Val Muller

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Spot Writers: Chapter 25

December 6, 2012 No comments

Chapter 25

This week’s post comes to us from Val Muller, author of the Corgi Capers mystery series (for young detectives) and the sci-fi romance For Whom My Heart Beats Eternal. Check out valm16.sg-host.com/store for holiday deals, discounts, and free books!

Next week’s post comes to us from Deborah Dera. Deborah traditionally ghostwrites articles and stories but is in the process of finishing up her first eBook to be released on the Kindle platform later this year. Keep your eyes peeled!

* * *

Remy unwrapped her sandwich and opened her bag of chips. She closed her eyes and sighed, enjoying the simplicity of lunch. The break room was empty, and she enjoyed a moment of peace. No drama with Irene, no awkwardness with Dr. Sam, no visits from Jeremy, who was still visiting his sick mother… the moment was short-lived. She felt her blood pressure rise immediately as her cell phone vibrated twice, indicating a new text. She should have left the thing off. What good did it do her to leave it on? Still, she couldn’t help smiling to herself. After all, there were two men fighting over her. How many women could say the same?

Feast or famine, she sighed, biting into her sandwich. Irene’s words of advice echoed in her mind as she ate. Irene had known Dr. Sam for years. He was a nice guy. Give him a chance. Remy couldn’t help the image that popped into her head. She imagined going on another date with Sam. Kissing him. She pictured moving in with him, wondered what he would be like at home. Did he run a household the same way he ran an office? He certainly did take responsibility for his office… and even when he was having a rough day, Remy had seen him with his patients. He always treated them with the utmost respect. Remy wondered if that’s the way he would treat a wife. A wife!? He’s your boss, she mumbled, her voice breaking up the daydream.

Her phone vibrated again, and she flipped it open without thinking, glad for the distraction. She had never let herself settle down with a guy—it seemed so permanent. She shook off the thought and looked at her screen. There were a series of unread texts, all from Jeremy. She had been ignoring him, but he’d be back from visiting his mother eventually, and she’d have to confront him sooner or later.

So did you think it over? Will you come?, the newest text message read.

Remy shook her head and started from the first unread text message.

Mom’s not doing too good, the first message said. The doc’s thinking hospice.

Remy shuddered, feeling sorry for Jeremy despite her frightening experience with him. Remy had known enough people that lost parents to know it was never a pleasant experience—something she wouldn’t wish on anyone, not even on Jeremy after his drunken, violent confrontation.

I wanted to apologize, the next message said. I’m such an idiot sometimes. I wasn’t myself. I can change, just give me a chance.

Remy deleted that one immediately. There was something that bothered her about it. She read the next two:

Call me

and

Barbara is coming and wants to stay for the funeral. I need your help. Call me.

Remy’s heart sunk at the mention of “funeral.” She lost her appetite for lunch, and despite her mixed feelings, she felt terrible for Jeremy at the moment. His comment about Barbara didn’t even register at first.

Then:

I need you to come here and pretend to be my fiancé. Barbara needs to see a ring. I need to know if you’re coming, the final unread text said, and what size ring.

Remy pushed the phone away in horror. Jeremy’s mother had just passed away, and he was going to involve Remy in a deceitful drama? Couldn’t he just confront Barbara? Issue a restraining order? Remy was not going to travel to Jeremy’s mother’s funeral just for the sake of tricking Barbara into leaving Jeremy alone. What was this, a soap opera? What had Remy been thinking? Wasn’t she a better judge of character than this? How had she ever thought Jeremy was a worthwhile find?

She almost didn’t hear Dr. Sam enter the break room. He came in quietly, sneaking behind her to grab a ginger ale from the small office refrigerator. She startled when she realized he was there, and her effort to smile at him failed completely.

“Everything okay?” he asked, his voice neutral. “You look kind of—disturbed.”

“Fine,” Remy lied.

Dr. Sam looked at her for a moment before nodding and turning to the door.

“No,” Remy said. “It’s not okay.”

Dr. Sam turned back as Remy continued speaking.

“It’s not okay, and I’d like someone to talk to. What say we go for a drink after work—and this time, I’ll buy?”

***

The Spot Writers- our members:

RC Bonitz http://www.rcbonitz.com

Val Muller https://valmuller.com/blog

Catherine A. MacKenzie http://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter

Deborah Dera http://www.deborahdera.com

Jessica Degarmo http://www.jessicadegarmo.com/

flash fiction, romance none

Writer Wednesdays: Eternal Hope Scavenger Hunt!

December 5, 2012 No comments

Today I’m part of a scavenger hunt for Frankie Rose’s Eternal Hope,
which is book 2 of The Hope Series. It’s a young adult paranormal romance published on October 10, 2012.

Synopsis:

He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me

When your friends go missing and you don’t know if they’re dead or alive; when you tie your soul to the one you love; when you kill to protect and your family suffers, there’s only one thing you can do:

Move to Montana.

Farley Hope is special. She was prophesied to kill the forebears of her bloodline- a race of cold-blooded Reavers, men who steal the souls of the living to gain power. The Quorum had counted on Farley ending her own life in the process, but when Kayden came to her aid and helped save both her and Daniel, he undid their plans. Now the Quorum are displeased, not only with Kayden, but with Farley and Daniel too. Though her father is now dead, Farley’s troubles with the Reavers are far from over. An ancient Immortal, trapped for a thousand years, wants Farley for himself, and he will stop at nothing to claim her.

With secrets that lead to anger and pain, that turn friendship to dust, the group must overcome the problems within their own circle before they have a hope of fighting off the powers that threaten their lives.

 

Amazon | GoodReads

 

About the Author:

As a child, I was always accused of being bookish because I wore glasses- big, horrible, ugly ones with too-thick lenses. Those kids, the super smart ones who always know which tender insecurities to poke at in order to provoke life-long complexes, used to accuse me of reading too many books and that my eyes were going to rot out of my head (their words, not mine!)

The truth of the matter was a little more embarrassing: I used to sit too close to the T.V. That was the reason why I had to wear glasses, but kids don’t really care about small, insignificant details like the truth, and so I was labelled a nerd. The label kinda stuck, and after some sage advice from my awesome nana (nana, you rock!) I decided that if I was going to be abused for my supposed literary obsession, I might as well develop one.

I guess that’s how I got into books and reading at an early age. Since then, I’ve been ripping through books like they’re going out of fashion, which, thankfully, they’re not. Good thing, too, because I’m a writer now, and books are my business!

Thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged me on my journey- look for your names in the acknowledgements! And a big thank you to you, the reader. I hope you’ve fallen in love with Farley and Daniel just like I have, and that you’ll join them in the next book, Eternal Hope!

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | Website | YouTube

 

The excerpt below was written specifically for the Scavenger Hunt and cannot be found anywhere but participating blogs:

 

Farley felt her face redden, which was _________ inappropriate. Daniel and Kayden were _______ she was watching, and for once their sparring lacked the flashy showmanship they usually employed to _______ her. For the two of them, nothing _______ beyond the dimly lit parameters of the hangar. Beyond the lunge, beyond the parry, beyond the block.

This was how it would really go down, if they ever meant to do serious harm to one _______. Movements fluid and graceful, there was _________ primal about their circling. Quick _______ of calculating eyes, green and blue, preempting the other’s next move. Kayden’s hair was darkened with sweat, but both their chests rose and fell with __________ regularity. In and out. Slow and steady. The stern, focused expressions on their faces said ____ were in total control.

Farley let the darkness wash over her and kept her presence hidden. The confrontation was too ___________ to interrupt. Bare chests, muscled and tanned; silver flashes of metal as their blades sang through the air. Even Cliff would have been impressed. Farley bit her ______ lip as Kayden darted _______ in a sure leap, thrusting out with deadly precision towards Daniel’s throat.

The ______ would have been a killing blow. Would have been, if it had even ______. Daniel sprang back and duck-rolled over the dusty floor, crouching into a defensive pose. With his knife ________, his eyes lifted to fix on Kayden, but they _____ quite made it.

Farley’s heart leapt to her throat. Those eyes, piercing and sharp, fixed on her _______. She swallowed and braced against the wall behind her, trying to camouflage with the _______. Kayden shifted forward, ready to take _________ of Daniel’s distracted position, but the dark-haired boy simply lifted his hand. A wordless gesture:

____.

Kayden stopped.

Robotically, Daniel rose, his _____ suddenly vanished, and dropped the knife into the dirt. Kayden’s apparent confusion only lasted a second; the moment he ________ it – that she was there – was _______. One second he was ________ Daniel’s creased brow, the next he had spun around impossibly quickly and was staring, too. Blue and Green. Farley felt her throat closing up. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Daniel brushed a hand back through his slightly curling hair, his face trained into a nothing __________. There was ______ he could do to hide the war in his eyes, ______. “So you’re back.”

Silence flooded the hangar. Farley took a moment to _______, pretending not to ______ Kayden’s fist clenching repeatedly ______ the handle of his knife.

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice _______. “I guess I am.”

 

Thanks for checking out my stop on the Eternal Hope Scavenger Hunt. Good luck, and happy hunting!
Other Blogs in this scavenger hunt are listed below. You’ll find other green key words there:
contest, Writer Wednesdays none

Book Review: Baptism of Fire by Stephanie Constante

December 3, 2012 1 comment

This book is the first in the Draconi Series. It follows a young woman named Leito, daughter of a dragon hunter. Her mother was killed by a dragon, but at a young age, Leito rescued a young dragon, exchanging a lock of her hair for one of his scales as a gesture of friendship. She learns a secret about dragons that no one else seems to know: dragons can take human form. When Leito grows up, the dragons are angry about her father’s actions, and the village acquiesces to the dragons’ demands: Leito will be sacrificed for them. A partial spoiler follows in the next paragraph.

Leito makes her way to the cave where she will meet her fate, but when she arrives she realizes she knows the dragon who intends to kill her: she had saved his life years earlier. As it turns out Leito and the dragon, Aiden, fall in love; but things get muddied when the dragon’s intended mate becomes jealous, demanding either Leito’s death, or her Aiden’s captivity. I won’t give away any more of the plot because this book will make you flip through the pages quickly, and I don’t want to spoil it.

I enjoyed the tension developed between Leito and Aiden. There was sexual tension, love, mystery, and fear mixed in. I turned the pages quickly until I was about 70 percent through. After that, I thought things happened too quickly. I was enjoying the story so much, I actually wanted more details (no, not more racy stuff—there is sex, but it isn’t graphic, and that’s fine with me): I wanted more interactions and examples to justify character actions. I thought that once they decided on a relationship, Leito and Aiden made decisions too quickly. I wanted less movement around the room (making food, cleaning up, choosing a dress) and more details that would bring me into the strange and intriguing world in which dragons take human form—smells, sights, etc.

The best part of the story is the plot. It was an intriguing plot that kept me awake longer than I should have been! The ending is very abrupt, ending at a high point to transition right into the second book—so don’t expect a resolution, but do expect to want to run out and read the next book immediately!

One minor picky point: there were grammatical errors repeated throughout—dialogue tags being inconsistently punctuated and comma splices throughout. But they weren’t generally enough to distract from the reading.

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

book reviews none

Spot Writers: Chapter 24

November 29, 2012 No comments

This week’s chapter comes from Cathy MacKenzie. Check out her two books of poetry and three books of short stories available on Smashwords.

Next week’s chapter will be by Val Muller, author of the CORGI CAPERS, DECEIT ON DORSET DRIVE and newly-released, Halloween-themed CORGI CAPERS: THE SORCERESS OF STONEY BROOK, a mystery series for young detectives, as well as the sci-fi-time-travel-romance FOR WHOM MY HEART BEATS ETERNAL.

The Spot Writers’ blogs appear at the end of this story. Don’t forget to check them out.
***

“Oh, Irene. He is not.”

“Remy, I wouldn’t lie to you. He is. Seriously. And I don’t think you get it.”

“Irene, stop.”

“Remy. Stop and smell the roses. I know you were out with him one night. And I know you had fun. If Jeremy weren’t around, you’d pay more attention to Sam. I know you would.”

“But, Irene. Jeremy aside, I thought you wanted him?”

“Me?” Irene laughed. “No, not me.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Hey, I didn’t want to say anything. Sam knows, so I might as well tell you. I’m gay.”

Remy, stunned, stared at Irene. “You’re what?”

“Don’t look at me like I’m a freak or something.”

“No, it’s not that. Not that at all,” Remy said. “That’s your business. Just surprised.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve known since I was a child. Not something I broadcast.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. I understand completely. I really do. Like I said, I was just surprised. I had no idea. I thought you were married once?”

“Yeah, I was. A long time ago. Didn’t last. I wonder why.” Irene laughed. “I apologize, too, if I’ve been a bit difficult to get along with lately. It’s not you. I’ll do better. I promise.”

“No need to apologize,” Remy said. “We all go through rough patches every now and then.”

Remy wondered if Irene’s problem, or problems, had to do with her lover, if she even had one. She decided it would be rude to ask if she was involved with anyone. I’ll leave that for another conversation, she thought. Or wait till she volunteers.

“Okay, then. So, is it gonna be a busy day today?” Remy figured she needed to change the subject, get back to business.

“Oh, who knows in this place,” Irene said. “But, I’m telling you. Give Sam another look, okay? I’ve known him for several years, and he really is a nice guy. A really nice guy.”

“You mean you knew him before you started work here?”

“Yes. He’s an old family friend. He was looking for a new receptionist. So, the rest is history, as they say.”

Remy pondered Irene’s words for several seconds. “But, one shouldn’t mix business with pleasure is my philosophy.”

“Hey, you’re a good worker. You have lots of knowledge and all. You’d have no problem getting another job, if you needed to. But, I know you won’t have to. Give him a chance, okay? And now I’m shutting up. The rest is up to you. I’m done talking about it.”

Remy laughed. “Okay, then. No more discussion on Dr. Sam. You’ve made your point. Like you said, it’s up to me now.”

“Yes, back to work. But, remember, I did warn you about him. He’s on a tear.”

***

Even though the day began slowly, it turned busy before Remy had a chance to wonder too much about either Sam or Jeremy. Sam did seem to be upset about something, but Remy stayed out of his way unless it was absolutely necessary. With the office overflowing with patients, she didn’t have to worry about Sam loitering around the front desk, and she was grateful that Irene took the lead if something was needed of Sam so she didn’t have to deal with him.

Remy had brought her lunch, so when the opportunity presented itself, she retreated to the lunch room, grateful for time alone.

***

The Spot Writers- our members:

RC Bonitz
http://www.rcbonitz.com

Val Muller
https://valmuller.com/blog

Catherine A. MacKenzie
 http://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter

Deborah Dera
http://www.deborahdera.com

Jessica Degarmo
http://www.jessicadegarmo.com/

flash fiction, romance none

In the Spirit of the Holidays

November 28, 2012 No comments

As December begins, I wanted to share some opportunities for giving and saving (or both!):

First, one of my publishers, DWB, is raising money to help a family in need this Christmas. You can read the family’s story, and find out how to donate, at this link.

As a corgi lover, I’m also partnering with Corgi Pals, a nonprofit with the mission of helping corgis in need and their owners:

Finally, I’m running my Black Friday sale as a holiday special now through Christmas. Here, you’ll find book bundles that come with free books, including books from the best selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series. These make great gifts and even include free shipping to US addresses! You can find the bundles at my store. If you enter code “corgipals” in the comments box at checkout, $1 per bundle goes to help corgis in need.

Thank you to those able to donate money or contribute to these causes. And even if you aren’t able to help out today, I’m wishing you a warm, comforting, and healthy holiday!

event, holiday, inspiration none

Dreaming of Summer?

November 27, 2012 25 comments

Welcome to my page on the Dreaming of Summer blog hop. Are you dreaming of summer? Here’s your chance to win a beach read–a copy of my book For Whom My Heart Beats Eternal, which includes the novella and two time-travel short stories.

Last year at this time, I was working up to a six-week cold/flu/plague that started with a fever and ended with a persistent cough–with the peak happening right in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. Christmas plans were cancelled, and my husband and I ended up eating the roast we bought for days and days afterward. Here’s to hoping this year is much happier!


In this time-travel novella incorporating sweet romance and science fiction, Anna, a young graduate student, has found her intellectual soul mate. She and Dr. Thomas Wellesley, forty years her senior, have been working on sensitive research involving time travel. She respects the man: he is married to his work and just as passionate about science as she is. He is her favorite part of the day and she’ll stop at nothing to help their research. When a rival professor threatens their research and their safety, Dr. Wellesley does everything in his power to protect Anna from harm. But in his effort to protect her, he inadvertently sends her back in time. Forty years back in time, to be exact—to a time when a young student named Tommy Wellesley is just embarking on his first degree in physics. And it’ll be up to young Tommy to see Anna safely back to her own time. If he can bear to lose her. This edition also includes two short time travel stories. “Suicide Watch” explores the more dangerous ramifications of time travel. After an unfortunate fight with the love of his life, Matthew Mitchell discovers a time machine. Tempted to win back his girlfriend, Matt takes the machine for a spin, only to find out that time travel is much more complicated than he expected, and the results are catastrophic. “Toward Every Future’s Past” is flavored with sci-fi and fantasy and examines the cyclical nature of time and man’s difficulty in comprehending it.

Enter the Rafflecopter for your chance to win! Good luck, and may all your Christmases be…. green!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

contest, writing none

Book Review: Into the Forest and Down the Tower by Ann T. Bugg

November 26, 2012 1 comment

This is the second book in the Before Happily Ever After Series. You can read my review of Book 1 here.

In this book, Val and Sam are back together, and they’re hoping they can find a way back into the world of Fairy Tales. The mirror (which had formerly allowed them entry) now hangs in Val’s house, but it hasn’t let them back to see their friends. That all changes when one of Val’s mother’s animals, a horse, becomes sick. The horse is going blind, and he’ll be limited in his activities from now on. Of course, not if Val has anything to say about it. The girls receive communications from “the other side” (the world of fairy tales) in the form of clues they must solve. Eventually, they find their way back, and their quest to help their horse turns into a series of sub-quests related to saving Rapunzel from the clutches of the evil witch. It turns out that the girls need to find a unicorn, which will be the key to saving Val’s horse.

As we learned in Book 1, one of Val’s friends in the world of fairy tales is one of the brothers Grimm. Val and Sam constantly wonder, after they experience the tales for themselves, why the Grimm version is so dark. It’s interesting to experience the girls’ adventures in the world and compare them to the stereotypical (as well as the Grimm) versions of the tales. I enjoyed being asked to solve the riddles along with the girls at the beginning of the book. It helped engage me as the reader. The book was fast-paced. It’s a middle-grade read that would appeal more to girls than to boys, and for a “grown-up,” it can be read in one or two sittings if you have the time. If you like fairy tales, you’ll like the imagery and characters. If you like the dark, violent Grimm tales, this book might be a little PG for you. As I mentioned before with this series, I would have loved it as a young reader.

I plan to review Book 3 soon, so be sure to follow my blog for updates!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion as part of the following blog tour. Click on the picture for author links, and use the Rafflecopter link for a chance to win a copy of all thee books!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

book reviews none

Spot Writers Chapter 23

November 22, 2012 No comments

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter 23 of Remy’s tale comes to us today from RC Bonitz, author of A LITTLE BIT OF BLACKMAIL, A BLANKET FOR HER HEART, and his latest release, A LITTLE BIT OF BABY

Next week’s piece comes from Cathy MacKenzie. Check out her three books of short stories available on Smashwords for only $1.99 and $0.99. There you can read the first story in each book for free. However, the stories are all different, so the sample stories aren’t a true representation of the other stories.

The Spot Writers’ blogs appear at the end of this story. Don’t forget to check them out.

 

 Chapter 23

 Remy hated going to work in the morning. She’d been up half the night, thinking, worrying. Her mysterious caller hadn’t bothered her again, but that didn’t stop her waiting for the phone to ring any minute. And there was Jeremy, and Sam, and their love interest. If either of them really knew what love was. She wasn’t sure she did either, and she sure didn’t know what she felt about the two of them.

She could ignore Jeremy for a while this morning, letting his texts go unanswered until she wanted to reply. But Sam? He’d be there in the office, in front of her all day, or nearby at least. He’d been very professional in the office so far, but somehow she wondered if he’d keep that up.

She chuckled as she left her car and entered the office. Here she was, with two men making passes at her and she was fussing about that? A surfeit of riches and all she did was worry? Most likely nothing would come of any of it. Jeremy had his Barbara to complicate things. And Dr. Sam? That could be tricky with her job on the line and all. He seemed very serious last night. Oh my, she had to lighten up. She could find another job if she had to. She grinned. Then she could hook up with Dr. Kendrick if she wanted to. A tingle of anticipation started at her toes and warmed her body at that idea.

Remy plastered a smile on her face as she entered the office. Whatever happened, she wouldn’t beat herself up about it anymore.

“You look awful happy this morning,” Irene said. “Did something special happen last night?”

“No, I just feel good this morning,” Remy murmured.

“That’s good. I’m glad somebody does.”

“What does that mean? What’s wrong?”

Irene frowned. “Dr. Kendrick’s in a mood, all grumpy.”

Remy shivered. Sam was in a bad mood, okay, so what. He could be a grouch because he got a flat tire on the way to work. Or his coffee maker broke and he didn’t get his java this morning. So why did she suspect she had anything to do with his problems? She took a deep breath. Sam’s feelings were not her concern. “Oh? That’s too bad. I guess we should stay away until he calms down, huh?”

Irene shook her head. “You are so slow. You don’t get it do you?”

Startled, Remy stared at her. “Don’t get what?”

“You saw him last night, right?”

“What? Oh yes, for a few minutes. Why?”

“What did you say to him? Did you tell him off?” Irene demanded.

“No, don’t be silly,” Remy muttered. This was not going well. Irene sounded mad. Or something. Was she the one making those strange phone calls?

Irene broke into a sly grin. “You are oblivious. What did you tell him? Come on, spill.”

“What do you mean, I’m oblivious?” Remy whispered, her heartbeat picking up a bit.

“The man adores you, Remy. Haven’t you seen the way he looks at you? How he drops things and forgets what he’s talking about?”

“So, he’s a little clumsy and forgetful. That doesn’t mean anything.” She couldn’t get involved with her boss. That would be unprofessional. Her pulse was pounding now though, all the way from her toes to the top of her head.

Irene laughed. “So, he’s clumsy is he? News flash! That’s only been since you came to work here. And only when you’re around. Dr. Sam is in love, my friend. With you!”

 ***

 The Spot Writers- our members:

Catherine A. MacKenzie

http://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Jessica Degarmo

http://www.jessicadegarmo.com/

RC Bonitz

http://www.rcbonitz.com

Val Muller

https://valmuller.com/blog

flash fiction, romance none

Book Review: Gamers by Thomas K. Carpenter

November 19, 2012 No comments

In a nutshell, Gamers is a cross between Tron and The Matrix with a little bit of The Hunger Games (or other YA dystopian novels) thrown in. In the story, setmin the future, students earn points (in video game fashion) for everything from playing games on the way to school, to brushing their teeth at night—a development resulting from students always needing incentives to achieve, and society always needing to be in competition. It’s a great read for video game fans, as there are many references they will enjoy. For non-video game fans (I play video games occasionally but am not a huge fan), it is a scary reminder of one possible direction technology may take us as a society. Almost to the extent of The Matrix, everything in this society is digitally manipulated, from the appearance of a room to the appearance of a person.

Protagonist Gabby has been earning points steadily throughout her career as a student. Her “high score” leads her (and her parents) to believe she’ll be accepted into the university. Gabby has also been hacking—it’s against the rules, but it shows us how smart and able she is. One day, she meets an attractive young man who eventually brings her to a remote location to reveal that things are not as they seem—that there is a world beyond the curtain of this one, and it is controlled by people whose intentions may be sinister. It turns out that students who don’t score highly enough in the game—disappear. Not only that, but the people in charge want to audit all of Gabby’s files, which she cannot allow for many different reasons.

I won’t give away the ending, but I’ll say that this is the first book in a trilogy. It was a fast read and an interesting concept. My one wish is that there was more imagery, or possibly explanation of slang—the world Carpenter creates is so different from our own (in most ways) that I wanted to see even more imagery to establish it. Some of the scenes rely on video game stereotypes, but for a non-gamers, a bit more imagery would be nice. (Still, I loved some of the stereotypes: “Oh Mario!” is used as a mild oath!). Still, before long I was entranced in the story and wanted to learn the secrets of the world. It’s a book that young adult gamers would enjoy, and I plan to bring the book to my high school classroom for students to read—I think they’ll enjoy it!

I received a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion. The opinion expressed is entirely my own.

book reviews none

Helping Corgis in Need & Black Friday Book Deals

November 18, 2012 No comments

Helping Corgis in Need
I’m partnering with Corgi Pals this season to help corgis in need. Corgi Pals is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help corgis and corgi-mixes in need when their owners can’t afford vet bills. When you make a regularly-priced purchase through my store, use the code “corgipals” at checkout, and $1 from every item purchased will go to help a corgi in need.

Black Friday Book Bundles!
Make Black Friday virtual this year. You can save money when you shop at valm16.sg-host.com/store this week. There are lots of specially-priced book bundles to choose from, and they include free shipping (to the United States) as well as a free copy of one of many Chicken Soup for the Soul books (they make great gifts!). The sale is only going on for the next week, so stop by while supplies last.

corgis, dog, event, holiday none
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