Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes…

Posted: June 30, 2013 in book reviews
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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

Book Review – “The Lost Jewels of Hera” by Kelly Abell receives 4 stars and a “By the Gods, that was HOT!” Shout out

Posted: June 6, 2013 in book reviews
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thelostjewelsofhera_KellyabellIf you like Greek mythology, Indian Jones and Lara Croft, you’ll love this book, too!  A fast moving, sometimes predictable read, this book takes you through the search for the lost jewels as Kindra pursues her life long dream to find them.  The blend between reality and mythology was brilliant, not over done or understated.  Kindra is a strong character, with flaws that make her seem so real and plausible…like Kindra is out there right now searching for her next find even after the book ends.

The jewels represent each of the four elements and tie the truth of our planet’s destructive forces to the mythology of Gods being able to control those forces.  Zeus and Hades attempt to influence Kindra’s success or failure, keeping a well balanced ‘good versus evil’ conflict moving right along this Paranormal Romance.  There are aspects that are too good to be true and Kelly has turned that negative into a positive by expertly making the characters so believable.  The adjective rich descriptions are for the most part not overdone and allowed rich imagery to form as the words leapt from the page and became a colorful movie filled with special FX in my mind.

Kindra is incredibly believable, more so than Laura Croft and stands out as a strong, capable character.  She is flawed, imperfect and sexy!  The story spans different areas of the world and makes you feel like you are right there, watching the events unfold.  The action themes could have been longer, but the sexy/romantic scenes were just right!

~~~~~~~~~~~> 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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