Bit of a dud - The Man Who Ended the World by Jason Gurley #amreading #bookreview

This is an apocalyptic story - my preference lately, but instead of being strictly post-apocalyptic two thirds of this one takes place before the world ends. It's been sitting on my Kindle for over a year and I've only just gotten around to it.

I have one really huge complaint about this book. The author chose to do something quite controversial and I didn't like it at all. He wrote the entire book without using quotation marks for dialogue. Dialogue was merely embedded in with the narrative. I found that extremely distracting and I hated it.

Flash Fiction - The Umbrella by A.B. Shepherd #amwriting #flashfiction

He stood in the rain waiting for the bus, a worried frown furrowing his brow. His foot tapped impatiently and with each tap tiny droplets spewed from under his sneaker in all directions. Every few seconds he would lift his wrist to look at his watch.

The bus wasn’t due for ten more minutes, but that didn’t still his impatience as the water ran past his collar trickling icily down his back. His hair was plastered to his forehead and he hunched his shoulders against the drizzle. shoving his hands in his pants pockets, only to pull his left arm out repeatedly to check his watch again.

Roswell Incident - Alien Crash or Weather Balloon. What do you think?

As I'm sure most of you are aware, one of the biggest controversies of all time regarding UFOs is the Roswell Incident which occurred in July 1947 near Roswell, New Mexico in the USA.

Initially reported as a crashed UFO with recovered alien bodies, reports were quickly amended to discount the original story with claims that it was merely a crashed weather balloon that was part of a secret military program.

Magic! Destruction by @SharonBayliss #amreading #bookreview

I wasn't sure what to expect when Sharon Bayliss asked me to read Destruction (Book One of the December People Series). I was delightfully surprised by this book.

It's part Harry Potter for grown-ups, but a bit darker, and it has a lot more adult situations.

Bayliss builds a world of magic where there is no such thing as a school for training wizards. Wizards learn only what is passed down by their parents. There are dark wizards, and light wizards and magic is no quick fix. Every spell works in ways you cannot predict. You may get your end result, but the route to it may have unexpected and disastrous consequences. 

Gritty and gripping! Sand Omnibus by @HughHowey (Sand 1-5) #amreading #bookreview

If you aren't familiar with author Hugh Howey's work, you should change that. He is one of the most successful Indie authors around. Sure he may now be traditionally published, but that doesn't change the fact that his Wool series hit best seller lists long before that. 

In the Wool series Hugh's characters are trapped in a Silo in a post-apocalyptic world. In Sand he's gone in the opposite direction. It's still a post-apocalypitc world, but instead of being confined underground his characters in Sand are living thousands of feet above the old worlds that were buried under mountains of sand.

Short and oh so sweet! Dive by @koryshrum #amreading #bookreview

I don't usually read short stories because I generally find them unsatisfying - not long enough to really give me the story I'm looking for - but I made an exception in this case and here's why. 

I loved Dying for a Living by Kory M. Shrum (you can read that review here and you can also read an interview I did with Kory here) so much that when I heard she'd published a short story I was eager to take another little foray inside her head

Excerpt from the exciting new book Far Away in Time by Maria Savva #amreading

Maria Savva has graciously shared with us today an excerpt from her brand new book Far Away in Time. Enjoy!

Angie hesitated for a moment in front of the purple door. When she finally found the courage to reach for the knocker, the door swung open on its hinges. The interior appeared to be bathed in shadows; Angie assumed that was because her eyes had been dazzled by the sun outside and needed time to adjust.  

‘Hello,’ she called out. There was no reply. Turning back around, and seeing no one out on the street, she shrugged and went inside.  

The door slammed shut just after she entered, startling her. 

‘Don’t be alarmed, dear; that door has dodgy springs. I’ve been meaning to fix it.’ 

Mr Silverfrost? He was sitting in his brown armchair by the fireplace, as he used to do; his cat, Amber, by his feet. Angie’s mouth fell open. How? He’d hardly aged at all, and the cat looked the same. Had she somehow travelled back in time?  

‘It’s Angie, isn’t it?’ He squinted as if in thought. ‘I never forget a face. How long since you were last here? Twenty years? You like Ribena with a purple glass and a pink straw, correct?’ 

Angie could not help but giggle. Her own daughter Ruby was at the age where pink and purple were her favourite colours. ‘Um... yes, I remember. You’ve hardly changed,’ she remarked, finding her voice. 

Book blurb:: 

Our lives are a series of stories, and we are the characters with the starring roles. The memories, regrets, secrets, and struggles that fill these pages are at once unique and relatable. These stories belong to us all. 

Eight unforgettable tales reaching out to a place Far Away In Time... 

Author bio: 

Maria Savva lives and works in London. She studied Law at Middlesex University and The College of Law. She is a lawyer, although not currently practising law. She writes novels and short stories in different genres, including drama, psychological thriller, and family saga. Many of her books and stories are inspired by her years working as a lawyer, although she has not written a courtroom drama to date. She has published five novels, the most recent of which is Haunted, a crime fiction/psychological thriller. Far Away In Time is her sixth collection of short stories. You can find out more about her work at her official website: http://www.mariasavva.com 

Available on Amazon Kindle:

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/

Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/

Amazon FR: http://www.amazon.fr/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/

Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/

Amazon IN: http://www.amazon.in/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/

Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/

Amazon BR: http://www.amazon.com.br/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/

Amazon IT: http://www.amazon.it/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/

Amazon ES: http://www.amazon.es/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0

Amazon MX: http://www.amazon.com.mx/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0

Amazon JP: http://www.amazon.co.jp/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/

Amazon CA: http://www.amazon.ca/Far-Away-Time-Maria-Savva-ebook/dp/B00J0G11S0/

Snore! Review of The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison #amreading #bookreview

This was not a book I enjoyed. The biggest problem I had with it was the style in which it was written - stream of consciousness. I abhor that style of writing. I do not need to know every single thought the narrating character has. I find it exceedingly tedious and exhausting. I also find it boring. So why did I keep reading this one?

A silly bedtime story gone wrong #beingsilly #amwriting

A little while ago I was having a lovely Facebook messaging conversation with my dear friend Jessica, when all at once I realized the time. Jessica is a working woman and she has to get up early so she usually goes to bed at a reasonable hour. It was getting a bit late. We are both full grown adults but I was feeling a bit silly so I offered to tell her a bedtime story to put her to sleep. Somehow, since it was Jessica and she tends to be a little bit cheeky - which I love about her - it went a bit astray. For your amusement, this is how the conversation went.

Abie: Isn't it past your bedtime missy?

 Jess: Yes ma'am

Abie: Would you like me to tell you a story to put you to sleep?

Jess: Sure.