Day: January 17, 2015

A MelanieM Review: Angel in a Book Shop by R.J. Scott

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Rating: 3.75 stars rounded up to 4 stars out of 5

 What happens when a broken man has to trust in the impossible?

Angel in a Book ShopeJoshua Blakeman is a lost and broken man.  It’s been one year since his father died and now Joshua stands in his father’s beloved book store, trying to decide what course to take.  Chapter One is an antique book shop nestled in a quiet square a few steps from London’s St Paul’s Cathedral, it is boarded up with whitewashed windows and no new stock.  Standing alone amongst the stacked books and loaded shelves, Joshua is lost in his memories of his father and the past.  Chapter One is the last tangible thing Joshua Blakeman and his mom have left of his father and his uncle is trying hard to get Joshua to sell the business, especially the building.

Then Michael appears with a welcome cup of coffee and an offer of friendship and suddenly the future appears brighter and Joshua’s choices wider.  Michael is the owner of Arts Desire, the shop next door. With his rainbow pride mugs and his sunny outlook, he is the complete opposite of what Joshua thinks he deserves.  However, Michael’s constant  and supportive presence starts to heal some of the pain that Joshua has carried inside and soon Joshua sees that Chapter One and Michael might very well be his future.

But his uncle is pressing Joshua to sell, and other mysterious things are happening around the bookshop.  As the pressures mount, Josh learns that finding true love starts with making big decisions—and that everyone deserves their own Christmas miracle sometimes.  Even Joshua and a mystery named Michael.

Released around the holidays, RJ Scott’s Angel in a Book Shop is a delightful, hopeful story for all seasons.  It all starts with Joshua Blakeman, one of RJ Scott’s more poignant characters.  Our first introduction to Josh shows us a young man wearing his frailties and grief like a winter coat.  His thoughts are filled of his father, his love of books and Josh’s own recent breakdown.  Between Scott’s vivid descriptions of Joshua and those of the closed up bookstore you can almost smell the mustiness, dust, and the air of abandonment that hovers over them both.  The further we get into the story, the more we learn about Joshua’s history and background.  He is vulnerable, and very easy for the reader to fall in love with.

For most of the novel, Joshua is our narrator, the story told from his point of view.  But Josh is not the only voice heard from.  From the beginning there is a mysterious man commenting on the events and Joshua himself.  His thoughts and yearnings are dispersed among the chapters and scenes told from Joshua’s perspective. At first who is speaking is unclear, then the identity is revealed.  How you feel about this element will pretty much predict how much you will enjoy this story.

The character of Michael, the artist next door, feels less substantial than Joshua.  Joshua is such a strong character that it would take an equally impressive persona to offset him and I’m not quite sure that Michael ever got there for me.  Perhaps that was intentional.  There is so many elements here that require a certain amount of faith and suspension of belief.  I needed Michael to have more presence, more force, considering the story and events that take place.  But even while I felt that Michael was less than I had hoped, the plot and Joshua were so moving and sweet that I took both Joshua and his story into my heart.

I love RJ Scott and recommend Angel in a Book Shop to all lovers of holiday romance or those who believe in the miracle of love.

Cover Artist Meredith Russell.  Sweet cover, perfect for the story.

Sales Links:  Love Lane Books   All Romance (ARe)   Amazon   Buy it here

Book Details:

ebook, 108 pages
Published December 12th 2014 by Love Lane Books Limited
(first published December 10th 2014)
edition languageEnglish
urlhttp://rjscottauthor.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/ang

Down Under Showcase Author of the Day: Pelaam

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STRW down Under Banner sm Hearts

Meet Pelaam!

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Pelaam is a prolific author with over 30 titles, including a new holiday release from MLR Press “The Magic of Christmas.”

To get to know New Zealand author Pelaam a little better, she agreed to an interview. Look for the interview below and the Down Under Scavenger Hunt word found somewhere within.

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Living in clean, green New Zealand, Pelaam is a best-selling, multi-published author of gay romance and erotic books. When not busy writing she can be found indulging in her other passions of cookery and wine appreciation.

Pelaam’s book “Breath of the Feathered Serpent” is a finalist for the 2014 Rainbow Awards in Gay futuristic/sci-fi and has been given an Honourable Mention. “Bedazzled” and “Firebird” were a combined finalist for the Rainbow Awards in Gay futuristic/sci-fi 2013.

 

 

Author Contacts

Author Books Stories Down Under1 copy

Among Pelaam’s many stories and titles are the following:

Breath of the Feathered Serpent
Haunted by the Past
Captive
On Dragon’s Wings
Addiction (Dark Hollows Press)
Familiar or Not  (MLR)
The Magic of Christmas (MLR)
Horse of Bells
Dragon’s Lair

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Genre(s):

Sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal

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Contests and Giveaways:

1. Today’s Giveaway (thank you, Pelaam) is an eBook copy of “The Magic of Christmas”. Enter using this Rafflecopter link here.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

The Magic of Christmas: Blurb:TheMagicofChristmas_WD (1)

On a friends’ getaway in a winter wonderland, Jared and Casey discover real Christmas magic.

Jared joins his four best friends on an early Christmas holiday in a beautiful winter wonderland. He’s been in love with the talented and extroverted Casey for years, but lacked the courage to say anything.

Casey loves Jared, but despite his gregarious exterior, inside lurks someone shy and insecure and so he’s never spoken up.

Both men are about to experience real Christmas magic.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

2. Down Under Scavenger Hunt – find the Hunt word/phrase highlighted in green. Collect all the words/phrases from each author and submit the list in writing no later than midnight on February 1st. Make sure you include an email address where you can be reached. Prizes will be given to 5 people selected, from 1st place to 5th! Happy Hunting.

******************************************Author Qand A

Q Where do you draw inspiration from?

I can get inspired from a single image, a word or phrase, or a scenario. I like fantasy, myth, and legend and draw a lot of inspiration from there when searching for something to stimulate my Muse.

Q. Favorite genres to write in and why?

Sci-fi/paranormal/fantasy. These have always been my greatest loves. They give my imagination the greatest level of freedom when writing.

Q. Title or characters or plot? Which comes first?

I generally have an idea for a plot, then come the characters, and usually the title is last of all. However, there is one where the title came as part of the plot. That’s “Breath of the Feathered Serpent.”

Q. Do you have a specific writing style?

I’m very much a “pantser”. I can’t write starting at the beginning and working my way through to the end and I don’t storyboard. I write the scenes as they come into my mind. That sometimes means I have the end written before the beginning, and subplots can be completed before I have the main plot worked out. But it works for me and I go with the flow.

Q How do you think books written from authors in Australia or New Zealand differ in style, language, and culture?

We have our own way of looking at things, and our own way of saying things. I quite often find I have to rewrite something I know would be understood by a New Zealand or Australian reader, but I’m told wouldn’t be understood by an American reader.

Q. If you were a tour guide, what would you like a visitor to see and what impression would you want them to take away with them when they leave?

I’d like them to see the magnificent scenery, some of the beautiful beaches, and the vibrant cities. I’d like them to leave with the knowledge that there’s something for everyone when they visit New Zealand.
Q What are your current projects?

I worked my way through NaNo (National Novel Writing Month) again this year and reached my 50k target. Now I need to fill in some of the scenes and polish the draft before seeing if “Furture Imperfect” will also be published. My last NaNo effort was “Breath of the Feathered Serpent” which not only got published, but was a finalist in the 2014 Rainbow Awards for sci-fi/futuristic.
Q. Favorite quote (doesn’t matter the source)?

“We have a responsibility to stand watch over one another, we are watchers, all of us, watchers, guarding against the darkness. You’ve taught me that we’re all needed, even those who sometimes think we’re worthless, plain, and dull.”

(Dean Koontz, “Watchers”)

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Down Under Day 17: Featured Author Pelaam, AUS/NZ Facts of the Day and Contest Info

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Welcome, Pelaam!

It’s Day 17 of our Down Under Author Showcase, and our featured writer today is Pelaam.  Pelaam is an author of paranormal, magical and supernatural tales of love and romance.  Check out all their stories, books and bio on Pelaam’s Down Under Author page that follows shortly.

Pelaam marks the midway point in our Down Under Author Showcase.  Have you missed a day?  Go back and double check that you have made the acquaintance of each and every one of these marvelous authors!  And don’t forget to enter Bottom Drawer Publications contest on our Down Under Author Showcase page on the menu!

 

Now onto our Down Under Facts of the Day!  As our author is from New Zealand, that country goes first today!

New Zealand Facts of the Day:

1. The longest place name in the world is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, a hill in Hawkes Bay,  New Zealand.   That’s Cape Kidnappers to the right in Hawkes Bay.Cape_KidnappersHeaderImage130115

and

2.  New Zealand has more Scottish pipe bands per capita than any other country in the world.

Australia Fact of the Day!

1. The first photos from the 1969 moon landing were beamed to the rest of the world from Honeysuckle Tracking Station, near Canberra.   This story was told in the wonderful Australian movie, The Dish. The Dish movie poster  Catch it on demand or DVD.

2. There were over one million feral camels in outback Australia, until the government launched the $19m Feral Camel Management Program, which aims to keep the pest problem under control.
Saudi Arabia imports camels from Australia.

Australian feral camels, are feral populations of two species of camel; *Guess what day it is…it’s Hump Day”) mostly dromedaries(Camelus dromedarius) but also some bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus). Imported into Australia from Arabia, India and Afghanistan[1] during the 19th century for transport and construction during the colonisation of the central and western parts of Australia, many were released into the wild after motorised transport replaced the camels’ role in the early 20th, forming a fast-growing feral population.

Australian Feral camel