tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40492254982745410222024-02-18T21:27:17.674-08:00Ellie Hall - REVIEWSEllie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-9312332664253596662019-05-20T00:53:00.004-07:002019-05-20T00:58:16.908-07:00SMASHWORDS INTERVIEW WITH FEATURED AUTHOR - LETITIA COYNE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-ySRZLl1Gqc7j6XCoxIQo084hrMjCWSxuGB_ip_8kH5uuemlZZFn6hULKphJ_c6VkvD_Fhpiq8bHxOhMg5d4AJS1ewKAvttRZeQRo3s3dzkBitMel7HJgqVZi0VAAiM1lkxOPsJEMpY/s1600/Britannia+Text.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis-ySRZLl1Gqc7j6XCoxIQo084hrMjCWSxuGB_ip_8kH5uuemlZZFn6hULKphJ_c6VkvD_Fhpiq8bHxOhMg5d4AJS1ewKAvttRZeQRo3s3dzkBitMel7HJgqVZi0VAAiM1lkxOPsJEMpY/s400/Britannia+Text.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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One of my featured authors from the 1889 Labs days is publishing her hugely popular ebooks in print. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Letitia Coyne began her online writing career in 2010 with a set of books that didn't fit comfortably into any traditional romance publishers criteria. When she put them online as free downloads, she imagined they would be seen by a few dozen readers and be gone from sight in a few months.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Nine years and more than 300 000 downloads later - they are still being downloaded regularly from Smashwords, Apple, Obooko and Nook distributors at the rate of around 100 every week.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So, for the benefit of those readers who have loved these Historical romances set in first century Roman provinces, she has had them prepared for publication by MCM of 1889 Labs. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Her newer work Touchstone, published by 1889 Labs in 2012, is due for re-release along with the four Romances.</div>
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The digital files for the books that are out there now will remain free, but for those of us who love to feel the weight of a book and smell its delicious pages, this is an opportunity too good to pass-up.</div>
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Each of the books will be available signed direct from the author before they go into the usual distribution channels. Dates for release will be announced soon. Until then, here is the <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/interview/LetitiaCoyne">news from the author herself:</a> </div>
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Smashwords Interview with Letitia Coyne</h1>
<div class="interview-question">
<div class="interview-author-prompt">
<i>Published 2019-05-10.</i><b> </b></div>
<div class="interview-author-prompt">
<b>How's it all going? What's news? Is the bookshop up
and running? When will the hardcopy be available? </b> </div>
<div class="interview-author-answer">
.<br />
Well, there are four questions in one but they all have the same answer.<br />
<br />
The bookshop is almost ready to go live thanks to the wonderful work of my most brilliant colleagues.<br />
<br />
The
galleys are in my hot little hands now. They're heavy and full of
words. Almost real! They'll get a final once-over and then
print-Britannia will drop into the world, small but perfectly formed.<br />
<br />
I'm
going to release them one at a time rather than in one giant plop.
Signed copies will be available direct from me. Pre-order if you like,
with or without prepayment, via letitia.coyne@gmail.com, or wait for the
shop to open for ease of checkout.<br />
<br />
So that's the news element of
these fascinating author interviews done. Now for a few answers to old
questions that have arisen over the years.<br />
. </div>
</div>
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</div>
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<b>Historical Fiction can be confusing and you don't give enough explanation to help us out. </b></div>
<div class="interview-author-answer">
.<br />
Yep. I hear it all the time. What have I done to help?<br />
<br />
My
brain fires on tangents, so I'll give my typically tangential answer.
Every genre has its devotees, and within Historical Fiction each era has
its own specialist group of readers. They are typically people who know
and love that era. They are familiar with terms associated with the
time and they look for them. They are expected. When those terms refer
to simple day-to-day items clothes, ranks, food, travel, fashion etc, I
trust any reader who picks up one of my books to have the nous to work
it out for themselves from context. Or Google, at a stretch. <br />
<br />
I
wrote an enormous glossary that sat with the books when they were
initially on my own book sites for direct download, and when the stories
visited Wattpad briefly, it went with them there too. It still exists -
<a href="http://letitiacoynebacklit.blogspot.com/p/glossary.html">http://letitiacoynebacklit.blogspot.com/p/glossary.html</a> Statistically
it didn't get a lot of hits, so I deduced that either most readers
understood what they were reading, or they weren't bothered to break
stride to check an unfamiliar term. <br />
<br />
I tend to assume some
familiarity with the historical movement of Rome over its territories in
my readers, too. If I wander over times and places that are unfamiliar,
again, I assume a stirring of interest in readers that might lead them
to research more for themselves. I encourage you all to do it; you might
develop the same love I have for this era.<br />
<br />
Sliding explanation
into the text is not ideal. It can be done, rarely, and with uncommon
words or phrases, but I try to avoid it. Just to annoy the annoyed even
more, I'll use an example from outside Historical Fiction for the
amusement of two groups even more cliquey than History buffs, SciFi
readers and Pop Culture Vultures.<br />
<br />
"I've seen things you people
wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I
watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those
moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die."<br />
<br />
I
don't have to mention Rutger Hauer or Rick Deckard or Ridley Scott. I
don't even need the line itself; I could mention the 'Tears in the Rain'
speech and a million readers would know the reference without me
quoting. The words are iconic, and their history and their variations
are all understood by those who love the genre. But if Roy Batty had
decided to include insight into what C-beams are, or where the
Tannhäuser Gate is and its relationship to a Wagnerian opera, the
perfection of that line would be forever lost. Tears in the rain. It is a
question of trusting the audience to follow.<br />
<br />
But you Anglicized the names of your characters! <br />
<br />
Yes
I did. Even those of us who read Roman history for pleasure groan at
the names. There were very few names used by the noble classes in
Republican and early Imperial Rome. Generation after generation gave
their sons their fathers' names. And each man with his praenomen, nomen,
cognomen and agnomen could be referred to using various reduced
combinations. <br />
<br />
By the beginning of the Empire, as the mos
maiorum's status slipped, even Roman nobility were shortening the names
they used formally. As a result, most people with a passing knowledge of
Roman history know Julius Caesar, Augustus, Mark Antony, Sulla,
Agrippa, Caligula, Cisero, Brutus and Cassius. But how many could
recognize the historical figures given the names Gaius Julius Caesar
Germanicus, Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus [aka - Imperator Caesar Divi
Filius Augustus, Gaius Octavius Thurinus, Gaius Octavianus, and
Octavian], or Gaius Julius Caesar, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Marcus Junius
Brutus and Decimus Junius Brutus. It is acceptable, I think, to
Anglicize Roman names. It saves a lot of confusion.<br />
<br />
I've dealt with period dialogue vs contemporary dialogue in another question, but there are also anachronisms I chose to use.<br />
<br />
The
one that comes to mind is 'angel'. By late in the first century, Asia
Minor and the Middle east were well incorporated into the Roman Empire.
Mithraism [Zoroastrianism] and Judaism, especially, were well known by
troops. Jewish mercenaries worked all over the Empire. The Persian
religion, Mithraism, was known as 'the cult of the legions'. Worship of
the Iranian 'god of the sun, justice, contract, and war' had become
integral; the original pre-Helenistic Roman gods were forces, not
beings, and so Mithraism suited the generals well. *All* of the early
religions had clear concepts of 'beings of perfect light', below gods
and above men. Educated Romans spoke Greek and Latin, which applied the
words 'angelos/angelus' to this variety of intermediate beings. As a
term describing perfect beauty and purity above a man, Angel worked as
well then as it does now.<br />
<br />
That's enough for now. There are still
the questions of sex in the Roman series, and romanticized Celtic
religion vs recorded historical evidence, but I'll leave them for
another day.<br />
<br />
Big hugs for all of you out there - my favourite people in all the world.<br />
Lxx<br />
. </div>
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</div>
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<i>Published 2019-04-12.</i><br />
<i>. </i> </div>
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</div>
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<b>Since 2012 you've been promising to release the
Roman books in print. Is that ever REALLY going to happen? Will I be
able to have my own copy of these books - and others - to hold and
sniff? </b></div>
<div class="interview-author-answer">
.<br />
.<br />
Yes. The simple answer is yes. At last! <br />
<br />
The
final dots and crosses, the final artworks and fonts, the final
flourishes and folderols are being attended to, even as we speak. There
might even be a new title or two among them. All the digital copies of
Britannia, Hispania, Caledonia and Petra will remain where they are,
free in the wild. You'll still be able to download them for free from
great fiction directories like Obooko and Smashwords [and their regular
distribution channels]. </div>
</div>
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<div class="interview-author-prompt">
But ... but FREYA! You took the print version of
Touchstone off the shelves almost as soon as it went on sale. Is Freya
coming back to us in print? </div>
<div class="interview-author-answer">
.<br />
.<br />
Yes again!<br />
<br />
Touchstone went to print
originally at a very bad time, and I can only apologize for that. It's
taken a while, but things are looking up again. So, for all of you who
took Freya to your hearts, she will ride again in print.<br />
<br />
Most of
you reading this will know that Touchstone was written in serialized
form for 1889 Labs website launch. It was written to meet specific
guidelines for chapter length and number and overall word count. It
ended as it was intended to end. I did not accidentally leave Freya's
fate in your hands. I did not lose interest and just stop writing. And
there was never any sequel planned.<br />
<br />
Many - most, in fact - of you
recognized that and understood her well enough to know why she made her
decision, and you wept with and for her. But some readers felt cheated
of a happy-ever-after. Others wanted to hope that she could find her way
to a different truth, and have asked me many times over the years to
give her that chance.<br />
<br />
Wuthering Heights, Madam Bovary, Romeo and
Juliette, Anna Karenina, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Gone with the Wind
[and you know my devotion to Katy-Scarlett] - I didn't break new ground
here. But, I didn't kill her off, either. So why not? Why don't we ride
along and see if Freya, Dragan and Lenka can find the happiness they
all fought so desperately to hold.<br />
<br />
Let's do it! I'll give you all the dates as soon as I have them.<br />
. </div>
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</div>
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<b>When! What happens next? </b> </div>
<div class="interview-author-answer">
.<br />
.<br />
Soon. I'll publish the dates for all releases as I get them.<br />
<br />
In
the meantime, I will be updating my website[s] and making my own little
bookshop where you can buy signed copies direct from me. [And some
other SUPERB!! authors. More on that later, too.<br />
<br />
* - You all have my email address - letitia.coyne@gmail.com Got a question? Hit me up.<br />
* - Smashwords has an Author Alert system. Follow me here and hit the Author Alert button.<br />
* - I am always available on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/letitia.coyne<br />
* - Tell your friends. If you've loved the books so far, spread the love.<br />
<br />
Love to all,<br />
Lxx<br />
. </div>
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</div>
</div>
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<div class="interview-author-prompt">
<b>There is only one question I have really wanted to
answer over all these years: Why don't you understand that historical
characters do not use modern language, terminology and speech patterns?!
</b> </div>
<div class="interview-author-answer">
.<br />
.<br />
I used to try sometimes to explain my
choice, and I even concurred and softened some of the most antagonizing
terms. Mostly, though, I'm not asked why as if it might have been a
deliberate choice. Mostly, the question is framed in well-intended
advice or less-well-intended criticism or outright abuse.<br />
<br />
Many
years ago in another life, I wrote Fantasy, and part of the process of
transporting the reader from the real world to the fantasy world is the
use of a genre-specific type of language. Olde Worlde English as used in
Fantasy novels never really existed as spoken communication, it is
simply a language that has developed along with the other factors that
together combine to form our expectation of a Fantasy novel.<br />
<br />
Historical
novels, however, are slightly different. Many of them rely for their
'voice', for the 'sound of the time', on novels that are now historical
icons, but that were written as contemporary novels. The Austins and the
Brontes and the Love Peacocks used the language forms and terminology
of their times. Now they're dated and we associate them with the sound
of the past. What too often comes out in Historical novels that look
back to the iconic writers of history, however, is what I call
pseudo-Austin or faux-classical. It is a bungled pretense of
recognition. It is a sham that readers buy into because they feel that
young people in the past should sound different to young people of today
- that they were, in some fundamental way, different to the people of
today.<br />
<br />
They weren't. Most of the writings we have from the
ancient world were the work scholars and they read like scholarly works.
They use very formal patterns. Dig out the nearest treatise on the
political ramifications of Putin's annexing of Crimea, and imagine
writing a contemporary novel where the kids at the park speak in *that*
voice.<br />
<br />
We do have reasonable evidence of historical slang, of the
lower forms of Greek and Latin and Italian and Gaulish from ancient
graffiti, and guess what, ordinary people spoke ordinary words in
non-traditional forms and with fads and local tones and none of them -
not one - put a plum in his mouth and addressed his latest crush as if
she'd just slipped off her throne.<br />
<br />
So, for all those waiting with
bated breath - lol - to know what could possibly have possessed me to
think I could write young Romans speaking and acting as if they were any
other young people from any other era, there you have it. I wrote them
with contemporary dialogue because while they were speaking, they were
speaking contemporary dialogue. Love it or hate it. That's it. Love to
you all. Lxx **mic drop**<br />
. </div>
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</div>
<div class="interview-author-answer">
Find news from Letitia Coyne at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/letitia.coyne">Facebook</a> and read collected reviews at her blog, <a href="http://medialetitiacoyne.blogspot.com.au/">Media</a>.</div>
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Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-25836466748615260552019-01-03T00:59:00.000-08:002019-01-03T03:36:42.108-08:00THIS WORLD OR ANY OTHER WORLD - DAN LEO<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7aBDWtOFNxTjp301v9ujTkYWBLh7ehSH_JnE2uybXJ1FVcsIv8LUeIBPI0gqrEA0XSecyVKaW-iH0AlLgDPORvaeCWwUjQMJOfc3z-blfyoUYDrangjADRBOrR_sLW5LWmBQ08U5_Fk/s1600/40711274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE7aBDWtOFNxTjp301v9ujTkYWBLh7ehSH_JnE2uybXJ1FVcsIv8LUeIBPI0gqrEA0XSecyVKaW-iH0AlLgDPORvaeCWwUjQMJOfc3z-blfyoUYDrangjADRBOrR_sLW5LWmBQ08U5_Fk/s320/40711274.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>The eagerly-awaited second volume of the memoirs of Arnold Schnabel, 42 years eternal, former railroad brakeman, poet, wit, recovering mental patient, and traveler through space and time. Beginning only a few moments after the ending of the critically acclaimed <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40941575-railroad-train-to-heaven">RAILROAD TRAIN TO HEAVEN </a>(“Like a runaway locomotive, roaring down the track to hell and back!” – Horace P. Sternwall) the present volume transpires entirely on one momentous Saturday night in August of 1963, in the quaint seaside town of Cape May, New Jersey, and features encounters with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack; a talking doll named Clarissa; an ancient shopkeeper with the ability to freeze time, named Mr. Arbuthnot; St. Thomas Becket, the demon Belphegor, the angel Gabriel; and the amorous lady novelist Gertrude Evans. Arnold also renews his acquaintance with his friend Jesus, and does battle with none other than the prince of darkness himself, who persistently attempts to drag our hero into the fiery pits of hell, just as Arnold abides bound and determined to live his life to the fullest, in <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40711274-this-world-or-any-other-world">THIS WORLD OR ANY OTHER WORLD</a>. </i><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1983237914/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1">This World or Any Other World: Volume Two of the Memoirs of Arnold Schnabel</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16273567.Dan_Leo">Dan Leo</a> - and Arnold’s memoir continues, after a brief stop at the station for refreshments and relief. Once again, the author has given us all we need to know about the journey we will take with Arnold in this volume, so relax and enjoy the ride.<br />
<br />
This time, in one night, as he tries to get to the warm comfort of his lover’s bed, Arnold meets with demons and historical figures, saints and sinners and dolls who stubbornly stand in his way. <br />
<br />
The great strength of the ongoing tale of Arnold’s recovery from his breakdown is in the simplicity of the telling. The engine of Mr Leo’s novel is dialogue, and it is superbly written. His novels become very much like watching a movie or play. And with each character who joins the chat, the reader can consider new depths of philosophy, of history, of religion, of morality, or can delight in the simple humour of Arnold’s gentle reliability, his unwillingness to judge, and his inability to get away from friends and acquaintances who insist he have just one more drink.<br />
<br />
I want to call these books of Arnold’s journey works of genius. It is a big ask, I know, but they are deceptively clean and clear, and like clear water, there are depths to the wisdom in Arnold’s kind heart that bear looking into with more than just a smile. But smile anyway. At very least they are, as others have described them, modern day epics. Remember, if it made you stop and gawp, it is probably a JOKE!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>About the Author: </b></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://danleo.blogspot.com/">Dan Leo</a> is a native of
Philly, who spent his childhood summers at the house of his aunts in
Cape May, New Jersey. Reading the sidebars of his blogs will give you a
laugh and some insight into the kind of humour to expect in his novels.
As editor of <a href="http://www.classixcomix.blogspot.com/">“Boswell’s Life of Johnson”</a>,
we find him as “Dan Leo, Assistant Professor of 18th Century British
Intellectual Conversational Studies, Olney Community College; author of "<i>Bozzie and Dr. Sam: The Condemned Man’s Conversion</i>", the Olney Community College Press.” lol</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
His
image is variously stars of the silver screen, or perhaps one of the
Cray twins, although I know him best as Warner Baxter, the suave,
womanizing, charismatic Latin-bandit-type in antique films.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You can follow him at <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16273567.Dan_Leo">Goodreads</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dan.leo.948">Facebook</a>, on his <a href="http://danleo.blogspot.com/">blogsite</a> or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dan-Leo/e/B01MZIHJI1">Amazon</a>. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He is, by his own admission:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Gender Male</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Industry Architecture</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Occupation Waste management</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Introduction At play in the fields of the Lord of the Dance.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Interests Sleeping.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Favorite Movies: <i>"Two
For Tortuga", "Stopover in Singapore", "Sunset Over Olney", "The
McGurks of 65th Avenue", "Bayonets of Blood", "Private Proust", "The
East Oak Lane Boys"</i>.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Favorite Music: Gabby & the Gazelles, The Rear Ends, Patrick Keith and Eddy, anything by Vinteuil</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Favorite Books: <i>"Young
Marcel", "Uncle Buddy's House", "A Town Called Disdain", "Railroad
Train to Heaven", "Ye Cannot Quench", "The Brawny Embraces"</i>, anything by Henry de Montherlant</div>
</div>
Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-54786510916822544732019-01-03T00:29:00.000-08:002019-01-03T03:36:55.194-08:00RAILROAD TRAIN TO HEAVEN - DAN LEO<br />
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The author, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16273567.Dan_Leo">Dan Leo</a>, tells us all we need to know about what this book is:<i> </i><br />
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<i>"Part one of the memoirs of Arnold Schnabel, a railroad brakeman and part-time poet recovering from a mental collapse in the summer of 1963 in the guest house of his three maiden aunts in the New Jersey seashore town of Cape May. </i><br />
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<i>Arnold falls in love with a beautiful bohemian girl called Elektra, has many meetings with a chain-smoking Jesus, fights off the advances of a mad lady novelist, travels back and forth in time, and to heaven and back, and ever onward."</i><br />
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Who can say whether <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1717851444/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0"><b>'</b>Railroad Train to Heaven: Volume One of the Memoirs of Arnold Schnabel'</a> involves mental illness, magical realism, chemical enhancement, or space aliens? Is it only an occasional shift in the space-time continuum or does Arnold slip unintentionally between chinks in the multiverse? All of the above? I don’t know. Truly, who can say?<br />
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In this minute dissection of Arnold’s life, or that previously mentioned summer of 1963 in Cape May, we meet one of the world’s least egotistical, most likeable characters. Arnold is unrelentingly pleasant. You will want to travel with him, and once his adventures begin, they leave the station and do not pause. The pages slip by effortlessly, like views of pastoral elegance through the glass; the story carries the reader along with the sure, sound rhythm of the tracks, in and out of love and sex, drugs and music, religion and clarity. I hesitate to draw a comparison to Garrison Keiller’s ‘Prairie Home Companion’, but they are not a million miles apart in style.<br />
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Mr Leo’s familiarity with great literature and his love of dime store noir both shine in the clear narrative voice. His intimate knowledge of the time and place offer expansive views of the real seaside town of Cape May, beside finely detailed images that snap into sharp focus.<br />
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I began reading Railroad Train to Heaven as a webserial some years ago. I’ve got to say, while I was delighted with the story and the author’s crafty use of ironic statement, some reviewers then were prone to snort at comments about Arnold’s genius and the scope of ‘the work’, his memoir. They seem to have taken the unreliable narrator seriously and thereby completely missed the point. The hopes for Arnold’s unpublished volumes of poems and the gouts of praise from fictitious editors of weekly small-presses are hilarious.<br />
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Relax and enjoy, readers. Just step onto the train with Arnold and let him take you gently from behind. Laugh with him – at him, if you like – as the world confuses and delights this innocent abroad. Don’t take it too seriously, and get the message from the start – to quote a famous Australian comedian, Graham Kennedy -- “IT’S A JOKE, JOYCE!”<br />
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<b>About the Author:</b> </div>
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<a href="http://danleo.blogspot.com/">Dan Leo</a> is a native of Philly, who spent his childhood summers at the house of his aunts in Cape May, New Jersey. Reading the sidebars of his blogs will give you a laugh and some insight into the kind of humour to expect in his novels. As editor of <a href="http://www.classixcomix.blogspot.com/">“Boswell’s Life of Johnson”</a>, we find him as “Dan Leo, Assistant Professor of 18th Century British Intellectual Conversational Studies, Olney Community College; author of "<i>Bozzie and Dr. Sam: The Condemned Man’s Conversion</i>", the Olney Community College Press.” lol<br />
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His image is variously stars of the silver screen, or perhaps one of the Cray twins, although I know him best as Warner Baxter, the suave, womanizing, charismatic Latin-bandit-type in antique films.<br />
You can follow him at <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16273567.Dan_Leo">Goodreads</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dan.leo.948">Facebook</a>, on his <a href="http://danleo.blogspot.com/">blogsite</a> or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dan-Leo/e/B01MZIHJI1">Amazon</a>. <br />
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He is, by his own admission:<br />
Gender Male<br />
Industry Architecture<br />
Occupation Waste management<br />
Introduction At play in the fields of the Lord of the Dance.<br />
Interests Sleeping.<br />
Favorite Movies: <i>"Two For Tortuga", "Stopover in Singapore", "Sunset Over Olney", "The McGurks of 65th Avenue", "Bayonets of Blood", "Private Proust", "The East Oak Lane Boys"</i>.<br />
Favorite Music: Gabby & the Gazelles, The Rear Ends, Patrick Keith and Eddy, anything by Vinteuil<br />
Favorite Books: <i>"Young Marcel", "Uncle Buddy's House", "A Town Called Disdain", "Railroad Train to Heaven", "Ye Cannot Quench", "The Brawny Embraces"</i>, anything by Henry de MontherlantEllie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-12276958555328685292015-11-16T01:16:00.000-08:002015-11-16T01:34:26.977-08:00REFRIGERATOR 5 - MCM<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Refrigerator-5-MCM-ebook/dp/B014M0QYGC/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTi_lF_Xl4kK5VmQSlVV0_WDepU9tSFPjGrW2DnIPXwk04kX82Rhr1fQvJuMjpuhpWJ5F7LEmFJvvC2oBCBet605ctpxmUrgarhR3k68Spe74ky1jk6h9467-4TRNV6UtVssApXONDkw8/s400/FSDFF.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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I won't even speculate on why this book is called <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Refrigerator-5-MCM-ebook/dp/B014M0QYGC/">Refrigerator
5</a></b>; it’s a collection of bits and maybe that is all the reason anyone needs.</div>
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I have to confess to being a long time fan of <a href="http://mcm.1889.ca/">MCM</a>’s writing, and I was very pleased to hear about
this release on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mcm1889ca/?fref=ts">facebook</a>.
It took me a while to get around to downloading a copy, so now I have this, and
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Refrigerator-6-MCM-ebook/dp/B0161X44SI/">Refrigerator
6</a> waiting to be read, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Refrigerator-7-MCM-ebook/dp/B016S5OR2C/">Refrigerator
7</a> on order. </div>
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So, what did I get for my money?</div>
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So far, so good. There is a downside, but I’ll get to that
in a little while.</div>
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There are four episodes in the book, each a single part of a
separate story. Pilot episodes, if you like. The author is calling this
episodic release <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Droplet Fiction</b>. He says:</div>
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<i>“Droplet Fiction gives you a variety of fun, episodic adventures, perfect for
Kindle Unlimited readers. Every month, the last four droplets are bundled up in
a collection called "Refrigerator", for those who prefer a more
conventional reading experience. Look for other Droplet stories on Kindle...
one every week!”</i></div>
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First droplet is <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0141N92JQ">Eviction Notice</a>. (Niko Joe
Adventures Book 1)</b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The worst part about Earthies is... uh... that they exist.</i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mars tenancy. It would be the crappiest job in the universe if it
weren't for the fact that you get to fly a ship with kickass kinetic weapons,
and use them on people you generally despise. Which, if you've signed up for
Mars tenancy, is pretty much everybody.</i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Today, I'm shipping a self-important colonist doof into the far reaches
of nowhere, and then blasting Led Zeppelin through the skitter speakers until
my ears bleed. It's going to be a good day.</i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I've jinxed it now, haven't I?</i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">FML.</i></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Niko Joe lives on a hunk of junk orbiting Mars, and her job consists of
threatening, shooting at, or ignoring the colonists who live below her. It's
not exactly a boring gig, but when you mix an explosive personality with a load
of self-important halfwits, things are bound to get... interesting. Between
Goran (her moron of a boss), and Eep (her aggressively empathetic girlfriend),
Niko's life is always one wrong comment away from a major eruption of
profanity. And wrong comments, they come fast and furious on Mars.</i></div>
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Niko Joe is not a particularly likeable heroine. She might
even be psychotic, but events move so quickly and she has enough humour to make
her story enjoyable. She doesn’t like people, and they don’t get much chance to
like her in the lucrative, rapid-turnover Martian real-estate rental market.</div>
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In this first episode, she thinks she has the whole scene
clear. She knows who’ll live, who’ll die and who’ll run home to their rich
parents, sorry they ever tried to brave the Brave New World. But, of course,
she finds a circumstance she had not imagined possible, and it throws her cold
hard logic out the air-lock. It’s a fun read in a world that will become even more
interesting the more we learn about it.</div>
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Next is <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Threader-Autumn-Chrysanthemum-Rift-Saga-ebook/dp/B013TULYDO/">The
Threader in Autumn</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Chrysanthemum
Rift Saga Book 1)</b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Every step has a consequence, every movement a tragedy in the making...</i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jito is a Threader, a powerful magic-wielder who can twist the fates of
men in her hands — literally. When her latest contract takes an unexpected
turn, she is forced to bide her time in dangerous terrain, fending off furious
forest spirits, marauders, and a devilish demon with a nose for trouble.</i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">At some point, even boundless power meets its match. The question for
Jito is: can she hold out long enough for her comrades to return... and return
alive?</i></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Chrysanthemum
Rift imagines a fantasy world where the cultures, kingdoms and magic of Japan,
China and Korea are all vying for supremacy; where even the greatest warriors
bow down to a girl with a spirit on her shoulder; where queens and emperors beg
for the favour of bodyguard-monks.</i></div>
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This is good solid
magical fantasy, and my first choice for reading matter. It is from a series
called 'The Chrysanthemum Rift', and other fantasy lovers will do as I did and
think of the ‘Riftwar Sagas’. That same essence of fantastic Asian culture is
carefully blended into the world where the reader meets the Threader, Jito.</div>
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There is a bit to take
on trust as this story begins. It starts right in the middle of Jito’s ‘contract’,
and it takes several pages to start to get a hold on what is happening and to
get a feel for the working of the powers at play in this world. There is enough
standard fantasy fare here to gain a grip, and then the story whips along so
readers experience the world around the characters as it unfolds without any
need to pause for detailed explanations.</div>
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This was, not
surprisingly, my favourite of the ‘Droplets’ in this collection. I can’t wait
to follow Jito further in this world.</div>
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Third Droplet is <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Risk-Queen-Lennie-Carson-Mysteries-ebook/dp/B0141GT0YA/">Risk
the Queen</a>. (Lennie Carson Mysteries Book 1)</b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mobsters can be such drama queens sometimes...</i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lennie's got her work cut out for her when the case of a missing brooch
leads her straight into the underbelly of Chicago mob. Booze, deceit,
threats... why, between the thugs and her overbearing Uncle — remarkably
similar! — Lennie's got a little too much to handle. Good thing she doesn't
have a tendency to fib her way into deeper trouble, just as things are looking
their bleakest. Oh wait. She does!</i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"You serve customers here, or just stare at them 'til they
leave?"</i></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lennie's on the case.</i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lennie Carson is a
sassy young sleuth in 1925 Chicago, cracking cases with the help of her
ethereal partner, Mr Parker. But between the pressures of being a reluctant
debutante, and having to work for a living to get out from under her Uncle's
thumb, Lennie has to be extra clever to help people in need. That, or fudge
some facts along the way.</i></div>
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This one is just a
whole lot of fun. Lennie is a ditzy flapper – well, she’s not as silly as she
seems, and she is spoiled and way overconfident, but she muddles through
without messing her <i>fingerwaves</i>. There’s a twist in this one that I did not
expect, the ‘ethereal Mr Parker’, and it took me a moment or two to realize
what exactly was happening.</div>
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One of the good things
about this style of releasing stories is, it brings you into contact with
stories you would otherwise not pick up. That is true of “The Lennie Carson
Mysteries”. I’d pass over it no matter who was the author because I just don't usually read mysteries, but I am glad I got
to sample it this way. Just fun, with this bright little girl flapping her way
into trouble and back out again. My advice is try her for size. Just a complete
delight!</div>
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And lastly, <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Open-Door-Please-Weapon-Destruction-ebook/dp/B01431LMR6/">Open
the Door Please</a>. (Weapon of Mass Destruction Book 1)</b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"You listen to her, now. Do as she says. Remember your
vow..."</i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">For the last 40 years, Jada Bolen hasn't held a spoon, or a fork, or
even a piece of string. She's only talked to one man, and only ever during a
specific 3-hour window. She cannot dress herself, bathe herself, or defend
herself against even the most blatant aggressions. She has not left the
confines of her home for forty years... for the good of mankind.</i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">All that is about to change.</i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mankind is trouble.</i></b></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Weapon of Mass
Destruction is a series about what happens when you make a deal with the
devil... and get forced to ask for an amendment.</i></div>
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This one is the
downside I mentioned earlier. Reality at the moment is overfull of political
intrigue and secret organizations, and if I hadn’t been intending to review, I
might not have read fiction along the same lines. That said, it is a gripping
read. And if you love a complex political thriller, it’s just the thing for
you.</div>
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I did not understand
what was going on at first. There is a ‘begin in the middle, flashback, middle,
flashback, get to the end’ timeline happening and I was confused for a while,
but kept going, trusting it was<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>all
going to make sense eventually. And it did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I don’t want to labour the point, but the writing carries the reader
into and through these stories so fast, there is no time to worry too much
about how it fits together. It’s just turn the page, turn the page, turn the
page. Wonderful stuff.</div>
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If you want to read only one
stream of the stories, just stick to that kindle ‘droplet’ each week and enjoy.
I’m too old for that much weekly dripping, so I’m happy to stay with the Refrigerators
as they come out. My advice – Enjoy.</div>
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So, all up, and
admittedly as a fan of MCM’s writing, I give this a delighted <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">5 stars</b>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpM2Pe6qbV0kWz_MAr7lLC558qLIsB9BN1MnbMB1d3GJwSubPhwltaLm7qShlz7x90Sq673vsqHqHSOZOy0lY7BNeBgjErDRyCFFvOe9UHqUT8ozaf8p3k0wqFi0-yAnGH8rp0uV4hIs/s1600/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpM2Pe6qbV0kWz_MAr7lLC558qLIsB9BN1MnbMB1d3GJwSubPhwltaLm7qShlz7x90Sq673vsqHqHSOZOy0lY7BNeBgjErDRyCFFvOe9UHqUT8ozaf8p3k0wqFi0-yAnGH8rp0uV4hIs/s320/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>About the Author:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
MCM is an author and creator of award-winning TV series, as well as a
sometimes programmer. He lives in Ottawa, Canada, because he enjoys all
the temperatures. All of them.<br />
<br />
You can read his <a href="http://mcm.1889.ca/#bio">100% Full Biography here</a>.<br />
<br />
And you can find any one or all of his millions of <a href="http://mcm.1889.ca/#books">books to read here</a>.<br />
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Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-55426887026219376182014-04-11T23:23:00.000-07:002014-04-12T00:05:37.173-07:00MISSPELLED PARADISE: A Year in a Reinvented Colombia - BRYANNA PLOG<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Misspelled-Paradise-Year-Reinvented-Colombia/dp/1494984024" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIduqliv23DZAeRBmvLZnrMHRoKkuiXb8B-KZThPs0I-aZfZiFoRoaxop_WZQLtCna_Q5_tJeAF_-to_CIK1jQWVhATJmE4R8dABqYn7gjoZgAKfk2gmo6mGnokTWH9-jkPH3F07AR3c/s1600/20562500.jpg" height="400" width="257" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stretches of warm Caribbean beaches.
Donkeys trotting down muddy roads. Vibrant cities alive with music, color, and
humanity.</i></div>
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">If you’re looking for a book about
Colombia that involves harrowing escapes from FARC guerrillas or tales of drug
smuggling… this is not it. Instead, MISSPELLED PARADISE gives an honest and
lighthearted look at the history, culture, and diversity of a country that may
be struggling with poverty and a civil conflict, but celebrates its joy with
blasting street parties named after the stacks of amplifiers, tiny watery
beers, and a never-ending parade of beauty contestants.</i><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">As a volunteer middle school English
teacher in an impoverished Colombian Caribbean community, Bryanna Plog recounts
with dry humor her year traveling Colombia’s cities, deserts, and rainforests
(fairly successful ventures), her attempts to hold class on a regular schedule
(less successful), and her quest to eat meals that didn’t include rice (a
complete and utter failure).</i><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">From the high rises of Bogotá, to the
small island town of Santa Ana, from the deserts of the Guajira peninsula and
the northern-most part of South America, to the jungles of the Amazon
rainforest far south, learn, be surprised, and laugh out loud as you journey
through a reinvented Colombia.</i><br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Misspelled-Paradise-Year-Reinvented-Colombia/dp/1494984024"><b>Misspelled Paradise</b></a> is a thoroughly enjoyable
read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I was a traveller intent on
visiting Colombia, I would consider it a must-read. </div>
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There are a couple of points that made this a
stand-out for me. </div>
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First is the fact that it is not a simple travel
guide. The author lived in rural Colombia for a year, and while she took the
opportunity to visit and describe some of the better known destinations, she
also spent considerable time in the out-of-the-way places. Judging by the
reaction of the locals, not very many tourists make the effort: </div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“We walked
around, creating a small sensation. Santaneros had gotten used to us and we
were always greeted by students, parents, and shopkeepers as we went through
Santa Ana’s streets. Here in Barú, reactions was a mixture of unabashed stares
(“Dios mío, there are white people in Barú!”), many looks of confusion (“Wow,
these tourists are really lost if they were looking for Playa Blanca”), and a
few sales pitches for tourist trinkets (“Amigas, we have beautiful towels for
the beach”).”</i></div>
</blockquote>
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Also, Bryanna Plog has a delightfully understated
wit, and faces many of the less agreeable aspects of moving off the tourist
tracks with good humour and, eventually, affection. The endless heat, the less
than reliable services like water and electricity, the laid back attitude to
scheduling, interminable school anthem/national anthem/local anthem singing, local
food, drink, livestock, bugs, travel, history and customs are all clearly characterized
as the reader experiences each with her on her journey. </div>
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There is also the sense of her frustration as the
job she went to do, to teach English, is made near to impossible by a school
system flawed and barely functioning. Against this is a genuine affection for her
students and the people of Santa Ana, with their stoic acceptance of difficulty
and exuberant expressions of joy.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Misspelled-Paradise-Year-Reinvented-Colombia/dp/1494984024"><b>Misspelled Paradise</b></a> is a well-written and uncomplicated
read, and one which zips by easily. I read it in two sittings. I am not a
traveller and am not usually a reader of travel memoirs, so the one fault I
found is probably irrelevant to those who are. Once put down, there is no page-turning
narrative to drive you back to it. It is an enjoyable way to learn about Colombia
-- and, no less importantly, the realities of volunteer work – and so best
recommended for those who want to travel there, or to volunteer anywhere.</div>
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<b>Four stars,</b> for travel lovers.<br />
<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">About the Author:</span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">In 2011, author <a href="http://bryannaplog.com/">Bryanna Plog</a> spent a year in
Colombia as a volunteer English teacher through Harvard-based WorldTeach and
Colombia-based Volunteers Colombia. She returned to Colombia in 2013 for two
weeks to visit old friends and new places. Bryanna has traveled to or lived on
six continents (including Antarctica: Asia is still on the list). Originally
from western Washington, she is currently an educator and park ranger with the
National Park Service. She continues to write and blog about traveling,
Colombia, and other favorite destinations at <a href="http://bryannaplog.com/">bryannaplog.com.</a> </span></div>
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Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-32879025796946002532014-03-14T01:49:00.001-07:002014-03-14T17:44:52.292-07:00A TRIBUTE TO THE MOTHER OF THE WATERS - JC & MARIA MILLER<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tribute-Mother-Waters-J-C/dp/1105386910/ref=la_B0028B0ZEK_1_1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOZ2zIauMVyUiriw7HOkOUqgvCXl7ljjeVJ6LEPDtW7sI_EcpPP8KZru_6gCINvS9xlRLjcKgs9CqflfCqHsZvla70f6CgVZmjebY1L2Pvg58j-yJtQxd38DOJ516XtoUlLvWPtmp9-ko/s1600/product_thumbnail.php.jpg" height="400" width="265" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;">Anthony and Greg, two U.S. soldiers during the
Vietnam War, find themselves stationed in Bangkok, Thailand. Chailai and Pensri
struggle to survive in a city full of predators. When their worlds collide, the
foursome form a family, only to be threatened by the work the young men must perform
for the U.S. Army. </span></i></div>
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<br />
<br />
<div>
From the time of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War">Vietnam War</a> (Second Indochina
War), some might say from before it officially began, conflicting theories on
its causes and the intent of its instigators have arisen. This book follows
four people caught up in the storm of the war without offering
any particular explanation for the situations they find themselves in. The
reader is left to draw their own conclusions.</div>
<br />
<div>
Set in Bangkok, not the steamy jungles most often
seen in stories of this conflict, ‘<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tribute-Mother-Waters-J-C/dp/1105386910/ref=la_B0028B0ZEK_1_1">A Tribute to the Mother of the Waters</a>’ draws
the reader into the lives of its players. Written in short chapters, each
viewing the ongoing events through the eyes of a different character, we come
face-to-face with the joys and fears of each individual as they feel their way
through an unfriendly world and try to make the best of their lives.</div>
<br />
<div>
Chailai is a fourteen-year-old Thai girl whose rural
home is destroyed by a tsunami, and her family, lost. Hoping to to use her
grasp of English to find a good job in the capital, she sets off with the
disaster relief trucks for Bangkok. There she finds herself homeless and lost
on dangerous streets. And she is not the only child to face these dangers. As
she struggles to find a safe place to sleep, food, and any kind of work, she
meets an eight-year-old girl, Pensri, who survives alone by stealing. In the dark
void of her grief, Chailai takes the little street waif into her heart and
vows to care for her and keep her safe.</div>
<br />
<div>
It isn’t long before Chailai’s naivety is
exploited and she is forced to face a grim reality. The only way she and Pensri
will eat is if she becomes a prostitute. For a year or so it is the only way
they can live, the only way Chailai can keep Pensri from the streets where dangerous
men snatch unguarded children to sell on the international slave market.</div>
<br />
<div>
Anthony and Greg are two absolutely Joe-Ordinary
boys drafted to the Vietnam conflict. Anthony is intelligent and open to the
world and its experiences; Gregory is street-smart and only in the army because
he is loose and directionless, waiting for life to begin. During their induction,
the army brass recognise in them characteristics they value and set the two
aside for special training and special duties. Both boys are pleased and relieved
to find they will be stationed in a Bangkok hotel, well away from the bloody front-lines, where they can wait and practise not asking questions.</div>
<br />
<div>
There they meet Chailai and Pensri. Anthony is irresistibly
drawn to the English speaking beauty, quickly conscripting her to be his guide
around Bangkok. He fills the days while he waits for orders visiting the
markets and temples, spending his pay on wonderful Thai food and pretty clothes
to replace Chailai’s rags. For months he tells himself she is just like his
little sister, but as time goes on he realises he has grown to love her deeply,
and fears for her and her future begin to crowd into his mind.</div>
<br />
<div>
The authors draw comparisons to William Faulkner’s
‘<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77013.As_I_Lay_Dying">As I Lay Dying</a>’, in that ‘A Tribute to the Mother of the Waters’ is not a
linear narrative but a sequence of first person perspectives on the unfolding
storyline. Readers who dislike Faulkner should not be concerned, however, that
this book is dense or confusing. It is deceptively simply written, and in the
carefully worded voice of each character the reader finds themselves fearing
for the little girls as they face this awful world alone, or sitting quietly in
a Bangkok bar with Greg, recognizing the thugs and drug dealers who inhabit a
shadowy underworld.</div>
<br />
<div>
Along with Anthony, the reader feels an affection for
Chailai growing, and his confusion as the assignments they are given seem to
be at odds with everything they understand about their country’s obligations in
this war. And we share his fear as the realization grows that he and Gregory
are in real danger, and that the girls, who have become his own small surrogate
family, rely entirely on him for their safety.</div>
<br />
<div>
When circumstances change and the knots of
uncertainty tighten around the boys, we feel their terror intimately, and know there are no
safe choices left.</div>
<br />
<div>
The authors do not shrink away from the stark
realities of the world they describe. There is no gratuitous sex or violence,
but the Bangkok streets are not dressed up for tourists. If you squik at
child-prostitution or the sudden violence of organized crime, this is perhaps
not the book for you. For anyone who wants a moving, first-person view of an
ancient culture in a turbulent and dangerous time, something a bit different,
this is one for you.</div>
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<div>
I have given ‘A Tribute to the Mother of the Waters’ <b>four stars</b>, a strong recommendation.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8-dn5c_hM6A5Cl6qG-dwIE5dzjSXynJHaXd5lsX7-wPZU-Jx-5q2eELwseP5nYhKz7XKjRp_vVvkA4SyPZfyhJpe-btVtfXX0OdQXJs_2E7CPcLv62ZcvpgxCiTSIZoTpeGL4RPFuFY/s1600/4Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8-dn5c_hM6A5Cl6qG-dwIE5dzjSXynJHaXd5lsX7-wPZU-Jx-5q2eELwseP5nYhKz7XKjRp_vVvkA4SyPZfyhJpe-btVtfXX0OdQXJs_2E7CPcLv62ZcvpgxCiTSIZoTpeGL4RPFuFY/s320/4Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" height="62" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b>About Maria Miller:</b><br />
<br />
"While studying English at Xavier University, I discovered what
literature was all about. It was more than just a good story; it was a
story that made you feel emotionally attached to the characters for
days, weeks, or even years. That's what I strove for in my stories:
strong characters who make an impact. I enjoy writing about real people
and real places, as well as real events that somehow escaped the
attention of the history books. I enjoy telling vibrant stories that
make you laugh and cry, but mostly that make you feel like you're really
there right next to the character."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Other books by this author:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19129098-saving-emma">Saving Emma</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17853874-chasing-fate">Chasing Fate</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17853838-dandelion-project">Dandelion Project</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17852356-abandoned-china-dolls">Abandoned China Dolls</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21166908-head-lice">Head Lice: How to Kill and Prevent Them</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19445362-top-ten-healthy-holiday-treats-for-kids">Top Ten Healthy Holiday Treats for Kids</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3746928-female-breasts">Female Breasts: The Taboo - The Purpose</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18982854-mi-sueno-americano">Mi Sueno Americano: El Viaje de Una Mujer Viviendo Con Una Enfermedad Cronica</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/131236.Daniel_Miller">Daniel Miller</a>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18929641-i-am-not-frazzle">I am not Frazzle!: And other stories for grown-ups</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6517679.Darren_Worrow">Darren Worrow</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7494780.James_Cruickshank">James Cruickshank</a>
</div>
Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-66605230155649021512013-04-14T00:15:00.000-07:002013-04-16T06:40:15.762-07:00FIFTY SHADES OF DECAY - ANGELIC KNIGHT PRESS<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Au5dIl6VrAgHTvhatl0XQhRr6a-7R4ogrwjzLEYJRz0U7Stla6ZM7RFlvRf1UGhyp4yIfYwqh6rxty6f0FkL6PfHSYy5q5QMv1JA3ILVAxHBf6rX2ejVbUk1fRt3R7D_xqgKWG675Lg/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Au5dIl6VrAgHTvhatl0XQhRr6a-7R4ogrwjzLEYJRz0U7Stla6ZM7RFlvRf1UGhyp4yIfYwqh6rxty6f0FkL6PfHSYy5q5QMv1JA3ILVAxHBf6rX2ejVbUk1fRt3R7D_xqgKWG675Lg/s400/images.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>What's sexy about zombies? 51 authors answered that question with wild,
weird, and titillating tales. From love during the apocalypse, to love
that goes beyond the grave and back again, to love that well, never
dies, you'll find these pages filled with desires demanding to be
fufilled, hungers to be slaked, and lovers who won't let a little thing
like death (or undeath) come between them. Do zombies need sex as much
as they need brains? What would you do to bring a lover back from the
dead? What if you survived the apocalypse only to find yourself alone
and sexually frustrated?<br /><br />Light some candles, put on some mood music, and cozy up with <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/286863">Fifty Shades of Decay</a>. The zombie sexpocalypse has begun...
</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Adult-content rating:</b>
This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers
17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Where do you start to write a review of 50 erotic
zombie short stories? I’m guessing if a reader is considering this title, they
are looking for something a bit different - with zombies; or they want
something a bit different - with erotica; or they think the idea of zombie sex is
so gross they want to be appalled; or they think the idea of zombie sex is so
gross they want a good laugh.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well, there’s something for all those readers in
this book. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But no horror, really, unless you are a true d<span style="font-size: small;">y</span>ed
in the wool/ the mention of zombies makes you cover your eyes/easily scared
witless zombiephobe, there is no true horror in this collection. None of the
stories build any sense of dread, or concentrate on the fear, relentless pursuit,
and desperation of a true zombie horror.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">So what do you get? This work collects writers of
various styles and to some degree, quality. It is hard to put erotica into a
grab bag, too. What one person finds hot and juicy, another finds gross or
underwhelming. The same applies to comedy and humour. So, I’ll present here
what I think are the standout offerings, some for their quality of
storytelling, some for the laugh, some for the erotica, and some for the
gross-out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">My <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">FIVE
STAR</b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>rated stories <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">CARNAGE
KANDY<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Teresa Hawk. </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This story starts at full gallop and just
keeps running. It is a fun romp through an easily recognized zombocalypse.<span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"> </span>Lotta Carnage and Kandy Cakes, have
been freed from the constraints of society’s mores. In fact:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“They believed Armageddon was the best thing to
ever happen to the shitbag world. The End meant true freedom. They took
anything, went anywhere, and did whatever they wanted. Carnage found her
pillaging partner stranded in Utah last summer. Since then, Kandy Cakes evolved
from a prude hyper-Christian, Martha Stewart wannabe into a punk-bitch,
warrior, sex kitten. They were a tribe of two. Kandy felt safer killing hordes
of infected biters with Carnage than she had when living in the suburbs with
her husband back before the pandemic. The old world seemed so far away, and her
memories like watching black and white musicals with the volume muted.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The reader ploughs through the Thelma and Louise undead
roadkill with them, and then joins the fireworks, sex, and zombie killfest action
climax. I was surprised to see this is the only LGB erotica included, except for
the mention of trannies in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jolie Chaton’s
- Pretty Kitty ’s Post-Apocalyptic Porn Palace </b>. With the huge popularity
of MM and MMF erotica on the shelves, I thought there’d be a whole lot more. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">HEADSHOT - Frankie
Sachs</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a favourite, partly
as a departure from the necrophilia/ragged, oozing undead/dismemberment porn.
This was a nicely paced, touching look at the human emotions behind the blood
and guts. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“Ash felt a sick cold in the pit of her stomach.
If he had been in better shape, Jackson would’ve guessed something was wrong,
but he was still weak and disoriented from blood loss and pain. Ash finished
cleaning the wound, packed it with gauze, and wrapped an elastic bandage tight
around to keep it in place.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“How bad?” he asked. Always practical.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Her heart felt as though it were wrapped in iron
bands. “You’ll live. Now rest.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ash pushed Jackson toward the bedroom they shared,
where they held each other against the</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">dark and the loneliness and the memories and the
dead.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The shuffling dead don’t make an appearance in
this one; their work has already been done. What follows is the sadness of a
woman who, having found great love in the midst of loss and horror, can now
only hold the man she loves until he, too, is gone. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">S. P. Q. R.
- Rob M. Miller & Jill S. Behe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Here
is a completely different take on the theme. Set in a new Roman/British Empire,
the reader is so deeply and immediately immersed in the world that I thought it
might be an alternative reality rather than post apocalypse. One beautiful
flash of comforting memory in the face of death brings all the threads of possibility
together, however, and moves us into the zombie apocalypse future.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“She muttered something and handed over the
binoculars.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">‘What was that, Cesarina?’ Bringing up the device,
the Steiner 10x50 gave a perfect view of the day-long slaughter, the ranks of
bruisers and mounted furies in mop-up mode, their armor and clear,
polycarbonate shields now black with caked and dripping viscera, the herd of
some thousands of Zulus fallen before the Legion’s disciplined meat grinder. <i>All
praise to pipe, sword, and gun.</i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">‘I said: <i>Senātus Populusque Rōmānus</i>. The
Senate and People of Rome.’”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I admit to having to read this twice before I had
everything straight in my head, but the time was well worth it. This story is a
gem; the sort of thing you wish was novel length. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">MÉNAGE À
TRAUMA - Dan Larnerd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>This was a
laugh from beginning to end. And a stern warning to<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>‘trendy young people who wear designer scarves and
skinny jeans’ not to venture into two star motels with gob-eyed clerks, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>where ‘all sorts of hippy dippy types got the
entire top floor rented out’ for séances.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In bad hotels, more is left behind of past
occupants than just their dust and DNA. It pays to look under the bed! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LOVE STINKS
- Tim Baker. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Here are characters
with a bit more past. Their relationship, albeit one sided, all took place in
the past and now the ‘hero’, Edwin, gets to love and care for his idol, dead porn
star, Stellar Stacee. There is a little tenderness in this story, but it is
probably outweighed by the gross-out. The erotica is a step above the majority,
too.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">2 IS FOR
TABOO - Craig Faustus Buck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Again,
chosen for taking a slightly different approach to the theme. This looks past
the apocalypse to a time when the undead and the living co-exist in a
structured caste society. Sex between the living and the dead is illegal [to
protect the breakable organs of the dead] and the thought of the forbidden can
be a turn-on. Especially for couples who meet at Sexaholics Anonymous. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">MEAT - Tim
Marquitz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>The idea of having sexual
access to a person who would otherwise be out of your league drives many of
these stories. One of the best realized of them is Meat. A plain and painfully
shy girl who has lusted quietly after a male stripper can now pay for his
sexual services, post apocalypse. As is common in this scenario, he is bound
and gagged and she has the thrill of power added to the dangerous possibility of
his escape.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LOVE IN A
LAUNDROMAT - Megan Dorei.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Romance readers
and those who want some romantic friction in their zombie love stories will
love this one. It is perfectly paced to fit the Mills & Boon template. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">GLORY - Jay
Wilburn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>This last of the 5 star detailed
examinations is the only story I found really dark and disturbing. This is closest
to torture porn, but in fairness, it is too short to cross the line, and while
some scenes are graphic, it does not dwell too intensely on the suffering. It
does look at what happens to the worst of the worst when society breaks down.
Here, a demented defrocked priest punishes others for his own sins – maybe not
too far from reality, there. Well written and well constructed, this story was
a bit like a car crash for me: I wanted to look away, but just kept reading.
Luckily the ending is good reason to follow through.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">FOUR STARS:</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DEAD THINGS
DON’T RISE - Mandy DeGeit<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>The next two stories I’ve chosen to
highlight are for the people who just want a laugh at the grossness of zombie loving.
Nothing nasty here, nothing disturbing, apart from some dodgy body fluids.
These stories are about making the best of a bad situation. In DEAD THINGS DON’T
RISE, David is drunk, soaked in his own vomit, and struggling to make it down
the street to his house – who is he to judge the chick in the cemetery who
seems to be a little less than fastidious with her personal hygiene? Sex is sex;
get it while you can.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SOMETHING
BORROWED - Nicky Peacock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>And here
we have a bride, determined not to let the unfolding zombie apocalypse ruin her
big day – or her wedding night, for that matter. When she finds her husband at
the altar, with parts of him ‘spread across the floor like red butter’, she puts
on [ta<span style="font-size: small;">k</span>es off?] her big girl panties and finds a solution to the loss. You
know, old, new, borrowed, blue….</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">HEY, GIRL <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Erik Williams : <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Just a bit different, certainly good for
a laugh.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">BODY BAG<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Shaun Meeks: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Nicely done with a killer twist.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">LOVE REVIVED
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Carrie-Lea Cote:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Zombies here, and this is the only
voodoo! </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SOME LIKE
IT ROT <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- John Palisano:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Party drugs and moronic starlets. The
zombocalypse might have already happened!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">OUT WITH A
BANG <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Laura J. Hickman:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Some nice motivation for this character;
she’s a bit more than just a Jane Doe dealing with the end of the world.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ADAM &
EVE AT THE END OF DAYS - Mike D. McCarty:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></b>Even the competent and well-armed can find themselves with the odds
of survival stacked against them. When they do, they have to find a way to pass
the time they have left.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RAVING
DISEASED <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Brett Williams:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Another risk arises for the rave crowd.
I liked this for its really tightly clipped storytelling - a nice clean way to
say a lot in few words.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">HER PERFECT
LOVER <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- C. W. LaSart:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>One of a number of stories where mortuary
workers find the zombie outbreak to their taste. This one has some novel ideas
about how to keep your lover fresh.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE Z-SPOT <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- Benjamin Kane Ethridge: </b>One of the many
zombie stripper/prostitute workings of the theme, this story stood out for the
gross factor squeezed into what I thought would be a love story.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">TO KISS THE
BRIDE - Rebecca L. Brown</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SYMPATHY
FOR THE DEAD - Celeste Turner & Alex Turner</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">RAVENOUS - Lisa
McCourt Hollar</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">DEATH AND
LOVE IN MANHATTAN - Clint Collins</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the many stories that remain there are quite a
few well worth the purchase price, there are simply too many in this collection
to deal with individually. All ratings are subjective, so readers may like some
I’ve left out better than those I’ve chosen to highlight with four and five
star ratings.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">All up, I am happy with the selection the
publishers have chosen here. My only advice to anyone who would consider
reading this book is to spread out the reading over a few sessions. The blood
and gore can get a bit mind-numbing taken in too-large doses.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>ABOUT <a href="http://www.angelicknightpress.com/">ANGELIC KNIGHT PRESS</a>: </b><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #134f5c;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Angelic
Knight Press is the brainchild of Blaze McRob and Quinn Cullen. Both
are authors who were looking for an acceptable alternative to
traditional publishers and self-publishing. What better way than to
create your own publishing company? And so Angelic Knight Press was
born.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-58918004792741684022013-02-17T06:35:00.002-08:002013-02-17T06:35:40.844-08:00UNDERGROUND NEST - KATHLEEN MAHER<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulTTieUqcMn8uD90j_iFpDVYDiJD_hOBaiAdoNr2vCI08QBaKjfmDDkaNFh5I0cvdXF4p928GR_rt0YovQIOgqQbmsjenDn1NMVjDHbGVpF2m41JMdZgKuwKPzTXfsphf19MIfgRM_yA/s1600/Image.ashx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgulTTieUqcMn8uD90j_iFpDVYDiJD_hOBaiAdoNr2vCI08QBaKjfmDDkaNFh5I0cvdXF4p928GR_rt0YovQIOgqQbmsjenDn1NMVjDHbGVpF2m41JMdZgKuwKPzTXfsphf19MIfgRM_yA/s320/Image.ashx.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Never marry a Boy
Scout. <br />
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When Zachary Severins, dedicated Scoutmaster and community leader, is caught
cheating on his wife, she divorces him, his children lose respect for him, and
his mistress spurns him. As Zach's personal life crumbles, his professional
career begins to follow. Only after Zach loses everything does he start to
learn the true meaning of friendship, love, and responsibility.<br />
<br />
Underground Nest, a short novel, is contemporary fiction with a sharp sense of
humor but a soft heart for its characters.</i></div>
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I read this story first as a web serial when it was posted,
and was really pleased to get hold of the book when it became available.
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Underground-Nest-ebook/dp/B008RR3QFY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361109961&sr=1-1&keywords=underground+nest">Underground Nest,</a> as the title might suggest, is not a story about happy
families and white picket fences. It is about a man driven to accumulate an
ideal wife, the ideal family, the ideal career, and the ideal lifestyle. Zach
Severins knows how everything should look. He has the veneer so perfectly
constructed that he has convinced even himself that it is all real.</div>
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From childhood Zach pursued this ideal, collecting each
piece of his life like so many Scout badges. Scouting and the high standards it
demands are central to his image. He was the youngest scout to attain his Eagle
Scout award, and after holding it without blemish for 25 years, he was entitled
to the highest accolade of all: the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He had his
perfect wife, family, home, career and recognition. He even had a slew of meaningless
secret affairs to add some spice to life. Zack was a man poised to own the
world. And then a crack appeared.</div>
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Zach is not an easy man to like, but he is easy enough to
understand. The plotting of his rise is all quite straightforward, and is
detailed in the first third of the book. He is not unusual in his drive to succeed;
we have all known and worked with people like Zach. He is not a bad man, and
Kathleen Maher paints him with a sympathetic hand. She understands her
character well, and his inevitable downfall and struggle to rebuild his life
makes engrossing reading.</div>
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Zach’s wife, Beth, plays the perfect host for her husband’s
deceptions and self-deceptions. She is not a weak woman, but is certainly the
product of her world. She is a devoted mother and supportive and understanding
wife. She has her friends and hobbies and her own special little artistic
outlet: her pottery. She genuinely does love her husband, even when she hates
him to the marrow of her bones. She is programmed by her own upbringing to need
him, and to be essential to him: which makes sex an oddly fraught subject for
her. The once safe marriage bed becomes an arena for love and hate and anger
and the wielding of power.</div>
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His children, raised in sweetly oblivious luxury, are caught
off guard; not by the reality of their father’s double life, but by the sudden
realization that it is their mother who has created for them the image of their
father as a loving and devoted man. They are teens when the ruse is up, and the
backlash is immediate and cruel.</div>
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Zach’s friendships are mostly shams. When he finds himself
unkempt, unwashed and homeless in his office, the only person who shows
anything approaching kindness and friendship is a fellow professor who Zach has
always studiously avoided.</div>
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And the glittering gem that smashes into Zach’s world and begins
the demolition, Vida, is everything that Zach did not know he wanted. Vida is
part of another world: bigger, brighter, and even more distinguished than the
one he had thought perfect. But Vida is not Beth. And Zach cannot control and
manipulate her as he does every other aspect of his life. </div>
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Underground Nest is a short read. It moves along very
quickly, the writing style is both conversational and melodic. Watching
everything Zach has built fall down is as fascinating as any car crash, and his
efforts to rebuild and the lessons he must learn to begin that journey equally
so.</div>
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This is not an easy book to categorize in genre. It is, as I
have detailed, the study of a man’s fall and attempts to rise. It examines the
inner turmoil exposed when the outer shell of a life is destroyed. It examines Zach’s
lies, told to himself and to others. There is no action adventure, no mystery
to solve, no seething romance to burn up pages. But it is a totally engrossing
read.</div>
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I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it for readers who
like to consider the charades we all, to a greater or lesser degree, enact as
we make ourselves fit into the world as we know it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpM2Pe6qbV0kWz_MAr7lLC558qLIsB9BN1MnbMB1d3GJwSubPhwltaLm7qShlz7x90Sq673vsqHqHSOZOy0lY7BNeBgjErDRyCFFvOe9UHqUT8ozaf8p3k0wqFi0-yAnGH8rp0uV4hIs/s1600/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpM2Pe6qbV0kWz_MAr7lLC558qLIsB9BN1MnbMB1d3GJwSubPhwltaLm7qShlz7x90Sq673vsqHqHSOZOy0lY7BNeBgjErDRyCFFvOe9UHqUT8ozaf8p3k0wqFi0-yAnGH8rp0uV4hIs/s200/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<b>About Kathleen Maher: </b>I write more than I sleep.</div>
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I reside in New York City but live mostly in my head, which can be a problem on
the subway.<br />
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Some years ago I began posting my work-in-progress on a blog as a way to keep
myself from rewriting stories to death. Now I have enough material for several
books and must start re-writing, but you can still visit <a href="http://www.diaryofaheretic.com/">Diary of a Heretic</a>, where you'll find episodes of "James Bond and
the Girls of Woodstock," as well as assorted short fiction and various
ephemera.<br />
<br />
Leave a message! I love to hear from readers.</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
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</div>
Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-77262076212666383542012-11-30T02:15:00.000-08:002012-11-30T02:18:31.527-08:00Indie Author Book Giveaway<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Webbiegrrl is hosting a HUGE giveaway to celebrate 30,000 hits.<br />
<br />
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Titles from independent authors and indie publishers, covering a wide range of genres, will be up for grabs.<br />
<br />
Third on the list is <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/150558"><i><b>'Conditioned Response'</b></i></a> by Marjorie F Baldwin. Check my 4STAR review <b><a href="http://elliehallstoryteller.blogspot.com/2012/05/conditioned-response-phoenician-2.html">here</a></b>.</div>
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Check Webbiegrrl's blog for details and the rafflecopter widget. <b>Excerpt only below</b>.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcEyUHX4eA_UW0W_4nSX3_LqbxbI_togxfLy2SW41Df0Kpy5Dl7qJc9YBN6x4XUVaHvWY-XYG3fcXI7BGpuUqeflIrdmAnJ6gSad3MFBF1nVPq3FihBqmqI9zrQvqCP7ayuRqtUitG3M/s1600/sryNakedLegs07Dec07bw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLcEyUHX4eA_UW0W_4nSX3_LqbxbI_togxfLy2SW41Df0Kpy5Dl7qJc9YBN6x4XUVaHvWY-XYG3fcXI7BGpuUqeflIrdmAnJ6gSad3MFBF1nVPq3FihBqmqI9zrQvqCP7ayuRqtUitG3M/s1600/sryNakedLegs07Dec07bw.jpg" /></a></h2>
<div class="post-title entry-title" style="text-align: left;">
<b>Webbiegrrl Giveaways!
</b></div>
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</div>
In celebration of the 30,000th hit on the blog (<b>Update</b>: I'm at
29,300 as I write this) I'm running a giveaway event. The 30,000th hit
giveaway shall officially begin on Friday, Dec. 14 (yay for Freebie
Friday) and end on Sunday, Dec. 16 (yay for Sample Sunday) but readers
can start entering on Friday, Nov. 30th. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>To Win eBooks in the 30,000th Hit Giveaway:</b><br />
If you're a reader and want to enter, you can use the Rafflecopter widget here <b>starting Friday, November 30th</b>.
Get it? 30,000th hit giveaway starting on the 30th of November? Yeah,
it's a thin connection. I'm trying to get at least 30 Indie Authors to
give stuff away to make that tie-in a little stronger for you.<br />
<br />
The giveaway shall <i>officially</i> be running through the weekend of
December 14, 15 and 16, 2012 but you can enter anytime, as many times as
you like, between November 30th and the start of the giveaway
selections on December 16 - so for about 2 weeks ending entries on
Thursday, Dec 13th (at midnight). To learn more about the prizes, scroll
down to the bottom of this page.<br />
<br />
If you want to win a specific book, please state that preference in the comments of this blog post (you can also <i><u>enter</u></i>
by leaving a comment *wink*) There is no guarantee that you will get
preferential consideration for the book of your choice--or even win
anything at all!--but if you don't speak up, the author offering the
book won't know of your interest. Who knows? They might decide to award
an "extra" winner just because you left an enthusiastic comment here? It
never hurts to tell an author how much you love their work...we are,
sadly, some of the vainest creatures alive! <br />
<br />
<b>Independent authors</b>:<br />
<br />
Please join in the fun and tell all your Indie Author friends to submit
their books and all your readerly friends to enter to win! :)<br />
<br />
There should be something here for <i>everyone</i> but I'll continue taking submissions (<i>really</i> prefer you submit your requests via the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/460349210668413/" target="_blank">Facebook Event Page</a> if you don't mind.)<br />
<br />
<b>Good Luck!!</b><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-71631196698518246552012-11-19T01:58:00.000-08:002012-11-19T02:04:58.296-08:00ABOVE GROUND - AM HARTE <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib68cLolSgvjlsHUF4Gm_gwnmYPh5EDzx79IyWKxk2JDPzwWTslH31tMyhQVlbj9xHUd91UFsMlCFUiTufm0QNDOCsmEpvCFEiDJwaibvDzqT6GNaGj26uNaPNXOjxICwccQGkHYecWEw/s1600/cover300.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib68cLolSgvjlsHUF4Gm_gwnmYPh5EDzx79IyWKxk2JDPzwWTslH31tMyhQVlbj9xHUd91UFsMlCFUiTufm0QNDOCsmEpvCFEiDJwaibvDzqT6GNaGj26uNaPNXOjxICwccQGkHYecWEw/s320/cover300.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i>The first glimpse of sun may be her last.</i><br />
<br />
<i>When Lilith Gray goes above ground for the first time, she hardly
expects to stay there — much less be trapped on the surface with no way
home.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Hunted by trackers and threatened by the infected, Lilith is on the
run, desperate to return underground. Her only hope for survival lies
with a taciturn werewolf with a dark agenda of his own. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Lilith’s old carefree life has been reduced to one choice:</i><br />
<br />
<i>Adapt. Or die trying.</i><br />
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Set in a dystopian future where humans live underground and the infected
live on the surface, ABOVE GROUND follows the adventures of Lilith
Gray, a human girl who ends up trapped on the surface with no way back
home.<br />
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HERE IT IS!! Here is the solution to the crossword. How many did you get wrong? Be honest. I, of course, got them all right, because I read the book. Brilliant! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpM2Pe6qbV0kWz_MAr7lLC558qLIsB9BN1MnbMB1d3GJwSubPhwltaLm7qShlz7x90Sq673vsqHqHSOZOy0lY7BNeBgjErDRyCFFvOe9UHqUT8ozaf8p3k0wqFi0-yAnGH8rp0uV4hIs/s1600/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpM2Pe6qbV0kWz_MAr7lLC558qLIsB9BN1MnbMB1d3GJwSubPhwltaLm7qShlz7x90Sq673vsqHqHSOZOy0lY7BNeBgjErDRyCFFvOe9UHqUT8ozaf8p3k0wqFi0-yAnGH8rp0uV4hIs/s320/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXxMDXjwMQ2UMbZ1cYyCLSWHsk6zYyF0Dv13wN5oG04mx5-UFF4jeOBxp2FoT1IHiJMYVhOq_S4Gu-BgIh2aY2v1ATuXHMXFlk8GrTNCjdUTSKNBZzqIkuO7zIG8zx3chbVJyKJ2ucQE/s1600/Above-Ground-Crossword-Solu.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTXxMDXjwMQ2UMbZ1cYyCLSWHsk6zYyF0Dv13wN5oG04mx5-UFF4jeOBxp2FoT1IHiJMYVhOq_S4Gu-BgIh2aY2v1ATuXHMXFlk8GrTNCjdUTSKNBZzqIkuO7zIG8zx3chbVJyKJ2ucQE/s400/Above-Ground-Crossword-Solu.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Throughout the blog tour AM Harte will be running a MYSTERY RAFFLE
with eleven prizes up for grabs -- one for each letter of "Above
Ground". What the prizes are will remain a secret until the end,
although you're welcome to guess! ;-)<br />
<br />
Follow along with the tour
from November 1st to 30th for chances to win these secret prizes... and
also to have a look at all the awesome guest posts, interviews, videos,
etc etc etc.<br />
<br />
All tour stops will be listed on <a href="http://amharte.com/aboveground" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://amharte.com/aboveground</a><br />
<br />
Praise for <i>Above Ground</i>:<br />
<blockquote>
“I am finding Above Ground to be a real page-turner, the sort of story you can’t step away from until you reach the end.”<br />
- Lyn Thorne-Alder, author of <a href="http://addergoole.com/"><i>Addergoole</i></a>.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“If you enjoy adventure stories with more than a touch of science fiction and fantasy, you’ll enjoy <i>Above Ground</i>. The characters are interesting and the plot moves along quickly.”<br />
- Linda Schoales, Web Fiction Guide Editor.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“A. M. Harte does a wonderful job exploring human and humanoid interactions and the nuances of their cultures.”<br />
- Nancy Brauer, author of <a href="http://www.strangelittleband.com/"><i>Strange Little Band</i></a>.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“A.M. Harte can certainly spin a yarn, and knows how to keep the reader moving forward.”<br />
- Merrilee Faber, e-Fiction Book Club Member</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://amharte.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/amharte.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-6596" height="150" src="http://amharte.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/amharte.jpg?w=132&h=150" title="click for full size" width="132" /></a><b>Author Bio</b><br />
<a href="http://amharte.com/">A.M. Harte</a> writes twisted speculative fiction, such as the post-apocalyptic <i>Above Ground</i> and the zombie love anthology <i>Hungry For You</i>.
She is excellent at missing deadlines, has long forgotten what ‘free
time’ means, and is utterly addicted to chocolate. She lives in London, a
city not half as foggy as some seem to think.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /><a id="rc-20e26d4" class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/20e26d4/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//d12vno17mo87cx.cloudfront.net/embed/rafl/cptr.js"></script>
<br />
Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-72249096836750623932012-11-16T19:42:00.004-08:002012-11-16T19:42:55.258-08:00ABOVE GROUND blog tour, 1889 Labs.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNQsMhYKlIzLvDh9eKAYxpoRxDnMwZZfuTljOuREGfxw6I9b36Wqa7urUboOZ4hndzmqgnMil42Tfr4yPMVu5-KJ0YprWQVxNui5hKjzMgwk3XsdPAWqwYkGFJuShyphenhyphennEmIHSJPFGYS7g/s1600/cover300.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNQsMhYKlIzLvDh9eKAYxpoRxDnMwZZfuTljOuREGfxw6I9b36Wqa7urUboOZ4hndzmqgnMil42Tfr4yPMVu5-KJ0YprWQVxNui5hKjzMgwk3XsdPAWqwYkGFJuShyphenhyphennEmIHSJPFGYS7g/s400/cover300.png" width="250" /></a></div>
From
November 1st to 30th, we're running <span style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;">a blog
tour</span> to celebrate the release of <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=2913b59408&e=9d244c0ade"><b><i>Above Ground</i></b></a>, with book playlists, guest posts,
reviews, interviews and more!<br />
<br />
There are <b>eleven prizes up for
grabs</b> in our mystery raffle, including books, merch, and exclusive
limited-edited items. Get involved!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=b7ba162fef&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Enter to win with rafflecopter now!</a><br />
<br />
<h4 class="h4" style="color: #202020; display: block; font-family: arial; font-size: 22px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 100%; margin: 0px 0px 10px; text-align: left;">
The blog tour so far...</h4>
<b>Leave a comment on each blog tour
stop for more chances to win!</b> <b>Full list of stops is below.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Guest posts</b><br />
So far this tour has seen some great guest
posts about writing, including <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=8f308ee70c&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">how to know what to write</a>, learning to <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=877fb0baf1&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">trust your imagination</a>, all the way to <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=b8ff9fe380&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">how to stop being a lazy
writer</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Excerpts</b><br />
Intrigued? Want a taste to tease
your appetite? Check out one <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=d482063259&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">of</a> <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=ac5ce2aec5&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">these</a> <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=b4c235f11f&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">excerpts</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Music</b><br />
Those
musically-inclined should check out <b><i>Above Ground</i></b>'s first (and ONLY!) <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=af50adbe5f&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">playlist</a>, with song choices for the three main
characters.<br />
<br />
<b>Puzzles</b><br />
For the puzzle-lovers there's
even <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=9c839bedf6&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">a crossword</a>! Solve clue 6 down before November 19 for
additional entries into the giveaway.<br />
<br />
<b>Interviews</b><br />
Not
to mention the various interviews on <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=3c677d1569&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">eightcuts</a>, <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=18d3efacb4&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Page Readers</a>, <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=c780ae5d66&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Write Write Reread</a>... and the insane <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=096f14f73b&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">AMA on Reddit</a>!<br />
<br />
<b>And more...</b><br />
Coming up
are more guest posts and interviews... and REVIEWS! For more info on past posts
see the <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=0c8ac70315&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">week one</a> and <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=f736bfbd26&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">week two</a> recaps.<br />
<br />
<hr />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12px;"><b>FOLLOW THE BLOG
TOUR</b></span><br />
<b>Nov 01 -</b> <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=20613f61b1&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Tuesday Serial</a><br />
<b>Nov 02 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=29d34ca4cb&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">AF Stewart</a><br />
<b>Nov 03 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=30e496de95&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Write, Rewrite. Read.</a><br />
<b>Nov 04 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=d77f5f9992&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">The Prize Winning Banana Blog</a><br />
<b>Nov 05 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=898e3c0877&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Write Your Own Story</a><br />
<b>Nov 06 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=6299ae2fee&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Feral Intensity</a><br />
<b>Nov 07 -</b> <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=6bb6372209&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Raining Ink</a><br />
<b>Nov 08 -</b> <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=6f71738032&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Page Readers</a><br />
<b>Nov 09 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=b4deee0e4f&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">JC Hart</a><br />
<b>Nov 10 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=a56eb8bf0e&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Zoe E Whitten</a><br />
<b>Nov 11 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=00c567d84b&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Ellie Hall Reviews</a><br />
<b>Nov 11 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=69207fcc68&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Reddit AMA</a><br />
<b>Nov 12 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=24a4a4dd3c&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">EJ Spurrell</a><br />
<b>Nov 13 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=8f2b641565&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Eight Cuts</a><br />
<b>Nov 14 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=ece15fc991&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Five Rings</a><br />
<b>Nov 15 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=1756c32116&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Friday Flash</a><br />
<b>Nov 16 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=106b33cc94&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Turn the Page</a><br />
<b>Nov 17 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=e5e10890e1&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Raining Ink</a><br />
<b>Nov 18 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=9119103409&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Flashes in the Dark Radio</a><br />
<b>Nov 19 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=e29fcaab64&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Ellie Hall Reviews</a><br />
<b>Nov 20 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=d197378a0b&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Amwriting</a><br />
<b>Nov 21 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=3ba6042c70&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">A Book A Day</a><br />
<b>Nov 22 -</b> <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=08fd7d0054&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Catherine Mede Writes</a><br />
<b>Nov 23 -</b> <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=a335573fb0&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Greg X Graves</a><br />
<b>Nov 24 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=0d64e1432f&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile</a><br />
<b>Nov 25 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=31fa260dbe&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">The Bathroom Monologues</a><br />
<b>Nov 26 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=64f0e7aa34&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Bookish Ardour</a><br />
<b>Nov 27 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=1b4eae5f0f&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Cheapass Fiction</a><br />
<b>Nov 28 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=69a2535679&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Opinions of a Wolf</a><br />
<b>Nov 29 - </b><a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=161f2236b6&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">A Bit of Dash</a><br />
<b>Nov 30 -</b> <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=ef6df56f7c&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Graham Storrs</a></div>
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</div>
<div style="color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 150%; text-align: left;">
Enter to win by going to <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=1fa2d05e2c&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">rafflecopter </a>and following the instructions.<br />
<br />
What are you waiting for?<br />
<br />
Enter to win mystery prizes now on <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=8005243652&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">rafflecopter</a>!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12px;">Buy
<b><i>Above Ground</i></b> on <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=c95244ba87&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;">Kindle</a><br />Enter
the <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=8d8d68e629&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank">Goodreads giveaway</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12px;"> </span> </div>
<a href="http://www.twitter.com/1889Labs/" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;">follow on Twitter</a> | <a href="http://1889.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=f5e2572fe6&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;">friend
on Facebook</a> | <a href="http://us4.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=d2d13fa74c2c9b51ddb9fa894&id=44d7051497&e=9d244c0ade" style="color: #336699; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline;">forward
to a friend</a><br />
. </div>
Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-61600321274224006072012-11-11T02:29:00.000-08:002012-11-13T22:34:42.503-08:00ABOVE GROUND - AM HARTE <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib68cLolSgvjlsHUF4Gm_gwnmYPh5EDzx79IyWKxk2JDPzwWTslH31tMyhQVlbj9xHUd91UFsMlCFUiTufm0QNDOCsmEpvCFEiDJwaibvDzqT6GNaGj26uNaPNXOjxICwccQGkHYecWEw/s1600/cover300.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib68cLolSgvjlsHUF4Gm_gwnmYPh5EDzx79IyWKxk2JDPzwWTslH31tMyhQVlbj9xHUd91UFsMlCFUiTufm0QNDOCsmEpvCFEiDJwaibvDzqT6GNaGj26uNaPNXOjxICwccQGkHYecWEw/s320/cover300.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<i>The first glimpse of sun may be her last.</i><br />
<br />
<i>When Lilith Gray goes above ground for the first time, she hardly
expects to stay there — much less be trapped on the surface with no way
home.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Hunted by trackers and threatened by the infected, Lilith is on the
run, desperate to return underground. Her only hope for survival lies
with a taciturn werewolf with a dark agenda of his own. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Lilith’s old carefree life has been reduced to one choice:</i><br />
<br />
<i>Adapt. Or die trying.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
Set in a dystopian future where humans live underground and the infected
live on the surface, <b><i>Above Ground</i></b> by AM Harte follows the adventures of Lilith
Gray, a human girl who ends up trapped on the surface with no way back
home.<br />
<br />
Today's the day I play host to the <b><i>Above Ground</i></b> book tour, and just for something a little bit different we decided on a crossword puzzle.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Above Ground</i></b> ran as a very popular web serial for a long time, and many of the original fans will be able to whip through the answers like a werewolf through a forest. New readers will have to try their luck and pit their wits against the clues - or read the book and fill in the blanks. [Go ahead and print the image; it's easier that way :p]<br />
<br />
<br />
The fun starts here:<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYz2JatT_hyphenhyphen0TnYxnTd-ZFr2jRHUrFhJ5KcEWss2KBrbDA3naxGuMOeqVSSmmgfTZZdbWriUwivZ_guGQ4x4Bieuh5KqLfUIXghhcQ6hrld3cgJGa7CxQu1hbaDGt_7tnDfuOssMVoBE4/s1600/Above-Ground-Crossword.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYz2JatT_hyphenhyphen0TnYxnTd-ZFr2jRHUrFhJ5KcEWss2KBrbDA3naxGuMOeqVSSmmgfTZZdbWriUwivZ_guGQ4x4Bieuh5KqLfUIXghhcQ6hrld3cgJGa7CxQu1hbaDGt_7tnDfuOssMVoBE4/s400/Above-Ground-Crossword.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>**Don't forget to come back here on November 19th for the solution**</b><br />
<br />
<b>ALSO</b> - Throughout the blog tour AM Harte will be running a MYSTERY RAFFLE
with eleven prizes up for grabs -- one for each letter of "<b><i>Above
Ground</i></b>". What the prizes are will remain a secret until the end,
although you're welcome to guess! ;-)<br />
<br />
Follow along with the tour
from November 1st to 30th for chances to win these secret prizes... and
also to have a look at all the awesome guest posts, interviews, videos,
etc etc etc.<br />
<br />
All tour stops will be listed on <a href="http://amharte.com/aboveground" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://amharte.com/aboveground</a><br />
<br />
Next week:<br />
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<a href="http://ejspurrell.com/609/guest-post-trusting-your-imagination-by-a-m-harte/"><img alt="EJ Spurrell" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6658" src="http://amharte.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/nov12-spurrell.gif?w=640" /></a> <a href="http://eightcuts.com/2012/11/13/above-ground/"><img alt="Eight Cuts Gallery" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6661" src="http://amharte.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/nov13-8cuts.gif?w=640" /></a> <a href="http://5-rings.com/blog/"><img alt="5 Rings" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6664" src="http://amharte.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/nov14-5rings.gif?w=640" /></a> <a href="http://fridayflash.org/"><img alt="Friday Flash" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6666" src="http://amharte.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/nov15-fridayflash.gif?w=640" /></a> <a href="http://taholtorf.wordpress.com/"><img alt="TA Holtorf" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6667" src="http://amharte.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/nov16-taholtorf.gif?w=640" /></a> <a href="http://rainingink.wordpress.com/"><img alt="Raining Ink" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6668" src="http://amharte.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/nov17-rainingink.gif?w=640" /></a>
</div>
<br />
Praise for <b><i>Above Ground</i></b>:<br />
<blockquote>
“I am finding <i><b>Above Ground</b></i> to be a real page-turner, the sort of story you can’t step away from until you reach the end.”<br />
- Lyn Thorne-Alder, author of <a href="http://addergoole.com/"><i>Addergoole</i></a>.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“If you enjoy adventure stories with more than a touch of science fiction and fantasy, you’ll enjoy <b><i>Above Ground</i></b>. The characters are interesting and the plot moves along quickly.”<br />
- Linda Schoales, Web Fiction Guide Editor.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“A. M. Harte does a wonderful job exploring human and humanoid interactions and the nuances of their cultures.”<br />
- Nancy Brauer, author of <a href="http://www.strangelittleband.com/"><i>Strange Little Band</i></a>.</blockquote>
<blockquote>
“A.M. Harte can certainly spin a yarn, and knows how to keep the reader moving forward.”<br />
- Merrilee Faber, e-Fiction Book Club Member</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<b><i>Above Ground</i></b> is available now in Kindle format only [paperback coming soon] from - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009YA879S">Amazon US</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009YA879S">Amazon UK</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://amharte.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/amharte.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-6596" height="150" src="http://amharte.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/amharte.jpg?w=132&h=150" title="click for full size" width="132" /></a><b>Author Bio</b><br />
<a href="http://amharte.com/">A.M. Harte</a> writes twisted speculative fiction, such as the post-apocalyptic <b><i>Above Ground</i></b> and the zombie love anthology <b><i>Hungry For You</i></b>.
She is excellent at missing deadlines, has long forgotten what ‘free
time’ means, and is utterly addicted to chocolate. She lives in London, a
city not half as foggy as some seem to think.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/20e26d4/" id="rc-20e26d4" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-34453187983469219062012-09-02T21:54:00.001-07:002012-09-02T21:54:31.611-07:00EIGHTY NINE - LITERARY MIXTAPE ANTHOLOGY<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUelyHayN06peIHDZ1G1D90JN65jr7jKHYd9YhvQqMpPv1fpGRdi9sP-sDxviD165r6HTVt4lpxjn7bDUxfUoKmOetQ_CzWjY9MVCHpb3inJbmsqJH7f67TrpiXNnQtE7ADPuPjCpQWUQ/s1600/front-cover-EIGHTY-NINE-637x1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUelyHayN06peIHDZ1G1D90JN65jr7jKHYd9YhvQqMpPv1fpGRdi9sP-sDxviD165r6HTVt4lpxjn7bDUxfUoKmOetQ_CzWjY9MVCHpb3inJbmsqJH7f67TrpiXNnQtE7ADPuPjCpQWUQ/s400/front-cover-EIGHTY-NINE-637x1024.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Editor: Jodi Cleghorn</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br />
<i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Literary Mix Tapes, 2011</span></i><br />
ISBN: 978-0-9871126-6-8 (paperback)<br />
ISBN: 978-0-9871126-7-5 (eBook)<br />
Publication Date: October, 2011<br />
Dimensions: 203 x 127 mm (Perfect Bound)<br />
Pages: 178<br />
Cover Artwork: Blake Byrnes<br />
</span><a href="http://literarymixtapes.com/ebook/LMT89sample.pdf"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Download Sample (PDF)</span></a><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span><br />
<br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">1989: a cusp between decades.</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The year the Berlin Wall came down and
Voyager went up. Ted Bundy and Emperor Hirohito died. The birth of the first
Bush administration and computer virus.</span></i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></i></b><br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In San Francisco and Newcastle the ground
shook, in Chernobyl it melted. Tiananmen Square rocked the world and Tank Man
imprinted on the international consciousness. Communism and Thatcherism began
their decline, Islamic fundamentalism its rise.</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It was the year Batman burst onto the big
screen, we went back to the future (again), Indiana Jones made it a trifecta at
the box office and Michael Damian told us to rock on.</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Based on a play
list of <a href="http://literarymixtapes.com/2011/04/19/89-playlist-author-line-up/">26 songs released in 1989</a>, Eighty Nine re-imagines the social,
political, cultural and personal experiences at the end of the decade which
gave the world mullets, crimped hair, neon-coloured clothing, acid-wash denim,
keytars, the walkman, Live Aid, the first compact disc and MTV.</span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I was given a copy of <b><i><a href="http://emergent-publishing.com/bookstore/eighty-nine/">Eighty Nine</a></i></b>
by the editor, Jodi Cleghorn, without any expectation of promotion. When I read
the collection, I was so delighted by the consistent quality of the stories, I
offered to post reviews.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Anthologies, even from a single author we
admire, tend to be a bit up and down depending on our individual tastes. I read
the opening stories of Eighty Nine and enjoyed them, then found I was up to the
middle of the book and still reading avidly without wanting to pause, not even
between stories. There are 26 individual tales here, based, as the blurb
reveals, on a playlist of songs from 1989, and I did not rate any one of them
less than a high 3 from 5. In those cases where I liked them less, it is
definitely a question of taste rather than poor penmanship. Every story brings
a different style and a different subject, [all a little bleak, as reflects the
mood at the end of the nineteen eighties] so I will share those I enjoyed most.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">30 Years in
the Bathroom</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">, by <a href="http://blog.icysedgwick.com/">Icy
Sedgwick</a>– It is 1989 and Diana Phelps, an aging star, stares at her
reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her age is well hidden, but she made her
film debut thirty years earlier and now not even her beauty is sufficient to
bring her the work she loves or the adoration she craves. Reduced to begging,
she pleads for Aphrodite to renew her charms, but the gods are as fickle as
fame</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>(5)</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Nowhere Land,</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">by <a href="http://www.mariakellyauthor.com/">Maria
Kelly</a>– The residents of Area Zero watch as a new inmate is discharged from
The Bullet. It’s a door, the only link they have with the real world, and they
hope endlessly for a newcomer with a textbook that will help them understand
where they are. They are dissidents: names and faces who simply disappeared, and
they live in barracks to defend themselves from the monsters that inhabit this
nowhere land. If only they could find a way back…. <b>(5)</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Chronical
Child, </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">by <a href="http://www.lilymulholland.com/">Lily
Mulholland</a>– At the Imperial mausoleum in Hachioji, Kiko-chan remembers her
life as the Emperor Hirohito’s beloved concubine. She combs her hair, tugging
free memories of her love and the warnings she offered in the hope he would
choose love over duty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>(5)</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Amir</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">, </span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">by <a href="http://www.benjaminsolah.com/blog">Benjamin
Solah</a>- One of the stories that made me weep, as it brings the image of the
lone, unarmed student in Tiananmen Square and the horror that image represented
into every other field of war. <i>Amir</i> is the story of solidarity, a word <i>du
jour</i> for 1989, when artists and students stood up to tanks. <b>(5)</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The Banging on
the Door</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">,</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> by <a href="http://www.jonathancrossfield.com/">Jonathan Crossfield</a>– As the tide
of political power swings in East Berlin, a <i>Stasi</i> informer flees from
the neighbours he once monitored. Alone in the dark forest, in a hovel that
offers scant protection from the elements, he meets with the spirit of another
who has been hounded from safety by a witch-hunt. There, he learns to fear what
his neighbours once feared most: the banging on the door. <b>(5)</b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Cocaine, My
Sweetheart</span></i></b><b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">, </span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">by <a href="http://www.jodicleghorn.com/">Jodi
Cleghorn</a>– And as a last recommendation, a nod to the editor herself. In a
slightly different tribute to 1989, this story leaves behind the political turmoil
and moves closer to more personal tragedies. Cocaine, the mistress of choice
for the 1980s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sequence of memories
that leaps from one reality to another carries Rebecca and Toby back into the
arms of their sweetheart. <b>(5)</b></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 2;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Table
of Contents</span></b></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Ashes to Ashes – <i>Adam Byatt<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[4]</i><br />
Shrödinger’s Cat – <i>Dale Challener Roe [4]</i><br />
Diavol – <i>Devin Watson [4]</i><br />
Nowhere Land – <i>Maria Kelly [5]</i><br />
Chronicle Child – <i>Lily Mulholland [5]</i><br />
Angelgate – <i>Tanya Bell [4]</i><br />
All I Wanted – <i>Rob Diaz [3]</i><br />
Drilling Oil – <i>Kaolin Imago Fire [3]</i><br />
30 Years in the Bathroom – <i>Icy Sedgwick [5]</i><br />
Amir – <i>Benjamin Solah [5]</i><br />
Over the Wall in a Bubble – <i>Susan May James[3]</i><br />
Disintegration – <i>Stacey Larner [4]</i><br />
Choices – <i>Laura Eno<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[4]</i><br />
Divided – <i>Emma Newman [5]</i><br />
Blueprints in the Dark -<i> Rebecca Dobbie [4]</i><br />
Eighteen for Life – <i>Jo Hart [3]</i><br />
New Year, Old Love – <i>Jim Bronyaur [3]</i><br />
Solider Out of Time – <i>Laura Meyer [3]</i><br />
The Story Bridge – <i>Josh Donellan<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[4]</i><br />
If I Could Turn Back Time – <i>Alison Wells [4]</i><br />
An Exquisite Addition – <i>Paul Anderson<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>[5]</i><br />
Maggie’s Rat – <i>Cath Barton<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[4]</i><br />
The Banging on the Door – <i>Jonathan Crossfield<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[5]</i><br />
Now Voyager II – <i>Monica Marier<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[4]</i><br />
Cocaine, My Sweetheart – <i>Jodi Cleghorn<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>[5]</i><br />
Paragon – <i>Jason Coggin<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>[4]</i></span></div>
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<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><br /></td><td style="border: none; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 239.4pt;" valign="top" width="319"><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">All up, this is high quality short general
fiction. Some readers might disagree with my ratings, marking some stories higher
and others lower. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe, however,
that all readers will enjoy this selection as much as I have.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Excellent. Recommended without reservation. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpM2Pe6qbV0kWz_MAr7lLC558qLIsB9BN1MnbMB1d3GJwSubPhwltaLm7qShlz7x90Sq673vsqHqHSOZOy0lY7BNeBgjErDRyCFFvOe9UHqUT8ozaf8p3k0wqFi0-yAnGH8rp0uV4hIs/s1600/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpM2Pe6qbV0kWz_MAr7lLC558qLIsB9BN1MnbMB1d3GJwSubPhwltaLm7qShlz7x90Sq673vsqHqHSOZOy0lY7BNeBgjErDRyCFFvOe9UHqUT8ozaf8p3k0wqFi0-yAnGH8rp0uV4hIs/s320/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://literarymixtapes.com/about/">Literary Mix Tapes</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> is the creative brainchild of </span><a href="http://emergent-publishing.com/"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">eMergent
Publishing</span></a><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">’s co-founder
Jodi Cleghorn, inspired by the practice of recording mix tapes on a double tape
deck as a teenager in the 80′s and early 90′s.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The
anthologies are a cross pollination of music and writing, and have roots in
Cleghorn’s search for new ways to inspire fiction and encourage writers to work
together. Built on a ‘collective submissions platform’ and tapping into the
crowd-sourcing potential of social media and networking, the anthologies
reflect eMergent Publishing’s determination to push the boundaries of the
anthology and collaborative work, and to bring the freshest stories and newest
authors to lovers of speculative short fiction.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Bio - editor
and creative director:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Jodi Cleghorn is the Creative
Director at eMergent Publishing and Managing Editor of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Chinese Whisperings</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Literary
Mix Tapes</b> imprints. Passionate about short stories and a mad innovator of
new anthology and collaborative models, Jodi creates publishing opportunities
for emerging writers and is working to revive the close and supportive
relationship editors and authors once thrived in. In her spare time she chases
her own characters across an often dark narrative landscape.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">EMAIL:
jodi.cleghorn@emergent-publishing.com</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Anthologies in the series, available at </span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the eMP <a href="http://emergent-publishing.com/bookstore/">bookstore. </a></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Nothing
But Flowers </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Eighty
Nine </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Deck
the Halls </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Tiny
Dancer </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Three anthologies are slated for
release in 2013 based on the music and events of 1968, and the songs <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hotel California</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sympathy for the Devil</i>.</span></div>
Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-88015737253231404502012-08-12T22:56:00.000-07:002012-08-12T22:56:10.765-07:00WAITING FOR DAYBREAK - AMANDA McNEIL<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxTtWYexrs_0Wft58ENCd4_x9RQ6UWeIo42tVFa-KPIVsR5dtOfiqa4-WsqHLv_9Y17BDPYYTtYgLtc3-fFqdxzqbsmIIibaw9WmYnYT1tihLBt3MA7YXboIyvccCgYRtT8rtOBUsL98/s1600/wfdbcoverfinal1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxTtWYexrs_0Wft58ENCd4_x9RQ6UWeIo42tVFa-KPIVsR5dtOfiqa4-WsqHLv_9Y17BDPYYTtYgLtc3-fFqdxzqbsmIIibaw9WmYnYT1tihLBt3MA7YXboIyvccCgYRtT8rtOBUsL98/s320/wfdbcoverfinal1.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Post-apocalyptic science fiction.</i><br />
<br />
<i>What is normal?</i><br />
<br />
<i>Frieda has never felt normal. She feels every emotion too strongly and
lashes out at herself in punishment. But one day when she stays home
from work too depressed to get out of bed, a virus breaks out turning
her neighbors into flesh-eating, brain-hungry zombies. As her survival
instinct kicks in keeping her safe from the zombies, Frieda can’t help
but wonder if she now counts as healthy and normal, or is she still
abnormal compared to every other human being who is craving brains?</i>
<br />
<br />
This book was requested for review. I am a long time follower of Amanda's reviews.<br />
<br />
Since I read 'Waiting for Daybreak', Amanda
has begun her promotional blog tour and she has had a chance to express
her intention in writing this story more clearly than in a 200 word
blurb. That is a very good thing. I hope that readers like myself who
have followed her reviews will have followed the blog tour and gained a
feel for her book's strengths, and so will not be holding expectations
of the book which it was not intended to meet.<br />
<br />
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If I had begun reading knowing what to expect, a YA story of emotional development, I would have
given grace to the author and trusted her to introduce me to Frieda and her
innermost fears. Instead, I began reading a post-apocalyptic science fiction zombie story, well written but with some flaws.
That made me wary, and I questioned, then, what Frieda was revealing to me.</div>
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<br /></div>
I wavered for a long time over a rating for <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0088JSBP6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=opiofawol-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0088JSBP6">Waiting for Daybreak</a></b></i>. I couldn’t decide between a three – ‘this is an okay read, but….’ and a four – ‘this was a good book; it ticked most
of the boxes; go ahead and read it.’<br />
<br />
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I settled on the four stars so I should start with what I
loved about it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is not a long book and it moves along at a clip. The
story flies by and it is thoroughly engrossing, with periods of action and
adrenaline nicely balanced by periods of memory and self-reflection. The sense
of danger and suspense is well developed, and the narrator’s doubts and fears
are easily understood. It is not hard to empathize with the characters in this
book.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The main character, Frieda, has a dissociative mental
illness. She is socially inept and has a history of deep depression, substance
abuse, and self-harm. Her journey toward daybreak is compelling and well told.
As a book <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">about</i></b> Frieda, it is well worthy of its four stars.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But ….</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To begin with the coloquialism of the grammar and syntax grated every now and then. As I read on, however, I decided that as a first-person
present-tense narrative, I was reading the words of the character and not the
author, so that minus moved closer to a plus.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Secondly, as with most addictions, self-mutilation acts a
dampener to emotional development, which explains the immaturity of Frieda’s
actions and reactions. Her flawed decision making processes would then also have
been deliberately plotted by the author. But it was difficult at first to know if they
were intentional or if Frieda was an awkward characterization, acting as the author
believes any reader in the same position might act. In the end I decided it
didn’t matter; she is as she is and she acts as she does. As a vessel for
sharing understanding of mental illness, she is better than many. Again, as I continued reading I became more aware and more convinced of the fact that I was following Frieda's inner story more than an apocalyptic story.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Ultimately, these issues only arose because I struggled with the genre tags. With the freedom of
self-publication, genre definitions are being blurred and discarded. That is
fine, but it can make it hard for readers to connect to the stories they enjoy and for authors to direct their work toward its ideal market. By its nature this book is going to appeal to readers of two distinct
types, and I am not certain either of them will find what they want unless the reader understands exactly what it is about.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is framed, primarily, as a post-apocalypse zombie
survival story. As such it does not work very well; it is two dimensional. The opening scenes are straight out of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480249/">‘I Am Legend’</a>, the
remainder from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365748/">‘Shaun of the Dead’</a>, with the splatter/melodrama/comedy intact.
I apologize if that sounds harsh, but there is no nuance at all in this
zombocalypse. It does not seem well thought out in regard
to Frieda’s methods of survival, or the series of events that establish the
story in its place. I need not go into detail about the sole surviving pet which
is inexplicably left to wander the streets, or securing food and water
supplies, or the choice of safe living quarters, or the changing circumstance
of likely zombie attack, etc. True devotees of zombie tales are likely to shred these elements.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second group of readers, however, those who enjoy a sympathetic
journey through the worst experiences of young adult angst, will find a gem.
It is a story which asks the reader to question what is normal, as Frieda is forced to examine her darkest demons - those inside her head not those outside. I am not entirely sure they <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">will</i></b> find it, hidden as it is in
its zombie-colored camouflage. The zombie apocalypse is no more than a crisis
event on which to hang the threads of a deeper emotional story, and that is not
made plain in the introductory blurb.<br />
<br /></div>
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In summary, properly marketed so that it finds its way to
its best readership, this book is deserving of four stars. If it is picked up
by zombie aficionados, it will suffer. I hope the author reaches her intended market.
Its tags at Amazon clearly show a primary reference to the lesser
zombie/horror without mention of the superior emotional interior landscape. [zombies, horror
fiction, dead series, post-apocalyptic, zombie apocalypse, etc] Its tags need boosting toward soul-searching, mental illness, and personal development.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapAzuACuYhN62bpzKT1WlowviuXdRiiguxNB1d09JpqIHJnBWd7mf9Txjhr0YcE5wFxyQASMwcswBcTYXs0rxlQaVR2Ss_0oFGKMS52miwuMV027Hzyfg1-Wh5jvEfMTqO51FTG2M8L8/s1600/4Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhapAzuACuYhN62bpzKT1WlowviuXdRiiguxNB1d09JpqIHJnBWd7mf9Txjhr0YcE5wFxyQASMwcswBcTYXs0rxlQaVR2Ss_0oFGKMS52miwuMV027Hzyfg1-Wh5jvEfMTqO51FTG2M8L8/s200/4Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>About Amanda McNeil</b>: <i>I’m a 20-something, unmarried, child-free Bostonian! I love animals,
actively advocate for animal rights, and have been a vegetarian since
January 1, 2007. I consider myself to be an agnostic humanist, although
a friend jokingly said I’m more like a hedonist humanist. As for my credentials, I received my BA from Brandeis University in
History (concentration on US History) and English and American
Literature with a minor in Religious Studies. I graduated in January of
2011 with my MLIS from Simmons College.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><br /></i>
<i>I believe that people with mental illnesses should be loved and
helped, not stigmatized or demonized. Due to my passion for those
struggling with mental illnesses and their loved ones, I created the
Mental Illness Advocacy (MIA) Reading Challenge. Please do take a
moment to check out the<a href="http://opinionsofawolf.wordpress.com/mia-reading-challenge/" target="_blank"> dedicated page</a> and consider broadening your reading horizons!</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://opinionsofawolf.wordpress.com/">Author's website</a>. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Contact: opinionsofawolf[at]gmail[dot]com</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Other works:</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://scars.tv/dirt-new-issue.htm" target="_blank">The Most Lovely Morning</a></i> Short story in <i>Down in the Dirt</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://69flavorsofparanoia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=289&Itemid=374" target="_blank">The Tale of Leroy of the Backwoods of Vermont</a></i> Short story in <i>69 Flavors of Paranoia</i><i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i> </i><i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005C1AMK0/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=opiofawol-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B005C1AMK0">Ecstatic Evil</a> </i> paranormal romance novella</div>
<i><br /></i></div>
</div>
Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-86947515372034180872012-08-05T23:29:00.000-07:002012-08-05T23:29:13.263-07:00Guest post - Author, Amanda McNeil<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GxrKNF6k_Oj3PDEK4G8tVJT_CLZYIt542I4dki6dcSU8Uu8vMfZi_DtV7G7McQJ_NdKFAJILRwCWQ5omyuSLWZok9mGY8kZznZUV3KYTzGMCC2vuWHzQdNhIAGwTLS7mTersvVsvMIw/s1600/AuthorPic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GxrKNF6k_Oj3PDEK4G8tVJT_CLZYIt542I4dki6dcSU8Uu8vMfZi_DtV7G7McQJ_NdKFAJILRwCWQ5omyuSLWZok9mGY8kZznZUV3KYTzGMCC2vuWHzQdNhIAGwTLS7mTersvVsvMIw/s320/AuthorPic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
Writing about the apocalypse and
post-apocalypse allows for a world that no other genre quite does, although
parallel universes come close. It is
recognizable as our world, but not quite.
Streets are laid out like ours.
Buildings are how they’ve always been.
People are still people. They
fight, laugh, drink, have sex. But
everything is just a little bit off.
Maybe the people now are all missing their pinky toes or are blind. Maybe the buildings are mostly deserted. It leaves the reader and the story in a
setting that is familiar and yet off.
For <i>Waiting For Daybreak</i>, this was precisely the vibe I needed to
tell my story.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
The question that got the story
going in my head is the one featured on the blog tour banner and in the book
blurb: What is normal? An easy way to
examine normal is to completely change the normative setting. Whereas normal as we know it is approximately
10% of the population mentally ill and the rest mentally healthy, normal in
Frieda’s post-apocalyptic world is 90% flesh-eating zombie and 10% mentally ill
but with no craving for brains. This
immediately changes everything about what we know and perceive about mental
illness. Is it really so ill when the
only other option is zombie? And if it’s
not, what does that say about how we perceive the mentally ill in our totally
not post-apocalyptic (although perhaps not entirely free of zombies) world?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
The beauty of post-apocalyptic
scifi and indeed scifi in general is that it allows us to experiment within our
own imagination how things might be if they were different. This is seen beautifully in works of classic
feminist scifi that imagine matriarchies, gender-neutral worlds, gender free
worlds, and even just simply gender equal worlds. But sexism isn’t the only problem in the modern-day
world that we might want to explore and address via scifi, is it? </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
It goes beyond imagining our
problems turned on their heads or eliminated, though. Too frequently the norm is held up and
revered as the best, the brightest, the ultimate thing to achieve. Not everyone sees it that way. So making the norm zombies? Well, maybe that might help people who are
the norm, who are the majority, see how things can feel sometimes for the rest
of us.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
***** </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<b>Excerpt</b> - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-For-Daybreak-ebook/dp/B0088JSBP6/ref=sr_1_2_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339138081&sr=1-2"><i><b>Waiting for Daybreak.</b></i></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> My eyes have adjusted to the dark in a way they never used to back
when Boston was perpetually lit with street lamps. Losing electricity was actually the thing
that bugged me the least about the whole incident. Guess that's one way being raised in the
country prepared me for this. A bottle
of vodka sits next to me. Although I
know it's almost purely superstition, I drink it whenever I worry that I'm
getting sick or have been exposed to something.
My daddy always said that alcohol is better for you than any
medicine. Smiling, I take a swig, and it
gives the old familiar pleasant burn down my throat. That's one positive thing about society
falling apart. So much free liquor from
raiding the package stores. Plus you
don't have to keep it refrigerated like beer.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> I set the bottle down and
grasp my therapy journal. The entries
used to be so full of anger. <i>Why
me? Why is my brain like this? Why did she do this to me? I can't trust anyone.</i> Now it veers more toward, <i>I'm so alone.</i> Anger has a hard time staying bottled up
inside you when you have to physically fight to stay alive. Instead of battling the world in my brain,
I'm battling it in reality.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> The world went crazy, and I got saner. That's the definition of irony right
there. Or maybe it's just all
relative. Anyone would look sane
compared to the Afflicted. Not to
mention compared to the politicians and military strategists who got us into
this mess to start with.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> I take another swig,
swishing it around in my mouth before swallowing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> I always had a sneaking suspicion that all that drama with the
Middle East would lead to no good, but of course I never would say so. People would only accuse me of being
pessimistic at best and racist at worst.
In fact, it has nothing to do with what I think about people in the
Middle East. It has everything to do
with what I think about politicians.
They're power-crazy assholes, each and every one of them. They step on us little people willy-nilly in
their power-crazy trips, and people who normally would just shrug at each
other's existence, or even be friends, are informed by politicians that they
are enemies. Too bad not enough people
realized it to stand up to the big bullies before they went and ruined
everything.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> I catch myself in the
obsessive loop and stop. <i>No use
crying over spilled milk</i>, I tell myself.
<i>No use crying over spilled milk.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> Obsessively thinking the same thing over and over again is a
symptom of my illness, and it happens more when I'm bored. It used to bug me, but now it just helps pass
the time. It's hard to explain the
obsessive thoughts to someone who's never suffered from them. They fly by at break-neck speed in a circle
that catches you in its loop like a snare, and you're flying around as if
you're caught on a demonic merry-go-round.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;">One that I come back to quite frequently:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>If I hadn't called in sick to work because I was depressed because I'd
dissociated the night before then I would have been at the epicenter of the
outbreak in Boston. I wonder if I would
have survived? Did I only survive
because I dissociated the night before? If
I hadn't called in sick to work because I was depressed</i>....</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> Dissociation. It was
always the number one issue I had with my illness back before the incident, and
now it's still my number one fear.
Blacking out. No recollection of
entire portions of my life where I'm still moving around and doing things. If the reports from people who were present
for my dissociative moments before the incident are any indication, I don't
tend to make smart decisions when dissociating.
I'm rash, angry, and violent.
Heck, if my brains were leaking out my nose you could probably mistake
me for one of the Afflicted. You can probably
see why this behavior isn't the best for survival when surrounded by an
apocalyptic society still booby-trapped with the Afflicted. On the other hand, rash, angry, and violent
could make for some seriously awesome Afflicted ass-kicking. Maybe that's really why I've survived this
long.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">***** </span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The blog tour continues with more reviews, chats, interviews, and giveaways galore. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span><b>Tour Schedule:</b><br />
<b> </b>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyVehZxRaQdhG2DleDFDlCi2SoBOx_PVCFrSJ84s3QfC1hBxBNBE4DU3d3BrxShUxPkueXmGJEFclvD9UJwuP1sx-Y7iadKHPDuuOeHwtW0XmglZGKjSUPfvJk5hS1xTBMA8Rnze2yAw/s1600/cover_waitingfordaybreak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwyVehZxRaQdhG2DleDFDlCi2SoBOx_PVCFrSJ84s3QfC1hBxBNBE4DU3d3BrxShUxPkueXmGJEFclvD9UJwuP1sx-Y7iadKHPDuuOeHwtW0XmglZGKjSUPfvJk5hS1xTBMA8Rnze2yAw/s320/cover_waitingfordaybreak.jpg" width="227" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>6 – </b><a href="http://elliehallstoryteller.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ellie Hall</a> <br />
<a href="http://vampirekiss1967.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Eva’s Sanctuary</a> <br />
<b>7 – </b><a href="http://rebgeo.net/" target="_blank">Kindle Fever</a> <br />
<b>10 – </b><a href="http://www.lilyelement.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Lily Element</a> <br />
<b>11 –</b><a href="http://wickedlybookish.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Wickedly Bookish</a> <br />
<b>13 – </b><a href="http://elliehallstoryteller.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Ellie Hall</a> / <b>14 -</b> <a href="http://1889.ca/" target="_blank">1889 Labs</a> <br />
<b>14 – </b><a href="http://bloodsweatandbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blood, Sweat, and Books</a> <br />
<b>15 – </b><a href="http://www.thebookhoard.com/" target="_blank"> The Book Hoard</a> <br />
<b>16 – </b><a href="http://wingedpersephone.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Persephone’s Winged Reviews</a> <br />
<b>17 – </b><a href="http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Offbeat Vagabond</a> <br />
<b>18 – </b><a href="http://mervih.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Mervi’s Book Reviews</a> <br />
<b>20 –</b><a href="http://www.paperlessreading.com/" target="_blank"> Paperless Reading</a> <br />
<b>21 – </b><a href="http://killie-booktalk.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">An Eclectic Bookshelf</a> <br />
<b>22 – </b><a href="http://www.bookstacksondeck.com/" target="_blank">Book Stacks On Deck</a> <br />
<b>28 – </b><a href="http://puretextuality.com/" target="_blank"> Pure Textuality</a> <br />
<b>29 – </b><a href="http://justalillost.com/" target="_blank"> Just a Lil’ Lost…</a> <br />
<a href="http://lifeand100books.com/" target="_blank">Reflections of a Book
Addict</a> <br />
<b>30 – </b><a href="http://librarygirl.org/obsessions/" target="_blank">Obsessions of a
LibraryGurl</a> <br />
<a href="http://lifeand100books.com/" target="_blank">Reflections of a Book Addict</a> <br />
<b>31 – </b><a href="http://opinionsofawolf.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Opinions of a Wolf</a> <br />
<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11.0pt; font-weight: normal;"><b>About the author:</b> <i>Amanda is an
energetic, masters degree educated, 20-something happily living in an attic
apartment in Boston with her shelter-adopted cat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She writes scifi, horror, urban fantasy,
literary fiction, and paranormal romance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She has previously published short stories and a novella.</i></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;"><i> </i></span></h3>
</div>
</div>
</div>Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-20999694790094496012012-06-25T03:11:00.000-07:002012-06-25T03:11:16.873-07:00AMONG THE SONS OF SETH - JENNIFER L ARMSTRONG<br />
<div style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuNsG9-YBMwIhZYtUlBTr0X6erceFggnEZWfIK9FJUhwvTHx7QN4IlGjCMI0HJAT3bXZ4uiKc7fMeElmSy_TjfGwQKW2oDovuUBLkx6QDXW5xLcrEHNn8M-WbNWHD7ESa3OAhnX7IIYE/s1600/Among-the-sons-of-Seth-Poster1reduced.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYuNsG9-YBMwIhZYtUlBTr0X6erceFggnEZWfIK9FJUhwvTHx7QN4IlGjCMI0HJAT3bXZ4uiKc7fMeElmSy_TjfGwQKW2oDovuUBLkx6QDXW5xLcrEHNn8M-WbNWHD7ESa3OAhnX7IIYE/s320/Among-the-sons-of-Seth-Poster1reduced.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<i> It is rumoured that Yah moves among the
settlements of Seth.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Havilah lives
and works in the first city, Enoch. Nearby, men toil in the copper mines; while
her brother crafts exquisite pieces of bronze work that she and her sister will
sell in the marketplace.</i></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">After a
shocking revelation, Havilah realises her personal connection to the book of
forgotten knowledge that has been kept in a neglected trunk by her family for
as long as she can remember. Seeking deeper understanding, she will have to
leave behind everything familiar and find Hawwa, the mother of all living. </i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
I have read all of Jennifer Armstrong’s books with the exception of her
children’s series, <a href="http://free-online-novels.com/jennifer2.html"><i><b>The Kent Family Adventures</b></i></a>, and enjoyed each one. She has used
different styles and voices in the dozen novels she has penned so far and seems
to enjoy experimenting with the forms of her work. <a href="http://free-online-novels.com/"><i><b>Among
the Sons of Seth</b></i></a> is her first foray into historical fiction.<br />
<br />
As a basis for the story, she has taken two chapters from Genesis that even bible scholars
tend to skip over. They are chapters five and six, one of the ‘begat’ lists -
the generations from Adam to Noah. From this scant detail and her readings of
the <i><b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Enoch">Book of Enoch</a></b></i> she has fleshed out
the Biblical equivalent of the myths of Atlantis.<br />
<br />
Through the eyes of a young woman, Havilah, the story is told in the first
person, present tense and begins in the city of Enoch, built by Cain on the 'Plains of Wandering', the land of Nod, east of Eden. Just as Havilah is promised
to marry a stranger in town, a strong and wealthy man who would make her the
envy of all the young women of her city, she learns that she is not the child
of her mother Zillah but the orphaned daughter of a man from the among the
sons of Seth.<br />
<br />
Strange scrolls kept in a trunk at her brother’s house have always
fascinated Havilah, and with the shock of learning about her heritage comes the
overwhelming desire to know who her true people are. Leaving the promise of
wealth and prestige for the dangers of a long journey alone through unknown
lands, she sets out to find answers about who she really is and what it is to
belong among the sons of God who were not banished from their family.<br />
<br />
This is a time when men lived for centuries and, according to historian
Josephus, had enormous numbers of children. They co-existed with mythical
creatures and built great monuments. In her lifetime Havilah watched as
civilizations rose steadily and the populations spread out across the world,
and despaired as it began its inevitable slide into decay.<br />
<br />
Havilah, renamed Baraka, tells her story as it happens with great immediacy
and emotion. Her life and the truths she discovers; the births of her children
and grandchildren; her journeys, her loves and her losses are all revealed
against the backdrop of this ancient world.<br />
<br />
It is difficult to say whether someone who is not at least sympathetic to
Creationist theology would enjoy reading <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Among the Sons of Seth</i></b>. It is very
much like the bible stories we learned as children, revealing the great names
of the Old Testament as real people with all the same day to day trials we
recognize today. The author’s convictions are woven deeply through the fabric
of the novel; I’m not sure it can be read as if it were intended as mere
fiction. It is, perhaps, best described as an explanation of how life might
have been for real people if they lived from the time of creation to the time
of Noah’s great flood.<br />
<br />
If you have no interest in or an aversion to these teachings, steer clear,
it’s not for you.<br />
<br />
Speaking to Christian readers who enjoy the opportunity to find stories not
often told in mainstream literature, I can highly recommend this book. The
author’s BA in Theology, her familiarity with ancient texts and modern
discussion on the antediluvian world, and her passion for the warmth and
simplicity of life and culture in the Holy Lands shines through. Her characters
are well drawn and easy to love. She also manages to steer the story through
centuries and multitudes of characters without bogging the reader down in the sheer
weight of numbers.<br />
<br />
The simple conversational style of writing makes it a winner and an excellent
story to be read for younger children.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiO9dhVvHUCNkUSYYF8G65KAsykp1Iqml56lM5Qu6VgoRZKRUEUHxkQ999jkka1_CFr6_LoeC-IwWcQhCts7jEfIRDAsgaXQJY9lX_N7hcXGYACICsS77j8iHQCUoPo5ibLZS1G3RX5B8/s1600/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="37" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiO9dhVvHUCNkUSYYF8G65KAsykp1Iqml56lM5Qu6VgoRZKRUEUHxkQ999jkka1_CFr6_LoeC-IwWcQhCts7jEfIRDAsgaXQJY9lX_N7hcXGYACICsS77j8iHQCUoPo5ibLZS1G3RX5B8/s200/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>About the author:</b><i> Jennifer L. Armstrong was educated at Ambassador College where she
received a B.A. in Theology in 1993. It was also the setting for her
first novel, <b><i>The Society for the Betterment of Mankind</i>.</b> A
summer archaeological dig at Hazor, Israel - combined with a tour of the
Holy Land - started an interest in all things Middle Eastern. In 1999,
she began publishing her novels online. Free Online Novels was
launched to benefit both readers and writers. </i></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://free-online-novels.com/index.html">Jennifer's novels include:</a>
<i> </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>The Society for the Betterment of Mankind</i>, <i> </i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Somewhere Between Longview and Miami</i>, <i> </i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Last King of Damascus</i>, <i> </i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>The Unlikely Association of Meg and Harry</i>,</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Death Among the Dinosaurs</i>, <i> </i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Prophet</i>, <i> </i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>A Good Man</i>, <i> </i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Sami's Special Blend</i>, <i> </i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Among the Sons of Seth</i>,</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
the <b><i>Kent Family Adventures</i></b>,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and <b><i>Dreaming in Arabic</i>,</b>
a chronicle of her experiences </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
in the Middle East and how they led to a
change </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
in her perception of Israel and her Christian faith.</div>
<br />
<br />Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-16198390690633191622012-06-19T23:16:00.001-07:002012-06-20T01:09:05.936-07:00LAST MAN OUT OF EDEN - DAN HOLLOWAY<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWvpxcBnu5Xlo8J2J1VwSpC9DadmtSxhGMIKs3lyIPHI9OGtp7Xa_Ud9c8819H8tGFMAevALqT1H1_PO5Q08be6qHfhFIHXV3ZcO4etrruX2OjepfZ-r-a-8FwOiEG9u1mwp6v-Ah6-4/s1600/cover-frontDAN2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWvpxcBnu5Xlo8J2J1VwSpC9DadmtSxhGMIKs3lyIPHI9OGtp7Xa_Ud9c8819H8tGFMAevALqT1H1_PO5Q08be6qHfhFIHXV3ZcO4etrruX2OjepfZ-r-a-8FwOiEG9u1mwp6v-Ah6-4/s320/cover-frontDAN2.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Poems about hope in
the face of disappointment from award-winning performance poet and Literary
Death Match winner , with a lyrical confessional style that takes in equal
amounts from Ferlinghetti, Tracey Emin, and Patti Smith’s Just Kids. These
poems celebrate the healing powers of time, non-violence, and remembrance but
above all carry a simple message:<br />
<br />
"Celebrate the lives of those you love because one day they won’t be with you
any longer and you’ll be left writing poetry about how you wish you’d loved
them more." [Also available as a <a href="http://danholloway.wordpress.com/">CD and pamphlet</a>]</i><b><i> </i></b><br />
<br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/dan-holloway/last-man-out-of-eden/paperback/product-20114841.html">Last Man out of Eden</a> </i>- for a teaser check his <a href="http://lastmanoutofeden.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every time the wind changes direction these days, another
theory emerges on how the ebook and the digital revolution have changed the
fundamental way stories should be shared. Print, that is. While many orators
wax lyrical about the pleasures of paper and the destruction of Literary cathedrals
and publishing edifices, Dan Holloway is likely to be a voice of dissention. While hundreds of thousands join the hoards in the market square screaming praise for their
latest DIY yet-to-break-bestseller, he is likely to be reminding us that <a href="http://workshyfop.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/we-need-more-bad-books.html">‘indie’</a>
was a subculture before it became a fashionably acceptable substitute term for
Self-Published.<br />
<br />
Not because he has no love of the printed word or because he wants
to limit anyone’s free expression, but because he passionately advocates the fundamentally
interactive nature of storytelling.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The digital revolution is one way in which exclusivity has
been eroded in the writing and sharing of stories, but Dan is one of a growing
number of artists who are taking their work out of the cold metal box and
bringing it live to the stage or the pub or the street.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He is more likely to be <a href="http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/yourtown/oxford/9624321._Not_the_Literary_Festival__proves_a_hit/">stapling
poems </a>to lamp posts or hosting a<a href="http://eightcuts.com/?s=slam">
poetry slam</a> than sitting in a dusty book-lined nook creating beautiful prose
for the elect. He does do that, though. He has several books you might like to
check out, including the one I’m here to talk about today.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before I get to that, I’d like to mention some other ways he
works to bring artists together with their audience. I first discovered him
through <a href="http://yearzerowriters.wordpress.com/">Year Zero Writers</a>,
a collective of superbly skilled writers who share a blog and chat from time to
time. That led me to <a href="http://eightcuts.com/">eight cuts</a>, a
publisher for independent artists and a gallery showing exhibitions of members’
works, promoting live performances and festivals, and even hosting interactive
mixed media arts tours online. When he isn’t doing the moderator thing at those
venues, or planning and directing <a href="http://eightcuts.com/the-new-libertines-2011-tour/">‘The New Libertines</a>’
[eight cuts gallery’s touring troupe of troubadour tearaways], or <a href="http://agnieszkasshoes.blogspot.com.au/">blogging</a> and encouraging
indie authors to get their hands into the wash of the masses, or working on his
newest project, <a href="http://thecynicalselfpublisher.blogspot.com.au/">‘The
Cynical Self-publisher’</a> [Passionate and practical advice on self-publishing
for people who care about the content not the sales], he is likely to be
writing books and pamphlets.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
From the past, there are:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Songs-Other-Side-Wall-ebook/dp/B003LN1UBG" target="_blank">Songs from the Other Side of the Wall</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/life-razorblades-included-ebook/dp/B003QTDLBW" target="_blank">(life:) razorblades included </a></i>
<i><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Man-Painted-Agnieszkas-Shoes-ebook/dp/B004QGYH6M" target="_blank">The Man Who Painted Agnieszka's Shoes </a></i>
<i><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Heart-High-ebook/dp/B0053CPFDC" target="_blank">Black Heart High </a></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And today, those titles are joined by <b><i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Man-Out-Eden-ebook/dp/B0083LLM00/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337524450&sr=1-7">Last Man out of Eden</a>.</i></b></div>
<b><br /></b><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>About Dan Holloway: </b><i>2010 will go down as the year I celebrated life by writing about death. I
started eight cuts gallery, a place devoted to the richness of words and the
beautiful complexities of art and life.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I have met many people who inspire me: Heikki Hietala, Larry Harrison, Joan
Barbara Simon, Sarah Melville, Sarah Mayhew, Jenn Topper, Stuart Estell and
Remittance Girl, Penny Goring, Sabina England and Katelan Foisy to name a few.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Cody James is the best novelist of her generation. During a very heated
debate over her confessional approach to suicide, she wrote “Maybe there is no
way to leave the world a better place, and all that remains is to tell the
truth.” For me, that sums up why we write, and how we write.</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> “Be spectacular and die living.”</i><br />
<i> “It is better to try to be
extraordinary and fail than to try to be ordinary and succeed.”</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Art and life. We have to ditch that distinction for starters. And live. And
live. And going on living and never stop. Because we never know when it’ll end. </i>[Taken from <a href="http://danholloway.wordpress.com/about-me/manifesto/">Manifesto</a>]<i><br /></i></blockquote>
<br /></div>Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-55908251465871346422012-06-12T02:11:00.000-07:002012-06-12T17:18:20.959-07:00MERGE - YVONNE REID<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5OcdQQ0lRr8JpYVB4oy-FldRu-qTF9iRmNp3QEHnYH6GrG3glnhhJKECCj7bnS9cUsVrww45OpD1ub2vCeWXSBOFwW2kcn8MYhRrxkBXuAy0gHq73RZ5aPRlqIri_kT3uavf9bIfpNI/s1600/Merge+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz5OcdQQ0lRr8JpYVB4oy-FldRu-qTF9iRmNp3QEHnYH6GrG3glnhhJKECCj7bnS9cUsVrww45OpD1ub2vCeWXSBOFwW2kcn8MYhRrxkBXuAy0gHq73RZ5aPRlqIri_kT3uavf9bIfpNI/s320/Merge+Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>About MERGE</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Set in a world still reeling from the
discovery of transhumans, MERGE charts the loves, the betrayals, and the
struggle for survival as transhumans are rounded up and sent to live in
ghettos. Tensions are high, riots are brewing. The human race is about to come
undone. </span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><br />
Written collaboratively by AM Harte, Kit Iwasaki, MCM, and Yvonne Reid, the
thirteen-story series will follow four distinct, stand-alone storylines, and
will be published in quick succession between May 28–June 18. Only by reading
the final installment will you understand how the stories merge.</i> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
You can follow the blog tour by
checking the dates at <b><a href="http://1889.ca/merge/">1889 Labs</a>.<br />
</b><br />
<b> </b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Review</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">I had already enjoyed reading the
work of AM Harte, MCM, and Kit Iwasaki when I heard about the <b><a href="http://1889.ca/merge/">MERGE</a></b> project, so I was delighted to draw
Yvonne Reid as a subject for review. I had no experience of anything she’d
done, and I began reading with high hopes. By chance, the order I had loaded
her three stories meant I began reading ‘The Beggar’s Run’, the third part of
Yvonne’s trio of stories, first.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It
opens on a scene my imagination took straight out of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/">‘<i><b>Blade Runner’</b></i></a>, with bounty
hunter Harrison [see the link?] drinking, depressed, and staring at a ‘sky
turning to rust with smoke in the air’. It was hot but he felt cold, he was injured,
and he had no heart for the work he had to do.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Each
story in the Merge package stands alone and it was easy enough to read and
enjoy ‘The Beggar’s Run’ from a cold start, but when I went back and read each
story in order, I found Harrison was not as much like Deckard as I’d thought.
Luckily, there were enough similarities in the characters and action to allow
me to keep my comfortable image of his face and his city as I returned to the
first story, “<i><b>Long Way Down</b></i>” and began to read again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YulAiejTJA-0IhiAjmHj22MEEF17oWy3e7dzfnEFAQ9qqHuixMnUmdagroV-OBPfkIb1M__Q9BTbJPXOvemnS4vPedLQNzT_77cmvtUJo1XUXxoOIyZPM3lLH0JzjBpq-5y1R6r1zXY/s1600/1LongWayDownYvonneReid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8YulAiejTJA-0IhiAjmHj22MEEF17oWy3e7dzfnEFAQ9qqHuixMnUmdagroV-OBPfkIb1M__Q9BTbJPXOvemnS4vPedLQNzT_77cmvtUJo1XUXxoOIyZPM3lLH0JzjBpq-5y1R6r1zXY/s320/1LongWayDownYvonneReid.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00870HEVI">“<i><b>Long Way Down</b></i>”</a> begins with a
more motivated Harrison introducing himself as a homicide detective and following
instructions that come through an earpiece. Only after he meets and speaks with
his target do we begin to understand that he is not a policeman, and that his
actions - counting the floors of a building, jamming the lift doors open, bluffing
his way past questions - are the hunting skills that go with his job: finding
and ‘relocating’ transhumans to the ghettoes ‘for their own good’. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In
a short space of time we understand some of what it is like to be transhuman, why
some transhumans might choose<i> not</i> to
be relocated, and that Harrison is not as cold and efficient as he first seems.
There is also the hint that there are dangers far greater than privateers like
Harrison.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_TET8q88QPKN2qvXWdoQyJw16ISz8AHGIFlmXMs3b091zavUvU-UaX4R0hsgpqzA3Ybly1v1YXFRsLc6hp3ZzIILeMiL9ys2jQ5544weI-CxIB9m40xZNq4FAuaMXvfMOVGgGwkqW5U/s1600/2EvilTrueEvil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_TET8q88QPKN2qvXWdoQyJw16ISz8AHGIFlmXMs3b091zavUvU-UaX4R0hsgpqzA3Ybly1v1YXFRsLc6hp3ZzIILeMiL9ys2jQ5544weI-CxIB9m40xZNq4FAuaMXvfMOVGgGwkqW5U/s320/2EvilTrueEvil.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">The
second installment, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088SHGBC">“<i><b>Evil, True
Evil</b></i>”</a> takes us deeper into the moral quagmire Harrison has to negotiate.
The policy of isolating transhumans tears families apart, and transhuman children
are both dangerously unpredictable and pitifully innocent. Ramos Vasquez is only
a little boy, afraid for his mother if he’s taken away, and shattered by guilt,
believing God has cursed him for being naughty. In this story, however,
Harrison comes face to face with someone more evil than little Ramos could ever
imagine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcXH1J7QJ42HPcq37WQDA2Hsp9JVlDKTq2c4IJeI8GF-mKTMo3eeqFO_-krLwRnRLpLszR8XGiQicQ5Z3PU0_B3upz4UYxMrP6NyKeF9C5cBhyWtmLKMiwFej9YIwosorCus-_-0VqX0/s1600/3TheBeggarsRun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcXH1J7QJ42HPcq37WQDA2Hsp9JVlDKTq2c4IJeI8GF-mKTMo3eeqFO_-krLwRnRLpLszR8XGiQicQ5Z3PU0_B3upz4UYxMrP6NyKeF9C5cBhyWtmLKMiwFej9YIwosorCus-_-0VqX0/s320/3TheBeggarsRun.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"> Then
back to <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008AROTO8"><i><b>"The Beggar’s Run"</b></i></a>. It is easier this time to understand Harrison’s
depression and the bitter taste his job leaves in his mouth. He is injured. He
feels a failure. He isn’t in any shape to manage even the simplest job. This
is, of course, when fate forces him to take on the hardest task he could
imagine. He cannot rest to let his body heal and he cannot afford to fail.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;">With
the backstory securely in place and the characters all familiar, this story
more than the others is pure action and adrenaline. Adrenaline is, after all,
the only thing Harrison has to keep him moving. From the moment he realizes
what he has to do, time is against him and the decaying city has to be crossed,
somehow. He has always relied on security cameras, endlessly uploading to the
net, to do his job. Now those same cameras leave him nowhere to hide, and there
is evil stalking him every step of the way to the gates of the sanctuary.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Since
I read these three stories by Yvonne Reid, I have taken the opportunity to
download the other stories from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088ELXP6"><b>MERGE:
Week one</b>.</a> None of them were disappointing. I, for one, cannot wait for the
rest of the collection to be released. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72wOx3l1dqlTvJoM36RU4LjpeEzlzv_DYVZiWZAtoaFviLUraam2G_SaHiWIECJ4WbFG_RIUfFbY_XLeTNg4_o93cYXawd5PzdgMIMvRS4cbQ2PzUmF4aM_laV5q30hzXhuUvM7JLxV4/s1600/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="62" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh72wOx3l1dqlTvJoM36RU4LjpeEzlzv_DYVZiWZAtoaFviLUraam2G_SaHiWIECJ4WbFG_RIUfFbY_XLeTNg4_o93cYXawd5PzdgMIMvRS4cbQ2PzUmF4aM_laV5q30hzXhuUvM7JLxV4/s320/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>About 1889 Labs</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
1889 Labs is an independent publisher dedicated to producing the best strange
fiction conceivable by the human brain. Catering to a specific demographic of
men and women between the ages of 3 and 97, we print everything from kids books
to serious stories for adults. Our goal is to bring you on an amazing adventure
onscreen and off. We hope you’ll take us up on the offer. For more information
and our full list of titles, visit <b><a href="http://1889.ca/">http://1889.ca</a>.</b>
<br />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Disclosure</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;">It
is important to note that I write a monthly book review for 1889 Labs which is
provided free, and I have not received any payment or incentive for agreeing to
review titles from the MERGE series.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Giveaways</b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<div>
<ul id="prizes">
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> Brand new iPad plus ecopies of the entire MERGE series</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> Ecopies of the entire MERGE series plus a $10 Amazon/iTunes voucher</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"> Ecopies of 4 MERGE stories plus a $10 Amazon/iTunes voucher</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">For information on how to enter, go to </span><span style="font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://1889.ca/merge/">MERGE</a></b>.</span></div>
<br /></div>Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-42851717963621508872012-06-08T00:07:00.001-07:002012-06-19T15:16:14.876-07:00June 12th - MERGE<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj917siPq2vC4EAfkVvgUuSR_hLiDzxVJJLbA6UW_wVI3odDv0YrUONLkZ267ydnIjopRgbHbvJ5YJr31-EoD3J-0GD69o5NEyaGETNmraijDTZv58bSy3uW1fqfzPZHrfu6g6ygMc-B8/s1600/Merge+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj917siPq2vC4EAfkVvgUuSR_hLiDzxVJJLbA6UW_wVI3odDv0YrUONLkZ267ydnIjopRgbHbvJ5YJr31-EoD3J-0GD69o5NEyaGETNmraijDTZv58bSy3uW1fqfzPZHrfu6g6ygMc-B8/s320/Merge+Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
June 12th - As part of the <a href="http://1889.ca/merge/">MERGE</a> blog tour I will be reviewing the three parts by author, YVONNE REID.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tzhR2ylkCdgmHX4wiZRBiQppJPtzMoSvubKe0cS549FOhtLRTjogN1ENh5mwGKB5rHkVizBDCT8Z88cTsptahCH3T0snRBo7-AZ4mPqjs3VrF_s_YM4jVfQ2uxJMhPxvOkshIFWevFs/s1600/MERGE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tzhR2ylkCdgmHX4wiZRBiQppJPtzMoSvubKe0cS549FOhtLRTjogN1ENh5mwGKB5rHkVizBDCT8Z88cTsptahCH3T0snRBo7-AZ4mPqjs3VrF_s_YM4jVfQ2uxJMhPxvOkshIFWevFs/s400/MERGE.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
1. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00870HEVI">LONG WAY DOWN</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
2. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088SHGBC">EVIL, TRUE EVIL</a></blockquote>
</blockquote>
3. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008AROTO8">THE BEGGAR'S RUN</a>Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-85602866986137053022012-05-24T22:33:00.000-07:002012-05-25T05:39:17.085-07:00WRITERS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD - ANTHOLOGY<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUPTXVD80lYjDBB5vcy1q-VPc2jx564nsZQS9Pw9MfQmI3gHlD0_oIWYtBS-lD2I40y6Zxrxx4zYRz9fR5sImjnqXqVbqDmUF8pHS3jvbfkCgqtRZr5FKUxvT183EXDBH_7DHvdhKtnc/s1600/Frontcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFUPTXVD80lYjDBB5vcy1q-VPc2jx564nsZQS9Pw9MfQmI3gHlD0_oIWYtBS-lD2I40y6Zxrxx4zYRz9fR5sImjnqXqVbqDmUF8pHS3jvbfkCgqtRZr5FKUxvT183EXDBH_7DHvdhKtnc/s400/Frontcover.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.alternative-read.com/">“Alternative-Read.com</a>
(AR) is a website developed as a vehicle for promoting all comers from
the writing world. This collection brings together the Writers on the
Wrong Side of the Road, the most dangerous rule-wreckers from
Alternative-Read.com who sprang at the chance to create an anthology
designed to give the reader “a different kind of reading experience.
</i><br />
<br />
<i>And just to make sure that happened, AR took away the rules and let
them write whatever the hell they liked. Edited by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OhSassyOne">Sassy Brit</a> and <a href="http://claytonbye.com/">Clayton C Bye</a>.”</i><br />
<br />
Reviewed from ARC requested from editors.<br />
<br />
<br />
Overall, <i><b><a href="http://shop.claytonbye.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=66">Writers on the Wrong Side of the Road</a></b></i> was a really enjoyable read which I’d rate an easy four
stars, with eight of the seventeen stories presented scoring four stars
or up. Where there were problems, it seemed always to be with endings,
endings too abrupt in otherwise well-written tales. Though I will admit
to expecting something more outlandish.<br />
<br />
The standouts, for me, were:<br />
<br />
<b><i>Simon Seeks</i> by Natham Yocum</b> – An emotive journey with a psychic who has known too much suffering to remain neutral in his work <b>(4)</b><br />
<br />
<b><i>The Barefoot Hero</i> by Timothy Fleming </b>– This was flawless, a touching reminiscence of one young life ruined by war, and a simple act that said so very much<b> (5)</b><br />
<br />
<b><i>The Cenotaph</i> by Casey Wolf </b>– Another war
story of sorts. A young man who is uncertain about his future camps by
an isolated cenotaph. In an interesting clash of past and present, he
meets the lone survivor of a town who lost their sons to war, and who
remains, endlessly tending their monument <b>(4)</b><br />
<br />
<b><i>Take Two</i> by Kit Germain</b> – An inventive
twist on post-apocalyptic survival of the species. Well executed and
fast paced, this story looks at the twin horrors of religious
intolerance and a genetically modified world <b>(4)</b><br />
<br />
<b><i>Triona’s Beans</i> by Casey Wolf and Paivi Kuosmanen –</b>
I understand that there were no boundaries put on this selection, but
in my opinion, this is out of place here. As a story for the 5-10yrs age
group, it is an engrossing look at tolerance and empathy for people who
are different, but lost and utterly displaced. An excellent children’s
story, not substantial enough to translate to an adult audience <b>(4)</b><br />
<br />
<b><i>The Smile in Her Eyes</i> by John B Rosenman – </b>This
was lovely. An old man sees his dead wife in the eyes of a teenage
girl, then struggles with the certainty of his vision and the socially
unacceptable relationship he must pursue<b> (5)</b><br />
<br />
<b><i>Slumfairy</i> by Tonya R Moore – </b>This story
requires a leap of faith; you go into a crisis with the characters and
are carried along with them. There is little time to acquaint yourself
with the world they are fighting through, but if you trust the author,
enough detail is supplied to keep everything together. I enjoyed this
thoroughly, but felt it could be part of a larger work <b>(4)</b><br />
<br />
<b><i>Pronghorns</i> by Casey Wolf – </b>Probably my
favourite story in this collection, not least because it met my
expectation of something dark and utterly unique. It is a superb study
of the thoughts and emotions of three people involved in a
murder-suicide plot <b>(5)</b><br />
<br />
Of the stories that remain, one I’d like to comment further on is:<br />
<br />
<b><i>Malpas</i> by Marion Webb-De Sisto</b>. I rated this three <b>(3)</b>
and I really wanted it to be more. I found the premise and characters
intriguing and once it got started, the stage was set for a very unusual
erotic love story, but it was the longest entry in the collection and
it could easily have been cut in half. A shame; it would have been a
favourite.<br />
<br />
There are no stories in this lot that do not deserve to be read; they
are all of a worthy standard. I believe some needed tighter editing,
which they didn’t get – possibly for ideals of free expression.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHbvt7yozoMQav60Ru6Ho4zpXRP-Bj6bnmKFfdt6KGyVVHCYP75TD-5jdrlKbdaoYGNDdQL_1U3ReN0TjfTs8TM5CDgxgHACYpDOR4FIdWS5rer0lI-DEIrYUx6dqqu6Lu-lpGrEt61U/s1600/4Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHbvt7yozoMQav60Ru6Ho4zpXRP-Bj6bnmKFfdt6KGyVVHCYP75TD-5jdrlKbdaoYGNDdQL_1U3ReN0TjfTs8TM5CDgxgHACYpDOR4FIdWS5rer0lI-DEIrYUx6dqqu6Lu-lpGrEt61U/s200/4Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Available at: </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://shop.claytonbye.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=66">Chase Enterprises</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978177444/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=escapeism-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0978177444">Amazon</a>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007XJR1C6/ref=cm_sw_su_dp">Kindle</a>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/writers-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-road-clayton-clifford-bye/1107912523?ean=9780978177447&itm=1&usri=writers+on+the+wrong+side+of+the+road">Barnes and Noble</a><b>
</b></div>Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-3251137848691240382012-05-24T22:23:00.000-07:002012-05-29T19:26:05.492-07:00THE AEON CALLING - GARTH ERICKSON<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q14dS8TqfoPb_MH7yBY3MV52wAL-cXyAUEVdvB8_-G7jQCD7npkhyphenhyphen61MvAgcoXBVRqB-xqIKZ1NRQu9MLJ2YruZWrimT7fwTqQRENSH0I85qh0ndo-fAGHrPNQr19PZe7IcIMj6eHoo/s1600/product_thumbnail.php.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9q14dS8TqfoPb_MH7yBY3MV52wAL-cXyAUEVdvB8_-G7jQCD7npkhyphenhyphen61MvAgcoXBVRqB-xqIKZ1NRQu9MLJ2YruZWrimT7fwTqQRENSH0I85qh0ndo-fAGHrPNQr19PZe7IcIMj6eHoo/s1600/product_thumbnail.php.jpg" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Alex Brown is hit with unbearable trauma, self-conscious and
obsessive, at once the haunted and the haunter, he time-travels from personal
tragedy through war in Africa, rain in Glasgow, and a shit-load of monkey business
in-between to domestic psychosis. Armed with the Tarot (a guide for the
misguided) and a ghostly pair of pistols, Alex sets about trying to reset his
world. Sex, Death and Time - A dark, multi-layered journey through the obsessed
and haunted mind of Alex Brown. Alex's mind is alive with the pre-apocalyptic
world, but focussed only on Susan - the one woman he cannot have.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">The Aeon Calling
was my second attempt at writing a novel, the first being an odd little sci-fi
thing called Transfer at Pandora Central.
Which is not to say that The Aeon Calling
is not odd - I did my best to ignore all perceived novel writing wisdom and
portray what I saw in my head - supernatural, sexy, sometimes
semi-autobiographical and, of course, with the usual helping of pseudo-philosophic-psycho-babble. </span></i></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Any episodic entertainment takes a risk. Every time an ad
breaks the stream of my concentration on the telly I am likely to lose interest
and wander off, or turn to another program. The same happens with series and
serials. If one episode is bad, the incentive to tune in again next time is at
risk. And so it is with serial fiction. But when you find good webfiction, like
that found at <a href="http://webfictionguide.com/">WFG</a>, <a href="http://www.fictionaut.com/">fictionaut</a>,
<a href="http://yearzerowriters.wordpress.com/">Year Zero Writers</a>, or <a href="http://flashingby.blogspot.com/">flashing by</a>, it’s addictive. That is how and where I found the author of this
month’s review book.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I first read Garth Erickson’s serials from a link at
flashing by. I was immediately struck by the beauty of his words, and a sense
that I was only just holding on to the pieces of each story as he brought them
together. That sense of clinging to understanding by the tips of the fingers
but learning to trust the author and enjoy the work came with familiarity, and
reading his work in novel form is no disappointment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I loved <b><a href="http://www.lulu.com/shop/garth-erickson/the-aeon-calling/paperback/product-191007.html;jsessionid=AD27038587A8D524C521436965D2A37B"><i>The Aeon
Calling</i></a></b>, as I thought I probably would. Erikson’s summary of this book is,
“<i>Sex, Death and Time - A dark,
multi-layered journey through the obsessed and haunted mind of Alex Brown. War
in Africa, rain in Glasgow, and a shit-load of monkey business in-between.
Alex's mind is alive with the pre-apocalyptic world, but focussed only on Susan
- the one woman he cannot have.</i>” Multi-layered does not begin to describe
it.</span></div>
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4049225498274541022">
</a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4049225498274541022"><br /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Alex Brown hears the voices of his ‘ghosts’ long before any
trauma has entered his life. They are always there, even the ghosts of his toys,
broken in anger. As he spins through the chaos and pain of his life, they are
constant - as is the guilt for things over which he had no control, the Tarot
cards he took from beside his dead mother, memories of the Angolan war, and the
love of his wife, who is perfect in every way – except she is not the one woman
he obsesses over.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Each subject creates a layer of meaning and confusion in
Alex’ life, and as we slip into his madness, time itself has no relevance.
Memories come and go, there is no firm NOW in this book until the very end. It
is a journey through a man’s psychosis. There is no firm REAL for Alex; he
recalls his life and experiences his madness, at times omniscient, at times
powerless in the face of consequences.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Don’t be alarmed at the thought of this lack of line. All
the separate threads begin to tie together and an order emerges naturally as we
follow Alex’ age in each memory. There are clear and clearer markers given at
each point to give the reader a firm enough grasp on where they are in the
narrative.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The Tarot itself, specifically the Aeon card referenced in
the title, gives some insight into Alex’ view of reality:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>The Aeon (or
Judgement, Last Judgement, Atonement, Resurrection) is numbered twenty and
often shows figures arising from graves in answer to the clarion call of an
angel. The Aeon forces us to acknowledge that our actions set up a chain of
cause-and-effect for which we are solely responsible. Here we pass through the
fire of purification, shedding dead and dying wood as we go. We judge ourselves
frankly, forgive, and leave the past behind. And then we are free to step into
the light.</i></span> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>There will come a
moment, if we are true to ourselves, when we know exactly what we need to do.
And when that moment comes there will be no further prevarication, no doubt, no
fear. This is because time itself has enormous power. To find the right time for
anything is a really useful life skill. When a choice comes to its own moment,
it becomes empowered by its own momentum, and at that moment we can move
forward with confidence. Sometimes, then, just of itself, this card will bring
about changes on the day that it rules.</i></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Reading some of <a href="http://thefarqueue.blogspot.com.au/">Garth’s
bio</a> will also give some insight into the depth of feeling revealed by the
author through his character. <b><i>The Aeon
Calling</i></b> is not autobiographical, but it plainly draws on a number of
experiences and beliefs held by the author [AKA Pisces Iscariot] himself.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I not only enjoyed
it, I recommend it without any reservation, and no ifs or exceptions. Superb.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp43ZP_tT40IB6Kf2aQx8jRn0q-jsXVjkosoqnX23yIFZ97DA_V7s7x8NeUTIIX6786uE-kaZ6DLX1tOhfd-jE1cJ4BSOivTXSE9lPM7HZElxdJXnQzEUpHqmJWSVxYm46wc3DnWJmTCs/s1600/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp43ZP_tT40IB6Kf2aQx8jRn0q-jsXVjkosoqnX23yIFZ97DA_V7s7x8NeUTIIX6786uE-kaZ6DLX1tOhfd-jE1cJ4BSOivTXSE9lPM7HZElxdJXnQzEUpHqmJWSVxYm46wc3DnWJmTCs/s200/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>About Garth Erickson:</b> Just for the record: the most I will try and sell you is one of my books; I
have no other agenda; I’m not a teacher, a preacher or a double glazing
salesman. Neither do I aspire to be any of those. Which is not to say that I
have nothing to give; I believe that the events that shaped (and continue to
shape) my life have resonance beyond the (meta)physical presence of Pisces
Iscariot. We are all involved in history. With this in mind, anyone expecting
guidance, enlightenment, epiphanies or healing might as well leave now. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Some basic facts: • I was born in Durban in 1962. According
to the rules of the game this makes me a South African. • I am a pacifist I
don't want to get killed in anybody's territorial/resource war • I am an
atheist; I owe my soul to no god.</span></i></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Other works:
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> <a href="http://thefarqueueextras.blogspot.com.au/p/cabin-fevre.html">Cabin Fevre</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://thefarqueueextras.blogspot.com.au/p/dalis-egg.html">Dali's Egg</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://thefarqueueextras.blogspot.com.au/p/mind.html">Out of His Mind</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://thefarqueueextras.blogspot.com.au/p/atom.html">An Atom in Unwonderland</a></div>
<br /></div>Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-52820545272266850192012-05-24T21:52:00.003-07:002012-05-25T05:39:51.407-07:00CONDITIONED RESPONSE (PHOENICIAN #2) - MARJORIE F. BALDWIN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9_dxgnujd9tU0RyemNYQh2NFiNVrTQfHVN_ci_VV_0gatophrbcrvitOurZsAqdGWEzHZfUPBpeFcVYEs4wiyz12YSoOTeA2IPFreoYazCd9eepggebOuY0Dxm8Tut3bbjrRE4fLnvE/s1600/Conditioned+Response+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9_dxgnujd9tU0RyemNYQh2NFiNVrTQfHVN_ci_VV_0gatophrbcrvitOurZsAqdGWEzHZfUPBpeFcVYEs4wiyz12YSoOTeA2IPFreoYazCd9eepggebOuY0Dxm8Tut3bbjrRE4fLnvE/s400/Conditioned+Response+Cover.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">
<br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Shayla
didn't ask to be a Councillor. As a Phoenician, she shouldn't have to live
among the humans, let alone take part in their world. But the Seven Chiefs
ordered her to go with Raif, a Proctor from the world Outside. They said they
had a Plan. Well, the Seven Chiefs always had a Plan, and Shayla had plans of
her own after suffering 13 years as a member of the humans' World Council.<br />
<br />
Raif had never intended for things to go this far. A few months, maybe a year,
and he could send the little Phoenician girl home again, back where she
belonged. She's not a little girl anymore and now he finds himself in
competition with his own progenitor for control over his Heir--and future. It's
not a Councillor's job to protect a Proctor but that's just what Raif needs
right now. Can Shayla save him before he loses his mind completely?<br />
<br />
</i></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>A
fast-paced, Classic SciFi that reads more like a mystery with a Romantic SF
thread woven in. Set in the far-future on an alien world, humanity's last
remnants are trying to save the species from extinction. Huxley-ian eugenics in
a Classic Dystopian caste system are artfully blended with an Asimov-ian
"machine-turned-man" story by first-time Author Marjorie F. Baldwin.</i></span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/150558"><b><i>Conditioned Response</i></b></a>
was not an easy book to review. As is my practice, once I had my own thoughts
and feelings outlined I went back through the reviews others had provided. What
I found pinpointed exactly the problem I needed to define in order to explain
the difficulty I was having.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Many of the reviewers had loved this
book and for good reason. Those who enjoy a detailed social Sci-Fi in the old
tradition, where complex societies are presented and peopled by solid, complicated
personalities, have found one of the best examples written recently. <b><i>Conditioned
Response</i></b> is multi-layered, weaving together a number of intriguing
social, personal, and political mysteries into a fast paced thriller.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The representation of this future human
colony and its imperialistic disdain for the powerful indigenous people rings
as true as any page of history. Caste discrimination, human trafficking,
genetic regulation, sexual intimidation and violence, power-at-all-cost-manipulation
of men and minds – all these things seem to rise from an inevitability we
recognize in the societies we share today. And on that base the story, or more
rightly stories, are masterfully built.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">So, you wonder, if it was all so very
good, what caused the difficulty in trying to find a fitting rating for the
book. Like those who rated the story much
lower, aspects I value very highly in a book were not strong, or were missing
entirely. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">To begin with, I found the story slow to
start. That is necessary to some degree in any very complex world where many
characters have to be introduced and understood in context, but I found that I
was a third of the way in before things really started to move. We had not
travelled further than Shayla’s office or lab, and all that time was spent in
dense slabs of repetitive dialogue. That tendency for the characters to launch
into paragraph after paragraph of oration was tightened as the book progressed,
but I found it tough going for some time. Nothing <i>happened</i> to break the weight of the initial narrative dump.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">And the thing which I missed most was a
deep emotional connection to any of the characters. These people had suffered
and went on to suffer great traumas and violence, and yet, the reader is held
at a distance. There is no feeling of experiencing the horror from within, no
sharing of the pain with the main characters. No immediacy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">As an example, [difficult to find
without some sort of spoiler attached] early in the story we learn that as a very
young woman, an alien child alone in a strange human society, Shayla was
brutally raped by her fellow Councillor. When the event is first mentioned, Shayla
herself dismisses the memory as if it was bad, but not something she chose to
dwell on. Shortly after, Raif describes the terrible injuries Shayla had suffered
when he first met her. These injuries were the result of the rape, and included
a broken pelvis.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">Now this is horrendous. This is the rape
of a defenseless child, alone and attacked by someone who should have been her
protector. And yet the events are narrated as if they are simply part of a
distant history; we hear nothing of the anguish. None of the terror or the
pain, none of the trauma this woman had survived – which any empathic reader
can imagine – is brought forward with force by the author. This kind of
distance left me with a coolness toward all of the main characters that I would
like to have had heated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">What I deduce from this is that enjoyment
depends on the expectation of the reader when they pick up a copy of <i>Conditioned Response</i> to read. Those who
want Sci-Fi that does not depend on Michael-Bay-bangs and special-effect diversions
will love the dense plotting and careful world-building. Those who want to <i>feel</i> deep connection with the characters
themselves, and prefer the romantic/erotic threads of a fantastic storyline are
more likely to be disappointed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;">All up, I am happy to recommend<b><i>
Conditioned Response</i></b>, because while allowing for where Marjorie F Baldwin
was not strong, what she does do well, she does very well indeed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHbvt7yozoMQav60Ru6Ho4zpXRP-Bj6bnmKFfdt6KGyVVHCYP75TD-5jdrlKbdaoYGNDdQL_1U3ReN0TjfTs8TM5CDgxgHACYpDOR4FIdWS5rer0lI-DEIrYUx6dqqu6Lu-lpGrEt61U/s1600/4Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHbvt7yozoMQav60Ru6Ho4zpXRP-Bj6bnmKFfdt6KGyVVHCYP75TD-5jdrlKbdaoYGNDdQL_1U3ReN0TjfTs8TM5CDgxgHACYpDOR4FIdWS5rer0lI-DEIrYUx6dqqu6Lu-lpGrEt61U/s200/4Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="font-family: inherit;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><b>About Marjorie F Baldwin:</b> Please call me Friday; I was named after the title character
in Robert A. Heinlein's book about 'Artificial People'. I write
SciFi, usually Classic, speculative stuff set in a dystopian future. My influences
have been Robert A. Heinlein, Lois McMaster Bujold, Isaac Asimov, Aldous
Huxley, H.G. Wells, and John Scalzi. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>The first full-length novel I ever wrote was <b>Conditioned
Response</b>, which is now Book 2 of The Phoenician Series. The series will be at
least 3 or 4 books long but I can see myself writing prequels easily enough.
I'm releasing Book 2 first because Book 1 hasn't been written yet.</i> <i>The series will ultimately reveal who and what the
Phoenicians are and reveal the Plan of the Seven Chiefs, but each book is its
own, independent chapter of the Plan. </i></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Friday's websites:
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://phoenicianseries.blogspot.com/">http://phoenicianseries.blogspot.com/</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://about.me/FridayBaldwin">http://about.me/FridayBaldwin</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/150558"></a>Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-24054386167521679772012-05-24T21:21:00.001-07:002012-05-25T05:32:15.810-07:00BEASTS OF NEW YORK - JON EVANS<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispZ5vJU6k1kzHJ7SpJSffch3Z66VETEIcx6qjSrxfk7K7NsJ67FScP8qJoEiD4fd-C5JmMqbM-v45OOTu3tZtjp78iirlIPoqJ-RhMFIEb6PCY5qOLpMw8PXNIf4LCOKYCDwmXu5thoU/s1600/cover-150x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEispZ5vJU6k1kzHJ7SpJSffch3Z66VETEIcx6qjSrxfk7K7NsJ67FScP8qJoEiD4fd-C5JmMqbM-v45OOTu3tZtjp78iirlIPoqJ-RhMFIEb6PCY5qOLpMw8PXNIf4LCOKYCDwmXu5thoU/s320/cover-150x200.jpg" width="240" /></a><i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A
violent, epic, action-packed urban quest full of very eccentric, often
hilarious, extremely dangerous characters who also happen to be animals — the
wildlife of New York City, to be exact.</span></i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">‘Beasts of New York’ is about a
squirrel named Patch who must go on an adventure in order to save his home in
Central Kingdom.<br />
While the story may be a fable this is a dark novel and not a childrens’ book.
You will never look at small "wild" animals the same way.</span></i></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
Many years ago, I
read and loved Andre Norton’s <b><i>Breed to Come</i></b> and I was immediately reminded of
that time when I began reading <i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beasts-New-York-Jon-Evans/dp/0889843414%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0889843414">Beasts of New York</a></b></i>. It is no easy task to draw
in and compel an adult reader to enter the world of an anthropomorphic hero,
but Jon Evans does so effortlessly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
From the opening
paragraphs, the text is so clear and unobtrusive that the reader beings a
journey with Patch and his companions, following along, and time and chapters
are consumed without notice. I read the ‘browse online’ option initially,
wanting to do just that, but found I had read a good portion of the story
straight through without pause.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
Termed a
children’s book for grownups, I would have no qualms about allowing a child old
enough to read the story to do so. There is some violence and wonderful
suspense in this action packed story, but in the light of widely available
children’s entertainment, I did not find it overtly frightening or bloody. It
did however, have enough substance to warrant its claim to an adult readership
willing to accept the premise and characters. Personally, I found it a nice
change from the popular masses of were-creatures and changelings; a squirrel,
although narrator, remains a squirrel.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The world that
the ordinary beasts of New York inhabit is changing rapidly into a frightening
and unpredictable warzone, where species who would not normally cohabit must
band together to survive. Each of the groups of animals has its standout
characters, which develop as distinctive personalities displaying the
characteristics of their breed. The story is underpinned by Patch’s quest to
find food, save his mother, and end the war.</div>
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Overall, I
recommend <i><b>Beasts of New York</b></i> to animal fantasy lovers young and old. It is
well written and the story is fast paced and engrossing.</div>
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<br />
<br />
<b> </b>
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>About Jon Evans:</b> I always wanted to be a writer. I travel a lot - more than 60 countries
across six continents, to date. My novel <b>Dark Places</b> won Canada's Arthur Ellis
Award and has been translated into Dutch, German, and Japanese. My latest is
the Vertigo Crime graphic novel <b>The Executor</b>. I write novels, scripts, magazine
journalism, and software. (If you're a traveler and you have an iPhone or an
Android phone, check out my free app iTravelFree.) It is fair to say that I am
easily bored.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jon's web
site <a href="http://www.rezendi.com/" target="_blank" title="www.rezendi.com">www.rezendi.com</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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Also from Jon Evans: </div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Executor-Vertigo-Crime-Jon-Evans/dp/1401213855%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1401213855" target="_blank">The Executor (Vertigo Crime)</a></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Armies-Jon-Evans/dp/0312368674%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0312368674" target="_blank">Invisible Armies</a></b></i></div>
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<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Places-Novel-Jon-Evans/dp/0060594233%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0060594233" target="_blank">Dark Places: A Novel</a></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Price-Jon-Evans/dp/0060782366%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0060782366" target="_blank">The Blood Price</a></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Night-of-Knives-ebook/dp/B003XIIZX0%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB003XIIZX0" target="_blank">The Night of Knives</a></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trail-Dead-Jon-Evans/dp/0340831456%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0340831456" target="_blank">Trail of the Dead</a></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Places/dp/000639325X%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D000639325X" target="_blank">Dark Places</a></b></i></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-91248100748643375892012-05-24T20:20:00.000-07:002012-05-29T19:29:03.387-07:00IN HER NAME: EMPIRE - MICHAEL HICKS<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppDR-rdmeHcBD0lw853DI8UzjVMTTKgPJeMEtp8PzbKPaczWzh4q9GFS19TwwgGxq73ELDLyBbtw2ereqFO2b7LwtWgLeCnJrMeKYh3LeeG1cg9jvx3kf9bfYz0KVH01hhm5A1v__d_w/s1600/empire-cover-191x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjppDR-rdmeHcBD0lw853DI8UzjVMTTKgPJeMEtp8PzbKPaczWzh4q9GFS19TwwgGxq73ELDLyBbtw2ereqFO2b7LwtWgLeCnJrMeKYh3LeeG1cg9jvx3kf9bfYz0KVH01hhm5A1v__d_w/s1600/empire-cover-191x300.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Reza
Gard is a young boy of the Human Confederation swept up in the century-long war
with the alien Kreelan Empire. Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin,
fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia
beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and
claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress. Captured and
enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in an experiment to see if humans have
souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an age old curse upon the Kreelan
race.</span></i></div>
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Superb.</div>
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I need another
star. Everything needed in a gripping novel is here in <a href="http://authormichaelhicks.com/in-her-name-empire/"><i><b>In Her Name: Empire</b></i></a>, and I hope in its sequels.
The storyline is complex without being convoluted. The characters are
beautifully drawn and it is easy to become emotionally invested in their
progress. The settings are clear without the need for excessive description,
and the world building is masterful.</div>
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There is nothing
monumentally new in ‘In Her Name: Empire’, but neither is it a rehash of the
same old, same old. Because Michael Hicks has done such a wonderful job of
raising his characters out of the landscape, and placing them in a richly
developed social and religious culture, it is a pleasure to go on this journey
with him.<br />
</div>
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It is difficult
to categorize this book in any one genre. Sci-Fi is too cold for this story,
which does not dwell intensely on the science of the worlds or on their
technology. Fantasy is too ethereal to fit well, as with the exception of their
religious beliefs and practices, there is no magic involved. And Space-opera,
which might be closest to a good fit, is a little too simplistic.</div>
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A thoroughly
enjoyable read from page one to the end. There is action, suspense, violence
and romance all tied together beautifully. I look forward to reading the next
books in the series.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKr5AjMeHxOolaQF8wm7QNJZ0UHOVjXQ2UtXNUCfIzV9kKFkzfcLUAyKC2n5O2oxZPq3_wj0FAtrF8H12dPRzfSKgrMn3pPeIxdLYtC2D0N3jus30KVs2nccrd6Egaz7_uZif_Gmn40lc/s1600/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="38" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKr5AjMeHxOolaQF8wm7QNJZ0UHOVjXQ2UtXNUCfIzV9kKFkzfcLUAyKC2n5O2oxZPq3_wj0FAtrF8H12dPRzfSKgrMn3pPeIxdLYtC2D0N3jus30KVs2nccrd6Egaz7_uZif_Gmn40lc/s200/5Star+Reviews+In+my+Blogger.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b> </b>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>About Michael Hicks: </b>Call me Mike. I first put pen to paper when I was a senior. Poor penmanship aside, I kept
dabbling, and eventually one of the stories I sketched out turned into the
draft of the first three novels of the 'In Her Name' series – Empire,
Confederation, and Final Battle – which I drafted between 1991 and 1994. At
that time it was actually a single tome, now sold as the In Her Name Omnibus,
and I shouldn’t have been surprised at any of the rejection letters I received
from publishers: the manuscript was so huge that any editor trying to lift it
would have been at risk for a hernia.</i><br />
<br />
<i>The omnibus draft sat under my desk until 2008, when I took advantage of the
eBook revolution and published it on the Amazon Kindle, receiving a delightful
shock when people not only began buying it, but actually liked it. The writing
itself has been an enjoyable compulsion, but hearing that readers enjoy what I
write has been a true and treasured gift.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mike's website: <a href="http://authormichaelhicks.com/" target="_blank" title="http://authormichaelhicks.com">http://authormichaelhicks.com</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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Also from Michael Hicks:</div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Season-Harvest-Michael-R-Hicks/dp/0984492771%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0984492771" target="_blank">Season Of The Harvest</a></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Her-Name-Omnibus-ebook/dp/B001A7X0BI%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB001A7X0BI" target="_blank">In Her Name (Omnibus Edition)</a></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Her-Name-Michael-R-Hicks/dp/0615208533%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0615208533" target="_blank">In Her Name</a></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Her-Name-First-Contact/dp/0692005862%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0692005862" target="_blank">In Her Name: First Contact</a></b></i></div>
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<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Her-Name-Michael-R-Hicks/dp/1442123834%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1442123834" target="_blank">In Her Name: Empire</a></b></i></div>
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<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Her-Name-Confederation-Michael-Hicks/dp/1442188871%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1442188871" target="_blank">In Her Name: Confederation</a></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/In-Her-Name-Final-Battle/dp/1449505147%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1449505147" target="_blank">In Her Name: Final Battle</a></b></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; text-align: center;">
<i><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Legend-The-Sword-Name-ebook/dp/B00394DSZS%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJXBLOESPQXHRLPJQ%26tag%3Dbibliotastic-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB00394DSZS" target="_blank">Legend Of The Sword (In Her Name: The Last War, Book 2)</a></b></i></div>
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</div>Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4049225498274541022.post-68089516256489896432012-05-24T19:43:00.001-07:002012-05-24T19:49:25.666-07:00EPHRAIM’S ECHO - TERESA PERRIN<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAXO1TtXjgS50yFv9OhR26_196bXB4RzUbYn8A3rSwZ4jF0zeOvvjFh3bIh7keDCcROdqYgHlh7SIp9vlgn_C0YN-tHPemCZKaXQhW71araUshX652YOfhdBabGV32cTwuqOeorvbqCU/s1600/vampire-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAXO1TtXjgS50yFv9OhR26_196bXB4RzUbYn8A3rSwZ4jF0zeOvvjFh3bIh7keDCcROdqYgHlh7SIp9vlgn_C0YN-tHPemCZKaXQhW71araUshX652YOfhdBabGV32cTwuqOeorvbqCU/s400/vampire-cover.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Lurking
in the depths of the caverns known as Ephraim’s Echo, a vampire exists.
Generation upon generation, it preys upon the women who find themselves drawn
to it: practical, unimaginative Katy who finds herself embroiled in an affair
with a minister; Nora, wife and mother, who longs for something more than an
isolated farming life with her writer husband; rebellious Eileen, who escapes
her rural life only to be drawn back into the arms of the vampire; and Marilyn,
who in searching for her long-missing mother finds an ancient darkness.</span></i></div>
</blockquote>
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From the moment I
began reading <a href="http://www.bibliotastic.com/ebooks/fiction-horror/ephraims-echo"><i><b>Ephraim's Echo</b></i></a>, I wanted to give it five stars. You will see,
however, I have not rated it at all.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Teresa Perrin is
a writer of rare talent; her use of words is extraordinary. She takes a very
familiar story, weaves time and characters together skillfully, and has drawn
an easily recognized setting from sparse description. Ephraim’s Echo should be
excellent.</div>
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If you enjoy
being told a story, and if you are notoriously afraid of shadows in dark
corners, you will enjoy it from beginning to end. Her writing style is an
artform.</div>
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But there is
nothing new in this telling of the vampire myth. Successive female characters
bring nothing generational to their part in the play. The supporting cast of
men is indistinguishable one from another. They are all protective of their
vague female counterpart, except for sporadic lapses into domestic violence.
The vampire is the most sedate, non-threatening creature ever imagined, seeping
in through windows or sighing in his cave.</div>
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This is not a
story you experience, only one you watch through entirely unmoved and
disinterested eyes of the narrator. I wanted to feel the horror with the
characters. I was given instead Death’s world-weary witness of the same
struggle ensuing generation after generation. </div>
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The cast of main
characters tends to blur, and the situation is not helped by the interspersing
of unrelated vignettes on the deaths of complete strangers. I read Ephraim’s
Echo to the end because I selected it for review. If I had not, I would have
put it aside, reluctantly, by a third of the way through.<br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>About Teresa Perrin: </b>Teresa earned a BFA in Filmic Writing, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and a
Master of Arts in Humanities from CSU Dominguez Hills. She began at a monthly news publication for English
language learners, where she was a writer, editor, and eventually managing
editor. Teresa has worked extensively as a freelance educational writer and
editor, graphic designer and
works as a freelance designer and artist. Her interests include science,
photography, art, literature, and philosophy. </i><br />
<br />
<i>Teresa currently lives in Alameda, California, where she
enjoys walking by the San Francisco Bay.</i></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.dead-medium.com/">Teresa's website.</a><br />
<br />
Also by Teresa Perrin: </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><a href="http://www.bibliotastic.com/ebooks/fiction-horror/icecream-memories">The Ice Cream Memories of Charlotte Rowe</a></i> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
[Soon to be reviewed] <br />
<br />
Teresa’s artwork: <a href="http://1918underwood.muzy.com/" target="_blank" title="http://1918underwood.muzy.com/">http://1918underwood.muzy.com/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>Ellie Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10606738556156389716noreply@blogger.com0