Saturday, September 10, 2016

Spotlight Saturday: QUARTET, The Hunt, Book 2

This month starts another giveaway -- that means you have a chance to win a FREE BOOK from Goodreads -- and from me, of course.

Go to Goodreads and click on the information for giveaways, and look for QUARTET, the 2nd book in the YA fantasy series, THE HUNT.

Who are the Hunt? Children sent from an endangered world in another universe/dimension of reality, to protect them from a despot who wants to command their Talents. Given into the keeping of the Hounds of Hamin, the members of the Hunt have been separated by time as well as distance. They know each other by the scars--rows of teeth marks--on their wrists. Some have been in our world for decades, others have only been here for a few years. They have to find each other--and soon, before more enemies show up to destroy them--and find a way back home to save their world.

Quartet


Cinden Lai is a firstborn, a member of the Hunt. She found sanctuary with a reclusive old woman when the Hounds of Hamin brought her to Earth, but now her dreams and the increasing storms make her think it is time to leave her safe haven and seek out members of the Hunt.
When a rich old man claims she is his missing granddaughter, Cinden knows he is lying, but she can't prove it -- not without endangering the Hunt. He knows too much about her, and claims he has her brothers and sister. That is reason enough for her to investigate. Are the other three part of a trap, or in need of rescue?
When four members of the Hunt come together, amazing things can happen...but they also discover a traitor among them, and learn a countdown has started: Time is running out for the Hunt, and life on Earth can be fatal for them in more ways than one.
ISBN/EAN13: 192206663X / 9781922066633 

Monday, September 5, 2016

Off the Bookshelf: THE BIG BOOK OF KOMBUCHA, by Hannah Crum and Alex LaGory

A friend of mine jokes that when we made the shift from being readers to writers, we went from word addicts to pushers.

Well, that's starting to feel like the same situation when it comes to kombucha. What is it? Essentially, fermented tea -- but there's so much good stuff that enters the tea during the fermenting process, between the yeast and good bacteria.

I bought a couple bottles, after reading about kombucha when I proofread a book. Can you say YUM? Then I did some research and learned about all the health benefits. Hey, any excuse to start an addiction, y'know? Then the price started adding up, when I tried to make it a daily habit.

Then a few weeks ago, I took the big step -- I investigated making my own, instead of paying around $4 a bottle, for something I wanted to drink at least once a day for health benefits. That's when I found this book. Yeah, it is a BIG book, but it holds a whole lot more than just a guide for home brewing and flavoring.

The history and folklore is fascinating, along with the science, the steps to take, the options, the pitfalls to avoid, troubleshooting guide, and yeah, the recipes. Lots of recipes. There's more to kombucha than just drinking. There's vinegar, there's candy, salads, bread, jerky and beauty products and ... the list goes on. Considering all the uses for everything that goes into making kombucha, it's a truly self-sustaining and bio-friendly project. I just decanted and bottled my first batch, and got more going, and I'm looking forward to having a lot of fun experimenting with flavors and all the other options. I wouldn't be able to do it without the thorough education provided by this book.

Warning: Kombucha is addicting! Try it, and you'll be glad you did. Yeah, I'm a pusher now. Not that I'm going to willingly give away my precious few first bottles, but ... hmm, Christmas presents!

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Can You Help an Author Out?

What a DEAL!!! Get a free book -- all you gotta do is write a review on Amazon.

Until September 20, my newest Neighborlee, Ohio novel (fantasy, humor) HERO BLUES is available on Story Cartel. If you haven't heard about Story Cartel before, it's a place to get ... taa daa ... FREE books, and a chance to win prizes, just for downloading books to read and review. Sound good to you?

Would you help me out by downloading, reading, and reviewing HERO BLUES? I guarantee you'll like it, and even laugh. Money-back guarantee (oh, yeah, that's right, you're not spending any money .... )

Here's the link. Please help me out -- and have some fun while you're at it???