Book Review - Soccer Hour

Soccer Hour

By: Carol Nevius
Illustrated by: Bill Thomson
Publisher: Two Lions
Publication Date: February 2011
ISBN: 978-0761456896
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: October 2013

A couple of soccer balls tumbled from the carry net as if they were anxious to play with the kids. Everyone began to arrive on the field for soccer hour, ball tucked under one arm and a drink grasped in one hand. It was time for those drills. First came the stretches, and then a bit of warm up and then “We toss the ball up in the air / and juggle it to keep it there. / We try to bounce in a steady beat / with heads and thighs as well as feet.” The soccer hour has begun. Some call the game soccer while others call it futbol, but all agree it’s fun.

There are hurdles to jump, weaving around cones, footwork, “fake-out moves and rainbow kicks.” Practice makes perfect, but the scrimmage will show which team is the best. “Our keeper charges, yells commands, / lunges, grabs the ball with hands. / We’re running backward, spreading out. / I hear my name as the goalie shouts.” A boy is working the ball, but there’s an open teammate. It’s now his turn to head to that goal. Bang! The ball and his head meet for just a second, but will he make that goal?

This is a fun, action-packed tale of a practice “soccer hour” young players will love. The sepia-toned, realistic photo-like illustrations spring to life in this book. The artwork is so realistic, the reader can almost count the pores in some of the players. The excitement of the game is readily captured as the team works through their practice drills in this story in rhyme. This is not a book to learn how to play soccer, nor improve one’s skills, but rather a short tale for the young soccer enthusiast to enjoy. No doubt about it, Carol Nevius has another winner on her hands!

Quill says: This tale, a story in rhyme, will excite the young soccer aficionado and wow them with the mesmerizing artwork!

Contest For Authors

Attention authors!  Feathered Quill Book Reviews will be announcing an exciting new contest on Monday that could really help you, your book and your promotional efforts.  The contest will take place here, on our blog.  Stop by on Monday for full details.... 

And no, the horse has nothing to do with the contest... he's one of my "babies" and I just 

felt like adding his picture!  :-)

Reviewers Tip - Interior Layout

Your manuscript has just gone through the editing process and now it is ready for the next stage in pre-production: interior layout. There are three ways you can go with your layout.

• Hire a professional who uses a program such as InDesign to create a finished, professional look.
• If you know InDesign or are a quick learner of somewhat complicated design programs, do it yourself.
• Again, do it yourself, but using Word or WordPerfect.

Hiring a professional is the best way to go as the finished product will have a great look, with headers, footers (if needed), fancy chapter headings (if desired), proper line spacing, hyphenation, and many other text styles that accompany books from the big publishers. However, a professional can be expensive and many self-publishers can't afford one. What should you do? Unless you're very comfortable with InDesign (or other programs used for book layout), it can be a daunting task. Many self-publishers, therefore, decide to use Word or WordPerfect. They work hard to create a nice look, save the manuscript as a pdf file and send it off to the printer. It can work, and the majority of customers won't notice the difference, although any book professional (and that includes book store buyers and reviewers) can pick out these books instantly.

Word is notorious for messing up headers, footers, and other text styles that are found in a long document. Other times, it may look great in Word but when you convert the file to a pdf, strange things can happen, text gets moved, headers go away, reappear pages later, etc. It can become quite frustrating. If you do decide to do the internal layout yourself, please avoid these pitfalls that we've seen in books we've reviewed:

DON'T:

• Use a font that's so small most readers have to squint
• Use a font that's so big it looks like the publisher is trying to cover up a short book with large text
• Make your margins too small/too big
• Use different fonts for dialog vs. narration
• Use italics for a large portion of your text. We recently had a book in which the main character wrote a significant amount of text in his diary. Those entries were all in a tiny, italicized font. It was impossible to read.

If doing the layout yourself, go to a book store and study other books in your genre. Note what they do. Don't try to be so different/unique that you wind up ruining your book. There's a reason those books are fairly standardized - it's easier on the eyes.

Tips for Authors-Mail Your Review Book ASAP!

Welcome to our new column offering tips for authors on how to get their books reviewed. Suggestions range from contacting a review site to proper formating of a book. All sorts of things that our reviewers see every day, from the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Tip # 1 - With all the new books/new authors trying to get a book review, it can sometimes be very hard to find a site that is willing to review your book. If you hear back from a review site and they say "yes, please send us a review copy" (something every author loves to hear), send a copy right away! I'm always amazed at how many authors (and even publishers/publicists) fail to send along the review book, or wait a month or more to send it out. By then, the review site has probably received dozens of other books and may no longer have time to review your book, or if they've promised to review it, the book may wind up at the bottom of a very big review stack (which has grown larger since the initial contact). Send a review copy immediately upon request and send it priority - DO NOT send via media mail. We've had books take a month or more when sent media. Also, when you do get that much anticipated email from a review site asking for a copy of your book, acknowledge the email with a quick, "thanks, I'll get a copy of my book sent out right away." Let the reviewer know you are serious about promoting your book!

Author interview with Christine Sunderland

Today we're excited to chat with Christine Sunderland, author of Pilgrimage.

FQ: What type of reader did you have in mind when you wrote Pilgrimage?

I believe Pilgrimage would appeal to travelers who enjoy journeys both of body and soul, those who seek to experience and understand our world, as well as our place in it.

FQ: What do you hope a reader of another faith might get out of your book?

I would hope a reader of another faith would enjoy visiting Italy (Rome, Orvieto, Milan, Lake Como, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Siena) as well as the journey through time, meeting historical figures who have so impacted Western values. Also, the central premise of Pilgrimage is a universal one – a mother's grief. Agnostic readers have commented to me that they saw Madeleine's journey of healing as a metaphor for the human condition.

FQ: Your main character accepts religious miracles, such as receiving the stigmata, with little doubt in their veracity. How do you view religious miracles?

Throughout time there have been fraudulent claims and bogus relics. Even so, I believe in miracles that have been historically documented with eyewitness accounts. An interesting present day stigmatic is Padre Pio, who died in the last few years. His stigmata are well documented.

FQ: The characters in your book hold very definite values. For example, Madeleine tries to dissuade her son from living out of wedlock with his girlfriend. Are you hoping to embark certain lessons in values to your readership?

Every author's values are present in his or her work, and I am no exception, but of course, each of us must make our own choices and respect one another's chosen path. As an author, I must tell the truth as I see it.

FQ: Your book also serves as a great travelogue. Could readers use Pilgrimage to find the churches, restaurants and hotels mentioned in the book?

All of the churches, restaurants and hotels are factual and welcoming to visitors and guests.Pilgrimage arose out of my travel journals and we often return to these beloved places in Italy.

FQ: Can you give readers a preview of what they can expect in the second book of the trilogy, Offerings?

In Offerings we travel again with Jack and Madeleine, this time through France in search of an expert surgeon to perform a lifesaving procedure. We also see France through the eyes of the agnostic Doctor DuPres. Themes involve the nature of love, the power of trust, and the question of belief. We visit Lourdes, Rocamadour, Vence, Lèrins, Lyons, Vézeley, Reims, and of course, Paris.

The third in the trilogy, Inheritance, set in England, will be released in the next six months.

To learn more about Pilgrimage please visit our website and read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.

Technorati Tags: christine sunderland, book review, author interview, pilgrimage, inheritance, offerings, christian inspirational, travel to france

FREE Book Contest for June!

We are excited to announce that the book we are giving away this month is The Little Pot by Dawn Stephens. This is an adorable book that "...teaches young children about the value of patience and the loving omniscience of their Creator." Read the interview with the author below or check out the review on our site at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews. Entering the contest is quick and easy. Just visit our site, follow the link to the "Free Book" page, enter your name/email and presto, you're entered. While on our site, please check out all the great books we've reviewed - there's sure to be a book that will interest you.

Technorati Tags: free book, book contest, dawn stephens, the little pot, win a book, inspirational book children,

Interview with author Roland Hughes

Today we're excited to talk with Roland Hughes, author of Infinite Exposure.

FQ: With your background in VMS platforms and writing technical books for various computer technologies, how/why did you make the jump to writing a novel?

Blame it on an interview much like this one. Literally. About a year or two ago I was being interviewed and received the question "Where do you see IT in 5-10 years?" That's a standard question a lot of interviewers toss out when they are talking about technical things. I guess they weren't really prepared to receive the answer "The off-shoring of IT jobs will lead to the largest terrorist strike the free world has ever seen, and ultimately nuclear war."

The interviewer was quite stunned since they expected me to do like most IT vendors do and pitch some upcoming product. They didn't know that in my youth I used to do work which required clearance and still had quite a few friends working on systems requiring low-astronomical clearance levels. Even though I no longer do that kind of work, I still design systems which can survive having the primary location being taken out by either a nuclear strike or a 9/11 style plane crash, without missing a single transaction or slowing down for more than 10 minutes. Every publicly traded corporation should be required to have such a system, virtually none of them do, as 9/11, Katrina and a host of other disasters have shown.

Given my background, it was pretty easy to see where the off-shoring of IT jobs and data centers were going to take us. The real challenge was explaining it in a way Joe the Plumber could understand. The question isn't "if" something like this will happen, but when. Some of the follow up things talked about in my novel have already happened:

FBI Uncovers Worldwide $9M ATM Card Scam

FBI seeks 2 Chicago-area suspects in ATM scheme

RBS WorldPay Hacked; 1.5 Million Cardholders at Risk

FQ: Infinite Exposure deals with off-shore IT storage and how that practice could lead to a terrorist plot. Even with your technical background, did you have to research the various aspects of the plot?

No. No, my career requires that I know such things off the top of my head, much like a roofer can glance at your house and know how many square of shingles to order without ever getting out a tape measure.

When this story broke:

Gunfire heard at two Mumbai hotels

It wasn't a surprise to me that a terrorist attack happened in India, or that it seem quite well coordinated. Terrorists play a game of "follow the money". when their ability to get operatives into this country from Pakistan and the other "middle east" countries dried up, they followed the IT market to another country where there were extremists ripe for recruitment.

FQ: When reading Infinite Exposure I was first struck by the character of Nedim, a “good Muslim." I believe it was the first time I'd read about a possible terrorist from his point of view and it was quite interesting. Was there a specific reason why you wrote sections of the story from his point of view?

Yes. There has been too great of a tendency in the media to focus on "extremists" and "religious fanatics willing to die for their cause." The media focuses on them because what they do creates other headlines. Until the media understands that those people are nothing more than pawns in this game, we won't have an affective terrorism policy in this country or around the world. The really dangerous ones are the ones who aren't terrorists, just facilitators. Eliminate them and you eliminate 98% of all terrorism. Yes, there will still be extremists ready to die for a cause, but they won't have anyone to fund, teach or coordinate that death.

The character of Nedim was actually loosely based on a real life character. I'm sure some of those reading world news events had memories of a similar story.

FQ: Margaret, the First Global Bank employee was my favorite character. I enjoyed reading about a strong woman with a rather bumbling male boss. She's not the only strong female character in your book. Had you made a decision early on to have strong female characters?

Not really, or at least not consciously. While this may sound chauvinistic, I don't really respect or find interesting women that have as much backbone as a soap bubble. Men like that, on the other hand, are utterly hilarious. You know exactly how they are going to screw up a task before they are even assigned it. Sadly, most of them tend to hold MBAs and work in upper management.

Believe it or not, Margaret's boss was based (far less loosely than Nedim) on managers I've encountered in real life.

FQ: Using off-shore companies to store data seems to be a growing problem. What are your thoughts about the practice?

Like all really bad practices, it won't be stopped until there is a massive disaster. We have lived through the Clinton era bank deregulation which gave us (in large part) the current mortgage fiasco. Who could forget the DOT COM (DOT BOMB) Clinton era Ponzi scam unleashed during an election campaign? There have been dozens of other large scale debacles (the Carter grain embargo of Russia?) which were only dealt with after the fact.

We do not have a pro-active government, we have a fill-my-campaign-war-chest based government that doesn't bite the hand feeding it unless the body count gets really high. Take a good look at the credit card companies. They have been running amok for decades. When did the government finally take action? This week.

FQ: Do you see the events of Infinite Exposure as merely science fiction or a wake-up call?

I expect them to actually happen in less than five years. The actual location may not be India as several large financial institutions have moved their data centers to other countries with even lower paid workers, but everything is in play. Sadly, if the government would wind down most of the banks we've given TARP money to, the bulk of the off-shore data centers would be eliminated and the world would be shielded from this problem. I don't expect anyone from "The Fed" to read this book and making paying back of TARP contingent upon having all of their data centers located in a NATO country where security background checks can be accurately carried out.

To learn more about Infinite Exposure , please read the review at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.

Interview with author JP O'Donnell

Today we're excited to talk with JP O'Donnell, author of Fatal Gamble and Deadly Codes.  These two mystery books feature Daniel Gallagher, a private investigator and the crimes he is hired to solve.

FQ:  Prior to your two Gallagher novels, had you done any writing?  Short stories, other novels, or perhaps articles for scientific journals?

I have done a lot of writing in my professional career as a pediatric dentist.  Most of this writing included articles on pediatric oral pathology, case reports and clinical studies on sealants.  I was also the editor of a manual on preventive dentistry for special needs patients.  One of my proudest moments occurred when I was awarded the “Golden Pen” award by the International College of Dentists for my contributions to a journal devoted to pediatric dental trauma.  It was so satisfying to have someone tell me that I was a good writer.  Fatal Gamble and Deadly Codes, however, are my first efforts in the genre of mystery fiction.

FQ:  How does a mild-mannered pediatric dentist come up with such intriguing stories of murder and mayhem?

I guess I just have a good imagination.  The background story of Fatal Gamble is based on my real life involvement with a group of fellow professionals who formed a partnership and constructed a medical office building.  But none of us bribed a congressman or were shot by a mysterious hit man.  All of those elements of Fatal Gamble are true fiction.  My real estate partners got a big kick out of the book, and we still share so many laughs about their “characters” when we get together. 

My career as a pediatric dentist is separate and distinct from my creative writing.  In fact, if I was starting all over, I would still choose to be a pediatric dentist; I love my profession and still enjoy it.   Fortunately, I have been able to find time to blend two careers together and pursue my interest in writing.

FQ:  What is it about the genre (mystery/suspense) that interests you?  What do you find about the genre most challenging?

Clearly the most fascinating part of mystery writing is allowing your imagination to take your story and run with it.  For me, as a first-time author, this was so much fun.  The most challenging part, however, is maintaining the correct “point of view” in every chapter.  I never realized the importance of this aspect of fictional writing until I went through the editorial process with my first book.  Shifting the point of view within a scene can cause you to lose your reader.

FQ:  Deadly Codes came out shortly after your first book.  Did you plan from the start to write two books or had you begun writing it before Fatal Gamble was published?

After I finished my manuscript of Fatal Gamble, I shopped it around to a number of literary agents.  No one was interested.  So I enrolled in a Medical Fiction Writing Program given by NY Times best-selling authors, Michael Palmer and Tess Gerritsen.   At this program I not only learned a lot about writing fiction but had the opportunity to show my manuscript to a number of literary agents in attendance.  The response was favorable, but I was told I had to prove I was a writer by writing another book.  Since the agents seemed to like my main character, Gallagher, I decided to keep his story alive and began writing Deadly Codes, the sequel to Fatal Gamble.    I finished it within seven months and submitted both books for publication in 2008. 

FQ:  Your main character, Gallagher, is an interesting person.  He loves his job but is at times conflicted with his professional life interfering with his personal life.  Was it important for you to show him as more than just a private detective?  And what about Kate?  Was it important to show how the life of a private detective affects those around him?

In order for Gallagher to be “real” to the reader, I needed him to have conflict within his life.  I wanted Gallagher and the reader to love Kate, but I wanted Gallagher to have an undeniable, magnetic draw to his cases—a force he can’t resist.  In turn, an interesting conflict develops for the reader who wants Gallagher to solve the case, but also wants him to be with Kate.  This seems to have worked very well. From the many comments I have received, a legion of Gallagher fans has developed. 

This conflict between Gallagher’s career as a private investigator and his personal life with Kate creates the critical emotional tension throughout Deadly Codes.  

FQ:  Is the Washington/corruption component in Fatal Gamble a statement on your part?

In Fatal Gamble, Washington, DC was important because a US Congressman played a vital role in the overall storyline.  The theme of political corruption is not an editorial comment on my part but merely a means to move the story along and maintain the reader’s interest.  I found it ironic that Fatal Gamble, a story written in 2006 with a subplot of problems within the federal banking system, was published right around the time of the banking collapse of 2008. 

FQ:  Washington, DC plays a part in both books.  Is this a coincidence? 

In Deadly Codes I needed to introduce the subplot of selling secret coded information to a hostile enemy nation.  What better place to begin than our nation’s capital?   Besides, Gallagher needed a good excuse to return to one of his (and my) favorite luncheon haunts, the Old Ebbitt Grill where he could meet up with his (and my) old friend, Tony Macmillan.

FQ:  Your books take several sharp turns to keep the reader on his toes.  Do you have all the major and minor plot twists worked out before you start writing?

Actually I followed the same format for both books:  I wrote the first chapter, then the last chapter, and connected everything in between.  I did make a rough outline in the beginning, but I did not know exactly how the story would unfold as I went along.   As my characters came to life, I tried to imagine how they would act and speak in certain situations.  Although I am, of course, quite fond of Gallagher and Kate, my favorite character in either book is Rebecca Johnson in Deadly Codes.  She is deliciously evil.  I believe my best writing occurs in the scene where Gallagher meets up with Rebecca in the bar at the Station Grill.

FQ:  Will we be seeing Gallagher again soon? 

Yes, I am working on the third book of the series.  Gallagher finds out that Kate has disappeared—a secret from her past has put her life in danger.  Stay tuned.

To learn more about Fatal Gamble and Deadly Codes, please read the reviews at: Feathered Quill Book Reviews.

New Book Review

We'll be posting another author interview tomorrow.  In the meantime, if you enjoy detective series, please check out the brand new review at Feathered Quill Book Reviews.  The book is Deadly Codes by JP O'Donnell.  It's the second book in the Daniel Gallagher detective series.