Friday 28 June 2013

Review for The Freelancer Writer’s Handbook by Ethan Miller



It is not often that I review a non-fiction book. But sometimes an author will write a good nonfiction book which I really enjoy and decide to review. Because this is a nonfiction book the review is slightly different and shorter.

The Freelancer Writer’ Handbook is a short how to guide on how you can get started in the freelancing world. Each chapter is clearly laid out with tips, best practices and pros and cons of everything to help anyone who wishes to be a freelancer to start. What the book doesn’t really tell you is about the bidding processes. However the author does seem to know what they are talking about and some good insider information about certain sites that will give you a heads up to get started. The writing is clear and concise and the book isn’t overloaded with several technical or industry terms so anyone could pick this book up and read it.

If you are looking to get started in the Freelancer world, then this is a book which you may enjoy. Even if you don’t want to be a freelancer but have wondered about the industry then you may want to try this book.

Thursday 27 June 2013

Market Madness - 27th June

Take a walk down this week's market and see which book takes your fancy.

The Sea Inside by Vickie Johnstone - available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk


Jayne suffers life-threatening injuries, but a gift takes her to a mystical undersea world that might hold her heart's desire.


The Perfect Solution by Ey Wade - available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk


Preschool teacher mistakenly gives toddler to a stalker. Mona wanted him, took him and will defend her choice. 

Ghost Haunts by D J Lowbridge - available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk 


A cocktail of ghost stories that are emotionally driven for you to explore life beyond the grave.


Monday 24 June 2013

Cover Reveal: The Perfect Solution by Ey Wade

THE PERFECT SOLUTION--  A suspenseful analysis of choices and how those choices affect the people around us.
Anger destroys a relationship; A teenaged babysitter decides to go to college.
A single parent places her child in daycare.
A three year old is mistakenly given to a stalker by his pre-school teacher.
"I placed the most precious thing in my life in your hands and you people did not take your job seriously." These are the words of the distraught mother when she learns of the abduction of her child.

When Saturday mornings rolled around Catrine Teddi would bring her three year old son Brhin to eat breakfast at McDonald's. It was an established routine to mark a day of errands and bonding. She never paid attention to the woman sitting in the shadows across the play yard watching the little boy.

Mona Boots, deciding she wanted Brhin as her own, spent weeks stalking him and his mother. In her delusion to finally do something right in her life she enters The Perfect Solution Childcare Center and leaves with Brhin-Kristoffer Teddi in her arms. It's a choice she is prepared to defend.


About the Author


Ey considers herself to be a caged in frustrated author of thought provoking, mind bending eBooks, an occasional step-in parent, a fountain of knowledge, and ready to share. She is the mother of three daughters that were previously home-schooled and are now either attending college or graduated from college and the drooling 'Lovey' to a little boy. Ey was born in Texas and reared as an Army brat. There is the constant need to speak, writing and telling stories is the way she choose to socialize.

As a writer she had an essay in Essence magazine, published nine books and had several articles printed in the local paper and magazines. As the single-parent of three daughters, Ey Wade has worked in the childcare profession for over thirty years. Child safety has always been a concern in her life and she has drawn on those experiences to write the novel which has gained the attention of parents, parents-to-be, and child care professionals.
 

All of her books are highly recommendable to your friends, family and coworkers.


Barnes & Nobles: http://bit.ly/EyWade-BN


Wednesday 19 June 2013

Excerpt from The Sea Inside (Cerulean Songs, book 1) By Vickie Johnstone



Feeling emboldened, I strode across the floor of the huge building to the other side. As I approached the man, he glanced up and then blinked in surprise. I suspected it was due to my appearance and clothing, which were not of this world. “Good day,” he replied. “You are not from Entyre?”
“No, but then I was, and then…” I said, stumbling over my words. “I, err, no, I’m not.”
The thin man nodded and his expression softened. He replaced the sheets he was holding on to the bookcase by his side. “How can I help?”
“I spoke with the Balaenoptera, which told me to ask you for the Tome of Time,” I announced, deciding to get straight to the point.
For a second the Keeper looked taken aback, but he soon recovered his composure. “That is not a title that is oft requested. Come. Follow me.”
The blue-haired man turned and marched further across the room as I trailed behind. I almost had to run to keep in step as he seemed to glide in gigantic strides until he finally stopped in front of a narrow doorway. Passing through the mist, we entered a smaller room, lined with rows upon rows of bookshelves, all filled from top to bottom with gleaming strips of sheer ice.
“Come,” said the Keeper, and I followed him across the place and down a short flight of frozen steps until we came to yet another doorway. Again it was filled with mist, but this time it was silver.
“This is the place, but I will enter first,” he told me. “It will not open for you.”
Nodding, I waited for the man to pass through the shimmering and then I followed. The silver was resplendent and I imagined the stars in the sky being made of the same. We entered a room as dark as night, lit by specks of some glittery substance in the walls. I followed the Keeper to the furthest bookshelf, from where he removed a black box. Upon it was a silver image of a butterfly. It looked so real that I almost expected it to flutter off the top before my eyes.
The man took a couple of steps forward and set the box down carefully on a table. Lifting the lid with great care, he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and said, “This is the tome. There are a number of leaves inside. Take the top one. I cannot touch them.”
Surprised, but trying to hide it, I peered into the black box as the Keeper stepped aside. With shaky fingers, I reached in and felt the top sheet of ice. It was freezing and appeared to tremble. Gripping the edges tightly with two hands, I removed it and held it up in front of me.
I could feel the eyes of the Keeper burning into the side of my face, but the sheet of ice consumed my attention. It was sheer and smooth, but it was not blue, like everything else. This book was fiery red with streams of yellow that floated across the surface. Trembling slightly, I deciphered the words that seemed to manifest from nowhere. All the time, the man watched me like a hawk, not knowing what I read.
In the place where the earth is as red as blood and the sun drips yellow, you will find The Only. Only she can point the way. The Seeker will find the Path is not an easy one and he will have to face his fears through a series of Tasks, which only he can accomplish in order to go Forward. To Return he will have to go full circle. Time is all we have. It bends, but it does not break. To go forward the Seeker must destroy these Words.
“I don’t understand,” I mumbled, glancing up.
The Keeper raised an eyebrow. “What do you not understand? Is it not clear?”
“It says…”
“No!” he cried. “Do not tell me. The words are for you alone.”
“Oh.”
Glancing down, I reread the sheet over and over, until the words seemed to ring in my ears. My eyes hovered over the last line. To go forward the Seeker must destroy these Words. Frowning, I blinked back my tears as the realization that I was stuck here forever, alone, finally dawned on me. The book made no sense at all. It was just a few lines of nothing.
Who was The Only – the only what?
If I was to be trapped here in this time, I would rather return home, seeing as I had lost everything here. At least back there I had people who knew me. Tears filled my eyes and I blinked them back, but not until one had run down my face and dripped on to the surface of the glass. It sparkled as the water bounced. For some reason it made me smile. I thought of Skyen’s face, which I knew I would never set my eyes on again.
“I cannot leave you alone with the book, but you can sit down and I can turn my back,” the Keeper suggested, giving me a look of pity.
I sniffed more loudly than I intended and shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing does.”
“But everything matters,” the man replied. “You have not deciphered the true meaning of the words. Perhaps they mean something else. Read them again.”
“I’m tired of reading,” I replied, sitting down beside the desk.
Resting the book on my knees, I stared at it once more. The red did remind me of blood and the yellow swimming across it did appear to be as bright as sunlight. It washed over the surface like egg yolk, I thought with a frown. If it were not for the crystal smashing, I would not be in this predicament.
I cursed Yava silently. How could she? But she did not know, I reminded myself. She could not know the consequences. The girl was full of hate for me, but she was also acting on her emotions, which were raw. She did not know that I would be cast back to my own time. Who could imagine such a thing?
My eyes hovered on the final lines of the text again – ‘must destroy these Words’ – and then it struck me. Of course, I had to smash it! I glanced at the Keeper, who was still watching me with an almost fatherly expression on his face. I imagined him to be very kind.
“I think I know what I have to do,” I told him.
“That is good,” he answered with a sigh of obvious relief. “Do not tell me, however.”
“I hope you forgive me if it does not work.”
The man’s face snapped into a smile. “I shall.”
Trembling slightly, I rose to my feet and looked down at the alluring slice of ice. Closing my eyes, I let it slide ever so slowly from my hands. In the darkness I heard a low gasp escape the lips of the Keeper, but he made no effort to move. As if the world was standing still, I stayed silent, not daring to breathe as I awaited the inevitable. An ear-splitting, shattering noise echoed around the walls as the text splintered into what I could only imagine was a thousand pieces, its beauty destroyed forever.

Commentary

This scene occurs near the centre of the book and it is a pivotal one. The heroine, Jayne, is about to embark on a journey of self-discovery, during which she must face her fears and rely on herself to find her true destiny. Already, the girl has come a long way, but just when she thinks she has solved the puzzle, there are more trials to come. I wanted to make the scene mysterious, so that the reader couldn’t guess what was coming. The scene leads into a new section. I think the story is composed of three main bits. And this one heads into the final one, which is my favourite part of the book.

About the author

Vickie lives in London, UK, and works as a freelance layout sub editor. Her first book, Kiwi in Cat City, was written in 2002, and she has scribbled stories and poetry all her life. Since the beginning of 2011, Vickie has written eleven books and is currently working on some new ideas. Her loves include cats, reading, films, travelling, rock music, Castle, The Walking Dead, tea, the sea, sleeping and Milky Bar.

Vickie has self-published the following books:

Kaleidoscope (poetry); Travelling Light (poetry); Life’s Rhythms (haiku); 3 Heads and a Tail (comedy romance); Kiwi in Cat City (magical cat series for middle grade readers); Kiwi and the Missing Magic; Kiwi and the Living Nightmare; Kiwi and the Serpent of the Isle; Kiwi in the Realm of Ra; Kiwi’s Christmas Tail; Day of the Living Pizza (comedy detective series for middle grade readers), Day of the Pesky Shadow and The Sea Inside. The Kiwi Series has illustrations by Nikki McBroom.

Contact / book links

Blog:
Twitter:
Kiwi Series website
FB author page:
FB Kiwi Series page:
FB poetry page:
FB editing service page:
Amazon US page:
Amazon UK page:
Smashwords page
B&N page:
Kobo:
Goodreads

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