Author Archives: Rose Herbert

“The Call of Agon” Book Tour!

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thecallofagonfrontcoverTitle: The Call of Agon

Author: Dean F. Wilson

Release Date: 19 February 2013

Publisher: Dioscuri Press

Goodreads – Amazon

Summary:

THE LAST LINE. THE LAST WORDS. THE LAST CHANCE.

 

Ifferon is one of the last in the bloodline of the dead god Telm, who mated with mortal women, and who imprisoned the Beast Agon in the Underworld. Armed with a connection to the estranged gods in the Overworld and a scroll bearing Telm’s powerful dying words, he is tasked with ensuring the god’s vital legacy: that Agon remain vanquished. Fear forces Ifferon to abandon his duty, but terror restores his quest when the forces of Agon find his hideaway in an isolated coastal monastery.

 

Weighed down by the worries of the world, but lifted up by the companions he encounters along the way, Ifferon embarks on a journey that encompasses the struggles of many peoples, the siege of many lands, and discoveries that could bring hope to some—or doom to all.

 

~ Excerpt ~

A terrible howl went before each hound, as if carried by an evil wind from Halés. As the Felokar wolves charged fort, Délin could see that their eyes were ablaze with an inner fire, sparking and singeing their fur and the land around them. Their coats were of brown and black, though these too were tinted red, perhaps from the char of their eyes or some other fire still concealed. They seemed to blend into the blackness, as if they were not altogether present, but sight or no sight, Délin unsheathed his great two-handed sword and swung to meet the flame and shadow.

 

“Flee!” he cried to his companions. “These are the wolves of the Underworld. There is no valour to be won here—only death!”

 

There was a great sound of steel ringing through the air, as if it too made a howl to match the one unleashed by the wolves. Then there was a sound of rending flesh as the sword sliced through the nearest wolf, which leapt into the air and came down on the knight with a shriek and a clang against his armour. Blood sprayed into the air and then seemed to dissipate, for these were the wolves of Halés, and their flesh and blood were more illusion than reality. Délin did not think of this, for the wolf had dented his armour and caused him to lose his breath, and the pain was altogether real. He faltered for a moment, losing his grip on the sword, and his helmet rolled off in the fray. Suddenly there were three wolves upon him, snarling and tearing. He held his gauntleted arms before his face, but still the claws and teeth tore at him, wearing down his defences.

 

“Las Ardúnin de’Lamarin!” he called, and he felt a sudden strength within, as if the very mention of the Lady had set her potent gaze upon him, filling him with the waters of vitality and the rivers of courage. He leapt forward as if he too were wild, and he threw the wolf from him and came down on it in a frenzy. They rolled in the dust and the shade, and the other wolves came racing down on them, tearing and gnawing at all, wolf and man.

 

It seemed that an age was passing before Délin’s eyes, an age of struggle, where limb met with claw, and the harsh glare of the wolves was met with a glower of rage and defiance. One wolf pinned his left arm in its jaws and shook its head violently, trying to rip off his limb. He beat at its head with his other fist, roaring and shouting in an attempt to frighten them off, and also from the pain of the ever-piercing teeth, which tore through his armour as if it were flesh. For a moment he was relieved of two of the wolves, for they broke off to fight amongst themselves over their prey, but the larger one soon returned, fresh blood thick upon its teeth.

 

Ever did Délin clamber and toil with his foes, beating off wave after wave of the onslaught against him. He strayed on the path to Halés, for each volley of battering limbs drained his will, and each flurry of scratching claws drained his blood. Time passed slowly in that struggle, and so too did Délin pass under the shadow of weariness and into the clutches of death.

 

~ About the Author ~

deanfwilsonauthorphoto

 

Dean F. Wilson was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1987. He started writing at age 11, when he began his first (unpublished) novel, entitled The Power Source. He won a TAP Educational Award from Trinity College Dublin for an early draft of The Call of Agon (then called Protos Mythos) in 2001.

 

He has published five novels to date, and is working on several others.

 

Dean also works as a journalist, primarily in the field of technology. He has written for TechEye, Thinq, V3, VR-Zone, ITProPortal, TechRadar Pro, and The Inquirer.

Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter |

~ Other Books in this Series ~

 

Title: The Road to Rebirth

Series: The Children of Telm #2

Release Date: 31 January 2014

Goodreads | Amazon |

Summary:

THE DYING BREATH. THE DYING WILL. THE DYING HOPE.

After the catastrophe of the Call of Agon, Ifferon and his companions find themselves in the unenviable situation of witnessing, and partaking in, the death of another god—this time Corrias, the ruler of the Overworld.

With Corrias locked inside the corpse of the boy Theos, he suffers a fate worse than the bonds of the Beast Agon. Yet hope is kindled when the company find a way to restore the boy, and possibly the god, back to life.

The road to rebirth has many pitfalls, and there are some who consider such meddling with the afterlife a grave risk. The prize might be life anew—but the price might also be a second death.

 

 

 

Title: The Chains of War

Series: The Children of Telm #3

Release Date: 12 August 2014

Goodreads | Amazon |

Summary:

THE FINAL HOUR. THE FINAL FIGHT. THE FINAL WAR.

The first of Agon’s chains has broken, and the others are straining. It is only a matter of time before he is free, before the world is engulfed in chaos and death.

There are few left to stop him. Most of the gods can only sit and watch in horror from their prison in the heavens, but the resurrection of the father god Corrias gives the people of Iraldas a sliver of hope, a fighting chance.

Yet the memory of Corrias’ failure to defeat Agon in ages past plays heavily on all minds. Many know that it is only the might of the Warrior-god Telm that can defeat the Beast. That god is dead, but his power lives on in his bloodline, in Ifferon and others like him, and they are tasked with waging a final war against the Beast.

 

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Review: Kathryn Barker – In the Skin of a Monster

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In The Skin of a Monster
Kathryn Barker

Alice’s twin sister killed people in their local school. Since she was identical to Alice, people can’t see Alice for who she is, they can only see her deadly sister. When Alice is swept up into a dream world, things get even more complicated, and it’s no longer clear what is going on.

25380845DON’T READ THE BLURB. It will trick you into thinking that this novel is straightforward. Instead, you need to go into it with a mind blasted wide open, with the ability to let it stretch further. This is one very strange novel.

I would have liked a more concrete approach to dealing with things. Swapping between the different perspectives was more confusing that I would have liked. I just couldn’t grasp anything that was going on. Nevertheless, the dream-scape set up is amazing and well described. The author appeared to think of everything that could possibly exist in it – bubbles of people, monsters, everything else!

It was quite compulsive reading, despite its faults. Did I actually like Alice? No, most of the time I thought she was an idiot. Did I really understand what happened? Goodness no. Did I keep reading anyway? Yes. I ended the novel feeling completely disorientated and annoyed. Even after running over the plot with my partner, I couldn’t work out what the point of the whole novel was.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that this novel is going to expose great secrets of a person who looks like a murderer. Yes, killing people causes a great lasting impact, but people do recover. I don’t think this shows enough recovery. Mainly it shows people being stupid.

I can only think negatives about how Alice punishes herself for being like her sister. She’s committed to a mental institution for 3 years. I can understand the guilt she feels, but at the same time it should have been obvious to her that it’s not her fault and that she isn’t the same person. This got even more confusing for me as time went on, because it wasn’t clear whether Alice had demented thinking caused by the incident, or it was from the beginning. Just because you are identical to someone doesn’t mean you have to live like them.

I don’t know whether to suspend my disbelief for the story or not. In fact, unlike other novels I have read in this genre, this novel is not fiction that would fit into the everyday run of things. The attempts at making this fit into the Australian landscape fail miserably.

I mainly just came away from this very confused. There are other novels that are more awesome than this one. If you want to give this one a go, go right ahead. But if you’re looking for something with a convincing dreamscape, I’d be going for something like Dreamfire – I gave it 5 stars, go and try it out.

2star

Review: Rachel Caine – Ink and Bone

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Ink and Bone
Rachel Caine

Jess has been brought up as a book smuggler. In a world where the Great Library of Alexandria still exists, books are powerful things. With the library dictating all knowledge, librarians have absolute power – unless they are trainees, in which case death is a threat against changing the status quo. Jess isn’t very good at being passive, which tends to get him into a little bit of strife.

25090918Love, love, love this novel! What reader couldn’t like a novel about a library? Sorry, but libraries make me excited normally, and learning about librarian training? Yep, call me a convert. I’ve always dreamed of being a librarian.

My one sadness is that the next novel in this series won’t come out for ages. And I NEED the sequel. If I do not get my hands on the sequel, I will be very very sad. This is a novel I would gladly pay my own hard-earned money to buy. And naturally, I think you should too. The last novel I read that compares to this one would be The Iron Trial – not quite as awesome, but also good.

The characterisation in this novel was flawless. Jess was consistent and grew as the novel progressed. The secondary characters also won my love, even the ‘antagonist’, and I actually cared when they died. This is what Crystal Kingdom just didn’t capture for me. I kept thinking about those characters and their plights after I’d finished reading.

The world building was also powerful, and I could literally see each of the events as they happened. I buried myself in the novel and refused to come out, even for promises of dinner.One thing though, I left the novel having a really clear idea of the world, but having no idea what the characters looked like. I guess that’s because in my head, Jess has mousy brown hair, Morgan has flowing tresses of dark brown, and Wolfe sports a salt-and-pepper short cut.

A final touch that put the sugar flowers on the imaginary cake? There’s gay characters in the book, and they aren’t treated any differently from anyone else. I know it sounds like I’m biased towards novels that have gay characters (and I admit, I am a little biased), but really I just want a more realistic selection of characters to like.

An unequivocal 5 stars from me. I can see myself adopting this novel as an old familiar read when I want something I know is good to pull me out of a reading slump. Get out there, buy this novel, you won’t regret it.

5star

Review: Cassandra Clare & Holly Black – The Copper Gauntlet

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The Copper Gauntlet
Cassandra Clare & Holly Black

Call never seems to find any rest – unless he’s at school. When he has to return home for the holidays, he finds his father more set against school than ever, and a set of chains in the basement. Trust is something that seems to be fluid and bought and sold to the highest bidder. Call thinks he knows what he’s doing – everyone else thinks he is mad!

25613630Call and the other characters still didn’t seem to progress much. Aaron does grow a little, in that he wants to protect others not just have them protect him. But he doesn’t seem as smart as he does in the first novel. Not to mention poor Tamara gets sidelined.

There’s some underhand backbiting, and some potential treachery, but for me, these didn’t ring true. Surely they are old enough not to fight like 5-year-olds over a broken toy?

The ending was a little bit of a surprise, I really didn’t expect what happened! The Magisterium seemed a bit like a dumb hulking beast though, with more secrets than anyone could ever have. Hoping for a happy ending seems impossible.

This sort of feels like a ‘questing’ novel. All Call ever seems to do is head to the Magisterium, then immediately go back out again! There wasn’t any of the learning/teaching that went on in the first book to make me super interested and happy.

I’m not saying give this novel a miss by any means. In fact, I think you should get out there and read it for yourself. Once again though, I found myself waiting desperately for the next novel – I don’t want to wait a whole year!

Did this novel take me as strongly as the first one, The Iron Trial? No, sadly it didn’t. It simply didn’t have the same personality when I read it myself, rather than being read to by a talented voice-over. But I kept reading it. I don’t know why, but I did. That’s what makes it 4 stars not 3.

UPDATE: August 2020. I listened to The Iron Trial again, and then The Copper Gauntlet. I had pretty much completely forgotten everything about this second book, but the reader/voice actor kept me far more entertained with his narration. I’m now onto reading The Bronze Key, and I’m feeling pretty excited about it.

4star

Review: Janet Delee – Taking Leaps and Finding Ghosts

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Taking Leaps and Finding Ghosts
Janet Delee

Ginny has an Ideal Life plan. After her first 50 years of life, she wants to own her own home. Armed with a close friend who is a real estate agent, she sets out on the hunt. She needs some backup though, so she forms an ‘Ideal Life’ club, and gets together a group of misfits who want to be musicians, artists and writers, as well as a man who wants to work out his haunting problems.

25797569The book dragged on and on. I was half-way through before anything vaguely interesting happened. There were attempts to bring ghosts into things, but really the ghosts were minor inconveniences. I didn’t once feel frightened about the ghosts hurting any of the characters – it might have provided a well-needed pick-me-up for the action of the story!

The ‘twist’ in this was not really a twist. The hints towards something interesting happening? Simply hints. Nothing to see here folks, keep moving on. Just regular life ‘Ideal Life’ dreams that seem very short, and unimportant. I understand the worth of working towards something like that, but honestly it’s not very interesting to read about in a novel.

This novel was perfectly written. No, really, perfect. The problem was that there wasn’t a compelling storyline underneath it. The language choices and the sentence construction were all textbook perfect. But this also meant that the dialogue came across as ‘perfect’, and seemed quite stilted, because each of the characters used full words, and honestly, there was no distinctions in the way that made me like one more than another. If you read the text to me out loud, I wouldn’t be able to tell you which character was which.

I lie in wait this this author will bring other works out that I may love more, because the foundations for a fantastic novel are there – the author would just benefit from getting out there and grabbing a really dirty, fast-paced plot and slinking it into her beautiful writing style.

I want to give it 3 stars, and I would if I could think of an audience for it. Sadly for me, it was just so slow and boring that although I finished it, there are better things to read out there.

2star

Review: K.A. Tucker – Chasing River

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Chasing River
K.A. Tucker

River is the bad boy in town, and Amber the single-wanderer idiot. After an explosive first meeting, Amber finds herself wanting more of River, even as he tried to chase her away. Amber goes against her usual self and decides to grasp him anyway, finding herself getting more deeply involved every day.

23522253First things first – I didn’t read this as part of the series. I picked it up, hid it from my girlfriend, and promptly sat down to read it. Once she caught me, she tried to ruin it for me by telling me it’s the third book in a series! But it was too late, I was already hooked in. I did spend some time away from it thinking about going back to reading it, but no real in-depth wondering about what was happening to the characters while I was away.

I found myself frustrated by Amber and her naivety, but this was something I believe the author crafted. As the novel progressed, Amber became a bit less stupid – a bit more world-wise as her teacher would have wanted her to be. Still though, how could she be so stupid in the first place? Sure she was travelling Europe. But still, that she hadn’t been taken up and raped yet? When she’s happily wandering around where no-one else is?

The novelty of this book to me was that I never got many history lessons about Ireland, and this had a briefing on the Irish potato famine, which I had only ever heard of as a ‘joke’ by less politically-correct-minded friends. There were some really good discussions about the IRA (google it – or just be taught about it by the novel in a relatively unbiased manner) and references to Ireland’s oral culture. I could have done with more of this!

There seemed to be a lot of focus on how different Ireland was to Oregon. I’ve never been to Oregon, and I wouldn’t be able to tell you the difference between that town, and any other one. Amber constantly thinking about what it is like in her old home town isn’t useful, and doesn’t actually add to the storyline. More solid comparisons would have done the trick for me.

I’m putting this under the category of Young Adult, but only because of the sex scenes in it. Granted, they are brief, but they are slightly graphic. Otherwise I’d be putting it down as teenage fiction because its storyline isn’t that gripping, and I simply didn’t feel any depth – typical romance blah blah. At least Amber was smart enough to take some of her father’s advice….

I’ll be giving this a solid 3 stars, just because it wasn’t as ‘grabby’ and believable as I could have hoped. I remain willing to read more of this author, and see if this is a typical example of her work.

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Review: Amanda Hocking – Crystal Kingdom

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Crystal Kingdom
Amanda Hocking

Bryn is exiled from the life she knew before. With her lover and friends left behind, she’s faced with her oldest enemy and needs to come to terms with the wider world. That world involves all of the other troll tribes – some of whom will be friendly, and others who are against the side of ‘right’.

25574705While the conspiracy is deeper than it seems, it wasn’t obvious why I should should care about it. Having a terrifying overlord is bad, but without actual threats to people I cared about, meh, I didn’t care. That being said, the depth of plot turns and the like was very nice, and kept me guessing.

The fighting scenes in this were perhaps the worst part of the novel. It felt very dry, and I didn’t feel even a shred of emotional angst over Bryn potentially being harmed. The dialogue between Bryn and various troll leaders was far more convincing, and I liked the way that Bryn and Ridley interacted.

I would say that the style on this is similar to the last book – sometimes I was too busy reading the words and terminology to really get into the story. It didn’t push me along, rather I found myself dragging myself further. I did eventually get into the plot, but I probably could have put it down at any point.

Although this would like to bill itself as a romance, I certainly didn’t get any sort of ‘triangle’ happening. Sure, there were some wayward kisses, but those are bound to happen when people are under stress. The sex scene in it is textbook simple, and if not for that inclusion, I’d be firmly placing this in the teenage fiction category.

The ending just wraps things up too neatly. Yes, some people die, but honestly, I wasn’t very attached to them. Or if I was, it was obvious why they couldn’t be allowed to live. All things peachy. Hint – don’t read the blurb, or you’ll find yourself reading half of the plot and being mislead as to the contents of the novel.

I found this novel disappointing, but I think that it could resonate well with those enjoying urban fantasy that has a mystery element to it. For me, the style wasn’t to taste, and so I don’t think I’ll be purchasing any more novels by this author – although I remain able to be won over.

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Interview with Andrew Joyce #1

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Andrew Joyce1) What inspired you to start writing?

One morning I went crazy. I got out of bed, went downstairs, and threw my TV out the window. Then I sat down at the computer and wrote my first short story. It was soon published in a print magazine (remember them?). I’ve been writing ever since.


2) What advice would you give a new writer just starting out?

Read . . . read, and then read some more. Read everything you can get your hands on!

3) Who is your favorite author and why?

John Steinbeck and this is why:

“The afternoon came down as imperceptibly as age comes to a happy man. A little gold entered into the sunlight. The bay became bluer and dimpled with shore-wind ripples. Those lonely fishermen who believe that the fish bite at high tide left their rocks and their places were taken by others, who were convinced that the fish bite at low tide.”— John Steinbeck, Tortilla Flat

Have ever read anything as beautiful? Well, I have and it was all stuff Steinbeck had written.

4) What comes first, the plot or characters?

When I start a book I have only the first sentence and the last paragraph in my head. Then all I have to do is come up with 100,000 words to fill in the blank space between.

5) Tell us something about your newest release.

Molly Lee is about to set off on the adventure of a lifetime . . . of two lifetimes.

Molly-Lee-800 Cover reveal and Promotional (1)It’s 1861 and the Civil War has just started. Molly is an eighteen-year-old girl living on her family’s farm in Virginia when two deserters from the Southern Cause enter her life. One of
them—a twenty-four-year-old Huck Finn—ends up saving her virtue, if not her life.

Molly is so enamored with Huck, she wants to run away with him. But Huck has other plans and is gone the next morning before she awakens. Thus starts a sequence of events that leads Molly into adventure after adventure; most of them not so nice.

We follow the travails of Molly Lee, starting when she is eighteen and ending when she is fifty-six. Even then Life has one more surprise in store for her.

6) What is the hardest part about writing for you?

Marketing! The prevailing wisdom is that you have to be on Twitter, on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram to name just a few.

If I’m posting on all those sites, then I’m not writing. How many times can I tweet that I’m a genius and that you should buy my books? And what else is there to tweet? Who cares what I had for breakfast. And I really don’t care what is “trending” and couldn’t care less about commenting on it. The same goes for the rest of those social media sites.

I’ve given up on trying to sell books on social media. Instead, what I do is beg book bloggers for reviews. And believe me, it ain’t easy. For my last book, REDEMPTION: The Further Adventures of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, I had to go through a list of 3,500 bloggers. After visiting each blog individually (3,500!!!) to read their review policies, I found 300 that would maybe give me a review. Thirty responded. It only took two months of eight to ten-hour days, but it worked! Sales were good because of the exposure I received from those initial reviews, and the book—two years later—is averaging 4.5 stars from 300 reviews (132 on Amazon). And has hit #1 status twice on Amazon.

I can’t wait to stop marketing Molly and sit down at the computer and bang out my next book. I already have half of it written in my head.

 

7) What is your work schedule like when you are writing?

I like to write in the early morning hours when things are quiet. I usually get up around 2:00 a.m. and go to work. The commute is not long . . . only a few steps to my computer.

8) What did you want to be when you grew up?

I never wanted to grow up, and I believe I have succeeded.

9) How do you do research for your books?

This is my favorite question. I research my butt off. I write (for the most part) historical novels. I must know about the era; the nomenclature . . . everything. I’m presently researching women’s undergarments of the 1890s. If there is anything you need to know about pantalettes, just ask me. As to the how . . . I must admit that I’ve gotten lazy. I used to go to the library; now it’s all on line. Google Scholar rocks!


10 What group did you hang out with in high school?

I had no friends in high school. Sill don’t . . . come to think of it.

11) What would we find under your bed?

The monster that lives there.

12) What is something that you absolutely can’t live without?

Oxygen . . . vodka is a close second.

13) If you could spend a day with anyone from history, dead or alive, who would it be, and what would you do? What would you ask them?

I’d love to spend some time with Jesus. I’d take Him sailing (I live on a sailboat) and ask Him so many questions, He’d probably get out and walk home.

14) Do you write in multiple genres or just one?

I have 142 short stories that cover everything from the detective genre to science fiction and everything in between.

15) Is there a writer you idolize? If so who?

John Steinbeck.

16) What are your favorite TV shows?

I do not own a TV.

17) Do you have any other books on the horizon?

Yes I do, but right now my attention is riveted on a big, tall, frosty glass of vodka and cranberry juice (with extra lime). So I’ll have to go now. It’s been a pleasure. Thank you.

You can find Andrew and his novel Molly Lee on a range of platforms:

 

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Interview with Amanda Hocking

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3486415Q1. Before I was asked by Pan Macmillian to read your novels, I had never heard of them. I haven’t read your original Trylle series – why would I go back and read them after this trilogy?

Bryn’s story in the Kanin Chronicles has more world-building and delves into the history of tribes and what it’s like to grow up in that world. But Wendy’s story in the Trylle Trilogy tells the story of a changeling and what it’s like to find out about this world from an outsider. Wendy has vastly different experiences and insights because she comes from such a different place and ends up as royalty.

Q2. What are you currently working on? Are you going to continue publishing in both ebook and paperback format? What do you think could happen if you’re driven to write something that your ‘traditional publishers’ don’t want to publish?

I’m currently working on a standalone paranormal romance novel set in the 1980s called Freeks. It should be sometime in 2016 with my publisher. I think that I’ll always publish ebook and paperback, whether I’m with a traditional publisher or self-publishing. It just makes sense, since people like to read in both. So far, my publisher has been really supportive of everything I’ve pitched, but if there was something that I was really passionate about that they didn’t want, I’d either shop it around to other publishers or self-publish it.

Q3. ‘I once heard the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.’ So you’ve applied this to your self-publishing, but what about your own novels? You say that you turned away from your original darker novels, and went to paranormal romance. Would you ever revisit the genre?

I don’t think so. They were bad psychological thrillers, and I think that genre is something I don’t excel at. I love writing about fantasy elements, so far now, I plan to stick with paranormal and horror.

Q4. I’m pretty excited for there to be a movie of Switched. It seems to me like you are trying to put things out there that anyone can enjoy – regardless of whether their preference is an ebook, a paperback, an audiobook or a movie. What drives this conscious/unconscious decision?

It just makes sense to me that if I’m creating something that I want people to enjoy, I want to give them as many options to enjoy it as possible. I’m also a big movie buff, so just seeing any of my books on the big screen would be thrilling.

Q5. Your writing habits are of the ‘binge-and-purge’ kind of writing. Red-bull keeps you awake into the wee hours of the night for a couple of weeks, and BAM, at the end you have the backbone of a novel. Have you ever thought about changing your writing process?

I actually have changed my writing process a bit. It’s still a little “bingey” but I was getting burnt out and couldn’t sustain writing at the speed I once was. I also got married about six months ago, and I have a stepson now, so the “staying up until five in the morning” routine wasn’t really working with a family. So now I usually write during the day, starting around ten in the morning, until the evening. I used to do marathon sessions of writing that would last a few weeks, but now I pace myself and it takes about three months to write a novel.

Q6. Other authors I have interviewed talk about having an outline – post-it notes in an office, or writing in paper journals. Is there something like that in your writing technique? Or is it all digital for you?

I outline extensively before I start writing. I start out taking notes by hand, but my outline is typed up. As I’m writing, I usually jot down notes and ideas on post-it notes to remind myself to change something or look something up.

Q7. You’re officially a ‘college dropout’. You say that you wish you had been able to finish college – what is stopping you now? Are the stories in your head too busy pushing themselves out for you to head back to ‘traditional’ education? What do you think you would get out of returning to college?

The main reason I haven’t gone back to college is that I don’t know what I’d go to college for. I’ve considered it, because there are things like that I would to learn, particularly about history, zoology, and practical effects in the film industry. But I don’t know if I’d pursue any of them as a career, since I like being an author, so I don’t know if it’s worth spending so much time and energy on getting a degree that I won’t use.

Q8. I totally get the way you feel about paper-back novels, and I do a similar sort of thing myself – buying my favourite authors in paperback. Is it the draw of being able to physically hold the book to read it, or something else that keeps you buying them?

I like having tangible things on my shelf, especially if I really love them. I’m the same way about movies and music (although now I buy records instead of CDs). I just like knowing that there’s something I own that can’t just disappear, even though I know that everything online is backed up in clouds and is actually probably more secure than the physical products.

Q9. It seems like you have answered many, many sets of interview questions, is there something you wish someone would have asked you? Or conversely, something you wish they hadn’t asked?

Not really. I always enjoy getting questions I haven’t gotten before – and you’ve asked a couple here – but I don’t have any specific questions I’d like to get. Once when I was in England, a boy asked me if I like mushy peas, and that was fun.

You can find Amanda on a range of platforms:

You can find more interviews with Amanda:

See my review of Frostfire and stay tunes for more reviews
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Review: Kate Swann and Kristina Mamrot – Do You Really Want to Lose Weight?

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Do You Really Want to Lose Weight?
Kate Swann and Kristina Mamrot

This book is a new guide to losing weight – mainly without massive immediate diet changes and unrealistic goals. Instead, it looks at the psychological side of losing weight. I’d actually highly recommend it as a good book of its type, and in combination with another healthy eating guide, I think it could be a step in the right direction for people with weight-loss problems.

22696682You might be thinking to yourself ‘Why is Rose reviewing diet books?”. Well, I don’t need to lose weight. But I do enjoy the stories of other people being successful in their weight loss goals, and when I was approached to read this novel, it’s the only reason I agreed.

I really liked this book. It has some sound practical advice, and some powerful messages that readers may or may not be able to apply by themselves. There is certainly a link between psychology and weight gain/loss. Go out there, buy it, and share it with a friend. Take notes on the things that resonate with you, and pass on the ones that don’t.

This is a short review – mainly because I want you to go read it for yourself. It’s well written, I enjoyed the stories and I could tell that there were real people behind those anonymous fronts. What more can I say?

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