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An Audience for Einstein
By: Mark Wakely
Publisher: Mundania Press
www.mundaniapress.com
Trade paperback
ISBN: 978-1-594-26-096-6
Ebook ISBN:
978-1-59426-037-0
“He was not ready, not ready, not
ready.”
Neurosurgeon Carl Dorning gave up his lucrative
practice and devoted his life to one thing, one dream. His experiment, his work
was everything. Now a panicked phone call from Professor Percival Marlowe’s
housekeeper, Natalie, threatens to destroy it all. He’s just not ready, until…
an accident gives Dorning the perfect subject, Miguel Sanchez. His mother is in
a drug rehab. His father is an abusive drunk who will just think his son is hiding
from him again. Carl will be doing the boy a favor. After all, he is offering him
one of the most brilliant minds in history, and all that goes with it.
Despite the vast amounts of money he has
invested in Dr. Carl Dorning’s experiments, Nobel prize winning Professor Percival Marlowe doesn’t really believe
Dorning can pull off his promise of a new extended life. Still, there is that one small chance, the offer of hope. Doesn’t he owe it to the world to continue his work, to continue to share what his brilliance can
develop and bring to it. Besides, young Miguel is a pleasant and entertaining distraction from the pain and knowledge of his
rapidly approaching end.
But it does work.
But at what cost?
Mark Wakely’s talents and imagination
combine nicely with his background and “interest in all things scientific” in “An Audience for Einstein.”
The story is well crafted and fast paced. Wakely’s characters are rich with human desires, fears, problems, foibles,
and reality, and he teases and tempts them and the reader with possibilities, then taunts with doubts and questions. I was
tugged into the in-depth self-examination and insight, and moral and ethical issues that haunt scientific endeavors—or
should— while Wakely’s story crafting skills kept me engrossed in the tale.
Well written, well told, and well worth
the read. “An Audience for Einstein.” is a bookshelf keeper.
Review © Charlene Austin
Author of Dream Pictures
Dr. Bob Rich and Twilight Times books
announce the re-issue of his popular Self Help
work and EPPIE 2001 Finalist non-fiction category
ANGER AND ANXIETY
How to be in charge of your emotions
and control phobias.
ISBN: 1-931201-77-3
Dr. Robert Rich M. Sc., Ph.D., M.A.P.S.
Dr. Rich gives us an indispensable tool for
everyday life in his book ANGER AND ANXIETY
How to be in charge of your emotions
and control phobias.
With easily understandable language and well researched and proven therapy techniques, Dr. Rich explains fear,
phobias, conditioning, assertion training, thought stopping, cognitive and narrative therapy. He details each, giving
examples.
Therapy techniques are explained in simple easy to follow terms and steps, in such a way that they can be
applied and used by anyone.
Sitting here at my computer, reading through this interesting and informative book, I gave it a little test.
Dr. Rich explains the muscle groups, and a relaxation technique for dealing with stress. I followed the simple directions,
tensing and relaxing each muscle group. Reading this book was certainly not stressful, in fact, just the opposite. However,
after doing this relaxation exercise, I immediately felt relief, especially, in my neck muscles, which always tend to tighten
when I spend long sessions starring at the computer screen. I certainly will continue to use it. I will also be applying several
other techniques to handle everyday frustrations.
Whether you looking for help in handling stress and problems in your own life, or seeking directions and do's
and don'ts for helping someone you care about, or just want to relax a little, ANGER AND ANXIETY is an excellent
resource and starting point. The recommended resources for seeking professional help in Dr. Rich's homeland of Australia,
can be easily converted and applied to the US or other countries.
Relax and enjoy, or read and then relax, Dr. Robert Rich's ANGER AND ANXIETY. How to be in
charge of your emotions and control phobias.
Find more works by this talented author, both fiction and non-fiction, by clicking on the link on the home
page.
May 2003 Charlene Austin
All rights reserved.
PITHED
An Andy Farmer Mystery
By: Kathryn Lively
Publisher: Mundania Press
www.mundaniapress.com
Tradepaperback
ISBN: 1-59426-092-3
Ebook ISBN:
1-59426-094-x
“He pissed me off for the last time,
so I pithed him.”
It is 4:12 in the morning, and before high
school biology teacher, Andy Farmer, can make much sense of the strange words his friend and fellow teacher has hung up the
phone. But, when Andy arrives at the school it all becomes shockingly clear. Horace Shelton, the unpopular principal of Rawlings
High is dead, apparently murdered, and the weapon and method soon puts Andy on the suspect list. But how can Andy tell the
police, when his friend did it for him. Or did he?
Chuck is on the run, Andy is in the hot
seat, and it is going to get hotter as the plot thickens.
And the plot does thicken this 128 pages
into a full-fledged mystery readers delight. Author Kathryn Lively quickly established a direct connection and empathy with
her main character. I read the confession, knew who and how, didn’t I? I was pulled right in to Andy Farmers moral and
ethical dilemma of loyalties and friendship, trapped in his confusion with each rise, dip, twist, and turn of this well crafted,
fast moving, roller coaster adventure, and expertly jolted from my conclusions and left looking for new answers. And, all
the while, I was thoroughly entertained. “Pithed” is a page turner.
Andy is a new favorite. And, Kathryn Lively is a new author to watch.
Review © Charlene Austin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review of "Wild Women"
By: Michele Bardsley
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wild Women
By: Michele Bardsley
Hardshell Word Factory
ISBN: 0-7599-0043-4
They lost two children. Marissa Vanderson’s parents meant well when they confined their remaining daughter in the
luxury and safety of their home like a fairy tale princess. Now her parents are away in Europe. Marissa is determined to experience
all the things on her to do list. Experience life.
Dane Sinclair is the sports director for the teen center. Working behind the bar at the at the Paradice Club is just
a favor to his brother. When Marissa Vanderson plops down at the bar and makes her outrageous proposition, Dane is determined
not to be taken in by another scheming socialite like his ex-wife.
But confronted by her ridiculous determination to do and experience all the things on her ridiculous list, Dane is just
as determined to see to it that the naive, crazy woman makes it through the week safely without completing some of the things
on that list. Besides, the $10,000 she offers him for bodyguard services will go a long way at the teen center. It is only
a week. How hard can it be?
Dane doesn’t bargain on a haunting secret, a serial killer on the hunt, the serial killer’s hunter, or the
battles he will have to wage to protect the woman he comes to love.
Character depth, humor, tight pacing, suspense, and surprises. Michele Bardsley’s “Wild Women” is a
modern, delightful fairytale romp filled with enough mystery and action to keep readers of any genre turning pages. A fun
read by a writer to watch.
Review © Charlene Austin
MONEY SHOT
By: Brian Rouff
Hardway Press
ISBN: 0-9717148-2-7
Trade Paperback 261 Pages
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0971714827/002-5029271-4254442?v=glance&s=books
Double Down Winner!
Clever! Witty! Entertaining!
The catchwords for Brian Rouff’s “DICE ANGEL”
go double for his new novel, “MONEY SHOT.”
Advertising account executive, Alan Nichols, has just hit the big one in Vegas.
Not on the Strip, not on a Mega-Bucks slot on Fremont, not in any of the casinos lining the highways and byways bordering
the various communities that make up one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
Nope Alan stopped for a Big Fizz—lousy soft drink, but heavy on the carbonation and always good for a burp to
settle the stomach after a lousy, boring meeting. He promptly tosses the “You Win” bottle cap on the floor of
his car.
The bottle cap remains there until he gives, Jason, a co-worker, a ride, and
discovers he has won the spot as half time entertainment in Big Fizz’s million dollar promotion at the NCAA Western
Region Championship Game in Phoenix. A million dollars! All he has to do is sink
a basket, in one shot, from the three point line.
Sure, a middle aged, five-foot nine, Jewish account exec, who hasn’t
touched a basketball since high school, whose idea of a good workout is dragging his reluctant, ancient dog on a five-minute
daily walk. No problem. Money’s in the bank.
Alan decides to give it his best and goes to his boss to request vacation time
to “work on his game.” Twelve years of loyal service is rewarded with a resounding “no.” Well, he
has some vacation and final pay coming and Big Fizz is paying fifty thousand as consolation if he misses. Alan walks out and
heads for the community recreation center to practice. There he meets Angela, an out of work nurse, ex-college basketball
star, and hires her as his couch.
He’s keeping secrets from his wife and life partner Pam. His daughter
Amy is dragging him around through the horrors of a mall shopping-for-sports-fashions trip. His co-worker Jason has him bungee
jumping to allay fears and build confidence. Angela is working him hard—but is it hard enough?
Another cleverly written, tight paced, humorous, insiders look at Las Vegas
and its unique lifestyle, with those little literary tidbits that move Brian Rouff’s work into the excellent read category.
Brian Rouff’s “MONEY SHOT” is a pick it up, can’t
put it down, any readers delight.
Reviewed by Charlene Austin
Wives and Sisters
By Natalie R.Collins
ISBN 0-312-33428-1
270 page Hardback
St Martins Press
www.stmartins.com
A harrowing tale! A haunting reminder that sometimes the danger,
the terror, and the terrorists are closer than you think.
Natalie R. Collins’ Wives and Sisters is a chilling depiction of the
dangers, when the untrained counsel, when a closed society ignores the laws of men, when men play God, when religion becomes
a sanctuary for evil and crime.
Allison Jensen is just six years old when she and her best friend, Cindy, are
held at gunpoint and ordered to strip. They run, but Allison trips. She awakes hours later, injured, cold, wet, and…alone.
Cindy is never found.
The closed Mormon community builds a wall of silence around the incident. Allison’s
questions about her friend are met with silence, avoidance, and orders to pray. Her fears, her sightings of the bearded man
who haunts her days and nights met with disbelief and ignored.
Tortured by these memories and fears, Allison sinks deeper into mental anguish
under the harsh hand of a father who enforces his interpretation of the strictures and covenants of the church with a belt.
The loss of her mother at an early age turns her from her family and the chokehold ties of a religion she cannot understand.
Haunted and stalked by the ghosts of her past, Allison wages a battle to find
herself and her place in the world. Some of the ghosts are real. The evil of the past stalks Allison still, testing her sanity
and threatening her life.
Well-written, fast-paced, Natalie R. Collins’ Wives and Sisters
is suspense filled satisfaction with a bone chilling, thought-provoking similarity to recent events. Sometimes reality is
stranger than fiction, and sometimes the two blend until the lines between them disappear. I’ve had the privilege of
working with Natalie Collins on several writing lists. Knowing the exact time when the inspiration for this story struck and
the idea was formed, makes reading this story and its the similarities to the more recent kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart and
the disappearance of Lori Hacking even more bone-chilling.
Wives and Sisters tugs at the heart and pulls at the mind. Author
Natalie Collins, with the skill of the masters, splashes truth, and warnings against dangers of concealing it onto the pages
of this must read thriller.
Review © Charlene Austin
MONKEY TRAP
By: Lee Denning
ISBN: 1-9301201-34-X
Twilight Times Books
http://twilighttimesbooks.com
Available for pre order now.
e-book or Trade paperback 422 pages.
They are watching us. They are testing us. They are ready to destroy us
should we fail their test.
MONKEY TRAP, is the first book in a new, exciting Sci-fi thriller
trilogy by father-daughter writing team, Denning Powell and Leanne Powell Myasnic. Writing together as Lee Denning, they weave
together mythology, fantasy, religious theory, scientific fact, and fantastic, imaginative speculation into a roller coaster
adventure of possibility.
Dr. Aaron O’meara is a bit early for his shift at the Goddard Space Flight
Center where he is involved in a 2-week ongoing test of their satellite/laser system to track and destroy threats. He and
the entire X-room staff watch in amazement when Aaron is playing around a bit with the equipment before the next scheduled
exercise happens across what appears to be a dog fight in space. There is a flare, a final flash of blue and green light,
and two objects are suddenly hurtling toward earth. Their tracking equipment shows the larger object heading for the Columbian
jungle, and the second…Washington. They grab on, duck for cover, but the expected impact never comes. Despite the disagreement
and disbelief of his controller and colleagues, Aaron works with Adrienne, a cracker-jack programmer at the GCP, Global Consciousness
Project at Princeton, and sets out to prove his theory that ET has landed.
Deep in the jungle of the Purace District, Columbia, the assassin has acquired
his target. The drone delivery system works perfectly and the dart injects Diego Corrano, el jefe with the genomic toxin geared
specifically for his DNA. He will die, slowly, painfully, or give the assassin’s secret organization information that
will help take down the drug cartels in exchange for the antidote that will save his life. But the assassin is spotted, pursued,
shot, falling, dying. A flash, a flare of blue light, then he is laying in a cave, broken and bleeding, with his life flashing
before his eyes, just like they say it does.
Lara Picard is enjoying an early dawn ride on the Canal Bike Trail in Washington,
DC, before preparing breakfast for her son, Joshua, and Uncle Ham. She is speeding along down the hill, muscles screaming,
and then suddenly vocalizing that scream when a rock on the trail sends her flying through the air. A flash, a flare of green
light, then she crashes to the embankment, broken and bleeding, her life flashing before her eyes, just as they say it does.
Lara and John are both a bit surprised to find themselves whole and healthy
a short time after suffering fatal injuries, but strangely unperturbed and comfortable with the alien voices in their heads.
They each learn from these voices that have great mental and physical powers and will be taught control over these powers.
Taught to utilize these powers against the "other," an enemy set on the destruction of mankind. Each becomes determined to
use them to destroy the other and save humanity from the evil entity that has invaded earth.
Monkey Trap, the survival of the entire race rests with two humans chosen
to host alien entities in a test to prove humanity is ready for the next step of consciousness evolution. Will they prove
humanity ready for the power of the next step, or ensure its destruction by proving the adage “absolute power corrupts
absolutely?”
MONKEY TRAP is full of twists and turns, undercurrents and subplots,
technical and scientific detail and jargon that under the talented hands of this father-daughter writing team will enthrall
any Sci-fi fan. They have created a dynamite cast of characters who intrigue, anger, thrill, delight, and astound on every
action packed page. They weave the impossible and improbable into the possible. They weave contradicting philosophies and
theories into a believable intertwining pattern of compatibility. They introduce detailed fact and theory that enhances rather
than detracts when presented with the masterful storytelling skills of these talented new authors. They tie it all together
into a tightly written adventure into imagination.
Available November 15, 2004 from Twighlight Times Books, this trade
paperback, with its artistic cover design, quality paper and print, is a two thumbs up, must read, bookshelf keeper. Don’t
miss Lee Denning’s MONKEY TRAP.
Review © August 2004 Charlene Austin
BOYNE FALLS BAROQUE
By: John Bailey
ISBN: 1-58495-473-6
http://www.diskuspublishing.com/johnbaily.html
John Bailey’s “Boyne
Falls Baroque” gives the reader characters that charm and delight, research and rich detail that educates and enlightens,
witty dialogue that amuses, and a moral dilemma that confuses.
Brian Mercer is a victim of corporate
downsizing and a dropping market in the Tech industry. He knows before lunch he is not interested in carrying buckets of hot
tar for roofing up ladders. A telemarketing sales for a disreputable lawn care company holds no more appeal than the roofing
job.
When Brian stops in for lunch
at a new Thai restaurant his luck and his life seem to be change for the better. The pretty waitress is not a teenager at
all, as he first believes. The stock tips she says come from her grandfather are right on, and he requests and introduction
to this stock genius to help rebuild his flattened portfolio. Brian finds himself very interested in Miiko. She is a talented
cellist and music instructor when not helping at her parent’s restaurant. He lands a part time DJ job at a local radio
station. He’s working with Osakasam, Miiko’s grandfather, building a website and setting up a newsletter to spread
the word about the I Ching method of stock investing. Stocks are paying, DJ job goes full time, and he has a new girlfriend.
Things are really looking up. Until the FBI calls.
Computer security,
insider trading, the wonders and marvels of music, romance, crime, and morals and ethics, Boyne Falls Baroque author, John
Bailey weaves all these elements with a master’s hand into a delightful and entertaining must read. John’s respect
for his craft and his readers is evident on every well-written page of Boyne Falls Baroque. His characters leap from imagination
to life, as do the plot elements that shouldn’t work, but flow together into a rich and satisfying escape.
© 2004 reviewed
by Charlene Austin
I AM ME
Writer's Exchange E-Publishing
Written by: Jennifer LB Leese
Illustrated by: C Iannacconne
parents felt preparing for her arrival and the attributes
she has inherited from both her parents. Though her eyes are
green and her hair curls like her mommies, and she has
freckles all over and likes to make things like her daddy,
Nica Jolee is an individual.
Charmingly told, and illustrated,
this story encourages children to see
their connections to family and their own uniqueness.
I Am Me has quickly become a favorite bedtime
story for my grandchildren. My four year old granddaughter
Sierra has changed her middle name. She now
goes around the house singing, "I am me, Sierra Jolee.
And there is no one else like me" What a wonderful
lesson Jennifer Leese has created with her new
book, I Am Me.
SHAKING HANDS WITH LEFKOWITZ
BY: MELVIN FOSTER
ZUMAYA PUBLICATIONS
ISBN: 1-894942-20-5
Trade paperback 254 pages
Highly Recommended
Excellent! Enjoyable! Thought provoking!
In a shabby run down neighborhood,
the Lexus-LS430 sits at the curb with its keys still in the ignition. An undisturbed wallet bulges in the back pocket of the
victim’s designer suit.
“You know him?” Lefkowitz asked.
“Yeah, I said, staring directly into the
corpses still-open eyes. “It’s me.”
Author Melvin Foster’s Shaking
Hands With Lefkowitz is delightful, stirring, and thought provoking, not only for Attorney Alan Boreman as he works with
detective Lefkowitz on a bizarre murder case, but for the reader as well. Shaking Hands With Lefkowitz will
take you on a journey of discovery and understanding.
Alan finds himself following the
swarthy detective from the murder scene down a seemingly endless corridor of impossibly white walls that seem to shift and
change with his thoughts. He cannot remember anything about the last hours of
his life and has no clue who might have killed him. In the interrogation room, they initiate the investigation by starting
with Alan’s “Ten Worst Deeds List”.
Alan learns as he studies the
volumes of his life for clues in his own death that every thought, every action, every deed and word has a stream of energy
that leaves a trail of un-thought-of never-imagined consequences through the lives of people he never ever met. Occurrence
by occurrence, with the help of Lefkowitz and his guardian angel, he searches through the actions of his past to find the
thread that will unravel the mystery of his death.
How could he know his embarrassed,
thoughtless refusal of Arlene Jaffe’s gift when he was thirteen would lead to such horrible abuse? How could he know
the effect his teenage fantasies about a woman in a magazine would have on her life and her children? Can Alan’s heartfelt
remorse and repentance, the gentle tear of his guardian angel, erase the damage as they do the deeds on his list and allow
the victims of his deeds and thoughts to heal? And what effect might their healing have on his death?
I could not put Shaking Hands
With Lefkowitz down. Melvin Foster is a gifted storyteller and an artist
at crafting characters to carry out his plot and theme. Alan Boreman is perfect balance of fear, regret, resentment, self-righteous
anger, and confusion. His guardian angel is a gift of love and understanding. Lefkowitz is a believable mix of gruff charm
and satiric humor, a release valve for the deep emotions this story pulls forth. Shaking Hands With Lefkowitz is a
delightful and entertaining escape. But I warn you, this is a stay up all night page-turner. The light will stay on until
the last page is read.
© 2003 Charlene Austin
ANGELS AMONG US
BY: CE BARRETT
Publisher: Word Wrangler
ISBN: 1-58630-096-2
Trade paperback
http://www.cebarrett.com/angels1.htm
Reviewed by: Charlene Austin
Have you ever read some of Einstein’s theories, or come upon one of those
interesting scientific analogies of time and space and possibilities and parallel universes. Take a trip through the portals
of imagination with Author CE Barrett’s ANGELS AMONG US, and explore fascinating possibility.
Seren makes a trip to the grocery store. She is enjoying the hour away from
her four, much loved, but boisterous and tiring children—until she trips returning to her car and finds herself, not
in the paved parking lot, but a grassy field in the middle of nowhere.
Daffyd ap Owen, renowned musical conductor, made a terrible mistake last night.
His worry and concern over the consequences might have been responsible for his ungraceful fall while racing to catch a cab
to his rehearsal, but it does not explain his falling on a busy street in Montreal in the middle of winter and landing in
a sun drenched grassy field.
Daffyd and Seren share a meal from the grocery bags Seren still carries, and
then make their way to a distant farmhouse. Strange how the others plodding through the field and down the road seem oblivious
to it. The house appears deserted, and they intend only to take some supplies and move on, until they find a small child hiding
in one of the rooms. Daffyd and Seren are determined to aid and protect the child even though it binds them in a tangled web
of misunderstanding and lack of communication as they battle their attraction to each other. Their situation becomes more
unbelievable and strange as they discover they are all from different worlds and times.
What or who has brought them all here, and why? Can the advanced technology of Rapsim and Resnik, who have now joined
them, help get them home? And, will Seren’s love and their combined strengths and technology be enough to save Daffyd
from the consequences of his mistake?
I was captivated from the first Page of Angel’s Among Us. CE Barrett
has created a cast of characters as unique as the worlds and times they are pulled from, then weaved this intricate mix of
diverse worlds, cultures, people, and possibilities into compelling plausibility with a master storytellers hand.
LAKOTA MOON
By: Robyn Jackson
Timothy Lane Press
Native American Romance
ISBN:0-9744751-0-6
Reviewed by: Shyan Marie
Bravo for a real love story that burns with true passion.
Inspired by a true story, Robyn Jackson's "Lakota Moon" begins when 13-year-old Mary Eliza McElroy and her family
head across the Oregon Trail to begin a fresh start in life. And as Mary Eliza and her siblings sit around the campfire at
night, they listen to guide Silas Wells' stories of the dangers of Indians along the trail. Even the trappers and traders
warned them they were in hostile Sioux territory.
Then Mary Eliza's worst fear comes true as she is taken captive by a Lakota Warrior named Mysterious Medicine. Suddenly
alone and away from her family, Mary Eliza must rely on those she has come to know only by the word of others and find the
will to survive.
She soon finds herself a slave to Owl Woman, a kind-hearted Grandmother of the Lakota whom Mary Eliza begins to care
for in time. As the months go by she begins to learn, understand and respect their ways of living and is even adopted by Owl
Woman and the Lakota as one of their own.
Then suddenly everything changes as Mysterious Medicine begins to show his true feelings for her and her own feelings
change for him as she falls in love for the first time. Now torn between her biological family and her adopted one, Mary Eliza
must make the toughest decision of her life while facing war, jealousy, denial and tragedy along the way. In the end she will
give way to her heart as it travels along the path of the Lakota and with Mysterious Medicine by her side, she finds an unconditional
love that will never die.
So refreshingly different from the ordinary romance novels, "Lakota Moon" pulls it's own worthiness with a love story
so powerful you won't want to put it down. Characters and scenery come to life and are rich with detail in every way as historical
events stay true to it's own nature allowing "Lakota Moon" to pull readers right into the story. We see a side of the Lakota
and the white woman who became a part of them that many have never wittnessed before.
The first of three novels, "Lakota Moon" will capture your heart and leave you feeling breathless from beginning
to end. Robyn Jackson is a phenomenal storyteller in her own unique way and her Novel "Lakota Moon" is a keeper on any native
romance fan's bookshelf.
| |
ROAD TO WEIRD
By: Peggy Tibbetts
Zumaya Publishing
ISBN 1-869942-59-0
Reviewed by: Charlene Austin
Author Peggy Tibbetts has produced a delightful two story combination for young readers in her new book ROAD TO
WEIRD.
Carly’s Ghost
When her family moves from St. Paul to the mountains of Colorado, Carly figures not having to share a room with her moody
older sister, Jackie, might just be worth a little homesickness.
She loves her new room with its balcony and view of the river, even with its drafts that chill her and constantly slam
her door shut. But Jackie is now blaming her for all kinds of strange happenings and accidents.
When Carly finds a hidden room beneath her closet floor and the diary of the young girl who used to live in the house,
she sets out to clear her name and prove the rumors her new home is haunted are true. But is Carly’s Ghost friend
or foe?
Harpo Marx is Seeing Things
When she wakes up with a nurse bending over her and a mind as foggy as her vision without her glasses, her first thought
is ER. When she looks at her wrist band and reads the name Harpo Marx, and her father goes by Groucho, and her brother's name
is Chico, well...she decides this is definitely a sitcom.
But when the visions start clouding her days, and her nights are filled with nightmare warnings of danger, thirteen-year-old
Harpo Marx has to find a way to make someone believe she is not joking this time. She goes to a classmate, the sheriff's son,
and though her first prediction results in the rescue of a father and son, they must battle prejudice and disbelief if they
are to save a young child.
The Road to Weird is a thrilling, chilling, fun, delightful read for young and old alike.
Author Peggy Tibbetts captures the trials and struggles of a teen adjusting to a new home while battling sibling rivalry
and combines it with the tension and mystery of a haunted house in Carly’s Ghost. She nails the satiric wit of
a teen dealing with the confusion of new, strange powers of prediction and pulls you into the suspense of a desperate chase
to save a child in Harpo Marx is Seeing Things.
Carly and Harpo are wonderfully real and human, leaping from page to mind and heart. You will want to keep these
new friends on your shelf for a long time.
DICE ANGELBy Brian Rouff
Hardway Press
ISBN: 0-9717148-1-9
Reviewed by: Charlene Austin
"Losing streaks in Las Vegas can be the worst in the world."
Jimmy Delaney, owner of Jimmy D’s saloon and supper club is on a big one. His cranky ex-wife is no "Joy." His insurance
is only going to cover a fraction of the loss when the bar top slots at Jimmy D’s are burglarized. His ex-brother-in-law,
Mormon Bishop, accountant, Owen, has disappeared—with
all the money in his bank accounts. His checks are bouncing. His credit cards are being declined. And when he goes to
the bank for a loan he is out of luck; because, Owen took the money for the tax payments too. Now he has two weeks to come
up with over $50,000 or lose Jimmy D’s.
When Pete, the homeless man he often feeds at the bar, handed him a crumpled, dirty, business card for the Dice
Angel, Jimmy slippped it in his wallet to humor the old man. He certainly had no intention of using it. But he’s
hocked everything he can think of, he’s drunk and he’s desperate. Is the kinky star charting, chanting, Amaris
really a DICE ANGEL? Or is she just another Vegas con artist?
Brain Rouff’s clever, witty, writing style captures the real Las Vegas. The glamour and glitz, grit and sand,
excitememt and everyday boredom of its unique lifestyle. His characters are people I know, see, and pass on the streets as
I dodge the "Nevada state bush," those darn orange construction cones that decorate the streets.
Dice Angel’s twists and turns will whip and toss and thrill you like the roller coaster ride at the New York,
New York. It’s a stay up all night, edge of the seat read right up to the literary, tip you upside down, ending.
Yesterday’s Dreams
BY: Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Vivisphere Publishing
ISBN: 1-58776-112-2
Reviewed by: Charlene Austin
Danielle Ackley-McPhail brings the richness of Irish legend, the myth and
magic of Eire to the streets of New York in her first fantasy novel, Yesterday’s Dreams. Danielle has
used in depth research into the legends of Carman, an Athenian goddess and her three sons. The Tuatha de Danaan stepped in
to stop the terror and destruction that Carman and her sons were wreaking on the mortals of early Ireland. They chain Carman
and force her to watch as her sons are destroyed. But…..Oclas (evil) the third son has survived and has set his
minion Lucien Blank lose on the unsuspecting humans.
Cliodna of the Tuatha de Danaan—the fairy folk of Ireland also known
as the Sidhe—runs the quaint antique shop Yesterday’s Dreams, as Maggie. She collects and protects items that
have a "bit ‘o’ the magic." And she waits, for those of her line have sworn to aid and protect the clan O’Keefe.
Kara’s father’s illness and treatments have driven Kara to pawn
her legacy from her grandfather, Quicksilver, her violin. And give up her dream of attending Juilliard. While looking around
Yesterday’s Dreams, Kara is shocked to see a picture she later discovers is of her grandfather dancing with a woman
who looks exactly like the young woman running the shop. It doesn’t help knowing that Maggie’s ancestor might
have known her grandfather. Kara feels as if her soul is being torn from her, and pours forth all her pain and sorrow when
she plays a final tune on her precious instrument before leaving it in Maggie’s hands.
Maggie knows Quicksilver is more than just a violin. There is power here,
as there is in Kara, and she must protect them both from the evil that stalks them from the moment Kara and Quicksilver enter
her shop. Maggie must gather her forces for a desperate battle against evil. For it now walks the streets of modern New York
in the form of Lucien Blank, and he wants what he senses behind the walls of Yesterday’s Dreams, and he wants the power
he senses in Kara O’keefe.
Danielle Ackley-McPhail turns fantasy to plausible reality in Yesterday’s
Dreams. The characters in this story are so charming and alive they spring from the story to haunt and taunt like
a soft Irish mist long after the final page is read. I found Yesterday’s Dreams a delightful page turning
adventure into imagination, and certainly look forward to reading more works by this author.
Available at www.amazon.com Learn more about Danielle Ackley Mcphail, and read sample chapters of Yesterday's Dreams and her new novel
Tomorrow's Memories at: www.sidhenadaire.com
ANDY JW DAVIE'S
DIARY OF A CURTAIN TWITCHER
ISBN 0-9579858-2-7
Reviewed By: Charlene Austin
John Joiner asks for and finally receives paper and pen. Sitting
down he scribbles, at first, only anger and frustration onto the pages. But, soon the writer in him takes over and he begins
the DIARY OF A CURTAIN TWITCHER. Recording on the pages, the sequence of events that have put him: Under suspicion as a terrorist;
under lock and key in a military holding cell; under the supervision of the unsympathetic military police.
John Joiner's deep emotional guilt over his part in the violent
death of his fiance Sara has escalated into a debilitating case of agoraphobia. It has been 3 years since he has been able
to step from the confines of his house. Now, with an impressive array of technological equipment, and his computers, John
lives vicariously through his neighbors. Monitoring their lives and actions, he develops characters and plots for the books
he writes as Jack Jenior.
Maria enters his life in a rustle of silk stockings, and from
the first moments of frustrating aggravation, his rapidly developing feelings and desire for her begin to change John's life.
Maria is hooked into his occupation with his equipment when he notifies the police and foils a robbery at a neighbor's house.
When they uncover a murder plot, John, concerned how his "spying"
will be perceived, and convinced the police will never believe them, they decide to investigate on their own and warn the
victims. But it is not a simple murder plot they have stumbled into, and John must battle international terrorists, and his
own fears, if he is to save Maria.
Andy JW Davie has a strong voice and riveting writing style.
The characters in DIARY OF A CURTAIN TWITCHER become alive and real for the reader, pulling you deeper and deeper into the
intrigue and action. I found myself anxiously turning the pages for the next twist and turn the author weaves into the attention
grabbing plot of this MUST READ thriller.
Click on the link on the home page to visit this up and coming
English author and find direct links to purchase this exciting thriller.
ABIGAIL'S LOVER
Reviewed By: Charlene Austin
Married, the creep was married! Abigail has just wasted eighteen
months of her life in a relationship with a married man. Blinded by her hurt, furious tears, and the storm, as she roars down
the winding rural English road, Abigail loses control of her car. She flies over a hedge, landing in a conservatory attached
to a small cottage. The car is a tangled mess of metal and broken glass. Abigail stumbles into the house. No one answers her
cries for help. Weak, dizzy, bruised, she collapses into sleep on the sofa.
Abigail is startled awake sometime later, by the lights run on
a timer switch, but not nearly as startled as when she decides to explore and finds a skeleton in the upstairs bedroom. She
flees the house, only to find the nearest working phone is five or six miles away. She is barefoot and hurt. The storm is
returning. With no choice she returns to the to the cottage for the night.
The next morning Abigail discovers a pile of mail. Her deceased
host has left a large bank account that is automatically paying the bills. The stack of mail also produces a couple of new
credit cards.
Greg, the adulterous cheat, owned her flat. She worked for him.
She has no job and no where to go. So, why not? There are no personal letters mixed with the bills and advertisements. It
will hurt no one. Just until she can get on her feet. Just until she has a place to go. At least that's what she tells herself,
at the start.
Her best friend Michelle convinces her she must at least try
to find someone, notify someone of Alan Colliers death. Abigail begins the search that will put her life in danger, as she
is pulled into the life of Alan Collier and the world of underworld crime, and is deeper embroiled in her deceit, her
fraudulent use of funds and property, posing as Alan Collier's girlfriend.
Andy JW Davie once again creates characters so real, a story
so strong and compelling it kept me reading long into the night. ABIGAIL'S LOVER is a page-turner, filled with twists and
turns and surprises that shock, delight, and shock again.
Download your copy of ABIGAIL'S LOVER
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