Book Review of historical Far Away Bird by Douglas Burton

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Read about the book and review below.
On March 3 return to read a special article:Empress Theodora and the Origin of Women’s Rights

By Douglas A. Burton

Far Away Bird

Douglas Burton

Historical romance

February 2020

Silent Music Press

394 pp

ISBN 978-1733022101

Ebook $7.99

Print $16.95

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About the Book

Inspired by true events, Far Away Bird delves into the complex mind of Byzantine Empress Theodora. This intimate account deftly follows her rise from actress-prostitute in Constantinople's red-light district to the throne of the Byzantine Empire.

Her salacious past has left historians blushing and uncomfortable. Tales of her shamelessness have survived for centuries, and yet her accomplishments as an empress are unparalleled. Theodora goes on to influence sweeping reforms that result in some of the first ever Western laws granting women freedom and protection. More than a millennium before the women's rights movement, Theodora, alone, took on the world's greatest superpower and succeeded. Far Away Bird goes where history classrooms fear to tread in hopes that Theodora can finally take her seat among the greatest women in history.

Theodora seems impossible—yet her transcendence teaches us that society can't tell us who we are deep down. Before there was a legendary empress, there was a conflicted young woman from the lower classes.

And her name was Theodora.

My review

Great Rome has fallen a generation earlier, yet the Empire, the myth, undulates onward across Eurasia and Africa, a headless snake with the power still to crush. Burton sets his epic, heroine-centric, fictional biography of 6th century world-changing Empress Theodora in Constantinople, modern-day Istanbul, Turkey. The title’s theme echoes throughout the narrative as Theodora observes and bonds with the idyllic freedom of a bird.

Faithfully and lavishly researched, Burton brings these people to life in a way that is true to culture and time, yet without creating a history lesson for his readers. Please be aware that the author spares little when it comes to the sexual depravity of the era, and Theodora’s life as a prostitute. Especially because of this lifestyle, Theodora joins a political underground movement as an informer. With a frail emperor and even frailer empire, it would be easy to usurp power. Justinian, son of the man closest to the emperor, means to keep the succession to the throne in the best interest of the empire.

Justinian and his adopted father/uncle, Justin, rose to power from humble means. They don’t mean to flaunt that power nor abuse it and are willing to do anything, even hire prostitutes as spies, to ensure the empire isn’t splintered into the political factions that will ultimately destroy the centuries of Roman dogmatism. One of these prostitutes enlightens Justinian to the realities of common life; the true plight of the empire’s subjects. They are drawn to each other, yet Justinian attempts to keep his distance and focus on his mission. Theodora, however, isn’t content to let the world of powerful men subjugate women and through her circumstances begins to manipulate both the ruler and the rules of the world.

In her role as spy, Theodora attracts the attention of the nephew of the emperor, the weak Hypatius. Burton writes, “Theodora had two men who needed her, she thought, two men who loved her, yet neither man could touch her, one out of weakness, the other out of strength.” Hypatius has knowledge of an insurrection and agrees to meet with Justinian in exchange for protection.

Theodora’s understanding of the world is revelatory. Burton notes: “They called this devastating weapon (political control) democracy, the Greek way, the old way. And they used this ancient tradition to bludgeon any man who dared to wear a crown and declare himself their ruler. A Roman emperor was a foreign title, after all, brought into the East from a failed regime whose mother city of Rome was already dead. The eastern populace was mostly Greek, not Roman; they never asked to become a Roman capital; the people couldn’t have known that the West would collapse and they alone would be tasked with the survival of the Roman Empire. Many still resisted the idea of imperial order. And it was this resistance, this process, and these people that Theodora tried so desperately to understand in the late hours.”

Burton deftly weaves the known facts of Theodora’s life into a pleasing tapestry, melding her various dwelling stops about the empire into a triumph of maturity and ultimately Christianity through her interaction with the Alexandrian pope. Returning eventually to Justinian and Constantinople, Theodora proves that laws are not meant to be broken frivolously, but rewritten. She, a woman, fights for a more democratic society and the ability of people, men and women, to rise out of their circumstances, much as Justinian had done. This book is about Theodora’s early life. Although the reader is not left hanging and the story ends with an appropriate conclusion, the saga continues.

Told through Theodora’s eyes in distant third person, Burton never falls into dry staleness. The book itself is beautifully designed and a pleasure to read.

About the Author

Douglas Alan Burton is a speaker, author, and expert storyteller whose work depicts heroic figures and their deeper connection to the human experience. Doug blogs about heroes, heroines, and villains in pop culture with some unexpected and refreshing perspective. He grew up in what he describes as "the heroic boyhood culture of late Generation X" that has gone mainstream around the world. He also shares strategies with fellow writers for writing compelling heroic characters in fiction.

Douglas recently began outlining a breakthrough storytelling model that reveals a fascinating "heroine-centric" model for story structure he calls The Heroine's Labyrinth. He believes a powerful new archetype is emerging for women in fiction. His novel, Far Away Bird, which centers on the early life of Byzantine Empress Theodora, won the 2019 Manuscript Content for Historical Fiction from the Writers' League of Texas. Follow Doug on Facebook and Twitter and stay in the conversation, and follow his blog at www.douglasaburton.com

Douglas A. Burton is on a crusade to introduce Theodora to as many people as possible. His award-winning novel, Far Away Bird, which details Theodora’s early life, is available in paperback (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) and as an amazing audiobook (Audible.com, iTunes, Author Republic). Learn more at douglasaburton.com.

Jody Robinson and Money Messages

Money Messages: Get Out of the Red and into the Green, Emotional and Financial Freedom to Transform Your Life

Jody Robinson

non-fiction, self help, adult and continuing education

Robinson Publications, January 13, 2020

212 pp

$14.99 Print

$5.99 Ebook

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About the Book

This isn’t just a book about money, it’s a book about the emotional side of how we choose to live in relationship with our past stories and money messages we’ve internalized.

With Karen Putz (best selling author of Unwrapping Your Passion), Jody Robinson weaves stories, interviews, and practical exercises to reflect deep to understand your relationship with money and how it is present in your life today.

Stop listening to that voice in your head that says you’ll never make it. It’s time to transform your Money Messages to live your financial dreams.

Filled with Jody’s personal stories, her interviews with everyday people like you who have found financial freedom and happiness, and practical exercises to help you reflect on your finances and set financial goals, Money Messages is the book you should have been given in school. Once you open it, you will be standing on the brink of your new financial future. Get ready to dive in!

My Review

“Money is a sensitive topic,” Jody Robinson says. A self-described humanitarian and financial counselor, Robinson is a fiduciary, certified Accredited Wealth Management Advisor, former public school educator and librarian. Experience matters. Robinson shares from her heart and her past situations in a well-laid out interactive workbook to encourage her readers “to move to a better lifestyle and mindset with money.”

I found myself copying quotes every few pages. Robinson talks the reader through a series of lessons geared to encourage a positive and healthy, happy outlook on personal finance. Each chapter includes a section called Reflection and Soul search with a place to jot answers. Money Messages has three sections: Understanding Your Money Messages, Rewriting Your Money Messages, and Investing in You. The introduction defines money message as the perceptions about money that we’ve absorbed and developed throughout our lives. The reader is encouraged to not only ponder but write down how we view fulfillment, success, using money, and mistakes in money management. The goal is to think of our lives, our money, and our time “in terms of purpose.” While pegged as a financial management book, Robinson shows the reader how to understand our motives and take control of our actions.

Making use of lessons she has learned from other professionals both money managers, life coaches, clients, and even TV reality stars, Robinson says her happiest clients are those who can save and spend as they wish, are not jealous or lustful of others’ possessions or lifestyle, and are not in deep credit card debt. Little quotes pegged on the pages create pleasant visual callouts. A bonus section at the end includes advice when seeking a financial advisor, and includes other practical tips for making the most of what we buy.

Robinson’s friendly, folksy voice makes me trust her. From the first inkling of money awareness to planning our last days, she shares her own ups and downs, down-to-earth interviews, and client stories to get her message across. About debt, Robinson says “pay it off.” A simple set of charts help the reader visualize income and spending. If our expenses exceed our income…the message is clear but too often ignored: Find a way to make more money, or spend less. A few examples and exercises help the reader sort needs and wants.

Personally, I learned that I didn’t feel deserving of professional fees, even though I am proud of my work and do a good job. My clients are generally happy, but I will obsess over the one person who looks for a problem, or the one who doesn’t come back. I need to work on challenging my message of worth, and allowing myself to shift my happiness quotient. I feel confirmed in an earlier decision to begin scaling back and move on. Plus, plus, plus!

Money Messages is a great, readable book on developing positive life habits which encompass our financial habits. Highly recommended for everyone, high school and up, although parents who mind should be aware there is minor cussing and some sections more suitable to adults with established careers.

About the Author

An English teacher by training, Jody Robinson bumped around after quitting teaching, including janitorial work. She snagged a job at a top financial software company in the Silicon Valley during the tech bubble and bust. After moving to Chicago, the twists and turns in life led her to over a decade of financial advising in her own practice.  As a fiduciary, Jody addresses Money Messages (perceptions of money) so people can live their best lives.

Jody enjoys cooking, gardening, swimming, and enjoying audiobooks. You can also find her out walking her dog or singing like a crazy woman while driving.

New Biblical fiction from Barbara Britton

Heavenly Lights: Noah’s Journey

Barbara M Britton

Pelican Book Group

Released February 2020

Biblical fiction

$5.99 eBook

$15.99 Print

210 pp

Buy on Amazon 

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Publisher site 

About the Book

Fiction from Joshua 5-8; the daughters of Zelophehad go forth with God into the book of Joshua.

Noah bat Zelophehad might have broken tradition by being able to inherit her father’s land, but her heart’s desire is to have the finest herds in all of Israel, something an orphaned and unmarried woman has never achieved.

Jeremiah ben Abishua cannot speak, nor hear. God has made his thoughts captive to his mind. But he can communicate with one shepherdess, a woman who sees his skill with animals and treats him like a man worthy of respect.

When their people disobey God and incur his wrath, Noah and Jeremiah must overcome tragedy in order to change perceptions in the tribes of Israel. Will their kinship desire to care for one another and the four-legged creatures God has placed in their care, be able to flourish in a land filled with enemies of the One True God?

God gave Noah bat Zelophehad four sisters, a way with four-legged creatures, and a strong spirit. She will need all three gifts to thrive in the Promised Land of God and find love with a special shepherd.

Coming in April 2020: Claiming Canaan: Milcah’s Journey

My Review

The second installment of Britton’s well-researched and imaginative biblical fiction series is a delight. The author focuses on the little-told story of the daughters of Zelophehad who were bold enough to claim their rightful inheritance in the Promised Land after Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt.

Noah is specially gifted in animal husbandry and the story opens upon her assisting in a difficult birth and devising an innovative therapeutic approach to encouraging the offspring to thrive—a talent that will come in handy in the future. Although her clan of five women has been recognized in the world of men, it’s still an unusual and prejudicial struggling community of Israelites navigating and battling to follow God in an alien land and culture. The women must continually stay alert to protect their reputations and future. If the feisty Noah has any weak spot it’s for her fellow shepherd, the deaf-mute Jeremiah, strong and faithful and utterly devoted to her and their work. Neither dares entertain more than a passing fancy that they could join their lives; in fact, Noah is so dedicated to her work she would rather not marry anyone if it means she might not be able to care for her beloved herds.

Jeremiah knows he has to prove himself a man in the eyes of his clan before he can dream of marrying. Even if it means risking his life in battle…as well as with his crafty brothers.

Heavenly Lights is the story of Noah and Jeremiah’s devotion to the God who created the earth and all the stars of the sky; the God who listens and cares for His people and provides not only our needs but the desires of our hearts. Told through both Noah and Jeremiah’s viewpoints, readers of biblical fiction will appreciate Britton’s detail and faithful retelling of the story of these deserving women.

About the Author

Barbara M. Britton was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, but currently lives in Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She writes romantic adventures for teens and adults. Barb has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Wisconsin Romance Writers of America, Romance Writers of America and American Christian Fiction Writers. You can visit Barb online at www. barbarambritton.com or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

Mary Felkins debut fiction Call to Love

Call to Love

Mary A Felkins

Pelican Ventures LLC

Inspirational Romance

November 2019

3840 pp

$5.99 Ebook

$28.99 Print hardcover

$ Audible

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Amazon

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Publisher store 

About the Book

Tracy Cassidy a self-reliant ER nurse has to choose between pursuing her dream job in another city or staying to help support her mother's faltering ministry...even if it means falling in love with the kind of man she said she'd never marry.

Tom Delaney a hyper-vigilant cop and single father to an adolescent son and is happy to keep his wounded heart protected behind his Kevlar. But he can no longer deny his growing love for Tracy. Problem is she's not looking to be the community's next cop widow. Like her mom.

In order to free his heart to answer God's call to love again he'll need to dump the years of bitterness he's carried toward his ex and offer her forgiveness. And should the call come to pursue Tracy's heart, will he answer?

My Review

Mary Felkins’ debut fiction is a romance filled with twists and turns. The story opens on a surprise and just keeps going through a maze of traps and walls blocking the path to the peaceful and joyous respite at the center.

When a career medical woman is willing to leave her childhood home, her family, friends, and boyfriend since high school for a risky new position, you have to guess she’s running from something. Tracy is not only fed up with being passed by for a promotion at the hospital, she has a secret that she refuses to let interrupt her plans to stay independent. She’s never needed anyone or anything, to the point that she’s not interested in sharing her life or her house or her heart.

Career cop Texan Tom Delaney moved his teenaged son out of San Antonio for a new job in North Carolina. He’s out to prove himself the best of the best, even if it means butting heads with a fellow officer who already claimed the spot. But Tom has to wrestle with more than his self-determination when he crosses paths with a woman who refuses his help in his official capacity as a policeman. When her brother sets them up in the role of handyman and homeowner who needs repair work, sparks begin to fly. Even Tom’s son Stephen feels it and does all he can to help his dad find a new wife.

Both Tom and Tracy have issues of faith and ego to deal with during their lengthy, tantalizing warm and cool relationship. Tom has to decide how much he wants to help Tracy leave, and Tracy must come to terms with her pride when life throws her another curve.

Call to Love is a faith-filled tale on the old-fashioned side where adults are still referred to by Mr and Miss, and morality is taken seriously in spite of the mistakes we make. Second chances and forgiveness are at the heart of this love story.

Told through Tracy and Tom’s interweaving viewpoints, readers of chaste inspirational romance will enjoy following this contemporary love story between two hard-headed lovebirds. It’s a romance filled with a lot of internal quick choppy insider comments that may take a bit of time to adjust to reading. A favorite quote comes near the end: “Living alone on Tracy’s island…had lost its appeal. Courage to risk her heart in love breached her lead apron.”

About the Author

Mary A. Felkins is a contributor to writer’s blogs and on-line magazines. She also publishes a weekly story-style devo on her website. Call to Love is her debut inspirational romance. Raised in Houston, Texas – and forever a Lone Star girl – she and her husband Bruce moved to the foothills of North Carolina in 1997. They have four (adolescent to young adult-sized) arrows in her quiver. She can be lured from her writing cave if presented with a large, unopened bag of Peanut M&Ms. A surprise appearance by her teen idol, Donny Osmond, would also do the trick, though she’d likely pass out.

Childrens Book Review of Fly Fly Away

Fly, Fly Again

By Katie Jaffe and Jennifer Lawson

32 pp

Children’s book

See an interview with the author here

Greenleaf Press, January 2020

Ebook $7.99

Print $15.95

Part of the proceeds go to UNICEF and Buzz Aldrin Ventures

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Amazon

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Google Books

About the Book

Fly, Fly Again is a clever and charming story about Jenny, a child who dreams of flying. After years of tinkering in makeshift laboratories and studying the mechanics of flight with her pet Hawk, Jenny builds a plane—only to crash into the yard of her skateboarding neighbor, Jude, and his pet cheetah. Working with Jude, Jenny successfully learns how to control and fly her plane. This unique story includes lessons about problem solving, teamwork, and determination as well as family-friendly information about the basics of aeronautical engineering like lift, drift, and more!

My Review

This children’s picture book has a charming rhyme scheme to introduce concepts of flight in a fanciful manner. Jenny acts on her interest in flight by observing nature, learning facts, and teaming up with her friend to design and create a flying machine. The authors have used simple, memorable language and cooperative characters to promote the lessons described above. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and attractive and show the story along with the words.

Jenny watches a hawk to see how natural flight works in birds, and then experiments with craft materials and toys to devise a flying machine. As she continues to figure out what makes flight work, she “falls” into her neighbor boy Jude’s yard. Jude shares her interest and together they work on a controlled flight and even bigger dreams of space.

Charmingly illustrated with exotic animal friends, Fly, Fly Again is a good story to introduce basic flight vocabulary and teach young children the importance of dreaming big, teamwork, and persistence.

About the authors

Katie Jaffe: As Creative Director and Design Consultant of Aviation for Spectre Air Capital, Katie has aided in the design of several high profile aircraft.  Currently, she is leading the marketing and design effort of an overseas airline. She also has a passion for children's causes, and has committed herself to helping several charities for children around the world.  She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three children.  

Jennifer Lawson: Lifelong educator and advocate of the Childrens Literacy Program, Jennifer seeks to bring knowledge to students through creative curriculum and technology on a global level.  As Owner and President of Decision Tree she is currently endeavoring to teach using technologically advanced solutions that excite today's students. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her family.

Good Old Summertime in the Gilded Age by Tam May

Photo Credit: Terrasse à Sainte-Adresse, Claude Monet, 1866-1867, oil on canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY: Crisco 1492/Wikimedia Common/PD old 80

Much of my historical family saga, the Waxwood Series, takes place during the summer months. Our modern mentality regarding summer is not only about hot weather, swimming pools, and summer camp, but it’s also about fun, leisure, and rest. 

But this wasn’t always the case. In the 19^th century, only the privileged (like my Alderdice family) could afford both the time and the money to go away on vacation. In fact, up until the middle of the 19^th century, taking time off during the summer was only for the affluent, teachers and kids. Working people did not take time off in the summer and certainly not for fun and leisure. There were several reasons for this. First, a tension existed between work and play in America then, as it does to some extent now (though we’re much more appreciative of the fact that taking time off from work when the kids are out of school is necessary to recharge our batteries). Second, doctors and ministers and other authorities were suspicious of vacation time, believing it led people into vice and unhealthy behaviors. And, also, most people just couldn’t afford to take time off and go somewhere for the summer.

What changed? Our awareness that being the constant workhorse was, in fact, unhealthy, more so than the sort of vices vacation destinations could offer, for one. Another thing was a rising middle class in the Gilded Age that could finally afford to take the time off from work during the summer to have a good time. And, too, as with much of American life in the Gilded Age, there was the question of commerce. The travel and hospitality industries (like hotels and restaurants) figured out they could make a lot of money by encouraging Americans to take time off and play.

In my Waxwood series, the affluent Alderdice family and other characters end up in the resort town of Waxwood during the summer months. Resort life was growing in the Gilded Age among the wealthy and upper middle class, as evidenced in Charles Dudley Warner’s book, Their Pilgrimage. These wealthy people used to take summer vacation very seriously, spending months lounging in resorts, meeting new people, and participating in all sorts of summer activities and events. Such is the case with the Alderdices, the Paynes (a niece and aunt who appear in Book 3 of the series), and Harland Stevens ( a father figure to Jake in Book 2, False Fathers, and who makes another appearance in Book 4). 

To find out more about my series, you can go to this page. Book 1, The Specter, is available here. 

Sometimes no father is better than a false father.

In 1898 California, Jake Alderdice comes of age as a shy and contemplative youth who is passionate about art. On vacation in Waxwood, now a fashionable resort town, he meets Harland Stevens, who takes an interest in the young man's artistic ambitions. Stevens seizes upon the fatherless young man to counsel him toward a path to manhood inspired by Teddy Roosevelt and Thoreau. He introduces Jake to The Order of Actaeon, a secret society built upon Roosevelt’s ideals of masculine virility and virtue.

But the path to maturity is a complex thing in the Gilded Age. Will his journey free him from the Alderdice family illusions, half-truths, and lies that have kept him a child? Or will it lead him into the world of Actaeon, where the hunter becomes the hunted?

Available at the following online retailers:

Amazon Universal Link

B&N

Apple iBooks (iTunes)

Kobo

Tam May grew up in the United States and earned her B.A. and M.A in English. She worked as an English college instructor and EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teacher before she became a full-time writer. She started writing when she was 14, and writing became her voice. She writes fiction characters who examine their past in order to move into their future and are influenced by the time in which they live.


Her first book, a collection of contemporary short stories titled Gnarled Bones And Other Stories, was nominated for a 2017 Summer Indie Book Award. She is currently working on a Gilded Age family saga. The first book, The Specter, came out in June of 2019, and the second book, False Fathers, is also now available. Book 3 (The Claustrophobic Heart) and Book 4 (Dandelion Children) will be out in 2020. She is also working on a historical mystery series featuring a turn-of-the-century New Woman sleuth. Both series take place in Northern California.

She lives in Texas but calls San Francisco and the Bay Area “home”. When she’s not writing, she’s reading classic literature and historical fiction, watching classic films, or cooking up awesome vegetarian dishes.


For more information on Tam May and her work, feel free to check out her website at www.tammayauthor.com.

Brooke Williams and Mamarazzi

Mamarazzi

Brooke Williams

Audio book

Print: 171 pp

Romance

Pelican Book Group, 2015

Ebook $3.99

Audio $19.99

Print $12.99

Buy on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Audible, Publisher

About the Book

Danica Bennett isn't sure what she hates more...her job or the fact that she's good at it. As one of the many Hollywood paparazzi, she lives her life incognito and sneaks around trying to get the best shot of the latest star. When she is mistaken for an extra on a new, up and coming TV show, her own star rises and she becomes the one in the photographs. Add that to the fact that she's falling for her co-star, Eliot Lane, and Danica is in a whole heap of trouble.

My Review

Secrets layered on secrets layered on rumors and the glitter of Hollywood greed frame this story of a young woman trying to make her way in the world. As a photographer after her mother's fame, Danica Bennett bides her time and talent while building an undercover reputation as a paparazzi, one of the insidious interlopers who would do anything to get a candid photo to sell to the public. When she wandered onto the backstage of a new television show, she's mistaken for an extra, and one thing leads to another, including a mutual attraction and growing relationship with the megastar of the show. Danica's agent is the only one who knows the truth of her identity as the popular paparazzi nicknamed Mamarazzi and demands a photograph that would rock even Hollywood. When Danica learns a dearly-held secret, misunderstandings begin to weave a cruel web.

Danica's naiveté and innocence is the only thing that keeps her from falling into the depravity she abhors. As Danica's star rises and even her cousin crawls out of the woodwork to ask for favors, Danica comes under pressure from her agent who will spill her secret if Danica doesn't come through. As Danica learns what it’s like to be the one who's stalked by paparazzi, she realizes the enormity of the damage paparazzi can do. Coming clean has a high price. She wonders what could be left if she tells the truth.

About the Author

Brooke Williams is a former radio announcer/producer and script writer turned freelance writer and author. When Brooke's first daughter was born in 2009 she left her full time radio career to stay home. Eventually, she realized she could fulfill her lifelong desire to write while her daughter napped and she then entered into the freelance writing world. As her business grew, she took on clients from all over the world and began to dabble in fiction writing once again. Brooke has several books on the market including romance, thrillers, and romantic comedies. Get details on all of Brooke's releases on her website: AuthorBrookeWilliams.com