Dianne Ascroft - Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves - Review & Giveaway

About the Book

Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves is a collection of half a dozen short stories with Irish connections. Tales of outsiders who discover they belong, a humorous slice of life yarn, heartwarming love stories and a tale of taming fear. The shadows are on the wall, in the heart and clouding a woman’s memories while tangible foes tramp through the physical landscape. The stories were previously printed individually in a variety of publications, including Ireland’s Own magazine, Dead Ink Books’ website, and the anthologies, Fermanagh Miscellany and Tuesdays At Charlie’s.

My Review

This tiny anthology explores an all-emcompassing topic - fear. What holds us back. Why we cling to crazy notions. How we paralyze ourselves into apathy. Dianne Ascroft has a keen eye for observing the little things in life that many overlook. It's a writer's mentality for noticing the bigger picture among the miscellaneous details of everyday life. The daily monotony of going to work, doing the chores, taking care of children doesn't have to be humdrum, if we can develop an appreciation for the beauty hidden within the ordinary.

Ascroft ferrets that out in her stories, redirecting our gaze and encouraging us to look beyond what meets the eye for the deeper, underlying meaning. Nighttime sounds aren't so menacing when you have someone to share the loneliness with. Mucking out a stall isn't so bad when the man you're attracted to shows up to lend a hand. Living in another country isn't so hard when you have a piece of home to take with you. Listening to your nagging mother sometimes is the best course of action. And stalking a man on a church's webcam can lead to him asking you out.

When all of the strong, compassionate women in these stories face their fears, they're able to let go and experience life to the fullest. Sometimes, we're our own worst enemy. We don't take care of our health because we care more about our job. We don't take a minute to talk to a neighbor because we have things that have to get done. We don't stick around a social event because we feel awkward or out of place. But it's only when we put ourselves out there, that amazing things can happen. Things we never expected were even possible. And that's the kick in the pants, Dianne Ascroft brings to us. Don't ever shut life out. The journey's way too exciting to sit on the sidelines.

***

Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves can be purchased at:
Amazon U.S., Amazon U.K.

Price/Format: $1.16 ebook
Pages: 39
Genre: Romance, Short Story Collection
Release: June 16, 2012
Click to add to your Goodreads list.


About the Author

Dianne Ascroft is an urban Canadian who has settled in rural Northern Ireland with her husband and an assortment of strong willed animals. She writes contemporary and historical fiction with an Irish connection. She has released the short story collection, Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves and a novel, Hitler and Mars Bars. Her articles and stories have been printed in Irish and Canadian magazines and newspapers as well as in anthologies by Writers Abroad, Fermanagh Writers and Fermanagh Authors’ Association.

Links to connect with Dianne:
Web Site
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Blog Tour Site


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James Moser - Chasing Prophecy - Review & Giveaway

About the Book

Mo is a shy teen who is just trying to survive high school. He has secretly fallen in love with a girl named Prophecy who lives with a group that some call a commune and others call a cult. When she disappears, Mo must find the courage to face the monster that her family has become. Chasing Prophecy is a contemporary coming of age story that is heartwarming, suspenseful, and beautifully written. This book chronicles the adolescence of one boy who must transform himself to save the girl of his dreams.

***

A stellar read for teens and adults, full of hilarious growing pains, tenderness and a few surprises. Moser’s debut is an unflinching young-adult novel that sees a group of friends tested by bigotry and the illegal machinations of a religious cult. The author serves up an irresistibly wisecracking narrator in Mo Kirkland. Every page ripples with a controlled cleverness. There’s also a rawness to this tale similar to that which many teens face in the real world. Moser can wax rhapsodic about young love, but he shows that he knows how to raise the tension in the second half of the novel. -Kirkus Reviews

My Review

This young adult novel doesn't rely on one plot device, it makes use of several. A religious cult. Meth dealing. Bigfoot sightings. High school bullying. It takes on a lot of subject matter that you wouldn't think would mesh together into a coherent whole, but somehow it does. James Moser dips his hand into his bag of tricks again and again, coming up with something new around every turn. The end result is a unique conglomeration that keeps the reader engaged and involved. I'll say this for CHASING PROPHECY, it never gets boring.

Throughout the book, Moser opens up a lot of serious topics for discussion. Are the people at the commune being brainwashed to go along with the corrupt change in leadership? What happens when minors are forced to mule crystal meth over the Canadian border at gunpoint? How does a young girl react when she suspects her mother was viciously murdered? Those are some heavy issues, yet the book maintains a light-hearted vibe. Not that it doesn't take these things seriously, but they're being viewed from the perspective of a teenage boy. One minute he's thinking about kissing a girl and the next he's being interrogated by a U.S. Marshal. The juxtaposition of such varying moods can be tricky, but Moser handles each shift in tempo with a sure hand. He's not stringing the reader along or dismissing the severity of any given situation. He's just providing some levity whenever he thinks the story calls for it. And throughout the narrative, he's pretty much right on target.

So many of the details created such a vivid picture in my mind's eye. The photo of the cult members grouped in alphabetical order, each holding an identical newspaper. Creepy. The blackmail tactics of snapping a photo of two teenage boys holding bags of meth when they didn't even know what they were holding. Twisted. A young girl curling into a fetal position upon learning about the horrific death of her mother. Heartbreaking. Moser nails every beat of the story.

The only element I didn't think was absolutely necessary was the paranormal subplot, but I can see where Moser was going with it. The whole Bigfoot story line portrays the creature as a sentinel in the wilderness, watching out for the good of mankind. His presence is especially felt in the last few chapters. Usually, I'd roll my eyes at such a cameo appearance, but instead it made me smile. These kids have been through so much, that it felt good to know that someone had their back after a lot of the adults in their life let them down. It was heartening to see them championed from such an unexpected source. It's definitely one of those Boo Radley type, feel good moments that'll give you goosebumps. I know it made me want to stand up and cheer.

***

Chasing Prophecy can be purchased at:
Amazon, Smashwords

Prices/Formats: $2.99 ebook
Pages: 237
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Paranormal
Publisher: Skookum Trail
Release: December 31, 2013
Click to add to your Goodreads list.


About the Author

James Moser has always loved stories in all forms. He is in his fourteenth year of working with high school students. The author’s goal was to write a book that would inspire even his most reluctant readers. Young adults have always inspired him. As such, he wanted to show teenagers transforming themselves to overcome obstacles, which is what he watches them do, every day.

Moser has a B.A. in English and a Master’s degree in Secondary English Education. He lives in Seattle with his beautiful wife and eight year old son. When he’s not reading and writing, or thinking about reading and writing, he’s watching way too much television while snacking on frozen treats from Trader Joe’s. Man, those things are good.

Links to connect with James:
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Blog Tour Site


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Michael F. Stewart - The Terminals - Review & Giveaway

About the Book

- Sometimes the dead don’t want to talk.
You need Terminals to make them. -

Terminals solve crimes in this realm by investigating them in the next.

Lt. Col. Christine Kurzow, fresh from a failed suicide attempt after she cost 11 of her soldiers their lives, is recruited into the covert unit of Terminals as a handler. It's an easy sell. If she's really determined to die, it’s a chance to give her death meaning.

But her first case—convincing a monk to chase Hillar the Killer into the afterlife to find the location of a missing bus and the children it carried—has her wondering how to make a dead psychopath talk.

Christine must follow the clues sent back by the shotgun-toting monk, who tracks Hillar through the seven deeps of hell, so she can find eleven kids before it’s too late.

Maybe this time killing a man will give Christine a reason to live.

**The Television and Film production rights have been sold to Jim Donovan (Best Director 2013, Canadian Screen Awards) and on to his partners of Sudden Storm Entertainment.

My Review

It's rare to find an author with a finger on the pulse of popular culture, yet imaginative enough to give a new spin on things. Michael F. Stewart is in the world, but not of the world and I love that about his writing. The paranormal is so hot right now. From TV shows like GHOST HUNTERS and GHOST ADVENTURES to movies like THE CONJURING and INSIDIOUS, it's safe to say that most of us are intrigued with the concept of communicating with the dead.

But in THE TERMINALS, Stewart takes it one step further. He turns this fascination into a covert unit of the government where terminally ill patients are euthanized in order to interrogate criminals in the afterlife. Kind of like combining a death penalty lethal injection with Dionne Warwick's Psychic Network. A plunging needle is the gateway into immortality. Crystal doorknobs serve as walkie talkies. A descent into the bowels of hell is the likely destination when hunting down murderers. Yet there are eager volunteers (a.k.a. Terminals) lined up in the hallway, awaiting their turn to serve, ready to leave this realm and explore the next. Whether or not it's for the good of humanity is hard to say.

I've never read a book quite like THE TERMINALS. It's gripping, yet emotionally taxing. There's a lot of twisted behavior going on. Children's eyelids are sewed back. Unsuspecting cops are immersed in a bath of sulfuric acid. Rats run rampant over dead body parts. And that's just the stuff here on Earth. That doesn't even get into the tortures that await the poor souls who willingly give up their lives to enter the devil's playground.

There's a quote from one Terminal that is telling of the book's premise, "Listen, don't fixate so much on death. It doesn't matter. When we are alive, we are not dead, and when we are dead, we are no longer alive. There is no in-between. No dying. It is the dying that most people fear."

Are these willing victims (Terminals) just after a compassionate death? Free of pain and the misery of lingering too long. They want to cross over and do so with a purpose. They've been recruited for these missions. They seek to help complete strangers, who they've never even met before, obtain some answers and find some closure. Even if it's not a guarantee for themselves.

It's a heady concept. Like taking organ donation to a whole new interactive level. The only thing required is sharing the same religious philosophy as the recently deceased. That stamps a Terminal's passport for the right region of the afterlife. Once the intended destination is clear, they're able to track down the criminals and hopefully bring them to justice by making them talk. It's a divine mercy squad that aids the living from the depths of the beyond.

Stewart's novel is bold. It's not for the faint of heart, but I think it has a wide crossover appeal. Science fiction fans will relish in the creature-ladden slog through hell. Paranormal readers will devour the clairvoyant possibilities of lifting the veil between life and death. Lovers of suspense thrillers will salivate over the clues dropped in a scavenger hunt leading to various apocalyptic crime scenes. Devotees of military mysteries will ponder the scope of the coverup and how this top secret operation is being hidden from the public.

But above all, if you want something original, Stewart's your guy. He's a truly talented indie writer, making a name for himself on his own steam. Even if parts of the book make you uncomfortable because they veer toward the overly graphic, he always reels you back in with his high level of storytelling. No one ever wants to go to hell, but if you're going to go, go with Stewart. He makes a destination we all think we know so well come alive in a way that will leave you marveling at his creativity.

***

The Terminals can be purchased at:
Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Formats: ebook, paperback
Pages: 310
Genre: Paranormal, Thriller, Mystery
Release: April 15, 2014
Click to add to your Goodreads list.


About the Author

Michael F. Stewart is the author of the Assured Destruction series, which sprawls across 3 books, 2 websites, 1 blog, 7 Twitter accounts, tumblr, Facebook, and 6 graphic origin stories. He likes to combine storytelling with technology and pioneered interactive storytelling with Scholastic Canada, Australia and New Zealand’s, anti-cyberbullying program Bully For You. He has authored four graphic novels with Oxford University Press Canada’s award winning Boldprint series. Publications of nonfiction titles on Corruption and Children’s Rights published by Rubicon Publishing as well as early readers with Pearson are all forthcoming in 2014 and 2015.

For adults, Michael has written THE SAND DRAGON a horror about a revenant prehistoric vampire set in the tar sands, HURAKAN a Mayan themed thriller which pits the Maya against the MS-13 with a New York family stuck in the middle, 24 BONES an urban fantasy which draws from Egyptian myth, and THE TERMINALS—a covert government unit which solves crimes in this realm by investigating them in the next. This series has already been optioned for film and television.

Herder of four daughters, Michael lives to write in Ottawa where he runs free writing workshops for teens and adults.

Links to connect with Michael:
Web Site
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Blog Tour Site


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