Friday, December 2, 2011

Book Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda



Fracture by Megan Miranda
Publisher: Walker and Company
Publish Date: January 17, 2012
Hardcover, 272 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult
 ISBN: 978-0802723093






My Review:
First off I love stories where best friends finally figure out they love each other.  Fracture is one of these stories in a convoluted way.  But I like it that way.  This is one crazy story, but the craziness of it is what kept me hooked and kept me turning pages.  I started reading it during the afternoon, stopped long enough to start some spaghetti for supper, then started reading again.  Then I stopped long enough to field phone calls and texts from the husband and oldest son telling me the oldest son shot his first deer, then I dove back in the book (yes the deer moment was a proud moment).  But Fracture was a book that just grabbed me and sucked me in.  So I was glad that hubby and son were late getting home that night for more reasons than one!

What can I say about Fracture without giving anything away.  It's creepy, it keeps you guessing, there is romance, there is teen angst and confusion.  There are times you want to slap both Delaney and Decker, but you still love them.  They are not characters you hate.  They are just struggling and I felt their struggle.  I think Ms. Miranda does an admirable job developing the characters and making them likable and helping them to grow during the book.  I think she characterizes teenagers well, with the need to stay in a stagnant way because it is what is comfortable and there is fear to break out of what is comfortable.  I remember how that was.

The plot was stunning and mind blowing.  The fact that Delaney should be dead and that she seems to have this new gift or not really a gift, it depends how she looks at it.  The twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat and add in the teen angst and the potential romance and this book just had everything that made a great book to me.  I was hooked from page one until the very end and I honestly didn't want it to end.  But it did and now a week later I am still thinking about Delaney, Decker and even Troy.  That as I have mentioned before is a mark of a good book to me, when the characters stick with me after the book is done.  And these characters have.

If you are looking for a slightly different paranormal with a little romance then try out Fracture.  It held me spellbound and I will eagerly be awaiting more of Megan Miranda's books in the future.

My Rating: 5.0/5.0


About the Book:
By the time Delaney Maxwell was pulled from a Maine lake’s icy waters by her best friend, Decker Phillips, her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead.

But somehow Delaney survived—despite the brain scans that show irreparable damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be fine, but she knows she’s far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can’t control or explain, Delaney now finds herself drawn to the dying, and when she meets Troy Varga, a boy who recently emerged from a coma with the same abilities, she is relieved to share this strange new existence. Unsure if her altered brain is predicting death or causing it, Delaney must figure out if their gift is a miracle, a freak of nature—or something else much more frightening…


About the Author: 
Megan is a scientist - turned - teacher - turned - stay-at-home-mom - turned - writer. She is not nearly as indecisive as she sounds. She lives near Charlotte, North Carolina, where she volunteers as an MIT Educational Counselor, does the mom thing by day, and writes by night. 

Website
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FTC Information: I received this book through Good Choice Reading ARC Tours an honest review. 




Giveaway: My Favorite Bible by Rondi DeBoer and Christine Tangvald


With the vibrant illustrations and engaging text in this Bible storybook, you can enjoy sharing the best-loved stories of the Bible with the children in your life and encourage a life-long love for the Word of God. My Favorite Bible is a book of exciting Bible stories and activity pages that guide children through the foundational truths of Scripture.

Each story is fully illustrated and includes a simple narrative full of things kids love: repetition, rhythm, and energy, along with a key biblical theme, a key Bible verse, and discussion questions to help adults introduce children to the Bible.

The colorful illustrations will capture the imaginations of children ages 4–8, and the stories will help adults to pass along the most important truth in life—the Gospel. Families will cherish this time as they read, listen, learn, and love, growing closer to one another even as they grow closer to God.

Thanks to the kind people at Revell I have one copy of My Favorite Bible to giveaway.  It will ship directly from the publisher and hopefully arrive in time for Christmas (if you are in the US or Canada it should, International, give it a little more time).  I will send my winners address as soon as I get it to hurry the process along for you.  This giveaway is open International.  It will end next Friday 12/9 so I can get the winner to Donna in plenty of time (her deadline is the 15th).  Please fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter.  The only required entry is your name and email.

Some other notes from questions that were raised:
  • If you would like to view the inside of the book, you can view it on Amazon here.
  • This is not a children’s Bible. It is a Bible story book that includes key verses and parent pages called “Family Talk” and “Family Fun” to assist adults in discussing the stories with children.







Guest Blog: Is It Hard to Get Published by David W. Huffstetler (Blood on the Pen)


Is it hard to get published? 
by David W. Huffstetler

I’m not sure “hard” is the right word, maybe “darn near impossible”, but that’s a phrase, isn’t
it? Seriously, it can be very difficult and often frustrating, but I’ve found a number of things
that seem to be common among agents and publishers, and I’ll start with the process. We will
assume that you have written a terrific story, but that isn’t enough.

The dilemma we face with major publishing houses is that they only accept submissions
from an agent, and agents seldom want to represent someone who has not already been
published. It may sound unfair, but you just have to accept that as the world we live in. So,
for an unpublished author, you can approach agents and/or you can submit your work to
independent publishers. I found the website Preditors and Editors to be very helpful. It lists
and rates publishers and agents, as well as offering links to help with things like query letters.
Remember, you can always get an agent, but you may wish you hadn’t. There are those who
will represent you if you pay them a fee, and there are subsidy presses that will print your
book, if you pay them. Take care or you can find yourself with a closet full of books, trying to
sell them to your friends and family. If you’re considering self publishing, I suggest looking at
Amazon (Kindle) and Createspace.com (paperback). Their services are free, and they list your
book on Amazon.com; however, they don’t promote it.

If you choose traditional publishing, then the first communication is the query letter, and it
must be perfect, no typos and no errors in grammar. The one-page synopsis of your story
needs to be just as perfect. If they spark the interest of the agent or publisher, then they
will ask for a partial manuscript, probably the first 50 pages. Did I mention that needs to be
perfect? If it isn’t, you’ll never get past the gate keepers.

Now, you have thrilled them with your partial, and they ask for the full manuscript. Of course,
you want it to be error free too, but the first half is particularly important. By the time an
editor has read that far, he or she has probably decided if this is a story they want. There is
much more to say about the content of your manuscript and the craft the editors look for, but
I am running out of words. I am writing another blog to address that, and you can find the
schedule for this blog tour at bloodonthepen.blogspot.com. I hope to see you there.

*****

Book Summary
Jack Harden is a modern-day Texas Ranger haunted by his wife's death a year ago.

But when a murderer strikes, he is called into duty. Now he must battle the urge to kill the drunk driver responsible for her death and the hunger to kill himself as he hunts for a serial killer who wants him dead.

Elsie Rodriguez is assigned to report on the murders for her newspaper and ordered to stay with Jack Harden. He's old school, tough, and doesn't want her there, but, despite his gruff manner, the big Ranger triggers something inside her. Something more than just her Latin temper.

Can she pull him back from the edge of sanity? Or will death win again?



David Huffstetler's Bio:
Educated in Dallas, North Carolina, David Huffstetler holds degrees in Engineering and Business Administration. He has worked in the area of human relations and spent fourteen years weaving through the maze of politics, including participating in a Federal Law suit as Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Commission, with a sitting governor over issues of separation of powers. David has served on Boards of Directors for numerous professional organizations including Crime Stoppers, SC Workers’ Compensation Educational Association, SC Safety Council, the SC Fire Academy, and the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Workers’ Compensation. He has advised governors and legislators on matters of public policy and legislation. His wealth of experience is broad and brings deep insight to his writing.

David’s work as a senior manager with a major industrial concern took him to international venues and exposures that helped feed his urge to write Disposable People, a dramatic expose of the working conditions and politics that engulf undocumented workers. Disposable People is a top-ten “Suggested Book” at Tufts University in Boston, MA.

He turned the frustrations and rejection that plagues thousands of yet-to-be-published authors into the heralded mystery/thriller Blood on the Pen, with a serial killer disposing of literary agents. David, an avid history buff, led him to write Dead in Utah, the story of Joe Hill, the controversial musician and union organizer accused of a double murder in 1914.

His books receive praise from mystery readers across the globe.

As an editor, David edited a treatise on the South Carolina workers’ compensation laws, as well as, Shannon Faulkner’s novel Fire and Ice. Shannon was the first female cadet at the Citadel. She received national publicity for her federal lawsuit and was a guest on Good Morning America.

As an editor, public speaker, and seasoned professional, David has appeared on television and radio, and has lectured on the East Coast, California, Canada and Mexico.

David currently lives in Lexington, South Carolina with his wife, Trudy.



eBook
Price: $5.95
Amazon ASIN: B0041G6JC2
BN ID: 2940012599278
Release: August 2010

Amazon buy link ($5.95)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0041G6JC2/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tributebooks-20

Barnes&Noble.com buy link ($5.95)
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=QzmqkDfF8Ig&offerid=239662.2940012599278&type=2&subid=0

Wild Child Publishing buy link ($5.95)
http://www.wildchildpublishing.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=319





Book Lover's Giveaway Hop


Welcome to the Book Lover's Holiday Hop sponsored by I Am A Reader, Not a Writer and Kid Lit Frenzy.  This is simply a Book Lover's Hop for the Holidays!  Up for grabs is a book of the winners choice at The Book Depository up to a $10 value.  It's open international (if The Book Depository ships to your country).  Just fill out your name and email so I can contact the winner in the Rafflecopter below and you are entered. The three other entries are optional.

Make sure you check out the other 200+ blogs participating and enter those giveaways as well!


Note:  If you see the wrong Rafflecopter Entry (it should say Book Lover's Holiday Hop), click on this post, sometimes if you scroll through the blog to get to this post it screws up the Rafflecopter, but if you come directly to the post it works fine.  Email me (crystalfulcher(at)ec.rr.com) if you have any problems.










Thursday, December 1, 2011

Book Review: The Christmas Village by Melissa Ann Goodwin #TCVllg

The Christmas Village by Melissa Ann Goodwin
Publisher: Createspace
Publish Date: October 6, 2011
Paperback, 198 pages 
Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade
 ISBN: 978-1463646257





buy the book from The Book Depository, free delivery



My Review:
Wow, what an amazing book.  Melissa Ann Goodwin crafts a magical story from a boy dealing with a rough situation and puts him into a magical Christmas village to learn lessons that will stick with him and others for a lifetime.  It's just magical and such a wonderful story to epitomize the true spirit of Christmas.

Within ten pages I was sucked right into the story of Jamie and his Mom, Lisa and wondering what had gone so wrong in their life that it had turned around.  As they head to Jamie's grandparents for Christmas, Jamie feels like he is getting away from it all and things will be better but then a chance encounter with gossips at the grocery store in town shows him otherwise.  But then one night he hears the story of his Grandmother's Christmas village and wakes up to save a girl's life in that Christmas village.  From there it moves on through the story and you will fall in love like I did with Jamie and the people in the Christmas village.  The story is woven so well and I loved it.

It captivated me and I think it will captivate the middle grade children that it was written for as well.  I think there is a lot for them to relate to in the book, plus action and some adventure.  And then to make us parents happy, a good lesson as well.  Ms. Goodwin has a definite gift with writing a story and it shines in this book with the plot and the characters.  Even when Jamie is at his most difficult, I still liked him.  I understood his actions, he didn't seem selfish and a handful, he seemed to be acting in accordance with what was going on so it made sense in the story.  All the characters are magical except for the bad guys who are bad, but the rest are wonderful and are special.  I think a lot of them will stick with me for awhile.

Whether you are middle grade or middle age, give The Christmas Village a try, it is one of those perfect feel good Christmas stories that is just perfect for this time of year.   I am so glad I participated in this tour and read this book.  It is a definite bright star in my reading week.


My Rating: 5/0/5.0


About the Book:
It’s the holiday season and Jamie feels anything but jolly. His dad has left and everyone in town is acting funny; people whisper, his friends can’t come out to play. So Jamie and his mom decide to spend Christmas with the grandparents in Vermont.



Time and again he is drawn to Grandma's miniature Christmas Village, where he imagines that life is perfect. Late one night, the village comes to life before his eyes, and his fantasy of escaping into it becomes very real indeed. But is the little village as perfect as it seems?



The Christmas Village is a timeless adventure the whole family will love, filled with suspense, secrets and surprises to the very last page.

About the Author: 
A native New Englander, Melissa Ann Goodwin now lives in Santa Fe with her husband, artist J Richard Secor.

Melissa’s many writing credits include Fun for Kidz, Boys’ Quest and Hopscotch for Girls. She was a regular feature article contributor to the Caregiver's Home Companion for more than five years. Her work has appeared in Guideposts’ Angels on Earth, Caregivers’ Home Companion, Caring Today, The Lutheran Digest, The Peak Magazine, The Andover Townsman, and the Martha’s Vineyard Gazette. Her poetry took 10th prize in The Writer’s Digest 2010 annual competition.

In addition to writing Melissa is a certified restorative yoga teacher. The Christmas Village is her first novel.
Author Website
Book Website/Blog
Twitter
Facebook

Buy from B&N.com (paperback):


Buy from B&N.com (ebook):


Available at Amazon. Soon to be released for Kindle.
http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Village-Melissa-Ann-Goodwin/dp/1463646259/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317935533&sr=8-1

FTC Information: I received this book through WOW tours for an honest review. 

Note:  I make a small commission on anything bought through links to B&N.com and The Book Depository, so if you click through those and purchase, thank you very much.  Any money made will be used toward shipping of giveaways and funding future giveaways on the blog, not for my personal gain.  Due to NC laws I do not make money off of links to Amazon.com.



Guest Blog: Themes that Resonate by Melissa Ann Goodwin #TCVllg

Themes that Resonate
Melissa Ann Goodwin  


When I was a kid, we lived in a small house on a street of big houses – some bordering on mansions.
I fantasized about those houses all the time. I imagined huge rooms, wide staircases with mahogany
railings and balconies, marble floors and crystal chandeliers. I wished with all my heart that I could live
in a big house like the ones on my street, and it was a dream I pursued with determination when I got
older. Eventually, I got my first big house. But it came with an unhappy marriage. Later, I got another big
house, but that one came with leaky roofs, a basement that flooded and gigantic heating bills. Sigh. It
was such a glaring case of “be careful what you wish for.”

Everyone has experienced this sort of thing, that desire for something – or someone – with such intense
longing, only to find that when we get it, it’s not nearly as wonderful as we imagined it would be.

As writers, these kinds of common experiences can become themes that underlie our stories and give
them a humanity that resonates with readers. Everyone can relate to themes like “be careful what you
wish for,” “the grass isn’t always greener,” and “there’s no place like home.” And intertwining two or
more of these themes can give your story even more dramatic and emotional impact.

In my book, The Christmas Village, all three of these themes come into play. As the story begins, 12-
year-old Jamie is angry, hurt and sad because his father has left under a cloud of scandal. Jamie’s initial
longing is to escape his reality - to go someplace where no one knows him and where people won’t
gossip about his family. He and his mom travel to Jamie’s grandparent’s home in Vermont. This is the
first place where Jamie thinks that the “grass is greener.” He quickly finds though, that even in this small
Vermont town, people still gossip and they still know about his dad.

Next Jamie fixates on his grandmother’s miniature Christmas Village, which looks like such a perfect
place. He is sure that the grass will be greener in the village, and he wishes he could live there.
Magically, Jamie’s wish comes true. But over time, he comes to realize that the village is no different
from anywhere else. There are good people and there are people who do bad things. The grass isn’t
greener after all, and now it’s turned into a case of “be careful what you wish for,” because he’s gotten
his wish and it isn’t everything he hoped it would be. Now Jamie’s deepest desire is to find his way back
home in time for Christmas. The theme, “there’s no place like home,” is what fuels Jamie through the
rest of the story and drives the action toward its climax.

It’s been said that there are only seven stories in the world, and the same could probably be said for
themes. But take 100 writers and tell them to write a story using the theme, “be careful what you
wish for,” and you’ll get 100 totally different tales. It’s our unique perspectives and creative ideas that
differentiate our writing from everyone else’s, and that’s what makes writing such an awe-inspiring and
fun endeavor.






Come back later today for my review of The Christmas Village.

2012 Audio Book Challenge

Another challenge I can definitely handle is the Audio Book Challenge that Teresa at Teresa's Reading Corner hosts.  I love audio books and listen to them in my car when the kids aren't in there which is usually at least 30-40 minutes of commute time each day and sometimes more.  I also listen to them around the house from time to time and sometimes at work when I am doing monotonous work that doesn't require concentration.  I love that I can be reading while doing other things.  I also love that I can usually get into books that I might not ordinarily read if I were to read them in book form.  I didn't drive as much during the summer of 2011 due to headaches and medication, so my numbers were down this year, but I hope to get them back up in 2012!

So below are some general things taken straight from Teresa's website, but you can find out more and sign up at this post.

Once again, there are four levels to the challenge
  • Flirting-Listen to 6 Audio Books
  • Going Steady- Listen to 12 Audio Books
  • Lover- Listen to 25 Audio Books
  • Married-Listen to +++  Audio Books
*A big Thank You to fellow blogger and twitter buddy @dogearedcopy for her suggestions on the level names. 
There will be a monthly link up so that we can share what we’ve listened to and make suggestions to each other. Along with that monthly link up there will be a special monthly challenge so make sure you stop by each month!
I'm going for the Lover level, but I may move on to Married, we'll just see how the relationship goes ;)

  1. Best Friends, Occasional Enemies: The Lighter Side of Life as Mother and Daughter by Lisa Scottoline and