Author Archives: rachelauthorbarnard

Book Review: Bitsy by Rayna L. Stiner

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Bitsy by Rayna L. Stiner

A Dark Fantasy Novel published by Tagorbi Publishing, LLC (08/15/16)

Summary:

“It takes guts to get up every day and face the world after you’ve seen so much of its ugliness.” (Kindle Locations 2415-2416).

Bitsy and Liz are the same person, or rather different personalities of the same person. After surviving her own childhood horror, Bitsy and Liz emerged. Now an admin assistant for the local hospital in the ER for abuse victims, Bitsy wants nothing more than to play violin in the local orchestra, but her alternate ego has other plans.

Keywords:

Music, Musician, Violin, Orchestra, Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Violence, Fantasy, Survivor, Split Personality, Psychic, Hospital, Boss, Portland, Alternate Personality, Vigilante, Crime, Death, Dying, Angels, Rape

My Review:

This book wasn’t a story so much about Bitsy as it was about trying to relate a concept about the terribleness of child abuse and sexual abuse, which is quite noble but didn’t work in this particular novel. The fantasy and dream sequences seemed forced into the narrative and the plot was overwhelmingly odd and ill-fitting with the subject matter. The graphic sexual violence and suggestions of sexual violence felt forced into the storyline and these gritty details didn’t so much further the plot as gross me out.

The fantasy was necessary for the plot, but very distracting and unnatural seeming in the way it was integrated into the story. I skipped over much of the description, especially wherever the fantasy was involved.

The concept of a person who has been in such a traumatic experience that their personality splits into two separate entities to deal with the emotional turbulence and healing is very, very interesting and kept me reading this story, but the plot and the interjection of the ‘dark fantasy’ element was a big turn off and didn’t fit into the story well.

This novel was published by Tagorbi Publishing, LLC on August 15th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 2.75

Links for more information:

Rayna L. Stiner’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

NaNo November: Week One Update – I don’t have time for this…

by in For the Love of Donuts, NaNoWriMo, Rachel Barnard

What a week this has been. I have, in no particular order:

  • Spilled milk all over my dress pants and cried
  • Worn a shirt inside out for half the day
  • Worked 60 hours
  • Backstaged a local show (Wednesday/Friday rehearsal and Saturday performance)
  • Stayed up past midnight for Hallonanoween in my new onesie pajamas
  • Written over 12k words in my Nano novel
  • Worked every day and woke up early every day
  • Spent approximately 1o hours in traffic
  • Went to 3 write ins (opening, Issy writers, St. James, and SnoValley Coffee)
  • Lost 2 lbs
  • Lost it at a Costco
  • Gotten a flat tire
  • Had too much caffeine
  • Cursed like a sailor
  • Got behind and caught up
  • Felt like a failure
  • Felt like a success
  • Was happy
  • Was sad
  • Was frustrated
  • Hopeful that next week will be less insane

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Photo taken by the man on the right at the SnoValley Coffee write in

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Left – Hallonanoween and my new onesie! Right – beautiful cupcake from the show on Saturday

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Never been this empty before…

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The terrible flat.

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Doughnut and writing at SnoValley Coffee

Book Review: The Unwitting Journeys of the Witty Miss Livingstone: Book I: Journey Key (Miss Liv Adventures 1) by Kennedy J. Quinn

by in Book Review and tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Unwitting Journeys of the Witty Miss Livingstone: Book I: Journey Key (Miss Liv Adventures 1)by Kennedy J. Quinn

A Steampunk Novel published by Amazon Digital Services Inc. (10/25/16)

Summary:

Miss Livingstone doesn’t quite fit into her era because she is a woman with her own mind. It is the early 1900’s until Miss Livingstone peeks into the new bookshop and finds time-traveling stones that take her forward in time to meet the owner of the bookshop. Then she is taken back through time as she attempts to solve the mystery of the stones and find some good books on the side!

Keywords:

Time Travel, Female Heroine, Adventure, History, Literature, Literary References, Snoqualmie, Books, Steampunk, Evil, Lurking, Romance

My Review:

A new blend of history, great literature, and adventure, Miss Liv Adventures was a fun read. I especially liked how every adventure ended with the steam train taking Miss Livingstone back (or forward) to her own time. I really liked the integration of books and history into the plot of the book and thought the details surrounding the key were marvelous and fantastical.

Miss Livingstone was curious to a fault and brave beyond doubt as she traveled across time and space, never forgetting her home and her love of books. The places she traveled to were rich and lively and there were just enough different settings to keep my interest but not too many to be confusing.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services Inc. on October 25th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

Links for more information:

Sheri J. Kennedy’s Website and Blog

Goodreads

Sheri J. Kennedy on Facebook

FreeValley Publishing Featured Author

Foodie Fridays: Blue Apron Review

by in Foodie Fridays and tagged

I tried out a 3 meal for two people Blue Apron this month.

Pros:

  1. I got to know new ingredients (like how to deal with turnips and chickpeas)
  2. I got to eat semi-gourmet homemade meals
  3. They were over portioned and I had leftovers!

Cons:

  1. The box arrived on the most inconvenient day of the week and I had to let the ingredients sit in my fridge for 3 days before I could even cook the first one.
  2. The recipes were more complicated than I’m used to cooking
  3. There were a LOT of dishes to clean up
  4. Some of the directions were confusing and I started to doubt my own ability to cook and make assumptions

I really enjoyed the experience but felt harried trying to make the meals and not let them sit in the fridge for too long. I liked having new ingredients to work with that I’m not sure I’d ever find or purchase in the grocery store and I will be using chickpeas in the near future! I wish Blue Apron had levels of difficulty/gourmet so that the harried overworked overbusy people can start off with the starter pack that uses less dishes and takes less prep finagling to figure out, but introduces you to new ingredients and provides a ready meal when you’re too busy to go to the grocery store.

The spicy chicken with Mediterranean flair (my favorite):

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The seared salmon with fall vegetables:

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And the roasted pork steam buns without final picture because we were too busy eating:

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NaNo November: Why I Won’t Win NaNoWriMo This Year

by in NaNoWriMo | 1 Comment

Or will I?

What are your excuses for not making time to write/winning?

Here’s my list:

  1. I have two jobs and one is in retail so I’m working 50-60 hours/week
  2. I lose a lot of time driving because Seattle area traffic = black hole of time suck
  3. I have 4 major events in November (Belles of the Ball, a Tuesday all day sales event, Oddmall one weekend, and Bard & Starlett)

Here’s why I WILL win:

  1. I’m extremely stubborn
  2. I like a challenge
  3. I have a schedule for my For the Love of Donuts series
  4. I like to write
  5. I actually have an outline for my NaNo novel

And finally, why I love NaNoWriMo:

  1. I’m writing
  2. I get to meet other writers
  3. Write-ins are hecka awesome!
  4. Novel bragging rights
  5. I’m being highly productive
  6. It helps me finish/start/work on my writing
  7. I go to new places

Not to forget a list about my upcoming NaNo manuscript:

  1. It’s a young adult novel
  2. It’s the third book in the For the Love of Donut books
  3. Nichole and Vanessa are in it
  4. There will be donuts
  5. There will be themes of friendship
  6. It will be set in Sarasota
  7. I’m super excited to write it!

Book Review: Purple Text Talk by C.Y. Robertson

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Purple Text Talk by C.Y. Robertson

A Middle Grade Novel published by Chizzy Press (2/12/16)

Summary:

Aria doesn’t want to make her family worry any more than they have to. She remains quiet and unobtrusive in the middle of her many siblings as they move mid-year. Leaving her best friend Lily behind shouldn’t be so bad because she can make new friends in her new school, right? Fitting in is hard and maybe not even worth it if Aria has to do and say things she’s not proud of, will she stick with it or stay true to herself?

Keywords:

Texting, New School, New Friends, Travel, Popularity, Best Friends, Talking, Phone Calls, New Town, New House, Bullies, Mean Girls

My Review:

This book felt scattered, just like a preteen. Not only was there text talk, there was text grammar and text style. It was difficult to read because details and transitions were not there, but you get the tone of the novel, the mood of the main character Aria and the big picture for the plot. I prefer books with more to them, but for pre-teenagers who text talk and text read and text love, they will totally get this.

The plot was more scattered than I would have liked, since it was more based on showing a slice of life than on a particular main character goal. I enjoyed the story with Luke even though it felt like a subplot that took over the story in the end. Luke and Aria were very fascinating characters, not the norm for pre-teens.

I wish I had more details on how old the characters were. Aria had too many siblings to keep straight!

This novel was published by Chizzy Press on February 12th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 3.25

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Author Events in the Seattle’s Eastside today! Neverending Bookshop and Monroe Books

by in Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard, Seattle Specific Saturdays and tagged , , | 1 Comment

Meet the authors at Main Street Books in Monroe today from 2pm-4pm! For more info, check out the Facebook event page here.

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And don’t forget to support your other local bookstore in Bothell! The Nevending Bookshop is turning 1-year old!

Come help us celebrate one year at The Neverending Bookshop! We’ll have storytime, a literary costume contest (both adults and kids), a short story writing contest (both adults and kids), giveaways, mysterious books for sale, and so much more! For more information, visitwww.theneverendingbookshop.com/events We can’t wait to celebrate one year in the Bothell community!
The day’s schedule: 10:30 a.m.: storytime; 11 a.m.: coloring; 2 p.m.: the children’s literary costume contest; 2:30 p.m.: the adult’s costume contest. Throughout the day we’ll be collecting business cards and contact information for a super awesome giveaway!

For more info, check out the Facebook event page here.

Book Review: Breeder: Arrow’s Flight Book #1 by Casey Hays

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Breeder: Arrow’s Flight Book #1 by Casey Hays

A Science Fiction/Dystopian Novel published by Whispering Pages, LLC (11/22/14)

Summary:

Kate lives in the only civilization left on earth, a small village where women rule the town and men are kept alive only as breeding stock to replenish the earth. Kate has been chosen as a breeder and she must fulfill her role in society, but on her birthday when she is led to the Pit for her first mating, she rebels. Kate never wanted to be a breeder, but in this society where Fate is all important, will she be able to break out and do what she wants or will she be forced to conform to society’s rules?

Keywords:

Breeding, Procreation, Dystopian, Female Run Society, Rebelling, Leadership, Fate, Destiny, Village, Isolation, Friendship, Council, Voice, Chosen, Disobedience, Punishment, Secrets

My Review:

Another dystopian novel. Another female heroine. Another enticing and excellent book that had me enthralled to the very end. Some parts may have rambled on a bit, but the story was so well written and held my attention from beginning to end.

Kate is an amazingly active and headstrong character who doesn’t let things happen to her, even though this is how Fate works. She refuses a role as a placid character. She is dynamic and stubborn and in this way, too, she is special. Any one of us could be Kate if we too followed our hearts and didn’t look the other way when injustice happened.

I loved Kate just a little bit more every time she interacted with a male and showed her strength, innocence, determination and humanity.

I look forward to more books, dystopian or otherwise, from this author.

This novel was published by Whispering Pages, LLC on November 22nd, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Casey Hays Website

Goodreads