C.M. Gray's Blog, page 5
February 25, 2017
Giveaway! Reborn & Reawakened Paperbacks
To celebrate the launch of the second book in the Reborn Trilogy, I’m giving away two sets of paperbacks of both Reborn (Book One) and Reawakened (Book Two).
To be in with a chance of winning all you have to do is pre-order Awakened before its release date of March 6th, then Tweet or post to Facebook using the hashtag #RebornTri
Two winners will be chosen randomly and notified via social media on Tuesday March 7th.
Reborn is on sale for $0.99 on Amazon
Reawakened is available for pre-order on Amazon
February 23, 2017
Book Review: Juniper by Felicia Leibenguth
A dead Earth, a new planet, and a thousand years into the future, the Human race needs rescuing again…
Exasperated, I turned away from my bedroom window as Earths constant shadow casts the grim reminder. My parents are dead, and at eighteen years old, I have two younger sisters and the entire Human race to protect on my own.
Suddenly, my thoughts are interrupted by the familiar vibrations flooding the air around me, and hearing the desperation in my sister Piper’s voice as she screams… “Juniper!” I knew ‘they’ had arrived… Once again, the Dark Lord has sent several of his Lemoyh Warriors to make their attempts at destroying me as I’m a symbol of strength for the Human race and a constant threat. My ability transcends the average Human, and the Dark Lord should have learned by now, I will not surrender myself, my sisters or my people… I will not be the one on the receiving end of the bloodied sword…
NOT today… NOT ever!
Juniper is the debut young adult novel by Felicia Leibenguth. The story is set a thousand years in the future, where the human race are living on a new planet after destroying earth, fighting the alien race, the Lemoyh.
It’s a familiar story, but the author introduces characters that she skillfully develops, so the reader wants to know more about them, where their story starts, and where it’s going.
The plot is fast-paced, with plenty of twists and turns, starting very early on with an event that I wouldn’t have predicted, and the author neatly and effectively concludes the book with a story consistency that is present throughout.
Although I very much enjoyed the story, I was a little disappointed with two author errors that ran throughout the book. The first is some difficulties with tense while telling the story, frequently mixing the present tense and the imperfect tense, often in the same sentence. However, I do understand this is a YA book, and as such may not bother many younger readers, but it would certainly be worth Ms. Leibenguth’s time to correct this, as it distracted from an otherwise very enjoyable book.
The second author error is a mix-up of plurals and possessives, and frequently throughout the book the author placed apostrophes indicating a noun’s possession, when she meant to make a noun plural, and vice versa. Again, this is a simple editing fix that I think would make a huge difference to the overall readability of the novel.
Despite these two factors, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the book. It’s a great debut novel, and I’m confident we’ll be seeing a lot more from this author in the future.
Juniper by Felicia Leibenguth is available now on Amazon.
February 22, 2017
Book Review: Sylvie Writes A Romance by Melissa Burovac
Sylvie aspires to write a romance novel, but gives up after several tries because she knows nothing of romance. With the help of her best friend, she signs up for a popular dating site to find a man to seduce her and teach her about passion – certain this will help her write her book. While Sylvie dreams of the steamy scenes she thinks are necessary for a good romance novel, her unintentionally comical dates fall far short of her expectations.
It’s been years since I last read a romance, let alone a romantic comedy, so I was looking forward to this particular book, and I wasn’t disappointed.
The story is set in Kawaii, and the author describes the small Hawaiian island so well that anyone who’s been there will instantly recognize it, while readers who haven’t will want to book a flight out.
The lighthearted tone of the book is set almost from the first page, and continues right through to the end. The book introduces us to Sylvie, an author looking to find inspiration for the romance novel she wants to write by signing up to an online dating site to ‘research’ her characters. Burovac then takes the reader through a series of ‘blind dates’ via the men Sylvie meets through the dating site.
The true beauty of this book, however, is how real it is. Everything from the main characters (Sylvie’s best friend is a married mother, and responds to her confidences in the way that we’d expect our own friends to) to the Murphy’s Law mishaps that most people can relate to (the boat date actually made me laugh out loud!) to the cringe-worthy feelings some situations provoke.
The author also rather cleverly introduces romantic loves scenes by vocalizing Sylvie’s thoughts during every painfully failing date, while keeping the possibility of real love always hovering in the background.
Overall, this is a well-written, light, entertaining, and fun read that I easily finished in one sitting (don’t expect a long, plot-heavy novel here). A perfect book for a vacation, or just a day on the beach, or in the back yard.
Sylvie Writes a Romance, by Melissa Burovac is available on Amazon.
Book Review: Powerful Beyond Measure by Cindy Mazzaferro
Powerful Beyond Measure is a complete transformational guide to living a life of authenticity and abundance that’s deeply rooted in love, acceptance, compassion, and kindness.
Readers learn how to discover and embrace their inner power, release and heal the emotional residue from the past, and envision a future of unbounded possibilities that allows their passions and purpose to be fulfilled.
Through insight, self-exploration, and step- by-step, practical exercises, Powerful Beyond Measure guides readers along the journey of lifelong spiritual growth– empowering them to take control of their destinies and create lives filled with joy, health, happiness, and success.
I’m not a usual self-help book reader, but this one intrigued me, not least because it works on the premise of a ‘soul purpose’ which is what my fictional Reborn Series is all about.
The author’s writing is beautiful; clear, concise, and grammatically correct (which always helps!), you can’t help but read it in your mind’s own quiet, calm voice, because this is how the author writes it.
However, it should be noted that, despite the ‘3 steps’ subtitle, this isn’t a quick fix. You need to set aside plenty of time to work through the book, and to complete the given exercises, if you want to claim your ‘power within’. You should also be prepared to come back to the book often even after you’ve finished it.
With that said, the crux of the book is learning how to break down the protective, albeit wrong, emotional barriers that you’ve built up over your lifetime, freeing your inner peace, love and harmony.
Cindy blends personal experience, growth and learning with scientific facts and explanations, to deliver years of inner healing experience and knowledge for the reader to use for their own empowerment.
I did find the book a little heavy in places, especially where neuroscience is discussed, and admittedly think this may be because, as a Registered Nurse, psychology has always been my least favorite part of medicine. However, even though these concepts are, by their very nature complex, the author skillfully makes them easily understood for the layperson.
There are many exercises throughout the book, and these really should be undertaken if the reader wants to get the full benefit of Cindy’s guidance. A personal favorite of mine is the Heart’s Home of Healing Meditation, a powerfully relaxing, and emotionally healing meditation exercise.
Overall, throughout the book, you are constantly aware of being guided by the author, and even when finished it’s not over as she provides ample ongoing support, and resources to continue your path to empowerment.
For lovers of self-help books, I would have no hesitation recommending this one, and even those who aren’t entirely into this genre will be able to take away some very thought-provoking, mind-opening, and soul-soothing ideas.
Powerful Beyond Measure by Cynthia Mazzaferro is available on Amazon, and Barnes&Noble, or from Cindy’s website.
February 21, 2017
I First Noticed I Was Old When…
Twitter’s # You’re It this week is in part very funny (reading through them has had me laughing as I nod in agreement), and in part extremely depressing.
Yes, I know getting older is a badge of honor that we need to wear with pride, aging gracefully and all that, but if someone could wave a magic wand and bring me back to my teenage years in the golden (that’s one of those ‘old’ words) days of the eighties, I’d probably jump at the chance.
I tease my kids, reminding them that I might be more than twice their age at the moment, but in a few years I’ll be less than half their age, which means they’re getting older faster than I am. If nothing else, it makes them think a while.
But, truth be told, that’s my big ‘getting older’ moment. It’s not the grey hairs (the red hair I hated growing up has thankfully stayed grey-free!), it’s not the wrinkles (yes, wrinkles, they’re not laugh-lines, or experience lines, they’re wrinkles!), and it’s not the absentmindedness, or the pinching joints in the morning. My moment came when I realized my first born is nearly the same age that I was when I had him. And I wasn’t a ‘young mum’ either. So how the heck did that happen so quickly?
One of my favorite quotes is often attributed to The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho, but more correctly comes from Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success. If I’m ever feeling my age (and trust me, with five kids I frequently remember I’m not getting any younger) I remind myself that ‘we are travelers on a cosmic journey, and this moment is just a little parenthesis in eternity’.
February 20, 2017
Pets – When Love is Truly Unconditional
I am a pet lover, which you’d probably be able to guess considering I have so many of them (two indulgent cats, three crazy dogs, and four beautiful horses!)
I provide them with food, warmth, exercise, and lots of kids to fuss over them. In return, I am rewarded with unconditional love. That’s the thing about animals. They don’t care if you’re beautiful or ugly, rich or poor, fat or thin, or just somewhere in-between. If you treat them right, you get their love. It’s that simple.
The picture attached to this post is me with Destiny, my daughter’s beautiful Morgan mare. She’s one of the sweetest animals ever, and you just can’t help but love her.
Today is National Love Your Pet Day – I know you don’t need a day to remind you; if you have a pet, you love a pet. But it doesn’t hurt to remember once in a while just how much joy they bring to your life!
Book Review: Lightmasters – Number 13 by MG Wells
Orphaned after her parents’ tragic death, Jessica Wyrd feels uneasy living with her gassy grandparents. With few friends and constant teasing by her hardcore schoolmates, this Georgia girl feels like an outcast living in a small town in upstate New York.
Anxious about being forgotten on her 13th birthday, Jessica is lured into the forest by a strange spiral light. She encounters three Lighmasters, who convince her that she has unique gifts. Intrigued, she’s transported to another dimension where she is tested for her courage and strength.
Things change drastically when Jessica returns to earth. During school, her reality shifts and people start turning into reptilian monsters. The leader of the Lightmasters tells her she’s needed by the alliance to defeat an invisible alien beast, who feeds off fear.
How can Jessica conquer her own fears and help rid the world of a wicked enemy who hates humans?
Lightmasters – Number 13 is the debut novel by award-winning artist and playwright, MG Wells, and tells the story of Jessica Wyrd (pronounced ‘word’ not ‘weird’!) an orphaned 13-year old, now living with her slightly crazy grandparents.
The book is best aimed at young readers, who will greatly appreciate the humor far more than most adults, simply because it is the sort of juvenile funny that the younger age group enjoy.
Written from the perspective of a brand new teenager, the author captures the dialogue and tween attitude perfectly, and as any adult who has every listened to young teens talk amongst themselves knows, this tween talk can be highly irritating to the more mature person. However, this book is aimed at the young teen who will easily appreciate and relate to the protagonist, Jessica, aka JT, aka Number 13.
If I were to have any complaint about the book, it would probably be both the high number of characters (again, tween life) and the subsequent lack of character development. The author has an incredible talent for description, making places and situations so vivid that the reader can easily imagine them, and I would have liked to have seen this same descriptive talent used to make the characters more dimensional, in much the same way as we really get to know and understand Jessica. However, again this is a more mature perspective, and I’m sure the younger reader would not consider this an issue at all.
Overall, I think readers aged about nine and up are going to love the fantasy, the imagination, and the humor, and I love that the author throws in just the right amount of slightly more advanced words, meaning parents can also be happy knowing this fun book will help widen their child’s vocabulary.
Lightmasters – Number 13 is available on Amazon.
February 19, 2017
Easy Like Sunday Morning
I love Sunday mornings, and much prefer The Commodores use of the word ‘Easy’ for what could probably read ‘Lazy’. I spend my Sunday mornings relaxed, pyjama-clad, and drinking coffee. There’s no tearing out the door on various school runs, no rush-signing this week’s selection of school forms, no turning around half way down the street to retrieve a forgotten lunch, or piece of homework.
Sundays are lazy…easy…both.
When Lionel Richie penned Easy in the 1970s, it was a time when shops and stores actually closed for the day. A time when cordless phones were just being patented, and cell phones were a futuristic fantasy. As for the internet, and online shopping – think Sci-Fi movies!
Of course, now technology can make easy Sunday mornings less ‘easy’ and more like every other day of the week.
In my household, computers and cells are ‘banned’ at the table, including the Sunday morning breakfast table. We were given Sundays to rest and relax, enjoy family and coffee, breakfast in bed, going to church, or walking with nature, or sailing on the ocean. We all have our personal soul soothers, and Sundays are the time to indulge them.
February 18, 2017
The Most Civilized Thing in the World
At least according to the great Ernest Hemingway, who categorically stated that wine is the most civilized thing in the world.
Most writers aren’t impartial to a glass or two of the nectar of the Gods (yes, I know that’s really honey, but wine works much better!) And while putting pen to paper probably isn’t recommended if every word you write is doubled when you look at it, there is definitely a sweet spot somewhere between sober and drunk where your creativity explodes, and many of us can attribute some of our best work to a glass of vino.
Because, as much as writing is good for the mind and soul, wine has proven health benefits for the body. Put the two together and you’ve got a remedy for mind, body and soul. Need I say more?
Today is National Drink Wine Day (yes, that’s really a national day!) If, like me, you’re in Southern California, chances are the ‘monster’ storm has kept you indoors (we like to exaggerate here in SoCal, but the last couple of days really have brought flooding of almost biblical proportions) Or if you’re just spending your weekend working on your latest bit of prose, add a glass of wine to the mix. Your mental and physical well-being will be grateful.
February 17, 2017
Scatter Kindness
Today, as you may know, is Random Acts of Kindness Day, and as far as celebratory days go, this one isn’t bad at all.
There’s no disputing the fact that someone doing something kind, no matter how big or small, can really change your whole day. But it goes beyond that. Doing that act of kindness, being on the giving end rather than the receiving end, is incredibly therapeutic for the soul.
It’s no wonder, then, that some of the world’s most inspirational people, now and in the past, have quotes of kindness attributed to them. Here are some of my favorites.
“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness” ~ Dalai Lama
“What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” ~ Jean Jacques Rousseau
“A warm smile is the universal language of kindness” ~ William Arthur Ward
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted” ~ Aesop
“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless” Mother Teresa
“Kindness is the language the deaf can hear, and the blind can see” ~ Mark Twain
