Hey, I get the scoop any way I can. Don't judge me.

Hey, I get the scoop any way I can. Don’t judge me.

I’ve been busy torturing interviewing some blogger-authors lately.

You may have noticed.

You may be wondering, “Did that cracker-jack blogger/author/interviewer (I’m talking about me, here, People) actually read the books she so generously promoted?”

Well, I’m here to tell you that wonders do cease.

Yes I did…read the books.

And here’s what I thought of them. NOTE: these are abbreviated reviews. For the full reviews click on the book links I provided on the titles.

Seeing_Eye_FRONT_FINAL_Kindle

I interviewed author/blogger, Liz Marshall, a while back. She wrote Seeing Eye: A day At the Fair. Here’s what I thought:

Liz Marshal is a gifted writer and Seeing Eye is the kind of murder mystery that I love.

The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing to the very end and her characters are real–they have flaws, good qualities, and each has something distinctive about them.

Her writing is pitch-perfect with dialog that rings true to the ear. I especially love her sense of humor that she weaves adeptly into the story and into the dialog. And the way she writes foreign accents is masterful.

This is a murder mystery that isn’t gory, but it is suspenseful. Subplots woven around the murders help the reader understand motivations behind the seemingly odd choices Rory makes. And the best part is that the ending leaves room for an obvious second book in what I hope is a series from this amazing author.

If you like a little humor to season a carefully plotted murder mystery with three-dimensional characters, I recommend you give this book a try.

His Name was Ben_final4 copy

Then I interviewed Paulette Mahurin, a very successful author who gives all the proceeds of her books to a cause near and dear to her heart: animal welfare. She wrote His Name was Ben.  Here’s my review…

Mahurin is an adept writer who knows how to create complex characters living complicated lives, tugging the reader into the world she creates. The details and dialog ring so true that I felt I was in the story with them, often forgetting that I was reading.

We’re drawn into the intimate lives of two cancer patients. It’s clear Paulette used her medical background and extensive research because the sections on the types of cancer, treatment options, and side effects are quite sophisticated. But this is no maudlin read. Instead, courage, hope, love, wisdom, and even levity are woven throughout the individual and collective journeys the characters take.

At its core, this book is a story about accepting oneself, being open to romance, overcoming fear, and taking chances. Basically, it’s a love story about life, about living life consciously rather than on automatic pilot. Thank you Paulette for the gift of this book.

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Onto my time-travel interview with Diana Douglas, prolific romance writer and blogger. Her most recent novel, The Tattooed Angel, is the first in a series. My thoughts:

Ms. Douglas clearly knows what she is doing. She has done her research about England in the 1600s. All of her characters are complex, interesting, and true their voice–not a two-dimensional lad or lass in the book. She takes the reader on an adventure that rivals the best roller coaster I’ve ever been on. Time-travel, black magic, immortality, lessons in herbal medicines, evil villains, kind souls, political shenanigans, confused lovers…need I go on? Even though the plot of the book is outside the realm of what most people believe is possible, Ms. Douglas weaves a plausible tale full of details and dialogue that made this story work. In other words, she made the unbelievable believable. For that alone, I applaud this amazing author.

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I also read Victoria Slotto’s new book, The Sin of the Father. She didn’t come by for an interview. Wise woman. Here’s what I thought of her book.

How would you handle shocking news that changed your definition of yourself and made you question everything about your life as you knew it? This is the challenge that Victoria Slotto presents us with as we follow her protagonist, Matt, through his journey of doing just that.

Matt, just like any person, is imperfect. This is a book about what it is like to be human: to stumble, fall, and be willing to pick yourself back up (with the help of old and new friends). The driving theme throughout the book is forgiveness, which is one of the hardest things for most people to do.

Victoria Slotto wrote about the difficult subjects of death, dying, betrayal, alcoholism, homelessness, abandonment, and self-doubt with the elegant touch she brings to all of her writing. Even if you don’t know she writes poetry, you can feel the poetry in her prose. This novel was artfully written and will stay with me for a long time. And isn’t that the hallmark of a wonderful book?

Just to mix things up, Kevin Cooper, from his Great Indie Authors blog, just reviewed MY novel, Never Turn Back.

Oh yes, he did!

Oh yes, he did!

Here’s a snippet of what he had to say.

“Lorna’s tale grips the reader from the beginning and doesn’t disappoint as it draws one in deeper and deeper all the way. It is an extremely well-written work and in all honesty, I cannot fault it, in the least. This is a five-star work for me.”

To see the whole review and to check out all the great reviews Kev does on his most excellent blog, hop on over there.

I’ll be subjecting to inviting Kev for an interview with me to promote HIS new book in the very near future.

Peter Wells’ new book will be getting my review soon, too. I’m nearly finished reading it.

So many many pages, so little tushy padding.

So many pages, so little tushy padding.

THIS JUST IN! Check out this link! I’m now a contributing author on the Story Circle Network, with a polished up version of my story on Scrappy’s and my “special walk” after he died. They have their own blog and now I’m a part of it!