Latest Interviews
- An Interview with Jen Smith, author of SICK
- An Interview with Greg Ahlgren, author of Prologue
- An Interview with Kersten L. Kelly, author of Ec·o·nom·ics: A Simple Twist on Normalcy
- An Interview with Dave Becker, author of The Faustian Host
- An Interview with Niyah Moore, author of Guilty Pleasures
SEEKING REVIEWERS!
LLBR is seeking reviewers! We're looking for reviewers who can commit to writing one review at least every month! Please email llbookreview@gmail.com and tell why'd you'd be a good reviewer for us.
LLBR reviews self-published, indie, and small press books on a volunteer basis. There is no financial compensation for reviews.
Author: David Appleby
Title: Love Sketches
Published by: Xlibris
Genre: Literary Fiction – Short Stories
Links: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=love+sketches+-+appleby&x=20&y=18
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/love-sketches?store=book
Blog: http://www.shortstoriesfromdavidappleby.blogspot.com
Synopsis….. ‘Love Sketches’ explores the sensuality of romance as well as the varieties and vagaries of love that evolves from the sweep of romance.
….Former colleagues, ‘almost lovers,’ meet to discuss literature only to discover a yearning that rekindles their lost romance…
….An elderly professor facing retirement concocts a plan for one last romance which he hopes will return him to the world of the young….
….A young romantic learns a tragic lesson of love and redemption all too soon…
….Teens, infused with the early flowering of romance, struggle to maintain that romance against all odds….
….And amid an atmosphere rich in romance and sensuality two close friends reunite and reveal the deep feelings they’ve held for one another, feelings which went unnourished during the years they had convinced one another they were ‘just friends.’
These are just a few of the short stories in which romance and love are examined across the age and economic levels of the American landscape.
Why Pick Me?
I feel my collection will resonate with readers; one of the stories in the collection has been anthologized in “Short Breaks: The Very Best of Shortbread Short Stories”, published by Discovery Press, Scotland, 2010. I have given several readings since the book was published in late March and have received postive feeback from audiences. I’d be so appreciative of a review by another professional, another writer.
Thanks sincerely,
David Appleby
Title: Deadly Straits
Author: R.E. McDermott
Genre: Thriller/Espionage
ISBN: 978-0-9837417-1-8 (POD version)
Pages: 401
Links as follows:
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057AMO2A
B&N: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Deadly-Straits/RE-McDermott/e/2940012871121
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/68179
Paperback: The proof has been approved in CreateSpace and the book should appear on Amazon at any time. However, I do not yet have a link. That should happen within the next few days and the link will be on the “Books” page of my website at http://www.remcdermott.com/books/
Video Trailer: http://youtu.be/yrXyuEQsmLQ
Synopsis: Consultant and very part-time spook Tom Dugan is a happy man until his
CIA handler comes calling. With a hijacking investigation pointing to
his long-time client and best friend, London ship owner Alex Kairouz,
Dugan is guilty by association and forced to go under cover in Alex’s
company to clear his own name.
In attempting to prove Alex’s innocence along with his own, Dugan
manages to implicate them both more deeply, and when one of Alex’s
tankers is found adrift near Singapore with a dead crew, and another
explodes in port, Dugan is framed for the attacks.
When Alex is hospitalized, in critical condition after a suspicious
suicide attempt, Dugan finds himself almost out of options. Convinced
the attacks are prelude to an even more devastating assault, Dugan
follows his last remaining lead to Russia, to be shanghaied as an
‘advisor’ to a Russian Spetsnaz unit and find himself sailing into
Deadly Straits.
Author Bio: A graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, R. E. McDermott spent thirty years in the marine industry, in positions from ship’s officer to shipping company management. He’s managed ship building projects in the U.S. and Far East, and currently splits his time between the U.S. and Singapore, where he operates a marine consultancy, advising clients on ship construction, operations and engineering matters. Deadly Straits is his first novel.
I’m a brand new author and would appreciate a review. Deadly Straits has only been out a week or so, but I am encouraged by two five-star reviews on Amazon, neither from people I knew before I launched the book. I think the two-minute video trailer at the above link probably captures the essence of the book most efficiently. Please take a look at that before you make your decision.
Whatever your decision, I would like to thank you for your efforts to showcase Indie authors.
Sincerely,
R.E. (Bob) McDermott
Title: The Eden Prescription
Genre: Suspense/thriller – Medical Thriller
Publisher: BookSurge / CreateSpace
Available as: Paperback or Kindle
Link to Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Eden-Prescription-cancer-what-think/dp/1439276552
Awards/Reviews: – Awarded a Kirkus Star
– Five Star Review (out of five) from ForeWord Clarion Reviews
“This is an exceptional piece of fiction.” -ForeWord Review
– Bronze Medal (Living Now 2011)
– Finalist (ForeWord Book of the Year 2010 / 2011 Indie Exellence)
Why you should review this book: The Eden Prescription highlights the very real revolution in natural medicine for cancer ongoing right now, the science behind it—and why similar advances in the past have been silenced and stopped. This knowledge will empower and inspire people to do their own research and look for answers with real science behind them. I have continued my research on my facebook page where I post, nearly daily, news on clinical trials and peer-reviewed research articles on natural medicine for cancer.
Brief summary of The Eden Prescription:
A silent revolution is now unfolding in the science of natural medicine for cancer (really), bringing us so close to an effective natural treatment—far too close, for some. Chromogen employee Annika Guthrie understands this more than most. She’s watched her terminally ill father add years to his life with natural supplements, and makes it her mission to turn this alternative medicine into what the medical community calls “real” science. It’s why she joins forces with the maverick but genius cancer researcher Dr. Elliott Lindell, even though he works with Mitogenica—Chromogen’s fiercest competitor. Together, they formulate a cocktail of natural supplements which Annika secretly gives to patients in Chromogen’s latest drug trial. The cocktail works so well, it threatens to undermine Chromogen’s next billion dollar chemo drug, and Annika’s world quickly falls apart. Her wards start curiously dying from everything but their cancer, and Dr. Lindell disappears on the eve of his most critical experiment. Annika soon finds she is the only one left who can recover what remains of Dr. Lindell’s work-and that she is racing against someone far larger and more deadly than her worst fears.
Thank you very much for your consideration of The Eden Prescription.
Best regards,
Ethan Evers
Hi Shannon
You may be interested in reviewing my new novel “Lies, Love & Porn”, a noir intrigue based on personal experience (alas!) and real people.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lies+love+porn&x=0&y=0
It’s written mostly from a female point of view – much more Graham Greene than erotica. I could send you a Kindle.
Whatever you decide, congratulations on your great site and service to authors!
Regards
Humphry
Title: Liberal vs. Conservative
Author: Scott Reeves
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 978-1463629977
Genre: Fiction
Print: http://amzn.to/otcqbP
Kindle: http://amzn.to/ihNpeA
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/68073
When two families go to war, liberal versus conservative, which side will win?
Civil war breaks out in the suburbs when avid talk radio show listener and devout conservative Marty Johnson becomes fed up with liberal policies. He and his wife decide to take out their frustrations by declaring war on the quintessential liberal family that lives next door, the Kaufmans. The ensuing war of ideologies soon threatens to tear both families apart.
This 27,000-word satirical novella features cameos by Sean Hannity and Jon Stewart.
Title: Snowybrook Inn: Book One
Author: Scott Reeves
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 978-1463750251
Genre: Fantasy
Print: http://amzn.to/qFjnXe
Kindle: http://amzn.to/rteWHk
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/75350
Welcome to the magical land of Snowybrook Vale! While you’re here, enjoy the good company, fine drink and elegant lodging to be had at the Vale’s premier vacation spot, Snowybrook Inn. But if you venture into the countryside, watch the shadows! Because Goblins lurk behind every rock, and Imperial soldiers are always around, looking to teach an unruly frontiersman a lesson.
Snowybrook Inn is an ongoing whimsical fantasy series in episodic format. Each book consists of four to five stand-alone short stories featuring the same main characters.
In this first book, Snowybrook Inn receives a visit from a time traveler. Goblins trash the inn. Dragons make life hard for everyone. Mikel Fairdawn is cursed by a witch, and lastly, he searches for a piece of the moon to prove his love to a fairy.
20,000 words = approx 66 print pages
Don Schenk, don@ideapage.com
ideapage Publishing
7413 Hamilton Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45231-4305
Cell 513-325-1576
http://www.howyoufindajobfast.com
Dear Shannon,
Will you review a non-fiction if the book can help your readers and their families? If not, do any of your friends review non-fiction?
The book is, “How You Find A Job Fast – The Easy Way To L.E.A.P. To The Top Of The Hiring List,” By Don Schenk and Ted Leithart, MBA. ISBN 978-1-937201-12-8.
Since March of 2011, the number of unemployed has increased by 545,000, and according to the U.S. Department of Labor, it now takes an average of 9.2 months to find a job. A year ago that number was 7.3 months.
Hiring managers almost always know within the first 30 to 40 seconds of an interview whether or not they want to hire the job candidate. That is why we developed the L.E.A.P.” to help our readers stand out above all other candidates.
The L.E.A.P. is a Leading Employee Advantage Profile. It is a simple written form that lets job candidates demonstrate how, within the first 30 to 40 seconds of an interview, they are the perfect person for the interviewer to hire. A L.E.A.P. defines a few specific actions a job candidate will take once hired.
We suggest a large number of possible actions from which the reader can choose what to include in a L.E.A.P., actions for the first week, for the first month, the second month, and the third month.
What qualifies us to write about this subject? I have been an employer for more than 38 years, and Ted Leithart spent 5 years as a hiring manager for a multinational corporation before starting his own business.
I put the first part of the book here: http://www.donschenk.com/FirstPart.pdf in case you wish to see some of it.
I can mail a printed copy to you if you wish to see the entire book. And I can give you a link that will download the book to you.
Please let me know. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Don Schenk
I wonder if a reviewer at LL Book Review would like to consider a middle grade Halloween fantasy, aimed for 7 to 12-year-olds?
Title: The House in Windward Leaves by Katherine L. Holmes
Published by: Couchgrass Books in July 2011
Available at:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/House-Windward-Leaves-Katherine-Holmes/dp/0615507174/ref=sr_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312044995&sr=1-1
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-house-in-windward-leaves-katherine-l-holmes/1104118515
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/74942
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12095029-the-house-in-windward-leaves
Authonomy.com: http://www.authonomy.com/books/32024/the-house-in-windward-leaves/
Longer partials are at the Goodreads and Authonomy links.
Short description:
At this Halloween party, costumes make the child. The painter Mistral’s mural transports Sadie and her friends to a star where their Halloween costumes become real. As Fortuneteller, Sadie only has to look in her crystal ball to see the adventures of her friends in their dream identities. The hunt for a star-of-sapphire necklace takes up the latter chapters of this madcap fantasy.
The House in Windward Leaves has received enthusiastic response at Authonomy.com and YouWriteOn. Many people have liked the original concept, the characters, and the humor.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Katherine Holmes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Life in the SharkTank
Fort Lauderdale, August 2011: The economy is hard on everyone these days, possibly even on some of those who are taking the blame for the whole mess: banks, stockbrokers, and other investors. In Peter Dawkins’ new novel, The Analyst, we are thrown headlong into the investment world where we see that even here, there are predators and victims. Not everyone is to blame, only those who have made the acquisition of money their sole raison d’etre. As Dawkins’ hero struggles against impossible odds to survive in the shark tank, we stand beside him, offering support and hoping he will win, because if he does, maybe we can too.
After David Heart’s father’s estate is squandered due to bad investment advice, his mother faces eviction and his grandfather needs life-saving surgery. A seemingly-helpful family friend finds David a seat at a bucket-shop firm off-Wall Street, promising him that here, money flows like wine.
Naive and quickly recognized as an easy mark, David is plunged into the eat-what-you-kill world of a trading desk, where the analysts, salesmen, and traders sit like pigs at a two-sided trough. Bullied by the cruel, abusive head trader known only as Blackie, David is relieved when Sandy Allen, a strikingly provocative street-smart saleswoman, comes to his aid. But, what David doesn’t realize is that hidden agendas are everywhere, and no one can be trusted.
Now the target of extortion, David must make an impossible choice: facilitate an insider-trading felony in exchange for the money his family desperately needs or face the cruelty of his mentor-turned-predator who has framed David and promises that he alone will be found guilty and suffer the consequences of the crime he refused to commit. David’s experiences reveal the underbelly of Wall Street, a place where everyone is looking out for themselves and money is the only measure of success. What he doesn’t know can hurt him, and readers are pinned to their seats as David struggles to survive and to provide for his family in the face of overwhelming odds.
About the Author:
A 28-year veteran of the investment world, PT Dawkins writes from experience about the insatiable desire for money that leads to unethical, illegal, and unscrupulous behavior. He majored in English at Dartmouth College, earned a MBA from The University of Western Ontario and completed extensive studies in Creative Writing at the University of Toronto.
Title: The Analyst
Author: PT Dawkins
ISBN: 9781605947235
Price: 18.95
Paperback – Size: 6×9
http://www.ptdawkins-author.com
pdawk11@gmail.com
Available from Llumina Press, Ingram, and Baker & Taylor.
Toll Free Orders Line: 1-866-229-9244
Or visit us on the web at http://www.llumina.com/store/analyst.htm
orders@llumina.com
For Immediate Release Contact: Kimberly LaRocca
info@kimberlylarocca.org
A Black Girl’s Poetry for the World
By Kimberly LaRocca
Published by: CreateSpace
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, KNOW YOUR WORTH,
BE WHO YOU KNOW YOU WERE MEANT TO BE
–New Collection of Poetry Celebrates Personal Pride and Life Challenges
Don’t be scared to let go.
make your move.
You’re right where you need to be.
Don’t be afraid.
Do what you say.
That moment is meant just for you
To make your move.
From “Making Moves”
Kimberly LaRocca knows all about challenges, the ones we can’t control, and those we create. She also knows about standing tall and staying proud, no matter what.
A teenage mother who had her first child at age 17, LaRocca didn’t allow her situation to define her, or let her to fall into societal stereotypes. She graduated with her high school class and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree. Author of the new book of poems, A Black Girl’s Poetry for the World, LaRocca boasts an unshakeable belief in the power of pride, self-determination, and fulfilling personal potential.
“I believe in karma, and my approach to life is straightforward yet powerful: I treat others the way I want to be treated,” says LaRocca. “I could have let myself be defined by what others think, but I simply refused to let that happen. I surely created my own challenges in my life, but I refused to stop believing in myself.”
While celebrating self-determination and human pride, A Black Girl’s Poetry for the World also presents insightful poems exploring all aspects of the human experience. From lost loves, strained relationships and the difficulty of forgiveness to raw anger and intense sexual desire, LaRocca ‘tells it like it is’ and literally bares her soul in her poetry.
“I find writing and poetry cathartic and empowering,” adds LaRocca. “I understand my style may be subject to literary criticism, but I also believe others will find valuable meaning to which they can relate. Poetry is beautiful because no one can deny your words, thoughts, dreams, and fears.”
“Poetry Lives Here”
A door has opened for me.
Inside that room lives poetry.
It invites me in,
Says take a seat,
And offers me its words to eat.
It embraces me.
Then takes my coat.
Then sings to me
In special notes.
It comforts me.
Says stay awhile.
Encourages me
With its warm smile.
It offers me a place to stay.
And says Please come back any day.
I am your friend,
It says to me.
I open up.
It sets me free.
Kimberly LaRocca is an avid reader and writer and has written numerous short stories, poems, and songs. She earned a Bachelor of Applied Science in Technology Management degree from St. Petersburg College. Kimberly lives in Florida with her husband and four sons. Reply to the e-mail address above for a limited copy of the book for review consideration or to arrange an interview.
Website: http://www.klarocca2010.wordpress.com
A Black Girl’s Poetry for the World can be purchased on amazon.com and a host of other retailers.
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Girls-Poetry-World/dp/1456595490/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312817520&sr=8-1
# # #
Author: Revital Shiri-Horowitz
Book: Daughters of Iraq
Self-published
Daughters of Iraq is the story of emigration of a Jewish family from Iraq to newly-established Israel as experienced by two sisters: Violet, whom we learn about through a diary she kept after being diagnosed with a critical illness, and through Farida, whose personality unfolds through her relationship with her new surroundings and her new life. Violet’s daughter, Noa, a student in her twenties in the late twentieth century, also has a prominent voice in the story. Noa embarks on a spiritual quest to the past, so that she can learn how to build her life in the present and for the future. While each of the three women is struggling with her own issues, they are all looking for the same thing: happiness. They share a strong sense of family and of their deep roots, and are all inextricably linked to each other.
About the Author: Award-winning author, Revital Shiri-Horowitz, was born and raised in Israel, and lives part of the time in Seattle, Washington. She wrote this book to honor her family’s story that had never been told before.
Thank you for your consideration!
Until recently, the story of Iraqi Jews in both Iraq and Israel has primarily been told by men. Now, with the publication of Revital Shiri-Horowitz’s “Daughters of Iraq,” a new voice has been added to the repertoire, the voice of a young woman. Shiri-Horowitz tells the story with a light and loving touch. Her book, which is riveting and convincing, explores the connections between the past and the present, between the older women and their legacies to their children and grandchildren. — Professor Lev Hakak, UCLA
In a twisting plot with intriguing characters Shiri-Horowitz grasps the attention of the reader in a novel that is both instructive and heartfelt. Through the main character, Noa, a young woman looking for meaning in our convoluted world, we experience the journey of her ancestors, an established Jewish family in Iraq, to the newly formed state of Israel in the early `50s. Their hardships and triumphs shed light on a forgotten chapter of history, and help our protagonist make sense of her own destiny. Beautiful. — Anthony Blumfield, Amazon.com
I laughed, cried, and found myself relating to this beautifully written novel of a family in a world far away. It’s a lovely story of humanity, a mother’s adoration for her children, and a family’s dream for the future. One a scale of 5 stars, I give it an 8. I highly recommend it to both men and women alike. — Jackie Madden Haugh, Author of My Life in a Tutu
Daughters of Iraq, Horowitz Publishing (April 2011) 288 pages; Available in print and e-book; http://www.amazon.com/Daughters-Iraq-Revital-Shiri-Horowitz/dp/0615460798/
My name is Rachel Forde, and I’d like you to consider my debut novel, “Lastborn”, for a review. A YA fantasy novel with a Wild West twist, it was the recent winner of the ePublishing Consortium’s Most Talented New Author award.
“Nara-Ya is a pugnacious adolescent girl on the run from a powerful sorceress. Fate lands her in the company of her polar opposite, the soft-spoken Donovan Brennan, who is simultaneously struggling to lead a Resistance movement, regain a throne for a wronged King, and prevent a war between the land he lives in and the land of his birth.
Brennan walks a fine line between his principles and success; Nara-Ya, by contrast, knows what she has to do to survive, and circumstances shunt her toward the life of a fighter and warrior. However, as war looms, as her friendship with Donovan grows into something more, and as Nara-Ya is forced to confront her darker instincts, she begins to question her destiny, and is forced to make a decision that will alter the fate of their world.”
Available as a Kindle eBook at http://www.amazon.com/Lastborn-The-Sixth-Cycle-ebook/dp/B005ALGG5C
3-chapter sample available on the Amazon sales site.
Dear LLReviewers,
Thank you for the opportunity to tell you about my debut novel THE BREVITY OF ROSES as a possible choice for your review.
Title: The Brevity of Roses
Author: Linda Cassidy Lewis
Publisher: Two-Four-Six Publishing
ISBN: 978-0983336501
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Blog: http;//lindacassidylewis.com
Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983336504/ (also available at Smashwords and B&N)
Read the first two chapters: http://lindacassidylewis.com/brevity-of-roses/
Description:
Jalal Vaziri has looks, money, women–and a habit of running from reality. When he abandons New York and reinvents himself as a poet in a California beach house, he thinks he’s running from a father who hates him, a career mistake, and endless partying. A fresh start is what he needs. And after an intriguing woman enters his life, he believes all his dreams are coming true. But that dream dissolves into nightmare, and Jalal flees again. Only this time, his retreat is blocked by a woman who challenges him to face that it’s himself he’s trying to outrun.
Review excerpts:
“The Brevity of Roses is a story about love, the power and beauty of love as well as the fear it can trigger and the pain it can cause. The characters are complex and believable, flawed but loveable.” ~ Christa Polkinhorn, author of Love of a Stonemason
“Both the wonder and the anxiety of sensual love, family love and friendship are explored with charm, poise and intelligence.” ~ Judy Croome, author of Dancing in the Shadows of Love
Why should you review this book?
Because, its theme is universal. As my character Jalal says, the meaning of life is: “Love. To receive love, to give love, nothing more.”
We spend our lives seeking, developing, and losing love in one form or another. This book explores the effects of love and loss in the lives of one man, two women, and those whose lives they touch through a story you may never forget.
Thank you for your consideration,
Linda
I would love to have my novel reviewed on your site. Thank you for your consideration,
Marla Madison
Author and self-publisher – Marla Madison
Title – She’s Not There
Genre – Suspense
Available on Amazon – http.amzn.to/mQebPH
On Smashwords – bit.ly/rjOrWt
Synopsis
Women are missing . . .
Is the rising number of abused women who’ve gone missing a statistical anomaly? Or is a predator targeting this vulnerable group of women?
When the Milwaukee Police Department refuses to investigate because no bodies have been discovered, Lisa Rayburn, the clinical psychologist who discovers the anomaly, is drawn into an investigation to discover the cause after one of her clients goes missing. She finds herself forming an unlikely alliance with a former policewoman turned security consultant and the husbands of two of the missing women who may themselves be murderers.
After one of them is attacked and a woman looking remarkable like Lisa is found murdered, they know . . . someone is willing to kill to protect his secret.
Can they reveal the killer before he gets to them?
Title: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Life of Soul Searching and Self Discovery
Subtitle: From Depression and Betrayal to First Lady of the World
Publisher: Flash History Press
Distributor: Atlas Books
ISBN: 978-0-9834784-0-9
Genres: Personal Growth, Biography, History,
Author Web Site: http://www.annatkins.com
1st Chapter available: http://www.annatkins.com
Page Count: 176
Photos: 42 from the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Library
Index: Yes
It’s a new age for biographies – a smart beach read biography.
Today’s readers don’t want the drone of academic details. The spirit of the story is what must be told and will fill the gap between Wikipedia and 800 page chronicles.
The coup d’état would be writing history as relevant to the reader’s own life. It is bringing the past to the present because the question we all had as kids, “Why do we need to know this?” is still valid. So now consider – finding personal growth in a smart beach read biography.
As a college instructor, community director, and counselor, I used the stories and struggles of historical figures to give guidance and inner strength to classes, clients, kids and myself. Making history relevant was successful in the field and it is now available in a book.
If the research of Doris Kearns Goodwin met up with storytelling of Mark Twain the synopsis of an Eleanor Roosevelt book would look like this –
From a childhood plagued with drunks and drama queens, Eleanor must now discard her dependency on Franklin and face off with her grand dame mother-in law. Refusing to cave in to society’s rules, Eleanor’s exuberant style, wavering voice and lack of Hollywood beauty are fodder for the media.
First Lady for thirteen years, Eleanor redefines and exploits this role to a position of power. Using her influence she champions for Jews, African Americans and women. Living through two world wars Eleanor witnesses thousands of graves, broken bodies and grieving families. She defies a post-war-return to status quo and establishes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights within the U.N. She earns her way to being named “First Lady of the World.”
The audacity of this woman to live out her own destiny challenges us to do the same. After all, it’s not about Eleanor. Her story is history. It’s about us.
Thank you for your role in the book world. I hope this rendition of Eleanor’s life is a rewarding experience for you to read.
Ann Atkins
Author: Gayle E. Pitman, Ph.D
Title: Backdrop: The Politics and Personalities behind Sexual Orientation Research
ISBN: 9780615518121
Page count: 298
Synopsis: “There’s a story behind every research study.” In Backdrop, Gayle Pitman narrates the “story” behind the science of sexual orientation – a science that has been rife with contradictions and controversies. Pitman argues that, when it comes to sexual orientation research, we could potentially glean more powerful insights from the backdrop of politics and personalities behind the research than from the actual studies themselves. Beginning with a focus on the causes of sexual orientation, moving then to the politics of transgender and intersex identities, and culminating in the political controversies of reparative therapy, “don’t ask, don’t tell,” and same-sex marriage, Backdrop brings into focus the rich and textured landscape behind the scientific research findings. Filled with plot twists and developments, variegated characters (the scientists as well as the activists and reactionaries), and thorny political, moral, and philosophical questions, Backdrop brings the science to life, raising more complex questions while simultaneously providing us with a more nuanced understanding of gender and sexual orientation.
Genres: Gay/lesbian, nonfiction, social science
Publisher: Active Voice Press
Website: http://www.activevoicepress.com
Why choose? This book is interesting, timely, and provocative. It brings the reader into the scientific world of sexual orientation research, and it pushes the reader to think about LGBT issues in a more complex and critical way. Backdrop is written in a science-journalism style, and it is intended to be accessible to the general reader. I think Backdrop is a strong contribution to the LGBT/social science nonfiction genre. I also think that this book comes at a very critical time, given our current social and political landscape regarding LGBT civil rights issues. Because LGBT issues such as same-sex marriage are currently on the map, so to speak, I think that a book like Backdrop would appeal to many, and it could potentially encourage deeper insights into these controversies.
Name: Eirik Gumeny (with Stephen Schwegler)
Title: Screw the Universe
Synopsis: Space, the hopefully not copyrighted final frontier.
Out there is a universe teeming with new and strange life, with science and probably magic and wonderment. And out there, in that inky black void, is a spaceship whose crew honestly could not give a crap.
Screw the Universe is a collection of short stories about a crew more concerned with getting ice cream than with saving the galaxy, under the command of a federation that grants promotions based on filthy acts performed behind only occasionally closed doors, and captained by a man whose only goal in life is to bone as many lifeforms as he can, a captain who truly wants to screw the universe.
Author sites: egumeny.blogspot.com and/or http://www.stephenschwegler.com
First chapter: http://egumeny.blogspot.com/p/fuck-space-chickens.html
Why you should pick our book to be reviewed: To paraphrase a friend of ours – If you want to laugh your ass off at one of the funniest books you’ll ever have the pleasure of reading, then by all means read this. It’s puerile, but also extremely clever. It’s full of sex and violence, but as far from erotica or horror as you could possibly get. It’s an easy read, but not easy to put down. The dialogue moves along at roller-coaster speeds. Puns abound. You never quite know what ridiculousness the next page may bring.
Book name: The Days You Won’t Recall
Author: Peter Sileo
Self-Publishing Company: CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing.
Link to book: https://www.createspace.com/3547718
Greetings,
I would like to submit for your consideration my self-published children’s book, entitled “The Days You Won’t Recall.”
Realistic pictures illustrate the rhyming verse in which a father recounts to his son the many ways in which they spent their time before the son became of school age. The rhymes and illustrations are amusing to children while the verse will appeal to the older reader, especially a parent in the midst of raising a preschool child.
The book was published through Amazon.com’s CreateSpace and is also available for the Kindle.
I’ve also created a short video version of the entire book, mainly in hopes of generating some interest, though this is also a very convenient way to consume the book for review purposes. It can be viewed here. http://youtu.be/aDElPyDUJjg
Here is a link to my Website as well: http://www.thedaysyouwontrecall.com/home.htm
Why consider this book?
I believe the premise to be quite unique. The father/narrator is attempting, through the recounting of he and his son’s activities, to keep his son’s early memories from fading away, though he knows they inevitably will, fully and irretrievably. He also puzzles at how it is that his son will remember forever the names of creatures, plants, the alphabet and numbers that he has learned during these same years. At last the father is somewhat resigned, and avers that at least he himself will remember and cherish those days always.
Thanks for you time and best to you,
-Peter Sileo
Title: Sardoodledom: A Spelling Bee Tale
Author: Krishna Dalal
Publisher: One Word Publishing
ISBN: 9780983324508
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Website: http://www.onewordpublishing.com
Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf7UqoAdLak
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sardoodledom-Spelling-Tale-Krishna-Dalal/dp/0983324506/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314421079&sr=8-1
Synopsis: Join Chloe, Ryan, Juan, and Hannah as they spell their way through the 9th Annual Jefferson Elementary School spelling bee. Whether it’s playing with rhyme, telling knock-knock jokes, or tackling homophones, these spellers entertain and educate. Finally, will one lucky charm prove to be unlucky? This dramatic spelling bee can only be summed up by Chloe’s favorite word: sardoodledom.
Why Consider this Book: With thousands of spellings bees being held annually in schools across the country, it comes as quite a surprise that no children’s book captures the spirit of these popular competitions. Sardoodledom: A Spelling Bee Tale does exactly that. It is the first children’s picture book set on the stage of a spelling bee, and the humor and word play will make young readers laugh and learn.
Thank you. – Krishna
Title: Be Now, Buddy What
Author: Dan Spencer
Genre: Satire
Publisher: CreateSpace & Kindle KDP
Formats: Book, epub, pdf, and mobi (for Kindle)
A naked man survives a meteoric plunge from a cloudless sky, and a small-town TV reporter rushes to get the story. The fallen man claims amnesia and, despite widespread efforts, no one can identify him. The press dubs him Buddy What.
When no clues surface about his identity and as details about the mystery man are examined, Internet devotees start worshipping him as a celestial being.
With trepidation, he accepts the call to become a spiritual guru. But as Buddy What grows into a worldwide phenomenon, controversies follow.
Be Now, Buddy What is a satire about fame, the news media, organized religion, the Internet, and people who let strangers into their homes.
http://www.buddywhat.com
http://www.danspencer.com
Twitter: @BeNowBuddyWhat
Kindle page: http://amzn.to/pafsn1
Amazon page: http://amzn.to/nQFrkV
B&N/Nook page: http://bit.ly/oVmowy
Thank you for your consideration.
Be now,
Dan Spencer
Request review for Bobby Slater’s World, self-published (Create Space,) boomer fiction, 83,000 words.
Brief synop:
Summer, 1964 and for 13 year old Bobby Slater, 1 of those rich summer kids up on Baker Lake, it’s idyllic – swimming, fishing, baseball, hiking the mountains around the lake, camping on the islands, but what Bobby wants is a girlfriend.
Be careful what you wish for, Bobby.
Bobby gets his girl, a local girl, an Indian cutie, and it’s 1 soda, 2 straws, foreheads touching, eyes lost in love like in those romance comics Bobby’s little sister collects and Bobby peruses sometimes when no 1 is around. It’s bliss except the girl is fickle. Some- times she’s sweet and funny, sometimes not and it’s because she’s living with a 150 year old curse.
Bobby will lead the fight against the curse and he’ll have help from people living and dead. He’ll have his sisters and his loyal sidekick, best friend/cousin Joe, who spends summers with the family and Bobby will have a grumpy Indian war chief and the local gypsy fortune teller and from the other side there’s Sophronia, the Indian girl’s mom, dead 10 years, a victim of the curse. Mostly, though, it’s on Bobby Slater. Can he break down the barrier that divides the summer people from the locals? Can he bring them all together to save the girl?
Thank you.
Title: Life Descending, part one of The Cry of Havoc.
Author: John Hennessy
Self-published: CreateSpace and Smashwords
Genre: epic fantasy
ISBN-13: 978-0615527284
ISBN-10: 0615527280
eBook ISBN-13: 978-1-4659-1117-9
ASIN: B005JL4W9K
Where to find it: http://www.johnhennessy.net/John_Hennessy/Books.html
All sources are linked there, including Amazon and Smashwords.
Hello, I am a twenty-two-year-old who recently graduated from Western Washington, and am excited about publishing my first book.
Why you should pick Life Descending: it has a fun, engaging plot, with a living world that will pique fantasy reader’s interest. Yet, it is also a sad tale, built upon real emotions and compelling characters that drive the reader onwards. It also has foot-tall leprechauns, and leprechauns are always enjoyable to read about.
The back of the book:
On a world once devastated by deadly climate shifts, war threatens a continent in turmoil. The scorching heat of old is returning, and whispers of a Southern plague cross the Bordergrounds, spreading fear into the fanatical hearts of the North, who prepare themselves for one final holy conquest. At the edge of the conflict lies Tom Navo, a man who has lost a life, only to rise again. But his life spirals into chaos once more when he learns that his memories have been tampered with. Hope and revenge are all that remain after he meets Shakara, a woman who has also been shattered by grim secrets, secrets of missing families, brainwashed soldiers, and a warmongering king. Yet, among these bleak forecasts resides a hint of possibility, a chance to extinguish the coming darkness, with a clue to the location of the ancient Impermeable Suit, the lost enchanted armor of legend, surrounded by tales of triumph and glory of its former bearer. Now, Tom and Shakara seek its power, but others, dangerous and determined, including the zealous King of the North himself, have deciphered the clue and race to find such a potent weapon. In a realm full of deception and disloyalty, lust and malice, corruption and tragedy, stands a story of lords and servants, assassins and soldiers, and extraordinary beings aplenty, whose future teeters perilously on the brink of doom, as all life descends into shadow.
You can also preview the first four chapters at my website. My detailed map is also there for readers.
I look forward to your reply and hope you will consider my book.
Regards,
John Hennessy
Request for consideration of review
Title: The Story of Solomon Bear
Genre: Children’s E-book (Recommended for ages 5 and up)
Available now in all good electronic book formats.
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053ZMPJ6
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-story-of-solomon-bear-phillip-laird/1104227344
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/66596
Sample chapters available at Amazon and Smashwords.
Description: A girl and her teddy bear share a promise to keep love alive in a home where it’s been all but forgotten. When they are forced apart one day, Solomon Bear is determined to find her at any cost!
At once a children’s romance and a fable about remembering unconditional love, this sentimental tale has the capacity to transcend genre and age boundaries. For while a taste for porridge, marmalade, or honey might make a bear more human, Solomon would remind us: it is love that brings us all to life.
This story is approximately 9000 words long (or 50 printed pages). Not illustrated.
Reader testimonials:
- “A tale about love and innocence and trust in the style of such classics as The Velveteen Rabbit. This short novel has the kind of lyrical prose that sings off the page. It is a perfect story to read to a child or to just enjoy in a quiet hour.”
- “A must for anyone who has ever loved a teddy bear!”
- “This is a great short story, beautifully written, with lots of emotions, a lot of humour, but most of all very moving.”
- “A story that reminds us of our ability to love, to look past all the things we allow to clutter our lives and return to the innocent, the pure, the magical. Through the eyes of Solomon Bear, we can rediscover a piece of ourselves.”
The new book Common Sense and Whiskey is a collection of stories about travel in some of the world’s more challenging, far-flung places. It’s a crisp, fun survey of what things are really like, way out there in the real world. It includes stories from Bhutan, Borneo, Burma, Greenland, Guangxi Province in China, Lake Baikal in Siberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Chilean Patagonia, the Southern Caucasus, the Trans-Siberian Railroad, Sri Lanka and Tibet.
It’s all here: Adventures in Africa, Azerbaijan and the Arctic. Headhunters and prayer flags, liars and thieves, evil spirits and atrocious food. From Tbilisi to Tibet to the Trans-Siberian Railroad, Common Sense and Whiskey is something to sip slowly, and savor. Perceptive travel tales, well told.
The author and his wife have traveled to 105 countries and territories in twenty-five years of world travel. Together they maintain the photography web site EarthPhotos.com, with more than 15,000 photos from around the world. One of them, of a tree-climbing lion in Uganda, is featured in the September Afar Magazine, on sale this month.
•••••
Reviews:
“Great details, plenty of humor…. Each story has the right mix of exotic descriptions, authentic dialogue and funny little twists.” – Michael Edward Miller, WUTC Chattanooga
“I would recommend this to anyone, especially if you’ve never been to these places. It will certainly spark your interest and for most, will add to the places on your list of ‘places to see’” – Josh Allen, Amateur Traveler blog
“You leave home with a blank page. You return with stories of your own to share. This is what Bill Murray does so well. Rich and inspiring. Filled with surprises and great adventures.”- George Brown, President, Friendship Force International
“A good travel writer shows rather than tells and Bill shows us beautifully with unassuming prose and evocative images. Brings home the exoticism of foreign travel. A fantastic collection.” – Laurence Mitchell, author, the Bradt Guides to Serbia and Kyrgyzstan
•••••
• Common Sense & Whiskey by Bill Murray
• Trim Size: 5.5 x 8.5, paperback
• Page Count: 254
• ISBN-13: 978-0615467313
• ISBN-10: 0615467318
• Suggested Retail Price: $14.99
• Genre: Travel
• Publisher: EarthPhotos Books
• Contact: Bill Murray 800.229.2046, bill@earthphotos.com
• Publication Date: May, 2010
• Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Common-Sense-Whiskey-Bill-Murray/dp/0615467318/
• A Common Sense and Whiskey Companion: http://www.earthphotos.com/cs&w
• Blog: http://www.commonsenseandwhiskey.com
• Associated site: http://www.earthphotos.com
• The author is available for broadcast interviews via ISDN studio.
•••••
Additional collateral: http://www.earthphotos.com/gallery/7977462_Kfw8v
Sample Chapter, Greenland: http://commonsenseandwhiskey.typepad.com/commonsenseandwhiskey/2011/05/common-sense-and-whiskey-the-book-chapter-two.html
Thanks for your time, and continued best of luck with LLBookReview.com.
This is the first installment of my new zombie trilogy.
Quick synopsis:
An international race for a secret cure-all fails causing patients to mutate into different variations of the same undead creature. All but one of the involved countries create “deadz”, the US.
Those involved decide the US is hiding the solution and decide to ship their “deadz”, nicknamed the “runners”, “crawlers”, and “talkers”, to the US in retaliation. The plan, to sneak them into the country and use the railroad system to distribute them quietly throughout America one small town after another.
I have a great opinion on reading and books.
I am writing to reach those that have the “I’ll watch the movie” attitude. Those that are often intimidated and inundated just by the sight and thought of taking on most novels. I think my writing style has elements that can attract those would be readers to the very cool world of reading. Sort of a manuscript meets a screenplay in that it’s matter of fact but still mentally visual, well paced, and not overly wordy.
I think if they’re willing to commit a couple of hours to a film then they would be able to commit the same to completing a story if they were educated to the fact they existed as an option. Not to mention the pride of telling everyone they know they just completed a book! Plus, who wouldn’t love a good zombie book that employs different types of zombies on the attack?
Any consideration will be greatly cherished and I will always be loyal in returning the favor.
Thank you.
PS. I have a coupon code that I can send. I would post it but then the world could download it for free. Maybe at this stage that wouldn’t be bad thing especially if they agreed to review it on the site but this isn’t an ad so I’ll hold off.
Mad Gods is available @:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/48579
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QOA768
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Mad-Gods-Redux/Athanasios-Galanis/e/2940011286919
Mad Gods has been very well reviewed. It is currently struggling to find an audience due to its cross genre story of the occult, religion, philosophy, entertainment & historical fiction. If it finds its audience it has the potential to become an epic story that will stand the test of time.
Synopsis
Kostadino Paleologos is a descendant of Byzantine emperors and lives with honour, duty and sacrifice. Every year he returns to Istanbul and sends trapped souls to their deserved rest. The final soul in this solemn task sends him on a quest to the mythic, ancient Library of Alexandria. There he finds the Idammah-Gan Codex, a unique book which convinces him to abduct the infant Antichrist and raise him as his own. They live life on the run pursued by Satanists, Catholic Church & Dark Nobility, who want the baby back or dead.
http://www.amazon.com/Fiona-vs-Foot-Tickler-ebook/dp/B005LR7PSM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315526665&sr=8-1
Fiona vs. the Foot Tickler
by T Cramer
Kindle and Nook
The legendary Foot Tickler of Oakfield, Connecticut has resumed his bad habits after 20 years on hiatus, and when he escalates to much more serious crimes Fiona Blake, the beautiful but underachieving local reporter, is the only one who knows the cops have the wrong man. Fiona v. The Foot Tickler is, in essence, a mystery with a chick-lit twist.
You probably already know someone like Fiona: she’s coasting through life, drinking a little bit too much, and collecting broken relationships. As the only reporter at The Oakfield Tribune, she is used to dealing with incompetent police—who can’t keep their eyes off her rear end—and cranky townspeople, but when the bizarre act of foot-tickling turns to murder she begins to suspect the police have the wrong man behind bars, and sets out to exonerate him. In over her head, Fiona relies on a colorful cast of characters to help solve the crime—while trying to make sense of her personal life—in this darkly funny novel with a cinematic sensibility.
John Watson
The Clairvoyant’s Maggie
http://www.clairvoyantsmaggie.com
Life in the city of Holtsville is changed dramatically when a woman gives birth to a clairvoyant child with a preordained mission. In the early stages of the child’s life he recieves messages and visions from a spirit that would soon reveal itself as a nineteenth century American slave. In that message it was leading the child to the begining of that mission being to reform the ways of a group of men now turning the city into a powder keg.
The novel has its dose of sexual-racial tension. But it’s the use of the paranormal to create human tension that dominates the story. That is to say that it’s the presence of a powerful spirit like Maggie, the nineteenth century slave that creates many of the situations bringing the novel to its final climax.
Title
One Bowl: Simple Healthy Recipes for One
Author
Stephanie Bostic
Published via
Createspace
Synopsis
Cooking for one is oddly challenging for many of us. One Bowl features new tips, and delicious easy recipes designed just for solo cooks. In addition to great recipes and basic cooking techniques, it also features a brief intro to nutrition with suggestions and worksheets to help the reader eat more fruits and vegetables. A perfect gift for your grandmother, friends, or anyone headed off to college or their first apartment, One Bowl will quickly become essential to any small kitchen.
Why Review It?
One Bowl fits into an underserved group– solo cooks– who are often pointed toward overly predictable meals, like sauteed chicken breasts or frozen dinners. Of the 90 million plus Americans who are single or unmarried, many have a strong interest in health, nutrition, or simply interesting food. The reviewer and reader will enjoy the delicious combinations of readily available ingredients and bold flavors, while also knowing that the easy food they prepared from the book supports good health. Eating more vegetable will be a pleasure!
Websites
Book: http://onebowlcookbook.com
Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/3628354
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12417209-one-bowl
Also available on Amazon.com, amazon.ca, and barnes and noble
http://www.amazon.com/One-Bowl-Simple-Healthy-Recipes/dp/146369072X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316526951&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.ca/One-Bowl-Stephanie-Bostic/dp/146369072X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316527009&sr=8-1
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-bowl-stephanie-bostic/1032774902?ean=9781463690724&itm=1&usri=stephanie%2bbostic
Chicken Feed by Ellen Ghyll
Published on Amazon Kindle.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005MCEA5W
‘Sheena McKinley rules her market with an iron fist. When she allows prisoners from the local open prison to pick up the litter, there are rumblings of discontent amongst the regular traders; particularly the car-booters.
Prisoners start to go missing; Reg, the market manager, thinks he’s been abducted by Aliens; Matt, the butcher, starts selling chicken feed; and the Burger Man’s indiscretions come home to roost!
A tale of passion, intrigue and little brown hens.’
Pick my book because it is well written, light hearted and humorous; the characters are real and down to earth. I think you’ll like it!
A Request for consideration of a view of my middle reader, steampunk novel, The Bobbies of Bailiwick:
Synopsis:
Jack understands machines. It is his gift, he can see inside them, see what’s broken and
fix them. But after witnessing a car crash on his way to school, Jack becomes aware of a new level of mechanical complexity: A steam-powered reality beneath the world all around him, even Jack’s own skin.
When Jack is whisked away to the Bailiwick, this steampunk world become the whole of his reality; the normal world is gone.
The Bailiwick. A massive Victorian city, built on the inside surface of a sphere. The Bailiwick. Where a captive ocean is the only sky, floating at the sphere’s core. The Bailiwick. A strange topsy-turvy world populated by an alien race known as the Elboem, and ruled over by the mysterious Bailiff.
Along with Red Ruby, a Pirate Princess from the golden age of sail, and LOF-t a Sixty-Sixth Century cyborg, Jack has been transported to the Bailiwick to fill the ranks of its Constables: an ancient and noble order, tasked with the defense of the realm from the invading Zed.
With a fantastic array of steam-powered, flying machines, this new generation of Bobbies must fend off repeated attacks by the shadow-like, evil Zed; All the while attempting to uncover the true reason for their arrival in the Bailiwick, and exactly how they can transport themselves back home.
Blog: http://www.bobbiesofbailwick.com
Amazon: http://amzn.to/o833qs
Kindle: http://amzn.to/n3Mf4w
title: Awful, Ohio
publishing outlet: Createspace
author: Jeff Neal
synopsis:
Every morning the sun rises, waking Awful, Ohio, overlooking all of its residents, guiding them towards another productive and profitable working day. The economy is strong and the money is abundant, all of which are offered to whomever produces and profits the most product. The masses rejoice daily over the informed opportunity, with the exception of Troy Slushy. Troy Slushy wakes every morning to the intrusion of the sun abruptly charging into his home, removing him from his enchanting dreams. The sun exposes his collection of worthless possessions, his depressed wife seeking salvation, his withering home struggling for support, and the life-decimating job that is undesirably forced upon him daily. This is Troy Slushy’s existence in Awful, Ohio, and because of this exposure to this monotonous misery, Troy’s enemy is the sun. Heavily sedated by a dream-enriched epiphany, Troy removes his concerns for the demands and priorities of Awful, Ohio, replacing them with the objective of permanently removing the sun from his existence. He gathers his wife and begins a quest to save them both from their sun-exposed lives of suffering in Awful, Ohio, concocting plans and blueprints of various sun-destroying methods. Unfortunately for Troy, this proves to be easier said than done. But luckily, Troy discovers that perseverance is much more eminent in accomplishing a goal than feasibility, as he is able to assemble a massive scheme to achieve perpetual darkness, but not without affecting Awful, Ohio and all its production, profits, and population.
http://www.awfulohio.com
- there is a book trailer on the website as well.
here is a preview for the book:
https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1088197
Why review it?
Black humor, satirical, and heavily influenced by Vonnegut and Tom Waits. This is your only opportunity to read a story of characters named Troy Slushy, Lacy Slushy, Wilsie McHickoryboob, Baltazar Garcia, Theodore Sphinctor, Mad Ted, Sammy Ammo, Chuck Splatter, and Doink McTriggers, all living in a town whose flourishing economy was so astounding and so full of awe, that the town earned the name: Awful, Ohio.
My name is Joe Rinaldo, and I have published an ebook entitled, A Spy At Home. I would be most grateful if you would review it for your blog. I’ll provide a free copy for you to read in Word, pdf, or html format, whichever you prefer.
Garrison’s story begins when he retires from the CIA. In retirement Garrison shares the pain he inflicted on his family during his life abroad. Noah, Garrison’s adult son with Down syndrome, a form of mental retardation, doesn’t trust dad when he returns home. Experience has taught Noah that dad always leaves again. Over time they grow closer.
Louisa, Garrison’s wife, gradually accepts her husband back; however, accepting him as her husband and trusting him with her child present two separate obstacles.
Tragedy strikes, and Louisa dies. Garrison becomes solely responsible for Noah, who has developed Alzheimer’s, common in aging people with Down syndrome. This disease tears at Garrison’s heart. Noah ceases to be himself and relives a life his dad knew nothing about.
Thank you for considering A Spy At Home. If you are willing to review my book, please email me at rinald47@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
Joe Rinaldo
Better Off Without Him
by Dee Ernst
Published just about everywhere
Blurb – Mona Berman is an expert at Happily Ever After – after all, she’s a best-selling Romance writer and happy endings are what she does best. So when her husband of twenty years leaves her for somebody 15 years younger, 20 pounds lighter, and French, she’s got a lot of adjusting to do, both personally and professionally. Lucky for her she’s got three savvy teen daughters, a few good friends, and Ben, the world’s sexiest plumber, to help her along the way.
First she decides that her next book will be the anti-romance – her heroine finds the best part of her life AFTER getting dumped. Next her daughters tell her she needs to start practice dating, and summer at the Jersey shore is the perfect place for that. She’s also juggling her soon-to-be-ex, a loony aunt, and a match-making neighbor, while Ben is sending her romance-driven imagination into overdrive. Can Mona’s life imitate art? Can she write her own happy ending?
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Better-Off-Without-Him-ebook/dp/B004ASNCTE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1289396809&sr=1-1
Barnes&Noble – http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Better-Off-Without-Him/Dee-Ernst/e/2940011850240/?itm=1&USRI=better+off+without+him
Samples are available on both sites.
And why, with all the books out there asking to be read, should you pick me? Because reviewers are people too, and they deserve a good laugh just like everyone else.
RUN
Patti Larsen
Smashwords and Amazon.com
(from the back cover)
Kidnapped
Alone, Reid gasps in one deep breath, another. It hurts his ribs, his lungs. He manages to roll over on his right side and regrets it. His shoulder screams in protest. Still, he is finally able to wriggle his numb hands loose from what holds him and claws at the cloth around his eyes.
Darkness. But not complete. The moon is up. Trees loom over him, the smell of spruce and fresh air so sharp it almost hurts. He jerks at the plastic ties around his ankles while. his vision swims through a veil of pain-laden tears. He manages somehow to force his screaming hands to work the ties loose and he is free.
Sixteen-year-old Reid thinks life is back to normal. His sister Lucy pulls herself together and cuts him free from a year of foster care. She promises to take care of him, that her new boss and her new life are what they both needed to start again. Until Reid is taken in the middle of the night, dumped in a wild stretch of forest far from home with no idea why he is there. Lost and afraid, he learns to run from the hunters who prowl the darkness, their only pleasure chasing down kids like him. And killing them.
You can find RUN on Smashwords here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82356
And Amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/Run-The-Hunted-ebook/dp/B005HZJX9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316899587&sr=8-1
If you like a non-stop action, heart pounding, pulse racing read that will keep you up at night, you’ll love RUN. Thank you for considering it for review.
Heaven Again, a literary novel of 69,000 words/230 pages by H. C. Turk, published by Smashwords
Synopsis:
A child is murdered. Her father kills the murderer. These sad, disastrous deaths cause the parents to split. Then the murderer’s sister seeks revenge by tormenting the parents with a child who resembles the dead girl. But the father is convinced his daughter still lives, and is willing to kill for her again. Death, despair, and revenge are the three evils that Glenn and Janet Alden defeat in Heaven Again, a story that ultimately is ingratiating and uplifting in depicting the profound reunion of husband and wife.
With prose as compelling as its themes, Heaven Again is a story that will startle readers with its originality and utterly convincing voice.
Links (preview and book proper):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MKQOT4
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/88504
Thanks for your time.
Midnight Spanish Gardens by Alma Alexander asks the universal question … what if ?
What if you could make a different choice at a critical moment in your life? What if you had married someone else, turned right instead of left, had taken that job that you refused? What if you had been born a man instead of a woman?
The novel is currently available in e-book format; the paperback edition will be out in the fall from Sky Warrior Books. We would be delighted if you would like to review it.
Alma Alexander gives good interviews and would be happy to do a guest blog at any time.
The story opens on the eve of the end of the world, Dec. 20, 2012, when five friends meet in Spanish Gardens, the restaurant where they had celebrated their college graduation 20 years before. Over Irish coffees, they reminisce – and reveal long-held and disturbing secrets.
Each friend in turn is given a curious set of instructions by an enigmatic bartender named Ariel: “Your life is filled with crossroads and you are free to choose one road or another at any time. Stepping through this door takes away all choices except two — the choice to live a different life, or return to this one.”
All of them pass through the portal and into drastically changed lives. They change occupations and families; one changes gender; a woman falls in love — with another woman. In the end, four choose to return to their original lives. One doesn’t.
Midnight at Spanish Gardens is an extraordinary new novel by the author of the internationally acclaimed The Secrets of Jin-Shei, on sale in 14 languages, and the young adult Worldweavers series that VOYA suggested for readers suffering Harry Potter withdrawal.
For further information, see Sky Warrior Books website: http://www.skywarriorbooks.com/
For more about the author, check out her website: http://www.AlmaAlexander.com/
Sister Devout
Mongoose Publishing
Matthew Sprange
http://www.amazon.com/Sister-Devout-Warriors-God-ebook/dp/B005NIOL8G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317069531&sr=8-2
A young and devout girl, Kaelyn Bright is inducted into a secret order of the Catholic Church in the 13th Century. Charged with defending the ordinary man against the supernatural, she will be aided by two other members of the Order – Tranter and Ember. Her personal feelings towards both of them become increasingly confused as they join forces to battle corruption within the Church of Rouen, and the true nature of her duties become apparent. Headed by the Archbishop of Rouen, once a knight in the Crusades, a coven is seeking to claim power throughout Europe by raising an army of pure evil, an act in contravention of all laws of God.
We hope you will find this story exciting and atmospheric, a journey to 13th century Europe – with a dark twist, where the supernatural really does exist and a group of dedicated people battle against it.
Greater Than the Sum of My Parts: My Triumph Over Dissociative Identity Disorder
Nonfiction Memoir
ebook
From the Kindle listing:
Dissociative Identity Disorder is a coping mechanism developed by children who were sexually abused before age 7 (DSM diagnosis.)
This autobiography was originally written as a self case study, intended to present a unique case of DID that achieved integration without the use of memory recovery therapy, which was so controversial it made the existence of DID controversial, and without abreaction treatment, a standard feature of most books about DID/ MPD but which seems traumatic and overly dependance-inducing. This book presents a unique treatment, never before seen in the psychological literature.
But this memoir is so much more than that. It’s the story of a life–my life. It’s the story of my childhood, both the good parts and the bad, and the story of how I picked up the pieces of my life and put all the puzzle pieces together, to become the whole, sane person I am today. It’s a story of recovery, a story of hope, a story that shows a human being can overcome anything with enough hard work.
This is life as I lived it, raw, unpredictable, confusing, and ultimately transformative and enlightening.
My mystery novel is published with Lulu, Smashwords, and is also available on Kindle.
BLURB: “Tantric Zoo” begins at a tantric sex couples retreat in 1987. Amid the cavorting and indulging and groping and exploring one of the campers ends up dead. The surviving campers bury the body and return to their lives.
Until 2008 when the body is discovered and forensic anthropologist Bud Warhol tracks the campers down. Bud finds the murderer but also discovers how two decades of guilt has altered and affected the lives of everyone involved with the Tantric Zoo.
Pick Me! because:
“Tantric Zoo” is a well-written, solidly plotted, witty and satisfying mystery. I think anyone who reads it will be impressed with the quality of the writing and editing. It represents today’s state of self-publishing. It isn’t a “last resort” or a “vanity press” decision: it is a viable way to publish and promote a professionally written book. I’ve been published (and received no support–boo-hoo and all that) by mainstream houses. I chose self-publishing: I didn’t even send it to a “real” publisher.
And now it’s in print and being marketed and it’s a kick in the ass learning about e-publishing and doing all my own PR.
Thanks,
Rob Loughran
Windsor, CA.
Link to the book: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92126
Author name: James Hutchings
Title of the work: The New Death and others
Brief synopsis:
Death gets a roommate…
An electronic Pope faces a difficult theological question…
A wicked vizier makes a terrible bargain…
44 stories. 19 poems. No whiny vampires. There’s a thin line between genius and insanity, and James Hutchings has just crossed it – but from which direction?
Company name: Smashwords (and others).
Tell us why we should pick your book to be reviewed: A while ago you reviewed my ebook of very short fiction, Two-Fisted Tweets, so I thought you might be interested in this as well (although this is more normal-length fiction).
BADWATER is part mystery, part ecothriller, about a team of forensic geologists tracking stolen radioactive waste in Death Valley. Here’s the synopsis:
Forensic geologists Cassie Oldfield and Walter Shaws embark on a perilous hunt–tracking a terrorist who has stolen radioactive material that is hotter than the desert in August. He threatens to release it in America’s most fragile national park, Death Valley.
But first he must stop the geologists who are closing in.
As the hunt turns dangerous, Cassie and Walter will need grit along with their field skills to survive this case. For they are up against more than pure human malice. The unstable atom–in the hands of an unstable man–is governed by Murphy’s Law. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
And it does.
link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005466WQ6
publisher: Toni Dwiggins
Why review my book? It has a puzzle to be solved–the heart of the mystery–and the suspense and tension of a thriller. It’s a twofer.
Thank you for considering this.
REQUEST FOR REVIEW
Title: Tribe
ISBN: 978-0983764205
Author: James Bruno
Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Tribe-James-Bruno/dp/0983764204/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_3
Synopsis:
“A secret peace with the Taliban. Complete U.S. troop withdrawal. Secured with a huge Central Asian oil deal. Virtually guaranteeing the re-election of a President. The backers will garner enormous wealth. CIA officer Harry Brennan’s moral conscience compels him to get in the way of this plot. In doing so, he faces political enemies at home more dangerous than the terrorists who have kidnapped his daughter, Laurie. And her fate is tied to that of Russian spy Sergei Nemsky’s daughter, Anya, in need of treatment for a rare disease. The two adversaries, drawing on their respective spycraft skills and connections, form a secret and risky pact to save their daughters’ lives. Harry’s career takes off after he falls in love with Camilla Loomis, a young and politically powerful Washington socialite. But the resulting tension between his career and commitment to the truth compels Harry to balk and unilaterally take on the powerful men and women behind the pay-for-play scheme. Harry finds himself running for his life from jihadists in Afghanistan and Predator drones in Yemen, a target of his own CIA…”
Publisher: Bittersweet House Press
Why My Book Should be Reviewed: My first two novels have been Kindle bestsellers steadily for nine months. I have been featured in the national media. My book is topical (Afghanistan). As a U.S. official who worked on Afghanistan, I lend unique authenticity to my writing. My book was redacted and modified by U.S. government censors.
Author Site: http://www.amazon.com/James-Bruno/e/B002BLSHAG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Blog: http://jameslbruno.blogspot.com/
Preview: see “Look Inside” feature in above Amazon link
http://www.amazon.com/Find-Caesar-Vol-Search-One/dp/0615545653/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317754404&sr=1-1
Find Caesar Vol. I – The Search Is On!
ISBN 978-0-615-54565-3
An epic adventure / romance novel by Roman de Caesar
Synopsis: Ten years have passed since the death of his beloved Barbara Elizabeth Haley, and just as Roman de Caesar thought he had turned a corner in his life, a life filled with betrayal, loss and tragedy, a trap has been set by a former and now powerful lover to repossess him, and the bait for the trap is the son Roman never knew he had. She must find him, for only Roman is capable of delivering the pleasures that fulfill her: only he is capable of restoring her youth as well as her sanity through his gifts, which upon his betrayal by her years earlier, became her curse.
From a place called Paradise, the hearts of first the father and then the son, Erik Brickley, have been awakened by the woman who loves them both, though an out-of-body experience they have encountered, but separately and without Erik being aware of its true significance. Only Roman is aware of it, and now he must use the very same trap set by his enemy to not only save himself, but also save his son, and introduce him to the father he never knew he and the legacy which is Erik’s birthright.
And, although Roman is battling to manipulate people and events from behind the scenes, he constantly fights the temptation to to easily use his unique powers as a weapon to extract swift and sure revenge upon those who have hatched this scheme. Roman knows that if he acts hastily, he will not only lose himself, but also condemn his son and the legacy of the woman he loves.
But it is Erik who will become Roman’s greatest weapon, as he begins his quest: a quest to discover the truth regarding the Man behind the Golden Mask and his legend as the World’s Greatest Male Escort. And, as Erik is introduced to and interviews various persons who knew Roman before, during and after his transformation, Erik will quickly uncover the truth, not only about his own mother, but their relationship to three other families and the legacy which they have left for Erik to inherit.
Erik will come to learn, understand, believe, embrace and apply all that Roman teaches him, and in the process will discover who he is, what he does, how he lives and, also, the love his life. And, Roman will be reminded of the importance of the words his adopted father, the war hero, patriarch and ambassador wrote to him before he died:
Publisher: Aufidena Publishing (A Subsidiary of Aufidena Holdings).
1st Edition Available Friday, November 25, 2011 at Amazon.com.
Title: Sliding on the Snow Stone
Publisher: Night Publishing
Amazon Kindle Edition: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sliding-Snow-Stone-ebook/dp/B005OSABPC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1317755877&sr=1-1
(soon to be available on smashwords and amazon.com)
Synopsis: ‘It is astonishing that anyone lived this story. It is even more astonishing that anyone survived it.
Stefan grows up in the grip of a raging famine. Stalin’s Five Year Plan brings genocide to Ukraine – millions of people starve to death. To free themselves from the daily terrors of Soviet rule, Stefan and his friends fight imaginary battles in nearby woods to defend their land. The games they play are their only escape.
Sliding on the Snow Stone is the true story of Stefan’s extraordinary journey across a landscape of hunger, fear and devastating loss. With Europe on the brink of World War Two, Stefan and his family pray they’ll survive in their uncertain world. They long to be free.’
Why my book should be reviewed: It’s a true story shaped into a historical novel and fills some gaping historical cracks with a personal chronicle of one man’s battle to survive famine, Soviet Terrors, Nazi Occupation and evicition from his beloved homeland, Ukraine.
(typo free version)
Alabaster Houses is my debut novel, published June 10, 2011. Kirkus made it an Editor’s pick for both their general fiction and their indie fiction categories and it stayed as one of their picks for the entire summer. It also just received the Pinnacle Book Achievement award for Summer Fiction 2011. Now I’m trying to boost the reader reviews on all the sites where it appears, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound, Good Reads. Please help build the buzz and pick me!! Thanks!
Sometimes, the least likely encounter changes everything…
Jane Pepper is a thirty-six year old editor at a small Baltimore press. Until the past year her life has been comfortable and enviable, but when her daughter develops leukemia and then accidentally dies, only Jane knows the reason for the accident. Keeping the secret may cost her her family, her career, and her sanity.
Human rights photographer Riva Hakim, the only child of multi-race, multi-faith parents, has survived a volatile, itinerant childhood and loveless marriage to gain international acclaim for her work. Now, at fifty-two, and under contract to write her memoirs, she must put away her camera and find a way to frame the past before she can face the future. But that future is turned upside down the morning she finds a stranger named Jane Pepper on her doorstep.
Spanning both sides of the Atlantic, from Washington D.C. to the Canary Islands to Sudan, Alabaster Houses is the story of an unlikely friendship between two women who are both at a critical crossroad in life.
Title: Revive
Author: Thomas James Brown
Publisher: Lulu Publishers
Release Date: 01/12/11
ISBN: 9781447836766
Available in paperback, hardback and eBook formats
Sample Chapter: http://obscurewriter.com/2011/10/08/horror-fiction-revive-prologue/
‘Christmas is coming. It is a time of celebration, of goodwill and the sharing of gifts… But not for Tammy Becks. Her mum is sick, her brothers need looking after and in her desperation she turns to a coffee shop, a quiet little back-alley place, far from the bustle of the high street. It is called Revive.
Phil has lost his job of twenty years. With the festive pressure mounting and a family of his own to feed, he must do whatever necessary to make ends meet, even if that means donning a beard, jacket and boots for the foreseeable future…
Except even that proves uncertain, when a last coffee on Christmas Eve sees him at Revive. A subtle horror has been brewing and the untimely death of a regular unleashes it in all its ancient, bitter force. Even the dead can’t resist one last drink before closing…’
Hi
I would like to submit my book Heavy Duty People for review – it’s a very hardnosed crime thriller published via Lulu and comes with an adult language warning!
Sample chapter at:
http://iainparke.art.officelive.com/BookHeavyDutyPeople.aspx
Blurb:
Sons of Anarchy meets Get Carter in northern UK based biker noir crime thriller
“the perfect book for those who…speculate as to what goes on behind closed doors at clubhouses across the country…a good story, well told…a real page turner as it reaches its climax.” – American-V magazine
Damage’s club has had an offer it can’t refuse, to patch over to join The Brethren.
But what does this mean for Damage and his brothers?
What choices will they have to make?
What history might it reawaken?
And why is The Brethren making this offer?
Loyalty to his club and his brothers has been Damage’s life and route to wealth, but what happens when business becomes serious and brother starts killing brother?
Description:
My second novel was published in February 2010 and is set in the world of ‘outlaw’ bikers.
Told from a club member’s viewpoint it looks at what happens when ‘business’ runs up against friendship. When your club and your ‘brothers’ are your life, how far will you go for your brothers? And when does loyalty and freedom become exploitation?
Author:
I’m in my late forties, live in the North of England and am developing my writing career. I have worked in the UK and overseas and my first book The Liquidator was based on my experiences while working in Africa at the time of the Rwandan genocide.
Regards
Iain
Title: The Shell Keeper
Author: Robin Nolet
Self Published: CreateSpace, Kindle, Smashwords
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Available on Amazon with Look Inside feature: http://www.amazon.com/Shell-Keeper-Robin-P-Nolet/dp/1463727984/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317157124&sr=8-1
Smashwords: Status Pending
Blog: http://robinnolet.blogspot.com
Here’s my blurb…
The hood of Del’s van is littered with the remains of a lovely autumn display of orange pansies. She’s about to become a divorced, unemployed, single mother and, like the flowerpot she’s just demolished, her life is a wreck. But this ditzy, flustered Pollyanna is tougher than her first impression belies.
Gwen is empty-nesting, her bakery’s bottom-line won’t rise, and her husband is working overtime and out-of-town to save up for an impending strike. But she’s a caretaker and she’s confident she can do it all–that is until she meets her biggest challenge and comes front and center with the meaning of her life.
Claire’s past is her own friggin’ business, but this tough real estate agent will gladly suck-up to assholes to get a deal done. Still, when Del crashes into her life, bringing the three women together, Claire finds herself rethinking her attitude toward friendship. Toss in a charmingly persistent guy named Bob, and she’s rethinking men, too.
The Shell Keeper is a humorous and touching story that will appeal to the generations of women who have survived their first job, their first child and maybe even their first husband. The only person they know who wears a size two is a two-year-old, and rather than learning the ropes, they’re more likely teaching them.
My writer’s resume includes awards for unpublished fiction (Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers/Colorado Gold, Pikes Peak/Paul Gillette, Denver Women’s Press Club), as well as hundreds of humor/commentary columns for local newspapers, and a regularly published blog/column for the Denver Post HUB section. In addition, I occasionally write website content, and for many years, helped with the intake and judging of manuscripts for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ Colorado Gold contest.
To pay the bills, I am, like Claire, a Realtor. However, like Gwen, I am a wife and mom. As for Del…I’d hate to admit what we have in common!
Why pick me? May I quote one of the reviews already posted on my Amazon page? I think think this person really nailed it:
“I downloaded The Shell Keeper to my Kindle last minute before leaving for a trip. A great decision! This is the type of book that once you start reading, you don’t want to put it down (perfect for a day at the beach!). A great story of 3 women and a chance meeting. Makes me take a second look at all the people I meet on a daily basis. How those in need will find help and friendship if they just open their minds and hearts to those around them. Thank you to Ms. Nolet for writing such a heart warming read!”
I couldn’t agree more, and hope you will as well; thank you for your consideration!
Title: The Eye Opens
Author: Lander M. Kerbey
Published On: Amazon.com Kindle Store, Smashwords Premium Catalog
Genre: Fantasy/Action-Adventure
Preview available on the Kindle Store page; http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Opens-Cats-Anthology-ebook/dp/B005NU3MJS/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318276298&sr=1-2
Synopsis: Traleau was always an aimless boy; for as long as he can remember, he traveled with the popular Brogyr Carnival as a knife-thrower, and never imagined a life beyond it. That is, of course, until a sudden turn of events has him crossing paths with an infamous mercenary leader.
Tshio Kion and his small band of raiders are the most feared mercenaries in the region, known for their speed and utter ruthlessness. But what the stories fail to capture is Tshio Kion’s twisted desire to see strong wills fight and destroy each other. When Traleau is brought before him for fighting one of his men, he recognizes a killer instinct in the boy and, determined to draw it out from him, conscripts him into his forces to replace the elite soldier he’d defeated, giving him the name “Cat’s Eye.”
With no way out but forward, Traleau decides to make his way in the midst of these terrible killers. Will he find a noble resolve to keep him human in a den of beasts, or will the cruelties of war turn the Cat’s Eye blood red?
The worthiest aspect of this anthology–containing the first five “Cat’s Eye” short stories–is its main character. Traleau has lived at the fringe of society by choice and circumstance his whole life, but unlike most characters for which this is true, he is not against society at all. All at once, he is pulled from his distant orbit and dropped amidst all the beautiful and hideous faces of humanity. Without convention to guide him or rebel against, he must form his own code by trial-and-error. This is a rare tale of a truly innocent mind creating its own path.