Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 213
October 24, 2021
Question of the Day with Camilla Voiez
Q: What do you think are the biggest hurdles facing new authors today and how can it improve?
A: The biggest hurdle for new authors is probably post-publishing. It is essential to find your audience, but with so many other authors competing for attention, how can you stand out? There is conflicting advice, so it's essential to decide what works for you and your book. One piece of advice I have heard is stay out of politics, but there are best-selling authors who frequently engage in politically charged discussions. Another is to be authentic and share aspects of your life outside writing. Yet another is that you have to invest financially in advertising, but I would strongly advise that you never invest more than you can afford to lose. My advice, and only use this if it resonates with you, is to take the time and energy to ensure your book is the very best it can be, and be proud of your achievement, be willing to stand by what you have written, enjoy the praise and shrug off the criticism. Use social media on your own terms and don't allow it to dilute you or your writing. Write stories that excite you on themes you are passionate about rather than to market. Eventually, your readers will find you and they will be loyal and care about your success.
- Camilla Voiez - www.carmillavoiez.com
October 23, 2021
Review: FORTUNE COOKIE PHANTOM (Book 2) by Miles Anderson
“If you stand chopsticks straight up in a bowl of rice, an evil phantom will appear.”
That’s just hoakie! That’s what Jackson was telling himself…until his fortune cookie foretold of “great danger” and to “beware of the phantom.” Oh dear.
This was a good read overall, but it does take a while for the story to get going as Jackson keeps freaking out over the creepy fortunes. Afterwards, it becomes a mission of getting rid of the phantom once and for all.
A good horror story!
Rating: 4 stars
Review: VIDEO GAME DEMON (Book 1) by Miles Anderson
Emma was looking for a video game that would challenge her. Then she finds an old game cartridge with no label or price tag. Weird, but oddly compelling. So she walks home with a free game that day.
After inserting the game, one of the first things that fills the screen is the Red Demon that taunts her and practically hypnotizes her. “Don’t you wanna play?”
Something was weird though. Games don’t turn on by themselves. And games certainly weren’t…alive. That’s what Emma thought until it trapped one of her friends. One by one, the demon started taking them all.
The only way to beat the game is to beat the Red Demon.
A riveting fight to the end! A good Middle Grade Horror read that reminds me of the old Goosebump books. Can’t wait for more!
Rating: 5 stars
Review: GHOST IN THE LIGHTHOUSE (Book 3) by Miles Anderson
There’s no such thing as ghosts…then he sees her—the Lady of the Light, who was searching for her son. The kids turn this into a ghost hunt.
A nice story line, but it was much slower than the previous books. Not quite as exciting, but okay.
Rating: 3 stars
Review: THE SCARRY INN by Shirley McCann
What could be more scary than spending a night at the Scarry Inn?
The story certainly had its intriguing premise. It all started with a group of teenagers driving on a deserted road. A snowy blizzard was raging on and their car soon stalls. Where could they bunk for a night?
As mentioned, the story started off well with its chilling theme, however, the narrative is quite long and slow that it takes a while to get to the good parts.
Overall, this was an okay read, but I thought it would be better.
My rating: 3 stars
Review: DREADFUL DARK by Dean Rasmussen (Book 1)
Stories are long and have too much dialogue. They’re not very interesting.
Rating: 2 stars
Review: THE LEGEND OF THE GREEN GORILLA by Sean Woolford
Mark and Stu didn’t believe in the legend of the green gorilla until they went searching for it.
With fun rhymes and colorful illustrations, this book is a great read!
My rating: 4 stars
October 22, 2021
Book Blast: THE CAIRNS OF SANCTUARIE Series by Hawk MacKinney
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Hawk MacKinney will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
The Cairns of Sainctuarie
Volume I - The Bleikovat Event
Volume II – The Missing Planets
Volume III – Inanna Phantom
From a rocky outcrop a battle-widowed Etkaa, gazed down at the death and upheaval. Rancid green Murian blood stanched the dusklit breezes from the haze-dimmed river marshlands. Nothing has been spared by the Green Dragon forces of Bleikovia. In skirmishes along the Feldon River, Etkaaâ's mate is fatally wounded with deadly selvon poison. Through a gruesome mountain trek of icy blizzards, they elude the Green Dragon. The battered starving Feldovats reach the coast at Eedov City only to be confronted by their implacable enemy determined to destroy the remaining Klarvkon rabble. Taking passage on crowded Maalon freighters, the refugees escape toward a new life among their Maalon hosts. Enraged Bleikovats move against the Klarvkons, bringing indiscriminate bloodshed. War once again surfaces, as it did in the muddy filth along the Feldon River of Malfesov, and becomes a different kind of war.
Generations after the great Murian upheaval of the Malfesian War against the Bleikovats, the Accords between planets Terato and Myr are signed.
Provisional Outpost Terato is under construction near a farm where Teratoan orphan Eklam a'Qoc lives with his uncle and cousin. Inquisitive strong-minded Eklam, Ek to everyone in the village, is captivated by the off-worlders technology, and becomes an apprentice to the Outpost Terato's Murian commander, Grand Duke Korvo. Uncle a'Qoc disapproves; wants nothing to do with these outlanders, wants their shimmering doorway portals-of-travel banned from Terato. As Outpost Terato becomes operational it seems to become a harbinger stirring ageless secrets of The Old Ones and their frightful weapons, of ancient Teratoan ruins, mysterious glowing lights, unexplained killings, a sacred book in a language no Teratoan can read, a moon that doesn't behave like a moon in its wobbly orbit.
From cosmic reaches beyond space and time the ominous secrets of Terato's ancient ruins become more threatening. Ek and Korvo realize both their worlds face extinction with any hope buried somewhere in unknown galaxies far beyond a pastoral Terato or the sophisticated star-empire of the Murians; of missing planets in a star system with its single star in a galaxy far-removed unknown to Terato or Myr. They travel across the universe to a place long forgotten to fight this unknown foe with weapons only dreamed of. Together they face the beast that wishes to consume the entire universe.
The threat of rift invasions seems long passed. Plentiful harvests abound. The Murian first-contact Terato Outpost has grown into the sprawling Terato-Murian Terminus Terato with a hub of relay portals reaching across the vast uncharted galactic expanses and connecting with its eon-extinct Lantaraan prehistory. An exploratory Terato-Murian Jupiterr outpost is established on the gas giant seventh planet, and its quantum and gravitational energies are used to power outpost portals for an archeological survey of the fourth planet, Eorthe. The Lantaraan database aboard Terato’s ancient Downday moon shows that one or more planets of the Solaris planets have apparently been lost. Expanded archeological records on other Lantaraan orbital bodies in the Solaris system show the fourth planet from the star—Eorthe—to be a sterile wasteland. Except it is not. Eorthe’s civilization is not to the level of the Murian Empire, but it is far advanced to those of a pastoral Terato. Terato and Eorthe form the confederated United Terran League under the nominal figurehead leader of League High Judikarr Eklam a’Qoc. Jupiterr outpost expands into a major League stronghold, Jupiterr Base, when civil unrest erupts in the League, the unexpected return of rift intrusions threatens, and the Murian Emperor Klarvko Celo is assassinated. As they prepare for confrontations with an unknown ancient enemy, the internal tensions on Myr and Eorthe push Murians and Teratoans to dangerous discords.
Read an Excerpt from BOOK TWO: The Missing Planets
Ek never forgot the time Klara peeked over his shoulder; clutched his arm, “It was promised The Old Ones would return.” “They don’t look like what I thought the Old Ones would look like,” he’d whispered to her. “Suppose they’re not the Old Ones. Where’d they come from? What are they?” Questions Ek had, with no idea there would be other times he’d ask the same kinds of questions—but with far more serious inferences.
The word spread. Many believed these off-worlders were the promised return of their ancients. As time passed, between chores and extra homework for his special classes there hadn’t been much chance to slip away; take the curved path to his overlook spot. Yet, when he did, boundless questions grew as Ek watched in the dusklit the off-worlders create what would become Outpost Terato.
His uncle was unbending, “Neither you nor Klara are to go anywhere near that abomination these off-worlders build out of the air,” his disapproval more severe with each passing dawnlit.
About the Author:
With postgraduate degrees and faculty positions in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. His professional writing includes articles on chordate neuroembryology, and aerospace research on muscle metabolic behavior in multi-orbital environments.In addition, Hawk has authored several works of fiction including a historical romance Moccasin Trace which was nominated for both the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award. His Cairns of Sainctuarie Science Fiction Series and his Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series have received national and international attention.
http://www.hawkmackinneyauthor.com
http://www.sagewordspublishing.com
https://www.amazon.com/Cairns-Sainctuarie-Bleikovat-Event-Book-ebook/dp/B00A6BR6YG/ref=sr_1_3
https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Planets-Cairns-Sainctuarie-Book-ebook/dp/B01402PJM2/ref=sr_1_1
https://www.amazon.com/Inanna-Phantom-Cairns-Sainctuarie-Book-ebook/dp/B07Y2DQRT3/ref=sr_1_2
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October 20, 2021
Book Blast: ALL IS SET ANEW by Jim Cheney
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jim Cheney will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
A fast-paced examination of loss, survival, and ultimately acceptance of those things we do not understand but must contend with as if our lives depend upon it.
From deep in the rural Tennessee woods, two brothers flee their murderous father only to find that a violent, supernatural force has followed their escape and will haunt their family for multiple generations.
All Is Set Anew is the story of abandonment and its subsequent revenge, set against a backdrop of characters imprisoned by poverty and self-doubt and their struggle to outrun the evil and illness that relentlessly pursues them.
Read an Excerpt
“You remember me?” Hicks said
“Goddamn right I remember,” Eli Stearns said.
Hicks hit him in the mouth. He felt teeth give against his fist and the man was instantly knocked from the stool, unable to break his fall as he dropped to the floor. He landed on his shoulder and then rolled over on his back, both his hands clutching his mouth. Blood was coming through his fingers and he was screaming and gargling, muffled by his palms. Hicks stepped back and kicked the man in the ribs. Then stepped back again and kicked him in the groin. The man curled and bellowed from his bloody mouth, his hands now holding his testicles. Hicks dropped to one knee and grabbed the man’s thinning hair and banged his head up and down on the floor, the sound a rhythmic thump, thump, thump on the wooden boards. Hicks stood and looked at his own hands, saw there was blood on them and leaned back down to wipe them clean on the front of the man’s shirt. Still bent over and out of habit, he went for his knife in his back pocket, but they had taken it from him when they arrested him. He stood again and was about to leave when he returned to the man on the floor and launched a kick into his side that forced an almost inaudible moan carried out on a thick spray of bloody breath. Hicks turned again and walked across the room to leave.
About the Author: Jim Cheney was raised in North Georgia and has written professionally for more than 25 years. He has been published in media outlets throughout the United States. This is his first novel. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee with his wife, two boys and three dogs.
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jim-Cheney/e/B0984GXJPM
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JimCheneyAuthor
Buy Link
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-is-set-anew-jim-cheney/1139777480
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October 18, 2021
Blog Tour: FRENCH KISS by Gloria J. Goldsmith
FRENCH KISS
by Gloria J. Goldsmith
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GENRE: Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
I was DONE! I ditched graduation, dumped my repressed college boyfriend, and dropped my sexual insecurities for a wild ride with Destiny. Unpredictable Fate beckoned with a European adventure!
In a chance encounter, I met Jean Louis. From the instant we met, the dashing young Frenchman soothed my bruised heart, rejuvenated my spirit, and convinced me that leaving my old life was no mistake. Together, we set out to explore southern France.
Jean Louis was torn from my life almost as quickly as he had entered it, yet leaving the haunting memory of his caress permeating my every thought. Driven by love and passion, I journeyed to find my lover, even if it meant scouring all the hidden corners of France.
Would I ever reunite with the man I believe to be my one true soulmate? Would I ever hear him say he feels the same for me as I do him? What twist of Fate will it take for me to find him?
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Excerpt One:
Dan found a path leading up the side of a rocky hill called Mount Puget. After a hundred feet or so, the way branched off into three choices. There were various colored lines painted on the rocks beside the trail. We chose to follow the red route. At first, it was a fairly steep climb, then it leveled out, and we spotted a hole in the rock. Naturally, we had to investigate. The mountain was of dolomite, a soft rock that often has caves. Climbing higher, we found several more caves that morning.
We switched path colors and went for yellow because that was what we last found. It was a forty-five-degree rock climb. I yelled to Dan, who was twenty feet ahead of me.
“Dan, I think we missed the red marks. All I see is yellow.”
“I know. We must have missed it farther back. Let’s see if we can get to the top.”
The January wind was so strong we were scaling upward on our hands and knees. My foot slipped; I had had enough. That was as far as I was going. I turned around and sat down on the mountainside.
Concentrating on going up, I gave no thought to what was behind me. I was so surprised; all I could do was gasp at the sight. Finally, I yelled, “Dan! Dan! Turn around and look!” I heard him have the same surprise as me at the incredible view. He scrabbled down by me, and we sat admiring the beauty below us.
All of Marseille was at our feet. We could see no farther than the tall ridge on the far eastern side of the city, but between the distant crest and Mount Puget, a giant valley floor spilled out into a broad Mediterranean harbor.
The roofs of thousands of houses glinted in the bright winter sunshine. The blue colors of the sea ranged from a pale teal to a very dark blue. We feasted our eyes on the beauty of the coastline. Then came the delightful sight—an adventure for the eyes—all sizes of sailboats streaming out of the heart of the old Port of Marseille. The regatta left the harbor with their colorful sails billowing in the wind. They sailed around Les Iles and Chateau d’If—made famous by Alexander Dumas’ setting for The Count of Monte Cristo.
Soon the cold winds made us look for some kind of shelter or windbreak.
“Nora, look. I thought it was a drop-off, but it’s just a couple feet down to a seat of rock.” We scrambled into the seat and enjoyed the panoramic views while eating our cheese, fresh-baked bread, and sharing the wine.
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Review: Nora is a college student who’s just been kicked to the curb by her boyfriend—they were on a “break.” At the peak of her sexuality, she begins to question her own attractiveness. It was time to explore her sexuality with other men and Paris seemed to be just the place.
We follow her as she tests out her sexual attractiveness with all these guys. It was rather interesting and we get her views through a nice, easy, diary-style narrative. However, it can be a bit slow and repetitive at times. Some of the dialogue felt superfluous and didn’t really seem to contribute to the story.
It takes a while to get to Paris, but when we finally do get there, we see and experience Europe through the eyes of a “virgin.” What I liked best about it was the travel memoir aspect—being a fish out of water and experiencing a new world.
In this journey, we enter a topsy-turvy world of “He loves me, He loves me now.”
It’s a nice New Adult read overall.
Rating: 3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
As a Special Education teacher, I became fascinated by the English language. I still marvel at how it changes and expands over time. My most pleasurable teaching moments were showing children how a wondrous story can take their imaginations to other times, places, even other worlds. When the pandemic began, I started my first foray into publishing⸺ a nonfiction book, The Sensible Parent’s Little Homeschooler Handbook.
My secret pleasure-writing has always been focused on romance. French Kiss is a Contemporary Romance based on a fictionalized version of experiences during eighteen months of living and working abroad before the formation of the European Union.
Next year, my first Historical Regency Romance That Wylde Woman will be published. It has allowed me to indulge my curiosity and enthusiasm for history by incorporating in the storyline a historical geologic event which affected weather and farming and even how England’s war with Napoleon impacted clothing styles.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GloriaJGoldsmith/
Website: https://gloriajgoldsmith.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gloriajeangoldsmith/
Email: gjgoldsmithauthor@gmail.com
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GIVEAWA:
THE AUTHOR WILL BE GIVING AWAY $50 Amazon/BN GIFT CARD
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