When did you become interested in storytelling?

My interest in storytelling has always been with me. My earliest memory was around the age of three. I spent the summer taking my dolls (in the basket of my tricycle) over to my neighbor’s house. I would ask him to babysit my dolls while I went to work and when I picked my kids (dolls) up, I would tell long stories about my hard day working at the factory. As my interest continued to grow, my stories became more elaborate. In third grade, was called to the principle’s office after spending several recesses telling kids scary stories about an abandoned house across the street. 

What was your first book/story published?

My new book Blooming Into Life is my first book published. I may have started storytelling early but it took me half of my life to find the courage and stamina to form my stories into the written word.

What inspired you to write Blooming Into Life?

As a wellness coach working with women for the past several years, I began to notice how many women were measuring their self-worth by the number on the scales, the price tag of their clothes and the status of the social groups they belonged to. After taking a look at my own behavior, I realized I was doing it also and it was all in the name of acceptance. So, I decided to write a story about a woman searching for acceptance.

What character in Blooming Into Life is the most/least like you, and in what ways?

I identify a lot with the main character Colleen. I grew up in a rural area like Colleen and moved to a city where I had to figure out how and where I belonged. I spent many years of my life measuring my self-worth by my exterior and had to do a lot of internal work to look at my self differently much in the same way that Colleen does in the book.

What is your favorite part in Blooming Into Life?

There are several parts that stand out so I’ll say “one” of my favorite parts is the scene where Colleen is listening to Johnny Cash sing “The Man in Black” – “The words struck her. She was the woman in black. She had worn black or charcoal grey since Lyla put her in the ‘until my weight is gone’ outfit. Her appearance did have a somber tone but, unlike Johnny Cash, she wasn’t wearing the dark colors for all the darkness in the world. She wasn’t bringing attention to other people’s misfortune. She was highlighting her own misfortune – as her dad would say, ‘wallowing’ in her own darkness. Suddenly Colleen felt suffocated by the clothes on her body. She wanted to peel them off and throw them out the window as she drove.

What was the hardest part to write?

I struggled writing the part about being on bedrest and the fears of losing her baby since that I pulled that from my own life experience. 

What would your ideal career be, if you couldn't be an author?

I’m a wellness coach in addition to being a new author. I love coaching and inspiring women in person and through my writing. So my ideal career would involve inspiring others to believe in themselves and to get out of their own way when it comes to reaching for their dreams. To give this a title, I’ll go with a coach, therapist/counselor, or teacher.

Do you read reviews of your books? If so, do you pay any attention to them, or let them influence your writing?

Bethany House; 350 pages; Buy Link; Blog Tour

I'm kicking off my first "Spring Reads" post with a few weeks earlier than what I originally intended to do. The book I'm reviewing is Ketunrah, book one in The Sugar Baraon's Daughters series, by Lisa T Bergren.

Set in 1772, the novel centers on Lady Keturah ("Ket") Banning Tomlinson and her sisters (Verity and Selah), whom each received a letter from the West Indies from their later father. It seems he had left his estate the "Tabletop Plantation" in Nevis to his daughters. Against their best judgements, the sisters packs their bags and travel to the Caribbean to cleanup whatever mess their father had left behind.

Upon arriving, they learn their father's legendary sugar barons have declined and they seek out to find a new overseer for the estate. Ket runs into an old childhood friend, Gray, who had moved to Nevis to begin a new life for himself.

This is a romance novel, so you can probably guess that Gray and Ket have some romantic feelings for each other. However, there's a slight problem, as Ket had been emotionally and physically abused in the past, so she's hesitant about trusting another man.

Do you enjoy reading retellings of, or 'sequels' to, classic novels? Why or why not?

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:

Yes and no! It really depends if the sequel or retelling is worth reading.

Not Rated; 164 minutes; $14.98; Buy Link

I believe I have stated a few times on this blog about my love for the classic Hammer Film Production horror flicks from the 1950s to the 1970s. I have fond memories of watching these films during horror movie marathons on AMC (before they had commercials) when I was a teenager during the late 1990s. Old horror films don't get much air time on television any more, so I'm thankful that many of them have found their way onto DVD and Blu-ray.

Yesterday, Mill Creek Entertainment released a new Hammer Films Double Feature Blu-ray, which features the British films "Scream of Fear!" and "Never Take Candy from a Stranger." There are no special features or extras on the single-disc.

Directed by Cyril Frankel, the 1960 thriller Never Take Candy from a Stranger (also known as Never Take Sweets from a Stranger) centers on a school principal Peter Carter and his wife Sally (played by Patrick Allen and Gwen Watford) who are determined to protect their young daughter Jean (played by Janina Faye) from a child molester, Clarence Olderberry Sr.. The old man had lured Jean and her best friend Lucille (played by Frances Green) into his home and gave them candy in exchange for seeing the girls dance naked.

The Olderberry family owns most of the town and are respected by everyone. Even though Peter and Sally pressed charges against Clarence, there's no real proof that he actually harmed the girls; resulting in the court finding him not guilty. However, Clarence is guilty of the crime and he hunts down Jean and Lucille, who must fight for their lives to survive his clutches.

Due to the taboo themes of sexual abuse of children and paedophilia, the film was a critical and commercial failure. However, over the years the film has received positive reviews from modern day critics. The late Hammer horror-icon Christopher Lee stated, ""Never Take Sweets from a Stranger, an excellent film, was decades ahead of its time."


Directed by Seth Holt, the 1961 psychological thriller Scream of Fear! (also known as Taste of Fear), centers on Penny Appleby (played by Susan Strasberg), a wheelchair-bound woman who returns to her father's estate after being estranged for nearly 10 years. Upon arriving Penny meets her stepmother Jane (played by Ann Todd) for the very first time, as well as two guests, Bob (played by Ronald Lewis) and Doctor Gerrard (played by Christopher Lee). She's disappointed to learn that her father is away on a business trip. Her mother had died recently and she's wanting to get reacquainted with her father.

What was planned as a simple visit home quickly turns in a nightmare for Penny. She keeps seeing her father's dead body in various places, but the body always disappears before she cancall for help. Is she going mad?

While the film didn't do very well in the UK and United States upon it's release, it did do well in Europe. The late great Christopher Lee has been quoted, "Taste of Fear was the best film that I was in that Hammer ever made. It had the best director, the best cast and the best story."

Now available from Escape Publishing (Imprint of Harlequin Australia) is the LGBTI speculative romance series "The Refuge Trilogy" by Annabelle McInnes.





The author has taken a few minutes out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions about her book series.



When did you become interested in storytelling?

I’ve always been interested in writing stories. It is an innate drive for me. But, it wasn’t until the birth of my son did I release that I wanted to become a published author. I started the first draft of True Refuge, the first book in the Refuge Trilogy when my son was eight months old and having looked back.

What was your first book/story published?

Without Refuge, the prequel to the Refuge Trilogy was the first story I had published. The story was awarded a place in the Romance Writers of Australia’s Spicy Bites Competition. As a result, it was published in their yearly anthology. True Refuge, the first book in the Refuge Trilogy was the first full length novel I had published. It was released in September 2017 with Escape Publishing, the Digital First Imprint for Harlequin Australia.

What inspired you to write True Refuge?

The initial premise for the Refuge Trilogy was a simple notion; what does a good man do when all that’s left is decayed, destroyed or dead? That question drove the narrative and the characters through a post-apocalyptic landscape after a plague wiped out humanity. I have always loved science fiction and fantasy novels growing up, but I found the romance in those stories often lacking authenticity. It was later in life I discovered romance novels and I was drawn to writing speculative fiction concepts that aligned with romance tropes. I wanted to take my premise and ask how do those good men find love when compassion and empathy have been eradicated.

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

Each of my characters represents a part of me. I would like to think that if the world were to be thrown into chaos tomorrow, that people like my characters would prevail. They represent humanity at its best. However, my characters are flawed like I am. They struggle, the second guess themselves, they bleed and they cry. But they love fiercely and passionately. They love with their whole hearts. They are brave, devoted and generous. I’d like to think that those notions came from small parts of me.

What is your favorite part in The Refuge Trilogy?

While I glanced outside to watch the snow fall from the sky yesterday, I kept thinking about the importance of having a good lawyer on a day like this. And, no, I'm not referring to Saul Goodman. (Breaking Bad & BetterCall Saul fans will know what I mean!) Accidents happen all the time, especially when there's bad weather, so having a lawyer that you can rely on can come in handy in case of an emergency.

Of course, we can have other life changing accidents that aren't weather related. And by "we" I'm referring to bloggers and YouTube vloggers. Below I have put together three possible situations where an injury lawyer might can be useful for bloggers and vloggers.

Traveling across the country to attend either a book or comic book convention can be fun, but at the same time dangerous. If you're traveling by car to a convention in Florida, there's always the possibility of getting into some sort of fender bender. Once you get to the convention, there's even a  chance of falling or tripping, which is never a good thing. Then you would need to do an internet search for a personal injury attorneys Tampa.

Many YouTube vloggers are Funko collectors and they like to film themselves hunting for vinyl toys on specific release days. Last year's Force Friday event was extremely crowded with kids and adults shoving their way into stores at midnight just to get their hands on their favorite Star Wars bobble-head. Due to the big crowds, the percentage of getting an injury from an accident or scuffle is high. This is another situation where Tampa injury attorneys can come in handy.

In the tradition of HARRY POTTER AND TWILIGHT, comes a captivating fantasy tale that will have you on the edge of your seat and keep you reading late into the night as you go along on an unpredictable journey with the Occuli!!!

Have you ever received shocking news that changes everything?

Imagine being eighteen-year-old Remy Verbetta, and finding out that you are not 'human” and are not from this world.

Remy’s entire life has been a lie. Another world is living and breathing beside our own, an alternate dimension. 

On her eighteenth birthday, Remy finds out that she is a member of an ancient and almost extinct race called the Occuli. Each Occuli has different magical powers, based solely on their eye color. 

This 7 time award-winning, supernatural fantasy novel, follows Remy on a journey of self-discovery, magic, romance and betrayal, as she learns about her new powers and tries to figure out a way not only to survive, but also how to get back to her true home while saving the Occuli from extinction!

(Recommended for ages 16+)

**2017 Readers' Favorite BRONZE MEDAL WINNER for BEST FANTASY BOOK!!!

**2017 Book Excellence Awards FINALIST for BEST FANTASY BOOK!!

**OFFICIAL FANTASY SELECTION - 2016 New Apple Book Awards for Excellence in Independent Publishing!!!

**2016 The Wishing Shelf Book Awards FINALIST for BEST FANTASY BOOK!!

**2016 Readers' Favorite BRONZE MEDAL WINNER for BEST FANTASY BOOK!!!

**OFFICIAL FANTASY SELECTION - 2015 New Apple Book Awards for Excellence in Independent Publishing!!!

**Awarded 2016 BOOK OF THE YEAR from Books Go Social!! 

"RIVETING FROM START TO FINISH!!" by Tom

GOLD MEDAL WINNER - 2016 AUTHORSdb.com Book Cover Contest!

"FIVE STARS!" by Ellie and AJSW

"LOVED THE JOURNAL FORMAT! RECOMMEND THIS SERIES!" by DJS

The first short story in the Occuli series is here! 

A Golden-Eyed, or "Aureus", has one sole purpose in life: to protect. Raised from children to be bodyguards, these Occuli are both the fastest and strongest and are commonly used as fierce weapons. 

Frequently they are not what they seem however, as they can be tempted by too much power and control over those they protect. This can lead them down a dark and dangerous path. 

This supplement to Book One of the Occuli series, gives the reader a more intimate look at the character of Zias. In this story the reader is taken through Zias' personal journal, giving his perspective on the journey so far with Remy and the other Occuli. He tells the story through his eyes about his struggle to remember his past and break from traditions and curses, while putting it all on the line for the love of his life, Remy Verbetta.

"Christie Stenzel’s incredible writing style is intoxicating, drawing the reader into a magical world where anything and everything is possible… I thoroughly enjoyed The Violet Eyed, and wholeheartedly recommend it to readers aged over 15 years, who are fans of the paranormal, mystery, drama, romance, and finding oneself through it all..." Excerpt from the 5 STAR review from Readers' Favorite, March 2017 

This tale of mystery, romance, intrigue and deceit, follows Remy's sister Violet through her tragic life. 

As we delve into secrets of the past, present and future and explore Violet's relationships, we learn about her struggle against the darkness as she learns who and what she truly is and that her entire life has also been a lie. 

A unique breed of Occuli, Violet's eyes match her namesake. Being cursed from birth, will she find the strength to defeat the darkness within, or will she succumb to the darkness that is her nature?

***Voted one of the "50 BEST INDIE BOOKS of 2017" by Readfree.ly!!!

***BRONZE MEDAL WINNER - 2017 AUTHORSdb.com Book Cover Contest! 

Book Three of the Occuli Series picks up where Book One left off!

Remy and the other Occuli have just discovered that they were able to go back in time and are trying to determine exactly what the consequences of those actions are. 

As the book progresses, it becomes apparent that a Golden-Eyed has now "turned Amber" and the Occuli family and friends must come to terms with what this means and what the end result will be....