I will be an illustrated woman

I KNEW this envelope contained my tattoos! I hope they help me find ley lines.

For The Fatal Tree, Book 5 in Stephen Lawhead's Bright Empires series. Can't wait to read it!

PROMO ENDED - A Selkie's Prayer is FREE on Kindle!

PROMO ENDED

A Selkie's Prayer is FREE on Kindle from October 31 - November 3, 2014. 

 I would be honored if you'd download it.  (And more pragmatically, it will also help the visibility of this novella and The Healer and the Pirate.)

If you share the news with your friends/followers/dental hygienists (thanks, Dad!), I would be OVER THE MOON.

A Selkie's Prayer is a standalone novella in the world of Kinyn.

When Jedrey's selkie wife accuses him of stealing her sealskin and leaves him, his world is shattered. A mysterious goddess puts a magical map in his head to help him search for his lost love--but his wife may be closer than he thinks.

Also contains the first chapter of The Healer and the Pirate, Book 1 in the Kinyn Chronicles.

A Selkie's Prayer is live on Kindle!

A Selkie's Prayer is just 99 cents on Kindle, or free to read on Kindle Unlimited. It will also be completely

FREE!!!

from October 31 - November 3, 2014

A Selkie's Prayer is a standalone novella in the world of Kinyn.

When Jedrey's selkie wife accuses him of stealing her sealskin and leaves him, his world is shattered. A mysterious goddess puts a magical map in his head to help him search for his lost love--but his wife may be closer than he thinks.

Also contains the first chapter of The Healer and the Pirate, Book 1 in the Kinyn Chronicles.

Blink Imprint - Rebels by Jill Williamson - CSFF Blog Tour

Julie one more time for the CSFF Blog Tour.


I (and some others) observed that the Safe Lands series was rather light on Christian content. But in the comments for my review of Rebels, Jill Williamson (love!) wrote:

This was a Blink book, which is an imprint Zonderkidz began for the general market. So it technically wasn't a Christian book, though I don't know how well Zonderkidz is doing letting readers know that. But that is why the Christian content is so low in this series.

That was all news to me! I would argue that Blink's "About" page does very little to explain the books are for the general market, either.

Mission

Blink brings true stories and fiction to YA readers. The literature published by Blink is a positive reflection of what is inspiring and heartening while maintaining a tradition of imaginative and exciting storytelling that will bring readers to the edge of their seats, immerse them in a heartrending love story, or engross them in a story of a life well-lived. Readers will see themselves in all facets of Blink’s literature and will find new levels of entertainment that enrich and uplift.

Company Overview

Blink is the brand new home of some of the most engrossing teen publishing anywhere.
We publish some of the best writers we know, including Heather Burch, Jonathan Friesen, Lisa T. Bergren, Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon.

While their books aren't called Christian, "positive reflection," "inspiring," "enrich," "uplift," and even "life well-lived" read to me as Christian buzzwords, and certainly don't sound like a secular publisher to me. Even if I didn't know they were linked to Zondervan, I would have guessed that there was some sort of Christian (or maybe LDS) background.

(Also, they are missing at least one important writer in their list, who wrote an excellent dystopian series that was recently spotlighted in a certain blog tour...)

I strongly agree that Christian writers can and sometimes should write secular fiction...many people would never dare pick up a "Christian" book, but if done right, a secular book can open a door. I imagine that for some readers, The Safe Lands series may serve as a good Christian witness, even with its subtle presentation on that front. And certainly, if any Christian author can do what Blink's official "mission" promises, I think they're doing well indeed. 

The Safe Lands series was indeed a positive reflection, heartening, imaginative and exciting, enriching, and made me (not the target audience) think about my own life too. So I think Williamson was an excellent fit for the imprint, indeed. I'm so glad she was able to bless us with her series.


Here are the other participants in the blog tour!

Thomas Fletcher Booher
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
Vicky DealSharingAunt
April Erwin
Carol Gehringer
Victor Gentile
Rebekah Gyger
Jeremy Harder
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
Writer Rani
Audrey Sauble
Chawna Schroeder
Jojo Sutis
Elizabeth Williams


*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book

What's your stim? - Rebels by Jill Williamson - CSFF Blog Tour

First, if you haven't read the Safe Lands series, there's a giveaway of ALL THREE BOOKS right now (September 29, 2014) at http://jojosutiscorner.wordpress.com/2014/09/29/csff-tour-giveaway-rebels-by-jill-williamson!

In The Safe Lands series, Omar falls prey to the lures of sex and especially drugs, so much that he would do anything for his drug or "stim" of choice, "brown sugar."

As far as I can tell, this story is aimed towards Christian teens. I was a particularly uncool teen (and that was quite a while ago), so I really didn't face any of Omar's temptations back then (and I still don't).

That's not to say that I don't have any addictions. Later on in the story, I noticed that Strikers (those who had gotten in trouble prior to Liberation) were prohibited from having electronic devices like Wyndos. So basically, if you fought to take down a corrupt system, they'd take away your Internet.

Wait. What???

The Internet has become such a part of daily life that a lot of people--myself included--are horrified by the idea of living without it. And in fairness, it would be quite an adjustment to live without Internet access...it would be harder to buy things, harder to communicate with people, and in our world, perhaps harder to get your ideas noticed. I guess if you had a good friend who lived nearby who could use their Internet/Wyndo, you could probably manage, in this world and the Safe Lands both.  (Or if you had a Zane. I need to befriend a Zane.)

So I wonder, what if Omar had been addicted to social media or Simcasts instead of drugs? Such addictions would probably be less visible, maybe less destructive...but his addiction would have hit a lot closer to home for me, and maybe made me think even more deeply about what I might be loath to risk, should there be a pressing need to rebel against authority.

(And even though Mason is quite focused, I could totally imagine him getting caught up in the equivalent of Internet rabbit holes, reading and learning about so many different things. Maybe that's why he has to focus on fixing the thin plague--if he didn't have that sense of purpose, or if a cure were found, he could perhaps get caught up in unfocused pursuits himself.  Though knowing him, it very well might circle back to trying to fix some other problem in the world.)

So...what's your stim?


Here are the other participants!

Thomas Fletcher Booher
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
Vicky DealSharingAunt
April Erwin
Carol Gehringer
Victor Gentile
Rebekah Gyger
Jeremy Harder
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
Writer Rani
Audrey Sauble
Chawna Schroeder
Jojo Sutis
Elizabeth Williams


*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book

Review - Rebels by Jill Williamson - CSFF Blog Tour

Finally, a book review by Julie, for the CSFF Blog Tour! Wow; it has been a while.

Book: Rebels by Jill Williamson


Ridiculously simplified summary:

Third/final book in a series. The so-called "Safe Lands" are a dystopian place where morals are lax, infertility and illness is rampant, pregnant women are celebrities, and rule-breakers--and anyone over 40--face a mysterious, final fate known as liberation. Young adult prodigy Mason and his troubled brother Omar are "liberated." Instead of leading to death (as some had suspected), those who are liberated find themselves little more than slaves. Meanwhile, the people of Glenrock live in hiding underground...until one of their own is captured and turned into the new Safe Lands "queen."

Can Mason and Omar escape and relay the truth to the people of the Safe Lands? Will the people of Glenrock ever be reunited and make it home?

Content: I didn't see much Christian content here, even compared to the previous books. I don't remember any Christian content that would have offended any non-believers, and linking much of this to Christianity seemed kind of a stretch to me. (I think that's a legitimate way for a Christian to write a book, but it wasn't what I expected from a Christian novel.)

There was substantial and somewhat graphic content that read very much as an argument against eating meat/in favor of a vegetarian lifestyle, though technically I believe it was more against factory farming.

Like the first two books, there is reference to drugs, sex, and even prostitution. I didn't notice any language because in the Safe Lands, new words like "stimming" have come along to replace the ones we know.

Rating:

Characters - 8 out of 10. It was a pleasure to see Mason, Omar, Shaylinn (and yes, my beloved super-hacker Zane) again. When the people of Glenrock go underground, there are quite a few new people to meet (including a woman who's every bit as unlikable as Levi!). If anything, I feel like there were perhaps too many characters this time around, though I'm not sure that could have been avoided.

And I still very strongly dislike Levi. I got to almost tolerate him but then by the end of his final point of view chapter, I hated him all the more. I do sometimes have troubles with "growth" story arcs... In this case, Levi had no traits that I liked or could grab on to (OK, aside from a love of ranch dressing) and his growth was overall quite subtle, so I still can't stand him.

On the other hand, new characters like Medic Cadell and Nash were engaging, and we got to see new sides of some established characters, too.

Suspense/stakes - 4 out of 5. I thought there were a few slow bits here and there--when I got busy and was maybe 2/3 through the novel, I didn't mind taking a break for a few days--but the last portions of the book flew by.

World building - 5 out of 5. Even adding yet two new cultures/groups of people to the mix, Williamson did a great job making it feel like every environment was real. I hope I can do so well someday.

Writing/editing - 4 out of 5. Overall I felt the novel was somewhat rushed; I don't know if it was a rushed publication schedule or just a symptom of having too much content to fit in.  I lean towards the latter.  Overall everything read fine and I think it was competently edited, but I was very surprised to find two typos in the first paragraph after the section break on page 377, right as the climax was winding down. One of the errors created an incomplete sentence that hung me up for a little while.

Clarity - 4 out of 5. I felt like this novel was a bit rushed, but there were never any technical issues that completely lost me. (That said, I think it would be difficult for anyone who hadn't read the first two books to get into this one--as in Outcasts, there are precious few concessions to people who hadn't read the first book, although I actually feel like there may have been more explanations here than in Outcasts.  That said, I don't even remember Zane's missing ear being mentioned until near the very end!)

Plausibility/believability - 3 out of 5. Trying to keep from massive spoilers, it was a little hard for me to believe that a world so strictly controlled would let the events transpire that resulted in the truth being revealed. That said, I sure can't think of a better way for it to go down...I guess there were some sympathetic or curious people in high places who weren't mentioned or who I missed. I also thought the climax with Lawten was unnecessarily over the top, but I guess you have to set that kind of thing up if to take care of a villain.  (Though to me, the real villain was the society that was built, not one desperate individual.)

Positive - 4 out of 5. One could actually make a pretty good argument that even the rebels in hiding had created a world as messed-up and dark as ours....but in the end there is hope for improvement.

Gut reaction - 3 out of 5. This is a tricky rating. Based on Outcasts, I had my expectations so high for this one that I was almost bound to be disappointed. Williamson did a good job with this and things ended as well as I could have hoped for, but I still feel like it was missing something. If I knew there would be a fourth book, or short stories/novellas set in the same world, I'd be a bit happier with the ending.

Free points: 5 out of 5.

Recommended for: Anyone who read Books 1 and 2 in the series.

Total Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars


Here are the other participants!

Thomas Fletcher Booher
Beckie Burnham
Jeff Chapman
Vicky DealSharingAunt
April Erwin
Carol Gehringer
Victor Gentile
Rebekah Gyger
Jeremy Harder
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Shannon McDermott
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Melanie @ Christian Bookshelf Reviews
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
Writer Rani
Audrey Sauble
Chawna Schroeder
Jojo Sutis
Elizabeth Williams


*In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book. Actually, they sent me two for some reason, but I don't think I can do a giveaway since it's not the kind of book you can read without reading the first two in the series.

How Numb is he? - CSFF Blog Tour

Julie here, still talking about Numb by John W. Otte on the CSFF blog tour.

The main conceit of the novel is that the protagonist, Crusader, is "numb."  Early on, we are told:

He didn't know pain. He wasn't hindered by emotions.

This is tricky to pull off; I'm not sure an emotionless character would be an entertaining protagonist, at least not a film.

But how "numb" is Crusader, really? I'd argue that even in the first chapter, Crusader isn't an unfeeling robot--he's not what I'd expect from someone who isn't hindered by emotions.

In the first chapter, Crusader:

• "Hated" having a partner on a job
• Made an effort not to be distracted by his thoughts
• Felt a void and guilt inside him
• Felt two tingles and a tickle when wounded on several different occasions
• Wished he could know something

Throughout the novel, he reads to me more like a cold, trained assassin with superhuman endurance and perhaps some sort of pain-deadening nerve block, than someone who I'd think of as "numb." I guess the key word in the description above may be "hindered"--he might feel emotions, but they don't hinder him.

Of course, as the story develops, Crusader does start to feel more. But my question is, was he always the way we see him in Chapter 1? Ostensibly "numb" but still with longings, concerns, preferences, distractions, that he doesn't let take a foothold? Or did he already start his journey of change before he met Isolda?

I'm guessing the guilt plagued him throughout his time as a Ministrix agent. But I wonder if some of the other feelings may have been more recent developments. I think the revelations later in the book don't disprove the idea that his "change" started maybe even before we met him. And for me, I'd expected a dramatic transformation upon meeting Isolda, not the gradual transformation we see. But if he'd already started to feel on his own, then her introduction was just one stop--albeit probably the pivotal one--in his journey.

(That said, I might argue that Balaam was more "numb" than Crusader ever was in the book. Maybe more numb than the other members of the Ministrix.

Or, maybe I'm mixing up the word "numb" with "hypocritical". Or "of a jerk." :) )

Here are the other participants on the tour!

Julie Bihn
Jennifer Bogart
Keanan Brand
Beckie Burnham
Pauline Creeden
Vicky DealSharingAunt
Carol Gehringer
Victor Gentile
Rebekah Gyger
Nikole Hahn
Jason Joyner
Carol Keen
Emileigh Latham
Rebekah Loper
Jennette Mbewe
Amber McCallister
Shannon McDermott
Shannon McNear
Meagan @ Blooming with Books
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Joan Nienhuis
Nissa
Faye Oygard
Writer Rani
Jojo Sutis
Rachel Starr Thomson
Steve Trower
Shane Werlinger
Phyllis Wheeler
Nicole White

 *In conjunction with the CSFF Blog Tour, I received a free copy of this book.