This week's book give-away!

From our friend, Linda Weaver Clarke

Book Give-Away March 7 - 14: To win The Guardian of Kelmar, leave a comment about this interview with your e-mail. U.S. and Canada.


The Guardian of Kelmar is a fantasy novel that follows the adventures of fifteen-year-old orphan, Carmen Fox, as she journeys through a magical world called Kelmar. Carmen learns to master her powers as a young sorceress as she battles a dark sorcerer named Desorkhan, and his army of followers, who are fighting to take control of Kelmar. The story is fast-paced and action-packed. To win this book, leave a comment at http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com/.

Book Review: Be Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, by Angela Burr-Madsen

Book Review: Be Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, by Angela Burr-Madsen

Everyone has the ability and natural right to be happy, healthy, and prosperous, at least according to Angela Burr-Madsen and others who proclaim the benefits of prosperity consciousness. This is not an area I've studied extensively, although I've tried to start incorporating some of the concepts into my life. In this book, Madsen also introduces her line of flower essences from The Burren, one of the Earth's energy vortexes.

Be Happy, Healthy, Prosperous is sort of a mish-mash of secrets to better living through spirituality and naturopathy, a primer on some of the basic concepts of Eastern medicine (chakras, etc), and instructions on how to use the various flower essences that come from The Burren. Madsen includes case studies from patients in her practice who were experiencing various life problems that she solved through her methods. At the end, she gives a quick course on kinesiology and how to use it to diagnose which chakras are troubled so you know which flower essences you need. I have to say that I had difficulty following this part, and I don't know that I could really do it after reading the instructions.

This book was the first I've heard of The Burren and of anyone using flower essences in healing, but I am a child of Western medicine. I found it very interesting, and although I don't know that I'm sold on flower essences just from reading it, it was intriguing enough that I'd be willing to give them a try. Some of the concepts she talks about as far as being happy through forgiveness and love are definitely keepers. For example, she discusses the fact that forgiveness is an important part of the healing process. You don't forgive someone for their transgressions just for their sake, but for yours, so it doesn't eat away at you anymore. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you've condoned the behavior that offended you, it just means that you've made your peace with it. It's a pretty powerful concept.

The book is nicely written and beautifully designed, with many stunning pictures throughout of flowers from The Burren, taken by photographer Leueen Jennifer Jenkins-Hill. It is laid out in such a way that it is easy to use as a reference when you need to look up the appropriate essences for your problem.

Book Giveaway! Change Your Mindset, Not Your Man, by Sally B. Watkins

From our friend, Linda Weaver Clarke

Book Give-Away February 14 21: for those interested in CHANGE YOUR MINDSET, NOT YOUR MAN, leave a comment about this interview with your e-mail. U.S. only.


From girlhood we have subscribed to the happily-ever-after myth from Sleeping Beauty, to Barbies, to romance novels, but men have not been socialized to fulfill these fantasies. Im a big advocate of acceptance and teach women how to change the only one they can changethemselves! Sally Watkins

Leave a comment at http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com/

Get more promotion for your book!

Announcing Walker Author Tours! Of course, I will always review books for free here on my blog, but why not set up a whole book blog tour for even more promotion? I have the contacts and can help you do it. Visit the Walker Author Tours website to learn more.

This week's book give-away!

From Linda Weaver Clarke:

This week is a very special book to help parents deal with doctors. The info is below:

Interview with Author Haleh Rabizadeh Resnick

Book Give-Away January 31 - February 7: for those interested in Little Patient Big Doctor, leave a comment about this interview with your e-mail. U.S. and Canada.

Little Patient Big Doctor is written with the aim of helping others navigate any medical crisis. There are a number of sections throughout the book dedicated to helpful tips of partnering with doctors and incorporating alternative strategies of care.

Leave a comment at http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com/2011/01/interview-with-author-haleh-rabizadeh.html.

Have book news you'd like to share? Feel free to send it to me!

Book Giveaway!

From our friend, Linda Weaver Clarke:

Book Give-Away January 24 - 31: for those interested in The Year of Leland Thomson, leave a comment about this interview with your e-mail. International.


The Year of Leland Thomson tells the story of a sixteen-year-old boy who had a dream. For most of his life he had heard something calling to him from the distance. He was willing to follow but, after all, he was a poor, sawmill boy whose future lay in the mill, as had his fathers and grandfathers before him. Along with the dream, Leland also had the gift. He played the cello with incredible passion and sensitivity, demonstrating a skill that far outstretched his age and circumstances. His family believed God had gifted him to play.

Leave a comment at http://lindaweaverclarke.blogspot.com/

Book Review: Ponies for My Father, by Charles Beaver

Ponies For My Father, by Charles Beaver

Paperback: 364 pages
Publisher: Outskirts Press (July 14, 2010)
ISBN-10: 1432757962
Rating (1 to 5 *): ****



Ponies for My Father Review

Sly Fox had a lot to overcome: he was very small for his age--too small to be a warrior like his father--and he was born at the same moment that his older brother was killed by a horse their father brought to the village. However, instead of letting that get him down, he rose to the challenge. He invented a weapon even he could wield, he learned he was an incredibly talented scout, and he did everything he could to try to make his father proud of him.

Sly Fox has several years before most would consider him a man, but that doesn't stop him from following the instructions given to him by Wakan Tanka, the Great Spirit, to travel far away to enemy territory and recover ponies his father's band badly needs. His people are in trouble, and somehow this young scout must help his father to save them.

Ponies for My Father is not a children's story, nor is it a story about a child. It is a love story, an adventure story, and a story about politics. As the leaders of various Lakota bands jockey for power, they must also protect their people from their enemy tribes who would do them harm.

Ponies for My Father is another one of those stories that makes me wonder why I don't read more historical fiction. It is a long and meandering tale, and there were times when I wondered if it was all necessary, but all the threads got tied in and I finished the book feeling satisfied...and a little sad that I had to leave the characters behind.

Author Charles Beaver obviously put a lot of time and research into Ponies for My Father. Although I'm not educated enough to comment on the historical accuracy, it seems credible, and the story is so good, in my opinion, that I'm not worried about it. I do have to say that there are some mechanical problems--grammar, a couple of inconsistencies and redundancies--that should have been caught in editing. However, I managed to look past that and thoroughly enjoy the book. The characters are fun people you wish you knew or could be like, the story is interesting, the emotions are real, and Charles Beaver's voice is engaging. A fascinating trip back in time!