Reading and reviewing, like PB and Jelly...best together

Okay I know a writer talking about reviewing is considered a bad thing lately.  Yes I have put up my reviews before and I will continue to do so.  But I thought why not take a few of my reviews for books that i bet you would not think about reading?

The great and current debate about free or low costs books is still dragging on and on.  Trolls are all over writers who say anything online and some readers are convinced that writers can not review a book in their own genre objectively.  Like almost every writer out there I was reading long before I set pencil/pen to paper or my fingers on a keyboard.  Reading is both a joy and frustrating at the same time.  Too often we are subjected to what the big marketing sources think we need to read. 

As an indie author I am of course suspect when I write a review for anything.  I love to read, have in fact spent way too much time reading when I should be doing things like writing, cooking, cleaning or heck playing with the kids.  I love getting lost in a story.  Love the taste, the smell and the feel that comes to a well written story.  Yes they have all of the above.

Now there are some fun little subgenres out there if you look.  Fantasy is of course the truest path to my heart but like any of the all encompassing genres there is are lot of sub catagories popping up every day.  Some of the tales i have discovered as free offerings by the writers on places like Amazon and Smashwords are as good or even better than the mainstream well advertized and paid works out there.  here are a just a few that I have really enjoyed in the past couple of years.

***

A Fairy for Bin Laden
A Fairy for Bin Ladin       
A Fairy for Bin Laden
Price: $0.99
       

5.0 out of 5 stars very different fairy tale, July 13, 2012
   
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: A Fairy for Bin Laden (Kindle Edition)
Now this was fun. A bit raw, a bit raunchy but an interesting take on Tinkerbell and on the SEALS. Loved this little bit. Definitely a fun fast read. get it, read it, review it. A talent in the making!

***

Just a funky and fun take on Tinkerbelle for sure.

***

Eros, Philia, Agape: A Tor.Com Original
Eros, Philia, Agape       
Eros, Philia, Agape: A Tor.Com Original
Offered by Macmillan
Price: $0.99
       

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting, July 11, 2012
   
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Eros, Philia, Agape: A Tor.Com Original (Kindle Edition)
This little tale was an interesting take on relationships. While it feels unfinished the emotions of all three are powerful. The most poignant being little Rose with her four year old confusion.

***
Truly and odd yet highly interesting tale
***

Slave to Marshmallows: A Steampunk Novella in Three Parts
Slave to Marshmallows       
Slave to Marshmallows: A Steampunk Novella in Three Parts
Price: $2.99
       

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars quirky fun, January 23, 2013
   
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Slave to Marshmallows: A Steampunk Novella in Three Parts (Kindle Edition)
This short little tale is odd but interesting. I picked it up because the title intrigued me and now i am glad I did. This little tale is told from the viewpoint of a child who doesn't even realize she is one. Forced to work in a factory browning marshmallows to be sold to rich people. It is quirky and odd and something new in story telling. Like the title says, a steampunk Fairy tale. Read it folks. It is fun.

***
Another faery tale with a total twist.  These stories all have in common that they were offered for free at one point and I took a chance on them.  I have many more I have read and have yet to catch up on reviewing.  The nice thing about the web is you can find my reviews all over.

Another author and blogger asked me to send to her some reviews for her blog.  I sent her eleven to start and she put up seven of them here.
Reviews Galore

I sent her reviews on a number of genres since I had no idea what she wanted.  But as you can see you can read, enjoy and review books from all over.  It doesn't matter of you are a reader or a writer or both.  What you need to do is read those books and then tell the world what you think.  Just be sure of one thing folks, you don't need to be nasty or cruel.  You are reviewing a book.  The writer is offering up the child of their mind and heart to you and just like you would not like someone trashing the child of your body, don't trash the child of their mind.  If you really don't like it...say it but say it politely and why you don't like it.  Don't attack the writer, who is simply trying to give you a moment or more of freedom from the real world.

Flash fiction...telling stories on the shorter side

Well it has been a while since I did these.  Wrote tales that are longer than the hundred word drabble but shorter than a short story.  For me a piece of flash fiction is a tale that is between 101 words and 500 words.  These are scenes, thoughts or just an image that needed to be written down.  Generally they are inspired by an image and yes most of the images I have used were found online.  Not all but well, that is the fun thing of the internet right?  So how about a few little fun pieces of fiction.  Shorter than short but hopefully you will enjoy them?

This first one was inspired by a painting of a silver haired male elf...

Wounded and wild

By Lisa Williamson

He stands they before you, long hair spilling down like moonlight on skin firm.  His eyes look deep into your soul and you don’t care.  There is a secret there between you, one that you are afraid to let be seen.  All you know is you want to lean forward, to caress those lips with your own and run your fingers over the scars on his skin, soothing him.  Will he let you or will he strike?  Can you sooth the beast that peeks out of those eyes or will it strike you and drain you of heart’s blood?  Take a deep breath beloved for you will never know if you don’t try it.

This next one is from a photograph I took one WARM and sunny day.  Can't wait for warm and sunny days to reappear

The Girl with the wheel barrel

By Lisa Williamson

Everyday she works in your garden but do you see her?  Do you see the tiny girl with the wheel barrel pushing it filled with weeds?  Well I do.  She is a lovely little thing, doing her best to make your garden look as it should.  You say she is just a statue but do you really see?  When you aren’t watching, she pinches off the insects, pulls out the weeds and carts them away.  Every morning before the sun truly rises, she is out there working, making your walkway as pretty as can be.  Give her your thanks.  Even if she can’t hear you in the day.

 And lastly this little bit.  Images bring a lot to mind with me.  So why not this on a cold and snow filled day?

Dreaming of the sand

by Lisa Williamson

Soft sand and warm water, kissed by rainbows and sunlight, now this is a dream we all can enjoy.  Lying back on the beach and watching the waves slowly lap up from the sea.  The mountains in the distance covered in blue green forests, cool and comfortable and filled with secrets unknown to man. 

I would love to spend a day and night there listening to the sounds of nature and letting all my worries drift away but reality draws me ever backwards.  Dreaming is fine for so many things but dreams can't save me now.

The snow runs deep and the cold is bone chilling.  I shudder and wrap the blankets tight around me and lie back in the dark, hoping that once more I can dream about the soft sand and warm water, with you lying at my side.  Sweet are the dreams of you at my side.

So you see we can write fun things that don't take a lot of words.  I will continue to put up these little flash fictions in a bunch of different places.  If you like these you can find my drabbles on drabblr.com or on one of my other blogs on wordpress.com  Why not try doing one or more of these on your own?

Something silly for the day

It is Saint Patricks Day.  All you crazy people out there are dressing up silly and drinking beer I am sure.  Okay I admit i dress up silly but since i don't believe in drinking the beer would end up in bread.  But say..do you realize that we are profiling Irishmen and women as drunken partiers here?  I mean was is it one day a year everyone decides that they want to be Irish, dress funny and drink till they are drunk?  That always bothered me.  Never mind that St Patrick didn't chase out the snakes from Ireland, he tossed out the Witches...you know like me?  Well how about a fun and odd little flash fiction I wrote?  It was too long for a friends till contest so here goes.

A Leprechauns lament

By Lisa Williamson

He sat on his stool grumbling into his beer.  I listened and finally I just had to ask him what was wrong?  He turned to me, his emerald eyes flashing in a face filled more with character than looks.

“What’s wrong you askin?”  His voice was rough and held a burr that was all too familiar on a day like today.  “Well let me tell you.  Profiling!  Racial Profiling is what is wrong!”

He snorted and banged down his beer, the golden fluid sloshing over the top to splash and puddle on the scarred wood of the table.  I eased into the chair across from him and tilted me head, my best ‘tell me about it’ look on my face.

He looked at me, more a glare but he continued.  “Every year they all decide to dress up in green and start kissing everyone in sight.  Wish the luck O’ Irish at you and talk about Lucky Charms of all tings.”  He grumbled louder as a pair of drunk college students looked like they wanted to do just that.  “Its demeaning it is!”

I hid my smile and nodded.  I did understand after all.  In these modern days, political correctness was all over but no one thought a thing about what they said on St Patty’s day.  He lifted a bushy red brow and then he touched his nose and tried to hide a smile.  “But you know about it don’t ya, lassie?”

See like my friend here, I am a wee bit on the short side.  It is more obvious on Timothy here but you know what?  Leprechauns have rights too.  We aren’t cute, we aren’t funny and no, we don’t have a pot of gold for you grubby strangers.  Go have your St Patty’s day beer somewhere else.  Timothy and I will share our beer here and just you see, the Bunny will take your attention soon enough!

Happy Saint Patricks day everyone.

An interesting noir take on vampires or the Void City series

Going through my Ebook list I found I have a lot of books I just didn't know I had.  So I decided to try out a random series and see if they were good.  I was both pleasantly surprised and annoyed.   The Surprise is that I found myself wanting a lot more of this series.  The annoyed was really with how well the author managed to write a character into his books that makes me want to smack her hard.

Here is a little bit of the blurb for the first book in this series, Staked by JF Lewis:

Eric's got issues. He has short-term and long-term memory problems; he can't remember who he ate for dinner yesterday, much less how he became a vampire in the first place. His best friend, Roger, is souring on the strip club he and Eric own together. And his girlfriend, Tabitha, keeps pressuring him to turn her so she can join him in undeath. It's almost enough to put a Vlad off his appetite. Almost



Now Eric is an interesting character.  A vampire who didn't ask to be one, woke up as one and seems to have a touch of memory issues.  He is a good guy in the old fashioned kinda way.  Yes he is a blood drinking killer but he takes care of his people.  Running a strip club where his dancers have a salary (a good one at that), insurance, dental and vision care and he helps them with college.  Now that is a boss right?  He won't harm children, well unless they are killers like werewolves or vampires but he does his best to not hurt the harmless.  He loves his 1964 1/2 Mustang (the 1/2 is important to him) but he has real trouble with the women in his life.

The two books I have read so far toss back and forth between his POV and Tabitha's POV.  Tabitha was his human lover who he finally gave in and turned into a vampire.  They have their issues as is to be expected but Tabitha is a dense one for sure.

After years of reading books were you have a with it female vampire, one with a clue, she comes as a bit of a shock.  She is very self centered and sure of herself.  At 22 it is to be expected but damn it makes the 50 year old me want to slap her around.   Thing is she slowly grows on you.

It could be because also in this story there is her 18 year old sister, Rachel.  A typical goth loving girl who really wants to be the thrall of Eric, or so we are led to believe at first.  There is a great twist in that Rachel died long before Eric met her.  Of cancer.  Tabitha doesn't at first recognize her sister when she comes around.  After all her sister is dead and buried right?  Not possible right?

Before I go into more depth and ruin the tale for you I will just say we have a city filled with strippers, high class vampires, werewolves, demons, a ghost of a lawman and who knows what else but it is a fun right.  Eric is a man of his times, fought in WW2 and turned into a vampire before he could marry the woman he loved.  There is lots of sex, blood, intrigue, betrayals and magic. Everything that a good urban paranormal needs.

Book review of Stormcaller by PL Blair

Now I love a good urban fantasy, everyone who knows me knows this.  I was very lucky to win my copy of this book and very pleased that I got to read it.  I desperately want the following two books.  I happen to know the fifth book is in the works and a sixth is planned.  Gotta love long running series right?  Any way here is my review of this book!

Reviewed Stormcaller (Portals)

A fun and fast ride

February 07, 2014

This book picks up cleanly after the first book and takes you on a romping fast ride from Corpus Cristi to the Otherworld. The villain in this story is different enough to make it totally intriguing. I sat down and read this in one afternoon and now I really, really can't wait to read the next one. Kat and Tevis are a great pairing and well worth following. Read this book folks, you will love it!

New little friends or hey we had a family gundum build day

This Monday in Canada it was Family Day.  A national holiday where families are supposed to stay home and do things together.  The Williamson family obviously built gundums.  After all it is something we all like to do.

Now the hubby, being a wee bit more advanced at this (okay MUCH more) did a 1/144 scale suit kit which came out rather nice and then he canalized it for something else!  But this will give you an idea what he did

Really nice don't you think?  Well the daughter on the other hand wanted to do the BearGuy gundum.  Yes it is cute but from what i have seen in the anime it can be pretty tough too!  Here is her take on him.

Yes he is cute but that is a laser coming out of his mouth!

And finally I did two separate SD gundums...yes I am still doing SDs.  There are so many of them that I have not trouble finding new ones.

Okay so the pictures so the other gundums but you have a good view of the two I worked on.  The first one surprised me because I expected the sword to have clear blue plastic bits to snap in but nope.  I will have to go back and paint it I guess.  The second one is called the Command gundum and it is one of the first I have done that had GUNS!  I mean this guy takes the whole armament thing over the top!  But he was fun to build.  The hubby switched his toys up a bit so that the rocket launchers and the rail guns make a major weapon in front of him instead of hanging off his shoulders.  This guys needs some camo I think!

So you can see we are having a lot of fun with the family gundum day.  Pretty soon i have got to do the Dragons against gundums!

Review of a paranormal romance series...yes I do read that stuff

Well with all the snow that seems to never stop I have been reading a lot.  Instead of being the good little writer that I am I have been catching up on new authors and their series.  This weekend since I was having trouble sleeping due to arthritis pain I managed to read all of the current Chicagoland Vampire books by Chloe Neill.

Oh this series was fun.  Starting with the common problem of a lot of heroines of not asking to be made into a vampire this story could have gone so many very ways.  Thankfully it was handled beautifully.  This series, while officially a paranormal romance, doesn't get into the romance part until the middle of the series.  The attraction/repulsion between the heroine and her maker is handled very well.

Like always I find myself enjoying more the secondary characters in this series.  Luc, the guard captian, Lindsey, one of the guards.  Jeff, the shifter computer genius, Chuck, the grandfather/retired cop and currnet head of the Omnibud office.  all this characters give a great depth to the tales being woven.

I looked over the reviews on amazon and I was surprised at the negativity in some of them.  The advantage of sitting down and reading the entire series in one shot you get a chance to see the characters develop and grow, the story unfold and all the interesting threads that are being woven.  Other reviewers seem to think that the sixth and seventh book were not as good as the ones previous and I have no idea why.  I found that the tale slowly evolved just as it should.  There was no stutters, no overworked bits or skinny light bits.  This is a fun series.  Not too dark or too light, a nice mix of good writing, great characterizations and interesting battles.  So I would say get this one for sure.

Now the author has another series.  This second one has not grabbed me the way that Chicagoland Vampires did but then it is a YA paranormal.  As much as I find I like paranormals, I am not so into ones meant for teens.  They tend to be less..everything for me.  While they are the most popular genre out there right now the stories most times just come off too light.  Occasionally you get something amazing but so far Ms Neill's Dark Elite series just doesn't grab me.  I will have to try again and hope it does.