Talking Story
Cover Reveal: Pretty Things by Christine Haggerty
This spectacular cover was created by Lyndsay Johnson for Christine Haggerty's Pretty Things. From the back of the book. When Maddie's father catches her with a boy, he hauls her into town in a pig wagon and finds her a husband. But Peter's cabin in the woods promises...
Cover Reveal: The Botanist by L.K. Hill
Disturbing, intriguing, and definitely going on my to read list, L.K. Hill's newest novel has a cover I can't stop thinking about. From the back of the book: In the heat of the desert, Detective Cody Oliver inadvertently stumbles upon a strange garden adorned with...
Cover Reveal: Tourists by Lehua Parker
When a young location scout from Hollywood dashes into a local Hawaiian bar, she bites off a little more than she can chew. Set in Hawaii with a hint of ancient mythology, Tourists is a companion story to the Niuhi Shark Saga and is intended for adults. Like the...
The Secret Door Society & The Birth of an Anthology
Anthologies are the ultimate pupu platter, a delightful cornucopia of unconventional flavors and textures served in bite-sized morsels. Meant to be shared, they are the perfect literary tray from which to sample new writers and new voices, to explore new worlds, to...
Cover Reveal: Secrets & Doors
by the Secret Door Society
Secrets & Doors is an anthology of science fiction and fantasy stories by the Secret Door Society, a philanthropic organization of amazing people who also happen to be authors, editors, illustrators, and publishers. All of the proceeds from this book are going to...
RED: It’s not your Grimm’s Fairytale
I wrote a gritty short story called Red. It's published in a collection of western horror by Griffin Publishers and available as a trade paperback and eBook through Amazon and other retailers. It's not for the faint of heart--my son refused to read past the opening...
The Quest for Poi
I admit it. This year Christmas sneaked up on me. No decorations went up in the house until December 21st. A lone wreath my husband bought at Costco after Thanksgiving was propped on a sofa table for weeks waiting for someone to find a door hanger. The weather was the...
Carbo Loading
The fun-sized candy calls eat me, eat me, eat me to Josey Brackenburg. No, she resists, but an hour later Josey heaves herself behind the steering wheel trailing empty wrappers like breadcrumbs. Gotta start line-drying my jeans, she thinks. Stupid dryer’s shrinking...
Book Review: Heart of Annihilation
C.R. Asay
Heart of Annihilation by C.R. Asay is an electrifying military black ops thriller with a sci-fi twist that challenges ideas of nature vs. nature and cold war politics. It’s a little complicated, so bear with me. U.S. Army Specialist Kris Rose has her own hidden agenda...
Gabe Some Es-Spain-ing To Do
Monday, Oct. 13, 2014 I am sitting in a cafe in the middle of an ancient bull fighter's arena in Barcelona, Spain, that rivals any modern mall I've seen. There's a cup of hot chocolate the consistency of a melted Hershey bar next to me. My two years of high school...
Book Review: Eyes of Persuasion
by Adrienne Monson
Eyes of Persuasion by Adrienne Monson is an afternoon’s escape into a world of dressing for dinner, marriage as high finance, and a lady who intends to stay that way despite her uncle’s gambling debts. It’s a romp through polite English high society that isn’t afraid...
It’s Not Me, You’re Boring
Knowing when I was going to get mail used to be a simple thing. Never on Sundays. Around 11:20 am Monday through Friday and around noon on Saturday. There was no reason to keep checking the mailbox—one delivery a day brought all I was going to get until the next time...
Interview: The Brothers Washburn & Mojave Green
The Brothers Washburn are Berk and Andy Washburn, two talented brothers from a sprawling family who re-imagine their days growing up in Trona near Death Valley with a certain twisted genius. Pitch Green, Book One in the Dimensions in Death series introduced us to Camm...
To Catch a Horse, Think Like a Human
My sixty year old neighbor at the end of the cul-de-sac phoned late this afternoon. We live in an area with only six homes over about 30 country acres, so it’s not your typical suburban cul-de-sac. Two of her horses were loose and she’d been chasing them for...
Book Review: Black Moon
by Teri Harman
Teri Harman’s Black Moon, book two of the Moonlight Trilogy, continues the story of Willa and Simon, young adults taking those first steps into a grown-up world of magic, witches, soul mates, trials, and too many talents. It’s a fast-paced and engrossing read that...
Rewriting You Never Know
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints recently put out a new video called You Never Know. Part of their Mormon Messages campaign, it’s about nine minutes long and tells the story of a young mother whose day is much like the days I remember when my kids were...
Barn Run
Tonight near midnight I had a nagging urge to check the horses, one of those niggling feelings along the back of my neck that wouldn't let go. I called the dogs from my daughter's room, slipped on my flip flops, grabbed a flashlight, and headed out the door. There was...
Cover Reveal: Jabberwocky by Daniel Coleman
Isn't it gorgeous? I love all the hidden faces and creatures in it. This is a new edition of Jabberwocky by Daniel Coleman with illustrations by E.K. Stewart-Cook. From the back of the book: How can a boy succeed where an army has failed? Tjaden, a young man who...
Interview with Brenda Corey Dunne
I recently interviewed Brenda Corey Dunne about her newest book, Dependent. This was a big summer for Brenda and her family as they sold and bought houses, renovated the new one, and moved the whole family--horses and all--across Canada to her husband's new military...
Book Review: Copper Descent
by Angela Hartley
It’s gonna be a tough day when you discover Satan’s been searching your whole life for you so you can bear his child. It gets even rougher when bad feels soooo good. On the surface, Copper Descent, the New Adult debut novel by Angela Hartley, is a love story about...