Wings of the Wind Book Review

Title: Wings of the Wind

Author: Connilyn Cossette

Genre: Fiction, Christian, Biblical Retelling, Romance, Adventure, Drama,

Plot: After wandering the desert for forty years, the Israelites are posed to sweep the land and claim their inheritance. There's just one small problem; the land is currently occupied by bloodthirsty tribes who are not about to give up their land so easily. But God is on the side of the Hebrews and destruction lies in their wake.

Alanah, a motherless warrior Canaanite woman, enters the battle disguised as a man and bent on dying while avenging her fallen father and brothers. But instead she is found wounded by a Hebrew and saved. With her death wish going out the window, Alanah is forced to survive and live among the enemy. While doing so, she learns that these bearded warriors are not as savage as they appear and one in particular takes her by surprise. But Alanah's fight for survival isn't over yet.

Tobiah, a compassionate Hebrew, is a soldier and gladly does his duty but finding a woman on the battlefield wasn't something he was expecting. And the only way to protect her is to marry her. He never intended to fall in love with her.

Likes/Dislikes: This is the third and final book in the Out From Egypt trilogy and concludes the series on the brink of entering the Promised Land. Kiya and Shira are briefly in the story but are not central to the plot so this book can very easily be read on its own. Parts of this book were fun to read, like Alanah and Tobiah trying to figure each other out {though the instant love on his part was a bit unreal}, but several chunks were difficult to read. Set in a brutal time and among very vicious people, the atrocities hinted at in the story were once horrible realities for so many people. Nothing is overly graphic but enough is implied to make this book more geared toward mature readers only. Cossette does a splendid job of painting a vivid picture without traumatizing her readers.

Rating: PG-18 and up, mainly for content {brutal battle, heavy suggestions/implications/threats of rape, murder and prostitution, non-detailed flashback of infant sacrifice, two characters are sold into sexual slavery but escape before anything happens, etc.}. Not for tender-hearted readers, mature readers only.

Date Review Written: June 2nd, 2017

I received a copy of this book courtesy of BethanyHouse Publishers for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions in the above review are my own.

Anna King Interview!

So if you all saw my promo post for Dorothy's Story then you're in for a treat because we're interviewing the author today!!!!

Welcome, Mrs. King, to my library! How are you on this lovely Spring day? I'm great, thank you.

Do tell us a little about your latest writing project! Right now I'm working on my second short story in the Amish Romance series I'm writing. It's called "Miriam's Story", and it's based on a character introduced in my first book, "Dorothy's Story".

What made you want to become a writer? I have always loved to read and I have a big imagination, so writing is a good fit for me.

How do you get inspiration for your stories? My stories are inspired by ideas that have been sparked in my imagination from things I observe in the world around me.

Are your characters inspired by real-life people, your imagination, or a mix of both? A mix of both. If I imagine a character, I will often pull traits into my character profile of people I know in real life that are similar.

Which area would you say you’re strongest in as a writer? {Plot, dialog, description, action, characterization, showing vs. telling, etc.} Characterization.

Which area are you weaker in? Plotting. I know where my main character starts out and ends up, but sometimes it takes me a while to figure out the journey in between.

What do you do when you hit writer’s block? Make myself a coffee and grab an Oreo cookie.

Do you have a favorite spot to write? My kitchen table.

Do you work best in peace and quiet or surrounded with background noise and action? I would probably work best in peace and quiet, unfortunately that's hard to come by at my house.

How do you decide which story to work on next? When I'm inspired by an idea, I develop it to the point of being a series of 3-5 books. Then I start at book one and write my way through to the last one.

Which genre do you prefer to work with? Romance, namely Christian romance. I love a good, clean love story.

Who has influenced your writing the most? I read books from a wide array of genres and author’s, and I think the stories that excel at bringing the characters to life are the ones I strive to emulate in my writing.

Who are your favorite authors? There are too many to list. I’m a reading fanatic.

I understand you’re a mother; how do you balance writing and motherhood? Some days better than others. I try to stick to a schedule to ensure nothing gets neglected. If I could just cut out a few hours of sleep at night, I would have it made. :)
What is your advice for other aspiring authors out there? Production and persistence. Keep writing and don’t get discouraged. Hard work pays off.

Where can my readers go to find out more about your books? I welcome everyone to join me on Facebook. Readers can also join my mailing list for sneak peeks of upcoming releases and other book related updates.

And for a random question, how many different types of cookies have you made? Not very many. I have a number of talents, and baking is not one of them. Now, as far as how many cookies I have tried, well that’s a different story altogether!

Thank you so much Mrs. King for visiting my library! Do come again; it was a pleasure working with you.

Sherri Wilson Johnson Author Interview

If you saw my post this past Saturday promoting Mrs. Johnson's new book, To Laugh Once More, then you're in for a treat today because I have an interview with her for you! Read on and enjoy; do be sure to find her book on Amazon and GoodReads. *winks*

Welcome, Mrs. Johnson, to my library! How are you this fine Autumn day?

I'm great! Thanks for having me.

Do tell us a little about your latest writing project!

My newest project is To Laugh Once More, an Inspirational Historical Romance. It's not your typical romance though because in this book, the hero and heroine, Lydia and Hamilton, are already married. They struggle with a lot of family issues and their marriage is suffering because of it. So as they begin to pull away from each other, they must learn to draw closer. The book is set in Florida, but after a tragedy, the couple moves to Georgia. They start out in Atlanta and then move further north to Marietta. This book is the sequel to my first book, To Dance Once More, but is written as a standalone and can be read without reading the other one.

What made you want to become a writer?

I have always wanted to be a writer. I wrote my first short story when I was eight years old and fell in love with writing! I suppose the reason behind that is I always loved to read. I loved the way a good story made me feel.

 

How do you get inspiration for your stories?

Story ideas just come to me all the time in the strangest places. Riding down the road. In the shower. In the grocery store. While I'm sleeping. I wake up in the middle of the night and have to write down my latest ideas because I know if I wait till morning, I'll forget. (I'm getting old.) I'm always inspired by stories of faith, stories of overcoming, stories of people who have had to persevere through the worst trials. I love to write about those kinds of things and to inspire people to press on!

Are your characters inspired by real-life people, your imagination, or a mix of both?

I think my characters are inspired by both real people and people I dream up. Of course, I say that to protect myself from being accused of creating the bad guy based off someone I know, haha!

 

Which area would you say you’re strongest in as a writer? {Plot, dialog, description, action, characterization, showing vs. telling, etc.}

I suppose my strengths lean more toward plotting, characterization, and dialog.

Which area are you weaker in?

I am probably weaker in action than anything else.

 

What do you do when you hit writer’s block?

I don't usually have an issue with writer's block because I'm working on so many projects. If I find it difficult to work on my current manuscript, I hop over to editing an already finished project, or I answer interview questions or write a blog post that's due for one of the blogs I write for.

Do you have a favorite spot to write? 

I can write anywhere, even in the car while I'm driving. I use my phone's voice-to-text feature and send my scenes back to my computer. When I get home, I copy and paste it into my manuscript. My favorite spot to write would probably be at the beach, although I really just stare at the waves and don't get much work done. But since I only get to the beach once a year (if that), I'm happy writing in my study with my Chihuahua by my side every day.

Do you work best in peace and quiet or surrounded with background noise and action?

I work best in quiet but can write with people talking or the TV on. I do not write with music on anymore unless it is instrumental. If the music has lyrics, I find myself singing instead of writing.

How do you decide which story to work on next? 

I don't really decide. The story decides for me. Whatever idea rises to the top first and fights its way out of my mind gets first shot.

Which genre do you prefer to work with? 

I love romance. All the way! Historical or Contemporary, it doesn't matter. But I do stick to Inspirational romances. I'm not a 50 Shades kind of girl. I also have written some romantic suspense.

Who has influenced your writing the most? 

I have so many favorite writers who I aspire to be like, I can't name them all. But I do love Carrie Turansky, Karen Witemeyer, and Anita Higman.

Who are your favorite authors? 

As I mentioned above, Carrie Turansky, Karen Witemeyer, Anita Higman are some of my favorites. I love Julie Lessman and Maggie Brendan too. My absolute favorite male writer is Creston Mapes. I also enjoy reading Davis Bunn's books.

I understand you’re a homeschooling mother; how do you balance writing and motherhood? 

I homeschooled for fourteen years until my youngest graduated in 2012. I will always be a homeschooling mom at heart. How did I balance it? Wow! I don't know. Except by the grace of God. I also worked several part time jobs during those homeschooling years and volunteered a lot too. But I wouldn't take back one single day of that time. I'd do it all over again even though it meant that the writing had to sit on the back burner a lot of the time.

What is your advice for other aspiring authors out there? 

Never stop writing! And never let others discourage you. There are so many choices out there now for writers and they need to pick the one that suits them best. I always striven to be traditionally published. I finally got the coveted contract in 2008 and then another one in 2010. My latest book is Indie published. I have two other books that are in the proposal stage. If publishers don't want them, I'll put them out there myself too, and keep coming up with new ideas. What matters most is that you follow your heart and do what fits you best.

Where can my readers go to find out more about your books?

Here's a link to my website: http://sherriwilsonjohnson.com/sherris-books/

Make sure to check out my devotional for homeschool moms!

Here's a link to my book's page on Amazon:  http://fb.me/3amKIIIi3

And for a random question, what is your favorite thing to do with pumpkins? 

Let other people make pumpkin muffins or pumpkin bread out of them and then eat them!

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to help promote your book and for having so much fun with the interview! It's been a blast and I hope to do it again for your next book.

Book Review and Author Interview.

Title: The Fairy Tale Trap.

Author: Emily Casey.

Genre: Retelling, Fairy Tale, Action/Adventure, Humorous.

Plot: Teenage military brat Ivy Thorn has moved again. She and her mom have spent most of her life moving – doing the same routine over and over again; settling down, sending out roots and then ripping them up again to relocate. Ivy really feels the stress of this latest move. Her first night in their new house, she searches for her picture of her father. When she can’t find it, she decides to call it a day and goes into the bathroom to brush her hair. A face not her own peers back out of the mirror at her and the next thing Ivy knows, she’s no longer in the bathroom.

Now stuck in a fairy tale – Beauty and the Beast no less – Ivy, with her sarcastic outlook on life, has to find a way around various annoying {or sometimes helpful but mostly annoying} spells, an enchanted forest, an idiotic prince, roses with sharp thorns, and a pixie with a bizarre sense of humor in order to get back home. When making a crucial decision backfires horribly, Ivy realizes she’s in over her head. With no idea how she got into the fairy tale in the first place, how is she to get back out?

Likes/Dislikes: Mrs. Casey has taken a creative spin to the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast and run with it as only she could. Giving her heroine a sarcastic tough-girl character with a soft center paired up with Beauty, the usual heroine of the tale now demoted to sidekick, was a new twist on the tale. The addition of Prince Ferguson is a hilarious one! I highly enjoyed the lively banter between Ivy and the obnoxious pixie. All in all, a very enjoyable book. Highly recommended for teens and up.

Rating: PG-12 and up for content and reading level.

Date Report Written: January 30, 2012.

I received this book free from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

Author Interview!

Welcome, Mrs. Casey, to my library! How are you this fine winter day? It’s winter? I live in Florida, so I’ve got the back doors open. It’s about 72 degrees!

Do tell us a little about your latest writing project! I’m finishing up Cinderella and Zombies (which is new territory for me) and I should start the sequel to The Fairy Tale Trap later this month!

What made you want to become a writer? I guess the most honest answer is that I love writing stories. But I didn’t realize it until I read a book on writing. It had some writing exercises and I wanted to try them all! After that, I couldn’t wait to plan my first novel.

How do you get inspiration for your stories? It’s different every time. With The Fairy Tale Trap, I had the character first, then threw her into something she’d struggle with, but that I wanted to write about. Fairy Tales were a natural choice (because Ivy doesn’t do ball gowns and she definitely would never kiss a frog).

Are your characters inspired by real-life people, your imagination, or a mix of both? A mix of both. Ivy is her own character, but some of the details from her life were taken from personal experiences and friends’ experiences.

Which area would you say you’re strongest in as a writer? {Plot, dialog, description, action, characterization, showing vs. telling, etc.} It changes with every book. I think Ivy is a really strong character with a great voice. But sometimes the plot will just take off and I struggle to keep the characters center-stage.

Which area are you weaker in? It’s difficult to show the reader WHY a character does what she does. I know as a writer (most of the time) but sometimes I forget that my characters are strangers to the reader on page 1.

What do you do when you hit writer’s block? Write by hand. Poof! It’s gone.

Do you have a favorite spot to write? The library. My inner nerd takes over and the words fly onto the screen.

Do you work best in peace and quiet or surrounded with background noise and action? I like it quiet. My brain can work at a problem from several angles if it’s not distracted.

What kind of music {if any} do you prefer to listen to while writing? Before I sit down to write first-draft material, I do housework while listening to a playlist of Muse, Enya, and the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack. Weird combination, I know.

How do you decide which story to work on next? Whichever one I’m most excited to write. Burnout isn’t fun. Neither is working on a book that you don’t love.

Which genre do you prefer to work with? Young adult fantasy, all the way. I love the magic and writing from inside the head of someone who doesn’t care about rules.

Who has influenced your writing the most? I answer this question differently every time. Honestly, I think it’s just a mixture of everything I’ve read, of all the writing classes I’ve taken, and my own personality. The “mental compost” that J.K. Rowling talks about is pretty accurate.

Who are your favorite authors? Shannon Hale, Patricia Briggs, J.K. Rowling, Gail Carriger, and Maria V. Snyder to name a few.

I understand you’re a stay-at-home mother of two young children, how do you balance writing and motherhood? Nap time is sacred writing time. If I don’t do it when the kids are asleep, I have no excuse for missing my word count goal.

What is your advice for other aspiring authors out there? Practice. A lot.

Where can my readers go to find out more about your books? I just put up a new page on my blog called Will You Like My Books? It goes through some of the pros and cons of my stories so readers can decide whether the books are for them.

And for a random question, what is your favorite color? Purple.

Thank you, Mrs. Casey, for taking a few minutes of your valuable time to share with us about your books. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Mrs. Casey's book, you can do so here at Amazon.com. To read the next review in The Fairy Tale Trap blog tour, check out Coranne's blog tomorrow. To read an excerpt from this book, check out Wednesday's post. To watch the epic movie trailer for this book, click Play. *grins*