Book of Mercy on Blog Tour de Force

Book of Mercy By Sherry Roberts 

I’m thrilled to host author Sherry Roberts and her novel, Book of Mercy, on SmartLit as part of the Blog Tour de Force! Please leave a comment below and your email address to get your very own copy of Book of Mercy.

My Review:

If your family is full of avid readers, and your house is stocked with books, consider this:  On average, about 500 books are challenged every year in the United States, according to the American Library Association—and those are just the ones reported.

Among the books challenged or banned in the United States in 2010-11 were The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, as a parent claimed that it gave her 11-year-old daughter nightmares and could numb other children to the effects of violence; What’s Happening to My Body? Book for Boys: A Guide for

Everyday Heroes: Nothing Short of Extraordinary

When author Doug McCourt contacted me about reviewing Notes from the Firehouse, he didn’t know how this extraordinary group of men and women had already touched my life. My younger brother worked as a volunteer firefighter and a paramedic. As a nurse, my mother spent endless hours helping pediatric burn victims at the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo. And in my former career as a television reporter, I witnessed first-hand how firefighters save lives

Seeds of Faith

Small as a Mustard Seed by Shelli Johnson

Today’s interview is with author, freelance editor, and former sports journalist Shelli Johnson. Her novel, Small as a Mustard Seed won two awards: a grant from the Weisman Fund and the Grand Prize in the Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards. Shelli is a big football fan, went to graduate school in Chicago, and got her Master’s Degree in Fiction Writing. Read on for more about Shelli and her novel!

Have you always been a writer? 

I’ve always loved writing. The earliest memory I have of it is writing a story in the first grade & having it be selected by the teacher to be read to the Kindergarten class. I don’t even remember what it was about. But I do remember thinking that writing was all I wanted to do. My favorite part of writing is when I get so caught up in the story that I lose track of time. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of that for me; it keeps me coming back. Plus, I love my characters. I actually look forward to sitting down and seeing what they’re going to do next.

Stephen King was the biggest influence in pushing me toward being a fiction writer. When I was a kid, my family & I went on vacation up to a cabin in Maine. There was no running water, no electricity ~ “roughing it like the settlers” my dad said. Not great, though, for a 12-year-old girl. Under one of the bunk beds, I found a box full of Stephen King books & I spent those 2 weeks reading his early work, which is absolutely fantastic. I wanted to be able to do what King did ~ make people feel scared, angry, happy, whatever ~ just by telling them a story.

Tell me about your book, Small as a Mustard Seed, and what inspired it.

I was writing about the main characters ~ sisters ~ for about four months, both of them as adult women. The story wasn’t really going anywhere, and then one morning one of them showed up as a 10-year-old in a barn, scared out of

Top 5 Ways to Kill Your Love of Reading

This is a guest post by Emlyn Chand, author of Farsighted

Did you resolve to read more this year? Maybe you’ve dubbed this year as the year you finally start your own book club. To be successful with either of these goals, you’ll need to keep that all-consuming passion for reading alive. Here are five examples of what NOT to do.

I have been guilty of each and every one of these bibliophile misdeeds. To avoid making these mistakes, it helps to be cognizant of what they are and how they may put-off your love of reading. My list is, of course, not exhaustive. Please feel free to add other ways in which your enthusiasm for the written word has been destroyed or derailed.

1. By taking too long to finish reading a particular book – many a decent book have been utterly destroyed for me

The Grimoire Chronicles: Danger, Romance, & Magick

 The Grimoire Chronicles:

                            A Veil Between Worlds

This week, I interviewed the talented and wonderful Sally Dubats, author of The Grimoire Chronicles: A Veil Between Worlds. The novel is a fascinating look at the world of Wicca through a young teenager’s eyes. Although the book is classified YA, readers of all ages will enjoy The Grimoire Chronicles.

First of all, for people who might not know, what is a Grimoire?

Great question! A Grimoire is a Book of Magick. (Spelling magick with a “k” differentiates it from slight-of-hand tricks performed by magicians.) Grimoires can range from herbals to a book of simple spells to complex magickal explanations and instructions. Wikipedia has a great article about Grimoires and their rich history.

What was your inspiration for writing the Grimoire Chronicles?

I had three! I wanted to create a super fun, fast-paced read, create a strong female character, and stay true to Wicca and witchcraft to help break down stereotypes about Witches.

A Harrowing Journey through Mao’s Red China

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Author Lisa See demonstrates a skillful ability to carry readers away with her thoughtful prose and fascinating storylines. Her New York Times bestsellers include Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Shanghai Girls.

Her latest novel, Dreams of Joy, explores the theme of love:  A mother’s love, a daughter’s love, romantic love, and love of country. Dreams of Joy follows the lives of sisters Pearl and May, as well as Pearl’s nineteen year-old daughter, Joy. Although this book is a sequel to Shanghai Girls, it can be read as a stand-alone novel.

Told in alternating first person accounts from Pearl and Joy, the story begins with a furious and heartbroken Joy leaving

In Leah’s Wake

Indie Author Spotlight: Terri Giuliano Long sells 10,000th copy of her literary novel

Today, I’d like to spotlight an indie author who’s been able to achieve a great deal of commercial success. She’s just crossed the 10,000 copies sold mark and is approaching the book’s one-year anniversary on October 1. Please enjoy this synopsis and excerpt and consider purchasing this literary fiction novel – just 99 cents for your eReader.

About In Leah’s Wake:  The Tyler family had the perfect life – until sixteen-year-old Leah decided she didn’t want to be perfect anymore. While Zoe and Will fight to save their daughter from destroying her brilliant future, Leah’s younger sister, Justine, must cope with the damage her out-of-control sibling leaves in her wake. Will this family survive? What happens when love just isn’t enough? Jodi Picoult fans will love this beautifully written and absorbing novel.

Complex Characters & Dark Secrets

Close Your Eyes  by Amanda Eyre Ward

If you love complex characters, vivid imagery, and dark, haunting secrets, Close Your Eyes will not disappoint. The book is Austin, Texas-based author Amanda Eyre Ward’s fifth. I’ve been a fan since her first novel, Sleep Toward Heaven, was released in 2003.

On her website, Ward shares that the idea behind Close Your Eyes began to form in 1989 after terror struck near her sleepy, idyllic hometown: a husband and wife had been stabbed to death in their own bedroom one New Year’s Eve. The crime went unsolved for nearly five years until a local teenage boy confessed to the killings. During his trial, he cited no concrete memories of the incident, blaming his actions on an alcoholic stupor.

A Wholly Engaging Memoir

  Half A Life by Darin Strauss

Half A Life is not your typical ‘near-death experience’ book or miracle ‘come back’ from major illness story.

It’s a memoir for real people who’ve experienced the unthinkable – a bottomless tragedy, the loss no fault of their own. For those readers, Strauss’s story is an honest, raw-knuckled street fight: before the accident vs. after.

It’s a battle that has no winners, only survivors.

As the author says, “Half my life ago, I killed a girl.”

Ambition, Seduction & Betrayal

  The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

At its most basic level, The Paris Wife is a delicate balance of lovely details and sharp realities, truth and lies, love and loss. Paula McLain meshes heady romance with bitter betrayal, bright beginnings with heart-twisting endings. The novel combines all that is bitter and sweet – like pairing shortbread cookies with a shot of whiskey.

The author introduces readers to Chicago in the 1920’s, where a young, ambitious Ernest Hemingway saunters into 28-year old Hadley Richardson’s plain vanilla life. His undeniable charm and passion infect Hadley, who has all but given up on true love. She finds herself smitten with Hemingway, and deeply intrigued by his wounded soul.