Donovan is 12 years old when he and his best friend Akenji witness a slaver kill all the small children and men in his village. Their captors take him and all the young men in the area to be sold as slaves. They pass through a forest guarded by the wood elves. The elves kill the slavers and the elfin captain, a she-elf, decided to keep them and help them through the horror they had witnessed. The High Lord of the Wood Elves hates humans and begrudgingly let her train them in an outpost between humans and elves’ lands.

When Donovan is a young man, Princess Brandela goes to choose her handmaidens in preparation for her upcoming marriage. Instead she is taken by a huge group of slavers. After they free all the slaves except Brandela, for reasons of his own, Donovan goes after the slavers and finds the princess. He has set a daunting task before him, a task that may take his young life.

This short story or novelette, will be well received by all those who love elves, and young adults in general. It has a sex scene without going into great details. I found the scene very well done and congratulate the author for being tasteful. It could use a bit of editing to remove some of the repetition and head hopping in it. This isn’t a big problem in this tale, yet a small editing would really make it sparkle.

The author spends a large amount of time talking about different races in the land. The space would have been better used to introduce them as the races made their appearance in the story. In another spot the kids are in class and their history is introduced in a long lecture. Again it would have been better to break it up in smaller pieces that are easier to digest.

I counted eleven straight pages of just background or scenery; although beautifully crafted it didn’t contain a single line of dialogue. This is called dumping the information all at once. That is a sure way to lose your reader.

I have been tought on that in our day when everything is at the tip of a button. Readers need to have a good hook in the first paragraph or the reader will put the book down. Also, you have to have some sort of action in each chapter to keep the reader from closing the book. Readers engage in the tale through the actions of the characters that make us love or hate them. That is why we keep reading, because we care about what happens to them.

I felt that I didn’t know where the story was going even on page 170. Up to that point, I hadn’t seen what the problem was or who was going to resolve it. This book is for young adults because the protagonists are young, so the readers will be young and ready for action or at least a fast paced book, and this book is neither.

I hope the author will consider a new revision to this beautiful story and re-publish it. It will really give the book a better chance in today’s market.

Daniel Benson’s Dad stood with him in the research and development section of the robotics factory they had inherited from Uncle Clive when he saw the robots for the first time. Yet, that was not the only thing they inherited from his uncle. In matter of days they were the wealthy owners of a mansion in Sydney, several businesses, and a rather large fortune. But it is the robots that change their quiet country lives when one was stolen with their only car, leaving the family stranded in town. Soon more than just stolen robots are happening in their out of the way, small town. People are doing really odd things, and no one knows why. People changing their minds and disappearing in a puff of air is only part of it. That is until DJ and his best friend Becky figure it all out.

The tale is part of a series called DJ Benson Adventures and is well written and entertaining. It is great reading for kids and adults alike. It would be a great asset to any school’s library or home bookshelf. I am quite sure the rest of the series will be worth checking out, too.

Cillian and her best friend Chelise haven’t found their other halves, although Cillian knows Chelise is in love with Mathew. The problem is that Mathew is Cillian’s best friend, at least that’s what she thinks. Life gets interesting when he declares his love for Cillian and they are attacked by two men who have murder on their minds.

Then Gideon makes his presence known. He is a gorgeous, 8-foot-tall man from another place, who is in their world to find his true mate. The problem is that he may be too late to save Cillian’s life and uncover a government secret. What will then happen to him condemned to live alone for an eternity? If he manages to save her life, what will happened to her best friends, Mathew and Chelise when the government come for them? Does he even care that much for a race that it isn’t his own? Will Mathew give up Cellian?

Teen and adults will find it well done, clean, short, and very sweet.

This is an impressive book with pictures and stories of people who change their ways and become native plant growers. Their beautiful wild gardens surround their homes and grace their communities with new life at every turn. Without being preachy or forceful, the author gives the reader a great point of view on a social problem and provides many examples of how to make your own wild sanctuaries to help resolve it.

What does “going native” mean to you? In Florida Gardens Gone Wild it means that neat and manicured is out and seasonal exuberance, with a touch of chaos, is in. According to the author, that is exactly what Florida needs for wildlife to thrive. Many plants look beautiful in our gardens, but they don’t promote wildlife growth. In a world where humans are taking over wild lands, it is important to give something back, both for our sake and that of our children.

There is only so much space for native plants to grow and so little time to make a difference because our wildlife is in trouble. Do you want to save native wildlife? Then turn any dead zones, like your manicured lawn or areas with non-native plants, into a thriving native buffet for the starving butterflies and other birds in your zone.

This is a beautifully crafted book with many possibilities for those who love gardening. It applies not only to Florida, but also to many other places if you use the examples in this book and change the plants for those on your own estate. It is well rounded, teaching about growing food people, too. It is a well-written, easy-to-follow guide for inspiring others to give gardening a try. I recommend it to young adults and adults alike.

Erech is the prince of Pelasgoi and the next king of his people. As such he is taken from his home when he is ten years old to be trained in the customs of other kingdoms within the Temple of Bal. Many hardships come to him there, none less than the time he was naked, being readied for sacrifice in the Temple of Bal.

The high priest of the Temple of One saves him from a horrible death. After being taken to the Temple of One it takes a while for him to trust them. Afterwards, he learns many things from those who hold him and many other royal children from around the world until they turn 25 years old.

The royal assignment from his father is to learn as much as he can about warfare from their enemies or the place where he now lives. Erech’s father and his kingdom only know this reason for now.

The writing is a bit slow at times, yet this gives more flavor to the tale. It mentions child abuse, but in tactful ways and includes a few swear words. There are magical, physical, and mental attacks on Erech and his fellow detainees. The tale also portrays a bit of romance and coming of age for a young boy away from home. The ending didn’t feel as strong as it should, but it leaves it open for a sequel.

Barl is a special mage whose extraordinary powers are ready to burst out, yet no one pays attention to her because she is of lesser birth. She finds that her work as a clockmaker is a waste of her superior powers and insists on proving the university of mages wrong.
Morgan Danfey, the youngest mage ever appointed to sit on the Council of the first blood, feels a horrific danger will assault Dorana, his homeland. These warnings are strong enough to make him study the forbidden magic, even against his father and the council’s will.

When Morgan and Barl meet, each recognizes many things in common with the other. Both their magical skill and their belief that the rules are too restrictive unite them. Then there is the forbidden attraction they have for each other.

The story portrays lovable characters and an easy to follow story. The authors did a good job developing the protagonists in this book to become the deep and strong characters used in the rest of this series. The plot isn’t the strongest I have seen. Instead it is more likely just enough to whet your appetite for what comes later; in this case before. It is good for late teen and adults alike.

First of all, what’s Dispirited about?

A boy named Blake teaches himself how to get out of his body in order to go looking for the spirit of his dead mother. One night when he comes home, he finds that another being has taken over his body in his absence. For years, he watches an impostor live his life. Then his father remarries, and Blake hopes to get help from his new stepsister, Cathy, who has some unusual gifts.

What’s the story behind the story? How did you get the idea for Dispirited?

When I was about 18, I read about astral projection for the first time. I thought it sounded interesting, but I wondered what would prevent an evil spirit taking over your body while you were out of it—and what you could do about it if that happened.

Then, years later at my doctor’s office, I saw a photograph of an old, abandoned house in the woods. It fascinated me, and I knew I wanted to use it as the setting for a story. I was fortunate to be able to purchase permission from that photographer to use that same image on the cover of the novel.

What theme do you explore in the book?

The big theme in Dispirited is displacement. What is home, and what does it do to a person to be away from it? Blake gets displaced from his body, but his newly blended family also gets displaced from their homes in Manhattan once they move to Kashkawan, the small town where the story takes place. There are a lot of smaller variations on that theme that get explored as the story moves forward.

Are the names of the characters in the book important?

I take a lot of time naming my characters. I never want them to distract from the story, but I think knowing the meanings of characters’ names adds subtle depth. The “bad guy” is named Zared—that’s Hebrew for “trap.” The name Kashkawan is also important; it means “it is foggy” in the Algonquin language.

What about dark fantasy interests you?

There is opposition in all things. Shadows give relief and depth to a landscape. Reality is difficult, and a vicarious journey through darkness can help make sense of the challenges in life. At least, that’s my experience as a reader.

Why did you choose to write a YA novel?

Well, that’s not what I set out to do. I just wrote the kind of story I like to read. It happens to have three teenagers as the main characters. These days, I guess that means it’s YA. My own three teenagers really liked the book, but so did my mom and my husband and a lot of other people who haven’t been teenagers for a while.

What is the hardest part of writing?

Starting. Every day. (The second hardest part is stopping.)

What do you do when you’re not writing?

I spend time with my fabulous husband and six kids. I clean and cook. I knit and garden and read and play music. It’s a normal but wonderful life.

Who are some of your favorite writers and why?

Oh, I could go on for days. Mark Helprin, for his beautiful prose and uplifting themes. The Bronte sisters, because they were pioneers of dark fantasy. Jane Austen, for her grace and dry wit. Terry Pratchett, for his absolutely wacky sense of humor. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Tad Williams, Neal Stephenson. Okay, I’ll stop now.

What made you want to be a writer?

I started writing stories when I was four, so I don’t remember it as a conscious decision. Whenever I turn the last page of a really great book and feel that combination of satisfaction and regret that the experience is over, I think, “I want to do that for someone else someday.”

Here is the links for you to check out her book. Happy reading…

The story starts when five young adults meet before they start their special training in an elite academy for magic. These four young men and a girl were brought together by chance, or so it seems until the schoolmaster has a dream. They are destined to free all the fantastic creatures and the three Gods that mankind has been trying to dismiss from their lives for the past 300 years. Their first assignment is to rescue a king from an attempted murder, but they fail and now they are being hunted by two kingdoms as possible traitors. Meanwhile they are trying to understand what their part is in this problem and the path that the Gods wants them to travel. By being together they have also learned so much from each other that they can’t return to functioning alone. It doesn’t take them long to figure out that if they don’t learn to work together they will never survive.

This tale will teach friendship, how to work as a team and how our difference make us stronger when we use them together with others. It is a great reading for all readers from young adults to adults who enjoy high fantasy. The story needs some editing to clean up all the repetition, head hopping, and show and tell sections in it. This will reduce the book to a manageable page count and will make the plot flow much faster, smoother and look more professional. Still it is a great story.

The Critical Skill of Self Editing-Focusing on what agents and editors really care about.

Even though I’m published, I have so much to learn, and attending Linda’s class was informative and fun. Here is what her class was all about:

First of all, Linda says, “Take time writing your book; make it as perfect as you can.” She says it’s important to know your target audience, know your word count, and know what your publisher/agent accepts.

Now that you’ve done all the hard work, you hit the send key on your email with your manuscript attached. Now what? First of all, breathe a sigh of relief and go work on something else. If after a few days you haven’t heard from them, it’s okay to ask if the manuscript was received. Then be patient. After some time has passed, it’s okay to “bother” the agent or editor By “bother” Linda means, a quick email saying, “I hate to bother you, but have you had a chance to look at my manuscript?” But DON’T bother the editor every day! Agents and editors want to know that you are not going to be a high maintenance author. Be patient, the process takes time.

Linda says that often the plot is not the problem, but it’s often the mechanics of the story. Editors have so many books to make decisions on that to have a great story and poor writing makes an editor reject the book. An editor wants to know “How much work will it take to get it in publishable form?” If it’s going to take too much time, then the editor will pass it over for one that is going to take less editing. If there are too many mistakes it’s likely to be rejected.

When contacting a publisher make sure to include a cover letter and synopsis, not a chapter by chapter, but tell the story. If an editor or agent sends you back suggestions to fix it, take this as a very good sign that your story is publishable, but that you will need to look at it again for syntax, grammar, punctuation, etc. This is where a critique group is crucial, but make sure they are going to be honest and helpful.

Here are some other tips on being the best writer and creating the best book you can:

• Take your time writing. Make it as perfect as you can.
• Let others read it and give you feedback—no not your mom, she thinks everything is brilliant.
• The best way to be a great writer is to read—especially the classics.
• Let it sit for at least a month. Write something else, think about something else.
• Phillip Cosby “When in doubt, delete.”
• As a writer you are not being fair if you’re not being honest.
• In dialogue, less is more.
• On setting—Don’t make it sound like a travel brochure.
• Make sure your characters want something on every page.
• Have a strong voice.

Some of the types of errors that Linda sees a lot of are as follows:

Punctuation and minor grammar issues

• Overwriting
• Syntax or logistical errors
• Unvaried sentence structures
• Dangling modifiers

The last thing you should have when contacting an editor or agent is a marketing plan. This is the nuts and bolts of what you are going to do to promote your book. Have a blog that is content driven, not just an advertisement for your book. Have a social presence on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Find other ways to be creative in promoting your book.