Olga Núñez Miret's Blog: Author Translator Olga, page 99
May 22, 2014
Autora Invitada. Isabel Mata Vicente. Debate, controversia y profundidad.
Hola a todos:
Como suelo hacer los viernes, toca autora invitada. Isabel Mata Vicente es una de las autoras a las que conozco a través de un grupo de autores independientes, y a la que he tenido la fortuna de conocer personalmente hace unos meses (aunque no tuve la oportunidad de hablar mucho con ella, pero espero que nos volvamos a ver con más tiempo en el futuro). Además las dos aparecemos como personajes (totalmente ficcionales, naturalmente) en una obra de nuestro amigo (que nos visita a menudo) Javier Haro Herráiz, ‘Black Psycho‘. A pesar de todo eso, me dí cuenta de que Isabel no había visitado mi blog, y he decidido que era hora de subsanar el olvido.
Primero una biografía cortita:
Autora Isabel Mata Vicente
Isabel Mata nació en Asturias-España en 1959. Ha estudiado Comercio, Idiomas y Literatura. Ha trabajado en distintas empresas y en el sector turístico, ha sido cantante en nueve idiomas y actualmente se dedica exclusivamente a escribir sus novelas.
Si os queréis poner en contacto con ella y seguirla, aquí os dejo enlaces a Facebook y Google:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/isabel.musik
En Google Plus:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/102429600507368713222/posts
Isabel ha publicado dos obras. Ninguna de las dos os va a dejar indiferente, así que, os recomiendo:
La Vida:
La vida, de Isabel Mata Vicente
http://www.amazon.es/dp/B008MQNYK2/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008MQNYK2/
La Vida es una novela que tiene muchas historias.
¿Dónde están los límites?
¿Qué somos, quienes somos? ¿Somos lo que queremos ser?
¿Te gusta tu vida?
Es posible que aquí encuentres respuestas, pero también, que te formules algunas preguntas.
Cada persona tiene una historia, y es única.
¿Crees en el destino?
Varios personajes que reflejan distintas vivencias se presentan en la primera parte del libro para confluir todos en un final lleno de sorpresas, asombroso e inesperado.
Y:
Maldito Poder
Maldito Poder de Isabel Mata Vicente
http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00GM1IAEY/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GM1IAEY/
Esta es una novela de acción, de policías y maleantes, de justos y ladrones, de cobardes y de valientes.
Donde la política y la indignación juegan un papel importante.
Donde descubrirás cosas curiosas.
Donde se corta por lo sano el fragor de la crisis.
Una novela muy seria, escrita en clave de humor para disfrazar la puta realidad.
Una historia que no te dejará indiferente.
Donde nada es lo que parece.
Donde la unión hace la fuerza.
Donde se nos regala un nuevo mañana, un futuro mejor.
¿Por qué no arreglamos el país de una vez por todas?
¿Te atreves?
¿Utopía, realidad, quién sabe?
Esta historia es pura fantasía, por desgracia.
Casi todos los nombres son inventados.
Ningún personaje es real.
Sólo la información sobre la torre Agbar, el Ángel Estrellado y la Osa y el Madroño es auténtica.
La autora se ha documentado exhaustivamente sobre la causa de la crisis, aunque no toda la información se refleja en esta novela, sólo se destacan los datos más importantes porque la intención al escribirla ha estado más enfocada en las posibles soluciones que en las causas y culpables que ya todos conocemos.
Nota: A los detractores, que los habrá sin duda, les aconsejo que no se precipiten a criticar este libro sin haberlo leído hasta el final.
Muchas gracias a Isabel por visitarnos, a vosotros por leer, y ya sabéis, si os ha gustado, dadle al me gusta, comentad, compartid, y haced CLICK!
Guest author and new book. Yelle Hughes and Triton.
Hi all:
Today, like most Fridays, I bring you a guest. My friend and fellow author, Yelle Hughes (one of the hardest working and most generous presences in social media, and an enthusiastic member of ASMSG, the group of authors I belong to) after toiling long and hard, has published her first novel, and I could not resist and managed to convince her to visit my blog, and be for once the protagonist and star. And she kindly brought us her mythological novel ‘Triton’, an excerpt and an image to illustrate it.
I’m not going to spoil the post by babbling on any more, so I’ll leave the wonderful Yelle!
Author Yelle Hughes
Yelle Hughes, mum of three and now a proud grandparent, is an avid reader as well as author. She enjoys canoeing, studying the Greek myths, watching action and western movies, and is an unpaid movie critic. Her work is written from the heart and from the people who have passed through her life, just as the seasons pass each year.
Links
Website: http://yellehughes.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/YelleHughes
FB Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/YelleHughes?ref=hl
Triton by Yelle Hughes
What happens when your ancestor, who happens to be a pedophile, a rapist and a cold-blooded killer, tries to kill you? Even stuffs his daughter into a box and throws them into the sea?
Luckily for Ariadne Phillips, Triton, god of the sea, travels across the ocean to protect her. Reluctantly you might add.
Sent by his father to watch a silly mortal, Taz plans to ship her off to No Man’s Land, so he can go back home to max and relax.
When blues eyes meet hazel, it’s a done deal. Taz wants to keep the only mortal who can make him laugh and cry at the same time, while Ari gets a dream trip to Greece, to be a model and finally use her self-defense training to kick some butt.
Happily ever after can’t be reached without Taz discovering his mortal flaw. Gods can and do die. Ari can’t join the immortal ranks without fighting the crockety Fates for her soul.
Triton-Amazon: http://goo.gl/1qkYEq
Taz Ari and Stinray
Excerpt:
Ari pulled back to see they were in a different location and was thrilled to feel the warm water caressing her along with Taz’s arms wrapped around her.
Their hair floated around them as Taz began to twirl her around in the water, diving deep then rising close to the surface.
A giant manta ray swam past and he grabbed a wing to catch a ride. Sending him a command, the manta swam faster, swooping high and diving down.
The thrill of the ride along with her arousal intensified. The sadness from being in her house was placed on the back burner because she could only concentrate on the feeling of exhilaration of being on a natural roller coaster ride.
Upon hearing Taz tell Ari to hold on tight, the manta rose swiftly to break out of the water into the air then sliced perfectly back into the water with hardly a splash, even with two passengers on its back. Performing loops and double hoops and corkscrews had Ari shrieking with delight and terror. He did this several more times, Ari screaming underneath and above the water, holding on for dear life.
Taz made sure that she wouldn’t be able to let go by magically gluing her hands to the manta’s back. He already knew that she was a thrill seeker from her memory of the haunted house and figured this was just as good.
After a few more death defying dives, he instructed the manta to rise to the surface. He was so large they were able to sit on his back comfortably. He produced fruit, bread and cheese for them to snack on and gave her a version of what he and the gods drank…Ambrosia.
She smoothed her wet hair back as she sipped the delicious liquid. “Mmm, this is good. What is it?”
“Oh, just some homemade juice I drink back home.”
Setting the cup aside, she cocked her head at him. “Is this Ambrosia?”
Thanks to Yelle for visiting my blog and for her generosity and support, thanks to you for reading, and if you’ve enjoyed it, like, share, comment, and of course, CLICK!
May 19, 2014
Reseña de la novela ‘El fotógrafo de paisajes’ de Mercedes Pinto Maldonado
Hola a todos. La verdad es que ando muy retrasada con la lectura y tengo muchos libros pendientes, pero esta semana terminé de leer una novela que me tenía intrigada hacía tiempo, y no me decepcionó.
La verdad es que me hizo pensar. Y he de reconocer que no creo que me gustara nada vivir con alguien como el protagonista, pero…
Aquí os dejo mi reseña y si la habéis leído, me gustaría saber qué opináis, y si no, no os demoréis:
Ek fotógrafo de paisajes de Mercedes Pinto Maldonado
El fotógrafo de paisajes de Mercedes Pinto Maldonado. Telepatía, cuentos, intriga y moralidad.
La novela El fotógrafo de paisajes me intrigó desde que leí su descripción al poco tiempo de su publicación. El protagonista, Gonzalo, un hombre con dotes de telepatía, se va a vivir a una casa aislada en Aquitania (Francia), con un amigo, en principio para dedicarse a fotografiar paisajes, pero una vez allí se ve envuelto en toda serie de aventuras. Recuerdo que me pareció una idea muy interesante para desarrollar un thriller atípico. Y sí, algo de eso hay, pero también muchas cosas que yo no esperaba.
Naturalmente la telepatía es un tema que aparece en muchas novelas (y películas, series de televisión, cómics) de tema paranormal. La mayoría de estas obras suelen estar contadas desde el punto de vista de una narrador omnisciente, en tercera persona, y no desde el punto de vista del afectado (o afortunado, según y cómo se mire). Aquí, Gonzalo es la subjetividad que informa la novela, y debido a este don/castigo que tiene, escoge llevar una vida poco social y solitaria, para evitar experimentar, no solo el ser bombardeado por los pensamientos de los demás, sino también sufrir sus estado de ánimo, su salud o enfermedad…Aunque son novelas muy distintas, me recordó a ‘Sookie Stackhouse’ la protagonista de las novelas de Charlaine Harris de la serie ‘True Blood’. Ella, una camarera de un pueblo del tres al cuatro del Sur de los Estados Unidos, también les lee el pensamiento a los demás. Para ella, como para Gonzalo, la experiencia es un tormento, y se siente afortunada cuando descubre que a los vampiros no les puede leer la mente. No es de extrañar pues que escoja como novio a un vampiro. Como Gonzalo intenta hacerle entender a su amigo Juanma, el único cuya compañía tolera, estar en una relación afectiva con alguien como él sería una prueba muy dura para cualquiera. Una cosa es confiar en alguien y otra muy distinta saber que no puedes esconder nada o tener real intimidad cuando estás cerca de esa persona. Por eso Gonzalo evita, no solo las relaciones, sino incluso el contacto humano, hasta el momento en que se marcha a Francia con Juanma. Como ventaja el lugar es muy aislado y de hecho, aparte de Juanma, poca compañía padece. Cómo de bien ajustado y acostumbrado a su vida está Gonzalo es debatible, ya que como si de una Sherezade se tratara, y por capítulos, le cuenta a su amigo la historia del niño de las tres lunas, que es una historia confesional.
Aunque la novela tiene un aspecto intimista y está muy enfocada hacia la subjetividad de Gonzalo, también es un thriller donde se desarrolla un misterio intrigante, donde las relaciones entre los personajes se revelan muy complejas, y los motivos de todos sorprendentes. No quiero desvelar los entresijos del argumento, pero os puedo confiar que hay malos muy malos y despiadados, damiselas en peligro, terrible casualidades, tragedias de todas las medidas, amores malditos y madres devotas…
Muchos de los comentarios hacen hincapié en la importancia de la amistad en la obra de la autora, y es cierto que Mercedes Pinto dibuja unos personajes complejos, vivos y creíbles (reconozco que me encanta Juanma, que tiene más paciencia que un santo, y que es voz del sentido común, y Sérène, una maravillosa panadera) y nos pone en la piel de un personaje que vive en un mundo completamente distinto al de todos nosotros. Y con el que no es fácil empatizar.
Con respecto al desenlace, la decisión del protagonista es cuanto menos controversial, y moralmente debatible, pero precisamente ahí está una de las bellezas de esta novela. No dejará a nadie indiferente. Yo la recomiendo a todos los lectores a los que les gustan los temas de índole moral y las novelas que les hagan pensar. Y mientras la leía se me ocurrió que sería una obra perfecta para un club o grupo de lectores.
Un gran trabajo y una obra que no olvidaré fácilmente.
Y aquí os dejo enlaces a la novela en Amazon España y .com, por si acaso no la tenéis:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I49GWBK/
http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00I49GWBK/
Gracias por leer, y si os ha parecido interesante, ya sabéis, dadle al me gusta, comentad, compartid, y haced CLIC!
Blog Tour. Stepping Stones to Emotional Resilience by Marquita Herald
I usually blog my own content on Tuesdays, but on some occasions I make an exception, and today is one of them. When I heard about this book, I thought I had to read it, and once I read it, I decided to take part in the blog tour and also review it. I’m hoping to have Marquita, the author, come for an interview and bring me some of her other books soon. Ah, and pay attention, as there is a giveaway to go with the tour!
First, a bit abut Marquita:
Marquita Herald
Author Profile
Marquita Herald is an author, blogger, trainer in personal resilience and founder of Emotionally Resilient Living and Owner of Resilient Living Publications.
Her professional background includes a successful 20 year career in international sales and marketing, followed by a decade as an award winning life and small business coach.
Marquita is an avid reader, loves to take spur of the moment road trips, and enjoys the occasional game of golf. She is a lover of all dogs (especially her adopted pal Lucy), and a passionate advocate of grassroots volunteer movements and community service. She is also a world-traveler and her trip of a lifetime is Machu Picchu via Orient Express.
Connect with Marquita Herald
Website
Emotionally Resilient Living
http://www.emotionallyresilientliving.com
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/emotionallyresilientliving
Twitter
http:/twitter.com/MarquitaHerald
Email
m.herald@emotionallyresilientliving.com
Here I leave you a link to the media page for the book:
Stepping Stones to Emotional Resilience Media Page
Cover of Stepping Stones to Emotional Resilience by Marquita Herald
Stepping Stones to Emotional Resilience
A Guide to Embracing Your Inner Strength
by Marquita Herald
You don’t need to be facing a crisis to decide you want to become stronger and more resilient.
Trials will always be a part of life … a lost set of keys, financial stressors, overloaded schedules, relationship or health crisis. Even the most longed for changes such as marriage and the birth of a child require adaptability and emotional resilience.
Consider this … how it is that two people can be faced with the same obstacle and while one becomes mired in a web of negativity and feelings of helplessness, the other is able to overcome the challenge and bounce back stronger than ever?
Emotional Resilience is the Key
When we make the choice to look at all experiences as stepping stones for growth and greater long-term resilience, we are able to approach life on a whole new level, and in the process realign ourselves with what is truly important in our lives.
Stepping Stones answers the questions …
* What emotional resilience is and why it matters.
* Is resilience a gene reserved for the lucky few or can it ever be developed?
* Is the value of emotional resilience limited to crisis management or can it improve the quality of everyday living in any meaningful way?
* Is it ever too late to begin cultivating the habits of emotional resilience?
* How does one go about changing behaviors and strengthening the capacity for resilience?
“Unlike so many other books that wander in the vagaries of self-empowerment and self-motivation, I found “Resilience” to be not only practical, but applicable to literally every day of life. Stepping Stones is an uplifting and easy read, with some especially poignant quotes. Well done!”~M. Hanks
And here, my own review:
Stepping Stones to Emotional Resilience. A Guide to Embracing Your Inner Strength (2nd Edition) by Marquita Herald
Common-sense advice on how to empower yourself to live the good life (or as good a life as possible)
As a psychiatrist I read plenty of professional publications on mental disorders. One of the many issues with much of the professional writing about the subject of health and mental well being is that it is written with a very specific public in mind: other professionals. Readability is not always the priority and some can be dry and not particularly engaging (although there are many good writers in the field). When recommending books or articles to patients and service-users it is important to keep in mind who the books are addressed to and how much common ground they cover.
On the other hand there are books that are very personal accounts and can be inspirational but not always easy to generalize to other cases. And some of the books containing advice make no reference to any theoretical approaches and lack firm evidence to back-up their suggestions.
I was pleased when I read Marquita Herald’s book ‘Stepping Stones to Emotional Resilience’ (2nd Ed) to note that it does not fall into either of those categories. It is neither a dry professional book, nor a personal account lacking research and good evidence behind it. The author gives credit where credit is due, clearly stating where her ideas come from, and also acknowledging the lack of research in some areas (like the effects of Spirituality on resilience).
The concept of resilience fits in well with the “stress-vulnerability” model that many patients seem to find helpful in understanding their mental health difficulties. In brief it’s the idea that we are all born with a certain vulnerability to stress (sometimes we use the metaphor of a bucket of a certain size, with some people having a bigger bucket, and therefore being more resistant to stress, whilst others are born with a smaller one and a lesser degree of stress might topple them over the edge) and if stresses accumulate over our level of tolerance we’re bound to become mentally unwell. There are a number of techniques that can help (not make the inborn bucket larger, but make escape valves or holes on it that would allow relief and make it possible to handle more stress), including medication, enhancing coping strategies and a variety of therapies. Ms. Herald’s book points at ways of building up resilience, that she notes is like a muscle and can be trained. She also emphasizes the importance of knowing oneself, as that is the first step towards being able to build on our strengths and find mechanisms to overcome our weaknesses.
Despite the references and research behind the concepts, the book is written in a common-sense easy-to-follow manner, highlighting the main concepts in bold, adding summaries that go over the ideas of each chapter, and it is written with the theories of how we best learn in mind. That makes it a good book for a large variety of audiences, those with a good basis on mental health issues and also people looking for good tips and advice to improve their life.
‘Stepping Stones’ is enhanced by examples, not only the personal account of the writer, but also many inspiring stories, from heroic feats to smaller but important achievements, that pepper the chapters and keep the momentum going. There are also a number of brief accounts and reminders of famous figures who had in common their perseverance, learning from experiences and indeed resilience. They illustrate further that good things are worth working for and also that it is not all down to talent and inspiration. Keeping at it also plays a very important part.
I recommend ‘Stepping Stones’ as a user-friendly self-help book based on sound concepts, containing easy to follow ideas, that does not promise life will be happy and fluffy if you read it, but if you work hard and never give up you’ll be better prepared to cope with whatever might come your way. Are you ready to give it a go?
I hope you are, and here there is further information and links to the book:
Published
1st Edition April, 2012
2nd Edition March 2014
Genre: Personal Transformation
Size: 159 pages
Format: Kindle eReader
Available Amazon Worldwide
http://mybook.to/EmotionalResilience
U.S. Price: $4.99
And now, the always important giveaway. Marquita is kindly offering an e-copy of this fabulous book:
Cover of Inspirational Words of Wisdom by Marquita Herald
1st Edition April, 2012
2nd Edition July, 2013
Format: Kindle eBook
Amazon Worldwide
http://mybook.to/WordsofWisdom
Here’s the Giveaway Link (Prize = an eBook of “Inspirational Words of Wisdom for Challenging Times” – a companion piece to Stepping Stones):
Thanks to you all for reading, to Marquita and Making Connections for inviting me to take part in the tour and you know, if you’ve enjoyed it, like, share, comment, take part in the giveaway and of course, don’t forget to CLICK! You’ll be inspired!
May 15, 2014
Novedades Literarias. Vuelve Javier Haro Herráiz con otras 3 novelas!
Hola amigos:
Cómo sabéis los viernes suelo tener autor invitado y últimamente he aprovechado para traeros novedades literarias, algunas de autores que ya habían visitado mi blog hacía algún tiempo, y otras de autores que aún no se habían pasado por aquí.
Hoy vuelve uno de los autores más prolíficos que me han visitado, nuestro amigo Javier Haro Herráiz, que yo creo que cualquier día batirá un record (aunque tendrá que apurarse que Barbara Cartland se lo ha puesto difícil).
Primero, una colección de historias de terror:
29 de Javier Haro Herráiz
29…:
SINOPSIS…: Cada cuatro años el terror vuelve a cobrar vida…
1ª PARTE LA HISTORIA DE SANDRA…: Después de pasar cuatro años internada en un hospital psiquiátrico, aquejada de una misteriosa amnesia, la joven Sandra Villanueva, un 29 de Febrero, recuerda los terribles sucesos acaecidos el 29 de Febrero anterior, relatando a uno de los doctores de la clínica una auténtica pesadilla.
2ª PARTE EL HOSPITAL DE LOS HORRORES…: La misma fuerza sobrenatural que cuatro años acabase con sus compañeros, regresa ahora para hacer suya a la joven Sandra Villanueva, convirtiendo el pequeño hospital psiquiátrico donde ahora reside en el escenario de algo terrible y mortífero.
3ª PARTE EL ORIGEN DEL TERROR…: Conoceremos aquí la historia del Enterrador y cómo llegó a convertirse en una Fuerza al servicio del Mal.
4ª PARTE LA CASA DEL ENTERRADOR…: Han pasado varios años, y una familia ha comprado la casa del Enterrador… ¿Revivirán ellos el horror como hicieran décadas atrás los anteriores dueños, y volverá el Mal a adueñarse de sus voluntades y a convertir sus vidas en un infierno, o lograrán salvarse y salir sanos y salvos de la angustia y el terror?
ENLACE…:
http://viewBook.at/B00JNC48E0
Segundo: Vuelve nuestro amigo y superhéroe Blanco Omega.
Portada de Balnco Omega el Año Perdido de Javier Haro Herráiz
BLANCO OMEGA: EL AÑO PERDIDO…:
SINOPSIS…: ¿Qué fabulosas y emocionantes aventuras corrieron Víctor Gabriel y su novia Ylenia durante sus viajes alrededor del Mundo? ¿Qué nuevos y fascinantes amigos conocieron? ¡Descúbrelo leyendo este libro! ¡Te sorprenderá!
ENLACE…: http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00IHFLI60/
Tercero, la respuesta española a Spiderman, y naturalmente, es mujer!
Portada de Dama Araña de Javier Haro Herráiz
DAMA ARAÑA…:
SINOPSIS…: Les presento a Ana María Cebrían Soria, una joven aparentemente normal pero que guarda un secreto muy especial. Tocada literalmente por un Ángel, ahora compagina su trabajo como Bióloga en uno de los laboratorios farmacéuticos más importantes de Valencia, con sus andanzas nocturnas como Dama Araña, una fascinante ladrona dotada de increíbles poderes y de un corazón noble, que se verá sumergida en las más inquietantes y peligrosas situaciones.
ENLACE…: http://www.amazon.es/dp/B00JCRP4DA/
Muchísimas gracias por leer, a Javier por seguir escribiendo y visitándonos, y le esperamos dentro de poco, estoy segura, y si os ha gustado, ya sabéis, dadle al me gusta, comentad, compartid, y haced CLIC!
New Books. Where Love Takes You by Rebecca Scarberry
Hi all:
As you know on Fridays I bring you a guest. I’ve been talking to one of my fellow authors from ASMSG, Rebecca Scarberry, and as she has quite an number of books published, all well deserving of a visit, I asked her to choose one for today, and she’s decided to bring us ‘Where Love Takes You’. Just the title and looking at the cover makes you want to dive into the book, but Rebecca has been kind enough to send us not only some information about herself, but also a sample. And rather than keep talking about it, let’s get going.
First, introduce you to Rebecca:
Author Rebecca Scarberry
Rebecca Scarberry (@Scarberryfields on Twitter) lives on a secluded farm in the Boston Mountains of Arkansas. She has self-published six books (four different genres): Messages from Henry (mystery), Rag Doll (psychological thriller/crime drama), Jumper series of three children’s picture books, and Where Love Takes You (transatlantic romance). She is currently editing the script for one episode for her children’s book series. A couple of television producers have requested she do so. Way to go, Rebecca!
Where Love Takes You by Rebecca Scarberry and Francis Potts
Book description for Where Love Takes You:
The devoted, unlikely hero pigeon, Henry, is back in this sequel to Messages from Henry. This romance will take you on a transatlantic journey to England. With racing birds and racing hearts, you’ll find yourselves routing Henry on once again. His devotion to his new challenges and his mate, Cecilia will touch your hearts.
Book Sample:
Chapter 1. Henry goes to school.
“Tammy, I received the most wonderful letter in the mail!” Evelyn shouted over the phone to her long-time friend and neighbor.
“Who’s the letter from?”
“It’s from the president of the Parent Teachers Association. She says the children attending Pickford Elementary school were learning about carrier pigeons when word of Henry saving my life hit the local news. She says they have made an award for Henry and want me to bring him to an awards ceremony.”
“That’s so lovely, Evelyn. When is it?”
“Hang on. I’ll look at the letter. October 2nd. It’s a Saturday. Will you be able to come too? After all, without you to read the messages, I’d be dead.”
The thought made Tammy shiver. “Of course, I’d love to come with you. I’m trying to picture what they could have possibly made for him.”
“I don’t care what they made. Henry is going to love their attention.”
Tammy showed up at Evelyn’s beautiful, large farmhouse an hour before they had to have Henry at the school auditorium. She was dressed in a casual pastel orange dress that complimented her red curly hair and azure eyes. Her high heels matched her dress perfectly.
As soon as Evelyn opened the front door, she looked at Tammy’s shoes and said, “Well, I guess I’ll be going out to give Henry a quick grooming by myself. You certainly can’t walk through the mud in those heels.”
“I could just slap you, Evelyn,” Tammy teased. “I was expecting a compliment and Henry all ready to go.”
Evelyn laughed and then said, “No, he’s not ready yet. I’ve been fussing with my out-of-control hair for half an hour. My hair is the same color as yours, but it certainly isn’t as controllable.”
“Your hair looks beautiful and you look so pretty in that light green dress. Have to tell you though; you’re going to have to lose the house slippers.”
Evelyn laughed as she removed the slippers, and replaced them with black rubber boots.
“Oh, those look much better,” Tammy joked.
Evelyn looked back at Tammy and rolled her eyes, as she headed for the backdoor. Once she arrived with Henry, in a nice clean cat carrier, she placed him on the kitchen floor.
Tammy looked at Henry, staring up at her. “Hello, Henry. Why you look beautiful. Your pure white feathers glisten, and your yellow eyes look brilliant, as usual.”
“I wiped him down a little bit, but I agree he looks beautiful. Like his girlfriend, Cecilia, he likes to keep his feathers in pristine condition. Let me put my heels on and we’re ready to go.”
The traffic held Evelyn and Tammy up. There had been an accident on the freeway earlier, and traffic hadn’t normalized.
Once the two entered the crowded auditorium, many of the children in the back rows turned to see who had entered. They immediately rose from their seats and began to clap. Once the others within earshot heard them clapping, they stood to see what it was about. Before Evelyn and Tammy took another step, the auditorium was filled with the sound of hundreds of people applauding. Evelyn looked down at Henry and found him bobbing his head. It was as though he was thanking them. She smiled big and raised the carrier above her head, for all to see.
A chubby, gray-haired woman in her fifties came up behind them and patted Evelyn on the back. “Come this way, Mrs. Bury. We have a seat for you on stage.”
Evelyn set the carrier on the floor next to her wooden chair, on stage. Once Evelyn sat down, proceedings began.
A tall, thin woman in her thirties stood at a podium and began, “Good afternoon. I’m Sharon Batista. Thank you all for coming this evening to honor Henry. Evelyn, we all want to thank you for bringing your hero to meet all of us tonight. We read in all the newspapers and saw your story on the local television news. We were all rooting Henry on, and praying you would be saved from death by the hands of your kidnapper. With each message Henry delivered to your dear friend, Tammy Wade, we were hoping that would be the one message to lead the authorities to you. I also want to add, we are so sorry for the loss of your son, Scott. We know he was trying very hard to pay the ransom and save your life. I don’t want to put you on the spot, but I’m wondering if you’d like to say a few words”.
Evelyn rose from her chair, Sharon stepped away from the podium, and Evelyn adjusted the microphone. “Thank you, Sharon, for your kind words. Tammy and I have been looking forward to this night for weeks. I’m thankful my dearly beloved husband trained Henry so well. Had it not been for Henry’s special abilities, and my loving friend Tammy, I never would have been found. Thank you all for coming to meet him.” As she walked back to her seat, the crowd applauded. Sharon returned to the podium, “Thank you, Evelyn. I would like to introduce you to one of Henry’s dearest fans, six-year-old Martin Quinten. He has the award, he made himself, and one-hundred and fifty students agreed was the perfect award for your special bird.”
A very small six-year-old redheaded boy started up the stairs to the stage. He stumbled on the fourth step, and this caused several of the children to laugh. Evelyn smiled dearly at the poor boy, as his face continued to redden with each step he took.
Once Martin regained his footing, his face turned to its normal pale white. In one hand, he held something in a silver box with a red bow tied to the top. He walked up to Evelyn and stood speechless.
“Nice to meet you, Martin,” Evelyn said with a smile. As she scooted the carrier closer to the child, she began again, “I would like to introduce you to Henry.”
The boy leaned down and looked inside of the carrier. With a large smile on his face he said, “We have an award for you, Henry. We hope you like it. We all think of you as the prince of pigeons.” Henry tilted his head and looked up at Martin, through the wire, atop the carrier. This clearly thrilled the boy and he soon handed Evelyn the box.
“I’m certain he will, Martin.” She slowly removed the bow. She opened the box to find a tiny, dark red felt vest. On the back, in yellow lettering, it said, HERO. She fought back tears of joy and said, “Henry will look stunning in this, and it’ll keep him warm on these cold mornings.” She sat the vest on her lap, removed Henry from his carrier, and placed the vest on his muscular body. It fit perfectly. She held Henry high into the air and Henry bobbed his head. The audience began to clap once again.
A line of people then began to line up on stage to meet and pet Henry, proudly displaying his new vest.
After reading that, you must go get it, here:
Thanks so much to Rebecca for being my guest and bringing us such a great read, to all of you for reading, and you know what to do, if you’ve enjoyed it, like, share, comment, and of course, CLICK!
May 12, 2014
Ayuda! Necesito sugerencias sobre la portada para mi nueva novela corta.
Hola a todos:
Como recordaréis (quizás) compartí hace unas semanas el principio de una novela corta que espero publicar en las próximas semanas, Familia, lujuria y cámaras. Está más on menos lista (tengo que añadir algunas cosas y releerla otra vez), aunque ando buscando portada.
De hecho hice unas fotos a un edificio en la calle Condal (Carrer Comtal) de Barcelona, que me pareció intrigante y sugerente. Luego cuando llegué a casa y aunque no tenía ningún programa para manipular fotos muy espectacular (y todo eso no se me da nada bien) conseguí hacerla blanco y negro.
Aquí está:
Posible portada de ‘Familia, lujuria y cámaras’
Una amiga autora, Teagan, sugirió que podría hacer destacar dos de las cámaras poniéndolas en color o incluso sobreponer un ojo de verdad a una de ellas. Como os digo no tenía ningún programa bueno allí, aunque tengo Photoshop en este ordenador (pero recién instalado y no sé si conseguiré hacer mucho). Qué os parece la idea? Me parece interesante pero supongo que sería cuestión de probar y ver, aunque me gusta bastante tal cual.
Lo otro que os quería preguntar es de qué color pondríais el título y mi nombre y si os ocurre un tipo de letra que os parezca vaya bien con eso (no he investigado demasiado así que cualquier sugerencia se agradece).
Gracias por leer, por las sugerencias, y ya sabéis lo de siempre, si os gusta, haced like, comentad (por favor) y compartid.
Ah, y os dejo el enlace al post original para que os hagáis una idea de que va la novela (es algo negra, de obsesión, voyeurismo y venganza…).
Please Help! I need suggestions for my new cover!
Hi all:
As you will remember (maybe) a few weeks ago I published a sample of my new novella that I hope to publish in the next few weeks, Family, lust and cameras. It is now nearly ready (I must re-read it, add some links and make sure everything is OK), and I’m looking for a cover.
To be precise, as I was going for a walk in Barcelona, I came across a building (a hotel) in Carrer Comtal, that I found very intriguing and suggestive and took a few pictures. The computer I was travelling with didn’t have much in the way of programs for manipulating images, but I managed to turn it into a black and white picture. And here it is:
Possible cover for ‘Family, lust and cameras’
I shared the picture with a fellow author, blogger and good friend, Teagan Geneviene (thanks Teagan), and she suggested I could add colour to a pair of the eyes/cameras or even superimpose a real eye onto one of them. As I said I didn’t have much to play with there but I have recently downloaded Photoshop to my computer, although I haven’t had time to try and use. It seems and excellent suggestion, although I guess it would be a matter or trying and seeing (I’ll try and find time to play with Photoshop and see) although I also quite like it as it is.
I was wondering if you would have any ideas or suggestions about the color of the font for the title and my name, position, and type of font. I haven’ t done much research and would be grateful for suggestion.
I leave you a link to the previous post so you can get some idea about the story. In short is pretty dark, about obsession, voyeurism and revenge.
Thanks for reading, and you know the usual, if you’ve enjoyed it or found it intriguing, like, share and leave suggestion!
May 8, 2014
Autor invitado. Luís Hernanz Burrezo y ‘El evangelio del traidor’
Como suelo hacer los viernes os traigo un autor invitado, otro de los escritores a los que he conocido a través de uno de los grupos en Facebook, Luís Hernanz Burrezo. Luís ha creado una obra histórica, con mucha intriga, y además, para conseguir hacerla accesible a todo el mundo, la ha publicado no solo en formato electrónico y en papel, sino también en audio.
El evangelio del traidor de Luís Hernanz Burrezo
Sinopsis
Nada vi de lo que conté. Yo no estuve allí… Así comienza un anciano el epílogo de sus recuerdos. Epílogo porque su mundo, el de Platón o Pitágoras, muere aunque aún no lo sabe. El nuevo tendrá al Christos y la fe como ejes, y él ha contribuido decisivamente a su alumbramiento.
Ve con los ojos del pasado, con los ojos de Marco
Marcio, un centurión que, desde la cima del Monte de los Olivos, contempla la agonía de una Jerusalén cercada por las legiones de Tito. Marco es romano, griego y judío, y aún no sabe que su participación será determinante para la caída de la ciudad. No conoce los hechos que tuvieron lugar allí y en el arrasado huerto de Getsemaní, hace menos de cuarenta años. Está lejos de suponer que escribirá el Evanghelion de Jesús el Nazoreno. Ignora que pronto la muerte pasará rozándolo.
Recuerda, con la claridad de los ancianos, cuándo deja de ser dueño de sus días para ser el juguete de dioses crueles. Cómo en su camino se cruza una niña que crece en el templo de Isis en Alejandría y que lo llevará por el camino de la gnosis; y también recuerda a un niño, que entrega el Ynis Dywill, la Isla Oscura de los druidas, al gobernador romano de Britania, convirtiéndose, cuando sea un hombre, en el prisma que reflejará la luz oscura del mundo.
Vuelven a él el rastro de sangre y cadáveres que deja su paso por Cesarea, la deslumbrante estela del faro de Alejandría y de su biblioteca, los días de luz de la redacción del evangelio, la felicidad de los años junto a Sofía en el Didaskalion, la escuela catequista, cuando sólo es Markos. Hasta que un oscuro día de diciembre el viento del fatum lo lleva a Roma. Allí presencia y padece las disputas teológicas con una ecclesia romana que antepone la fe a todo y busca ser la cabeza de todas las iglesias con la mortífera lucha por la sucesión imperial como telón de fondo.
Y al final de todo siempre le espera Obriénicus, su alter ego. El joven britano, con la dignidad de prefecto del pretorio, cercano al emperador Domiciano, es el único capaz de entender la enorme herramienta de poder que es, en realidad, la nueva religión de los cristianos. En la lucha que estalla para salvar lo que queda de su mundo, habrá una traición que no podrá evitar cometer, un inmenso tesoro que no existe y todos buscan y una victoria que, de alcanzar, lo destruirá.
Luís tiene una página de web, donde además de la información sobre su obra y enlaces para obtenerla en varios formatos, también da consejos, ofrece muestras del audio, y de todo un poco. Aquí os la dejo para que podáis explorarla a vuestro gusto:
Gracias a Luís por venir de invitado, gracias a todos vosotros por leer, y si os ha gustado, ya sabéis, comentad, compartid y haced CLIC!
New book: ‘Time to Let Go’ by Christoph Fischer.
As you know on Fridays I like to bring you guest authors and new books. Christoph Fischer, one of the authors from ASMSG (one of the groups of authors I’m proud to belong to) has kindly agreed to bring us his books that is just about to be released. Not only that, but he offers us a sample that will, no doubt, wet your appetite. I’m sure you’ll be itching to buy it by the time you finish reading and I promise to update the post with links to the book as soon as it’s out. And just in case, he also shared a number of sites and links so you can hear it directly from him.
Time to Let Go is a contemporary family drama set in Britain. 
Following a traumatic incident at work Stewardess Hanna Korhonen decides to take time off work and leaves her home in London to spend quality time with her elderly parents in rural England. There she finds that neither can she run away from her problems, nor does her family provide the easy getaway place that she has hoped for. Her mother suffers from Alzheimer’s disease and, while being confronted with the consequences of her issues at work, she and her entire family are forced to reassess their lives.
The book takes a close look at family dynamics and at human nature in a time of a crisis. Their challenges, individual and shared, take the Korhonens on a journey of self-discovery and redemption.
Review quotes from Goodreads previews:
“I cried when I read the book, but I also smiled at the ability of the author to capture the essence of human nature so beautifully. I can’t recommend this book highly enough!”
“This is a heartbreaking story but at the same time it has some wonderful moments.”
“Christoph Fischer has done an amazing job with a difficult subject. He shows a lot of understanding of human nature and a great deal of insight.”
“This story has me in tears because the author truly understands and makes the story relate to everyone.”
“This is a must read for anyone that has dealt with Alzheimer’s, even if you are lucky enough not to know anyone who suffers from it this is a great read. Have kleenex on hand and know that this emotional story will stay with you, but it is worth the tears.”
Brief Excerpt:
He heard Biddy stir on the sofa and his thoughts returned to the here and now. Biddy was all love and happiness when he went in to the living room to wake her with a cup of tea.
“Oh, you are so nice. Thank you, thank you so much. I love hot tea,” she said and she snuggled up to her husband. These moments of closeness had become rare between the couple and he cherished them. Sometimes he felt he had lost his wife for good with the disappearance of her memory, but then she was suddenly back for brief moments like this. They sat together on the sofa for a while without saying anything. Biddy took sips from her tea and Walter for a moment could live the dream that she was with him, as if she remembered exactly who he was and why he was here. Biddy leaned on him and he could choose to believe that it was a sign of their unbroken connection to each other. Dead brain cells, grey matter, synapses and shortage of chemicals – all the medical explanations did not matter.This moment did: him and his wife, Walter and Biddy Korhonen, and their unity on the sofa.
“You will make someone a good husband.” Biddy broke the silence all of a sudden, shattering the happy illusion, but she smiled at him with the utmost care and affection.
“Yes, I think one day I will!” he said smiling back, accepting that the brief, heavenly visit to the past was over and the new reality had returned.
“Now, let’s get you dressed and go outside for a walk. How about that my sweetheart?” he asked.
Short Biography:
Christoph Fischer was born in Germany, near the Austrian border, as the son of a Sudeten-German father and a Bavarian mother. Not a full local in the eyes and ears of his peers he developed an ambiguous sense of belonging and home in Bavaria. He moved to Hamburg in pursuit of his studies and to lead a life of literary indulgence. After a few years he moved on to the UK where he now lives in a small hamlet, not far from Bath. He and his partner have three Labradoodles to complete their family.
Christoph worked for the British Film Institute, in Libraries, Museums and for an airline. ‘The Luck of The Weissensteiners’ was published in November 2012; ‘Sebastian’ in May 2013 and ‘The Black Eagle Inn’ in October 2013. He has written several other novels which are in the later stages of editing and finalisation.
http://www.facebook.com/WriterChristophFischer?ref=hl
http://www.christophfischerbooks.com/
http://writerchristophfischer.wordpress.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6590171.Christoph_Fischer
http://www.amazon.com/Christoph-Fischer/e/B00CLO9VMQ/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1
Thanks for sharing Christoph, thank to all for reading, and if you’ve liked it don’t forget to like, comment, share, and CLICK! (And I’ll share the links when the book is out but all of the above links will also keep you informed on all the books of this fantastic writer).
Author Translator Olga
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