Here you will find Christian Books. Mostly Bibles, Devotions, Childrens Books, Gift Books and a few Fiction will be added here as well. Hope you enjoy our reviews of the awesome books. We are just beginning, so tell all of your friends about us.
Book Title: The Diamond Rose (A Sentinel 10 Novel) by Daniela Valenti Category: Adult Fiction (18 yrs +), 250 pages Genre: Paranormal Fantasy Romance Publisher: Enigma Publishing Release date: Nov 2020 Format available for review: print, and ebook (mobi file (for Kindle), Gifted Kindle, PDF Will send print books out: USA and Canada Tour dates: Nov 30 to Jan 29
Amanda’s med school graduation is unlike any other. A solar flare awakens her super psychic powers, enabling her to fight evil, supernatural and human alike. She is the Sentinel 10, the most powerful warrior in a secret society of similarly endowed people. Her life becomes a whirlwind of international travel and exciting paranormal challenges. But all is not as it seems. Soon Amanda discovers that the man she loves has an evil alter ego, and that her own powers have a dark side. This first year as a Sentinel will push the limits of her resilience, and put her own humanity to the test. The Diamond Rose is a thrilling and romantic adventure, the first in an exciting new series. Fans of paranormal romance will enjoy this tale of a female heroine who struggles to understand love and master her own powers. BUY THE BOOK: Amazon
Meet the Author:
Daniela Valenti is the pen name for a Canadian psychiatrist who writes Paranormal Fiction. That may seem incongruous, but it’s not really. The work in her chosen field and her writing dovetail nicely. She is able to draw upon her work as a psychiatrist to create multidimensional characters who are simultaneously powerful and vulnerable. Daniela lives in Montreal and holds a medical degree from McGill. She speaks French and regards herself a chatty introvert. Growing up, she was a voracious reader of sci-fi and fantasy. Her interests today include supernatural lore, skincare and fashion, gorgeous travel destinations, true crime, and learning about narcissism and psychopathy. She’s thought a lot about love and evil and maintains that narcissism is the true nature of all evil. Daniela has traveled extensively. Her love of the exotic dominates many of the settings where the characters in her stories romp and play their parts. Her prior attempts at writing began at age nine with a story about a doctor’s cat, and then a short sci-fi story at age twenty-three. Thirteen years later, her foray into serious-minded writing simply happened. She began writing in 2017, after she returned from a trip to Prague for an international forensic psychiatry conference. What she learned there, combined with her impressions of Prague, her prior ruminations on the nature of love and evil, and her clinical knowledge all combined to create the first book in her series. It was a moment when all sorts of aspects of herself, her life experiences and her interests came together, like a self-assembling puzzle. The story came to her like a movie, unfolding in her head as she sat on an airplane, staring at the screen-less back of the chair in front of her, for the eight-hour trip back to Canada. Once set in motion, the wheels of creation kept on turning, and resulted in the Sentinel 10 series.
Book Title: Prospector's Run by Kevin W. Bates Category: Adult Fiction (18 yrs +), 277 pages Genre: Science Fiction Publisher: Kevin W. Bates Release date: April 2019 Format available for review: print, mobi for kindle, epub, gifted kindle, PDF Will send print books out: USA and Canada Tour dates: Nov 23 to Dec 11, 2020 Content Rating: PG for mild profanity and some depictions of violence. Book Description:
Five thousand years ago in a savage assault, someone tried to annihilate humanity. They almost succeeded. Now, millennia after the First Stellar Civilization’s cataclysmic destruction, humans have clawed their way back from the brink of extinction and returned to the stars. Massive riches in the form of forgotten tech lie hidden in the ruins of the First Civ’s dead, shattered worlds. For a prospector with luck and the right coordinates, they are ripe for the taking. Holtz Mitsumi has neither. Down and out from a failed expedition, Mitsumi allows an enigmatic stranger to talk him into one more prospecting run. After scraping together a crew, Mitsumi embarks with high hopes. But nothing is as it seems and this run may be his last. BUY THE BOOK: AMAZON Add to Goodread
A Little Child Shall Lead Them
By: Kevin W. Bates
When my children were little (my youngest now is thirty-two, so that was some time ago) I enjoyed Sundays as I do now—relaxing in the living room, reading. Whey they were young, on most Sunday afternoons when I was spending quality time with a book, my four children played in the family room downstairs. It was not unusual, however, for one of them to run upstairs, knock the book from my hand and demand my attention. One day years ago Diana (then aged four) crashed onto my lap.
“Daddy, you have to come downstairs right now.” As she was saying this, she slid from my lap and tugged on my hand.
“Why? What’s happening downstairs?”
“It’s a surprise,” she said. “C’mon, hurry.”
Turns out, it was a play. That was high on my list of guesses. Like all children, imagination bubbled and frothed within my kids, erupting to create entire worlds in which to frolic. Sometimes they invited me along. That day it was a drama in three acts set in a faraway land on the stage of our family room. I went downstairs to watch.
I had seen these productions before. I reveled in seeing my children enjoy themselves, and I thrilled to see their creativity alive and growing, but (true confession time) the plays themselves were not to my taste. They lacked plot, dialogue, tension, resolution—all the things that make a play a play. Did I tell them that, critique their work? Of course not. They were children, learning, making sense of the world and having fun along the way. They needed support and encouragement, not criticism. We understand this about children.
That Sunday, as my kids created a universe, I was reminded of an essay I had read a day before in a local magazine. The author was a sports enthusiast, but the essay was about life, not sports, and focused on the life as sports cliché. The author discussed the virtues of an athlete’s “playing within himself,” an attribute she described as knowing one’s limitations and not attempting to exceed them: hitting singles, ten-foot jumpers and the back in the flats not home runs, three pointers or the deep receiver. As in sports, so in life, she maintained. Face reality—know your limits and don’t try to exceed them.
Her editor had recently confirmed to her the wisdom of this philosophy. You write a great essay, he’d said, an informative article. Why do you want to fool with a novel or, heaven forbid, poetry? She had wanted, and tried, to write novels and poetry, but finally decided to face reality—novels and poetry lay beyond the limits within she must play her life. This was her message—we should all play in-bounds because to do otherwise denies reality and invites failure. It is best to accept the inevitable. As I thought of my children’s play and the author’s conclusion, I experienced a profound sadness. Sadness that because of her editor’s words, the author would miss out on some of the joy of creation I witnessed in my children.
Groups of people have a center of gravity just as planets. And the effect is similar. If a member of a group strays too far from the center, the group’s force of gravity--intimidation, derision, coercion — pulls her back. We have all taken part in this effect, either succumbing to the force or wielding it. Group gravity is the great leveler—it allows no member of the group to be different. This force has its greatest effect on creativity because creativity is the essence of diversity.
This effect is easily imagined in my children. How difficult would it have been to put a stop to the plays they performed? Not very. A few words of scorn and criticism would have done the trick nicely. They would have stopped performing, and I could have enjoyed my Sunday in peace. How about my friends and acquaintances, how can I keep them at my level? By the same method; the effect is less certain, but if I keep it up, the percentages are with me. Look what the editor did to the author of the magazine article.
Whenever I recall those two juxtaposed experiences—watching my children’s play and reading the article on recognizing our limits—I remember that in many senses all of us are still children trying to work out our place in the world and that creativity is a delicate flower easily crushed. I am reminded that all of us, whether the memory is fresh, were once children in whom creativity seethed like an endless ocean. And that’s true of you, dear reader, whether you acknowledge it or not. Whoever you are reading this, you have a deep well of creativity. If you haven’t tapped that well you should because the world will benefit. “No man is an island,” the poet said, and it is true. Every song you sing, or compose, or play, every letter, or blog post or poem you write, every new idea, improvement, or advancement you create. No matter how insignificant it seems, is a butterfly with the potential to change the weather halfway around the world.
🍂
Prospector's Run by Kevin W. Bates is a scifi story, which is a very different genre for me. Through i found it very interesting, it was slow for me at first because I was trying to figure out the characters and where the plot was headed. I will admit I was kind of lost a lot in the book. But for the most part, I don't credit this to the author, but instead to me because I don't usually go for this type of story as much. But Bates seems to have built himself quite the universe here, and if you love a good scifi, I highly encourage you to try this one out. The characters show creativity and as the story unfolds the characters show promise and growth. And the story is well written. That much I can tell. This is the beginning of a series so keep in touch with Kevin W. Bates to see what he has for you in his future books. This one is a four for me.
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
🍂
Now its time to read my interesting interview with the author!!
Hi, Kevin it’s good to meet with you today.
Thanks, it’s a pleasure to be here.
Don’t take this wrong, but I can’t help notice that you’re, a…mature author.
Heh, that’s a nice way of saying it. Thanks for trying to spare my feelings, but yes, I’m in my golden years.
Prospector’s Run is the second book you have published. You published your first book Crossing the Border in 2018, so you seem to have come to the writing game later in life. What prompted you to start writing?
I wish I could say that I started writing when I was young and had always had a passion for it, but that’s not quite true. I think my first venture into creative writing was writing verse. As a teenager, I would write humorous verse for my family’s amusement. Sometimes these poems would center around events in the family. Sometimes they would just be whatever popped into my head at the moment.
Can you give us an example of a poem about a family event?
Sure, the poem itself is lost to history now, but once I wrote a verse describing a huge fight between my two younger brothers, Douglas and Lyle. At that time we would sometimes leave the bath water in for the next bather. Lyle went first. When it was Doug’s turn he accused Lyle of not using soap. It escalated quickly to an epic battle since Lyle insisted he had used soap. One of the highlights was Doug’s declaration that “You can’t use soap and leave the water clear!”
So, verse then what?
Oh, over the years I would very occasionally write something. At one point I wrote some advertisements with the thought that maybe I’d like to explore that career. But that never amounted to anything. I wrote a screenplay for a movie, that sort of thing. But nothing sustained. In the late nineties I wrote the first three chapters of Crossing the Border. But that’s as far as I got.
What changed then?
I retired. I practiced law for thirty years and got sick of it. As soon as I could manage it, I planned on retiring. Well, I didn’t want to be bored, so I thought I would dust off my screenplay and work on it, but I soon changed my mind and went back to my novel.
You finished it obviously and went on to write more. Many aspiring authors have difficulty completing a project. Did you do anything in particular to be able to complete yours?
Yeah, I’ve read that about aspiring authors. Well, early on after I had retired and started work on my first novel, I decided that rather than think about completing the whole thing, I’d break it down. So, I set a target of writing a thousand words a day. I figured that was a manageable chunk. I had the plot generally outlined in my head, so I put together a sentence outline of the novel, that is a sentence for each chapter. From then on, I kept my head down at the thousand word a day level and figured if I stuck to that process at the other end a novel would appear. And Voila! It worked. I followed the same process with Prospector’s Run.
Prospector’s Run is science fiction. Why did you choose that genre?
That’s an easy one. Beginning from when I was in junior high school, I devoured science fiction novels and short stories. I read tons. I’m not sure what attracted me to the genre. Maybe it was the idea of exploring a completely different world, but I found the ideas and the settings in science fiction totally absorbing. I easily lost myself in the future among the stars. So, for me there was no question that when I decided to write, what genre that would be. They say to write what you know which is meant, I think, to direct writers at first at least to the familiar, but to me I “knew” a vividly imagined future of wonders better than anything else.
At this point I have to say something about the kind of future I’m attracted to. I’ve read but never been much of a fan of dystopian sci-fi. The future I want to inhabit and explore is one of technological progress in which many of mankind’s ills are solved.
Science fiction also plays into my fascination with science and technology. I would have been a scientist if I’d been smart enough.
Talk to me a bit about your writing process. Do you have a writing space?
I do, but it’s an unusual one. I write lying down on the couch in our living room.
Wait, how does that work?
Well, I prop my head with a pillow and wedge my laptop between my torso and my legs and write. Here let me show you a picture. Here I am—the author at work.
That’s…unusual. How did that evolve?
There is actually a history to it. From a young age, I did most of best imagining lying on my back staring at the sky or at the ceiling and letting my mind wander the universe. I discovered in college that on my back was the best way I knew to compose papers, so I developed that habit. When I married The Lovely Marianne, she had graduated, but I was still a junior in school. We married between semesters and the first semester after our wedding, I had a paper coming up. In the two weeks before the paper was due, I would work on it. But, of course, by working I mean I lay on my back on the floor and stared at the ceiling. Well, TLM was unaccustomed to that unorthodox way of “working” on a paper. As the time passed, she became more and more concerned until finally unable to contain herself she asked when I was going to start working on my paper. TLM was concerned that she had married a lazy lay-about, and I was just spending time lying around day dreaming.
Well, after I retired when I started writing I started out sitting at a table with my computer, but after a while, I discovered that I was more productive on the couch. So there I remain to this day.
Do you have a writing time?
Morning. I’m at my best in the morning, but I will write at other times as well.
How many novels have you written and what’s your favorite?
I have published three novels. Crossing the Border was my first. A year later I published Prospector’s Run and a year after that Dawn’s Reach which is the second book in the Artifact series. I have completed and nearly readied for publication Prospector’s Choice the third and last book in the Artifact series. I have completed, but not published another book: Quarantine. That is a Christian science fiction which I quite like, but it still needs some work. I have to say that my favorite has to be Crossing the Border.
Writing has been an interesting journey. I knew next to nothing about the craft when I started. Along the way I learned a lot and Crossing the Border was where I did a lot of experimenting. Consequently, I worked hard on that book, and maybe it’s my favorite because of all the effort I put into it. But having said that, Prospector’s Run is a close second.
Why did you write Prospector’s Run?
This book is very intentional. By that I mean the idea for this book didn’t come to me as I lay daydreaming. I constructed this book. After I finished my first book which had elements of science fiction and was an alternate history, I decided I wanted to write a pure sci-fi. So, I sat down one day and listed some of my favorite elements from sci-fi books I have really liked. I took those elements and constructed a story around them.
What were those elements?
I have always enjoyed books set in a universe where humans lived in the shadow of a prior civilization that fell or was destroyed. That’s one. I also like books where there are hints that ancient aliens have left behind incomprehensible, still functioning constructs. That’s a second. And, I like books where a group of strangers with their own problems comes together and is forced to operate as a unit. That’s another. And treasure hunts. I like treasure hunts.
Prospector’s Run is the first in a series?
Yes, I’ve titled the series Artifact. The second book Dawn’s Reach is available. Third and final book in the series Prospector’s Choice is in the editing stage. With luck it will be published in January, 2021.
What’s next for you?
Well, it’s it is time to move on from the Artifact universe to a different one. I'm afraid lethal aliens lie in earth's near future. Someone has to stop them from destroying the planet and all humankind with it and like it or not, I'm the only one who can.
🍂
Meet the Author:
Kevin W. Bates was born in Berkeley, California and, with the exception of a couple year stint in Sydney Australia and a study abroad program in Japan, was raised there. In his Martin Luther King Jr. High and Berkeley High School years, Kevin developed a life-long fascination with science fiction (and, oddly, nuclear weapons) and a tendency to day dream. He discovered early that among the greatest joys in life is the thrill of losing yourself in a gripping space adventure soaring across the galaxy. Raised on classic science fiction authors such as Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Ray Bradbury, Kevin took up writing science fiction to provide the same mind expanding thrills he enjoyed from those authors and more contemporary ones like Alastair Reynolds, Iain M. Banks, David Brin and Neal Stephenson.
Join us for this tour from Nov 9 to Dec 4, 2020! Book Details:
Book Title: Bones of the Redeemed (A Southwestern Mystery) by Kari Bovee Category: Adult Fiction (18 + yrs), 298 pages Genre: Historical Mystery (1952) Publisher: Bosque Publishing Release date: November 2020 Format available for review: print, mobi (for Kindle), pdf Will send print books out: USA and Canada Tour dates: Nov 9 to Dec 4, 2020
Book Description:
A pit of corpses. An ancient cult. A quest for redemption that could leave her dead… New Mexico, 1952. Archaeology grad student Ruby Delgado is plagued by guilt after losing her son. So when her latest excavation drops her down a sinkhole filled with suspiciously mutilated bodies, she’s driven to bring the murderer to justice. But when digging deeper brings her dangerously close to a sinister religious sect, she could be their next sacrifice… Discovering some of the victims were crucified, Ruby pushes hard to give the evidence to the authorities. But when her trail crosses the path of a beaten man left for dead in the desert, she realizes she may be the only person who can save the community. Can Ruby stop the sacrifices and slay her inner demons, or will hers be the next body laid to rest? Bones of the Redeemed is a hair-raising standalone Southwestern mystery. If you like complex heroines, cult conflict, and hard-won redemption, then you’ll love Kari Bovee’s grisly tale. Buy the Book: Amazon Add to Goodreads
I knew this was going to be a great read by the other books I have read by Kari Bovee, and I was sure not disappointed at Bones of the Redeemed. This story takes place in New Mexico in the 1950's and centers around Archaeology grad student Ruby Delgado and her quest to find the person responsible for the murder of bodies she stumbles upon, literally. And this is where this book grabs my attention and keeps me on the edge of my seat! I really like Ruby and her feisty and determined personality. I was intrigued as I followed her journey and was able to really get to know her. Bovee does and outstanding job creating all of her characters, but I don't feel I got to know the other characters as well. Maybe that will be taken care of in another book!
If you enjoy a good heart stopping mystery, I suggest you check this one out. This book has everything you want in a mystery, and it is sure to stay with me for a good long while. And I can't say any more without giving away too much, so you just need to read Bones of the Redeemed for yourself. It will not disappoint. This one gets Five Stars from me!
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Hilary Mantel (Wolf Hall) said that interpreting historical material through the prism of the imagination, “is not about misleading, it is seeing something differently” and tends toward “symbolic application.” Does that reflect how you feel about the relationship between written histories and historical fiction?
I love this question. The most important thing in writing fiction in general is the story. Yes, historical fiction needs to be accurate enough to be believable, but the story is what matters. In some of the research I’ve done for my novels, it’s become clear to me that different historians recording the same history have different biases, and interpret the events in their own way. And, it’s hard to believe that their own imaginations didn’t come into play. I think it’s part of being human. Any given person can interpret an event in history, or the character of a historical figure in a way that speaks to them. We can never really know exactly what happened, how it happened, or how people of a certain time period recorded those events felt about what was happening, unless it is an autobiographical account. And even then, two different people experiencing the same exact thing in history might see it differently from one another, depending on value systems, moral codes, and the magic of imagination.
Have any particular rejections inspired or motivated you?
I think when the rejections started to become more personal and thoughtful is when I knew I had something. It became clear it wasn’t the writing or the story, it was just that particular person—an agent or editor—didn’t have a place for what I was offering. Those rejections kept me going, and reminded me that I am writing exactly what I want to write. Just because they couldn’t sell it, or add it to their line, didn’t mean there wasn’t an audience for it.
Talk about being a healthy writer. How do you deal with long hours of sitting? Do you write standing up? Exercise?
I tried writing with a stand-up desk but found it distracting for some reason. When I am working I make sure to take lots of breaks. The longest I allow myself to sit is for about two hours. Then I get up, make some tea, or get a snack. Sometimes, I go out to visit my horses in the field, or just walk around outside. My breaks vary from 15-30 minutes, and then I get back to work. I will also move from my desk to the sofa just to give my body a break. I exercise regularly and my routines include riding my horses three to four times a week, walking four to five times a week, and doing Pilates two to three times a week. Exercise is crucial for me—I need to get out of my head and do something physical or I go a little nuts!
Share the best book marketing advice you ever received.
When I was newly published, and really for the first two years after being published, I felt I had to do anything and everything right away to get my name out there and to get my books discovered. As I was lamenting this to a friend of mine, who is also a writer, and telling her I was fast approaching burn-out, she reminded me that this career endeavor is a marathon not a sprint. It’s a long-game. There is plenty of time to market yourself and it doesn’t all have to be surrounding the launch. So, breathe and relax. There is plenty of time.
Tell readers how they can help support you as a writer.
Reviews, reviews, reviews! Also, reach out and drop me a line. I love hearing from readers and being able to connect with them. A great way to do this is through my website and subscribing to my newsletter. They will also have an opportunity to receive one of my books for free! https://www.Karibovee.com
Meet the Author:
When she’s not on a horse, or walking along the beautiful cottonwood-laden acequias of Corrales, New Mexico; or basking on white sand beaches under the Big Island Hawaiian sun, Kari Bovee is escaping into the past—scheming murder and mayhem for her characters both real and imagined, and helping them to find order in the chaos of her action-packed novels. Empowered women in history, horses, unconventional characters, and real-life historical events fill the pages of Kari Bovée’s articles and historical mystery musings and manuscripts. An award-winning author, Bovée was honored with the 2019 NM/AZ Book Awards Hillerman Award for Southwestern Fiction for her novel Girl with a Gun. The novel also received First Place in the 2019 NM/AZ Book Awards in the Mystery/Crime category, and is a Finalist in the 2019 International Chanticleer Murder & Mayhem Awards and the International Chanticleer Goethe Awards, as well as the Next Generation Indie Awards. Her novel Grace in the Wings is a Finalist for the 2019 International Chanticleer Chatelaine Awards and the International Chanticleer Goethe Awards. Her novel Peccadillo at the Palace is a Finalist in the 2019 International Chanticleer Murder & Mayhem Awards and the 2019 International Goethe Awards, as well as a Finalist in the 2019 Best Book Awards Historical Fiction category. Bovée has worked as a technical writer for a Fortune 500 Company, has written non-fiction for magazines and newsletters, and has worked in the education field as a teacher and educational consultant. She and her husband, Kevin, spend their time between their horse property in the beautiful Land of Enchantment, New Mexico, and their condo on the sunny shores of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
Join us for this tour from Nov 18 to Dec 22, 2018!
Book Details:
Book Title: Mages Unbound: Book 2 of the Fifth Mage War Series by Laura Engelhardt Series: Fifth Mage War Series Category: Adult fiction (18+), 480 pages Genre: Paranormal Women’s Fiction Publisher: Laura Engelhardt Release date: Nov 2020 Content Rating:
Book Description:
It’s ironic to find out your whole life has been a lie when you’re married to a truth-teller. If only Mary could find some humor in it. She’s drowning her sorrow in vodka and song when a surprise visit from her youngest sister jolts her into accepting the magical reality hidden from her for fifty years. Mary’s epiphany can’t come soon enough because her fresh start may be the only thing that can save her siblings and the world from an utter melt-down. As the two Bant sisters grapple with sirens, faeries and the FBI in America, their brother is trapped in a high-stakes game of mage politics in Australia. Meanwhile, middle-sister Amy’s malfunctioning mage-sight forces her to seek help from the very same mages who tricked her once before.
Can Mary pull herself together in time to rescue her family from the coming war? Mages Unbound is a paranormal women's fiction novel, told from the perspective of the Bant family members. This is Book 2 in the Fifth Mage War Series, a magical epic about sirens, fae, and family ties.
Book Title: Sirens Unbound: Book 1 of the Fifth Mage War Series by Laura Engelhardt Series: Fifth Mage War Series Category: Adult fiction (18+), 548 pages Genre: Paranormal Women’s Fiction Publisher: Laura Engelhardt Release date: July 29, 2019 Content Rating:
"Loved it! Members of the Bant family become entwined in an upcoming mage war in this epic urban fantasy novel about sirens, fae, and family ties." -- Michelle Hogmire, Reedsy Discovery
"a unique take and meshing of different established ideas... Sirens that feed and aid? Fae trapped in England as a prisoner camp? Mage's getting optical surgery for magick sight? I really loved the combination of ideas and I thought they all worked together surprisingly well ... I found myself immersed in watching the fae emerge and interested in Amy's work. I appreciated not being talked down to on either side, as a reader. Some writers over-explain or use too much jargon. This was just the right mix for me. And the descriptions placed me in each scene. I'd definitely buy this." -- Mel Candea, Ink & Insights
Amy’s day starts with three things: Coffee, breakfast, then brains. In that order. Relax, it’s not what you think. She’s just your everyday neurosurgeon who can fix everyone’s brain but her own. It doesn’t matter if she has fifty years of life experience and regularly works with mages—she’s still a mundane.
She’s turning fifty, and her last achievement was what, ten years ago? She’s not sure if anyone even remembers it.
Determined not to be a one-hit-wonder, Amy jumps head-first into a new opportunity. Literally. Some people have affairs to deal with a midlife crisis—Amy has brain surgery.
The results are even bigger than her career ambitions, and Dr. Amy Bant will need the help of her siblings to survive what comes next. Cordelia, an agoraphobic underwater photographer, Thomas, a playboy with a Brazilian tourism business, and Mary, a choir director with a truth-teller husband are all keys to unlocking secrets a whole lot closer to home than any of them could have realized.
Turning fifty doesn’t have to be mundane—not when you’re in the Bant family! Sirens Unbound is a paranormal women’s fiction novel told from each member of the Bant family. This is Book 1 in the Fifth Mage War
Series, a magical epic about sirens, fae, and family ties.
BEFORE WE READ ABOUT THE AUTHOR, LET'S READ THIS VERY INTERESTING INTERVIEW
Q: How do you balance your time between your writing and your family?
A: I have four school-age children. When I was working full-time, I barely had time to read, let alone write! But after I stopped working, I discovered that there were a few glorious hours during the school day when I could actually focus on what I wanted to accomplish. Of course with everyone at home now, it's been harder to find my own time. But writing keeps me sane, so I try to find a half hour here and there to sneak off.
Q: How does your faith inform your writing?
A: I like to think my faith informs everything I do, most especially my writing. Christian fantasy writers have a long history – from C.S. Lewis and his Narnia books to L.E. Modesitt and his Imager series (which includes actual sermons). I'm not writing a classic fantasy series where the villains are utterly irredeemable forces of darkness. Instead, my villains start out as heroes. I think their transformation is just as interesting as the rise of heroes. All my main characters have a chance to be great — it comes down to their decisions. Some will make the right choices, but they often falter (just like us regular people ☺). When my characters fall down the slippery slope of justifying wrong-doing (for extremely worthwhile causes), they begin their fall from grace. The question is whether they can turn it around or not.
Q: You've traveled outside the country? Where would you like to go next?
A: I've never been to Australia. Since so much of Mages Unbound takes place there, I would really like to actually visit the country. Of course, Australian culture in my world is SO different from the real Australia, I don't think my work on the book will actually help me acclimate ;)
Q: You say the Australia in your world is quite different from the real Australia — in what way?
A: I had fun making the Australians super-formal, with fussy and tight clothing styles. Since Aussies are known for being laid-back, I thought this would help readers distinguish the Australians of my world to actual Australians. In my world, a mage cabal rules Australia as an apartheid state, where mages have a lot more legal rights than their mundane citizens. All Australians are devoted to their cause of freeing the mages of Europe and America from their self-imposed "enclave bonds," but have little sympathy or understanding for non-mages. I really love writing about my Australians, and can't wait to explore their world view further as I continue writing this series.
Q: Why do you write fantasy fiction?
A: I write the kind of books I like to read. While I read a ton of romance novels, historical fiction and mysteries, most of my library is filled with sci-fi and fantasy. While fantastic worlds draw me in, it's the characters that keep me reading. I love magic and science so advanced it's like magic, but more than that, it's the people fantasy authors write about that make me love the genre so much.
Q: How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
A: It was such a learning experience — from start to finish! I think I cut and re-wrote 70% of the first book. And like most authors, if I were going to write it again now, the story would be very different. There's so much to learn from the process of doing. Our culture places such emphasis on training & book-learning. But honestly, I think we learn so much more by doing & by the feedback we receive from others who experience our work product.
AS WELL AS A GREAT GUEST POST FROM THIS AUTHOR
“Can’t there be just one thing, one pure source of truth, that doesn’t have to be questioned? I’ve changed so much — I don’t want to change religions!”
Poor Mira! Can you imagine how hard it must be to be caught between a world of magick and the mundane world? It's especially difficult for her because she doesn't discover she's a siren until she's thirty years old. She spends the next forty years clinging to her human life.
Her unwillingness to abandon her human children is a large part of what keeps her in the mundane world. Unlike most sirens who transition from human to siren, Mira isn't willing to break with her family when she changes. But even after her children are grown, Mira still can't bring herself to embrace a new life. She's held back by her fear that if she acknowledges the truth — that she's a siren — she will be accepting the fact that she may no longer be welcome in the church.
For some readers, this may not be such a big challenge. But for people with strong ties to a faith community, the prospect of being outcast can be even more of a horror than the thought of being divorced by your spouse.
In my books, sirens are a hybrid creation developed by a great mage years ago, artificially constructed by magick. Mira worries that because sirens were created by a mage, not God, that the Pope will declare that have no souls. So ever since Mira discovered that she was a siren, she's been tortured by the fear that she'll be excommunicated if the church becomes aware that sirens exist. I don't delve into this sub-theme beyond one rather poignant scene in Mages Unbound, but am laying the groundwork for Mira to eventually address her crisis of faith in later books.
Most fiction stories only explore the heartache of a broken relationship in the context of a failed romance. But such devastating heartbreak can happen when you're fired from your job, when a friend ghosts you, or when your church no longer accepts you. In Mages Unbound, Mira worries that she isn't really God's beloved daughter. But her journey of faith will continue in the next book!
Meet the Author:
An avid sf/fantasy reader, Laura Engelhardt writes the kind of book she likes to read: fantasy with intricate worlds and complex characters facing moral dilemmas. She started writing plays in college, then moved to Germany, where she continued to write while teaching ESL to executives. After moving back to the U.S., she supported her playwriting by teaching ballroom dance and working retail. Deciding that living in her parents' attic wasn't for her, Laura went to law school and then spent the next seventeen years as a lawyer and compliance officer in New York City. In 2017, she quit Wall Street and began helping people resolve disputes as a mediator and arbitrator. She now lives in New Jersey with her family.
After life takes five women on different paths, a death brings them home. But friendship might not be enough to keep them together.
When Bria Landon and her estranged father each inherit fifty percent of a small-town cupcake shop, her dad hires her worst enemy, and first love, to turn the place into a soulless franchise…or sell it.
To save her aunt’s legacy, Bria needs the help of people who love the bakery as much as she does—her old friends who worked there fifteen years ago. Except each woman is dealing with her own problem:
Juliet, who's trying to prove she’s more than a trophy wife; Missy, a widow who fears losing the job she loves; Nell, who's meddling mother won't stop playing matchmaker; and Selena, a life coach who excels at fixing everyone else's lives...but hasn't a clue what's missing in her own.
Each woman wants to believe their friendship can overcome anything. But as the Berry Lake Cupcake Posse reunite to save their beloved cupcake shop, they soon discover the undertaking will bring more trouble than they expected.
Melissa McClone’s Cupcakes & Crumbs doesn't exactly start out sweet and crumbly as the cover looks. It's death that starts the story here with Bria and her dad, who don't get along I may add, inherits her aunts bakery. And her dad ends up hiring her worst enemy. But Bria knows she has to do something so she calls on a group of friends that have previously worked at the bakery to save it.
This is a complicated book because each of these friends have issues of their own that could sure cause conflict. But the sweetness of Berry Lake Cupcake Posse flows through. I did love the friendship coming back to life as the ladies worked together to save this special bakery Bria's aunt loved so well. The characters were well created, and interesting to say the least. As the story unfolds, the characters develop well, and I could feel a definite change in their attitude. I give this story a Four Stars and I am looking forward to the next book in this series. I am eager to find out what happens to this group of friends, as well as Bria and the difficult person her dad hires to get the Bakery back in order.
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
🧁🧁
About the Author
USA TODAY bestselling author Melissa McClone writes heartwarming women’s fiction and sweet contemporary romance novels for Cardinal Press, Tule Publishing Group, and Harlequin Books. When she’s not writing relatable characters and sigh-worthy happy endings, she spends rainy Pacific Northwest reading from her Kindle’s ever-growing TBR, napping, and decorating her Happy Planner. Melissa lives in Washington state with her husband, three children, a Norwegian Elkhound, and three cats who think they rule the house. They do!
A $10 Amazon gift card, cupcake makeup bag set, cupcake charm, cupcake socks, set of magnetic clips, lip gloss, key chain, sticker, swag pack, and bookmark (US only)
Join us for this tour from Nov 16 to Dec 11, 2020!
Book Details:
Book Title: I Will Always Love You by Ashley Lee London Category: Adult Fiction (18 yrs +), 287 pages Genre: Romance Publisher: Ashley Lee London Release date: June 2020 Content Rating: PG. No F Words, I can think of several swear words and one very mild sex scene after its conclusion.
Book Description:
Grace Parrish made two mistakes when she fell in love. She forgot her mother’s stories of segregation. “Don’t love a white man, Grace. It’s too hard and he’ll break your heart.” Even worse, she fell in love with her best friend’s husband, Peter. I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU is a poignant story about the foundation of marriage: love, honor, and fidelity—and the heartache of unrequited love. The must-read story shows how the power of love can overcome adversity, the pain of loss, and rejection because of racial heritage. Grace honors her best friend Lori’s marriage and refuses to pursue an affair, yet her heart will not allow her to love another. The bond of Peter’s love continues after Lori’s passing. During a chance meeting between Peter and Grace, much to their surprise,
a spark ignites that causes them each to wonder, “Could it be that we’ve been given a second chance to fall in love?”
There are people who argue Paris is nothing more than a mirror of other large metropolitan cities in the world. Nightlights that slip past the horizon and the shuffle of tens of thousands of shoes. Such a foolish declaration. Their hearts are cold and cloistered.
I have loved in Paris. My lover’s arms embraced me as I drank my morning coffee on the hotel terrace. The mist rising, revealing the Cathédrale Notre Dame,
Let me tell you a short story.
Deidre dismissed those who devalued love’s grasp on Paris. She knew better after listening to her parents describe their visit. Soon, photographs of Paris from every angle hung in her room. She longed to stand at the Eiffel Tower and drink wine at a sidewalk café on the Champs-Élysées. Watch the men of the world stroll past her table. Fall in love.
Her friends thought the impossible of Deidre’s dream. They dismissed the miniature iconic Eiffel Tower on her desk. She was one of dozens of secretaries in the Wall Street brokerage office. Travel to Paris was expensive. Very expensive.
Deidre refused to surrender to opinion. She quit her job and moved closer to home. Her savings grew with a premium position at another brokerage office. Sleep became difficult two years later when her lifetime dream was days away. Paris. The city of love was hers to conquer.
She cruised the Seine and roared her approval of the can-can dancers at the Moulin Rouge. Stood silent in awe at the five-hundred-year plus Mona Lisa. Studied French history in the Arc de Triomphe muséum.
Men were plentiful with their broad false smiles and lecherous eyes. They fixated on her full figure, blonde hair cascading freely onto her shoulders, and blue eyes that searched for honesty and integrity. Her heart sank. Had Paris been a mistake?
The last day. The Eiffel Tower. She considered canceling the visit and catching an early flight home. Why suffer another heartache? No. She had traveled 3,800 miles. She may never return. A taxi delivered her to the iconic site.
Why he approached her, she did not know. He was a passerby wearing a dark blue Italian-cut business suit and a designer leather briefcase. The tower was obviously not on his agenda. Perhaps he became distressed to see her sad face. Perhaps he believed no one should approach the tower without awe in their eyes. Her step was mechanical and lacked enthusiasm.
For whatever reason, he changed his course and approached her. Experience taught her how to read peoples intent. Unlike other men she had met, she sensed his concern for her was genuine. They were honorable.
She reached into her tote bag to pay for the elevator ride to the top when her bag slipped off her shoulder. A hand reached out and retrieved her bag.
“Je vous en prie, mademoiselle. May I join you in the elevator and allow me to show you my city?”
💞
This book was like a generation whirlwind. Which to be honest, was very confusing. But first, the back of the book Blurb is very misleading, it happens way after, like a generation after what we already gave read. Perhaps you can see Amazon for a more accurate book Blurb. This is a very difficult review for me to write. There are multiple characters throughout the generations, it is hard to keep up with who is who. There is so much that just don't add up. Like, and I won't use names to spoil it, but one of the characters asking a friend of her moms to be her Godfather, then loving he and his wife so much, she pushes her mom she loves so much to the wayside. And there are so many thing like this happening in the book. I think maybe the author is trying to cram too much plot into one story. And it just didn't work for me.
I did enjoy parts of the story. The beginning is heartbreaking, and parents should have paid for the way they treated their daughter. And I love the way the daughter was determined to find a way to take care of herself, and it wasn't easy for her. (None of this in the back page blurb). And then the jumping back and forth began. And one thing I missed, the language is far worse than Indicated. I'm giving this book a Three Stars, which I hate doing, because I think this story has potential, it just needs a lot of fixing and editing.
I still encourage you to read the book. I would love to see what others think. Readers need to see more than my opinion.
A special thanks to the author/publisher for a copy of this book. I am not required to write a positive review, the opinions here are mine alone. I am disclosing this with my review in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
💞
What made you write a book about romance?
My life has centered on romance and falling in love since my first crush in the fifth grade. Love embraces me and comforts me. These experiences have given me a sensitivity on writing the dialogue and constructing the story. Love never travels in a straight line. It is a mountain road with curves of omissions and misunderstandings.
What advice would you give budding writers?
First, the new writer must learn the grammar rules. Failure to achieve this goal will doom any hope for success. Second and equally important is to meet and associate with other writers, including critique partners and local and state writer’s association meetings.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
My inspiration comes from personal experiences and observing couples in a variety of different circumstances. I have also developed stories lying in bed at night and unable to fall asleep.
If you could put yourself as a character in your novel, who would you be?
I would be Pamela who suffered the pain of loss and endured an impossible love. Despite the obstacles, love clasped her hand and led her on a lifetime of fulfillment.
Where do you write? Do you write every day? What is your writing schedule?
I write five days a week for approximately six hours each day. I am fortunate to have a private library to shut the door and step into my story. The world slips away, and I am blessed.
Book Title: Incandescent Visions by Lee Hudspeth Category: Adult fiction 18 yrs +, 64 pages Genre: Poetry Publisher: George Lee Hudspeth Jr. Release date: December 2019 Content Rating: PG-13. Curse words:
Three total, of the “mild” variety (godd*mn, hell, sh*t... one use for
each). No f-words. No violence, no sexual content, no drug use, no
underage drinking.
Book Description:
Having
written numerous works of nonfiction, this is Lee Hudspeth’s debut book
of poetry. Incandescent Visions explores the meaning of the human
experience, as the author encourages his readers to ponder the universe
and their place within it, and to catalyze their own creative potential.
From the sublime shores of the Mediterranean to the majestic
expansiveness of deep space, this book contemplates nostalgia,
perspective and the gift of love. Through five short yet powerful,
thought-provoking chapters of contemporary poems—and a dash of elegant,
evocative haiku—Hudspeth takes his readers on a journey across the inner
landscape of struggle, triumph, self-realization and imagination.
Now read this interesting interview with the author, Lee Hudspeth
(1) Your poetry book’s title — Incandescent Visions — is unique and gets the reader’s attention. What is this book about?
The title signifies a theme of passionate curiosity and my desire to express myself to other people. I started working on this book with an idea, a vision, a sensibility with which to convey my thoughts and feelings about nostalgia, imagination, our place in the cosmos, and how our experiences shape our lives. I hope these poems inspire others to be creative. I know that I’m inspired by the creative work of other people. This ancient exchange between artist and audience is powerful and compelling.
Exploring the nature of creativity is another major theme in this book. What is the origin of creativity? Does it change over the course of our lives? I’m also fascinated by our ability to think about thinking (metacognition) and our ability to change our habits, even how we view the world. This book is intended to be a story about how inspiration, meaning and celebration can triumph over the challenges we all encounter.
(2) What is your favorite poem, by a poet other than yourself?
I had not been reading poetry for several years before I started writing my own poetry book, although I had done so in high school and college (I recall reading quite a bit of Shakespeare in high school). I had a feeling that I would be most comfortable first finding my own voice as a poet without an awareness or influence (at least consciously) of other contemporary poets’ styles.
With all of that said, I consider Bob Dylan to be a poet as much as a musician and troubadour. The first time I heard Dylan’s song “North Country” I stood still and just listened, mesmerized. It drew me in to the story of lost love and I felt the narrator’s longing for that prior experience, relationship and place. It is a fabulous poem and song.
(3) What is your favorite novel?
To me, there is a distinction between the novel that had the most profound effect on me in my youth, and the one that stands out now that I’m a middle-aged man. I read Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey as a boy and then saw the movie at around age twelve. No question that the combination of the book, as I had imagined it in my head, and the film’s visual impact plus the soundtrack, that movie-going experience was one I’ll never forget. In a very close second place—or perhaps a tie for first place—are Isaac Asimov’s novels I, Robot and Foundation. Fast forward to the present, and my favorite novel is Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem. There are literally hundreds of other novels and short stories that I have treasured. For example, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
(4) What was your objective when writing your book, and did that change during the writing process?
My debut poetry book began as an experiment to nurture my creative self. I began writing short-form poems (mainly haiku) then longer poems as a way to honor my initial desire to “do more creative writing.” As I added more poems to my collection, I soon realized I had enough material for a full-fledged book. As a nonfiction author several years before working on my poetry book, I had previous experience with traditional publishers but it only took a few minutes on Google to learn how easy it would be to self-publish. To actualize my dream, I didn’t have to find an agent and a publisher, I simply self-published my book. It really was that simple.
(5) What books are on your TBR list?
Hmmm, I’m noticing a theme here: sci-fi! Oh, and a dose of fantasy too. Ever since my childhood I have enjoyed science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels because I love science, cosmology, physics and imagining the future. It’s deeply pleasurable to get lost in these imaginary settings and become acquainted with the characters who inhabit them.
I recently finished Ada Hoffmann’s The Outside and Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy. I’m currently reading Elizabeth Bear’s Machine. Here are the books coming up next.
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
Hope Is the Thing with Feathers: Poems of Emily Dickinson
The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene
(6) Where can people get in touch with you online?
I enjoy communicating with my audience through my blog, newsletter and social media, and I always answer emails. My blog’s main themes are artistic creativity, writing and self-publishing.
Joy, I’m honored that you’re hosting my book and I have enjoyed this interview. Thank you.
Lee Hudspeth is a poet, writer, musician and fellow human being.
Incandescent Visions is his first book of poetry. He is the co-author of
ten nonfiction books in the field of Information Technology. He has
written articles for professional journals like PC Computing and Office
Computing. He is the author of over one hundred articles in the online
magazine The Naked PC, which he co-founded and co-published. He lives in
Southern California with his wife, two sons and their cat. Find out
more about Lee, his books and his music at LeeHudspeth.com.
