Thursday, September 25, 2014

Book Review: The Rise of Aredor by Claire M. Banschbach

The Rise of Aredor

Buy it Here
Age Appropriate For: Ages 13 and up for violence
Best for Ages: 13 and up

Description: Lost in a foreign land and separated from his family, Corin does his best to survive as a slave in the household of a Calorin lord. With newfound friends he fights for survival in ambushes and wars. For one act of bravery, he is awarded his freedom and returns to a home that has been invaded and ravaged by the Calorin armies. When Corin sets foot on Aredor's shores, he has one goal in mind: find his family. He is driven into the forest, where he is reunited with childhood friends. From the shelter of the woods, they begin a spirited rebellion against Corin's former cruel master, who now holds sway over Aredor. Follow Corin's path in his quest to free his imprisoned brother, find a father who has vanished, and ultimately free his country in The Rise of Aredor.

 Sometimes it is really hard to do reviews on debut novels, and this was one of those hard ones. Debut novels often show promise, but leave lots of room for improvement. This book shows a lot of promise, and I really look forward to seeing this author’s books in the years to come.

The first third of this book was very choppy and poorly written, but after about the first third, the author hit their stride and it began to improve. By the end of the book, I saw a lot of promise and really hope that this author will continue to write.

The story itself was good, even with the choppy writing. A prince who is captured and sold into slavery and treated poorly is a great start to a story. When the prince is sold again to a kind master who wants to teach him to fight, it gets even more interesting. When he finally gets a chance to go home, you don’t want to stop reading.

 Even though the characters weren’t deep, they were likable. Corin and his many adventures kept me interested in turning the pages. He was a very likable hero who overcomes every challenge he faces.
The strongest point of this book was the male characters interacting. There were many jokes and fun parts between Corin and his friends. The male friendships were very masculine, which was very nice.
There was a lot of talk of wars and blood in this book, but nothing that was so graphic as to make me feel sick. There wasn’t any romance, nor was there a message of faith.

I recommend this to those who like non-magical fantasy, adventure stories, and strong male leads.



I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Interview with Claire M. Banschbach

Claire M. Banschbach

Claire, welcome to Homeschool Authors! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Howdy! Thanks for having me! I grew up in West Texas with seven other siblings. I was homeschooled K-12. I went to Texas A&M to get my Bachelors in Kinesiology and I’m now working on my Doctorate in Physical Therapy through Texas Tech.
I played volleyball in high school with a homeschool team and still love to play. I’ve been riding horses since I was 12. I also love playing the piano, watching the Boston Red Sox, football (mostly the Aggies), reading, and especially writing. I also love science and can’t wait until I’m a practicing physical therapist! 

Everyone’s homeshooling experience is different. What do you think made yours unique?
The schooling in itself was tremendous. I have to thank firstly my mom for teaching and secondly the program we used, but I think what was also great was that my parents encouraged us in a lot of different activities. For me those activities included volleyball and horseback riding. We all read anything we could get our hands on and, while we might not have appreciated it at the time, we got taken to a lot of museums that helped give us a greater education beyond homework. 

How did being homeschooled prepare you to write?
Fundamentally it gave me a solid foundation for grammar and composition (though I will admit, I wasn’t the greatest student of grammar). It exposed me to some good books. It gave me the time to write once I was finished with homework for the week, or not done for the week. We use a Catholic curriculum that strongly helped shape me as a person and also made me want to incorporate the Christian themes that were important to me into my stories.

What caused you to start writing?
I grew up with Tolkien, Lewis, Brian Jacques, and other similarly talented fantasy or fiction writers. Seeing the LOTR and Narnia movies also really helped inspire my imagination to create adventures and fictional lands. And who doesn’t want their own adventure? So I sat down to write my own. I thought I had a story worth telling and eventually when I showed it to some of my family members they demanded I finish the story. This seems to happen with all my stories. It’s a vicious cycle.
The Rise of Aredor 
What inspired The Rise of Aredor?
The above authors, especially Lewis. It’s a fair assessment to say that The Rise of Aredor started out as a sort of a fan-fiction set in Narnia. You can still see some similarities to the Narnia stories. Then I decided to make it my own story and started plotting out characters, geography, and story lines. It stayed in daydream phase for several years before I actually sat down with a notebook and started writing.


Would you give us a synopsis?
Lost in a foreign land and separated from his family, Corin does his best to survive as a slave in the household of a Calorin lord. His future looks bleak until one day he is bought and taken under the care of Lord Rishdah. There he joins the legendary Phoenix Guard and is trained in their efficient military ways. With newfound friends he fights for survival in ambushes and wars. For one act of bravery he is awarded his freedom and returns to a home that has been invaded and ravaged by the Calorin armies. When Corin sets foot on Aredor’s shores, he has one goal in mind: find his family. He is driven into Aredor’s forest where he is reunited with childhood friends. From the shelter of the woods they begin a spirited rebellion against Corin’s former cruel master who now holds sway over Aredor. Corin’s closest friends from Calorin, bands of mercenaries, and the Clans of the north all cross Corin’s path in his quest to free his imprisoned brother, find a father who has vanished, and ultimately free his country.


Who will enjoy The Rise of Aredor?
It’s geared towards teens or anyone with a liking for non- magical fantasy, adventures, healthy doses of action, or characters with a propensity towards sarcasm in daring situations.

Do you plan to write more books?
Yes! I already have the sequel for The Rise of Aredor written, as well as several other books in the writing and/or editing phase. I have plans for a longer series of strongly Christian based fantasy stories. The first book in this planned series has already been written and has gotten some good reviews from my team of readers, so hopefully you’ll get to see it in stores someday.  

Where can people connect with you online (social media, websites, blog)?
Where can I even begin?
Blog- http://clairembanschbach.wordpress.com/ - fondly subtitled “Thoughts and Rants”.
And for the brave, I’m also on twitter as @TheRiseofAredor


Do you have any final thoughts?

Thanks so much for having me! I really love getting to connect with other homeschool authors! And hopefully I wasn’t too long winded! 

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Book Review: Ashburn by Julia Erickson

Ashburn (I.C.E. Agency Series #1)

Buy it Here
Age Appropriate For: 13 and up for mild violence and mild romance
Best for Ages: 13 and up

Description: Cara Stephenson, a talented graphic designer at Silver Strand Technologies, never thought she'd see her childhood best friend again... but when he suddenly reenters her life ten years later, he's a completely different man. What is he hiding, and why should she trust him? Bryce Reynolds is a man on a mission- a top-secret one at that! He never dreamed the girl down the street would one day become his link to the destruction of Ravenmeister, Inc.- a front for black-market arms and ammunition. Will he crumble underneath the burden of all his secrets?  When the hunt for a missing technology developer in possession of a priceless prototype drags Cara and Bryce on a high-adrenaline ride through the streets of Paris, Venice, and Munich, they must work together to find what they're looking for... and survive the trip!

When I first started this book, I was a bit worried. The first chapter was very wordy and everything was described in so much detail it was causing the story’s pace to drag. However, I am happy to say that after the first chapter or two, the author found a nice balance and was less wordy.

This book, though modern, definitely has old fashioned spy charm. Some of that may be due to the obvious influence of the 1980’s TV series, Scarecrow and Mrs. King. There is plenty of action and excitement, without any gore or innuendo that is so prevalent in modern suspense books and movies.

Cara and Bryce were so great together. Bryce was charming yet a man of great character, having overcome a lot of challenges in his past. Cara was sweet even though she has let some of her past hurts define her. Together, they make a great team, not only for the mystery, but also for helping each other with their faith and love. Their romance was sweet, but not very mushy (aka, no kissing.)

The plot of this book was exciting and kept me turning pages. I mean, who wouldn’t love a mission that took you all around Europe? Risks were often high, injuries happen, and the action only takes brief breaks.

I highly recommend this story to those who love old fashioned mystery and suspense books and TV shows, sweet, clean romance, and lots of action.


I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I was under no obligation to write a positive review. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Interview of Julia Erickson



Julia, welcome to Homeschool Authors! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hi there! Let's see... I have always adored reading. As a little girl, I even read WHILE rollerblading, floating in the pool, and climbing trees. Off the pages, I am also a budding graphic designer, photographer, and blogger. I love to sing and dance and have my own handcrafted-jewelry business. Sparkle and style and colors are some of my favorite things!

Everyone’s homeshooling experience is different. What do you think made yours unique?
Well, for one thing, my amazing mom homeschooled me and my two younger brothers from age 5 all the way through high school, while at the same time battling a tough auto-immune disease, RA. (I know. She's awesome.) She always made our learning experience fun, doing unit studies by topic... e.g, the ocean, chocolate, Australia. Since we weren't always slaving over textbooks, we had a lot of time to play outside, and spent hours nurturing our creativity in various forms. My brothers became master LEGO builders, and I have a ton of creative hobbies, one of which is... writing! :)

How did being homeschooled prepare you to write?
Hmm. While homeschooling certainly helped, I've always been extremely expressive, verbal, and good with words and spelling. It's a natural bent of mine that my mom encouraged. (Honestly, I was talking at nine months and in full sentences when I was one year old, learned to read at age 3, was reading high school level material in 2nd grade...) ;) Math and numbers, on the other hand? NOPE.

What caused you to start writing?
Short answer: I ran out of good books to read! Haha! I began typing stories on our old XP desktop computer when I was a young teen. My brothers and me and the girl across the street did so much play-acting (our playhouse-slash-chicken-coop became a castle on many occasions) that coming up with exciting stories was easy. Making them sound as good on paper as in my head? I'm still learning that one. :)

 
What inspired Ashburn?
I've always loved the concept of spies and urgent missions and secret agents. Also a very good, clean, light romance that had an interesting plot line and wasn't all about the emotions. And the combination of the two seems to be quite rare. Also - I discovered an old 80's TV series called Scarecrow and Mrs. King about a suburban housewife and a government agent. If you looked past the BIG hair and the shoulder pads, it was actually really funny, and I found myself wanting to put my own spin on it. :)

Would you give us a synopsis?
Gladly! (can I share what I wrote for the back cover of the book? Because I love it)... 

Cara Stephenson, a talented graphic designer at Silver Strand technologies, never thought she’d see her childhood best friend again… but when he suddenly reenters her life ten years later, he’s a completely different man. What is he hiding, and why should she trust him? 

Bryce Reynolds is a man on a mission… a top-secret one, at that. He never imagined the girl down the street would one day become his link to the destruction of Ravenmeister, Inc. – a front for black-market arms and ammunition. Will he crumble underneath the burden of all his secrets?

When the hunt for a missing technology developer in possession of a priceless prototype drags Cara and Bryce on a high-adrenaline ride through the streets of Paris, Venice, and Munich, they must work together to find what they’re looking for… and to survive the trip!

(oh come on, you KNOW you wanna read it...) :D

Who will enjoy Ashburn?
I think it will appeal more to women, simply because of the thread of light romance, but it's actually a very exciting book packed with adventure and action, especially near the climax... ;) So I hope readers of both genders will enjoy it. I think it's clean enough for anybody 14 and up, although there is some "mild peril" as the movies put it. :D

Do you plan to write more books?
YES!! There are two more books following ASHBURN in the series, possibly even a fourth. I'm already partially into writing the sequel, titled DIAMOND, which I plan to publish Spring 2015, and I also have some other stories simmering - a coming-of-age tale of two sisters living in south Florida, and a Regency-era romance in the style of Jane Austen. Those may also morph into series. :)

Where can people connect with you online?
The best place to keep in touch with me is my author page on Facebook - , and I also blog at Julia's Journal and my new lifestyle blog, Sparkle Song. :)

Do you have any final thoughts?
I just want to say thank you, Sarah, for being such a great friend AND squeezing me into your September schedule here on Homeschool Authors! I hope the readers enjoyed this interview - I certainly did! :) Keep on writing!

Julia is giving away one paperback and one Kindle copy of Ashburn! Enter below.

Monday, September 8, 2014

Interview with Kate Willis

Kate

Kate, welcome to Homeschool Authors! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hello! I’m Kate Willis, a home educated young lady who loves the Lord, and I am enjoying the Great Northwest with my family of ten. I’ve always loved devouring books. One time a friend asked me if I did anything else besides read; and I replied, “Yes. I write.” : ) I also like to garden, hike, cook, and dabble in amateur sewing. It is my life dream to serve God in the home ultimately having a family of my own in the future. The Treasure Hunt is my first book, and I hope to publish many more.

Everyone’s homeshooling experience is different. What do you think makes yours unique?
We make up our own snow days, holidays, vacation times, schedules, and curriculums. My amazing pastor-dad has the opportunity to disciple us in God’s ways through subjects like history, science, and philosophy. (2 hour discussions, anyone?) Another great thing about it is that all the grades can study together or help each other along. I don’t dare forget what an objective complement is since the next grade down will be asking me soon after I learn it! : )

How has being homeschooled prepared you to write?
Besides learning grammar, it has given me a great love for and exposure to books. My parents have also taught me to recognize good writing, evaluate my values, and emulate the good things I see. (Plus, this lifestyle gives me adventures to write about!) : )

What caused you to start writing?
Um, let’s see… a pink notebook I saw and just had to have before I could even carve out letters, a family culture that includes a great love of books, and my sister Perry Elisabeth's stories. We used to sit spellbound as she read to us. I knew that I when I “got big” I had to write something. My first story was written on an index card (double-spaced and complete with an illustration), and from then on the number of stories grew so that now I have over 20 notebooks full.

What inspired The Treasure Hunt?
The Treasure Hunt
Whenever I write a new story, I get so excited about it that I let (or make) everyone in my family read it even before it is finished. One year when I was deciding what to make for my family members for Christmas, I hit upon the idea of writing my younger sister a story she had never read. I used features of our mini-farm and the characters of my family to build the story around. (The cow is fictional. Boo hoo.) One of my pet peeves is the idea that adventures don't happen at home. They do--we should be able to find adventure anywhere.

Would you give us a synopsis?
        When they reached the gnarled, old apple tree something white lying in the compost pile caught David’s eye. He came to a sudden stop and jumped off his bike. Picking up the small package, he dusted off the grass mulch and carefully unwrapped a wooden block with strange carvings on one side. The paper, however, was more than just wrapping. “Your father’s favorite pastime and your favorite foods are the keys to this mystery. Signed, Das Alte und Langweilig,” read David as he studied the paper. They were silent a moment each thinking of the strange clue and even stranger signature.
Anna was first to speak. “It seems like some sort of treasure hunt.”

A boring summer vacation suddenly turns into an exciting adventure when three siblings stumble upon a mysterious trail of clues. (I hope that is good enough since I haven’t conquered the art of synopsis writing yet.) : )

Who will enjoy The Treasure Hunt?
Mainly 8-12 year old girls and boys, but I think anyone who loves family life would enjoy it. And since there is nothing scary in it, the whole family could listen to it. : )

Do you plan to write more books?
Totally! I currently have two stories I plan to publish soon. “Letters for Victory” is a story about a family writing letters to an orphaned soldier during World War II, and “The Book of Dreams” is an allegory set in a world I made up. : ) I just finished the first draft of one (at 24,751 words—my longest story ever!), and the other one is ready for rewriting. I get so excited watching my word count go up. : )

Do you have any final thoughts?
Life advice—Love the life God has given you and be grateful for every day. Someday, someone will be reading a book about your time period and wish for the “good ol’ days”. Writing advice—(umm, isn't that life?) Keep a good journal, be observant, and read Elizabeth Enright for lessons in descriptive writing and gentle adventures. Thanks so much to Sarah for inviting me to do this! Long live pencils.


Kate is giving away one paperback copy of her book. Enter to win below.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Announcement Saturday: Winners!

It is time to Announce the Winners!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Read-to-Win Challenge! Let us get right to who won!


For the signed copy of Thicker than Blood by C.J. Darlington the winner is...
Thicker Than Blood
Perry!


The winner of two ebooks of their choice from the list below is....
Leah!


The winner of five ebooks of their choice from the list below is....
Faith!

And the Grand Prize winner of a Kindle loaded with ebooks is...

Shantelle!


Congratulations to all the winners! You will be emailed shortly


Monday, September 1, 2014

Interview with Rachel Hamilton

Rachel Hamilton
Welcome Rachel! Everyone’s homeshooling experience is different. What do you think made yours unique?  
My homeschool experience has been unique because my family is unique. My parents are always thinking up new ideas and hobbies which has passed down to me and my brothers and sister.
Also part of my Childhood I lived in the country, town and overseas. So it stretched me and gave me a more global outlook on life and taught me to think outside the box.

How did being homeschooled prepare you to write?
Being homeschooled gave me a lot of free time to learn about the things that interest me and also taught me to use my time wisely.
But interestingly enough my early writing never showed any promise. I also have dyslexia so its quite a miracle my book is readable!

What caused you to start writing?
I wanted to reach and comfort hurting people and touch lives through my words.


Hidden Struggles: Purity, God, Guys and LifeWhat inspired Hidden Struggles?
The teen years for me were a difficult time and I wanted to use my story and thoughts to strength others and help them see they are not alone and that their struggles and pain matter.
I run a online ministry and I needed a tool I could gave people to encourage them.

Would you give us a synopsis?
Hidden Struggles is my story and thoughts in the area of purity, waiting on God, relationships, missions and so much more.


Who will enjoy Hidden Struggles?
My readers are all ages but I believe Christian young women, teens to young adults will find the most encouragement through it.

Do you plan to write more books?
Absolutely, the question is more which one should I write next as I have so many in my head. Writing is a huge passion of mine and I hope to bless someone through my experiences.

Do you have any final thoughts?
I am the most unlikely person to write a book, but if I can do it anyone can, so to those who are not yet published but dream of it, don't give up hope! You can do it!