Event Alert! Indie Author Day with KCLS at the Issaquah Library Service Center (WA)

by in Author Thursdays, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged , , ,

Indie Author Day is October 8th – this Saturday! Come down to the KCLS Service Center and greet 25 local Indie Authors!

10am – 11am – Meet & Greet with Authors – you will be at your table to greet the public

11am – Noon – National Live Streaming Q & A with writers, agents and industry leaders. Panelists include: Moderator Jon Fine, (formerly of Amazon), Robin Cutler, Kiera Parrott, Jim Blanton, L. Penelope.

Link to panelists: http://indieauthorday.com/blog/streaming-at-a-library-near-you/

Noon – 12:30 – Meet & Greet with Authors

12:30 – 1:30pm – Panel Discussion: Amazon Author Opportunities

1:30 – 2pm – Meet & Greet with Authors

2pm – 3pm – Panel Discussion: Using Self-e

Book Review: The Sapphire Legend, Part II by E. L. Tenenbaum

by in Book Review and tagged , , , ,

The Sapphire Legend, Part II by E. L. Tenenbaum

A Fantasy Novel published by Melange Books – Fire and Ice Ya (01/09/16)

Summary:

“If you don’t go now, then you never had a right to sit with them to begin with,” (Kindle Location 1451).

Sapere’s tribe has finally settled into their new semi-stable home in the Wild when Sapere and Venatore find the Great Blue Waters and evidence of their sister tribe. They must warn the other tribe of the danger of the Pliz and maybe, just maybe, they will be offered refuge and a safe place to regrow their tribe. But after all the upheaval and strife they’ve been through, will the tribe follow Sapere once more?

Keywords:

Tradition, Tribes, Death, Fighting, Survival, Wild, Forest, Camp, Powers, Friendships, Family, Hunting, Loss, Training, New Beginnings

My Review:

Such a great read! This is a book that both boys and girls should read and would love to read! Sapere is a role model and the author shows how Sapere thinks in all sorts of trying situations. How does one become a leader? What is it like to have heavy responsibilities? Just read this series!

Sapere was strong and even when she doubted herself, she was able to step up and take her rightful place. The scene where Sapere wasn’t sure she should sit with the men of the new tribe, even though she’s earned it was such an amazing moment. Yes for women everywhere!

This world in the Sapphire Legend may not be perfect, but seeing what characters do when presented with tragedy and the chance to be better people is what kept me reading. This is a book and this is a series that will teach you something and leave you as a better person for having read it. A fantasy for everyone.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This novel was published by Melange Books – Fire and Ice Ya on January 9th, 2016 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.0

Links for more information:

E.L Tenenbaum’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Everett Fall and Home Show After and Book Haul!!

by in At One's Beast, Ataxia and the Ravine of Lost Dreams, For the Love of Donuts, Local Authors, Local Events, Rachel Barnard and tagged

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The Everett Fall and Home Show was huge! It took place at the Xfinity arena in Everett and there were quite a number of vendors, but only a few books and authors. I went with my new group – the Writer’s Coop of the Pacific Northwest. Shout out to the group and especially Matthew Buza (check out his book here) for putting together a fantastically well organized and beautifully professional event. Check out these awesome pictures!

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Picture from Writer’s Coop member.

Here are the books I’ve added to my review queue…

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Foodie Fridays: Red Velvet Cheesecake Churros

by in Foodie Fridays and tagged

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This was such a difficult recipe to follow! I didn’t have some of the baking equipment (piping bags) and it was messy and a pain! They are delicious, but not as magical looking as I had hoped. I also don’t like cinnamon or excess sugar so I didn’t roll them in the sugar/cinnamon mixture and I halved the amount of powered sugar put into the cream cheese for the filling. It would have been easier to use a fat straw, but all I had was a thin one I’d swiped from a fast food place earlier.

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BUZZFEED recipe can be found here

INGREDIENTS

2 cups water
¼ cup granulated sugar
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup red velvet cake mix
2 eggs
Canola oil, for frying
½ cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

PREPARATION

In a pot over medium-high heat, bring water, sugar, and butter to a boil. Add in the flour and the cake mix and stir vigorously until mixture has no streaks. Remove from heat and add the eggs, stirring until the dough becomes a ball. Transfer dough to a piping bag with a size 9 star tip.

Pipe three to four inches strips of the dough on a baking sheet. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Heat the canola oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Fry the red velvet churros for about three to four minutes, then remove and drain on paper towels.

Using a straw, poke a hole through the centers of the churros to hollow out a cavity for the filling.

On a plate, combine the cinnamon and the sugar and mix until it is a uniform color. Roll the hollowed out churros in the cinnamon sugar.

In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Transfer filling into a piping bag with a round tip and pipe the filling into the churros.

Book Review: Reclaim (The Harvest Saga Book 3) by Casey L. Bond

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Reclaim (The Harvest Saga Book 3) by Casey L. Bond

A YA Dystopian Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (06/01/15)

Summary:

This ending to the Harvest Saga will take Abby through the greatest difficulties she’s ever faced. Can she overcome once and for all and help her fellow Lessers into freedom?

Keywords:

Strength, Dystopia, Orchard, Apples, Apple Picking, Castes, Poverty, Female protagonist, the Special One, Infertility, Trains, City, Technological Advances, Weapons, Fighting, Resiliency, Harvest, Oppression

My Review:

There are now more powers than just Olympus hovering over the Lessers and Orchard. What seemed an ally is just a power standing by and waiting for their opportunity to strike. Or were they waiting by? This book’s plot is much more complex than it at first seemed and it was so satisfying to plunge into its depths.

This was a fantastic ending to the Harvest Saga and worth the read. I finished the entire trilogy in less than a week. Thanks Casey L. Bond for a thrilling ride. I will definitely be reading more of your books.

Dystopian literature has saturated the market, especially books with strong female leads, but the Harvest Saga is so well written and fantastically engaging that it draws you right in and you don’t even notice that you’re reading another dystopian female-protagonist book, you’re too busy turning pages.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on June 1st, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.75

Links for more information:

Casey Bond’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Book Review: Resist (The Harvest Saga Book 2) by Casey L. Bond

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Resist (The Harvest Saga Book 2) by Casey L. Bond

A YA Dystopian Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (07/31/14)

Summary:

“Trust was earned, and they’d broken too many promises, told too many lies.” (Kindle Locations 7574-7575).

Abby is headed to the Greater city of Olympus with Crew. His lies and betrayal cause strain between them as Abby sees what is really going on with the “Harvest” and all the Lesser women that were taken from Orchard and the surrounding Lesser cities. When Abby gets out of Olympus, things aren’t much better in Orchard as anyone who speaks out is taken away for resistance. Resistance is coming, but in the meantime Abby must lay low.

Keywords:

Strength, Dystopia, Orchard, Apples, Apple Picking, Castes, Poverty, Female protagonist, the Special One, Infertility, Trains, City, Technological Advances, Weapons, Fighting, Resiliency, Harvest, Oppression

My Review:

This middle book in the trilogy flew by! I learned so much more about Crew and what the Greater cities were like. The oppression of Lessers isn’t restricted to Lesser cities, for of course Lessers are needed within Olympus as well. Just as oppression builds, so must resistance! This book is full of the mindsets that will lead to this resistance, even though it does look mighty bleak. What can unarmed lower-class citizens do against well armed and technologically advanced Greaters? Read to find out…

The characters, especially those surrounding Abby are given more depth in this book. I still can’t decide if I like Crew or not, if he’s truly a good person or not. I fear he will have to make a choice eventually and this will show for good whether he’s a good person, but I’ll have to wait to see. I was much less interested in Kyan than Crew in this book, but both are playing an integral role in Abby’s life and the greater plot and dilemma between Orchard and the Lessers and the world that they live in.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on July 31st, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 5.0

Links for more information:

Casey Bond’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Newsletter Signup – Free Link to download Vanessa’s Book of Awesome Things

by in Rachel Barnard

Hello dear readers!

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What my newsletter contains:
  • Upcoming events
  • All about the donuts section featuring something super cool about my upcoming release Donuts in an Empty Field (For the Love of Donuts Book 1)
  • All about the donuts local donut shop review
  • Summary of the month’s book reviews
  • Important updates about Rachel Barnard and her books

Check out my previous newsletters and let me know if you want to see anything else in my newsletter! I love getting all your comments.

Previous Newsletters —

February 2016
March 2016
April 2016
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June 2016
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August 2016

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Book Review: Reap (The Harvest Saga Book 1) by Casey L. Bond

by in Book Review and tagged , , , , ,

Reap (The Harvest Saga Book 1) by Casey L. Bond

A YA Dystopian Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (03/15/14)

Summary:

In a society where people are divided into castes, Lessers and Greaters, Abby lives as a Lesser in a Lesser village: Orchard. Her life is simple: harvest from the orchard and work every day for the Greaters’ Good. She is content. She has her best friend Kyan and Lulu, the aunt that raised her. But the next harvest is too much for Orchard alone and more Lessers from surrounding villages are called in to help. Abby starts to fall for Crew from Cotton, but he isn’t all that he seems. Something is going on in Abby’s world and she’ll have to work out her feelings as well as work out what’s going on in Orchard.

Keywords:

Strength, Dystopia, Orchard, Apples, Apple Picking, Castes, Poverty, Female protagonist, the Special One, Infertility, Trains, City, Technological Advances, Weapons, Fighting, Resiliency, Harvest, Oppression

My Review:

Like any other caste separated society in dystopian literature, Reap is the story of the special strong female chosen one, but the storytelling and writing style are excellent and very compelling. They pulled me right in and I purchased the entire trilogy before I’d even finished this first book.

I loved all the details about the harvest and the apple orchards that really brought the town of Orchard to life. I wish there had been a bit more creativity and imagination in some of the naming, hence the town of “Orchard” but I was too mesmerized by the brewing trouble in town, the burgeoning romance between Abby and Crew, the complication that Kyan posed, and the greater mystery tied up in the Lesser towns.

I loved how Abby was strong, resilient, and stubborn to the point of stupidity. Her pride is so strong it overwhelms others. She is special for a reason, being both Greater and Lesser and not just in the right place at the right time, though that does help.

As with most YA books, I wish that females were not relegated into antiquated roles of society – the housewife and child bearer. Though the main character is the ‘strong female’ archetype, society at large is still somewhat sexist.

The ending felt rushed, but I didn’t much care because I was able to pick the story right back up with book two…

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on Marc 15th, 2014 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 4.50

Links for more information:

Casey Bond’s Website

Goodreads

Twitter

Book Review: The Doll Making Delta (Delta House Novels Book 1) by Gretchen S. B.

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The Doll Making Delta (Delta House Novels Book 1) by Gretchen S. B.

A Chic Lit/Romance Novel published by Amazon Digital Services LLC (10/13/15)

Summary:

Reneé just wants to focus on her job as President of her company whilst they go through a merger. She works virtually every day all day without much of a break, except to meet up with her old college group the Deltas. When she goes on a date with Ruben, she is happier than she’s ever been, though no less busy. He seems to be working out until he suddenly cancels all their plans.

Keywords:

Romance, Stress, Hard Working, Dolls, President, Female President, Busy, Friendship, Dates, Merger, Business, Parent Company, Family, Family Business

My Review:

I love short books that are succinct and get the story across efficiently. This book is not one of them. Though the book is detailed, most of those details get swallowed up because they don’t move the plot forward or keep my interest as a reader. For being overdetailed, this book doesn’t show much of a relationship between the main character Reneé and Ruben or much of the intricacies of running a business.

I wanted more from the plot and the tension between Reneé and Ruben and between Reneé and her job. Stress does not equal tension.

The plot was quite predictable. I thought there were too many side characters (the Delta gals) to keep track of and grammar mistakes were apparent throughout most of the pages of this novel. I will not be reading more from this series.

This novel was published by Amazon Digital Services LLC on October 13th, 2015 and is available on Amazon here.

TL;DR Star Rating: 2.50

Links for more information:

Goodreads

Twitter

Gretchen S.B.’s Website