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Showing posts from 2014

Writer Spotlight: Glen Kemp

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I'd like to share with you some writings from a friend of mine. He was actually one of my wedding clients and through our meetings I came to discover that he was a writer. In fact, his very first communication to me included a writing sample he had done some time ago. His first shared writing with me is the last one in the post. One of the best benefits to being a wedding officiant is the opportunity to meet and connect with new and exciting individuals. Not only do they share with me their love story but they often open the windows to whom they are as human beings as well. He wrote a beautiful and moving piece for his wedding day. It was read by a dear friend and colleague during the ceremony. With his permission he has allowed me to share his copyrighted work with you on my site. Hope you enjoy  his writing.  Please contact the author through his Facebook page for permission before using any of his work.  In the Authors Words... I wanted to share this with my family, f

Book Review:The Day The Walls Cried

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This is my book Review for the novel The Day the Walls Cried by Snook warning: this review may contain spoilers Let me start by saying I do not usually read a lot of urban fiction, but I am so glad I read this book. This is a story that seemed so real, so tangible. There is a unique authenticity of the writer's words. Our young hero comes into existence as a father absent male of a young and beautiful mother that is disabled. She is as fierce as she is beautiful and refuses to let her disability get in the way of raising her son. She loves her son King and he knows it and thrives under her love and devotion. They are plagued by one tragic loss after another. They lose the family matriarch early on and are plunged into a merciless urban jungle where everyday alive is a gift. Young King has to grow up fast and hard, fighting regularly for his honor and the sake of his mother who is disabled.  When she is violently taken from him, his life comes crushing down on him and once a

IA: Initiate (Book 1)

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This is a book review for IA: Initiate (Book 1) by John Darryl Winston Warning: this may contain spoilers Young "Naz" is dreaming about a past incident. He finds himself locked in a bathroom and things are flying around and he is suddenly falling through the floor. Shadowy specters surround him. Wait... What? The problem is that he is not sure if he is dreaming, sleepwalking or hallucinating. The disarray in the bathroom that has the foster parent up in arms tells a different story. His ace and best sidekick is Meri, his super smart sister, whom he has promised to himself to get out of the ghetto they live in with their newest foster parent. At every turn, however, there are people that want something else. This story is about an extraordinary young boy who has a secret. Unfortunately, his secret is hiding from him as well. As the story progresses we see that there is much more to young "Naz" than even he knows. He is living day to day hoping to stay out of

The Word Changers

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This is a book review for The Word Changers by Ashlee Willis From the beginning sentence until the last, this story sweeps you away into a fantasy adventure that is engaging and full of magical characters. This is a Christian Fantasy adventure by new author Ashlee Willis that proves you can have a great fantasy story that is imaginative, youth appropriate and fun to read. We wake up in the story along with the Main Character, Posy to find she is no longer in her tumultuous home life. You're not in Kansas any more Dorothy ....but I digress. She is thrown into the role of the missing main character and at every corner is finding that there is no one to trust. Almost everyone she meets has devious plans brewing. The trusted advisor has plans of his own too (Judas much?). Similar to her life back home,  family discord abounds and she has got to find a way out. No one is really whom they should be,greed and selfishness are the true rulers in this story. Posy soon finds herse

Tempted by Trouble by Eric Jerome Dickey

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This is my review for Tempted by Trouble by Eric Jerome Dickey In this gritty urban tale, we learn about the weight of one man's moral fortitude and right and wrong compass. Men always seem to want the bad girl. Then they are surprised when they are betrayed. You really didn't see that coming?... This is exactly what is wrong with Dmytryk Knight. He came, he saw her, he conquered her...or so he thought. Things in this urban fairy tale turn sour real quick.  Once the money is gone, well you know. But Dmytryk has a plan.  Well, at least he thinks he has a plan. He makes a deal or two with the proverbial devil. After embarking on a criminal path, he is tested at every turn. Trouble aka Cora disappears and then appears later as the enemy. At this point you start to really feel kind of bad for Dmytryk. But he is stronger than we think and also wittier. I love the antagonists in the story, they are written in splendid diabolical fashion. Uncaring, devious and written so

This new site

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Recently on Twitter, I was pleased to connect with this new follower. We all love new followers  and connections and I love being able to connect with authors and writers. It is expanding my world of books, writings and musings. I was down with a migraine (once again) on Saturday morning and while being confined to bed, decided to check my messages. I was invited to a simple Saturday morning delight. The site has poetry and stories of erotically written literary fiction and even some interestingly off the beaten track videos. It is a smart and kitschy approach to the base, down and dirty, sometimes uncouth writing that erotica can be. This lovely little gem is called KafkaRotica. They can be found on Twitter  @KafkaRoti ca  and  Facebook . Poetic musings, that compare booty popping to Lord Byron's She walks in Beauty is definitely a departure from the expected. A sudden loss of Kitty turns a weekend morning into a sexual romp and many other tidbits of enjoyment. The unique

Vampire Next Door by Angela Snyder

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This is my review for Vampire Next Door by Angela Snyder This past weekend I read this freshman work by new author Angela Snyder. It's no secret, I really like vampire based stories.  I was looking forward to my first vampire book in months. The story comes with the promise of suspense and intrigue by the summary posted on the Amazon/Kindle site. But it starts out slow. I stubbornly plow through the book hoping it will gain momentum. 33 chapters in and I realize that the story is going to continue to drag. The characters, who have the potential to be superb, never really develop. The story lacks the richness that I was expecting. I found that there was no real connection to any of the characters.  The heroine was weak and needy, falling for almost every male in the story. This particular trait made her a little hard to like. Perhaps she was not supposed to be a heroine. If that was the case, well then, the author nailed it. You also figure out the plot really early on. Ther