Susanna Mahoney's Blog, page 16

http://cabingoddess.com/2012/07/life-...

http://cabingoddess.com/2012/07/life-in-death-sunday-shorts-no-14/

This blog above has an awesome concept about selecting a book for the weekend and the readers hold a  marathon, sharing cyber snacks and enjoy the reading and come back for comments, fun and sharing an pick; this weekend it is Life in Death by Harlow Drake.  What I preview on the Amazon link; the intense mystery calls to this reader, so click above link and found out more about the Sunday Shorts and how you can become part of the community that are enjoying this short 88 page story. Each weekend there is a different book to select and join the reading club.

Armor of God-The-Paladin by Tracy Lesch

This story is about the earlier times of Christian crusades against the enemies that were overtaking the land of Jerusalem and surrounding territories. It is set with a gallant character that was a monk serving the Almighty but his soul was restless and he prays to become a warrior in the fight against evil. He choose a path which left him no choice but to abandoned his ole life and all that meant something to him; his family. Tragedy destroys his family and his mission turns into a vow of revenge but the Almighty has other plans for his destiny.

He fights the earthly realm villains but all the greed and bloodshed of the marauders turn his heart to seek other purposes for his journey. Thus the real battle begins against the true evil angel himself; Satan and his henchman and minions of the night. He is reward with God's Armor to protect him against the darkness and he charges ahead to win the battle and to seek revenge. Along the road he meets various challenges and people who opens his eyes and heart to truth. It was interesting reading and gave the reader a glimpse into the rise of the Christian theology and its history. The cover is of excellent quality too.




http://www.amazon.com/Armor-God-The-Paladin-ebook/dp/B006KXIJIQ/ref=cm_rdp_product_img

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13488557-armor-of-god

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/113682

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/armor-of-god-tracy-lesch/1108178335

Interview with Author George Stratford of Buried Pasts

INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR GEORGE STRATFORD (CONDUCTED BY MARCIA)By GreatMinds ThinkAloud in GMTA LITERARY COMMUNITY (Files) · Edit DocInterview with George StratfordAuthor of Buried Pasts
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I had the very great privilege of interviewing George Stratford, author of Buried Pasts. I was interested in George’s book for personal reasons: my father spent some time in England preparing for the D-Day invasion, and he always spoke with such fondness of the friendly people who took on thousands of rowdy American boys such as he was. As you will see below, George is an gifted story teller. Thank you so much, George, for sharing yourself with us.

Have you done research into your father’s squadron and the events surrounding his death? Did finding out details make you feel closer to your father, or give you an insight into yourself?
Dad was on his 28th mission as a pilot and serving with 78 Squadron RAF Bomber Command when he died on 19th July 1944. He was on the way home after successfully bombing his target when he received a radio call for assistance from Allied ground troops in northern France under severe pressure from German heavy artillery. In the subsequent low level-attack, armed only with lightweight machine guns, his Halifax aircraft suffered a direct hit. I was just six weeks old at the time, so everything that I learned about him has come either from my late mother’s memories or personal research.
The research involved for the writing of Buried Pasts was considerable, involving everything from long talks with former Bomber Command pilots to studying a street map of wartime Berlin that I was lucky enough to find. Discovering the nightly hell that the men of Bomber Command went through made me realise even more forcibly what a hero Dad was. The fatality rate for aircrew members of Bomber Command was fifty percent, by far the highest suffered of by any arm of British WWII forces. Their average life expectancy could be measured in weeks. Yet still these men found the courage to keep going. Naturally, this drew me closer than ever to Dad. 
As for gaining any insights into myself - perhaps there is only one. Would I have had the courage to do what Dad did? Somehow I doubt it.
Is the character of Alan, the son of Mike’s crew member who died parachuting under Mike’s orders, based on someone you knew growing up in post-war England? Or perhaps upon yourself?
Sure, there were a lot of other kids of my age during the 1940 – 50s who had also lost their fathers during the war. Some spoke with enormous pride of their dads, some spoke with bitterness and anger directed mostly at the Germans they held responsible. At various times of my early life I experienced both emotions. In fact, it wasn’t until I joined the army and was posted to Germany in 1964 that my view of the people there really began to progress beyond the basic black and white.
I can’t honestly remember meeting any other British kid who directly blamed a comrade of their father’s for his death. But there were indeed a fair number of fatherless and disturbed youths just like Alan around, most of them needing an outlet for their anger and constantly getting into trouble at school and with the law. This, despite the punishments risked back then being a darn sight harsher than today.
So no, the character of Alan is not based directly on any single person. He is a composite of many, with his resultant bitterness and anger merely given a different and far more personal target. Of course, the way children in the same position as myself developed back then was governed to a large extent by the spin on what surviving close relatives such as uncles and mothers told them. Which of course, is Alan’s fictional world exactly.
Characters in Buried Pasts lose their homes and families in war. You lost a father you never got to meet. Did you feel challenged to write about events and emotions that were close to your own experience? Was writing the book in any way a catharsis for you?
The only way in which I saw the writing of Buried Pasts as being a challenge was to make it a fitting tribute to the father I’d so longed to know all of my life. It’s no coincidence that the hero’s surname of Stafford is so similar to Dad’s own, nor that he comes from Brandon in Manitoba, Dad’s hometown. Even Stafford’s fictional number 79 Squadron is as close as possible to the real thing. To tell the truth, throughout the writing I liked to fondly imagine that Dad, had he lived, would have handled the situations and dangers that Stafford faces in exactly the same manner. Call it a combination of hero worship and wishful thinking if you like. 
Writing the novel did in many ways help me to get to know Dad better. Certainly after all my research I came to understand the terrible pressures and dangers he faced a whole lot more clearly. He was amongst the very first Canadians to volunteer at the outbreak of WWII, joining the RAF as early as 1939. When he was killed he was a Warrant Officer pilot with only two more operational flights left to make before his tour of duty with the RAF was completed. Once that was completed he was due to be transferred to the Canadian Air Force as a flight instructor with the immediate rank of Squadron Leader. As an instructor, his war then would have then been effectively over. For him to have gone through all the dangers for nearly five years, only to die with probably no more than two weeks of active service remaining, still breaks my heart. Although writing this novel was as you suggest in many ways a catharsis for me, nothing will ever take away that particular heartache.
We read so often about the unique bond that develops between soldiers who fight side by side. How did you decide to write about ‘survivor guilt’?
I can’t say that I specifically set out at the start to write about ‘survivor guilt’. I have a very random (some would call it haphazard) way of developing a plot. This comprises mostly of ‘what if’’ type questions.
All I knew at the beginning was that I was going to create a fictionalised tribute to my father. After coming up with the character of Mike Stafford, a young Canadian bomber pilot who survives the war, I then needed not only a reason for him to return to England in later life, but also enemies and complications waiting here for him when he arrives to provide the necessary conflict. 
A squadron reunion was the easy answer for a return to England, but questions such as: ‘Who might he least like to encounter whilst on this trip?’ followed. The first answer this delivered was: ‘An embittered German woman who has lost a close relative during one of the very air raids that Stafford took a part in.’ From this, Siggi, who provides so much of the emotional conflict in the story, was eventually born. Then only at this later stage, after the additional creation of Alan to provide the physical conflict I was also seeking, did the ‘survivor guilt’ theme really take a hold.

Do you read lots of history? What are some of your favourite books?
Yes, I do read a fair few historical novels. The author Ken Follett is a particular favourite of mine. As well as fast moving contemporary stuff, he has also written brilliant stories that centre on both world wars, plus amazingly researched novels set in medieval times. His 12th Century novel, Pillars of the Earth, and its sequel, World Without End, which features the Hundred Years War and the arrival of the Black Death in Britain, are true masterpieces. His latest near thousand-page epic, Fall of Giants, beginning at the start of the 20th Century, is a great read too.
Aside from Ken, I also enjoy John Grisham’s novels a lot. And on a comedy level, the Wilt and Porterhouse series of farces by Tom Sharpe always amuse me, although possibly these may be of a peculiarly British sense of humour.
You worked at Saatchi & Saatchi. What was your job there?
Well Marcia, you are now referring to the most amazing period of my life to date.
After losing my position with a shop-fitting company during the recession of the early 1990s, things were looking bleak. Due to the general shortage of jobs, having no educational qualifications to my name, and being uncomfortably close to my fiftieth birthday, for over a year I was unable to find employment of even the lowest description. Living only on state benefits in a rented room, I felt as if life had very little meaning left for me. My pride had completely disappeared. Never had I been so low.
Eventually, following a clear message from my deceased Mum (I won’t go into details of this here), and with some wonderful people helping me to overcome a mountain of problems, I somehow found myself back in full-time education. Two years later I had gained a Higher National Diploma in Advertising Copywriting at Falmouth College of Arts.
From there on it was largely a case of being in the right place, at the right time. A three-week work experience placement at the London HQ of advertising giants Saatchi & Saatchi at the exact time their healthcare division was seeking a mature copywriter, magically led to me being offered the job. Later I moved into the main agency creative department, working on briefs for such famous international clients as Toyota, Carlsberg, Visa and Sony. Somehow the national media managed to get a handle on my rags-to-relative-riches story, and before I knew it I was appearing on a succession of TV chat shows and featuring prominently in the national press.
Naturally, nothing lasts forever. Just like flower power and regular Apollo missions to the moon, all of these things are now long gone. But I have written a light-hearted account of this incredible six-year period called Ain’t Finished Yet. I hope to publish this soon. Meanwhile, if you are interested, you can read the opening pages on my website at www.georgestratford.com .

How do you think your work with a company that communicates through amazing visuals has influenced your writing? Do you visualise scenes before you write them?
Yes, absolutely. I see scenes and characters very clearly in my head, sometimes before writing about them, but more often whilst actually typing out the words. And writing scripts for TV commercials is definitely great training for this.
However, I think that any further comparison between advertising and novel writing is unrealistic. With advertising, especially that of the printed variety, the communication has to be virtually instant. If the message is not clear immediately to the consumer, he or she will be highly unlikely to spend any time trying to work out what it is you are attempting to sell them. It’s been calculated that if you haven’t captured the average person’s interest within just a couple of fleeting seconds, then you’ve generally lost them.
With novel writing on the other hand, the customers are paying good money of their own to enter the world an author has created. So they’ll be much more prepared to be led in gradually and drip-fed information along the way. It goes without saying that this is not a licence to bore the reader to death with a ton of unnecessary description or technical detail. But a certain amount of each is definitely required otherwise a realistic picture just can’t be painted.

Tell us a little about your process. Are you a disciplined writer? Do you have any techniques you are willing to share with other writers?
I think I’ve inadvertently covered much of this one in previous responses. The question and answer process I spoke about when discussing the matter of survivor guilt will nearly always produce results, even if you have to sometimes ask a lot more questions than you originally anticipated. If it doesn’t, chances are you’ve painted yourself into that dreaded corner of no escape. In which case, the best plan is probably to go back several notches and start all over again.
It may be a cliché, but curiosity (the ‘what happens next’ factor) is surely the greatest page-turner of all. Always try to have at least one unresolved situation going on, even at the very beginning of your novel. On the very first page of Buried Pasts the reader is immediately left to wonder if Stafford’s Lancaster will be able to survive yet another trip to the Big City – Berlin. By the end of this chapter there is a second question – will Siggi’s family survive this latest air raid? It’s OK to have several questions left hanging at the same time, but never OK not to have any.
If anyone is interested in my further thoughts on the writing process, there are five separate pages on my website offering tips on Characters, Conflict, Finding Ideas, Advancing the Storyline, and Re-writes. So, like a true advertising man, here’s that website link again: www.georgestratford.com 
What are you working on now?
I’m currently putting the finishing touches to an adventure/thriller novel called A Fine Line. Without giving too much away at this point, it’s about a controversial USA Senator who travels incognito to a small English village during the Christmas and New Year holiday in order trace his roots and get over the death of his wife. He takes with him his recently divorced daughter and his Godson, a former Delta Force bodyguard now acting as the senator’s bodyguard. But unknown to any of them, there is a five million dollar price on the senator’s head, and the UK’s most feared and successful hitman is closing in.
As in my previous novels, with this latest work I also try to introduce human emotions into what otherwise might simply turn out to be a hard-edged thriller story. When Buried Pasts was a quarter-finalist in the 2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, Publishers Weekly, in a comprehensive review described the story as both: “A sentimental thriller’, and: “An adventure story with a heart.” 
Either of those descriptions works well enough for me.

Buried Pasts by George Stratford

The story starts in 1944 opens with a dedication to a fighter pilot who lose his life fighting the enemies. His name is George Henry Stratford who was a Canadian and served in the 78 Squadron, RAF Bomber Command, Killed in action 19th July 1944, with a black and white photo of this amazing man. Making it obvious this amazing work is a dedication from son to father.


This was the introduction into a historical fiction plot about the war against Germany and the struggles all military especially fighter pilots experienced. 
It speaks about the agony of losing one of their own and the one who survives live with guilt until his future death. His friend who died was Jim who was like a brother to him and the family who lost him became bitter. Mother poisons son against Mike, the one who survived, causing hatred to build causing the son wanting revenge.
It is eighteen years later and the scenario continues with flashbacks, regrets and planning for a reunion in the old haunting grounds, a pub of their former enlistment days. At this reunion many skeletons from the past come to confront the fighter pilot.  The sisters who lost their mother in the March 1944 raid, the bitter teenager son of his former deceased friend. Mike is cornered about to face his demons.   One out for revenge and another to unsolved the past, releasing the grief and seeking closure.
In the midst of this plot, there is suspense, drama, threats of murder and incidents of an avalanche to rescuing the schemers to the victims.
As the story continues on the truth is brought to light and decisions will be made to save themselves and others from the lies and the grip of deceit has on them. Will the deranged hateful son go ahead with his plans for revenge, will he face his own demons and will the sisters be able to move on with closure and be able to forgive the man who bombed their home in 1944 killing their mother.
The author has taken the lives of fighter pilots and their roles of their actions and how years later it comes back to haunt them; will Mike be also release from his demons of regret and guilt for his deceased friend and others who were willing or not willing participants of a former war..
Meanwhile as the reunion is to close his former friends discover Mike and his visitors are missing and the gang are nervously searching the country side for his car and seeing it chase the theft who took it and the consequences is the thief is in involved in an accident, lying unconscious and he is the only one who knows where Mike and his visitors are and time is running out.  Pondering will they be rescue or left to die.
In the mix the author adds in opposites attract romance between two young people. The deranged son in a restaurant meets a stranger who holds the key to unraveling his hatred and she over comes all the lies to challenge herself to trust in another. No matter what the past holds, for the future is more important.
There is more intrigue and twists in this fictional story about the past, the regrets, the consequences, the forgiveness and the transformations that affect each character and their loved ones, as the burden of the past is release and they look forward to a brighter tomorrow.
This is a human intense story about the past, a man's actions and how he deals with them; faces his demons and challenges everything he believes in while seeking closure to his past actions.  His decisions affect individuals in the past as well as they will in the future. 
This story was written with a compassionate observation of how choices can toughen or break a person's will to live and make them stronger or too weak to carrying on.   It is about the past meeting the present reflecting into the future and how important everyone is to another and promises are honor even after death. .
This was a courtesy review for in exchange for a free book.

Peer Inside My Soul and See Me By De Ann “Native” Townes, Jr.

This is a little gem wrapped with powerful emotions from joy to sorrow; it speaks of loving so much it hurts to breath when your soul mate is not with you. Expressing the gratitude of cherishing every nuance and fiber of a partner existence, letting him know he is his everything, with him life would be empty. Then the author spoke of her birth of her son, the death of a dear friend's son, the letting go of her own son and 0ther sentimental topics.
It is not just a poetry book but a mirror inside one' soul. Like an artist with paint and canvas she expresses her personal thoughts to create a deep and spiritual awareness of human existence. Shining upon the truth about the Light and dark, the good and evil, the spiritual and the wonders of all that is to be cherished but also the black abbess of tormented and agony of the broken hearted and to know when it is time to grieve and laugh again.
There are approximately 44 poems to review and each one touch this reader to the core; such intensity of formulating magic with words and vocabulary to create a symphony that vibrates and resounds in one's soul.
Out of the choices which call deep to this reader was title” You”. I copied part of this one to let you see the inside window, peer into her soul of this poet's heart and acknowledge her awareness of inner consciousness and the deep connection she has with her muse expressing her thoughts. .
You
Red dawns
Dragons colliding with ancient warriors
Lost horizons
Into the deep blue pool of mystery, deep within my heart
Rhythm to my music, earth to my soul, fire to my ice A prelude to my forever with
you, a prelude to the soul.
Was I wrong?
A dark corner of tomorrow
Underneath the guise of caring, of a smile of love. Warming, calming, cradling and
soothing
To the heart and soul, rejuventating the senses.
The poem continues, but this reader concludes here to let your imagination take over and call to your essence to yearn to review yourself this little gem with so much power. The poems are written as if her family generations are whispering in the wind, the truth about humanity and the highs and lows of the ripples of human emotions of experiencing life on this blue marble. 
She has won awards and as she declares she is “I’m artistry through fluent and flowing poetry in motion and I’m letting it flow.” Like the rip tides of emotions this writer has touch upon hidden meanings of so many facets of life. Highly recommend this for poetry readers and ones looking for inspiration. 5 stars
To review the hard cover and the kindle you can go to this link: http://www.amazon.com/Peer-Inside-Soul-See-ebook/dp/B0057G2XQQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1341881323&sr=8-2&keywords=peer+inside+my+soul+and+see+me

Marissa Carmel Bio and Book

Author Marissa Carmel has been writing since a young age and although it has always been for personal enjoyment, she finally decided breakout and share her imagination with the world. She hopes that her universe is as fun and intriguing to her readers as it is to her. Marissa Carmel is originally from NJ but moved to Maryland several years ago, she enjoys reading, writing, and catching up on her DVR library. She is currently working on the sequel to iFeel, Gravitational Pull, which she hopes to release sometime in 2012. To learn more about Marissa, please visit the following links. Great Minds Think Aloudhttp://www.greatmindsindependentpublishing.com/#/marissa-carmel/4565716659 Goodreadshttp://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5211765.Marissa_Carmel Facebook https://www.facebook.com/marissa.carmel.5 iFeel Lust. Anger. Hate. Desire. Love. Happiness. Joy. iFeel. What happens when an unknowing empath meets a pixie who wears leather, a snitch who is repulsive and a brethren of burning angels who can literally light your soul on fire? A whole lot of emotional turmoil and one love story ignited. But love doesn’t come easy to this reluctant empath, according to her, falling in love would be like pointing the Patriot Missile right at her head. But when she meets Justice, a fiery Seraph who adopts the task of protecting her, the one most terrifying emotion she has always run away from, suddenly becomes the most powerful in her life.

iFeel By Marissa Carmel

It is about an earthly woman who is about to face her destiny and meet her soul-mate.  Except this soul-mate is not a human, he is a supernatural creature, a cross between an angel and a devil.  He was sent to her earthly realm to protect her against foes who are hunting for her, she too is not just human, she is also an emipath.  A very powerful one with a purple aura and is in serious trouble.
Before meeting the love of her life in a coffee shop she was afraid that she was suffering from a mental imbalance because her thoughts and other sensations did not fit in with the earthly realm and she isolated herself away from any stimulating activity.  She was coming to accept this would be her life.
Yet one fateful day she met Justice and his friends and every thing turned upside down and she was thrust into the earthly and supernatural realm and found herself and her purpose, and a new family.  This was not done without expreiencing angst about her destiny, the fears of being stalked by a dark evil force and her heart introduction to the joy and deep abyess of being in love.  A love that it hurts to breath unless the person is with you at all times.  Justice just dissappears one night after harsh  words for three months and her heart is shattering into pieces and she is dealing with the new knowledge of her supernatural birth and is left vulnerable to the dangers lurking in the darkness waiting to attack at any moment.
This author has written this for the YA crowd and there are delightful and zany comments that make the reader intrigue as to what the next action or event will be. They lived the life of young people, partying, eating and enjoying life but at the same time death is lurking at the door. This is a sweet sentimental emotional zany plot.  A lot of suspense, mystery and action wrapped in the pages.
This book is available at Createspace and on Amazon.com.  As a reviewer I highly recommend it because it is unique and pleasurably  entertaining to read.  As a reader it tugs at the heart as the author explores the human heart and soul from the highs to the lows of forever love and has charming mysterious Justice protecting her against all evil, it has endearing qualities of intimacy and breaking down the barriers of truth and the unknown  discovering a powerful  bond between a man and a woman that comes once in a lifetime..  

Applauds to Smashwords.com and their Authors.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/77887?ref=MessagetomyChildren This is an affiliate link for one of Smashwords top selling author, copied the excerpt of her book, Beautiful Disaster,to let others know that authors on Smashwords can also be noticed, so as a celebration I wanted to highlight this phenomenal site with a top seller .

 Beautiful Disaster Fiction » Romance » Contemporary By Jamie McGuire Rating: (4.86 based on 7 reviews) Published: July 31, 2011 Words: 107279 (approximate) Language: English ISBN: 9781465824011

 Short description

 The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand. Extended description The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe.

Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend America, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University’s Walking One-Night Stand. Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the charming college co-ed. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet.

If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’ apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

 This is the update at https://www.smashwords.com/  about the above author and others.

 Smashwords. com  has assisted allot of beginners, to experienced writers to be able to published thier works, to the masses through ebooks on the Internet. July 7, 2012 - Congrats to R.L. Mathewson!!. She's got two titles in Apple's top 10 store-wide bestseller list! Minutes ago we posted an exclusive interview with R.L. over at the Smashwords blog. As of this moment (4:30pm Pacific), R.L. is holding the 5th and 9th positions in the U.S. bestseller list, with Playing for Keeps and Perfection: Neighbor from Hell. For many months, her titles were selling respectably at five or more copies a day, and then starting around June 1, sales suddenly started taking off. Playing for Keeps has sold almost 7,000 copies at Apple in the last week.

The spark? R.L. credits her updated cover images. My take: In The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success, I talk about the importance of ebook covers. The cover image is the first impression you make on a reader. A great ebook cover image makes a promise to the reader. It helps connect your target audience to your book. Annecdotally, I've heard many stories of indie authors updating their cover image, and then sales increase. In R.L.'s case, her cover image certainly played a role, as did the fact that she's writing great romance novels that her readers LOVE. As of this moment, Playing for Keeps has 2,195 reader ratings at Apple, averaging about 4.5 stars out of 5.

If you think your cover image doesn't resonate with your target audience, create a new cover then click Dashboard: Settings to upload the new cover image. This will spawn a regrind of your epub and mobi files, and then we'll distribute the new .epub out to our retailer network. I should also point out that two other authors in Apple's Top 10 bestseller list also publish on Smashwords! Sylvia Day, at #7, has several titles at Smashwords, though her current bestseller, Bared to You, is published by Penguin USA (and not available at Smashwords.

Hey Penguin, you should sell your titles at Smashwords.com!). At #10 is Jamie McGuire with her incredible Beautiful Disaster, distributed to Apple via Smashwords. Congrats to Sylvia, Jamie and R.L.!


 It is an anniversary for this blogger this summer and Smashwords was my first portal I entered through to dare to dream and at the same time learn about a wonderful community who gives me strength everyday to help another. So kudos to Mark Coker and staff for giving all the opportunity to write and published ebooks, and learn the highs and lows about the writing world. Charge !!! Click on the link and enjoy the many genres and small gifts that come in ebooks. https://www.smashwords.com/  psst, a secret some are free and other sell at reasonable prices and you can even read a excerpt before purchasing.  That pretty awesome.  Happy Reading.

Just Call Me Jake by Tracy Arbors

“About noticing things, like my being cold. It was very nice of you. I was wet and cold, but my having a bad day is really not your doing. My life is going downhill and today I hit a new low.” She had a forced flippant tone to her voice, but he couldn’t see her eyes as she arranged her coat on the back of the chair. Underneath she had on a flowing blouse with an abstract pattern of browns, black and white, topped off by a black velveteen vest. Her outfit reminded him of a gypsy. The waitress topped off his coffee. “Could I have some coffee, too, please?” she asked the waitress, before turning back to Jake. “I didn’t catch your name earlier.” “Jake Hardy” he stretched out his hand automatically. Marian wondered how her life had taken such a sudden turn. She felt like she was being blown in a new direction by forces beyond her control, like in a dream, only she knew she was awake. She felt a twinge of regret when they pulled into the driveway of an old gray house with peeling paint. These are two paragraphs out of this delightful story about choices people made every day. The Pastor Jake could of pass up Marian, a young woman standing in the pouring rain and was lost and angry at life and the Almighty. He could of splash her and went on his way. Some inner voice tugged at his heart and he stopped and picked up the lost child, woman with many talents and assisted her to pick up her life and give her opportunities in his choir and church that opened doors for her and help him learn about his own insight as well as others. This delightful story, I found on a dark night and saw it was a Christian fiction and published on my birthday, it was like a calling from the Almighty. Stop what you doing and read this short tale for there is a message about love, being lost and found and not be afraid for I know you before you were born and I will always be with you, my Child. Marian has a shady boyfriend and is in trouble along comes a protector, and friend who is investigated her back ground and trying to figure how to help her escape from her past. This book has harsh realities and Marian has allot to face before she can find herself and come back home to the Almighty. It is enjoyable, has action, drama and suspense. I recommend this book to anyone who has doubts if any transgression is too harsh, it is not and open your heart to be forgiven and not to be afraid of challenges and change. One door closes and another one opens. https://www.smashwords.com/reader/read/118652 Fiction » Christian » Contemporary Fiction » Young adult or teen » Social Issues 5 stars

Buzz Words by Doug Lucas

FREE UNTIL JULY 4th http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0086SER9S/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img I started this late yesterday and ignored all responsibilities today to just relish in the forensics, cold case, detective plot and witty story about a retired video specialist who has an off the cuff sense of humor to get through some gritty life experiences from the military to working on criminal cases to follow up on cold cases. Retired he and others come together to solve murders committed that are not solved and store away as cold cases. The unsolved mystery grinds his and others consciousness to uncover the truth and bring peace to the victims and their loved ones. The clues are waiting to be unveiled and it is nerve wracking and can’t be ignored so when one day when two rookies he was training discover a case file linking to another case file leading to a conclusion that may be a more than one serial killer on the loose and called in the professionals as the clock is ticking away to the yearly anniversary of another innocent victim being targeted. The gang gathered together to look for clues to solved and stop the next crime to be committed. There are many paragraphs to copied and sum up the story but this one caught the reader’s eye In the author’s words; "Studying terrain features and planning how to intend to handle situations that may arise is a must in any battle plan to take control of an area. Maps were being painstakingly analyzed for terrain features that could help or hinder the mission, approaches to the search areas laid out in detail, special concerns discussed and planned for, contingency plans made for the "what if" this of that goes wrong, and tentative assignments made for each team member." Yesterday I wrote this as a teaser “I am just starting to read this, 5 % in already entertained with this author description of a Forensic's assignment and the ethics and equipment you need. This author created a novel written with a sarcastic witty attitude about retiring, spending $50,000 on equipment to volunteer his services to small police units to solved crimes with a professional conclusion and closing the case. Now at the conclusion of this suspenseful read, as a reader I can state is that Mr. Lucas has created another stimulating story but this time it is a behind the scenes look at the unsolved cases and the operation, the blood, sweat and tears the specialized police and other units go through when investigating a horrific crime such as this one. It is was intense, needed a tissue box at times, an ice cold water or beer and of course donuts to finished this entertaining story. It was even poetic at times, in all a delightful read on a hot summer evening. The only negative this reader got lost for a moment figuring out how all the killers were linked but the author at the conclusion tied up the loose end nicely and now this cold case was solved. I am not usually good at solving puzzle pieces and mysteries, but this story the puzzle came together and I was a more than satisfied reader. This could be used as a Who Done It at a 4th of July BBQ or read alone, either way your mind will enjoy the puzzle and putting the pieces together.