Scattering Stars by Wendy C Jorgensen

\

"One wrong move could jeopardize the future of the planet."

Book One in author Wendy Jorgensen's Scattering Stars Trilogy is full of suspense, intrigue, and romance. This gorgeous cover depicts the Colorado Rockies, the setting for this great story. Sixteen year-old Eve Hunter and her father return to Ridgeway, the town of her birth and where ten years earlier her mother drowned in a strange accident in a nearby canyon. Eve's grandfather, Jarak, is a powerful man who is considered a prophet among  the Colonists at Terra Dyne. Eve attends school at Ridgeway High and notices the close-knit teens from the colony are different in several ways from the other students, and she is certain they all share a common secret. Eve makes close allies, and a few enemies, on her journey as she discovers who she and the colonists really are.

Scattering Stars is a story about faith, choices, and courage. It’s a reminder that we are not on this planet by accident. Instead, we each have a purpose and a mission to perform.

Wendy C Jorgensen

From page 159 of Scattering Stars.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

"Can't you feel it?" Brad asked, with a hint of anticipation.

"Feel what?" 

"The power. The potential. Whenever I lose track of who I am, I drive through these gates and up to the top of the hill so I can see Terra Dyne. I look over the valley . . . And somehow I know that it all matters, that I matter."

I asked Wendy Jorgensen what inspired her to write Scattering Stars. Here is her reply:

"From the time I saw the movie, Escape to Witch Mountain, I’ve been fascinated by aliens. Not the creepy, lizard-looking aliens, but extraterrestrials who resembled humans and could live amongst Earth’s inhabitants, hiding in plain sight. Within a few years more science fiction movies followed: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Cocoon. I loved them all. When I decided to write my first novel, there was no question as to what I would write about.

On Colorado’s western slope, not far from the towns of Ridgway and Telluride, stands an extinct volcano called Lone Cone that rises to over 12,000 feet. A distinctive and solitary peak, Lone Cone is separated from nearby mountain ranges and surrounded by farms and wilderness. We’ve owned land in this area for many years, and the secluded location seemed a perfect landing site for my aliens."

                                                           The title for Jorgensen's novel is a quote from Jalaluddin Rumi--

 photo by JasonGillman on MorgueFile.com

Scattering Stars is expertly written and thought provoking. The characters are well developed. The story addresses issues of where our own society may be headed.

Though the ending of Scattering Stars answered all my questions, I found it ended too quick and could have been fleshed out more. But, of course, this left the story open for the sequels--which I am looking forward to reading!

I recommend Scattering Stars to all readers who enjoy a great YA story--with a touch of the world beyond.

Buy Scattering Stars at Amazon.

Leave a comment on this post and you're entered to win a digital copy of Scattering Stars

Your comment will also make you eligible to win a copy of Clairvoyance by Joan Sowards. 

Ideal High by Valerie Ipson

Don't let Ideal High's simple cover fool you. It is a powerful story of one girl’s positive influence on a Texas high school that has a huge problem with bullying.

After six of her friends are killed in a tragic fire, Taryn Young sets out to improve how students treat each other on and off campus. At first there is much resistance, many saying, “That’s the way things are”, or that demeaning others is the tradition of the school. Even administration denies that the problem exists.

Author Valerie Ipson

This intense story offers mystery, drama, and suspense. I could hardly put it down, and have thought about the story for days after finishing it.

Ideal High is well written and delivers a great message. Parents and teens alike should read it. It will make us better people and more sensitive to our fellowmen, and aware of what is happening around us--if we take its message to heart.

I give Ideal High the Most-Valuable-High-School-Novel award.

Buy Ideal High on Amazon. Visit Valerie Ipson's website.

Back of the book blurb:

There's no way I'm taking Blake's place as president of the student body. As soon as the memorial for him and six of our fires is over, I'm resigning as VP. Really.

Except people say the fire was no accident.

(I say it's way too easy to blame someone who's dead.)

When I read the writing on the wall, literally, the bathroom wall, I know what it means. To get to the truth I have to come out from under my paisley comforter.

But seriously, what stage of grief says I have to be the one to fix what's wrong at Ideal High?

Maybe I'm the one who's broken.

Big in Japan by Jennifer Griffith

Big in Japan 

A story of an overweight Texan guy who’s a nobody, walked on by others, and invisible in his job and in love. He goes to Japan and accidentally becomes the first blond sumo wrestler.

Release date for Big in Japan is July 28^th.

Jennifer Griffith will sign copies at Weller Books in Trolley Square in Salt Lake City, Utah at 6:00 p.m. that same day.

Big in Japan is also available in bookstores nationwide, through online booksellers, and as ebook. 

Thank you, Jennifer, for appearing on my blog today! Our title for this interview is, "Don't Write What You Know." Can't wait to hear about the meaning behind it. (And yes, folks, she is as pretty as her picture shows. No need for a glamour studio!)

Thank you for letting me be your guest blogger today! It’s an honor.

Why did you write a novel about a blond sumo wrestler?

Do you remember those skits by Monty Python, “And Now for Something Completely Different?” You probably wanted something completely different on this blog today, so here’s a post about sumo wrestling!

Sumo. It’s gross, right? Flabby, mostly-naked guys slamming into each other at full speed?

Is that all there is to it?

Ah, but my friends, it is much, much more!

Sumo is the national sport of Japan. It’s of ancient origin. Only men are allowed to compete. Foreigners have been part of sumo for almost 100 years, and the current champion is foreign, as was his predecessor. There are about 1000 men who are in the pro ranks, and there are six levels that a competitor must climb through (or shove through, actually!) to get to the top tier. There are six tournaments a year, three in Tokyo, and three at other locations in Japan. The winner of a tournament receives The Emperor’s Cup, a huge silver trophy I couldn’t lift if my life depended on it.

There aren’t any weight classes, so the biggest, heaviest guys compete against everyone else in their level. It pays to put on weight! And having good balance can help a wrestler (rikishi) win, even if he’s lighter than his opponent.

The rules are simple. To win a match, a Rikishi must force his opponent out of the ring or make him touch the ground with any part of his body other than the bottom of his foot. Matches are super intense, but they only last a few seconds. The power of these giants is just incredible.

Where can Americans go to watch sumo wrestling?

Lots of matches are available to watch online.

Some of us eat sushi at restaurants called “The Happy Sumo,” but there’s a darker side to the sport. In recent years some incidents of hazing and bout throwing have come to light, and there have been scandals that have rocked the sport and disillusioned some fans.

Now, I did live in Japan for a year and a half (LOVED it!), and I did see a sumo wrestler in a train station one time in Tokyo, but I didn’t know much about the sport until I started researching it for my newly released novel BIG IN JAPAN. 

So, what is the meaning behind, "Write What You Don't Know"?

For this book, I didn’t follow the advice of “write what you know.” Heh heh. I’m a 5’1” girly girl mom of five who lives in the Arizona desert. (Although I do love Japan and wanted to take readers on a virtual tour of it.) Instead I followed the rule “write what you want to know.” I wanted to know more about sumo, thought it was so exotic and readers might want to know about it too.

Robert Frost said in his poem “Maple,” “Name some children some names and see what happens.” I echo that: “Pick an exotic subject for your novel, research it and see what happens.”

It could turn out to be BIG!

Thank you so much, Jennifer, for the interview!

Jennifer Griffith is the author of four novels. BIG IN JAPAN is published by Jolly Fish Press and is available at bookstores nationwide and online. It is also available as an ebook. Find her on Facebook and Twitter @GriffithJen.

Friday 13th Kindle Giveaway--My Body Fell Off!

BJ Rowley


My Body Fell Off!

A Breathtaking Out-of-Body Adventure That Will Have You Sitting on the Edge of Your Chair!

Imagine going to bed one night and suddenly finding yourself floating around on the ceiling—looking down at your own sleeping body! Imagine being able to leave your body anytime you want, passing invisible through walls and doors—and even people! Imagine transporting yourself to friends' houses in the blink of an eye without them even knowing, or floating right into movies and concerts for free, or enjoying the Super Bowl on the fifty yard line—right behind the quarterback!! Then, imagine finding yourself inadvertently and invisibly witnessing a top secret meeting of some of the most dangerous criminals of our time as they hatch a multi-million dollar conspiracy involving blackmail, kidnapping, and even murder!

Bart Elderberry experiences all this and more after becoming the recipient of this very unique and special ability. He has just begun to enjoy the excitement of driving, dating, and high school when his whole world is turned upside down by the bizarre events transpiring around him. Suddenly, his unusual ability is the only thing standing between life and death for himself and his friends.

Now … imagine trying to explain to ANYBODY about your rare skills and abilities without them thinking you're as crazy as a three-dollar bill and throwing you in the loony-bin for life.

MY BODY FELL OFF! delivers a fast-paced, heart-pounding adventure that will leave you gasping at every turn—an adventure that, once begun, will be impossible to put aside until its final, dramatic conclusion.