Well, that’s another year in the books.  Another twelve months have come and gone.  Where did it go so fast, and what have we to show for it?  It’s been a challenging year.   And judging by the number of posts I’ve made to this blog this year (only 11), it doesn’t look like I’ve been very productive either.   Well, I promise you, I’ve been doing my best.   The year started off very positive.   The Blue Hole had been out for a month or so, and it was gaining traction.   The promotions I had chosen to run were working well, and the few reviews that were trickling in were just the kind of positive reinforcement I needed to push forward on my third book.   All was looking very good.   Then I got the urge to throw the book away my work in progress and start over, and about mid-year, that’s exactly what I did.   Trying to sort out if this book was even worth taking a second stab distracted me from continuing to promote The Blue Hole and...

Vicky Ball’s second book, much like her first, tackles some challenging and unfortunate situations that we tend to overlook, or ignore.   Using her main character, Maddie, as a vessel, the author masterfully captured the feeling of growing up in an alcoholic home and feeling like there is nowhere turn and nowhere to run.  Then, a small glimmer of hope, something to grasp onto and fight for is dropped into Maddie’s life in the form of a family she never knew she had.  But when Maddie goes in search for this hope, she doesn't find exactly what she expected.   I really enjoyed the way the story moved fast and the way that the characters spoke with one another in a very real way.  I did have some trouble resonating with the characters at the beginning, but I attribute that mostly to the fact that the target audience is more teen/young adult, which I am not.  However, once the majority of introductions were completed, I was completely drawn in and...