DebutNovel – Author D.L. Finn

June Book Review Part 2 and Update! @harmony_kent @Sandra_Cox @DLMJ18 #writingcommunity #whattoread #indieauthors #mustreads

“The Darkness of Placata Montis” is the debut romantic fantasy from DLM Johnson. I had the privilege to beta read and help format it, but was eager to dive into it as “just” a reader. I was drawn right into the dark and stormy night with a young woman, Eliana or Li, who ends up at a front door of an unknown house hoping to escape what is chasing her. The man, Graham, takes her into safety and information unfolds as to not only who he is, but Eliana. As what is called The Darkness threatens them, we are shown not only Eliana and Graham’s feelings and stories but taken on a journey to find out what this darkness is, and what it means to them and their world’s magic. Told through Eliana and Graham’s POV, it gives an insight into their motives. Eliana can see more than what is in front of her, so there are flashbacks that add to the story. I could easily imagine the setting and seeing the world through not only a fighter, but a scientist’s eyes. When the battle comes and questions are answered, it was hard to put the book down. I have to add, I am a proud author-mom, and my opinion might seem a bit biased, but I’m also a reader who knows what I like, and this is a story that I can recommend! I look forward to the next book in this series and other books to come.

Miss Redmond’s Deception

by Sandra Cox

“Miss Redmond’s Deception” is a fun historical fiction read. Pembra and her sisters run into Captain Richard Greyston in a graveyard. I love how this scene played out. Richard believes the younger sisters to be accompanied by a spinster governess, or Pembra. Circumstances have the captain staying at the house where Pembra continues her deception from the night before the next morning at breakfast. Yet, in a fun twist, they end up fake engaged. Their attraction is immediate, even though Pembra is determined to fight it, and their banter is a lot of fun. Richard has a reputation with the ladies and Pembra wants no part of a man like that. Pembra is a strong character who lives her life as she wants, while Richard is equally stubborn, but knows what he wants, too. There is a charming country setting, a local man with bad intentions, and a sweet and protective rescue dog that added even more depth to the story. A quick-paced read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Polish Your Prose

by Harmony Kent

“Polish Your Prose” is a reference guide that every writer needs. This doesn’t tell you how to write but how to clean up what you’ve written. There are three parts, and it’s laid out so you can locate the information needed. Many topics are covered, including these chapters, Show no Tell, Filter Words, Sentence Construction, and Common Spelling Mistakes. Part three talks about on giving and receiving reviews and offers a checklist for editing. This is simple and easy to follow with plenty of guidance to help when doing the dreaded edit of your book. I have a copy sitting on my shelf for easy access and reminders of things I need to work on. I can easily recommend this book.

I only post my 4 & 5-star reviews. If I don’t like a book, I won’t finish it. It doesn’t feel right leaving a review in that case, but I have been known to email the author:) Life is too short not to enjoy every book you read!

UPDATE

We had a quiet and relaxing vacation. We stayed close to home and enjoyed our grandson’s 8th grade graduation, our son visiting from Oregon, our oldest granddaughter’s 12th birthday and our 39th Wedding Anniversary to start off the week. We also took a day trip to Reno for a late anniversary celebration. I did win a bit on a Leprecaun Slot Machine that called to me—well enough to cover the gas.

Sara on a walk in the forest — 7-25-08 to 6-11-22

With these highs came a low, we had to say goodbye to our sweet Sara on our anniversary. We were lucky to have her for thirteen and half years, but it was time to let her go to run in the forest with Hermie, who we lost three years ago. I know they are chasing bears and watching over us.

I don’t think I will try to catch up with all the things I missed last week, but I am back now. This will be a very busy week. I have a full schedule for the blog tour starting today and my Newsletter is out. Plus, there is a Books That Changed Me Summer Edition tomorrow. I will keep you updated here with the tour 🙂

One more thing, I was thrilled to come back to those great reviews for A Voice in the Silence. It uplifted my spirits!! Thank you all xo

Embrace your inner child with a huge hug by reading a great book! D. L. Finn

April Book Reviews @mhurdle112 @julieholmes2k13 @JennySundstedt @aprilataylor @startrailsIV @Jinlobify @JacqBiggar @Nicholas_Rossis

I read several short stories over the last few weeks, so there are more book reviews than normal:

A Heaven For Toasters: A Sci-Fi Crime Romance set on the Greek Islands

by Nicholas C. Rossis

I admit the quirky book title drew me in, but it’s the story that quickly made this a page-turner. Mika is a detective in the future and on a date in the Greek Islands. She runs into her new partner a handsome “AI” named Leo at an art exhibit. After a fight with her date, he leaves, and things go downhill quickly from there. I loved Leo “the Toaster” and his developing relationship with Mika. Not only is there action and a mystery to solve, but there are also questions brought up about what defines existence and life. I highly recommend this thought-provoking sci-fi romantic thriller.

Skating on Thin Ice (The Men of Warhawks #1)

by Jacquie Biggar

I’m a huge fan of hockey, mystery, and romance–“Skating on Thin Ice” had it all. I loved the little details weaved into the story about hockey, but it was the characters and story that held my interest. The storyline drew me right in, and I ended up finishing it in one sitting. Mac took a hit during a game right before the playoffs and Samantha was assigned to help him recover. I loved the sparks between Mac and Sam and the danger that surrounded them. A quick paced story with a few surprises I wasn’t expecting. I thoroughly enjoyed this and toss my (Sharks) hat to the author. I will be reading the next book in the series.

VAGARIES OF LIFE AND: GIRLS’ TALK

by Joy Lo-Bamijoko

“Vagaries of Life and: Girls’ Talk” is an entertaining collection of short stories. I enjoyed the strong female characters that provided wonderful examples of bravery and faith. Some of the stories were set in Nigeria, which pulled me in. There were many different subjects including murder, kidnapping, mystery, faith, robbery, and relationships. Each story had a lesson weaved into it. “You Will Die if you Scream” left a chill behind because it could very well happen. This book was uniquely written, and I was invested in the outcome of each story. If you like learning about new cultures, resilient women, and inspirational themes, this is for you.

T he Sapphiran Agenda (Star Trails Tetralogy)

by Marcha A. Fox

I loved “The Terra Debacle: Prisoners at Area 51.” So, I was excited to read this short prequel to the story with Thyron the intelligent, mobile plant with telepathic abilities and a quick wit. Thyron is a favorite character of mine. In this well-written short story, he’s stuck on the planet Sapphira with a race of pygmies that worships his kind as gods. He gets a chance to leave or to rescue a human trapped on another planet, so he takes it. There are a few twists and turns in this story that kept me deeply engaged. “Beyond the Hidden Sky” is next on my list to read from this amazing author. I highly recommend this short prequel that can be enjoyed as a standalone.

Death Song of the Sea (Midnight Myths and Fairy Tales #2)

by April A. Taylor

This is a well-written short story set on the Ireland coast. Aileen only has her father after having lost the rest of her family to the ocean. She finally learns her father’s secret and embraces it. She still yearns for her true love to find her. A shipwreck brings her this love, but it comes with a price. I enjoyed the magic, ocean, and love in this tale. I highly recommend this story of love and the consequences of doing anything for it.

Vasilisa the Terrible: A Baba Yaga Story (Midnight Myths and Fairy Tales #1)

by April A. Taylor

I loved this well-written short story. Vasilisa was beautiful and beloved by everyone, while Yaga was old and disliked. The twist in this tale was who the good person was between the two women. It’s a cautionary tale of looking beneath the surface and what’s inside. I enjoyed how it ended. This is a new author to me, and I will be reading more from Ms. Taylor!

When The Wolf Comes

By JENNY SUNDSTEDT

Dana is a popular nurse in the ER. A woman she went to school with was admitted after an attack that Dana helped treat. Questions arise about who did it. The husband acts oddly, and the homeless man tells Dana strange things. Dana wisely avoids the area where the attack occurred. During this, she is questioning her relationship and her next step in life. I loved the setting and Dana’s interactions. It was well written, and I was pulled into the story quickly. Yet, there was no resolution at the end, because the story continues into a book. I will have to read the book now to find out what happens.

Songs of Heartstrings

by Miriam Hurdle

This is a collection of poems, photographs, and drawings that tell stories from Ms. Hurdle’s life. They include sitting in nature, giving birth, death, illness, and loss. Faith and being a survivor are strong themes throughout “Songs of Heartstring.” My favorite part was when the poetry connected to nature, but all the poems were heartfelt and lyrical. The tribute to the author’s parents was touching, along with the loss of a friend. The glimpse into dealing with cancer was inspiring. Although this was a quick read, it’s full of depth and can be enjoyed more than once. This is a book that poetry lovers will enjoy.

Murder in Plane Sight

by Julie Holmes

I’ve been waiting for Ms. Holmes debut novel and wasn’t disappointed! I love a good mystery, but along with that, there was romance and a strong female character. Sierra being an airline mechanic was fascinating and I enjoyed learning some of the details of what goes into keeping a plane flying. Those elements really brought Sierra to life for me, along with the burdens she carried from her past. The detective, Quinn, who was investigating the murder, was flawed from a past relationship. His determination to find the truth, even with his attraction to Sierra, made for an interesting internal conflict. I liked the chemistry between Sierra and Quinn, but I kept hoping they would take better care of themselves–sleep more. To find out what would happen next, I’d stay up way past my bedtime and end up being just as tired as the characters. I look forward to the next book in this series and recommend this new author.

Watch for a special edition blog this week!

Embrace your inner child by reading a good book! D.L. Finn

Debut Novel “Murder in Plane Sight” by author Julie Holmes @julieholmes2k13

I’m pleased to welcome author Julie Holmes for the release of her debut book, “Murder in Plane Sight”. Isn’t that a great title? I have my copy:)

Thank you, Denise, for helping me spread the word about my debut novel release. It’s great to finally share my creation with readers everywhere.

And the inevitable question (and one I love to ask other writers): How did you come up with this idea?

That is an easy one. (psst–don’t ask me how I came up with any of my other ideas) After spending a few years revising and querying my police procedural with some interest but no success, I knew I needed to write something new. That (in)famous advice we’ve all heard, “Write what you know”, kept running through my head.

What do I know? I know about growing up in rural Minnesota. That could be fun, but I’ll save that for now. I know about vegetable gardening. I know about information technology, at least from the early days of Windows 95 and fax machines through the death of parallel ports and the expansion of Bluetooth and USB.

Then I considered something else. As an avid reader with an interest in aviation, all the books I could find in my younger days that involved aviation were military thrillers like Flight of the Intruder or Firefox. I read a few of those many years ago, but the whole military and espionage thing didn’t inspire me. The aviation part did.

These days one can find books involving aviation with main characters such as pilots, flight attendants, aviation inspectors, even an airport manager. Missing from the list: aircraft mechanic. It’s a different perspective of aviation than people generally see. Aviation maintenance is one of the vital parts of the industry that ensures air travel is the safest form of transportation we have.

I know aviation. I have a handful of years of experience as an aircraft mechanic to draw on. I can write a mystery with an aviation angle that is not a military, espionage, or international thriller.

So I wrote what I know. And Sierra Bauer was born. I leaned on my experience in commercial aviation, but Sierra is her own woman. She is a survivor, strong and confident, someone I think people would want to meet.

And now you can meet her. Say ‘Hi’ from me!

Find at Amazon and Barnes and Noble and wherever books are sold.

Blurb:

Sierra Bauer is nobody’s fool—a skilled and confident aircraft mechanic, a woman operating in a man’s world. But her world is about to be turned upside down, and her confidence challenged.

After her stalker was sent to prison, and she was cleared of wrongdoing by the FAA in her brother’s fatal plane crash, Sierra has finally reclaimed her life. But in the dead of winter at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, she makes a gruesome discovery—a woman’s frozen body hidden inside the maintenance bay of a Range Airlines plane Sierra was inspecting. Her life is pitched into a tailspin.

Enter Detective Quinn Moore of the Airport Police Department, who finds himself attracted to Sierra despite mounting evidence forcing him to consider her the prime suspect.

Sierra’s stalker may be back, and someone is trying to frame her for the murder. The woman Sierra blames for her brother’s death may hold the key to uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the entire aviation industry. She and Quinn must expose the truth before Sierra becomes the next casualty.