Shanda

Espionage by A.L. Sowards – Countdown to Summer 2012

Posted by Shanda Countdown to Summer, Special Features

Jun 272012

Sowards is a graduate of Moses Lake High School and Brigham Young University. She swam competitively for sixteen years, including while she was in college. She found it more entertaining to think of plot ideas while following the black line up and down the bottom of the pool than having a song in her head that restarted with every flip-turn. Sowards currently lives along the Wasatch front with her amazing husband and her adorable twin toddlers.

Follow AL Sowards: BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS

LDSWBR: Do you find it easier or more difficult to write during the summertime? Why?

A.L.: I think it’s easier, but I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I’m outside with the kids more, so they get tired and take better naps. It also helps that I’ve recently given myself a no-internet-during-nap-time rule, so I’m getting good chunks of quality writing time almost every day.

LDSWBR: Would you rather be in the pool or next to the pool?

A.L.: In the pool. Between swim team and life guarding, I practically lived at the pool most of my youth. This summer I’m not swimming too many laps, I’m just catching my two-year-old twins when they jump into the water.

LDSWBR: Ice cream or slushie? What flavor?

A.L.: I’m going to have to say smoothie, because my daughters and I have smoothies for lunch at least once a week. It’s an easy recipe, so I’ll pass it on: 1 cup milk, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup yogurt (just about any type works, and if it’s a single-serve size yogurt, I just dump it in without measuring it), 1 banana. Sometimes I add a baby food jar of pureed carrot to add some nice color and some good vitamins (yes, we still have pureed vegetables at our house, because my kids still eat them. Anything I can do to get more vegetables into them…). Blend. Add straw (if desired). Enjoy.

But don’t let that fool you–I’m a total chocolate addict.

LDSWBR: Thank you so much!

Espionage by A.L. Sowards

DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE

France, 1944: Nobody expects Peter Eddy to survive his first commando mission—to retrieve a code book stolen by the Nazis—so when he does come back alive, his success is rewarded with an even more daunting assignment. Partnered with French Resistance leader Jacques Olivier, Eddy must identify which of three Allied contacts in Calais is a double agent and use the traitor to help implement a strategic Allied diversion that might win the war. Eddy and Olivier secretly cross the English Channel to confront their suspects one at a time, but what appears to be a clean assignment soon turns disastrous, and a shocking betrayal leaves Eddy in the grip of the Gestapo. With the courageous aid of Olivier and his sister, Genevieve, Eddy evades his captors with a dangerous escape plan. But as the Allied invasion approaches, treachery in the least likely places leads to fresh graves in the bloodied European soil—and only the power of loyalty and love can transform tragic endings into new beginnings.

* * *

To enter the LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2012, leave a thoughtful comment below.

Be sure to comment on each Countdown to Summer 2012 post for more chances to win. Please click through to the website as only comments submitted directly on this post will be accepted.

Prizes include a $25 Amazon gift card and the author-donated books listed below. This is raffle-style drawing where all entries throughout the contest period are entered into the same “hat” for all prizes. US only. 18 years and older please. See all contest rules and restrictions HERE.

If you don’t already follow LDSWBR through email, Facebook or Twitter (those cute little book buttons on the sidebar) you may want to consider doing so during the contest so you don’t miss any posts or chances to enter the drawing. Following LDSWBR is not required but it is nice to know that our book reviews are useful to other readers. :)

If one of our LDSWBR reviews has ever helped you find a book you enjoyed, perhaps you would consider helping us spread the word about the LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2012. A link posted to your friends and family either in email or on your favorite social network would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Book prizes donated by the authors include:

Reality Check by Karen Tuft

Cold Justice by Kathi Oram Peterson

Journey to the Fringe by Kelli Nielsen

Dangerous Favor by Joyce DiPastena (choice of print, Kindle or Nook)

Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson

Of Grace and Chocolate by Krista Lynne Jensen

Espionage by A.L. Sowards

Friends and Foes by Sarah M. Eden – Countdown to Summer 2012

Posted by Shanda Countdown to Summer, Special Features

Jun 262012

I’m not normal. I’m an author. I spend enormous amounts of time avoiding responsible things like cooking dinner and doing laundry and making vital phone calls. Instead, I fill my days with making up stories, talking to voices in my head, and laughing hysterically at my own wit. Like I said, I’m not normal.

Follow Sarah: BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

LDSWBR: Do you find it easier or more difficult to write during the summertime? Why?

SARAH: Is this a QUESTION? I have children still at home, and during the summer they are literally at home. They are here all the time. Every day. The only time they leave, I am with them, driving them to activities and camps and classes and the library. I do schedule a little writing time after they go to bed, but I’m usually so tired that the words I write are either gibberish or every one of my characters finds themselves suddenly struggling with paralyzing exhaustion.

How many more weeks until school starts again?

LDSWBR: Would you rather be in the pool or next to the pool?

SARAH: I would rather be inside the air conditioned house. Despite growing up in southern Arizona where the temperature soar above 100* in April, spend July above 115, and don’t come back out of the triple digits until October, I am a complete and utter wimp in the heat. Also, I don’t like water. I’m even kind of afraid of water. The few times I’ve been on a boat were not particularly pleasant, and not because one of those boat trips ended with my nose getting broken–but that’s a story for another day.

So, yeah. I definitely wouldn’t choose to be in the pool. I take my kids swimming because I love them, but I don’t enjoy the actual “being in the water” part of it. Man, they have no idea how much I love them. (Wow, I kind of feel like I’m talking to a psychologist, here. I have the sudden urge to lay on a leather couch and recount my vaguest of childhood memories and stair at ink blots.)

LDSWBR: Ice cream or slushie? What flavor?

SARAH: You ask the most ridiculous questions. Who could possibly choose a pathetic cup of half-melted ice and gooey syrup over a bowl of sweet, creamy heaven? Sheesh. Flavor: Butter Pecan. Or, in a pinch, Pralines and Caramel.

LDSWBR: I’ll ask better questions next time. :) Thanks, Sarah!

Friends & Foes by Sarah M. Eden

AMAZON | DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK

After five years of tracking and capturing spies on English soil, Philip Jonquil, Earl of Lampton, is in pursuit of his last quarry. But at a traveler’s inn, he encounters an unexpected and far more maddening foe: Sorrel Kendrick, a young lady who is strikingly pretty, shockingly outspoken, and entirely unimpressed with him. Indeed, Sorrel cannot believe the nerve of this gentleman, who rudely accuses her of theft and insults her feminine dignity. Doubly annoyed when they both end up at a party hosted by mutual friends, Philip and Sorrel privately declare war on one another. But Philip’s tactics, which range from flirting to indifference, soon backfire as he finds himself reluctantly enjoying Sorrel’s company; and, much to her dismay, Sorrel finds Philip’s odd manner to be increasingly endearing. In the midst of this waning war and growing attraction, Philip catches wind of the French spy he’s been tracking, and Sorrel inadvertently stumbles upon a crucial piece of the puzzle, making her indispensable to the mission. But can two proud hearts negotiate a ceasefire when cooperation matters most?

* * *

To enter the LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2012, leave a thoughtful comment below.

Be sure to comment on each Countdown to Summer 2012 post for more chances to win. Please click through to the website as only comments submitted directly on this post will be accepted.

Book prizes donated by the authors include:

Reality Check by Karen Tuft

Cold Justice by Kathi Oram Peterson

Journey to the Fringe by Kelli Nielsen

Dangerous Favor by Joyce DiPastena (choice of print, Kindle or Nook)

Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson

Of Grace and Chocolate by Krista Lynne Jensen

Of Grace and Chocolate by Krista Lynne Jensen – Countdown to Summer 2012

Posted by Shanda Countdown to Summer, Special Features

Jun 252012

I have lived my entire life in the Northwestern United States surrounded by mountains, rivers, and lakes. I’m passionate about writing. And chocolate-covered cinnamon bears. I’m busy with my family and trying to keep up with the stories playing out in my head while ignoring the dishes and laundry. I have three books under contract with Covenant Communications. I am so excited I can hardly speak. Thus, the writing. The Orchard. The Inn. My debut novel, Of Grace and Chocolate, coming 2012. Skipping around the room.

Follow Krista: BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

LDSWBR: Do you find it easier or more difficult to write during the summertime? Why?

KRISTA: So far writing in the summer is more difficult. I have four kids aged 10-19 and a husband who is home 6 weeks of the season, which is all wonderful, but very distracting. I like to sneak away to my hammock and write or read, but last year my hammock broke. Help me.

LDSWBR: Would you rather be in the pool or next to the pool?

KRISTA: It depends. How is my tan coming along? Is it super hot? Did I just swim five laps? Have I ever swum five laps? Is there a floatie? Has it been 30 minutes since I last ate? Am I fully dressed? There are a lot of things to consider.

LDSWBR: Ice cream or slushie? What flavor?

KRISTA: ICE CREEAAAAAM. Today I just had Cherry Bordeaux at The Mercantile in Pasco, Washington. I also sampled 4 other kinds before making my decision. I chose well.

LDSWBR: Thank you, Krista!

Of Grace and Chocolate by Krista Lynne Jensen
AMAZON | DESERET BOOK | SEAGULL BOOK

Jillian Parrish likes to keep things predictable. After working for a local publishing company, she returns alone to a spotless apartment, a little dog, and a heavenly chunk of 70 percent cacao and sugar. By design, the closest Jill gets to messy complexities is in the pages of the novel she’s writing. But her carefully arranged life is turned upside down the day she loses her keys and her phone and her flash drive and then is nearly run over by the man who has taken them, Scott Gentry, who mistakenly thought this little trick would be a charming way to get her attention. Barely appeased by Scott’s apologies, Jill goes home only to find another surprise on her doorstep: Evie, Jill’s long-lost sister, a young woman whose addiction-filled, troubled life can only bring harm to the infant in her arms. Yet, Jill is hardly relieved when Evie disappears the next morning, leaving baby Shiloh in Jill’s inexperienced care, and a whole lot of trouble at her door. Within three days, Jill wonders if chocolate will ever be enough to bring balance to her life again. Granted temporary custody of the child, Jill launches a determined search for Evie and begrudgingly accepts Scott’s help and support. As Scott stumbles, crashes, and falls into Jill’s guarded world, he finds himself willing to do anything for the woman he discovers is not made of stone but of strength. But just as guarded hearts begin opening to sweet new possibilities, Evie’s trail leads Jill and Scott into harm’s way, bringing wounds that only grace can heal.

* * *

To enter the LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2012, leave a thoughtful comment below.

Be sure to comment on each Countdown to Summer 2012 post for more chances to win. Please click through to the website as only comments submitted directly on this post will be accepted.

Book prizes donated by the authors include:

Reality Check by Karen Tuft

Cold Justice by Kathi Oram Peterson

Journey to the Fringe by Kelli Nielsen

Dangerous Favor by Joyce DiPastena (choice of print, Kindle or Nook)

Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson

Of Grace and Chocolate by Krista Lynne Jensen

Cobble Stones by Sandra Tayler

Posted by Shanda Book Reviews, Shanda's Reviews

Jun 252012

Cobble Stones: A Sampling from One Cobble at a Time

Author: Sandra Tayler

Publisher: Hypernode Press

Published Date: May 2012

Softcover; 74 pages

Genre: Non-fiction

ISBN# 978-0-9835746-3-7

Reviewed by: Shanda

FTC FYI: review copy from the author in exchange for an honest review

Summary

This sampler book is a compilation of essays from the blog “One Cobble at a Time” by Sandra Tayler. Sandra writes her blog with literary quality ranging from short posts to essays that run long. This sampler pulls some of the most interesting blog posts from 2011 into one volume. They discuss family, divine inspiration, financial management, parenting, peace, and finding self-worth.

My Review

I don’t have as much time to read blogs as I would like, however I make time for those blogs that consistently post content that is intelligent, honest and highly-relatable to my life and situation. After reading Cobble Stones, I’ve added Sandra’s blog (www.onecobble.com) to that list.

I enjoyed each chapter/essay and discovered several gems of wisdom. I appreciated Sandra’s sense of humor, especially in “Notes to Things I Feel Grouchy About.” In other chapters she shares lessons learned as well as doubts in parenting, something all parents can relate to at one time or another. She also shares her thoughts about simple experiences and memories, like summer rains and sitting on the neighbor’s porch steps watching the kids play.

If you enjoy well-written blog posts and are looking for a good quick read for the summer, pick up Cobble Stones on Kindle or Nook for only $2.99 (which I think is a great price) or a print copy HERE.

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf – Countdown to Summer 2012

Posted by Shanda Countdown to Summer, Special Features

Jun 232012

Jennifer Shaw Wolf grew up on a farm in the tiny town of St. Anthony, Idaho. She spent cold Idaho mornings milking cows in the dark and attended a school where Hunter’s Education was part of the sixth grade curriculum. She’s always been a writer, whether it was sewing together books to read to her little brothers or starting an underground newspaper in sixth grade. She met the love of her life at Ricks College, (now BYU Idaho), after he dropped her on her head. She graduated from Ricks and then Brigham Young University, Provo with a degree in Broadcast Communications. Now she lives in beautiful, green, (rainy) Lacey, Washington with her husband and four kids. She loves to produce videos, ski, ride horses, and read, but really all she has time for is chasing kids and writing.

Find Jennifer: WEBSITE | BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

LDSWBR: Do you find it easier or more difficult to write during the summertime? Why?

JENNIFER: Harder, because my kids are home and provide endless distractions. Easier, because I can write into the wee hours of the morning and not have to get up early the next morning. (My kids are all old enough to sleep in or fend for themselves.) Like most things over the summer, I have less of a writing schedule over the summer, but sometimes that freedom opens up my muse for more creativity.

LDSWBR: Would you rather be in the pool or next to the pool?

JENNIFER: I used to love to swim. Long after all my friends had deserted the lake or the pool for tanning on the side, I was still swimming. Maybe I’ve gotten old and boring, now I prefer to be poolside, in the shade with a good book.

LDSWBR: Ice cream or slushie? What flavor?

JENNIFER: Ice cream. My favorite is a limited edition Girl Scout Tagalong flavor that I can never find, so I usually go with mint chocolate chip or plain vanilla instead.

LDSWBR: Thank you, Jennifer!

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Available in Hardcover and Kindle from AMAZON

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

* * *

To enter the LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2012, leave a thoughtful comment below.

Be sure to comment on each Countdown to Summer 2012 post for more chances to win. Please click through to the website as only comments submitted directly on this post will be accepted.

Book prizes donated by the authors include:

Reality Check by Karen Tuft

Cold Justice by Kathi Oram Peterson

Journey to the Fringe by Kelli Nielsen

Dangerous Favor by Joyce DiPastena (choice of print, Kindle or Nook)

Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson

Of Grace and Chocolate by Krista Lynne Jensen

Cold Justice by Kathi Oram Peterson – Countdown to Summer 2012

Posted by Shanda Countdown to Summer, Special Features

Jun 222012

Kathi Oram Peterson loves to write edge-of-your seat romantic suspense and young adult time travels. The constant thread she sews in both genres is faith in a higher power. She works hard to entertain her readers with clean, uplifting stories. Her path to publication took a detour as she raised three children. During those years, Kathi read all the how-to books on writing she could find. When her last child graduated high school, she went back to college and earned her BA in English. She was fortunate to do an internship for the University of Utah’s Continuum magazine where she learned to edit and write articles in the “real” world. Shortly after graduation she was hired by a curriculum publisher to write and edit concept and biography books for children. She worked shoulder to shoulder with artists and computer programmers as she watched her children’s stories come to life. But the desire to write full-length novels called to her. Leaving the workforce, she devoted herself to writing fiction. She is very grateful to have had five of her novels published (The Forgotten Warrior, An Angel on Main Street, The Stone Traveler, River Whispers and Cold Justice.)

Visit Kathi: WEBSITE | BLOG | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | PINTEREST

LDSWBR: Do you find it easier or more difficult to write during the summertime?

KATHI: It’s about the same for me. Why? I try to write every day. Even when my kids were young and out of school, they knew that Mom had pages to finish, but once that was done we could go have some fun. What really nags at me in the summertime is yard work. And if it’s not my yard, than the neighbors’ lawn mowers and whatnot are buzzing. Those are major distractions. Thank goodness for ear plugs. ;)

LDSWBR: Would you rather be in the pool or next to the pool?

KATHI: Next to a pool, no wait . . . in the pool. It really depends on who I’m with, if I’m alone next to the pool reading. If there are others with me, in the pool.

LDSWBR: Ice cream or slushie? Slushee.What flavor?

KATHI: Slushie. Depends on the story I’m writing. If I’m into a romantic suspense, Tiger’s Blood Cherry. A lite romance Pink Passion Lemonade. But a YA time travel calls for Wild Cocoa Mango. Yummo!

LDSWBR: Thank you so much, Kathi. Enjoy your summer!

Cold Justice by Kathi Oram Peterson

AMAZON | DESERET BOOK

Missed connections.

Murder accusations.

Years of living lives apart.

Now Regi Bernard and Samuel Tanner can finally have their “happy-ever-after”

Then . . . Samuel disappears.

Kidnapped by the Raven Clan, a powerful Alaskan tribe, he is forced to stand trial in front of their justice council for a murder he didn’t commit.

Meanwhile Regi discovers evidence that Samuel has been taken against his will. She resolves to follow Samuel to Alaska and learns secrets about him she hadn’t bargained for.

Samuel’s faith is tested. Regi risks life and love to set him free.

* * *

To enter the LDSWBR Countdown to Summer 2012, leave a thoughtful comment below.

Be sure to comment on each Countdown to Summer 2012 post for more chances to win. Please click through to the website as only comments submitted directly on this post will be accepted.

Book prizes donated by the authors include:

Reality Check by Karen Tuft

Cold Justice by Kathi Oram Peterson

Journey to the Fringe by Kelli Nielsen

Dangerous Favor by Joyce DiPastena (choice of print, Kindle or Nook)

Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson

Of Grace and Chocolate by Krista Lynne Jensen

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