🚀 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: FLAME WITHIN penned by the author Theresa Gage is the third book in the Flame Series. The story features Olivia’s aka Ollie’s family who serves King Roark. Recently her father was told that the king expects Ollie’s elder sister Juliana to attend the ritual. In the ceremony, Juliana was chosen to be offered to the dragons.
Ollie assumed that Aidan with his magic abilities would save her sister but when Juliana turned into ashes, Ollie was frustrated. As the story progresses, her father was called by the king and he passed away in the battle. The king decided to have a ritual again. Will it be Ollie’s turn this time?
This is a gripping story in which we meet characters from the earlier books of the series. The author has used a lucid language in this book. The title is suitable. I loved the character of Ollie and her love towards her family. I enjoyed the writing style of Theresa and am looking forward to reading more books by her.
Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
A1. Hi, my name is Carissa Taylor! I graduated from Huntington University with a double major in Film Production and film Studies, but I refer to it as a professional storytelling degree. When I was in elementary school I wanted to be an author and would constantly be coming up with new story ideas. I even got picked to read one of my stories over the loudspeaker to the entire school when I was in 3rd grade. In 5th grade I was asked to read one of my poems at one of our school-wide performances. I began writing poems more consistently when I was 13 years old.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “Chronic: A Healing Journey through Poetry”?
A2. I have autism and ADHD. I didn’t realize how difficult it was for me to communicate my emotions until I started my healing journey. Most autistic people have something called alexithymia, which basically means you have trouble recognizing, expressing, and describing your emotions. A lot of my poems in the Before section I can tell I was holding back from my feelings. The poems in the Healing and After sections are a lot more vulnerable and I think I did a better job of feeling my emotions while I was writing the poems.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A3. My favorite author is John Green. My favorite books by him are Turtles All the Way Down and Looking for Alaska. I admire how he doesn’t shy away from the more uncomfortable and difficult topics of the human experience.
Q4. What’s your favorite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. I live in the United States of America. I would say that I really enjoy visiting theme parks or places that have roller coasters. I’m not too good at standing in lines anymore because I have chronic illnesses now, but I really do enjoy getting roller coasters when I’m able to. It’s the closest thing to thrill seeking on a safe level without having to do anything crazy. I have been skydiving, and that’s about as crazy as I’ll get with high adrenaline activities. I usually go to theme parks with friends or family, and I enjoy spending time with them.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘Chronic: A Healing Journey through Poetry’?
A5. One day, in early 2024, I read my poem “Failure Mode” to my roommate and she encouraged me to publish a book of my poems. I already had a lot of material for it since I had been writing and posting poems since 2017, so I decided to self-publish a book of poetry and organize it into my healing journey. I got some advice about self-publishing, since I had never done it before, and I learned a lot. I’m hoping the process will be a lot easier for my next books.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘Chronic: A Healing Journey through Poetry’?
A6. I started a trend called “Poetry Wednesday” on my FaceBook page in 2017. In 2019 I started having major health complications and then began my healing journey in 2020 where I went to weekly therapy sessions. My poems range from the year 2017 all the way to July 2024. They’re organized into Before, Healing, and After, with the majority of the Before poems coming from my “Poetry Wednesday” posts. So this book took about eight years before it was finished.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
A7. My book is currently available on Amazon.com in paperback. I’m hoping to come out with an ebook and a hardcover copy eventually.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘Chronic: A Healing Journey through Poetry’?
A8. I drew a concept picture for the book cover with stick figures and shared it with one of my artist friends, who then drew the cover illustration. The cover picture is based on Ezekiel 37 “The Valley of Dry Bones” in the Bible. In that story the Lord tells Ezekiel to prophesy to the dry bones and tell them that He will make breath enter them and they will come to life. One of the things I wrote in my concept picture was “skeletal to eternal, dead to alive.” I feel like the cover art captured my journey from feeling dead to then feeling alive during my healing journey. The definition of Chronic means long-lasting and difficult to eradicate, and being chronically ill I definitely feel like the pain is long-lasting and difficult to eradicate. A Healing Journey through Poetry is basically describing how I healed over time throughout my poetry, and you can really tell that there’s a difference in my poems between the Before, Healing, and After sections.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
A9. That’s a good question. I started keeping journals in 2016 and I have a ton of journals that I keep in a giant storage container. (I still have a ton of empty journals that I need to use and constantly buy more to sit in the pile.) Whenever I get a new idea, or think of a phrase, I always write it down. (Sometimes I wake up in the middle of sleeping and write an idea down in my notes app before I forget. That has been a lifesaver because I usually don’t remember the idea by the time I wake up.) I tend to watch popular shows, movies, and listen to new music and that helps me come up with ideas and get inspired with my writing.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
A10. While I was taking screenwriting classes in college, I was constantly told to “write what you know.” I think I was afraid of writing about my experiences because I hadn’t processed them. Once I finished going through my healing journey I found it much easier to talk about everything I had gone through in my life, and it was a lot. I’m even working on writing a fantasy trilogy series, and the main plotline has to do with experiences I have personally gone through that weren’t necessarily the best. I think it’s important to write about your experiences, but not necessarily get lost in them. I think processing them through beforehand definitely helps with writing, especially if they were traumatic.
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸: A Bump in the Road 📚 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Michael Caprio ✍️ . .
🚀 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: “A Bump in the Road: My Medical Journey over Potholes, Detours and the Bridge to Gratitude” penned by the author Michael Caprio is a gripping read. At the age of eighteen, Michael was diagnosed with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. So, he underwent an operation to get his entire large intestine removed.
Until the age of eighteen, Michael wasn’t aware that his mother, grandmother and Aunt Maria had FAP. Michael’s world turned upside down when before surgery the doctor told him about the rare possibility of blood clots in his legs that could lead to strokes or death. He was fortunate to be tested at a young age and to find out about polyps that were growing at an alarming rate in his large intestine.
I appreciate the author’s courageous and resilient spirit. Michael’s story is an inspiration to all of us. If you are having a hard time overcoming any adversity then get your hands on this book. This book gives hope. The story is well written and heart touching. I am glad to get my hands on this book.
Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
A1. My name is Jay Davis. I am a writer, producer, film maker, actor, and now author from Bellwood IL. I have been producing films since 2010. Comedy is my first love, but horror / thriller is a close second.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “The Cornelian Dilemma”?
A2. I write screen plays which is much easier than writing a book. So the Cornelian Dilemma is from a screen play I wrote about 6 years ago that I haven’t had the opportunity to film yet. So that transition from screenplay to book was the biggest challenge for me.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A3. Stephen King
Q4 What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. I’m from Chicago, but I really enjoy California whenever I get the opportunity to go. The sun and the overall atmosphere. Plus I have a few friends who live there.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘The Cornelian Dilemma’?
A5. I’ve always enjoyed the Creep Show series and I wanted to make my version of that.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘The Cornelian Dilemma’?
A6. It took by about a month and a half to write the original screenplay, and a month to convert it into a book.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
A7. Amazon
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘The Cornelian Dilemma’?
A8. I had an Idea about one central evil enity and I let my graphic designer work his magic. After a few revisions we came up with what I feel is an eye catching cover.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
A9. make the subject matter relatable as possible.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
A10. Be patient. If an idea isn’t coming to you, stop writing, take sometime to reset your brain, and come back to it.
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸: The Cornelian Dilemma 📚 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Jay Davis ✍️ . .
🚀 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: “The Cornelian Dilemma” penned by the author Jay Davis is a Supernatural Thriller. It’s a collection of four tales that will send chills down your spine.
“The Price of Power” is a unique and intriguing story. The story features Kenny who lost his job and visited The Hidden Longue that is more than just a bar. A stranger ordered two shots for Kenny. One read “Money and Power,” the other “Love and Happiness.” Kenny picked up the “Money and Power” glass. The next day, he woke up rich. However, with money and power he has to face the deadly consequences of his choice.
“The Temptress” is a story about an author who is unemployed and not happy in his marriage. He met a mysterious woman from the internet and she tempted him for a night full of passion. As Darnell decided to go for it, he would have to face the consequences of his choice of cheating in his marriage.
These stories are unique. I couldn’t put this book aside once I started reading it. The author’s writing style is nice. Even though the stories are spooky, I had a great time reading them. I appreciate the vivid imagination of the author in writing these tales. I read these stories at night and felt chills down my spine. I am looking forward to reading more anthologies by the author in the future.
Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
A1. Hello, my name is Michael Caprio and I’m from Hopatcong, New Jersey! When I was 18 years old, shortly after graduating high school, I was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition that runs in my family called Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. What that means is I have a gene in my body that doesn’t stop the growth of polyps, instead, they multiply. Polyps are precancerous growths that can grow anywhere in your digestive system and if left untreated can turn into cancer. With my condition, this occurs within the Large Intestine primarily but could occur elsewhere though it is less likely. With that being said the treatment plan for my condition is to have the entirety of my large intestine removed before the polyps turn cancerous.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “A Bump in the Road”?
A2. Some challenges I faced when writing my book was deciding whether to include or omit moments that would be considered vulnerable or embarrassing. Considering the nature of my surgeries and my condition I was faced with a lot of those moments and not including them felt like a disservice to others out there going through the same thing behind closed doors. This is why in my book I decided to keep all of those moments in, no matter how shocking the subject matter might seem to show the real struggle of what happened behind closed doors. Another challenge I was faced with was the handling of my family’s medical history and sensitive medical information in general. I didn’t want to publish anything misleading or flat wrong, so I put a lot of effort into researching my family history with the disease as well as my family’s doctors who saved our lives. For some things that I wasn’t 100% sure about I had my surgeon double check to make sure it was accurate, just to give an idea of the lengths I went to make sure everything was accurate.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A3. I read a wide variety of books ranging from memoirs to science fiction so it is difficult for me to say one author or book in particular has influenced me but I can list a few of my favorite books for what it’s worth! Atomic Habits by James Clear, The Dune Series by Frank Herbert, Outlive by Peter Attia, and Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
Q4. What’s your favourite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. As a person who was raised in the New York Metropolitan area, I love to visit places that are more south of me. One of my favorite places is Washington D.C., our nation’s capital. It’s a special place for many reasons but for me in particular it’s a place me and my family always vacationed to since it wasn’t that far and we could travel by car. It always brings back fond memories of going to Nationals baseball games and visiting all the historical sites with my family, which there is an endless supply of. We have been visiting for twenty years and we always find something new to do. Another special place to visit is Virginia/Virginia Beach for similar reasons, it was a place my family always vacationed to for most of my childhood and we still occasionally visit. The New York Metro area will always be home to me but it’s nice to go down south where the pace of life is a bit slower every once and a while.
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘A Bump in the Road’?
A5. It was a gradual process and many factors contributed to me writing the book but I think the biggest reason was to leave a legacy for my grandparents. That’s not to discount all the other reasons, including documenting my journey in great detail so that the other people with FAP or similar conditions out there can not feel alone and have a reference to look to since no one talks about these conditions in particular. However, I can’t deny that the biggest influence was my grandparents and my grandma in particular. She had devoted most of her life to being a guinea pig essentially so that my life could be easier and my journey was certainly much easier than hers. Her persistence and strength inspired me and still inspires me to this day and I wanted to share that with the world.
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘A Bump in the Road’?
A6. Officially it took me about a year working with editors and my publisher but I had been writing my story many years prior on my laptop unofficially. Before I had the help of my publisher I had the idea that maybe one day this could become a reality and I didn’t want my memories to fade of how things transpired before, during, and after my surgeries. So I started to document my memories on Google documents hoping that one day I would meet someone who would be able to trim it up for me and give me the guidance I needed.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
A7. My book can be found on all platforms including Amazon & Barnes & Noble!
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘A Bump in the Road’?
A8. For the book cover, I must give all credit to the lovely editing team at New Degree Press which is now called Manuscripts. They drafted up four or five versions of the cover and I chose which one I liked the most and we would keep doing revisions until we got it perfect. All I did was say “I like this” or “I don’t like that”. They did all the creative work on that and should get all the credit, it came out perfect in my opinion! As for the title, it came from a saying my dad used to repeat all the time during my surgeries and recoveries as a means to keep us all calm. He kept saying “It’s just a bump in the road, we’re going to get through this.” And it was just a bump in the road as life is all good now and so the name stuck.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
A9. Considering the subject matter of my book can get a bit dark without humor or moments of levity I decided to incorporate a fair amount of self-deprecating humor to keep things light. I also tried to include a lot of active metaphors to keep readers engaged and paint a more detailed picture of the events I was going through and the pain I was feeling. Also, I chose to incorporate some pop culture references from entertainment that I like to give the reader a better insight into me as a person.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
A10. To be fully transparent and leave it all out there, for better or worse. Writing at the end of the day boils down to having an opinion or a story to share about something. You can’t do that if you are afraid to be fully transparent and speak your mind or your truth. It won’t be authentic if you do otherwise and the reader will be able to tell. Don’t betray yourself and be authentic.
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸: Chronic: A Healing Journey through Poetry 📚 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Carissa Taylor ✍️ . .
🚀 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: “Chronic: A Healing Journey through Poetry” penned by the author Carissa Taylor is a gripping read. This book is written in three parts: Before, Healing and After.
The poem ’15 Years’ is about learning how to love someone. The author has written this poem for her first love. She values the sacrifice made by the person who taught her how to love.
The below lines are of the poem ‘Reminder’ that reminds us to not lose our hope in difficult times. We should keep faith.
Keep your focus on faith Keep your focus on the cross A reminder of the truth When all hope seems lost
I could relate to many poems from this book. Some of my other favorite poems from the collection are: Move On, Strength, Sweet Dreams, etc. The language used in these poems is easy to follow. I could feel the author’s emotions in her words. Those who enjoy poetry should get their hands on this book.
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸: The Adventures of Myron and Swimmy: “One for Myron” 📚 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Mario Nacinovich ✍️ . .
🚀 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: The Adventures of Myron and Swimmy: “One for Myron” penned by the author Mario Nacinovich and illustrated by Nadia Ronquillo is an interesting read. The main character of the story is a canyon tree frog named Swimmy. Swimmy loves exploring and learning new things about the world around him.
One day, Swimmy met Myron, a cactus elf. Myron told Swimmy that every day, he finds ostrich eggs that are the largest eggs around. Swimmy joined this adventure with Myron. He started looking for round shaped objects that looked like an egg. Will the two of them be successful in their mission?
This book is for readers of the age group 3-8 years. It teaches kids the power of teamwork and friendship. The language used in the book is lucid and kids would be able to understand it easily. The cover photo is eye-catching and I loved every bit of this book. Great work done by the author in it.
Q1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself? Readers would love to know more about you.
A1. I suppose I’ll start with my name, which is Pierre – although I was born Peter in Los Angeles. My family moved to Geneva, Switzerland when I was a toddler, where I became-and remained-Pierre. I moved back to the States in my late twenties and took on various jobs. None particularly intellectually challenging. I started to play chess fairly seriously. In 1975, I co-authored a book on chess openings. My publisher, knowing of my interest in math, asked me if I could write a book on, the then new-to-market, calculators. It did fairly well, picked up by some mathematical book clubs. I then approached McGraw Hill about publishing a book that would contain the major historical documents of the world. That idea came to me as the Watergate scandal was exploding and I wanted to read the U.S. Constitution for myself. The Internet wasn’t yet a thing and I couldn’t find the text in my (large) bookshelf. McGraw Hill immediately approved the project and that became my third book (although I am listed as Editor.) To help with my research, I needed to compile various databases. I built various personal computers from kits (ALTAIR, IMSAI, etc.) and immediately realized that I had to teach myself software programming. This got me sidetracked for decades! I eventually taught computer science at various universities. During these years, I also developed and patented new technologies for radio receivers that eventually became part of a U.S. national standard. But to be closer to my potential licensing clients (the big guys in Japan), I moved to Hong Kong, where I stayed for eleven years. Right after the start of the World Wide Web, I started a small website called the Classical MIDI Archives. Upon my return to the states in 1997, I moved to Silicon Valley, close to Stanford, and continued to develop the site which eventually became ClassicalArchives.com, one of the largest classical music sites in the world. As one of my passions is astrophysics and cosmology, I got involved with Stanford’s physics department. In my spare time, I try to visit as many labs and research centers as I can. This brought me to the deepest mines, the highest observatories and other fascinating locations around the world. I even spent time at the South Pole. Asteroid (32890) Schwob has been graciously named after me. I am one of longest serving member of the SETI Institute’s Board of Directors. Now that AWE: A technothriller (focused on climate change, AI, fake news, and international cooperation) is out, I am thinking of writing another novel, addressing the benefits and dangers of AI.
Q2. What were the key challenges you faced while writing your book “AWE: A technothriller”?
A2. As AWE is my first novel, I had to learn to “kill my children:” to remove characters, whole passages, even entire chapters. Serve the story. Another challenge was the immense amount of research I had to undertake. Particularly as the science and technology is so fast-moving in the areas the novel covers.
Q3. What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?
A3. A tough question as I read fairly voraciously. But my taste centers on science, foreign affairs, history (even older works like Edward Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Will and Ariel Durant’s The Story of Civilization), and thrillers. I can name Stephen Greenblatt’s The Swerve, Carl Sagan’s entire output, Stephen Weinberg’s The First Three Minutes, Lenny Susskind, Brian Greene, Sean Carroll, and many others. As to thrillers, I’ve read John Sandford’s Prey entire series twice(!), Daniel Sylva, Jason Matthews, and many others. Matthews’s Red Sparrow was an inspiration for my offering a playlist in my book (a classical music work to play at the beginning of each chapter), although that idea also sprang from an experience I had when I read a novel at fourteen while my gramophone was playing in the background–recounted on my website (www.prs.com).
Q4. What’s your favorite spot to visit in your own country? And what makes it so special to you?
A4. I am a Swiss/US dual citizen. I suppose that I have to mention Stanford University for its beautiful Romanesque campus and contagious intellectual ferment. Otherwise, I shouldn’t miss mentioning the Swiss Alps and their meadows. Gorgeous wild flowers in the spring and summer, and glorious snow in winter. (Learned to shoot down airplanes-on-a-wire from my troop carrier there, while in the Swiss Army.)
Q5. What inspired you to write the book ‘AWE: A technothriller’?
A5. While some will take offense, it was the deplorable response to COVID-19 from a previous administration, its reckless lack of interest in climate change, and the self-sabotaging China Initiative (thankfully ended but now rearing its ugly head again.)
Q6. How long did it take you to write your book ‘AWE: A technothriller’?
A6. About a year to write a complete draft. Another year to massage it into shape. And then three weeks to select and build the playlist, available on ClassicalArchives.com.
Q7. On what platforms can readers buy your books?
A7. Amazon, as a hardcover, paperback, or on Kindle–both in a flowing text, and as a print-replica. (The latter for those who wish to enjoy the author-selected fonts.) You can also find a link to Amazon’s AWE page on my website at http://www.prs.com, where readers can read more about the book, the playlist, contact me, or ask for a personalized signed bookplate.
Q8. Tell us about the process of coming up with the book cover and the title ‘AWE: A technothriller’?
A8. As the main themes of the book is climate change and rigorous science, I wanted the cover to be simple and direct. I selected an image of the Earth taken by a NOAA satellite. The title is an acronym for “Artificial Wisdom Engine” – an AI which becomes one of the novel’s protagonists.
Q9. When writing a book how do you keep things fresh, for both your readers and also yourself?
A9. I’ve never given a thought to this. The creative endeavor never seems to get stale. I find that developing a plot is very much like playing chess, when you have to think ahead many moves, offering hints that presage the action to come. The key is to continuously place unexpected obstacles that the protagonists must overcome. I get a lot of help from my characters as they evolve. As most authors will tell you, they do take a life of their own. And their personalities, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, particularly their sense of humor (when they have one), help keep things interesting.
Q10. What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing?
A10. I’ll repeat what I said earlier: learn to “kill your children!”
𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸: BARD: Bearer of the Gemstone 📚 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿: Dan Watt ✍️ . .
🚀 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: “BARD: Bearer of the Gemstone” by Dan Watt is a gripping dark fantasy novel. The protagonist, Bran, is the son of a blacksmith who helps in his father’s workshop. Two years ago, a mysterious girl entrusted him with a gemstone necklace, saying, “When we’re older, it will guide you to me.”
Bran is accepted into Esfinge Bard Campus, where his father urges him to spend four years earning his journeyman’s markings. Although Bran is reluctant to leave home, his father assures him that becoming a Bard will allow him to explore the entire continent or go wherever he wishes. He also reminds Bran to stay strong and never forget his blacksmith roots. As Bran embarks on his journey into manhood, he faces numerous dangers, all while remembering his mother’s advice to one day return the gemstone to its rightful owner.
The author’s writing is engaging, with a vivid imagination evident in the world-building. The book’s pacing keeps the reader engaged, and the suspenseful storyline ensures you’re hooked until the very end. The cover art is striking, and the title is perfectly suited to the story.
Sassy Reviews 