Uncategorized

4.45/5 Stars Avengers: Endgame – Spoiler Review

Julie Gilbert Uncategorized
Really cool picture showing movie posters/ promos for the other MCU movies.

*Will Contain Spoilers during discussion and esp after ads*

Summary:

This movie picks up where Avengers: Infinity War ended. That movie left people in a bad spot. With a snap of his fingers, Thanos sent half of the heroes and half of all living creatures into dust. The heroes are left to pick up the pieces and try to move on. They deal with Thanos, but get kicked again (no infinity stones).

Recap of who survived Infinity War (I think):

Black Widow (Natasha Romanova, played by Scarlett Johansson), Captain America (Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans), Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson), Iron Man (Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey, Jr., Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Bruce Banner, played by Mark Ruffalo), Hawkeye (Clint Barton, played by Jeremy Renner), Nebula (played by Karen Gillan, Ant-Man (Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd), Rocket (voice by Bradley Cooper), War Machine (James Rhodes, played by Don Cheadle), Falcon (Sam Wilson, played by Anthony Mackie)

Additional Comments:

– Points of convenience: A rat sort of saves humanity by randomly brining back Ant-Man.

– They did a relatively good job of explaining time travel, but at its core, this is a time travel movie. If you love those, this will be cool. If you hate those, this might stink. If you are neutral, you’ll probably end up on the like side.

– Characters really die … for good … they mean it this time … Can you imagine being in on the meeting? Who should we write off?

– How the heck did they not know the price of the soul stone? Nebula knew for sure. You’d think she’d say something in the little pre-war powwow.

Epic Moments:

– When the hammer slams into Captain America’s hand.

– The beginning of the end battle. Where the yellow sparkly things show up and let in the armies of Wakanda and pretty much everybody else Hulk brought back.

– Watching the return of everybody Hulk snapped back into reality.

– The moment where the ladies of the MCU unit to lay the smackdown and clear the way for Captain Marvel to make it to the new “old” time machine.

– Thor’s new hairdo for battle.

– Capt’s speech before they enter their time heist.

– “Avengers assemble” – Captain America

– The relay race at the end was cool: Hawkeye happens to land near the gauntlet with the infinity stones after the freaking building collapsed thanks to Thanos’s triumphant return to the future. (I know, it’s weird.) He passes it off to Black Panther. When the king gets into trouble, he punts to Spiderman. Peter Parker fights hard but gets fire rained down from above, so he gives it to Captain Marvel.  

Conclusion:

Same as before, definitely worth watching in theaters. Worth rewatching a time or two. If you don’t think too hard, it’s a fun time with lots of fan service.

Aside:

It’s got the sort of cult following that will get tempers pretty heated. One lady in the theater we were at for round 2 about came to blows because somebody was laughing at a somber moment. It was equally amusing and scary.

Associate links to follow…

Amazon Prime

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.


OR

*Definite Specific Spoilers*

– Stupid Lines: Yeah, it had a few. This is just a sample. (paraphrased, hey, I only saw the movie twice)

            – It has to work because I don’t know what I’ll do if it doesn’t. – Capt America

            – I am inevitable. – Thanos (Yeah, I get it, every baddie needs a tagline, but even with his complete obsession with destiny, you’d think he could do better.)

– Funny Moments:

            – Rocket slapping Thor. “Get it together.”

            – Rocket (to Thor) “You look like melted ice cream.”

            – Black Widow: “I get emails from a raccoon. Nothing’s strange.”

            – Tony Stark (to Rocket) “Honestly, at this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear.”

            – Scott Lang’s first experimental time travel adventure.

            – Rocket treating Scott like he’s a puppy.

            – Past Hulk forced to take the stairs.

– Awwww moments:

            – Thor got to speak with his momma.

            – Morgan Stark extorting a popsicle from her dad because he said a bad word.

            – Tony ending his message with the same thing his daughter said to him as he tucked her in.

            – Hawkeye and Black Widow dueling to be the sacrifice.

– Mild disappointments: Black Widow shoulda had better lines during her epic exit.

– Head scratchers: During the end where they tied up each story …

– Who didn’t survive Endgame?

Black Widow – she died for the soul stone. What I don’t get is why they couldn’t just bring her back by going back in time. I mean, now they know the rule, somebody gotta give up something they care for. Pluck some unlucky fool and the thing/person they love. Haul ’em up the mountain and throw one off. Boom, soul stone. (I know that’s cold, but the point is … it’s technically doable.)

Iron Man – Fitting that the man who started the saga should end it. I love that he pre-recorded a “hey, in case of my death” letter to his family. If his suit had been working properly, could he have survived? I mean he had lightning from Thor soaring through that suit no problem.

Captain America – He goes back in time to put the stones back where they belong so they don’t screw over time. But then… he decides to stay with Peggy Carter, presumably back in 1945 ish. It shouldn’t mess with time, but it probably would. The future would still be the future for everybody else. Don’t care what they said about the future becoming the past for you. Might be true, but what if he had kids with Peggy? In one of the Capt America movies, he gets to meet her post thaw and she has grandkids. Awkward moment.

Movie Reviews 4/5: Mortal Engines

Julie Gilbert Fantasy, Movie Reviews, scifi, Uncategorized , , , , , ,

Fun Despite Numerous Story Flaws

Summary: (spoilers after ads)

This is a young adult post-apocalypse sci-fi adventure. It’s also a book adaptation. I have not read the book, and I have no intention of doing so. That said, the world came across cool and the movie ended up being entertaining.

 Additional Comments:

  • Characters 3.5/5: Hester and Tom didn’t have great chemistry, but the circumstances are suitably grim to be believable. There are many other really interesting characters on the sides. Shrike could probably have his own movie. Valentine’s motivations aren’t terribly clear. Is it all just a power trip? Anna clearly has more of a story behind her.
  • Plot 3.5/5: The timing seems awfully rushed. The whole movie probably covers a span of 2 days. It goes from one event to another through a series of crazy coincidences. More on that later.
  • Chase Scenes 4/5: Very sweet.
  • Visuals/World-building 5/5: Although not a world I would like to live in, some pieces of what’s there are absolutely gorgeous. If nothing else, it’s often pretty.
  • Costumes 4/5: The London people certainly took notes from the Hunger Games elite. Even the slavers had a penchant for too much rouge.  
  • With all these complaints, why do I still like it? There are elements of great stories in here. The opening scene reminded me of Rogue One where Cassian is movie day through the city to meet the informant.

Conclusion:

Worth seeing once for the pretty visuals.

Associate links to follow…

(If you click through and buy something, there’s the chance I’ll earn like $0.04 ….)

Amazon Prime

The Collins Case – 2 FBI agents track down a kidnapped family. Kid friendly.

If fantasy’s more your thing, go Redeemer Chronicles. The first, Awakening, is available as an audiobook.

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts – a kid deals with her parents’ divorce, bullies, and the wonder of discovery.

Try The Dark Side of Science – Genetically altered kids fight for the right to live.

OR

SPOILERS

Places the Logic Broke Down/Crazy Coincidences:

(Some might be explained in the book.)

  • Hester’s quest to kill Valentine. Seems like a heck of a lot of effort to go to for a chance at stabbing the dude.
  • Valentine being at the intake area for the new haul/being in stabbing range.
  • Valentine throws if Tom in makes perfect sense, but his friend just happens to be a witness. And Kate just happens to see that he’s a witness.
  • Shrike’s quest to kill Hester. That’s quite a bit of emotion for a zombie machine.
  • They didn’t all pass out in the floating city.
  • Anna Fang’s group goes to a lot of effort to find Hester like 8 years after. How would they even know there’s still a threat from London?
  • Hester happens to choose the one machine part of the trade city that broke down enough to be caught. If she sabotaged it to get caught, that’s messed up.
  • Running around the outlands from Southie machines trying to kill them the heroes just happen to get caught by slavers.
  • Anna Fang found Hester at the slave market.
  • They sent Hester to disable the machine and not Tom.
  • Tom knows how to fly a ship.
  • Anna trusts him enough to let him handle her airship.
  • Shrike finds Hester on the airship city. If he could find her that fast, why the heck did he not find and kill her in the last however many years it’s been?
  • Valentine has enough clout to kill everyone in the engine room. Why was ramming the shield wall even an option? Was there even an order for then to do that?
  • Hester being Valentine’s daughter. Cliche. That man has serious daughter issues.
  • Hester and Valentine getting into a brawl… how did she even know where to find him?
  • Hester and Tom flying off into the sunset so to speak. Stressful situations can form bonds, but straight to I wanna be trapped in a tiny flying thing with you is a big step. Also, why is the airship even theirs to keep? Did Anna not have any kin? Does finders keepers rule the world?
  • In 1000 years, I would expect they moved beyond steam-belching, garbage-eating machines.

Amusing Moments:

  • London Museum – American deities being minions.
  • Food of the ancients being indestructible. (Twinkies)
  • Anna Fang “I’m not that subtle.”

TV Reviews 4/5 Stars: Game of Thrones Season Three

Julie Gilbert historical, Movie Reviews, Uncategorized , , , , ,

You guessed it. I don’t own the pic. It’s a suitably creepy one for the season though.

Summary:

Alliances are shifting. Joffrey’s fresh off a victory he largely didn’t win himself. He’s still a sadistic fool everybody loves to hate, except Cersi, she genuinely loves the twit. Robb Stark’s still fighting but Ironborn (Theon Greyjoy’s people) control much of the North.

Additional Comments:

– I have a new favorite character: Margaery’s grandmother, Olenna Tyrell. She calls her son Lord Oaf of High Garden in her first, very frank conversation with Sansa. The lady’s downright hilarious and I think she was on screen for like 2 minutes tops.

– episode 4 might be my favorite so far. Most was boring, but the few minutes of Dany gaining her Unsullied army were epic.

– This season adds in more torture than I remember.

– The show’s certainly not afraid to bump off main characters, though we knew that from Season 1.

– One thing I’ve started to appreciate more these days is the end credits music choices. For example, episode 9 doesn’t have music at the end, but that fits the mood perfectly. It’s a stunning silence.

– the end of the season is actually a high and beautiful note. Mhysa is both a lovely song and a sweet moment.

Conclusion:

A well-rounded season with highs and lows and understandable struggles across Westros.

Associate links to follow…

(If you click through and buy something, there’s the chance I’ll earn like $0.04 … not kidding, that’s basically it.)

Amazon Prime

 

Audible – If you’d like some free codes, please email me at [email protected] with requests for any of my works.

Try Awakening.


OR



4/5 Stars Solo: Decent Spin-Off Star Wars Movie – NonSpoiler Review

Julie Gilbert Movie Reviews, scifi, Star Wars, Uncategorized , , , , ,

 

Summary:

Han, a street kid from Corellia manages to slip off the planet. Unfortunately, his best friend/girlfriend, Qi’ra, does not. Thus begins his quest to make some serious credits and get back to his home planet. Things don’t exactly go to plan, but like all things, Star Wars-y, they work out from a certain point of view.

Additional Comments:

– For a spin-off movie, it’s pretty good, but it lacks a major “Star Wars” feel for me. The Empire’s a fact of life in this timespan. The focus is on the fringe groups. Don’t get me wrong, I love the EU and was disappointed when Disney shook the magic etch sketch. For me, I guess it just suffers from being a spin-off, though to be fair, I’d say I enjoyed it a heck of a lot more than The Last Jedi because that was just depressing. (Did I mention I hate “to be continued…”?)

– The entire movie reads like they started with a hit-list of Solo references and tried to stuff in as many of them as possible. That makes it fun, but kind of like a story madlib. Surprisingly, they did all right with hitting major points. They did stretch for quite a few as well.

– It’s the movie equivalent of reading Tales of the Bounty Hunters. It’s got Star Wars in the title, so it’ll sell well.

– Twists:

For now, let’s just leave it at there are a few cool ones.

– Aside: Totally been thinking of Qi’ra’s name spelled as Kira.

– Characters (4/5):

You don’t really get attached to any of the initial crew Han runs into, except Chewie, of course. L3’s no K2SO, though she’s there as the comic relief droid. The obsession with equal rights for droids is funny at first, then just tiresome. Enfys Nest is intriguing. Thought that was the name of the group.

– Acting (4/5):

It’s well-done. Alden Ehrenreich isn’t Harrison Ford, but he does okay.

– Closure (4/5):

It’s definitely open for more, but this story ties up nicely.

– Replay value:

It’s good for 3-4 views tops. I’m at two views, might actually be the theater end for me. For perspective, I saw The Force Awakens 14 times and Rogue One 8 times.

Conclusion:

If you have the time, you should definitely go see Solo. Then, at the very least, you can join the conversation. Seems to be very little middle ground. You stand with the haters or the lovers.


Indie e-Con Scavenger Hunt 2018 – Stop #21 (J.J. Francesco)

Julie Gilbert Interviews, mystery, Uncategorized, Writing , , , , ,

Introduction:

Hey, I’m J.J. Francesco and my books are probably one of the only places in the literary world where you can get a hybrid of Criminal Minds type psychopath, Lifetime movie type melodrama, and Sunday morning Catholic themes. Well, at least I like to think so.

If you’re here, you’re probably on a scavenger hunt. Hope you’re having fun. I’m supposed to introduce myself here but there’s not a big story to tell. I was never a good reader and still am not, but I liked TV and Movies. I took this weird path from motion picture fan to writing prose that still kind of baffles me. But stories are just that powerful, I guess.

My Publishing Story:

After several failed attempts to get into “writing a book,” when I was 18, I decided to dip into personal experiences to tell a radical “what if” version of a trauma that happened to me in first grade. This novel draft became what would, years later, become my third published book, Because of Austin. Despite my attachments to my crime series revolving around Detective Julie Martel, I think Because of Austin may be the work I am the most proud to share. It touches on several social themes facing our kids today and I think it’s a book that both younger and adult audiences can benefit from.

The book originally looked very different, but after reading Emma Donoghue’s Room, I gutted the book start to finish and literally rewrote almost every word. The structure of the story remained intact and yet so many more nuances came out in this rewrite. It was the first time I really feel another book influenced me for the better. And now? I can hardly imagine this book any other way. While a few small things got lost in the translation that I do miss, there was so much more gained in this narrative approach that I can’t even think of looking back. I hope readers who discover my books will connect with my characters and ultimately find new friends that will stick in their heads for a long while.

My Stories:

Blood Chain, Death Scene, and Because of Austin.

Conclusion:

There are still so many stories left in me to tell. And I hope one day I can un-scatter my brain enough to get them out there to the world. But for now, I have 3 books that I am immensely proud of and that’s something, right?

Want to stay in touch?

Amazon:
Facebook: facebook.com/jjfrancesco
Twitter: @jjfrancesco

 

And Now Your Hunt Here Ends and Begins Anew …

 

Thanks for stopping by. Best of luck in the game.

 

Link to Full Scavenger Hunt: http://kendrasgiraffecrafts.blogspot.com/p/indie-e-con-2018-scavenger-hunt-stops.html

Into the Future: Songs for 2018

Julie Gilbert music, playlist, Uncategorized , , , , ,

Introduction:

Last quarter of 2017 a friend of mine randomly sent me a Spotify list with songs that corresponded to one of my books. She’d sent me other lists over the years, but this time, the idea intrigued me. Anyway, long story short, I got sucked into buying the Spotify upgrade to avoid those crappy Christmas commercials. And I love it (Spotify premium, not the idiotic commercials). Guess my friend is rubbing off on me because I am not making playlists.

Link to the whole list.

I would say it can be played in most any order, but the order I put the first 23 is roughly the journey. It probably makes zero “musical flow” sense.

23 Songs for 2018 and (Some of) What they Mean to Me:

Put it on the Altar by Jessica Reedy

Really, it’s more about leaving the previous year (and all burdens) behind. Surrendering what weighs you down.

Creation of Earth by Thomas Bergersen

A beautiful, powerful song about creation and remaking. Once the burdens are laid down, it’s time to reform and grow.

Won’t He Do It by Koryn Hawthorne

The song’s a promise about God’s strength and provision. “I got mountains to climb/But the enemy can’t stop me/cause there’s a calling on my life”

Resurrection Blood by Cody Carnes

Another powerful song about why we can stand strong in the midst of everything. “All my fears went running from the Holy Ghost”

Down to the River to Pray by Alison Krauss

A reminder that prayers for everybody in all situations.

Be Still by Rivers & Robots

Beautiful and peaceful instrumental piece.

I Feel His Love by Laura Hackett

Heard this song a while ago. Another song about freedom and assurance about the perfect love of Christ.

Show Me by GAWVI

Another song about knowing God better. “I want to know you more” … “All I know is that/that I’m desperate for you”

Tremble by Mosaic

“Jesus, you make the darkness tremble”

Deeper by Svrcina

(Her last name is roughly pronounced – “Ser seen ah”; pretty much I can’t ever spell it right either.) This is probably the only song I am still struggling to make heads or tails of the lyrics. Still, it’s beautiful, and I like the sentiment of going deeper with God this year.

New Heart by Mosaic

“I’m on my way to your heart, Lord/ Show me your heart.”

I Don’t Belong to You by Crystal Nicole

This song’s about overcoming the things people can say against you. I don’t have a problem with feeling ugly or inadequate, but I work in a school and I’m pretty sure those emotions are rampant in that environment. The song’s pretty empowering. It has several wonderful reminders. “You can’t control what you don’t own and baby, I don’t belong to you.” Also, “took what you meant to discourage and I flipped it around to encourage my life.”

Fire – Paris Blohm remix by 3LAU

Lovely, upbeat song. Certain sections have background pieces that feel like a video game. It’s a really interesting mix. “I feel the fire./ It’s burning inside of me.” It’s a great song for feeling bright passion about a cause.

Heart of Courage by Thomas Bergersen

Instrumental song that is a nice followup to Fire. More of a movie soundtrack sort of inspirational theme. After getting pumped and feeling the fire, this one’s more about carrying on in hard times, having a heart of courage in the midst of trials.

Stix and Stones by HillaryJane

This one goes along with “I don’t belong to you.” I especially love this line: “take ’em home, clean ’em off, dress ’em up/ turn the other cheek/when they strike you sing ’em love.” That last part resonates very strongly with where I’m at. Anybody who knows my teaching situation this year knows that I have a more challenging group than last year. It’s taken a while, but my hearts breaking for them. This song articulates some of what I feel.

Jericho by Livre’, A$ap Ferg

Song made me cry. I’m holding on to this one as a promise of what 2018 holds. “The walls got to come down.”

My Domain by Tommee Profitt, Svrcina

Hands down, one of my new favorite songs. First ran across this song in the Spirit’s Bane playlist mentioned earlier. Upon first listen, I actually had it pegged for a good bad guy theme because it starts out kind of dark, but a look at the lyrics and a few emails with my friend convinced me it’s actually a great theme for one of the angels of Light near the end of the book. Basically, a song of declaration that the enemy (Satan) has no power in “my domain.”

Aside: The Spirit’s Bane ebook is free this year.

 

Worth Fighting For by CASS

My three favorite lines:

“I ain’t striving for greatness/cause it ain’t my style.”

“Let me see what you see in me/ Let me be who you want me to be”

“You see a life worth fighting for”

Steady Me by Hollyn, Aaron Cole

Another favorite. 3 favorite lines:

“I just need to step out and step into your flow”

“Ready my heart for everything that’s coming my way.”

“Help me trust that you’re ahead of me. Going before my feet with every step I take”

Born to Bring the Light by Cameron James

Beautiful new song. I don’t think it’s for sale wide until the middle of January. Released yesterday or so on Spotify and Youtube. Love this woman’s voice. “I can feel the fear leaving.”

Kyrie Eleison (Lord, Have Mercy) sung by Keith and Kristyn Getty (Chris Tomlin song)

Nice reminder and lovely melody. “Fan the fire of compassion once again.”

“Lord renew our vision to be Christ where we live/ To reach out in mercy to the lost.”

Ever Be – Reyer & Retain Remix by Reyer, Retain

Reminder to praise always.

Til the End of Time by Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe

Contemplative, moving song once again about moving closer and growing deeper with God.

“My heart is yours/ til the end of time”

“Your name is my safe house, my refuge/Savior, my anchor/ I run to you”

“I’m safe and sound in your sanctuary.”

 

Bonus 1 – Beautiful Songs:

He Lives in You by Karliene

Baba Yetu by Supernova

 

Bonus 2 – Some of My Favorite Hymns

Before the Throne of God Above Lou Fellingham

Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy

What Wondrous Love is This

Conclusion:

2017 wasn’t bad, but near the end I grew a little fed up with what the world’s telling me about how to be a “successful” writer. There’s a shift in me. I think I’m finally ready to get out of God’s way and let Him work through me.

5 Fun, Free Clean Reads – Fantasy

Julie Gilbert Fantasy, freebies, Reader Resource, Uncategorized, Young Adult , , , ,

Hall of Heroes Cover

Introduction:

Tired of hearing nothing but negativity? Let me share some free books that will take your mind off the “real world” and its problems. And give you new heroes and villains to wrestle with.

First and Second up: Anthologies Hall of Heroes by various Fellowship of Fantasy authors.

This is the second anthology. The first being Fantastic Creatures. Get introduced to a whole slew of new authors. I really wish this could be on audiobook, but that would take like 19 hours.

Fantasy Retelling: Beauty’s Curse by C.S. Johnson

Beauty's Curse (Once Upon a Princess Series)

Love this cover. Retelling’s aren’t usually my thing, but I’ve read some excellent ones. Will have to put this on the “to read” list.

What’s Fantasy without Dragons?

Dragon’s Future by Kandi J. Wyatt

I heard this one on audiobook. All books should be on audio 🙂

How About Fantasy with some Romance?

An Ordinary Knight by H.L. Burke

Conclusion:

Let’s stop there for today. I’ve got a whole bunch of books to add, but I’ve learned that things get lost in the shuffle if too many are mentioned at once. If you’ve read any of these, please chime in with your thoughts. If you want to read any of them, go grab them. These are all permanently free.

If you don’t have a kindle yet, there’s an app here that will let you read on your computer. There’s also one for the iphone/ipad. I do most of my reading on that. (Head’s up. They’re associate links. This really doesn’t affect you in any way, shape, or form, but legally, I think I’m supposed to let you know that I benefit if you partake in the free trials below.)

Kindle Unlimited

Amazon Prime

Free Kindle Reading App

Audible


Links to Review Sites for Julie C. Gilbert’s Books

Julie Gilbert Uncategorized

Introduction:

Remember how I said something like reviews make the world go round for an indie writer? Okay, so if I didn’t, I’m saying it now. Reviews can’t make a book better, but they sure as sugar can make a book look better. Perception’s a lot in this modern world.

Fantastic Idea:

One of my reviewers had a fantastic idea. She said that I should have links to the various places each book could be reviewed as that would make it worlds easier for people to review a book. So, here they are … links to every site I can imagine for each book.

Note: A Books2read Universal Link should have further links to Apple, Nook, Kobo, Scribd, 24Symbols, Inktera, !ndigo, Angus and Robertson, and Mondadori. You’re not obligated to review any of the books on all of the sites, just the one(s) you feel would be useful to you.

Heartfelt Cases Series (Christian Mystery):

The Collins Case: FREE Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

The Kiverson Case: Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

The Davidson Case: Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

The Keres Case: Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

Heartfelt Cases 1-3: Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

Devya’s Children (Science Fiction/Young Adult):

The Dark Side of Science: Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

Ashlynn’s Dreams: Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

Nadia’s Tears: Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

Malia’s Miracles: Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

Varick’s Quest: Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

Devya’s Children 1-3: Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

Redeemer Chronicles (Fantasy/Middle Grade):

Awakening: Amazon, Universal link, Goodreads

Kindle Worlds Novellas (Mystery/Thriller):

Ghost Girl Files 1: Fatal Interest: Amazon, Goodreads

Never Again: Amazon, Goodreads

Shadow Council 1: Money Makes it Deadlier: Amazon, Goodreads

Shadow Council 2: Revenge Makes it Sweeter: Amazon, Goodreads

Shadow Council 3: Christmas Makes it Chaos: Amazon, Goodreads

Shadow Council 4: Treachery Makes it Tense: Amazon, Goodreads

Shadow Council Omnibus: Amazon, Goodreads

Eagle Eyes 1: Violence in Vegas: Amazon, Goodreads

Eagle Eyes 2: Rescue in Reno: Amazon, Goodreads

Children’s/Short Stories/Anthologies:

Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts: Helping Mr. Blairington and Other Misadventures: Amazon, Universal Link, Goodreads

The Golden City Captives: Amazon, Universal link;

The Quinn Case: Amazon, Goodreads

Fantastic Creatures: FREE, Amazon, Goodreads

Hall of Heroes: FREE, Amazon, Goodreads

Where the Light May Lead: Amazon, Goodreads

The Light Leads to Hope and Peace: Amazon, Goodreads

Poetry:

Thin Black Road: Amazon, Goodreads

5 Steps Series Nonfiction:

5 Steps to Better Blurbs: Crafting Dynamic Descriptions that Sell: Amazon, Goodreads

5 Steps to Surviving Teaching: Tips for Conquering the First Year and Every Year: Amazon, Goodreads (coming soon)

5 Steps to Surviving Chemistry: Tips for Understanding a Challenging Course: Amazon, Goodreads (coming soon)

Conclusion:

Reviews don’t have to be complicated things. Basically, just tell what you liked, what you didn’t like, and why you would recommend the story to others. We all love stories. A review’s just a chance to say why.

Social Media Connections:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram – If you want to see pretty clouds and other random pics from me…

********

The usual affiliate links…

Kindle Unlimited

Amazon Prime

Free Kindle Reading App

Audiobook Readers’ Edge Update

Julie Gilbert Reader Resource, Uncategorized, Writing , , ,

What is Audiobook Edge for Readers?

·         A short, vetted list of clean indie audiobooks I recommend every month. I’ll try to give you a clear rating system in terms of curses, adult content, and the like. The first Sunday to be precise. By “clean” I mean the book has minimal curse words and adult content. (There will also be Matchmaker, which has some stuff I will not post to the main list – email me to get on that list.)

What do you get?

·         Free audiobooks. (The author emails of those willing to share audible gift codes or directly gift you the book you’ve select.)
·         News of any audiobook price drops, giveaways, and cool contests put on by the lovely authors on the list.

What’s the “catch”?

I run by the principle: “If you like it, then you shoulda put a review on it.” (And if you don’t like it, let the author know privately.)

These authors and their narrators have put hours upon hours into creating an entertaining or informative show for you. Listening and enjoying their hard work is one step, but it costs you about five minutes of your time to thank them with a review. It also helps other readers find and enjoy things you love.

Details:

By “vetted” I mean I’ve either read the book or know the author and the quality of their work personally. (I will be gathering a small team of audiobook readers I trust to make such decisions, but right now, it’s just me.) My reading tastes tend very strongly toward mystery, thriller, and science fiction with a smidgen of fantasy and a few other genres. Therefore, you can expect the list to lean heavily toward these genres. Also, I write (and therefore tend to read) squeaky clean stuff. I’m not saying there won’t be curse words here and there as it fits the story, but these will be the works you wouldn’t mind if your grandmother caught you reading it.

I’m just the middleman here as it were. I’ll show you thing I’ve enjoyed or am excited to try out. It’s up to you to contact the authors who are kind enough to offer some free codes.

Reviews:

Eventually, I’ll be posting the lists to my wordpress blog. After they’re up and running, I’ll send you a link to the recent post(s) at the bottom of the weekly newsletter.

If that sounds like a good deal to you, please sign up below. As a bonus, I’ll enter you into a drawing to win one of 5 ebook, audiobook, and paperback bundles of any of my applicable works. (Clarification: It has to be a title that has an audiobook, ebook, and paperback version.)

Update as of 8/12/17: I also have a matchmaker list of things rejected from the normal list due to excessive curses, too many adult scenes or gory descriptions.

Questions can be directed to: devyaschildren @ gmail.com (take out the spaces)

Ready to get your Audiobook Edge?

Join up here.

 

If 1-2 free books ain’t enough, check out Audible’s paid programs.

The first two books are free through the link below.

*Bonus: I also have free codes for all my audiobooks and if you join Audiobook Edge and email me the title of one of my books you’d like to review, I will send you a code to purchase it. See my Amazon page for a list of my books. (Eligible titles: Ashlynn’s Dreams Shorts, Ashlynn’s Dreams, Nadia’s Tears, Malia’s Miracles, Varick’s Quest, The Collins Case, The Kiverson Case, The Dark Side of Science, Awakening.)

*Double Bonus: If you buy one of my books as your very first Audible.com account purchase (needs to be a paid account), I’ll give you a $10 gift card/code to Amazon.com (please note, you have to be able to buy from the US site.) Also, this is only doable because of Audible’s bounty program, you’ll need to prove the purchase and wait until the bounty clears on my end.

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