Nancy Deswik MacCreery's Blog: Be powerful - write a review!

Washed Up at Sea Oats Beach: A cozy mystery beach read by Karen C. Whalen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The last thing socially awkward Bree needs is to discover a dead body. But a dead woman and a live dog have washed ashore, and it’s a mystery how they got there. The story follows Bree as her desire to find the killer (and who owns the dog) propels her beyond her comfort zone. The book is well-written and moves at a perfect pace for a beach read.
There’s a bit of a romance building as well.
I highly recommend this one.




View all my reviews

My novel, Andromache's Story: What Really Happened in Troy, was recently reviewed by on Maria Karamitsos' blog, along with two other Greek mythology retelling novels.
It's an honor to be in such good company with the other authors in the blog.

The My Greek Books review:
"Andromache’s Story is a fun and enchanting read. We get to hear from Hector’s widow about what happened in Troy. Nancy Deswik MacCreery’s story of love, courage, loyalty, and friendship is one you won’t be able to put down."

To read more about it, please go to the blog on my website, NancyMacCreery.com


#bookreviews #books #bookrecommendations #whattoread #reading #booksworthreading #indieauthors
#mythretelling #readmythology

In the world of Indie writers, there are a wealth of well-written books -- as well as some that are not so good. The Indie BRAG Medallion awards were established to help readers find talented self-published authors. To get one of these honors, the book is reviewed by a team of independent readers who rate it and decide if the book is worth the award.

I'm pleased to announce that my second novel, Unexpected Impact, has been chosen for a BRAG Medallion!

​

Andromache's Story grew from my early fascination with mythology. When I was in middle school, I found a copy of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology in the bookcase at the top of the stairs in my parents’ house. Being a bookworm, once I opened it, I was delighted to delve into a whole new world, all the gods and goddesses, their powers and foibles.

Though I enjoyed the Iliad, I always felt sorry for Andromache, Hector’s wife. The fact that Homer describes her conversation with Hector about her worries gave me the idea that she was more vocal than the usual Trojan woman of her time -- and there was much more to their relationship and her character.

But the idea for this book lay dormant until about five years ago when I tried voice-dictating the original manuscript. If you have ever used voice dictation, it doesn’t always record your intended words and the result can be confusing but sometimes amusing. And at least it was a start! Once I finished the Scoops and Schemes series, I finally decided it was time to finish this draft.

While working on it, I found myself thinking about things like: how did an ancient city stand a long siege? Why didn’t they give Helen back? Why did they let Hector, their prince and champion, remain outside the gates to fight Achilles alone? How did Achilles die from just an arrow to his heel?

These questions, along with helpful feedback from my husband, daughter, sisters, and writer’s group helped to make this a better story, one that is about love, loss, loyalty, resilience, and misplaced trust.

I hope you enjoy reading it!

Here's the link to the book in the Kindle store: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0989D3FLR/

The Goodreads Staffers Shared Their Top Three #Books of the Year. I bet that was a difficult but interesting task!

I have to admit I haven't read any of these, but think the one on George Washington sounds interesting.
Have you read any of these? Do you plan to?

Here's the link: https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1...

Good reasons to read:

1) It’s a great excuse to unwind by yourself.
2) You can put your feet up and relax – inside or outside.
3)That stack of “meaning to read” books at the side of the bed is getting too tall.
4) You saw the movie, but you heard the book is way better.
5) There’s a swath of history you’re tired of having to admit you don’t know much about.
6) You’d like to get lost in a made-up world.
7) You haven’t gotten to use your imagination in a long time.


Do you have another reason? I'd love to hear it. Please add it in the comments on my blog!

This is a character study, a prequel to my soon-to-be published book. I hope you enjoy it!

Silver could spot a loser from a mile away -- and one was coming his way. This definitely was they guy. The portly man meandering over to his Blackjack table, drink in hand, seemed familiar. Or perhaps he was just a composite of the many losers he’d seen in his years as a dealer.
His Gucci suit strained at the seams; his dark hair slicked back; eyes like a zombie. Whether guy was here to gamble or pick up a chick, this was not his lucky day, for him or his suit. Word was that not only had he blown his stack of chips; he’d been rebuffed at least once by every unattached female in the casino – as well as several female impersonators.
Silver thought that was humorous. You had to admire a guy with persistence. Sleaze oozed as gray suit swaggered up to his table and casually lowered himself into a chair next to a red head falling out of her dress. A lewd smile and a wink. The red head promptly picked up her chips and fled.
Gray suit shrugged, plump fingers setting down his two remaining chips. He wore a heavy gold cigar ring. “No fun.”
Silver pressed the button under the table as he shuffled the cards. The fun stops here, he thought as two men in dark suits and dark shades appeared. Or maybe the fun begins, Silver mused, depending on who you were. He always wondered why the enforcers wore dark glasses inside the casino.
“Come with us.” The taller one commanded, lightly touching a gray sleeve.
Panic flashed across the guy’s face, but only for a moment. He straightened and brushed off the bouncer’s touch. “Why? I’m a guest here.” He flashed his chips as if they were his number at an auction.
“Just a small matter the finance manager wants to clear up.”
Tiny beads of sweat formed on his thick face. For a moment, Silver thought gray suit was going to make a break for it, but he slowly stood up and pocketed his chips.
“Hold my spot for me.” He called back gallantly to the table, almost running into a slot machine. The bouncer steadied him and they proceeded towards the back office.
Silver smiled at the remaining customers at the table and began dealing the round.


Several hours later, a sliver Cessna Citation Mustang coasted down the runway of McCarran Airport, lights blinking. The plane had barely stopped when the door opened and a tall, silver haired gentleman appeared in the doorway.
“Thank you,” he waved to the pilot, impatiently waiting for the portable stairs. “Wait here for me. This shouldn’t take more than an hour, or I’ll call you.”
His brow was furrowed, the look of a urbanite assigned to cleaning out pig stalls; he walked with angry precision down the stairs into the open the door of the waiting limo.

Arriving at the casino, the man was escorted inside to the back room; three men stood as he entered.
“So good of you to come. I’m Don, the manager here.” The first said, extending his hand. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Just tell me what the situation is.” The silver haired man commanded.
Don’s eyes widened. “Yes, please sit down.”
Once he was seated, Don began. “It seems that our friend here has exceeded his credit limit, then borrowed money on collateral that he doesn’t own. This is a problem.”
“I was just a little over my credit. I was on a roll, going to make it all up before they...”
The silver haired man shot a look at the man in the gray suit that made him stop mid-sentence. “It’s a good thing I was in LA. Otherwise I might not have come.” He turned toward Don. “I’ll bail him out -- On one condition.”
“Certainly. What can we do for you? We have many…”
“Don’t let him in any of your casinos again.”
“Done, sir.” Don nodded, “It would be a pleasure to comply with that request.”
They turned toward the man in the gray suit, who had sunk down in his chair.
“There are few people other than my family that I’d get up in middle of the night for. But we go way back. I’m bailing you out this time because you’re an old friend, but this is the last time. No more chances.” He paused. “Give me your word you won’t come back here … that you’ll quit gambling.”
Gray suit stared at the table, slowly nodding.
“Don, if you’d be so good as to call a cab for this sad specimen, I’ll be off. My driver is waiting.” Then the distinguished gentleman swept out of the room.
Don let out a sigh of relief, then disbelief as the other man pulled his chips out of his pocket and waved them.
“I’ll just play these – might change my luck.”


Thanks for reading! This content was originally posted on my blog:
http://www.nancymaccreery.com/blog---...

There are many interesting characters, both good and bad, in fiction and real life.
But memorable heroes stand out because:

They go beyond what is required by their job or role in society. They don’t have to do what they’re doing, but they accept the quest. I’m reading a novel now about a retired detective who’s investigating a case without pay and against the wishes of local law enforcement. He’s doing it for the murdered girl and the hint that there might be more like her.

They go all in. They face adversity, sometimes ridicule in pursuit of their quest.
They rarely are successful when they cut corners or find easy fixes (exception is Indiana Jones using his gun in the market place).

They’re human – they have faults. They might be frumpy, disheveled or fumbling, but they keep focused on their goal (Colombo ). They could carry a grudge from past events (Sophia ) or be too quick to judge (Elizabeth).

They’re not always strong, but when they are – they aren’t bullies.
The best heroes use their strength to fight forces larger than themselves, protect the weak and bring justice -- for the ones with no voices, or limited means so they can’t fight for themselves.

They take themselves lightly. My favorite hero characters are witty, and aren't above laughing at themselves on occasion.

Memorable heroes slog through a lot of mud on their quests. They can be tempted, confused or even too narrow-minded, but they eventually make the right decision when it would be easier to go down a different path.


Do you agree? Who is your favorite hero?


This blog originally published at:

http://www.nancymaccreery.com/blog---...

“If you love something, set it free.”

That’s not exactly the quote, but it was what I was thinking when I set my manuscript out to a select group of readers for critique. It’s always hard to let go – the story is like a small child going to school for the first time.

You know you have to let go eventually; it’s the natural process. But you worry. Will the story make friends or will it be best to keep it home longer? Maybe it needs stern editing or bit more time to mature...

Will the teachers be kind but not too kind?
There may be things that need to be corrected, parts that need development, and perhaps the plot doesn’t make sense because I forgot to write a key scene.

Stories, like people, sometimes need a bit of guidance to develop.

I’m anxious to hear the comments.

Hopefully you’ll be looking forward to reading the finished product!

This post originally appeared on nancymaccreery.com

Every year about this time, people start thinking about New Year's resolutions. There are all kinds of resolutions and ways to go about it. So if you're trying to decide if, or what type, of resolution to make, here are some ideas that might be helpful.

Many people contemplate decisions to live healthier, lose weight, spend more time with family and friends, or shop less and save more. But according to a recent survey, the top New Years resolution in the US this year is to “Enjoy life to the fullest”. (You can see the statistics at http://www.gobankingrates.com/persona... )

The survey was limited to the choices shown, which are fairly broad categories -- for example, "live a healthier lifestyle" could mean losing weight, quitting smoking and/or getting regular exercise. "Enjoy life to the fullest" could mean smiling more, appreciating what you have -- or the pursuit of material pleasures.

The survey didn't offer an open-ended option, but if it did, they might have received responses mentioning:
Reading more books
Exploring new authors
Write every day (guess who that one came from)
Vowing to find three things to be thankful for every day
Learning something new
Volunteering, or increasing volunteer efforts
Meeting new people (Joining new book clubs!)

Do you see a trend in this list? :)

Still not seeing one that fits? How about creating your resolutions from a reverse perspective -- deciding what you'd like to leave behind in 2015:

This could include:

Negative memories
People you want to stop thinking or talking about
Old resentments
Work responsibilities you'd like to trade
Bad habits
The cable box (or less TV)

Are you going to make a New Year's resolution? Got a suggestion for the list?
Please add your comments.

And Best Wishes for a Happy New Year!

content previously published on www.nancymaccreery.com