Suzanne Hart, owner and operator of Donut Hearts coffee shop in April Springs, North Carolina, has her hands full running her shop. Since she works crazy hours, she doesn’t have much time for a fun and active social life. That is until one morning, during the wee hours, when she walks into her shop to make the donuts, a car speeds past her shop and suddenly a body is thrown from the speeding car. The body lands directly in front of her door and she Featured Title: Glazed Murder can’t believe what she has just witnessed. Since it’s thoroughly enjoyed by Jessica Beck dark out and the driver is wearing all black, this murder mystery! Suzanne can’t make out I loved the idea of it Genre: Suspense/ who the driver even is. being wrapped around Mystery Before she knows it, a donut shop and that her shop is now part of the author included 5 / 5 Stars the crime scene. recipes for her readers Top Pick Is it the cops that to try. Ms. Beck is a talsolve the murder mysented author and I’m Street Date: tery or does Suzanne eagerly awaiting the 3/30/2010 and Grace beat them to sequel to this Donut Review by: it? Who did the murder Shop Mystery, Fatally Diana Coyle victim turn out to be Frosted. Ms. Beck has and who killed him? made me a murder Price: $7.99 Why was he murdered mystery fan now! in the first place? Why Publisher: St. was poor Suzanne’s The full review is Martins Press shop the target chosen available on the NOR to drop the body? website. I must say that I
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Features
Sarah A. Hoyt Author Interview
Great Reads by The NOR Staff...............................................4 Romance by Mary Eason.....................................................11 Urban Fantasy and the Paranormal by Roxanne Rhoads.....27 The Battle by Michael Davis.................................................30 Author Interview by Tammie King.......................................44 Cooking Up A Storm With Kyrainse.....................................49 SFF Insider by by Shartyrant................................................56 Tantalizing Tidbits by The Book Nerd..................................65 History Bits by Lilyraines.....................................................68 Teen Reads by MonicaBBB...................................................72 Manga Insights by Lexile......................................................82
Great Reads
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The Money God By Zena Livingston THE MONEY GOD is the story of Celia’s life. Money was a driving force in her life. With it she had everything; without it she was vulnerable and alone. Cel allows the pursuit of money to take over her life and control every action. She sacrifices her family and her morals for the almighty dollar. CSI : Crime Scene Investigation: The Killing Jar By Donn Cortez A teenager is found dead in his motel room, the cause of death: millipede poison...Now crime scene investigator Gil Grissom must aid CSI’s Nick Stokes and Riley Adams against a serial killer whose knowledge of entomology rivals his own
Darker Than Night By Kim Lenox
Countess Selene is the Shadow Guard’s only female member. She sacrificed herself to save the people of London and is now under a sleeping spell in the Tower of London. When she awakens on a dark street everything changes. Now she must face an ancient enemy, with only a reclusive, secretive warrior to trust... 4
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Great Reads
Heart of the Hunter By Madeline Hunter Kelly McBride is torn between two men— one an ex-con who she’s not sure she trusts, the other the spirit of an Indian who’s been dead for over a hundred years. Cat’s Claw By Amber Benson
Calliope Reaper-Jones is Death’s Daughter. She owes a debt to Cerberus, the three headed dog that guards the gate’s of hell-a debt that involves a trip to Purgatory, Las Vegas, ancient Egypt, and a discount department store that’s more frightening than any supernatural creature she’ll ever encounter. Walking on Broken Glass By Christa Allan
Already sloshed from one-too-many drinks at a faculty party, Leah Thornton cruises the supermarket aisles in search of something tasty to enhance her Starbucks—Kahlua, for example. Soon Leah is sitting in the office of the local rehab center facing an admissions counselor who fails to understand the most basic things, like the fact that apple juice is not a suitable cocktail mixer. 5
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Featured Publisher
Night Owl Reviews™ WEtap Media, LLC ™ 319 NE Hyde Circle, Hillsboro, Oregon 97124 NightOwlReviews@gmail.com Editor-In-Chief: Tammie King Associate Editor: Sarah McDermed Associate Editor: Kim Wollenburg Advertising: Tammie King NightOwlReviews@gmail.com © Night Owl Reviews 2010
These are just a small portion of the reviews that Night Owl Reviews has available on our website. For a full listing and the most up to date reviews visit our website www.NightOwlReviews.com. Reviews are provided by our review staff. Reviewers get books via NOR and we get books direct from the publishers, authors and publicists. Reviews are based on reviewer thoughts. 6
extasy Books
Book Conventions & Events Comic-Con Anaheim April 16-19, 2010 RT Booklovers Convention April 28-May 2, 2010 Columbus , Ohio Book Expo America May 25-27, 2010 - New York, NY ConQuest 41 Steampunk & Evil Geniuses May 28-30, 2010 2010 American Library Association Annual June 25-28, 2010 Washington, DC OryCon November 12-14, 2010 Portland, Oregon
Q & A With Author Lynn Hubbard
Question:
What kind of research did you do for this book? Did you enjoy the research process?
Answer:
--Tammie King
I did alot of research. From trains, to birth control in the old west, rocks, waterfalls, terrain to plants and trees in Oklahoma. Yes I do enjoy research and it makes the book so much more authentic which is very important to me.
Q & A With Author Fiona McGier
Question:
Do you belong to a critique group?
Answer:
--Tammie King
No. My husband reads what I write, once each story is done. He tells me if the male characters are believable or not.
Romance by Mary Eason
When romance collides with danger, sparks truly fly Unlocking the door to a great romantic suspense
It can be as simple as an ominous sound in the night or an unexpected knock at the door… a suspicious car parked across the street. You turn on all the lights in the house. Check the locks on the doors. Your heart races and a chill runs down your spine. Fear drowns out common sense. This…well, this has all the makings of a great romantic suspense novel. Romantic suspense explores the dark places in our mind we’d like to keep locked away. The fears we all have. The sudden burst of danger, a step
outside your norm. Romantic heroes and heroines are torn from their familiar worlds and thrust into nightmares, forced to navigate uncharted and perilous territory with little more than their brains, their courage and each other. And that’s why as a writer, I love writing romantic suspense. Romance and suspense make for strange bedfellows, don’t they? In real life, if you were caught in the crosshairs of a serial killer, chances are romance would be the last thing on your mind. In real life, disaster and romance are usually separated. But in the romantic suspense novel, it’s the adrenalin
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rush that makes the story click. When the hero and heroine face heart-palpitating danger that’s when the romance, along with the story, truly take flight in the reader’s mind. But defining the romantic suspense can be as different as the author and reader of the genre itself. There are those romantic suspense stories that delve into the dark and gritty world of serial killers and then there are those stories with only light elements of suspense. In other words, what I’m saying is there is something for just about everyone’s taste in this genre. So, this month, I’d like to take a look at several different romantic suspense stories out there now or coming soon that run the gamut of the genre’s description. Starting with, the dark and
gritty romantic suspense, (my personal favorite). The Cold Room, by J.T. Ellison
Homicide detective Taylor Jackson thinks she’s seen it all in Nashville—but she’s never seen anything as perverse as The Conductor. Once his victim is captured, he contains her in a glass coffin, slowly starving her to death. Only then does he give in to his attraction. Later, he creatively disposes of the body by reenacting scenes from famous paintings. Strangely, similar macabre works are being displayed in Europe. Taylor teams up with her fiancé, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, and New Scotland Yard detective James “Memphis” Highsmythe—a haunted man who has eyes
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only for Taylor—to put an end to The Conductor’s art collection. Has the killer gone international? Or are there dueling artists, competing to create the ultimate masterpiece?
killed the son of a prominent family. Even though the evidence seems to exonerate her, Abby is plagued by doubts-and soon by mysterious threats. Psychiatrist Dr. Jason Coble is intrigued by Abby and offers to help her explore the dark recesses of her mind.
Available at MIRA Books, March 2010 ISBN: 9780778327141 List Price: $ 7.99
Available at Hatchette Books, Forever Romance, January 2010 ISBN: 9780446556842 List Price: $8.99
Sleep No More, by Susan Crandall The night was always Abby Whitman’s enemy. As a young girl she walked in her sleep, and one night, she started a fire that scarred her sister for life and left Abby with unbearable guilt . . . and a loneliness that echoes within her. Now Abby has begun blacking out again--with apparently fatal results. A car accident has
Bolt Action, by Victoria Roder
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With a Ruger Blackhawk .357 under her pillow, a Browning A-Bolt Stainless Stalker rifle in her broom closet, and a Saturday Night Special in her roadhog cookie jar, Detective Leslie Bolt’s sarcastic attitude and inability to trust, alienates her
Night Owl Reviews from most people. they say. “Hello, I’m Forced to work a Nina Parker…and serial murder case I’m an alcoholic.” with her ex-lover, For Nina, it’s not she begins a budding the weighty admisromance with the sion but the first department’s new steps toward recovmedical examiner, ery that prove most but which man will difficult. She must she choose? face her ex-husThe “State Quarband, Hunt, with ter Killer” is selecting little hope of makvictims that appear ing amends, and try to have nothing in common to rebuild a relationship with except for the State Quarter her angry teenage daughter, placed under their lifeless Meagan. Hardest of all, she bodies. When her sister goes is forced to return to Abbey missing the question rises, Hills, Missouri, the hometown will Detective Bolt capture the she abruptly abandoned serial killer before her sister nearly two decades earlier– is the next victim? and her unexAvailable at Champagne pected Books, April 2010 arrival ISBN: Not available in the List Price: $4.99 sleepy Ozark Thirsty, by Tracey Bateman town catches There’s no place like home, the 14
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attention of someone–or something–igniting a twohundred-fifty-year-old desire that rages like a wildfire. Unaware of the darkness stalking her, Nina is confronted with a series of events that threaten to unhinge her sobriety. Her daughter wants to spend time with the parents Nina left behind. A terrifying event that has haunted Nina for almost twenty years begins to surface. And an alluring neighbor initiates an unusual friendship with Nina, but is Markus truly a kindred spirit or a man guarding dangerous secrets?
As everything she loves hangs in the balance, will Nina’s feeble grasp on her demons be broken, leaving her powerless against the thirst? The battle between redemption and obsession unfold to its startling, unforgettable end. Available at WaterBrook Multnomah, October 2009 ISBN: 9780307457158 List Price: $13.99 Broken, by Shiloh Walker
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Quinn Rafferty is working as a bounty hunter for a private detective agency in St. Louis when a new neighbor catches his eye. He’s drawn to her-but he has his own soul to mend
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before he can worry about anyone else. Sarah McElyea is on the run, but not for the usual reasons a woman goes on the lam. She has a plan for her future. And as much as she finds herself attracted to her gruff, tough neighbor, she can’t risk telling him the secrets she’s hiding. But Quinn must get closer to Sarah when she turns out to be the target of his new missing persons case, and both Quinn and Sarah will have to expose their true feelings-as well as their fragile hearts-if their love is to survive. Available at Penguin Group,
March 2010 ISBN: 9780425232415 List Price: $15.00
Secretive Stranger, by Jennifer Greene
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“Shouldn’t you be dead?” It’s not enough that Sophie Campbell discovers her neighbor’s body. His dead ringer has to show up at her doorstep. But this man’s no ghost…the instant attraction that sparks between them is all too real. College professor Cord Pruitt wants answers about his brother’s murder. The woman downstairs must have seen something. But when Cord lays eyes on Sophie, all
he wants to do is take her in his arms and protect her. With a killer on the loose, and all signs pointing toward Sophie as the next target, that’s just what he will have to do…. Available at Silhouette Romantic Suspense, April 2010 ISBN: 9780373276752 List Price: $4.99
I hope you have enjoyed our glimpse into the dark abyss with these great romantic suspense novels. But let me leave you with one last thought. Don’t forget to lock your doors because you never know what’s lurking out there in the shadows! All the best... Mary Eason
Mary Eason is the author of books such as “A Night to Remember” and “Root of All Evil”. You can find Mary online at www.maryeason.com.
Romance
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chance lays with Captain Rose. Little does she know that Captain Rose is the persona that the Duke of Ithorne uses when he needs to escape from the tension of his duties. Bella and Thorne struggle against the attraction they feel for each other, sure in the fact that they can never be together. Will they be able to overcome all for a chance at happiness? Jo Beverly’s name is known for steamy romance with intrigue and passion. The Secret Duke is the latest addition to The Malloren World series, and continues the quality romance that her readers have come to expect. This book is fun, fascinating and fabulous, a great read to add to your collection.
The Secret Duke By Jo Beverley Penguin Group 4 / 5 Stars Bella Barstowe had been a flighty, but innocent young miss before she was kidnapped, rescued by a dark and mysterious Captain Rose and forced to spend the following years atoning for her “sins” by her judgemental family. An inheritance gives her independence to escape but Bella knows that with her reputation in tatters, the most she can hope for is a life alone with no husband or children. But occasionally, her thoughts drift back to Captain Rose and what might have been. When a chance for redemption comes, Bella knows that her best
Reviewed by Danya
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Romance Savor the Moment By Nora Roberts Penguin Group 4.75 / 5 Stars - Top Pick Laurel McBane has been best friends with Parker Brown, Emmaline (Emma) Grant and Mackensie (Mac) Elliot for most of her life. They are friends, confidantes, and business partners in a wedding planning business. Laurel is a baker extraordinaire and makes the wedding cakes for the couples they hold weddings for. She’s also been in love with Parker’s
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brother, Delaney (Del) for as long as she can remember. Unfortunately, Del sees her as one of his “sisters” or “his girls”, so her love is unrequited. That is until he pisses her off one night and Laurel decides to lay a big sloppy kiss on his perfect lips. That’s when things start to change. Del has always seen Laurel around. She’s one of his sister’s best friends and is also a business partner. Then he gets the surprise of his life when she decides to prove to him she’s not his sister and 20
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Romance
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plants a kiss on him. Not just any kiss either, a hot, heavy, real life kiss. Then he starts to see things he didn’t see before. To see where the sparks she ignited will go he takes her new shoes hostage, with a condition for her to get them back. Laurel eventually gives in and goes to retrieve her shoes, but Del has some conditions to getting those shoes back. He proposes they date for a month, no sex involved, to see where things lead. Laurel gives in and they begin dating. There are passionate kisses and caresses. And a really funny method of calculating dates to come to their 30 day release date for engaging in sex. Along the way there are misunderstandings and some hurt feelings. A mother (not Laurel’s) who should be shot and put out of everyone’s
misery and of course some fabulous banter. In the end they both have to learn to step out of their comfort zones and accept each other as is, and to understand the baggage they each bring to their relationship. Nora Roberts is one of the world’s bestselling authors for a reason, her books are top notch. The characters and plots are always smooth and real and likeable. This work is no different. It is the 3rd book in the series about these 4 best friends but it is also a great stand alone work. While you won’t be missing any pertinent information by not reading the previous two, I’m sure you’re going to want to read them anyway. You won’t regret it.
Reviewed by Angi
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Romance Top Men By G A Hauser Phaze - m/m eBook 4 / 5 Stars Mickey Stanton is an LAPD cop. He is assigned his new partner Jeff Chandler. Jeff has been transferred from the Seattle PD. Michey’s attraction to Jeff is intense. When he finds Jeff is also gay they start an affair. It’s fierce and wild. They are both risking their work partnership if found out. When Mickey starts pushing for a more permanent relationship with Jeff, Jeff is reluctant to go further for fear of coming out and what has happened to him in the past by trusting someone else. Added in the stress of the job and their battles for dominance and you have a passionate coming together.
Before they loose their relationship will Jeff and Mickey come together or will they be ripped apart by the job as well as a lack of trust? Top Cop is WOW!! Way to go G A Hauser with another winner. I enjoyed this story of finding and keeping love alive. The battles between Jeff and Mickey were fierce and hot in both the bedroom (when they could make into the bedroom that is) and out of the bedroom. The humor and sex are well written as well as the outside relationships scenes. The patio scene with old friends was one of the most humorous and hottest scenes in the book. And adding the scenes with Mark and Steve made for a more hilarious read. The love scenes between Jeff and Mickey were volatile and intense as well as hot and steamy and made me want to read more. The battles for
Romance dominance in the bedroom were steamy and passionate and I really liked it all. This one is going on my keeper shelf and I would recommend it for the story as well as the sex. I hope to see more of Jeff and Mickey in future books, as well as Josh and Tanner and Blake and Hunter with cameos of Mark and Steve.*LOL* this one Is a Keeper…
Reviewed by Sandra
Shoreline By Jennifer Loy The Wild Rose Press eBook 4.5 / 5 Stars - Top Pick Shoreline by Jennifer Loy is a paranormal fantasy romance with a merman hero named Arris. I have to admit I have a special place in my heart
for mermen. I did find the plot a tiny bit cumbersome in a few spots but I liked the twist. I’d have liked more on the merpeople’s culture too but then I’m an alien culture junkie. I’d love to see a sequel, maybe with Vince finding his own mermaid (hint hint). The story pulled me in, keeping my interest throughout and made for a very enjoyable afternoon of reading. If you like merfolk and original takes on the paranormal fantasy world you should like this book. I’ll give this one a nice round 4.5
Reviewed by PennyAsh
Colors of the Night By Adriana Kraft eXtasy Books eBook 4.5 / 5 Stars - Top Pick
This book is excellent. I love the idea of the Goddess of Love teaching this couple how to love and accept love. The
Romance characters are normal people, just a normal couple with normal issues and the Goddess is well a Goddess, so she is not normal but she is still incredibly sexy and confident. The plot moves along quickly, there are all kinds of things happening in this book, so be prepared for it. The one thing I didn’t like is that Ryan is a bit fickle throughout the book and was a bit hard to read, I just wanted to smack him sometimes. Aria and Jamie are great though and really inspire me to want to be a better lover to my husband. Another great story by Adriana Kraft! Reviewed by MonicaBBB
Cover of Darkness By Kaylea Cross The Wild Rose Press eBook 4 / 5 Stars
Targeted by a terrorist cell,
Bryn McAllister survives a bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut only to be left to die in a desert cellar. Lieutenant Declan McCabe (Navy SEAL) and his team rescue her. Bryn must rely on the handsome officer to get her to safety. But just when she thinks the nightmare is over a family friend and legendary CIA operative Luke Hutchinson recruits her and McCabe to help track down the terrorist mastermind responsible for the attack. Kaylea Cross writes romantic suspense at its finest. She does an amazing job bringing to readers an exciting new Navy Seal romance. Dec was HOT HOT HOT. The details in the story were believable and there is a great blend between the romance and the military details. Readers will also be sucked into Luke Hutchinson’s own personal problems. Cross is an author to keep your eyes on.
Reviewed by Reese
Urban Fantasy and the Paranormal by Roxanne Rhoads
Roxanne Rhoads is a story stumpet, tome loving tart, and lover of all things paranormal. She is also a freelance writer and the author of erotic paranormal romances.
Summer is sneaking up fast and that means more and more books will be coming out. Book lovers know there’s nothing better than spending the lazy days of summer reading a lot of good books, especially if you are lucky enough to be doing it on the beach or maybe lounging under a shade tree. Ahh…summer dreaming too bad for now in most parts of the country we’re just shaking off the cold and gearing up for spring. The days may be longer and warmer but the nights are
still chilly so a good book and a blanket are always welcome. For fans of paranormal romance, urban fantasy and all related subgenres you will have plenty of new books choose from this month including some new releases from major names like J.R. Ward and Gena Showalter. April 6 was a busy day for book releases: Demon Keepers: A Novel of the Final Prophecy (Book 4) by Jessica Anderson, Hell Fire (Book 2 Corrine Soloman) by Ann Aguirre, Changes (Book 12 Dresden Files) by Jim Butcher, Lion’s Heat by Lora Leigh, and the one that I’m looking forward to the most- A Witch in Time by
Madelyn Alt were all released. On April 13 Tales of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong hit stores and on April 27 we get another big round of new PNR and UF releases including: Amazon Queen (Amazons Book 2) by Lori Devoti, A Breath of Magic (Book 3 Magic series) by Tracy Madison, Chaos
Bites (Book 4 of The Phoenix Chronicles) by Lori Handeland, Ghosts & Echoes (Shadows Inquiries Book 2) by Lyn Benedict, Into the Dark by Gena Showalter, Teeth of Beasts (a Skinners novel) by Marcus Pelegrimas, Wildfire by Christine Feehan, and the one I most long for- Lover Mine by J.R. Ward. In May new author Jess
Haines’ debut novel Hunted By The Others will be hitting the shelves- full of werewolves, vampires, and all the usual UF suspects I can’t wait to crack the spine on this one. The Demon in Me by Michelle Rowen, Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris, and Love in the Time of Dragons by Katie
Macalister will also be out May 4. I don’t know about you but I better get another job to fund my book addiction, I see way too many books going on my wishlist this month. So many books…so little time…and money.
The Battle
Part 2 – The Invasion By Michael W. Davis (www.Davisstories.com) “The Battle” is a series of articles about one author’s real-life trip through a minefield of experiences as he’s learning to deal with personal difficulty. There is no ulterior purpose, other than to share thoughts in the hope others may find counsel in the shared journey. By the age of forty, most of us have encountered the physical invasion that occurs when we enter “the medical zone”. Except for me. That’s right, except for a triple broken elbow and a few stitches when I sliced my hand, I have done my best to steer clear of the smelly scary halls of hospitals. It should thus be of no surprise for those among you that have spend tons of time in those “places”, I was in for a real shocker during my journey to cure my cancer. Amazing how many ways and places they can find to invade the body. In two short weeks I have been poked and probed like I was a food sources for a nation of vampires. Of special delight was my first PET scan. I encourage everyone, if you are given a free token (it’s $4,300 so you can’t just pay with pocket change) for a trip into the radioactive isotope world of the PET machines, run, don’t walk to the opportunity (just kidding). In my case, it was especially memorable because of my size. You see, I’m 6’2” and 52 inches in the shoulders. The breath dimension of my body (go ahead, say it, I’m a bear) places me in about the .01 percentile range for ergonomic dimensions. They pushed and crammed and strapped my body with straight jackets
and blocks till I would slide through with a little grease here, and a little lube there. Because my Cancer is in the throat, for twelve minutes of the scan, I was also required to wear a medieval mask (I am not kidding) like you see in some S&M movie. Why? Modern radiological technology is computerized and very precise. They need accurate points of reference for the tumor relative to your body so they can triangulate and minimize as much collateral damage as possible (this is a very good thing). The mask has a mouth piece you grasp to anchor on your face as they clamp (that’s right, I said clamp) the sides against the table (again, this is a good thing). Now, I know each of you are going, “OMG! I could never”…but you can. To survive, to expedite recovery, you really can. For me, I was not uncomfortable with the mask because I understood its function and importance
to the treatment effectiveness. You can breathe, there is no pain, just slight pressure on your face and the angels in the hospital do all they can to soothe the experience because they do understand the mind trip you are going through. I repeat, there is no pain, so remember that if you’re “called to the experience.” Personally, other than the straps pulling my arms in to fit my large frame into the tube and restrict movement, I was fine with the experience, for the first twenty five minutes. Then, I became…well, I need to explain another fun part of this test. The PET machine works by detecting how radioactive material highlights normal and abnormal cells (cancer). Thus, you must glow for a short period (figuratively of course). The PET techs are careful to minimize their exposure to you after injection (by the way, the injection was nothing, I really felt no burning or hotness flowing
through my body at all, like many had stated). After injection, I was escorted into the hallway (“please follow me, at a distance”, (g)), and I actually set off an alarm. Might be me again because they use a drop for most humans but a gallon jug for my big butt (again, a grin). He cut off the alarm and lead me into a dark room to sit and meditate for an hour as the glow juice works its way into your tissue. They also have you drink a bunch of “kool aid” like juice (the sugar is important to the process). This will be more relevant in a moment. The funny side - It was so peaceful (yeah, even with my surroundings) and I had not slept well for three weeks (wonder why), I actually started to snooze. An hour later, the tech came in to get me and I paused for a nature break (I figured that would be helpful, given I was not allowed to eat from 7 AM till 3 PM, only water, lots and
lots of water). Once the scan started, I was fine, for 25 minutes. Then I began to feel… you know. I’m an old man. Nature calls are very critical as a normal routine, but Lord I should have known better than to drink so much water. By thirty minutes in, I’m dying. I tried to think of greasy fries, chicken and biscuits (I was really starving) but no lakes, no oceans, yet the mind can be cruel. Finally I gave the signal (a lifted finger, no not that finger) but nothing happened. I started waving that finger of mine like it had a life of its own. Finally, I heard the machine slow down. The young lady slowly walked in and asked, “Mr. Davis, are you alright?” I pleaded, “Please sweetheart, unstrap me quick, I don’t want to embarrass myself” (yeah, like there was any chance of that). Now remember, I was doing a full torso scan (explain why later) but they only required I unbuckle my belt and pants,
pull them around my knees. She unstrapped my arms, and I bolted like a rocket, literal dragging my pants on the floor, just no time to worry about that angle of my profile to the sweet young angel I left behind, “Back in 30 seconds.” Five minutes later, I returned and we only had to redo the last six minutes of the scan (they do the scan in slices). Another funny angle – It takes 20 hours to remove the isotope from your body from nature calls, unless you drink water like crazy and then roughly 10 hours. During that period, they suggest you not hug family members. So, I got no snuggling that night, and I missed it! Good news – They did a full body scan to check for spreading (migration of the cancer to other areas) and I was totally clean. OMG, what a relief for both of us. Sure, the throat treatments will still be ….ooooh…but things are looking positive. I know its weird
to ignore the discomfort part of this experience, but my current view is, no gain till there’s pain, and I really want to start, now. Oh, and how does this relate to writing? I’ve already derived a neat idea for a suspense novel and a short story from the last few weeks; so many new experiences, so little time (g). That’s it till the next phase. Back in a month. Anyone that wants to interact offline, email me at general@Davisstories. com. I will try to respond to everyone, but it may take time, especially as I get farther into the treatments.
Caught Harlan Coben Penguin Group
Suspense / Mystery Project Mendel By Brynn Chapman Highland Press 5 / 5 Stars - Top Pick Okay. Primarily this is a science fiction book with lots of romance and it’s a page-turner thriller. I sat up until almost three in the morning reading this book because I couldn’t put it down. Brynn Chapman has written a wellresearched book that takes the fledgling science of cloning and genetics just a step further. Project Mendel will reach out grab you, suck you right into the story, and scare the pants off you. I loved it. You will root for the heroes and heroines, some of it will be difficult to read, and it will make you cry and a lot of it will make you think. There were a few small glitches and
a loose end or two I’d like to have seen tied up but they don’t take anything away from the story. I give this one a solid 5 and a recommended read. Reviewed by Penny Ash
Blood Sister By J.K. Denny JD Entertainment 4.75 / 5 Stars - Top Pick
Mark Matthews is a dentist in Orlando, FL. He’s lived in Florida since he was 12 years old and his mother married Peter. He’s married to Jill, a lawyer but their marriage is in trouble. On his birthday, a good 20 years since he’d moved to Fl, Mark’s past has returned and involved him in things he thought were long gone. Mark came from Detroit, MI where he and his mother lived in a project. Life was great there with his best friend, Johnny Sturlacky living next door. They had been best
Suspense / Mystery friends since Mark was 4. Johnny is a girl, not a girly girl but a rough and tough one. She’s a leader and Mark is always willing to follow. She’s beat up almost all the kids their age and pretty much runs the projects. Their life changed forever right after Mark’s 12th birthday. Johnny and Mark attempted to run away to California, Mark because he didn’t want to move to FL and Johnny due to her horrible home life. While running from some thugs, they are hit by a car. The next day, Mark moves to FL never knowing what happened to Johnny. Now, Mark is willing to kill for his best friend, vowing never to let her down again. This book is amazing. It drew me in and just wouldn’t let me go. I couldn’t put it down. The characters were ex-
tremely well written. You felt as if you knew them and understood what they were going through. The intensity of the drama was gripping and held you in its grasp refusing to let go. This is not the type of book that I normally read and at first there were a few minor issues that annoyed me like the lack of racial diversity in Detroit’s projects. Yet, I couldn’t seem to stop reading and within a few chapters the annoyances became such a minor issue that I pretty much ignored them. Many books have twists and turns in their plot. Blood Sister has them too but with very unique twists and turns. I was pleasantly surprised on how Mr. Denny pulled off the ending. It definitely was not cookie cutter! I’m not sure how to classify this book or if it’s even
Suspense / Mystery possible. It has the innocence of childhood along with the violence of gang warfare. It has the loyalties of close friends and the betrayal of those you think are close to you. There’s a mystery, some suspense, a bit of love and a lot of excellent writing. This book needs to come with a warning sign and not just against the violence throughout it. WARNING: You may not get anything done once starting this story until it is finished.
Reviewed by Terri
Fallen By Ann Simko The Coyote Moon Series, Book 1 Lyrical Press eBook
4 / 5 Stars Dr. Dakota Thomas expects his evening shift to go down just like any other night in Caliente, Nevada. But when a Marine with a gunshot wound in his shoulder wearing dog tags saying he was born in 1898 is brought in, things start turning out to be far from boring and predictable. Enlisting the help of his brother, Montana, who works as a private investigator and is a retired Army Ranger, Dakota is soon thrown into a world of confusion, fear and the struggle to keep his head above water as he tries to put together the pieces of the puzzle. Who shot Private Ricco and why? What’s up with
Suspense / Mystery the dog tags bearing a wild birth date? How is it possible that Private Ricco recovers from his wounds so quickly? And, most important of all, who can he now trust with his life and the safety of Private Ricco? After he becomes a wanted man charged with the murder of 13 people, Dr. Thomas tries to take things into his own hands, but it only leads him into more trouble. That’s the thing about the Thomas brothers; the harder they try to stay out of trouble, the deeper they get into it. As Montana remarks of his brother, “He is the only person I know who can find trouble trying to stay out of it.” Failure is not an option for the covert military group trying to retrieve Private Ricco, but neither is it an option for Montana when he calls in his team of Rangers to rescue Dakota
from the clutches of merciless men willing to stop at nothing to continue with their secret mission. As I read Fallen by Ann Simko, the action and suspense had me turning the pages wondering ‘what happens next?’ Will the mystery ever be solved? Will justice ever be won? Who is this General and why has he been able to get away with such horrors he visited upon soldiers for so long? Fallen takes all of those soldiers who are AWOL, MIA, and left behind, and puts them right in the middle of a story that touches on a conspiracy of where medical breakthroughs came from and how medical science has advanced so far over the decades. It’s a story of action, intrigue and suspense that will leave you asking ‘what if’ and thinking more about the fate of the soldiers left behind. Reviewed by Dawn Colclasure
Night Owl Reviews
Cooking Up A Storm
With Kyraninse
Title: A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table Authors: Molly Wizenberg Rating: 4.5 stars / 5 - Top Pick
Often I wonder if cookbooks aren’t going the way of the dodo bird. After all, with the average person being as tech-savvy as they are or should be, it’s certainly much easier to hop online and Google a recipe than to dig through cookbooks to find just the right recipe. Not to men-
tion, it’s also much faster. Asides from the speed and ease, most websites also have user ratings and comments on the recipes. This is very useful when otherwise I stare at strange food combinations in cookbooks and wonder if it’s going to be amazing or if it’s going to feed the garbage disposal. Broccoli, pear and blue cheese soup springs to mind. Cookbooks are also pretty bulky, usually fairly expensive, and oftentimes I can cook just one or two recipes out of the entire book and set it aside for lack of interest. More and more frequently, it
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seems like cookbooks are either designed for those extremists who enjoy making puff pastry from hand all the time or those people who fail at making hardboiled eggs. Is it any surprise that I find myself gravitating towards books that can double as entertainment -- something that I can curl up with even when I’m not feeling hungry or desperate for dinner ideas? I’m not talking about those “food memoirs” that throw a couple of gratuitous recipes into mediocre prose and call it done. A Homemade Life is gorgeous, both in prose and in the recipes provided. With each peek into a snippet of her life, Wizenberg flawlessly ties in food in its various roles as comfort, as remembrance; as both a way of living and a way of seeing
the world. Her writing is lyrical and it flows seamlessly from table to kitchen and back to the various questions of life. Wizenberg faces head-on the myriad facets of life: the radical paradigm shift that led to her changing her career path, the death of her father, and how she met her husband. She never tiptoes around the nitty gritty in favor of questionable exuberance over yet another kind of cookie, but neither does she sink deep into endless, mindglazingly boring navel-gazing. The fact that
her recipes are eminently cookable and sound delicious is merely icing on the cake. Very good cake, in fact. It’s clear that she enjoys food and she’s also good at it -- but she never comes across as pretentious and although she sometimes challenges the reader to new experiences, it’s definitely not along the lines of caramelized jellyfish with a marmalade glaze. Kyraninse lives on the East Coast and enjoys cooking and reading.
by Tammie King
Q: A:
Please tell us your latest news?
Right now I have a science fiction novel – actually a Space Opera, Darkship Thieves, that came out in January; and this month I have two books coming out, No Will but His, an historical novel based on the life of Kathryn Howard (Henry the Eight’s fifth queen) – which I think comes out tomorrow – and A French Polished Murder, under the pen name Elise Hyatt. It’s a fun, bubbly refinishing
www.sarahahoyt.com
Author Interview Sarah A. Hoyt aka Elise Hyatt
mystery. Right now the publishing industry is experiencing many changes. What are your thoughts on ebooks and the possibility of your books becoming more interactive?
Q:
A:
Like everyone else, I’m being buffeted by the changes in the media. As a kindle owner, I have fallen in love with the device and if all books were available on kindle, I don’t think I’d buy a paper book ever again. On the other hand, I think that we’re on the verge of a singularity of sorts. I feel like
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there’s a big tip-over coming and the publishing houses themselves can’t see yet the form they’ll assume on the other side. So, until then <G> we’re all groping in the dark. Which probably means we’re going to trip over a lot, all of us.
surprise is funny, in a way, but it makes me self conscious. The other part of it is that I started writing while my children were still very young and there wasn’t much I could do that didn’t involve dragging them along. And yet a third part (I am a woman of parts <G>) is cultural. I was raised not to brag of my own accomplishments and not to push my work at other people. Turns out that sort of early indoctrination is very hard to beat. You could say the only book I’ve actively promoted is Darkship Thieves, for which I did a blog tour.
Q:
What types of things do you do to promote your books?
A:
I’ve only recently started promoting. Yes, I know. I’m terrible. Part of this is that I was born and raised in Portugal, and therefore have a very noticeable accent. There is this expression listeners make when I start speaking. The
Q:
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What was your first published title and how did you celebrate its release?
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poetry contests. I decided to take the extra step because I couldn’t take just writing and no one getting to read it.
A:
My first published book was Ill Met By Moonlight a fantasy reconstruction of Shakespeare’s life, in which his wife and newborn daughter Susannah are kidnaped by the fairies in the nearby woods. It came out October 2001 and – since of necessity we know a lot of people in New York City, we were too shell shocked to celebrate.
Q: A:
Q: A:
Is there someone who inspired you to get published?
To get published? Not particularly. To tell stories, yes. My grandmother used to tell me stories when I was little; my father writes poetry and my brother has won several
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When did you start writing?
When I was six. I finished my first novel – it was about forty pages – in fourth grade. My father’s godfather owned the store across the way from my grandmother’s house and at some point he found, stored, a box of very old composition books. They were yellowed and looked battered, so he didn’t want to put them up for sale. I can’t remember if he gave them to me or sold them for a nominal sum. I DO remember they had sickly-pink covers and all through high-
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school my classmates learned to watch for the pink cover notebook to come out. I developed the ability to write while staring intently at the teacher, so they assumed I was taking copious notes. The funny thing was that minutes after I started writing the person sitting behind me would start tapping me on the shoulder to pass the notebook back, so she (I went to an all girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highschool) could read the new installment of the ongoing saga. The notebook would then do a circuit of the room and come back to me. In a way having fans was very encouraging.
Q:
Where should read-
ers go to find out more about your books?
A:
My website is a good start. http://sarahahoyt.com If you click on the titles on the right, you will find that I have sample chapters up.
Q:
If you were stuck on a deserted island, what book would you want to have and what food would you crave most?
A:
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The collected works of William Shakespeare. By the time I reached the last play, the first would be as new. <G> As for food I suppose chocolate would be too much to ask for? I think it was Thomas Jefferson
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who said “I can’t live without books.” Well, “I can’t live without chocolate” should be my moto.
Q:
If you could travel through time…would you go back in time or forward? If backward, is there a particular time period that you would definitely want to see and experience? If Forward, do you hope that we would be traveling to other stars and living on other worlds? And why?
A:
Always forward. In my experience and what I’ve read, the future is always better than the past. Oh, yes, okay, there are some disgusting interludes, but still the forward motion continues.
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If I could WATCH a time period without experiencing it, it would be the Renaissance. Nice time to study. But I wouldn’t want to live there. And if I go forward I should hope I’d be traveling to other stars and living in other worlds. See, I think that we’re moving towards greater individual self-expression and determination. Technology gives us the ability to find people like ourselves, the ability to move away from uncomfortable circumstances, the ability to overcome our genetics, all things that our ancestors would have killed to have. How much better will the future be? I believe much, much better. I believe our greatgreat grand kids will see and achieve things that will be as wondrous to us as a trip to
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the moon would have been to our great great grandparents. And I’d very much like to see that society and experience the things they’ll come up with. You see, I’m not very good on crowds but I LIKE individual people. Particularly the outliers and oddities.
Q: A:
Can we get some short excerpts from your current or next releases?
Well... if you have room. I’ll start with No Will But His: The Backstairs of Hampton Court
“Are you brave or foolish, your majesty? Brave or foolish?” Thomas Culpepper’s fine, long fingers quested beneath the bodice of my dress, caressing along the rounded slope of my breast till they found the nipple and played upon it as a musician upon a virginals. His blue grey eyes sparkled like a cloudless summer’s sky down at me as he demanded, his voice thickened by desire, “Brave or foolish?” I smiled at him, but I said nothing. It has ever been my belief with men that it is far easier to allow them to make their own minds and tell themselves whatever pretty story they want about your motives. They can think you love them or hate them, that you’re brokenhearted at leaving them or else that you have turned your 49
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heart to another. There is naught you can do about their fanciful imaginings, and it saves time and many tears if you simply let them believe as they will. Then they tell themselves their pretty stories and your soul remains unstained by the lie. As I looked at Master Culpepper from beneath my half-lowered eyelids, I thought it was a good thing he had auburn hair and those fine eyes, and that his features – I thought – resembled what my husband’s had been before he’d grown so fat. Any get of Thomas could pass as the get of Henry, the king of England. “Don’t you know, Madam, that the wrath of kings is death?” I smiled at him, my sauciest smile, and endeavored to appear light-hearted and fanciful and interested in nothing but my pleasure. Or perhaps half-mad in love with him, which Thomas would probably fain believe I was. He’d grown very vain. “You speak too much, Master Culpepper.” “Should one not speak?” he asked. “When such grave matter is afoot?” His hand, more forward than his brain, quested still in the warm reaches of my bodice, and by that questing hand I knew I had him. He might think, and he might talk, but his body would no more let him walk away from me than it would let him ascend to flight like an angel bound for heaven above. “My quarters are warm, and all my servants abed, save only Lady Rochefort and Mistress Tilney who is utterly devoted to me – and both of them would die before they betray me.” In his eyes for a moment there was a flash of fear. Then it was gone. “Madam!” he said, desire in his voice, strong enough to drive away any fear. “Madam.” “Dare you not, Thomas Culpepper? And I thought you a brave man.” Which by all accounts I should well think him – in the 50
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field of joust and in dispute, he stood with the most gallant courtiers. “Brave I am, and I’ll dare if you will, but...” My finger rested on his lips, stilling them. “Hush then, and dare you all.” To read more: http://sarahahoyt.com/nwbh-excerpt.html Then, Darkship Thieves:
I never wanted to go to space. Never wanted see the eerie glow of the Powerpods. Never wanted to visit Circum Terra. Never had any interest in discovering the truth about the darkships. You always get what you don’t ask for. Which was why I woke up in the dark of shipnight, within the greater night of space in my father’s space cruiser. Before full consciousness, I knew there was an intruder in my cabin. Once awake, I couldn’t figure out how I knew it. The air smelled as it always did on shipboard, as it had for the week I’d spent here – stale, with the odd tang given by the recycling. The engines, below me, hummed steadily. We had just detached from Circum Terra – a maneuver that involved some effort, to avoid accidentally ramming the station or the ship. Shortly we’d be Earth bound, though slowing down 51
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and reentry let alone landing, for a ship this size, would take close to a week. My head felt a little light, my stomach a little queasy, from the artificial grav. Yes, I know. Scientists say that’s impossible. They say artificial gravity is just like true gravity to the senses. You don’t feel a thing. They are wrong. Artificial grav always made me feel a little out of balance, like a couple of shots of whiskey on an empty stomach. Even before waking fully, I’d tallied all this. There was nothing out of the ordinary. And yet there was a stranger in my cabin. Years in reformatories, boarding schools and mental hospitals, had taught me that the feeling I woke up with was often the right one. Something had awakened me – a door closing, a step on the polished floor. Now, why? Knowing the why determined how I dealt with it. Three reasons that came to mind immediately. Theft, rape, murder. But all of them were impossible. The space cruiser belonged to Daddy Dearest and there was no one aboard save Daddy Dearest, my charming self – his only daughter – and his handpicked crew of about twenty five, half of whom were his bodyguard goons and half maintenance-crew of one description or another. Far more than I thought it would take to run a ship this size, but then what did I know about ships? Now, whatever I thought of my father, the Honorable Patrician Milton Alexander Sinistra of the ruling council of Earth, I neither thought him stupid nor stupidly inclined to trust people. His goons were the scum of the Earth – only because 52
there were no real populations on any other planet – but they were picked, trained, conditioned and, for all I knew, mindcontrolled for loyalty. Hulking giants all, they would, each one of them, have laid down his life for my father. Not the least because without Father they’d only be wanted men with no place to hide. As for his other servants and employees, they were the best Father could command, in any specialty he needed. None of them, nor anyone who had ever seen Father in a white hot rage would ever do anything against Father or his family. Well... except me. I defied Father all the time. But I was the sole exception. There were no crimes at our home in Syracuse Seacity. There weren’t even any misdemeanors. No servant had ever been caught stealing so much as a rag from the house stores. Hell, no servant broke a plate without apologizing immediately and profusely. So the three reasons I could think of for an intruder to be here didn’t apply. No one would dare steal from me, rape me or murder me under Father’s roof. And no one – no one – who had even heard rumors about me would do so absent a fear of Father. Without opening my eyes, I looked through my eyelashes – an art I’d learned through several sojourns at various institutions – and turned in bed. No more than the aimless flailing of a sleeper seeking a better position. The cabin was dark. For a moment I could see nothing. I could turn the lights on by calling out, or by reaching. But either of those would let the intruder know that I wasn’t asleep. And then, my eyes adjusting, I saw him standing out of the
deeper darkness,. It was a him. It had to be a him. Broad shoulders and tall. He stood by my bed, utterly still.
To read more, please go here: http://darkship.sarahahoyt. com/dst-excerpt.html And then there is A French Polished Murder:
The Fast And the Electrically Furious
We were thirty years old – and, in his case, a little more than six months -when I came to the sad conclusion that I would have to murder my friend Benedict Colm. This was as sad as it was necessary, but there was no escaping the fact as my son, Enoch – whom I called E in an attempt to save him therapy bills as he got older – came speeding into the living room, atop Ben’s Christmas gift to him. The gift was an electric toy motorcycle with a top speed of ten miles per hour, an acceleration that might seem impossible for a small boy to achieve in a home that was less than seventy feet in either direction, but which E managed, quite often. I heard the horn blare a moment before E came riding in and, with the practice born of two weeks of terror, dove behind the sofa, while Ben, who stood square in the middle of the living room, his arms crossed on his chest, became an
impromptu traffic circle. E sped around him once, twice, then headed the other way, at increased velocity. “What do you mean you’ll have to kill me?” Ben asked, obtusely, looking at me. “And what are you doing behind the sofa?” I crept out and up to stand on the sofa itself, having learned that a large piece of furniture was the best defense against the toddler version of the fast and the furious being played in my house. “Isn’t it obvious?” I said as, from the kitchen, there came a now-familiar series of sounds indicating that E was either rearranging the kitchen chairs to use as slalom cones or simply hitting them and dragging them along with sweet disregard for what it might do to chair legs and seats. I dropped to sitting on the sofa, shaking slightly, with what I figured was a form of post traumatic stress disorder, only not particularly post, since the stress had started just over two weeks ago when E had unwrapped the fully-charged electric motorcycle. “If you were likely to have children,” I told Ben darkly. “I’d already have started payments on the realistic drum set with electronic amplification.” To read more, please go here: http://daringfinds.sarahahoyt. com/fpm-excerpt.html
SFF Insider
by Shartyrant
Science Fiction & Fantasy News & Reviews State of Decay: A Revivor Novel by James Knapp is a new series. A good blend of urban fantasy and sci-fi mixed. It’s a very original idea with the concept of zombies that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Nico is a FBI agent who comes upon another type of operation while working on a Reviver case. Nico finds out the hard way that what he thought he knew about Revivors and the world is about to change as he becomes embroiled in
an investigation filled with murders and conspiracies. I’m looking forward to more! Empire in Black and Gold: Shadows of the Apt 1 is the debut book by Adrian Tchaikovsky and the first installment in his new fantasy trilogy. It’s an interesting epic fantasy that focuses on a war between insect-kin races. A land and peaceful people are in danger from the Wasp Empire and maybe one lone man is going to be able to convince these people to prepare for
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what is coming. Its very well written though be prepared to be thrown into the action immediately at the beginning. The Devil In Green: Dark Age book 1 by Mark Chadbourn is a fantasy novel that focus on what would happen if all the old rules regarding the Christian Church no longer work in a world where the old gods have re-awakened. Mallory, a knight of the Templar is on a mission for the Church. On the way he finds himself in a court of the Otherworld and learns of his new destiny to help restore the balance of our world. The book has an interesting blend of dark fantasy, romance and the clash of ideas. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great read for those who enjoy a more pagan or Celtic feel to their fantasy where humanity is stripped of their normal bedrocks of belief and left to figure out how to survive among more powerful beings. 57
Science Fiction & Fantasy Dead Matter By Anton Strout Simon Canderous, Book 3 Penguin Group 4 / 5 Stars As an agent for the Department of Extraordinary Affairs, Simon Canderous has dealt with his share of crazy, paranormal stuff, like chupacabras and fashion zombies, but none of that has been as important as his latest investigation. When he finds out his partner Connor is trying to finds out what happened to his long-lost brother and in the process has gone the deep end, things rapidly become a lot more dangerous than Simon thought. Maybe Connor is not as crazy as they thought. The D.E.A has always had the belief that they have beaten the vam-
pires, but when Simon finds himself in the midst of these bloodthirsty beings, what he’s always known comes into question and decisions have to be made before people start dying. Dead Matter’s another great addition to the Simon Canderous series, I think Simon has grown up a lot in the previous books and it definitely shows. Sure, he still has his quirky sense of humor that makes for such a fun read but he also thinks about important things like when he wonders about good versus evil and how it reflects the D.E.A and the vampires’ war. While I’ve never been a big fan of Simon’s girlfriend, Jane, surprisingly I didn’t really hate her character in this book. She seemed to really care about Simon and tried to help him so I couldn’t completely hate her. I read Dead Matter in one
Science Fiction & Fantasy sitting, it’s an incredibly entertaining story! I definitely didn’t see the “bad guy” coming until the very end. This is a very fun, action-packed story with great characters that will keep you on the edge of you seat! I’m so looking forward to the next Simon Canderous book!
Reviewed by Wendy
Hell Fire By Ann Aguirre Corine Solomon, Book 2 Penguin Group 5 / 5 Stars - Top Pick
Corine Solomon is on a mission to discover who had killed her mother and why. Her mother’s spell, cast right before she died gave Corine the handler power that has shaped her life. Chance, her
former boyfriend, has promised to use his otherworldly luck to help her. They travel to Kilmer, Georgia; a sleepy town that time has passed by or has it? The town isn’t found on any map, there are no computers in the library, no fast food restaurants and no cell phone signal. Although Corine wisely chooses to hide her real identity when she first comes to town, she is recognized by one of her foster mothers. That information spreads and someone tries to cast a spell on her. Then someone tries to run her down in the street. They discover that the town has had a lot of unexplained disappearances. Did these people escape this weird little town or were they like Corine’s mom and sacrificed in some dark ceremony? Will Corine find her mother’s killers and get her revenge or will she and her friends be just another sacrifice?
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Corine is still one of the best heroines around. She isn’t the toughest, the strongest, or the best fighter but she is real. Strong when she has to be, weak when she has gone through too much. She is vulnerable to an ex-lover who just can’t give her what she needs and a little foolish when it comes to testing the limits of a magic power that she doesn’t know enough about. If you are wondering about the love triangle between Corine, Chance, and Jesse, well, it gets quite a workout and that is all I have to say about that. Ms. Aguirre did her research into small Southern towns. Kilmer reminded me of a lot of towns I have been through and lived in (just without the undercurrent of evil). She puts you right there with Corine; the sights, the smells, the cuisine and left me craving fried
chicken and sweet ice tea. She also has the unique ability to keep me guessing throughout any book with her name on it. I never know what is going to happen next so I just hang on and enjoy the ride. From the opening chapter, I was tense; already on edge from a handfull of pages. The handyman in the library gave me the shivers and I about had a heart attack during a scene at a bed and breakfast. Don’t even get me started on the radio! Creepy, tension filled, and spooky: Ann Aguirre is one of the best authors of urban fantasy today. If you are looking for a book that is seriously eerie, you can’t go wrong here.
Reviewed by Leslee
Shalador’s Lady By Anne Bishop A Black Jewels Novel Penguin Group 4.75 / 5 Stars - Top Pick
Cassidy is set on being the
Science Fiction & Fantasy best Queen she can be, doing whatever is necessary for the good of the people of Dena Nehele. Theran is still terribly unsupportive but Cassidy has the rest of her Court behind her whether she realizes it or not. First up is a visit to the Shalador preserves where the Shalador people were exiled, which brings to mind the Native American reservations in our world. Theran is against the trip but Cassidy stands up to him. When they return, guests are waiting at the Residence; people from Cassidyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past. When Theran shows his disdain
for Cassidy by inviting those people to stay, Cassidy is driven to the breaking point. At the urging of the rest of the Court, Cassidy moves to the Shalador reserves leaving Theran behind to his folly. Will Cassidy be able to win over the rest of the people in Dena Nehele and prevent a catastrophe seen by the Black Widow Shira and the former Queen of Ebon Askavi, Jaenelle Angelline? Anne Bishop is one of the few straight fantasy authors that I read. Her Black Jewels series is on my list of books to have on a deserted island. Shaladorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lady is the eighth
Science Fiction & Fantasy book in the series and takes place right after the events in The Shadow Queen. Shalador’s Lady was so fabulous! This series is absolute magic, vivid and compelling. Ms. Bishop has a great style, merging the beginning of this series with the subsequent books. Even though the original characters are not the main focus of the book they share it with Cassidy and her Court, helping her and the people she rules. Cassidy is such a kind, wonderful Queen. Jaenelle was absolutely right in picking Cassidy to bring the old ways back to the Blood in Dena Nehele. Theran is so blinded by appearances
that he misses what is right in front of him. I wanted to knock him upside the head for being so inconsiderate. Cassidy’s pain is so palpable that my chest hurt. I loved getting to know more of Cassidy’s court and best of all, Gray. Gray is awesome, perfect for Cassidy and I loved watching him grow into the man he was meant to be. One of the things I love about this book, this whole series is that the bad guy or girl always gets what they deserve. Revenge and justice are delivered and you get to see it. This series is dark, dangerous, hopeful and heartwrenching. I do hope this isn’t the last book about Cassidy, her court, or the rest of the best characters in fantasy today!
Reviewed by Leslee
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Tantalizing Tidbits by The Book Nerd Okie dokie. With all the books sitting around here, I’ve always steered clear of anything having to do with older women younger men, unless I had to review them. I don’t know. Something about it has always just seemed a bit creepy to me. Well about three weeks ago, I was in one of my favorite places to shop... the grocery store, with a handful of coupons. Wouldn’t you know that the cereal I was looking for was at the very tippy top of the shelf, taunting me? No stranger to this scenario, I calmly looked around, hoping to see a more privileged tall person to help me out. Having no such luck, I went ahead and bravely
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stretched to the very top, continuing to grasp those dang coupons. That cereal was almost within reach before things went horribly wrong. As several boxes of cereal landed on my head and 50 or so coupons wet flying in every direction, I prayed that no one had seen me make a total fool of myself. Of course, you know that was impossible because when I slowly dared to look to the right, my face turned a wonderful shade of ladybug red, as one of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever encountered grinned down at me. Now hear this. The Book Nerd was finally at a loss for words. Seriously. This handsome young hunk handed me my crumpled coupons and put the cereal boxes right back where they belonged and I
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was totally speechless. For the first time in my life I was “in lust”. We’ve all read enough romance novels to know that some of our heroes seem just too good to be true, but I’m not joking when I tell you that this man oozed sex appeal that was running over and out of the cup. Even better, when he grinned devilishly and asked if I was okay, I knew he had broken many hearts. Pulling myself together, nosiness overcame my nervousness as I asked him what in the world he was doing in the breakfast aisle without a wife? Are you proud of me for asking such a clever question? He laughingly admitted that he had never been married. BINGO! As infectious as I am, and realizing we had a lot in common, he couldn’t help being tantalized by my witty diatribe and eventually gave me his number. Kudos to me.
Now earlier I mentioned that this man was “younger”, and if you remember, that sort of thing wasn’t that cool to me, but for some reason I couldn’t help myself. So now after years of being against this type of relationship, I find out that not only am I a “cougar” but a hypocrite as well! Dang it-what’s a girl to do? But before you panic and think I’m robbing the cradle, he’s actually 36, but looks a lot younger. According to statistics 34 % of women will admit to dating a younger man, but I’d like to find out the number of ladies who are even thinking about it. If you’re even a tiny bit offended by the term “cougar”, how about an age-gap union? Is that expression a little more romantic for you? What about it? Have you ever seen a younger man and felt like he was the sweetheart of your dreams and everything about
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The House of Night Series The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
The Book Nerd
Kristin Cast Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
Hugs,
P.C. Cast The House of Night Series
him made you feel like quivering strawberry jello? Don’t give up-I promise he’s out there somewhere. As wonderful as I am, I could tell this relationship wasn’t going any further than the “friend” level despite my wanting to jump his bones every time I saw him. As a bail bondsman, he’s incredibly busy traveling and not ready for a relationship. In fact, he never lets his calls go unanswered. Can you imagine every time you’re in the middle of incredible sex only to have him question the caller on the charges, then explaining in great detail how much it will take to get him or her out of jail? Uh... that’s a big NO. My sex life is already nonexistent, so when it happens, I’m not trying to have any part of it interrupted. Well… maybe just a quick minute wouldn’t be that bad.
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History Bits by Lilyraines Medieval Diets via Literature During the Medieval Period, what was eaten – and in what amounts – greatly depended on one’s station in life. For those living on the poorer end of the scale, “pottage” was favored (even over bread) as it required neither milling or a loss of quantity brought about by the milling process. Barley grains – usually grown in warm damp places – were one of the most common
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grains destined for pottage (term that can also mean porridge). The water from the cooking barley could be drawn off and sweetened – usually with honey – and drank as barley water or allowed to ferment into barley beer. If the peasant had a enough of a crop or money and was able to make bread, the bread was mostly made from “maslin” which is a mixture of rye and either wheat or barley that is baked into a coarse dark loaf that weighed approximately four pounds and was eaten in large amounts by everyone. Protein was not to be had
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in large quantities. What protein was available was had in the form of peas and beans, with maybe a rare bit of fat bacon or salt pork – all of which went into the pottage along with various seasonal vegetables grown in the garden. These included onions, garlic, cabbage, lettuce, leeks, spinach and parsley. The odd crofter might also grow such fruit as apples, pears, or cherries. Nuts, berries, and roots could be gathered in the woods. As
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raw fruit was thought to be unhealthy, all of the fruit that was grown or gathered was cooked. For those who were fortunate to be part of the richer classes (which, as the merchant class grew in the middle to later Middle Ages, grew to include the bourgeois), spices such as pepper, cloves, garlic, cinnamon, vinegar, verjuice and wine were used in many a recipe. Ale was used for cooking fish and almonds found their way into meats and sweets. Saffron was a useful “colorant” for food and it has
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been noted that it was especially useful when eggs were found to be lacking in making a dish yellow enough. Medieval dishes also saw quite a few fowl that are not in use in modern dishes such as swans, herons, peacocks, cranes and gulls. Although a bit of Medieval fare could be considered decadent and unfamiliar to modern palates, some of it does survive. Two aspects of the diets that may seem “new” yet are part of the villagers’ rather Spartan regimen, predominantly the low protein and fat contents,
have found a modern “hearthealthy” equivalent and the high fiber content was a cancer preventative. Books of Note:
Joseph and Frances Gies – Have books out on different aspects of Medieval Life. Self-explanatory titles include: Life in a Medieval Village, Life in a Medieval Castle, Life in a Medieval City, and A Medieval Family: The Pastons of FifteenthCentury England.
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Life in Medieval Times, Marjorie Rowling Takes a look at all classes (and occupations) of the Middle Ages. Overviews include insights into the life
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of serfs, feudal lords, their vassals, the burghers and traders in towns, the women who mind the home, Crusaders, members of different religious sects, as well as doctors, artists, scientists and scholars. Knight: Noble Warrior of England 1200-1600, Christopher Gravett
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Detailed overview of training, tenure, organization, armor and weapons, ideals and customs, and campaigning of medieval knights. Sections are divided into centuries (1200-1300, etc.). Book includes a chronology of events, glossary of terms, illustrations, photographs, and different plates.
Teen Reads by MonicaBBB
In the previous two editions of this article we have discussed vampires, werewolves, and faeries. Continuing in this tradition and the exploration of popular young adult literature characters this edition we will discuss angels. Angles have been all over the YA world these days and after reading this article you will be armed with more knowledge about these divine beings than most others. The most popular of angels to feature in YA books currently are fallen angels. Fallen angles have more of
a forbidden, bad-boy or girl appeal, that seems to draw in the readers and keep them fascinated. There are so many ways an author can portray a story featuring a fallen angel, so they are very popular among the authors at the moment, therefore making them popular among the readers, and the cycle continues in that manner for all literary themes. For angels, exile from Heaven is supposed to be the worst of the worst punishments, usually only given for disobedience or rebellion against God. This rebellion or disobedience is considered an unforgivable sin because
angels already have knowledge of celestial beings and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to rely on faith. According to most Christian denominations one of the most famous of the fallen is Lucifer, meaning lightbringer in Greek, also known as Satan. He was the
leader of the first rebellion in heaven and was cast down, along with any of his followers, for his part in the war in heaven. In addition to fallen angels other popular themes featuring angels are guardian
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angels and archangels. Archangels are angles of a higher rank and are usually named for the task that they are charged with. For example, Raphael, one of the archangels of many religions means “God’s Healing” and Gabriel whose name means “Man of God,” is charged with holding the mysteries of the divine. Other angels popular in the literary world are guardian angels. A guardian angel is assigned to protect and guide a certain person. Some say every single person has a guardian angel and some believe that you get assigned
a guardian angel when you need it most. Many religions believe in the existence of angels and there are just as many different versions of the stories that feature them. That holds true in the fictional world as well. There are so many different versions of the same thing and it keeps the same lore interesting to all. A couple great teen reads featuring angels are Fallen by Lauren Kate and Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. MonicaBBB is a lover of books and more books! 74
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Young Adult
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Snow Queen By Emma Harrison Harper Teen 3.5 / 5 Stars Aubrey begged her parents to allow her to add an extra week to her spring break so that she could go to Vermont with her best friend Christie. They allow it in exchange for a few things on her end that she is more than willing to do. Now that she is there, she cannot believe there is no snow in February. Not only that, but it seems her best friend has signed her up for the annual Snow Queen Beauty Pageant. Things pick up some when she meets Grayson, a handsome local boy. But things turn interesting when his sister Layla decides to do anything in her
power to win - no matter how underhanded. As I started to read Snow Queen, I wondered just what I had gotten myself into. Yet as the story starts to unfold, Emma Harrison manages quite wonderfully to draw me into it all. In the end, I was happy to have read the story for myself. Well written, it managed to hold my interest in a good way... This is a good book for teens to read.
Reviewed by Dianna
Before I Fall By Lauren Oliver Harper Teen 4.5 / 5 Stars Top Pick
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver starts out with Samantha Kingston going about her everyday life like normal. She wakes up late to her little
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Young Adult sister telling her to hurry and is picked up by her friends on their way to school. They talk about who will get the most roses for Cupid Day and other everyday teenage things. She is then invited to a party by a dorky boy she used to be friends with but isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any longer. She decides to go to the party with her friends and her boyfriend. At the party Samantha and her friends have too much to drink. On the way back to Samanthaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house, they get into an accident. She dies. But the next morning, Samantha finds herself reliving her last day. She must do this seven times to save lives and learn the true meaning of life. I liked Before I Fall. It was a new twist on the movie Groundhog Day and now for teens. It was full of drama
and suspense. The book talks about things teens everywhere go through everyday. It also talks about more important things than being the most popular girl, having the best lunch table, the cutest boyfriend, or going to the coolest parties. The novel talks about how there are more important things to life than that. This is why Before I Fall is a must read book for teens and their parents.
Reviewed by ReaderGirl
Prom and Party Etiquette By Cindy Post Senning, Peggy Post Harper Teen 4 / 5 Stars
This book is a must-have for up-coming high school students. It talks about how you should act at BBQs to
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Young Adult
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banquets; cellphone etiquette, including when and where not to use them; how to prepare for graduation, including throwing a graduation party while making time for friendsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and relativesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; parties. It also covers different types of dances, how you should act and dress for them, and who to go with. This book discusses coming-of-age celebrations, who to invite, what to wear, and when a gift is appropriate. Prom and Party Etiquette covers prom, and all the details, such as dining options ranging from pizza at your place beforehand or fancy restaurants with friends, when to make a reservation, who pays, dealing with waiters, and all behavior you need to know. This book is great for highschool students, parents who
wonder what has changed since their prom days, and anyone with party etiquette questions.
Reviewed by ReaderGirl
This Star Shall Abide Children of the Star #1 By Sylvia Engdahl Ad Stellae Books 4.75 / 5 Stars - Top Pick
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As a mere villager in a rural town, Noren lives at the bottom rung of society. He longs for more education, but knowledge for the masses is restricted by the High Law and the Prophecy. Noren resents those who have access to more knowledge and despises the people who control access to knowledge even more. But questioning the Prophecy or the people in power is considered heresy and is punished. Deciding to risk
Young Adult everything, Noren tries to find allies in his beliefs. His speaking up gets him arrested and convicted. All heretics have repented after visiting the city, though Noren vows he will not. What will happen when Noren enters the “city” where no one has ever escaped? I can summarize no further because the plot takes an unexpected turn and I don’t want to spoil the story. Suffice to say, This Star Shall Abide is an intense study in human character and morality. The plot is interesting and the prose is well done. Thought provoking and philosophical, This Star Shall Abide requires the reader’s full attention. If you appreciate intelligent storytelling that makes you work a little, you will enjoy This Star Shall
Abide. I have already recommended it to a few people.
Reviewed by Vee
The Exorsistah, Vol. 1 By Claudia Mair Burney Pocket Books 5 / 5 Stars - Top Pick
Claudia Mair Burney gives us a different look at the religious side of the age-old fight against paranormal and evil. It was a refreshing change other than the usual books you read dealing with religion and fighting demons, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be definitely reading it again and would suggest it to anyone that likes religious books, even though it is not technically a religious book. Emme Vaughn can see demons, yes, that’s right demons. This gift she also shares with her mother who is now in a mental institution
Young Adult
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from going crazy. Since her mother was committed Emme has been bounced from foster home to foster home and she hates being in them because the guys that are usually there make passes at her or assault her because of her amazing beauty. Seeing demons can be a pain because they can get you into trouble, they make you seem like a trouble-maker. While Emme is hiding out a woman named KiKi befriends her and takes her into her home. All is well until KiKi’s husband tries to assault her. But seeing a demon behind him she realizes that it is the demon controlling him but she still has no choice but to attack him to get away. This hurts her because she doesn’t want to hurt her friend.
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She escapes the clutches of her friend’s husband and the demon, after sending it back where it belonged. She ends up wanders into a store to get something to eat. While there a gentleman comes in and starts talking to her. She puts up her defenses because she doesn’t want to be taken back to another foster home. While they are talking a demon comes in trailing on a big ugly dude making him cuss and act a fool. She sees him and when she notices the guy get a weird look on his face, she asks him if he sees them too. He realizes then that she has a special talent that can be utilized in the work that he and his family are doing. Will Emme Join Frank in his work? Can she trust him with her secret and what will happen if she does?
Reviewed by Zollyanna
Manga Insights Topic: ‘Shounen’ Where ‘shoujo’ is for girls, ‘shounen’ is typically for boys and focused more around action, comedy and sports related storylines. Like shoujo it has manga geared towards the younger market (Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka), as well as the older market (Bastard!! by Kazushi Hagiwara), but most sales tend to fall into the middle ground--junior high school students. Shounen manga has existed since before WWII, where the stories tended to be more comedic or prose oriented types. Osamu Tezuka, responsible for such titles as Astro Boy and Black Jack, was a heavy hitter in the shounen
by Lexile
manga world, even after his death, influencing an entire generation of creators with his thoughtful, provoking works. The predominant heavyweight magazine is Weekly Shounen Jump; its use of promoting new talent and continually polling its readers to see what is hot or not is a major contributing factor in this. As a rule Shounen manga tends to be of a more optimistic nature then any of the other categories. Often the hero of the story will find that depending on just himself is a fatal flaw, and through the power of friendship there is always hope. In Naruto, the title character often has to rely on his friends to help him from a jam he gets into by trying to be the ‘hero’. Another common plot
device is that of the hero who starts out either average and through trial after trial gains more and more power. The infamous Dragon Ball Z abuses this cliche. Each subsequent opponent is always the ‘Most Powerful Ever’, but our hero, Goku, is able to gain victory by becoming even more powerful. Often because of this device a series that is winding down, but insanely popular, will be artificially extended indefinitely. The mafia based comedy series Katekyo Hitman Reborn (known in the states as simply Reborn!) has been roundly bashed for this, the storyline barely comprehensible in parts. In many shounen works, battle manga is martial arts based and feature heroes who have physically impossible hair styles. These crazy spikeyhaired dudes leave more chaos then peace
when they’re done. Romantic shounen manga has been around since the 80’s, creators such as Rumiko Takehashi often appealed to both genders, blending comedy with common romantic foibles. Next month I’ll be discussing the under-represented category of josei, or adult women’s, manga in America. Lexile is...your friendly, neighborhood otaku. She’s been known to wander aimlessly through bookstores, correcting customer misconceptions about manga for years--much to the chagrin of her tolerant friends and ire of the bookstore employees. You can find her at her personal blog Poisoned Rationality if she’s not busy with the mundaneness that is real life.