11/23/15

Heather Harlow




The Argon Factor by Heather Harlow
Book 1
Susan Caldwell is one of GTS’s Security Development and Design Managers.  She’s new to Boston and this company and was hoping to get a new start, leaving her old life and distrust of men behind.  But now, her life is in danger and she has to depend upon a man to keep her safe.
Christoph Baldric is CEO of GTS and the Argon Earth-based Commander.  His alien race has been living in secret on Earth for centuries, assisting the Earth humans in their maturity and technological advancements in hopes to one day integrate and reveal themselves to the humans.



11/22/15

Stella Marie Alden Day 5



Blurb:

                What foul devilry is this? They told her he was dead. After six long years without a word, her knight falls onto his knees and sings poetry. Then he denies their son? Heed this well. She’s no longer an innocent who’ll giggle and tarry on his every word. The sharp edge of her tongue and knife is the only welcome he’ll get. She’ll not marry him. The pain would be too much to bear should he ever leave again.

        Her attitude is beyond understanding. What voice did he have? The king commanded and he obeyed. Regardless of her hatred, the Templar knight weds. This time she will travel with him and he will win back her favor. It’s a long road from London to Hadrian’s Wall. Evil deeds weave a plot laced with castles, kidnappings, and missives. Will the treacherous journey split them asunder forever? Mayhap only in heaven will he rekindle the passion they once shared.

Buy Now
How to marry your wife



How To Train Your Knight
Amazon Best Seller

How to Train Your Knight: A Medieval Romance Novel

11/21/15

Stella Marie Alden Day 4



What foul devilry is this? They told her he was dead. After six long years without a word, her knight falls onto his knees and sings poetry. Then he denies their son? Heed this well. She’s no longer an innocent who’ll giggle and tarry on his every word. The sharp edge of her tongue and knife is the only welcome he’ll get. She’ll not marry him. Besides, the pain would be too much to bear should he ever leave again. 

Her attitude is beyond understanding. What voice did he have? The king commanded and he obeyed. Regardless of her hatred, the Templar knight weds. This time she will travel with him and he will win back her favor. It’s a long road from London to Hadrian’s Wall. Evil deeds weave a plot laced with castles, kidnappings, and missives. Will the treacherous journey split them asunder forever? Mayhap only in heaven will he rekindle the passion they once shared. 

Buy Now
How to marry your wife




How to Train Your Knight: A Medieval Romance Novel

Year of our Lord, 1276. 

In the hours just before dawn, blasphemous curses echo throughout the stone manor. A knife clatters to the floor, and a feisty young widow is bound, blindfolded, and led to the marriage altar. The king couldn’t possibly have sanctioned this farce of a marriage, could he? After all, she alone transformed a few mud huts and starving serfs into a flourishing town, never once hesitating to pay generous taxes to his royal kingdom. Abandon her beloved people to be ruled by her new husband, an ignorant Templar knight? Never! the Lady Ann vows. 

A murderous witch for a wife? The Beast of Thornhill finds himself in the middle of either a cruel jest or an evil conspiracy. After returning from the Holy wars, he accepts bestowment of a small parcel of land in return for saving King Edward’s life. But the reward comes with a warning regarding the estate’s mistress. Despite his insatiable attraction to the black-haired beauty, he allows her time to warm to him while observing her strange, forward-thinking ways. But when all is on the line, will he stand by her through the inquisition or will they both hang for her secrets? 

How To Train Your Knight
Amazon Best Seller


11/20/15

Cheryle Boyle




 538: Murder, Suicide and A Mother’s Love is a faction about family dysfunction and the prevailing love that sustains a mother. Lilly, happily marries and is full of life as she births five beautiful children. Life takes a drastic turn and she finds herself in a place that she never had dreamt of being. The jowls of life keep a tight rein on Lilly as she suffers great loss, but her strength in God and the love for her children push her forward.  There are days that she lives by simply putting one foot in front of the other. The drama that unfolds, at times, is unbelievable. From the eldest child to the youngest, the anxieties are obvious. Lilly finds herself at times unable to interact and is often heard reciting cliché’s, words she lived by, ”When it rains, it pours, A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush, It’ll All Come Out in the Wash.”  Lilly is strong, resilient and loyal, and her inner strength causes her to persevere. 

Website: www.Cheryleboyle.com  

Stella Marie Alden Day 3







BIO:

Stella Marie Alden loves Zumba, yoga, watercolor painting, and fixing up her house.
Growing up in Vermont, she loved to make up stories. Crayons fought each other over size and
placement in their cardboard box and imaginary friends crowded the house. Her brother often
complained. “Tell her no one’s here, Mother.".
Her career paths have varied. She’s been a librarian, a classical clarinetist, recording studio
engineer, broadcast electronics repairman, and now she architects software programs. She lives
in Bergen County, NJ with her life-long hero and their two cats. Her two girls are grown but ever
supportive. You go Mom!

How to marry your wife
Buy Link:
http://www.amazon.com/Marry-Your-Stella-Marie-Alden-ebook/dp/B017KPHKVO/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8


How to Train Your Knight: A Medieval Romance Novel

How to train your knight
Buy link:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Train-Your-Knight-Medieval-ebook/dp/B00WRNKOOU/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

11/19/15

Stella Marie Alden Day 2




Links:

BUY:  http://www.amazon.com/Marry-Your-Stella-Marie-Alden-ebook/dp/B017KPHKVO

Website: http://www.stellamariealden.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stellaMarieAlden/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27212966

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StellaAlden/how-to-marry-your-wife-book-2/



How To Train Your Knight: A Medieval Romance


11/18/15

Stella Marie Alden Day 1




Cover Blurb:

What foul devilry is this? They told her he was dead. After six long years without a word, her
knight falls onto his knees and sings poetry. Then he denies their son? Heed this well. She’s no
longer an innocent who’ll giggle and tarry on his every word. The sharp edge of her tongue and
knife is the only welcome he’ll get. She’ll not marry him. Besides, the pain would be too much
to bear should he ever leave again.

Her attitude is beyond understanding. What voice did he have? The king commanded and he
obeyed. Regardless of her hatred, the Templar knight weds. This time she will travel with him
and he will win back her favor. It’s a long road from London to Hadrian’s Wall. Evil deeds
weave a plot laced with castles, kidnappings, and missives. Will the treacherous journey split
them asunder forever? Mayhap only in heaven will he rekindle the passion they once shared.

Excerpt:
“My lord, your castle awaits to the north and your relatives may be held captive. We must turn
back.” The words were spoken by Harold-the-Younger who would be forgiven, just this once,
for his impertinence.

“And my wife is missing. Thank you for stating the obvious. If you can’t be more helpful, I
suggest your mouth be best used for taking in breath.”
Jacob pointed down the river. “There. What’s that?”

Thomas’ heart sank. A flat bottomed boat lay bobbing upside down against the bank of the river.
A woman’s body lay beside it in a pool of blood. He swallowed hard and dug spurs into
Demon’s side. His charger tossed his head, snorted, and veered, but Thomas gained control and
raced toward the grisly scene.

A dog chewed at a headless mass of flesh and snarled. He kicked the animal away, squatted, and
cursed. Pieces of Merry’s bloodied tunic twisted among the innards. He dropped to his knees and
shouted with first raised into the air. “Be ye damned forever.” Part of the curse was for whoever
had just killed her, the other for God, and lastly for himself.

Assessing the gore was the hardest thing he’d ever done. What was left of the flesh had the
length and breadth of his wife. One arm was cleaved at the wrist. His soul refused to
acknowledge the scene in front of his eyes and he refused to mourn. Not yet. He’d find the
bastard who’d done this to her, cleave him in to small bits, and let the vultures feed.

A horse whinnied behind him and Jacob’s flat voice spoke, “The head is gone.”

“Let me be. I’ll bury her. Alone.” He gathered stones and placed them beside the body.
“It’s way too opportune that the poor woman’s head and hand are missing. I smell a ruse.”
The blackness that threatened to devour his soul wouldn’t let in one ray of hope. “Do as you will.
I’ll bury what’s left of her.”

Thomas scoured the flood plain for a sign of her. Was it possible? Crows circled above, but other
than that, the land lay bare. All signs and tracks around the body had been swept away. The
coward was clever. About a mile beyond, a forest loomed. Perhaps the woman-slayer trembled
there.

Having no shovel, but many a stone, Thomas moved the body parts to a central area and covered
them. With none to watch, tears came unbidden as he placed the last round stone atop what was
left of her body. He gasped for air, knowing not how to go on, but knowing he must for his little
son.
“What say you, lass? You were right. Better that I should’ve stayed dead.”

Memories, detecting the flaw in his mail, attacked without mercy. Six years ago, he’d spied her
across the room with the devil in her eyes. She’d smiled boldly at him and giggled with her
friends. The first time they’d sat together at table, he’d fed her like a baby bird and cut her food.
All in the great dining room watched, knowing that in the doing so he’d claimed her.

He recalled that fateful night, when they’d hand-fasted before God. She’d begged him to take her
and he’d been too weak to resist completely. He’d promised to come back after trading in
London and marry her. How was he to know that Marcus would send him abroad at the king’s
request? His soul howled, never to be consoled again.

He sobbed, falling upon his knees, with his hands covering his face.Forgive me. He’d loved with
her that night as much as he’d dared. So beautiful her lovely sighs, so bountiful her breasts.
She’d opened her legs and accepted his hand until she’d come undone. Mayhap a holier man
could have resisted her offerings, but oh no, not him. Nay. He took all but her virginity and
remembered how sweet the agony to spew his seed between her legs.
He allowed one more moment of self-pity, planted the final rock upon her grave, and squeezed
his eyes as they burned. He apologized for his blasphemy and prayed God to take his angel into
heaven and allow him to meet her there anon. First, he would seek revenge and see to the welfare
of his son.

His eyes popped open when the grasses rustled in front of him and the ground opened up. A
muddy black demon arose with shiny eyes and yellow teeth. Grinning, it exited the hole with a
most ordinary sword held high. Then there was naught, but darkness.


Links:

BUY:  http://www.amazon.com/Marry-Your-Stella-Marie-Alden-ebook/dp/B017KPHKVO
Website: http://www.stellamariealden.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stellaMarieAlden/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27212966
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StellaAlden/how-to-marry-your-wife-book-2/

11/13/15

Review of the Death Cure by James Dashner


The Death Cure
By James Dashner

Thomas and his friend are starting a war at WICKED. WICKED (World IN Catastrophe; Killzone Department) has finally drawn its last straw with Thomas. After Being in a white padded room like an insane person would be in, Thomas is finally let free by Jason (Rat Man). Thomas is reunited with his friends and Jason explains to them that they will get the memories back.  Jason also explain that some of them are not immune to the deadly virus called the Flare. All Thomas wants is to be free. Soon WICKED headquarter is in chaos. Thomas, Minho, Newt, Brenda and Jorge escape the chaos and flee up north. In order for Thomas to be free he must take down WICKED once and for all.
The Death Cure was good and sad.  It was well written and fast pace. The author explains very well how Thomas feels about his friends and about WICKED.  The book was very action packed and exciting. Don't forget to read the last book in the series, The Kill Order. It’s a prequel so it starts 13 years earlier.

By James Ramsey

Review of Watchmage of old New York by C.A Sanders

The Watchmage of Old New York

Rating: 4 Stars

Fantasy is not my normal genre. I struggle with mythical creatures and keeping them straight. Is there a difference between a pixie and a fairy?? This is why I normally shy away from fanciful creatures in stories. However this novel's main characters are in fact human or at least I am pretty sure Nathaniel is still human despite being a wizard. The story goes back in forth in points of view from Nathaniel to his son Jonas giving the ready two points of view in terms of the investigation. The story centers around a kidnapping of a human child by magical forces. Jonas (a police officer) must team up with his father Nathaniel (a policeman of sorts for magical creatures) to solve the crime and bring the child home.
The book is easy to read and follow and kept me engaged in the mystery as it unfolded. I was able to finish it in just a couple days so it is a good length and the story didn't feel drawn out. If you enjoy a good mystery with supernatural aspects this is your book.

Ana Elise Meyer
Twitter:@AnaEliseMeyer

Review of Havelock: A serial, book 1 by Jane D. Everly

HAVELOCK: A SERIAL, BOOK 1


Curiosity Quills Press
A Division of Whampa, LLC
Reston, VA
http://curiosityquills.com
Copyright 2015 Jane D. Everly

Three Stars

I will admit up front that from a reader’s perspective, I have no patience with serials (not the
same as a series of stand- alone novels) offered for commercial consumption.  Having said that, I
will try to be as fair as my predisposition against serials will allow.
What, exactly, is a multi-talented female protagonist, Eliana, doing being tortured in an
interrogation cell in Kurachi?  Unfortunately, we’ll never know unless we read the rest of Ms
Everly’s Havelock serial and that could stretch into many books.  This one, at sixty-six pages, is
minimally a novella. Eliana is a bigger-than-life female character endowed with superior strength and agility,
superhuman martial arts skills with an ingrained need to beat-up on British MI6 agents and bad
guys with equal vigor.  Eliana is an enigma, as far as MI6, Spiral (the incipient criminal
organization) and the readers are concerned.  She is a fictional character that while, perhaps,
portraying a noble quest, isn’t blessed with the slightest hint of believable humanity or
vulnerability.  Yet, there she is on the page in front of you, making MI6 look like amateurs and
Pakistani bad guys look like choir-boys.
The other main character, MI6 Director, Rawlston is slightly more believable than Eliana,
but a Board of Inquiry looking into MI6’s operations, while tense, is just another day in the life
of a national intelligence agency.  The author never really says this board has any real power to
affect the agency; although its ability to threaten the agency is implied, it is never spelled out and
thus becomes the specter of a threat, more of an irritation, than a real part of the story.”
Nothing in this installment provides Eliana with any creditability. Nothing alludes to her
motives or provided her with any incentive or sanction for being where she is.  She is, for
purposes of this installment at least, a dangerously loose cannon.  The lack of knowledge of
Eliana’s motives is the basis for Director Rawlston’s concern, and the basis upon which a reader
should be concerned as well since Eliana seems not to represent any interests but her own
undefined self-interest.
The text is written in short simple sentences.  There are some misused words and other
editorial errors but they are not overwhelming.  Havelock, a Serial should appeal to young adults
who enjoy stories about heroes of near inhuman invincibility taking on enemies against near
impossible odds.  The female hero, Eliana, is perhaps reminiscent of Emma Peel (the Avengers)
or perhaps Lara Croft of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider fame and may perhaps, be expected to appeal
to a similar demographic. Three Stars.

Clabe Polk

review of La Venganza by Michael Benson

La Venganza
by
Michael Benson


There are no spoilers in this review. It made for a less than satisfying experience for me
writing it. But one of the joys of reading stories like this one is not knowing how it’s going
to turn out. “La Venganza”(The Revenge) is a heart pumping story set in today’s Southwest that is
multi-dimensional and non-linear. Don’t let that turn you off. Once you understand that
each chapter opens from the POV of a young Mexican woman fleeing for her life it’s an
easy read. We learn her back-story much later in the book.
Frank Millirons adds the other dimension to the story. We are told early on that he is
dying from cancer but he’s not going gently into that good night. The opening scene is a
gun battle between him and the people chasing him. It’s a long shot that he will escape.
He does and our hopes grow that he can beat the cancer too.
It’s not immediately clear who the “good guys” and the “bad boys” are in this fast-paced,
well-written novel. The novel’s action alone is a compelling reason to read this book.
The storytelling is outstanding and the well-structured plot keeps the reader guessing.
Besides keeping us guessing about the next layer of the story to be revealed, Benson
knows of what he speaks. It’s obvious that he has done his research on how the police
work in the Southwest and the role of undercover agents.
We’re never sure what the bad guys are up to until the climax. Are they dealing drugs,
or transporting illegal immigrants from Mexico into the USA? One thing is clear
however, they are vicious and violent.
As the story unfolds the non-linear action sequence and the multiple POV’s of the
characters interact so that everything makes sense in the end. A notable achievement
by a first-time author who has written a first-rate crime thriller.

4 STARS

Bill Snyder

Review of Sapphire Legend by EL Tenenbaum

Review of the Sapphire Legend part 1 by E.L. Tenenbaum

Sapere lives with the third tribe of the Oro tribes, which lives next to the Wild. The Wild
is a forested area in which dangerous creatures lurk behind dark shadows. But the Wild is the
only place that Sapere feels at home. It’s because of her secret, a gift that she’s had since she
was twelve, but this gift is only supposed to be inherited by men. Her tribe is made of families
that possess the abilities of animals. Sapere’s family possesses the deer, which means the she
has excellent hearing and can run fast without any effort. She keeps this a secret for the fear of
what will happen after everyone knows.
Sapere has been represented to a man named, Nashere. She knows that Nashere will be
a good husband and she hopes she will be a good wife, with their wedding coming soon. On the
day of their wedding, their tribe is ambushed by the Pliz. The Pliz are a neighboring tribe that
have never liked using their gifts and despised others that did. Many people died during the
attack, including Sapere’s parents and her husband. Her only surviving family member was her
sister, Onyx. Sapere, Onyx, and a few other survivors were forced to flee Into the Wild, the
place where only Sapere knew the surroundings. Sapere is forced to postpone her grieving time
in order to help lead the remainder of her tribe.
I had no idea what this book was about going into it, and I think that it is really good. I
loved the concept of this story. I think that it's really cool how Sapere as a gift that has to keep
hidden. I feel as though it's her super power. The author was able to really bring Sapere to life. I
felt as though I knew her for a very long time. I really enjoyed learning about all the characters.
Their personalities and emotions came to life throughout the story. The plot was so fascinating.
The author described the excoriated animals that Sapere had encountered with great detail. I
kind of wish that it would have been a faster pace. I gave this book 3 of out 5 stars.

Tana B

11/9/15

A.M. Willard



One Night by A.M. Willard 

Two people desire more from life, as they fight against all odds. Family, love, and a career, it’s all worth the forever.

#KindleUnlimited #Romance #OneNight 
Read free or $2.99 

11/6/15

Dan Buri Day 5


This week we have had the pleasure to explore Dan Buri’s
new book—Pieces Like Pottery. On our last day, we have some final questions for
Dan about his writing experiences and advice for writers.
Thank you again for sharing your book and experiences with us this week, Dan.

Do you think indie/self-published authors are viewed differently than traditionally 
published authors?

I think this used to be the case without question, but we have seen significant changes
in the last 3-to-5 years. Ebooks have done wonders for changing the accessibility of
indie authors, both from a publishing standpoint as well as from a readership
standpoint. It has become much easier to see your work published than, say, 20 years
ago. This has naturally had an effect on what gets published. The big six publishers
are large corporations and as much as they aim to focus on creativity and great works,
it’s difficult for them because they have thousands of people that work for them and
rely on them. So the big six are constantly focused on what will be a commercial
success. The irony is that they don’t know what will be a commercial success just like
you and I don’t know. What do Harry Potter, A Wrinkle in Time, Gone With the
Wind, and Twilight have in common? They were all initially rejected by publishers.
They just don’t know what’s going to sell. Indie authors have a little bit of freedom
from these commercial requirements. We all want our books to do well commercially
of course, but we are also able to take creative chances that a big six publisher might
be unwilling to take.

I think the quality of indie/self-published books has improved immensely too. There
is such a high bar for indie authors and we quickly lose the reader’s trust if there are
errors or incongruities in our stories. The editing process is so important in avoiding
these errors. I don’t have any evidence to back this up, it’s only anecdotal, but it
seems like the best self-published ebooks are of a higher quality now than 5-10 years
ago. This has helped close the perception gap between indie authors and traditionally
published others.

Which book would you say had the biggest effect on your personal development?

Wow, this is a tough question. If I’m forced to choose one, I would say The Lion, The
Witch, and The Wardrobe (by C.S. Lewis). I’ve read it a half dozen times or so, but
the first time I read it was with my mother. I think I fell in love with storytelling
hearing my mother read this book to me. It’s a beautiful fable. I can recall laying up at
night before bed as she made the world of C.S. Lewis a reality for me.

Pieces Like Pottery contains Stories of Loss and Redemption. How do you motivate
yourself not to quit during tough times of loss or sorrow?

This is a great question—a very difficult question, but a great question. Every person
has trials in life. Life always presents obstacles and disappointments. I am a firm
believer that it’s not what happens to us in life that determines our happiness, but
what we do with what happens to us. There’s a famous college basketball coach here
in the states, John Wooden, who passed away a few years ago. He had a quote I love:
“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
That’s a beautiful sentiment to live by. (This was actually quoted in the excerpt we
read yesterday from “The Gravesite.”).
For myself, I try to live this sentiment the best I can. I have an amazing family who I
can rely on in tough times, which is very important. I pray and meditate as well.
Mindfulness is important to me—focusing on staying present. It certainly helps to
avoid ruminating about the past or worrying about the future. I think we are all
communicative beings and life is intended to be shared with those around us, but a
deep interior life is paramount to finding personal peace and satisfaction. I try to
foster a deep interior life as much as I can, which, I hope, allows me to offer more to
those I encounter in my life.

Obstacles build character. Which would you say is the most character-building
obstacle you've faced?

Another great and difficult question. This is a very deep question. I particularly like
that you used the term “character.” Many people concern themselves with their
reputation, which is who others think you are. Character, on the other hand, is who
you really are. It’s difficult not to focus on reputation, especially in today’s social-
media-crazed culture, but I always try to remind myself that my character is what is
truly important. I wouldn’t say there has been a “most charter-building obstacle” that
I’ve faced. Each obstacle shapes who we are, no one more important than the other.

How do you balance the need to have time to write with the needs of family, society,
etc.?

Balancing writing with the other areas of my life is a difficult task. I am an attorney in
a demanding job. I ghost write non-fiction regularly for a couple of websites. I have
an amazing wife and wonderful 2-year-old daughter with whom I love to spend time.
All of these things take considerable time away from my fiction writing and, to be
honest, all these commitments are why it took me years to complete Pieces Like
Pottery. But balance is incredibly important, so I strive to find a good balance. I have
an amazing family on whom I can rely. I try to pray and meditate consistently, which,
I hope, allows me to offer more to those I encounter in my life and into my writing.
Then, on the flip side, I try to create deadlines for myself in my writing. Without
deadlines, my writing tends to drift and I don’t create the time to just sit and write.

What would be the top three things you would tell aspiring authors?

Over the years I have been lucky enough to be offered abundant feedback and to hear
excellent commentary from a few creative people that I admire greatly. There are
three comments/ideas that have stuck with me throughout all my writing endeavors.
(Each of these is summarized in my own words.)

1. When asked about the fears and doubts that she had with her writing,
Elizabeth Gilbert (best selling author of Eat, Pray, Love) said she finally had
an epiphany that her “writing muse” was telling her that this isn’t her story. If
she doesn’t tell it, she said, then the muse would move on to someone else
who will. Ms. Gilbert discussed how freeing this was for her. She was no
longer declaring to the reader: “Listen to me. I have something to say.” It was
almost as if she had no other choice but to write. This opened her up to write
every day without fear of the result.

2. Ira Glass is an American public radio personality and the host and producer of
the radio and television show This American Life. He has a great quote for
young creatives. In short, he encourages that your work is not going to be
good when you’re first starting out. We may have an excitement for our craft
and a killer taste for what’s good, but our execution is poor. The only way to
improve your work, the only way to close the gap so that your work is as good
as your ambitions, is to do a lot of work. Write. Every day. Every week put
yourself on a deadline to write something new. It’s going to take awhile, but
that’s normal. Good writing doesn’t come the first time you sit down.

3. Louis C.K. is one of the most thoughtful and innovative comics alive right
now. I heard him once speak about his HBO show, Lucky Louie, which was
cancelled after one season in 2006. He was asked if he was disappointed with
that and if he looked back at it as a failure. His answer was unequivocally:
“No.” For him it was just another experience that taught him how to hone his
craft, which was invaluable.
So those would be my three pieces of (long-winded) advice. One, don’t worry about
whether you have anything important to say. If you are inspired, say it. Two, write
constantly. You won’t become a good writer unless you’re writing all the time. Three,
take every writing experience and use it to hone your craft. Something is not a failure
simply because the public doesn’t receive it the way you would like.

Author Bio
Dan Buri's first collection of short fiction, Pieces Like Pottery, is an exploration of
heartbreak and redemption that announces the arrival of a new American author. His
writing is uniquely heartfelt and explores the depths of the human struggle and the
human search for meaning in life.
Mr. Buri's non-fiction works have been distributed online and in print, including
publications in Pundit Press, Tree, Summit Avenue Review, American Discovery, and
TC Huddle. The defunct and very well regarded Buris On The Couch, was a He-
Says/She-Says blog musing on the ups and downs of marriage with his wife.
Mr. Buri is an active attorney in the Pacific Northwest and has been recognized by
Intellectual Asset Magazine as one of the World's Top 300 Intellectual Property
Strategists every year since 2010. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two-year-old
daughter.

Pieces Like Pottery Links
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11/5/15

Dan Buri Day 4



This week we have the pleasure to explore Dan Buri’s new
book—Pieces Like Pottery. Today we have an excerpt from the short story "The
Gravesite" published in Pieces Like Pottery.

The headstone nearly glistened in the early afternoon sun. A nondescript
sandstone memoriam flat against the earth marked her son’s resting place. Her gaze
alternated between the gravesite at her feet and the pathway that led there.
Gravestones stretched in all directions. It felt as if every person in the entire state must
know at least one person who was buried here. Some probably knew more than one.
Seven degrees of death.

“I wonder how many people are visiting their own child,” she thought.

Every cliché in the book applies when a parent loses their child. Things never
return to the way they were after the death of a child. A parent should never have to
outlive their children, should never have to watch them lowered into the ground.
Losing a child is like losing your soul; even though you may continue to live on the
outside, on the inside you’re dying. Every one of these applied, and it didn’t even
begin to reveal the pain and the loss of hope she felt.

Lisa looked in agitation up the path towards the parking lot. She glanced at her
watch again and sighed.

“Figures,” she muttered under her breath.

“Hello, Lisa,” came the unexpected reply from behind her. “Good to see you.”

The man smiled at her kindly as she spun around startled. “He must have
heard me grumbling,” she thought. Lisa felt terrible for falling into old habits with this
man—worrying, watching, waiting, and then grumbling about it all. Some habits die
hard though, especially when it’s someone with whom you’ve spent decades.

“You too,” she replied sheepishly.

She couldn’t formulate any words beyond that. The words lodged in her chest,
so she just exhaled at the ground. He stood next to her and focused on his breathing.
Side-by-side they stared at the ground as he put his arm around her shoulder.
Squeezing her tight for just a moment, he kissed the top of her head. The sign of
love—no, care—felt nice to Lisa. She pretended she was indestructible, but she had
long since realized that she is far from it. She had been lost inside. She felt alone.

“Did you see the most recent blog post?” Mike asked.

“I haven’t had a chance to look today.”

“It was there when I checked this morning before driving to see you.” Lisa
immediately knew that this was the reason Mike was a little late. She again felt bad
for grumbling at him a moment ago. She often felt bad for their marriage, their former
marriage, and what it had become.

Mike reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. Slowly he
unfolded it and aimlessly looking at the words on the page, he handed it to Lisa. She
took the paper from Mike’s hands and began to read.

“Well you build it up you wreck it down, and you burn your mansion to
the ground. When there's nothing left to keep you here, when you're
falling behind in this big blue world.”

May 24th

As I sit here preparing for a twenty-mile trip that’ll take an hour and a half
because of traffic, I’m struck by how much the little things are what make up a
man’s life. Each event that happens and each reaction a man has to an event
influence the course of his life. So many people get upset because they are
delayed ten minutes by traffic, or because they don’t like what food was
prepared for them, or they don’t like the work assignment they were given, or
countless other things that people worry about. So many people wish they
were somewhere else doing something else, but they miss what life is really
about. As the Wizard of Westwood would say, “Things turn out best for those
who make the best out of the way things turn out.”
Life’s circumstances are always throwing twists and turns. Wishing for
something more only brings continual disappointment. Each person has the
ability to control their happiness by controlling how they think about each day
and each event. Every situation turns out sour for those who are always
complaining about how things turn out. We will always be affected by our
own attitudes. Every response to every action affects our character.
It’s like a rock that is constantly being dripped on. The water is not pouring
out; it’s just a constant drip. Drip. Drip. Over time that water will leave its
mark. The rock will corrode from the constant impact of the water. Each
decision we make is like that water. How we respond to life’s twists and turns
impacts our life as forcefully as the water impacts the rock. The decision may
not be visible in a man’s character in a week, a month, or even a year, but his
decisions change him over time. The impact can either have a corrosive effect
on the man’s character, like the rock under the drip, drip, drip; or the impact
can have a smooth, even effect like a stone washed from years of salty ocean
water.

So as I am stuck in traffic that’s moving slower than I can walk, I realize that
how I react to unforeseen problems, what I do each moment, and what I even
spend my time thinking about, all greatly impact my character and my life’s
direction. Life’s simple moments are not unimportant and wasted. They are
the foundations that shape our lives. They are the formational moments, one
added upon another. They are far more important than the seemingly
substantial and notable moments in life that are more the finishing touches of
life than they are formational moments. At least that’s how I see things. But
what do I know? One thing’s for sure, I guess—it’s finished. That’s all I have
to say. Thanks for reading.
Lisa wiped a tear from her eyes. She shook her head with amazement and
disappointment. Amazement in the idealism her son has…had. Disappointment in
knowing this was the end. She grabbed Mike’s outstretched hand and squeezed as
they focused on their son’s gravestone at their feet.
Excerpt from the short story "The Gravesite" published in Pieces Like Pottery.

Author Bio

Dan Buri's first collection of short fiction, Pieces Like Pottery, is an exploration of
heartbreak and redemption that announces the arrival of a new American author. His
writing is uniquely heartfelt and explores the depths of the human struggle and the
human search for meaning in life.
Mr. Buri's non-fiction works have been distributed online and in print, including
publications in Pundit Press, Tree, Summit Avenue Review, American Discovery, and
TC Huddle. The defunct and very well regarded Buris On The Couch, was a He-
Says/She-Says blog musing on the ups and downs of marriage with his wife.
Mr. Buri is an active attorney in the Pacific Northwest and has been recognized by
Intellectual Asset Magazine as one of the World's Top 300 Intellectual Property
Strategists every year since 2010. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two-year-old
daughter.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26878042-pieces-like-pottery

http://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Like-Pottery-Stories-Redemption-ebook/dp/B0163NLWDQ/ref=la_B01690UJQE_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446554838&sr

11/4/15

Dan Buri Day 3



This week we have the pleasure to explore Dan Buri’s new
book—Pieces Like Pottery. Today Dan has been kind enough to answer some
questions related to writing and his writing process.

Thank you again, Dan. I’m sure my readers will enjoy learning some tips about
writing and your writing process.

Is there anything that prompted your latest book? Something that inspired you?

Great question. I wouldn’t say that there was any one moment that prompted me to
write this book, but these stories constantly bubble up inside of me. As writers, I think
the challenge is taking the stories from our head and our heart and putting them on the
page. A lot of people have stories, but not everyone can communicate them
effectively and clearly. It’s the great challenge of the writer.

Do you always write in the same genre?

My non-fiction work has been published in print and online at a number of places
over the years. My wife and I actually had a fairly well regarded blog called Buris On
the Couch a few years back. We would pick a narrow subject each week and then
write He Says/She Says takes on that subject. We really enjoyed doing it, but it
became difficult to keep up and we had to shut it down once we had our daughter.
Maybe we’ll revisit it again in the future. We’ve had a lot of inquiries to start it back
up. This is my first venture into the world of fiction. I have written fiction since I was
young, but this is my first published work of fiction.

What is your writing process like? Do you map the whole thing out or do you just 
let it unfold?

A little bit of both. I keep a journal of notes and ideas that strike me throughout the
day. We all have what an old teacher of mine liked to call pristine moments of
coherence—those moments when an idea strikes us so profoundly and clearly. I don’t
want to lose those thoughts when I have them, so I try to write them down. But I
typically have an idea or framework for a story before I begin. Once I have that and I
am writing, then I will pull concepts or paragraphs from my journals or other
notebooks. In fact, one of the paragraphs in The Gravesite (from Pieces Like Pottery)

was actually written back when I was a teenager, if you can believe that.

In one of the stories the ending I had planned just didn’t work. It felt dishonest to take
the reader on the journey and then finish with the original ending. I just knew the
reader would feel betrayed, so I had to rework it. Sometimes the original plan just
doesn’t work and the story unfolds on it’s own.

Do you write in a specific place or at a specific time of day?

Once upon a time I thought I needed to write in a particular time and place. I would
typically write at night and need to be in the perfect mood to do so. With a very
demanding job, a wife, and two-year-old daughter, however, I quickly found that I
was not finding much time to write at all. I had to begin writing anytime I could find a
free 30 minutes. I was lucky I did too.

I think young writers always wait for the moment of inspiration to strike. These
moments are amazing, but they are a great luxury. The truth, in my opinion, is that
writing is as much about editing and revising as it is about the writing itself. I have so
many pages of Pieces Like Pottery on the cutting room floor, so to speak. Maybe
editing is a beautiful and inspiring process for some people, but for most writers I
know, it is painstaking. There’s nothing inspirational about it for me. Having very
little time to write each day helped me to begin taking my writing to the next level, to
learn to hone it as a craft, rather than writing simply being an inspirational hobby. I
had to find time to write whenever I could, regardless of whether the circumstances
were perfect.

That being said, I still love to write at night over a glass of wine or a fine whiskey.
Nothing beats that.

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration in my everyday life. I think good writers have a unique gift of
empathy. They work hard to understand another person’s pains, hopes, dreams and
fears. I really try to understand each person that I encounter in my life. These
experiences tend to inspire me and seep into my writing.

How much of YOU makes it into your characters?

I think every character an author creates is based on a real person or an amalgamation
of real people. I also think an author will drop a little piece of himself or herself into
every character they create. It is just too difficult to not let experiences and biases
seep into one’s writing. There is certainly a piece of me in each character throughout
Pieces Like Pottery. This made it particularly difficult to finish the book at times. I
had to tap into both a sorrowful and a hopeful part of myself for these stories, which
took an emotional toll at times. That being said, I didn’t create any of the characters in
Pieces Like Pottery to represent me or to be a caricature of myself.

Author Bio

Dan Buri's first collection of short fiction, Pieces Like Pottery, is an exploration of
heartbreak and redemption that announces the arrival of a new American author. His
writing is uniquely heartfelt and explores the depths of the human struggle and the
human search for meaning in life.
Mr. Buri's non-fiction works have been distributed online and in print, including
publications in Pundit Press, Tree, Summit Avenue Review, American Discovery, and
TC Huddle. The defunct and very well regarded Buris On The Couch, was a He-
Says/She-Says blog musing on the ups and downs of marriage with his wife.
Mr. Buri is an active attorney in the Pacific Northwest and has been recognized by
Intellectual Asset Magazine as one of the World's Top 300 Intellectual Property
Strategists every year since 2010. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two-year-old
daughter.

http://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Like-Pottery-Stories-Redemption-ebook/dp/B0163NLWDQ/ref=la_B01690UJQE_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446554838&sr

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26878042-pieces-like-pottery

11/3/15

Dan Buri Day 2



This week we have the pleasure to explore Dan Buri’s new
book—Pieces Like Pottery. Today we have an excerpt from the short story "Expect
Dragons" published in Pieces Like Pottery.

Between the two notebooks was a sheet of paper. At the top it read: “40 Tips for
College and Life.” On the last week of high school, Mr. Smith handed out his college
advice, the same college advice I was now holding just hours after learning he was
dying. I sat and read through each of them.

            40 Tips for College and Life
1. Life's too short to not seize the opportunities with which we are presented.
    Always take the chance to do what you love when it comes along.
2. Question authority.
3. Question those who question authority.
4. Don’t be afraid to see dinosaurs even when everyone else around you doesn’t.
5. Be kind. Kindness can change things far beyond your wildest dreams. They
    say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but it's kindness that makes the
    heart grow softer.
6. Walk barefoot through grass.
7. Be quick to show compassion and empathy.
8. Don’t dress like a bum all day long.
9. Have a routine, but avoid being routine.
10. Smile.
11. We are all intelligent, thoughtful individuals. Don't let others tell you
      something has to be that way. It doesn't. The world is far too complex for it
      to have to be that way.
12. Be conscious of the present. Time is your most valuable asset.
13. It’s easy to doubt. Don’t be easy. Hold on to faith and hope.
14. Love a little more. You can always love more.
15. Don’t jump at the first chance to go out. There will always be another party.
      It’s college.
16. Live with purpose.
17. Not everything you do has to have a purpose. Folly can be quite satisfying.
18. Don’t act like you know more than you actually do. There’s no shame in
      admitting you don’t know the answer.
19. Remember that the things you do know are of value. Don’t act like you know
      less than you do. Share your knowledge.
20. Don’t spend each day only staring at a screen. Put down your phone. Close
      your laptop. Turn off your TV.
21. Share laughter. There's far too much that's funny out there to take yourself too
      seriously.
22. Share tears. There's far too much pain and hurt out there not to take others’
      struggles seriously.
23. Enjoy music.
24. Remember to get lost in your mind from time to time.
25. Breathe slowly.
26. Don’t be afraid to be alone. Everyone knows: “Not all who wander are lost.”
      Few realize: Not all who are alone are lonely.
27. Take in the beauty of nature. Look around you. Don’t take it for granted.
28. Take in the beauty of mankind. Look around you and see how wonderful your
      neighbor can be.
29. Dance in the rain.
30. There will come a time in college, and in life, when you are presented with
      decisions that compromise your values. Know how you will respond to those
      times before they ever happen.
31. Have resolve.
32. Share excitement when you’re excited. People that hold that against you are
      most likely projecting their own feelings of inadequacy.
33. Remember to read, and something more than a blog. Pick up a book from time
      to time.
34. There is only one you.
35. Laugh hard, kiss softly, disparage slowly, and forgive quickly.
36. Eat fully, drink deeply, and always remember to give often.
37. Decide what you believe, know who you are and live accordingly. Don't
      apologize to anyone for that.
38. But if you realize later on that you were wrong, admit it. Ask forgiveness.
39. Maya Angelou has a great quote: "If I'd known better, I'd have done better."
      We can only do the best we know how, but there's no excuse for not striving to
      attain the know-how. And there's certainly no excuse for not doing better once
      we have it.
40. Expect Dragons.

I stared at the list thinking about how influential Mr. Smith was in my life. At a time
late in my high school career when I felt lost and alone, he inspired me to believe life
was full of wonder and hope. Now, just two hours before, I found out he was dying. I
placed the list back into its box and slid into the front seat of my borrowed car. It was
4:25 in the afternoon and I eased the car onto the I-84 heading east, on my way to say
goodbye to my beloved teacher one last time.
Excerpt from the short story "Expect Dragons" published in Pieces Like Pottery.

Author Bio
Dan Buri's first collection of short fiction, Pieces Like Pottery, is an exploration of
heartbreak and redemption that announces the arrival of a new American author. His
writing is uniquely heartfelt and explores the depths of the human struggle and the
human search for meaning in life.

Mr. Buri's non-fiction works have been distributed online and in print, including
publications in Pundit Press, Tree, Summit Avenue Review, American Discovery, and
TC Huddle. The defunct and very well regarded Buris On The Couch, was a He-
Says/She-Says blog musing on the ups and downs of marriage with his wife.
Mr. Buri is an active attorney in the Pacific Northwest and has been recognized by
Intellectual Asset Magazine as one of the World's Top 300 Intellectual Property
Strategists every year since 2010. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two-year-old
daughter.

http://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Like-Pottery-Stories-Redemption-ebook/dp/B0163NLWDQ/ref=la_B01690UJQE_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1446554838&sr

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14439516.Dan_Buri

11/2/15

Dan Buri Day 1

This week it is my pleasure to interview and promote Dan Buri. Would you please 
introduce yourself to my readers?

I grew up in the Midwest in the States with four brothers and one sister. I moved out
to the beautiful Pacific Northwest a little over ten years ago. I am a patent attorney
with an engineering background, which is what I spend my days doing when I am not
writing. I have a beautiful wife and amazing two-year-old daughter who cracks me up
daily.

Tell us about your latest work. Why did you write it?

Pieces Like Pottery is literary fiction or contemporary fiction. It’s a collection of short
stories that explores the sorrows of life, but exposes the strength of character and the
kindness we all need to find redemption. Each story touches on very real and very
human emotions and experiences.

I am moved and inspired by people’s real life stories of
overcoming tragedy. Every person has trials in life. Life always presents obstacles and 
disappointments. I wanted to examine how individuals overcome these obstacles in a 
variety of characters. I toyed with the idea of each of these stories being its own 
novel, and I still may expand a couple of them into full length novels, but I settled in 
on a collection of linked short stories because it presented the opportunity to have a 
range of characters and display that despite how different each character’s life 
experience is, we are all connected as human beings. We all suffer and laugh just the 
same. My hope is that readers recognize that and are inspired or moved to compassion 
through the book.

Do you have any pets?

I do not currently have any pets. I have a two-year-old daughter that is allergic to dogs
and cats. It’s a little bit heart breaking because she absolutely loves dogs and cats. We
walk through downtown Portland (Oregon) everyday and pet the dogs that walk by.
She jumps up and down in excitement. But unfortunately, a pet in the home wouldn’t
work well.

Can you name your worst job? Do you think you learned anything from the 
position that you now use in your writing?

I have had more odd jobs than I can count. I worked maintenance at a high school one
summer. One of the tasks was to empty out the 15-year-old water from a boiler in the
basement of the school. The only way to empty it was to syphon the water out through
a narrow tube, but I had to suck the water up through the tube until it reached the
syphon valve that would then automatically start pumping the water out. My co-
worker was supposed to tell me when the dirty boiler water reached the valve, but he
got distracted. I swallowed a mouthful of 15-year-old boiler water. Let me tell you, it
still makes me queasy to this day. I was heaving and retching for quite awhile after
that. I’m not quite sure what I learned from that, though, except that it’s a fairly funny
story.

We all have to work tough jobs so we can continue to do what we love—write. I’ve
worked a lot of writing jobs too—blogger, ghost writer, research assistant, editor,
teacher’s aid, researcher…I didn’t enjoy all of those, but they have all helped me hone
my craft.

Can you give us a silly fact about yourself?

When I was younger, I used to play Star Wars with my three older brothers. My oldest
brother would be Luke Skywalker. My second oldest brother would be Han Solo. My
brother just older than me would be Chewbacca. They would make me be Princess
Leia. I have no idea why I couldn’t have been C-3PO or R2-D2 or even Lando
Calrissian. They always made me be Princess Leia.

What is the biggest factor for you when selecting a book to read?

Most of what I read are via recommendations. I keep a list on my phone of all the
books that have been recommended to me from people I trust. I am lucky enough to
live blocks from the world’s largest used bookstore—Powell’s City of Books. I just
pull out my phone every time I go there and grab a couple selections off of my
recommended list. I think more than anything else, the number one factor for

selecting a book is if it came highly recommended from a trusted source.

Have there been any authors in particular, that inspired your writing?

I feel like this is the question that readers and writers always ask in a judgmental way.
It’s as if your readers are going to judge me by the authors I enjoy. “Oh no, I don’t
agree with that at all. John Grisham? This guy clearly isn’t serious about his
writing.” (I’m smiling if that’s not showing through your computer screen.)

I am constantly inspired by writers, but I made a decision a long time ago not to try to
duplicate any other author’s style. I wanted to find my own voice and have worked
diligently at that. I have a lot of authors that I love, though. A few, in no particular
order: Gertrude Warner, Shell Silverstein, Dr. Seuss, C.S. Lewis, Fyodor
Dostoyevsky, Charles Dickens, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Grisham, Malcolm Gladwell,
John Buri, Cormac McCarthy, Bill Bryson and Mark Twain. I could probably list
another hundred who’s writing I enjoy with wonderment.

Author Bio:
Dan Buri's first collection of short fiction, Pieces Like Pottery, is an exploration of
heartbreak and redemption that announces the arrival of a new American author. His
writing is uniquely heartfelt and explores the depths of the human struggle and the
human search for meaning in life.
Mr. Buri's non-fiction works have been distributed online and in print, including
publications in Pundit Press, Tree, Summit Avenue Review, American Discovery, and
TC Huddle. The defunct and very well regarded Buris On The Couch, was a He-
Says/She-Says blog musing on the ups and downs of marriage with his wife.
Mr. Buri is an active attorney in the Pacific Northwest and has been recognized by
Intellectual Asset Magazine as one of the World's Top 300 Intellectual Property
Strategists every year since 2010. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two-year-old
daughter.

Pieces Like Pottery Links
Currently at promotional pricing!

http://www.amazon.com/Pieces-Like-Pottery-Stories-Redemption-ebook/dp/B0163NLWDQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444340332&sr=8-1&keywords=pieces+like+pottery

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