Book Appreciation Month

I love books! Books have taken me to some of the most amazing places. Books have let me take part in so many adventures and live lives totally different than mine. Books have entertained, educated, challenged my thinking, and sometimes just let me escape from reality for a while.

Books have also gotten me in trouble. Like the time I in 5th grade. I had a book hidden in my textbook and got so involved in the story I didn't hear my name being called by the teacher. Not good. :-)  And of course, there were the many nights Mom found me reading with a flashlight under the covers.

As an author, I have a love/hate relationship with books. Unless the story is awesome, I tend to see typos, logic errors, and such. It's one of the issues with being an editor too. It's hard to read for pleasure...at least for me. I tend to look at the writing more than the story sometimes.

That said, I just read an amazing historical novel. And honestly, I don't like historical fiction. But I loved this one.  It was for an edit so isn't available yet but you can find the first in the series (I loved it too.) and get ready for the one coming soon. I'll add a link so you can just click over. If Amazon says this isn't available, you can get it from the publisher's website.

On a side note,  I've decided to start blogging here again. I'll be featuring authors, books, publishers, editors, along anything else dealing with books and writing.  If you would like to be featured, let me know.  It's been a while since this blog was active though I've still been getting visitors on a regular basis. Check out the archives for some great reading suggestions.

Also...comment on a post during the month and you'll be entered to win a book. I'm not sure which one but it will be a good one.

Letting Hope Enter - Charity Anthology

Suicide, why is it so difficult to talk about, write about or even handle in a private forum?

Answers are still being searched for in the mental health communities of the hows and whys. Until then, we are trying to bring light to this issue. We want to assist with the truth, lies, prejudice, secrets, and misunderstanding of mental health.

Every 40 seconds someone commits suicide.

This makes it the 10th leading cause of death in America today. It is breaking news when it happens to the famous, but not enough exposure has come into the light to help everyday people. It still has a stigma and many experience shame in their issues.

Letting Hope Enter is a collection of stories about the tragedy, pain and even despair of suicide. Also, it is an attempt to bring hope and awareness to this illness without the need to hide or consider it some dirty little secret.

** All proceeds from the sales will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. **

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-825, if you or someone you know, love, care about or want to share needs this information.

Please let Hope Enter, help those suffering and start talking about these issues without prejudice, misinformation or judgment.


BUY NOW: https://www.books2read.com/LettingHopeEnter

AUTHORS: Featuring Authors Supporting Suicide Awareness & Prevention

Airian Eastman
Maggie Jane Schuler
J. M. Butler
Angie Gonser Brocker
Jenniefer Andersson
Renee Lee Fisher
Author Linnea Valle
Jaime Russell
Kathia Iblis
ChaSiree M.
D.j. Shaw
Lenore Cheairs
Morgan G. Farris

Liv Arnold

Thr3e by Ted Dekker

One of the great things about having a daughter who writes is the opportunity to talk about writing. Whether it's plot, character development, story structure, or POV, I really enjoy the discussion.

This evening we went to our favorite "sitting out, chillin', and chatting" place and spent over an hour talking mostly book stuff. As we discussed writing mysteries, Thr3e came up and we decided it's one of our top 3 books.

Thr3e is a book from Ted Dekker. I found it years ago during a Thanksgiving trip to my mom's and totally loved it. In fact, I read the whole thing in just one evening, in one sitting. Not only does it start with a bang, it ends with one. I had no idea who the "bad guy" was, and Dekker knocked the end out of the ballpark. Neither Beth or I saw it coming. Every time we thought we had it figured out, nope.

If you like mystery/thrillers, then we both recommend you run to the store and get Thr3e.  Then let me know what you think.

And while I'm recommending books - Hit and Run by Beth Lauzier is an awesome middle-grade fantasy your young reader will love.  You can get a copy here or message me for a signed one.

So Much for Challenge...

Yep, I missed a couple days.

But, honestly, it really wasn't all my fault.  Seems my computer decided the hotel internet wasn't secure and that someone might steal my info and wouldn't let me get online.  I totally intended to blog Saturday evening but just couldn't. But, here's a picture of the view from my hotel balcony.

Here is one of the bridge at night.

And finally, one from the balcony on our last morning.

I think the thing to learn from this is...sometimes things happen. And when they do, we sometimes need to change our plans and not get so stressed out.

It was a five-hour drive home yesterday, so I was tired and just didn't have the will to get on the puter and blog so didn't.  I might catch up, I might not...I'm not going to worry about it.

No Excuses Blog Challenge Post 1

I'm terrible with blogging. I really enjoy it, when I get going but sometimes I have a hard time getting started. So, I've decided to take part in a 21 day, no excuses blog challenge. I'll post links later. One thing I like, they are giving suggested topics for each day. Which really helps.  Today's topic is "hooks". I'm not going with their suggested discussion about hooks, but that's okay.

As a writer, hooks are hard. There is so much a hook has to accomplish. I mean, it has to get the reader to continue reading, and in this fast paced, go-go-go world, that's harder than ever to do.  As I thought about how I wanted to go with this topic, I pondered some ideas. For example...

She leaned over the balcony, staring at the ground only 4 floors below, and wondered if she'd survive the fall.

Is that a good hook? I'm not so sure. Would someone read on to see why she was pondering this? Maybe, if they didn't have anything else to do.

She leaned over the balcony, staring at the ground only 4 floors below, and wondered if he'd survive the fall.

Al little better. Who is she? Who is he? What did he do that would make her want to push him? Did he deserve it? Or, is she a victim?

Hooks must cause the reader to ask questions. And those questions must drive the reader to continue to the next line, the next paragraph, the next page, the next chapter.

So, as a writer, how do you handle hooks?  And, as a reader, what are some of your favorite hooks?

Share in the comments for a chance to win some free stuff. I'll give away a couple books along with a critique.



Check out these great blogs participating in the blog challenge.

San Gabriel's Secret by David Ciambrone

Nestled on the San Gabriel River in Central Texas’ Hill Country, Georgetown is a small town where things are normally pretty quiet. That is, until Adam Thomas, a retired scientist and now writer of a newspaper column for women under the name Aunt Kay, inherits a Confederate solder’s journal and a new murder. Adam and his girlfriend Kathy find themselves the center of dark doings, strange people and racing headlong into a fast paced, high stakes adventure to untangle a murderous puzzle, a series of macabre organizations and locate the centuries old and highly unusual, San Gabriel Secret.

*****

I really enjoyed this one. If you are a fan of David Ciambrone's, you'll love it too.

Get your copy here.

The Ruins of Shandor by C. R. Myers

Follow Waldo on the desert planet as he discovers an abandoned underground city, and meets Hamel from Shandor Frenna along with Ms. Ziimar, who claims to be over five-thousand years old. The trio journey to Middle-Land, and in the Valley of Xar D’Kee, Waldo talks with his missing father through the Well of Wisdom and discovers more about his true identity. His father agrees to meet him at the Arch of Worlds located on the island of Scotaden Wel.

When Waldo disappears from the ghostly staircase, Jeremy and Shauna begin a search, which takes them to a color world and through the depths of the planet to Down-World and the Temple of Eron where they find the forbidden Tablets of Jesreel. By studying the tablets, Jeremy learns the history of Pelayaces and the planet’s true relationship to his own planet, the Earth. Now, he understands the Elam Nostra’s ultimate mission, and why the creature wants to destroy the Earth above all else.

Will Waldo find his father and the answers he so desperately seeks on Scotaden Wel? Will Jeremy and Waldo be able to find their way home and save the Earth from the Elam Nostra or is the universe destined to be swallowed into a void of black nothingness?

*****

This is the sequel to The Dawn of Pelayaces.

Preorder your copy here.