Book Review of A Year of Creativity: A Craft Date Planner to Meet, Share, and Create by Petra Hoeksema, Lidy Nooij, Miriam Catshoek, Bregje Konings

 Title: A Year of Creativity: A Craft Date Planner to Meet, Share, and Create 

Authors: Petra Hoeksema,  Lidy Nooij, Miriam Catshoek, Bregje Konings

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Craft 

Rating: 4 

Do something creative every day! In A Year of Creativity, learn how to throw the perfect creative party with your friends—with organizing tips, 25 project ideas, and even recipes for snacks.

A "craft date" is a fun get-together with a handful of creative friends in which you surprise each other with craft and DIY projects using cool materials, inspire each other, and make beautiful things together. At each date, a group of participants share a self-made project to be re-created by the other attendees. Materials are individualized for each participant and given as a unique personal gift along with the instructions for the project. A craft date is different than a workshop since you get to choose the lovely people that you invite, and as the organizer, you get to participate in all the projects. Invitees can put their own spin on the project by using their favorite colors, materials, or techniques. This way you end up with a range of different interpretations and results, leading to new inspiration and ideas.

A Year of Creativity is a book for everyone with a basic knowledge of crocheting, knitting, and sewing. It does not teach you how to crochet or explain how a sewing machine works. There are plenty of other books for that. What it does do is inspire crafting enthusiasts to make something together, learn from each other, and have fun doing it. You'll find within:
An introduction to craft dates and how they work
Tips on planning your craft date events
Plenty of project ideas (short, long, and cooperative)
Plus recipes for party dishes that keep the creative juices flowing
You will share ideas, discover new inspiration, and find new friends while creating uniquely beautiful aprons, knit garlands, infinity scarves, haberdashery bags, cards, pencil cases, and more.Have you had a great craft date or are you working on a neat project and want to show it off? There’s a place for this in the craft dates community. On Instagram, for example, you can tag your photos with, or search for the hashtag #craftdates. You can have a look at each other’s work, drum up inspiration for your own dates, invite your Insta-friends, or organize a "blind date" with creative people from your town or city that you don’t know yet. A whole world will open up. A very creative world is waiting for you in A Year of Creativity.

I don’t know what happened when this book downloaded for me but for some reason my copy was totally messed up, I couldn’t see the majority of the images, list of supplies or the steps, but from what I did get to see I can say this book is great to inspire you and some friends to get together and either pick a project from this book or find a new project and craft together. 

Each project you’ll find a supply list along with, step by step instructions with images and has images. There is also a section about the authors and how all of the began and how they went about doing it.

You get several craft projects and a few recipes, most of which are for every skill level of crafter, but there are a few projects for very experienced crafters.

Craft book review Bead Jewelry 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily Through Step-by-Step Instruction by Karen Mitchell, Ann Mitchell

 Title: Bead Jewelry 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily Through Step-by-Step Instruction 

Authors: Karen Mitchell and Ann Mitchell

Source: Netgalley 

Genre: craft

Rating: 5

Bead Jewelry 101, now in paperback, is a complete entry-level course for creating beaded jewelry taught through 30 step-by-step projects that demonstrate fundamental methods for stringing and wirework.

Have you always wanted to try jewelry making but aren’t sure where to begin? Bead Jewelry 101 teaches you everything you need to know to create beautiful jewelry with beads.

The Basics walks you through all the tools, materials, and basic construction techniques you’ll use for the projects.

The Projects are organized by various findings, or jewelry elements, so you’ll learn new techniques and build new skills with every piece you make. Beautiful variations will inspire you to create your own designs.
Beginners will also find the accompanying online videos that capture the techniques in action an invaluable resource.

Written specifically for beginners, the books in the 101 series are complete illustrated guides to the basics of a craft that use projects presented with full-color, step-by-step instructions and photos to teach essential techniques.

Great book for anyone wanting to learn how to make jewelry, plenty of projects and very easy steps for anyone to be able to learn, heck I wished I would have found this book when I started making beaded jewelry a few years back.

I would strongly recommend this for anyone that would like to test the water of jewelry making, this book is simple and full of information on materials and tools, but I have to admit it would benefit an advance jewelry maker that is in need of inspiration because after reading though the book I found some inspiration with a few of these projects to twist to my own.

Book review of Fight Write: How to Write Believable Fight Scenes by Carla Hoch

Title: Fight Write: How to Write Believable Fight Scenes Author: Carla Hoch

Source: Netgalley

Genre: Writing skills references

Length: Novel

Rating: 5 

Whether a side-street skirmish or an all-out war, fight scenes bring action to the pages of every kind of fiction. But a poorly done or unbelievable fight scene can ruin a great book in an instant.

In Fight Write you'll learn practical tips, terminology, and the science behind crafting realistic fight scenes for your fiction. Broken up into "Rounds," trained fighter and writer Carla Hoch guides you through the many factors you'll need to consider when developing battles and brawls.
In Round 1, you will consider how the Who, When, Where, and Why questions affect what type of fight scene you want to craft.
Round 2 delves into the human factors of biology (think fight or flight and adrenaline) and psychology (aggression and response to injuring or killing another person).
Round 3 explores different fighting styles that are appropriate for different situations: What really happens in fights on the street? What is the vocabulary used to describe these styles?
Round 4 considers weaponry and will guide you to select the best weapon for your characters, including nontraditional weapons of opportunity, while also thinking about the nitty-gritty details of using them.
In Round 5, you'll learn how to accurately describe realistic injuries sustained from the fights and certain weapons, and what kind of injuries will kill a character or render them unable to fight further.
By taking into account where your character is in the world when in history the fight is happening, what the character's motivation for fighting is, and much more, you'll be able to write fight scenes unique to your plot and characters, all while satisfying your reader's discerning eye. 

Fight Write should be on every author’s desk that writes fight scenes no matter your genre. It also doesn’t matter how much fighting you're writing about, be it a tussle or a huge fight scene and it also doesn't matter the level of author you are, this book will help you write believable fight scenes that will grab your reader’s attention and heck, it might even grab you more new readers because of the depth of believable fight scenes you’ll be writing. 

 Cala Hoch goes into detail about weapons, people’s different height and how it would affect them fighting, different fighting techniques and so much more. Believe me, you'll find something in this book that will help you become a better writer and you’ll be glad you bought this book. 

Cozy Mystery Book Review of Mrs. Morris and the Ghost (A Salem B&B Mystery #1) by Traci Wilton

Title: Mrs. Morris and the Ghost (A Salem B&B Mystery #1) 

Author: Traci Wilton

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Source: Netgalley

Reviewed by: Laurie

Rating: 4

Charlene Morris knew Salem, Massachusetts had a spooky reputation. But when she decided to open her B&B there, she expected guests--not ghosts...

A grieving young widow, Charlene needed a new start--so she bought a historic mansion, sight unseen, and drove from Chicago to New England to start turning it into a bed-and-breakfast. On her first night in the house, she awakens to find a handsome man with startling blue eyes in her bedroom. Terror turns to utter disbelief when he politely introduces himself as Jack Strathmore--and explains that he used to live here--when he was alive. He firmly believes that someone pushed him down the stairs three years ago, and he won't be able to leave until someone figures out who. If Charlene wants to get her business up and running in time for the Halloween tourist rush, and get this haunting houseguest out of the way, she'll have to investigate. Though truth be told, this ghost is starting to grow on her . . .

Mrs. Morris and the Ghost grabs you right from the first page and will leave you in shock when you find out who done it just before the end.

Charlene moved into a home full of surprises. One surprise is the resident hot ghost of course, and the second surprise, she finds a new cat, which Charlene is not a total cat lover so this becomes interesting as she tries to solve a murder to get the ghost out and deal with a cat she doesn’t want.

The only downside to the story for me was it seemed like every man and ghost was hot after Charlene so by the middle of the story, it was on my last nerve. Other than that this is a good read that will leave you wanting more. 

Cozy mystery review of Toxic Toffee (Amish Candy Shop Mystery #4) by Amanda Flower

Toxic Toffee (Amish Candy Shop Mystery #4) 

Author: Amanda Flower

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Source: NetGalley

Length: Novel

Reviewed by: Laurie

Rating: 5 

A sweet tooth for murder . . .  
 
Bailey King’s in New York wrapping up a six-week shoot on her first cable TV show, Bailey’s Amish Sweets, when she gets a call from her Ohio town’s resident busybody. With Easter around the corner, Bailey’s been recruited to create a giant toffee bunny for the weeklong springtime festival that will also feature live white rabbits. But back home in Harvest, death becomes the main attraction when Stephen Raber keels over from an apparent heart attack—with Bailey and Raber’s pet bunny as witnesses.
. 
Except it wasn’t Raber’s heart that suddenly gave out—a lethal dose of lily of the valley was mixed into a tasty piece of toffee. Who’d want to poison a jovial rabbit farmer who reminded Bailey of an Amish Santa Claus? To solve the murder, she and her sheriff deputy boyfriend Aiden must uncover a twenty-year-old secret. She’ll need to pull a rabbit out of a hat to keep a healthy distance from toxic people, including one venomous killer . . . 

I always look forward to reading one of Amanda Flower's books, she is an amazing storyteller, you can open up one of her books and your daily problems fad away as you become one of her characters.

Bailey is one of my favorite characters, not only does she get to play with candy at her grandma's candy shop, but she also has an amazing community of fun and crazy people and animals to be around so, your never bored with the village and the people. Oh, and I cannot forget about her hot cop boyfriend Aiden ;)

I love how Amanda can toss enough clues throughout the story to keep me guessing and at the end, I am surprised that none of my suspects is the one who did it. 

The added rabbit in this story was a very nice touch, I am always pleased when an author can write about a different kind of pet instead of the same cat or dog, not that I love dogs and cats but as you keep reading about the same old pets it gets kind of old. 

One of my favorite cozy mystery series and I highly recommend you bump it on top of your reading list.

Review of First Nature hummingbird feeder

Hey all, I wanted to share this new hummingbird feeder I bought First Nature.

When I look to buy a new hummingbird feeder I look for something very easy to clean, living in the south with the heat index running 100+ for days in a roll that feeder will mold fast so easy cleaning is a must for me.

With so many jobs going out outside the USA now look first for anything made in the USA and odds are if I don’t find it, I won’t buy and keep looking until I find it.

I was surprised to find the feeder I was looking at was made in the USA so you know I had to buy two of them, not only for support but also because with the heat index, I have to change the feeder every couple of days to keep the mold out.

I was much suspired to find this feeder very easy to clean, the bottom twist-off where you can get into all of the space to clean it. Just make sure when you place it back on you hear the click of it locking. Yep, I made the mistake twice and lost my feed so I make sure I hear it click as it locks back into place.

Easy to clean, easy to use and made in the USA a win, win all the way...

First Nature feeder 

Book review of Edibles and Ornamentals for Small-Space Gardening by Jessica Walliser

 Title: Edibles and Ornamentals for Small-Space Gardening 

 Author: Jessica Walliser
Source: NetGalley
Genre: Gardening 
Reviewed by: Laurie
Rating: 5

Covering a broad array of landscape plants, including edibles, flowering, and fruiting trees and shrubs, evergreens, and perennials, horticulturist Jessica Walliser takes a deep dive into the emerging category of compact plants.

Whether short, narrow, columnar, or dwarf, this new and exciting group of plants provide the same decorative functions full-sized ornamental plants, but in a fraction of the space. Plus, edible compact plants offer comparable productivity, without having to add more square footage to the garden.

In this comprehensive guide, Jessica uses her numerous contacts in the seed and plant production world to give space-challenged gardeners a heads up on what's new, as well as re-introducing a few traditional small-footprint favorites.

In both urban and suburban neighborhoods, yards are shrinking, and big plants and gardens require too much maintenance for today's time-starved homeowners. If you're searching for plants that require less space and reduced day-to-day maintenance, dwarf shrubs, and other compact plants to the rescue! With little to no pruning required, columnar trees, dwarf shrubs, mini veggies, short-statured perennials, and other compact plants fill a much-needed niche.

In the Gardener's Guide to Compact Plants, you'll discover fantastic, brand new dwarf and compact plant varieties you didn't even know existed. And, you'll learn how to grow more flowers, fruits, and veggies than ever before, no matter how much—or how little—space you have. It's the perfect book for homeowners with small yards, urban gardeners, container growers, or anyone looking to grow a beautiful and productive small-scale garden.

Need some great garden designs for your small space? No matter if you want to have a fruit, vegetable, herb or just to add a few pollinators flowers to your small yard this book will help you not only design but to also buy plants ideal for small spaces.

For some reason, we have it in our heads that gardening in any form no matter if its flowers, vegetables or just some simple herds that we need tons of space in order to have these things, but that is not the case whatsoever. You can use containers to grow tons of different vegetables and even perennial flowers. Herbs are really great for containers, so get to researching with books like this and get out and plant and this book will help you achieve your goals in any form of gardening in small spaces. 

Book review of How to Create Your Website: For Writers and Other Clueless Souls (Book 3 in Self-Publishing Made Easy) by Mateja Klaric

Title: How to Create Your Website: For Writers and Other Clueless Souls (Book 3 in Self-Publishing Made Easy) 

Author: Mateja Klaric

Source: NetGalley

Genre: computer technology, 
Reviewed by: Laurie 
Rating: 4

Dealing with things such as website hosting and finding the best platform for setting up your website can be a daunting and overwhelming task. This book will show you how to navigate the world of websites, domains, emails, hosting services, and SEO* fast, easy, and at the lowest cost. It will also help you avoid many pitfalls so that you'll be able to make your website secure and cost-efficient.

*Don't know what SEO is? Then that's yet another reason why you need this book!

This is a good book for those that are clueless and want to start a website. The only downside is I wished the author would have covered a large range of free websites such as blogger. I have had a blogger for years and by first looks, you cannot tell is a blog, other than that she covers a few different providers for a website so you should be able to find one to fit your bill.

This book will get you started on SEO, but there is a deeper level for SEO for authors and all other kinds of business out there so make sure you keep digging and learning SEO after you get the hang of the simple steps this book can give you. If you can get your SEO right when anyone is searching for an item that you have to offer your website will be on the first pages of searches.

This book is very detailed so anyone will be able to understand and follow the author’s steps.  

I recommend this book to any aspiring author, aspiring blogger or new handmade sellers.

Author Interview with romance author: Sue-Ellen Welfonder

Good Morning everyone, let’s all welcome romance author Sue-Ellen Welfonder and her Highland Warriors series with us today.

                                                                     

First off please tell everyone a little about your series?

SEW:  Highland Warriors is a Scottish medieval trilogy. I wanted to explore the deep love Highlanders have for their home glen. The glen in the series is shared by three clans and each one believes they have sole claim to the land. The three heroines are sisters of the warring chieftains and they are weary of the strife and bloodshed so they join together to end the feud by each vowing to wed a man from an enemy clan. 

Here is a mini-blurb for Sins of a Highland Devil:

When a king commands three feuding clans to resolve their dispute with a trial by combat, a proud Highland warrior soon learns that he’s fighting for much more than his beloved glen and that his greatest triumph will be winning the love of his enemy’s sister.

Introduce everyone to book one Sins of a Highland Devil hero and heroine.

SEW:  James ‘The Devil’ Cameron is a proud clan chieftain who, though fierce, is known for his honor as much as the strength of his sword arm. When the Scottish king orders him to fight or see his people banished, he has no choice but to enter a staged battle that will determine which clan is to possess the glen. Highlander to the bone, he believes the glen clans should resolve their feuds without royal interference. He never expects to find an ally in Catriona MacDonald, the fiery, high-spirited sister of his worst foe, but he does – and when they come together, their lives are forever changed.

What year are the story settings?

SEW:  Sins of a Highland Devil, book one, opens in 1396 with the other two books set progressively a year onward. This was the turbulent reign of King Robert II (Robert Stewart, grandson of Scotland’s great hero king, Robert the Bruce)  

Can you tell our readers a bit about the paranormal elements that are added in the story?

SEW: All my books have paranormal elements. Celtic legend and lore, Highland magic, belief in curses, second sight, mythical creatures and such, were all an integral part of life in medieval Scotland and so I enjoy weaving in these elements. Readers can expect the following paranormal threads in Sins of a Highland Devil: myth and legend, curses, magic, standing stones, ghosts, enchanted beasties, ancients who practice the old ways, and more.

One of my favorite magical elements is an enchanted white stag. He was created in honor of Big Boy, a friendly red stag who enjoyed greeting visitors at a viewpoint in Glencoe. Tame and trusting, Big Boy delighted travelers from all over the world. I’d seen him a few times on my own visits to Scotland and was heartbroken to learn he’d met a bad end. So I put him in this series and named him Rannoch after the Rannoch Moor which is where ‘his’ overlook is located.

For the readers out there who have never tried your books can you please add a few of your favorite teasers from the book?

SEW:  Sure, here are two with James and Catriona, and one with Grizel, the magical wise woman in the series…

Excerpt I ~ Sins of a Highland Devil

A Fiery Wench…

     The MacDonald wench stood at. He stepped closer to the wall, hoping he erred. Unfortunately, he hadn’t the edge of the chaos. On seeing her, James felt an even hotter flare of irritation. She was truly there, hands on her hips and looking haughty as always.

     Joining him, his cousin gave a low whistle. “She’s Catriona MacDonald, the chief’s sister. The wildest of that heathenish lot.”

     “I know who she is.” James did. “And she is wild - so prickly some say she sleeps in a bed of nettles.”

     Colin laughed. “She’s bonnie all the same.”

     James scowled at the lass. “So is the deep blue sea until you sink in its depths and drown.”

~*~

Excerpt II ~ Sins of a Highland Devil

         

 A Laird and a Lady Clash…

     “Lady Catriona.” His smile deepened, turning devilish.

     “You…” She took several steps closer to him, then stopped when she realized she’d moved. “You shouldn’t be here with me-” She started to tell him to leave, but broke off when he raised a hand.

     “I am no’ with you, regrettably.” His meaning brought a flush to her face. “If I were” – he gave her a look that made her feel naked – “rest assured you’d no’ be spluttering like an angry hen. You’d be purring in sweet, female contentment.”  

~*~

Excerpt III – Grizel & Gorm (her partner)

A Crone Interrupted…

    

     “What are you about, woman?”

      Grizel spun around, sending the peat-bricks flying through the air. Gorm stood just inside the threshold, his face stern. His usually merry eyes were suspicious. And his splendid, near-to-his knees beard riffled in an unseen wind, a sure sign that he was in a dangerous mood.

     Grizel glared at him, peering past his shoulder at the now-empty door stoop. Even the fine bed of heather and bracken that she’d made for her four-legged friend had vanished. Everything was gone except the rocks and whirling mist.

     “Glower all you wish, it’ll change naught.” Gorm’s beard ends fluttered wildly. 

     “Where be Rannoch?” Grizel thrust out her chin, ignoring the beard-riffling.

     “No’ doing the fool guarding you ordered him to do, that’s true.” Gorm shut the door and came forward, bending to snatch up one of the peats as he crossed the stone-flagged floor. “Thon creature heeds me more than he does you, if ne’er you noticed.”

~*~

What can readers expect next any upcoming releases?

SEW:  Books two and three in Highland Warriors will be out this autumn. Likewise, a holiday novella connected to the series…

Temptation of a Highland Scoundrel, #2

Seduction of a Highland Warrior, #3

Once Upon a Highland Christmas, series-related holiday novella

I also have a story in Meows and Mistletoe, a Cat’s Paw Cove holiday collection. It’s set in a Florida beach town full of cats, magic, and romance. The Cat’s Paw Cove series was created by Wynter Daniels and Catherine Kean.

    

Are you working on any more series or books? 

SEW: A spin-off on my Ravenscraig Legacy series, Scottish contemporary paranormals. I’m hoping to get it out this summer. After that  – so many ideas and too little time.  

~*~

Thank you so much for having me. If any readers would like a closer look at Highland Warriors, they can download Highland Interludes from my website. It’s a free mobi download and includes two series prequels…

Highland Interludes

http://www.welfonder.com/Highland-Interludes.mobi

The Foretelling is a series prequel that lets you meet the three heroes as lads. It sets the stage for the events that unfold when they are grown men, proud and powerful Highland warrior chieftains.

         

The Glen of Many Legends – A Tour is also a prequel but is set immediately before the series opens. With a fierce battle on the horizon, a danger that could destroy a sacred glen, one of the warrior chieftains makes a journey across the story world.     

~*~

Also, I’ll draw a reader from all comments for a Mobi file of Sins of a Highland Devil.

I’ll sign off by with my contact info…

Mailing list:

https://madmimi.com/signups/102456/join

Website:

www.welfonder.com

Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/SueEllenWelfonderAuthor

Facebook Personal Page: http://on.fb.me/1N5fSqg

Twitter: http://twitter.com/SE_Welfonder

Features for the blog

Features for the blog.

In the Garden with Spuds.

 As most dogs Spuds love the outdoors. This year I was finally able to create a few raised beds and each day I go down to work the raised beds and Spuds is joins me, so I wanted to add him a feature on the blog so we can share our love for the outdoors and gardening.

Sookie’s Romance corner

Sookie is going to cover anything romance. I always find her laying bedside my romance books so I thought it would be fit her taste.

Rescuing with Roxie and Boo

Roxie and Boo are two rescue kitties so “Rescuing with Roxie and Boo” feature fit them just right. Roxie was rescued from a high kill shelter in GA by TLC Pet Rescue and we adopted her from there. Boo was rescued right off the streets of my home town. One day my husband and I were coming back from lunch and someone swung over into our lane to miss a small kitten. I noticed what the person was trying not to hit and had my husband to see if we could fetch the tiny kitten. We were lucky we had leftover fish with us and she was starving, or we might not have caught her. She went straight to my husband and we were able to grab her and take her home.

In the kitchen with Pandora

Pandora is always in the kitchen, I truly believe if she was human she would be a world-class chief. She finds her spot on the island and watches me while I cook and bake. Her favorite food is bacon, cream cheese, and marshmallows. I have to keep the marshmallows locked away because she always finds them. I have caught her countless times coming out of the cabinet with a bag in her mouth. She’s recently found out moon pies has marshmallows in them, so I have had to resort in hiding them too. The funny thing is she won’t eat the cookie, just the marshmallows.  

Pet Talk with Wolverine

Wolverine is Pandora’s brother. By the looks of him, you’d think he would have gotten the kitchen feature. Right? Well, spite his sporting large belly he is a total lover boy that will talk your head off, so I thought it would be fitting for him to bring to us post from authors talking about their pets, pet charities or anything they wanted to post about animals.  If you’re an author and would like to create a post about your pets please email Wolverine and me at lauriescozycorner@gmail.com

Everything cozy relate will be by me, Laurie :)

Domain name Bitten by Romance will be chaining

I wanted to make a post to let everyone know the domain name will be changing one more time. 

Since there are no other reviewers here any longer, I want to go back to the way things were 10 years ago and make it my own again and the name Bitten by Romance just doesn't reflect me any longer. 

I will still be reviewing romance books from time to time, but I will also be reviewing other books like cozies and cookbooks and I want to add more of myself and other things I love to do like baking, gardening and just other things that reflect my life and things I love, not just romance.

So, when my domain name expires on the 14th I will not be renewing it. I will be changing it to something that I can enjoy once more and I hope everyone else can too. 

I also want to make mention that on the 10th of this month I do have a great author interview with romance author Sue-Ellen Welfonder so make sure you stop back by and read her interview.