#BookReview - Apex by Tyler Michael

Apex

By: Tyler Michael
Published by: Tyler Michael Books
Publication Date: October 2020
ISBN: 978-0578781990
Reviewed by: Barbara Bamberger Scott
Review Date: November 29, 2020

Gaming is the overarching theme behind Tyler Michael’s compelling saga, Apex,beginning with a simple camping trip and ending in international intrigue, with much blood shed along the way.

Chris is a college grad trying to figure out what to do with his life, and in the meantime, he leads new campers on wilderness adventures, teaching hardcore survival skills. On this gig, he’s with Kate, an athletic young female college student, and Kevin, who has a problem-solver mentality but little experience in the wild or in facing physical challenges. They’re in a national park very familiar to Chris, first night out, already working through the decision of where to camp as the planned location has been flooded. It’s then that Chris meets Ranger, who pulls him into a casual conversation that soon turns somewhat dark: Ranger works for a mysterious organization called Apex that arranges very costly hunting trips for exceedingly wealthy clients – all in a cloak of secrecy.

Somewhere across the globe, three men have been summoned to a meeting to arrange their next assignment: they will have three targets, and all three must be destroyed. The stakes are high – in the millions of dollars – and all three men willingly sign on, knowing what they must do.

The next day, Chris, Kate and Kevin wake up in an unknown place, with red wristwatches strapped to their wrists. The three are now the unwitting prey of three motivated, ruthless hunters. The young campers’ personal survival skills, down to the most basic life-and-death scenarios, are all that they have for safety. This bizarre sport will be played to the last breath.

Author Tyler Michael is a self-described “film and video game enthusiast” who has here created two kinds of games, at first highlighting the activities of the young campers learning the rules of the wild, and then superseded by the evil schemes of high-stakes bettors willing to kill for sport and selfish entertainment. The plot belongs as much to the amoral hunters, whose names are all color-coded, as to the youthful, essentially naïve nature-loving explorers. The hunters are competing with one another, their rivalry contrasting with the life-loving determination of the young people they are charged with eliminating. The author, in this debut work, shows strong plot sense and the ability to switch scenes and viewpoints page by page. There will be a winner in the game and a sad but needed denouement, in this unusual, imaginative story.

Quill says: Tyler Michael’s dark tale is recommended for teen and adult readers, bearing in mind that violence and danger are ever-present factors in the action-filled, do-or-die drama that cries for a sequel.

For more information on Apex, please visit the author's website at: www.tylermichaelbooks.com

 

#BookReview - The Greatest Hoax on Earth

The Greatest Hoax on Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can

By: Alan C. Logan
Publication Date: December 1, 2020
ISBN: 9781736197400
Reviewed by: Anita Lock
Date: November 28, 2020

Award-winning author Alan Logan debunks myths of the iconic con man, Frank W. Abagnale, in his newest release, The Greatest Hoax on Earth.

Who hasn’t heard the likes of Frank W. Abagnale or the iconic movie Catch Me If You Can? The twice-over millionaire peppered with a list of distinguished job descriptions and passing seventeen thousand bad checks—all under the age of twenty-one. What very few know is that the famous con man is really a con man extraordinaire. Logan unravels the truth of Abagnale, the man who sweepingly caught the attention of people internationally in his newest book, The Greatest Hoax on Earth.

The year is 1977—a time when the public shifted “appetite for sensation and infotainment over substance” (much like today’s news), and the world is looking for their next hero based on all things outlandish. One shining example is Evel Knievel with his daredevil stunts. Just as Knievel loses popularity, Frank W. Abagnale jumps in, running on the heals of this epic figure, starting with a sixteen-page dossier filled with audacious tales of his youth. Abagnale’s convincingly impassioned con-man-turned-conscientious story takes him from local Houston news to a contestant on the To Tell the Truth game show, springboarding him to Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, which cinches his madcap-tales credibility and made him “America’s favorite con man.”

A year later, two different journalists—one from the San Francisco Chronicle and the other from The Daily Oklahoman—took it upon themselves to verify Abagnale’s story. Their investigations lead them to realize that the con man lied on top of lies and continued to fabricate stories. But since this was the pre-digital age, the not-widely-publicized articles paled against the well-established belief the public had about him. What unfolds is the truth about Frank W. Abagnale, which is “not the story of a teenage mastermind” but rather “the story of a troubled adult…”

Logan utilizes his sleuthing skills to trace the truth behind Frank Abagnale’s past. The Belfast-born historian includes over three-hundred bibliographic entries, not to mention primary-source pictures, and deftly weaves them into a story that is so much more than The Great Imposter’s life. While Logan unfolds the heroic attempts of the comprehensive 1978 investigations from small-town journalists to expose Abagnale’s fantastical claims, he also focuses on the people Abagnale took advantage of: most significantly, Paula Parks (Delta Airlines stewardess at the time), her family, and Mark Zinder, Abagnale’s booking manager, taking Abagnale’s tale back to 1969.

Well-written chapters incorporate storytelling and dialogue amid a flurry of facts. Logan adds an interesting element of leaving some chapters dangling while filling readers with chronological data before bringing them to a close.

Quill says: The Greatest Hoax on Earth is a shocking and eye-opening must-read for all, especially Abagnale enthusiasts.

For more information on The Greatest Hoax on Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can,please visit the website at: www.greatesthoax.com/ 

 

#BookReview - Journey to Jumbalot

Journey to Jumbalot

By: Ryan Wakefield
Publication Date: February 2021
ASIN : B08LXRMRRN
Reviewed By: Lynette Latzko
Review Date: November 2020

Upon reading the first pages of Journey to Jumbalot, by debut author Ryan Wakefield, readers will quickly discover that the story is more than just the journey of a housecat named Alby; it’s an adventure of epic proportions filled with exciting highs and lows and, the most intriguing part, hybrid animals.

Our story begins with Alby, a chronically hungry cat, who was once a stray, but now lives in a house with the wise Professor Wizoom, who busies himself inventing things in his home laboratory. On one particular evening, Alby hears all sorts of noise in the house and discovers that the professor is busy at work in his lab creating something mysterious that looks like a triangular doorway. Wizoom explains to the kitty about his hopes and plans that he’ll finally have his childhood dream come true of being able to travel to unknown lands once he completes the necessary adjustments to his creation.

The next day Alby awakens to complete silence, and is unable to locate Wizoom anywhere in the house. A few hours later, however, loud noises and flashing lights emanate from the lab, causing Alby to get excited assuming the professor is coming home. Instead, the housecat hears strange voices coming from the triangular doorway, imploring him to be brave and “help them,” so Alby does what anybody would do in this situation when somebody important is lost, he enters the strange doorway in search of Professor Wizoom.

After getting spun through a tunnel filled with bright lights, Alby finds himself in a strange but beautiful land with glowing grass, an endless amount of multicolored flowers, and great forests as far as the cat’s eyes can see. Unfortunately he also notices that the doorway he came through closed behind him, and he’s unable to go back through, so he decides he must travel forward in search of the professor. Alby hopes the professor will be able to open the door, and get them safely back home. No sooner does Alby make this decision than he sees a wolf-like animal with wings flying in the air, and sitting on top of its back is a terrifying lizard-like man, with the head of a shark. This "man" is busy communicating to his wrist about trying to find the intruder that recently came through the gate into their world. Luckily Alby is able to narrowly escape being caught by the scary creature by hiding in a tree until it flies off in an angry huff, but he’s quickly confronted again by another odd-looking, less menacing animal, this time a frog with spotty green hair and a furry tail. The frog encourages Alby to eat something called a jumberry so they can properly communicate with each other. Alby agrees and immediately is able to tell the frog about going through a door in his world in search of his owner, Professor Wizoom, while the frog introduces himself as Fremmy the froguar, living in this land called Jumbalot. Fremmy decides that even though Alby is a weird-looking trespasser in Jumbalot, he will help the lost cat find the professor, and get back through the gates toward home. First, however, they must travel to the Kingdom of Jowla to speak with the special animals who will hopefully know how to get the ancient gates to reopen once again. While on their quest, the pair will become close friends as they encounter a plethora of brilliant hybrid animals including yetiguanas, tigeroons, and bearhinoxes, all in the magical kingdom of Jumbalot. But will Fremmy and Alby not only successfully find the lost Professor Wizoom, but also be able to get through the ancient gates back home, or will something far more sinister stop them in their tracks, and threaten not only their safety, but the survival of the entire land of Jumbalot?

Journey to Jumbalot is a wonderful tale for middle-grade children in search of a read that’s a bit different from the usual fantasy-based story filled with goblins, dragons or talking animals. After all, it is hard to resist not being excited dreaming of the images of powerful creatures such as the brave half-human, half-dinosaur, brontaurs, or the irresistibly cute half-frog, half-jaguar, froguar named Fremmy. Not to mention the fact that the actual story is packed with a wildly thrilling adventure, and is sprinkled with silly humor, that’s both easy to read and sends a few feel-good messages about bravery and perseverance. While enjoying Journey to Jumbalot, readers may crave a few more drawings of scenes within the story, especially of the hybrid creatures that are not depicted on the front and back covers. However, in the end I’ve come to believe that my imagination, and the imagination of future readers, will be far more exciting in creating our own ideas of what something looks like rather than if it were simply drawn out by the author. Therefore, let your imagination run wild and you’ll easily enjoy going on the adventure with Alby and Fremmy on their journey in Jumbalot.

Quill says: Are you craving a wild children’s adventure filled with unusual fantastical creatures? Then you definitely do not want to miss Journey to Jumbalot!

For more information on Journey to Jumbalot, please visit the website: www.jumbalot.com

 

#BookReview - Soul Seeker (Gehenna) by Kaylin McFarren

Soul Seeker (Gehenna)

By: Kaylin McFarren
Published by: Creative Edge Publishing
Publication Date: September 2020
ISBN: 979-8-6652-8490-3
Reviewed By: Amy Lignor
Review Date: November 24, 2020

In our minds, as readers, we begin with familiarity: The stench of the prison; the cold air that seems to penetrate the skin (even though you’re home in a nice, warm room reading); the clank of the handcuffs; the clunk of the locks on the metal doors. Here is where we first meet the murderer, Benjamin Poe. Now, Benjamin has been in prison for four years, found guilty of killing his own son. Although he has always stated that, yes, he did fire all the bullets; Ben has also always stated that it was not his son he was after.

Enter attorney Pierce Beaudoin. With a slightly failing independent practice, Pierce is hoping that helping this high-profile defendant who is most certainly headed for Death Row no matter what ‘magic’ a lawyer tries to create at the last minute, will help Pierce bring in more clients. So here he sits in Lochton Correctional Institute in small town Lochton, Illinois, staring at Ben. Pierce is looking for any information on who might have also been there the night of the killing if Ben is telling the truth about “being after someone else” when he fired the gun.

What Pierce ends up with is a story of monumental proportions. Not only will he learn all about Benjamin’s life as a firefighter in the small town, but he’s going to learn about the man’s somewhat shaky marriage to Lexi, his relationship with his boy, his devotion to the peaceful town, and how, exactly, Ben was tricked into killing his son by a demon who is the perfect representation of pure and utter evil.

After a wretched fire at the College Inn, where lives are lost, Ben gets a call from a police officer letting him know that a vagrant has been picked up trespassing on the site of the fire who has an odd request: he needs to speak with Ben. Although this person has no priors and is a highly passive man, according to the officer, the one thing about him is that his eyes are such a startling green color that they make Ben, and others, uneasy to be around him.

The name of the "vagrant" is Crighton and his story is unbelievably intertwined with Ben’s as well as other souls he has been sent to seek. Malevolent to a fault, Crighton’s main job is to work for Lucifer rounding up wicked souls and one important angel that Lucifer is after. Trouble is, Crighton finds himself placed in a situation where that particular angel is going to go from being his prey to being his very own soulmate – causing the King of Hell to turn against Crighton.

Now, being the target of Satan’s wrath, Crighton has a new future to think about. He can no longer be an arrogant danger to the populace; instead, he must walk the very thin line of either finding redemption or finding himself thrown into the pits of Hell and living a life of eternal hatred, anger and enslavement.

Even when Benjamin Poe meets his end in the book, the unveiling of the story and how Crighton is introduced into the tale, makes the heart beat fast and causes you to want nothing more than to start the journey as swiftly as possible. And quite a journey it will be, because this book is only the very first in a series entitled "Gehenna."

The book is fast-paced and all the characters you expect to see when speaking of the “otherworldly” are there to enjoy – from the brightest of angels to the darkest and most evil demons, this writer has done a fantastic job of putting it all together.

My advice would be, however, to keep an open mind. Yes, there is romance in this story. I know that some admirers of the category Christian Fiction can’t see past the characters to enjoy the romance, but this book does everything very well. To me, it is an amazing supernatural story that is so good I am already looking forward to seeing where the series goes next.

Quill says: The twists and turns in Soul Seeker are unique, and guaranteed to keep readers on their toes!

For more information on Soul Seeker (Gehenna), please visit the website: www.kaylinmcfarren.com

 

#BookReview - Stocks, Bonds & Taxes by Phillip B. Chute, EA

Stocks, Bonds & Taxes: A Comprehensive Handbook and Investment Guide for Everybody

By: Phillip B. Chute, EA
Published by: Phillip B. Chute EA
Publication Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7328855-3-0
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor
Review Date: November 2020

Subtitled, “A Comprehensive Handbook and Investment Guide for Everybody,” the final word in that statement most assuredly is the ultimate selling point of Stocks, Bonds & Taxes. Not only are we all experiencing a rough emotional state in 2020, but small businesses as well as families are suffering financially because of the mess that this pandemic has brought upon us, making this book a critical asset that is needed right now.

This book is definitely aimed at serious investors who are looking their portfolios over and needing that helping hand when it comes to gaining knowledge about what the best ways are to invest in order to not take a header while trying to outlast COVID-19. After all, hiring that financial expert for most is not feasible right now because even though the advice is good (hopefully), those experts expect payment for their services.

When it comes to this "encyclopedia," the author splits the categories up so that they are easily understood and easily researched. The first section, Investments, offers a breakdown into the subcategories of equities, bonds, mutual funds, and other investments available that are not as well known to the public. Every investor is shown and basically walked through the ups and downs of all types of investments, from blue chip stocks and small capital stock to life insurance, mutual fund operations, and even the less talked about items, such as low-income housing credits. In the second section, Life Planning, the reader is given much needed information on financial planning for his/her family, pensions, living trusts, wills, even a break-down of IRAs, the renting/leasing of real estate, and more. A much-needed glossary of terms, as well as an index, provide extra help in order to make sure you are getting as much benefit as you possibly can from this particular advisor.

On that note, this particular author is most definitely giving good advice and can be trusted. Enrolled to Practice before the IRS since 1976, Mr. Chute is both a Registered Investment Advisor and a Registered Security Principal – which means you are getting that ‘helping hand’ from a financial expert with this book, without having to pay the exorbitant bill that most would charge if you set up a meeting.

To say this is a readable book, is putting it simply. Highly organized, each part gives a clear definition of what is going to be discussed. It addresses negative things that can and have happened in the market, while also providing great ‘tips’ for each area that you are interested in investing your money. Highly educational, it is also a casual, informative read that will not cause you to shy away from the terminology, or set it down thinking you’re just “not ready to understand” how best to take care of your money and the financial future of you and yours.

Quill says: Even if we were not living in such anxious times, there are a multitude of reasons why your first investment should be this book.

For more information on Stocks, Bonds & Taxes: A Comprehensive Handbook and Investment Guide for Everybody, please visit that author's website at: phillipbchute.com

 

#AuthorInterview with Burt Clinchandhill

Today, Feathered Quill reviewer Amy Lignor is talking with Burt Clinchandhill, author of Aldaraia (The Matthew Bishop Series - Book One).

FQ: Mr. Clinchandhill, per your biography, you are a Dutch-born author. Can you tell readers a bit about when you wrote your first story and how the passion for writing first came about in your life? 

CLINCHANDHILL: As a kid in the seventies and eighties, in my teens, I was intrigued by a British TV show called Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected. Fantastic stories told in half an hour that always had a surprising ending. I felt those were the kind of stories I wanted to tell, so I started writing short fantastic stories, which I – of course – felt were pretty good. Unfortunately, none of those words survived, and we'll never know if, indeed, they were any good. 

FQ: You have had a long career in photography. Has this creative pursuit helped your writing? In addition, because of that career path, do you create your own book covers? 

CLINCHANDHILL: To start with your last question, no, I don't create my own covers. A very talented lady from Ukraine designed my indie-published book covers, and for my latest books, my publisher works with a talented designer named Kabir Shah from the UK. Don’t you love that the world has become the small place it is now? Regarding my photography career. When studying photography, you learn to visualize a picture before you take it. I like to think that's how I write. Before the words appear on paper, I visualize every image, every scene, like a movie. When I close my eyes, I see my characters speak every piece of dialogue, and the environment they're in. 

FQ: Please tell readers a little about this fantastic title, Aldaraia, and when/how the idea came to you in regards to this work? In addition, will this be part of a series or a trilogy? 

CLINCHANDHILL: To be honest, I wanted to write a 'Dan Brown-like' story. Not that I'm a big fan of his writing style, but I love the way he develops a story—especially the intertwining of past and present and making it (almost) believable. The same goes for the books by Michael Crichton and the way he combines adventure with current medical knowledge to create science fiction stories. Fantastic and, again, believable. I try to tell my stories, however wild sometimes, in a plausible way. 

FQ: Do your characters, in this case Matthew Bishop, share any characteristics with you personally? 

CLINCHANDHILL: I don't think so, at least not much. He and I like fishing and traveling, but for the rest. I do think that all of my characters reflect some smaller traits of me. Even the bad guys. I do like strong but flawed character so in that way we might have more in common than I like to agree on. 

FQ: With other titles, such as Kursk, 47 Hours, etc., you concentrated on true stories and real-life tragedies. Is this work more "out of the realm" for you when it comes to genre? If so, what made you decide to go in this direction with your writing? 

CLINCHANDHILL: I love this current genre. This is absolutely my favorite. It took this long to write my first book in this genre because I simply believed I couldn't do it, that it simply would be too difficult to do. That's why I started with more or less true stories like Kursk. I felt that a story like Kursk was especially suited to start writing (again) because, being a true story, there was a sort of an outline there. Fortunately, there was also a lot of unknown mystery that I could fill in using my fantasy. In that first book, I created a character called James Mitchel that I felt deserved a sequel. And since I like trilogies, the James Mitchel trilogy was born. 

FQ: What comes next? Can you give us a "sneak peek" in regards to Matthew Bishop's next step? 

CLINCHANDHILL: Ah, well. Bishop's next adventure is called Lemuria and will take him again across the globe. Only this time, it will be personal for him when a close friend disappears mysteriously. Of course, there's a mystical reason for the friend's disappearance, and even the Vatican seems to be involved this time. For the rest, you'll have to wait until May 2021. 

FQ: Is there a genre you have not explored as of yet that you would like to one day? 

CLINCHANDHILL: Matthew Bishop's adventure comes as a trilogy, and currently, I'm writing the final installment, planned to be released in December 2021. That final chapter will end in a sort of cliffhanger into a new series that will be in a different genre. Think of it as more of a fantasy series that plays in our own current realm. Confused? Sorry, that's about all I can tell you about it now, and it changes just about every day in my mind, so who knows. I love the fantasy genre, but again, It seems so hard to write. 

FQ: Is there one author you would love to sit down and talk to about writing? If so, who would that be and what would be one question you would like to ask them? 

CLINCHANDHILL: Michael Crichton would absolutely be the one I'd like to sit down with. Unfortunately, that will never happen, of course. But I simply admire, maybe even worship, the man. Not just for his active writing style but also for the way he wrote his view of the near future into his adventurous stories. Many of them have a predictive value that I love. I love books that when you finished reading them, your first thought will be, What if?"

#BookReview - Tiny Tim and The Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge - Audio

Tiny Tim and The Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge: The sequel to A Christmas Carol (Children's Edition - Narrated With Audio Christmas Carols)

By: Norman Whaler
Illustrator: Voxillustrations
Publisher: Beneath Another Sky Books
Publication Date: November 2020
ASIN: B08MKJT2YH
Reviewed by: Holly Connors
Review Date: November 20, 2020

In 2017, author Norman Whaler released his version of a sequel to the Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol, that was appropriately titled Tiny Tim and The Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge: The Sequel to A Christmas Carol. Now he's taken his love of Dickens' a step further by releasing a magical audio edition geared to young readers.

As the story opens, we learn that:

...a mean, selfish old man named Scrooge
who used to scowl and frown,
had a change of heart and said,
"I won't let you down!"
Tiny Tim's leg was soon mended
and his lonely, unhappy days then ended.

Turn the page and we learn that thanks to Scrooge's change of heart, Tim grew into a healthy young man, happy, strong in faith, and it appears, falling in love. Yes, Tim is in love. But there's a problem - the parents of his true love, Becky, don't approve of Tim. Without their approval, Becky is unable to marry Tim and so, the two must go their separate ways.

As time goes by, Tim grows sad and miserable. "...without his Becky, his heart just grew colder." If this sounds like Tim might be falling into the same unhappy life that Scrooge had before his life-changing visits from three ghosts, you're right. And it appears Tim might just be in need of a ghostly visit from his dearly departed friend Scrooge.

In 2018, I read/reviewed the first version Whaler wrote of the sequel (the print version) to A Christmas Carol, that was, at 100 pages, geared to an older reader than this audio version. It was an enjoyable read and the author did a very good job of imagining what Tim's life was like after that fateful, happy Christmas Day when Scrooge visited Tim's household with the Christmas goose. This new audio version can be easily enjoyed by much younger readers as they follow along with the narrator (a perfect choice of narrator to bring the reader/listener back to Victorian London). The jingle-jangle of the background sounds, horses trotting, carolers singing, etc., really added to the Christmas spirit. Each page of text/audio is accompanied by a lovely illustration that uses soft tones to convey the nostalgia and atmosphere of Victorian London. When I sat down to listen to the audio, I definitely wasn't in a Christmas mood but after listening to the entire story, I was excited to continue on to the Christmas songs that are at the back of the book. The songs, with their print versions included, are delightful and complete the entire audio experience. This is a fun story, wonderfully produced, and children will likely be watching, and listening to Tiny Tim and The Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge over and over, well past Christmas time.

Quill says: A fantastic holiday book that will get not only children, but your whole family, in the Christmas mood.

For more information on Tiny Tim and The Ghost of Ebenezer Scrooge, please visit the author's website: www.normanwhaler.com