Category: reviews

Blog Tour: Flotsam by RJ Theodore

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

Hey guys! So happy to share this blog tour post about author RJ Theodore’s “Flotsam”. My review for this incredible book went up a few weeks ago, so be sure to check that out by clicking here! Otherwise, I hope you enjoy this amazing information and hope you’ll grab your own copy of this wonderful book today!

Flotsam - R J Theodore

R J Theodore has a new Science Fantasy Steampunk book out: Flotsam. And there’s a giveaway!

Captain Talis just wants to keep her airship crew from starving, and maybe scrape up enough cash for some badly needed repairs. When an anonymous client offers a small fortune to root through a pile of atmospheric wreckage, it seems like an easy payday. The job yields an ancient ring, a forbidden secret, and a host of deadly enemies.

Now on the run from cultists with powerful allies, Talis needs to unload the ring as quickly as possible. Her desperate search for a buyer and the fallout from her discovery leads to a planetary battle between a secret society, alien forces, and even the gods themselves.

Talis and her crew have just one desperate chance to make things right before their potential big score destroys them all.

Warnings: genocide plots, bigotry, racism, classism, obsessive ex-lover, violence, gore, grief and loss, religious dogma, law breaking, manipulation, hostage situations, claustrophobia, anxiety, frustration, guilt, lies and deception, betrayal

Publisher | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CAN | iBooks | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks| Author Site | Goodreads

About the Series:

On a planet cracked open by ancient magic, outlaws and pirates are the only ones with what it takes to save Peridot from its next apocalyptic threat.

Giveaway

R J is giving away a $20 gift card to Bookshop.org with this tour:

a Rafflecopter giveawayhttps://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Direct Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b60e8d47223/?

Excerpt

Flotsam Banner

Talis descended toward the sparkling layer of trash below her feet. Generations of detritus, coated in frost, shifted slowly and caught the light. She hung in open skies, a tiny dark figure on an impossibly thin thread. Her airship, Wind Sabre, lurked in the shadow of a small island above her like the hoarbeasts that lurked in the garbage below. Around her, the shrapnel of Peridot’s tectonic crust peppered the skies, tiny islands not big enough to park a chair on.

She might have said the chance to do something reckless like this was half the reason she was in her line of work. But there was no one to bluff except her crew on the other end of the comm—Dug, Tisker, and Sophie—and she owed them more than words. She owed them a job that didn’t end up costing more than it paid. She owed them a ship that wasn’t in constant want of repairs. She owed them a ship worthy of being called a home.

A soft click sounded in the comm of her helmet, and Dug’s voice cut through the quiet sounds of her rapid heartbeat and quick breaths. The voice tube transmission made him sound small and far away. “Progressing well, captain. How much farther do you need?”

Talis unclenched her jaw to answer. “I’d guess I’m just about halfway down. Can’t make out any details yet.”

“Understood. There is plenty of length on the winch.” Her first mate’s voice was low and even, though his syllables were tight as a guitar string. Dug was worried.

The bulky descent suit didn’t make it any easier to see the view below her. It was a one-size-fits-all antique, big enough to wear over her clothes. Big enough that Dug, who towered above her and was thick with muscle—could have worn it, if he was so worried. It was designed to keep her body heat in, and it was most definitely doing that. The musty wool lining felt moist after the short time she’d had it on. Her breath fogged the glass dome that protected her from the thin air, even though she wore a scarf over her mouth. Yet her fingers were still getting stiff with the cold. She could have worn thicker gloves if she was just going down to strap up a large object to tow out. But this time her quarry was smaller than that, and thinner gloves provided better dexterity.

From this distance, the garbage below her looked deceptively beautiful. A lazy flow of icy shapes caught the green light from Nexus, and their reflected light sparkled through the fogging on her helmet. It wasn’t hard to imagine why there were so many stories about treasure down below.

And there was treasure down there. Or, reckless or not, she wouldn’t be dropping into it. The flotsam layer was where the dead went to be forgotten. Dead people. Dead ships. Dead technologies. Gravity trapped it all there. Kept it from dropping out of Peridot’s atmosphere on the bottom side and drifting off into the stars. Silus Cutter created the hoarbeasts centuries ago to prowl the frozen wreckage and clean things up a bit with their vicious, crunching jaws and fang-lined throats. Did her god intend for those beasts to prefer the frozen flesh of bodies to the wrecks? She wouldn’t ask if she got the chance; she was here for the latter and glad to have the chance.

If things went wrong, Talis would be on the menu, too. But the contract for this salvage made it worth the risk. She could make a lot of overdue repairs on Wind Sabre with the payoff. Her crew had been enthusiastic about the operation when she proposed it, knowing what kind of money a salvage might bring in. Better than the transport jobs she’d scrounged up of late. Not one of the trio had volunteered to make the descent, though.

“You’re the reckless one, Cap,” Tisker told her at the time. The cheeky helmsman got away with the comment. He always did. His crooked, infectious grin and sparkling, deceptively innocent eyes transformed every gibe into a morale boost.

Details emerged, just a couple lengths below Talis. Large shapes at first. Broken hulls of ships tangled in their own lift canvasses. A roof, a wagon. An old tree trunk. Anything organic or burnable should have been composted or used for fuel, not pitched over island edge. But those hadn’t always been the rules. Seventy-something generations back to the Cataclysm that fractured Peridot and the Re-Creation that made it what it was now. Seventy-something generations of garbage and waste swirled in the gravity trap. And down here, nothing ever decayed.

Soon she got close enough to see movement: the hoarbeasts pulling themselves across the wrecks, their undersides a chaos of tentacles. Their bodies flashing gray and silver in an imitation of the flotsam. They moved above and below the gravity line, scanning the field of garbage with cavernous eyes and probing the jetsam with sensitive, bobbing whiskers. Always in search of fresh additions to the flotsam layer. In search of food. In search of the dead.

And they would find them.

Mostly Cutter folk. Some Vein. Even a Rakkar or two. The Bone fed their dead to the ravens and kept the bones, but still ended up in flotsam. Usually lost with their ships. No Breakers, of course. Their population was finite and, as far as the ages since Re-Creation had proven out, didn’t die of natural causes.

If they couldn’t find dead flesh, they’d be perfectly happy to accept the living.

Continuing to descend, Talis was far too aware of such things. Her brother had tormented her with stories of the hoarbeasts when she was a child, and she grew up convinced they clung to the bottom of her bed the way they latched onto the hulls of airships that flew too low, too close to flotsam. Convinced that their tentacles and their long, sharp teeth would find her in the dark.

In her forties now, and captain of a smuggling ship that had taken on many a perilous contract, she still didn’t sleep with her feet hanging off her mattress.

Author Bio

R J Theodore

R J Theodore is an author, graphic designer, podcaster, and all-around collector of creative endeavors and hobbies. She enjoys writing about magic-infused technologies, first contact events, and bioluminescing landscapes.

Her love of SFF storytelling developed through grabbing for anything-and-everything “unicorn” as a child, but she was subverted by tales of distant solar systems when her brother introduced her to Star Trek: The Next Generation at age seven. A few years later, Sailor Moon taught her stories can have both.

She lives in New England, haunted by her childhood cat. Find more information at rjtheodore.com.

Author Website: https://rjtheodore.com/

Author Facebook (Author Page): https://facebook.com/RJTheodore

Author Twitter: https://twitter.com/bittybittyzap

Author Instagram: https://instagram.com/bittybittyzap

Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17166271.R_J_Theodore

Author Liminal Fiction (LimFic.com): https://www.limfic.com/mbm-book-author/r-j-theodore/

Author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B073ZLVGMM

Other Worlds Ink logo

Executive Coaching: The Ultimate Success Blueprint You Need as a New Executive to Get The Best Business Results by Robert Moment Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Author Robert Moment takes readers on a journey to discover how leaders can find the skills to become a success and strong leaders in the book, “Executive Coaching: The Ultimate Success Blueprint You Need as a New Executive to Get The Best Business Results”. 

Advertisements

The Synopsis

Are you a new executive leader who needs a blueprint for success and has untapped potential?

Do you want to release it and be an even stronger and more effective leader as a result?

This book will show you how to do it!

Every leader wants to be the best they can be; to inspire, motivate, display strength and be decisive. Most leaders have unexploited skills that lurk beneath the surface and with little idea of how to make the most of them. Of course, there are ways that these abilities can be brought to bear and the good news is that it’s easier than you might think.

With this book, Executive Coaching, you will find that releasing your additional unlocked potential can be achieved with a few adjustments to the way you operate, such as:

  • Knowing your executive value
  • Leveraging your skills for maximum performance
  • The FAST method to becoming an effective leader
  • Developing successful leadership skills
  • Problem solving skills to deal with today uncertain business challenges
  • Turning problems into opportunities
  • Effective success habits for you to adopt

And lots more…

Executive Coaching book will give you the tools to get the business results you want today.

The Review

The author did such a fantastic job of crafting a well-developed outline of the steps would-be leaders and readers can take to become the executive leaders they were meant to be. Through simple yet effective steps, the author showed readers how to elevate the skills and untapped potential already within themselves to become the leaders their work needs them to be. 

The outline and steps the author mapped out in this book were both effective and thought-provoking. One section that stood out to me was the ability of an executive leader to have a good Emotional Intelligence or EQ. Studying and allowing oneself to understand their own ability to control their emotions, as well as the ability to recognize, empathize, and identify with the emotions of those working with or under you. As someone who has recognized the effects of emotional intelligence playing out in front of me, it was refreshing to see a business and inspirational-led book take a look into this side of things.

The Verdict

Thoughtful, educational, and engaging, author Robert Moment’s “Executive Coaching: The Ultimate Success Blueprint You Need as a New Executive to Get The Best Business Results” is a must-read nonfiction book of 2022, and the perfect read for executive leaders or those who want to move into higher positions within their fields. In a thorough and well-researched business and motivational book, the author does a great job of connecting with readers and providing the tools to unlock the skills that already exist within the reader. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements
Interview with Author Robert Moment
Mentally Strong Entrepreneur Review

About the Author

Robert Moment is an ICF Certified Executive Coach and ICF Certified Emotional Intelligence Expert. I help new executives achieve peak performance by identifying and removing their blind spots.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lifecoachrobertmoment

Interview with Author Marlon Buchanan

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviews1 Comment

1) Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into writing?

My name is Marlon Buchanan and I’m an IT Director in Seattle. Over my career, I’ve been a software engineer, a business analyst, a project manager, and a college instructor. I have worked in many industries and I have found that I like jobs and industries where I am directly helping people achieve their goals.

I’ve always been into writing. In my jobs, I’ve co-written books and written many technical documents. I started blogging (HomeTechHacker.com) a few years ago because I wanted to write more and help people by sharing my experiences with home technology.

Advertisements

2) What inspired you to write your book?

 It has been a lifelong dream of mine to publish a book. I’ve always had a love of books and a love of helping people and writing is one way for me to put these things together. I’ve researched writing a book many times over the years. But a couple of years ago I decided to truly commit to it and write The Smart Home Manual: How to Automate Your Home to Keep Your Family Entertained, Comfortable, and Safe. I learned a lot through that process and enjoyed it so I decided I’d keep writing books, which led to my current book, The Home Network Manual.

3) What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

I hope after readers finish reading The Home Network Manual they have the confidence to build a home computer network that meets or even exceeds their needs. I hope they have gained a full understanding of all the key components, how they work together, and which components are right for their situation.

4) What drew you into this particular genre?

I’ve worked in the IT industry for over 25 years. I’ve also always tinkered and improved my home network myself, and I’ve helped many other people do the same. Through my experiences as an instructor, giving many trainings, and previous writing I decided that my best genre would be making technical topics accessible to anyone, starting with something very important in today’s world: your home technology.

5) What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

I am primarily on Twitter (@HomeTechHacker). I get the most responses and interaction on this platform and I’ve been able to find and engage with many people who are interested in the same topics I am. Also, it doesn’t take much time to write a tweet!

6) What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

I can speak best to non-fiction authors. I would encourage them to commit the time and write in areas that they are experts or can easily learn based on their past experiences. I also encourage reading other similar books and writing a very good and detailed outline before writing. Everyone’s author mind works in different ways, but this is what works for me.

Also, they should be prepared to deal with a lot of things that aren’t writing. Finding and working with an editor, a cover designer, a book formatter, coming up with and executing a marketing plan — these take as much time as writing. But it is all worth it for the accomplishment! And, you can do it!

7) What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

I plan to keep blogging at HomeTechHacker.com. I have lots of reviews and how-to articles coming. I have started researching and outlining my next book topic, cybersecurity. I touch on home network security in The Home Network Manual, but I’m going to go cover cybersecurity more broadly in my next book. I think protecting your digital assets, your identity, and your online reputation are critical and everyone needs to take steps to do so. In my next book, I hope to lay out in plain language how to protect yourself from hackers and other bad actors.

Advertisements
The Home Network Manual Review

About the Author

Marlon Buchanan’s genuine interest in home networks shines through in his writing. Taking what’s often considered a boring topic and making it palatable and even exciting is no small feat, yet Marlon manages to do this and more. His invaluable experience and expertise can help anyone from beginner to pro tackle and manage their home network concerns. He holds a bachelor’s in computer science and engineering from MIT and master’s degrees in business administration and software engineering from Seattle University. He works as an IT Director but was previously a software engineer, business analyst, and college instructor.

Marlon currently resides in Seattle with his wife and kids and hopes to make home technology topics common knowledge.

HomeTechHacker.com Blog: https://HomeTechHacker.com

Author Site: https://MarlonBuchanan.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HomeTechHacker

Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/HomeTechHacker

Instagram: https://instagram.com/HomeTechHacker

Facebook: https://facebook.com/HomeTechHacker

Saving Thomas by Scott Kauffman Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

A reporter still reeling from his wife’s death finds himself confronted by the past when someone he met in his childhood resurfaces as a war hero from WWII, and he must uncover the mysteries behind the man’s service and his identity in an effort to recover a lost friendship and save his job in the process in author Scott Kauffman’s “Saving Thomas”.

Advertisements

The Synopsis

After his wife’s death, reporter Jeremy Michaels concentrates on writing news stories that try to bring justice to the underdogs of the world, until an announcement by Buckingham Palace shatters his glass cocoon. The village hermit from the hometown Jeremy fled is to be knighted for still-classified services during World War II, a man Jeremy knows well from a certain childhood adventure.

The editor of the newspaper Jeremy writes for sends him back home to find out why, but he is scooped by the hometown paper’s revelation that the man worked inside the French Resistance. Yet the knighthood is refused, and Jeremy’s chance to save his job—and an old friendship—lies in discovering the truth.

The Review

The balance and engagement the author made with the reader throughout this novel were incredible. The attention to realism when it came to the memories and events of the war and the psychological and emotional impact it left on characters was so eloquently crafted, as was the cruelty and vicious nature of war in general. The imagery played a heavy hand in these scenes, as did the contrast between that dark past and the struggles of the more modern age.

The characters were the true heart of this narrative. The emotional struggles within protagonist Jeremy were so painful yet honest to approach, as his struggles with his wife’s loss mixed with his need to find the truth and the conflict over his childhood events. Thomas’s vision and POV really honed in on the war narrative, and the toll it takes on a person when confronted with that haunting past. Yet it was how these characters found one another, came together, and both the strengths each had and the pitfalls they found as time went on that made this narrative so engrossing. 

The Verdict

Haunting, brilliantly written, and entertaining in its delivery, author Scott Kauffman’s “Saving Thomas” is a must-read novel of 2022 for fans of historical mysteries. The layered path readers had to take to uncover the mystery was well-paced and did a great job of balancing the history with the mystery itself. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Advertisements

About the Author

Scott claims his fiction career began with a in-class book report written in Mrs. Baer’s eighth-grade English class when, due to a conflict of priorities, he failed to read the book. An exercise of imagination was required. Scott snagged a B, better than the C he received on his last report when he actually read the book. Thus began his life-long apprenticeship as a teller of tales and, some would snidely suggest, as a lawyer as well, but they would be cynics, a race Oscar Wilde warned us knew the price of everything and the value of nothing. Scott is the author of the legal-suspense novel, In Deepest Consequences, and a recipient of the 2011 Mighty River Short Story Contest and the 2010 Hackney Literary Award. His short fiction has been appeared in Big Muddy, Adelaide Magazine, and Lascaux Review. He is now at work on two novel manuscripts and a collection of short stories. He is an attorney in Irvine, California, where his practice focuses upon white-collar crime and tax litigation with his clients providing him endless story fodder. He graduated summa cum laude from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and in the upper ten percent of his class from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, where he was a member of the Environmental Law Review and received the American Jurisprudence Award in Conflict of Laws.

https://scottkauffman.net/

The Home Network Manual: The Complete Guide to Setting Up, Upgrading, and Securing Your Home Network by Marlon Buchanan Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviews2 Comments

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Learn how to set up a secure and reliable home network while learning about the basic components that make up a home network in author Marlon Buchanan’s “The Home Network Manual: The Complete Guide to Setting Up, Upgrading, and Securing Your Home Network”.

Advertisements

The Synopsis

Learn everything you need to know about perfecting your home network in one simple guide.

Do you need to build or upgrade your home network, but aren’t sure where to begin? Would you like your home network to be fast, stable, and secure?

After reading The Home Network Manual you’ll know:

– The components that make up a home network

– The right way to set up a home network from scratch

– Which devices will give you the best home network

– Tips for making your home network fast

– How to have reliable Wi-Fi throughout your home

– How to diagnose and fix common home network problems

– How to secure your home network from hackers

…And so much more!

Having a fast, stable, and secure home network is more important now than ever. After reading this book, you’ll be equipped with all the tools and information you need to have the trouble-free, fast, and secure home network you need.

If getting every device in your home on your home network has been a chore, or if you’re putting up with situations like your video streaming services buffering every few moments, your online games kicking you because your Wi-Fi drops, or your Zoom sessions fuzzing out and freezing into that impossible to understand robot voice, then you need to read this book!

Keep yourself and your family safe in the digital age. Make sure everything is running the best it can, and learn what you need to know about your home network. Troubleshoot your issues and be the hero that saves your family grief in their day-to-day online experiences.

The Review

This was such a thoughtful and engaging way to relate the information concerning home network installation and care to the average reader. The pointed and efficient way the author covered the intricacies and details of the book really allowed the reader to feel a sense of understanding and accomplishment when working towards understanding their own home networking capabilities. 

The style and tone the author deploys into their writing were superb. The book finds that perfect harmonious chord of balance between the educational study of skill or profession while infusing humor and personal stories to make the learning process that much more engaging. The book flows smoothly and the author really does an amazing job of covering the basics needed to understand how to work a person’s home networking system. 

The Verdict

Thought-provoking, authentic, and engaging for readers who enjoy learning about computers and setting up home networks, be sure to grab your copy of author Marlon Buchanan’s “The Home Network Manual: The Complete Guide to Setting Up, Upgrading, and Securing Your Home Network” today! The relatability and the author’s means of relaying information about the installation for the average reader. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

Marlon Buchanan’s genuine interest in home networks shines through in his writing. Taking what’s often considered a boring topic and making it palatable and even exciting is no small feat, yet Marlon manages to do this and more. His invaluable experience and expertise can help anyone from beginner to pro tackle and manage their home network concerns. He holds a bachelor’s in computer science and engineering from MIT and master’s degrees in business administration and software engineering from Seattle University. He works as an IT Director but was previously a software engineer, business analyst, and college instructor.

Marlon currently resides in Seattle with his wife and kids and hopes to make home technology topics common knowledge.

Teddy Loses His Ears by Christine Milkovic Krauss (Illustration by Cierra Van Nes) Review 

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviews1 Comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A young kitten suffers an injury and learns to find acceptance in author Christine Milkovic Krauss’s “Teddy Loses His Ears”.

Advertisements

The Synopsis

Teddy is a rescue cat who lost his ears from frostbite. Teddy has inspired a series of stories with his true-life adventures that share relatable messages of kindness and acceptance. Teddy hopes that his stories will raise awareness to the organizations that saved his life, and thousands of other animals’ lives every year.

The Review

This was such a heartwarming and memorable children’s book. Illustrator Cierra Van Nes does an amazing job of conveying the emotions and heart of this narrative through warm character artwork and cold yet inviting wintery settings. The story reads smoothly and adds a great sense of bonding between parents and their children as they read this book together. 

The overall theme and message of the story are so heartfelt and emotional to read. The loss of Teddy’s ears showcases to children the need to love and accept those who may appear to be different from us because no matter what they are still the same people we’ve always known and cared for. As someone who is disabled physically and as someone who has had an injured pet in the past (a black lab with a permanently injured leg), it was fantastic to see such representation and a positive message conveyed in a beautiful way.

The Verdict

Memorable, heartening, and entertaining to read, author Christine Milkovic Krauss’s “Teddy Loses His Ears” is a must-read children’s book. A story of hope, of love, and of acceptance, the bond between parent and their child, as well as a pet and their families, is so expertly woven together and creates an overall beautiful reading experience that cannot be missed. Be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

I am a full time essential services worker and mom of two primary school-aged children. My kids enjoy choosing books from the school library and I’m always genuinely impressed with the messages of acceptance and kindness in the stories they select for us to read together. During the pandemic, we had to get creative to keep our home an exciting and positive space that we all wanted to spend a lot of time at! Our entire family loves animals, so we decided to foster a litter of kittens over the Christmas Holidays. They brought so much joy into our lives, that we planned to continue to foster animals as much as possible! Then we saw Teddy. Teddy just belonged with our family and we knew it the moment we met him. Since that day, he has made our family feel complete. His uniqueness and character has inspired a series of stories that we hope to share with other avid child readers that love animals!

Writing Well For Work and Pleasure by Robert Kelsey Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Author Robert Kelsey takes readers on a journey of discovery to learn the craft and skills needed to write the book you’ve always wanted to write in his book, “Writing Well for Work and Pleasure”. 

Advertisements

The Synopsis

The New Writer’s Guide to Producing Fearless Content 

Everyone has that fabled “book in them” but not everyone has the talent to write it. Right? Wrong. Great writing’s not a talent. It’s a craft. It can be taught and learnt, affording everyone the confidence to express themselves in words.   

Writing Well for Work & Pleasure teaches you how to start your writing project and how to keep going. It deconstructs the elements of writing – creating a step-by-step process for generating content that’s ready for publication. With tips on style, eloquence and finding your voice, it also teaches you how to write for different audiences, including professionals, the public, students, customers and even your opponents. And it helps writers talk to editors, publishers and other industry insiders. 

This book is for professionals and academics wanting to write that book; ambitious executives needing to write a white paper to accelerate their careers; managers being asked to write articles for publication; artisans and hobbyists with skills to convey; idealists and polemicists wanting to inspire and agitate; and anyone wanting to write well in order to improve their communications skills.   

The Review

This was such a well-developed and inspiring read for writers and aspiring writers everywhere. The author did a fantastic job breaking down both the various types and styles of writing, as well as the process of writing in general. As a writer and reviewer who has always believed in the old adage that everyone has a story waiting to be told, it was great to see the author explore the path towards an educated and practiced way of making this a reality.

The research and development the author poured into this book were equally matched with the personal and charismatic way the author wrote the book. The balance of inspiring messages to encourage writers with the study and work that goes into understanding what writing entails is masterfully written here. I like the idea of taking the time to find the right path to finding a person’s writing outlet, for each format and style varies and will suit a person depending on their needs.

The Verdict

Engaging, thought-provoking, and truly inspiring, author Robert Kelsey’s “Writing Well For Work and Pleasure” is a must-read nonfiction book for writing. The eloquent way the author broke down the writing process, from writing styles and the different types of a writer’s audience to the specifics in content structure and writing practices, really made the book feel critical to an author and writer’s understanding of the craft. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

Robert Kelsey is a bestselling author, a former magazine editor and journalist and a PR professional who’s worked for some of the world’s most prestigious organizations: helping them convert their expertise and knowledge into fantastic content. He’s also taught scores of young trainees how to write compelling copy.  

John Wilkes is a new non-fiction publishing company targeting new authors (society, culture, history, politics, biography, business). This is our first book – also meant as an aid for new authors. 

https://twitter.com/RobertKelseyJWP

The Clash Inside Me by John Moondragon & Kelly Alblinger Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

A young man living with dissociative identity disorder finds himself the witness to a horrific crime, and must determine if one of his alters was responsible in author John Moondragon’s “The Clash Inside Me”. 

Advertisements

The Synopsis

THE CLASH INSIDE ME opens with a young man perched on a ledge and contemplating an unusual predicament: did he or did he not commit murder? And if he did, which of his alter-personalities will ultimately be held responsible?

The young man, who remains nameless throughout the tale, recounts the story of his life and the diagnosis of his mental illness –dissociative identity disorder – with refreshing candor. Speaking directly to the reader, he describes his personal history in a manner that is both relatable and engaging. Despite the obvious disadvantages of coping with multiple personalities, he is not a victim of his circumstances. He is a survivor with expectations of a bright future, including a tender romance. There are moments of fear and anguish, but his is not a story of despair; rather it is a tale of ongoing courage to define oneself while coping with a serious mental illness.

The Review

The author really found the perfect harmonious balance between entertaining narrative and emotionally-driven character growth under the umbrella of understanding mental health more clearly. The narrative was definitely character-driven, focusing on the protagonist and his alters in vivid and gritty detail. The fast-paced narrative and the imagery that was conjured with the author’s words made the reading experience fun yet thought-provoking.

The theme and message of the narrative surrounding mental health, in general, was a fantastic choice. The discussions and education that the narrative brings about mental health, despite the fictional aspect of the narrative, really do a phenomenal job of furthering our understanding of mental health and DiD in particular. The examination of the protagonists alters and the jarring experience of losing the control you would typically have over your own body was mesmerizing to behold.

The Verdict

Memorable, engaging, and thoughtful in its approach, author John Moondragon and Kelly Alblinger’s “The Clash Inside Me” is a must-read fiction thriller with a mental health focus. The intrigue and suspense of the main plot when combined with the emotional journey of the main character and his struggle with his mental health makes for such an amazing read, so be sure to grab your copy of this amazing story today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

John Mondragon is a self-published author of his first novel “The Clash Inside Me” and a caring father and husband.

He is passionate about helping people understand the importance of mental health matters, and encourages others to speak up and speak out.

Author Website: https://www.subscribepage.com/theclashinsideme

Book Purchase Links: https://books2read.com/theclashinsideme/

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/Mondragon.Author

https://www.instagram.com/mondragon.author/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21943524.John_Mondragon

New You! Who Knew? By David R. Edwards Review

On By authoranthonyavinablogIn reviewsLeave a comment

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Author David R. Edwards guides readers towards a series of core skills and the foundation for which to build a life you would be proud of in his nonfiction, self-help stylebook on communication and skills, “New You! Who Knew?”.

Advertisements

The Synopsis

Life is messy. It flashes by as you wonder what your future will be and how to influence it. You struggle to take charge of your life and it’s frustrating. Trying new things never works as well as you hoped. Why isn’t your story as wonderful as those you read about?

YOU are the focus in New You! Who Knew? Each chapter helps you build the core skills you need for everything else to fall into place. The surprising but enduring foundations encourage you to build a life to be proud of. Without these, many people experience unnecessary frustration and disappointment.

Be the captain of your own life! Follow step by step to learn the fundamentals needed to overcome challenges, accomplish goals and persist when the going gets tough. By making the principles your own, every relationship and effort will improve, guiding you to lead your own way through life.

The Review

This was a captivating and thought-provoking read. The author did a fantastic job of writing in a way that taught the readers new skills and tools to use in their own personal development but wrote it in a way that the average reader would be able to understand, something a lot of self-help books find themselves missing the mark on. The personability and honesty in which the author spoke established a trusting and thoughtful tone that readers felt comfortable reading in. 

The theme and messages that the author utilizes here in these teachings were remarkable to read. The exploration of self-efficacy and self-compassion was an inspired choice of organizing and utilizing these skills. The dive into the inner and exterior forces that diminish our self-worth and drive our lives out of our control was so brilliantly put, and the author did a great job of balancing the teachable moments of the book with engaging and heartfelt storytelling to help illustrate his points.

The Verdict

A mesmerizing, gripping, and memorable read, author David R. Edwards’s “New You! Who Knew?” Is a must-read nonfiction book of 2022 for those seeking to better themselves and gain the tools and skills needed to take charge of their own journeys. The passion and heart for which the author spoke through his words and the research and development that went into these skill developments really showed through the author’s work, and if you haven’t yet, I highly recommend you grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

Advertisements

About the Author

Hi, I am David R Edwards, author of “New You! Who Knew?”.  A few years ago I was CEO of a Community Health Center creating the leading integrated, person-focused, primary care center in the country.  In my interaction with patients, advocates, professionals from different disciplines, and my own pondering and study I had an epiphany, you know a “WOW” moment. People are missing core skills that if they had would make their lives so much better.  I left my well-paying job and embarked on researching and writing a book to help regular people learn the principles and skills needed to become the captain of their own life. “

https://www.davidredwards.com/