Review: Eat by Lee Newman

Genre: Horror/ Short                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Synopsis:  Eat is a short story about a young college girl who gets kidnapped, knocked unconscious, and wakes up in a cell with another girl where an ominous voice orders them to "Eat". The author cleverly leaves it open as to what exactly they are eating.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Eat is a short story, and generally I am not a huge fan of short stories. It is surprisingly hard to get a short story right. For me, a short story should be an independent piece that leaves me as fulfilled at the end as reading a novel. Lee pulled this off quite nicely. 

The Good

This short story gave me the heebie jeebies! The opening scene actually takes place at the college I went to, and I had more than one night walking out of the library feeling that same anxiety. The author is pretty impressive writing this from a female perspective! I don't know, do guys have the same kind of creepy anxiety walking about at night? 

The Bad

And this is probably just me because others seemed to love this, but there was a very Alfred Hitchcock feel to the first part and then a very Saw-esque feel to the second part of the story.  I love Alfred Hitchcock, not a huge fan of Saw. It felt kind of disjointed, but it worked. 

The Ugly

Seriously, how could you end it that way, Lee?!?!?!? The "book" was too short and I got absolutely no closure.... which of course left me jumping at shadows for the next several nights. Oh, wait... I guess that was sort of the point! 

I love Lee's Dollar Dreadfuls (yeah, there are a whole series of shorts just as creepy as Eat!) but I prefer reading whole books, and this short story stuff just teases me! I hope Lee adapts some of these into full-length novels (ooh, or maybe combines some of them into one whole book.... creepy!!!) Stephen King has kind of fallen off with his scare factor, and I think we just found his predecessor. So, if you happen to see this humble review, write us a full-length creep fest Lee. I have been sleeping too soundly of late ;)

If you want to check out Lee's Dollar Dreadfuls, see his Smashwords page here:  https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/poormanpress

To purchase your own copy of Eat on Amazon, see the right side of the blog!

Don't forget to enter the raffle copter for the chance to win a free psychic eye pendent, also up on the right. 

Until next time, 

Keep Reading!

Review: Promises of Love and Good Behavior by Roderick Craig Low

Don't forget to keep an eye out on all the fun blog hop stops for Elements of a Broken Mind! In the mean time, here is one of the Book Reviews that you missed while I was swamped!


Genre: Drama.. Existential Drama, if we can make that a category.

Synopsis: A man reflects, along with his wife and with his lover, on the affair that ruined their marriage. James fell madly in love with Jude, for her wild "Northern way". Jude found James tolerable, but he was willing to give her the stability she craved, and agreed to an open marriage just as all their friends were having. Her sexual appetites met, Jude was happy.

But the one time James decides to take advantage of their open marriage, he falls madly in love with a young employee of his company, working in Czechoslovakia. He tells of how he planned to leave his wife to be with the lovely Anezka, and why it did not work out.

An interesting and twisted tale told in an elegant and surreal manner, reflecting the age-old drama of infidelity in a new and different light.

The Good

Generally, I am not a fan of drama's, especially those that involve infidelity. Blame my dad, and the misery he put my mom through, but I am never sympathetic for those who are involved in the affair! And yet, in this book I am very sympathetic for James. Caught in a marriage where his wife seems to look down on him for his sentimentalist behaviors, and forces him into an "open marriage" to satiate her own sexual desires. But the one affair he has in this open marriage, he is unable to separate the deed with his feelings.

And the unique and artistically elegant manner in which the background of the story plays out left me curious, enticed, and aesthetically pleased enough to bypass the mundane topic matter. (Yeah, yeah, I know, what is wrong with me that I cannot enjoy most fiction that takes place in our modern day and age?!)

Characters are on a stage and a chessboard, and the format left me wondering if there wasn't another story in there to be revealed at the end. Alas, I cannot say more, lest I give something away.

The Bad

The part that entertained me the most (the creative backdrop in which the author tells the story) is a little off-putting for those expecting a traditional drama... which this book is pitched as, for all intents and purposes. 

And (this is probably just me, but) There is not a significant difference in many ways between Anezka and Jude, save about 15 years.  She seems to laugh at James, because he is so sentimental. (though a bit more kindly than his wife, but she hasn't been with him as long, either!) His fascination with her seems just as... hmmm... shallow, for lack of a better word. it is all about her beauty.

The Ugly

Perhaps this says more about me, but the beautiful backdrop to which the story is told *Spoiler alert* is nothing more than that. I wanted to see that become some sort of sci-fi, or near-death aspect, but it was never explained. Also, though I appreciate the author's painting each character in ways in which the reader interprets (and has the ability to interpret) all of them as "just human" neither good, nor bad. Showing how each played their part in the affair, in the unwise choices that were made. And it is for these aspects that I generally don't like reading dramas.

Overall: I probably won't read this book again, but the author managed to take a drama and paint it in such a manner that picky old me actually was drawn forward. The last drama I read was a Piccoult novel and took me almost two weeks. This one I devoured in a matter of three days. The author has a dystopian novel that I am really looking forward to reading in the very near future!

If you want to try out this interesting and entertaining novel, you can buy it directly from the link on the right of this page!

Until next time,

Keep Reading!

Elements of a Broken Mind Blog Hop!

Hello everyone, For the month of September we are doing a blog hop for Elements of a Broken Mind.

We have already gotten some nice reviews on Goodreads. 

Tanya Golemo says " I loved the ending...I hated the endings...such a cliff hanger. I can't wait to read book 2 to see where Grant and Clear end up."

Sue Ellen Robertson says, "I enjoyed this book because it has a peak of all the various genres I enjoy and it doesn’t overcome you with an over abundance of descriptions and details. The scenarios that she introduces throughout makes you think that this could really happen and what would you do if either you or your daughter were in this kind of situation."

And Rebecca Trogner says, "I felt connected to the characters because of how well they were written and would love to see this become of series of books."

Well Rebecca, your wish is coming true! The next book in the series, Tenatively entitled Angel's Dance will be out the end of November, and so we are boosting up the first book in preparation for the launch! 

We will be giving away three psychic eye pendents made especially for the book.

So, enter the rafflecopter giveaway on the upper right hand corner of my page! Many of my blog hop participants will also be posting the giveaway on their sites, so go and check it out. Some of the entries can be done more than once, so take great advantage of that opportunity.

Your first stop for the blog hop should be to check out my blog talk radio interview on Shelf Stacker She did the interview back in June, but it was really amazing!

Next Saturday, September 12th Leona Says  will be posting a review on her blog.

Sunday September 22nd, we will have a review on roomwithbooks.com

And on Sunday the 29th we will be on Everythingmarie.com

There are several other reviewers out there who will be posting reviews, but we don't have firm dates for those posts. We will let you know as the event goes along! Hope to see everyone hopping around and having fun on this blog hop!

If you have a blog and would like to participate, please let me know. I am happy to do interviews, send free e-books and send the link to our rafflecopter giveaway! 

Have fun and read the book!

Soul Star at Salt Lake Comic Con

Hello Lovelies! Things have been so crazy lately trying to get ready for Comic Con and planning a blog hop (for this month) for Elements of a Broken Mind that I didn't realize until just now that the blog posts I had written in advance never posted for you guys! I am so sorry about that! I'll make sure they get posted soon.

But first, an update on how the con went! We had an AMAZING three days!

Our table was jam packed with great books from yours truly (I had Royal Prince Vince, which sold like hot cakes, and The Hunters which didn't do too badly. Author signings are one of a geek's favorite things! To be able to say and prove that we found it first is kind of a hobby of ours!) We also had Mike Dunbar's Hampton Summit and Lost Crew books, along with some fabulous bookmarks designed by moi and gorgeous necklaces themed for the books designed and created by Lisa Heckrotte. Author Gus Gallows had his new release of The Price of Honor there (which doesn't technically release until tomorrow, I believe, so those con-goers got pre-copies. Like I said, we love to find it first!) along with some more gorgeous bookmarks.  Last but not least, we had some mean-looking stakes designed by Fury herself, to represent The Hunters, and a stunning Psychic Eye pendent as merch. for Elements of a Broken Mind. Here is a great picture taken by my husband of just some of the products we had.

 We thought we were prepared, but no one was prepared for Salt Lake's 1st Comic Con to have record-breaking attendance! We had over 60,000 attendees (As compared to New York's first Comic Con where there were only 33,000). It was packed!

 The fire marshal threatened to shut the event down on three separate occasions.  Talk about a little bit stressful! But we found time to have a little fun, while pitching our wares.

Like when I saw the BEST Ichigo ever and just had to get a picture with him, sales be hanged!

Or when the Mystery team rolled in (I think that Fred had to wait with Scooby outside, as we were already WAY past capacity!)

Despite the fun, our main focus was on making enough money to pay for the con table and lunch. Sadly, we were not the only ones: 

But our comic con geeks did not let us down! They showed that although they love reading picture books, real books are almost as good. We made enough to cover our overhead and lure us to possibly renting another booth next year!

Were you at SLC's comic Con this year? What did you think of it? Did you get a chance to come by and say hi? Do you want to see us there next year as well? Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments below!

And for those of you who saw something you liked in our merch, the books are all available on Smashwords and you can get the link to their paperbacks on their individual books pages on Smashwords. The other snifty merch will be up on my website in the next couple of days.

Look forward to exciting bloghop news for Elements of a Broken Mind tomorrow!

(And I apologize now for the probably numerous errors in this blogpost, but homegirl did not get enough sleep in the last month. Don't worry, you will survive a few comma splices and grammar pain. At least, I will! I got a picture with Ichigo, everything is right in my world!)

Lost Crew: Book 2 in the Castleton Series Launches Today

Hello Lovelies!


So excited to announce that the second book in the Castleton Series  by Mike Dunbar launches today.

Book two is entitled The Lost Crew, and is an exciting read! We follow Mike, Nick and Patrick through time as they look for a time crew that has been lost. The time crew happens to consist of their friends Jen and Allie, and a neat new character named Bashir.

Lost Crew is a bit darker than Hampton Summit. The boys go back to the black days of the French Revolution when Madame Guillotine ruled. They find their comrades enslaved during Ancient Rome. Slavery has been a horrible part of the human tradition for so long. It is important, I think, for us to see that and accept it, while learning from it. There is some great beauty and humor as well. Learning about Scott Joplin, for one!

There are some great, deep lessons in this book, and I can't wait to read it with my boys!

Here is the beautiful cover for Lost Crew:

You can pick up the e-book on Smashwords.
Or the paperback on Createspace.
The Third book will launch in October, so no need to fret over having a super-long wait between books!

Until Next Time,
Keep Reading!

Review: Relic by Roy Hudson

Genre: Horror/drama

Synopsis: R.L. Simmons is an actor who made his career in the stereotypical horror role as the villain. Then he gets his break in a traditional role and is nominated for an award. One night he does an interview on The Richmond Show. Leaving the show he is struck by a drunk driver and horribly disfigured... in true Phantom fashion.

This begins a year of therapy and surgeries, and reclusive behavior. Through it all, his buddy and manager Derek sticks by him. Then Halloween comes. A time where he can cover his disfigured face with masks with none the wiser. During his ventures out he meets the lovely Julie Hawkes, a romance actress who is not even remotely concerned about his face. Unfortunately, there were more emotional scars than physical from the accident, and Relic's sanity unravels into a sordid and twisted mess of a world in which he cannot bear to lose the woman of his dreams.

The Good

This author is a new star worth watching. His character development, and the bonds he forms are charming and real. He brings pop culture references into the story to tie it to the real world and tickle our funny bones. I adore Derek and his commitment to Relic, his fear and frustrations at becoming the third wheel, and watching his best friend slowly change and spiral into insanity.

The Bad

Unlike The Odic Touch, there were moments especially towards the end of this story that felt forced. Thought processes that felt stilted. Having never been crazy, maybe that is how crazy people think... I don't know. But it wasn't the smooth flow that is frequently found in this author's writing.

The Ugly

This was actually really hard for me, being a HUGE Phantom of the Opera fan. Clearly the author is a big fan as well. He was going for a modern, realistic phantom-esque story. (He even says so in his forward.) And so I guess, for me, this set me up to hate the book from the beginning. If you aren't a huge phantom fan, then maybe it won't bother you nearly as much. But through the whole thing I kept referencing my fond memories and attachments to the characters of the Phantom of the Opera. It didn't have the same depth, the same societal challenges, or even the same passionate romance. What would have been a good story, once compared to the love of my life, became bland and irritating as an attempt of comparison. Something I probably would never have come to had the author not put it right there in my face at the very beginning, before even reading the book.

Overall

That being said, if you are not a huge fan of The Phantom of the Opera, and you like a good psychological horror with a splash of romance, then this book is definitely for you! As I said, this author is one worth watching, and I am eagerly awaiting his next book! You can purchase a copy from the link above and on the right.



Until Next Time, 

Keep Reading!

Elements of a Broken Mind, Hot New Psychic Thriller Now Out

Hello my lovelies! I am proud to announce that Elements of a Broken Mind, the first book in the Clear Angel Chronicles is now out! If you love psychic detective stories, this is definitely one to add to your reading list!
Here is the paperback cover, courtesy of a collaboration between John Harrison and me.

Isn't that just gorgeous?

Here is the back cover blurb:

Grant Anderson is a small-town detective whose job was quiet and easy until three girls end up dead. A serial killer is stalking the young ladies in his town. Without the high tech equipment of the big cities at his fingertips, Grant must rely on good old-fashioned police work; but with no discernable pattern and no clues to follow, the case seems to be grinding to a halt. 

Then Grant gets a visit from a mysterious young woman. Who is Clear Angel? What is her connection to the case? If Grant is to believe her, then he must accept that she has "seen" these things. But Grant is a professional. He cannot  believe in psychics! Yet when another girl goes missing, and Grant's search is yielding nothing, he is desperate enough to try.

Clear Angel has always been  special. Seclusion has kept the nightmares at bay. Then the nightmares begin again. Are they premonitions of events to come? Are they the sick fantasies of a madman? 

  Then one evening she runs into a stranger and finds out that not only are they real, but they are happening in her home town. After a lifetime of running and hiding from what she can dow, she is now forced to reach out to the most unlikely person in an effort to save innocent girls, and perhaps the world!

Grant and Clear team up to stop a madman bent on the destruction of the world. As their feelings for one another grow, they try to deny them. But when Clear goes missing, Grant must face his feelings and saver her before it is too late.

You can get  an e-book version from Smashwords.

The paperback version is available from Createspace or you can order it from your local bookstore!

If you would like a free e-copy for review, please let me know in the comments below. I am giving out fifty copies, and they are going quick! Let me know the link to your blog, where you will post the reviews, and what e-mail addess you would like to send your free copy!

Until next time,
Happy Reading!