Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Candle Day by Day


I received a copy of CANDLE DAY BY DAY WALK WITH JESUS: THE STORY OF JESUS RETOLD IN 40 DAYS by Juliet David, with illustrations by Jane Hayes, from Candle Books via Kregel in exchange for an honest review. 

This little book is a true delight.  By little, I mean that it is smaller than a normal book, which makes it delightfully portable.  Each story is written simply; this appeals to kids and adults.  As an adult, I enjoyed reading one story a night.  They gave me something to think about and I could read the Bible if I wanted more information.  The illustrations on each page are also simple, while still being poignant.  They better help you to ruminate on the story and its connection to Jesus.  There is also a take away question.  Instead of being complex or distracting, they complement the experience perfectly.

While I was familiar with many of the stories, some of them I wasn’t, and that made the reading experience all the more rewarding.

I only have good things to say about this book.  It will remain a keeper in my family.  I will be passing it on to my mom, and I will be saving it to read with my son when he’s older.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Havelock

HAVELOCK

Today only, you can find HAVELOCK on sale for just 99 cents. As the sale ends soon, I thought it appropriate to share just how this story came about.

I’d had this idea for a spy novel for a while. I was always disappointed in the lack of female spies and the way the existing ones were portrayed. While they might be able to kick-ass occasionally, most ended up captured and needed to be rescued. Without a doubt, there was room for a strong-willed heroine who possessed the attitude and skills and absolutely no trace of the usual ‘damsel in distress’ element that plagues too many strong female characters.

Having read almost all the original James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, I wanted to create a female character who would be more than a match for a man like Bond. And then I started to wonder what Bond’s daughter would be like had he actually succeeded in impregnating any one of the women he’d encountered over the years. In one of Fleming’s short stories, there was a female character who was out to take revenge on the people that killed her parents. She was fiery and passionate. She ended up as a Bond girl in the movie ‘For Your Eyes Only’ and her name was Melina Havelock (Judy in the original story).

I contacted the Ian Fleming Foundation in the UK, who own the rights to all the Bond novels, including the new ones, to ask if I could reference James Bond in any way in what I originally wanted to be a spinoff novel. They were extremely helpful but couldn’t grant the permissions I needed. The story had to be original. Which I took as a challenge to write a James Bond spin off without any reference to Bond himself, M, Q, 007, a license to kill, etc. The result was HAVELOCK.

Is Eliana Havelock the daughter of James Bond? Does she have her own ulterior motives? Is she as lethal as she is beautiful? One thing’s for certain . . . Eliana Havelock doesn’t need a license to kill.


An Excerpt from the Beginning of Havelock:

Ever had one of those days? The kind of days that challenge every skill, threaten every ethical standard, and undo every single concept of what you would ordinarily have considered an impossible situation? Despite near-perfect planning, I’m having one of those days right now.
It all started when I decided to find my father. I’ve never met him. His longtime vocation makes him a hard person to find at the best of times, but I recently discovered he was reported missing three years ago. He hasn’t surfaced since, and maybe it’s the paternal side of me, maybe it’s because my mother passed away and I’m seeking a parental figure, maybe I want to know why he never came back for me, but well… I gotta find out what happened.
And that’s why I, Eliana Havelock, now find myself tied to a chair in a dank basement somewhere near Karachi, Pakistan.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to be tortured.


Andrew Buckley - The Story So Far . . .

Andrew Buckley attended the Vancouver Film School’s Writing for Film and Television program. After pitching and developing several screenplay projects for film and television, he worked in marketing and public relations, before becoming a professional copy and content writer. During this time Andrew began writing his first adult novel, DEATH, THE DEVIL AND THE GOLDFISH, followed closely by his second novel, STILTSKIN both published by Curiosity Quills Press.

Andrew also writes under the pen name 'Jane D. Everly' for his HAVELOCK series of novels. His first upper middle grade novel HAIR IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES is now available from Month9Books with the sequel due out in August 2017.

​Andrew also co-hosts a geek movie podcast, is working on several new novels, and has a stunning amount of other ideas. He now lives happily in the Okanagan Valley, BC with one beautiful wife, three kids, one cat, one needy dog, and a multitude of characters that live comfortably inside of his mind.
Andrew is represented by Mark Gottlieb at the Trident Media Group.

Thursday, November 17, 2016

Wickedly They Dream


What is even better than an awesome, edge-of-your-seat fantasy novel for teens?  When it has a rocking sequel of course!

WICKEDLY THEY DREAM is the sequel to WICKEDLY THEY COME by Cathrina Constantine.  One of my favorite things was how smoothly the two books flowed together.  You don’t have to worry about heavy backstory or thick recapping (but you can still enjoy this as a standalone).  You get to visit with the same old people, another aspect I loved.  (Books that are book two or three in a series, but have totally new characters have started to annoy me. A companion novel is good – calling it book two is not) 

In WICKEDLY THEY DREAM, Jordan attends high school and on the side trains to fight demons with her guardian angel.   Jordan is living with her grandparents, and decides to go help out her mother who is in another city fighting demons. 

I you’re looking for a young adult fantasy, WICKEDLY THEY DREAM will not disappoint you.  It will also appeal to adults looking for a great adventure.

Note: I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Truthsong


Beautiful cover on a beautiful story!

I received a copy of TRUTHSONG by Elisabeth Hamill in exchange for an honest review.  It is the second book in the “Songmaker” series.  I read book one prior, and was excited to dive back into the adventure.  Definitely read SONG MAGICK first, otherwise you won’t enjoy it to the full extent.

This is fantasy at its best.  TRUTHSONG reminded me of all the fantasy novels I swallowed up as in high school.  I couldn’t get enough of the good versus evil, the love in the background, the magic that fills the air.    

I love Telyn as a character.  She is complex, and her magic speaks for itself.  A great role model for teens.

Highly recommended for fantasy fans like me.

Monday, November 14, 2016

End of the Roadie


I received a copy of END OF THE ROADIE by Elizabeth Flynn from Lion Fiction via Kregel in exchange for an honest review.  The is the third installment in “A Mystery for D.I. Costello” series. 

I found this incredibly entertaining and different.  I really can’t think of anything to compare it to!  The point of the story is that Brendan Phelan is a rock star, and during his acts, he uses gun shots and whips.  Boom – a gunshot turns out to be real and it results in a dead body.  Detective Inspector Angela Costello and her team start their investigation.

I love mystery novels and this is one of the better ones.  The characters are each unique and the mystery is complex.  I had no idea how it was going to play out – just the way I like my mystery novels!  I found it really cool how the book explored concerts.  I’ve only been to one concert, which was Reba at my local casino.  (I’m not even into country music, but I enjoyed watching “Reba” on TV so my dad surprised me with tickets)  I also found it entertaining to read how police teams work together.  I found it much more interesting than watching a crime show on TV. 

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Shattered Vigil


I received a copy of THE SHATTERED VIGIL by Patrick W. Carr from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.  It is a great, thick book – my favorite kind of epic fantasy adventure.  It sucks you right in and doesn’t let you go.

This is part of the Darkwater Saga – book two to be exact.  I’m new to the works of Patrick W. Carr, but he now has a fan in me.  I hadn’t read book one, but I will look for it now.  I also see there is a novella I was have to check out.

This isn’t a happy go lucky story, so if that is what you are looking for, you might want to find something different.  This is dark and gritty.  Some parts of the story are hard to read.  They are raw and real; the entire book is intense.  The characters prove that you can fight on in the most difficult of situations.  I don’t recommend reading this before bed.  The intensity will keep you up and the complex situations will keep you pondering.  There is, of course, also love, and there is some hope.

I recommend this series to fans of dark epic fantasy.  You won’t be disappointed if you give THE SHATTERED VIGIL a chance.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

SONG MAGICK


I received a copy of SONG MAGICK by Elisabeth Hamil in exchange for an honest review. 

This is a beautiful young adult novel about lost magic, love, and adventure.  The romance isn’t strong, but the action is.  I loved how the scenes were described with such poetic imagery that they were easy to picture.  Telyn is a strong main character who teens can look up to. 

I recommend this to fans of young adult fantasy or anyone who is looking for a young adult that is a little different.