CSFF May/June Blog Tour ~ DreamTreaders Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the May/June CSFF Blog Tour
This month's book is 

DreamTreaders
By Wayne Thomas Batson

Dream by Day.       

              Live by Night.

The visual imagery in DreamTreaders is one of the strengths of this book.  For example on page 10, "It was a fierce appearance, even more because of his eyes.  The Nightmare Lord's eyes were empty pockets of sickly, whitish-green, bubbling like cauldrons of rage within his ram's-horned helm. If indeed eyes are the mirror of the soul, then this warlord possessed a soul like a tomb full of things dead and rotting." If imagery like this doesn't capture your attention (or give you nightmares) I'd be very surprised.

Get ready to enter a world where time is an important factor in the fight, but be warned time follows no rules. And the sixth hour belongs to the Nightmare Lord.  And to stay past the twelfth hour may very well cost you your sanity or your waking life.

Check back tomorrow for more about Dream Treaders ~ a world you'll be drawn to whenever you close your eyes!

In conjunction with this CSFF tour I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my participation in this tour.

Dream Treaders is available @ Amazon 
Learn more at Wayne Thomas Batson's Website.

Be sure to visit all the Tour Stops during the 3-day tour June 2 - 4.

Beckie Burnham  Jeff Chapman  Pauline Creeden  Vicky DealSharingAunt 

Carol Gehringer  Victor Gentile  Rebekah Gyger  Christopher Hopper

Jason Joyner  Carol Keen  Jennette Mbewe  Shannon McDermott

Meagan @ Blooming with Books  Rebecca LuElla Miller  Nissa 

Writer Rani  Nathan Reimer  Chawna Schroeder  Jojo Sutis

Steve Trower  Shane Werlinger  Phyllis Wheeler

Book Facts:

Dream Treaders by Wayne Thomas Batson•      Age Range: 8 - 12 years
•      Paperback: 288 pages
•      Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2014)
•      Language: English
•      ISBN-10: 1400323665

Middle grade, fantasy
Fourteen-year-old Archer Keaton discovers he has the ability to enter and explore his dreams. He is a dreamtreader, one of three selected from each generation. Their mission: to protect the waking world from the Nightmare Lord, who wreaks chaos in the Dream World. But as Archer’s dreams become more dangerous and threatening, so too does his waking life.

Rigby Thames, the new kid from England, builds a suspicious rock star-like following at Dresden High School a little too quickly. Even Archer’s best friend and confidant, Kara Windchil, seems taken in by the cool guy with the wild blond hair, which definitely rubs Archer the wrong way. Archer must face two foes in two worlds, but he cannot succeed alone. Archer sets off to find other dreamtreaders in a desperate attempt to defeat the enemy terrorizing his friends and family.     

CSFF May/June Blog Tour ~ Dream Treaders Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 of the May/June CSFF Blog Tour
This month's book is Dream Treaders and in one word WOW!
Dream Treaders
By Wayne Thomas Batson

Dream by Day.       

              Live by Night.

Archer Keaton is one of three people destined to save the world, but his abilities come at night.  Archer is a dreamtreader and he fights against the Nightmare Lord and his evil forces within the Dream.

Get ready to enter a world where time is an important factor in the fight, but be warned time follows no rules. And the sixth hour belongs to the Nightmare Lord.  And to stay past the twelfth hour may very well cost you your sanity or your waking life.

Check back tomorrow for more about Dream Treaders ~ a world you'll be drawn to whenever you close your eyes! 

In conjunction with this CSFF tour I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my participation in this tour.

Dream Treaders is available @ Amazon 
Learn more at Wayne Thomas Batson's Website.

Be sure to visit all the Tour Stops during the 3-day tour June 2 - 4.

Beckie Burnham  Jeff Chapman  Pauline Creeden  Vicky DealSharingAunt 

Carol Gehringer  Victor Gentile  Rebekah Gyger  Christopher Hopper

Jason Joyner  Carol Keen  Jennette Mbewe  Shannon McDermott

Meagan @ Blooming with Books  Rebecca LuElla Miller  Nissa 

Writer Rani  Nathan Reimer  Chawna Schroeder  Jojo Sutis

Steve Trower  Shane Werlinger  Phyllis Wheeler

Book Facts:

Dream Treaders by Wayne Thomas Batson•      Age Range: 8 - 12 years
•      Paperback: 288 pages
•      Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2014)
•      Language: English
•      ISBN-10: 1400323665

Middle grade, fantasy
Fourteen-year-old Archer Keaton discovers he has the ability to enter and explore his dreams. He is a dreamtreader, one of three selected from each generation. Their mission: to protect the waking world from the Nightmare Lord, who wreaks chaos in the Dream World. But as Archer’s dreams become more dangerous and threatening, so too does his waking life.

Rigby Thames, the new kid from England, builds a suspicious rock star-like following at Dresden High School a little too quickly. Even Archer’s best friend and confidant, Kara Windchil, seems taken in by the cool guy with the wild blond hair, which definitely rubs Archer the wrong way. Archer must face two foes in two worlds, but he cannot succeed alone. Archer sets off to find other dreamtreaders in a desperate attempt to defeat the enemy terrorizing his friends and family.     

Soul of the Sun ~ Review

The Soul of the Sun
By Genevieve Crownson

The Soul of the Sun is an interesting book as it tells a story from several different perspectives and times.

When an unexpected act of violence ends one life and alters another, a series of events is set in motion that will affect generations.

Margaret's family is keeping a secret ~ a secret that goes back to ancient Greece, one that could prevent evil from destroying Earth. The only question is which of Margaret's descendants will fulfill this destiny. But evil is stalking them and the Watcher is determined to control this power or to destroy them all.

Told, mainly, from the viewpoints of Margaret, Emma, and the Watcher prepare to be taken on a journey through time as events come together as they were meant to. This is an epic battle of good verses evil.  But can evil ever truly be defeated?  This is a truth that Margaret and Emma must discover before they are destroyed.

This is an interesting story that you may need to read through a second time to fully grasp all the intricacies of the various times that are presented.  Overall this was a well-written story that pulls you into it.  And who can resist that appeal of the ability to travel through time?

I was provided a copy of this book in conjunction with this PUYB blog tour in exchange for my honest review.   


About the Book:
“The hands of time turn on the face of the sun. Only you can move them. If the Watcher controls the hands of the clock he can go anywhere, past or future-- and destroy our planet.”

Since the days of ancient Greece, the Argos dynasty has kept a secret, a mystery passed down through their descendants from generation to generation, in the hopes that the forces of good can stop the evil destruction of planet Earth.

Margaret Ingall is harboring that secret. Time is running out for the descendants of the Argos. They know a great healer and time traveler will be born of their blood. But the only person that knows whom they will call “the soul of the sun” is Margaret’s sister, Abigail. Before she can reveal the healer’s identity, disaster strikes…

Evil stalks them, watching and waiting to find out which member of her family has the ultimate power. Is it Margaret’s own child? Or her beloved granddaughter? Or even herself? Their only clue is a powerful protective amulet that will lead them all in a cat-and-mouse game to discover secrets as ancient as time.

If the Watcher discovers the truth before they do, all will be lost.

Fate, time and love weave together in their struggle to fulfill their destiny. Will Margaret’s fears sabotage her family’s protection? Can the healer accept her gifts in time? And once the soul of the sun is finally revealed, will it be too late?

Her power is incredible. The sacrifices required of her are immense.

Will it be enough to stop the Watcher?

• The Soul of the Sun is available at Amazon.

• Find out about more books by Genevieve here.

• Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Enter for a chance to win one of 2 $25 Amazon Gift Cards
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fairy Tale Contest ~ Cover Reveal

 Rooglewood Press is delighted to introduce their second fairy tale novella contest—

Five Enchanted Roses 

a collection of “Beauty and the Beast” stories

The challenge is to write a retelling of the beloved fairy tale in any genre or setting you like.
Make certain your story is recognizably “Beauty and the Beast,” but have fun with it as well.
Make it yours!

Rooglewood Press will be selecting five winners to be published in the Five Enchanted Roses collection, which will be packaged up with the gorgeous cover you see displayed here. Perhaps your name will be one of the five displayed on this cover?

All the contest rules and information (how to enter, story details, deadline etc.) may be found on the Rooglewood Press website. Just click HERE and you will go right to the page.

Rooglewood Press’s first collection, Five Glass Slippers, is available for pre-order now and will be released on June 14. Do grab yourself a copy and see what these talented writers have done with the timeless “Cinderella” tale!

Cover Illustration Credit:
This cover illustration was rendered by Julia Popova, “ForestGirl.” You can find out more about
this gifted artist on her website: www.forestgirl.ru

Reading fun with TJ and the Time Stumblers ~ 3 Book Review

I recently finished reading the first 3 books in the TJ and the Time Stumblers series by Bill Myers.  Well, they are just too much!  And I mean this in a good way.  And I'll share why...

First up book 1 New Kid Catastrophes

TJ (short for Thelma Jean) and her family have just moved to Malibu from Missouri, which for some people would be a dream come true.  But not for TJ.  For TJ it has turned into a nightmare, especially when she crashes the neighbor's pool party with a piano!  And things just go downhill from there when she starts school.

What TJ doesn't (yet) is that she is getting help in the klutz department from 2 bumbling time traveling teens who 1) misdirect their time-travel pod, 2) run out of fuel for said time-travel pod, and 3) crash into the Pacific Ocean before shorting out the unfortunate time-travel pod.  Herby and Tuna are definitely not top-of-the-food-chain candidates.

New Kid Catastrophes will keep middle-grade readers laughing at all the antics and mishaps as TJ learns a valuable lesson in friendship.

Second up is Aaaargh!!!

With time-traveling teens Herby and Tuna still stuck in the twenty-first TJ's in for more trouble and this time it revolves around a Treasure Island book report.  And with Tuna and Herby helping TJ won't get it written, not with swashbuckling pirates battling in her bedroom.

But TJ has even bigger problems in the form of Hesper Breakahart - tv star extraordinaire.  And Hesper is determined to make TJ pay for Herby and Tuna allowing everyone to hear her thoughts at the school science fair.  And unfortunately with all the weirdness going on thanks to Tuna and Herby, TJ is an easy target for Hesper's plan.

When TJ doesn't get her book report written Tuna and Herby convince her to use one written by someone else, but in the process they end up changing the future.

And when Elizabeth, Hesper's minion/fan/forgotten best friend/spy, starts observing TJ closely she becomes convinced that TJ is something else.  And the something else that she thinks TJ is a combination witch/vampire/alien!

With angry pirates and parrots on the loose Malibu will never be the same again.  Aaaargh!!! is a lesson in cheating and how cheating just once makes it easier and necessary to cheat again to maintain the deception from the first time.

The third time traveling blunder is Oops!

And Oops! is perhaps the funniest yet.  Tuna and Herby are still 2 centuries out of place, but they are consistent in bringing more helpful trouble into TJ's life.  This time TJ and time-traveling two-some are being chased through the school by an African elephant with a British accent.  And they are about to crash an audition for Hesper Breakahart's soon to be cast little sister!

When something causes TJ to doubt Tuna and Herby (which understandable) they decide to let her hear their thoughts.  But as usual something goes wrong and the entire Junior High student body starts hearing everyone's thoughts via their cell phones.  Hearing what everyone really thinks turns into a major big time problem - fast!  Can anyone say food fight that involves throwing tables and chairs?

When TJ's dad tells her mother never said anything bad about another person and when she had trouble with someone she tried to think something nice about them, he gets TJ thinking.  How does one go about thinking nice thoughts about someone who is being anything but nice to you?  But TJ isn't able to put this way of thinking into action until after another mishap with Tuna and Herby her wayward thoughts to change people into what she's thinking! (Which was quite humorous, not good when you're reading in the library!)

Through all the trouble that ensues TJ learns to think well of others because everyone is God's creation and deserves to be loved!

Guest Post with Genevieve Crownson with Giveaway

Today we are having a special guest post from the author of Soul of the Sun - Genevieve Crownson:

Why you should always listen to your Mother. Unless she believes you and your book are perfect.

By Genevieve Crownson

I don’t know about you, but I don’t possess a Mom that thinks everything I undertake is flawless excellence. I’ve read so many articles about how, after you’ve closed the curtain on your novel, that you must never allow your Mom to judge whether or not your book is Pulitzer or podgy. Because let’s face it you are composed of half her genetic makeup; everything you do is meritorious and legal of ooze worthy worship of your very essence.  I know what I am speaking of when it comes to these types of Mom’s because my Grandma is one of these people.

When I graduated from college with a degree in Biology, I was pointed toward becoming a physician. I recall my Grandma congratulated me and divulged to everyone her granddaughter was a doctor. I’ve corrected her so many times; countering I definitely wasn’t, that I plumb lacked from my possession the very important darling diploma. I made plain to her I hadn’t even entered the hallowed halls of med school and perhaps I didn’t want to. In truth, I’d had a change of heart regarding the idea. She waved away my protests, it essentially wasn’t important because, and I quote, “Oh you are so smart and beautiful you basically are a doctor so what’s the difference?” To this day every time she has a health issue she asks me if I will deliberate on the diagnosis because I am a GP. No joke. These are the types of Mom’s you can’t trust your manuscript too. They will deceive you and laud that you are the next Agatha Christie (whom my Grandma extols) even if you have dour dialogue, poor structure and your plot has the pace of a sloppy snail.

Then there is my Mom.

My mom loves me to the end of the globe, of that I have no suspicion. But she has also continuously told me the naked truth since the day I was born. She has never been the sugar coated why aren’t you wearing your slippers kind of Mama, that is not part of her DNA. I don’t need a medical degree to discern that. I’d composed several novels before I finally perfected my skill and Mom read every wobbly word.  Her feedback was rampagingly ruthless. On each and every book, she marked my pages with her red penned sword. She conveyed to me with pitiless honesty where my story lacked focus, and if I’d advertised myself as a knock off of somebody else. And you know what?

It was exactly what I needed to hear.

All that feedback demanded that I root out my own voice. It made me a superior writer. So whether it’s your Mom, a friend or strangers that you bribe with cash, procure the truth. Do what you must to find that creature. Then take their advice and edit. And then go back and edit some more. Shine that novel up so much that it gleams in the sunlight and you want to shout to the entire neighborhood its worth. In fact go ahead and ride it around with the top down. Because now you have a novel that will jerk the publishing realm awake. And that’s what it’s all about.

Good Luck. And may you find your best critic. They could be closer than you think.

Be sure to come back on Monday June 2 when I review Genevieve's  Soul of the Sun!

Title: The Soul of the Sun
Genre: Paranormal/Young Adult
Author: Genevieve Crownson
Publisher: Genevieve Crownson
Pages: 348
Format: Paperback l Kindle

Book Summary: 

“The hands of time turn on the face of the sun. Only you can  move them. If the Watcher controls the hands of the clock he can go anywhere, past or future-- and destroy our planet.”

Since the days of ancient Greece, the Argos dynasty has kept a secret, a mystery passed down through their descendants from generation to generation, in the hopes that the forces of good can stop the evil destruction of planet Earth. 

Margaret Ingall is harboring that secret. Time is running out for the descendants of the Argos. They know a great healer and time traveler will be born of their blood. But the only person that knows whom they will call “the soul of the sun” is Margaret’s sister, Abigail. Before she can reveal the healer’s identity, disaster strikes… 

Evil stalks them, watching and waiting to find out which member of her family has the ultimate power. Is it Margaret’s own child? Or her beloved granddaughter? Or even herself? Their only clue is a powerful protective amulet that will lead them all in a cat-and-mouse game to discover secrets as ancient as time. 

If the Watcher discovers the truth before they do, all will be lost. 

Fate, time and love weave together in their struggle to fulfill their destiny. Will Margaret’s fears sabotage her family’s protection? Can the healer accept her gifts in time? And once the soul of the sun is finally revealed, will it be too late?

Her power is incredible. The sacrifices required of her are immense. 

Will it be enough to stop the Watcher? 

Book can be purchased at Amazon

Discuss this book in the PUYB Virtual Book Club at 
Goodreads by clicking HERE

Enter the Giveaway for 1 of 2 $25 Amazon Gift Cards
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Education of George Washington ~ Review and Spotlight

The Education of George Washington

By Austin Washington

The Education of George Washington is an intriguing and interesting look at the early life of the first president of the United States of America.  It looks at the times, situations, and educational tools that shaped this young man who would become a leader and who would help change the world of his day.

But this book doesn't look only at George Washington's childhood, it also looks at the man who helped shaped a rebellion that would be the beginnings of a new nation - a nation that would recognize the rights of others as equal to one's own.  It wasn't a smooth road but the bumps and troubles helped Washington to see what was important in becoming a nation of honor.

Men of honor were of absolute necessity for a nation to have honor and Washington found his role model early in life in a small book written in 1690 A Panegyrick to the Memory of His Grace Frederick, Late Duke of Schonberg written by H. de Luzancy.  This book is reproduced within The Education of George Washington and it makes for an interesting experience.

It is interesting how a single work can have such a profound effect upon one's life and that is the premise behind The Education of George Washington that this Panegyrick that George purchased and made note of was one of the great influences of his life.

This book would be an interesting addition to a high school history class or a Book Club selection.  This is not light reading and is a book you'll want to discuss, but it is well worth the time spent.

I was provided a copy of this book in conjunction with this PUYB virtual tour in exchange for my participation and honest review.

About the Author:

Austin Washington is the great-nephew of George Washington. He earned his masters and did post-graduate research focusing on colonial American history, and is a writer, musician, entrepreneur and global traveler. He returns to an old Virginia family home whenever he can. Austin's first book takes a common criticism of his academic writing - "You're not writing a newspaper editorial, you know!" - and turns it into a virtue, taking a subject dry and dusty in other's hands and giving it life. He has lived abroad much of his life, most recently in Russia, and visits friends from Sicily to Turkey to Bangladesh and beyond. His earliest influences as a writer were Saki, Salinger, and St. Exupery, although in more recent years he has got beyond the S's. As for historians, he is partial to the iconoclast Gibbon, who wrote history to change the future. 

His latest book is the nonfiction/history book, The Education of George Washington.

For more information, see author Austin Washington discussing his book in a video on his web site at www.austinwashington.com and also on You Tube at: http://youtu.be/1m6OvGRye9U.

About the Book:

In Austin Washington’s new book - - The Education of George Washington - - readers will learn all about President Washington’s true model of conduct, honor, and leadership, including the actual historic document that President Washington used to transform his life from a poorly educated child of a widowed mother, to the historic, curious, highly influential and awe inspiring figure he became and remains today.

Available for purchase at AMAZON

Discuss this book in the PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE.

Title: The Education of George Washington

Author: Austin Washington

Publisher: Regnery History

Pages: 344

Genre: Nonfiction/History

Format: Hardcover/Kindle

Book Excerpt:

 “I Cannot Tell a Lie”— the Cherry Tree Story Is True (but Different from How You Heard It)

“What shall I say of the Nobleness of his Mind; and of that Character of 

Honor, Truth and Justice, which was so Natural to him . . . incapable of the 

Dissimulation, and other sordid Arts of Court. He could not promise what he 

did not intend to perform.” —H. de Luzancy, A Panegyrick to the Memory of 

His Grace Frederick, Late Duke of Schonberg

Parson Weems was married to the wife of a cousin of George Washington’s close friend, Dr. James Craik. Parson Weems knew George Washington. Parson Weems preached at George Washington’s church. So why all the hating? The tale of George Washington and the cherry tree has been mistold for two hundred years—and thus mistakenly criticized, as people have been criticizing a story that Parson Weems never told. Still, despite all the debunking, the story of George Washington and the cherry tree is almost as iconic in America as Santa Claus and his elves. It therefore seems worthwhile to spend a little time explaining how we can say with certainty that yes, Virginia, the story of George and the cherry tree is true (but no, it’s not the story you’ve heard). 

For those non-Americans out there, the story, in essence, is this: George Washington, when he was a small child, chopped down a cherry tree with a hatchet. When confronted by his father, he confessed, “I can- not tell a lie. I did it with my little hatchet.” 

That’s the story. (Not much of a story, is it? But the story of the story could change your life.) 

No one in America believes it any more. We’ve all been told ad nauseam that the whole story is a pious fable—a confabulation invented by Parson Weems. 

What’s wrong with the story? Why can’t we trust Parson Weems? 

We obviously can’t trust him because he admired George Washington. No, honestly, that’s a big part of the argument. Parson Weems is a fanboy and therefore can’t be trusted. The generally accepted idea, expressed by Wikipedia, is this: “Weems also called Washington the ‘greatest man that ever lived.’ This degree of adulation, combined with the circumstance that his anecdotes cannot be independently verified, demonstrates clearly that they are confabulations and parables.” 

But wait just a minute. 

1. I’d always thought ad hominem attacks were a logical fallacy. 

2. If something that cannot be independently verified is, ipso facto, not true, then all trees falling in all forests 

    are always silent. That’s just silly.

3. Actually, the story can be independently verified. Beyond that, it passes the sniff test. Pretty clearly.

Be sure to check out The Education of George Washington Tour Page for more tour stops.