Lifting the Veil

Today I need to talk to fellow Texan and author Cory Putman Oakes.  And find out how she is managing to control what is happening around me.  I understand that reading a good story can come to life in your mind.  But for the story to actually start effecting the environment around me is too weird. 

Okay I will explain.  I finished reading the uncorrected proof of 'The Veil' last night.  It will be released November 1st of this year.  I so fell into the story right at the start.  Now I have read other books where our world and another world seem to overlap.  It is not something that I find very believable.  But I did love that this story focused heavy on the 'earth' side of what was going on.  I loved learning some of the special characteristics of the Annorasi race.  But I never really did understand why they had to stay so secret.  Maybe I will get more of that in the next book.  This will be a great young adult read.  I can see where they will accept this new world very quickly.

What really wowed me out was that the Annorasi coexisted with the human world with lil upset.  There are a few ways to know if an Annorasi is around you.  It seems they interact with electricity.  Lights flicker, go out even, TV reception messes up and the such.  Now here is the part where Cory and I have to have a talk.  First off let me say that what I am fixing to say DID happen and no I was not drinking.  Last night I was finishing reading 'The Veil' while soaking in the spa tub where I am staying.  There are 3 lights in the ceiling there.  Well one went out.  Odd but I thought that it must need to be changed.  Just my luck with with over 12 foot ceiling.  But you know, lights go out.  THEN it came back ON!  Weird!  Now I was all alone on the far end of the house.  I was a bit shaken up but kept reading and relaxing.  Then another light went out.....then a second.....and finally the third went out.   I screamed then....really loud.  Dear Hubby came a running of course.  I explained all that had happened.  He turned the switch off and on but nothing happened.  Well I started to dry off and get dressed with him with me.  You now what.....one light came back on.  Yes, just one of them.  They are all on the same switch. 

Cory would you be kind enough not to send an Annorasi with the books to the reviewers.  Or at least make the visible.  As it has really freaked me out.  HA HA  Thanks for letting me review your book.  Let me know when the next book comes out.  I want to learn more.  As all know, these are unpaid.  I have the books and that is all I receive.  Oh and folks, pop over and check out Cory's Writers Block Brownie recipe,

Time Travel on a Snowy Day

All of this snow, sleet and slush has made perfect reading time.  Currently you  will see Dear Hubby curled up in our lil reading nook with his own book of the moment.  He is tied up with a fantasy book right now.  But next he will be taking over the one I just finished.  A New Birth of Freedom: The Visitor by Robert G. Pielke. It was different yet quite interesting.  I have not read too many books of alternative time line so I was not sure where this would take me.  But it was a good adventure.  I know that I ended up in a place I would have never dreamed of being at. 



Lincoln helped people recognize that all humans possess certain unalienable rights. But will we see that others deserve those rights as well. That time will come on July 3, 1863.  When Edwin Blair opened his valise and projected a 3D image of the Earth on Lincoln's wall and told a fanciful tale about time traveling aliens preparing to land at Gettysburg on July 3rd, the men there were unsure what to believe.  It is unbelievable and still curious.  Next they have to decide do they follow a stranger from no where whom their president supports?  A New Birth of Freedom: The Visitor, is the first book in a new science fiction series that follows the adventures of Edwin Blair.  I am waiting for the next one already. 

I also like a couple of other things here.  First this is an affordable book.  $14.99 for the paperback or better deal is the $7.00 ebook.  Download and read at you leisure.  The other was a different perspective on how we see events.  It was great to get an idea of a time and life that we could never experience.  Robert Pielke has peaked my interest enough to go looking for more.  It has been quite awhile since that has happened with a new author to me.  I do wish to thank Tribute books for this one.  They are kind enough to ship me review copies and to support me as a reviewer.  Now Tribute books has also brought me a new fan favorite.

Saving Cicadas

Have you ever wanted to just chuck it all? You know, today you wake up and life is way too much to handle. So why not just make the change? Jump in the car and go? I know that I have felt that way, but never made that leap.

While reading Saving Cicadas I felt a kinship with Priscilla Lynn Macy who learns she's having another child unexpectedly so she packs the family into the car to escape. In doing so she takes her family (we can not runaway without them) on a road trip. Of course this turns into a mystery and takes us on an unexpected journey.

I have to say I enjoy twist and turns in a story. And being reminded that we all count. Even the very smallest of us all. Nicole Seitz has used her Southern spirit to create full characters and a story of redemption. I wish to thank Thomas Nelson Publishers for sending me Saving Cicadas. This was a good read. You can pick up this story to share for only $14.99. I feel it would be a good book for a teenager and older.

Nicole Seitz is the author of The Spirit of Sweetgrass and 3 other stories as well as a freelance writer/illustrator who has published in numerous South Carolina magazines. Nicole shows her paintings in the Charleston, South Carolina, where she owns a web design firm. And she is like so many of us, a wife and mother.

Imagia and the Magic Pearls

Growing up the youngest of 5 children and with a large gap between girls (10 years), I learned to rely on my imagination for friendship. And it was in the places of my mind that I truly blossomed. There I could do anything, be anyone and have many many friends.

Well, now there is a tale of Imagia and the Magic Pearls. This elf princess also has learned to live in her imagination. Desiring to have other friends to play with but stuck in her palace and with her lessons she seems to be a prisoner of her own life. (Gosh, don't we all relate to that one!) Of course, like all of us, Imagia has to break free and discover the world around her. Tales from the Mapmaker will open up a new land of Trillow. Here Imagia not only wanders into a castle ruled by the evil queen Baddora but also meets her new friend, Flutterwalk. And it is here that Imagia really learns the power of her imagination.

Monroe S. Tarver, both author and illustrator, has given a new childhood princess story which he is developing into a series of stories. Focused for children ages 5-9, this story weaves in a new cast of characters, moral lessons, the power of imagination and embracing an ethnic princess. With rich paintings to surround the story, you are swept away to a new land of Trillow. And one that takes you on those unexpected twist and turns. This is a new tale that has been released just this month at Amazon.com for only $6.99. I feel it would make a wonderful addition to any child's bookshelf this holiday season.

Green

As a book reviewer for Thomas Nelson, I have the privilege of reading many different styles of writing. But I have to give my applause to Ted Dekker for his novel Green.

I love a well written mystery, drama and suspense. And I also am a fan of a well told story. In Green you will be rewarded with all of this. Also in this epic you will discover that Ted Dekker has created a new series of stories, the Circle Series.

Green brings full meaning to the Circle Series as a whole, reading as both prequel to Black and sequel to White, completing a full circle. This is Book Zero, the Circle Reborn, both the beginning and the end. The preferred starting point for new readers . . . and the perfect climax for the countless fans who’ve experienced Black, Red, and White.

If you are already a fan of Ted Dekker's Circle Series then you will be ready for the climax. If your new to Ted Dekker's Circle Series then your can get in on the beginning. What a fantastic concept.

Now for Green. Green is a story of love, betrayal, and sweeping reversals set within the apocalypse. We learn how Thomas Hunter first enters the Black Forest and how it changes history. Here in this new land, yet one that is oh' so familiar, life begins and the story continues. It is the beginning: the truth behind a saga that has captured the imagination of more than a million readers with the Books of History Chronicles.

And there is also the web site The Circle. Here fans of the Books of History Chronicles have a whole world created. Ted Dekker joins his fans in a community that shares in the stories, blog and currently looking for new books of Green that Ted has left in hidden places. Look for clues here to find one near you.

The Double Cousins Book Review with Ashley

The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the the Missing Watch by Miriam Jones Bradley

My dear Ashley, Nessa's daughter helped me with a review of this new mystery. Ashley is 9 years old and loves to read. She was very interested in reading a new mystery. This is written along the lines of a Trixie Belden mystery.



Ok Ashley, what is your general opinion about this book? "It's awesome."

What's awesome about it? "It is a great book with a good mystery and stuff."

What is your favorite thing about this book? "That the cousins were solving the mystery together."

Is there anything about the story unexpected? "The homeless man named Slim who arrived after jumping on a the train."

Why would another child want to read this book? "The reason I would say is because it is like your solving the mystery with the cousins and Slim."

Did this book expand on God? "Yes, it expanded more about God when Slim came in the picture. When one of the cousins was asking questions about God and his plan."

Ashley feels this book would be hard for little kids to understand, but ages 8 years to 15 years old would enjoy this mystery. If your interested in how cousins work together and family relationships you will learn more during this story.

I appreciate Ashley helping me review The Double Cousins and the Mystery of the Missing Watch. I know that I found the story intriguing even as an adult. I will be glad to share this story with my grand daughter as she grows older too. It will also be interesting to find out if this develops into a series of Mysteries like Nancy Drew did.

You may also enjoy sharing a Christian based story with your children. This would be a good chapter book to use as night time reader.

This is a WinePress Publishing and is listed as Juvenile Fiction/Mysteries & Detective Stories. Retail price is $11.95 in the United States.

In an intriguing tale of forgiveness and acceptance, Miriam Jones Bradley tells the story of five cousins, seeking to unearth the one hundred year old mystery surrounding a long lost relative, an old pocket watch, and a mysterious hired man. Set against the backdrop of a Nebraska ranch, "The Double Cousins and The Mystery of the Missing Watch" takes the reader through an adventure led by young sleuths. In a culture that overwhelmingly portrays a fractured family unit, Bradley offers a story of love, acceptance, and unity. “I believe that in today's world, with the decline of the family unit, this book can make an impact on children,” says Bradley. “Whether they have an intact family or not, they can learn the importance of family connections while learning good Biblical and character truths.” Bradley’s young heroes learn many lessons as they solve the family mystery, mainly that God can and will forgive us when we fail and that we should never judge someone simply due to his past. “My goal is to provide a Christian answer to the Bobbsey Twins/Trixie Belden mysteries I remember from my childhood,” says Bradley.

Bradley has worked as a nurse for the past twenty-four years and has been heavily involved with Children's Ministries. She has taught and led numerous children’s programs and spends as much time as possible with her twelve nieces and nephews. Bradley has a heart for children and desires to provide exciting, captivating, but traditional stories for children that establish important character truths. She and her husband, Dr. Bruce Bradley, make their home in Newberry, SC, where she works as a Utilization Review Nurse at Newberry County Memorial Hospital.