Emily Conrad and Justice

Justice by Emily Conrad

Christian romance

Pelican Ventures

March 2018

Ebook $4.99

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About the Book

Jake thought he was meant to marry Brooklyn, but now she's pregnant, and he had nothing to do with it. As Brooklyn wrestles with questions about what her pregnancy means and how it will affect her relationship with Jake, she can't bring herself to tell him the truth. To make matters worse, if the man who owns the bookstore across from Jake's coffee shop has anything to do with it, the baby will ruin them both. Can Jake and Brooklyn overcome the obstacles thrown in their path, and finally find the truth in God's love and in each other?

My review

At the core, this story’s title is the one-word bare truth of each character’s reality. Revenge, payback, responsibility, love, forgiveness, and loss all expose the depth of faith and steer the course toward Justice.

Friends from childhood, Jake and Brooklyn can’t seem to figure out what being in love with each other might look like. Their buddies and parents all expected them to marry long since, but Jake and Brooklyn explore relationships with others while they learn to navigate the scary world of responsible adulthood. When the time is finally right for them to move toward each other, crisis inflamed with outside jealousy steps between them. It takes ever-maturing belief to weather the storms, and a lot of help from their friends in an attempt to step back and find the bigger picture.

Jake is a driven young man, full of life and faith, overcoming the devastating death of his father and rising above to operate a popular business while making a difference, or trying to, in the lives of young people at church. Jake tries to follow in the footsteps of his bigger-than-life father, as well as fight the good fight of faith and hormones in the teenagers he wants to influence. He just can’t seem to work up the courage to show his longtime female buddy how he feels. Brooklyn is a naïve young woman who tortures herself by living in the shadow of her dysfunctional and cruel mother. She tries to convince herself that she’s not good enough for anyone, especially God, but has the sense to reach out to a wonderful group of women role models and finally, the person she’s leaned on for most of her life, Jake. When everything goes south, it’s grow up or shut up time. Jake falls back on his deep-seated anger while Brooklyn begins to understand the meaning and sacrifice of forgiveness. Watching their journeys crisscross and wander is a delight. Well-done.

Most of the side stories are woven beautifully into the thread of the story; the biggest one, that of the business competitor, feels a little like a shiny thread that is rough against the grain. While it’s more realistic to be on the side of the victim and not truly understand the hows of the vengeance-seeking little demagogue, I am left feeling a little puzzled. It’s like the scratchy tag on the inside of your shirt. Jake has some growing-up to do, and his business rival helps him learn, on a lesser scale, the lesson in forgiveness that Brooklyn is teaching him through her own faith expedition.

Told through multiple viewpoints, this debut novel is rich in Christian faith portrayal, and not shy about the depth and realities of sin. The characters have great dialog and emotional depth which spoke to me. Those who read deeply inspirational romantic fiction will find much to love about Justice.

About the Author

Emily Conrad writes Christian fiction. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two 60+ pound rescue dogs. Some of her favorite things (other than Jesus and writing, of course) are coffee, walks, and road trips to the mountains. She also blogs and offers free short stories at EmilyConradAuthor.com.

Twist on Sleeping Beauty from CS Johnson

Beauty’s Curse

Once Upon A Princes, book one

CS Johnson

January 2016

Dire Wolf Books

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Currently, the first book of the 4-book serial story is free.

About the Book

For four years, Princess Aurora of Rhone—Rose to her friends—has searched the world for a way to break the curse placed on her by Magdalina, the wicked ruler of the fairies at war with her kingdom. Under the curse, Rose is doomed to die on her eighteenth birthday after pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. And time is running out.

On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Rose makes the journey home with her friends—Theo, a priest with a penchant for revenge; Mary, a young and talented fairy; and Ethan and Sophia, siblings with a troubled past–as pressure from her father, King Stefanos, leaves her with two equally unsatisfying options: Abdicate the throne, or get married.

Enjoy this novella series retelling of the Sleeping Beauty, with new characters, new plot twists, and plenty of action and adventure. Perfect for teen and young adult historical fantasy readers, and check out Part II, "Beauty's Quest," as the story continues!

My review

A caveat: this is not a stand-alone book, but the first of four. It’s a questing story, and this book sets up the search. If you don’t like investing in characters only to fall off a cliff when you turn the last page, the good news is that all the books in the series are available at reasonable prices, at the time of this writing.

Johnson’s twist on the tale of the Grimm’s fairy tale of the Sleeping Beauty, or Briar Rose, is both familiar and new. It’s a hodgepodge of some Disney copycats and a smattering of other tales set in Germanic and Greek-named places. A teenaged lost little cursed princess flees home under the watchful eye of her mother’s guard and her faithful friend knight, Theo, among others. She picks up other lost souls along the way, becomes a self-assured warrior, but reaches the end of her rope when her seventeenth birthday signaling her last year of wakeful life, approaches. Journeying home to meet her father’s challenge of produce an heir before she succumbs to the curse, or formally give up her birthright, spunky Rose chooses her own way—fight the curse, and keep her life her own. The end of book one finds the reader waving farewell to the company of faithful friends off the find a secret weapon.

I enjoyed this story. The characters were finely developed, though I struggled a little with keeping like names apart, such as Theo and Thad, the brothers, and their role. I cheered for all of them, but had to remind myself this is still a new adult story with teenagers who have plenty of growing up to do. Johnson’s blurry line between nice guys and bad guys makes an interesting twist in the old tale. Those who like fun riffs on a familiar romantic tale will enjoy these stories. Mature writing. I read a review copy for Voracious Readers Only.

About the Author

C. S. Johnson is the author of several young adult novels, including sci-fi and fantasy adventures suchas the Starlight Chronicles series, the Once Upon a Princess saga, and the Divine Space Pirates trilogy. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family. Find out more at http://www.csjohnson.me.

March GIveaway!

Grab your lucky pair of socks, your rabbit’s foot and/or your go-to lucky charm because N. N. Light’s Book Heaven has an incredible giveaway this month. I don’t know if they kidnapped a leprechaun or what, but they’ve got a potful of goodies to give away. You can win an Amazon gift card, a beautiful St. Patrick’s Day mug, books galore and more. You don’t need to kiss the blarney stone, just have a valid email address. 

With so many wonderful authors and books available, it's imperative to have a reliable and trustworthy place that can help you choose what to read. It's even better when you get a chance to win free books through a giveaway! Every month, enter to win free books from multiple authors via N. N. Light's Book Heaven. Several authors are offering their books throughout the upcoming year in this innovative and collaborative approach to building a new and immersive online reading community. Authors, bloggers and book reviewers are partnering to share fantastic reads, quality reviews and powerful connections all in one place.

This Giveaway runs all month long from now until March 31.

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Science Thriller Reversion by Amy Rogers

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Ebook $2.99
Print $14.95

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Print $14.95

About the Book

Rabies kills. Can it also cure?

Tessa Price, PhD, knows what it’s like to lose a child to an inherited genetic disease. To spare another mother this pain, she invents a radical new gene therapy that might save the life of seven-year-old Gunnar Sigrunsson. Unable to get regulatory approval to treat Gunnar in the US, she takes her clinical trial to the Palacio Centro Medico, a resort-like hospital on a Mexican peninsula where rich medical tourists get experimental treatments that aren’t available anywhere else.

When the hospital is taken over by a brutal drug cartel, Tessa hides with a remarkable trio of Palacio clients—rich Texan Lyle Simmons, his much-younger Brazilian girlfriend, and his protection dog, a German shepherd named Dixie, only to learn that gangsters aren’t the only deadly threat they face. A rabies-like infection that began in the Palacio’s research chimpanzees has spread to humans. Tessa investigates and finds a shocking connection to her gene therapy experiment. In the wake of this discovery, Tessa must weigh the value of one human life against another—including her own.

My Review

Medical thriller describes well this somewhat gruesome novel. Without overwhelming the reader, Rogers spins a tale of discovery, greed on so many levels, and absolutely corrupt power.

Opening with a nightmare scene of a bat attack on a tech on a drug run and in deep trouble, the story spirals out of control from the first page and breathlessly leads readers on a terrifying journey of terror and healing.

Harsh as it sounded, Dr. Tessa Price is what Administrator Vargas accuses—a medical school washout—one with a needle phobia that nearly costs her life. Refusing the required blood test upon entry to the luxurious Mexican medical resort, the doctor secretly in love with her, Sameer, resolves the matter by falsifying her record.

At first Tessa’s visit to the spa to make sure her experimental treatment continues even when the specialized tech is out sick seems like an idyllic break in her messy life. That idyll quickly turns into a nightmare when she is caught up in war between powerful gangs.

Tessa must come to several self-actualizing truths during her ordeal. Among many of her issues, needle phobia is the least is the least of them when she learns exactly what has happened with her research. She shows her true mettle when she learns how to operate on the fly, and what the depths of true, selfless love can do.

I give this book four stars instead of five because of the author’s habit of annoying switching around internal and external thoughts, and unnecessary sentences fragments attempting to ramp tension when there is plenty without it. Otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed the story and obvious excellent research. I did question whether a femoral arterial bleed can be halted with paper towels and pressure, but as the author has a medical degree, I accepted it. Recommended for those who like rapid action and don’t mind lots of blood and guts.

 

About the Author

Amy Rogers, MD, PhD, is a Harvard-educated writer, scientist, educator, and critic. Through her book review website ScienceThrillers.com, her publishing company ScienceThrillers Media, and her own writing, Amy advocates for literate entertainment in the form of great stories with real science.

Amy writes thrilling science-themed novels in the style of Michael Crichton (PETROPLAGUE, REVERSION). She also composes a monthly column "Science in the Neighborhood" for Inside Publications. She is a member of International Thriller Writers.

Amy loves dim sum, Ted Drewes, redwood forests, lakes with loons, Hawaiian beaches, and cats. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two exceptional children who believe she has an unreasonable tolerance for mysterious things growing in her refrigerator.

Research the Unfamiliar

Good Research Tips

When you're not writing what you know

There were certain lines I never planned to cross when I started thinking of myself as a professional writer. One of them was to keep the genres I loved separate from attempting to make them my work. My theory was based on keeping my play time safe and respected. I am a historian but don’t spend a lot of time writing fictional history. I broke that line for a very good reason early in my career for the sake of my love of local history and to keep stories in the forefront that might otherwise be lost. I’d also planned to support local societies with the earnings, but that means one has to earn something first. The idealism was long gone by the time the children’s books came out. I stuck a toe over the historical fiction line one other time for a novella in my "protest the prairie cover" days—again, mostly for fun and to help my fellow writers, which was the result of that project.

My secret passion is fantasy…not going there! My not-so-secret reading passion has always been science fiction, ala Robert Heinlein who got me through the traumas of middle school and Ray Bradbury who I still think is the most brilliant writer of the twentieth century. It’s basically stories of the human condition put on trial in the most brutal ways. I have been heavily influenced by a movie called The Abyss and a newer one called Arrival. The first story has nothing to do with the aliens who abide deep in Earth’s oceans and use water like we use elements of the Earth’s crust; likewise the second has not much to do with why they are here at this time and in those places. The films have everything to do with relationships and how we treat each other.

When I started thinking about the third story in my Forces of Nature series which began firmly planted on the planet with exploring a younger man-older woman relationship and what marriage is all about in Meander Scar, and moved next to study lost love found and life secrets that color everything about a mother and daughter who reach out to both repel and cling to a man who betrayed them unwittingly in Centrifugal Force, it was a series title that flung me toward the sun. Outer space is not a place I wanted to take my characters but they will not stay grounded. My characters even forced me to meet and describe a race of people from a different solar system and test my world-building skills, which I thought were fairly well grounded (worksheet here).

These off-worlders keep secrets from me, like how they got here, but so far I’m okay with that. After all, the story isn’t really about them. It’s about making choices based on who we are and how we practice our humanity, no matter what heavenly body we call home. At some point in each of the films I mentioned earlier, the main characters realize they don’t have to know everything. Too many details and technicalities can mess with story, depending on your audience.

The off-worlders showed up in a scene that technically took place before this story starts—something I didn’t realize when my male protagonist, Harry, meets them. How am I going to figure out what’s happening? I approach research with the same exactly detail I put into all of my work. Most of the facts of how something works aren’t going into the narrative, but I need to understand them to give my readers a reason to accept their disbelief for a short time. Harry got a whiff of chlorine when he met Tarlig, who at first glance doesn’t look all that different from any other odd-looking scientist. The chlorine odor was explained by his perception that it was associated with cleaning solutions. In reality, Tarlig’s world and make-up use more chlorine than humans use other elements of Earth’s crust and atmosphere. I kept trying to exchange argon, the third most abundant gas that makes up part of our atmosphere after nitrogen and oxygen, but argon is a noble gas, an element that stabilizes, and chlorine is not. What kind of a creature that essentially exists much like a human would be like if it respirated a different atmospheric and planetary element than argon? As I studied the atmosphere and the elemental properties of the noble gases further, I attempted to replace chlorine with a noble gas like xenon or radon, but they don’t have an odor. Come on…it’s so early in the book, I can set this character up any way I want without having to reweave story elements. Besides, it’s fiction! Who’s going to care?

I am. And so should my readers who I want to trust me. It’s not so much a matter of making copper-based hemoglobin so a Vulcan bleeds green or an Andorian whose skin is blue from cobalt. We didn’t care back then how science fiction worked. But now we have space stations where people can live for years, and reusable rocket boosters and all kinds of science that was once fiction but no longer. (They can bury my flip phone with me.)

Tarlig and Verdun’s existence is important to my story only so much as they add to my story arc in a way nothing else can, and move my people to prove their quality…their worth, and why they act and react the way they do. I’m the only one who will care that Tarlig and Verdun will need to have extra heavy lungs to expel what on Earth is an extra heavy element that will burn the lungs of a human. I only care that they smell vaguely like chlorine and want to sell you, the reader, on this tiny little thing that will make them believably different.

There’s plenty of other stuff in the background which involved research—little things like DNA, military stuff, and a pesky little detail about how to put a colony on the moon, but you only need to read the finished project.

Oh, the title? Parhelion – sundogs, you might know them – those beautiful columns of light on either side of the sun, glittering with ice crystals. (Photo from Iowa, 2015, Dave Chesling)

Good Research Tips

Good Research Tips 

Gathering from Several Sources

Remember, good research is gathered from primary and secondary resources, and occasional other means, tertiary and so forth, points of origin. See this post.

Keep in mind that all resources are biased in some way and are faulty in some way (double check everything possible). Aim for the nearest to the original source of information possible (cite the source and the retrieval date).

When weaving your research into your fictional account, go gently. Yes, you spend fourteen hours searching for that perfect quote, that one fact about a disease, the interview with the inventor, the way the engine works that will shape your story…but be careful about dumping all that precious energetic verbiage on an unsuspecting reader who honestly doesn’t care. Consider yourself richer for the knowledge and hope that one reader will be impressed enough to look up the information for herself.

For my latest novel, Centrifugal Force, three important pieces of information had to come together from very disparate sources to make the story work. A stolen piece of antique jewelry handed off for protection by Jewish Germans during World War II in Germany, a genetic disease, and German everything—history, contemporary (2011) politics and world affairs, scenic background information, timetables and airports, as well as some language.

Jewelry—not just antique, but a unique piece of antiquity—was central to my story. Collectors who loaned items to museums and for other purposes had to come up with a plan to safeguard their valuables when they knew the Nazis would show no mercy. Why did I choose this particular era and type of jewelry? I visited a museum in which unique gold from long-lost cultures was on display. Because I was entranced, I chose to do further research. This museum where I witnessed original items was my primary source of information. These pieces existed. Their history, then, I took for my own. I wanted something invaluable and unique enough to be identifiable and irreplaceable.

As in all good story technique, the question of what type of conflict and how far-reaching or universal the effects attracts a wider audience. For example, more people will be affected by the collapse of the European Union than by a local beautification committee or corrupt youth athletic organization. These local tragedies make for interesting experiences but bespeak a different level of reader.

The question of how durable or effective your character’s goal, then, is always, what will happen if the character doesn’t get what he or she is after? What is your main protagonist willing to do or sacrifice in order to reach the goal?

In Centrifugal Force, the male protagonist, Gervas Friedemann, is desperate to find and return a piece of jewelry his family protected since World War II. After the war, the owners did not return, so Gervas’s mother decided to enjoy the jewelry given for safekeeping by her Jewish neighbors and gave it to her sons. Decades later, when a person claiming to be a descendent of the neighbors and rightful heir of the missing valuables steps forward, Gervas must find a ring he’d allowed to slip out of his hands. The descendant is using blackmail for a larger purpose on Gervas’s family, who are prominent in the German government.

Now, I was not allowed to take photographs in the museum, a temporary display of gold artifacts at the National Archeological Museum in Athens some years back, and I didn’t buy any kind of souvenir about the collection. You have to trust that I saw the pieces and I used what I learned for a crucial aspect of my story. I am now an unreliable witness until my claim can be verified. To back up my story, we can go to the internet link directly to the museum, but it is somewhat faulty and has numerous links that say “under construction.” It also only has a few of the past temporary exhibits listed, and few pictures. The fact of whether the display was held at a particular museum is not all that important except to my general character if I choose to share the story of what motivated me to write Centrifugal Force. The fact of whether such jewelry exists might tempt more cerebral readers to do some research. And here we can the secondary resources of more photographs, Etruscan history, and history of jewelry. It is secondary information because I am relying on the interpretation of facts from the compiler of those facts and reinterpreting what I learned for my story.

These are a few of the links I used to piece together the history and look of the jewelry. While I studied a great deal about the history of jewelry, I settled on this type because it was identifiable through testing, and because it was in a museum catalog now, could conceivably be missed and labeled stolen by Nazis immediately post-WWII—no end of trouble for Gervas’s family.

For the history of the Etruscan people, this link (one of many, most were from major universities) was helpful: http://www.mariamilani.com/ancient_civilisation_civilization/ancient_etruscans.htm

For the history of the jewelry, these links were helpful: http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/articles/e/etruscan_jewellery.aspx

http://www.langantiques.com/university/index.php/Etruscan_Jewelry

For museum photographs of the collection, this link was helpful: http://ancientpeoples.tumblr.com/post/32881147070/set-of-etruscan-jewellery-late-archaic-period

When gathering information from sources, always question the integrity of the site and its compiler. National sites, such as those sponsored by governments or well vetted large organizations are in general more trustworthy than individual sites unless that person is a recognized and accepted expert in his or her field.

clipart is free for use from 1001freedownloads.com

Perfect Gluten free complete pancake mix

Gluten Less Lifestyle - Pancakes

I love pancakes. More than that, I love not having to run to the neighbor's house to borrow an egg to make pancakes for my kids before school. When I found complete pancake mixes came in a box, the kind where you just add water...and voila! you cook a pancake, I was enthralled. As the kids grew up and left home, the complete pancake mix meant I didn't have to make a batch of pancakes, I could make just one without having to gather all the supplies and having leftovers.

Then, in my fifties, I developed an intolerance to gluten. It's not a digestive issue but a bark-like-a-Baskerville Hound-cough. I found several online sites dedicated to gluten free cooking, and the forums have been wonderful to share ideas and recipes. Lately, I've been experimenting with gluten-free recipes for breads and pancakes. Back to the batch...or hey! There is a gluten-free complete mix in a box. But, it has candy in it. Candy that is not chocolate chips. The texture of the product left something to be desired. I continued to research and experiment, and came up with this recipe. What I love about dehydrated products is that they travel easily. If you camp, they're perfect.

Note- while this recipe is not vegan or dairy-free, it is easily adaptable. It doesn't even need milk, but you can substitute your favorite liquid for reconstitution and leave it out of the dry mix. You can substitute dry ground flax for the egg in the dry mix. You can make or buy dried egg product--Youtube has a number of videos that show how fairly easy it is to make dried eggs if you have a dehydrator. I bought my dried egg mix. Dried shortening is also available on line, where I purchased a can. Please also note that the base of this mix is ground oat flour, so it doesn't have a nice fine even tan exterior when cooked,although again, experiment with temperatures for frying, and the texture is more mealy and chewy, depending on the grind. I made my own in a small blender from rolled oats.

Batch of Complete Dry Gluten Free Pancake Mix
Makes 16-20 pancakes depending on how large (4-6 inches) and how thick or thin you like your batter

2.5 cups ground oat flour
.5 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 T sugar or your dried sweetener (optional, but I added it after experimenting without)
equivalent dry mix of 2 eggs
equivalent dry mix of 2 cups milk
equivalent dry mix of 4 T shortening (also optional, but I added it after experimenting without)

Mix all ingredients and keep in an airtight container. I use a zipper top bag.

This recipe does not need any thickener like xanthum gum as the oat flour has a good texture.
Other additions to the recipe can include vanilla, cinnamon or other flavorings.

To cook, about .25 cups mix to equivalent of water, makes one pancake, 5 inches or so. Start with a little less liquid if you prefer thicker pancakes, add more to make them thinner. They cook quickly and I've found they burn a little more easily, so use a lower heat with your griddle or pan. Fry as you would any other pancake with your choice of oil and any other additions to the mix, like fruit or chocolate chips. Turn when bubbling, one to two or two and a half minutes per side. Below, shown cooking with blueberries and chocolate chips.