Feature: A Singular Gift

A Singular Gift

By: Sue Santore

ISBN:  2940011446368

Published July 31, 2011

Available Format: ebook

My Rating:  ★★★★★

Bonnie Jean Ryan’s grandmother is dying and passes down a very important gift—a gift that will cause Jean to grow up quite quickly. It will be up to her to hastily learn her magic, suppress the darkness, and win a very important battle between good and evil. Along the way, Jean is sure to learn some very significant lessons about friendship, family, selflessness, and love. 

This is a fantastic coming-of-age story, with a plethora of little life lessons peppered throughout. In the beginning, it might appear that Jean is kind of a spoiled little brat, in a way. She is obviously the favorite of the dying matriarch and many in her family envy her for that. But, could any of them have shouldered the burden that is placed upon her with her grandmother’s final gift? I think not. Beneath the superficial, Jean is really an old soul with a big heart, albeit a confused one at times. She is sometimes easily influenced, and that has brought about some big problems in her life. Overcoming this vulnerability is one of the major themes of this story. Not only is it wrong to side with evil, sitting back and doing nothing to fight it is just as bad.

I am truly impressed with this story. Sue does such a wonderful job of getting into the head of a young teen and making her life and the lives of those around her so completely believable in the midst of so much fantasy. The book is very clean and great for the younger side of young adults—no language or mature situations to worry about.  It reminded me at times of a little Chronicles of Narnia, with the magic hallway bit, especially when they venture into the Winter Room. The writing is spot on and the plot was fleshed out beautifully. 

I adopted A Singular Gift and Sue as part of Adopt an Indie month. I am honored to have been able to read and review this delightful novel! Sue will be a special guest on my blog tomorrow, and you will have a chance to win your very own ecopy of A Singular Gift to enjoy!  Don’t miss it…

Christmas Lites Cover and Trailer Reveal Day!!!!

Today is a truly exciting day!  We finally get to see the gorgeous cover and super fantastic trailer for Creative Reviews' short story anthology, Christmas Lites!!!  I have the honor of publishing a story with some unbelievably amazing authors...look for "The Mirror" when you purchase your copy :-)...


Art credits for the cover go to Dafeenah Jameel at http://www.indiedesignz.com.  Bravo!

  
The blurb:  Once upon a time, a rough and tumble seven year old caught Santa sliding down the chimney…

Then a ninja elf came and broke Santa out; no net is strong enough to keep out this ninja elf! After passing the faithful family pet, they ran and jumped in the sleigh. They raced to another house but refused to stop when ghosts were there to greet them. Santa doesn’t tangle with ghosts. He doesn’t tangle with vampires, either.

At the next stop, he met a runaway gingerbread man who yelled, “You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!” Santa didn’t bother to catch him; he had things to do.

On his way to his next delivery, he passed a werewolf jumping out of a plane and dodged a zombie hungry for his brain.

He finally touched down in a nice, normal town full of tidings and great joy…

Or did he?

Dive into a world of variety—a world of spirit with this Creative Reviews anthology. What better way to celebrate the holiday season than with some short stories that entertain and encompass the true meaning of Christmas? All proceeds of this book will be donated to the NCADV. Debut authors and published authors have come together in this one-of-a-kind compilation – please help support a great cause and plunge deep into our imaginations.

The lovely Cambria Hebert (who will be a guest here next week!) put this fun trailer together:








Christmas Lites will be available for sale November 25, 2011.


You will be able to purchase this OUTSTANDING book in both ebook format and print.
Please continue to spread the word as all proceeds will go towards helping those that have been victims of domestic violence. Copies will also be donated for Operation Book Drop for our troops overseas.

For more information on the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, visit their website at www.ncadv.org


Here's a look into what they do and what they stand for:

The Mission of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) is to organize for collective power by advancing transformative work, thinking and leadership of communities and individuals working to end the violence in our lives. 

NCADV believes violence against women and children results from the use of force or threat to achieve and maintain control over others in intimate relationships, and from societal abuse of power and domination in the forms of sexism, racism, homophobia, classism, anti-Semitism, able-bodyism, ageism and other oppressions. NCADV recognizes that the abuses of power in society foster battering by perpetuating conditions, which condone violence against women and children. Therefore, it is the mission of NCADV to work for major societal changes necessary to eliminate both personal and societal violence against all women and children. 

NCADV's work includes coalition building at the local, state, regional and national levels; support for the provision of community-based, non-violent alternatives - such as safe home and shelter programs - for battered women and their children; public education and technical assistance; policy development and innovative legislation; focus on the leadership of NCADV's caucuses developed to represent the concerns of organizationally under represented groups; and efforts to eradicate social conditions which contribute to violence against women and children. 



A HUGE shout out to our three fearless leaders, Amy, Cambria, and Jenn!  I'll have lots more details for you very soon, so stay tuned...

JournalJabber Recap November 8, 2011

Tuesday--it comes every week, and every week we have something to look forward to--JournalJabber!  I know I have missed a recap here and there lately, and I apologize.  Things have just been SO crazy for me recently, so please forgive me...


This week our very special guests were the dynamo writing (and life) team, Angel Haze & Slade Sewell!  This was one of our more entertaining shows, and it is obvious we don't have a censoring delay because we had a couple little language slip ups (so this one probably isn't for innocent ears).  But, these guys had lots of interesting things to talk about, including some pretty awesome books!

Listen to internet radio with JournalJabber on Blog Talk Radio

Those awesome books are Bloodletter and Legacies of Talimura: War of the Witch. I haven't done reviews for these yet, so look for those in the near future.  

Bloodletter
By Angel Haze
AISN:  B0055U8GWY
Published June 13, 2011
Available Format: ebook


Goodreads' Synopsis:
Thou shalt not kill.

A contradictory message written in blood at the scene of a young woman's murder. Within days, another body surfaces with a similar calling card and, to Detective Ramon Faust and Criminalist Kelly Garret, it's clear a deadly game is underfoot.

As the rash of horrific crimes continue, a phone call unearths a shocking revelation: Nakeita isn't the first city the elusive killer has left his mark. The Bloodletter, as dubbed by the media, has played his deadly game before.

Delving deep into the most terrifying case of Kelly's career, threatening phone calls and flashbacks of a forgotten near-death experience challenge her sanity and the lives of everyone she loves.

Legacies of Talimura:  War of the Witch
By Angel Haze & Slade Sewell
ISBN:  2940011387357
Published June 30, 2011
Available Format:  ebook 


Goodreads' Synopsis:
Debonair, a witch from the Unspoken Lands, has meddled in the forbidden practice of magic and created an army of nightmarish proportions. When sixteen-year-old Astanyx and his two best friends return from a hunting trip to find their small town of Polca reduced to smoke and ash, they find themselves thrust into a battle for which they haven't been trained.

With the help of his comrades, including an esteemed warrior, one of the last great wizards and a princess they've sworn to protect, Astanyx must fight to unite the kingdoms of the humans, dwarves and elves. He must ask forbidden questions that no one wants to answer, questions about Talimura's dark history. As Debonair's brutal warriors lay siege to the kingdoms, Astanyx is driven to pursue a fateful quest for a blade powerful enough to defeat the malevolent witch before she destroys the three kingdoms and unleashes an unspeakable ancient evil.




How about those fab covers?  The art credits go to Claudia at PhatPuppy Art.  She has some absolutely gorgeous work!!!


The sequel to Bloodletter is scheduled to come out early 2012.  Be on the lookout for:  Tease Me, Thrill Me, Hunt Me, Kill Me...



Angel and Slade participated in our Three Facts game this week.  Pick the correct fact, email your answer to Amy (amy@journalstone.com), and you could win a copy of either of these super cool books!

1.  Angel is just as much as a gamer as Slade.

2.  Between the two of them, Slade and Angel have over 10 tattoos.

3.  Legacies of Talimura: War of the Witch has been featured in Amazon's top 100 Epic Fantasies and Teens and Adventures.


Where you can stalk Angel & Slade:

Websites:  http://www.angelhaze.com/   http://www.angel-haze.blogspot.com

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/AngelHaze7

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002946127730&sk=wall

Last week, our special guest was Lynn Rush, author of Wasteland.  She also played three facts and her FALSE fact was that her favorite animals are cats.  Nope, this lady is a dog lover!




It is almost mid-November which means the American's will soon be stuffing themselves with lots of turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce!  And, before we know it Christmas will be upon us!  We have a couple exciting things going on this holiday season...

Creative Reviews is publishing a short story anthology, Christmas Lites.  We have been working hard to get this thing churned out right after Thanksgiving, and I cannot wait to see the finished product.  There will even be a story in there by yours truly!!!  (pssst - It's "The Mirror' :-)).  I have read all the stories and they are AMAZING!


Proceeds from this book will be donated to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and complimentary copies will be donated to Operation Book Drop.  This is for two FANTASTIC causes, so we want you all to buy TONS of copies!! 

The book cover/trailer release is TOMORROW, November 9, 2011!!!  Squeee!!  Make sure you stop by Creative Reviews' Facebook page to be one of the first to check that out.  I'll also be sharing it here, and you'll be hearing more about everything the closer we are to publication (and it is sneaking up very quickly!).




For our JournalJabber Christmas show, we are inviting your spirited spawn (that's your kids) onto the show to read their favorite Christmas story!!  It is going to be so FUN!  My son says he is going to participate, and he wants us to write our own story.  I can't wait to see how this turns out :-)!!  If your child would like to be on the show, please email Amy at amy@journalstone.com to sign up.

That's about it for this week!  Our guest next week is Gregory Bastianelli, author of Jokers Club which is the 2nd place winner of JournalStone's 2011 Horror Writing Contest.  Our favorite guest host, Brett J. Talley will be interviewing Greg, so you already know this is going to be fun!  We'll see you there next Tuesday, November 15th at 8PM CST!!!




Have a GREAT week!
   

Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House 1)

Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House 1) 

By:  Mary Pope Osborne

Illustrated by:  Sal Murdocca

ISBN:  9780679824114

Published July 28, 1992 by Random House

Available Format:  Hardcover, Paperback, ebook, Audiobook

My Rating:  ★★★★☆

Goodreads’ Synopsis:  Where did the tree house come from? Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark . . . or will they become a dinosaur's dinner?

My son introduced me to the Magic Tree House series when he brought one of the later books home from the library one day.  They read them at school quite often, and he was always raving about the stories, so I bought a set of forty-two books from Scholastic last month.  We have been eating these babies up for our bedtime reading! 

They are super easy for him to read on his own if he wants, but then they are fun for me to read to him if he is tired—and he always manages to go to sleep right after the last page.  The illustrations are the perfect supplement to the story without bogging it down too much.  And the adventures themselves are fantastic.

My only complaint is that the wording can get a bit boring at times.  There are a lot of “saidisms” (he said, she said) throughout, and I can just see how the story could be totally spiced up by adding in a bit more creative language here and there.  I understand these books are for young readers, but why not challenge them a bit more and give them a better introduction into higher level reading material?  We’re still at the beginning of the series, so maybe the author does shake things up a bit after she has more experience under her belt. 

Either way, I know we will be finding out!  I definitely recommend this as a starter chapter book series.  You will be just as hooked as your kids…

This review can apply to the other books of the series that we have read so far:

Stay tuned for more from this series...

Will Allen and the Great Monster Detective

Will Allen and the Great Monster Detective

By: Jason Edwards

ISBN:  9780978951207

Published September 15, 2007 by Rogue Bear Press

Available Format:  Paperback, ebook

My Rating:  ★★★★★

Goodreads’ Synopsis:  Will Allen and the Great Monster Detective is the story of a smart but timid 5th grade boy haunted by fears that have literally come to life. He searches fruitlessly for help until a strange business card mysteriously appears in his book bag, instructing him how to summon Bigelow Hawkins, The Great Monster Detective. With Bigelow's help, along with the use of a very special flashlight and magnifying glass, Will must learn how to conquer his monsters and uncover the secret of the dreadful Hidden Beast before it's too late...

The story starts out innocently enough.  Who hasn’t had a monster under their bed at some point?  How handy would a Monster Detective have been back then?  Pretty soon, however, Will finds out these aren’t your run of the mill monsters.  I love how the author works some really serious issues (bullies, abuse, insecurities) into such a fun, entertaining story.  What a great way to approach tough subjects.

Some of the monsters did scare my six-year-old a bit.  (And I’ll admit my husband and I had a fun time teasing him a little, but then discussed with him about how monsters are really just our imagination.)  In the end, however, he really did enjoy the story, and I love seeing him engaged with reading as much as he was with this book. 

After finishing the Great Monster Detective, he signed up on the website to become an honorary Monster Detective.  He thought that was super cool.  There are other neat activities that he can do on the site, and we’ll be checking those out soon.

This is a great chapter book with a great message.  I highly recommend it!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub, There's a Monkey in Our Tub!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub, There's a Monkey in Our Tub!

By:  Heather Wallace

AISN:  B005S3L4IQ

Published October 2, 2011

Available Format:  ebook

My Rating:  ★★★★★

Goodreads’ Synopsis:  When a monkey mysteriously appears in one family's bathtub they aren't quite sure how he got there or what he'll do next. However, in this delightfully illustrated children's book, one thing is certain—taking a bath is only the beginning of this monkey's antics as he makes their house his home.

This was a great mid-afternoon read for my children and me.  The story is written in cute little rhymes and the illustrations are simple and adorable.  This would be perfect for a child who was just learning to read and still a ton of fun for more seasoned readers, even Mommy J! 

I do hope for a paper edition someday soon…  Now we’re off to read it again!

Real Steel

Real Steel

Directed by:  Shawn Levy

Written by:  John Gatins, Dan Gilroy, and Jeremy Leven

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, and Dakota Goyo

Released in theaters October 7, 2011

Rated PG-13

My Rating: ★★★★★

Charlie Kenton (Huge Jackman), a former boxer, is a deadbeat dad who tries, fairly unsuccessfully, to make a living fighting robots.  He owes just a few too many of the wrong kind of people, and he’s always on the hunt for the next big break.  One day, as he tries to skip out on a bet gone wrong, he is approached by authorities who inform him that his ex-wife is dead and his eleven-year-old son is now under his care.  His ex-sister-in-law (Hope Davis) wants to adopt Max (Dakota Goyo), but Charlie sees another opportunity to make some cash and takes the boy for the summer with plans to sell him to the couple afterward.  What Charlie doesn’t expect is the incredible bond that he and Max will make over a junkyard find, the sparring robot, Atom.  Can the unlikely trio work their way to a championship or will they find something far more important to fight for along the way?

This was another mommy-needs-a-break movie at the drive-in with the kiddos.  It most definitely did NOT disappoint!  This movie was chock full of action and excitement with just the perfect amount of sentiment.  I’m not going to lie, I’m a pretty big Hugh Jackman fan, so it already had that going for it, although he had to drop his Australian accent for the role.  It’s nice to see Evangeline Lilly doing movies after her fantastic role in Lost, and then add in a cute kid and some interesting robots and you’re sure to have a winner! 

The plot for this film is seamless.  It isn’t set too far into the future to be completely unbelievable.  It doesn’t overload your brain with too much high tech information.  There is the perfect balance between the action and the emotion, and there is a lot of both.  I cannot praise this film enough.  My children loved it.  My oldest son was so wrapped up in the story, he got physically upset when a fight did not go like he wanted.  As we were leaving, my daughter exclaimed, “That was a good time, Mommy!”  Beware, however…  You may have a two-and-a-half-year-old who is suddenly very interested in boxing everyone and everything he sees!