Stephanie McKibben, Author
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Happy Halloween!

10/31/2019

 
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Looking at what I did last year, I thought it would be awesome to do another T-shirt-of-the-day thingy only with better quality video.

Only, I don't have a better quality vid-cam. 

I totally need a better quality webcam. 

Pictures of my T-shirts also came to mind. Instagram feed invasion! 

But I didn't do any of that. 

First, my crappy vid cam made crappy videos with crappy audio of crap. 

Going through my old videos, I decided nope, these need a redo. 

Next year... 

...when someone gifts me a new webcam. 

And a new microphone. 

Okay maybe the microphone isn't the big deal.

But wait! Stephanie we do all our video's on our phones!

Yes, well, that is something. And yet, I think I run into the same problem.

My crappy old phone makes crappy videos with crappy audio of crap.

Fuck it. 
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But I do want to mention that over the course of the year, you guys have been awesome! Your acknowledgement means a lot to me. Even the thumbs-up emoji and nothing else. Even the I love your blog. Especially those grammar geeks who email me to tell me I spelled something wrong. 

Half the time those misspellings are on purpose, but someone's always got to point that out. :) And I still do appreciate it 'cause it means your paying attention. 


In any case... Love to you all and have a safe and happy Halloween! ​

P.S. Keep catching my spelling mistakes─your plan of making me a better grammar geek is working. 

Catch none of my T-shirt-of-the-day in October and November
on one of these media streams!

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Book Reviews from the Summer Reading Hamper Sweepstakes (October 2019)

10/24/2019

 
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Here's some background for those who are new. 

​I won the SUMMER READING HAMPER Sweepstakes and was given a boat load of books and got on twice as many author newsletters.

It was awesome!

But it's a lot like eating a Cinnabon. The sweetness is overwhelming.

Each book & author is given a chance no matter the genre. Beware, I like many genres, but there are some I gravitate more than others. Those with a paranormal, romance, sy-fy, fantasy or contemporary flavor will attract me first.

Then there's the book cover. 

If I find the cover intriguing, I'm going to open the book. 

However, the blurb is also considered.

Slow as I read, the books I really like are ones finished in a day or two.

This did not happen with the previous books I reviewed, which you can see those reviews HERE.

What I consider books I can recommend are books that interest me.

Take in mind, if I was not able to finish the book my tastes are eclectic.

​With all the different distractions of t.v., other books, games, and various activities for fun & pleasure, if a book is put down it doesn't mean the story is bad. It just means I was not interested in it and I explain why in my reviews. 

With that said, I have a few I can recommend! 

Books I Will Shove in your Face to READ!:

(So that we can talk about them)
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What the Cat Knew: Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator (Book 1)
​by P.D. Workman

I'm elated to tell you about What the Cat Knew by P.D. Workman.

This book right here is my shindig. It took me two days to read and for me that's lightning fast. I loved how she did. not. tell. anything. I also saw subtle nods to Discworld. 

She explained after the fact which is not the same as telling. It's exposition. 

The author showed us "Reg's" childhood in flashes that were significant to the story. While this is not always my favorite way of showing the past, this book did everything right. 

It wasn't "formulaic" but it hit all the high notes I want in a book. I can do mystic about something and not have a freaking care but the characters made me really like them. 

While I'm not "in love" with Reg Rawlins, I like watching her. I could grow to love her very much. The allies were allies and the one ally that you didn't know about was both an ally and a antagonist. 

​When I pick the book apart I see all the formulaic elements but it got me involved enough to forget about structure, plot points and everything else. 

THAT'S what a book should do. Drive me forward. 

What the Cat Knew was to keep me engaged, and I most certainly was. 

​I will be buying her next books because this series is worth the price. 
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Tales from the Apocalypse
by Baileigh Higgins

Holy crap! This was the sleeper for me in this round!

I have one tiny grumble. The ebook that was given to me did not have the awesome cover and only a place-holder with the title. Boo. I'll have to visually associate another book with the author because I AM BUYING MORE OF HER BOOKS. 

I no like zombie books. 

Since this was under the books I will shove in your face to read it should tell you the genre bias I have for this genre was overcome by the writing. Unlike "Icehaven" (click to see my review) these are normal people surviving the apocalypse Walking Dead style.

Gritty. Real. Intriguing. 

Being sucked into a book, going along with the lives of these people is exactly what I got and exactly what I want to do to my own readers.

Good Story Telling Transcends Genre

And that is what Tales from the Apocalypse has done for me. I can now look at other stories in this genre in a new light. Zombieland aside, all others pale in comparison. So, thank you Baileigh, I'll be looking forward to more!

Books I Can Recommend if your Bored:

(Or looking for some off-the-wall reads)
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Journey to Osm: The Blue Unicorn's Tale
​by Sybrina Durant

Simple. A little repetitive, but cute. I can recommend this because it's not your usual New York Times best seller and held my attention enough to finish. 

While I had some issues with the book, the story was good. It reminded me of the third installment of another unicorn story I'd been waiting for and I went and bought that one and read the last installment after this one. 
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Seducing Her Prince (Rich and Royal) Book 1
​By Jen Katemi

This one was also a short, simple read that had me flipping pages to the end. It doesn't dive too deep into the story, meaning, I could see a lot more twists and turns happening in the story to give it more depth but it's a dark side Princess Diaries. 

Because the writing is decent and the author knows how to tell a story, I read the first chapter of the second story. When I'm looking for royal romance, I'll pick up the series. 

Books that weren't for me:

Please take the tile of this section seriously. These books ARE for someone else. Just not me.

Additionally, I give you the reason why they aren't for me so you can determine if you might like it.

My honest opinion will show if our reading tastes are the same, and I'll pinpoint why you should just go read the ones I'd love to talk about above. 

The way I define books that aren't for me... but could be for someone else, are:

  • Books I couldn't get into and Did Not Finish (DNF)
  • Books I finished to see if they could be redeemed (good start, bad finish) GSBF
  • Books I finished to see if I wanted it to get better (awesome premise, poor execution) APPE
  • Books I finished, barely, because of the saggy middle. (SM)

I start with the status of the book, DNF, Read through the train wreck, stopped half-way, etc. Then I give a short reason why the status is as is, followed by a longer explanation. 

So, let's get started.
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Loving Me For Me

​Naleighna Kai
Status: SM (saggy middle)
Reason: Sentence structure, unidentified time line, continuity inconsistencies

First, this was a phenomenal premise, but I didn't tag it with APPE because I felt that this could totally be my jam with a bit of editing.

It was grueling to read, not because of the scenes but because of the way it was said/written.

Basically, the writing could have been polished.

Snappy language (don't confuse that with word choice of the narration) kept me going, but the time line threw me off so much it was a distraction. I stopped several times trying to figure out where the couple were in their relationship.

I had no way of knowing when a scene was, as in, if this was past, present or future in any given place in the book which left my sense of connection broken.

There was no true way to tell what was happening when. The story seemed to jumble around from time-line to time-line. Or, the author didn't go back and fix the continuity of the story and just said, meh... they'll figure it out.

A second POV of the sister was not necessary and went nowhere. Not to confuse the character progression, but I saw the character grow without her POV.   So it really, really was unnecessary. 

I skimmed the epilogue because I was just done. It was all happy and was the happy ending we all wanted but I couldn't pay close attention because I wanted it to be over. 

Sad, I know. That's not the reaction a reader is supposed to have. 

I was not impressed with this writing so I won't be looking into other books from this author. Unfortunately, there are so many good books out there. I want to stick to authors I love and not have to "power" through.

The time it took to read this book slowed my progress down for all the books. In the time it took to read this, I could have read The Phy series in the time it took me to read this one book.

But, I want to leave on a good note.

​This book was worth the read for the hero and how a woman should be treated. I liked the initial vibe of the story and at first it did catch my eye. From the cover I thought this book would be up my alley, but it wasn't. I liked the premise and would love to see one of my favorite authors tackle this type of story. It would have more impact on me if read from an author I adore. 
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Purple Kitty

Chariss K. Walker
Status: DNF (Did Not Finish)
Reason: too much back story, rape and violence

This is A Serena McKay Crime Novel, Book 1 and starts out dark, heavy but interesting.

​Unfortunately, I couldn't get past the rape, the beating, the rape, the more rape and more beating and the more rape. This was all within the first three chapters.

It's not that I'm opposed to showing rape, torture, beatings and all the bad things that happen in real life, but it becomes less effective when that's all that is happening within the story.

I know, I know, your thinking, how do you know when all you did was read the first three chapters? 

Well, I didn't finish because I believe in the promise of the author's delivery.

What's the promise of the author's delivery?

It means that more of the same writing in the beginning of the book will come throughout the story. 

Basically, it started out as a kidnapping mystery and went headlong into the MC's abusive training to become a detective. I think she was raped every other day from the sounds of it.

There was not one decent man in the book that did not rape her.  

It was dark, and I'm not in the mood for dark. At least not this dark. The cover depicts how dark this story is. 

Also, the main character was an introvert with psychological problems that I just wasn't into. 

If the main character gets over all the enormous things she has to get over, awesome. I just don't think I want to travel through it all to get to the main story of a kidnapped child.

Children in peril make emotional stories but going into the main characters background so soon turned me off.

When I did get to the point of the story that was promised in Chapter 1, I was no longer interested. 

You could say I had to exercise the demon of this book out of me.
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Annals of Alasia
​(The Collected Interviews)

by Annie Douglass Lima

Status: DNF (Did Not Finish)
Reason: Interviews of characters I have not met are not my thing

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So, this was weird.

If I'd known Annie Douglass Lima better and I'd read her book that this leads into, I might be interested. 

But nothing the characters that were interviewed did or said anything of interest. 

Interview of a Vampire this was not.

It would be one thing if this were something I got after reading and loving her book that this relates to, but I have not and it doesn't make me interested. 

This should be a bonus at the end of the book. I think those that love the story would dig this.  

For me, I was quite confused when I started reading. I didn't know what was going on and figured out ohhhhh... these are interviews of characters I've never met. 

(duh, The Collected Interviews) Maybe not looking at the cover makes me dumb, but it also shows me that shoving a freebie after a whole bunch of freebies doesn't make me want to buy your book. 

I count this as a "I must have a lead magnet so let's throw these blog posts together and send it out". 

Yikes.

Left confounded and feeling used, I did not get the desired effect because I have not read the book yet. 

My hope is that the author doesn't give this out first in her newsletter expecting people to be interested in characters they haven't met.  
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Dracones Primalthorn (Prequel)

by Sheri-Lynn Marean

Status: APPE (awesome premise, poor execution)
Reason: too much back story, conflict came too late, writing style could not hold my attention

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I skimmed this one after the point of what I call "no return".

Writing can only pull me in so much.

Phenomenal writing can make a story interesting but that's not the case here.

I felt as though the author wanted to show how happy the dragons were but it got to the point where nothing was happening. 

Props to the cover, just like The Dragon Collector, but I'm afraid this dragon story too has left me bereft and has killed my love of dragon stories just a little more. 

But I still have hope. 

If a 15 year old boy can make a great dragon story (Christopher Paolini author of Eragon), then I know there are others out there.

The search continues.

And, I will give Sheri-Lynn Marean one more chance with her other dragon book that I got for free because I'm hoping this was just a "oh  my gosh I need a magnet to get leads" type of thrown together story.

Because that's how this felt. 

I hope her other story will make-up for this one.  
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4 Readable, 4 Uninterested

So that concludes this round of reviews. 

Next month I'll bring you more as I plow through all these lovelies!! 

Even though I might not like all of them (and my blunt honesty might seems like I'm book bashing) I DO APPRECIATE what these authors are doing.

GUTS. 

That's what these authors have.

I'm evaluating the ones I want to continue with and those I don't. It's all a matter of taste.

I will say that they don't have to have a series in the freebies, but it does help. I look for writing style and story. 

Until next time...
...happy reading!

​♥ ~ Stephy   

Batman... The Only Show D.C. Knows How to Do Well

10/17/2019

 
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Blurb

In 1960s London, Bruce Wayne’s legendary butler, Alfred Pennyworth, forms a security company and goes to work with Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s billionaire father.

This, of course, occurs before Batman and the birth of Bruce Wayne. Thomas Wayne and Martha Kane have met but are not romantically involved yet. But we get to see the beginnings of the Bat computer and all the side characters involved in Bruce Wayne's life. ​
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First, I'd like to say that the gallery and live streaming on the epix website is wonderful. Go here to watch it on the internet webz: https://www.epix.com/series/pennyworth. ​​

Main Character

Alfred Pennyworth

Alfred Pennyworth is a boyishly handsome and charming young man from London.

As he was a special forces soldier in WWII, Alfred doesn't know how to reconcile the kindhearted boy he used to be with the calculated killer he was forced to become. 

He is instantly likeable with his respectful manner, polite overtone with a toughness that is often underestimated. 
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Love Interest

Esme

Alfred's love interest is a beautiful, theatrical, and clever dancer with an upper-class flair. She's a determined, skittish spirit with a bohemian air.

She's an everyday Jane with a confident air that is not haughty that makes me relate to her in the first episode.
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Allies

Bazza

​Bazza was in the same corps as Alfred and they are lifelong friends.

Highly proficient at logistics, he's a valued member of Alfred's team. He often is the "realistic one" of the three man group of Alfred's security company. 

I would say he's the most stable of them all with what they've all had to endure during their time in war. 

​He's also a dashing dresser, I might ad, and I gravitate to his calm demeanor. 
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Dave Boy

Dave Boy is a wiry, haggard, Highland Scotsman. An unpredictable force of nature and a bit trigger happy, he's a close ally of Alfred and Bazza.

He's also very strong and can handle himself in a fight (as expected by a Highlander). His first answer to problems is usually violence but I see him as lonely and having the hardest time reconciling with his time with the special forces. 

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Associates

Thomas Wayne

​Thomas Wayne is a clean-cut, east coast, aristocrat billionaire. He's imperious but honorable and impeccably polite. 
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Martha Kane

​Martha Kane is a resourceful, sometimes lucky, American spy who is searching for and end to an underground war before it is brought out into the open.  
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Antagonists

Lord Harwood

​Lord Harwood is an upper-class Englishman. Cultured, urbane, brilliant, a little mad and supremely sure of himself.

In Jason Flemyng's words, the character he plays is an aristocratic, arrogant, wealthy, pain in the ass, head of the Raven Society and far-right lunatic. Believing England for the English.

He believes in his cause and that it is just. 
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Bet Sykes

​Bet Sykes is a wonderfully wicked and sadistic villainess. She most definitely has a screw loose.

​She doesn't seem to have a conscious or thinks about things very differently than most anyone else. 
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My Review

My first impression of the show was the language.

I love the accents and the words they use for the everyday language. I have no idea if it's accurate for 1960, but I love it all the same. It's very different and yet completely understandable─not just "getting the jest of it" speech but presents new words and a new way of speaking (at least to me).

What did make my noodle twirl was the setting. I couldn't tell if this was after WWII, before, or if there ever had been one. There were horse drawn carriages AND cars (not horseless carriages but actual 1930's type cars) so I didn't know this was supposed to be the 1960s until I found the blurb. 

Still, I carried on and enjoyed the action, adventure and the ♥ story!

Arguably, Batman is the only successful show and movies D.C. knows how to do. 

Smallville was an exception.

Don't think so? Fuming and naming off shows that you love from D.C.? Well, in light of the cancellation of Swamp Thing, I'm going to stand by my argument that Batman is the only successful superhero D.C. can do.

Mind I say successful as it seems more movies and shows in the D.C. world are not as successful as Marvel. 

Aquaman you say?

Two words. 

Jason Momoa.

You have to be a hardcore bun-hating blind man not to love that guy. Srsly. D.C. done good when they cast him. He's perfect.

As The Dark Knight is what D.C. does best, Pennyworth came up on my radar and I said, "Batman? Hell yeah!"

But I reserved dissatisfaction because─D.C.

After watching the first episode, I knew they had a winner. Each hour of Pennyworth is a mini movie. Jammed with hardcore fighting, brutal realism, death-defying rescues, gruesome torture, all surrounding a love story makes every breath with Pennyworth swoon worthy.

Seeing the life of Bruce Wayne's loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth, with the kind of heart-wrenching action makes one forget there is romance within the story.

So yes, D.C. still "gets" Batman. ​​​

I Would Recommend This to Fans of:

Batman

D.C. Comics

Action Drama

Origin Stories

Secret Societies

Conspiracy Stories

Historical Fantasy

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To see more reviews on shows I'd recommend, click on "WHAT I'M WATCHING" under Categories in the side bar.

We Interrupt the Plan Schedule for this Giveaway!

10/10/2019

 
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The $400 Amazon Gift Card Fall Giveaway!

WHAT: $400 Fantastic Fall Giveaway
PRIZES: 4 – $100 Amazon gift cards
WHEN: Oct 7-31, 2019
HOW: 1.) Enter the Rafflecopter form HERE (You'll be taken to the website-scroll down for the Rafflecopter. 2.) ”LIKE” & “Follow” the sponsoring authors that write the kind of books you love to read. 3.) Scroll through the book covers below, find your NEW favorite authors, and get sweet book deals!

TIP: There is no purchase necessary to enter or win, but buying our sponsor’s books is a great way to say “thank you” for providing these amazing giveaways. We love our sponsors because they are so generous, and they love offering giveaways to their fans, and new readers like YOU!  The Fantastic Fall Giveaway wouldn’t be possible without them. Many of the titles below are free, 99¢, or deeply discounted.

For anyone new to these giveaways, here's the scoop!

You'll see the instructions at the top with the Fall Giveaway logo. The King's Thief wasn't among the clickable book links when I looked, but you can enter mine and other author's "newsletters" (I hate that word but it's the only way to explain it other than my funletter) when you enter the Rafflecopter. Make sense? 

Go here for more: http://ow.ly/hiCV50wEBqg 

That's all that's to it! 

Until next time...
...happy reading!

​~ Stephy
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Behind the Story of The King's Thief

10/3/2019

 
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Why I wrote The King's Thief

"You can write about dragons or about Chartan," my friend said. Johnny, a 5'9" slim ginger with storm-cloud hazel eyes and dirty blond loose curled hair nodded. "But I want you to write it."

Johnny pulled out a map of Inestra and pointed to the two references on the map. The Dragon Highlands and Quenarre. 

"What are the dragons like?" I asked.

"Intelligent."

"Do they talk?"

"They have their own language but it's not a spoken one."

"Okay." My mind furiously thought about the writing logistics of that. "Do they have riders?"

"They can. But that's like... taming a wild dragon." 

Hmmm. Eargon has that angle surrounded and whatever I wrote, I wanted to have my own twist on it. "Tell me about Quenarre."

That's when Johnny launched into the war between Randisar and Quenarre. Within half-an-hour I had an idea.

"What's around Quenarre..." and I was told about wizards, Inestra's magic and all the different things for the game they had created. 

This all started as Johnny's quest to build a roll playing game based on this world. He wanted a story for it and asked me to write it. 

I had it back to him in two months and at the time they were moving ahead with the game. But as the years passed, Johnny put the whole project on hold, indefinitely. That gave me the permission to publish this on my own and let others read it. 

So this all started as a collaboration of Johnny's world and still continues today with The King's Thief. I have permission to write more about Inestra and things may come about it, but as of today, things are up in the air.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I'm grateful because it set me off into ghost writing and I've written plenty for others. It helps me in my own writing and I love it!

Hopefully, you'll be inclined to take a look at The King's Thief and I invite you to download the book!
get your copy of The King's Thief
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Until next time...

...happy reading!

​~ Stephy
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  • Author S.N.McKibben
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