The day before… Some very sketchy looking bales of hay.
Her Mom-ness says kindness can be hard to find these days. Elusive. Rare. So when you find it – or it finds you – be thankful. And reciprocate.
I’m not sure what that means. But it makes Mom smile. So it must be good. Like the other day.
We were out for a looong walk. Miles from home, her Mom-ness and I met up with another dog in a school playground. We played chase the ball for a while. Then the other dog went home with her Mom.
After the last ball toss, I came back limping. Mom noticed. We were a long way from my nice, soft doggie bed. Our water was almost gone. I could barely walk. How were we going to get home?
“We’ve got a million things to do and ten seconds to do them.”
Rieden Reece is busy. He must save his big bro. His Mom. Himself. And rescue humanity from AI “integration” (think The Borg). As in, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. So no pressure, broseph in this delightful and uber absorbing sci fi adventure for middle grade readers and up.
Today we’re getting to know Kathi Macias, author of Special Delivery.
Where do you live?
Homeland, CA (midway between LA and San Diego but a bit easy)
*Tell us something about yourself.
Kathi Macias, author.
I was born and raised in Southern California (Ventura) and still live fairly close by (in Riverside County now). My husband, Al, and I met when we were six years old and grew up just a few blocks from one another, ending up as junior/senior high sweethearts. When we were in junior high I told him I was going to be a writer some day, so writing has long been my passion and my dream. I’ve been in the Christian publishing world (with a journalism background before that) for over thirty years now, with forty published books and many more on the drawing board. I also do a lot of public speaking, traveling across the nation (and beyond) to teach writing and to lead women’s conferences and retreats.
Mama’s terror-stricken shout echoes through the Warsaw sewers as Mama and daughter Helena flee marauding Nazis while the Warsaw ghetto goes up in smoke in this uber engaging and thoroughly absorbing historical fiction read set during World War II.
Having lost her entire family to disease and German brutality when the Sliwickis are forced into the infamous Warsaw ghetto, Helena hesitates when Mama tells her to run. But when the Germans grab Mama, Helena obeys. Running for her life, Helena soon realizes she’s lost everything. And everyone. Everyone.
Kimber here. Being all Magnificent and everything. Telling you about this really cool Young Adult fantasy-ish book Mom and I just finished. It’s called Within the Crystal Mountain. By J.L. Putney. And it is absolutely de-barkful! (Mom: That’s Kimber speak for “delightful.” Go figure.)
Naw….
Now. Most hoomans will probably think this book is about magic and some kind of epic quest thingy. Naw. It’s really about my new best friend, Scraps the dog. Yeah. Scraps. More on that in a min. So kindly keep your shirt on, Toots.
We were gonna write an uber-detailed book review complete with quotes, citations, charts, graphs, maps, popcorn, dancing bears and a floor show. Then we came back to earth. With better things to do. Like watch paint peel.
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Pour yourself a lemonade. Grab a chair. Sit down. Put your feet up. Breathe. And treat yourself to a stroll through small town Americana via this cogent and convivial look at events, people, places, and perspectives from a seasoned news pro with a 50-year career in newspapers. Brimming with warmth and wit, Jospeh Wore Tennis Shoes is part news. Part biography. Part trip down Memory Lane. And all heart.
The book covers the author’s 50-year career at Minnesota weekly newspapers with reprints of the best stories from over the years. Kovar takes you beyond the nuts and bolts of a weekly newspaper and into a wide variety of behind-the-scene stories and anecdotes. What emerges is an entertaining mix of Eureka! moments, belly laughs, guffaws, colorful reportage, and a few You have got to be kidding me-s. This collection may also have you grabbing a tissue or two.
By David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing, 2008)
Genre: Fiction- Thriller, Action/Adventure
Via; Library Book Sale
Pages (Print): 387
He’s lost beloved friends. His wife. And his daughter. And with two pulls of the trigger, Oliver Stone has become the most hunted man in America. Meanwhile, whoever thought a sleepy little coal mining town in the hinterlands of Virginia would end up like the Wild, Wild West? But it doesn’t take long in this David Baldacci page turner.
Well. At least “John Carr” is finally dead. But can the same be said about the shadowy “Camel Club” and the even shadowier “Triple Six Division of the CIA” – aka: the agency’s “political destabilization arm”?
Her Crankiness is at it again. That scrunchy face eye roll thing.
“Good grief!” Mom flounces. “Not again!” (“Flounces.” Isn’t that a great word? No idea what it means. But Mom likes it. So I do too.)
Now what? says I, Kimber the Magnificent. You know. The level-headed one. All even-keeled and imperturbable. (No idea what that means either. But it sounds good, huh? Can I eat it?)
Well. Gonna cut to the chase here. Save you some time. As in:
IF YOU’RE AN AUTHOR OR AN AUTHOR WANNABE REQUESTING A REVIEW, DO NOT DO THIS!! EVER!!
Can you hear us in the back?
Here’s what we mean. On the Sure Loser List. DO NOT do any of the following. Starting with review requests that send us to third parties. Like:
Dude. Dudette. Listen up. We’re busy. If you can’t be bothered to provide the relevant info we ask for in our Rating System and Submission Guidelines or Sample Review Request, then don’t expect us to bother with your book. We’re just funny that way.
Variation on a theme #2:
Generic much?
We get something like this on our In Box and it tells us:
This author couldn’t be bothered to spend 5 minutes on the blog finding out who we are, what we review, or what our bookish interests are. Also, we could care less about your Goodreads on Amazon page. Cuz newsflash, Cupcake: We’re neither. Hello?
This kind of request also tells us the author is too lazy to provide a decent synopsis of their work in the body of the request email. They expect us to click external links instead. Good luck with that.
#3: Other newsflash, Sweetness: This kind of generic request tells us you not only haven’t read our Submission Guidelines, but you’re also on a fishing expedition. Haven’t even bothered to check if your title is a good fit for this blog or not. Ergo, you’re wasting our time. Not. Cool. So off to the Big Kitty Litter Box In The Sky with you!
These kinds of review requests get dumped. Cuz guess what else, Cookie? We don’t have time to waste on authors who can’t or won’t follow simple instructions. There are plenty of other authors who can. And do. They’re way more likely to get our attention. Savvy?
Pages & Paws 