Scott Spotson's Blog, page 4
August 25, 2016
15-year-old Reviews “Bridge Through Time”
“I never read a book so fast…” Read about a 15-year-old student volunteer reader’s account of “Bridge Through Time”. Thanks to Litpick as usual for encouraging young people to read!
#litpick #timetravel #scifi
https://litpick.com/review/bridge-through-time-review-1231713
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July 31, 2016
Magic Realism Blog Hop!
#magicrealism #fantasy
What does magic realism mean to you? Think of The Life of Pi or Like Water For Chocolate, where fantasy elements are introduced in real world settings. Thus, no separate fantasy world is created, but rather the bursts of magic—whatever its intended effects—are used by an author to highlight suspense or to underscore a novel’s theme. For Pi, for example, the figure of Richard Parker, the lion, was the embodiment of his fears and horror of surviving a horrendous voyage where his loved ones died.
Similarly, some of my works—while certainly not as extensive in societal themes as those of the classics mentioned above—incorporate some magic realism. For example, in The Deadly Wizard Games by Scott Spotson, the old world order in today’s world is overthrown when a band of powerful wizards seize control. In Delusional, an earnest marketing executive’s life is upended when she experiences hallucinations that can’t be explained away to any psychosis, and increasingly zero in on her deepening relationship with a married man at her work. And in Seeking Dr. Magic, a wizard startles the world by secretly unleashing his magic on a world that does not yet know of its real-life existence.
Zoe Brooks is an author who specializes in magic realism and this weekend is hosting a magic realism blog hop that you can enjoy. She also hosts the magic realism blog which you can also check out as follows; http://magic-realism-books.blogspot.com
She was formerly a moderator for the magic realism discussion group on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Thank you, Zoe!
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July 8, 2016
Children’s Book – Mix of Science Fiction and Magic!
See review of “My Wizard Buddy: Target Earth” by the prolific Michael Thal!
The post Children’s Book – Mix of Science Fiction and Magic! appeared first on Scott Spotson.
June 29, 2016
Great “Koolura” Books — Delightful for Children!
Let me introduce an outstanding deaf author, Michael Thal of Los Angeles!
Check out his outreach newsletter at: http://michaelthal.com/blog/
http://www.examiner.com/academic-success-in-los-angeles/michael-thal (and subscribe to get fascinating articles!)
Here are my previous reviews, which I am re-posting for my followers:
BOOK ONE: THE LEGEND OF KOOLURA
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RT4O7NPQJGE60
4.0 out of 5 stars Kind, Caring Girl Takes Center Stage
ByFuture Boy on April 24, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Koolura is a great role model for the age range for readers of this book. She always goes out of her way to help others, no matter how they may have treated her in the past. Early on, there’s a bully girl, but quickly they become friends when Koolura turns the other cheek. In a way, you could say that her magic is more from her empathy and understanding, rather than from her super powers.
The book is a relaxing read. You know that the author won’t startle you or flip a character through an extreme makeover. Even with a stalker in this book, we don’t really fear for Koolura’s health or well-being. We all know she’s going to be okay. Although a bit of a drag at times, the back story on a teacher handling a class (11-year-olds) and these students interacting with each other added some nice context to this novel.
The only minor suggestions I have for this book are; 1) tighten the pacing a bit more, 2) perhaps have the “bad guy” find some other long-term adventure (or critical need personally important to him) for the first eleven years of Koolura’s life, so it makes sense when he does appear when he does in this book, and 3) get a smashing new cover.
Bravo, Mr. Thal!
BOOK TWO: KOOLURA AND THE MYSTERY AT CAMP SADDLEBACK
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R8R308S3TN9Q0
4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, Spunky Girls’ Adventure
ByFuture Boy on February 10, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
How nice to have a sweet, wise, meaningful book without any bad-mouthed or kick-ass girls. We don’t need attitude, we need a good story. This is it. Koolura is a pre-teen with magical powers that she uses sparingly depending on the danger. All the danger is not scary for pre-teens to read and is imagined or threatened rather than actual harm.
I hesitated between three and four stars for this. The three stars would have been for the rough edges that needed smoothing, for example when Koolura uses her magic powers, I would have liked some more measure of fascination — assume the reader will be fascinated by the magic trick being performed and a more enchanted, breathless recount of what happened and perhaps more transitioning. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if a magic trick was performed or not and had to read some passages twice to know if it was magic or not. For example Koolura would disappear and re-appear into a different place. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if she just ran fast, or she actually teleported. Sometimes the magic seemed too casual, as if she was trying on a shirt or brushing her teeth or something. I’m a firm believer in the voice of “awe” when there is fantasy involved. There’s something that tells us, yes, this is unique to us, and we should treasure it when we read.
But ultimately, I decided to give it four stars, because of the positive approach the author had, and having all the characters forgive each other. I find it a relief from the catty, vengeful, and suspenseful young adult books that seem to be prevalent these days. The plot is solid, it just needs more sophisticated writing to bring out the “voice” of the author and the magic of this story. Would be great to have some unique wordcraft in this novel, which at times seems a tiny bit plodding.
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June 27, 2016
Two More Days of Free “Life II” (Time Travel)
The Book Bub promotion is in its final days. It will end midnight, June 29, for the #timetravel book, “Life II”.
Hurry, it will go back up to $2.99 at that time!
https://www.bookbub.com/books/life-ii-by-scott-spotson?ebook_deal
In #kindle #kobo #smashwords #b&n #ibooks
Imagine re-living your life over again, knowing the original future you’ve had. Would you dare take that leap to your 16-year-old self, if given that choice? Find out by reading Max’s story.
Also, “Bridge Through Time” is a worthwhile sequel to “Life II.” Find out how Max’s son, Dr. Kyle Thorning, struggles with being born “in the wrong timeline” and uses his particle physics know-how to defeat an alien race from conquering Earth’s future through mixing up the timelines.
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June 15, 2016
Life II Free on June 22 on Book Bub!
#free #scifi #timetravel
Life II will be offered free next week on one of the world’s most popular book discount websites, Book Bub, on June 22!
#bookbub
Meanwhile, here’s the sequel, Bridge Through Time. (sorry, there’s no hyperlink to click on, this ad is just for information only — you can go over to Amazon or Kobo and check this out!)
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June 12, 2016
Life II Review “…no one can find the rewind button, boys…”
Enjoy this review of Life II… available on June 22 on Book Bub!
“…no one can find the rewind button, boys…”
#timetravel #scifi
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RIFKWLT082OAW
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June 6, 2016
Review of Bridge Through Time
#timetravel #scifi
http://clabepolkmysteryadve.ipage.com/cpma-book-blog.html
Clabe Polk Mystery Website
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May 12, 2016
Re-Edit of “Life II”
Finally… finished the long-awaited re-edit of Life II. The result is a more compact, streamlined book. I reduced the word count by 25% of the old length, which is an incredible 30% of the new shortened length.
Now it’s before a formatter and can’t wait to publish it electronically soon! Will put in an alert on the book blurb when ready for sale!
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March 29, 2016
The Strange Life of Brandon Chambers
Finished 90,000 words… a paranormal book about a guy who finds clues embedded in his life through hallucinations. Who–or what–is responsible, and what do the clues mean?
Will work on getting it ready for publication!
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