Author: tamaramorning

Skeleton Plot, by J.M. Gregson

(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Severn House.)
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Severn House.)

J.M. Gregson is an English writer who taught for 27 years before moving to writing full-time. He writes about a variety of subjects, from golf to murder. His newest book, Skeleton Plot, is a Lambert and Hook Mystery, and hits shelves September 1st.

When a teenager helps his grandfather with the gardening, he finds a skull buried in the ground. An old skull. No one knows whom it belongs to, or if they do, they aren’t admitting to it. Now detectives John Lambert and Bert hook are investigating a cold case from 20 years ago.

In the small community where the skull is found, most people know everyone else, so it’s no surprise that everyone has a theory about who killed the victim. A lucky break identifies the remains, but doesn’t help narrow down the suspect list. The pair of detectives will have to see past the pointing fingers and festering animosities of bygone conflict if they are to figure out who’s responsible for the mysterious skull.

Skeleton Plot is the latest in a long line of Lambert and Hook books, but new readers will have no problem keeping up. The characters are distinctive and realistic, with all the drama common in small towns. This is a standard police drama that will feel comfortable to readers of this genre.

(Galley provided by Severn House via NetGalley.)

Recent Reads

I’ve been doing quite a few book reviews, since I usually get a bit behind with those during the semester. I’ve also started going through the plethora of e-books I got for free at some point. There are so many of those hanging out on my Kindle that it gets discouraging when I think about it.  Sure, some free e-books are worth about what I paid for them, but some of them are truly worthwhile finds.  The last two I’ve read have actually been really enjoyable.

Lulu’s Cafe, by T.I. Lowe:  Honestly, I enjoyed this book so much!  The main character, Leah, has been through a horrific, abusive relationship that she is desperate to escape from when she ends up in the small town of Rivertown.  She’s taken in by Lulu, who recognizes a woman in need of healing, but Southern gentleman Crowley is not so easily convinced. Leah’s journey is wrenching, but life in Rivertown is so enchanting that I wanted to move there!

Embers, by Karen Ann Hopkins:  I do read a lot of YA paranormal, but this one was different, and I enjoyed it so much.  I had a few personal issues with the mythos here, but I liked the characters a lot.  The setting was a totally different choice for a paranormal, too, and that made it really refreshing.

A Whole New World, by Liz Braswell

(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Disney Press.)
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Disney Press.)

Liz Braswell was born in England but now lives in New England. She produced video games for a decade, but now writes full-time. She used to write adult horror stories, but now writes young adult books (not horror). Her newest book, A Whole New World, is a re-imagined fairy tale and hits shelves September 1st.

Most people know the story: Aladdin is a street rat in the city of Agrabah, living on the streets and stealing food to get by. He meets the—disguised—Princess Jasmine and rescues her, but gets captured by the guards and thrown in the dungeon. While there, a mysterious old man makes a deal with him: he’ll get Aladdin out of prison if Aladdin will dare the Cave of Treasures to bring him the lamp. A double-cross ensues from the old man, really the evil Jafar in disguise, and Aladdin ends up with the lamp and the genie, and wants to become a prince so he can marry Jasmine.

That’s not what happens in A Whole New World. Aladdin lives in an Agrabah wracked by poverty, starvation, and despair. When he meets Jasmine and is thrown in the dungeon, he agrees to bring the old man the lamp in exchange for his freedom. Aladdin procures the lamp, but the man abandons him in the cave. When Aladdin frees himself, he discovers that Jafar is now the most powerful sorcerer in the world, and rules Agrabah.

Desperate to make the people and Jasmine love him, Jafar’s grip on the city tightens, aided by monstrous magical creatures. Jasmine must lead the people in rebellion to try to free them from Jafar’s tyranny.

A Whole New World is not the Disney tale readers remember, but it contains elements of it. This tale shows the true story of life in Agrabah, and what could have happened, in a world where the good guy doesn’t necessarily win.

(Galley provided by Disney Press via NetGalley.)

Writing Inspiration

I do not own this image. Image courtesy of Life on Michigan Ave.)
(I do not own this image. Image courtesy of Life on Michigan Ave.)

I’m pretty sure I can’t be the only person out there looking for ways to stay inspired.  Naturally, while “researching” this topic, I hopped on Pinterest and found this list.  (Seriously, Pinterest has the best pictures that my Muse likes to play with.  I have a board entitled “Inspire Me: Toys for the Muse” where I collect them.)  This list obviously isn’t a picture, but it has some great ideas.  I’m fond of numbers 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 14, 15, 18, 19, 22, 26, and 27.  What about you?

Hickville Confessions, by Mary Karlik

(I do not own this image. Image belongs to GPK Publication LLC.)
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to GPK Publication LLC.)

Mary Karlik is a native Texan with an MFA. Though she lives in New Mexico now, her heart still belongs to Texas. Her book Hickville Confessions is the second book in the Hickville High series.

Ryan Quinn is new to small town life. She wants a fresh start, far from the darkness of her past, and will do anything to get it. Including joining the conservative Purity Club, a far cry from her “old” self. However, when the members of the Purity Club discover her secret, their vicious attack leaves Ryan helpless.

Good thing Justin is there to rescue her. But Justin is everything Ryan thinks she needs to avoid, harboring secrets of his own. Justin is the only one who understands Ryan, and she needs that, as the secrets of her past threaten to surface. Justin’s own secrets terrorize him, and he’s not sure he can trust Ryan with them. Will the two of them be able to overcome the shame of their past to heal for the future?

Hickville Confessions is filled with difficult issues, but the characters face them with courage and strength, becoming an example to others. The book is not light reading, but the relationships between all of the characters make it a worthwhile experience. The setting captures all the good—as well as the bad—things about living in a small town.

Is It Nap Time?

I swear, lately, my brain just seems like it’s shut down.  I’m not even asking very much of it mentally, and it’s still like “Nope.  I’m done.”  The basic desire is for sleep.  Not mental exertion.  This is not a positive thing when classes start in just under two weeks.I barely watch TV, so that isn’t distracting me. Making myself read is even a challenge, sometimes.

Any suggestions for combating a mental slump?

Left to Darkness, by Craig Saunders

(I do not own this image. Image belongs to DarkFuse.)
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to DarkFuse.)

Craig Saunders is an English author who writes dark fiction and horror. His latest novel, Left to Darkness, hits shelves today.

“Death by meteor” is an epitaph that only a few people ever imagined, but now it is the future for the entire planet. A meteor is coming. Large enough for catastrophic, world-ending destruction. And even knowing about it in advance doesn’t give humanity any chance of escape. But the end of the world takes an unexpected turn. Darkness holds sway, with cannibalistic cult members wearing barbed wire crowns, led by their king, James Finley. Not to mention sadistic siblings Sid and Silvia.

Paul Deacon is a long-time police officer who ends up blind after the meteor hits. Dawn Graves is a very pregnant woman whose husband was recently murdered. And Frank Liebowicz is a hit man out for revenge. Dawn is desperate to find a safe place to have her baby. Paul needs help to survive. Frank is gravely injured but still looking to defeat his enemy. The three must survive the end of the world and avoid the Little Kings if they are to reach safety and security. But they don’t realize that the cult is after Dawn’s baby, and will allow nothing—or no one—to stand in their way.

Left to Darkness is a dark, disturbing novel about the end of the world and the evil that results. Graphic violence shares space with a fight for survival in this novel filled with unexpected heroes facing a menace with a thirst for cruelty.

(Galley provided by DarkFuse via NetGalley.)

Wild in the Hollow, by Amber C. Haines

(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Revell.)
(I do not own this image. Image belongs to Revell.)

Amber C. Haines is a Southern girl, mother to four sons, and a Christian writer who isn’t afraid to speak the truth about her life, the good and the bad. Her book, Wild in the Hollow, is now on sale.

Growing up in a Southern country family, Amber spent time in church, with people who believed in God, yet she always felt a yearning for something more in her life. Desperate to find what she was seeking, Amber looked for it in all the wrong places, and ended up broken and hurting. In the blackest of moments, she sought God, and found Him. But even knowing God doesn’t mean life will be perfect. After Amber meets Seth, her husband, her life takes a turn she never expected and she becomes a mother to four boys, still searching for more.

Wild in the Hollow is a painfully honest, raw accounting of one woman’s search for fulfillment. Ms. Haines is brutally honest about her life and her choices, but this honesty shines brightly when she meets God and shifts the focus of her life. The compelling truths in this book will have the reader drawn into the pages and unable to put it down.

A beautiful book.

(Galley provided by Revell via NetGalley.)

Results

I started the switch from third-person to first-person on Witches yesterday.  Have you ever paid attention to how many times you use some version of a pronoun in your writing?  No?  I hadn’t either.  Trust me, the answer is: a LOT.  Sometimes, it felt like I was changing every other word.  At others, I wouldn’t touch two or three paragraphs at a time.  I like how the switch to first person lets me deeper into the characters.  I like it a lot.  Two chapters down yesterday, three on the agenda for today.

Plus some writing.  I wrote about 1,500 words Sunday. That’s not an extreme amount, but it’s a very solid chunk for me currently.  I’m pretty happy with that productivity level (Which, BTW, is actually 3-days’ worth of words that I didn’t get in last week.  500 words four times a week is my–admittedly small–writing goal these days.  I can remember doing 10,000+ word-days during NaNo years ago.  Sigh…)

So, writing and revising, before school starts in a few weeks.  What’s on the agenda for you?

Awake, by Natasha Preston

(I do not own this image. Image courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire.)
(I do not own this image. Image courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire.)

Natasha Preston is the English author of Silence and The Cellar. Her newest book, Awake, hits shelves today.

Scarlett has a normal life: parents, brother, school, friends. But she doesn’t remember anything before the age of five. Her parents have told her of the fire that took her memory and almost took her life, and she accepts their tales of her childhood. Until a car accident causes unexplainable memories to re-surface, and Scarlett starts asking questions her parents won’t answer.

Noah, her new boyfriend, supports Scarlett in everything. He’s polite, respectful, and everything that other boys her age are not. He’s also determined to shelter Scarlett from the horrors of her past, because Noah knows the truth of what happened. And he’s been sent to bring Scarlett home.

Awake is a young adult novel with an intriguing premise: a girl, raised in a cult, who has no memory of her early life amidst fanatics. Everyone around her has lied to Scarlet for years, and when she starts sensing that, her confusion is merited. The relationship between Noah and Scarlett isn’t a typical teenage romance. These two characters are too different for that, but their loyalty and love will be tested to the limits.

(Galley courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.)