Book Blogger Spotlight: I Am, Indeed

Today, the Book Blogger Spotlight falls upon Gaele, from I Am, Indeed. This amazing book blogger was a veterinary science major at university with a bent for English literature, American and British.

The transition from reader to reviewer was a natural one for Gaele. “I don’t remember a time when I didn’t read, and I’ve always been fascinated with language and words. I was a kid who traveled often, so books were easy to transport and bring along, and being able to hide in other worlds kept boredom at bay. It wasn’t unusual to see me with 3 or 4 different books in a bag or backpack, and I’ve had and used and worn out library cards, getting my first when I was 4. With the advent of eBooks, an iPad and a Kindle Fire; both exposure and ability to get new titles near instantly kept me feeding my reader with titles in all genres. When I started to see the profusion of review sites, I put my name in the pot for a couple of positions on review teams, and was chosen. Between those site owners giving me a chance, and my own type-A go all in or go home attitude, a book blog was born. Then as time has gone on, I’ve spent time working on my review skills: from running a small review team for an eMagazine, to encouraging and helping new reviewers, writing guest posts about reviews and still managing to write reviews for 3 sites beside my own I’m pretty busy. Additionally, I still beta read for (last count) ten authors, and I have started editing (copy/proof/line) and two of my edited titles are now released.” Continue reading “Book Blogger Spotlight: I Am, Indeed”

Book Brief: Turning This Thing Around

Turning This Thing Around
by Keith Maginn
Genre: Nonfiction/memoir/self-help
Word count: 24,000

Turning This Thing Around is an inspiring memoir of overcoming personal struggles. This brutally honest, deeply personal account of redemption takes readers on a moving spiritual journey. Confronted with a myriad of obstacles–a debilitating arthritic disease, narcolepsy, anxiety and depression–the author was outwardly happy, but inwardly miserable.

Pushed to the lowest point of his life, Maginn shares how he gradually turned things around and used his experiences to grow as a person. Supplemented by heartfelt poetry by the author and with quotes from Gandhi to Dr. Wayne Dyer to Eckhart Tolle, Turning This Thing Around has universal themes that speak to nearly everyone, as we all must face challenges as part of being human. It is a self-help memoir of sorts: the author discusses not only what he overcame, but also how he did so–and how others can, too.

Unlike many popular memoirs on the market, this is a story that more people can relate to. Maginn was not raised in an eccentric family (Jeannette Walls in The Glass Castle, memoirs by Augusten Burroughs), nor did he travel to Italy, India and Indonesia, as Elizabeth Gilbert did in Eat, Pray, Love. Rather, Turning This Thing Around is a story of a normal young man’s resiliency when battling extraordinary circumstances.

This book is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Continue reading “Book Brief: Turning This Thing Around”

Book Blogger Spotlight: Bookaholic

Meet Wendy H. Jones, the force behind the book blog, Bookaholic. She has served  in both the Royal Navy and the British Army and has lived and traveled all over the world. Wendy credits her globetrotting with giving her a wide taste in reading, as sometimes it was difficult to find books in English.

She has been a passionate reader since an early age. “I drove the local librarians nuts as a child as I had read the entire children’s section by the time I was 10. I wanted to move on to the adult section, as I needed more books. Needless to say, being a determined little soul, I got my own way. My love for reading has never waned since that day. My love for blogging is an extension of this, as I love words. I have recently started writing a murder mystery series starring DI Shona McKenzie. With a name like that it will come as no surprise that the books are set in Dundee, Scotland where I live. Although from Dundee I have just returned here.”

Wendy is also an avid reader of Indies Unlimited. Continue reading “Book Blogger Spotlight: Bookaholic”

Book Brief: The Gentle Man

The Gentle Man
by Michelle Mogil
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Word count: 84,000

Anastasia Trent was the first to admit it: she had crested the peak and was now in her downhill years. Middle-aged and worn out, she’s resigned herself to a life of drudgery and angst as she watches her marriage, job, house and body slowly but surely fall apart.

Enter a dark and compelling stranger who claims he’s running for his life and begs for her help. Against all reason, Ana lets him in. Soon, she’s questioning his sanity, her sanity, and reality itself. One thing’s for certain: life will never be dull or ordinary again.

This book is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief: The Gentle Man”