Monthly Archives: November 2011
Winning, Wrecks and Witches
Whew, it’s been a killer month. NaNoWrimo has kicked my butt, I’ll have to admit first and foremost. I have probably broken that coveted 50k word goal, but it’s been spread out over 4 different works in progress (including one spanking new baby that seems to be about past lives and why people aren’t supposed to rememeber them!) so unless I wanna be a NaNo cheater I won’t be getting my banner this year 
Besides all that holiday madness and NaNo, I had house guests for the first two weeks of the month. Of the manly-hunting variety. I’m just now recovering from the Camo overload. Then, my husband had the misfortune of wrecking his truck. Or rather, some random guy crashed into Hubby and had no license, insurance etc. So we’ve been dealing with that and trying to find a suitable replacement truck. (Here’s his mangled deer-hauler. How sad is that?)
And of course, I’m busting my hump to get BLOOD CHORD ready for publication sometime this month. I will beat the holiday rush, dag-nabbit. You can enjoy the tentative cover for that while I procrastinate via blogging.
Lastly, the third book in what has become my favorite series as-of-late, A Reckless Witch by Debora Geary has finally been released! I’m so excited about it that I can’t wait to find a couple of hours to read it. (You may remember I’ve reviewed the first two books in the series previously.) If anyone beats me to it– NO SPOILERS! I mean it!
Related articles
- Book Review- Witches on Parole: Unlocked by Debora Geary (quirkygurl.com)
That’s it. I’m off to finish editing my novel Blood Chord so it can be born, grow up, and move out of my house already!
The Secret of Lies by Barbara Forte Abate- Book Review
I’ve been reading a lot of genre fiction lately and it was nice to nibble on a novel with literary flavorings for a change. I couldn’t have picked a better book than The Secret Of Lies to satisfy my craving for lyrical writing, finely-crafted prose and a compelling, intricate plot.
I’ll spare you the plotting, because in my opinion that is what blurbs are for. I will say that the tale spans several years- from the innocence of adolescence to the reality of adulthood. The natural progression of the novel rang true; meaning that the author has a gift with writing from a young-adult perspective as well as with the clarity of time and experience. The descriptive prose was not overdone, nor left short. Barbara Forte Abate is a writer I expect to see more of as her work reminds me of Anita Shreve or Jodi Picoult– both in terms of expertly crafted writing and with her way of seeing humanity with all its flaws, laying them open for the reader to draw their own conclusions.
The Secret of Lies is a wonderful, moving novel and I’d highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys literary or family dramas with a bent towards writers like Picoult, Shreve or many previous Oprah Book Club selections !
Product Description From Amazon:
Propelled by an insurmountable sense of desperation, Stevie Burke is recklessly abandoning home, husband, and outwardly contented life under cover of night; at last resigned to defeat in her long battle against the tortured memories of her past.
Days later, lost and floundering in a dreary motel room without plan or destination, it is a long ago song playing on the radio that gently tugs Stevie back through the dust of remembrance. 1957 – The last summer spent at the ancient house overlooking the North Atlantic. A season which had unfolded with abundant promise, but then spiraled horribly out of control – torn apart by a shattering tragedy that remains splintered in fragments upon her soul. And it is only now, when Stevie at last lifts her eyes to stare deep into the heart of her long sequestered memories, that the long held secrets of past and future are at last unveiled.
Indie Authors and Novels: Updates 11/7
Thought I’d take a few minutes to share with you some interesting, and movin-on-up Indie Author/ Novel news. First, the winners of last months Indie Author Rockstar have been announced and it was a tie! Getting some well deserved recognition for the month of November is KATE AVERY ELLISION with The Curse Girl and DAN HOLLOWAY with The Company of Fellows. Both of these winners were voted on by a panel of peers and were selected because they are both exceptional books that should def. be checked out. So what are you waiting on—-> go check!
Also, our very own short story collection SKIN has been chosen for the current collection over on Indie Author Rockstar, so while you’re over there looking around, why not check out the current nominees as well?
The book I reviewed just a few days ago, The Temple, is featured over on Pixel of Ink today. Go Temple, Go!
One of my favorite Indie Authors is Michelle Muto (you may remember I reviewed her Book of Lost Souls a while back) and I just realized I missed her latest release, Don’t Fear The Reaper. Looks like a very interesting novel, and I’ve already added it to my TBR stack on my Kindle app.
One of my favorite Indie Authors regularly updates her blog, and every time I get a notification I have to read it right then and there. I’m addicted. Really. I simply adore her posts and I’m positive you will to. Head over to Shea’s site and subscribe to her updates. I dare you not to love them! (On a side note, Shea also has a new long novella/ short novel out- Dragon Warrior - and the cover alone is very, uh, exciting.)
That’s all for today! If anyone knows of any killer new releases, Indie Authors making a name for themselves etc, please do let me know 
Book Review – The Temple by Heather Marie Adkins
I was looking for a good, witchy, paranormal read over the Halloween Holiday, and boy did I find it. Admittedly, life sidetracked me a little and I didn’t get around to reading The Temple until after Samhain, but that hardly matters.
The story kept me sucked into it until the very end, leaving me tired and with a stiff neck this morning. Not only is the plotting in The Temple original and well-paced, but the writing is tight and clever, with just the right amount of snarky wit. The witch/ Wiccan details throughout the book never feel homogenized or stereotypical, and that is very hard to accomplish these days.In addition, I was particularly enamored with the sections pertaining to The Goddess and the descriptive way the author handles things.
Author Heather Marie Adkins is a practicing Wiccan and Independent author (Indies Rock!) so I’m not surprised at how polished and authentic the novel is. And the life she breathes into each and every character… very impressive! Equal parts mythology and mystery, with a dash of romance– The Temple is a stellar fist novel and I’m excited to read more from Adkins!
Product Description From Amazon:
Vale Avari has a mysterious past and a laundry list of super-powers, but that’s nothing compared to what she finds upon moving from small town U.S.A to jolly-good England.
A chance dart throw lands her in Quicksilver, an off-the-map place with a big problem – people are dying, and word is, it’s supernatural.
At her new place of employment, a temple dedicated to the ancient Mother Goddess, Vale learns something even more shocking – women guards are disappearing at an alarmingly patterned rate; women who possess special gifts like her own.
Supernatural powers aside, Vale isn’t ready to believe in the Wild Hunt as the culprit, and she’s determined to prove the deaths are acts of human violence.
Plagued by a brute with a history of domestic violence and lusting after a dark-eyed man with a secret, Vale has a limited amount of time to discover the killer before he strikes again. In the process, she’ll learn things aren’t always what they seem and the supernatural might not be so extraordinary after all.
The Hunt could ride for her.
