My Interview with Brigitte Thompson

InterviewJust a quick notice that the interview conducted by author, blogger, and CPA Brigitte Thompson has been posted at Writers in Business.  Please pop in and say “Hi.”  Read this great interview.

Many thanks to Brigitte for taking the time to conduct this interview and for her contributions to The Write Stuff during the Month of March as she shares her financial expertise with all of us.

Brigitte shares her tax tips and record keeping wisdom with writers in her newest title, Bookkeeping Basics for Freelance Writers.

A Visit from Toby Neal: 7 Things I’ve Learned About Writing

novel, crime, mystery, Hawaii, toby nealToday, Dear Readers, I have the distinct pleasure of welcoming published author, psych-therapist and island girl Toby Neal.  More about Toby in just a bit, but first she will share with us some important things she has learned about writing from her own journey.

7 Things I’ve Learned About Writing

  1. Notice everything. The world is filled with sounds, smells, textures, and fabulous stories unfolding all around you. Take the time to notice, and keep something handy to jot down new thoughts/ways to describe that sensory input as it comes to you. Sometimes, when I really let myself experience any given moment in time, I’m overwhelmed by all that’s going on. Life is a series of amazing moments. Continue reading “A Visit from Toby Neal: 7 Things I’ve Learned About Writing”

Sneak Peek and Cover Art: xoxoxo

xoxoxo is Bethany Lopez’s second book in her Contemporary Young Adult series, Stories about Melissa. The first book was Ta Ta for Now!. xoxoxo will be released on March 2nd, 2012.

Synopsis

art, cover, book YA, romanceMelissa has learned a lot since her freshman year began, but it isn’t over yet! Her world is about to change again with the birth of her new sibling, and she has to figure out how she will adjust to being the eldest of five kids. She, Jess, and Jimmy are inseparable, and she is having a fantastic time although she can’t help but miss Brian as she tries to learn how to deal with his relationship with Layla. Everything seems to be happening at once and that is when she is introduced to Ben Campbell, a senior at Dearborn High, who becomes an interesting distraction as he helps her deal with the new developments in her life.

About Bethany Lopez

Author, Bethany Lopez, xoxoxox, Ta Ta For Now!Bethany Lopez was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Michigan and San Antonio, Texas. She went to High School at Dearborn High, in Dearborn, Michigan, which is where she has set her Young Adult novel. She is married and has a blended family with five children. She is currently serving in the United States Air Force as a Recruiter in Los Angeles, California. She has always loved to read and write and has seen her dream realized by independently publishing her first novel through Amazon with CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing. Ta Ta for Now! is also now available through Smashwords at Barnes and Noble.com, on the Nook and the Sony eReader. Her second novella in the series, xoxoxo, will be release on March 2, 2012.
Contact/Purchase Info:
Amazon.com Author Page
Smashwords

Barnes and Noble

Createspace
Sony eBookstore

Readers Favorite
(book reviews)

Book Review: Hunted

Hunted, Lindsay Buroker, steampunk, fantasyThis is my review of “Hunted”, which is the second novella in the  Flash Gold Chronicles series by Lindsay Buroker.  In this story Ms. Buroker continues the adventure begun in Flash Gold with Kali and Cedar, now business partners as bounty hunters.  They’ve left Moose Jaw and are setting out upon a new adventure seeking Cedar’s arch nemesis, both for the bounty and for personal vengeance.  This takes them to a mining camp out in the wilds of the Yukon where they encounter Kali’s greatest enemy, and her hero, and find themselves in one desperate situation after another.   Continue reading “Book Review: Hunted”

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Santa Claus vs MartiansFor our “Schlocky Sci-Fi Friday Move” this week I dug down deep in the collection of odd-ball science fiction and pulled up one with a little Yuletide cheer tossed in.

This movie stars Pia Zadora, John Call, and Leonard Hicks.  It was made in 1964 and is filmed in color (although we turned that off – it’s a Friday thing!) Continue reading “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians”

Book Review: Flash Gold

Steampunk, novel, BurokerThis free novella is the lead-in to Ms. Buroker’s series The Flash Gold Chronicles.  And a fine lead it is.  I’ll borrow the author’s synopsis:

“Eighteen-year-old Kali McAlister enters her steam-powered “dogless sled” in a race, intending to win the thousand-dollar prize and escape remote Moose Hollow forever. The problem? Fortune seekers and airship pirates are after her for the secret to flash gold, her late father’s alchemical masterpiece.   Continue reading “Book Review: Flash Gold”

Book Review: Semper Audacia

Semper Audacia, Mary Pax, M Pax, Sci-Fi, novelSemper Audacia is the story of a warrior; the last of her kind, defending her home world via an orbital outpost.  The planet’s population too has dwindled and is just hanging on.  Their ancient foe attacks and the last guardian springs into action accompanied by a battalion of ghosts; the memories of her fallen comrades.

The odds are almost hopeless.  Almost.  She must try; it’s what she does, it’s what she is and has been all her life.  But then a wrinkle – the enemy battleship transmits a valid “friendly” code even as it’s powering up weapons.  If the enemy are finally responding to their pleas for peace, attacking the ship would fling her people back into eternal war.  If it’s a ruse, her people could be exterminated.  She chooses a decidedly unconventional solution.   Continue reading “Book Review: Semper Audacia”

Book Review: The Burning Sky

The Burning Sky was my very first encounter with a truly Steampunk novel.   I read it more out of curiosity about the genre than anything.  I’m glad I did, and I’m glad I chose this one as a starting point.  This is my review.

 

The Burning Sky novel, steampunk LewisThe Burning Sky, by Joseph Robert Lewis is the first book in the Halcyon Trilogy.  I found it to be the embodiment of the old writing adage that says: to create suspense, place your protagonists in a very bad situation, then make it worse.  The story starts out with a horrific act of terrorism sweeping up an uninvolved mechanic on an air ship and carrying her along throughout the story.  For most of the story, her plight and those of the characters that get rolled into the mix, get steadily worse.  Resolution is saved for the very end.

The story is a masterful weave of multiple story lines, all winding around the main plot, although we don’t learn what that is for quite some time.  However Mr. Lewis does not allow us to founder in confusion; each character’s contribution is quite interesting all on its own and the intrigue builds as they begin to coalesce and we start to make the connections.     Continue reading “Book Review: The Burning Sky”

Book Review: The Fountains of Paradise

Fountains of Paradise, review, book, sci-fi, A.C. ClarkeArthur C. Clarke’s 1979 Hugo and Nebula Award winning novel, The Fountains of Paradise is Science Fiction’s definitive novel about the “space elevator,” or “Skyhook”.  This concept enjoyed a brief period of enthusiastic interest among SF circles in the early 1980’s. The concept deals with an elevator (more like a monorail train car actually) that stretches from Earth’s surface to a space station in geosynchronous orbit, which would in turn serve as a construction, servicing  and  launching facility for ships voyaging to the moon, planets and even deep space.  A primary plus was eliminating the need for expensive, inefficient, and environmentally unfriendly rocket launches from the ground.  The whole idea seems incredible but is not outside the realm of engineering possibility.  Clarke makes a strong case for the feasibility of such an unconventional project within the context of a completely engrossing story set mostly in the 22nd century.   Continue reading “Book Review: The Fountains of Paradise”

Book Review: In Her Name – Empire

In Her Name, Empire, Michael HicksThis is a review of the eBook version of “In Her Name: Empire”; the first book of the In Her Name series written by Michael R. Hicks.

On a five-star scale, I’m giving this one four stars.  It probably deserves five stars, but I’m snatching one back simply because there were parts of it that made me, personally, uncomfortable.  If this were a literary review I would not do that, but this is me telling you how *I* felt about this book.

***No Spoilers***

This is an exciting, well-crafted read. It embraces a number of genres as the story goes along, but I’d classify it primarily as Sci-Fi.  The initial chapters are definitely Sci-fi as remnants of a defeated human population try desperately to fend off an alien invasion of their planet.  Our protagonist is a boy caught in the devastation.  The second scene is an orphanage planet established for youths like our protagonist who lost their families in the war.  It is a harsh environment, an alien place run by petty bureaucrats who think nothing of exploiting the children in their care.   Continue reading “Book Review: In Her Name – Empire”