Reena Jacobs's Blog, page 53

Presents Make Me Happy

Even if I have to buy them myself. I received some awesome goodies in the mail over the past couple of weeks. Yeah…I'm a bit slow on the ball. Still, let me share with you.

I've wanted these novels for quite some time. So, I finally decided to fulfill my wants and buy them. Mockingjay is first on my list to conquer. I'm about 250 pages into this novel. Like I said, this post is a little late. Expect a review on it this coming Monday.

Okay. Now this isn't my normal read. HOWEVER!!! I'm positive my mother would love it. She's captivated by spiritual journeys. I'll pass this on to her this weekend. I hope she loves it, cause it'll be my turn next. So how did I get this in my greedy little hands? I was lucky enough to win this from Cuzinlogic. Thanks, LaTonya!

I'm quite fond of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. I've read the complete series a couple of times. Very unusual for a gal like me. Normally I'll read a book once, and go back in the series to skim for reminders. Anyway, I won this book at Luxury Reading. It even has a built in marker. Once I finish The Great Gatsby, this definitely will replace my bathroom reading. And yes! I read in the bathroom. Thanks, Vera!

Novella Review: Claimed (Blood Lust #2) by Zoe Winters

I'm a day late, a dollar short with this post. I don't know what a dollar short means, but it sounded good…kinda. If you read my post on Kept (Blood Lust #1), you know I got into this series because of Zoe Who? I'm sure I sound like a broken record when I say I love that cartoon gal. Well, now it's time for the next story in line, Claimed. I picked up the digital copy during Ms. Winters blog tour. Then through a fluke comment on Mama Kitty's Reviews, I inadvertently entered myself in a giveaway and won a personalized signed copy of Blood Lust. Do I feel a wee bit guilty for having two copies…a little. But when it came to signed print versus digital, I have to admit: Greed won out. So, the blurb from Ms. Winter's Website:

For a vampire, Anthony isn't a picky eater, but he's drawn to Charlee's blood more than any other. Like a fine wine saved for a special occasion, he's denied himself this pleasure. But one night, high from the potent magical blood of another, he claims his prize and loses control. Ashamed of almost killing the one woman who means anything to him, he wipes her memory of the event. When Charlee awakens with complete amnesia, Anthony is the only one who can clean up the mess he's made.

Anyone out there ever play Dungeons & Dragons? Don't be shy. I know some of you all were as nerdy as me growing up. I bet some of you still play the game. What does that have to do with Claimed? Anthony. I'd definitely classify him as lawful evil. Add that to his rash behavior, and Claimed ended up with some funky situations. I have to say, I rather liked him. Once in a while I think of something he did/said and crack up laughing. I try not to think about him in public places, cause I'm not quite ready to go to the loony bin.

Hmm…Charlee. I wasn't so fond of the amnesic Charlee. She was a bit of a flake. She also spent a lot of time being pawned by vampires throughout the story. This is just a preference, but I rather like strong, decisive heroines. Even so, she had some great lines, such as: "Then you show up, all dark and brooding with your coat flapping out behind you like a comic book villain, and you're upset I'm not acting like me?" Of course it makes me think of Anthony again, and I start laughing. But it's okay, cause I'm at home in the privacy of my bedroom.

On to the spoiler free plot. In many ways this book is a standalone. However, I believe some may be confused with a few of the references on the first few pages if they haven't read Kept. Get past that, and you're good to go. I didn't bother reading the blurb for Claimed, so it was quite a twist for me that Charlee lost her memory, and how she lost it even more so. I loved it! Everyone's freaking out around her and acting weird, and she's in lala land. Meanwhile, Anthony has his own agenda. And if he doesn't achieve his goal, there's a good chance all us mere humans might get pawned.

Well, Anthony and Charlee's story is over, but really I want to hear more about them. I sure hope the aftermath of their lives show up in Mated and the soon to be released novel Save My Soul, even if it is hearsay.

So, some favorite lines:

"Well, you better figure it out, buddy, or I promise I will find a way to unmake you." ~ Greta
When you'd lived as long as Anthony had, you stopped listening to dire warnings of doom.
"I'm a guy. I live alone. I know what I look like." ~ Anthony's response to a lack of mirrors.

My little slip of a teaser for the next book Mated: Jane was a world of amusement in Claimed. Once again, I skipped the blurb, but I've started it. I'm looking forward to seeing some of her survivor attitude. Off I go to read it.

By the way, I weaseled Ms. Winters into doing an interview here. So stop by on Friday and see what she has to say.

A Shout Out to Indie Folk

Yep. You got that right. I'm on the Indie bandwagon.

I've fiddled with the idea of self-publishing for a while now. Not until recently did I decide to throw off my preconceived notions about the matter and truly work toward the goal. Little by little, I've gathered information on the subject. One thing for sure, I've got a whole lot to learn.

It truly amazes me how giving some indie writers (Zoe Winters, Susan Bischoff, Joe Konrath, and many more) are.  They've been through the process and freely share information on the subject. Well, I'm asking for a little more.

I'm looking for published indie authors who are willing to do a guest post or interview covering aspects of self-publishing. For instance:

Obtaining ISBNs
Creating a publishing company
Editing
Marketing
Cover Art
Pricing
General experiences
And more

If you're interested, please email me at reenajacobs at reenajacobs dot com and let me know the topic. Guest post or interview, I'm 100% open to both. I'm new to the process and have plenty of newb questions to ask.

Susan Bischoff

Winner, winner, chicken soup?

Okay, maybe my rhythm is a little off. Last week we were lucky to have Kitty Thomas visit us. Check out her interview. While here, she offered a digital copy of her debut novel, Comfort Food. Yippee! I absolutely loved this book (review here). Not many are willing to step out of the box and write something which pushes the boundaries. Kitty Thomas has done that with her bold writing.

Anyway, you're probably wanting me to get on with it and announced the winner.

13 - samantha!

I'll email you in a wee bit. Samantha, you have until Wednesday, October 13, 2010 to respond to my email. Thanks all who entered. And many thanks to Ms. Thomas for stopping by and sharing such a great read.

Now if you didn't win, that's okay. According to Ms. Thomas, "Comfort Food is available at Amazon.com, Amazon.uk, Barnesandnoble.com, Smashwords.com (and I think Sony, Kobo, and the Apple ibookstore, but don't quote me. It's in several places.)"

Comfort Food has my stamp of approval.

I like the terms de-had'ing and de-was'ing

A few days ago, I made the suggestion to a writer to consider de-had'ing and de-was'ing his work. I know, I know: screw the rules!

Here's the thing, "was" and "had" are not bad words to be avoided at all costs. However, a work bombarded by them is a bit drab. In fact, it turns into a laundry lists of descriptions and actions. Take the following example:

Jack stacked the last box and leaned against the fork lift. A slight smile played on his lips as I approached. He was dressed like any other worker. He had on loose blue jeans and a white tank top. He was gorgeous. His hair was black and curly, and his eyes dark brown. He was average height, five ten and slim.

Straightforward enough. We got his stats. Good enough, right? Well, if you say so. Try this one.

Jack stacked the last box and leaned his five ten frame against the fork lift. A slight smile played on his lips, as he hooked a thumb into his blue jeans, drawing my attention to narrow hips. He'd trimmed down since I'd last seen him. The heavy lifting had devoured the chubbiness from high school and left lean muscle in its place. The white wife beater, which stretched tight against his chest, begged to be replaced with a shirt more accommodating to his growing pecs (not really, but hey! work with me). He flicked his head, and dark curly bangs lifted out of his brown eyes before settling on his broad forehead. With his olive skin, he was well on his way to becoming a Greek god.

Maybe not the best writing, but pretend like it is. Notice I didn't remove every "had" or "was." Like I said, they do have their place in writing. But by weaving the descriptions within activities, those words can be reduced while livening the writing a bit. Look here. I found a picture for you. Wanna give it a try?

She looked at the ceiling as if in deep thought. She had on a black denim dress with ruffles at the hem. Her hair was dark blond.

Software Review: StoryBox Revisited

It's almost here! That's right, Mark Fassett is set to release StoryBox 1.0 tomorrow.

The software for Novelists that lets you write the way you want to write.

Yeah? So what? Hmm. Let's take a trip down memory lane. A few months ago, I reviewed this software version 0.54 (see review here). I found it easy to use, eye pleasing, and full of great features. It almost fit my needs perfectly. Awesome potential. It had a few glitches, but still a nice product in the making. Mr. Fassett put StoryBox through a host of fixes and added quite a few features in the process.

Being the needy person I am, I had a few wants of my own. A quick look at my wishlist when I wrote the first review.

Thesaurus – Got it! Woohoo!
Spellchecker while typing  – I didn't get this, but Mr. Fassett did add a spellchecker.
Tutorials and Help Guides – Got it! And it's nicely formatted also.
I'd like the chapters to be automatically numbered in the File Drawer instead of every new chapter having the label "chapter" – Got it!
I prefer NOT to have a separate tab open when clicking on the the items in the File Drawer, it gives me a sense of clutter. Yes, I know I can close them all down in one swoop. Personally, I'd just like it to do what I want in the first place rather than cleaning up after the fact. An option maybe in the preferences? – This was already available, I just didn't know how to do it.
Would like the labels for the character interview to be semi-permanent. That way I can do a simple tab to the input fields (as it is, the interview is a document with questions for the user to answer, but not separated into labels and input fields.)
Would love to have a find and replace feature – Got it.

As for the character screen? Well, not sure if I'll get that. After all, it's not called Reena's Personal Writing Software. And the character template is very functional as it is. But 6.5/7 isn't bad.

One big feature, Mr. Fassett added is the Outline Builder. I'll be honest, I haven't given it a real go. The idea behind it is to have a place to store important ideas for the story, then insert them as needed. In my mind, it's a neat feature when used correctly. It works great for catching stray ideas such as scenes, dialogues, etc. In fact, if I used it, I'd have fewer problems with jacking up my word count, since I tend to jot my stray thoughts directly into the document.

He also added another features I've yet to try, the ability to Split and Merge Documents. Sounds wicked useful, but I've not had a reason to use it. If you haven't tried StoryBox in the past, you probably won't notice tweaks he's made to prior features, so I won't even get into them. For a full version you can visit his download page and see the journey for yourself.

Anyway. Today is your LAST chance to order StoryBox for the prerelease price of $25 Version 0.9.82. If you like StoryBox, now's the time to buy. It includes version 1.0 and all the updates until version 2.0.

Hmm…What do we have here?

The last few days has been quite advantageous for me. Please bear with me as I pull out a cliche. I made out like a bandit! First up:

A $15 Amazon Gift Card from A Fanatic's Book Blog. I asked my hubby if he wanted anything, secretly hoping he'd say no, which he did. And of course I'm making an excuse to spend $10 more in books just to get free shipping. Woot! Thank you Jessica!

Okay, this book arrived yesterday, and I had no idea where it came from. It was signed, included a card from the author and had a pretty cover. That's it. A quick search revealed I'd won this in the Welcoming the Fall Giveaway at Another Book Junkie. I have to admit. After reading the blurb on the back, I'm quite interested in what this book might offer. Thanks Amanda and Kim!

I know this is bad. But I haven't heard of any of the above books other than "Halo" which has been calling my name. That's okay, cause I'm going to find out what they're all about. One thing I do like is they're most likely in a genre I don't normally read. It's nice to break out of the cycle once in a while. So where did these goodies come from? A Reader's Adventure! One thing for sure, Mariah is quick about getting her prizes out. Thanks!

Shadow Cat: Excerpt

As I've mentioned  over the past week or so,  I've been polishing Shadow Cat. It's a contemporary fantasy with strong romantic elements and 100% written. I'm thinking I can get it all dolled up by the end of the month if I can knock out one chapter a day. So far so good. I think I've only missed one day of finishing a chapter, but I spent it incorporating select critter suggestions. It's a bit longer than I'd like, topping in at 100k words, so I've been toying with trimming it though. I recall a few slow scenes which I'm thinking about nixing, if I can. Anyway, I've been seriously thinking about self-publishing this piece. For now, I'll leave you with an excerpt. Enjoy and feel free to comment!

Chapter 1

Endau Rompin Rainforest, Malaysia

Berani raced between the trees. Behind her, the tiger crashed through the underbrush urging her forward. Every second, it gained on her. She forced herself not to look back. If she lost her footing… No. She couldn't think like that.

A wisp of hair snagged a low-hanging branch and ripped free, but she didn't falter, even as searing pain shot through her scalp. Lungs burning, arms pumping, she redoubled her efforts. She had no choice. Not if she wanted to escape.

There…a flicker of light? Yes! The sun broke through the dense foliage, promising safety.

A roar thundered so loud and ferocious, birds took flight. Her chest resonated from the sound of it, and she missed a step. Recovering, she put forth an extra burst of speed. She could make it. Only a couple more feet. If only—

Too late! A low growl was the only warning. It vibrated behind her so close it whispered in her ear. She spun mid-stride and tumbled backward. Falling. Falling. Her heart skipped a beat as a mass of orange flew at her. Great Spirit! She clamped her eyes shut, while her body tensed. The tiger hit, its shoulder slamming into her midsection. She grunted as the air whooshed from her lungs. Jerked from her feet, she rushed through space.

Wind chilled her skin. Time lost meaning. Thoughts raced. The ground approached fast. Berani opened her mouth, but the scream caught in her throat, and she fell in silence.

The tiger twisted and rotated, putting her on top. Her eyes flew open, and the ground rushed her at neck-breaking speed. She threw out her hands just in time to jar all the bones in her arms. Her shoulders threatened to pop out of the sockets while her hands scraped along the dirt and rocks.

Berani slid for a yard before stopping and lay stunned. With her wits too scattered for action, her only thought was: Alive. Her body kick started, taking over where mentally she could not. Like a baby inhaling its first gasp, her lungs expanded with a jerk and drew in a much needed breath of air.

The huge cat chuffed beneath her, shaking her with each sneeze-like sound. Laughter slowly replaced the chuffing as the fur faded, and the immense bulk of the tiger diminished. In place of the massive feline lay a young man.

Young man, she scoffed to herself, more akin to a boy barely entering adolescence. Berani pushed off him to lie on her back, her deep breaths slowing to a steady rhythm. Exhausted, she let her head fall to face him.

His body quaked with mirth as his flawless tanned skin, save for the ragged scar running down his belly, glistened with a light sheen of sweat. His yellow catlike eyes stared back at her in amusement. "Not quick enough that time, Berani."

She clenched her teeth. "If you were anyone but my brother, I would kill you."

He might be approaching adulthood, but he had a long way to go in maturity, and his decision-making abilities left much to offer. Attacking with such force proved a lack of good judgment.

"You did not have to hit me so hard!" She slapped his bare chest and barely managed to stifle a moan as the sudden movement caused a sharp pain to radiate up her side.

Not only did he continue to chuckle, but his snickers erupted into a full-bellied rumble.

"Sometimes I really hate you, Pejuang." Berani struggled to sit, pressing an arm tightly around her middle. A hiss escaped her lips. "I think you cracked a rib."

Pejuang froze. His eyes widened, and he scrambled to his feet. "Forgive me, Berani. You know I was only playing. I would never intentionally hurt you." He held a hand to her, and his face filled with concern.

"Well, you did." She closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing through the pain. "You are always so careless. You never think before you act. Anyone would know how dangerous it is to strike at a full sprint." She lifted her gaze. "What if you had broken my neck or…"

The words caught in her throat. The regret flowing from him chipped at her heart, and she softened her voice. "You are not a cub anymore. You should know better."

She removed her hand from her side and cringed. "This is horrible. Even after healing, a mark will remain. Look at this."

Pejuang's eyes flicked to the reddened patch of flesh already darkening to bluish-black. All remaining liveliness fell from his face, and his shoulders slumped as if he had the weight of a thousand elephants upon him.

Berani gingerly prodded the wound, assessing the damage. As much as she loved him, she couldn't keep the scold from her voice. "If mother finds out you injured me again, you will be banished. Your time with us is already limited. Even without this incident, it will not be long before you are forced out of the clan."

"You are right," he whispered, reaching for her.

She batted him away. "Do not be so impatient. Wait." Closing her eyes, she covered her injured ribs with her hands and channeled energy, her gift from the Great Spirit, and whispered a sacred incantation under her breath. Warmth seeped through her fingertips to her side, sealing the broken blood vessels, knitting ribs, and repairing bruised muscles. With a deep pain-free breath, she opened her eyes. She could do nothing about the blood already dispersed and trapped under the skin—her biggest concern and evidence of her brother's harsh treatment. Nothing but time would make the discoloration fade.

She held out her hand, allowing his help as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her gently to her feet. His hands went to work, plucking twigs and leaves from her hair like an orangutan grooming a child. Any moment, she expected him to find an insect and pop it in his mouth. Ridiculous. Berani slapped his hands away. "Being regretful early is advantageous; being regretful later is of no use."

Pejuang's arms fell to his sides, and he opened his mouth. A single raised eyebrow from Berani daring him to speak, and he snapped it shut. He looked into the distance before dropping his gaze. His long copper hair with just a hint of red, like his tiger pelt, fell in his face and covered his eyes.

She shook her head at him bowed in submission, so common for a reprimanded cub. His youthful appearance gave him a feminine attractiveness, yet his physique hinted at the adult he would become. While most boys his age were gangly, Pejuang was tall and sturdy. He lacked the muscular physique of a mature wehr-tiger, but he was close. In truth, he reached the height of a few full-grown males. The combination alone might merit him an early exit from their clan.

Unmated adult males were not allowed to stay with their birth family. Soon, Pejuang would be forced to leave and tackle the world on his own. She feared with his maturity level, he would not survive long. He was always prone to rash decisions. Alone, he would have no one to save him from his own stupidity. She only wished she could find a way to keep him nearby.

"Sometimes I know not what to do with you. If I ever lost you…" Her throat tightened around the words.

He lifted his eyes to meet hers, defiance replacing guilt. "I can take care of myself."

"So you say." Despite his confidence, she still had doubts. She laughed. "You are just like the monkeys. Tomorrow, you will return to your old tricks."

Pejuang's nostrils flared, and his pupils dilated.

She smiled knowingly. "See? You get harder to control every day. How long do you think the clan will let you stay within its safety?" Berani dismissed him with a wave of the hand. "Go home, Pejuang. I will be back in a couple of days."

"I cannot return without you nor leave you alone out here. What will I tell the others?" His tone turned into a plea. "Please, Berani. Do not make me leave you. Let me stay and make sure you are okay. I will hunt for—"

"Pejuang." Her voice sharpened. His begging put her on edge like nothing else. "I do not need you to hunt for me. I need you to grow up."

His entire face lit with surprise before his features darkened, and his eyes narrowed to slits. He took a step forward, towering over her. "I am not the cub you used to push around, Sister."

Berani held his gaze, refusing to back down. "Really? You could have fooled me." She played a dangerous game, but she was not about to let an overgrown cub intimidate her.

Pejuang growled low in his throat, and his fangs lengthened.

She inched back before she could stop herself. Her brother's display dimmed a light deep in her center, leaving her cold. Things couldn't have gotten so bad between them. Could they?

"You would attack me?" Her voice wavered, echoing her uncertainty.

Pejuang jerked back as if slapped.

"No, of course not." The roughness in his voice revealed he barely contained his tiger. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. His behavior proved why he couldn't stay in the clan. A well-placed nip could bring a cub into submission. Pejuang, on the other hand, did not back down as easily. He met strength with strength. Already, he was beyond her physical control.

Reassured his behavior had little to do with her and everything to do with her little brother teetering between childhood and adulthood, she calmed. "I will be back soon."

Pejuang opened his eyes, brows knitting together. "You think you can protect everyone. But you deceive yourself. No one can be everywhere all the time…and that is what you would have to be to save us all."

He was right. She chastised him because it was true. If she could just keep him in line, she'd be able to protect him from the many dangers of the world. Then the clan wouldn't make him leave. He just had to listen to her. The knowledge he wouldn't weighed on her…drained her. "Just go home, Pejuang. There is nothing you can do here."

A loud crash sent Berani nearly jumping out of her skin. No doubt, Pejuang's wide eyes surely matched her own. She listened intently as a host of voices reached her ears. "The Great River maybe?"

Pejuang took a step toward the waterway, but Berani grabbed his arm. "Already you leap into trouble, so soon after your last folly."

He shrugged her off. "Do you expect the noise to investigate itself?"

She searched his face and found only determination. "We go together."

His mouth drew into a sneer. "Come then."

Back hunched, he walked away with a stiff gait, leaving her to follow at will. She never should have pushed him so far. Too late to erase the past, she trailed after. By the time she reached him, he was at the tree line, lying down, concealed by the tall grass. She dropped to her belly and crept the remaining way.

On the other side of the river, about twenty humans laden with packs meandered. At least half of them were Malays from the city. Their facial features resembled her people, but their dark hair set them apart. Pale-pinkish skin and hair varying in shades from fair to dark marked the others in the party as strangers from distant lands. Why were they here? No matter. She'd never allow them to stay.

Berani held out a hand, palm face up, and blew over its surface. A breeze rippled the water and grew stronger as it reached the strangers, lifting a hat from one head. The man scrambled for it, and she smiled.

Finding camp would be the least of these humans' worries. She drew in a deeper breath, and focused on the mound of supplies two men carried on a litter between them.

Pejuang's hand clamped over her mouth as he yanked her wrist. "What are you doing?"

She bit his finger, and he jerked away.

"Regretful early," she scolded. She inched back the way she came until well out of sight of the intruders and sat on her heels, waiting.

Her brother followed quickly and knelt before her. He glowered as he examined his reddened finger ribbed with teeth marks. "Why did you do that?"

"How dare you interfere?" Berani demanded.

"You cannot do this."

She scoffed. "If you could, you would not?"

"No, that is not the way."

"They are here to destroy our forest. How easily you forget the refugees who passed through our lands. I will never allow them to stay."

A muscle twitched in her brother's cheek, and she found herself locked in a stare down. If she controlled any element other than air, she'd scourge these humans from her home. As it was, she could cause little more than mischief. A minor annoyance, but maybe enough to make them reconsider staying.

Pejuang broke eye contact first and stood, looking down on her. "We waste time. We need to tell Opah."

Her brother was right; their grandmother did need to know. Berani glanced toward the river hidden by the trees. "Yes. You go. I want to watch them. Perhaps I can learn more."

"No, it is too dangerous."

"I will be fine and cause no more trouble today." She dropped to her stomach and crawled forward. Pejuang caught her leg, impeding her progress. She glared at him.

"I cannot let you. If something happened, I would never be able to explain it to the others."

"Let go. I do not need your protection." She kicked out, knocking him away. "I said I will be fine."

"What if you get caught?"

"The humans cannot see me through the brush."

"What if—"

"I said…" Berani's voice deepened to a rumble which bordered on a growl and left no room for debate. "I…am…staying."

"You think your bravery will save you. I hope it does, but everyone has to depend on someone sometime." He didn't wait for her response as he shifted. His tanned skin mottled to orange just before thick fur sprouted in waves over his body, while black and white stripes added contrast. Pejuang's body fell forward, and his shape took on the form of a tiger. He gained an extraordinary amount of volume on his feline frame. Although he went through a massive transformation, the entire process only took seconds, with majority of the shift spent filling in his bulk. Once fully changed, Pejuang shook his fur. He gave Berani one last glance then ran in the direction of their clan.

For a long while, Berani watched the path where Pejuang had disappeared. The bitter truth of his words stung. When had their roles changed? She had always protected him, not the other way around. To acknowledge that was to admit that Pejuang was ready to leave the clan, and she was not prepared to accept his exile.

Even worse, her injury was mostly her fault. After all, she had started their play. If the clan forced Pejuang out because of it, she had only herself to blame. She blinked back tears which threatened to spill, hating the weakness. Wiping at her eyes, she laughed through blurred vision as she thought about the handful of fur she'd ripped out of Pejuang's flank before she'd fled.

Berani lived to torment her brother but should have known he would retaliate with excessive force. He was a fighter and never one to let things go. She was proud of that side of him. He definitely was not an easy target. When the time came, and if he survived the recklessness of his youth, he would have no problem establishing his own territory. Reassured, Berani crawled back to the strangers.

Novella Review: The Prophet by Francine Rivers

It took me a lot longer than I wanted to read "The Prophet" by Francine Rivers. I continued to stick "The Prophet" at the end of my to-do list each day and often didn't get around to even picking the book up. Well, I finally did it. I read it, and I can return it to the library. This novella is book four in the Sons of Encouragement series. If you recall, I reviewed "The Warrior" last week (see review here). First up, the blurb from Ms. Rivers' website:

A man of conviction who heard when God called; a prophet who refused to turn away. The Prophet illuminates the life of Amos and his relationship to Israel during its prosperous years. Amos's message–and his relationship with God–made him unpopular. But his challenge to those who were enjoying the blessings of prosperity was crucial then and is strikingly timely today as well.

Okay. I'll start by saying, I liked it better than "The Warrior." Unlike Caleb, I saw Amos experience character growth. He went from a bitter and bloodthirsty man to a humble servant with the well-being of others on his mind. I liked that. Even so, I had one issue. All his growth happened at the beginning of the novella, leaving no room for improvement throughout the rest.

Amos was relentless in his prophesying. Over and over the novella reiterated the same message. The people complained; I complained. The thing is this. The bible preaches the same message again and again. It works. As redundant as the bible is, I enjoy reading it. And let's be honest here. Even without the spiritual relevance, the bible has historical merit even non-Christians might enjoy. Like I said, the repetition works for the bible, but for a fictional work, the style just doesn't jive.

Now I ragged about the writing a little, how about a bit of praise? Ms. Rivers did a wonderful job setting up Amos. The parallelism between Amos and the Good Shepard played throughout the novella was fantastic. Amos loved his flock but sometimes had to make the tough choices for the sake of the whole. It saddened him, but he did what had to be done. Like pruning. I've wondered at times why God does what He does. Ms. Rivers simplified the rationale.

Was there a spiritual message to The Prophet? Yes. Circumcise your heart. Turn to God. And don't think because everything is dandy in your life, God approves of your actions. I loved that. Look inward and recognize what's truly in your hearts and don't be so quick to condemn others. One line truly stood out for me in this work. "What is it in us that rejoices at the judgment upon others, while pleading that ours be overlooked?" Now, isn't the truth of it?

So, I'll leave you with a couple more of my favorite quotes from the novella

"My sheep." Tears ran down his cheeks. "No one loves them as I do."
"I see those who prey on the poor, your rich women who eat like cows."

"The Prophet" by Francine Rivers is available at the Book Depository.

How Much Is an eRead Worth to You?

Today, I'm thinking a poll would be nice. After reading Zoe Winter's post: I Want to Read a Zoe Winters Book on pricing, I'm curious. How much do you think the price of an eRead should be? You'll notice, I didn't give the option of free. Consider your paying job; even a small job has a price.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
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Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
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Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
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Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.