Free Books for Halloween!

 

 

 

Today through November 1st, you can read my book, Eaters, and the other above books from Permuted Press on your Kindle or Nook for free! Visit the Permuted Press website to order.

Book Review - An American Haunting by Brent Monahan

 

I'd heard of the Bell Witch before reading this novel but didn't know anything about the story. This fictional tale based on historical events is written from the perspective of the local teacher, Richard Powell, who taught the Bell children, including Betsy, who receives the brunt of the torments. The witch has commonly been linked to a curse from the Bell's neighbor, Kate Batts, (I kept picturing Kathy Bates as this character while reading, but Gaye Brown is the actress who plays her in the 2005 movie version.) who was in a land dispute with the patriarch of the Bell family. Although John Bell was excommunicated from the local Red River Baptist Church after being charged with usury, he and his family seem to have been randomly and undeservedly picked for ethereal torment. The spirit's dialogue and antics are humorous at times, but the true horror in this tale is revealed near the end. You will be both saddened and "mesmerized" by the revelation. (In the movie version of this story, there is a modern day opening and ending scene that relates to the 19th century story. It reinforces the fact that evil is often both familiar and right underneath our noses, a fact that should never be ignored.)

(I like to read spooky books in October. My next review will be on Possessed: The True Story of an Exorcism by Thomas B. Allen. This is the story that The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty was based on. I'm reading it at night...with the lights on.)

 

Book Review - Seeds of War by Rachel Fisher

I can honestly say that I loved this story, and I think you will too. In this sequel to Eden's Root, the story takes an exciting turn for the unknown when the quartet (known as "The Seeders") ventures "topside" to begin distributing seeds and communication equipment to help rebirth civilization. This story will really make you wonder what you'd be capable of in a post-apocalyptic world when life is thrown back to the hazards of the Wild West. If you were attacked, would you be able to kill to save your own life and the lives of others? This important subject is not treated lightly in the book, nor is the evolving feelings that characters have as they face new challenges. Since I'm all about action in my own apocalyptic writing, I tend to gloss over passages that dwell on the feelings and doubts of characters shown in their inner dialogues. On the other hand, I think these scenes are necessary, especially for young adult readers, to understand the implications of moral choices and the depth of emotions that can happen in relationships. This might be a redundant statement, but if you are a fan of the Hunger Games, you will like this story, because Fi will remind you of Katniss. Fi is a true teen warrior, because of her bravery and ability to hang in there when awful things happen that are out of her control. I anxiously await the release of the third book in this series where the members of Eden will be in an all out war with the Truthers and Lobos. There is another anticipated event in that story, but I don't want to dish out a serious spoiler like that here! I would rate this series of books as PG-13 for language and adult situations. (Although there is enough backstory woven in to the sequel for a stand-alone read, I highly recommend reading Back to Eden first to learn more about how the apocalypse happened and see the development of Fi and her relationship with Asher and Sean.) P.S.---I find it interesting that Dr. Andrew Weil has come out with a recipe book called, "True Food". That is a moniker I first encountered in Eden's Root!