Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Coming-of-Age Novel Suited for All Ages--Even the Young

Isosceles
By: Scott R. Caseley
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
eBook ISBN: 978-1-77127-239-1
Publication Date: January 2013
Genre of Book: Young Adult- Coming Of Age, Mystery/Romance
Places where available for sale: MuseItUpPublishing.com, Amazon.com, Bookstrand, Omnilit, Kobo, Smashwords and B&N

Isosceles by Scott R. Caseley takes the reader on a journey through the thirteen-year friendship between Sean McIntyre and Trey Goodsby and up to the tragic end of Trey's life, then goes into what effect his death has on Sean and those closest to the two boys.

When he finds his best friend Trey Goodsby dead and almost completely submerged in a bathtub filled with bloody water, Sean McIntyre is determined to find out if it was an accident or suicide. Did his death accidental or intentional have anything to do with Madeline Edwards, the woman who came between them constantly through their thirteen-year friendship? The tale begins with the death of Trey Goodsby, and explores his relationships with family, friends, his romances, and which of the circumstances he found himself in that led to the tragic event, and the repercussions for those he left behind.

If you have that feeling that you're coming up short...what will it take to feel equal?

Overall Thoughts: We feel Isosceles is a contemporary novel for anyone who loves literature. It's beautifully written, the characters are deep, it engages the reader and causes us to think and reflect upon our lives, fears, regrets and success.

What Others are Saying:

"Isosceles hits a lot of difficult issues many teens face, bullying, social awkwardness, divorce, death of loved ones, drinking, stealing and sexual involvement. Each topic is handled in a way that is appropriate and doesn’t go into unnecessary detail for drama or mass effect. Kudos to the author! The foul language is used in dialogue just as a teen (when no parent or adult is in ear shot) would use it. The voice of each character is authentic and each scene is something many of us as adults have been in ourselves. A truly well done coming of age story with a bit of mystery and romance to top it all off." ~Families Matter (http://familiesmatter2us.blogspot.com)

"Good characters have either changing characteristics or changing motivations. Great characters have both. In "isosceles", the coming of age YA novel by Scott R. Caseley, The author has developed not just one but three great characters through the use of shanging motivations and characteristics.
This triangle of friendship takes the kids from a time in their lives when they have everything in common through points of their development that mold them into not only distinct personalities, but vital roles in the friendship." ~Traci McDonald (Writing Blind http://tracimcdonald.blogspot.com/)
"The friendship and family dynamics were amazing. The families all intertwined with each other. You have mothers passing away, parents divorcing, and adults having to face those who wronged them as their kids try to stay friends throughout it all. Sean, Trey and Maddie, in the middle of it all, have their own issues. It’s a lover’s triangle between them as well as a friendship that shouldn’t be. You have Maddie the rich girl, Sean the average Joe and Trey, the kid who’s from the wrong side of the tracks. Can it even work between them or does this all having something to do with Trey’s death?" ~Virginia S Grenier (http://thewritingmama.blogspot.com)

About the Author: While this is his first novel, he wrote and directed a dramatic feature, co-wrote and directed a documentary and wrote for an online magazine. He’s also a trained voice, stage, and screen actor. In addition to his creative pursuits, he is passionate about healthy living. He follows a mostly self-directed fitness quest consisting of weight training, walking, swimming, yoga, and hula hooping. When not working out, he also enjoys cooking healthy gourmet meals as well as playing board games with family and friends with plenty of coffee brewing to keep the fun going until the wee hours of the morning.

You can find out more about Scott R. Caseley, his novel and World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/c85xoz4

Follow Scott R. Caseley at

Blog Address: www.scottrcaseleyauthor.com

Twitter URL: twitter.com/scottrcaseley

Facebook Fan Page URL: https://www.facebook.com/ScottRCaseleyWriter

Publisher Website: http://museituppublishing.com

To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Friday, March 29, 2013

Top Review Ranks Chipset "Best Thriller of 2012"

Title: Chipset

Author: Lior Samson

Genre: thriller, action-adventure

ISBN: 978-0984377282
Kindle edition 978-0984377299

Reviewed by James A. Anderson originally for Amazon.

5 Stars

Lior Samson hits another one out of the park with Chipset, the fourth techno-thriller in his Homeland Connection series.

Samson, the pen name of a university professor, delivers another page-turning, multi-dimensional thriller with a solid background in computers and computer chips. Samson certainly knows his stuff and has researched his subject thoroughly, bringing the reader a better understanding of this high-tech world and how it permeates our lives much greater than we realize.

Few thriller writers can match Samson's ability to deliver a gripping story. In previous reviews, I have compared him to John le Carré and Tom Clancy. He doesn't have the same name recognition or sales, but he is equal to or better than both those authors. His work deserves to be on the New York Times Best Seller list

As in his previous novels in the Homeland Connection series, Samson offers international politics and high-level espionage. The plot twists and exotic international settings in this novel make it a highly readable and entertaining thriller. There is also a powerful parallel story set in World War II that aptly explains the experience and background development of the characters.

I highly recommend this book which arguably may be the best thriller of 2012

About the Author:

~~Larry Constantine, IDSA, ACM Fellow | Lior Samson, novelist

Active (Professional) Member, SFWA

Simon Rockower Award (2010), American Jewish Press Association

Author of The Rosen Singularity (Gesher Press, 2011) and The Homeland Connection novels: Bashert, The Dome, Web Games (Gesher Press, 2010) and Chipset (Gesher Press, 2012)

About the Reviewer:

James A. Anderson is an Amazon Top Reviewer with a ranking of 4,407.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Compulsive Reader Reviews Aussie's Newest Novel

TITLE Ascending Spiral
AUTHOR Bob Rich
GENRE Metaphysical fiction
ISBN 978-1-61599-186-0 (paper); 978-1-61599-187-7 (e)

Reviewed by Magdalena Ball for The Compulsive Reader and Bobbing Around

   Dr Pip Lipkin has lived for 12,000 years, in many lives, different sexes, and even different species and he's here for a reason. Dr Bob Rich's Ascending Spiral is a true genre-buster, incorporating elements of historical fiction, literary fiction, science fiction, and even a hint of nonfiction to create an entertaining novel with an important message.

   Beautifully researched, the book opens in present day, but quickly moves back to 805-806 AD, where the first person protagonist is named Padraig, and he is fighting a Viking attack. The book then moves into the life of Dermot, an Irishman dealing with the campaign of repression conducted by the English against the Irish during this period. Dermot's section is the longest, taking the reader through full scale war, vigilantism, transportation to Australia as a convict, slavery, life on a squat as a free man, and the committing of a terrible crime. Dermot's act has repercussions that take him into the next chapter of his existence, as Amelia, a woman who has to experience the consequences of Dermot's crime again and again. When Amelia dies, our protagonist experiences something completely different -- a life that is free of gender and hate -- focused solely on survival and the support of the species. The next life jumps to 10,000 BCE, where, as a giant space flower, the protagonist commits a thoughtless but devastating crime, the likes of which forms the basis for the atonement and multiple births throughout the novel. The final section belongs to Pip, bringing us back to the start.

   Pip is the most evolved being and the development from Padraig to Pip is the ascending spiral that the title refers to. Along the way he learns (and teaches us) about the meaninglessness and pain of war, about greed and violence, about the folly of our desperation for happiness over wisdom, about the beauty and delicacy of our planet, and about the power of love and forgiveness to change these cycles. The themes of the book are Buddhist, showing us the Samsara or "the cycle of birth and death" and the lessons we all need to learn in order to evolve ourselves and to save our rapidly dying world. Though the ultimate purpose of the book does appear to be didactic -- global warming and impending environmental catastrophe are generally accepted within the mainstream scientific community as proven fact -- and the parallels between Dr Lipkin and the author's own studies are probably the subject of at least a few fascinating interviews, the story reads well as fiction, creating each world entirely so that the reader becomes engrossed in the historical time and place along with the protagonist. The overall message is delivered with subtlety and sophistication, and the descriptions are particularly powerful, especially in Dermot's section where we move from war-torn Ireland to NSW (New South Wales, AU). The long, painful journey by boat is evocative, as this example from Dermot's time in solitary confinement shows:

Water constantly seeped through the timbers of the ship. I had no way of measuring time, except that every now and then two men came, one carrying a lantern, the other a bit of food. Four extra soldiers came the first time, and the doctor carrying clothes. They allowed me to dress before shackling me to the chain again. On every second or third occasion, they also had an Irishman along, who brought an empty bucket and took away the one I'd filled. I did have company: rats scurrying around. At first, I was concerned they might bite me, but this didn't happen and after a while I ignored them.

   The space flower descriptions were also well done -- adding a fun sci-fi twist to the story and showing Rich's scientific bent:

The fifth planet was unique in my experience. It twinkled everywhere with low-energy emissions over a wide band of wavelengths. That was pretty to look at, but utterly baffling. I couldn't think of any natural phenomenon that'd account for this kind of radiation, and it clearly had a water-oxygen sheath. I'd heard of small, primitive, unintelligent life forms on planetary surfaces, but of course they were not in a deadly corrosive environment like this planet's .(94)

   Through each section there are a number of important threads that link the novel together, including the recurring cycle of racism and prejudice in all of its forms, of uncontrolled hunger and its ability to damage, and of the healing power of sympathy, connection and perception. All of these threads come together through a series of stories that are historically engaging and powerful, at times whimsical, and above all, meticulously presented. Ascending Spiral is a book that will take the reader to many different places and times, showing, ultimately, that our differences and divisions, even at their most devastating, are less important than our similarities. This is an important and timely novel full of wisdom and insight.

More About the Reviewer:
Magdalena Ball is the owns the review Web site The Compulsive Reader and has her own radio show. Hers was the first advance review of Ascending Spiral.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Important Read on Risk and Success

Stop Playing Safe: Rethink Risk. Subtitle: Unlock the Power of Courage. Achieve Outstanding Success

By Margie Warrell

Paperback: 288 pagesPublisher: Wiley; 1 edition (March 1, 2013)

Publisher: Wiley
Language: English

ISBN-13: 978-1118505588

Author's Web site: http://margiewarrell.homestead.com

Stop Playing Safe features insights from courageous trail-blazing entrepreneurs and leaders in organizations including NASA, Ernst & Young, UN Foundation and QANTAS.

In this book you'll discover how to:

define your sense of purpose and pursue more inspiring goals
  embrace a 'Courage Mindset' and speak up with confidence in every situation
  navigate uncertainty with clarity and take smart risks, not just safe ones
conquer fear of failure and bounce back from setbacks
  wield stronger influence and build a culture of courage in your team or business
create daily rituals to build your resilience and ability to bounce back faster and stronger when life doesn't go to plan.

Don't wait for success to come to you. Learn how you can unlock the power of courage to achieve greater clarity, confidence and satisfaction at work and in life.

About the Author:
Margie Warrell is an intrepid Australian and bestselling author, coach, Forbes columnist, media personality. and dynamic speaker who empowers people globally to live more courageous lives. She's the bestselling author of Find Your Courage (McGraw-Hill).

Submitted by:

Denise Cassino

"Make your book an Amazon #1 Bestseller"
Publicist & Book Marketing Specialist

303 838 3399
skype: denise.cassino
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Friday, March 22, 2013

A Cozy Readers Corner Shares Review of New Sci-Fi Novel

Special Interest

By Aaron T Knight

ISBN-13: 978-1460972335

ISBN-10: 1460972333

Imagine a quiet world free of fossil fuel polution. Clean air to breathe. No noise from automobiles or factories. An atruistic scientist imagined it and made it his life’s work to find a replacement for fossil fuels. When he discovers an inexhaustable source of electric power he is murdered by a special interest group trying to find the formula.
As a precaution he has hidden the formula in four parts in places around the world. Only one person will know how to find the four pieces to the formula. A wild and often hilarious pursuit ensues as the energy industires scramble to possess the prize.

Reviewed by Megan Originally for A Cozy Readers Corner

Joe has just relocated after having a broken engagement and being forced out of his accounting job. Everything appears to be getting along nicely with his new life until his flowerbed reveals a mysterious clue to a murder. Soon Joe is involved in a risky operation involving a new energy source that could change how the world operates. Joe soon finds out that there are limited people that he can trust and many special interest groups are after the clues to this energy source and will stop at nothing to obtain the information, not even murder. Joe doesn't want to be involved in this scheme but soon a love interest and his best friend are entangled as well and he finds that he has no choice but to help solve the puzzle.

Overall I thought the author had a creative idea and I was captivated and wanted to know how the story would end. The characters' motives were hidden well until the end of the book when the author did finally start to place doubt in your mind about who was the good guy and who was the bad guy. The science behind the energy source was unique too - would be nice if such a thing existed!

Visit the author's Amazon profile at www.amazon/author/aaronknight.com.

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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Literary Lady Reviews New Barbara Casey Novel

Title: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY

Author: Barbara Casey
Author’s Web site: www.barbaracaseyagency.com
Genre: Suspense/Women’s Fiction/Inspirational
Publisher: Strategic Media Books
Publisher’s Web site: www.strategicmediabooks.com
ISBN-13: 970-985244026

Reviewed by Patricia Daly-Lipe originally for Amazon

Reviewer’s Rating: 5 stars

REVIEW:

A good writer appeals to the readers' sense of wonder, delight, and mystery. The good writer also draws on our sense of pity, pain, and beauty. Author Barbara Casey has achieved all of this in her latest book, The Gospel According to Prissy. From concern for the protagonist, to fear for her and others, to the mystery surrounding some of the characters' motives, to delight in the wise words of a young child, this book will permeate the inner voice of every reader whether male or female, young or old as he or she identifies with some part of the story. This personal involvement enhances the power of her tale. Each time I put down the book, I could not let loose the drama unfolding. Chores accomplished, I ran back to the book, desperate to find out what was going to happen next. The story takes place in North Carolina, in current time, and so many inferences relate to our present environment politically, historically, and emotionally.

In the Bible, which young Prissy interprets in her own unique way, Moses told the Israelites that God sent them into the wilderness to "learn what is in your heart." And it is clearly from the heart that Barbara Casey writes. I encourage everyone to read The Gospel According to Prissy. During and after the tensions of the tale, in the end, this book will touch your heart.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
Patricia Daly-Lipe – Author of A Cruel Calm, Messages from Nature; Past President of the National League of American Pen Women-La Jolla Branch and Washington, DC Branch, and Historian for the National Society Daughters of American Colonists, DC.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Bishop's Curse Reveals Old Catholic Church Conflict

The Bishop’s Curse By award-winning author Raﬀ Ellis
Published by Prolix Press LLC
Genre: Fiction: Historical
Video: The Bishop's Curse – YouTube.

Purchase: www.prolixpress.org

Reviewed by Tim Lunney, Director Florida Irish Culture Center

On a recent rare rainy day here in South Florida, I read the new historical novel “The Bishop’s Curse” by Orlando-based author Raﬀ Ellis. This fascinating book, based upon real people and events, combines an Irish immigrant’s rags-to-riches saga with a unique history of the early Catholic Church in America’s battle for absolute control of its religious and secular assets. This battle is recollected through the sometimes vicious conﬂict between the Irish laity of an upstate New York parish and its unpopular, ambitious and avaricious priest and an archbishop determined to break the authority of state laws governing church property and ﬁnances.

In St. James Parish, this conﬂict between church and state became unhinged. The year was 1860, and while the nation teetered on the brink of the Civil War, another sort of rebellion had broken out in the little town of Carthage, NY. For the mid-19th Century Irish Catholic church members of St. James Parish, this rebellion against their priest and bishop was a life-changing event that many believed endangered their immortal souls, and that some believed became mortal victims of the Bishop’s curse.

This unique and engaging book is a must-read for fans of Irish-American history and high drama. Raﬀ Ellis, an accomplished historian and talented storyteller, brings back to life a remarkably colorful slice of Irish-American history. I couldn’t put this book down until I’d read it cover to cover.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
~Raff Ellis is the author of two other books, both memoirs, Kisses from a Distance and Dam Foolishness. Kisses chronicles the immigrant experience of his family during the early 20th Century. Dam Foolishness is a recollection of growing up in a small town and the narrative is intertwined with a collection of short stories about people the author met on his journey.

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