Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Darlings



Darlings follows the final months of the young adults born with the Iris disease. This rare disease causes its victims to be born physically flawless, but curses them with a twenty-two-year lifespan. At the end of their lives, they gather under one roof in New York City to live out their dreams. Fey Davis is the youngest of the Irises and he soon becomes obsessed with Marcy Darling--the leader of the group. Marcy has everything he's ever wanted in a girl: strength, confidence, and fierce beauty. But why did he have to meet her so late in his life? As their time comes to an end, Fey experiences love and fame for the first time. Lost in the throes of existential terror, Fey and his new friends count the minutes to their deaths. Gossip Girl meets Gone Girl in this brutal romance.




Featured General Fiction Books of the Week - Goddess of the Wild Thing

This Week's Featured
General Fiction



Goddess of the Wild Thing
by Paul DeBlassie III

Goddess of the Wild Thing is a dramatic tale of one woman’s spiritual journey where magical happenings, unexpected turns of fate, and unseen forces influence her ability to love and be loved. Eve Sanchez, a middle-aged woman and scholar of esoteric studies, encounters a seductive but frightening man who introduces her to a supernatural world in which the wicked powers of a surrogate mother’s twisted affection threaten love and life. In the mystic realm of Aztlan del Sur, Eve and three friends struggle with whether bad love is better than no love and discover that love is a wild thing.


More books to check out!

You decide if they're rock stars.


You Dear Sweet Man
by Thomas Neviaser

The subway ad is enticing. One might even consider it elegant as well. A beautiful woman, sitting atop a desk in a sparsely decorated office, staring directly at Bobby Fastow, a blue collar worker, on his way to his monotonous yet physically exhausting job. The photograph has an unusual charisma, a spectacular presence. It seemingly leaps off and out of the poster.

Bobby Fastow intensely absorbs the information directed at him. BurgerBlast, his favorite fast food restaurant, famous for quick service and reliable, if not artery-choking fare, is announcing a new name and a new direction.

But, in the world of advertising, nothing is as it seems. What if the line that separates an advertisement from the real world were erased? What if an image stepped from an ad and beckoned you to follow it back, inviting you to melt into its world. Could you resist? Bobby Fastow couldn't, and his decision would turn his world upside down.

Rewrite
by Stephanie Rose


Rewrite is a STANDALONE novel.

Once upon a time, a girl loved a boy and he loved her back. They lived happily ever after.

But our story was never that simple.

I loved Josh with all I had, right until the day he left. Now, all these years later, he was back—and wanting me the way I’d always longed for him. Except now, I belonged to someone else. Someone who never left me the way Josh had. I figured that was the end of our story. I couldn’t alter the past.

I didn’t want to rewrite my future.

Brianna was always more than my best friend. She was the shining light in my black hole of an existence, and I loved her with every cell and bone in my body. I wasn’t good enough for her, though—more the villain than the hero in our fairy tale. When I had to leave, I vowed to come back a better man—for her. But when I finally did return, she wasn’t waiting for me anymore. She had someone new, her very own Prince Charming. Did that mean our story was over? I couldn't change our past.

It was time to rewrite our ending.
 

The Vicissitudes of Fortune
by Bob Siqveland

Five teenagers from diverse backgrounds are brought together by a war. A Japanese, a Jew, a Native American, an African American, and a white kid from middle-class America form an interdependent relationship in the jungles of Vietnam. They become the most highly decorated squad in a war they don’t understand, but their relationships transcend the social structures of racism formed through historical injustices, and they remain best friends for decades. Their iconic leader, Billy Stone, one day finds himself entangled with a Medicare scam dreamed up by his sister’s husband. For his sister’s sake, he must find a solution. The livelihoods of the others form within the law enforcement communities in their individual and collective quest for justice as they grow from boys to men of great character. Even the strongest of character has its flaws, but these men are the best of the best, and there is only one adversity they cannot overcome. From the Selma-to-Montgomery march, the internment camps of WWII, the poverty and desolation of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation; to the estrangement of a father and son and a suicide of great consequence, this team of five becomes one. At the same time, there are “takers” like Billy’s brother-in-law who infect the American system. They need to be brought to justice, but the price will be high. On the smallest of scales, this is an epic tale of how the dream of a world community can become a reality.

Always Finding Time



This is a story coming from the child’s point of view. Explaining the way he/she sees the parents way of life from always being busy to always finding a positive outcome. I hope you are able to find joy in this book.





Monday, October 30, 2017

The Korpes File



"As if being born Diasporan wasn’t enough, Technician Nash Korpes had the bad luck to resemble his Tyran ancestors almost identically in both form, and manner. These traits, though highly prized by the special projects division at the shadowy Korlune Military Research and Development, mark him as a specter from their warlike past. With only his intellect holding his sanity in place, he wages a private war against the entire socioeconomic status quo and begins to uncover the truth that threatens them all."

--- The Korpes File contains coarse language, adult situations, and controversial themes such as, but not limited to racism, xenophobia, arranged marriage, genocide, and genetic experimentation. Set against a dystopian sci-fi backdrop, and told from multiple point-of-views, the story centers around the main character's experiences as a genetic anomaly. ---







Featured Children/Young Adult Books of the Week - The Tail of Max the Mindless Dog

This Week's Featured
Children/Young Adult



The Tail of Max of the Mindless Dog
by Florenza Lee

Cute, adorable Max is sure to become your child's favorite story character. And by the time you are even half way through reading, your little one will be able to say with you Max's words of affirmation!

In this beautifully written and spectacularly illustrated story of The Tail of Max the Mindless Dog, Max has a habit that is preventing him from enjoying his life fully. Seeing his friend missing so much happiness, Ross sets out to teach Max newer, more productive habits. Through the technique of belly breaths, with words of affirmation, Max learns to apply the practice of Mindful living to his previous mindless way of existing.

We all have habits; some are beneficial, others are not. We learn some conscientiously, others we develop slowly over time. Usually, habits are minor, and are not harmful to those we love or us. Even minor habits, when left unattended may develop to become obstacles. Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you are mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.

Through this beautiful story, the child in your life will learn to experience living in a state of active, open attention on their present – each and every day.



More books to check out!

You decide if they're rock stars.


This Body Won't Break
by Lea McKee

The truth doesn’t always set you free.

Orphaned as a child, Joanna has lived her entire life in the care of the New Terra Alliance. On the verge of turning eighteen, she eagerly awaits her release into what remains of society.

It was a beautiful lie.

Joanna was never meant to leave. She is part of the August Harvest, slated to die before the month’s end. With a rogue soldier’s promise to find her a way out, Joanna dares to hope. But if the NTA finds out what she knows, it won’t only be her own life at stake, but the life of the handsome soldier who has vowed to set her free.

Fans of Divergent, The Darkest Minds, and The Handmaid’s Tale will love this dystopian story of twisted secrets, romance, and page-turning suspense.

This Body Won’t Break is Book One of The O-Negative Series and will be published in 3 Parts (each approx. 25k words in length). Parts will be published on the first Tuesday of every month.

Julia Dream
by Fabia Scali-Warner


In a not too distant future, a nuclear war has decimated mankind. Three centuries later, survivors live barricaded in cities controlled by the Human Empire, while the inhabitants of the countryside have been mutated by radiation and live in the forests surrounding urban settlements, waging war on the humans.

When both her parents die in a fire, Julia is left to cope alone with a highly bureaucratic and regulated system, with very few select allies. As her loyalty undergoes increasingly harsh tests, Julia draws attention to herself with her cold blood and fierce resolve in battle.

Constantly on the edge between independent spirit and military discipline, Julia will have to decide how to use the power that has been granted her.
 

Glasses
by Marlene W. Potts

Young Kasey is new to Swan Quarter , North Carolina, but it's his new neighbor, old Mrs. Whitlock, that makes him more uncomfortable. He has to adjust to new kids and a new school when suddenly he is swept up in a mysterious disappearance of several of the communities' children. With the help of his new best friend, Tammy, he helps solve the mystery of the lonely old woman.

A Tear for Eternity.com



A timeless energy encircles the world, drawing humanity into its grasp, eternally swirling, pulling souls together, tearing them apart in the eternal struggle of love, life and loss and amidst this cacophony there are thousands, who every day opt to open their computers hoping and believing that there is someone out there for them.


One of them is Mia, a fifty something author and self-confessed hermit whose garden is the bane of Mr Jenkins life. Juggling reality with fantasy and a lot of wine, there is no happy medium and after corrupting Mr Jenkins grandson, her reputation is a bit ragged around the edges, much like the leaves strewn across the only unkempt yard in the street, namely hers.
Calamitous, outrageous and with a flagrant disregard for the rules her one passion in life is Kip and for six years they have been involved...Over the internet.

More than aware of the pitfalls of online dating, Mia’s rather wry and cynical view of relationships from the safety of a computer screen should be enough to deter anyone, anyone except this stubborn, passionate woman who has had him in her life for so long, she yearns to know where the dream ends and the fairytale begins.

It has long been their desire to meet, yet they are both reticent to see it to fruition as too many ifs and maybes shape their path, that is until the opportunity arises.

What does destiny hold in store for two people, bound by a golden thread across the sands of time?






Sunday, October 29, 2017

Next Door Infatuation



“One. Two. Three. Four.” Robin counted her breaths out, slowing her heart rate and calming herself. “One.” Robin noticed someone staring at her in the distance. “Two.” He was clearly watching her. “Three.” Robin tried to maneuver herself so that she could get a better look at her stalker without giving it away that she saw him too. “Four.” She let out her breath. The man watching her stepped forward slightly. She felt like she recognized him from somewhere. She couldn’t really see his face, but something about him seemed vaguely familiar, like from a dream. He stepped on a twig which cracked loudly beneath his foot. Robin startled giving it away that she saw him and he ran from the scene. 

“Wait! Who are you?” Robin yelled after the hooded figure. “Why are you following me?” She chased...




The Backwards K



Baseball was the only thing Jet Brine was ever good at. Well, baseball and slot machines. Except when his moment came, bottom of the ninth, game seven of the World Series, Jet struck out without swinging.

Now, years later, he's stuck in a cubicle, haunted by the ghosts of a marriage cut short, and dragging around the remains of his baseball career in a beat-up duffle bag.

Then he meets Linda and it seems things might be turning around at last. But old habits die hard and old fears fuel new failures. After a string of tough losses, a solemn promise may be the only thing that can convince Jet to step up and swing away one more time.

The Backwards K is the latest inspirational novel from bestselling author J.J. Hebert. Featuring relatable characters facing heartfelt struggles, The Backwards K is for anyone who believes winning begins with having the courage to take a swing.

PRAISE FOR THE BACKWARDS K

"J.J. Hebert's inspirational sports-themed novel, The Backwards K, follows the efforts of aging baseball great, Jet Brine, as he tries to get past [the] awful defining moment of his baseball career and reclaim his life. Hebert's story examines the concepts of forgiving oneself for the past and finding the courage to start fresh and new... The Backwards K is an uplifting and inspiring tale that is most highly recommended." --Readers' Favorite (5 Stars)

"The Backwards K was an excellent read which I found wholly entertaining and enjoyable. Author J.J. Hebert is a well-honed storyteller, who did a superb job of creating a narrative that instantly draws the reader into the emotion-ridden world of Jet Brine. This narrative proved to be an engaging, evocative, insightful and inspirational read ... Will draw a tear, as well as make you cheer. I enthusiastically recommend this book as it is well worth the read." --Pacific Book Review (Starred Review)

"[Hebert's] supporting characters come across as particularly credible. More than merely stock players, they feel like real flesh and blood inhabitants of Jet's world. Hebert keeps his prose straightforward and devoid of lyricism. In addition to sounding like it's actually coming from the mouth of a real ex-ballplayer, it also enhances intimacy with, and empathy for his protagonist whose continued use of rationalization reveals an individual under the influence of addiction. Jet's history of lessons learned too late, promises broken too often, and resolve compromised too easily, makes him not just flawed but human. In fact, it is the author's exploration of the human qualities of transgression, forgiveness, and redemption, that raises this tale above the level of mere sports yarn." --The US Review of Books


Saturday, October 28, 2017

Featured Thriller Books of the Week - October 28, 2018 - Cowboys and Angels

This Week's Featured
Thriller



Cowboys and Angels
by Graham Sclater

Harry Clark was a young soldier stationed in Cyprus where he met and married Xanthi, but within weeks of the birth of their daughter, he left to join the Special Forces.

His precarious life was cut short when he was shot by Malik an Iraqi insurgent and left for dead.

Twenty years after getting married Harry finally returned to Cyprus to fulfil his dream of opening his own restaurant. That dream was quickly shattered when he was unwittingly dragged into the seedy world of people trafficking and the reappearance of Malik.

Will he survive this time?



More books to check out!

You decide if they're rock stars.


Where Did They Go?
by A. Nation

Susan was devastated when her husband dies in a car accident. Friends and family cannot fill the void left in her heart from his passing. One thing after another keeps disappearing around her home until she steps into another world. The characters she encounters help her with lost memories until she realizes who killed her husband.

Mirror, Mirror
by Jessica Jesinghaus


Nearly twenty years ago a teenage girl was murdered...

Samantha Williams was just a young girl when her cousin, Emily, was brutally raped and killed in her own home. As a child, Sam's family did their best to shelter her from the gruesome details. Now, working the crime beat for the Portland Tribune, Sam has the resources at her fingertips to investigate the case for herself.

Through the eyes of a killer...

After inheriting a family heirloom, an antique vanity table that once belonged to her murdered cousin, Sam begins seeing visions in the mirror's depths. Like watching an old home movie, she bears witness to Emily's murder. As if that weren't frightening enough, she starts to see other things too: fleeting glimpses of the killer himself! Are the things she sees just a figment of her imagination or could something otherworldly be trying to communicate with her? When the killer strikes again and leaves clues behind meant specifically for Sam it becomes a race against time to try to catch him.
 

Dead Man Talking
by Jana DeLeon

Welcome to Everlasting, Maine, where there’s no such thing as normal.

Meteorologist Zoe Parker put Everlasting in her rearview mirror as soon as she had her college degree in hand. But when Sapphire, her eccentric great-aunt, takes a tumble down the stairs in her lighthouse home, Zoe returns to the tiny fishing hamlet to look after her. Zoe has barely crossed the county line when strange things start happening with the weather, and she discovers Sapphire’s fall was no accident. Someone is searching the lighthouse but Sapphire has no idea what they’re looking for. Determined to ensure her aunt’s ongoing safety, Zoe promises to expose the intruders, even though it means staying in Everlasting and confronting the past she thought she’d put behind her.

Dane Stanton never expected to see Zoe standing in the middle of her aunt’s living room, and was even more unprepared for the flood of emotion he experiences when coming face to face with his old flame. Zoe is just as independent and determined as he remembered, and Dane knows she won’t rest until Sapphire can return to the lighthouse in peace, so he offers to help her sort things out.

Armed with old legends, Sapphire’s ten cats, and a talking ghost, Zoe has to reconcile her feelings for Dane and embrace her destiny before it’s too late.

Murder Is Just The Beginning




Murder Is Just the Beginning
by Carol Kravetz

Four murders of staff who work in the same seedy nightclub, a shady nightclub owner and no clues as to who the murderer is. Detective David Andrews and Detective Paul Cameron are thrust together with two recruits from the United Kingdom, Cathy Edwards and Krista Nolan, to solve the murders and bring to justice whoever was responsible for them. Personality clashes and strong physical attractions ensue between the four but they always maintain their strong professionalism. During the investigation, yet another member of staff is found murdered but the evidence is gathering and soon the guilty one is caught. But the case doesn’t end there. By the time the court hearing comes around, the accused has already devised a getaway plan. And the hunt is on….

Friday, October 27, 2017

Heaven Scent



Fate has her wicked way in this compelling trilogy set in modern day Texas. Encompassing strong family bonds within a powerful, yet light hearted romantic saga, from the first lost note and missed telephone call Evan and Ginny fight against the odds to find their own little piece of heaven. Seemingly influenced by an old arrowhead and the sweet scent of jasmine, their lives swirl within a whirlwind of laughter and heartbreak as they rush headlong towards their destiny.

Book two finds Ben - Ginny and Evan’s son – following in his father footsteps as he turns twenty-one. Brought up by his Aunt Charlotte and her son - JD - on Creek Ranch and haunted since birth by the scent of jasmine, Ben feels something is missing from his life. History begins to repeat itself when Jeannie, inextricably linked by a strange quirk of fate to the doomed Adams clan, meets Ben on his birthday. Love is the result - but like father, like son - serendipity has a few tricks up her sleeve.

Book Three awakens the arrowhead - after eighteen years - to the present as the young girl, Jodie's, birthday approaches, it sets events in motion, which pull on Ben’s heartstrings. Across country, the jasmine blooms and its scent drifts on the breeze in search of his soul. When a glimpse of the past gives fate a nudge, Ben yet again, finds himself chasing the fragments of a dream. The final book in the series sees the conclusion to generations of fated Adams boys who hope that happiness lies in their destiny, which waits just around the corner, over the hill...






The Gen Z Answer Key for Business


The Gen Z Answer Key for Business: 

The Go-To Guide for Marketing to Generation Z


Companies and brands today are missing out on the opportunity to market to their newest, biggest, most knowledgeable and influential demographic: Generation Z. Sky Rota wants to change that. In The Gen Z Answer Key for Business, Sky explains how technology has evolved to meet their needs and how you can futurize your business to appeal to the short attention span of a constantly changing, always-sharing, engagement-requiring generation unlike any that came before it.

A bit about my son. Sky Rota is a dyslexic 13 yr old Generation Z Consultant who is sharing his inside information about his generation in order to help businesses & brands futurize themselves & understand Gen Z.


It's an informative quick read from a kids perspective. 

"My book will give you keys to learning how our generation behaves, shops, interacts amongst ourselves & through social media.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Featured Romance Books of the Day - October 26, 2017 - Butterfly Serenade

This Week's Featured
Romance



Butterfly Serenade
by Julianna Douglas

Rose
Whore. Slut. Tramp.

I don’t want to believe the words, but they’re true. Having sex with strangers temporarily affords me the necessary control to quiet the demons from my nightmares. But each unfulfilling encounter leaves me more emotionally empty than before. I’m trapped in a dead, brown shell, unable to break free.

Until the day he walks into my life.

Colin is everything that's good and pure–a beacon of light to my dark, lost soul. His music is a soothing balm, warming long-frozen places inside me. His kindness disarms me, making me long for more. But to have more, I’d need to reveal the horrors of my past.

And I can’t tell anyone. It’ll tear me apart.

Colin
I’ve been waiting for her all my life.

From the moment I laid eyes her, I knew Rose was my soul mate. I’m drawn to her inner beauty and yearn to show her the love she’s never known. The pain reflected in her lovely amber eyes rouses emotions deep within me, stirring the music in my soul and making my fingers take flight over the keyboard.

But Rose is a woman holding closely guarded secrets.

More than my next breath, I want to quell the haunted look in her eyes ... heal her broken spirit and make her whole again. She doesn't believe that's possible. But I won't give up.

Not until she lets me love her–all of her.

Warning: Contains graphic descriptions of abuse that may distress some readers.


More books to check out!

You decide if they're rock stars.


A Tear for Eternity.com
by Virginia Alison

A timeless energy encircles the world, drawing humanity into its grasp, eternally swirling, pulling souls together, tearing them apart in the eternal struggle of love, life and loss and amidst this cacophony there are thousands, who every day opt to open their computers hoping and believing that there is someone out there for them.

One of them is Mia, a fifty something author and self-confessed hermit whose garden is the bane of Mr Jenkins life. Juggling reality with fantasy and a lot of wine, there is no happy medium and after corrupting Mr Jenkins grandson, her reputation is a bit ragged around the edges, much like the leaves strewn across the only unkempt yard in the street, namely hers.

Calamitous, outrageous and with a flagrant disregard for the rules her one passion in life is Kip and for six years they have been involved...Over the internet.

More than aware of the pitfalls of online dating, Mia’s rather wry and cynical view of relationships from the safety of a computer screen should be enough to deter anyone, anyone except this stubborn, passionate woman who has had him in her life for so long, she yearns to know where the dream ends and the fairytale begins.

It has long been their desire to meet, yet they are both reticent to see it to fruition as too many ifs and maybes shape their path, that is until the opportunity arises.

What does destiny hold in store for two people, bound by a golden thread across the sands of time?
Will it be exquisite passion or agonising sorrow that fuels the tears for eternity?


The Sea Witch and the Mage
by Katherine Smits


When Athenia decides she must defeat the wizard who killed her twin sister, she finds there is only one way—enslave Thorne, a human mage with powers she can use to overcome her enemy. However, she doesn’t count on finding him mesmerizing or needing him so much. What happens when a shapeshifting mermaid teams up with a man who controls the elements?
 

Heartlands Series Boxset
by Kris Pearson

Over fifty four and five-star reviews on Amazon US and UK for these three linked love affairs set in the wild beauty of New Zealand. Now you can buy the three novels together and save big.

Melting His Heart – a passionate story of misplaced trust in the alpine resort of Queenstown. Is Kate spying for her famous father?

Christmas Holiday Hearts – Ellie’s dream job becomes her worst nightmare when she discovers the wealthy widower she’ll be working for is the father of her son.

Cowboy Wants Her Heart – Ellie’s shy friend Alfie is expected to marry brash cowboy Rory to save her inheritance of Glenleighton Estate.

WARNING: Hot men, willing women, beds optional.

All my books can be read as stand-alones, and there are no cliff-hangers. You can read the stories in any order. If you would like to know when my next book is published, please go to my website krispearson.com and sign up for my newsletter. Thank you for your wonderful support!

Contemporary romances by Kris Pearson:

Currently being written – The Scarlet Bay Series

The Heartlands Series:
1. MELTING HIS HEART (Kate and Matthew)
2. CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY HEARTS (Ellie and Tony)
3. COWBOY WANTS HER HEART (Alfie and Rory)

The Wellington Series:
1. THE BOAT BUILDER’S BED (Sophie and Rafe)
2. SEDUCTION ON THE CARDS (Kerri and Alex)
3. RESISTING NICK (Sammie and Nick)
4. OUT OF BOUNDS (Jetta and Anton)
5. THE WRONG SISTER (Fiona and Christian)
6. RAVISHING ROSE (Francesca and Jake)
7. HOT FOR YOU (Melanie and Cody)

Sheikhs of Al Sounam:
1. TAKEN BY THE SHEIKH (Laurel and Rafiq)
2. DESIRED BY THE SHEIKH (Stacy and Akil)

Forget Me



Sabine is a budding poet who was practically born with a pencil in her hand. Though her intelligence and maturity far surpasses that of those around her, she lacks the confidence and social graces to come out of her shell.

She’s been forced on numerous occasions in the past to slip inside the glass double doors of Hilltop Baptist Church. The youth group was her mom’s idea, really. A shot-in-the-dark way for Sabine to try and make some wholesome friends in a wholesome place. Not that it ever worked out… At least she was usually able to make it out with minimal negative attention as her plain-old invisible self.

This time was different. She always hoped it would be different, but not like this.

When Sabine decides she’s had enough of this life, she ends it and becomes more visible than she’s ever been before. Is it possible she wasn’t as forgettable as she once thought? The only way to find out is to watch the aftermath unfold, and no matter the outcome, she can’t do a thing about it. No one can… 

...or can they?






Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Featured Non-Fiction Books of the Day - October 25, 2017 - God Answered Me

This Week's Featured
Non-Fiction



God Answered Me
by Marsha L Ceniceros

Dramatic descriptions and insight, for foster parents, teachers, social workers and those who seek to understand and detect behavioral patterns and signs relating to mental and physical abuse. This is a book series of the survival of child maltreatment, bullying and hate. To understand the present situation of a child, teen or an adult, one must understand the past of their difficulties. This is a must read true story of actual events.


More books to check out!

You decide if they're rock stars.
The Billion Dollar Byte equips high-level businesspeople and technologists with the tools and strategies to leverage Big Data to drive ethical “Good Profit.” Traditional legacy companies need a framework for making data strategy central to their business models in the same way that the newer Digital Native companies have. The Billion Dollar Byte provides that framework by providing concrete models for creating smart data infrastructures, accurately weighing the value of data and data systems, investing in the right technologies, hiring entrepreneurial people with tech skills, leveraging the full value of data, and much more. It aims to help companies aligns their data strategy with their business model. There is a special importance placed on attracting and retaining the right entrepreneurial-minded technologists that can help leverage data for profit.


No One Comes Close: A Memoir
by J. A. Newman

*free on Amazon through 10/27

Many women dream from time to time of the man they would have married if only circumstances had allowed, but very few attempt a solution.

No One Comes Close is a true story of how one woman, unhappy in her marriage, set out to find her first love and the consequences it incurred.
 

Where Have All the Pop Stars Gone? Volume 3
by Marti Smiley Childs and Jeff March

Where Have All the Pop Stars Gone? – Volume 3 celebrates talented singers and band members who reached the pinnacle of popularity between the 1960s and ’80s. Through conversations with performers and family members, we share fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses into the lives of:

•ANNE MURRAY, who after soaring to popularity with “Snowbird” in 1970, topped the pop, country, and adult contemporary charts with many of her 80 singles, including “You Needed Me,” and earned John Lennon’s admiration for her rendition of the Beatles’ “You Won’t See Me”;
•BILLY JOE ROYAL, the versatile singer who recorded 1960s pop favorites “Down in the Boondocks” and “Cherry Hill Park,” then experienced a resurgence in the ’80s with a string of country music hits, including “Burned Like A Rocket” and “Out Of Sight And On My Mind”;
•B.J. THOMAS, the bluesy pop and country crossover singer whose chart-topping hits included “Hooked On A Feeling,” “(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song” and the beloved Oscar-winning movie theme “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”;

AND MEMBERS OF FOUR BRILLIANT BANDS:
•Buddy Buie, Barry Bailey, Dean Daughtry, J.R. Cobb, Paul Goddard, and Rodney Justo of the ATLANTA RHYTHM SECTION, the top-notch session musicians too good to remain just a backing band, whose hits included “So In To You,” “Imaginary Lover,” and “Do It Or Die”;
•Arthur Lee, Johnny Echols, and Michael Stuart-Ware of the group LOVE, who recorded fan favorites “My Little Red Book,” “7 And 7 Is,” and “Alone Again Or,” and whose masterpiece Forever Changes is widely regarded among the best rock albums ever recorded;
•Larry Tamblyn and John "Fleck" Fleckenstein of the STANDELLS, known equally for “Dirty Water,” the anthemic rallying cry for Boston pride, and “Try It,” the mildly titillating song that unintentionally provoked a nationwide controversy about lewd lyrics; and
•Chuck Negron and Floyd Sneed of THREE DOG NIGHT, which during a nine-year span attained a seemingly unstoppable run of success, with 21 consecutive top 40 hits, including the No. 1 smash hits “Mama Told Me (Not To Come),” “Joy To The World,” and “Black And White.”

Along the way, they encounter twisted monsters, mad mages, a draconic demigod, and a wacky sorceress. Stumbling their way through adventure, romance, and evil, Daven and Talia forge their legend as they become the first in a new crop of Heroes of Majestia.

Inspired by the works of JRR Tolkien, Terry Pratchett, Glen Cook, and HP Lovecraft, Bryan C. Laesch has created a unique and entertaining fantasy series. A new legend has begun.

Fire In The Dawn



A prince in hiding. An empire in turmoil. A gathering storm.

Kyren e'Cania is the last son of a fallen House, raised in secret in the shadows of the city his family once ruled.

Trained by his father in the ways of his people, Kyren has avoided the notice of the tyrant who murdered his family by never giving anyone reason to suspect he is anything more than a nameless peasant.

But when an ambitious noble sets dangerous events in motion, Kyren must find a way to reclaim his heritage and unite his people, before everything he loves is swallowed by fire and sword once again.

"A beautifully written story with strong descriptions, penetrating characterisation, and considerable imaginative power."
- Sam Thompson, author of Communion Town: A City in Ten Stories





Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Featured General Fiction Books of the Day - October 24, 2017 - Ocean in a Drop

This Week's Featured
General Fiction



Ocean in a Drop
by Tami Shaikh

 

Ocean in a Drop by Tami Shaikh follows the life stories of three siblings: Miraj, Adam and Asad. Told through varying narrative voices, the novel explores the complexities of family life and how siblings can grow up, grow apart and ultimately find their own happiness.

Alternating between Pakistan and The United States, the story transports its readers with its characters as they maneuver new worlds and must grow to meet the challenges. There are themes around domestic abuse, gay romance in traditional Pakistan, terrorism and the fear of becoming just like the generation that preceded. Through the stories of the three siblings, Shaikh allows an exploration of these complex themes while at the same time using them to push her story forward. There are subtle complexities to each narrative and readers will enjoy getting to know the characters.

One problem with the novel is its constant change in narrative voice. While the chapters are given headings, the switching voices sometimes add little to the plot and they do not provide real character development. There are also chapters, named “Ten Years Later” and “Regrets,” which both relate to Miraj, and yet do not follow the preceding format of chapters named by character. This and some spelling and grammatical mistakes are the main problems with Ocean in a Drop. All of which could be fixed with a good editor.

Overall, Shaikh has written a book that has family at its heart. It looks at past failings and how generations learn and grow within the family structure. There are loves lost, trauma and the hope of a better future. Ocean in a Drop has an honest story at heart and will leave the reader with a chance to take part in that family journey.

Originally critiqued by a member of the Authors Talk About It team.


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