Blog Archives
Fiery Red Hair, Emerald Green Eyes and a Vicious Irish Temper
Fiery Red Hair, Emerald Green Eyes and a Vicious Irish Temper by Ralph E. Jarrells is an adventure book about Anne Bonny, the first female pirate. The author intertwines historical facts and background with a fictional narration from Anne as she tells the story of her life to her granddaughter. Now a 56-year-old, Anne has left the life of piracy behind many years ago. She excels at being the landowner of Goose Creek Plantation, while also supporting financially many of the well-known entities from Charles Town. But the rumors about her past life persists nonetheless, as well as a shade of her fierceness.
Anne is a character with an intense personality, and I do love a strong female lead, so it is no surprise this is one of the aspects of the book I liked the most. In her younger days her temper is so vicious you never know what she’s going to do, and that results in many interesting surprises. While Anne is now a mature woman and wouldn’t repeat many of her past actions, we see her strong nature in the way she handles business successfully. But it is also interesting to note how being a proper lady (in the 1700’s) is important to her, giving her more depth and duality as a character.
The back and forth between past days and present reality, while important to show the beautiful friendship between grandmother and granddaughter as well as give us insights into Anne’s thoughts, slows the pace a little bit. But regardless of that, the great writing will ensures readers are always entertained with Anne’s exploits, and always wanting to know what’s going to happen next.
With quick and engaging writing, surprise moments and a great balance between adventure and emotional moments Fiery Red Hair, Emerald Green Eyes and a Vicious Irish Temper is a riveting historical fiction novel that is perfect for fans of pirates and seagoing adventures.
Pages: 184 | ISBN:1948679647
Where Paint Goes
Where the Paint Goes by Larry Lewis, is an authentic and cleverly written autobiography of the life of Larry Lewis. Throughout his life, Lewis embraced the places he lived and the diversity of the people he met. Both played an important role in shaping his artistic growth. From an elementary student’s misrecognition of his work in an art competition, through adolescent gaffes, to an innovative sculptor and married man, the reader perceives each of Lewis’ life experiences and their effect on his art. Lewis vividly covered the topic of how his art, through his eyes, affected his life and how his life affected his art. Throughout the book, the reader experiences the delights and calamities of Lewis’ life, all as he paints a persistent balance between the style of art he is creating while growing as an artist. He wrote, “Sometimes, one’s vision can be as important, possibly more important, than the sum of knowledge gathered and synthesized in regards to that specific discipline.” (225)
The structure of Where The Paint Goes is focused on a casual, form-flowing style. Lewis begins the story in his childhood, moves on to confesses his teenage blunders, and matures into adulthood fluidly. All the while he shows how he’s grown from an insecure want-to-be painter to an accomplished artist. To add a bit of romance to the story, Lewis shares his clumsy adolescent encounters with girls and his fledgling artwork, to then meeting the woman with whom he wants to spend the rest of his life and his growth as an artist.
Where Paint Goes, The Art That Affected My Life, And The Life That Affected My Art is smoothly written, captures the reader’s attention from the beginning, and is a delight to read.
Pages: 238 | ISBN: 1637281161
Freedom: True Freedom Lasts Forever
![Freedom: True Freedom Lasts Forever by [Wendy Cohen]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51++V1sUcnL.jpg)
If you are looking for an in-depth Christian faith book, things don’t get better than Wendy Cohen’s Freedom: True Freedom Lasts Forever. This book goes into the details of living a faith-based life amid great spiritual warfare.
The author takes us through her life starting from her conception. She includes stories about what she remembers about the period before her birth, including the time she spends with God himself. From page to page, she regales us with tales of her intimate relationship with the creator over the years. In some instances, she describes seeing him face to face and witnessing the throne of glory itself. But this book is not all roses and daisies, there is a lot of darkness within it as well. For instance, Wendy talks of being possessed by demons and even taking part in spiritual rituals as a child. Her descriptions are so vivid that it is hard not to empathize with her. Ultimately, this book is about how God healed her from her brokenness and used her life for His glory.
Her experience with trauma and spiritual warfare enables her to empathize with and help other broken souls she meets along the way. Through her healing, she also learns how to forgive and love unconditionally, something that helps her reconcile with her parents and take care of them in their last years. Coupled with consistent prayer, it is this level of understanding that helps bring her parents to Christ even though they were self-proclaimed atheists for most of their lives.
While I was captivated by the content, I feel that it can be a bit heavy for readers who are new to the Christian faith or has no previous knowledge of the occult.
As a Messianic Jew, Wendy brings an authenticity to this book that is hard to replicate. She includes scripture from both old and new testaments and draws parallels in the most uncanny of ways. Clearly, she wanted this book to be as biblically accurate as possible. To build depth, she even shares reflections on her life and how her supernatural experiences built her faith. Further still, she tackles popular Christian questions such as “ Why would a loving God allow cruelty in the world?”
Freedom: True Freedom Lasts Forever is an uplifting book that provides a powerful testament that will inspire readers.
Pages: 354 | ASIN: B08HW12VW4
A Unique Part of My Life
Memoirs of a Bible Smuggler shares your true story smuggling Bibles during the cold war. Why was this an important book for you to write?
My memoirs I hope are a testimony to God’s power and grace in our lives and His care for those who are hurting such as the persecuted Christians. Both of these were important stories I wanted to tell. Those years were also a unique part of my life and I enjoyed writing about them.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
The hardest thing to write about were instances that might offend friends and coworkers.
What is one piece of advice you would have given yourself before starting your missionary work?
Always have a backup plan and give God the glory!
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
I would like readers to realize that God is always there for us whatever the circumstances. Also, you don’t have to go overseas to be a missionary. The most important mission field is your own home. Lastly, pray for fellow Christians who suffer persecution, oppression and imprisonment for their faith.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
A Genuine Labor of Love
We Never Knew Just What it Was shares the life story of the Chad Mitchell Trio. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Like many people my age, the Chad Mitchell Trio had a huge influence on me as a kid growing up in a small, conservative community during the 1960’s. More than any other music, folk music has been a significant historical influence in American history. It played a significant role in American life through the Great Depression, World War II, the post-war McCarthy blacklists, and the tumultuous ‘60’s. Because Mike Kobluk and Chad Mitchell both live in Spokane and were willing to cooperate, I jumped at the opportunity to tell their story and immerse myself once again in all that wonderful music. It was a genuine labor of love for me.
This was written with members Mike Kobluk and Chad Mitchell. What was the collaboration process like on this book?
Despite living only a couple of blocks apart, Mike and Chad don’t see each other a lot. During the summer of 2019, the probably spent more time together than when they were touring in the 60’s. We would meet together for interviews once a week, then I would talk to them separately each week as well.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned about the trio when writing this book?
The crux of the story is that these are two guys who have polar opposite personalities. Those differences led to Chad’s departure from The Trio in 1965, and John Denver’s emergence as Chad’s replacement. They didn’t speak for twenty years. Then a woman attempted to arrange a reunion appearance. They both said, essentially, I will if he will. Despite the animosity that led to their divorce, the one thing that was sacred to both of them was the quality of the music. On that day twenty years later at that awkward meeting, the woman who brought them together asked, “Do you think you remember the harmonies on Four Strong Winds? And it was as if they’d never been apart. The again shared their demand for excellence, and once again reveled in the music.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from their story?
I just hope this instill in us old Boomers a recollection of a time and place when for, so many of us, a dedication to social justice was instilled in a generation by three guys who sacrificed their commercial success to biting satire and social statements that radio and television refused to play.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
As Mike, Chad and Joe Frazier raced along a frantic treadmill of rehearsal, recording sessions, nightclub performances and concerts, Mike and Chad began to realize the demand for musical excellence was they only thing they had in common. Their personalities were and remain polar opposites.
When Chad left The Trio in 1965, to be replaced by John Denver, neither Mike nor Chad mourned the parting. Two years later, Joe’s demons caught up to him, forcing his dismissal.
When folk reunions became popular in the 80’s, fans and folk historians agreed that The Chad Mitchell Trio was the one group that would never take the stage again. Their schism was just too great.
They hadn’t spoken in twenty years.
Then came a call.
I will if he will.
Their mentor and music director Milt Okun worried the were making a mistake. They couldn’t possibly be as good as their fans remembered.
They were.
They kept their day jobs, and their distance. But once again, they had the music.
As their friend Tom Paxton noted, “Sometimes the only thing people have in common is musical talent. But if they have that one thing, they’d be fools not to use it.
A Most Fraught And Perilous Time
Elmer & Virginia tells the personal and emotional story of your parents through a collection of letters they wrote one another during World War II. Why was this an important book for you to write?
These letters sat mostly untouched and unopened for the better part of half a century. When I began reading them after the deaths of my parents, I realized what a treasure they were. Their writing and story-telling skills were superb, and they vividly brought to life their experiences and their era, as they grew up during a most fraught and perilous time. I couldn’t let them stay hidden from the world.
Was there anything that you learned about your parents that was surprising when you read their letters?
I always knew what basically honest and decent people they were, from observing and being raised by them. But these letters brought out their kindness, their goodness, their integrity, and their courage. And it was a wonderful experience to “meet” them as young people and not as “your parents.”
Were there any letters that nearly made it into the collection but didn’t?
Oh yes. There were many that fell by the wayside for considerations of brevity and focus. Also passages about family matters, that would be of little interest to the general reader, were cast aside. And in a few cases there were letters our family just didn’t want to share.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your parents’ story?
This book really illustrates the incredibly brave responses of ordinary people to extraordinary events. And it shows that –really – there are no such things as ‘ordinary’ people. The book also shines a bright light on a lost form of communication – words written on paper and preserved for posterity.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Website
Midnight Flight to Nuremberg
Midnight Flight to Nuremberg, by Marcus A. Nannini, is the riveting story of Harry Watson Jr’s time as an aviation pilot during World War II. Harry Watson recounts his time enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, as well as his home life, in this stirring and dramatic memoir.
Harry Watson Jr. dreamed of being a pilot. He knew his only chance to get out of a life in the coal mines was to enlist in the military. He went through the necessary training to become a C-47 Pilot/Instructor and earned many awards throughout his time in the Air Corps. One of the most important flights during his career was to bring Franz Von Papen back to base from Nuremberg, Germany. Von Papen was held high in German society and a key contributor to Hitler’s rise in power.
Author Marcus Nannini tells Harry’s time in the Air Corps with precision and a keen eye on the key aspects of a gripping story. As a reader, you feel as if Harry is telling you about his experiences himself. Nannini does Harry justice in the way he tells this story. The reader is able to see what is behind the scenes for a soldier during World War II, the path to becoming an aviation pilot during those times, and who Harry was as a person. Nannini was also able to give the reader a glimpse into the lives of Harry’s fellow crewman and friends. The friendship between Lang and Watson was one I adored reading about. This book not only tells Harry’s military story, but offers further insight into tactics and important figures during Hitler’s reign of terror, making this perfect for military history enthusiasts.
Midnight Flight to Nuremberg is a wonderful retelling of Harry Watson Jr’s experiences as a pilot and instructor during World War II. I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoys history, listening to real-life experiences from World War II, and to those who want to follow a compelling person through one of the most dramatic times in history.
Pages: 224 | ISBN:1526792737
We Never Knew Just What it Was …
![We Never Knew Just What it Was ... The Story of the Chad Mitchell Trio by [Mike Murphey, Mike Kobluk, Chad Mitchell, Tom Paxton]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51TSO1Gdb6S.jpg)
We Never Knew Just What It Was: The Story of the Chad Mitchell Trio by Mike Murphey is a stirring biography of the folk singing group written with help from Trio members Mike Kobluk and Chad Mitchell. It tells the candid story of the group’s early days in university and follows the trials and triumphs of their career through the 1960s to their contentious split. The story hangs on their unlikely reunion in 2007, which inspired Murphey – who was already a successful author – to write his first non-fiction book.
In his introduction, Murphey describes the book as “a story of missed opportunities, management mistakes, personal struggle, and sometimes bitter conflict.” It’s true that the group did experience these circumstances, and we can certainly see how those problems would have hampered their success. While there is little detail offered as to how the problems affected them as individuals readers will be moved by the early hopes and dreams of the singers and their dedication to their craft.
In his dedication to faithfully cataloging each step of the Trio’s career and each misfortune they faced, Murphey quickly summarizes the conflict. For example, in the early days, management was trying to cast Mitchell as the group leader with Kobluk and Frazier as backup singers and even set them up for their own television show on that basis. This had to have created the first stirrings of jealousy and resentment among the bandmates, but there is little reference to any hurt feelings. Rather, the details of discussions are delivered without indication of the individuals’ feelings. This focus on facts helps readers concentrate on the groups path through the business rather than get caught up in the melodrama. The characters of the singers are well documented, from the casually delinquent Mitchell to the quietly ambitious Kobluk and unassuming Frazier. Each one is interesting in their own right. I thought the reunion show forms the perfect coda to their career.
Author Mike Murphey writes from the perspective of a dedicated fan and delivers an interweaving life story through a complex business in an easy to understand and factual manner that will appeal to readers looking for a credible biography that does not stray from the subject matter.
Pages: 312 | ASIN: B098PPYXS9
LITERARY TITAN 