Posted Wednesday, 4 February, 2015 by jorielov Imago Chronicles, Imago: A Warrior's Tale, Lorna Suzuki, Self Published 0 Comments
An unexpected encounter after #IndieChat with an Indie Novelist whose book series has been pitched and accepted into motion picture adaptation, led me on a bit of an unexpected foray into a series that is both challenging (as it is outside my comfort levels on one score) as it is empowering (as it is told from the point of view of a female warrior); thus I stumbled into the world of “Imago” by Lorna Suzuki.
Acquired Samplers By:
Chapter Samplers for her Imago Novels provided for free download by the author, Lorna Suzuki via her Smashwords Author’s Page. The samplers are complimentary of the author, Ms. Suzuki to encourage readers to become familiar with her writing style, character, and the breadth of where her fantasy novels will lead a reader to journey ahead of purchase. I was not obligated to post a review nor share my opinions of the chapter samplers I downloaded; as I elected to do this for my own edification. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why my curiosity was piqued:
When I noted the series was referred to as being similar in style and voice as “Lord of the Rings” I knew it was quite the epic story; a High Fantasy with a compelling arc of narrative and driven by character. Character driven stories are my absolute delight to read, however, being that the lead protagonist is a warrior I was quite prepared to encounter a woman with an arduous past rife with potentially intense trauma and recovery; psychologically speaking, I knew most characters writ inside stories of this nature have an uphill climb to recover from what they were afflicted by in their lives.
Mind you the mash-up of saying this was a LOTR + 300 equates out to The Last Samurai; half of me wondered what honestly appealed to me personally as I would run in the complete opposite direction of the 300 film series even if I happily watched the first three Lord of the Rings per release month! (including a *midnight!* release!) There were sequences within the Trilogy (LOTR) films that were a bit mind-numbing (i.e. the battle scenes, for starters) but it was the overall journey of the characters that left me speechless and hungry for each new installment. My heart shattered at the conclusion, as despite knowing where Frodo and Gandalf would end their journey, it still uncorked my emotional heart’s ability to spilt out tears as the credits rolled.
No, what I think drew me to becoming curious about this series was the author’s approach to inspire a reader’s attention, which quite ironically has left her in a sea of controversial feedback! ?? I seriously do not understand the reading public at times. I am a firm believer in ‘more information upfront’ when it comes to stories and the contents of novels. A quick blurb or a shorter showcase (a traditional book review) isn’t going to sway me one way or another because the bones of the story are left to your imagination; that’s a dicey slope! How do you know if you are going to soak inside the story and/or appreciate the tone of the writer’s voice? What if the undertone is underlit too dark? What if there isn’t enough light to hold you into their vision?
I often lament IRL (and as the occasion arises virtually) the reason I was drawn to being a book blogger is because I wanted to blog my heart out about the stories that soak inside my imagination. I want to write down the bones and flesh out the pulse of what inspired me to ‘stay within’ the writer’s world. To cultivate an open conversation about what moved me, what staid with me, but most of all, how I was left impressed by the characters, the arc of the character’s journey, and what was left within me once the story was put down. (or you could read what I said on my Introduction Post!)
If something takes me ‘out of the story’ or if the pace and/or flow of the narrative itself is disrupted by an oppressively heavy amount of vulgarity (read my Review Policy) or there are choices where the level of (graphic) violence sickens me to my stomach rather than curates a plausible reason for inclusion (clarified: violence in moderation for sake of action/trauma/plot point/back-story etc; not explicit for explicitness sake!); then I will equally be as open about these ruminations as I am gushing about why the story left me with pieces of it’s essence firmly etched into my memory.
Like most readers, I have my own barometer — I have stumbled across stories that on the surface contradict what I wrote inside my Review Policy; as there are ‘exceptions’ to this rule of mine, as most will find they have their own exceptions to the general advisory of which stories they will accept whilst reading and which stories they cannot read, irregardless of the story’s best intentions to capture your interest. I attempt to keep an open-mind on which stories alight on my path, either due to the ‘timing’ of their discovery and/or the storyline itself; there are numerous inter-connections between one story to the next, to see the path of our reading lives intersecting with our path at a moment where a story was meant to be read or put down for another time. It is a mindfulness to become aware of stories giving us this tangible connection to the world’s creative conscience inasmuch as the art of the craft behind how the stories are written and revealed to us. Read More
Posted Wednesday, 4 February, 2015 by jorielov in Book Spotlight of E-Book (ahead of POD/print edition), Bookish Discussions, Bookish Films, Canadian Literature, Cliffhanger Ending, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Domestic Violence, Elves & the Elven, Equality In Literature, Fantasy Fiction, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Folklore and Mythology, Heroic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Inspiring Video Related to Content, Light vs Dark, Lyrical Quotations, Martial Art History, Methodology of Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Psychological Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Sampler Chapters &/or Excerpt of Novel, Self-Published Author, Sudden Absence of Parent, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Suspense, The Deep South, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, Writing Style & Voice
Posted Sunday, 1 February, 2015 by jorielov A Woman of Fortune, Amy Durham, Asher's Mark, Becca Stevens, Berni Stevens, Brenda S. Anderson, C.A. Gray, Camille Eide, Chandice Probst & Tana Besendorfer, Dance Until Dawn, First Frost, Gluten-Free On A Budget, Henriette Gyland, Impossible, Katy Haye, Kellie Coates Gilbert, Letters to my Future Husband, Like There's No Tomorrow, Lisa McKendrick, Marilee Jackson, Midnight Runner, Pieces of Granite, S.C. Barrus, Sarah Addison Allen, Stephen J. Valentine, The Gin Thief, The Last Gatekeeper, The Lazarus Game, The Way of Tea and Justice, Up Close 2 Comments
One of the happiest moments for a book blogger is eagerly going to their postbox & seeing what delightfully wicked print books have arrived for their reading pleasure! I have always held a keen interest in postal mail, being a long-term postal letter correspondent which has given me such a heart of joy seeing envelopes & bundles of love arrive from dear friends around the world. Imagine my new excitement in seeing the books I am reviewing arriving by publisher, author, publicist, or literary agent! Such an exciting new chapter in postal splendor!
I have been wanting to blog about my excitement about being placed on certain blog tours and/or in receiving books for review direct from authors, publishers, or publicists. I originally came across a weekly meme on Mondays entitled Mailbox Monday and you could say, that my new feature on Jorie Loves A Story is an extended idea from the original! Except to say, with one minor switch-up! Although I attempt to write down when books arrive by Post, I am never quite as certain when the books arrive as I am always reading the next book in hand! Therefore, please join me as I get excited about the books on my shelf which are next in line to read!
I apologise I was not able to keep up with my posts for this Feature. Most of the latter half of 2014 was a bit difficult for different reasons, wherein I simply tried to read all the books I could whilst I had captured the hours to give to them. I was too wrapped up in my readings to realise I had forgotten to post about upcoming books of interest! You will happily see a resurgence of this post hitting weekly starting this Winter 2015!
I am working on completing my “End of the Year Survey 2014”:
Spring & Summer might have dissolved into each other and collided straight into Autumn, but I must confess I read a heap of beautiful writ stories! Enchanting my mind, endearing my heart, and enveloping me inside a knitted eclipse of story craft by writers who know how to give readers a pause out of their hours and a settling inside their spirits as they turn page after page of evoking narrative which never fully leaves you once you place the novel on your bookshelf!
By the time it came around for the *End of the Year Survey* to be written, I must admit I was still working on a few reviews whilst resting a bit after New Year’s as I love to watch the ball drop in Times Square! I have been compiling the survey for more than a month now, working on it off/on whenever I have a few free hours to go back over the books I read during the past year, inasmuch as sort out my final thoughts as where they might ‘fit’ into the survey itself. I plan to release my “Top Picks of 2014” and the completed survey quite soon! Stay tuned to see what truly captured my mind from last year!
I have several carry-overs from January,
of which I will be reading whilst tweeting about this week:
- Impossible by C.A. Gray (last book in the Piercing the Veil series: Book 1, Book 2, Interview)
- The Last Gatekeeper by Katy Haye (part of my readings for Sci Fi Experience 2015)
- The Gin Thief: Ep 1 by S.C. Barrus (manuscript I served as a betareader)
- First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen (part of Book Browse First Impressions)
- Up Close by Henriette Gyland (romantic suspense by ChocLitUK)
- Dance Until Dawn by Berni Stevens (vampire romance by ChocLitUK)
- A Woman of Fortune by Kellie Coates Gilbert (author contacted me about her books)
- *I will be talking about the library books I’m reading lateron in the week!
Read More
Posted Sunday, 1 February, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Blogosphere Events & Happenings, Book Trailer, Bookish Discussions, Bookish Films, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, Cookery, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Down Syndrome, Equality In Literature, Gluten-Free Foods, Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller Suspense, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction | Non-Fiction, JKS Communications: Literary Publicity Firm, Jorie's Box of Joy, Life Shift, New Adult Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Royal Social Media, Science Fiction, Special Needs Children, Steampunk, Street Team for Author, Time Travel, Time Travel Adventure, Women's Fiction
Posted Saturday, 31 January, 2015 by jorielov Adrienne Quintana, Cedar Fort Inc, Eruption, Sweetwater Books 0 Comments
Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “Eruption” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Why I enjoy TechnoThrillers:
I honestly hadn’t realised I grew up reading ‘techno-thrillers’ as to me the works of Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton* were simply ‘riveting fiction’ that exploded on the page and kept my eyes pinned to the character’s journey as I devoured their stories! I had missed finding those kinds of stories as I exited my teens, save for one I had also previously mentioned finding (as I have disclosed my enjoyment of Clancy & Crichton before) which is ‘Masquerade’ by Gayle Lynds. To get a kick-start back into reading this branch of fiction, I started to seek out blog tours which could introduce me to new authors of the genre itself inasmuch as getting my head to wrap around the elements that make a ‘techno-thriller’ such a stimulating read!
*I mentioned Crichton &/or Clancy on: my review of Writers Workshop of SFF
my interview with Paul Mark Tag
my interview with Robert Bailey
my interview with Laura Brown (segue from Uni to writing)
& my interview with Violet Patterson
I had classified Paul Mark Tag’s Category 5 as ‘science fiction based on science fact’ as it felt more science-based within that particular story structure, but as I did a bit of background reading on what constitutes a ‘techno-thriller’, methinks I might have miscalculated where to place his novels! I knew from the start they were going to be ‘science thrillers’ but perhaps, by extension of that placement, ‘techno-thriller’ isn’t too far behind?
Films like “Hackers” and “The Net” carved out the space for ‘tech based thrillers’ in motion pictures for me, but I am not an appreciator of when the genre spins out stories like “The Matrix” as I find it to be more hinged on violence and guttingly thick on oppression vs an uplift of change at the ending of the tale itself. Therefore I tend to find myself betwixt knowing which author to read and/or which motion picture to watch as there are key elements I appreciate seeing in both mediums whereas quite equally there are times where I am taken too far outside my comfort zones to find enjoyment.
Imagine my surprise then, to find that Cedar Fort is publishing an eclectic mixture of ‘techno-thrillers’ for me to pick and choose to read? I am hoping to find some wicked good new reads as much as finding myself getting back in align with a genre I enjoyed in my youth!
Eruption
The shadow was gone. My heart raced and I jerked my earbuds out. Skin tingling, I slowly moved toward where it had crossed the path. Breathe. If it's a bear, stand still. If it's a mugger, run. I clenched my fists.
As I got closer, I saw what had reflected the sun, lying in the grass just off the path.
Jace Vega has finally landed her dream job working for an up-and-coming tech firm called Omnibus. But after she receives a mysterious message from her future self, Jace is forced to question everything she thought she knew.
Soon Jace and her old friend Corey are racing to piece together the clues that will keep Omnibus from destroying everything -- including their past.
Fast-paced and suspenseful. ERUPTION is a guaranteed page-turner that will keep you guessing.
*NOTE: Eruption is part of a duology of a series that is not yet named. This is only the first installment of the story.
Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
Series: Eruption Duology
Also in this series: Reclamation
on 13th January, 2015
Pages: 288
Published By: Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse on Twitter via: #ReadingERUPTION, #EruptionBook
About Adrienne Quintana
Adrienne Quintana is the second of nine children born to professional oil artist, John Horejs, and his wife and business partner, Elaine. She spent her early years playing on the banks of the Snake River in southern Idaho while her father built a geodesic dome house. When the family wasn’t traveling around the country to art shows, Adrienne spent many happy hours reading in her unfinished, tent-like bedroom. Love of reading soon blossomed into a desire to write. If the family’s antiquated computer could be resurrected, a collection of short stories involving local characters and their epic battles with fire-breathing dragons would be sure to entertain.
After completing high school via correspondence, Adrienne studied Music Education at Mesa Community College. She took an 18 month break to serve a church mission in Montreal, Canada, where she gained invaluable life experiences and a few pounds from the local delicacies. After the completion of her mission and a month abroad in Europe, Adrienne moved to Utah with the intention of continuing her education at Brigham Young University, but these plans were short-lived when she met her husband-to-be while working at an investment company. Soon after their marriage, the Quintanas packed up and moved to Minnesota, where Adrienne worked while her husband earned a Law degree.
After four children and a move to Arizona, Adrienne completed her Bachelors of Science and Communication at the University of Phoenix. In the throes of housekeeping, potty-training, and carpooling, Adrienne discovered that she could find time to accomplish her goals—often in the quiet hours after the children were in bed. Since her graduation in 2012, those quiet moments have been used to fulfill a life-long dream of becoming a writer.
Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | LibraryThing
Distinctively Mid-West & a strong character presence in Jace:
Quintana breathes life into her novel within the first few pages of Eruption grounding the reader askance Jace as she goes about her routine to envelope herself inside her run; blocking out the world and the absence of memory from her dreams. It is an internal check-balance of seeing Jace from the moment she awakens to how she likes to stablise her life with routine. This is a girl who is adamant about routine and having a ‘neat and tidy approach to living’ wherein she would not grow surprised by any event, incident, or moment arriving up out of the blue! Not that that is characteristic of life but you can gather a sense of her character’s intentions through the anguish she feels on the death of her Mum. There is only a slight reference to this, but Quintana is a writer who can give depth to a few words; evoking a strong reaction out of her reader and characters alike. Read More
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Posted Saturday, 31 January, 2015 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 21st Century, Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Indie Author, Jorie Loves A Story Cuppa Book Love Awards, Modern Day, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Friday, 30 January, 2015 by jorielov Eternity4Popsicle Publishing, I Walter, Mike Hartner 3 Comments
Acquired Book By:
I joined Kate Tilton’s Book Bloggers as a way to seek out stories written by emerging Self Published and/or Indie Published writers who might not otherwise get highlighted by book bloggers. This was the first novel that interested me to request for review, as I enjoyed reading the premise inasmuch as the request was to read outside of a firm deadline. This is not an organised blog tour, thereby those of us who request to read the books and/or host the authors Ms. Tilton organises is scheduled around our own time frames. I received a complimentary copy of the book direct from the author Mike Hartner, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
I, Walter
by Mike Hartner
Source: Author via Kate Tilton's Book Bloggers
I, Walter is the first in a series of books in a saga which will span continents and time to arrive in present day North America.
Each in the series will be connected, though that connection may not be obvious for several more books.
It's almost like looking at a menorah. Many lines, seemingly individual, connect to center at different points.
Walter Crofter was born into Elizabethan England.
In a country and a time where favor and politics were both deadly, can an honest boy stay true to himself?
Especially given his family background?
Genres: Action & Adventure Fiction, Historical Fiction, Nautical Fiction, Young Adult Fiction Places to find the book:
Borrow from a Public Library
Add to LibraryThing
ISBN: 978-0973356137
Series: The Eternity Series, No.1
Also in this series: Intangible, Beneath Creek Waters
Published by Eternity4Popsicle Publishing
on 10th May, 2013
Format: Trade Paperback
Pages: 225
Published by: Eternity4Popsicle Publishing (Vancouver, British Columbia)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Converse via: #MikeHartner, #IWalter, #YALit
About Mike Hartner
Mike Hartner was born in Miami in 1965. He’s traveled much of the continental United States. He has several years post secondary education, and experience teaching and tutoring young adults. Hartner has owned and run a computer firm for more than twenty-five years. He now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with his wife and child. They share the neighborhood and their son with his maternal grandparents.
Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
- CanLit Reading Bingo Card 2015
Posted Friday, 30 January, 2015 by jorielov in 15th Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Canadian Literature, Cliffhanger Ending, Coming-Of Age, Elizabethan Era, England, Father-Daughter Relationships, High Seas Epic, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Kate Tilton's Book Bloggers, Kidnapping or Unexplained Disappearances, Nautical Fiction, Pirates and Swashbucklers, Spain, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, Vulgarity in Literature, Young Adult Fiction
Posted Friday, 30 January, 2015 by jorielov Iain Reading, Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold, Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency series, Self Published 0 Comments
Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold by Iain Reading
“In the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series the heroine finds herself in a new geographic location in each book. The series will eventually have a total of 13 books in it (maybe more) and her flight around the world will be completed in the end,” says Iain. “The books are sequential but one could definitely read any of the later ones before reading the earlier ones.”
A Self-Published YA Book Series
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook
Add to Riffle
Converse on Twitter via: #KittyHawkFlyingDetectiveAgency
Acquired Book By: I was contacted by Kelsey @ Book Publicity Services in regards to the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency series, wherein I learnt about this wicked new YA book series! I received a complimentary copy of “Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold” direct from the publicist via Book Publicity Services in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.
Inspired to Read:
I grew up playing “Where In the World is Carmen Sandiego?” which was an action-adventure and geographical sleuth solving game where you had to uncover clues whilst sorting out riddles or puzzles to stop henchmen from stealing national or well-known landmarks, artifacts, and other curious odds and ends! I loved the mystery of it but also the educational backdrop of having a cultural map of the world threaded throughout the game itself. When the game (as I was a gamer via the computer versions) went live on tv, a part of me wanted to try out for it and a part of me held back a bit because like the other game shows I watched as a kid, I simply never had the confidence to apply! In the case of Double Dare it had more to do with not wanting to be slimed! Laughs.
I have a natural bourne curiosity about the world around me, inasmuch the world which is why I was drawn into reading adventure fiction as a young child; one of my favourite series by far were the previously mentioned Cooper Kids Adventures series on my review of Ash Mistry. My readings of young adult adventure novels has started to whet my palette of interest again, as when I was reading about the Cooper Kids, I was reading the Cassandra Mysteries where an intrepid American adventuress exchanged postal letters with her British friend prior to the pair travelling and solving crimes! It was quite the wicked fun adventure a teen would love to devour, and I was one of them! Sadly, the series ended as a quartet and I never could sort out which well-known author was behind the pen-name of Jennifer Austin! It only took me 10 years to sort out a way to collect the remaining three novels via out of print book searches across the United States!
One of the things I am always keenly hopeful to find in an adventure fiction series (especially within the world of Middle Grade to Young Adult) is an absence of strong language and graphic violence. I like finding authors who encourage a young person’s mind to grow without having to sacrifice their innocence and their natural ability to see the good in the world. Whilst I did my research about the Kitty Hawk Flying Adventure Agency series I felt as though I had finally found what I was looking for all along! Sometimes you have to remain patient and believe a writer will understand what children of all ages are seeking when they want a hearty mystery interlaced with an adventure and a solid world in which to fall in love with to where a series of 13 potential novels will sweep you away into their folds!
Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold
by Iain Reading
Source: Direct from Publicist
Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is the thrilling first installment in a new young adult series of adventure mystery stories by Iain Reading. This first book of the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series introduces Kitty Hawk, an intrepid teenage pilot with her own De Havilland Beaver seaplane and a nose for mystery and intrigue. A cross between Amelia Earhart, Nancy Drew and Pippi Longstocking, Kitty is a quirky young heroine with boundless curiosity and a knack for getting herself into all kinds of precarious situations.
After leaving her home in the western Canadian fishing village of Tofino to spend the summer in Alaska studying humpback whales, Kitty finds herself caught up in an unforgettable adventure involving stolen gold, devious criminals, ghostly shipwrecks, and bone-chilling curses. Kitty's adventure begins with the lingering mystery of a sunken ship called the Clara Nevada. As the plot continues to unfold, this spirited story will have readers anxiously following every twist and turn as they are swept along through the history of the Klondike Gold Rush to a suspenseful final climatic chase across the rugged terrain of Canada's Yukon.
Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold is a perfect book to fire the imagination of readers of all ages. Filled with fascinating and highly Google-able locations and history this book will inspire anyone to learn and experience more for themselves.
There are currently four books in the Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency Series: Kitty Hawk and the Curse of the Yukon Gold (book 1), Kitty Hawk and the Hunt for Hemingway's Ghost (book 2), Kitty Hawk and the Icelandic Intrigue (book 3), and Kitty Hawk and the Tragedy of the RMS Titanic (book 4). Each book can be read as a standalone.
Genres: Action & Adventure Fiction, Young Adult Fiction Places to find the book:
Series: Kitty Hawk Flying Detective Agency, No.1
Also in this series: Intangible, Beneath Creek Waters
Published by Self Published
on December 2012
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Read More
Posted Friday, 30 January, 2015 by jorielov in Action & Adventure Fiction, Blog Tour Host, Book Publicity Services, Book Review (non-blog tour), First Nations of Canada, Native American Fiction
