Ella Medler talks, Patti Roberts and the Paradox Series.

You know that feeling you get when you pick up a book and you’re sucked right in? The tunnel-vision, the-world-no-longer-exists-and-nothing-else-matters one? That’s how I felt when I first read The Angels Are Here, book one in the Paradox Series.

I’d downloaded First 5 Chapters, a book which showcases the works of six new authors – the first five chapters from each novel, as the title suggests. I chose three of the samples, and The Angels Are Here was first on my list.

As soon as I read the beginning, I wanted the whole thing.

And as soon as I read book one, I wanted to know when the second in the series would be released.

I was so impressed with the quality of the writing and the author’s distinctive, storytelling voice, that I needed to post a review. Patti sent a message back, thanking me for taking the time to read and write a review. She said she loved the way I described my reading experience and suggested I should consider a writing career. Ha-ha. I thought she had a great sense of humor.

From there, a friendship blossomed. I love connecting with my fans, so to have discovered another author happy to discuss in detail her future plans and expectations of the series she was writing was a wonderful feeling. The more I asked, the more it became obvious exactly how invested Patti was in her creations.

Soon, I realized I was, too. Feeling a little selfish, I encouraged Patti to write more than the second and maybe third book. I wanted more. I needed to keep getting my fix. Something inside me clicked with her style of writing – the smoothness, the elegance maybe – and I craved more.

I found myself watching Patti like a hawk, so I can grab the next bit of her writing right away. She didn’t disappoint. And between books? I kept going back to the one place where I found peace: http://theangelsarehere.wordpress.com

A visit to the Paradox site is absolutely essential. I recommend it. If you truly are a fan of the Paradox world, as I am certain you will become, you will want to know more about the people inhabiting this fantasy realm, their ways of life, their hopes, beliefs and expectations, and of the background intrigue which set the Paradox match on fire.

You can start with this book or go right back to the beginning. For me, it works whichever way, and I’ll admit to reading the books more than once, for sheer pleasure. Whatever you choose, be ready to be enchanted. Happy Reading!

ARC Review by: Ella Medler on Dec. 13, 2013 :      
The Paradox saga continues with an impressive twist in the tale. Dark forces are at play and there’s no respite for the guardians and protectors. Grace takes a few more steps towards learning about her legacy, but her impetuousness lands her in the path of danger yet again.

I have been watching out for new releases in this series and I can honestly say this is the best episode so far. Absolutely love the world in which the action takes place, the richness and diversity of characters, the beautiful descriptions and the depth of emotion. Not for the first time, I found myself moved to tears reading scenes written by this amazing author.

I can see how easy it would be to transfer these books into a YA serial for television, and I’m not ashamed to say I would watch it, too, though I’m far out of the age range. Marvel’s Superheroes comes to mind, only on a much wider background, and with a breadth of characters far easier to stage-manage and adjust. The possibilities are endless – so much potential for entertainment! And with a classic battle between good and evil – some overt, some discreet or merely hinted at – this is a winning format that simply can’t go wrong.

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Ella Medler, Author and Editor.
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J.M. Herriott releases 2nd book - The Immigrant

The Immigrant

When Jose is fifteen he watches the cartel leader massacre his family, then they slash his throat and left him for dead. 

The leader continued searching for him and two years after Jose escapes across the U.S. border, where he starts his own American family. 

Years later, he is deported and once more encounters the cartel. 
He achieves freedom from the cartel again with the help of ghosts from his past. 

After his rescue, he returns legally to the U.S. and another unexpected source became critical in assisting to fight the first U.S. based Mexican cartel. 

He ascertains that the cartel has infiltrated deep and wide. 
He no longer knows who he can trust, but he realizes he must discover who runs the cartel and why the cartel leader has pursued him for most of his life.
Jose understood from his experiences that he and his family will never be safe until the cartel leader was behind bars or dead.

A white supremacist agitator and his followers decide to violently remedy an old imaginary wrong. 
This action sets events into motion. 
Jose discovers the identity of the leader of the first Mexican cartel based in the U.S., and learns why the cartel has tried to kill him for over thirteen years.



Amazon - HERE

Nightmares of Reality

Many journalists secretly aspire to write a non-fiction Best Seller and Peter Bryant too dreamed of writing the next, “In Cold Blood”. He investigates the mysterious murders of William and Cindy Wise in the town of his Alma Mater. He quickly discovers the tragic consequences for multi-generational child abuse, substance abuse, dysfunctional families and untreated mental illness. Soon, ghosts from his past return and he is shocked to find he has intimate ties to the victims. 

The outlook for a quick and straightforward wrap-up, are dashed when he unearths bizarre and powerful influences, which result in far reaching ways to include suicide, and still influencing two communities. Further complications arise after Peter unexpectedly falls in love with a key witness. Not only does this impede his research but he must confront his own personal relationship demons. He feels trapped by the case beyond completion of his book. Nagging questions remain long after it becomes a Best Seller. For months afterward, he continues reviewing his tapes and stacks of notes. At last, he begins understanding why the case has remained open for over a year. Still, he believes the answer exists, if he could just find it. Then as he is about to finally concede defeat he receives a letter.

Amazon - HERE

JM Herriott

J.M. Herriott (1955-Present) was born in Michigan City, IN. After retiring from the United States Air Force he was a Private Practice Mental Health Counselor and Education researcher. In 2000 he returned to the classroom and taught High School Mathematics, Science, and Psychology until 2004 when he retired. He has developed and delivered several educational and self-help seminars and workshops. His doctoral research demonstrated Accelerated Learning & Teaching methods he developed, reduced GED preparation time from over 100 classroom hours to less than 36 classroom hours. His fiction works include: "Nightmares of Reality", and "The Immigrant" scheduled for release Summer 2013. He and his wife make their home in NE Arkansas, they have three daughters, three grandsons, a granddaughter, and one great-grandson.

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Tabitha Ormiston-Smith talks, Patti Roberts, Paradox and the Witchwood Estate series.

The first time I met Patti, she was propping up the bar at the Writers’ Club. Well, actually we were both propping up our keyboards several thousand miles apart, but hey, an author’s got to have some licence, right?

We actually met on Facebook. We hit it off straight away when I assumed for some reason that Patti was American, and told her off for calling Australians ‘Aussies’. Patti showed her true class by refusing to take offence, and a long, rewarding friendship began.

Shortly after I got to know Patti, I lost my beautiful Deerhound, Beau. While I was grieving, spending much of every day in tears, writing morbid poetry and generally being a pain in the backside to everyone, Patti asked me if I would look at a couple of chapters of her current work. I was amazed at how much doing this helped me; I found the tight focus of editing made the grief and pain recede into the distant background for as long as I was doing it. I must have done ok, because after a few weeks Patti asked me if I would be interested in doing it for money. Practically before I could say ‘yes’, there were referral clients contacting me, and my editing business took off.

Since that time we’ve worked together quite a bit. I do editing for Patti and she does truly amazing cover art for my books. I have come to admire her so much, for her talent, her kindness, her generosity, her no-bullshit attitude, and her ability to deal with tossers without losing her temper.

I’ve watched with delight as Patti branched out into the hugely entertaining Witchwood Estate series. I get so excited whenever she tells me she’s starting a new episode! Really it’s like being a kid on Christmas morning.

As a writer, I am always in awe of Patti’s ability to describe a scene and bring it alive. Her gift for physical description is immense, and the Paradox series is richly visual, alive with light and colour. This is shown most strongly in her creation of different peoples in the Paradox world. In particular, the beautiful, delicate Bakhna Rakhna people and the mysterious, powerful Atnangker people (inspired by our own First People) give a wonderful depth to the books.

My other favourite thing about Patti’s writing is her tremendous gift for bringing the evil characters to life. Many writers make the mistake of taking their villains too seriously, and I think that is what makes Patti’s gift really special in this area is the way she always injects a little spice of humour. One of my very favourite villain scenes anywhere is in ‘Going Home’ (Witchwood Estate II), where the evil witch summons a host of cockroaches to nibble the calluses off her feet. In the instant work, coffee shot out of my nose when Pandora compared a nightclub full of teenagers to a sushi train. (You owe me a new keyboard, Patti!) If she ever decides to write in the horror genre, Richard Laymon must look to his laurels.

Readers of the Paradox series are certain to enjoy this new instalment, not least because the shock ending makes it very clear that there is more coming. I, for one, can’t wait.


Paradox - Equilibrium. ARC Review by: Tabitha Ormiston-Smith on Dec. 07, 2013 :      
I enjoyed this book very much. It's fast-paced and full of action. 

One of the things I particularly enjoy about this author's work is its the visual quality; Roberts is brilliant at descriptive writing, you can see the colours, smell the smells. This series is well designed with a rich background. A less meticulous writer could have written the story without bothering to create in detail the beautiful, civilised Bakhna Rakhna people, the mysterious Atnangkers, and so on - but every corner is filled with exquisite detail in Roberts' work.
The other thing I really love about Roberts is her villians. She has a wonderfully light touch with them. You see the depths of evil, but you see it with a smile - there's always a leavening fillip of humour to offset the dark. 

The only criticism I have of this fourth book is that it stops rather than ending - in my opinion a novel ought to stand alone as a completely self-contained thing. However, readers of today's series will be well accustomed to the series as serial, so I doubt if this will be a problem for most readers.

Tabitha Ormiston-Smiths facebook editing page - HERE

Advanced reading copies (ARC) are available on request from the author pattiroberts7@gmail.com

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