Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – Author Update – #Reviews – Frank Prem, C. S. Boyack, Stevie Turner and Judith Barrow.

Thanks to Sally Cronin at Smorgasbord for my shout-out today.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Welcome to the first of the Cafe and Bookstore Updates this week with more reviews for authors on the shelves.

The first author is Frank Prem whose latest collection Devil in the Wind: Voices from the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires is receiving wonderful reviews.

About Devil in the Wind

Devil In The Wind is an account of catastrophic fire and its immediate aftermath.

In this 21st century, the whole world seems to be on fire. America burns. Europe burns. Greece is reeling after its own tragedy of fire.

And Australia burns, as it has always done, but now so much more fiercely.

In February 2009, wildfires burnt through entire communities, taking 173 lives and injuring hundreds, while destroying thousands of houses and other buildings. Up to 400 fires destroyed 450,000 hectares of forest, native fauna and habitat, livestock and farmland.

In the aftermath of the fires, the voices of people…

View original post 1,739 more words

Advertisements

Streets Ahead Street Team Promotion – Karen Payton Holt’s ‘Awakening’.

Tags

street team

This week on ‘Streets Ahead‘ it’s the turn of Karen Payton Holt’s ‘Awakening’, which is the first in a series of 5 vampire books set in post-apocalyptic England:

Karen wrote this book description below:

‘I wrote this series after reading ‘Twilight” and wishing that I knew more about Edward Cullen than Bella. He seemed two dimensional to me, and that was such a shame. After all, we all know what being human feels like, but a vampire? Now, there’s the story.

Think ‘Twilight’ meets ‘Game of Thrones” and you are in the right mind-set to enter the world of ‘Fire & Ice’.

If you want to enter the dark and, at times, harrowing world of Doctor Connor and experience his human obsession, then you can find it here. ‘Fire and Ice: Awakening” begins a journey which spans 5 novels and is much more than a vampire tale, it is an emotional roller coaster ride.

If you hate vampires, or hunger for something different – something that grips you and will not let go – then read the first chapter…

London, 1910. Bram Stoker’s Dracula had made barely a ripple in the pool of human consciousness, and it would be another 12 years before Nosferatu breathes life into a vampire on the big screen… but even then, in human society, vampires existed. Like a seam of gold running through the coal, they are there, but you have to look for them.

For centuries, vampires were content to exist as creatures of myth and legend, barely making a footprint in the shifting sands of human consciousness, until Mother Nature unleashed the global pandemic which wiped out most of humanity.

A predator emerges and humans become a valuable food source. Vampire survival instincts have an edge of desperation, and they are forced out of the shadows. The London of 2010 becomes a vampire hive as they cluster around their decimated food supply, and ‘survival of the fittest’ is a stark reality.

Humans wish their world had ended, when, as a protected species, they are imprisoned, farmed as cattle, and siphoned for blood.

The cloud on the vampire horizon is that humans age and die. Suddenly, vampire immortality has an expiration date.

Connor is that rarity, a vampire and a doctor, who can treat a bleeding human – and not kill them. Tending to stricken vampires remains part of his duty; immortality has always been a tightrope walk over an abyss of insanity, and there are always those who fail to get it right.

After a century of living on his wits and feeding on humans he considered deserving of death, Connor views the human farm with distaste. His passion is to find a synthetic blood substitute.

Against this dark, forbidding backdrop, Doctor Connor does the unthinkable; he falls in love with a human girl.

When he treats Rebekah, alarm bells ring. He realizes she is a free-range human, and hiding her carries the death penalty. ‘Turning’ her in is a no-brainer, and yet…

Their worlds collide when Rebekah awakens in a vampire hospital and faces her worst fears — discovery and capture. Her euphoric relief, when it seems the beta-blockers have protected her from detection, turns to terror.

Connor grips Rebekah’s arm and her thundering heartbeat resonates through him. The tingling joy of being alive rushes through him again, and his journey into madness begins. His admiration for the human spirit punches a hole in his shell of indifference.

Rebekah cannot escape without the doctor’s help. Her fear of vampires tilts on its axis as Connor becomes her safe haven.

Connor’s stagnant existence is shattered as he embraces the feeling of being alive once more. Outwitting the vicious intent of a vindictive councilor, surviving attacks by the vampire councils’ guardsmen, and being sentenced to locked-in syndrome were never in Connor’s wildest imaginings and falling in love with a human girl was something he never expected.

Flying in the face of everything he should do, Connor risks everything and embraces the exhilaration of saving Rebekah and her group.’

Verified Purchase Review:

‘A dark dystopian novel with a great backstory and a fresh slant on vampires, love and survival.’

 

 

Streets Ahead Street Team Promotion: Words We Carry, by D.G Kaye

As part of this week’s Streets Ahead Street Team promotion, I’m sharing D.G Kaye’s book ‘Words We Carry:  Essays of Obsession and Self Esteem’:

Words from the author:

“I have been a great critic of myself for most of my life, and I was darned good at it, deflating my own ego without the help of anyone else.”

What do our shopping habits, high-heeled shoes, and big hair have to do with how we perceive ourselves? Do the slights we endured when we were young affect how we choose our relationships now?

D.G. takes us on a journey, unlocking the hurts of the past by identifying situations that hindered her own self-esteem. Her anecdotes and confessions demonstrate how the hurtful events in our lives linger and set the tone for how we value our own self-worth.
Words We Carry is a raw, personal accounting of how the author overcame the demons of low self-esteem with the determination to learn to love herself.

Here’s a 5 star review from Madelyn Griffith-Haynie:

Some of you will find this book comforting, and a few of you will find it just what the doctor ordered. But it is not for everyone.

You probably won’t be able to relate if you are one of the lucky few whose parents supported your every endeavor, who were never bullied or at the receiving end of a few catty comments that echo still, who began living the life of your dreams and tripped over the perfect relationship the moment you left your parent’s house, or who always found yourself in the center of “the IN crowd.”

FOR EVERYONE ELSE, this is an uplifting, positively focused quick read that is more like a conversation with a supportive big sister. The “girlfriend” conversational tone is one of the book’s charms. Using “open-faced sandwich” examples from her own life in a series of shorter essays organized in sections, the author shares her own insecurities and how she overcame them, disclosing many of her own challenges with the process of developing self-esteem herself. Many with her history might not have been able to do so, struggling still.

‘Words’ would be helpful to anyone of any age with a similar background (and most females still struggling to make peace with their real or imagined “flaws”), but I especially want to encourage younger women to give it a read. It is likely to save you a few years of “relationship mistakes” and second-guessing as you work through the many issues common to most of us. Perhaps it will help you avoid some of the heartache that accompanies those years when we SO much want to be “popular” and think we would be if we were taller/shorter/thinner/blonder – whatever-er!!

Follow the author’s journey as she takes us through what it took for her to work through her own “flaws” and negative emotions and come out the other side, whole, happily married to a wonderful man for many years now, and extremely productive.

Streets Ahead Street Team Promotion – Darlene Foster’s ‘Amanda in New Mexico’.

This week we’re promoting Darlene Foster’s ‘Amanda in New Mexico:  Ghosts in the Wind, which is part of the Amanda Travels series.

Amanda Ross is on a school trip to Taos, New Mexico with several of her fellow creative students. Join Amanda, Cleo and their funny friend, Caleb, as they visit an ancient and beautiful landscape where a traditional hacienda, an ancient pueblo, and a haunted and spooky hotel all hold secrets to a wild and violent past. Does Cleo really see ghosts? Can Amanda escape the eerie wind that follows her everywhere? Perhaps the Day of the Dead will reveal the mysteries of Taos in this latest adventure of Amanda’s travels.

Reviews:

“A charming and fast-paced story that will delight its young audience as Amanda and Leah travel along the historic Danube River to deliver a very unique and mysterious violin.” —Suzanne de Montigny, Award-winning author, Shadow of the Unicorn: The Legacy

 

“Young readers will have great fun travelling alongside Amanda Ross as she cruises down the Danube by riverboat, revelling in the picturesque landscape and captivating cities along the way. This novel is chock-full of social and cultural history that will leave adventurers longing to explore this part of Europe for themselves. Thanks to a mysterious boy who entrusts Amanda with a timeworn violin, this fast-paced mystery will keep readers guessing until the very last chapter.” —Jan L. Coates, Children’s Author, Governor General’s Literary Awards

 

“Darlene Foster’s latest title, Amanda on the Danube, is a fun and engaging read. Set in different European cities, Amanda and her best friend Leah travel on a cruise ship along the Danube with adventure hot on their heels. A mysterious violin case, two boys and other intriguing characters among ancient castles make this a page turning adventure for young readers.” —Margriet Ruurs, Author of My Librarian is a Camel

Streets Ahead Street Team Promotion

Tags

#familydrama, #streetsaheadstreetteam

This week on Streets Ahead we’re promoting Anita Dawes’ family drama ‘Secrets’.

SOME SECRETS WILL KILL YOU…
and some are about someone who is already dead.
A mother must find the truth before the secrets destroy her family…

 

Here’s a couple of Amazon reviews:

“I have had this book on my kindle for a while, but just found some spare time to pick it up. I read it over a day and it’s a really thought provoking book. The relationships between the child, Danny, and his invisible ‘friend’, kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next. The characters are really well written and although I have read other books by this author, they’ve all been completely different. This story is full of suspense and you might need to read this story during the day and not before going to sleep!” – Elizabeth C

“I finished reading this in the middle of last night; though it is not unsusual for me to turn my Kindle on in the early hours, this is not the sort of novel you should be reading in the dark watches of the night! It is a good paranormal thriller, but more than that it will make you reconsider all our childhoods. How responsible are children for what they do and what is really going on in their minds? In some ways I felt most sorry for Jack’s parents, a poignant back story gradually revealed, an event that ruined any chance of his father continuing the life he loved or his mother coming to accept their rural life. There is a lot going on in everyone’s lives, but Jackie is a reminder that those of us who have led ordinary lives cannot know what others have had to overcome. There were only a few things that jarred – I thought it was likely the social services would have got involved, Maggie did not guess an obvious pointer as Jack’s story was revealed and some dialogue and characters’ thoughts could be confusing in the pace of the story. But overall I really enjoyed this unusual novel.” – Janet Gogerty

Streets Ahead Street Team Promotion

Hey all,

It’s time for another book promotion from the Streets Ahead street team.  We’re slowly growing in numbers, and as of today there are now 17 of us! https://mewe.com/group/5cc86303c7ff680d05925297

Today I’m featuring Colleen Chesebro’s book ‘Fairies, Myths and Magic‘:

Step into a world where fairies, dragons, and other magical beings converge in a collection of poetry and short stories inspired by the celebration of Litha, the Summer Solstice.

Meet Drac, a dragon cursed by his own poisonous deeds, and two pixies who help an old man remember a lost love. You’ll meet a pair of fairies with a sense of humor, and a young girl who fulfills her destiny after being struck by lightning. Learn what happens when a modern witch’s spell goes terribly wrong. Meet the Sisters of the Fey, a group of Slavic Witches who sign a pact with the Rusalki Fey to preserve their magic for the good of all.

Atmospheric and haunting, the prose and poetry, will rewrite the mythologies of the past bringing them into the future.

Streets Ahead Street Team Promotion

Tags

book promotion, Robbie Cheadle, street team

This is a promotion from my new Streets Ahead street team, which has now moved over to MeWe as I’ve deleted my Facebook account.  Authors can join using this link:

https://mewe.com/group/5cc86303c7ff680d05925297

At the moment we’re promoting Robbie Cheadle’s book ‘While the Bombs Fell’.

What was it like for children growing up in rural Suffolk during World War 2?
Elsie and her family live in a small double-storey cottage in Bungay, Suffolk. Every night she lies awake listening anxiously for the sound of the German bomber planes. Often they come and the air raid siren sounds signalling that the family must leave their beds and venture out to the air raid shelter in the garden.
Despite the war raging across the English channel, daily life continues with its highlights, such as Christmas and the traditional Boxing Day fox hunt, and its wary moments when Elsie learns the stories of Jack Frost and the ghostly and terrifying Black Shuck that haunts the coastline and countryside of East Anglia.
Includes some authentic World War 2 recipes

---

I enjoyed reading this book, and here’s my 4 star review posted on Amazon UK on 16th October 2018:    https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/RZW5J2COEAFXG/

An Entertaining Read

I was immediately interested in reading this book, as I’ve lived in Suffolk for nearly 30 years, and not too far from Bungay. I heard lots of wartime stories from my mother who lived in London during the war, but this book was different in that the main character, a child called Elsie, lives in the countryside. Ms Cheadle has written anecdotes gleaned from family and friends over the years, and has written quite a charming faction book.

Elsie tells of what it was like to live not only through the war itself, but also about food rationing and how her mother made the pennies stretch to feed her family. There are highlights in Elsie’s life of Christmas Day, and the rich fruit pudding complete with a lucky sixpence that she and her siblings looked forward to, and also at other times of the odd rabbit that her farmer father managed to catch and the rabbit stew it became after her mother had skinned and gutted it. There is also the alarming sound of the air raid siren, and how she had to flee to the garden shelter with her family, sometimes in the middle of the night.

As Elsie is a child, the book is written in quite a young style that is suitable for older children as well as adults. She thinks nothing of walking two miles with her siblings to play at a favourite spot, something I think today’s children would not even consider (indeed if they are allowed outside in the first place). She took as normal today’s privations such as icy bedrooms and having to share a bed with her 2 sisters, but she was glad of them for warmth.
With a diet augmented by rabbits and whatever else her father managed to catch, Elsie possibly fared rather better than children in London who were not evacuated. I’m sure she grew up healthier than today’s children, brought up on a diet of fast food and lack of exercise. Hopefully she would have been too young at the time to let the war’s horrors blight her later life.

I would have preferred the style of writing to be more aimed at adults, but I give this book 4 stars for an entertaining read.

Sally’s Cafe and Bookstore – New book on the shelves – Special Pre-Order Price – Partners in Time by Stevie Turner

Thanks to Sally Cronin at Smorgasbord for her promotion of my new paranormal novel ‘Partners in Time’.  Just a note to say that the book is no longer on pre-order, and so has reverted to its regular price of $2.99 / £1.99.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Just a reminder that the latest book by Stevie Turner is now available on Amazon..

Stevie Turner’s latest book, Partners in Time, was released today….

About Partners in Time

John Finbow, a successful writer, and his wife Kay move into Southcombe Rectory, a large Victorian house that has been empty since the 1960s. It had previously been owned by the Cuthbertson family who had lived there for generations. Their marriage is under strain, as John, 39 would like children before he gets too old, but Kay, 34, does not.
When John is working in his study soon after moving in, he is disturbed by the sight of a young woman who appears out of the blue on his sofa. Emily Cuthbertson, whose old bedroom is now John’s study, was 25 at the time of her death and the youngest of 8 offspring of the late Reverend Arthur Cuthbertson and…

View original post 109 more words

Smorgasbord Book Reviews – Understanding: An Anthology of True and Significant Life Events-compiled by Stevie Turner

Thanks to Sally Cronin for this promotion and for a great review.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Over the last three weeks I have been featuring the contributors to this anthology of true and significant events. Writers share intimate and life changing events in their lives with courage and honesty whilst inspiring others.

Compiled by author Stevie Turner – the proceeds from this anthology will be going to Cancer Research and it is a very worthy cause.

Here is the link to the previous post where you can also find the link to the first posts in the series:Contributors part six

About the anthology

The following authors and bloggers answered questions posed by Stevie Turner regarding significant life experiences they had undergone. These events include sexual abuse, a near death experience, alcoholism, being diagnosed with cancer, depression, losing weight, getting married, being a mother to many children, being the daughter of a narcissistic mother, and many more!

The contributors to the anthology.

Alienora Browning – Sally…

View original post 507 more words

Streets Ahead Book Promotion

Round 2 of Streets Ahead book promotions begins this week with Richard Dee’s science fiction/psychological thriller ‘Life and Other Dreams‘.

Rick lives here on Earth now, with Cath. His life is boring, writing adverts for cat food and exotic holidays. When he’s asleep, he dreams vividly.
In his dreams, he lives as Dan, spending his time with his wife Vanessa. They live six-hundred years in the future, half a galaxy away. They’re explorers, searching for valuable minerals on Ecias, an alien paradise.

Dan has no dreams about Rick’s life, he lives on Ecias, loves his life and Vanessa.
When the two worlds overlap, Rick starts to question what is real. Events in his waking and sleeping lives are mirrored, similar people inhabit both and coincidences mount up. Then disaster strikes in each world at the same time. In his dreams, Dan is accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Meanwhile, after one coincidence too many, Cath thinks that Rick’s dreams are hiding an affair and leaves him.
Is Rick going crazy, or can he be living in two places, in two times, at once? If not, then which one of them is the reality? Will one life carry on when the other is on hold?

---

We’re also promoting Dorinda Duclos’ book of short stories, passages and poetic prose ‘Short & not always Sweet‘.  

Imagine yourself being lost in a faraway land, or sailing on a pirate ship. Perhaps you’ll find yourself in a predicament, or a romantic rendezvous. From passages to longer, more detailed stories, these are writings that are sure to capture your imagination and evoke emotions, from sadness, to madness, to happiness and beyond.