Talking Story
The Magick in Beatrysel
Guest Post: Johnny Worthen
Johnny Worthen's debut novel Beatrysel was recently published by Omnium Gatherum and is available as a trade paperback and eBook from Amazon. (Read my review here.) Beatrysel is a multi-genre melange of occult horror/thriller/love story/philosophical treatise on the...
Cinderskella Book Cover Reveal & Giveaway
From the dynamic mother-daughter writing duo of Amie and Bethanie Borst comes a brand-new middle grade title, Cinderskella. Here's what they have to say about their debut book-- Cindy is just a normal 11¾-year-old girl. At least until she wakes up one night and finds...
Scotch Tape and Heels
Excerpt from One Shark, No Swim available Sept. 21, 2013 Jay and I were putting the finishing touches on our awesomest project ever: a cardboard sled shaped from Hari’s tv box. It was huge. We were sure we’d break land speed records racing down grass hills. We...
Book Review: Beatrysel
by Johnny Worthen
When it comes to love there’s a fine line between passion and obsession, ardor and madness, ecstasy and terror. In Beatrysel Johnny Worthen takes all the shades and flavors of love from filial to sexual and whips them into a frenzied frappe of occult horror, thriller,...
The Perils of Author Photos
I hate getting my picture taken. The photos never look like me, the image of myself that lives inside my head. Frankly, I probably never looked liked the image in my head. I'm a writer. I have a great imagination. As a writer, I spend most of my days in yoga pants and...
Kalei Comes Ashore
The following is an excerpt from One Shark, No Swim available everywhere September 21, 2013. When Kalei’s shark head broke the surface of the large saltwater pool at Piko Point, all he was thinking about was raw ahi tuna sliced thinly and spread like a fan on a bed of...
Guest Interview: Elsie Park
Author of Shadows of Valor
My friend and fellow Jolly Fish Press author Elsie Park just published her debut novel, Shadows of Valor. (My review here.) Elsie stopped by to talk story with me as part of her blog tour. You’ve been a wildland firefighter, a police officer, a musician and composer,...
Book Review: Shadows of Valor
by Elsie Park
Shadows of Valor by Elsie Park is a step back into a medieval England where a noblewoman’s outward scars hide an inner beauty and fire as a dark knight walks a fine line between upholding the law, revenge, and becoming what he most despises. It’s a delicate dance...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: lānai
lānai (LAH-naheye) (n) Hawaiian for porch, patio. Example English: They like to set those kinds of glass balls on their coffee tables, but I'm only going to sell the small ones. The big ones are for us. They'll ;ook nice on the patio. Pidgin: They like those...
It’s Comin’ a Storm
“It’s comin’ a storm.” I followed my daughter’s gaze to the horizon and saw the lightning flash. Clouds dark as God’s armageddon gathered force along the distant mountain range. On cue the wind blew a tumbleweed across the highway in front of my car. Despite the...
Creating eBooks: The Right Start
My husband has a saying: where there’s mystery, there’s margin. He’s right. I don’t know how to change the oil in my car or even how to set the timer on the sprinklers. Without him around I’d have to pay someone to do these kinds of things. At the very least, I’d have...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: kolohe
kolohe (koh-LOH-heh) (v) Hawaiian for mischievous, naughty, a rascal. Example English: Mitsy laughed. "Oh, Kahana! How I delight in your rascally nature! You haven't changed a bit!" Pidgin: Mitsy laughed. “Oh, Kahana, you still kolohe, ah you!" Note: ‘Ōlelo is...
Dude vs. Chick Lit
My friend and fellow author Eric Bishop just published his debut novel, The Samaritan's Pistol. (Click here for my review.) We've had long conversations that have twisted and turned like an old cow trail about writing, literature, and '80s rock bands. One of my...
Book Review: The Samaritan’s Pistol
by Eric Bishop
Eric Bishop likes to say that The Samaritan’s Pistol is about a guy who had a gun and used it when he needed it. It’s a pithy, memorable way to describe his book and the cover certainly conveys this idea. But Eric’s book is much deeper than a simple gunslinger...
Learning ‘Ōlelo: kaona
kaona (kah-OH-nah) (n)The hidden meaning of a song, poem, chant, dance, etc. When you see old folks laughing about innocent songs about fishing or mist, you’re missing the kaona. Example English: The hidden metaphors in that song are so powerful! Pidgin: Kaona,...
OBNW Excerpt #7: Good Thing I’m Tan
Before Jay saw the Niuhi Shark in One Boy, No Water he used to think sharks were no big deal. Hard to believe, yeah? I watched Jay make his bed. “Going surfing?” “Yeah.” “Early, yeah?” “That’s when the waves best.” “Meeting Frankie?” Jay grabbed a t-shirt off the...
Book Review: The Holy Ghost is Like a Blanket
by Annalisa Hall, Illustrations by Cory Egbert
Corey Egbert, the illustrator of the Niuhi Shark Saga, has collaborated with children’s picture book author Annalisa Hall on a new book, The Holy Ghost is Like a Blanket. It’s a charming series of analogies for young LDS children that explains the role of the Holy...
Inspiration’s Edge
My cousins, sister, and I were supposed to be doing the dishes, so of course we were fighting. “Bruce! Don’t dump silverware in the rubbish can!” I shrieked. “What? What did I do?” Eyes wide and fake innocent. “You threw away the fork when you scraped the...
Book Review: The Bone Bearer
by Lani Wendt Young
Rounding out my Samoan fiction summer reads is The Bone Bearer by Lani Wendt Young, book three in her Telesa series. With book 2, When Water Burns ending with a literal bang of epic proportions, the story landscape was wide open for book 3 and Lani didn’t disappoint....
Learning ‘Ōlelo: hana hou
hana hou (HAH-nah ho) (phrase) Hawaiian for again, do it again. It's often called out when a performance is especially pleasing or powerful. Example English: Wow! George, I wish I could see that again! Pidgin: Hana hou! Hana hou! Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word...