4 Mini Book Reviews: June Part 3--K. Craft, K.C. Dyer, D. Gabaldon, D. Webb

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As promised, here's the third mini book review for June. Happy Reading!

THE FAR END OF HAPPY Kathryn Craft: Women's Fiction

Craft shows the dissolution of a marriage that is challenged by the emotional illness of the husband. Finding the heart and soul of Ronnie Farnham is the key to understanding the gut-wrenching story. Most excellent story of truth and a Must Read.

FINDING FRASER K.C. Dyer: Humorous Romance

You simply Must Read this warm and witty book of a young woman's search of the Scottish highlands for her very own Jamie Fraser. Dyer's voice is infectious, winning, and just plain fun! 

AN ECHO IN THE BONE Diana Gabaldon: Historical Fiction (with a bit of time travel thrown in for good measure)

Amazing. Astounding. Marvelous. Diana Gabaldon is golden. If you haven't read the entire series or just OUTLANDER, you're going to be sorry with the STARZ production of OUTLANDER gets nominated for Emmies. Go buy her books *now*! ;-D

YOU'LL BE THINKING OF ME Densie Webb: Women's Fiction

Webb has a great command of POV and deploys it to produce a deep dive into the psyche of a stalker and those who are stalked. Intense Read

Next Week: Another IWSG Post! Hope your summer is going great!

4 Mini Book Reviews/June part 2: R. Carr, N. Ward Fischer, L. Grimes, B. Straub

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FOUR FRIENDS Robyn Carr: Women's Fiction

This is a good story on the journeys of many women. The ultimate truth: be good to yourself and allow the others needs to fall into place.  

HEAVY WEATHER Normandie Ward Fischer: Women's Fiction 

Fischer, as always, gives us a great story with deep understanding of women's trials. By returning to the Carolina coast, she utilizes a setting that is deep and rich. Sit back and enjoy!

PRE-FIX Linda Grimes: Urban Paranormal Fantasy

Find out how Ceil Halligan's job as an aural adaptor began...You won't be sorry. ;-)

HANGING FROM THE HIGH WIRE Bridget Straub: Women's Fiction

This is an amazing and gritty look at emotional illness from the inside. This is a must read. 


Next Week: A run down on recent releases. You know you need a book(s) to read. Of course, you do!

4 Mini Book Reviews for June, Part 1: R. Askey-Doran, L. Benton, S. Bryant, L. Douglas

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I love books. You know that already. I've got a backlog of books to share, so today's post is the first of three for June. After all, it's the season of the beach read, isn't it? Enjoy!

BROKEN Roni Askey-Doran: Women's Fiction

Broken is infused with an absolutely authentic voice that gives the hidden thoughts of the abused and emotionally ill a chance to speak for themselves. A must read. 

GOING THROUGH THE CHANGE Samantha Bryant: Women's Fiction/Fantasy

Going Through the Change is chock full of black humor that skewers the twin notions that menopausal women aren't as good as younger women and that menopause is a disease that must be treated. Bryant's ladies are superheroes. Read this one if you are postmenopausal, perimenopausal, or a long way from "the change." 

THE WOOD'S EDGE Lori Benton: Historical Christian Fiction

Lori Benton's done it again! The Wood's Edge is a page turner full of 3-D characters. Their stories tell of courage, fear, forgiveness, and belief. A Wonderful Must Read Book! All of Lori Benton's books make belief an integral part of the character, not an afterthought, or a values lesson. That takes true inspiration. 

THE ROBE Lloyd Douglas: Christian Historical Fiction

This is a classic story of old Rome and the spread of the story of the Galilean who turned the world upside down. Wonderful, inspirational read.

I hope you find something you want to read, but if not, there's more where these came from...next week. ;-)

IWSG: The Terror of Completion

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Insecure Writers Support Group

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time. Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post.
Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!
Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for the the June 3 posting of the IWSG will be M. Pax, Tracy Jo, Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone, and Randi Lee!

The manuscript for the first of my Cherry Hill stories--Mother's Day--is complete in the hands of my beta readers. (Love y'all to pieces!) So what's next? (I'll admit to a bit of terror at this point.)


Good question. My first answer, in light of my first contest responses (95, 70, 61), is that I'm not ready to query. I could stare at the list of things to do:

• Write a query
• Research agents
• Read a ton of craft books (Thank you for that suggestion)
• Etc.

I could take a break and rest while my beta readers read, but I think that's a dangerous course. Would I ever start again? Possibly not. So I'm not stopping. I'll read craft books (notably: Monica Wood's Description, Don Maass's Writing 21st Century Fiction, and Desmond Morris's "little" sociology text Man Watching.) The last book is an attempt to make my body language more realistic, more varied than grins, winks, shrugs, and frowns. I'm planning an online workshop with Barbara Rogan sometime this summer. I'll also keep my hand in writing as I work through Cherry Hill book 2--Friendly Fire.

Wish me luck! What do you do when you're waiting and know you need to retrench a bit? Got any suggestions for me?

Next Week: the first of three mini book reviews...Yes, I've been reading. ;-)