Sheila's Guests and Reviews

Today I get to welcome author Michael Houtchen with his debut thriller, the Tybee Island H-Bomb! Suspense, thrills, mystery great characters, and even some humor awaits you in the book, and here on my blog... the author himself! So, Hi Michael, and welcome to my blog. They showed me a nice official "author bio" when I invited you here, and I... er... I would love to know more. Is it cheating to ask you to explain before my readers read your bio?I've included it lower down this blogpost, so they can find it in the "about the author" section below. And now, please tell... Over to you, Michael. In my first Bio, I wrote I once hung myself.  It was a tease, but it did happen.  Since the Bio came out, I’ve been asked about the hanging.  So, here’s the story.  I hope you’re not disappointed. Disclaimer: Don’t try this at home.  I am a professional.  (Yeah, right.) When I was around twelve years old, I learned how to tie a hangman’s knot.  It...

Today I'm delighted to welcome  the Occult Detective,  Bob Freeman, to my blog as he tours the internet with Descendant: A Novel of the Liber Monstrorum ! It's a tour that will bring you thrills and chills in the heart of the holiday season , and the book is a  supernatural thriller that readers of horror will also love.  It is interrelated with Bob’s short story collection  First Born: Tales of the Liber Monstrorum , but can be read on its own. The book even includes several original illustrations from Bob Freeman (see below)! Which is why I asked him... Which comes first: Character, plot, place, picture...?   So, over to you, Bob... That's a great question and one not easily answered. When I write, I seldom have even the slightest inkling as to what I will be writing about. Everything just sort of tumbles out of my head and onto the page. I suppose, if one were to look over the majority of the things I've written, it begins with pla...

Today I'm delighted to e-meet Joann H. Buchanan, author of the fascinating Children of Nox  series of supernatural shifter novels. She is touring the internet with the last of the series, After Dark, and I've been following, enjoying reading her interviews and guests posts. But now I get to read her answer to the question... Why is Urban Fantasy so popular? by Joann H. Buchanan The question posed: Why is urban fantasy so popular and is there one particular group attracted to it and why? I don’t have a straight answer for this question. The only way I can think of answering this question is by answering what makes me want to read a story. I think the reason urban fantasy is popular is because it is set in the here and now. We can see ourselves in the characters we read. They remind us of situations we have been in with the people we either love or hate. I’m not saying we know what it’s like to change into a wolf or fly a broom. We do know what it’s like to list...

Today I'm delighted to welcome  Rose Marie Machario , author of the Amulet of Elements, to my blog, with an answer to a question that must surely be dear to my English heart... What is it About Princesses? By Rose Marie Machario Since the dawn of the royals, we as a civilization have been fascinated by them. I think mostly it is because it was ingrained into our minds that royalty was perceived as being a higher status than the rest of the world at large. Over the course of time the higher monarchy was reserved for only a few remaining countries who recognize royalty as being of the highest regard in society. Therefore in today’s present mindset we still look upon royals as mere fascinations. Throughout history there have been tales on high, and legends of old about royal families of all kinds. Kingdoms held mysterious stories found in old castles, and if those stone walls could talk, I’m certain they would reveal ancient tales like we’ve never heard before. The mos...

Today I'm delighted to feature Abbigail Rosewood's If I had two Lives on my blog. I read it recently and loved it: MY REVIEW OF IF I HAD TWO LIVES: The protagonist narrator of Abbigail Rosewood’s If I had two Lives hides behind other people’s emotions like a child hiding behind her mother’s skirt. But this child, growing up in a Vietnamese military camp, gets little support from her mother and latches onto another lonely girl for guidance and companionship instead. The first part of the novel gives an evocative portrayal of postwar Vietnamese life and trials through the eyes of a child. In a world of men, two girls are vulnerable. And in a world of separation, attachment is both danger and treasure. The protagonist loses focus, mirrored by shifts in the story, as the second part of the novel begins in a not-overly welcoming America. But she finds another lonely girl – lonely adult now – and begins to fill her life again with stories. Except that adult stories hav...

Today I'm delighted to spotlight the novel Mad Dog by Kelly Watt. It's just been republished and I really enjoyed reading it. MY REVIEW: Kelly Watt’s Mad Dog views the idyllic apple orchards of Ontario through the eyes of a lonely fourteen-year-old protagonist who veers between obedient and rebellious as the long hot summer draws on. Her mother disappeared long ago and Sheryl-Ann lives with her aunt, uncle and cousin on a family farm, surrounded by family and isolated from the world. They go to church together on Sundays. They're considered standoffish and odd, but they're part of the community. And in term time Sheryl goes to school and knows other girls seem different. But in summer… This summer her larger-than-life uncle “adopts” a teen musician, a runaway dreaming of greatness. The story of Sheryl’s growing attachment to Peter plays over a background of music, blossom and bees. Everyone works together in the orchards. The dog barks. Everyone relaxes together...