Road to the Triple Crown of Racing

     Now that the new year is upon us, the road to the Triple Crown is heating up. There is always increased interest in some of the unique stories behind past participants. For those who haven’t had the chance to read the story behind Casual Lies, the fuzzy brown colt that nobody wanted, now is your opportunity to get the eBook at the discounted price of $.99 at Amazon.com. Or you can read it for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. 

     I hope you enjoy the unusual story behind the horse who became known to the world as Stanley. He was such a character and never passed on an opportunity to pose for the cameras. And you can trust me when I say I had no problem poking fun at myself.

        

 

     Also, as some of my followers have discovered, I have been writing novels and short stories. The first eBook in The Born from Stone Saga, Into Madness, is also available at $.99 for those who like the escape that a fun fiction read offers. 

     Join Ravin Carolingian, who, after a decade in hiding, is captured and imprisoned by the man who killed her father and stole her kingdom. Left to question everything she thought she knew about herself. At the same time, as the line between ally and enemy blurs, Ravin comes to understand one thing. If she is to help the Carolingian people, she must first escape the evil that walks the halls of the place she once called home. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088T3D9PM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 

I hope you'll join Ravin and her allies as they attempt to find a way to save the Carolingian Kingdom and its people. Dragon's, ancient prophecies, magic, and more. 

     Thank you for visiting my blog, and I look forward to hearing from you with any comments you might like to share.

Take care,

Shelley Lee Riley

Wicked Wish (Dragon's Gift: The Storm Book 1)

 

                                                         

     

To say I was disappointed in this collaboration between Lindsey Hall and Veronica Douglas would be an understatement. I was only a third of the way through when I threw up my hands and gave up.

     The following excerpt from Wicked Wish by Lindsey Hall and Veronica Douglas is one example of why I did.
 
     "We dined with the crew on a substantial meal consisting of steamed rice and some type of delicious spiced meat. The sailors were much more interested in me than in Damian, naturally. We shared stories of demons and devils, and they asked me about my life. Clearly, being a half djinn made me a curiosity. I had spent my life hiding my ancestry, yet these sailors knew just by looking at me—and revered me for it. It was liberating to let my guard down, if only in the realm, if only for a meal. My cheeks flushed. Was I glowing?"

     Now, I have read several urban fantasies written by Lindsey, and I enjoyed them. She writes the type of character that I like—snarky and slightly irreverent.

     So, what went wrong with this offering? Succinctly? I found it vapid and sophomoric.

     I could drill down and describe the lack of chemistry between the characters. I could also point out how the story bumped along using wordy filler, just like the example above.

     Need word count? Going on and on with inane descriptions of food and drink doesn't work for me.

     I've come to expect better from Lindsey, and I hope she finds her way back to her winning formula.

     Hey, Lindsey, give me a call if you're looking for another collaboration. I am just kidding. No, I'm not.

Take care and thanks for reading,

Shelley Lee Riley