Gina G writes

                                                             The "K" Books Book 1: Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw My niece and I picked up this book two years ago. I almost bought it. I'm glad I didn't. Now, don't get me wrong, the book was well written. The story had promise, but it failed.  Described as a gorgeously creepy haunted house tale, steeped in Japanese folklore and full of devastating twists, the story is about four friends who decide to spend the night in a Heian-era abandoned mansion. Its foundations rest on the bones of a bride and its walls are packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company. After a night of food, drinking, and games (yawn) the ghost bride appears with a hungry heart and a blackened grin. Lucky for me it was a short book. The characters were cliche. You had your...

 The "J" Books Book one: Oceano Beach Bedlam, written by my friend Topper Jones This is book two in the Thad Hanlon and Bri de la Guerra Mystery series. (I am eagerly awaiting the third.) In Book Two, Thad and his partner, Bri, are newly licensed private investigators. They do it all: fraud busting, background checks, surveillance, and anything else. They just need a client. When the body of a young man is discovered on the beach, Thad recognizes him from the day prior, when the now-dead young man was arrested with a few of his BVL 13 homies during a weapons search. After being questioned by the police, Thad and Bri head back to the tent where he and his son Zale are living, until the detective agency starts bringing in money. Bri lets Thad know that the fledgling company is in the red. They need a client or else. But where do you get a client?  And then, an exotic, dark-haired woman makes her way across the sand to Thad's camp setup and hires the team to find her missing...

 Summer Time  "Hot Summer Streets and the City is burning, and I sit around. Trying to smile, but the air is so heavy and dry..." Or maybe I should say "Summertime and the livin'  is easy..." If you stay indoors, where the AC is, and keep the windows closed and shuttered to block the sun from warming the inside.  It's too hot to take the dog for a walk until ten at night, and even then, it is still warm. When you walk at night, you need to dodge the cockroaches. Nasty creatures. They are big and fat this year. They love the heat. Last year, I vented in June about the heat. This year, June was not a killer. We are expected to be in the triple digits for the next two weeks. I'm not a fan of this time of year. I spend my days off recruiting online, writing, editing, and playing fetch with Barney, my rescue dog, in the hallway. In the background, I have movies and series playing, or nature shows for Barney.  Ways to stay cool in the summer: One: stay indoors...

                                                                      The "I" Books If I thought the "E" book section was small, it was nothing compared to the "I" book section of authors at the library. Pickings were slim, but good. Book 1) True Evil by  Greg Iles Talk about an edge-of-your-seat, can't put it down, have to carry it from room to room while you read book!  Alex Morse is an undercover FBI agent working to unmask a killer. Dr Chris Shepard has never seen the woman with the scared face, but Alex knows him all too well. She is investigating a string of mysterious deaths linked to a local divorce attorney whose wealthy clients' spouses have died under suspicious circumstances. Dr Shepard's wife is one of the attorney's clients. It's surprising news for Dr Shepard. Is his wife going to divorce h...

                                                             The "H" Books Book 1: The Way of the Bear by Anne Hillerman Anne Hillerman has picked up where her father, Tony Hillerman, left off. She continues the stories of the characters he created. In this one, we find Navajo Tribal Police Officers Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito on location at Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Jim is there to meet with a paleontologist, but before he can meet with him, the man disappears. His house appears to have been broken into, and there is a dead body at the entrance.  Where is the paleontologist? And what were the thieves after? Bernadette is having her own issues. While hiking to ancient petroglyphs, she discovers that the site has been defaced and an illegal dig is underway. Returning to her truck to report the incident, she is al...

                                                               The Writers Journey I know, I've said it before, but EDITING your work is very important. You may think it is perfect. You may think the wonderful words you have put down are so great that nothing could ever be wrong. Well ...I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are wrong. You will miss things. You will make mistakes. This is why it is great to be a member of a local writers' group. You need other eyes on your manuscript. Please, for the love of every reader out there, EDIT your darlings before you publish. I've mentioned before how one of the biggest mistakes I found in a SELF-PUBLISHED book was where a character's name was one thing on one page and then, when you turned to the next page, it became something else. Recently, I picked up another self-published ...