Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Movies That Struck Oil

Popcorn & Coffee: Pinocchio: Walt Disney Signature Collection Blu-ray Review


Rated G; 88 minutes; Walmart

Now available on Blu-ray combo pack from Walt Disney Home Entertainment is the Pinocchio: Walt Disney Signature Collection, featuring the original animated classic, brand-new version of Oswald short "Poor Papa," and 3 new bonus features.

Based on the children novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, Disney's Pinocchio was first released to theaters in 1940; marking the second full-length animated film to be produced by Walt Disney. Supervised by directors Ben Sharpsteen and
Hamilton Lusk, the film features the talented voice-cast of Cliff Edwards, Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Mel Blanc, Walter Catlett, Charles Judels, Evelyn Venable, and Frankie Darro.

Pinocchio tells the the story of  a woodworker named Geppetto, who had just finished creating a wooden marionette named Pinocchio. That night before falling asleep, he wishes upon a shooting star that Pinocchio would become a real boy.

During the night, a blue fairy visit's Geppetto's shop and grants the wish true by bringing Pinocchio to life; though the he would remain a puppet until he prove himself truthful and unselfish. To help guide him, the blue fairy assigns Jiminy Cricket to be his conscience.

Excited to find that his wish granted, Geppetto sends Pinocchio off to school the very next morning. However, Pinocchio never makes it to school, as he is lead astray by Honest John the Fox and his companion, Gideon the Cat.

With Jiminy Cricket by his side, Pinocchio embarks on a fantastic adventure that will test his heart and soul.

Blu-ray Bonus Extras includes:

  • Walt’s Story Meetings: Pleasure IslandThe Pleasure Island scene in “Pinocchio” had much more development than what is seen in the film. Join Pixar’s Pete Docter and Disney historian and author J.B. Kaufman as they explore artwork recently discovered in Disney’s animation research library revealing some of the attractions, gags and games, which Disney animators created for this iconic location of the film, that never made it on screen.

"Oh, the Places You’ll Wish You Could Go" by Wendy Sparrow



Amazon
While I love writing, my primary reason for being an author will always be to create stories and worlds that I want to read. Reading is my passion. Getting outside of reality and adventuring in a world inside a book is the purest form of escape I’ve found. I could live in books. I’ve wanted to live in books—especially when I stumble into a setting that is magical on its own.

The lodge in all three of the Servants of Fate books is like that. It’s a mountain lodge with all sorts of winter and holiday festivities. It’s cozy and yet has an energy of its own. The characters can retreat to their room for a quiet night or get involved in the events the lodge provides. There’s a restaurant onsite, but also they provide amazing room service. No way in a million years could I afford to stay in this place, but it’s not posh and fancy. It’s also not outside the realm of possibility.

In order to create everything from the menu to the events, I surfed the internet looking for similar places. Admittedly, the end result is an amalgamation of many places, but it’s not unheard of for similar locations to exist. And I want to go there. Possibly more than I’ve wanted to visit any of the places I’ve invented. It’s a blend of magic and reality, and it’s why there’s three books—I kept wanting to return.

This isn’t the first time I’ve made up places—though admittedly usually I peg down a state and often a city. My lycan/werewolf series takes place in the Glacier Peak area in Washington. The city itself is made up, but the location isn’t. (Taming the Pack series) In a recently released anthology, I have a romance horror novella that takes place in a completely made-up area—but I can’t say I’d want to visit, especially Parson Point and the spooky woods where a woman in white ghost lurks. (She Wore White, Legendary Anthology)

I read and enjoy books set in both locations I’d love to visit and locations that would be impossible to visit. I’d love to visit Hogwarts. *sighs* I’d also love to visit Regency England. *double sigh* Admittedly, on the second, I’d like to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there. I have a strong passionate need for modern conveniences—especially plumbing. I love plumbing. On the other hand, I snatch up books about New Orleans in my hot, greedy hands. If it takes place in New Orleans, a book gets a one star bump in rating automatically. I’m not familiar enough with the city to set a whole book there myself, but I will happily visit it again and again in other authors’ books—and in real life.

Luckily, I had the opportunity to live a lot of different places when I was younger as my family was in the military so I have a lot of experience in various cities to draw from when creating my own settings. Then, there is the blessing that is our technological ability to study the crap out of other places via Google. I’ve used Google Earth to “walk” down streets I might want to borrow many times.

Monday, January 30, 2017

Winter Reads: The Mark of the King



Bethany House; 414 pages; $14.99; Blog Tour; Buy Link
Now available from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, is the the historical romance The Mark of the King by author Jocelyn Green.

Typically, I prefer my historical romance reads to be set during the 1800s, but ever since I watched the "White Queen" mini-series on DVD last month, I've become interested in reading novels set in other historical periods.

Set during the 18-century, The Mark of the King centers on Julianne Chevalier, a 25-year-old midwife who is imprisoned and marked for death after her client dies. She ends up trading a life sentence in exchange for being exiled from France. With no where else to go, she heads to the French colony of Louisiana to join her brother, Benjamin.

Unfortunately, getting to New Orleans isn't an easy task, so she is forced to marry a convict to get passage from France to Louisiana. New Orleans is nothing like she imagined it would be, and despite her best efforts, she cannot locate her brother. She has no other choice, but to receive help from a military officer, Mar-Paul Girard, in finding her brother.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

Winter Reads: House of Robots: Robot Revolution


Jimmy Patterson; 331 pages; $13.99; Amazon

Even if you're a diehard fan of the bestselling author James Patterson, keeping up with his dozens of releases every year can be a bit difficult. Besides from his famous crime thrillers and his new Bookshots novellas, Mr. Patterson also writes (or co-writes) books for middle school readers.

Now available from Jimmy Patterson Books (a division of Little, Brown and Company) is House of Robots: Robot Revolution by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein, along with illustrations by Juliana Neufeld.

House of Robots centers on Sammy Hayes-Rodriguez, a young boy who lives in a house full of robots! Yep, I said robots. His mother, Dr. Elizabeth Hayes, is an engineer and she has created many robots and gadgets for their home. His father, Noah Rodriguez, creates graphic novels (comic books). Sammy has a younger sister named Maddie, who has SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency d), which makes it hard for her to be around germs, so she is mostly isolated to her bedroom.

The last member of the Rodriguez family is E, a robotic brother who goes to school with Sammy. Dr. Hayes created E for Maddie, who can attend school without ever leaving her bedroom by using E's sight, hearing, and communication skills to interact with her classmates and teacher.

The Rodriguez's household is turned upside in down in "Robot Revolution" when Dr. Hayes begins working on a top secret new project and neglects all the routine maintenance for her robots. All the robots, including the new electric SUV, start malfunctioning; causing a bit of chaos in Sammy's life.

Friday, January 27, 2017

Book Blogger Hop: January 27th - February 2nd




Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML


Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)!

How many books have you started, but just couldn't finish?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer: 

 No matter how bad a novel is, I always try to finish reading it.



Linky List:

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Review - The Devoted by Suzanne Woods Fisher


Revell; 336 pages; $14.99; Amazon


There's nothing better to do on a boring Thursday afternoon than to read a book, along with drinking a few cups of coffee.

What title did I read today?

Well, it's the third book in "The Bishop's Family" series, titled The Devoted. It's written by the award-winning & bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher.

Similar to the other two books (The Imposter, and The Quieting) in the series, The Devoted once again centers on the Stoltzfus family; though this time Ruthie Stolzfus is the main character, a young woman who is considering leaving her Amish heritage for the outside world. This is a romance story, so of course there is a love interest, Patrick Kelly, for Ruthie.

I'm not going to go any further into the actual plot as I don't want to spoil it for other readers.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Q&A with Alexandrea Weis, author of Blackwell





Now available from Vesuvian Books is the paranormal thriller Blackwell, book one in the Magnus Blackwell Series, by Alexandrea Weis with Lucas Astor.


Amazon * Kobo * Apple * BN 

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


When did you become interested in storytelling? 

From the time I was eight years old, I loved telling stories.

What was your first book/story published? 

To My Senses, Book 1 in The Nicci Beauvoir series was my first published book.

What inspired you to write Blackwell? 

I love ghost stories and it is one of my favorite genres, that this was a series with a ghost seeking redemption intrigued me.

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

Monday, January 23, 2017

Monday Morning Madness #62: Core De Force & Reviews


 

Yeah, I know it's been awhile since I have posted a "Monday Morning Madness" post, so thought I would go ahead and at least write one post for 2017, but hopefully there will be more. Anyhow, my original plan was to review the Greens Super Food in this post, but I've changed my mind and I'll feature it as a "Late Night Fitness Review" later in the week.

I'll also be reviewing the Protein Energy Power, which I just received four sample flavors (Banana, Chocolate, Honey, Original) a few minutes ago in the mail. I'll try out one of them tomorrow after my workout.

Yes, I'm still working out, but it's not my New Year's Resolution. Actually, I started a new workout program (Core De Force) on Dec. 26th, so it doesn't count as a resolution. Actually, I don't have a resolution for this year, though I might attempt to stop procrastinating.

Core De Force is the new MMA-style core/cardio workout from Beachbody. I had purchased the basic program as an early Christmas present for myself. There's a lot of kicking and punching in it, which is just the kind of workout that I like. I won't record my weight again until after tomorrow's workout (Day 30, which is the last day of the program), but I believe I have lost around 4 or 5 pounds. It might not sound like a lot for month, but I have lost over two inches my waist.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Book Blogger Hop: January 20th - 26th




Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML


Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Tomi @ A Bookworm's Guide To Life)!

What was the one time you thought the movie was better than the book?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer: 

 I always thought The Lord of the Rings films were always better than books. I've attempted to read the trilogy, but I thought the descriptions and languages were a bit hard to follow.



Linky List:

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Review - The Quieting by Suzanne Woods Fisher


Revell; 355 pages; $14.99; Amazon
While I have been a book lover ever since I could read my first word, I wasn't a fan of romance novels until I was in my early twenty's. I mostly read horror novels (Stephen King, Anne Rice, John Saul, etc.) during my teenager years. I read my very first Amish fiction title when I was in my 20's, and I've been a fan of the genre ever since.

Released last year from Revell is The Quieting, book two of the Bishop's Family series, by author Suzanne Woods Fisher. You might recall me reviewing the first book, "The Imposter," during my Holiday Gift Guide in 2015.

The sequel once again focuses on the Stolzfus family, though this time the man character is Abigail, a young who is sent to Stoney Ridge (the same setting in book one), where her grandmother, Mammi, wants her to find an eligible bachelor to marry. The only problem is that there aren't any single men available, except for Dane Glick, who is all wrong for her.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Late Night Fitness Review: Protein & Energy

 
To kickoff my new review post "Late Night Fitness Review," I'm featuring the Protein & Energy protein powder supplement by Trusource; which I was sent two single-serve samples to review a few weeks ago.

The flavors that were sent to be were Vanilla Latte and Chocolate Mocha; each containing 15 grams of protein and 75mg of caffeine.

Yes, that might seem like a lot caffeine to some people, but for a coffee lover like myself, 75mg was no big deal to me. Actually, it's just the right amount to wake me up in the mornings, which is probably why the supplement is called Protein & Energy to begin with.

Total calories for each the samples is 90, with 20 calories of fat and 1g of sugar. The protein used in the mixes is from whey protein concentrate.

Besides from protein, the mixes contain the following vitamins:

Vitamin E
Thiamin
Riboflavin
Vitamin B6

Note: It does contain milk and soy.




What does the Protein & Energy samples taste like?

Review - TAYST Coffee Roaster


I kicked off the start of 2017 by brewing a nice cup of TAYST Coffee Roaster.

What is TAYST Coffee Roaster?

Well, this coffee brand is Eco-Friendly and 100% compostable. The pods/cups are compatible with KEURIG and NESPRESSO coffeemakers.

Each Purpod100™ has three layers: a lid, a ring, and a mesh. The lid is made from bio materials. The printing on the lid is made from water-based compostable ink. The ring is made from natural bean skins, and the mesh is made from renewable bio reins. Once composted in the ground, it will add nutrients into the soil.

Currently there are several different coffee flavors:

Bold & Brazen
Bold & Brilliant
Medium & Heroic
Medium & Magnificent
Vintage Vanilla Cream
Defiantly Decaf

There are a variety of subscriptions plans on www.tayst.com from 20 cups (the casual coffee drinker) to 1000 cups. The prices vary from $15 monthly and up (less than a $1 per cup). If you're not into subscriptions, then there is a $8 bag option containing 10 cups. Also available are four different espresso flavors at $4 for 5 cups.


Q&A with Sharon Clare, author of Trick Me Once



Now available from Apatite Publishing is the paranormal romance Trick Me Once, book three in the Magical Matchmaker Series, by Sharon Clare.



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


When did you become interested in storytelling?

First, I want to thank you for hosting me today.

I’ve always made up stories in my head, but I didn’t start writing seriously until later in life when I went back to school to do a science degree. My course load was heavy, and I was managing a household with 3 young kids. To lighten the load, I took a course on creative writing. Small class sizes and the professor read beautiful prose to us. I fell in love with storytelling.

I ended up doing a minor in professional writing and when I finished my degree, I missed writing classes so much, I found a correspondence course to take with a college in the states. From there, I realized this is my passion and I am forever hooked!

What was your first book/story published?

My first novel was a romance published by Crimson Romance. Love of Her Lives was the first book in The Magical Matchmaker series.

What inspired you to write Trick Me Once?

One day I watched Dave, my cat, drinking from the pond in my garden. The goldfish seemed fascinated by this intrusion into their world, but there was no way they understood Dave was a cat on planet Earth just inches from their world. As Dave lapped water, the fish hovered just under his nose, his tongue, his teeth. Lucky for them, he wasn’t hungry.

The fish made me wonder about perception. A story idea started to percolate that became the premise for the series. What if there was another world just one step away that we don’t perceive?

In Trick Me Once, Aiden MacAuley returns to Earth after being trapped in Alfheim, an Elvin world, for over a century. The gateway between Earth and Alfheim is guarded by the MacAuley clan, and like the fish in the pond, Alfheim is only a step away. Unfortunately, it was a step Aiden couldn’t take until the story begins.

I wanted to pair Aiden (born in the nineteen hundreds) with a contemporary woman who would never believe in elves.

What character in Trick Me Once is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Review - Silence In The Dark by Patricia Bradley


Revell; 350 pages; $14.99; Amazon
While my favorite romance novels are the historical kind set during the 1800s, I have been trying to expand my reading horizons by reading contemporary titles. This lead me to read Silence In The Dark by author Patricia Bradley, which is book 4 in the Logan Point series. I remember reading book two in the series, A Promise to Protect, a few years ago, so I thought I would give the 4th entry a try.

Yes, the cover art looks like an advertisement for a made-for-Hallmark mystery flick, and, unfortunately, the plot feels like one of those movies as well.

I'm going to try my best not to include any "spoilers" or repeat the book's blurb. The plot involves a woman named Bradley on the run from the cartel. Coincidentally, she runs into her ex-fiance, Danny, and of course he is going to help her.

Q&A with Karen Greco, author of Steele City Blues



Now available from author Karen Greco, is the urban fantasy/paranormal romance Steele City Blues, book three in the Hell’s Belle Series.



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


When did you become interested in storytelling?

I think on some level, I was always interested in telling stories, or being a part of them. I started actor training when I was 12, and did that all through high school and it started as my major in college. But by the time I went to uni, I had found some young success as a playwright and really loved creating characters and telling stories. I think that was the pivot point, so at age 17.

What was your first book/story published?

My first published work was one of my plays, when I was in college. After that, it was Hell’s Belle. I took a professional detour as a magazine writer/editor and then entertainment publicist.

What inspired you to write Steele City Blues?

It’s the third book in the Hell’s Belle series, so Hell’s Belle (book 1) and Tainted Blood (book 2) for sure! Otherwise, I think the driving force behind the books is figuring out what makes a family, that it’s not about blood relatives, but about the people you gravitate towards over the course of your life who become the people you rely on the most. It’s also about living in the gray zone. So much of life is presented to us as a dichotomy: black and white, good and evil. The shades of gray are important. Can you be a good person but still drain the blood from someone’s body? And, how do you rectify that in your mind?



What character in Steele City Blues is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Winter Reads: Dressed for Death by Julianna Deering


Bethany House; 320 pages; $14.99; Amazon
Probably like most reader, I do enjoy reading an old fashioned mystery; you know, the kind that have an Agatha Christie's plot and Sherlock Holmes-like detective.

The closest books that I have found that resemble the old classic mysteries is the Drew Farthering Mystery series by author Julianne Deering. With an early 1900's stylish cover art on every title, I have been intrigued with every new entry in the series.

The fourth installment, titled Dressed for Death, was released last year by Bethany House. Sadly my review copy somehow got on the bottom of my to-be-read pile on my desk and I'm just now getting around to reviewing it.

Set in December 1932, the novel centers on Drew Farthering, a man who always happens to be at the right place at the wrong time. This time up, Drew and his wife Madeline are attending a Regency-ear house part at the Winteroak House, where he plans on reuniting with an old Oxford classmate, Talbot Cummins. However, it seems death is always following Drew, as someone dies at the party - Alice Henley, who happens to be Talbot's fiancee.

After the police arrest a possible suspect, Drew takes it upon himself to unravel the mystery behind Alice's death.

Friday, January 13, 2017

Book Blogger Hop: January 13th - 19th




Instructions: Select all code above, copy it and paste it inside your blog post as HTML


Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews!

Is everyday a reading day for you?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer: 

 Yeah, I would say almost everyday is a reading day for me.



Linky List:

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Q&A with Bonnie M Hennessy, author of Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumpelstiltskin




Now available is the young adult fantasy Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumpelstiltskin by author Bonnie M Hennessy.



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




When did you become interested in storytelling?

When I was a little girl, I was a rather shy, quiet girl who went unnoticed by my peers and teachers. I was never disruptive, but I never shined or stood out either. I was invisible, and I accepted my invisibility. When I was in the 6th grade we had to write about a time in our lives when we felt challenged and explain how we got through it. I wrote about my parents’ divorce and how I coped. This was a controversial topic back then, as there were very few kids with divorced parents. My teacher, Mrs. Stockman, loved it and she had me read it in front of the class. I can still remember how my feet stuck like glue to the floor in front of the podium where I had never been asked to stand because I had never done anything worthy of standing at the front of the class. I talked about hearing my parents argue, missing my dad, and wishing that the divorce was just a bad dream. At the end of it, everyone was looking at me, seemingly mesmerized by my words. Even the noisy boy in the back corner next to whom the teacher sat me every year was watching me and listening. I wasn’t an athlete. I wasn’t popular. Boys were not interested in me. And I had never had a lot friends. But somehow my silly words had gotten everyone’s attention. I was noticed. It was a terrifyingly exhilarating moment. I didn’t understand it at that time, but looking back that was a moment when I realized that I wasn’t just scribbles on the page. I could affect other people with it, if I used it.

What was your first book/story published?

Back in 2009 an online magazine, Mamazine.com, published a piece I had written about the day I found out my husband had cancer. It explored the sad and gritty emotions that plagued me as I digested the news – all while diapering my six-week-old son and my twenty-month-old daughter. I had always kept my writing to myself, so seeing it in on the internet was as frightening as the day I read my sixth-grade essay to the class. I felt like the whole world was watching. I received kind-hearted responses, but they were more about my difficult situation than about my writing. I savored the first step towards admitting out loud that I was a writer, but I knew that my heart lay in telling other people’s stories, rather than my own.

What inspired you to write TWISTED?

While putting my daughter to bed one night, I read the tale of Rumpelstiltskin from the yellowed pages of my childhood book. The first page’s illustration showed a demur girl bowing her head dutifully before a king who pointed his jeweled finger at her and, as the story goes, ordered her to spin a whole room full of hay into gold - all because the girl’s father had bragged that his daughter could turn anything she touched into gold. While she was left alone to cry over the futility of her task, a little man with magic showed up and said he would help her if she promised to give him her first born child.

After I put my daughter to bed, I kept thinking about this poor girl in the story who had been cornered and tricked by every man she came across in her life: Father, King (eventual husband), and magical little man. Every feminist bone in my body was annoyed, and I found myself imagining all the comebacks I would have said to these men if I were her. You know, the kind of stinging rebuttals you always think about after the argument is over.

Like an itch in my brain that I couldn’t quite reach, this girl’s predicament kept nagging at me until I got out of bed at 5:30 the next morning and snuck past my two little kids’ bedrooms and out the door to a coffee shop with my laptop under my arm. I spent every Saturday and Sunday morning getting up at the same un-Godly hour to drink coffee and figure out what really happened to this girl until the last page was written and rewritten and rewritten again and again.

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

Q&A with Derek Curzon, author of Family Sailaway



Being released on January 24th, 2017 from Filament Publishing is the contemporary fiction Family Sailaway, book two in the Sailaway Trilogy, by author Derek Curzon.


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


When did you become interested in storytelling?

My wife and I’s first cruise was our honeymoon back in 2005. We were instantly hooked and have never looked back. After our fifth cruise, we discussed making notes/diaries of our cruises for our own memories. I started thinking about taking this a stage further and soon I was thinking about plots and characters!

What was your first book/story published?

Surprise Sailaway, the first book in the Sailaway Trilogy.

Amazon; Author's Website


What inspired you to write Family Sailaway?

I had thought about a Sailaway trilogy at the outset & was keen to develop the story further after I wrote Surprise Sailaway. This book follows on from the first one with a bigger book, longer cruise, more characters and a bigger adventure.

What character in Family Sailaway is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Most like – Gavin (Sarah and Megan’s uncle): Business Professional with a witty sense of humour and who knows who the boss is between his wife and himself! Least like – George (Youngest brother): ‘Street-wise’ and confident, but sometimes ‘cocky’.

What is your favorite part in Family Sailaway?

Megan is looking for a relaxing afternoon sunbathing and meets Rebecca who she has befriended. As two brothers watch from the bar, Rebecca is visited by 3 other characters with their own separate agendas.

What was the hardest part to write?

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Winter Reads: Without Warning by Lynette Eason


Revell; 350 pages; $14.99; Amazon

With a mixture of coffee and protein snacks this week, I have managed to reread the first two books in the Elite Guardian series by author Lynette Eason. (You can read my review for the book here!).

Published last fall through Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, Without Warning centers on a bodyguard company called the Elite Guardians Protection Agency.

While the first novel followed the agency's owner, the second installment centers on Katie Singleton, who had a brief part in book one. Instead of being assigned a new assignment, she stumbles upon one; well, she more or less accidentally finds a deadly plot to harm Daniel Matthews, a restaurant owner.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Winter Reads: Always Watching by Lynette Eason


Revell; 336 pages; $14.99; Amazon
While I'm sure many people's New Year's resolution is to lose weigh; however, my only resolution is too quit procrastinating; which basically means I need to get caught up on my reviews on this blog. I have two piles of books that need to be reviewed. Many of the titles were read last year, but I never got around to writing the actual review. Well, this needs to stop. I am determined to get these books read (or reread), reviewed, and published on this blog.

Up first on my list is the Christian thriller Always Watching, book one in the Elite Guardians series, by author Lynette Eason. I'm not for sure if I've read any of her other titles before, but I have read so many books, so maybe I have just forgot it.

Anyhow, you can probably guess by the cover art that this is a action-thriller. The plot involves a bodyguard company called Elite Guardians Agency, which is owned by Olivia Edwards, that is assigned to protect a radio shrink, Wade Savage, who is being stalked.

Q&A with Gabriele Russo, author of Incompetent Gods





Now available from Fiery Seas Publishing is Incompetent Gods, book one in the Gods Inc Series, by author Gabriele Russo.





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


When did you become interested in storytelling?

Telling stories is my family’s official pastime, we love it. And the more embroidery you add, the better (although it does sometimes make it difficult to get a true medical history when you need one). Anyway, I’ve always had the desire to write stories, but for some reason, it never quite clicked until I discovered satirical fantasy.

What was your first book/story published?

Incompetent Gods is my first published book. Two more will follow in the next year: Inclement Gods and Incoherent Gods

What inspired you to write?

It all started with the back-story of one of my characters. A friend of mine had lost her keys, and her kids were becoming unbearable (I’m not very good with kids), so I decided to make up a story to distract them. I told them how the Carthaginian god Ba’al, weakened almost to the point of death after the Romans had conquered and destroyed his city, had then had then been recycled as the Lar of Lost Objects, the Eater of Socks, the Thief of Keys… To get into the spirit, we even sacrificed a few Monopoly dollars. The idea of a bunch of unmotivated deities working in a Dilbert-like company was born.

What character in Incompetent Gods is the most/least like you, and in what ways?