October Editions of Fleet Life and EHD #Bookreviews

I am lucky enough to write a set of book reviews for two local magazines both with on-line versions.

This month’s books in Fleet Life can be found at http://www.fleetlife.org.uk click on the on-line directory and turn to page 6 where you’ll fine the following books;

The Shell by Tony Riches

Wild Water by Jan Ruth

The Road To Yesterday by Randy Mixter

Round and Round by Terry Tyler

Beneath The Surface by Mike Martin

Books featured in The Elvetham Heath Directory with it’s online version at http://www.ehd.org.uk , click on the on-line directory and turn to page 6 for;

The Mystery Box by Eva Pohler

Reckless Recon by Rinelle Grey

My GRL by John Howell

The Scrolls of Scion by TJ Therien

Manic Mondays by Michaela Weaver

Rosie’s Book Review Challenge – Alison reviewed The Scrolls of Sion by TJ Therien

Rosie’s book review challenge today brings us a review from Alison, she blogs at http://alisonwilliamswriting.wordpress.com/

Alison chose to read and review The Scrolls of Sion by TJ Therien

Scrolls of Scion – TJ Therien

Here is Alison’s review.

I really struggled to write a review for this book as I have conflicting feelings about it.

Set in the world of Brynmor, the novel tells the story of the revenge inflicted by Queen Rianon on those who banished the Drows (a race of dark elves) to the Iron Hills.

Along with the Orcs, Savage Elves and wolves, Rianon leads the Drow against the Humans, Dwarves and other Elves in order to find her way back to Sion.

I found it really difficult to keep track of who was who and what their motivations and alliances were. On occasion there was too much description and unnecessary detail. There was also a lot of repetition with actions and words showing and telling the same thing. On the other hand, there were moments when the writing showed flashes of absolute brilliance and a natural skill. I think that the book would benefit from a thorough edit in order to bring out the clever and imaginative storyline and to showcase the talent that is there.

I do wish T.J. Therien the very best of luck with his writing – I hope he will go from strength to strength.

3 out of 5 stars.

Available as a free download from Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/434284 Or Free from Barnes and Noble (Nook)

Guest Author TJ Therien

Today our guest is TJ Therien author of yesterday’s book The Scrolls of Scion: The Dark Queen Rising. Here is a link to my post. http://wp.me/p2Eu3u-5tO

Let’s find out more about TJ.

First I would like to thank Rosie for having me here and thank her for reading and reviewing my debut novel. I really do appreciate her taking the time out of her busy schedule for an obscure independent author.

 

1) Where is your home town?

I was born in East York and raised in North York, cities which no longer exist, having been absorbed by the Megacity of Metropolitan Toronto when it was created. I have also lived in Calgary, Alberta, Perry Sound, Ontario, Montreal, Quebec and made my home in the Eastern Townships of Quebec for most of the last decade before returning to Toronto at the end of June this year in order to promote my writing in an English Province and large urban market.

2) You’ve climbed a very steep hill to become an author, would you care to share some of your journey with the readers?

I started my journey to become an author as an almost illiterate drop out at age 15. I could fill out a standard job application, but not a long form application, or an application that deviated from the standard set up. I basically knew what boxes to put the few words I did know. I quickly realized my job prospects would be severely limited if I did not learn how to read and write so I began to self-educate myself by picking up a book and a dictionary and referencing every word I did not know and referencing every word in the definition I did not understand. It was a very long and tedious process. I began writing Poetry because at the time I perceived it to be looser in structure than prose. That was when my love for the written word began.

3) What made you choose to write a fantasy book?

Fantasy was not the genre of my choosing for my first novel, it just kind of happened. I had tried to write a novel on several occasions mostly in the vein to Kerouac’s stream of conscious or in the genre of Romance, but never saw anything through to completion. In 2013 I decided to take part in NaNoWriMo. I didn’t have an outline for a story or even much of an idea so I fell back on a love of mine which is the genre of Fantasy; I figured Fantasy would allow me to fly by the seat of my pants. I prepared myself by making a childish map with the Paint program on my computer and writing down a few names. I then gave myself 30 prompts based on those names and locations and the rest is history. I posted the original draft as I wrote it on one of my old blogs “Fables, Fallacies and Short Form Fiction” The story took on a life of its own and the rest is history. Although the story itself was written in 30 days, it took nearly six-months of edits and rewrites to put the depth into the characters and the world.

4) How did you go about researching information for your book?

Here’s the thing, other than researching the names I would use I actually did no research for the book. It was completely improvised and drew upon my youth playing Dungeons & Dragons and the fantasy I read when I was older. I am a big Tolkien fan, but I did not want to tread on the creation of such a great. The Races I’ve chosen are all staple races in the fantasy genre, although I have tried to give them all a unique twist. I would mention, as I am a History buff, especially where Ancient History is concerned, I did try to incorporate that knowledge in ways that suited the story.

5) Can you tell the readers why the Drow were driven to the Iron Hills?

Elves, as I have laid them out in my world are divided primarily among three classes, The High Elf, The Wood Elf and The Drow. Savage Elves in my book predate Elven culture and since they worshiped the old Gods they were never accepted. Back to the Drow now, they were basically a slave class of Elf forced to mine the earth and work the forges in the time when Elves still did these things, they were also used as a military arm due to their ability to blend in with shadows. The Drow, led by Lolth, the original Queen of the Drow and High Priestess of the Cult of the Spider led the Drow in revolt against their Elven Overlords and sided with the Orc in the Great War that took place five thousand years before my story begins. I should mention that while Lolth is a Goddess according to D & D mythologies, in my novel she is not a Goddess, but a Drow that had acquired unique magical powers. The revolt failed and the Elves basically committed genocide in the destruction of Sion (the capital city of the Drow at the time.) A handful of Drow (a few low level priestesses and their guard) escaped the massacre and found a home in the Iron Hills where they rebuilt their numbers through selective breeding.

6) Tell us about some of the other races of species in your book.

Well I am using staple Races of the Fantasy genre as I said previously; I wanted to give them a unique twist. So I made my Orcs intelligent and there culture is kind of a Shamanic culture that has a code of honor and they are not outright evil, but were driven into the Barrenlands by the Dwarves in what was basically a territorial dispute and this is what the Great War was primarily about. On the topic of Dwarves, Dwarven females do not have beards, but they started wearing false beards in the time of the Great War to protect them from rape and they continued to wear them even after the war had ended. Savage Elves worship the ancient gods as I have said which were animals seen in the constellations. Savage Elves exist primarily in animal form and live extremely long lives, Lord Arthfeal, the Lord of Bears existence predates the Great War.

7) Who are the ancient sages and what is their role?

Ah, now that is an interesting question. I did not want to have typical Wizards in my story, so I created the Sages, who are very old and wise beings that spend most of their lives acquiring knowledge and magic which they are reluctant to use. They are often referred to as the First Ones and they perceive each other as brother and sister, although I have never gone into their origin. Each Sage represents one of the races and one of the Elements. Their primary function is as the Advisors of Kings and the Ruling Classes of the separate Races.

8) What is a Drider?

A Drider is a creature that is half Drow and half spider, they are magically created and it is the ultimate form of punishment for a Drow to be transformed into one. It is a particularly cruel fate and the transformation is very painful. A Drider retains his Drow memories and magical abilities, but this too is part of the curse. When a Drow is transformed into a Drider they are exiled from Drow society. The rite to transform a Drow to Drider had not been performed since the time of Lolth, before the Great War until Rianon performs the rite upon Prince Maelgad in the opening scene of the book.

9) Are you working on the next book in the series?

I will be beginning the penning of the sequel to “Scrolls of Sion: Rise of the Dark Queen” “The Scrolls of Sion: Broken Bloodlines” November 1st 2014 and will use the same NaNoWriMo process. All future books in the “Scrolls” series will also be done in this fashion, although I don’t know how many books it will be in the end, my intention is to produce one book each year (to be released on May 25^th  the following year) as long as I can keep the books interesting and relevant. I have other projects I am working on other than “Scrolls” that are not in the Fantasy genre including a Romance (“Forever: The First Epoch”) set in the Stone Age which I am hoping to finish writing and editing by the time NaNoWriMo starts. I also am working on a book of experimental Poetry entitled “Crossing Main.”

10) Where can readers find out more about you and where can they get your book? Is it still free on these sites?

Readers can find me at my new Primary blog “Inside the Poet’s Mind” and also on my blog devoted to “The Scrolls of Sion” which goes by the same name as the series. My books can be found on Smashwords, Barnes and Noble and the i-Store, although I can’t find me on the i-Store, books are being downloaded there. Like the Drow, “Scrolls” exists in shadow and secret in the world of “Apple.” I also have an anthology of Poetry (“Liars, Hypocrites & the Development of Human Emotion) available through the same retailers. I have decided to keep all my books free until I debut them on Amazon. I have not yet set a date for my Amazon launch, but it will be before November 1st and maybe as early as August 1^st so those who haven’t taken advantage of this free offer, better hurry.

Thank you again Rosie for having me here on your Blog. I have enjoyed the experience and truly appreciate the exposure.

Links to Blogs

http://insidethepoetsmind.wordpress.com/

http://thescrollsofsion.wordpress.com/

Links to Book

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/434284

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-scrolls-of-sion-t-j-therien/1119459677

Thank you TJ and good luck with the next book.

The Scrolls Of Scion:The Dark Queen Rising by TJ Therien

 Scrolls Of Scion by T.J. Therien

The Scrolls of Scion; Rise of the Dark Queen is set in the fantasy world of Brynmor. The Drow are a race of dark elves who have lived in the Iron Hills for the last five thousand years. Now Queen Rianon wants to fight back against those who banished them from their rightful home in Sion.

Humans, Dwarves and other Elves innocently disbelieve that the Drow could be any reasonable threat to their way of life and refuse to head the warnings from the ancient Sages.

Dwarf and Human join to march on the Iron Hills and  rid them of the Drow pest. However they soon find themselves facing a bigger threat than they could have imagined.

Through skilful planning Rianon has the support of The Orc, Kobold, Savage Elves, and Wolf races. An abduction of an Elf Princess and the death of the Human King all throw chaos at the ruling realms. Meanwhile Rianon’s ultimate aim is to find a way back to Sion and the magic it holds.

There are a lot of characters to get your head around in this book and I struggled with their names and my ability to place them all in the right camps at the start. However as the book went on they grew on me and I could picture them all more clearly. The ending can only mean another book to continue the storyline and tie-up unanswered questions. A well written book with some great characters.

Available as a free download from Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/434284 Or Free from Barnes and Noble (Nook)

Author TJ Therien will be our guest on the blog tomorrow, do come back and find out more about him and his work.

Book Review Challenge – Book Review by TJ Therien

Today we have a book review from TJ Therien

He reviewed “My GRL” my John W Howell

“My GRL” by John W. Howell: A Review for Rosie’s Book Review Challenge

For me, there are books that beg to be dissected and there are books that beg the reader to strap in, sit back and enjoy the ride. “My GRL” by John W. Howell is one of those second books. The problems I had with the book were with my own pet peeves and do not reflect the author, story, or the writing itself, so they do not bare mentioning other than to say I would have found the same faults in almost any book that is written in the first person. I should mention I am also not a particular fan of mysteries to begin with. My pet peeves and personal preferences aside, I believe the author did a masterful job weaving his story. The story flowed easily and the characters were well rounded. I did not have to go back to reference certain parts to clarify, as is often the case when I read books. This is a credit to the author. If I were to give this book a star rating then I would pluck four of the biggest, brightest stars from the heavens. The author allowed me to overcome my pet peeves to thoroughly enjoy his story. If you enjoy mysteries and intrigue (even if you don’t) then I recommend you pick up “My GRL” by John Howell, strap yourself in and enjoy the ride. Who knows, if the author continues to pump out books of this quality I may yet become a fan of the genre. I will be anxiously waiting to see what is in store for John Cannon in the future.

 

Here is where you can find “My GRL”

Amazon US

Amazon Canada

Amazon UK

Smashwords for Mobi and most e-formats

Barnes and Noble

TJ also blogs at Blog http://thescrollsofsion.wordpress.com/

Or find him on Facebook

 

 

Saturday slot – Talking about the book review challenge

Saturdays – Glorious – Long lie-ins- late lazy breakfasts- the Weekend newspapers – and still time to sign up for my book review challenge.

So if you only get time to read my blog at the weekend, what have you missed?

This week I launched an idea to highlight the importance of book reviews and to encourage more people to write and post reviews.

Authors have rallied to my call and we have over 60 free copies of books for anyone to read and review. (3 e-copies per book)

All we ask is you read just one book during July and then write a review which I’ll post here.

Starting on Wednesday 25th June we’re starting a series on writing book reviews and their importance to authors, then we’ll be e-mailing e-copies of books to everyone who has signed up to read and review a book.

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More books for the Book Review Challenge

Good Morning, Good Morning, come and pull up a seat once again. So how are you feeling? Glad it’s Friday? Come and take the weight off your poor weary limbs and take a relaxing deep breath. In and out, that’s it release the stress. Pull up a pew or find a comfy seat, kick off your shoes, nobody minds here, we’re all friends.

So what have you missed since you last dropped by? We’ve got some more delicious books for you, just whispering to be read…

If this is your first visit or you’ve been too busy to call we have a little book review challenge planned. It’s SO easy to play just a tiny part. You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t like books, who doesn’t like a story? We’ve so many to tempt you.

What’s that I hear? It’s too much effort? Not at all. You haven’t got time? What a terrible shame. A whole month to read a book? Could you possible try? Just for me? Please? Pretty please?

I hear you sigh, what to you have to do? It’s JUST SO EASY. Skip on down the page and find a book to tickle your fancy, tweak your eyebrow, or nudge your curiosity.

LIFT your weary limbs and type a few words in the sign up form at the bottom of the page. Now relax and have a cup of tea.

Is that it, you ask? Is that all? W-e-l-l just one more tiny teeny weeny thing….when we send you the book, the one you’ll enjoy, you’ll fly through it in the month of July, I know you will, just one more teeny weeny ever so small….WRITE A REVIEW? WHAT?! I hear you gasp, not a REVIEW surely not? I can’t do that, I don’t know how, they take too long, what if I don’t like the book? Please not a review.

BUT, and my BUT is REALLY important please listen, how’s the tea? BUT when you read a book do you ever talk about it? Do you ever tell others about a good book you’ve read? I see you nod and purse you lips, is that a YES? So couldn’t you possibly, just for me, write down your thoughts on this lovely book, not much, I don’t need an essay, just a few lines. I pause, I see the cracks in your armour you’re beginning to agree, is that a smile and a twinkle in your eye? YIPPEE! I’d grab your hands and we’d dance a little jig but I don’t want you to think I’m more crazy than I am, QUICK, QUICK, QUICK pick a book now. And don’t worry next week we’re doing all sorts of posts about writing that teeny weeny book review that will mean SO MUCH to the authors and me. THANK YOU. Now GO, GO, GO CHOOSE A BOOK.

From July 1st 3 e-copies of the following books will be available FREE for you to choose to read. All we ask is for you to read just 1 and write a review which will then be posted here and other sites where possible. Starting next week on Wednesday 25th June we’ll be posting a series on book reviews to help and advise you.

We’re beginning the book review challenge on Wednesday 25th June with posts from guest book reviewers and authors. There will be book reviewing tips and advice each day in the build up to reading and writing a review.

When books are requested I will confirm by e-mail. Please check your SPAM folder if you think you haven’t heard from me. Similarly when books get sent out by authors they may go into SPAM please do check. I always try to reply within a reasonable time but super efficient spam folders do foil me sometimes.

First come first served.

  Do you fancy an adventure in the forests of Windemere with young warrior Luke Callindor sent to protect the heir of Duke Soloman? REQUEST A COPY OF BEGINNING OF A HERO BY CHARLES E. YALLOWITZ (Fantasy) (2 copies left)

  How about a modern twist on Tudor history? Relive the life of Henry VIII through the eyes of Harry Lanchester and his merry wives. REQUEST A COPY OF KINGS AND QUEENS BY TERRY TYLER (Contemporary) (1 copy left)

  Are you in a romantic mood? How about a romantic Highland fling? REQUEST A COPY OF TALL, DARK AND KILTED BY LIZZIE LAMB (Romance) (2 copies left)

  Or how about a romantic romp with journalists in Norfolk with wedding bells in the air? REQUEST A COPY OF BOOT CAMP BRIDE BY LIZZIE LAMB(Romance) (2 copies left)

  Want to escape your superpowers? Null City is they place to be in this New Adult paranormal fantasy. REQUEST A COPY OF ONE WAY FARE BY BARB AND HANNAH TAUB(Paranormal NA Fantasy) (2 Copies left)

  Perhaps you’ve read One Way Fare? Here’s a chance to read the second book in the series. REQUEST A COPY OF DON’T TOUCH BY BARB TAUB(Paranornal NA Fantasy)

  How about a bit of gruesome history? England 1647, civil war and Matthew Hopkins sweeps through the land as the Witchfinder. REQUEST A COPY OF THE BLACK HOURS BY ALISON WILLIAMS (Historical)

  Could you see yourself at a tournament of Gamesmen as they play a game of Comet? There’s a mystery man and a potion maker in this fantasy. REQUEST A COPY OF THE BIRR ELIXIR BY JO SPARKES (YA Fantasy)

  Love a thriller? Travel with John Cannon as his relaxing leave of absence turns into a nightmare when his boat is attacked by terrorists. REQUEST A COPY OF MY GRL BY JOHN W. HOWELL(Thriller) (1 copy left)

  Can we tempt you with a spiritual quest? Albion, is the oldest name for Britain. Wen and Don take you on a mystical journey through Myths and Legends of these blessed Isles. REQUEST A COPY OF THE HEART OF ALBION BY SUE VINCENT & STUART FRANCE ( A spiritual quest around England) (1 copy left)

  Crime? The first book in the Georgie Connelly crime series. Join feisty documentary film-maker Georgie as she dangerously plans to expose Gentleman’s Clubs. REQUEST A COPY OF BUSINESS AS USUAL BY E.L.LINDLEY(Crime) (2 copies left)

NON-FICTION here’s the chance to get some help promoting your work. REQUEST A COPY OF HOW TO PROMOTE AND MARKET YOUR BOOK BY MADI PREDA (Non-Fiction) (2 copies Left)

  There’s more romance on it’s way.  Marianne Coltrane’s writes an award winning scoop about the sale of babies. Destiny will take her to an island off the wild west coast of Ireland. Love a mix of Ireland and romance? REQUEST A COPY OF THE HOLLOW HEART BY ADREINNE VAUGHAN(Romance) (2 copies left)

  If you’ve read The Hollow Heart by Adrienne Vaughan, here’s your chance to loose yourself in more Irish themed romance with the second book in the series. REQUEST A COPY OF A CHANGE OF HEART BY ADREINNE VAUGHAN (Romance) (2 copies left)

  How about a murder mystery set in a coastal resort in Maine? REQUEST A COPY OF DEATH IN A RED CANVAS CHAIR BY N.A GRANGER (Murder Mystery) (2 copies left)

 Step back in time to Georgia and the deep south for this book, real people struggling to survive with segregation and inequality. This is a fictionalised real story. REQUEST A COPY OF RED CLAY AND ROSES BY S.K. NICHOLLS

 TJ Therien has his fantasy book for FREE on Smashwords and Barnes and Noble (Nook), so no limit on the number of copies but he’d still like reviews. (Fantasy) Only

 British Adult comedy comes in the form of the Derek series, we have the first book available as a kindle download for UK reader/ challengers only. REQUEST A COPY OF PLEASE CALL ME DEREK BY MAC BLACK (British Adult Humour)

 1867, the American Wild West. British raised girl Annie meets wild man Colt McCall after a stagecoach crash. Fantastic cowboy romance. (UK readers + we’re working on a plan for the rest of the world.) REQUEST A COPY OF AN ENGLISHWOMAN’S GUIDE TO THE COWBOY BY JUNE KEARNS (Historical romance) (1 copy left)

 1924, the English Shires. Jazzing flappers and a half share in a million acre ranch in Texas. (UK readers + we’re working on a plan for the rest of the world.) REQUEST A COPY OF THE 20’S GIRL, THE GHOST AND ALL THAT JAZZ BY JUNE KEARNS (Historical Romance) (2 copies left)

 16 year old Jade discovers her Grandmother was murdered. She sets out to find the mystery commune killer. REQUEST A COPY OF JADED BY KRISTY FELTENBERGER-GILLESPI.(YA Thriller) (2 copies left)

Books for the Book Review Challenge

REQUEST A BOOK TODAY AND GET YOUR NAME ON THE LIST – BOOKS WILL BE AVAILABLE FROM THE START OF JULY FROM AUTHORS

ANYONE CAN REQUEST A BOOK, ALL WE ASK IS A REVIEW IN RETURN BY THE END OF JULY 2014

Books are rolling in for this book review challenge. It’s open to anyone and everyone, not just readers. Are you an author? What can you give back to others who read your books? Ever heard of “What you give out you get back ten-fold?” Take action today.

From July 1st 3 e-copies of the following books will be available FREE for you to choose to read. All we ask is for you to read just 1 and write a review which will then be posted here and other sites where possible. Starting next week on Wednesday 25th June we’ll be posting a series on book reviews to help and advise you.

We’re beginning the book review challenge on Wednesday 25th June with posts from guest book reviewers and authors. There will be book reviewing tips and advice each day in the build up to reading and writing a book review from one of the many books authors have kindly donated for the challenge.

Why not choose your book today? First come first served.

 Beginning of a Hero by Charles E Yallowitz (Fantasy) (2 copies left)

 Kings and Queens by Terry Tyler (Contemporary) (1 copy left)

 Tall Dark and Kilted by Lizzie Lamb (Romance) (2 copies left)

 Boot Camp Bride by Lizzie Lamb (Romance) (2 copies left)

 One Way Fare by Barb and Hannah Taub (Paranormal NA Fantasy) (2 copies left)

 Don’t Touch by Barb Taub (Paranornal NA Fantasy)

 The Black Hours by Alison Williams (Historical)

 The Birr Elixir by Jo Sparkes (YA Fantasy)

 My Grl by Hohn W. Howell (Thriller) (1 copy left)

 The Heart of Albion by Sue Vincent & Stuart France ( A spiritual quest around England) (1 copy left)

 Business As Usual by E.L. Lindley (Crime) (2 copies left)

How to Promote and Market Your Book by Madi Preda (Non-Fiction) (2 copies left)

 The Hollow Heart by Adrienne Vaughan (Romance) (2 copies left)

 A Change of Heart by Adrienne Vaughan (Romance)

 Death In A Red Canvas Chair by N.A Granger (Murder Mystery) (2 copies left)

 Red Clay and Roses by S.K. Nicholls (Fictionalised real story of the deep south)

 Scrolls Of Scion by T.J. Therien (Fantasy) Only Available as a free download from Smashwords https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/434284 Or Free from Barnes and Noble (Nook)

 Please Call me Derek by Mac Black (British Adult Humour) only in Kindle download for Uk readers/ challengers

 An English Woman’s Guide to the Cowboy by June Kearns (Historical romance) (Uk readers. – all others please enquire, we’re working on a plan) (1 copy left)

 The 20’s Girl, The Ghost and All that Jazz by June Kearns (Historical Romance) (Uk readers. – all others please enquire, we’re working on a plan)

 Jaded by Kristy Feltenberger-Gillespi (YA Thriller)