With Angel’s Wings by Stephanie A. Collins  

From the author as found on Amazon:

“With Angel’s Wings is the true story of Laura, a young wife and mother of a three-year-old daughter. Her husband, Kevin, a marine, is deployed overseas, leaving Laura to give birth to their second daughter and handle the two young children on her own.

Thirteen days after the birth of her youngest, the pediatrician detects a heart murmur. That leads to just the first of multiple diagnoses for both of her daughters, sending Laura on an unexpected and emotional journey into the world of parenting medically-fragile, special needs children.

Right when Laura fears she will break under the incredible pressure, she encounters the beauty of true love, in a most unexpected and unconventional way.”

This was a truly heart wrenching story, and a painful read for me. As a registered nurse, and the mother of two children in haven and one on Earth who is special needs, I found that I could relate completely with Laura’s story. When your children are special needs children and you are trying to raise them alone, well, that is to be superhuman.

My Review:

The story is written from the mother’s point of view, and at times, there were so many introspective thoughts, I found myself skipping over them. In real life, you can’t have paragraphs of thoughts going a zillion miles an hour and answer a question from a doctor or whoever – not in real time. I suggest these areas be edited, and reduced for a much more impressive read.

I felt Laura’s pain, and I was psyching myself up to get to where one of the children passed away, but the girls lived. They lived and thrived, actually. I don’t want to give too much away…

Love overcomes all in the end… touch of mystery here for those who haven’t read this five star book!

The Inventing Tubes (A Pasta Kidz (TM) and Petz Adventure)

by Bryony Supper (Author), Julian Bray (Illustrator)

From the author as found on Amazon:

“‘The Pasta Kidz™ and Petz Adventures’ are humorous, zany, magical and chaotic stories that bring together the pasta-themed Kidz – including Sarah Spaghetti, Rikki Ravioli, Camilla Cannelloni (above) and their creative Petz – Mumbo the Macaroni Dog, Spud the Spaghetti Horse and Val the Vermicelli Snake (above) together in unusual circumstances, engaging with strange magical objects that have a life of their own. The songs, music and humour, told in specially invented pasta language, will engage 4-to-7 year olds in a fantasy world of friendship.

The plots and messages reinforce how the Kidz are unique, with different personalities and their own needs. Each tale shows how they help each other, usually with their own individual Petz, and throughout the series we see how their personalities and friendships develop especially when encountering new characters, like the evil and huge Pasta Beasties! 

In The Inventing Tubes, the first Pasta Kidz™ adventure in a series of up to forty books, Sarah and Marc Macaroni try their hand at inventing fun objects – and get a very grumpy PastaBall to play football with. But Sarah proves that the sport is not just for boys and she tries her hand at inventing her own ball! Every highly-branded Pasta Kidz™ and Petz story, illustrated in beautiful, full-colour detail, contains a moral message and will both inform and entertain young readers.”

My Review:

I received a copy of The Inventing Tubes by Bryony more than a month ago and just now actually read this delightful book for kids! There is a saying that goes “never judge a book by its cover” but this book has a stand out cover – caught my eye!  

At first I found wordage and the characters confusing, until I looked in the back and read what funny words meant, and met the pasta kids. The rhyming is incredible, the illustrations are superb, and I know this book will delight children and make them laugh. If a child doesn’t know pasta, by the end of this book they will know several types of pasta.  Along with the games and fun, kids receive a strong message regarding patience – an ability that takes time to acquire as a child. The next books in this series should be equally incredible.

Thanks Bryony Supper for sending me a copy of your book. This is a truly honest and unbiased opinion and review of your book.

This week, we are pleased to feature Marianne Jones. Welcome to my blog Marianne! Shall we get started? 

When did you start writing and how did that come about?

I was about 10 or 11 when I realized that I wanted to be a writer. I had always been writing descriptions in my head of the things I saw around me, even from a younger age. I was an insatiable reader, constantly taking out as many books as the library would allow and devouring them. I especially loved poetry, and would compose poems for the pleasure of it, not for show. One day, when I was looking at a poem I had just written, the thought came into my head, “I want to be a writer.” I felt such a glow of excitement and affirmation that I knew I had found my purpose.

Tell us about you, what you want readers to know.

I am a wife of some 47 years, a mother of two wonderful daughters and besotted grandmother to two adorable granddaughters. I’m also a retired teacher, children’s choir conductor, and sometimes actor and director. As my friends and family will attest, I’m a bit of a goofball.

Do you have suggestions for new authors? Tell us how you started and what struggles you overcame.

It’s always been a struggle, especially because of that voice in my head. You know, the one that’s constantly saying, “Who do you think you are? You really think you can do this? Who are you kidding?” Then there were the long periods of rejection letters that used to discourage me and make me want to give up. What helped me a lot was reading somewhere that success in writing comes to the undiscourageable. So I would pick up my pen again and carry on. I would advise new authors to keep reading, keep studying your craft, and be true to yourself. Write for love, primarily, not for money. If you write for love, you will find your true voice and do your best work.

How do you structure your works and what is your current work in process?

I  have a loose structure in my head that is open to change as I go along. I think it would be a lot easier if I plotted everything out to the last detail before starting, but that’s not me. I have to immerse myself in the writing to discover how the story wants to be told. Currently, I’m working on a sequel to The Serenity Stone Murder. It’s called Death on the Water, and it shows my protagonists from Serenity Stone, Margaret and Louise, trying to solve their next case, a murder within Louise’s own family.

How do you relax? Travel, anything you like to do in your downtime?

My husband Reg and I enjoy Netflix, going to live plays and jazz, traveling (when we can afford it), and mentoring people at church.

Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla.

Have you thought of writing a screenplay?

Many times. But I have so many irons in the fire that I don’t think I need to add one more!

Name one actor you think would make the perfect protagonist in your book and why?

I’d love to see Meryl Streep as my character Margaret, because she’s so incredibly versatile and has such a wonderful sense of humour in her acting. She could perform crusty, but good-hearted Margaret to perfection!

If you could move in time, such as going back in time or to the future, which would you choose and why?

Maybe back to the fifties, the decade when I was born. It was such an innocent time, and an ideal era for bringing up children.

What other things have you written?

In addition to articles and poems in a variety of magazines and anthologies, plays for church and Christian organizations, I’ve written three children’s books, an as-told-to memoir, a chapbook and book of poetry and a literary novel that I’m currently shopping out.

What are some recurring elements in your writing?

Humour and geography. Humour sneaks into most of my writing. I grew up in a family that loved to laugh, and loved to read humorists. My Dad was especially funny. I tend to see the funny side of things, and it shows in my writing. The other element is northwestern Ontario, where I have lived all my life. It’s a spectacularly beautiful part of the world, rugged and majestic, with thousands of freshwater lakes and thousands of acres of forest. Thunder Bay, where we live, is situated on Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world, often called the inland sea. My love of this region permeates my consciousness, and is reflected in my writing.

Proudest moments as a writer?

The most amazing moment was when I won a national writing contest for teenagers. I was fourteen, and entered as a test, to see if I really had what it took to be a writer. Decades later, being named International Christian Poet Laureate 2010 by Utmost Christian Writers was a great honour. Having three of my poems engraved in stone benches at Prince Arthur’s Landing in Thunder Bay was a special thrill. I love knowing that my grandchildren will be able to point out my work there after I’m gone!

Links below!!! Check Marianne out soon!

Book Link

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