Required Reading

Life is complicated enough without getting into hotwater with federal agencies so: TAKE NOTE Many things I review I received at no charge in exchange for an honest review. Consider this as informing you that ALL things I review may have been gotten at no charge. Realistically about 40% but in order to keep things above board just assume that I got the stuff free. I do not collect information on my readers. If cookies or other tracking stuff is used on my blogs it is due to BLOGGER not ME. Apparently the European Union's new rules state I need to inform you if cookies are being use. If they are it isn't byu me, consider yourself INFORMED.
Words like, “sponsored,” “promotion,” “paid ad” or even just “ad” are clear ways to disclose that you’re being paid to share information and links so BE AWARE that some of what I write can be described as an AD by the government. BTW I will NEVER say a product is great, super or even acceptable if it isn't, whether I got it free or NOT!

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Released Today on Kindle: Hardy Belch and The Green Man at $.99

Released Today on Kindle:  Hardy Belch and The Green Man at $.99

This story has its roots in a popular Western Pennsylvania urban legend.  Reality is most often stranger than fiction and this tale is a blending of both.   Hardy Belch finds that fear of the unknown may lead to prejudice and intolerance.  He discovers the error of his ways with the able assistance of Tiny who shares the encompassing good nature of man’s best friend. 

See an overview.

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Nine-Tenths by Meira Pentermann






“Nine-tenths of a second is just long enough for someone to make an irrevocable, unforgivable mistake.”  This book starts with that premise and follows the actions of Leonard Tramer and how he has to live with that nine-tenths of a second.  

The author has taken the wide spread concerns about privacy and postulated a society that might result from a lack thereof.   Leonard Tramer finds himself dealing with unintended consequences of a monumental decision to change his life.   Little does he know how that decision will impact the world around him.

Pentermann paints a grim future of big government and pseudo-parental oversight.  Reminiscent of 1984 or the Brave New World, this book encourages you to look at what freedoms you may be giving up for purported safety.  

The story line is good and the characterization of Leonard shows a traumatized soul seeking redemption.

I recommend the book.

(I just read a review on her site and found that my perspective as unique as I modestly feel it is, might not be so unique.)

Web Site: http://meirapentermann.com/
           

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

An Interview With Jocelynn Drake Author of Dead Man's Deal

Interview Questions  for Jocelynn Drake


You are a prolific writer, I enjoyed looking at your site and seeing all you have written.  Thank you for your willingness to be interviewed.  I noticed links for other interviews on your site and have included a link to the site here.
With the other interviews in mind, I will keep this brief but feel free to expound to your hearts content.   BTW I really enjoy the way you provide a back story for the major players such Trixie and Bronx.  

1.)   What sparked the Asylum Tales? 


Asylum Tales started while I was sitting in a tattoo parlor, talking to the artists while getting a little ink.  I was nearing the end of the Dark Days series and I needed to start turning my mind to what I would work on next.  The suggestion came up that my next hero needed to be a tattoo artist.  We joked and laughed about it, but something about the suggestion stuck in my head, eventually leading to the birth of Gage Powell, warlock-turned-tattoo artist.

The series was also formed with the notion that I wanted to write something drastically different from the Dark Days series.  I had spent several years working with paranormal creatures that were hiding from humanity.  I now wanted to work on something where everything was out in the open so I could deal with other issues, like what does an incubus do when he’s struggling to make his monogamous relationship work?


2.)   Does your story line develop organically or is it a gestalt before you begin?

It’s a mix for me.  For some stories, it’s a matter of who I want to be the focus.  For The Asylum Interviews: Bronx, I knew Bronx had to figure heavy in the story so that I could show off some of his best qualities.  As a result, the story developed around the character.  In other stories, there are specific questions that I want to answer about Gage, the world, or just something larger that I want to tackle, and the story grows from there.  Largely, plotting out a story is a lot of me staring at the wall and wondering “what if?”


3.)   Do you have any tattoos yourself and if so of what and ignore this if it is too personal.

Yes, I currently have four tattoos; three on my back and one on my leg.  The first is an hourglass.  The second is a design that covers most of my back.  The third is the sun and moon forming a circle on my leg.  The fourth is the main symbol from the video game Final Fantasy X.  Each has a special meaning to me.

  

4.)   Do you have a favorite character in the series and if so why?


Outside of the main three (Gage, Bronx, and Trixie), I think my favorite is probably Chang, though there are several other characters who are running a very close second.  Chang is so much fun to write because I’m never quite sure what’s going to come out of his mouth.   He’s very smart and very cunning, which make him a dangerous man, but it definitely helps that he’s also fond of Gage.  Even so, I wouldn’t put it past him to try to sneak something by the tattoo artist.  As a dealer in black market goods, he has his hands on everything and I love learning what interesting items he has in his massive warehouse.  Chang also has a very big secret that I’m hoping to tackle one day.


5.)   What do you like the most about writing?

I love exploring new worlds with interesting characters.  I like watching my characters find ways to escape bad situations and beating the bad guys when the odds are against it.  I like watching their sacrifices and knowing all their inner thoughts.  I love watching the words fall onto the page, breathing life into a world I’ve created in my mind. 


6.)   Where do your new story ideas come from? 

I have no idea most of the time.  I’m a daydreamer.  I wander about the world, soaking in experiences and new ideas.  The result tends to be new and strange story ideas about tattoo artists, gargoyles, trolls, and vampires.  I’ve been writing since I was twelve years old and the stories just stockpile in my brain until I have time to get them down on paper. 


7.)   What advice has helped the most in your writing?

Butt in chair.

You can dream, hope, and wish to write books all you want, but it’s never going to happen until you get your butt in the chair and put the words down.  In that process you have to write a lot of words, most of them being wrong, before you get the right ones down in the right order. 

8.) What advice would you give for the want to be an author?

See my answer to the previous question.  Wanting something is a nice start, but you need to start getting the words down and finishing projects before you can ever get close to publication.  

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Writers Workshop of Science Fiction and Fantasy


A book on writing science fiction and fantasy including contributions from the likes of Neil Gaiman, Orson Scott Card, Harry Turtledove, Kevin J. Anderson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Joe Haldeman, and many more? Yes, and we've got it for writers of all levels! Writers Workshop of Science Fiction & Fantasy from Bram Stoker Award-winning editor Michael Knost! Out now on Kindle and Nook, trade paperback by Wednesday. Full list of whose featured in this book and links here: http://seventhstarpress.blogspot.com/2013/04/writers-workshop-of-science-fiction.html



This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Heretic by Joseph Nassise



A group of sorcerers want to steal the lance called the Spear of Destiny.  The lance is being protected by the Templars.  This is book one of The Templar Chronicles a new urban fantasy series by Joseph Nassie. 


I don’t know if this book is targeted to a younger audience than the author’s previous books I have read.  It doesn’t read with the same panache as his other books.   It was entertaining but not to the level of King of the Dead or Eyes to See

Cade, the main protagonist, wars against both his own anger and the enemies of the church.  He doesn’t have the depth I expect from Nassise’s characters.  There is plenty of action and mayhem heavily laden with weaponized supernatural beings.

It is a light read and should be appealing to the teen market. 

After writing the above, I discovered that this was an older story, one of the first by the author.  That certainly puts it in a different perspective. It also shows why his later books were so much better as he grew his trade craft.  Congrats to the author on the improvement as I do really like the later books.

Web Site: http://josephnassise.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Dead Man’s Deal by Jocelynn Drake



 
I guess I am now a Jocelynn Drake fan.  I really, really liked this book.   I liked Angel’s Ink  which filled in all the background information that I wanted when I read Asylum Interviews:Bronx.  Both Trixie and Bronx can be read as stand alone stories without any problem.   However I do recommend you read Angel’s Ink first.   In this book, Gage, who is an ex-warlock, struggles with the Towers (Home of the Warlocks), his love, his loyalty and his conscience.   

I particularly liked this book due to Drake’s willingness to touch the core of Gage’s being.  I (manly as I am) found my self wiping my eyes when Drake described Gage’s feelings as he held a baby.  Drake captured, so accurately, the overwhelming emotion that infants bring to the table.   With that said, I will strap on my weapons and declare that the action and adventure are why I read these books.  Luckily at my age, I am quite comfortable with both my identity and chick-lit sentiments.  

There is a wealth of action, some mayhem both satisfying and sad.   Drake does a great job writing action and adventure that has major heart strings.   (reference to my monograph on String Theory found at www.bentrim.info)

I highly recommend the book. 

Body of work of <a type="amzn"> Jocelynn Drake</a>

Web Site: http://www.jocelynndrake.com/


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Fantasy Art Sygillis of Metatron 4/14/13


Sygillis of Metatron
Soon to be a Ren Garcia Cover
This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Fool Moon Dresden Files Volume II Graphic Novel by Jim Butcher



I was weaned on comic books.  I lusted for them far sooner than any other recalled lust.   I credit comic books with infusing me with the love of reading.  They also must take credit for my writing as well.  Comic books were the foundation of my learning.   That makes it hard to explain that this is one of the few graphic novels I have ever read.  I read the book that inspired this graphic novel.   The book was better but this was good.  It has nuances that you miss in your own reading.  It is interesting to see how the illustrator show his vision of what is occurring and compare it to your own.  

The story has werewolves, a wizard, a cop, a mysterious criminal mastermind and some FBI agents with questionable credentials.  It is traditional Butcher with Harry Dresden way over his head in violent intrigue. 

The illustrations are darker than I see the story.   Color and shading can infer emotions.  I didn’t find the book as dark as the graphic novel.   I suspect that I would find Jim Butcher’s work appealing regardless of the venue.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of <a type="amzn" >Jim Butcher</a>


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Fantasy House that Ewok's Me!


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Fantasy Art 4/6/13


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

$.99 Jocelynn Drake E-Book Sale


I really enjoy Ms. Drake's books.  This is a great deal on her previous books in prep for Dead Man's Deal that will be reviewed here on April 16th which gives you plenty of opportunity to get Dead Man's Deal when it comes out on May 7th.   My reviews:  

Trixie

 

Catch up on the Asylum series before the latest book comes out (Dead Man’s Dealout May 7, 2013) and read the whole Dark Days series at just $.99 a book! Get them all before they go back to regular price…



This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

A Real Hobbit House In Chester County Pennsylvania



Source: kstp.com via William G. on Pinterest


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.