Thursday, November 6, 2014

Falling Like a Rock by Bonnie McCune book review

Falling Like a Rock
Bonnie McCune


Buy on Amazon
Buy on Barnes and Noble

Prism
c. 2014

ISBN: 978-1500386474
Price 3.99, 13.99

Elaine Svoboda’s life feels like one teeter-totter escapade after another. On the hunt for a new position after her hospital marketing job is down-sized, she holes up with her fiance, only to discover he’s planning on ditching her for a new love.

She can’t go home with her tail between her legs, and jumps at the chance to find a new life, or at least lick her wounds for a while, when a college friend offers her a hideout in rural Colorado, a town named Falling Rock, with a mayor whose got tons of issues of his own.

Elaine’s world was built around being professional, though she needs a few lessons on gentleness. In an attempt to help her find meaningful work in this economically challenged community, Mayor Joe’s little sister, a nursing student, helps her work on a grant which would encourage healthy citizens. But what can be worse than a hunk of a mayor challenging the grant-writer to a weight-loss test? Mortification and perfectionism cause tension as these two butt heads along the way to trust and love.


A great tale of adventure, danger, and romance.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

CrossReads Book Blast: The Name Quest by John Avery

Avery-NameQuest CVR
The Name Quest - explore the names of God to grow in faith and get to know Him better By John Avery

About the Book:

Take an insightful journey into deeper relationship with God through the biblical names of God. Beginning in Babel and ending with a burning Babylon, The Name Quest builds faith and encourages spiritual growth. The names of God are like a rainbow—each name expresses part of the spectrum of the character and attributes of God. God is a personality with a multifaceted character too integrated and dynamic to compartmentalize. God’s names are best examined in clusters, around common themes. So that is how the chapters are organized. Along the way, the author tenderly answers tough questions: Which of the Hebrew names of God is His personal name—Yahweh or Jehovah? What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? How can we relate to the Holy God and the Judge? Why is a God of love called the “Jealous God”? What does it mean to call Jesus the Messiah? The Name Quest mentions all the names of God in the Bible while explaining their significance in ordinary language. The author weaves together fifteen years of Bible study research with plentiful illustrations and humorous anecdotes. These include lessons learned as a pastor on a Caribbean island. A visit to a Welsh hill farm introduces a chapter about the Good Shepherd. The story of a Hungarian political prisoner illustrates the meaning of Immanuel (or is it Emmanuel?) A rescue from the slopes of an active volcano helps explain salvation and the meaning of Jesus’ Hebrew name, Yeshua. Even the clever advertisement on a packet of potato chips offers a lesson about how to grow in faith in God. Unlike chasing rainbows, the spiritual journey has an end. The Name Quest is a road map for every Christian’s spiritual journey and it points to the destination—being formed into the image of Jesus Christ. Start exploring!


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John Avery is the author of The Name Quest – explore the names of God to grow in faith and get to know Him better (Morgan James Publishing, 2014). He is a trained teacher with over thirty years experience as a Bible teaching pastor, small group leader, and missionary. He has lived in England, Israel, Africa, and the Caribbean, ministering with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and local churches. He and his wife, Janet, now make their home in Oregon. John likes to hike, snowshoe, and cross country ski. John writes a regular Bible devotional on www.BibleMaturity.com and maintains a comprehensive resource for all the names of God at www.NamesForGod.net.


Follow John Avery Website | Facebook | Twitter

Enter to Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Enter below to enter a $50 Amazon gift card, sponsored by author John Avery! a Rafflecopter giveaway This book blast is hosted by Crossreads. We would like to send out a special THANK YOU to all of the CrossReads book blast bloggers!

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Snpgrdxz and the Time Monsters

You'll have as much fun trying to pronounce this books, as reading it.
Read my review here.

Snpgrdxz and the Time Monsters

Paul R. Lloyd




Snpgrdxz and the Time Monsters is available for Kindle for 2.99

Paul, what do you love about this book?
I love the way Bryan Ganarski took over the story. I know that’s not something that will be obvious to readers, but it proved to me that “seat of the pants” is the only way to write fiction. Snpgrdxz was supposed to be my big move into outlining the story before starting. I began with an Excel spreadsheet that outlined a quest journey for Snpgrdxz, a teenage space alien shape shifter who survived a flying saucer crash back in the forties. In his world, the teenage years last for about 150 earth-equivalent years, so he’s been a teenager for a long time with quite a while to go. According to plan, the mysterious men in black are after Snpgrdxz so they can slice, dice and analyze him. The story was supposed to be a teenage version of The Fugitive. Bryan Ganarski was supposed to be the Boswell character recording the adventures of Snpgrdxz. Instead, he recorded the adventures of a girl he has a crush on at the beginning of the story. Then the characters chase after a troll who kidnapped one of their friends and in the process, discovered a time portal. Snpgrdxz becomes a playful side character in a story that can best be described as Romeo and Juliet meet Back to the Future. Goodbye men in black. Goodbye 21st century. Goodbye Excel outline.

What do you hope readers will tell others about this book?
My novels are not for every reader, but those who love them will talk about the nonstop action. My readers usually tell me they couldn’t put the book down. This is often expressed as a complaint like: “I was up until two in the morning because I just had to finish it.” Snpgrdxz and the Time Monsters delivers that kind of action. Readers will talk about the love story between Bryan and Jennifer because it’s a first love for both of them which makes for awkward moments as they  sort through the complexities such as where your nose goes and how far to go without compromising your morals. Readers will want to talk about time travel and the way Jennifer runs into herself without disrupting the time/space continuum. With two Jennifers, will one go evil while the other stays good? Do they both want Bryan or will one find another love interest?

Share your best marketing tip
After 30 years as a marketing executive, I learned a couple of things. One is if you do nothing, nothing will happen. That’s the only guarantee in marketing. The other thing is there is no accounting for success. What one person did to succeed provides no indication that you can do the same thing and expect the same result. For example, how many people have followed Amanda Hocking’s formula for success and how many of them have sold any books doing so? So with this in mind, here’s my big tip of the day: Do the marketing things you enjoy doing because you’ll actually do them. So if blogging is your thing, then do it. If you prefer email campaigns, go for it. Make sure you love whatever it is so you’ll do it every day.  

About the Author:
Paul R. Lloyd explores the monsters and strangers among us in his fiction. His latest novel is the first in his new speculative fiction series. It mixes a group of teenagers, their time traveling high school art teacher, a fireman, and a teenaged space alien shape shifter on an adventure across time. The journey features a love story lost and found in time. Will love survive the journey or will the insanity of time travel destroy the lovers and their companions? Snpgrdxz and the Time Monsters,


Paul’s other novels include the noir thriller STEEL PENNIES, the horror story HAGS and his spiritual warfare take on the original Christmas story in FULFILLMENT. FULFILLMENT was published by PromiseGarden.com Books. Paul publishes his other novels as an independent author.

His short fiction has appeared in the literary magazines Possibilities and Daedalus as well as the Canyon City Daily Record (Colorado) newspaper. He was the author of The Doctor Solves a Mystery series of mini-mysteries for the annual contest of the Physicians’ Benefits Trust, the insurance arm of the Illinois State Medical Society. Paul served as editor for The Goldring, a newsletter of puzzles and games published by one of Chicago’s premier marketing research firms. He also published Creative Challenges, his own newsletter of puzzles, games and mystery stories. His short fiction appears on his blog at http://paulrlloyd.blogspot.com.

Paul’s fiction explores a world of offbeat characters that populate real places like the ancient Middle East, Wheaton, Illinois, Naperville, Illinois, and West Chester, Pennsylvania.  He reveals the horror and humor of the human condition while exploring themes such as cowardice in SNPGRDXZ AND THE TIME MONSTERS, forgiveness in HAGS, redemption in FULFILLMENT and the nature of love (and hate) in STEEL PENNIES.

Paul is president of FXX Enterprises, a technology start up offering un-hackable digital security. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from West Chester University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Chicago’s western suburbs with his wife, the artist and author Lynn Zuk-Lloyd. Paul leads the Write Time Writers Group in Geneva, Illinois, and is a member of the Chicago Writers Association.

Visit him online at: http://paulrlloyd.blogspot.com

To read books or ebooks by Paul R. Lloyd, please visit: www.amazon.com/Paul-R.-Lloyd/e/B0064R8ROE

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Thursday, October 30, 2014

From Now On, with Susan A. Royal

Remember, friends, MuseItUp is a Canadian publisher, so some Queen's English rules apply.

Introducing Susan A. Royal, a fellow MuseItUp Publishing author, to talk about her new book,
From Now On


About the Book:

     Griffin has traveled across centuries to reunite with the woman he loves, but he and Erin may not get their ‘happy ever after’. Not if Lady Isobeil has anything to do with it. She forces Griffin to leave Erin behind and travel to eerie Manx Island. When he goes missing, Erin and his friends set out to find him. Followed by his strong-willed sister, Kateryn, they ride to Swansea and secure passage with the notorious Captain Akin.
     Erin sees firsthand how the island earned its dark reputation when she battles freakish weather, encounters a race of little people known as “Prowlies”, and experiences ghosts of the long departed. She discovers “ley lines” crossing the island’s mountain peak and making time travel possible. 
     Yet these obstacles pale in comparison to the secrets Erin uncovers while determined to rescue the man she loves.

Enjoy this Mini-Excerpt:

     I am a stranger in this world, even though I’ve traveled this way before.
     Fate and not design brought me the first time. It hurled me into a distant future, with no idea how or why, taking me from an existence dependent upon modern technology to a place where people fear such things and those who use them. While searching for my way home from this harsh and sometimes violent world, my admiration for its inhabitants who valued honor and duty above all else grew into admiration and respect. I found myself drawn to one in particular, a man who saved me more than once. Only I never expected to fall in love with him.
      Torn between my feelings and a longing for home, I returned to my time with only vague memories of my experience. My life went back to normal, but part of me sensed the loss of something more precious than anything I’d regained. Until one day, I saw him again.
     This time I’ve come by choice, and it is where I’m going to stay.
     Fate willing.

A brief Interview with the author:

Susan, what do you love about your book?
I’ve read time travel ever since I was a kid, hanging out at the bookmobile that visited our shopping center every other week during the summer months. The idea of being up close and personal with another time in history…particularly medieval times…well let’s just I was hooked. I read every time travel book I could lay my hands on. It was only natural I’d want to write a book along the same lines. What I love about Not Long Ago and the sequel From Now On is the relationship angle. Erin is a modern girl, used to taking care of herself. So when she gets time travels to a medieval world and finds herself falling for a handsome knight, she tries to be sensible. Only it doesn’t work. When she goes back to her time, she can’t forget him. And he feels the same way. In Book 2, they return to his world. As with any relationship, there are obstacles to overcome along the way. When Griffin disappears, Erin fears the worst, but she is determined to find him no matter how long it takes. Go ahead and say it…I’m an incurable romantic…I love writing about two people from totally different worlds who are willing to overcome insurmountable odds to be together. ~~sigh~~

Introduce us to your favorite secondary character.
It would have to be Arvo. He’s a tall gangly young man with a disreputable shock of red hair who becomes Erin’s good friend and confidant. He’s witty, he’s charming, he’s just a little lazy and he has the appetite of a horse. He wasn’t intended to be more than an ‘extra’, but as the story progressed, I realized Erin needed a confidant who was familiar with castle goings on and knew all the gossip. And when she needed a dress for the Masquerade Ball, who better to help her but the tailor’s son? He was such a loyal friend to Erin I brought him back in the sequel.

Share two things you learned during the writing and publishing process.
Research is a lot more fun than I thought it would be.
My next book is always going to be my best book because of what I learn every time during the writing process.

What are you working on now? I just signed a contract with MuseItUp for Xander’s Tangled Web, a fantasy with a mystery, due out in fall of 2015, and I’m writing a third book in my It’s About Time Series. I can’t wait to find out what will happen to Erin and Griffin in this adventure.

Lisa: ~Me, either. Thank you, Susan!

About the Author:
Born in west Texas and raised in south Texas, Susan A. Royal makes her home in a 100-year-old farmhouse in a small east Texas town that comes complete with a ghost who has been known to harmonize with her son when he plays guitar. 
     She is married and the mother of six (she counts her children’s spouses as her own) and five grandchildren who are all unique and very special. Her family is rich with characters, both past and present. Her grandmother shared stories of living on a farm in Oklahoma Territory with three sisters and three brothers and working as a telephone operator in the early 20th century.  Her father told her about growing up in San Antonio in the depression, and she experienced being a teenager during WWII through her mother’s eyes.
     When she isn’t writing, she still has a day job, working in the public schools in east Texas as a secretary. She does her best to keep up with her grandchildren. Music and painting are two of her passions. Susan is a firm believer in getting what you want without breaking the bank. She loves to bargain shop anywhere there’s a sale and began repurposing long before it was popular. She paints, crafts and sews. Her office/craft/sewing room is littered with her latest projects.
     Susan loves to take her readers through all kinds of adventures with liberal doses of romance. So far, she’s written two books in her It’s About Time series, Not Long Ago and From Now On. They are time travel adventures with romance about two people who fall in love despite the fact they come from very different worlds. In My Own Shadow is a Fantasy adventure/romance. Look for her books at MuseItUp/Amazon/B&N. You can also find Odin’s Spear, one of her short stories featured in a Quests, Curses, and Vengeance anthology, Martinus Publishing, available on Amazon.
     Want to know more? Visit susanaroyal.wordpress.com or susanaroyal.moonfruit.com for a peek inside this writer’s mind and see what she’s up to. You never know what new world she’s going to visit next.

In My Own Shadow (fantasy, adventure, romance) 
Not Long Ago (time travel, adventure, romance) 


Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Book Review Desperate Dreams by Kim McMahill

Desperate Dreams: Deadly Exodus
Kim McMahill

c. 2012
Prism Book Group
ISBN: 978-0984764587

Price 3.99
11.99
Desperate Dreams

Buy on Amazon


Set in the scary near-future, Desperate Dreams is a dystopian story about a state-controlled society attempting to reduce crime and corruption by moral bankruptcy.

McMahill tells the story of four teens plotting to rebel against the odd strictures in their world, where a person is imprisoned for too much emotion and other inappropriate activities. Female dominance is normal, as males are sent to work camps. It’s a society where people long to escape—to Mexico, where the border patrol is brutal.

Nyla and Ruby manage a friendship with two farm workers, Ethan and Jason, in between mandatory school and career training. Life is dreary, but there is one coffee house in the small community where they can meet without causing too much suspicion. With the help of Nyla’s incarcerated mother, they come up with an escape plan.

Follow along as these friends work together to seize an opportunity for freedom from oppression. Each character, along with several secondary characters, has a voice in the book. Those readers who like stories like Future Shock and The Giver, will like this story.


Saturday, October 25, 2014

World Wide Blog Hop and High Stakes WIP


I'm pleased to follow Cherie Burbach in a 
World Wide Blog Hop.

Cherie posted here last week: 

What am I working on?
I'm currently at work on a project that follows my 2010 award-winning novel, Meander Scar
The story takes place in that year, and I wish I had been taking better notes about what was going on then! Ann's sister, Rachel, has some huge surprises in store when she decides that now her daughter Maeve is grown and moved out, she can restart her life. Her chosen target, Scott, who works in IT, isn't the mild-mannered computer geek she thinks he is, and to top if off, she finds herself holding the fate of modern Europe in her hands when a former lover shows up out of the blue. Pretty high stakes.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I'm supposed to write genre romance, but I tend  to follow the rules haphazardly -- about the same way I cook. You might get that happily-ever-after ending. Or you might not.

Why do I write/create what I do?
I'll just say it - I love history, but I don't write it on principle because I am terribly picky about making sure the facts are right. Now that doesn't mean I won't bend them a bit, but they have to be correct. This way, I get to do all the nerdy research, use the facts in my work, but not have to worry about being so precise. That's why we call it fiction.

How does my writing/creating process work?
I'm mostly a plotter. I have to get some of the business out of the way, like character development, main plot lines, scene and setting, a sort of an outline or synopsis to work with first. That's a lot of "pre-writing." Then I'm free to write at will. I have my character, scene and setting windows open while I work in the document window. I can quick research a fact or a name that's escaped me on the Internet, and also write in a later chapter if a scene occurs to me out of order. I have a great writing partner to keep me motivated and some fantastic critiquers out there to make me mind the p's and q's.

And now I'm pleased to introduce Nicolette Pierce, who will post next week at
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7091039.Nicolette_Pierce/blog

Friday, October 24, 2014

Land of My Dreams by Norma Gail

Land of My Dreams
Norma Gail

Norma Gail’s debut contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, is set in Scotland and New Mexico and released in April 2014.



About the Book: 
Alone and betrayed, American professor, Bonny Bryant longs for a haven of peace. She accepts a position at a small Christian college in Fort William, Scotland, craving escape from her painful past. The passionate love which develops when she meets fellow professor and sheep farmer, Kieran MacDonell, is something she never anticipated.

Kieran harbors a deep anger toward God in the face of his own devastating grief. When Bonny’s former fiancé reenters her life, Kieran’s loneliness draws him to a former student.

How will Bonny decide between her rivals? Can they set aside the past to make way for a future, or will it drive them apart?

Land of My Dreams spans the distance between New Mexico’s high desert mountains and the misty Scottish Highlands with a timeless story of overwhelming grief, undying love, and compelling faith.

Buy the Book:


Brief Interview with Norma Gail

Norma, what do you love the most about Land of My Dreams?
Land of My Dreams is my debut novel. It is the fulfillment of a life-long dream to see my name on a book. I love having told a story that ministers to the reader, because I know God gave it to me. I have had so many comments about the book touching people’s lives through situations they can relate to, and God’s purpose for the things He allows into our lives. When someone says that your fictional story taught them God is big enough to take our questions and doesn’t send pain and hardship because we messed up or don’t have enough faith, it takes your breath away. I love that people see themselves in the characters and get lost in the setting, laughing, crying, getting angry, and ending up feeling fulfilled. Reviews like that make all the hard work worthwhile.

What do you hope readers will tell other people about Land of My Dreams?
One reader recommended it to her sixteen year-old granddaughter to help her learn what to look for in a relationship. She recommended it to people who were planning to get married for the same reason. One reader said it is so much more than a love story; that it will speak to anyone who has suffered loss, pain, divorce or death. I hope readers tell their friends that it takes them through the full range of emotions, makes them read with a Scottish accent, hear the bagpipes, smell green chili roasting, and feel the raindrops on their faces. I love to hear things like that.

What two things did you learn from publishing your first book?
I learned so much it is difficult to condense into two things.

1) It is so much more difficult than you ever imagined. It is definitely not glamor and get rich quick. It’s hard work even after it is released. It requires taking tough criticism, and working with many different personalities. There are a lot of late nights editing and more social media than anyone should have to learn, but in the end, you have something you always dreamed of. It makes you a stronger person and teaches perseverance.

2) I learned that attending writer’s conferences is a necessity. It is important to take workshops to improve your skills. Meeting other writers, getting critiques and feedback on your writing, and meeting with your publisher are valuable opportunities. If you work hard enough and show a willingness to take direction, you can get a contract with a traditional publisher. It takes time.

  
About the Author:
Norma Gail is a former Bible Study Fellowship discussion leader who established the first weekly women’s Bible studies in her church in 2003 and continues to lead a weekly small group. Her devotionals, poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, and in “The Secret Place.” She has led weekly women’s Bible studies for 19 years. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, FaithWriters, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is a former RN and homeschool/soccer mom who loves family research, history, and Scotland. Norma lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 38 years. They have two adult children.


Connect with Norma at: