Friday, June 30, 2017

FIRST CHAPTER REVIEW / CHASING HINDY BY DARIN GIBBY



Title: Chasing Hindy
Author: Darin Gabby
Publisher: Koehler Books
Pages: 284
Genre: Thriller


ADDY’S DREAM AS a patent attorney is to help bring a ground breaking energy technology to the world. Addy’s hopes soar when she is wooed by Quinn, an entrepreneur, to join his company that has purportedly invented a car that can run on water using an innovative catalyst. After resigning her partnership to join Quinn, Addy discovers things aren’t as they seem. The patent office suppresses the company’s patent applications and her life is threatened by unknown assailants if she doesn’t resign.

When she is arrested for stealing US technology from the patent office she realizes Quinn has used her. Now, Addy must find a way to clear her name while salvaging her dream of propelling this technology to the world, all while powerful forces attempt to stop her.


First Chapter:

The book opens up with Addy being very excited about her job at a highly impressive law firm. Even her higher ups were impressed with her because of her impressive marketing ideas attributing her with bringing business into the fold. She's in her Mustang, aptly called Hindy, which gives us insight into the title. She has a  barrel-sized, hydrogen-filled balloon that floats above the Mustang’s roof only to have someone pull up beside her with a bazooka aimed right at the balloon. Fire is shot and the balloon is hit creating a giant fireball right above her head. She slams on the brakes, shoots out the door and the fireball heads toward her when suddenly someone yanks her out of harm's way. Her rescuer said he saw the whole thing and tried to get the license plate but it was covered up.  Soon swarms of firemen are on to the scene. She wrestles with the confusion on why someone would want to shoot the balloon, and more importantly, what did they have against her? If it could get any worse, she is slapped with a ticket for transporting a flammable substance and she is told she'll have to make a court appearance. And then they impound Hindy.

Would I keep reading?

Whoa, talk about exciting. I'm thinking the rescuer might become an important part of Addy's life (I could be wrong) and that's the reason why the author brought this character into the picture or I've been watching too many movies. This isn't written amateurish; Gibby writes with such thoroughness and clarity to the point where I'm feeling I'm right there and can picture the characters, the setting, the explosion even down to the point where I can picture the person in the car who brought the balloon down. I would definitely keep reading...now all I can think about is what's going to happen to Addy now? She lost the balloon, she was written a ticket and she has to appear in court. What kind of reputation is she going to have now? And who was this person who wanted the balloon down? It wasn't a coincidence; it wasn't some joy riders who where looking for fun. I think this was very intentional. I'm thinking someone is jealous of Addy. I guess I'll have to read the book to find out!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:



First Chapter Review: The Feet Say Run by Daniel A. Blum




Title: THE FEET SAY RUN
Author: Daniel A. Blum
Publisher: Gabriel’s Horn Press
Pages: 349
Genre: Literary Fiction

At the age of eighty-five, Hans Jaeger finds himself a castaway among a group of survivors on a deserted island.  What is my particular crime?  he asks.   Why have I been chosen  for this fate?  And so he begins his extraordinary chronicle.

It would be an understatement to say he has lived a full life.  He has grown up in Nazi Germany and falls in love with Jewish girl.  He fights for the Germans on two continents, watches the Reich collapse spectacularly into occupation and starvation, and marries his former governess.  After the war he goes on wildflower expeditions in the Alps, finds solace among prostitutes while his wife lay in a coma, and marries a Brazilian chambermaid in order to receive a kidney from her.
By turns sardonic and tragic and surreal, Hans’s story is the story of all of the insanity, irony and horror of the modern world itself.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Cover: I usually don't like watermarked covers (is that what it's called?) but the more I looked at it, the more I started to fall in love with it. It evokes a tropical feeling which lends itself great to the storyline. And back to the watermarking, the cover gives me the feeling that it's raining. Does it do that to you, too?
Title: Wow. The title evokes adventure and mystery for sure!

First Chapter: The first chapter opens with a group of people stranded on a deserted island. I love it that the author chose to open with this. The narrator tells of life on a deserted island - what they ate, how they lived, who they co-inhabited with. Not sure how many people are there but the author has a way of writing that lets you explore who these characters are with no confusion. I hate it when writers throw characters at you are your brain is trying to sort them out. I'm really intrigued to see how this story is going to go after this first chapter. I'm not sure how these people ended up stranded but it reminds me of Naked and Afraid where two people are thrown together on what looks to be stranded islands and they are forced to find food and shelter or go without. That's sort of the predicament these people are in. Man this book is so up my alley.
Would I Keep Reading: Dumb question. OF COURSE!  Omg for one thing, I love how the first chapter ended: "We will get there.  In due time.  But now I see I must go back further.  I must say something more of myself." This gave me the impression that we were going to go back in time and find out how they got there which would be an integral part of the plot, I'm supposing. Yes, yes, yes, is it book time yet? I can't wait to read the rest!

About the Author



Dan Blum
Daniel A. Blum grew up in New York, attended Brandeis University and currently lives outside of Boston with his family. His first novel Lisa33 was published by Viking in 2003. He has been featured in Poets and Writers magazine, Publisher’s Weekly and most recently, interviewed in Psychology Today.
Daniel writes a humor blog, The Rotting Post, that has developed a loyal following.
His latest release is the literary novel, The Feet Say Run.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK


Wednesday, June 28, 2017

BLOG TOUR / POP-OUT GIRL BY IRENE WOODBURY


Title: POP-OUT GIRL
Author: Irene Woodbury
Publisher: SynergEbooks
Pages: 188
Genre: Commercial Fiction

When Zane Hollister returns home to Las Vegas after two years in prison and discovers his showgirl-lover is with another guy, he goes ballistic. After stalking and taunting the couple for months, his toxic jealousy takes a darker turn. To wipe out Colton, Zane masterminds a devilish zip line accident and a terrifying car crash. When those fail, he resorts to kidnapping Jen and forcing her to marry him. And it gets even worse when Zane shoots Colton’s boss, Matt, by mistake as he aims for Colton in a horrific drive-by shooting.
        
With Matt lingering in a coma, Jen’s cocktail-waitress mother, Brandi, absorbs a seismic shock of her own. After hearing Matt’s name on the local news, she realizes he’s her first love of decades past—and Jen’s real father.
        
Will Matt emerge from his coma to reunite with Brandi and Jen? Do the cops nab Zane, who’s hiding out in Hawaii? And can Jen and Colton’s love survive Zane’s lethal jealousy?
           
There’s a happy ending for some, but not for all, in Pop-Out Girl.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon | Smashwords


Book Excerpt:


Jen was a romantic who loved weddings. From the time she was a little girl, she had daydreamed about her own, conjuring up elaborate fantasies about the dress, cake, and flowers. And so when she got an invitation to attend her friend, Carly’s, festive nuptials in Reno, she immediately RSVP’d that she’d be there.
         Getting out of Las Vegas for a fun-filled, relaxing weekend was just what Jen needed. She was still on a leave of absence from her job as a pop-out girl, a gig she loved that entailed emerging from a six-foot, multi-tiered cake and then singing, dancing, and stripping down to a teensy bikini for hordes of admiring guests at special events.
         Curvy, blond Jen was a huge hit, one of the most popular girls at Stripper Grams. But after a scary car crash, she had gone on leave and was now filling her days with dance classes, lunches with friends, and singing lessons. None of that got her through the weekends, though, which were long and lonely without Colton, her boyfriend who was out in San Francisco recovering from injuries sustained in that same freakish accident. Carly’s invitation couldn’t have come at a better time.
         Jen’s very cool, cocktail-waitress mother, Brandi, ran all over town with her to find the perfect dress. They finally chose a dove-gray silk and lace gown that would work well for a winter wedding. Jen was going to make the seven-hour drive to Reno with her friend, Brianna, another pop-out girl and one of Carly’s six bridesmaids.
         On a cold, dreary Friday morning in January 2017, an excited Jen waited to be picked up at eight. At least that’s what she’d told her mom, who was still at work, earlier. She had packed a suitcase and was flitting around the house, doing last-minute chores.
         At the stroke of seven, the doorbell rang. For an instant, Jen wondered why Brianna would arrive an hour early, but she was pumped to go so she flung open the door. To her horror, it wasn’t Brianna. There on the doorstep stood Zane Hollister, her toxically jealous ex-boyfriend who’d been making her life hell since he got out of prison six months earlier.
         Jen’s heart dropped. She gasped in fright and tried to close the door, but Zane quickly shoved his arm out and blocked her. She stared up at him, six feet of dark, brooding menace in black jeans and a worn biker jacket, hovering over her. His neck-length dark hair was a bit ragged and disheveled, his brown eyes glassy and bloodshot. He was obviously high on pills, maybe uppers, maybe downers, maybe a combination of both.
         “Hey beautiful, what’s up?” he purred in a slightly slurry, faux-light voice as he barged into the house, closing the door behind him.



About the Author

Irene Woodbury’s third novel, Pop-Out Girl (2017), pushes a lot of buttons. It’s a gripping look at the tumultuous life of a 23-year-old showgirl-wannabe named Jen Conover who pops out of cakes at special events in Las Vegas for a living. The novel offers riveting glimpses into the loves, lives, triumphs, and tragedies of Jen’s family and friends as well.

Irene grew up in Pittsburgh, and has lived in Chicago, Los Angeles, Honolulu, and Denver. The University of Houston 1993 graduate also called Texas home for seven years. Her writing career began In 2000. After five years as a successful travel writer, she switched to fiction. Irene’s first novel, the humorous A Slot Machine Ate My Midlife Crisis, was published in 2011. The darkly dramatic A Dead End in Vegas followed in 2014. Pop-Out Girl is another dramatic effort. With her husband, Richard, editing, Irene completed the novel in eighteen months. She hopes audiences will enjoy reading it as much as she enjoyed writing it. 

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

 

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Clinical Depression Guest Post from Dr. Patrick Mbaya, author of My Brain is Out of Control







Although Dr. Patrick Mbaya’s illness caused a lot distress and nearly took his life, the emotional symptoms of the depression he developed helped him understand and empathize with patients and how they feel when they become ill. In My Brain is Out of Control, Mbaya, fifty-five and at the peak of his career, shares a personal story of how he suffered from a brain infection in 2010 that caused loss of speech, right-sided weakness, and subsequent depression. He tells how he also dealt with the antibiotics complications of low white cell count and hepatitis. He narrates his experiences as a patient, the neurological and psychiatric complications he encountered, how he coped, and his journey to recovery. Presenting a personal perspective of Mbaya’s illness from the other side of the bed, My Brain is Out of Control, offers profound insight into battling a serious illness.

GUEST POST

CLINICAL DEPRESSION
 Clinical Depression is a common illness, different from ordinary sadness, which is a normal reaction. It can affect anyone, including doctors like myself, and indeed I suffered from this, during my illness. It is not a weakness.
It may occur spontaneously in vulnerable individuals, like someone with a family history of depression. Severe stress or traumatic events in childhood, may also make an individual vulnerable to developing depressive illness, later on in life. Recent research has shown that this could be due to the effect of stress hormone cortisol, on the developing brain. Severe stress or loss events (like losing a family member) can cause (precipitate) it. In my case the brain infection I suffered, affected the limbic/emotional brain (see below).
Emotions, and certain behaviours are controlled by the limbic (emotional) brain. This is like a circuit comprising of connections from the brain stem (stem of the brain), to the front part of the brain (prefrontal cortex, the part in front of the motor cortex), then to the medial (inner side) of the temporal lobe structures like amygdala and hippocampus. In my case, it is the left prefrontal cortex, which is next to the motor cortex (which caused weakness on my right side) and the speech (Broca’s) area.
There are different theories about the biological causes of depression within the brain. However, there is a lot of clinical, and research evidence that depression is associated altered levels of chemicals (neurotransmitters) that control emotions, and behaviours. The two main chemicals (neurotransmitters) being serotonin and noradrenaline (also known as norepinephrine). These chemicals are made by the brain from the food we eat, like bananas (I asked my daughter to get me bananas during my recovery phase). Emotions and behaviours like mood, sleep, appetite, enjoyment, concentration, short-term memory, energy, and some forms of thinking are controlled by these chemicals.
There is both clinical, and research evidence that these chemicals become imbalanced, causing symptoms of clinical depression including persistent low mood, tearfulness, poor sleep, lack of enjoyment, poor concentration, short term memory, reduced interest in things, poor appetite, feeling negative (like focussing on past traumatic or unhappy events, or being emotionally affected by current sad events) up to including suicidal thoughts. (Recent research has shown that amygdala become very active in clinical depression, negative traumatic past events tend to re-surface and the individual becomes pre-occupied with these events, feels hopeless, worthless, and has suicidal thoughts, and these symptoms are reversed by effective treatment of depression). These symptoms tend to be worse in the morning (diurnal variation, possibly related to high levels of the stress hormone cortisol) and can improve later on during the day. Like in my case, my mood was worse in the morning. “I was emotional and found myself crying without a moment’s notice.”
As depressive illness can affect confidence, energy, motivation, concentration, short term memory, level of functioning is impaired (the ability to carry out activities of daily living, even to the point of being unable to work, socialise or to go to school). The World Health Organization (WHO) found out in a study (1990), comparing medical illnesses, that depression was four in the league table, as a cause of health-related disability. They estimated that by 2020, it will rank second to heart disease!
Current research has shown that severe stress increases the levels of stress hormone cortisol, which in turn reduces serotonin, noradrenaline, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, also known as brain fertilizer, which protects against cell death by cortisol), in the brain, causing depression.
Antidepressants work by increasing these chemicals/neurotransmitters (improving symptoms, and level of functioning), and may protect against severe stress causing depression. Psychological treatment like cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), is also effective in depression, especially in combination with antidepressants. Current guidelines recommend psychological treatment for mild to moderate depression, and antidepressant medication, plus psychological treatment for moderate to severe depression.
Dr Patrick Mbaya MD FRCPsych.
www.drpatrickmbaya.com
References: Cancel reply
Duman Ronald. Depression: a cause of neuronal life and death. Biological Psychiatry, 1 August 2004, vol.56:140-145  Cancel reply
Global Burden of Disease, World Health Organization, 1990.
Mbaya Patrick. My Brain Is Out Of Control. Author House. September, 2016
Shimizu Fiji et al.  Cancel replyAlterations of serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in depressed patients with or without antidepressants; Biological Psychiatry, 1 July 2003,Vol 54(1): 70-75
Stahl Stephen M. Essential Psychopharmacology, Neuroscientific Basis and Practical Applications. Second Edition.  Cambridge University Press.
Stress and Plasticity in Limbic System, Robert M. Sapolsky; Neurochemical Research, Vol. 28, No. 11.


Dr. Patrick Mbaya is a medical doctor specializing in psychiatry. He is a consultant psychiatrist and honorary clinical lecturer in psychiatry at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. He has a special interest in mood and addiction disorders.



BLOG TOUR / THE DISCOVERY BY LOUIS KRAFT & ROBERT S. GOODMAN




Title: THE DISCOVERY
Author: Louis Kraft & Robert S. Goodman MD
Publisher: Createspace
Pages: 311
Genre: Legal Thriller

In THE DISCOVERY by Robert S. Goodman and Louis Kraft, a young obstetrician/gynecologist delivers a premature baby after attending a dinner party. The child survives the delivery, but complications lead to a malpractice lawsuit two decades later.
In 1952, a pregnant seventeen-year-old gives birth in a Los Angeles hospital. Two nurses attend to the young woman while they wait for the doctor on call to arrive for the delivery. Dr. Harry Chapman arrives at the hospital clearheaded but with alcohol on his breath. The premature baby is born blue and placed in an incubator. The nurses turn the oxygen to the level recommended to pediatricians for preemies the year before to prevent blindness. When the baby’s color doesn’t change, Harry instructs the nurses to turn the oxygen up to maximum. They protest, but Harry insists that the nurses comply to save the baby from brain damage or death.
In 1972, Greg Weston, a twenty-year-old paralegal meets a young woman who works with a renowned pediatrician. When she questions the attractive young man about his blindness, Greg reveals that his adoptive parents told him he was born blind. After agreeing to see the doctor Gail works for, Greg becomes aware that his blindness may have occurred as a result of physician error. Greg requests his medical records from the hospital and the adoption agency, and he finds that the hospital records tell a different story about what took place after his birth. In both records, Dr. Harry Chapman is indicated as the doctor who delivered him. Greg shares his findings with a partner in his law firm, and they build a case against Dr. Chapman based on fraudulent changes in the hospital records, which allows the statute of limitations to be thrown out.
After Harry receives word that he is being sued, his attorney advises him that the malpractice insurance he carried in 1952 will not cover even a fraction of the multimillion-dollar lawsuit. The stress and uncertainty of the case, along with the accusation of fraud, breaks Harry, leading him down a road of depression and alcohol dependence. As Harry’s wife, Helen, watches her husband deteriorate, she makes an unthinkable choice to put an end to the plaintiff’s case.
In THE DISCOVERY, the authors connect the lives of two individuals across two decades, exposing vulnerabilities, bitterness, and frailties. As the case moves forward, a key witness’s testimony alters the lives of both men.
In writing THE DISCOVERY, Goodman and Kraft’s intentions were to offer readers multidimensional characters with real-world problems and to bring awareness to the severe affect malpractice lawsuits can have on physicians’ professional and personal lives.
The Discovery is available at Amazon.

Book Excerpt:


An hour later Martin pulled into Harry’s driveway and parked next to Sid’s car. Harry, who rode shotgun, swung the door open and ran to the front door, where he fumbled with his keys. Sid opened the door and waved him inside.
“You seem like a man in a rush,” Sid said.
“Only to those who peer out of windows!” Harry pushed past Sid and rushed into the living room. He didn’t see Helen and moved into the kitchen. No Helen. Harry ran to the family room, but it was empty. He looked at the bar.
“Thirsty?” Sid said from behind him.
Harry ignored the comment. “Where’s Helen?”
“In your bedroom.”
Harry crossed to the couch in front of the TV set and slumped into it.
Sid sat next to him. “From a man in a hurry, it appears that you’ve suddenly run out of gas.”
“Look, pal, I know a hell of a lot more than you do.”
“Really? You don’t say, Harry. Well, I’ve got news for you. You don’t know your ass from a hole in the ground!”
Harry glared at Sid, as he formed a fist.
Sid smirked. “Go ahead and swing away.”
“What’s going on here?” Harry said as he relaxed his hand.
“Don’t ask me; ask your wife.”
Surprised, Harry leaned back on the couch. “What are you talking about?”
“I sure as hell know!”
“Tell me!”
“Nope. You want to know, you talk to Helen.”
“She won’t talk to me.”
“Maybe she will.”
“Tell me!”
“I promised Helen that I wouldn’t repeat what she told me. To anyone.
Harry had no idea what Sid spoke of and glared at him. “You know, sometimes you are a real pain in the ass.”
“And you’re a complete schmuck. Look Harry, you had better talk with her.” Harry didn’t move. “Now!”
Allen leaned into the room. “Is everything okay?”
“Yep,” Sid said, “couldn’t be better.”
“Then join us.”
“Soon.” He turned back to Harry. “For the last time Harry, get upstairs and talk to Helen.”
Harry stood but then glared at Sid.
“Harry, use your heart when you listen to her.”
“What are you talk—?” Suddenly frightened, Harry ran to the staircase and leaped up the steps two at a time. The door to their bedroom was closed. Harry opened it and stepped into the room. It was empty, but then the door to the bathroom opened and Helen appeared. Her hair was wet and dangled over her shoulders. She had an oversized towel wrapped around her body.
“What do you want?”



Meet the Authors


Author/historian Louis Kraft has focused his energy on producing work that highlights racism and the human experience of people who have put their lives on the line to prevent war. He has written articles for magazines, including Research Review and Wild West, as well as fiction (The Final Showdown) and nonfiction (Gatewood & Geronimo) books. Kraft returned to fiction writing when he collaborated with Robert S. Goodman on The Discovery.

Robert S. Goodman, MD has been in private practice since 1966, specializing in internal medicine. During his fifty-plus-year career, Goodman has been involved in hospital politics and served as chief of staff at Encino Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Goodman’s experience testifying as an expert witness in defense of hospitals and doctors contributed to his interest in writing The Discovery.
Visit their website at www.readthediscovery.com


http://www.pumpupyourbook.com

Friday, June 23, 2017

Book Review: Tapped Out for College Students: Stress Relief Using EFT by Kelley Pryor Amrein & Becki Stevens


Title: TAPPED OUT FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS: STRESS RELIEF USING EFT
Author: Kelley Pryor Amrein & Becki Stevens
Publisher: Creative Spirit Books
Pages: 236
Genre: Nonfiction/Self-Help/Stress-Relief

Book Blurb:
You’re in college and college is stressful. Your stress impacts every facet of life, from classes to grades to work commitments. Even your physical health can be affected. Studies show that college students like you now face more stress than ever, leaving you with less time for relaxation and self-care. When you’re already overburdened, the idea of finding a way to relieve stress sounds like one more way to add extra stress to your life. But, what if you can relieve the stress of college in minutes? What if homework didn’t have to be so hard, and you did have time for school and fun? Tapped Out For College Students: Stress Relief Using EFT, is a guidebook that empowers college students like you, allowing you to reduce your level of stress and opening the door to success in college and in life.

In Tapped Out, college students are introduced to our unique BESD (Because, Emotions, Sensations, and Distress) system, which easily guides them through the tapping process. Once you’ve defined your personal BESD related to a specific issue, you can easily translate this into a tapping session. The book is full of tapping scripts relating to the most common stress-inducing issues you face in college. Students can tap through the scripts as they are written, or they can personalize them, using the responses they develop using the BESD system. 

The Table of Contents is the perfect starting place, allowing students to pinpoint their issue and flip to the appropriate section of the book. Some of the topics covered in the book include time management, homework, exams, relationships, money, health, and preparing for the real world following college.
Students no longer have to be stressed throughout their college career. With Tapped Out as a companion, college students can face the college landscape calmly. This unique book, intended to be used as and when needed, empowers students to control their reactions and respond to each situation successfully. College is stressful. Tapped Out for College Students can help.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon


My Review

What a fantastic book! If only I had had this when my kids went to college, I would have fewer grey hairs that's for sure. I wanted to read Tapped Out for College Students because I wanted to see if I could recognize any of our mistakes or at least tips that might have prevented all the stress that the whole family was going through, but more importantly, my kids. Now that my kids are grown and have families of their own, this is going to come in handy for when that day comes that my precious grandchildren will be heading off to college.

First, the authors are thorough. They left no questions unanswered. They took me through the different stress builders - failing grades, balancing jobs with going to school, getting homesick. And, yes, both my kids were homesick and this book would have surely helped. No college guidance counselors could have zeroed in on all the problems and helped more than this book could have.  Not steering you wrong, this is a really great book for college kids to help them with that very important transition in live - moving out of mom and dad's and into a world they've never been before. Just wish this was on the market years ago. I highly recommend Tapped Out for College Students as a must have for your college bound little darlin!

For creativity, writing style and potential to help college bound kids, I give this book 5 book trees!

My Rating:


Thursday, June 22, 2017

Book Feature: The Trials of Allura by Dina El Shammaa








Allura’s life is a testament to the strength and resilience of educated Middle-Eastern women in the modern age, who are railing against a life that makes little sense, with all its twists and turns. A tower of courage and energy, her enthusiasm to challenge life’s obstacles and temptations reflects some of the mind-blowing hardships various women face. Bound by passion, linked by need, Allura offers readers a better understanding of life in a cross-cultural environment, where women are wrongly perceived by the outside world as spoilt, reclusive, and vulnerable. Social constraints, family upheavals, and unexpected tragedies force Allura to stand on her two feet at a young age and make life-changing decisions, which is when her whole world begins to unravel. Join Allura on her extraordinary journey of highs and lows, humorous encounters, and fateful experiences, which transform her from a shy and sheltered teenager to a courageous, resolute, fiery, and tempestuous woman.




An author inspired by innocence, simplicity and beauty, Dina El Shammaa’s extensive writing background helps her uncover unexpected daily occurrences that affect the lives of millions of women in the region and beyond.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

BLOG TOUR: INTERVIEW WITH ANDI O'CONNOR, AUTHOR OF CALL TO WAR @oconnerandi #blogtour



Andi O'Connor is the award-winning author The Dragonath Chronicles, The Vaelinel Trilogy, and The Legacy of Ilvania. She’s written multiple books, including the critically acclaimed Silevethiel, which is the 2015 Best Indie Book Award winner for Science Fiction/Fantasy, and the 2015 New Apple Official Selection for Young Adult. Silevethiel was also named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2013. Andi's short story collection, Redemption, is a 2014 Kindle Book Awards Semifinalist.

You can frequently find Andi as a ​guest panelist at Comic Cons throughout the country including the Rhode Island Comic Con, Philcon, Conclave, WizardWorld, and Chessiecon. Andi also writes for Niume where she provides writing tips, advice, and insight on her career as an author. You can connect with Andi on
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information, visit Andi’s website.

About the Book:


Book Blurb:
 
Darrak's adventure concludes with this thrilling finale of The Dragonath Chronicles!  

Following the betrayal of two of his trusted companions and a devastating battle in Mystandia, Darrak's talents are desperately needed by the citizens of both Earth and Dragonath. Torn with the decision of where his loyalty should remain, he finally decides to confide in Andillrian. Together, they craft a plan they hope will save Darrak's home planet, but their optimism is short-lived.

The Hellborn's army has begun the march to war.

With less than two weeks of preparation remaining, their weaknesses become unavoidably apparent. Planning for defeat suddenly becomes as important as planning for victory. Darrak's insecurities continue until the moment the first arrows begin to fly. He can only hope that help from a few unlikely sources will be enough.

For if they fail, Dragonath will fall.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Thanks for this interview, Andi.  Can we begin by having you tell us about yourself from a writer’s standpoint?

I write Fantasy, and lately I’ve been leaning toward the darker side of the genre. I’m totally a pantster and don’t plan anything out before I begin writing. The thought of an outline is restricting to me. I prefer to let the characters lead me through and tell me their story. My process is extremely reactive, but that’s what works for me!

When not writing, what do you like to do for relaxation and/or fun?

I’m a ballet girl and take class about three or four times a week when I’m not traveling. I also run when I can, usually on the treadmill in the basement, but hey, it counts!

Congratulations on your new book! Can you give us the very first page of your book so that we can get a glimpse inside?

Darrak stared into the fire, shivering despite the intense heat radiating from the flames. Three days had passed since he'd read the entry in Mionee's journal revealing the spell to save Earth. And he had yet to tell anyone.
He'd memorized the spell that first day, bewildered that he'd been handed the very thing he'd spent weeks tormenting over. Despite everything happening here on Dragonath, he'd never lost sight of saving his home planet. He'd spent almost every waking moment obsessing over finding a way to nullify the effects of Mionee's spell.
Then suddenly, the very woman who'd caused his people so much suffering, and who had ordered the murders of his parents, provided him with all of the answers he'd needed. In an instant, she'd lifted a tremendous weight from his shoulders. He could go home. He could save his people. He could help those on Earth repair the damage that had been done to their planet.
But he hadn't. He'd stayed on Dragonath, training to fight a war by day and mulling over his predicament at night. He couldn't leave. The people here needed him as much as those on Earth. Only he stood a chance of defeating the Hellborn, and even then, he'd need the help of every single person in Krémarra.
If he left, people all over Dragonath would be forced into slavery or killed. But if he stayed, he'd send billions of people and animals on Earth to extinction. His home would be a barren planet devoid of any life.

Would you say it’s been a rocky road for you in regards to getting your book written and published or pretty much smooth sailing?  Can you tell us about your journey?

Call To War was actually pretty smooth. I didn’t have difficulty writing it, and the editing process went without difficulty. The cover was actually a premade cover by my designer that fit perfectly with the story and absolutely nothing had to be changed. Formatting was easy as I’d created a template for the other books in the series. Even the printing went smooth! I got the books weeks before I expected!

If you had to summarize your book in one sentence, what would that be?

Tormented by where he truly belongs and where his loyalties should remain, Darrak gathers help from unlikely sources and prepares for battle against the Hellborn who is determined to claim rule over all of Dragonath.

What makes your book stand out from the rest?

It’s epic fantasy with a twist. Darrak, the main character, is from Earth. But, although there is technically space travel as he and other characters travel between Earth and Dragonath, it’s still fantasy. All the traveling is done with magic!

If your book was put in the holiday section of the store, what holiday would that be and why?

The dark, heavy themes and paranormal elements make it perfect for the Halloween section!

Would you consider turning your book into a series or has that already been done?

It’s already been done. Call To War is actually the third and final book in The Dragonath Chronicles.

What’s next for you?

I’m working on the third and final book in my other series, The Vaelinel Trilogy. It’s tentatively scheduled for release in 2018, though still without a title! I’m also working on another collection of four short stories in my Legacy of Ilvania series. After that, I don’t know! I have to decide where I want to go. I’m torn between starting something new or writing another series in the world of Dragonath so it will be familiar to my fans.