Doug Dillon's Blog, page 150
September 30, 2013
A History Lesson with a Twist!
Sliding Beneath the Surface
The St. Augustine Trilogy:
Book I
Young Adult, Paranormal & Historical
A review placed on Amazon by MsSpecialK.
What teenager can refuse the intrigue of paranormal activity?
Being a high school reading teacher, I am always in search of interesting topics for my reluctant male readers. Boys would enjoy the creepy situations that Jeff found himself thrown into. They would also enjoy the historical descriptions of the battle in St. Augustine.
I’m sure that this novel will be flying off the shelf this year.
To see this review on Amazon, click here.
September 26, 2013
“An engaging read!” Young Adult, Paranormal & Historical
Sliding Beneath the Surface
The St. Augustine Trilogy:
Book I
A review placed on Amazon by Patti Knowles
Sliding Beneath the Surface is an engaging read for young adults (and adults, alike) that encompasses mystery, suspense, history, humor and the paranormal. Doug Dillon does a great job drawing the reader into the story, and I found it hard to put the book down. Once finished, I passed it on to my 15 year old boy who read it in 2 days.
As native Floridians, we both appreciated the book for its historical accuracy, as well as its depiction of diverse cultures. We’re both awaiting the other books in the trilogy and enthusiastically recommend this title.
As a Florida educator, I look forward to including this trilogy in my classroom library.
To see the full review on Amazon, click here.
September 18, 2013
“Great for Middle School:” Young Adult, Paranormal & Historical
Sliding Beneath the Surface
The St. Augustine Trilogy:
Book I
A review placed on Amazon by jacvvy
St. Augustine comes alive in this book, and Doug Dillon does a wonderful job giving voice to Jeff and Carla. The book is informative as you read, but those elements are blended seamlessly with an interesting plot and will appeal to both teens and adults.
To see this review on Amazon, click here.
September 14, 2013
“Great Combination:” Young Adult, Paranormal & Historical
Sliding Beneath the Surface
The St. Augustine Trilogy:
Book I
A review placed on Amazon by Kim. L.
I love a ghost story. And one thing I enjoy about teen fiction is that the authors don’t feel the need to provide a “real world” explanation for the supernatural. Ghosts are ghosts, in such stories, and don’t need to be explained away.
Mr. Dillon does an excellent job of combining history and a good ghost story, not to mention the fact that the story takes place in one of America’s most haunted cities. I love St. Augustine and reading this book was like being there again. Great read!
To see this review on Amazon, click here.
September 10, 2013
My Aunt Isabelle: Her Paranormal Travels
Here is a wonderful story about a near death experience and a deathbed message. It comes from my friend, Patrick Delsaut, a French writer and paranormal researcher.
Aunt Isabelle and her daughter, Lina
Aunt Isabelle, my mother’s sister, died of a cancerous brain tumor on Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 10:45 a.m. She was 78 years old.
On Sunday, June 23, Lina, my cousin, and daughter of my aunt, told me this:
The night Lina’s mother died, her spirit came out of her body while sleeping and she visited an old friend. She knew this because the old friend told her about this event.
He said he was awakened at 3:00 a.m. In his head, he heard my aunt speaking to him. All she said was, “I came to say goodbye. I am leaving.” The man didn’t know Isabelle was dying and only learned of her death the next day.
Lina and her dog, Tania
After my aunt’s death, her cat, Pompon would not move or eat all day. And, Tania, my cousin’s German Shepherd, stayed near the cat. That’s amazing because this dog has a violent dislike for cats.
Thirty-three years before her death, my aunt Isabelle was in hospital because of internal bleeding. While there, she fell into a deep coma for a time but recovered. And then, at our last meeting in May of 2012, after all those years, she told me the following story of what happened when she was in the coma:
She said her soul left her body and she ended up in a large and bright white tunnel. She felt wonderful. Then suddenly, she returned to her body in the hospital.
My aunt went on to tell me that nobody in hospital believed in her soul journey when she spoke about it later. In talking to her, I found out she knew nothing about Near Death or Out of Body Experiences and had never before heard about the tunnel of light.
Of course, I believed her and explained that the tunnel she found herself in led to another world. It was not yet your time to die,” I said.
Click here if you would like to view Patrick’s full and original post about this topic on his website. It is written in French but Patrick provides a translation button that will allow you to view it in English.
September 6, 2013
“Nice Twist:” Young Adult, Paranormal & Historical
The St. Augustine Trilogy:
Book I
A review placed on Amazon by sbandawsmommy
Great book-could not put it down!
Being a middle school reading teacher, I can see my students LOVING this book with its great paranormal twist-fits right in with today’s paranormal fascination.
To see this review on Amazon, click here.
September 3, 2013
“Great Read:” Young Adult, Paranormal & Historical
The St. Augustine Trilogy:
Book I
A review placed on Amazon by Justin.
I am a middle school teacher in Florida who teaches local history. I loved the book.
The way the author weaves local history with engaging narrative is really a testament to who he is as a writer and to his passion for the content.
After I read it, I wanted to test out if it was something that a non-history lover would enjoy as well. I had a few students read the book and they all loved it.
This book is a must own for any history lover, Florida resident, teacher, or parent looking for a way to get their kids to read.
To see this review on Amazon, click here.
August 31, 2013
“Something New:” Young Adult, Paranormal & Historical.
The St. Augustine Trilogy:
Book I
A review placed on Amazon by Barbi.
This book is very descriptive and made me think of the writing style of Erin Morgenstern’s “The Night Circus”.
When you read the jacket you expect a thrilling story about Jeff & Carla battling something from the paranormal world with Lobo’s help.
What you really get is a sly history lesson as well as teaching some life lessons. Jeff’s story isn’t really about paranormal activity as gripping as they may be; it is really about him growing up and learning that life stinks sometimes and you have to deal with it and move on.
Lobo tells Jeff “don’t resist the problems or negativity life presents to you. Accept it for what it is and work through it” If we can do this then we allow ourselves to find peace and happiness regardless of the circumstances.
Lobo’s goal in this story is to help guide Jeff through his journey of growth. His role in Jeff’s life is one we all need; it felt appropriate that this was not a parent as most times it is someone from outside of our personal circle that makes the most impact in our lives.
The Author through Lobo constantly reminds us that how we react to people and things is our choice and not the doings of others. This puts the responsibility back on us as to how we choose to deal with the situations of our life.
All in all I did enjoy the book and I am glad that I gave myself the freedom to read something a little different. I have already recommended this book to a few friends so I think it is worth the money and time investment.
To see this review on Amazon, click here.
August 27, 2013
“Good Book for History and the Paranormal”
The St. Augustine Trilogy:
Book I
Young Adult, Paranormal & Historical
A review placed on Amazon by Blue Scrubs.
I started this book as a teacher – I teach 7th grade language arts. I am always looking for interesting books to recommend to my students, and this one definitely fits the bill. Because I also teach in Florida, the setting of St. Augustine makes the book so much more engaging for some of my students because they’ve been there.
Jeff is a well-written character that my students will appreciate. I hope to add more to my review once some of my kids read it.
To see this review on Amazon, click here.
August 23, 2013
“Great Book:” Young Adult, Paranormal & Historical
The St. Augustine Trilogy:
Book I
A review placed on Amazon by Marc Palm
A must read. Great plot setting and theme. If you want to have teens read a good book you should choose this book.
To see this review on Amazon, click here.
