Tom Hobbs's Blog, page 15

Apart From Love

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Written with passionate conviction, this story is being told by two of its characters: Ben, a twenty-seven years old student, and Anita, a plain-spoken, spunky, uneducated redhead, freshly married to Lenny, his aging father. Behind his back, Ben and Anita find themselves increasingly drawn to each other. They take turns using an old tape recorder to express their most intimate thoughts, not realizing at first that their voices are being captured by him.

Meanwhile, Lenny is trying to keep a secret from both of them: his ex-wife, Ben’s mother, a talented pianist, has been stricken with an early-onset alzheimer. Taking care of her gradually weighs him down.

What emerges in these characters is a struggle, a desperate, daring struggle to find a path out of conflicts, out of isolation, from guilt to forgiveness.

The title Apart From Love comes from a phrase used three times in the story:

After a while I whispered, like, “Just say something to me. Anything.” And I thought, Any other word apart from Love, ‘cause that word is diluted, and no one knows what it really means, anyway.

Anita to Lenny, in Apart From Love

Why, why can’t you say nothing? Say any word—but that one, ‘cause you don’t really mean it. Nobody does. Say anything, apart from Love.

Anita to Ben, in The Entertainer

For my own sake I should have been much more careful. Now—even in her absence—I find myself in her hands, which feels strange to me. I am surrounded—and at the same time, isolated. I am alone. I am apart from Love.

Ben, in Nothing Surrendered.

After The Fires Went Out: Coyote (Book One of the Post-Apocalyptic Adventure Series)

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First came the comet. Then came the fires. Now we fight to save what’s left.

Baptiste, stranded 500 miles from his wife and daughter, at the northern edge of civilization, has made a vow to protect a teenage girl from the chaos that surrounds them. But as food and fuel runs out, and even friends prove they can’t be trusted, Baptiste realizes that this promise won’t be easy to keep.

FEATHERS AT LAS FLORES Gossip Children’s Picture Book (Fully Illustrated Version)

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FEATHERS AT LAS FLORES

Double Tap to ZOOM to enlarge type

Fully Illustrated Version

Picture Book for reading with the younger child – ages 3-6

This version of FEATHERS AT LAS FLORES includes all the luminous illustrations just waiting to enchant children of any age, and especially the read-to set.

If the text-only version is better for your needs, then please click on FEATHERS AT LAS FLORES in the Text-Only Version for the serious young reader – ages 6-9.

Happy reading in either Version.

REPEATING RUMOR AND GOSSIP

Fly into Miami Beach and meet a parrot who talks too much.

People never stop talking, do they? And from his perch at Las Flores cafe, Feathers hears every word-and repeats a good deal of what he hears.

The problem is that the words sometimes get a little jumbled up, turned around, stretched out of shape.

That’s what happens one morning when Julio finds a ten dollar bill on the sidewalk. By the end of the day-and with the help of the talkative Feathers-Julio’s bit of good luck has grown to immense proportions-at least in the minds of the regulars at Las Flores.

Feathers’ misadventures take place within sight of the palm trees and blue ocean waters of Miami Beach, Florida. Illustrator Andra Chase’s sunny watercolors depict a kaleidoscope of local color and characters, not least, the multihued, madcap Feathers .

Author Linda Talley’s comic story about a parrot determined to keep up his end of the conversation will remind readers of the children’s game of “gossip,” where what goes in the ear is not always what comes out the mouth. It will give readers young and old a moment’s pause to consider the hazards of hearsay and the unreliability of rumor.

A SURPRISE and added bonus is the “Enrichment Information” which includes lots of facts about Florida, the Sunshine State, Miami Beach, Parrots – A Favorite Pet, Parakeets, Amazon Parrots, Cockatoos, Macaws and African Gray Parrots. This is fascinating detail that did not make it into the story itself, but is very rich in interesting description.

A second big plus is the “Letter to Parents and Educators” which includes many relevant questions and comments to facilitate conversation with young readers about the message of the story…the perils and dangers of repeating gossip. So even though on the surface this is just an engaging story for children, it is also truly helpful in a real way.

MAKING THE CASE FOR CHARACTER EDUCATION

If you are tired of bullying, teasing, youth violence, gangs, vandalism, drug abuse, sexual misconduct…

If you are tired of the crisis with our older youth…

If you want to help make a difference one tiny step at a time…

Then this is the eBook for your children ages 3-9.

Read WITH your children and grandchildren, discuss the concept and message…

and know that you are part of the movement sweeping America to bring back our important values by restoring character education in our homes and schools.

Pretty and Pregnant

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Novella

Kimberly Steele wasn’t like most women who were six months pregnant. She wore one form fitting pink ensemble after the next with sky-high heels, much to the chagrin of her boss, the sexy attorney Jeremy Preston. What did he care what she wore? All she knew was that she needed to keep her secret about who the baby’s daddy really is and where he is now.

Jeremy couldn’t believe any man would leave a woman as beautiful as Kimberly high and dry just because she was pregnant. He admired Kimberly for her decision to go it alone and keep the baby, versus making a choice that she’d later regret. One of the reasons he couldn’t stop himself from being attracted to her.

One fateful day it all changed for her when Clive Baxter offered her the chance to become the new spokes model for his latest perfume line, Pretty and Pregnant. Soon Kimberly had to deal with signing a contract and fighting her attraction to Jeremy.

Click to open expanded view Jesus, The Ultimate Therapist: Healing Without Limits (Living Life 2 the Fullest)

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Would you like to feel loved and accepted by Jesus?

In her counseling practice, Dr. McAvoy is familiar with the lop-sided client-therapist alliance. Assuming the role of expert causes an inequity of power between herself and her clients. As a result beneficial limitations exist in the counseling relationship.

Unlike mental health counselors, Jesus doesn’t have these same limitations. Since by his very nature Jesus is love, then he is able to perfectly cherish, encourage, and care for you and me. Our relationship with him goes beyond any human example of community or therapeutic alliance. He is the ultimate therapist, one without boundaries or limits.

Explore in this six-week topical study how Jesus is your Messiah, Lamb of God, kinsman-redeemer, friend, king and bridegroom. Weekly meditation exercises and musical playlists are included to enhance your personal worship time. Psychologically-oriented questions will aid you in examining your spiritual life and deepening your relationship with Christ.

The Orcus Games: New Awakening (The Orcus Games Novella Trilogy #3)

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You can run but you can’t hide…

Escaping The Orcus Games, each of the fugitive’s dreams of a happy reunion with loved ones are short lived as they each find out there is a bounty on each of their lives.

Ardan finally accepts his new life as a vampire and enlists the help of Cathal, the vampire leader of the district, to help him make a proposal to the Elders so he can live…but what ulterior motives does Cathal have?

Heather and Phoenix return to their coven, only to find they have moved. After much searching, they find their circle and are reunited with their daughters. They beg their coven to hide them but why is the Grand Witch so reluctant to agree with the plan?

And with Mistress V agreeing to marry Cathal, have the damned foursome finally found peace and safety? Or is there one more ‘hurricane’ coming to destroy all they hold dear?

The last book in the prequel to the, ‘Split Blood’ series, this novella is an enticing end to a tantalising fantasy trilogy…The Orcus Games: New Awakening gives you the electrifying conclusion, with a seductive surprise, to keep your blood flowing for another possible bite…

Servants of Darkness (Spine-Chilling Tales)

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Includes the entire text of the novel, THE IMMORTAL BREATH OF LIFE (An Egyptian Adventure) plus eleven short stories and the heartfelt novella, THE

HERO OF ELM STREET (A Ghost Story)

SERVANTS OF DARKNESS will take you on a journey through a skewed world where nothing, not even a lowly can of bug spray, can ever be considered harmless or innocent. Some truly unique takes on dark fiction are offered up, including “Room 9,” which any Beatles fan will appreciate while perhaps never looking at John Lennon in quite the same way again.

These stories run the gamut from psychological horror to action adventure to supernatural suspense to Lovecraftian nightmares. SERVANTS OF DARKNESS Will make you question your own beliefs about sanity and madness.

Includes Hall’s first ever published short story, 1995s “BugShot”

“If you’re not familiar with the fiction of Mark Edward Hall, SERVANTS OF DARKNESS is a great opportunity to GET familiar with it. Thirteen chilling, creepy, occasionally horrifying tales, complete with outstanding, mood-setting original cover artwork, is a bargain no horror/dark fiction lover should pass up.” —Allan Leverone, Author of The Lonely Highway

“Mark Edward Hall writes like a master. Stephen King, yes, but also like Stoker, Poe, and Bradbury, yeah, even Shakespeare… His prose is hypnotic and seductive, visceral, and edgy. He’s the real thing.” —Kiana Davenport, New York Times Bestselling Author of Cannibal Nights and House of Skin

“Hall has an uncanny knack for blending vivid, almost poetic prose with visceral images of jaw-dropping horror to great effect.” —Vince Liaguno, Bram Stoker award winning editor

“Poetic and eerily seductive, Hall pushes you to the edge, until you get lost in the beautiful madness of his creations.” —Midwest Book Review

“Hall is rapidly climbing the ladder to stake his claim as one of the dark fiction elite.” —Morpheus Tales

ASBO: A Novel of Extreme Terror

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*****SUPER-LOW PRICE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY*****

– 70,000 word page-turner / thriller novel

– Features additional, bonus spin-off story, ‘When Frankie met…’

– Latest novel by top selling horror and thriller author, Iain Rob Wright

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YOUR FEAR IS THEIR ENTERTAINMENT…

Andrew’s life is one of bored contentedness: a teenage daughter, a faithful wife, and a middle-class job. He even has a Mercedes. His life is without drama, and the comfort of middle-age is setting in.

That all changes when he refuses to buy a pack of cigarettes for the local gang of youths. Led by the emotionally unstable, and sadistic, Frankie, the gang target Andrew and his family in an escalating campaign of terror and violence that threatens their very lives. It isn’t long before Andrew starts to wish that he’d just brought those damn cigarettes.

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PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR

“Cuddle up to this novel and it might rip your throat out. A fun, thrilling read!” David T. Wilbanks – Co-author of Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road

“One of the BEST horror books I have read in YEARS!” – Eric S. Brown, author of Last Stand in a Dead Land

“Wright has achieved a hell of a lot with this novel, pulling together an enjoyable and quite light-hearted apocalyptic romp” – DREADLOCKSMILE

“I found myself identifying with and rooting for some of the characters while being disgusted by others. I’d definitely look up Iain Rob Wright’s other works”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Published author, Iain Rob Wright, was born in 1984 and lives in Redditch, a small town in the West Midlands, UK, with his loopy cocker spaniels, Daisy and Oscar, his fat old cat, Jess, his many tropical fish, and the love of his life, Sally. Writing is the passion that fills his life during the small periods of time when he isn’t cleaning up after his pets.

Horror is his beloved genre, and his many inspirations range from Stephen King and Richard Laymon to J A Konrath and Brian Keene, as well as a whole host of other twisted minds.

The Edge of Lies, a Short Story (Prequel to the Paradise Valley

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As the Prequel to the Paradise Valley Mystery series, The Edge of Lies is a short story that tells the captivating love story of Emily and Evan, the secrets he kept from her, and how they ended up in Paradise Valley. When love is blind, maybe she needs her eyes opened.

The Paradise Valley Mysteries:  The Scent of Lies: Book 1, The Heart of Lies: Book 2, The Chain of Lies: Book 3, The Pursuit of Lies: Book 4  


(Most enjoyable when read in order.)


     
“A Scent of Lies”  - A Paradise Valley Mystery – Book 1 , a cozy Murder Mystery and Romance that will keep you guessing until the very end. (think “Sex in the City” meets “Nancy Drew”)

   
“The Heart of Lies” - A Paradise Valley Mystery: Book 2 , Second in the series, a sassy small town private eye teams up with a sexy big-city cop to solve a murder mystery. (think “Sex and the City” meets “Nancy Drew”)

“The Chain of Lies” – A Paradise Valley Mystery: Book 3, Third in the series, a small town private eye and her sexy police detective boyfriend, along with a few friends, fight to save girls from a sex slave ring and solve a murder mystery. (think “Sex and the City” meets “Nancy Drew”)

“The Pursuit of Lies” – A Paradise Valley Mystery: Book 4,  Fourth in the series, feisty private eye, Emily Parker, launches on a new case as the man she loves is accused of murdering a lovely blonde Assistant District Attorney. The police believe he was having an affair with her and the District Attorney is asking for the death penalty. Struggling against her own doubts, Emily must prove her boyfriend innocent before she loses him to Death Row. (think “Sex and the City” meets “Women’s Murder Club”)

OTHER BOOKS by Debra Burroughs
   
“Three Days in Seattle“, a delicious blend of sweet Romance and intriguing Suspense  (light Romantic Suspense – think “Castle” meets “Sleepless in Seattle”)

“She Had No Choice”, a Tale of Love and Survival  (poignant Family Saga – think Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas meet “The Color Purple”)

The Children of Hamelin

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Barrie. Baum. Carroll. The Grimms. They tried to warn us. But we won’t listen for another two hundred years.

After soundly throttling The Escape National Champions, seventeen year-old Horatio Gaph is approached by a short, stubby creature delivering a curious box wrapped in nine pieces of brown paper and smelling like…peppermint. Inside, a somewhat plain, somewhat boring music pipe and a note requesting its return, but with no return address. While working to unravel the origin of the music pipe, Horatio learns baffling truths about himself and his family-that he is a descendant of the Children of Hamelin, the famed boys and girls led away by the notorious Pied Piper.

Horatio Gaph teams up with Annie Walker, his girlfriend with an extraordinary gift for music and Linus Sob, a fairytale know-it-all. They discover clues and instruction in the writings and actions of L. Frank Baum, the Brothers Grimm, JM Barrie, and Lewis Carroll that not only suggest that the fairy tales told by these men are real, but the delivery of Horatio’s music pipe will dramatically change the nature of this world’s existence.

In a thrilling race around the globe, Horatio, Annie and Linus seek the four keys that will unlock the secrets of the music pipe while being pursued by the fierce, apocalyptic government, The Synarch, and the powerful, mysterious group known as the Wizards, an organization hell-bent on stopping Horatio from returning the music pipe to its proper owner. Unless Horatio can solve the fantastic riddles before being caught or worse, the truths about these fairytales-and the unrealized potential of this world-will forever be lost.

The Children of Hamelin is a blistering-paced, thoughtful Young Adult adventure that keeps readers guessing through its explosive conclusion.