Betty McMahon's A Rendevous to Die For Reviewed

A Rendezvous to Die For

By Betty McMahon
Genre: Fiction: Mystery
SBN-10: 1257931326
ISBN-13: 978-1257931323

Available on Amazon:

http://bit.ly/O0o6Y4

Reviewed by Jack Smith-St.Cyr

Combine an attractive, young photographer, a handmade throwing tomahawk buried in the skull of a news reporter for whom she has no respect, and an over-eager cop, and you have the beginning of a great mystery read. Cassandra Cassidy is forced to clear her name, but before she figures out how to do that, she discovers two more bodies. All three murders are somehow connected to the annual Prairie River Trappers' Rendezvous, a Minnesota classic, and its cast of colorful characters. The detective is more convinced than ever of Cassandra's guilt.

Making matters worse, some of her friends begin to look like possible perpetrators. Cassandra turns to her photographic expertise to find clues which lead to the killer and clears her name and reputation.

Still a creative photographer and hopefully an improved sleuth, Cassandra beckons to me to read the next mystery in Betty McMahon's promising series.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Fiction Features Historical Characters' Take on Politics

Title: Founding Fathers Know Best:

Subtitle: Is the President Leading the Country in the Wrong Direction?

Author: Ross Edward Puskar
Website: www.foundingfathersknowbest.com
Genre: Political Fiction
ISBN-10: 1936449226

Selected Blurbs:

Founding Fathers Know Best is an engaging satire that delivers on its mission. Puskar presents an entertaining, educational and stimulating read that offers a creative and fresh way to think about the problems our country faces: how would past Presidents counsel Obama on today's issues? The spirits of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison return to the White House to offer their expertise and insights while supported by other past Presidents and the "Friends Club" (which includes colorful characters from Winston Churchill to Abigail Adams to Ben Franklin.)

FFKB is a sharp presentation of today's political issues through a fascinating historical lens. Great for those who love history - and for those who usually don't, well, you never knew history could be so fascinating! I was captivated and couldn't put it down. Puskar's passion and patriotism are infectious. As the election nears, this is a "must read."

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

BestChickLit Reviewer Shares Goddess Rising

Title: Goddess Rising
Author: Melissa Bowersock
Web: www.newmoonrising.netGenre: spiritual fiction
ISBN: 1448677734


Reviewed by Elizabeth Wright originally  for BestChickLit.com

What they say:'Civilization as we know it has been destroyed, not through war or asteroid impact, but by a geologic holocaust of planetary proportions. The scattered survivors live simply, primitively, bonded to the earth and the Great Goddess. Their one hope lies in the dream-given prophecy that Greer the Sibling, a female savior, will rise and restore them to greatness.

An epic and magical story of one woman's exceptional destiny during exceptional times, Goddess Rising follows Greer's journey from simply obscurity to her prophesied reign. Acknowledged as the face of the Goddess on earth, Greer discovers the rewards of power-and the price-as she struggles through her own labyrinth of fear and desire, sexuality and sacrifice, love and death.'

What we (BestChickLit.com)  say - review by Elizabeth Wright:As spiritual fiction goes this novel does exactly what it is supposed to do. It has the reader questioning their own life, their own beliefs and wondering how it would all work if things were different. On the surface this is a good read. The narrative flows nicely and it ticks all the boxes of romance, challenge and resolution. But this is not a book to just pass the time of day with. It questions everything from a woman’s place in a work environment to the sex of a deity and everything in between.

Goddess Rising is ultimately a feminist stance on the Garden of Eden, as Bowersock recreates religion by resetting the world back to basics. To be at one with nature and have an entirely open mind is the ideal and every individual character is valued for the skill that they bring to the community. The reader is taken on the heroine’s journey, learning about the world as she does and Bowersock certainly has a knack for creating a believable fantasy. Through the trials and tribulations of our heroine, Greer, you cannot help but make comparisons with the real world. Overall this book is ideal for anyone searching for an insight into a world run by women.
~Author Melissa Bowersock also blogs at http://mjb-wordlovers.blogspot.com.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Online Book Tour: A Sci-Fi That Will Wow by Lisa Romanek

From My Side of the Bed by Lisa Romanek

Lisa Romanek is the wife of well-known extraterrestrial abductee/contactee Stan Romanek. Lisa realized that there are two sides to every story, two sides of every bed. She has learned the importance of taking that which is personal and at times embarrassing, and turning it into that which serves the public-especially those who've walked in her same slippers as spouses of abduction. Lisa takes you on her heart-wrenching and at times hilarious journey as the wife of Stan Romanek. Her courage and integrity mix well with her Nebraska-born charm and her decades of work with the elderly-all of which is reflected through the tenderness, compassion and warmth that she embodies and carries as a spokeswoman for those who feel alone in a world of extraterrestrial chaos beyond their control. As the wife of an abductee and mother of three children, Lisa has a simple message to share: Live without fear, and love without limit.

This is the first book I have found that describes alien abductions not from the abductee's point of view, not from an interviewer's point of view, but from the point of view of the abductee's spouse. Lisa (wife of Stan Romanek) takes you on a roller coaster ride of every possible emotion that the abductee, his wife and family experience over many years. She also includes some of the many photographs and documents they have collected.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Vine Reviewer Loves Adventure Book

A Raucus Time: The Celtic Cousins Adventures
By Julia Highes
http://www.juliahughes.co.uk/
Fiction: Action/adventure
ISBN-10: 147756909X
ISBN-13: 978-1477569092
Five-Star Review
Available for Kindle

Reviewed by Nash Black (Amazon vine voice reviewer)

There are certain ingredients a story needs to make it better than just good. If any author can gather these ingredients and blend them seamlessly together, then they are always on to a winner.

For me, this is my first step into the world created by author Julia Hughes, a world that revolves around two teenage boys - Wren, the geeky brainbox and his cousin Rhyllann, a pilot wannabe and Wren's best friend. Add to this, Crombie, the copper and oft self-appointed social worker, the lost treasure (a treasure that includes the fabled sword of Arthurian legend - Excalibur) of King John, and a gang of villains who will stop at nothing - including murder - to retrieve said treasure and you have a story that takes all of those ingredients, lovingly mixes them together and creates a wonderful story.

Most authors would have been very happy with the fact they had created a `wonderful' story. But no. Not this author. If ever writing a novel can be compared to creating a meal, then Ms. Hughes grabbed all those correct ingredients and then, when no-one was looking, slipped in an extra, secret one that a lot of other stories lack, and created something very special. That special ingredient is - for want of a better word - love. Love of the story, love of her characters. Love of her ART. Because that's what storytelling is. It's an art and Julia Hughes is one hell of an artist!

This is a story that defies genre. It cannot be labelled as simply an adventure story, or a teen angst story, a thriller or a comedy. It is all of these and more. It made me laugh out loud; it made me turn pages (well push buttons - on kindle) at speed to see what came next. There is a section of the book that in a summer (July 2012) that has had torrential rainfall here in the UK; you will feel a particular kinship with the boys. I know I did.

The author has created believable characters that you will love from the off. Her storytelling is tight and flows seamlessly from start to finish. Her descriptive style pulls your imagination along and paints the places and people so vividly, they will stay in your mind long after you have closed the book or switched off your kindle.

The good news is that there two other stories featuring the characters you meet in `Raucous Time'. `A Ripple in Time' & `An Explosive Time'. I have just started `Ripple' and can already announce that I love it.

Make a note of the name Julia Hughes because in literary terms, it's a name I'm sure we're going to hear a lot of in the future and genuinely cannot wait!!!

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Kirkus Calls Dipwipple Book a Romp

Tongue-Tied With Stomach Knots (An Enlightened Comedy)
By Reginald Dipwipple
Fiction: Humoir/Thriller/Spy
ISBNs: 978-0-9833761-1-8 (Kindle ebook version)
             978-0-9833761-6-3 (Print version, pending).
Available on Amazon.com.

Brief Synopsis of Tongue-Tied With Stomach Knots (An Enlightened Comedy)

In a world wherein so much appears to be bizarre, insane, and beyond rational explanation, Secret Agent Reginald Dipwipple knows the insider truth: the world is incredibly incompetent. This is the world he operates in, fighting the good fight against terrorists just trying to make a living through mass intimidation. It is a world wherein words are weapons when they contain too many syllables. A world wherein computers have personality, geeks are cosmopolitan, and blondes are smart enough to deceive. A world of acronyms utterly indecipherable to the uninitiated: HUMINT, MASINT, GUTTER, USSR. A world wherein crises cause comedy.

And Dipwipple delivers. Join him at a spy school in rural Virginia where poachers encounter cute cuddly animals who shoot back. Dare to accompany him to Washington, D.C.’s fashionable neighborhood of Georgetown, to the high fashions of New York City, to the funky fashions of Greenwich Village, to the Italian fashions of Rome, to the frumpy fashions of American tourists. It is a journey intertwined with Biblical espionage, ancient Roman postal workers, prostitutes and politicians, Nazis and Communists, philosophers and phonies, comedy writers and other political appointees. From spies full of hot air (ballooning) to spies of the underworld, tunneling into East Berlin. From the sexy spies of the Civil War to the sexy spy planes of the Cold War, Dipwipple delivers. From the United Nations to divided states, from the science of humor to the art of the bad joke, Dipwipple delivers. From the great questions of theology to the questionable greatness of bureaucracy, Dipwipple delivers.

Dipwipple not only delivers, he takes it back. This is his story.

Kirkus Reviews declares: “In a literary landscape full of serious spy thrillers, this romp sticks out like a 7-foot clown in a police lineup. … Through his [beginner’s spy] coursework and on his first assignment, Dipwipple and the reader learn a great deal of trivia and true spy history. … The laughs never stop, but this one's more fun house than thrill ride.”

About the Author

Reginald Dipwipple, Secret Agent Extraordinaire, claims not to exist. Even those who know him say he's not much to look at. He has no known address, nor birthplace, nor a Social Security number, nor any verified qualifications for his supposed memoirs. Let's face it: he's a nobody. But he writes some great stuff, including a brilliant blog at SecretComedy.com.  The author also reports that tomorrow, August 1, for one day only, his e-book will be available for FREE for Kindle downloads — although even thereafter, it can be borrowed for free by Kindle users. Enjoy!

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Accountant Reviews Book That Inspired Him

Title: Yes You Can ! How to Be a Success no Matter Who You Are or
Where You're From
Author: Bill Townsend
Website: www.interminds.com
Genre: Self-help, motivational, business
ISBN-13: 978-1477659748
Reviewer: Naoto Takazawa, Accountant, Las Vegas, NV

For 9 years I have worked in the accounting department of a mid-sized
company. It is a good job, it pays fairly well, and I am thankful for
it. But I have often wondered if there is something else I should be
doing? Am I destined to move to another company? Should I start my own
accounting firm? Should I change careers completely? And each time I
ask myself these questions, something holds me back.
No longer.

Last week I read "Yes You Can ! How to Be a Success no Matter Who You
Are or Where You're From" by Bill Townsend (available at Amazon.com in
paperback and Kindle).

As a 37 year old with questions about my future, reading this book was
a revelation. It gave me not only the motivation to take action, but
the inspiration to do so. It also helped me determine how to do it, by
giving me tactics to follow. I find that part of the book unique among
self-help books because most talk about how to be better, but few give
you actual tactics to get there.

The author, Bill Townsend, isn’t a Harvard graduate and wasn’t born
with a silver spoon in his mouth. He grew up on a farm in Western
Pennsylvania. His mother had a stroke when he was 5 years old that
left her paralyzed and without speech. He taught her the ABCs and how
to tie her shoes. He earned a degree in art, then worked in
advertising. At age 27 ran for US Congress, almost winning. Then he
got busy. He was the cofounder of Lycos.com, sixdegrees.com (now
LinkedIn), Deja.com (sold to Google and eBay) and 9 other companies. A
pretty successful person by anyone’s thinking.

"Yes You Can! How to Be a Success no Matter Who You Are or Where
You're From" is a motivational book that teaches you how to take
control of your life to become successful in career, love, and life.
There are hundreds of stories of people who started with nothing and
made it: people like John Paul Dejoria, who started John Paul Mitchel
Systems with $700 and is now worth over $4 billion.
"Yes You Can ! How to Be a Success no Matter Who You Are or Where
You're From" is fun to read, nurturing, uplifting, regenerative, and
worth every moment spent in your hands.

P.S. I’ve decided to start my own accounting and bookkeeping service.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tell your Facebook friends about it.  

Book Launch Save

Postponing launch for Ready for PreTirment

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Basics for Authors Considering DIY Publishing

Publish Like the Pros: A Brief Guide to Quality Self-Publishing and an Insider's Look at a Misunderstood Industry (Paperback)

Reviewed by

Carolyn Howard-Johnson "Author 'This is the Place,' 'Harkening,' 'Tracings' and 'The Frugal Book Promoter'" originally for Amazon

Well, here it is. In a little 79-page nutshell. The basics for any writer thinking about publishing a book on his or her own. It dispels the idea that anyone can or should self-publish. As Author Michele DeFilippo says, "It ain't easy." She then provides a roadmap--indeed a very succinct Mapquest directional--to the basics an author needs to know in order to produce a professional product (and yes, a book is a product!). Indeed, it will help authors evaluate whether this is a project they really want to tackle. And to avoid some pitfalls many first-time authors fall into when they decide to go for it.

"Publish Like the Pros" is a little short on resources, but a book can't be everything to everyone. This book calls itself a "Brief Guide." It also uses the words "QUALITY Self-Publishing." Generally speaking, this is the perfect way to get started. "Brief" and "Quality" being keywords.

There are tons of other books to delve into that cover any all aspects of self-publishing once an author has determined he or she wants to go that route. That includes books like:
Aiming at Amazon: The NEW Business of Self Publishing, or How to Publish Your Books with Print on Demand and Online Book Marketing on Amazon.com,

From Word to Kindle: Self Publishing Your Kindle Book with Microsoft Word, or Tips and Secrets for Formatting Your Text in MS Word and Converting Your Document to a Kindle Ebook (Version 2),

The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing: Everything You Need to Know to Write, Publish, Promote and Sell Your Own Book,

The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writer),

Book Promo 101: Learn the basics of Book Promotion,

The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly  free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher,

1001 Ways to Market Your Books (1001 Ways to Market Your Books: For Authors and Publishers),

From Book to Bestseller: An Insider's Guide to Publicizing and Marketing Your Book!

Mosquito Marketing for Authors: How I self-published an award-winning book that is a consistent best seller in its category
and dozens of others.

The reason I'm recommending other books as well is that, though the author of this book is the owner of a service that helps writers publish and do it professionally (This little book is proof of that!), I worry that many beginning authors overspend on both production and marketing. They often spend more than they will ever earn unless they are among the very talented and very lucky few. Thus it is is wise to start with this very, very valuable overview. And--once committed--to learn as much as possible the frugal way (with books!) in order to determine what they might learn to do themselves or at least better understand how to hire the best at the best possible price.


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Mystery Reviewed by Justin Lugbill

Heartbreak of Revenge

By: Eleanor Wright
Mystery Fiction,
Ages, 12 and up.
ISBN # 978-0-578-03013-5

Reviewed by Justin Lugbill originally for Christian Book Review

Heartbreak of Revenge is a two part story that takes place during the middle of the 1900s. The first part of the story follows two boys through a period of 14 years (1941-1953). David is a white, middle class boy that enjoys typical activities for a boy. During the warm months, one of his favorite activities is swimming in a pond with his three best friends. However, upon arriving one day, he witnesses something horrific that changes his life forever. He witnesses his friends throwing stones at a small black boy. Realizing that this was not OK, he immediately put a stop to it.

Through that incident, David develops a short lived friendship with the small boy who had stones thrown at him. Jimmy, victim to the rampant, bigoted behaviors of white folks of the day, has a very meager life when he is introduced to David. As I read this book, I couldn’t help but shake my head in disgust at the cruel behavior that David’s four friends exemplified on that day (and throughout the book). While we have a long way to come for social equality, author Eleanor Wright gracefully navigates through the racially charged situations of the time, as well as the emotions, rationalizations, and thoughts that filled the minds of people who lived during that time.

For me, these vivid descriptions of the social injustices that took place during the middle of the century were some of my favorite parts. Writing about these times (I imagine) would be very difficult. However, Wright navigated these murky, dark waters quite well, and portrayed multiple characters ( and their beliefs) with great imagery, and insight into their minds. Born in 1985, I have seen the generational differences when it comes to prejudice. There are frequently stories of violence, verbal abuse, uneven income distribution, and so on, but I cannot imagine living in a time where such blatant acts of racism, and the rationalizations and hatred behind it, existed. The Heartbreak of Revenge did a great job of giving me a window into this time.

Moving back to the story, it becomes clear very quickly that there is more to the story than the initial confrontation. Not wanting to give the entire storyline away, I will simply say that the title is a great indicator to the overall theme of the book. Revenge, in any form, causes harms…often more harm than the initial act that is being vindicated. This book clearly shows this.

If you are looking to read a work of fiction that explores the nuances of racial tension in the 1940s and 1950s, this is a great choice. With some twists and turns along the way, and an ending that will throw you for a loop, Heartbreak of Revenge is a sure pick. Posted 19 Jul 12.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Radio Host Reviews Christian Book

Title: A LOVE STORY

Subtitle:  How God Pursued Me and Found Me. An Impossible Love Story
Publisher: CROSS BOOKS Publishing/Lifeway
Author: Samantha Ryan Chandler

Author's Web site: http://www.SamanthaRyanChandler.com

Genre: Christian Non Fiction

Paperback 90 pages. Published February 25, 2011
Price: U.S. 11.95

ISBN 978-1-6150-7761-8 (dj) and 978-1-6150-7758-8 (sc)

Reviewed by Salvadore DeBasco, book critic

“In A LOVE STORY: How God Pursued Me and Found Me. An Impossible True Story {CROSS BOOKS Publishing/Lifeway, 2011} Samantha Ryan Chandler opens her heart and shares how she was led to the Lord. Hers is a chilling (deeply moving) and encouraging testimony a how God changed her life

.

And while what transpired in her life might sound familiar that is what is compelling about how Chandler opens readers into her thoughts along the way. A LOVE STORY: How God Pursued Me and Found Me. An Impossible True Story shows how scriptures affected author Samantha Ryan Chandler’s life and the unlikely events to her writing this book as a testimony about her relationship with Our Lord God Almighty. Her outlook on life, death, God, Jesus, Satan and more evokes one to wonder and be wide eyed about the significance of how the stories in the Bible and how we apply them in our Christian lives.

As all children of God no matter what age, we are reminder that childhoods are fragile and how we influence each other is not to be taken lightly. The fabric of familial relationships, attention to ones upbringing and a tone that we are not alone in God’s care, all come above in this authentic story about perseverance, trust in God, and how ordinary people are called upon to bring forth extraordinary movements in others’ lives at times when they think they are the most down and out.

What resonated with me about A LOVE STORY: How God Pursued Me and Found Me. An Impossible True Story is how Chandler took the time to capture what she learned and how she describes the wonderment of God’s greatness. At first, to Chandler, the lofty calling of her writing a book about her experience seemed a novelty, but readers learn how the value of the message became forefront in her thinking. After I read this love story, I saw A LOVE STORY: How God Pursued Me and Found Me. An Impossible True Story as Chandler’s story about how she came to love God as an utmost value in life.

To me there is no more refreshing random testimony than when someone first realizes the awesome power God has in our lives and how to harness the excitement, humility along with gratitude resulting thereof, and reverence with the action of falling to one’s knees in wonderment of how one person could be worthy of being touched so deeply. Regardless of whether the right words were used, the naivety about God’s glory, the part about God’s grace that makes us cry, all that is what comes across in how this book’s message has haunted me (in a good way) the past eight months since reading it. And while I can’t predict it will do the same for all readers, I know that one person at a time God’s love is shared through his-story (of which this book is in-part).”

~Learn more about reviewer Salvador SeBasco:
Book Critic
Literary Director
Host of THE INSIDE VIEW SHOW^TM –Christian Radio–
on staff with CNN affiliate station, KNLE

----- The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

M.B. Tosi Celebrates Release of Second in The Indian Path Series

Title: The Secret Path of Destiny 

Author: M. B. Tosi 

Genre: Historical Romance Fiction.

Publisher: WestBow Press, 2012, a division of Thomas Nelson.

Book Two in The Indian Path Series

ISBNs:

978-1-4497-3349-0 (e-book)
978-1-4497-3350-6 (soft cover)
978-1-4497-3351-3 (hard copy)
Available on Amazon

Brief Synopsis of The Secret Path of Destiny

The Secret Path of Destiny is Book Two of The Indian Path Series. In The Secret Path of Destiny, a young, disabled, German-American girl, named Isolde, and her destitute mother reach out for a lifeline being offered by a widower in the German town of Fredericksburg, Texas. The year is 1865, and the two travel from New York City through the aftermath of the Civil War. But another war is brewing, this time with Native Americans, and Isolde and her mother are heading right into the heart of Comancheria, the homeland of the Comanche.

It is not the Comanche Isolde fears, but her mother’s new employer, who becomes her stepfather. Isolde realizes he is a cunning man who is not who he pretends to be. As the situation worsens, Isolde is forced to make a life-changing decision to escape; desperate, she seeks refuge with a Comanche Indian, who befriends her at first, but later joins a warring band of Comanche. Her malevolent stepfather pursues her across Texas, turning her life upside down. In the midst of her troubles, Isolde’s faith sustains her, and she unexpectedly finds the love that has always eluded her. Eventually, Isolde accepts the difficult circumstances of her life and realizes that a person’s destiny is often hidden from view because the path is sometimes rocky.

The Sacred Path of TearsTBook one in The Indian Path Series ISBNs:978-1-4497-2167-1 (e-book)978-1-4497-2168-8 (soft cover)978-1-4497-2169-5 (hard cover)
Available on Amazon

Brief Synopsis of Book One, The Sacred Path of Tears

The Sacred Path of Tears is a journal written by a young Cheyenne Indian woman, nicknamed Mokee, during the Indian Wars in Kansas in the late 1860s. After Mokee and her companion observe the Sand Creek Massacre, they warn the other Indian camps along the Smoky Hill River. They take cover in a barn near Salina, Kansas, where they are discovered by a widow and her two sons.

Mokee’s companion leaves to join the fight against the white soldiers but hating war, Mokee, with her lighter coloring, gains a safe haven with the widow’s family. She finds a mentor in the well-educated widow and embraces the opportunity to read and write English. As her life unfolds, Mokee is torn between two worlds at war and the two men she loves, one a white settler and the other, her companion who has become Cheyenne Dog Soldier. Though war is her constant shadow, Mokee tries to find the purpose for her life and a path of peace in her war-torn world.

AboutThe Indian Path Series

The Secret Path of Destinyis Book Two of The Indian Path Seriesand about the Comanche. Each book of the series stands independently and focuses on a different Native American tribe during the Indian Wars in the late 1800s. The lives of different fictional characters are woven into the true events of that historical period.

The theme of The Indian Path Series is how to find life’s purpose and a path of peace, love, courage, and faith in times of trouble. As American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said, “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”

About the Author

M.B. TOSI has been an editor of nonfiction books and a weekly newspaper. She teaches piano and has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in education. Born in Pierre, South Dakota, she has lived in Alexandria, Virginia; Bucks County, Pennsylvania; and Toledo, Ohio. She has three children and three grandchildren.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

David St. John Calls Parks' Book "Poetic Romp"

Catalina Eddy

by Lorine Parks

Genre: poetry
Poet's Web site: www.lorineparks.com
ISBN 978-09826024-7-8
$12.00 
Published 2012 by Conflux Press

CATALINA EDDY: Undercover Hero or Ordinary Thug?

Lorine Parks’ Catalina Eddy is one of the most surprising and hilarious poetic romps I have ever read. Weather is “the family business” of these meteorological guys and dolls, molls and mobsters, of whom Eddy is only one of a charming and somewhat disreputable array of noirish figures. The characters here are utterly and universally delightful, and both the romantic and family relationships of these cocky weather systems and their attendant “effects” make for some of the wittiest sagas I know. We have all experienced the profound arrogance of weather, of course, but Lorine Parks makes it clear that it’s always personal! One leaves this collection knowing that Mae Gray and June Gloom and Eddy himself definitely have it in for us. Yet the elegant – if at times bittersweet – music of these poems and their shifting emotional “eddies” remind us that there is as often as not a dark and somber (not silver) lining to these particular clouds.

 Nevertheless, there is something deliciously vaudevillian about Lorine Parks’ humor, and to those of you who find comfort watching the daily weather report, I’m hear to report that Catalina Eddy has told me your days too are numbered.

--- David St. John

"I spend every day of my life trying to think of new poetic ways to describe our oddly routine Southern California weather patterns.

Try as I do, I can't get close to Lorine's beautiful work! A lovely treat for those of us that ponder the daily ebb and flow of the marine layer."

Fritz Coleman, KNBC Weathercaster

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Beyond a Poetry Review

i write therefore i am (?)

By Roy Anthony Shabla 

Poetry Book

Pre-review by John Brantingham

My friend Scott once said that bad poets get into language poetry so they can just write the word “duck” on a piece of paper ten times and be done with it.

 

I don’t know if that’s necessarily true, but it feels like it.

 

By way of explaining, language poetry is a movement that started with poets like Gertrude Stein and took off in the 1970s and emphasizes the way words work together instead of meaning.

 

It’s easy to do badly.

 

Gertrude Stein did it well.

 

So does the Downey, CA,  poet Roy Anthony Shabla.

 

Or rather, Roy’s not exactly doing language poetry. Roy’s a poet who has worked in with narrative poetry for years (think Robert Frost) and is bringing elements of language poetry into his work so he’s able to make those the stories in his poems have music.

And it’s not as though he’s just dropping the word “duck” into his poems ten times in random spots. That would be like dropping it in this piece for absolutely no reason.

Duck

Duck

Duck

Duck

Duck

Duck

Duck

Duck

Duck

Duck

 

No, Roy Anthony Shabla is a poet who is able to combine language poetry with narrative poetry to create an emotion that goes beyond the story that he’s telling. His work is elegant and often difficult, the kind of work that you can read again and again to gain more insight into what he’s saying and the worldview that his work is coming out of.

 

Roy has a new book coming out, and I’m going to be the first in line to buy it. I’ve loved his other books, but from what I’ve heard of this newest book, he’s plunged more deeply into the language poetry, and I’m interested in what he has to say.

 

Better yet, he’s going to be reading his work this Saturday in Downey, CA,  at 7:30pm. He’ll be at 9029 Florence Avenue in Downey, just off the 605 in a barbershop off all places, Roni’s #34. There’s an open mic beforehand so if you’ve written something you’re proud of, bring it.

 

I’m going to be there, and so is most of the crew for the upcoming San Gabriel Valley Literary Festival. It’s going to be great.

~More about the poet, Roy Anthony Shabla:
the films ~ roy anthony shabla
the books ~ roy anthony shabla
the paintings ~ roy anthony shabla

 

 

 

~~More about the reviewer:

John Brantingham is the author of:

Mann of War

Oak Tree Press 2012-2013

Poetry Chapbook.

Let Us All Pray Now to Our Own Strange GodsWorld Parade Books 2012-2013

Study AbroadWormwood Chapbooks, October 2012, Pre-Order Now!

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Author Reviews Libby Grandy Mystery

Desert Solioquy
Author: Libby Grandy

Author's Website: http://www.libbygrandy.com
Genre: Mystery
ISBN-10: 1475196725
EAN-13: 9781475196726

Published: June 2012

Publisher: CreateSpace

Reviewed by Laura L. Mays Hoopes originally for Amazon

Reviewer's Rating: 5 stars

Desert Soliloquy is a wonderful read. I began it one evening, thinking I'd read a bit each night until I finished the book. I couldn't stop; read the whole thing until the wee hours of the morning.

The characters are fresh, their passions are up with today's news, but they haven't let go of their need for human warmth. Libby Grandy lets them get into some desperate situations, and you can't see the ending easily from the middle at all. When you read a novel by Grandy, you feel you know the people in it and want to hear more of their lives.

She's a master storyteller and infuses her characters with that human mixture of joie de vivre and mischief that makes the whole book seethe with conflicting desires and plans. Highly recommended!

Reviewer Laura L. Mays Hoopes is author of Breaking Through the Spiral Ceiling.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :