I'm reading three books at the moment, and two of them are very popular trade paperbacks. One is coming out as a film any day now, and I'd be very surprised if the other trad-pub doesn't eventually make its way to the screen.
Painting by Mary Cassatt
The thing is, I'm not "feeling" either book. One is just so far out there that I'm losing control of the story - there are so many characters that the writers seemed to have lost control themselves. The setting is great, the dialogue is authentic, but what the heck is going on? And do I even care? As for the other, the writing is lovely. Beautiful scenes are described in breathtaking detail. And therein lies the problem - the author seems to be so transfixed by gorgeous scenes that she has forgotten to advance the plot. The third book is an Indie read, and it is by far the best of the three. The Sable City has dependable relationships, solid characterization, and a plot that, while far-reaching, is firmly reined in so I can follow all the threads of what is happening to a cast that, while large, is centered on three MC's. Last night, while pounding away at one of the traditionally published books described above, I gave up in disgust and returned, with a sigh of relief, to The Sable City. I'll finish the other two and write fair reviews, mentioning the plusses and minuses in greater detail. However, I am not feeling the books that are carried in every Barnes and Noble store on my night stand. I am, however, greatly enjoying the Indie Sable city which, unbelievably, is free on Amazon. FREE. And there you have it.
Today's post is courtesy of Fumi Hancock, the author of The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell. It looks like a great read, and I can't wait to have it on my TBR list. To quote a friend of mine, "Get in mah Kindle!"
(And don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway, on the right side of my blog!)
"I welcomed death with open arms, closed my eyes and listened as the aircraft made rattling and shaking sounds through the dreary weather. If this was my time to go, I would embrace darkness, as I had nothing else to lose..."
I was born in Africa
but have lived in the United States of America for over 30 years. A little over
six years ago, my father called me up and told me it was time to return home.
I’d literally grown up in the US and this was home to me. Though father lived
in the US too, he felt it was time to give back to Africa.
This was an important trip for me as I’d not been back for over 23 years! The trip was equally important because
one of my cousins was being crowned a king in one of the provinces and my
father felt it was a great opportunity to reconnect with my roots.
The journey was exhilarating yet filled with anxiety as I did not know what I
was going to encounter. I trusted
my father, packed my bags and went back to West Africa with my family. It was
the most incredible journey of my life… to witness a King’s coronation… no
words could describe the feelings. What was more important was the surprise
which awaited me! The community people rallied around me and reminded me of who
I was… their princess who had been gone for long and was now back! I took the
time to revisit my childhood boarding school and low and behold, all of my
experiences at the school came rushing back.
The characters that readers will encounter in the Adventures of Jewel Cardwell
are a culmination of my childhood friends as well as “the conjured friends in
my head.” These characters have consistently plagued my dream and haunted my
mind into bringing them alive. Every year I would return to Africa (with my
American Friends) serving the children in the communities through my non-profit
organization the Adassa Foundation, I am reminded of the colorful ambiance and
the need to share this part of the world with book lovers.
As I began to paint this African adventure on paper, my sons, 17 and 15 (now 22
and 19) nudged me with their support and their instant enjoyment of the
plot. Every time I would complete
a chapter, they wanted more. They wanted to see what would happen to the
characters. More importantly, they were intrigued by the description of the
African setting, the culture of the people revealed through the different
characters and the blended families relayed by the characters. Different
characters elicited different emotions as they read alongside other young
adults reviewing the story.
While there have been some popular fantasy books like Harry Potter, Amanda
Hockings Trylle series and Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, with settings in
Europe and America, there has not been one to present the other part of the
world. The characters urge me to
fill this gap!
I wanted my readers to be transported to a place where they’d never been
before. I wanted them to see how other people live in other parts of the world…
I wanted them to also see how people like them, who have travelled to live in
Africa… how they adjust to the culture and setting. The characters though reside in Africa come from various
parts of the world especially Europe.
A little about The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell: Hydra’s Nest
Lying gracefully between the Vaal River in the north and the Orange River in
the south, the rolling grassland and fields of crops rising to a lovely
sandstone mountain, is Milner Court, Bloemfontein, a suburb nestled in the
middle of Free State, South Africa.
The Adventures of Jewel Cardwell: Hydra’s Nest magically transports its readers from the rolling
hills of Bloemfontein to the beautiful farmlands of Bela-bela South Africa. It
is a fantasy-based coming of age story of a rebellious 17 year old teenager who
(through no fault of her own) is thrust into an environment ridden with
unfamiliar and unsavory demonic activities when admitted into a prep school in
South Africa.
As Jewel Cardwell is relentlessly being trailed by an unapologetic family
curse, she races against time to find answers before the curse wipes out all of
her loved ones.
In the midst of this demonic war, she becomes entangled in a love triangle
between a young rugged-looking Darwin
Morton who she grew up with on Milner Court and the very wealthy and
popular high school soccer team leader with the silver spoon in his mouth, Eric Broder.
TRAILER
Will Jewel be able to solve the mystery before evil is unleashed against those
she loves?
I really love this cover.
Excerpt:
My weary
eyes opened to an ominous sky speckled with dim stars and a huge full moon
dappled with unsettling, flaming balls of fire. I was in an unfamiliar setting,
an open space surrounded by terrifying, blazing fires, and the humming of a
charter aircraft shattered the stillness of the night.
Mum
and Darwin hopped out of the car, with me following, and we hastened toward the
small aircraft.
“What’s
this?” I kept asking, with no answer from Darwin or Mum.
“Are
we going on that?” I asked again, ducking a cloud of sand blown from the
ground, a result of the blazing fires and rumbling aircraft.
In
front of us was a six-foot-tall, dark-skinned man, dressed in a dark blue
pilot’s uniform. His eyes showed great anticipation as he struggled to move
toward us. No sooner had we closed the distance to the aircraft when we heard
the terrifying staccato of gunshots.
