Sybil Nelson's Blog, page 5
April 12, 2012
L is for Laura Lond
Laura Lond is an internationally published author of several novels and a collection of short stories. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Having worked for 2 years at a literary museum, Laura entered the world of business, working for large international corporations like Xerox Ltd. and Fluor Daniel. After moving from Europe to the United States, she has been self-employed as a freelancer.
Her book My Sparkling Misfortune has 4.6 stars from 46 reviews:
Here is what people are saying:
"Ohman!!!! Gush, gush, gush, gush, gush! I absolutely ADORED this book! And I mean ADORED! It is the cutest book I have read since, well, since I read The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. And that's appropriate because, with a debut like My Sparkling Misfortune, Laura Lond really might just be the next Patricia C. Wrede. If you've read them, think of Princess Cimorene's quirky primness coming from a bad guy who is actually good but would never want to admit it and replace the dragons with sparklings, and you've got My Sparkling Mifortune.
If you've never read those books, well, what are you waiting for? Pick them up, but only after you've read My Sparkling Misfortune. You won't be disappointed!"
"I needed a light fantasy after reading a horribly depressing book with a wimpy heroine. This book fit the bill. It is a delightful story I thoroughly enjoyed. It is not a childish story. I would read a sequel in a heartbeat and I do think Lord Arkus' story should continue. Very well written and is very imaginative. I highly recommend."
"MY SPARKLING MISFORTUNE is a quick and light read that is appropriate for all ages.
The main character, Lord Arkus, is a stereotypical villain, and he is quite proud of the fact. After getting himself into some trouble, his plan to capture an evil spirit to serve him backfires on him. By mistake, he captures a sparkling, a "good" spirit. Jarvi, the good spirit, subtly influences and manipulates Lord Arkus, making him a better man.
This book was well-written and entertaining to the end. The story was charming and original. My favorite part of the book was the humor. The story is told through the voice of Lord Arkus, and he never loses his sense of biting sarcasm. With a never-ending stream of witty remarks, he is constantly poking fun at himself and at the many dangerous situations he gets himself into. This humorous fantasy is definitely good for a few laughs."
Her book My Sparkling Misfortune has 4.6 stars from 46 reviews:
Here is what people are saying:
"Ohman!!!! Gush, gush, gush, gush, gush! I absolutely ADORED this book! And I mean ADORED! It is the cutest book I have read since, well, since I read The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. And that's appropriate because, with a debut like My Sparkling Misfortune, Laura Lond really might just be the next Patricia C. Wrede. If you've read them, think of Princess Cimorene's quirky primness coming from a bad guy who is actually good but would never want to admit it and replace the dragons with sparklings, and you've got My Sparkling Mifortune.
If you've never read those books, well, what are you waiting for? Pick them up, but only after you've read My Sparkling Misfortune. You won't be disappointed!"
"I needed a light fantasy after reading a horribly depressing book with a wimpy heroine. This book fit the bill. It is a delightful story I thoroughly enjoyed. It is not a childish story. I would read a sequel in a heartbeat and I do think Lord Arkus' story should continue. Very well written and is very imaginative. I highly recommend."
"MY SPARKLING MISFORTUNE is a quick and light read that is appropriate for all ages.
The main character, Lord Arkus, is a stereotypical villain, and he is quite proud of the fact. After getting himself into some trouble, his plan to capture an evil spirit to serve him backfires on him. By mistake, he captures a sparkling, a "good" spirit. Jarvi, the good spirit, subtly influences and manipulates Lord Arkus, making him a better man.
This book was well-written and entertaining to the end. The story was charming and original. My favorite part of the book was the humor. The story is told through the voice of Lord Arkus, and he never loses his sense of biting sarcasm. With a never-ending stream of witty remarks, he is constantly poking fun at himself and at the many dangerous situations he gets himself into. This humorous fantasy is definitely good for a few laughs."
April 11, 2012
K is for Brian Kittrell
Brian Kittrell is a speculative fiction writer who enjoys telling stories of people and places faraway. His adventures in publishing books began in November, 2009, with the release of the first Survivor Chronicles book. He decided in October, 2011, to remove the books from sale and instead release them as free editions from his website.
He is a communications officer with his local police department, having begun his career in law enforcement in 2006 as a detention officer. He intends to continue writing and publishing while serving his community in the capacity of an E911 police and fire dispatcher.
He was married to his wife Elizabeth in 2009, and they have a daughter together, Alice, whom Brian refers to as his "first born and most prized accomplishment".
His current series, Mages of Bloodmyr, debuted on October 26th, 2011, in the form of the first book, The Circle of Sorcerers.
Publications include: The Dying Times (2010, Late Nite), The War of the Dead (2011, Late Nite), Prisoner and Survivor (2011, Late Nite), and The Circle of Sorcerers: A Mages of Bloodmyr Novel: Book #1 (2011, Late Nite).
What are people saying?
"From the very start of this book we are transported to a land far, far away called the Bloodmyr Isles. A place filled with Knights, Sorcerers, magic, intrigue and war. This book is so different than you usually find in this genre of epic fantasy.
It starts with a sixteen year old young man named Laedron Telpists, who is enjoying his last summer at home before he has to decide what school he will go to, to begin sorcery training. He is already a gifted mage and while he is leaning towards one school, his mom wants him to go to another.
Then one night by a knock on the door, his life is changed forever. I love the characters in this book and the storyline is exciting and interesting. I am glad this is the first of a series as it has me hooked already. It is the kind of book that you don't want to read the last page as you know the book will be over.
Rated G"
"Liked how the magic was done in this one. Also refreshing to see a fantasy book that doesnt have the same old "young boy, old man with a beard and a funny hat" scenario. I dont usually like the coming of age type stories but it wasnt the typical stuff we see over and over. Strong plot, good characters, and interesting storyline. hope the next one is ready soon. :)"
April 10, 2012
J is for Rye James
Rye James resides in the Philadelphia suburbs of Bucks County, PA. He is married and has 2 children and 3 dogs. He's written 3 Westerns, including, The Assassin, Bounty Hunter, and Deadlock. He's also written the suspenseful thriller, Escape, along with the paranormal book, A Soul Worth Taking, which will be the 1st book in The Evil Series. His latest release is a Fantasy book, The Protector.Visit Rye on the web at www.ryejamesonline.com where you can find out about his latest works, and interact with him .What are people saying?
"This is a very compelling novel. The characters are well written. Rye James does a great job of giving us insight into these characters. Great plot and imagery. The Assassin is an easy read that is hard to put down. No matter what genre of books you normally read, I highly recommend this western driven novel. You will find yourself wanting to read another novel by Rye James as I did!"
"I normally don't read what you'd typically call "westerns". But I read about this book in one of the kindle discussion threads and picked it up. It was fantastic. I've recommended it a few times in the discussions. The characters were fascinatingly complex and the story was hard to put down. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone and look forward to reading more of Mr. James' stories. Thanks for a great read."
J is for John Pearson
John Pearson was born just outside of Washington, DC, but moved to Texas as quickly as he could. Growing up with a passion for science, math, and calculator watches, he obtained engineering degrees and basketball (watching) accolades from Duke University and Texas A&M. His first job out of college was designing small solid-state heat pumps, where his cubicle simply was not big enough to contain him. When the engineering market went sour, he decided to try his hand as a teacher, and he has been a 3rd grade math teacher ever since.
When he's not teaching, he's reading, blogging, or making YouTube videos like "Darth Vader Explains the Pythagorean Theorem."
Learn Me Good was born of the baptism-by-fire nature of Pearson's first year as a teacher.
What are people saying?
"Wonderful, funny, insightful look into the crazy day-to-day experiences of teaching in the public school system. Vastly entertaining and hilarious-Mr.Pearson evokes the fascinating "characters"(students) that teachers have to put up with in the never boring world of teaching!"
"I had the pleasure of working with John (no I wasn't in the book...I was ripped off..j/k). I moved away from Dallas almost 2 years ago. When I was handed this book by one of our friends I just couldn't put it down. I am so thankful to have a true author out there that is telling it like it really is. Many people think that we just "babysit" the kids for 8 hours, get vacation time (and a lot of it) and don't endure much stress. Like my current principal says, "teachers endure so much stress during the 9 to 10 months that they do work, they DESERVE their summer break." Thanks, to John and this awesome book we now have given the world another side of teaching to look at and opening up the eyes of many "non-teachers" as to what really can happen in a day of the life of a teacher. Everyone should sit down and read this book, teacher or not! Be ready to laugh your butt off and step into the world of a true TEACHER!! I teach therefore I am...POOR!! AMEN!"
April 9, 2012
I is for Ingrid Michaelson
So far for my A-Z challenge I have been featuring authors. But since I didn't have an author prepared for today, I decided to go with a musician instead. Check out a couple of songs from Ingrid Michaelson. She is amazing!
Authors in Bloom Giveaway Hop/Enter to win a Kindle/Enter to win a Nook
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Traveling story phrase:
Line 41: Doesn't it follow that we should be ecstatic when clipped away from the crowd?
Recipe:
Squid Dogs
This is a great recipe for kids. It's really easy and kids love it. All you need is hot dogs and raw spaghetti.
Step One: Cut the hot dogs in halves or thirds depending on the size.
Step Two: Take three raw spaghetti strands and push them through the hot dogs.
Step Three: Boil for the length of time indicated for the pasta.
What you end up with is hot dogs with strands of spaghetti oozing out. They're really cool looking. Enjoy!
Now you can win a copy of Priscilla the Great!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
<a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&am... need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.
Don't forget to visit the other authors involved in the hop,
conveniently located on the linky below:
Traveling story phrase:
Line 41: Doesn't it follow that we should be ecstatic when clipped away from the crowd?
Recipe:
Squid Dogs
This is a great recipe for kids. It's really easy and kids love it. All you need is hot dogs and raw spaghetti.
Step One: Cut the hot dogs in halves or thirds depending on the size.
Step Two: Take three raw spaghetti strands and push them through the hot dogs.
Step Three: Boil for the length of time indicated for the pasta.
What you end up with is hot dogs with strands of spaghetti oozing out. They're really cool looking. Enjoy!
Now you can win a copy of Priscilla the Great!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
<a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&am... need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.
Don't forget to visit the other authors involved in the hop,
conveniently located on the linky below:
April 8, 2012
H is for Julia Hughes
About A Ripple in Time:
'A Ripple in Time' centres around the legend of Excalibur and imagines the mysterious Stonehenge as a portal in time. Virgin blood and virginity are highly prized in the old tales, though as my character Wren comments - 'why does it always have to be virgin's blood ... what's the difference?' maybe for its pureness? Who knows. But when you're dealing in magical artefacts and attempting to turn back time, it's best not to take risks.
What are people saying?
"A RIPPLE IN TIME ---- Julia Hughes is a kind of doorway to the dream world. Ms Hughes writing craft is at it's most excellant as she takes you by the hand and leads you not only through the English countryside but to the North Atlantic one hundred years ago. If the Titanic was the "Ship of Dreams" then this is "The Book of Dreams". The Must have "read the cover off it" book of 2012."
"A Ripple in Time was a wonderful read!
At the beginning, it took a little bit for me to pick up the flow of A Ripple in Time, most likely because it was written by an author who is not American so the styling was a bit different than what I'm used to. I'm so thankful I pushed through, because once I got into, it was beautiful and incredibly creative. I loved that it was so fast passed and there was something changing their course or bringing them closer to their ultimate goal throughout the entire book.
The only drawback for me was I felt there were a few questions that remained unanswered or perhaps could have been clearer, but nothing that would lead me to rate this book anything less than a 5. Very excited to know when the next will be coming out!"
'A Ripple in Time' centres around the legend of Excalibur and imagines the mysterious Stonehenge as a portal in time. Virgin blood and virginity are highly prized in the old tales, though as my character Wren comments - 'why does it always have to be virgin's blood ... what's the difference?' maybe for its pureness? Who knows. But when you're dealing in magical artefacts and attempting to turn back time, it's best not to take risks.
What are people saying?
"A RIPPLE IN TIME ---- Julia Hughes is a kind of doorway to the dream world. Ms Hughes writing craft is at it's most excellant as she takes you by the hand and leads you not only through the English countryside but to the North Atlantic one hundred years ago. If the Titanic was the "Ship of Dreams" then this is "The Book of Dreams". The Must have "read the cover off it" book of 2012."
"A Ripple in Time was a wonderful read!
At the beginning, it took a little bit for me to pick up the flow of A Ripple in Time, most likely because it was written by an author who is not American so the styling was a bit different than what I'm used to. I'm so thankful I pushed through, because once I got into, it was beautiful and incredibly creative. I loved that it was so fast passed and there was something changing their course or bringing them closer to their ultimate goal throughout the entire book.
The only drawback for me was I felt there were a few questions that remained unanswered or perhaps could have been clearer, but nothing that would lead me to rate this book anything less than a 5. Very excited to know when the next will be coming out!"
April 7, 2012
G is for Tallulah Grace
An aficionado of anything paranormal, Tallulah Grace pens romantic suspense novels with a paranormal flair. Tallulah was born and raised in a small southern town located in the foothills of the vibrant Blue Ridge Mountains. When she's not developing characters and weaving stories, Tallulah enjoys reading and bead-weaving.
Fate has 4 stars from 16 reviews:
Here is what people are saying:
"A thrilling suspense with a charming romance weaved through. Definitely worth a read! The characters are vibrant and their stories are fascinating. I found myself wanting to be apart of their world, even with the present danger. It was hard for me to put the iPad down. I can't wait until book two!"
"I read a blog post that called this book an 'undiscovered gem' and I have to agree. The characters are refreshing and real, even with the paranormal aspects included. The story line is intriguing, can't wait to read the next installment."
"I am so glad I had the pleasure of reading this book. The storyline felt so natural. Nothing felt forced at all. The characters are SO easy to love. I totally was transfixed into this story. I read it one day! Will be reading the next 2 installments for sure!"
Fate has 4 stars from 16 reviews:
Here is what people are saying:
"A thrilling suspense with a charming romance weaved through. Definitely worth a read! The characters are vibrant and their stories are fascinating. I found myself wanting to be apart of their world, even with the present danger. It was hard for me to put the iPad down. I can't wait until book two!"
"I read a blog post that called this book an 'undiscovered gem' and I have to agree. The characters are refreshing and real, even with the paranormal aspects included. The story line is intriguing, can't wait to read the next installment."
"I am so glad I had the pleasure of reading this book. The storyline felt so natural. Nothing felt forced at all. The characters are SO easy to love. I totally was transfixed into this story. I read it one day! Will be reading the next 2 installments for sure!"
April 6, 2012
F is for Sadie Forsythe
Sadie Forsythe hails from the Southeastern United States, lives in Northwestern England, and is a fan of all things Japanese. She holds degrees in Anthropology/Comparative Religion, International Criminology, and Social Change. She loves local coffee shops, geek culture, everything bookish, and tea (steaming with milk and sweet iced). She is married with two daughters and an imaginary dog.
Follow Friday
Q: Have you ever bought a book BECAUSE of a bad review?
A: I don't think I've ever bought a book because of a bad review, but I have seen a movie because of a bad review. It was Cowboys and Aliens. Almost all of my friends hated that movie. I saw it anyway and I loved it.
What about you?
