Sheila's Guests and Reviews

They used to tell me all writers keep journals, but I never succeeded. We're supposed to write every day they say, filling diaries with tales of events that make up our lives, but I'd rather just live them. We chronicle dreams in our notebooks, record every passing idea, and write stories on napkins during dinner... But that was never me. The stories whisper in my head, or spill into drabbles, or bubble through words to the surface when my fingers tap the keys. So many stories, so little time to write them. Must send that next entry in... And meanwhile I read... More words, more dreams, more stories, more food for the journals I'll never keep. More coffee too. Here are some more book reviews... I really enjoyed E.G. Lewis's religious novels, but Promises by E.G. Lewis , while just as enjoyable, is a different sort of tale, reminding me of Barbara Taylor Bradford's Woman of Substance. A young girl from the coal-towns of the Appalachian hills goes to New York and...

I'm celebrating Divide by Zero's release by re-releasing my Inspired by Faith and Science books on Amazon. So now I've got an author page that makes me look amazingly prolific--if only I had a sales page to justify it! Still, at least being published in print has persuaded me I'll have to confess... I am an author!  A dream fulfilled! I'm also a reader and reviewer of course, so here are some more book reviews as I work on slowly shrinking that to-read list... Starting in the past with Reid Lance Rosenthal's Threads West: Maps of Fate , this one's a surprisingly enjoyable tale of America's pioneers and does a great job of bringing a wagon train to life. Ever wondered how to cross a river with wagons? Or how to jerk beef? Enjoy this book with a well-balanced 3-star cup of coffee. Moving forward to a slightly paranormal version of the present, I just finished reading the final two parts of the Vampire Hunter's Daughter by  Jennifer Malone ...

Lee Strauss's YA novel Perception is due for release on September 12th. It's the first in what sounds like a really intriguing series, set in the not-too-distant future in a world of extreme climate, natural disaster and impending war. The book blurb promises the novel will explore the clash between faith and science, and how differences can separate us as enemies or ally us together, adding "in the midst of betrayal and personal crisis, there's room to fall in love." Sounds good to me. I was lucky enough to be able to interview the author, so grab some coffee, sit back and see what we "talked" about. 1.    From the description of Perception it's clear you have an interest in faith and science. Could you tell me first about your scientific background?  Well, I took science classes in high school, does that count? :) My daughter is a science major in university so she's helpful to have around. However, I'm very interested in science...

I just typed my name into Amazon and found Divide by Zero is there, on kindle, with my name on its gorgeous cover and a "look inside" feature that tells the story I wrote. Wow! There's something really scary, really thrilling, really amazing about that. I think I need lots of coffee and chocolate to celebrate. Thank you Stonegarden !!!!! While I drink that coffee, I suppose I really should write something too. So I'll add some book reviews and coffee recommendations to my blog. Here are books I've read recently written by other people, but don't forget, Divide by Zero's by me, and if you read it I'd love to hear from you !!!!! I'll start with two contemporary mysteries. An Altar by the River, by Christine Husom , is another authentic police drama in her Winnebago Mystery series. It's darker than the previous two novels, scary and sad as it deals with the wounds of children at the hands of a cult, and the evil threads that grow to intert...

I finally released three of my Inspired by Faith and Science books on Amazon Kindle, dreaming they'd automatically link the the Createspace versions in the Amazon listings and all would be well. I can now report all is indeed well, thanks to the excellent customer service at Amazon's Author Central. The books didn't link but I clicked on those little blue "contact us" words as I viewed one in Author Central. I chose "other" as my question type, selected "I want to link different editions of my book" from the dropdown, gave them the ASIN of the kindle version and the ISBN of the paperback, and... within just a few hours the link was made! Thank you Amazon Author Central! If you want to see how it turned out, I now have a sensible link to my author central page too--likewise created in just a few hours! Just click on http://amazon.com/author/sheiladeeth and you'll see my twitter feed, my blog, my bio and my books. If you wait a f...

The eFestival of Words opens on Friday and there's a great schedule of events, chats and workshops. Click here to download a digital pdf guide, including all schedule information, the complete list of finalists for awards, guest bios, and more... No new registrations after 1200PM EST on August 17th, so go to the Welcome Center and get your (free) registration now (click on Register, in the middle, just under the banner). Don't forget to sign up for the Drabble Workshop too, Friday August 17th at 2.00pm EST--just go to your User Control Panel (under the banner) after registering, click on Usergroups (Left Hand Side), then select and join whichever groups you're interested in. I'll look forward to seeing you there! Show don’t tell. Make every word count. Select your scenes. And be unique. Drabbles provide a way to practice all these, kind of like warming up before writing that marathon novel. A drabble is a story, with beginning, middle and end, told in pr...

Free books: Gentle Wind's Caress, by Ann Brear , is free on Amazon Kindle today--just click on the link to find it, or click here for Ann Brear's guest post on history, travel and research . This one's definitely on my reading list. ebooks: I'm just wondering... I bought an ebook from Amazon a while ago and when I finally opened it, my copy turned into different book by the same author--one I'd already read. I tried reading online and redownloading from Amazon, but the book didn't change so I contacted the publisher who was kind enough to send me a new copy. So now I'm wondering, how often do ebooks break, and why? Of course, the worst thing about ebooks for me is the fact that my kindle keeps freezing--is my kindle breaking--does it think I read too much? Sometimes I have to go make another coffee while I wait to turn the page. Still, coffee's good... So, finally, book reviews--with coffee: Starting with Dead Anyway, by Chris Knopf . The pub...

I'm honing my drabbling skills and digging out my notes as I get ready for the 2012 eFestival of Words Virtual Book Fair . There's only one week to go before kickoff, and it's free to join, so... Are you going to the Fair? You'll find book awards, panel discussions, workshops, and even a swag bag of goodies to compete for when you register. Plus, on Friday 17th at 2pm Eastern time I'll be leading a DRABBLE WORKSHOP! I'd love to meet you there. Want to know what a drabble is? Show don’t tell. Make every word count.Select your scenes. And be unique. Drabbles provide a way to practice all these, kind of like warming up before writing that marathon novel. A drabble is a story, with beginning, middle and end, told in precisely 100 words—no hesitation, deviation or repetition allowed. We’ll edit for word-count, choose whereto use those evocative descriptions, lose the space-fillers and cover the cutting room floor in this drabble workshop. Drabble your...

I reviewed Michelle DeFilippo's Publish Like the Pros earlier this week--a fascinating and informative book that delves into all those "other" issues about getting your book in front of an audience who hopefully won't just ignore it. (Click on the link for my review.) Today I'm delighted to welcome the author to my blog. Find out how someone who knows what's going on experienced the process of publishing a book, and learn some tips to help you on the way. Over to you Michelle... Stepping Into My Clients’ Shoes You’ve heard about the cobbler’s children who go without shoes? I own 1106 Design, which helps authors move their books from dream to reality through self-publishing. Over the years, through my experience as a graphic designer and typesetter and now business owner, I have personally assisted close to a thousand authors in bringing their publications to life. But I didn’t have a book to call my own. Like many people, I felt that I h...

I'm still trying to catch up on posting book reviews. I suspect the next few days may see me tied to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads and all those other wonderful reviewing sites, trying to fulfil my commitments, but for now, here are a few more reviews of stories set in the world's past, present and future, read with cups of modern-day coffee. Once I've posted them I'll return to writing my own post-apocalyptic fantasy in hopes of beating the Seventh Star Press deadline . Or to reading some more... For hunters of free reads, The Toadhouse Trilogy book one is free on kindle at the moment, so why not give it a try. http://www.amazon.com/The-Toadhouse-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B008ML9ONS/  A regular teen in 1930s Alabama finds she's been living in a book for the last five years and her only escape will be through the pages of more... Sounds good to me. So, back to book reviews... Starting in the past, Jerrica Knight-Catania's More than a Governess combines hi...

I'm endeavoring, essaying, striving or trying to catch up on posting reviews, so here are a few brief reviews of books of essays--it seems appropriate. The coffee ratings are for caffeine to keep me awake (except it sends me to sleep) and the blue links are for longer reviews on gather--another place where I shall shortly essay to catch up. Memories are Precious, by Fran Lewis , tells the story of her mother's alzheimer's journey, with stories, memories, verse, useful advice, and some fascinating insights into her mother's thought process--as the author says, her mother spoke for her when she was a child; now she speaks for her mother. The mix of family recollection, friendship tales, pleas for more research and lists of symptoms and warnings works quite well. An interesting book for anyone as this disease becomes more common, best read with a 1-star crisp light coffee. Because we Care, by Fran Lewis , is a follow-up brochure giving tips for patients and their carer...

Things I planned to do on Wednesday: Post book reviews Read a couple of books on my computer Clean kitchen and bathrooms Mow dandelions Reread the galley for Divide by Zero and send my changes to the publisher. Things I actually did on Wednesday: Took husband to the urgent care clinic for a stomach ache Took husband to the ER for suspected appendicitis Followed husband along many corridors as they prepped him for his op Collected overnight stuff for husband. Watched a glorious sunset from the window of his hospital room. All is well. Husband is home, minus appendix, now and I'm playing catchup. So here are a few book reviews--I'll post more later. I might even clean the kitchen and bathrooms later, but the dandelions will just have to continue shining their gold on the clear summer air for a few more days. Blue links, when I add them, will lead to full reviews on gather. And coffee will be much appreciated. Donna Fletcher Crow's A Darkly Hidden Truth is...