Month: April 2016

Double-Showcase | Interview and Review on behalf of “Shadows of Angels” by L.G. Rollins

Posted Saturday, 30 April, 2016 by jorielov , , , 2 Comments

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Originally, when I first caught sight of this new release Shadows of Angels, I was quite inspired by the premise and the direction of it’s story-line. So much so, I captured the heart of it’s central core of thematic inspirations through a conversation I had with the author, Ms Rollins. This interview was meant to run during the blog tour last December [2015] however, a few things happened to me personally which prevented my participating therein. I succumbed to a horrid thirty-day virus which was affecting people in my area – it was one of the worst Winter cold seasons in recent memory as everyone knew someone who affected and/or was becoming sick themselves. I was not in the best shape to read much less sort out how to blog about such a lovely conversation such as the one I had with Ms Rollins.

The other difficulty was the fact my review copy of the paperback was delayed in reaching me – which given my state of mind last Winter, was not the best timing. I did attempt to read the beginning of this novel during December whilst battling through the virus, but to be honest, my joy of reading it waned a bit when I could not wrap my head around the story itself. I credit that to being so consumed with my illness, the conceptions of this story were a bit much for me to take-on at the moment.

As you will soon learn, there are layers to this story and being an epic Fantasy in of itself, you don’t want to be muddled with a virus whilst your trying to sort out what is happening and why everything is set the way it is to be presented. I, in turn, was able to curl inside a Western Romance instead – also on tour during December and put reading Shadows of Angels until such a time I could enjoy it properly. My spirits were so low in December it felt so good to enter into a story which felt so very comforting to reside in for awhile.

For those who are familiar with the events of my life in 2016, it won’t be a surprise to know this is one story I kept having trouble getting inside – I tried every so often, to see if my heart and head could understand the story and reach a point where instead of starting/stopping my readings, I could simply move forward within the text itself.

As a precursor to my thoughts as I read the story, I wanted to share the interview as I think it represents a brilliant introduction to the concepts and elements which gave Rollins her backbone to create the world in which her characters live inside Shadows of Angels.

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According to your biography, you’ve happily been living alongside dragons, keeping talismans that may or  may not belong to you, and have a good report with dwarves and elves! Mind you, my curiosity was  piqued as I felt it was quite a clever introduction to your readerly soul. What pray tell inspired the descriptive clues?

Rollins responds: I think you hit it on the head already. I love to read. I love stories. Any story — doesn’t matter if it’s a book, song, movie. I feel stepping into another person’s story allows you to experience life from a perspective that, otherwise, would have always been hidden. And, in a way, these stories  shows us who we were all along.

Can you reveal what inspired your Zaad Stone trilogy? Was it conceived as a fully fleshed out serial or did it organically grow as you delved deeper into it’s core?

Rollins responds: Does any author get struck with lightning and, in an instant, have an entire serial, fully fleshed out, in their mind? If so, I’d love to meet them! But, no, that’s not what happened with the Zaad Stone Trilogy. It’s gone through many big, over-hauling changes. People who survived the first draft of this novel, now die after just a few chapters. Individuals who were once unimportant are now vital. But my first thoughts about this story were not about the Zaad Stones at all—they came into play later, and also went through many revisions. The first few thoughts of this story were actually centered around the Druiman, which is the breeding ground of monsters and dark magic. It started there, collided in my head with memories of the tale Snow White and Rose Red and grew into what would eventually be Shadows of Angels. Read More

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Posted Saturday, 30 April, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Indie Author, Teenage Relationships & Friendships

Author Interview | Getting into the heart of sequel author Kaki Olsen’s writerly mind! Author of “Swan and Shadow” a re-telling of ‘Swan Lake’!

Posted Saturday, 30 April, 2016 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

Conversations with the Bookish badge created by Jorie in Canva

As soon as I put down my copy of Swan and Shadow, my head was swirling with creative thoughts and plausible ways in which Ms Olsen approached writing her after canon sequel on behalf of ‘Swan Lake’! I knew I wanted to work with the author directly to bring special guest features to Jorie Loves A Story, because her thought-provoking story deserved a special highlighting on the world-building and the manner in which she brought forward the original canon whilst giving it her own unique perspective on how best to tell Aislin’s story!

As you will note from our conversation, we differed a bit on what can be drawn out of the story’s context, which is something I noticed more than one reader is struggling with resolving, as revealled on her Guest Post which ran earlier this week, as I kicked off a focus on ‘Young Adult Lit’. I think the margin of error on behalf of readers like me who see a connection which may or may not have directly been the conscience choice to include by Olsen, proves that for each story we conceive as a writer, the same story can be seen through a different spectrum of probabilities by the readers who drink in the story through their own interpretations. This is one subject that is quite actively blogged about in the book blogosphere by my fellow book bloggers as well as readily explored through the twitterverse! I think it speaks to the layer of depth novels can etch out of their central core of narrative inasmuch as how individual reading and writing becomes per each person who picks up a story – either from the creation of it or from the after effect of reading it.

What inspired me to move forward with two guest features is to allow Ms Olsen the blessing of granting new readers the chance to become familiar with her writing style and her approach to granting new license of thought on behalf of a canonical piece which has resonated with fans of ‘Swan Lake’.

Enjoy her personal reflections on on Swan and Shadow!

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What I respected the most about how the story unfolds is the raw honesty – the muddling of how life can become when your trying to sort everything out all at once: school, relationships,

time commitments, everyday emergencies and family connections. Even fitting in an honest

Swan and Shadow by Kaki Olsen

relationship with your twin is hard when your both moving out of adolescence and shifting into adulthood. Olsen gives such a good footing of where Aislin is right now in her ‘living story’ to inspire the readers who will pick up the novel and find a bit of hope by the time the last chapter concludes. Hope is worth everything in the end.

Olsen is writing young adult fiction for the generation who celebrates this genre on a yearly basis – she’s writing realistic story-lines and giving honest to the point dialogue about how a character whose still sorting out their life is going to talk, react and perceive their world. It’s refreshing because this isn’t Upper YA nor is it more adult with leanings of YA; this is straight-up brilliant YA because it hones in on what is beautiful about #YALit.

quoted from my review of Swan and Shadow

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In the original “Swan Lake”, the Black Swan represented the origin of Odette’s curse to live as a White swan. In your re-telling of the story within “Swan and Shadow” you’ve separated Aislin and Maeve by colour coding them: Aislin is White, Maeve is Black. Was this meant to be a nod to the canon or a greater hint towards the overall story?

Olsen responds: If you take it at face value, this was inspired by the fact that Jodi Picoult writes her books from specific perspectives and puts the names at the beginning of chapters. I didn’t want it to be page after page of Maeve…Aislin…Aislin…Maeve. The original intention of the two codes is to plant a seed of doubt.

In both the canon and the book, the black swan and white swan are separate entities and rather than use the black swan as a force of evil, I used her as an antagonist. This means that at times, Maeve will do something that works against Aislin’s intentions and plans and it varies whether or not she has any remorse for it. I could cite several examples, but in the interest of not giving away too much, I’ll point out that Maeve goes behind her sister’s back at one point to take the SATs for her and Aislin takes it as a major drama because it is something she would have never asked for or wished for. She sees it not as a betrayal, but an unacceptable kindness that she can’t reciprocate. This is one of the most minor ways to have someone be antagonistic.

Does it make Maeve the evil twin? Absolutely not. One of the defining characteristics of this story is that the black swan, while working against her twin, is trying to make things work out for the best. Read More

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Posted Saturday, 30 April, 2016 by jorielov in After the Canon, Author Interview, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Coming-Of Age, Fantasy Fiction, Inspired by Stories, Re-Told Tales, Shapeshifters, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Young Adult Fiction

Blog Book Tour | “By the Stars” (inspired by a true story) by Lindsay B. Ferguson

Posted Friday, 29 April, 2016 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I was selected to be a part of the “By the Stars” blog tour wherein I received a complimentary copy of “By the Stars” direct from the publisher Bonneville Books (an imprint of Cedar Fort Inc.) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Biographical Historical Fiction | Inspired by Real Life:

There is a sub-genre within Historical Fiction I truly appreciate reading – and this is what I have fashioned to coin ‘Biographical Historical Fiction’ and if you move through the threading of this genre (which I left broad to encompass Contemporaries as well as Historicals)  on my blog, you’ll find I have quite the hearty appetite for it! I have a penchant for Biographical Fiction as a whole as I find it much more enticing to read a fictional account of a lived life than a traditional biography as too oft-times I find biographies to be writ a bit dull. It’s simply how I interpret the story through that approach and how better I find myself akin to reading biographies in fiction because they are emotionally centred and focused on the life which had been lived rather than the specific data and facts that were attached to the person.

It’s a bit of a segue of why I appreciate Creative Non-Fiction rather than regular Non-Fiction (with exceptions, especially when the topics broker into Science) as again, the focus is emotionally driving a story forward whilst giving a full eclipse of the story through a narrative arc rather than a technical re-telling absent of a living experience version. We all process stories differently and for me, I appreciate the writers who are going into the vein of ‘Biographical Fiction’ to tell a story that is both enjoyable and visually stimulating to those of us who are not traditional readers of biographies.

This particular account of the story was second hand and then first hand told to the writer, who took it up as a bit of a happy challenge to translate one man’s life into a fictional story which would resonate with historical fiction readers! You can learn more about the back-story of By the Stars on Ms Ferguson’s Guest Post! I was curious to see how it would unfold but also, how Cal would render the story to Ms Ferguson who in turn would re-create the story whilst honouring the privacy of the people involved.

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To find out why I am thankful the authors of Cedar Fort are reaching out to me directly this year to read their novels, please read my review on behalf of The Matchup!

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Blog Book Tour | “By the Stars” (inspired by a true story) by Lindsay B. FergusonBy the Stars
Subtitle: Inspired by a True Story

Deep in the alcoves of 93-year-old Cal Morgan’s mind is an unexpected and intriguing past. Recollections of growing up a farm boy during the Great Depression, learning to foxtrot in the largest ballroom in America, and serving as an infantry soldier in World War II are fragments of his memories. But perhaps above all, a once in a lifetime love story is seared in his soul, reminding us that some things in life are meant to be.

When Cal finally gets a chance with Kate, the girl he’s loved since grade school, their easy friendship quickly blossoms into a meaningful romance. Spirited and independent, Kate keeps a guarded heart due to a painful past, and Cal wants nothing more than to gain her trust. But the WWII draft calls him to the war in the Pacific and with no way of knowing when and if he will return, Cal prepares to part from her for good. After he’s gone, what Kate does next changes everything.

In the suffocating jungles of the Philippines Cal encounters the chilling life of a soldier and deadly battles of war. But with Kate’s memory always near and willing him on he puts his trust in God, ultimately driven to return to her. Inspired by a true story, By the Stars shows that love, faith, and perseverance can overcome insurmountable obstacles.


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781462118151

on 1st March, 2016

Pages: 320

Published By: Bonneville Books (@BonnevilleBooks),

an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse via: #ByTheStars & #HistFic

About Lindsay B. Ferguson

Lindsay B. Ferguson

LINDSAY FERGUSON has been immersing herself in stories since her childhood days of sneaking a flashlight into her room and staying up reading The Babysitters Club series way past her bedtime, writing spinoffs of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, and imagining herself in fascinating, far-off places.

She still dreams of traveling the world one day, and finds getting lost in a good book almost as absorbing as penning her own stories and experiencing them unfold.

A Communication graduate from the University of Utah, she worked as a PR and marketing writer for a computer software company for several years before resigning to focus on raising her family. She has also contributed lifestyle articles to various media outlets.

When she felt the itch to attempt novel writing a fascination with history created a natural inclination toward historical fiction, with a romantic flare, of course. She lives in a suburb of Salt Lake City with her husband and four children. By the Stars is her first novel.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
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Posted Friday, 29 April, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 20th Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Biographical Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Coming-Of Age, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Historical Fiction, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, the Thirties, The World Wars, War Drama