A Book of the Month Club Selection From the Book Jacket: Not all secrets are meant to be found. Nolan Moore is a rogue archaeologist hosting a documentary series derisively dismissed by the "real" experts, but beloved of conspiracy theorists. Nolan sets out to retrace the steps of an explorer from 1909 who claimed to have discovered a mysterious cavern high up in the ancient rock of the Grand Canyon. And, for once, he may have actually found what he seeks. Then the trip takes a nasty turn, and the cave begins turning against them in mysterious ways. Nolan's story becomes one of survival against seemingly impossible odds. The only way out is to answer a series of intriguing questions: What is this strange cave? How has it remained hidden for so long? And what secret does it conceal that made its last visitors attempt to seal it forever? Book Review: Rutger's novel is fast-paced, hilarious, and a nail-biting story of survival. His sharp-witted main character and narrator, Nolan Moore, is a delightfully sarcastic story teller, and the supporting cast is strong as well. The first half of the book is a strong adventure story with a touch of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's awe and wonder. The second half is still strong, but the plot twists and ultimate conclusion might be a little too far out there for some readers. But it's one heck of a fun ride and this reader is delighted to know that this is the first in a serious. Recommended.
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So, as you may have noticed, I've gotten back into the habit of writing book reviews - yay me! This summer, because I like to read a lot, (and to motivate me to actually get through the "to-read" stack teetering on my shelves) I've decided to do two kinds of reviews: MONDAYS: Indie Book Reviews - These are self-published books that I've either been given or have bought at a fair. I won't do a negative review: if I don't like the book, I simply won't review it here. But as I know some pretty fabulous authors, I don't expect that I'll have to pass on too many of these finds! WEDNESDAYS (monthly): BOTM Book Reviews - About a year and a half ago, I joined the Book of the Month Club, partially because they were offering a free copy of Tom Hank's book (yay! so good!) and partially because I needed an excuse to read new books. It's worked out marvelously! This series will review the good and the bad and the ugly and should be tons of fun. It'll at least be monthly, but as I'm a bit behind, I'll be publishing a slew every Wednesday. Have any suggestions on what I ought to read and review? Comment below or contact me! I'm always looking for new books to read! At long last, the trailer to The Dinner Party is here! Check it out, watch, like, and share, and stay tuned: we have the official premier and more big news coming soon! A Book of the Month Club selection From the Book Jacket (edited for brevity): The New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives and A Certain Age creates a dazzling epic of World War II-era Nassau—a hotbed of spies, traitors, and the most infamous couple of the age, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The stories of two unforgettable women thread together in this extraordinary epic of espionage, sacrifice, human love, and human courage, set against a shocking true crime . . . and the rise and fall of a legendary royal couple Book Review: Ms. Williams weaves together two stories about two women who, on the surface, appear very different. Newly-widowed Lulu is a smart, sophisticated reporter during World War Two who finds herself caught up in international intrigue. Elfriede is the delicate, unhappy wife of a German aristocrat who finds herself falling in love with an irrepressible Englishman in the early 1900s. As politics, personal tragedy, and war swirl about them, the two women find themselves challenged both by love and circumstances - and grow to become women of strength and conviction. It's a fascinating, immersive read with lots of delicious detail and a heart-felt ending that feels as real as it is uplifting. Highly recommended. By P. Gardner Goldsmith
Book Review:
Fishing is a riveting read - icy cold horror mixed with psychological realism, all wrapped up with a demented twist worthy of Richard Matheson. This is not for the faint of heart - those easily triggered by blood, violence, and assault should look elsewhere. But for readers looking for a fast-paced, chilling look into the heart of evil, this story is made to order! From the book jacket: Darmentraea became a prison, Galaseya a thriving utopia; Diraetus finally found peace, and Heirsha provided healing to all. Amber and her friends had adjusted to their new roles in life, when an unexpected surprise appeared on Heirsha—a secret truth. One that could shed light on the mysteries surrounding the immortal families. Why so much bitterness? What happened between Jermiar and Huntinylar? What secrets does Marsacor conceal behind his course exterior? Who is the mysterious family member that no one seems to want to talk about? And why were both families plagued by constant tragedy? One answer—Khyra Crawford. Book Review: Amber Oak's story gets even more detailed in this imaginative prequel from author Ceara Comeau. Years before the events of Memories of Chronosalis, Kyhra Crawford rebels against her industrialist father's demanding ways and slip-shop production practices. Determined to stop the pollution that her father is producing, Khyra joins an underground research team, dedicated to saving the planet. When a deadly virus wipes out most of earth's population, it seems the human race is doomed - until Kyhra's old friend reappears with a bold - and risky - plan. But even if they save the human race, can Krhra and her rag-tag team of unlikely allies save humanity from an even more insidious evil? Remorse is a galaxy spanning adventure with a spunky lead - though listed as prequel, it is definitely best read after Memories of Chronosalis. A new collection of fairy tales by Eric Tamburino From the Book Jacket: An aspiring actor, lost in a city, where everyone wears a mask; a young academic, tampering with both magic and love; the most beautiful woman in the world, trapped in a tower for centuries; a murderous werewolf on the loose; a princess, kidnapped by a guilt-ridden vampire; and a man, who walks with Death... Where will it end? Review: Where Man and Monster Meet is a collection of 6 dark fairy tales, some twists on old favorites like Beauty and the Beast, others more original, all richly detailed and thoroughly enjoyable. Each story takes on the classic question of what is or makes a man (or, alternatively, what separates the man from the beast) and explores the question from imaginative points of view. The prose is fast moving and rich in detail. Like all good fairy tales, there are curses, cut-throats, acts of heroism and cowardice, and romance aplenty, along with moments of genuine shock and suspense. Stand-outs among the collection are The Price of Beauty (when his city is under siege, a young prince must decide to take the path of honor or allow jealousy to color his judgement) and The Wolf (a grieving lone knight defends a family from were-wolf attacks) - The Wolf has an especially intense ending that lovers of old Gothic novels are sure to appreciate. But each of the stories hold their own and the reader is sure to find plenty to enjoy here. This is a knock-out first-book from a thoughtful new author - highly recommended. I am super excited to announce that Michael Lawrence: A Season of Darkness is available to watch on Amazon Prime! We had so much fun making this movie, striving to make it a tribute to our favorite British murder mysteries, and I am very proud of the hard work our cast and crew put in to it. It's set in Portsmouth, NH, an historic city on the coast of New Hampshire. We filmed all over New England, from Lawrence Massachusetts to Berlin, NH - many thanks to the many city and police officials who worked with us to make this happen. Be sure to check it out and drop me a note letting me know what you think! Don’t believe all the hype. Sarah Ashwood isn’t really a gladiator, a Highlander, a fencer, a skilled horsewoman, an archer, a magic wielder, or a martial arts expert. That’s only in her mind. In real life, she’s a genuine Okie from Muskogee, who grew up in the wooded hills outside the oldest town in Oklahoma and holds a B.A. in English from American Military University. She now lives (mostly) quietly at home with her husband and three sons, where she tries to sneak in a daily run or workout to save her sanity and keep her mind fresh for her next story. Part of the epic Black Friday Indie Book Sale, I was luck enough to get to interview her this week! 1. What are your books about? I tend to write a little of a genre mashup. My current Sunset Lands Beyond trilogy are portal fantasies, centering around a parallel world, Aerisia. They could be considered portal fantasy and epic fantasy, with a side dash of romance. Coming in December is an entirely different work, Knight’s Rebirth, that’s a fairytale fantasy. That’s the best way I can think of to describe it, anyway. Knight’s Rebirth is sort of a humorous take on the larger than life aspects of common fairytale themes. Currently, I’m working on an urban fantasy project for Nanowrimo called Ashes on the Earth that concerns a naive, human girl getting thrust into a world of warring shifters. However, when I started this project, I knew I didn’t want “standard” shifters, such as werewolves, wolves, panthers, bears, etc. My shifters change into creatures from legend, mythology, and folklore all over the world. It’s a blast finding new creatures for my shifters’ doubles, and the supply is endless! 2. Who or what inspires your writing? How do you hope your work inspires your reader? I’m inspired by nature, by music, by movies, by books, and by the world and people around me. I have found inspiration everywhere from a dirt road to a sunset to a forest to the 1980’s gangster movie, The Untouchables. I hope my work inspires readers, ultimately, with a sense of hope. I tackle difficult topics in my books, but I always want to write an ending that leaves readers with a sense of hope and of good triumphing over evil. I feel like there’s so much negativity in the world. Fiction should offer some escape. 3. I use soundtracks to help me focus when I write. Do you have any writing rituals or tricks to help you keep in the mood to create? Soundtracks for me, as well! Last of the Mohicans is my all-time favorite, but Pirates of the Caribbean, Gettysburg, Anna and the King, Lord of the Rings, and many others also provide fantastic inspiration. 4. I love fantasy and so I have to ask: Who is better, JRR Tolkien or CS Lewis? Or, if not these, who is the King of Queen of Fantasy? Ah, I definitely enjoy Narnia and its world, but, to me, Lord of the Rings is the ultimate in epic fantasy. 5. What's next for you? As I mentioned, Knight’s Rebirth is set to debut in December. After that, I plan to write and rapid release Ashes on the Earth and its sequels. Ashes on the Earth is the first book of the Stones of Fire series, and it’s plotted to be a four, possibly five, book series. Following the release of Stones of Fire, I will go back and finish up my second Aerisia series, Beyond the Sunset Lands. (Book 1 is available now.) Find Sarah on Amazon.com!
Hello, friends!
I wanted to tell you about a HUGE sale that is going on this weekend! There are over 150 titles available (including my own Summer Shadows and Necessary Evil) and they are all either $.99 or FREE! There are also a long list of paperbacks for sale at incredibly discounted prices as well! Be sure to go check out this amazing sale here.
Necessary Evil is free on Amazon Kindle for a limited time only, so be sure to check that out! Here's the teaser line: "Maddie Warwick is about to lose everything and the only man that can help her is the last man she can trust. But losing her heart was never part of the bargain..."
Michael Lawrence: the Season of Darkness will be showing in Exeter NH on September 22nd: stayed tuned for more details. I am so, so proud of this particular movie - the cast, crew, and energy are just so spot on. Be sure to check it out and check out the book page on this site and on IMDb while you're at it! Last weekend, we began filming "The Dinner Party" and what a crazy rush it's been! After all the prep-work and a few last minute challenges (including having to find a new costumer five days before the first shoot!), we've got some footage in the can and a few awesome pictures like the ones below. Check them out and stay tuned - the best is yet to come!
1. Hi and welcome to Wanderings! Our audience is dying to get to know you, so tell us a little bit about yourself! Thank you for having me. It’s nice to be here. I’m what would qualify as a ‘lady of mature years’, having raised five children, unofficially adopted another, who between them have brought twelve gorgeous grandchildren into my life, two of whom are now married. It’s rather disconcerting to also be mother to a grandfather, since we now have a great-grandchild. Yikes! Where did the time go? And here I am, only 26 years old! The upshot of all that is that I have loads of life experience to bring to my writing, as you can perhaps imagine. I’ve always been a writer. It captured my heart as soon as I realised I could express myself that way, and I used to love essay writing at school. I wrote articles for the Women’s Page in a local newspaper when my children were young. Then progressed to short stories for magazines. And now, I write Contemporary Women’s Fiction, and have 9 published novels sitting on my bookshelves. I’m currently enjoying a bit of a departure out of my comfort zone and have a historical romantic strand in my contemporary work in progress. It’s still in the early stages, but I’m thoroughly enjoying the research I’m having to do and the adjustments I have to make to my writing style to invoke a different era. Although I was born in London, England, I have lived most of my life in Scotland - ten miles outside Edinburgh for the past forty or so years and my novels are all set in and around Edinburgh, though some of them wander elsewhere in Scotland in the unfolding. I love going ‘on location’, checking out the settings and making sure of my facts. 2. What inspires your writing? Stories! I have so many stories buzzing around in my head all the time. It’s great to have a way to record them. I’m a ‘people person’, sociable and interested in people of all sorts. A ‘people watcher’ too, making up stories about the man running for the bus, the woman in the checkout queue ahead of me who has rather a lot of wine in her basket, or the teenager looking round furtively as she walks along the street. My novels are very much character-based as a result. There’s always a story, but it’s people who inspire me. 3. What inspired you to write Gold Plated? My latest release, Gold Plated, was inspired while I was on holiday in 2016. My husband and I were walking on a beach in the North of Scotland. Often, walking is a great time to chat, sharing thoughts and dreams, decisions and schemes, but today we were silent. There was a heavy mist on the North Sea and the horizon was hiding, taking our words with it. There was something about the haar: it silenced birds, the wind, the whisper of long grass as well as our words - but it couldn’t silence the continuous rolling waves as they broke onto the beach - and it couldn’t silence our thoughts. Often, thoughts would tumble out of our silence and we would share them. There was no reason not to today - yet we didn’t. We were enjoying a world shrouded in a soft, white veil, from which rays of sunshine struggled to break free while the sea, ruthless, relentless, ripped through to crash on the shore. I didn’t ask what he was thinking, but concentrated on the story that was forming in my mind. We were here on vacation with our family and there, set like a pearl in the middle of the two weeks in 2016, was our anniversary. Forty-nine years of married bliss. But that’s never true, is it? No-one is perfect, so no two imperfect people can forge a perfect marriage - not even us. We’d had ups and downs - never ins and outs - and some years were better than others - but we’d never not wanted to be married to one another. Our children had asked what we wanted to do to celebrate our Golden Wedding Anniversary the following year, 2017. The conversation still swirled in my mind as my husband and I walked in our misty, magical silence. Then, in a sudden rush of gold, the sun won the struggle to light the world, compelling us to pause to take a few photographs. I stood at the water’s edge. Wave after wave of water rolling in, breaking with cold white froth over the landscape of the beach - year after year of life rolling in, breaking with warm love over the landscape of our marriage. But what if? What if it had been different? So I wrote a story about a very different couple who had a very different fifty-year marriage from ours. 4. What is your new book about? Gold Plated is about a couple, Rosanna and Paul, who are celebrating fifty years of marriage. When the story starts, their daughter, Heather, is helping Rosanna plan a Golden Wedding Anniversary party, and it looks like being a wonderful night: sixties music, all their friends and family present, good food and a beautiful location. Rosanna has been wresting with what to get the man who has everything, but has now bought the perfect golden gift for Paul: “I can already feel the glow in my cheeks at his surprise in my choice. I think he assumes I’ll be getting him solid gold cufflinks or something.” When an uninvited guest shows up at the party, Rosanna’s world is shaken and she is forced to look back over their fifty golden years and see them as they were. Were they golden? Or just gold-plated? So this book traces the ups and downs and drama of a love affair that lasts more than fifty years, surviving against all odds - but has it? And will it continue to survive? 5. Romance is the best! Which classic couple is your favorite: Elizabeth and Darcy? Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester? Romeo and Juliet? Or do you have another favorite and if so, what makes them the best? Of the ones you mention, I’d have to say Elizabeth and Darcy. I think theirs would be a love that would last. They were both mature and made their decision to marry based on a love so deep it was able to overcome the constraints of the era. I don’t usually write romance novels as such, though there is always some romance in the course of telling the story. I write about life, relationships, family - and romance is certainly part of that, just not always the main story line in my novels. Having said that, this latest one, Gold Plated, is a love story so plenty romance in it. In fact, it is Contemporary Romantic Fiction. All of my books, including Gold Plated, are ‘clean reads’ with no sex, swearing or gratuitous violence. I find it’s possible to allow the reader to feel romance and emotion without being graphic, by using a few well-chosen words and phrases. Like Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice, it is possible to show passion in your writing while still keeping the book family friendly. Bonus Question: So, you’ve just written a book: what’s next? Another book of course. Set in Scotland again, this time partly contemporary and partly set in the early years of the 20th Century. And I’m having a great time writing it. Check Out All of Christine's Links Here!Amazon author page: http://author.to/ChristineCampbell
Blog: http://cicampbellblog.wordpress.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WriteWhereYouAre Twitter: https://twitter.com/Campbama Instagram: https://instagram.com/christine_writes/ Facebook Group: Christine’s Kist Of Stories: https://www.facebook.com/groups/199853890760414/ YouTube Video: https://youtu.be/Cw0Dyt1Yeq4 Trailer for The Reluctant Detective Series: https://youtu.be/kg8HIhMszg4 1. Hi and welcome to Wanderings! Our audience is dying to get to know you, so tell us a little bit about yourself! Hello, and thank you for having me by. I’m the proud author of eight sweet, historical romance novels. I live in Toronto and love living where I can walk to everything. But we also love to get out of the city and hike in nature. Like most authors, I started out as an avid reader and I still love to read. Another passion of mine is travel. My husband actually inspired both of these loves. He dared me to start writing and he’s the one who got me hooked on travel. I’m also “trying” to get addicted to exercise since both reading and writing are sedentary activities and I want to be healthy enough to keep pursuing my interests until I’m old and gray. 2. When did you begin writing? What inspires your writing? For me, these two questions go together. I’m an avid reader, as I said. If I’m reading a good book, even if the house exploded, I might not notice until I finished. My husband, not an avid reader, doesn’t love this particular quality. He used to complain about my reading and suggest I ought to be writing books instead of reading them. Finally, when I wouldn’t stop reading, he challenged me to write a book before I read another one. I didn’t think I could do it, but I accepted his dare and stuck my behind in front of my computer and gave it a shot. The end result, after a year or two of hard work, was my first published book, Tempting the Earl. Now I love writing almost as much as reading, but it doesn’t preoccupy me in the same way so my husband doesn’t mind nearly as much. And I love my husband dearly so I would say he’s my inspiration. This challenge took place about ten years ago with my first book getting published in 2010. 3. Family is so important! How does your family inspire and support your work? My husband is very supportive. He thinks it’s great that his wife is a published author. He “lives” every book along with me. While we both know my characters aren’t real, we have been known to discuss them as though they were. If anyone ever overheard us, it would be hilarious! And my parents are my biggest fans! They read each draft of every book and then buy it when it releases. They are my motivation because they’re always anxious for the next one. 4. I know you love to travel! Do you set your stories in places you’ve been? Yes! But I did it in reverse. I started writing my books set in England before travelling there. I had just signed the contract for my first book when we went to London to celebrate. It was a wonderful trip. We went to so many museums. There’s a museum of interiors where they have the same townhouse but how the interior would have changed through the years – VERY cool!! And then in the summer of 2016 we went again to explore places outside of London for my characters to visit – Brighton, Southampton, Bath, Salisbury, Marlborough, Blenheim… Such a fantastic trip. And SO much inspiration!! I’ve just started writing a series based on inspiration I received on that trip. 5. Where would you rather live: Avonlea with Anne? Or Concord with the March sisters? Why? It’s hilarious you would ask this question – my first two favorite authors were Louisa May Alcott and Lucy Maud Montgomery. I want to say it’s a tie, I would love to spend time with both Anne and the March sisters. But I’m actually from Atlantic Canada, even though I now live in Toronto, so I’ll say I would rather live in Avonlea with Anne. Prince Edward Island is beautiful. And I think Anne (with an “e”) might be a little more peaceful of a companion than being in the midst of the four March sisters. I have read all the Anne books and all of “Jo’s” books multiple times. Now that you’ve reminded me of them, I should dig them out and read them again!
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