Blog Archives
MY True Story
MINDBLOWN follows a woman who discovers that everything she knows about her family is wrong and seeks to find out where she came from. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
It’s loosely based on MY true story, I fictionalized characters but the content is true to form.
Soule is a riveting and well-drawn character. What were some driving ideals behind Soule’s character’s development?
I loved it, she is ME…I strive to be transparent, genuine, and relatable 🙂
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Familial patterns, dysfunction, heritage/cultural norms, ancestral connections, and honest reactions.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
Ongoing series based on each character. Working on book 2 now, plans to be ready to start the new year off RIGHT Jan 2023.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Website
MINDBLOWN
MINDBLOWN, a novella written by Win$ome, is a story about a woman named Soule who discovers that everything she knows about her family is wrong. Readers follow her through her turmoil with her mother, A-lia, who is a pathological liar, and her father, who has not been present in Soule’s life. Out of curiosity, Soule takes an ancestry/DNA test so she can explain to her children where their family originated. Meant to be a wholesome endeavor, but this turned very sour. She finds out through the test that she is not related to anyone on her father’s side. Upon asking A-lia, Soule discovers that she is the product of adultery. She finds her biological father’s side of the family and subsequently becomes very close with them. This novella is about a lost family, and the relief one gets from discovering exactly where they came from.
MINDBLOWN is a short but powerful novella that will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. The author perfectly captures Soule’s anger and disappointment, and I empathized with her. Soule is strong and full of personality, and I admired her for continuing to push forward to find her real father.
The author’s writing comes off like reading a diary, as I was able to clearly see what Soule was thinking. The reader gets an up-close look inside her intimate thoughts and emotions, allowing the reader to understand her motives. Soule’s uncle Ned is another character I liked because he was there for his niece no matter the outcome of the DNA test.
The story moved quickly, so I found that I would stop to reflect on what I had just read. Throughout the story, there is tension and anger, and the pace of my reading quickened because I wanted to know more about Soule and how she would handle her discovery. I was shocked by Soule’s mother’s lack of empathy for her daughter.
MINDBLOWN is an emotional novella about heritage, family, and self-discovery. I highly recommend this short thrilling read to those who enjoy a good drama.
Pages: 49 | ASIN : B09X9BKRP5
Family First And Foremost
The Walshes follows a housewife who’s given a writing assignment to go undercover to investigate the sex industry in DC and finds it’s harder to get out then in. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
As a young engineer back in the 70’s, I took a visiting contractor to dinner. At some point in our conversation he told me he was divorced and that he and his ex-wife had belonged to a group of swingers. The whole nine yards – porn, wife-swapping, etc. He ended by commenting that all of the couples in that group was divorced. That seemed like a good starting point for my second novel. But gentlemen’s clubs and prostitution seemed easier to deal with than a group of suburban swingers.
April Walsh is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some driving ideals behind her character’s development?
April is a writer, mother and a housewife in that order. She has enjoyed more success as a mother and wife partly because she has suppressed her drive to succeed as a writer. She is very intelligent, curious and extraordinarily verbal. Law and politics have always been part of her life. When she gets “to know people who are getting a raw deal … [she comes] out swinging.” When pushed, she pushes back – her husband’s high handed reaction to her first outing as a topless dancer stiffens her resolve to go through with the project.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Family first and foremost. Joe and April’s marriage is the centerpiece but her large extended family plays a part. Her little brother Bill is her ally and best friend. Her mother is her rock. The family home is safe refuge. Mothers fighting for their children: Bridget is on a reform program so she can hang onto her children because her mother delivered an ultimatum. April let’s Joe have his divorce but she fights for custody of their children. Her mother proves formidable when she steps in to support April in the court battle. The questionable application of moral and ethical guidelines in borderline situations. Sexual conduct and misconduct are targets, of course, culminating with Eve declaring that she’s going to join the atheists so she doesn’t have to worry about Christian morals. Law and order in her debate with Jack over prostitution. Racist and sexist attitudes in our society. Attitudes toward guns.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I have just completed “MacGregor’s Final Battle” a fictionalized memoir. Mac gets a lot of history from my life but there are important differences. His wife has died and he has been informed that he has stage 4 brain cancer. He meets nurse Katherine Graham who decides that joining him will be a win-win situation. He needs her help and she will be able to escape her dead end life. Projected release date is early December 2022. I have started working on a Civil War Saga based on my great grandfather’s war experiences from 1861 thru June 1864. I would like to release the first volume in 2023.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Blog
Exit April, and enter Eve. She’s a glamorous dancer and escort who won’t back down from a fight. Her wit and charm make her highly desired at the local men’s club. As April embraces her Eve persona, she finds more and more to like about the new life. She enjoys feeling sexy and wanted. She makes new friends: a former call girl, a wise cab driver, and a hard-nosed cop. Will she be able to find her way out, or is April destined to sacrifice herself and her family for the sake of a story? Will the good wife or the firebrand emerge victorious?
The Walshes
April is a wife, mother, and writer struggling to make ends meet. In order to provide for her family in times of economic crisis, she agrees to take on a potentially risky assignment. Tasked with writing an article that considers the case for the legalization of sex work, April’s traditional values clash with her work — yet she is determined to do what she needs to. In order to get close to the women whose stories she intends to tell, April has no alternative but to experience the lifestyle she wants to write about. But her husband, Joe, is far from approving, and April is left to grapple with the question: how far is too far?
Joe Clark’s The Walshes: The Coming of Eve is a domestic drama with adult themes. It follows April’s exploration into the world of sex workers and explicit entertainment, discovering more about herself as she does so. This novel effectively portrays a comfortable family life thrown into jeopardy, raising questions of sexual empowerment and liberation — such as whether sex work truly is the last resort for most women or whether there is sometimes power in upsetting the status quo. In addition, Clark displays how engagement with this taboo lifestyle — in terms of what is deemed acceptable — often varies between men and women; husband Joe is outraged at his wife’s attempts at erotic dancing when he himself frequented strip clubs while they were engaged.
Though social concerns are explored to some extent, the text can sometimes feel uncomfortably voyeuristic. April’s foray into stripping involves graphic descriptions which seem aimed at titillating the reader rather than a wholehearted attempt to deconstruct the expectations for married women. This adds a disconcerting element to the sense of liberation April is reported to feel. Nevertheless, Clark successfully shows how for April, what started out as a way to support her household in troubled times gradually undermines the family unit.
The Walshes: The Coming of Eve is a new take on urban fiction combined with a romantic thriller. Through examining the world of sex work, the author has brought to light the complex dance women face between being a dutiful wife and an alluring sexual being and knowing when and where each role should be presented. This novel showcases the double standards between men and women while providing a strong female protagonist who still battles social judgments despite her strengths.
Pages: 426 | ASIN : B07ZL6B556
You Find Out Who Your True Friends Are
The Covid Kid follows a young adult in his first year of college who has all his plans turned upside down with the emergence of COVID. What made you write a story about this topic?
The pandemic had such an overwhelming influence on us all. I simply could not ignore the impact on my upbeat protagonist, who always seems to come out okay in the end but never takes the straightforward path. Placing the most important person in his life at risk with COVID, under circumstances that might have been attributable to him, created suspense and concern for my readers.
Marshall’s plans for his first year of college change dramatically, and he has to adapt to many changes. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
Boiled all the way down, it is a critical part of the maturation process from childhood to adult. Thankfully, most kids ease into adulthood without facing major trauma on the way, but they will have to deal with it at some point in their lives.
Marshall lived an admirable life with a sincere concern for others. I wanted to show that even the very best have problems, but his faith and perseverance won out in the end.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The pandemic was very serious business and should not be taken lightly, as it was by many young people. Marshall lost friends close to him and realized COVID must be dealt with seriously. Financial pressure can turn almost anyone to compromise their ideals and sworn allegiances, even a Hippocratic oath. When adversity rears its ugly head, you find out who your true friends really are.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My next book in the Marshall Morris series is “The Battle of Sam Jacinto”. (Yes, “Sam”) Marshall aligns himself with a group of old vets who rally with slingshots and baseball bats at the planned destruction of a Vietnam era local hero statue for a shopping center. In the process he forgets the proliferation of slavery advocated by many of the monuments and impact on his girlfriend African American Mallory. The one after that with a working title of “Hugs and Drugs” is about half written. Hopefully out in time for Christmas.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
The devastating loss of senior citizen war veteran buddies who survived combat bullets, but not this bug, leads him to become grimly serious about the pandemic, and he rails against young people who refuse to take precautions. His worst fears are realized when his precious mother is struck down by the dread disease, which he is certain he gave to her.
Though she worsens in an ICU he is unable to visit. He tries to keep busy working at a struggling real estate company. The owner, desperate for cash, becomes the middleman. in a bizarre international scheme to inject a bogus miracle cure into COVID patients at a local hospital. Marshall is shocked to learn the surely fatal drug will be given to his mother. He must get to her ICU before it is too late. The hospital’s COVID ward is a fortress. Can he get to her in time?
The Covid Kid: Another Marshall Morris Adventure
Robert John DeLuca’s The Covid Kid follows the misadventures of Marshall Morris, who we encounter as a high school student embarking on his first year at college. Having won an enviable football scholarship, Marshall expects his college experience to be full of sport and socializing — yet the encroaching presence of an unfamiliar virus threatens everything. As fear and tensions surrounding the virus continue to build, Marshall must decide what sacrifices he is willing to make for the good of his friends and the wider community. In the face of worldwide tragedy and conflicting opinions, the value of friendship is made clearer than ever before — something that the carefree Marshall must learn the hard way.
With its warm and humorous cast of teenagers, alongside ambitious antagonist Tommy Kinder, The Covid Kid encourages its readers to laugh ruefully at the hijinks and efforts of its characters — efforts which frequently backfire. There is a vein of tragedy that runs alongside this comic adventure, however — set during the rise of Covid-19, this story does well at balancing fun action with thoughtful commentary.
While I enjoyed the story, I felt that there were moments when we’re given a lot of exposition, and are told things about characters rather than shown. Otherwise, Marshall is a likable character that readers will enjoy following and the plot is compelling. The dialogue is straightforward and and delivers facts in a reporter-style of speech that serves an educational purpose, as characters’ fearful discussion of the impact of the virus marks a particular point in human history.
The Covid Kid successfully explores the effects of Covid-19 on society, particularly the younger generation. This is a compelling medical thriller that is as enlightening as it is entertaining.
Pages: 284 | ASIN: B09XWFMPR3
Missed Calls
In Missed Calls by author Zachary Ryan, Cheyenne and Vanessa have been friends for nearly their entire lives. Although life’s circumstances have taken them in different directions, their friendship remains. While both friends appear to have it perfect on the outside, Cheyenne and Vanessa envy what the other has. Cheyenne longs for a family and stability, while Vanessa feels as if she had settled when she gave up her dreams of becoming a dancer. Full of emotion and heartache, Vanessa and Cheyenne have to learn that everybody comes with their own baggage, and sometimes the person who seems to have it all just needs a friend to lean on.
Author Zachary Ryan has done an excellent job of expressing the emotions of his characters. As a reader, I could empathize with Cheyenne and what he was going through in life, feeling as if he’s never been enough in his relationships. He really did keep getting one raw deal after another, although he did bring some of it on himself. Still, although he was full of drama, he was very likable.
Cheyenne and Vanessa’s relationship was one that I feel many people can relate to. They’ve been friends since childhood, high school, and adulthood. So, the ups and downs they face are realistic, as is the lingering question of whether they are still really that close or holding on to the nostalgia they once shared.
I had mixed feelings about Skylar’s character. At first glance, she appears to be a villain and is rather dislikable. However, upon further inspection, I can sympathize with her in a way. How many of us can honestly say that we’ve never acted irrationally out of fear of losing somebody important to us? Skylar was just reacting the best way she knew how, even if it came off in a negative light.
One aspect that I enjoyed was the flashbacks that Vanessa and Cheyenne had. It shed light on each of their backstories and why they are the way they are. Both had suffered their own traumas along the way but felt they were alone in dealing with them. Part of their problems stemmed from just not being completely honest about their past. Readers will enjoy seeing the characters grow and learn along the way.
Missed Calls is a heartwarming family life fiction novel that focuses on friendship and the struggles that can build over time. This is the kind of lighthearted story you want to take with you on vacation and just relax as you follow the characters through their own self-discovery.
Pages: 268 | ASIN : B09SM2Y6TJ
LITERARY TITAN 