July 2015 issue of The Book Breeze

Reviews, Interviews, New Releases

Vol 5 Issue 7

July 2015

Travel with Tobias, a foxshifter, and Etty, a street wise cabbie, as they jump through rifts from one world to another in search of a dangerous technology.

Interview with Diana Green on page 4 Review of the book on page 19 turn the page c

in this issue Articles

The Art of Writing by Barefoot Academy Part 4 - Plotter or Pantser ... Page 11

Author Interviews Babette James Love Burns Page 5

On The Cover ...

Diana Green author of BRONZE FOX Interview on Page 4

Review Columns Young Adult Shannon’s Space . . . Page 17

Susan Anne Mason Irish Meadows Page 15

Thomas Shawver The Widow’s Son Page 16

July 2015

Romance Jackie’s Jargon . . . Page 10 Mystery Barefoot Reviews . . . Page 8 Roberta’s Ramblings . . . Page 13 Variety Eclectic Express . . . Page 19

New Releases Page 7, 12, 14 © 2015 The Book Breeze Page 2

New from

LIKE ME OR NOT Andrea O'Day Sensual Romantic Comedy Release July 10

BOOTLEG BROADWAY Diana Rubino Spicy Vintage Historical Release June 17

HIGH SEAS Madelon Smid Sensual Romantic Suspense Release June 26

THE DETECTIVE'S DRAGON Karilyn Bentley Spicy Paranormal Fantasy Romance Release June 12

BEAUTY SUBMITS TO HER BEAST Sydney St. Claire Erotic BDSM Romance Release June 26

THE GUARDIAN David Wilma Historical Drama Non-romance adult content Release July 31

http://thewildrosepress.com Š 2015 The Book Breeze Page 3

Worlds of Imagination, Adventure, and Romance

Since her childhood, growing up in new zealand, Diana has been an avid storyteller. For years she enjoyed teaching art and special education, while continuing to write as a hobby. After she developed an auto-immune disorder, a career change was necessary, but happily this led her to become an Amazon bestselling author.

Diana’s books are mostly fantasy and science fiction with strong romantic elements. She has been a finalist for the CRW Award of Excellence, the next Generation Indie Book Awards, and the Aspen Gold Published novel Contest.

I loved your first book in the Rifters series, BRONZE FOX. You’ve created a complex and fascinating world with shape shifting, history, magic, other worlds along with well-developed characters. Tell us about your characters.

way. Yet he holds her life, and possibly her heart, in his hands.

I love your book cover. Can you tell us who designed the cover?

The artist should get some recognition.

Thank you for hosting me, here at the Book Breeze. It’s great to have a chance to share information with readers.

I’m glad you enjoyed BROnzE FOx. I fell in love with the setting and the characters as I was writing them. Tobias is so dashing and daring, but he’s also genuinely concerned for others. I like his considerate and generous nature. It fits well with Etty’s personality. She’s someone who is very warm and big-hearted under her tough exterior. They’ve both lived through difficult pasts, and this has made them strong. Bringing this strength and courage to their work makes them a dynamic team.

A central theme of the book is human trafficking. What led you to choose this subject?

Once I imagined the rift, containing different worlds connected by portals, I began to think of what kinds of people (Rifters) would travel these unusual routes. There would be explorers, smugglers, scientists, scavengers, and likely slavers. After I came up with the idea of a shifter world, with different shape-shifting tribes, the inter-world slave trade plot fell into place. Slavery is so horrible, in all its aspects. I wanted to highlight that, as a more substantial theme, running alongside the lighter adventure romance.

Can you share what we can look forward to in the next installment of the Rifters’ series?

The second Rifters novel, VEIlED SnAkE, should release in early 2016. Here is the description from the back cover.

At the age of twenty nine, Susan Thorpe has her future well in order, with a prestigious job and a high-ranking fiancé.

She has always prided herself on being in control of her emotions and her destiny. But all that changes when a friend is brutally murdered, and a crucial prototype is stolen from the Academy lab.

Now she must join forces with Tobias Shelton, Etty Sikes, and Jamie Keegan, a rogue rifter from Earth. Can they find the culprits in time to avert disaster? And can she trust a loose cannon like Jamie? He’s her opposite in almost every

Thank you! I designed the cover myself, and I’m happy with the result. I feel like it captures Tobias well.

As a trained artist, I couldn’t resist learning how to make my own covers. After all, who knows the characters and tone of a book better than the author? I design all my covers except those with the Wild Rose Press.

Do you have a favorite writing place or writing rituals?

Because I suffer from an auto-immune disorder that impacts my energy levels and stamina, I write using a laptop, in my recliner. It works really well and allows me to write twice as long as I could sitting up at a desk.

One writing ritual I’ve developed is creating music playlists for each book. They may only include a few songs, but each one perfectly evokes a scene, setting, or character from the story. This way, when I’m stuck, I can listen to these pieces of music and be transported into the right state of mind. It’s a wonderful way to break through writer’s block.

What do you like best about being an author?

Top of the list has to be the thrill of the creative process, translating settings and characters from my imagination into a story that others can enjoy. There’s nothing quite like it.

I also love interacting with readers, editors, other authors, reviewers, and interviewers. I’ve encountered so many Continued on page 6

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 4

Babette James writes sweetly scorching contemporary romance and loves reading nail-biting tales with a satisfying happily ever after. When not dreaming up stories, she enjoys playing with new bread recipes and dabbling with paints. As a teacher, she loves encouraging new readers and writers as they discover their growing abilities. Her class cheers when it’s time for their spelling test! Born in new Jersey and raised in Southern California, she’s had a life-long love of the desert and going down the shore. Babette lives in new Jersey with her wonderfully patient husband and extremely spoiled cats.

Your latest release is LOVE BURNS. Tell us about it.

lOVE BuRnS is the third book in my River Series from The Wild Rose Press which is based around a circle of good friends who vacation together every summer at lake Mohave on the Colorado River.

The tagline for lOVE BuRnS— Sometimes fanning the flames is better than running—proved very true in the writing of the novel. I first fell for my hero Dave knight while writing nate and kay’s story in ClEAR AS DAY (The River #2). Dave is a smokejumper and a daredevil who has no plans to take life slow or fall in love. He was fun, charming, and edgy enough to intrigue, but I swore up and down to my critique group that I absolutely, positively wasn’t going to write a sequel. They just laughed and my sexy, headstrong badboy had other plans. He wanted his happily-ever-after too and nagged, nudged, and charmed his way onto the page and finally won his story–and his lady.

My heroine Olivia definitely deserved a happy ending. She’d always done the right thing—she was a good daughter, a dutiful student, a dedicated nurse, and a faithful wife. When she first appeared in ClEAR AS DAY, her heart and marriage were broken by her emotionally abusive, adulterous husband, and she finally filed for divorce. Dave and she were attracted to one another from the start but, despite the accidental kiss that rocks them both at the beginning of lOVE BuRnS, they run from acting on that attraction. When an accident ends his career, Dave must face the ashes of his past and the woman he can't forget. As Olivia rebuilds her life and begins a new career in Florida, she’s certain Dave’s a sizzling temptation she can't afford, but when life brings them together again, she discovers breaking the rules with the wrong man might be the best mistake this good girl's ever made for love.

Fanning the flames between Dave and Olivia was so rewarding and I’m so glad none of us ran from the challenge.

Do you ever cast your characters?

I don’t cast my characters using actors or actresses, although I do like to find stock photo models that fit my ideas of how my characters look. They couple on the cover of love Burns are very close in looks to how I imagined Dave and Olivia and catches some of their playfulness. I usually have a very firm vision of my characters’ appearance as I’m writing and matching them to real life actors and actresses hasn’t worked for me.

Please tell us about your other series.

The HIS GIRl nExT DOOR series is set in some of my favorite towns along the new Jersey shore. The first two books in the series are out and available in ebook and print. In the first book, kISSInG kATIE, when Matt Powell reconnects with his childhood best friend, katie Vanburen, after twenty years apart, it’s decision time: his high-profile career–or the love he never dreamed possible. However, katie’s twice-broken heart leaves her unready to trust again. Can her cracking defenses hold when Matt argues his case for love, in bed and out? In COnVInCInG CAMi a hot, spontaneous kiss surprises good friend friends Jack O’Malley and Cami Alexander. Jack knows his bachelor days are over and he’s done hiding the feelings he’s always had for Cami.

Passion proves irresistible and one explosive night ups the ante. More than their hearts are at stake now and convincing Cami they’re meant to be together is going to get complicated. The next two books, TEMPTInG TESSA and lOVInG lExI, will be coming up for preorder this summer.

Do you have a favorite writing place or writing rituals?

I’m lucky to have a room at home for my office, with a Continued on the next page

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 5

Continued from page 3

great people since I started this journey, two and a half years ago. I feel very blessed.

What social media do you participate in?

I have a website with excerpts, trailers, reviews, news and more.

I’m also on Goodreads

big window with a view of a maple tree and the sky letting me pretend I’m in a tree house. I like to listen to music while I’m writing and usually have one of my Pandora channels playing, mostly new Age and instrumental movie music. I like to write early in the morning and I’m up at five, starting my day with a big mug of coffee and cuddling my cat Pookie. I usually write while in an online chat with my critique group and other writing friends.

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

YouTube

Amazon Author Page What’s next for you?

Sometime in the fall of 2015, the final book in my Dragon Clan trilogy will release. I wrote this fantasy romance series with the Wild Rose Press, and I’ve been very pleased with the results.

I’m excited to offer readers DRAGOn SOul, the final chapter of the dragon shifters’ multi-generational saga.

Is there an easy way for people to stay informed about your new releases? I have a mailing list, and I usually send out two to three announcements a year. It’s simple to sign up.

Just visit my website and use the “contact Diana” page, or email me at dianagreenbooks@gmail.com Everyone on my mailing list is entered in monthly e-book giveaways.

Winners can choose from any of my available titles.

I always love to hear from readers!

Continued from page 5

That I could achieve my dream of being a published author.

Turning that dream and my love of writing stories into reality was a long struggle to overcome too much self-doubt and step out in faith with the stories of the heart I love. Seeing my stories bloom and come to life in print and now being able to share them with readers has been an awesome experience.

If you could go on a romantic date with a fictional character by any author, whom would you choose?

lately I’ve been on a contemporary cowboy romance reading kick, so at the moment I’m in the mood to go with any of Carolyn Brown’s sexy Texan heroes. You can’t go wrong with a picnic supper at a lake, a little fishing, a little music, a little dancing, and kissing a charming cowboy under the wide-open starry summer sky. ☺ What social media do you participate in?

You can find me at: Twitter / Facebook Profile Facebook Page / Google+ / Goodreads / Pinterest / Tsu

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 6

http://www.hebbyroman.com

Desperate to escape an arranged marriage, Cuban beauty Angelina Herrera flees to Key West to start a new life and build her own business. But when her past catches up with her, she realizes the only way she can avoid the arranged marriage is to marry another … in name only.

Drawn to the fiercely independent Angelina, Cuban revolutionary, Alejandro Estava marries Angelina. Though outwardly he agrees to the platonic relationship because of his secret past, he cannot deny his powerful desire to possess her completely.

But tempestuous forces more powerful than the hurricane descending on their island home unleashes their mutual passion while threatening their yearning for a lifelong bond.

A desperate flight, arranged marriage, and secret past—can childhood sweethearts find love again?

LAST SEEN

By Jo A Hiestand Mystery

Released June 24th by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

New Releases

CAPTURE THE NIGHT

By Eve Dew Crook

by Cheryl Pierson

Spicy Romantic Suspense

Spicy romantic suspense

Release Aug 12 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

Release July 7 in ebook and print

MURDERING EVE

By Kelly L Lee

Spicy Fantasy Romance

PERIL, PASSION, PERU

Released July 1 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook

PERIL BY PONYTAIL A Bad Hair Day Mystery

By Nancy J Cohen

Release Sept 16 by Five Star Publishing in print and ebook © 2015 The Book Breeze Page 7

Barefoot Book Reviews HOW TO EAT A CUPCAKE Meg Donohue William Morrow Romantic Mystery/Thriller

A new take on the princess and the pauper tale coupled with national Treasure: Book of Secrets, this is a delightful tale of two women with great aspirations and a lot of baggage from their childhoods. Who knew searching for an old cookbook journal could be so sinister? The story takes readers inside the toil behind producing a gourmet cupcake, the entrepreneurial spirit, and resurrecting a lost friendship. The plot and subplots are believable and the characters well constructed. These are women that you want to know more about and women you hope succeed. I wouldn’t be surprised if “Craptastic Sundays” go viral. I am not generally a big fan or books that jump between characters to tell the story, because the story often drags and dulls the tension, but not How to Eat a Cupcake.

Donohue’s success is in the pacing of her short chapters plus the crisp writing, which inspired me to keep reading without skipping ahead to see what Annie or Julia did next (a habit I am prone to with multiple narrators.) Good read, almost cozy, but a few well-chosen words make all the difference.

UNDER A SILENT MOON Elizabeth Haynes Harper Collins British Crime Series (1st Briarstone)

Haynes introduces her new series with the exciting Under a Silent Moon, which is a sexually edgy departure from her other work. As she takes us through the intricacies of a nymphomaniac’s lifestyle, she avoids shades of gray debauchery but offers enough detail to make her point and will probably reach new readers who prefer erotic thrillers. Detective Inspector louisa Smith, who has just been promoted within the Major Crimes department and has to prove her leadership and sleuthing skill. DI Smith and her team meticulously unfold the sordid underbelly of the small village near london when they are called to investigate two murders on the same night and within yards of each other.

In this literary thriller, the settings, dialogue, and plot are beautifully written, which one expects from Haynes. The multiple viewpoints were easy to follow. What was offputting in this book is the extreme detail of the police reports and messages in a table format, including suspect and witness interviews, which were exhaustive. While I strongly appreciate that Haynes explores new approaches to her work, and I understand what she intended—let the reader to experience what the detectives have to wade through to solve the case—but the tables and extraneous

by Mahala Church

material add nothing to the reader experience. One of the joys of reading mysteries is trying to figure out the whodunits, but stopping to read the detailed format and comprehensive notes took me far out of the story each time I stumbled on one. That said, Haynes protagonist, DI Smith, is an intelligent and likable character, a strong woman determined to find her place in the hierarchy of the major crimes genre. The development of two complex crime plots is brilliantly executed.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS (2nd Briarstone Series) Elizabeth Haynes Harper Collins British Crime

Elizabeth Haynes achieves the penultimate in this captivating story of deception and evil. She pairs the horrors of kidnapping, slavery brothels, and familial cruelty with the tenderness, hope, and sibling loyalty of friendship.

Once again, she uses the extraordinarily busy format to show the behind-the-scenes of detailed police work, and once again, an abbreviated format to relay the information would make for a smoother read. But that aside, the plot is absorbing and frightening, a warning to all women about the cruel ways that women are still exploited. The book tells the story from multiple points of view in character-dedicated chapters, and it works with each narrator giving their unique perspective, perspectives, which ultimately create an intricate web of lies, deceit, and pain in a well-executed plot.

In this police procedural, the intrepid and often frustrated Detective Inspector louisa Smith is fortunate to have a “doover” when the missing fifteen-year-old Scarlett reappears ten years later. The very naïve Scarlett was on a family vacation in Greece when she vanished. When DI Smith flew to Greece to investigate, she ran into one dead end after another with the Greek police. Shockingly, the family thwarted her efforts to find Scarlett at the time, and they do it again ten years later. Presumed dead, the case landed in the cold case files, but for DI Smith, the missing Scarlett lay heavy on her heart and mind. Police investigating another case found Scarlett working in a brothel in Briarstone. DI Smith once again faces the bizarre behavior of Scarlett’s family, including her emotionally fragile sister, Juliette and tries to untwist some very tight vines that bind the odd family and the international cartel that controls the slave trade.

Judging from Haynes clever ending, Scarlett may emerge in book three of this exciting series, but I hope the cumbersome procedural details will not.

Continued on next page

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 8

Barefoot Book Reviews (Continued)

THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY (Chief Inspector Gamache series 8) Louise Penny Minotaur Books Mystery

Another piece of extraordinary fiction from louise Penny with the addition of interesting history about Gregorian and Cistercian chants and monastic life finds the erstwhile Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir inside the isolated monastery in Quebec, Saint-Gilbert-Entre-lesloups, to solve a murder. The twenty-four monks cloistered at the monastery have taken a vow of silence, but their chants have reached the outside world and the murdered monk had plans to sell recordings of their work to raise money for repairs at the ancient crumbling monastery.

Penny’s books are always a joy to read, offering opportunities to get the gray cells to synapse and discover who committed the crime while incorporating a tenderness and introspection that is melodramatic. While this book does not evolve around the residents of Three Pines, she deftly introduces an interesting and intriguing slate of characters and exposes the frailties of Gamache and Beauvoir, issues which are explored in later books—many reviewed by me in this publication.

The setting is a pivotal part in the novel, a character within itself with the beauty and discipline within the monastery pacing the story. Juxtaposing the raw, wild magnificence of the water and woods surrounding the man-made beauty, readers, inspectors, and monks alike are consistently aware of the unknown and shockingly violent. Penny opens the door to the lives of those who choose a monastic lifestyle, always a source of curiosity and assumption to outsiders. She articulates age-old ruminations of man and deftly addresses the isolation within all people, exploring the contemplative and frailty in all humans.

Mahala Church is a freelance editor and writer and teaches creative writing for teens and adults through her Barefoot Writing Academy. An accomplished workshop leader and award winning author, Pushcart Prize nominee, and published editor, she enjoys all aspects of writing.

An avid reader of both literary and commercial fiction as well as biographies and memoirs, she particularly likes books set in Britain, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and the Deep South of the united States. You can follow her at www.lyricalpens.com.

http://www.hebbyroman.com

Catalina Reyes has sacrificed everything to own a beach-front recreational vehicle Park. Widowed and struggling, her Park falls on hard times and needs extensive renovations to stay open.

When Manuel Batista, a widowed and successful contractor rents a slot at the Park, he's immediately attracted to Catalina and captivated by her fiery spirit and determination. Manuel helps Catalina to renovate her Park. Working together, their relationship sizzles, but Catalina realizes Manuel will return north after the winter. Unwilling to start a long-distance relationship after a painful breakup in her previous marriage, she must learn to trust again.

Can they overcome Catalina's fears and bridge the gap of hundreds of miles between their homes and families to find a second chance at love?

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 9

Jackie’s Jargon

ROMANCE REVIEWS

BY JACKIE MCMURRAY

THE GUEST COTTAGE

by Nancy Thayer Ballantine Books (May 12, 2015) Contemporary Romance

If you’re looking for a good beach read, go no further. nancy Thayer’s The Guest Cottage is a perfect choice for readers who enjoy a second chance love story.

Through a booking error, Sophie Anderson and Trevor Black both rent the same guesthouse in nantucket for the summer. Trevor, a single parent with a traumatized fouryear-old, hopes to spend the summer helping his son come to terms with his mother’s death; Sophie, a soon-to-bedivorced mother of two children, hopes to have a quiet vacation with her kids before they are told about the divorce.

neither Trevor nor Sophie want to give up the rental, so they agree to share the large house, divide up the chores, and make the best of it.

Thayer masterfully intersperses backstory. The details of Sophie’s childhood are integral to her transformation from a woman who caters to her husband to a confident woman with a plan.

Trevor’s backstory helps the reader understand his first marriage and why his son is so traumatized.

The Guest Cottage is a story of trying to keep it together for the sake of your children while trying to define who you are and who you could be. It’s about second chances and transformations and new beginnings. And it’s about struggling to be the best parent you can be.

THEN I MET YOU

by Deborah C. Wilding Wild Rose Press, Inc (March, 2015) Historical Romance Mystery/Suspense

Wilding had my attention from the first notation—nov. 1941, Honolulu—and held my attention until the last beautifully written line. Then I Met You has it all—mystery, romance, and historical accuracy so compelling that the reader is easily transported back in time; the events surrounding the bombing of Pearl Harbor are seamlessly interwoven and the interracial love story handled with aplomb.

There are no info dumps here—just good writing.

Then I Met You is the story of Merrylei (lei) Wentworth, a young woman who returns to Oahu with the intention of converting her 1880s family home into a guesthouse. The project is more difficult than lei imagined. Vandals have taken their toll and the rising costs of renovation result in lei selling some of the family heirlooms. When architect Jamison Sumida offers his assistance if she’ll sell him one of her mother’s unknown paintings, she grows suspicious of his motives while simultaneously feeling a connection to him.

lei knows her attraction to a Japanese American will present challenges, but had no idea how challenging until Jamison turns up missing after Pearl Harbor is bombed.

I live in Hawai’i and can vouch for Wilding’s authentic depiction of local attitudes, customs, and events and recommend this book to readers of mystery, romance, and historical fiction. You won’t be disappointed.

Jackie McMurray and her husband live on a macadamia nut farm on the island of Hawai'i where they feed a clowder of cats and a flock of hodgepodge chickens. In a past life, she was an elementary school teacher; currently, she writes contemporary romance from the Hawaiian Islands and beyond under her pen name, Jackie Marilla.

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery is world renowned for her “insightful, funny, and poignant” stories (Booklist). With her brand-new Mischief Bay series, she brings vivid color to the story of three friends on the brink of a new life.

Nicole Lord wants to be a good wife, but there’s a difference between being supportive and supporting her husband.

Sacrificing a personal life for her career is how Shannon Rigg became V.P. at her firm, but she wonders whether she made the right choice.

Although Pam Eiland adores her husband, she feels restless now that the kids are grown.

Through romance and heartbreak, laughter and tears, the girls of Mischief Bay will discover that life is richer with friends at your side.

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 10

Barefoot Writing Academy Presents:

Plotter vs. Pantser

by Mahala Church

Barefoot Writing

What’s Your Process?

Opinions on the process of writing abound, but in general, they all fall into either the plotter or the pantser master category. Within those two categories are more choices than any of us could possibly imagine. You can find graphs, outlines, pie charts, flowcharts, and triangle organization— right side up and with the point of the triangle down—to tell you how to write. There is no one-size-fits all. You may decide to use a little of this and a little of that as you write every day. You are writing every day, right?

Plotter vs Pantser

Plotter: outlines and researches their idea, creates chronologies and narrative arcs with plot points, defines characters in great detail with an arc for each, draws settings in depth, fills a notebook full of pictures cut from magazines or off the net to give them a “picture” of their characters prior to writing the book.

I am not a plotting purist, but I develop my characters in detail, because I believe there is no book without the characters. Their actions and reactions are the story. For my recently completed book of linked stories with a longer novel to follow, the characters are the same, so I have come to know them intimately. Because I’m visual, when I began the stories, I assigned the four main characters specific traits of famous people that I could clearly see. For example, one character is a composite of Minnie Pearl, Martha Stewart, and Eleanor Roosevelt. I’ll let you know when the book is published, and you can figure out which character he/she is.

Pantser: ideas grab them, and they start writing immediately. The writer may know the end, but knows next to nothing about the characters, settings, or plot. The go with the flow or write by the seat of their pants, the ideas flowing onto the page is what spurs them forward. These are writers, who often say their characters talk to them, i.e.

Charles Dickens. Once the story is on the page, they begin to flesh out their characters, make the settings visual, create story and character arcs to see if the work follows a forward motion, etc.

Within these two categories are writers who write at 5 a.m., those that write late at night, those who write during their lunch hour, those who take sabbaticals to write, those who write by a strict schedule, those who write a specific word count a day, and the list is infinitesimal.

One published author I know rises at 4 a.m. to write for two hours before she goes to work. Another can only write after her house is in order and the children are asleep, usually ten to twelve. Stephen king originally sat in his laundry room to write, escaping the noise and chaos of his children.

I found it interesting in Stephen king On Writing that once he had the money to have a large and well-decorated office, he found the expanse of space killed his creativity, so if your excuse is that you don’t have a place to write, be careful what you wish for. Some write on the computer; others write an original draft by hand.

Writers, like athletes, actors, musicians, and vocalists, have processes (good luck charms) they must follow to “make the magic”. Baseball players who wear the same pair of socks (without washing) for an entire season. Vocalists who remain mute all day before a performance. A friend of mine could only write in a public place. She had the ability to block out all the noise around her after years of living with a household of brothers and sisters and then in a crowded dorm. Her poetry was, well, pure poetry.

These variances are what fascinate newbies in any field, a need to know the tricks to a famous person’s success, but it especially abounds in the writing world. It’s the question published authors are always asked at workshops and presentations. “What is your process for writing?” And for some reason, it always reminds me of this little story.

A woman went down to her basement to wash clothes. After the load started, she realized the housedress she was wearing needed washing. She took off the dress and tossed into the washing machine, then sat down nude on the basement steps to wait.

There was a leak from the kitchen sink over her head, so she put on her son’s football helmet. Just as the load in the washer was spinning, she heard a cough behind her. It was the plumber she called to fix the leak in the sink. “lady, I hope your team wins,” the plumber said and made his exit quickly.

If someone asked this woman what her process for washing clothes was, what would she say? If that was the cleanest load of wash she ever processed, do you think she would always sit in the nude in the basement, waiting for the next load to finish?

Just as Stephen king says in his book, not every process works for every book, but there are some standard things a writer can implement to earmark a certain place, time, and writing implement to send their a brain a message—it is time to write.

Continued on the next page

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 11

STRANGE BUSINESS

By Carol Leister Sweet Paranormal Romance Released July 17 by The Wild Rose Press

How do supernatural creatures deal with the minutia of daily human life? newlydivorced Gillian Burke is about to find out after taking a job as assistant to Michael, a charming, handsome and immortal ‘angel’. Gillian soon finds herself not only dealing with folkloric and mythological creatures, but falling in love.

Plotter vs Panster(cont)

by Mahala Church

Similarities: Both the pantser and the plotter usually take classes on writing and read writing books to learn the craft of writing and new ways to tap into their imagination. Both outline to some degree, but not necessarily the way we were taught in English class in grammar school. Janet Evanovich’s book, How I Write: Secrets of a Best-selling Author, explains her process for action and reaction, which I particularly like. It’s simple and straightforward.

Writers in both classifications usually know the beginning or the end of the story before they start writing. It’s the middle where the sweat or mist (if you are a Southern lady) starts to pour and the doubt pummels all writers. Adriana Mather posted an excellent article June 9, 2015 on the QueryTracker blog entitled Getting unstuck: Tightening Your Story’s Saggy Middle.

Don’t wait for “the muse” to send a message. Try different places and processes to kick start your work or keep it moving forward. (note: stuck on a scene? Change the place where you usually write; it will probably stimulate an idea.)

Quiz: If you write one, double-spaced, typed page a day for one month, guess what you have?

30 written pages! I did not say thirty perfect pages, but thirty pages from which to add, delete, and revise later.

Thirty pages of a novel. Thirty pages that could become a short story for a contest. 30 Pages!

Write like you mean it… Mahala

Sweet Stories of Love Just Released BEYOND ENEMY LINES

By Kathryn Kelly Mild Historical Romance

Released July 31 by Smashwords in print and ebook

BLIND LOVE Kishan Paul Mild Contemporary Romance Released June 2, 2015 by Samhain in print and ebook

MIRACLE RIVER Judi Seggel Sweet contemporary romance Released June 23, 2015 in ebook A COWBOY CELEBRATION Lorrie Farrelly, Meg Mims, Julia Daniels, Beverly Wells, Agnes Alexander, Angela Raines, Linda Carroll-Bradd Sweet western historical romance Released June 25, 2015 in print and ebook JULY’S BRIDE Gail Jenner Sweet western historical romance Released June 29, 2015 in ebook

COWBOY, CONVINCE ME

By Danita Cahill Mild Contemporary Romance Released June 18 by Ridge Publishing GOLD NUGGETS

by Lynn Lovegreen Clean YA Historical Romance Release July 3 by Prism Book Group in print and ebook

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 12

Roberta’s Ramblings

by Roberta Rogow

Here are some mysteries where the past impacts on the present in more ways than one.

The Charlemagne Connection, by R. M. Cartmel (Crime Scene books, 2015, $15.00) continues the adventures of Commander Charlemagne Truchaud as he copes with both political and personal difficulties in the wake of his brother's death in a small town in Burgundy. A German student has gone missing, and his sister and her friend have come looking for him. language barriers impede the progress of the investigation, which leads to a family connection dating back to the German occupation of France in World War II. Between his increasingly daft father and the political implications of the case, Truchaud has his hands full, but he manages to work things out, and settles matters to everyone's satisfaction. A fascinating look at a corner of the world not usually visited by casual readers.

In Sheila Connolly's latest Museum Mystery, Privy to the Dead (Berkley, 2015, $7.99), a renovation leads to a remarkable discovery and murder, both in the past and in the present. Thanks to a generous donation, nell Pratt can go ahead with necessary renovations to the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society's building, including refurbishing the century-old building's foundations. While checking the basement, an old privy hole comes to light, and with it, the remains of a small box, contents unknown. Does this have anything to do with the death of one of the laborers on the project, a loner who may have found something else in that hole? And why is Marty Terwilliger, one of the Society's chief benefactors, so upset when she hears about it? There's more than one mystery for nell to solve, as she probes both the past and the present to get at the truth. A solid entry in this entertaining series.

Kathleen Ernst takes her slightly psychic sleuth Chole Ellefson to Minneapolis in Tradition of Deceit (Midnight Ink, 2014, $14.99), where she is taking some time to help a friend write a proposal for a restoration project. An old flour mill has been used by the homeless as a shelter, but the Minnesota Historical Society wants to renovate the place, and make it into a museum. All bets are off when the body of the leader of the effort is found. In one of the old grain silos. Meanwhile, Chloe's on-again-offagain boyfriend, Roelke Mckenna is on the trail of the man who killed his best friend, a well-liked cop. The two cases have roots in both past and present, and Chloe's psychic flashes lead to a killer with a most unusual motive, while Roelke has to face unpleasant facts about some of his pals on the police force. Personal and professional crises are

are resolved in the end. Photos of some of the sites and objects that inspired the story are included at the end of the book.

It's the re-creation of the past that causes the troubles in the present in The Final Reveille, by Amanda Flower (Midnight Ink, 2015, $14.99). kelsey Cambridge, director of Barton Farm living History Museum in Ohio, has her hands full when the grounds are used for a Civil War re-enactment of a key skirmish in the War Between the States. not only does she have to cope with real-time clashes between the two sides, but her chief patron's nephew is hinting that funding for the museum is about to be drastically cut. When said nephew turns up dead, apparently from bee stings, the staff of the museum comes under suspicion. Everyone has good reason to hate Maxwell, from the surly gardener to the jilted fiancee, to kelsey herself. It takes courage and wit, and a few odd clues for kelsey to find a most unlikely killer, with an all-too-common motive. A fast-paced read with a shocking ending.

Maddy Hunter's Fleur de Lise (Midnight Ink, 2014, $14.99) takes us back to France, where Emily Andrew-Miceli is leading a group of senior citizens on a tour of normandy that includes visits to the D-Day beaches and a meeting with one of the survivors of the epic event. Things go sadly amiss when one of the group is found at the base of a cliff.

Was this an accident, or revenge for a betrayal fifty years before? The rest of the tour group includes a businesshungry mortician, a trio of beauty queens, and Emily's trans-gender ex-husband, who has a lot to learn about being a woman. By the time the tour is over, a long-buried secret is revealed, a murder is avenged, and a family is reunited. lots of fun, with murder as a minor element in a crowded plot.

In Dying for the Past, by T.J. O'Connor (Midnight Ink, 2015, $14.99), Oliver “Tuck” Tucker learns the pluses and minuses of geing a ghost. He can pop in and out of rooms, if he concentrates hard enough, but he has a hard time getting his old friends to believe that he's there. What's worse, he's being co-erced by long-dead gangster Vincent Calabrese to find a very special book, which just might be the reason someone's been killed during a very exclusive gala, organized by Tuck's wife, Angela.

There are more twists and turns, and family connections to the Mob, the Cold War, and the present crisis in the exSoviet union, and it takes one final shocking revelation to put everything into place.

Tuck/'s past and present may have an impact on his nation's future in this mad mix of supernatural and espionage.

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 13

THE CHOCOLATE KISS-OFF

By Heather Haven Mystery Released July

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and vats of delicious chocolate are being cooked up to win fair lady’s heart. But at Carlotta’s Chocolates, Carlotta is found cooking in her own vat of chocolate, and not so deliciously. Arrested for her murder is chocolatier Howie Goldberg, good friend to Persephone ‘Percy’ Cole. As one of Manhattan’s first female private detectives, Percy is determined to hunt down the real killer. But the sleuth, herself, is being stalked by the murderer, who not only keeps a diary of the latest kills, but records who is next. Percy Cole tops the list. When the lady shamus finds the illusive killer, will Death be her Valentine?

Sizzling New Releases

CHASING KARMA

By C. Shell Sizzling new Adult Erotic Released June 12 by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook REBEL’S CLAW

By Afton Locke Sizzling Paranormal Romance Released June 25th by Decadent Publishing in ebook SCORCHING MINI TALES - EDUCATING ERIS AND MY PARISIAN SABBATICAL Jane Leopold Quinn Erotic Romance (f/f and m/f) June 15, 2015 Self published

New Releases to Spice Up Your Summer Nights

THE LAST THREE MILES Kathleen Rice Adams Sensuous western historical romance Released July 24, 2015 in ebook

THE CEO BUYS IN Nancy Herkness

Spicy Contemporary Romance Released July 21, 2015 in print, audio and ebook POLARITY C.A. Jamison Sensuous paranormal romance Released July 14, 2015 in print and ebook TIES THAT BIND Keena Kincaid Sensuous medieval romance Released July 16, 2015 in print and ebook

RHYTHM OF DECEIT

By Rachael Richey Spicy Women’s Fiction Release July 29th by The Wild Rose Press in print and ebook A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S KISS

By Stacy Reid, Lily Maxton, Nicola Davidson, Ally Broadfield Spicy Historical Romance Released June 29th 2015 in ebook A SCORCHING DILEMMA Shereen Vedam Spicy Historical Paranormal Romance Released April 21, 2015 in print and ebook

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 14

Susan Anne Mason Romantic Stories to Feed the Soul

Susan Anne Mason describes her writing style as “romance sprinkled with faith.”

She particularly enjoys exploring the themes of forgiveness and redemption in her stories. IRISH MEADOWS is her first historical novel and won the Fiction from the Heartland contest sponsored by the Mid-American Romance Author chapter of RWA.

Susan lives outside of Toronto, Ontario, with her husband, two children, and two cats. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). learn more about Susan and her books at www.susanannemason.com.

You have a new release coming out soon – IRISH MEADOWS. Tell us about it.

IRISH MEADOWS introduces us to the O’leary family of long Island, new York in 1911. Here is a blurb about the storyline: Irish immigrant, James O’leary, has spent his life building Irish Meadows into a thriving horse farm and is not about to let hard economic times threaten its success. He intends for his daughters to marry prosperous men— ones who will secure the family’s rightful place in society, and at the same time, guarantee the future of Irish Meadows. Both girls, however, have different visions for their futures.

Brianna and Colleen O’leary know their father expects them to marry well. Yet despite his wishes, Brianna, the quieter sister, dreams of attending college. Vivacious Colleen, meanwhile, is happy to marry—as long as her father’s choice meets her exacting standards. When stable hand Gilbert Whelan returns from college and distant family member Rylan Montgomery stops in on his way to the seminary in Boston, the two men quickly complicate everyone’s plans. It will take every ounce of courage for both sisters to follow their hearts. And even if they do, will they inevitably find their dreams too distant to reach?

Did you have an interesting experience in the research of this book?

The one interesting tidbit I found when researching horse racing in 1911 was that the state of new York had banned it around this time, due to problems with gambling. This played nicely into my plot line where Irish Meadows had fallen on difficult financial times, making patriarch James O’leary desperate for his daughters to marry into wealthy families. I loved how history helped me out here! The gambling issue also played a role in Adam O’leary’s story which is told in “A Worthy Heart” coming out in 2016.

You write both contemporary stories and historicals.

Is there one you prefer or like equally?

I love both genres, however the intensive research required for historicals can get a little daunting! I may switch back to contemporaries for a while once my contract with Bethany House is fulfilled. I have 3 contemporary romances out now: two with White Rose Publishing, called “Betrayed Hearts” and “Wayward Hearts”, and one with Harlequin’s love Inspired line, called “Healing the Widower’s Heart”. I really loved this one about a widower seeking help for his grieving son. It’s gotten some very nice reviews as well!

What do you hope readers take with them after reading your work? The main themes I love to explore are forgiveness and redemption. My characters are usually struggling with some type of guilt, or feelings of unworthiness. I hope by the end of the book, the reader comes away with a sense of hope and peace through God’s unconditional love.

Many authors feel writing is their dream job but what is the worst job you’ve ever had?

One summer job when I was earning my tuition money, the economy was bad and I had to take odd jobs wherever I could. One particularly bad one was in an industrial area.

The office actually had mice and I’d have to brush the mice droppings off my desk each morning before I started. Yuck!

What social media do you participate in?

I spend far too much time on Facebook! lOl. And I love Pinterest! I make boards for all my books and save photos as inspiration for future books. I haven’t got the hang of Twitter I’m afraid, though I do the odd ‘tweet’.

What’s next for you?

I’ve just turned in revisions for “A Worthy Heart”, Book 2 in the Courage to Dream series which highlights Adam O’leary’s story. The poor guy got himself in some hot water and now has to figure out how to start his life over again!

And I’ve started working on Book 3 which will be Deirdre and Connor O’leary’s stories.

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 15

Blood, Faith, Family and Revenge

An interview with author Thomas Shawver

THE WIDOW’S SON is the third in the Rare Book Mystery. Did you have an interesting experience in the research of this book?

I live in Jackson County, Missouri, where Mormon founder, Joseph Smith, Jr., declared that the righteous would gather to greet the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The site of Independence, Missouri, is where he claims Adam and Eve dwelt in the Garden of Eden. About 70 miles north of kansas City is where Smith proclaimed they were banished after their fall from grace.

The latter site, called Adam-onde-Ahman, is a wellmaintained, attractive, but otherwise undistinguished park.

There are few signs and no monuments. Given its importance in Mormon teachings, it’s odd that little attention is brought to the area. While there, I came across a most unusual flat stone resting upon another rock. A small sign at the top of the hill far above it described it as the altera

upon which Smith would address the prophets of old during the Second Coming.

Tell us about your characters.

Michael Bevan is a widowed former lawyer who owns a second-hand bookstore in kansas City. He’s big, athletic, and has a checkered past, having been disbarred for shady dealings with former clients who ran strip joints, among other things. He lives with the bright and feisty Josie Majansik, a former FBI agent who helped save his life in The Dirty Book Murder. Riverrun Books has been his redemption, but things get tricky when the beautiful natalie Phelan, director of the local Irish Center, seeks his help.

Her boyfriend, Emery Stagg, possess a first edition Book of Mormon with a sinister history involving ‘blood atonement’ that puts her life and that of her eccentric young daughter, Claire, in grave danger.

You’ve had an interesting career, marine officer, lawyer, journalist and book store owner. What led you to become an author?

I was a creative writer before and during all of those careers, beginning in my early teens after reading Joseph Conrad’s lord Jim. Despite a heavy schedule in law school, I found time to take creative writing courses from Professor Edgar Wolfe. While in the Marine Corps I finished a novel—as yet unpublished—based on events I witnessed. Throughout my law career I found time to write four full-length manuscripts. It led me into journalism.

Continued on page 18

The adventures of Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) and Arthur Conan Doyle in late 19th-century.

Victorian mysteries with nostalgic fun and spunky characters by speculative fiction author Roberta Rogow

Love, Hawaiian Style by

Jackie Marilla

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 16

Shannon’s Space

YA Reviews by Shannon Kennedy All right, it’s the summer and time to go back to camp with J.k. Rock. Her series about Camp Juniper Point lends a whole new meaning to “School’s out for the summer!” If you missed the introduction to the Camp Boyfriend series, the first book is still available and a definite 5-Star read!

CAMP BOYFRIEND by J.K. Rock - Spencer Hill Contemporary – July 2013 – 5 Stars This book will make you want to go to summer camp with lauren who tries to figure out who she is and what she wants out of life. She thinks she knows, but surprises come fast and furious when she ends up at her favorite place in the world, Camp Juniper Point with two very different guys.

She grew up with Seth. He knows the person she was, but Matt, her high-school quarterback boyfriend knows the person she is, or does he? Then again, does she know who they are?

CAMP PAYBACK

by J.K. Rock Spencer Hill Contemporary – April 2014 – 5 Stars

The second book in this series, Camp Payback is even better than the first novel, Camp Boyfriend. Readers met the heroine, Alex in lauren’s story which takes place a year before this novel. Alex’s uber-controlling parents view her as a public relations nightmare for their “Wholesome Family” blog or the bad example that they can use to create more readers. now, the entire family is up for a reality show on network TV and since Alex’s ex-boyfriend sent her disgusting texts which her father read on her phone, she’s slated to attend “a jail disguised as an all girls’ boarding school.” Alex is understandably upset not just by their lack of faith in her, but also the way they used her as the “bad example” on their latest book tour to promote their latest bestseller in addition to the blog.

Determined to throw some “payback” into the mix, Alex heads off to Camp Juniper Point with a huge “proverbial” chip on her shoulder. She will teach Vijay a much needed lesson along with her perfect brother and parents. Readers will sympathize with her need to be seen as the person she truly is instead of the clichéd “bad seed.” Yes, she has flaws - - - who doesn’t? Alex tends to talk first and think later, but spontaneity is normal in many teens. However, she doesn’t lie, cheat, steal, do drugs or alcohol or commit any other heinous offenses. Even when she arrives at Camp Juniper Point and plants a kiss on super-hot Javier who she mistakes for a new camper, she honestly doesn’t intend to harm him. She just wants to show Vijay that he doesn’t own her. And once she realizes that Javier is at the camp for a job, she does try to make amends.

Meantime, Javier has troubles of his own. He’s been bounced from foster home to foster home while his mother is in prison. now, he has a job helping the cook at a camp for more privileged characters and regardless of how attractive he finds the girls, he needs to remember that he’s considered staff, not one of the campers. He knows the rules, especially the most important. “It’s keep your distance, boy, and remember your place!”

Of course these two misunderstood, basically unloved characters that have both been abandoned by the adults who are supposed to love them will connect with each other on several levels. Most readers will be rooting for them all the way. We want Alex to learn self-acceptance. We want Javier to realize that he doesn’t need to rescue his mother, but to take care of himself first. It makes perfect sense that these two people who know they should stay away from each other just can’t manage it. Who would really abandon a kindred spirit?

Despite these two strong characters as well as the others in the ensemble cast at Camp Juniper Point, there are some unanswered questions. For example, we never see Alex and her brother resolve their differences. At the beginning of the story, he is her father’s clone. Wouldn’t he outgrow some of this when he attends college and begins to see other people’s viewpoints? Or will he always be a sanctimonious jerk? It wouldn’t have taken much to tie up this loose end. In addition, it wouldn’t have spoiled the end of the book to give a few hints at the beginning that perhaps things aren’t as awful in her family as Alex views them.

Seeing both sides of the question would have strengthened her character as well and the same goes for Javier.

Still this was a terrific second book and it was so much fun to return to Camp Juniper Point. That made book 3 even more fun especially since it takes place during the same summer.

CAMP FORGET-ME-NOT

by J.K. Rock Spencer Hill Contemporary – October 2014 – 5 Stars

Okay, so we’ve left the Munchies Manor cabin to join the Diva’s Den, the ultra-snooty cabin where the girls think they are definitely “all that,” and everyone else including Alex and her friends are less than human. So, how will the authors make this work? Actually, when they’re this talented, it’s very easy.

Readers will definitely identify with kayla West who has to Continued on Page

Shannon lives on the family farm, a riding stable in the Cascade foothills, where she organizes most of the riding programs and teaches horsemanship around her day-job as a substitute teacher. She writes books in her spare time, mainstream western romance as Josie Malone for SirenBookStrand and young adult novels for Black Opal Books and Fire & Ice YA. She’s a member of RWA, YARWA, the Greater Seattle RWA and Evergreen RWA chapters.

© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 17

Shannon’s Space Continued

deal with her parents’ divorce and being bounced back and forth like the proverbial tennis ball even at Camp Juniper Point. To make things worse, her one-time friend and crush, nick Desanti has returned to camp as an all-star, Olympian snowboarder. kayla is accustomed to taking second place with everyone and giving up everything she wants to ensure that others succeed or obtain their dreams. now, this propensity for giving her soul away has come back to bite her at the worst possible time.

Once again, writing partners J.k. Rock have provided readers with a story that has interesting main characters, an engaging ensemble cast, a terrific setting, a good mesh of humor and authentic dialogue. kayla grows throughout the story and learns to be true to herself, a much needed life lesson on the way to adulthood. However, the romance between her and nick seemed to take second place to her interactions with friends, family and that life lesson. Still, this was a fun, fairly light-hearted read despite the serious theme.

This was another great story in the Camp Boyfriend series, but unfortunately it’s scheduled to be the last at Camp Juniper Point. Aargh! There are so many wonderful characters at this camp and now readers won’t know what happens to them. Double Aargh!

Thomas Shawver interview continued

Then back to the law and ultimately to owning a secondhand bookstore. Throughout it all I worked to develop my writing skills, going to writer conferences, talking to agents, working on my pitches. Writers write. I’d still be doing it if I had never found an agent and editor.

If you could have dinner with any mystery character by any other author, who would you choose?

Easy. nick and nora Charles. They are witty, charming, fun to be around, and common sense smart. And they really, really like each other. By the way, William Powell who played nick in the movies was a kansas Citian.

What’s next for you?

I plan to let Michael Bevan rest for a while to concentrate on a new series involving a former French commando who solves crimes in a Missouri river town. I’ve also finished a spy novel set in the early 1920’s Japan and Micronesia.

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© 2015 The Book Breeze Page 18

Eclectic Express Reviews

Eclectic

Mystery

Urban Fantasy

THE SOUND OF GLASS

By Karen White nAl (May 2015) Women’s Fiction

The generational effects of domestic violence are at the heart of this story.

The story opens with a tragic plane crash in 1955 near the home of Edith Heyward in Beauford, South Carolina that deposits a suitcase in Edith’s yard and leaves the reader with a mystery.

Fast forward to 2014, Merritt Heyward loses her firefighter husband but inherits his family home in Beaufort where she meets the brother-in-law she didn’t know she had. Arriving in Beaufort on Merritt’s heel is her too-young stepmother, loralee, and her half brother, Owen.

White brilliantly guides us through the awkward interactions of four people who seemingly have little in common as they grow to become a family. Rich details, compelling characters and numerous secrets keep you engaged until the last page. I loved this book.

THE WIDOW’S SON A Rare Book Mystery #3

By Thomas Shawver Alibi (July 7, 2015) Mystery

Michael Bevan stumbles into another mystery in this 3rd book in the series. The story starts with the 1844 murder of Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, and the vow of his followers to avenge his death by killing the descendants of those they deemed responsible.

One hundred and seventy years later there are still those trying to fulfill that vow and Michael’s friend natalie Phelan is next on their list.

Shawver weaves a tight tale of vengeance that mystery lovers will enjoy.

BLOOD TRINITY: BOOK 1 in the Belador Series

By Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love Pocket Books (October 2010) urban Fantasy

Supernatural warriors bound by an extraordinary code of honor face an ultimate test of loyalty.

Atlanta has become the battlefield between human and demon. An outcast among Beladors, Evalle Kincaid has

LGBT

Paranormal

Sci-Fi

Young Adult

walked the line between human and beast her whole life.

Her origins unknown, she's on a quest to learn more about her past . . . and her future. When a demon claims a young woman in a terrifying attack and there's no one else to blame, Evalle comes under suspicion and the only person who might help her is Storm, a sexy new agent with secrets of his own.

Sounds good, right? It has all the elements we urban fantasy lovers want in a novel but this book read like a early draft that severely needed editing. This is not the storytelling I’ve come to expect from Ms. kenyon. I would give this book 3 stars and watch for the books to be on sale.

BRONZE FOX (Rifters Book One)

by Diana Green CreateSpace Fantasy Romance

This is a historical paranormal, steampunk, sci-fi with elements of magic story that keeps you turning the page of this imaginative tale of Tobias, a fox-shifter, and Etty, a street smart cabbie.

Tobias, stolen as a child, works for an organization to stop slave trading amongst worlds and to keep a balance that allows each world to progress on it’s own. There’s a little prime directive and a little Stargate going on here. When Etty stumbles into Tobias’ world, he decides to make her his new partner and the adventure begins. When news that a new technology is out on the black market it is up to Tobias and Etty to get it back.

Green’s writing is vivid and fresh. The pacing is non-stop with well-developed characters. My only complaint is I thought the relationship between the two developed too quickly. I would have preferred a little longer dance. It’s the first in a series and I look forward to the next adventure.

Well done, Ms. Green.

We hope you enjoyed this edition of The Book Breeze.

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