Book Review: Heir to Power by Michele Poague

Heir to Power was an interesting read. Stylistically, it reminded me of Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson with its strong world building and multiple character viewpoints.

It is a fascinating world, there is no doubting that, with a lot of thought having gone into creating the religious system, the different mythologies, and the societies that are vastly varied in beliefs, language, and even things as simple as the weapons and technology.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows I am a character writer. That also makes me a character reader. That's what I love most about reading. It always has been and I imagine it always will be, and it was probably my favorite part of Heir to Power. The characters voices were strong and I really found myself sympathizing with so many of them in their plight to live up to the expectations of their society and yet long for something different.

The only problem I really had with the book was there were so many characters I occasionally got them confused, and then as Michele continued in that character's head, I fell in love with them all. Every time.

Overall, if you are interested in traditional fantasy with strong world building elements and intriguing characters, Heir to Power is just the book for you. I certainly enjoyed it.

Awesome review today. Totally made me laugh!

http://www.shesgotthewritestuff.blogspot.com/

Book Review: Faithful, Fit, & Fabulous by Connie Sokol

I was really excited to have the chance to review this book, for multiple reasons. I've got some issues that make me want to work on the 'fit' part of the book, and I definitely want to feel fabulous, but it was the faithful part that really intrigued me.

I try very hard to incorporate the spirit of the Lord into everything I do, especially my writing. I'm a  big believer in the Father wanting to help us succeed in those things that are important to us, and when we make Him a partner in our efforts, we can't help but succeed.

It's what I've done with my writing all these years. I know that I cannot write my best without reading His word and praying first, and thus, incorporating that element in the success of our lives really intrigued me in Connie's book.

I was not disappointed.

This book was hard to read straight through--not because it didn't make sense or wasn't interesting, because it was both. No, it was hard because I wanted to stop and savor each chapter the way the book was meant to be used. I wanted to do the exercises and really apply the things I was learning, but that's hard to do when I'm just doing a book review.

So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm posting my two thumbs up review here, right now, in that I love this book and think it can make a big change in my own life, but I'm also going to spend the next eight weeks applying these things into my life.

Starting January 1st, I'll update regularly here on what I learned with each chapter and let you guys experience it through me, and hopefully you'll go out and buy the book and try it yourselves. I truly believe this is a book that should be in every household. It's one of those that can change your life.

I certainly hope it changes mine.

You can purchase it at the following places:
Deseret Book
Amazon
Amazon e-book

Best. Review. Ever!!!

Review of the Author, not the books!

Blog: I Am a Pistachio

Expanded Christmas Specials

I got to thinking there might be a few of you out there who would still prefer a paper copy of my books to the e-books, so I set up some discount codes. It's my Christmas present to all of you, since I make no money off of this kind of discount, but since I can't afford to pay off K-Mart Layaways, like some kind souls are doing, I can at least do this.


So, to get your discounts, you have to purchase from my createspace pages. Here are the addresses and the codes.


The Sapphire Flute: https://www.createspace.com/3633037 and on check out enter code J4JNFLC9 for a $5 discount.


The Armor of Light: https://www.createspace.com/3642582 and on check out enter code RGEM5WRP for a $5 discount.


The Misadventures of a Teenage Wizard: Two Souls Are Better Than One: https://www.createspace.com/3715613 and on check out enter code BTL9AWX8 for a $4 discount.


Use the codes fast, because they only last until December 31st. 


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, my friends!

Change in Christmas Specials

Sooooo, nobody seems to like my Christmas specials, so I'm going to make it much more simple and hopefully appealing. Having recently purchased a kindle for my bookaholic son, I know there are a lot of parents doing the same thing for Christmas--especially with the recent drop in price of the kindle and other e-book readers. So, here's my special:

Through December 31st you can get any of my YA fantasies for 99 cents, and as an added bonus, you can download my book of poetry for FREE! All you have to do is go to Smashwords.com and purchase it from there, as that's the only place getting the changed pricing.

I am also lowering the price of my "write someone you love into my books," but just for the month of December. These normally go for $25 apiece, but for December I am going to lower it to $15 and I'll even e-mail you a PDF certificate with my signature you can print out and give to them for Christmas.

So, to summarize, writing a person in as a character, you purchase from the sidebar of my blog. Yeah, look to your right. See the paypal button? The second one down? That's the one. Get it from there. :)

To get books for 99 cents, go here:

For "The Sapphire Flute" go HERE

For "The Armor of Light" go HERE

For "The Misadventures Of A Teenage Wizard: Two Souls Are Better Than One" go HERE

And for your FREE copy of "And The Mountain Burns" go HERE

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, my dear friends. I hope the season brings you peace and joy and lots of books!

Book Review: Bound by C.K. Bryant

Okay, I'm going to admit first thing that I've read this book before in its early stages. C.K. Bryant and I have been great friends for several years and I adore the woman to no end.

That being said, I will also admit that I loved this book back then and I love it even more now. Not because she is my friend, but because it's a great story and she's a dang fine writer! Every once in a while--well, more than that--I would find a phrase that was so beautiful and visual that I will admit to being a tad jealous that I hadn't written it myself! Yeah, she's that good.

C.K. is not afraid to hurt her characters, which I love. My heart broke so often throughout this story, and then other times thrilled for the characters success. The love story aspect was well done, though I will also admit that, though I think Octavion is a hottie, if he treated me the way he treats the main character, I'd smack him with a frying pan. Now, having said that, I will add that he is not entirely human and is fighting his animal nature. I get it. I totally get it, but still. He could be a little nicer. But warped as I am, I even like THAT aspect of the story.

But mostly what I love is seeing our beautiful main character turn from a mousy girl who's afraid of her own shadow, to a strong woman who stands up for right, doesn't feel sorry for herself when things go horrendously wrong, and hangs on to those she loves, even if she doesn't entirely understand them.

This was one of those books I read, and even knowing most of the story ahead of time because of my previous reading, I didn't want to put it down. I read until my vision blurred and I couldn't see anymore. I stayed up late. I read during dinner, while waiting for my kids, and read instead of watching TV or taking a much needed break. The book WAS my break!

Needless to say, I love Bound and would heartily recommend it to any and all. It was a clean, fun read, with lots of twists and turns, which, much like my last review, is at its heart, a love story. Very well done, C.K.!!!