Friday, September 23, 2011

And The Winner Is...

Wow, I was so overwhelmed with responses that I don't even know where to start! Okay that is a bit false. I suppose I will have to learn how to run a giveaway and actually have people participate in it. I thought this would be fairly easy, just pick a number and guess. Hmm...

Well, at any rate, eFiction will also be giving away a copy of Jane Was Here. Look for details in the October issue. You can check it out on Amazon for Kindle or at the eFiction Website. While you are there, sign up to be a member. You can get to know other writers, others who read eFiction every month, and stay up to date on all of the ongoings at the magazine.

Oh, yeah, the winner. I suppose that was the point of the post! And the winner is...elizabethreinhardt.




Saturday, September 17, 2011

Book Giveaway!!!


So, here it is. The first Books Reviews by Essie giveaway. I have a signed copy of Jane Was Here. If you haven't read the review, head on over and check it out. A very worthwhile book. :)

Since today is my birthday, and I feel that I am mourning the loss of my youth, I figured I should do something to cheer me up a bit. What better way than to giveaway a good book to one of my readers?

So here is the game. Guess my age. Simple. You can post it here in the comments. Of the people that guess correctly, I'll randomly choose a winner. If you know me,and you know my age, don't give it away, just post your answer. If no one guesses correctly, I'll pick the most flattering age. So choose wisely. No, just kidding. If no one guesses correctly, I'll randomly choose one person from all people who participated.

The game will run for 5 days. So I will choose a winner on September 22nd. Have fun!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Indie Author Candy Ann Little - The Unwilling Bride - A Romance Novel

Historial fiction...my first thought--ugh. I hate to say that historical fiction isn't my thing, because I've learned a lot about myself and my reading preferences in the recent past (if you remember I claimed that fantasy wasn't my thing, but I've found that it can be). That being said, historical fiction generally isn't my thing.

Getting into this book took quite some time and work. The main character drove me crazy with her over use of the words 'tis, 'twas, 'twill, 'twould, and the like. I realize that our language has changed over time, but it seemed a bit much when I was reading. The characters also didn't always use the Old English words. Sometimes, they 'forgot' and simply said 'it is'. 

Caitlin is a young woman of marrying age. She hasn't yet found a suitor, but quickly finds herself being forced into an arranged marriage with her enemy, an Englishman. Because of Caitlin's Irish heritage and birth, and her brother's death at the hands of the English, Caitlin finds the idea of marrying Dillon Cade most distasteful.

Caitlin's parents remain adamant, and the wedding goes on as planned. Caitlin and Dillon agree to an 'in name only' marriage. The agreement occurs only after a botched escape out of a bedroom window and weeks of pleading with her parents and Mr. Cade. 

After the wedding, Caitlin is horrible to Dillon, even after she learns the reason for the rushed, forced marriage. Caitlin's family is being forced back to Ireland, where they are considered traitors. Going back to Ireland isn't safe for anyone in the family, but Caitlin is the only child her parents can keep safe. Her brother Brogan must go with his parents. Caitlin insists that she would be better off in Ireland with her family, but it is clear from her worry that she knows better than to think that she would be safe had she gone with them. 

Caitlin changes drastically throughout the book, and it is a welcome transformation. She begins as a snotty, bratty, rich kid who never does anything that she is supposed to. She isn't a 'proper' lady and is always picking fights with Dillon. The changes that are seen in Caitlin happen slowly and sometimes she even shows regression when she is under a great deal of stress, as we all would regress at times. 

Dillon Cade is a perfect gentleman and seems to be the perfect man, but he has his faults as well. He is just better at keeping these things hidden, something Caitlin learns from.

There are a lot of characters introduced throughout this book, but keeping track of who was who and who did what wasn't too difficult. Aside from the romance (or non-romance as some may see it) the story has political overtones from the days of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. I also thought this would throw me off from enjoying the story line, but honestly, the story was enhanced by seemingly real history (I didn't look up all of the facts, and I'm no history buff) and the real-life, historical characters.

My biggest complaint about this book was (aside from the constant use of 'tis, 'twould, 'twas, and 'twill) was the mistakes I found littered throughout the book. Not just commas (which drive me crazy) but misspelled words, typos, and missing letters. Commas were, of course, the biggest offender, but missing periods were also on my list. This isn't atypical for some indie novels (and I've seen my share of mistakes in traditionally pubbed books, too) but if you want to sell, sell a lot, and reach a LOT of readers, having your novel professionally proofed is a must.

Every time Caitlin hurt Dillon, mouthed off to him, or called him a name, I hurt inside. Dillon married Caitlin to protect her, and he genuinely fell in love with her despite her bad attitude and poor manners. He loved her unconditionally and she threw it back in his face constantly. My heart broke for Dillon, and later for Caitlin.

I do love a good romance. I'll admit it. The Unwilling Bride didn't seem like it was going to deliver, but it did. I felt the jolts of fear, loss, and struggle through my body while reading; I felt the paralyzing hopelessness when things didn't work out; I felt the joy for the characters' happiness--no matter how temporary--and pain of their suffering. Another admission, I cried at the end. Not for Caitlin and Dillon, but for two minor characters, two very minor characters.

Not a bad pick for you romance fans out there. This is a moving story.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Paranormal Month at eFiction Magazine

Authors, have you submitted to eFiction yet? Well, even if you have, you can still submit another story for our October issue. The theme is Paranormal/Horror. We aren't too picky about what goes on in your story, just as long as it is scary, creepy, and blood chilling.

So what are you waiting for? The process is simple:

  • Go to Submit a Story on our main website.
  • Click on "Submit" under the short story heading.
  • Upload your file (doc, docx, txt, or rtf).
  • Enter the title of your story.
  • Write a cover letter (one or two sentences about yourself, and a short (200 word) bio on yourself.
  • Click the button that says "Submit to eFiction Magazine.
That is it. Nothing to it. The process is painless, I promise. Even if your story isn't picked for the issue, you have the opportunity to get amazing feedback and even workshop your piece if you join our online authors community (which is awesome).

So go, pick a story, and submit. I'll be waiting to read them!

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Indie Author Sarah Kernochan - Jane Was Here

It seems that every time I read a new book I'm saying, "Wow, this was the best book that I've read in a LONG time." Jane Was Here was no different. I read it just after finishing up with Night Machines by Kia Heavey, and I was a little apprehensive because I didn't think I'd be able to get into a new book and new characters after getting to know Heavey's characters so well. (I generally have that problem after reading a really good, well written book.) Jane Was Here did not give me this problem.


When I began reading, I didn't understand the shape the story was taking, and I got a little annoyed. But I soon came to know the characters, even if I felt that, at first, they were thrown at me in quick succession. I had to keep flipping back to remember who some of the characters were.

After figuring out which characters were important, I was able to start truly enjoying this book. This book is so well worked together that I can't say too much about it without giving away some serious plot points.

A young woman shows up in a small town with no real memory of it, but she knows that she once lived there. She walks down the street and to a house. Knocking on the door, she tells the man Brett renting the house that she lives there. Brett is perplexed, but allows the woman in. Immediately, he is drawn to her, wants to comfort her, wants to protect her. His feelings for this woman are stronger than his feelings for his own son Collin who is with him for the summer.

Brett and his son are spending the summer in this small town on a whim. Brett doesn't know why he picked this town, but he cannot bring himself to leave. Over the course of the summer, he allows his son to spend all of his free time with a girl he met at the motel in town. His intentions were to use the summer to forge a relationship with Collin but falters at every attempt. Jane soon takes over his whole existence.

As Jane works to recover her memory, her recent past begins to catch up with her. Her family sends out a private detective to look for her. As she tries to dodge the PI, Jane is forced to tell Brett about her past.

***This next paragraph will be a bit spoiler-ish*** Jane finally confides in Brett that her family had her institutionalized for autism when she was a young child. She claims that she was born knowing that she wasn't in the right life and that these were not her parents; so, she did everything in her power to get them to not love her or bond with her. Eventually, she was placed in an institution. As a parent of a child with autism, I was a bit un-pleased with this explanation. Perhaps I'm over reacting, but it seems that autism is a trigger word and blanket explanation and excuse. Everyone uses it for everything. Brett's son, Collin, is also a bit of an odd ball, and I was drawn to thinking that he was meant to also be autistic. I find that autism is over used in all forms of media, and it perpetuates a stereotype that I wish would die.

This book was incredibly well written and edited. The one thing that I found that got under my skin, perhaps a bit too much, was a misquoted song. An excerpt from Smashing Pumpkins, "Bullet with Butterfly Wings", was misquoted. We all know that the song goes, "Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage". This bothered me so much because I was able to type "despite" into a Google search bar and the rest was auto-completed for me. Easy to check, bothersome to miss.

I had a hard time really liking or connecting with the characters in the book because their faults were so prominent. I didn't dislike them, I cared where the story went, but there wasn't any one character that I said, "Oh, I want her to be okay" or "I want everything to work out for him". The characters were what they were and they all deserved whatever it was that was coming to them. Somehow, you knew while you were reading, there was no stopping where this story was going, no matter what choices the characters made.

I feel that I'm not doing the characters or story justice because I don't want to give anything away. Reading the book was like making a mosaic. Each piece was important and without the proper placement, the story just wouldn't have come out right. The reader is left to discover each piece when the time is right.

Sarah Kernochan writes a well woven tale of a woman who cannot explain her past and how her past is shaping the future of a small town.