About the Book: 
Dreaming Sophia is a magical look into Italy, language, art, and culture. It is a story about turning dreams into reality and learning to walk the fine line between fact and fantasy. When tragedy strikes, Sophia finds herself alone in the world, without direction and fearful of loving again. With only her vivid imagination to guide her, she begins a journey that will take her from the vineyards in Sonoma, California to a grad school in Philadelphia and, eventually, to Italy: Florence, Lucca, Rome, Verona, Venice, and Val d’Orcia.

​Through dreamlike encounters, Sophia meets Italian personalities—princes, poets, duchesses, artists, and film stars— who give her advice to help put her life back together. Following a path that takes her from grief to joy, she discovers the source of her creativity and learns to love again, turning her dreams into reality.

Buy the Book:  

Amazon – print
Amazon / Kindle – ebook
Create Space
I-tunes – Apple Store-ebook
Barnes & Noble – ebook
Inktera-ebook
​

​Melissa Muldoon is the Studentessa Matta-the crazy linguist! In Italian, "matta" means "crazy" or "impassioned". Melissa has a B.A. in fine arts, art history and European history from Knox College, a liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, as well as a master's degree in art history from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. She has also studied painting and art history in Florence.

Melissa promotes the study of Italian language and culture through her dual-language blog, Studentessa Matta (studentessamatta.com). Melissa began the Matta blog to improve her command of the language and to connect with other language learners. It has since grown to include a podcast, "Tutti Matti per l'Italiano" and the Studentessa Matta YouTube channel. Melissa also created Matta Italian Language Immersion Tours, which she co-leads with Italian partners in Italy.

Dreaming Sophia is Melissa's first novel. It is a fanciful look at art history and Italian language and culture, but it is also the culmination of personal stories and insights resulting from her experiences living in Italy, as well as her involvement and familiarity with the Italian language, painting, and art history.

As a student, Melissa lived in Florence with an Italian family. She studied art history and painting and took beginner Italian classes. When she returned home, she threw away her Italian dictionary, assuming she'd never need it again but after launching a successful design career and starting a family, she realized something was missing in her life. That "thing" was the connection she had made with Italy and the friends who live there. Living in Florence was indeed a life-changing event! Wanting to reconnect with Italy, she decided to start learning the language again from scratch. As if indeed possessed by an Italian muse, she bought a new Italian dictionary and began her journey to fluency-a path that has led her back to Italy many times and enriched her life in countless ways.
Now, many dictionaries and grammar books later, she dedicates her time to promoting Italian language studies, further travels in Italy, and sharing her stories and insights about Italy with others. When Melissa is not traveling in Italy, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is married and has three boys and two beagles.

Melissa designed and illustrated the cover art for Dreaming Sophia. She also designed the Dreaming Sophia website and created the character illustrations that can be found in the book and on the Dreaming Sophia websites.

Connect with the Author:  
​Website  ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Youtube ~ Pinterest

About the Book:
 
Title: THE HEATSTROKE LINE
Author: Edward L. Rubin
Publisher: Sunbury Press
Pages: 223
Genre: Scifi/Cli-Fi (Climate Change Science Fiction)
Nothing has been done to prevent climate change, and the United States has spun into decline.   Storm surges have made coastal cities uninhabitable, blistering heat waves afflict the interior and, in the South (below the Heatstroke Line), life is barely possible.  Under the stress of these events and an ensuing civil war, the nation has broken up into three smaller successor states and tens of tiny principalities.  When the flesh-eating bugs that inhabit the South show up in one of the successor states, Daniel Danten is assigned to venture below the Heatstroke Line and investigate the source of the invasion.  The bizarre and brutal people he encounters, and the disasters that they trigger, reveal the real horror climate change has inflicted on America.  

BUYING INFORMATION:
Amazon | Sunbury Press  | Walmart | B&N




Review: 
Dr. Daniel Danten is an entomologist in Mountain America.  In the future, climate change has hit hard and most of what was once the United States is now far too warm for humans to live and thrive in; they are below the heatstroke line.  Countries in the northern latitudes, such as Canada, are now in power are.  Dan studies one of the bugs that has become a major problem below the heatstroke line, biter bugs- giant insects that have evolved a taste for animal flesh, including humans. Until recently, Dan has been happy at his job that supports his wife, a food inspector, and three children.  Now, Dan feels the need to do some serious research into controlling the biter bugs instead of simply studying their evolution.  When he asks the government about this line of research, Dan is surprised at how quickly they agree.  However, when Dan is scheduled to travel to the Confederacies for his research, tragedy strikes.  Dan and his colleagues are kidnapped for his knowledge of the biter bugs and  Dan is forced to work on an alternate plan for the biter bugs in order to help the Confederacies. 


I have always been interested in books that deal with the very real and present issue of climate change.  The Heatstroke Line takes on this issue headfirst.  The world that Rubin has built after the climate has changed is realistic and interesting.  I was intrigued to explore the new world where the USA was no longer a world power due to wars over temperate and arable land; however humans persisted, maybe not in as high numbers, but persisted.  Among other important changes in the way people live, food production, cooling, and the change in landscape after the climate warmed, the evolution of insects was one of the main issues, and a dangerous one.  As an environmental scientist, this peaked my interest since human interaction with insects will definitely be an issue with climate change.  I enjoyed reading about Dr. Danten's studies and plans for the biter bugs; however, there was a lot of science, research and entomology included, which  might be heavy for some readers. The excitement did ramp up when Dan was kidnapped, conspiracy, political intrigue and survival were paired with the contrast of Dan's residence with a family in the Confederacies where he begins to care for their daughters.  Overall, a very interesting and science driven look at a possible future if our habits do not change. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Author
 
Edward Rubin is University Professor of Law and Political Science at Vanderbilt University.  He specializes in administrative law, constitutional law and legal theory. He is the author of Soul, Self and Society:  The New Morality and the Modern State (Oxford, 2015); Beyond Camelot:  Rethinking Politics and Law for the Modern State (Princeton, 2005) and two books with Malcolm Feeley, Federalism:  Political Identity and Tragic Compromise (Michigan, 2011) and Judicial Policy Making and the Modern State:  How the Courts Reformed America's Prisons (Cambridge, 1998).  In addition, he is the author of two casebooks, The Regulatory State (with Lisa Bressman and Kevin Stack) (2nd ed., 2013); The Payments System (with Robert Cooter) (West, 1990), three edited volumes (one forthcoming) and The Heatstroke Line (Sunbury, 2015) a science fiction novel about the fate of the United States if climate change is not brought under control. Professor Rubin joined Vanderbilt Law School as Dean and the first John Wade–Kent Syverud Professor of Law in July 2005, serving a four-year term that ended in June 2009. Previously, he taught at the University of Pennsylvania Law School from 1998 to 2005, and at the Berkeley School of Law from 1982 to 1998, where he served as an associate dean. Professor Rubin has been chair of the Association of American Law Schools' sections on Administrative Law and Socioeconomics and of its Committee on the Curriculum. He has served as a consultant to the People's Republic of China on administrative law and to the Russian Federation on payments law. He received his undergraduate degree from Princeton and his law degree from Yale.
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He has published four books, three edited volumes, two casebooks, and more than one hundred articles about various aspects of law and political theory. The Heatstroke Line is his first novel.
 
Website & Social Links:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Read an Excerpt:
(Excerpted from Chapter 8)
 
They were in some sort of garage, with several other vehicles and various pieces of equipment scattered around.  The two men who stood beside them, watching, were the ones who had taken him out of the auto-car, one white, one black, both very big.  Three people approached from a doorway to Dan’s right.  In front was an attractive woman with blond hair, wearing an elegant leopard print dress and the long, pointed shoes that were the latest fashion.  Behind her stood a man and a woman, both much bigger, and dressed in work clothes like the two men who were guarding them.
            The woman in the leopard dress looked at her wristlink, then at Dan and Stuart, and smiled at them in self-satisfied manner.  She motioned to the woman beside her and then to one of the two guards, and they led Stuart, still complaining about his arm, through the doorway they had come from.  Then she turned toward Dan and motioned to the man beside her and the other guard, who grabbed Dan’s arms and started to lead him toward the same doorway.

About the Book:
 
Title: SQUIRREL SUPERHIGHWAY: IT’S GOOD TO BE A DOG
Author: Anna C. Morrison
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing
Pages: 16
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Squirrel Superhighway features a dog on a self-discovery mission who is surrounded by many graceful squirrels. This is a vocabulary booster in a series of feel-good stories for children of all ages and those who read with and to them. The story includes squirrels, more squirrels, even more squirrels, and a dog who wants to be a squirrel!
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble


Review:

Duke the dog watches the squirrels scurry about high above him in the trees.  They look like they are having so much fun running back and forth and up and down on their squirrel superhighway.  Duke wishes he could join them!  However, Duke can't climb a tree or speak squirrel.  He tries his best to help the squirrels collect their acorns, but at the end of the day Duke realizes he is happiest being a dog.  

A fun and imaginative story that is not only about being happy with yourself, but learning about others.  Through spending the day with the squirrels, Duke goes from wishing he could be like a squirrel to doing his best to help the squirrels and then accepting that he is best at being a dog.  The drawings are whimsical and showcase abundant nature, cute squirrels and dogs.  A good lesson and story to read to young children ages 1-5, especially if they are animal lovers.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.  

 
About the Author
Anna C. Morrison is an author of children’s books, including Silly Moments and Green Gooey Goop, with many more to follow.  She is also an adjunct professor for multiple colleges and universities, both face-to-face and online.  While she instructs various levels of English composition, she also teaches classes on literature, film, feature writing, and technical writing, among others.  In addition, she has worked with Adapt Courseware as a writing consultant on three video course projects, including college skills and composition.  Anna received her MFA in Writing from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, and her BA in English, Creative Writing, from California State University, San Bernardino.  Anna is an active member of SCBWI and is available for book signings.  She lives in Southern California with her family and pets.   
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK  |  GOODREADS

About the Book:

Publication Date: February 21, 2017
Lake Union Publishing
eBook & Paperback; 442 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Medieval Romance


Greenland, AD 1000
More than her fiery hair marks Freydís as the daughter of Erik the Red; her hot temper and fierce pride are as formidable as her Viking father’s. And so, too, is her devotion to the great god Thor, which puts her at odds with those in power—including her own brother, the zealous Leif Eriksson. Determined to forge her own path, she defies her family’s fury and clings to her dream of sailing away to live on her own terms, with or without the support of her husband.
New Hampshire, 2016
Like her Icelandic ancestors, history professor Emma Moretti is a passionate defender of Norse mythology. But in a small town steeped in traditional values, her cultural beliefs could jeopardize both her academic career and her congressman father’s reelection. Torn between public expectation and personal identity, family and faith, she must choose which to honor and which to abandon.
In a dramatic, sweeping dual narrative that spans a millennium, two women struggle against communities determined to silence them, but neither Freydís nor Emma intends to give up without a fight.
Amazon

Review: 
Freydís is the daughter of Erik the Red in 1000 AD Greenland.  Much like her father and brothers, she is fiery and passionate.  However, Freydís is passionate about the old gods while Christianity is spreading throughout her people and her family.  Freydís' devotion to Thor now marks her as different.  She is still determined to make her own fate and practice in her own way, regardless of her brother's or husband's wishes.  When the opportunity arises to sail away to Vinland with a man who shares her beliefs, Freydís takes the opportunity to follow her own path.  A thousand years later, Emma Moretti has found her path within the Heathen religion of her Icelandic ancestors.  Although she has kept her faith a secret since it will likely ruin her father's election chances.  Congressman Moretti has run on the platform of Christian family values every election cycle and it hasn't failed him yet.  Emma has moved back home this election cycle and has taken an adjunct professor job at the college.  Through her class, her faith is revealed and threatens to destroy her and her family. 



As a lover of dual time stories, I enjoyed reading about the parallels of Freydís' and Emma's lives one thousand years apart. Emma and Freydís are strong women that show immense courage, they are both true to themselves while trying to live up to their family's wishes.  Both women are strong in their faith, even in times of turmoil.  I did not know much about the time of Erik the Red and Leif Erikson's voyage other than that it happened, so I enjoyed reading about the journey from Freydís' point of view.  I was surprised to learn about the switch in religion in Greenland and Iceland in 1000 AD  to Christianity and away from the gods and goddesses.  I was also curious about the rise of the worship of old Norse gods in present day.  From both sides of history, religion and religious freedom are strong themes.  Usually in dual time stories, I am pulled further into one story than the other.  In this case, I was pulled further into Emma's plight at first and then Freydís' plight later.  I felt more for Freydís's struggle with religion as everyone else turned towards the newer Christianity and she was losing her family.  At the same time, Freydís had more freedom with her relationships and was even able to have a relationship outside of her marriage.  I felt more for Emma's struggle when her hiding her religion was costing her a chance at romance.  Emma's story picked up again for me near the end when she became free in her beliefs.  Overall, a wonderful mix of historical fiction and contemporary fictions that compares women's struggles and religious persecution through time.  While a lot has changed for the better, Emma and Freydís's stories of courage and standing up for their rights still emanate today.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​About the Author
Amalia Carosella graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelors degree in Classical Studies and English. An avid reader and former bookseller, she writes about old heroes and older gods. She lives with her husband in upstate New York and dreams of the day she will own goats (and maybe even a horse, too). For more information, visit her blog at www.amaliacarosella.com.
She also writes myth-steeped fantasy and paranormal romance under the name Amalia Dillin. Learn more about her other works at www.amaliadillin.com.
You can connect with Amalia Carosella on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and Google+. Sign up for her newsletter, The Amaliad, for news and updates.

About the Book: 
​
A tragic accident. A family in crisis. And a killer watching every move.

Five months after the mysterious death of his wife, Stephen Porter is pulled from a dreamless sleep by a midnight phone call. His 17-year-old daughter Sara is stranded in a blizzard near the top of a mountain beyond their suburban home. She's terrified and unable to stop crying as she begs him to come to her rescue.

Unfortunately Stephen went to bed just an hour before after a night of binge drinking. With his blurred vision and unsteady balance he knows it’s dangerously irresponsible to get behind the wheel. But he heads out into the snowstorm to bring Sara home.

High school teacher Kieran O’Shea is also behind the wheel, searching for his autistic younger brother Aidan, who is wandering aimlessly through the storm on that same mountain. Kieran is terrified—of the voices in his mind, that Aidan will be taken from him, and that he may soon be arrested for murdering three women.

In a matter of minutes Stephen will encounter Kieran and drive headlong into a collision that will force him to unlock the secret of his wife’s death, avoid prosecution, and protect his children from violence that hits all too close to home.  


Review: 

   ​Stephen Porter has just heard some terrible news about the insurance claim concerning his wife's death.  He begins a night a binge drinking knowing that his son, Kenneth is safely in his room nursing a black eye after upsetting the school the school hot-head and his daughter, Sara is supposedly a few houses away in their cul-de-sac sleeping over at her friend Madison's house.  However, when the weather begins to turn and the roads turn to ice, Stephen receives a call from Sara saying she is stranded on Rolling Road at a teacher's house and near the site of her mother's death, Stephen begins to panic.  Eventually, he decides to go save his daughter himself even though he is a little buzzed.  Stephen doesn't know that Aiden, the autistic younger brother of the teacher she was visiting is lost outside in the dark that night.  When the collision inevitably happens, Stephen opens up a can of worms concerning the death of his wife, the death of three other women that died similarly, and the troubled mind of teacher, Kieran O'Shea.


This is the type of thriller where you just have to go along for the ride.  Every time that I thought I had an idea of where the author was going with the story, there was a new twist.  The suspense of the story is layered through carefully guarded secrets of many of the town's inhabitants.  Secrets, the fact that we will do anything for our children and the struggle between good vs. evil were central themes.  I do like that in many of the characters, there was a grey area between good and bad.  Characters that I thought that I had pegged turned out to be someone different.  Sara's teacher, Kieran turned out to be one of the most interesting characters, he was not exactly who I thought, but still harbored evil within.  His relationship with Sara was something I'm still having trouble with, it seems like either Sara or Kieran should be smart enough to stop a romance that is asking for trouble.  I also wish that Kieran's life was explored a little more; there was some back story, but it seemed like his story could have gone further.  I can't say much more without giving things away, but in the end I was thoroughly surprised at how everything came out with a bang.  I do wonder if anyone else in the town is alive afterwards and I truly wondered about the fate of Kieran and Stephen.  Overall, an intense thriller that has a lot going on and will keep you guessing until the end. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

About the Book: 
​
One girl.  Two guys.  It's complicated. And hot.

First there is Isaac, the ex-boyfriend who threatens her move to a sunny new life on the west coast when he suddenly comes back into the picture.  The chemistry is intoxicating and Josie starts eating, breathing, and sleeping with him again until the move.  Things are hard enough saying goodbye to her childhood home and very best friends, but when Isaac makes it seem like he might actually want her to stay, Josie wonders if she’s giving up on him too quickly.

Josie takes the plunge and moves to California.

Then comes Carter. Sweet, doting - and, oh my god! - former boy band heartthrob, Carter. Josie’s new life falls into place, with new friends and a job working as the personal assistant for Carter as he plans the re-launch of his career. When it seems like there might be something between Josie and her new boss, she can’t help but hold back in fear of crossing a line and, worse yet, getting her heart crushed.  Once again.

What spirals into a complicated, heart wrenching, unexpected love triangle forces Josie to face a decision that she is not sure she can make.  Carter or Isaac.  Or - who knows?

It’s Sex in the City meets Bridget Jones Diary under the Hollywood sign.  A masterful debut novel of love, sex and rock & roll in the New Adult genre.


Buy the Book:  
Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Kobo Books  ~  iTunes

Review: 

Josie's love life is....complicated. She has had an on again, off again relationship with Isaac for the past forever.  Josie and Isaac know every little intricacy of each other and the sex is just wow.  Now, on their third break-up, Isaac wants to meet up with Josie for lunch.  Interestingly, this is right before Josie plans on moving all the way to L.A.  Inevitably, Josie and Isaac agree to be friends with benefits until she moves.  In California, Josie is devastated by her separation from Isaac- and his refusal to contact her.  When she lands a job as a personal assistant to Carter Coleman, things take a turn for the better.  Carter used to be in a popular boy-band, now he is going solo.  He has some amazing music written, and Josie's heartache provides the perfect story for his lyrics.  Eventually Josie and Carter form more than a coworker bond; but, is Isaac truly out of the picture and is Josie really ready to try this whole relationship thing again?


We've all either been there or have had a friend who has been there- just stuck in a toxic relationship.  Josie is the definition of today's new adult, confident, adventurous, owning her sexuality but just not clicking in the dating department. Reading about Josie's dating escapades was like reading a friend's diary or reliving some moments from college.  I absolutely loved Josie's inner monologue, it was like she was reading my mind in some situations.  Serious brownie points were also won when Josie not only got to work for, but be in a relationship with a former boy-band member (extra credit was given for mentioning 'N Sync) .  This was my dream, as I'm sure it was with many other women my age.  The decision between Isaac and Carter obviously follows Josie throughout the book (for me it was a no brainer) and we are kept in suspense until the very end.  I was really happy with her decision, even if I would have chosen differently.   Sensuous, sweet and slightly naughty sex scenes were sprinkled in with just enough to keep things spicy, but not so much to take things overboard.  So many things Josie said about relationships and being in love resonated with me, especially from that time in my life especially "...being in love is never the wrong choice because it's not a choice.  Either it's your forever or it gets you to what will come next.  It's always a step in the right direction."  Overall, a fresh, raw and pertinent voice in the new adult genre, perfect for a Valentine's weekend read.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ​

About the Author: 

Jordyn Woodtke is an exceedingly gifted new author who is destined to take the New Adult genre by storm with her debut novel entitled Let's Try This Again.

A graduate of NYU, she majored in screenwriting with a minor in bottomless brunching, skills she took with her when she moved to Los Angeles to follow her dream of becoming a writer. Jordyn started writing poetry and plays in high school, garnering prestigious awards and accolades from the Hartford Stage, Drexel University, the Waterbury Young Playwrights Festival and the national Scholastic Art & Writing awards, among others.

Now, on any given afternoon you are likely to find Jordyn petting random dogs on her street, noshing at any of the numerous brunch spots in LA, or bingeing Netflix on her couch. She's grateful and dedicated to the art of storytelling because it lets her say all the things she wished she'd said when she had the chance.

And if Let’s Try This Again is any indicator of future success, Jordyn will get to keep saying them for a long, long time.  
​
Connect With the Author:
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A Guest Post by Jordyn Woodtke
Why You Have To Be Mean To Your Characters
Who was the hardest character to write? The easiest?
 
This is tricky because the answer to both is Josie. At times, Josie was really easy to write. We’re the same age, we live in the same place, so logistically everything she’s feeling and going through are things I have generally also faced. Josie is a composite character of pretty much every close girlfriend I have and had; the things she says and thinks and does are a lot of things that I’ve had similar conversations about or heard about or gone through myself. Of course, a lot is embellished and some totally fabricated, but was it easy for me to put myself in the mindset of how she might be feeling when faced with fictional situations? Yes, that was easy most of the time.
 
It’s tough to be hard on your main characters, though. You grow attached and identify with them, so putting them through the ringer can be difficult. I had a professor once who said you can’t let your characters off the hook. They have to seem genuine and redeemable, and to do that you have to be mean to them. They have to go through heartbreak and they have to fall on their face and they have to be embarrassed and fail and figure out how to get themselves out of bad situations. So at times it was difficult to write Josie for that reason. Also, part of her personality and the place she is in her life is being a little confused about what’s going on and how she feels. That could be hard to write while trying not to come off as wishy-washy or repetitive, and then making her sound strong about the decisions she ultimately settles on.
 
Overall I loved writing Josie the way I love all the crazy, mixed-up, wonderful women in my life, but she frustrated me as much as they have the ability to! We all have the friend who at different times you want to grab by the shoulders and shake and tell her to just dump the guy, get over the relationship, quit the job, buy the shoes, whatever it may be. But we’ve also all been that friend, and it’s so much harder to follow advice like that when it’s your turn to not be able to let something go —that was the conundrum of writing Josie.
 

About the Book: 
Lydia has vanished.

Lydia, who’s never broken any rules, except falling in love with the wrong boy. Lydia, who’s been Piper’s best friend since they were children. Lydia, who never even said good-bye.

Convinced the police are looking in all the wrong places, eighteen-year-old Piper Sail begins her own investigation in an attempt to solve the mystery of Lydia’s disappearance. With the reluctant help of a handsome young detective, Piper goes searching for answers in the dark underbelly of 1924 Chicago, determined to find Lydia at any cost.

When Piper discovers those answers might stem from the corruption strangling the city—and quite possibly lead back to the doors of her affluent neighborhood—she must decide how deep she’s willing to dig, how much she should reveal, and if she’s willing to risk her life of privilege for the sake of the truth.

From the glitzy homes of the elite to the mob-run streets of 1920s Chicago, Stephanie Morrill’s jazz-age mystery shows just how far a girl will go to save her friend.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Praise from THE LOST GIRL OF ASTOR STREET 

"Morrill delivers a story that has it all - mystery, the mnafia, and a heroine you can't help but root for. If Veronica Mars met the Roaring Twenties, you'd end up with The Lost Girl of Astor Street!" --Roseanna M. White, The Lost Heiress

Review:
Piper Sail and Lydia DeVine have been best friends since toddlerhood when they moved to the upper class neighborhood of Astor Street in 1920's Chicago.  The two ladies are polar opposites, Lydia is sweet, kind and demure and Piper is inquisitive, tenacious and quick to act.  Now that they are young ladies, Piper and Lydia are supposed to be looking to the future and a potential husband.  However, that all changes when Lydia goes missing. Piper jumps into action to try and find her friend; Piper knows secrets about Lydia that even her parents won't divulge and her persistent nature makes her a natural detective.  WIth the help of the the detective assigned to Lydia's case, Marion Cassano, Piper is determined to find out what happened to her friend.  As Piper delves into Lydia's disappearance, she also must go into the underbelly of 1920's Chicago, bordellos, speakeasies, mafia connections and plenty of secrets will be unearthed during Piper's search. 


The Lost Girl of Astor Street is an exciting historical mystery with an awesome female lead.  From the very beginning I knew that I would like Piper, she never gives up, loves with a ferocious heart and encompasses the emerging modern and independent '20's female.  Her determination and grit to find out what happened to her best friend drives the story. As Piper gets deeper into Lydia's mystery, carefully layered secrets begin to reveal themselves.  Another part of the story that I loved was the exploration of 1920's Chicago, with having to investigate all types of people and places, Piper gets to the heart of the time period.  With a sweet romance that doesn't take away from the plot, The Lost Girl of Astor Street provides a riveting historical mystery. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Stephanie Morrill lives in Overland Park, Kansas with her husband and three kids. She is the author of The Reinvention of Skylar Hoyt series, Go Teen Writers: How to Turn Your First Draft Into a Published Book, and the Ellie Sweet series. She enjoys encouraging and teaching teen writers on her blog, www.GoTeenWriters.com. To connect with Stephanie and read samples of her books, check out www.StephanieMorrill.com

WEBSITE: http://www.stephaniemorrill.com/
TWITTER: @StephMorrill
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2769171.Stephanie_Morrill
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieMorrillAuthor/

PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/stephaniewrites/
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About the Book: 
CHAMELEON
By : Zoe Kalo
 
Genre: YA/Gothic/Ghost/Multicultural
Word count: 55,000
Release date: February 2017
 
Premise:
 
Kicked out of school, 17-year old Paloma finds herself in an isolated convent in the tropical forests of 1970s Puerto Rico, where she must overcome her psychosis in order to help a spirit and unveil a killer.
 
 
Blurb:
 
An isolated convent, a supernatural presence, a dark secret…

17-year-old Paloma only wanted to hold a séance to contact her dead father. She never thought she would be kicked out of school and end up in an isolated convent. Now, all she wants is to be left alone. But slowly, she develops a bond with a group of girls: kind-hearted Maria, insolent Silvy, pathological liar Adelita, and their charismatic leader Rubia. When, yet again, Paloma holds a séance in the hope of contacting her father, she awakens an entity that has been dormant for years. And then, the body count begins. Someone doesn’t want the secret out…

Are the ghost and Paloma’s suspicions real—or only part of her growing paranoia and delusions? 

Review: 
Paloma has been kicked out of her high school in 1973 school for performing a seance along with a few other things. Her strict Catholic mother is worried about Paloma's obsession with the dead and has arranged for her to attend a convent school hidden within the Puerto Rican forests. Paloma only wanted to try to connect with her deceased father and now she has to finish the last seven months of her senior year hidden away. When Paloma arrives, it is as she expected- strict nuns and strange girls. Paloma is taken in by a group of girls; the ring leader is Rubia, who seems to know everyone's secrets, Maria is sweet and kind, Sylvie is another rule breaker, much like Paloma and Adelita, who seems well-meaning but has episodes of what seems to be histrionics. While trying to muddle through the rest of the year, Paloma is pulled into the mysteries of the convent and the secrets of the other girls. 

This is a fast-paced paranormal thriller that I was kept glued to through one sitting. I was immediately pulled into the interesting setting of the idyllic but haunting convent where, tucked away and forgotten, things can easily be hidden. The clique of girls also got my attention. Teenage girls can be harsh, but this bunch was especially so. Each of the girl's personalities was written exquisitely. I could imagine them perfectly. I also loved that this was set in Puerto Rico and had a diverse set of girls! The supernatural and unreliable narrator worked well together and made everything more mysterious and dangerous. Immediately, we were introduced to a possible ghost at the school and Paloma, who conducts seances; from there it seemed to be a simple ghost story, but there was so much more. The layered secrets and mystery of the chameleon causing chaos in the school had me rapt in attention. My only wish was that this short book would have been longer and went more in depth into the characters histories and motivations since they were all so complex. Overall, an excellent and quick read for anyone who likes supernatural thrillers.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

 

About the Book:
 
Title: WHERE DO DREAMS COME FROM?
Author: Kim Delgado
Publisher: KDNovelties
Pages: 44
Genre: Personalized Children’s Picture Book
A magical story that will satisfy even the most curious child and expand their imagination about Dream Land, the place where dreams are made. After all, what child wouldn’t love to know "Where Do Dreams Come From?” 

In this magical adventure, your child’s imagination takes them on a visit to Dream Land where they see how dreams are made. They learn about the "Dream Machine" and the fairies that work very hard to make sure that happy dreams are delivered to children around the world. This is the perfect bedtime story to expand your child’s imagination, encourage reading and instill pleasant dreams!
 
Voted Mom’s Choice Book of the Year Award and featured at the Book Expo NYC at the Jacob Javits Center.
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION:KD Novelties

Review:

Your child wakes up one morning from the perfect dream, they wonder 'where do dreams come from?' Well, you have the perfect answer and tell the marvelous story of Dream Land complete with a Dream Factory, Dream Fairies and Dream Machine.  

I loved this personalized book for my son!  He lit up right away when he heard his name in the book as well as his favorite toy.  While he is a little too young to wonder where dreams come from himself, he enjoyed the story of Dream Land.  I liked that just about every question about Dream Land that could come up is answered; such as what happens when you don't dream? and how do the dream fairies know what you like?  My son also loved when I made all of the sounds that come up throughout the book such as 'click clack bob' and 'wooooooong.'  The illustrations were wonderful, a mix of brights and pastels brought Dream Land to life while retaining a very dream-like quality.  The Dream Fairies are also a diverse group.   This is a perfect gift for parents and will be something that children will treasure.  

Due to the personalization of the book, I did notice a small pronoun mix-up.  There was a 'her' where there should have been a 'him' in reference to my son.  

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.  
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About the Author
 
Kim Delgado is owner of KD Novelties an independent publisher of personalized children's books. She has written several award winning children's books and has gotten featured in several publications. 

When she is not busy writing books or running her publishing company, you can find her tutoring children who struggle with reading in her local school district. She is also a board member and serves in her local soup kitchen feeding the homeless and families in need. 
 
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS
​:WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Book Excerpt:

It was a beautiful sunny morning in (child’s hometown).  (Child’s name) woke up with a big smile on his/her face because he/she had such a wonderful dream.  (Child’s Name) had a dream about playing their favorite game, with (friends/relative).
 
As (child’s name) got ready to begin their day, he/she thought, hmm… I wonder where dreams come from? He/She tried to think of the answer, long and hard, but could not think of where dreams came from.  Then (child’s name) got excited – he/she was sure (parents or loved one) would know the answer.  (Child’s name) couldn’t wait to see (parents or loved one) so she could ask.