Book Review | “Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace” by Andra Watkins Autobiographical account of a daughter & father

Posted Thursday, 15 January, 2015 by jorielov Andra Watkins, Not Without My Father: One Woman's 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace, Word Hermit Press 2 Comments

Acquired Book By:

Last year, I participated in an epic historical fiction blog tour on behalf of a novel I was itching to delve into ever since it was first offered to me to review for the tour itself! The novel I’m referring to ended up being one of my Top Picks for 2014 (which is included on my End of the Year Survey for 2014; not yet released at time of this posting) due to the breadth of the story combined with the scope of a story-teller who left me ruminatively happy! “To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis” changed my perception of historical fiction as much as “Inscription” by H.H. Miller. Both writers wrote genre-bending narratives that etch themselves into your mind and heart, to a level that sets the bar quite high for others who follow suit.

I was captured by the journey Ms. Watkins was taking on the Trace, camping out in front of a computer with my Mum & Da, watching her videos like you might serial tv! Each video was honest and shot straight from the Trace itself! The only takeaway we wished we had of that experience is the little green calling card for “To Live Forever” which Ms. Watkins held up during each video! She captured our spirits by her unwavering honesty and her cheeky humour which gave us a lift of joy! Whilst she was on the Trace, I hosted her for a review and an interview (the latter of which she replied to at a stop!), but I knew then, what I know now… Ms. Watkins was one author I would support throughout her career. She has something quite special to share with the world and I knew I had discovered something quite extraordinary!

I was contacted by Ms. Watkins who put me in touch with her publicist in regards to reviewing her first non-fiction release, an autobiography of her journey on the Trace and the time she spent with her father. I was honoured she had reached out to me and I quite happily returned a reply to accept. I received a complimentary copy of “Not Without My Father” from Word Hermit Press in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On my connection to Ms. Watkins:

I felt connected to Ms. Watkins before and after I read her debut novel, “To Live Forever” whilst attempting to keep in touch with her via her blog. Life ebbed and flowed in the months between when I first met her through the blog tour and January 2015 when I am hosting her for the second time, but one moment in particular I remember we both experienced the same agony at the same time! In July 2014, we were both bitten by spiders and equally allergic to them! We had a lovely conversation about it on Twitter, and I couldn’t help smiling realising despite the miles, she understood what I was going through! She’s an incredible writer and motivating spirit — a person I am genuinely thankful my path has crossed with and of whom I am thankful to interact with during the year.

I am disclosing this, to assure you that I can formulate an honest opinion, even though I have interacted with her through her blog as much as I enjoy our random conversations on Twitter. I treat each book as a ‘new experience’, whether I personally know the author OR whether I am reading a book by them for the first time.

Not Without My Father: One Woman's 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace
by Andra Watkins
Source: Direct from Publisher

Can an epic adventure succeed without a hero? Andra Watkins needed a wingman to help her become the first living person to walk the historic 444-mile Natchez Trace as the pioneers did. She planned to walk fifteen miles a day. For thirty-four days.

After striking out with everyone in her life, she was left with her disinterested eighty-year-old father. And his gas. The sleep apnea machine and self-scratching. Sharing a bathroom with a man whose gut obliterated his aim.

As Watkins trudged America's forgotten highway, she lost herself in despair and pain. Nothing happened according to plan, and her tenuous connection to her father started to unravel. Through arguments and laughter, tears and fried chicken, they fought to rebuild their relationship before it was too late. In Not Without My Father: One Woman's 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace, Watkins invites readers to join her dysfunctional family adventure in a humourous and heartbreaking memoir that asks is one can really turn I wish I had into I'm glad I did.

Genres: Memoir, Non-Fiction

Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

Also by this author: To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis, Interview (To Live Forever)

Published by Word Hermit Press

on 15th January, 2015

Pages: 238

Published By: Word Hermit Press, 15 Janaury, 2015
Converse via: #NotWithoutMyFather | #AndraWatkins | #NatchezTraceWalk444miles
Available Formats: Paperback

About Andra Watkins

Andra lives in Charleston, South Carolina. A non-practicing CPA, she has a degree in accounting from Francis Marion University. She's still mad at her mother for refusing to let her major in musical theater, because her mom was convinced she'd end up starring in porn films.

In addiction to her writing talent, Andra is an accomplished public speaker. Her acclaimed first novel To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis was published by Word Hermit Press in 2014.

Posted Thursday, 15 January, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, A Father's Heart, ARC | Galley Copy, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Review (non-blog tour), Father-Daughter Relationships, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Jorie Loves A Story, Memoir, Modern Day, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Natchez Trace, Non-Fiction, Philosophical Intuitiveness, Post-911 (11th September 2001), Seclusion in the Natural World, The Natural World, Travel Narrative | Memoir, Vignettes of Real Life, Walking & Hiking Trails

Author Interview | Introducing a debut author for a new Children’s Lit series starting with “Calvin Sparks and the Crossing to Cambria” by Rusty Anderson

Posted Sunday, 11 January, 2015 by jorielov Calvin Sparks, Calvin Sparks & the Crossing to Cambria, Cedar Fort Inc, Rusty Anderson, Sweetwater Books 1 Comment

I must confess I am a reader who happens to love seeking out stories of fantasy fiction that give children a full sense of freedom and adventure. I also happen to love stories that have the benefit of a time portal or a hidden dimension which seek to transport you from one location to another. I grew up on Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek and I discovered Doctor Who in my thirties; so you could say, time travel and the aspect of how time can shift in either science fiction or fantasy has been with me quite long term!

Although I passionately love The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe motion picture and the third in the film series (The Voyage of the Dawn Treader), I must say I could not curl inside the novels as readily as I found the motion pictures to being full encased with the sense of the world I had hoped to discover in Narnia. That fever of excitement to step through the wardrobe and arrive outside your own world eclipsed the feeling I have always had inside me for well-written stories where even if they are not within the fantasy genre, they suspend your mind and the hours to reveal something quite remarkable.

Books are the most portable time machines we have on hand and they give us so many ways in which to interact with different scientific theories of dimensional space. When I first saw this book coming up as a new release, I was quite excited for it. When I realised it was going to be released electronically first (ahead of print), my heart fell quite a heap! I knew then, that I would re-write this tour stop to be an interview post, as I wanted to learn more about this world, to have an introduction of Cambria before having the chance down the road to read a print edition.

This is why all my questions are directed to the author to get a bit more clarity on the foundational roots of his story as much as to gather a visual scope of the world he’s created to carry-on a series. Read More

Posted Sunday, 11 January, 2015 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Children's Literature, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Juvenile Fiction, Literature for Boys, Middle Grade Novel, Reader Submitted Author Interview

Book Review | #ChocLitSaturdays (a feature of #JLASblog) | “Somewhere Beyond the Sea” a fast-paced Romantic Suspense which will keep you anxious to unravell the plot! Writ by Amanda James

Posted Saturday, 10 January, 2015 by jorielov Amanda James, Berni Stevens (Illustrator), ChocLitUK, Somewhere Beyond the Sea 2 Comments

Acquired Book By:

I am a ChocLit reviewer who receives books of my choice in exchange for honest reviews! I received a complimentary copy of “Somewhere Beyond the Sea” from ChocLit via IPM (International Publisher’s Marketing) in exchange for an honest review! I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On being an enthused ChocLit Reader:

Soaking inside a ChocLit novel is a lot of joy for me, as I know going in a few things I am going to enjoy finding are strong female and male lead characters, a stirring drama or a rib breaking comedy with a high concentration on relationships and the entanglements we find ourselves tied up inside when we elect not to trust the person we’ve anchoured our lives too. In Somewhere Beyond the Sea the pages evaporated before my eyes, as I was moving at such a clip to consume this novel, I daresay, I did not leave my comfy cosy reading nook til nearly reaching the last quarter of the novel!

I was on page 150 when I realised I hadn’t even written anything down to explain the intensity of what had me rooted to the page, whilst hoping against hope this could have an ending that I could handled being revealed! It is the type of suspense novel that pulls you into it’s vortex, giving you a fullness of the fright and the fear that Karen Ainsworth is attempting to forestall knowledge of (both to you, the reader and to her husband, Tristan) whilst everything in/around her life is starting to spiral a bit out of control!

It was at a luncheon with my Mum and Da, I started to become a bit animated talking about this story, the evoking of psychological suspense against the back-drop of a cat-mouse game of personal identity and past anguish from domestic violence intermixed with bullying. The further you delved into the heart of the novel, the more curiously inspiring it was on one level (as Karen’s life is anything but predictable nor dull) and a bit stomach churning on the other, as I am thankful after reading this story none of my bullies from childhood came back to haunt me as an adult!

At one point, as we had dined out that day, I took to notice those who were eating near us had become quite quiet, and I have a feeling they were eavesdropping on the conversation! I am not sure what they thought of what I was relaying, as if they hadn’t heard the bit about ‘the book’ or ‘my recent ChocLit read’ they could quite literally think it was ‘just another current news story going viral’. Ironically, I always smile when someone asks me, “Did you just say you read chocolate?” To which I love responding, “Yes! I most certainly do read ChocLit! I prefer it over most ChickLit!” Their facial expressions are quite priceless at that point!

Somewhere Beyond the Sea
by Amanda James
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Berni Stevens
Source: Direct from Publisher

When love begins with a lie, where will it end?

Doctor Tristan Ainsworth has returned with his family to the idyllic Cornish village close to where he grew up. The past has taught him some hard lessons, but he’ll do anything to make his wife happy – so what’s making her so withdrawn?

Karen Ainsworth daren’t reveal her true feelings, but knows her husband has put up with her moods for too long. A chance to use her extraordinary singing voice may set her free, so why shouldn’t she take it? Surely her past can’t hurt her now?

As a tide of blackmail and betrayal is unleashed to threaten the foundations of their marriage, Karen and Tristan face a difficult question. Is their love strong enough to face the truth when the truth might cost them everything?

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Also by this author: A Stitch in Time

Published by ChocLitUK

on 7th April, 2014

Format: Paperback

Pages: 288

Published by: ChocLitUK (@ChocLitUK)

Formats Available: Paperback & Ebook

Converse via: #ChocLit & #SomewhereBeyondTheSea

NOTE: Did you see the “Public Library” link? Along with “Add to Riffle” these are new additions to my blog! They will slowly populate through the archives, however, “Public Library” re-directs to the holdings of each book on WorldCat! The world’s largest public library directory (and one of Jorie’s favourite haunts!) per where you’re located you can see if there are holdings nearby to borrow from your local library system! Quite wicked, eh? For instance there are listings for this novel in: Virginia, Ohio, Texas, New York, Illinois, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and California! If your local library (for those readers of mine stateside) allow you to ILL (inter-library loan) outside your city and state, you can borrow “Somewhere Beyond the Sea” today! Fireworks of cheers are surely exploding, right!? IF you cannot ILL outside your city/state, remember: SUBMIT a purchase request for books you want to read! I always do! This helps your library grow and your collection to become quite eclectically reflective of the booklovers in your community!

Cover Art Design by: Berni Stevens @circleoflebanon | Writer | Illustrator

About Amanda James

Amanda James was born in Sheffield and now lives in Cornwall with her husband and two cats. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, singing and spending lots of time with her grandson. She also admits to spending far too much time chatting on Twitter and Facebook! Amanda recently left her teaching role (teaching history to sixth form pupils) to follow her ambition to live her life doing what she most enjoys—writing.

Amanda is a published author of short stories and her first novel with Choc Lit, A Stitch in Time was chosen as a Top Pickin RT Book Reviews magazine in the US in July 2013 and won a 2013 Reviewers’ Choice Award from Single Titles.

Posted Saturday, 10 January, 2015 by jorielov in 21st Century, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Blogs I Regularly Read, Bookish Discussions, Bullies and the Bullied, ChocLitSaturdays, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, Domestic Violence, Family Drama, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Fly in the Ointment, Green Publishing, Indie Author, Mental Health, Modern Day, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Oh the Books!, Psychological Abuse, Realistic Fiction, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense, School Life & Situations, Suspense, Sustainable Forest Certification, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, Vulgarity in Literature

Blog Book Tour | “The Oblate’s Confession” by William Peak

Posted Friday, 9 January, 2015 by jorielov Secant Publishing, The Oblate's Confession, William Peak 0 Comments

Acquired Book By:

I was selected to be a tour stop on the “The Oblate’s Confession” virtual book tour through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours. I received a complimentary ARC copy of “The Oblate’s Confession” direct from the publisher Secant Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

The Oblate's Confession
by William Peak
Source: Publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Set in 7th century England, The Oblate’s Confession tells the story of Winwaed, a boy who – in a practice common at the time – is donated by his father to a local monastery. In a countryside wracked by plague and war, the child comes to serve as a regular messenger between the monastery and a hermit living on a nearby mountain. Missing his father, he finds a surrogate in the hermit, an old man who teaches him woodcraft, the practice of contemplative prayer, and, ultimately, the true meaning of fatherhood. When the boy’s natural father visits the monastery and asks him to pray for the death of his enemy – an enemy who turns out to be the child’s monastic superior – the boy’s life is thrown into turmoil. It is the struggle Winawed undergoes to answer the questions – Who is my father? Whom am I to obey? – that animates, and finally necessitates, The Oblate’s Confession.

While entirely a work of fiction, the novel’s background is historically accurate: all the kings and queens named really lived, all the political divisions and rivalries actually existed, and each of the plagues that visit the author’s imagined monastery did in fact ravage that long-ago world. In the midst of a tale that touches the human in all of us, readers will find themselves treated to a history of the “Dark Ages” unlike anything available today outside of textbooks and original source material.

Genres: Historical Fiction

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

Also by this author:

Published by Secant Publishing

on 1st December, 2014

Pages: 404

Published By: Secant Publishing (@Secantpub)
Available Formats: Hardback, E-book

Converse on Twitter via:

#TheOblatesConfessionBlogTour, #TheOblatesConfession, & #WilliamPeak

About William Peak

William Peak spent ten years researching and writing The Oblate’s Confession, his debut novel. Based upon the work of one of the great (if less well known) figures of Western European history, the Venerable Bede, Peak’s book is meant to reawaken an interest in that lost and mysterious period of time sometimes called “The Dark Ages.”

Peak received his baccalaureate degree from Washington & Lee University and his master’s from the creative writing program at Hollins University. He works for the Talbot County Free Library on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Thanks to the column he writes for The Star Democrat about life at the library (archived at http://www.tcfl.org/peak), Peak is regularly greeted on the streets of Easton: “Hey, library guy!” In his free time he likes to fish and bird and write long love letters to his wife Melissa.

Photo Credit: Tom McCall

Follow Peak on LibraryThing

Website | Blog

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2015 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Friday, 9 January, 2015 by jorielov in 7th Century, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Blog Tour Host, Debut Author, Debut Novel, England, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, History, Indie Author, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, Monastery, Monk, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Religious Orders

Author Interview | Conversing with William Peak, whose debut novel takes us back to 7th Century England!

Posted Friday, 9 January, 2015 by jorielov Secant Publishing, The Oblate's Confession, William Peak 0 Comments

If you were going to ask me what first percolated an interest to read a densely researched novel about a 7th Centurion monk, I might not be able to fully address the enquiry as whilst I was contemplating hosting this particular novel and author, I had stumbled across another religious historical fiction by way of Taking the Cross by Charles Gibson. Even before my review on behalf of that particular story out of the Crusades, I started to wonder if perhaps I ought to read both: separated only by a few months, and hosted by two different blog tours!

I am a bit of a paradoxical reader as there are moments where I have the inclination to delve into topical research with centuries I barely know a whisper of a breath about and/or I happily take up the challenge to read a well-researched tome of a novel which has a righted place at a University library due to the efforts on behalf of the writer to clarify it’s contents to layreaders who are keenly interested but not as well versed as the one who penned the story! In this way, my best way to explain my interest in The Oblate’s Confession is simply to say, when I read Illuminations by Mary Sharratt (in 2013) I started to gather a prospect of seeking out other stories of cloistered life.

I even elected to broach this particular vein of thought with Mr. Peak in our conversation, as I was curious if others had felt as inclined as I did to understand what might be challenging at first to accept but where enlightenment might touch you as you walk through the text itself. I felt quite inspired about the subject within the novel, even prior to fully appreciating reading it as I wanted to give enough time to Mr. Peak to collect his thoughts on the questions I was asking of him. When I post my book review, I’ll share the interview he gave by radio that gave me the groundwork knowledge of where most of my own enquiries came to light.

I hope his dedication to publishing an enriched historical narrative will find an open-mind in the reader who likes to take on thought-provoking stories whilst immersed in the historical past! As much as I felt quite happy to notice in the author’s acknowledgement sections, he mentioned one of my favourite monks as being part of his own inspiration: Thich Nhat Hanh! Read More