April 2014 Review Issue
Table Of Contents
Spirituality
The Magnificent
Truths of Our Existence - Unlocking The Deeper Reality Of Permanent Happiness
Daniel F. Parmeggiani
TruthSeeker Productions
978-0-9912112-0-3 $15.95
www.MagnificentTruths.com/Order
It's not unusual to find a spiritual guide that "…provides inspiration, strong philosophical support, and deep spiritual insight about who we are, the cause of our suffering, and how to completely transform our lives.": indeed, that's the underlying purpose of at least half of the spiritual guides on the market today. Nor is there anything exceptional about the pairing of spiritual revelations with autobiography.
But what's different here, in The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence - Unlocking The Deeper Reality Of Permanent Happiness, is an attention to linking these approaches with exercises and ideas designed to come full circle to the concept of happiness and embracing a positive, guilt-free life - and in these areas The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence really shines.
Chapters consider many themes relating to spirituality and happiness, from the concept of free will and inner feelings of guilt and self-worth to how a vested interest in this 'free will' actually results in thinking that prevents us from finding not only greater happiness, but greater connections to the divine.
It's all about how to overcome fear to achieve enlightenment - and Daniel F. Parmeggiani excels with this approach.
It's not that he doesn't believe in freedom: just that he believes that the concept of free will with accompanying concepts of predetermination and destiny serve to create an empty feeling about life. And it's not that he doesn't believe in free will, either: just that it needs to be tailored with a deeper understanding of spiritual matters: "I am not claiming that we are not free to choose as we please. What I discovered through deep and honest introspection during a desperate time in my life was that, yes, we are free to choose what we want; however, it just so happens that, underneath it all, everyone always wants exactly the same thing. And that makes all the difference." It all boils down to one simple concept that drives not only this book, but the author's own life: "All we ever want is to feel better."
Chapters consider how we 'get ourselves back to the garden' by identifying five existential needs and what's wrong with popular philosophies and approaches to them. From common misperceptions and differing forms of pain to steps to self-acceptance, these concepts are both simple and linked to actionable steps: "…no proof of our worth is needed in the first place. We are already lovable—always have been, and always will be."
These actionable steps are the heart of The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence, accompanying pages of spiritual and philosophical revelation with exercises designed toward specific, enlightening end results. There are guilt-cleansing exercises, keys to identifying and getting in touch with personal strengths, and keys to calming the 'inner war' in order to more clearly see both the purposes of higher powers through the newfound lenses of unconditional love and acceptance and paths to spreading this love to others.
Now, many self-help books center upon self-realization and fulfillment as though that was the end goal; but The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence holds such endeavors to a higher purpose: "Let us tap into our unlimited capacity for love and spread our healing light in all directions. This world sorely needs it, our existential need for integration requires it, and last but not least, we will be fulfilling our true purpose in life."
And that's yet another difference between this and your usual self-help or spiritual title: by linking self-improvement to a higher purpose, it advocates not a self-centered, introspective lifestyle, but one which starts with the center (self) and moves outward and upward to extend its purposeful healing route to the greater world.
A concluding section outlines and reinforces these 'magnificent truths' and provides a summation that's both powerful and inspirational in a title highly recommended for any who seek to first change themselves, then link these personal transformations to a greater good - and a higher power.
Hot link to above review:
Daniel F. Parmeggiani
TruthSeeker Productions
978-0-9912112-0-3 $15.95
www.MagnificentTruths.com/Order
It's not unusual to find a spiritual guide that "…provides inspiration, strong philosophical support, and deep spiritual insight about who we are, the cause of our suffering, and how to completely transform our lives.": indeed, that's the underlying purpose of at least half of the spiritual guides on the market today. Nor is there anything exceptional about the pairing of spiritual revelations with autobiography.
But what's different here, in The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence - Unlocking The Deeper Reality Of Permanent Happiness, is an attention to linking these approaches with exercises and ideas designed to come full circle to the concept of happiness and embracing a positive, guilt-free life - and in these areas The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence really shines.
Chapters consider many themes relating to spirituality and happiness, from the concept of free will and inner feelings of guilt and self-worth to how a vested interest in this 'free will' actually results in thinking that prevents us from finding not only greater happiness, but greater connections to the divine.
It's all about how to overcome fear to achieve enlightenment - and Daniel F. Parmeggiani excels with this approach.
It's not that he doesn't believe in freedom: just that he believes that the concept of free will with accompanying concepts of predetermination and destiny serve to create an empty feeling about life. And it's not that he doesn't believe in free will, either: just that it needs to be tailored with a deeper understanding of spiritual matters: "I am not claiming that we are not free to choose as we please. What I discovered through deep and honest introspection during a desperate time in my life was that, yes, we are free to choose what we want; however, it just so happens that, underneath it all, everyone always wants exactly the same thing. And that makes all the difference." It all boils down to one simple concept that drives not only this book, but the author's own life: "All we ever want is to feel better."
Chapters consider how we 'get ourselves back to the garden' by identifying five existential needs and what's wrong with popular philosophies and approaches to them. From common misperceptions and differing forms of pain to steps to self-acceptance, these concepts are both simple and linked to actionable steps: "…no proof of our worth is needed in the first place. We are already lovable—always have been, and always will be."
These actionable steps are the heart of The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence, accompanying pages of spiritual and philosophical revelation with exercises designed toward specific, enlightening end results. There are guilt-cleansing exercises, keys to identifying and getting in touch with personal strengths, and keys to calming the 'inner war' in order to more clearly see both the purposes of higher powers through the newfound lenses of unconditional love and acceptance and paths to spreading this love to others.
Now, many self-help books center upon self-realization and fulfillment as though that was the end goal; but The Magnificent Truths of Our Existence holds such endeavors to a higher purpose: "Let us tap into our unlimited capacity for love and spread our healing light in all directions. This world sorely needs it, our existential need for integration requires it, and last but not least, we will be fulfilling our true purpose in life."
And that's yet another difference between this and your usual self-help or spiritual title: by linking self-improvement to a higher purpose, it advocates not a self-centered, introspective lifestyle, but one which starts with the center (self) and moves outward and upward to extend its purposeful healing route to the greater world.
A concluding section outlines and reinforces these 'magnificent truths' and provides a summation that's both powerful and inspirational in a title highly recommended for any who seek to first change themselves, then link these personal transformations to a greater good - and a higher power.
Hot link to above review:
Fantasy & Sci Fi
Savior
Anthony Caplan
Harvard Square Editions
9780989596091
$5.63 http://harvardsquareeditions.org/
Savior sets the tone for life-altering events in the very first paragraph, blending personal with wider world perspectives in a riveting scene that is repeated (in one form or another) throughout the rest of the story, linking a wife's death to a hole in the sky that opens up nearly unnoticed, and another in a heart that can never be repaired.
And while the novel is titled 'Savior', don't expect the protagonist to be either a religious figure or a hero - at least, not right away. Set in a dystopian near-future, Savior is genre-breaking reading at its best and begins with a father and son on holiday looking to recover from a mother's passing.
It's when they run into a dangerous criminal gang working on a scheme to take the world hostage that the thriller element really heats up, with a kidnapping sparking a desperate search and rescue mission where father and son must both call upon deep reservoirs of courage to survive.
There's an ancient Mayan code revolving around all the matter in the universe, there's a code of love and connection that keeps hope alive under the most impossible of situations, and there's pure evil in a force hell-bent on taking over the world and destroying it.
It's good versus evil with enough mystery, intrigue and twists added in that readers interested in science fiction, mystery, and thriller genres will equally find Savior hard to put down - and that's saying a lot, because mystery readers generally don't cross over into science fiction and thriller readers generally seek a different kind of action atmosphere than either science fiction or mystery typically offers.
There's high-technology in the form of nano-tracking chips, there's motivation on the parts of all protagonists bent on their own personal objectives, and there are family connections that just won't quit, even in the face of death and torture.
Add an evolving father/son relationship under such conditions and you have a fascinating combination of high adventure and interpersonal relationships that keep Savior an exciting, unpredictable read right up to its emotionally charged (and satisfying) conclusion.
Hot link to above review:
Anthony Caplan
Harvard Square Editions
9780989596091
$5.63 http://harvardsquareeditions.org/
Savior sets the tone for life-altering events in the very first paragraph, blending personal with wider world perspectives in a riveting scene that is repeated (in one form or another) throughout the rest of the story, linking a wife's death to a hole in the sky that opens up nearly unnoticed, and another in a heart that can never be repaired.
And while the novel is titled 'Savior', don't expect the protagonist to be either a religious figure or a hero - at least, not right away. Set in a dystopian near-future, Savior is genre-breaking reading at its best and begins with a father and son on holiday looking to recover from a mother's passing.
It's when they run into a dangerous criminal gang working on a scheme to take the world hostage that the thriller element really heats up, with a kidnapping sparking a desperate search and rescue mission where father and son must both call upon deep reservoirs of courage to survive.
There's an ancient Mayan code revolving around all the matter in the universe, there's a code of love and connection that keeps hope alive under the most impossible of situations, and there's pure evil in a force hell-bent on taking over the world and destroying it.
It's good versus evil with enough mystery, intrigue and twists added in that readers interested in science fiction, mystery, and thriller genres will equally find Savior hard to put down - and that's saying a lot, because mystery readers generally don't cross over into science fiction and thriller readers generally seek a different kind of action atmosphere than either science fiction or mystery typically offers.
There's high-technology in the form of nano-tracking chips, there's motivation on the parts of all protagonists bent on their own personal objectives, and there are family connections that just won't quit, even in the face of death and torture.
Add an evolving father/son relationship under such conditions and you have a fascinating combination of high adventure and interpersonal relationships that keep Savior an exciting, unpredictable read right up to its emotionally charged (and satisfying) conclusion.
Hot link to above review:
The Terminals Episode 1: Spark
Michael F. Stewart
Non Sequitur Press $2.99
http://michaelfstewart.com
The Terminals Episode 1: Spark blends the mystery/thriller format with a dose of science fiction as it explores the strange world of the Terminals: crime-solvers who unravel crimes in one world by accessing another realm. This in itself is an intriguing notion worthy of the in-depth exploration provided by a supercharged thriller that opens with a bang and keeps firing off unexpected encounters.
Lt. Col. Christine Kurzow is recruited as a Terminal after a failed suicide attempt following the massacre of her entire unit of soldiers. Looking for peace in death, she actually finds an unexpected newfound purpose in a thrilling hunt that involves chasing a killer into the afterlife.
She's the one charged with piecing together clues sent back from said afterlife by a monk tracking the perp; and as Christine slowly works with evidence that leads to an inevitable, startling conclusion, she also begins a process of redemption that embraces and celebrates the very strategies that led to her unit's demise.
The first thing to note about The Terminals Episode 1: Spark is its ability to create a tightly woven story line around an unusual set of circumstances. Protagonist Christine has not actually been rescued from her suicide attempt; for her method has destroyed her body and she has only weeks to live anyway … which places a timeline on the (short) rest of her life, no matter what her decisions.
Secondly: Christine herself isn't a believer in mediums, so when a general spills the secret, her first reaction is not interest, but disbelief: " “For over a decade we’ve used a medium to connect with newly dead soldiers—terminals, they’re called—who embark on a final mission to gather information vital to our country’s national security. I want you for a mission.” I drew the barrel out of my mouth, but only far enough so as to be able to speak. This was entertaining, and if nothing else it would be good to die laughing. “You do realize I’m an atheist?” “Yes, and it doesn’t matter.”
“I don’t believe in life after death.” He shrugged. “By definition there will be nothing to contact.” "
Exactly how do 'terminals' work? That's quickly explained in the first chapter: quite an achievement, since the process holds much potential for confusion but comes across as clear, logical, and filled with possibilities. This approach sets up the perfect foundation for immersing readers in the rest of the story: how Christine becomes an agent in the most deadly game of all and receives a new life in the process.
Exactly how terminals work is made clear in the general's explanation to Christine (and the reader): “In 2013, we received intel that a cult was preparing a bioterrorist attack at a papal mass, but didn’t have a clue as to the distribution mechanism. By tracking down a recently dead devotee, a terminal tricked her into telling us that a closet adherent owned the country’s largest manufacturer of communion wafers.” "
The kicker? The military actually needs one of their own to die in order to convince the dead to talk. And that's where Christine comes in.
What emerges within the context of a mystery also incorporates Christine's desire to make amends to those she has killed in the only way she knows how: by using her new connections to the afterlife to track down those killed by her mistakes, and ask their forgiveness.
Perspective is ever-changing in a novel where readers view events first through Christine's eyes and mind, then through others who move through this murky realm on missions of their own. This perspective changes sometimes several times in the course of a chapter, so readers need to stay alert; but it's notable that rarely does confusion take over, so deft are the transitions between players in the story.
Also be advised: there are some gruesome scenes of torture, making this a story not for the queasy. And at times the scenes are surreal, moving swiftly from torture to ecstasy and unexpected encounters that toe the line between danger and salvation.
Christine is by no means the only central protagonist in the story, and this world is by no means its only focus. As readers come to appreciate the interplays between two very different realms and those who inhabit them, they will appreciate the complexities and subtleties of a desperate mission surrounding soldiers, death, and intrigue.
The jaw-dropping conclusion winds both worlds together and provides something different in the way of an ending, setting the stage for new beginnings, as well.
If you think you've read it all in the genre of mysteries and thrillers, think again. By adding a dose of supernatural sci fi, The Terminals Episode 1: Spark leads thriller readers on quite a different journey: one with no prior guideposts and no predictable paths.
Hot link to above review:
Michael F. Stewart
Non Sequitur Press $2.99
http://michaelfstewart.com
The Terminals Episode 1: Spark blends the mystery/thriller format with a dose of science fiction as it explores the strange world of the Terminals: crime-solvers who unravel crimes in one world by accessing another realm. This in itself is an intriguing notion worthy of the in-depth exploration provided by a supercharged thriller that opens with a bang and keeps firing off unexpected encounters.
Lt. Col. Christine Kurzow is recruited as a Terminal after a failed suicide attempt following the massacre of her entire unit of soldiers. Looking for peace in death, she actually finds an unexpected newfound purpose in a thrilling hunt that involves chasing a killer into the afterlife.
She's the one charged with piecing together clues sent back from said afterlife by a monk tracking the perp; and as Christine slowly works with evidence that leads to an inevitable, startling conclusion, she also begins a process of redemption that embraces and celebrates the very strategies that led to her unit's demise.
The first thing to note about The Terminals Episode 1: Spark is its ability to create a tightly woven story line around an unusual set of circumstances. Protagonist Christine has not actually been rescued from her suicide attempt; for her method has destroyed her body and she has only weeks to live anyway … which places a timeline on the (short) rest of her life, no matter what her decisions.
Secondly: Christine herself isn't a believer in mediums, so when a general spills the secret, her first reaction is not interest, but disbelief: " “For over a decade we’ve used a medium to connect with newly dead soldiers—terminals, they’re called—who embark on a final mission to gather information vital to our country’s national security. I want you for a mission.” I drew the barrel out of my mouth, but only far enough so as to be able to speak. This was entertaining, and if nothing else it would be good to die laughing. “You do realize I’m an atheist?” “Yes, and it doesn’t matter.”
“I don’t believe in life after death.” He shrugged. “By definition there will be nothing to contact.” "
Exactly how do 'terminals' work? That's quickly explained in the first chapter: quite an achievement, since the process holds much potential for confusion but comes across as clear, logical, and filled with possibilities. This approach sets up the perfect foundation for immersing readers in the rest of the story: how Christine becomes an agent in the most deadly game of all and receives a new life in the process.
Exactly how terminals work is made clear in the general's explanation to Christine (and the reader): “In 2013, we received intel that a cult was preparing a bioterrorist attack at a papal mass, but didn’t have a clue as to the distribution mechanism. By tracking down a recently dead devotee, a terminal tricked her into telling us that a closet adherent owned the country’s largest manufacturer of communion wafers.” "
The kicker? The military actually needs one of their own to die in order to convince the dead to talk. And that's where Christine comes in.
What emerges within the context of a mystery also incorporates Christine's desire to make amends to those she has killed in the only way she knows how: by using her new connections to the afterlife to track down those killed by her mistakes, and ask their forgiveness.
Perspective is ever-changing in a novel where readers view events first through Christine's eyes and mind, then through others who move through this murky realm on missions of their own. This perspective changes sometimes several times in the course of a chapter, so readers need to stay alert; but it's notable that rarely does confusion take over, so deft are the transitions between players in the story.
Also be advised: there are some gruesome scenes of torture, making this a story not for the queasy. And at times the scenes are surreal, moving swiftly from torture to ecstasy and unexpected encounters that toe the line between danger and salvation.
Christine is by no means the only central protagonist in the story, and this world is by no means its only focus. As readers come to appreciate the interplays between two very different realms and those who inhabit them, they will appreciate the complexities and subtleties of a desperate mission surrounding soldiers, death, and intrigue.
The jaw-dropping conclusion winds both worlds together and provides something different in the way of an ending, setting the stage for new beginnings, as well.
If you think you've read it all in the genre of mysteries and thrillers, think again. By adding a dose of supernatural sci fi, The Terminals Episode 1: Spark leads thriller readers on quite a different journey: one with no prior guideposts and no predictable paths.
Hot link to above review:
Mystery & Thrillers
An Involuntary Spy: A GMO Political Spy Thriller
Kenneth Eade
Times Square Publishing
ASIN: B00GQPBLZ6 $3.99
http://www.amazon.com/Involuntary-Spy-Controversial-sellers-CIA-corruption-ebook/dp/B00GQPBLZ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392910845&sr=8-1&keywords=An+Involuntary+Spy%3A+A+GMO+Political+Spy+Thriller
An Involuntary Spy: A GMO Political Spy Thriller is nonstop action at its best and is recommended for any who love international intrigue, espionage, and a healthy dose of political interactions blended into a mystery and adventure story.
Now, one might expect that a professional spy (much like James Bond) would be at the heart of such a story, but think again. What if said spy were actually an ordinary individual trying to do the right thing? What if he was a biologist and actually made a poor spy? And what if his work with genetically engineered foods led to a trail of uncertainty and danger causing him to be marked as a dangerous fugitive by his own government?
These elements all weave a complicated plot with one Seth Rogan at its heart, providing a compelling and winning saga that invites readers to experience events through Seth's eyes - making the scenes and sequences nearly impossible to stop reading.
This is a complex story line packed with unexpected twists and turns in nearly every chapter. It might stymie a reader looking for a lighter, more predictable read; but it's just the ticket for fans well used thrillers and mysteries and who seek a bit more complexity and challenge in their leisure reading.
The ultimate messages (about caring for one's job and environment enough to take action about accepting the consequences of said action, and about the dangers of genetic modification and government interactions with such programs) are clearly presented along with action-filled chapters supercharged with an adrenalin rush at every turn.
While the government is busy labeling Seth as a fugitive and traitor to his country for his actions, Seth is equally frantic, doing many things outside his comfort zone from running from everything he's known to carrying a secret that could change the world or result in his murder.
As Seth discovers his company is secretly paid by the government and harbors some dangerous secrets, his role as team leader at work changes to become that of a deadly adversary.
And always at the heart of the action are insights into the forms and perils of genetic manipulation: "Everything in each ecosystem is interrelated. The process of evolution has created an intricate balance between the plant and animal life in the system…This process has developed over millions of years and now we come along and play God with it….Whatever Seth and the company did now could affect the environment for the next seven centuries, or even longer."
How Seth moves from an employee whose primary concern is to do his job and collect a paycheck to an activist on the lam makes for a hard-hitting account with the side benefit of inviting readers to examine the entire realm of genetic manipulation and its moral, ethical and scientific dilemmas.
In a world where nobody can be trusted, what are Seth's alternatives? As his actions turn into an international affair involving the highest levels of governments, Seth finds his own evolving concerns lie at the heart of the controversy and comes to realize that his individual actions could, truly, change the world.
Big business, big government, scientific snafus, intrigue, spies - it's all here. Any who want a more realistic, modern-day James Bond complete with contemporary ethical concerns will find themselves held hostage to the fast action and intrigue in An Involuntary Spy, right up to a satisfyingly-unpredictable conclusion made all the more powerful for its real basis in today's uncertain experiments compliments of Monsanto, Dow, and other genetic manipulators.
Hot link to above review:
Kenneth Eade
Times Square Publishing
ASIN: B00GQPBLZ6 $3.99
http://www.amazon.com/Involuntary-Spy-Controversial-sellers-CIA-corruption-ebook/dp/B00GQPBLZ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392910845&sr=8-1&keywords=An+Involuntary+Spy%3A+A+GMO+Political+Spy+Thriller
An Involuntary Spy: A GMO Political Spy Thriller is nonstop action at its best and is recommended for any who love international intrigue, espionage, and a healthy dose of political interactions blended into a mystery and adventure story.
Now, one might expect that a professional spy (much like James Bond) would be at the heart of such a story, but think again. What if said spy were actually an ordinary individual trying to do the right thing? What if he was a biologist and actually made a poor spy? And what if his work with genetically engineered foods led to a trail of uncertainty and danger causing him to be marked as a dangerous fugitive by his own government?
These elements all weave a complicated plot with one Seth Rogan at its heart, providing a compelling and winning saga that invites readers to experience events through Seth's eyes - making the scenes and sequences nearly impossible to stop reading.
This is a complex story line packed with unexpected twists and turns in nearly every chapter. It might stymie a reader looking for a lighter, more predictable read; but it's just the ticket for fans well used thrillers and mysteries and who seek a bit more complexity and challenge in their leisure reading.
The ultimate messages (about caring for one's job and environment enough to take action about accepting the consequences of said action, and about the dangers of genetic modification and government interactions with such programs) are clearly presented along with action-filled chapters supercharged with an adrenalin rush at every turn.
While the government is busy labeling Seth as a fugitive and traitor to his country for his actions, Seth is equally frantic, doing many things outside his comfort zone from running from everything he's known to carrying a secret that could change the world or result in his murder.
As Seth discovers his company is secretly paid by the government and harbors some dangerous secrets, his role as team leader at work changes to become that of a deadly adversary.
And always at the heart of the action are insights into the forms and perils of genetic manipulation: "Everything in each ecosystem is interrelated. The process of evolution has created an intricate balance between the plant and animal life in the system…This process has developed over millions of years and now we come along and play God with it….Whatever Seth and the company did now could affect the environment for the next seven centuries, or even longer."
How Seth moves from an employee whose primary concern is to do his job and collect a paycheck to an activist on the lam makes for a hard-hitting account with the side benefit of inviting readers to examine the entire realm of genetic manipulation and its moral, ethical and scientific dilemmas.
In a world where nobody can be trusted, what are Seth's alternatives? As his actions turn into an international affair involving the highest levels of governments, Seth finds his own evolving concerns lie at the heart of the controversy and comes to realize that his individual actions could, truly, change the world.
Big business, big government, scientific snafus, intrigue, spies - it's all here. Any who want a more realistic, modern-day James Bond complete with contemporary ethical concerns will find themselves held hostage to the fast action and intrigue in An Involuntary Spy, right up to a satisfyingly-unpredictable conclusion made all the more powerful for its real basis in today's uncertain experiments compliments of Monsanto, Dow, and other genetic manipulators.
Hot link to above review:
Circle of Innocence
Lynda Drews
Whiskey Creek Press
print ISBN: 978-1-61160-856-4 $16.95 at Amazon and B&N
ebook ISBN: 978-1-61160-689-8 $3.99 at Amazon and B&N
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/
Circle of Innocence is set in Wisconsin and introduces loner Detective Sydney Bernhardt, who has no romance in her life, lives with her dog inside a former migrant cherry-pickers' cottage on her family's Wisconsin acreage, and (at age thirty-two) feels she has no real life outside of work. All this is about to change when she stumbles on the body of the daughter of a local café owner and embarks on an investigation of the girl's past that (surprisingly) causes Sydney to analyze her own relationships, decisions, and their impact.
What begins as a singular murder investigation turns into something more serious when a pre-teen who matches the dead girl's physical description also goes missing. Now there's a trail of crumbs leading to a possible local serial killer and underlying community secrets: a trail that continues to involve Sydney in the kind of investigation that hits too close to home.
Circle of Innocence provides more depth of character and local history than your typical murder mystery, offering many insights into past and present circles of connection: "One of Syd's earliest memories was of hearing her grandmother singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" while walking her rough fingers up Syd's chubby arms. Ever since, she'd called her grandmother "Bitsy," and so had Syd's closest friends."
Crime and suspense novels characteristically omit such tidbits in favor of streamlining plots and eliminating background, but these details here result in an added richness of plot filled with insights into underlying motivations, historical precedence, and community connections.
Another notable device employed by Lynda Drews is that of including psychological profiles of her main protagonists. Readers gain a thorough knowledge of not just what's happening (which is easy enough to provide in your classic whodunit crime/mystery/suspense saga), but why: "Tonight, within this familiar room, Syd felt swaddled by the warmth of her family. Carli Lacount's death had given her a reality check. For two years, Syd had pitied herself as multiple tragedies had clobbered her in tidal waves. Yet through it all, she'd known, she'd been intensely loved."
Add more than a touch of romance and you have a fast-paced crime/suspense story that excels in psychological depth and detail as it exposes a community replete with secrets and hidden threats. Any reader looking for a strong saga of abduction, murder, and evolving danger will find Circle of Innocence fits the bill.
Hot link to above review:
Lynda Drews
Whiskey Creek Press
print ISBN: 978-1-61160-856-4 $16.95 at Amazon and B&N
ebook ISBN: 978-1-61160-689-8 $3.99 at Amazon and B&N
http://www.whiskeycreekpress.com/store/
Circle of Innocence is set in Wisconsin and introduces loner Detective Sydney Bernhardt, who has no romance in her life, lives with her dog inside a former migrant cherry-pickers' cottage on her family's Wisconsin acreage, and (at age thirty-two) feels she has no real life outside of work. All this is about to change when she stumbles on the body of the daughter of a local café owner and embarks on an investigation of the girl's past that (surprisingly) causes Sydney to analyze her own relationships, decisions, and their impact.
What begins as a singular murder investigation turns into something more serious when a pre-teen who matches the dead girl's physical description also goes missing. Now there's a trail of crumbs leading to a possible local serial killer and underlying community secrets: a trail that continues to involve Sydney in the kind of investigation that hits too close to home.
Circle of Innocence provides more depth of character and local history than your typical murder mystery, offering many insights into past and present circles of connection: "One of Syd's earliest memories was of hearing her grandmother singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" while walking her rough fingers up Syd's chubby arms. Ever since, she'd called her grandmother "Bitsy," and so had Syd's closest friends."
Crime and suspense novels characteristically omit such tidbits in favor of streamlining plots and eliminating background, but these details here result in an added richness of plot filled with insights into underlying motivations, historical precedence, and community connections.
Another notable device employed by Lynda Drews is that of including psychological profiles of her main protagonists. Readers gain a thorough knowledge of not just what's happening (which is easy enough to provide in your classic whodunit crime/mystery/suspense saga), but why: "Tonight, within this familiar room, Syd felt swaddled by the warmth of her family. Carli Lacount's death had given her a reality check. For two years, Syd had pitied herself as multiple tragedies had clobbered her in tidal waves. Yet through it all, she'd known, she'd been intensely loved."
Add more than a touch of romance and you have a fast-paced crime/suspense story that excels in psychological depth and detail as it exposes a community replete with secrets and hidden threats. Any reader looking for a strong saga of abduction, murder, and evolving danger will find Circle of Innocence fits the bill.
Hot link to above review:
The Friday Edition
Betta Ferrendelli
Amazon Kindle
ASIN: B008IIFWYK $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/Friday-Samantha-Church-Mystery-ebook/dp/B008IIFWYK/ref=la_B008MPOU9W_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395511621&sr=1-1
Mystery readers should prepare for something different in The Friday Edition: for the Samantha Church mentioned in the subtitle is not a regular investigator, but the sister of a D.A. who becomes a Christmas Eve suicide statistic. Her sister Samantha knows this can't be the whole truth and embarks on her own investigation of matters, only to uncover a quagmire of danger when information links her sister to a drug smuggling case.
Now, Samantha isn't the good citizen her sister was. For starters, she's an alcoholic: a problem that has cost her a job, her daughter, and her marriage. So how can she assume a greater role in solving the puzzle surrounding her sister's death? There's only one solution: quit the sauce. That Samantha is able to muster hitherto-unrealized strengths and pursue her sister's killers against all personal and professional odds makes for story that draws readers in and keeps them guessing.
Introductory chapters provide much information about Samantha and her family: her father's legacy of alcoholism, the pact she made with her sister to never involve Christmas in a suicide attempt, and her relationship with her ex (cop Jonathan), who was the one to deliver news of her sister's demise. The early attention to providing background histories contributes to a story line steeped in these personalities and past histories, which lend complex elements to a fast-evolving story of danger and intrigue.
Samantha seems able to handle almost everything - even threats to herself - but when her daughter April is threatened she is forced to turn to the only one she trusts who has experience in dangerous arenas; and that's her ex, Jonathan.
In a case that involves a bank's smuggling operation and a Mexican city that proves one of the largest money-laundering capitals in the world, Samantha finds herself up against far more than her sister's murderer.
When issues of trust enter the picture, Samantha comes to realize that hers has been misplaced - dangerously so - and as she draws closer to the truth, she comes to understand that somehow the investigation of her sister's murder and her own struggles with alcoholism are interconnected.
Don't expect an easy solution to Samantha's problems: much revolves around her willingness to admit to and take control of her alcoholic impulses. And even if she solves the mystery of her sister's death, it may wind up costing her everything she loves and believes in.
Suffice it to say that a host of unpredictable twists and turns in The Friday Edition will keep readers guessing and involved right up to the satisfying conclusion, which leads Samantha to new connections and a new purpose in life.
Hot link to above review:
Betta Ferrendelli
Amazon Kindle
ASIN: B008IIFWYK $2.99
http://www.amazon.com/Friday-Samantha-Church-Mystery-ebook/dp/B008IIFWYK/ref=la_B008MPOU9W_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395511621&sr=1-1
Mystery readers should prepare for something different in The Friday Edition: for the Samantha Church mentioned in the subtitle is not a regular investigator, but the sister of a D.A. who becomes a Christmas Eve suicide statistic. Her sister Samantha knows this can't be the whole truth and embarks on her own investigation of matters, only to uncover a quagmire of danger when information links her sister to a drug smuggling case.
Now, Samantha isn't the good citizen her sister was. For starters, she's an alcoholic: a problem that has cost her a job, her daughter, and her marriage. So how can she assume a greater role in solving the puzzle surrounding her sister's death? There's only one solution: quit the sauce. That Samantha is able to muster hitherto-unrealized strengths and pursue her sister's killers against all personal and professional odds makes for story that draws readers in and keeps them guessing.
Introductory chapters provide much information about Samantha and her family: her father's legacy of alcoholism, the pact she made with her sister to never involve Christmas in a suicide attempt, and her relationship with her ex (cop Jonathan), who was the one to deliver news of her sister's demise. The early attention to providing background histories contributes to a story line steeped in these personalities and past histories, which lend complex elements to a fast-evolving story of danger and intrigue.
Samantha seems able to handle almost everything - even threats to herself - but when her daughter April is threatened she is forced to turn to the only one she trusts who has experience in dangerous arenas; and that's her ex, Jonathan.
In a case that involves a bank's smuggling operation and a Mexican city that proves one of the largest money-laundering capitals in the world, Samantha finds herself up against far more than her sister's murderer.
When issues of trust enter the picture, Samantha comes to realize that hers has been misplaced - dangerously so - and as she draws closer to the truth, she comes to understand that somehow the investigation of her sister's murder and her own struggles with alcoholism are interconnected.
Don't expect an easy solution to Samantha's problems: much revolves around her willingness to admit to and take control of her alcoholic impulses. And even if she solves the mystery of her sister's death, it may wind up costing her everything she loves and believes in.
Suffice it to say that a host of unpredictable twists and turns in The Friday Edition will keep readers guessing and involved right up to the satisfying conclusion, which leads Samantha to new connections and a new purpose in life.
Hot link to above review:
Murder by Misrule
Anna Castle
Capitol Crime
978-0-9916025-0-6 $13.49
www.capitol-crime.com
Historical mystery readers (especially those fond of English settings) take note: Murder by Misrule is a wonderful example of Elizabethan times brought to life with a mystery fueling the setting, and tells of barrister Francis Bacon, who must ferret out clues to a fellow barrister's murder at an inn. There's only a few problems with his method: too many suspects, too many concerns about appearance and social ladders, and too many powerful people in high places are becoming connected to the crime.
But, back up a step. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will find a similar atmosphere in this story which features Bacon and his sidekick Thomas Clarady who, unlike Watson, is actually an unwanted assistant who cares more about social connections than crime-solving. This adds an exquisite taste of complexity to what first appears a typical crime saga, reflecting on not just a murder's possibilities but the underlying motivations and concerns of Elizabethan times.
And those who often associate British atmospheres with 'stodgy' action need look no further than the first sentence to realize that Anna Castle's use of description is far from predictable: "A sudden roar startled Francis Bacon out of his thoughts, making him jump, his shoes actually leaving the ground. He glanced to either side, hoping no one had seen him."
Plus, Bacon is no respected barrister but has actually been banished from court for improper ideas: "All he'd done was have an idea — a perfectly reasonable idea for reforming the English common law — and mention it here and there. He was born to have ideas, he'd been told as much from infancy. But his proposal had created a bit of a stir. The queen didn't like controversy among her courtiers, so she'd banished him until further notice. The punishment far exceeded the crime, but to whom might one complain?"
And so Bacon and his unwelcome assistant actually aren't respected bastions of society nor even welcomed for their investigative skills, but are legal rejects: and Bacon's stumbling upon his old tutor's murder isn't about to help his position in society either.
Yes, it isn't Bacon's job to solve mysteries. But in the course of facing a hindered career and political barriers he becomes an investigator - and what he uncovers makes his prior indiscretions seem like child's play.
In addition to a focus on historical accuracy and atmosphere, Murder by Misrule offers its information in digestible chapters perfect for pick-up-and-put-down browsing. Fueled by strong protagonists whose varying viewpoints of society and events are backed by the author's attention to historical accuracy, the mystery that lies at the center of Murder by Misrule is actually powered by realistic, involving protagonists with different perspectives and motivations for their involvements and actions.
All this lends to a story that holds many facets other murder mysteries don't have: protagonists who display more concerns than the murder at hand, who interact with their societies and settings in specific ways, and who excel in lively interactions based on deduction and personal motivation: "Francis blinked at him then remembered that the boy had not attended university. “Occam's Razor, also known as the lex parsimoniae, states that 'entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.' That is to say, we ought to choose the simplest solution, the one requiring the fewest additional causes or stipulations. In the present matter, it is simpler to assume that one murderer is responsible for all three of the deaths related to Gray's than it is to propose a separate killer for each victim, thereby multiplying the causes or motives.”
The result is a blend of Sherlock Holmes and history, and is especially recommended for busy mystery enthusiasts who appreciate both approaches.
Hot link to above review:
Anna Castle
Capitol Crime
978-0-9916025-0-6 $13.49
www.capitol-crime.com
Historical mystery readers (especially those fond of English settings) take note: Murder by Misrule is a wonderful example of Elizabethan times brought to life with a mystery fueling the setting, and tells of barrister Francis Bacon, who must ferret out clues to a fellow barrister's murder at an inn. There's only a few problems with his method: too many suspects, too many concerns about appearance and social ladders, and too many powerful people in high places are becoming connected to the crime.
But, back up a step. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will find a similar atmosphere in this story which features Bacon and his sidekick Thomas Clarady who, unlike Watson, is actually an unwanted assistant who cares more about social connections than crime-solving. This adds an exquisite taste of complexity to what first appears a typical crime saga, reflecting on not just a murder's possibilities but the underlying motivations and concerns of Elizabethan times.
And those who often associate British atmospheres with 'stodgy' action need look no further than the first sentence to realize that Anna Castle's use of description is far from predictable: "A sudden roar startled Francis Bacon out of his thoughts, making him jump, his shoes actually leaving the ground. He glanced to either side, hoping no one had seen him."
Plus, Bacon is no respected barrister but has actually been banished from court for improper ideas: "All he'd done was have an idea — a perfectly reasonable idea for reforming the English common law — and mention it here and there. He was born to have ideas, he'd been told as much from infancy. But his proposal had created a bit of a stir. The queen didn't like controversy among her courtiers, so she'd banished him until further notice. The punishment far exceeded the crime, but to whom might one complain?"
And so Bacon and his unwelcome assistant actually aren't respected bastions of society nor even welcomed for their investigative skills, but are legal rejects: and Bacon's stumbling upon his old tutor's murder isn't about to help his position in society either.
Yes, it isn't Bacon's job to solve mysteries. But in the course of facing a hindered career and political barriers he becomes an investigator - and what he uncovers makes his prior indiscretions seem like child's play.
In addition to a focus on historical accuracy and atmosphere, Murder by Misrule offers its information in digestible chapters perfect for pick-up-and-put-down browsing. Fueled by strong protagonists whose varying viewpoints of society and events are backed by the author's attention to historical accuracy, the mystery that lies at the center of Murder by Misrule is actually powered by realistic, involving protagonists with different perspectives and motivations for their involvements and actions.
All this lends to a story that holds many facets other murder mysteries don't have: protagonists who display more concerns than the murder at hand, who interact with their societies and settings in specific ways, and who excel in lively interactions based on deduction and personal motivation: "Francis blinked at him then remembered that the boy had not attended university. “Occam's Razor, also known as the lex parsimoniae, states that 'entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.' That is to say, we ought to choose the simplest solution, the one requiring the fewest additional causes or stipulations. In the present matter, it is simpler to assume that one murderer is responsible for all three of the deaths related to Gray's than it is to propose a separate killer for each victim, thereby multiplying the causes or motives.”
The result is a blend of Sherlock Holmes and history, and is especially recommended for busy mystery enthusiasts who appreciate both approaches.
Hot link to above review:
Self Help
Fair Trials, Legal Process & Other Myths - A Veteran Trial Lawyer's Musings
Robert M. Frisbee
RMF Publishing AZ, LLC
978-1-4675-9808-8 $21.95 U.S. + S&H
www.RMFPublishing.com
Fair Trials, Legal Process & Other Myths - A Veteran Trial Lawyer's Musings was conceived of two decades ago during the heat of the O.J. Simpson Trial when the author, a trial lawyer himself who was appalled by the misadventures and shoddy lawyering during proceedings, decided to outline both the legal process and routines that differentiate good lawyers from bad.
The result is a wide-ranging discussion of what trial lawyers do daily, how their work can be conducted well or poorly, and how lay readers can discern the difference: quite a different approach from most discussions of the legal process.
For one thing, chapters stem from Frisbee's personal experiences and thus are filled with anecdotes and observations related in the first person from his encounters with peers, judges, and clients. This approach succeeds in creating a lively, readable, often humorous text that blends autobiography with legal observation.
For another, chapters do more than just observe process: they clearly differentiate between good and bad process with specific examples that help readers understand the difference: "…just like in sports, the defense is usually ahead of the offense. My partner Markham thought up the way to answer the conduct question. Besides, it’s the truth, and it works. The answer to any questions about the standards of the profession, or quotes from texts or articles, is that they’re only guidelines, there are no specific standards. There are general scientific principles which apply, such as chemistry and physics, but medicine is really an art, not a science. There are no specific standards. Every patient is unique and individual, and presents the doctor with unique and individual problems. "
From strategies for dealing with challenging and sometimes unfairly prejudiced judges to trying to purchase a firm, underhanded buyoffs and questionable ethical choices, and cases representing the human follies and ironies of all sides, Fair Trials, Legal Process & Other Myths - A Veteran Trial Lawyer's Musings is especially recommended for general-interest fans of legal proceedings, whether fiction such as John Grisham or nonfiction such as consumer self-help guides, the book relies on the author's experiences inside and outside of the courtroom to shed light on behind-the-scenes processes.
It's astonishing to note the depth and complexity of some of these cases. What one sees in the courtroom is only the tip of the iceberg of the social and political interactions beneath the surface and behind closed doors.
From physicians in court defending malpractice accusations to criminal prosecutors gone awry, Fair Trials, Legal Process & Other Myths is packed with various examples of how lawyers choose to handle cases. The work provides plenty of insights for any reader who wants more than a 'how to conduct yourself in court' read, pairing a lively format with a series of vignettes that deftly capture the realities of the legal process.
Hot link to above title:
Robert M. Frisbee
RMF Publishing AZ, LLC
978-1-4675-9808-8 $21.95 U.S. + S&H
www.RMFPublishing.com
Fair Trials, Legal Process & Other Myths - A Veteran Trial Lawyer's Musings was conceived of two decades ago during the heat of the O.J. Simpson Trial when the author, a trial lawyer himself who was appalled by the misadventures and shoddy lawyering during proceedings, decided to outline both the legal process and routines that differentiate good lawyers from bad.
The result is a wide-ranging discussion of what trial lawyers do daily, how their work can be conducted well or poorly, and how lay readers can discern the difference: quite a different approach from most discussions of the legal process.
For one thing, chapters stem from Frisbee's personal experiences and thus are filled with anecdotes and observations related in the first person from his encounters with peers, judges, and clients. This approach succeeds in creating a lively, readable, often humorous text that blends autobiography with legal observation.
For another, chapters do more than just observe process: they clearly differentiate between good and bad process with specific examples that help readers understand the difference: "…just like in sports, the defense is usually ahead of the offense. My partner Markham thought up the way to answer the conduct question. Besides, it’s the truth, and it works. The answer to any questions about the standards of the profession, or quotes from texts or articles, is that they’re only guidelines, there are no specific standards. There are general scientific principles which apply, such as chemistry and physics, but medicine is really an art, not a science. There are no specific standards. Every patient is unique and individual, and presents the doctor with unique and individual problems. "
From strategies for dealing with challenging and sometimes unfairly prejudiced judges to trying to purchase a firm, underhanded buyoffs and questionable ethical choices, and cases representing the human follies and ironies of all sides, Fair Trials, Legal Process & Other Myths - A Veteran Trial Lawyer's Musings is especially recommended for general-interest fans of legal proceedings, whether fiction such as John Grisham or nonfiction such as consumer self-help guides, the book relies on the author's experiences inside and outside of the courtroom to shed light on behind-the-scenes processes.
It's astonishing to note the depth and complexity of some of these cases. What one sees in the courtroom is only the tip of the iceberg of the social and political interactions beneath the surface and behind closed doors.
From physicians in court defending malpractice accusations to criminal prosecutors gone awry, Fair Trials, Legal Process & Other Myths is packed with various examples of how lawyers choose to handle cases. The work provides plenty of insights for any reader who wants more than a 'how to conduct yourself in court' read, pairing a lively format with a series of vignettes that deftly capture the realities of the legal process.
Hot link to above title:
Gateway to Intimacy: A Married Couple's Guide to Love,
Romance, Passion, and Phenomenal Sex
Ed Gomez
Millstone Press
978-0-9911686-0-6 $16.95
www.millstonepress.com
Gateway to Intimacy: A Married Couple's Guide to Love, Romance, Passion, and Phenomenal Sex isn't your typical couple's guide to sex. For one thing, it doesn’t focus on jump-starting the sexual act, but on understanding the principles of intimacy, and how that lays the foundation for sexual expression and relationship satisfaction.
Chapters and exercises revolve around building (or rebuilding) intimacy and a renewed sense of courtship, and that's a refreshing perspective, given how the self-help industry is laden with books focused primarily on achieving sexual gratification. Gomez's focus is on 'Relationship Building Sex', and this approach takes the subject in a whole new direction, differentiating his book from the way intimacy and sex have typically been dealt with.
So what exactly is 'Relationship-Building Sex'? Nobody could describe this concept better than the author's own words: "Relationship-Building Sex is a movement of the heart, mind, and soul that can make manifest the love and devotion spouses seek to express. Through Relationship-Building Sex, the entire sexual engagement becomes orgasmic. Time winds and folds into time, masculine and feminine characteristics become entwined, and a sacred space emerges between this world and the next, in which two souls unite once again as on the wedding day."
This approach is for readers who want to move beyond sexual play into a realm that embraces emotional and spiritual intimacy on a whole new level. It's not for those who seek physical prowess, sexual fantasies or toys to enhance sensation. It's for mature couples seeking new emotional connections. The author suggests that sex, redefined as S.E.X (Sacred Energy Xpression) is one of the vehicles for this transformation. In this, Gateway to Intimacy plays an important role, leading the way to a higher level of interpersonal interaction.
Basically, what Gomez presents, "… is a sophisticated system of marital intimacy that engages the sum total of your life experience and brings that to bear on your marriage.” It may be that very few male readers will be open to this - but those who are, will likely find herein the keys to a deeper, more satisfying relationship, with the additional benefit of sex (Relationship-Building Sex) serving as the impetus for achieving some of this advanced level of being!
What makes the difference, of course, is the intent and tone of this “arousal” to action, which requires the husband to lay the foundation of intimacy through caring and understanding. As the author writes, "In order to create an atmosphere of romance, a woman must be lovingly and attentively listened to with heartfelt understanding. She must be given ample time to process her day and put it to rest…In short, she must be romantically wooed and slowly seduced.”
Eastern practices such as Tantra and Taoism as well as Karezza (a Western form of sacred sex) have to some extent, elevated intercourse to a spiritual practice. However, Gomez argues that without the foundation of intimacy added into the mix, even these approaches can prove empty as they did for him, when his first marriage ended in divorce.
Gomez’s studies have created a program based on Relationship-Building Sex, which goes a step further, providing a basic foundation couples can use to achieve unparalleled intimacy: something Western culture has yet to seriously consider.
Developing intimacy is perhaps the single most important step you can take to firmly establish your relationship and successfully maintain your marriage. For those open to doing the work, Gateway to Intimacy will rekindle romance and fire up the bedroom.
Hot link to above review:
Ed Gomez
Millstone Press
978-0-9911686-0-6 $16.95
www.millstonepress.com
Gateway to Intimacy: A Married Couple's Guide to Love, Romance, Passion, and Phenomenal Sex isn't your typical couple's guide to sex. For one thing, it doesn’t focus on jump-starting the sexual act, but on understanding the principles of intimacy, and how that lays the foundation for sexual expression and relationship satisfaction.
Chapters and exercises revolve around building (or rebuilding) intimacy and a renewed sense of courtship, and that's a refreshing perspective, given how the self-help industry is laden with books focused primarily on achieving sexual gratification. Gomez's focus is on 'Relationship Building Sex', and this approach takes the subject in a whole new direction, differentiating his book from the way intimacy and sex have typically been dealt with.
So what exactly is 'Relationship-Building Sex'? Nobody could describe this concept better than the author's own words: "Relationship-Building Sex is a movement of the heart, mind, and soul that can make manifest the love and devotion spouses seek to express. Through Relationship-Building Sex, the entire sexual engagement becomes orgasmic. Time winds and folds into time, masculine and feminine characteristics become entwined, and a sacred space emerges between this world and the next, in which two souls unite once again as on the wedding day."
This approach is for readers who want to move beyond sexual play into a realm that embraces emotional and spiritual intimacy on a whole new level. It's not for those who seek physical prowess, sexual fantasies or toys to enhance sensation. It's for mature couples seeking new emotional connections. The author suggests that sex, redefined as S.E.X (Sacred Energy Xpression) is one of the vehicles for this transformation. In this, Gateway to Intimacy plays an important role, leading the way to a higher level of interpersonal interaction.
Basically, what Gomez presents, "… is a sophisticated system of marital intimacy that engages the sum total of your life experience and brings that to bear on your marriage.” It may be that very few male readers will be open to this - but those who are, will likely find herein the keys to a deeper, more satisfying relationship, with the additional benefit of sex (Relationship-Building Sex) serving as the impetus for achieving some of this advanced level of being!
What makes the difference, of course, is the intent and tone of this “arousal” to action, which requires the husband to lay the foundation of intimacy through caring and understanding. As the author writes, "In order to create an atmosphere of romance, a woman must be lovingly and attentively listened to with heartfelt understanding. She must be given ample time to process her day and put it to rest…In short, she must be romantically wooed and slowly seduced.”
Eastern practices such as Tantra and Taoism as well as Karezza (a Western form of sacred sex) have to some extent, elevated intercourse to a spiritual practice. However, Gomez argues that without the foundation of intimacy added into the mix, even these approaches can prove empty as they did for him, when his first marriage ended in divorce.
Gomez’s studies have created a program based on Relationship-Building Sex, which goes a step further, providing a basic foundation couples can use to achieve unparalleled intimacy: something Western culture has yet to seriously consider.
Developing intimacy is perhaps the single most important step you can take to firmly establish your relationship and successfully maintain your marriage. For those open to doing the work, Gateway to Intimacy will rekindle romance and fire up the bedroom.
Hot link to above review:
Novels
Discovery of an Eagle
Grace Mattioli
Lightning Source
978-0-615-92800-5 $14.95
http://gracemattioli.com/
Discovery of an Eagle is the second book in the 'Greco family' trilogy, but familiarity with the first title (not seen by this reviewer) doesn't preclude accessibility to this story. In other words: newcomers are welcome!
The protagonist is 28-year-old Cosmo Greco, who embarks on a road trip with his sister after he's laid off from his job. It's been eight years of struggle in a position where his boss dislikes him, but Cosmo departs with grace (knowing that he has always won in the passive-aggressive wars his boss has brought to the table) and embarks on his new life with characteristic optimism.
His ideas of new beginnings are aptly summed up early on in the novel: "… even though he knew that the leaves changing colors meant that they were dying, he never felt death in the air. He felt life, renewal, and revival."
That's not to say he isn't worried about his future: he is. Just that his ability to adapt, change, and embark on new paths becomes evident in the course of a journey that will challenge many of his perceptions and goals in life.
Cosmo doesn't feel 'stuck', but admittedly he now has no job, no girlfriend, and no ties. So when his sister's proposal of a road trip falls into his lap, it offers an alternative that takes him from Philadelphia to Portland, Oregon - all fueled by his sister's desires.
Now, Cosmo's relationship with his sister is uncertain at best: she clearly never has his best interests in mind, and is always centered on her own: "He was always amazed at how ready his sister was to make plans for other people, especially for him, regardless of his feelings against them. She’d plug people into her plans, as if plugging an exponent into a mathematical equation."
Nonetheless, in this instance timing is everything and her proposal strikes a sympathetic chord; and so the two embark on a road trip that brings him into contact with a host of disparate people and revelations, from spiritual experiences sparked by a monument to Jesus in 'God's country' (a.k.a. the Bible belt) to encounters with Native American culture: "“So what about Hopi,” Silvia said, changing the subject. “It’s really another world, huh?” “Yeah, it sure is,” Cosmo said, sipping his coffee. “Maybe I’m romanticizing the place a tad, but it seemed like the people there were happy in a way. It’s such a poor and desolate place, but it didn’t feel sad to me.” “It didn’t feel sad to me either. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that they have their art.”
All this is spiced with a sense of place and lovely scenery that evokes responses that are artistic, ethereal and philosophical in nature: "He had never seen the Pacific Ocean before this day. It looked much different that the Atlantic Ocean, just as Santa Cruz looked much different from any town on the Jersey Shore. There were mountains that framed the ocean; the occasional rock protruding out of the sea, some covered with seals, others with pelicans; trees with branches of deep green that swept dramatically toward the ocean, as if being pulled by the endless body of water.
But despite the vast differences between the Pacific Coast and the Jersey Shore, he couldn’t help but compare the two places, and being here reminded Cosmo of his childhood beach days."
From sibling relationships and interactions to newfound observations that affect his thinking, Cosmo's discoveries on this road trip will ultimately create new paradigms for the rest of his life. Sure, there's a hint of nostalgia for the past ("They walked through the campus, which was much different in appearance from the campus at the University of Penn, but still it was filled with that same kind of young, ambitious student energy as Penn, and it made Cosmo feel slightly nostalgic for his home. But not nostalgic enough to want to return."), but now it's tempered by new experiences.
Don't expect any tidy conclusions to his story: after all, Discovery of an Eagle is part of a trilogy and it leaves the door open for the next book. Do expect a warm blend of travel and observation, family interrelationships, and reflections that ultimately capture the meaning and purpose of getting away and journeying to new places: "He had gained something inside of himself, something that he could never lose. He knew now that it didn’t matter whether he stayed in Portland or went back to Philadelphia. Philadelphia was only a place, and that place had no power over him in terms of who he was or who he would be. Going back wouldn’t erase the growth inside. Going back didn’t mean going back to his old way of being in the world. Going back wasn’t going backward."
Readers who want to vicariously experience such a journey will find Discovery of an Eagle a soaring story of one man's exploration of new possibilities, new worlds, and ultimately, a newfound purpose to life.
Hot link to above review:
Grace Mattioli
Lightning Source
978-0-615-92800-5 $14.95
http://gracemattioli.com/
Discovery of an Eagle is the second book in the 'Greco family' trilogy, but familiarity with the first title (not seen by this reviewer) doesn't preclude accessibility to this story. In other words: newcomers are welcome!
The protagonist is 28-year-old Cosmo Greco, who embarks on a road trip with his sister after he's laid off from his job. It's been eight years of struggle in a position where his boss dislikes him, but Cosmo departs with grace (knowing that he has always won in the passive-aggressive wars his boss has brought to the table) and embarks on his new life with characteristic optimism.
His ideas of new beginnings are aptly summed up early on in the novel: "… even though he knew that the leaves changing colors meant that they were dying, he never felt death in the air. He felt life, renewal, and revival."
That's not to say he isn't worried about his future: he is. Just that his ability to adapt, change, and embark on new paths becomes evident in the course of a journey that will challenge many of his perceptions and goals in life.
Cosmo doesn't feel 'stuck', but admittedly he now has no job, no girlfriend, and no ties. So when his sister's proposal of a road trip falls into his lap, it offers an alternative that takes him from Philadelphia to Portland, Oregon - all fueled by his sister's desires.
Now, Cosmo's relationship with his sister is uncertain at best: she clearly never has his best interests in mind, and is always centered on her own: "He was always amazed at how ready his sister was to make plans for other people, especially for him, regardless of his feelings against them. She’d plug people into her plans, as if plugging an exponent into a mathematical equation."
Nonetheless, in this instance timing is everything and her proposal strikes a sympathetic chord; and so the two embark on a road trip that brings him into contact with a host of disparate people and revelations, from spiritual experiences sparked by a monument to Jesus in 'God's country' (a.k.a. the Bible belt) to encounters with Native American culture: "“So what about Hopi,” Silvia said, changing the subject. “It’s really another world, huh?” “Yeah, it sure is,” Cosmo said, sipping his coffee. “Maybe I’m romanticizing the place a tad, but it seemed like the people there were happy in a way. It’s such a poor and desolate place, but it didn’t feel sad to me.” “It didn’t feel sad to me either. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that they have their art.”
All this is spiced with a sense of place and lovely scenery that evokes responses that are artistic, ethereal and philosophical in nature: "He had never seen the Pacific Ocean before this day. It looked much different that the Atlantic Ocean, just as Santa Cruz looked much different from any town on the Jersey Shore. There were mountains that framed the ocean; the occasional rock protruding out of the sea, some covered with seals, others with pelicans; trees with branches of deep green that swept dramatically toward the ocean, as if being pulled by the endless body of water.
But despite the vast differences between the Pacific Coast and the Jersey Shore, he couldn’t help but compare the two places, and being here reminded Cosmo of his childhood beach days."
From sibling relationships and interactions to newfound observations that affect his thinking, Cosmo's discoveries on this road trip will ultimately create new paradigms for the rest of his life. Sure, there's a hint of nostalgia for the past ("They walked through the campus, which was much different in appearance from the campus at the University of Penn, but still it was filled with that same kind of young, ambitious student energy as Penn, and it made Cosmo feel slightly nostalgic for his home. But not nostalgic enough to want to return."), but now it's tempered by new experiences.
Don't expect any tidy conclusions to his story: after all, Discovery of an Eagle is part of a trilogy and it leaves the door open for the next book. Do expect a warm blend of travel and observation, family interrelationships, and reflections that ultimately capture the meaning and purpose of getting away and journeying to new places: "He had gained something inside of himself, something that he could never lose. He knew now that it didn’t matter whether he stayed in Portland or went back to Philadelphia. Philadelphia was only a place, and that place had no power over him in terms of who he was or who he would be. Going back wouldn’t erase the growth inside. Going back didn’t mean going back to his old way of being in the world. Going back wasn’t going backward."
Readers who want to vicariously experience such a journey will find Discovery of an Eagle a soaring story of one man's exploration of new possibilities, new worlds, and ultimately, a newfound purpose to life.
Hot link to above review:
Gotcha Gas - Debacle Near Roswell
Bill Weimer & M. A. Banak
Goga Publishing
Price: $5.99 eBook
Amazon: ISBN 978-0-9837559-3-7
Barnes & Noble: ISBN 978-0-9837559-0-6
iTunes: ISBN 978-0-9837559-1-3
www.gotchagas.com
http://www.amazon.com/Gotcha-Gas-Debacle-Near-Roswell-ebook/dp/B006KXPPXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1392478338&sr=1-1&keywords=Gotcha+Gas
Gotcha Gas - Debacle Near Roswell is a fictional piece about a host of snafus and bungling on the part of military and individuals near Roswell - but any who anticipate another straightforward (or straight-faced) exploration of alien abduction will find Gotcha Gas is a horse of another color.
Indeed, Gotcha Gas revolves around: a motorcycle gang, a host of motorists unwittingly stranded near an ill-conceived Army blast site for a bomb test, and a cast of zany characters involved in an impossible scenario.
As such, don't expect strict genre-writing here: and despite the mention of Roswell, don't expect a strictly alien focus. It's mystery, satire, and a rollicking rumpus of mishaps bundled into the story of diverse characters (and characters they are!) who, like quicksand, just keep getting more submerged in impossible situations.
The book's introduction sets the stage: "For some people, the simplest explanation will never do. In July of 1947, a top-secret US Army weather balloon crashed near the town of Roswell, New Mexico. To locals arriving at the crash site, the flower-like designs on the reinforcing tape of the balloon (it was made in a toy factory) were interpreted as alien hieroglyphics. Initially, the US Army seemed to agree, but suddenly issued a retraction. Since then, numerous books, tabloid exposés and television shows have forged contradictory and convoluted accounts of this incident into an entire industry. Which is good."
Now, the fictional town Gotcha, New Mexico is more than aptly named: it has a way of grabbing hold and not letting go. What holds true for the protagonists from the first line of the story is also applicable for readers, who will find their attention grabbed and closely held by a series of vignettes that open with go-getter Ramon's search for a surprisingly-elusive town when an inheritance leaves him the deed to a plot of land in Gotcha.
When even a librarian's diligence can't identify the town's location, it's only a strange reference in a phone call (that reference holdings “... currently have no record of it.”) that leads him to think that Gotcha once existed. Ramon's perseverance finally pays off as he investigates clues to a town that has all but vanished from public record.
Flashback to late 1946 and a series of incidents that involve strangers, town secrets, desperate men, cover-ups and much, much more.
Mingling with text are satisfying images: a map, a weathered newspaper article profiling the arrest of a New Yorker in Gotcha, and schemes for skimming road projects.
'Simply hysterical' comes to mind as characters interact, special interests collide, and town politics vie with military might in unexpected ways. It is, indeed, a debacle; and as events move to ever-increasing levels of irony and charades, so readers become immersed in strange backup plans, the efforts of a wacky character called the Pickle, and much more.
And yes, Virginia, there are references to spaceships and the potentials for aliens - of a sort: all couched in hilarious encounters that remind this reader of the prowess of Christopher Moore's writings: "With all eyes aimed out the back window, the boys saw the Pickle and the Giant Tire rise majestically in the far distance, on its way to North Mesa Mountain. Perceived as a two-tiered object, small on top with a large, round black bottom, soaring among the distant clouds, the boys knew exactly what it was. “It's a space ship!” the kids shouted. “Sit down!” the adults ordered."
It's hard to say who is controlling the scenario: the military, the townspeople, or individual special interests. Suffice it to say this rollicking saga is hard to put down, packed with a huge cast of characters, and presented in a series of encounters that nearly stand alone in each chapter - which makes it particularly accessible to busy readers who can only digest books a section at a time.
Don't look for genre reading here - or anything predictable. DO expect humor and entertainment: a blend often lacking in modern-day novels.
Hot link to above review:
Bill Weimer & M. A. Banak
Goga Publishing
Price: $5.99 eBook
Amazon: ISBN 978-0-9837559-3-7
Barnes & Noble: ISBN 978-0-9837559-0-6
iTunes: ISBN 978-0-9837559-1-3
www.gotchagas.com
http://www.amazon.com/Gotcha-Gas-Debacle-Near-Roswell-ebook/dp/B006KXPPXI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1392478338&sr=1-1&keywords=Gotcha+Gas
Gotcha Gas - Debacle Near Roswell is a fictional piece about a host of snafus and bungling on the part of military and individuals near Roswell - but any who anticipate another straightforward (or straight-faced) exploration of alien abduction will find Gotcha Gas is a horse of another color.
Indeed, Gotcha Gas revolves around: a motorcycle gang, a host of motorists unwittingly stranded near an ill-conceived Army blast site for a bomb test, and a cast of zany characters involved in an impossible scenario.
As such, don't expect strict genre-writing here: and despite the mention of Roswell, don't expect a strictly alien focus. It's mystery, satire, and a rollicking rumpus of mishaps bundled into the story of diverse characters (and characters they are!) who, like quicksand, just keep getting more submerged in impossible situations.
The book's introduction sets the stage: "For some people, the simplest explanation will never do. In July of 1947, a top-secret US Army weather balloon crashed near the town of Roswell, New Mexico. To locals arriving at the crash site, the flower-like designs on the reinforcing tape of the balloon (it was made in a toy factory) were interpreted as alien hieroglyphics. Initially, the US Army seemed to agree, but suddenly issued a retraction. Since then, numerous books, tabloid exposés and television shows have forged contradictory and convoluted accounts of this incident into an entire industry. Which is good."
Now, the fictional town Gotcha, New Mexico is more than aptly named: it has a way of grabbing hold and not letting go. What holds true for the protagonists from the first line of the story is also applicable for readers, who will find their attention grabbed and closely held by a series of vignettes that open with go-getter Ramon's search for a surprisingly-elusive town when an inheritance leaves him the deed to a plot of land in Gotcha.
When even a librarian's diligence can't identify the town's location, it's only a strange reference in a phone call (that reference holdings “... currently have no record of it.”) that leads him to think that Gotcha once existed. Ramon's perseverance finally pays off as he investigates clues to a town that has all but vanished from public record.
Flashback to late 1946 and a series of incidents that involve strangers, town secrets, desperate men, cover-ups and much, much more.
Mingling with text are satisfying images: a map, a weathered newspaper article profiling the arrest of a New Yorker in Gotcha, and schemes for skimming road projects.
'Simply hysterical' comes to mind as characters interact, special interests collide, and town politics vie with military might in unexpected ways. It is, indeed, a debacle; and as events move to ever-increasing levels of irony and charades, so readers become immersed in strange backup plans, the efforts of a wacky character called the Pickle, and much more.
And yes, Virginia, there are references to spaceships and the potentials for aliens - of a sort: all couched in hilarious encounters that remind this reader of the prowess of Christopher Moore's writings: "With all eyes aimed out the back window, the boys saw the Pickle and the Giant Tire rise majestically in the far distance, on its way to North Mesa Mountain. Perceived as a two-tiered object, small on top with a large, round black bottom, soaring among the distant clouds, the boys knew exactly what it was. “It's a space ship!” the kids shouted. “Sit down!” the adults ordered."
It's hard to say who is controlling the scenario: the military, the townspeople, or individual special interests. Suffice it to say this rollicking saga is hard to put down, packed with a huge cast of characters, and presented in a series of encounters that nearly stand alone in each chapter - which makes it particularly accessible to busy readers who can only digest books a section at a time.
Don't look for genre reading here - or anything predictable. DO expect humor and entertainment: a blend often lacking in modern-day novels.
Hot link to above review:
The Great Game
D.R. Bell
Amazon Kindle
ASIN: B00HGM63II $2.99
Print Version: Createspace $12.99
ISBN-13:978-1496145109 ISBN-10:1496145100
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HGM63II/
The Great Game is an international intrigue and thriller piece and is a strong recommendation for readers who enjoy cat-and-mouse games set against the backdrop of set against the backdrop of 2022, a future world in which China and Russia have staged a financial coup against the U.S. dollar.
Now, one might think such a thriller would revolve around the CIA and other agent clashes, but that's one of the delights of The Great Game: its primary protagonist is a computer engineer with no prior ties to politics who finds himself on the run after a chance airport encounter with a friendly stranger immerses him in one of the biggest gambits of his times.
Add an innocent Ukrainian transplant (waitress Maggie) who unwittingly becomes involved and a series of murders that draw ever closer to two ordinary individuals not well versed in either politics or espionage and you have a riveting story line cemented by very strong, believable protagonists.
Herein we arrive at the heart of The Great Game: it's all about realistic protagonists drawn into a plot that thickens like quicksand and just won't let go. The name of the novel comes from a term made famous by Kipling, and pertains to the strategic rivalry between the British Empire and the Russian Empire for supremacy in Central Asia. This term assumes wider applications on a global scale here, and comes to represent a world-wide struggle for supremacy on many different levels: financial, political, and personal.
Connecting the political to personal realms is a challenging achievement: too often either the politics aren't properly explored, or the protagonists assume one-dimensional proportions in comparison to the wider political arena. Not so in The Great Game, which gives equal attention to both and so creates a novel filled with action, intrigue, and the concerns of two persons who find themselves playing a game they never asked for or thought about.
From the time he is grabbed, thrown into a car, and grilled about names and documents he has no knowledge of to his increasing, puzzling involvement in events that unfold from a single chance meeting, David finds not only his circumstances but his entire life thrown into question: "He simply could not come up with anything else he knew that could possibly be of interest to anybody. His previous project involved upgrading a satellite system for a network of gas stations, and who the hell would care about that? The new aircraft Internet service was the most interesting thing he’d worked on in years. He caught himself thinking again that he’d been wasting his life on stupid projects, but chased the thought away. He had other things to deal with right now."
The kidnappers he's escaped have his computer documents and his computer: soon they will have much more as David's search for answers leads him (and everyone he knows) on a dangerous path.
From booby-trapped houses and explosions to more kidnappings and impossible rescues, The Great Game is replete with high-octane action that just doesn't quit, spiced with touches of realistic insights - as when David admits that he can't handle weapons: "Maggie said, “You are crazy. Completely crazy. How could you go there by yourself?” She shook her head, then added, “Thank you. When they didn’t kill me on Sunday, I figured someone must be doing something to make them keep me alive. Turns out it was you. But to go like this against five armed men, that is insane. Do you at least have a gun on you?” David smiled. “No, I would probably just injure myself with a weapon.” Maggie laughed and repeated, “You are crazy.” Then she started crying. David was uncomfortable around crying women, so he just looked ahead and focused on driving.
There are unexpected moments - as when David begins to dream of Lord of the Rings - that even add a touch of philosophy into the evolving scenarios, relating an epic story of friendship and courage to the evolving connections between David and Maggie.
How do ordinary individuals become extraordinary? How can simple lives be changed by complicated circumstances? And how can even those with no special abilities rise to meet life-changing challenges from outside forces?
All these facets and more make The Great Game a satisfyingly-complex novel that engages the reader in just one battle of what will ultimately prove a greater war. Any who want a vivid, fast-paced adventure story will find its characters and action more than a cut above the ordinary.
Hot link to above review:
D.R. Bell
Amazon Kindle
ASIN: B00HGM63II $2.99
Print Version: Createspace $12.99
ISBN-13:978-1496145109 ISBN-10:1496145100
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HGM63II/
The Great Game is an international intrigue and thriller piece and is a strong recommendation for readers who enjoy cat-and-mouse games set against the backdrop of set against the backdrop of 2022, a future world in which China and Russia have staged a financial coup against the U.S. dollar.
Now, one might think such a thriller would revolve around the CIA and other agent clashes, but that's one of the delights of The Great Game: its primary protagonist is a computer engineer with no prior ties to politics who finds himself on the run after a chance airport encounter with a friendly stranger immerses him in one of the biggest gambits of his times.
Add an innocent Ukrainian transplant (waitress Maggie) who unwittingly becomes involved and a series of murders that draw ever closer to two ordinary individuals not well versed in either politics or espionage and you have a riveting story line cemented by very strong, believable protagonists.
Herein we arrive at the heart of The Great Game: it's all about realistic protagonists drawn into a plot that thickens like quicksand and just won't let go. The name of the novel comes from a term made famous by Kipling, and pertains to the strategic rivalry between the British Empire and the Russian Empire for supremacy in Central Asia. This term assumes wider applications on a global scale here, and comes to represent a world-wide struggle for supremacy on many different levels: financial, political, and personal.
Connecting the political to personal realms is a challenging achievement: too often either the politics aren't properly explored, or the protagonists assume one-dimensional proportions in comparison to the wider political arena. Not so in The Great Game, which gives equal attention to both and so creates a novel filled with action, intrigue, and the concerns of two persons who find themselves playing a game they never asked for or thought about.
From the time he is grabbed, thrown into a car, and grilled about names and documents he has no knowledge of to his increasing, puzzling involvement in events that unfold from a single chance meeting, David finds not only his circumstances but his entire life thrown into question: "He simply could not come up with anything else he knew that could possibly be of interest to anybody. His previous project involved upgrading a satellite system for a network of gas stations, and who the hell would care about that? The new aircraft Internet service was the most interesting thing he’d worked on in years. He caught himself thinking again that he’d been wasting his life on stupid projects, but chased the thought away. He had other things to deal with right now."
The kidnappers he's escaped have his computer documents and his computer: soon they will have much more as David's search for answers leads him (and everyone he knows) on a dangerous path.
From booby-trapped houses and explosions to more kidnappings and impossible rescues, The Great Game is replete with high-octane action that just doesn't quit, spiced with touches of realistic insights - as when David admits that he can't handle weapons: "Maggie said, “You are crazy. Completely crazy. How could you go there by yourself?” She shook her head, then added, “Thank you. When they didn’t kill me on Sunday, I figured someone must be doing something to make them keep me alive. Turns out it was you. But to go like this against five armed men, that is insane. Do you at least have a gun on you?” David smiled. “No, I would probably just injure myself with a weapon.” Maggie laughed and repeated, “You are crazy.” Then she started crying. David was uncomfortable around crying women, so he just looked ahead and focused on driving.
There are unexpected moments - as when David begins to dream of Lord of the Rings - that even add a touch of philosophy into the evolving scenarios, relating an epic story of friendship and courage to the evolving connections between David and Maggie.
How do ordinary individuals become extraordinary? How can simple lives be changed by complicated circumstances? And how can even those with no special abilities rise to meet life-changing challenges from outside forces?
All these facets and more make The Great Game a satisfyingly-complex novel that engages the reader in just one battle of what will ultimately prove a greater war. Any who want a vivid, fast-paced adventure story will find its characters and action more than a cut above the ordinary.
Hot link to above review:
Luz
Luis Gonzalez
CreateSpace
978-1477492017 Soft Cover (17.98) / Kindle (3.99)
www.amazon.com/Luz-Luis-Gonzalez/dp/1477492011/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1392935597&sr=8-1
Luz opens in Heaven in 1994, where a divine power is worried that the prophecy concerning his son's second coming is not being carried out on schedule. The stage is set, but the main actor has yet to come aboard.
August 1994 is also the year of the Cuban Revolt, and for the first time the Cuban government is allowing citizens to flee the country in fragile boats. Now narrow the focus to feisty Cuban girl Clara, who is one of many determined to leave her homeland, involving her husband in plans to undertake the risky journey when shocking news changes everything.
In an age of miracles, freedom is elusive, only a step away, and can change at any time. And in the mind of a nineteen-year-old idealist, nothing will change her course short of a miracle, which arrives literally on her doorstep in the form of a visitor who invites her to a higher purpose than even freedom.
Luz is a highly charged saga of change and spirituality. It's filled with talk of patron saints, martyrdom, and dying faith in a world gone wrong, and uses the macrocosm of Cuba as its reference point for events that blossom from this pivot point in time and place.
Clara is a powerful observer of her world and Luis Gonzalez's ability to capture the spirit and sentiments of entrapped Cubans in thrall to their political system is striking: "To live in Cuba was to exist in defeat: daily defeats, nightly defeats, defeats large and small that perpetuated themselves endlessly. Defeats that corroded you from within, and gnawed away at you from without. We were not simply awash in defeat, but drowning in it: in a deluge of dread and disappointment. To continue living here was to thrive in this defeat, and even at my young age, I felt dead inside."
The desperate struggles and dreams of a people are deftly captured in Luz; but its higher calling lies in the story of a savior who brings hope and change not only to Cuba, but to the world. And in traditional accounts of the Second Coming, set in first world nations, the passions of a world gone awry are not nearly as emotional (nor as powerful) as here, in Luz, set in 1990s Cuba.
Clara's journey in many ways mirrors the struggles of Biblical figures as they move through strange new worlds: but even more striking are her reflections of place, experience, and the strange journey she's undertaken: "How I wished this were the ancient city of Crimea rather than the tiny sea village of Cojímar. How I wished I were an ancient Cimmerian rather than a modern-day Cuban. That way I could hide in a shroud of darkness. That way nobody could track my movement from shoreline to street or see me walking side by side with one of the mongrels—except, I was not walking the mongrel, the mongrel was walking me, leading me on some invisible leash to who-knew-where."
As Clara finds her voice at last (as the writer she's always longed to be, but never felt the freedom to pursue in Cuba), she documents this process. As her pregnancy with the much-anticipated Luz progresses, Clara's investigation of her world and its forces merge mystery and promise in a story that will captivate readers to its end.
Make no mistake: this isn't light browsing nor easy leisure reading, but a tome packed with reflections and insights steeped in the culture and conflicts of Cuba.
Clara's perspective weaves with the larger story of revelation and promise, and provides a series of rich passages of impressions and experience that involve readers in impossible situations and insights on a Creator that has a different second coming in mind than Biblical tradition has foreseen.
The result is a striking, captivating, and dense read that unfolds like a flower and blossoms with a predestined heroine whose mother's world collapses and rises again from the fires of destruction, like a phoenix.
Readers who appreciate a fine blend of spiritual and social insight, all held together by the glue of a feisty young protagonist surviving a Third World country, will find Luz a gripping, evocative story.
Hot link to above review:
Luis Gonzalez
CreateSpace
978-1477492017 Soft Cover (17.98) / Kindle (3.99)
www.amazon.com/Luz-Luis-Gonzalez/dp/1477492011/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1392935597&sr=8-1
Luz opens in Heaven in 1994, where a divine power is worried that the prophecy concerning his son's second coming is not being carried out on schedule. The stage is set, but the main actor has yet to come aboard.
August 1994 is also the year of the Cuban Revolt, and for the first time the Cuban government is allowing citizens to flee the country in fragile boats. Now narrow the focus to feisty Cuban girl Clara, who is one of many determined to leave her homeland, involving her husband in plans to undertake the risky journey when shocking news changes everything.
In an age of miracles, freedom is elusive, only a step away, and can change at any time. And in the mind of a nineteen-year-old idealist, nothing will change her course short of a miracle, which arrives literally on her doorstep in the form of a visitor who invites her to a higher purpose than even freedom.
Luz is a highly charged saga of change and spirituality. It's filled with talk of patron saints, martyrdom, and dying faith in a world gone wrong, and uses the macrocosm of Cuba as its reference point for events that blossom from this pivot point in time and place.
Clara is a powerful observer of her world and Luis Gonzalez's ability to capture the spirit and sentiments of entrapped Cubans in thrall to their political system is striking: "To live in Cuba was to exist in defeat: daily defeats, nightly defeats, defeats large and small that perpetuated themselves endlessly. Defeats that corroded you from within, and gnawed away at you from without. We were not simply awash in defeat, but drowning in it: in a deluge of dread and disappointment. To continue living here was to thrive in this defeat, and even at my young age, I felt dead inside."
The desperate struggles and dreams of a people are deftly captured in Luz; but its higher calling lies in the story of a savior who brings hope and change not only to Cuba, but to the world. And in traditional accounts of the Second Coming, set in first world nations, the passions of a world gone awry are not nearly as emotional (nor as powerful) as here, in Luz, set in 1990s Cuba.
Clara's journey in many ways mirrors the struggles of Biblical figures as they move through strange new worlds: but even more striking are her reflections of place, experience, and the strange journey she's undertaken: "How I wished this were the ancient city of Crimea rather than the tiny sea village of Cojímar. How I wished I were an ancient Cimmerian rather than a modern-day Cuban. That way I could hide in a shroud of darkness. That way nobody could track my movement from shoreline to street or see me walking side by side with one of the mongrels—except, I was not walking the mongrel, the mongrel was walking me, leading me on some invisible leash to who-knew-where."
As Clara finds her voice at last (as the writer she's always longed to be, but never felt the freedom to pursue in Cuba), she documents this process. As her pregnancy with the much-anticipated Luz progresses, Clara's investigation of her world and its forces merge mystery and promise in a story that will captivate readers to its end.
Make no mistake: this isn't light browsing nor easy leisure reading, but a tome packed with reflections and insights steeped in the culture and conflicts of Cuba.
Clara's perspective weaves with the larger story of revelation and promise, and provides a series of rich passages of impressions and experience that involve readers in impossible situations and insights on a Creator that has a different second coming in mind than Biblical tradition has foreseen.
The result is a striking, captivating, and dense read that unfolds like a flower and blossoms with a predestined heroine whose mother's world collapses and rises again from the fires of destruction, like a phoenix.
Readers who appreciate a fine blend of spiritual and social insight, all held together by the glue of a feisty young protagonist surviving a Third World country, will find Luz a gripping, evocative story.
Hot link to above review:
Red Stick One
Kenneth Kirkeby
Sharp Printing $15.95 Paperback
978-0-615-97242-8, No Website
Red Stick One opens with a Marine troop ascending upon a mountain plateau in Vietnam, alert for attackers, when they come upon an apparently-wounded VC who has an intriguing dog tag and a secret. Fast forward to four years later, where Boyd Perry and Reed are working on a fish and game sting operation on one of their own. Virgil Cleary is operating in a different world than Vietnam, here - and he's no stranger to violence, using it to break commercial poaching rings in swampy settings much like Vietnam.
As the story progresses, certain themes keep recurring: stalking, running, confrontations, hiding. Virgil follows a path of continuous violence in his job as wildlife officer with Florida Fish and Game and 'danger' is his middle name as he becomes immersed in worlds that continually mirror his Vietnam experiences: "He crawled from the trees on that morning, bareheaded, within three hundred meters of the point he sought four days earlier on the map he no longer had. He was feeling for each barefoot track of the Montagnard that had walked between the rocks of the slope a week before. If he saw the enormous valley that now lay below him he did not recognize it. He only knew he had to hurry. There wasn’t much time."
As he makes the decision to work on his own and against the people he works with, Virgil moves between a lone wolf lifestyle and his connection to one Michelle and embarks on an interstate journey after a fugitive impossible to track, with his Vietnam experiences providing him with keys to both survival and impossible achievements.
Now, all this is understated: the focus is upon his tracking of an elusive poacher and the major Vietnam connection largely lies in the first chapter, with a few ongoing references to his ex-Marine background scattered within stories of encounters along the way.
But given this information, readers can readily see the ongoing connections between scenarios: Virgil's struggles to survive and gain a foothold against his clever prey's operations, and the wilderness he moves through so familiarly: "When they had crossed the bridge Virgil turned to look a final time at the gorge. On the far side, the two mountain goats stood perched on the ledges where he had first seen them. They shined white in the spring sunlight, the tiny black of their horns and eyes still following him."
Between the crisp descriptions of wilderness encounters and the dialogue throughout which captures a sense of gritty encounters in rural regions of the South, Red Stick One provides a realistic and engrossing story replete with violence, survivalist tactics, and cat-and-mouse games between a tracker and his objective.
Virgil moves deftly through his world giving aliases and keeping his identity and objectives secret, but even alone in the outdoors he has one outside connection that is different in Michelle: "He lay back on the mound of coal and shifted himself until it was smooth against him with no pressure to his ribs. The sun was on his face and he closed his eyes, feeling it, and reached his jacket sleeve behind his head for a pillow. He kept his other hand in the jacket’s pocket and rode that way, dozing, until he became very warm with the sun high. Finally, he took the jacket off and lay on it, on his good side, looking at the singular mountains that became larger and more numerous as the train crept northwest. He felt his shirt pocket for his tobacco can but it was gone. Michelle must have thrown it out when she washed his clothes. With his closed eyes he smiled."
In the end it's this connection that fires his move from a world of poachers and law enforcement to one that includes love.
Expect gritty action, a healthy dose of violent encounters, and powerful scenarios in Red Stick One. It's all about morals, motivations and determination - and how one man makes a mission of his life after surviving under impossible odds in Vietnam. Any who enjoy vivid sagas of survival, achievement and redemption will find Virgil's story a powerful saga of encounters with land and people on the tough road to resolution.
Hot link to above review:
Kenneth Kirkeby
Sharp Printing $15.95 Paperback
978-0-615-97242-8, No Website
Red Stick One opens with a Marine troop ascending upon a mountain plateau in Vietnam, alert for attackers, when they come upon an apparently-wounded VC who has an intriguing dog tag and a secret. Fast forward to four years later, where Boyd Perry and Reed are working on a fish and game sting operation on one of their own. Virgil Cleary is operating in a different world than Vietnam, here - and he's no stranger to violence, using it to break commercial poaching rings in swampy settings much like Vietnam.
As the story progresses, certain themes keep recurring: stalking, running, confrontations, hiding. Virgil follows a path of continuous violence in his job as wildlife officer with Florida Fish and Game and 'danger' is his middle name as he becomes immersed in worlds that continually mirror his Vietnam experiences: "He crawled from the trees on that morning, bareheaded, within three hundred meters of the point he sought four days earlier on the map he no longer had. He was feeling for each barefoot track of the Montagnard that had walked between the rocks of the slope a week before. If he saw the enormous valley that now lay below him he did not recognize it. He only knew he had to hurry. There wasn’t much time."
As he makes the decision to work on his own and against the people he works with, Virgil moves between a lone wolf lifestyle and his connection to one Michelle and embarks on an interstate journey after a fugitive impossible to track, with his Vietnam experiences providing him with keys to both survival and impossible achievements.
Now, all this is understated: the focus is upon his tracking of an elusive poacher and the major Vietnam connection largely lies in the first chapter, with a few ongoing references to his ex-Marine background scattered within stories of encounters along the way.
But given this information, readers can readily see the ongoing connections between scenarios: Virgil's struggles to survive and gain a foothold against his clever prey's operations, and the wilderness he moves through so familiarly: "When they had crossed the bridge Virgil turned to look a final time at the gorge. On the far side, the two mountain goats stood perched on the ledges where he had first seen them. They shined white in the spring sunlight, the tiny black of their horns and eyes still following him."
Between the crisp descriptions of wilderness encounters and the dialogue throughout which captures a sense of gritty encounters in rural regions of the South, Red Stick One provides a realistic and engrossing story replete with violence, survivalist tactics, and cat-and-mouse games between a tracker and his objective.
Virgil moves deftly through his world giving aliases and keeping his identity and objectives secret, but even alone in the outdoors he has one outside connection that is different in Michelle: "He lay back on the mound of coal and shifted himself until it was smooth against him with no pressure to his ribs. The sun was on his face and he closed his eyes, feeling it, and reached his jacket sleeve behind his head for a pillow. He kept his other hand in the jacket’s pocket and rode that way, dozing, until he became very warm with the sun high. Finally, he took the jacket off and lay on it, on his good side, looking at the singular mountains that became larger and more numerous as the train crept northwest. He felt his shirt pocket for his tobacco can but it was gone. Michelle must have thrown it out when she washed his clothes. With his closed eyes he smiled."
In the end it's this connection that fires his move from a world of poachers and law enforcement to one that includes love.
Expect gritty action, a healthy dose of violent encounters, and powerful scenarios in Red Stick One. It's all about morals, motivations and determination - and how one man makes a mission of his life after surviving under impossible odds in Vietnam. Any who enjoy vivid sagas of survival, achievement and redemption will find Virgil's story a powerful saga of encounters with land and people on the tough road to resolution.
Hot link to above review:
Sense of Adventure
Claire Davon
Claire Davon, Publisher
ASIN: B00HMRAFRM $.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HMRAFRM
What's an extreme sportsman doing with an idealistic woman who never takes risks? It would seem an unlikely combination, but something about their extreme differences serves as a strange attractor, and so Sense of Adventure is not just about a meeting of mind and heart, but about how two very different individuals merge their lives and achieve romance despite all obstacles.
Don't expect smooth sailing in Sense of Adventure: the seas are stormy here and so the protagonists continually butt heads, coming together and apart and finding their different perspectives on life to be challenging.
As is usual with relationships, they come to discover there's more beneath the surface than is first apparent. For Gina, it's a surprising discovery that the very manly Hunter Dillon has closely-held secrets about his painful past that lend to much-damaged reactions to life.
As Gina moves from having a new ad agency client in extreme sportsman Hunter Dillon to becoming romantically involved, she finds her own boundaries tested. For Dillon, a near-instant physical attraction (despite Gina's lack of fashion sense) leads to an interest that quickly moves beyond professional boundaries and into unknown realms: for he's not used to the rigors of romance and its ability to uncover his most closely-held secrets.
In so many ways, Gina is not in tune with Hunter's style: "…she was just Gina with silly inexpensive pajamas, found at a yard sale. The usual practical attire so out of tune with Hunter’s sophisticated tastes."
And yet, the spark between them is undeniable and most of all it evolves throughout Sense of Adventure, bringing readers along on a journey that depicts how adventure, risk-taking and interpersonal relationships can change those who participate in life.
It's this series of transition points and changes that make Sense of Adventure more than just another predictable romance: the protagonists join and break apart continually and yet they are always exploring the differences and similarities that connect them.
There are risk-taking adventures, there are other women, there are broken friendships as well as broken relationships: "He was alone, as he had been before he met Gina. Truly alone this time, because he didn’t have his so-called “friend” Roberto to talk to. Funny, how he had thought all this time that the man had been in his corner. He never had been. Nobody had been, until Gina. The woman who had run at the first sign of trouble. He had nobody."
In the end, Sense of Adventure is all about how connections are forged against seemingly-impossible odds - and how they are maintained. It's about different perspectives on adventure and how they entwine - and it will 'grab' and involve any interested in following the ups and downs of evolving connections.
Hot link to above review:
Claire Davon
Claire Davon, Publisher
ASIN: B00HMRAFRM $.99
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HMRAFRM
What's an extreme sportsman doing with an idealistic woman who never takes risks? It would seem an unlikely combination, but something about their extreme differences serves as a strange attractor, and so Sense of Adventure is not just about a meeting of mind and heart, but about how two very different individuals merge their lives and achieve romance despite all obstacles.
Don't expect smooth sailing in Sense of Adventure: the seas are stormy here and so the protagonists continually butt heads, coming together and apart and finding their different perspectives on life to be challenging.
As is usual with relationships, they come to discover there's more beneath the surface than is first apparent. For Gina, it's a surprising discovery that the very manly Hunter Dillon has closely-held secrets about his painful past that lend to much-damaged reactions to life.
As Gina moves from having a new ad agency client in extreme sportsman Hunter Dillon to becoming romantically involved, she finds her own boundaries tested. For Dillon, a near-instant physical attraction (despite Gina's lack of fashion sense) leads to an interest that quickly moves beyond professional boundaries and into unknown realms: for he's not used to the rigors of romance and its ability to uncover his most closely-held secrets.
In so many ways, Gina is not in tune with Hunter's style: "…she was just Gina with silly inexpensive pajamas, found at a yard sale. The usual practical attire so out of tune with Hunter’s sophisticated tastes."
And yet, the spark between them is undeniable and most of all it evolves throughout Sense of Adventure, bringing readers along on a journey that depicts how adventure, risk-taking and interpersonal relationships can change those who participate in life.
It's this series of transition points and changes that make Sense of Adventure more than just another predictable romance: the protagonists join and break apart continually and yet they are always exploring the differences and similarities that connect them.
There are risk-taking adventures, there are other women, there are broken friendships as well as broken relationships: "He was alone, as he had been before he met Gina. Truly alone this time, because he didn’t have his so-called “friend” Roberto to talk to. Funny, how he had thought all this time that the man had been in his corner. He never had been. Nobody had been, until Gina. The woman who had run at the first sign of trouble. He had nobody."
In the end, Sense of Adventure is all about how connections are forged against seemingly-impossible odds - and how they are maintained. It's about different perspectives on adventure and how they entwine - and it will 'grab' and involve any interested in following the ups and downs of evolving connections.
Hot link to above review:
Troop 458
Judy Iverson
$8.39 paperback; .99 Kindle
978-1496090492
http://www.amazon.com/Troop-458-Judy-L-Iverson/dp/1496090497/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393681848&sr=1-1&keywords=Troop+458
Troop 458 opens to a night scene of impending violence in a small town in Illinois, where two female friends with a gun await a man who put a best friend in the hospital in a coma. Unless he confesses his crime, he will die. Troop 458 is all about friendships and attachments that last a lifetime. It's also about heroes, villains, retribution, and a terrible secret that not only links two friends but sets the stage for further actions decades down the line.
The intriguing open act leads to chapters that go back in time to pinpoint the roots of beliefs, actions and reactions, following an evolving friendship and a scouting troop's encounters with the wilderness and each other.
In addition to the close-held big secret there are further challenges from life, from childhood leukemia to an abandoned farmhouse, a mysterious graveyard and an odd mourner, and unsolved murders that invite young sleuths to investigate.
Chapters follow these threads and flush out details about the girls' friendships and growth, creating a compelling young adult read that skillfully follows the uncertainties of romances and the evolution of friendships ties over the years.
Moments of introspection are often set against the backdrop of campfires and camaraderie: "By the time they returned to their campsite, they were tired and hungry. Hot dogs, baked beans and potato chips were devoured in short order and then everyone roasted marshmallows over the campfire.
“I hope we will always be friends,” Grace said as the flames licked the black sky. “Why wouldn’t we?” Peaches asked. “Oh, you know, people go away to school or get married and have families and they lose touch with their old friends,” Grace replied."
As childhood friendships change and marriages commence, the chaos of childhood traumas begin to fade and Cassie, Peaches and her friends move into adult routines of college, only to find murder again strikes too close to home: this time with the disappearance and untimely demise of Cassie's roommate.
Annual get-togethers keep the friends connected despite life's challenges and eventually life's recovery process reaches out to all - even those who seemed irrevocably lost.
Troop 458 is all about the evolution of friendships against all odds, about these friendships withstanding the tests of time and strife, and about growth and evolution.
Readers seeking high drama may be disappointed: Troop 458 isn't that kind of story. Instead it's like a river: gently winding, with turbulence and turmoil smoothing out in calmer waters. It brings mature young adult and adult readers into the world of girls who ride the tide of life, who grow up to overcome physical and emotional obstacles, and who, in the end, each discover different forms of love and healing.
Hot link to above review:
Judy Iverson
$8.39 paperback; .99 Kindle
978-1496090492
http://www.amazon.com/Troop-458-Judy-L-Iverson/dp/1496090497/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1393681848&sr=1-1&keywords=Troop+458
Troop 458 opens to a night scene of impending violence in a small town in Illinois, where two female friends with a gun await a man who put a best friend in the hospital in a coma. Unless he confesses his crime, he will die. Troop 458 is all about friendships and attachments that last a lifetime. It's also about heroes, villains, retribution, and a terrible secret that not only links two friends but sets the stage for further actions decades down the line.
The intriguing open act leads to chapters that go back in time to pinpoint the roots of beliefs, actions and reactions, following an evolving friendship and a scouting troop's encounters with the wilderness and each other.
In addition to the close-held big secret there are further challenges from life, from childhood leukemia to an abandoned farmhouse, a mysterious graveyard and an odd mourner, and unsolved murders that invite young sleuths to investigate.
Chapters follow these threads and flush out details about the girls' friendships and growth, creating a compelling young adult read that skillfully follows the uncertainties of romances and the evolution of friendships ties over the years.
Moments of introspection are often set against the backdrop of campfires and camaraderie: "By the time they returned to their campsite, they were tired and hungry. Hot dogs, baked beans and potato chips were devoured in short order and then everyone roasted marshmallows over the campfire.
“I hope we will always be friends,” Grace said as the flames licked the black sky. “Why wouldn’t we?” Peaches asked. “Oh, you know, people go away to school or get married and have families and they lose touch with their old friends,” Grace replied."
As childhood friendships change and marriages commence, the chaos of childhood traumas begin to fade and Cassie, Peaches and her friends move into adult routines of college, only to find murder again strikes too close to home: this time with the disappearance and untimely demise of Cassie's roommate.
Annual get-togethers keep the friends connected despite life's challenges and eventually life's recovery process reaches out to all - even those who seemed irrevocably lost.
Troop 458 is all about the evolution of friendships against all odds, about these friendships withstanding the tests of time and strife, and about growth and evolution.
Readers seeking high drama may be disappointed: Troop 458 isn't that kind of story. Instead it's like a river: gently winding, with turbulence and turmoil smoothing out in calmer waters. It brings mature young adult and adult readers into the world of girls who ride the tide of life, who grow up to overcome physical and emotional obstacles, and who, in the end, each discover different forms of love and healing.
Hot link to above review:
Young Adult
Dracula: The Real Story
Ken Derby
Illusion Publishing
ISBN-10: 0615919758
ISBN-13: 978-0615919751
Ebook Price: $2.99
No website: Publisher email: [email protected]
Dracula: The Real Story is a juvenile biography at its best: and because the subject involves a somewhat sinister figure, it'll attract more leisure readers in the 9-12 age group than most biographies.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy a vivid nonfiction probe of one Vlad Dracula, a little-known Romanian prince who emerged from fugitive status to become one of the most influential warlords of his time, operating between the Ottoman and European Empires with such cunning and brutal tactics (even for the fifteenth century) that he earned the title 'Vlad the Impaler'.
Dracula: The Real Story opens with a quiz and a challenge: who was the real Dracula? Was he a supernaturally-powered count who feasted on the blood of women by night, stymied only by religious symbols; was he a prince obsessed with torture, who terrorized warlords and ambassadors alike? Either way, Dracula was relatively fearless - and the intense descriptions of violence, and the author's skill at contrasting reality with fantasy will draw mature young readers into a fascinating story that seems like fiction, but is historical fact.
Its dialogue isn't your usual stilted nonfiction read, but a lively set of interactions between author and reader often couched in the first person to encourage a personal level of involvement: "Dracula, a prince? I don’t think so, you might say to yourself. Princes are noble, charming, and civilized. Besides, I’ve never heard of this skull-nailing, bloody carpenter. Dracula’s a bloodsucker, a vampire, right? Fangs, blood, bats, garlic, wooden stakes, castles, Transylvania…you know—the count! Ah, yes. The count. The world knows about him, but where did he come from?"
Would that all young adult nonfiction titles adopt this tone: there'd be many more young readers interested in learning, with such an entertaining and interactive approach! But then again, what young reader wouldn't be interested in learning more about Dracula, the first vampire outlined in literature?
Quotes from source materials (letters, writings of the times) accompany this lively survey and support its contentions and history. From how Vlad discovered his brother had been tortured and murdered to the politics of his era and a focus on revenge which turned into a lifelong obsession with violence, Dracula: The Real Story is more than a narrowed focus of a man's life, but a wider portrait of fifteenth century intrigue and power struggles. Juvenile readers learn about the dilemmas, conflicts, and approaches to war that were altered by Dracula and his motivations, and, surprisingly, how he was viewed as a hero by some.
Want to get juveniles interested in history? Begin with Dracula: The Real Story: there's no better way of creating this interest than with a work of nonfiction that uses the specter of a real-life 'vampire' and then brings it to life with vivid, rich and interactive descriptions!
Hot link to above review:
Ken Derby
Illusion Publishing
ISBN-10: 0615919758
ISBN-13: 978-0615919751
Ebook Price: $2.99
No website: Publisher email: [email protected]
Dracula: The Real Story is a juvenile biography at its best: and because the subject involves a somewhat sinister figure, it'll attract more leisure readers in the 9-12 age group than most biographies.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy a vivid nonfiction probe of one Vlad Dracula, a little-known Romanian prince who emerged from fugitive status to become one of the most influential warlords of his time, operating between the Ottoman and European Empires with such cunning and brutal tactics (even for the fifteenth century) that he earned the title 'Vlad the Impaler'.
Dracula: The Real Story opens with a quiz and a challenge: who was the real Dracula? Was he a supernaturally-powered count who feasted on the blood of women by night, stymied only by religious symbols; was he a prince obsessed with torture, who terrorized warlords and ambassadors alike? Either way, Dracula was relatively fearless - and the intense descriptions of violence, and the author's skill at contrasting reality with fantasy will draw mature young readers into a fascinating story that seems like fiction, but is historical fact.
Its dialogue isn't your usual stilted nonfiction read, but a lively set of interactions between author and reader often couched in the first person to encourage a personal level of involvement: "Dracula, a prince? I don’t think so, you might say to yourself. Princes are noble, charming, and civilized. Besides, I’ve never heard of this skull-nailing, bloody carpenter. Dracula’s a bloodsucker, a vampire, right? Fangs, blood, bats, garlic, wooden stakes, castles, Transylvania…you know—the count! Ah, yes. The count. The world knows about him, but where did he come from?"
Would that all young adult nonfiction titles adopt this tone: there'd be many more young readers interested in learning, with such an entertaining and interactive approach! But then again, what young reader wouldn't be interested in learning more about Dracula, the first vampire outlined in literature?
Quotes from source materials (letters, writings of the times) accompany this lively survey and support its contentions and history. From how Vlad discovered his brother had been tortured and murdered to the politics of his era and a focus on revenge which turned into a lifelong obsession with violence, Dracula: The Real Story is more than a narrowed focus of a man's life, but a wider portrait of fifteenth century intrigue and power struggles. Juvenile readers learn about the dilemmas, conflicts, and approaches to war that were altered by Dracula and his motivations, and, surprisingly, how he was viewed as a hero by some.
Want to get juveniles interested in history? Begin with Dracula: The Real Story: there's no better way of creating this interest than with a work of nonfiction that uses the specter of a real-life 'vampire' and then brings it to life with vivid, rich and interactive descriptions!
Hot link to above review:
First Impression: A Shadow Maven Paranormal
Pauline Creeden
AltWit Press
9781495303944 $7.99
http://www.amazon.com/First-Impression-Pauline-Creeden/dp/1495303942
First Impression opens with a bang: the bang of an owl's beak on the window; and young adult audiences are off and running from its first captivating paragraph: "I watched for the owl with my Hogwarts letter to appear on my 10th birthday, but he never did. So when an owl taps at my bedroom window near midnight six years too late, I am more confused than elated. I had never seen an owl before except in the movies. The street lamp casts a yellow pallor on this one, but still its feathers shine just shy of iridescent. Varying shades of brown and gold weave throughout its wings and cover its back. It pecks again at my window pane with its amber beak."
As Chira's story evolves, readers come to recognize Chira is a realist who longs for a touch of magic in her pragmatic world. Given her strength and determination, she does find that magic; albeit not in places and forms she expects.
All the elements of a captivating story line are cleverly woven into a vivid, memorable plot: there's a haunted schoolhouse, a new transfer student who has a pet owl and a strange past, a stepfather whose vicious tongue and surly ways seek to repress Chira's spirit, and most of all: the spark and fight of a teen determined to get the most out of life.
As Chira becomes friends with the enigmatic Ben and his owl companion, they embark on a journey of discovery and sleuthing that involve them a real investigation that involves the disappearances of teens in a nearby town.
As boundaries between the supernatural and reality blur, the two find themselves on a very strange journey together that reveals hidden truths and requires help from the other side: "Ben’s jaw tightens and his voice sounds hard and raspy, somehow even deeper than usual because it’s low. “There are only two kinds of haunting. Impressions and ossessions. This is clearly an impression.” “Huh?”…“Proof of an impression.” Ben leans in. “What she just described was like a movie on replay. The impression of a life was imprinted in the place where violence occurred. That much is obvious. That’s the first sort of ‘ghost.’”
In such a scenario, Ben's background (having been raised by monks) is not only an oddity; it's an asset offering a rare opportunity for understanding and problem-solving. As he and Chira face down impossible dangers in the course of their adventures, they awaken something deadly that could be from another side. Or, is it human after all?
Satisfying twists and turns of plot keep young adult readers guessing throughout, with curses becoming gifts and back again. Is a demon on the loose, or is it the ugliness of a real world gone amok?
Either way, First Impression succeeds in creating a spellbinding story wrapped around a spunky, irrepressible protagonist and her newfound friend, and creates an absorbing story packed with adventure right up to its emotionally charged, satisfying conclusion.
Hot link to above review:
Pauline Creeden
AltWit Press
9781495303944 $7.99
http://www.amazon.com/First-Impression-Pauline-Creeden/dp/1495303942
First Impression opens with a bang: the bang of an owl's beak on the window; and young adult audiences are off and running from its first captivating paragraph: "I watched for the owl with my Hogwarts letter to appear on my 10th birthday, but he never did. So when an owl taps at my bedroom window near midnight six years too late, I am more confused than elated. I had never seen an owl before except in the movies. The street lamp casts a yellow pallor on this one, but still its feathers shine just shy of iridescent. Varying shades of brown and gold weave throughout its wings and cover its back. It pecks again at my window pane with its amber beak."
As Chira's story evolves, readers come to recognize Chira is a realist who longs for a touch of magic in her pragmatic world. Given her strength and determination, she does find that magic; albeit not in places and forms she expects.
All the elements of a captivating story line are cleverly woven into a vivid, memorable plot: there's a haunted schoolhouse, a new transfer student who has a pet owl and a strange past, a stepfather whose vicious tongue and surly ways seek to repress Chira's spirit, and most of all: the spark and fight of a teen determined to get the most out of life.
As Chira becomes friends with the enigmatic Ben and his owl companion, they embark on a journey of discovery and sleuthing that involve them a real investigation that involves the disappearances of teens in a nearby town.
As boundaries between the supernatural and reality blur, the two find themselves on a very strange journey together that reveals hidden truths and requires help from the other side: "Ben’s jaw tightens and his voice sounds hard and raspy, somehow even deeper than usual because it’s low. “There are only two kinds of haunting. Impressions and ossessions. This is clearly an impression.” “Huh?”…“Proof of an impression.” Ben leans in. “What she just described was like a movie on replay. The impression of a life was imprinted in the place where violence occurred. That much is obvious. That’s the first sort of ‘ghost.’”
In such a scenario, Ben's background (having been raised by monks) is not only an oddity; it's an asset offering a rare opportunity for understanding and problem-solving. As he and Chira face down impossible dangers in the course of their adventures, they awaken something deadly that could be from another side. Or, is it human after all?
Satisfying twists and turns of plot keep young adult readers guessing throughout, with curses becoming gifts and back again. Is a demon on the loose, or is it the ugliness of a real world gone amok?
Either way, First Impression succeeds in creating a spellbinding story wrapped around a spunky, irrepressible protagonist and her newfound friend, and creates an absorbing story packed with adventure right up to its emotionally charged, satisfying conclusion.
Hot link to above review:
Journey To Landaran
Judy Goodwin
Diamond Print Press
1480 W Page Ave, Gilbert, AZ 85233
eBook: ISBN-13: 9781310098789
Print ISBN-13: 978-0615917474
Price: eBook: $3.99, Trade paperback: $14.99
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/journey-to-landaran-judy-goodwin/1118827756?ean=9780615917474
http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Landaran-Book-Spirit-Volume/dp/061591747X/
Journey To Landaran is Book One of the 'Spirit Mage Saga', and is young adult fantasy at its best, presenting a map and an old (230-year) woman who holds onto a fading hope that a seven-times granddaughter living an isolated rural life will give birth to the last generation with the Life Talent that has condemned Korva to be one of the last Great Protectors of her era.
Her desires for peace are about to be answered as she makes the discovery that, indeed, Arlene is about to give birth to not one but two Talents: forces that will change the world.
Tavish and Aidah manage to successfully grow up in a small village with no evidence of their strange abilities: but that peaceful time is about to come to a close as they began to manifest Talents of their own. It's obvious that Tavish is a Firestarter, but Aidah fears she's also developing her own Talent … a force that will both compliment and supersede her brother's formidable powers.
Time for a journey and a mission: one that could not only change the world, but lead nations to war (after all, with the ability to read minds, travel through dreams, and possess bodies, the sky's the limit.)
Or so it seems to twins who face danger at every turn, struggling with undeveloped powers and their evolution and the designs and schemes of those who would harness such for their own goals.
Mature young adults will find this no simple saga: it's permeated with the hearts and minds of some who are good and some who are evil.
A swirl of secrets revolve around their efforts, challenging both to new perspectives and to setting aside personal comfort for the greater good: "Brenton didn’t need to know any of this. He was burdened enough with the care of them, and his thoughts were bleak….If he knew what Rangwar was doing to his niece right under his protection, it would devastate him. She couldn’t do that to him. And Tavish—well, he’d shoot flames if he knew, and run off to defend her honor. And Derg—he’d probably die of shame like he always said he’d do if he failed in his role as guardian. She didn’t really know what he’d do, but it would be to harm himself, of that she was certain. He always kept things inside. Just like her."
From deaths that need avenging to inner struggles to find courage against all odds, Journey To Landaran is as much about the hunt for personal bravery as it is about handling outside forces, spreading darkness, and strange new powers. The focus is on Aidah, in particular, and her growth and perspectives fuels an already-volatile story of powerful twins who go out into the world to seek their destiny.
As the two become immersed in events that preclude war, Journey To Landaran also is about developing social and political savvy in a changing world - and while its conclusion is open-ended, suffice it to say that great changes take place between the story's opening and its conclusion.
Keep in mind this is Book 1: as such, look for more great things as Aidah and her brother find their talents affecting a world-changing battle.
Hot link to above review:
Judy Goodwin
Diamond Print Press
1480 W Page Ave, Gilbert, AZ 85233
eBook: ISBN-13: 9781310098789
Print ISBN-13: 978-0615917474
Price: eBook: $3.99, Trade paperback: $14.99
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/journey-to-landaran-judy-goodwin/1118827756?ean=9780615917474
http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Landaran-Book-Spirit-Volume/dp/061591747X/
Journey To Landaran is Book One of the 'Spirit Mage Saga', and is young adult fantasy at its best, presenting a map and an old (230-year) woman who holds onto a fading hope that a seven-times granddaughter living an isolated rural life will give birth to the last generation with the Life Talent that has condemned Korva to be one of the last Great Protectors of her era.
Her desires for peace are about to be answered as she makes the discovery that, indeed, Arlene is about to give birth to not one but two Talents: forces that will change the world.
Tavish and Aidah manage to successfully grow up in a small village with no evidence of their strange abilities: but that peaceful time is about to come to a close as they began to manifest Talents of their own. It's obvious that Tavish is a Firestarter, but Aidah fears she's also developing her own Talent … a force that will both compliment and supersede her brother's formidable powers.
Time for a journey and a mission: one that could not only change the world, but lead nations to war (after all, with the ability to read minds, travel through dreams, and possess bodies, the sky's the limit.)
Or so it seems to twins who face danger at every turn, struggling with undeveloped powers and their evolution and the designs and schemes of those who would harness such for their own goals.
Mature young adults will find this no simple saga: it's permeated with the hearts and minds of some who are good and some who are evil.
A swirl of secrets revolve around their efforts, challenging both to new perspectives and to setting aside personal comfort for the greater good: "Brenton didn’t need to know any of this. He was burdened enough with the care of them, and his thoughts were bleak….If he knew what Rangwar was doing to his niece right under his protection, it would devastate him. She couldn’t do that to him. And Tavish—well, he’d shoot flames if he knew, and run off to defend her honor. And Derg—he’d probably die of shame like he always said he’d do if he failed in his role as guardian. She didn’t really know what he’d do, but it would be to harm himself, of that she was certain. He always kept things inside. Just like her."
From deaths that need avenging to inner struggles to find courage against all odds, Journey To Landaran is as much about the hunt for personal bravery as it is about handling outside forces, spreading darkness, and strange new powers. The focus is on Aidah, in particular, and her growth and perspectives fuels an already-volatile story of powerful twins who go out into the world to seek their destiny.
As the two become immersed in events that preclude war, Journey To Landaran also is about developing social and political savvy in a changing world - and while its conclusion is open-ended, suffice it to say that great changes take place between the story's opening and its conclusion.
Keep in mind this is Book 1: as such, look for more great things as Aidah and her brother find their talents affecting a world-changing battle.
Hot link to above review: