#BookReview - The Howling Heart by April Bostic #PNR #ReviewShare

The Howling Heart by April Bostic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

On the surface, I enjoyed the book. It was entertaining and the characters were well fleshed out. As you dwell into the details of the plot, you tend to see some loose ends which could have been better explained. Paige's job, boyfriend and life in general were just too good to be true and to me, it was as if something WAS lurking in the background but it wasn't highlighted because it was too much effort.

Paige let me down more than once with her 'it's all about me' attitude while Riley was the hero of the day. Development could have been better, the premise was action filled and the plot made sense. Additionally, the one thing everyone at the book club agreed on, NO cliffhanger ending. I kid you not. We actually looked twice at title and ending, it actually ended properly. For that reason alone, this book is worth your time.

Would I recommend this read? You really, really have to like this genre to enjoy this book.

Overall assessment:
Content: 3.5/5
Editing: 3.5/5
Formatting: 3/5 (first copy we received was not formatted)
Pacing: 3.5/5
Offensive content?: 18+ some scenes were borderline 'monster sex' i.e. implied but not described.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours. I did not receive any payment in exchange for this review nor was I obliged to write a positive one.

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7 Questions with #Fantasy Author Dean F. Wilson #AmReading #GoodReads

1. Why are books important?

Books provide knowledge and inspiration. They teach us lessons, explore real human issues, encourage us to question things, provide us with answers, and entertain us. They provide a means of escape and a means of immersing ourselves more in the real world. Books have the potential to do anything, because they are written by humans and read by humans, and that potential lies within us all.

2. Do you think print books are going out of fashion?

Yes and no. I think they are losing popularity, with ebooks cannibalising sales, but I don't think the old-fashioned hardback or paperback will vanish entirely. As much as there are significant benefits to the ebook phenomenon, both for readers and writers, there will always be millions of people (myself included) who appreciate a well-produced physical book, and enjoy a large library. There is room for all types of books, digital and print, and options are never a bad thing.

3. What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?

Marketing is definitely the hardest and is something that all authors struggle with, regardless if they are self-published, published by a small press, or published by one of the Big Five. Making people aware of your work is a constant battle, and no author can afford to ignore this.

To put this into perspective, when J.K. Rowling published The Cuckoo's Calling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, only 500 copies of the book were sold initially. Sales jumped by 4,000 percent once it was revealed that the author was really Rowling, which shows that having a big publisher behind you isn't enough on its own to generate interest. The book would likely have continued to have modest sales were it not for this revelation.

4. Do you plan to publish more books?

Most definitely. I aim to write at least one book a year going forward, though this will obviously depend on many factors, including my day job and other commitments. Regardless, I plan to write and publish indefinitely. Writing is a core part of who I am, and has been for a very long time.

5. What else do you do to make money, other than write? It is rare today for writers to be full time…

I also work as a technology journalist, so technically I write full-time, albeit in very different ways.

6. How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk?

I write on my PC in my office. I do, however, have a pen and paper by my bedside for those middle of the night ideas.

7. When you are not writing, how do you like to relax?

I like to play video games, watch TV, read, or socialise.

THE DYING BREATH. THE DYING WILL. THE DYING HOPE.

After the catastrophe of the Call of Agon, Ifferon and his companions find themselves in the unenviable situation of witnessing, and partaking in, the death of another god—this time Corrias, the ruler of the Overworld.

With Corrias locked inside the corpse of the boy Théos, he suffers a fate worse than the bonds of the Beast Agon. Yet hope is kindled when the company find a way to restore the boy, and possibly the god, back to life.

The road to rebirth has many pitfalls, and there are some who consider such meddling with the afterlife a grave risk. The prize might be life anew—but the price might also be a second death.

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Genre - Epic Fantasy

Rating – PG

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7 Questions with #Mystery & #Suspense #Author A.F. Ebbers (Dangerous Past)

1. What scares you the most?

The crashing of my computer hard drive before I have a chance to back up my material.

2. What makes you happiest?

Helping others.

3. What’s your greatest character strength?

He has the fortitude to do the right thing regardless of consequences.

4. What’s your weakest character trait?

He has an unnatural fear of deep water.

5. Why do you write?

It’s a nice trade and I enjoy it.

6. Have you always enjoyed writing?

Ever since the 7^th grade when I won a local writing contest.

7. What motivates you to write?

After writing for newspapers, magazines, advertising agency and for an advertising department in a major corporation, and in public relations for an aircraft company, I found it to be an enjoyable way to make a living.

Airline Captain Frank Braden is being stalked by unknown assailants who must arrange his death to look like a suicide or an accident before a specific deadline. He receives an unsigned message warning him against attending a Senate hearing in Washington. If he agrees, he will receive a million dollars and his wife's life.

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Genre - Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Rating - G

More details about the author

Website afebbers.com

7 Questions with #Author Anna Klay @AnnaKlayBooks #Fiction #AmReading

 What are some of the best tools available today for writers, especially those just starting out?

There are some great MFA programs out there, and yes, I believe they are worth every dime if you know writing is part of your future.  But if a university program is not for you, there are also some very good writing groups available for joining, and writing books where you could pick up some good tips about writing.  Also today, social media is fantastic for learning about writing, finding on-line writing groups, and on-line magazines always looking for short stories and parts of longer works.

What is your greatest character strength?

I would say compassion.

What is your weakest character trait?

Compassion – you’re going to get some from me like it or not.

What are you most proud of in your personal life?

Well, it’s definitely not my clean house, my extravagantly prepared meals, or anything that has to do with organization or preplanning.  I am most proud of my family, my friends, and my writing.

What’s your favorite meal?

I wouldn’t necessarily call it my favorite, but I have eaten crow more than once.

What movie do you love to watch?

I read much more than I watch television or go to the movies, and I can’t remember at the moment the last movie I watched, but I am sure it was probably horror or maybe drama.

If you could do any job in the world, what would you do?

I love what I do now, but for a day maybe I would choose being a bus rider.  Yes, back when I was attending grad school, the bus was great for stories.  Bartending wasn’t bad, but drunk people have a habit or repeating the same story over and over.

The Tarot predicts the journey as Ray Long comes to the town of Pettington hoping to leave his rage behind and begin a new life. And when he meets Skye Roosevelt, he begins to believe he can recreate himself and find his future in Pettington. But Pettington is no ordinary town with a metaphysical store that tells its future, a whore house that keeps it financially secure, and secrets long buried just beneath its surface. And soon Ray Long begins to spiral down into the pit of violence he has always known. 

He begins to hear the Devil whisper in his ear, and he soon discovers his old self is more soothing to him than the new life he’s created. And when he tries to murder two of Pettington’s own, Skye Roosevelt must search deep within herself for her own self identity in order to protect her son as Ray Long battles the past in order to separate the passion from the pain. 

Broken Wing is a story about an abuser who was a victim of abuse as a child. This is a story about his family relations, the need for love, the devastation of rejection, and the merry-go-round that keeps turning. And this story is about self-identity, a self-identity the character believes defines him, dark and rigid, until he is pushed to the extreme, only then can he step out and stand naked with this identity at his feet as he lays claim to the past that molded him and the passion that fills his heart.

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Genre - Literary

Rating – PG-13

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Website http://www.annaklaybooks.com/

7 Questions with #Mystery #Author Tracy Weber @TracyWeberTypes

 Tell us a bit about your family. 

I grew up as the only child on a dairy farm in Montana surrounded by dogs, cats, cows, and a variety of other animals too numerous to mention. My husband, Marc, and I met when I moved to Seattle for college, though we didn’t start dating until over a decade later. Marc is an aerospace engineer, and we live with our German shepherd Tasha, a menagerie of fish, and our evil cat Maggie.

Marc and I never had kids, but it’s a good thing. Tasha has so many expensive health issues that we would have spent their college funds three times over. But I love my furry family and wouldn’t trade them for anything. 

How do you work through self-doubts and fear? 

This is a biggie for me, because although I seem pretty self-confident, I am riddled with self-doubt when I try something new. (Starting a mystery series, for example.) I work it through by talking about my goals. Telling my husband or a friend that I’m going to do something makes me feel obligated to follow through.

It doesn’t even seem to matter if the person I tell encourages or discourages me. Simply saying my intention out loud makes it happen.

What makes you happiest? 

Spending time with my dog, Tasha. Walking her through our neighborhood, chasing sticks, befriending crows, rubbing the soft spot behind her ear. No matter what we do, Tasha seems to love it. She has taught me so much about the sheer joy of being alive. Being with her almost always makes me smile.

What’s your greatest character strength? 

Pure, dogged perseverance. Once I decide to do something, I rarely give up until it’s done—especially if somebody tells me I can’t do it. I have accomplished a lot of things in my life that people attribute to luck. I don’t really think it’s that. There are certainly people out there more talented than I am, but most of my successes happened because I refused to give up.

What’s your weakest character trait?

Self-doubt, which seems sort of contradictory to perseverance as my greatest character strength. I may have dogged perseverance, but I doubt myself every step of the way. I’m working on that.

What motivates you to write?

Deadlines, even if they are self-imposed. Once I have a firm due date in my mind, I will drive myself crazy trying to beat it. Beyond that, writing taps into a creative side of me that I never knew existed. It’s incredibly fun to let my mind play.

What writing are you most proud of?

One of my writing goals is to raise awareness of a rare genetic issue called Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) that occurs primarily—although not exclusively—in German shepherd dogs. My own dog lives with EPI. I hope to assure owners of animals with this condition that EPI is not a death sentence, and that dogs with EPI go on to live extraordinary lives.

I recently had the opportunity to write an article for Kings River Life Magazine that profiled three dogs that had been abandoned due to EPI and the angels that rescued them. That article was the first time that I knew my fiction writing had a purpose beyond mere entertainment. The article is at this link, right below the review of my book. http://kingsriverlife.com/02/15/murder-strikes-a-pose-a-downward-dog-mystery-by-tracy-weber/

When George and Bella—a homeless alcoholic and his intimidating German shepherd—disturb the peace outside her studio, yoga instructor Kate Davidson’s Zen-like calm is stretched to the breaking point. Kate tries to get rid of them before Bella scares the yoga pants off her students. Instead, the three form an unlikely friendship.

One night Kate finds George’s body behind her studio. The police dismiss his murder as a drug-related street crime, but she knows George wasn’t a dealer. So Kate starts digging into George’s past while also looking for someone to adopt Bella before she’s sent to the big dog park in the sky. With the murderer nipping at her heels, Kate has to work fast or her next Corpse Pose may be for real.

Praise:

"Cozy fans will eagerly await the next installment." —PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"Murder Strikes a Pose, by Tracy Weber, is a delightful debut novel featuring Kate Davidson, a caring but feist yoga teacher . . . Namaste to Weber and her fresh, new heroine!" —PENNY WARNER,AUTHOR OF HOW TO DINE ON KILLER WINE

"[T]his charming debut mystery . . . pieces together a skillful collage of mystery, yoga, and plenty of dog stories against the unique backdrop of Seattle characters and neighborhoods. The delightful start of a promising new series. I couldn't put it down!" —WAVERLY FITZGERALD, AUTHOR OF DIAL C FOR CHIHUAHUA

"Three woofs for Tracy Weber's first Downward Dog Mystery, Murder STrikes a Pose. Great characters, keep-you-guessing plot, plenty of laughs, and dogs—what more could we want? Ah, yes—the next book!" —SHEILA WEBSTER BONEHAM, AUTHOR OF DROP DEAD ON RECALL

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Genre – Cozy Mystery

Rating – PG

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7 Questions with #Author T.S. O'Neil @tselliot3 #Action #Adventure

How do you work through self-doubts and fear? The easiest way is to confront your fear and work through it. But, you have to decide whether it’s worth it or not. I mean, is it worth it to confront the muscle head at the gym who constantly grunts when he lift weights? A comedian once said, “If something is so heavy that you have to grunt to lift it, you need to put it down!” but I digress. Regarding working through fear and confrontation, do a cost benefit analysis and decide whether confronting a problem is the best way to resolve it. I look at guys that constantly do that and find they are freaking crazy, but fearless. Sometimes you can just shift the argument and make it go away.  

What scares you the most? Death. 

What makes you happiest? I was going to say “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women,” but that line was already said by someone else. I guess I’d have to go with great sex, followed by a sumptuous meal, including excellent wine, and then a fine cigar.  

What’s your greatest character strength? I have the ability to quickly reinvent myself when something isn’t working for me. If I fail at something and feel that I should do something else, I get up to speed on the new endeavor and have at it. For example, I retrained in IT Security and after a little more than a year I was making over six figures. I think it has to do with being humble enough to check your ego at the door and be humble enough to learn something and exercise geographic mobility. 

Please introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?

I am 54 years young and originally from Newington, CT.  I went to undergraduate school at Northeastern University in Boston and have an MBA from the University of Phoenix in Technology Management.  I spent a good amount of time in the military; first as an enlisted Marine in the Marine Reserve, then about ten years on active duty as an officer in the Military Police Corps of the U.S. Army and I finished out my career in the Army Reserve.

I got out of the military and eventually gravitated to the IT Field.  I am currently an IT Architect for a healthcare company. I live in Seminole Florida with the love of my life, Suzanne and we got married on Oct 4th of this year. 

What first inspired you to start writing? I have a very active imagination and was always getting into trouble in grade school for day-dreaming. I think being a fiction writer is a great endeavor in that you get to invent your own reality and create a different world. You can kill someone on paper a lot easier than doing it in real life and its less likely to end with you going to prison or being executed.

When not writing how do you spend your time? I work a regular job for forty or so hours a week and spend time golfing, biking and taking my wife out to keep her happy.  I used to do a lot of scuba diving with trips to the Great Barrier Reef, the Caribbean, Thailand and the Philippines, but I think those days are behind me and I’ll just make do with snorkeling. 

Michael Blackfox thought he'd left Marine Force Recon behind, but they had other ideas

The best trained man for a high risk mission is dead and Blackfox is uniquely qualified to be the heir apparent. The trouble is he and his father are currently fugitives on the run from the law.

˃˃˃ Marine Special Operations roughly brings Michael back into the fold, while allowing his father to be arrested and extradited. If Michael cooperates, the government will go easy on his dad.

A Russian arms dealer recovers an ICBM from Iraq during the invasion and sells it to the Iranians. They commission him to reconfigure the missile as an electromagnetic pulse weapon that, if fired, will destroy all electronics in the United States--effectively plunging the country back to the nineteenth century.

The launch pad and assembly building are deep within the Venezuelan jungle. The missile's telemetry system is hosted by a closed network. Michael's job is to parachute into the jungle with a team of Marine Special Operators, hack into the network and deliver a virus that will destroy the missile, while making it all look like an accident

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Genre - Action, Adventure

Rating – PG

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Website www.tsoneil.com

7 Questions with #Author David Graham @davidangraham #Thriller #AmReading

Tell us a bit about your family.

We have a multi-national family, I’m from Ireland, my wife is Danish and our two sons were born in Guatemala. The boys are 9 and 6 and have all of the energy and enthusiasm that you would expect from two young boys. We enjoy the outdoors, hiking in the Dublin mountains most weekends and reading features prominently as an individual and group pursuit.

How do you work through self-doubts and fear?

I think that the longer I’ve written, the more I’ve accepted a couple of things. Firstly, the first draft of anything is unlikely to survive a subsequent edit i.e. it’s not going to be perfect; so don’t let doubts stop something at inception. Secondly, everyone’s tastes are different, there have been books I have loved which others have not; this gives me the confidence to write the kind of story I want and not constantly wonder how it will read for others.

What scares you the most?

The thought of not being around for the children were something to happen to me. I’ve found I’m much more aware of my health and mortality since having children. Saying that, I’ve still been able to reconcile some fun things such as rock-climbing and hang-gliding over the last few years.

What makes you happiest?

My sons. While there are a lot of things I can do which give me a sense of fulfilment or accomplishment, nothing makes me as happy as celebrating their accomplishments or just spending fun time with them. Seeing them again after being away travelling is a particular joy.

What’s your greatest character strength?

I think I’m open to input from others and when recognise when I get something wrong. In the context of writing this means seeing things as a team effort with editors, cover designers etc. rather than being precious about my work in relation to critiques or suggestions.

What’s your weakest character trait?

Stubbornness, I guess, if I really believe in something, I may stick with it past the point where common sense might have dictated I should stop.

Why do you write?

Quite simply, I enjoy it. I like thinking about plots and characters then writing about them.

WINNER THE JOHN MURRAY SHOW / RTE GUIDE / KAZOO COMPETITION

A brutal conflict unleashed.

Who stands to win?

A bloody massacre at a Mexican heroin refinery; a Miami-bound freight ship hijacked for its cargo of illegal narcotics; the ruthless assassination of a Kosovar drug lord - a war has erupted between two drugs superpowers.

As DEA Agent Diane Mesi investigates she becomes convinced that the conflict is being orchestrated by an unknown third party. But she is marginalised by her colleagues and her judgement is challenged at every turn. Only if she can expose the truth will she be able to stop the violence and save her career.

Michael Larsen is an ex-soldier and hired mercenary who has been contracted to fuel the conflict at every opportunity until it destroys both sides. As he battles his own demons, he hopes that by directing the violence he will attain some measure of redemption.

But neither Mesi nor Larsen know the full extent of the forces at play or of what is truly at stake. As they each pursue their own resolution, the violence escalates and they become increasingly vulnerable to the dangers that stalk them.

Incitement won the John Murray Show / RTE Guide / Kazoo Competition from over 500 entries.

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Genre – Thriller

Rating – R

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Connect with David Graham on Facebook & Twitter

Website www.davidgrahambooks.com