BOOK REVIEW: "Finders Keepers" by Stephen King

A masterful, intensely suspenseful novel about a reader whose obsession with a reclusive writer goes far too far—a book about the power of storytelling, starring the same trio of unlikely and winning heroes King introduced in Mr. Mercedes.

"Wake up genius." So begins King’s instantly riveting story about a vengeful reader. The genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.

Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away for another crime. Decades later, a boy named Pete Saubers finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he’s released from prison after thirty-five years.

Not since Misery has King played with the notion of a reader whose obsession with a writer gets dangerous. Finders Keepers is spectacular, heart-pounding suspense, but it is also King writing about how literature shapes a life—for good, for bad, forever.

I purchased this book from Barnes And Noble for my own pleasure.

A reader experiences two things when they first hold in their hands the newest novel by their favorite author: excitement (of course), but there is also a bit of trepidation. Will this live up to their last novel? Will I be disappointed? Will I want to hit their computer with a hammer?
For me, I ask myself those questions whenever there is a new Stephen King novel released. If you know me, you know he is the man whose work has influenced me since I was in middle school. And you will also know that I have absolutely loved everything he has put out lately.
I'm not a literary snob. I read popular current authors as well as indies and classics. Rarely will you ever come across a novel that, aesthetically, is true literary gold as well as frightening and entertaining. Finders Keepers is that novel, possibly the novel future generations will look at as two things: how to write a kick-a** thriller that leaves readers on the edge of their seats, and a commentary on human nature in various ways. I won't go into those ways here (I am not a scholar. I read for pleasure 99% of the time.) but I will say that I hope I can take part in these discussions, because I know that King brought up some really dark and accurate points about life in the recession, about obsession, madness and human nature as a whole.
This is a continuation of Mr. Mercedes, his 2014 thriller about a madman who killed and injured dozens of people with a fancy car, but that story takes a backseat...for a while.
We do get to see the heroes of Mr. Mercedes in all their glory: fast-thinking Det-Ret Bill Hodges, the obsessive-compulsive yet lovable Holly Gibney and the intellectual and humorous Jerome Robinson. In this story they have to help a teenage boy get out of a pretty big jam thanks to one crazily obsessed literature fan, Morris Bellamy.
When people read the description, their first thought is, "Oh, he's repeating Misery." No, no, NO! Do not think that. Wipe that thought from your mind. Yes, Finders Keepers is about an obsessed fan of a certain writer and their outrage over what said writer has done to their favorite character. But the similarities stop there, reader. Morris is not as crazy as Annie Wilkes, and his crazy is of a different kind. I could go into psychoanalysis, but I won't bore you.
Here are the high points for me: the amazing cast of characters. Reading about Bill and the gang was like reuniting with good friends. I love them, and will be sad when the third and final book about them is released, because I will miss them.
The characters original to the book are also well developed and memorable: Morris and the Saubers family, even John Rothstein, the fictional novelist killed in the first chapter. Morris and Peter Saubers are two sides of the same coin: both huge Rothstein fans and both obsessed with the stories he wrote about his protagonist but never published. Morris is the insane side, and Peter is the caring side. You, like me, will melt with joy when you see how much Peter cares for his family.
The other thing I loved was how literary appreciation is so prevalent in the story. A love of literature is a beautiful thing, even the insane love Morris has. It's compelling and made me enjoy the story more, because those are emotions I can relate to as a Constant Reader.
Stephen King can write horror better than anyone else I have ever read. But his scariest villains are not the Barlows or the Randall Flaggs. No, his most frightening antagonists are the ones we can relate to, the ones who are all too human. I did not fear the woman in the painting in Rose Madder, because she could never be real. I do fear the Annie Wilkeses and the Morris Bellamys, because they are very, very real. They are the dark part of every human soul and they could be your neighbor, your friend, your sibling...or they can be you.
When it comes to crime thrillers, you will also never come close to the gritty, realistic way King writes. If I can ever be half as good as him, I will be quite pleased.
Finally, the killer we met in Mr. Mercedes has not been forgotten! I can't say much about it, but there is a cliffhanger from Hell at the end, and we will definitely be seeing the murderous son of a b*tch in book three, or my name is Kelly Smith!

5/5--Did you expect anything else after this long, gushing review?



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BOOK REVIEW: "No Motive For Murder" by Doug Hantke

A man obsessed with his work.
Psychologist Gary Schaade started receiving tapes and letters from potential killers soon after releasing his bestselling book Psyche of a Serial Killer.
When Gary receives a tape at his office, he is sure it is another entertaining attempt to scare him and his wife. This tape was different.

A confession to prove his theory.
Gary always theorized that the deadliest of serial killers were ones without motive. As more tapes arrive, it becomes obvious that Gary may finally have the confession he’s needed to prove it. But how far will he go?

A killer who strikes close to home.
When the murders get more personal, Gary will have a difficult choice to make. Will he sacrifice the lives of those close to him to further his career?
Is it truly possible to have No Motive for Murder?

[NOTE: Yes, I am the proud editor of this book. No, my review does not reflect on that fact. I never, EVER grade books on editing, just on plot, character development and originality.]

When I'm asked to edit a book, I'm not picky about the content. I want to see what you've done wrong and fix it. When I'm asked to review a book, however, I'm so picky you might not believe it.
Thrillers, the bloodier the better, are a favorite of mine. It takes a lot of talent to creep readers out using only humans as your subject matter, not paranormal creatures. Stephen King and Thomas Harris have perfected that art, but precious few others have.
Doug Hantke has.
As I read through the story as a reader, not an editor, I realized how truly gripping the simplistic narrative was; how you could picture every bloody scene with violent vision and feel what Gary was feeling, every step of the way.
Gary is not exactly a sympathetic character. He speaks ill of his patients, doesn't pay enough attention to his wife and flirts with a particular patient. But that's part of the story's charm. You don't have to like a character to like said character's story.
The story itself has multiple possible endings, each of them plausible and easy to picture. I had a solid guess at who the killer was, changed my mind, and then changed it back before the story ended. Hantke is a master of misdirection!
Honestly, this is one of my favorite books. I'm so proud to have been able to be a small part of its creation. Remember this author's name: you're going to be seeing it on the New York Times bestseller list one of these days!

5/5--a gripping, gruesome thriller!

No Motive For Murder is live on Amazon: 

http://www.amazon.com/No-Motive-Murder-Doug-Hantke-ebook/dp/B00V3YYJ4K/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427159534&sr=1-2

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BOOK REVIEW: "Red Carpet Ransom" by W.F. Walsh

Could a major Hollywood star be kidnapped on Oscar night in a drug war of revenge against the United States? Enrique Vega is one of the most notorious drug kingpins in the world and controls a family whose powerbase spreads across Mexico, Central and South America. As the godfather is to the mafia, Vega is to the drug world. Cartel Este controls drug trafficking, money laundering, prostitution, and politicians. Vega is powerful and untouchable-or so he thought. A joint drug task force of United States and Mexican authorities track his movements and strike at the throat of Cartel Este. Vega is arrested and flown to an American military jail to await trial. A new drug war of revenge is unleashed! Special Agent Jake Stein of Homeland Security Investigations/ICE is back, and this time, he's up against a life-and-death struggle. Cartel Este keeps turning up the heat and kidnaps a major Hollywood star on Oscar night to hold for ransom until Vega is returned or the actor will die. The clock is ticking in a life-and-death race against time in a drug war of revenge!

A perfect read on Oscar Sunday for those who would rather get a heads up on the book the next Hollywood blockbuster will be based on than watch last year's best films get awards.
I'm writing this as I'm watching it right now, in fact, having just finished Red Carpet Ransom.
Mixing the exciting vibes of NCIS, Spooks and Graceland all in one, and adding in a dash of Hollywood flair, this is a book you'll find yourself staying up at night to finish before bed! Government officials, drug cartels and actors all mix in this fast-paced thrill ride.
This book has good characters, like the embattled Vega, the austere Agent Stein (Richard Armitage or Michael Weatherly, anyone) and the vengeful Estes, but this isn't a character-driven novel. It's all about plot: the death, the danger and the suspense are all nearly perfect.
There are a few flaws, mostly due to a certain sense of urgency that was sometimes misplaced. There were moments where the urgency wasn't needed but was there, and other scenes where I thought it could've used more suspense.
But that is my only complaint. I really liked this book, and I think movie directors will, too!

5/5--a great thrill ride!

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BOOK REVIEW: "Adoptive Personality" by Cassandra Scearce

After killing her alcoholic father and discovering the she was adopted, Eve begins to suspect her abuse and molestation at his hands was orchestrated the moment she was given up.
As Eve makes her way through life, she discovers a love and passion for sex. After sex had become an act she could not see herself ever doing again, she has come to realize how addicting it is. Now she can't get enough of it, and she'll use her addiction in order to see her revenge take shape.
Eve hasn't given up on her birth mother or her suspicions that she is to blame for the horrific childhood she suffered. Eve is determined to uncover the truth behind her abuse, no matter how many people she has to kill.

WARNING: Adoptive Personality is not for anyone under the age of eighteen, as it describes serious sexual abuse.

I have a love/hate relationship with books that are so set in harsh reality like this one, because I say that books are supposed to take you from reality, not drag you further in. With Adoptive Personality, you're taken straight into Earth's version of Hell, with a young girl being viciously abused by whom she believes is her father.
Eve is not a sympathetic character, believe it or not. Her life has, naturally, made her hard, but she's not just tough and damaged: she's a killer. She's been truly broken by her ordeals, but somehow I had little sympathy for her.
The story is very dark, very real and shows the birth of a whole new kind of serial killer. Because, make no mistake, Eve is a very cunning serial killer, plotting each one and fooling everyone. It's not as vicious as most of the more popular books about murder, because it's also very emotional, concentrating on why Eve is the way she is.
While this is a very dark book, it's one of the best written ones I've read that deal with this subject matter. For everyone? Definitely not. But I highly recommend it!

4/5--well-written and makes you think!

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BOOK REVIEW: "The Devils That Have Come To Stay" by Pamela DiFrancesco

A tale that turns the American western on its head.
California, late 1848. A nameless saloonkeeper has been alone for months while his wife, Joanna, is in Coloma caring for her ailing mother. Joanna’s letters, which tell of her mother’s nervous health crisis and the destruction of the surrounding land, have become darker and stranger. Meanwhile, the saloonkeeper witnesses several unexplainable events—voices speaking in strange languages in places where he sees only familiar faces, the mysterious death of a creekful of fish, a Stranger with a mouthful of gold teeth, and a dying Native American man who trails white feathers everywhere he goes.
The fields of Sutter’s Fort, near where Joanna is staying, haunt the saloonkeeper’s dreams, and soon he decides he must leave the sanctuary of his saloon and travel to her. Caught up in a journey north, the saloonkeeper witnesses the sometimes horrifying, senselessly violent shifting Gold Rush landscape. Amidst the chaos, he finds his only refuge in thoughts of Joanna. But when his troubled past emerges in glimpses he struggles to repress, the nameless traveler is left with a decision that will change not only his life but the lives of everyone around him.

Devils, when you read the title, immediately makes you think of paranormal novels, right? Wrong. This story, a horror-laced desperate story of a man haunted by nightmares, is a Western...but not your typical John Wayne type of Western.
I don't know a lot about the Gold Rush, so if there are any mistakes in geography or timeline, I can't tell you. What I can tell you is that, below the horror, is a love story of a man who is desperate to see his wife. It might not be prevalent in the middle of all that suspense, but this is a love story, deep down where it counts.
It is suspenseful, and you can tell the author did her research on mining in late 19th century California. It's the amount of care that was put into creating this story that makes it worth reading. Our nameless hero is three-dimensional and relatable, a great lead.
Will everyone like this? No. Should everyone give it a chance anyway? Definitely!

4/5--worth a read!

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BOOK REVIEW: "The Demeter Code" by Russell Brooks

Crack The Code And You'll Save Lives...But Knowing It Exists Could Get You Killed. 

When two American embassies in northern Africa are bombed, CIA operatives, Ridley Fox and Nita Parris, are assigned to track down the perpetrators. However, when their top asset is killed in a failed op, the agents suspect that there may be a new threat. Their search for the truth puts them on a collision course with a powerful multinational--which will go to extreme lengths to bury its criminal activities. However, the agents soon learn that someone with a personal vendetta against that company not only knows their secrets, but will expose them in a way that could result in the largest single-day attack against America.

Spy novels are not my thing. While I watch NCIS and Spooks a lot, I've never been one to really sink my teeth into a spy novel. I find them to be slow and emotionless. Not so Russell Brooks' The Demeter Code.
From page one you're engaged in action, danger and mystique. Attacks with knives, guns and physical force dominate the first two chapters, and it gets better from there.
I love Agent Parris. I love that she's a woman who can kick butt and look good doing it. I think her inclusion will make more women pick this book up. Think Ziva from NCIS played by a young Viola Davis. That's how cool she is.
Agent Fox we met in Mr. Brooks' short story trilogy, Unsavory Delicacies. He's just as much of a badass here as he was in this two unforgettable stories. Reminding me of DC Comics' Deathstroke, he gets the job done with amazing skill and grace. If there can be beauty in violent death, he brings it.
There are moments where the violence is very heavy, like the brutal murder of a white collar worker and his pregnant wife, do if you're unable to handle brutality, be wary as you start to read this.
A nearly flawless attempt. I'm very eager to read more from Mr. Brooks!

4/5--exciting!

Purchase The Demeter Code via:

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BOOK REVIEW: "Unsavory Delicacies" by Russell Brooks

While I'm more used to short story collections having five or more tales, Unsavory Delicacies by Russell Brooks doesn't need more than the three he included to be worth your time and money.
It begins with an ex-Mossad agent about to assassinate a man giving her sensitive information and ends with the same man infiltrating a Russian Mafioso's club and finding a strange surprise. In the middle, you have a disturbing story about a chef who avenges his honor on the food critic who cost him his job once before.

Revenge. Espionage. Death. What more do you need for a half-hour's worth of entertainment? The stories are well-written and very well planned out. They're actually little unsavory delicacies in themselves! Like I said, they're eerily disturbing, like Rod Serling could have written them.
There are no monsters, there's no sex, nothing that people think they need to incorporate into their work. It's parts humanity in its most animalistic forms: self-preservation, vengeful and secretive.
A great read!

4/5--delightful!

Purchase Unsavory Delicacies via:

Official site

BOOK REVIEW: "The Spartak Trigger" by Bryce Allen

Disgraced cop and degenerate cad Shane Bishop now makes his living as a professional set-up artist, using his unique skillset to frame his clients’ enemies for various criminal offenses. When his latest job goes wrong and his mark ends up in a body bag, the ex-lawman becomes the prime suspect in a high-profile murder investigation – framed himself by a mysterious government agent. In order to obtain a key piece of evidence that will clear his name, Bishop is blackmailed into performing various acts of industrial espionage upon some of the world’s most powerful corporations. He soon graduates to foreign intelligence work and finds himself in Russia charged with infiltrating a radical neo-Bolshevik terrorist group known as ‘Black October’ and retrieving a microfilm they’ve obtained which contains a Soviet-era computer virus that has the power to destroy the world…wide web.

Number one, calling Shane Bishop a degenerate is being oh, so kind to the lead character of The Spartak Trigger. Half the time, I was hoping that somehow, someone would shoit him right where it hurts! His disgusting ways are actually half of what makes this book so great: he's the perfect character you love to despise.
The second thing that makes the big stand out isn't the plot (though it's awesome), or the secondary characters, but the style in which it's written. It's supposed to be from Shane's perspective, yet he keeps taking about a narrator and an editor, changing and talking about his story, as you're reading the story! At first I was confused, but after a while I understood what the writer was actually doing and I applaud him. It is an innovative approach to narration and storytelling that I hope people pick up on and appreciate it for the genius that it is.
As I said, the plot was awesome: fast-paced, mysterious and dangerous. You don't know who's good, bad, alive or dead! Like the nameless and faceless narrator and editor, this is Shane's story and you're just along for the ride!
I do, however, have one criticism, and that's the fact that, though Shane is old enough to have an adult daughter, at times he talks far too young, using current slang that no middle-aged cop would. It is a bit confusing and then seems too pretentious for the character. Most of the time, though, everything is spot on, from dialogue to description.
All in all, a great book. Just not for everyone. Some will definitely be too sensitive to read this, but I think most people (mostly men, unfortunately, no offense to the female readers, but there's a lot if sexism, racism and other various forms of bigotry in here that most likely will offend most women) will enjoy this depraved ride just as much as I did!

4/5--in a league of its own!

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BOOK REVIEW: "Another Day At The Office" by James DeSantis

On the outside, the main character in Another Day At The Office has a good life. He has a good job, a loving wife, and good friends. But there are secrets. And betrayals. Until he decides, today won't be just another day at the office.

I've always believed that a monotonous life, the "American Dream", doesn't really exist, and those who claim to have achieved that dream are either liars or kidding themselves.
In this story, the American Dream falls apart in front of the reader's eyes. Lies come to surface and it brings a very normal man to the breaking point. Think Michael Douglas in Falling Down on a much more personal level.
It's violent, yes, abd entertaining, but it also makes you think. A definite must read, and it'll only take you about twenty minutes to finish! I was very privileged to be the editor for this story, and I hope you all like it as much as I did the first time I read it.

5/5--thought-provoking.

Purchase Another Day At The Office via:

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BOOK REVIEW: "Never Say Die" by Bill Carson

Nick Harland has teamed up with Andy Ryan, a special forces/ MI5 operator and the pair are tasked with tracking down a rogue SAS soldier who is on the loose and creating havoc across London in revenge for his unjust imprisonment. But the destruction that he is causing is all part of an elaborate deception which is designed to mask his true intentions. Harland and Ryan are now in a race against time to find him before he carries out one of the most daring, outrageous and audacious crimes of the 21st century. 
Along with all the mayhem and tension created by the hunt for the SAS man there is a secondary story running parallel with the main one and this part of the story is unconnected to the main theme and remains so until the last chapter. Who is the mysterious unknown man found in a field in Essex with a gunshot wound to his head? The unconscious man is barely alive and is rushed to hospital where he undergoes emergency brain surgery and after a long period of recuperation he wakes from the coma. 
The police are anxious to interview him as in the field where he was found were a dozen dead bodies riddled with bullet holes. They don't get the chance to interrogate to him as he decides to abscond from hospital. The stranger has near total memory loss and has no clue who he is or why he'd been shot and the search is now on to find his past life? And he's anxious to find out why someone wanted him dead?

As an avid Doyle reader and NCIS watcher (not to mention the BBC's MI:5 starring Richard Armitage), I love mysteries set around a lot of action and suspense. Never Say Die by Bill Carson delivers a whole lot of suspense and danger within these pages.
Nick Harland is a likable character, Andy I could go either way. This is not really a character-driven story, but rather a plot-driven story. I mean that as a compliment. Rarely can you find a great spy novel driven more by plot than by the spies themselves. Carson wrote a great thriller with interesting components not usually seen together in the same book.
The reader is enthralled and intrigued by the mysterious man who has no memory. The reader is appalled yet can't help but be sympathetic to Steve Dark, the assassin gone rogue. And you certainly will wonder what on Earth one has to do with the other. A great mystery keeps you guessing and o  your toes, and Never Say Die does just that.
A great plot, well-written with enough mystery and action to keep you reading well into the night make Mr. Carson a writer you HAVE to check out!

4/5--a page-turner!

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BOOK REVIEW: "The Purple Robe" by David Dean

Rumors rising out of the Yucatan jungle report healings and miracles attributed to a holy relic. Father Pablo Diego Corellas discovers that even his own parishioners are making secret pilgrimages to the decrepit plantation where it is held. There, Doña Josefa, a mysterious woman who is either mystic or mad, possesses an artifact that she claims is a fragment of the robe worn by Christ at his trial. Guarded by armed Mayan farmers, she holds sway over an ever-growing number of pilgrims desperate for the healing power of the Purple Robe. Much against his own wishes, young Father Pablo is dispatched to the interior to investigate, while a police captain and a vacationing American couple make plans of their own for the robe. But when the relic is stolen, they soon discover that miracles have unforeseen consequences, and that no one is beyond their reach.

The newest novel by David Dean is quite a departure from his previous book, The Thirteenth Child. The Purple Robe is the story of a reluctant priest in Mexico whose flock is straying from the Church to a strange place of healing. He attributes it to his lack of confidence in his own prowess at the pulpit.
The story is not overly religious nor is it blasphemous. No matter your religion, you can read this book with a clear conscience. It mixes modern skepticism, ancient Mayan magic and timeless Catholicism to weave a first-rate tale that enthralls the reader and makes them think.
It has an air of mystery and a very relatable main character, for who among us has not doubted themselves and their life choices? There are also great subplots, like the police chief and the American tourists, and the stories of the parishioners in Father Pablo's church.
Being set in Mexico also gives out a certain appeal and sense of authenticity, as opposed to it being set in America or even Europe. There is a great respect for Catholicism in Mexico not found anywhere else, all while Mexico deals with severe violence on a daily basis (as mentioned in the book).
Mr. Dean took a risk writing this and the risk paid off. This is a great book!

5/5--excellent!

Purchase The Purple Robe via:

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AUTHOR INTERVIEW: J.J. Stone

1. When/why did you decide to become a writer?

I became a writer because it felt like the right thing to do. I know that might be a boring answer, but it's the truth. When I was growing up, I always had different story ideas wandering around my head, but I couldn't do much with them. It wasn't until I got my Masters in Creative Writing that I really "unlocked" the author living in the back of my mind all these years and let her flex her writing muscles. 
By day, I am a freelance copywriter, so writing is truly my job. But writing fiction is like therapy for me. I get to go off into these worlds and lives that I've created and just have fun. 

2. What authors inspired you when you were younger? What books do you enjoy reading today?

I was a HUGE Star Wars nerd when I was younger, so I think I've read just about every Star Wars book there is. Troy Denning was one of my favorite authors, for sure. Today, my tastes have changed just a tad. Gillian Flynn is my new favorite author. I often joke that she's the author I want to be when I grow up. From her genre to writing style, she is the epitome of the kind of author I want to be. 

3. What was the inspiration behind your novel The Mirror Stage?

My love of crime shows, for sure. There aren't many crime shows I'm not watching. I really wanted to take that affinity and see if I could take all the parts of shows that I enjoyed and create my own story.
There are a lot of pieces of me in this book. I set it in Seattle because I'm absolutely in love with that city. It's where my husband and I honeymooned (we actually stayed on Whidbey Island!) and I really connected with that place. I also wanted to write a story that was more than just a crime thriller. While one of the main themes of the story is an FBI investigation, I also wanted to make it a story about change and acceptance and coming to terms with parts of yourself that you have spent years burying. 

4. Why decide to make it a trilogy?

To provide a little backstory, The Mirror Stage was written originally as a One Hour TV Show script for my thesis project for my Masters degree. As part of the project, I had to create a show bible that included a 13-episode story arc. After I graduated, I knew I wanted to really write this story that I'd spent a year working on. So the pilot episode I'd scripted became Book 1, and I decided to crunch the rest of the "season" into two other books.

5. Why did you make your main character a novelist? I always wonder, because every writer has a different reason.

Funny story: Ada was originally a criminology professor. But there were just too many gaps and issues with her teaching something that she is essentially terrified of. So I changed her to a novelist. I did this because, in my mind, she wants to write about crimes that she controls the ending of. She didn't have a say in how her crime story ended, so now she controls the endings. 

6. Were any of the characters personalities or emotions taken from real life?

I wouldn't say any were taken from real life, but I definitely spent a long time figuring out who my favorite characters have been over the years. Once I had that list, I picked out the personalities and quirks I gravitated toward and clumped those into the characters in The Mirror Stage. 

7. What other genres would you like to try your hand at?

I think YA might be fun to try. I also love reading dystopian books, so maybe one day I'll try that!

8. Are you a fan of serial killers? Do they interest you?

I literally don't know how to answer this without sounding completely creepy! They do interest me, simply because of how differently their thought processes run. They are such complex personalities, they are so easy to make incredibly intriguing. 

9. Will we learn more about James's past in book two?

Absolutely. Book 2 is (drum roll please) titled The Imaginary, and it will dig deeper into basically character. I'm sure authors aren't supposed to play favorites, but James might actually be my favorite character. I go back and forth between him and Ada. In The Imaginary, we will get a better idea of why he's searching for his sister. We'll also meet the team's actual analyst, Janice Otto, which is going to provide an interesting dynamic to the investigation when we pick back up with the story. 
I know most people were in a love/hate relationship with James by the end of The Mirror Stage, but I'm hoping that by the end of The Imaginary, everyone will be rooting for him more than loathing him. 

10. You said that The Mirror Stage was originally a screenplay for college. Would you like to see it as a film? If yes, who do you want to star in it?

A film would be interesting! It was laid out to be a TV show, so I think that would still be the best medium for it. 
As far as who would play who...I'm not sure if this is another thing that authors are supposed to shy away from saying. I've heard some authors say that they don't want to set faces to their characters because then they're intruding on the reader's interpretation. I can understand that, but at the same time, I write these characters with specific "faces" in mind, so I want to see if who I've been picturing lines up with how everyone else sees the gang!
For Ada, I've gone back and forth between three actresses: Ana Giradot, Minka Kelly and Alicia Vikander. For James, it's always been Jensen Ackles. I am a massive Supernatural fan, and I love him as an actor. I honestly can't imagine anyone else playing James because Jensen Ackles has been his "face" in my mind since day one. Dade is another one that I've always had one actor in mind for: Theo James. Brenda is another toss up. I like either Thandie Newton or Zoe Saldana. She needs to be someone strong yet gentle.

11. Where do you see yourself and your career in the next ten years?

Still writing books! I'd love to be published traditionally, too. 

12. What would you be doing if you weren't writing?

Honestly, I have no idea. Writing is my job and my hobby!

13. Can you tell KSR what you're working on next?

Book 3 of The Imago Trilogy! It's actually pretty bittersweet to be getting ready to close this story out. It's been part of my life for a little over two years now! The Imaginary is about to release, as well, and I can't wait to share the next part of the story with everyone. 

14. What authors, dead or alive, would you like to collaborate with?

J.K. Rowling. Is that a lame answer? The journey she went through to become an author is similar to mine, and I think we would have a lot of fun.

15. Thank you for participating in the interview. Can you please leave the readers with three things that may surprise them about you?

1. I was having trouble coming up with new character names. As I was walking one of my Great Danes, we passed by a cemetery and I started scanning tombstones without thinking about it. Oddly enough, I think I found the name I was wracking my brain for!
2. I think clowns are the most terrifying things. Ever. 
3. Opening presents in front of people stresses me out.

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BOOK REVIEW: "The Mirror Stage" by J.J. Stone

When Ada Brant was a little girl, she witnessed the murder of her mother by her father's hands and has never been the same. She still bares the emotional scars twenty-five years after the incident.
She's a crime novelist and professor when her uncle, an ex-FBI agent, brings in two colleagues who need Ada's help as a local analyst. A serial killer is on the loose in Seattle, and if Ada doesn't face her demons and do something, who knows why might be next?

In J.J. Stone's first novel, The Mirror Stage, you're immediately tossed into Ada's messed up world of hurt and death. You meet Ada, and she seems like a pitiable character...until you get to know her. She's strong, stubborn, resilient and deeply scarred...but also deeply clever. She's a leading lady with a brain instead of great boobs, and that's what I liked most about her.
Then you've got Agent James Deacon, who's the biggest jerk you could imagine, but he has his own demons, which you'll learn about as the book goes on. He's a jerk, but he's a kind, good-looking jerk, and that makes him an unlikely but excellent male lead.
Even the killer has a story, one you'll have to read to understand.
The supporting characters, like Brenda and Dade, are great. Even the dog, Tiny, is likable. There's also a character that only makes a small appearance, Janice, that I think we need to look out for in the next two books.
The plot is straightforward, at first. It then begins to take a road so winding you'll need a map to follow. No one is safe, and the killer is on the run. I love thrillers and crime novels, and this one is one if my favorites now. The cliffhanger at the end will keep me on my toes till book two is released.
While there were some editing errors, I loved this book. A great, fast-paced read!

5/5--you need this on your TBR list!

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BOOK REVIEW: "Monsters All The Way Down" by Ryan McSwain

What would you do if you were waned for murders you didn't commit and the suspect sketch looked just like you? Worse still, you knew all the victims!
For Brennan Wade, when that happens, he goes on the hunt for the man framing him but what he finds just might push him over the edge...

Monsters All The Way Down by Ryan McSwain (Pithos Publishing) shocked me. I have read a lot of thrillers and watched a lot of crime shows/movies. Rarely does a suspect turn out like this, which is why I'd classify this as sci-fi as well as a thriller.
I can't review this as thoroughly as I do others because I can't give too many spoilers. This is a book you HAVE to read for yourself!
I can't say the characters are great, but there is great development of them all and the narration is wonderful. Joan, Brennan and even Tom are all unique, with individual personalities and a very strange story. At some points, I'd even go so far as to call it twisted.
You've never read anything like this!

5/5--wonderful!

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