Month: March 2022

Author Interview: Jade Rawlings

Julie Gilbert Interviews ,
Pic provided by interviewee

Hi Jade, Thanks for taking the time to chat with me today.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Jade Rawlings. I am 20-years-old, and writing is my passion! Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to be an Author. As a child I was captivated by the magic of words, and as an adult, I still find myself filled with that childlike joy. I am honored to be a full time Author!

How many books have you published?

I have eight published books. I am an award winning poet, graphic designer, editor, musician, licensed medicinal herbalist, and small business owner! When I’m not writing you can find me learning a new skill or instrument!

Tell us about the book you want to highlight.

Home For The Holidays is a Clean Christmas romance, featuring a paralysed main character and an old family friend. Throughout my book you can find more than just slow burn romance, because the main and true theme is learning that self worth is not defined by ability or others expectations. Being disabled does not mean being disqualified from life, opportunity,  or success.

I started writing this novel while watching Hallmark Christmas movies, i found something missing, in both representation but also in morality. I decided if I can’t watch the type of representation I want, then I’ll write it for others to read! The entire novel took me about 3 months to write. I designed my own covers.

cover provided by author

Tell us about one other book or series and why it’s important to you.

I have 3 poetry books, 4 self-help books, a crime thriller, and a Christmas romance. Poetry is my emotional outlet and platform where I make a stand and try to end the stigma around bipolar, borderline personality, and other mental health diagnoses.

Knowledge is power and the reason people are losing their lives to these illnesses are because of the lack of accurate representation and education to end the negative stigmas and stereotypes.

When do you consider a work complete?

I started writing at 7-years-old but did not get published until I was 18. Writing for me, is a lifestyle. I don’t write because I want to I write because I could not imagine NOT writing. It is as necessary as breathing, when you have a story, a purpose, and a drive burning inside you, you don’t get the choice to not let it out!

As a full time writer, my day consists of writing from 8 AM to 10 PM, with the occasional break to make a coffee, play an instrument, or gather my thoughts before diving back in! I consider the work complete when my characters tell me they have reached their goals. All good stories are based on fear vs. desire, but when the character finally overcomes their disbelief, and overcomes that fear to reach their most authentic desire, then the story can rest!

What animal do you most relate to?

My spirit animal is a Whale! They dive deep into the subconscious (symbolized by the depth of the ocean). They are heavily emotional animals, creating lifetime bonds, and are playful, yet enduring!

How do you think your personal chances of survival are in an apocalypse? (zombie or other)

As a licensed medicinal herbalist, and self-proclaimed jack-of-all-trades with minor certificates in pottery (for making supplies such as cooking utensils and weaponry, as well as a certificate in wildlife survival/ brushwork/ and shelter making, I think I would be a valuable asset should an apocalypse come!

Conclusion:

Well, I’d definitely want you on my team in an apocalypse. Thanks for chatting, Jade.

Contact:
If you’d like to know more about Jade’s writings, visit her amazon page.

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Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

2.5/5 stars The Guardian of the Light Trial by Fire and Ice by Shaun Connaughton

Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, Audiobooks, Fantasy , , ,
picture from audible

Narrated by David Reimer and Jessica Weyman

Run Time: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Genre: fantasy; YA with adult character

Summary:

Shane takes a few months off from being Santa Claus, goes home, and immediately tells his friend, breaking one of like 3 major rules he was given to abide by (keep magic secret). His argument is it’s for the best, and although some are mad at him, they eventually see his point of view.

Bad guys are still scheming.

Additional Comments:

  • 3/5 Main Characters – Shane’s still the happy-go-lucky guy they turned into Santa Claus. Joe’s the quintessential sidekick.
  • Target audience is really difficult to pin down. The main characters have an entire conversation about how Shane is now a superhero because he’s got the suit and awesome sidekick. It’s fine, but it sounded like 10-year-old boys playing make believe.
  • 2/5 plot – My favorite parts were the bad guys. You can tell this is part of a much larger story, but it doesn’t really hold up on its own. It might have been better as one massive 35 hour story because then things the bad guys do would make sense.
  • Morgana’s probably my favorite character and that’s just cause she occasionally gets to kill people.
  • Descriptions are well done but also way overdone. We get really detailed looks at the inside of the flipping elevator. Nobody cares about the buttons on the elevator unless they’re specifically integral to the plot.
  • Well, the characters are well-fed. I think 80% of this book is them eating or exploring their really nice rooms at the North Pole. The other 20% is training or planning.
  • 2/5 Still needs editing. There are things liked asked being used repeatedly for statements that strike me as odd. It won’t bother everybody though.
  • 3/5 performance – Both narrators got the job done. The guy pulled a few additional voices out for the elementals. That was cool. The lady sounded mostly the same for all characters. Part of this could be she didn’t have many parts, so I was mostly just keyed into her voice when I heard it.
  • End fight is short but well done.
  • There’s a lot of world-building happening in here. It’s a unique take on fantasy and magic but as with book 1, it felt like the story was spinning its wheels to nowhere.

Conclusion:

High marks for concept and uniqueness. Medium-low for execution of plot and prose.

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Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

4/5 Stars Mrs. Tedesco’s Missing Cookbook by Christa Nardi and Cassidy Salem

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, middle grade, mystery ,

Narrated by Julie McCarthy

Run Time: 2 hrs and 13 mins

Genre: YA mystery (low end, would even say MG)

Summary:

A high school project to do good deeds for the residents of an old folks’ home leads Hannah and Tamar into another mystery.

Additional Comments:

  • Characters aren’t well developed, but they’re in that brand of inherently good and wholesome mystery solvers like classic Nancy Drew. (Pretty sure it’s designed that way.)
  • The girls’ involvement in the mystery is a bit of a stretch.
  • The story goes through a few twists, so that’s nice.
  • Kind of wish there was an actual sense of danger. Waiting for somebody to get kidnapped here. Guess it’s not that kind of series. Pity, would make it a bit more zippy. As is, it’s okay. Closer to the rebook Nancy Drew where she was running around solving who stepped on the garden green squash.

Conclusion:

If you like 100% safe and tame mysteries for your young readers, this is a great series to try.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

Special Edition Review 4/5 Stars The Batman (2022)

Julie Gilbert Action Adventure, drama, superhero ,
pic is screenshot of what Google said about who was in the movie.

Starring:

Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, etc (did not see Farrell in Penguin, props to makeup dept.)

Summary:

A darker sort of Batman that relies heavily upon nostalgia and twists.

Additional Comments:

First the complaints:

  • It was too darn long. That’s probably going to be a recurring theme in my review. You remember back in the day when Return of the King had a nice, lovely ending, and then the movie went on and on and on for another hour? Yeah, like that.
  • It had some super weird camera angles and unnecessary very long sections of just seeing a flashlight or several flashlights as somebody chased somebody somewhere. It’s like the director was like, ya know what would make this awesomer? Let’s shoot it with a Go-Pro because everybody wants to feel like they’re a fly on the man’s ear along for the ride.
  • The Riddler seemed godlike in his knowledge. Okay, so I stepped out to use the restroom, so they might have explained how he knows what he knows, but that’s because it was 3 flipping hours.

Now the Weird/Odd/Neutral/Gratuitous:

  • Pattinson with the mask on is fine. He’s got a suitably chiseled jaw for the job.
  • Pattinson without the mask needed a freaking haircut. He was pushing the emo, rich boy thing a little too hard.
  • This version of Batman was a tad gullible and spent the entire movie chasing one thing after another.
  • The chase scene was an exercise in blowing up stuff just to make the batmobile look cooler. (It worked, but my personal enjoyment was interrupted by some really weird camera angles.)

What they did right:

  • Catwoman and her relationship with Batman, sort of good, sort of misunderstood, sort of bad.
  • Alfred and his relationship with Bruce.
  • General fight scenes were fine.

Conclusion:

It’s worth seeing. I don’t know if it’s worth seeing multiple times.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

3/5 Stars The Guardian of Light by Shaun Connaughton

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, Fantasy, Young Adult , , , ,
picture from audible

Narrated by David Reimer & Jessica Weyman

Run Time: 6 hours and 45 mins

Genre: fantasy

Summary:

The back cover copy/book description pretty much tells you the story. There’s a magical prison break, Santa Claus gets murdered, and Shane Conner is chosen to take up the mantel.

Additional Comments:

  • It’s imaginative.
  • The beginning doesn’t seem to fit. It’s dark, bloody, and almost like a horror story. Then, we flip gears fast to generic YA fantasy, complete with Polar Express vibes, then Harry Potter off to Hogwarts school of magic vibes.
  • I heard the audio version. Both narrators did okay. They don’t have a huge range of character voices but they got the gist across.
  • The story had some pacing issues. There was a lot of Shane sitting down to eat something or other and having very long conversations learning about the world. Those details were often cool, but it dragged.
  • There are a LOT of descriptions. Some are beautiful. Some are way over the top. I think we got an entire paragraph on the taste of hot cocoa and a few pages on what the train looked like.
  • Shane got kind of boring. He started neutral and picked up on everything he learned like a fish in water. The lack of struggle didn’t lead to much growth. He didn’t have many ties to the real world, so there wasn’t much to miss when he stepped out of it.
  • There are a lot of tie-ins to classic fantasy heroes and villains like Morgana le Fay and Merlin.
  • The author obviously gave a lot of thought to little details like what makes reindeer fly.  
  • There’s a story arc, then it just ends with a lot of loose ends. I know there are more books in the series, but I generally like more closure in stories.
  • The big, climatic fight we were working towards was okay. I’m still not getting a heck of lot of details as to the bad guy’s motivations.

Conclusion:

If you like frequent references to other types of fantasy stories and all the classic races (elves, dwarves, etc), I’d recommend waiting for a combination book because one feels incomplete.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

4/5 Stars Sacred Honor by Lori Bates Wright

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, historical, romance , , ,
picture from audible

The Saberton Legacy Book 3

Narrated by Austenne Grey

Run Time: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Genre: historical, American Civil War

Summary:

Aurora Haverwood and Zachery Saberton love each other, but a lot stands in their way. First, he’s accused of something pretty awful and barely escapes with his life. But part of that deal sends him to England on an undercover mission to recover some missing money from the Confederate coffers.

Additional Comments:

  • I think of the trilogy, I liked book 2 the best so far. This one was okay. The build up was nice. The middle meandered a bit. The end declared itself from afar. There was at least one cringey stereotypical female-does-something-dumb scene just to give us another half-hour to cover.
  • Characters are endearing.
  • Kinda wish Tori was in this more.
  • Austenne Grey’s performance hit the right emotional notes.
  • Not a huge fan of the style of epilogue we got. Could have safely done without it, but it’s fine.
  • Favorite character is the lady who play’s Zach’s love interest. I’d love to see a spinoff of her adventures. Her backstory is just outlandish enough to work.

Conclusion:

Well-written. Nicely performed.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

4.5/5 Stars Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, mystery , ,
picture from audible

Narrated by Nancy Wu

Run Time: 9 hrs and 19 min

Genre: mystery

Summary:

Mattie Cobb, recent K-9 handler for the Timber Creek police force, is still in the getting to know you phase with her charge, Robo. A brutal murder disturbs the small town. Robo stumbles across the body first, but it won’t be the last body to fall during this investigation.

Additional Comments:

  • Mattie’s got the typical troubled past pretty much all these small town law enforcement types have by unwritten law, but it was deftly handled. I love her relationship with her foster mom.
  • Cole Walker’s a nice semi-romantic interest. I can see that relationship moving somewhere eventually, but I was also glad to see the author didn’t skip all sense of logic and force them into anything immediately. He’s got a lot to handle with his veterinarian business and two daughters.
  • The conclusion was a tad disappointing. The bad guy was sort of declared midway through.
  • Maddie makes mistakes that almost cost her big time. I enjoyed the fact that she wasn’t perfect, but still came through in the end.
  • Parts rambled, but overall, readers get an intriguing mystery.
  • Title’s kind of a stretch, but whatever.

Conclusion:

Charming and satisfying K-9 mystery.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

3.75/5 The Spinster’s Fortune by Mary Kendall

Julie Gilbert Audiobooks, historical, mystery , ,
picture from audible

Narrated by Rachel Errington

Run Time 7 hrs and 55 mins

Summary:

There are almost two storylines here. There’s what happened in the past to Blanche and between Blanche and her sister Emily. Then, there’s also Margaret’s quest to find Blanche’s fortune.

Additional Comments:

  • I feel like this has some pacing issues. There’s a lot of setup to get to the payoff.
  • Margaret’s okay, but I don’t really feel like rooting for her. She’s a rich lady getting richer. Her husband’s a dud, but that’s her own fault for marrying the pretty drunk.
  • Blanche is okay. We do get to see her a wee bit in her mind as the beautiful young woman she was once upon a time.
  • The cousin is downright annoying. Note: she’s supposed to be, so in that sense, it was intended.
  • The sister for Margaret didn’t add anything. There could have been a chance to contrast the relationships between Blanche and Emily and Margaret and her sister, but it just felt like a lost thread.
  • Margaret’s husband has few redeeming qualities. It’s never really clarified if he was straight up cheating on her though. There are a few other threads that feel unresolved.
  • Robert’s the quinessential nice guy.
  • I had a very difficult time figuring out what era the story was told in. Part of the history is back during the Civil War, but most takes place in the early 1900’s-ish. There are cars. The servants seem to be relics that came with the place.
  • The treasure hunt aspect was fun.  
  • There are a few nice twists that redeem some of the confusion along the way.
  • Wrapup works even if it seems too convenient.

Conclusion:

It’s an interesting historical-ish piece. If you enjoy slow-build stories with decent payoffs to mini mysteries, give it a go.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.

4.5/5 Stars Walking to Hell by Knud E. Hermansen

Julie Gilbert historical, Military , ,
picture from amazon

Narrated by Jim Patton

Run Time: 4 hrs and 7 mins

Genre: historical fiction, time-split

Summary:

A short historical time-split novel with a 99-year-old Confederate vet telling one of his descendants part of his story. Ezekial McNair lived through the Civil War but can still recall the horrors vividly.

Additional Comments:

  • Take a while to get into the story that’s foretold in the book description. It begins with the outer tale and then starts the man’s story as a boy. That part is interesting but not super relevant.
  • Midway through the book we get to the part where he’s training and drilling with his regiment. That part is downright hilarious. There’s probably a lot the author straight up made up, but I can easily imagine these green, country boys making the same remarks about their expectations of war.
  • It stops after the first battle description then skims the rest of the war.
  • In that sense, the pacing is way off. It’s still enjoyable but would be a much stronger tale if it started with the training and went through at least a battle at the beginning, middle, and end of the war, eased off with a description of how the army disbanded and such. As is, it doesn’t even feel like a complete tale.
  • Content warnings: battle descriptions
  • Performance is okay. The narrator did all the male voices fine but struggled some with the teenage girls.

Conclusion:

Very good but has an incomplete feel. I’m sure it’s aiming for a series, but that’s unnecessary. You could write a hundred similar tales that differ because of the characters you make.

If you want to get 5 clean audio promos a month. Sign up here.

Have You Tried Kindle Vella Yet?

Christmas Shorts – (Mystery, thriller, Christian, suspense; Ongoing; story 1 is complete) Only one story right now, but will be a collection of short stories with characters from across my series. Typically, FBI agents with personal drama. Might feature an abundance of cute puppies.

The Minder Project Season 1 – (scifi, genetic engineering, superpowers; shares characters with Dustin’s Decision, Updated Wednesdays) The government gave her genetic Gifts. Now, it wants what it paid for from the program.

5 Steps to Better Dialogue – (nonfiction, writing skills; Complete) I feel like nonfiction titles should come with spoiler tags. This is a book for writers seeking to learn more about the creation of realistic characters and dialogue.

Assassin School Season 1 – (thriller, YA; Complete) Teen spies try to survive the rigorous training and other drama as powerful people battle to control the Ghost children.

Dustin’s Decision Devya’s Children Book 5 – (YA scifi, shares characters with The Minder Project; Complete) Genetically altered teens struggle to navigate the murky world and control their Gifts.