6GB - 6GA is back!

 

Six Great Books – Six Great Authors is back!

If you ended up here and you are not a reader, you might’ve taken a wrong turn in Albuquerque.

However, since you’re here now, take a look at the six books I recommend.

And a few I haven’t read yet, BUT, I’m looking forward to with great anticipation.

If you have a favorite, tell us about it in the comment section below – don’t be shy.

 

This is an ongoing series and if you’re new to the Scribbler, take a look at these.

November, 2021

January, 2021

October, 2019

June, 2019

September, 2018

 

1. Death Between the Tables by Alexa Bowie.

 

This is the second book in the Old Manse series by a popular New Brunswick author writing under a pseudonym. If you like cozy mysteries, you’ll need to check it out.

Synopsis: Book 2 in the Old Manse Mysteries cozy series. Emma Andrews, newly returned from Toronto to her small childhood town, has confirmed her ownership of a Victorian-era Manse, newly converted to an arts and culture center. While hosting a house warming for the town's dignitaries, police and fire station teams, the entire group witnesses a woman dying by poison. Or did she? Of course Emma is viewed by the police with suspicion, but the Creatives at her center: the artists, musicians and chefs all vow to keep her out of jail, or keep her well fed in her cell, at the least. But Emma, with her best friend and aunt-namesake, will get to the bottom of things, no matter what the risk.

My review – Go HERE.      Scribbler visit – Go HERE.

2. The Conclave by S. C. Eston

Synopsis: The city of Telstar has been freed and the enemy defeated. In the streets, the townspeople is celebrating, singing and drinking to the promise of better days to come.

Yet, at the top of an abandoned tower, a secret meeting is about to take place. Although victory was attained, questions remain unanswered. Some of Telstar’s deepest secrets got out and the impregnable city almost fell. It is unclear who betrayed the city and some will not sleep until the culprit answers for the betrayal.

Onthar, a high warrior dedicated to Tyr, deity of courage, takes it upon himself to call on emperor and queen, wizard and warriors, elf and orc, all heroes of the battle, to meet in secrecy and find out who among them betrayed his city.

But these are serious charges and these are powerful individuals. The meeting could easily turn into a confrontation, and if it does, it could achieve what the enemy could not: destroy the very city they all want to protect.

A Review: Go HERE.                Scribbler Visit: Go HERE.

3. Solitary by Zev Bagel

An award-winning novel sure to please the most discriminate reader.

Synopsis: A powerful tale of the search for meaning, freedom and family bonds.
Duncan, a Canadian writer, is incarcerated in Iran’s notorious Evin prison. Hamid, in an adjacent cell, bores a hole in his wall through which the two men whisper their stories, discovering their vastly different experiences, and their shared humanity.
Winner of the David Adams Richards award for best novel, the judge described Solitary as “a powerful, propulsive read.”

Based on a true story.

Held in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, writer Duncan Lindsay hangs on to his sanity by recalling the past and imagining the future. Despair and delusions stalk him in the endless present. A fellow prisoner, Hamid, is scratching his way to freedom, but succeeds only in boring a tiny hole through to Duncan’s cell. Still, it is enough to allow the men to speak, to trade their stories, and to save each other’s humanity – at least for a while. Hamid uses the opportunity to relate the tale of his family’s history before and during the Revolution. But Duncan cannot grope his way fully into the present. Even when restored to his wife and family back in Canada, he struggles to break out of his solitary confinement.

My review – Go HERE.         Scribbler visit – Go HERE.



4. The Healer’s Journey by Jeanette Winsor

This is a follow up to Winsor’s earlier novel, The Apprenticeship of Molly Chant. Both have garnered great reviews.

Synopsis: When Thomas Morley, a young Newfoundland fisherman, is rescued from death by the local witch, he discovers he has the ability to cure sickness and charm blood. A gift, he is told, until seizures and blackouts have him glancing into the future, a place that frightens and confuses him. With folk lore and superstition roiling his world, he knows he’s cursed.

WWI calls Thomas to Europe, and his dreams of fishing the waters around Cape Bonavista are wrecked. On his return from the war, all that he yearned to come home to is gone. As he struggles to conquer ‘shell shock’ and fights to gain back the life he once had, his world becomes a desolate place. Will the revelation of a closely guarded family secret rescue him from this misery or will it bring about his final demise?

My review – Go HERE.         Scribbler visit – Go HERE.

 

5. The Quilting Bee by Susanne Casey

Enjoyable reading. Highly recommended.

Synopsis: Cathy West is a talented quilter who spends her first four decades looking for love. Any love. Neglected by her parents, sexually abused by her first husband, emotionally abused by her second one, Cathy refuses to give up hope in finding true love.
The introvert artisan finds unconditional love from her Aunt Mary who taught her quilting, and her sons Jesse and Joey. A third son, who she gave up for adoption, resurfaces later in her life. But none of them keep her warm at night.
Determined to find happiness, Cathy West trudges through life while hoping for true love. An old acquaintance who keeps fading in and out of her life may be the answer to her search. Only time will tell.

Reviews – Go HERE.       Scribbler visit – Go HERE.

 

6. The Sister’s Tale by Beth Powning

I love Powning’s stories.

Synopsis: A novel of orphans and widows, terror and hope, and the relationships that hold us together when things fall apart.

With murder dominating the news, the respected wife of a New Brunswick sea captain is drawn into the case of a British home child whose bad luck has turned worse. Mortified that she must purchase the girl in a pauper auction to save her from the lechery of wealthy townsmen, Josephine Galloway finds herself suddenly the proprietor of a boarding house kept afloat by the sweat and tears of a curious and not completely compatible collection of women, including this English teenager, Flora Salford. Flora's place in her new family cannot be complete until she rescues the missing person in her life, the only one who understands the trials she has come through and fresh horrors met since they were separated years before.

Reconnecting with characters of Beth Powning's beloved The Sea Captain's Wife, The Sister's Tale is a story of women finding their way, together, through terrible circumstances they could neither predict nor avoid, but will stop at nothing to overcome.

Reviews – Go HERE.     Scribbler visit – Go HERE.

I have not read these yet but they are next.

This one's first.

Short listed for NB Book Awards.

Then this one.

Then this one. 

And a couple more you might want to consider:

Amazon Reviews

Coming Soon

Read more and Chapter 1 HERE.

Thank you for visiting. Please tell us about your favorite book in the comments section below.

The Story Behind the Story with Award winning Author Patrick Parker of Texas, USA.

 

Meet Patrick Parker.

All the way from Texas. 

I’ve been following Pat on Twitter for some time. His novels have garnered numerous 4 and 5 star reviews. They’ve won awards.

Here’s a note from his website:

“My goal is to entertain you. I want you to be thrilled and on the edge of your seat all the time, wondering what is going to happen next.” 

 

I’m happy to tell you I have a copy of the book Pat is telling us about this week. I’m anxious to dig in. 

Patrick has agreed to share the Story Behind the Story with us. 

 

 

Hi Allan! Thank you for the opportunity to be a guest on the Scribbler.

 

Patrick Parker received his bachelor’s degree in management and his master’s degree in international relations. He joined the US Army and spent five years in Italy and one in Germany. After retiring from the military, Parker spent an additional fifteen years in the defense industry. Now retired again, Parker enjoys writing, going to the range, and astronomy. He lives in Texas.

Parker is the author of Six Minutes Early, War Merchant, and Treasures of the Fourth Reich. All are available through Amazon.com (http://amzn.to/1izsnBH).

 

 

 

Title:  Treasures of the Fourth Reich

 

 

Synopsis: Treasures of the Fourth Reich is based on actual events.

The story begins in September 1944 in the Alps where SS Major Fabian is planning to abscond with a large portion of loot the Nazis planned to use to fund the Fourth Reich. As the officer in charge of security for the mine in which some of the art works are stored, he has an excellent opportunity for some sleight-of-hand that will keep him in riches for decades. The art disappears, a body is found and identified as Fabian’s, and no one is the wiser.

In 1993 Maria Connor, an art expert from Panama and her husband, retired Lieutenant Colonel Dix Connor, are quietly pursuing their careers in Italy when Maria becomes fascinated with the tales of lost Nazi plunder. Maria stumbles across several valuable art pieces she believes were lost during the war. She begins a clandestine and unofficial investigation when she is shown a panel from the Amber Room which was originally in the Summer Palace of Peter the Great and stolen by the Germans when they invaded Russia during the war.

Maria’s sleuthing leads to Fabian’s journal which documents everything he stole from the Nazis—a staggering fortune of art treasures—and the locations spread around the Tirol. During her investigation, Maria gets kidnapped in order to protect the stolen art from discovery. Dix then enlists the help of friends with military intelligence connections to help find Maria. They learn that OSS Officer Robert Hamilton, responsible for the official repatriation and restitution of the Nazi loot stored away in the Bavarian salt mines, took advantage of his unique situation and formed a secret organization with a German farmer. Pegasus, as their organization was called, possessed the only record of Fabian’s fortune.

Dix and his friend exchange the journal for Maria, then flee for their lives. Along the way they learn that certain secret files from the end of the war, thought destroyed, were going to be turned over to the G-7 during a meeting in Munich. These files would expose Pegasus and Hamilton as the leader. During the meeting, Pegasus planned to assassinate the Russian President and destroy the files. Pegasus kills those that get in the way or are no longer of use to the organization. Dix and Maria became an obstacle to Pegasus and must be eliminated.

Armed with the only evidence against Hamilton, narrowly escaping his last trap, they race against the clock to the Munich meeting of the G-7 to stop an assassination, avoid arrest by the authorities, death by Pegasus, and bring down the deadly organization trafficking in stolen treasures.

 

 

The Story Behind the Story: When I was in the Army I lived and traveled in Europe for six years and was intrigued with European history. I toured and visited museums, churches and castles in Italy, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland and Austria. Some were used by the Nazis to store loot, while others concealed hiding places for the treasures. I read a lot of history about the Nazi pillage. After reading one story about the Nazi stashes in the Bavarian salt mines, it occurred to me how it could have played out. So, I took a “what if” approach to history and wrote the story.

 

Website: http://bit.ly/1ZEoYGu

 

 

A question before you go, Pat.

 

What have been the most enjoyable and the least enjoyable about publishing?

 

I think the most enjoyable aspects of writing and publishing is when you receive a review stating how much the reader enjoyed the story. Often, I am asked, “What parts are real and what parts are fiction?” I always try to make it realistic and leave the reader asking that question.

I think the least enjoyable is that it takes a long time, and writing is a solitary venture.

 

 

 

 

My other books:

 

War Merchant

In a world of espionage, deception, betrayal, terrorism, and murder, Dydre uses the next assignment Zsigmond gives her—the deliverance of new technology to terrorists—to escape his merciless grip.

Dydre, a single mother, is caught up in a world she doesn’t want. Her boss Clayborne Zsigmond—a black market arms dealer—uses her six-year-old son as a pawn to keep her in line. Visitation is a reward for her obedient behavior.

Forced to deal with the worst terrorists and dictators around the world, she uses disguises and a deadly poison to give her an edge in dealing with those that want to kill her. To stay alive, she has honed her skills that few could defeat.

When an opportunity occurs to break free from Zsigmond, she moves fast but the risks she takes puts her on the firing line when her plan goes deadly wrong, and success looks bleak. Those she thought she could trust betray her. Not only is her life in jeopardy but also her son's as she finds herself pitted against Zsigmond, his mercenaries, a double-crossing businessman, terrorists, the FBI, and a man from the Department of Defense.

 

Six Minutes Early

Former Delta Force commander Max Kenworth is comfortable living life far from the front lines. But when terrorists raid a classified installation containing formidable portable devices, Kenworth returns to the fray to hunt down the dangerously equipped enemy. And with a disgraced Special Forces officer leading the attack, Kenworth fears the U.S. is doomed to face mass destruction.

Bombarded by bureaucratic incompetence, political corruption, and holes in national security, Kenworth struggles to locate the operatives and their plundered nukes. But as the elusive traitor reaches American soil, Kenworth must work fast to protect millions of innocent lives from radioactive devastation.

Can Kenworth outsmart the merciless rebels and prevent a nation-wide catastrophe?

 

Broken Arrow: Acts of Treason (anticipated release is Spring 2022)

 

"Broken Arrow" is the code word used by the military and NATO to describe a lost or stolen nuclear weapon.

During the attempted coup d’état in Turkey in 2016, former Green Beret, turned traitor, teams with terrorists and steals six nuclear weapons from the US Air Base in Incirlik, Turkey.

Max Kenworth and his team chase the terrorists across the Middle East and South America, capturing four of the nukes. One disappears somewhere in the Middle East and the other one is discovered in Manhattan, NY.

The traitor sets a trap for Max and takes him prisoner. Does Max get free and disarm the nuke or does he meet his fate along with Manhattan? No spoilers here. I hope you will preorder a copy of this thriller when the release is announced.

 

Thank you again, Allan, for having me as a guest on the Scribbler!

 

It’s my pleasure to have you as a guest, Patrick. Thank you for taking the time to tell our visitors about Treasures of the Fourth Reich. I wish you continued success with your novels.

Thank you dear readers & visitors. Don't forget to leave a comment.

The Story Behind the Story with Author Suzanne Casey of Moncton, New Brunswick.

 

Fun Times!

The Scribbler is happy to welcome back Author Suzanne Casey. With novel #2 published, her stories are receiving great reviews and lots of notice. She is going to share the Story Behind the Story with her latest work.

I had the pleasure to read Suzanne’s novel. Read my review HERE.

She has been a guest on the Scribbler before and it you missed her interview, please go HERE.

Tell us about yourself, Suzanne.

Writing has been in my blood since childhood. My father secretly restocked his office supplies on a regular basis to feed my art. My stories matured with age. I had more to tell, but had less time to write once I became a mother. But life events and experiences tucked themselves away in my head so that one day they might end up on paper.

The passing of my parents made me realize that life was fleeting. I had to chase my dream of writing a novel. Having it published was beyond my expectations. And now, I have two!

Being outdoors and spending time with loved ones fuels me, but so does sitting in front of a blank piece of paper creating new characters or stories. Yes, I write (and draw) on paper, first. Ideas come out too fast for me to type them up.

Working Title: The Quilting Bee (and the kaleidoscope of men who loved her)

Synopsis: 

Cathy West felt unwanted as a child. To soothe her loneliness, she sought the friendship of others, some of which weren't always positive. The inability to love herself became her downfall, making rash decisions to please others. However, two trustworthy people never let her down.

Aunt Mary showed her love, kindness, friendship, and the art of quilting. This craft will make Cathy prosperous. It will also give her peace.

The other person, she will suffer decades of heartache before she realizes his role in her life.

The Story Behind The Story:

Life experiences bring me snippets of a story. A scene, a sentence, a character. My mother was a talented quilter, giving her blankets as wedding gifts or for our own use. Occasionally, she'd pass me a needle to join her. I wanted to honour her art as a background to this story.

I always start my stories by developing the protagonist's emotional side. I know my characters' souls before their looks. At around Page 50 of my first draft, I realized she was one of the minor characters from my first novel Danny And MJ. I reread that book, and ended up having to change her name and hair colour in this manuscript. I suppose the two books could be considered a series.

And like it or not, we writers dig into ourselves to create. Experiences, places we've been, etc. It's why I've used my hometown as background, although with a fictitious name. I also used some of my own personal experiences, wanting to make the story more relatable to my readers. But be assured, The Quilting Bee is not autobiographical. 

    A question for you, Suzanne, before you go. 

What have been the most enjoyable and the least enjoyable about publishing?


The most enjoyable part about publishing is discovering and befriending fellow authors. The source of information we carry and share with one another is indispensable. I cherish every single one.

And in fear of sounding vain, I'm in awe of my fan base. They fire me up, feed my soul, and are always asking for more. I'm happy to oblige.

The least enjoyable...Editing. Researching. Writing a book is like painting a room. It's lovely to choose a colour and see the end results. But you can't just slap paint on a wall and call it done. There's preparations to be done. The same with writing. We authors are perfectionists to a fault. Researching and editing never ends. We just have to call it done, at one point.

Thank you Allan for the exposure. Greatly appreciated.





The pleasure is all mine, Suzanne. Happy to have you as a guest and I wish you continued success in your writing journey.

Thank you for visiting the Scribbler. Don’t forget to leave a comment.

The Story Behind the Story with award-winning Author Christiane Banks of Milton, ON.

 

The Scribbler would like to thank Sharon Beddoes for introducing us to this week’s guest. It is a pleasure to have Christiane with us. When you pop over to her website, you will be greeted by the following:

Striving for excellence one word at a time.

Sounds like a winning formula to me.

Let’s meet Christiane

 

Christiane Banks, author of the award-winning historical family saga, Amelia’s Prayer, is delighted to return with the sequel Amazing Grace. Christiane was born in England around the Magnificent rugged Northeast coastline near the City of Newcastle upon Tyne. Raised after World War II, she began working at 13 years old as an apprentice shampoo girl. At this job, she was privileged to meet many women who lived during the world wars and was inspired by the vivid stories of those periods.

Banks, a Storyteller herself, was inspired by these accounts, which lead her to become an author and ultimately become part of the stories of Amelia’s Prayer and Amazing Grace. She would like to take this opportunity to thank all her family friends and readers who have been a constant source of support and encouragement through the years as she wrote both Amelia’s Prayer and Amazing Grace, bringing them to fruition. Christiane lives in Milton, Ontario, with her husband Gary she has starts book three, which will be a prequel to Amelia’s Prayer and Amazing Grace.

 

Working Title: Amelia’s Prayer

 

Synopsis:

Sebastian Lavalle is just fifteen when he leaves home in 1934 to join the Navy. Seven years later, Sebastian, unfortunately, knows all too well about the horrors of World War II and what it is like to fear the unknown. When repairs force his ship to the rugged shore of Newcastle, the young French naval officer is invited to a tea dance. He seizes the opportunity hoping to find comfort and a small taste of home.

Amelia Sullivan, the daughter of Irish immigrant parents, is thrilled to be attending the tea dance. When Sebastian’s eyes find her in the crowd, he drinks in her exotic beauty. Moments later, as he draws her into his arms for a dance, there is no doubt in his mind that he has just met the woman of his dreams. Days later, Sebastian professes his love and marries her, sending them both on an unforgettable journey through betrayal, survival, and forgiveness. Their soul searching journey not only will take the reader from England’s coast to the French Riviera, but also Tennessee. Their journey explores the many facets and depths of love leading to the realization of what true happiness means.

 

 

The Story Behind the Story:

What inspired me to write Amelia’s Prayer is really quite difficult to pinpoint. Storytelling has always been a part of me—like the colour of my eyes or hair, part of my DNA. I cannot remember a time when I did not tell stories! As a child I was nicknamed chatterbox, I would wander out of the house, up the street, knocking on people’s doors asking if they would come out to play. We could sit on the wall and tell stories. It was not unusual for strangers to bring me home!

Most of my life I have thought about creating stories, poems, and sometimes plays – not always capable of executing the ideas that were formed within my mind for various reasons; however, I was always able to tell the story. Amelia’s Prayer is a true work of love and passion. I have been fortunate enough to meet some amazing human beings throughout my lifetime, either through life’s journey, my work, or within my own family, extended family, and friends. I have had the privilege and the honour to listen to many voices, both young and old and wise over the years, often triggering myriad of ideas through my mind in various different forms, family members and my husband encouraging me to write a book. 

Several years ago I was fortunate enough to be introduced to an author by the name of Joyce Holmes, who writes detective stories. I told Joyce of my interest in writing a book, and how I felt rather inexperienced. Joyce inspired me and helped me to understand that I was more than capable. We spent a lovely lazy afternoon on the balcony of her beautiful home in the mountains in Provence. I shall always be grateful to Joyce for validating my abilities. That afternoon she sent me away, waving goodbye and believing that I could indeed write a novel. As she waved to me her message was, “I shall see you at the book launch!”

Simplicity is the essence to a reader connecting to a story something we can all reach out to and identify with Amelia’s Prayer is a compilation of all of that life, love, family, betrayal, forgiveness, and ultimately unconditional love!

 

Please visit Christiane at: https://christianebanks.com

 

A question for you, Christiane, before you go.

What’s your favorite and least favorite part of publishing?

Christiane:

My favourite part of publishing is the journey of walking the books into the marketplace, and meeting people at book events, book clubs, and other fundraising events. I am inspired at every event by the terrific people I meet, both young and old. They all motivate me to keep growing, improving, and developing as an author.

My least favourite part is the administrative side which includes, social media and working with the publishing company. The parts that have nothing to do with writing and gobble up a tremendous amount of my creative time.

 

Thank you for being our guest this week, Christiane. Wishing you continued success on your writing journey.

 

And thank you to all you visitors and readers. Don’t forget to leave a comment.