#Bookreview of SPVCE by a.w. karen

SPVCE

By: a. w. karen

Publisher: a.w. karen

Publication Date: December 1, 2022

ISBN: 979-8987038116

Reviewed by: Dianne Woodman

Review Date: December 3, 2022

SPVCE by a. w. karen is an eye-opening science-fiction story filled with dilemmas that bring to light the physical and emotional effects of stress-induced anxiety attacks. It is geared toward young adult readers and takes place in a futuristic world where children spend their younger years training to become space cadets. At the age of fifteen, teenagers who pass a test qualify to become space travelers.

SPVCE is told through the eyes of fifteen-year-old Maci Layton, who travels with a group of teenagers into space. The ten teenagers believe they are on a mission to benefit the world. The first stop in their journey is Space Station One, where the teenagers elect Maci, who specializes in psychology, as the group leader. Maci finds it quite challenging to fulfill the leadership role, especially as she struggles with crippling anxiety attacks. When things do not go exactly how the teenagers expect, it takes a toll on everyone in the group. The teenagers are mystified and unsettled about the decisions being made by the people in charge of the expedition. Are they trying to hide something?

The author's use of sensory imagery and figurative language immerses readers into the story and allows them to connect with the teenagers. A mix of personality types brings its own set of problems, especially with the teenagers finding themselves in confusing and uneasy circumstances. Each one reacts in ways that match their characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The author does an excellent job of showing the extreme emotional strain experienced by the teenagers who are navigating uncharted territory, and readers feel like they are on an emotional roller coaster ride with them as they work at traversing through daily challenges and obstacles.

Readers are engaged in this soul-stirring story from the beginning, and the author keeps them riveted to the pages until the end. a. w. karen has a personal investment in the story which creates a sense of trust with readers and makes the descriptions of the debilitating anxiety attacks convincing. The author does an outstanding job of ramping up the tension throughout the story. The horrifying and surprising discoveries made by people involved in the journey into space culminate in an adrenaline-charged climax. The solid ending of this debut novel brings the story to a satisfying close. However, the author leaves the door open for a sequel that revolves around the teenagers in a new situation.

Quill says: A riveting and enlightening story of a futuristic society with hidden secrets that sheds light on the intensity and severity of anxiety attacks and also gives an in-depth look into the coping mechanisms of teenagers thrown into unanticipated predicaments.

For more information on SPVCE, please visit the author's website at:https://www.awkaren.com/

#BookReview of The Wisdom of Winter by Annie Seller

The Wisdom of Winter

By: Annie Seyler
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Publication Date: December 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-63988-648-7
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: December 1, 2022

Annie Seyler treats her audience to a superb novel, The Wisdom of Winter, that portrays a bittersweet journey of life and its full circle experiences.

Beatrice has a good life. Her mother is lovely, "...Mom wears a sleeveless dress with a tight bodice and a skirt that fans wide. She’s like the marigolds in our garden, bright and bold in color that can’t be ignored..." Dad is a good provider. He’s a professor at the University, "...Most mornings he’s here, hovered over his students’ homework, wearing a grownup shirt with sleeves and a collar, khaki pants, and a belt..." As for Beatrice, she’s six and fashion isn’t too important. She wears overalls, has a head of unruly curls, prefers to wear goggles when she collects the eggs from the hen house and a visit with the occasional ladybug is fine by her. Ginny is mom’s best friend. She’s more of a city girl and Beatrice loves it when she comes to visit each year. Ginny has a way of bringing out the true lovely and fun in her mom. But there’s something more percolating just below this happy façade. Things changed that summer when Beatrice was eleven and her brother Oliver, five. The years marched forward and fleeting memories of happier times had a way of fading away the further Beatrice navigated along her road to adulthood.

It's easy to recognize the plight of privilege and at the same time embrace the opportunities it presents. Beatrice tries to understand the benefits of being shipped off to the private school in Vermont, but it’s still lonely. The girls are mean and social skills aren’t her strong suit. She resents her grandfather because his money is what put her here. It is a painful day-to-day existence to navigate when you don’t feel like you belong. It’s lunchtime again and nobody offers Beatrice a seat to join them. There is a teacher, Mr. Whitaker, who is Beatrice’s American history teacher, and his random act of kindness gives her hope. “…He slides his tray and empty dishes out of the way and leans forward with his elbows on the table. Up close like this, I marvel at the smoothness of his skin and the absence of a freckle or a blemish. Although his gaze is a bit intimidating, it’s his smile lines that I am most aware of. Even now, with his neutral expression, wispy threads at the corners of his mouth and eyes expose his nature; on him a smile is ever ready, ever eager to show itself..." There are many moments in Beatrice’s journey ahead that will challenge what is real and what was kept from her… reckonings that will take her far away from the people she thought she loved most in order to heal and eventually return to what matters in her life.

Annie Seyler writes beautiful prose with tender and artistic emotion. Her writing skills are akin to an accomplished painter who has perfected pristine beauty for the beholder to relish. Seyler breathes life into the perils of a young girl coming of age and the baggage she collects and carries into adulthood. She then redirects her audience in the next passage with a sublime nuance that time will heal all wounds. She has exceptional skill with word placement that enables the reader to embrace and behold the magic. There are wonderful layers that enhance the complexities and contrasts of each of the characters in her story, yet together, they work as a superb unit. This is a beautifully written story and a memory the reader will carry well beyond the proverbial ‘the end’. Well done Ms. Seyler!

Quill says: The Wisdom of Winter is a gift box filled with the essence of forgiveness and healing.

For more information on The Wisdom of Winter, please visit the author's website at: www.annieseyler.com

#BookReview of A Colossal Injustice: A Griffin Knight Corporate Murder Mystery

A Colossal Injustice: A Griffin Knight Corporate Murder Mystery

By: Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr.
Publisher: Soaring High Publishing
Publication Date: November 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-1959354031
Reviewed by: Lily Andrews
Review Date: December 1, 2022

An immensely satisfying brew of drama, treachery, and violence evoking classic crime tropes from an author with total command of this genre await readers in A Colossal Injustice.

A Colossal Injustice is the second volume in the Griffin Knight Murder Mystery Series by Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. The plot begins with Detective Griffin Knight making his way into Seattle where he plans to help Kalyx, the mysterious hacker who assisted him in resolving the Alix Kroft case in Book One of the Griffin Knight series. He hasn't visited Seattle since the demise of his first partner, Trenton Barnes. However, a major challenge faces him- Jurisdiction. He simply has no official authority to make legal decisions or judgments beyond the borders of his hometown, New York. This is not settling well with him.

The death of Kalyx's fiancée, Dylan Walker, the COO and CFO of Colossus, a technological and weaponry development company, came as a shock to both Kalyx and Felix (one of Dylan's close friends). Dylan had involved them in investigating a massive money cover-up at Colossus, a plot so deeply and professionally hidden from the normal eye. His tech expertise caught a series of highly encrypted transactions and entries through servers that were not known to him despite being a senior member of the company. Dylan couldn't help but wonder whether there existed another more skilled individual who had access to the system other than him and his boss Sapphire. With the help of the experienced Detective Griffin, Felix, and his sister from the Seattle Police Department, Kalyx hopes to find out the truth and get much-needed closure on the case.

Once again Miguel Hernandez sends readers on an action-packed ride that is richly embedded with suspense and drama. The denouement has the perfect thriller-mystery quality where clues stare you in the face throughout the read, but then slap your head at the end leaving you wondering how you missed them. Readers can identify with the lead character Detective Griffin, owing to his outstanding performance as a solid, enthusiastic, and courageous investigator from Do Nothing, Griffin Knight's First Murder Mystery.

Hernandez has created well-hewn secondary characters whose demeanor, dialogue, and skills add depth to the script. The adrenaline-rushing, fast-paced action and twists keep readers turning the pages in anticipation and amusement. Every chapter feels so real, as if one has been dropped down in the middle of the action, and can hear, taste, touch, and smell everything happening around them. Lovers of the mystery/thriller genre will love the creepy atmosphere at Colossus, and the genius investigation to capture the antagonist. Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr., a seasoned author whose record in mystery/thriller work shows his creativity, passion, and talent, has created a story so magical that one would want to go back and experience the thrill all over again.

Quill says: The best mysteries and thrillers aren’t books that you can simply put aside when you’re done. They should linger in your heart, and A Colossal Injustice by Miguel Angel Hernandez Jr. undoubtedly fits meets that criterion!

For more information on A Colossal Injustice: A Griffin Knight Corporate Murder Mystery, please visit the website: www.iammahjr.com

#AuthorInterview with Karin Ciholas, author of The Lighthouse (The Cyrenian. Book 1)

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Kathy Stickles is talking with Karin Ciholas, author of The Lighthouse (The Cyrenian, Book 1).

FQ: I really love The Lighthouse so much and was so impressed by the research that must have gone into it. Can you tell us about that? There are so many different things that you would need to know so much about (religion, Roman rule, medicine, etc.). Was it difficult to research or was it a joy?

CIHOLAS: For me research is a joy. I discover new things about old things and am so excited I want to tell the world about it. As I was writing the novel, I invented a nephew for the great Jewish philosopher Philo, and later discovered that he actually existed! I had a different name for him. That was easy to change. His Jewish father named him Tiberius Alexander, no doubt to curry favor with the Romans and with the emperor himself. In fact, it was a real surprise to discover that many Jews held high office in the Roman empire. As for the medicine, I bought and borrowed books on Egyptian medicine, learned more about embalming than I cared to know, and read most of Hippocrates and modern books on ancient medicine. You can even access some of the old medical documents online like the works of the Roman Celsus: De Medicina, a contemporary with Simon.

FQ: I know that many of the characters in the story are people who really lived during those times and there are also some that are, from what I can tell, purely fictional characters. How difficult was it to combine all these characters into one story?

CIHOLAS: Ancient historians rarely include stories of women. But there were several who changed history like Antonia who is historical. Unfortunately, I don’t know the name of Valerius’s sister, so I invented Aurelia. Valerius is the historical Publius Petronius Valerius who figures prominently in Book II. I also invented the villain. There were many historical ones to choose from, but none that would have been as clever as the one I imagined. I didn’t find it difficult to invent the additional characters. What is more difficult is to be as true as possible to the historical ones. I never knowingly distorted or changed a date or an event. For example, Flaccus’s downfall was so unexpected and abrupt that even the Romans were stunned. It came so suddenly that I had to prepare the reader by having Flaccus ask Aurelia to petition Antonia.

FQ: The cover of the book is wonderful. Where did the idea for the cover and the title come from?

CIHOLAS: Atmosphere Press. The cover is the work of two amazing artists: Ronaldo Alves and Matthew Fielder. I am in awe of their skills and artistry. All I did was give them some sample depictions of the latest archeological finds about what the lighthouse looked like, and they went from there. From my brief description of the plot, they added the medical symbol of Asklepios. They and Atmosphere Press deserve all the credit. As for the title: The Lighthouse, I wanted that title from the beginning. A lighthouse is both a real building and symbolic. The lighthouse in my novel—as a building—was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, an architectural and scientific marvel. It was the tallest building in the world for almost two millennia before an earthquake toppled it. At night, a bright fire lit up cone segments way out to sea as the top turned. By daylight, polished mirrors rotated. The mechanism for turning was probably powered by the tides below. How the lighthouse is symbolic is up to the reader to discern. Each reader may see it differently. Alexandria was also the ancient city of light where the sciences flourished, the intellectual center of the Roman empire. Most of the scientists who worked at the Museion—the famous library that was like a university complex—were Greek.

FQ: The characters in the book are each so well-developed and intriguing. Do you have a particular favorite?

CIHOLAS: That’s like choosing a favorite child. I feel for Rachel, Simon’s sister. She experiences the force of pure evil and yet carries herself with dignity. Inspired by her plight, Simon fights against slavery. Then there is Sosias, the young orphan engineer whom Simon saves and adopts. Through Sosias, I am able to describe a few of the amazing advances in science and technology. Of course, I am deeply fond of Simon. But sometimes I want to shake him.

FQ: I see that the book is #1 in a series. Can you tell us what is next for Simon and the others in his story?

CIHOLAS: It doesn’t get any easier, I’m afraid. Caligula is on the imperial throne. He wants vengeance against Simon and his family. He also wants to be worshipped as Supreme God. Where? Not just in Rome where he knocks the heads off the statues of Jupiter so he can replace them with his own likeness. But in Jerusalem. In the temple! How will the Jews react? How will Simon react? How will Publius Petronius Valerius react who is Simon’s brother-in-law and now the governor of Syria tasked with the diabolical mission to erect Caligula’s statue in the temple? Need we say more?

FQ: After Simon’s story has been told to the end, do you have any ideas about another part of history and another set of characters coming to life on your pages?

CIHOLAS: I might revisit little-known incidents from WWII. I once wrote a play about Franz Jägerstätter, a young Austrian who refused to serve in Hitler’s army. It is a true story and deserves to be told in a novel. The play is called One Candle in the Night and was performed on the Centre College campus.

FQ: Your biography shows that you have a background in classical languages and teaching courses on the ancient world. What is your favorite time in history to study and teach about?

CIHOLAS: I grew up in Switzerland where school children destined for university start Latin at age 12 and Greek at age 14. I immersed myself in ancient history and imagined meeting an old Roman or a Greek philosopher on my way to school. Zürich was called Turicum by the Romans. After completing my Ph.D. in comparative literature at UNC-Chapel Hill, I was hired to teach French and German at Centre College. As much as I love French and German literature, my favorite course to teach is a freshman interdisciplinary course on the ancient world that includes literature, art, architecture, philosophy, and history.

FQ: It sounds like you have visited and in some cases lived in so many different countries. Is there anywhere left that you would really like to visit and learn about?

CIHOLAS: There are so many! Australia sounds intriguing, homeland of one of my favorite authors—Geraldine Brooks. But if actual traveling is not in the foreseeable future, I will always enjoy traveling back in time and meeting new characters.

****

Thank you for your interest in The Lighthouse. You are a very discerning and careful reader, and these were fun questions. --Karin

FYI: I am starting a blog called QQQ: Quirky Quixotic Quips about AntiQuity. It consists of one-paragraph notations about interesting ancient historical facts. Right now, I just put it on my Facebook page. It’s a lot of fun. Examples forthcoming: the first pipe organ, Caligula’s mosaic table, the Antikythera mechanism called the first computer...etc.

December's FREE Book

 

This month's "Book Giveaway" book is Pirates Don't Dance by Shawna J.C. Tenney.  Entering is easy (and we don't collect names/emails).  Just go to our main page and scroll to the bottom for the entry form: https://featheredquill.com/

Time Running Out to Nominate

 

Time is running out to nominate your book for the Feathered Quill Book Awards. Nominations close December 15th. Learn more and nominate here: https://featheredquill.com/feathered-quill-book-awards/

#AuthorInterview with Alan Gartenhaus, author of Balsamic Moon

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Dianne Woodman is talking with Alan Gartenhaus, author of Balsamic Moon.

FQ: Why did you choose Hurricane Katrina making landfall in New Orleans, Louisiana, as the disastrous event in your story?

GARTENHAUS: New Orleans is a city of great texture and richness––cultural and racial diversity, renowned cuisines, unparalleled music, strategic history, and engaging residential architecture. As a former resident, an alumnus of Tulane University, and having been a staff member of the New Orleans Museum of Art, the devastation Katrina inflicted on the city and its people was neither remote nor merely a compelling curiosity. It was consequential and profoundly affecting. Writing was a way for me to process it.

FQ: Did you personally witness the damage incurred by Hurricane Katrina? If not, how did you come up with the true-to-life descriptions?

GARTENHAUS: I did see the damage and spoke with friends and former neighbors who experienced it. I returned to New Orleans several times, once shortly after the city was declared “dry,” while troops were still stationed there, downed trees and debris filled the streets, and much of the city’s electricity had not been restored. I got to see the devastation, and how very extensive it was, first-hand.

FQ: The two main characters, Doreen and Richard, come from diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Are they based on people you know, or did you create Doreen and Richard from your imagination?

GARTENHAUS: Doreen and Richard are imaginary; however, I drew inspiration from people I’d known. Both characters took on lives of their own as soon as the writing process began.

FQ: Do you have first-hand knowledge of the physical and emotional impact endured by people who elected to stay behind instead of following evacuation orders? If not, how did you come up with the characters’ backstories and personality traits?

Author Alan Gartenhaus

GARTENHAUS: Days, and even hours, before Katrina made landfall, I was on the phone urging friends to leave. A very close friend who remained did not survive the storm and the flooding.

Although the characters and their backstories are fictitious, I interviewed a variety of folks who remained in the city when the storm and flooding hit and learned of their experiences, both physical and emotional. I also read the local newspaper’s excellent coverage of the storm’s approach and its aftermath.

FQ: How much of the story is a blending of the reality of events with your imagination?

GARTENHAUS: Nearly all of it. The events surrounding the storm and flooding are real and known. My imagination helped me understand and empathize with how these two characters might have experienced and felt about it.

FQ: Your use of sensory language brings the story to life for readers. Where did you get your inspiration for your creative use of sensory details?

GARTENHAUS: Thank you. I’m flattered that you thought so. Much of my professional career before writing fiction was spent working in museum education departments, where I developed programs challenging visitors to discover and learn using their five senses and, often, their intuition and imaginations. I wrote two non-fiction books, Minds in Motion and Questioning Art, which demonstrate ways to gather sensory information and bring inanimate objects “to life.”

FQ: Did you conduct research in the writing of this story, and if so, what methods did you use?

GARTENHAUS: I conducted personal interviews, dove into the archives of The Times-Picayune (the New Orleans local newspaper), and watched Spike Lee’s documentary, When the Levees Broke, innumerable times.

FQ: Who is the target audience for this heart-stopping story that shows the devastating effects a massive hurricane can have on the environment, personal property, and the physical and mental health of people?

GARTENHAUS: Hopefully, everyone is the target audience. Reaching across divides and caring about others should engage us all. Certainly, it is a lesson that disasters force us to learn repeatedly. Whether we’re taught by hurricanes, wars, fires, or earthquakes, surviving the unfathomable is compelling, and requires courage, determination, and compassion, behaviors worthy of reading about and exploring.

FQ: The title, Balsamic Moon, definitely catches a person’s attention. Would you explain to our readers where this title came from?

GARTENHAUS: My characters spent nights trapped in an attic by floodwaters. I was trying to determine how light or dark the night would be in a city that had completely lost power and read in an astrological reference that it corresponded to the appearance of a balsamic moon. When I read of a balsamic moon’s ominous portend, it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

FQ: Do you plan on writing more books about any catastrophic events and the subsequent repercussions or might your next project be something completely different? 

GARTENHAUS: My next novel is different. I have written and had published a variety of short stories with various plots, a few of which can be found on my webpage (alangartenhaus.com). Although most of my writing focuses on human interaction and emotional connections, I’m not a genre writer, such as authors who pen mysteries or spy novels.