Review of HOPE

HOPE

Written by Robert K. Swisher Jr.

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry.

Becoming 66 years old the other day, I started reading HOPE. It reached me on many levels. The story had me in laughter, tears, and at many times in thought.

There is a universal fiber that runs through us humans, Christians call him God, which leads us to belief which in turns leads to hope – my take.

Mr. Swisher’s novella HOPE’s characters are aging towards the end of life in a home. Only one, who has not reached this elderly age, has hope and believes he can fly. Will his belief turn into hope for the others?

‘What if we can believe – fly, have hope?’ is gently interwoven into this story. Little by little the residences move from doubt to ‘What if’ to belief. All, but one character, in their own way become convinced and begin to hope, leading to revelations and an escape from their mundane lives.

This is a novella that will lead you to think about your own mortality. Hopefully it will get you thinking about how we treat our elderly humans.

Mr. Swisher’s writing is mature as is his character and story development. The story has no unused words always getting to the point.

Purchase on amazon:  http://amzn.to/1h2Og5M

Interview: http://bit.ly/1f4AWTi

Interview with Robert K. Swisher, Jr.

Interview with Robert K. Swisher, Jr.,

Author of HOPE

Interviewed by Author Roy

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

I'll dwell on the writing side of my life.  I have 14 traditionally published novels and I have indeed 6.  Several of my novels were optioned but did not go through. I have been listed in Who's Who in the West (How I have no idea) Young Contemporary Authors (The young bit is long gone) and was made a male honoree member of American Pen Women (They call us Penguins). I also taught a class called THE REALITIES OF WRITING.  My books range from historical fiction, young adult, humor, literary, mystery, to somewhere out in right field and off center.

Do you remember the first story you wrote?

I wrote it in 5th grade. It was about a kid skipping school and going fishing.  I wrote it in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon by a pond.

Were you inspired by someone or something?

There was never anything else I wanted to be but a writer. Common sense has never been one of my strong points.

What do you like about writing a story?

Truthfully the process drives me nuts anguish, turmoil, can I finish it like it the best when I am done and start worrying if I will ever have another idea.

Can you tell us about your book?

HOPE is the latest. It is the story about a group of residents in an old folks home, who feeling abandoned by society and little more than prisoners, form an action group and with the help of a simple person learn how to fly.  I started the book in 2004 while I was working in a rest home and finished it in 2013.  It is not long, 44,000 words, but dear to me.

What genre best fits the book?

How about literary fantasy - although there is a theft - so - literary fantasy mystery with a cast of fantastic characters that cannot be held back by anything.

Are you working on something new at the moment?

HOW BRIDGE MCCOY LEARNED HOW TO SAY I LOVE YOU is off to another editor - story of a man that when he tries to tell the lady he loves that he loves her he starts choking (set in an art town in New Mexico) it is one of my right field books. Also doing the last read through on A CIRCLE AROUND FOREVER - modern fantasy exploring the question - what if Adam and Eve have been reincarnated many times (not religious though) both of these books are right at 145,000 words...and...Half way through a book titled VENT - like it says, a weird guy that goes around venting on topics (some pertinent and some weird) it is a reader participation book.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Learn how to enjoy sardines, hot-dogs, and Ramon Noodles - if it was easy everyone would want to be a writer AND...DON'T LET NEGATIVE REVIEWS GET YOU DOWN.

Where can people read your work?

My earlier books - 8 still in print are on all the sites as trade and e book. My indie books are on kindle e books. I went with KDP only for many reasons (Too many to list here) Here is a link to my author page which will get you to all of my books - also some good reviews and things that make writers swell up like bullfrogs:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Robert-K-Swisher-Jr/296768763702474?ref=hl

Review of Treasure of Saint-Lazare

Review of Treasure of Saint-Lazare

By John Pearce

Reviewed by author Roy Murry

The mystery and history of World War II Paris comes alive in John Pearce’s novel when a concerned visitor from Sarasota, Florida, USA arrives with a letter from the past. This leads into a journey that unravels events which may never be resolved to a conclusion.

As in all wars, the worst comes out in combatants on all sides of the ideological conflict. Everyone is out to secure their positions in the turmoil their involved in. Mr. Pearce’s main characters were vested when they were very young.

Their heirs left them with many interwoven problems crossing borders worldwide. In this case, it’s the crimes commented during and after the war, because of the greed of their ancestors. 

Property taken from the rightful owners is normal in any war. Here is the crux of the novel Treasure of Saint-Lazare. Germans pillaged the countries they invaded for the good of The Motherland. Those crimes propelled this intriguing story that leads to murder, arsine, and personal conflicts in present time Paris, German, and USA.

Mr. Peace’s main character Eddie is presented with a letter from a long forgotten lover, which has a common unfortunate situation attached – both their fathers (Longtime friends) died recently from unusual circumstances because of their wartime involvement. From there, history is discovered leading to a conclusion that will keep the reader interested to THE END.

John Pearce is a lover of the Parisian living, style, and writing. Having been to France twice, I understand the flowery flow of his words. Other writers would be more curt in the way they presented this thriller. 

Not Mr. Pearce, he brings the French draping into play with fascinating characters. His sentences and paragraphs are colorfully written, but are sometimes longer than normally anticipated.

Reading Treasure Saint-Lazare was an entertaining journey into Paris’ past and present.     

Interview with John Pearce

Interview with John Pearce,

Author of Treasure of Saint-Lazare

Questions by Author Roy Murry

Can you tell me a little about yourself?

I'm a lover of Paris -- I call myself a Part-Time Parisian. For a while I even had a blog by that name, until I discovered I couldn't blog about Paris, write a novel about it, and do justice to both. My wife Jan and I live in Sarasota for nine or ten months of the year, with the rest of the year reserved for Paris. For my blog, I make do with http://johnpearceauthor.com/

Do you remember the first story you wrote?

Treasure of Saint-Lazare is the first work of fiction I’ve completed. Years ago I started a spy novel but had the sense to drop it before it embarrassed me. I still have the notes. But I've been a writer a very long time, in daily journalism and magazines. I was the Washington economics reporter for The Associated Press and then worked for the International Herald Tribune, covering business and finance in the German-speaking countries, when we lived in Frankfurt.

Were you inspired by someone or something?

Like most aspiring writers of my generation, I was inspired by John Le Carré. I still am, although I think he was more comfortable with cold-war stories.

What do you like about writing a story?

I like the act of creation, of making a new world that meshes smoothly with reality.

Can you tell us about your book?

Treasure of Saint-Lazare is a historical mystery whose basic question is, "What if some really bad guys were convinced you knew where a priceless work of art was hidden and would do anything to find it, including murder?" It's based on Raphael’s painting "Portrait of a Young Man," which was stolen by the Nazis in 1939 and disappeared in 1945 while it was being shipped from Poland to Munich. The book is set in Sarasota and Paris, mostly Paris, and it has a pretty strong romantic feeling. One reviewer said he'd never been to Paris until he read the book. That made my day.

What genre best fits for the book?

Treasure of Saint-Lazare has some thriller elements, although it’s really a mystery. I was pleased when it reached #25 on the Kindle historical mysteries best-seller list. It's available in Kindle, paperback and audiobook editions.

Are you working on something new at the moment?

I'm almost finished writing a sequel, whose working title is Last Stop: Paris. Editing and pre-publication marketing will take several months, but it should be out this year. My third novel, a prequel, should be out next year, because I’ll be able to work on it while other people help market the sequel. I’ll be sure to come back to you to ask for pre-publication reviews.

Do you have any tips for aspiring writers?

Write. Sit down and stay in your chair. No other advice has any value if you can't do that. Then finally, when you’re pretty sure you have done the best work you can, put it away for a month or two and work on something else. Weak spots that would be invisible in the heat of creation will jump off the page.

After you're satisfied with the editing, have it meticulously proofed by someone else. Your goal should be to have zero typos, whether you're seeking an agent or planning to publish yourself. Typos are death for a self-published book.

Where can people go to read your work?

For now, it’s on Amazon, although I will probably broaden the distribution in June. The Sarasota Public Library bought three copies, so if you live in my town you can find it there. And any bookstore can order the paperback from the Ingram catalog. The audiobook was done by ACX, an Amazon subsidiary.

Review of The Circle's End

Review of The Circle’s End

(Cowboys and Angels)

By Penny Childs

Review by Roy Murry

Unfortunately, I did not read the first books in the series Cowboys and Angels, The Circle’s End being the last book in the series. However, I can say for certain, that based on reading The Circle’s End, the characters are intriguing, complicated, and well developed.

Joined by a common cause, the main characters communicate by an unusual means that endears them to each other.  The youngest of the group holds the key to complete The Circle’s End. All comes together when that key is used.

Leading up to that event, many lose their life and livelihood because of the person behind the door the key opens. His terror reign may come to an end if the key is turned the right way.  

Ms. Childs’ crime thriller keeps you on the edge as CIA agents’ conflict with each other not knowing who the good guys in the room are. She has interwoven a seemingly plausible story with paranormal conflicts that true believers will love.

Her writing is enjoyable to the point I may go back and read the first in the series. I look forward to it.

Penny's link: https://www.facebook.com/penny.childs.writes?fref=ts

http://www.amazon.com/Penny-Childs/e/B0069A3A0C

Review of Bride for a Champion

Review of Lindsay Townsend’s

Bride for a Champion

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

This unlikely love story is placed in thirteenth century when the men ruled the world and the women who lived on it. The men fought the wars for merry old England and the women were theirs for their control and pleasure.

A lord of the realm, on his dying bed, bequeaths all his processions, which include his daughter, to his champion, who has fought by his side in a foreign war. This is where Ms. Townsend’s begins her entanglement between its two characters Simon and Alice.

The crux of this novella is their interplay on who has the upper hand on the situation at hand – who will rule Alice’s father’s lands and subjects. Simon has the legal man’s right to rule, but Alice believes she has rights too. If Simon will full fill one important request for Alice, she may bow down to his wishes.

They say that behind every great man there is a loving woman. The two main characters Ms. Townsend has developed fall into this mole after a rocky start in their relationship.

The story moves at a pleasant pace with a many tits for tats between Simon and Alice, leading up to an unusual ending. The characters are well developed into one moving unit that can conquer their worldly problems. You will be pleased also at how they reach their ending.

Ms. Townsend’s book can be found on Amazon: http://amzn.to/QD4axT  She can be found at https://twitter.com/lindsayromantic and http://www.lindsaytownsend.net/

Review of Leprechaun Lament

Wayne Zurl’s Leprechaun Lament

(Sam Jenkins Mystery)

Reviewed by Author Roy Murry

TV’s Law and Order, Castle, and Bones - look out here comes a Sam Jenkins’ mystery TV series, my opinion. I’m too old to play Sam’s part, but I’d love to give it a go.

All four endeavors are police work at its finest, using cognitive and deductive knowledge to unravel a mystery that landed on their door steps. Whatever the criminal case it is to decipher, each series methodically go about the business of getting the job done.

In Leprechaun Lament, Wayne’s small town police chief with big city detective training, encounters an administrative problem he must complete to comply with the federal government’s requirements – security clearance for all town’s employees that work close with the police force.

It’s easier said than done, when it comes to one long time employee, who isn’t up front with his background. Sam, the chief, is up against the wall when the mayor overrules him and lets the employee be reinstated even though his history is not collaborate on any level – he doesn’t have a driver license for God Sake and he’s the town’s mechanic.

A body is found and it’s this leprechaun liar, a short elderly man of dubious Irish background. Now, Sam has more than a security clearance to approve. He has a criminal case to solve.

Sam’s personality, street knowledge, and his connections help him in his ability to follow leads another may over look. He is not Sherlock Holmes, but logic is his trade mark in resolving the mystery at hand.

Mr. Wayne Zurl writing with its home grown Tennessee humor mixed with NYC sarcasm will have you laughing. But when it comes to police procedure, his writing is on spot, according to me a police TV series nut case.

His links and more detail of his novels are below in his interview: http://bit.ly/1mscyNm