"A King in a Court of Fools," the story of kids
growing up in the 50s when life was simpler and every day was an adventure, is
on sale for 99¢ today on Kindle and Nook. Grab your copy today! If you're so
inclined, post a review on Amazon. I'd love to hear what you thought of it!
Friday, April 26, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
How Teddy Roosevelt Slew The Last Mighty T-Rex - a review
How Teddy Roosevelt Slew The Last Mighty T-Rex
Teddy Roosevelt was a renaissance man of the type you just
don't see any more. He was a writer, a naturalist, an explorer, a politician, a
soldier, and President of the United States for two terms. This story takes
places after his unsuccessful run at a third consecutive term (back when that
was still allowed) and he was sorely in need of something outlandish to refill
his bruised ego. What better than go exploring an uncharted river in the
jungles of Brazil?
At that time in history (1913) the Amazon jungle was a
fairly mysterious and unexplored place and full of danger and adventure,
perfect for a man like Teddy Roosevelt. The exploits of his expedition as
portrayed in this book are based on the actual ill-fated Roosevelt 1913
expedition with, of course, the addition of the Mighty T-Rex and some intrigue
and suspense within the various characters in between.
As you read this story, you will find yourself traveling
down the River of Doubt in a dugout with Teddy Roosevelt, swatting away the
millions of biting insects, admiring the famous president’s unique leadership
and acumen, looking out for danger around every bend, and wishing there weren’t
so many impassable rapids between you and your destination.
What I found most interesting in Jacobs’s telling of this
tale was not the build-up to the moment when they were confronted by a
dinosaur, it was the weaving together of the overwhelming hardships of such an
expedition, the bravery of the men facing them, the politics of keeping it all
together, and the nuanced interplay of human relationships that make for an
overwhelmingly likeable story. And, of course, the Mighty T-Rex!
All in all, a wonderful story that I highly recommend to
everyone.
___________________________________________________________
About the author
Mark Paul Jacobs lives in lovely Dauphin, Pennsylvania. He enjoys fishing the Canadian north, poker, and annoying his wife. He has authored two novels: How Teddy Roosevelt Slew the last Mighty T-Rex, a Historical Science Fiction tale set in 1914, and the hard science fiction novel: The Yaakmen of Tyrie, a powerful and mysterious tale of bravery, loss, perseverance, betrayal, and redemption. He is also quite proud of his awe-inspiring short story: The Day God Winked and his chilling novelette with the provocative title: The Watchers from within Moments Revealed, an almost universally well reviewed work for which he has written a screenplay suitable for an 'Outer Limits' episode. These and several other works are available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, Sony, and Smashwords.com. How Teddy Roosevelt Slew the last Mighty T-Rex and The Yaakmen of Tyrie is available in paperback via Createspace.com. Mark is working on a movie screenplay tentatively called Stain which is a gritty murder conspiracy based in Central Pennsylvania similar to the movie 'Fargo' or 'Reservoir Dogs'. Please enjoy his works and don't be afraid to tell him what you think on his Facebook page, twitter account, or by email. And lastly, please take the time to leave him a review of his work; it doesn't have to be long or long-winded, but it does make him feel that his hard word has touched someone's life in some way. You can leave a review wherever his books are available.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
An Uncommon Family - a book review
“An Uncommon Family” is about just that – a six year-old
girl who lost her mother in a car crash and still has nightmares about it, her
aunt who survived a failed marriage and remains bitter and distant in her
relationships with men, and an artist whose marriage ended in the tragic death
of his wife. The story is about the intertwining of their lives from when
Karla, the young girl, is six until her twelfth birthday. At the outset, she
and Anna, her aunt and guardian, by chance, encounter Jonas, the artist, who
offers to give Karla art lessons. From there, the relationships develop between
Karla and Jonas, Karla and Anna, and Anna and Jonas in a steady, deliberate,
and delicate way that I appreciated greatly.
Set primarily in Switzerland, the book has a nice local
flavor that complements the story well and is interjected unobtrusively at
various points as the plot moves forward. In terms of point of view, the story
is seen through the eyes of the three main characters and, as such, the
narrative is superb. This book is no lightweight by any means. The main themes
of the story are trust, betrayal, honesty, loss, and love. Applicable in some
degree to each of the three, the handling and development of these themes was
top notch.
If you like stories of ordinary people thrown together into
uncommon situations, I know you will enjoy this book as much as I did. I
recommend it highly and look forward to reading Polkinhorn’s next installment.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born and raised in Switzerland, Christa Polkinhorn has always had a desire to explore the world outside of her beautiful but tiny country. As a young woman, she traveled through Europe, came to the United States on an exchange program, and ended up staying. Her travels led her to China and Japan as well as South America. She studied literature and linguistics in Zurich and California. Now, she lives and works as writer and translator in southern California and divides her time between the United States and her native Switzerland. The tension and excitement this "double life" creates informs her literary work. Most of her novels take place in several countries. Aside from writing and traveling, Christa is an avid reader, a lover of the arts and dark chocolate. Christa has published three novels in the Family Portrait series, An Uncommon Family, Love of a Stonemason, Emilia as well as a collection of poems, Path of Fire.
WHERE TO PURCHASE
Visit Christa's site for all the purchase links -> http://www.christa-polkinhorn.com/an-uncommon-family-2/
Thursday, April 11, 2013
My Books on Goodreads
For those of you on Goodreads, please take a moment to check out my books there and add them to your shelves!
My books on Goodreads
My books on Goodreads
Thursday, April 4, 2013
New Book, Video, and Music Pages
Just a quick note to let you all know that I've added three pages to the blog - one is a single click to see all my book links, the second is all my book-related Youtube videos, and the third is all my music videos (where I play guitar and (gulp) sing.
You'll see the page tabs above the post area.
I hope you enjoy them!
You'll see the page tabs above the post area.
I hope you enjoy them!
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