First I would like to apologize to Sarah from St. Martin’s Press, author Tyler McMahon and you, the visitors of this blog.  In the midst of my personal tornado, I received a very enthusiastic email from Sarah asking if I would like to review this book, but at the time, I couldn’t but did offer to share this author with all of you.  And even with that, I am a bit late.

This is what Sarah had to say, “Hi again – I feel like you must be getting sick of me by now because I keep writing you about books to review.  But seriously, PLEASE, please don’t delete this email!  Give me one chance to share this book with you…

I work for a publishing company and recently FELL IN LOVE with HOW THE MISTAKES WERE MADE – a debut novel by Tyler McMahon – hitting bookstores October 11^th.”

^{And now we get the chance to hear what has Sarah so excited.  Please help me welcome Tyler McMahon!!!}

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TYLER MCMAHON is the author of the debut novel How the Mistakes Were Made. He received his MFA in fiction from Boise State University. His stories have appeared in Threepenny Review, Sycamore Review, and Surfer’s Journal, among others, and he has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He is a professor of fiction at Hawaii Pacific University.

You can visit Tyler McMahon at:

website,  Facebook, GoodReads, Twitter 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Laura Loss came of age in the hardcore punk scene of the early 1980s. The jailbait bass player in her brother Anthony’s band, she grew up traveling the country, playing her heart out in a tight network of show venues to crowds soaked in blood and sweat. The band became notorious, the stars of a shadow music industry. But when Laura was 18, it all fell apart. Anthony’s own fans destroyed him, something which Laura never forgot.

Ten years later, Laura finds her true fame with the formation of The Mistakes, a gifted rock band that bursts out of ‘90s Seattle to god-like celebrity. When she discovered Nathan and Sean, the two flannel-clad misfits who, along with her, composed the band, she instantly understood that Sean’s synesthesia—a blending of the senses that allows him to “see” the music— infused his playing with an edge that would take them to the top. And it did. But it, along with his love for Laura, would also be their downfall.

At the moment of their greatest fame, the volatile bonds between the three explode in a mushroom cloud of betrayal, deceit, and untimely endings. The world blames Laura for destroying its rock heroes. Hated by the fans she’s spent her life serving, she finally tells her side of the story, the “true” story, of the rise and fall of The Mistakes.

THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF SARAH

FROM ST. MARTIN’S PRESS, I HAVE 

FIVE (5) PB BOOKS TO GIVE AWAY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO

THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

DISCLAIMER

I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,

in exchange for my honest review.

No items that I receive

are ever sold…they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

I’m sure by now, most of you know, I can’t pass up a good mystery. That’s why when Rebecca from The Cadence Group contacted me to read and review his book,  I had such a difficult time saying that word all of us book addicts have saying, the word, NO.  But reluctantly I had to because I am so far behind, but I offered instead to share this fantastic sounding book with all of you.  So please help me welcome author Kurt Kamm.

I’m sure by now, most of you know, I can’t pass up a good mystery. That’s why when Rebecca from The Cadence Group contacted me to read and review his book,  I had such a difficult time saying that word all of us book addicts have saying, the word, NO.  But reluctantly I had to because I am so far behind, but I offered instead to share this fantastic sounding book with all of you.  So please help me welcome author Kurt Kamm.

Author, of Chasing Amanda and Megan’s Way, and who I now call friend, has been a frequent visitor here.  She has a heart of gold and adding to her already 36 hour days, she must have with all that she does, is now also promoting indie authors and I signed on to help her.  Today’s guest is an author she would like to introduce to us all.  So please welcome Mr. Dean Mayes!!!

Dean Mayes has been writing, blogging and dreaming for most of his adult life, in between practicing as an Pediatric ICU Nurse and raising his two children, Xavier & Lucy (who was born during the writing of his debut novel The Hambledown Dream). Dean lives in Adelaide, Australia with his partner Emily, his children …and his cross-breed cattle dog Simon.


The Hambledown Dream, a lyrical and moving paranormal romance, is his first novel. Dean is currently working on his second novel, tentatively titled “Gifts Of The Peramangk”.


He writes regularly for a loyal following at his blog Dean from Australia.

                                                    Music As A Literary Experience.

Comitting music to the written page can be a particular challenge for a writer. Surely, music has

to be listened to be appreciated it – right? How then, can music translate to a literary experience that is as satifying for a reader, as the music itself?

The answer is not as difficult to achieve as one might believe.

“The Hambledown Dream“, my first novel, is very much a musical journey, with the classical

guitar taking center stage. I adore classical guitar. It is a perfect accompaniment to any number

of situations and states of mind. When you are stuck in peak hour traffic on a commute. As

background music for a dinner party with friends. When you’re relaxing in a chair somehwere

with a glass of wine. Indeed, I have found it helpful when I have been sitting a my computer

writing.

However, I did not anticipate just how much of a challenge describing music as it performed

would be when I first began to pen the story. I grappled with the concept for the longest time.

Music is, obviously, an aural experience, whereas reading is a silent one, that relies on our

imagination. As a writer, the challenge in translating this very aural experience into a literary

one, is significant. One must be able to deliver an experience that is as emotionally satisfying to the reader, than if they were hearing the music. And, herein lies an additional challenge. How

does a writer describe a piece of music that the reader, in all likelihood, has never heard?

During my research, I knew that I wanted to feature classical guitar in the story as a device that

would tie two lives together as well as portraying it as a ‘character’ in it’s own right. From the

beginning, I consumed as much classical guitar music as I could, determining that I wanted to

feature three or four key pieces in the story. Just how I was going to describe them being played, was initially difficult.

At first, I made notes about the technical aspects of several pieces that I found appealing. Their

tone, and tempo, whether they were loud or soft, whether they were bold in their execution or

more introspective. But in attempting to put these descriptors into an engaging narrative, the

initial results were pretty uninspiring. They didn’t grab me in an emotionally satisfying way, so I

knew they weren’t going to grab my readers. I needed to approach the problem from another

angle.

It wasn’t until I happened across an album in my collection by Australian virtuoso guitarist

Slava Grigoryan, that the other angle I was seeking became apparent.

“Another Night In London” is a wonderfully obscure 2003 recording featuring Grigoryan’s

classical guitar in a languid, free flowing style. Part jazz, part classical, part contemporary, it’s a

more experimental example of Grigoryan’s work. You probably have never heard of the album –

am I right?

Within the album, is a three part exploration of Grigoryan’s skilfull playing in an enchanting

suite called “The Sounds Of Rain”.

Part 3 of this suite has long been a favorite of mine for a couple of reasons. It evokes the most

wonderful imagery of the rain. Soft rain falling through the tops of a tree and dripping freely

from the leaves. Pattering rain on a tin roof, somewhere in the country side. Long languid

afternoons where rain falls for hours and one can sit on a porch somewhere and simply be

accompanied by it. It is calming, soothing and it allows you to drift away. Grigoryan, himself,

plays the piece with a gentleness and subtle energy. He moves with piece, bowing his head in

concert with the rhythm he draws from the guitar. His fingers dance across the fret board as

though they are floating on air.

See what I did there?

In just a few short sentences I was able to evoke imagery in describing the piece as well as

impart an emotional accompaniment to it, i.e. – how the piece makes me feel. And, rather than

labor on the techincal aspects of the performance, I instead describe Grigoryan’s playing as

though it were a dance – a kind of ballet. We know he is a good guitarist, since I described him

earlier as a virtuoso. So his technical ability can be taken as a given.

I featured Part 3 of “The Sounds Of Rain” in my novel, right from the start and it became the

template for the way I would present the other pieces of music. For pieces that are more

renowned than “Rain”, I referred, subtly, to their origins as a way of describing them as another

means of ‘translation’.

For example, the famed composer Astor Piazolla’s “Tango Suite”, is fairly well known to lovers of classical guitar. I featured it in a scene where my central character is performing it in a Pub 

in the chill Chicago winter. By describing the suite in just a single sentence in the novel as”…a

piece that bristled with a controlled erotic energy of the legendary Argentine dance”, I beleive I

was able to evoke the imagery of a dance – the Tango – that is familiar to most of us, as well as

evoking a sense of eroticism, an emotion that is, undoubtedly emotionally satisfying to 99.9% of us.

A good exercise to partake in, if you want to write about a piece of music is to write down the

kinds of things you see in a piece. A place, a texture, a color, an act – so long as it is visual and it fits into the narrative that you are trying to convey. Add to this the feelings the piece evokes in

you. You can then work with your two lists and extrapolate on the themes you find therein.

Music imparts imagery and emotion within us. It fires our imagination and encourages us to

seek out more of those forms which we derive the greatest pleasure from.

For a writer, the interpretation of a musical experience into a literary one requires that we tap

into a similar sense of imagery and emotion and translate these onto the page, as if the music

itself is a character. In this way, a writer can present a musical journey to a reader that is every

bit as rich and rewarding as the music itself.

Dean Mayes is the author of The Hambledown Dream which is available from Amazon and

www.deanfromaustralia.com in digital and print formats.

ABOUT THE BOOK

SYNOPSIS:

Australian Denny Banister had it all; a successful career, a passion for the guitar, and Sonya – the love of his life. Tragically, Denny is struck down with inoperable cancer.


Andy DeVries has almost nothing; alienated from his family, moving through a dangerous Chicago underworld dealing in drugs, battling addiction; all while keeping a wavering hold on the only thing that matters to him: a place at a prestigious conservatory for classical guitar in Chicago.


As Andy recovers from a near fatal overdose, he is plagued by dreams – memories of a love he has never felt, and a life he’s never lived. Driven by the need for redemption and by the love for a woman he’s never met, he begins a quest to find her, knowing her only by the memories of a stranger and the dreams of a place called Hambledown…

THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF AUTHOR,

DEAN MAYES, HE HAS OFFERED A GIVEAWAY GALORE

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO

THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

DISCLAIMER

No items that I receive

are ever sold…they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

ADDENDUM

I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com,

Barnes & Noble and/or any other retail/wholesale

outlets either online and/or elsewhere.

I am providing this link solely for visitors

that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

I do not receive any monetary compensation from any parties

Author, of Chasing Amanda and Megan’s Way, and who I now call friend, has been a frequent visitor here.  She has a heart of gold and adding to her already 36 hour days, she must have with all that she does, is now also promoting indie authors and I signed on to help her.  Today’s guest is an author she would like to introduce to us all.  So please welcome Mr. Dean Mayes!!!

Dean Mayes has been writing, blogging and dreaming for most of his adult life, in between practicing as an Pediatric ICU Nurse and raising his two children, Xavier & Lucy (who was born during the writing of his debut novel The Hambledown Dream). Dean lives in Adelaide, Australia with his partner Emily, his children …and his cross-breed cattle dog Simon.


The Hambledown Dream, a lyrical and moving paranormal romance, is his first novel. Dean is currently working on his second novel, tentatively titled “Gifts Of The Peramangk”.


He writes regularly for a loyal following at his blog Dean from Australia.

                                                    Music As A Literary Experience.

Comitting music to the written page can be a particular challenge for a writer. Surely, music has

to be listened to be appreciated it – right? How then, can music translate to a literary experience that is as satifying for a reader, as the music itself?

The answer is not as difficult to achieve as one might believe.

“The Hambledown Dream“, my first novel, is very much a musical journey, with the classical

guitar taking center stage. I adore classical guitar. It is a perfect accompaniment to any number

of situations and states of mind. When you are stuck in peak hour traffic on a commute. As

background music for a dinner party with friends. When you’re relaxing in a chair somehwere

with a glass of wine. Indeed, I have found it helpful when I have been sitting a my computer

writing.

However, I did not anticipate just how much of a challenge describing music as it performed

would be when I first began to pen the story. I grappled with the concept for the longest time.

Music is, obviously, an aural experience, whereas reading is a silent one, that relies on our

imagination. As a writer, the challenge in translating this very aural experience into a literary

one, is significant. One must be able to deliver an experience that is as emotionally satisfying to the reader, than if they were hearing the music. And, herein lies an additional challenge. How

does a writer describe a piece of music that the reader, in all likelihood, has never heard?

During my research, I knew that I wanted to feature classical guitar in the story as a device that

would tie two lives together as well as portraying it as a ‘character’ in it’s own right. From the

beginning, I consumed as much classical guitar music as I could, determining that I wanted to

feature three or four key pieces in the story. Just how I was going to describe them being played, was initially difficult.

At first, I made notes about the technical aspects of several pieces that I found appealing. Their

tone, and tempo, whether they were loud or soft, whether they were bold in their execution or

more introspective. But in attempting to put these descriptors into an engaging narrative, the

initial results were pretty uninspiring. They didn’t grab me in an emotionally satisfying way, so I

knew they weren’t going to grab my readers. I needed to approach the problem from another

angle.

It wasn’t until I happened across an album in my collection by Australian virtuoso guitarist

Slava Grigoryan, that the other angle I was seeking became apparent.

“Another Night In London” is a wonderfully obscure 2003 recording featuring Grigoryan’s

classical guitar in a languid, free flowing style. Part jazz, part classical, part contemporary, it’s a

more experimental example of Grigoryan’s work. You probably have never heard of the album –

am I right?

Within the album, is a three part exploration of Grigoryan’s skilfull playing in an enchanting

suite called “The Sounds Of Rain”.

Part 3 of this suite has long been a favorite of mine for a couple of reasons. It evokes the most

wonderful imagery of the rain. Soft rain falling through the tops of a tree and dripping freely

from the leaves. Pattering rain on a tin roof, somewhere in the country side. Long languid

afternoons where rain falls for hours and one can sit on a porch somewhere and simply be

accompanied by it. It is calming, soothing and it allows you to drift away. Grigoryan, himself,

plays the piece with a gentleness and subtle energy. He moves with piece, bowing his head in

concert with the rhythm he draws from the guitar. His fingers dance across the fret board as

though they are floating on air.

See what I did there?

In just a few short sentences I was able to evoke imagery in describing the piece as well as

impart an emotional accompaniment to it, i.e. – how the piece makes me feel. And, rather than

labor on the techincal aspects of the performance, I instead describe Grigoryan’s playing as

though it were a dance – a kind of ballet. We know he is a good guitarist, since I described him

earlier as a virtuoso. So his technical ability can be taken as a given.

I featured Part 3 of “The Sounds Of Rain” in my novel, right from the start and it became the

template for the way I would present the other pieces of music. For pieces that are more

renowned than “Rain”, I referred, subtly, to their origins as a way of describing them as another

means of ‘translation’.

For example, the famed composer Astor Piazolla’s “Tango Suite”, is fairly well known to lovers of classical guitar. I featured it in a scene where my central character is performing it in a Pub 

in the chill Chicago winter. By describing the suite in just a single sentence in the novel as”…a

piece that bristled with a controlled erotic energy of the legendary Argentine dance”, I beleive I

was able to evoke the imagery of a dance – the Tango – that is familiar to most of us, as well as

evoking a sense of eroticism, an emotion that is, undoubtedly emotionally satisfying to 99.9% of us.

A good exercise to partake in, if you want to write about a piece of music is to write down the

kinds of things you see in a piece. A place, a texture, a color, an act – so long as it is visual and it fits into the narrative that you are trying to convey. Add to this the feelings the piece evokes in

you. You can then work with your two lists and extrapolate on the themes you find therein.

Music imparts imagery and emotion within us. It fires our imagination and encourages us to

seek out more of those forms which we derive the greatest pleasure from.

For a writer, the interpretation of a musical experience into a literary one requires that we tap

into a similar sense of imagery and emotion and translate these onto the page, as if the music

itself is a character. In this way, a writer can present a musical journey to a reader that is every

bit as rich and rewarding as the music itself.

Dean Mayes is the author of The Hambledown Dream which is available from Amazon and

www.deanfromaustralia.com in digital and print formats.

ABOUT THE BOOK

SYNOPSIS:

Australian Denny Banister had it all; a successful career, a passion for the guitar, and Sonya – the love of his life. Tragically, Denny is struck down with inoperable cancer.


Andy DeVries has almost nothing; alienated from his family, moving through a dangerous Chicago underworld dealing in drugs, battling addiction; all while keeping a wavering hold on the only thing that matters to him: a place at a prestigious conservatory for classical guitar in Chicago.


As Andy recovers from a near fatal overdose, he is plagued by dreams – memories of a love he has never felt, and a life he’s never lived. Driven by the need for redemption and by the love for a woman he’s never met, he begins a quest to find her, knowing her only by the memories of a stranger and the dreams of a place called Hambledown…

THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF AUTHOR,

DEAN MAYES, HE HAS OFFERED A GIVEAWAY GALORE

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO

THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

DISCLAIMER

No items that I receive

are ever sold…they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

ADDENDUM

I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com,

Barnes & Noble and/or any other retail/wholesale

outlets either online and/or elsewhere.

I am providing this link solely for visitors

that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

I do not receive any monetary compensation from any parties

Oh….so many good books, so little time.  Being an avid reader like so many of you, do any of you have a fantasy that you could be in your favorite reading chair, area and/or place and JUST read for months at a time. Nothing else, just read!  No housework, cooking, errands, limited sleep, etc., etc,.  I know, I do, especially since this year I am behind in my reading by more than 50%.

One of the books that I would read is by today’s guest.  I received a very cordial email asking if I would read and review her book.  After reading the synopsis, I wanted so badly to say yes, but then I looked to my left and saw my “requested review shelf” of my bookcase and knew I had to say no since the shelf is now double packed.  But I wanted to share this author with all of you and invited her to stop by, visit, meet all of you and tell us about her book.  So please help me welcome Barbara Forte Abate to the group!!

Oh….so many good books, so little time.  Being an avid reader like so many of you, do any of you have a fantasy that you could be in your favorite reading chair, area and/or place and JUST read for months at a time. Nothing else, just read!  No housework, cooking, errands, limited sleep, etc., etc,.  I know, I do, especially since this year I am behind in my reading by more than 50%.

One of the books that I would read is by today’s guest.  I received a very cordial email asking if I would read and review her book.  After reading the synopsis, I wanted so badly to say yes, but then I looked to my left and saw my “requested review shelf” of my bookcase and knew I had to say no since the shelf is now double packed.  But I wanted to share this author with all of you and invited her to stop by, visit, meet all of you and tell us about her book.  So please help me welcome Barbara Forte Abate to the group!!

Today I am so excited for so many reasons!!!    If you have been a follower for a while, you know what I think of today’s guest.  If you are new, then you are in for a treat!!  Vincent Zandri, my favorite author, is back and this time he is on tour with Partners In Crime Tours.   And not only that, there will be a giveaway of his latest book.  Just a warning…if you happen to be the lucky winner….be prepared to have found your NEW favorite author.  So please help me welcome back author and friend, Vincent Zandri !!

You can visit his website at www.vincentzandri.com or
 Connect with Vincent on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VincentZandri,
 on Facebook at www.facebooks.com/vincent.zandri?ref=profile
 and Myspace at www.myspace.com/vincentzandri.

Read my reviews of his other books:
Scream Catcher
Concrete Pearl
Pathological
Godchild
The Remains
The Innocent


Purchase links for MOONLIGHT RISES  or any of the above books:
  Amazon
  Barnes & Noble

MOONLIGHT RISES by Vincent Zandri

Published by StoneGate Ink

ASIN: B005HB16Y6
Genre:Adult Suspense, Mystery, Thriller
Publication Date: August 13,2011

At the request of the author, a PDF edition was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Synopsis (borrowed from Amazon):

“Life sucks. Then you die. Or, if you’re Dick Moonlight, first you die and then you live.”

Dick Moonlight is dead.

Really dead this time, now that three President Obama-masked thugs dressed all in black and communicating only with hand-held voice synthesizers pressed up against their voice boxes have beat the life right out of him inside a dark, downtown Albany alley. What are the thugs after? A box. Size, weight, description unknown. They also want him to stay away from his newest and only client: a handicapped nuclear engineer of dubious Russian heritage by the same of Peter Czech.

But then, now that they’ve killed him, Moonlight’s problems seem to be over. In fact, as he undergoes an out of body experience, his soul floating above his train-wreck of a corpse inside the Albany Medical Center I.C.U., he feels pretty damned good. Great in fact. To make death all the more sweeter, his one true love, Lola, is standing by his bedside. With her long dark hair draping her chiseled face and big round Jackie O sunglasses hiding tear-filled eyes, she appears every bit the grieving sig other. Nothing could make the dead-and-gone Moonlight prouder.

But then something happens. Something bad. A man enters into the I.C.U. Some young guy. He takes hold of Lola’s hand, and pulls her into him. Together, the two share a loving embrace over Moonlight’s dead body. Now, what seemed like a peaceful death is anything but. Moonlight wants back inside his body so he can face-off Some Young Guy and find out if his true love has in fact been cheating on him. At the same time, he wants to find out the true identity of those thugs who killed him so he can exact his revenge. No doubt about it, Moonlight needs to live if he’s going to uncover some pretty painful answers and take care of business.

Like a little kid dropping down a playground slide, Moonlight slides right back inside his bruised and broken body. Opening his eyes the white light blinds him. He feels the pain of his wounds and the pain of his breaking heart.

Life sucks, then you die.

But Moonlight rises.

My Thoughts and Opinion: If you follow my blog you already know what I think of this author. And you probably also know the two words that always come to mind when I finish one of his books are brilliant and genius!!! And you already know what the rating I will be giving this book….you got it….a 5!!!! Another winner!!!

But for those who are new followers, if you like mystery and suspense, this is the author that you HAVE to read!!! This is the sequel to Moonlight Falls, the one that grabbed me, hook, line and sinker. However, it can also stand on it’s own. Zandri. with his masterful writing, brings you up to speed with Moonlight Rises. The quirky P.I., Dick Moonlight is back with his unconventional investigations and sometimes outlandish one liners. Zandri, once again, takes you on a fast paced, action packed ride, filled with twists and turns that the reader never sees coming.

I have read every book that this highly talented author has written. Do I recommend him? ABSOLUTELY!!!!  

THANKS TO AUTHOR, VINCENT ZANDRI,  I HAVE

ONE (1) EBOOK EDITION TO GIVE AWAY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO

THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

NEXT STOP:  OCTOBER 30th~REVIEW @ TIDBITS FROM A MOM

DISCLAIMER

I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,

in exchange for my honest review.

No items that I receive

are ever sold…they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

ADDENDUM

I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com,

Barnes & Noble and/or any other retail/wholesale

outlets either online and/or elsewhere.

I am providing this link solely for visitors

that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

I do not receive any monetary compensation from any parties