Category Archives: One More day
My First Review, and Free Stuff Too!
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And I’ve been dancing, and laughing, and smiling ever since I heard my short story Stage Fright will debut in J. Taylor Publishing’s One More Day anthology …
… and here is the review!
… a breakdown of each story inside the book, by J.A. Belfield, the author of so many lovely books from Darkness and Light, Into the Unknown, and her newest book Caged, releasing very very soon.
4 of 5 stars
“Like pretty much all anthologies, this one has it super strong stories, and its not quite super strong stories. However, to varying degrees, I enjoyed them all. And whilst there is a common theme to the stories within this anthology, each of them differ, and each of them bring something different to the table.
Reviewed in the order I read them:
Dragon Flight by J. Keller Ford
Let me just preface this one by saying that, despite its title, there ain’t no dragons in there, and there ain’t no flying. However, the author DOES give us an original, unique, unexpected, intriguing, and heart-warming tale that I found myself enjoying a LOT and left me eager to see what else this antho had to offer.
A Morrow More by Danielle E. Shipley
The world built in this one was well done and interesting, and the concept an intriguing one. However, whilst the ‘dragon’ took me a little by the surprise, I found the ending to be quite predictable. This would definitely suit fans of fantasy-based worlds, though.
Dark Rose by Marissa Halvorson
Whilst an interesting premise, the story was pretty slow to begin, although it did eventually pick up a little. And whilst the ending wrapped it up for the most part, I didn’t feel the what or why of it all was explained as well as it could have been and I was left feeling a little confused.
Sleepless Beauty by Kimberly Kay
This one was a fast-paced fairy tale with a twist, some light-hearted humour, and although I foresaw the ending we’re given, I still found it fun.
Timepiece by Anna Simpson
What an imaginative piece this was. It was kind of like Groundhog Day–but not. And kind of like Back to the Future–but not. It was definitely, however, fast-paced, amusing, entertaining, frustrating, thriller-ish, and extremely sweet all rolled into one. VERY enjoyable.
The Thirteenth Day by L.S. Murphy
This story had a GREAT premise. Very original. Very well executed. With a likeable MC, who I found easy to connect with. Out of all of the stories, this one seemed the most fulfilling, but then as headliner, this story is twice as long as the others. And the outcome at the end? I won’t spoil it for you, but I had definite goosebumps at the realisation of exactly what Nixon’s actions had resulted in. Very good.
Stage Fright by Erika Beebe
This one was also enjoyable to read because the descriptions of the play happening onstage were so well executed, I could envision every step despite never having seen the portrayed musical. However at the same time, the story itself was creepy yet intriguing–but in a good and wholly speculative kind of way.
So, as you can see, I pretty much enjoyed all of these tales at some level, but if I had to draw my favourite, it’s a toughie, because right now, I’m struggling to call it between The Thirteenth Day, Timepiece, and Dragon Flight–so how about we call it a three-way tie. :D”
And now for the opportunity to win some great swag!
L.S. Murphy is the highlighted author in One More Day. She is also hosting a giveaway of lots of wonderful items you can win. So if time permits, please stop by her page, at the following link, and sign up for some great swag.
Have a lovely day everyone! Hugs!
Digital Goodies: One More Day
“You’re never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true.”
― Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
Here they are! These are the digital goodies for One More Day, J Taylor Publishing’s book anthology set to release December 2, 2013. Help yourself by right clicking on the image of choice, selecting ‘save image as,’ and OK.
J. Taylor Publishing supplies the images for their authors and they are for personal or advertising / promotional purposes only.
DESKTOP:
COVER ART:
IPAD COVER:
BOOK MARKS:
My Dream! I Can Finally Share My Biggest News
One More Day, J Taylor Publishing’s latest Anthology of short stories is set to release in December 2013 in both ebook and paperback, with my YA piece Stage Fright inside these beautiful pages.
Here’s the Theme for Each of the Stories Inside…
What if today never ends?
What if everything about life—everything anyone hoped to be, to do, to experience—
never happens?
Whether sitting in a chair, driving down the road, in surgery, jumping off a cliff or flying …
that’s where you’d be … forever.
Unless …
In One More Day, Erika Beebe, Marissa Halvorson, Kimberly Kay, J. Keller Ford, Danielle E. Shipley and Anna Simpson join L.S. Murphy to give us their twists, surprising us with answers to two big questions, all from the perspective of characters under the age of eighteen.
How do we restart time?
How do we make everything go back to normal?
The answers, in whatever the world—human, alien, medieval, fantasy or fairytale—could, maybe, happen today.
Right now.
What would you do if this happened … to you?
And How Do I Feel?
“Hope is a waking dream.”
~Aristotle.
~Erika
One More Day
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJ. Taylor Publishing Signs Seven Authors To One More Day, A YA Anthology To Release December 2, 2013Six authors to be featured with L.S. Murphy in Young Adult Anthology, One More Day, from J. Taylor Publishing.Apex, NC – March 27, 2013 – On December 2, 2013, J. Taylor Publishing will release One More Day, an anthology of seven short stories written for young adults, with a world’s end theme.The anthology’s theme, centered around what would happen if ‘tomorrow’ didn’t happen, produced dozens of entries with seven stories selected. “We asked authors to think on a prompt, particularly what happens as characters feel the stop, feel the shift, as they realize, only they know how to make everything go back to normal,” says J. Taylor Publishing.With a singular theme, one might expect all stories to be “the same”, but in One More Day, the challenge to create something completely unique was met by all authors. From contemporary to paranormal, fantasy to comedy and mixes of multiple genres, each of the seven stories represents the author’s interpretation and method of ensuring the world doesn’t end—somehow, someway.The anthology will open with Anna Simpson’s Time PIece, a contemporary romance centering on a girl’s first kiss. Transitioning to a darker sci-fi, paranormal will be Marissa Halvorson’s Dark Rose. The anthology will then move into a more whimsical, twist-filled story, Dragon Flight by J. Keller Ford, perfect for those on the roller coaster ride of love. Anchoring the center is L.S. Murphy’s The 13th Month, a ready-made fight to the end. Following comes a different take on an old fairy tale with Kimberly Kay’s Sleepless Beauty, and afterward, Erika Beebe’s Stage Fright, which is exactly how it sounds. Rounding out the anthology is Danielle E. Shipley’s A Morrow More, concluding with a bit of humor intertwined with fantasy.“In choosing the stories, we looked for diversity, unique, intriguing stories and solid writing. In our six additional authors, we found a wonderful collection to add to L.S. Murphy, who’s debut Young Adult novel Reaper, released in January 2013,” says J. Taylor Publishing.About Anna Simpson
Anna Simpson, mother of Bossman, enjoys living the good life near the US-Canadian border, in beautiful British Columbia. You will have better luck Googling Emaginette than her given name. Anna chose a web persona that would standout; so far it’s one of a kind.About Marissa Halvorson
Marissa’s dream of writing came about when she was ten, after reading a particularly inspiring story of dragons and elves. She instantly fell in love with the fantasy genre, and characters soon began to manifest to satisfy her adoration. It started with a forty page handwritten novel, which she dubbed “Dragon Girl” and continued on to more challenging (and better written) works.Now, Marissa can often be found to be studying literature in English class, curled up at home with one book or another, or with her eyes glued to the computer screen as her newest set of characters manifest.About J. Keller Ford
J. Keller Ford is a quirky mother of four, grand-mother and scribbler of young adult fantasy tales. She has an insatiable appetite for magic, dragons, knights and faeries, and weaves at least one into every story she conceives. Her muse is a cranky old meadow gnome that follows her everywhere she goes and talks incessantly, feeding her ideas for stories 24/7.When she’s not writing or blogging, the former Corporate Paralegal enjoys listening to smooth jazz, collecting seashells, swimming, bowling, riding roller coasters and reading. Jenny lives minutes from the beaches of the west coast of Florida with her husband of twenty years, her two sons and a pair of wacky cats and three silly dogs. The pets have trained her well.
About L.S. Murphy
L.S. Murphy lives in the Greater St. Louis area where she watches Cardinals baseball, reads every book she can find, and weaves tales for young adults and adults. When not doing all of the above, she tends to her menagerie of pets as well as her daughter and husband.About Kimberly Kay
When Kimberly was younger, she was incredibly timid. She didn’t talk much because she was afraid of what others would think of her. Instead, she expressed herself through drawing. Eventually, art alone wasn’t enough. There were some things she couldn’t express with pencils, so she began talking, and when she did, she realized she had something to say. Now no one can get her to shut up! Worse, she’s discovered she can put those words into writing to share what she has to say with even more people.Kimberly writes short stories and novels—usually fantasy fairytale retellings. Scattered within her works are things she loves: horses, fencing, archery, and so much more. With her friends, she writes fun fan-fiction that expands her creativity, (and shows what a nerd she is).Through writing, she has found confidence and freedom.
About Erika Beebe
Inspired by her first grade teacher’s belief in her imagination from the first story she ever wrote, Erika has been a storyteller ever since. A dreamer and an experiencer, she envisions the possibilities in life and writes to bring hope when sometimes the moment doesn’t always feel that way.Working in the field of public relations and communications for more than ten years, she has always been involved with writing, editing, and engaging others in public speaking.Her two young children help keep her creativity alive and the feeling of play in the forefront of her mind.About Danielle E. Shipley
Danielle E. Shipley’s first novelettes told the everyday misadventures of wacky kids like herself. …Or so she thought. Unbeknownst to them all, half of her characters were actually closeted elves, dwarves, fairies, or some combination thereof. When it all came to light, Danielle did the sensible thing: Packed up and moved to Fantasy Land, where daily rent is the low, low price of her heart, soul, blood, sweat, tears, firstborn child, sanity, and words; lots of them. She’s also been known to spend short bursts of time in the real-life Chicago area with the parents who home schooled her and the two little sisters who keep her humble. When she’s not living the highs and lows of writing young adult novels, she’s probably blogging about it.The cover for One More day, and short summaries for each story, will release on May 13, 2013.About the PublisherJ. Taylor Publishing is an Independent Publisher who, thanks to the Internet, has a worldwide reach. Our debut authors are in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The company produces print and electronic books. For more information about J. Taylor Publishing, please visit www.jtaylorpublishing.com.
Cloud Nine Girl 