The Friday 56 - Pigeon Pie Mystery

Rules:

Grab a book, any book. 

Turn to page 56. 

Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you. 

Post it. 

Add your (url) post below in the Linky at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/.

Guest Post with Linda Wood Rondeau

PTSD and the Christian 

In my thirty-year career in human services, I often counseled people experiencing PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). These issues are explored in my writings. The Other Side of Darkness is more than a romantic suspense. It is the story of believers who struggle to overcome significant past pain interfering with a full and satisfying spiritual life in the present.

Samantha Knowles is a victim of child abuse. She has trouble sleeping and is an overachiever. She strives to find purpose in her pain through her career as a Special Victims Prosecutor. However, she fails to recognize how she uses her position to exact revenge rather than the positive change she desires. In order to move from darkness to light, Sam must confront her post traumatic stress. Only when she surrenders her past to God is she able, with His help, to move from darkness to Light.

Review - Hope Springs

HOPE SPRINGS
Written by: KIM CASH TATE
Published by: Thomas Nelson
ISBN: 978-1-59554-997-6
Pages: 328
Pub Date: June 12, 2012

Becca Anderson has the chance to boost her career when she is invited to be the newest speaker at the Christian Women’s Conference. Her father-in-law suddenly dies, leaving her future in jeopardy as her husband feels he needs to pastor his father’s church in the small town of Hope Springs, NC.

Widowed Janelle Evans has lost her faith and is somewhat dreading going back to Hope Springs for a family reunion as this is the first without her late husband. Soon after arriving, she is reintroduced to the Sanders clan and learns that her grandmother is sick, resulting in her deciding to stay longer than she had planned.

Janelle’s Cousin Stephanie Landon is married to a doctor in St. Louis, and comes to the family reunion too. She also decides to stay a bit longer and help Janelle care for their grandmother.

Review - Five Mile South of Peculiar

FIVE MILES SOUTH OF PECULIAR
Written by: ANGELA HUNT
Published by: HOWARD BOOKS
ISBN: 978-1-4391-8204-8
Pages: 374
Pub Date: 2012

 On the morning of July 3, 1968, Charles Caldwell died. His estate, known as Sycamores, would become the property of Jackson County, Florida on July 3, 2018. Charles was a smart man, sheltering his land from any taxes, and setting up for any Caldwell descendant living on the property to receive a monthly income.

    Now this takes us to the present day where the widow Darlene Caldwell Young has spent most of her life taking care of the Sycamores in the small town of Peculiar. Her kids are now adults living in other states, and now it is just her and her younger unmarried sister, Magnolia or as everyone calls her, Nolia. Darlene’s fiftieth birthday is coming up and her boyfriend Henry, who is also the town’s mayor and owner of the local Piggly Wiggly, is planning a huge celebration.

    Meanwhile in New York, Carlene Caldwell, whom recently had throat surgery, is dealing with the thought that she might never be able to sing on stage again. Her agent recommends her to start acting in movies, which means moving to California. That’s when she gets a letter from Henry informing her that Peculiar is celebrating her twin's birthday, the sister she has been estranged from. She decides maybe returning to Sycamore is what she needed.

Guest Post with author Ann Montclair

When Life Imitates Art

by Ann Montclair

 

I plot. I imagine character first then I write a loose outline detailing the high and low points for my novel-in-progress. I’m not a pantser (a writer who just starts writing)—I create an outline and then allow my characters to fill in the details.

I was deep into drafting One Wet Summer, when I was called home to California to help my mom care for her mom—my grandma Martinez. She was entering home hospice, and it was time to say farewell.

The call came on the very same day I began writing the chapter where Maura Fields, my heroine in One Wet Summer, is called home to attend to her own grandmother. I remember seeing MOM appear on the screen of my phone and feeling irritated at being interrupted while creating a crucial scene. I answered, heard the news, and a chill traversed my body.

Guest Post with author Michael A. Rothman

As I’ve mentioned in some previous blog posts, the rule of thumb for most fiction today is that your young protagonist(s) must have a hectic home life. Assume they are either an orphan, have family issues of all varieties, or are otherwise stressed by their day-to-day situation.

My books are written in opposition to such norms, and headline protagonists which are likable, fallible, but otherwise should be very relatable. Everyone knows a brother who is a pain in the butt who you would protect with your own life, or an over-protective mother, etc. I aim to prove that the action and strife need not come from the family, but through the situations and adventures they are put through.

The Autobiography of Alexis Carver & Giveaway

I guess I should just start by introducing myself. My name is Alexis Carver,  I am a 17 year-old girl and currently go to ‘Molerie High’ with my best friend Edmund, there I met a great group of people who are now my closest friends. 

I grew up having parents who loved each other more than anything and such love was so inspiring that I decided to make a list of what my perfect guy would be like, my friend Cameron even joined in. The problem though, with parents who love each other that much, is that they no longer have room to love someone else. Namely, me. They were born travelers and having to settle down when I was born had put a cramp on their style. Once they realized they could leave me behind at the age of nine for just one trip, they took the opportunity. I’d stay at Cameron’s place until they came back. However, there was always another trip, and once they realized they could work as freelance journalists their trips kept increasing to the extent that I rarely got to see them, once or twice a year if I was lucky. Of course all my birthdays were forgotten though I did get the occasional postcard and phone call. Though at some point they decided to settle down again, just not in the same country – or even continent – they found an ‘amazing’ house in Tuscany and decided to live there, never even bothering to invite me for a holiday.

The Friday 56 - Five Miles South of Peculiar

Rules:

Grab a book, any book. 

Turn to page 56. 

Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you. 

Post it. 

Add your (url) post below in the Linky at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/.

Guest Post with author Sadie Hart

 

Where did you get the idea for Shifter Town Enforcement and the Hounds?

Shifter Town Enforcement actually came to me on a bit of a whim. I’d wanted to do a story about a Irish wolfhound shape-shifter having to hunt a werewolf for awhile, but a solid idea had yet to come to me so it was just sitting on the backburner. When I started Hounded I really thought it was going to be a novella and I could use it to wrap up some ideas I hadn’t been able to shake. I figured I could do lion-shifters and a Rhodesian ridgeback hunting them. After all, ridgebacks had been bred to hunt lions, the idea still worked.

Then Lennox walked on stage and she was a Hound for Shifter Town Enforcement and I was going what?? This isn’t in my outline. But I was utterly fascinated and she wouldn’t take no for an answer, so I decided to let her run with it and see. I guess it should be obvious, but I’ve never been really good at following an outline. So I tossed what I thought would happen out the window and decided to see where the next few scenes took me.

Review: Angel Eyes by Shannon Dittemore

In this YA paranormal Christian thriller, teenager Brielle is dealing with the death of her best friend. She leaves the big city life and returns to the small town life in Stratus, Oregon to live with her father. Stricken with grief and guilt, she starts anew at the Stratus High School, hoping that her emotional pain will go away.

She is befriended by Jake, a new student that sits next to her during calculus class, and the two of them have an instant chemistry. Whenever a situation occurs, mysteriously Jake is there to help her as he has supernatural powers. Brielle has special gifts of her own as she can cross into another realm, which is normally seen by angels and demons.

Book Review - The Reckoning by Alma Katsu

The Reckoning
AUTHOR: Alma Katsu
PUBLISHED BY: Gallery Books
ISBN: 9781451681536
RELEASED DATE: June 2012
PAGES: 348

    In book two of the Taker Trilogy, the immortal Lanore, aka Lanny as he friends call her, is wanted for murder in the United States for the unknown man (her love, Jonathan St. Andrew) that was found in the small town of St. Andrew, Maine. She barely escaped with the help of her now lover Dr. Luke Findley, who has left his children and his life for her.

    They reside in London, where Lanny has decided to giveaway all of the wonderful treasures she has collected, some stolen, over the years. After the death of Jonathan, she wanted to start anew by uncluttering her life. With Luke’s help, she has boxed up the treasures and donated them to different museums around the world. Lanny was looking forward to having a life with Luke, but then she gets a strange feeling that her taker Adair has been awaken from his confinement, the very one that she personally put him in, and she knows that nothing will ever be the same.

Review: Survivors by Z.A. Recht

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Morningstar Strain outbreak first occurred in Africa, in which US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases expert Anna DeMilio begged the government to strictly isolate the infected, but instead they tried to isolate the continent resulting in the virus going worldwide, turning billions into zombies.

With Agent Mason at her side, Anna is escorted by General Sherman and his men to a top secret, hi-tech bio-hazard lab in Omaha, Nebraska, so Anna can work on a cure for the virus. Meanwhile, the Chairman orders Agent Sawyer and his rogue Reunited States of America army to track down Anna and bring her to him as he believes she already has an antidote. They are to capture her at any cost. Another small army led by General Shannon is looking for Anna too, as one of the soldiers may be immune to the zombie virus.

Review - Google Income

GOOGLE INCOME: How Anyone of Any Age, Location, and/or Background Can Build A Highly Profitable Online Business With Google
Written by: BRUCE C. BROWN
Published by: ATLANTIC PUBLISHING GROUP, INC.
ISBN: 978-1-60138-300-6
Pages: 504
Pub Date: 2009

    GOOGLE INCOME: How Anyone of Any Age, Location, and/or Background Can Build a Highly Profitable Online Business With Google is written with the purpose of educating businesses, authors, or bloggers with ways to use the internet for marketing for brand/product. Millions of people use the internet everyday, which can be potential customers/clients for you. The first step is performing a market analysis, increasing your public profile, and establishing the best marketing strategies.

    In chapter three, you’ll learn about how to generate website traffic and income by using successful search engines, meta tag definitions, title tags, description tags, search engine registration, and site maps. You’ll learn the importance of what the inbound and outbound links on your site has on your Google rank. The author brushes you up on pay-per-click advertising, aka Adwords, and how you can benefit from a Google Adwords Campaign.

Review - THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO ADWORDS

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO ADWORDS
Written by: LARISA LAMBERT
Published by: ATLANTIC PUBLISHING GROUP, INC.
ISBN: 978-1601383181
Pages: 288
Pub Date: 2011

    Whether you are a small or lager business owner, a writer, or even a blogger, Google Adwords is an easy and smart way to take your business into a whole new direction. I have seen the Adwords information on blogger, but I never actually knew what exactly it was about until I read The Complete Guide to Adwords that I received courtesy of Atlantic Publishing.

    Author Larisa Lambert consults on advertising, marketing, publishing, and other business endeavors, and has helped businesses grow by using Google Adwords. For any successful business, getting the word out about your company takes time and with the world-wide-net, you can successfully market your business.

Guest Post with author Patricia Yager Delagrange

My five favorite scenes in Moon Over Alcatraz.

#1.

Weston opened the front door of our house on Lauren Drive just a few blocks away from the hospital and I stepped through the threshold. Every chair, each pillow in the front room looked as if it had been reupholstered in drab, lifeless material. Walls, knickknacks, rugs took on an alien quality. I was seeing them for the first time with a new pair of eyes, filtered through a veil of tragedy and disappointment.

(Brandy has just returned from the hospital - without their baby. Her grief is so evident here. She feels like a totally different person. Her world has tilted precariously and nothing will ever look the same to her again. She’s not sure how she will be able to go on, after looking forward to having her first child.)

#2.

Weston nodded at the man standing next to Mr. Peralta and our baby was slowly lowered into the gaping maw. She reached the bottom, and a bird landed on the rich brown dirt piled next to the grave. It pecked around, chirping a little song then flew off - as if saying goodbye. My heart squeezed inside my chest.

(Brandy and Weston are so devastated over the death of their child, they don’t want to share their grief with anyone. Neither of them can imagine greeting people, hearing their well-meant words of comfort. They turn away from any solace they might have found from those who know and love them. They’re completely alone in their grief.)

Guest Post with author Ray Gorham

A New Author Looks at Reviews

Being a first time author, I’ve come to realize how important reviews are in so many ways for a writer. Prior to publishing, I would read through the message boards that Amazon provides for the writers who publish there. A lot of the stuff was on the technical elements of writing, but I was surprised by how many threads were posted by writers who were either celebrating a new review, or trying to solicit a fellow writer to provide them with a review.

“Don’t be so needy,” I would think. Then I published, and waited for the reviews to come pouring in. Didn’t happen. My first customers were friends and family, so after a few days I sent an email out saying it would be helpful to see a review (how long can it take you to read my book was, I think, the underlying message). Nothing. “I must stink as a writer,” I thought, “or everyone would post a review.” Then it happened. A friend posted a review. It was short and sweet, but 5 stars, and said good things about the book. Maybe I do have value as a writer.

Over the next weeks and months that one review has grown into a wonderful library of customer feedback. I’ve been blessed with some very kind readers who have encouraged me to continue on with this new endeavor, and I’m extremely grateful to them. As the process has unfolded, I’ve learned a lot about the value of reviews.

First and foremost, reviews give great encouragement to the author, especially self-published writers. I don’t know that JK Rowling obsesses over reviews, but from my experience and based on message board posts, I promise that self-published writers do. Reviews give legitimacy to a book. Sales of my book started at a trickle (to be polite), but once there were a dozen or so reviews, sales started to pick up. Reviews inform potential readers about the book. When authors submit their work to Amazon, we are limited to how much we can blurb about it (both by Amazon and good taste). A good review can give prospective readers information an author can’t.

Review - Lucy Come Home

Lucy Come Home
AUTHOR: Dave and Neta Jackson
PUBLISHED BY: Castle Rock Creative
ISBN: 978-0-9820544-3-7
RELEASED DATE: June 13, 2012
PAGES: 424


    Lucy Come Home is book one in A Yada Yada Journey of Hope series which is a spin-off of the authors Dave and Neta Jackson’s Yada Yada House of Hope series. This is my first read from the authors, but from my understanding there are a few recurring characters from their other books in this one including Lucy.

    Living on the streets of Chicago is the soon to be an eighty-year-old Lucy Tuckers, who is known to some as the crotchety old bag lady. Everyone may just see a homeless woman, but Lucy has a reason for being where she is and her tale begins to unravel as her life unexpectedly collides with a young woman and her aging mother.

    The novel flips back and forth from the present day to the 1940’s, where we get an understanding of why Lucy is the way she is, where she left home as a teenager, to later becoming a widow, to eventually living on the streets.

Guest Post with author D.D. Roy

 

Writing What Thrills You 

By D.D. Roy, author of Jinnie Wishmaker 

Jinnie Wishmaker almost didn't get written at all. In November 2007, I was preparing to write a completely different book for grown ups for National Novel Writing Month.

But just three days into the writing challenge, I found I hated the book. It was sad and dark. I remember sitting with my kids to watch the movie Meet the Robinsons. At the end of that movie I knew I wanted to write something amazing and magical with the craziest happy ending EVER.

Since my favorite writer of magical things as a kid was Roald Dahl, I quickly read my favorites, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda. Matilda especially intrigued me. I wondered what would happen if you granted someone a power that someone else tried to take away?

And so the book began. If you've read those books or seen Meet the Robinsons, you'll recognize one thing that I did just like them. All the kids in the book are practical and smart and, well, they act normal.

Review - Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
AUTHOR: Seth Grahame-Smith
PUBLISHED BY: Hachette Book Group
ISBN: 978-0-446-56308-6
RELEASED DATE: 2010
PAGES: 340

    After his mother’s death, an eleven-year-old Abraham Lincoln is told the truth about vampires from his father. His grandfather, who was also called Abraham Lincoln, was killed by a vampire. To make matters worse, he learns that because his father could not pay a debt, his mother was given a high dose of vampire blood, resulting in her death. From that day forward Abraham vowed to kill every last bloodsucker that came into his path.

    At the age of seventeen, he befriends a vampire Henry Sturges, who informs him that there are good vampires and then there are evil ones. Henry sees potential in the young Abe and spends the summer training him to become a vampire hunter, especially on how to use an axe.

    For the next several years they worked as a team, with Henry providing Abe with vampire names and addresses, and Abe killed them one by one. Abe learns that vampires own slaves and  they use them not as workers, but as meals. He is horrified of this and realizes that there is only one way to get rid of vampires - starve them by ending slavery.

Review - Severed

SEVERED
Authors: Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft
Art & Covers: Attila Futaki 
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
ISBN: 9781607065296 
Pub Date: April 24, 2012
Pages: 192


     In this disturbing adult horror graphic novel, Jack Garron receives a letter that a stranger left in his grandson’s hands that shock him to his core. He starts to remember what happened to him when he was a kid.

    In 1916, Jack had recently found out that he was adopted when he received a letter from his birth father who said he was playing at the Majestic Theater in Chicago. Jack was thrilled that his father was a famous musician as Jack was very talented with a violin. One night, he says good night to his adopted mother, packs his bags along with his violin, and takes off into the night, planning on finding his father. He jumps onto a moving freight train where he is attacked by a drifter, but is luckily saved by another runaway - a girl named Sam who dresses as boy because it is safer for her to travel.

    Meanwhile in Illinois, an orphan boy’s body was found mutilated, which stuns the local police. What kind of human could do this? Or was it something else?

Guest Post with author Viji K. Chary

More Than Action

by Viji K. Chary

When I was in middle school, I used to read the same books over and over again. Most were below my reading level. At that time, I was not interesting in reading middle-school books. I found them lacking in excitement - too many books with long descriptive passages, undecipherable characters and not enough action.

So, when my sixth grade teacher, Ms. Kahn assigned the class to write a story, the first thing I put in was action. Looking back, that was the only good writing trait in that story!

I wrote about a main character who swam a race across a lake with her friend. Soon after the race began, ‘something’ pulled on her foot. Scared, she climbed out of the lake and ran to the other side.

Review - Usagi Yojimbo: Volume 26 - Traitors of the Earth

The Usagi Yojimbo comic book series was created by Stan Sakai back in 1987. I recall the rabbit samurai appearing a few times in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, so when I saw Volume 26 was available to review on NetGalley, I was eager to review it. Set during the early 17th century in Japan, the human characters are replaced by animals. Usagi is heavily influenced by the Japanese cinema and is partially based on the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi.

Guest Post with author Robert B. Lowe

WHAT INSPIRED THE PLOT OF PROJECT MOSES?

by Robert B. Lowe

There are a few elements to the plot. There is the grand conspiracy that the main characters discover and must reveal before the rogue agents and corporate masterminds can find and kill the heroes. And, there also is the dynamic of how everything occurs. How the pieces of the grand conspiracy come to light. And, how the main characters uncover the plot and launch their counterattack of sorts against the bad guys.

Journalism.

I’ve made a couple of career changes but my first was as a journalist out of college. I spent 12 years working on newspapers in Arizona and Florida. During most of those years, my job was to work on investigative stories. Sometimes this was based on tips that came in, information that beat reporters had turned up, or simply something in the news that just didn’t look right and deserved more scrutiny.

When it came to deciding on the main character for Project Moses, it was natural to make him – Enzo Lee – a reporter. Like a cop or a lawyer, a journalist is a handy protagonist since he or she always is looking into something new and interesting. Whether it’s a crime or just a light feature, reporters are out there gathering information and in a position to stumble upon something that can drive a mystery-thriller – horrendous crime, massive conspiracy, some truly bad guys, etc. 

Review - Skip Rock Shallows

Skip Rock Shallows
AUTHOR: Jan Watson
PUBLISHED BY: Tyndale Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-4143-3914-6
RELEASED DATE: May 18 2012
PAGES: 400

 Fresh out of medical school Lilly Gray Corbett takes an internship in the coal camp of Skip Rock, Kentucky, but not long after she arrives, the town’s doctor dies leaving her as the town’s only physician. The men in the town aren’t ready for a woman doctor and are never respectable to her, treating her as second-class. Skip Rock is a coal town so accidents and injures occur constantly, challenging Lilly everyday.

    Her finance Paul is also a doctor, but is in Boston, where she had planned to meet him after her internship is over and begin her life as a doctor’s wife. As she becomes closer to the people of Skip Rock, she debates whether or not she should leave or stay. To make matters worse is that she starts to have feelings for a coal miner named Tern Still.

The Friday 56 - Survivors

Rules:

Grab a book, any book. 

Turn to page 56. 

Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you. 

Post it. 

Add your (url) post below in the Linky at http://fredasvoice.blogspot.com/.

True Blood, Dallas, The Perry Files, Books, and Hops

With the internet on and off (mostly off) this week, I have fallen behind on a few reviews, in which I hope to catch up with in the next few days. I did break my dreaded insomnia a few days ago, but now I am catching a cold. Last weekend I saw Dark Shadows at my local theater, which I thought was better than what I was expecting. You can read my review here on it.

Anybody watch True Blood? I liked it, but I could have done without the vampire incest and the Tara turning into a vampire. Tara is the worst character on the series, completely different from the books, and I wish they would just kill her off.

I actually watched TNT's Dallas last night. I recall my grandparents watching the series, so I was not completely clueless about the show. I thought it was alright, and fits in with being a sequel than a reboot.

Guest Post & Giveaway with author Priya Arids

Locations, Locations, Locations 
(of My Merlin) 

The setting makes the story. One of the cool things about writing an epic story that is set in today’s world is the opportunity to include all the wonderful places that surround us. You’ve probably seen them on TV and may have been lucky to visit some. As the world becomes increasingly virtual, I found I was starting to forget what actually walking in these various places felt like.

So in My Merlin you have a chance to step into Ryan’s shoes and explore them with her. Here are a few that I have a connection to which make up a big piece of the My Merlin story.

Concord, Massachusetts – The birthplace of the American Revolution. “The shot heard around the world.” Why does My Merlin start off here? I thought it fitting that if the world should be turned-upside, the origins should be here. Concord (a town just outside Boston) has a wonderful flavor of American history and its rebellious spirit. One of the places I toured years ago was the House of Seven Gables. I always wanted an excuse to put this truly haunted house into a story. In Book 2, My Merlin Awakening, I got the chance.

Review - Dancing Naked in Dixie

Dancing Naked in Dixie
AUTHOR: Lauren Clark
PUBLISHED BY: Monterey Press
ASIN: B0082205JY
PUB DATE: May 9, 2012
PAGES: 267

    Julia Sullivan is a travel writer for the Getaway Magazine and she is given an assignment that takes her to Eufaula, Alabama to cover the annual Winter Pilgrimage event. Julia is use to traveling to exotic locations and going to Alabama doesn’t thrill her at all, but she doesn’t have a choice. Her new boss isn’t fond of her and to keep her job she has take the assignment.

    She is surprised to see how friendly the Eufaula locals are and takes in the Southern life, meeting quirky characters such as Shug, PD, Roger, and many others. Julia is emotionally drained for her mother’s passing and her battered relationship with her father. This simple assignment is turning into more of a life changing event, as she deals with her personal problems and unexpectedly finds romance.

Movie Review - Dark Shadows

I’m an avid Dark Shadows fan as I use to watch the original soap when it aired in reruns on the former Scifi Channel, and I recently watch the DVD of the 1991 revival series. I was aware of all the mixed reviews that Tim Burton’s remake received, but I still wanted to see the film. Dark Shadows happened to playing at my small local theater last weekend and I went to see the film at the Sunday matinee.

The film starts in the year 1760, where the Collins along with their young son Barnabas leave Liverpool and travel to the United States, where they open up a fishing port in Maine. Years go by and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) grows up to be somewhat of a playboy, fooling around a servant, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green), who is actually a powerful witch. Barnabas falls in love with Josette du Pres and rejects Angelique’s affections, but the witch doesn’t like rejection. She forces Josette to jump off a cliff, and one by one the Collins die. All but Barnabas as Angelique has cursed him into a vampire. When the town people find out about the vampire, they chain Barnabas inside a coffin and bury him.

It’s now 1972 and a young woman named Maggie Evans is arriving at the Collinwood Manor. She is running away from her haunting past and uses the name Victoria Winters as she accepts the job as David Collin’s governess.

Guest Post with author Hannah L. Clark

Top 10 Things To Do In Iceland

by Hannah L. Clark

So a big portion of Cobbogoth takes place in Iceland. I’ve never actually been there in real life, but I have been there many times in my imagination and through research—I think I’ve even been there once or twice in my dreams. If I could actually go there, however, these are the places I would visit.

1. 
   The Blue Lagoon. This is Iceland’s most famous geothermal pool, and you can bathe in it. It’s huge and is fed by mineral rich seawater that is heated by a nearby geothermal plant. http://www.bluelagoon.com/Geothermal-spa
2. Camp out in the middle of Iceland’s unpopulated tundra, away from all city lights just to watch the Northern Lights dance across the sky. http://www.iww.is/art/shs/pages/thumbs.html
3. Visit Gullfoss, Iceland’s most famous waterfall. Take a picnic and hope for a rainbow to show up in the midst of the falls—better yet, get lucky and see a double rainbow, and then ponder about what it could possibly mean.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gullfoss
4. Hike Mount Hekla and know once and for all what the “Gateway to Hell” really looks like. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hekla
5. While in Southern Iceland, so close to Hella, visit Aegissida farm along the Ytri-Ranga river and check out the 12 Caves of Aegissida—yes they really do exist. These caves look like little houses squished up against a hill side, and were believed to be made by Irish monks before the Vikings even settled Iceland. There are even Celtic markings on the walls of the caves. http://www.nat.is/travelguideeng/plofin_hellar.htm

Review: Isabella: Protector of the Last Dragon

Recently, a scientist discovered a live 700-year-old male dragon in Asia and it is considered to be the world’s greatest discovery. Around the world everyone is at awe over the discovery. Even in Missouri, where Isabella Treehorn and her brother Kaelyn are struggling to get over the recent death of their mother, and dealing with their new life with Uncle Titus.

 Isabella starts to have strange dreams about talking dragons and the Lords of Death who want to kill her and the dragons. When she visits the Ming Dynasty Dragon Exhibit, she learns that she has the ability to talk to hear and talk to the dragon who calls himself Tianlong. Other dragons may exist, but there are others who want to hurt them. Tianlong’s mate, a female named Ling-L, is out there somewhere. Isabella along with her brother, uncle, and grandmother must find the last dragon before it is too late.

Movie Review - Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour

Last week I happened to catch the movie Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour on an Encore channel. I very seldom watch a movie during the day, let alone turn on the television, but after reading the title on the menu guide, I thought I would give the movie a try.

The Paranormal Hour begins with a seventeen-year-old Sarah Landon (played by Rissa Walters) returning to Pine Valley, California to visit her grandmother, Thelma Shaw. Before she arrives at her grandma’s, she has car problems and stops by a local repair shop where she hears part of a disturbing story. She doesn’t get the full story until she asks her grandma about it, who was more than glad to tell the tale.

A young man, David Baker, is cursed! On his 21st birthday, which is only a few days away, he will be killed by his dead uncle, Ben Woods. Years ago, Ben’s son, on his 21st birthday, was killed in a car accident that David’s mother caused. David was known as a good kid and was getting ready to go to college, but then he learned of the curse and cut himself off from the world. He has become obsessed with the paranormal, and is trying to find away to stop his uncle.

Review - 101 Recipes For Preparing Food in Bulk

101 Recipes For Preparing Food in Bulk
AUTHOR: Richard Helweg
PUBLISHED BY: Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
ISBN: 978-1601383600
PUB DATE: 2011
PAGES: 288

    It seems like the prices at the grocery store keeping increasing every week, which can be extremely difficult to put food on the table for a large family. In the book 101 Recipes for Preparing Food in Bulk, you’ll learn that cooking in bulk may help you save money. Of course you cannot just jump into this in one day, you need to plan first. You will need to plan out the proper equipment, ingredients, what recipes to use, and the needed space to preserve and cook your recipes. Do a proper inventory of your kitchen, checking for the right spices and other ingredients. For bulk cooking, it’s recommend that you have a freezer, preferably an Energy Star model so it’s energy efficient. You must decide if you have the space for an upright or chest freezer, as a chest freezer takes a lot of floor space.

Review - Glamorous Illusions

Glamorous Illusions
AUTHOR: Lisa T. Bergren
PUBLISHED BY: David C. Cook
ISBN: 978-1-4347-6430-0
PUB DATE: 2012
PAGES: 413


    Cora Diehl is on summer vacation from the Normal School in the year 1913. She returns to her families’ farm in Dunnigan, Montana only to find that her father has had a terrible stroke. The doctor tells her that her father will mostly likely not survive the night, but her father is a strong man and he slowly begins to recover. Cora finds it odd that the fields have not been planted yet, and that is when her mother tells her that because of their financial situation, which Cora was never aware of their money problems, they can't buy seeds this year.

    On her sixteenth birthday, Cora had received a necklace from an unknown stranger. Knowing its value, she makes a deal in town in exchange for seeds for the fields. She never discusses the deal with her parents. With her father unable to work, Cora takes to the fields.