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Monday, September 3, 2012

Book Review of O N C E : Ask Me Anything, Not Love BY Author Mian Mohsin Zia

Book Review of ONCE Ask Me Anything, Not Love BY Author Mian Mohsin Zia

5 out of 5 Stars *****




Love is a simple word. Yet it directs most of our lives. Without its existence, humanity would be bleak indeed. MorkeI, or better known as M - - No Time for Love is a well-known novelist, whose books are void of women. Now M - -No Time for Love is being requested by his publisher to come up with a love story. At first the idea doesn't appeal to him, but then he travels to Kiev, where he meets the beautiful Maya and everything changes. Now M - No Time for Love finds the idea of writing a love story appealing, as he discovers the beautiful Maya might just be the right woman to teach him about love.

ONCE ASK ME ANYTHING, NOT LOVE by Author Mian Mohsin Zia is a journey of one man's struggle to find love. The sites of Kiev and the Ukrainian people come alive in this lively tale. Morkel's visit to unknown funerals and weddings was interesting and often amusing. Maya was refreshing and likable.

An enjoyable read by a talented author.

Book Review of Hewhay Hall By Author by Susan Roebuck






 
 
Hope. It’s such a simple word. Yet it’s what drives most of us. Hope for a brighter future. Hope for wealth, happiness, health. So when firefighter Jude Elliot loses a leg due to a bomb explosion, he has a hard time adjusting and suffers from traumatic stress disorder. But hope flairs anew in Jude as he discovers there is a place called Hewhay Hall – a place with innovative medicine and refined rehabilitation. It might just be able to turn Jude’s life around. So begins Jude’s quest to find the elusive Hewhay Hall. But all is not what it seems. For Hewhay Hall holds a dark seductive mistress and birdlike creatures. So what begins as a hopeful journey into the dark English swampland quickly turns to survival against evil.


HEWHAY HALL by Sue Roebuck is a true page turner. It held my attention from page one with its distinctive characters and unique setting. Then came the horror of Hewhay Hall and I was hooked till the very end. Jude Elliot was as likable as they come. Equally compelling was Tess as she tries desperately to find Jude. Miss Verity Slater was vile and fascinating. I couldn’t wait to see what made her tick and was not disappointed in the find.

HEWHAY HALL was a fascinating read that made me squirm a bit. I really enjoyed this horrific tale and would like to see more works from this talented author. Wonderful read! 

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Book Review Mi'kmaq Song BY Author Pat Cher

Author Tamera Lawrence Rates 5 out of 5 Stars *****

Mi'kmaq Song
Newly divorced, Maggie lives a pretty mundane life. Taught by her grandmother the old customs and language of her ancestors, the Mi’kmag people, Maggie lingers in her memories. After her grandmother’s death, Maggie finds solace in her dreams where her grandmother still regularly visits and guides her. Maggie depends heavily on her own special song – something her ancestors relished. But Maggie’s life takes an unexpected turn when she takes a canoe ride and finds herself face to face with a ghostly ship from the past. Escaping from the pirates, she finds herself back on the coast only to discover things are no longer the same. Stuck in a time warp, Maggie comes face to face with a new terrifying reality as she struggles to escape the bounds of slavery. But all is not lost.


For Maggie meets Abtatuk, a special warrior who aids her through her perilous battle for survival and fills the empty void of her heart. MI’KMAG SONG by Pat Cher is a spectacular book filled with historical prowess and a breathtaking view of the Mi’Kmag people. Maggie’s adventures weave magically throughout each page as she battles for existence using her wits, courage, a few modern gadgets and of course her special song. I enjoyed taking this wild roller coaster ride with Maggie and Abtatuk.


The writer did a great job of creating this distinctive world, which I felt firmly a part of. I look forward to reading more books from this talented writer. This is one of the best books I have read in a while. Great job!

Friday, June 22, 2012

Guest Post: Book Reviews – Self Published Authors, by Tamera Lawrence

Jill Elizabeth posted this on June 21st, 2012
http://blog.jill-elizabeth.com/2012/06/21/guest-post-book-reviews-self-published-authors-by-tamera-lawrence/

Today’s post is a guest piece by author Tamera Lawrence, offering her thoughts on the perils – and rewards – of performing book reviews for (and providing feedback to) self-published authors. This is a subject near and dear to my own heart for a few reasons. First, I too am a reviewer who more than occasionally has found herself contacted by a self-published author seeking reviews and publicity. Second, because I’m hoping to be an author seeking reviewers at some point in the not-too-distant future. While I’m still not sure if I will go the self-publishing route (it’s not my first choice – I still suffer from the snobbishness of a girl who longs to feel the warm glow of validation that only a New York big publishing house can provide), I’m not ruling it out. Despite the aforementioned snobbishness, I want my books out in the world too – and if I try and no one wants to publish them for me, well, then I’ll just have to man-up and do it myself.


If you’ve gone that route, or even if you’re just curious about the process of book reviewing, Tamera’s piece should be a good read for you. Enjoy – and thanks again Tamera for sharing your thoughts and experience!

Book Reviews – Self Published Authors
by Tamera Lawrence


As a Book Reviewer, I have read all kinds of books by many wonderful writers. Many are traditional books. But many are by self-published authors. Without the benefit of an editor, a self-published author can be alone with the editing process. A really great story can get bogged down with unnecessary wording. There is also the dreaded dangling modifier.Although writing is fun, it’s also a lot of work. Sometimes an author is too close to their story. The writer forgets that a reader needs to see what the writer wants them to see. Feel what they want them to feel. The setting, time period and characters and plot need to stand out early on so that a reader gets hooked right from the beginning. A reader needs to care about the outcome – grab onto a character and stay hooked.

Recently, I had to create a few really tough book reviews. I always try to find something good in the writing. Writers can be so sensitive. I certainly don’t want to discourage anyone. And everyone can learn. Improve. I am always learning. I find that the talent is usually there, but the stories are all over the map. I often have to re-read areas to figure out what is going on. Dig. Dig. Dig. Sometimes I will have to search through the manuscript just to find out the time period. An abundance of characters can also leave me looking to grasp onto someone, anyone. The other issue is that often writers tell a story instead of showing it through their character’s points of view. This dulls the story. The reader can’t connect with the characters.

I would suggest that a writer latch onto the many resources available for writers. If you can’t afford an editor, find a trusted friend to read your book – someone who will be honest with you. Reading groups can also be helpful. Sometimes putting your book aside for a few days or weeks can help a writer look at their manuscript with fresh eyes – often finding mistakes or areas that are questionable. You will now be able to see what your reader can’t if rushing through this process. And if you can’t see it then set the book aside again until you can. There is also Natural Reader, which will read your manuscript back to you. The Internet has great resources for writers – critique groups.

Every word should count.

As a book reviewer, I love to experience the wonderful array of books that I have had the privilege to review. Each writer is special and unique. There is so much undiscovered talent. The competition is fierce. So make your efforts count.

As writer I can benefit from my own advice. I deal with the same issues and always working to improve my craft. I have some great mentors and trusted allies. This support helps me to stay focused and to grow.

Don’t ever get discouraged. Get a backbone. And whatever you do – keep writing!

***

About Tamera Lawrence

As a child, I had a vivid imagination and many imaginary playmates. I read anything I could get my hands on and wanted to write books like Laura Ingalls.

In high school, I aspired to become a writer. But life for me took a different turn. I married young and had 2 small boys before I could blink an eye and began helping my husband achieve his own goals. So writing took a back seat as I concentrated on running an excavating business. Along the way, we had four more children, making us a family of 8.

Whew! Still, I wrote in my spare time, writing mostly poetry. As my children grew, I wrote my first novel. It was 150 pages long. I sent a sample to an agent, who remarkedly called me and told me I had talent. He said my book needed to be about 350 pages and that I needed to learn to polish my material. I was thrilled.

So… I took some writing courses, learned how to write, edit and polish. I met a teacher and author, who took me under her wing and showed me how to use POV as well as keep a story flowing. Her influence has greatly helped me in the way a college never could. “THE POND” was half written when I began my schooling and I finished the book in 2007.

I have 2 more books that I am currently working on. I would have to say that my writing a novel comes second nature to me and the challenge now is writing the perfect query letter. It’s amazing how I can write 400 pages of a novel and yet struggle with that one single letter.

But I’m finally figuring it out. OR so I think!

Anyway…God bless all writers.

For more information on Tamera and her work, check out her blog.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Guest Blog Post By Jill Elizabeth - The Importance of Shiny Things

Jill Elizabeth posted this on May 21st, 2012
http://blog.jill-elizabeth.com/2012/05/21/the-importance-of-shiny-things/


The Husband is constantly accusing me of being too easily distracted by shiny things. You know, those things that catch your eye and pull you away from the conversation or task at hand. I admit – I am highly susceptible to distractions. Highly. Susceptible. I have conversations that must be nearly impossible to follow if you don’t know me/how my mind works. I’ve have, on occasion, had to stop and track my own conversational connections backward, to try to figure out how I made my way to the place I ended up. (Incidentally, it’s very fun for me to do this, because I like to see how my brain connects things. It does not appear so fun for other people though – they mostly just shake their heads and/or look at me strangely.)


I can only imagine how frustrating it must be at times to try to talk to me – I really do have the most ridiculous tendency to wander off, intellectually and verbally. I like to think it’s a sign of a furiously working mind that can’t keep up with itself and constantly reaches out for more. But maybe it’s just a sign of a short attention span. Who knows. A friend once told me about a show, either BBC or PBS, that was all about the bizarre interconnectedness of things – I always meant to look it up, but never did. See what I mean? Either working too fast or not working at all. Sigh. Plus, nice tangent there, on TV, huh? Because you know that five seconds after I wrote that I had to go to Google and try to figure out what the show was…*


Anyway, I have a point here, and I’m getting to it now, promise.

So all this talking about distractability and the role of shiny things in attention-getting (and -keeping) got me to thinking about titles and covers – which are, basically, the shiny things about books. (Nice segue, eh? Admit it – you had no idea where I was going with this post, did you? Teehee.) Let me track this one back for you. I was at a celebratory post-dance-recital dinner with The Husband, The Step-Daughter, and The Step-Daughter’s Best Friend the other night and a random giggle-inducing event led The Husband to lean over and say “that’d be a great title for a story” about a particular phrase (which I won’t repeat because I agree with him and want to develop the story before I give the title away). That got my brain thinking about – in order – my own writing (truth be told, most things do these days), my farthest along Work in Progress (which has a great title that I think is perfectly shiny), my other Works in Progress that have good titles (there are a couple), my other Works in Progress that do NOT have good titles (there are an unfortunate lot of them), how hard it is to come up with a good title, books I love that have great titles, books I have that have great titles, books I love that have terrible titles, how awful it’d be to not have people read your book because of a terrible title, how good titles are occasionally paired with terrible covers, how terrible titles and terrible covers keep me from ever picking up a book, how many of those terribly-titled and terribly-covered books are actually very good and how I’ll never know because I’ve never picked them up… By the end, well, I had a post idea AND I was mentally exhausted.


If you’re a reader at all you know what I mean though. Titles and covers are key. Sure, the blurb is important too, as is the first sentence. Without a good blurb/first sentence, I won’t buy your book. But without a good title/cover, I won’t even pick it up to see if the blurb/first sentence have potential. What a tremendous amount of pressure and importance to place on something that is (a) probably only a handful of words long and (b) designed/crafted by someone who is not you (because most of the authors I know aren’t also artists – graphic or otherwise). But let’s face it – we live in a world of snap-decisions and judgments based on few words and even fewer pictures. A world, in short, of shiny things.


But how do you know what the right shiny thing is going to be for your book? Because the grab-factor of shiny things is a moving target – it depends on the state of the world, positioning in the store, current events, and the mood of the people shopping. Shiny things are why I will never love online books/bookstores as much as real books/bookstores. When everything is two-dimensional and flat on my computer screen, I lose the all-important (to me) element of tactility (a Jillism, meaning the tactile nature of things) – it’s harder for a book to grab my attention because all the icons are the same size, the same weight, the same depth. It’s also much more difficult to browse online. When I’m in a bookstore, I wander the aisles (always starting with new releases in the categories I like – bestsellers (to see what has been labeled such, not because those are what I usually buy), new to paperback, sci-fi, fiction, mystery in that order), my eyes skimming over all the titles/covers/spines until something catches my attention. Until, that is, the shiny thing pops. That’s harder to do online – and nowhere near as much fun. Scrolling is just not the same as trolling, you know?


I have no idea what I’d put on the cover of my favoritely-titled (yes, another Jillism – although seriously, shouldn’t “favoritely” be a real word??) WIP. I can’t take a word/theme/image and develop a graphic representation – if I could, I’d be an artist, not a writer (or not JUST a writer). I am not a visualizer – it’s not at all a strength of mine. I also can’t explain or quantify why some fonts, words, images capture my attention (i.e., why some things are shiny and others are not). And yes, I’m a dork, I’ve tried. So I’ll have to rely on the publisher (god-willing) and/or agent (ditto) to come up with ideas – and I’m sure they’ll have their own opinions based on market research, and I’m equally sure that market research won’t actually be any more of a guarantee of my cover’s shininess than my much-less-documented walking-through-the-aisles-paying-attention-to-what-I-pick-up method, because I’ve done market research in previous incarnations of my professional life and I know all too well what it entails (and what it’s limitations are).


Who knows, anyway. Maybe it’s all just serendipity… Maybe the connection between people and shiny things is purely random, experiential, in-the-moment-ness. It’s possible that’s the case with me, because I know I’ve passed by books on some visits to the bookstore and then picked them up on others – I must have, because I don’t always buy the newest books. It’s still interesting to think about what makes the shiny connection click though. Maybe if I can figure it out in the book cover/title context, I can figure it out in my conversational life too. Otherwise I run the risk of constantly losing myself (and others) every time I see something new.

Sigh.

SQUIRREL!!** ;)

*It was, in fact, called Connections – and it aired on BBC. There is also a quiz show – Only Connect – where you have to connect seemingly unrelated/random things. I would have cleaned up on that show. I always wanted to go on a game show – how cool would that be, to be able to use the random collection of facts sitting around in your head for something other than cocktail party conversation or marginalia? I used to think Jeopardy, but now I think this one would be much… UGH. See what I mean redux?!


**If you don’t get the movie reference, I’m happy to fill you in. If you do, well, you’re giggling already, so point made AND objective achieved. :)

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

BOOK REVIEWS: SELF PUBLISHED AUTHORS

As a Book Reviewer, I have read all kinds of books by many wonderful writers. Many are traditional books. But many are by self-published authors. Without the benefit of an editor, a self-published author can be alone with the editing process. A really great story can get bogged down with unnecessary wording. There is also the dreaded dangling modifier. Although writing is fun, it’s also a lot of work. Sometimes an author is too close to their story. The writer forgets that a reader needs to see what the writer wants them to see. Feel what they want them to feel. The setting, time period and characters and plot need to stand out early on so that a reader gets hooked right from the beginning. A reader needs to care about the outcome – grab onto a character and stay hooked.
Recently, I had to create a few really tough book reviews. I always try to find something good in the writing. Writers can be so sensitive. I certainly don’t want to discourage anyone. And everyone can learn. Improve. I am always learning. I find that the talent is usually there, but the stories are all over the map. I often have to re-read areas to figure out what is going on. Dig. Dig. Dig. Sometimes I will have to search through the manuscript just to find out the time period. An abundance of characters can also leave me looking to grasp onto someone, anyone. The other issue is that often writers tell a story instead of showing it through their character’s points of view. This dulls the story. The reader can’t connect with the characters.
I would suggest that a writer latch onto the many resources available for writers. If you can’t afford an editor, find a trusted friend to read your book – someone who will be honest with you. Reading groups can also be helpful. Sometimes putting your book aside for a few days or weeks can help a writer look at their manuscript with fresh eyes – often finding mistakes or areas that are questionable. You will now be able to see what your reader can’t if rushing through this process. And if you can’t see it then set the book aside again until you can. There is also Natural Reader, which will read your manuscript back to you. The Internet has great resources for writers - critique groups.
Every word should count.
As a book reviewer, I love to experience the wonderful array of books that I have had the privilege to review. Each writer is special and unique. There is so much undiscovered talent. The competition is fierce. So make your efforts count.
As writer I can benefit from my own advice. I deal with the same issues and always working to improve my craft. I have some great mentors and trusted allies. This support helps me to stay focused and to grow.
Don’t ever get discouraged. Get a backbone. And whatever you do - keep writing!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Thriller Thursday Guest — Author Tamera Lawrence


Today’s guest is Mystery Author Tamera Lawrence. If you love mysteries with a paranormal flair, then keep the lights on with The Pond. Trust me you won’t look at dark closets and homemade pies in the same way.

By Author Jennifer Chase
http://authorjenniferchase.com/2012/05/24/thriller-thursday-guest-author-tamera-lawrence/

* * *

Book Synopsis:

Twenty-five years have passed since eight-year old Carl Weber drowned in Gray’s Pond, and now one member of the Adam’s family has returned to Kimberton, Pennsylvania, to reside once again in the old mansion. It is time for Mark Adam to revisit his past, and for his wife Donna and daughter, Kim, to become acquainted with their neighbors- a rather odd old couple that owns the farm across the street.


Each day, however, brings strange occurrences- increasing paranormal activity, till it becomes agonizingly clear that ghosts of the past are trying to make their presence known. As the family delves deeper into the past, the future becomes more perilous with every passing discovery.
Book purchase link: THE POND


* * *


Jennifer Chase: If your main character was trapped in an elevator with three other people, how would your hero devise a plan to escape? Would they take any of the people with them?

Tamera Lawrence: Mike, the main character in this book, would never leave anyone behind. He would use every means necessary to make sure everyone was safe – even putting his own safety above others.

Jennifer Chase: How do you get inside your main character’s head when writing?

Tamera Lawrence: I allow the main character to rein in my thoughts sometimes for days or weeks seeing life and decisions through their eyes. I try to distance my own personal feelings and bring about my character’s unique personal traits to life.

Jennifer Chase: What’s your specific genre? If you could write in any other genre, what would it be and why?

Tamera Lawrence: I have always had a flair for writing paranormal or thrillers. When I first started writing, Romance was my first ambition. I have learned to interweave both elements to satisfy my personal tastes.

Jennifer Chase: Why should readers pick up The Pond?

Tamera Lawrence: If you like paranormal mysteries, THE POND should satisfy your appetite. It has a ghostly element and just the right amount of mystery added to the mix. I like making people squirm.

Jennifer Chase: What types of emotions will readers experience when they read your book?

Tamera Lawrence: Hopefully, anyone who reads THE POND will turn the lights up a little bit brighter…perhaps wonder more about their strange neighbors.

Jennifer Chase: Now, it’s time to play word association with your main character. Please respond with one word that comes to mind (in your main character’s voice) to the words listed below.

Tamera Lawrence:

Plot: murder

2012: Hope

Predator: Charlie

Giggles: Mikey

Rural: farm

Omnipresence: God

Thank you Author Tamera Lawrence!

Author Bio:

With a passion for writing, Award winning author Tamera Lawrence likes to entertain readers with edgy thrillers and mysteries mixed with romance. As a mother of six, Tamera draws on personal experiences to bring to life interesting characters set in today’s complex world. She loves meeting fans and writes book reviews upon request. Tamera also likes to play softball and clang out a tune or two on the piano.


Where you can find out more about Author Tamera Lawrence:

Blog:

Twitter:



Monday, May 21, 2012

Book Review of Strand of Pearls: One Woman's Journey to Light and Peace By Author Deborah Livingston

Strand of Pearls: One Woman's Journey to Light and Peace

By Author Deborah Livingston
4.0 out of 5 stars A COMPELLING READ, May 21, 2012



By
If the 1960's families stuck together even though it wasn't always for the best. Often to suffer
the consequence were the children. Deborah Livingston was one such child. Deborah's
parents were very diverse. Her father was much older than her mother and very controlling.
Her mother was young, innocent and tried to please her husband despite his violent
mood swings and drunken fits. And having unwanted children only flamed this reunion in an
ugly way - especially when sons were preferred to daughters.


As a baby, Deborah can remember breaking her mother's pearls. Her innocence faded as her father beat her. The hands that could be so gentle had turned into weapons of rage. This began a childhood of fear, confusion and pain. Being called "stupid" was a phrase often sent her way. Whippings were a common occurence. She was not the only one to suffer. Deborah's mother was another victim to her husband's violence. This woman had failed to protect Deborah in so many ways.

Emotionally scarred, Deborah grew up burying her emotions. This began a lifelong battle to control her roller coaster of feelings and learn how to accept them for what they are despite her fears of rejection. STRAND OF PEARLS is a heatfelt memoir, honest and intriguing as Deborah learns how to love, forgive and accept her fears. What a wonderful title so fitting to the emotional links in Deborah's story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this touching tale.

Nicely done.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Did you know that you do not have to own a Kindle Machine to read a book in Kindle Format"?

Well, it is true and so simple to load to any of  the various Amazon's Free Kindle Readers that they have available.

 You can load Amazon's Free Kindle Readers to any of the below progams RIGHT HERE!

  • Iphone
  • Windows PC
  • MAC
  • Blackberry
  • iPad
  • Android
  • Windows Phone 7
After you have loaded your free Kindle Reader, why not download a copy of "The Pond" by Author Tamera Lawrence for $2.99 PURCHASE HERE!


"The Pond" is also available in Paperback for $16.95 and be PURCHASED HERE!

You can also send a Kindle Formatted Book as a gift to anyone that has an email addrress!

See you learn something new everyday!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Enjoyable Read! "The Pond" by Award Winning Author Tamera Lawrence

"The Pond"



"Enjoyable Read!" *****
THE POND

Author: Tamera Lawrence

Since childhood, Mike Adams has had a guilty conscience about the accidental death of his best friend Carl. After arranging a play date with Carl at his home, Mike's family was called out of town due to a death in the family.

The Adams' servant who answered the door sent young Carl away in the middle of a raging snow storm. Carl's mom dropped Carl off on her way to an appointment, and was not scheduled to return for several hours. Carl decides to walk home. Carl takes a short cut through Fanny's Farm.. Thinking that the pond was frozen solid Carl begins to cross the pond, and the semi-frozen pond cracks. Carl goes under and drowns.

When the Adams family returns home, it several days before Mike learns of his buddy's death. Carl's death is not spoken of in the Adams' home and Mike's knowledge of what happened is limited to information garnered from conversations that overhears.

When Mike returns to the family mansion, with his own family, and begins asking questions, unexplained events begin to happen. After the occurrence of a number of inexplicable events, Mike begins to suspect that his elderly neighbors the Grays are connected to both Carl's drowning and the strange events occurring at his home.
The Pond is a rated PG tale of suspense. The lack of violence, explicit sex, and profanity makes The Pond an enjoyable read for young adults as well as mature adults.

The paranormal ending was a surprising twist. Paranormal and Fantasy are very popular among young adult readers. The author maintains suspense throughout the story by slowly doling out information.
"The Pond" available in Paperback Here and also available in Kindle Format for $2.99 Here!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Do you wait for your child to get inside the house of a friend?



Eight year old Carl was in the car with his mom on the way to visit his friend Mike. Carl enjoyed being in the company of Mike and at times that is all he would talk about. Mike this and Mike that was all his mother would hear.

Carl's mom was in a hurry for a Dr appointment and did not want to be late, so when she reached the house where Mike lived, she let Carl out of the car and told him to mind his manners and behave himself. I will be back about 6:30 to pick you up the mom stated and closed the door. In a hurry, she left Carl to knock on the door of his friend and before she could see if Carl entered the house of his friend, she left the area and headed off to her Dr appointment.

Was this the right thing for the mom to do? Did Carl get into his friends' house safely? Was anyone home at his friends' house? To find out the answers to these questions and to find out what happened to Carl you will need to read the award wining Novel "The Pond" by Author Tamera E Lawrence.

"The Pond" is available at Amazon.com in paperbook format for the price of  $16.95. Also available in Kindle Format for the price of $2.99.

"The Pond" can also be purchased at Barnesandnoble.com in paperback format for $16.95.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Book Review of "First Watch" by Author Jennifer Chase

"First Watch"


5.0 out of 5  stars GRUESOME FUN, May 9, 2012
By Tamera Lawrence "Author Tamera Lawrence" (Pennsylvania)

This review is from: First Watch (A Short Story) (Kindle Edition)

Welcome to John McGraw's nightmare, where reality meets unreality. This lonely traveler's life will be forever changed by the wail of a siren and an encounter with the undead. This spell binding tale twists and turns with a desperate need for release. Chase has a knack for setting the stage and keeps the pages turning in a frantic pace. This horrific tale delivers in both suspense and supernatural despair.

Well done and worth the read!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

"Wrecker"

In the shadow of the day, the tow man hides but at night he stalks his victims in his wrecker of death...

"Wrecker" coming soon.........................keep checking back for more updates........

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Book Review of "Wizard" by Author Paula G. Paul

MAGIC FUN, April 25, 2012
This review is from: Wizard (Paperback)

Fifteen year old Meghan is from the sixth century and sister to the famous Merlin. Meghan is a wizard, who prefers a wizard's wand to a witch's wand. For her own protection, Meghan is sent from ancient Avalon into the future to what was supposed to be eleventh century Amoika. There she was supposed to meet up with Tredwal, a friend to her brother and the boy she loves. But something goes wrong and Meghan ends up in 21st Century, America. The young wizard is stunned by the changes in the world, thinking new technology is a form of witchery. Professor Benton Kingsolver and his son Ryan, are equally fascinated by the young woman, eager to help her. What follows is an attempt for magical Meghan to adapt to her new life as she becomes modernized and sent to school, where she will face the many challenges of being an everyday teenager and fitting in with her peers.

WIZARD is a charming story of mischief and fun. Meghan's viewpoint into the modern world borders on hilarity as she tries to use magic to control situations with humorous outcomes. Dating current day boys also brings interest to the mix. I enjoyed this refreshing tale of a teen's struggle to find herself as she gives up the past to begin a new future. Well done!

Friday, April 6, 2012

Happy Easter to all!

 From Shyann and Grandma Author Tamera Lawrence!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Tamera Lawrence's Reviews > "Boy Who Dreams" (Destiny Awoken, #1) By Author Cesar



's review ***** (5 Stars)
Apr 03, 12

Read in April, 2012

Sixteen year old Jordan Fitzpatrick is a boy that dreams. Not ordinary dreams, but extraordinary dreams. Images of dragons flourish in Jordan’s nightmares, visions of school, death and sometimes destruction. But Jordan is also besieged by a terrible need to save something. He dreams of a shadow people and of mysteries. In school, he learns in Religious Studies how to meditate, to understand dreams and OBE – out of body experiences. But when his brother is in the hospital, Jordan has the strangest dream of all. His brother’s spirit introduces him to Lavender Shop – where Jordan discovers a scroll that is somehow connected to him. Now Jordan is on a mission to find his destiny and understand his foreboding dreams that are guiding him. A book about understanding dreams will help lead him through the journey. The more Jordan unravels his future premonitions, the more the past races up to catch him.

"THE BOY WHO DREAMS" is a well written book with interesting characters, dialogue and a vibrant setting. The writer has a wonderful way of describing Jordan’s surroundings and bringing to life the boys intense dreams and nightmares. Jordan is as likable as they come, struggling with his brother’s untimely death and also the average teen issues of fitting in at school and even bullying. The setting of the story is also enhanced by pictures throughout the book. Cesar has written a well-rounded novel full of mystery and intrigue that anyone of most age groups can read and enjoy. A remarkable read filled with adventure.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Best Ghost Pictures Ever


Some fascinating pictures that will convince you of the reality of ghosts

By , About.com Guide
 
They say seeing is believing. And while in this day of digital image manipulation that might not be as true as it once was, these photographs are considered by many to be the real deal - photographic evidence of ghosts. Faking ghost photos through double exposure and in-the-lab trickery has been around as long as photography itself; and today, computer graphics programs can easily and convincingly create ghost images. But these photos are generally thought to be untouched, genuine portraits of the unexplained.
 

Friday, March 23, 2012

Book Review "UNSPENT TIME OMNIBUS" by Author Graham Parke

"Unspent Time - Omnibus" [Kindle Edition] **** 4 stars
Reviewed by Award Winning Author Tamera Lawrence


Unspent Time Omnibus" is a wonderful collection of stories taken out of the creative mind of Graham Parke. With his highly adept imagination, Graham has written a series of ordinary stories with delightful characters and visible clarity. Graham follows up on his tales with insight into how he came up with the story line and his characters. His ideas come from images rolling around in his fertile mind, planting seeds, which grow to be harvested. Graham’s story of 'Carbon Copies' was one of my favorites with Maud1 and Maud2, two identical wives with a husband that needs to choose between them.
Graham Parke has a gift for creating quirky characters and bringing them to life. He managed to make decoding license plates sound interesting. I never would have guessed what Goki Feng Ho meant and would have never taken the time to find out in this lifetime. This author has a unique way of looking at life’s flaws and finding humorous ways to weave answers to the simplest questions. For instance in 'The Hunted' the question is asked, “Who is eating the liverwurst?” This ghostly tale is funny and makes perfect sense to my mind’s eye. What is even more hilarious is who or what is doing the haunting.
I enjoyed reading "Unspent Time Omnibus". It was different, unique and a lot of fun. Graham Parke is a wonderful author who dares to take the plunge into the 'what if'.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

GIFT FROM BEYOND


              A mother of all boys, I stopped dreaming about having a daughter after my fourth son. I didn’t intend to have any more children. But fate had other plans.

              So when my daughter Shannon came along, my husband and I were ecstatic. The only problem was for the first couple of weeks, I kept calling my new daughter, “Nicole.”

             The name just slipped out. It was the strangest thing. Even when I thought of Shannon, I would call her Nicole.

            “I think we were supposed to name Shannon, Nicole,” I finally told my husband. “I keep calling her that name. I can’t seem to stop myself.”

             “She’s got the right name,” he replied. “We didn’t even have that name picked out.”

               But still I repeated the name over and over to my daughter. I was sure we had given Shannon the wrong name.

               When Shannon was two weeks old, my mother dropped in for a visit. She sat and rocked my baby.

               “I just wish my mother knew you finally had a girl,” my mother said to me. “Oh she would have been so happy for you.”

                My grandmother had died a couple of years earlier. We all missed her. I would have loved to have told her about my daughter. My grand mom had known how much I wanted a daughter.

               “Oh, by the way,” my mother said. “I left a baby gift on the kitchen counter.”

                 I went into the kitchen and got the present. It had pictures of yellow ducks on the wrapping paper. I sat by my mother to open it.

              “Who is it from?” I asked.

              " I’m not sure,” my mother said. “I was cleaning out my closet, and I found it. I think it might have been from your grandmother and meant as a gift for one of your brother’s girls. But they’re all older now. So I thought you might as well have it. Open it.”

                There wasn’t a card on the gift. But when I opened the box, a card was laying on top of the tissue paper. I opened the envelope and pulled out the card.

                To Baby Nicole,
                Love
                Grand mom, Cooper

                  A chill ran right down my spine. Nicole. I stared at the word. My brother’s daughters were named Kelly and Taylor. No one was named Nicole.

                “Who is Nicole?” I finally asked my mother.

                 “I don’t know,” my mother said. “You’re grandmother was always getting everyone’s names confused. She must have gotten the name wrong.”

                  I opened the tissue paper. Inside was a pretty little sundress.

                  A smile lifted my spirit. I now knew why the name Nicole had laid so heavy in my thoughts. My grandmother was letting me know that she knew I had a daughter. Somehow she had connected to me.

                  After that day, the name Nicole disappeared from my thoughts and my lips just as mysteriously as it had appeared.

                   But I have kept the card as a memento of the moment.

                   My grandmother had managed to give me a gift from beyond. A gift of love.

Author Tamera Lawrence

How is the Weather Where you Live?


A freaky winter everywhere it seems! Hopes and Prayers to all the people affected by the terrible storms that caused such havoc and loss to many people in the South and Midwest.

Award Winning Author Tamera Lawrence!

"THE WRECKER"- my newest novel to be released later this year. This truck was my inspiration! LOL

Inspiration for newest Novel in the works.
"THE WRECKER"

Award Winning Author Tamera Lawrence
Current Novel "The Pond" available for purchase at Amazon.com in Paperback and Kindle Format.

Feel Free to Follow Me on  My Facebook Page!
Twitter: TameraLawrence1

Thursday, February 16, 2012

ARE GHOST’S REAL?


A nurse who gives invisible shots, a girl who likes to dart into corners and a man who still sits in the common room are just three of the spirits haunting the Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City, Pennsylvania. How do I know that? I have spent the past 2011 Halloween season working in the Mayflower building, 2nd floor and have witnessed the paranormal activity first hand.

Twenty-five years ago, Pennhurst State School and Mental Hospital was closed down due to patient abuse. Today Pennhurst has been turned into a controversial Halloween attraction. I took a job as an orderly working in the Mayflower building, one of the most spiritually active of all the buildings.
People are fascinated with Pennhurst and want to know more of its past and its present. Intrigued, I decided to do my own research. As a child, I had visited a couple of times with my mother and I also had an uncle that once worked there.

People want to know if Mayflower is really haunted. Because of this question, I began a diary of my experiences working in the Mayflower building.

Here is the first chapter…

             “Mommy,” a child cried out.

              Frozen, I blinked beneath the glaring light. A child? Why would a child be in the Mayflower building at the Pennhurst Haunt? The sound had come from the third floor. Slowly, I walked to the foot of the third floor staircase and shined my flashlight up the stairwell. Nothing. Just creepy blackness and the feeling something was watching me. My light fell on the ceiling above. Water dripped in the corner, where the exposed ceiling dipped. Paint chips hung precariously from the ceiling. My beam trailed over the window at the top. I wondered how many people had looked out that same window? Walked that same staircase?

             I moved back into position at the top of the second floor stairs. I stood quietly. I know what I heard. Could it have been another worker in the building? A customer coming up from the first floor with a small child in tow? I waited. Minutes ticked away. When the next group of people arrived, there aren’t any kids with them. And there weren’t any children for the remainder of that night. My thoughts flew over possibilities. But ghost echoed in my mind.

              It was the first night of the Pennhurst Asylum, located in Spring City, Pennsylvania. The old Pennhurst State School had closed its door in 1986 due to allegations of abuse. It had been turned into a Halloween attraction. The building had been left to rot away. Ceilings leaked, plumbing was missing and ceilings and walls were graffiti and chipped. This was its second year. It was raining outside in an endless torrent. It began raining inside parts of the building. Dripping became my companion as I waited for ghost hunters to come up to the second floor. Because of the rotten weather, customers were few and far between.

              I was an orderly in the 2011 Mayflower Building, new this year. My uniform is all white. White pants, white collared shirt, white shoes. I also wear a black bowtie and belt. I decided to wear my hair in a head band to give me a more orderly affect.

             Customers are given flashlight and were able to explore the first and second floors of the building, looking for real ghosts. The Mayflower was said to be really haunted. We were warned before we even started working that we would be messed with by something living in the Mayflower. Do I believe in ghosts? To a degree I do. Perhaps Pennhurst would make me a believer.

              My job was to guard the third floor stairwell from patrons who want to explore the rooms above me. The third floor was closed off for the season. Earlier in the night, I toured the third floor with three other employees. Darkness pressed against me. It was so creepy. I felt like at any moment something would reach out and touch me. Trailing the group, the beams from our flashlights created large shadows. Doorways were ominous, leading into forbidden rooms. I would shine my light behind me, trying to ward off the darkness. When the group rounded the staircase to start their descent, I saw a glimpse of a dark shadow cross in front of me. If I would have blinked, I would have missed it. Stunned, I hurried down the staircase, not sure what I had seen. But others had seen it too. In fact, a lot of people I meet over the next few weeks will talk of the dark shadows and of children, nurses. But I pass it off to maybe it was a shadow created by their flashlights as they passed through the doorway. I’m not ready to believe in any other possibility. I’m here to work. To learn.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy and Healthy New Year to you All!

Shyann and the Lawrence Family Wish you a Happy New Year!
Do not forget to buy my grandmother, Award Wining Author Tamera Lawrence's Novel "The Pond"

Kindle Format $2.99 PURCHASE HERE!

Paperback $16.95  PURCHASE HERE!