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Daisy, Bold & Beautiful
![Daisy, Bold & Beautiful by [Collins, Ellie]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51sAFON1MfL._SY346_.jpg)
Daisy Jane, affectionately known as D.J. by family and friends, has experienced great loss and faces the challenge of attending a new school. With the support of her loving father, D.J. heads into the daunting situation with strength and a resolve to make friends and succeed academically. D.J. has another source of strength–her fern. Unlike many girls her age, D.J. opts for outdoor activities instead of games, stuffed animals, and make-up. Having inherited her mother’s love and great skills for gardening, D.J. strives to introduce her new friends to her interests as she learns from a unique acquaintance of her own that friendships involve compromise.
Ellie Collins book, Daisy, Bold and Beautiful, is a highly engaging tale woven with bits of mythology. Collins has managed to take some of the more complex elements of Greek mythology and finesse them into verbiage that is relatable and entertaining for tween readers. Most middle school students would not choose to read about gods and goddesses in the formats with which we are all familiar. Collins is providing her readers with a sure-fire hit that will involve readers, teach them the basic outline of the story of Persephone and Hades, and never let them realize how much they are learning. That, my friends, is the true hallmark of a successful writer.
Collins hits the mark with her dialogue, her main character’s emotions, and the dynamic between two very different friend groups. Young readers will be able to find themselves easily in one or more of the characters. The mere mention of popular video game titles is a huge draw for gaming fans, but Collins is thorough with descriptions, the exchanges between the characters as they excitedly discuss scenarios, and the way they are wrapped in the world of the game itself to the exclusion of all else. The author, without a doubt, knows her stuff.
As I read, I became increasingly amazed at Collins’s stunning ability to pull out the most relevant parts of Persephone’s story and meld them into modern day scenarios. Nowhere else have I read such perfectly revamped story lines. It takes quite the imagination and a firm grip on the mentality of today’s youth to manage a task like this. If I am being completely honest, I have to say I learned a great deal myself regarding Hades and Persephone’s relationship. Collins nails it. I would not hesitate to read this story to and with fifth graders in my after school tutoring group and recommend it to any teacher or parent seeking to spice up a reading list.
As a teacher, I am thrilled to see such highly relatable text for middle schools students. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Collins follows this exceptionally well-written piece with many more. Her ability to teach young readers Greek mythology on the sly is to be envied!
Pages: 150 | ASIN: B07BKRVGDX
The Hunt for the Three Roses
![The Hunt for the Three Roses (The Three Roses Trilogy Book 2) by [Hubbard, Jason]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51qs2nQ7lBL._SY346_.jpg)
Callie and Kane have escaped from the King Hugo’s realm but have been conscripted into the army. Here they hide, Kane posing as a common mage and Callie is put to work in the maid’s camps. With them is Jonas, one of the three roses that Master Cypher was searching for. While the war effort is continuing Jonas reveals to Callie he can see visions of the future, he tells her he must go save Kane or he will die. She rushes out to find Kane and they escape what turns out to be a massacre of all the mages in the camp. After this they find Master Cypher escaping the area with Jonas and he offers to let Kane and Callie join him on his journey to Lonsaran, the neighboring kingdom. Entering the new land, Kane changes his name to Sean McAlister and presents himself as a commoner / mage. Now Sean and Callie must look to make new lives in this land while keeping an eye on Jonas till he can be safely delivered to the king in Asturia. Along the way Callie’s past comes back to haunt her and they must figure out how to survive.
Jason Hubbard’s The Hunt for the Three Roses while a continuation of the previous novel is still able to stand alone and not confuse a new reader too much. It is a long book and some sections drag out and feel like page filler rather than moving the plot along. Aside from that, the actual story line is engaging and the character development, I feel, is enhanced from previous works by Hubbard. I enjoy the relationship dynamic between the characters. Sean’s caring nature is apparent, and you see him grow from a spoiled, selfish nineteen-year-old, into a mature father figure with Jonas. His relationship with Callie is back and forth as both can’t seem to figure out what they really want in life and what direction they want to go in. Both end up in the service of Count Guyver; and seem to fit well into their new rolls. But Rainer, an assassin from the prior novel, is still alive and determined to torment Callie. Even Rainer’s character development is well done, he is dark and calculating. His personality plays well against Sean’s more innocent and desire to be good personality. Callie falls in the middle always conflicted about if she wants to lead a life of good or descend into the underworld of crime again. This conflict makes her character so interesting and makes you want to keep reading to see how things will develop.
The world in which all this takes place is similar to Medieval times Europe. They have a strong religious belief in the life of Micah and the book of Micah. The principals are not all the different from our Bible and Jesus teachings. The difference is their religion includes magic and mages as part of the world of good. A lot of effort went into building the world Hubbard created and it shows in the details of the manor, the ways of the country men, and the secretes that the characters hold. This novel sets up things well for the next installment of the Three Roses and I look forward to seeing how this story line concludes.
Pages: 404 | ASIN: B07HHX5ZLP
Irreversible Changes
Hosein Kouros-Mehr Author Interview
Extinction 6 is a vivid and detailed story about Earth’s 6th extinction event and the effort to try and stop it. What was your inspiration for the idea behind this novel?
Based on recent papers in Nature and Science, it looks like global warming is accelerating. We have until 2030 to make significant chances to our greenhouse gas emissions or we face irreversible changes to the climate. I wanted to bring awareness to this issue by painting a picture of a world devastated by global warming
There are many interesting characters throughout the novel. Who was your favorite character to write for?
Manos Kharon, the billionaire who would rather destroy the Earth than see his profits fall.
This novel touches heavily on climate change and global warming. Is this something that you think is only science fiction, or is it a serious concern?
You can read this article for yourself – https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/07/world/climate-change-new-ipcc-report-wxc/index.html
What is the next book that you are writing and when will it be available?
I will hold off writing any more novel until I retire. It will be far more fun to write when I don’t have a day job 🙂
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook
![Extinction 6 by [Kouros-Mehr, Hosein]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41P9WZHs3ML.jpg)
By mid century, Arctic oil drilling accelerates global warming and triggers famine and world war. A team at Google launches Project Titan to reverse climate change and end fossil fuel addiction. Without a radical solution, humanity faces catastrophe.
Earth’s sixth mass extinction is underway. One hope remains.
Redemption and Reconciliation
J. H. Carpenter Barnes Author Interview
Between the Ticks of the Clock follows a middle-aged executive who must deal with new angelic abilities. What was the inspiration for the setup to this intriguing novel?
The idea came to me while watching a skit revolving around woman who was consistently being passed over for promotion. She decided she would begin to apply positive affirmations to improve her productivity.
I thought that would be a great story to write, but dialed up a few notches with this executive being endowed with extraordinary abilities. I began with a male character disgruntled, frustrated, and dominated by fear. Once I began writing the story line quickly took on a life and direction of its own. I decided to follow the inspiration to see where it would lead.
This is a fascinating novel that is high in social commentary. What were some themes that you wanted to explore in this book?
I didn’t approach the story with a thematic intent. My tendency is to write in a linear fashion as opposed to laying out the plot. As the story and its characters developed I eventually saw what was staring me in the face since the first chapter, redemption and reconciliation. These two acts of grace are the cornerstones of the Christian faith, and many religious belief systems. Regardless of the path one chooses to express their beliefs, you will find redemption (being set free) from the negatives of life and reconciliation (being connected) to the goodness of the creator God..
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Coming up next is a non-fiction book entitled I Imagine, which I stopped working on to finish Between the Ticks of the Clock. It’s a personal development book with a focus on the paths patterns and principles to success found in several ancient texts (which includes the bible). I hope to get this one to the publisher by late November 2018.
The next fiction novel will the second installment of Between the Ticks of the Clock. In the final chapter a surprise character was introduced, so the second novel revolves around this strong female protagonist. It’s going to be quite a ride, I’m about seven chapters in already.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
![Between the Ticks of the Clock by [Barnes, J.H. Carpenter]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51XOfwcyZGL.jpg)
Between the Ticks of the Clock is the story of Jamison Harold Donovan, who lives in the city of Sussex Falls. He’s middle-aged and floundering as an executive at Omni Cron Corporation.
Feeling trapped in his dysfunctional marriage to his wife, Emersyn Donovan, and a stranger to his own children, thoughts of suicide dominate his waking hours.
Jamison discovers he was selected before birth by the Al Mighty to receive quasi-angelic abilities. A coalition of Watchers and Holy Ones oversee his preparation for transformation, and subsequent instruction. Equipped with supernatural abilities, he becomes an attaché to a select group of celestial warriors. Jamison is now ready for the process of testing, elevation and then assignment.
He must overcome his fears as he battles to complete the process and become the Watchman of the region. Soon he learns of the formidable dark kingdom forces determined to prevent his ascension over their region.
Rises from Humble Beginnings
Carole Penfield Author Interview
Midwife of Normandy follows young Clare as she struggles to save her family and career from France’s tyrannical king. What was the inspiration for the setup to this thrilling novel?
An avid fan of history, I researched 17th century religious persecution of Huguenots by King Louis XIV and was surprised how few historical fiction novels had been set during this turbulent period (as opposed to numerous novels set in other times, like Tudor England.) I also noted that many historical fiction authors focused on women of royal or aristocratic blood as protagonists.
I wanted to do something different, so I created a Huguenot female protagonist, who rises from humble beginnings and dares to defy and outwit male authority, including the King’s soldiers.
After visiting Rouen and the beautiful countryside of Normandy, I felt certain this was the perfect location for my book.
I didn’t think being a midwife could be so interesting and this novel definitely caused me to look more into the profession. Why did you choose this profession for Clare in the story?
Let’s face facts; there weren’t many professional options available to 17th century women. It was widely held that their only proper role was marriage, absolute obedience to husbands, and bearing of children. Midwifery was almost exclusively performed by females, but was looked upon as a lowly trade.
In order to rise above her humble beginnings, Clare decides to offer her services, using a secret ancestral formula for pain-free birth, exclusively to wealthy members of the aristocracy who reward her handsomely, thereby turning midwifery into a lucrative profession.
Clare is a fascinating character that continued to develop as the story progressed. What were some themes you wanted to capture in Clare’s character?
Throughout history, women have struggled against many prejudices. What I set out to achieve was to create a strong, ambitious young woman who sought to control her own destiny. In a sense, Clare was an early pioneer for female equality in 17th century France, as she sought a career. However, she knew she was also obligated to marry in order to bear a female child to carry on her ancestral midwifery heritage.
At first, dewy-eyed young Clare is disappointed when her romantic childhood sweetheart leaves the country and she is coerced into marrying his older, dull brother. However, she turns out to be much stronger than her husband, even to the point of secretly using birth control until she decides the time is right for bearing children. And she is the one who must bravely plot their escape from France.
Another minor theme is the conflict a career woman faces between spending time with her children and working outside the home. A feeling of guilt. This balancing act continues through the present day, so it is a universal, contemporary theme.
What is the next novel that you are working on and when will it be available?
The second novel in the series, Lucina’s Destiny, is now available on Amazon.com. It follows the exciting adventures of Clare and her family as they settle in England.
Author Links: Website | GoodReads
![Midwife of Normandy (Secrets of the Austen Midwives Book 1) by [Penfield, Carole, Lady, A]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51O0ysGA90L.jpg)
Clare Dupres, ambitious young Huguenot midwife living in turbulent 17th century France, struggles to save her family and career from the terrors of tyrannical King Louis XIV.
On the brink of womanhood, she records in her journal the grand plan for her perfect life–marriage to the man she loves, renovation of mysterious Maison Dupres as her home, and a rewarding profession. The key to her plan lies in “the magic elixir,” her ancestors’ secret formula for pain-free childbirth, which she offers solely to wealthy aristocratic women.
But King Louis’ increasing pressure on Huguenots to convert to Catholicism shatters Clare’s dreams. Her lover forced to flee France, she is compelled to marry his boring brother. Then she is banned from practicing midwifery. Yearning to continue her profession coupled with fear that her children will be kidnapped by Papists, Clare tries to convince her stubborn husband to move to England, but he is blind to the growing menace. When danger lurks in the form of the King’s dreaded Dragonnade soldiers, she must summon all her strength and determination to save her family.
Can Clare succeed in getting her family safely out of France before it is too late?
The Roller Coaster of Intense Emotions
Lorraine Cobcroft Author Interview
Mortgaged Goods follows the tumultuous relationship of Nata and Karl as they deal with the challenges life often poses. What was your inspiration for this intriguing novel?
Two key events in my life inspired me:
Firstly, the premature birth of my youngest grandson and supporting my daughter through hearing a diagnosis of a serious condition and months of watching her child fight for life in neo-natal intensive care gave me a keen awareness of the roller coaster of intense emotions mothers experience in this situation.
Secondly, I was involved, some time ago, with a Body Corporate of a young person’s accommodation building where investors suffered loss due to some shady dealing involving corrupt lawyers.
I want to stress that the story I told is complete fiction, but my personal experiences gave me fuel for the plot.
Marriage to someone who was removed from his family in early childhood and knowing several people who experienced foster care and/or child abuse drove a desire to explore the issues fostered, orphaned and abused children might struggle with in adulthood.
I tapped the memory of migrant friends to shape Nata’s foster parents and decide how they would approach child-raising and the potential effects of their methods of disciplining and showing love, because I wanted to include exploration of the challenges faced by immigrant families.
Nata’s character was interesting and well developed. What themes did you want to explore with her character?
I wanted to explore the effect on a woman of intense parental love combined with the strictest parental discipline and a deep religious influence, and I wanted to delve into the potential impact of this kind of upbringing on a woman who partnered with someone from an very different background. Karl’s background was on of great affluence combined with discipline that was is harsh and unloving, but one parent’s cautious affection drove hope of winning love if he could achieve well enough. I wanted to contrast diverse home environments and the effects of two completely different styles of parenting that both involved strict discipline and drove an intense desire for success.
My research with children who are removed from their families early inspired a strong desire to expose the emotional journey that accompanies a struggle for acceptance by substitute carers, the yearning for approval and a sense of truly belonging, and the feeling of never being good enough, because for so long society looked down on children who were not being cared for by their birth parents.
I also felt driven to expose the emotional journey of mothers of critically ill and special needs children.
This novel is very good at displaying the complexity of the decisions people make about family, relationships and love. Did you start writing with the intention of exploring these topics or did this happen organically?
I think it happened organically, though the short story that started this writing journey was about the a difficult family situation in which both mother and children were seriously abused by an alcoholic. I suspect my own childhood, as the child of a widow whose remarriages exposed me to two very different but extremely dysfunctional families, and my husband’s childhood as a Forgotten Australian, drove a desire to explore the complexity of family relationships, the potential effects deprivation of family connections, and the effect of different styles of parenting on children. We are all, to a greater or lesser extent, shaped by our experiences of care (or lack of it) in our formative years. Family and relationships are extremely complex, and researching how character and personality is shaped has always fascinated me.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Currently, I’m working on another novel about unethical legal behavior. My goal is to expose the hideous wrongs in the laws relating to challenging a will, and how the profit motive has displaced any legitimate desire to ensure fairness in the distribution of estates and abolished all respect for the stated wishes of the deceased. Though completely fictional, this novel is also based loosely on a personal experience. Once again, the central character is an ambitious and highly successful female lawyer, but her upbringing more closely resembled Karl’s than Natalya’s.
A gay partner is the Guardian in this story, and the antagonist is a self-serving narcissist consumed with extreme greed.
The story explores the dilemma of a fundamentally ethical woman whose ambition requires that she set aside all her core values in order to succeed, and how her choices impact on her and those around her. The character of the antagonist was shaped by disfunctional family relationships, poor decisions and personal trauma, and her story will explore these themes – particularly the personal consequences of decisions increasingly driven by greed and selfishness.
When this novel will be available is a question I can’t answer reliably. I am a painfully slow writer and one who struggles constantly with a frantically busy life and far too many distractions (though I am technically retired, whatever that means!)
My goal is to release it by mid 2019 at latest, but it will be available when it’s ready for discerning readers. I write for pleasure, not profit, and I strive to produce stories with genuine literary merit and characters who come to life in the minds of readers. Like most writers, I aspire to produce that elusive best-seller, and I am happy to invest whatever time is needed to deliver a work that I consider worthy.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
![Mortgaged Goods by [Cobcroft, Lorraine]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51d7yDwZgbL.jpg)
Beautiful, smart, alluring… Natalie Dreyer shone like a star in her professional world of corporate law. When she won the hand of the wealthy and charming Karl Albrecht, she thought she had it all.
Natalie is living the dream, but when tragedy strikes, her past comes back to haunt her and she must reassess what really defines a woman’s value.
Meanwhile, a crisis and confronting revelations challenge Karl to re-examine his standards and to question his deepest beliefs.
Survivors of the Sun: A post-apocalyptic thriller
Georgia hasn’t exactly had it easy since marrying Nathan. Leaving her home in Australia and taking on the role of wife and stepmother has been a challenge to say the least. However, when Georgia is saddled with keeping her husband’s precocious and entitled niece and her own two stepchildren on an afternoon when she would rather be working on her own jewelry business, life takes a turn she and the children could never have predicted. As she watches her stepson’s hair mysteriously stand on end, Georgia gives it only a passing thought. Soon after, Georgia and the members of her household find themselves fighting for their very lives.
Mia Kingslie, author of Survivors of the Sun, has absolutely hit it out of the park. Her thriller, set in the present and focusing on the extreme likelihood that the world has been hit with an electromagnetic pulse, is phenomenally well-written and gripping in every way possible. Kingslie’s characters, her plot, and the conflicts within are clearly drawn with stunning visuals.
Georgia, the book’s main character, draws on sources of strength most of us could never imagine. When she realizes she has likely outlived her husband everyone she knows, she picks herself up and heads, literally, for the hills with the children and their dogs in tow. After witnessing the horrifying deaths in their city, Georgia somehow manages to concoct a feasible plan for escaping their home with the needed supplies. She is a force with which to be reckoned, and Kingslie builds on her set of skills as the chapters advance. Georgia represents every man, woman, and child living through apocalyptic times learning to adjust as each new set of challenges is faced.
The introduction of Lola into the traveling group makes the entire plot that much more engaging. Lola, a force in her own right, adds an element of unique humor to an otherwise dark and heavy storyline. Her backstory is one that makes her even more endearing to readers.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Georgia’s relationship grow and flourish with her stepchildren, but more intriguing was the evolving dynamic between Georgia and her niece, Deedee. To watch Georgia grow as a maternal figure was quite amazing. As a parent myself, I found it fascinating to see through her eyes as she begins to find ways to work around Deedee’s idiosyncrasies.
Kingslie writes the most fantastic descriptions of post-apocalyptic terrors. From diseased bodies to the overwhelmingly eerie pictures of stalled cars, silent skies, and ravaged homes. Kingslie’s writing style is highly effective in creating a scene for her readers of almost instant devastation.
Were it possible to give Survivors of the Sun 10 stars, I would do it in a heartbeat. That being said, I can’t hesitate to give it 5 out of 5 stars. It’s hard to find a book that takes hold of your imagination and refuses to let go, but that’s exactly what Kingslie has managed to produce. I fell in step with Georgia and her ragtag crew from Chapter 1, and any fan of apocalyptic thrillers will do the same.
Pages: 743 | ISBN: 1720066493
LITERARY TITAN 