MY Very First Guest Blog!

An author, fellow blogger, and friend recently asked if I'd like to be a guest on his new blog, Splitter's World.  Of course, I said yes!

You can check out my "Reviewer's Top Three  for Indie Authors" HERE.

Please follow Splitter's blog and check out his fantastic book!

Splitter will be appearing here on Gathering Leaves very soon!!!  Stay tuned!

http://splittersworld.blogspot.com/2011/08/reviewers-top-three-for-indie-authors.html

Labyrinth's Door: Anyia "Dream of a Warrior" (No. 1)

Labyrinth's Door:  Anyia "Dream of a Warrior" (No. 1)

By: Jacquitta A. McManus

ISBN:  9780982802700

Published July 20, 2010 by Worlds To Discover, LLC.

Available Format: paperback, ebook

My Rating: ★★★★★

Labyrinth's Door - Anyia "Dream of a Warrior" is a story of a young girl, Anyia, whose dream of becoming a Nagoran Warrior is infused with adventure and danger. Running from her duties as a Yora, she dares to break tradition to follow her own dream, during a time when Empress Zarina threatens the magic treaty that protects her village.

I received a copy of this book from the author for review.

Anyia is a wonderful role model for young girls.  She’s smart, strong, and she wants to push her boundaries and far exceed what is expected of her in life.  Her world is exotic and stimulating.  McManus has an easy, creative writing style that is perfect for children of all ages.  The illustrator, Tujour Byrd, is just as talented!  I also loved that there are different activities included, particularly a learn-to-draw section.  It takes the story to the next level and really gets the kids involved.

Labyrinth’s Door:  Anyia “Dream of a Warrior” is a perfect, short chapter book for elementary through middle school age children.  I cannot wait to read about Anyia’s next adventure!

Find out more about Jacquitta and Anyia at www.WorldsToDiscover.com, www.twitter.com/LabyrinthsDoor, and www.facebook.com/LabyrinthsDoor.

Talee and the Fallen Object

Talee and the Fallen Object

By:  Jacquitta A. McManus

ISBN:  9780982802731

Published May 24, 2011 by Worlds to Discover

Format: ebook

My Rating:  ★★★★★  

Talee is an eight-year-old girl who lives on the planet Gala.  One day, the mail flyer drops a package, and Talee ventures out to find out what it could be. 

I received a copy of Talee and the Fallen Object for review.

This book is perfect for early elementary age children, but I have to say my two and three year olds enjoyed it as much as my six year old.  The planet and creatures in the story are creative and intriguing.  Talee is “African American” (not technically since she lives on a different planet, but you know what I mean).  I LOVE this!  I don’t know why there aren’t more children’s books with African American characters.  Everyone needs to learn about diversity and African American girls needs heroes too!

Jacquitta’s writing style is fun for children.  Talee is telling her story, and that really helps bring the children into her adventure with her.  The illustrations are beautiful, although I have the book on my Kindle so they weren’t in color.  But, based on the cover, I can imagine they are just as magical as the story itself.  I would love to get a hard copy and a coloring book for my daughter.

This is a super cute story that you and your children will love!          

The Shadowing: Hunted

The Shadowing:  Hunted

By: Adam Slater

ISBN:  9781606842614

Expected Publication: September 13, 2011 by EdgemontUSA

Available Format:  Hardback, paperback, ebook

My Rating: ★★★★★

Callum Scott is a teenage boy with some extraordinary abilities.  Not only can he see ghosts, everywhere, but he also has some precognitive talents.  When Callum starts to realize even the ghosts are frightened, he knows something strange is happening.  Something dark and perilous is hunting him, and even more danger lies just around the corner.  There is more to Callum than he thought, and the fate of the entire world may soon rest upon his shoulders.

I received a copy of Hunted through netGally for review.

I really loved this book.  I loved the characters.  I loved the plot.  I loved it!  My only complaint is there wasn’t more…

This is a fantastic YA horror/paranormal read.  It is scary, but not too scary.  It is gruesome, but not too gruesome.  There’s a fantastic balance between the human relationships and the cold creepiness of the ghosts and the hunter.  The story itself is a great twist on ghosts and demons.  Slater has a nice, easy writing style, and the story is paced wonderfully.  It’s also a very quick read, which is always nice! 

Callum seems like just your ordinary teenager, and he handles his abilities so well, without seeming too nonchalant about them.  Gran is a fantastic supporting character.  She is so completely normal, but still has that little edge to her so you know there is something else going on.  This is where I could have used a little more—I want to know ALL about Gran and Callum’s family and how they got to this point!  I am really hoping the next book in the series, Skinned, delves a little deeper.

This is a good YA that will appeal to male audiences as well.  There is enough horror and gore involved, and there really isn’t any romance, certainly no swooning, silly girls.  The hunter is downright gross and evil, and it is great!  The horror genre is really growing on me again, so I was fascinated with how this character played out.  Even Jacob and Doom gave me the creeps, but I love how their part in the story developed. 

Hunted will make your skin crawl, and you might even have a few nightmares, but you will love every second of it!

Reign of the Nightmare Prince

Reign of the Nightmare Prince

By:  Mike Phillips

ISBN:  9781936564118

Published July 8, 2011 by JournalStone

Available Format:  Paperback, ebook

My Rating:  ★★★★☆

Supernatural beings with powers of destruction are invading and destroying Rakam’s world.  Rakam and his great-grandfather, Mabetu, must lead their people in a fight for survival.  Survival means defeating an enemy with superior weapons and a thirst for blood. Although it seems like a fight he’s destined to lose, Rakam is willing to die to save his world from certain annihilation.

I received an advanced copy of Reign of the Nightmare Prince from the publisher for proofing and review.

When I began reading this manuscript, I have to say I was a bit unsure about where it was taking me.  At times, I was a bit distracted because it was jumping from one scene to another.  I was having a difficult time imagining the characters and setting for a while.  I was immediately reminded of the European settler’s invasion which eventually drove out the American Indians, but I knew that wasn’t quite right either.  Finally, it is obvious the “Europeans” are far more advanced than I was visualizing, and they are indeed form a future Earth.  I think a few illustrations within this story would go a long way in tying some of the elements together for the reader.

Rakam is an extremely likable and well-rounded character.  You can tell from the very beginning he has a kind soul, and he will be able to accomplish great things.  Of course, I absolutely adore Betu (given my fondness for animals in literature).  The way Rakam takes Betu in and the bond they share just further demonstrates his true character.  My favorite character is Mabetu for his humor and downright spunkiness!  One of my favorite quotes of the story is by Mabetu:

“You had better be delusional,” said Mabetu gruffly. “Or does your wife feel like a hairy old man?”

I think Mike does a great job developing his characters.  I love how the Shaitani are both barbaric and destructive, yet they still possess some redeeming qualities.  It makes it more difficult sometimes to decide whose side you should be more supportive of, because, essentially, we would be the Shaitani if anything were to happen to our world.  How exactly would we behave in a desperate situation?  How have we behaved in our past?  (I’m pretty sure we know the answer to that).

I understand that some may find this book a little difficult to get into, and if you aren’t much of a sci-fi/fantasy sort of person, you may not have the patience to stick with it.  Those of you who do, I believe, will easily be able to find something to love and/or relate to in the story. 

Mike Phillips will be interviewed on JournalStone’s Blog Talk Radio show, JournalJabber, co-hosted by yours truly, on Tuesday, August 9 at 8PM CST.  Tune in to learn more about Mike and Reign of the Nightmare Prince (like where exactly did that title come from?)—and who knows what else!

Free ebook: Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by van Gogh

Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by Van Gogh   

By: Douglas Smith

Genre: Science Fiction

Maroch, an expert in remote viewing and an ex-agent of the ‘Company,’ reluctantly agrees to coach a beautiful young woman “viewer,” who bears an uncanny resemblance to his dead wife, in a scheme to locate lost paintings by Vincent van Gogh, setting off a chain of events that may alter the past and destroy both their lives.

Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by Van Gogh was a 2009 Aurora Award Finalist

Doug is an award-winning Canadian author of speculative fiction, whose stories have appeared in over a hundred professional magazines and anthologies and twenty-four languages around the world, including InterZone, Amazing Stories, Cicada, Baen’s Universe, Weird Tales, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, Postscripts, On Spec, and The Third Alternative, as well as anthologies from Penguin/Roc, DAW, and others.

Click here to download from Amazon for the Kindle.
Click here to download from B&N for the Nook.

Guest Post: T.J. Koll, author of Shadows of Wormwood

Today, T.J. Koll, author of Shadows of Wormwood, has stopped in to share a little guest post with us all.  I love this one because it's all about how essential readers are!


In case you missed my review of Shadows of Wormwood, you can check that out HERE.


Author Guest Blog:

Stepping In
By: T.J. Koll


Allow me to be blunt and bold: reading is the key to developing a better understanding of the world and those with whom we share it. Indeed, the “world peace and goodwill” that so often fills the speeches of politicians and beauty pageant contestants can only be accomplished through the sharing of experiences found in fiction and poetry. After all, only in the pages of a book, short story, or piece of poetry can one step into the shoes of another human being without succumbing to the overbearing visuals of television and film. There, amongst the dots and the dashes, people from myriad historical eras, cultures, classes, and countries whisper to one another, tell each other secrets and truths never revealed in face-to-face conversations. There, within those pages, genuine understanding and widespread connection can be found. Readers like all of you, therefore, are far more than book-lovers; you are the emissaries of peace and drivers of human progress.

So perhaps all that is rather heavy-handed, possibly more appropriate for a classroom lecture or philosophy textbook than a guest blog, but your status and role as readers deserves all the profundity I can muster. Far too often, I think we authors actually receive too much attention and too much credit for the work that we do (I can already hear my fellow writers out there objecting), at least in how that attention and credit tend to overshadow the important work you readers accomplish every time you pick up a book, story, or poem. And I realize that few of you really look upon reading as work, especially as it’s often enjoyable and brings about a great deal of personal enrichment. Nevertheless, without you and your willingness to charge into the pages of an unknown text, books and poems and indeed writing itself would be pointless—like decorative pillows or something (Just kidding. Decorative pillow lovers, please don’t send any hate mail). Anyway, my point here is that, even when you read for entertainment, you are participating in humanity; you are helping the world become a better place by opening yourselves up to new people, new ideas, and new points-of-view.

Never forget that. Never forget the truths you find in these textual illusions. Never ignore the potential for growth that simple stories with engaging characters can offer. And never think of yourselves simply as book-lovers.

You can learn more about T.J. and his work on his website:  www.tjkoll.com


Thank you SO very much for hanging out with us this week, T.J.  I am really looking forward to your future writing!