Archive for the ‘book reviews’ Category

Book Review – “Flashes of War” by Katey Schultz – 5 Stars and “Unique and Brilliant!”

Posted: July 8, 2013 in book reviews
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I was a bit hesitant about this book because I don’t usually read war based anything, but it was flash fiction short stories and the media kit that Katey sent with her request for an honest review was incredibly professional. I knew I shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see what this young writer was up to. I was not disappointed, in fact, this is one of the best books I have read! The many reviewers before me have talked about what the stories are about and how wonderful the writing is and I agree with all of them. My favorite points are how real the character’s perspectives were. The whole thing is crafted without the influence of author intrusion that would have made the stories biased in one way or another. Both traits of an exceptionally talented writer. I also noticed other reviewers talked about how on point everything she wrote was, from reviewers that read a lot of war based fiction and from reviewers with their own experiences where Ms. Schultz had none, but certainly did her due diligence to create this masterpiece. Overall, it’s the perfect balance between creativity and research.

I imagine that most human beings have some type of connection to war at some point in history or another and the lack of a connection is potentially more the exception than the rule, it’s sad to say. Flashes of War is a must read, regardless of genre preferences. Many only really know what the media shares about war, what history tells us, what family or friends talk about, and so on; these stories let the reader into the head of the point of view characters like no camp fire story or news story ever can. This is not a typical read about war, this is unique and brilliant!

My only complaint is that it was all too short, but that’s why I tend to avoid flash fiction in general, holding out for a longer read. I would have made a mistake and robbed myself of this wonderful read though. I have this author on my watch list now, while the stories drew me in but left me wanting, it was the author’s skill that I’m sure will be present in everything she writes, that actually made me feel as I read every word. As you decide if this purchase is right for you, definitely look up the author to see how she has immersed her entire lifestyle into her work and how she researches her writing projects to fully understand how much she invests in every word to ensure the reader’s enjoyment. Her website tagline, “writer @ large” is perfect and a testament of her dedication to the craft!

Stay tuned, I will be tracking this young lady down for an interview very soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>Debra L Hartmann, Author, Host of the Talk Radio with NO Radio show, and Professional Editor at http://www.theprobookeditor.com

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes…

Posted: June 30, 2013 in book reviews
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Monkey Wrench Collective Logo

Ah, the monkey wrenches life throws our way. I started this blog site with the best intentions, wanting it to be only book reviews and author interviews. I love to read and have really enjoyed meeting the authors that worked with me to do the fun, skit style interviews for my Talk Radio with NO Radio show. Alas, changes are needed in order to keep up with the volume of work and still have some kind of a personal life off the internet.  I think that if I change the format to include more things that take less time then I can contribute more to supporting indie authors, continue to post reviews as I can complete them, and still manage my business and family commitments.

 

First, I must apologize to each and every author that has not yet received a review after sending their inquiry. I started out with a great schedule that I believed I could accomplish but things happened and I’ve had to put a family matter ahead of this project. The site also grew in popularity so quickly that I became overwhelmed with so many requests and it would literally take me more than a year at 1-2 books per week to catch up. First change –  I am no longer accepting requests for book reviews. I will continue to work through the pile and eventually get everyone’s books reviewed. Those reviews will be posted here and on up to 3 sales pages of the author’s choice (provided I am a member of the site and they will allow it without having been purchased from them) and I will send out tweets for quite sometime to bring attention to the reviews and help authors with as much publicity work as I can with this site.

 

Next, I do intend to keep the Talk Radio with NO Radio show going. That actually doesn’t take nearly as much time to accomplish as a book read and then review does and the response to those posts were excellent. This is not open to requests just yet though, I will continue to work through the commitments already made and open the studio lines as soon as I catch that up. At some point, I hope to move to a live audio show…who knows?! It could happen!

 

In the meantime, new material will begin to appear here this week and stay tuned for what is being dubbed “The Biggest Blog Tour of All Time” coming soon with special guest star Simon O’Kill for the release of his new book Luna Sanguis.

 

Lastly, I would like to open the site up to different types of posts that are helpful to the author community and just not as time consuming as the reviews. Blog tour hosting, cover reveals, release announcements and general creative and informative postings will begin to appear and I am opening the gates for requests as of July 1st for that. I will be working on a page that will display a calendar on the site and will show open dates for scheduling events like that. You can request a future spot by simply emailing mrsdlhartmann@gmail.com and put the event type in the subject field and plenty of details in the body.

 

Please feel free to comment and make suggestions about posts you would like to see or recommendations for types of events that I could include in the schedule. Making a difference and helping promote the work of our wonderful independent author community is still my goal…it just needs a little rearranging to be manageable. Thank you, followers and readers for your understanding and your support. ~~~~~~Debra L Hartmann

 

Book Review – “Once Upon Another Time” by Rosary McQuestion

Posted: June 18, 2013 in book reviews
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4 Stars and a “Beautiful Story with a Twist!” Shout OutONCE+UPON+ANOTHER+TIMEcover

It’s no wonder this book made best-seller status on Amazon.  It’s a great romantic read with a paranormal twist and lot’s of humor.  Certainly a variety of readers will relate to one or more of the characters in this story.  Despite a previous review noting proofreading errors, the author seems to have addressed almost all of them by the time I read the book.  My only note of critique will be that the characters could have been more visually developed, allowing me to see them in my mind better and it was a bit of a long read.  Still, overall, the book is very well written and was difficult to put down.  For those readers that want a story that doesn’t end too soon but is longer and very enjoyable, this is definitely the right choice.

Aubrey McCory is the lead character, widowed some 7 years earlier and still very much in love with her late husband.  Her friends pressure her to move on and date, fixing her up with blind dates as often as she will concede.  She is struggling with supernatural events that have her feeling like she’s loosing her mind while trying to lead a normal working life and raise the child she was pregnant with when her husband died.  Tension and some mystery build after this is all established and painted in adjective rich prose and you’ll have to see for yourself.  I particularly enjoyed that the writing demonstrated a very realistic way that we see things, respond to things, interact with each other and behave during events we can’t explain immediately and doused with just the right amount of humor through out.  This was a tough subject to write about and the author’s style and approach were clever and skillful.  The book really makes you wonder and want to believe in miracles.

No spoilers here, you’ll have to add this book to your collection to learn all about the rest of the wonderful characters and to know if she was going crazy or does she find out why her husband’s ghost keeps appearing and does she move on to find love again?  The rollercoaster ride through this romantic paranormal read will be worth it!

~~~~~~~~~~~> Debra L Hartmann, professional editor, published author, book reviewer and host of the Talk Radio with NO Radio show, for the fun of it….  http://www.theprobookeditor.com and come have an AHA moment with us at http://authorshelpingauthors.wordpress.com

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