Book Review: Wink – Thriller by Eric W. Trant

By Crystal J. Casavant-Otto

Wink   takes place in a rural Gulf Coast town. The main character, Marty Jameson, is an unusual young man with a disturbing home life. Marty’s mother is abusive to Marty as well as other substances provided to her by Marty’s father who is absent most days while wheeling and dealing drugs in neighboring towns. Marty seeks refuge in the attic of his home where he can avoid the hoarding and abusive tantrums of his mother and stay out of sight and smelling range of his older brother who is comatose and wasting away in his bedroom.

Marty is damaged, but somehow not defeated. Surrounded by unthinkable sadness and anger, he is able to escape to the attic to find his own refuge and peace. He is a determined young man who seems to find joy in the most unlikely places. He forgives his mother time and time again even though she is not willing to offer him the same unconditional love and emotional support. His optimism and resilience is incredible and seems to be the driving force behind any goodness in his life.

Right next door in a house very similar to Marty’s lives a family so different in many ways from the Jameson’s. Sadie Marsh’s life is anything but perfect; she is confined to a wheelchair and yet her home is filled with love and light where Marty seems to be surrounded by evil and darkness. Sadie feels for Marty and waits by her own window to see what is going on at the Jameson’s. Sadie’s mother has warned her about that family next door and yet Sadie is drawn to Marty and the goodness she knows lives within him. Sadie is convinced Marty is not the devil her mother makes him out to be, but those huge black-winged creatures she sees at his house have her wondering if her mother was right. When Sadie’s mother admits to seeing them too, they both know Marty is dealing with more darkness than they had imagined.

Marty is drawn to Sadie just as she is to him. He sees the goodness in her home and in his own way longs to experience the love within their walls instead of enduring the torture and hatred of his own family dynamic. Emotionally scarred Marty is torn but determined. The key to his triumph lies in the attic and the stories told to him by his one-eyed uncle. He’s pulled between the darkness and light as the winged creates threaten everything he has ever known.

Trant’s imagery and storytelling is incredibly. The story of Wink left my head spinning and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or just hold my children tight. Trant’s brilliant writing places the reader in the middle of the chaos as the story unfolds. The tension builds and you find yourself unable to put the book down. This is a story of family and triumph but most definitely a ‘keep you at the edge of your seat’ thriller to say the least. 


Paperback: 275 pages

Publisher: WiDo Publishing (April 16, 2013)

ASIN: B00CE4OP1K

Twitter hashtag: #WINK

Wink is available as a print and e- book at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 

About the Author:

Eric W. Trant is a published author of several short stories and the novels Out of the Great Black Nothing and Wink from WiDo Publishing, out now! See more of Eric's work on his blog: http://diggingwiththeworms.blogspot.com/, order directly from Amazon, or wherever books are sold.

Eric is an advocate for organ donation and lost his 18mo son in May of 2012. Eric and his wife courageously donated their son’s heart, kidneys, and liver. The couple went on to begin  a foundation to support organ donor families. Eric speaks openly about this emotional journey on his blog and the topic of organ donation is very close to his heart.

Find out more about the author by visiting him online:

Author website: www.EricTrant.com

Author blog: http://diggingwiththeworms.blogspot.com/

Author Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/eric.trant.9

Book Review: A Southern Place by Elaine Drennon Little

Book Review: A Southern Place by Elaine Drennon Little

By Crystal J. Casavant-Otto  

A Southern Place   begins as a beaten and battered young woman is fighting for her life in the ICU. Is that really where it all begins or is it where it ends? Does life begin and end in the same place? I started reading and didn’t want to stop until I had a better understanding of who this young woman was and how she had come to be in such a sad place. Sure, I knew her name was Mary Jane Mullinax and folks called her MoJo, but there had to be more to the story than that. Sherriff Purvis of Dumas County Georgia described Mo Jo and her family as good folds, quiet-like and said there was no one to call. Her mama had died years before and she had never known her daddy. As a reader, I immediately felt I didn’t want to leave her side until she was out of the ICU and on the road to recovery.

Little did I know that A Southern Place would take me back in time to the days when Mo Jo’s grandparents were working the land and the rich Georgia soil. Wherever this story was going, I was going with it. I wanted to know everything about this young girl, her parents, her grandparents, and especially her uncle Calvin (Cal for short). Cal had been important in Mo Jo’s upbringing and I was intrigued by a man who would selflessly sacrifice everything for the sake of his family. Cal had died years before Mo Jo found herself alone and near death in the ICU, but something tells me Mo Jo had the same love for her family that her uncle had. She managed to take quite a beating and somehow protect her unborn child and that just seems like the same sort of family value that Cal showed when he selflessly put everyone else before himself.

Mo Jo and her family hadn’t come from the best of backgrounds, but they were proud. As the story advanced in years, it became clear that the Mullinax family was deeply attached to the land; they worked the land and believed that hard work would win in the end. I found myself cheering them on and as things fell apart I slumped in my chair feeling the same defeat they must have felt as they took out another mortgage and sold off some of their precious land.

Little’s descriptions and understanding of everything from farming to history really made A Southern Place come to life for me. This may be Little’s first published novel, but I certainly hope it won’t be her last. She has a way of bringing her characters to life and her depictions of the south have me longing for a visit. I am curious about peanut plantations as well as intrigued by the author herself – a piano teacher with thirty years’ experience turned author, now that’s something I didn’t see coming! Thank you Elaine Drennon Little for this exceptional book and I do hope to read more from you in the future!

Book Review: Secrets, Lies and Apple Pies by Audry Fryer

5 Stars for the Page Turner: Secrets, Lies and Apple Pies by Audry Fryer  

Secrets, Lies, and Apple Pies was a real page turner. This was the book that I couldn't put down and I was heart broken when I reached the end. The characters really came to life for me. I paid just 99 cents for the book and honestly would have paid $19. The cover is delicious looking but as the story unfolds you can nearly smell the fresh baked apple pies and taste the flaky crusts.

I picked up Audry Fryer's book just as summer was beginning in our household and this was the perfect read for this time of year. I found myself sneaking in a few more pages while at the pool, while grabbing a drink in the middle of mowing the lawn, and toward the end I stayed up into the middle of the night because I couldn't stand the thought of not knowing what was happening to the characters that quickly became my friends.

I can't wait to read more from this author and I know that at least one person I recommended Secrets, Lies, and Apple Pies to said she pulled an all-nighter because she, (like me) couldn't put this book down. Kudos to Ms. Fryer for an expertly written book!!!

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and here she is ... drum roll please ... Ms. Audry Fryer herself. You can find her blogging at http://allthingsaudry.blogspot.com/

Book Review: Tin God by Stacy Green

Book Review: Tin God   by Stacy Green
By Crystal J. Casavant-Otto

Tin God begins with Jayme’s secret, but there are others with even darker secrets needing to be brought to light. It wasn’t going to be easy for Jayme and Nick to prove their case, especially since their prime target was the beloved minister who seemed to have more secrets than any one of the sheep of his congregation. Was he truly the man the community loved, or was he the devil Nick and Jayme believed him to be? Would they go too far to solve the mystery?
It’s hard to fit Tin God into a single reading category. Stacy Green does a fabulous job with this story and it could be labeled: murder mystery, suspense, romance, and family drama. Discovering the dead body of her employer is just the beginning for young Jayme Ballard. As her tale unfolds she is forced to face her past which allows Jayme to finally move forward. She learns who can and cannot be trusted and finds out that her judgment may not have always been what it should be.

Nick Samuels made his fair share of mistakes as a husband and promised he would find his wife’s killer no matter what the cost. It’s been four years since his wife, Lana was murdered and Nick doesn’t believe the murder in Roselea, Mississippi to a woman who looks just like his wife could be a simple coincidence. Armed with years of angst, a steady diet of coffee, and very little sleep, Nick heads for the neighboring town, the crime scene, and his wife’s family. He finds Jayme Ballard, Lana’s best friend, and also the one who found the recent dead body. It’s time for Jayme to tell Nick about her secret; he needs some answers if he’s going to solve these murders.

Green’s descriptions are as vivid as the gorgeous cover of Tin God as she brings to life the historic mansions, the deep characters, and the colorful landscape. Even the description of the trailer court is so well described that a picture will immediately form as you read Green’s eloquent words: “Ravenna Court was about as beautiful as a rattlesnake bite…Instead of cultivating colorful flowers, residents battled kudzu and stubborn cogon grass…”

As I finished reading Tin God I was hoping Stacy Green was writing another story. She brought out the characters so well I wanted more. This story kept me guessing and second guessing about motive, friendship, and who was involved in the murders. Fabulous book I would, without a doubt, recommend to others!

For those who enjoyed Tin God as much as I did, you’ll want to add to your reading list: book two in the Delta Crossroads Series Skeleton’s Key. This second book features Cage who had lusted over the unavailable Jayme. Cage is trying to move on, but discovers something in the cellar of an abandoned plantation that sends him on a collision course of secrets, lies, and love.

Here's the Amazon link for you too: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00C7SKV1G/?tag=wowwomenonwri-20

Awesome Memoir - Replacement Child by Judy Mandel

Book Cover - Replacement Child

Book Review - Replacement Child 

Judy Mandel

Review by Crystal Casavant-Otto
Book by Judy Mandel
Link to Amazon: click here

Within the first few pages of Judy L. Mandel’s memoir, I scribbled the following notes in my journal:

·        Amazing depth, pulled me in right away!

·        Great self-awareness in seeking her own seeds of truth.

Whether you enjoy reading historical fiction, memoir, non-fiction, relationship, or self-help books, you’ll enjoy Replacement Child as Mandel guides you through the development of her family. The story unfolds like a play and Mandel herself admits “I was not a lead actor in this play”.

Replacement Child   jumps back and forth between Mandel’s current life and the tragic plane crash that happened years before she was born. This was a little hard to follow at first, but allows readers to understand how the past and the present are delicately woven together forming the reality of each character.  The events were depicted so honestly that I often found myself crying during the trials and cheering during the triumphs of many characters.

Replacement Child   may involve the plane crash that took the life of Mandel’s sister, but the story began much earlier than that. Mandel does a fantastic job digging into her parent’s courtship and the early years of their relationship to inspect their emotions and thoughts. She took the time to carefully examine and then develop each character without casting blame or judgment. The care and dedication to this work can only be described as a labor of love and a journey of self-discovery.

Mandel’s parents had a loving marriage, a modest home, two lovely daughters, and then tragedy strikes as an airplane crashed in their kitchen and her mother must choose which child to save first. Neither child was spared; one child perished and the other child was burned so badly she nearly died. Mandel’s parents hadn’t been able to salvage much of their home, and they were willing to do anything to salvage what they could of their relationship. This is where Mandel comes in, during Act II as she calls it, as the replacement child.

I love the honesty Mandel shows when she admits that telling the story of an entire family is really a high wire act. I’m a big fan of this book and appreciate the care Mandel took with collecting historical information to ensure as much accuracy as possible. Judy L. Mandel has done a great job with her memoir, Replacement Child   and I would not hesitate to recommend this book to others. As a mother, I would also recommend having a box of tissues handy.