Maple Valley Days
06/12/15 – 06/14/15
Cost: Free
More Info
FreeValley Publishing will host a booth at the 2015 Maple Valley Days from June 12-14, 2015. Come visit the FVP booth and check out other Maple Valley local favorite vendors.
Photos courtesy of Sheri J. Kennedy.
I’ve wanted to check out this local bar for a while, ever since finding out that they sponsor a food challenge… June 5th is National Donut Day. What does this have to do with Lucky 7 and a Burger Food Challenge? I’m writing a book with food challenges and donuts as themes and I’ve decided that Donut Day is the day I will publish the book (next year), but I wanted to do some research into a real food challenge. Come join me as I try out the challenge. Anyone’s welcome to join me in trying to conquer the Goliath. If you can beat the Goliath Challenge, I’ll even double your winnings. Lucky 7 also features a full menu, with pool, and darts.
The Goliath Burger Challenge
http://www.lucky7barandgrill.com/goliath/
non within 25 minutes by yourself and it’s on the house! (
Eat this 3.5 lb phenomenormally $25.00):
For centuries, man has conquered everything in its path to achieve greatness. From the engineering of the pyramids to landing on the moon, mankind has faced grueling obstacles and triumphed in every realm we have sought to subdue… that is until now. A new opponent challenges our reign in the ultimate showdown of hunger and perseverance. A fearsome warrior once defeated, Goliath has been resurrected in meat form to take his vengeance on all those who deny his omnipotence. He has no fear and knows no pain. Do you?
Goliath Burger features:
1 1/3 lbs beef with diced fresh habaneros
1/2 lb barbecue pulled pork
bacon
cheddar and pepper jack cheeses
home-made habanero relish
4 onion rings
1.5 lb fries
For event info: Facebook event description; Meetup event description; Blog event description
Come down after 6PM and join me or watch me suffer in burger and habanero!
Introducing For the Love of Donuts Series:
The Cure by Stephanie Erickson
A YA Sci-fi/Dystopian Novel published on amazon.com (11/27/2013)
Summary:
“I gladly sacrifice my life for the good of others. One life will make the difference, and that life could be mine. For this reason, I’m devoted to finding the cure.” (Kindle Locations 59-60).
In a world that is on quarantine from a disease that kills 75% of the population, the push for the cure also lowers life expectancies. It is only through human trials that the government thinks a cure can be found. “Sixteen was a big birthday, though. The year everyone got their date— the day when you would live or die, the day when you would endure the experiments to find a cure. Everyone was given a date that would not precede their twentieth birthday. The date was then effective for the rest of your life. Every ten years, you would endure the testing on that date, until your sixtieth birthday— if you lived that long.” (Kindle Locations 457-459).
Macey questions the system of dates. Is there really even a disease or is the Cure a way to keep the people in line and the population in control? Macey is an artist about to enter her final year of schooling when she finds out her date will arrive two years earlier than anybody else’s has. She feels gypped, that her whole world and all that she knows is in chaos. She ponders quitting school and starting an artist apprenticeship. She ponders politically incorrect drawings. She ponders life as those around her come up on their own dates and may never return.
Keywords:
Post-apocalyptic, Dystopian, Controlling Government, Disease, Cure, Testing, Art, Questioning Everything, Romance, Family, Love, Saving Lives, Sacrifice, Routine, Tradition
My Review:
Stephanie Erickson is able to build her world from the very first sentence. She evokes the time and the setting with those first words. I was shown right away a totalitarian society in a post-apocalyptic dying world and I knew I was going to love this book. Erickson lays out all the important information in the beginning of the story, but layers it throughout the interactions the main character Macey has with her world and environment.
I enjoyed the fact that Macey had one skill and one activity she liked above others. She was an artist and her world revolved around her art and the way she creatively viewed herself and her world. I have never been much of an artist or understood having that kind of skill, so seeing it through Macey’s eyes was exhilarating and eye-opening. On top of a good story with emotional draw, Erickson gave me something else to take away from The Cure.
After the initial setup for the plot and showing the condition the main characters lived in and how their world was set up, the plot began to meander and you’re just waiting for the other boot to drop. It is Macey’s date. Her date is significant. Will the book just end? What will happen? The reader isn’t given much information, just like Macey isn’t until she gets there.
I like how Erickson crafted the ultimate difficult situation for her main character and showed how Macey thought through her decision and the supposed consequences of each decision and how they would affect her life. It’s always fascinating to watch someone struggle with an important decision and to feel their anxiety and watch as they choose their paths in life. Erickson captured Macey’s emotional struggle in this novel.
This novel was published through Createspace Independent Publishing Platform 11/27/2013 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50
Links for more information:
The Dead Room by Stephanie Erickson
A YA Dystopian Novel published by Pickles Press (03/10/2015)
Summary:
“Civilization had crumbled at its own hands, and the islanders were the only survivors.” (Location 131)
Far few books have accurate book descriptions and the Dead Room is one of them. You get exactly what you read with the summary. This is why I’m not including my own summary of the book and suggest you read Stephanie Erickson’s book summary if you want to know what the book is about.
Keywords:
Apocalypse, Intrigue, Secrets, Inquisitive Main Character, Two Main Characters, Guarding Secrets, Survivors, Refuge, Political Subterfuge, Kept in the Dark, Jealousy, Power Hungry, Twists, Island, Mainland
My Review:
Right from the start, Erickson pulls the reader into her world. There are a plethora of post-apocalyptic books out there, but she puts her survivors on an island. The island is like the silos in Hugh Howey’s Wool, separate and apart from society in order to preserve humanity for future generations. Just like a silo, an island has limited space, creating tension and the necessity for law and order. The island is run by the elders who are not all men, thank you Erickson. Too many books repeat real life stereotypes and only place men in positions of power, but The Dead Room has several females as authority figures.
Erickson creates a unique world and describes it so that it is vivid in the reader’s mind. She sets up the plot efficiently and with tension between the main characters and what their goals are. “Questions were more Ashly’s department. Mason preferred a go-along-to-get-along attitude.” (Location 793). Ashley’s inquisitive nature immediately butts heads with the elders. Mason seems like he’s only along for the ride, until he’s pulled along by Ashley into a new world.
This story had a great hook and a great plot and solid storytelling…
But!
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
What’s wrong with you Stephanie Erickson? The plot was plodding along steadily, the buildup to where Ashely and Mason leave the island leaves the reader in great suspense and on the edge of the seat and then Wham! You kill Ashley. No, no, and no. You cannot kill your main character and then attempt to promote Mason. Suddenly Ashely is dead and the book takes a twisted turn, but the pacing is thrown off kilter and you’ve killed a character unnecessarily, the main one at that! There were so few important people in the book and Ashley moved the entire plot along, she was the inquisitive mind and the do-it-yourself to get-it-done girl, she can’t be gone! This death was way too abrupt and the rest of the book is left hanging and the entire narrative is left to Mason. He is not up to snuff, though he does his best. The book was about Ashely, you cannot just get rid of her. I very much do not appreciate this turn of events and have docked the entire book’s rating down from a 5-star to a 4-star because of this jolting uneven pacing.
This novel was published by Pickles Press 03/10/2015 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.25
Links for more information:
They are great! In a grocery store chock full of ‘nutrition’ bars, Kind stands out. They are extra nutty and delicious. Cons: they are sticky and hard to eat without getting your fingers sticky too, pricing as always is more than many other choices. Pros: delicious, full of healthy fruits and nuts.
What is your favorite Kind flavor?
Hourglass by Pauline C. Harris
A YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi Novel published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books (03/11/15)
Summary:
“A planet isn’t big enough for me. I need space and stars and nothing for light-years around.” (Kindle Locations 312-313).
“You know, it’s a shame. Growing up. I bet you regret it now.” (Kindle Location 1632).
Jude “Judy” Sprocket hates planets. She has to get off Earth. When her dad dies and wills her his ship “Hourglass” she decides to take it and get out of there. There is only one problem. She’s only 17 and without an adult present cannot legally take off. Her crew is full of underage and excited kids. Jacob Holden is her chief engineer at 16. Angelica Rivers is the Assistant Engineer and Salvager. Gregory Miller is a Salvager. Jacobson Keith is a salvager. Sylvia Smith is the medic. Judy is the Captain.
Nothing will stand in the way of the stubborn captain, they are pirates after all, and they don’t exactly follow the rules. Not far from Earth, though, they encounter an uncharted planet. There is no way a planet this close to Earth would remain unknown, but the crew disregards any common sense they might have regarding an unmarked planet, and set down to investigate. Then all nightmares break loose.
Keywords:
Space, travel, teens, kids in charge, Captain, exploration, nightmares, unknown past, sinister planet, leadership, friendship, loyalty, pirates, salvagers, dangerous, haunting past, vague memories
My Review:
I loved the concept of this book. Harris cleverly disguised the connection of the book to a well-known children’s story, but brought this connection to light in her before chapter quotes. Her usage of elements of the well-known story was intriguing and kept me hooked and searching for more similarities. But, this story was unique and all its own, even with the comparison story and similarities present.
The idea that there are space pirates who steal unwanted floating space junk is cool, especially when it is considered illegal. Harris took the hilarity of regulation and ridiculous government rules into space. Harris basically extrapolated what we know about travel and Earth and regulations and applied it to space.
Harris kept up the tension and intrigue throughout the novel and kept her twists and turns within the realm of possibility. The story was exciting and the descriptions were great. Judy was a good, solid main character with her own set of flaws and fears, but she had backbone when it counted.
The book also had an uncanny ability to translate the sense of creepiness, horror and dread the characters felt at times.
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.
This novel was published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books March 11th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75
Links for more information:
Foul is Fair (Fair Folk Chronicles) (Volume 1) by Jeffrey Cook and Katherine Perkins
A YA Fantasy Novel published through Amazon Digital Services (05/15/15)
Summary:
“You Hawaiian lawn gnome people are very strange.” (Kindle Location 2314).
Megan has known Lani for quite some time, but she never knew Lani was different. In fact, Megan never knew that she herself was different. Both girls are only half human. While Lani lives with both her parents, Megan’s dad has been absent for most of her life. When she finds out her dad is in trouble, though, she jumps at the chance to help save him. Aided by the pixie Ashling and her Crow, Cassia, and eventually a real live almost-knight, the girls set off on their quest – only to be interrupted by the politics in faerie land. They must first appease the faerie leader before saving Megan’s dad, but they find out that he didn’t just accidentally get himself into the mess he’s in, he was set up! A full on political war with all sorts of odd creatures rages and Megan must figure out what to do and in the process figure out who she is and what she wants to be.
Keywords:
Faerie, politics, high fantasy, world building, mis-appearances, war, strangeness, magic, distinctions, evil, pixie, butterflies, knight, quest, heroines, queens, dancing, music
My Review:
Megan has ADHD. The whole book is one big batch of ADHD and to someone who has never had anything like ADHD it is very peculiar. The books that mimic the thing they are talking about are rare and sometimes hard to follow. In Foul is Fair, the writing style, dialogue, and descriptions are written in the style of ADHD. The feeling one gets while reading this book is that thoughts are somewhat scattered and random. Many of the plot points and motivations seem random. Even from the beginning you are plunged into the story without too much of a foothold before the action ramps up and takes away running with you. It is very different to be reading a book like this. If this is how Megan and others with ADHD feel and interpret the world, boy do I get it now.
This book, as it is the first in a fantasy series, takes a lot of time to build up the world and the political scene. Faerie land is complex and so are the creatures. If fantasy with lots of different creatures and different types of relationships and a complex other-universe with its own laws and guidelines is your thing, you will love the Fae Chronicles. I’m more of a character lover than a complex fantasy world lover.
Megan and Lani were characters I enjoyed. They were both very different from each other and somewhat unique as characters. Megan personified ADHD, but she was also artistic and musically inclined. Lani was some interesting ethnic mix and her family, being openly (to each other) faerie inclined, were super odd and fascinating.
This novel was published through Amazon Digital Services May 5th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 3.50
Links for more information:
I’ve passed the 100 book mark for 2015, but haven’t yet checked off each challenge item. What are the hardest items of the challenge for you to complete?
| The Challenge | 2014 | 2015 | |
| 1 | A book with more than 500 pages | Shift (Silo #2) by Hugh Howey (608) | Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan |
| 2 | A classic romance | Wildest Dreams by Stefany Rattles | Shatterd & Scarred (The Sacred Hearts MC, #1) by AJ Downey |
| 3 | A book that became a movie | The Fault in Our Stars by John Green | The Duff by Kody Keplinger |
| 4 | A book published this year | Unseen by Stephanie Erickson | Mina Cortez: From Bouquets to Bullets by Jeffrey Cook |
| 5 | A book with a number in the title | 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher | Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury |
| 6 | A book written by someone under 30 | Deny the Moon by Melissa Graham | Silent Circle by Cassandra Larsen |
| 7 | A book with nonhuman characters | Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce | Cinder by Marissa Meyer |
| 8 | A funny book | This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper | Yes Please by Amy Pohler |
| 9 | A book by a female author | The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (The Enchanted Forest by Patricia Wrede | From the Wreckage by Michele G. Miller |
| 10 | A mystery or thriller | Cache a Predator by M. Weidenbenner | Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot |
| 11 | A book with a one-word title | Room by Emma Donoghue | Cress by Marissa Meyer |
| 12 | A book of short stories | Free-Flowing Stories by FVP authors | The Fierce Reads Anthology by Anna Banks |
| 13 | A book set in a different country | The 100-Foot Journey by Richard Morais | Yassa: Genghis Khan’s Coming of Age Taley by Jo Michaels |
| 14 | A nonfiction book | Rock Your Plot: A Simple System for Plotting Your Novel by Cathy Yardley | You Are a Writer So Start Acting Like One by Jeff Goins |
| 15 | A popular author’s first book | Looking for Alaska by John Green | The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath |
| 16 | A book from an author you love that you hadn’t read yet | Silo by Hugh Howy | The Stillness of the Sky by Starla Huchton |
| 17 | A book a friend recommended | Heart of Africa by Loren Lockner | The Crossing Hour by Quoleena Sbrocca |
| 18 | A Pulitzer Prize-winning book | X | The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt |
| 19 | A book based on a true story | Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean | Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s “Learned” by Lena Dunham |
| 20 | A book at the bottom of your to-read list | I, Robot by Isaac Asimov | The Road by Cormac McCarthy |
| 21 | A book your mom loves | Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn | |
| 22 | A book that scares you | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley | The Shining by Stephen King |
| 23 | A book more than 100 years old | X | |
| 24 | A book based entirely on its cover | The Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce | Food Rules: An Eater’s manual by Michael Pollan |
| 25 | A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t | NA | NA |
| 26 | A memoir | X | Yes, Please by Amy Poehler |
| 27 | A book you can finish in a day | If I stay by Gayle Foreman | The Encounter by Katherine Applegate |
| 28 | A book with antonyms in the title | Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter | |
| 29 | A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit | X | Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight |
| 30 | A book that came out the year you were born | X | |
| 31 | A book with bad reviews | Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James | |
| 32 | A trilogy | Maze Runner by James Dashner | The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer |
| 33 | A book from your childhood | The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (The Enchanted Forest by Patricia Wrede | The Visitor by Katherine Applegate |
| 34 | A book with a love triangle | The Thousand Year Curse (Curse Books, #1) by Taylor Lavati | Fallen (Fallen, #1) by Lauren Kate |
| 35 | A book set in the future | The Maze Runner by James Dashner | Feed by M.T. Anderson |
| 36 | A book set in high school | The Moment Before by Suzy Vitello | The Duff by Kody Keplinger |
| 37 | A book with a color in the title | Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James | Scarlet by Marissa Meyer |
| 38 | A book that made you cry | Ghostwriter by Tyan Wyss | Don’t Call Me Kit Kat by K.J. Farnham |
| 39 | A book with magic | Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs | Sticks and Sontes by Shawn McGuire |
| 40 | A graphic novel | X | |
| 41 | A book by an author you’ve never read before | Unseen by Stephanie Erickson | Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich |
| 42 | A book you own but hadn’t read before | X | The Truth About Mud by Christina L. Rozelle |
| 43 | A book that takes place in your hometown | The Siren Suicides by Ksenia Anske | The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown |
| 44 | A book that was originally written in a different language | X | |
| 45 | A book set during Christmas | The French for Christmas by Fiona Valpy | Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber |
| 46 | A book written by an author with your same initials | The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury | Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury |
| 47 | A play | X | |
| 48 | A banned book | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley | Speak by Laurie Anderson |
| 49 | A book based on or turned into a TV show | X | Animorphs by Katherine Applegate |
| 50 | A book you started but never finished | A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess | Choke by Chuck Pahlaniuk |
FreeValley Publishing is proud to present, Bard & Starlet Radio Hour – Live on stage May 27th at Boxley’s Jazz Club in North Bend, WA
Scenes by six of our authors will be performed by actors on stage in a style reminiscent of old radio plays…Kind of like your voice-acted audio book comes to life before your eyes!
Produced by Sheri J. Kennedy and FreeValley Publishing
Directed by Michael Renney
Starring Dylan Cook, Michael Renney, FVP Authors and more…
Be sure not to miss this exciting community event! Free Admission at Boxley’s Jazz Club. We recommend enjoying Boxley’s dinner, snacks and/or cocktails – they’re delicious! boxleysplace.com
Fantasy of Flight (The Tainted Accords Book 2) by Kelly St. Clare
A Fantasy Novel published by Kelly St Clare (05/24/15)
Summary:
“The fight was exhilarating. It was a rush, a shock, an overload of my senses. It was survival. It was seeing your life as a tiny speck in the palm of a giant. All of that could make a woman tired.” (Page 22).
Olina the Tatuma has run away to the outer rings of Glacium. She wants to find Kedrick’s killer and the source of the special arrow. She wants to get away from king Jovan. She meant to stay away for several days and solve the mystery of the arrow and murder, but was attacked and her veil destroyed. The people of Glacium are not as nice as the people of Osolis, where she is from. There is hope, however, as she is rescued by Alzona and her fighting crew. The only way back to being Tatuma is to fight in the Outer Rings’ competitions. As days turn into weeks, Olina discovers a new home, and potentially a compromise to her sticky situation as a blue-eyed Tatuma, but will she stay in the Outer Rings with her newfound friends, fighting for her every meal?
Keywords:
Fighting, adventure, action, fantasy, sexual themes, heartbreak, spontaneity, friendship, cliff-hanger, fantasy, love, loyalty, brothers, fear, rulers, power, intimidation, training, female main character, kick butt female
My Review:
St. Clare introduces an entire new spectrum of characters in this book two of the Tainted Accords Series. Each one has his or her own personality, and they all have some influence on Olina’s new life as Frost, Alzon’s new prized fighter. There is Alzona herself, another strong woman who built up what she has from nothing. “By accepting help, she has created a stronger business. If anything, her willingness to put aside her pride and study the bigger picture makes her even scarier – if that were possible.” (Page 54). There is Alzona’s administrative aid Crystal, whose mystery is unveiled by Frost. The crew of Flurry, Blizzard, Avalanche, Shard, and Ice are, at first, wary of the small woman who claims to be a fighter, but when she kicks their butts she earns their respect. Each of these men has their own identifying personality traits.
The majority of this book takes place in Alzona’s training ground and in the fighting arena. Much of the plot and character development is between the winter-named crew and Frost, gradually developing relationships until the sudden fast-moving change as Olina moves on back to the plot started in book one. Most of the plots that were unresolved from book one remain unresolved and are hardly touched upon in Fantasy of Flight, except the relationship that was hinted at between the Tatuma and Jovan in book one is given much more time and space in book two. This book two almost felt like a standalone in the middle of a trilogy, where some of the back-story had been talked about in another book and it ended with the same kind of cliffhanger in the end, where nothing in the main plot is resolved.
This book was amazingly captivating. The dialogue was realistic and the fighting will bring you to the edge of your seat. Olina displays intelligence and loyalty that keeps you sympathizing with her side and wanting her to reach her goals, but she is also pouty and emotional and relatable. Many times you think she is untouchable and perfect, but then she will do something entirely childish or human and she is brought to life with her actions and thoughts. Sometimes her spontaneity is baffling, but she addresses it herself in the latter part of the book. Everyone has their flaws, Olina’s is to run away from emotionally charged personal problems.
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for my honest review.
This novel was published by Kelly St Clare on May 24th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.
TL;DR Star Rating: 4.00
Links for more information:
Rachel Author Barnard 