#MMBBR Review: Dreamscape: Saving Alex by Kirstin Pulioff

Sixteen-year-old Alexis Stone is used to getting away from life’s frustration with Dreamscape, a video game she's loved since childhood. As her family prepares to move, a sleepy night of gaming pulls her into the world like never before. Trapped in Dreamscape’s realm, Alex is about to learn that being a hero has consequences… and this time, the stakes are deadly. Will helping the rebellion cost her everything she knows and loves? Or will she betray them to save her own life? 

Kirstin Pulioff is a storyteller at heart. Born and raised in Southern California, she moved to the Pacific Northwest to follow her dreams and graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Forest Management. Happily married and a mother of two, she lives in Oregon, and enjoys being a stay at home mom. When she’s not writing, she is busy with her kids, church and the family business.

I would love to connect with you at:
www.facebook.com/kirstinpulioffauthor
https://twitter.com/kirstinpulioff
http://www.amazon.com/Kirstin-Pulioff...

I am also the Young Adult & Children's Literature moderator for the Modern Good Reads group. Join in our discussion of great books, and great recommendations. Hope to see you therehttp://www.goodreads.com/group/show/9... 

Dreamscape is one of those books that you wish you, yourself, could hop into and be taken away into the adventure, fantasy and setting contained within the pages.  Who doesn't want to be taken on an adventure that involves danger, mystery and love in various forms.  I loved how Alexis changed throughout the story and how she found her value in such an awesome and original way.  It just took being whisked into another dimension, facing fears to find out what her real worth was and continues to be.  Pulioff has such a creative mind and I feel that she really captures the essence of characters that readers can relate to.  Her books make you think, make you wonder and allow you to step out of the everyday world into a fascinating and exciting world filled with adventure.  I have said, and continue to say, that Pulioff is a gift to readers because every book is such a fun filled adventure...

5 stars!

#MMBBR Showcase: Mom On The Road – February 13, 2015 by Allyson Ochs Primack

Shortly after she turned forty, Maggie Stevens took an unexpected journey that changed the course of her life. She didn't decide to visit all of the Earth's rain forests or spend months roaming through the African desert. It was not for scientific research nor was it for purposes of investigative journalism. Maggie’s journey took place in the most unlikely of places: on a bus with a bunch of actors. Think "Almost Famous," except instead of a teenage boy, it was a pre-pre-menopausal mom of three. Forced to face all of her fears on the road, Maggie must figure out how to get back the one thing she lost many years ago: herself. Inspired by the author’s own journey on the road while accompanying her son as his guardian on a Broadway tour and documented in the popular blog, www.momontour.com. Get to know Maggie Stevens: "She’s neurotic, insecure, energetic, and entertaining. As she tells her story, she doesn’t hold back. The reader is told everything that Maggie thinks and feels. Luckily Maggie is an original character. She’ll make you laugh, cry, wince, and shake your head. At times one may wonder if she has no shame, but that’s a good thing. Maggie does not self-censure and lets it all hang out.

Allyson Ochs Primack was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in English Education and received her law degree from Wayne State University. She practiced law in Detroit before moving to Phoenix, Arizona in 1997. She practiced law for 15 years as a criminal defense attorney. 
From January of 2013-July of 2014, she accompanied her oldest son on a Broadway tour and documented her journey in the popular blog www.momontour.com. 
In August of 2014, she launched a non-profit foundation which provides children in Arizona the opportunity to see and be a part of live theatre. In October of 2014, she wrote "You'll Be Swell: What To Expect When You Expect Your Child Will Be A Star", a humorous look at the realities of show business for children today. 
She is married and has three children.

Q.  What inspires your writing?

A.  My writing is inspired by the people around me.  I have always been fascinated by people and whether or not they are feeling the same way that I do.  It wasn't until I started blogging that I realized that there were so many people out there that were going through the exact same experiences and emotions that I was.  Women go through life having to be very politically correct if they want to fit in.  I was like that too until I became a mom.  Once you have given birth and have been literally naked in front of dozens of people, you realize that there's not a lot left to hide.  

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being an writer?

A. I am 100% honest in what I write.  I never write anything unless I am revealing exactly what I am thinking or feeling.  I am brutally honest.  I find that I often hold all of my feelings aside in real life conversations, because I am sometimes afraid of people's reactions.  The best thing about writing is being able to be completely free and true to myself.  (I always have to apologize to people that I meet that I am not that funny in real life.)  Also, I love the quiet time that I have to go off and write for months at a time at my cabin in Vermont.  (Oh, wait. That's not me.  Sorry, I'm totally copying from an article about Stephen King that was in "People.")  

Q.  What is the toughest part of being an writer?

A. With three children under the age of 13, the toughest part is finding the time to write.  If I could, I would write all day long.  My kids have very busy lives, and I have to carve out time for myself to be able to do what I love.  I think that all parents have the same daily struggle with finding the time to do the things that they love to do.  (Like sleep or eat or take a shower, to name a few.)  Thank goodness for my cabin in Vermont.

Q.  If you could not be writer, what would you do/be?

A. I would love to be a Kardashian.  I would love a career where I sit around and chat with people about the most intimate details of my life and then complain about my lack of privacy while being filmed.  

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

A. "Figuring It Out As I Go" 

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A.  Anything by Judy Blume, but specifically "Are You There God? It's Me Margaret"  That was the very first time that I realized that I found a character inside a book who was just like me.  Also, I loved "What To Expect When You're Expecting" because it was like a friend I could yell at all day long.  "UM, no, chapter 3, you are wrong.  I have not only gained 5 pounds at this point in my pregnancy.  It's more like 25.  So, don't tell me what I should be doing at this point.  You have NO IDEA.  You are an outdated book.  The pregnant lady on your cover is smiling and wearing a jumper.  I mean, come on."  

Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A.  I know she's a real life person, but I read Amy Poehler's autobiography "Yes, Please" and have never identified more with a main character/narrator in my life.  We have so much in common, and I'm sure if she met me, we would be best friends (although she can still be best friends with Tina Fey too.  We would all be best friends with each other.)

Q.  What character from all of your book are you most like?

A.  I cannot lie.  Maggie Stevens from "Mom On The Road" is the fictionalized version of myself.  Everything she says and does and feels comes from within me.  She is a little crazier than I am, but I get to live vicariously through her wild side.  

Q.  Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

A. Any book by Elin Hildebrand. They are all set in Nantucket during the summer.  So, maybe I just need to take a weekend vacation in Nantucket one summer.  

Q.  What do you want to be remembered for 100 years from now?

A.  For creating "The Act Two Movement": where all women over forty get to re-invent their lives.  They can start over and this time they can do whatever they want.  No more pleasing anyone other than themselves.  Also, I'd like to be the person who made it fashionable for women to have cellulite, wrinkles and messy hair.  

Q.  What is your favorite season?

A.  I love fall.  I love the excitement that comes with start of the holiday season and the cooler temperatures and changing leaves.  Of course, I live in Arizona now, so a lot of that doesn't happen here.  It's still 100 degrees in October and the leaves never change colors because we don't really have trees.  But we do still celebrate holidays here, along with dozens of tourists who come here over Christmas and steal our parking spots at the mall.  

Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)?  Or what is your favorite book cover and why?

A.  My book cover is inspired by the journey that I took that led to the creation of this book.  I spent 6 months on a tour bus looking out at the open road.  The emptiness that I saw out the window helped me clear my mind.  Most moms never get even a moment to stare at nothing.  We are always so busy looking at something or someone.  Now, anytime I need clarity, I will drive or walk around areas that are empty and quiet.  

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting your book.

A.  My book is edgy and honest and also contains a lot of inappropriate language and scenarios.  I don't think I realized that my parent's friends and people I grew up with would be reading it.  Shortly after the book was released, I got a call from a 70 year old neighbor that I hadn't heard from in years.  She called to tell me how much she loved my book, and then she offered to send me some small grammatical edits.  I couldn't stop laughing when I saw the email with suggestions like "We really enjoyed the marijuana, my friends and I.  Change 'I' to 'me.'   Also, Allyson, when you discuss the sexting and the vibrator, you may want to add a few more details here.... "  I am still recovering from that email (and yet, I totally used her suggestions and made the edits).

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A.  I'm working on the sequel to "Mom On The Road" called "Mother Blogger."  Maggie Stevens has returned home from the tour and tries to readjust to her new life at home.  She also realizes that there is a very thin line between parenting and "mommy blogging" and the negative consequences that can occur by being a little too honest on the internet.   

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A.   Contrary to rumors, I am not dating Bradley Cooper.  Also, I have really great metabolism and that's why I can wear a string bikini at 43.  It was all from nursing because, as we all know, it totally burns calories.  

Thanks so much.  Allyson Primack (www.momontour.com

#MMBBR Amy's Review: Coffee is Murder (McKinley Mysteries Book 9) by Carolyn Arnold

About the book:
You might want to rethink your morning routine. A cup a day won’t kill you, but a few might.

Their first case as private investigators have Sean, Sara, and Jimmy neck-deep in coffee beans trying to find a killer. With their client certain that her mother was poisoned through her coffee of the month club, it has them setting out to Williamsburg, Virginia. But instead of approaching matters from the traditional standpoint, Sean and Sara brew a robust plot and stir Jimmy into the blend, all to get close to their top suspect and grind out the truth.

Going undercover at Tasty Beans, the coffee company, the three of them work to expose the culprit before anyone else dies.

9th in the McKinley Mysteries

This novella was so fun to read.  What an adventure it was.  It is linked to a coffee of the month company.  Sean and Jimmy are working a case where a woman thinks her mother was murdered.  This case brings them to Virginia and they embark on an adventure that they didn't bargain for.

I give this novella 4 start - I loved the writing style, I read it in one sitting, the adventure and mystery are full of action.  I wish I would have read a few of the earlier ones in this series to get a more background of the characters but it was good as a stand alone. 

#MMBBR Mandy's Review Round-Up

Harm's Reach by Alex Barclay

About the book: 

FBI Agent Ren Bryce finds herself entangled in two seemingly unrelated mysteries. But the past has a way of echoing down the years and finding its way into the present.

When Special Agent Ren Bryce discovers the body of a young woman in an abandoned car, solving the case becomes personal. But the more she uncovers about the victim’s last movements, the more questions are raised.

Why was Laura Flynn driving towards a ranch for troubled teens in the middle of Colorado when her employers thought she was hundreds of miles away? And what did she know about a case from fifty years ago, which her death dramatically reopens?

As Ren and cold case investigator Janine Hooks slowly weave the threads together, a picture emerges of a privileged family determined to hide some very dark secrets – whatever the cost.

Mandy's Review:  

Alex Barclay does a wonderful job of keeping the reader entertained until the very end of the book.  The twists and turns, personal issues, and wealthy all come together to make this a great book to read.  I highly recommend this book, you will stay up late to finish it.  I give it 4 stars.

One Mile Under by Andrew Gross

About the book: 
Ty Hauck makes his long-awaited return rallying beaten-down farmers and ranchers against a giant energy company in a deadly confrontation involving murder, retaliation, and cover-up.

Leading a tour down the rapids outside Aspen, Colorado, whitewater guide Dani Whalen comes upon the dead body of a close friend. Trey Watkins's death is ruled an accident. Finding evidence that seems to back up her suspicions that it wasn't, she takes her case to Wade Dunn, the local police chief and her ex-stepfather, with whom she shares some unresolved history. Wade insists the case is closed, but Rooster, a hot air balloon operator in town, claims he saw something from the air she should know. When he suddenly dies in a fiery crash, Dani threatens to take her suspicions public, goading Wade into tossing her in jail.

When an old friend contacts Ty Hauck and says his daughter is in trouble, he doesn't hesitate to get involved. Together, the two step into a sinister scheme running deep beneath the surface of a quiet, Colorado town that has made a deal with the devil to survive. But in the square off between giant energy companies and beaten-down ranchers and farmers, one resource is even more valuable in this drought-stricken region than oil. They both will kill for it—water.

One Mile Under is a thrilling rapid run of hair-raising twists and unforeseen turns set against one of the most provocative environmental issues of our time. 

Mandy's Review:

Andrew Gross does it again, another great book.  Ty Hauck returns for a fourth book that is just as good as the others.  I couldn't put this book down.  Lots of twists and turns to keep me hooked until the very end.  You need to read this book.  I give it 4 stars.

Summer by Summer by Heather Burch

About the book: 
When Summer took a job as a nanny for a couple vacationing in Belize, she imagined it would be a fresh start before starting college in the fall. And while she adores her charge, Josh, she can’t say the same for her employers’ oldest son, Bray. He’s cocky, inconsiderate, and makes her feel she’s a chore he has to put up with. In short, he’s everything she dislikes in a guy.

Bray had a plan for the summer: party, hang out with friends, and forget all the responsibilities waiting for him back home. But every time he’s forced to be around Summer, her dour, serious mood sets him off. Not to mention she has a habit of picking up on what he already knows is wrong with him.

Then the two find themselves on a dive trip gone wrong, stranded on a remote island. As they focus on survival, their differences melt away, and they find being together may be what both needed all along. 

Mandy's Review: 

A good book to take to beach and read this summer.  A perfect book for the romance reader.  I give it 4 stars.

#MMBBR Showcase with review: The Button Collector by Elizabeth Jennings

On a gray day at a gritty flea market, Caroline stumbles upon an unlikely treasure—jars and jars of buttons in a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors.
She is reminded of something she has made herself forget—she too has a jar of buttons, an inheritance from her mother, which Caroline has put on the back of a shelf, out of sight, out of mind, out of her life. 

That night, Caroline takes the jar down from the shelf. Intending only to look at the buttons, she opens the lid . . . and pours out her family's secrets.

THE BUTTON COLLECTOR unfolds with a series of vignettes in which each button reveals a piece of the complicated history of Caroline's family. A tragic accident has forever altered the relationship between Caroline, her mother Emma, and her cousin Gail. Caroline sifts through the joys and anguishes of the past, bringing both herself and the reader to the realization that memories—like buttons—can sometimes be used to fasten together something we have left undone by mistake.

A wonderfully woven story created over an original and interesting set of circumstance.  When Caroline finally decided to look at the jar of buttons that she got from her late mother through her inheritance she never imagined the path it would take her down.  When she opens her jar of buttons she also opens up the details of her family's past.  This novel is full of heart and really highlights the power of memories, the powerful connection we have to the objects we own and how, sometimes, the objects hold onto the secrets of the past.  They can transcend the limits of memory....they can take us places we have long since forgot or places we never even knew existed.   I really enjoyed this original and compelling novel.  I really enjoyed that the novel was a collection of vignettes.  4.5 stars

Elizabeth Jennings has worked as a features writer, copywriter, tutor, and adjunct instructor, but first and foremost, she is a reader on the hunt for the next great story. Her short fiction has appeared in a variety of publications, including Prime Number Magazine, Apalachee Review, and the children’s magazine Ladybug. A native of Clemson, South Carolina, she earned degrees in English from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and The University of Delaware. She lives with her family within view of Mount Pisgah in the ancient and lush Blue Ridge Mountains. 

As both author and reader, Jennings has a deep affinity for quiet, character-driven stories and novels. She also has a fondness for frame tales and interconnected stories in which the individual pieces offer commentary on each other and come together to create a mosaic of various textures and moods. Since college, she has been fascinated with different forms of female creativity and the ways it has been expressed historically. 

The Button Collector, released May 6 2013, is her first novel and is based on the idea that the smallest things around us can have meaning and offer perspective on the larger story that is our life. 

Q.  What inspires your writing?

A.  This varies quite a bit.  With THE BUTTON COLLECTOR, my inspiration was the overall concept of little discarded items coming together to create a beautiful whole.  I have a short story called THE SNAKE HANDLERS’ ORPHAN that came about after I heard a story on the news and then a distinct voice began echoing in my mind and pretty much told the story to me.  I have another novel concept that started out as just an idea for a title more than 20 years ago and is finally coming together.  For me, ideas are the easy part; carrying through on them is another story!

Q.  What is your favorite thing about being a writer?

A. I would say it’s getting to that point in a project—and it doesn’t have to be a book or story, necessarily—when all the different threads that were floating around come together in a way I never imagined and it seems as if they were meant to be that way from the beginning--I just didn’t know it.  There’s a concept in psychology called “flow” and it’s about the state of mind in which a person is both deeply relaxed and intently focused. I think this describes what is happening at that point.  It’s about as close to magic as I’m ever going to get.   

Q.  What is the toughest part of being a writer?

A. I am disorganized and have a hard time with self-imposed deadlines and goals.  I loved working with my editor, Rebecca Seum at PageSpring, because she gave me just enough guidance and deadlines to help me pull my manuscript together in a purposeful way.  It was rewarding to see how quickly this could happen.

Q.  If you could not be writer, what would you do/be?

A.  This is the easiest question in the whole entire universe!  I would be a librarian.  I love reading even more than writing, and sometimes I can’t stop myself from recommending books to people whether they asked for my help or not.  I actually started a library program when I was a new mom, but I’m really bad at multi-tasking and had to drop out. 

Q.  What would the story of your life be entitled?

A.  SHARP CURVE AHEAD

Q.  What is your favorite book of all time?

A. Anne Tyler’s SAINT MAYBE is my go-to all-time favorite, although I have other favorites, too, depending on what’s going on in my life.  SAINT MAYBE stands out because it is most similar to what I try to create in my own writing--that is capturing the humanity of ordinary people who are struggling to do the right thing. 

Q.  Which character from ANY book are you most like?

A. For some reason, Scout from TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD comes to mind.  I think because I also grew up in the deep South and we’re both quiet observers of life.  Or maybe it’s just because Gregory Peck from the movie version reminds me of my father! 

Q.  What character from all of your books are you most like?

A. In THE BUTTON COLLECTOR, I identify with most of the female characters and see parts of myself in each of them, but Caroline, the protagonist, is probably the closest to me.  We both have a bit of a desire to chafe against the way Southern women are pigeon-holed into certain roles.  I think Caroline’s struggle to figure out who she is and how she fits in definitely comes from my own experience even though our circumstances are quite different. 

Q.  Which book would you love to take a weekend vacation inside of?

A.   Probably James Herriot’s ALL CREATURES series of books—the landscape always struck me as so beautiful and the people are so mellow and down to Earth.  It just seems like an ideal world to visit for a while.  

Q.  What do you want to be remembered for 100 years from now?

A.  I don’t think I want to be famous, but I would like for someone to stumble upon my writing and find something meaningful in it even after a century has gone by.  I think the ability of books to span time is one of their most powerful qualities. 

Q.  What is your favorite season?

A.  Autumn.  I love its subtleties.  It has a settling-down, calm feeling as opposed to the frenetic growing hustle of spring.  I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains and it’s really hard to think of anything more beautiful than watching the leaves turn color here. 

Q.  What inspired your book cover(s)?  Or what is your favorite book cover and why?

A.  In a way, my book offered a natural cover idea because it includes a strong visual image of Caroline pouring the buttons out of the jar as she begins telling stories.  Even so, I was nervous waiting to see what my publisher’s artist would do with that concept.  Fortunately, Britanee Sickles created a cover that is beautiful and captivating.  My book is also unusual in that each chapter has a pen and ink drawing of the button that inspired its story and I was delighted with how they came out as well.  Sarah Algire was the artist for those.

Q.  Tell me something funny that happened while on a book tour or while promoting yourbook.

A. Okay—I have to explain that while I like buttons and have come to appreciate them as little bits of history and art, I’m not a serious button collector in real life.  It’s been eye-opening to discover the world of button collecting as I market the book.  There are societies and competitions and conventions and everything else.  Because my book page on Facebook is also called The Button Collector, I get people asking me how much their buttons are worth and I have no idea whatsoever.  I do, however, invite readers to send in a picture of a button and I will write a flash fiction piece about it for my blog.  That’s a lot of fun. 

Q.  Are you working on something new?

A. Always, but I’m very superstitious and don’t say a lot about my writing until it’s found a home.   

Q.  Anything you want to say to followers of this blog or those that are just stopping by?

A.  My publisher just did an Amazon kindle giveaway for five days. As part of the deal, the book won't be available through other online stores for a few months.  On the other hand, more than 12,000 got a free kindle version of my book, which is very exciting!  

Links: 

• Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Button-Collector/368085843304765
• Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7021934.Elizabeth_Jennings
• Pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/carolinacatz/the-button-collector/
• YouTube  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYyVFPU3NxE
• Twitter  https://twitter.com/ejenningsauthor
• Website  http://elizabethjennings.com/

#MMBBR Highligh: No Perfect Fate by Jackie Weger

Cleo Anderson’s people skills are hesitant and her life broken, yet she is determined to leave her past behind. Alone is good and she is finding her way. On a whim, she parks her Play-mor in a fish camp in the wilds of the Okefenokee Swamp, where gators yawn, bears slumber, and snakes slither. The camp pace is slow, the owner kind, and the people friendly. Cleo encounters Fletcher Freemont Maitland and his goddaughter, eleven year-old Katie. Cleo didn’t know her life was about to unravel yet again, her heart would shatter, and that Fletcher Maitland would help her mend. But Cleo is about to find these things out the hard way. Both Fletcher and Katie will change her life and if Cleo does not learn to accept that life is bountiful and fate imperfect, she will lose both forever. 

Jackie Weger

I would rather write an obit than my bio, mostly because I'm one of the most boring souls you'll ever meet. I have been to interesting places and met interesting people, but none of it rubbed off on me. Some of those places and some of those people found their way into characters or settings in my romance novels which lends me about an inch of panache--on the table below the salt. With family or solo, I've traveled since I was about eleven. I spent years living abroad in Central America in little jungle villages absorbing the native culture and language. I spent months on off-islands and sailed in the Pacific with a friend until his sloop sank--not with us on it--thank goodness. I spent a New Year's in Montreal, a summer semester in the U.K and a few glorious days in Paris before returning Stateside to finish a degree in history, then it was off to Panama and Costa Rica. While my passport is always handy, I've settled down in Texas to be near my family. Since I'm sitting still, I've plugged in my laptop and started writing again. After an absence of a few years, I've jumped back into the publishing world which has changed dramatically. I love the changes. In the past, category romance novels had a shelf life between yogurt and ice cream, but with the advent of e-books they can live on the Web for years. I'm excited to be publishing my backlist. I'm working on a new novel. I live with a man, a dog, seven feral cats and go to Bingo on Friday night. The most exciting thing that's happened in my life recently is a cow wandered into my yard and ate my garden. See what I mean about being boring?