BOOK REVIEW: Leaping Out on Faith (Rochelle Campbell)

Leaping Out on Faith is a short story collection touching each of the four planes of beingness: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Four female protagonists each face a unique challenge of one of these planes and an inescapable, pivotal moment of decision. What’s not clear upfront is which choice each will make. The characters’ backgrounds and situations are all different, yet each is universally relatable to the feminine condition: romance vs. friendship (emotional); sexual abuse and domestic violence (physical, but truly all four); drama of couplehood vs. serenity of singleness (mental) and religious conflicts in relationships (spiritual). You may agree or disagree with the characters’ choices, but each story will strengthen your choices on your own terms as a woman.

EXCERPT

“So, you think you love him,” Baba grunted when Salera nodded. He continued, “But he’s a pastor’s son. This Gerard is a devout Christian. He does not understand himself and his place in the scheme of things. How then can he ever hope to understand our ways?” Her Baba watched her and waited.

Salera got fired up again and looked into Baba’s eyes and said, “He’s a wonderful young man. He’s articulate, funny, open-minded…”

“Will he accept you just as you are with your religious beliefs? Or will he cast you and the child aside?”

Salera stopped cold and dropped her eyes. This very thought had plagued her from the moment she found out about her pregnancy.

BUY & FOLLOW LINKS

Buy Leaping Out On Faith at Amazon.

Follow Rochelle Campbell at Amazon Author Page, Blog, Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter.

Belinda Y. Hughes is the author of Confessions of a Red Hot Veggie Lover 2 and Living Proof. She recently submitted a paranormal scifi short story to HDWP Books for consideration in their New Myths Theme-Thology. Her current projects include LGBT erotica and poetry. Belinda enjoys beading, reading, writing, cooking and hiking in the woods with her old dog.

Follow Belinda on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter.

BOOK REVIEW: Feast of Friends (D.W. Metz)

In the spirits of Misery, Somewhere in Time and What Dreams May Come is the short story Feast of Friends by D.W. Metz. A quick read easily savored over lunch, it follows the journey of the main character from writer’s block through his own horror stories, real and imagined. Metz’s writing style is evocative of respected writers from gentler times gone by. Set mostly in a quiet community of lakeside cabins, Feast of Friends takes some delicious twists and turns along the snowy way. By the story’s end, you’ll be looking around, double-checking your reality.

EXCERPT

Katrina set down a breakfast of biscuits and gravy and strong coffee at the table.

“Hope you’re hungry.”

I couldn’t remember the last time I sat for a breakfast. After Helen and Roy died, sitting by myself at the table left me feeling lonesome. I often took my meals standing at the counter or hunched over the sink.

I thought about getting back to the cabin. I thought about the solitude waiting; the desk beneath the window, typewriter before me, staring out at Barter Lake trying to summon the dark muse. It hadn’t finished a story in three years. There were beginnings, but I never followed through.

It had been a Saturday. Helen rushed around the kitchen making pancakes. In his room, Roy had just finished putting on his baseball uniform. As usual, I sat in my office, staring at a blank screen and the vexatious blinking cursor.

BUY & FOLLOW LINKS

Buy Feast of Friends at Amazon.

Follow D.W. Metz at About Me, Amazon Author Page, Blog, G+, Goodreads,  Instagram, LinkedIN, Soundcloud, Twitter and Wattpad.

Belinda Y. Hughes is the author of Confessions of a Red Hot Veggie Lover 2 and Living Proof. She recently submitted a paranormal scifi short story to HDWP Books for consideration in their New Myths Theme-Thology. Her current projects include LGBT erotica and poetry. Belinda enjoys beading, reading, writing, cooking and hiking in the woods with her old dog.

Follow Belinda on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter.

Rescued by a Green Beret

After a meetup with Mom, lunch and shopping on Friday, I turned onto the last street before mine. As I made the turn, the steering went out, my truck died and smoke began rising from under the hood. I called my mechanic, and he said his tow truck was already out on a run, with two more ahead of me. While I waited, a guy in a red truck pulled over and walked back to offer his help. He said he’d be back in a few minutes, but never returned.

After a while a guy in a black truck, who had offered his help in the interim, returned to check on me. When he asked again if he could help me, I finally accepted. Young and agile, he quickly helped me unload my purchases into the bed of his shiny Toyota. When we settled into his cab, my eyes happened to rest upon a green digital camo uniform on the seat between us. In reply to my inquiry, “Oh, are you Army?” he answered with a nod. “What do you do?” I asked. He replied, “Special Forces.” Despite the air conditioning, the truck suddenly grew very warm.

We introduced ourselves and shook hands. He worked at the base nearby, in addition to numerous security consulting gigs throughout a broad region. As I gave him driving directions to my house, my eyes ran along his shaven head and sun-kissed skin. His T-shirt and shorts covered the highlights, without leaving much to the imagination. He had only recently relocated to the area and we shared our experiences and knowledge of the players and circumstances of common local problems my neighbors and I had dealt with earlier in the year.

When we arrived at my place, he wasted no time helping me unload everything from his pickup to my front door. At the same time, he was careful, setting my shopping bags down gently and snatching up an errant room freshener solid that rolled away. In no time at all, we were back in his cab, heading down the road to my truck, sharing about our common interests in yoga and people living with special needs. As he dropped me off, he made sure I entered his name and cell number in my phone, in case I might need help again.

NOTE: This is a reality-based short story, edited and fictionalized out of respect for our mutual privacy. After a teaser, my friend, romance author Vonnie Davis, demanded details and a full story, and I was inspired by another friend, author Becky Siame‘s new reality fiction genre. 😉

(c) 2014 Belinda Y. Hughes

Belinda Y. Hughes is the author of Confessions of a Red Hot Veggie Lover 2: Lacto Ovo Vegetarian Recipes. She also blogs on food, natural health, writing, editing and social media. Belinda is currently working on her first collection of erotic poetry, an LGBT romance and crime mystery and the third edition of her cookbook. She enjoys gardening, cooking, hiking, meditation, yoga, reading and living in the country with her labradachs and wildlife friends.

Publications

Confessions of a Red Hot Veggie Lover 2

Cafe Belinda Food Blog

Writing, Editing & Social Media Blog

Guest Blogs 

Cajun Casino Heist and Lesbian Romance (The Notebook Blogairy)

Adventures in Book Marketing (The Write Way)

Yellow Ribbon (Unknown Poetry)

Seniors Don’t Sit Well (PenPaperPad)

Bringing Food to Life (Writing in the Modern Age)

Author Interviews

Writing in the Modern Age

Social Media

Amazon Author Page

Facebook Author Page

Google+

LinkedIN

Pinterest

StumbleUpon

Sverve

Twitter

Tumblr

Viadeo