The journal, the picture book, and the reviews

What's in the boxes? They're filled with Writers' Mill Journals, ready for delivery to the wonderful writers of our local writing group, the Writers' Mill. We meet at our local library and the profits from sales will go straight to them, so please consider us when you look for Christmas presents. There's a great "look inside" on Amazon too, so you can see the wonderful quality!


What's in the next box? I haven't place the order yet, but I've finally written that fifth Bible picture book that's been running around in my head for years.


What's in the wheelbarrow? Tons of leaves. I think it must be fall.

And what's on my desktop? Books, of course, so here are some book reviews to warm a cold dark night after Halloween. Don't forget the coffee!

Heiress Apocalypse, by Peter Joseph Swanson, creates a scarily convincing future world where the pursuit of happiness has finally taken over religion, global disaster has taken over the planet, and Star Wars has mind-melded with Mad Max. Enjoy this dark and quirkily humorous tale with some deep dark five-star coffee.

Doom Angel, by H. David Blalock concludes the author's Angelkiller Triad where dark has won the war for earth, and angelkillers strive to regain the freedom of mankind. It's probably best to read the first two volumes first - Angelkiller and Traitor Angel, but there's a fine prologue to this volume to bring readers up to speed, and plenty of backstories to lend credence to the characters, and the power of a name. The danger's real, the pursuit is fast and furious, and the ending is deeply pleasing and satisfying. Enjoy with another dark, intense five-star coffee.

 Red Sky at Dawn and The Fall of Dorkun by D. A. Adams are books two and three of the author's Brotherhood of Dwarves series. Ilogically, I read books one and four first. But it was nice to catch up on what happened in between. The author creates convincing voices and societies for his ogres, dwarves and elves, adding the tension of mounting danger and war, and taking young Roskin full-circle from boyhood to man, from peaceful home rejecting his teen violence, to violently dangerous home with new threats of rejection. It's a cool series, best enjoyed with some hot elegant, complex four-star coffee.

And now for something completely different! A friend loaned me The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain, correctly assuming I'd enjoy it. Telling the story of Hemingway's first wife through her own eyes, with occasional switches to Hemingway, the novel recreates Europe and America between the wars, tying the times of previous greats to great writers of Hemingway's time, and mirroring future tragedy in the small lives of great people. Enjoy this rich, elegant tale with a rich, elegant four-star cup of coffee.


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