Sheila's Guests and Reviews

Today I'm delighted to welcome author (actor, director, screenwriter, songwriter, film producer...) Nathan Day to my blog. He's going to tell us something about what's "under the surface" of his new novel, Surfacing, the first book in the Orphan Saga. It's an intriguing topic, an intriguing surface even, in a tale whose description begins with the words, "God is dead." So welcome Nathan, and thank you for inviting me and my readers to look deeper... UNDER THE SURFACE Heaven, Hell and the Deep Blue Sea                 So, let’s ask the question: Why is the first book in the Orphan Saga entitled Surfacing? Is the significance simply the angel Athiel rising from the Pacific’s depths after decades of self-seclusion? No, although meant to be symbolic, Athiel’s return is only the first of many signs that the times they are a-changing. In the wake of God’s death it is not only the balance of power that is sh...

They call them cozy mysteries. But what's cozy about murder and mayhem? Why is it cozy when the wrong person gets accused of a crime? Or when a group of geriatric gumshoes put their lives on the line? Of course, it's not the murder and mayhem that make the novel cozy, nor the witches and sweet old ladies (or old gents). Perhaps it's that contract between author and reader--the one where we know it's all going to work out right, somehow, in the end; and the knowledge that all of the suspects are here--no global implications; just good clean resolutions waiting to be found. Maybe... Not being a cozy mystery writer I can't say. But I do enjoy reading them. So pour yourself a coffee and see which read or which brew would inspire your interest... First is a novel that might not quite be a cozy mystery. It's part of one series, a crossover to another, and a seriously character-driven story of seriously believable people coping with an enticing blend of real life...

Today I'm delighted to welcome author Michael Robert Dyet to my blog.  Michael is a marketing professional with over 30 years’ experience in marketing and communications including trade show salesmanship, and he's kindly offered to share some information for authors on how to be successfully visible. These are lessons I certainly need to learn... especially the "But what if nobody comes?" one. So, if you've ever considered the need for a public appearance, read on! Making the Most of Your Public Appearances: The Performance Factor By Michael Robert Dyet Marketing Professional and Author of Hunting Muskie: Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet Getting the word out about your book and generating sales requires that you are visible. Book reviews, social media posts and media coverage are all part of the equation. But nothing can substitute for readings at libraries or appearances at bookstores and art salons. Some authors have ...

My older brother told me that writing stories was the same as telling lies. I was a pretty useless liar at the time, but convinced I was good at telling stories - after all, even said older brother liked my stories some of the time. Having been taught that telling lies is wrong, I struggled for a while to convince myself that telling stories was different. Eventually I concluded it's only a lie if it's intended to deceive. Otherwise it's fictional entertainment (books) or kindness (those gentle untruths that avoid causing pain or giving offense). Meanwhile I continued to read voraciously, never even beginning to imagine that those other writers were "telling lies." After all, they were adults and adults never sin. (Such was my youthful innocence!) The worlds and/or characters of fantasy and science fiction are far enough from our own there can't be any intent to deceive - though sometimes, in urban fantasy perhaps, they're close enough to our own that th...

I'm delighted to welcome author Bob Freeman to my blog today. I enjoyed and reviewed his novel Shadows over Somerset some time ago (click on the name for my review). And now he's touring the internet with First Born , which, it seems, is first of several books to come. As Bob Freeman will now explain,First Born arises from the ashes... So, over to you Bob, and welcome to my blog. FROM THE ASHES by Bob Freeman A wise doctor does not mutter incantations over a sore that needs the knife. Sophocles Lets cut to the chase: the Liber Monstrorum Chronicles are occult detective tales. What does that mean? The simple definition is that these types of stories adopt the tropes of the traditional detective story and combine them with those found in supernatural horror fiction . This is true of the collection I've called First Born, to be sure. Are some of the stories heavier handed than others? Certainly. Some of the stories you'll find stray into other terri...

Today I'm visiting Moonlight Harbor with author Sheila Roberts as she tours the internet with Pump up your Book. It looks like an enticing place - as you'd expect, since the author lives on the water in the Pacific Northwest. So, as we sit down to share a cup of tea, coffee, or beverage of choice, I do have to ask: Is life good at the beach? You bet. No matter what the weather! And now to books. Having read a little about Welcome to Moonlight Harbor, it's interesting to see a novel where the wife is paying spousal support. What inspired the idea? Real life. This is happening more and more as women become increasingly successful. Several years back,we had the house husband trend where men were starting to stay home with the kids while the wife (who often made more and was on a better career path) went to work. So this new trend in spousal support is hardly surprising. Whoever has stayed home with the kids is the one who gets the financial help. Sometimes t...