My Buy Essay

Posts Tagged ‘fiction’

The Time Has Come is the first book of a mystical and spiritual trilogy written by Barbara Oleynick, a highly educated nurse who’s life work is to help make the world a more peaceful place in any way that she can. Barbara is an English instructor, a faculty member of a community college and an accomplished musical theater director and producer.

This book is like a combination of the movie the Golden Child (with Eddie Murphy), Micheal Scallion’s land change predictions through his spirit guide, and vibration-frequency theories which are currently being studied in both traditional and alternative sciences &ndash all rolled up in one fiction story.

A 13-year-old child, Rachel, has a baby girl named Grace who is sent to bring peace to the world. I cried huge crocodile tears at Grace’s birth, again at the love in Albert and Henna’s home and yet again found myself sobbing when their drug-crazed mother murders Rachel’s sister.

In the beginning, The Time Has Come is only religious in that the Creator is thought to reside in every molecule and that there is purpose to our lives. The author briefly discusses historical religious events at various points in the story. The aspect that appealed to me the most was the main focus of each person having a legacy to leave behind and that it is up to each one of us to find a way to perform the tasks set before us.

I found on the whole, the story line was interesting and yet shocking to my nerves at the same time. Despite this, I felt the author became too heavy with spiritual ideas and the depressing negative world news during the final chapters.

ISBN#: 0975592254

Author: Barbara Oleynick

Publisher: Synergy Books

192 Pages

Tracie’s Story: Book Review

Tracie’s Story, by Marguerite Ashton, had sucked me into the story right from the start, and I had difficulty tearing myself away from the book all the way to the end. This is very a moving tale that is based on a true story of a woman brought up by an alcoholic single mother.

As a child, Tracie bravely accepts the barrage of difficulties, disrespect and responsibilities of handling a helplessly drunken parent &ndash but it leaves her emotionally scarred. While driving under the influence, the thoughtless mother inflicts a permanent and visible disability on her child that serves as a constant reminder of her past. Every mirror, every pair of eyes reflects her abnormality and this becomes a torment for Tracie. As an adult, she struggles with her inner demons and the mind-numbing addictions to both alcohol and her work.

Marguerite Ashton uses a direct and simple writing style that envelops the reader in Tracie’s world so deeply that the real world fades away for a little while. The ending left me with a feeling that the book is not finished. Yet, because I was thinking about it for days, I would have to say the ending was quite effective.

ISBN#: 1-4137-7386-9

Author: Marguerite Ashton

Publisher: Publish America

Canadian commercial pilot, owner of a publishing company, mother of two and author of the Violet the Pilot children’s book series, Bettina Bathe has a talent and energy for today’s youth. I think this aviation adventure fiction series is appropriate for children aged between three and eight years old.

Her children’s book series focus during one season in one country at a time, though the adventures in each book are widely different and involve a various aircraft. Starting in Canada, Bettina’s main character takes three passengers in a floatplane for a camping/fishing trip during the spring. Her second book has Violet the Pilot taking two young French passengers on a hot-air balloon ride to a site where the pair can start a bike tour adventure and enjoy fall’s beautiful colors. Bettina’s third book in the series is centered on the Hawaiian Islands during the summer season, where two young passengers desire a scenic tour of the islands in Violet’s helicopter. In this book, there is an unexpected adventure when the three were called upon to rescue a stranded baby whale.

These books could be considered educational tools as the illustrator, Barbara Fortin, incorporates well-designed scenery depicting the countryside, wildlife, clothing and food that are found in each country. Bettina uses educational information about aviation and the various aircraft that are used in her books. The use of maps and other interesting images including each country’s flag &ndash will certainly give the reader tools for further interaction with the children.

Clearly, Bettina’s series of children’s books are designed to not only educate children about their world and the various aircraft technology, but are also written with the intention to inspire aviation dreams in young girls. The author’s website (.violetthepilot.com) offers ongoing contests and awards for readers.

Violet the Pilot in Canada &ndash published October 2004 &ndash ISBN# 1-4120-3215-6

Violet the Pilot in France &ndash published July 2005 &ndash ISBN# 0-9738290-0-1

Violet the Pilot in Hawaii &ndash published January 2006 &ndash ISBN# 0-9738290-1-X

Violet the Pilot in Canada is the first in the series of children’s book series written by commercial pilot and mother of two, Bettina Bathe. In this book, Grandpa Cliff along with young Chantel and Mathias are going on a camping and fishing trip in Ontario, Canada.

Violet the pilot and her trusty animal and insect friends are hired to take the three tourists to their destination in her violet-colored floatplane. Violet teaches her passengers about the floatplane, takes them through initial flight procedures and delivers the tourists safely to their destination. For Violet, safety always comes first as she instructs the tourists how to exit the plane, protect themselves against the damaging sun reflected off the water and more.

Beautifully illustrated scenery with Canadian wildlife tucked into the images here and there will allow for more interest in the pictures. The illustrator, Barbara Fortin, creates an excellent depiction of rural Ontario’s well-known “Cottage Country” area.

Violet the Pilot in Canada offers more than entertainment and education. The author has also dedicated a portion of the sales of this book to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Additionally, Bettina’s website (.violetthepilot.com) offers contests and awards for young readers.

ISBN#: 1-4120-3215-6

Author: Bettina Bathe

Illustrator: Barbara Fortin

Publisher: Trafford Publishing

Published: October 2004

Violet the Pilot in France is the second book in children’s series written by author Bettina Bathe. This adventure involves a hot air balloon trip in Provence, France. Proud Canadian author and commercial pilot, Bettina Bathe was certain to include a Canadian flag patch on her main character’s shoulder. However, Violet the pilot also embraces the country she is working in by placing that country’s flag patch on her other shoulder.

Two young French passengers who want to take a balloon ride to a desirable location for their bike tour adventure, hire Violet’s aviation services. The ride is interrupted with weather problems, but Violet saves them all with her confident and quick-thinking maneuvers. Violet’s animal and insect friends are the ground crew who has their own adventure just trying to keep up to the balloon. After a lovely picnic feast, Violet serenades her departing passengers with a song on her violin.

Illustrations by Barbara Fortin depict rural France, including interesting French architecture, agriculture and fashion. These bright, bold pictures are full of subtle information.

The book uses a few French words and the reader is encouraged to bring interest in the globe and navigation methods in children through useful maps and illustrations. Readers will learn how a hot air balloon is flown – from the pre-flight set-up, testing the wind and flying techniques to landing a hot air balloon. However, Violet the Pilot in France offers more than entertainment and education – the author has also dedicated a portion of the sales of this book to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Additionally, Bettina’s website (.violetthepilot.com) offers contests and awards for young readers.

ISBN#: 0-9738290-0-1

Author: Bettina Bathe

Illustrator: Barbara Fortin

Publisher: Violet the Pilot Enterprises, Inc.

Published: July 2005

Violet the Pilot in Hawaii is the third book of a children’s series written by author Bettina Bathe. One of the very first striking aspects of this book is the illustrator’s use of bright colored fish and birds, a flowery helicopter, tropical scenery and agriculture within the Hawaiian Island region. The illustrations by Barbara Fortin (.bellocchioillustration.com) also reveal lush forest and wildlife scenes including a myriad of creatures that dwell in the waters surrounding the islands.

This adventure begins when two Hawaiian youth, Kimo and Malia, request a scenic tour ride in Violet’s purple helicopter. As always, safety comes first for Violet, and they spend a few moments discussing air currents and looking at maps before starting out.

Violet and her passengers are accompanied by as they fly above tropical forests, a beautiful waterfall, interesting volcanoes and agricultural fields. The adventure is interrupted when they are called upon to help rescue a baby whale. Thanks to Violet’s confident pilot skills and her loyal animal and insect friends, the frightened whale is returned to her pod. These unlikely heroes arrive to their destination safely and celebrate with a Luau and a feast. This is no ordinary feast &ndash the table is laden with all kinds of Hawaiian foods. And later, they are entertained by Hula Dancers and Violet plays her Ukulele.

The author incorporates real life terms in her books, yet she is able to explain things in a way that young people can clearly understand. The last page has an illustration with all three of the flags from the countries Violet has worked in so far. These could be excellent teaching and memory tools for the reader to use with children. However, Violet the Pilot in Hawaii offers more than entertainment and education – the author has also dedicated a portion of the sales of this book to the Canadian Red Cross. Additionally, Bettina’s website (.violetthepilot.com) offers contests and awards for young readers for her young readers to enjoy.

ISBN#: 0-9738290-1-X

Author: Bettina Bathe

Illustrator: Barbara Fortin

Publisher: Violet the Pilot Enterprises, Inc.

Published: January 2006

Carol Bennett writes a stunning mystery-thriller. Her chilling entrance is one I have encountered only rarely in a book. Here, we have a victim who looks like he had been swarmed by bees in the middle of a storm, but the reader is lead to believe that it was something much more ominous and that it is about to get worse.

There are many characters in the tale, but a group of teenagers that are about to graduate from high school (Mike, Jack, Jared, Jenny, Tracy, Dana, Alan) and Sheriff Nate are the main characters. The lead character, Mike, is more like a father figure for the group in that he concerns himself with the needs of his friends and becomes a compassionate leader to his community during an emergency. His girlfriend Dana, as a sweet and supportive character, gives him strength. Shy, Jenny who is blooming into a beautiful girl has a crush on Mike’s friend Jack, which sends Alan into a jealous frenzy. Though James and Tracy are dating, their buddy Jared holds a secret fondness for Tracy.

Carol did a wonderful job in portraying the characters in Unspoken Dreams. I was so involved in the story that by the time Mike finally broke down in grief for his friends’ death, I had tears running down my cheeks &ndash this was less than 2 dozen pages into the book! Mike’s humorous relationship with his parents had me laughing aloud. And I felt real pity for Alan’s situation.

An excellent read for those who love a good thriller with a solid rate of tension throughout the book.”

ISBN#: 1413767397

Publisher: Publish America, Inc

Author: Carol Bennett

The excerpt in the opening page of Waxing, before all the credits and the title page, was fantastic! That little enticing excerpt compelled me to read on with energy. This compact, 204 page fiction could be classified as a paranormal romance fantasy.

Author Megan Powell uses wit and pace to create a fun and suspenseful story. An alpha werewolf male is cursed and assailed from unexpected directions. In desperation, he turns to a solitary witch in hopes of righting wrongs and keeping peace within his pack. This is a story about obligations, finding love and balancing an underground life while intermingling with a society that must never know their kind exists.

Contrary to many stories involving werewolves and witches, Waxing has a believable scenario, is action-packed with an interesting and complex romance between the main characters, Derek and Liz. The author displays a rare talent in bringing the reader into the story at a deeper level by showing the thought processes of her main characters.

Having written her own books, participated in several short-story anthology books and currently editing two e-zines while doing book reviews for another e-zine, one could easily say that Megan Powell is an accomplished and busy writer. Her work tends to involve notes of magic, mystery and the intrigue of the unknown.

I enjoyed reading Waxing by Megan Powell. Actually the story reminded me of another enjoyable book entitled Shifter by J & G Reeves-Stevens – book one of the Chronicles of Galen Sword. Waxing, however, would be appropriate for young adult and adult readers alike.

ISBN#: 1-55410-263-4 (also available in e-book format)

Author: Megan Powel

Publisher: Zumaya Publications

Wooffer is a collection of thirty-three short animal-adventure children stories originally written by Betty Fasig for her family. The center character is Wooffer, a hairy dachshund puppy that “mom”, the author, receives as a surprise Xmas gift from her fun-loving family.

A host of animals grace the pages of Wooffer, including Old Agnes the mouse, thoughtful and protective Margaret the hen, Marygrey the pregnant rabbit, a proud and endearing peacock named Cho Lee who loves to strut his stuff and falls in love with a quail, and best friends Ibie the Ibis and Maudie the horse.

The stories are thoughtfully placed in chronological order, right down to the season. It even includes a Xmas story! This is a book about a puppy that changes the opinions of those around him, wins hearts and becomes a reliable, heroic friend. Wooffer earns respect from all the animals for miles around and becomes a bit of a legend by the time he grows up.

Generally warm, fun and light-hearted, Wooffer also tackles real-life issues from moving, loneliness, gaining respect, discerning truth from what one is told, getting lost, overcoming bullies and more.

Having spent a few years on a farm in my youth, I see germs of truth in the animal relationships and can verify the strange and wonderful bonds that happen between species. The epilogue provides a nice closure by revealing how all the animals still return to the same area annually and spend time with Wooffer and his friends discussing the old times and having new adventures.

Inserted occasionally are several adorable amateur drawings of life and adventures on the farm that are sure to entertain children. The cover is a photograph of the inspiration for the main character &ndash the author’s dog – which gives a more realistic feel to the book than a characterization or drawing could have done.

The book’s underlying theme is that no matter how small a person may think they are, or how small of a thing they may do &ndash they can make a difference to the lives of those around them. And this is an encouraging thought.

Wooffer is an excellent book for bedtime stories, but will be best enjoyed when reading to groups of children. Written in such a way that the reader can easily characterize the animals and situations with their voice, the book is sure to bring giggles of joy to groups of children. As such, I think Wooffer would be an excellent addition to the bookshelves of libraries, schools, daycare centers and the like.

ISBN#: 1-4137-5587-9

Author: Betty Fasig

Publisher: Publish America