Book Review: Latina Authors and their Muses by Mayra Calvani

I volunteered to read and review this non-fiction book. First off, I didn't like the format of the book. It is a collection of one interview after the other. While it is okay to read an interview, this many was a bit of a challenge. The author interviewed 40 Latina authors.

What I should have done, and only realised this about 40% through, was to check the table of contents first to see if I knew any of the authors being interviewed. Not personally of course, but knew as in have read any of their books.

I wasn't familiar with the majority of the authors, purely because I don't read in their genre. I did find one author who happened to be a favourite of mine, Caridad Piñeiro. I love her books and skipped immediately to her interview.

I would suggest that you do the same if you want to read this book.

From the interviews I did read, and I read many of them in detail, the authors were forthcoming in their answers. Their words could serve as inspiration to many young and new authors, and not only if you are of South American descent.

The interviews showed that even though these Latin ladies are published, and many award-winning and best-selling authors, their struggles would be familiar to many authors or aspiring authors. I quite liked their comments on their muses. Despite their sometimes humorous take on the muse, it is clear that inspiration is only a small part of the story and hard work the true way to get things done.

If you are looking to read a book about how real authors deal with the daily grind of producing stories and how they got to be where they are today, this will open your eyes to what the real life of a writer is like.

I give it 

35 Day Blog Challenge - Day 7: Review a book (part 1)

Photograph by Linzé

This is the first of three posts about book reviews. The second will be aimed specifically at reviewing erotica or erotic romance, so watch out for that if you need some guidance. The third will be about reviewing non-fiction.

I am a blog host for two websites, and every now and then I volunteer to read and review books for them. While my first choice of genre is romance, I also read and review mysteries.
So how do you review a book that you liked?
That is the easy one. But I have a request: please don't tell me the story...seriously! I really can read. Rehashing the synopsis or summarizing the story (without giving away the ending, of course) is really not helpful. That is why the author/publisher adds a summary/teaser to the book or website so people can see what the story is about.
What I want to know when I read a review, is what you liked about the characters, or the plot, or the story. Why should I also read this book? Is the hero hot and sexy, yet an interesting character to read about? Is his enemy a multidimensional character with his own issues, making you almost want to root for him instead? Is the story believable? Does the plot keep your attention to such an extent that you lost sleep in order to finish the book?
Do you like the way the author wrote the story? Can you smell the roses? Will you pay money to read another book from the same author?
The answers to these questions tell me what your experience was when you read the story, and that is what I want to know.

But how do you review a book that you wouldn't normally read? I am honest, I do not like reading out of my preferred genres, but sometimes someone asks and then I say I will do it.
Since I am a romance lover, happy endings are part of the definition of the genre. Now I read  a book where a happy ending is not a guarantee, and oftentimes it can be tragic. Okay, so I don't like the ending, now what? Do I shoot down the book? Of course not.
I don't give the ending away, but if I am not careful in writing my review, the tone of I might give my displeasure of it away and that would be unfair to the author.
So how do I tackle a review, of say a literary novel, where the ending may not have been to my liking? I do it the same way as a review of any other book.
The characters, the story and the writing. Just because I may not have liked the book, does not mean that the book has no merit and cannot be enjoyed by a number of people.
So instead of shooting it down outright, unless the writing is bad or the characters one dimensional, I will say what I did like. Even if you don't know the technical details of creative writing, you can still write a positive review.

See you tomorrow!

If you want to see what the other participants are blogging about, you can find their blogs here. Why not pop on over and leave a comment?

Book Review: Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine

I spotted this book, small as it is, on a bookshelf in a secondhand bookstore and took about three seconds before deciding to buy it. It was only once I started reading it, that I realised it is intended for children older than eight who want to learn how and what to write. I kept on reading. Why? Because the book is straight forward. No fancy words, no trying to explain abstract concepts and leaving the reader, or writer, hanging.

Short chapters to explain the essence of dialogue, characterisation, using your senses when writing, showing not telling, etc. Each chapter has at least one example that illustrates the content and at the end there is a section with recommended exercises to practice.

The author touches on aspects such rejection letters, but mostly the book is focused on writing. My favourite lines from the book comes from the chapter about writing for oneself, journal writing if you like.

"It also makes me more of a writer. It makes writing penetrate all the way into the marrow of my bones. It makes writing as natural for me as thinking and talking."

Thank you, Gail for reminding me what my writing means to me.

Linzé's Rating: 





Find the book on Amazon

Thank you to the Reviewers!

I have a confession to make: once I have a book published, I sort of forget about it. Not completely or irrevocably, but I move on to the next project. Often the next book is already a completed first draft, or close to getting there. My head is filled with ideas and since I started writing at a fairly mature age (read thirty or so) I have a lot of time to make up to get all my ideas written, edited, or published.
Today I browsed around on Goodreads to see which of my books I still have to add, and the status of the ones on my bookshelf where I need to write a review or ten.
Somewhere in this browsing, I came across reviews for STORM Vol I and Vol II which were a group project published last year. I was flabbergasted at the nice things people wrote about the stories in both volumes.
If you recall STORM is an anthology around a common theme, but any genre suitable for adults (excluding erotica) were allowed for the contributing authors.
Personally I have published two more books since STORM, but it was truly a wonderful experience to be reminded that there are other people who enjoy reading as much as I do. Discovering authors unknown to them and being surprised at the stories they wrote.

It also reminded me that books I read and review for other authors, will hopefully inspire them to write more books for me to enjoy.

A big thank you for each and every reader that takes the time to write a review, you make an author's day every time!

💜  💜   💜   💜   💜

Book Review (& Tour): Antique Magic by Eileen Harris

 Goodreads I Amazon 

Linzé: I reviewed the first book in the series. Keep an eye out for reviews on the next ones.

It is a fact that I have mentioned on several occasions: I am a huge fan of the amateur sleuth mystery genre, and I have found another author to add to my to-read list.

I volunteered to review the Alicia Trent series written by Eileen Harris, and what a find that turned out to be. The first book, Antique Magic, introduces the series and the main character, Alicia, aka Ali to the reader. I fell in love with Ali, and her partner Barry, almost from the get go. Together they own an antique's store and while I am no collector, the passion the characters show for their vocation could almost convince anyone to start up the hobby.

Antiques come with histories, good or bad, and invariably some mystery will be attached to those histories making for a good background to the series. I like Ali's persistence and enthusiasm to get to the bottom of the mystery she is investigating. Barry is a good supporting character to provide the sidekick role in the series.

The reader are drawn into the details as Ali digs deeper into the mystery and murder that results as the story unfolds. There is a little romance happening, which adds to the realness of the main character, while other characters are depicted in a likeable and realistic way, each with their own uniqueness.

The magic component to the story was unusual, but not overwhelmingly in your face. Ali gets a clue or two from the magical items, but the mystery does not depend on this alone. A definite point in the author's favour.

Like all good mysteries the truth is well concealed, but could be detected by the reader who pays very close attention to the story, and not only to the clues. Even if you are not a sleuth, the story is very enjoyable and the aha! moment not so much of a surprise that it cannot be believed.

Antique Magic earns a well deserved four stars for the first book in a series.

Tour Schedule

Series Review: The Knitting Mystery Series by Maggie Sefton

I can just hear the eyes rolling out there. Knitting? Seriously?
And I going to say, yes! But while there may be a knitting pattern at the end of the book, this mystery sleuth is not one to be trifled with.
Enter Kelly Flynn, self-employed accountant, softball player, property owner and murder investigator.
Sure she knits, but only learns to do so when she moves to Fort Connor and starts a new life.
Meet Kelly's circle of friends who supports her through the good and bad of life and its relationships, to say nothing of applying their considerable combined brainpower (lawyer, architect, therapist, real estate agent, computer programmer, and more) to help her solve murders happening in and around their town.
But real life happens too and the difficulties of the farmers, a down turn in the economy, changes in relationships are brought to life in this very entertaining series.
The stories follow a timeline and I would recommend that you read them in order. And being the romantic at heart, I am forever holding my breath to see if Kelly finds the love that she deserves. :)

A series well worth reading, even if you don't care for knitting! Lots of interesting facts about alpaca farming, wool dyeing and spinning are woven into the story without being just dry facts to make up the page count.

In my book this series deserves 5 stars all the way!

Series Review: A Books by the Bay Mystery series by Ellery Adams

May it not be said that having money solves all your problems. Meet Olivia Limoges. Millionaire. Aspiring author. Orphan. Business owner. And amateur sleuth.
Accompanied by her canine companion Captain Haviland and her ever helpful Oyster Bay writers group, murder crosses her path more often than she would like.
Of course it helps that one of the writers and a close friend is the local police chief Rawlings.

After years of being away Olivia returns to her home town to finally settle down and get some closure to all the things haunting her - hopefully.
What she did find were new friends, maybe a boyfriend, and murder happening on her doorstep!
Not the kind of homecoming anyone would wish for herself.

Linzé's Comments: I have read several books in the series and I really hope that Ms Adams will write many more. I love the characters and the interaction in the writers' group as they struggle with their novels, their daily lives and of course, putting their collective intellects together to solve the murders plaguing their town.
As the series progresses you learn more about Olivia and her difficult childhood and while she is an intensely private person, I constantly hope that amidst all the murder and mayhem there would be someone waiting in the wings to love her. Hey, I am a sucker for romance!

There is no label on the cover to show that Ms Adams is a best-selling author, but to my mind she should be. I love the books and can highly recommend the series to any mystery lover.

The series earns 5 stars from me :)

Series Review: Hamish MacBeth Mystery series by MC Beaton

A few years ago I found out that I have Scottish ancestors. Scotland is also one of the places that I want to visit before I die.
So reading this mystery series falls right into my "bucket list" if you want to call  it that.

While the sleuth is not an amateur, he is a police officer, the location and isolation of the village requires his investigative skills to rely on more than forensics and science.
Hamish MacBeth is not you average police officer. People call him lazy and the lord of the manor is of the opinion that he is not good enough to be considered for the dinner guest list. But underneath that veneer of society's perceptions, Hamish is a man that understands people and the things that make them tick, or is that what drives them to murder?
A series with very likeable characters, Hamish is not liked by all, the least of which is another officer who believes that Hamish's ambition is to take his job.
With his dog, hens and sheep to care for, a girlfriend of whom he is not always so sure of, and villagers who are perpetually up to no good, life is never the laid back, lazy thing that he is often accused of.
Set in the Scottish Highlands, in the village of Lochdubh, the reader experiences the life and love and investigations of Hamish MacBeth through the series of 25 books (so far).
Ms Beaton has written several series of books under various pen names, of which the Hamish MacBeth Mystery series is the longest running.

I always look forward to the next book on my reading list, and it is always one of the first that I would read when my order is delivered.

Worth its rave reviews and five stars? Definitely!

Series Review: The Cat Who Series by Lilian Jackson Braun

This is the first of the promised amateur sleuth series reviews I mentioned in August. I deferred the posts until the Follow Me Tour was over.

If you are a mystery fan and cat (or animal) lover this series will grab your attention straight away.
The sleuth of the series is a Siamese cat called Kao K'o Kung (Koko for short). He meets his human assistant James Qwilleran in the first book when he is left homeless after his first owner is murdered.
Of course a male needs companionship, and Yum Yum is the perfect female to fit into his domain. They have Qwill well trained when it comes to their choices in food, nothing so ordinary as canned tuna, thank you very much!
These three characters, Qwill, Koko and Yum Yum, will steal your heart and before you know it you will be as addicted as I am. Fortunately, there are many still for me to read. Ms Braun wrote 30 books in the series before she passed away in 2011.
I read the books in order, and find that it is best to do that. The mystery in each book stands on its own, but the backstory is better understood if you read them in order. Aside from the mystery to be solved in each book, you follow the path of James Qwilleran (Qwill to his friends), a middle aged, recovering alcoholic newspaper reporter, who also wants to write a novel. His return to the world of newspaper ink, also brings some really weird, funny and interesting people crossing his path to give added colour to the stories.
Life events, interesting women (read sometime girlfriends), cats with attitude and murders make for an entertaining series with the three companions as they dig up (or dig out) clues to find the murderers.
If you love character driven stories, old fashioned murder mysteries, and cats that have their own personalities, this series is definitely for you.

Blog Tour: Summer at Castle Stone by Lynn Marie Hulsman

Excerpt

Heading out of the wind, and down the icy steps to the supper club, I was grateful that Maggie had let me off the hook and allowed me to wear her wedge-heeled boots instead of the ones with the skinny heels. The place was all leather, and wood, and scarlet tapestry. I was glad the club was warm, and not one of those sterile chrome-and-glass affairs. 

I pulled off my hat, and tried to fluff my crushed, damp hair. Scanning the bar for Jordan, I panicked, realizing I didn’t know what he looked like. There was a blonde guy walking out of the restroom. I raised my eyebrows and smiled. He put his arm around a thin brunette in a leather jacket and gave me a stern look. This was a stupid idea. I pulled my hat back on, ready to leave.

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders, and I spun around, ready to snap. I recognized the green-eyed man as Jordan. Wow. He was actually a man. I didn’t remember him as being so filled out.

“Hi, Shayla? Are you all right? You look, uh, upset.”

“No! Not at all. Hey…you!” Brimming with nervous energy, I went in to kiss his cheek, to seem like a smooth player. When I lunged in, I caught my toe on his heavy boot. I fell forward, and he grabbed me hard by both elbows. Whipping his head around to keep his balance, he cracked me in the bridge of the nose with his jawbone. 

“Motherfuh …  uh…uh…oh, man,” I stopped myself from swearing even though I saw stars. The pain was so sharp, I didn’t even worry that blood was dripping onto my (Maggie’s) silk turtleneck. At least it was black. 

“Hang on,” I heard Jordan say. I couldn’t see him with my eyes squenched shut. In a flash he was back, shoving a handful of bar naps into my hand. I pressed them to my bleeding nose, and managed to open my eyes. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and on his lips sat the threat of a smile. “Why don’t we sit down?”

“OK,” I said through my napkins, “but not at the bar.”

Taking my arm, Jordan led me to a cozy leather banquette. “Two Maker’s Mark Manhattans,” he said to a passing waitress. I wanted a vodka and soda with lemon, but I let it go. “Why not at the bar?”

“I swore off perching on bar stools on my 21st birthday. Friends took me out to celebrate, and I woke up so sore the next day I felt like I needed traction. I like to be comfortable.” 

“Are you comfortable now?” He asked, smiling. “Because I am. It’s nice to relax with a gorgeous woman.”

My hand flew to my nose to make sure it was clean. “Ha ha, yes, this place is great. Small warm rooms feel kind of like a hug.”

He cocked his head and smiled. “I just have a thing about… I don’t know… not being cold. I positively will not go into a cold Lucite and metal bar. At least not in winter. It’s one of my rules.”

“You have a lot of rules.”

“No I don’t,” I said automatically. “They’re not rules, per se. Just ways that make sense to live.”

Find the book on Amazon

Linzé - I volunteered to review Summer at Castle Stone and you can find my impressions here.

AtoZ Blog Challenge: R is for REVIEWS

Do you love books? Fiction? Non-fiction? Did you know that by leaving a review for the author will not only help the author, but will also tell other readers about the book?
I am guilty of the sin of reading many books but not formally reviewing enough of them. As a published author I need reviews on my books, and have been taking mental notes while reading to do exactly do that more often.
So how do you review a book? Here are a few tips to help you out.
And while I am on the subject - our writers' group anthology will be published in June 2014, and we are asking for 50 people to volunteer to review for us. We have had people already asking for the ARC (advance review copy) but there are more copies available. Please let me know if you are interested. You can read more about the anthology and how to contact us here.

M is for Murder, Mystery and Mayhem - Coming in March!

Tweet me or tell me on Facebook -

reserve your spot and share your thoughts, reviews and authors of your favourite genre

coming this March on the Broomstick.

♥

February is Fantasy Fan Month

Tweet me (#FEBFANMONTH) or tell me on Facebook -

reserve your spot and share your thoughts, reviews and authors of your favourite genre

this February on the Broomstick.

♥

Book Tour - KEEPER OF THE DRAGON SWORD - last week

It is the last week of the tour, and if you have not yet entered the giveaway, please do so. There are lots of goodies to win!

If you are still looking for reviews you can find them now on Goodreads. Thank you to the reviewers who went to the trouble of not only reading the book, but posting their comments.

Here are the last blogs to visit on the tour:

Sunday 23 June - CBL Reviews

Wednesday 26 June - My Book Addiction and More

Thank you to my tour host Laurynne @ CBL Reviews who does a great job of promoting indie authors.

Blog Tour: KEEPER OF THE DRAGON SWORD - Week 3

With the third week of the blog tour commencing today, I would like to thank the blog hosts for their contribution in promoting Keeper of the Dragon Sword, the second book in the series The Nations of Peace.

Here are some reviews already if you were thinking of buying yourself a copy. But you could also win an ebook copy - just visit one of the blogs and enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway.

Reviews:   4.5 Stars    4.5 Stars  

And here are the blogs to visit this week (they are all review posts):

Sunday 16 June
Monday 17 June
Tuesday 18 June
Wednesday 19 June
Thursday 20 June
Friday 21 June
Saturday 22 June

And remember to enter the competition!

Book Tour: Week 2 - KEEPER OF THE DRAGON SWORD

This week the dragon is swinging his sword in the general direction of these blog hosts. Why don't you visit with me and see if he is picking a fight with anyone in particular?

Sunday June 9th: The LUV'NV

Monday June 10th: Share My Destiny

Tuesday June 11th: Italian Brat's Obsessions

Wednesday June 12th: Cover Reveals

Thursday June 13th: The Broke Book Bank 

Friday June 14th: candy coated book blog

Saturday June 15th: The Fantastical World of Wonders

I will add the list to Facebook if you want to share, or follow me on Twitter to find the day's blog (#KotDS). Thank you for touring all these wonderful blogs with me!

Book Review: Always on my Mind by Bella Andre

This is number 8 in the Sullivan Saga and I have to say I am looking forward to number 9.

If you like your heroines sassy, independent and fearless, then this book is for you. Lori had just left her doubly cheating boyfriend - personally and professionally - and hit the road with no idea of where to go. On impulse she found a job ad for a farmhand and not much later she had wrecked her rental car, damaged her potential employer's fence post and met the most attractive man she had ever laid eyes on.
But Grayson was not so impressed with this woman who knew how to push buttons he refused to acknowledge even existed. And then she had to go and fall in love with his sick cat.
With grunts and moans the two of them started to work together and with chickens and pigs and lots of mud, people were soon discovering that this widower farmer had taken two strays under his wing that will forever change his outlook on life. To say nothing about the brick wall he had built around his heart.
This book was extremely entertaining and I had to laugh at the antics of the pigs and Lori as they tried to exist together.
If you need to get lost in a romance novel with a sense of fun and lots of heat, this will be the one for you.
Linzé's rating: ★★★★★