Wednesday, January 8, 2020

No Space Like Home by Dell Tunicliff

About the Book

Book: No Space Like Home

Author: Dell Tunnicliff

Genre: Fiction/YA/Science Fiction

Release Date: September 4, 2019

If life were only as simple as following a yellow brick road. Gail’s quiet life among the Kansa Station turbines ends with a hug, a prayer, and a shove… into space.

She thinks she knows who she is, but she’s wrong. Who is she really? She’s about to find out.

Of course, landing on the wrong planet is complicated enough without crashing into things. Add to that spybots, waspbots, and cyberwolves and it’s no wonder Gail just wants to go home. Back to a life without this interplanetary circus and its flying monkeys.

Intrigue, secrets, and more than a little danger turn a “simple mission” into a hair-raising adventure as Gail—and three friends she meets along the way—accept a mission to save O-Zoras.

In the end, Gail wants nothing more to go home. She’s just not sure where that is anymore. “I’ve decided that home is more about who than where.” Well, that’s a good thing, Gail, because you’re not on Kansa anymore. It’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz meets Firefly in this fresh, a little zarbi, but totally licit YA space adventure. Grab your copy today and see what ALL that even means!

Click here to get your copy!

My Review:

For starters, The Wizard of Oz was not a film I liked, for the most part. Firefly, now that, I liked. How would this author mix those two story lines? For starters, Gail took her best book her Bible with her though her galactic adventures. The flying monkeys different to me now, or maybe in this book than the ones from when I was a child. Those things gave me nightmares. I enjoyed the tech. Tech is fun, and space was a great backdrop for this story. I think I like it better than the original, for many reasons. The biggest ones are that it's clean, and it has scripture worked into it, additional morals than just who or what is behind the classic "curtain." I think this book would be enjoyed by many teens and adults alike.

4 Stars

About the Author

Dell lives on the windswept Wyoming plains with her husband, six children, a cardigan corgi dog, a calico cat, and a flock of chickens.

A lifelong reader, and lover of words, she also loves the Word; God’s good news to us.

She takes the path less traveled, and that has made all the difference.

More from Dell

We are our heavenly father’s children, created to create.

When I set out to write this novel, I craved challenge—something that would stretch my own imagination. The wild, otherworldly, frontier of science-fiction winked at me like a distant star in the night-sky of possibility. I admire teens and young-adults for their eagerness to seize the wonder of “What if.” So, young-adult sci-fi it is!

Creating an entire fictional solar system was every bit of the creative rush I hoped. Orchestrating a dance of stars and planets, designing a space ship, imaging cultures, people-groups, values, and linguistic quirks provided ample opportunities to stretch my creative muscles.

And then there was the naming! Names are yet another way we reflect our divine author. Our loving and personal God spoke each star into being and calls each by name. In No Space Like Home, I named the four-sun solar system, “Hiraeth.” It’s a Welsh word for that vague, yet poignant yearning for a place to which you can never return, have never been, or even that never was. It’s a deep, inborn longing for someone, something or somewhere just out of reach of our plane of existence. As Christians, we feel this keenly. This world isn’t our eternal home. We thirst for Jesus. We hunger for heaven. We long for a garden—unmarred by thorns and thistles of the fall. We ache to know ourselves and our loved ones as God designed– in perfect relationship with Him, unfettered by sin.

As part of this longing, we create and we name. We are all world-builders, designing with the materials around us, and bringing order to our sphere in small ways and large. We are image-bearers of our holy Author and Creator.

Whether we paint (like my No Space Like Home heroine, Gail), design software (like George), weld parts (like Nic), or develop strategies (like Leo), we are all inventors and designers. Create today. Spin a bit of beauty, order, and identity from the nameless, swirling, chaos.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 26

Inklings and notions, December 27

Book of Ruth Ann, December 27

A Reader’s Brain, December 28

janicesbookreviews, December 29

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, December 30

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, December 31

April Hayman, Author, January 1

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 2

For Him and My Family, January 2

For the Love of Literature, January 3

Emily Yager, January 4

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 5

Texas Book-aholic, January 6

Artistic Nobody, January 7

Aryn The Libraryan 📚, January 8

Blogging With Carol, January 8

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Dell is giving away the grand prize package of a copy of Gail’s Bible: ESV Illuminated Bible (Art Journaling Edition), a paperback copy of No Space Like Home, and Frang Bingham’s Ard Ri game!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f37f/no-space-like-home-celebration-tour-giveaway

Friday, January 3, 2020

Seconds To Live by Susan Sleeman (Homeland Heros #1)

About The Book:

The Seconds Are Ticking Down before Someone Dies
When cybercriminals hack into the U.S. Marshals' Witness Protection database and auction off witnesses' personal details to the highest bidders, the RED Team, led by FBI Agent Sean Nichols, begins a high-stakes chase to find the hacker. But before he can even get started, the first witness is targeted and barely escapes with her life. Sean believes Phantom, an obsessed hacker who previously outwitted the top minds in the field, is behind the attack, and Sean needs this witness's help, as she's the person who has come closest to discovering Phantom's identity.

Trouble is, she's under the care of U.S. Marshal Taylor Mills, and Sean is reluctant to work with the captivating Marshal who knows his deepest secrets. But Phantom seems to be one step ahead at every turn and will stop at nothing to kill the witness. To stop the hacker, Sean and Taylor must learn to trust each other as danger draws ever closer.

My Review:

This book delivered what it promised. It's packed with suspense, action, and romance. We have the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, and major hackers. The Red Cyber Team was so well written! Sean and Taylor are easy to like, awesome as friends. They are not without flaws, and Taylor winds up with some large ones. The main them is God's still in control, just keep trusting and listening. The Phantom, the villain was all too real, as is the dark web.

I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

5 Stars

About the Author:

Susan Sleeman (www.susansleeman.com) is the bestselling author of more than 35 romantic suspense novels with more than 1 million books sold. She has won several awards, including the ACFW Carol Award for Suspense for Fatal Mistake and the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Thread of Suspicion. In addition to writing, Susan also hosts www.thesuspensezone.com. She has lived in nine states but now calls Portland, Oregon, home.

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Focused Backstory by Carol Alwood

About the Book

Book: Focused Backstory

Author: Carol Alwood

Genre: Non-fiction, writing resource

Release Date: June 26, 2019

Learn how to write characters readers will love.

Has an industry professional told you not to dump character history at the beginning of your story? If so, you aren’t alone. But what’s the solution to this common advice? Most writers take the time to design interesting characters with troubled pasts. They long for readers to care about the characters’ lives. However, the sad truth is on page one, readers don’t care—yet. That’s why industry gurus tell writers to stop overusing character history, also called backstory, at the beginning of stories. Have you ever wondered… How to use backstory correctly? What are the ways other writers successfully incorporate backstory into their work? Do tools exist to help writers better plan stories so the backstory isn’t such a problem? In Focused Backstory: The Key to Writing Deep Character Journeys, you’ll find answers to these questions and more. You’ll learn how to avoid the dreaded info-dump and instead, harness curiosity so readers keep turning pages. This resource breaks down focused backstory into simple pieces to use flexibly in any story no matter what genre or length. Worksheets, tables, questionnaires, and templates will help you plan an engaging story with deep characters. Examples from popular stories will help you understand this method.

You’ll learn how to

• design a character around a troubled past.

• create additional characters around the main character.

• weave interesting sub-plots within a characters’ journey toward healing.

• design proper obstacles which interfere with characters’ goals.

• guide readers’ emotions so they have a satisfying reading experience.

No matter what kind of writer you are, if you take the time to analyze the use of backstory, it will enhance your style. Focused Backstory: The Key to Writing Deep Character Journeys is the missing gadget in your writing tool kit.

Click here to get your copy.

My Review:

I have read so many "help" books. Many are far less than helpful. This book is full of thoughts, ideas, worksheets, things to make authors think about what they are doing with characters and their stories. I was shocked at the front, I had never heard of putting the backstory at the front of the book. That was unheard of to me and yet, very interesting as I learned from this author's prior mistakes.

The first chapter alone could have been a book, but it just keeps going. It's a very resourceful guide for writing, one that I will need to read more than once to absorb it all. I do love the stick figure drawings, and the correlations to movies or other books, even if some are the ones I don't care for.

5 Stars

About the Author

Carol Alwood has an unending passion for fiction, and she can’t think of a better way to spend her life than writing books for young adults and teaching about techniques she has learned along the way. With a Master of Education, experience as a content editor, and over a decade of establishing and working with critique groups, she is an excellent resource. An award-winning author, Carol finds joy in helping writers find the right tools to plan, draft and revise their novels so they can achieve excellence in storytelling.

More from Carol

Focused Backstory resulted from a personal quest to please industry critics who suggested I keep character history out of the first pages of my novels. My initial questions to this advice were: What? Why? I searched for resources to figure out how to write a more powerful beginning without relying on the past but found little help. On a mission to find answers, I studied popular books, television and movies to abstract what made stories work and — boom! I found it! We can break down backstory into simple pieces to use flexibly in any story without compromising artistry. This book provides definitions, examples, worksheets, templates, and comics to help writers study the art of using powerful character histories to keep readers turning pages. I’m so excited to offer this resource and hope it will empower your writing as it has mine.

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, December 28

Holly Jo Morris, December 28

janicesbookreviews, December 29

CarpeDiem, December 29

Jacquelyn Lynn, December 29

For the Love of Literature, December 30

Mary Hake, December 30

Blogging With Carol, December 31

All-of-a-kind Mom, December 31

Genesis 5020, January 1

April Hayman, Author, January 1

Pause for Tales, January 1

Through the Fire Blogs, January 2

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, January 2

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, January 3

Emily Yager, January 3

Remembrancy, January 4

Stephanie’s Life of Determination, January 4

A Reader’s Brain, January 5

Spoken from the Heart, January 5

Sara Jane Jacobs, January 5

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, January 6

Godly Book Reviews, January 6

Blossoms and Blessings, January 7

With a Joyful Noise, January 7

Inklings and notions, January 8

Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, January 8

A Diva’s Heart, January 8

Artistic Nobody, January 9

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 9

Hebrews 12 Endurance, January 9

Texas Book-aholic, January 10

Stories By Gina, January 10

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Carol is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f384/focused-backstory-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, December 30, 2019

Daybreak by Beckie Lindsey

About the Book

Book: Daybreak

Author: Beckie Lindsey

Genre: YA Fiction

Release Date: July, 2019

Every girl has a secret she hopes the light will never find—

but the demons already have.

Krystal, Mackenzie, Tammi, and Sadie fight a spiritual battle between unseen forces of good and evil that reaches deadly proportions.

When Krystal’s relationship with lifelong friend, Bryce, turns romantic, she is faced with the most important decision of her life. No matter her choice—everything will change forever.

As the friends rally to help Krystal, they each face their own battles against the forces of darkness and within themselves.

When tension between the group and members of a rock band continue to escalate, only time will tell which bonds will grow stronger and which will break.

“The thief comes only to kill, steal, and destroy.”

Grab your copy HERE!

My Review:

I'm so glad to read book three of this series. Like the prior books in this series, it keeps up with hard topics. There is a witch, who is also a lesbian. A secret boyfriend, a surprise baby on the way, guilt, shame, secrets, pride, lies, and much more. That's all in conflict with Jesus, forgiveness, following God's path, who to trust and not to trust. This whole series is emotional, soaked in spiritual warfare, demons, and some trigger issues. Such as the abuse that is still front and center, incest, and depression to name a few.

Even with that, this book is so strong! This series is so good for mature teens and adults. I wouldn't have a young teen read it without parents. A few loose ends are left, but I'm not sure there's a book four.

5 Stars

About the Author

Beckie Lindsey is an award-winning author, poet, blogger, and the editor of Southern California Christian Voice, a division of One Christian Voice, a national news syndicating agency. She is a major coffeeholic and enjoys a good book with a cat on her lap. She also loves to hike and hang out with family and friends. Beckie and her husband, Scott have three adult children, two adorable cats and live in California.

More from Beckie

Why I write YA and the BFA series

I believe a teenager still exists inside each of us.

We hear a familiar tune from our “glory days” and are instantly tapping our toes. Mentally, we’re back in high school —poofy bangs, scrunchie, neon off-the-shoulder sweatshirt — and all. Oh, wait. That’s me back in the ‘80s!

Ah, yes. There is something wonderfully awful about those coming-of-age years.

From the first kiss to the first breakup, there are memories we cherish and some we don’t care to ever revisit. Being a teen can be exciting, confusing, painful, joyous, or even all of those things at once!

No matter how different your teenage experience was from mine, one thing is true for us all: these years have an enormous impact on who we become as adults. We can all sympathize with the plight of puberty and the longing for independence and acceptance. Yeah, there’s still a teenager in all of us!

These are the reasons I write YA.

My hope is to use the power of storytelling to move past barriers and open hearts to accept how much God loves and desires a personal relationship with us.

At every age, we all need the grace and love of Jesus.

In the Beauties from Ashes (BFA) series, I write about relatable characters with difficult issues and traumatic pasts to enlighten readers about the unseen spiritual battle referred to in Scripture. Each character has a secret that has left them vulnerable to the battle in an invisible realm where demonic creatures fight to keep them chained to their pasts and angels of light work to free them.

The characters and their issues are complex, just like real life. In fact, some of the topics are often considered too taboo to talk about openly. But what is left in the dark, festers and grows. It is only in the light that we can be free. In the BFA series, readers experience the character’s quest for truth, love, grace, and freedom while hopefully finding the same for themselves.

Blog Stops

Genesis 5020, December 23

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 24

Simple Harvest Reads, December 24 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, December 25

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, December 26

Emily Yager, December 27

Through the Fire Blogs, December 28

Where Christ & Crisis Collide, December 29

Blogging With Carol, December 30

For Him and My Family, December 31

Artistic Nobody, December 31 (Author Interview)

Remembrancy, January 1

Locks, Hooks and Books, January 2

janicesbookreviews, January 3

A Reader’s Brain, January 4

Inklings and notions, January 5

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Beckie is giving away the grand prize of a $20 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f37e/daybreak-celebration-tour-giveaway

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Forget Me Now by Allena Terry

About the Book

Book: Forget Me Now

Author: Alana Terry

Genre: Christian Mystery and Suspense

Release Date: July 19, 2019

She’s forgotten everything … including who it is that wants her dead.

Mia’s trapped in a nightmare inside her own mind. After a brain injury leaves her unable to form new memories, all she knows is that entire months of her life are missing. Those closest to her are dead, and someone’s on their way back soon to finish the job.

Heart-gripping, page-turning Christian suspense from the author whose books are called “intense,” “life-changing,” and “impossible to put down,” Forget Me Now is a psychological thriller with enough twists to keep you reading … and guessing … late into the midnight hours.

Download your copy today for a fast-paced adrenaline rush you’ll never forget.

Click here for your copy.

My Review:

This book. Yes, she has amnesia and yes, she is in danger. Yep, I know that's a well-done plot, but oh my goodness I liked this one. I felt so much for this young woman. Mia is stuck in the proverbial looping day, but it's not a fun day. It's a major mess. God still never leaves us, but Mia is having to learn to trust Him. Who is trying to kill her, how will she ever remember or stay safe? I definitely didn't see the ending coming. I can't wait to see what Terry writes next, but this book will stick with me for a while.

5 Stars

About the Author

Alana is a pastor’s wife, homeschooling mom, self-diagnosed chicken lady, and Christian suspense author. Her novels have won awards from Women of Faith, Book Club Network, Grace Awards, Readers’ Favorite, and more. Alana’s passion for social justice, human rights, and religious freedom shines through her writing, and her books are known for raising tough questions without preaching. She and her family live in rural Alaska where the northern lights in the winter and midnight sun in the summer make hauling water, surviving the annual mosquito apocalypse, and cleaning goat stalls in negative forty degrees worth every second.