Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books About Friendship

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they will post a new Top Ten list that one of the bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Ten Books About Friendship

1

Kindred spirits - Anne Shirley and Diana Barry. Need I say more?

2

Jack Baker and Early Auden had an odd and sometimes tense friendship, but Jack truly learned to appreciate Early by the end of the book.

3

By being forced to trust her friends, M.T. learned a great deal about herself and others.

4 

Greg Heffley and Rowley Jefferson prove that sometimes you need a goofy friend around to make you feel better about your own plight?

5

 Nikki Maxwell couldn't make it through her days at the snobby private middle school she attends without her BFFs Chloe and Zoey. They help her keep a sane head around Mackenzie Hollister and the rest of the CCP (Cool, Cute & Popular) kids.

6

If  Katniss has to hunt to feed her family, at least she gets to do it with her swoon worthy best friend, Gale. And though she isn't one for getting close to people, her friendship with Rue is one of the most touching parts of this series.

7

Friendship Bread proves that friends are just about the best thing in the world.

8

Friends that knit together, strike together. This book proves friendship and a good laugh go hand in hand.

9

Olivia Lockhart and Grace Sherman have a solid friendship that has faced a lot of challenges over the years.

10

Though IT is a horror story about a clown who preys on young children, at its heart, this book is about a group of friends who return to their hometown to stop a frightening beast. They beat it once as children and they are determined to come back and finish what they started now that they are adults and living very different lives. 

Interview with Francesca Pelaccia, Author of The Witch's Salvation

The Witch's Salvation is Francesca Pelaccia’s debut novel and the first book of The Witch's Trilogy. A teacher and now at long last an author, Francesca has written in other genres but enjoys creating and writing time-travel fantasies. Francesca blogs on the craft of writing especially as it relates to genre and reviews books. Currently she is working on the second book of The Witch’s Trilogy entitled The Witch’s Monastery. Visit Francesca at www.francescapelaccia.com.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Writing is what I do when I’m not working, being a mom to two kids in university, a wife, and trying to stay active by walking and re-learning yoga. I used to work in corporate publishing but now teach English as a Second Language to adult immigrants.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Toronto, Canada. I now live just outside the city limits in what is referred to as the Greater Toronto Area, but still work in it.

When did you begin writing?

I have been writing as long as I can remember! I used to write everywhere and often, and where I shouldn’t. At work, on the bus, at coffee shops, at my kids’ soccer or hockey games, any place I could find a piece of paper and a pencil.

Do you write during the day, at night or whenever you can sneak a few moments?

I write in the evening after dinner. I usually spend about two hours every night on writing. I don’t have time on the weekends but I may find an hour or two to write.

What is this book about?

The Witch’s Salvation is a tale about restoring humanity to the last surviving witch of the Carpathian Mountains. The only people who can restore her humanity are Anasztasia and Matthias, two eighteen-year olds born mortal to two immortal families of royal lineage. If they go back in time and retrieve the Golden Cup that holds the mystery to regaining the witch’s humanity, she will make them immortal. She will also dissolve the curse that keeps Matthias’s family imprisoned in the ancient boundaries of Wallachia, present day Romania, and Anasztasia’s family exiled from it. But Anasztasia and Matthias must return to Easter Sunday, 1457, the day Prince Vlad III, aka Dracula, massacred nobles. Anasztasia and Matthias return to the past where life and death adventures begin toward saving the witch, unraveling their families’ secrets, and coming into their own.

What inspired you to write it?

I actually set out to write a light-hearted vampire novel about two characters born mortal to immortal shape shifter royals. But while researching Dracula, I got drawn in to his ignoble history and all the myths, legends, people, and events around it. What was to be a romp turned into an expansive time-travel that is both plot and character-driven.

Are you a member of a critique group? If no, who provides feedback on your work?

I am a member of a critique group at the University of Toronto. The group is made up of unpublished authors who write both genre and literary.

Who is your favorite author?

I have several favorite authors. I enjoy both genre and literary. For pure entertainment I love reading the books of Janet Evanovich, Carl Hiaasen, Jennifer Cruise, and those of the late Ariana Franklin. For literary, right now I’m enjoying the works of Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

The Witch’s Salvation can be purchased online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, the iBookstore, Gardners Books, and most other major ebook sellers.

Where can readers find you online?

My website is www.francescapelaccia.com
My blog is www.francescapelaccia.com/blog
I blog about the craft of writing especially as it relates to genre.

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

Just do it! I have been writing all my life. I used to write everywhere. It was fun just letting my imagination go and writing. There were no worries about plot, or character arcs, or historical accuracies. Then life got in the way—work, family, and of course all those bills. I wrote but when I had the time. Also, the rules of how to write became paramount. They were drilled into me by everyone and anyone connected to writing—agents, publishers, other authors, critique partners, teachers. Writing became difficult. Now, I’m back to writing as I started off. For the joy of it, but enriched with what I learned. For all you authors out there: believe in yourself, never give up, and go for it!

What is up next for you?

I am working on two projects: the second book in The Witch’s Trilogy called The Witch’s Monastery and an old romance that I’m reworking and breathing new life into.

Writing, Favorite Things To Do and Perfect Vacation Spots by Deirdre Thurston, Author of Caught

A collection of short stories, literary sketches and vignettes each capturing a moment in the life of someone a lot like you. Each story delves into human themes: expectation, desire, hope, loss, fear, joy, peace, suffering, redemption. The narrative is filled with subtle irony, humour and touching observations. The stories highlight our era of increasing social disconnection, in which technology is replacing intimacy and life occurs at a pace that challenges people’s ability to stop, observe and interpret their own existence and its relationship with those around them.

It highlights the everyday moment and provides nourishment for the harried soul. The overriding message in Caught is: that any moment in every life can be viewed as worthy of treasuring. Whether that moment is filled with despair or joy; they provide entertaining relief and nourishing benefits.

Read a sample online at http://deirdrethurston.com/blog/

Purchase here!

Writing, Favorite Things To Do and Perfect Vacation Spots

by Deirdre Thurston

I wrote stories as a child. Essay writing was my favourite thing to do at school. My drawers were full of cute little notebooks and special pens. I had a huge desire to fill all the pages but also didn’t want to wreck their pristine beauty so, mainly, I thought about what to write rather than write in them. My first published piece was online for some writing website or blog thing. It was about holidays. I was thrilled to bits.

When I’m not writing, I love to hang out with close friends, drink some wine, talk, watch movies, read, visit inspiring art collections. My favourite thing to do is wander along a beach and breath. If my son is with me then it’s even better.

I like to vacation on tropical islands. I love Rarotonga and just about anywhere by a blue lagoon minus lots of people.

I’ve been an observer of people my whole life, always intrigued by the unfolding of everyday events and what those events take on in the eyes and lives of ordinary people.

As well as seeing — and feeling — the angst and the pain, the fragile hopes and dreams, the joys and the frustrations that make up the human condition, I’ve also always been able to see the funny side.

My vantage points have been from the perspective of a daughter, a sister, a wife and a mother, an aunt, a friend and a confidante — I’ve looked at life through many lenses, yet always my own observations have been enriched by the points of view of the other players in those unfolding dramas.

And always inside of me, from the time I was five years old, has lurked a writer — framing my observations and cataloguing them. Storing them up until I was ready to capture them on paper.

At 57, I began crafting my lifetime of observations into sketches and vignettes. Two years later I knew it was time to start sharing my stories with the world.

Visit the author online at http://deirdrethurston.com/

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Interview with Ron Parsons, Author of The Sense of Touch

RON PARSONS is a writer living in Sioux Falls. Born in Michigan and raised in South Dakota, he was inspired to begin writing fiction in Minneapolis while attending the University of Minnesota. His short stories have appeared in many literary magazines and venues, including The Gettysburg Review, Indiana Review, Storyville App, The Briar Cliff Review, Flyway, and The Onion. His debut collection of stories, THE SENSE OF TOUCH, was released by Aqueous Books in 2013.

You can visit his website at http://ronparsonswriter.com/ or http://www.aqueousbooks.com/author_pages/24_parsons.htm.

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Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I was born in the Detroit area and lived in Michigan until my family moved to South Dakota when I was nine years old. One of my fondest childhood memories is when my parents bought on old sailboat. We would sail out to a small island in the middle of Lake Michigan, build a fire on the beach, and cook hot dogs. After moving to South Dakota, where my father had secured a job at the EROS Data Center, the first thing we did was drive to “Buffalo Ridge,” a local tourist attraction, to look at a herd of buffalo, whose numbers were dwindling at the time. To a kid from Detroit, it was like seeing live dinosaurs.

When did you begin writing?

I was always pretty good at English and writing in school, but really did not do any serious writing until I began taking college fiction writing classes at the University of Minnesota. I am an appellate attorney now, so in that capacity I am writing virtually every day. My creative writing stops and starts in stretches. If I am really energized about something, I will work on it late into the night.

What is this book about?

“The Sense of Touch” is a collection of short stories that focus on how people of different ages and circumstances attempt to connect with others, with varying results, and how they are changed by the encounters. The book’s epigraph is from a wonderful Wallace Stevens poem called “It Must Change,” and the cover, beautifully designed by my publisher Cynthia Reeser, depicts a butterfly, which is a symbol of transformation.

What inspired you to write it?

I was inspired to write a short story collection many years ago while attending the U of M. A friend of mine had loaned me two books of short stories: “Like Life” by Lorrie Moore and “The Watch” by Rick Bass. I thought at the time – and still do – that they were perfect gems, and I resolved after reading them that someday, somehow, I would produce a collection of my own. It took a long time and a lot of luck, but I was finally able to make that happen.

My favorite authors still tend to be short story writers. In addition to Moore and Bass, I love Tobias Wolff, Raymond Carver, Annie Proulx, Italo Calvino, Raymond Chandler, Louise Erdrich, Kurt Vonnegut, Richard Ford, Marilynne Robinson, Joseph Campbell, Tim O’Brien, George Orwell, Toni Morrison, and William Golding.

Where can readers purchase a copy of your book?

It is available online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Powell’s Books, Tower Books, and in various, mostly independent bookstores around the country. If you are in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, be sure to purchase your copy at Zandbroz Variety located on Phillips Avenue in our historic downtown!

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

The main advice that I would give to aspiring authors is to be receptive to the editing suggestions of others, while still remaining true to your own voice, and to remember that persistence is your truest ally and procrastination your most dreaded foe.

What is up next for you?

I am continuing to craft short stories to submit to literary reviews, but have found my attention increasingly drifting toward a novel. Thank you very much for hosting me here and I wish you and each of your readers success and satisfaction in all of your creative endeavors.

Spirit Me Away Book Release Facebook Party Today!

The latest Gus LeGarde Mystery releases today. Author Aaron Paul Lazar is celebrating with a Facebook party from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M. where he's giving away some great prizes.

You can join in the fun at https://www.facebook.com/events/1414143672192611/permalink/1415841522022826/ 

First Chapter Review: A Bridge Unbroken by Cathy Bryant

The author sent along the first chapter of her latest Christian romantic suspense novel for review.

BLURB: A BRIDGE UNBROKEN
a Miller's Creek Novel by Cathy Bryant

Letting go to build a bridge…

A frightened runaway wants her painful past to disappear. A plan to start afresh is derailed when she co-inherits her late grandfather’s farm with the man responsible for the scars on her heart. But he isn’t the only ghost from the past. Someone else is out to get her and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Will Chance and Dakota lay aside their grudges to restore the old farmhouse and bridge, or will evil forces sabotage their attempt at forgiveness?

COVER: I have to admit I've never seen a bad cover on one of Cathy's books. They are all beautifully done. I love the nails sticking up along the edge of the bridge in this one. It's a great detail.

FIRST CHAPTER: Dakota has been living life on the run. She spies a dark figure coming toward her room and plans her escape. She knows it's time to leave and eventually decides to return to the one place she never thought she would go.

Chance is busy with working at the hospital and taking care of his sickly grandfather. When his grandfather asks him to check out the abandoned farmhouse, he goes begrudgingly. He certainly doesn't expect what he finds.

KEEP READING: Absolutely. Bryant draws the reader in from the first words and keeps the tension tight through this well-written and intriguing first chapter. Told from Dakota's and Chance's points of view, the reader meets each character in their own world: Dakota living alone in fear and Chance who lives in Miller's Creek. You get a sense for who each character is and what they are dealing with and the terrible past that tore them apart. Everything about this chapter begs the reader to continue and she is happy to oblige.

Click HERE to read a sample chapter of A Bridge Unbroken.
Click HERE to view the book trailer for A Bridge Unbroken.
Click HERE to enter the $100 Visa Card Giveaway/RSVP to Book Launch Party.

| Purchase Print Version | Purchase eBook Version |

Series: A Miller's Creek Novel
Paperback: 344 pages
Publisher: WordVessel Press; 1 edition (April 27, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0984431187
ISBN-13: 978-0984431182

This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they will post a new Top Ten list that one of the bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All they ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Ten Books I Almost Put Down But Didn't

While this is a well-written book, it was totally disturbing. It is about a toxic friendship between two young women who are searching for who murdered a friend. In my review I described it as Dawson's Creek meets Silence of the Lambs. 

*

I had a tough time with this one, even though I ended up enjoying it. Set during WWII, it captures the delicate and sometimes sinister intricacies of little town USA. I really struggled with this one because I couldn't find a single character I liked.

*

This is the story of long-lost lovers reuniting and how they are impacted by one man's quest for revenge. I had no idea what the point of the story was for the first 200 pages, and many times the same information was repeated by different characters, which added to the length of the book. Once the villain jacked up the stakes it became more interesting.

*

While overall this is an enjoyable book, the storytelling mechanics left something to be desired.

*

Though the main character is a P.I. searching for a missing college student, he spends more time discovering Mexico than pursuing leads. I would also have liked a deeper point of view.

*

Though this one starts off strong, it quickly becomes a story plagued by too many extraneous details, quickly--and easily--resolved conflicts, and characters that remain undeveloped.

*

This was a book I received unsolicited while on vacation one year. Though the author's blog that this book was based upon in 2009 was very popular at the time, the swearing and vulgarity did nothing for me.

*

I had some big issues with this book. It's tough to swallow the author's idea that the majority of us feel obligated to purchase a home because we have been brainwashed by the real estate industry, lenders, the government, and the media into purchasing a home at any and all cost. The flow of money example is also based on an exaggeration depicting a greedy lender and equally greedy real estate agent conning a fictitious family into buying a home they can't afford.

*

The author's message on self-esteem was lost in this story of an alien girl who borrows her father’s spaceship to come to earth for the Miss Universe Pageant.

*

I honestly couldn't tell by the end of the story what the point was. The main character and her family endure unspeakable tragedies, but I never really knew why. The pacing was also off, which didn't help.