Day 5 of the WordCrafter My Backyard Friends Book Blog Tour
Posted: July 19, 2024 Filed under: Animals, Book Release, Book Review, Books, Children's Books, Review, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 2 Comments
Day 5 of the WordCrafter My Backyard Friends Book Blog Tour brings us to Undawnted, where we meet Timothy Turtle in a mini-interview and learn some fun facts about turtles. Plus, DL Mullan offers a review of Timothy Turtle Discovers Jellybeans. Join us as we continue to send of this wonderful kid’s book series written by Kaye Lynne Booth and illustrated by Robbie Cheadle.
http://www.undawnted.com/2024/07/my-backyard-friends-meet-timothy-turtle
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Day 3 of the WordCrafter My Backyard Friends Book Blog Tour
Posted: July 17, 2024 Filed under: Animals, Book Release, Book Review, Books, Children's Books, Interview, Review, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Book Reveiw, Character interview, Children's Books, Heather Hummingbird, Heather Hummingbird Makes a NEw Friend, Kids Books, My Backyard Friends series, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours 2 Comments
Join us on Undawnted for day 3 of the WordCrafter My Backyard Friends Book Blog Tour where DL Mullan interviews Heather Hummingbird and offers a review of Heather Hummingbird Makes a New Friend. Come join in the fun as we send off all three of the wonderful books in the My Backyard Friends Kid’s Book Series.
http://www.undawnted.com/2024/07/my-backyard-friends-meet-heather.html
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Treasuring Poetry – Meet talented author and poet, Gwen M. Plano, and a review #poetry #bookreview #readingcommunity
Posted: July 17, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Interview, Poetry, Review, Treasuring Poetry | Tags: Book Review, Gwen M. Plano, Interview, Poetry, Robbie Cheadle, The Soul Whisperer's Decision, Treasuring Poetry, Writing to be Read 51 Comments
This month, I am delighted to introduced talented author and poet, Gwen M. Plano, as my Treasuring Poetry guest.
What is your favourite style of poetry to read, i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc?
I enjoy all forms of poetry. If a poem gives me pause by how it transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, or if it illuminates a mystery, then I’m captivated. Pablo Neruda and Maya Angelou are two of my favorites, and they both write freestyle. But I also love syllabic poetry. Matsuo Basho’s The Old Pond is breathtaking:
An old silent pond
A frog jumps into the pond
Splash! Silence again.
What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?
In the 1980s, I discovered T.S. Eliot and his Four Quartets. Written in freestyle, the lengthy poems address the deep questions of life. I’ve probably read the poems a dozen times. The last quartet, Little Gidding, is my favorite. It’s too long to include in this post, but Section IV offers a glimpse of Eliot’s spiritual depth:
The dove descending breaks the air
With flame of incandescent terror
Of which the tongues declare
The one discharge from sin and error.
The only hope, or else despair
Lies in the choice of pyre or pyre—
To be redeemed from fire by fire.
Who then devised the torment? Love.
Love is the unfamiliar Name
Behind the hands that wove
The intolerable shirt of flame
Which human power cannot remove.
We only live, only suspire
Consumed by either fire or fire.
What is your favourite style of poetry to write? Why?
When I write spontaneously and from my heart, the poetry is freestyle. I don’t think about the structure of the poem; rather, I’m focused on the story it tells. If I were to choose a favorite style, it would be freestyle.
Every week, though, I participate in poet Colleen Chesebro’s syllabic poetry prompts. I’ve learned tremendously through her example and instruction. Importantly, I’ve come to love syllabic poetry.
What is your favourite of your own poems in your favourite style?
I’ve two poems that I particularly like, and I can’t decide which one is my favorite. One reflects on grief, and the other focuses on writers. Both are written in freestyle, and the first includes rhyme.
The Old Pier
The Old Pier
Remember when we danced in the moonlight?
I was your princess, and you were my knight.
Remember the star you said was mine alone?
Brilliant and pulsing, it was our secret cosmic stone.
Now I hold your ashes and not your embrace,
and I weep with every memory trace.
I walk the old pier and hope I will see
you standing there, waiting for me.
But ashes to ashes is as day is to night
a harsh, inevitable part of life’s hike.
My tears are lost in the water below.
Maybe they’ll find you if I can just let go.
The Author
Picture caption: The author by Gwen M. Plano
The Author
I search for you,
writer unknown,
each page a port of departure.
Through hurdles, fears, and
the dreams you disclose,
I wander.
A word laid bare,
a phrase that lingers,
a plot that captures or awakens,
your footsteps stealth on paper trails,
the scent of you,
I savor.
The web you spin,
entraps and cradles,
while entangled characters wrestle.
Through the give and take of life and love,
the glimpses of you,
I follow.
At last, I see,
my muse, my tease,
behind the hes and shes you’ve crafted,
a warrior or tender lover – the storyteller,
YOU, now revealed, I honor.
Tell us a bit about your fiction writing and your latest book, The Soul Whisperers Decision. What is the book about? What inspired the book?
Much like my poetry, writing fiction is a journey. I write when something gnaws at my soul. It often begins with scenes and questions, and just as often, I don’t know where the story will take me. I am both the writer and the reader.
The Soul Whisperer’s Decision begins with a tragedy. A father loses his little children in a car accident that almost kills his wife as well. The young man is a veteran, and he is pulled back into his struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The story follows this veteran through the pain of loss to the eventual rediscovery of hope.
What inspired this story? For a decade, I worked with Marines and soldiers from all service branches, returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. I was an administrator at a college located near military bases. I soon discovered that most of those who were boots-on-the-ground suffered from PTSD in addition to physical injuries. By choice, my work shifted to serving those who had served all of us.
Over the years, I’ve heard people scoff at PTSD as though it is a sign of weakness. These individuals never served and have no idea what these brave men and women experienced. In my novel and my WIP, I attempt to illuminate that experience.
The Soul Whisperer’s Decision also includes a nurse who has a Near Death Experience. Her choice of remaining in the heavenly realm or returning to her life shapes the story’s direction. Since the 1980s, I’ve studied NDEs and have spoken with some who have medically died. It is an experience that is personal and close to my heart.
My review of The Soul Whisperer’s Decision
This beautifully written and emotional book is ultimately about making choices when life presents us with devastating obstacles on our path. For various reasons, this topic is close to my heart and I related heavily to the main character, Sarah, who, following a devastating car accident, needed to make the ultimate decision about whether to fight for life or let go. To make this decision harder, Sarah lost both her small children in the accident. I have watched loved ones making this choice and the decision to live is a hard one when months of rehabilitation and pain lie ahead.
While Sarah is fighting for her life in hospital, her husband, Jack, a Vietnam veteran, faces mental collapse when his post traumatic stress disorder rears its ugly head. Jack is devastated by the loss of his little ones and flawed by the uncertainty as to his wife’s recovery. Jack must also make a choice about whether to face the pain and try to rebuild his life or whether to end his suffering.
The sensitive and yet realistic manner in which the author deals with the trauma and the emotional and mental reactions of her two central characters demonstrates a deep understanding of people and the human condition. This relatively short novel will have you examining your own life and considering how you would react in the same circumstances. There is a lot of subtle guidance woven throughout this book and it is essentially, a very uplifting read. I strongly recommend this excellent book.
Purchase The Soul Whisperer’s Decision by Gwen M. Plano from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CPGXLD95
About Gwen M. Plano
Gwen M. Plano, aka Gwendolyn M. Plano, grew up in Southern California and spent most of her professional life in higher education. She taught and served as an administrator in colleges in Japan, New York, Connecticut, and California. Gwen’s academic background is in theology and counseling. Recently retired, she now lives in the high desert of Arizona, where she writes, gardens, and travels with her husband.
Gwen’s first book is an acclaimed memoir, Letting Go into Perfect Love. Her second book, The Contract between heaven and earth, is a thriller fiction novel, co-authored by John W. Howell. It has received multiple awards and is an Amazon Best Seller. The Choice, the unexpected heroes is the sequel to The Contract. It is also a thriller, involving the attempt of an unfriendly nation to take over the world. The third book in the series, The Culmination, a new beginning is an action-packed military thriller that spans the globe and involves multiple Heads of State and the threat of World War III. Only love can change the fate of humanity.
When Gwen is not writing, she’s often in the beautiful Red Rocks of Sedona, where she finds inspiration.
About Robbie Cheadle
South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.
Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.
You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/
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Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “Treasuring Poetry” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.
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This segment of “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.
Poetry Treasures: https://books2read.com/PoetryTreasures
Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships: https://books2read.com/PT2-Relationships
Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR
Poetry Treasures 4:In Touch With Nature: https://books2read.com/PT4-Nature
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A great review for “Sarah”
Posted: July 2, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Review, Western, Women in History, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Book Review, Historical Fiction, Leonberger, Sarah, Western, Women in the West, Women's Fiction, WordCrafter Press 6 CommentsDrop by Thomas Wikman’s Leonberger blog site to catch his smashing review of Sarah: Book 2 in the Women in the West Adventure Series (WordCrafter Press, 2023). I’m particularly excited about this review, as it eases my nervous anticipation about how my strong female protagonists would be received by male readers with this western historical women’s fiction series. I hope you’ll check it out. 🙂
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Book Review: Blink
Posted: June 28, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Crime, Fiction, Hard-Boiled Crime Fiction, Mystery, Review, Writing to be Read 3 Comments
About Blink
When private investigator Andrew Schlakier receives a phone call out of the blue from State Corporate Affairs Mister Fix-it, Peter Michael, to investigate a case, he knows he’s going to be in for a harrowing time.
A mother and daughter have been tragically found dead in their car in a quiet Melbourne street. The finger of blame points to the husband, but with an iron-clad alibi there is simply no way he could have done it. Or is there?
It’s an increasingly dangerous game of cat and mouse, but as Schlakier delves more deeply into the case and endeavours to deconstruct the suspect’s story, it becomes less and less clear if he is the hunter or the prey.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Robert-Blain-ebook/dp/B09TW5R8KL/
My Review
I received a free digital copy of Blink on Freebooksie.
Blink, by Robert Blain is a good, old-fashioned detective story, where the P.I strives to solve what appears to be a perfect murder. The death of a mother and daughter from carbon monoxide poisoning, the husband/father has an air tight alibi, but something still seems off. The question isn’t who killed them, but how.
It’s a clever murder, and Andrew Schlakier is the clever P.I. who can solve it by uncovering the killer’s m.o. Schlakier is just your average bloke making a living as a private investigator, and finds himself in the path of danger as he gets closer to the truth. (Think an Australian James Rockford but without the humor). Like any good P.I., Schlakier doesn’t let that deter him, and he pushes forth, in spite of several close calls, until he has revealed all.
An average murder mystery with and average P.I. as the main character. The only remarkable thing is the clever murder method. I give Blink three quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.
Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.
Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/
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Treasuring Poetry – Meet talented poet, author and editor of Hotel by Masticadores, Michelle Ayon Navajas and a review #poetry #poetrycommunity #bookreview
Posted: June 19, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Interview, Poetry, Review, Treasuring Poetry | Tags: Michelle Ayon Navajas, Poetry, Robbie Cheadle, Treasuring Poetry, Writing to be Read 46 Comments
Today, I am delighted to welcome talented poet and author, Michelle Ayon Navajas, as my June Treasuring Poetry guest. Michelle is also the editor of Hotel by Masticadores. Welcome Michelle!
What is your favourite style of poetry to read i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc?
I love to read freestyle and ballad.
What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?
I love to repeatedly read Annabel Lee. Though technically, it’s not a ballad, but I trust that Edgar Allan Poe referred to it as one, because like a ballad, the poem uses repetition of words and phrases purposely to create its mournful effect.
Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,
Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we—
Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
In her sepulchre there by the sea—
In her tomb by the sounding sea.
What is your favourite style of poetry to write? Why?
I love freestyle and ballad poetry because they offer a unique freedom of expression and emotion. Freestyle allows for spontaneous creativity, while ballads provide a structured yet melodious form to convey deep feelings and stories. Both forms can be deeply personal and evocative, resonating with the human experience in different ways.
What is your favourite of your own poems in your favourite style?
“What If Snowflakes Don’t Fall In Winter?”
What if snowflakes don’t fall in winter?
and fresh buds don’t bloom in spring?
or summer doesn’t need sunshine?
nor leaves don’t fall in autumn?
Will you remember how we used to be?
the love we shared gently
like snowflakes falling smoothly in winter out of thin air unannounced, unnoticed
unspoken yet blissful
the dreams we dream, hopes we hope
like spring awakening the earth
bringing heaps of sunshine after
the cold, gloomy winter
the laughter we gave out
like sunshine on a summer day
rhyming along as the birds singing
passionately hot, vibrant, and crisp
the memories we created
like leaves falling flawlessly in the autumn breeze, with cooling temperatures and darkening nights
What if snowflakes don’t fall in winter?
and fresh buds don’t bloom in spring?
or summer doesn’t need sunshine?
nor leaves don’t fall in autumn?
Will you still love me tenderly?
How do you promote your poetry and your poetry books?
Promoting my poetry books involved a mix of traditional and modern strategies:
Social Media: I utilized platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to share snippets, and behind-the-scenes insights, and engage with my audience.
Book Readings/Events: I join readings at local bookstores, libraries, or cafes. I also join virtual events which can also reach a wider audience.
Collaborations: I partner with other poets, artists, or influencers for cross-promotion.
Press Releases: I send out press releases to local newspapers, literary magazines, and online platforms.
Book Reviews: I solicit reviews from book bloggers, literary magazines, and online reviewers.
Online Presence: I maintain a blog where readers can learn more about me and my work.
Book Signings: I join book signings at bookstores, festivals, or community events.
Book Trailers: I create short videos or trailers featuring excerpts from my book.
Email Marketing: I build an email list and send newsletters with updates, exclusive content, and offers.
But remember, consistency and engagement are key to building a loyal readership.
Hotel by Masticadores
Michelle is the editor of Hotel by Masticadores “Hotel of Broken Hearts”.
Hotel was born from a conversation within the masticadores Editors. Barbara Leonhard (USA), Miriam Costa (Brazil) and j re crivello (Barcelona-Spain), understand that all of us, at some point in life, would like to write a letter to: an ex-love, or a deceased relative, or remember that landscape or house that sheltered us in a stage of our life.
For this reason, we have created Hotel, an ephemeral tool that we put at the service of readers and writers. The only rule is a maximum of 600 words (in Word) and that the texts and images be accepted by the Editorial Board. That being said, Hotel will appear in Spanish and English.
You can send your collaborations to fleminglabwork@gmail.com
Hotel also publishes poetry and book reviews.
My review of Locker by Michelle
What Amazon says
We can close our eyes to reality and pretend things didn’t happen the way they happened. Fiction is the closest to escaping what’s true and painful. This collection of over fifty poetic flash fiction stories will push the boundaries of our reality. It will make us discern things for ourselves and will lead us to understand our true nature better.
Each is a stand-alone story you can read anytime, anywhere, without the need to finish the entire book. But, as soon as you flip to the last page, you will realize there is more to these poetic flash fiction stories than simply a collection of poetic tales.
My review of Locker
Locker is a deeply emotional and heartfelt collection of flash fiction. Each piece revolves around the central themes of love and secrecy. The title, Locker, refers to a school locker where students store their personal items. These comprise of a mixture of practical, everyday items and also their personal secrets. Love notes, drawings, and books are all articles that are stored in lockers.
Each piece of flash fiction draws on this concept of opening our own ‘mental’ lockers and looking through the memories stored there. Some are wonderful, bright flashes of happy joy in our lives, and others are sad or traumatic. All mould us into the people we are and are vital components of our life paths.
As with our own memories, some of these stories are wonderfully uplifting: the moment when we fall in love and everything in our world is perfect. Others cover losses of love interests, miscarriages, and even situations where love changes to abuse.
The author is a talented and well known poet and the writing style of her short stories is lyrical and poetic. The language is a treat for lovers of the written word and evokes intense feelings.
I highly recommend this beautiful and intense book to all lovers of character driven stories.
You can purchase Locker from Amazon USA here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CFD1637L
Michelle Ayon Navajas Amazon US author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08Z3VZ4Y5
About Michelle Ayon Navajas
Michelle Ayon Navajas (born June 23, 1976) is a Filipino poet, writer, and educator. She is a Best-Selling international Poet known for her books reaching the #1 spot within days of their release. Her 8th poetry book, “I Am In Itself Poetry In The Dark,” went straight to the top of both the best-sellers list and new releases on Amazon on short notice. Her 7th poetry book, “It Ain’t Winning If Without You,” went straight to the best-sellers list on Amazon in less than 24 hours of release by pre-orders alone and eventually became the number Poetry Book on Amazon India on its actual release day, soon after the book rose to the best- sellers list as well in all other Amazon Markets worldwide.
Currently, Michelle holds the title of having 4 books published in a row to have made it to Amazon’s Best-Sellers List (“I Will Love You Forever, Too,” “After Rain Skies, 2nd Edition,” “It Ain’t Winning If Without You,” and “I Am In Itself Poetry In The Dark”) and 3 books on Amazon’s #1Hot New Releases/New Releases (“I Will Love You Forever, Too,” “It Ain’t Winning If Without You,” and “I Am In Itself Poetry In The Dark”.)
Her poetry appeared in several international literary magazines and anthologies such as Spillwords NYC, MasticadoresUsa, and MasticadoresIndia. Her poems “Holding Hands” was voted as Spillwords Publication of the Month for November 2021 and “Love Happens” was voted as Spillwords Publication of the Month for December 2022.
She is also part of the award-winning ensemble of authors in two Poetry Anthologies, that are both Amazon Best-Sellers: Hidden In Childhood and Wounds I Healed.
Graduated with a Master of Education majoring in English in the Philippines (University of San Agustin, Iloilo City). Michelle was a former college professor, teaching literature, speech & oral communication, creative writing, drama, and theatre arts. She is also a graduate of Mass Communications major in Journalism (Centro Escolar University, Manila).
Michelle is active in her writing profession and works as a freelance creative writer.
Follow her online:
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Want to be sure not to miss any of Robbie’s “Treasuring Poetry” segments? Subscribe to Writing to be Read for e-mail notifications whenever new content is posted or follow WtbR on WordPress. If you found it interesting or entertaining, please share.
_______________________________________________________
This segment of “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.
Poetry Treasures: https://books2read.com/PoetryTreasures
Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships: https://books2read.com/PT2-Relationships
Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR
Poetry Treasures 4:In Touch With Nature: https://books2read.com/PT4-Nature
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Book Review: The Blended Lives Chronicles: Sides of the Order
Posted: June 14, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Fiction, Review, Speculative Fiction, Vampire Romance | Tags: Blended Lives Chronicles, Book Reveiw, Patty L. Fletcher, vampires, Writing to be Read 27 CommentsAbout the Book
Lady Laya MoonWalker is a well respected journalist and magazine owner and a high priestess in the magickal community. After a drawn-out battle with the forces of dark magik, she has come into her own. She lives and works on Planet Korponious, where she is the owner and creator of an Interplanetary Magazine called “Blended Lives Chronicles.” Her mission is to blend the lines of race, creed, and disability that separate so many and to elevate the recognition of the training and ability of Service Animals of all kinds to a new level. She has just been accepted into the Blended Lives Federation and now hopes to continue her work in a way like nothing known to her before.
Laya has created a lot of wreckage along the way through her dark journey into the light, and now she wishes to set this to right. She has just received her best break ever. Frank Prince, the CEO of The Blended Lives Learning Center, has invited her to the Celtic New Year Convention and Witches Ball as a reporter to write a story on the progress of The Blended Lives Planetary Federation. She will be their guest speaker at the opening ceremonies.
When Laya arrives at the Celtic Convention, she finds herself face to face with an old and dear friend, Blended Lives Learning Center Instructor and member of the Order of the Night, Derrick Gibbous. As they begin to connect, causing old sparks to reignite, they are tossed into a nasty battle from which not everyone will escape. People are not as they seem, and not everyone supports the side for which they appear to work.
As their love for one another grows, so does the battle. Despite everything, Laya and Derrick are determined to see their work to unite beings of all kinds succeed.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Blended-Lives-Chronicles-Sides-Order/dp/B0CPWDZHPZ/
My Review
I was blessed with a print copy of this story, which is like Dark Shadows meets V: The Final Battle, where nothing is as it seems – Blended Lives: The Sides of the Order, by Patty L. Fletcher. Fletcher has created a seemingly inclusive world where there is magik for everyone, or so it seems. But there is conflict behind closed doors. Not everyone in this society of secrets wants equality and all is not as it appears.
Magazine owner and high priestess, Laya Moonwalker, begins to uncover the truth and becomes a risk to the order, placing her at risk. There are some members of the order who will stop at nothing to keep their secret from being revealed. But who can she trust? She wants desperately to trust the one she loves, Derrick Gibbeous. She needs to believe that he is not involved with the treachery she finds herself caught up in, and that he will do everything within his considerable powers to keep her safe.
The book does have a few P.O.V. problems which can be confusing and pull the reader out of the story, so I give it four quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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This post sponsored by WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services.
Whether it’s editing, publishing, or promotion that you need, WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services can help at a price you can afford.
Stop by and see what we have to offer today: https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/
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Book Review: Stowe Away
Posted: May 31, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Books, Dark Humor, Fiction, Review, Speculative Fiction, Werewolf fiction, Werewolf Fiction | Tags: Book Review, Canadian Werewolf, Canadian Werewolf in New York, Mark Leslie, Stowe Away, Werewolf, Writing to be Read Leave a commentAbout the Book
HOW DO YOU KEEP AN INNOCENT CHILD SAFE FROM A PREDATOR WHEN YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE BEAST THAT ASSUMES CONTROL OF YOU?
A train bound for Vermont leaves Manhattan at 11:35 AM. It takes approximately 9 hours to arrive. Sunset at the arrival destination occurs at 8:20 PM. How does Michael Andrews, a man on that train who is afflicted with a werewolf curse, resolve the fact that the math just doesn’t work out in his favor? Or in favor of the young girl who is trapped, and cornered?
Michael’s unequivocal desire to help usually thrusts him into the middle of tight spots. And though he has never been good at math, he is consistently good at compounding the peril in his day. On an urgent and last minute trip to help a dear friend in need, he finds someone else to help along the way.
Can Michael figure out how he’ll be able to protect his young, innocent traveling companion as she tries to make her own cross-country escape from the predator who relentlessly stalks her? And does this curious child hold her own answers that can, in turn, help Michael?
In a tale that has been described as Logan meets Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Mark Leslie has crafted a thrill-ride that explores Michael Andrews, Alpha Wolf and Beta Human as he embarks on a life-altering road trip that sends him hurtling towards his own psyche as it brings him miles away from his familiar home territory.
Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Stowe-Away-Canadian-Werewolf-Novella/dp/B08GH4Y4XJ
My Review
Anyone who follows my reviews here might know that I’m a big fan of Mark Leslie’s Canadian Werewolf series. Stowe Away is book 1.5 in the series. You can check out my reviews of the other books in this series at the links below.
I received a free audiobook copy of Stowe Away from responding to Mark Leslie’s newsletter. What a sweet deal. Stowe Away is a novella length story in the Canadian Werewolf series. It is narrated by Scott Overton, who narrates the other audiobooks in the series, as well. As per his usual, he does an excellent job with handling the voices of multiple characters, including the character of a thirteen-year-old girl for this one.
Obviously, I am a fan of this series. Stowe Away was no exception. Michael Andrews must get to Gail, to be the loving and supporting friend in her time of need. As luck would have it, the train is the mode of transportation that will get him there the quickest. But it’s the full moon and the train doesn’t arrive at the destination before it rises.
How to deal with this dilemma is on his mind when he comes across a young girl in trouble, stirring the superhero tendencies in him. She’s hiding from a man who is searching for her on the train, and if he finds her, he wants to silence her for good. Now Michael has to figure out how to help the girl and get off the train before the moon rises and he changes into his alter-ego wolf-self.
Stowe Away is a novella length Canadian Werewolf tale with a full story arc and all the hallmarks that make this series fun to read. I give it five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Book Review: Peacemaker’s Dream
Posted: May 24, 2024 Filed under: Book Review, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Review, Women in History, Women's Fiction | Tags: American History, Book Review, Historical Fiction, Peacemaker's Daughter, Pocohantas, Sue Wright, Writing to be Read 4 CommentsAbout the Book
If you like fast paced historical fiction… this hidden gem will have you burning the midnight oil!
She was young, smart and principled.
They were out to get her. She never gave up… and neither did they…
In a story based on fact, you will discover the heart wrenching account of the struggles of a nation under siege unprepared for the sophistication of its invader. Their most effective weapon was a young girl who has mistakenly been portrayed as a cartoon character in modern culture…
The record is now being put straight.
You will cry at her loves and losses, you will smile at her mischief, but you will finally know the truth!
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/Peacemakers-Dream-True-First-America-ebook/dp/B08SHVD78J/
My Review
The beautiful cover on this book is what drew me to it on Freebooksie. I thoroughly enjoyed every word of Peacemaker’s Dream: The Story of the True First Lady of America, by Sue Wright. This book tells a the story of the life of Pocahantas, an interesting and often misunderstood period in American history. It made me rethink my ideas about that first Thanksgiving, I can tell you that.
A young Powhaten Indian princess believed to have been prophesied to be the link for peace between her people and the strange white settlers who have invaded their lands. That’s a lot of weight placed on a young girl’s shoulders. But the white settlers began early on in a pattern of greed, trickery, and broken promises, and they do not hesitate to use a young squaw for leverage to get what they want. Taken from her people and abused both mentally and physically, Pocahantas draws strength from the belief in her destined role of peacemaker for her people and tries to make a new life for herself among the white settlement with the constant threat of having it all taken away looming over her.
I always knew Pocahantas played a role in the foundations of America, but I did not realize how great one young Pohowtan girl’s sacrifice for peace was. I give Peacemaker’s Daughter five quills.
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Kaye Lynne Booth does honest book reviews on Writing to be Read in exchange for ARCs. Have a book you’d like reviewed? You can request a review on the Book Review tab above.
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Review in Practice: How to Market a Book
Posted: May 20, 2024 Filed under: book marketing, Book Promotion, Books, Nonfiction, Review, Review in Practice, Writing Resource | Tags: How to Market a Book, Nonfiction, Review in Practice, Ricardo Fayette, Writing Reference, Writing to be Read 6 CommentsAbout the Book
Writing a book is hard. Marketing it can be even harder.
Marketing a book in 2023 can seem like a full-time job, what with the crazy number of things authors seem to be expected to do: social media, blog tours, advertising, price promotions, mailing lists, giveaways, you name it.
But here’s a little secret: you don’t need to do all those things to successfully set your book on the path to success. What you need is a solid plan to find the one or two tactics that will work, and start to drive sales… in a minimum amount of time. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in this book.
Instead of drowning you in information or inundating you with hundreds of different tactics and strategies that eventually prove fruitless, this book will guide you through a step-by-step framework to find the ones that actually work for you and your book, so that you can start marketing more efficiently.
In particular, you’ll learn:
✔️ How to change your mindset and sell more books with less effort.;
✔️ How to write books that guarantee a lasting, profitable career;
✔️ How to get Amazon’s Kindle Store to market your book for you;
✔️ How to get thousands of readers into your mailing list before you even release the book;
✔️ How to propel your book to the top of the charts at launch; and
✔️ How to automate your marketing so that you can spend less time marketing and more time writing,
After helping over 150,000 authors crack the marketing code through a popular weekly newsletter, Reedsy’s Co-founder Ricardo Fayet is sharing everything he’s learned over the past few years in this beginner-friendly, jargon-free guide to book marketing.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/How-Market-Book-Overperform-Marketing-ebook/dp/B08TZJQ1FB
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Today’s author needs to be able to do all stages of the publishing process in order to run their author business, but one person cannot do it all. It can be overwhelming, even for the D.I.Y. author. (That’s me. 😉 ). I share my experience and knowledge about doing my marketing and promotions myself in my book, The D.I.Y. Author, which will be released on June 4th, 2024. But learning to run an author business doesn’t end when you publish a book, and although I just wrote a book about building and growing your author business, I still have much to learn on this never ending road to success. That’s why I took advantage of the free ebook by Reedsy‘s Ricardo Fayette, How to Market Your Book: Overperform in a Crowded Market. Fayette knows a lot more than I do on the subject of book marketing, so I refer my readers to his book in my book.
I don’t do paid advertising, and that is what a good portion of this book is about.
“But couldn’t I reach a larger audience with paid advertising?” Absolutely.
Someday, I hope to be able to expand into the paid advertising arena, so I read through those sections, and I must say, Ricardo Fayette explains things in such a way that even someone like me, who gets headaches when thinking analytics, can understand, and he is very thorough. He lays out the differences between Amazon Ads, Facebook Ads, and BookBub Ads, weighing the pros and cons of each. And man, did I learn a lot, particularly about BookBub Ads. He really gave me a lot to think about. Hopefully, I will be able to include what I’ve learned about paid advertising from this book in the revised edition of The D.I.Y. Author by putting it into practice at a future date.
Fayette also talks about the importance of a mailing list and how to set up a newsletter with a reader magnet, reminding me of another area where my efforts have been lacking. He compares several email servers and offers the basics of a good newsletter. I set out two years ago to find a new email server because I wasn’t happy with MailChimp. But things got busy and life happened, and my quest for an email server got laid to the side. I opted to stick with what I knew, not wanting to take the time to learn a new server system, let alone the time it takes to research them first. This book offers a list with some I wasn’t familiar with which are geared more toward authors. This peaked my curiosity, as it sounded like it might be just what I’m looking for. I haven’t sent out a newsletter in over six months, and my readers have probably forgotten me. This might be the motivation that I need to get a newsletter up and running, and keep it running.
He shares tips for working the Amazon system, as well as some of the other retailers, for those who publish wide. He even talks about selling direct from your website, and how to make each of these methods work for you. He covers keywords, backcover copy and book covers.
On the subject of book covers, I have to disagree with him as he insists you must outsource your book cover with an expensive professional cover designer. I do outsource many of my book covers because I’d rather put my time into my writing, but although I am a writer and not a book designer, I posess the design knowledge and most of the skills to create a good book cover. I designed the covers for my Women in the West Adventure Series and I’m quite happy with them. I wasn’t happy with the cover I did for The Rock Star & The Outlaw, so I outsourced it to someone who had more skill than I did, and changed the cover three months after publication. So, while I’m not saying you shouldn’t outsource your book covers, I don’t think that it is an absolute necessity. While Fayette is adament on this point, reminding us of it repeatedly throughout the book, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.
This is one of the most comprehensive books on book marketing that I’ve come across, and one I will be referring back to many times in the future as I grow and expand my author business. A great value from a free book.
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About Author Kaye Lynne Booth
For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and her Time-Travel Adventure novel, The Rock Star & The Outlaw. Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.
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