Literary Love

I'm happy to share my blog with with fellow member authors of  Rave Reviews Book Club   as part of the RRBC's  Pay It Forward Week. Initially introduced by author Bethany Turner, the concept of Pay It Forward is to profile, promote and propel another fellow club member to new audiences for the day. This month I have the honor of hosting Jan Sikes. Jan has authored four books about the journey of two people moving through adversity, growing and learning about life and love. Interestingly, though she uses fictitious names, the books chronicle her life and relationship with her husband, the late singer-songwriter, Rick Sikes. This North Texan incorporates bits of wisdom and hard-learned lessons in her fiction stories and hopes to reach readers in a positive way. Her titles include: Flowers and Stone  Nothing could have prepared Darlina Flowers for the reckless Texas rogue musician, Luke Stone, to come stampeding into her life like a team of wild hor...

Teenage expression via angst-ful poetry circa 1983 A little look back in time to my teenage years, my heartbreak and maybe a little bit of anger, too? Definitely a whole lot of drama! This was typed with an old-fashioned electric typewriter. Notice the correction of 'd' in the word 'heard' in the third poem. Back in the day we used correction film. It was a gummy-like transferable Liquid Paper on a small rectangular slip of plastic called Ko Rec Type. Simply line the little square over your mistake, depress the erroneously struck key again, and voila, the space was whited out. It wasn't perfect, but word processors for personal use were still a few years away.

One book is all I got to. Finding time to read was quite tough for me this go-round. I'm in the middle of revising my own book, taking a writing class and renovating a room of my house. Last night, I gave myself just enough time to finish Spirit Legacy , coinciding with the end of #FrightFall Read-a-thon week. I have to say, I didn’t have many expectations going into this book —Which totally had nothing to do with the author or any detail I found online about it. I just am simply not much of a paranormal-story kind of gal. I like romance and realism, and except for a few rare cases, I tend to avoid genre series altogether—though I truly seem to be the minority with that. Spirit Legacy is mostly what I don’t read, so I went into it merely looking to be entertained, possibly a little spooked, too. The writing style of E.E. Holmes was pleasant surprise. It was skillful, and a true pleasure to read. I fell easily into the story. Upon the opening, we immediately get a s...

Photo morgueFile/southernfried Ever wonder what it's like to serve Grand Jury? For more than 15 years, I have periodically received a summons to serve on Grand Jury. Up until the last few years, I was a stay-at-home mom, with young children, and therefore permitted to postpone. This past August, I was summoned once again, and truthfully, I was curious to go. It seems most people misunderstand what a Grand Jury does. Many asked me how I was picked and what kind of case I was on. There isn’t just one case, there are many, and there’s no selection process. As your civic duty, you are asked to volunteer (they don’t give up until you do). Unlike a trial or petit jury, Grand Jury is one of the first procedures in a criminal trial. These are private proceedings where assistant district attorneys (ADA) present accusations against defendants. After hearing witness testimony, in most cases, police officers and detectives, a Grand Jury determines whether or not there is ‘reasonable ca...

Fall reading So I'm about to start another read-a-thon with Seasons of Reading's #FrightFall Date: October 5-11 There's only one rule to #FrightFall, and it's that we must read ONE scary book (which can be a thriller, mystery, Gothic novel, or similar for those who are faint of heart). I don't typically read thrillers or any of the above types of books, but for this one week, I'm going to expand my horizons and try one or two. Who knows? Maybe I'll find new genre to love! My first selection is Spirit Legacy (The Gateway Trilogy #1) by E.E. Holmes This was free on Amazon when I found it, but Prime and KU members can read it for free anytime. I'm extremely picky about downloading free books, but this had good reviews on both Amazon and Goodreads, and the synopsis was appealing: “The Gateway is open...” These cryptic words wake college student Jess Ballard from a terrifying dream into an even more terrifying reality. Jess...

A little about what I like to read... Sucheta over on Scribbling Owlet was kind enough to do a Q & A with me about my favorite books. Check out the interview here: https://scribblingowlet.wordpress.com/2015/08/02/readers-nook-qa-with-suzanne/