Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer

Thursday, June 28, 2012

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

Billy Burgess book review ,

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

Billy Burgess author guest post ,

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

Billy Burgess author guest post ,

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

Billy Burgess guest post ,

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

Billy Burgess The Friday 56 ,

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

Billy Burgess guest post ,

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.