Just a reminder that I’ll be offline for a week to ten days, and won’t be able to respond to your posts or questions. Thanks for your understanding, and I’ll be back before you know it! 🙂 BTW, you regular contributors may feel free to post at any time, except for Tuesday, when I’ve already scheduled our #ShareAReviewDay posts for this week.
See you soon! 🙂
I’m going to be offline for a week or so, and since I had planned to share a few of my own reviews here and there, I figured today would be a perfect chance to do so without cluttering up our Tuesday posts. Hope you’ll enjoy this one, and perhaps check out this spinoff novella. It can be read as a stand-alone, but it does have a slight spoiler going back to the book it originated from. (Finding Hunter). I don’t think it’s enough to bother most readers, but thought I should let you know. In the meantime, hope you’ll enjoy what one (familiar) reader though of it. 🙂
REVIEW:
June 14, 2018 Verified Purchase
Was Gabe Angelino, the mysterious truck driver in Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2, really an angel, as Willow Green believes? Or was he simply a good man, determined to help a stranger in need? Find out, as author Marcia Meara reveals the truth in the first Riverbend spinoff novella, The Emissary.
An angel’s work is never done—that’s part of the gig. But angels hadn’t been created to deal with such a vastly over-populated planet, rife with misery, suffering, and general chaos. Helping souls in peril has become a nearly impossible job, and even angelic tempers are frayed.
The archangel Azrael has had enough. He believes he’s found a way to ease their burden while saving jeopardized humans, too—hired help.
When Jake Daughtry lost his life rescuing a total stranger from certain death, he was on the fast track to Heaven. But that was before Azrael pulled him right out of line at the Pearly Gates. Now, as an Emissary to the Angels, Jake is taking to the highway in a quest to help souls in trouble. But the innate stubbornness of human beings bent on self-destruction is a challenge unlike any he’s ever faced.
It’s up to Jake and Azrael to bridge the gap between humans and angels. Will they ever convince the Council of Angels this endeavor is worthwhile? Can Jake figure out how to play by Azrael’s complicated rules? Will Azrael ever master the use of contractions in general conversation?
To find out the answers, hop on board Jake’s big red-and-white semi and travel the roads from the Florida Keys to north Georgia on an adventure that will make you laugh hard and cry even harder.
Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years, four big cats, and two small dachshunds. When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. At the age of five, Marcia declared she wanted to be an author, and is ecstatic that at age 69, she finally began pursuing that dream. Her belief in the redemptive power of love is a unifying factor in both of her popular series and her poetry. Today, she’s still going strong, and plans to keep on writing until she falls face down on the keyboard, which she figures would be a pretty good way to go!
Marcia has published six novels, one novella, and one book of poetry to date, all of which are available on Amazon:
Wake-Robin Ridge
A Boy Named Rabbit: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 2
Harbinger: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 3
Swamp Ghosts: A Riverbend Novel
Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2
That Darkest Place: Riverbend Book 3
The Emissary: A Riverbend Spinoff Novella
Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love
You can reach Marcia via email at marciameara16@gmail.com or on the following social media sites:
The Write Stuff: https://marciamearawrites.com/
Twitter: @marciameara
Facebook: www.facebook.com/marcia.meara.writer
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marciameara/
This morning, I’d like to welcome Tina Frisco, who is sharing a review of her book, Vampyrie. I hope you enjoy checking out the review, and sharing on social media. Thanks so much!
I never participated in the vampire reading craze that took over the fantasy genre after the successes of the famous books, “Twilight” or “Interview with the Vampire.” There was always too much blood and lust for my taste. Now upon deeper reflection, I may have missed out on some fascinating stories.
I also never considered the intriguing literary possibilities behind the disease of vampirism. Yet, that is exactly what attracted me to Tina Frisco’s hit novel, Vampyrie.
The protagonist, Phoebe Angelina Delaney is portrayed as a strong compassionate woman with a reputation for facing peril head-on. She is a fierce defender of her friends and loved ones. I immediately connected with Phoebe’s character and loved that she was written like a real person, filled with flaws and fears just like the rest of us.
Why did Phoebe’s father keep their family history a secret? Why did her mother disappear when Phoebe was a child? The story unravels, bit by bit, guiding the reader along on Phoebe’s journey where she must confront the secrets of her past and come to grips with the reality of her true identity. It’s not easy to face the real world when it turns upside down, but Phoebe shows us what’s she made of.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the character, W’Hyani, from one of the author’s prior novels, “Plateau, Beyond the Trees,” play an important role in this novel. The tie-in of characters was a brilliant addition by the author. What W’Hyani brings to this novel is the same thing she brought to the first novel – a sense of hope for the future of humanity; even though the characters find themselves embroiled in the midst of a war that must be won.
“Vampyrie” stands out from other supernatural tales because the vampire theory we have all come to expect has been rewritten with a twist where medical science skillfully revises the history of vampirism. This hypothesis holds a credibility that lends a sense of realism to the story I didn’t expect. It was a great divergence that kept me totally engaged in the mystery.
Yes, there was blood, and fangs, and some gore; but it wouldn’t be a vampire novel without those elements. I can only say I found myself pleasantly surprised when I discovered the fundamental theme of the book bestowed a philosophical message of growth, strength, and change.
If you think you know vampire novels, think again. “Vampyrie” rewrites the stereotypes and character archetypes you’ve come to expect into something fresh and new. I bet even the vampires approve!
What if vampires were not the undead, but rather the dying? What if there were two factions among vampires: the sustained and the unsustainable? And what if those factions were at war with one another over the life of a young woman who promised them a future? Vampyrie brings the myth of the vampire into the realm of possibility.
Phoebe Angelina Delaney is a reluctant genius and compassionate hothead. She finds herself in a pitch-dark underground and doesn’t remember how she got there. Did she drink too much alcohol and wander off in a stupor, or was she kidnapped by a malicious element determined to make her life a living hell?
Sir Michael Alan David is a vampire – an enigma, charismatic and mysterious, who weaves in and out of Phoebe’s life. Does he intend to use his title as a ruse to draw her closer to an unearthly fate, or is he a cloak-and-dagger knight in shining armor?
Too many secrets have been kept for too long. Phoebe must unravel the mystery in order to survive. Two major characters from the author’s first novel, Plateau, join forces with Phoebe to battle the demons in Vampyrie.
Tina Frisco is an author, singer-songwriter, RN, activist, and student of shamanism. Born in the U.S., she has lived most of her adult life in sunny California. She began writing as soon as she was introduced to a pencil, and has enjoyed performing her music publicly in many different venues. Her publishing history includes book reviews; essays; articles in the field of medicine; short stories; inspirational articles; her children’s book, GABBY AND THE QUADS; and her two novels, PLATEAU and VAMPYRIE. She enjoys writing, reading, music, dancing, arts and crafts, exploring nature, and frequently getting lost in working crossword puzzles.
Buy Vampyrie HERE
Reach Tina on Social Media here:
Website/Blog ~ https://tinafrisco.com
Amazon ~ https://amzn.to/2JDwjAK
Twitter ~ http://bit.ly/2qtizQB
Facebook ~ http://bit.ly/2bMVUpI
Goodreads ~ http://bit.ly/2qtsuoX
LinkedIn ~ http://bit.ly/2EGIEAK
Google+ ~ http://bit.ly/1Fc1Uzn
This afternoon, our guest is Pam Wight, who is sharing a lovely review of her novel The Right Wrong Man. I’m sure you’re going to enjoy reading this one, and thanks so much for sharing it throughout your social media links.
REVIEW:
5.0 out of 5 Stars: A Gripping Romantic Thriller
By Annika on February 16, 2018
Wow!! The Right Wrong Man is a rollercoaster of a novel and manages to combine my two favourite genres into one book! The genteel calm beginning lulled me into a false sense of security before the tension and drama quickly escalated into a thriller interwoven with romance.
At the centre of the story is Meredith, a feisty woman torn between two men. The juxtaposition of the title hooked me before I’d even started to read the book. Is the right man wrong for Meredith or is the wrong man right for her? Many exciting adventures later, set in two wonderfully different locations of Boston and the Caribbean, the reader finally discovers the answer to this question. At the same time the secret behind the notes of the letters the TRMFY, which are pervasive throughout the book, is revealed. Wonderful!
The two men in her life are Parker and Gregory. The former she broke up with 12 months earlier but he suddenly resurfaces in her life, with warnings before he disappears again. The is not an uncommon occurrence and part and parcel of his crazy nomadic lifestyle as an undercover agent for Drug Enforcement Agency. Gregory, her current boyfriend, is an accountant. The latter is dependable, thoughtful … and we quickly gather rather boring.
But does she really know either of these men?
Throughout the tension is taut and palpable, even more so since the reader directly identifies with Meredith and her dramas as the book is written from her point of view. Her confusion mirrors ours, we feel her fear, disbelief, incredulity. Her familiar tone reveals her thoughts and feelings consistently and constantly.
The intense pace of the story, the terrific characterisation and the personal and bigger dramas ensured this was a book I did not want to put down. And often I didn’t – reading late into the night to finish it.
An excellent book and I look forward to reading more by this author.
BLURB:
Meredith Powers’ career as a medical editor seems safe enough as she searches for love with the right man. But she is pulled suddenly from her serene world in Boston to one of intrigue, kidnapping, and murder in the Caribbean. Meredith’s simple life becomes terribly complicated when she works with an author who drags her into a drug heist. The reappearance of her ex-boyfriend, the D.E.A. agent, and the stunning response from her current accountant boyfriend all lead to complications, danger, and more than a few questions. Meredith wonders if she really knows the people who surround her in her daily life. Her parents, her best friends, her boss, and even her lover. She discovers that almost everyone holds secrets, and the unearthing of those cover-ups lead to mystery and danger that changes everything, and everyone, she thought she knew.
Author Pamela S. Wight
Pamela Wight is a successful author of romantic suspense as well as the author of the illustrated children’s book, BIRDS OF PARADISE, enjoyed by readers ages 3 to 93.
Her first book, THE RIGHT WRONG MAN, got rave reviews for taking readers “on an exciting adventure with lots of intrigue, unexpected plot twists, and romance.” A year later, Wight published her second novel, TWIN DESIRES. “Lots of suspense, plot twists, romance, and excellent character development makes this a fun read!”
The gorgeously illustrated BIRDS OF PARADISE has received many enthusiastic reviews: “This creative, compassionate story about birds will inspire children to notice the everyday adventures of backyard birds.”
Pamela earned her Master’s in English from Drew University, continued with postgraduate work at UC Berkeley in publishing, and teaches creative writing classes in Boston and San Francisco.
She lives in the Boston area with her “right man” and hikes the New England trails while concocting her next novel, As Lovely as a Lie. Wight travels frequently to the San Francisco Bay area for additional inspiration. She speaks to book clubs in both locations.
Many readers enjoy her “weekly blog on daily living” called Roughwighting. Join her there (www.roughwighting.net), or on her Roughwighting Facebook page at http://facebook.com/roughwighting
Buy The Right Wrong Man HERE.
A couple of writerly things for you today, though mostly tongue in cheek.
Enjoy!
😀
I’d like to thank everyone who has contacted me about the newest feature here on The Write Stuff: #ShareAReviewDay Tuesdays. So far, the response has been great, and I think the posts have been a lot of fun. This is turning out to be a good way to put your hard work in front of new potential readers.
In order to make this process easier on me, and to be sure you get the most out of your posts, I’ve put together a list of instructions as to what I’ll need from anyone who’d like to have me share their review. You can find the information in the menu at the top of the page, where it says “GENERAL BLOG RULES & #ShareAReviewDay INSTRUCTIONS.” Please be sure to send the items requested when you email me about participation, and I’ll happily get your post scheduled for you.
Those of you who are already contributors to this blog don’t need to email me first, but you might want to double check the list to be sure you’ve included everything needed to make your post as effective as possible.
I’m really looking forward to reading more great reviews from you folks, and don’t forget, you may submit more than one review. Just spread them out over the weeks ahead, and I’ll schedule them on the next available Tuesday.
Thanks!
Just wanted to let you guys know I finally got the wood stork post up on Wednesday. It was a week late due to technical difficulties, but it’s there now, for those who enjoy checking these out. Enjoy!
#NotesFromTheRiver – Wood Storks
Our beautiful granddaughter arrived last night, just about dinnertime. (I think she planned it that way. Erin said she came into the world hungry!) Both mother and daughter are doing great. I’m almost as besotted by this baby as her 5-year-old brother Kaelen is, and I haven’t even met her yet.
Reya (a shortened version of Mireya, which means Miracle, among other definitions) weighed in at nearly 9 pounds. (Still smaller than her 10-pound-mother was, but don’t tell Erin I mentioned that part.) Her arrival was truly a longed-for miracle! Mark and I will be driving to Charleston soon to meet Reya Love (a family name that seemed perfect for Reya’s middle name) and to spend some time with her big brother, so he knows how important he is, too. I can’t wait!
Guest Post by Don Massenzio
As a reader, my fascination with time travel began as a child. When I first read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, I was enthralled by the idea of travelling either backward or forward in time.
Traveling backward could allow one to catch glimpses of historical events or important figures. You could go back and wander among dinosaurs. Similarly, traveling forward gives a view of the development of man, technology and the future of our planet.
As I sat down to write my book, Extra Innings, I was fascinated by the different views of time travel that have been used in fiction. This post will discuss those various theories and I’ll give you a view of my thought process in landing on one.
Here are some of the theories that have been presented in fiction:
If you enjoy time travel and the possibility of going back in time to right wrongs and do things differently if given a chance, follow the adventures of Joe McLean in my latest novel, Extra Innings.
Joe McLean hates his life. A lonely, divorced, middle-aged man, stuck in a cramped apartment, the only bright spot in Joe’s life is cheering on his hometown baseball team.
Now, the local stadium, the place of many childhood and adult memories is being replaced. Joe desperately wants a piece of this iconic venue to preserve his memories and have some memorabilia from his happier past.
That’s when unusual things begin to happen, and Joe begins to rethink the direction his life has taken. Can Joe take a different path in life?
Can he use the special ability that he has acquired to change the course of his life? Will he realize the truth about old adage, you can never go home again? Follow the twists and turns in this supernatural story, Extra Innings, to find out.
Marcia was kind enough to invite me to share my upcoming release, Cusp of Night with readers of The Write Stuff. Thanks, Marcia! 🙂
I’m jazzed to be here with this novel that twines two timelines in a tale of mystery and suspense. Cusp releases on June 12th, but you can pre-order your copy now from any major bookseller, through this link.
Part of the book addresses spiritualistic practices of the nineteenth century. The research was riveting!
Most seances of that time were held in dimly lit rooms, with the “sitters” often divided by gender. The medium opened with a prayer or a hymn. The use of musical instruments was also common, and played an important part of the evening. Spirits frequently chimed in with ghostly instruments, giving sound to horns, trumpets, and bells. Often these instruments would fly about the room, soaring above the heads of the sitters who clasped hands or pressed their palms to the tabletop, fingers touching. Glowing images often appeared—anything from full manifestations to disembodied faces or ghostly hands that would touch the sitters on the back or shoulders.
It may seem odd to us that people of the era could be fooled by pieces of cheesecloth said to be “ectoplasm” or ghostly hands controlled by air pumped through rubber tubes, but mediums of the 1800s were as much showmen and magicians as they were practicing spiritualists. The country was hungry to communicate with the dead, especially after the massive loss of life during the Civil War. After honing their skills on the dingy circuit, there was an abundance of amateur magicians and charlatans ready to step up and fill the voracious call for mediums. Practitioners of the day weren’t above advertising their skills in the classified ads and lining their pockets.
By Harry Houdini (“Spirit Tricks”. Popular Science. December, 1925.) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Although, taken at a later date than Cusp of Night is set, the photo on the left shows Harry Houdini demonstrating one way in which a medium produced fake ectoplasm.
In my book, Cusp of Night, Lucinda Glass—a medium of the late 1800s—reaches out to Maya Sinclair, a librarian whose life changed the moment she was injured in a car accident. For a period of two minutes and twenty-two seconds, Maya was clinically dead.
Here’s a closer look at the blurb:
Recently settled in Hode’s Hill, Pennsylvania, Maya Sinclair is enthralled by the town’s folklore, especially the legend about a centuries-old monster. A devil-like creature with uncanny abilities responsible for several horrific murders, the Fiend has evolved into the stuff of urban myth. But the past lives again when Maya witnesses an assault during the annual “Fiend Fest.” The victim is developer Leland Hode, patriarch of the town’s most powerful family, and he was attacked by someone dressed like the Fiend.
Compelled to discover who is behind the attack and why, Maya uncovers a shortlist of enemies of the Hode clan. The mystery deepens when she finds the journal of a late nineteenth-century spiritualist who once lived in Maya’s house–a woman whose ghost may still linger.
Known as the Blue Lady of Hode’s Hill due to a genetic condition, Lucinda Glass vanished without a trace and was believed to be one of the Fiend’s tragic victims. The disappearance of a young couple, combined with more sightings of the monster, trigger Maya to join forces with Leland’s son Collin. But the closer she gets to unearthing the truth, the closer she comes to a hidden world of twisted secrets, insanity, and evil that refuses to die . . .
You can find Mae Clair at the following haunts:
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