Search Results for: the bat

Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It’s Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind by Louie Giglio


Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It’s Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind by Louie Giglio
Publisher: Harper Christian Resources/ Thomas Nelson
Genre: Inspirational, Contemporary
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Mistflower

God has prepared a table for you. It’s set with a banquet of peace, clarity, and purpose. But Satan is constantly looking for an invitation, seeking to fill your mind with distractions, fear, worry, insecurity, anxiety, temptation, doubt…

It’s an ongoing battle. But you can learn how to protect your mind from unhealthy thoughts and experience rest and nourishment at God’s table.

The Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table study (DVD/digital video sold separately) offers biblical insight on how to:

Cancel the lies that will wreck your life and take the empowering steps to live fully alive in Christ
Restore peace and rest in your life by taking authority over your thoughts
Break free from the endless cycle of destructive thinking and recapture your emotions
Embrace the true purpose behind your journey through challenging circumstances
Sessions include:

The Table Before Us
The Tactics of the Enemy
The Battle for Our Mind
The Path to Victory
God’s Invitation Always Stands
In the Presence of Our Enemies
You can find freedom from the battles in your mind if you allow Jesus, the Good Shepherd, to lead the battle. Learn how to find encouragement, hope, and strength no matter what valleys you face.

My friend suggested I join her bible study group that was starting a new book called, Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table by Louie Giglio. She knew I was struggling with a few incorrect attitudes. Also referred to as “The battle of the mind”. I said, why not? It’d be fun to zoom once a week and discuss the book.

Let me just tell you that I need to read this book at least five more times. It’s a life changer. I have most of the book highlighted. It’s very easy to have the knowledge on how to live a life pleasing to God but it’s another thing to apply it in daily life. I’m just going to quote the book because I can’t say it any better. “You don’t have to let negative thoughts control your life. You don’t have to allow the Enemy to influence your thinking. You have the power through Jesus Christ to take control of your thoughts and emotions. Jesus invites you to a table that he has prepared for your—a table where the Enemy is not invited.”

If you are quick to anger and slow to forgiving like me, then this book is a prescription for healing and peace in your mind and heart. The most prominent message I got this time reading this book was “even though…I will”. I’m trying to consciously choose to linger in the presence of God and this book easily aides in that endeavor. It’s actually an entertaining read with a few relatable stories. It’s not a dry, biblical quoting or preachy style book. I enjoyed reading a chapter a week and discussing what we read with other friends trying to live a Godly life.

The Bat by Leslie W P Garland


The Bat by Leslie W P Garland
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Mystery, Horror, Paranormal, Historical
Length: Short Story (83 pages)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

With “fake news” hitting the headlines, I thought it would be nice to look at “truth” and muse on questions such as “what actually is true?” and “what is Truth?” using a fantasy story as a foil for same.

In this coming-of-age story Thomas recounts the events of a term at school when his class returned to a new beautiful class teacher, a donation of stuffed animals and birds by an eccentric benefactor which he and his friends subsequently discovered weren’t quite as dead as they looked, an exorcism in which a bell-jar which had contained a bat shattered, and then things, which up until then had been strange, turned to being sinister and frightening.

In an attempt to understand what was going on, Thomas found himself reading up on Black Magic, Satanism, the early Christian Church, and the worship of evil, but instead of assisting his understanding this made him more confused than ever. Even a conversation with his local priest failed to resolve the problems he found himself wrestling with. What was true? What was the Truth? And of course, where was the bat?

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The difference between good and evil isn’t always as easy to figure out as one might think.

One of the many reasons why I’m such a huge fan of Mr. Garland’s work is that it requires some effort from the reader in order to be understood. He’s the sort of writer who will give his audience a few important clues and then expect them to come to their own conclusions about what happened based on how they chose to interpret those clues. This was the perfect kind of storyline for this writing style because of how slippery people’s memories can be. Two people can remember the same moment in time in completely different ways depending on what their minds were paying attention to back then.

The character development was handled beautifully, too. At times I forgot that the narrator was remembering things that happened to him and his community decades ago because of how caught up I was in what young Thomas was experiencing and how much those events affected the way he saw the world. While I don’t know if the author would ever be interested in write a sequel about this specific character in this series, I’d sure like to read it if he does.

There was nothing gory about the horror in this tale, but that didn’t make any less frightening. I appreciated the way the fear sneaked up on me as I was reading. It wasn’t something I noticed at first, but I was pretty scared by the final scene. There is definitely something to be said for being scared by the threat of something terrible happening almost as much as I was by what actually occurred. Anticipation was one of the narrator’s biggest weapons, and he used it well.

The final reason why I gave this book a perfect score is that it wrestled with so many intriguing questions about faith, morality, grief, and what it means to be a good person without spoon-feeding any answers to the audience. I deeply enjoy philosophical discussions about these kinds of topics, and Mr. Garland gave me a lot of food for thought. I will be thinking about the various points his characters made for a long time.

This is part of the “The Red Grouse” series, but it can be read on its own or out of order.

The Bat chilled me to my core. It’s a must-read for anyone who loves though-provoking and intelligent stories.

Witch & Wombat by Ashley Belote


Witch & Wombat by Ashley Belote
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Holiday, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Every witch will want a wombat after reading this humorous picture book perfect for little readers who want a new pet!

Wilma, a young witch, cannot wait to get her very first cat! But when the pet store is fresh out of kittens, Wilma brings home. . . a wombat?! What a CAT-astrophe! A wombat is nothing like a cat, but maybe if Wilma puts cat ears on the little critter, no one will notice. . . . (Spoiler alert: they do.)

This bright and fun picture book teaches young witches that our differences can be our strengths when we have an open mind!

Witches know exactly what they need…right?

This tale had a playful sense of humor that worked well for the surprises that sometimes come up during the spookiest time of year. I chuckled as I peered closer at certain funny illustrations and read other lines a second time for the sheer joy of it. Wilma was delightful, and her silly attempts to make her new pet act more like a cat couldn’t have been better. Halloween and humor aren’t mixed together very often, so it was heartwarming to see them included in the same storyline here.

I found myself wishing that the storekeeper had explained to Wilma why he thought a wombat was an acceptable substitute for the cat she had ordered. Did he make a mistake with the order form from his supplier? Were wombats a common pet to order from his store? Why didn’t he ask her in advance what she thought of this solution? The logic there never made sense to me, and it detracted from an otherwise enjoyable story.

With that being said, I did appreciate the messages about making the best of things, respecting differences, having a good sense of humor, and being flexible about your plans. These are lessons that many adults often need to learn just as much as kids do, so this is something that can appeal to readers of all ages. Life may not always turn out the way we like, but the plot twists in it might end up being even better than what we originally hoped for!

Witch & Wombat was a cute Halloween read.

LASR Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: All That Shimmers by Diane Bator

Thanks for joining us on our 16th anniversary scavenger hunt! There are two ways to enter to win and it’s easy to play– first read the blurb below, then answer the question on the first Rafflecopter. You might win a $100 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC (along with other prizes). Follow and visit authors’ social media pages on the second Rafflecopter and you’re entered to win another $100 Amazon/BN GC (along with other prizes)!

Laken Miller swears her new apartment above Vintage Sage is haunted. Even her English Sheepdog, Sammy, is petrified of the things going bump in the night – and day.

Then she finds her ex-husband’s body in the courtyard.

Can she prove her innocence and find the real killer before the new police chief gives her a different kind of shimmering bracelet than she’s used to?

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Battle Angel by Colleen Millsteed – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Colleen Millsteed will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Do you ever feel like life is consistently bashing or bullying you? Extracting every pound of flesh?

Battle Angel: The Ultimate She Warrior has been written with you in mind. Every female alive has their very own ‘She’ warrior buried inside. It’s just a matter of remembering her and digging deep to find yours.

Find the inspiration and power you need from the poetry written in these pages. Find the one that resonates with you when you’re angry, one that brings out your loving warrior, or the perfect powerful inspiration for when you are facing a test in this endeavor we call Life.

Enjoy an Excerpt

She Welcomes the Darkness While Wandering the Destructive Halls of Hell

Wrapped in her cloak of skulls and crossbones

Look in her eyes, lose yourself in their depths, You’ll experience her long forgotten fights, Her constant battles, but be wary of her strength, For she battles her demons all through the nights.

Look closely and you’ll see her torment swirling the surface, As the demons write their names, etched into her bones, She welcomes them into her soul through the darkness, As she is wrapped in her cloak of skulls and crossbones.

Her soul is the blood drenched battleground, trampled By haunted ghosts of torment and screaming wiles, A graveyard of broken and forgotten stories of her life, Tales of her gory survival, hidden behind guileless smiles.

She is in her element as she wraps herself in midnight, Becoming one with the darkness inside and out, Broken apart by the moon glow, causing her to howl, Listening for her brokenness as she screams her doubt.

In turn, she carves her name on certain tombstones, Cradling the haunted cries of her past love as it dies, She reduces herself to the ashes for those who hurt her, Giving the phoenix her wings, allowing it to rise.

She knows she has been forgotten, a whim at most, As they scurry from her path, hiding behind their rock, She is born of starlight, somewhere far from her world, Lost, unable to find her home, pain her stumbling block.

The storm keeps her company, at one with her turmoil, She knows it’s the only friend she can ever trust, Its honesty is its own destructiveness for full disclosure, Forgoing the need to lie, pretension of love and lust.

The more I watch, the more I realise she is broken and lost, As she starts to become one with the darkness, the shadow, Choosing to move further from the star that she was born into, Meandering through the halls of hell, cradling her deathblow.

She endeavours to merge with her hellfire demons, Preferring the numbness, the desire to torture and kill, It calms her eternal fires, her raw and bloody chaos, While she makes love to the evil and depraved at will.

About the Author: COLLEEN MILLSTEED has been writing poetry for over 40 years and it is through her extensive portfolio that this Battle Angel collection evolved, drawing from her life experiences.

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Insider Story with Bo, lover of Victor Raghib and Caden from Battle of a Thousand Deaths by Nina Schluntz – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Insider Story with Bo, lover of Victor Raghib and Caden from Battle of a Thousand Deaths

Host: We’d like to welcome a special guest, Bo, current slave and lover to Victor Raghib from Battle of a Thousand Deaths. Thank you for joining us, Bo.

Bo: Pleasure to be here.

Host: First off, I want to say, are you really as nice as you appear on camera? You seem to have no faults and people can’t help but love you.

Bo: That’s so kind of everyone to say, but I’m really no different than anyone else. I don’t put on a special act for the cameras.

Host: I’m not sure that answered the question, but we’ll move on. How do you feel knowing that Raghib is in love with Caden? Do you think he loves Caden more than you? Fans often say Raghib is using you as a replacement.

Bo: I’ve seen those same fans say Caden was my replacement. Raghib and I formed a bond and were lovers long before Raghib meant Caden. But, as someone who has met Caden, I understand his appeal. He’s a truly great guy.

Host: Um, okay, have you done anything to help the people of Raghib’s Kingdom? You must know the people are being overtaxed and are suffering.

Bo: There are people, specialists, who are addressing those concerns. It’s certainly not something a person with my background as a sex slave would know how to solve.

Host: Is it true Raghib is struggling with addiction?

Bo: He has his demons. Any former slave struggles to adapt to a life of freedom.

Host: Is part of that adapting related to the ecstasy reward most slaves receive from their master? Raghib is addicted to that drug and has been spending his kingdom’s money to buy more in the black market.

Bo: Of course, slaves struggle to adjust to a life without a reward system. I mean, I’m high right now. I gave Raghib a blowjob behind stage before coming out here. I needed the ecstasy reward to calm my nerves. If I was a free man without access to ecstasy, I’m not sure how I’d have the courage to do an interview like this.

Host: Raghib didn’t accompany you to the studio today.

Bo: A reward is a reward. I’m happy to have brightened someone’s day and get rewarded for it.

Host: We can edit that out before it airs, right? No? This is live? Of course, it is. Well, I think this has provided our viewers with some insight into Raghib’s Kingdom. Tune in next month for… I don’t know what, but not this. Can we call someone to get this guy?

Game Wardens rule most of the galaxy by a fierce empire built on enslavement and brokered deals. The only means to earn one’s freedom is by playing in the Alien Games. Two slaves go in the arena, the survivor, if there is one, is given their freedom and crowned a king, earning them a small country to rule and slaves of their own.

To make the battle more fun for spectators, genetically enhanced monsters, sahalias, are given to the combatants, but they must found in a scavenger hunt. Five orbs, each hatching into a lizard that will bond with their keeper, are hidden on a random planet. If the competitor finds all five, they have a great imbalance of power over the other, who will have none. The sahalias are created with one purpose, to battle to the death and destroy the other competitor.

*****

Caden works at an all night diner in a small town near the interstate. When a man comes in late at night, asking for access to the roof, Caden knows the man is a bit off. But his ruffian nature and a small bribe makes Caden decide to let him go up.

“It’s a scavenger hunt,” the man says. Caden thinks he’s being helpful when he finds the item, a black orb, but when he touches it, he unknowingly becomes a competitor in an intergalactic competition that ends in a battle to the death. Manipulated and lied to, drugged by the alien Incubus, Raghib, whom he is now allied with, he must train his lizard battle creatures to fight for him on an unknown planet with rules he barely understands.

He has little chance to survive and although he wants to trust, Raghib, who will earn his freedom if Caden wins the battle, he worries he is simply being used. A bit of truth is revealed when one of the Game Wardens takes a liking to Caden, but his alien species is known to eat humans, so Caden isn’t sure if the desire is that of hunger or true romance.

Either way, Caden is nothing but a slave to their alien games.

***** 

Caden is free. He won his battle and got what he wanted. Sent back to Earth with his won kingdom given to the slave, Raghib. However, life on Earth, back at the diner isn’t the same after living on an alien planet. He still suffers from withdrawals from the Incubus influence and drugs Raghib forced on him, and nightmares from the horrible battle to the death.

When a woman arrives, the latest competitor in the alien games, she offers him a chance to visit Raghib. All he has to do is be her slave during the games and help her find the orbs. He agrees and finds she is a higher level competitor than Raghib was, the hunt is on a deadlier planet, one covered in darkness and monsters.

Caden is eventually reunited with Raghib and gets to see the kingdom he won. Raghib is more broken from the battle and haunted by the brutality of it than Caden. He has a new lover and is driving his country to poverty so he can buy drugs to forget the pain. Caden turns to the Game Wardens for help, offering to go back in the arena again, with the woman he helped in the scavenger hunt. He is a fan favorite and knows their ratings will improve if he goes in again.

He arranged to go in as her pretend slave, in a role that will have safety features turned on so he will be in no real danger. He thinks its his idea to go back in. Confident he’s messing with the structures in place and trying to leverage the Game Wardens to change the deadly games into a nonlethal form.

However, it was their plan for him to go back in from the start. Caden is still nothing but a slave to their alien games.

***** 

Caden’s long-term girlfriend on Earth is pregnant, and Caden is missing. Jenny worries he has been kidnapped and drugged again. A strange woman arrives, saying she knows Caden and where he is. She offers to take Jenny to him, if she helps her… they just need to find some orbs in a scavenger hunt. Jenny agrees, but is careful to not touch the objects. She doesn’t trust this woman.

They find four orbs and encounter the other competitor. The fifth orb is there, and Jenny is forced to pick it up. The other competitor forfeits and Jenny finds herself now in the games, the woman she’d been helping now announced as her deadly competitor.

She is taken to an alien planet and united with a distraught Caden. He confesses that he has a relationship with a man, an alien man, an Incubus named Raghib, and the woman Jenny must fight is Raghib’s daughter.

Caden is in an impossible situation, either his lover’s daughter dies or his childhood sweetheart dies, but there is a rule in the games, a protection for slaves and their offspring, who are viewed as profitable future slaves. A pregnant woman may not enter the arena, instead the sire must.

Caden is again forced to play in the games, but this time he has no sahalias to battle on his behalf, and safety features are not allowed. If Caden is to survive, he must find a way to not be a slave in their alien games.

Enjoy an Excerpt from Book Two

“You were the victor in the arena. You. And you would have made a great leader.” Her face twisted with even more contempt. “But you gave your nobility away to Raghib. You, of all people, should have known better.”

“I don’t understand.”

I saw the flash of rage glimmer in her eyes, then my vision was flooded by the water below us as she thrust me under it. The shock had me inhaling the fluid, which panicked me more than anything. I thrashed and flailed. She pulled me back as I coughed, only vaguely aware that the water had stung my lungs less than water on Earth did.

“I’m from that kingdom you abandoned,” she said. “My people are from there.” She turned my head so I was forced to look at her. “Your Raghib sold our natural resources. Drained our water. Drilled our soil. Left us with nothing but barren land. Not even enough for us to live on, let alone afford the taxes he demanded. We had lush swamps, like this.” She gestured with her free hand while the other still held me, just barely high enough to keep my face from being submerged. “But now, it is a desert. My family sold me, sold their child, to pay Raghib’s tax and buy enough food to keep from starving. So I am here to win my own kingdom so my people can live in a better place. A place not ruled by a drug addict who cares nothing for his people.”

She dunked me again, before I could even consider mustering the air to respond or comprehend what she was telling me. I flailed, swung wildly, and probably hurt myself far more than I did her. She pulled me up again, and I vomited out the water as she tossed me away.

“You don’t even know whose side you are on. Kralasee is a puppet of the Game Wardens. She trains fighters. She is employed by the Game Wardens and works to prepare competitors in the months before they go on their scavenger hunt. And now, they have allowed this, you, their favorite competitor to return. How am I to win?’

“Not killing me would definitely be a good step in the right direction,” I managed to say between coughs.

“Does it matter if I am killed for murdering you rather than murdered in the arena in six days? Death is death.”

“Yes, but one of those options is a guarantee, the other is not.” I regained enough composure to look at her. “I can help you. I will…help you.”

I noticed she didn’t have any of the bands on her arm. She hadn’t found any orbs.

“It doesn’t matter to me which of you wins. I have no intention of going into the arena. So how about I help you find the remaining orbs?’

She did that smiling sneer, and for a moment, I thought it meant she was accepting my offer. She gripped my shoulder and pulled me from the water, pushing my back against a trunk. At least, I hoped it was a tree trunk.

“The more orbs that bitch finds, the better, so don’t offer me your pity.” She gave me a final push, then stepped out of my light, vanishing and leaving me, once again, alone. Only this time, I didn’t have any hope of finding Kralasee’s tracker.

About the Author:

Nina Schluntz is a native to rural Nebraska. In her youth, she often wrote short stories to entertain her friends. Those ideas evolved into the novels she creates today.

Her husband continues to ensure her stories maintain a touch of realism as she delves into the science fiction and fantasy realm. Their three cats are always willing to stay up late to provide inspiration, whether it is a howl from the stray born in the backyard or an encouraging bite from the so called “calming kitten.”

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Book 1 Video ~ Book 2 Video ~ Book 3 Video

Buy the series, Book 1, Book 2, or Book 3on Amazon or check out the serialized version of the series (US only) on Kindle Vella.

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Bats, Bandits, and Buggies by Nancy Oswald


Bats, Bandits, and Buggies by Nancy Oswald
Publisher: Burro Books
Genre: Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.) Historical, Fiction, YA
Rating: 5 stars
Review by Snowdrop

Bat, Bandits & Buggies is the fourth book in the Ruby and Maude Adventure Series. These books can be read in any order.

In Colorado Springs, the summer of 1898, thirteen-year-old, Ruby is bored, bored, bored. What starts out as a plan to train her donkey, Maude, to pull a buggy, ends up in a prickly business deal with her friend Roy, who has run away from Cripple Creek to escape his misery of working in the mines.

Roy lives with his peculiar Aunt Agnes, the caretaker of a mansion where things go bump in the night. Ruby suspects his aunt is involved with two bandits who dress in black and appear and disappear without a trace.

After eavesdropping on a mysterious couple, Ruby is terrified Roy may be the bandits’ next target. Her suspicions come true when the gun-brandishing bandits capture her and Roy.

Will the two escape? Is there a connection between the bandits, Aunt Agnes, and the mansion? What other surprises await Ruby and Roy in their seemingly sleepy little town? Find out in Bats, Bandits, & Buggies.

While I am not of this reading age anymore (9 to 12), who could possibly ignore a book with this title? Regardless of age, I had a blast. Set in the late 1800’s, this middle grade children’s historical fiction story would be a quick and fun read for anyone. Ruby and Roy with her donkey Maude, decide to run from bad personal situations and end up right in the middle of a mystery. In some ways, out of the fire and into the pot, a possible very dangerous place to be.

What a neat change in genre this is. It’s almost a cozy mystery for middle grade readers. I love the historical fiction setting. This is clearly written and very easy to follow, but it sure never lets up on suspense.

Of course, it’s biggest draw is what I mentioned previously. Who can resist two kids, a donkey, some bandits, and a mystery?

Bats, Bandits, and Buggies is Book 4 in a series titled “Ruby and Maude Adventure”. Check it out.

Winter Blogfest: Diane Bator

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of All That Shines .

31 Holidays Hath December by Diane Bator

Some years the holiday season can become overwhelming and drag people down more than uplift them. In the spirit of keeping things fun and adventurous, if you decide not to celebrate in the usual fashion this year, here is a list of worthy celebrations that occur in December whichmay spark your playful side. Seriously! Everything from Eat a Red Apple Day on December 1 to Cabernet Franc Day and National Cookie Day on December 4. My favorite has to be December 5th’s National Comfort Food Day, which encompasses so many great foods we all love to noshand Microwave Oven Day December 6. Finally! A day to worship that appliance many of us could not do without.

For the readers and writers in the crowd, December 10 heralds Dewey Decimal System Day. If you don’t know what that is, you’re much younger than me! December 12 is Gingerbread House and Poinsettia Day. Then comes another one of my favorites:  Hot Cocoa Day and Popcorn String Day on December 13. Oh, and be sure not to miss Chocolate-covered Anything Day on December 16!

The week before Christmas, we have Go Caroling Day and National Sangria Day on December 20. Those two sound like a fun pairing. December 21 is Don’t Make Your Bed Day and National Flashlight Day. I sense a blanket fort celebration along with fast food for National Hamburger Day. On, December 22, we have National Mathematics Day. No comment.

December 23 brings the Night of the Radishes. That one sounds like a horror movie and scares me a little but leads into December 24, otherwise known as Christmas Eve or National Eggnog Day. Christians all around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25, but it is also National Pumpkin Pie Day somewhere and the start of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

While to some regions, December 26 is Boxing Day, it is also National Candy Cane Day. Another favorite for me is December 27, or Make Cut-out Snowflakes Day, which is paired with Wine Blessing Day. Another holiday I can get behind!

December 28, aka National Chocolate Candy Day, and 29 bring a couple of days I’m not as fond of:  Eat Vegetarian Day and National Get on the Scales Day. Um…not during the holidays, please! Bacon Day and National Bicarbonate of Soda Day share December 30 while December 31 wraps up the year with National Champagne Day, New Year’s Eve, and Hogmanay Day.

Hogmanay Day? I had to look that one up just because the word is so much fun. Hogmanay, “Moon of the Hag,” is celebrated in Scotland as the last day of the year. Celebrations continue into the New Year with gift-giving and visiting with friends and neighbors.

Find out more about fun monthly celebrations at:  https://web-holidays.com/holiday-calendar/

Happy Holidays!

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All That Shines (March 2021)
Sage Miller is knee deep in fashion designers—whether she wants them in her new vintage boutique or not.
One winds up dead.
Another isn’t what he seems.
A third is treasure hunting.
Sage is stuck in the middle trying to solve a murder before the grand opening of Vintage Sage, which involves a fashion show she’d rather not be part of.

Diane Bator is the author of several mystery novels, a coach-in-training, and a budding playwright. She’s a member of many mystery and writing groups. When she’s not writing, she works in a professional theatre that will one day be subject to immortality in a mystery series.

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Winter Blogfest: Vicki Batman

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $10 Starbucks gift card and an e-copy of Sommerville holidays.

Christmas Prep, Crunch Time, Holiday Movies

I was determined to get ready super early for the holidays. For too many years, I felt crunched and crazy. I knew “staying ahead” would help me enjoy my time and not feel like “I have to do that.” This year, I hosted four small parties in ten days and took a trip with girlfriends. So, instead of stitching or reading, Icooked and did other preparations.

I addressed my Christmas cards. I made cheese logs. I dipped the fruitcake in chocolate for a dessert tray. And because I didn’t host Thanksgiving this year, I even decorated early, too.

Since I bought gifts throughout the year, I had a huge pile to sort. Once done, I commenced wrap-a-thon—lots of gift wrap, bags, ribbons, and gift cards.

And finito!

Oh, some last-minute stuff will pop up; however, I won’t be all “I have to get that done” and could spontaneously do other fun things when they popped up. I had parked in the back of my mind, I would have to help Handsome as he epitomized Mr. Last Minute.

Which meant I had time to relax over holiday movies. For example:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Charlie Brown Christmas

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer

The Holiday

Home Alone

Miracle on 34th Street

Christmas in Connecticut

Love Actually

Every Christmas Eve, I watch “White Christmas.” As a youngster, “White Christmas” aired on Christmas Eve. What a thrill to be able to stay up late and see the movie and sing the songs–“Sisters” anyone?—with my three sisters.

When my boys came along, I pleaded and bribed to get them to watch with me, learn the songs, and sing them. Perhaps, what I wanted was too girly or maybe too shmaltzy as they weren’t interested. So, I did all the above by myself.

Seriously, who doesn’t love a good feel-good movie?

What is your favorite Holiday move (I’m not sure “Die Hard” qualifies)?

I hope you and yours have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

Great job. What man? And murder. Newly employed at Wedding Wonderland, Hattie Cooks is learning the industry from a woman she greatly admires. When her former brother-in-law is found dead in his luxury SUV, all fingers point to Hattie’s sister, who is planning her own I Dos.

Detective Allan Wellborn is caught between a rock and a hard place—Hattie’s family and investigating the murder of a well-connected Sommerville resident, the same loser who was once married to Hattie’s sister. Determining who’s the bad guy—or gal—isn’t going to be easy and sure to piss off someone.

Can Hattie beat the clock to find out who murdered Tracey’s ex before she is charged with the crime and her wedding is ruined?

Funny, sweet, and quirky, Vicki Batman’s stories are full of her hallmark humor, romance, and will delight all readers. She has sold many award-winning and bestselling romantic comedy works to magazines and most recently, three humorous romantic mysteries. An avid Jazzerciser. Handbag lover. Mahjong player. Yoga practitioner. Movie fan. Book devourer. Cat fancier. Best Mom ever. And adores Handsome Hubby.

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Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories by Tom Batt


Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories by Tom Batt
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, LGBTQ, Historical, Contemporary
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories is a collection of 15 short crime stories from dark detective noir to domestic murder, crossing time periods as far back as the Victorian era and into the near future. Some with a twist of horror, science fiction or the supernatural. Each story revolves around intriguing characters with twists and turns and on occasion a sting in the tail.

Private investigator Nick Shelby is struggling to move on from the abrupt and unexplained departure of Louise, the woman he loved. When she turns up dead in Mexico, he sets off to investigate her death and, in the process, unravels a web of lies and betrayal woven together by a roster of shady characters in 1940s Los Angeles. A mysterious man thought to be dead, a deceiving doctor and a notorious gangster are all connected, but the big question is who killed Louise and why?

Plus, three small town sheriff’s deputies are made a tempting offer by a sinister stranger they’ve arrested; a young prostitute tracks down the man who murdered her friend and exacts brutal revenge; in the near future where reproduction is regulated a desperate mother will risk everything to have a child of her own and in Victorian London a married couple encounter one of the city’s most infamous criminals and find themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Sometimes the fringes of society are the most interesting places to be.

After going broke and nearly losing their home, George’s wife decided to work as a prostitute to keep her family housed and fed in “An Unexpected Encounter in Spitalfields.” His angry response to the way their community treated them once word of her new occupation got out piqued my interest. I had a lot of compassion for this couple and was curious to see how they’d manage their financial woes as well as the stigma they faced. There were some wonderful twists in this tale that kept me guessing, and the final surprise was the best one of them all.

“A Deadly Suspicion” began with Cooper and Gabe making small talk as they got rid of a body. I was intrigued by how casually these characters cleaned up the scene of the death and how much more attention they paid to other concerns in their lives like making sure their hair looked good. That wasn’t how I’d expect anyone to behave in that situation at all, so I couldn’t imagine what their reasoning was for it. As intrigued as I was by their unusual behavior, I did find myself wishing that they’d gone into more detail about why they were so used to handling dead bodies and how they were planning to get away with their crimes. This was a pattern I noticed in a few other stories here as well. I would have gone with a higher rating if the author had been a little more methodical about explaining what was going on in them.

Russell was dismayed to learn that his mistress was pregnant in “Fatal Infidelity.” After his mistress died in a car accident a short time later, he had to figure out how to cover up the evidence of their affair and her death. I thought I knew where everything was going based on the beginning and middle of it, so it was a pleasant surprise to see how many tricks the author still had up his sleeve as the characters moved closer to the climax. This was quite creative and was one of my favorite tales of them all.

Old Wounds: A Nick Shelby Case and Other Crime Stories was a well-rounded collection that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys all sorts of different types of mysteries.