Revell; 352 pages; $15.99; Amazon

Now available from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is the Christian romance novel Sandpiper Cove, book three in the Hope Harper series, by three-time Rita award winner Irene Hannon.

I wasn't really intrigued by the cover art when I first saw it. I have read a few other titles by the author, so that's about the only reason why I signed up to review this one.

The novel is set at the Oregon seaside village called Hope Harbor, and centers on police chief and single mom Lexie Graham. She doesn't have much time for anything else life has to offer, especially romance, which is the last thing on her mind. Of course this a romance, so her mind (and her heart) changes after she meets ex-con Adam Stone, who she later enlists to help a troubled young man.

Mill Creek Ent.; Rated R; 110 minutes;

Now available on Blu-ray from Mill Creek Entertainment is the 1986 Michael Mann produced action-drama Band Of The Hand. Directed by Paul Michael Glaser, the film stars Stephen Lang, Michael Carmine, Lauren Holly, John Cameron Mitchell, Danny Quinn, Leon, and Laurence Fishburne. There are no special features or bonus extras on the disc.

Band Of The Hand centers on five young felons, Ruben Pacecho (played by Michael Carmine), Moss Roosevelt (played by Leon Robinson), Carlos Aragon (played by Danny Quinn), James Lee "J.L." MacEwen (played by John Cameron Mitchell), and Dorcey Bridger (played by Al Shannon), who all get a second chance after being accepted into an experimental rehab program led by a Vietnam veteran named "Indian Joe" Tegra (played by Stephen Lang).

Tegra drags the five felons into the dangerous swamps and forces them to learn how to survive. Afterwards, they work together on restoring a vacant house in a bad neighborhood in Miami. This might all sound good at first, but their actions causes a war with the local drug kingpin named Cream (played by Laurence Fishburne).

The one thing you might know about me from reading this blog is the little fact that I wear eyeglasses. I got my first pair of eyeglasses in between 5th and 6th grade, right before the flood of 1993. Since then I've owned several other pairs (with prescriptions) over the years. I've tried wearing contacts, but I've never cared much for them, so I've stuck with wearing eyeglasses.

I've been avoiding buying a new pair of eyeglasses because they're getting too expensive at the optometrist's office or even at the eye center at Walmart. I have two pairs of eyeglasses - one for everyday use and a "good" pair for special occasions. The lenses on my "everyday" pair have scratches on them and the frame has seen better days, so I had been wanting to get a new pair.

One of the good things about having the internet is that you can buy glasses online at a cheaper price at GlassesShop.com. All you need to know is your prescription and your PD (Pupillary Distance), and you can order any pair (or pairs) of eyeglasses, prescription sunglasses, or reading glasses that your heart desires.

Let's just say it took me forever to decide on what pair I wanted to get as there are lots of different kinds to choose from on GlassesShop.com. Eventually, I picked out the Fulton Rectangle (Black) pair which retails for $65.95 for the frame. It's made out of high quality titanium materials. With every frame purchased on GlassesShop.com, you get FREE single vision lenses, anti-scratch coating, a protective case, and a microfiber cleaning cloth ($129 total value).

HBO; TV-MA, Approx. 300 minutes; $24.98; Amazon

Available today on DVD, as well as Blu-ray, from HBO Home Entertainment is Silicon Valley: The Complete Third Season, featuring 10 episodes on a 2-disc set. There are no special features except for deleted scenes. It comes with a free Digital HD code.

Created by Mike Judge, John A ltschuler, and Dave Krinsky, the series stars Thomas Middleditch, T. J. Miller, Josh Brener, Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani, Amanda Crew, Zach Woods, Matt Ross, and Suzanne Cryer. Season three of the series received 11 Emmy® nominations including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Thomas Middleditch).

Season Three picks up shortly after events of season two finale, where the founder of Pied Piper, Richard (played by Middleditch) was removed as CEO of his own company by the now Raviga-run board. Jack Barker (played by Stephen Tobolowsky) is quickly hired as new CEO and his way of running things doesn't go well with Richard and the rest of his team - Erlich (T.J. Miller), Jared (Zach Woods), Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani) and Gilfoyle (Martin Starr).

Barker wants the company to release a business-platform box, but Richard and the team would rather release a consumer-facing platform. While Pied Piper team act like they will compromise and build the box, they're actually planning on going with the original plan and continue with their platform.

Now available from Red Adept Publishing is the urban fantasy Chaos Unbound, book two in the Metis Files series, by Brian S. Leon.




When did you become interested in storytelling?

Writing to tell stories is a relatively new thing for me. I only started doing it about six or seven years ago. I did a lot of expository writing for academic journals and such through grad school and then I wrote and edited articles for fishing magazines for years after that, but storytelling of this kind is new for me.

What was your first book/story published?

Havoc Rising, the first book in the Metis Files series. It was published in June of 2015.

What inspired you to write Chaos Unbound?

Someone described my first book as “Tom Clancy meets the Iliad,” and I wanted to write one that was more like “Jason Bourne meets Harry Potter.” I wanted one to write a story that was more nonstop action, something that moved from place to place in a hurry. Plus, there was the whole blackout thing that happened in San Diego and it seemed to make a perfect segue for a surreptitious chase scene.

What character in Chaos Unbound is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I suppose the character most like me is Diomedes, but only in some of the ways where I’ve been able to develop his personality a bit more in depth. Obviously I didn’t invent him. There are dozens of myths and legends about him, including whole sections of the Iliad. I got to flesh out his character a bit more and I’d say that’s where you might run into similarities. I also have some similarities with Duma, too. Abraxos, Duma’s brother, is probably the least like me—he’s all action and no planning. As for exactly how I’m like Duma and Diomedes, well, readers will just have to speculate.

What is your favorite part in Chaos Unbound?

Now available from author Dana Ford is the mystery novel Case File Phantom.


The author has taken a few minutes out of her busy schedule for a Q&A about her novel.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

I have been writing stories since I was in elementary school. My best friend and I would have sleepovers and write short stories through the night. Her reaction to my writing encouraged me to become a writer. 

What is your favorite part in Case File Phantom?

One of my favorite parts in this book is when Constance visits her sister's family for the weekend.

What was the hardest part to write?