Review: The Book of Creation

The Book of Creation by Evan Braun

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Take the Da Vinci code and mix it with equal parts Indiana Jones and The Celestine Prophecy and you'll get The Book of Creation (The Watchers Chronicle Book I).

I'm a sucker for books that start firmly rooted in history and then use all the holes in our knowledge to weave together cool tale. That's what this book does. I love the sense of wonder of discovery when Emery Wortlich the archeologist, Sherwood Brighton the math genius and Ira Benyamin the Rabbi work together to piece together an ancient (and I mean ancient!) mystery. Of course, they don't all have the same motivations and that leads to some interesting problems.

I have to say that of all the characters in the book, the one who intrigues me most is the mysterious French billionaire, Raff Lagati.

A very enjoyable read, and it works as a stand alone novel. That said, there are some big questions left unanswered, so I'm looking forward to book II!



View all my reviews

Undermountain News

I've been working to get Undermountain available for Nook and other eReaders. Today I finally got my MS successfully through the meatgrinder at Smashwords.  I could have prepared the file myself, but my brain was fried, so I had http://ebookartisandesign.com/ do it. They turned it around on Christmas Eve! I highly recommend there service and plan to use it again. The upshot is that the book is now available through Smashwords in all the main formats. So if you don't want to wait for the Nook store to have it, you can get it [Updated: I removed Undermountain from Smashwords] right now!

I've already had a bunch of people ask about the print version, but that won't be happening for a few weeks.

Okay, time for me to get back the Packer game!

Review: The White Panther

The White Panther by Theodore J. Waldeck

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I developed a love of reading when I was in the 5th grade. The book that sparked it was the White Panther, and it was about an albino panther, orphaned during a storm. It took me weeks to get through this relatively short book, but it lead me to other great kids books: Black Lightning (about a black panther), White Fang and the Call of the Wild.

The story starts with the panther becoming orphaned during a storm. The rest of the story involves the cat exploring the jungle, learning to hunt, dealing with hunger, having fights with other cats, and discovering how dangerous other animals can be.




View all my reviews

The Twelve Days of Xmas: Kettlebell Style

Ugh. Ryan over at TNT Performance nearly killed us this morning with this morning's Xmas eve kettlebell program. The good news is that I've banked a lot of calorie deficit for today's binging.

The theme was the 12 days of Xmas, and it looked something like this. This is from memory, so ... you know ...

1. HEAVY Farmer walk (I used 32s and 40s, depending on what was handy)
2. Burpees (yeah, 2 of these is no big deal ... at first)
3. Alternating swings (not a big deal)
4. Overhead lunges (2 per side, don't lose your balance when exhausted)
5. Goblet squat
6. Rows (3 per side)
7. Snatches (alternate sides each time through)
8. Presses (4 per side)
9. Two-handed swings
10. Cleans (5 on each side)
11. One-handed swings (other side next time through)
12. Turkish Getups (6 on each side.

So you get the idea. You start with 1, then 2 and 1, then do 3,2,1, etc.

Good times!

Undermountain Available from Kindle Store

I'm thrilled to announce the release of my first novel, Undermountain, a YA adventure novel with science fictiony elements. Though it's targeted at teens, the book will appeal to anyone who likes a good story. Buy it now at the Kindle store.

Six teens and a grizzled old guide embark on a ten day expedition into the wilds of the Canadian Rockies. Some come for adventure. Some come to learn. Some come to escape the troubles of home.

For sixteen year old Danny Michaelson the hike is his first trip away from home without his parents .... Too bad his older sister had to tag along as a chaperone.

For Breyona Lewis the hike is an escape from a terrible memory—of an assault she tries to deny, even to herself.

But when Danny and Breyona encounter a creature out of legend—an enormous beast they immediately tag as "bigfoot"—the hike suddenly becomes a race for their lives.

Swept into a secret underground city and told they may never leave, the hikers find themselves in the middle of a war between the bigfeet and their rebellious servant race, the tangoga. In their deperate attempt to escape, Danny and Breyona uncover the terrible plans that both races have for Earth.

To escape, to survive, to save the Earth—Danny must fight. Breyona must surrender.

From today through midnight Jan. 1st, 2012, all my royalties will go to charity. I'm using donorschoose.org to support literacy projects for disadvantaged kids.