Month: March 2014

Posted in Uncategorized

Say Hello to S.M. Lowry

Posted on by Sarah

Look! It’s an interview with me 🙂

If you haven’t bought Shades of Fear yet, then go get it! All proceeds go to benefit pediatric cancer research and patient care.

This anthology is full of some great indie authors, and I’m proud to be a part of such a wonderful anthology.

You can purchase Shades of Fear here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00IJJF72A?pc_redir=1395846026&robot_redir=1

Paws4Thought

SarahLowry

Today on Paws4Thought we continue our Shades of Fear series with S. M. Lowry the author of the powerful story, Forbidden Child.

 Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a wife and a mother of four wonderful children, ranging from 15 to 21. We live on a beautiful half-acre in Oregon with three dogs and a snake. I work full time for the State of Oregon reading and analyzing Workers’ Comp. orders. I’m also a full time student working toward my BA in English Language and Literature at Southern New Hampshire University. In my free time, I hang out with my kids and read obsessively.

How did you get involved with Shades of Fear?

I had decided to start writing seriously and joined NaNoWriMo in October. I was on a Facebook group for Southern New Hampshire University, and someone mentioned there was a new group…

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Posted in Book Reviews

Review of The Life and Remembrances of Martha Toole by Jason Derr

Posted on by Sarah

 

 

Barren Tree Church Flyer and CD Template

This is a novella of literary fiction and magical realism.

The Hammer family receives a visit from their ancient aunt, Martha Toole. Martha Toole is a difficult woman who constantly complains about everything and is deeply entrenched in the glory of the past. She remembers when the family owned a large amount of land in the area and when everyone lived off that land. When John David takes his great-something aunt, Martha Toole, back to the old homestead for a visit, he encounters an unexpected woman on the land: the ghost of Martha Toole when she was young.

This was a fantastic story full of magical realism. From the beginning I was drawn in by the old woman who couldn’t seem to embrace the present but was firmly rooted in her remembrances of the past. I loved the struggle of nostalgia versus reality. The author has a powerful way of writing that hooked me: it’s slow and steady like the land itself. The story weaves the past and present together through the characters, mixing the fantastical with the ordinary seamlessly. The characters’ connection to the land, family, and past is both heart-warming and sad. This is a beautiful, well-written story, one that’s difficult to tear yourself away from, and I highly recommend reading it.

The Life and Remembrances of Martha Toole is available here.

Jason Derr is the author of The Boston 395 and writes the 10 Questions With Indie Authors blog for the Huffington Post.

Posted in Book Reviews

Review of Beneath the Rainbow by Lisa Shambrook

Posted on by Sarah

Beneath the rainbow

Warning: This book will make you cry!

Seven-year-old Freya is about to have her life changed forever. As she’s leaving the park one day, Freya is hit by a car and killed. What appears to be the end of little Freya’s story is just the beginning. We travel with Freya as she finds herself in the in-between, struggling to deal with her mother’s grief. Freya dreams of creating a beautiful rainbow, but as hard as she tries, she can’t create the rainbow of her dreams. Back on earth, Freya’s mother is lost in her bereavement until she finds a letter with some of Freya’s dreams written on it. And Freya’s old neighbor fights for his life against an illness, one last dream in his heart. These dreams work their magic in the lives of Freya and those touched by her.

Enchanting and heart-warming! I highly recommend this book to everyone. Beneath the Rainbow takes the reader on a journey through heartbreak, grief, redemption, and the power of keeping dreams alive. This story had me crying from the very beginning, but it’s as much about friendship and healing as it is about grief and loss. The descriptions are vivid throughout the story, drawing the reader in to the world Freya currently inhabits and also to the world she left behind. The story is every parent’s nightmare, and the reader can easily identify with the characters. Beneath the Rainbow is emotional, engaging, and difficult to put down, even when you’re crying while reading it in public. This is a must-read not only for those who have experienced loss but for anyone who’s looking for an emotional, heart-warming story.

Beneath the Rainbow is available now on Amazon

And Barnes & Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beneath-the-rainbow-lisa-shambrook/1116960082?ean=9781492701057

To learn more about the author, Lisa Shambrook, please visit her website:

http://www.lisashambrook.com