E.B. Roshan's Blog: This, That and the Other, page 11

New Release: Darkness Draws Near by Kristina Hall

Kristina Hall, author of Christian fiction in various genres, has a new book out! Darkness Draws Near is the second book in the Kentucky Midnight series.

Here’s the blurb:

Life’s worth fighting for …

When Mellie Rivers takes in a young mom, she knows there’s risk involved—both from the government and from her own inadequacies.

Working as a missionary and a mechanic is already a challenge, but now Friedrich Wolf faces an unknown threat—a threat he must stop before he loses all too much.

Friedrich and Mellie will have to fight for life … even as darkness draws near.

Sounds good? I think so, too. Here are some links to connect with the author and purchase the book:

Website: https://kristinahallauthor.wordpress.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21133401.Kristina_Hall

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristinahallwriter/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kristina-hall

Newsletter: https://kristinahallauthor.ck.page/

Purchase link: https://books2read.com/Darkness-Draws-Near

Kristina Hall is a sinner saved by grace who seeks to glorify God with her words. She is a homeschool graduate and holds a degree in accounting. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, arm wrestling, lifting weights, and playing the violin.

Book Spotlight: Leoshine by Nicola McCameron

I don’t give many five-star reviews. I save them for the stories that make me gasp, make me cry, make me think deeply. Nicola McCameron’s Leoshine was one of these. Note: I read an admittedly rough advance copy of this story, and it still knocked my socks off. When does that ever happen?

Leoshine (pronounced Leo-SHEEN) is a young—very young—princess from the isolated world of Myxolidia, where years ago a chain of climate-controlled domes were built to make the planet habitable. When the original founders return to reclaim their colony, Leoshine is kidnapped and given to the leader, Avram, as a kind of tribute, or peace offering. He is horrified by her (in his mind) backward, primitive state and sets about to remake her in his own image of what a princess should be. Honestly, I feel that any detailed description I could give of the plot fails to really capture the rich atmosphere, the tragedy, the “spirit” of the story—better to simply read it.

Leoshine is for readers who loves alternative worlds meticulously planned and vividly described, for characters so real that it’s hard to get out of their heads, for everyone trying to live gracefully through complexities they can’t begin to understand, for everyone who’s tried to help and ends wondering if they’ve done more harm than good.

To get your copy of Leoshine and learn more about the author and her upcoming works, you can visit the series website HERE.

Offering…

Reviews, Book Promos, and Author Interviews!

If you’re a young (or young at at heart) Christian author, and you have a book you’d like me to review, please get in touch. I share reviews on Goodreads and also here.

I enjoy doing author interviews and/or promotional posts for books as well. If anybody’s interested in any these services, my email is on the About Me page.

I look forward to hearing from you!

New Look

Regular visitors to my site will notice—we have a new look!

I started my self-publishing journey with the Shards of Sevia series, and created this site with a view to sharing and promoting it. Now, with Book Five releasing later this month and the final book in the early planning stages, (anybody wondering what happened to Radoslav and Dunya?) I decided it was time to take a step back and decide where I want to go next. Non-fiction? Children’s books? Mysteries? Sci Fi?

So, while the URL will remain the same—a (hopefully) happy memory of where this all began, SHARDS OF SEVIA is now ROSHAN PUBLISHING. Simple. Self-explanatory. And embracing vast possibilities.

The book reviews, interviews, random articles of interest, and snippets of whatever project is currently in the works will continue—so stay tuned!

After Our Castle…The Cover!

Today I’m pleased to share the beautiful cover of Kellyn Roth’s upcoming book, After Our Castle. Like her other books, it promises to be an engaging story of family ties and faith. For more information about the author and her work, check her out HERE.

Book Spotlight: Shadow of the Taj by Lara Bernhardt

Tom and his wife Leslie are visiting India for a few months while Tom pursues research for his doctorate thesis. While they’re both hoping for a kind of delayed honeymoon, an opportunity to mend what’s been going wrong in their relationship and re-ignite the flames of love for each other, things don’t exactly go as planned. On a sightseeing trip to the zoo, Leslie meets a beggar girl and is immediately compelled to rescue her from a life of poverty and abuse. The ensuing events will either bind them closer together or shatter their marriage forever…

I’m always on the lookout for good books set in Asia, so Shadow of the Taj caught my eye. While the unfortunate cover gave me second thoughts, it was a free ARC, so why not take a chance on it? I was not disappointed.

The author has either visited India or done her research well. Descriptions of sights, sounds and smells felt vivid and authentic. My personal favorite was the description of the teenage girls trying to catch the drops of ice cream as they dripped down onto their bangles.

However, the descriptions of men engaging in extremely lewd behavior in public seemed farfetched to me, (at least based on my own experiences elsewhere in Asia—I have never been to India.)

Certain characters’ ability to speak flawless English seemed a little too convenient at times, and there was the occasional scene when two Indians would speak to each other in English, for no other apparent reason than it allowed the author to provide the main character (Leslie) with information she wouldn’t otherwise have had.

Also, I found it odd that after six months in India, Leslie seemed unable to speak a word of Hindi, or to be able to determine whether the people around her were speaking Hindi or some other language. Can you tell I’m picky about these things?

But these were very small flies in the ointment of an excellent story. It’s not Poor Brown Girl is Rescued by Rich White Mama, or Soulful, Compassionate and Misunderstood Wife is Squelched by Boorish Husband Until She Finds Her Higher Purpose. It easily could have been either, or both, but it’s not. Leslie is so real—selfish and selfless in equal measure. Brave and stupid. Hopeful and bitter. Childish and childlike. I’m infuriated by her, but can’t help want all the best for her.

Tom is excellently portrayed as well, a blend of kindness, stubbornness, and male practicality. Giving him at least a few POV chapters would have been an amazing move, but as the story progresses and we realize that Leslie is not who we first think she is, it becomes clear Tom isn’t either. They’re not caricatures of anything—they’re themselves, and that’s what makes this a great book.

Rhea was a lovely side character. However, she must know that women should exchange their glass bangles for metal ones when they marry, or accidents will almost certainly occur.

Shardul, the bad guy, was just bad. Bad, bad bad, and thus, the weakest character in a book of otherwise strong characters.

I’d love a book about Leslie’s mother—or rather, about Leslie and her mother. The way her faith in God simultaneously weakened and strengthened her daughter was fascinating.

I should note that some of the descriptions of sexual activity are fairly graphic—though one scene is absolutely necessary to the plot and, in its own way beautiful—the way Leslie is treated by the Bad Guy seems overdone, and I think the story would have been just as strong if that had been “toned down” considerably.

Except for the very end, which felt a little “clunky,” Shadow of the Taj is a beautifully smooth romantic suspense story…and hey, best of all, it’s about a married couple! Nice to know I’m not the only one who likes writing/reading those.

So—five stars for the characters, four for the suspense plot, four for the romance plot, four for the writing/editing—all in all, Shadow of the Taj gets a fair four-start rating.

Judgment Call: Sneak Preview

I expect there are at least a handful of people who are looking forward to reading Book Five as much as I am to releasing it. At least I’d like to think so. This sneak preview is for you…

THURSDAY afternoon, our first winter butchering, I caught Kiva at the door before he headed into the tub room to wash up. He’d done the work of two all day, and looked it. Flecks of blood spattered every inch of him the butcher’s apron hadn’t covered. Fresh blisters from the bone saw swelled between the calluses on his hands. A rip in his jeans showed a matching scrape down his shinbone.

The freezer truck from Duna Market had driven up half an hour ago, but I hadn’t expected them to be done with the loading until after dark.

“Three down, three to go,” he said. “But the rain’s coming in, so we decided to call it a day.”

“Kiva.” I took a deep breath to calm the jitters in my stomach. “I need you to do something big for me. For me and Sitabi both.”

“Tonight?”

“No. When you have time.”

The mud caked on his boots crumbled to the floor as he jerked the laces open. “Say the word and consider it done.” He rubbed a sleeve across his weary face and smiled up at me.

“Help me find out where Rama’s buried.”

If I knew for certain Rama had a place to lie—hadn’t just been thrown away like trash—maybe I’d be able to tell Kiva what he had a right to know before I became his wife. ‘Rayad fighters took your husband’s body,’ Sanjit had told me. ‘They honored him with a funeral and a grave.’

I hadn’t believed him, but what if he’d been telling the truth for once?

Kiva stared at me.

“I want you take me to Duna tomorrow to see Erkan,” I said.

Kiva’s eyebrows drew together. “Why?”

“He might know where Rama is buried.” Kiva shook his head, puzzled.

“I don’t see what Erkan has to do with it.”

“Didn’t you hear what Dr. Neyrev said? They’ve been working to get the missing fighters identified. Tracking down relatives and friends. Finding gravesites.” I swallowed to get the rasp out of my voice. “I want to see Rama’s—if I can.”

He leaned his broad shoulders back against the wall and blew out his breath so it lifted a loose twist of hair on his forehead.

I waited, standing still but with my heart galloping. Trying to fit the mismatched pieces of my life together—past and future—hill farm and ruined city—Kiva and Rama—made me wonder if even God could fix the mess I’d made.

Kiva groaned. “It’s over. He’s gone. Why do you have to keep going back there?”

“I don’t know.”

“When I look back at our life together, all the way from when we were kids, I don’t see nothing but years and years of happy days,” Kiva said softly. “`New calves in the spring, fresh meat in the fall. You sneaking away from your loom to follow me and Arjun when we checked the hill pastures. Weren’t you happy?”

“Mostly.”

“You seemed like a girl who’d hardly have a sorrow her whole life long.”

I shook my head. If that’s how he saw me, no wonder he was confused. He was a man—he’d never understand what it was like to grow up knowing exactly how many cows you were worth. He’d never been scared he might end up sold to someone awful.

“But then you ran off with Rama and he brought you nothing but shame and sadness and almost got you killed.”

“He loved me,” I said. He loved me, but I killed him, I tried to say, but my mouth wouldn’t form the words.

Kiva set his boots side by side underneath the bench beside the red rubber boots I used in the mud. He moved mine so the toes would all be even. “I love you more,” he said, very low. “Not that you care.”

If only I could take the truth that hurt too much to speak aloud and plant it in Kiva’s brain. “When there was fighting in our neighborhood, I wasn’t hardly ever scared if Rama was around,” I said. “Having him was like having a wolf to guard me. Didn’t matter who might be in the street, or outside the door. He was so brave, he made me brave.” Some nights he’d stand for hours, staring into the dark outside our apartment window. His slender body looked as much a weapon as the rifle he held.

“Maybe Rama wasn’t a good man,” I said. “But he would have bled every drop for Sitabi and me. If you can’t honor him for that, then…”

Kiva sat so still a fly landed and crawled around on the back of his hand. He didn’t swat it away, just stared at me, a long, deep stare that made me wonder if he could see in my face what I didn’t dare say. His eyes got wet around the corners.

“That’s how I feel, anyway,” I whispered. For a little while, Rama had been my adventure. My fighter. My taste of freedom.

A long time later—it felt like an hour—Kiva finally moved. Leaning forward, he caught both my hands and pressed them between his grimy ones. He kissed the tips of my fingers. “I’m going to take care of you better than Rama ever did.”

Author Interview with Vanessa Hall

Today I’m delighted to introduce Vanessa Hall (sister of the Kristina Hall who’s appeared on this blog before) and hear about her writing adventures, in particular her ongoing series, GRACE SUFFICIENT.

Thanks so much for having me on today – it’s an honor!

1. Can you begin by telling us three random facts about yourself? (They don’t need to be writing-related.)

Three random facts … let’s see. I’m an arm-wrestler (not super successful, but it’s a lot of fun!), I love using essential oils, and I’ve never seen a movie in a theater. (That last one’s my favorite icebreaker question answer!)

2. What’s your favorite kind of scene to write? What do you struggle with?

I think my favorite scenes are probably the most dramatic. Whether it’s a confession, a life-changing choice, or some massive argument, I really enjoy those scenes. I think they just pull me into the zone of writing, and the words flow more easily when I get excited with the characters. (Wow, that makes me sound pretty melodramatic. But I prefer all drama contained to books.)

As for scenes I struggle with … definitely actions scenes, whether those are chase scenes, gunfights, or fistfights. I never feel like I’ve explained things well enough or that the characters give the right reactions. I think a big part of that is because those sorts of situations happen so quickly in real life, so it’s hard for me to get a good balance between having reactions and explaining what’s occurring without the scene feeling way longer than it should.

3. So I’m reading the newest book in your GRACE SUFFICIENT series. What inspired you to set the series in Russia?

Aw, thanks for reading Untold! I think the decision to set the series in Russia came from a variety of factors. I had a natural interest in Russia (partly due to the popularity of arm-wrestling in Russia!), and the fact I wanted a Russian ballerina in the first book (Unknown). There was also a strange thread about some sort of ex-spy in Russia, but that plot fizzled out quite quickly in Unknown. But as you know, that idea hung around for the third book.

4. Music, particularly classical piano pieces and hymns, are a recurring theme in the story. Why is that?

In the original draft of Untold, Molly was a more casual pianist who just enjoyed playing but wasn’t deeply invested in it. When I came back to edit the book, however, I decided I wanted to focus more on this side of her. As a musician myself, I could really relate to Molly (though I’m certainly not to her level of expertise!), and I found it pretty easy to write her thoughts and inclinations to music. This also gave me a chance to be a music nerd and mention pieces and Russian composers, which was so much fun!

I also found myself digging more into this side of Molly’s story when I recently became a church pianist myself. I’ve always loved hymns—they hold such rich, theological truths—and I like to include them in my books. I also really enjoyed using a hymn as a connection between Nick’s and Molly’s pasts.

5. Who’s your favorite character in the series? Does he/she feature in UNTOLD?

Wow, this is like asking who my favorite child is or something! With every book I publish, I feel like the characters go through a stage of being some of my favorite characters ever, and then when I move on the next book, the other characters take over that role. So this is really hard answer!

However, if I had to choose one character, it’d probably be Gabe Kelly—he’s one of my original MCs, and he becomes such a godly, brave man. Such a great guy through everything I put him through. He’s featured as a side character during Untold, but he’s mainly in the first part of the book. (Which is good for him!)

But I also have to say I love Nick and Molly, too. Nick is such a fighter in spite of all he’s been through, and Molly’s so sweet and grew so much in the story. Ahh, this is such a hard question!

6. What’s the main thing you’d like readers to take away from UNTOLD?

The overarching theme I’d love my readers to take away from Untold is the salvation that comes through faith in Christ alone (John 14:6.) That’s the most important thing I could ever get across to another person! But a specific thing that really stood out for me while editing Untold is that though believers face pain and trials and afflictions, God will use them for our good. He will use those hard, terrible things to draw us to Him. And someday, those trials and tribulations will be over, and we will forever be safe with Him.

7. Have you got another writing project in the works? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?

Yes! I’m trekking onward with this series—book #4 is in the editing stages, and I’m also currently writing book #6. I also have some smaller ideas that I’m playing around with, too, that should be pretty fun!

Book Spotlight: Untold by Vanessa Hall

As soon as I was done with this book, I knew it was going to be a tricky one to rate, because it’s such a mix—things I found excellent, and things that could have been done better.

In short, I’d give four stars for the romance plot, two stars for the suspense plot, three stars for the writing, another three for the characters, five for the editing. So you see—not easy—but I’ll try.

First off, the “preaching” didn’t feel as “preachy” as it often does in Christian novels. I think in this case the author’s success came through strong characterization (unless your character is rock-solid real, he or she better not quote even one Bible verse) and not trying too hard to push a Christian agenda, instead letting it come naturally as the story allowed.

While decently written and exceptionally well-edited (if I’m not mistaken, this author edits her own work,) the frequent use of odd, even repellent descriptions for various physical sensations was distracting. Never once has my mouth watered because I was scared. Nor has electricity ever zipped up my legs—except that time I was using a poorly-grounded washing machine. But that’s another story.

The development of Nick and Molly’s relationship was thoughtfully portrayed. It was beautiful to watch two flawed, but likeable people draw strength from each other and from God as they eased closer. For different reasons, both characters were sensitive and cautious as they explored the possibility of becoming a couple, but the slow pace didn’t feel like the torturous seesaw of indecision that some romance writers employ to artificially infuse their stories with tension.

Unfortunately, for a time that aspect of the story got a bit lost in all the mayhem, as Molly and Nick were pursued across Western Russia for reasons that, even after finishing the book, remain vague and unconvincing. (In real life, if Bad Guys are chasing you, nine times out of ten you know exactly why. And if they want something from you, they’re going to choose the simplest, most direct way to get it, even if it’s not the most dramatic.)

They way Molly often equated her feelings or environment with various musical pieces was fun, and a unique insight into her character. At first, the nightmarish quality of her introduction to Russia seemed a little over-the-top, (I wanted to pat her on the head and tell her, “It’s really not that bad,”) but it turned out to be a good early snapshot of her character, and set her up well for her growth from timid, insecure girl to peaceful, confident young woman. However, I never understood why Molly’s dad had to lie and say she wanted to be a missionary. Why couldn’t he have come up with a less freighted reason for her to visit her cousin?

Nick’s shame and self-loathing due to being almost constantly at the mercy of his flashbacks felt very relatable, and the scene where he realizes God has strength even for him is one of the best in the book. However, I was disappointed that no one suggested he see a counselor. Yes, God extends grace to us even in our weakest moments, but that grace sometimes comes through a skillful doctor, or even powerful medication. I felt like I was missing key bits of his story, but this is likely because I haven’t read the previous two books in the series.

I enjoyed the side characters too, particularly Gregor’s amiable cynicism. Both Molly and Nick tended to be very hard on themselves, and definitely on the melancholic end of the character spectrum, so Gregor’s more levelheaded take on things helped to lighten the mood of the book considerably. I also appreciated that he got a deathbed conversion…without actually dying.

And there we have it. I think I’ll give Untold an overall rating of 3.5

I received a free copy of Untold for the purpose of sharing a fair and honest review. To find more of Vanessa Hall’s books, or see what else she’s up to, check out her website HERE.

Book Five

We have a title…we have a cover…and (if all goes well) we have a release date: September 23rd. Thanks to everyone who’s helped out so far, and those who are still helping!