Smorgasbord Christmas Book Fair 2022 – #Fantasy D.Wallace Peach, #Memoir D.G. Kaye, #Familysaga Judith Barrow


Welcome to the Smorgasbord Christmas Book Fair with a selection of books from personally recommended authors on my bookshelf I believe will make wonderful gifts for friends, family and for you. 

The first book today is from fantasy author D.Wallace Peach who creates amazing worlds to set her stories in and amazing characters. The Sorcerer’s Garden.

About the book

Recently fired and residing with her sweetly overbearing mother, Madlyn needs a job—bad. In a moment of desperation, she accepts a part-time position reading at the bedside of adventurer and amateur writer Cody Lofton. A near-drowning accident left the young man in a vegetative state, and his chances of recovery wane with each passing day.

Cody’s older brother, Dustin, and eccentric grandmother aren’t prepared to give up on the youngest son of Portland, Oregon’s royalty.

Dustin’s a personable guy, bordering on naïve, and overwhelmed by familial corporate duties and cutthroat partners. Grandmother Lillian’s a meddler with an eye for the esoteric, dabbling in Dustin’s life and dealing out wisdom like a card shark. One innocent conversation at a time, she sucks Madlyn into the Lofton story, dubbing her the princess and bestowing on her the responsibility of both grandsons’ destinies.

And all Madlyn wanted was a simple reading job.

Uninspired by her self-imposed stack of literary selections, Madlyn opts for Cody’s work-in-progress. Fantasy isn’t her favorite, but with only four chapters completed, reading The Sorcerer’s Garden should be no sweat, right?

Little does she realize, the story will begin writing itself and, by the hand of destiny, become her own.

***

D. Wallace Peach’s eighth novel is a collision of medieval and urban fantasy centered in the Northwest Hills of Portland, Oregon.

Madlyn is quirky, blessed with a sarcastic sense of humor, and a tendency to say exactly what’s on her mind. At 28, she’s also abandoned her dreams of a fairytale life. A satisfying career and happily-ever-after romance simply aren’t turning up in her cards, and in fact, her junky car is careening downhill fast. A strong female protagonist with a reluctant streak, she finds herself trapped in a heroic adventure through overlapping worlds, unsure whether one or both are real.

Don’t look for a run-of-the-mill fantasy here. This is one tangled tale crafted especially for readers who enjoy plot twists that keep everyone, including the characters, guessing.

One of the reviews for the book

The Sorcerer’s Garden by D. Wallace Peach ranks high in the unique and clever category. The storyline weaves back and forth between reality and fantasy. Qualities such as integrity, greed, and feeling defeated by life itself play a big part. Peach intersperses delicate pieces of wisdom throughout this adventure that only entice you to press on – eager and excited to see what‘s revealed with each page turn. Madlyn, Cody, and Dustin become likable and genuine characters, keeping you entertained from beginning to end. Grandmother Lillian adds spice to the twist and turns. You’ll run into some bloody circumstances where you may be inclined to cover your eyes, but please don’t. You’ll miss the compelling action and superb description; even the subtle hints of humor add a bit of lightheartedness.

I began reading this book with the niggling awareness that fantasy isn’t my favorite genre. Candidly, I wasn’t sure if I’d like the story for this reason. But let me tell you, I was hooked from page one! Peach has an exceptional skill of painting pictures with her extraordinary words, along with her knack for excellent world-building.

Since I was thoroughly impressed with the writing and story-telling, I’ll peruse the author’s collection for more compelling tales to transport me into exciting imaginary worlds. So, if you’re a fantasy genre enthusiast, then I highly recommend reading The Sorcerer’s Garden. And even if fantasy isn’t your go-to genre, I implore you to dive into this adventure just as I did. Five stars for a fantastic adventure! 

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon USAnd: Amazon UK

A small selection of other books by D.Wallace Peach

61abvx-feql-_uy250_

Head over to find out more about D. Wallace Peach and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Follow Diana: GoodreadsAuthors Website: D.Wallace Peach Books – blog: Myths of the Mirror – Twitter: @Dwallacepeach

Next non-fiction author and much appreciated long term contributor to Smorgasbord, D.G. Kaye (Debby Gies) with her heartfelt memoir Twenty Years After “I Do” – Reflections on Love and Changes Through Aging. A perfect gift for those of us who have enjoyed a long-term relationship as it evolves over the years.

About the book

May/December memoirs.

In this personal accounting, D.G. Kaye shares the insights and wisdom she has accrued through twenty years of keeping her marriage strong and thriving despite the everyday changes and challenges of aging. Kaye reveals how a little creative planning, acceptance, and unconditional love can create a bond no obstacle will break. Kaye’s stories are informative, inspiring, and a testament to love eclipsing all when two people understand, respect, and honor their vows. She adds that a daily sprinkling of laughter is a staple in nourishing a healthy marriage.

Twenty years began with a promise. As Kaye recounts what transpired within that time, she shows that true love has no limits, even when one spouse ages ahead of the other.

One of the reviews for the book

Twenty Years: After “I Do” is an autobiographical non-fiction book about the author’s experience with marriage and relationships. I’ve previously read another of her autobiographies about her relationship with her mother, and it was such an emotionally charged and well-written book, I decided to keep reading more from her every few months until I caught up on all her works.

In this one, Debby tells us what happened almost twenty years ago when she debated whether to marry the man who is now her husband. Given he was twenty years older, she had a lot of decisions to consider when it came to how her life would change. At the core of this book, and her approach to life, is her commitment and honesty in all that she achieves. Debby knew… if she married him, she would have to accept all that came with it in the future. From there, she dives into key aspects of married life: emotions, sex life, personal time, separation of couple and individual, fighting, decision-making, and death. Lessons we all need to consider.

Debby’s writing style is simply fantastic. It’s easy to devour in a short sitting, but it always makes you feel like part of her life. She openly shares so much (the good, the bad, and the ugly) while holding back in all the appropriate areas to allow for proper balance, e.g. we learn about the impacts to her sex life when one partner is ill but she doesn’t go into the details. She tells us how she and her husband tackled the issues from a day-to-day perspective and moved on… because they loved one another (to the moon and back).

There is a refreshing honesty and truth in her words, and readers will quickly find themselves a path to compare their own lives to that of the author’s. What have I done well? What could I do better? What needs to change? Excellent questions to consider, but Debby doesn’t directly tell us to do this–her actions show us why this is at the core of a good marriage. I’m thrilled I had the chance to read this one today. Although I’ve only been with my partner for 8 years, it’s easy to track where things are and what we could do differently.

Debby bravely tells us her story, allowing us to interpret for ourselves what everything means, especially in this ever-changing world where people live longer and have access to more things but it’s harder to get them. I highly recommend this book to nearly anyone in a relationship, or those who want to know how to handle one when they are. Debby shares a few secrets, some hints, and a few suggestions to consider. It’s not just for newbies or long-term couples… there’s a bit of everything for how to co-exist and still be who you are. Great work!

Read the reviews and buy the memoir: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

Also by D.G. Kaye

Discover more about D.G. Kaye and buy the books: Amazon US – and: Amazon UK – follow Debby: Goodreads – Blog: D.G. Kaye Writer – About me: D.G. Kaye – Twitter: @pokercubster Linkedin: D.G. Kaye – Facebook: D.G. Kaye – Instagram: D.G. Kaye – Pinterest:

The final book today is by Judith Barrow the compelling family drama that I found a compelling read The Memory.

About the book

Mother and daughter tied together by shame and secrecy, love and hate.

I wait by the bed. I move into her line of vision and it’s as though we’re watching one another, my mother and me; two women – trapped.

Today has been a long time coming. Irene sits at her mother’s side waiting for the right moment, for the point at which she will know she is doing the right thing by Rose.

Rose was Irene’s little sister, an unwanted embarrassment to their mother Lilian but a treasure to Irene. Rose died thirty years ago, when she was eight, and nobody has talked about the circumstances of her death since. But Irene knows what she saw. Over the course of 24 hours their moving and tragic story is revealed – a story of love and duty, betrayal and loss – as Irene rediscovers the past and finds hope for the future.

The new novel from the bestselling author of the Howarth family saga

One of the reviews for the book

“What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.”—attrib. Mark Twain

I have nine brothers and sisters who must have grown up in nine other families because our memories just don’t match up. Each of us sees our past through the filter of personal experience, making us the unreliable narrators of our own memories. Yet somehow, it’s those memories that shaped the people we are today.

In Judith Barrow’s The Memory, it’s the memory of one moment in time that shapes Irene’s family and defines her life. In a brilliant structure, readers are swept along dual timelines as we try to understand or even identify that moment. First we’re introduced to an adult Irene. It’s 2002 and she’s taking care of her dying mother. In the midst of her exhaustion and resentment, Irene wonders if her mother is also experiencing that pivotal memory, “The one that makes hate battle with pity and reluctant love.”

But it’s also 1963, the moment eight-year-old Irene’s happy childhood changes forever when her baby sister Rose is born with Down’s Syndrome. Even as her parents’ marriage crumbles, Irene’s world is transformed. “That was the first time I understood you could fall in love with a stranger, even though that stranger is a baby who can’t yet talk. And that you could hate somebody even though you were supposed to love them.”

As the two timelines converge, the impact of little Rose’s life and death continues to shape every aspect of big sister Irene’s life. With her parents’ relationship becoming increasingly dysfunctional, Irene tries to wrap a cocoon of fierce love and devotion around her beloved little sister. She realizes her life isn’t like other girls, but with her grandmother’s support, she struggles on. One of her earliest friends, Sam, becomes her rock and then her husband.

But despite Irene’s love for Rose, her grandmother, and Sam, she can’t prevent tragedy from striking. Her parents’ marriage ends, effectively separating Irene from her weak but loved father, while sending her mother into a downward spiral of resentment. Her only ally at home, her grandmother, becomes ill. Irene’s dreams of a teaching career and motherhood are sacrificed to the needs of her family.

With the death of Rose, Irene and her mother are trapped an endless cycle of love and resentment shaped by one memory. But it’s a child’s memory of an event, and even Irene isn’t sure exactly what it means. Unable to leave the childhood home that’s her only connection to Rose, she turns to the ghost of her little sister for answers.

The Memory is quite possibly Judith Barrow’s masterpiece. The dual timeline structure is ideally suited to bring us to that critical moment in the past. What exactly did Irene see? She’s an unreliable narrator, a child trying to understand a single memory that redefines her life in one timeline, while in the other timeline she’s a woman who has lost everything she ever loved except for the memory of the sister who haunts her.

The writing is spare and elegant, with just enough detail to create a picture of Irene’s world. Told in the first person, we see Irene as she grows from a bewildered child determined to care for her ‘special’ little sister to a woman who sacrifices her own hopes and dreams to care for her family. Those who’ve been caretakers to parents suffering from alzheimer’s and dementia will also recognize the sheer exhaustion and thankless effort demanded.

But the other thing I enjoyed in what could have been a desperately dark tale was that Irene knew love along the way. She remembered her childhood days with loving parents, she cherished the love of her grandmother, and she accepted the bedrock certainty of her husband Sam’s love. Most of all, she had the memory of loving little Rose.

As the two timelines converge, all of those loves combine in a single moment of realization that finally explains and then redeems the memory haunting Irene’s life. As a reader, when a character becomes as completely real to me as Irene does, I often find myself wondering what happened next for her. But Irene’s story is so perfectly and elegantly resolved that I know without a shade of doubt what her future holds.

The Memory is not a comfortable or easy read. But if you’re looking for a beautifully written, character-driven story with a dark base but superb resolution, it just might be the perfect choice. 

Read the reviews and buy the book : Amazon UK – And:  Amazon US

Also by Judith Barrow

Find out more about Judith Barrow buy the books:Amazon US – and: Amazon UK –  Goodreads – blog: Judith Barrow – Twitter: @judithbarrow77

 

Smorgasbord Book Reviews – September 2022 – #Poetry #Prose Lauren Scott, #Fantasy D.Wallace Peach, #Biography #Humour John Cornelius Rogers and Sue Bavey


Welcome to the round up of this month’s book reviews and it has certainly been an enjoyable reading experience. Not as many books as I would have liked with everything going on in the house but I am sure you will enjoy them as much as I did.

It has been a busy summer and as the rain returns I was looking for something gentle to ease me into the autumn and found this in the lovely collection by Lauren Scott – More than Coffee: Memories in Verse and Prose

My review for the collection September 10th 2022

This is a delightful collection of prose and poetry reflecting on a life tinged with sadness but also a great deal of love and humour. The author celebrates moments from her early life and marriage of over thirty years with stories that will entertain and also bring the reader’s own experiences to mind.

Sometimes it is the simplest things that evoke the warmest memories, such as a silver cutlery set, a toy frog called Sam, a yellowed kitchen chopper and the first time baking a traditional family birthday cake.

We are invited to concerts as a teenager overcomes self-doubt to solo in front of an audience of 2000 and fulfil a dream inspired by her idol Barbra Streisand. There are moments with spiders that might have you looking around your immediate surroundings, but you will also find yourself in some wonderful wilderness areas offering moments of reflection and a dip in a mountain pool.

Love is a central theme beginning with her mother and father’s love story that endured for nearly 70 years having begun in WWII with all its uncertainty and lengthy periods apart, and the author’s own fateful meeting with her husband, involving a kitchen appliance!

The loss of parents, even after a long and wonderful life, leaves a hole in our hearts. Their stories and poetry dedicated to them in this collection are heart-warming and reinforce the extent of their loving influence on the generations that followed.

The final part of the collection reflects on the changes that come when children leave the nest, and whilst this is obviously a time of sadness, there is also pride and delight as new lives are forged with future adventures to look forward to.

I enjoyed all the stories and poems in the collection and I am hard pushed to pick just one favourite but this one touched my heart.

Simple Existence

I stare at this page, milk white as the
blanketed ground in winter’s staging
where are the syllables?

I fear they have flown to faraway places,
across desert dunes and boundless oceans
and might not return so that I may tell him
(again) how irreplaceable he is.

Instead, I’ll touch his lips with mine
and steady myself in the arms of a man
who is satisfied with my simple existence.

©Lauren Scott

I can highly recommend this collection to read in one sitting or to dip into when you are in need of gentle and uplifting moments.

 Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK –

The next five star review is for D.Wallace Peach and the  much anticipated The Necromancer’s Daughter.

My review for the book September 17th 2022

It will come as no surprise to fans of the books by D.Wallace Peach that this new book is hard to put down once you begin turning the pages.

As expected incredible world building and characters that leap out of the page fully formed in just a couple of chapters. Each compelling and infused with varying degrees of human strengths and frailties from compassion to downright evil.

We travel the road of life with Aster as she encounters obstacles in her quest and many dangers along the way. She does however manage to enchant most of those she meets with her innocence and conviction. This includes dragons who are not immune to her gentle persuasion.

We are witness to the persecution and violence resulting from being outside of the mandated belief system, but also the kindness of strangers often with those with little comfort of their own.

The action is fast paced and dramatic and there is not much time to take a breath between the conflict between good and evil… However, this is infused with romance and growing respect that comes with understanding and acceptance.

I loved the book, can definitely see it as a fantasy film or television series and was sorry to see it finish. As with all the books I have read by this author, that ending comes with a sigh of satisfaction. If you have not read fantasy before then this book is a very good place to start… and I highly recommend this exciting adventure.

Head over to read the reviews and buy the book : Amazon USAnd: Amazon UK  

Delighted to share my review for the recently published biography by Sue. Bavey – a collection of stories, both fact and fiction and poetry written by her father – Daydreams and Narcoleptic Nightmares: Memoirs and Poems by John Cornelius Rogers. Having read and enjoyed the biography of her grandfather Lucky Jack I knew I would be in for a treat.

My review for the book 15th September 2022

This is a brilliant collection of stories and poems by John Cornelius Rogers, compiled and edited by his daughter Sue Bavey.

I felt I was sitting beside John as he shared stories from his childhood growing up in Sussex and then Lincoln in the 1920s. His memories are vivid and I laughed out loud at so many wry observations and would loved to have been around at the time, including when the family’s first car arrived.

The war brought enlistment in the Royal Air Force Voluntary Reserve where John was introduced to navigation, armaments, engineering and morse code before proceeding to flight training school. After war there was a posting to one of the worst hit cities Hamburg for a year which made for sombre reading, and left him with a feeling of sickening sadness at the devastation and loss of life.

John then went on to train as a teacher and taught in a school where classes had 49 non-reading 8 year olds undisciplined after the war years and determined not to be educated. A traumatic experience for all concerned.

In contrast, having been billeted in Scarborough during training, it was followed up by an eventful holiday in Scarborough with his wife and young daughter which came with some colourful nightlife! This story and many others were filled with such wonderful humour and it is hard to pick one out to highlight, but “Alfred – Not So Great” is brilliant.

We are also introduced to the two conditions that resulted in challenges in everyday life Narcolepsy and Cataplexy and it is inspiring that despite those challenges John still maintained his wonderful sense of humour and love of life.

Poetry is included between the stories but part two of the collection is dedicated to this form with observations on life and more humour including “An Unusual Talent”

If you mix with the poor, or the privileged elite
whether you travel the world or stay in your street,
The most unlikely attribute you ever will meet
is the gift of Les Blain and his musical feet.

I highly recommend this wonderful collection of poignant and entertaining reflections on a life well lived and on the social history of the 20th century.

Head over to buy the book: Amazon UKAnd: Amazon US

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books.. Sally.

Smorgasbord Bookshelf – Summer Book Fair 2022 – First in Series – #Fantasy C.S. Boyack, #Fantasy D.Wallace Peach


Over the course of the next three months I will be sharing the authors who feature in the Smorgasbord Bookshelf with the books that I have reviewed and can personally recommend.

In this first part of the summer fair, I am sharing books that are the first in a series in both adult and children’s books along with one of their five star reviews. I hope that this will encourage you to enjoy the series in full. I will feature every author on the shelves by the end of the summer. I hope you will enjoy.

The first book is Voyage of the Lanternfish (The Lanternfish Series Book 1) by C.S. Boyack. I have read the three books and can highly recommend… wonderful characters, action and an excellent example of well written fantasy.

About the book

An honorable man is mistaken for his disreputable father. Now he’s pushed into a political scheme to start a war that will spread across multiple kingdoms. James Cuttler’s fiancé is being held captive to ensure he goes through with the plan.

He soon decides his skills are at sea and procures a ship to wage war upon those who disrupted his simple life. He can’t do it alone, so he recruits a band of cutthroats to help him. But first, they need guns and munitions to outfit the ship properly. Deception and trickery will only get them so far. Eventually, they’re going to have to engage the enemy.

James’ goals aren’t necessarily the same as his crew. It’s a delicate balancing act to collect enough loot to keep his crew happy, while guiding them back to rescue the girl.

Voyage of the Lanternfish is filled with adventure, magic, and monsters. Lots of monsters. Hoist the colors and come along for the ride.

One of the excellent reviews for the book

Harmony Kent 5.0 out of 5 stars A Magical Read  Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2019

I bought and read this book back in January and somehow managed to forget to review it until now, six months later, lol. So, here my review is, at last. It says a lot that even after all this time, I still remember this book and its characters clearly, which is one reason I mention my little episode of forgetfulness now.

I’ve read other books by this author and love his easy style, sense of humour, and vivid imagination. He has a way with words. And Voyage of the Lanternfish certainly didn’t disappoint. We have kidnapping, piracy on the high seas, swashbuckling adventure and mayhem, and unforgettable characters and creatures. By far my favourite from this book are the root monsters with their incredibly expressive ‘I,I,I,I’s’. (Trust me, once you read it, you’ll know what I mean.)

If you’re a fan of magical realism and/or fantasy fiction, you’re sure to love this book. According to my GoodReads record, I read this in 24 hours. It would have been in one sitting if not for life intruding. This book gives you excellent world building and characterisation, along with fast-paced action and a rip-roaring plot line. The story will stay with me for a long time, and this is one of those books I’ll find myself re-reading (and not just because of my poor memory, lol). I cannot recommend Voyage of the Lanternfish highly enough. It gets a solid five stars from me. 

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

A selection of other books by C.S. Boyack

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – and :Amazon UK – Follow Craig: Goodreads – blog:Cold Hand BoyackTwitter: @Virgilante

About C.S. Boyack

I was born in a town called Elko, Nevada. I like to tell everyone I was born in a small town in the 1940s. I’m not quite that old, but Elko has always been a little behind the times. This gives me a unique perspective of earlier times, and other ways of getting by. Some of this bleeds through into my fiction.

I moved to Idaho right after the turn of the century, and never looked back. My writing career was born here, with access to other writers and critique groups I jumped in with both feet.

I like to write about things that have something unusual. My works are in the realm of science fiction, paranormal, and fantasy. The goal is to entertain you for a few hours. I hope you enjoy the ride.

The next book is the first in another great fantasy series I can highly recommend with amazing storyline, characters and fast paced action. Diana Wallace Peach with Liars and Thieves (Unraveling the Veil Book 1)

About the book

Behind the Veil, the hordes of Chaos gather, eager to savage the world. But Kalann il Drakk, First of Chaos, is untroubled by the shimmering wall that holds his beasts at bay. For if he cannot cleanse the land of life, the races will do it for him. All he needs is a spark to light the fire.

Three unlikely allies stand in his way.

A misfit elf plagued by failure—When Elanalue Windthorn abandons her soldiers to hunt a goblin, she strays into forbidden territory.

A changeling who betrays his home—Talin Raska is a talented liar, thief, and spy. He makes a fatal mistake—he falls for his mark.

A halfbreed goblin with deadly secrets—Naj’ar is a loner with a talent he doesn’t understand and cannot control, one that threatens all he holds dear.

When the spark of Chaos ignites, miners go missing. But they won’t be the last to vanish. As the cycles of blame whirl through the Borderland, old animosities flare, accusations break bonds, and war looms.

Three outcasts, thrust into an alliance by fate, by oaths, and the churning gears of calamity, must learn the truth. For they hold the future of their world in their hands.

One of the wonderful reviews for the book

This is a fun fantasy story in the tradition of The Hobbit, but with excellent poetic prose occurring throughout, and a major re-think of some of the traditional denizens of the fantasy landscape. The author invented a very original view of the three major races in her fantasy tale, goblins, changelings, and elves. The author even took the time to work out a law of physics for how the characters behave and use some of their special abilities, and how they relate to one another on that same basis.

Three characters, a changeling, a goblin, and an elf, trade off the narrative as the book works through the interactions, life struggles, and geo-politics of the three kingdoms which all exist in close proximity and in economic interdependence to one another.

The writing is excellent, and very poetic, for example when approaching a city on the plains for the first time there is this line:

“The sprawling city of Ka Radiff neared, a low-roofed maze of clay blocks and fluttering laundry strung over its brick streets.”

This sort of evocative imagery is common throughout the whole book, and the author often presents readers with series of images with which they can see the fantasy world of the story for themselves.

The pacing is good, though perhaps as a side effect of alternating the narrative between three characters who continuously run into one another, I was left with a feeling that the world they live in was very small. This despite efforts made to describe high mountains, a large rail system, and vast rainforests. The characters did seem to go back and forth to the same places for the whole story, and sometimes it seemed too easy for characters with their low levels of technology to travel long distances whenever they wanted to. But this didn’t detract from the story at all, it just gave the story a sort of “small town” feel to it, at least to this reader.

The story line is interesting, as was the revealing of the different races and their various characteristics and needs. One quibble I had was that at an early part of the book a pair of Goblins, who in the story are specially evolved for subterranean living, barely avoid a danger, which turns out not to be as dangerous as it at first looked. I felt with their powers of living underground they should have seen through this obstacle immediately, so the set up for that moment of danger seemed a bit too strained for the effect it purported to have on the characters.

However, there is a seriously legit shock at a later part of the story which I defy anyone to claim they saw coming!

This is the first book in a trilogy, and it does an excellent job of introducing the characters, the world they live in, and the major races and political considerations which drive character behavior.

I’m definitely a fan of the author and her writing style, and I would recommend Liars and Thieves along with its two sister books in the trilogy, to any reader who enjoys finely crafted Hobbit-style fantasy tales which employ excellent language usage and intricate plot developments as well as original character concepts.

Head over read the reviews: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

A selection of other books by D.Wallace Peach

51om2I6e0kL._UY250_61abvx-feql-_uy250_

D. Wallace Peach, Buy: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Follow Diana: Goodreadsblog: Myths of the Mirror – Twitter: @Dwallacepeach

About Diana Wallace Peach

A long-time reader, best-selling author D. Wallace Peach started writing later in life after the kids were grown and a move left her with hours to fill. Years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books, and when she started writing, she was instantly hooked.

In addition to fantasy books, Peach’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry. She’s an avid supporter of the arts in her local community, organizing and publishing annual anthologies of Oregon prose, poetry, and photography.

Peach lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two owls, a horde of bats, and the occasional family of coyotes.

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books… Sally.

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – It is not often you get a day like this! #Amazing


On Thursday as I did my usual rounds of social media, I discovered I was tagged in a number of posts from several authors. There was a conspiracy it seemed, and on investigation I discovered I was the target of a campaign by a group of authors intent on plastering my name across the Internet to their followers and beyond.

Unlike many campaigns of this nature…. this one was very different and delightfully so.

The eleven authors that form Story Empire honoured me with individual posts sharing my books, their reviews and some lovely comments that frankly left me blushing (and delighted of course).

I hope by this point I have responded to everyone who kindly left messages of support and  apologies to anyone I have missed.. I will catch up I promise.

I love my job, which is how I regard blogging and author and book promotion. It began ten years ago as a platform to promote my own books, but I soon discovered how much more fun and rewarding it could be if I promoted other authors I met online.

Today the writing community I belong to is global, and I get huge pleasure from chatting to a friend about to end their day in Australia, and then another just getting up in California. It is incredible to think that only 25 years ago the only contact we could have with friends around the world was by snail mail or the telephone.

Certainly during the last two years of the pandemic, this contact has been a lifeline to millions isolated and away from family and friends.

Whatever the media might portray about international relationships, those who populate this online writing community have a different ethos. One of collaboration, support, generosity and friendship.

Anyway. I am hugely grateful for the individual sentiments and support offered by the members of Story Empire, and also their combined efforts to bring the best of fiction and authorship to us all. Always highly interesting and useful articles based on the personal experience of each of the members, which is considerable.

And thank you so much to those of you who visited the posts, shared them on your social media and left wonderful comments, I really appreciated your kind thoughts.

Here are the links to the individual posts and if you have time, I would love it if you could visit and explore the authors and their work which I can highly recommend.

Keep writing, talking, communicating and supporting.. it is what this community of ours does best.

Obviously I am delighted and deeply grateful for this amazing tribute by writers I think of as friends as well as outstanding authors. I could not let the occasion go by without saying thank you to them all, but it is also an opportunity to see the power of collaboration at work.

Not least is that as a result of this incredible blitz across the networks, several books were sold since the posts were aired which is fantastic.

My thanks to them all for giving me an amazing boost of confidence and motivation to keep doing a job I love.

Jan Sikes Celebrating Sally Cronin

John W. Howell – Thursday A little personal honouring Sally Cronin

Harmony Kent – Celebrating Sally Cronin

Joan Hall Celebrating Author Sally Cronin

Image

Beem Weeks – International day of awesomeness Sally Cronin

D.L. Finn Celebrating Sally Cronin

Staci Troilo International Awesomeness Day Sally Cronin

Mae Clair – International Day of Awesomeness Sally Cronin

D. Wallace Peach – Celebrating Sally Cronin blogger and Writer extraordinaire

C.S. Boyack A surprise for a big supporter

Gwen Plano – Celebrating Sally Cronin

 

Thank you for dropping in today and if you have time it would be great if you could visit some or all of the posts and if you have not yet discovered the books by these authors then there is no time like the present… thanks Sally.

Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore Update – #Reviews – #Dystopian #thriller Terry Tyler, #Fantasy D.Wallace Peach, #Shortstories Sian Turner


Welcome to the Friday edition of the Cafe and Bookstore Update with reviews for authors on the shelves.

The first author today is Terry Tyler with a review for her most recent release Megacity (Operation Galton Book 3)

About the book

The UK’s new megacities: contented citizens relieved of the burden of home ownership, living in eco-friendly communities. Total surveillance has all but wiped out criminal activity, and biometric sensor implants detect illness even before symptoms are apparent.

That’s the hype. Scratch the surface, and darker stories emerge.

Tara is offered the chance to become a princess amongst media influencers—as long as she keeps quiet and does as she’s told.

Aileen uproots to the megacity with some reluctance, but none of her misgivings prepare her for the situation she will face: a mother’s worst nightmare.

Radar has survived gang rule in group homes for the homeless, prison and bereavement, and jumps at the chance to live a ‘normal’ life. But at what cost?

For all three, the price of living in a megacity may prove too high.

Megacity is the third and final book in the dystopian Operation Galton trilogy, and is Terry Tyler’s twenty-third publication.

‘As long as some of us are still living free, they have not yet won. Anyone who refuses to live as they want us to has beaten them. That’s how we do it. That’s how we win.’

One of the recent reviews for the book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 September 2021

Megacity concludes the Operation Galton series by Terry Tyler and this story is a fitting end to another great series from the author. The book covers a number of years in the lives of Megacity/Hope Village/Wasteland characters which begin to intertwine as the story progresses. As with previous books by the author it is written in a journal/diary format. This format really suits Terry’s style of writing and the lead characters really come to life in the story as well as highlighting good background characters and introducing people from previous books in the series. No spoilers from me regarding the storyline but it is the usual fast paced easy reading book that has you always wanting to read one more chapter before you put the book away and then bang – you think you are halfway through the book but have somehow reached the end!!

One of my favourite authors and really excited read about Terry’s next projects which I hope will be hitting the ‘shelves’ in the very near future  

A small selection of books by Terry Tyler

Read the reviews and buy the books:Amazon UK – And : Amazon US – Follow Terry Tyler: GoodreadsBlog: Terry Tyler Blogspot – Twitter:@TerryTyler4

The next author with a recent review is D.Wallace Peach..for her stand alone fantasy The Ferryman and the Sea Witch

About the book

The merrow rule the sea. Slender creatures, fair of face, with silver scales and the graceful tails of angelfish. Caught in a Brid Clarion net, the daughter of the sea witch perishes in the sunlit air. Her fingers dangle above the swells.

The queen of the sea bares her sharp teeth and, in a fury of wind and waves, cleanses the brine of ships and men. But she spares a boy for his single act of kindness. Callum becomes the Ferryman, and until Brid Clarion pays its debt with royal blood, only his sails may cross the Deep.

Two warring nations, separated by the merrow’s trench, trade infant hostages in a commitment to peace. Now, the time has come for the heirs to return home. The Ferryman alone can undertake the exchange.

Yet, animosities are far from assuaged. While Brid Clarion’s islands bask in prosperity, Haf Killick, a floating city of derelict ships, rots and rusts and sinks into the reefs. Its ruler has other designs.

And the sea witch crafts dark bargains with all sides.

Callum is caught in the breach, with a long-held bargain of his own which, once discovered, will shatter this life.

One of the recent reviews for the book

Pete Springer 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantasy on the Open Sea  Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2021

What a beautifully constructed plot involving unforgettable characters. The Sea Witch (Panmar) and the rest of her family of merrows (sea creatures) rule the sea and all ships that pass through the area known as The Deep. On the one side are the more affluent people of Brid Clarion and on the other are the poorer residents of Haf Killick. Callum, The Ferryman, is the bridge between the two opposing groups, but he is not allowed to ever set foot on land. He is given safe passage of the seas by Panmar after attempting to rescue one of her merrow daughters who was trapped in a fishing net.

The laws of the seas include bargains—deals made between the leaders. This was one of the more interesting elements of D. Wallace Peach’s novel because it reminded me of negotiated deals on Earth that have been loosely followed. As part of a “bargain,” the leaders of Brid Clarion and Haf Killick must sacrifice a person to the Sea Witch to ensure their continued safe travels. Anyone who crosses the Sea Witch and fails to make a sacrifice or deceive her in some other way is doomed as she controls the movements of the sea. The Sea Witch requires payment of one human sacrifice for each trip until she receives her royal blood—the sacrifice of someone from either of the royal families. The reader wonders whether the leaders are willing to sacrifice a prince or princess if they feel they have no other alternative.

What makes the plot more suspenseful is that are secret relationships that are revealed as the story unfolds. The Ferryman and his estranged wife, Daylin, have a daughter that no one else knows about which adds tension throughout.

I had previously read another excellent book penned by Ms. Peach, (Liars and Thieves), and I highly recommend either for those who enjoy reading about fantasy worlds with elements and rules of the modern world.  

A selection of books by D.Wallace Peach

51om2I6e0kL._UY250_

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Follow Diana: Goodreadsblog: Myths of the Mirror – Twitter: @Dwallacepeach

The final author is Sian Turner with a recent review for her latest release – a short story collection A World of Impossibilities

About the collection

A collection of eight magical realism stories (about impossible events, but set against the backdrop of ordinary lives). Read about a wish-granting entity, an unexpected second chance, a ghostly encounter and more. Tear up the rules of known science and stretch your imagination with these variously chilling, humorous, sweet – and often thought-provoking – stories from Sian Turner, author of Splitting Infinities and Sweet Erin.

Contains the following stories (of varying length):

  • The Second Life of Grizelda the Cat – Grizelda, being a cat, should have nine lives, but two is quite enough.
  • I have a Reservation – A reservation in a restaurant with a most unusual atmosphere.
  • Gran’s Loft – Laying insulation in a loft should be child’s play, but not for Gregor.
  • Real Life Magic – A little girl with a special gift bites off more than she can chew.
  • Vota Torquent – a wish-granting entity helps a woman in need of a job.
  • That’s the Ticket – A string of numbers can be more trouble than they’re worth.
  • The Mirror – Susan makes a discovery in the loft of her new home, but her find has unexpected consequences.
  • Lacking Inspiration – Author Stella takes a walk in the park seeking inspiration, but gets way more than she bargained for.

One of the recent reviews for the book

Jun 07, 2021 Jenny Twist rated it five stars it was amazing

A cat, suddenly possessed by a strange being, a child discovering she can make magic, a celestial being who grants wishes. A wonderful collection of short stories, beautifully-written – some with unique plot lines. Highly entertaining and highly recommended for all lovers of short stories.

A selection of other books by Sian Turner

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US – Follow Sian: Goodreads – Website/Blog: Sian Turner Author WordPress – Facebook: Sian Turner Author – Twitter: @SianTurner1066

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you are leaving with some books thanks Sally.

 

Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore Update – #Reviews – #Fantasy D.Wallace Peach, #Fantasy Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene, #Historical Margaret Skea


Welcome to the first of the Cafe updates this week with recent reviews for authors on the shelves.

The first author with a recent review is D.Wallace Peach..for her stand alone fantasy The Ferryman and the Sea Witch

About the book

The merrow rule the sea. Slender creatures, fair of face, with silver scales and the graceful tails of angelfish. Caught in a Brid Clarion net, the daughter of the sea witch perishes in the sunlit air. Her fingers dangle above the swells.

The queen of the sea bares her sharp teeth and, in a fury of wind and waves, cleanses the brine of ships and men. But she spares a boy for his single act of kindness. Callum becomes the Ferryman, and until Brid Clarion pays its debt with royal blood, only his sails may cross the Deep.

Two warring nations, separated by the merrow’s trench, trade infant hostages in a commitment to peace. Now, the time has come for the heirs to return home. The Ferryman alone can undertake the exchange.

Yet, animosities are far from assuaged. While Brid Clarion’s islands bask in prosperity, Haf Killick, a floating city of derelict ships, rots and rusts and sinks into the reefs. Its ruler has other designs.

And the sea witch crafts dark bargains with all sides.

Callum is caught in the breach, with a long-held bargain of his own which, once discovered, will shatter this life.

One of the recent reviews for the book

Lauren Scott 5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Nautical Adventure!  Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2021

“The Ferryman and the Sea Witch” by D. Wallace Peach is a fast-moving, gripping nautical fantasy where the merrow rule the sea. Panmar, the Sea Witch, swims into the spotlight, luring the readers onto a choppy ride to the dark side with her hungry appetite for human sacrifices. Callum, the second main character, becomes the ferryman, finding himself trapped in a disturbing bargain with the Sea Witch. In addition to Panmar and Callum, Diana adds realistic nuances to other characters as well, where I felt genuine empathy for some and loathed others without question.

With each turn of the page, the reader becomes curious to learn what transpires between two warring nations: Brid Clarion luxuriating in wealth, and Haf Killick, a floating city of dilapidated ships. Diana’s descriptive writing and world-building is so vivid and real that I felt as though I stood on the Windwraith, balancing to the sea’s rhythm, with Callum an arm’s length away. I was swept into this fantasy with turbulent twists and turns but was surprised with the touch of romance. Another fantasy tale of beauty and excellent writing that I could not put down. Readers who revel in Diana’s creative storytelling, fantasy genre devotees, and those seeking something different from their usual choices will love this fantastic nautical adventure. Highly recommended!  

A selection of books by D.Wallace Peach

51om2I6e0kL._UY250_

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Follow Diana: Goodreadsblog: Myths of the Mirror – Twitter: @Dwallacepeach

The next review is for Dead of Winter: Journey 7, Revenant Pass by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

About Journey 7, Revernant Pass

Dead of Winter: Journey 7, Revenant Pass begins with the ancient watcher’s memory of the Library of the Society of Deae Matres — and its fall. We also get a look into the thought process of treacherous Arawn. Then the story picks up where we left Emlyn and company, trapped in the Realm of the Dead.
.
This Journey is shorter than some, but adventure abounds. Some characters go missing. You’ll have to read to learn more.
.
Come, be a part of the Journeys.

One of the recent reviews for the book

D. W. Peach5.0 out of 5 stars The Realm of the Dead and the Lost Library  Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2021

After seven installments I’m becoming used to the modest pace and omniscient feel of the narrative. The backstory repeats now and then, likely catching readers up who are exploring the epic world at a casual pace. As always, the level of detail in the world-building is meticulous.

Like many of the journeys in this story, this episode has two “parts.” Journey 7 begins with Emlyn and her party of Deae Matres stuck beyond the veil in the Realm of the Dead without a clue as to how to get back. The setting is creepy and the resolution full of danger. In the second half of the journey, they search for the Lost Library, which appears to be nothing but ruins… only it isn’t. As is the case with several of the episodes, it ends on a cliffhanger. Dead of Winter continues to be an engaging read for fans of epic fantasy.

A small selection of other books by Teagan

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – and : Amazon UK – Blog: Teagan’s BooksGoodreads:Goodreads Twitter: @teagangeneviene

The final book today with a recent review is for Katharina: Deliverance by Margaret Skea

About the book

RUNNER-UP Historical Novel Society New Novel Award 2018

At five Katharina is placed in a convent.
At twenty-three she escapes.
At twenty-five she marries the most controversial man in Europe.

This is her story – of courage, resilience in the face of adversity and a determination to choose her own life.

If you like your historical fiction to be absorbing, authentic, beautifully written and full of warmth and heart, this portrayal of Katharina von Bora, the escaped nun who married Martin Luther, is for you.

One of the recent reviews for the book

Jun 14, 2021 Terri rated it five stars it was amazing

Easily one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Katharina is a sprawling, immersive and meticulously researched account of the early years of Katharina Von Bora, the fascinating and little-known woman who became the wife of Martin Luther, the German priest who triggered the Protestant Reformation, in 1525.

Drawing heavily on the limited facts that are actually known of Katharina’s life, and told with compassion, historical clarity, and incredible insight, the author constructs a fictionalized world of Saxony (Germany) in the 1500’s that is impossible to step away from.

In a time and context that considers girls born to families without the capacity to post large dowries and thus obtain successful marriages as burdensome economic liabilities, the facts of Katharina’s childhood and subsequent upbringing , heartbreakingly difficult to read in parts, were sadly not that uncommon.

As a protagonist Katharina is intelligent, musical, thoughtful, and at the same time, deeply religious. She is also a girl, a person of her times, desperately insecure and struggling to find inner peace in a world in which very little of what she experiences is an act of choice or free will.

“Outwardly serene, inwardly I pray a final anguished prayer that one day I may prove worthy”

Without giving too much of the plot away (no spoilers here) before reading this book I knew nothing of the story behind Katharina’s rise to adulthood, occurring in parallel with the initial stirrings of the Reformation in Germany, (and subsequently around the world) and once I felt the first inescapable pull to enter her world, I absolutely could not put this book down.

Across the centuries, Katharina’s experiences of love and loss, life-altering decisions, dependance, fear, friendship and betrayal, – more dramatic, likely, than most of us experience – are none-the-less instantly relatable and totally engrossing.

“I find it hard to think of myself as a single person rather than as part of a community, and I struggle to choose in even the simplest of situations.”

Heart-breaking, inspiring and informative – this book belongs at the top of the list of any fan of historical fiction.

The first in the “Katharina: Luther” series, this book is followed by a recounting of the later years of Katharina’s life. I can’t wait to read more of this series!

A great big thank you to the author, Margaret Skea, for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts presented are my own.

A selection of books by Margaret Skea

Read the reviews and buy the books:Amazon UK – And: Amazon US – Follow Margaret: Goodreads – Website: Margaret Skea – LinkedIn: Margaret SkeaTwitter:@margaretskea1 – Facebook: Margaret Skea

 

Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books.. thanks Sally.

 

Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Weekly News – #Reviews – #Contemporary Anne Goodwin, #Fantasy D.Wallace Peach, #Crime #Thriller Fiona Tarr


Welcome to the weekly news with recent reviews for authors on the shelves. Today a a catch up with some of the new additions to the Cafe.

The first author with a recent review is Anne Goodwin for her latest release Matilda Windsor is Coming Home 

About the book

“In the dying days of the old asylums, three paths intersect.

A brother and sister separated for fifty years and the idealistic young social worker who tries to reunite them. Will truth prevail over bigotry, or will the buried secret keep family apart?

Told with compassion and humour, Anne Goodwin’s third novel is a poignant, compelling and brilliantly authentic portrayal of asylum life, with a quirky protagonist you won’t easily forget. Published by Inspired Quill.”

One of the recent reviews for the book 

Anne de Gruchy 5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book – it’s so much deeper than at first glance  Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 June 2021

I love love love this book – partly because it drew me in and grew in depth and complexity as I read on. I love it because we are immediately so in Matty’s head and her positive energy that we cannot imagine she is beyond refinding herself. I love that we take on Janice’s optimism for Matty despite the building evidence of the dark events that brought her to Ghyllside. It is also a book that has a lot to say about family.

I love that Henry is both amusing and pathetic and in the end unable to escape his upbringing but not in the way we expect. I have personal experience of mental health issues and have been involved in mental health work for many years, including with patients’ councils and advocacy, and I touched in to the dying days of residential psychiatric hospitals and wards including Saxondale Hospital and at Kingsway Hospital in Derby.

There were many people there who might have been a Matty, and it is wonderful to see Anne Goodwin reclaiming a life from amongst many tragic stories and showing us that life is still life in whatever setting we live it.  

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon UK – And:Amazon US

Also by Anne Goodwin

Anne Goodwin, Buy:Amazon UK – And : Amazon US – follow Anne : Goodreads – blog: Annecdotal – Twitter: @Annecdotist

The next author with a recent review is D.Wallace Peach..for her stand alone fantasy The Ferryman and the Sea Witch

About the book

The merrow rule the sea. Slender creatures, fair of face, with silver scales and the graceful tails of angelfish. Caught in a Brid Clarion net, the daughter of the sea witch perishes in the sunlit air. Her fingers dangle above the swells.

The queen of the sea bares her sharp teeth and, in a fury of wind and waves, cleanses the brine of ships and men. But she spares a boy for his single act of kindness. Callum becomes the Ferryman, and until Brid Clarion pays its debt with royal blood, only his sails may cross the Deep.

Two warring nations, separated by the merrow’s trench, trade infant hostages in a commitment to peace. Now, the time has come for the heirs to return home. The Ferryman alone can undertake the exchange.

Yet, animosities are far from assuaged. While Brid Clarion’s islands bask in prosperity, Haf Killick, a floating city of derelict ships, rots and rusts and sinks into the reefs. Its ruler has other designs.

And the sea witch crafts dark bargains with all sides.

Callum is caught in the breach, with a long-held bargain of his own which, once discovered, will shatter this life.

Head over to buy the book : Amazon USAnd : Amazon UK

One of the recent reviews for the book

Mae Clair 5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Nautical Adventure Wrapped in Myth!  Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2021

Yes, this novel is classified as fantasy, but it reads like a nautical adventure wrapped in folklore and myth. Merrows control the sea between Brid Clarion and Haf Killick. After losing her daughter to the nets of Brid Clarion, the Seawitch, queen of the Merrows, allows none but the ferryman to cross the water between the two kingdoms—one prosperous, the other sinking into ruin. Even then, such crossings of the deep require payment in blood by human sacrifice.

While Callum’s life is tied to the merrows and both kingdoms, the rulers of Brid Clarion and Haf Killick are wary of each other. This sets the stage for political intrigue, plotting and counter-plotting that grows ever more intricate as the story progress. The twists and turns are as slippery as nets cast into the sea. Just when I thought the course steady (and I could catch my breath), another plot thread veered in a direction I didn’t expect.

Characters are skillfully drawn, so that even while despising the actions of the villains, I understood the motives. As with any book by this author, the world is visually and exquisitely depicted. I felt as though I was on the open sea, could taste the salty brine of the deep and feel the roll of Callum’s ship. The writing is both lyrical and gritty—not an easy combination to pull off—bringing every scene to vibrant life.

I was especially fascinated by the merrows. From the Panmar, the Seawitch, to her fickle, playful, and cunning subjects who craft bargains with men, these are creatures beautiful and deadly. Once again, the author pens descriptions like liquid silver. There were passages I paused to read over for the sheer beauty of the words (sometimes darkly picturesque, sometimes resplendent and dazzling).

Callum’s character and those closest to him each stole my heart (even one that had me waffling on if I should like him or despise him). And when everything came together in the concluding pages, I couldn’t ask for a better ending. Once again, D. Wallace Peach proves her mastery with conflicted characters and fantastical realms. Highly recommended!  

A selection of books by D.Wallace Peach

51om2I6e0kL._UY250_

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Follow Diana: Goodreadsblog: Myths of the Mirror – Twitter: @Dwallacepeach

The final review today is for Fiona Tarr...and her recently released crime thriller Death Beneath the Covers (Foxy Mysteries Book 1) by Fiona Tarr – 

About the book

Can A High-Class Escort Turn Amateur Detective and Find A Killer?

When one of her girls is brutally murdered, Liz Jeffreys throws herself right in the middle of the investigation. Detective Cunningham isn’t impressed with her meddling but quickly realises she is a force to be reckoned with.

Another body is discovered and the pressure is on Liz to act. But when she too is attacked, Cunningham decides she must be on to something and it could get her killed, leaving him no choice but to forge an alliance.

Will a shared dark past lead Liz and the Detective down a path of no return?

One of the recent reviews for the book

Ms Rachel Ratajczak 5.0 out of 5 stars Who knew Adelaide’s underbelly could be so riveting?  Reviewed in Australia on 7 June 2021

With a powerful female lead Ms Tarr flexes her sleuth muscle in her new exciting novel.

With great characters and a riveting plot line, Ms Tarr’s unique knowledge of the landscape brings to life the torrid underbelly of Adelaide.

Being a fan of her previous work, it’s fantastic to see her talents can pivot in a different genre.  

Read the reviews and buy the book : Amazon US – And : Amazon UK

A selection of other books by Fiona Tarr

Read the reviews and Buy: Amazon USAnd: Amazon UK Follow Fiona: GoodreadsWebsite :A Time 2 Write – Twitter: @FionaTarr

 

Thank you for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books under your arm…thanks Sally.

 

 

Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Meet the Authors 2021 – #Fantasy D.Wallace Peach, #Afghanistan Mary Smith, #Poetry Frank Prem


Over the summer I will be updating author’s details in the Cafe and Bookstore and also sharing their bios, books and recent reviews with you in this series…

Meet. D.Wallace Peach

Best-selling author D. Wallace Peach started writing later in life after the kids were grown and a move left her with hours to fill. Years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books, and when she started writing, she was instantly hooked. Diana lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two dogs, two owls, a horde of bats, and the occasional family of coyotes.

For book descriptions, excerpts, maps, and behind the scenes info, please visit:
D.Wallace Peach Books

A selection of  books by D.Wallace Peach

51om2I6e0kL._UY250_61abvx-feql-_uy250_

An early review for The Ferryman and the Sea Witch

The sea witch Panmar is not a mermaid and definitely nothing like Disney’s Ariel from “The Little Mermaid”. Panmar is an unusual blend of fish and human called a merrow:

“The sea witch surfaced. Urchin’s spines fanned from her temples and forehead in a prickly crown. Muscle threaded her arms, her body slim but bold-boned, skin drawn tight across her cheeks and throat. Her hair glimmered with pearls and beads of abalone, bewitching if not for the malevolence in her hooded eyes … blood-red hair slick against her skull, spectral eyes black as jet.”

As her kingdom’s ruler, Panmar is not given to kindness or leniency but when a human sailor named Callum almost loses his life trying to save Panmar’s daughter, she offers him a trade: He will be the only ferryman who can cross the Sea Witch’s waters but he can never set foot on land again AND he must provide a royal sacrifice to assuage the Witch. Until he finds one, he must offer a human sacrifice as the price of crossing her watery realm.

“The sea-witch required royal blood, and until her vengeance was satisfied, each crossing of the Deep required a sacrifice. The task fell to him [Callum]. To the ferryman.”

Two warring nations, one on either side of the Sea Witch’s oceans, commit to this arrangement by trading royal infants, allowing their sworn enemy to raise their child. The day finally comes when the children must return to their rightful family but what trust there once was has melted away over the years to be replaced by lies, deceit, and treachery. Hidden secrets must now come out as the intertwined fates of the two royal houses unravel. If even family can’t be trusted, how can Callum find a way to save what is most important to him?

Highly recommended for those who love fantasy, dark sea shanties, and anything written by Diana Peach.

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Follow Diana: Goodreadsblog: Myths of the Mirror – Twitter: @Dwallacepeach

Meet Mary Smith

Mary Smith has always loved writing. As a child she wrote stories in homemade books made from wallpaper trimmings – but she never thought people could grow up and become real writers. She spent a year working in a bank, which she hated – all numbers, very few words – ten years with Oxfam in the UK, followed by ten years working in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She wanted others to share her amazing, life-changing experiences so she wrote about them – fiction, non-fiction, poetry and journalism. And she discovered the little girl who wrote stories had become a real writer after all.
Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni: Real Stories of Afghan Women is an account of her time in Afghanistan and her debut novel No More Mulberries is also set in Afghanistan.
Mary loves interacting with her readers Mary Smith Website

Books by Mary Smith

One of the recent reviews Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni

Elizabeth Gauffreau 5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling & Highly Recommended  Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2021

Mary Smith’s Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni: Real stories of Afghan women surprised me. Going into it, I expected the memoir to be interesting, as its focus is on a part of the world I know very little about. What I did not expect was that it would be so compelling.

For three years in the 1990s, Smith and her partner Jon worked in Afghanistan for a nonprofit to provide healthcare and health education for women in Mazar-i-Sharif. Poverty, hygiene practices that led to disease, cultural myths, and reluctance to discuss gynecological problems with male doctors were all challenges Smith was faced with addressing.

She did it by establishing the Female Health Volunteer training project, whereby Afghan women would be trained to provide health education to the women in their villages, focusing on
antenatal care, safe childbirth and postpartum care, and the care of babies and young children who failed to thrive due to diarrhea.

The details of the volunteer training project and the story of each woman who participated in it were the highlight of the book for me and the reason I looked forward to picking it up again to read after a long day. The women were so proud of their ability to learn new concepts and practices, pass the required testing, and go back to their villages to use what they had learned to improve the health and wellbeing of others.

One of the most striking aspects of the book is how Smith describes the deprivation and unsanitary conditions in which she worked and lived. These conditions are described matter-of-factly and without the judgemental lens of squeamish first-world privilege. Along similar lines, Smith’s goal to help improve the health and living conditions of Afghan women and their children has none of the zeal of the missionary to proselytize and convert them to a Western way of life.

Threaded throughout the book is contextual information about the traditional role of women in Afghan society, marital relationships, changes in Afghan society toward modernization, and the political situation, which ultimately led to the takeover by the Taliban.

The last section of the book is devoted to what happened to the women I came to know and care about after the Taliban took over the country. Their stories of horrific tragedy and, ultimately, resilience are one more reason I highly recommend Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni.  

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – and:Amazon UK – Blog: Mary Smith’s PlaceGoodreads: Goodreads – Twitter: @marysmithwriter

Meet Frank Prem

Frank Prem has been a storytelling poet since his teenage years. He has been a psychiatric nurse through all of his professional career, which now exceeds forty years.

He has been published in magazines, online zines and anthologies in Australia, and in a number of other countries, and has both performed and recorded his work as spoken word.

He lives with his wife in the beautiful township of Beechworth in North East Victoria, Australia.

Also by Frank Prem

One of the recent reviews for Voices in the Trash

Colleen M. Chesebro 5.0 out of 5 stars Creative photographs and poetry! Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2021

Frank Prem lends his photographic talent to this picture poetry book by featuring photographs from the trash and treasure markets from around Australia. The author asks us, “What if these items could talk?”

What follows is a unique poetic perspective as he listens to the plaintive voices in the trash. He pens his poetry accordingly. All objects are worthy of a voice, in his eyes.

This was a lovely and creative endeavor. If you’re looking for something different to read and inspire, this is the book for you.  

Read the reviews and buy the books:Amazon US –And:Amazon UK – Website:Frank Prem – Goodreads:Goodreads – Twitter:@frank_prem
Thanks for dropping in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books…thanks Sally.

 

 

 

Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Weekly News – #Poetry Sue Vincent, #Paranormal #Romance Jan Sikes, #Fantasy Lorinda J. Taylor, #Fantasy D.Wallace Peach


Welcome to the Weekly New and recent reviews for authors on the shelves of the Cafe and Bookstore.

The first review is for Laughter Lines: Life from the Tail End by Sue Vincent.  I promised Sue that as long as I was blogging I would continue to promote her books that have been on the shelves of the Cafe and Bookstore since it began five years ago. She has left an incredible legacy for us to read and for me it is a way to keep her spirit alive and with us.

About the book

Do you know what really happened between George and the Dragon? Or why Briar Rose got her name? And have you ever suffered the indignity of an overdunked ginger nut?

Take a life with a small dog in tow, add a dash of red hair dye, a selection of crumbling biscuits and a passion for recitable verse… The result is a recipe for laughter. Sue Vincent shares her world in verse.

One of the recent reviews for the book

marjorie mallon 5.0 out of 5 stars Poems to make you laugh, and smile.  Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 March 2021

Laughter lines – Life from the Tail End is a beautiful book of poetry celebrating the bond between man (or in this case woman!) and dog. The poems make you laugh, smile and are so relatable. That’s simply because they are about everyday life, sharing memories, experiences and humorous doggy anecdotes!

Poetic thoughts on:

Trouble sleeping, – being that I suffered badly from insomnia when I was younger I relate to this so much – (The Demon List.)

Cute doggy ones such as bathing Sue’s dog Ani, (Hair of the Dog,) and Sue’s poem about sharing her food with Ani and therefore not having to diet! (The Canine Diet,)

I loved the poem Grandad Doughnuts which involved being excluded from the kitchen by Grandma and therefore having to resort to cunning and imaginative measures to make another kind of doughnut with Grandad! This was probably my favourite poem in the collection. Loved it.

Hearts and Flowers explored how love should be more than a shop bought card

There were poems about being an indie author/creative living from hand to mouth –The Archetypal Indie, and An Author’s Lament, all very relatable!

Sue Vincent’s hair dye disasters Red For Danger and Saturday Morning Blues made me smile. Been there done that! And her desire to live the free life came shining through in Rewriting The Wrinkles.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the poems and would highly recommend.

A small selection of other books by Sue Vincent and co-written with Stuart France.

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon UK and: Amazon US Blog: S.C. VincentGoodreads:Sue Vincent – Twitter:@SCVincent – Ani’s Blog: The Small Dog’s Blog – Blog: France And Vincent

The next author with a recent review is Jan Sikes for Ghostly Interference (The White Rune Series)

About the book

Jag Peters has one goal in his quiet comfortable life—to keep his karma slate wiped clean. A near-miss crash with a candy apple red Harley threatens to upend his safe world. He tracks down the rider to apologize properly. Slipping into a seedy biker bar, he discovers the rider isn’t a “he”, it’s a “she”, a dark-haired beauty.

Rena Jett is a troubled soul, who lives in a rough world. She wants no part of Jag’s apology, but even while she pushes him away, she is attracted to him. When he claims to see a ghost—her brother—can she trust him? And could her brother’s final gift, a magical rune stone with the symbol for “happily ever after” have the power to heal her wounds and allow opposites to find common ground—perhaps even love?

A recent review for the book

L D Tanner VINE VOICE 5.0 out of 5 stars Universal Themes Resonate in Multi-layer Romance  Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2021

The worlds of Jag Peters and Rena Jett collide when he nearly crashes into her motorcycle in “Ghostly Interference” by Jan Sikes. When Jag tracks down Rena’s candy apple red Harley at a corner pub so he can apologize to her, he is instantly attracted to the spitfire, dark-hair beauty. They are nothing alike. A computer programmer, Jag avoids risks while Rena is a brash waitress who appears fearless. Nonetheless, it is as though “the Universe had strange ways of bringing two souls together.” After meeting Rena, Jag strangely glimpses a ghostly figure in camouflage military attire at various times. As his relationship develops with Rena, he discovers that beneath her hard facade is a lonely girl with a troubled past and that her brother, Sam, had recently died in combat in Afghanistan. Jag wonders if the ghost is Rena’s brother who has stayed to protect and to assure her happiness. Rena’s brother’s last gift to her is a magical rune, symbolizing “happily ever after,” that helps tie their past and present together in a climactic ending.

Author Jan Sikes has written a romance with paranormal elements that will resonate with readers. For romance readers, there are some steamy scenes that will make your heart pound harder. Yet, there are more layers to the story, which on the surface seems a straight-forward romance. The following quote from the book resonated with me as I read the book: Live for today. Leave tomorrow alone. As for yesterday let it go. Rena needs to let go of the emotional scars she endured in abusive foster homes so that she can accept Jag’s love and a family lost to her. Jag must recognize that he has found something that he never knew he lost.

The secondary characters are memorable and their backstories help drive the story. I particularly like Jag’s mother, who made the ultimate sacrifice for her son so he could be raised in a stable family. We also learn about Sam, who can’t leave his little sister until he knows that she is safe and that she can embrace happiness. Other secondary characters from Jag’s and Rena’s past also help them learn how to live for the moment and to find their true passions. The themes of forgiveness, redemption, and unconditional love are enhanced with the multi-layered backstories of the secondary characters. Lyrics from songs and the symbol of the rune add to the rich tapestry of the love story.

The universal themes in “Ghostly Interference” will resonate with readers on several levels after they finish the book. It is a memorable, multi-layer love story between two completely different people who help each other find

A small selection of other books by Jan Sikes

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Website: Jan SikesGoodreads: Jan on Goodreads – Twitter: @rijanjks

Now something for fantasy lovers with a review for Lorinda J. Taylor with The Blessing of Krozem: A Tale of Ziraf’s World

About the book

What would it really be like to be immortal? And how important is the power of friendship and the need for communion with one’s fellow humans? On Ziraf’s World, a planet in a universe far away from ours, an old priest named Gilzara decides to ask the Dreamers for the gift of immortality, and Krozem the Creator of Humankind grants his request, including giving him the power to make others immortal. However, things go tragically wrong; Gilzara’s dying wife refuses the gift, and Gilzara is left to live his immortal life alone.

The Troil, incorporeal spirit beings who also inhabit this world, take it upon themselves to save Gilzara from destroying the token that holds the key to his immortality, but he continues to see himself as a freak and an outcast, unable to relate to any mortal. The Troil teach him the power of venwara – wizardry – and thus fortified, he returns to the human world, desperately searching for a connection. He finds it in Halrab, a young novice priest, and together they set out to climb the Starbell, the highest mountain in Ziraf’s World, the symbol of an unattainable goal.

A recent review for the book

AK Cagg 5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful myth about immortality  Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2021
This story feels like a modern fairytale wrapped up in a classic myth, and it will have you stopping to ponder what immortality truly is. I felt taken along on Gilzara and Halrab’s journeys. It often felt like I was sitting around a campfire being told their stories by people who knew them. The author weaves the language and trappings of a completely foreign world into the prose seamlessly. You will definitely read a word you don’t recognize and not feel out of place a bit due to the context and the fact you’ve been immersed into this universe so completely. This is not a light read, but it is the perfect book to delve deep into, and it will have you questioning your own views on mortality in no time.

A selection of books by Lorinda J. Taylor.

Lorinda J. Taylor buy books: Amazon US – and: Amazon UK – Follow Lorinda on : Goodreads – Blog: Termite Writer Blog Spot – Twitter: @TermiteWriter

And the last review today is for Diana Wallace Peachand Liars and Thieves (Unraveling the Veil Book 1)

About the book

Behind the Veil, the hordes of Chaos gather, eager to savage the world. But Kalann il Drakk, First of Chaos, is untroubled by the shimmering wall that holds his beasts at bay. For if he cannot cleanse the land of life, the races will do it for him. All he needs is a spark to light the fire.

Three unlikely allies stand in his way.

A misfit elf plagued by failure—When Elanalue Windthorn abandons her soldiers to hunt a goblin, she strays into forbidden territory.

A changeling who betrays his home—Talin Raska is a talented liar, thief, and spy. He makes a fatal mistake—he falls for his mark.

A halfbreed goblin with deadly secrets—Naj’ar is a loner with a talent he doesn’t understand and cannot control, one that threatens all he holds dear.

When the spark of Chaos ignites, miners go missing. But they won’t be the last to vanish. As the cycles of blame whirl through the Borderland, old animosities flare, accusations break bonds, and war looms.

Three outcasts, thrust into an alliance by fate, by oaths, and the churning gears of calamity, must learn the truth. For they hold the future of their world in their hands.

A recent review for the book

Mar 19, 2021 Sandra Cox rated it Five stars it was amazing

An elf, a changeling and a goblin unite to save their worlds.
Sworn enemies discover that maybe their adversaries aren’t as bad as they have been taught and maybe their own cultures aren’t as perfect as they’ve been led to believe.
This was a fascinating story that was intricately written. The world building is second to none and the characters well-developed. The longer I read, the more I was drawn in. There are surprises that add an extra layer to the storyline and the characters. I enjoyed the read so much I purchased the second in the series.

A selection of other books by D.Wallace Peach

51om2I6e0kL._UY250_61abvx-feql-_uy250_

D. Wallace Peach, Buy: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – Follow Diana: Goodreadsblog: Myths of the Mirror – Twitter: @Dwallacepeach

 

Thanks for visiting today and I hope you are leaving with some books..thanks Sally.