Rachael Tamayo's Blog, page 18

Ace of Heart: Hart of Darkness Book One, by Violeta M Bagia

I love a good series.  It's so hard to find a good book, and when it's the first of a series I love it even more.  Is there anything better than knowing there are more books to look forward to when you find one you really enjoyed? 

Meet Ace Hart.  She is the main character in this action packed tale of love, suspense, and a bit of the paranormal all melded into one great page turner.  The author does a good job balancing a love story with a well woven tale about one woman's journey to discover who she really is, and how that will change her life forever.   

With two men that love her, and her love for only one of them and her position in the agency, Ace has a lot on her plate, and some heavy choices to make.  Not to mention the ending, I just loved it and can't wait for book two, King of Hart, coming later this year. 

Five Stars! 

Repeat: A love story for the ages; by A.J. Kohler

Romance from a man's perspective. You don't see to much of that. That in and of itself is a nice change of pace from a market that is saturated with porn that masquerades as romance. Not that erotica doesn't have it's place, it does. Something separates this book from everyday romance, and that thing is one word. 

Literature.

This book is a refreshing change when you compare it to most other romances.  Being a romance author myself, I think I'm allowed to say that this book is literature. It's so different from anything else I've ever read in it's premise.

What if you got a do over?

If you could go back with that one long lost love and live a second lifetime, make new choices, love the one that you always secretly wondered about...what if?  A beautiful tale of lost love and just life in general. Characters are  very well written and easy to relate to. 

I'll be honest, it did drag a bit in parts for me, but the story is sweet and beautiful as a whole.   Due to that, I give this one four stars.  Worth the read!

You can find it on Amazon here. 

Love Caster and In The Darkness, By Leah Hamrick

This week I read two short stories by Leah Hamrick. Best selling multi-genre author of paranormal short stories, new adult, romance, and faith based.  These aren't the first of her works I've read. I also read her newest full length book, Front on My Pillow, which I also loved. You can find all her works on Amazon here. 

So, now on to the review huh?  I'd say this is a series, but I'm not sure it is yet.  Both books have the same characters, Anna and Killien.  In Love caster, our duo is two years younger and in high school. A Young Adult tale of a young woman finding her first love, and hoping for her first kiss all while working to discover who she is as a witch. Not to mention dealing with her parents as an other normal teenager would.  Hamrick has a unique ability to write in such a way that you believe you've been drawn into the world of a modern day teenager.  It doesn't feel like fiction. That's how good this author is at getting into the head of her young characters. they are true to life with believable real world problems in a fictional paranormal story.  

In the second, In The Darkness, we find our two young lovers two years older and over eighteen. Young and in love, but their love isn't the focus this time. It's the dark entity that is following Anna, making her question her own senses and afraid to tell her loves ones what she's seeing, fearing what they may think of the outlandish things that have been happening to her.  I enjoyed the story, and liked how we were able to grow a bit with the characters over the two short stories. This one's darker, but has a good balance of suspense and fear, and just a touch of the sweet love between our couple.  

If you are looking for a short read I highly recommend that you pick up one or both of these books. They are stand alone, so you can pick up the second and not be lost if you haven't read the first yet.  Hamrick is the author of several short stories and one full length book with more to come.  You won't be disappointed if you are a fan of paranormal. And, if you've never picked up the genre, this is a great place to start. 

Five stars! 

The Tainted Doves Trilogy by Elle Marlow

Welcome to my very first official book review blog. Now that I'm focusing specifically on book reviews, I'm happy to start with The Tainted Doves Trilogy, by Elle Marlow.  I've never read a western before, this is my first.  This one is a collection of three short stories in which none of the characters recur in the other two tales.  

I can honestly say that I really enjoyed it. Taken far into the 1880's  of Arizona, desert, Old West, and strong women. I felt that I was truly taken back into a whole different era as I read the tales woven by this masterful author.  I really would love to read one of her novels to see how it compares with the shorts here. 

The first up was Whiskey's Women.  I wasn't sure how I would feel about it, knowing I've never read western, and there wasn't much romance involved, but I really loved it.  Three women married to the same man find each other after he dies and together swear to find revenge on the gambler that shot him in cold blood. It has a good pace, and I didn't feel that it was rushed or that I was missing out on anything since it was a short story. It's also available as a stand alone on Amazon.  I reccomend you check it out.

Next was The Dust Garden. I failed to mention above that I love the original names that Marlow uses for her characters in the books.  I feel that Names like Temptation are true to the era in which she's weaving these tales.  I did my own ansestry once, and found crazy names like this in my own history way back when, so I really love that she did this.  In the Dust garden we meet very timid, very shy, very scarred, Temtation.  She has no real memory of who she is, and lives a very secluded life after some years of terror she experiences at the hand of a man.  When She meets Fallon, she finds herself facing some confusing emotions that don't mesh with her fearful tendencies. I loved this short love story. I got lost in it, it's sweet and sexy. A perfect blend of the two.

The last in the trilogy is The Gamblers Passion.  In this story we meet Tawdry, who's deathly ill Mother and the search for a doctor cause her to cross paths with a gambler.  I don't want to give to much away, but again this love story was sweet and sexy, and the perfect end to this trio of tales.  

I recommend that you pick up one or more of Marlow's books.  Specializing in Historical fiction, she will take you to a world unknown,a past time and you will find yourself lost in the story.

Five Stars!

Find her books on Amazon here. 

Meet Guest Blogger: Writer Christopher Davis

I'm so thrilled to have him here today to take over my blog. Let's not delay, take it away!

Good Morning and thank you for having me.

I’ve two novels on tap so far for 2017—one short and one full length—and both will be published by the good folks at Solstice publishing. 

 

Walking to Babylon—the first up and released February 2nd—is the longer version of a story that I wrote for the Multiple Myeloma Research charity anthology Paladins. My story in the anthology was titled Low and Outside and as you could guess takes both its title and story line from the game of baseball, as the story is told over a couple of beers at a farm team game in Las Vegas.

The collection was published in England and is stocked with some of the best indie crime writers on the scene today from both sides of the pond. Paladins was put together for a crime writer friend—Craig Furchtenicht and his wife—Henrietta—who at the time—was fighting a valiant battle against Multiple Myeloma. She has since lost that battle and writing the longer story was my way of remembering the smiles posted from a hospital room on Facebook as she struggled to keep those of us writers participating, in the game.

Walking to Babylon is not for the faint of heart as it follows a pair of unlikely Vegas mob types—Sammy Soriano and Tommy Two Guns Viglierchio—as they grow up busting balls for the old man. Vigleirchio has cancer and Soriano knows it, but there is really nothing that he can do except be a friend. After a hard life of drug use, fast living and even faster women, Viglierchio chooses to end it all one night in the desert outside of Las Vegas under a silver summer moon.

Ain’t No Law in California is a much longer post-apocalyptic, western that has lived on the hard drive of my computer for six or seven years. The original story was slated to be a traditional western and written as three stories, in the hope of gaining the attention of the shorter e-book publishers of the time.

After two complete re-writes and another in first person, I scrapped the idea and the story took on a more SCI-FI, Steam-Punk, Dystopian feel. A couple of folks read through it—after having read the original version—and it seemed that the Dan Bardwell series of odd westerns would get off the ground. An untitled follow up is nearly complete and both are written as traditional as can be with the exception that they take place a hundred and fifty years in the future after a nuclear war has nearly wiped humanity out.

Walking to Babylon was just released on the 2 nd of February and Ain’t No Law in California is making the various rounds of editing and should be out before spring and available through Amazon or Solstice Publishing?

 

***

Christopher Davis is a central California native and grandfather of three rambunctious little ones. When not tending herd, he can be found trying his hand at writing Crime, Western and Horror fiction. Chris lives with his wife and a little dog that has nearly lost his mind.

Find out more at www.christopherdaviswrites.com

Meet Guest Blogger: CJ Warrant

I'm so excited to have this great writer here! Take it away CJ!

[image error]

First and foremost, I want thank you for having me. It’s a great pleasure being here and to take over your blog.

There is some much I want to say, but mostly, I would like to introduce myself. My name is CJ Warrant, and I write Dark Romantic thrillers and Suspense. I’m half Italian and half Korean—and yes, I do eat kimchi and pizza, and sometimes both at the same time. I was born just outside of Seoul Korea, and my first language was Korean. But when I came to this wonderful country, I had to learn English—side by side with my mother and siblings. Through out the years, and meeting so many diverse people, I have picked up on some other languages.

I was army brat through and through, and had the privilege to travel with my family, and meet so many great people and see different parts of the world. One of the places that stuck with me to this day is Wisconsin. Yes, I said Wisconsin. We only lived there for a year, but it was a year to remember.

Reason being, I learned not everyone is mean because of my nationality or how my eyes looked. My connection with my family grew stronger. But then our family dynamics shattered when a driver, who wasn’t paying attention to the road, killed my younger brother. And the house we lived in was, or still might be…haunted. (More of a playful ghost, from what I remembered anyway.)

Anyway, my debut novel, Forgetting Jane was developed from that experience from living there, but of course, the plot has a more sinister side to the story than how I lived in that farmhouse.

 

As for my writing, My first novel, Forgetting Jane is published through Solstice Publishing and is available at:

Amazon: myBook.to/ForgettingJane

I currently have several stories in the works. Two series, and another couple single titles. All Dark romantic thrillers. I also have Forgetting Jane coming out in audio book and it’s in near completion. If you would like more detail, please subscribe to my newsletter to get more detailed news about my books. Just follow the link below.

http://www.cjwarrant.com/contact-cj.html

You also can find me at:

www.cjwarrant.com

www.facebook.com/cjwarrantauthor/

www.twitter.com/cjwarrant

www.instagram.com/cjwarrant/

www.tumbler.com/cjwarrant/

www.goodreads.com/cjwarrant/

If you would like to come by and say hi to me, I’ll be at the La Grange Public Library with some of my author friends. We’re doing readings and some giveaways on February 7 th , at 7:00 p.m.

Thank you again for letting me introduce myself. It was fun being here!

Writing tips: Writers block

Banging your head on your desk?  Ready to heave your laptop against the wall? It happens to the best writers. So you Google and get articles like...10 Tricks to Overcome Writers Block....and there are dozens of them.

Go for a walk, read a book, write anyway....the list goes on. 

And on.

And on.

So you say...okay I'm going to write 500 words a day NO MATTER WHAT on my book.  Later you look back on it and it sucks. 

Want to know why it sucks? Because you wrote when you weren't feeling it.  You are a story teller, but a huge part of being a story teller is making the person you are immersing in the tale you're weaving feel the emotions on the page. In order to do that, you must make them feel it.  They should be forgetting the world around them and be transported to the universe you've created. How can you create this universe if you don't feel it yourself? 

You have to feel it in order to write it. If you don't feel it... it's okay. Don't freak out. Set it aside for a while. It will come back to you. Work on something else. Do a workshop, find some writing prompts online that make your head gears start to turn, or just sit back and read a good book. Maybe you're brain needs a break.

It's okay to take a break.

Say it with me.  It's okay to take a break. It's okay if I don't write just now. 

Because honestly, if you force it it's not going to be your best work.  You know what they say about farts...if you force it then its......

The Friend-Zone Trilogy

We all love a good romance, don't we? Strangers meet, sparks fly...it's great.   What about when friends find love? Two people that have known each other perhaps for years, maybe they always felt that "something" maybe it hit them all of a sudden...but they are already friend-zoned.

Oh crap. How to deal with that? How to breach the divide between just buddies and OMG I love you? 

If you want to know...then the Friend-Zone series is perfect for you. Watch 4 people that have been friend all their lives break out of the friend-zone and into holy damn this is amazing love.

First, meet Adrienne and Clint in Chase Me. Adrienne is Chloe's best friend, and Clint is Chloe's older brother.  Adrienne's struggles with her family leave her grasping, and her friend Clint saves the day.   Adrienne rapidly finds herself confused by her undeniable and sudden attraction to the cute blonde biology teacher 

 

Then there is Ashley, friends with her hot roommate after going through her own personal hell and starting all over back home. He wants out of the friend-zone in Reach for Me.  Shane struggles against her past, and ends up being just the person she needs to show her who she really is when she has spent all her life living up to the expectations of other people. 

Of course, we can't forget about Chloe and Micah in Claim Me. Adrienne's best friend and ever the good girl, she finally gives into her hormones when she meets Brandon. After a few hot months, he leaves for a promotion and she moves on.  Life goes on, until she gets a shocking reminder that the past doesn't always stay in the past.  Supported by her gorgeous friend Micah, feelings that have always bubbled just under the surface can't be contained any longer.  Sparks fly and the heat between them becomes an inferno.   To bad it's just in time for Brandon to decide that he made a mistake, he comes home and is determined to make Chloe his once more.

Claim me is available for Kindle and paperback on Amazon on Valentines Day.  Don't miss it! Sure to be the finale you can't put down!  

 

Meet Guest Blogger: Mystery Author Debbie De Louise

I'm very pleased to welcome my next guest blogger, Author Debbie De Louise.  Welcome Debbie!

It's my pleasure to participate in the Solstice Publishing author's group winter blog tour by sharing a post about myself, my books, and my feelings about writing. 

 

As a librarian, reader, and author, books and the written word have been very important in my life. I can't imagine a world without them. Writing transports people to places they've never visited within as well as outside of themselves. It entertains, teaches, amuses, and sometimes saddens. The saying "The pen is mightier than the sword" is true. Even before paper was invented or languages defined, storytellers played an important role in communities. They still do despite the fact there are so many forms of communication today. A good story has value whether it is read off a screen, through the pages of an "old-fashioned" book, or listened to on audio CD's or digital files. 

 

Books have healing properties. It's been proven that reading has many emotional benefits, and what benefits your mind also positively affects your body. Have you ever found yourself so immersed in a book that you felt like you were one of the characters? Have you traveled in time with a historical novel? Been frightened by a horror story? Fallen in love with a romance? Surprised by the twist in a mystery? Excited by a scene in a thriller? Books can stir your emotions and stimulate your mind. Who needs drugs or other addictive agents when a story can relax or energize you? There are no limits to where your imagination can lead you with the pages of a book as your guide.

 

I remember when I first started reading in second grade. It was more fun to me than any of the games I played. I felt like I'd discovered a wonderful secret or found a magic spell. As I grew older, my love of books increased. I admired the authors who were able to make me visualize the worlds they created. Then I began writing my own stories to entertain myself. But I also had a dream that one day, like my favorite authors, I would also be able to reach people around the world and give them the gift of my words. 

 

Publishing my own books today feels just as magical and not a little unreal. Seeing my books listed online or occupying a spot on my library or bookstore's shelf seems incredible. When people review my books or personally give me feedback, knowing that my words are being read through their eyes is nothing short of miraculous. Still, I know that there are millions of books out there and more being published every minute. How can I hope to compete? How can I make my dream come true and reach all the people who would enjoy my stories? That's the lament of new authors as well as old. I don't have the answers. The best advice I can give myself as well as other writers who want to stand out from the crowd is to write what comes from their heart. Readers identify with real feelings, and most fiction is based on reality. You're the only one who can write your book. Tell the story you'd like to read, and chances are others will be interested, too.

 

 

For more information about me and my books and stories including my Cobble Cove mystery series, connect with me through the following links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/debbie.delouise.author/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Deblibrarian

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2750133.Debbie_De_Louise

Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/2bIHdaQ

Website/Blog/Newsletter Sign-Up: https://debbiedelouise.com

Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog: (blog hosted by the cat character from my Cobble Cove mysteries who interviews other animal characters and some real-life author’s pets) https://sneakylibrarycat.wordpress.com

Cobble Cove Character Chat (Facebook page where you can interact with the characters from my mysteries): https://www.facebook.com/groups/748912598599469/

I will be hosting an author hour on Monday, February 20 from 3-4 pm during Mystery Thriller week https://mysterythrillerweek.com/

Some of the characters from my mysteries will be helping me post information about their books and offer some giveaways. For more information, visit the event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/1244007262287370/

Also, look for my romantic comedy Novella, When Jack Trumps Ace, coming this February from Solstice Publishing.

 

 

Meet Guest Blogger: Author Nicole Luttrell

Hi everyone! I'm super excited to have Nicole here today. Honored to have her grace my blog! Her newest release, Broken Patterns, is now available on Amazon.  Click the picture to be taken to her Amazon Author page.

Hi, my name's Nicole. I'm a writer. I kind of make a big deal out of that. Specifically, I'm a speculative fiction writer. That means I write horror, science fiction and fantasy. I wrote a book called Broken Patterns, and I sort of think it's the best fantasy book since Dragonriders of Pern.

Am I a little full of myself? Yeah, I'll admit it. Calling myself a speculative fiction writer a hell of a mouthful.

I also happen to be a professional author.

I love the hilarity of that sentence, you know? A professional author? I can't think of anything less professional, you know? I mean, think about it.

We make up stories and tell them to people for a living. We have imaginary friends and they talk to us. Lots of writers, like myself, write in our pajamas, on our couches, with a cup of coffee. We are the last people you'd think of as professional. We're really just big kids, playing with our imaginary toys. 

Well, except that we don't just write in our pjs. We also write in waiting rooms, at red lights, during our lunch breaks. We write before our kids get up and after they go to bed. We write while other people go to the movies and go to bars and, you know, sleep.

e have to write in all of these times because most of us, including me, have day jobs. I have a full time day job, in fact. We write around jobs, school and families. In fact, a lot of us write around all three of those things at the same time. (Not me, though. I just have a full time job and two kids. Oh, and also a husband and too many pets.)

We weep over our writing, did you know that? We kill of your favorite characters, yes. But they were our favorite characters long before you ever heard of them. Characters don't just exist for us, they live inside our minds. Killing one is gut wrenching.

Of course, the rough draft is only half of it. Once it's done we start in editing. We edit, edit and edit some more. We edit our work until it glows. Until we could repeat the stories from memory. And sometimes we feel like we do that. 

Usually, that whole repeating it from memory comes when we start promoting our work to everyone. Have you ever worked in sales? Imagine that, but all the time. The thing that makes it better and worse at the same time is that you feel like you're selling a part of yourself. So you really believe that everyone needs what you're selling, but you're also taking every rejection hugely personally.

Finally, when we're done with a book, we start all over again. Because writing's an obsession, one that we cannot escape.

So professional writer is kind of a ridiculous thing to call us. It's better to call us what we really are.

Addicts.