Showing posts with label short story. Show all posts
Showing posts with label short story. Show all posts

Thursday, April 24, 2014

The Landfill Blog Tour: Ten Things You Might Not Know About Kevin Hopson & Excerpt



The Landfill by Kevin Hopson

Release Date: April 2nd 2014
Publisher:  MuseItUp Publishing
Format: Kindle
Pages
: 53
Genre: Young Adult – Dark Fiction/Horror
Author
: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
Add it: Goodreads

Billy, a high school senior, has lost a lot in the past year, including his younger sister, Sara. Billy lacks excitement and purpose in life until his curiosity takes him and his best friend, Connor, to an old, abandoned landfill along the river. Connor would rather forget the experience, but Billy can’t help but feel invigorated by their findings. Taking it upon himself to uncover the mystery, Billy finds his life coming full circle – but is that a good or bad thing?



Ten Things You Might Not Know About Kevin Hopson


1. I have allergies to beef and milk. If you do the math (think about cheese and all of the possible dairy products), you’ll realize how lame my choices can be when it comes to food. That being said, I live a healthier life as a result of it.

2. My mother saved my life when I was a kid. I was choking on a hot dog, and she managed to pry it out of my mouth in time. She also suffered permanent kidney damage during my birth and still deals with it to this day. Talk about sacrifice. Thanks, Mom!

3. I lost my first son to stillbirth on August 28, 2010. He watches over his little brother now.

4. Prior to my writing career, I managed my own business on three different occasions. I worked as an investment consultant, a personal chef, and a sports scout. My background (college degree) is actually in finance.

5. I donate all of my book proceeds to charity. St Jude’s is a favorite of mine.

6. I nearly flunked out of college after my first year. I eventually got my act together, took some classes at a community college, and then graduated from a four-year university (Virginia Commonwealth University) with honors.

7. I have a male Chihuahua named Paco. He is nine years old and has dozens of nicknames.

8. I have a room filled with vintage 80’s toys and cartoon/comic art. I’m a geek.

9. My favorite show of all time is Seinfeld.

10. I have probably watched Top Gun more than any other movie in my 39 years. I realize they were in the Navy, but I wanted to join the Air National Guard after first seeing it.

Excerpt:

“You feel like being adventurous?” A rare burst of energy came over Billy.
“Maybe,” Connor replied with a drawn-out voice. “What are you thinking?”
“Take a left up here on River Road.”
 Connor perked up, slowing the vehicle and making a left onto the road. “You actually want to hang out at the river?”
“Not quite.”
“Then where are we going?” Connor turned to look at him. Billy could tell his friend was putting the pieces of the puzzle together. “Wait. We’re not going to that landfill, are we?”
“Yeah. Why not?” Even with what his father had told him, Billy was captivated at the thought of checking it out. “Let’s do it,” he said with excitement.
“We don’t even know how to get there.”
“This road runs parallel with the river,” Billy commented, “and it can’t be more than a couple miles.”
“All right,” Connor said. “I’m only doing this for you, though.”
A few minutes passed and Billy continued to watch with eagerness, waiting for a sign as to which direction to go. He noticed a light making its way through a small forest of evergreens to their left. The source of illumination came from an elevated position, possibly atop the nearby hill. Billy scanned the area in front of them as well as the trees off to the side.
“Slow down,” Billy demanded.
Connor brought the SUV to a crawl.
“It has to be over there.” Billy pointed to his left where the light shined through the tops of the trees. “Do you see a road that goes up there?”
Connor stopped the vehicle. “I don’t see anything but woods.”
“Do you have a flashlight?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I’m going to get out and take a look,” Billy said.
“In the glove compartment,” Connor noted.
Billy snatched the mini flashlight from the glove compartment and stepped out of the vehicle. He left the door open, making Connor visible inside. Shining the light along the edge of the pavement, Billy spotted a crude road. Made primarily of dirt, it curved through the forest like a serpentine and didn’t appear to have any guardrails.
“Put your brights on,” Billy said, easing back into the vehicle.
Connor pulled a lever on the side of the steering wheel, enhancing the view in front of them.
“There’s a dirt road up here on the left.”
“You sure this is a good idea?” Connor asked.
“You’ve got four-wheel drive, right?”
“Yeah.”
“We should be fine then,” Billy said.


{About the Author}
Prior to hitting the fiction scene in 2009, Kevin Hopson was a freelance writer for several years, covering everything from finance to sports. His debut work, World of Ash, was released by MuseItUp Publishing in the fall of 2010. Kevin has released several other books through MuseItUp since then, and he has also been published in various magazines and anthology books. Kevin's writing covers many genres, including dark fiction and horror, science fiction, and crime fiction.

The Landfill Tour Page:


Thursday, March 27, 2014

Mini Reviews: Delilah Dusticle & Delilah Dusticle's Transylvania Adventure by A.J. York

Delilah Dusticle by A.J. York
Delilah Dusticle (Delilah Dusticle, #1)

Series: Delilah Dusticle, #1
Release Date
: March 3rd 2013
Publisher:
 Amazon Digital Services
Format: Kindle Edition
Pages
: 33
Genre: Middle Grade - Fantasy
Source:
Author for review
Author:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 
Add it: Goodreads

Delilah Dusticle has special powers, she can completely eradicate dust. With her quiver pouch of special dusters Delilah can run up walls and reaches places others just can’t. As a maid in the Fenchurch-Whittington house Delilah’s unusual skills soon lead to her being promoted to Chief Dust Eradicator and Remover. Until one day a broken heart leads to her powers taking an expected turn.

This is the first in a series of touching and funny stories about Delilah Dusticle. Follow her on a journey of self-discovery, friendship and adventure.


*This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Delilah Dusticle is a 16 year old girl who works for a well-known family. Delilah is a very special maid as she can completely eradicate dust. She carries around a pouch with a bunch of special dusting tools. She works for the family as the Chief Dust Eradicator and Remover. The woman of the house loves to brag about how clean her house is and she is the envy of the Ladies Club. Delilah loves her job and turns down many other jobs because she secretly has a crush on the home owner’s son, Charlie Fenchurch-Whittington the Third. However, one day Charlie Fenchurch-Whittington the Third comes home with a fiancĂ© and her powers start changing. Delilah could never imagine what would come of that encounter and how much her life was about to change.

This is a cute, funny, short story that I think any child would enjoy. Not only do you get the entertaining story but there are also some illustrations scattered throughout the story. I think this would be a great story to read (or have your child read aloud) before bedtime. I will definitely be giving this to my son to read!

My Rating:




Delilah Dusticle’s Transylvania Adventure by A.J. York
Delilah Dusticle's Transylvanian Adventure (Delilah Dusticle, #2)

Series: DelilahDusticle, #2
Release Date
: January 15th 2014
Publisher:
 Amazon Digital Services
Format: Kindle Edition
Pages
: 85
Genre: Middle Grade - Fantasy
Source:
Author for review
Author:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble 
Add it: Goodreads

In this illustrated instalment, Delilah and the Dustbusters are invited to Transylvania to cater for the Hallow Eve Ball. All is not what it seems and Count Dracula has a very unusual request for Delilah.

This is the second in a series of stories following Delilah and the Dustbusters on journeys and adventures around the world. Delilah Dusticle’s Transylvanian Adventure guarantees to have has more action than you can shake a feather duster at!

*This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Delilah and her team have come so far and are about to go on an adventure they could have never imagined. Delilah and her Dustbusters are invited to Transylvania to clean for the well-known Dracula. However everything is not as it seems in the giant mansion. Delilah learns things about herself as Dracula explains the truth of her powers to her. Delilah must learn to harness her powers. There are spiders in football gear, British spies, and an evil baroness. I do also have to mention that one of my favorite characters in the book is the grumpy sponge. I found him to be pretty funny.

This book definitely has more of an adventure aspect than the first book and I really enjoyed it. It is funny and magical and the characters, both major and minor, are entertaining and I think children will probably enjoy this one even more than the first.

My Rating:



Thursday, May 9, 2013

Review: Them by L.A. Weatherly


Them by L.A. Weatherly
Paperback, 73 pages
Published January 1st 2013 by Stoke Books

Goodreads | Amazon | The Book Depository

They are the most popular girls in school. If you're in, you're cool. If you're out, you're nobody. How far would you go to get in with Them? One unlucky boy is about to find out.











My Review:

Well I had never heard of this book before but the size of it and the synopsis peeked my interest so I decided to pick it randomly at the library. After some research I have found out that it is suitable for struggling, reluctant, and dyslexic readers. 

Let’s talk about the size first. This is a short story, only 73 pages, and the font is pretty big. This makes it a very quick read. Even though it was so short I still really enjoyed it. When it comes to short stories I have different expectations. I know there is going to be less description, world building, and things like that. It’s up to the author to work around that to still make it a good story. I believe this author did just that.

This story is about a freshman girl named Kylie who lives with her mom and little sister Jenna. They have just come from a homeless shelter into a crappy apartment. They seem to have run away from her stepdad and Kylie feels it is all her fault they are in this situation. Soon after arriving Kylie runs into a pimply faced nerd name Adam who lives in her apartment building. He manages to strike up a conversation, much to Kylie’s disgust. Then at school he seems to think they are friends.

Kylie is determined not to be bullied like she was in her old school so as soon as she spots the popular girl, Jaz, she is decides she has to become her friend. Without giving anything away she manages just that and they come up with a plan to make Adam “get what he deserves”. It is pretty cruel and I felt so sorry for him. I also felt sorry for Kylie during most of it, although she didn’t have to follow through. I could see how someone would try anything to keep from being bullied. That however is how new bullies are created. Jaz is your typical popular girl. She is the leader of the 9th grade and everyone wants to be her friend, although she is very a bitchy mean girl.

The very end of the story was bittersweet. I didn’t see that coming but it worked out perfectly. I was really happy for Kylie. I almost wish the story would have continued on a little more. With the right details this could probably make a good contemporary novel.

I definitely recommend picking this up, especially since it’s such a short read.

 

My Rating: