Multi-volume Poet, Wendy Slater introduces us to her 14th volume of poetry Into the Hearth (The Traduka Wisdom series):
After a 20 year hiatus from writing poetry, Wendy composed 20 volumes of spiritual poetry which began during a trip to Scotland in 2001. This series of spiritual poetry awakens one to the Truth within as we walk the Path, the journey, and wake from the slumber of separation from parts of self and step into full union with self and divinity. The resulting self-forgiveness allows one to step forward in wholeness without the false archetype of perfection. When blame and self-judgment are transformed, healed, and cease to be, we have reawakened without the myth, the mythos, of separation. We are One.

Poetry is mysterious to me. Poetry hides and teases, it cajoles and flirts. All the time promising hidden delights, if I am willing to look for it. Wendy’s work is no different, it looks straight at me, staring into my eyes and my heart; then with a quick kiss and wink, it leads me in a direction I was not prepared for.
I have enjoyed this book a great deal, I find myself drawn to it again and again. I find something new each time.
I award Into The Hearth 5 stars!

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Into-Hearth-Poems-Traduka-Wisdom-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/book/-into-the-hearth-poems-volume-14
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/into-the-hearth-poems-volume-14
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Into-Hearth-Poems-Wendy-Slater
 
You can follow Wendy:
https://twitter.com/WendyESlater
https://traduka.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Wendy-E-Slater-Poetess-Quantum-Healer-1415277638795044/

Multi-volume children’s author Michelle Path introduces us to her latest in the Circus series The City of Smogg:
Smogg is a concrete jungle devoid of plants and animals. The city’s inhabitants live a mundane life and have never even ventured outside of the city walls. However, when Calvin Callioni and his Most Splendidly Spectacular Circus of Starzborough come to visit, Smogg’s citizens soon discover that their leader has been suppressing them. They begin to question what lies beyond the city gates and start to rebel, spurred on by the larger-than-life ringmaster and his merry troupe of circus performers and animals. Will the citizens finally wake from their reverie after all these years?

I really enjoy the books for children that Michelle Path writes. She works hard to make sure kids will love them and the books are made to encourage conversation between child and parent. Many good lessons can be explored in the conversations.
There are many colorful illustrations that highlight the story quite well. The story has humorous and sad aspects. The citizens of Smogg are a very sad lot. The circus brings much more than a few short-lived moments of excitement. The citizens of Smogg find freedom and a new sense of life they hadn’t enjoyed before.
I give The Splendidly Spectacular Circus of Starzborough: The City of Smogg a score of 5.0 Stars!
I have reviewed several of Michelle’s books including the first Circus of Starzborough: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/-the-most-splendidly-spectacular-circus-of-starzborough-by-michelle-path
​

You can buy this paperback book:
https://www.amazon.com/Most-Splendidly-Spectacular-Circus-Starzborough-City-of-Smogg
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Most-Splendidly-Spectacular-Circus-Starzborough-the-city-of-smogg
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34638698-the-most-splendidly-spectacular-circus-of-starzborough-city-of-smogg
You can follow Michelle Path:
Twitter: @mimilovesu
http://michellepath.com.au/
https://www.facebook.com/Michelle-Path
https://www.goodreads.com/author/Michelle_Path
​

Multi-volume author Ralph Nelson Willett introduces us to The Release: Escape From Torment​:
Carrie Rhodes must escape the violent rages of her boyfriend. On the run, severely beaten and in pain, fate intervenes when only two hours from Chicago her car breaks down in an unfamiliar town. She is alone and vulnerable. Without hope, Carrie resigns herself to her inevitable death.

Hope returns though, in the form of an extraordinary man with dark secrets and an unusual occupation. For the first time, Carrie finds herself part of an extended family where love is unconditional and freely given. Peace touches her soul. It's peace like she has never felt before. It gives her a new sense of how her world could be.

However, evil refuses to release its grip and darkness rages in many forms. Carrie rejects the light that is shining into her life when she declares that there is no God. Would a loving God allow her to go through the torment that has followed her from father to boyfriend to lover?

A phone call exposes her. Violence follows her. If not for her new friends, she may be forced back into her old way of life and the old patterns of abuse.

Can God’s love, shown through flawed people, be the path of escape from generations of violence and abuse? Can the prayer of a woman that Carrie doesn’t know, point her life in a new direction? To be set free, the generational curse must end. The chains must be broken.
There must be a release, an escape from torment.

This book is really good reading! It portrays people who are real in many different circumstances of life. It also hints at a lot of the spiritual forces that are active in the lives of these people. Different forms of abuse are described, without shying away from the biggie, generational abuse. It gets worse with each successive generation. The escape from torment is very real and clearly delineated in the story.
I really enjoyed this story! The author has done a marvelous job of balancing action, narration and dialog. I found the scene setting to be quite well done also. No words were wasted. All of the characters seemed like people I know or have met. Everyone played their part quite well.
I would have liked more background about Chi since he is so capable of niceness and mayhem. He has an intriguing set of skills. I loved his mom, she is quite a character!
Because this is such a great story and well written, I give it 4.7 stars! The score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors I found.
​

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Release-Torment-Ralph-Nelson-Willett-ebook
https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Release-Torment-Ralph-Nelson-Willett-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/book/-the-release
 You can follow Ralph:
https://twitter.com/NorthernOvation
https://www.facebook.com/RalphNelsonWillett
http://northernovationmedia.com


murder, kidnapping, drugs, spiritual abuse, oppression, thriller, Christian, inspirational fiction

Multi-volume author, Michael Kelso, introduces us to One on One:
Corrections Officer Emil Sorn believed the inmates at Larsan State Prison were coddled by the system, had too many rights, and never received any real punishment for their crimes. As sergeant in charge of the evening shift, disrespect or disobedience in any form was dealt with swiftly, severely, and quietly.

The idea started in a bar after a couple of drinks, and like most ideas so conceived, it should’ve stayed there. If the accused is granted the right to face their accuser, then the victim should have the right to confront the perpetrator. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life.

There is a fine line between Justice and Revenge. Emil Sorn is about to cross it.

This book about life in prison on both sides of the bars rings with a great deal of authenticity! Michael knows his stuff, he is a former corrections officer.
I really enjoyed this book because it feels so real. Without wasting any words, the characters, settings and action are very tangible and quite believable. Many of the actors have multiple faces that seem so appropriate for the moment.
The change in Emil Sorn is radical and alters his life forever. The loss of his father and the self-centered scorn of his mother both contribute to his dark transformation.
I promise no spoilers and I think I have managed to keep that promise once again. But I have to say this is an amazing story that will leave many rather unsettled and hopeful at the same time, and for different reasons.
I give 4.7 stars to One on One! The score would have been higher except for a handful of spelling errors.
I have it straight from the author that a sequel is in the works! That makes me a happy camper!

You can buy this book:
https://www.amazon.com/One-on-One-Michael-Kelso-ebook
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36121796-one-on-one
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-on-one 
You can follow Michael:
https://twitter.com/MichaelKelso2
http://mikesimages4.wixsite.com/michaelkelso
https://www.facebook.com/mikeswritings
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-kelso-825ba6a5
https://www.pinterest.com/michaelkelsoaut/pins
https://www.instagram.com/michaelkelso8294
Tags: mystery, thriller, crime

Author and survivor, Karen Trolan introduces us to her book and story:
Pilots rarely survive small-plane crashes. Karen Trolan, a real estate manager in the San Francisco Bay Area and mother of three, was piloting her family’s Cessna out of the Truckee airport near Lake Tahoe on Labor Day Weekend eight years ago when the plane crashed. In a moment, her life changed. Karen became a paraplegic.
            This is a story of one woman’s courage and determination as she navigated multiple injuries in her brain, neck, lung, spine, ribs, and a number of bones, requiring months of hospitalization and rehabilitation. It’s a forthright—no holds barred—account of enduring the helplessness that comes from being wheelchair-bound and the ways that Karen and her family knitted together a plan not just to live but to thrive.
            It’s a tale of trauma and its antidote: the creation of regimens of physical therapy, medical treatments, adaptive sports, and travel to recapture the joys of Karen’s earlier life, buttressed by her Christian faith and her husband’s dedicated support.
            Karen calls her journey one of “pushing through” adversity. She credits her upbringing by parents who instilled a “can do” mentality in her and her brother for her positive attitude. She feels that her previous athleticism also contributed to her discipline and desire to return to the sports she loved: snow and water skiing, horseback riding, swimming, cycling, and kayaking. Today, she does all of these with the help of her husband, who muscles her into kayaks and gondola lifts, into airplane bathrooms, and onto the backs of horses. Another difference from her earlier days is the greater expense of life and equipment for adaptive use in both daily activities and sports. The family recognizes its good fortune in having opportunities for her activities and special treatments.
            “The ability to give back to others by helping and teaching also inspires me to work hard every day on my core strength,” says Karen. She is grateful that she was able to return to every one of the teaching and mentoring roles in the work world and her volunteer activities before the crash. “By inviting me back to the Ski Patrol at Northstar and the Disaster Aid Response Team in Los Gatos, as well as to my coaching activities with my kids’ sports, those organizations helped me to feel myself again,” she says. “And, given the opportunity to work part time allowed me to get back on track quickly.”

This is a story of faith, determination, and miracles! I really enjoyed reading how Karen and her family pulled together and beat the odds after the plane crashed. Karen suffered the worst injuries of all, but the determination of her, her family and so many others enabled her to return to a life with accommodations. She is still living that life almost as full as before the crash.
Karen is an excellent communicator and is clear about all the challenges and obstacles she and her family faced beginning with the crash. The challenges continued with recovery and adaptations for her paralysis in her occupation, volunteer work, travel, martial arts, and recreational opportunities.
I really enjoyed this honest and uplifting book. I give it 4.8 stars! The score would have been higher except for the handful of spelling errors.
​

You can buy this book:
https://rdrpublishers.com/products/i-can-still-do-it-the-unstoppable-spirit-of-a-plane-crash-survivor
On Amazon it is available for preorder now and delivery on April 20, 2018
https://www.amazon.com/CAN-STILL-DO-Unstoppable-Survivor-ebook
https://www.amazon.co.uk/I-CAN-STILL-DO-IT
You can follow Karen:
https://twitter.com/karen84426664
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfz4FqEB0xi/
https://icanstilldoit.com
​

Author H.E. Wilburson introduces us to his audio book The Day of the Martians:
The terror of the coming of the Martians has become a distant memory, a bad dream that has faded with time. It is now 1913 and the cosy, suburban life of the writer from H G Wells' iconic 'The War Of The Worlds' descends again into a Martian nightmare. A cylinder from the previous invasion has been unearthed in Wales, intact and completely sealed from the Earth's atmosphere, then transported to London for no apparent reason. It is unclear whether there are Martians still alive inside it after more than a decade.
The situation worsens. Ogilvy the astronomer reveals that in three months, the Martians are set to invade in vast numbers, just before Christmas. Having learned hard lessons about deadly bacteria, the Martians are set on the conquest of our planet.
On a hunch, the writer takes his wife with him to Mount Tryfan in Wales where they make a surprising discovery, but is it significant? With no realistic defence against Martian tripods and heat rays, the government has no choice and adopts the writer's plan. But time is short, too short. Only a single hope now stands in the way of total oblivion and The Day of the Martians…
The Day of the Martians​ by H.E. Wilburson is a sequel to​ The War of the Worlds​ by H.G. Wells

 This audio book was so much fun! I loved it! The story kept me on the edge of my kindle for the entire tale. The narration and the sound effects were top notch. I felt like I was transported into the past and was witnessing these events myself. The power of the audio book is quite amazing. The enjoyment factor is high!
As the sequel to such a famous story it was handled quite well and felt so organic to the original story.
I give The Day of the Martians 5 STARS! I loved it and so will you!
I am very happy to report that there are two more stories coming: “The Lake on the Moon” and “Gateway to Mars”. Thank you, Mr. Wilburson.

You can buy this audio book:
https://www.amazon.com/Day-of-the-Martians-Martian-Diaries
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Day-of-the-Martians-Martian-Diaries
https://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/The-Day-of-the-Martians-Audiobook
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/The-Day-of-the-Martians-Audiobook ​ 
You can follow the author:
http://martiandiaries.com
https://twitter.com/martiandiaries
https://www.facebook.com/martiandiaries
​
Tags: sci-fi, science fiction, historical, aliens, Mars, invasion, England, Wales