Ingrid Hall's Blog, page 7
October 16, 2015
Do you want a guest post/interview January-March 2016?
I am going to open up weekly slots for guest posts/interviews January through to March 2016. All I ask in return is that you run a reciprocal post in January or February promoting my new range of Sensual Greetings Cards that I will be launching under my Luna Ballantyne brand. You can get a flavour of what to expect from the cards at www.sensualcards.net
Please note that while the site is live I am NOT currently taking orders. (The cards will be available for purchase from 04th January 2016) and further designs will be added to the range by then.
If you are interested, please email ingrid@luv2write.net with the subject header “Reciprocal Post” – I don’t mean to sound selfish, BUT I will only agree to a two-way promotion. I am always happy to help fellow indie authors for free – but this time I do need a little help in return!
Love Ingrid xxx
October 14, 2015
Review of Tales of the Zodiac – The Goat’s Tale by PJ Hetherhouse
Reviewed by Carlton Rolle
PJ Hetherhouse has always been inspired by the astrology. He notes that this is because it lies between my two of his main academic interests: animal lore and the development of the human personality. A disappointing aspect of Western astrology for Hetherhouse is the lack of personal history of characters. With plenty of years to think it over and find a happy medium, Hetherhouse published his first book, Tales of the Zodiac – The Goat’s Tale.
The story takes place on what is called Mother Island. On this island, two major cities exist called Arberth and Brightstone. A vast barren land dominated by harsh climates and snow separates the cities. Both cities are constantly vigilant for the snow savages that live in the off the land. Between battling snow savages, mainlanders, and troubles within its community, one of the civilizations are on the brink of collapse. The other is not too far behind. Both of the cities are also dealing with religious vigor and political functions.
It is in the midst of this the readers are introduced to the protagonist of the story. He is a sixteen year old boy named Gruffydd. He grew up as a goat herder with his Father. Gruff is a smart kid who is determined, honest, and has a strong moral code. Because of these qualities, he wins a scholarship to the most prestigious school in the city of Arberth. During the school year, a highly anticipated race happens where it is expected that the King’s son, Prince Libran, will win. This doesn’t work well with Gruff’s personality. He ends up winning first place but makes an enemy of the King.
The king effectively banishes Gruff by sending him and 11 others on a journey to the other fabled city of Brightstone. With the odds stacked against Gruff and his new partner Morrigan, they set off on a quest to find Brightstone. There they are to discover what is happening to the city and bring back the Son of God. Throughout the quest, Gruff learns life lessons of survival, companionship, and communication.
Though it doesn’t outright say it, there are several clues in the book, which lead readers to discover that this takes places in the distant future. The historical story behind how humanity regressed to the Feudal system would be intriguing to know. Hetherhouse does a great job detailing the adventure, character development, and the overall plot. I felt connected to the group and at many points wondered what was going to happen next. One of the most interesting aspects that I enjoyed was how Hetherhouse set the scene of nature. I felt like I was there with the group looking at the same things they were looking at.
I recommend folks read Tales of the Zodiac if interested in a great story that will keep you thinking and rooting for the protagonist to succeed. I’m hooked and can’t wait to find out what happens next in the great saga that has been laid out.
October 10, 2015
Review of Finnian’s Fiddle by Chandler Groover
Finnian’s Fiddle takes us back to our childhoods, rediscovering the simple joys that came from following an unlikely hero on his journey to accomplish a magical quest. This book is a charmer, and no mistake.
From the moment Finnian, a young daydreamer and lover of epic quests, takes on the task of saving his village from the terrors faced by a marauding — yet curiously erudite — fire-breathing dragon, we’re emotionally invested in Finnian and whether or not he can (a) find a fiddle worthy of being played, and (b) learn to play it well enough to escape being eaten by the dragon.
His travels in search of the perfect fiddle take him into the City, where he narrowly escapes having his hand chopped off — the common consequence of being a pickpocket — and becomes the apprentice to a quirky gentlemen with a monkey on his shoulder. For Finnian, the moment is one of grave importance:
“He felt something inside himself, like a fuse sizzling, as nervous energy accumulated, ready for a lit match to ignite it. He only had to light the match.”
He acquires a few interesting allies and patrons along the way, from his violin taskmaster, Signor Sarro, to the diplomat Lord Mandrake, and even the bemused star-gazer Sir Isaac, who leads him up a winding staircase one evening to espie Sagittarius. The lesson is lost on poor Finnian, but he does appreciate the fine view:
“It was a strange and beautiful evening without a moon, and the only thing that broke the atmosphere was a sudden bluish comet. It left a sparkling trail across the sky.”
Poetical writing abounds in this fine tale of adventure and whimsy, often putting the reader in mind of The Hobbit, or the epic masterpiece The Lord of the Rings. Finnian’s quest to become a virtuoso violinist leads him still further, moving from the City to the Forest, where he falls in with Robin and his band of bandits, who studiously ignore the newcomer.
“The silence of Robin’s companions was a silence reserved for background players in a dream.”
Finally, Finnian’s journey leads him to the Mountain, and a harrowing conversation with a winged creature called the Sphinx, who will eat him unless he gives satisfactory answers to a series of questions.
Does Finnian wind up as dinner for one on a lonely mountainside? Does he ever master a melody on the fiddle — one with enough musicality to please the waiting dragon and spare his beloved friends in the village the ignominy of being roasted alive?
You’ll just have to read this marvelous book for yourself, and go back in time to stories told by your parents — or grandparents — sitting patiently by your warm cozy bed and spinning a tale of magical delight.
October 7, 2015
Review of Myku: an array of deviant haiku for a new century by Tara Keogh
Reviewed by Carlton Rolle
Tara Keogh is an accidental poet who does it for the love of lyrical joy. She earns her crust editing books by authors who will self-publish. They call her The OCD Editor.
The book myku is composed of 212 haiku. Within this form of Japanese poetry, verses are constructed using three lines each with a certain number of syllables. Keogh is following the 5-7-5 form. Within this book Keogh discusses several aspects of life such as work, love, and pain.
I believe it is an art to the creation of haiku. In many cases, the message has to be short and to the point. Keogh did an amazing job at capturing the moment or emotion. There are several pieces that stick out to me.
hiding my dislike
is an ever-evolving
and deceptive art
your condemnation
revealed the twisted state of
your proclamations
good conversation
seems to live only in my
books and memory
i throw myself at
unknowing objects of my
desire’s appetites
In many pieces, I found myself reacting to message. This would trigger memories for me and be able to further place into perspective. Others felt as if they could be read continuously as a chant. There even some that left me wanting more from the situation. Another aspect that was touched on from the beginning was that people have simultaneous feelings about situations. Within pieces it contain feeling that works against each other. This can be somewhat jarring if a person is reading straight through each haiku. But I feel part of the purpose of haiku is to think on the subject manner after the words have been said (or in this case, read.)
Keogh put energy into her haiku. She wrote from multiple perspectives and spoke of balance with form. This is a great read when you’re looking for something substantial to read on the train, in a waiting room, or before sleeping. This book captivated me, and I’m sure it will for many others.
For more from Tara Keogh e-mail her at: theocdeditor@gmail.com.
Or visit her Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_ocd_editor
October 2, 2015
Review of Turkey Street: Jack and Liam Move to Bodrum by Jack Scott
Jack Scott was born on a British army base in Canterbury, England in 1960 and spent part of his childhood in Malaysia as a ‘forces brat.’ A fondness for men in uniforms quickly developed. At the age of eighteen and determined to dodge further education, he became a shop boy on London’s trendy King’s Road: ‘Days on the tills and nights on the tiles were the best probation for a young gay man about town’. After two carefree years, Jack swapped sales for security and got a proper job with a pension attached. In his late forties, passionately dissatisfied with suburban life and middle management, he and his husband abandoned the sanctuary of liberal London for an uncertain future in Turkey.
Turkey Street, by Jack Scott is at once a charming travel memoir and a smart, sassy commentary on how a small community of expatriates — including a British gay couple — get along each day in foreign lands such as Turkey, where the book takes place.
Jack and Liam have gone to the tiny town of Bodrum along the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts on an extended holiday from the dank fogs of London. This is the story of the outrageous people they meet and the oftentimes funny, sometimes poignant, situations in which they find themselves.
Seen primarily through the eyes of Jack, the neighborhood comes alive with warmth and hospitality at their arrival. Their Turkish landlady, Beril, seems to think that by fixing them any one of two dozen Turkish dishes, she can put a bad mood or situation instantly better. Her efforts are met with long-suffering patience by Jack and Liam, whose domestic devotion — if not always bliss — shines through the entire narrative.
We meet many characters of note. There’s Sophia, a one-time aspiring film star, but now “a resolutely single, well-appointed Turkish widow with dazzling white hair fashioned into a bun and a heart in a million pieces” even years after the death of her diplomat husband.
There’s Sean, Liam’s severely handicapped younger brother, whose “overfriendly’ demeanor makes him many friends. Liam is fiercely protective of him, even after thirty years, and agonizes when he must finally put him in a home when their mother can no longer care for him.
“Liam helped Sean from his wheelchair and the two brothers sat side by side on the small bed, hands held, sensing the overwhelming inevitability of a situation neither of them could change.”
We meet Nancy, whose faithless love for a sea captain outweighs her good sense. “Nancy’s pneumatic chest heaved and her heart pounded expectantly, like a virgin on her wedding night.”
And, we meet Grit, the innkeeper of a one-star establishment called the Otel Latmos. “There was no disguising it. Grit was a bit of a gorilla. Six feet and more in her cross-hikers, she had the lumbering gait of a silverback.”
Ultimately, however, this is a tale about Jack and Liam’s devotion to each other and how they weather the ups and downs common to any relationship, and his deft treatment of the story — told with humor and grace — speaks volumes for how much they care for one another.
Overall, I found the book to be well-written and insightful — particularly on the subject of Turkey and its status in the world community. I give Turkey Street an unqualified five stars.
September 29, 2015
Review of Starlette by Kyle Andrews
What if almost everyone in the entertainment industry was killed in a single night by a psychotic villain by the dubious name of Bookworm? You’d have the opening events for a fascinating novel called Starlette — one of the most unique books I’ve read in a long time.
On the night of a huge awards show, mass murder occurs, wiping out a whole host of likeable characters introduced in the book’s opening chapter.
Holy Unorthodox Plot Twist, Batman!
Author Kyle Andrews makes up for it, however, by delivering an imaginative second twist: a few of the characters that escaped begin fighting back, led by the unlikely heroine Starlette. She, along with an able supporting cast of characters, code-named with such monikers as Girl Next Door, Wacky Best Friend and Heartthrob.
I know, it sounds bizarre. But if you’re able to just go along with the premise that this is what might conceivably happen if the ultra-influential entertainment industry as we know it today ceased to exist literally overnight, you’ll be rewarded with a compelling and often humorous read.
The counterattackers begin organizing and, slowly but surely, they try to regain the upper hand, with the goal of re-establishing a world with film stars, extras and all the other necessary components that made movies that we all knew and loved.
There are some memorable turns of phrase alongside the fast-paced dialogue:
In a memorable scene after one of the killers returns, looking for survivors, the gun-wielding thug utters a great line: “You can trust me. I drive a tiny electric car.”
As the revolt gets underway, Wacky Best Friend is caught with incriminating evidence. His startled response, facing imminent death: “I want to speak to my agent and union rep.”
Starlette tries to find the head of the lurid tabloid newspaper that has been writing nasty things about the emerging cast and crew. She is surprised to find that he isn’t “in the basement of some old lady’s house,” as she thought, but in a 1920s-era building that has a captivating look and feel.
“(It was a building) not merely from the old Hollywood from which Starlette came, but from the old, old Hollywood, where every star was a vision of glamor and class, and the mysteries of their personal lives was more like urban legends than everyday gossip.”
I won’t give away the final scenes, but you just have to trust that in every good Hollywood film worth its salt, there is a happy ending that brings out the handkerchiefs and makes you leave the theatre humming the title tune.
Light! Camera! Action! Starlette is a bona fide blockbuster, and worthy of a red carpet premiere. I give it five stars.
September 27, 2015
Review of A Gazillion Little Bits by Claudia Brevis
Claudia Brevis is an author, songwriter, playwright, genealogist and New Yorker living with her husband, Skip Brevis, on Manhattan’s upper east side. Claudia’s music and lyrics have been featured on stage, television, film and recordings.
In A Gazillion Little Bits, author Claudia Brevis has delivered a tour de force wrapped as a fantastic, dystopian masterpiece and set in the apocalyptic world that is New York City in 2256 A.D.
The story is gritty, filled with the strange descendants of the deadly catastrophe that ripped the metropolis to bits hundreds of years earlier. Lahara, a major character, is afflicted with a form of the Whispers that forces her to relive the harrowing last moments of the day New Yorkers found themselves trapped and dying horribly in subways around the city.
Her friends and extended family also have “gifts” of their own — other Whisperers, a woman Touched with Healing, a Runner, whose sole job is to carry bits of news from one end of the island to the other, often bartering the information for scraps of cloth or whatever the recipient has to offer.
Rumors of a strange beast that has somehow crossed the Hudson River are terrorizing the waking thoughts of these often-tortured individuals who nevertheless try to eke out an existence that holds a modicum of meaning and normalcy.
It’s a grim environment, where every new baby is a cause for celebration, and a community-wide Meet. Rolf and Roman are twins Touched with Math and Science, although their ambitious project to tap into the “strange charge” that once surrounded the island with light is mysteriously interrupted and we are left to guess at the intruders’ identities.
Meanwhile, Anthony, a fugitive taken in from Outside, sloshes east on Seventeenth Street, his ripped canvas boots covered in plastic sheeting, pulled from the top of a salvage pile. He must deliver meds that will help children stricken with an epidemic. But fate thwarts him at every turn.
Later, Lahara has her own troubles.
“True be told, the icy-hot birthing was clearing Lahara of the endless Whispers that had become her constant frame of mind. Each seizing cramp made her stronger and pulled her from the fogged world so difficult to escape.”
From its turbulent beginning to its surprising — and satisfying — end, this novel is rich in words and phrases that transport the reader into a world we never want to be a part of. And, yet, the human dignity and valor that shines through these well-drawn characters compels us to keep turning the pages to see what’s coming next.
And isn’t that the job of any good storyteller?
I give A Gazillion Little Bits five stars and hope for a movie scripted from this ambitious work soon.
September 25, 2015
You are invited to my Facebook Launch Party!!
Hey,
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The party is open to everyone, wherever you happen to live!
Simply pop over to Facebook and join the event!
September 21, 2015
Review of Alouette’s Song by Andrew Jonathon Fine
Andrew Jonathan Fine (1962 – ) was born in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, to a Conservative Jewish family. He started high school at 12, eventually graduating with a bachelor in electrical engineering and a master in computer science by the age of 23
In Alouette’s Song, author Andrew Jonathan Fine has interwoven a love story with pure science fiction and yet somehow also has managed to thread spirituality and YA themes into it at the same time. The result is a tale both entertaining and uplifting.
Two young couples combine forces to thwart evil government entities, explore the galaxy, and — along the way — overcome prejudices and domineering adults to make their mark and save the world. Whew! It’s a lot for a first-time author to accomplish, but Fine manages to do so with skill and imagination.
Dorothy, Richard, Martin and Margaret are the main protagonists in this science-laced coming-of-age story. They rely on each other to negotiate their way through a morass of situational dilemmas and outright adventures to get from one end of the book to the other.
I particularly appreciated the courageousness of Fine’s use of an autistic character early on. Peggy captures your heart as she struggles to protect her vulnerable inner self from life’s harsh realities.
As the story unfolds, the kids build a spacecraft in an old YMCA building and then fly it to Jupiter, but with one small hitch — the bad guy, DuQuesne, has stowed away!
Events unfold and they find themselves in the middle of an alien civil war. The kids fight valiantly, but at a terrible cost — Richard is severely injured and his life is despaired of. Much of the battle and its aftermath is seen through the eyes of the aliens, a touching and unexpected perspective.
Does Richard survive? Do the kids eventually return to Earth? And what of the nefarious DuQuesne? I won’t spoil the ending, but suffice to say it’s a satisfying one.
Alouette’s Song is a very unique read. It’s crafted like a fine Swiss watch, with the characters interplaying in synchronous rhythm, finding love and adventure in the unlikeliest of places, from one end of the solar system to the other.
The author has also taken on some ambitious themes here, tacking issues as disparate as Judaism’s sometimes harsh decrees, to a gay young man’s struggles with his sexuality — and addressing them tastefully. Oh, yes, there’s also sex in a couple of o places in the book, but it’s treated with loving respect.
I give Alouette’s Song a solid five stars and issue a warm welcome to a talented writer.
September 17, 2015
Review of Six Months To Get A Life by Ben Adams
Review by Carlton Rolle
Ben Adams went to grade-school, then college, and eventually grew up. With that, he got a responsible job, house, and a family. As time went on he had a mid-life crisis. Thinking that life was becoming too serious, Ben took up writing. First he wrote for his kids, but eventually began writing for adults. He writes for people who have lived, loved, worked, strived and suffered – people like himself. He finds humor where others just find pain. Currently Ben lives in London with his two boys, his dog, and constant stream of girlfriends.
The story follows Graham, a 42 year old recent divorcee. After 15 years married, two sons, and a dog, the couple decides to call it quits on their relationship. Graham leaves out of the family home and moves in with his parents. In a moment of reflection, Graham points at places where he has went wrong in life. He decides to get his life in order before his 43rd birthday.
One of the first goals that Graham had was to move into a place by himself. Living with parents at any time can be challenging. Graham sought to find a flat that worked with his son’s routine and places he wanted to be around. Throughout the entire book, Graham is most concerned with his sons Jack and Sean. Graham always did plenty of things with his sons, so he thought continuously of ways to interact with the boys.
Another area that Graham wanted to work on was his love life. He starts by meeting up with his buddies in neighborhood pubs. Though they don’t really help much in his troubles, they give him an outlet to relax with. Graham also attends several dinner dates with couples that he knew mutually with his ex-wife. Though somewhat successful, Graham meets a woman named Julia. After she makes a move on him, they have a one night stand.
While working towards a different quest towards is getting in shape, Graham takes his dog Albus on a walk. During one of their walks, he meets Amy. Amy is recently divorced herself. While discovering their interest in one another, they take their time to show their emotions. Both interactions with women after Graham’s marriage helped him gain better perspective of who he was and what he wanted from life.
Graham also decides that he needs to change his boring desk job. As a sign itself, his company undergoes restructuring and he finds out he will be stacked. He puts greater energy into refreshing his resume and applying to jobs. Eventually he secures a job that easily replaces his former company.
In the book Graham informs readers through diary format. It gave readers a clear perspective to be able to connect with and understand why people do certain things. In Graham’s case, he learns the depth of companionship and love. He reconnects with living for a brighter future for his sons and sharpens his self-confidence. Ultimately Graham sought and claimed a portion of his worth in life after a divorce.
For more information about Ben Adams, visit http://blog.benadamsauthor.com.
