Please visit me today

I'm being hosted by J. Aday Kennedy today as part of the VBT Writers on the Move blot tour. Please come visit and leave a comment. I will be back this afternoon (at a conference this weekend) and will answer questions and leave comments when I return home - see you all in the postings - E :)

Meet Janet Ann Collins

It is my pleasure to introduce Janet Ann Collins, author of the Peril of the Sinister Scientist.

Let's find out a little more about the person behind the book:




Janet Ann Collins used to write feature articles for a newspaper in the Bay Area, is a columnist for the Antique Auction Explorer and her work has appeared in many other publications.





She is the author of two fiction books for children. The Peril of the Sinister Scientist is about a middle school boy who thinks he was cloned from the blood on the Shroud of Turin because a scientist who had worked on that experiment is stalking him.




Secret Service Saint is a picture book about Nicholas, who discovers the fun of doing secret good deeds and eventually becomes known as Santa Claus.







Signs of Trouble, an early chapter book about kids with learning disabilities who get separated from their class on a field trip, will be released in October 2010.

Collins is a retired teacher, enjoys public speaking and often teaches workshops at conferences. With her husband, she raised three deaf foster sons with special needs in addition to their birth daughter, and has one grandson. They live in the beautiful Sierra foothills of Northern California. To learn more about her please visit her website.


Janet can be found doing reviews on her blog

More information about Janet and her books can be found on her website

Books reviews and interviews for, by, or about people with disabilities are occassionally posted on her other blog.




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VBT schedule and who's coming next:
Learn from new and experienced authors. Join Writers on the Move September 2010 Authors' Tour.

Visit Helena Harper with more on Debra Eckerling tomorrow.

Visit my illustrator, Heather Paye, on the 9th for a visit with Diane Sagan, ghostwriter.

Check out Heidi Thomas's blog for more info about Heather on the 16th, and visit with Jessica Aday Kennedy on the 26th of this month to find out more about me.

Meet Janet Ann Collins

Tomorrow, I am hosting Janet Collins, author of the The Peril of the Sinister Scientist, a middle-grader/tweener novel. Stop by and see who is behind this fun sounding book.

Book blurb:

The Peril of the Sinister Scientist by Janet Ann Collins is a tweener, or middle grade, novel about a boy who thinks he was cloned from the blood on the Shroud of Turin because a scientist who had worked on that experiment is stalking him. It is available in local bookstores and on many online sites, including Amazon.





Book information:

Paperback: 98 pages
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc (July 31, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935137794
ISBN-13: 978-1935137795
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 4 ounces



Janet can be found doing reviews on her blog

Janet's website

Books reviews and interviews for, by, or about people with disabilities are occassionally posted on her other blog.

Book review - Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely! Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite . . .

Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischevious satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most.


Fablehaven was recommended to me by Mr. Hughes' 6th grade class. I try to read books that are mentioned during class time if I can find it in our local library system (we now have a 10-county lending system across the state so it is easier to find authors and books that are available to folks in the entire state as opposed to just being limited to our 10-library county). When I first started reading Fablehaven, I found the writing to be passive - no dialogue to speak of, no action, no description, I felt compelled to continue reading until the end. The descriptions come but not so mucch as in your face, out there for the world to see kind of descriptions.

The further into the story I got I did almost feel like I was in a fairy tale land and viewing the creatures as best as I could see them (one needs magical milk to see the fairies and other creatures). The adventures one experiences are not fast-paced or constant but are slowly revealed and what seems like a normal excursion turns out to be a life-turning adventure for Kendra.

If you like mythical creatures and mythology, you will enjoy this book. I'm off to get the next in the series and find out more about the mystical preserve Fablehaven.

Book review - The Cutting Edge by Darcia Helle

I finished reading A Cutting Edge last week or the week before and am just now getting to the review.

The Cutting Edge has a double meaning - a hair cutting place and the fact that Skye's shears are razor sharp and could easily cut through skin and veins if she so choose to do so.




Skye Summers is a hairdresser and has been for many years. Over the years, she has grown to dislike her job since she has to put up with the crazy women, and men, who sit in her chair, rambling on and on and driving her insane. She starts fantasizing about killing her clients and how she could get away with it. Enter the "Mass Avenger" unbeknowest to Skye, who happens to be a new client one Wednesday evening (the evening reserved for the men of the town). The Mass Avenger also has a double entendre (the killings are occurring in Massachusetts as the story is set in a small town in Massachusetts and he is avenging all the masses).

As I read further and further, I almost hoped that Skye would eventually knock off one of her clients or her husband's ex-girlfriend who is the mother of his child and uses the child for stupid stuff - trying to cause problems in the marriage (I dealt with a few of the issues similar to what Skye dealt with when my husband and I were first married, whereby his ex-wife would use their daughter who was 5 at the time to call our house and ask for money - stupid stuff). Skye was only a fantasizer but the Mass Avenger was real. Skye becomes the fascination of the Mass Avenger who feels a kinship with her but she doesn't realize this until the end. Skye does quit her job and states that "a serial killer saved my life" when it is all said and done.

As I read through the story and several new male characters were introduced, I kept thinking I knew who the killer was but it turned out I was wrong. For a fun look into a stylist's perspective of the daily doldrums of this type of profession, check out Darcia Helle's The Cutting Edge.

You can find out more about Darcia and her books here. I look forward to seeing more from Darcia.