Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go by Lucille O'Neal~a review~

Book Description
Lucille O’Neal shares her public battles and personal struggles as a young, single mother of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
Lucille O’Neal would one day have it all, but not before fighting the public battles and personal demons that would threaten to shatter the very foundation of her life while taking their devastating toll along the way.
Over the past 16 years, Lucille O’Neal has become one of the best-known mothers of a celebrity athlete. But behind the scenes, the mother of four has her own story, at once heartbreakingly familiar in its pain and yet wonderfully inspirational in its outcome.
In this memoir, O’Neal candidly describes the pain of being an outcast and the stigma of becoming an unwed, teenage mother. Most interestingly, she candidly shares another side of fame and fortune—a side rarely revealed or admitted in public: her unexpected feelings of anger and resentment towards her son’s blinding success.

· Hardcover: 256 pages
· Publisher: Thomas Nelson (March 30, 2010)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 159555307X
· ISBN-13: 978-1595553072
· Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
· Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces

My Review:
Usually I read Christian fiction, but sometimes I like to read an autobiography. Some people have such interesting lives. This is such the case with Lucille O’Neal’s book “Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go.” This book is very easy to read, with short chapters and very interesting. It would be easy to read it in one sitting if you had the time. “Walk Like You Have Somewhere To Go" is the story of how a young single mother grew to become a college graduate and the mother of a NBA star, Shaquille O’Neal. I like one of her phrases From Mental Welfare to Mental Health. By using Mental Welfare Lucille means she didn’t get the kind of love she needed, resulting in lack of self-esteem & confidence. Mental Health is when she finds out who she is and that she is important and worthwhile. She struggled with poor choices and the abuse of alcohol. Lucille had Christian upbringing but it was presented to her in such a way that she strayed away from the faith in her teen years. Ms. O’Neal went through many things like death, divorce, illness of a child; alcoholism but has many happy things and times to enjoy. When we are at our lowest sometimes that is when we go running back to God. Ms. O’Neal went from having nothing to getting a Master’s Degree in organizational management. She is very close to her children and now has speaking engagements. Many of Lucille’s speaking engagements are on having a can do attitude. Very good book that I know you would enjoy having in your library.




About the author:
Lucille O'Neal is the mother of four children-Shaquille, Lateefah, Ayesha, and Jamal-and is currently the president of the Mothers of Professional Basketball Players Association. She is one of the founders and southeast director of the Odessa Chambliss Quality of Life Fund which raises money for nursing scholarships and education. After 28 years of being both a wife and a mother, O'Neal resumed her studies in the Adult Education Program at Bethune-Cookman University where she graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration in June 2003. She recently completed her graduate program (Master's Degree in Organizational Management) at the University of Phoenix in March 2005. She is currently the proud grandmother of 14 grandchildren.


You can order her book from
Amazon,
Christian Books or
Barnes and Noble



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

The Land Tamers by Stephen Bly ~a review~

From the back cover
1870. A fugitive from Yankee justice, Confederate veteran Sandy Thompson looks for peace and solitude in the expanses of the untamed West. His quest is complicated by his reluctant business partnership with a low-down peddler named Montana Mudd, and an orphaned Indian girl entrusted to his care.

Somehow, together, the three drifters must find a home in a land where thieves, vengeful Indians, and forces of nature are constantly threatening. And the trio must finally come to grips with the sinister Yankee officer who is determined to see Sandy dead.

· Paperback
· Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers (December 1987)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 0842324917
· ISBN-13: 978-0842324915
· Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
· Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces

About the author
Stephen Bly has authored 100 books and hundreds of articles. His book, THE LONG TRAIL HOME, (Broadman & Holman), won the prestigious 2002 CHRISTY AWARD for excellence in Christian fiction in the category western novel. Three other books, PICTURE ROCK (Crossway Books), THE OUTLAW'S TWIN SISTER (Crossway Books), and LAST OF THE TEXAS CAMP (Broadman & Holman), were Christ Award finalists. He speaks at colleges, churches, camps and conferences across the U.S. and Canada. He is the pastor of Winchester Community Church, and served as mayor of Winchester, Idaho (2000-2007). He has spoken on numerous television and radio programs, including Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family. He is an Active Member of the Western Writers of America. Steve graduated summa cum laude in Philosophy from Fresno State University and received a M.Div from Fuller Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Janet (who is also a writer) live at 4,000 ft. elevation in the mountains of north-central Idaho, in the pine trees, next to a lake on the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. The Blys have three sons: Russell (married to Lois) and father of Zachary and Miranda, Michael (married to Michelle), and Aaron (married to Rina Joye) and father of Keaton. A third generation westerner, Steve spent his early years working on ranches and farms. In his spare time, he pursues collecting antique Winchesters (see www.tapaderaswinchesters.com) . . . and construction of Broken Arrow Crossing, a false front western village near his home.


My Review
I give this book 5 stars, but would give it much more.
How 3 unlikely people become friends, which faced
gunfights, robberies, romance, family, war and ambush. Sandy Thompson's family all died in the war and he’s going west to see last living sister, Montana Mudd befriends him on the train. After he gets hit over the head in which Mudd is a part of the reason, Mudd escapes and leaves Sandy. He then meets famous No Neck Mowery in the wilderness, he has a daughter half Indian, then there is an ambush, No Neck dies, Sandy must take Mowery, No Necks daughter to the missionary school. Meets up with Mudd again, has Indian fights, finally showdown with Yankee officer. Runs from his past, but it always catches up with him. Sandy then meets his friend from his childhood who is a sheriff now.
The overall message is inspiring and it tells us not to ever give up in our dreams. Things happen and we find we’re not going the way we thought we should but God always knows where we are going and why.
It was very entertaining and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. It’s a book you will want to finish in one setting. I would highly recommend this book to everyone who loves westerns, fighting the odds, romance and not giving up.
I always like to look in the book to see where the title comes in. This book to me it seems like it took all kinds of people from all walks of life to tame the land. No matter who we are we are all important and play a role in life.
The Land Tamers is very suspenseful at times like the stampeding cattle, the Indian fight to win Mowery and the ending of the book, which you don’t want to miss.
Epilogue has facts about people from the story. Really interesting and informative. You will absolutely want this book for your collection.

How to contact Stephen and Janet Bly
http://www.blybooks.com/
stephen@blybooks.com
blybooks.blogspot.com
twitter.com/BlyBooks
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Stephen_JanetBlyFans

I've been a member of Steve and Janet's yahoo group for years and they are just like family. I've never known two sweeter people.

Order book from Bly Books here
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
This book was given to me by the author for review purposes.

[Revell Blog Tour&Review] In Harm's Way(Heroes of Quantico, bk 3) by Irene Hannon

Conclusion of the Bestselling “Heroes of Quantico” Series

In Harm’s Way by Irene Hannon
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3312-4
Available April 2010; $14.99

About the Book:

In Harm’s Way is the final book of the series, where FBI special agent Nick Bradley is confronted by Rachel Sutton: Nick has seen his share of kooks during his fifteen years with the Bureau. But Rachel is an enigma. She seems normal when she shows up at the FBI office in St. Louis--until she produces a tattered Raggedy Ann doll she found and tells him she thinks something is wrong because of a strange feeling of terror it gives her when she touches it. Nick dismisses her, only to stumble across a link between the doll and an abducted child, setting in motion a chain of events that uncovers startling connections—and puts Rachel's life on the line

About the Author:

Irene Hannon is the bestselling author of more than 30 novels, including Against All Odds and An Eye for an Eye. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, the HOLT Medallion, and the Reviewer's Choice Award from Romantic Times BOOKreviewsmagazine. For more information about Irene and her books, visit her website at www.irenehannon.com.


My Review:

The first two books are An Eye for an Eye and Against all Odds. This third book of the series In Harms Way is a wonderful conclusion. It is super to read all three books in order, but each is a stand-alone book that is exciting in itself.
Nick is an FBI agent and a strong Christian. Rachel is a music teacher/artist, but isn't very close to the Lord. Both have been in the foster care system.
This book is very suspenseful with a very sweet romantic thread. In Harms Way keeps you very interested and you won't want to put it down. Also in this book it talks about twin telepathy, kidnapping, metal illness.
In Harms Way shows us how we react to anything can change our world. Rachel finding the Raggedy Ann doll, if she would have left it in the snow, or not taken it to the FBI nothing would have turned out.
This book is now one of my favorites and I highly recommend your buying it and adding it to your collection. I give it a 5 plus star rating.
Also the Epilogue was so sweet. It tells of an exciting, tender proposal.
Here is a quote from the book that I really like and it sums up the book-“A coincidence is a small miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous."

Order from Revell

Also available from Amazon,

Christianbook.com,

BarnesandNoble.com

Available April 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Revell sent me a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes.

For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com

Author Review with Lynette Eason & free book

Lynette thanks for taking the time to visit us today! I appreciate you answering these few questions. It will be fun to get to know you better. Tell us a little about yourself.


Here’s my bio:

Lynette Eason grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. She graduated from the University of South Carolina, Columbia, and then obtained her master’s in education at Converse College. Author of eight inspirational romantic suspense books, she is also a member of American Fiction Christian Writers (ACFW) and Romance Writers of America (RWA). In 1996, Lynette married “the boy next door,” and now she and her husband and two children make their home in Spartanburg, SC.



How long did you write before you were published?

Eight years!


Tell us about “Too Close to Home,” the featured book.

Here is the back cover copy:


The FBI has a secret weapon. But now the secret’s out.


When missing teens begin turning up dead in a small Southern town, the FBI sends in computer forensics expert Samantha Cash to help crack the case. Her methods are invisible, and she never quits until the case is closed.


Homicide detective Connor Wolfe has his hands full. His relationship with his headstrong daughter is in a tailspin, and the string of unsolved murders has the town demanding answers. Connor is running out of ideas—and time.


Samantha joins Connor in a race against the clock to save the next victim. And the killer starts to get personal.


Too Close to Home ratchets up the suspense with each page even as love blossoms in the face of danger. Read this one with the lights on!


“My friend Lynette has a hit on her hands with this romantic suspense. I enjoyed every minute. The plot managed to surprise and captivate me, and the romance was priceless.”—Dee Henderson, bestselling author, the O’Malley series


“A fast-moving tale filled with nonstop action. No chance to catch your breath with this one!”—Irene Hannon, bestselling author, the Heroes of Quantico series


“Eason gives the reader an exciting ride with characters you will care about.”—Margaret Daley, award-winning Steeple Hill romantic suspense author



Is there any person who has been a strong influence in your writing journey?

Definitely Dee Henderson. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her. And several others that probably don’t even realize how they influenced me. For example, Brandilyn Collins’ blog was a great asset for me.


What message(s) do you want to be clear to your readers?

That God loves you even in the tough times. And yes, the stories are fiction, but we all suffer hard times and need to feel God’s presence.


What are some of your likes and dislikes? Your hobbies, interests? Where do you like to vacation?

I enjoy being with my family. It seems like we’re always just so busy. (You saw how long it took me to answer these questions!) And it just seems like no one has time to just slow down and enjoy life. I really hate that! I love to read, watch true crime documentaries. And I love the show CASTLE even though it is a police procedural nightmare. LOL. I like to go on vacation pretty much anywhere. I’m not real picky. We go to the beach and to Dollywood a lot because my dad gets us season passes every year.


Tell us something surprising about yourself that readers may not know.

I’m not very surprising. Um…I guess that I try really, really hard to be organized and it doesn’t seem to do any good!


How do you spend your writing days? Do you set goals to reach a certain number of words per day? Can you give us a general idea of how long it takes you to write a novel?

I generally write when I can. These days it’s mostly at night. I like to write at least 1,000 words a day, but that doesn’t always happen. Then I play catch up the next day. On the weekend, I generally write 4,000 or more words. It takes me about two months to write a novel. That’s not to say it’s finished and edited, but it is in the computer ready to be “fixed.”


What are you currently reading?

I just finished Irene Hannon’s latest and Mark Mynheir’s The Night Watchman. VERY good story. I actually don’t have a book I’m reading right this minute. I’m too busy writing. Ha.


Do you grow flowers or vegetables? What are your favorite flowers?

I’m not much into either. I’m an indoor girl. I hate being outside unless it’s around 72 degrees and no pollen to be found.


How can readers find you on the Internet?

My website is www.lynetteeason.com and my email is lynetteeason@lynetteeason.com

I love to hear from my readers!


And thanks for spending this time with us, Lynette.

We wish you much success.

Thank you!! I appreciate you doing this.

God Bless!

Lynette has graciously agreed to giveaway her book "Too Close to Home" to one of you readers. All you have to do is be or become my follower and in your comment leave an email address.
If you're not a follower or don't leave an email address I will not put you in the giveaway.
I will use Random.org to pick the winner.
Winner will be chosen May 1, 2010

Beguiled by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand~a review~

Price: $14.99
ISBN: 978-0-7642-0628-3
ISBN-10: 0-7642-0628-1
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.375
Number of pages: 336
Carton Quantity: 40
Publication Date: Feb. 10
Formats: Paperback
Publisher: Bethany House




About the book:
In the shadows of Charleston, someone is watching her...
Rylee Monroe, a dogwalker in Charleston's wealthiest neighborhood, never feared the streets at night. But now a thief is terrorizing the area and worse, someone seems to be targeting her.
Reporter Logan Woods is covering the break-ins with the hope of publishing them as a true-crime book. The more he digs, the more he realizes this beguiling dogwalker seems to be at the center of everything.
As danger draws ever closer, Logan must choose: Chase the girl, the story, or plunge into the shadows after the villain who threatens everything?

About the Authors:
Deeanne Gist lives in Texas with her husband of twenty-seven years and their two border collies. They have four grown children.

Her web page: http://www.deeannegist.com/meet_dee.php
Her blog: http://www.deeannegist.com/blog/











J. Mark Bertrand earned an MFA from the University of Houston and lived in the city for fifteen years. After one hurricane too many, he and his wife moved to South Dakota. Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of a hung jury in Houston, and after relocating served on the jury that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.





His web site and blogs:
http://www.jmarkbertrand.com/
http://www.backonmurder.com/
http://www.bibledesignblog.com/
http://www.crimegenre.com/


My Review:
“Beguiled’ by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand was a book full of thrilling romantic suspense. Gist and Bertrand make a wonderful team. They both added so much to a book that one of them couldn’t have done alone. It has something for everyone. It’s an excellent book to read and you won’t want to put it down. I always try to guess who is the main bad guy, but with Beguiled I couldn’t. The story is about a woman who lost her parents when she was 5. She felt unlovable all of her life because of losing her parents. Rylee was a rich girl who lost everything, but after losing it all she didn’t become bitter. She lived with her grandmother and did anything to take care of her. Rylee walked dogs, took care of other people’s pets and met Logan on one of her dog walks. Logan is a newspaper reporter who is writing about the Robin Hood burglaries. The Robin Hood burglar brings all of them together and it tells the story of why things happened in the past. One of the many things I really liked in this book was Rylee really loved the dogs she walked. In her phone list instead of the owners name for their number Rylee put in the dogs names. I would highly recommend this book. It’s a great book to show us things aren’t always as they seem.

order from Bethany House

order from Amazon

Books by Deeanne Gist:

Books by J. Mark Bertrand

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House for reviewing purposes. I can review it anyway I want.

Too Close to Home by Lynette Eason

Lynette Eason debuts a new romantic suspense series that features strong female characters who will stop at nothing to find the criminal: the Women of Justice series.

About the Author:
Lynette Eason is the author of three romantic suspense novels, and a member of American Fiction Christian Writers and Romance Writers of America. A homeschooling mother of two, she has a master's degree in education from Converse College

Lynette’s web site

About the Book:
In this thrilling first book, readers meet Samantha Cash, who is the FBI's secret weapon. Her methods are invisible, and she never stops until the case is closed. When missing teens begin turning up dead in a small Southern town, Samantha is assigned to help the local police chief Connor Wolfe find the killer. And he has two problems with that. There's her faith--in God and herself. And then there's the fact that she looks exactly like his late wife.
As they get close to an answer, the case becomes personal. The killer seems to be taking an interest in Connor's 16-year-old daughter, who thinks her dad is getting way to protective. Can't a girl just have some fun?

My Review:
I really like stories about the FBI or police, that’s one of my favorite genres. “Too Close to Home” by Lynette Eason didn’t disappoint. From the first page the story caught me. Couldn’t wait for a spare minute to read more. Samantha Cash can find anything hidden on a computer so when teen girls are missing and some turn up dead they need a computer expert. Why, because all of the girls have recently visited chat rooms. Samantha has a sister who ten years ago went through a horrible ordeal from a killer, but escaped. This book also tells a little of her story, but leaves you hanging for book 2, can’t wait. So Samantha and Connor start working to solve this case. Working together they become close and find a relationship between them will be hard. You have to read the book to find out why. Connor’s 16 year-old daughter gets involved also, sometimes when you don’t get the attention you need you try to get it in other ways which can lead to trouble. A lot of the cases turn up with no clues, nothing to give the police a hint to the missing or dead girls. So that makes them think it may be someone they know. I thought I knew who it was in the middle of the book and I was right, but I never would have thought the book could end like this. Very exciting book and thrilling, super ending. You have to read this book and you will be hooked on all of Lynette Eason’s books. I’ve read two of her other books in the past and they are “Lethal Deception” and “River of Secrets.” They were fantastic also.

Price: $14.99
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3369-8
ISBN-10: 0-8007-3369-X
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5
Number of pages: 336
Carton Quantity: 40
Publication Date: Apr. 10
Formats: Paperback

Order from Revell

Also available from Amazon,
Christianbook.com
BarnesandNoble.com

“Available April 2010 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”

Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life. They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet.

What's coming in April?

Next week I will be doing a review on "Too Close to Home" by Lynette Eason. A super book.

Then around the 14th, I'm so excited, Lynette Eason has graciously said she will do an interview with me and has donated her book for one of you lucky followers of mine. So be watching for that.

The review after that will be "Beguiled" by Deeanne Gist & J. Mark Bertrand.

The last two reviews will be "In Harms Way" by Irene Hannon, also "Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go" by Lucille O'Neal. I'm really looking forward to all of these great books and looking forward to my author interview. Lynette Eason is a wonderful author.

New Blog Award

I want to thank
Molly at Book Reviews by Buuklvr81 so very, very much for this award, my very first. I really appreciate it and am awed that you thought of me.

Here are the rules for this award, be sure and take them if I give your blog this award:

1. Thank and link to the person who gave you the award.

2. Pass this award on to 15 bloggers that you've recently discovered and think are fantastic.

3. Contact those blogs and let them know they've won.

4. State 7 things about yourself.

1) The Lord Jesus is the most important everything in my life.
2) My husband, 7 children and 1 grandchild make me joyous.
3) Reading is my passion, I would rather read than do most things.
4) Was born and raised in WI for 25 years, married and live in OH for 27 years.
5) Love to flower and vegetable garden.
6) Have friends I made through email 12 years ago that I still have.
7) Easter is my favorite time of the year, even more than Christmas.

I don't have 15 blogs to give this to, because I'm really new at this and haven't gotten to know many blog owners. These are really sweet ones though!

Stephen & Janet at On a western trail Bly Books

Pam at Pam Warden Art

Andrea at Ponderings by Andrea

Caroline at Sunnybank Meanderings

Roseanna at Writing Roseanna