everyone deserves a happily-ever-after
07 May 2013 1 Comment
in Tuesday Book Talk Tags: authors, books, e-books, Raelyn Barclay, readers, reading
09 Apr 2013 5 Comments
in Tuesday Book Talk Tags: authors, books, Charlaine Harris, Christina Hamlett, Dead Reckoning, e-books, Phantom, Phantom of the Opera, Raelyn Barclay, readers, reading, Sookie Stackhouse, Susan Kay, The Enchanter
Let’s talk books!
Dead Reckoning
Why I picked it up: That Man brought this home for me. I have the rest of the series, have read and loved the majority of the series, but hadn’t been in a rush to pick this one up.
What I liked: The quirkiness of Sookie is always fun. There’s the expected danger and love and paranormal drama. Once I sat down with it, I flew through the pages.
What I disliked: It’s feeling tired. Perhaps Ms. Harris should have ended the series a few books ago. The thing that got me were the inconsistencies, continuity issues. However, someone just coming to the series, or reading this as a stand alone, wouldn’t pick up on them.
The Enchanter
Why I picked it up: Someone, quite awhile ago now, raved about this book. It’s out of print now, so I’ve been searching for it off and on since hearing about it. I managed to land a retired library copy a few months ago.
What I like: We’ve got Merlin in “present” day (book was published in 1990) as the illusionist Kyle Falconer. We have Catherine, a reporter, who’s strangely drawn to Falconer. And wrapped around their story is the Arthurian myth. I’m enjoying Catherine. I’m not far enough into the story to see if we have Falconer’s POV.
What I dislike: There’s a bit of an omnipresence to the narration and it occasionally pulls me from the story.
Phantom
Why I picked this up: Um…I’m involved in a love affair with the Phantom of the Opera. And I have no intentions of giving it up!
What I expect to like: “None of us can choose where we will love.” ~ Erik. The Phantom’s POV! It appears the entire story is told in first person. The book is broken down into parts and we open with Erik’s mother’s POV.
What I expect to dislike: I’m not sure. I’ve never read anything by Ms. Kay before so don’t know what to expect.
05 Mar 2013 4 Comments
in Tuesday Book Talk Tags: authors, books, e-books, Raelyn Barclay, readers, reading
26 Feb 2013 8 Comments
in Books Tags: books, Dr. Seuss, family, Mary Poppins, movies, Raelyn Barclay, readers, reading, The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax
Here in Nevada, or at least southern Nevada, the week of Dr Seuss’ birthday is Nevada Reading Week. The wee beasties’ elementary school goes all out.
All this week, teachers will be calling trying to catch students reading. I, personally, will be enjoying the silence of three of the four wee beasties reading between 7 and 7:30 pm, guaranteed every night, all week 
Plus there are activities at school this. Yesterday, was a book picnic. Today, is a contest to see which student has the most words on their shirt. Tomorrow, is dressing up like a favorite book character. Thursday is the family literacy night which will include watching The Lorax
We have fun challenges for home, too. Family game night. Read to a family member night. Turn off the TV (and video games) night. The wee beasties turn in tickets for each activity and are entered to win books.
If you could dress up as your favorite book character tomorrow, who would you be?
I’m leaning toward Mary Poppins
05 Feb 2013 8 Comments
in Tuesday Book Talk Tags: April White, books, Coyote Con, Daughters of the Glen, e-books, Healing the Highlander, Immortal Descendants, Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Avatar, Kushiel's Chosen, Kushiel's Dart, Marking Time, Melanie Macek, Melissa Mayhue, Raelyn Barclay, readers, reading, When Love Waits
Let’s talk books!
Why I picked it up: I’m not sure where I first saw mention of this book but a week or so ago I saw it listed for free on Amazon. Bonus, it’s a time-travel story.
What I liked: Everything. LOL, seriously, I don’t give books 5 stars often or easily but this one definitely deserves it. The main character, Saira, is fully developed and engaging. The world and the historical elements are well done, even gripping. We follow Saira as she searches for her mother and learn about Saira’s past as she learns it. Billed as young adult, MC is 17, this tale is packed with paranormal, urban fantasy, time-travel, and suspense.
What I disliked: The next book isn’t out yet, LOL.
Run, don’t walk, and pick this one up. At 2.99 for the Kindle version, this 400+ page story is a page turner you won’t regret picking up.
Why I picked it up: I love Melissa Mayhue’s Daughters of the Glen series. I’d fallen behind in picking up the books, this is a hard copy series for me, because I’ve been caught up in e-books lately.
What I like: I really enjoy Mayhue’s voice. I like the world and characters and the Fae elements. And Scotland doesn’t hurt. A lot of the books in this series involve time-travel (a favorite of mine) and this one has that feel, though I’m not far enough into it to be sure it actually is a time-travel tale.
What I dislike: Nada. Mayhue is a must buy author for me.
Why I picked this up: This author was brought to my attention during Coyote Con, perhaps even this particular series, and I was able to get the first three books at a second-hand store. Score. (Book 2: Kushiel’s Chosen
What I expect to like: These are deliciously thick books, 600-900 page paperbacks, so I expect an epic tale. I also expect I’ll be reading these awhile, LOL.
What I expect to dislike: This is a completely new author for me so I have no idea at this point, unless the length of these books ends up working against the story.
You may have noticed I had this down last time. I found it hard to start, so have read other books, but can’t say whether that’s due to the story or not.
which actually released January 19th but I just picked up.UPDATE: Check out this fun character post with the hero from When Love Waits!
01 Jan 2013 12 Comments
in Tuesday Book Talk Tags: authors, books, e-books, Raelyn Barclay, readers, reading
04 Dec 2012 2 Comments
in Tuesday Book Talk Tags: Beneath the Secrets, books, Children of Time, Coyote Con, Crossroads in Time, Dangerous Secrets, Daughter of Time, e-books, Facebook, Footsteps in Time, Hot Secrets, Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel's Avatar, Kushiel's Chosen, Kushiel's Dart, Lisa Renee Jones, Llywelyn, Prince of Time, Raelyn Barclay, readers, reading, Sarah Woodbury, Winds of Time
Let’s talk books!
Why I picked it up: I saw this offered for free, probably on Facebook, and it sounded interesting enough to pick up. (Book 2: Dangerous Secrets
What I liked: I enjoyed the characters and world. Jones did a good job keeping me guessing who the bad guy was though I wasn’t completely surprised at the reveal. I was able to suspend belief and go with the love story. If the free price tag was an incentive to buy the other two books, the story succeeded.
What I disliked: Format errors. Sigh. But that’s the price of e-books. There were also a few editing errors that made me grit my teeth but weren’t big enough to pull me from the story.
Why I picked it up: Free is always a good word. However, what happened is that BFF and I were talking about time-travel romance stories which made me realize it had been awhile since I read a new one. Thus started a search for a new, to me, author. I happened upon this one.
What I like: Llywelyn. Seriously, I’ve always been fascinated by this medieval Welsh ruler. I enjoyed the time-travel ride and the dynamic between a modern-day woman and Llywelyn. I haven’t noticed any glaring historical oops either which tells me Woodbury did her research and wove it into her tale well. I’ll definitely be picking up the rest of this series.
What I dislike: This is a bit of a spoiler…the heroine is just out of an abusive marriage when she gets sucked back in time. To medieval Wales no less. Abuse was common place from all accounts I’ve read, yet the heroine rarely seems worried she’ll fall into the same predicament. And, as someone pointed out to me in my own writing, the Welsh the heroine understands from her Welsh born mother would not be the Welsh Llywelyn spoke. Not even the French they converse in. But I’ll go with it for the sake of the story
This is actually the prequel to the After Cilmeri series, here are links to the rest:
Why I picked this up: This author was brought to my attention during Coyote Con, perhaps even this particular series, and I was able to get the first three books at a second-hand store. Score. (Book 2: Kushiel’s Chosen
What I expect to like: These are deliciously thick books, 600-900 page paperbacks, so I expect an epic tale. I also expect I’ll be reading these awhile, LOL.
What I expect to dislike: This is a completely new author for me so I have no idea at this point, unless the length of these books ends up working against the story.
06 Nov 2012 8 Comments
in Tuesday Book Talk Tags: authors, books, e-books, Raelyn Barclay, readers, reading
30 Oct 2012 12 Comments
in Books, Guest Post Tags: Angela Wallace, authors, blog, blogging, books, e-books, Earth Tones, interviews, Raelyn Barclay, readers, reading, Rebecca Enzor, writers, writing
It’s my great pleasure to have Angela Wallace here today! I can’t remember how I came across her blog but I’m so glad I did.
Welcome Angela!
Let’s start with something fun. If you could have a quiet dinner with any writer, living or dead, who would you choose?
Hm, that’s a tough one. I think I’d actually like to have a chat with William Butler Yeats, the Irish poet. We don’t really have anything in common, but he was my favorite to read in college.
Earth Tones is the third book and I’m curious about the rules you created for the Elemental Magic world. Was it more of a discovery process or did you work out the boundaries before ever writing a word?
It was a little of both. I started off writing the first book knowing what I wanted, but once I started the second and expanded a little, I had to work out some things. It didn’t get me into a corner exactly, but there have been a few times where I’ve wondered if I should regret something established in the first book.
What is your favorite line or moment from Earth Tones?
Hm, I think it might be the trip out to Hubbard Glacier. It’s a pretty mundane scene, Nita and Keenan on a date, but the natural wonder of the glacier enchants me, along with the sweet normalcy before the supernatural storm.
Aww What was the most surprising thing you learned during Earth Tones?
Not so much surprising as disturbing, but I did research on pathogens, how they worked, various symptoms, etc. And unfortunately one website on fungus had pictures of what infections can do to the human body. Let’s just say, too much information.
Grew up with a RN for a mother so I can imagine! Some of her text books were NOT for the general public, LOL. What piece of mythology did you use this time?
Since Nita is Native American, I wanted to play with a Native American tradition. I also knew I wanted it to be some kind of cat. Thus, I found the mishupishu, or underwater panther. I used a lot from the legend, such as its scales, spiked tail, and horns, though took a little creative liberty modifying them.
I’ve got to say I loved the idea of an underwater panther, especially with Keenan being a water elemental. If you could be an elemental, which one would you choose and why?
Earth. I’ve developed a love of having certain plants in my room, but they always die. In fact, my like sixth orchid just bit the dust. If I had earth magic, problem solved.
What is your best or favorite setting for writing? Time?
I would love to be productive in the morning or afternoon, but it seems evening is when my brain likes to work. Between 8 and 11pm, which unfortunately conflicts with an early work schedule the following morning. I always write at my desk, but my day job has been so busy lately, I’ve taken to writing in a notebook when on the go.
What’s your favorite stage when producing a book?
Editing. I’m a perfectionist, so the first draft is very frustrating to get through. Once I’m able to slow down and start putting some coherence and polish on, I feel better.
Interesting, I have to say I love the first draft because I send that inner editor on a cruise…hmm, maybe to the Hubbard Glacier next. Are there are any fun scenes that didn’t end up in the final draft?
There was this cute scene I wanted to use, but it just didn’t fit anywhere in the story. Nita and Keenan are leaving the house when they find a moose on the porch. I learned that this is a very dangerous situation and that people are actually trapped in their homes until the moose decides to leave on its own. Now, Nita could just tell the moose to get lost with her earth magic, but instead she says they’ll have to put their plans on hold, and with a suggestive smile, hints that they can figure out something else to fill their time with.
Oh yeah, that can be a very sticky situation. I haven’t personally experienced it but a couple cousins have.
We got to see Aileen in the first two Elemental Magic books; will Nita be returning for number four?
Yes. Aileen sort of set the precedent for a protagonist to get two books. I already have some ideas churning.
If your book were made into a movie, who do you picture playing each character?
I’m actually not so good with actors’ names and stuff. I could tell you the Native American police officer guest star in Season 4 of In Plain Sight would be good for Nita, lol. But Keenan has remained elusive. If any readers have suggestions, I’d love to hear them.
What say you, dear blog visitors, have you read Earth Tones? Share your suggestions in the comments.
Everyone seems to complain when their favorite book is made into a movie or mini series. What is your favorite movie based on a book?
I actually love comparing books with their movie adaptations. Even as a kid, I sat down to watch the Wizard of Oz with the book open in my lap. While I agree some movies or mini series don’t do the book justice, I loved the Lord of the Rings movies.
Since we’re all readers at heart, let’s talk books. What was your favorite childhood, I’m thinking middle school or younger, book?
Tamora Pierce’s quartet series, particularly The Immortals. The young protagonists always possessed a special and unique form of magic, and the quartets followed them growing up.
I don’t think I’ve ever hear of Tamora Pierce. I’ll definitely have to check that out. We all have favorite books, ones we nag our friends to read, buy our loved ones as gifts, and, of course, the books we read over and over again. What books have you read more than twice?
When I was in elementary school, I read the Baby Sitter’s Club, its spin-off the Little Sister series, and the Animorph series about three times each. But I wouldn’t recommend those now, LOL. Actually, my all-time favorite book, the one I’d want on a desert island, is a nonfiction book by A. W. Tozer: The Pursuit of God. I read that book over and over.
What do you think readers would be shocked to discover about you?
Hm… Okay, so I write about elementals, and Earth Tones takes place in Alaska: lots of wildlife. Now, I do love and appreciate nature—as long as there’s a sealed glass window between us. Or a camera lens. I love looking at nature, but I really, really don’t like to be in it.
LOL, no camping for you, eh? This is a bit of an extension of the last question — What’s a unique hobby of yours?
I like to draw My Little Ponies. Sometimes I even create custom designs to go with books. And on November 4th, you can see the Earth Tones pony I designed revealed on Rebecca Enzor’s blog!
Cool. What’s your favorite sweet food?
With my new, healthy diet, the only dessert I can make, and I make it often, is almond cookies with chocolate and peanut butter chips.
Oh, that does sound good…for those who like chocolate and peanut butter, LOL. The wee beasties and That Man would be all over it
We talk about the tarot quite a bit here on the blog. If you were a tarot card which would you be? Or which card do you feel represents you best?
Ok, I kind of cheated by taking one of those personality tests so it could tell me which one represents me best, and I scored as The High Priestess. The subconscious and conscious mind always whirring, devoted to knowledge but still recognizing that God leaves mystery in the world. That works.
Wrap-Up Quickies:
Blog: http://angelawallace.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngelaRWallace
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Angela-Wallace/232511253453440
Angela Wallace loves gun-toting good boys and could have been a cop in another life except for the unfortunate condition of real blood making her queasy. Good thing writing gun and sword fights isn’t a problem. In her books you’ll find the power of love, magic, and redemption.
~ * ~
Nita Young doesn’t know if she has a future with college sweetheart Keenan Donovan—two star-crossed lovers of opposing elements—but she invites him up to Alaska to see if Earth and Water can rekindle their old flame.
When a series of wild animal attacks strike the inhabitants of Yakutat, Nita has to put her romantic plans on hold. Mangled bodies are turning up, and a mysterious black panther has been spotted in the woods. Fur, scales, and a venomous bite suggest the cat is supernatural in origin—and evidence indicates that someone not only summoned it, but is using it to target those Nita cares about. It’s the perfect murder weapon: no fingerprints, no evidence. And in a town this small, the killer is someone she knows.
Nita’s strength will be put to the test as she faces losing her friends, her town, and the man she loves.
