Interview with Layton Green, author of The Diabolist

by Carol5 Comments
I want to thank Layton Green, author of The Diabolist, for stopping by my notebook today and answering a few questions. Could you please tell us a little about your book? The Diabolist inspired even more reflection than usual along the way -- which is why I wanted to write it.  I’ve had readers describe the book in many different ways, from “fast-paced international thriller” to “a meditation on the nature of good and evil” to “a controversial look into the history of the devil.”  I hope the novel not just entertains, but makes people think and feel, because in my view a good novel must do all three. Did something specific happen to prompt you to write this book? Ever since I started The Dominic Grey series, which I describe as “international religious thrillers,” I knew I would eventually feature a satanic cult or some derivation thereof.  This is that novel.  The explosion of social media and how it might fuel a global...
Read More

Do you read series you don’t actually like?

by Carol11 Comments
I saw an author complaining yesterday on Facebook about people who don't like her books, but continue to read each one in the series and complain about them on Goodreads and Amazon? "I mean, if I take one bite of food I don't like, I don't eat it again, right? I don't keep eating it and complain about it." Am I the only out here who does this occasionally, keep reading a series I don't love and do complain about? I have actually enjoyed the couple of books of this particular author that I've read, but I can think of at least one (or two or three) series where I've read 3, maybe 4 of the books and have been annoyed, but picked up the next one anyway. Here are some reasons: They are easy to get hold of. My library does not necessarily have the best selection and sometimes, especially when it comes to audios, I have to take what I can get. A mediocre book...
Read More

Audiobook Review: The French Powder Mystery by Ellery Queen

by Carol3 Comments
Title: The French Powder Mystery (Ellery Queen #2) Author: Ellery Queen Reader: Robert Faas Category: Mystery Audio published: September 15, 2013 by AudioGo (First published 1930) Rating: 2½ out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Audible | Amazon The windows of French’s department store are one of New York’s great attractions. Year-round, their displays show off the finest in fashion, art, and home décor, and tourists and locals alike make a point of stopping to see what’s on offer. One afternoon, as the board debates a merger upstairs, a salesgirl begins a demonstration in one of the windows, showing off French’s new Murphy bed. A crowd gathers to watch the bed lower from the wall after a single touch of a button. But as the bed opens, people run screaming. Out tumbles a woman—crumpled, bloody, and dead. The victim was Mrs. French, wife of the company president, and finding her killer will turn this esteemed store upside down. Only one detective has the soft touch necessary—debonair intellectual Ellery Queen....
Read More

Thursday’s Tale: Fitcher’s Bird

by Carol3 Comments
Today's tale is another of the Grimms' stories. I can't help it if some are just perfect for this time of year. "Fitcher's Bird" is quite gruesome - women chopped up with an axe left in a bloody room, a house full of guests burned to death. Once up a time, a wizard took the form of a beggar and carried off young women from their homes. He carried off an oldest sister and assured her she would be happy with him. He took her to his house, which was marvelous, but then he had to go on a short journey. He told her she could go anywhere in the house except one room; he also gave her an egg and told her to carry it everywhere and be careful with it. Of course she went into the forbidden room, who wouldn't?, and found hacked-up bodies and a basin of blood. Shocked, she dropped the egg into the basin. The wizrd returned and demanded the egg. When he...
Read More

Guest Post: Cinta Garcia de la Rosa, author of The Funny Adventures of Little Nani

by Carol2 Comments
Today I'm happy to welcome Cinta Garcia de la Rosa, author of The Funny Adventures of Little Nani. Today she's telling us a little about her future plans for Little Nani. What are Little Nani’s future plans? When I wrote the first Little Nani story on my blog, back in February 2012, I didn’t even have in mind the idea of writing a book. But when people started asking me if I was going to write more Little Nani stories, I couldn’t resist and wrote the book. Ten funny and lovely stories that are liked both by children and adults. Indeed, Little Nani only asks her readers to have a young heart. After writing this first book and seeing how much people like Little Nani, I decided to do more things with her. So what are my plans for the near future? First of all, I will finish the second book in the series, which will include another set of ten stories, equally...
Read More