Sheila Deeth's Blog, page 103

Are you a member of the Santa Club?

I'm delighted to welcome author Kelly Moss to my blog today--and not just because it gives me a bit of extra time for catching up. She's the author of the Santa Club, available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc..., and if you're wondering what you'll do if your kids (or grandkids) start asking "Is Santa real?" this year, this is a magical and wonderfully appropriate book to give them.
So, welcome Kelly Moss, and what inspired you to write such a great book?
Reading andwriting have always been a passion of mine. When I was younger reading was moreof my focus than writing.  I loved to readDavid Eddings, Steven King, VC Andrews, and Ray Bradbury.  I also read the classics like Little Womenand Jane Ayer.  Give me a historicalromance and I am in.  But then again, anyromance I would read, I am a girl.  Ijust wasn't a girl that sat long enough to write.  It is so funny now I can sit for hours.  I prefer to write by myself in my office forlong periods of time.  How funny age cantransform you! Reading is still a passion, but now writing is so much more thefocus.
The SantaClub was my keystone.  It was the firsttime that I had an overwhelming sense of purpose to write down the story of TheSanta Club.   Just like my old fantasynovels there is a true sense of the mystical in The Santa Club.  What is considered a child's fairytale isactually a truth.  Santa is real.  When our kids were young I never viewed thetruth of Santa.  Not until Bertie, mymother-in-law, and a true, loving, non-judgmental Christian soul explained Santato my son. That fateful day was an amazing day for our family.  It was close to Christmas and I was worriedthat Jonathan would ask if Santa was real. As a Christian I had a hard time knowing what to do with the whole Santatradition.  The thought of seeing ourchild's face through the joy of giving so appealed to my husband and me.  To have our children know the idea thatsomeone loved them so much that they gave gifts in secret with no fan fair, andnothing expected back.  Because we lovedthe wonderment of that idea, we knew we wanted to keep the tradition, but whatto say when that fateful day comes and the question is asked, Is Santa Real.
Santa ismagical like the books that I loved as a kid. And the truth of Santa is even more special when you know the truebeginnings which started with a monk in Turkey. When you think that this tradition is so beloved that it is performedworldwide year after year, century after century, you realize you are part ofsomething so much grander than just a fat man in a red suit.  And when you realize that this monk was atrue Christian, you know there is so much more to Santa. That is why the storyhad to come out, regardless of my skills. What a blessing to have something you feel so important to share takeyou into your true calling.  Let's hopethat The Santa Club Book can do that for kids and families everywhere. 
MerryChristmas Everyone, Kelly Moss

Some children's books, for light relief

Time off from cell-phones and internet was great fun, but it's left me with a huge backlog of emails. Meanwhile time spent in the beauty of Alaska has left me with tons of books to read and review. I thought I'd start with some children's books--quicker to read, lighter on the heart, and some of them truly delightful! So here's some comments, with links to reviews, and coffee recommendations (not ratings--I leave readers to draw their own conclusions about what they want to read).

First comes a truly beautiful little Christmas book--I wish this one had been around when my kids were small. Kelly Moss's The Santa Club answers that dreaded question "Is Santa Claus real?" in a way that's simultaneously honest, appropriate, and faithful to the reason for the season. Enjoy a 2-star bright lively coffee while sharing this with the kids. And come back tomorrow to read Kelly Moss's guest post on my blog.

Next is a zombie book that had me laughing out loud and smiling contentedly--Sean of the Dead for kids perhaps? MJA Ware's Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb is as zany as its title, with very believable voice and character as young Nathan relates his curiously changing friendship with Misty and his attempts to save the world (or at least his town) from the living dead. Enjoy another 2-star bright lively coffee with this one.

And, continuing the fantasy theme, M.R. Mattias's Cold-hearted Son of a Witch is book two of his Dragoneers Saga, filled with fascinating characters, a delightfully detailed and well-imagined world, strange cultures and determined friendship in the face of danger--I'm looking forward to book three.

Now to finish some of those more adult novels so I can post more reviews... though perhaps I should finish some washing and cleaning first, or even pull some of those dandelions out of the grass (grass out of the dandelions might be a better approach).

Alaska

When you think of Alaska, what comes to mind? For me it was glaciers and snow, but when we went there, we found so much more.










Fall colors,













mountains,













eagles,














bears,














reindeer,












whales,













strange towns standing on stilts over the water...













yes, and glaciers and snow,












though the snow was only in the distance. Up close it rained.












We had a fantastic time on our trip, and the weather really wasn't too bad--sunshine exactly when we needed it, and appropriate dampness and mist to enjoy the rainforests. So now I'm catching up on a record 750 emails. If you've been trying to contact me, please accept my apologies; I'll answer soon--unless the reindeer and bear catch up with me first.

GBA reviews: Romance

I read four romances during judging in the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards, so here are some short reviews, with links to longer reviews on gather, and coffee recommendations... (Must drink coffee while reading...)

One Last Dance, by Mardo Williams, is a delightfully different tale of life after 80, which earned a well-deserved place in the winning circle. With very authentic characters, and very real problems of aging, plus a pleasing humor and gentle kindness, this is one's highly recommended, to be enjoyed with a rich, elegant 4-star mug of coffee.

Written in Stone, by Viviane Brentanos, opens like a Hollywood romantic comedy but follows a much more complex plot in its second half with betrayals on personal and world-wide scales, prejudice, presumption and more. You'll need a 4-star complex coffee to go with this one.

Glass Angels, by Karen Wiesner, is the fourth in her Family Heirlooms Series, but stands alone with no problem. The young woman working in a rape crisis center is herself a victim, still trying to work out how to move on, and where Christian forgiveness fits in with Christian betrayal. A well-balance tale, this is one to savor with a 3-star well-balanced coffee.

And finally, Rae's Revenge and Redemption by LaVerne Iverson, tells the curious tale of a woman who takes matters into her own hands, and maybe even takes them a little far, when she learns of her husband's betrayal. Again there are themes of forgiveness and healing, this time with reader's notes and study questions at the back--a good book for a church group with 2-star easy-drinking coffee to be shared with the words.

The last novel I read during the awards was a memoir called I will fly again, by Lili Duaphin, and, while it's not a romance, I'm including it here because of the connection with forgiveness, healing and spirituality in those last two entries. The memoir opens with a hauntingly evocative childhood scene, set in Haiti, then moves into detailed accounts of Tilou trying to school herself, surviving despite the betrayals of all the adults in her life. Read this one with a 5-star bold, dark, intense coffee.

And that, I think, is the last of my GBA reviews. Thank you Dan Poynter for a really enjoyable experience, and thank you authors for the chance to read so many good books.

GBA book reviews: Science Fiction

I read three science fiction entries, two Popular Literature--Fiction, and only one short story during judging in the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards. But they all might equally have fellen under science fiction, so I'll group the reviews together:

Laughter in the Canyon, by Laura Thompson combines past lives, mythology, Reiki, and National Geographic beauty into the story of a woman's journey to follow her heart. Drink a complex 4-star cup of coffee with this one.

The Dawning, by Linda Pendleton, made the winners' circle. A fairly literary science fiction tale, it takes a group of genius children, their parents, scientists, the military, and a native American lawyer, quickly moving to abduction, danger and search. Nicely balanced, though very detailed, this one should be read with a 3-star nicely balanced coffee in hand.

Kappa Hunter by J.K. Swift won the short stories--fiction section and is a fascinating tale of a bear hunter meeting a kappa hunter in the forest... but what is kappa? Drink a 5-star bold dark intense coffee with this one.

And finally, three entries in the sciencie fiction / paranormal section: Pestilence, by Gary Towner, follows a young man whose return to old haunts involves danger and terror as nature, the army, and big business make their bids for a deserted chemical storage site. Dark and scary, readers will need a bold, dark 5-star coffee to go with this classic sci-fi horror story.

Then there's Asulon, and Eretzel, The Sword of Fire books one and two, by William R. McGrath. With symbolism and ideas drawn from the Book of Revelation, a well-drawn culture of warrior and king, and clear parallels to American society, it draws up an intriguingly different interpretation of last times and last battles, though the story's not complete without further volumes.