Showing posts with label Shade. Show all posts
Hey, everyone! Hope you're having a great week! Our kids start school next week, and I'm looking forward to everyone being in a solid routine again.
It is with trembling and shaking that I review this next book. My big 
brother and friend, John Olson, has Shade releasing next month! John's latest masterpiece is a work that is creepily chillifying! Doctors say Hailey Maniates has paranoid schizophrenia. Melchi, the hero, warns her that what she's seeing is supernatural! I'm telling y'all--this is a story where you have to trust. You know the kind like Sixth Sense and The Others, where you have to just enjoy the ride...then again, is it safe enough to trust? Who knows what portals that trust might open. :-D
Here's the official blurb about Shade (coming Sept 08 from B&H):
Graduate student Hailey Maniates is injured as she tries to escape a waking 
nightmare. The doctors diagnose her as having paranoid schizophrenia and urge her to forget about the hallucinations, but she can’t rest. Too many unsolved mysteries surround the attacks. First and most perplexing is the giant homeless man who rescued her. He seemed convinced that some kind of Gypsy vampire is pursuing both of them. Is he suffering from the same condition she has?
Against all reason, Hailey finds herself becoming more and more attracted to this strange young man. But can she trust her feelings? What if they’re part of her delusion? What if the vampire is real after all? What if the homeless man is the vampire?
Look what John had to say about his first writer's conference and this book:
I was a brand new writer back in the spring of 1998 when I showed up at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, clutching the early draft of Shade in my sweaty little hands. Would the editors like it? Would they hate it? Did I have what it took to be a writer? That very first night I sat down with one of the editors to whom I had submitted my manuscript for review, and he asked the dreaded question: “Did you send me a manuscript?” I nodded my head, and he studied my nametag with a frown. Apparently he didn’t remember my name. That was a good sign, right?
“Wait a second… You’re that John Olson? I wouldn’t touch that book with a sixty foot pole... It was terrifying!”
That was my first introduction to Steve Laube, the man who would go on to become my editor, agent, advisor and friend.
Check out this trailer from B&H on the book:
Publisher's Weekly has done a review. Check it out!
Like I said, y'all...CHILLIFYING!
First - before I do the meme, I *have* to rave about a new book put out by B&H Publishing. The day I received Shadow of Colossus by TL Higley in the mail, I gasped. I'd been at the B&H website the week before absolutely drooling over the cover and story synopsis for this book. I was THRILLED to read it, but realyl nervous, too--ya know how it is. You see a book and think it's going to be fantastic, but when you read it... So, my fear of being let down kept me from reading it for a few days. THEN! I finally caved to my HUGE curiosity, and started reading.
Shadow of Colossus is one of the most beautifully written books I've ever encountered. The prose is amazing, the story is riverting, and the characters are complex. Set in Rhodes, 227 BC just before the great earthquake, the story details the splendor, debauchery,and society of the Greeks. About the time I was feeling a bit irritated with one aspect of the plot, Tracy throws in a last-minute twist that I didn't see coming. I absolutely love the ending and love how she capitalizes on the Seven Wonders of the World in crafting her stories. Tessa of Delos is a captivating heroine, and Nikos...ah, Nikos. *grins* I was absolutely and completely satisfied with every aspect of this story, which is rare for me. I am now a HUGE TL Higley fan.
Go HERE to see the trailer for Shadow of Colossus.
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I have to admit, I *love* memes. :-D They are so much fun. Here's one that I got tagged with by my dear friend, Shannon McNear.
It was started by Becky Miller the Real (as opposed to Becky Miller the Fictional), and she posted five books each under three categories: Must Reads, Keep Your Eyes On These, and Coming Soon. Each player has to replace one title with another in each category, indicating what book they added, and WHY (as per Becky's request).
So, without further ado...
MUST Reads:
DragonSpell by Donita K. Paul
Broken Angel by Sigmund Brouwer (WaterBrook)
The Restorer by Sharon Hinck (NavPress)
Firebird by Kathy Tyers (Bethany House) Yeah...I know, it's an "oldie," but it is also by far my favorite ever!
Shadow of Colossus (T.L. Higley) - I'm adding this one because I just finished it, and this is some of the most beautiful, seamless writing I've seen in a while. The story is just beautiful, too! I am anxiously awaiting book 2, City of the Dead.
Keep Your Eyes On These:
Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead (Thomas Nelson)
Auralia’s Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet (WaterBrook)
The Legend of the FireFish by George Bryan Polivka (Harvest House)
Shadow of Colossus TL Higley (B&H) (yeah, I know, she's in all three lists, but she's won me over!)
The Falcon and The Sparrow by ML Tyndall (Barbour)
FIVE BOOKS TO LOOK FOR SOON: (I'm changing TWO)
Shade by John Olson (B&H) <--ABSOLUTELY!!
Miss Fortune (by Sara Mills, published by Moody)--Sara has a very strong, unique voice that lends itself wholly to the classic Bogart/Maltese Falcon genre)
Stepping into Sunlight by Sharon Hinck (Bethany)
Single Sashimi by Camy Tang (Zondervan) - I love Camy's snarky humor!
City of the Dead by T.L. Higley
And I'm tagging...
Dineen Miller
Lisa Harris
John Olson (when he's done sanctioning himself and can come out and play with the rest of us...he can post it on his edgy social site LOL)
Lena Nelson Dooley
Mindy Obenhaus (hey, you're lying in bed, what else do you have to do?)
