New Novella in DragonEye Series Online Launch

Greater Treasures
Part of the DragonEye Series of novel and stories
By Karina Fabian
Genre: Fantasy/Noir/Mystery/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Pages 130

ISBN-13: 978-1484848296
ISBN-10: 1484848292 ASIN B00CEH934G
Video Trailer
Available on Amazon

 

Synopsis:

 Being a private detective in the border town of the Faerie and Mundane worlds isn’t easy, even for a dragon like Vern.   Still, finding the wayward brother of a teary damsel in distress shouldn’t have gotten so dangerous.  When his partner, Sister Grace, gets poisoned by a dart meant for him, Vern offers to find an artifact in exchange for a cure.  However, this is no ordinary trinket—with a little magic power, it could control all of mankind.  Can Vern find the artifact, and will he sacrifice the fate of two worlds for the life of his best friend?

Excerpt:

Given the day I was having, it came as no surprise that when I got home, I found the dogs sprawled in a drugged sleep and the sounds of things being overturned from within the warehouse. I decided not to bother with subtlety, but I did resist the urge to burst in with flames going full-blast. I had questions first.

Naturally, I walked straight in to find an automatic weapon—yep, a bona fide black-market AK-47—and I thought only Faerie lived their clichés—and six other weapons of various types pointed at me. I didn't stop, just closed the door with my tail while I strolled in slow and placid-like. My visitors had shaved heads, faces painted white with clown paint, and black t-shirts with swastikas in white circles.

"If you're the housekeeping service, you're fired."

"You stay right there, or we gonna fire you!" said one guy from the sidelines as he held his nunchucks at the ready.

What'd he think he would do—whack me on the nose? I turned to the one holding the assault rifle. "Scraping the bottom of the barrel with that one, weren't you?"

"He's right. You just stay still while we search the place."

"The place" was a ten-thousand square foot warehouse with offices on the upper floor. Boxes I still hadn't opened line the walls and made a maze in the second warehouse room. I settled myself on the floor and rested my head on my crossed arms. "Go ahead. I get half of anything you find."

They stared at me, unbelieving. I smiled back. Mr. Cooperation, that's me. Finally, Big Gun snarled for the others to get to work. As he turned his back on me, Nunchucks muttered, "I got your half. Don't think I don't." Guess he learned such witty repartee in Hitler Youth Summer Camp.

I watched and listened and waited. With eight teenage skinheads trashing my place, it was only a matter of time.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," I suggested as Nunchucks made a grab for the doorknob to Grace's workshop.

"You gonna stop me?" He turned the knob.

"Nope," I said as I closed my ears and my eyes. Even so, I saw the otherworldly light and heard the harmonious roar of Divine Vengeance followed by Mundane screams.

"The Heavenly Host on the other hand…"

I waited until the screams died down to whimpers before opening my eyes and rising.

Four of the skinheads were unconscious. Three may as well have been; they were curled up in the fetal position, whimpering. Nunchucks was actually crying for his mommy. Big Guns had collapsed to the floor as well, the gun thrown away from him. He was sitting and rocking and making high-pitched keening through the roof of his mouth.

I'd tell Grace to tone down her wards some, except that the effect is directly proportional to the evilness of the intent. Suddenly, I was feeling a little shaky about my earlier entrance.

Knights out of the armor now. I went around, collecting weapons in the office trash can and poking through pockets. I found the usual stuff—driver's licenses, credit cards, petty cash… One kid had a condom; wishful thinking on his part, I knew. Another had a report card. MLK High. Wonder if he was the one beating up Faerie kids? Honor roll grades, too. Of all the years I've battled evil, there were still some things I didn't understand.

As I was returning Big Guns' (aka Rick Matherston's) wallet back into his jacket pocket, he blinked and focused on me.

"What was that?"

"Angels, kid." Actually a kind of magical shadow of the real thing, but close enough.
          "But I thought angels were—"

"There's a reason why their first words are usually 'Fear not!' whenever they meet a human."

His eyes returned to their unfocused stare. I almost felt sorry for him. Then I noticed the letters FARISLAR tattooed on his knuckles. Faerie slayer.

About Greater Treasures

Most people associate the DragonEye stories with high humor ranging from puns to slapstick, and in fact, the first stories and the novels have certainly been crazy fun.  But the life of a cynical dragon PI isn’t all laughs, and Vern has had a few chilling stories to tell me.  Some of these, I’ve sold to anthologies, but some are too long for that.  Thus, I’ve decided to start publishing them on my own. 

From the Author

One thing I like to do for DragonEye stories is watch old noir films.  Greater Treasures came to me while watching the Maltese Falcon.  If you’ve never seen it, I recommend it.  (Then, reread the story to see if you catch the in jokes.)  I needed something with more “oomph” than a bird statue, and since Vern has some history with the Lance of Longinus, it made a good fit.  I enjoyed looking up all the conspiracy theories about the use of the Lance by Hitler, which is where the neo-Nazi angle came in.  To say more would be spoilers, so please, enjoy the story. And if you do, be sure to check out Vern’s other tales at http://dragoneyepi.net.

About the Author

 Winner of the 2010 INDIE for best Fantasy (Magic, Mensa and Mayhem), Karina Fabian has imagination that takes quirky twists that keep her--and her fans--amused. Nuns working in space, a down-and-out Faerie dragon working off a geas from St. George, zombie exterminators—there’s always a surprise in Fabian’s worlds. Mrs. Fabian teaches writing and book marketing seminars, but mostly is concerned with supporting her husband, Rob Fabian as he makes the exciting leap from military officer to civilian executive, getting her kids through high school and college, and surviving daily circuit torture…er, circuit training.  Read about her adventures at http://fabianspace.com. Find Karina at:

Website: http://fabianspace.com, http://dragoneyepi.net
Blog:  http://fabianspace.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karina.fabian
Twitter:  http://twitter.com/#!/KarinaFabian
Google +:  https://plus.google.com/103660024891826015212

Here are some other fun links she suggests:
Lance of Longinus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Lance
Maltese Falcon: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033870/
Live and Let Fly: http://dragoneyepi.blogspot.com/p/live-and-let-fly.html
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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.

Dr. Eileen Brennan Reviews Literary Novel

Title:  Orange Peels and Cobblestones

Author:   Rose Marie Dunphy

Author Website link:  http://rosemariedunphy.blogspot.com

                                http://www.facebook.com/authorrosedunphy  

Genre or Category:  Fiction, General Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction

ISBN:    978-0-615-69671-3

 

Reviewer:  Dr. Eileen Brennan, Licensed Psychoanalyst in Private Practice   originally for Amazon

 

 

"Orange Peels and Cobblestones is a great read that provokes our interest and satisfies our soul. While Brooklyn has long been home to churches and immigrants, it is Marietta's journey that dramatizes the intimate joys and cold challenges nurtured within this transitional community. This young girl's hunger for family and friendship, emerging in the1950's and maturing in the `60's, dances life-filled into the new millennium.

Personally, through this novel, I treasure joining Marietta revisiting my own immigrant, isolating and tender school days housed in a multi-generational, downtown brownstone. Psychoanalytically, in reading, and re-reading portions of, Orange Peels and Cobblestones I experience Marietta's deep creative instincts driving her birthing of self and of family.

Orange Peels provokes our hunger for life that emerges in the innocent manipulations of play and matures in the risks that scaffold the joys of other-centered adulthood. Cobblestones supports our vision of life grounded passionately in the security of family and open to the vast potential of a shared future.

Thank you Rose Marie Dunphy for a novel gift of life."

 

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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. 

Today Is Earth Day: Poetry Book to Honor the Day Released

Sublime Planet

Authors: Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball
Authors' Web sites:
Carolyn: http://howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm
Magdalena: http://magdalenaball.com
Photos: Ann Howley  
ISBN: 978-1482054705

 

Reviewed by Karen Cioffi

 

Gearing up for Earth Day, Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball are releasing a brand new collection of poems titled Sublime Planet. The collection features relevant poems by Carolyn and Magdalena that demonstrate the interconnections of the world around us, including life, family, and love, along with the growing concern for the earth’s preservation.

This is a beautifully written collection that allows the reader to pause and take note of the world around her.

One of my favorite poems in the collection is one by Carolyn titled “The Giraffe:”

 

A tongue generous

as my head he reaches

for me, barriers no match

for his long neck, sniffs

my hair, kisses my face.

He unaware

he is endangered.

I unaware he might

be dangerous.

 

This poem is a powerful, yet simple tribute to a majestic creature that is now an endangered species. Can you imagine a planet without the giraffe?

Another poem in the collection that struck me is “Tipping Point” by Magdalena Ball: “[. . .] you eat and eat through four billion years of evolution now held loosely by one thread. [. . .] The future waits impatiently your decision.”

Again, powerful, and revealing.

 

Sublime Planet offers moving insight into the world around us and into a world that is in need of attention, and it certainly honors Earth Day. I highly recommend it.

 

For those who aren’t aware of what Earth Day is, Senator Gaylord Nelson created this special day in the spring of 1970. The purpose behind it was to make everyone aware of all the toxins being spewed into the air and dumped in nearby streams or other waterways by manufacturing companies.

At that time, there were no regulatory or legal safety nets to protect our planet, our environment. Senator Nelson took a stand and his cause quickly caught on.

The earth is our planet, our home, our responsibility, and we’re not doing such a good job protecting it.

Sublime Planet celebrates Earth Day (April 22nd).

The poems "Giraffe" and “Tipping Point” are from Sublime Planet, a book of poetry in the Celebration Series coauthored by Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball. It will be released before Earth Day.  In the meantime learn more about Carolyn's poetry books (including that Celebration Series!) at http://howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm. And, learn more about Magdalena’s poetry and fiction at http://magdalenaball.com

About the reviewer:

Karen Cioffi is a multi-award-winning author, freelance/ghostwriter, and author online presence instructor. Give your writing and marketing efforts a boost with The Writing World newsletter. Get weekly tips and guidance, plus updates on free webinars, and TWO ebooks! Go to http://thewritingworld.com and sign-up today.

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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.

Authors, Reviewers, Readers! How To Submit Your Fave Review

I post and edit this The New Book Review blog  at no charge and I do it by myself. I don't even ask for donations. And I love it! Lucky you! 

I outline the submission guidelines in the left column of the blog, but I still get all kinds of unusual submissions that require me to send the author, reviewer, or reader back to the drawing board. The thing is, my guidelines are not an isolated requirement. They are standard throughout the publishing industry and authors who don’t know how to follow them are at a disadvantage with everything from entering a contest to getting a agent.

I, like everyone else, do ask that the submission guidelines be followed exactly. In other words, your favorite review--whether you're an author, a reader, or a reviewer--must be all submitted all in one place--by you--so it's pretty much copy and paste for me. (Though I always have some details to attend to). Dan Poynter actually uses the term “copy and paste ready” in his guidelines for submissions.

I cover tips for submissions to editors, etc. (among hundreds of other tips)  in The Frugal Book Promoter as a way to assure that more of your marketing efforts get used by editors.  I consider these guidelines a bit of a training ground for authors. Find The Frugal Book Promoter at http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo.  

So....your submission to this blog should come all in one e-mail window.

It should be formatted as outlined in the submission guidelines right here at http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com  in the left column. 

And no attachments, please. Many universities, newspapers, etc will NEVER open attachments. In fact, their servers may not even let e-mail with attachments through but send them instead directly to cyberspace--bypassing even the spam folder. 

I hope to hear from you soon! Should you decide to take on this marketing opportunity, let's make it fun, easy, and a wonderful marketing (and learning) experience. (-:

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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.

The Stuff of Great Story: The Ocean. Sailing. Family.

Title: The Other Side of The Ice

Author: Sprague Theobald
Web Site: http://SpragueTheobald.com
Genre: Nonfiction: Family / Adventure
ISNB: 78-1-61608-623-7

 

Originally reviewed by The Alpha Wife

I am always looking for a good book to read and although my reading time is limited these days, it seems I am always able to make time for a new book (my family probably wishes I made time for things like cooking or cleaning!).
The last book I read was The Other Side of the Ice, by Sprague Theobald, and let me tell you – it was not what I expected, in the best way possible.

I don’t really know anything about sailing, and I can’t say it’s an interest of mine (aside from lounging around on a sail boat in the British Virgin Islands…that I am interested in) – and as this book was about a family’s attempt to cross The Northwest Passage, which is an incredibly dangerous piece of the ocean that is littered with icebergs and infamous for its horrendous weather, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to, ahem, get on board.

Honestly, I expected a book detailing the technical aspects of the crossing, and although I knew from the summary that it also told the story of a family reunited, I was still pretty sure I’d mostly be reading a book about boats and polar bears.

Turns out I was wrong on several levels.

This is a story about one man’s physical and emotional journey through some of the world’s most dangerous (and largely uncharted!) territory.  Sprague is a talented writer and draws the reader in from the first page – and almost immediately, it’s clear that this story is about more than the ocean.  Sprague decides he wants to fulfill a lifelong dream to sail through the Northwest Passage, but maybe even more importantly, he wants to repair the relationships he has with his three children (stepchildren Dominique and Chauncey and son Sefton), who are all competent sailors.  He hires the bunch – along with a captain (Dominique’s boyfriend) and a cameraman to record the journey for a future documentary, and sets off on the kind of adventure that you might see in the movies.  Only, it’s real.  And includes his children, who as adults are still healing from the wounds of divorce years after the divorce was finalized.

Sprague paints a vivid and honest picture of his relationship with his kids.  He doesn’t shirk from responsibility or blame the kids’ mother – he steps up and owns his mistakes and says, more than once, that he wishes he’d been around more.  As a parent, these stories pull at my heartstrings – there are some things that you just cannot undo, and Sprague realizes this,  making a point of living in the moment and fixing what he can and moving forward.  Much of the story almost reads as an apology to his children, yet remains hopeful about what the future may hold.  There is a lot of history and many back stories, and somehow these all seem to come together seamlessly.  The crew are a vibrant and multi-dimensional nunch, and I felt that Sprague managed to tell their stories without bias – these are real people, and I didn’t feel like the author was trying to make me like, or dislike, anyone.

I was cheering for everyone to reconnect as a family, to be sure…but I couldn’t get enough of the actual sailing trip, either!  I had *no* idea what went into something of this magnitude and it was fascinating to me to read about the technical details (which I thought would quickly bore me).  Sprague talks just enough about the boat’s engine/weather/onboard systems to educate the reader and set the stage for the story – it’s a fine line to walk, as too much boat stuff and I’d be yawning myself to sleep, but not enough and I might be confused (and I’m sure experienced sailors and adventurers relished the technical side of this book).
The book ended as I’d hoped (that’s not a spoiler!).  I was rooting for the whole crew and the hearty little Bagan (I kind of loved their boat by the end of this book, and felt like she was one of the main players in this story).

The only thing that disappointed me?  The editing was poor.  There were some typos, and some of these came early on in the book…which had me wondering if I wanted to keep reading.  But the story was so compelling and well-told, I kept reading (and was happy I did).  And for the record, I looked this book up on Amazon and noticed that the author addressed the typos and said they were being corrected (thank goodness – this story deserves to be typo-free).

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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.

Stephen Brayton Novel Gets Thumbs Up

 

Alpha
By Stephen L. Brayton
Genre: Fiction: Mystery/Action
Available in print and as an e-book
Published by Oak Tree Press
Author's Web site: www.stephenbrayton.com
ISBN: 978-1610091152

 

Reviewed by J. M. LeDuc, author of “Cursed Days” published by Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine

I like that “Alpha” was written in a narrative format. The protagonist, Mallory Peterson tells the story in first person and it’s a conversation between Mallory and her friend Lawrence Cameron.

We first find out Mallory is struggling with the idea of taking her friendship with Lawrence Cameron, a hardened police detective, to the next level. We soon understand why. Mallory was involved with someone she thought was a sweet guy, Bobby Furillo, who was not what he appeared to be. Under that sweet exterior lived a man with a dual life, married to a devoted wife with a daughter, and who was also a drug lord.

Mallory finds Bobby dead, an apparent victim of murder by gunshot. She meddles into the investigation and soon realizes his true identity. The ensuing story, as she tries to piece together who killed him and who he was, and ultimately trying to take down the head of the drug ring, will keep your head spinning. How far is she willing to go to discover the truth and how many people will have to die?

 The plot explores the seedy side of drug dealers and users, the effects on people when they discover their loved ones are not who they thought, and delves into mans’ conscience and what they are and are not willing to do in the name of greed.

 What I liked best about “Alpha” is the way the story was told. It’s set up in a ‘then’ and ‘now’ division. Each chapter glimpses into the relationship between Mallory and Lawrence as they discuss their fears, wants, and expectations. During this, Mallory retells the story about her relationship with Bobby, how she went about trying to solve his murder, and more importantly why.

 I highly recommend “Alpha” and you would be remiss not to read it. Brayton has distinguished himself as a master storyteller. I for one will be waiting for the next installment.

 

Learn more about the author at:
www.stephenbrayton.com
www.stephenbrayton.wordpress.com
www.braytonsbookbuzz.wordpress.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.

New Book Offers Activities in Time for Summer Camps, Summer Schools

Day Camp in Hawaii
Published by Create Space
Book store discounts and bulk orders: https://www.createspace.com/3854054
Individual copies available at Amazon and Barnes & Nobel, Books a Million
Paperback, Nook and Kindle editions
132 pages, 8 ½ x 11
$9.95Photo:http://www.prlog.org/12089793/1

 

Camp directors, recreational program leaders and summer school teachers can find educational and fun activities that use a Hawaiian theme.

 When school lets out for summer there will be a variety of programs for youth to keep them busy during the summer months.  The directors of these programs will be interested in a new book, Day Camp in Hawaii.  This book offers a summer camp program for elementary age students that can be used by any youth group, camp or summer school program.

“When I was in charge of Cub Scout Day Camp, I thought the best part of the job was coming up with all the activities, games, crafts and songs needed for the program,” the author, Paula Hrbacek said. “Later, I worked for Campfire and the YMCA doing after school and summer programs.  They used a theme for each week of camp, too.  Even though they were different programs, they still used games, songs and skits.”

It was difficult for Hrbacek to find enough activities for a week of camp using a tropical theme.  Instead, she wrote her own activities such as the deaf sign language hula dance.  She rewrote the song “Tiny Bubbles (in the wine)” and turned it into “Mighty Cub Scouts in a line.”  It meets the Cub Scout requirement for using sign language, but if the name of the organization is changed, it could also be used to meet Girl Scout requirements for dancing and singing as well.
Writing her own activities was the easy way to come up with an original and fun program.  Hrbacek majored in journalism and art at the University of Missouri-Columbia.  She’s the author of three arts and crafts books and one novel.  Currently, she writes about children’s arts and crafts for the Panama City edition of The Examiner, a free online newspaper.  In addition to her publishing credits in Highlights, Pack-o-Fun and other magazines, she has a degree in elementary education from Pensacola Junior College and experience teaching art in a Catholic school.

A stay-at-home mother of four, Hrbacek has fifteen years experience leading Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts.  She received the District Award of Merit from Boy Scouts for her work on the Cub Scout Summer Day Camp Program.  She was also given the Girl Scout Outstanding Volunteer Award for her work with Juniors, Cadettes and Senior Scouts.


“The attendance record is a brilliant idea,” said Roy Smith, the air rifle instructor at the camp.  “She saved herself a lot of paperwork with that one.”

Day Camp in Hawaii has everything a summer program needs; games, sports, crafts, art projects, Hawaiian lore and trivia facts, geology, skits, songs, guest speaker suggestions, first aid, CPR, tourism, music and dance.  It also includes money saving tips, time savers, and organization and management tips.  Every activity has an introduction that is educational, and a closing thought that reinforces a basic value, such as honesty, hard work, and friendship.

The activities are grouped into two age levels.  Lower level activities are for grades K to 3.  Upper level activities are for grades 4 to 6.

“This is a great book,” commented Laurie Flynn, an artist in Pensacola FL.  “There are a lot of great ideas in here.  It gives a leader a lot of choices.”

Campers who participated in these activities when Hrbacek ran it as a camp program said it was “awesome” and “the best camp ever.”  Leaders commented the program was “well organized” and “easy to do”.

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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.