Posts Tagged ‘recommended reading’

Author Interview – Megan Weiand

Posted: March 2, 2013 in Author Interviews
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Debra: Hi Megan, great to see you!  Whose this you brought with you?

Megan: Well you know how you sent me that list of questions to prepare before we did this interview?

Debra: Of course…<staring at Megan’s guest>meganweiand

Megan: Well one of them was about which one of my characters would I invite to a dinner party and since you and I are too busy to have a dinner party anytime soon, I thought I’d bring the answer to our interview session.  This is Mr. Zane Ellison!  The first reason I have for picking him is because um, hello, he’s HOT!

Debra: Wow, what a great surprise today and yes he is hot!  So since he is your character, can you just have him stand over there and look sexy while we try to focus here….that’s good, just out of my peripheral vision so I can attempt to read my notes.  Thanks!  Alright, so tell us a little more about Zane would you?

Megan: Sure, he’s a singer and if we were having a dinner party, I would have him serenading me all throughout dinner so I could imagine I am Hazel in this book.  Zane is the perfect guy for me and if I’m completely honest what guy isn’t irresistible with a guitar?  Teach a nerd how to play guitar and sing and people will no longer view him as the nerd.  It’s just how our minds work.

Debra: I couldn’t agree more!  Wow, ok, look back down at the notes, Deb, ah, here we go, next question…

ENJOY THE FULL INTERVIEW BY CLICKING HERE TO GO TO THE DEDICATED PAGE

Drop me a line at mrsdlhartmann@gmail.com to request your own author interview and a book review – could be fun!

Book Review – “Down a Tuscan Alley” by Laura Graham 5 Stars and a “Must Read” Shout Out!

Posted: February 28, 2013 in book reviews, Recommended Reading
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Down_a_Tuscan_Alley_cover_laura grahamI actually chose this book to read based on the reviews that are already on Amazon.  This is a pleasant and enjoyable read even if its not your normal genre or style, which for me it isn’t.  At first I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it because I don’t even  know where Tuscany is and I have never been out of the United States so I was unsure if I could follow along.  I am pleased to say that none of that mattered because this author very skillfully painted such wonderful images with her writing style and descriptive efforts; I fee like I have visited Italy and walked up and down that alley many times now and without the expensive airfare!

I can’t help but use many of the same words already used to describe this book, creative, humorous, engaging, thought provoking, all very much true of this beautiful creation.  I truly felt like I was watching these wonderful characters and laughing with them, Laura has a great sense of humour!  I was sad to reach the end only because I could not continue to be part of their lives any longer.  I hope Ms. Graham intends a sequel to this book as it would certainly be well received and readers could reunite with the beloved cast of this story.  It was like taking a vacation to Italy but not seeing the tourist side of things and instead experiencing the reality of every day life there which is by far much more interesting!

I had the opportunity to interview Laura Graham a couple of days ago and learned that this book is actually a memoire and these characters and adventures are part of her own personal history.  It was very exciting to learn more about her after reading the book and seeing how truly amazing she is in person!  The way she portrayed her main character, Lorri and allowed us to follow her as she put heartbreak, financial loss and the resulting language difference from the move to Italy behind her was inspiring and truly demonstrated courage on her part.  Through the tale she weaves in her exceptional prose, we watch her grow and become stronger and happier while she adapts and adjusts and makes new friends, ultimately becoming a completely different person for all of the experiences.  Thank you for sharing this personal journey with all of us!

5 stars out of 5

Reviewed by Debra L Hartmann, Published Author, Professional Editor and Daily Blogger

Link to Laura’s Amazon sales page: http://www.amazon.com/Down-Tuscan-Alley-Laura-Graham/dp/1463698526/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361985348&sr=1-1&keywords=down+a+tuscan+alley

About the Author on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Laura-Graham/e/B007A0CQ6O/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Laura’s website: http://www.lauragraham.co.uk/

My favorite because it has pictures of Tuscany, this is Laura’s blog site: http://www.lauragraham.co.uk/blog/   and here is a link to that interview I mentioned: Author Interview – Laura Graham

Drop a line to mrsdlhartmann@gmail.com to get your book on the review list and be sure to ask about the Author Interviews on my Radio Talk Show with NO Radio…you have to read an Author Interview on my blog to understand!PENTAX Image

Book Review – “Rock Crazy” by Rochelle Weber 4 Stars and a “Strap in for a Journey to the Moon” Shout Out!

Posted: February 26, 2013 in book reviews, Recommended Reading
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rochelle weber-rock crazy book cover picRock Crazy is a science fiction story set in 2065 about a woman called Katie McGowan who  suffers from bipolar disorder (rapid cycling). She relies heavily on her medication to survive but recently even that was failing to stop her wild mood swings and blackouts. The only cure involves the implantation of a microchip in her brain to regulate her moods but she has no desire to become, as she construes it, a robotic puppet for the rest of her life. She therefore  stubbornly refuses this medical option, especially since the operation can only be performed on the moon.

Things are complicated by the relationship with her husband who, despite years of trying, is unable to cope with her mood swings and violent outbursts. Her refusal to have the microchip operation is the last straw for him. As a last attempt, he takes her to the moon where he works and splits up with her, forcing her to look after herself and contemplate the operation. Unfortunately, she discovers she is pregnant….

Rock Crazy is a well written and entertaining read. Despite not being a big fan of science fiction, I found myself on a pleasant reading journey as Katie tries desperately to deal with her illness. As a bipolar sufferer myself, albeit with far less severity, I was very intrigued by the nature of the story and I related fondly to her well told struggle for survival. As a result, I highly recommend this brave story to anyone who suffers from any kind of mental illness.

If I had to come up with a criticism, it would be that I did find myself wishing often as I read that this story hadn’t been set in such an original setting of the moon. Combining the illness with such an unusual location was no doubt entertaining but I yearned heavily for the more realistic and gritty surroundings that realism provides. I wanted to relate to the circumstances Katie found herself in far more than I was able to. Although, I remain unsure as to whether this was a tribute to the writer’s  well woven characters or rather a personal scepticism of science fiction on my part.

4 stars out of 5

Reviewed by Roger Gerald Scott, Award Winning Published Author and Debra L Hartmann, Published Author, Professional Editor and daily Blogger

Link to Rochelle Weber’s sales page:  http://museituppublishing.com/bookstore2/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=223&category_id=7&keyword=Rock+Crazy&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1 

Rochelle’s About the Author Website (nice site by the way, beautiful graphics!): http://www.rochelleweber.com/

Her blog site for book reviews: http://rochellesreviews.blogspot.com/

And, of course, the amazon link where you can read more reviews of this book and see her author’s page: http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Crazy-ebook/dp/B005W5QS0E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361886722&sr=8-1&keywords=rochelle+weber

This review is also being published on http://rogerrgeraldscott.blogspot.no/

Drop a line to mrsdlhartmann@gmail.com to get your book on the review list and be sure to ask about the Author Interviews on my Radio Talk Show with NO Radio…you have to read an Author Interview on my blog to understand!

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