decoration: none;">Kobo</a> & <a href="http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/rik+stone/birth+of+an+assassin+28ebook29/9960214/" style="text-decoration: none;">Waterstones</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Genre - Thriller, Crime, Suspense</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rating – R</i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rik-Stone/e/B00DP4R3OY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the author</a></i></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Connect</b> with Rik Stone on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rik-Stone/602289653148840" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/stone_rik" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Website <a href="http://rik-stone.simdif.com/" itemprop="url" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://rik-stone.simdif.com</a></b></span></span></div>
Mickalia Peckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00019698247961366566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2735314609254446931.post-21678015759850457452014-06-18T12:30:00.000+01:002014-06-18T21:00:17.238+01:00Along The Watchtower by David Litwack @DavidLitwack #Fiction #Fantasy #AmReading The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. In less than a minute, I found myself in physical therapy. Like the rest of the hospital, the room was green-tile sterile, but someone had made an effort to cheer it up. Porcelain clowns lined the windowsill. Stuffed circus animals—lions and elephants and a family of monkeys—surrounded the rack that held the free weights. And a variety of fresh-cut flowers had been set in mugs in the cup holder for each exercise bicycle and treadmill. Later, I’d learn from Ralph that Becky kept them fresh, paying for them out of her own pocket. He said she’d deny it, but he’d seen her sneak in on more than one Monday morning with an armful.<br />
<br />
<i>Fresh-cut flowers</i>. Mom used to get them every Monday as well, to brighten up the gingerbread house. But after Dad died, she started leaving them too long, not replacing them until they’d decayed so badly they smelled. After Joey died, she stopped buying them altogether. <br />
<br />
The girl I met in the courtyard stood over a rolling aluminum table, organizing things I didn’t much like the look of. She was sufficiently absorbed that she didn’t notice us until Ralph called out. <br />
<br />
“Afternoon, Becky. Brought you some fresh meat.” <br />
<br />
She turned and grinned. “Always love a new victim.” <br />
<br />
“Great. I’ll leave you two alone. Sounds like you need some privacy.” <br />
After he left, she went back to finishing her preparations, making me wait. Finally, she came over and extended a hand. <br />
<br />
“We already met, but let’s make it official. You’re Lt. Williams, but I can call you Freddie. I’m your worst nightmare, but you can call me Becky.” <br />
<br />
I reached out and shook her hand. She didn’t seem scary. <br />
<br />
“Ralph says you’re the best, that if anybody can bring me back, you can.” <br />
<br />
“Ralph’s wrong. I’m just the guide. You’re going to do most of the work.” <br />
<br />
“But are you the best?” <br />
<br />
“Let’s say I haven’t lost one yet.” <br />
<br />
“So I’ll be back on the basketball court in no time.” <br />
<br />
Her grin vanished. She grabbed a chair, dragged it over and sat next to me. <br />
<br />
“We’re going to be spending a lot of time together, Freddie, so we need to be straight with each other, right from the outset. My goal is to get you back to as normal a life as possible. If you work hard, I’ll have you out of that wheelchair and on crutches in a month. A month after that, maybe a cane. Beyond that, we’ll see. I make no promises other than to work as hard as you will.” <br />
<br />
She stared at me. I stared back, captivated by my reflection in her gray-green eyes. She blinked first and went back to the rolling table. <br />
<br />
. . . . . . . <br />
<br />
She sat down again and undid the Velcro from my brace. <br />
<br />
I winced. I hadn’t looked at my leg much since my peek the week before. The incision was less angry and the oozing had stopped. But what shocked me were the muscles. Where once I had bulges, now there were hollows. Not the leg of an athlete or soldier. Not the leg of a guy who might someday dunk. The leg of an invalid. Becky’s words rattled around in my brain. Crutches, then a cane. After that, we’ll see. <br />
<br />
“It may not be pretty,” she said, as if she’d read my mind, “but it’s yours. Take a good look. Let it motivate you when you start making progress. And trust me, you <i>will</i> make progress.” <br />
She squeezed some ointment from a tube onto her hands and rubbed them together. <br />
<br />
“This will feel a little cold.” <br />
<br />
She spread the ointment, swirling her fingertips over what had once been my quad. When she started the e-stim treatment, I felt the muscle spasm and contract involuntarily, a strange but not entirely unpleasant feeling. As she slid the wand around, humming along to its buzz, I noticed her touch more than the current. <br />
<br />
She spoke out of nowhere. “I read the report. Says you have no family.” <br />
<br />
I kept staring at her making figure-eights on my leg. <br />
<br />
“Is that right?” she said. <br />
<br />
I nodded. <br />
<br />
“What happened?” <br />
<br />
“I was born an orphan.” <br />
<br />
She turned off the e-stim and looked up at me. <br />
<br />
“Want to talk about it?” <br />
<br />
“No.” <br />
<br />
“Ralph said you don’t talk much.” <br />
<br />
“I talk when I want to. I don’t want to talk now.” <br />
<br />
“Fine with me.” She resumed the treatment, hummed a few more bars, and then spoke without looking up. “Ralph was right about another thing.” <br />
<br />
“What’s that?” <br />
<br />
“You <i>are</i> a hard case.” <br />
<br />
She was quiet after that, going about her job while I focused on the clowns at the windowsill. Every now and then, I’d sneak a look at her. A beautiful, happy optimist. But she’d never lived my life. <br />
Crutches and a cane. After that, we’ll see. I was different from her—a realist. I knew what “we’ll see” meant. I’d need more than physical therapy to bring me back. I’d need a miracle.<br />
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<a href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/AlongtheWatchtower.jpg"><img alt="AlongtheWatchtower" border="0" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-28979" src="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/AlongtheWatchtower.jpg" height="200" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" width="130" /></a></div>
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Buy Now @ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Along-The-Watchtower-ebook/dp/B00D5CI6U6/ref=la_B008JG79A6_1_2_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383268309&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Amazon</a></div>
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<i>Genre – Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy</i></div>
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<i>Rating – PG</i></div>
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<i>More details about <a href="http://www.amazon.com/David-Litwack/e/B008JG79A6/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">the author</a> and <a href="http://www.orangeberrybooktours.com/2013/12/along-watchtower-david-litwack/">the book</a> </i></div>
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<b>Connect</b> with David Litwack on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/david.litwack.author" target="_blank">Facebook</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidLitwack" target="_blank">Twitter</a></div>
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<b>Website <a href="http://www.davidlitwack.com/" target="_blank">http://www.davidlitwack.com</a></b></div>
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