Waterbrook; 342 pages; $14.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Now available from Waterbrook is the mystery-thriller Bringing Maggie Home by Kim Vogel Sawyer. 

If you follow this blog regularly, then it shouldn't be a surprise to see me reviewing a Kim Vogel Sawyer novel. I have been a big fan of her writings for years, and I was more than excited when I received an advanced copy of her newest novel.

Bringing Maggie Home centers on eighty-year-old Hazel DeFord, who's haunted by an event that occurred during her childhood. When she was only ten years old, her three-year-old sister, Maggie, disappeared while picking blackberries. Hazel has kept her painful past from her loved ones, which has put a damper on her relationship with her daughter, Diane. However, she's close with her granddaughter, Meghan, who's a cold case agent.

Situations occur that brings all three women to live under the same roof, where Meghan is stuck as the mediator between her mother and grandmother. After learning about what happened to Maggie in 1943, Meghan use her investigative techniques to try to solve what happened to her great-aunt.

Nickelodeon; 89 minutes; Amazon

The current Nickelodeon TMNT series is coming to the end this year. The fifth season, which is retitled as Tales of the Teenage Mutant Turtles, has been a rocky one for fans, as Nickelodeon has been airing only two or three episodes at a time before going on hiatus for several weeks. The most recent episodes have been airing on NickToons.

Now available on DVD is Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady, featuring the upcoming special "Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady," the flashback episode "Lone Rat and Cubs," and an exclusive Ice Cream Kitty music video.

"Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady" is technically three episodes (Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady, The Foot Walks Again!, and The Big Blowout), but it's featured as 67 minute movie/special on the DVD.  The plot involves the 1987 Krang and Shredder bringing the technodrome to the Nickelodeon TMNT's dimension, where they enlist the new Bebop & Rocksteady, along with the 1987 robot foot soldiers, to help them conquer New York City by opening a portal to Dimension X. To stop the Shredder and Krang, the turtles must join forces with the 1987 teenage mutant ninja turtles.

"Lone Rat and Cubs" is a flashback episode that takes place fifteen years prior, where Master Splinter is telling the young turtles the story of how he found them as babies (back when they were first mutated) and how he survived a fight against the Kraang.

Buy the album here!

Now available from Sparrow Records (Capitol CMG Label Group) is the newest album from  English Christian singer Matt Redman, titled "Glory Song."

Matt Redman co-wrote the song "Blessed Be Your Name" which won a Dove Award in 2005 for Worship Song of the Year. He also co-wrote the Grammy Award-nominated "Our God."

He has won two Grammy Awards for the Best Contemporary Christian Music Song and Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance.

For the album "Glory Song," Matt has teamed up with several other Christian singers - Kierra Sheard, Guvna B, Madison Cunningham, and Kim Walker-Smith.



Songs on the album are:

Being released on October 17th is the science fiction romance antholoy Other Worlds, featuring stories by Allyson Lindt, Award-Winning author A.D. Trosper, Cheri Schmidt with Tristan Hunt, Akaria Gale with Award-Winning author R. A. Steffan, Jennifer Rose McMahon, Award-Winning author Amy L Gale, Shawnee Small with K. R. Fajardo, Award-Winning author Lea Kirk, Mychal Daniels with Laura Hysell, Shawna Romkey with Elizabeth Ryder, E.A. Weston, Award-Winning author Lindsay Avalon, LaVerne Thompson with Starla Night, and Jayne Fury with Isadora Brow.

Author LaVerne Thompson has taken a few minutes to answer a short Q&A.


When did you become interested in storytelling? 

I’ve been creating stories from my imagination for as long as I can remember. As a child, I’d make up a story about the sky.

What was your first book/story published? What inspired you to write Zeus- Lost Gods? 
 

Promises was the first book I ever published. I’d begun writing it in a creative writing class in college and a million years later finished it and it was my first book published. It’s a story loosely based on my cousin who married someone she’d known all her life. 

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

Dragon’s Heart Story of the Brethren, Maya only in that I would have totally embraced the idea of being a dragon shifter. Lol I do after all wear a tattoo of a dragon on my back. 'Can you hear my dragon roar?' 

What is your favorite part in Zeus- Lost Gods? 

Zeus-Lost Gods. ***spoiler***When Kassia dies and Ze has to remember who he once was to save her.   

What was the hardest part to write? 

Being released on Digital HD from HBO Home Entertainment on September 26th is Game of Thrones: The Complete Seventh Season. The season will also be released on Blu-ray and DVD on December 12th.

Based on the popular book series “A Song of Ice and Fire,” by George R.R. Martin, the seventh season of this hit Emmy®-winning fantasy features returning series regulars Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Emmy® and Golden Globe® winner Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Aidan Gillen (Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Diana Rigg (Lady Olenna Tyrell), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark).

Season Seven centers on  Daenerys Targaryen finally setting sail for Westeros with her armies, dragons and new Hand of the Queen, Tyrion Lannister. Jon Snow has been named King in the North after defeating Ramsay Bolton in the Battle of the Bastards and returning Winterfell to House Stark. In King’s Landing, Cersei Lannister has seized the Iron Throne by incinerating the High Sparrow, his followers and her rivals in the Sept of Baelor. But as old alliances fracture and new ones emerge, an army of dead men marches on the Wall, threatening to end the game of thrones forever. 

Digital Download Exclusive Bonus Features Include:

• Creating the North and Beyond- Behind-the-scenes featurette delving into the massive undertaking of creating and filming the battle in Episode 6 of Season 7.

Blu-ray™ & DVD Exclusive Bonus Features Include:

• Conquest & Rebellion: An Animated History of the Seven Kingdoms- From the Game of Thrones realm comes the never-before-seen story of the tumultuous events that shaped the world of Westeros for thousands of years before the series start. Cast members Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Aidan Gillen (Littlefinger), Conleth Hill (Varys), Harry Lloyd (Viserys Targaryen) and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) team up to narrate the animated telling of Aegon Targaryen’s attempts to conquer the Seven Kingdoms, written by show writer Dave Hill.
• From Imagination to Reality: Inside the Art Department- Extensive two-part featurette detailing the astonishing work of Production Designer Deborah Riley and her Art Department, dissecting the process behind the creation of this season’s incredible new sets, including Dragonstone, Casterly Rock, Highgarden, the Dragonpit, and more.
• Fire & Steel: Creating the Invasion of Westeros- Revisit this season’s most pivotal moments with this behind-the-scenes featurette, including interviews with key cast and crew breaking down how fans’ favorite moments were created.
• Audio Commentaries- Commentaries on every episode with cast and crew including David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Jacob Anderson, Gwendoline Christie, Liam Cunningham, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, and more. 

Blu-ray™ Exclusive Bonus Features Include:

• Histories and Lore- 7 new animated pieces that give the history and background of notable season 7 locations and storylines including The Dragonpit, Highgarden, Prophecies of the Known World, the Rains of Castamere and more all narrated by cast members including Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Aidan Gillen, Iain Glen and more.
• In-Episode Guides- In-feature resource that provides background information about on-screen characters and locations.

Waterbrook; 392 pages; $15.99; Buy Link; Blog Tour

Now available from Waterbrook, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, is the historical-drama Many Sparrows by Lori Benton.

Set in 1774, the novel centers on Phillip Inglesby, his pregnant wife, Clare, and their four-year-old, son, Jacob, who are traveling from the Ohio-Kentucky frontier to the west. After an accident occurs, Phillip is forced to leave his family behind in the covered wagon, while he journeys back to Redstone Fort for help.

Meanwhile, shortly after Phillip leaves, Jacob is kidanpped by the Shawnee Indians during the night. Now all alone, Clare goes into labor and somehow she must find a way to save her son before giving birth to her second child.

No one ever "re-dies" in Heaven; unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened to singer Amy Winehouse. Her death, an unprecedented event in Heaven's history, has thrown a once docile world into unfortunate chaos. Because of the new uneasy alliance between angels and citizens, a freshly-arrived detective in the rock & roll town has been tasked with investigating the prime suspects, the members of the 27 Club - Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. To make matters worse, a powerful angel from one of the upper levels of Heaven will soon arrive to make her ten-year inspection, a task that fills the other angels with dread since she has the power to banish anyone of them to the underworld. So, with time running out, the PI and his newly acquired sidekick, both aided by rock legends such as Eddie Cochran, Mama Cass, Kurt Cobain, Karen Carpenter and others, must quickly uncover the mystery that threatens not only to close Heaven’s doors forever, but promises to send a ripple effect through the entire universe that can rip it apart. 



When did you become interested in storytelling?

When I was in high school I wrote a few short stories and a musical. I also wrote fiction whenever I had the chance in college. When real life stepped in, I had to put my writing aspirations to the side. I’ve only since picked up writing again about four years ago, using my pen to script screenplays, short stories, poems, novellas, novels and one book of non-fiction.

What was your first book/story published?

My first published book was “Wetland & Other Stories” through All Things That Matter Press. I’d self-published three books while I was in college, but those are impossible to find now.

What inspired you to write “Murder in Rock & Roll Heaven”?

I knew I wanted to write a mystery, but the thing was, what could I bring to the table that hadn’t been seen before? I’d originally wanted to write a book of interviews I’d conducted with dead geniuses, but when I say a book like that had been published, I figured I could still integrate my interview idea into a murder mystery. Once I had the “who, what, when, where, why and how” of the story worked out, it was just a matter of filling in all those blanks. Some stories write themselves once a set up has been established; “Murder” was one of them. Because the setting was Heaven, certain characters and elements came built in, such as angels and demons. As a mystery, it’s a fairly standard “whodunit’” in that I utilize a detective and his partner who look for clues. Outside of that, because of the nature of the setting (the afterlife and deceased rock stars), it gets pretty wild.

What character in “Murder in Rock & Roll Heaven” is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

The detective, Gregory Angelicus, has some of my personality. He takes his work seriously even though he can clown around sometimes. Also, he’s very questioning and takes nothing for granted. His curiosity also seems boundless. I’m like that, too.

What is your favorite part in “Murder in Rock & Roll Heaven”?

S. Peters-Davis here, author of Unorthodox, A Kendra Spark Novel. 😀 Hello, Billy, and to everyone visiting “Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.” Thanks so much for hosting us today; we deeply appreciate your support.

I thought of a few new interview questions for Kendra Spark, the main story-star of Unorthodox, and thank you for the opportunity you’ve given me to share them; )

SPD – Settle in, Kendra, this should be painless. *giggles* Tell us about your relationship with Jenna Powers.

Kendra – Jenna and I grew up together; she lived on the same block, just around the corner from my childhood home. Even though she was a year older than I, we spent most of our time together, like sisters.

She was my go-to person when things got rough for me with bullies, and believe me, the number of those seemed to grow every school year. My ability to see and communicate with ghosts was something scoffed at by most people. It took me a while before I realized that gemstone of wisdom. Even though I seldom shared anything about spirits with Jenna (because she was horrified to know they existed), she always protected and supported me whenever I became a target.

SPD – So, you and Jenna ended up at the same college, and you roomed together. How did that work out?

Kendra – At the time we attended college, I thought everything was great between us. Then she left for out east to pursue a career with the FBI. During the time she and I worked together in D.C., I found out why she’d really left college and why it took her three years to contact me. It turned into a big shocker, one I’m still wrapping my brain around, and it’s all explained in our story.

SPD – Tell us about Derek Knight. I’ve heard he’s one hunk of a dreamboat.

Kendra – Yep, you heard right. Derek’s buff physic screams superhero, but his heart whispers of a deeper side to him. He portrays an honorable fairness and holds truth as the strength of his convictions. *her eyes stare out as a smile spreads across her lips*

SPD – Sounds like you think highly of him…is there a relationship between you two? *I wiggle my brows*

Kendra – At this point, *she sighs* it feels like a giant impossibility, I live in Michigan and he resides outside of D.C. He’s always facing dangerous situations…and, well…I’m not. Sort of like salt and sugar…oil and water…lava and ice, we’re really nothing alike. *she sighs again* Yea, very different lifestyles.

SPD – What do you foresee in the near future?

Kendra – I’m in for another case, working as an FBI consultant. There are some supernatural entities that require stabilizing. Plus, I have another series to crank out for my new publisher; ) Grandma Ellie told me, ‘everything will shake out as it should,’ so I’m holding to that. *she nods and smiles*

SPD – Well, that’s a wrap. Billy, thank you again for having us here today; your place is amazing: )

Hope you all enjoy Kendra’s story…and her exceptional ability. 😀

Marvel/ABC Studios; 667 minutes; TV-MA; Amazon

Despite the little fact that I have reviewed a few comic books and graphic novels on here over the years, I don't really follow the comic book world. I've never even heard of the Marvel character Jessica Jones until the live-action web series was released to NETFLIX.

Jessica Jones: The Complete First Season arrived on Blu-ray (as well as DVD) last month, featuring all 13 episodes. Similar to the Daredevil Blu-ray releases, there are no special features or extras on the four-disc set.

Based on the character created by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos, the series centers on a private detective named Jessica Jones (played by Krysten Ritter), who happens to have superhuman strength and has the ability to fly (well, sorta). She spends her day running her Alias Investigations business out of her apartment.

After learning about a young woman named Hope (played by Erin Moriarty) who murdered her parents, Jessica begins to believe that her old nemesis Kilgrave (played by David Tennant) has returned, the man who almost destroyed her life. Kilgrave has the ability to control anyone's mind, which is how he had previously met Jessica.

With the help of her adopted sister Trish (played by Rachael Taylor), her neighbor Malcolm (played by Eka Darville), and a bartender named Luke Cage (played by Mike Colter), Jessica plans on putting a stop to Kilgrave's reign of terror.

Episode titles includes:

Early during the week, I received a neat pair of CrossFit Leather Gloves in the mail to test out and review.

What exactly are CrossFit gloves?

CrossFit gloves cover the palm-side of your hands, protecting them from being scuffed up or injured when you're doing a Cross-Fit-style workout.

The CrossFit Leather Gloves that were sent to me are made by Dacian. The pair of gloves retails for $42.97, but are currently priced at $15.97 at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073D3MK48/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B073D3MK48&linkCode=as2&tag=dacian-20&linkId=96b3a7956c8d0e445fd4893d4fa86487


The gloves are made from thin top genunine leather and high-quality, anti-sweat neoprene. It's wear resistant and has an anti-skid function. It also features Velcro wrist wraps, which will keep the gloves secure during your workouts.

While the gloves are made for CrossFit workouts, they can also be used for gymnastics, weightlifting, and other exercises.

Now available to purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble is the paranormal novel The Reminisce by H.L. Cherryholmes.





When did you become interested in storytelling?

As a young boy I was taken care of by my paternal grandmother and she would tell me about her past. She never just remembered. She would turn whatever it was she was telling me about into a story. Not having much of a past of my own, I began to make up stories to tell her and she would ask questions to help me fill in the blanks. That’s when I discovered how fun and fulfilling it was to be a storyteller.

What was your first book/story published?

Because I started out as a playwright, my first story published was actually a play called, And Jill Came Tumbling After.

What inspired you to write The Reminisce?

Talking to a doctor once at a party. She specialized in Alzheimer’s and we had a very interesting chat about accessing memories. I became fascinated with the (simplistic, because there’s so much more to it) idea that the disease moves backwards, taking away the most current memories until there’s nothing left to recall.

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

That would have to be Araceli, the girlfriend of the main character’s sister. She curious and is always willing to explore the unusual, even if she doesn’t quite understand or believe in it.

What is your favorite part in The Reminisce?

Being publishled on October 3rd from NES Publishing, LLC is the supernatural-horror novel The Darkness: Giger, Texas by Joe M. Solomon. The book can be preorderd on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and iTunes.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

When I was five or six and used to buy comic books, I never read the books. I would pick and choose images from the comics, cut them out, and create my own story. I actually didn’t come to know the story of Batman until I saw the movie Batman that starred Michael Keaton.

What was your first book/story published?

The Darkness: Giger, Texas is my first published book.

What inspired you to write The Darkness: Giger, Texas?

One night when I was about to go to bed, I turned off the lights in the den and headed for the bedroom. Once there, I realized I had left something behind. So I went back to the den and turned on the lights. Something black—like a shadow—swept by in front of my face, startling me. I assumed it was just one of those weird visual things that can happen when you abruptly shift from shadows to bright light. But the notion of the darkness coming to life when we go to bed popped into my head and wouldn’t leave.

What character in The Darkness: Giger, Texas is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

Disney; 92 minutes; TV-Y;

Now available on DVD from Walt Disney Home Entertainment is Elena of Avalor: Celebrations to Remember, featuring 4 holiday adventures and 2 bonus episodes. As an added bonus, the DVD comes with a FREE Elena Locket (18" necklace wit 1 1/4" x 3/4" Locket).

Elena of Avalor is a spinoff of the popular computer-animated series Sofia the First. Created by Craig Gerber, the series debuted on Disney Junior in 2016 and quickly became popular with children, adults, and critics.

The series centers on sixteen-year-old Elena, the princess of Avalor, who gets trapped inside an amulet for 41-years until Sofia the First set her free. She has the ability to use magic with her royal scepter. She can also see the spirits of animals.

The 4 featured episodes on this DVD release all have a celebration theme, such as Navidad, Dia de los Muretos,  and Carnaval. There are two random episodes as a bonus feature.


  The episodes titles on the DVD are:

A Day to Remember

Navidad

King Of The Carnaval

My Fair Naomi

Bonus Episodes:

Crystal In the Rough

Captain Turner Returns

NETFLIX/ABC Studios; 701 minutes; TV-MA

Now available on Blu-ray from Marvel Television and ABC Studios is the NETFLIX's original series Marvel's Daredevil: The Complete Second Season, featuring 13 episodes on a 3-disc set. There are no special features or bonus extras.

Based on the comic book series created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett, Daredevil centers on a blind lawyer named Matt Murdock (played by Charlie Cox). Thanks to his enhanced senses, he's able to see things normal people don't, even though he's blind. He uses his abilities to fight crime at night in Hell's Kitchen.

The second season begins with Matt continuing his quest to clean up the streets of Hell's Kitchen, which is being taken over by the Irish Mob and Cartels. After the Irish mob are are gunned down by Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, (played by Jon Bernthal), the lone survivor asks the law firm Nelson and Murdock for protection. Despite the fact that they can barely pay the bills, Nelson (played by Elden Henson) and Murdock's assistant/secretary (played by Deborah Ann Woll) agree to take the survivor as their client.

Meanwhile, Murdock/Daredevil tries to take down The Punisher before more people are killed, but it isn't as easy as he hoped it would be. To make matters even worse, an old flame Elektra Natchios (played by Élodie Yung) drops back into his life, as well as his mentor Stick (played by Scott Glenn), along with a few ninjas that are terrorizing the streets.

The 13 episode titles are:

Now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD from HBO Home Entertainment is the Emmy®-winning Outstanding Comedy Series VEEP: The Complete Sixth Season.

Created by Armando Iannucci, with David Mandel serving as an Executive Producer and Showrunner for Seasons 5 and 6, the sixth season focuses on the onetime President Selina Meyer (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), as she tries to figure out what to do with her life after osing the presidency at the end of fifth season finale. This season also chronicles the lives of her former staff, who are all pursuing their own endeavors.

Bonus Features on the DVD are:

VEEP: The Complete Sixth Season DVD & Digital HD

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Yes, here I am again writing a review for another testosterone booster. I'm sure many men who buy these types of supplements are just trying to improve their sex life; like it's a magical "blue pill."

Well, testosterone boosters aren't magic pills, and just like any other vitamin supplement, seeing any health results from taking it varies from person to person.

Anyhow, the supplement I have been taking is called EdgeTest, which is made by NutraEdge, a company developed by a group of sports and fitness enthusiasts who want to help athletes take their bodies & minds to the next level.

#NutraEdge EdgeTest is supposed to help you maintain a healthy libido & sex drive, promote healthy muscle growth, and support energy & stamina. There are 90 capsules per bottle (30 servings). It retails for $20.99, but it's currently on sale on Amazon for $19.94 at: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NBPCMNZ

The ingredients are:

Lionsgate; $14.98

Now available from Lionsgate Home Entertainment is the Lifetime® Scary Movie DVD Set, featuring the made-for-television movies Big Driver, Manson's Lost Girls, Hush Little Baby, and Devil's Diary. There are no special features or extras on the double-sided two-disc set.


Based on the story by Stephen King, Big Driver (2014; directed by Mikael Salomon) stars Maria Bello as Tess Thorne, a crime-mystery writer who travels to upstate Massachusetts for a meet-and-greet with fans at a library. On her way home, she takes a shortcut route, but ends up with a flat tire in the middle of nowhere. Eventually, a big truck driver pulls over to help her. Well, that's what Tess believed at first. However, the big man sexually assaults her and leaves here for dead.

Bloody and bruised, Tess wakes up and struggles to find a way back home. Instead of reporting her attack to the police, she decides to track down her rapist and kill him.


Manson's Lost Girls (2015; directed by Leslie Libman,) tells the true-story of Linda Kasabian (played by MacKenzie Mauzy), who gets involved in Charles Manson's cult in 1969. The movie is told from the point-of-view of Linda, who later struggles to leave the cult.


Hush Little Baby (2007; directed by Holly Dale) stars Victoria Pratt as Jaime, a young woman who is still mourning the death of her daughter. After visiting a psychic, she learns she's pregnant again. Both Jamie and her husband are both thrilled about the baby, but things quickly change once Jamie gives birth. She suffers from haunting visions and strange occurrences that all point to the one conclusion - her baby is evil!



Devil's Diary (2007; directed by Farhad Mann) stars Alexz Johnson as Dominique, an outcast teenager who finds a cursed journal while visiting a cemetery at night with her best friend, Ursula (played by Magda Apanowicz). After writing an entry in the journal, Dominique quickly learns that whatever she writes comes true. Instead of using the book for good, she uses it to get revenge on her fellow classmates.

New Hope Pub.. 254 pages; Blog Tour; Buy Link

I meant to have this posted on Thursday (Sept. 7th, which was my 36th birthday), but I've been sick with a cold sore, so I'm just now getting around to writing the review for Mercy Triumps by author Jana Kelly. The novel is final installment of the trilogy that began with Side by Side and Door to Freedom.

I was well aware the novel was the final installment of a thrilogy when I signed up to review it. For some odd reason, I thought I had read the other books in the series, but I'm pretty sure I have never read them. Anyhow, I began reading Mercy Triumphs with no knowledge of what occured in the first two books.

Inspired by true events, Mercy Triumps takes on the subject of modern-day persuction of Christians and what life is like for religous refugees.

The novel centers on three different women - Mia, a wife and mother of three; Halimah, a new Christian who is undercover and on the run; and Rania, Halimah's younger sister. All of them are former Muslims who are forced to live in exile outside Sudan, where they are in the constant presence of oppression and each one's faith is challenged.

What’s a strong female character?

So... strong female characters. As opposite to what? Female characters? As if “weak” is implied in “female”?

Well, the truth is that female characters have not had great treatment in our storytelling tradition. And then came the “strong female characters” (SFC), and things kind of changed. Kind of, because many of these SFC fit in stories that were modeled after stories with male protagonists in patriarchal societies. Sometimes these characters are written as different from other women and this differentiation makes them unique and sometimes even special and better than other women, as if being less “feminine”, whatever that means, were a plus point to a character.

So I’m confused here. What’s the point of writing strong women if the main characteristic of these characters is to be unlike other women? I mean, doesn’t that undermine all women? And I’m perfectly fine with stories of women who cannot fit-in with standards imposed on women, but what I don’t really appreciate is when these women are made to appear superior to other women.

Something else that bothers me with SFC is that they often want to belong in a world of men, and have mainly male characters as friends. Again, it seems that these female characters are written as “better” than their female counterparts for not spending time with other women.

One final problem with “strong female characters” is the idea that a love story somehow undermines these characters. This is a lot less common than the other points, but it happens. Of course, there’s the other way around too, some female characters who are awesome, only to be reduced when finding love. There needs to be a balance there. Male characters, especially in adventure and fantasy, usually “get the girl” without any judgment on the character.

So, with all that, there comes my novel, Karina’s Silver Shoes, which is aimed mainly at girls aged 12 to 15. I don’t think it’s perfect, but I did my best to write female characters that are normal girls who enjoy being girls and enjoy being friends with girls. I think it’s important for girls to read about characters that are cool being who they are. Of course, friendships are not perfect. There are challenges. But the idea was to have a large cast of female characters dominating the story, in the same way a lot of traditional fantasy have a large cast of male characters. In fact, my original plan was to have very few male characters; they wouldn’t even talk to each other, but I ended up expanding their role, because it’s silly to do to male characters what authors have done to female characters for millennia. So there are some male characters, and I hope the readers like them.

Some readers have noted that Karina’s Silver Shoes has “strong female characters”, and it’s cool, but I was really aiming at something different and unlike most of the SFC we have seen in popular culture lately. Did I succeed? Let me know! 

Denise Marques Leitao was born and raised in Brazil. When she’s not creating worlds and characters, she’s discussing the meaning of the Universe with her son, writing unintellectual poetry, podcasting about popular culture, or teaching. She lives in Montreal, Canada, and has a Master’s in English Literature.

To learn more about Denise, get news, bonus materials and preview chapters, visit http://denisemarquesleitao.com.

Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

The home siding fulfills an imperative need. It works like insulation, shielding away the home and protecting it from the cruel weather elements. Insulation is supposed to keep the area amongst itself and the walls free of moisture, dirt, and bugs. Moisture is usually the most critical concern for homeowners. If insulation goes within the walls, it might result in blight and mold. Likewise, it can cause structural wear and tear to home by distorting and bowing any of the footings. The siding assists in preventing wreck and water from going into the walls and insulation of your house, and lessens the possibility for any moisture growth.

Here we are going to talk about 5 of the several reasons why siding adds significance to your property and why it is worthy to hire professional siding contractor Downriver Michigan.


Before anything else, your visitors will observe the siding of your house. So it bodes well to make your home's siding look great. Vinyl, fiberglass, aluminum, and fiber cement are the siding materials that can be molded and designed to suit a home with any architectural style. Siding gives a completely new look to your home and holds its beauty for years to come with minimal maintenance. Present-day siding can be finished with wood grain or smooth grain. Regardless of what style your home has, there is a kind of siding for every style that is ideal for your requirements.


Siding can face rain, hail, wind, ice, sun, and snow for decades. It neither needs to be painted nor peels, splits, or fades. Modern hard siding materials stand tough against a beating without giving a hint of depletion. Also, all it takes is a garden hose to keep clean.

Now available from GeekNation Press is the parnomral romance Handbook for Mortals by Lani Sarem. You can purchase the title on Amazon and on Handbooks Series website.

Zade Holder has always been a free-spirited young woman, from a long dynasty of tarot-card readers, fortunetellers, and practitioners of magick. Growing up in a small town and never quite fitting in, Zade is determined to forge her own path. She leaves her home in Tennessee to break free from her overprotective mother Dela, the local resident spellcaster and fortuneteller.

Zade travels to Las Vegas and uses supernatural powers to become part of a premiere magic show led by the infamous magician Charles Spellman. Zade fits right in with his troupe of artists and misfits. After all, when everyone is slightly eccentric, appearing ''normal'' is much less important.

Behind the scenes of this multimillion-dollar production, Zade finds herself caught in a love triangle with Mac, the show's good-looking but rough-around-the-edges technical director and Jackson, the tall, dark, handsome and charming bandleader. Zade's secrets and the struggle to choose between Mac or Jackson creates reckless tension during the grand finale of the show. Using Chaos magick, which is known for being unpredictable, she tests her abilities as a spellcaster farther than she's ever tried and finds herselfat death's door. Her fate is left in the hands of a mortal who does not believe in a world of real magick, a fortuneteller who knew one day Zade would put herself in danger and a dagger with mystical powers...

Handbook for Mortals is the first book in the series of this urban fantasy, paranormal romance series by author Lani Sarem.

Following Zade through the trials--and romance--of finding her own place in the world, readers will identify with their own struggles to fit in, reflected in the fantastic, yet mundane world of Zade's life.

Handbook for Mortals is in development as a motion picture set to debut in 2018.

When did you become interested in storytelling?

I wrote my first script when I was 11 but I probably had the desire even earlier than that.

What was your first book/story published?

Hmm..well this is my first book!

What inspired you to write Handbook for Mortals?

It was a few different things. I used to work in David Copperfield’s theater. I also had a fiancée that became an ex-fiancée’…and I had a need to put my emotions somewhere and I love magick! 

What character in Handbook for Mortals is the most/least like you, and in what ways?