Pre- Release Book Review- The Window Builder

07 Sep, 2012 by in sweetwater books, The Window Builder Leave a comment

The Window Builder
by Kelly Hoose Johnson
Hardcover, 80 pages
Expected publication date, October 9, 2012
by Sweetwater Books
ISBN: 1462111130
Book source: Netgalley
4 Stars

Book summary from Barnes and Noble: After his father’s death, sixteen-year-old Jason wants to make the holidays extra special for his mom. With the help of a mysterious stranger, who offers him a glimpse of his family’s past, Jason creates a Christmas his mom will never forget. Filled with the wonder and excitement of the season, this book is sure to put you in the Christmas spirit!

Cathy’s review: It’s almost Christmas and Jason knows just what he wants to get his mom for Christmas. He wants to get someone to fix the broken stained glass window in her bedroom, he also wants her to just be happy again. She’s been so sad since his dad died a few years earlier and he knows that it will brighten her spirits to have it fixed. But he’s going to have to be sneaky about it. He and his twin brother, Carter, know the plan. Trick Mom into thinking Jason’s staying after school so that he can go meet with the window builder. But when Jason meets the mysterious window builder he has no idea the ways in which his family will be fixed, all through trying to fix a stained glass window.

This was a cute, sweet story. It was short and easy to read quickly. I loved the Christmasy feel to the story, and I think that the cover is just beautiful. The only thing that I could wish for was being able to “know” the characters a little better, that’s hard to do in just 80 pages. I would love more of the story about this family!

Content: clean

About the author: Kelly Hoose Johnson grew up in Flat West Texas. Influenced by a fierce sun and even fiercer storms, she played hard with her brothers and watched the night stars for hours at a time with the family dog, Panama Jack. Her brilliant parents and dedicated teachers encouraged her to try everything, supporting creativity in all forms. Many years later, she continues to dabble in variety and to thrive on new challenges, professionally and personally. Always seeking inspiration for writing, the idea for The Window Builder came to Kelly in a vivid dream. She lives in the Rocky Mountains with her young family and two dogs. She still loves sun, storms, and stars. 
Find out more about author Kelly Hoose Johnson: Goodreads
Pre-order

Breathe Author Video With Sarah Crossan

06 Sep, 2012 by in sarah crossen Leave a comment

In a world without air, what would you do to breathe?
Sarah Crossan’s debut novel, BREATHE, follows three teens dealing with that dilemma when they leave everything they know behind. In a barren land, a shimmering glass dome houses the survivors of the Switch, the period when oxygen levels plunged and the green world withered.
A state lottery meant a lucky few won safety, while the rest suffocated in the thin air. And now Alina, Quinn, and Bea—an unlikely trio, each with their own agendas, their own longings and fears—walk straight into the heart of danger. With two days’ worth of oxygen in their tanks, they leave the dome. Thebook goes on sale on 10/2, but just for you blog readers, Sarah Crossan recorded THIS video, in which she discusses her writing process.

Be sure to pre-order your copy today!

YA Content Review- Embrace by Cherie Colyer

31 Aug, 2012 by in Omnific, Thriller, ya Leave a comment

Embrace
by Cherie Colyer
Paperback, 220 pages
Publication Date: December 20th 2011
by Omnific Publishing
ISBN 1936305968
Book Source: author

4 1/2 Stars

Book summary from Goodreads:  How far would you go to save the people you love?

Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve.

Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him.

Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own.

Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover.
Dangerous, intoxicating, and darkly romantic, Embrace is a thriller that will leave you spellbound.

Crystal’s Review: My collage classes have recently started back and I have been swamped with homework. I decided to take a day off from my work to read this book and I am so happy that I did. I will admit the cover did not really grab my attention the way most covers do. It is pretty for sure but it did not really have anything about it that made me go I need to read that book. The description on the back of the book however grabbed my interest and I could not resist reading the book after reading it. I really enjoyed the story. I was hooked right from the beginning, the characters all seemed very real to me and the author did a fantastic job describing each one so that I could picture and connect with every character. Issac was my favorite character by far. Many stories these days have the situation where girl meets guy, girl falls for guy, guy shows interest in girl and then promptly beings to treat her like dirt and then finally admits he loves her and was only doing it for her own good. I am so tired of that line, Issac however displayed some hesitant feelings but he stuck around for the whole book. I felt like the supporting characters where a big part of the book and not just cardboard cutouts tossed into a scene when convenient. I appreciate when an author takes the time to make her supporting characters just as real as her main ones. I could tell the author spent time working on her descriptions of everything from smells to feelings and it made the book that much better. Overall this book is a wonderful read and fairly short so it can be read in a day or so by most people. I am highly anticipating seeing what else this author has to offer.

Content: Scenes depicting violence and death

Crystal

A little about myself: I write young adult and middle grade novels. I love finding new stories that keep me up late reading. While my favorite genre is fantasy, if the book is beautifully written with characters that come alive I’m all over it. Find out more on the author’s blog/ twitter/ facebook or website.

Interview + Giveaway with Paul Gustavson- Author of Running Into the Wind

30 Aug, 2012 by in author interview, book giveaway, Heather Gardner Photography, paul gustavson 6 comments

Paul Gustavson is most well-known for his work with Fortune 500 companies, helping them to reorganize and strategize to excel and improve their performance as a team and as an organization. Perhaps one of his most rewarding assignments came in 2005 when Bronco Mendenhall called on him for help in reigniting the competitive spirit of the BYU football team. Bronco had a tough job as a brand-new head coach of a team that was failing and was looking for a way to rebuild the image, character, and success of the team.
During my face-to-face interview with Gustavson, he shared some of the reasons he went into the field of organizational behavior in the first place. His father was an engineer at AT&T and his mother a nurse in the suburbs of Kansas City when Paul was growing up. He told me “I recognized as a child that whatever happens at work carries over into the home. When things weren’t that great at work, my parents would come home and ask why hadn’t the lawn been mowed or why hadn’t you been good to your brothers and sister? If, on the other hand, my mother had a good day at work, she would come home and bake the best apple pie; same parents, different type of day at work different result at home. In high school, when I saw the guidance counselor one day, I simply said ‘I want to create great places for people to work.’ “

“I attended Ricks College for one year, then served a full-time mission for the LDS church to Brazil. I had played football before serving my mission and had a desire to continue playing upon returning. When the school wanted me to come home early from my mission and restart football training to retain my scholarhsip, I decided instead to serve the full two-year mission and give up my hope of playing football.”
“I had a wonderful and motivational mission president (George A. Oaks) who taught me D&C 82:10 and told me that because of my faithfulness in serving a full mission, that if I had the desire, I would be given that opportunity to play BYU football. So in 1972 I was the first player to walk on to the football team under the new Head Coach LaVell Edwards. I did so at the suggestion of Keith ‘Mad Dog’ Rivera, who encouraged and befriended me and later a great blessing in my life was that he joined the church.”

“As a senior in college I took a class from Dr. Keith Warner in complex organizations and he pointed me toward the Organizational Behavior program at BYU to fulfill my dream of learning how to create great places for people to work. Later I worked with Bill Dyer as a teaching assistant and research assistant and learned about building successful teams and workplaces.

It was this love of both BYU and football that led Paul Gustavson to work with Coach Mendenhall and to capture their experiences together with co author Alyson Von Feldt in the new book “Running Into the Wind.” The book, from Deseret Book, which hit shelves today, is a unique backstage look at Mendenhall — a very rare view into his thoughts and feelings.
Gustavson said “Bronco believes you play football not just for the football, but to increase the exposure of the Church. By playing well, the players become role models. Coach Mendenhall teaches that first comes faith, second family, third friends, fourth education, and that last on the list is the football. Paul taught Mendenhall the principles he has been using in organizational behavior and team-building. As a result, parts of Bronco’s team-building activities have integrated one of Gustavson’s concepts: that ‘strong facilitators of long-term memory include emotional experiences, metaphor, and music.’ ”
In one such metaphorical and emotional experience, Coach Mendenhall took the brand-new team to the Provo River. He had the players take an hour to write down, on large sheets of paper, everything they didn’t like about the current BYU football team. Once they had it all on paper, these lists of past grievances was thrown into a giant bonfire and the team watched them burn. Mendehall then said “that’s the past. Now, what do you want in the future and what are you willing to do to fix it?”
In another act of exceptional leadership, Mendenhall had all the football players run to the top of the Y, painted on a mountaintop overlooking BYU in Provo. Once they got there, Bronco pointed out that “the view is different from the top than it is from the bottom.” Perhaps the one of the most significant emotional experience that Paul and Alyson write about in the book is when Coach Mendenhall took all of his players into LaVell Edwards Stadium, had them lay on the grass and close their eyes. He then played, on the stadium sound system, sound bites from BYU’s most impactful past games. These and other powerful stories — told through the perspectives of Bronco, Paul, the players, and the coaches — are shared in the book’s 11 chapters and its 23 different video clips. Readers get a first-hand visual experience by using a QR scan code. With a phone or other electronic device, they can watch video footages of Paul and Bronco that correspond to the sections they are reading.
While Section 1 of “Running Into the Wind” introduces the reader to Bronco Mendenhall, Section 2 is a reader’s coaching session that “reveals a bit more about the ideas and research behind each of Gustavson’s “smooth stones,” which are metaphors for five sets of principles and practices.
The first smooth stone, discussed in Chapter 13, is that “organizations can craft a sustainable competitive advantage through differentiation. Create competitive advantage by figuring out what is your uniqueness. What is it that makes you special? What do people say you’re really good at and what are you passionate about? We weren’t all made alike so what is your uniqueness.”
The second smooth stone is that “organizations are perfectly designed to get the results that they are currently getting. We have to ask ourselves if we don’t like the results that we are getting — what is it that we’re going to change? Ask ‘what are the choices I am making and how does that drive the results? ‘ “
The third smooth stone is that “organizations are made up of processes, and not all processes are created equal. Not all work is created equal. What is the most important work? Of all the things you do have you focused on, what’s the most important thing?”
The fourth smooth stone is that “knowledge is the purest form of competitive advantage.” It’s about the discovery of new ideas, sharing of new ideas, and tacit versus codifiable knowledge.”
The fifth and last smooth stone is “effective leaders capture hearts and minds; how do we capture hearts and minds?”
Running into the Wind captured my heart and mind as an interactive, spiritual reading experience. Meeting one of the authors, Paul Gustavson, and hearing him explain the five smooth stones through personal stories brought them to life. Thanks so much to Dave Kimball at Deseret Book for facilitating our interview.
Q&A with author Paul Gustavson
What legacy do you think Bronco Mendenhall will leave behind?
A legacy of great leaders he developed who are making a difference as husbands, fathers, in their faith, community and businesses.
If you had to describe him in one word what would it be?
Friend
You teach the use of emotional experiences, metaphor and music in your principles, what music moves you most? Do you have a few favorite hymns or songs?
My favorite performer is “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen and I love music by Enya (Paint the Sky with Stars) and Ray Lynch (creativity inducing)
My favorite Hymns are “Because I have Been Given Much”, “Families Can Be Together Forever” and “How Great Thou Art”
What are the three most influential books you’ve ever read?
The Book of Mormon— especially the story of the 2000 stripling warriors. I see the football team as the sons of Helaman, as role models.
Insight to Impact: Strategies for interpersonal and organizational change by William G Dyer
 
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.
What has been your most moving experience as an author or working with Bronco that you can share?
As an author taking with Bronco about the title of this book. We were talking about the importance of the title and we had talked about some options and then Bronco said “Running into the Wind” and described how moved he was by President Hinckley’s 60 minutes story where he said having been invited to participate in the program that he could have hunkered down and done nothing or leaned into the stiff wind of opportunity. Bronco felt that he had been running not leaning. It just felt right and that was it.
One week when I was to meet with Bronco, three times I had felt a prompting to ask him a specific question before meeting with him. Once we were about to finish our meeting again the prompting came. I asked what was prompted which had to do with the schedule of the recruiting visit of key recruits and he responded to my question and I then felt prompted to ask about church on Sunday morning for the recruits. He said that they had a list of Church meetings that recruits and their families could attend. I felt prompted to say what about you organizing a Sacrament Meeting for the Recruits and their Families. He pondered what was said for a day or so and emailed me that he felt the counsel was consistent with what he believed even and that he was going to do it. He called me after the Sacrament Meeting and said that it was a wonderful meeting with a strong spirit and that tears flowed down the cheeks of mothers and fathers knowing that their sons would be well taken care of at BYU and by Bronco.
In working with Bronco Mendhenall how do you feel he is an example to his players and what sets him apart as a person/ coach?
He never asks them to do something that he isn’t willing to do. He is a master learner and a master teacher. He is a role model in all of the important areas of how one should live their lives.
Favorite works of fiction?
Dr. Seuss last book “Oh the Places You’ll Go”. With 8 grandkids age 7 and under Dr. Seuss books are a favorite right now
Do you have a mission statement, favorite quote or scripture you live by?
D&C 82:10 “I the Lord am Bound when you do what I say, when you do not what I say you have no promise”.
What do you hope readers take away from this book?
That they can apply these same “five smooth stones” I taught Bronco and captured in “Running into the Wind” in their lives and that the application of these principles will enrich their lives, their families lives and the lives of those they interactive with at work, school, community and their Church.
Bronco’s message is that “doing the right things you can be successful in all the areas that are important to you in your life”.
About The Author:  Paul W. Gustavson is a leading management consultant. He received his master’s degree in organizational behavior from BYU and has served for more than 18 years as a member of the Marriott School of Management’s OBHR Advisory Board. To learn more visit his website at www.organizationdesign.com
The giveaway: Deseret Book has generously donated two copies of Running into the Wind for the readers at Fire and Ice, and we had them signed by author Paul Gustavson. To enter to win a hardback copy of your own, fill out the rafflecopter form below.

Smashwords Free Short Story Review- The Reluctant Bride

29 Aug, 2012 by in Smashword Edition, The Reluctant Bride Leave a comment

The Reluctant Bride
by Donna Hatch
Smashword Edition
Published: July 20, 2011
by Donna Hatch

ISBN: 9781466039506
Book Source: Donna Hatch
4.5 Stars
Description:  Fleeing a looming marriage to a terrifying man, Abby meets a mysterious stranger who makes her a startling proposition that will either save her, or leave her mired in scandal.
Mary’s Review: Running from an undesirable marriage to a man she has never met, to a man who is reputed to be cruel, abusing, and is utter ably ugly beyond description, Abby stows away in the back of a stage coach and runs away.  She has put herself in extreme danger and is saved by a complete stranger who is also running, if you may, from his future.  Can they save each other from ill-fated fortune or must they face an unwanted future they don’t want?

If you are looking for a clean romantic short story, then this is the one for you.

I recommend this for ages 14 and above. 

About The Author: Donna has had a passion for writing since the age of 8 when she wrote her first short story. During her sophomore year in high school, she wrote her first full-length novel, a science fiction romance. She wrote her second novel, a fantasy romance during her senior year. Needless to say, English and Creative Writing were always her favorite subjects. In between caring for six children
Add it on goodreads. Fond out more on her website/ blog

Read it now for free here!

Book Birthday- Browse Inside Erasing Time by C. J. Hill

28 Aug, 2012 by in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Happy Book Birthday to Erasing Time by one of our favorite authors C.J. Hill

Book Summary From Harper Collins: When twins Sheridan and Taylor wake up 400 years in the future, they find a changed world: domed cities, no animals, and a language that’s so different, it barely sounds like English. And the worst news: They can’t go back home.

The twenty-fifth-century government transported the girls to their city hoping to find a famous scientist to help perfect a devastating new weapon. The same government has implanted tracking devices in the citizens, limiting and examining everything they do. Taylor and Sheridan have to find a way out of the city before the government discovers their secrets. To complicate matters, the moblike Dakine has interest in getting hold of them too. The only way for the girls to elude their pursuers is to put their trust in Echo, a guy with secrets of his own. The trio must put their faith in the unknown to make a harrowing escape into the wilds beyond the city.
Full of adrenaline-injected chases and heartbreaking confessions, Erasing Time explores the strength of the bonds between twins, the risks and rewards of trust, and the hard road to finding the courage to fight for what you believe in.
About the Author:  C. J. Hill is the mother of twins. They aren’t identical, but this doesn’t mean she always calls them by the right name. In fact, she occasionally calls all her children by the wrong names (she has five) and has even been known to throw the dog’s name into the mix. Laugh now, but you’ll do the same thing when you have kids.
If C. J. had a time machine and could visit another century, she would probably go to the Regency era instead of the future. According to all the novels she’s read, the past was filled with a multitude of dashing lords and viscounts who were always on the lookout for damsels in distress, whereas the future is populated by scary dystopian societies. Find out more on her site and be sure to comment there for a chance to win your own copy!
order your copy:

Count Down To Love Blog Tour and Giveaway

27 Aug, 2012 by in Uncategorized 7 comments

Fire and Ice is today’s stop on the Count Down To Love blog tour hosted by Lexie at The Book Bug.

Countdown To Love
by Julie N Ford
Paperback, 240 pages
Published July 14th 2011
by Bonneville Books
ISBN 1599555166
source: Tristi Pinkston Blog Tours
5 stars
Abandoned at the altar, Kelly Grace Pickens finds herself left holding not only the bouquet but also the exorbitant bill for an A-list wedding. Homeless, a once promising singing career floundering, and her life bearing an uncanny resemblance to one of her country music ballads, she reluctantly accepts a last minute offer to appear on a reality TV show akin to the bachelor. Pitted against silicon-enhanced supermodels in four-inch heals, Kelly feels confident that she will be among the first would-be fiancés to be excused. Only, when the mysterious bachelor from New York City, Dillon Black, invites her to stay, Kelly finds herself thrust into the vortex of a game she doesn’t have the first idea how to play. Nursing her hopelessly broken heart while avoiding the foils of her fellow contestants, Kelly is oblivious to Dillon’s affections as she wades through hurt and betrayal to discover, in the end, that she has landed firmly on both feet.

Leaving behind Nashville’s Music Row for the majestic Grand Teton mountains, Count Down To Love takes readers on a journey from duplicity to sincerity as Kelly discovers that being true to oneself is the first step in finding happiness and everlasting love.

Heather’s Review: What a fun summer read! Countdown to Love is one of the few books this year that I can definitely say I would pick up and read again. Fans of the movie Sweet Home Alabama and the T.V. series the Bachelor will eat this one up. Countdown to Love opens with Kelly Pickens, a sweet Southern singer on the rise to stardom abandoned at the alter. Left with no where to live and no idea where her fiance has gone, Kelly’s not quite sure what to do with her life. In sweeps Kelly’s cousin Sissy, the producer of a popular reality show who is also left in a lurch as she’s down one female contestant. While Kelly certainly isn’t looking for love herself, she has bills to pay from a wedding that never happened so she accepts a spot on the show.
There a million laugh out loud and toe curling romantic moments in Countdown to Love. Kelly must overcome her past to be able to trust again and find out who she really is, but Dillon is just the man to help her out! Readers will enjoy all the settings and vivid descriptions of American terrain the author weaves into her storyline. I’d call Countdown to Love a must have for fans of chick lit/ Christian romance. I can’t wait to read more from this author! My fingers are crossed for a follow up novel.
Content: The main man smokes and drinks. There are a few mentions of cleavage and past sexual relationships. No violence or swearing. Overall a clean read recommended for adults.

You might also like: Austenland by Shannon Hale or Previously Engaged by Elodia Strain

About the Author: Julie N. Ford has a BA in political science and a minor in English literature from San Diego State University. In addition, she earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of Alabama. Professionally, she has worked in teaching, childbirth education, and family therapy. Along with Count Down to Love, she is the author of two other women’s fiction novels due for release in 2011. Currently, she lives in Nashville with her husband, two daughters, and one very feisty fish.
In her spare time, Julie loves to ride her mountain bike, practice yoga, spend time shopping, walking and listening to music with her daughters and of course reading. Some of her favorite authors include, Daphne Du Maurier, Bronte, P.D. James, Michael Crichton, Linda Davies and Sophie Kinsella.
Visit the author’s website and subscribe to her blog .
Grand Prize Giveaway:  As part of the tour, Julie is generously offering a grand prize giveaway of a hard copy of Count Down to Love, a CD of the band Due West, and a copy of the single, “Who I Am”, which Julie and Due West wrote and recorded specifically for the book. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post or any of the other stops on the tour. The more stops you comment on, the more entries you have into the contest!