Guest Blogger Joana James!!!

 

Why/How I started Writing:

I loved to read from childhood and I was always considered a book worm. Right around my teenage years, I realised I could write stories that were pretty darn exciting. They made good entertainment and got me good grades in English. That’s when I realised I could actually write. But back then, I wrote mostly poetry (which right now, I absolutely hate writing!). One of my goals was to become a published writer by age 18…it took ten years more than that for it to happen.

I held off on writing because somebody told me “you can write after you retire; right now you need a real job to make real money.” I listened, but I’m not sure that I regret listening. I did pitch a few ideas to a few publishing companies and of course, got rejection letters from all. I gave up because I figured that living on an island as small as mine, I’d never really get a chance to prove my worth.

Fast forward to ten years later, my love for reading got the better of me and I bought myself a kindle. In the early days of owning that kindle, I lost many nights of sleep. I followed every kindle related twitter account I could find, and I read, read and read some more.

One day, twitter proved its worth to me. I came across a tweet that said I could get my own work published on kindle. Until then, I didn’t even know that KDP existed. I did my research and found that I could self-publish my stuff without putting out any money up front. (Even though I have a real job, I don’t necessarily have the real money part just yet).

So, I set to work. I put together a short story in about a week, spent another week editing and tweaking and re-edit and voila! I had my test book. To me, it really was just that, a test book. But my friends went crazy over it and started asking for a sequel so my two-part short story, “Rise from the Ashes” was born.

I decided it was time to get serious and put together my first novel. I threw away many synopses before I settled on one, and when I did, I was scared to death that it was crap. But, I persevered, and finished it. “Nightmare at Emerald High was born.”

I’m not sure how everything will turn out, but I’m super proud of myself for producing two books. I’m in the middle of my third and I can’t wait to get it out there. I pursued a dream and I won’t stop writing, or self-publishing. I would love to quit my day job and write all the stories I have in my head, but we’ll see how that goes.

The Shadow of Your Smile by Susan May Warren

Book Description:
A beautiful blanket of snow may cover the quaint town of Deep Haven each winter, but it can’t quite hide the wreckage of Noelle and Eli Hueston’s marriage. After twenty-five years, they’re contemplating divorce . . . just as soon as their youngest son graduates from high school. But then an accident erases part of Noelle's memory. Though her other injuries are minor, she doesn’t remember Eli, their children, or the tragedy that has ripped their family apart. What’s more, Noelle is shocked that her life has turned out nothing like she dreamed it would. As she tries to regain her memory and slowly steps into her role as a wife and mother, Eli helps her readjust to daily life with sometimes-hilarious, sometimes-heartwarming results. But can she fall in love again with a man she can’t remember? Will their secrets destroy them . . . or has erasing the past given them a chance for a future?

My Thoughts:
A book is good and it is one that will make you think!  Eli and Noelle have a marriage in name only.  A tragedy has ripped their family apart.  Now, contemplating a divorce, the unthinkable happens and Noelle forgets the life they had together.  Another family was also touched by the tragedy and is an integral part of Noelle and Eli's life together.  Now, with a 'clean slate' can Eli make Noelle fall in love with him again?  Does he even want that?  How much will the secrets hurt their relationship? 
The cast of characters throughout the story are wonderful!  I could actually feel Noelle's shock and frustration at how her life had turned out.  Eli's hurt at his wife's condition.  Their son's heartbreak that their mother doesn't remember them or the tragedy that shaped them all.  The emotions run high through out the story and I think the author did a great job with the whole story!
I rate this a 4/5.  It will keep you flipping the pages to find out what will happen next.

Thank you to litfuse for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Immortalis (Vampire Series. Omnibus Edition: Books 1-3) by Katie Salidas

Book Description:

Becoming a vampire is easy. Living with the condition... that's the hard part.

Join Alyssa as she stumbles through the world of the "Unnatural" in the first three books in the Immortalis series.

Book 1: Immortalis Carpe Noctem
Rescued from a brutal mugging on the college campus of UNLV, 25 year old Alyssa is initiated into a frightening, eternally dark world she never knew existed. The world of the vampire.
Stricken with cravings of blood, and forced leave behind all she knew, Alyssa struggles with the change. And Lysander, her sexy but aloof sire, is the only one who can help guide her.
There's no turning back now. It's either, Carpe Noctem, or final death.
Book 2: Hunters & Prey
Rule number one: humans and vampires don't co-exist.
One is the hunter and one is the prey. Simple, right? Not for newly-turned vampire Alyssa. A surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum's most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the human friend she's missed more than anything.
Now she has some explaining to do. However, that will have to wait. With the Acta Sanctorum hot on their heels, staying alive is more important than educating a human on the finer points of bloodlust.

Book 3: Pandora's Box
After a few months as a vampire, Alyssa thought she'd learned all she needed to know about the supernatural world. But her confidence is shattered by the delivery of a mysterious package - a Pandora's Box.
Seemingly innocuous, the box is in reality an ancient prison, generated by a magic more powerful than anyone in her clan has ever known. But what manner of evil could need such force to contain it?

When the box is opened, the sinister creature within is released, and only supernatural blood will satiate its thirst. The clan soon learns how it feels when the hunter becomes the hunted.

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed all three of these books.  In book one, Immortalis Carpe Noctem, we meet a very human girl, Alyssa.  She is having the worst day of her life and it is about to get even worse.  Being attacked on her way home, she is saved by Lysander, now her sire.  She is changed to a creature she never knew existed and now has to learn to cope with being a vampire and all that comes with it.
I loved Alyssa!  She may have been new to the life but she wasn't taking crap from anyone!  She is stubborn, hard headed and, though she won't admit it most of the time, scared.  Her not wanting to drink blood was exactly right for how I would feel so there was that connection.  Her 'extended family' is great and I loved getting to know all the characters.  Over all, it was a great book!

The second book, Hunters & Prey, Alyssa has survived her fist big vampire fight.  She is having recourring dreams about the man that hunted them though that keep her from enjoying the 'family' victory.  It seems her dreams may have been more of a warning than a nightmare.  She escapes an attack but returns to the place Lysander told her she couldn't go...her old haunt and she runs into her best friend!  Her still human friend may be more of a liability to the family but Alyssa is determined not to lose her again!
This just continued the wonderful characters we met in book one.  Alyssa is still as stubborn and emotional.  Lysander is still as 'ancient' as always.  The rest of the clan is still coping with what happened at the end of the first book.  I loved the introduction of Fallon!  She is a great friend for Alyssa.

Book three, Pandora's Box brings us to where Fallon, Alyssa's very human friend is now a part of the family.  The two of them are closer than ever as are Alyssa and Lysander.  A package is delivered and Fallon can't resist opening it and when she does, a terrible force none of them ever expected to encounter was released. 
I hated where we lost some of the beloved characters but loved that once again Alyssa was the same!  She is a magnet for trouble and just can't help it.  The wolves and witches we learn about are interesting.  I was glad Fallon was back and still human!  The story was great but I can't say that I'm in love with the ending but it was a wonderful set up for the next book!

I rate all the books 4/5.  They were really good and I'm ready for the next in this series!!!

Thank you to VBTC for the review copy of the books.  I received these books in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Guest Blogger Author Cesar

Best way to get Reviews

This is my first book and I chose at some point along the road to self-publish for a few reasons, but this left instant issues on my mind, most of all, how to get reviews. If you walk through a bookshop and browse books, what is the first thing you notice? Yep you have a little read at the blurb comments left by reviewers which may say “amazing read” or “left me on the edge of my seat”. Yet here I was on the road to self-publishing and first of worried about how to get reviews of my book before it had even been published; so that I could quote from them for the cover. The task haunted me! What made it worse was when I contacted newspaper or review companies that even if they did reply, they were not interested because I was self-published. I felt like pulling my hair out.

What set me on the road to recovery was joining two websites in particular, authorsden and linkedin and that’s where things changed for me. Maybe other authors could review my book? I went back to my publisher that was doing the design of my cover and asked them if they had some sort of service where authors could review each others work, but they didn't. So I posted on authorsden and linkedin that I was looking for pre-publication reviewers for my Book of Prophecies. The offers slowly trickled in and I got thirteen requests within a couple of weeks.

Then my worry switched suddenly, paranoid that maybe one of these nice kind people who had offered to help me would perhaps steal my book or post it on some website that people could get ahold of it for free. So I done what most people do, I posted myself a copy through registered post service, which apparently stands up in court if anyone chooses to challenge the ownership of things? And so I sent off my book into the world and got my reviews that I needed for the cover, but it wasn't easy, and maybe I only found reviewers for my book because of its unusual topic, that I do not know, I guess I will find out when I got through the process again with a book that’s not about prophecies. But the key is definitely to be part of a book social network, to make friends with other writers who are willing to help you out, and you must be willing to help them out in return.

Guestblogger Karen S. Bell

The most often asked question is how did I come up with my story? I can pinpoint a moment when the story's underlying message hit me like a ton of-bricks--but I'll get to that later. What drove me to write this novel--was how much I've seen change in the way of families and family life. Women have definitely become contributors to society in force but there have been many sacrifices because of that which have changed the bucolic nostalgia of the American stereotypical household.

Working women become working mothers and life becomes a juggling act but kids demands remain the same and satisfying those demands become major challenges. Along with women becoming more powerful, the divorce rate is so high that I believe that before long, a large sector of our culture will do away with marriage. Divorce is harrowing and expensive and the only winners are the lawyers, who I am sorry to say fuel the hatred even when children are involved.

I'm old enough to remember when most households remained intact, most women stayed home, and neighbors were friendly. We are isolated now from one another, overworked with demanding jobs and running households part time. In suburbia, after long commutes mothers get into cars and remain there during most of their discretionary time, carpooling or grocery shopping.

I applaud the working mother who manages it all--but I think they need help. I think that corporate America and women can be creative about being able to mother full time and find fulfilling employment that provides the now necessary second income. How? Maybe job sharing is the answer, maybe there is another idea out there. Much longer maternity leave. Supportive and mentoring women at work who help each other when kids' need mommy today and mommy does not have to take a vacation day to provide that nurturing. Somehow we have to give a nod to yesteryear, stop for a moment and take a beat and reassess.

Raising children is so important. They are our future, they need to nurtured by a parent not a caregiver. We need to imprint on our children. Make them all they can be with mom and dad yelling on the sidelines, not stuck in front of a computer somewhere.

Let's take back our families AND be workers but we have to figure out how to do it. And I really haven't a clue how to get it done but I have some ideas.

Author Interview of Lisa Ard!

Good Morning All!  Please enjoy this interview of the author of Fright Fligh, Lisa Ard!

AW:   Tell us about yourself…
My name is Lisa Ard and I'm a children's book author, business consultant, stay-at-home mom and library / school / church volunteer. I am married with two wonderful kids. My family lives in Portland, Oregon.
AW: What genera do you write and why?
I write children's books, mainly picture books and middle-grade fiction.
AW:  Tell us about your book….
My first book, Fright Flight, Dream Seekers Book One, was released by Puddletown Publishing Group October 2011 in e-book format. The print version will be available Nov. 2011. It is a middle-grade fantasy series that will appeal to kids 7 and up.
Here's the back cover blurb:
For Patrick, being twelve years old can be challenging. Add to that the unusual ability to experience dreams as reality and you begin to understand Patrick's need for a little self-control. A "sweet" dream devouring the world's largest ice cream sundae can end with an enormous stomachache. A fall from a bike means Patrick wakes with a broken arm. Try explaining that to the emergency room doctor. Oh wait -- that would be Patrick's mom. She's a dream seeker too, as are Patrick's sister and brother. If Patrick follows the family's dream-seeking rules he can have cool nighttime adventures. But if he forgets....


You can read chapter 1 on my website.

AW:  What was your inspiration for this book?
Reading a lot of fantasy with my own kids helped me think outside the box. I was taking a writing class and wondered through what mechanism could kids have great adventures -- dreams. The nice thing about dreams is the adventure can be realistic or fantasy or a mixture of the two. Each book starts with a short dream, one that often foreshadows the problem or challenge for Patrick. Then, in a later dream, Patrick must deal with the issue on his own.
An important theme in the series will be the importance of family and friends. While it's important when writing in this genre to have a main character who handles the main conflict, I wanted Patrick to know that his family and friends support him. Even when he must make decisions on his own, he knows his family is there for him. I'm bucking the trend by writing about a nice, loving family instead of a child with mean, ugly or dead parents.
AW:  Do you have a favorite character and why that one?
I like Grace, Patrick's 17-year old sister. They squabble. She teases him. He teases her. Grace spends too much time in the bathroom getting ready in the morning. But when push comes to shove, Patrick is her brother and she loves him. For me, they perfectly describe the sibling relationship.
AW:  Did you find anything particularly difficult in writing this book?
Getting a good format down was a must. As a series, there needs to be a certain structure, that can be repeated in future stories. A critique group member recommended starting with a dream and once I did that, it just clicked.
AW: What project(s) are you currently working on?
I have the second Dream Seekers book ready for submission. My publisher has first rights to that, so I need to get it off to them soon. That one involves a little time travel and an unbelievable setting. A preview of book two appears at the back of book one.
I've also just finished a first draft of a middle-grade fiction work that I'm really excited about. Now I'll run it through critique group before submitting for publication. It's a little bit Munsters mixed with Ramona tossed in with Roald Dahl. There's a lot of secrecy and deception in the dialogue. Without giving anything away, it's a story about finding one's family and a sense of belonging.
AW: Do you have any interesting writing quirks you want to tell us about?
I sit on a yoga ball when I write. It's suppose to help me maintain good posture. I think it does, although I should probably get up and stretch more after hours sitting in front of my Mac.
AW: Do you have any advice for writers out there?
Join SCBWI or any other writing group. Find a good critique group, preferably one where someone has some experience and can set some good meeting rules. Attend a writing conference. Doing all these things will inspire writers and make them write. One must write and write and write....
AW:  Where can we find you? (facebook, twitter, blog, website, etc)
My website: www.dreamseekeradventures.com
My blog: www.dreamseekeradventures.com/blog
Twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/LisaArd
Facebook: www.facebook.com/dreamseekeradventures
AW: And of course we have to know, where can we find your book?  (your website, publisher, amazon, etc)
My website: www.dreamseekeradventures.com
My publisher: http://www.puddletowngroup.com/
Amazon: Fright Flight
B&N: Fright Flight
iTunes: Fright Flight

The Keeper by Suzanne Woods Fisher

Book Description:
Julia Lapp has planned on marrying Paul Fisher since she was a girl. Now twenty-one, she looks forward to their wedding with giddy anticipation. When Paul tells her he wants to postpone the wedding—again—she knows who is to blame. Perpetual bachelor and spreader of cold feet, Roman Troyer, the Bee Man.
Roamin' Roman travels through the Amish communities of Ohio and Pennsylvania with his hives full of bees, renting them out to farmers in need of pollinators. He relishes his nomadic life, which keeps him from thinking about all he has lost. He especially enjoys bringing his bees to Stoney Ridge each year. But with Julia on a mission to punish him for inspiring Paul's cold feet, the Lapp farm is looking decidedly less pleasant.
Can Julia secure the future she's always dreamed of? Or does God have something else in mind?

My Thoughts:
I completely enjoyed this book!  Julia Lapp is set to marry Paul Fisher...then he puts the wedding on hold for the second time!  Julia's father Amos is having heart trouble and the only way to fix it is a way that he can't choose.  Or can he?  Julia is determined to convince Paul they should still get married and convinced it is all the 'Bee Man's' fault he put it on hold.  When her uncle gets outside help for her and her siblings, she isn't overly happy the woman is strict and opinionated and the man is....the Bee Man!  Can any of this be God's will?
The characters in this book were wonderful!  Julia was great but her siblings, father and uncle just fit perfectly where they should.  The author did a wonderful job of making you feel the emotions the characters felt.  I laughed so hard at some parts, was sad and almost depressed at others, and exceptionally happy--it was great!  I can't wait for the next installment in this series.
I rate this a 5/5.  If you like Amish fiction, you'll love this one !

Thank you to Revel for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

iPad giveaway:         http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/183799  Running now until January 17th
Facebook Party:       http://www.facebook.com/events/209723589116292    Party is on January 17th, and the winner of the prize package will be announced there.

Interview of author Jimmy (JD) Gordon

Good Morning all!  Please help me welcome author JD Gordon

AW: Tell us about yourself…

Well, I am forty one year old fella, married with two kids, my daughter just turned nine and my little guy will be seven in February. I'm a disabled firefighter, which is really how I found myself writing. An earlier injury, not the one which ended my gig, sent me down this path when my peers at the firehouse asked what I was going to do with all of my time away, as if healing up and physical therapy wasn't enough right? Though I had never been a writer or even saw myself as being the type to write a book, I had always been an avid reader. So for some reason, "I might write a book popped out". My 'good' friends at the station didn't think I can do it, and with good reason as well. At the time the only writing required of me was the run reports we would fill out after a call. At the time I pretty much wrote those in all capital letters and as for punctuation, a period here and there for good measure was about it. Well, I wrote that first book, made a point to user lower case and upper case letters, punctuation as well and the rest is history. I've just started writing my seventh novel. That was just ten short years ago. Until the injury which ended my time in the fire service writing was really more of a hobby. Once the fire department had to officially send me packing, I decided to give it go and see what happens. Since then I've been pretty active in the writing community. I sit on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Writer's Association, I'm mentor for a teen writers program, which my protege' is having her first book published shortly, congrats to her. I'm also a panelist for the Clive Cussler Adventure Writers Competition and I was one of founding influences for my hometown's annual Book Festival. So I've been a pretty busy guy where literature is concerned.

AW: What genera do you write and why?

I write in two genres now. I write adventure books for adults and spooky or paranormal stories for middle school aged kids, for you non parental types that's like ages 9 to 12. I started off writing adventure books because that's what I read. I have always been a huge fan of Clive Cussler. One of the best adventure writers of our times. I tend to add a tropical twist to all of my adult writing due to one of the other influences of my life, that would be Jimmy Buffett, yes I'm not always proud of it but I am a huge Buffett fan, well now you won't catch me the concert wearing a grass skirt or anything but....

I branched off into the kid lit after writing three of the adventure novels. Honestly, I didn't really consider what I was writing as kid lit. I just wanted to see if I could write something different. I chose to use a high school student as my protagonist and I tied it into something I thought of while typing away one night listening to the child monitor in daughter's room. She was an infant then. It wasn't until I started looking for a publisher that I realized the story would work best for the middle school students. I'm now writing my third middle school novel. The first released last Halloween. The next will hit the shelves so to speak this Spring with the opening of the baseball season. It all ties in, the first, Kritterkreep, opened on Halloween. The next book is titled Field of Screams where much of the action takes place an old baseball stadium. The third, I think, will have a Halloween release just as the first book did. The third in the series is The Pumpkin Jamboree and the Legend of Stumpy Scout. There's a something else about me, I happen to my little guy's Den Leader for Cub Scouts, though in all honesty, the title and story had been planned before I took that job. Oh, um, I umpire high school and college baseball as well. I guess that's where the inspiration for the whole Field of Screams deal comes from. I recall someone saying write what you know.

AW: Tell us about your book….

This current book is titled Dartboard. This is another Caribbean adventure story. I've recently received a wonderful blurb from one of my favorite writers, a fellow named Paul Kemprecos. Paul is a talented and successful writer on his own but he also co wrote many best selling novels with Clive Cussler. Part of Paul's quote says Dartboard is Carl Hiaasen meets Treasure Island. Carl is another one of my favorite writers as Treasure Island is one of my favorite classics so one can imagine how excited I was to read the blurb. Anyway, Dartboard is sort of modern Treasure Island, it tells the story of small town deputy sheriff who finds himself owning by inheritance an antique watercraft named Dartboard. On board Jimmy Quigley, our hero finds an old treasure map. The past owner of the boat had been modern day Indiana Jones working for the Field Museum in Chicago. Well, as it often happens with buried treasure, there are many people trying to get their hands on the booty, in this case its an odd museum assistant, a trio of candy queens from Wisconsin, and old buccaneer named Admiral Gangplank. Its the Caribbean, there has to be pirates.

AW: What was your inspiration for this book?

Same as the others, I like to write adventure stories based in the Caribbean mostly. Unlike Clive, I do like to add quite a bit of humor to my stories. Up until Dartboard my adventure stories had been told around a reluctant hero named Eddie Gilbert, who just happened to be fire fighter. Well, it was time to move away from Eddie, or really, give the guy the rest. I felt there was much of me wrapped up in Eddie. I decided to come up with a new fella and try to make him my opposite this time around.

AW: Do you have a favorite character and why that one?

Well from my writing or the writing of others? One of my favorites is an eco terrorist named Skink. He's an invention of Carl Hiaasen. The word terrorist might place Skink as a bad guy, so to speak, but I really think his anger is just a bit misplaced. As for a favorite from one of my stories? Hmmm, so many to pick from, I think I like Admiral Gangplank from the current tale. He's an eccentric peg legged pirate living on his own black market oasis and hide away stuck down in the deep dark Caribbean. He's technically a bad guy but his main scene was a blast a write and I still enjoy reading his part of the story.

AW: Did you find anything particularly difficult in writing this book?

I have the same problem writing every book, I feel lost until I'm about halfway through. I don't outline. I always have an idea where I want my story to go but I'm never sure how I'm going to get there. It does make for a lot of re writing before sending is off but, well, its kind of fun not knowing where I'm going until I get there.

AW: What project(s) are you currently working on?

I am working with my editor on Field of Screams and I have just started that Pumpkin Jamboree book I mentioned. I'll be starting another adult adventure story soon. I have a few ideas but I haven't settled on anything. I think I'll be leaving the Caribbean behind for this one. I'm keen to write something I might title The Wrigleyville Crime Story. The storyline, even I admit, might be a little far out there. So, its something I need to consider. However, I think it will be a heck of a lot of fun and it will let me put my Chicago roots to use.


AW: Do you have any interesting writing quirks you want to tell us about?

Honestly, no quirks really, sorry folks. I do like to frequent a local watering hole in my hometown. I claim a corner at the bar. And believe it or not when I walk in folks move over to give me the spot, kind of cool actually.

AW: Do you have any advice for writers out there?

First, if a guy like me can do it, anyone can, if they set their mind to it. Some of the best advice I always seemed to receive when I would reach out to seasoned writers, is just keep writing. You'll get there. And once you do get there, so to speak, when folks reach out to you, help them, turn no one away, offer something. I am always flattered when a total newbie reaches out to me and it happens more than I can I believe. I always offer something and do what I can for them. And I'm no pro but still.....

AW: Where can we find you? (facebook, twitter, blog, website, etc)

I'm amazed that one can find me on facebook, please look me up and ht me with a one of those friend requests. One can never have too many right? I was never a social media guy but its actually quite fun and a great way to keep in touch with folks. I do have a home on the web as well...www.jimmygwrites.com. I'm told I should blog. I'll give it a shot eventually.

AW: And of course we have to know, where can we find your book? (your website, publisher, amazon, etc)

Well my website of course and on all of the Internet sites like Amazon. If you're in the Chicago area look at your favorite bookstore, hopefully my stuff will be there. However, with the loss of Borders getting shelf space is getting pretty tough. I am small press guy after all. The publisher of my kid lit is New Leaf Books. The adventure stuff belongs to TLT Publishing out of Chicago.

The MacGuffin by Michael Craft

Book Description:
A cold-case murder fifteen years ago halted promising developments in the quest for clean energy when the rumored prototype of a groundbreaking water engine was stolen or destroyed. Now the race is on to repower America, and Cooper Brant, still grieving that long-ago murder of his father, suddenly finds his family visited by a second violent death, raising the stakes to unearth lost secrets. When Coop discovers how the two crimes are linked, a grim message becomes clear. He’s next.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this book.  Coop is taking over his father-in-law's company.  It is changing over to alternative energy from oil.  He used to be a known architect but now is 'given' jobs by his wife's family.  Bix Emery has his whole family involved in his business and has them sitting comfortable in life.  Coop finds himself being asked questions about the still tender but long ago murder of his father by the original investigator.  When another murder strikes his family, he realizes there is a connection...
I thought the premis for this book was cool.  A guy who has moved on with his life, working to solve the fifteen year old mystery of his father's murder.  Coop was a great character.  I loved Bix and Pyrite (his dog).  There were several twists and turns along with plenty of mystery!
I rate it a 4/5.  It is a good mystery/suspense.

Thank you to Pump Up Your Book for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

If I Were You by L. Ron Hubbard

Book Description:
Explore exotic new worlds. Circus midget Little Tom Little is the king of midgets, loved by crowds and carnival folk alike. Only he doesn't just want to be a bigger circus star, he wants to be just like the circus' tall and imposing leader.

Trouble begins the moment that a set of ancient books containing the secret of switching bodies finds its way into Tom Little's tiny hands. When he magically trades his small frame with that of the circus chief, he finds himself in a giant-sized heap of trouble—his craving for height has landed him smack in the center ring surrounded by forty savage cats! ALSO INCLUDES THE FANTASY STORY "THE LAST DROP" 

My Thoughts:
This one intrigued me!  Tom Little is just that, little!  He is a midget and everyone loves him and his act at the circus.  He hates being little and has always dreamed of being the ringmaster.  When he is left books and advice from a creepy man that hated him, he never suspects he is getting himself into serious trouble.  He switches bodies and gets himself in trouble bigger and bigger. I was surprised when Tom first switched bodies but I loved his voice!  Listening to the narrator, he did a wonderful job.  His girlfriends voice was original and he even made the ringmaster sound pompous and obnoxious!  Good story and wonderfully told
I rate this one a 4/5.  The stories were really good.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book.  I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.