Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 33
April 28, 2025
Spotlight: REFILLING THE WELL by Claris Lam
Genre: Poetry
Summary: What happens when you overwhelm the well that represents your energy and wellbeing? It's drained, and you burn out. All you can do next is refresh and refill it to sustain yourself again.
Refilling The Wellis a poetry chapbook that reflects on the harms of hustle culture and societal expectations of reaching success, including burnout. It also reflects on how to heal from burnout and remembering that you're more than just your accomplishments. Fans of Lang Leav and Atticus will enjoy Refilling The Well's free verse poetry.
Author Bio: Claris Lam (she/her) writes poetry and fiction to inspire readers with hope, perseverance, creativity, and happy endings.
Claris’ short fiction and poetry has been published in collections and projects. She has self-published a murder mystery series entitled the Harlow Mystery series. The first two books were nominated for several categories in the 2023 Indie Ink Awards and 2024 Queer Indie Awards.
Her debut poetry chapbook, Refilling The Well, was published in February 2025. She is currently writing several novels and poetry chapbooks.
Purchase links:
Social Media links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarislamauthor/
Tumblr: https://clarislam.tumblr.com/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/clarislamauthor.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClarisLamAuthor
April 26, 2025
Review: THE RICH GIRL by R.L. Stine
What would you do if you foundstacks of money in a garbage bin? Two girls decide to keep and stash it. Assoon as one girl’s boyfriend finds out, he suggests murdering the friend tokeep all the money. Would money be enough to murder someone?
The whole thing becomes a seriesof “accidents” and it comes down to “kill or be killed.” Who will survive?
Such clever irony! So fitting! Agood read!
Rating:4 stars
Review: RED LIGHT # 1 – 4 by Sarah Cho
A decent story about A.I. modelsused for pleasure and gratification, but one particular one ends up feelingempathy. It continues in Book 2, 3, and 4, but the story looks pretty much thesame to me. Some of the imagery can be erotic. The sci-fi elements can beconfusing and odd. Some of the text was hard to read. Story kind of hard tofollow, too. Bloody scenes were a little too much. These were short readsaltogether. Decent overall.
Rating:3 stars
April 25, 2025
Spotlight: MALIGN INTENT by Robert Craven
Genre: Crime Mystery
Summary: “Tag, bag and bury the bastard, Crowe…”
An August bank holiday should be about relaxation, taking time out to see family and friends and enjoying a beer or two. But when former gonzo journalist, Aonghus Hanafin is found hanging along a desolate estuary, the nearest SIO to the incident, Garda Inspector Pius John Crowe, is called to examine the scene.
Crowe has seen enough dead bodies in his time to suspect that Aonghus Hanafin wasn’t the hanging kind. He discovers a puzzling detail too; the late journalist had MS.
So how could Hanafin hang himself from a tree along a desolate estuary between two rural parishes?
Directed by his superiors to close off the former journalist’s death as a suicide, Crowe delves deeper and finds Hanafins death leads to a retired Chief Justice who is slated to take a prestigious appointment in Europe. Crowe gets to learn of a Swiss bank account, with over a million Euros in it that may be fuelling a lifestyle that the retired Chief Justice, Barry Gartland can barely afford.
In this contemporary neo-noir thriller, in Crowe’s investigation into how Hanafin died, loyalties blur and justice and truth are not always what they seem, placing him in the line of fire with a powerful elite…
… and may end up costing him his life …
Author Bio: Robert Craven is an award-winning author of thrilling fiction. His novel, "Eagles Hunt Wolves," was the winner of the 2021 Firebird Book Award for best Action/Adventure. He was born on July 2nd, 1966 in Swinton, Manchester, and now resides in Rush, Co. Dublin with his wife and family.
Robert's passion for writing began in 1992 when he submitted a short horror story, "The Chase," to the speculative fiction magazine FTL, which was accepted and published. Since then, he has authored several books in various genres, including the Eva series ("Get Lenin," "Zinnman," "A Finger of Night," "Hollow Point," and "Eagles Hunt Wolves"), the Steampunk novel "The Mandarin Cipher," and the crime thriller "A Kind of Drowning."
In addition to his novels, Robert has also had short stories published in three anthologies and two articles published in The Oslo Times online newspaper. He is also a regular reviewer of CDs for the Irish Independent Review Ireland.
Purchase links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Malign-Intent-Murder-Crowe-ebook/dp/B0CR7M45ZS/
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ie/en/ebook/malign-intent
Social Media links:
Website: https://www.robert-cravenauthor.ie/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/449190.Robert_Craven
April 24, 2025
Blog Tour: CHANGING LANGES by Claire Yezbak Fadden
For fifty-something Roxy Adams, the days are drenched insunshine and a passion for her boyfriend, Sam Reyes. That is until he turns updead in the trunk of Roxy's limo and she's arrested for his murder.
Changing Lanes
A Roxy Adams Mystery Book 1
by Claire Yezbak Fadden
Genre: Humorous Cozy Mystery, Romantic Suspense
For fifty-something Roxy Adams, life is simple andbeautiful. Her days are drenched in southern California sunshine and passionfor Sam Reyes, the man she loves and shares a business with.
When Sam vanishes with their savings, leaving only a note behind, Roxy is facedwith a harsh reality. Broke and confused, she learns they never owned thebusiness. The actual owner will let her keep her job if she provides himwith benefits.
Convinced there’s no knight in shining armor riding to her rescue, Roxy dustsoff her chauffeur’s hat and returns to the career she trailblazed twenty yearsearlier.
With a steady income, new friends, and the possibility of romance, joy slowlyreplaces insecurity. Foxy Roxy is back. Life is wonderful and exciting onceagain. Until Sam turns up dead in the trunk of her limo. And Roxy is arrestedfor his murder.
Amazon * Apple * B&N* Kobo * Smashwords * Bookbub* Goodreads
Review: Roxy’s boyfriend had cleaned outtheir bank account and totally left her with a bag of unpaid bills. What now? Iliked how this started with the middle-aged woman—broke and single—having tostart over. I related to the character right away with the candid and wittynarrative. The main issues I had were the slow pace and the long length. Imean, six chapters in and all the character has done was look for and prep fora job interview as a limo driver. At this pace, it’s no wonder this book is 60chapters long. I expected this to be quicker for a cozy mystery. We should’vegotten to the dead body already. Not that the read was bad. It was actuallypretty good if you can invest the time. In fact, the more I read, the more thisstruck me more as a humorous women’s fiction rather than cozy mystery.
A fairly nice read.
Rating:3 stars
Pennsylvania-native Claire Yezbak Fadden lives in OrangeCounty, California with her husband and two spoiled dogs. She spends her sparetime playing with her four grandchildren and immersing herself in the words ofother authors.
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon* Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a $20 Amazon giveaway!
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Spotlight: FAITH AMONG FRIENDS by Vera Jane Cook
Genre: Historical Women's Fiction
Summary: What Your Friends Don’t Know Won’t Hurt You - But it Just Might Haunt You.
As five old friends reunite in a familiar old hang-out forty years after they first met secrets are revealed, old wounds resurface and chilling lies reopen resentments that still leave a chill between them. The startling torments of youth haunt the present with a passionate reminder that old friendships can reopen the wounds of youth and heal them. When Vivian Forrester gets her old friends together to admit to a startling lie, a chilling omission, it will not be easy but neither will it be fruitless.
Author Bio: I am an award-winning hybrid author of southern and women's Fiction, including Dancing Backward in Paradise, The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, Where the Wildflowers Grow, Pleasant Day, Marybeth, Hollister & Jane, and Lies a River Deep. The Fourniers: Book One: When Hannah Played Ragtime, Book Two: Glamor Girl, Book Three: The Memory of Music. The Darlings and its sequel, A Saffron Sun. my newest release is Faith Among Friends. I was born in New York City and grew up amid the eccentricity of my southern and glamorous mother on the Upper West and Upper East Side of Manhattan. As an only child, I turned to reading novels at an early age and was deeply influenced by an eclectic group of authors. Some of my favorite authors today are Nelson DeMille, Wally Lamb, Anne Rice, Sue Monk Kidd, Anita Shreve, Jodi Picoult, Alice Walker, Anna Quindlen, Lianne Moriarty, and Anne Rivers Siddons.
The first novel I ever wrote, Dancing Backward In Paradise, won an Eric Hoffer Award for publishing excellence and an Indie Excellence Award for notable new fiction, in 2007. The Story of Sassy Sweetwater and Dancing Backward in Paradise received 5 Star ForeWord Clarion Reviews and The Story of Sassy Sweetwater has been named a finalist for the ForeWord Book of the Year Awards. I have published in ESL Magazine, and Christopher Street Magazine. I have also written early childhood curriculum for Weekly Reader and McGraw Hill.
I am married and live on the Upper West side of Manhattan with my spouse, my adorable chihuahua, Peanut, and my two beautiful pussy cats, Sassy and Sweetie Pie.
Purchase links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Among-Friends-Vera-Jane-ebook/dp/B0DVPY16L5/
Social Media links:
Website: https://verajanecook.com/about/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1299520.Vera_Jane_Cook
Book Blast: THE LAST DOOR, AJAR by Michael Holly Barrett
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michael Holly Barrett will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
It is 1945. The infamous Max Smartz, superspy; Eva Braun, wife of Adolf Hitler; Joseph Goebbels, propaganda minister; and Otto Klugg, intelligence officer, do not die at the end of World War II, but trick the guards in the Fuhrerbunker tunnels, allowing them to make their escape. Their escape plan is to reach war-neutral Southern Ireland, where Maxwell Smartz has an established base and is familiar with rural south Kerry and its people. They evade capture and eventually reach France. Here, they meet with a good friend and colleague, an undercover agent called Maurice Le Blanc, who asks them to assist him in retrieving some stolen gold bars.
After finding the fortune, the friends attempt to retrieve it in an old Dutch van but are continually thwarted and risk losing everything. To complicate matters, they learn that Max's brother, Victor, has been incarcerated in the notorious Spandau prison and is being tried for Nazi war crimes. They hatch a plot to save him, but is it worth the danger of going back to Berlin and being caught?
Read an Excerpt
Just the week before, her own death rehearsal, the one she secretly vowed not to carry out. There will be no stage debut for this actress, she kept telling herself. Hitler returned to their sitting room in a fit of giggling uncontrollably, dribbling at the same time; she hadn’t seen him like that in a very, very long time. “What, pray tell, is the matter with you?” she wanted to know, and he tried to tell her between fits of coughing and laughing; the more he recalled the more he laughed at his own recollection of what just happened. “Sit down,” he ordered her. “That Goebbels, he is a dummy and a genius at the same time. Both in equal parts. I told him what I was about to do, using my own German Shepherd dog, Blondi.” Blondi was given to him by Martin Bormann in 1941, as a gift. “Joseph knows I loved Blondi, I told him I was testing the efficiency of the cyanide tablets given to me by Doctor Shultz. He understood, as I thought, because he turned to me and said, ‘I’ll take care of it for you, as I know of your fondness for Blondi. OK, Mein Fuhrer, just go, leave it to me’. I thanked him, I went for a walk upstairs to the Reich Chancellery, and sat down and took in some fresh air. It must have taken at least a half hour before I decided to return downstairs again, and who came charging out of the guest room — only Blondi jumping all over me, so glad to see me. Then Joseph must have heard the commotion and he came bounding out too, all smiling and happy with himself.
About the Author: My humble beginnings in a terrace house with an outdoor toilet and indoor rats. The drinking water was got from a public pump in the street. We were all sailing in the Titanic,Third Class, but we were not aware of anything better. We had so much fun, swimming in the river. As kids we had wonderful imaginations.The only luxuries we ever saw were in the Cinema, usually American films, people smoking and drinking alcohol.
Everyone in the town of County Cork, Ireland seemed to be in the same boat; we made the best of it until the swinging sixties came along and changed everything. In spite of our poverty, I managed to get a College education. But opportunities were as scarce as rich Uncles. The Christian Brothers were brutal, and handy with the cane, in National School. I was lucky like many fellows my own age to get an apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic. Soon developed a taste for Alcohol, and got into trouble pretty soon, was lucky again to find A.A. and get my act together in 1978.
My hero died in 1977, Elvis Presley, the music stopped, the sixties was over, the Beatles were broken up, CCR, too. So getting sober was the best thing to do, under the miserable circumstances. I got a job as a Pipe Welder with ASME 1X certificate and began working around Europe, finally settling in warm Spain, Barcelona and met a Catalunya woman. Started writing for the first time, mostly comedies, Peter Sellers style, another hero of mine.
This is my second published book, I also self published earlier works Like ,'Gorilla Days in Ireland' by Michael Barrett, on Amazon. The Frankie Stein Enigma, and others, I paint oil and acrylic pictures, write mountains of poetry, sing and play the guitar.
' I do just about everything, that doesn't make any money for me.' But love doing what I do, writing poetry is mind stimulating, energising.
My favourite actors are William Holden, Warren Oates, Gregory Peck, and favourite detective the great Peter Falk in Columbo, a genius and Clouseau, Peter Sellers, and Peter Ustinov.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100045861996652
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-barrett-78b686103/
AMAZON.COM: https://amazon.com/dp/177962574X
AMAZON.CA: https://amazon.ca/dp/177962574X
BOOKTOPIA: https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=9781779625748
ABEBOOKS: https://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9781779625748
BETTERWORLD BOOKS: https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/9781779625748
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April 23, 2025
Blog Tour: SUNDAYS WITH GRANDMA by Siavoche Siassi
Children's Book
Date Published: January 3, 2025
Publisher: MindStir Media
Sundays with Grandma tells the story of an ailing Grandmother who spends her last years in life fully present for her Grandson while cultivating within him an enduring hope and optimism for the beauty of life. Inspired by true events, the book is based on the author's observations of the playful relationship between his son and his mother during a period when she was battling and ultimately succumbed to breast cancer.
Told through the eyes of young grandson Noah, this is a story recounting the memories Noah had with his loving Grandma Sherry during their weekly Sunday visits. These Sundays are filled with delicious food, silly fun times with Grandma, and important life lessons. While Noah notices that Grandma is getting weaker and weaker with each visit, that doesn't stop their special Sundays together. Noah realizes when he is older that Grandma's important lessons have taught him not only about the beauty of life but also how to accept some of its most difficult moments.
Written for kids of all ages, Sundays with Grandma delicately uses the beauty of nature to remind kids who might be experiencing loss and grief that their lives are just beginning to blossom, with so much beauty and growth to look forward to in the days to come.
Review: This was a sweet story about a boyand his grandma starting with the day he first met her. It all began with aSunday. Grandma would teach him about gardening and making juices. Each andevery Sunday, Noah would visit his grandma and learn something new. As moretime went on, Grandma was getting weaker and weaker, but that never stopped thefun that Noah would have with her.
Even though this had a sad ending,this story was a testament to the lifelong span of memories and how they neverfade.
A truly touching story!
Rating:4 stars
About the Author
Siavoche Siassi is passionate about the unique role storytelling can play to connect with young audiences. A career professional in the life sciences industry, Siavoche only recently took up writing children's books, inspired by the birth of his son and the close bond formed with him while reading together as a family. Drawing intimately from personal experiences, his stories shine a light on the often challenging moments of life, with the hopes of empowering parents to navigate these conversations with their little ones.
Contact Link
Purchase Link
Blog Tour: THE MEASURE OF ENOUGH by Deonna Kay
THE MEASURE OF ENOUGH
Deonna Kay
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GENRE: Psychological Fiction/Women's Fiction
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BLURB:
Thirty-four-yearold social worker, Kacee Robinson, runs a non-profit agency helping women andchildren move away from bad situations. Kacee moved away from her own badsituation years ago and pledged never to return to her hometown of Glendale,Texas, or to the mother who abandoned her right smack in the middle of herhateful pre-adolescent years—just when she needed her most.
Nowit is Kacee’s mother who needs something from her. With the entire townrallying behind the cry, Kacee has a decision to make. She can put asideeverything she thought she ever knew about this woman who made a feeble attemptat raising her, return to the town, and conduct the necessary business like thegrown-up professional she knows she is. Or she can stand her ground, continuingto struggle with the nagging questions and residual scars of her childhood.
Beforeshe can make a decision, Kacee fears her life may be in danger and a rapid turnof events prompts resolutions that cannot be undone, setting into motion aslide of events as slick as the oil-engendered family from which Kacee wasborn.
Theechoes of the past reach out to her while in Glendale, grabbing on and notletting go as they wind her down a country road through pages of her mother’sjournals and twisting her into an unexpected new fate from which she will neverbe the same.
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ExcerptThree:
Aunt Jackie rolled her eyes in mock annoyance, but it wasclear she enjoyed his company. "You got it!" she said, matching histwinkle with hers. I heard the front door close, and it was just the two of usgirls again. An old familiar feeling cast over me.
I followed her round figure to the back bedroom, admiringher thick curly hair as it swooshed from side to side, falling over the side ofthe wide neck of her housecoat.
She stepped aside at the threshold, and I stopped abruptlyas I saw inside the room that had always been mine when I came to visit. She'dtidied up and put fresh linens on the bed, and sitting square in the middle wasBob the Unicorn, my prized possession and childhood confidante. The scenebefore me took me right back to my teenage years on a weekend getaway to herhouse. Time spent at Aunt Jackie's meant following none of Mom's rules and allof Jackie’s (which involved a lot of late, giggly nights and equal amounts ofice cream). Our days together stretched in sticky taffy ropes of brownies forbreakfast and entire fall afternoons spent painting and napping, junk shoppingand then creating the most fantastic art pieces out of that junk---justbecause.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
DeonnaKay is a native Texan, the proud mom of a young adult daughter, an over-sizeddog, and the fuzziest cat you’ve ever seen. Her passion of writing began as achild and has carried over into her adult life. She is a business owner andloves to travel, particularly to Disney World. If you enjoyed THE MEASURE OFENOUGH, please visit the author on her website to follow her future endeavorsand updates
Website:http://www.deonnakay.com
Instagram:http://www.instagram.com/deonnakaybooks
Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/writingdreams25
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DTJGWQT9
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GIVEAWAY
DeonnaKay will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner viarafflecopter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawnhost.
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Book Blast: ONLY IN SEPTEMBER by Cynthia Flowers
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions to celebrate the release day of ONLY IN SEPTEMBER by Cynthia Flowers. Cynthia will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
When Jacqueline follows her trusty Labrador Bailey down a hidden path to the beach, she's unaware that her vacation plans on a small island off the New England coast has already taken her life in a new direction. Running into an unassuming local beach comber stirs new thoughts, desires, and a self-determination she never knew she possessed. Jacqueline will need to trust her instincts and make the most of what fate has in store if she wants the future that, until now, she has only dared to dream of.
Read an Excerpt
During their return trip on the trail, they happened upon a series of small cottages. One of them was having exterior repairs done. The sudden screech of a buzz saw gave them a startle. Bailey was off leash and ran over to investigate. Stephen called after her.
The buzz saw suddenly stopped. Then someone from behind the cottage exclaimed, “Hey, I know you.”
The person behind the voice rushed out from behind the cottage and came into view. It was Michael. He looked at Jacqueline. Their eyes locked. She was happy to see him, and he seemed equally pleased to see her. Bailey jumped up on Michael like she had when they first met earlier in the week at the beach.
“Hey, there.” Michael motioned to Jacqueline. His smile was unavoidable.
Jacqueline slowly walked toward him. She didn’t want to seem too eager in front of Stephen.
“Do you two know each other?” Stephen inquired.
“Well, sort of,” Michael said with a chuckle. “We met at the beach the other day. Or, I should say, our dogs met at the beach. We just happened to be tagging along.”
Jacqueline broke her silence and elaborated further about how the pooches got along famously. “I meant to make it to the beach again before setting sail, but the week got away from us.”
“Don’t need to apologize to me. It’s Serendipity you need to square with. But unfortunately, she’s not with me today. Maybe another time,” Michael suggested.
“Considering we’re on the early afternoon ferry tomorrow, I don’t think that’s possible,” Stephen said deliberately and looked at Jacqueline to finish what he started. Instead, she looked down at Bailey to avoid Stephen’s gaze.
“Oh, well, I suspect you’ll be back, “Michael shot back. “It’s seldom that someone visits this island only once.”
As they started off, she lingered behind Stephen for a moment to clip Bailey’s collar to the leash and took the opportunity to mouth at Michael, “See you in the morning.”
He acknowledged her invitation with a wink.
About the Author: Cynthia Flowers, a recently retired advertising professional, now grant writer, resides with her husband and four-year old Labrador named Eddie, at their “sanctuary” in Upstate New York, Although previously published, this is Cynthia's first book of fiction. Early on in grade school, Cynthia looked forward to creative writing class and enjoyed reading her stories aloud to her eager classmates.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Only-September-Cynthia-Flowers-ebook/dp/B0DWT79L6N/ref=sr_1_1
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