Follow The Joy / Jason Kurtz

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Memoir

Approximate word count: 75-80,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: YES

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Author:

Jason Kurtz is a psychoanalyst in private practice as well as the Director of Training for the Training Institute for Mental Health. Follow the Joy is his first book.

Description:

At age 27, the author bought a one-way ticket to India determined to let intuition be his guide. If that sounds like the introduction to a travelogue, you’d be right. But this book is indeed memoir, because the story is less about Jason’s travels than it is about a spiritual journey he undertakes as he strives to find meaning in his life.

Appraisal:

I don’t read many memoirs. Perhaps I should, because I certainly enjoyed this one.

I selected the story because I’ve always found Eastern religions—in this instance, Buddhism and Hinduism—fascinating. They seem to embody the concept of selfless love and a search for oneness with the infinite but without the social, structural (and financial) trappings I associate with Christian religions.

Jason’s trip started in a most inauspicious manner, and rapidly went downhill from there. From the minute he landed, he was harassed by beggars and hustled each time he attempted a financial transaction with the locals. His failure to plan for or even anticipate what he was undertaking exposed him to a raw edge of Indian society far removed from glossy tourist posters featuring the Taj Mahal, or idealized Bollywood movie scenes.

Throughout, I admired his ability to look again, to challenge his initial impression of each place, or each person he met. This patience often enabled him to penetrate the superficial layers and gain a better understanding of why a person behaved as they did, or why a cultural structure existed.

Jason started his journey in the hopeful belief that in India he would find a purpose in his life. He was driven by a need to address certain character weaknesses that he believed were holding him back from achieving happiness.

Did he succeed?

Yes and no. Of course, everyone has their own route to happiness, but through Jason’s experiences, I came away with a better understanding of what is really involved in a search for inner-peace. His route would not be mine, but I’m glad he shared his journey with me.

Format/Typo Issues:

Too few to mention.

Rating: ***** Five stars

Another Place / Clare Young

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Fantasy/YA/Short Story

Approximate word count: 3-4,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO

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Author:

A short story writer and artist, Clare Young has one other short story available for your e-reader. For more, visit her blog.

Description:

“A young boy, accompanied by his toys, goes on a quest to find his lost dog.”

Appraisal:

Tim’s dad tells him that his dog has “gone to a better place” and won’t be coming back. With the help of his toy soldier and teddy bear, Tim sets off to find where that is. What he experiences is quite an adventure and, in the process, he comes to terms with his dog’s disappearance. Although classified as young adult, I picture this as a story a parent might read to a younger child who has had a pet go to “a better place” like Tim’s did.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

Mischief in Italy / Beate Boeker

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Contemporary Romance/ Sweet Romance/ Humor

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

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Author:

Beate Boeker describes herself as a cautious cosmopolitan. She lives in northern Germany and works as a marketing manager by day. Ms. Boeker is married, has a young daughter, and a university diploma in International Business Administration.

On her website she says… “It was inevitable that I should work with books sooner or later; I even have it in my name: Boeker is the word for books in the local German dialect and my first name Beate is straight from Latin and can be translated as ‘Happy’. With a name that reads ‘Happy Books’, what else could I do but write romances?” Also check out her Facebook page.

Description:

“All Henry wants is a serious talk with his grown-up son Josh about the wrong women in Josh's life. However, the conversation immediately spins out of control and somehow, they reach a compromise that leaves Henry highly uncomfortable. Has he really promised to place a personal ad in a newspaper to have more fun in his life? And why on earth did he agree to put the words 'house with pool at Lake Garda' into the ad? He doesn't want any gold diggers at his heels! To counteract the undeniable attraction of a villa in Italy, he comes up with an unusual concept for his ad, and from then on, mischief is running rampant in Italy.”

Appraisal:

This book was an absolute delight to read. Told through multiple points of view that are clearly indicated we get to see how this father and son relate. It is clear they are better at talking about finances than feelings. Henry and Josh both agree changes need to be made in both of their lifestyles and a challenge is set. Josh needs to rein in his playboy lifestyle and Henry needs to get a life, he has become a recluse since his wife passed away five years ago. So Henry agrees to post a lonely-hearts personal ad looking for companionship. Luckily for us we get to see the responses from Cinderella, Lucinda, Ayleen, Andrea, and Carla.

I caught myself smiling and giggling through the meet-ups and the twists and turns as Tina, Carla’s concerned daughter, arrives from Germany to stage an intervention between Henry and her mother Carla. As the story progressed it was easy to become concerned about the number of little white lies flying around. At that point I was so involved in the story I was concerned that the lies had grown too big to be overcome without serious consequences.

Honestly, I read until my eyes could not stay open any longer. If you are looking for a quick, lighthearted, enjoyable read, I highly recommend this book. It will leave a smile on your face.  

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant errors.

Rating: ***** Five stars

The Thirteenth Prophet / T. Lucas Earle

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Noir/Mystery/Science-Fiction/Short Story

Approximate word count: 6-7,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO

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Author:

“T. Lucas Earle is a writer and filmmaker. T. Lucas has a degree in Film Production from Emerson College and currently works as a script reader in LA. His stories have been published in Electric Spec and The Colored Lens. T. Lucas also writes two blogs and reviews television pilots for Blogcritics. His dark comedy, Abduction, was premiered in the 2013 LA Shorts Film Fest.”

Description:

“T. Lucas blends classic noir and dystopian sci-fi, exposing the strange underbelly where conformity, fashion, and religion collide.”

Appraisal:

The Thirteenth Prophet is just what the description says, a strange combination of a dystopian world where people receive personality implants and noir, with Mulligan Burke, the main character, as a hard-boiled detective who is one of the few people who have never been implanted. It’s a unique world and the mixing of genres was something I liked.

Despite liking the premise, I had some issues that can be summarized as “it feels like there’s more to the story.” We’ve all read full-length novels where it seemed like the author threw in scenes or descriptions, not because they were needed for the story, but because they had a minimum word count they had to reach. In this story, at least in my opinion, the author set out to write a short story, but built a world that deserved more. On the flip side, Burke’s solving of the mystery felt like it came too easy. I felt like there was history and context missing: How did these personality implants start and why? What problems did they cause? How did Burke avoid having to get an implant? Although what was here was good, in the end, I was left frustrated because this story idea deserves more.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: *** Three stars

The Man Who Sold His Son / Mark Wilson

Reviewed by: Keith Nixon

Genre: Crime / Thriller / Noir

Approximate word count: 45-50,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: YES

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Author:

Mark Wilson is a biology teacher in Fife, Scotland. He is also the author of four novels, his most recent being dEaDINBURGH. In addition Mark formed an independent publishing company in 2013 to publicise Scottish authors. The author lives in Edinburgh with his family.

You can learn more about the author at his website.

Description:

Gavin Ennis is a highly successful businessman and the saviour of humankind. Birth rates were in terminal decline after a virus affected people globally. That is until Ennis invented synthetic sperm, now in 2055 it’s the choice for couples. A small number of children are conceived naturally, but these offspring are isolated, alienated and looked down upon.

One of these natural children is fathered by Alex, whose wife is a drug addict, their marriage is on the rocks. Their son is the only good thing between them. Alex is a biochemist and when Ennis offers him a job it seems to be too good to be true. And it is.

Appraisal:

The more that Mark Wilson writes the more his style strengthens and develops. In addition he’s one of those authors who seem able to seamlessly cross between genres. I’ve previously reviewed Naebody’s Hero (a sort of superhero thriller) and dEadINBURGH (a YA dystopian novel) both of which were strong in their own way.

With The Man Who Sold His Son Wilson takes another step forward with a thought provoking futuristic novel which leans heavily on biology. I’m a chemist myself, I don’t have the expertise that Wilson does, but it seems to hang together well.

Ennis himself is not the benefactor that he appears to be, in fact he’s downright nasty and the title lends itself to the man’s greatest crime. Through the story Alex’s tale comes to the fore, he faces up to his issues with his wife, but ends up in a greater bind, all for the love of his family, ultimately working for Ennis and trying, for a second time, to give life back to the human race.

Well written, compelling and pacy, this is a worthy addition to Wilson’s burgeoning portfolio.

Format/Typo Issues:

None.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

The London Project / Mark J. Maxwell

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Technothriller

Approximate word count: 105-110,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO

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Author:

Mark J Maxwell is a writer living in Dublin, Ireland. The London Project is his first novel. Mark would love to hear from you. He can be reached on twitter or at his website.

Description:

Set in a near-future London, England. Tech giant, Portal, has transformed the lives of the city’s residents. Portal’s centralized network is ubiquitous, its free services utilized for everything from communications to entertainment, transport to health care.

On the eve of the network’s expansion throughout the UK, Detective Sergeant Louisa Bennett investigates the death of a young girl. Her body covered in lacerations, the victim’s autopsy reveals an unidentifiable cellular structure permeating her brain. The case is further complicated when no trace of the girl can be found on Portal.

Appraisal:

This was a mixed-bag read for me. On one hand, the author’s description of Portal was nothing short of brilliant. Not only from a technological perspective, but also from the social and cultural changes the technology caused in the lives of London’s citizens. Cars that drove themselves, healthcare records merged and immediately accessible, personal feeds that included the emotional responses of the provider available instantly to everyone who is hooked into the system. Now that makes Twitter following look stone-aged. TV ads tailored to the viewer’s preferences and featuring the viewer as a lifelike avatar in the action—wow! Great stuff. I really got my geek on J.

Portal has sensors embedded in road signs, street lamps . . . just about everywhere. Everyone is tracked and traced both through their connected devices and through face recognition software, which is a huge boon to law enforcement and is where the flaw that drives the plot occurs.

Detective Louisa Bennett is tasked with investigating the murder of a teenage girl who has no profile in Portal. So, not only must the detective find out whodunit, but also figure how this girl can possibly be unknown to the system. The story follows Louisa as she works her way to a solution to the murder and in the process discovers a huge conspiracy.

Overall the novel worked, although there were some sketchy plot devices used later in the story to force the climax. But for this reader it moved too slowly. Louisa’s investigation involved a couple meetings with higher-ups in Portal, and some involvement with MI6. These side plots threw more characters into the mix and were written with as much detail as the main line, so rather than the story accelerating to a grand finale showdown, it meandered so much that I found myself skip reading parts of the final third.

But this is a first novel, and Mr. Maxwell is a good writer with a knack for building futuristic worlds.

Format/Typo Issues:

UK English spelling and usage, but nothing that would cause a major misunderstanding.

Rating: **** Four stars

Reprise review: The Tourist Trail / John Yunker

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller

Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words

Availability Kindle: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: NO Paper: YES
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Author:

A resident of Ashland, Oregon, John Yunker is co-founder of Ashland Creek Press, a publisher specializing in books with travel and environmental themes. He is also an expert on “web globalization” and has written three books on the subject. For more, visit Yunker’s website or the website for Ashland Creek Press.


Description:

A research biologist who is studying penguins in Patagonia, a computer geek, and an environmental activist become involved in a battle over the world’s oceans.

Appraisal:

As a rule, I read nonfiction to learn. Fiction is for entertainment. In The Tourist Trail, I found what I wanted and expected. It contains adventure. There are characters you'll quickly start caring about and a lot of conflict to overcome. You'll find plenty of romances to spice things up. All the elements of a good thriller are here and, if that's what you're looking for, you should come away satisfied.

Fiction, however, can also teach you things that nonfiction can't. It can help you understand a point of view that, given your life experiences, would be difficult. By putting yourself in the shoes of another, you can better understand them. This was the case with The Tourist Trail.

As in Edward Abbey's environmentalist classic The Monkey Wrench Gang, the group at the center of this story, the Cetacean Defense Alliance (CDA), is out to sabotage their foes - the scene has just moved from the desert to the ocean. They object to whaler's who continue indiscriminate harvesting of what they believe is an endangered species. They oppose long-line anglers who they think kill too many birds and other seagoing life as "incidental catch.” Their philosophy was summed up in this quote:

When you raise cattle, you at least feed them. However, anglers don't feed fish. They just take. They even take the food the fish eat. Sheer avarice.

Not everyone agrees with the CDA's methods, calling them "eco-terrorists.” That's what the FBI thinks (although the FBI agent chasing them is conflicted). You'll have to decide for yourself. Regardless of what you decide, you'll come away with a better understanding of the ocean-environmentalist movement and a good read.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: ***** Five stars

The Art of Writing - A Guest Post from Traci Borum, author of Painting the Moon

Usually when I start researching my novels, I hop on the Internet and type keywords into search boxes—an effective but dry process.  However, for Painting the Moon, in which a main character is a famous Cotswold artist, much of my research came straight from a real-life source, my 92-year-old grandmother, Della Sandifer. 

She’s been painting all her life, since high school.  For decades, she’s painted portraits and landscapes as Christmas and birthday presents for her family members.  So, early in the research process for Painting the Moon, I had frequent conversations with my grandmother about the basics of oil painting, which I knew nothing about (I wasn’t blessed with that particular creative gene).  I would ask her about things like brush techniques, color choices, whitewashes and canvases, etc.  But as we talked, we discovered how incredibly similar the painting and writing processes can be. 

When my grandmother starts a new project, she first “brainstorms,” starting with the seeds of an idea—a landscape, a flower, a person.  She stares at a blank canvas and tries to envision a new creation.  Then she does “research,” by flipping through magazines or seeking out photos for subject material.  Next, she “outlines” by pencil sketching her design onto the canvas, creating a framework. 

And when she’s ready, she begins her “rough draft.”  This is the hardest work, the lengthiest part of the process.  As she paints, she makes careful, tedious decisions about colors, brush selection, technique.  She sees the canvas close up, but then sometimes backs away to get a broader perspective of the piece as a whole, the bigger picture.  As she fills in the canvas, bit by bit, she falls back on her own instincts, as well as years of study of other artists, other masters.  She has studied her craft.  And, like a writer penning a novel, she becomes easily absorbed in another world as she works.  Time passes by without her even noticing. 

Finally, after hours upon hours of work, when the whole canvas is filled, her last step is to “edit.”  She analyzes the canvas with critical eyes, correcting mistakes, brightening or softening the colors, deepening the perspective, adding the finishing touches.  She gets the painting to the point of completion, to the point where it’s time to let it go, to let the piece be whatever it’s supposed to be.

Sometimes, she might try and sell one of her canvases.  When she approaches a potential buyer, perhaps it’s not the piece the person was looking for.  Or maybe it’s too big or too small for the person’s taste.  This “rejection” is not a reflection on my grandmother’s work—it’s about the work not being the right fit for that person.  But she doesn’t give up.  She tries again.  And eventually, hopefully, that piece finds its home.

Those research conversations with my grandmother, about the art of painting, became the inspiration for the quotes I wrote at the beginning of each chapter of Painting the Moon, where my main character coaches her niece about art, about life.  Because ultimately, as I discussed art with my grandmother, we ended up making direct parallels between art and life, itself.  The frustrations and setbacks, the joys and inspirations, the regrets and heartaches, and ultimately, the life lessons learned.

I’m grateful to my grandmother for inspiring me to inject more than “just” art into my novel.  She helped me to find the art in my novel, as well.

Get your copy of Painting the Moon from Amazon US (ebook or paper), Amazon UK (ebook or paper), or Barnes & Noble.

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Dreamland / Marie S. Crosswell

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Noir/Short Story

Approximate word count: 8-9,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO

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Author:

A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Marie S. Crosswell lives in Phoenix, Arizona. She has a novel, Sex Brood, also available.

Description:

Best friends and detectives for the LAPD where they’re teamed up in Central Homicide, Cary Cooper and Dwight McQueen also belong to “Containment,” a secret vigilante unit that is a shadow organization within the LAPD.

They’re not only partners at work, but in a strange way, away from work, as they’re both in love with the same woman, Nora Tate, a stripper at a local gentleman’s club. Together they form a “happy triad.” When one of Nancy’s co-workers is murdered and Containment assigns Cary and Dwight to kill the killer, things turn even stranger.

Appraisal:

Noir typically emphasizes the dark side. The hardboiled characters aren’t above living outside the law, even when they’re the good guys. Dreamland is noir on steroids with the main characters as vigilante cops who flout society’s customs in their non-traditional relationship with a local stripper, something that would have been way outside the norms in the late 50s, when the story takes place. While short, there is plenty of character development and a plot that doesn’t leave you wanting in this unique tale of corruption and mayhem.

FYI:

Some adult language and situations.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

Reprise review: Her Fake Romance / Donna Fasano

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Genre: Romance

Approximate word count: 50-55,000 words

Availability   

Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: YES Smashwords: NO Paper: YES

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Donna Fasano, also known as Donna Clayton, has written over thirty published novels with sales in excess of 3.6 million copies. Many of these novels have gone out-of-print with the rights reverting to Fasano. She is giving them a facelift and republishing them for your favorite eReader.

Donna Fasano is a three time winner of the HOLT Medallion, a CataRomance Reviewers Choice Award winner for Best Single Title, a Desert Rose Golden Quill Award finalist, and a Golden Heart finalist. Her books have been published in nearly two dozen languages.

Fasano has two grown sons and lives with her husband on the eastern seaboard of the United States. For more, visit her blog.

Description:

Julia Jones is a single parent trying to hide her heart from rejection; she won’t let it happen again. She has become a workaholic to protect herself; and has a successful catering business she runs with her friend and fellow foodie, Charlotte. When Julia’s fourteen year old daughter challenges her to ‘get a life’, she and Ryan Shane concoct a deal for a fake romance.

Ryan Shane is a divorce lawyer who sees marriages fall apart everyday and has no intention of ever getting involved in a relationship. He has a problem though; he is being pursued by his mentor’s beautiful gold digging daughter who is looking for husband number four. With Julia’s help he hopes to avert her advances.

Appraisal:

This author always has a wonderful way to bring her characters together. This one was HOT, and the sexual tension starts at the very beginning and never lets up. She offers the perfect balance of narrative, description and dialogue in this character driven story. I love the way she allows us into Julia and Ryan’s thoughts, both trying to protect their hearts for different reasons.  

Cherry, the gold digger, and Kelly, Julia's fourteen-year-old daughter, provide the perfect amount of conflict that brings Ryan and Julia together. The fully fleshed out characters are realistic, intelligent, and their story is heartwarming. I have read several of Fasano's books and this is my favorite so far, I could not put the book down. The author added just the right amount of heat to keep me reading, and the mother daughter scenes were very touching. I applaud this author’s insight into human nature and sensibilities.

FYI:

Steamy and adult situations, but no explicit sex.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant errors

Rating: ***** Five Stars