The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is clearly in the same sub-genre of fictional 1970s music biography as Daisy and the Six. But this book layers on more of the era’s potent political activism and violent tendencies. Unfortunately, many of the issues are still relevant today. The characters withinContinue Reading
Poppy’s 1980s television career plays a major role in the third book in this cozy mystery series, Poppy Harmon and the Pillow Talk Killer. Poppy, Iris, Violet and Matt comprise the Desert Flowers Detective Agency in Palm Springs, California. Today’s case is unusual. Poppy and Matt are asked to provideContinue Reading
It’s time for a wedding! Serena and Zach are getting married but Zach’s new stepmother, Veronica, is the bridezilla. Where the couple just want a casual event, Veronica does not. She decides to hold the wedding on Zach’s father’s luxurious yacht in Under the Cover of Murder. But will theContinue Reading
Vanessa has a problem. Though happily married, she is having an affair with a much younger man. When she dumps her boy toy, he vows revenge. Later, Vanessa receives a call from the hospital. Her husband has been shot by a masked man. At the hospital, she learns of aContinue Reading
What started as a feminist movement to empower females to have the same sexual options as males has turned into The Pornification of America. Raunch culture is everywhere! It’s in advertising, movies, social media, and even music. This book attempts to explain how we got here and why this environmentContinue Reading
Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere (in a whiny Jan Brady voice)… The Lost Village has mega atmosphere but little else happens in the first half of the book. Then, suddenly, the ghosts turn malevolent! What’s happening? I couldn’t wait to find out. Then, the final twist…is laughably absurd! I mean it’s amazinglyContinue Reading
In Evelyn and the Kung Fu Headmaster, it’s 2130. The Internet of Things has expanded exponentially. Even the couch cushions massage, heat and emit perfume. Everything from cars to helicopters are self-driving. But there’s a problem. Recently, self-driving vehicles have been crashing, killing everyone on board. A virus named VictorContinue Reading
OMG, I adore this book! It’s Indiana Jones meets The DaVinci Code! I can’t recommend The Bounty highly enough. Kate and Nick have a new assignment—searching for a long-hidden trove of Nazi gold. They will not only need their own varied skills but also the skills of their fathers. TheContinue Reading
Author Guest Post Inspiration from Movies As any author would tell you, inspiration for stories comes from all sorts of places. Mine began one evening while watching the Cary Grant movie, Arsenic and Old Lace. The Brewster sisters are a bit quirky and dark. Mortimer (Cary Grant) stumbles upon theirContinue Reading
In Dry Foot, four teens decide in 1980s Miami to rob their local drug lord to escape the neighborhood they fear. The art is beautiful and probably worth the price of the book. However, the plot has some serious pacing problems. It started slow as if the author thought heContinue Reading
Lord Hani is called on by his pharaoh king to determine who assassinated the rebel leader, Abdi-ashirta, in Bird in a Snare. What the Lord discovers is much more than just an assassination plot! “Sometimes I wish I were just a happy little bird, not a human being at all.Continue Reading
Smart Ruby, princess Weiss, athletic Blake, and Ruby’s older sister Yang are once again students at the Beacon Academy in RWBY: The Official Manga Vol 2. This time Blake has a secret. Ruby finds a new friend, Penny. And the RWBY team gets to investigate the White Fang gang. TheContinue Reading
I adored Carole King’s Tapestry album throughout my pre-teen years. As a piano student, I finally had something that I could play, and even sing with, that was also playing on the radio. But I neither knew, nor truly cared, about the singer/songwriter who produced the album. However, I snatchedContinue Reading
A poor house painter finds a stash of money, quits his job, and boards an elevated train. When he accidentally trips and falls, the voices within his head become unbearable and he lashes out. How these actions impact everyone in the train car is the subject of A Matter ofContinue Reading
Wonderworks has a unique concept. Let’s look across time and place to find twenty-five literary tools that most impact writing today. Then, show how they began to be used and how they continue to be used today in both books and film. Finally, how you can use the technique inContinue Reading
Once again Lana Lee is trying to solve a mystery with her roommate, Megan, and best friend, Kimmie, in Fatal Fried Rice. It’s embarrassing but family-owed Noodle House manager, Lana, can’t cook Chinese food. She sneaks off to a night class to learn on the sly. Of course, she findsContinue Reading