Book Link

From Amazon:

Demons walk the lands, searching for the next soul to devour. For years, light witches have fought to protect the innocence of mythical creatures, but the magical elements are out of balance, and benevolent covens are becoming extinct.

Maura finds a mentor in Sage, a light witch from House of Ashburn, who can help reinforce Maura’s light magic and hold back the darkness plaguing the kingdoms. Together, the two must uncover a spell to stop the dark forces before the blood moon rises in three days. Can Maura and Sage uncover the spell in time before the light is extinguished forever?

My Review:

Wow. What a narrative in this book filled with all things light and dark witch, coven aplenty, a sinister Princess of the darkness below, necromancer, half fae, Druids, and familiar aplenty as well, and more! All of this is mixed in with a young 17 year old half light witch trying to save who she can even though she doesn’t come into her own yet. The book ends in a cliff hanger so you will want to read the next book in this series. Five stars.

From Amazon: Camera Ready offers a compelling version of a love triangle at its center, as L.A. executive Jane Mercer follows a tortuous path toward her version of the American dream.Jane finally has her life together. She is vice president of accounts at the advertising agency Warren Mitchell & Partners. She has a stable long-term relationship with classical violinist Derek Lowell and a bright future full of family, close friends, and success. But a surprise encounter with Craig Keller—managing partner of Keller Whitman Group and a powerful advertising magnate—stirs up emotions from her disastrous liaison with him two years earlier. This meeting and an unexpected photo of the two in a popular tabloid topples her secure world, threatening to destroy everything she’s worked to gain.As Jane anxiously watches, Keller Whitman Group buys out her employer, resulting in the savagely handsome Craig becoming Jane’s new boss. In addition to his alluring yet reprehensible behavior, he now has authority and control over her. Jane feels her autonomy stripped away as Craig ties her promotion to a consensual relationship with him. Worse still, Jane’s visceral attraction to him still burns, despite her wishes to keep him in her past. Forced to face up to her emotional bondage to Craig, Jane must find inner strength to live with integrity—or risk sinking into the morass of decadence and greed that is Keller Whitman Group.

Book Link

My Review: What a romance and nefarious charcters! I loved this well written romance novel. Combine corporate life, a few millionaires, true love with misunderstandings, and toss in fantatabulous clothing, high fashion shoes and bags. Toss in one plus men notorious for using women for sex while married, and kinky sex at that. If any or all of this interests you, then this five star read is for you!!

Please welcome Patricia Furstenberg to When Angels Fly.

Hello Mary, it is so exciting to be here, thank you. I follow your blog and your writing so ‘When Angels Fly” is a fabulous place for an author and a reader such as myself.

Patricia Furstenberg is a writer of many genres of literature as well as a poet and she brought along her latest book release, Dreamland: Banat, Crisana, Maramures, Transylvania, 100-WORD STORIES, Folklore and History

Patricia Furstenberg’s most recent books are “Dreamland” (2022) and “Transylvania’s History A to Z” (2021). She is the author of eighteen books of poetry and prose including “Joyful Trouble” (African Historical Fiction Amazon Bestseller) and ”Silent Heroes” (chosen One in Five Books Everyone Should Read in Their Lifetime – Manisbookcorner). The recurrent motives in her writing are unconditional love and war, while Patricia’s keen interest for history and dogs brought her writing, through a perfect loop, to her native Romania, Patricia being the creator of #Im4Ro hashtag, sharing positive stories from Romania – the country where she was born and where received her medical degree. Her writing appeared in various online magazines and anthologies.

Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

Thank you for inviting me here, Mary. I am a mother and a writer, a reader, a dreamer, and a traveler – even if mostly on paper. I was born in Bucharest, Romania, and grew up listening to the legends and folktales of Romania’s past that gave me a love for words and an interest in history, but mostly in the people, and the animals, the dogs, who took part in it.

Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?

I was always drawn to writing, to weaving words into stories, describing, or analyzing life on paper. I wrote throughout school, took a break during my university study, but after my children were born writing returned to me, or my life’s path brought me back to it. And we’ve never parted again.
Writing my first book was part of a challenge, a writing competition. Then I never stopped. I couldn’t stop. The flood gate was open.

How difficult was it writing your first book?

The difficult part about writing my first book was finding the time and the discipline to work on it every day. I discovered that waking up in the very early hours of the morning, before our neighbors’ rooster even sings its morning call, works for me. The house is quiet. The world is quiet, and no one needs me, but my story.

Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

I don’t like giving up on a task. I usually plod along until it is done. If a story or a passage doesn’t work, then I set it aside for a while and turn my attention to another writing project. Besides, what example would I set for my children if I gave up on something I love?

Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

My husband always showed constant support and enthusiasm towards my writing passion, and especially towards the time I must steal, now and then, from our family time.

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

There are stories everywhere, hiding in the shadows or bursting out in laughter, waiting to be discovered, written, and read. If I look at my writing path, I can see how one book led to another. After my contemporary fiction “Silent Heroes” came out, I used blogging as one of my promotional tools. From here to sharing memories of our travels throughout Romania, its customs and folklore was just a step while the historical tidbits seeped through. For it is history that adds colour and flavor to a place, isn’t it? This is how “Transylvania’s History A to Z and “Dreamland” came to be.

What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

I like to read what other authors share about their writing paths. But it is the words of Nelson Mandela that I think of now, “to get up when you are down, to fight more intensely when you are struggling, to put in the extra effort when you are in sheer pain, to come back when nobody expects you to, and to stand tall when everyone is pulling you down are what makes a champion.” As any other writer would know, this is a pretty solitary lifestyle, siting at your desk hour after hour, and inventing another world out of words.

What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

As my writing covers a few genres, from children’s stories to contemporary and historical fiction, I try to channel my style to fit each category. If it is length, chapter structure, style, vocabulary, I make it work.

Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

I love to design my own covers, I use a few computer programs and online tools and covers usually come at the end, when I have a good idea of what the book is all about.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

My current work in progress is outlined as a historical fiction trilogy focused on the lives of medieval women of Romania’s past, and it opens like this:

“If I listen, without straining my ears, I can hear the snow falling off the branch and the bucks calling. If I look through the window, the image is hazy, the stretched pig bladder allowing no detail to penetrate my new world. When I open my door the sun smiles through silver blades dangling from eaves. The sunlight turns to bright gold among the evergreen trees, as bright as the gilded thread of the rich brocades I once wore, and it beckons me outside, to dance in the dead silence of a frozen ballroom, just like I once did …”

Any last words before we wrap things up?

Like a river flows free, like the bird knows no boundaries, and like clouds spread over the entire horizon, so is history, and the tales of Romania’s past as you can enjoy them in Dreamland. This isn’t a history book, or a storybook, but rather a collection of fleeting impressions, lived truths, reflections, descriptive essays, and snapshots of a life lived in fabulous ways. Savor it.

Thank you, Mary

Patricia’s Social media links:

Author Website

Find Patricia’s books on: Amazon UK / AmazonUS / Amazon worldwide

Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn / Pinterest /  Tumblr
Goodreads / Book Bub / Lovely Books DE / AllAuthor

Dreamland buy links:
universal Amazon link: https://mybook.to/dreamro
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B3QXD6GQ
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B3QXD6GQ

.99 cents! “Her Alibi is a harrowing account of a mentally and physically abusive mother and the horrifying lengths to which she harmed her children and others around her. It is all the more shocking for being the true account of the award-winning author’s experience. And it is a testament to her spirit that she is a successful writer today. It is a harsh read and not for everyone, but if you are up for reading a stark and honest tale of a bleak reality, this is a gripping read!”

So, that’s what she thinks and Vampire Hunter nailed it.

Please welcome J.E. Clarkson to When Angels Fly!   

Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post

Hi, my name is Jayne and I write under the name, J.E.Clarkson. I live by the seaside in Yorkshire, in the UK. I’ve been writing since I was a teenager and have worked as a make-up artist, singer, teaching assistant and in retail. I love vintage clothes, B-movies, music, my family, friends and partner, Anton

Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?

Yes, it has. I’ve always written. I had an Auntie, who sadly passed away this year, who always encouraged me. I really started to take writing more seriously during my early twenties when I submitted a few poems to a university journal called, “Pyschopoetica”. They were accepted and so I carried on.

How difficult was it writing your first book?

In some ways the difficulty came after it was finished because for the first time, I didn’t have bad writer’s block. During Covid, I was furloughed from my job and had the time and space to think and write. It almost wrote itself and I just decided to publish it. I’ve learned a lot since and had a great amount of help and feedback, some positive and some negative. By far, most feedback has been constructive and helpful.

Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

Only for split seconds after a bad review but when I remember how much I enjoy writing (and publishing) and that a few other people enjoy reading my stories too, I cast those thoughts to the dustbin. At the end of the day, I must write and that’s it.

Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

My partner, Anton, my family, and friends. I’m very fortunate, I have a lot of encouragement.

nything specific you want to tell your readers?

Yes. Thanks for supporting me. I appreciate it. (You are welcome.)

What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

Two things. Write everyday so that it becomes a habit and treat the writing and editing processes as separate. So many of us writers are crippled with doubt, wanting to create the perfect sentence etc. I found that massively inhibiting and caused bad blocks for months or years. Editing later really helped with that because I realized, if what I write is rubbish to begin with, it can be polished or removed when I’m editing.

What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

Anyone who enjoys thrillers. I write Sci-Fi, Crime and Horror fiction but the thread that runs between them all is that they are primarily thrillers. Someone once said that I write Sci-Fi for people who don’t like Sci-Fi. I think that that’s a good description.

Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

I always create my own covers. I did some research beforehand and followed what is considered as popular for each genre, but I do try to add my own twist. “The Lamb” cover was the first cover I tried for that story. It just felt perfect for a mysterious serial killer story.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

I’ve just finished a short story for Halloween called, “The Black Velvet Dress”.

Here’s a wee extract:

“When I first noticed you, you were hanging there in the window. Perfect in your inky, Gothic, glamour. I felt myself drawn to you and so I crossed over the road and stood there on the pavement, imagining how I’d look, draped in your lace collared finery. Magically, the question was answered, as my own image was reflected in the shop window. It seemed that there was some sorcery in it, as I found myself transfixed by the picture and propelled indoors through the shop doorway.”

Any last words before we wrap things up?

I just wanted to say thank you, Mary, for the opportunity to speak with you about my stories. All the best.

Please welcome Edge to When Angels Fly.  

Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

I grew up in British Columbia and now live on the island of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Canada. I’ve authored four novels, Legacy of Seconds, Time Sneak: Emergence, Odin’s Tillit, and Terraform Charlie. My WIP is War of the Scavengers. My passions include hiking, kayaking, fitness, landscaping, and, of course, writing! I love, Love, LOVE, the great outdoors. Mother Nature always finds her way into all my books, which makes sense, for she is forever in my heart.

Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?

A dream inspired me to write. It was sixteen years ago, and I had such a powerful dream of a hostile encounter between small humans and a giant, that it inspired me to write a story (Terraform Charlie) around it. Coincidentally, a dream also prompted me to write Odin’s Tillit.

How difficult was it writing your first book?

Terraform Charlie felt inspired; many times, it seemed to be writing itself. I think my daemon (inner Muse) always wanted me to be a writer. Writing brings me peace, editing tears me to pieces.

Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

Many years passed between writing Terraform Charlie and my next book, Legacy of Seconds. Sales of the latter were poor, and I begin to wonder if I had a good book in me. Fortunately, I had a much bigger – and positive – response from my self-published book, Time Sneak: Emergence. I don’t know if one can be a self-introspective person and a creative/writer without having some self-doubt. The important thing is to push through it. Better days, and better books (including my recently released, Odin’s Tillit) are to come. Interestingly, I wrote Legacy of Seconds as a prequel to Terraform Charlie, and it ended up coming out years before Terraform Charlie.

Note: Prequels are extremely difficult to write. Avoid, like the plague!

Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

From the very start, my dear friend Anastasia, has been stellar. She continues to amaze me with her steadfast support.

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

If the characters from my books live on in your world, irrespective of book sales and accolades, I have achieved success, Additionally, I want to thank all those people who have taken a chance on my work.

What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

Follow your passion. It is as simple as that.

What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

As my books are multi-genre, they should appeal to anyone from 16 to 160 (young adult to cryogenically frozen head). I try to weave some humour and philosophy, and even some mythology, into my books. So, whether the book is sci-fi, or supernatural mystery thriller, there will be something in there for every booklover.

Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

With respect to Odin’s Tillit, there are two covers. The one for the eBook and paperback was provided by the publisher. The cover for the hardcover was a collaborative process between a graphic designer and myself. I much prefer the hardcover to the paperback, but the industry trend is toward simple covers, so that’s why I elected to use the blue cover for the more popular mediums.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

My WIP is War of the Scavengers. It follows the life of Parn, and, like Terraform Charlie, is based on the earth-like, Nova Terra. War of the Scavengers can be thought of as Jason and the Argonauts meets the Road Warrior, only add a dash of Avatar, and a pinch of Planet of the Apes.

Unedited excerpt from the start:

“With the last of his leather, Parn lashed his reed raft together. Four months earlier, a boat held him, his older brother Jules, his younger sister, Tam, his aunt Clothia, and the family dog, Smoke.

Parn placed a token of remembrance for each in a small basket and used the excess from his belt to pin it to the mast. If he ever ate enough again to add girth to his seven-foot-seven, two-hundred-and-forty-pound frame, he would get a new belt. At seventeen, he still had a lot of growing to do, if he lived.”

Any last words before we wrap things up?

Deeply appreciate Mary (a creative juggernaut in her own right) for providing the opportunity to share some of my world, and worlds, with you, beloved reader.

Amazon.com: Edge O. Erin: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

www.edgeoerin.com

Twitter: @edgeoerin1  Edge O. Erin (@EdgeOErin1) / Twitter

Pinterest: edgeoerin Pinterest

Instagram: @edgeo.e Edge O. Erin (@edgeo.e) • Instagram photos and videos

Odin’s Tillit – Kindle edition by Erin, Edge O.. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com

Odin’s Tillit by Edge O. Erin, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Odin’s Tillit on Apple Books

From Amazon: Faced with a severely schizophrenic daughter, homeless with no hope, and a heroin-addicted daughter clinging to life living in her car. A mother searches an infant boy’s eyes for the answers. How can God’s hand pull them through all this darkness? How will a mother find a different route? This is a journey through unmerciful mental madness and the torment of the people who desperately try to find help. Mentally ill are SKIPPED by society. Drug addiction is relentless. One day at a time, God’s glorious path becomes clear.

My Review: As a registered nurse, I know about addiction and mental health disabilities. Ms Stacy has written a compelling memoir. This book must have been hard to write as most memoirs with persons struggling are usually that way. Tough love is hard, and that’s an understatement. But it must be done so that addicts can reach rock bottom, and then, slowly climb out of the hell they go through. Addiction is simply that way. Schizophrenia usually shows up in late teen years or in one’s 20s. Schizophrenia is difficult to treat, keep on meds, shelters to stay, and agencies to apply at only to be turned down by most. Sadly, the picture Stacy paints with Marissa, is the actual reality. Having the courage to write this book is enough for five stars, thus that is my rating. However, the grammar, punctuation, and formatting was done poorly by those the author credits. Please know this book will open your eyes to another world if you can get past the issues in the narrative. I did, and I’m glad I read this book.

From Amazon:

Charlee Bennett is running from her past. Once deserted by her musician ex-fiancé, she’s vowed to avoid anything that reminds her of the pain of his betrayal.

Chance Jackson is starting over. Hoping to redeem the mistakes of his earlier life, he wants to become the music and worship pastor of the largest church in Crescent Bluff.

Charlee tries to convince herself she should not be attracted to Chance. But then she discovers an old letter hidden in the secret drawer of an antique desk. The pain expressed by its author resonates deep within her.

Can the words of long ago soften Charlee’s heart and help her to discover that there is a time for singing?

My Review:

I loved this book! In all honesty I expected a fast romance, and Christian, of course, but I received much more instead. Christian? Yes. Love? Yes. Loss? Yes. Music to soothe the soul? Yes. I could go on and on about the number of things I could check off, but Amazon would probably not allow me to write a short story in my review. When your soul loves another deeply, both pain and love surface, the main couple in this novel had their share of trials for sure. Many people must reach rock bottom, before they can climb back out. Some make it. Some do not. If you can crawl out of a dark place, this book will touch you. If you are in a dark place, read this novel as you will be lifted by the positive nuances and Jesus. The melody of life awaits those who read this book by Carol James. Five shiny gold stars.

Today, Davy’s Dragon Castle, was the winner in the children’s picture books for FIREBIRD BOOK AWARDS! It is an honor to win this award.

Davy’s Dragon Castle is a simple book with a very big heart. Husband and wife team Mary and Michael Schmidt provide another piece of kid-lit with the intent of providing a lesson, and in this book, that lesson is on discrimination. While the instance happens quickly and is resolved almost immediately, around the festivities a Strawberry Fairy named Cindy inexplicably tells the BunBun Rabbit family that they cannot enter the castle for the party. While no reason is provided, it is assumed that the basis is the color of their fur or the fact that they are rabbits. The ambiguity of the action works in the favor of a parent who can use the event as a tool to engage young children in dialogue. Why do you think Cindy was not letting the family in? If it wasn’t for the reason implied, how could she have handled this better? All good, thoughtful prompts that make this a lovely little book to serve that purpose.

From Amazon:

His drawings captured her heart and soul

Is it true love if one needs to find an escape? Helen’s forthcoming marriage to Howard has caused her to seek some time alone to reflect on her life. Traveling from her home in New York City to Hydeport, Long Island, this holiday destination of her youth is the perfect place to hide. The Great War is over. Adoring crowds have sought their return to the amusement park and boardwalk so cherished from her childhood. Yet solitude to sort through her troubled thoughts proves elusive.

Should she marry Howard despite not being in love with him? Are the wishes of her parents and demand of proper society too great to ignore?

Meeting Edward, a handsome young artist on the boardwalk, Helen is convinced his portraits of her have captured her true essence. His shy endearing presence stirs feelings of love inside her. In truth, what he also has captured . . . is her heart.

My Review:

This book speaks volumes without the need for even one additional word. The romance of two who are entwined and each the other’s half blend seamlessly in the narrative. Take a trip back in time to just after the Great War and live vicariously through the lives of the privileged, the poor, the vision of artists, and the sights and sounds of New York City and a lovely pier along a bay outside of the city. Meet the people who matter, not just the rich, but everyone as each and every single person matters! Five stars.