To Read, or Not To Read

We're re-watching Doctor Who this fall to prepare for the big anniversary special. I know that  Doctor Who  has been around for 50 years, but for time sake we're going to start with series 1 of 2005. If you've not watched it, but have wanted to. Here's your chance. We're watching via Netflix, so join us if you can. This week we're watching episodes 4 and 5. Season 1, episode 4, Part 1 Title: Aliens of London Original Air Date: April 16, 2005 Directed by: Keith Boak Written by: Russell T. Davies Summary: The Doctor and Rose return to London in what they think is only twelve hours after they left, but it turns out to be twelve months instead. Jackie freaks out when Rose walks through the door. Her mom has no idea of where she's been. Mickey's been questioned numerous times about her disappearance. In the middle of all the freak out, aliens land in London. They do the cliche hit Big Ben bit and land in the Thames. So the Doctor

Title: Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander Author: Phil Robertson Read by: Al Robertson with an intro by Phil Robertson Published by: Simon and Schuster Audio Published: May 7, 2013 Length: 5 hours ISBN: 978-1-4423-6610-7 Genre: Memoir Source: Publisher Goodreads Summary: An NFL-bound quarterback, Phil made his mark on Louisiana Tech University in the 1960s by playing football and completing his college career with a master’s degree in English. But Phil’s eyes were not always on the books or the ball; they were usually looking to the sky. Phil grew up with the dream of living the simple life off the land like his forebears, but he soon found himself on a path to self-destruction—leasing a bar, drinking too much, fighting, and wasting his talents. He almost lost it all until he gave his life to God. And then everything changed. Phil’s incredible story tells how he followed a calling from God and soon after invented a duck call that would begin a

Title: A Journey Through Tudor England Author: Suzannah Lipscomb Publisher: Pegasus Books Published: June 15, 2013 Paperback ARC, 326 pages ISBN: 978-1-60598-460-5 Genre: Nonfiction Source: Publisher Goodreads Summary: For the armchair traveler or for those looking to take a trip back to the colorful time of Henry VIII and Thomas Moore, A Journey Through Tudor England takes you to the palaces, castles, theatres and abbeys to uncover the stories behind this famed era. Suzannah Lipscomb visits over fifty Tudor places, from the famous palace at Hampton Court, where dangerous court intrigue was rife, to less well-known houses such as Anne Boleyn's childhood home at Hever Castle, or Tutbury Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned.In the corridors of power and the courtyards of country houses, we meet the passionate but tragic Katheryn Parr, Henry VIII's last wife; Lady Jane Grey, the nine-day queen; and come to understand how Sir Walter Raleigh planned his

Title: Torn (Miss Chatterley #3) Author: Logan Belle Publisher: Pocket Star Published: May 27, 2013 Ebook, Arc ISBN13:  9781476731308 Genre: Contempoaray Fiction Source: Edielweiss Goodreads Summary: Torn between love and sex. By the time Connie decides, it could be too late. Surprised by Cliff’s sudden attention, Connie is caught between the life she always wanted and the passion she never knew she needed. Luckily, Connie’s wild, older sister Hillary comes to town to talk some sense into her—don’t throw away your future for a passing fling. But can Connie forgo the ecstasy of Mellors’s touch for a future with Cliff? Will Cliff be too distracted with the IPO to realize what’s at stake?  My thoughts: As Torn is the third installment to Logan Belle's twist on Lady Chatterley's Lover it might contain some spoilers if you've not read the first two books in this series. This book picks up exactly where the previous book left off. Cliff has just proposed and

                

One thing I’m asked now that I have my first book coming out is for advice for writers. Even before my book came out, writers asked me for advice because I also run trindiebooks.com which is a Kobo eBook promotion site. I’m no expert and am new in this whole published author thing, but here are some things I’d suggest. 1. Write. I’ve talked with several people who want to get published, and remember being like this myself in the past, and theysimply don’t write. Writing improves with practice, so like everything if you want to get good at it, you have to write. No excuses. No fear. Just write, and even if it’s no good, it’s practice. Make the time and do it. 2. Find other writers. I’ve mentioned my writers group on my blog before and believe they were instrumental in my getting published. We talked writing problems and successes. We brainstorm. We encourage and support each other. We have writers retreats. We talk about the industry. Writing is a solo process, but having a g

Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about their titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website , follow them on Twitter , and LIKE their Facebook page . Today I'm happy to be featuring Covet's August releases!! The Awakening: Liam by Abby Niles The Awakening #2 Shifter, Liam Doyle knows Hell. At least he believed he did. The night he feels his mate die, he learns how very wrong he was. Nothing he’d struggled with since Ava’s rejection compares to the emptiness that fills his soul by her death. Lost in his grief, he’s taken by surprise and drugged. When he wakes, everything changes. Nothing is what it seems, and someone i

We're re-watching Doctor Who this fall to prepare for the big anniversary special. I know that  Doctor Who  has been around for 50 years, but for time sake we're going to start with series 1 of 2005. If you've not watched it, but have wanted to. Here's your chance. We're watching via Netflix, so join us if you can. This is week we're discussing Season 1, episodes 2 and 3. Season 1, episode 2  Title: The End of the World Original Air Date: April 2, 2005 Directed by: Euros Lyn Written by: Russel T. Davies Episode Summary: The Doctor takes Rose to view the end of Earth.  Literally. The planet is going to be destroyed. It's not as catastrophic as it sound, though. It's way, way, way into the future. The date is 5.5/apple/26. Yeah, I don't know what that means either. Earth has been emptied and it has been for some time. Somewhere between now and way into the future, Earthlings have found a way to live elsewhere. To boldly go where no

Title: Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen (The Man Who Loved Jane Austen, #2) Author: Sally Smith O'Rourke Narrated By Kendra Hoffman Publisher: Victorian Essence Press Published: September 22, 2012 Kindle Edition, 261 pages Audio Length: 8h 54min ASIN: B009FIMT6Q Source: Ebook- Bought; Audio-Author Goodreads Summary: Was Mr. Darcy real? Is time travel really possible? For pragmatic Manhattan artist Eliza Knight the answer to both questions is absolutely, Yes! And Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley Farms, Virginia is the reason why! His tale of love and romance in Regency England leaves Eliza in no doubt that Fitz Darcy is the embodiment of Jane Austen’s legendary hero. And she’s falling in love with him. But can the man who loved the inimitable Jane Austen ever love average, ordinary Eliza Knight? Eliza’s doubts grow, perhaps out of proportion, when things start to happen in the quiet hamlet of Chawton, England; events that could change everything. Will the beloved author

Miss Celine Fairweather’s life was bobbing along like a boat on a tranquil stream when all of a sudden a summons from her beloved sister Penelope Radclyff, the Duchess of Blackthorne, changed it all. Celine hurtles off to the London to help the duchess run the Blackthorne Mansion and to discover the whereabouts of her lost love Philbert Woodbead.  Sensible Celine manages to keep things deathly dull and under control for a whole week until she enlists the help of the handsome Lord Elmer—a mischievous rogue, an ex-pirate, and an incorrigible flirt who is wanted dead by all of England’s husbands with attractive wives. They scurry from one giddy escapade to another seeking Philbert in musty inns and dusty streets, and through it all Celine tries to keep her bonnet straight, her gloves spotless and her heart in tune with her head. Life has suddenly turned exciting, and love has well and truly bitten her rosy buttocks. Now the only question is … who has done the biting?  http://www.ama

Q: I see that you write science fiction. For you, what is the hardest part about writing in that particular genre? (new worlds, new concepts, futuristic ideas?) A: For me, the hardest part of writing sci-fi is making it believable. I mean, some stories are so out there that I find it hard to believe that what they describe could ever come about no matter how much technology and understanding improve. In my works I try to extrapolate from current tech to make something that could possibly be seen in some future. Sure, there are artistic leaps I make, but for a story to be entertaining to me it has to have some plausibility. Q: What is your favorite pastime when you're not writing? A: I have several hobbies. I am a tinkerer, so anything laying around that isn't working right gets the once-over (and sometimes even gets fixed!). I also like wood carving and have made several small sculptures; I read a lot, both science-fiction and hard science. One of my favorite books is

Authors Kim Askew and Amy Helmes are excited to offer a sneak peak at the third book in their “Twisted Lit” series of Shakespeare-inspired YA novels. This time around, they’ve put their unique spin on Romeo & Juliet . Published by Merit Press, Anyone But You will be released in January, and is currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Powell’s. Anyone But You: A Modern-Day Spin on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet by Kim Askew and Amy Helmes (Book #3 in the Twisted Lit series) Summary: Two Italian restaurants, both alike in dignity, in Chicago’s Little Italy where we lay our scene... After her family’s struggling eatery, Cap’s, falls prey to another of the Monte clan’s vicious and destructive pranks, sixteen-year-old Gigi Caputo finds herself courting danger during a clandestine encounter with Roman Monte, the very boy whose relatives have brought her family such grief. When the daughter and son of these two warring facti