Rosepoint Publishing

When the Reaper Comes – Review

When the Reaper Comes by John DeBoer

Publisher: Solstice Publishing

Publication Date: November, 2016

Submitted by author for review

When the Reaper Comes (Cover falls short.)

Like watching it play out on the big screen in full Technicolor and Dolby Sound, the action from the beginning pages of “When the Reaper Comes” by John DeBoer was so well laid out, it was difficult to hit the pause button until the last scene played out.

I do enjoy a good thriller and have read my share of both military and political themed novels, including stories that include the present day battle with ISIS. It seems that so much of the philosophy zooms over our heads and is usually far enough removed off our own soil that it is fairly easy to stick our heads in the sand and try to pretend it isn’t happening. Unfortunately, it is. America is no longer the isolated and protected country it once was. But don’t take my word–read the book. Continue reading “When the Reaper Comes – Review”

Maggie Elizabeth Harrington-Review

Maggie Elizabeth Harrington by C. J. Swykert

Genre: Currently #3071 in Best Sellers Rank for Kindle ebooks, Literature and Fiction-Historical

Publisher: Cambridge Books

Publication Date: March, 2016

Submitted by author for review

Maggie Elizabeth Harrington – Two Covers–One for print and one for Kindle. The Kindle cover includes a wolf in the background, but a modern-day woman.

This powerful story of thirteen year old Maggie Elizabeth Harrington was set in a copper mining town of Michigan in 1893. Maggie Elizabeth is the daughter of a miner who lives with her grandmother and her father (who against everything that Maggie Elizabeth believes in, drowns every new litter of kittens). Her mother passed in childbirth; the father barely speaks to her, the grandmother isn’t much better, and she attributes this to the death of her mother–which she considers must be her fault. Continue reading “Maggie Elizabeth Harrington-Review”

Life Jump Starts After NaNoWriMo*

Right now you are still pounding the keys, spilling out those words (even if chaotic), to attain that 50,000 word goal to complete your quest on NaNoWriMo. But what happens after you complete the goal and you have a rough draft of your manuscript? Lucky for you, NaNo has you covered!

Interesting when you look at the worldwide map that tracks the word stats: I looked at Boise, Idaho where I began the publishing odyssey and discovered there were 470 novelists who were at an average word count of 8,753. We moved to Indiana from the Phoenix area this year, and there are 1,022 novelists striving to make only 8,699 words in Arizona. (Way to go, Idaho!) Unfortunately, this is almost the middle of November and those numbers are way under half. GLEEP! I’ve written before regarding my experiences with NaNo and am always happy to recommend or promote it for budding novelists. *National Novel Writing Month Continue reading “Life Jump Starts After NaNoWriMo*”

These Real-Life Sculptures by Seward Johnson Are Too Soon Gone

I was crushed when I went back to “the Square” in Crown Point, Indiana, to take pictures of the sculptures by Seward Johnson that I’d taken for granted would still be there, not knowing they were part of a summer collection and would soon be going bye-bye. I had vowed to take pictures of the life-size sculptures of everyday life every time I returned to Crown Point, but was always on a different mission or the sun wasn’t right, yadda, yadda, yadda. BIG mistake!

Fortunately, the Midwest Wanderer had the foresight to take pictures and post for the rest of us to enjoy; certainly better than I would have. Apparently, this was not the first time Crown Point has sponsored a sculpture display as part of their public summer art project. There were twelve sculptures largely located around Crown Point’s iconic courthouse. This courthouse is so beautiful it would demand your attention anyway, but coupled with the “people” who don’t move, you are overwhelmed with the desire to park the car and browse–I have to think the downtown merchants had that result in mind.

Local businesses sponsor the exhibit. For 2016, sculptures included a photographer, a woman walking her dog, a hot dog vendor, and people deeply in private conversation over a newspaper. The collection also included Marilyn Monroe (holding her skirt down, of course). Although most of Johnson’s sculptures are life-size, he does have a collection of “Monumental Scale,” which includes a depiction of Lincoln.

The merchants thoughtfully prepared an exhibit brochure, which included a map. Located within the Old Lake County Courthouse is the John Dillinger Museum, Crown Point’s claim to fame. I have to believe the sculpture exhibits will replace that claim with a more artsy one, and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the winter. And next summer, I won’t miss the chance to photograph the 2017 Johnson sculpture collection! ©2016 Virginia Williams

Lost Coast Rocket – Review

Lost Coast Rocket by Joel Horn

Genre: Currently #14083 in Best Sellers Rank for Kindle Store, Science Fiction and Fantasy

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services, LLC

Publication Date: July, 2016

Submitted by author for review

Lost Coast Rocket – Cover and title conveys subject; Cover girl hints youthful age of characters

The debut novel, Lost Coast Rocket by Joel Horn, is classified as sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult; though it reads with such authority you’d swear is a non-fiction on rocketry that merely involves a story. Thank heaven we are introduced to the protagonist and “his team” as young children, albeit geniuses, as the subject of rocketry would otherwise have been well over my head. As is, it was broken down into easily understandable snippets of believable dialogue between kids. And kids, as well as young or old adults would enjoy this easy introduction into a fascinating subject. Continue reading “Lost Coast Rocket – Review”

From the Desert to the Rust Belt

From the southwest to the midwest. It’s a given that fall comes earlier to some areas faster than others. While we enjoyed a slow decline in morning temps in Goodyear, there were not all the outwardly signs of the slide into winter as we are currently beginning to note in northwest Indiana. I love the landscape of Arizona, the cactus, the beauty of sunrises and sunsets and I never tired of the artistic parks crafted with the perfect balance of sand, rock, and arid vegetation–there is an amazing variety of plants and trees in the desert. And so many hiking trails! There is a bounty of hiking trails for everyone from short to long or level to climb. Continue reading “From the Desert to the Rust Belt”

Pinterest-How To Up Your Engagement With These Six Simple Rules

Pinterest is now being used for people on a how-to quest. How to pursue a project or interest. Pinterest reports informative pins are up to 30% more engaged than other pins. Want to bury your pin? Just make a simple pin with a picture. To make them more informative, however, you might want to take a college course on colors, form, and journalism or buy ebooks, webinars, and read, read, read informative blogs. Or, try employing these six techniques: Continue reading “Pinterest-How To Up Your Engagement With These Six Simple Rules”

Blacktip Island – Review

Blacktip Island by Tim W Jackson

Genre: Currently #3585 in Best Sellers Rank for Literature & Fiction-Action & Adventure-Mystery & Thriller-Crime

Publisher: Devonshire House Press

Publication Date: September, 2016

Submitted by author for review

Blacktip Island – Cover invites inspection and obviously conveys a Caribbean theme

Psst–want to have a fantastic Caribbean adventure and save some moola? How about an Islander hop to a fictional Caribbean, Blacktip Island? Ahh, the sun, the surf, the people…but what about the people? Well, that’s the thing, you see. Blake Calloway had it good, working in his dad’s investment firm, right up until he screwed up a few decimal points. An innocent mistake! Unfortunately, when he tries to disappear on a remote island with some cash, blending in with the other scuba enthusiasts, he accidentally rescues one of them–again–an innocent mistake. So much for blending! And just like that, the book has you within the first few pages. Continue reading “Blacktip Island – Review”