#ShareAReviewDay – Someone Close to Home by Alex Craigie

July 31, 2018July 26, 2018 / Marcia Meara / 13 Comments

This morning, it is my pleasure to welcome Alex Craigie to The Write Stuff. Alex is sharing a recent review of her novel Someone Close to Home, and I know you are going to enjoy reading this one. Hope you’ll pass this along far and wide, as we always do with these reviews. Thank you! 🙂

REVIEW:
Goodreads:
Jun 25, 2018 Judith Barrow rated it 5 Stars

It’s been quite a while since I read a book in one go but I couldn’t put this one down. Someone Close to Home sent me through a whole range of emotions; delight, sadness, anger, joy, frustration. And this is a debut novel! The writing style of Alex Craigie is sophisticated, emotive and empathetic.

The start of the story grabbed me straightaway: the image of the protagonist, Megan, watching “each minuscule judder of the hand (of the clock)”, her immobility and her thoughts on her childhood, especially of her selfish and destructive mother who Megan loathed – still loathes, is compulsive reading. There is one sentence that foreshadows all that happens as the story continues: ‘This is all down to my mother… she’s been dead for over thirty years now and still she’s poisoning my life.”

This is a story of two halves: the time that Megan is in the badly-run care home, which lasts around six months and is told in present tense, mainly through the internal dialogue of the protagonist, and the whole of her childhood and younger life.told in past tense as flashbacks. The latter leads the reader inexorably to the point where Megan is lying helpless after suffering a stroke. She is at the mercy of mostly inattentive carers, poorly paid and resentful. Their actions, the way they carry out their tasks on Megan is described simply by her; they are tasks done to her, sometimes carefully, sometimes without heed. And then there is the carer, Annie… I’ll say no more.

The description of the protagonist’s days evoke the dreariness. The word, “waiting” is repeated so many times that I, as the reader, also waited with Megan, knowing, with some dread, that something awful will happen.

The main characters: Gideon (childhood friend and later the man she loves. Claire, her true friend in later life, Jordan, Megan’s husband, egotistical actor and a cruel man, Theo and Camilla, her greedy and selfish children), are many layered and well portrayed; their dialogue identifies them immediately. And, although there are many flat characters, in the guise of the carers and the owner of the care home, the author also gives them distinguishable voices.

The descriptions of the settings give a good sense of place. The room Megan is lying in is told in meticulous but confined detail. We see the limited view she has, and only that. (it did give me a sense of claustrophobia, I must admit.). There is “the sturdy chest of drawers topped with shapes that will become a television and some framed photographs”as “the heavy grey light” “pushes into the room” after a long sleepless night”. We hear “the rattle of trolleys” that she knows is “laden with clean and soiled bedding”, the “insistent buzzing” of room bells, the “moans, shouts and cussing from room nearby punctuated by the chivying of staff”. We feel her pain through the roughness of the care, the threat of bed sores. And the details of the places in her childhood, the houses she lived in, countries she visited as a professional pianist, are full of evocative imagery.

It’s a plot that moves at an even pace but, ultimately, it’s also one that took me by surprise. Even closely following the actions of the characters in the story still didn’t prepare me for the ending.

Someone Close to Home by Alex Craigie is a book I thoroughly recommend to any reader.

BLURB:

“The book is brilliant. It reads like a memoir and grips like great fiction should – beautiful characterization”
Viga Boland – Author – No Tears For My Father

Talented pianist Megan Youngblood has it all – fame, fortune and Gideon.

But Gideon isn’t good enough for Megan’s ambitious, manipulative mother, whose meddling has devastating repercussions for Megan and for those close to her.

Now, trapped inside her own body, she is unable to communicate her needs or fears as she faces institutional neglect in an inadequate care home.

And she faces Annie. Sadistic Annie who has reason to hate her. Damaged Annie who shouldn’t work with vulnerable people.

Just how far will Annie go?

Author Alex Craigie
(Pen Name of Trish Power)

Born in Sunderland, in the north of England, Alex Craigie (the pen name of author Trish Power) has drifted southwards finally coming to rest over thirty years ago in a peaceful village between Pembroke and Tenby in south west Wales.

She lives in an old, draughty house with stone walls 2’ thick and knows she’s really lucky to have all her children and grandchildren living close by. It’s often chaotic and noisy but these are her most treasured moments and she savours them – even if she’s reduced to an immovable heap after they’ve gone.

When not writing, reading or simply enjoying the rural life, she’s in the garden waging a war of attrition against the brambles that are encouraged in the hedges for birds to nest in, vicious nettles that support a variety of butterflies, and bindweed that looks lovely but doesn’t share nicely with the other plants.

She hasn’t inherited the ‘pleasure in housework’ gene.

She looks forward to any contact from fellow lovers of books and any honest feedback is very welcome.

Buy Someone Close to Home US HERE
Buy Someone Close to Home UK HERE

Reach Alex on Social Media Here:
Email: alex@alexcraigie.co uk
Amazon Author Page US
Amazon Author Page UK
Goodreads

#ShareAReviewDay – The Owl of the Sipan Lord by Viv Drewa

July 10, 2018June 25, 2018 / Marcia Meara / 12 Comments

This afternoon, please welcome author Viv Drewa, who is sharing a review of her romantic suspense novel, The Owl of the Sipan Lord. I know you’ll enjoy reading this one, and will share far and wide. Thanks!

5.0 out of 5 stars An Adventure Story Steeped in Mystery and Danger
By Book Lover 222 on August 29, 2014
Verified Purchase

Having read and loved THE ANGLER AND THE OWL by Viv Drewa, I was drawn to read THE OWL OF THE SIPAN LORD, an adventure story steeped in mystery and danger. The heroine, Clare Montgomery, is cut from the Indiana Jones/Allan Quatermain cloth and takes us to Peru on an archeological dig to find answers to paranormal questions and the death of her husband. The tightly woven tale with multi-faceted, likable characters is fast paced and a perfect balance of demons and sorcery and authentic ancient Peruvian culture and love. This one made me get up in the middle of the night to cover my red-eyed clock. Another outstanding adventure from Viv Drewa.

BLURB:

Martin and Clare Montgomery worked together as an archaeological team until Martin mysteriously died. Fearing the rumors of a curse Clare vowed to never return that was until a rare blue eyes owl began to haunt her dreams. Was this a sign from her beloved Martin or something more sinister?

Author Viv Drewa

Viv is a Michigan native who has enjoyed reading and writing since 1963. Though she studied medicinal chemistry at the University of Michigan her passion has always been writing.

She was awarded third place for her nonfiction short story about her grandfather’s escape from Poland. Later, she rewrote this story and was published in the “Polish American Journal” as “From the Pages of Grandfather’s Life” and recently had it published again on Amazon.com

Viv took creative and journalism courses to help in her transition to fulfill her dream of becoming a writer. She worked as an intern for Port Huron’s ‘The Times Herald”, and also wrote, edited and did the layout or the Blue Water Multiple Sclerosis newsletter “Thumb Prints.”

She has started Owl and Pussycat Book Promotions to help her fellow authors by providing affordable services.

Buy The Owl of the Sipan Lord Here:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Owl-Sipan-Lord-Viv-Drewa-ebook/dp/B075CLW7QM/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Barnes&Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-owl-of-the-sipan-lord-viv-drewa/1121402507?ean=9781978453913

Books-A-Million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Owl-Sipan-Lord/VIV-Drewa/9781978453913?id=6960723244637

BookDaily: http://www.bookdaily.com/book/5486364/the-owl-of-the-sipan-lord

Rakuten-Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-owl-of-the-sipan-lord-1

Reach Viv on Social Media Here:
Amazon               amazon.com/author/vivdrewa
AuthorsDB          http://authorsdb.com/authors-directory/16680-viv-drewa
Authorsden        http://www.authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?authorid=183647
BAM      http://www.booksamillion.com/search…
B&N       http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/viv-drewa…
Blog 1    http://www.theowlladyblog.wordpress.com
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Website       https://the-owl-lady.wixsite.com/vivdrewa
                         https://hootmeow.wixsite.com/book-promotions                  https://owlncat.simplesite.com
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#ShareAReviewDay – Dancing With the Sandman by L. T. Garvin

July 10, 2018July 11, 2018 / Marcia Meara / 29 Comments

This morning, we are very happy to feature author L. T. Garvin and she is sharing a Kirkus Review of her book, Dancing With the Sandman. I know you will enjoy this one, and will be glad to pass it along on all your social media contacts. Thanks so much!

KIRKUS REVIEW

Garvin’s (And They Came, 2017, etc.) latest novel offers a reflection of one girl’s coming-of-age in small-town Texas in the 1960s.

Billie Jo Dunstan has returned to her hometown of Viney to help her mother move. Along the way, she can’t help but to reflect on the changing times. Short, scattered vignettes about friends and family illustrate an account of her childhood, which she spent on the cusp of the counterculture. Garvin has an entertaining way with metaphor. Billie Jo describes the onslaught of memories during her journey thusly: “Splat! Hit one ghost. Then another.” Growing up in a small town as the youngest of three sisters, Billie Jo developed a talent for “making [her] own fun.” Among her exploits were tagging along to her sister’s drive-in theater outings, growing brine shrimp marketed as “Sea-Monkeys,” and idly speculating about the world around her. Her models for womanhood are diverse and reflect the times: her sisters Beth Ann and Dena Jo; a cosmopolitan cousin from Arizona, Henrietta, who goes by the nickname “Hank”; and a seemingly perfect Southern belle named Lacy Jean. Billie Jo’s fantasies of teenage life hint at possibility, just as her family history does; she recounts, in great detail, her ancestors’ gruesome experiences fleeing war and surviving the arid West Texas landscape, while tracing her family’s origins back to Scotland in the 1600s. Garvin portrays this history with unflinching honesty, never shying away from depicting the overt racial bigotry of the time and place. Interwoven with Billie Jo’s adventures is the story of Ernesto, also known as “Big Daddy,” a local rock musician who leaves Texas in search of fame. Together, their stories illustrate how social change affected the slow-paced, deeply Christian town. While Ernesto hunts for rock band Santana in Los Angeles, Billie Jo takes trips to the local soda shop, where she hears the music of the Beach Boys and the Cowsills. Garvin is at her best when offering these cheeky nods to the past, never getting bogged down in nostalgia.

A winning narrator enlivens a charming tale of a town facing modernity.

BLURB:

The Sandman cometh dancing to the beat of rock ‘n’ roll, blasting the turmoil of the sixties. And where are you? West Texas, of course.

“In a small, dusty rural area, there are histories and stories that should be told; times worth remembering; and there is a homage, a tribute that should be paid. Take the sand, all of it, mold it into castle shaped by the wind and baked by the sun.”

Billie Jo Dunstan confronts her past, traveling back to the 1960s through a decade of turbulence and swirling color memories, contemplating life growing up in rural Texas. Tragedy and comedy come alive, preserving the past and a portion of small town life that will survive beyond super highways and the ratcheting progress of time.

Author L. T. Garvin

L.T. Garvin is the pen name of Lana Broussard. Her short stories have appeared in print with the Texas Writer’s Journal. She has published poetry online with The Drabble, Poet’s Corner, Silver Burch Press and Wildsound Poetry Festival. L.T. writes fiction, poetry, essays, and humorous essays that she publishes on her blog: L.T. Garvin @ WordPress. L.T. Garvin is the author of Confessions of a 4^th Grade Athlete, Animals Galore and Dancing with the Sandman.

Buy Dancing With the Sandman HERE

Reach L. T. Garvin on Social Media here:

L.T. Garvin WordPress
L.T. Garvin Facebook
Twitter
Amazon
Lulu
Goodreads

Bonus #ShareAReviewDay Post – That Darkest Place by Marcia Meara

July 8, 2018 / Marcia Meara / 15 Comments

Here it is Sunday, again, and time for me to share one of my own favorite reviews with you good folks. Hope you’ll enjoy reading it and will pass it along. THANKS!

REVIEW:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling Evolution of the Painter Brothers
By writester on June 19, 2017

I was so glad to read this third installment of the Riverbend series. It picks up right where the second book left off, so I never missed a beat. And those Painter brothers aren’t men you want to turn your back on. I was on the edge of my seat for every detail.

The author’s use of multiple POVs let us delve into the very different worlds of the Painter boys. Jackson, the eldest, is used to being the strongest. Watching him become dependent on others and how he responds to the challenges his situation presents is powerful. Meanwhile, Forrest, the quintessential middle child who feels lost and inconsequential, really comes into his own in this novel. His character arc was a joy to watch.

We’d left book two with a lot of negative feelings toward Jackson. It was nice to finally understand the motivations behind his actions and to get to know the real Jackson Painter. It was also refreshing to see strong female leads in the story rather than damsels-in-distress. That doesn’t mean these ladies don’t feel pain or need support. It just means they can give as good as–actually, much more than–they get.

This novel is a frank and realistic portrayal of a family who has had more than their share of tragedies and has come out on the other side better, stronger, and closer for it all. The best part is there’s no candy-coating or false happily-ever-after. These types of problems don’t go away in a few weeks, and Meara shows that reality in a compassionate and unidealized manner.

I loved this book, I loved this series, and I love having the opportunity to recommend this author to you.

BLURB:

In Book 3 of her popular Riverbend series, Marcia Meara, author of Wake-Robin Ridge, A Boy Named Rabbit,and Harbinger, takes another look at the lives of the Painter brothers—Jackson, Forrest, and Hunter. While Hunter is home again and on the mend, the same isn’t true for his oldest brother. Jackson’s battle has just begun.

“There are dark places in every heart, in every head. Some you turn away from. Some you light a candle within. But there is one place so black, it consumes all light. It will pull you in and swallow you whole. You don’t leave your brother stranded in that darkest place.”
~Hunter Painter~

The new year is a chance for new beginnings—usually hopeful, positive ones. But when Jackson Painter plows his car into a tree shortly after midnight on January 1, his new beginnings are tragic. His brothers, Forrest and Hunter, take up a grim bedside vigil at the hospital, waiting for Jackson to regain consciousness and anxious over how he’ll take the news that he’s lost a leg and his fiancée is dead. After all, the accident was all his fault.

As the shocking truth emerges, one thing becomes obvious—Jackson will need unconditional love and support from both of his brothers if he is to survive.

Just as he begins the long road to recovery, danger, in the form of a sinister, unsigned note, plunges him back into bleak despair. Scrawled in blood red letters, the accusation—and the threat—is clear. “MURDERER!”

Will the long, harrowing ordeal that lies ahead draw the Painter brothers closer together, or drive them apart forever?

Suspenseful and often heartbreaking, this small-town tale is a testimonial to the redemptive power of love and paints a story filled with humor, romance, and fierce family loyalty.

Author Marcia Meara

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!

Buy That Darkest Place HERE

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

Marcia’s Amazon Author Page

You can reach Marcia via email at marciameara16@gmail.com or on the following social media sites:

The Write Stuff: https://marciamearawrites.com/
Bookin’ It: http://marciameara.wordpress.com
Twitter: @marciameara
Facebook: www.facebook.com/marcia.meara.writer
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marciameara/

#ShareAReviewDay – The Bright Side of Darkness by J. E. Pinto

July 3, 2018June 12, 2018 / Marcia Meara / 7 Comments

This afternoon, please welcome J. E. Pinto to The Write Stuff, where she will be sharing a review of her novel, The Bright Side of Darkness. I know you’ll enjoy reading this wonderful and touching review, and then passing it along on social media for the rest of the world to discover. Thanks!

REVIEW:

Mel Finefrock – Goodreads Review

I loved this book so much that I read it twice in a row–first by myself and then with my partner immediately after. Jo Pinto really has a way of immersing you in her characters’ world, of getting you attached to them, of painting a picture in your mind’s eye. She has a way of making you wring your hands in sorrow or grip your sides in laughter. She has a way of ripping your heart out and handing it back to you, patchworked but fortified.

And I love it.

The Bright Side of Darkness starts and ends with a ray of sunlight which shows itself periodically as the protagonist, Rick, works through the grief process. If you’ve been following my reviews for any length of time, you’ll know I relate very closely to stories that deal with grief and recovery. When I think back on such stories, I remember their protagonists are usually grieving one central loss. But poor Rick is hit with loss after loss, challenge after challenge, and must learn to cope, to navigate, to rebuild each time. All of the characters experience this, really. They cycle through recovery and relapse, taking steps forward and back again.

This is life, truly. We have setbacks, sometimes bulldozing through them and other times gradually picking up the pieces. In contrast, at times it seems as though we labor in the pursuit of happiness, and other times we are witness to serendipity of pinch-me proportions.

But while not unrealistic, it’s a risky move to portray life’s many ups and downs in such a short space. How to convey a sequence of major events, happy or sad, in a story whose timeline scales down much shorter than a given life cycle? And yet, in the same vein, how to create such a well-rounded and complex world without muddling the plot or making the book too long?

Somehow Pinto juggles these many elusive scarves masterfully, not dropping a one. Perhaps this could have been made into a series to break things down, but that’s more a musing than a criticism on my part. If you’re someone who wants to know the characters will be (realistically) okay, if you’re someone who wishes for more time with them–this is a book for you.

Also worth noting is that, being someone who is blind, I am a major proponent of strong disabled protagonists, particularly in the own-voices format. Pinto, who is blind herself, writes in Daisy a shining heroine who shows fragility but is not a damsel, who is resilient but not a superhero. Pinto strikes an important balance between writing educationally about Daisy’s blindness and focusing on her more universal attributes, bringing the uncharted back around to the familiar, and the remarkable to the ordinary, so that blindness feels less other than many believe it to be at first.

For that matter, the characters at large are very well-developed with virtues and flaws a plenty. It’s clear that Pinto really takes the time to listen to them, to cultivate relationships with them as she tells their stories. And when that strength of dialogue exists between author and character, a story can become truly sentient, impressing itself and its lessons upon the hearts of readers for years to come.

BLURB:

What is a family? For Rick Myers, a despondent seventeen-year-old who has just lost his parents in a car wreck, it’s the four teenage buddies he’s grown up with in a run-down apartment building. Fast with their fists, flip with their mouths, and loyal to a fault, the “crew” is all he has.

At least, he thinks so until he meets Daisy, an intelligent, independent, self-assured blind girl. Her guts in a world where she’s often painfully vulnerable intrigue Rick, and her hopeful outlook inspires him to begin believing in himself.

But when the dark side of Daisy’s past catches up with her, tragedy scatters the crew and severely tests Rick’s resolve to build his promising future. Fortunately, his life is touched by a couple with a pay-it-forward attitude, forged out of their personal struggle with grief and loss. Their support makes all the difference to Rick and eventually, through him, to the ones he holds most dear as they face their own challenges. “The Bright Side of Darkness” is a story of redemption and the ultimate victory that comes from the determination of the human spirit.

Author J. E. Pinto

J. E. Pinto is a magnet for underdogs! Early in her married life, her home became a hangout for troubled neighborhood kids. This experience lit the flame for her first novel, The Bright Side of Darkness.

Pinto’s Spanish-American roots grow deep in the Rocky Mountains, dating back six generations. J. E. Pinto lives with her family in Colorado where she works as a writer and also proofreads textbooks and audio books. One of her favorite pastimes is taking a nature walk with her service dog.

The Bright Side of Darkness won a first place Indie Book Award for “First Novel over Eighty Thousand Words,” as well as First Place for “Inspirational Fiction.” The novel also won several awards from the Colorado Independent Publishers Association: First Place for “Inspirational Fiction,” Second Place for “Audio Book,” and First Place for “Literary and Contemporary Fiction.

Buy The Bright Side of Darkness HERE

Find J. E. Pinto on Social Media:
Amazon Author Page
Facebook

#ShareAReviewDay – The Three Things Serial Story by Teagan Geneviene

July 3, 2018June 11, 2018 / Marcia Meara / 31 Comments

This morning, I’d like to welcome Teagan Geneviene to The Write Stuff. Teagan is sharing a review for The Three Things Serial Story, and I hope you’ll enjoy reading it. I sure did! Please remember to share far and wide today. We’ll do the same for you when it’s your turn. Enjoy!

REVIEW:

5 Stars A unique and entertaining story set in the 1920’s

By Robbie Cheadle of Robbie’s Inspiration

The Three Things Serial Story: A little 1920’s story has a little bit of everything in it – a touch of a romance or two, stolen goods, a kidnapping, a gang of ruthless men and a satisfactory ending. Teagan manages to achieve all of this in a well written and interesting way based on three word prompts provided by readers of her blog each week. I am frankly quite incredulous that a writer can weave three prompts into each episode and still come out with a story that makes perfect sense, entertains and flows. This approach has the added appeal of resulting in quite a unique story line.

The book is set in the 1920’s which I enjoyed as I don’t know that much about life in the US during that time period and it has been fun to find out more about it. The main character, Pip, is a flapper with a great sense of adventure. I didn’t know what a flapper was so I looked it up and it means a fashionable woman during the 1920’s who was intent on enjoying herself and flouting the behavior conventions of the time. Pip definitely fits this definition as an independent young woman with a mind of her own. I liked that Teagan describes Pip as a wholesome girl with a good appetite for food and fun. I thought the fact that Pip was ready to dive into the ice cream during the book was a good thing and it makes her a suitable role model or female readers in our modern world of obsessions with food and extreme thinness.

The story is fast paced and a jolly good read.

BLURB:

The Three Things Serial Story is the novella version of a serial that helped establish my blog. It is a spontaneously written (“pantser”) story. Everything in it — characters, setting, plot, was driven by “things” left by readers of the blog Teagan’s Books, episode by episode. Each week readers left three more things. The story evolved according to what those random things inspired. The serial began with oscillating fan, which brought me the vision of the 1920s setting. The era and narrator continued in two more serials that followed. While it was not great literature, it sure was a fun ride! Here’s a trailer to put you in a Roaring Twenties mood.

Many readers asked me to provide the serial as a book, and that’s what I’ve done with this novella.

Author Teagan Geneviene

I’m Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene and I write fantasy fiction.

Though I wasn’t born there, I was enchanted by the desert southwest of the USA when I moved there. Now a resident of a major east coast city, I long to return to those enchanting lands.

When did I start writing seriously? I had always devoured fantasy novels of every type. Then one day there was no new book at hand for reading — so I decided to write one. And I haven’t stopped writing since.

My work is colored by experiences of my early life in the southern states and later in the southwest. Major influences include Agatha Christie, Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, and Charlaine Harris.

Most often I write in the fantasy genre, but I also write 1920s mysteries and Steampunk. My blog, “Teagan’s Books” also features serial stories spontaneously written according to “things” from viewers.

Buy The Three Things Serial Story HERE

Find Teagan on Social Media:

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Teagan-Riordain-Geneviene/e/B00HHDXHVM
Twitter: https://twitter.com/teagangeneviene
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeagansBooks
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/teagangeneviene/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoM-z7_iH5t2_7aNpy3vG-Q
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teagangeneviene

#ShareAReviewDay – Hunting Mariah by Janice Spina

June 26, 2018June 9, 2018 / Marcia Meara / 50 Comments

This afternoon I’d like to welcome Janice Spina, who is sharing a review of her novel, Hunting Mariah. Hope you enjoy this one, and will share it with the Immediate World. Thanks!

REVIEW:

4.0 out of 5 stars Riveting & Fast-Paced Thriller!
By Annika on 23 April 2018

Hunting Mariah is a riveting and relentless novel that had me hooked from the very beginning. A serial ‘school killer’ is on the loose and the book begins with the gruesome details of his first victim and her death … and his particular macabre desire to mark them.

Whilst the author successfully albeit uncomfortable reaches inside the killer’s mind, the book’s main narrative centres on the young woman Mariah and for an unknown reason she is key to the killings.

For a large portion of the book, Mariah finds herself in a health facility and with the help of Dr. Roberts is gradually recalling the details that led to her admission. Her amnesia is slowly and tantalisingly broken and the book is mainly told through her recollections of the past, as well as through immediate events surrounding the doctor and her school counsellor Tony, whom she has fallen in love with. Whenever solid foundations seem to have been laid, they are shaken up and no one is quite who they seem!

This fast-paced novel is darkly sinister and menacing, at times macabrely violent. The intensity is balanced by the gentle awakenings of Mariah’s memory, her sweetness and innocence and the protective and loving support around her.

BLURB:

An insane killer, obsessed with blood and death, seeks revenge with those he perceives wronged him. He is now on the loose. His next victim may be Mariah. During his rampages he writes macabre poems for his victims.

Mariah has lost her memory. Will she remember what has transpired in her past? Can Mariah escape the deadly killer’s grasp? Will she finally be safe? Will the killer be apprehended?

Author Janice Spina

Janice Spina aka J.E. Spina is an award-winning author with twenty published books ranging from infants to adults and in multi-genres. She has been writing since the age of nine. Janice always dreamed of being an author but did not realize this dream until after she retired from an administrative secretarial position in a public school system in Massachusetts.

In 2013 she published two children’s books, followed by three more children’s books and one novel in 2014, two children’s books, and two middle-grade/preteen detective books 1 & 2 in 2015 and one novel, a children’s book, and Book 3 and 4 of her MG/PT series in 2016 and a short story collection, children’s book and a MG/PT detective series book 5 in 2017, and two children’s books and the sequel to her first novel were published in 2018. She is working on a MG/PT/YA mystery series for girls that will be published in the summer of 2018. Her husband, John, illustrator and cover creator, is working on illustrations for Janice’s first fairy tale which she hopes to publish later in 2018. A YA fantasy needs to be edited and will be published as a series in 2019 and beyond.

Janice submitted an article to an anthology collection by author Kristina Stanley and published a short story in The Writers Newsletter. Janice’s books have won a total of eleven book awards – seven Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards, one Mom’s Choice Awards, two Reader’s Favorite Book Awards an Honorable Mention and a Silver Medal, and a Silver Medal from Authorsdb Cover Contest.

Her goal is to write for all ages and encourage children to read which will cultivate a love of reading and carry them throughout their lives.

Janice’s motto is Reading Can Give You Wings to Fly. Soar with Jemsbooks.com. Her logo is Jemsbooks – Books for all ages. Her husband, John, illustrates all her children’s books and creates the covers for all her books.

Janice plans to write more children’s books, middle-grade, young adult fantasy and novels over the next few years. As the author says, “There is always another story running around in my head just waiting to be written down.”

Janice’s hobbies are crocheting, exercising (walking, hula hooping to keep in shape), and reading, reviewing books, blogging, traveling, going out to the movies and dinner with her husband, and spending time with her five grandchildren who are her inspiration to write.

Buy Hunting Mariah HERE

Reach Janet on Social Media here:
Website: http://jemsbooks.com
Blog: http://jemsbooks.wordpress.com
Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/janicespina7
FB http://Facebook.com/Janice.spina.9
http://Facebook.com/janicespina7
http://Facebook.com/jespina77
Goodreads: http://goodreads.com/user/show/17094469-Janice-spina
Pinterest: http://Pinterest.com/janicespina
Twitter: http://twitter.com/janice_spina

#ShareAReviewDay – Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book 1 by Charles F. French

June 26, 2018June 9, 2018 / Marcia Meara / 26 Comments

This morning’s guest for #ShareAReviewDay is Charles French, and he would like to share what readers are saying about Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book 1. When the reviews are short ones, as in this case, I will use 2 or 3, rather than one longer one. Enjoy, and please pass the word along. Thanks!

REVIEWS:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Fantastic!
By Amazon Customer on May 7, 2018
Verified Purchase
Excellent novel! Very well written! This book reminds me of a Stephen King novel with great plot lines and characters! Gripping, scary, and fun! Loved it! Couldn’t put it down!

4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
By HorrorHomeroom on April 17, 2018
Love the focus on the older characters in this novel.

5.0 out of 5 stars Have so enjoyed reading it
By Kelly Krasner on April 9, 2018
This is a genius, scary and heart pumping book! Have so enjoyed reading it!! Charles F. French – Please continue to write more novels!! This is brilliant!!

BLURB:

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” (Edmund Burke)

Roosevelt Theodore Franklin attempts to make it through life day by day. Roosevelt is a widower, who lost his beloved wife to cancer and a retired history professor, and he has not stopped grieving. Along with his two closest friends, also retired and who have also lost loved ones, the three men form a paranormal investigation group. They hope to find an answer to the question: is there life after death?

When asked by a local teacher to investigate a possible haunting of her house, the group discovers an evil beyond anything they could have imagined. This is no mere ghost. Maledicus, who was in life a pimp, torturer, and murderer during Caligula’s reign in Rome, in death has become a sociopathic demon that attacks the weak and the innocent. Maledicus threatens a five year old child’s life and soul. Terrified by what they have discovered, Roosevelt and his friends must choose to either walk away from this threat , or to do battle with this ancient creature at the potential loss of their sanities, their lives, and their souls.

Author Charles F. French

I am a writer, novelist, and a professor of English Literature. I live in Pennsylvania. I am a devoted lover of nature, including hiking and fishing. I love reading, movies, cooking, and eating. I enjoy comic books and superheros as well as horror novels and movies.

I am the author of Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book 1, Gallow Hill: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book 2, and a yet to be named book on writing essays coming this summer.

Buy Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book 1 HERE

Go here to visit my BLOG.

Visit My Amazon Author Page HERE

Bonus #ShareAReviewDay Post – Swamp Ghosts by Marcia Meara

June 24, 2018June 24, 2018 / Marcia Meara / 28 Comments

I’d like to continue to share a few of my own reviews, but I don’t want to detract from our Tuesday guest authors, so I’m probably going to do mine as Sunday bonus posts. And today, I’d like to share one of my favorite reviews of my first Riverbend book, Swamp Ghosts. This was my second novel, and in spite of the eerie-sounding title, the ghosts are purely metaphorical. Unlike my Wake-Robin Ridge books, there’s nothing supernatural going on in the little town of Riverbend, because the people who live there are weird enough all by themselves! 🙂 Hope you enjoy this one, and will have a moment to pass it along. THANKS!

5.0 out of 5 stars
A perfect blend of setting, characters and plot resulting in a brilliant novel.
By MacTrish on February 13, 2018

I came across the author Marcia Meara when I read her Wake-Robin Ridge books. I really enjoyed her first one and so I took a punt on the second in the series which introduces a boy called ‘Rabbit’ and, in my opinion, the second and third books managed to surpass the first one. I’ve subsequently discovered that there’s more ‘Rabbit’ to come but in the meanwhile I thought I’d give the first of her Riverbend books a go.

Swamp Ghosts, despite the title, has nothing to do with ghostly hauntings. It’s a romantic thriller and so the development of a tender love between feisty, suspicious Maggie and Gunnar (a wildlife photographer who needs her boating skills to navigate the wetlands) is set against the sadistic appetite of a serial killer in their midst.

As with her other books, Marcia Meara excels at painting the scenes so uniquely and vividly yet without spoiling the flow of the narrative. I live thousands of miles from Florida but I’ve been in those wetlands in my head now. The brooding menace is another of her strengths and some of this is real edge of the seat stuff!

I’m not going to say any more about the beautifully crafted plot because there’s a twist there I didn’t see coming and I don’t want to inadvertently give away any spoilers.

This book didn’t disappoint and I’m now going to buy the next one in the Riverbend series. Keep ’em coming, Marcia!

BLURB:

Wildlife photographer Gunnar Wolfe looked like the kind of guy every man wanted to be and every woman just plain wanted, and the St. Johns River of central Florida drew him like a magnet. EcoTour boat owner Maggie Devlin knew all the river’s secrets, including the deadliest ones found in the swamps. But neither Maggie nor Gunn was prepared for the danger that would come after them on two legs.

On a quest to make history photographing the rarest birds of them all, Gunn hires the fiery, no-nonsense Maggie to canoe him into the most remote wetland areas of the state. He was unprepared for how much he would enjoy both the trips and Maggie’s company. He soon realizes he wants more than she’s prepared to give, but before he can win her over, they make a grisly discovery that changes everything, and turns the quiet little town of Riverbend upside down. A serial killer is on the prowl among them.

Author Marcia Meara

Buy Swamp Ghosts HERE

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

Marcia’s Amazon Author Page

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/

#ShareAReviewDay – The Sleeping Serpent by Luna Saint Claire

June 19, 2018June 9, 2018 / Marcia Meara / 14 Comments

This afternoon, our guest is Luna Saint Claire, who would like to share her favorite review of The Sleeping Serpent. I hope you enjoy reading about this one, and will pass it along far and wide. Thanks!

REVIEW:

By Nina DuBois on March 21, 2016

Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase

This book completely blew my mind. The complete shock and utter disbelief left me reeling from its all too realistic storyline. Luna Saint Claire did a wonderful job writing this book with so much detail and ease. I was hooked. Even though just about all of the characters made me angry and want to slap them silly I could not put this book down. I was scared to see how it would all end.The story is based around yoga instructor Nico and his many relationships with different women. Luna did an excellent job shaping each characters personality and displaying the level of narcissism and manipulation that each women went through. It was so sad it was almost tragic. There are people out there like this and I think Luna gave a great example of it in this book. I loved every minute of it while simultaneously hating Nico and these women. This book will definitely get to you psychologically.I really enjoyed that this book was erotic, dark, and heartrending all in one. I don’t know how Luna made Nico so hot and alluring and oh so hot, but so terrible at the same time. I had so many different emotions running through me while I read this book and I guiltily loved every second of it. I have not read another book like this. I loved that it was different and something I have not read before and that it talks about a serious relationship issue. I applaud Luna Saint Claire for creating this masterpiece. She no doubt did her research. The amount of yoga information in this book totally blew me away. It made Nico seem not so bad at times because he was supposed to be this spiritual and kind person who could never do anything wrong. As much as I thought I had it all figured out, this book took me on a whirlwind of twists and one emotion to the next in a matter of seconds.

I highly recommend anyone read this book. I loved it.

BLURB:

A darker and more deeply etched Big Little Lies

The debut psychological thriller that dips into the dark seedy side of yoga – Author Paul DeBlassie

As thrilling as The Girl on the Train, and twisted as Gone Girl – a gripping account of the seductive manipulations of a sociopath. This can happen to anyone!

Fashion, Passion & Yoga – I had an obsessive bond with this book! – Mary Carlomagno, author

Whether by free will or fate, Luna’s encounter with Nico provokes a storm that shatters her perceptions of identity, duty, morality, and self-worth. The storm didn’t blow in from the outside. She was the storm. Its turbulence within her, forcing her to confront the darkness, uncovers her secrets and her pain.

Luna Saint Claire has a loving husband and an enviable career as a Hollywood costume designer. Still, something is gnawing at her. Bored with her conventional and circumscribed existence, she feels herself becoming invisible. When she meets Nico Romero, a charismatic yoga guru, his attentions awaken her passions and desires. Dangerous, but not in a way that scares her, he makes her feel as if anything is possible. Infatuated, she becomes entangled in Nico’s life as he uses his mesmerizing sexuality to manipulate everyone around him in his pursuit of women, wealth, and celebrity.

Immensely erotic and psychologically captivating, The Sleeping Serpent is the compelling story of a woman’s obsession with a spellbinding guru and the struggle to reclaim her life. At its heart, it is a painfully beautiful exposition of unconditional love that makes us question what we truly want.

“She realized in an instant that being around him awakened her, stirring the sediment that had long ago settled at the bottom of her well. He made her feel a part of him–of something larger, and somehow more alive.”

AUTHOR BIO:

Luna Saint Claire is a costume designer and author residing in Los Angeles with her husband, a philosophy professor. She loves blues rock and Indie music, often setting her Pandora station to Damien Rice. Her personal style can best be described as eclectic bohemian. Though she now enjoys running and yoga, she spent years of her youth in the ballet studio. Her part Native American heritage informs her work as a designer and influences her storytelling.

Buy The Sleeping Serpent HERE

Available on Amazon Worldwide: myBook.to/SleepingSerpentBooks2Read Universal Link: http://www.books2read.com/u/478WLjAmazon Author Link: Author.to/LunaSaintClaire

Luna Saint Claire:
Email: compelledbooks@gmail.com
Website: www.compelledbooks.com