Character Madness and Musings

CHARLOTTE BRONTE BEFORE JANE EYRE by Glynnis Fawkes  Pub. Date: September 24, 2018  Publisher: Disney-Hyperion  Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook  Pages: 112 

Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong!--I have as much soul as you,--and full as much heart! 
Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is a beloved classic, celebrated today by readers of all ages and revered as a masterwork of literary prowess. But what of the famous writer herself?

Originally published under the pseudonym of Currer Bell, Jane Eyre was born out of a magnificent, vivid imagination, a deep cultivation of skill, and immense personal hardship and tragedy. Charlotte, like her sisters Emily and Anne, was passionate about her work. She sought to cast an empathetic lens on characters often ignored by popular literature of the time, questioning societal assumptions with a sharp intellect and changing forever the landscape of western literature.

With an intro…

Re: CamelotThe Complete Editionby E.C. Fisher  Genre: Epic Fantasy


Seventeen-year-old Arthur Godwin-Dragos finds himself much unlike his childhood heroes who fought for the grace and honor of Camelot. Banished to a bleak boarding school in England, Arthur cannot help but retreat into the fantasy of his mother’s old tales. Longing for his own destiny to assuage his loneliness and despair, Arthur withers in exile in wait for something more.

In the stillness, however, the hands of fate begin to turn. Across the universe, far out of reach of time or space, the planet Avalon grows dim. The ancient sorceress Merlin awakes from a fevered dream--as prophecy calls out through the darkness. Sealed and forgotten, Morgana la Fey stirs in the dark, biding her time to strike against Merlin and Avalon. Once again must the legend of King Arthur awaken, and with the power of the mighty Excalibur, beat back the insufferable darkness once and for all.

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Excerpt “Where am I? What was I doi…

YA Action Adventure Fantasy | Science Fiction | LitRPG Publisher: Fire & Ice Young Adult Books Date Published: August 27, 2019


Gwen Nielson is a gamer and she’s damn proud of it. Her mother may be a former beauty queen and her kid sister may participate in every pageant the state of Colorado has to offer, but Gwen is content to stay at home and play on her Xbox. To her, life isn’t about fashion and make-up; it’s about making a difference and keeping a low profile. And while most of the girls at her high school hang out at the local country club vying for the popular boys’ attention, Gwen is cool with having a boyfriend she’s never met. Pete is a fellow online gamer who lives in California. He’s funny and sweet, and his father owns a gaming company, which is an added bonus because Gwen gets to test out new games before they’re released to the public.
When Pete mails a new game for her to beta test, Gwen patiently awaits its arrival, but the package is never delivered. To make matters w…

In Over Head Head: Lights, Camera, Anxiety (The Cecily Taylor Series #2)by Krysten Lindsay HagerGenre: YA Contemporary Fiction Release Date: September 3rd 2019 Clean Reads Publishing
Cecily feels like she has it all: great best friends, the beginnings of a career as a model/actress, and she’s dating her favorite singer, Andrew Holiday. Then Cecily’s best friend Lila begins to ditch her every time Lila’s boyfriend calls. Cecily feels lost, but she and Andrew begin connecting more and she’s never been in a relationship where she felt so understood. Andrew even begins to confide in her about his anxiety. Soon Cecily experiences her own anxiety on a magazine photo shoot, but she manages to impress the magazine staff. Just when it seems like all her dreams are coming true, everything comes crashing down when a photo of Andrew with another girl appears online. He swears nothing happened, but Cecily is crushed. She feels like she’s lost two of the people closest to her. Was her perfect relati…

The Last Huntsman By Page Morgan 

Publication date: September 9th 2019 Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

No women. No children. No torture. The Huntsman has his rules.
For years, Tobin has done his emperor’s bidding, eliminating threats to the Empire of Morvansk. But when he is ordered to kill the lovely Princess Mara, Tobin’s absolute loyalty ends. The emperor’s punishment is swift and lethal, and Tobin is left with only one desire: vengeance.

Stay quiet. Stay hidden. Stay free. These are the rules Ever lives by.

Raised as a boy by her overprotective father, Ever has something the Morvansk emperor covets: mirror magic. With it, she can see anyone, anywhere, through the mirror’s glass. The emperor stole her mother years ago for this same magic, and now, he wants Ever, too.

When Ever’s mirror shows the wounded rebel huntsman approaching her village, she’s compelled to help him. But as Tobin and Ever grow closer, and their secrets intertwine, they’ll have to follow the rules they’ve always li…

Historical Novel Date Published: January 9, 2019


It actually happened.



Hard to believe that two teenagers and a special child, torn from their comfortable and insulated Jewish community in wartime Romania, were taken in by Gypsies camped in the forest. How could they find their places among the flamboyant people, whose lifestyle and ways of confronting the hostile surrounding society were so different from that of the Jews?
This heart stirring story fleshes out this occurrence, presenting the dilemmas, enlightenments, emotional attachments, and mutual understandings experienced by the child protagonists.
Excerpt The news about the wedding had spread its wings and flown through the Gypsy tribes.  Colorfully decorated wagons loaded with families started flowing into the camp, unloading women, men, and hordes of small children.  They all hugged and kissed acquaintances, their vocal merriment filling the camp.
The event did not engage Anna.  Her feeling of otherness kept her away from the crowds…