>Review of A Time to Love by Barbara Cameron

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A Time to Love…………………….5


What a wonderful read on a cold day.  I was taken in from page 1,  and did not want to put it down one second.  I loved all the characters, but especially Jenny.  I wanted to know what was going to happen, and what relationships were going to be effected etc.  The author does a wonderful job of incorporating current events and twist to keep the reader wanting for more.  This is one series I will be watching.  

>Blog Hop Oct 29-Nov-1st

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In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! 




“What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?”


I have most of what I want my ipad, Kindle, comfy chair, book case( need more ), but I would like a room to myself.  It would be nice to have like a mini library.  You can never have too many book.  My poor book case is overflowing.  

>Review of Supernature by H.V. Lyons

>Supernature………………………….4

This is a great science fiction read.  I was asked to review this book by the author and was greatly surprised at how well it was written.  Animals from around the world are growing, and mutating very rapidly.  It causes alarm all over, and everyone is scared.  Who could be causing this problem, and what can be done to correct it. What can be done for the animals that are already effected.  Better yet, what is going to happen if they can not fix it.  A great read to find out what happens.

>Review of Voices on the Waves by Jessica Chambers

>Voices on the Waves…………………………..5

This is a must read for anyone.  I adored this book and did not want to put the book down or see it come to an end.  The characters come to life, and you want to see how they all come about.  This book has romance, suspense, along with a little thrill.  There is no way you can be disappointed in this book.  If you are like me you will love Leah and Faye.   I love the whole idea behind the contest/giveaway where the story begins.

>Review of Unwrapping Chris by Nancy Lee Badger

>Unwrapping Chris…………………………5

I just had the pleasure of reading a remarkable story.  From the beginning, this story about Jayne’s life keeps you intwined.  I wanted to know what was going to happen next.  A recent car accident would become a miracle. Her life had been in turmoil since the man of her dreams left, and joined the military.  Little did she know, he would come crashing back into her life.   This time things were going to be different.  I loved the book from beginning to end.  A story that comes at a time, when we all need a happy ending.  It’s nice to see a military presence as well.  You will not be disappointed with this story.

>Guest author today is Laurel-Rain Snow

>Please help me welcome Laurel today to the blog.  Thank you so much for coming on and willing to answer some questions or us today.

BH…..For those that do not know, could you tell us a little bit about your books?

LRS……..My books all somehow reflect my experiences from the sixties through the nineties, as well as my professional life as a social worker.  

Even though they’re fiction, I have borrowed liberally from my own life.

Miles to Go was the first one I wrote, but I didn’t publish it until I had already published An Accidental Life (the second one I wrote), Embrace the Whirlwind (the third), and Chasing Stardust, the fifth one.  Miles to Go chronicles the journey of two friends and college radicals who try to maintain the fervor of their early years, but find instead that their lives are a juggling act.  Maintaining their friendship is the one constant in their lives.

An Accidental Life spotlights the methamphetamine phenomenon in California’s Central Valley (in the nineties), especially how it relates to child protective services.  The story centers around four teenage girls trying to find excitement during one long hot summer, and how they unleash a world of trouble instead.  Their choices ripple outward and affect them and the lives of those around them for a long time.

In Embrace the Whirlwind, I highlighted the life of one young child abuse victim and how her sometimes foolish choices impact the lives of those around her.

Chasing Stardust is all about one young woman’s dreams and illusions, and how her unrealistic expectations in life affect her choices along the way.  She grew up in a dysfunctional family dreaming of rock stars and fairytale endings.  Instead, she accidentally ends up a struggling single parent.  How she finally realizes that she must make her own dreams come true is the crux of this story.

Web of Tyranny was the last one I published (so far), and spotlights the childhood, adolescence and young adulthood of a child abuse victim.  Some of her experiences are mine, while others come from the files of cases I’ve worked.  I love incorporating reality into my fiction.

BH……When did you decide you wanted to write?

LRS………That dream was probably born when I was about eight years old.  I started scribbling in notebooks and illustrating my stories with pictures from magazines.  When I got a typewriter, I started a novel.  Over the years, I kept journals, too.  But when I got my first computer (in 2000) and as I approached retirement (from social work), I decided that I finally had some stories to tell.  I wrote all five manuscripts during a two-year-period.

BH…….In your books do your past experiences influence them in any way?

LRS…….Definitely.  I have embellished and fictionalized my personal experiences for the sake of the stories I’m telling, but without my own life journey, the books would not have happened.

BH………Is there any one of your books that stands out more then the rest?

LRS…….That’s an interesting question, Barbara.  After each one came out, it was my favorite.  I guess it’s like choosing a favorite child.  But probably Web of Tyranny is the closest to my heart.

BH…………Are you working on a new project now?

LRS…….I finished the first draft of a new book that I’m calling Defining Moments, which is a story that reflects the current Internet and blogosphere phenomena.

Unlike my other books in which my characters journeyed through the sixties and seventies, or the nineties (An Accidental Life and Embrace the Whirlwind), this new one is all about life in the technological age.

I will also be participating in NaNoWriMo in November (for the first time), and in this project, I will be exploring (in depth) the life of one of the minor characters in Embrace the Whirlwind.

BH………What types of books do you like to read?

LRS……..I love books about women, their friendships and life journeys, and the issues that define them and often create conflicts for them.  I also enjoy mysteries and have several favorite authors in this genre.

BH……….I always say, so many books so little time.  Are you like some of us that have a huge TBR stack and trying to make it through?

LRS………I am so into reading, as well as writing, and my stacks are HUGE.  I created a special blog (Curl up and Read) to document my journey through my stacks.  New books keep coming into my house—either I can’t resist them or an author or publisher sends them to me.  I also review books for the Amazon Vine program.

>Picture of Adoption today

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 My husband holding Duncan, me, Ethan, Logan and the Judge.  A wonderful day today.

>Happy Adoption Day!!

>I will be off for a while this afternoon as we go to court to adopt our little one Duncan.  Hard to believe he is already 13 months old.   This is a nice birthday present for me this week.   I hate to tell my family, but when Friday comes they can’t beat Duncan’s gift of officially being my son :).

 The day we brought him home at 4 & 1/2 months old

This one was taken on October 25 this his first toddler bed.

>Taking a break from books for a second….

>Now that the cooler weather is approaching slowly but surely, we have been getting out the good old crock pot, and making some casseroles.  What are some of your favorite cold weather comfort foods?

>Tater Tot Casserole

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Tatter Tot Casserole

2 lbs of ground beef

2 bags of tater tots

1 can of cream of soup

2 bags  8 oz or more of shredded cheese

1 can of any vegetable ie corn, green beans, peas what ever you like we leave it out.  

Cook the tater tots according to the package.  Brown your ground beef then add your can of cream soup and once can of water of milk. 

 

When tater tots are done, line the bottom of a 9 x 13 or bigger pan with half of the tater tots.  

Add the beef mixture ad some cheese on top of that layer.  

Take the remaining tater tots and cheese and top the mixture.  If you add a vegetable you put it on top of the beef mixture.  Bake for 15 minutes at 350.

By Shay Pease