A new week. And more rain. It seems like it will never stop. I’m lucky to get an hour here or there when I can get outdoors before the storm clouds move back in. The upside to it is my house is sparkling clean and I’ve read a whole lot of books.
And I’m on vacation! Got the week of the 4th off. My plans are to stay close to home, relax and have fun. Maybe take in a movie and go out to eat. The neighbors usually do some impressive fireworks so I can enjoy them from my own back yard.
Well, the rain has stopped and the sun is peeking out, so I’m heading outside. Have a safe and wonderful weekend and a Happy 4th ya’ll!
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My new books this week.
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Sherry and I have started doing our Tag Team Events again and we’re featuring Dinosaur Lake IV: Dinosaur Wars by Kathryn Meyer Griffith.
Two chances to win an eBook in your choice of format.
And the first book in the series is free!
Click on the banner above to go to my post.
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And here are some freebies for ya. Click on the covers to get your copies. Remember to make sure they’re still free before you hit that buy button.
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Books I reviewed this week. Click on the covers to read my reviews.
This isa Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry.
It’s always a pleasure to share more books by Kathryn Meyer Griffith. I’ve read many of her books and plan to read everything she writes.
For today, I’m sharing my review of Dinosaur Lake IV.
After reading my review, head on over to Sherry’s blog at fundinmental to check out her review and enter another giveaway!
This series is dino chompin fun. And I have some exciting news. If you haven’t started this series yet, you can get the first book free on Amazon. Just click on the cover below to get your copy!
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Dinosaur Lake IV
by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Genre: Horror / Suspense
My Review
For those of you who love dinosaurs, especially the ones that eat you, you’re gonna want this book and this series.
It began with just one dinosaur, eating it’s way through Crater Lake National Park and the town of Klamath Falls. Those who survived thought it was over. But not too long after, different ones come, and the dying begins again.
It’s been seven years since it all began and the dinosaurs are winning.
I’d been waiting for this final book in the Dinosaur Lake series and ate it up faster than the killer dinosaurs ate man. You’re dropped right smack in the thick of things. Chief Park Ranger Henry Shore and his wife, along with several others, are trapped in a ranger station. They do their best to make it impregnable, but the creatures are cunning, hungry, and dead set on getting in. Their hope lies in the expertise of paleontologist Doctor Justin Maltin, Henry’s son-in-law. Can he find a way to send the dinosaurs back to extinction? And who will be left?
Having read the other books, I knew Kathryn didn’t spare any of her character’s. Many that I was fond of didn’t make it this far. And of those who did, I don’t doubt some will also fall to the creatures.
As the dinosaurs do their thing, you don’t get much down time between the savage attacks and it’s a toss up who will win, man or beast. Kathryn gets very creative with her monsters. They aren’t like what you expect. They’re worse. And I loved them!
This isn’t just occurring in the park and surrounding towns. It’s happening all over the world. Think Jurasic Park on steroids. Is this The End? I believe it’s the end of this series. But I can see so many ways the author can take this further. Grab the series and find out.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
For seven long years Chief Park Ranger Henry Shore has been dealing with and fighting anachronistic dinosaurs in his beloved Crater Lake National Park and in the surrounding town of Klamath Falls. It began with one lone leviathan, the one he tongue-in-cheek called Godzilla. Henry and his band of heroes defeated it but others followed: the flying varieties he named gargoyles, the mutant T-Rexes and roaming velociraptors that were so much smarter than their ancient ancestors. He, his rangers and the National Guard soldiers, fought all of them, but still the dinosaurs, cunningly destructive and blood-thirsty, kept coming. No one knew where they came from or what the future would now hold for a besieged humanity, they only knew the monsters were spreading like a voracious wildfire and had to be stopped before they ravaged the world. Eventually, he and his wife, Ann, their family and friends, retreated into a fortified ranger headquarters where they continued to battle the proliferating dinosaurs. Will Henry’s son-in-law, Doctor Justin Maltin, a brilliant paleontologist, find a way to exterminate the creatures and save them…save the world? And, more importantly, would he be able to do it in time? Dinosaur Lake IV Dinosaur Wars is the fourth and final book of the Dinosaur Lake series.
About Kathryn Meyer Griffith…look for all my NEW covers! on my older books.
Since childhood I’ve been an artist and worked as a graphic designer in the corporate world and for newspapers for twenty-three years before I quit to write full time. But I’d already begun writing novels at 21, over forty-four years ago now, and have had twenty-three (ten romantic horror, two horror novels, two romantic SF horror, one romantic suspense, one romantic time travel, one historical romance, two thrillers, and four murder mysteries) previous novels, two novellas and twelve short stories published from Zebra Books, Leisure Books, Avalon Books, The Wild Rose Press, Damnation Books/Eternal Press; and I’ve self-published my last ten novels with Amazon Kindle Direct and my Dinosaur Lake novels and Spookie Town Mysteries (Scraps of Paper, All Things Slip Away and Ghosts Beneath Us) are my best-sellers.
I’ve been married to Russell for thirty-seven years; have a son and two grandchildren and I live in a small quaint town in Illinois, which is right across the JB Bridge from St. Louis, Mo. We have a quirky cat, Sasha, and the three of us live happily in an old house in the heart of town. Though I’ve been an artist, and a folk/classic rock singer in my youth with my brother Jim, writing has always been my greatest passion, my butterfly stage, and I’ll probably write stories until the day I die…or until my memory goes.
2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS *Finalist* for her horror novel The Last Vampire ~ 2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS * Finalist * for her thriller novel Dinosaur Lake.
*All Kathryn Meyer Griffith’s books can be found HERE.
Novels and short stories from Kathryn Meyer Griffith:
Evil Stalks the Night, The Heart of the Rose, Blood Forge, Vampire Blood, The Last Vampire (2012 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Horror category), Witches, The Nameless One short story, The Calling, Scraps of Paper (The First Spookie Town Murder Mystery), All Things Slip Away (The Second Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Ghosts Beneath Us (The Third Spookie Town Murder Mystery), Egyptian Heart, Winter’s Journey, The Ice Bridge, Don’t Look Back, Agnes, Before the End: A Time of Demons, The Woman in Crimson, Human No Longer, Four Spooky Short Stories Collection, Forever and Always Romantic Short, Night carnival Short Story, Dinosaur Lake (2014 EPIC EBOOK AWARDS*Finalist* in their Thriller/Adventure category), Dinosaur Lake II: Dinosaurs Arising and Dinosaur Lake III: Infestation
Well. We just had the first named tropical storm that has impacted our area since Hurricane Katrina. Tropical Storm Cindy wasn’t even classified as a hurricane but it was a massive storm, with it’s affects felt for several hundred miles. We had gusting winds and lots of rain, and it went on for several days. Cindy formed in the Gulf Of Mexico and it’s been my experience that they can be the worst storms. Luckily, she didn’t stall for long and the conditions weren’t perfect for her to become larger. We suffered no damage and it sure is nice to see some sunshine again. We’re way overdue for some tropical storms and if Cindy is the only we get, I’d be relieved. But the season just started and it’s already an unusually hot muggy beginning to summer. I’ll cross my fingers, toes, eyes and anything else I can that we don’t get hit again this year.
I watched the last season of Bloodlines. It kind of fell flat for me. I just loathed the characters even more. LOL Waiting for Preacher to start tonight. That is one crazy show and I love it. Makes me laugh!
And…books. Been reading a bunch. I noticed it’s mostly horror and thrillers. Guess its all the sales I took advantage of. LOL Got much to share, so check them out. And make sure you look through the freebies.
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My new books this week.
And I just received my ARC copy of BEHOLD! from Crystal Lake Publishing! I can’t wait to read this anthology. So many awesome authors!
Crystal Lake Publishing and Doug Murano, the Bram Stoker Award-nominated editor of GUTTED: BEAUTIFUL HORROR STORIES, are proud to present BEHOLD! ODDITIES, CURIOSITIES AND UNDEFINABLE WONDERS.
Slide into the spaces between the ordinary. Embrace the odd. Indulge your curiosity. Surrender to wonder. Witness as the finest talents of our time bring you tales of the strangeness at the edges of existence.
Featuring:
Clive Barker, John Langan, Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Lisa Morton, Brian Kirk, Hal Bodner, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Erinn Kemper, John F.D. Taff, Patrick Freivald, Lucy Snyder, Brian Hodge, Kristi DeMeester, Christopher Coake, Sarah Read, and Richard Thomas.
“I enjoyed my time in Firesmith’s world. I did not want to leave. I really got a kick out of it, and would happily come back for more. Recommended.”
MJ Kobernus, author of The Guardian: Blood in the Sand
“This book rocks.”
Barton Paul Levenson, author of Dark Gods of Alter Telluria
“a quick, enjoyable read. Full of action and fraught with danger”
Dave Robertson, author of Strange Hunting, Strange Hunting II, and The Brave and The Dead
“The book is an easy and quick read and an action-filled one that you’ll imagine as a TV series or a movie with no difficulty.”
Olga Núñez Miret, author of Escaping Psychiatry
Hell Holes
What Lurks Below #1
by Donald Firesmith
Genre: Science Fiction / Apocalyptic
My Review
I love unexplained acts of nature. Makes for such a chilling plot. When holes start appearing in the Arctic Circle , a team of experts is sent to investigate. Once they arrive, things get worse as more holes appear. And then something straight out of Hell crawls out. A horde of otherworldly creatures that have only one thing in mind. Killing mankind. With nowhere to run, the team seeks shelter in an old station. But the horde won’t be denied, and like an octopus with a sealed bottle full of yummy bait, they will find a way in.
I was almost rubbing my hands together in twisted anticipation before I started this one. Mysterious holes appearing. Something beyond imagining crawls out. The fate of mankind hangs in the balance. Oh yeah. I knew I had to read this book.
There’s a mixed bag of character’s. Ones you come to like and respect and some not so much. The author doesn’t seem to mind killing off either one. Keeps you on edge when things get down and dirty. Which doesn’t take long at all.
The story is strong and there’s a sub plot that makes things even more interesting. Also, the blend of science fiction and horror leaves the story wide open for the author to go in many different directions.
The ending. Well, it’s an end, but also a cliff hanger. That’s because this is really the beginning of something much bigger. I’ll be grabbing the next one immediately. Got a good feeling about this series.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
It’s August in Alaska, and geology professor Jack Oswald prepares for the new school year. But when hundreds of huge holes mysteriously appear overnight in the frozen tundra north of the Arctic Circle, Jack receives an unexpected phone call. An oil company exec hires Jack to investigate, and he pocks his climatologist wife and two of their graduate students as his team.
Uncharacteristically, Jack lets Aileen O’Shannon, a bewitchingly beautiful young photojournalist, talk him into coming along as their photographer. When they arrive in the remote oil town of Deadhorse, the exec and a biologist to protect them from wild animals join the team. Their task: to assess the risk of more holes opening under the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the wells and pipelines that feed it. But they discover a far worse danger lurks below. When it emerges, it threatens to shatter Jack’s unshakable faith in science. And destroy us all….
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Enjoy the Excerpt
After seconds that seemed to stretch into eternity, the cigarette butt tumbled past Mark and eventually reached the depth where the concentration of methane and hydrogen sulfide reached explosive levels.
There was a deafening whoosh, and a huge fireball the size of the hole erupted from the pit. Luckily, the blast from the explosion blew us backwards, away from the hole. That was the only thing that saved us from the intense heat radiating from the colossal swirling ball of fire and smoke that had roared from the crater. It felt like I was standing next to a hundred heat lamps, and I heard the sizzling sound of my hair and beard beginning to burn on the side of my head that faced the flames. Turning my back to the hole, I immediately used my hands to extinguish my burning hair before it could seriously burn me. Disgusted by the stench of a mixture of burnt hair and rotten eggs, I picked myself up and looked back towards the hole. Above us, a huge pillar of smoke rose like the ash cloud of an erupting volcano. Looking back down, we saw the burning nylon rope continue to rise until its end slipped over the edge of the hole. Only a little of Mark’s smoldering body harness was still attached to its end.
“No!” We heard Jill’s horror-filled scream coming loudly over our walkie-talkies, followed less than a second later when her anguished cry reached us from across the pit. I could just make out Jill’s wavering form through the turbulent superheated air rising up between us as she raced back around the hole.
I looked over to where Kowalski was standing, staring in disbelief at the fiery pit his thoughtlessness had created. I was beyond furious. The next thing I knew, I had him by the jacket and was screaming in his face, “You Goddamned careless son of a bitch! Weren’t you listening? Didn’t you hear me say there was hydrogen sulfide in the pit?”
“Buh, buh, but…” he stammered as he tried to back away from me.
Without realizing it, I was slowly backing him up to the hole. I might have backed him over the edge had Bill not forced himself between us. “That’s enough!” he commanded.
Suddenly, I realized what I was doing and let go. It was clear from his expression that he’d had no idea that the gasses in the bottom of the hole were flammable, let alone sufficiently concentrated to be explosive.
My fiery rage died as I turned my anger inward. Kowalski hadn’t killed Mark. I had. I was in charge and responsible for the lives of my team. I should have spotted the danger sooner. Mark was my student, so I should have sent him up first. Worst of all, I had seen Kowalski smoking next to the hole and done nothing. I turned my back on the hole and wearily walked away across the empty tundra.
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Author Donald Firesmith
A computer geek by day, at night and on weekends Donald Firesmith writes modern paranormal fantasy, apocalyptic science fiction, action and adventure novels and relaxes by handcrafting magic wands from magical woods and mystical gemstones.
A computer geek by day, Donald Firesmith works as a system and software engineer helping the US Government acquire large, complex software-intensive systems. In this guise, he has authored seven technical books, written numerous software- and system-related articles and papers, and spoken at more conferences than he can possibly remember. He is also proud to have been named a Distinguished Engineer by the Association of Computing Machinery, although his pride is tempered somewhat worrying whether the term “distinguished” makes him sound more like a graybeard academic rather than an active engineer whose beard is still more red than gray.
By night and on weekends, his alter ego writes modern paranormal fantasy, apocalyptic science fiction, action and adventure novels and relaxes by handcrafting magic wands from various magical woods and mystical gemstones. His first foray into fiction is the book Magical Wands: A Cornucopia of Wand Lore written under the pen name Wolfrick Ignatius Feuerschmied. He lives in Crafton, Pennsylvania with his wife Becky, his son Dane, and varying numbers of dogs, cats, and birds.
I missed last weeks Sunday Post. I took a short trip. Hey, a girls gotta have fun! LOL
I’m glad to be back and have lots to share with you. So many great books.
And some awesome giveaways, so be sure to check them out!
On the home front. This has been a strange summer. The weather pattern is all screwy. We usually have afternoon thunder storms caused by the heat build up. Instead we have rainy mornings and gloomy days. My tan is fading! It’s been almost 12 years since Katrina hit and we’ve not been bothered by any hurricanes since then. I’m a bit worried that this year our luck will run out. We’ll see.
I’ve been binging Bloodlines from the beginning to be fresh for the new episodes added to Netflix. Talk about the dysfunctional family. Have you watched the show? It’s nerve wracking. I don’t think there’s a decent character in the whole show. A bunch of entitled narcissists. But I love watching them scramble desperately. LOL And I’m watching Fear The Walking Dead every Sunday. Only two weeks until Preacher starts back up. That’s such a zany fun show. Are you watching any of these? Got any suggestions for more shows I should watch?
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My new books this week.
The top row are ARCs I received. All of these release later this year. I know. I said I wouldn’t grab any more ARCs. These were sent to me by Camel Press. I couldn’t resist. The rest are ones I grabbed free, bought, or received for review.
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Sherry and I have started doing our Tag Team Events again and we’re featuring Ruined Wings by Ashley Fontainne.
Check out my review and enter the giveaway. Then click on the link in my post to go check out Sherry’s for another review and chance to win!
Click on the banner to go to my post.
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And here are some freebies for ya. Click on the covers to get your copies. Remember to make sure they’re still free before you hit that buy button.
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Books I reviewed the past two weeks. Click on the covers to read my reviews.
And I just reviewed the 9th book in the Onyx Webb series. You can get started on the series right now, Book One is FREE.
Click on the first cover to read my review and click on the second one to grab the free copy!
I’m sure most of you have seen the Onyx Webb series featured on my blog many times. It’s a favorite of mine and almost over. I’m excited and dreading that last book. Ever been there? You want to read the end but don’t want it to end? LOL
If you want to get started on the series, Book One is FREE on Amazon. Click on the cover below to grab your copy!
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Onyx Webb
Book Nine: Episodes 25, 26, 27 and 28
by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz
Genre: Supernatural Suspense / Horror / Romance
My Review
I don’t think I’ve ever been this enthusiastic about a series. Especially one that has ten books in it, with each book including three episodes. This is the ninth book and I’m more in love with the writing and characters then ever. So I was very excited to see that this book had four episodes. I couldn’t wait to see what caused the authors to add an extra one. It didn’t take long for me to learn why.
Events happened fast, leading to something I never would have imagined. Some of it was funny. There were some high-five scenes for me. And there were some scenes that overwhelmed me. And the ending. Whew. I was left thinking, where can this go from here.
Being so late into the series there’s not much I can talk about. You know, the spoiler thing. I’ve been through a lot with these character’s. Felt the full range of emotions, from loss and grief, to anger and revenge, to laughter and love.
These splendid authors have held me captive with their bewitching saga that spans generations, slowly bringing the past and present together into what can only be an epic finale.
I hope you give this series a go. Just be sure to start at the beginning. It works best that way. And by the time you get to this one, the last book will be waiting.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
Welcome Back to the World of Onyx Webb! This is Book Nine. (Episodes 25, 26, 27, & 28) Haven’t Gotten Entangled Yet? Please Start with Book One.
Book Nine is the most cataclysmic book in the series yet and what we have been building to for so long. The web is almost entirely formed now. But questions remain: what happens to everyone now that it is?
Onyx Webb is a complex multi-genre mash-up that combines elements of supernatural suspense, crime, horror, romance, and more. The Onyx Webb series follows the unusual life of Onyx Webb along with a central group of characters in various locations and times.
In Book Nine: The Mulvaney’s host the Solstice Eclipse Ball for the Restoring Savannah Foundation and Gerylyn’s prediction comes to pass. Stan Lee gets his revenge and Juniper battles a dark evil at the mansion. Onyx Webb spends her days at the lighthouse alone again without Noah Ashley but Noah may have other plans.
Welcome to Freaking Fridays, where I share my reviews of books that scare you, thrill you, and get those endorphins pumping.
I’ve got a couple of good ones to share today.
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They Came With The Snow
by Christopher Coleman
Genre: Horror
My Review
This is a short one. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to like.
When an explosion cuts off the residents of a small town and plunges them into an apocalyptic winter, they have no one to call for help and must rely on their own ingenuity. Do they stay where they are? Or do they brave trying to go for help and risk coming up against the strange things that wait in the snow?
I love stories set in wintry landscapes. There’s something about having to battle the elements as well as the horrors prowling in it that makes for an edgy read.
The creepy, crab things that hide in the snow, only detectable by their cold black eyes peering out of the drifts, were this horror lovers delight. Always looking for new, creative monsters to scare the crap out of me. I think they stole the show from the characters, who didn’t really win me over. Good thing, as there’s no guarantees any will survive.
While this didn’t terrify me, it sure got the endorphins pumping. I’ll gladly read more by this author.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
When a mysterious blast goes off in a small college town, triggering a blizzard, the few survivors must decide whether to stay or leave and face the monsters who came with the snow.
I’ve read a bunch of Blake’s books so I was curious to read Eerie, since it’s a joint venture written with his brother Jordan.
A man reconnects with his sister and finds her trapped in her own house. An evil entity hiding under her bed won’t let her leave. And now he’s also trapped. It’s only a matter of time before they both meet a gristly end.
I was immediately sucked into this story. The characters caught my interest and for the most part I liked them. The suspense was nail biting as the scenarios got more and more precarious. What fell flat for me was the ending. It just didn’t work for me. It was a stretch for my imagination, but maybe it was just me wanting one thing and getting another.
Don’t let that deter you. You still get Blake’s quality writing and when Jordan ventures out to write on his own, I’ll be waiting.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
TRAPPED INSIDE A HOUSE
On a crisp autumn evening in 1980, seven-year-old Grant Moreton and his five-year-old sister Paige were nearly killed in a mysterious accident in the Cascade Mountains that left them orphans.
WITH A FRIGHTENING POWER
It’s been thirty years since that night. Grant is now a detective with the Seattle Police Department and long estranged from his sister. But his investigation into the bloody past of a high-class prostitute has led right to Paige’s door, and what awaits inside is beyond his wildest imagining.
OVER ANYONE WHO ENTERS
His only hope of survival and saving his sister will be to confront the terror that inhabits its walls, but he is completely unprepared to face the truth of what haunts his sister’s brownstone.
Keep in a Cold, Dark Place Michael F. Stewart
Publication date: May 18th 2017
Genres: Horror, Middle-Grade
My Review
I can’t resist a good horror tale, and I very much enjoy ones spun for kids. I sure wish there had been more like this when I was young. But, you’re never too old to enjoy a gem like this.
Being a sweet, kind-hearted lass, Limpy doesn’t know any better when she places the box of eggs she discovered in the sun to warm. When one of the eggs hatches and out pops a cute little critter, she’s overjoyed. But then another egg hatches, and another. And what started as a kind act turns into horror.
Picturing what hatches from one of the eggs, I immediately thought of an evil Tribble or, if you’ve seen Critters, one of those rolling furry things with the sharp pointy teeth. But that’s just when it and it’s litter mates first get started. They eat. They grow. They change. And they are always hungry, always eating. And they don’t discriminate. From produce to living things, such as, perhaps, a cat, it all looks good to them. What could be next? Maybe a human child? Or an adult? That’s more food.
I ate this story up faster than you can say Keep In A Cold Dark Place. There’s a sense of foreboding right from the start. Limpy is a delightful and resourceful young girl. The creatures are cute, then not so cute. And the writing flows nicely, the author keeping the atmosphere building and the tension high.
A scary good story for young lovers of horror and us older fans of things that go bump in the night.
4 Stars
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Synopsis
Reaching for her dream, Limpy unleashes a cute, fluffy, NIGHTMARE …
Keep in a cold, dark place. That’s what’s written like some ancient law on every bag of potatoes the family farms. And it’s where Limpy fears she will always remain.
It’s also carved on a box of spheres she discovers in the cellar. Spheres that hatch.
Cute at first, the creatures begin to grow. Then the chickens disappear. The cat is hunted. And something sets the barn ablaze. To survive, Limpy will need to face her greatest fear. The whole family will. Or they may end up in a cold, dark place indeed.
Michael F. Stewart is winner of both the 2015 Claymore Award and the 2014 inaugural Creation of Stories Award for best YA novel at the Toronto International Book Fair.
He likes to combine storytelling with technology and pioneered interactive storytelling with Scholastic Canada, Australia, and New Zealand’s, anti-cyberbullying program Bully For You. In addition to his award winning Assured Destruction series, he has authored four graphic novels with Oxford University Press Canada’s Boldprint series. Publications of nonfiction titles on Corruption and Children’s Rights are published by Scholastic and early readers are out with Pearson Education.
For adults, Michael has written THE SAND DRAGON a horror about a revenant prehistoric vampire set in the tar sands, HURAKAN a Mayan themed thriller which pits the Maya against the MS-13 with a New York family stuck in the middle, 24 BONES an urban fantasy which draws from Egyptian myth, and THE TERMINALS–a covert government unit which solves crimes in this realm by investigating them in the next.
Herder of four daughters, Michael lives to write in Ottawa where he was the Ottawa Public Library’s first Writer in Residence. To learn more about Michael and his next projects visit his website at www.michaelfstewart.com or connect via Twitter @MichaelFStewart.
I decided to do this feature as I have so many great children’s books to share. From picture books, to books for beginning readers, to middle graders, I have plenty of fun ones.
I’ve read plenty of A.J. Cosmo’s children’s book and he always keeps it real.
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Nuts
by A.J. Cosmo
Genre: Children’s Book
Ages 4– 9
Grade Level: 1 – 3
My Review
Right from the beginning this story felt so familiar. It began with Wally the squirrel and his sister and parents driving to his grandmother’s house for a family reunion. I remember playing the car games. I Spy and counting objects we passed by. And it never failed, someone always asked, “Are we there yet?” Remember those family road trips?
The more I read, the more fun I had. If it weren’t for the colorful, fun illustrations I would have forgot this was about a family of squirrels. That’s how much I connected with them. And those illustrations. You should see the expressions on the squirrels faces. Too cute.
And the author gets quite creative with their names. There’s Wally and his sister, Pistachio. His mother, Brazil and father, Almond, Grandma Praline and Uncle Peanut. A few more relatives are introduced. Can you guess what their names might be? Every time I read their names I grinned. It’ll be fun for your kids to see how many “nuts” they recognize.
Wally thinks it’s all about the presents. Everyone exchanges names and brings a gift. He’s impatient to eat so they can start opening them. But family reunions are much more than that. Something Wally will soon learn.
I’ve read many of A.J.’s books and Nuts is one of my favorites. He includes special messages in such clever ways. If my son ever gets around to giving me grandkids, you can bet I’ll share this with them. I can almost hear the snickers and exclamations of excitement when they see the pictures and read about Wally and his family.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
Ever felt like your family was crazy?
All Wally wants to do is open presents, but before he can he has to endure his nutty family!
Written for siblings of autistic children, this fully-illustrated heart-warming, story teaches tolerance and understanding for everyone.
This isa Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry.
It’s always a pleasure to share more books by Ashley Fontainne. I’ve read many of her books and plan to read everything she writes.
For today, I’m sharing my review of Ruined Wings. I’m very excited for Ashley as this has been optioned for a movie.
After reading my review, head on over to Sherry’s blog at fundinmental and check out her review.
Enter her giveaway for another chance to win!
And Ruined Wings is free. Click on the links below the synopsis to grab the eBook.
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Ruined Wings
by Ashley Fontainne
Genre: Fiction
My Review
This story isn’t an easy read. The author writes a bare bones, honest and hard to take look into the painful lure and eventual fall to the call of drugs.
Callie is a rising track star. Her future is bright and she has exciting plans. But fate intervenes. And when she loses her brother and father to a car accident her world comes crashing down.
Not strong enough to handle her grief, Callie chooses drugs to numb her pain. And thus begins a long painful journey as the girl with with everything going for her slides to the rocky bottom.
Drug addiction is ugly. Loved ones become someone else. And as the drugs tighten their grip, they’re led to do despicable things to get more drugs. The love of their family and friends turns to anger and disgust.
Ruined Wings should be required reading in schools, for students and their parents. I used to look at those addicted to drugs as lost causes. Not having known them before the drugs stole their lives, I didn’t realize how quickly anyone could become hooked.
Ashley Fontainne takes you through it step by painful step. She doesn’t try to paint a pretty happy ending. I wanted to hug Callie. Tell her everything would be okay. But only Callie could save herself.
Thanks for shaking me up and opening my eyes, Ashley.
5 Stars
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Synopsis
“Ruined Wings is raw, real and a terrifying journey into addiction. A must read for every parent.” – Elaine Raco Chase, bestselling author.
Seventeen-year-old Callie Novak is on the cusp of changing her life as she warms up for the final heat in the Women’s 1600 meter track and field competition. While she sets a new state record, her family’s worse nightmare is just beginning.
When tragedy strikes the Novak family every reader will feel the pain of grief, the perils of drug abuse, the despair that leads to a shocking downward spiral and the strength that’s needed to overcome addiction.
Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within us are her favorite reads.
Her muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance. focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.
Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film.
Her paranormal thriller entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film entitled Foreseen.
Ashley’s decided to delve into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, which released in January of 2015. The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell, released in September of 2014. Ashley will be teaming up with Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her mom!) to pen a three-part murder mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book, Blood Ties, released the Summer of 2015.
Whispered Pain released in October of 2015 and Night Court released December 13, 2015.
Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.
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