Wednesday, October 28, 2015

APOLOGIES

I just wanted to put out a quick post apologizing for my sporadic posting of the past two months….and for not getting back to people who have contacted me regarding reviews.

My husband developed a condition with his heart and things got pretty heavy with emotion and stress around here…he ended up in a procedure in August, then the hospital in the beginning of October.  We are just today two weeks out and it looks like things are going to be good.

And just so you know,  I haven't even finished MY third book, which was supposed to be published in March, then in July, then in September..!  Yes, it's been a very involved year for us, beginning with my 95 year old father in law coming for Christmas and not leaving for a few months because of his health issues.  He needed round the clock care, and unfortunately his unexpectedly passed two days before March…so there went any thought of finishing a book…and rightly so.

So again, I ask your forgiveness, to all the authors I still owe review/interviews to..I'm getting there…it's just around the corner, I promise.  I have a big commitment to finish up this week and then I'm all yours again!

Thx for your understanding and your extreme patience…June
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Wednesday, October 7, 2015

REVIEW-SUGAR SCARS, by Travis Norwood


From Girls Heart Book Tours comes a new YA dystopian novel from Travis Norwood, Sugar Scars.
Please follow along with the tour and add your name to the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a paperback copy of this book.  My review is below….thx for being a part of this tour…enjoy!

Sugar Scars
By- Travis Norwood
Genre- Post Apocalyptic/Sci Fi

Living after the apocalypse really isn’t that hard for most of the survivors. The virus killed all but 1 in 10,000. The few remaining people are left in a world of virtually unlimited resources. Grocery stores overflowing with food and drink. Thousands of empty houses to pick from.

But one survivor, a nineteen-year-old girl, requires more than simple food, water and shelter. As a type 1 diabetic her body desperately needs insulin to stay alive. With civilization gone, no one manufactures it anymore. She hoards all the insulin she can find, but every day marches toward the end of her stash of vials. She has a choice. Accept her fate and death, or tackle the almost insurmountable task of extracting and refining the insulin herself.

Brilliant scientists struggled to make the first insulin. What hope does a high school dropout have?

  
My Review

So I began reading this book because the premise truly grabbed my attention and by the time I got through the sample I wanted more…immediately!  

This story is a unique way of looking at this kind of dystopian society.  Someone who needs their daily injection of insulin, period.  No evil society or social class that defines the good against the bad.  It truly began in a perfect way…I was totally hooked.  
Good character building, good visual, good storytelling…loved it coming from the pov of the girl writing her journal of the aftermath of the world killing virus.  Her analytical mind…her obsession with numbers, somewhat savant in nature..well, actually, definitely savant in nature.   Her powerful attitude, no wilting female, just someone taking care of business..who gets stronger and stronger as the story unfolds..  Her decisive moxy in the face of being one of a very few left on the planet and the implications of what that could mean to a young girl.

There were two instances in the story when I went..oh no, please don't go there…..and the author did anyway.  The first one was disturbing, but made real sense in the idea of what the world had become.   Seriously, without giving anything away, and if you read this book you'll see it coming…but what are the odds that a majority of the world is dead and is left with only lovely happy joyous giving people?  So, yes, some ugly shows up.   And like I said the first one, as much as it made me seriously wince, truly fit this story…however, the second, the SouthAmerican bit….way to out of context for this to be believable…and again…really?  This is where we had to go?  You're expecting me to believe this little person became this kind of woman?  But that is where we went and it was interesting none the less..and well written either way.  Sounding more like an action movie, and realizing this is written by a man, kinda made sense.

Now the ending….I have mixed feelings about this.  The initial direction the author leads us was oddly  satisfying to me…like, okay, lets make it this..let's make it not what we expect.  I actually enjoyed that and applauded him for going there…but then page by page it turned into something completely opposite and in as much as I had such a visceral reaction to what I thought was the ending and loved it…it still pulled out a very successful ending….a little schmaltzy, but satisfying none the less.  The last line in the book actually brought goose flesh to my arms, it was hope filled and better yet...it was good.

I wish the author had the nerve to go through with the first thought, but either way, as I said the last line made it all just perfect…one of the best books I've read in a while…and I've been reading quite a few this past summer.  Well done Travis!
About the Author-
Travis Norwood lives in Montgomery, Alabama with his wife and five children. Like Sugar, he would be perfectly happy living in a world emptied of almost all people. But not you, of course. He sincerely hopes you survive the apocalypse.

Links-


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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

ROCKIN' READS HOP GIVEAWAY!

rockin reads

Time for a Rockin Hop!!  
Hosted of course by none other than Anna at
Herding Cats and Burning Soup…check my sidebar for the
Social Blogger Badge of honor!

My rockin read comes from author SS Segran


 BLURB:

*** #1 AMAZON HOT NEW RELEASE (YA/Teen)*** WORLDS COLLIDE . HEROES ARISE ***
Great as a Standalone or as an Explosive Sequel to #1 Amazon Kindle Bestseller, AEGIS RISING.


On a bright July morning in 1948, a B-29 Superfortress flying a top-secret research mission over Nevada crashes into the calm waters of Lake Mead and sinks, remaining lost for half a century.

It has been nearly a year since five friends - Jag, Kody, Mariah, Tegan and Aari - mysteriously reappeared in a small town in Yukon several weeks after their small plane went down in Northern Canada. All were found in good health but with no recollection of what happened to them after the crash.

A baffling contagion is spreading across the bread-basket of North America destroying vital crops. As this dark shadow marches across the globe, widespread famine and riots bring desperate nations to the brink of war.

These seemingly unrelated events set the stage for a battle between the forces of darkness and those destined to become the 'bearers of light'. From ravaged fields in the Great Plains to clandestine installations around the world, the Aegis League must race against time to save humanity.


“Unique and compelling! With non-stop action, adventure and intrigue, Aegis Incursion will appeal to fans of Maze Runner, Percy Jackson and Hunger Games.” ~Michael Beas - Bestselling Author of 'Strump: A World of Shadows' ~

“S.S.Segran brings us a worthy sequel to her best-selling debut novel, Aegis Rising. Relentless action and gravity defying twists and turns hold the reader in a tight grip till the last page.” ~ Honore Gbedze ”" The SAGE Foundation ~

"RECOMMENDED! A good sequel stands alone as a strong work without the accomplishments of its predecessors, but a great sequel inspires readers to go back and relive a book they've already read, and that is precisely what this book accomplishes."
~ The US Review of Books ~
"FIVE STARS! A great book to dive into and a fantastic follow up to the first... One of the best things author S.S. Segran has done here is that the book can be read as a stand-alone. Highly recommended!" 
MY FIVE STAR REVIEW HERE..
ADD YOUR NAME AND A COMMENT FOR A CHANCE AT A COPY OF THIS 
AWESOME READ!  FOLLOW THIS BLOG FOR A SECOND CHANCE!  REMEMBER TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE!  ENJOY THE HOP!


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Tuesday, September 15, 2015

WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS…Chris Elston/guest post

I was recently approached by young adult author Chris Elston to review his book, The Four Corners.  Unfortunately the timing for me to include his book just simply would not fit into my calendar. However, impressed with what I did see from this new up and comer, when it comes to writing novels, I really wanted to present his work to our audience. I found what little I did read of this story a bit more on the younger side of YA, however, Chris has assured me it most definitely fits in the YA genre.  His story takes on the pov of each of his family characters….and the beginning of the book just so happens to start with the youngest son.
It's always impressive, and most interesting, to me when a man writes for young people…something of family and honor, as this is typically not the norm these days….everything seems to have zombies and massive ugly creatures at war.  So when someone, a man in particular, writes about the importance of family, well, I'd like to promote this work to our young audience.   Some of my followers here at Thornton Berry Shire Press will be curious to take a look and share with their young ones, I'm certain of this.

Chris has done his homework.  He has a full description of his story that also offers a book trailer, which many authors have not caught up to as yet.  He has a map, and a clear direction he is heading…please follow along and meet our author Chris Elston and his debut book, The Four Corners.  Make sure to read his guest post about writing for YA and go down further to click on the link to acquire your own hardbound signed special edition of the Four Corners.



Blurb:

The Snyder family is falling apart. Grant and Jill barely speak and when they do, they’re screaming at one another. Their youngest child, Kinsey, has withdrawn into himself to the point where the only person he really speaks to is his sister, Tatum. She was born with more resilience than her brother and has essentially taken over the duties of both parents where Kinsey is concerned. His greatest fear is that his parents will split up and he’ll be separated from Tatum. When another shouting match ensues and the word divorce is finally used, Kinsey loses it. He runs into the forest in a total emotional frenzy and vanishes right before Tatum’s eyes. When she and her parents search exhaustively and come up empty, fear, anger and guilt cause another emotional outburst and the rest of the family vanishes as well. They each wake up alone in separate parts of a strange world called Kadosh. This world is made up of a vast ocean and five islands used to separate men, women, boys and girls by Raum, the ruler of Kadosh, who lives on the island in the center of the other four. Raum is in control of everything but the people in Kadosh. The Snyders band together with other people previously trapped in Kadosh on a thrilling quest to defy Raum and find their families against all odds. The Four Corners is a brilliantly told, imaginative story about the importance of love and family.
What Inspires Me To Write Young Adult Fantasy Fiction?
by C.S. Elston

Whether from movies or books, I have always enjoyed stories about finding hope or redemption, great quests or adventures, and extraordinary things happening to otherwise ordinary people.  That’s why, growing up, I devoured movies like the “Indiana Jones” saga, “D.A.R.Y.L.,” “The Secret of Nimh,” “Escape To Witch Mountain,” the “Back to the Future” trilogy, “Flight of the Intruder,” “The Hobbit” (animated,) “Teen Wolf,” “Explorers,” “E.T.,” “Weird Science,” and the “Star Wars” trilogy. I even enjoyed some of the mid-to-bottom shelf stuff like “They Live,” “My Science Project,” “Night of the Comet,” “The Beastmaster,” “Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins,” “Dreamscape,” and “The Last Starfighter.” The same was true with TV shows like “The Incredible Hulk,” “Thundercats,” ”“Greatest American Hero,” “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe,”  and the short-lived “Misfits of Science.” And, let’s not forget comic-books like “Spider-Man” and the ultimate extraordinary person masquerading as someone ordinary, “Superman.” I also loved to read books like the H.G. Wells novels “The Time Machine, “The Island of Doctor Moreau,” and “War of the Worlds” as well as the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, “A Wrinkle In Time” by Madeleine L’Engle, and Mark Twain’s wonderful adventures with great characters like Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.

As I got older, I began to appreciate the more adult themes that were woven into some of the things I was already watching and reading and that appreciation helped lead me into movies like “The Green Mile,” “Groundhog Day,” “The Matrix,” “Ladyhawke,” “Alien Nation,” “Bruce Almighty,” “Starman,” “The Stand,” “Big,” “Phenomenon,” “Enemy Mine,” “Powder” and TV shows such as “V.” One of the books, which is not exactly YA Fantasy, that helped me appreciate that, and the fact that you could pull important themes for all ages out of pint-sized characters was Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird”. That’s also a book that made me aware of the importance of presenting themes like justice and truth (sounds like “Superman” again, right?) in fiction. Writing fiction is a chance to talk about important issues. As an author, however, it’s important to know when to drop the hammer and when to refrain from being too on the nose or preachy. Plus, the younger characters are more naïve and innocent regarding the world they live in. So, it gives the author a chance to look at a subject with a less clouded vision. Oh, the bliss of clarity that most adults have simply lost…

As an adult, my tastes haven’t changed much. I still love all of the same fiction I did when I was younger. But, I’ve added the recent crop of superhero movies like “The Dark Knight” trilogy to the list. I also love books (and movies based on them) by J.K. Rowling, Dean Koontz, J.R.R. Tolkien, Richard Matheson and Suzanne Collins.

Since that’s my viewing and reading taste, it makes sense that it would also be my writing taste. My debut novel (out now) is called “The Four Corners” and people have compared it to the aforementioned Narnia series and “A Wrinkle In Time” as well as “Bridge To Terabithia” by Katherine Patterson, which I, of course, find very flattering. But, it’s not shocking that I would write something that fits into that category because I love those kinds of stories so much. 

I can’t guarantee that everything I ever write will always land in the category of Young Adult Fantasy Fiction (my favorite movie of all time is actually “The Shawshank Redemption”) but I can say with great confidence that most of it will. Since my second novel (currently in the editing phase) is called “The Gift of Tyler” and focuses on a teenaged boy in a small Eastern Washington town who begins developing abilities he can’t explain, I’d say I’m off to a good start. Who knows, maybe twenty or thirty years down the road a new author will write a posting like this one and I, or something I write, can be mentioned among a long list of writers and stories that have touched or inspired him in some way. One can only hope…

About C.S. Elston


After award-winning stage work in the nineties, Chris moved to Los Angeles where he wrote more than two dozen feature film and television screenplays. He has been invited to participate in screenwriting events for Cinema Seattle and Angel Citi Film Festival. In 2013, Chris left Los Angeles for the suburbs of his hometown, Seattle, Washington, to get married and start a new chapter in his own story.
* A more detailed bio can be found at www.cselston.com

 Book Promo/Trailer Embedding Code:


Amazon:



Twitter:
@FourCornersBook
@cselston
@EQPress

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/EQPress



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Sunday, August 23, 2015

FIRST FROST-REVIEW/SPOTLIGHT


First Frost
The Frost Series Book # 1
By-Liz DeJesus
Publication Date- June 22nd, 2015
Published By - Indie Gypsy

Fairytales aren’t real…yeah…that’s exactly what Bianca thought. She was wrong.
For generations, the Frost family has run the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts, handing down guardianship from mother to daughter, always keeping their secrets to “family only.”
Gathered within museum’s walls is a collection dedicated to the Grimm fairy tales and to the rare items the family has acquired: Cinderella’s glass slipper, Snow White’s poisoned apple, the evil queen’s magic mirror, Sleeping Beauty’s enchanted spinning wheel…
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Frost wants none of it, dreaming instead of a career in art or photography or…well, anything except working in the family’s museum. She knows the items in the glass display cases are fakes because, of course, magic doesn’t really exist.


She’s about to find out how wrong she is.


 



Glass Frost

The Frost Series Book # 2
By- Liz DeJesus
Publication Date- June 22nd, 2015

When joined together, Cinderella's slippers grant the wearer her heart's desire. But whose wish will be granted?

When Cinderella’s glass slipper is stolen, Queen Felicia sends her faithful steward Terrance to the real world to retrieve his love and witch-in-training, Bianca Frost. The power of the glass slipper, when paired with its mate, and in the wrong hands, could ruin the peace of Everafter. Bianca must gather every bit of magic she has learned in the past few weeks to find the slipper and protect her new love. Together, Bianca, Ming, Prince Ferdinand, and Terrance venture deep into the heart of Everafter to seek clues as to who has stolen the slipper and why. Along the way, they uncover what happened to the Seven Dwarves after Snow White married the prince, but also learn the awful risk of tampering with black magic and the high price that must be paid for magic, even when used for good.
Bianca and Terrance’s relationship is put to the test. Through the pain of suffering and loss, Bianca must determine if following her gallant boyfriend into his faraway world is in fact her heart's desire.

  

Shattered Frost
The Frost Series # 3
By- Liz DeJesus
Publication Date- August 15th, 2015

Bianca Frost and her BFF Ming Lee return to Everafter to attend the Winter Ball with their boyfriends, Terrance and Prince Ferdinand. They were looking forward to a short vacation, especially Bianca, who is being bullied at school. She is looking forward to the day when she can finally graduate from high school. But all is not cute hair and fancy shoes as a mysterious count sets his sights on Bianca at the ball. When Count Jonathan Bleu kidnaps Bianca and Ming, the pair must do everything in their power to escape his clutches. In this amazing adventure, Bianca and Ming find themselves traveling down a rabbit hole, where they have to survive the madness of Wonderland in order to make it back home to the men they love.
Bianca and Ming must travel to the Queen of Hearts’ labyrinth, find Bluebeard’s key and save Jack of Hearts before Bianca loses everything she holds dear.


 



MY REVIEW OF BOOK ONE - FIRST FROST

So what a great premise for a book series, don't you think?  I was completely drawn to the idea of this Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts…what a terrific concept!  That the shiny red apple with one little bite missing, sitting still in a glass box, spotlighted, is the actual real apple that Snow White took a bite out of…this is good stuff.
The story took some time to build in the beginning, going through mundane sort of days.  I mean, we already know what this place is about, so I wanted to get into the story instead of reading about dinner and broken vacuum cleaners.  I did however, enjoy the relationship between the mother and daughter, and the girl's admiration for her mother, that was nice.

However, Bianca (the teenage girl), comes home to find a serious battle going on in her back yard…between two witches!  Magic is being thrown about and explosions, insults, you name it, and in the end, Bianca, doesn't seem too dumbfounded or traumatized by this.  When it's over, she asks the usual questions and is surprised by some of her findings, but for the most part she is very accepting of her new magical abilities...it just wasn't enough of a shock for something that is sprung on her out of nowhere.  She seems to take all the mystery and magic, including the evil parts, with a grain of salt. 

I totally enjoyed the best friend banter! Ming is a hoot!  Very believable character for me..I could actually hear her voice in my brain.   Bianca and Ming's conversations were well written for the most part, sounding like two teenage girls.  They were believable as two modern day teenage best friends.  
However, the one thing that really stood out as a negative for me, was the literal conversations they would have at times.  Such as…they are in the museum basement, searching for something extremely valuable. This article is something that is so desired by the evil witch, that she is willing to kill for it, and Bianca says, (and I'm paraphrasing here), okay, let's go! and Ming says she needs to go get her purse and Bianca asks where is it and Ming says it's upstairs under the front counter and Bianca says, well, that's not a good place to put it, I'll show you where mine goes and you can put yours there from now on….!?   I was like…seriously?  You're right in the middle of this major intrigue, a life and death situation, and you're talking about purses now? Shouldn't you be running out the door? 
It really didn't set well with me…and this happens several times, to the determent of my enjoyment, unfortunately.  It really took me out of the story on those occasions.  That, and for some reason,  the mother started speaking like a teenager in the second half of the book…again, this stood out to me and just didn't work.

The story itself moved along (after the beginning), and gave a good visual and some cleaver girl talk and a nice "other world" adventure.  It's a great premise and if you're into modern twists on fairy tales, I'm sure you'll enjoy this series..or at least this first book..I haven't read the others to know if it continues in a rewarding vein…but I think it's probably worth the look see if fairy tales are your thing.


About the Author-
Liz DeJesus was born on the tiny island of Puerto Rico.  She is a novelist and a poet. She has been writing for as long as she was capable of holding a pen. She is the author of the novel Nina (Blu Phi'er Publishing, October 2007), The Jackets (Arte Publico Press, March 2011) First Frost (Re-realeased through Indie Gypsy Summer 2015), Glass Frost (Re-released through Indie Gypsy Summer 2015), Shattered Frost (Indie Gypsy, Summer 2015) and Morgan (Indie Gypsy, July 2014). Her work has also appeared in Night Gypsy: Journey Into Darkness (Indie Gypsy, October 2012), Twice Upon a Time (Bearded Scribe Press, Winter 2015) and Someone Wicked (Smart Rhino Publications, Winter 2013).
​Liz is currently working on a new novel and a comic book series titled Zombie Ever After (Emerald Star Comics, Fall 2014).

Social Media Links-





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Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Catching up!

Just wanted to touch base since I haven't written in a couple weeks….loads going on in the background.  I know my calendar does not look promising, however, that's part of what I'm working on at present.  I've been reading a bunch and getting prepared to take on some new interviews and reviews with authors who have contacted me (and big news, we may have a couple young adults/kids to add to the mix, so yay for that!)….so, give me another week and things should pick up enough for me to ink in those other authors.   Always on the hunt for good reads for our tweens!  Thx for the support…soon…june


The Cottage…
The School for Advanced Wizardry

The Dream Girl….Aeroquatic

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Monday, July 27, 2015

The Benjamin McTish Series Book Trailer

The Long Awaited Book Trailer….this takes you through the first four books…enjoy!  And share with your friends…and KIDS!!  Thx for your support..june





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Tuesday, July 7, 2015

AQUA by M.A. GEORGE-REVIEW

From Girls Heart Book Tours



Book Info-
Title- Aqua
By- M.A. George
Genre- YA Paranormal
Publication Date- April 16th, 2014




Blurb-
Meet Layla McKelland:  
Novelist (unpublished, but cut her some slack…seventeen is a bit early to despair),
Slightly neurotic introvert (Alright, let’s be honest…there’s no “slightly” about it),
International Woman of Mystery, and…
Okay, just scratch the bio.
The only real “mystery” in Layla’s life is why her father has never been on the scene.  Or why her mother drags Layla to a new coastal home every year.

Nothing about the latest hometown seems too newsworthy…until a routine day at the beach leaves Layla questioning whether she’s read one too many paranormal fantasy novels.  The plot thickens when a random guy claims to know things about her father—a bizarre claim he backs up with an equally impossible stunt.  And Layla soon finds herself on the wrong side of a mysterious attempted drowning…on her own kitchen floor.
When all is done, Layla will attest that fact is far stranger than fiction.  And nothing in real life is ever as transparent as it seems…Not even water.
Especially not water.


MY REVIEW

So this was a really interesting book. A very unique concept, something different.
It took a minute or two to get rolling, and I wasn’t sure it would go anywhere at first, it seemed obvious to me, the build up.  But suddenly the story developed in a way that began to really get my full attention and it simply grabbed me and I couldn’t put it down.
The story is super inventive, the idea of these unique people and how that came about was very interesting to read.  It was very visual, which I love, and I could see the characters easily...that earns points in my book.

The good news is when the young protagonist starts learning of this other world and her possible part in such a paranormal kind of thing, she actually didn’t react well at all.  She totally thought she might be losing her mind and did not simply open up to the idea immediately or nonchalantly and accept that this was her role..which seems to be the case in most stories of this ilk.  They never seem to freak out much...but this gal did.

And speaking of this gal, Layla...I gotta say, she is truly one of my favorite lead characters that I’ve read in a long while.  Absolutely loved her!  Her attitude, her insanely quick wit and humor, sarcasm, her questioning and her moxie...all of it...LOVED it!  Very current and believable.  Maybe a tad on the “adult” side sometimes with the dialog (not always something a teenager would say), but not enough to deter how much I loved her response to people and her situation.  Great, great character, well done M. A. George.

The only thing that brought this down a point for me was the ending.  I hate to say it because as I said, I really couldn’t put the book down and really enjoyed this character.  It just, for me, was this massive, thrilling build up with the battle and the taking of a character and the idea of why there was a conflict in the first place, it all seemed to go away and was “fixed” rather simply.  I was kinda like, huh...that’s it?  That’s all it took?

But I have to say, even with the small let down at the end...I would totally recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thrilling intrigue with an interesting paranormal twist.  It’s worth it to find such a well rounded and thought out character...and a different kind of “other world” for a change.
And ps.  Great Cover!
Links-
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About the Author-

M. A. George is part proud mother of two adorable children, part super top secret agent…Oops, probably just lost that job.
Writing is what keeps her up into the wee hours of the night.  Fortunately, she has a lot of energy (Read: caffeine is her friend).  She has a bit of an obsession with music (It does a fantastic job of tuning out rambunctious children while she attempts to focus).
She sincerely hopes people out there enjoy reading her work as much as she enjoys writing it.  And if anyone hears of work for a super top secret agent, she’s now available (Discretion guaranteed…).
Links-
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