Elizabeth’s War by D.L. Finn

My review follows Finn’s book blurb found on Amazon.

“It’s April of 1917, and World War I has reached Elizabeth’s family on their wheat farm in North Dakota. Although the battles are being fought overseas, the war has affected her in ways she couldn’t have imagined. Elizabeth is thrust into a new role after her brother and father leave the farm to do their part in the war. And she’s only eleven years old!

Having almost died as a toddler, Elizabeth has been babied most of her life. Now she must learn to help out around the farm; cooking, cleaning, and tending to the garden and livestock. No longer can she run from her responsibilities, as she did when her horse Rosie was giving birth. There were complications during the delivery, and Elizabeth panicked and froze. The foal didn’t make it.
Elizabeth faces her biggest challenge yet as a huge Christmas Eve snowstorm rages outside, cutting her family off from any help; and her mother is about to have a baby! Her brother and sister are laid up with chicken pox. Does Elizabeth face her fears or run from them? Can she help her family, who need her more now than ever? Or will she retreat like she did when Rosie needed her?”

I found this novel to be a touching and interesting read. The pace is frantic at one point when Elizabeth, at a young tender age, must care for two sick siblings, her mother in labor, one farmhand down with a bad back, and she must take care of all of them, keep warm fires going as it is winter and Christmas time, feed the animals, gather eggs, and learn how to cook. Finn has done an amazing job of bringing out the best in Elizabeth as well as the rich history and the surrounds of, and culture of the time, during World War I. In this quick read, we come to understand how society was during this traumatic time in the USA – from that perspective of a young girl. Five stars!!

I just finished reading Angelica, You Have Chosen Well by Aimee Marie Bejarano, and my review follows the book blurb found on Amazon. 

“One prophetic night of birth, shakes and shapes history forever as we know it. 

The life of a beautiful girl from Bethlehem, born that same prophetic night as Jesus, faces her final end when she is forced to decide either renounce Jesus and live or acknowledge Him and die.

Angelica was arrested and imprisoned, by Saul of Tarsus, for preaching on the narrow streets of Jerusalem. While awaiting a horrible death of stoning, she decides to write her life’s story which begins in Bethlehem when her father an inn keeper met a young couple one night. He had no room in the inn. All he had to offer them was a stable. Follow her on the journey of her life as she meets Bible characters and sees things her innocent eyes have never seen before.
Will Angelica’s life mission end in a prison cell…will she choose life or will she choose death for the One she loves?

This novel will make you walk away a believer and broken questioning the very core of your being. Are you brave enough to read it?
(New edition as of April 2017! Older customers may not have the newest revision.) Blessings to you readers!”

I was glued to this book from the start of my reading! I am a Christian, and I loved how the author wove into this book such an inspiring character as Anjelica, and her undying faith in the Lord Jesus. If you are Christian, read this book. The character of Anjelica remained courageous in her faith, even when starved and being stoned. The author did a great job weaving in parts from the Bible, and Jesus birth, life, crucifixion, death, and power of Jesus’ resurrection. All of this mixed in well with a fictional side to the narrative. This book is worth reading more than once and I rate it five stars!

I would like to introduce to you GuS Kenney author of the Complications of Being Lucy series today, and share his new release with all of you. My review of Traitor’s Niece the third and newest book of the series follows this interview.

How are you feeling about Traitor’s Niece finally being out in the wild (aka published)?

A little nervous but that is how I feel anytime I release a book. The potential for negative feedback and harsh criticisms always weighs on my mind when it is free game to the world. With Traitor’s Niece being the third in the Complications series, I find that I’m a little more worried than usual. One because I have never written this far into a series of books before and two because in a lot of ways the story in this book takes a little change in direction from the Changeling books in the first portion of the series. New characters, new threads, more history, a couple twists and turns. I see it as the book that will decide if the readers that have followed Lucy’s adventures to this point will stick around until the end.

Where are your favorite places to connect with readers?

I have a mild case of social anxiety that I prefer to just call being shy and awkward, so I like the ‘buffer’ that social media, mostly Facebook, creates. It affords me that extra moment to say what I mean to someone and not the nervous explosion of words that typically fill my conversations. But that being said I have enjoyed very much meeting readers in person at a few of the events I have attended. It makes it all more real to shake a hand and know a real live person is out there and appreciates your work.

What is your favorite board game to play?

My wife and I have one room in the house (my office) nearly full to the ceiling with board games, so picking one as my favorite, or out of the pile, is no easy task. We have an X-men board game that was one of the first things we ever bought together as a couple so there is some sentiment wrapped up in that. There is also Clue and the recently found Fireball Island which connect with the joy of playing as a child and Quelf which is the best game to play on game night with family. Okay, I picked this question as I thought it would be easy. Should have gone with favorite card game because that is easy: Scopa!

What does a book hangover look like for you?

About the same as normal hangover for me only I didn’t steal anything the night before (one reason I don’t drink often). I just plod along through the day and wait for something to make me feel as wonderful as I did when I was in that other world. It’s worse when it is from finishing the book I just wrote because part of me is relieved that the journey is over and looks forward to a rest, but the other part knows what comes next and is excited and wants to dive right back in. In all cases I usually had been neglecting something around the house, so I can get pulled into that until the worst of it passes.

Are you afraid of anything? Would you share it with us?

Preying Mantis. I was traumatized as a kid by a story from an older kid on the school bus. He told me how they are the number one killers of farmers and as my dad was one at the time, it left an impression. The other is a Wolf Spider and that is because if you can drop a log and a rock on something and it shrugs it off and runs at you on its back legs you damn well should be afraid of it.

You spend all night editing away on your current work in progress, finally you hit your word count and decide to head to bed when suddenly a new shiny idea hits you. What do you do?

I give the energy drink by my side a shake and see if it has enough to keep me going and if I have anything I can blow off the next day. If not I jot it down as best as I can as fast as I can because it never sounds as good the longer you wait to put it down. There have been many nights I’ve called it good, saved everything, climbed the stairs, crawled into bed, fought for space with the dogs, and closed my eyes just to have them fill with wonderful and amazing ideas to fill the next pages of the book. And because turning on a light will wake my wife, and we have no lights in the bedroom anyway (crappy old house), back downstairs I go to write it down. Once I’m there it just seems easier to open the book back up and just do it right there. The Muse can be an unrelenting mistress and I have called into work many times to stay home and write.

A new episode of Doctor Who just came on, but you are on a deadline. How do you handle the situation?

That depends. If it has something to do with the Daleks, I’ll record it and get to it later because, seriously guys, they overuse those creatures. Now if it is Weeping Angels or something similar, deadlines be damned. I can afford an hour unless it’s a Christmas special. Side note: I’m going to miss Peter Capaldi as the Doctor but I look forward to seeing Jodie Whittaker take on the role.

Have you made any new resolutions you’d like to share with us?

Yes. I’m never setting a preorder again unless the book is done! I thought I could squeeze the last of my editing into the window of opportunity that Amazon offers for setting up preorder on books but then rewrites happened and people died, and the plan went to hell. It became an eleventh hour down to the wire situation with Traitor’s Niece and I will never do that again. Other than that I hope to start a new series and get it published before I conclude the Complications of Being Lucy.

You’ve spent the whole day diligently editing your next novel. You promised yourself once you finished these last few pages you’d reward yourself. What reward do you give yourself?

Bourbon chicken from Main Moon. It is my go to reward food that I can’t make myself. My wife tried once as an extra special birthday (I think it was birthday) and it was delicious but potent. Thankfully I didn’t steal anything after eating it, but now we just order it from out of town.

Can you give us a hint on what your next book will be about?

I have actually started working on the next book in the series which will be called Daughter of Ash. If you’ve read the series to this point you will already recognize that the name is significant. Lucy will be dealing with unraveling the mysteries presented to her at the end of Traitor’s Niece as well as being thrust into a powerful and precarious new position in the world. All of this while her protectors are scattered chasing down phantoms of their past and future. It should be a tense and exciting read good for all ages as the rest of the Complications of Being Lucy has been to this point.

Review:

I found this book to be a great YA read filled with fantasy, fast paced action, and lots of adventure for young adults, especially for those in high school. Having not read the first books in the series yet, I did have a little trouble following along at first, but this really could be a standalone book. Filled with interesting characters, this book was a delightful read and I rate it at five stars.

Full Title

Traitor’s Niece: The Complications of Being Lucy Book 3

ASIN: B072N1WXQT

Genre: Sci Fi/Fantasy / Action & Adventure / Folklore & Legend / Fantasy & Magic   

 $2.99         

Blurb

Sever all ties.

Lucy is a pawn. A dark means to a deadly end.

An enemy, burning with centuries of betrayal, has made the opening move to shatter an already divided empire. His first step, the slaying of one of Lucy’s guardians. Broken with grief and compelled by rage, Lucy embarks on a journey of vengeance to the shadowed and forgotten corners of the five lands. With those she has left by her side, sacrifices will be made to bring her closer to retribution but only if she doesn’t succumb to the manipulations of a ruthless enemy first.

Buy Link: http://smarturl.it/traitorsNieceb3

Author Bio

Gus lives in western New York with his amazing wife and five four legged children. He decided he wanted to be a writer when he realized that he could never be a spy as good as Timothy Dalton’s Bond and that Hired Sword was not part of any growth industry. When he is not semi-busy writing, he spends his time pretending he knows what he is doing at a nine-to-five job and the rest of it complaining that it is taking way too long for them to start showing new episodes of his favorite cartoons. If you’re bored, or just a creeper, you can check out the insanity that doesn’t make it into his books on his social media outlets.

Author Links

https://www.facebook.com/gus.kenney

https://www.facebook.com/Lucybison/

https://www.twitter.com/LucyBison

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/telleroftalesoflucy

https://www.instagram.com/lucybison/

http://linkedin.com/in/gus-kenney-3599a2138

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13628983.Gus_Kenney

https://www.amazon.com/Gus-Kenney/e/B00UPGZ7SY/

http://bit.ly/ComplicationsOfBeingLucySeries

Website: https://www.guskenney.com/

Email: guskenney@yahoo.com

Excerpt:           

“I feel bad for them.” I whispered to Frankie.

        “Why?” He screwed up his eye as he pushed his glasses up his nose.

        “Spending their whole life trapped in a fake world and having to constantly be under harsh scrutiny. Feeling like they have to act a certain way in front of total strangers. Not free to be themselves.” I shrugged. “Not to mention their diet.”

        “I guess.” Frankie consented my point. “Sounds like it would be better to be locked up like an animal than be a popular kid.”

        We watched as Regina and her clique posed by the fence while a trainer led a zebra over to stand behind them. They took multiple pictures with their phones of the animal they had been allowed to feed the watchful eye of the zoo staff while the rest of us got to hear all the interesting facts about the creature. So far they were leading the class in animal interactions, mostly in regard to things that were either very safe or cute. The teacher, a sucker to their machinations, let it happen as long as the other students turned down the opportunity to do it first. There were none that dared oppose them. It was only because kids from other schools that were touring the zoo today getting to the pens, cages, or habitats first that prevented Regina’s monopoly of feedings and petting.

        “Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.” A fun phrase that I didn’t feel I often got to use on Frankie. “Popularity is overrated. Right, Palmer?”

        Frankie and I glanced around and found the boy standing by the otter tank where we had been ten minutes ago. With the popular kids demanding the most attention, they congregated at the head of the tour and the rest of the class trailed behind like a comet of social hierarchy. Frankie, Palmer and I were at the back like little pieces of debris that get pulled from the trail when the comet’s flight takes it too close to an object of immense gravity. Right now that object, for Palmer at least, was otters.

        “Buddy system.” I reminded Frankie, and he trudged over to get his friend. Uncle Mort turned around from his post amidst a few of the other parents and gave me a concerned look. I didn’t know if it was concern for my well-being or his own dissatisfaction with the situation. Mingling with the other adults he was forced to endure conversations about parenting woes, pro sports stories, job worries, and other problems faced by normal people. I managed a weak smile and this seemed to pacify him slightly. I almost felt bad for getting him involved with the field trip. I thought it might be fun going to the zoo, as I had never done so before, and he had been insistent that I travel nowhere, school function or otherwise, without him. Luckily for me the school was trying to save the money for getting us a bus and had parents volunteer to chaperone and drive. It had all worked out until we actually got here. The whispers and comments started quickly as my guardian, the mortician, joined us and his stern personality sealed my fate as forever a target of ridicule. He had asked me once after one particular comment reached his ears if I wanted him to speak to the teacher, since he was not prepared to assault a child in front of witnesses(his words), and I told him it wasn’t necessary. In truth it would only make things worse.

        But worse came when I saw the animals and felt bad for their situation. It seemed that the first ten years of my life had been spent in a cage and some of these majestic creatures had been incarcerated long before I was born. They looked depressed and broken of spirit. Made me wish I could set them free like me. That’s a lie, I reminded myself. I was only living the illusion of freedom. As long as no one found out who I was then I was safe and free to live my life as my family saw fit. Monthly reports from Lord Cid’s adviser so far reported the illusion was holding. Just like the illusion that the animals around me were happy.

        “He says he doesn’t agree with you.” Frankie said, walking back with Palmer in tow. It took me a moment to recall what we had just been talking about.

        “Is that so?” I looked Palmer up and down, from his buzzed head to his ragged shoes.

        “Yes.” He admitted. It was the longest conversation I had ever had with the boy.

        “Well, you’re entitled to your opinion.”

        “That’s it.” Frankie sounded shocked. “You normally argue with me whenever I say something in opposition to your ideas.”

        “That’s because you’re my friend and therefore available to friendly discussions and disagreements about our views. Palmer is your friend and not privy to such treatments from me.” I informed my stunned friend.

        “So because he is not your friend you aren’t going to disagree with him?”

        “No. I’m not going to argue with him about his opinion because it doesn’t matter to me.” I glanced at Palmer and his face betrayed no sign of caring what I was saying about him. Clearly he shared my opinion on some level.

        “But mine does?” Frankie scratched his head of unruly hair. “Because I matter to you?” He left it as a question which meant it was up to me to answer it or not. I decided not to since Frankie tended to draw his own conclusions. “I don’t think it works that way.”

        “How about we go into the reptile house and discuss it?” I suggested, veering toward the enclosure in the center of the zoo. The class was being split up as the skittish and not surprisingly popular kids put up a fuss about dealing with the creatures contained within the building. The teacher left a few parents in charge of the group going inside and I whisked in behind them quickly. “Maybe you can find John Smith a girlfriend.”

        “I think he would prefer a domesticated partner.” Frankie said, already excitedly running up to the first habitat he saw.

        “You should mention that to your mom and dad and see what they say.” I laughed on the inside at the fun Cecilia and Tim would have with their son on the topic. I was unsure if my friend even heard me as his eyes were glazed in wonder at the large creatures piled up within their own coils in multiple enclosures. My fear of snakes had diminished thanks to Frankie’s pet python but being in a room full of them made me squirm as much as they did. I abandoned my friend to look at a few tanks full of turtles. Nice safe turtles. When I got bored watching them just look like parts of the scenery, I turned to find my friend. The room was mostly empty except for a man standing by the exit. I wasn’t sure if he had just arrived or was just leaving, but his presence was alarming to me. Not because of the large nose on his face or the tough look of his skin; it was simply because the Troll was looking at me with what felt like above average interest. I looked away to see if Uncle Mort had noticed him and discovered that he was not in the room.

        Trying for calm and orderly, I went to the adjoining room and found the class and some adults, but still no uncle. He must be with the others, I grumbled in my head. How he would let that happen was a mystery, however I it put from my mind when I realized that the troll had followed me. I settled on finding Frankie and hurried to him.

        “Do you recognize that guy?” I hissed in his ear and tried to not look obvious as I pointed the man out with a jerk of my head.

        “No.” Frankie shook his head. “Do you think I know every Fey?”

        “No. Just the famous ones.” And I was relieved that the Troll wasn’t one of them. “How do you approach someone that is probably glamoured?”

        “You want to know how to go talk to a total stranger?” Frankie asked, and it made me feel like an idiot for even voicing the question. I had always figured that the Heralds had some kind of protocol, statute, or heck even a hand shake that let each of them know they were dealing with one of their own in the world outside the mounds. But Frankie was right, if you didn’t know them, why approach? And if you needed to you were probably someone of authority.

        “Let’s go get my uncle.” I whispered and pulled Frankie from the class.

        “Why? He is probably just some guy here to look at the–oh. Nope.” His eyes got huge in the refraction of his thick glasses as he saw, at the same moment I did, the shadow of a blade that appeared in the Troll’s hand. “Should we walk slowly and casually toward the exit?”

        “I…” I shot a quick look to the man as Frankie and I angled from the group and around the central display, putting it between us and the Troll for a moment. He carelessly bumped an adult from another group of students and didn’t utter an apology. They say manners cost nothing but in this case it cost the Troll the illusion of being there on friendly terms. “No.” I took a deep breath to ready myself for what was to come next. “Run!”

        I needn’t tell Frankie twice. He burst away from me in a blur that took me by surprise; much as seeing the Troll aggressively shoving people out of his path as he took chase. Knowing that looking back only impeded my progress, I focused on the distant exit and Frankie’s back, which I was gaining on. I caught up with him as the floor beneath us buckled and folded. Several people in the reptile house shouted in surprise at the tremors felt. I tripped over a piece of rock that suddenly jutted through the tile, skinning my knee when I hit the floor. I hissed in pain but knew better than to lay there. The Troll had managed to gain ground once the shifting ground settled back down.

        “Ow.” Frankie moaned as I yanked him to his feet and we continued racing for the exit. By now several bodies were piled against it, sounding panicked.

        “Capricorn.” I discovered the panic was because the frame had been crumpled in the Art induced quake and the heavy wooden doors would not budge.

        “This way.” Frankie tugged my hand and I didn’t fight him as I thought he was leading me toward another exit. I didn’t see one beneath the dark shadows that formed when many of the light fixtures shook loose or just blew a bulb. “Sorry.”

        “Oh no.” It dawned on me too late where Frankie was dragging me and I would never have been able to slow down anyway. “Nononononono!”

        The senses-deadening darkness of the world inside the shadows swept over me as I was unwillingly shifted for the first time in almost a year. I thought my fear had peaked at running from a strange and hostile Troll, but being pulled into the land that Crouchers roamed ramped it up to nauseous levels. In times past I had, under my own volition, used Frankie’s ability to Shadow Shift to get places I needed to in a hurry. It had been uncomfortable and disconcerting every time, but being dragged into the darkness made the old fears of the first time I had shifted swell up in a suffocating wave that turned my insides nearly out. Blissfully, it lasted only a second and we were soon running (mostly Frankie dragging me for the first delirious steps) from the shadows just outside a thick canopy near the reptile house. My eyes screamed a discomfort to match my stomach as they adjusted and I searched for direction in the crowded zoo.

        “Where’s your uncle?” Frankie asked the question I had been screaming in my head. I had a vague idea of where the tour was supposed to progress but quickly realized that we were running the wrong way. I jerked Frankie to a stop, needing a moment to catch my breath and explain. Before I could open my mouth to do more than suck air, the doors to the building we just fled exploded outward and the Troll came rushing toward us.

What to do if you find your work has been stolen?????!!!?!? If you are me this morning, you let CreateSpace know right away. Our book is below and below is the Copyright Infringement book. 

September 11, 2017

This is Mary Schmidt who writes under the pen name of S. Jackson and Michael Schmidt who writes under the pen name of A. Raymond. Our book, Suzy Has A Secret has been stolen! Information is below.

Our Book:

Suzy Has A Secret 

by S. Jackson  (Author), A. Raymond (Author)

4.8 out of 5 stars    7 customer reviews

This book teaches a child, ages four to eight years-old, about personal safety and body ownership. Children learn how to identify who safe adults are in a child’s life. This book shows in positive and practical ways how parents, and educators, can talk to children about personal safety. Children learn about bad touch and good touch, and how their body belongs to them. Parents and educators can help children learn who the safe people are in their lives, and that they can always tell one of them about anything that may happen, and they aren’t comfortable about. Using little bug fairies and fairy houses, ensures that children aren’t scared when this story is read to them, or they read it on their own.

File Size: 1786 KB

Print Length: 35 pages

Publisher: S. Jackson & A. Raymond; 1 edition (March 8, 2016)

Publication Date: March 8, 2016

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B01CRDLJB6

Editorial Reviews

Review

Reviewed by Tiffany Davis for Readers’ Favorite

Suzy Has a Secret by S. Jackson with A. Raymond is a children’s story about educating them on self awareness and inappropriate behavior. The story is simple and easy to read to children. It’s important to allow children the opportunity to learn what should and should not be done to them by family members. Suzy did not like the game of tickling that Uncle Bob played with her when her parents weren’t around. Suzy did not want to keep the secret from her parents, but Uncle Bob made her feel that she couldn’t tell anyone about the way he touched her. Although the story is short, it has a powerful message because all children should know the importance of not allowing anyone, young or old, to touch their bodies.

Children have a right to be happy and understand what should not be happening when Mommy and Daddy aren’t around. The portion of the story designed for Parents and Educators was a good read because it reaffirmed that children have the right to know that their private areas are off limits, and that when playing no one should ever touch those areas. When dealing with children, it’s important to ensure they understand at an early age that they can talk to their parents about anything and not be scared. Abusers use manipulation when abusing children to keep them from telling their parents, that’s why parents need to have a strong bond with their children to make them feel comfortable. One thing I learned is that you should not ask a lot of questions if you suspect abuse, but rather ask simple questions for the best and most reliable answers.

From the Author

This book shows in positive and practical ways how parents, and educators, can talk to children about personal safety. Children learn about bad touch and good touch, and how their body belongs to them. Parents and educators can help children learn who the safe people are in their lives, and that they can always tell one of them about anything that may happen, and they aren’t comfortable about. Using little bug fairies and fairy houses, ensures that children aren’t scared when this story is read to them, or they read it on their own. Included at the back of the book is a section for adults, parents, and educators. As a mother, and as a nurse, this book strikes me to my core, regarding the importance of this topic.

The one who stole our book title and story line:

Suzy Has A Secret Paperback – Large Print, August 31, 2017

by MA CCC-SLP, Carolina Leuthner (Author), MS CCC-SLP, Deborah H. Nichols (Author), Nef Melendez (Illustrator)

Paperback:34 pages 

Publisher:CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (August 31, 2017) 

Language:English 

ISBN-10:1974608727 

ISBN-13:978-1974608720

Intellectual Property Rights

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• A statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf.

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