The Book Connection...

First Chapter Review: ICIRE by Kelvin O'Ralph

2012-02-21T01:55:00.000-05:00

While I usually reserve YA titles for my children's and teens' book blog, since I am performing a First Chapter Review, I will post it here.

TITLE: ICIRE: The Rebirth

AUTHOR: Kelvin O'Ralph

BLURB: Stephen Wilson, a 17-year-old arrives at Minneapolis in search of a better education. However, he ends up getting more than he could dream of. Lisa Morgan, a gorgeous girl who happens to offer similar subjects with young Stephen. Her beauty, like a stirring fragrance that draws every male towards her – including Stephen. These two meet in an incident that not only changes their life but releases to them a whole new world.

Follow Stephen and Lisa as they travel through a world where romance and mystery intertwine.

COVER: This book is young adult fantasy, but the cover seems to focus more on the romance aspect than fantasy. Perhaps it would make sense if I had read further into the book, but if I were a fantasy lover using only the cover to judge if I made a purchase, I would probably pass this one by. I like, however, the font that was used for the title.

FIRST CHAPTER: Stephen Wilson arrives in Minneapolis via plane. Though he's visited before, this is the first time he'll be staying for a while. He even has a new house--his house. With the help of his cousin Stacy, he gets acclimated at school. His world quickly turns upside down when he meets Lisa Morgan.

KEEP READING: I hate to say this about a book I've had for quite some time, but I could barely make it through the first chapter. Between the grammar and how much information is jammed into this opening, I had to control myself to keep from skipping portions of it. There is a good deal of telling in this chapter, so I couldn't get into Stephen's head very well. I wonder if slowing the pace of the first chapter might have helped a bit. There's a lot going on and you meet several people. I honestly have no idea where the book is going.

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 421 KB
Publisher: Xlibris (July 16, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B003ZUY990
SRP: $9.99

I received a free e-copy from the author in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

First Chapter Review: The Chocolate Diaries by Karen Scalf Linamen

2012-02-20T12:49:00.000-05:00

This book is one of the few that doesn't come from my free Kindle e-book collection. I requested this book for review from Blogging for Books through WaterBrook Multnomah. As is sometimes the case, I requested a few too many books to review last year and now I am scrambling to catch up.

TITLE: The Chocolate Diaries: Secrets for a Sweeter Journey on the Rocky Road of Life

AUTHOR: Karen Scalf Linamen

BLURB: Karen Linamen dishes up a satisfying blend of moxie and mocha, sharing stories from dozens of women who reveal savvy strategies for embracing a sweeter life—even while traveling rocky roads. If you’re hungry for more joy, reasons to laugh again, ideas to help you heal, and reliable hope leading to a sweeter future, this journey will leave you satisfied.

Funny, transparent, and uplifting, The Chocolate Diaries is like taking a road trip with good friends who are wise about life. And while you’re at it, indulge (just a little) in the quirky recipes for concocting chocolate delights out of whatever ingredients you can round up in your kitchen. The road may still be bumpy, but you’ll be having too much fun to care.

COVER: Although it's a bit too purple for my tastes, it definitely captures the essence of the book. The diary page directly relates to the title, as does the sweet that is pictured next to the brown drizzled title. Simple, but nice.

FIRST CHAPTER: The narrative opens with the author finding her fifteen-year-old daughter cooking in the kitchen at 3 a.m. because she couldn't sleep. In love with Italian cooking, Kacie also wants to marry Robert, the nephew of Buddy Valastro from Cake Boss. The author quickly moves from Kacie to how watching the Food Network has a show that best represents her life. The show is called Chopped.

In between this moving narrative is a question, "What's your secret to a sweeter journey on the rocky road of life?" This is answered by another person who the author has posed this question to--in Chapter One that person is Cindi Chase Joseph from California. The narrative continues and then ends with a "Food for Thought" section that asks questions of the reader, followed by the "Because Real Women Don't Need A Cookbook" section that includes a recipe.

KEEP READING! Confession time. I'm on Chapter 8. What I like about this opening chapter is that the author wastes no time in getting to her theme: food and those big and little obstacles we all face in life. As I already know from reading ahead, her daughters play a significant role in this book, so that it opens with Kacie is not a surprise. I liked that aspect anyway, because so much of a mom's life is her children, it made sense. The format of The Chocolate Diaries is also great because it provides the reader other people's perspectives on how to handle the challenges they face, while giving them time to reflect at the end of each chapter, and the reward of a quick and easy recipe.

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press (May 3, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1400074029
ISBN-13: 978-1400074020
SRP: $13.99

I received a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions. A full review will follow shortly. I received no monetary compensation for my review.

Guest Blogger: Brian Meeks, Author of Henry Wood Detective Agency

2012-02-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

A complex yet intriguing story. It’s full of danger, betrayal, and even love.

Henry Wood is an average detective, at best. His typical cases are boring, predictable, and safe, that is, until his new client walks through his door. It is Jan 1, 1955 and up until now his world has been one of black and white, right and wrong, but Luna Alexander’s case is going to change all of that and there will forever be shades of grey.

Henry will face the mob, question his own understanding of right and wrong, and need to make a decision that goes against everything he holds dear. A bit of a lone wolf, he finds that sometimes one needs help from their friends.

There are clues, like bread crumbs, being left by a mysterious benefactor who seems to have Henry’s best interest at heart, but will Henry put it all together in time?

Self-Publishing Is Not As Scary As One Might Think

by Brian Meeks

I was contacted by a friend's mother, when she heard I had been self-publishing my books. Here is my response and the main point is that there are lots of people who have done it, and most of us, are willing to help. Also, it isn't as scary as one might think.

Katheryn,

I do remember you. I would be delighted to tell you all about publishing and help you get your work up on Kindle. It is getting late now, so I will call you tomorrow. Until then, let me mention a few things I've learned.

Building up an audience is a slow process. That is okay, though, as the more readers one finds, the more they tell people. I mean, that is how you found me, because of your daughter. Living in the Social Media Age has provided an opportunity for all. It doesn't mean that everyone will be successful. It just means that everyone is given a shot. Those who work hard and write well will have a greater chance than those who talk about writing, and then when they do write, do it poorly.

T.S. Elliot once mused, "Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers."

Writing is a joy, but that joy pales in comparison to having one's writing read. I've seen it written that it takes 10 years to become an "Overnight" success as a writer. I don't know if this is true or not, but I've been writing for just over two years, completed three novels and one non-fiction book. I'm hardly a success, yet, but I am getting sales every single day. To me, that is some measure of success. One month ago, I was getting a sale or two per week. In a year, who knows.

The point is that I will keep writing, continue to self-publish, and I will make sure to build my audience every day, as best I can.

As for the publishing end, I have this to say. Most people who want to self-publish and don't are simply unable to comprehend what is involved, not that it is difficult, but that it is so foreign. If one buys a new piece of software and installs it on their computer, they will find that <ctrl> c and <ctrl> v are used for copy and paste, because it is universal. They are familiar with which buttons to choose to make it do what they want, but publishing is unlike anything tried before, there isn't a familiarity that helps one get over the fear.

That is why it is nice to have someone who will answer your questions. I didn't have anyone, but that was okay, as I am naturally predisposed to figuring stuff out on my own. I have learned what to do and I'll be glad to share it.

Until tomorrow,

Brian

***

Brian Meeks is the author of the Henry Wood Detective series and the recently released, Two Decades and Counting: The Wins, The Streak, The Hawkeyes Thru the Eyes of Roy Marble. He had a publisher for the 1st book in the Henry Wood series, but decided to self-publish the Roy Mable book, as he was interested in learning what was involved. He found it enjoyable and the success of the launch has changed his plans for the upcoming release of the second and third books in the Henry Wood series. With the exception of Two Decades, he has written all of his novels as serials on his blog, http://extremelyaverage.com and they can be found there, warts and all. Brian hires an editor before publishing and goes to great lengths to produce a quality product, but he doesn't mind people seeing how he writes during the initial draft. "It is motivating to write as a serial and I don't want to let anything get in the way of telling the story."

First Chapter Review: Honeymoons Can Be Murder by Connie Shelton

2012-02-16T18:38:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to post one of these all week, but the stomach bug arrived at our house Sunday night and I am teaching a workshop too.

TITLE: Honeymoons Can Be Murder: The Sixth Charlie Parker Mystery

AUTHOR: Connie Shelton

BLURB: Charlie Parker's romantic honeymoon in Taos, New Mexico, is interrupted when a ski instructor who works for her husband is fingered for the murder of his priestly brother, and a cache of priceless artifacts turns up in her ski chalet.

COVER: While I have to admit, this is not my favorite cover, I like that the author has been consistent since the first book's release. Each book is designed the same way: one color background, the title bordered off with a contrasting color, the author's name in bold at the top, and an eye hole with a picture in the middle--though this cover's appears to be less oval than the others. The hearts make you think love and honeymoons, so it works.

FIRST CHAPTER: We open with Charlie and her new husband Drake in what appears to be a spot of trouble. Drake is a pilot and Charlie is preparing for her license. In addition, Charlie is part owner of RJP Investigations with her brother, Ron. With their house being renovated, Charlie and Drake are living in the RJP offices. Because of their rush wedding, they never went on a honeymoon, so they are eager to accept a friend's offer to visit Taos and provide heli-skiing tours around the holidays.

KEEP READING: You betcha! In case I've never mentioned it before, I like action to start off my books. It's part of why I am drawn so much to mysteries--usually a dead body turns up or someone's life is in danger within the first few paragraphs.

This is the sixth book in the Charlie Parker Mystery Series, but it's the first one I've read, so that added a sense of mystery to the opening. I honestly wasn't sure what was going on. Shelton smartly didn't pull me around on a string for too long, knowing I might get ticked off. Once aware of what was happening, I was able to digest a bit of back story and then be thrilled with the cliffhanger end of this short chapter. I'm eager to find out what happens next.

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 362 KB
Publisher: Secret Staircase Books (October 11, 2009)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B002SG7OSU
SRP: $4.99

I downloaded a free copy of this book to my Kindle. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

Interview with Richard Tillotson, Author of Acts of God Whyile On Vacation

2012-02-16T01:00:00.000-05:00

Richard Tillotson has been a Peace Corps volunteer in Borneo, a playwright in New York, a copywriter in Hawaii, and is a relative of an English Lord, all of which helped him write Acts of God While on Vacation, a National Semi-Finalist for the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and named “Hawaii’s best fiction book of 2011” by The Honolulu Star-Advertiser. He works in Honolulu and vacations in Washington DC.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I live in Honolulu, but I was born in Hackensack, grew up outside Chicago, lived in L.A. and Boston, went to school in Iowa and Seattle, worked in Borneo, vacation in Washington DC, and some of my family live in London. So I guess I’m from all over. I worked in advertising for a number of years and have written ads for every kind of media and for every kind of client imaginable. (I actually wrote a bar once. It was a history of Waikiki on placemats, which were immortalized under Plexiglas so drinkers could ponder them over their third mai tai.) Before ACTS OF GOD WHILE ON VACATION was published, most of my own creative writing had been plays and screenplays. I’ve had a play produced Off-Broadway in New York.

When did you begin writing?

I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was around seven and wrote a (very) short story about a turkey. I didn’t confess my ambition to anyone until I got to college where, in my senior year, I won a (longer) short story contest with a tale about fruit pickers in California. After that, the die was cast.

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?
I try to keep to a routine. It used to be I’d wake up at 4:30 am and put in a couple of hours before heading to the office. Now I can do my writing after breakfast and in daylight. Feels like quite a luxury.

What is this book about?

It begins with a death threat received by a philandering general manager of a lavish Hawaii resort, jumps to an anthropologist researching headhunters in the jungles of Borneo, then to a demonic, scandal-mongering paparazzo in New York, and on to a gorgeous, party-loving English aristocrat in London. Alternately desperate and hilarious adventures draw them all to Waikiki, where their arrival coincides with an international conference on shamanism and a catastrophic, force-five hurricane.

What inspired you to write it?
We had a relatively minor hurricane, hurricane Iwa, come through Honolulu a number of years ago. When you know a hurricane’s coming, after you’ve taped all the windows, pulled together the bottled water and flashlights, and figured out how to fit everybody into the bathtub, there’s not much to do but sit around and wait. I was doing a lot of hotel advertising at the time, and as I was sitting around waiting, I got to thinking about what must be going on in Waikiki.
Who is your favorite author?

I’m very eclectic. I still enjoy browsing bookstores and library shelves, pulling down a book that looks interesting, and I’ll wind up reading it for the very reason that I haven’t read anything like it before. I enjoy contemporary comic novels (I wrote one, after all), but I also greatly enjoy authors like Jane Austen, Joseph Conrad, Charles Dickens, and – moving over to our continent, Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, and – moving back to the UK of the present day – David Lodge, Michael Frayn, David Mitchell, and – moving back over here – Alan Furst, Tom Wolfe… You get the idea. Those are the writers who float through my top of mind at the moment. I also enjoy reading THE NEW YORKER every week, and I’ve got a complete collection of all the Rex Stout Nero Wolfe novels.
Do you have an agent or are you looking for one?

I had a very good agent, a former editor of the New York Times Review of Books. He suggested I send the book to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition. When it achieved semi-finalist status out of several thousand entries and got a highly positive review from PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, we assumed acceptance by major publisher would be a slam-dunk. But that was in 2009 when the publishing industry was falling off a cliff along with the rest of the economy, and publishers were disinclined to take risks with debut novelists. Eventually I decided to self-publish through Createspace, which is an Amazon company. I’ve been delighted with how well it’s gone and count myself very fortunate. The publishing world has changed dramatically just since 2009, and I expect by the time I finish this next novel, it will have changed dramatically again. Whatever publishing looks like, the really important things remain the same. First off, you have to write a good book.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

It is in most bookstores in Hawaii. On the continent, it’s easiest to get it through Amazon where it is available in both print and Kindle editions. The book can also be ordered by any local bookstore through their usual wholesalers like Ingrams.

Do you have a website and/or blog where readers can find out more?

I don’t blog, tweet, or have a website, so I used to think that cyber-wise, I’d be doomed. To my surprise, however, the other day I typed the full title of my novel, ACTS OF GOD WHILE ON VACATION, into Google and at least two or three pages of links came up. A number of these links are to reviews of the book that have appeared in Hawaii. Since I live here, the reviews also have some information about me. I’m happy for anyone to read any of these reviews, because so far, they’ve all been very positive. They’re also quoted on the book’s Amazon page.

Do you have a video trailer to promote your book? If yes, where can readers find it?

We’re working on one that is based on an interview I had with Hawaii Public Radio. When it gets done, we’ll put it up on the book’s Amazon page and the Amazon Author’s page.

What is the best investment you have made in promoting your book?

Sending it to reviewers.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

I believe the best advice I ever got was in the book THE ART OF FICTION by David Lodge. I recommend it to everyone.
What is up next for you?
I’m a third of the way through a second novel, but it is temporarily on the shelf while I rewrite a screenplay that has interested some people in Los Angeles. I’m also in the process of submitting a new play and a musical to a couple of theaters.

FREE Today and Tomorrow (2/15 & 2/16) Patience County War by Soren Paul Petrek

2012-02-15T22:45:00.001-05:00

Kill or be killed. Patience County's Sheriff, Sam Trunce is in the cross hairs of a Mexican drug cartel. He is not alone. Patience County's secret army of combat vets, Masai warriors and history's most deadly female assassin stand at his side. The Cartel's murder squad and Patience's army hurtle towards war, winner takes all.

"Patience County War is a hoot. From the minute I picked it up I couldn't stop reading. It's set in the Southern back-woods with a group of characters you'll want to spend more time with.
It's a great read for a rainy (or snowy) afternoon."

--Steve Sommers, author of Evil Super-Villains Need Love, Too ... and other important wisdom

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 896 KB
Publisher: Soren Petrek; First edition (December 10, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B006NCV3XC

Book Review: A Place to Die by Dorothy James

2012-02-15T00:00:00.010-05:00

A uniquely set literary mystery awaits you in A Place to Die by Dorothy James.

Eleanor and Franz Fabian travel from New York to the Vienna Woods to spend time with Franz's mother at the retirement home. While visiting on Boxing Day, they hear of the tragic death of Herr Hans Graf, a popular resident of Haus im Wald. They soon find themselves thrust into the middle of a homicide investigation.

Inspector Georg Büchner discovers surprising connections between Herr Graf and many of the residents and staff of Haus im Wald, and reunites with a former comrade who has surprisingly turned to a religious order. Are his past and the murder related?

When I was first asked to review A Place to Die, I was immediately drawn to its unique setting. James immerses the reader in details that make you feel like you are traveling right along with Büchner as he works to solve the crime.

This is not your typical mystery novel. It's literary in nature, so the story develops more slowly, each chapter is opened with an introduction, and the pace is much more leisurely than one would expect from a murder mystery. One is rewarded, however, with getting to know the characters well. There are several, many of them quirky, which made the story even more interesting.

A Place to Die is titled as "An Inspector Georg Büchner Mystery," but since Büchner shares so much of the spotlight with the Fabians it didn't feel that way. Eleanor plays amateur sleuth throughout the book. It seems like James combined elements of a detective novel with that of a cozy mystery. The story unfolds through the points of view of Büchner and the Fabians, which allowed for more information to be shared than if the author had relied on Büchner's sole point of view, but it's like Eleanor takes over. Now, she's crucial to the plot: not only is she the daughter-in-law of one of the residents--which is why she is at Haus im Wald in the first place--but she reconnects with one of her friends who is also a resident. I felt her role as amateur sleuth, however, was distracting to the reader, and shifted the focus away from Büchner.

For the most part I was satisfied with how the story concluded, but there were a couple of things left unresolved. Perhaps the reader is supposed to draw her own conclusions based upon what was or wasn't revealed, but in my opinion there shouldn't be any questions after you turn the last page.

If you're into literary stories and enjoy mysteries, you might want to give this one a try. It has received several 5-star reviews on Amazon.

Title: A Place to Die-An Inspector Georg Büchner Mystery
Author: Dorothy James
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Hardcover
Price: $34.99
ISBN: 9781450082709
Pages: 436
Release: April 21, 2010
Paperback
Price: $23.99
ISBN: 9781450082693
Pages: 436
Release: April 21, 2010

Amazon paperback buy link

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1450082696/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes&Noble.com paperback buy link

http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=dcSBhG3Rj8w&offerid=239662.9781450082693&type=2&subid=0

Kindle buy link - $3.03

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003WEA1BY/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tributebooks-20

Nook buy link - $7.99

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/place-to-die-dorothy-james/1100371929?ean=9781450082716&itm=2&usri=a%252bplace%252bto%252bdie

iBookstore buy link - $9.99

http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-place-to-die/id424849936?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Dorothy James was born in Wales and grew up in the South Wales Valleys. Writer, editor, and translator, she has published short stories as well as books and articles on German and Austrian literature. She has taught at universities in the U.S., England, and Germany, makes her home now in Brooklyn and often spends time in Vienna and Berlin.

She wrote A Place to Die in her attic apartment on the edge of the Vienna Woods. She has travelled far from Wales, but has not lost the Welsh love of playing with language; she writes poems for pleasure as does Chief Inspector Büchner, the whimsical Viennese detective who unravels the first mystery in this new series of novels.

Dorothy James' web site:

http://www.viennamysteries.com/

Dorothy James' blog:

http://www.myplaceformystery.com/

A Place to Die Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vienna-Mysteries/114871195254205?sk=wall

Dorothy James' Twitter:

http://twitter.com/valleyvoice

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

A Place to Die blog tour site:

http://aplacetodieblogtour.blogspot.com/

I received a free e-copy of this book from the author's publicist in exchange for my honest opinions. I received no monetary compensation for my review.

This is the eighth book I've read for the following challenge:

This is the fifth book I've read for the following challenge:

This is the second book I've read for the following challenge:

This is the first book I've read for the following challenge:

Guest Blogger: Edward Mrkvicka Jr., Author of No Innocent Affair

2012-02-14T00:00:00.002-05:00

An avid student of the Word, Edward Mrkvicka addresses the fact that adultery is one of the main contributors to the destruction of the American family. Mrkvicka posits that few who engage in adulterous relationships realize the enormity of the cost of infidelity, both to themselves and innocent people in their lives.

Beginning by comparing God’s view of adultery to society’s view, No Innocent Affair explains in frank yet loving terms that unrepentant adultery is more than just an innocent affair. It is choosing Satan over Jesus and death over life.

Most important, No Innocent Affair takes you on a step-by-step biblical progression that leads to the sin of adultery being forgiven and salvation reclaimed.

Why Adulterers Cheat – How to Cure the Incurrable by Edward Mrkvicka Jr.

“Narcissistic personality disorder is a condition in which there is an inflated sense of self-importance and an extreme preoccupation with one's self.” (Healthline.com)

Let’s review a few of the symptoms of narcissism as they pertain to adultery:

A Narcissist….

1. Takes advantage of others to achieve their own goals: Adultery takes advantage of and hurts innocent spouses and children and is indulged solely for personal gratification.

2. Is preoccupied with fantasies of ideal love: Adulterers, having made the fatal decision to betray their family, can literally think of nothing except their new “soul mate.” Once that relationship collapses, which it almost always does, they go from one adultery to the next, never finding the true love they say they so desperately seek.

3. Requires constant attention: Adulterers are high-maintenance people. As they put themselves first in all things, they find it hard to believe that others don’t have the same reverence to what they perceive to be the natural order of things.

4. Disregards the feelings of others: One woman told me, when questioned about her numerous adulteries, that she had a right to be happy. It never occurred to her and others like her, that in any decent society, no one has a right to be happy at the expense of others.

5. Lacks empathy: There is probably no single emotion more devastating than betrayal, especially when we are betrayed by the person with whom we shared deep personal intimacies, and who promised to be faithful until death. But an adulterer never thinks of the consequences to others. Simply put, they just don’t care, as all their emotions are directed inward.

6. Pursues mainly selfish goals: Adultery is nothing if not pure selfishness. It is the worship of self to a degree that it is unfathomable to most of us. As a society, we’ve tried everything to make adultery acceptable and hip, but that doesn’t change the truth -- even the adulterer knows what they are doing is wrong, which is why they lie to cover their tracks.

Narcissists, blinded by their selfishness, commit adultery without being able to see the danger. When they finally come to understand they’ve taken a wrong turn in their lives, usually after they are caught, they invariably turn to the medical profession (psychiatry) that quietly admits that there is little it can do, as there is no cure for narcissism.

The good news is, it is impossible to be a narcissist and a practicing Christian at the same time. They are mutually exclusive. Psychiatrists and psychologists cannot cure our choice to be selfish at the expense of others, but God can and will.

Edward Mrkvicka is a lay minister and counselor, life-long Bible student, and award-winning Christian author. His efforts on behalf of families, understanding adultery, and the devastating effect of divorce on children have earned him a United States Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition “in recognition of outstanding and invaluable service to the community.” His most recent book, No Innocent Affair: Making Right the Wrong of Adultery, is available at bookstores and Amazon.com.

You can visit Edward’s web site at http://www.edwardfmrkvickajr.com/ and find him at Facebook here.

Interview: William Landay, Author of Defending Jacob

2012-02-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

William Landay is the author of Defending Jacob, the much buzzed-about new novel that has drawn comparisons to Presumed Innocent and We Need to Talk About Kevin. His previous novels are Mission Flats (2003), which won the Creasey Dagger Award as best first crime novel of the year, and The Strangler (2007), which was named an L.A. Times Favorite Crime Novel of the Year.

He can be found online at his website, which includes a blog, and on Facebook and Twitter.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in the Boston area. In fact, except for my four years in college, I’ve never left. That makes me horribly parochial, I’m sure. Most of our romantic visions of writers involve world-travelers like Hemingway. But I like to think of long-rooted writers like Eudora Welty, who lived in the same house most of her life in Jackson, Mississippi. At least I’ve got Eudora beat — I’ve moved many times.

When did you begin writing?
I started writing fiction in a casual way when I was 26 or 27. That is very late in life, and even then I did not think of myself as “a writer,” just someone who liked to write. I wrote stories in my free time. They were awful, I’m sure.

When I was 30 or so — by that time I had become an assistant D.A. — I decided I would try to write a novel. Note that I did not decide to become a novelist. Honestly, it never crossed my mind that I could actually earn a living as a professional novelist. I simply wanted to write one publishable novel, just to see if I could do it. But I’m a stubborn guy, I guess. I kept trying and failing, trying and failing, for years. I never took any writing classes, and I did not know any novelists to guide me, so I learned the hard way, maybe the only way, by trial and error.

By the late 90’s I had left the DA’s office to write full time. (I worked as a bartender at night to support myself.) Still, I was thinking of it only as a one-book project — it was simply a project that was taking a very long time. I got married around then, to a woman brave enough to marry an unpublished writer. (Everyone who is not a published writer is technically an unpublished writer. “Unpublished writer” is a title that every plumber and convict can fairly claim.)

When I finished the first decent manuscript, a book called Mission Flats, I was about to give the whole thing up. My wife and I were about to have our first child. It was time to admit defeat and move on. In fact, when the first offer for Mission Flats came in, my wife and I were at the obstetrician’s office to hear the unborn baby’s heartbeat. We took the call on my cell phone while we sat in the doctor’s waiting room, my agent telling me we’d received a generous offer for the book. I wound up with a two-book deal, which, happily, required me to keep writing. And that is when I became “a writer,” finally.

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?
During the day, mostly. Nights and weekends, I’m usually with my kids, who are now 8 and 10 years old. But I write all day, or try to. I never have been able to write “whenever I could sneak in a few moments.” For me, writing requires long stretches of time and deep concentration. And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

What is this book about?

Defending Jacob is the story of an ordinary suburban family — father Andy Barber, mother Laurie Barber, and son Jacob — who endure the unfathomable ordeal of seeing 14-year-old Jacob put on trial for the murder of a schoolmate.

But it is “about” so much more than that. The difficulty of raising kids. The impossibility of truly knowing another person, even a spouse, even your own child. In Defending Jacob the characters are constantly surprised by what they learn about one another. Long-held secrets bubble up to the surface — secrets that might never have been divulged, that might never have troubled their happy marriage.
There is also the scientific question of the “murder gene,” the very real science which suggests that a predisposition to violence may indeed be a genetically heritable trait.
The book also delves deep into the criminal justice system as seen by a consummate insider, the veteran prosecutor Andy Barber, whose views of the defendant’s position are informed by his many years on the other side.

I think the sheer variety of “it’s about...” is one of the reasons the book has received such an overwhelming response. It is rich material. Defending Jacob generates great discussions, because it touches on so many difficult decisions and interesting topics. (It’s a great book club book.) It works on many levels, for many different audiences: fans of legal thrillers, of family dramas, of scientific stories. That is why it has pulled endorsements from writers as wildly different as Lee Child and Nicholas Sparks — two writers who have rarely been mentioned in the same sentence till now.

What inspired you to write it?
Oh, I don’t think a book ever has a single inspiration. There is never a moment where a writer leaps up out of his chair and says, “Aha! I’ve just had a vision of a novel!” At least, I ‘ve never had that experience. What happens is that you start with the little seed of an idea, or in this case several seeds: a true story about a homicide detective who was both the son and father of a murderer; my own experiences in the courtroom and then as a father raising young kids; the emerging science of behavioral genetics and the haunting notion of a “murder gene.” All these ideas and many others, I’m sure, get mixed together and over time a story emerges. Often slowly — very slowly.

Who is your favorite character from the book?
Well, I like them all, even the surly, moody, possibly homicidal teenager, Jacob. They are all my creations, my babies. But I do love Andy Barber, the father so unshakable in his devotion to his child that he simply can’t abandon him, even when that might be the morally right thing to do. I feel for Andy. I am a father, and I can’t imagine abandoning my sons either. I’m also a son, and who among us would not want a father like Andy Barber, who will stick by us no matter what?

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?
Here are the links.

Print: Amazon - B&N - IndieBound

eBook: Kindle - Nook - iBooks

Audiobook: Blackstone Audio

Do you have a video trailer to promote your book? If yes, where can readers find it?

Yes, you can view the trailer here.
What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

Stick to it. Be stubborn. Believe in your own vision of the book you are creating. Don’t be put off by criticism or negativity. Believe that what you are doing matters. You have to believe in it first — others won’t believe until they see it, after it’s been created, or at least mostly created.

Also, don’t try to anticipate what the audience wants. They don’t know what they want until you show it to them. Henry Ford once said, “If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said ‘A faster horse.’” The same is true in writing, or any other art. The artist leads the audience, not the other way around.

What is up next for you?
I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but talking about an unwritten book is probably the one bad idea I haven’t tried. I don’t mean to be evasive. It’s just that every book twists and morphs as you extrude it from the muck of your imagination. Anything I told you today would be inaccurate by next Tuesday. But stay tuned, because it’s going to be my best thing yet. I’m convinced of it.

Interviewer's note: Read my review of Defending Jacob here.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Thanks for having me. It’s been fun.

Interview with Kathy Holmes, Author of Letters on Balboa Island

2012-02-10T00:19:00.002-05:00

Born in the City of Angels, raised on Walt Disney, and inspired by the dreams of both, Kathy Holmes grew up in southern California halfway between Disneyland and the beach.

Tantalized by the tropics since Adam Troy set sail on the Kon Tiki in James A. Michener’s “Adventures in Paradise,” she traveled to tropical destinations such as Hawaii, Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico, and Asia Pacific. Eventually, she moved to Florida where she wrote and secured representation for Real Women Wear Red. She also wrote for Walt Disney World and the Orlando Sentinel.

After living in Las Vegas for a few years, Kathy, her husband, and their three Burmese cats have moved back to Florida and are now living halfway between Walt Disney World and the beach in Central Florida. Her latest book is Letters on Balboa Island.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I grew up halfway between Disneyland and the beach and I have such fond memories of that place and that time. I draw on some of those experiences in Letters on Balboa Island because my family went there often – either to swim in the ocean or the Bay, ride the Ferris Wheel, eat a frozen banana, or peek into the fancy houses just before dusk when people turned on their lights and left the windows open. My step-dad was slightly embarrassed when my mother and I let out an occasional ooh and aah. I didn’t find out until recently that she used to go to Balboa Island with her friends when she was a teen.

When did you begin writing?

I was living/working in a high-stress job in Silicon Valley, had recently married my soulmate, and longing to switch careers. I started thinking about my love of fiction and how I’d promised myself that one day I would write a novel. Sound familiar? Anyway, with my new husband’s whole-hearted encouragement, on January 31, 2002, I ordered the “Immediate Fiction” workshop course from the Writer’s Loft in Chicago. I discovered later that this was the same workshop that my favorite author Laura Caldwell participated in.

What is this book about?

It’s about choices and second guessing those choices. It’s about one woman’s opportunity for redemption. It’s the “what if” many of us think about when looking over our life and recalling “the one who got away.” Here’s the short blurb:

When Rosalie sends a Dear John letter to the one serving in the Korean War to marry the one back home, she begins a life of secrets and regrets. Years later, when letters surface on Balboa Island, she realizes she may have chosen the wrong man. So when fate gives her the chance to make a different choice, will she? Or has she lived a life of lies for too long?

What inspired you to write it?

I think I’ve always been fascinated by “the one who got away” as my mother used to say. By the excitement in her voice, I think it intrigued her, too. We sometimes read stories in the paper about high school sweethearts who married other people but then reunited later in life. These stories intrigue me. But what about when the person returns from the past and you choose not to make a different choice? Because life isn’t that simple—there are complications that make the choice difficult, especially when there are consequences. So when presented with an opportunity to make a different choice, would you really? That idea stuck with me and so I wrote “Letters on Balboa Island.”

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

All of my books are found on amazon.com or you can find the link from my web site and/or blog.

Do you have a website and/or blog where readers can find out more?
My web site is http://www.kathyholmes.net/ with a link to my blog at http://flipflopsandfabs.blogspot.com/.

What is up next for you?

I have a completed manuscript that’s ready for revisions. It’s a little different from what I’ve done before, but then, all of my books are different from one another. REAL WOMEN WEAR RED is considered chick lit/hen lit, THE TOM JONES CLUB is a romance, LETTERS ON BALBOA ISLAND is a nontraditional historical, and my next manuscript is more of a psychological thriller.

Guest Blogger: James Bottino, Author of The Canker Death

2012-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

When the reclusive, cynical systems administrator, Petor Fidelistro, discovers that one of his own servers has been cracked late one night, he makes it his personal business to track down the perpetrator. What his search uncovers thrusts him, unaware, into a mad shifting between worlds, time and alien minds.

Fighting to keep his grip on reality, and forcing him to cope with his past, Petor finds himself uncontrollably transitioning between sentient minds that range from semi-conscious to dominant, from beings whose bodies and identities he can control, to those who control him so fully as to be unaware of his presence.

As the story unfolds, Petor gathers clues in a twisting mystery that sends him shifting between the mourning child Nanzicwital; the golem giant Faskin; the lascivious, female ambassador Desidia; and Nokinis, an insane prisoner with whom Petor battles for mastery of his own memories. As he struggles to make sense of what is happening to him, Petor finds himself embroiled in the tumultuous upheaval of a ubiquitous society that transcends life, itself.

The Inspiration for The Canker Death by James Bottino

There were a number of inspirations for my debut novel, The Canker Death. On the factual plane, the inspiration came from the fact that an FTP server I was running on one of the old Unix systems in my basement got hacked. I have a collection of unusual computers that run esoteric operating systems. Where most people's computer knowledge ends is where mine begins. This fact alone gave me the idea for a main character who was based quite a bit on various facets of people I know – computer geeks, that is. But, I didn't want to write a novel that was only tailored for sci-fi lovers. I wanted to write something that was accessible to everyone, so I worked hard to make sure that the technical stuff was accurate and true, but that understanding it in any detail was not at all required for enjoying the novel. Additionally, as I was getting started, I made a number of decisions about where the book was going to go. I had been a high school English teacher for about a decade, and, while my main area of expertise was the teaching of writing, specifically creative writing, I whole-heartedly enjoyed reading and teaching the classics: Melville, Shakespeare, Hemingway and the like. I loved how classic authors could take an often simple story and layer it with allegory so that everything represented not only itself, but an entire higher plane of story that was comprised of allusions, themes and symbols. So, I knew I wanted to write something that echoed back to those writers, something that I knew would take years and years to create. Coupled with this, though, was my love of fun, fantastical literature. Fast-paced stories with cool ideas really grab my attention and hold it. I can usually read two or three such books to one classic novel. Often times, these fast-paced, page-turners have nothing more to offer than a quick escape from reality. They're just entertaining stories. So, the challenge of taking these two somewhat opposing styles of writing and blending them together was what really inspired me. When I combined a main character I felt I knew well with the goal of writing a novel that combined these disparate genres, and then added all that to the beginnings of a plot I had stewing wherein a computer hacker, himself, gets hacked, I knew I had all the pieces I needed.

James R. Bottino is a self-admitted computer geek and a creative writing teacher rolled into one. He earned a BS in English Education from Illinois State University and taught high school English in a suburb of Chicago for several years. After teaching all day, he studied creative writing in graduate school at Northern Illinois University. All the while, though, in the deep corners of the night, when no one was looking, he led a double life hacking and building computers and networks. Eventually, unbeknownst to him, word of his activities leaked out, and employment offers started coming in. In the end, he switched his hobby with his profession and became a senior computer / networking administrator for a scientific research laboratory. Just six months into this position, however, tragedy struck when, at the age of 31, James was diagnosed with cancer. Given ten to one odds of living out the year and knowing that his infant daughter would never remember him if he died, he began the fight of his life, enduring massive doses of chemotherapy that killed the cancer but nearly killed him as well. After years of struggle, he survived, but only after enduring systemic nerve damage from the treatments that left him permanently photophobic, phonophobic and with frequent difficulty in using his hands. These events focused his efforts and helped him to prevail in his dual goals: being a father to his daughter and completing his first novel, THE CANKER DEATH. James currently lives in a suburb of Chicago, with his wife, daughter, two Australian cattle dogs and far, far too many books and abstruse computers.

James R. Bottino can be contacted at: "nokinis(at)thecankerdeath(dot)com"
http://www.thecankerdeath.com/
http://www.twitter.com/greyhame
http://www.facebook.com/jim.bottino

First Chapter Review: Simon Said (The Professor Simon Shaw Murder Mysteries) By Sarah R. Shaber

2012-02-08T23:21:00.003-05:00

I've always been a sucker for a good mystery. The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew Mystery Stories, and the Capital Crimes novels of Margaret Truman filled my childhood through my mid-twenties. Over the past few years, it's been the work of Marilyn Meredith/F.M. Meredith, Lisa Gardner, James Hayman and Heather Haven that has fed my love of the genre. Today I'm sharing one of the free mysteries I picked up this week.

TITLE: Simon Said

AUTHOR: Sarah R. Shaber

BLURB: Eyebrows are raised as yellow crime-scene tape drapes across the once-distinguished Colonial Bloodworth House. For the mansion, nestled cozily amidst the tranquil academia of Kenan College, may have once been the scene of a brutal murder.

The decayed body was found when archaeologist David Morgan conducted a dig beneath the original three rooms of the 1785 house-- he was only hoping to unearth some Colonial-era artifacts.

Professor Simon Shaw, Kenan College's youngest full-time professor, knows more about the house than anyone-- he even wrote a book about the historic building-- so naturally, Morgan enlists his professional friend for a little detective work. What Morgan has found, it seems, are the remains of the estate's heiress-- an unsolved missing persons case since 1926. As Simon digs deeper into this decades-old murder, he finds that someone still very much alive wants to put a permanent stop to his investigating.

COVER: Beautiful. With the story set in Raleigh, North Carolina, this is the perfect cover. The above cover is new for the Kindle edition. While the cover (see right) for the original paperback, which was released in 1997, is lovely, the added bits of red in the landscape make a big difference. The location of the stairs and the large window have been changed from the original cover, and we see the house from a different angle. I also like how the archaeological dig site is prominent on the new cover.

FIRST CHAPTER: This has to be one of the shortest first chapters I've ever read. Professor Simon Shaw is in his office bracing himself against an intense North Carolina day.

His secretary, Judy Smith, enters and tells him he's about to get a visitor. A policeman arrives to request he go over to Bloodworth House because Dr. Morgan, an archaeologist and the Professor's good friend, discovered a woman's body and it appears to have died at least fifty years ago. Based upon Dr. Morgan's examination, it looks likely that the woman did not meet a natural death.

KEEP READING: Definitely! As I mentioned, this is a very short chapter; but what Shaber manages to do is introduce our main character and then get him involved up to his eyeballs in a mystery. Dr. Morgan is his best friend. You can assume in Chapter Two Professor Shaw is walking over to Bloodworth House to see how he can help.

What the author also manages to do is quickly give us the setting. While we don't know what season it is, within the first paragraph, the Professor is working on a way to deal with the intense North Carolina day streaming in through his "old-fashioned Venetian blinds." She also draws a sharp picture of Professor Shaw's appearance and his office through the eyes of the policeman. The reader immediately gets a feel for who Shaw is.

I really want to see how this one turns out.

File Size: 313 KB
Publisher: Sarah R. Shaber (March 9, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
ASIN: B004RJ9G0U
SRP: $2.99

I downloaded a free copy of this book to my Kindle. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

Book Review: Unbridled Grace by Dr. Michael J. Norman

2012-02-08T00:00:00.002-05:00

What would you do if you found yourself accused of crimes you didn't commit? What if your situation seemed so hopeless your attorney implored you to take a plea deal because it was the best offer there was? What if it looked like your life was over and there was absolutely no way out except to place your faith in a God you barely knew?

This is the story Dr. Michael J. Norman shares in Unbridled Grace: A True Story about the Power of Choice.

Answering a two-line classified newspaper ad, naive and fresh out of school Norman takes a job to help supplement his private practice. What he doesn't know is that his employers are members of a Russian organized crime ring. Soon finding himself accused of crimes he didn't commit, his situation seems hopeless. His attorney pushes him to take a plea deal, even though Norman maintains his innocence.

With the support of his loving wife, Laura, a dedicated attorney, a friendship with a priest, and a renewed sense of faith, Norman is determined to fight. He soon discovers that making a choice for God can lead to miraculous rewards.

I had absolutely no idea what to expect from this story when Dr. Norman asked me to help promote this book. It almost seems too incredible of a story to be true, but I've known others who have unknowingly been drawn in by organized crime without an inkling of what was going on. My husband had a cousin who went into hiding for years as a result.

Unbridled Grace is without a doubt one of the most powerful stories of faith and redemption I've ever read. To know what the Normans went through, to witness Dr. Norman's reaching out to a God he barely remembered, and to watch as he places his entire life and his family's future in God's hands, is so inspiring. I'm in awe. I've been a Christian my entire life and I still struggle with handing over control of my life to God.

Each chapter ends with a meditation that will inspire and move you forward on your journey with Christ. This would be an excellent book to keep by your bedside, so you can be challenged on a regular basis to make a choice for God.

I highly recommend Unbridled Grace by Dr. Michael J. Norman. Even though I know how the story ends, I'm ready to read it all again.

Title: Unbridled Grace: A True Story about the Power of Choice
Author: Dr. Michael J. Norman
Paperback: 164 pages
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing, LLC (March 31, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1457500965
ISBN-13: 978-1457500961
SRP: $14.95
Also available in a Kindle edition

I received a free paperback copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I was paid a fee to promote this book through a virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book. That fee did not include a review. I received no monetary compensation of any kind to share my thoughts.

This is the seventh book I've read for the following challenge:

Book Review: Act of Grace by Karen Simpson

2012-02-07T01:42:00.000-05:00

Grace Johnson is an exceptional African American student from Vigilant, Michigan. A racially charged town, few people understand why Grace would take a bullet to save the life of a Ku Klux Klansman named Jonathan Gilmore; especially since rumor has it years ago a member of Gilmore’s family murdered several African Americans--including Grace’s father.

The Ancestor spirits won't be ignored, however. They insist Grace bear witness to her town's violent racial history, so that all involved might transcend it. Looking back over her actions, Grace wonders if she can do as the spirits asked: lead Gilmore, her hometown, and her own soul on a journey toward reconciliation, redemption and true grace.

Act of Grace by Karen Simpson is an eloquently written, intriguing mystical novel. Raised by an abusive, unloving mother, Grace is looking forward to graduation. Little does she know that her old life will soon be just a memory, as she is called by the Ancestors to bear witness to Vigilant's violent, racially charged past.

I can honestly say, I've never read a book like Act of Grace before. It captivated me quickly, and Simpson's eloquent prose unfolded the story slowly, like the blooming of a flower. Each layer revealed more as Grace shared her story. While I'm not typically a fan of books hosting a plethora of metaphors and similes, Simpson wove them into the plot in such a way that I couldn't imagine trying to read Grace's story without them. This did, however, lead to a slower development of the story. A great deal takes place within the book's 320 pages, and there were times I felt I had been reading forever, but was still less than halfway through it.

Act of Grace is as much a character driven novel as it is a plot driven one. The reader meets many strong personalities within the story. From Grace's mother to her aunts, from her cousin to her best friend and many more, these people will touch you or rub you the wrong way, but you won't be able to shake them. This is a story that will remain with you a long time.

I highly recommend Act of Grace by Karen Simpson.

Title: Act of Grace
Author: Karen Simpson
Publisher: Plenary Publishing (March 1, 2011)
ISBN-10: 0982777949
ISBN-13: 978-0982777947
SRP: $15.00 (paperback)
Also available in a Kindle edition.

I received a free electronic copy of this book through Pump Up Your Book in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation of any kind for this review.

This book is the sixth book I've read for the following challenge:

This book is the fourth book I've read for the following challenge:

This book is the first book I've read for the following challenge:

Interview with Nicolette Dumke, Author of Food Allergy and Gluten-Free Weight Loss

2012-02-06T00:45:00.000-05:00

Nickie Dumke enjoys helping people with food allergies and gluten intolerance find solutions to their health and weight problems. She began writing books to help others with multiple food allergies over 20 years ago and the process culminated in The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide. She says, “This book contains everything I know to help with food allergies,” and it has helped many people come back from near-starvation. Her other books address issues such as how to deal with time and money pressures on special diets, keeping allergic children happy on their diets, and more.

A few years ago, while listening to the struggles of an allergic friend on the Weight Watchers™ diet, she remembered her own weight struggles many years ago and thought, “There has to be a better way.” This was the beginning of a new quest, and she is now helping those who are overweight due to inflammation (often due to unsuspected food allergies) or high-in-rice gluten-free diets, as well as those who are not food sensitive but want to lose weight permanently, healthily, and without feeling hungry and deprived. Her unique approach to weight and health presented in Food Allergy and Gluten-Free Weight Loss is based on body physiology and reveals why conventional weight-loss diets work against rather than with our bodies and therefore rarely result in permanent weight loss.

Nickie has had multiple food allergies for 30 years and has been cooking for special diets for family members and friends for even longer. Regardless of how complex your dietary needs are or how much or little cooking you have done, she has the books and recipes you need. Her books present the science behind multiple food allergies and weight control in an easily-understood manner. She has BS degrees in medical technology and microbiology. She and her husband live in Louisville, Colorado and have two grown sons.

You can visit Nickie’s websites at http://www.foodallergyandglutenfreeweightloss.com/ and http://www.food-allergy.org/.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’ve had multiple food allergies for over 30 years, but my medical educational background and extensive cooking experience have given me tools to deal with allergies that some people lack. I guess the thing that defines me the most is that I am very much a family person.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Denver, Colorado. The house we lived in was next door to the 100+ year old farmhouse where my father was born. By the time I was born, my grandparents had divided up the land of their original farm and sold most of it to people who wanted to build houses, so we lived in an ordinary neighborhood. My grandparents lived next door in the farmhouse when I was very young, although by then they were farming a few miles north of where we lived.

What is your fondest childhood memory?

Sunday afternoons at my maternal grandparents’ house. All of my mother’s siblings and their spouses and children were there, and we got to play with our cousins. My grandmother prepared an Italian dinner for everyone (about 30 people), and my grandfather told amazing stories to entertain us.

When did you begin writing?

I began writing in the early 90s. Our older son had been diagnosed with multiple food allergies in 1987, and I quickly learned that it took a lot more variety in cooking to keep a child happy on a food allergy diet than it took for me. I told my mother what I had been cooking for him on a near-daily basis, and she advised me to write a cookbook so other mothers did not have to invent new recipes like I was doing. At first I said, “Nah!” Eventually I decided to take her advice and wrote Allergy Cooking With Ease.

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?

I usually write during the day. I find it easiest to make good progress if I have a long period of time for writing – like most of a day, without interruptions - rather than trying to write for an hour here and an hour there.

What is this book about?

Food Allergy and Gluten-Free Weight Loss is about the real reasons people gain or lose weight. Heavy individuals often are accused of lacking self-discipline or willpower. Yet, they may be skipping breakfast, eating moderately at lunch and dinner, exercising strenuously, and feeling hungry most of the time. Some of these factors, such as skipping meals and continual hunger, will compromise their body’s ability to burn fat. Weight is not determined solely by how many calories we eat minus how many calories we burn. Hormones, such as insulin, leptin, cortisol, and others, are what actually determine our weight and whether we burn body fat.

What inspired you to write it?

A friend provided the inspiration that got me started on the research for this book. However, before she inspired me, I had been hearing from and about many people who had gained weight on gluten-free diets, so I knew that there was a growing need for this book. A University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center newsletter reports that two years after being diagnosed with celiac disease and starting a gluten-free diet, 81% of the people in the study had gained weight, and 50% of them had a BMI (body mass index) of over 25, meaning that they were overweight. (http://www.celiacdisease.net/assets/documents/SP08CeliacCtr.News.v5final.pdf)

But back to my friend – she has multiple food allergies and was trying to follow the Weight Watchers™ program superimposed on her allergy diet. She was really struggling and losing little weight, although she was eating very lightly. I compared her struggle with the ease and lack of hunger I had experienced with my own weight loss over 30 years ago while on a plan that stabilized my blood sugar and insulin levels. Therefore, I thought, “There has to be a better way for her.” People with food allergies or gluten-intolerance must be able to lose weight with a system that allows flexibility for staying on their special diets but doesn’t require counting calories or being hungry.

In my research I discovered that in the last 30 years a tremendous amount of progress has been made in the science supporting the type of diet that worked for me. At that time, blood sugar and insulin were factors known to be involved in hunger and weight control. Today other hormones are known to be equally important – cortisol, leptin, eicosanoids, and more. A major breakthrough in the application of this science to real-world weight loss has been the development of the glycemic index. These factors all are pieces of the weight control puzzle. When we utilize all of them will we succeed at achieving and maintaining a healthy weight without hunger and constant struggle.

If you knew then, what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?

Yes. I would have self-published starting with my first book rather than seeking a publisher.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

They can purchase it online from Amazon.com, Barnes &Noble, or on either of my websites, http://www.foodallergyandglutenfreeweightloss.com/ or http://www.food-allergy.org/. I’m not sure where they can purchase it locally in most parts of the country, but in Denver, they can purchase it at The Tattered Cover Bookstores. NutriBooks, the major health food store book distributor, has the book, so local health food stores might carry it or can get it from NutriBooks.

Do you have a website and/or blog where readers can find out more?

Yes. If they visit http://www.foodallergyandglutenfreeweightloss.com/ they can read how to control their hormones so they can lose weigh easily, permanently and without hunger and can also learn more about the book.

What is the best investment you have made in promoting your book?

I’ve had the best results from co-op library mailings sent by the IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association). Library sales lead to sales to individual readers. I have many people call and say, “I’ve checked this book out three times and can’t check it out again. I want to order my own copy.” I’m hoping the online exposure I’m currently working on will also help.

What is up next for you?

I’m currently working on a revision of one of my older books, Easy Breadmaking for Special Diets. When I was researching and writing Food Allergy and Gluten-Free Weight Loss, I learned that sourdough bread has a low glycemic index score, thus making it ideal for the book’s eating plan to keep blood sugar stable and reduce inflammation. Years ago all sourdough bread was made using live wheat-containing sourdough starters. This meant that people with wheat allergy or gluten-intolerance could not eat sourdough bread. Now there is a freeze-dried starter that is wheat-free and gluten-free and also a new programmable bread machine that easily enables people on special diets to make sourdough bread they can eat. These new products, the next-generation sourdough recipes, and the usefulness of sourdough for weight loss warrant an update of Easy Breadmaking.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Yes. People who suffer from food sensitivities, inflammatory problems, or overweight may receive little real help from our medical system and, therefore, feel their problems lack solutions. I would like to offer them some hope. Their weight loss efforts have failed because the traditional approaches are based on fallacies. Rather than treating allergies and inflammatory diseases with drugs, one needs to find and deal with the root causes. An older book of mine, The Ultimate Food Allergy Cookbook and Survival Guide, discusses root causes of food allergies. Food Allergy and Gluten-Free Weight Loss tells individuals how to help themselves with inflammation and weight problems. Overweight is not all about calories; it’s about the hormonal control of body fat. By eating to keep blood sugar and insulin levels stable, we can affect the enzymes which allow us to burn recently-eaten food for energy (rather than storing it) and to burn body fat. By reducing inflammation, which inhibits the action of our master weight control hormone, leptin, we can regain normal self-regulating control of our weight. Knowledge is power; with it you can help yourself with problems for which “experts” have no real solutions.

Does Digital Publishing Give Authors An Unfair Advantage?

2012-02-05T20:01:00.002-05:00

An article on digital publishing appeared in the December 31, 2011 - January 1, 2012 edition of The Wall Street Journal. Journalist Nicholas Carr discussed the advantages and challenges that can come from being able to edit a book after it is published. You can read the entire article here.

Carr brought up how easy it would be to abuse this functionality: school boards exerting more influence over what students read, editing textbooks that don't fit in with local biases, and governments being able to tweak books to suit their political interests. I honestly hadn't thought of these issues, but I did start to wonder--does digital publishing give authors an unfair advantage over those who select traditional publishing?

Now, I'm sure one could argue the quality of traditionally published books is better. They might be right. Why is it, however, that a digitally published author should have the chance to correct errors or unclear passages, maybe even write a new ending for a book once it's available to the buying public? If a traditionally published author is willing to let his or her work stand as is, why shouldn't everyone? I remember an author once sending me a book to review. She mentioned in her email that she hoped I would realize this was her first book (she had released several other titles since that time, but this was the first in a series that I had won in a giveaway), and she had grown as a writer in the years that followed. Imagine not having to say that. Imagine having the chance to alter your book after receiving a few less than positive reviews.

And it's not only the text that can be altered when you publish digitally. I've known more than one author who changed the cover art of the book after it was published--some made more than one change. It makes one wonder if in this digital world there are "Books That Are Never Done Being Written."

What do you think?

Great Deal at Amazon on Books by Soren Paul Petrek

2012-02-02T14:32:00.000-05:00

Cold Lonely Courage by Soren Paul Petrek is currently available for FREE from the Amazon Kindle Store.

"Madeleine Toche races to the front to find her mortally wounded brother, Ives, as the Germans continue their attack on France. Her twin now lost to her forever, Madeleine grieves with her parents until she is brutally raped by a SS Stormtrooper. Hell bent on revenge, she becomes a trained assassin who seeks out her targets in the name of France and all she has lost."

Read the rest of my review at http://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2011/07/book-review-cold-lonely-courage-by.html

Now available are Patience County War and Angels Don't Die.

When an American agent is taken hostage, famed WWII assassin, Madeleine Toche resurfaces to rescue him, taking on the PLO and all comers in the middle of Israel’s Yom Kippur War. Toche, feared as the Angel of Death, must send the PLO a bloody message, release the agent or die. With the help of the Mossad, Toche unleashes her fury, leaving a path of destruction everywhere she goes.

Only $2.99!

Be on the look for our reviews of these new releases.

First Chapter Review: A Promise to Keep by L.C. Lang

2012-02-02T10:44:00.001-05:00

I'm still not out of Christmas reading mode, but this is one of my recent free grabs from Kindle, so I thought I would share it with you.

TITLE: A Promise to Keep

AUTHOR: L.C. Lang

BLURB: Marcie Jackson is a new state police detective. At her first crime scene, she finds a gold link bracelet, the same bracelet she had found near her late fiancé‘s body. At first, she figures it is just a coincidence, but there are more murders. And more bracelets. Marcie is sure she knows who is behind it, but has to prove it. During her investigation, she finds a major drug organization. When she finds the real force behind the organization, she is in a race for her life.

COVER: I like it. The grey marble signifies death and the red rose--love. While you can't see much of the engraving on the stone, you do get the words "Love Lives On" and see what appears to be entwined rings above it, which can signify not only the unity of love, but the bracelets the main character keeps finding at the murder scenes.

FIRST CHAPTER: We meet Marcie on the first day of her new job as a state police detective. The only woman, she is pretty much dismissed by this all boys club. Even her partner, Mark, isn't friendly. She keeps reminding herself however, that she's doing this for Jerry, her deceased fiancé.

She and Mark are called in to investigate the murder of a family--parents, three girls and a boy. They meet Detective John Anderson of the Indianapolis Metro Police Department at the scene. Again, Marcie is ignored by her colleagues, so she takes out her notebook, jots down what she hears, and begins sketching what she sees. In the master bedroom Marcie finds an expensive gold link bracelet just like the one she found near Jerry after he was murdered. Maybe it's just a coincidence.

KEEP READING: Not likely. This story is told from Marcie's point of view as a first person narrator. This is a difficult POV to get right. It limits you to what the narrator can see, feel, hear, etc. When you have a strong narrator, the challenge is to show more than you tell. The first chapter tells the reader everything Marcie experiences through her thoughts and senses, but it isn't a deep POV. Here are two examples:

"I am wearing a pair of black slacks, a burgundy turtleneck sweater, and a matching black jacket."

"Down the hallway was a small room that was sort of a mini lunchroom. Inside the room were a small table and two chairs, three vending machines and a coffee pot sitting on a small shelf."

Add to this the many overused words ("building" is used five times in the first paragraph), and it makes for a choppy read.

The idea has great promise. The first person POV could still work if it was deepened to make the reader feel she was alongside Marcie experiencing things with her instead of like she's being spoken at from a distance.

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 300 KB
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B005110K3A
Currently listed as FREE

I downloaded a free copy of this book to my Kindle. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

$10 Amazon Gift Card Winner

2012-02-02T09:56:00.000-05:00

Congratulations goes out to Julie L. the winner of our $10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway! Thanks to everyone who participated. I appreciate the many comments your provided with great feedback. Thank you also for your loyal readership.

Look for more giveaways coming soon.

Interview with Kerry Downing, Author of Time Slice

2012-02-01T00:10:00.000-05:00

Kerry Downing set out to become a meteorologist but was hooked by the world of computers instead, becoming a systems analyst and programmer. Astronomy and science fiction are his true passions and he’s been gazing at the stars during all hours of the night since the age of 10 when he received his first telescope.

An avid science-fiction reader, Arthur C. Clarke and his brand of “it really seems as if it could happen” literature has always been his favorite.

In the 90s, Kerry found the third love of his life: his wife, Lucy. They live in St. Louis, Missouri, with their five children.

This is Kerry’s second science-fiction novel. You can find him on the Web at http://www.kerrydowning.com/, or follow him on twitter via @KGDWrites.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Florissant, MO, a suburb of St. Louis. It was a good place to grow up, and I had what I would call a fairly normal childhood. You know, the usual stuff. Good friends to play with, hated going to school everyday, got bullied a few times. Good old Americana.

My dad bought me my first telescope when I was 10 years old and got me hooked on astronomy. I’ve always like reading and kind of naturally gravitated towards science-fiction, although I’ll read just about any genre of book, or at least try it once.
When did you begin writing?

I’ve been a writer of one sort or another for as long as I can remember. My first recognition came in high school when I won a short story contest, and a day off from school! Now that’s a prize that money just can’t buy.

I started my first actual novel back in the late 90s. It all began because my wife expressed an interest in trying to write, but she couldn’t come up with any ideas she thought were good enough or had enough meat on their bones. While we were talking about it, I started telling her about an idea I had, thinking that might spark something in her. After an hour or so of me going on and on about my idea, she suggested that maybe I should be the one to write a book.

I really had no idea whether or not I could do it, but after three months of work the first draft was completed.

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?

When I am actively in the midst of working on a project, I like to write first thing in the morning. I normally won’t even sit down and start unless I have at least two hours to devote. I’ve found that if I wait until later in the day I’m just too mentally tired to be creative.

The only exception would be if I’m just trying to make a few tweaks to something I’ve already completed. That I can do in snippets as time permits.

What is this book about?

Time Slice is a story about normal people placed into extraordinary circumstances. While a science-fiction/fantasy novel (as my sister told me, it must be science-fiction because it has an alien in it!), it’s also a story about the ups and downs of family life, and the connection between husband and wife. As I like to say, it’s science-fiction with heart.

Here’s some details!

Even though Roy Washburn has only been retired a few months, he’s already bored. When he finds a small metal cylinder with odd markings on an all-too-routine trip to the mall with his wife, he can’t help but investigate.

With just a nudge of the cylinder’s triangle shaped pointer, Roy finds he can float back and forth in the time stream and learns that countless civilizations inhabit “his” Earth, each occupying their own thin slice of time. During his travels, Roy encounters a tall, gangly creature, the Traveler, who knows more than a little about the cylinder and who needs Roy’s help.

Roy’s clandestine experiments with the cylinder continue even after learning that his wife is terminally ill. Roy’s daughter sees this inattentiveness to her mother as just another in a long line of black marks against dear old Dad, and further proof that he hasn’t changed over the years. The chasm between father and daughter widens.

Faced with his wife’s sickness, a daughter who resents him, and an alien who needs his help, Roy must decide whether to use the cylinder to satisfy his own wants or to help those closest to him through their crises. Much to his surprise, the goals are not mutually exclusive.

What inspired you to write it?

I was inspired by a concept I heard about while listening to a course on Time and Space. Yes, I’m that big of a geek. I spend my time in the car driving to/from work listening to CDs about the Theory of Relativity and the like. But I digress …

The idea is called Gravitational Time Dilation. It states that the time a person experiences varies based on the gravitational field they are in. A person flying in an airplane, for example, is in a slightly lower gravitational field than someone standing on earth, so the passage of time they experience is slightly (very slightly) different than that experienced by their earth-bound brother.

So, being a writer, I took that little kernel of information and wondered if maybe there are other civilizations that inhabit these other time frames. We all share the same earth, just at slightly different times.

The characters and storyline all stemmed from that one idea.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

Time Slice is available in Kindle ($4.95) and paperback editions on Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, and Amazon Japan.

Other electronic versions are offered on Smashwords, BN.com, Google Ebooks or at any of the major online ebook stores.

I’m currently working on getting bookstores such as Barnes and Noble to carry Time Slice, but no luck quite yet.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

My one piece of advice would be to write for only one reason: because you love it. Don’t write to become rich or famous. It’s not likely that either of those things will happen. If that’s your motivation, I wish you well but the chances are overwhelming that your quest will end in frustration.

If you write simply for the joy of writing, there’s no way you can fail. When your family reads and appreciates what you’ve done you’ll light up like a Christmas tree. If you happen to get published, when you have your first sale you’ll light up like Las Vegas.

Best of all, even if nobody ever reads it but you, it will still be worth it because you did something you loved to do. What better way to spend your time can there possibly be?

What is up next for you?

Immediately next for me is continuing to try and get the word out about Time Slice. If you, dear reader, feel so inclined to help me do that, please feel free!

As far as writing goes, I think there’s probably a sequel to Time Slice in the offing. There might also be a prequel to my first novel, The Collective.

I’m also exploring the idea of publishing a collection of my short stories.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Just one other note about Time Slice. Some reviews have indicated that it’s a novel about “Time Travel”. That isn’t quite accurate. In fact, it’s not accurate at all.

To me, a novel about time travel involves either going back or forward in time to a past/future era. Time Slice puts forth the idea that there are countless civilizations in the time stream, each separated by only a few milliseconds. All of these civilizations are sharing the same home (“our” Earth) but we don’t know of each others existence because each one is trapped in their own slice of the time stream (hence the name, Time Slice!).

If only there was a device that would let us slip backwards and forwards in the time stream to see these other civilizations … if only …

Kerry Downing web site:

http://www.kerrydowning.com

Kerry Downing blog:

http://kgdwrites.blogspot.com

Kerry Downing Twitter:

https://www.twitter.com/KGDWrites

Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186

Time Slice blog tour site:

http://timesliceblogtour.blogspot.com

Paperback
Price: $17.95
ISBN: 9781603818520
Pages: 256
Release: June 10, 2011

Amazon buy link

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1603818529?tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes&Noble.com buy link

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/time-slice-kerry-downing/1102590047?ean=9781603818520&itm=1&usri=time%252bslice

eBook
Price: $4.95

Kindle buy link

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0052MNKT4?tag=tributebooks-20
Nook buy link

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Time-Slice/Kerry-Downing/e/2940011342554

Smashwords buy link

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/61838?ref=tributebooks

Lifting the Wheel of Karma Winners!

2012-01-30T22:15:00.001-05:00

Congratulations go out to April S. and Farrah A. They each won a copy of Lifting the Wheel of Karma by Paul Magid. I have already emailed them. They have 72 hours to respond before I select new winners.

Thanks to all who participated. Don't forget about our $10 Amazon Gift Card giveaway that's going on right now. You can find a link in the sidebar to enter for your chance to win.

First Chapter Review: Unexpected Gifts by Elena Aitken

2012-01-30T10:09:00.000-05:00

Maybe you're thinking I better reconcile myself to the fact that the holiday season is over and start reading something else, but I'm not quite there yet. I have tons of books set during different time periods once I'm ready, though.

TITLE: Unexpected Gifts

AUTHOR: Elena Aitken

BLURB: Let it snow! Cozy up to the Castle Mountain Lodge in the middle of the remote Canadian Rockies for Unexpected Gifts.

Christmas represents everything Andi Williams is supposed to have, and doesn't. Running away to a remote mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies, sounds like the perfect way to escape, until a mix-up finds her sharing a villa with sexy, rough around the edges, Colin Hartford.

Colin's determination to enjoy the holiday he’s missed for the last five years, sweeps Andi into a season of joy that she’s not sure she’s ready for. Can Andi open herself up to everything the holidays have to offer...including love?

COVER: Not bad. You can definitely tell it's a seasonal story. It doesn't, however, tell me it's a romance novel. If you don't want to put a couple in a romantic setting on the cover, then why not a snow-covered log cabin nestled in the woods with smoke filtering out of the chimney. This would indicate not only the setting, but the smoke reminds you of warmth and the people who might be snuggling up by the fireplace. For a romance novel, this cover is kind of cold.

FIRST CHAPTER: The reader meets Andi Williams and her business partner, Eva. They run a party planning business, which is doing so well they have hired two girls to help out. This makes it easier on Andi, who is dealing with a recent tragedy that has left her feeling miserable. She just wants Christmas to be over. An unexpected change in plans has her heading to the Castle Mountain Lodge to spend the holidays by herself curled up with a good book in front of the fire.

KEEP READING: Sure. The scene has been set for what we know is to come--Andi meeting with "sexy, rough around the edges, Colin Hartford." You don't know yet how they are going to meet and what the immediate result will be, but you're certainly interested. The tragedy that changed Andi's life makes her a sympathetic character who you want to see find happiness.

Eva is funny and beautiful. She genuinely cares about Andi and hopes things will get better for her, which is why she suggests the free invitation from the lodge as a way to escape it all. This breaks the mold in that the female and male lead haven't met in the first chapter, but it is done so well that you are already captivated by the story and are eager for Andi and Colin to catch first sight of each other.

Publisher: Ink Blot Communications (November 11, 2011)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B0066HBGCM
SRP: $2.99

I downloaded a free copy of this book to my Kindle. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

Book Review: Words of Inspiration from Your Own Kind by Rachel Greer

2012-01-27T01:54:00.001-05:00

Looking for a fresh voice in modern literature? Looking for a poetry collection that is both modern and evergreen? Looking for a collection of words that is both edgy and touching?

You'll find all this in Words of Inspiration from Your Own Kind by Rachel Greer.

Covering a diverse set of topics this collection of poetry provides a glimpse into life as we know it--the good and the bad. From love to fulfilling dreams, from knowing when it's time to let go to coping with those who don't understand your ambition, and from leaving your mark to living with life's choices, Words of Inspiration from Your Own Kind reaches deep into the heart.

Profound in a raw and edgy way, this collection gets you thinking. It embraces life's adversities and inspires the individual to reach high.

There is some profanity and a few grammar and spelling issues, but the true focus is on the messages contained within this slim book's pages. Rachel Greer is a young writer to keep your eye on.

Title: Words of Inspiration from Your Own Kind
Author: Rachel Greer
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN-10: 1456738046
ISBN-13: 978-1456738044
SRP: $14.99 (paperback)

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

This is the fifth book I've read for the following challenge:

First Chapter Review: My Christmas Angels by Jason W. Chan

2012-01-26T14:27:00.000-05:00

There are so many seasonal titles I wanted to read this year, but I couldn't get to them. After reading the blurb about this book I picked it up for free on Kindle.

TITLE: My Christmas Angels

AUTHOR: Jason W. Chan

BLURB: My Christmas Angels is a tragic yet heartwarming Christmas story about Greg, a single father in his twenties, and Angie, his lively six-year old daughter, living in poverty in Vancouver. When they are evicted from their home, they move in with Greg's ex-girlfriend, Jessica, for whom he still has feelings. Just as their romance blossoms, Angie suffers a concussion and slips into a coma.

Riddled with grief and guilt, Greg stays at his daughter's side night and day. As the Christmas season approaches, he comes to terms with the possibility that his daughter may never wake up. He is advised to keep busy so he buries his grief in doing good deeds. Uplifted, Greg takes solace in the realization that great tragedy can give birth to great blessings.

COVER: Simple, yet nice. Appropriate for the story, but it screams self-published.

FIRST CHAPTER: The book opens on a cold November day with an unknown person on a street corner waving a sign asking for help. The reader soon discovers Greg, a twenty-something father, is jobless and on the verge of being evicted. He is the narrator of this story, and the reader soon learns how he got to be where he is right now. Luckily he has his daughter, Angie, to make his life better. A proud man, he refuses to take money from Angie's teacher, but ends up bringing his child to the local soup kitchen for a good meal. There he meets up with his ex-girlfriend Jessica. In the back of his mind, he wishes he could find a way to get Angie a Christmas tree with an angel on top, just like she wants.

KEEP READING: Probably not. Between the awkward sentence structure and the lack of character depth, I don't think I could make it through the whole book. While Greg is a first person narrator, he doesn't draw me in. As desperate as his situation is, I can't sympathize with his plight. His actions don't really make sense. He's willing to stand out on a street corner and suffer that humiliation hoping for a few bucks, but when his daughter's teacher offers him a hundred dollars he turns her down, knowing his child will suffer for it. When he enters the soup kitchen and sees Jessica, he almost leaves without letting his daughter eat so that he's not embarrassed by Jessica finding out what has happened to him after all these years.

My understanding from reading other reviews of this novella is this is a true story. I would be curious what the real details are. This seems like a story of great promise, but it needs an editor to shape it into one that captivates readers.

Publisher: Jason W. Chan Entertainment Group (December 7, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B004FN21J6

I downloaded a free copy of this book to my Kindle. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

Book Review:Purity's Big Payoff / Premarital Sex is a Big Rip-off Edited by Donna Lee Schillinger

2012-01-25T14:56:00.002-05:00

If you have a teen or know a single person who is working to stay pure until marriage as God intended, a great gift would be Purity's Big Payoff / Premarital Sex is a Big Rip-off edited by Donna Lee Schillinger.

This two-sided book is filled with inspiring stories. One side holds stories from people who experienced the benefits of saving themselves for marriage, and the other has ones from people who learned the hard way that premarital sex takes away a precious God-given gift you can't fully recapture.

What I loved about this book is how real the stories are. Those who spoke of saving their gift for their spouse didn't always find it easy. They set boundaries and they pushed them. While some people didn't even kiss until their wedding day, others got very close to giving it all up for a night or a few nights of passion. On the reverse side, the reader gets to hear first hand of how damaging promiscuity can be to your body and soul. These weren't easy stories to read. Some of them were frightening: multiple abortions, multiple marriages, molestation that led to deceit in future relationships, etc.

Schillinger opens Purity's Big Payoff by talking about sexuality on network TV. I was right there with her. I'm afraid to turn on the TV in front of my kids some days. It's also prevelant in music, where every popular song seems to be about hooking up, sex, and being sexy.

On the flip side, in Premarital Sex is a Big Rip-off the editor gives a great history lesson on how society viewed premarital sex over the years. It's like the pendulum has come full swing, and just like it was thousands of years ago, premartial sex is common today.

I think every church should have a copy of this book to share with its youth. Learning to respect and appreciate our God-given gift can make a difference in the lives of these young people. Purity's Big Payoff / Premarital Sex is a Big Rip-off can be the start of meaningful discussions for parents too.

Title: Purity's Big Payoff/Premarital Sex is a Big Rip-off
Editor: Donna Lee Schillinger
Publisher: The Quilldriver
ISBN-10: 0979163927
ISBN-13: 978-0979163920
SRP: $14.99

I received a free copy of this book from the editor in exchange for my honest opinion. I received no monetary compensation for this review.

This is the fourth book I've read for the following challenges: