Inspiration, humour, mystery and thrills.
My interview on The Authors Show, in which we discuss my inspirational book Just Keep Climbing, is now live.
The interview is available on major podcast platforms like Spotify, Pandora, IHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and others.
Alternatively, you can just listen to it here.
From The Online Book Club
Post by Hubre De Klerk » 22 Feb 2023, 03:40
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of “The Guardians of Truth” by Barry Finlay.]
5 out of 5 stars
A secret organization, a missing person, a body, a police investigation, and a retired reporter—if these words don’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. This book is full of suspense, action, and a bit of romance. When Cassie tells her daughter that she must stop someone from hurting other people and then doesn’t return home, a missing person’s file is immediately opened for her. Jake is a retired reporter and a “family friend” of Cassie’s daughter through his relationship with her friend’s mom, Dani. Jake knows that the police are busy with their investigation, but he also knows that they are short-staffed. He decides to dust off his retired gloves and conduct his own investigation in order to assist. He had no idea how far he’d get himself involved or what danger awaited him.
This was such a fun book to read, and it was full of descriptions and easy-to-follow protocols. I enjoyed being part of the investigations and seeing how they unearthed new evidence. I couldn’t help but put myself in Haley’s teenage shoes and imagine the worry she had to go through when her mom didn’t come home. It was also easy to grasp Dani’s frustration when the clues to help them figure out what happened were so few and it felt like the case was at a standstill. Jake was my favorite character by far, with his empathy for others, his being a true friend, and his tenacity to help. He made me think of a bull terrier that just won’t let go after he has locked his jaw.
I enjoyed everything about this book. This book has been excellently edited, as I only found two minor errors throughout the whole book. There was nothing I disliked or would have changed. The book was fast-paced and didn’t have any slow-moving parts. I had my ideas about who the culprit was, but I was still surprised at the end of the book. I was entertained and hooked from the start of the book until the end.
I would rate The Guardians of Truth by Barry Finlay a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. There is absolutely no reason to give this book anything but a perfect score. This book also showed me how important the people in your life are and the importance of being there for each other. I know I have felt shallow when someone is going through a traumatic and emotional time, and the only words I had to offer were that it will get better and that I am here for you. This book showed me both sides, and that the person receiving those words may appreciate them a lot more than you can even imagine. Families and friends are important, and they are what keep you sane when things get tough.
I would recommend this book to people who enjoy crime, action, and mystery books. This is a fun afternoon read that immerses you completely. You feel like you are part of the investigation, and you feel all of the emotions running rampant in this book. I really enjoyed it and would love to read more of this author’s books.
Have you ever wakened in the middle of the night with a random thought that seemed to come from nowhere? It used to happen to me a lot when I was working. A solution to a problem would come to me in the middle of the night and I kept a notepad beside my bed to capture the moment. It doesn’t happen as frequently now, but when it does, I get up and write it on a white board in my office. Sometimes, I can even decipher it the next day.
A thought came to me last night, although I didn’t write it down. I must have been thinking about writing a blog post before I went to bed. My thought was actually a little more complex than usual because it was in two parts: Why am I, as a reader, expecting to read e-books for free and why, as a writer, am I occasionally offering my e-books for free?
As a reader, I think the answer is because they are there. Check out Amazon and you will find free e-books every day of the week. It’s kind of like a professional athlete who is offered a $24 million contract. They are not going to turn it down. I’m not going to turn down a free book. Maybe there is an expectation that if is the author is unknown, we don’t want to invest anything in their work. We can read to our heart’s content and never spend a cent. But is that right? Is it fair to the author?
Reading is a hobby. So is golf and a golfer will spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on equipment and green fees. Fishermen spend money on gear. Skiers spend money on equipment and lift tickets. Moviegoers spend money for a two-hour movie. Even if our hobby is sitting in a coffee shop, we will spend exorbitant amounts on specialty coffee and we will sit there and read an e-book on our device that we downloaded for free. But why should a book that offers around six hours of entertainment be free when there is a cost attached to any other hobby you can think of?
Indulge me while I put on my author hat. There are some questionable benefits to authors to offer free books, and some that are worthwhile. Let’s start with the questionable ones. Authors need reviews so when books are offered for free, the hope is that readers will at least provide some feedback. But thousands of free downloads will provide a return in reviews that can be counted on one hand. Amazon counts free downloads as sales so a free day or two can boost the author’s profile temporarily. The key word is “temporarily.” The boost is fleeting. If the author is exclusive to Amazon, he or she is paid for page reads. There is always an uptick in page reads after a free day, but that peters out after about three days.
There are some tangible benefits to offering free books in certain situations. The main benefit is to introduce a reader to an author. It makes sense for an author to offer the first book in a series or a short story introducing characters. The reader might be enticed to purchase other books by the same author. It’s a valuable marketing technique.
As readers, we shouldn’t be reluctant to try new authors, even if they are independent. E-books by independent authors that are not free are usually in the $2.99 to $4.99 range compared to $16 for a well known author. That’s less than a specialty coffee! There are some great authors who have remained independent or extracted themselves from contracts because traditional publishers are not providing the same services anymore. We may pay for the occasional book we can’t finish, but we have also paid for a specialty coffee we couldn’t drink. It doesn’t mean we will stop drinking coffee.
Authors invest their talent and considerable time and money in writing, editing, book cover design, and marketing and they deserve to be compensated. I, for one, am offering my short story, An Interview With Marcie Kane, free for signing up for my newsletter. The first book in The Marcie Kane Thriller Collection, The Vanishing Wife, is available at a reduced price. The rest of the series will only be offered at a reduced price from time to time. But not free! I hope other authors will consider doing something similar.
Damn the 3 am epiphanies!
One of the things I plan to do with Keyboard Reflections is to share reviews of books that I have thoroughly enjoyed or found to be enlightening. One of those books is The War Of Art by Steven Pressfield.
I was given this book as a Christmas gift by one of our sons who is a singer/songwriter in Nashville. The book focuses on overcoming the blockages that get in the way of people starting a project or finishing what they started. While we often hear of authors with writer’s block, it applies equally to anyone who is creative, entrepreneurs, people starting to diet or exercise… The list goes on.
Pressfield introduces the subject by pointing out that each of us has two lives. There is the one we live and the one unlived within us. Between the two stands resistance. The first third of the book examines how resistance prevents us from fulfilling our dreams or living our lives to the fullest.
The next third deals with the difference between professionals and amateurs. He uses the term “professionalism” as an ideal and explains what it means to be professional in chasing our dreams and overcoming resistance.
In the last part of the book, Pressfield encourages the reader to embrace the magic allies surrounding us to make a start and to continue on the path towards living the unlived life within us.
I have to admit to being a bit lost in the final section when the concepts become more abstract. Nevertheless, the first two sections offer enough valuable insight into the resistance that might be holding us back and how to address it to make The War of Art a worthwhile read. The author cleverly uses interesting anecdotes from his life that are relatable. The blurb refers to the book as a “kick in the pants” and it is that, but it’s also a handy list of the many barriers that could be preventing us from reaching our full potential and how to overcome them. In my opinion, the first two sections alone are well worth keeping nearby and picking up when we find ourselves blocked from the goals we want to achieve.
Had a great time at two book signings on the weekend. The first was at McNally Robinson in Winnipeg, Manitoba and the second at Coles in Brandon. Both were with my good friend and fellow author, Len Westwood. Thanks to everyone who came out.
Readers’ Favorites 5-star review – “A Perilous Question is a masterfully written crime novel that will find a home in the hearts of many readers.”
COMING SOON!!