That One Story You Cannot Let Go

Angela1 Comment

and it took me forever to find it, and thank you Amazon.

Dawn of Desire

My poor Granny has no idea what she did when I “stole” her book from her when I was 11 years old. Yes; over 30 years ago. It was “Dawn of Desire”. By Joyce Verrette. And I read this story over-and-over again. Only to lose it in a basement flood of all things.

And I forgot about it. Yet; I didn’t.

It was the best story I had ever read for my young age.

And still, at 42+ years old, it is one of the stories I will continue to read, over-and-over again.

And after literally checking the internet for years looking for this book; I found it! As well as the 2 following books that were part of this series.

I do not know what happened to Joyce Verrette; but I do know I got these books back in my hands. So Thank You!

When Self-Publishing Fails

Angela11 Comments

What do you do? Did you self-publish, only to find that the platform you used has serious formatting issues?

I have not self-published, as I am keeping my stories locked up tight; for the time being. But I am aware of several self-publishing companies that cater to the writer who wants to be published, and this is the best route. I did not say easiest route, because it is not.

I know Lulu, Blurb, and Createspace are very popular. Wattpad has been getting a lot of attention lately. I know Amazon offers self-publishing, but I have been seeing a lot of fall-out from their pricing and restrictions. The latest is that Amazon is selling merchandise for $0.01 and the sellers cannot do anything about it.

I have read some terrific stories from self-publishers. But I do take offense when a self-publisher wants to blame their shoddy skill of the very difficult English language on their self publisher.

Keep in mind; no matter how chopped up the story was; when your emails are just as chopped up; I am not going to believe this is a server/platform issue.

I have read about 3 horrible stories (yes, horrible) that I could not even read again no matter what the payment was.

I guess what I am saying is this: I wish these self-publishing websites had a way to tell that a story is pure crap and just refuse to publish it. Is the all-mighty dollar worth so much that these companies will publish anything as long as they are getting some kind of profit?

Oh, how the writers of days-gone-by are turning in their graves.

So I guess I would personally like to apologize to Maya Angelou, Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, not to mention so many others.

The Best Christmas Gift For the Man In Your Life!

Angela5 Comments

Unless if he doesn’t like books, that is. This came across my Facebook wall, and I cannot believe such a thing exists!

Due Date Neck Tie

Unfortunately, I did not see anything here for women, per-se, but these neckties are pretty amazing.

You can find their website here: http://cyberoptix.com/products/printedneckties/duedatecard.php

Various Short Stories – Christian Bergman

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I had the pleasure of reading some short stories written by Christian Bergman, and they were great fun! You have some sci-fi going on, and get a Twilight Zone feel with some of these stories. The first story, “Curiosity” gives you a behind-the-scenes look at a team watching a planet rover, still checking and manning it daily even though a newer rover seems to be getting all of the attention, funding, and support. You follow along with them as they try to determine what they could have seen when a glint of light is reflected in one of the images.

I was anxious as I read through this first story to see exactly what they may have discovered. Sorry friends, but as is my norm, there will be no spoilers here! You will have to read it to find out for yourself what exactly they may have seen.

There were other short stories that put a new twist on what things could be like for us here on Earth in the future. Or is it Earth?

Be sure to check out Christian’s short stories here: http://contrafactual.com/short-stories/

You will be glad you did!

O Holy Night: The Peace of 1914 – Michael Snow

Angela3 Comments

No one wants to think about war when they are trying to focus on Christmas. Generally, I would hope no one likes to think about war at all, although for some it is their life’s work and career to pay attention to just such things.

O Holy Night Cover

So what was going on in the year 1914 at the time and season of Christmas? War. A war that had French and German troops in trenches, on French land, hiding from the other while they at the same time hoped to have to opportunity to destroy them; for most for no other reason than it would save their own life.

It may not be 100% clear who first called for the truce between the troops, but the story tells us that the initial singing of Christmas carols came from the German trenches, and was able to completely silence the other noises of the war-torn night unlike anything else. ‘Silent Night’, sung in German, did just that.

Numerous letters were sent to loved ones from the men who were in these trenches on this Christmas Eve night. Men who were glad to put down their guns, climb out of the trenches, and approach the enemy to shake hands and trade souvenirs. As the first few made those frightening first steps toward the enemy, the others began to do the same, seeing that they were indeed safe in their endeavors. Games were played, food and drink were shared, and mementos traded amongst the soldiers, all who commented to others that the ‘enemy’ was quite alright after all.

This story shares the narrative of these soldiers, as well as some of the letters that were sent home. This is a wonderful story; both comforting as well as something that makes you realize what has been sacrificed for the freedoms we have.

The Winner of the Two $25.00 Amazon Gift Cards…

Angela3 Comments

is Glogirl!  I sent an email to you and will have your gift cards on their way as soon as I hear from you!

Thank you everyone who entered, and I will be having more give-aways in the very near future! I have unfortunately had some personal family issues happen in the past couple of weeks, along with getting ready for Christmas, homeschooling, and a bout of the flu. I have our Advent by Candlelight Christmas program at church tonight, and then my duties at church should slow down a bit.

My work duties, however, are in full force as we end the year; I work in the Materials and Planning department, and this is the busiest time of year for us!

I am down to minimal stories to review yet, and will have more reviews posted starting tomorrow. Thank you for your patience if you have been waiting on a review from me. I have 4 that are ready to go and will be posting over the next 5 days. I am also going to focus on author features once a week, and will be contacting those of you I am featuring in the next few weeks individually.

Thank you again so very much for following my blog, participating in my giveaways, and being awesome writers and readers!

A Beautiful Family – Marilyn Cohen de Villiers

Angela1 Comment

I found “A Beautiful Family” to be a great read for me. It was not only entertaining, it was also educational. The story takes place over decades, going back and forth through different time periods, with each main character having a few chapters where the story is told from their point of view, before moving on to the next character, and a few chapters with their point of view. This actually lent to the flow of the story, and did not confuse it or make it difficult to read, as you may think from reading my descriptions of how the story was composed.

A Beautiful Family Cover

This story takes you through the life of a young Jewish couple, Alan and Brenda Silverman; the husband being over-achieving in his business dealings, and far from adequate as a father and husband. Brenda and their three children are also part of the story, as well as friends who were very dear to Brenda. This story takes place in a couple different locations, the main one being South Africa. The Jewish beliefs, religion, and lifestyle is very much a part of this story, and I definitely learned some things about the Jewish religion that I was previously not familiar with.

The focus of this story is how this family evolves as they go from young lovers, to young married parents, to spouses who no longer get along. Although the fact that they are Jewish is a major part of the story, it is nothing that overwhelms the story or takes control of the plot of the book. If you are not familiar with a Jewish lifestyle, you can, and will, still very much enjoy this story.

This is a good sized read, but definitely worth it. As I try to not give away spoilers, I will just say that Alan Silverman has made quite a name for himself within the Jewish community; a community who believes that no one who is Jewish would commit crimes and sins against their fellow man. The façade of a life he had created slowly begins to crumble around him, and he keeps trying and trying to make it go away. A lengthy court hearing brings everything to light, and puts an end to one man’s control and abuse.

I apologize to anyone who is Jewish if I misspoke, misquote, or misused any Jewish terms in this review. Although I did learn a lot from this story, I am certainly no expert. I am of the Lutheran religion, that is what I know very thoroughly.

5.5 Hours Left To Enter to Win Two $25.00 Amazon Gift Cards!

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I will announce the winner tomorrow as well as contact via email! Click here and follow the instructions to get entered:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/0dcc89d93/

Amazon $25.00 Gift Card

Lady Luck’s a Loser – Caryl McAdoo

Angela3 Comments

I loved this story! It was a fast, easy read that drew me in from chapter one. You are dying to know right from the beginning what is really going on with W.G. Preston, and why he is running a “bachelor” style contest on his apple orchard.

Lady Luck's a Loser Cover Image

More importantly, you are really concerned about Marge, what she is feeling, and what she is going to decide to do. She is being pulled between her good common sense and her growing love for a man who hired her in order to fire her, if luck was not on her side.

I again cannot give any spoilers here, but this is a clean romance novel that is fun, exciting, and full of suspense that will have you staying up late to read it to the end. It certainly did for me!

Caryl McAdoo PhotoIf you are unfamiliar with Caryl, please go visit her website here: http://carylmcadoo.com/

You will be glad you did!

500 Followers! One Happy Girl Here!

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Thank you so very much to each and every one of you who have chosen to follow my blog! I could not explain the excitement I feel each time I see I have a new follower; the 500th one was as exciting as the very first one.

500 Hundred Followers

I try to write a blog that is interesting, fun, and informative. I love books; they are my passion, and the stories I have read have been so much a part of my past, present, and certainly my future; I could not imagine a day without my books.

My bedroom is dominated by bookshelves full of books; yet I still have books packed away, stacked on top of others, and never-even-read yet, because I have so many. I am grateful to have 4 daughters who love books as much as me, and I know that is because I read to them from day one, took them to the library every week, and set a good example.

So once again; Thank You so very much! It truly makes me happy to be able to share my joy of books with so many others!