Review of Soda Pop Soldier by Nick Cole

"I drink your Milkshake. I drink it down!"

An exciting Sci-fi read. If you're a gamer you should read this. If you're not a gamer, you should read this. Set in a bleak future where technology rules, SodaPop soldier is action-packed and thrilling.
4/5 stars








Blurb:

Call of Duty meets Diablo in this fast-paced, action-packed novel from the author of The Wasteland Saga.

Gamer PerfectQuestion fights for ColaCorp in WarWorld, an online combat sport arena where mega-corporations field entire armies in the battle for real world global advertising-space dominance. Within the immense virtual battlefield, players and bots are high-tech grunts, using drop-ships and state-of-the-art weaponry to wipe each other out.

But times are tough and the rent is due, and when players need extra dough, there’s always the Black, an illegal open source tournament where the sick and twisted desires of the future are given free rein in the Westhavens, a gothic dungeon fantasy world.

And all too soon, the real and virtual worlds collide when PerfectQuestion refuses to become the tool of a mad man intent on hacking the global economy for himself.

New Release Tuesday

Some great reads are releasing today!

Please welcome Monte Dutton author of Crazy of Natural Causes

Monte and me met over a pitcher of sweet iced tea. Cubes clanked in our glasses as he plucked his guitar and a race hummed from the TV screen in the background. It struck me then that Monte's got things to say about life...
Let's see what Monte has to say about zombies, reading, and writing!

1. It’s the zombie apocalypse and writers have got to stick together to survive. Pick 3 authors to be on your zombie apocalypse killing team and tell us why you’d choose them.
Monte says: Elmore Leonard because he was a pitiless realist. James Wayland, who wrote Trailer Park Trash & Vampires, so I think he’s got the imagination to deal with them, too. Larry Brown because he knew that small-town desolation such a task would require. Two of the three have died, so they could work from the beyond, which would be quite a coup.
Meredith says: I mean... zombies can't kill someone who's already dead. That might be the best theory to surviving the zombie apocalypse that I've ever come across!


2. If Stephen King and J. K. Rowling were drowning in a river, who would you save first? And now you have to tell us why.
Monte says: I’d save King because he is a Red Sox fan, and I have read a few of his books, and he likes a lot of the same music I do, so, after the ordeal, we’d have stuff to discuss.
Meredith says: It's all about the ways we connect with others. Nice.


3. We authors are voracious readers. My TBR list is approximately 8 miles long. What are you currently reading?
Monte says: Daughter of Fortune, by Isabel Allende. It’s long. I like it, but I really need to get it finished so that I can read and review several other KindleScout authors.



4. What is the one book that you could read a million times and never get bored with?
Monte says: John Steinbeck’s East of Eden.
Meredith says: Yes! Another re-reader!


5. Last year my favorite read was The Martian by Andy Weir. What was your best read of 2014?
Monte says: In an upset … Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom by Conrad Black. I’m fascinated by FDR.



6. This year my favorite read has been The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. What’s the best book you’ve read so far in 2015?
Monte says: A Son of the Circus, by John Irving. He’s a normal man who loves writing strange stories.
Meredith says: My TBR list just got so much longer.


7. You’re a writer by day and a superhero by night. (Take off those geeky glasses Superman) What’s your superpower?
Monte says: Lethal irreverence. It catches the bad guys by surprise.
Meredith says: Nice.


8. I have writing spots all over my house: my desk, my couch, the patio, and my bed. Where’s your favorite spot to write?
Monte says: The portable, rolling table, in front of the easy chair, with the guitar on the left and the TV straight ahead.
Meredith says: Writing in an easy chair sounds super comfortable.


8. We’re supposed to love all of our children equally, but there are some scenes I’ve written that really stick out in my mind. Tell us your favorite scene from your book Crazy of Natural Causes.
Monte says: The conclusion shifts from scene to scene, as characters in Kentucky, L.A., and aboard a plane, unknowingly wrap it all up. It was a new experience, and I enjoyed the imagination and creativity necessary to pull it off.
Meredith says: It's kind of amazing pulling all the bits of a story together in the end. I always think to myself - wow, I just did that. I can't wait to read Crazy of Natural Causes!


9. Sometimes a little too much of myself slips into my characters. Which one of your characters most resembles you?
Monte says: This was a major step. No one is based on me or even much like me in Crazy of Natural Causes. In my first novel, The Audacity of Dope, Riley Mansfield was me as, oh, I might have been. He was a greatly idealized version. A character, one of many in The Intangibles, had much in common with me. At some level, I have to get inside the heads of all my characters. In Crazy, Chance Benford read the entire Bible, so, in order to think like him, I did, too.


10. I’ve always got tunes rocking while I’m writing. Tell us five songs that are on your playlist.
Monte says: “Rex’s Blues,” by Townes Van Zandt. “Corpus Christi Bay,” by Robert Earl Keen. “Night Rider’s Lament,” by Michael Burton. “One’s on the Way,” by Loretta Lynn. “Let the Mystery Be,” by Iris Dement.


12. If you could tell an aspiring author one tiny tidbit of information, what would you say?
Monte says: If you're fit to do something else, do it. I don’t mean it as a criticism. I just believe that writers have to possess a burning, righteous desire. The worst reason to write is self-gratification. If every word one writes is designed to elicit acclaim, it’s not going to get it.

Get your copy of Crazy of Natural Causes

Connect with Monte

Facebook

Twitter

Website/Blog 

(PS I follow his blog. He's got good stuff there!)

Goodreads

Amazon Author Page

(Monte has got old-school cool down to a science)

_________________________________________

Monte Dutton lives in Clinton, South Carolina. In high school, he played football for a state championship team, then attended Furman University, Greenville, S.C., graduating in 1980, B.A., cum laude, political science/history.
He spent 20 years (1993-2012) writing about NASCAR for several publications. He was named Writer of the Year by the Eastern Motorsports Press Association (Frank Blunk Award) in 2003 and Writer of the Year by the National Motorsports Press Association (George Cunningham Award) in 2008. His NASCAR writing was syndicated by King Feature Syndicate in the form of a weekly page, "NASCAR This Week" for 17 years.
Monte Dutton is also the author of Pride of Clinton, a history of high school football in his hometown, 1986; At Speed, 2000 (Potomac Books); Rebel with a Cause: A Season with NASCAR's Tony Stewart, 2001 (Potomac Books); Jeff Gordon: The Racer, 2001 (Thomas Nelson); Postcards from Pit Road, 2003 (Potomac Books); Haul A** and Turn Left, 2005 (Warner Books), True to the Roots: Americana Music Revealed, 2006. (Bison Books); and is an Editor/Contributor of Taking Stock: Life in NASCAR's Fast Lane, 2004 (Potomac Books). The Audacity of Dope, 2011 (Neverland Publishing) was his first novel, and Neverland published his second, The Intangibles, in 2013. Crazy of Natural Causes, a KindleScout selection, will be released on July 21, 2015.

Please welcome Andy Weir author of The MARTIAN

Usually I write a little blurb here - a total lie about me meeting up with the author doing the interview even though I do these via email - but I can't even... I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Andy replied to my email. Yay!

Okay. Let's see what Andy has to say about reading, writing, and zombies!

It’s the zombie apocalypse and writers have got to stick together to survive. Pick 3 authors to be on your zombie apocalypse killing team and tell us why you’d choose them.
Andy says: Stephen King: He knows how best to survive in a horror landscape
Hugh Howey: He’s an avid and skilled sailor. Best place to be in a zombie apocalypse is the ocean
George R. R. Martin: Because the fanbase will still insist on more A Song of Ice and Fire, even after the apocalypse.
Meredith says: Interesting, these are the top 3 authors picked for this question. I'm glad you didn't reserve George for bait like some other authors have - you know who you are. But the ocean... hmmm... according to Max Brooks (World War Z) zombies can live under the water and pull themselves up on the anchor line. I think Hugh could take on a few zombies though, he does push-ups and stuff.


If Stephen King and J. K. Rowling were drowning in a river, who would you save first? And now you have to tell us why.
Andy says: J.K. Rowling. She’s younger, so I’m saving more years of human life. (I always go with whoever’s younger when people ask me a question like that).


We authors are voracious readers. My TBR list is approximately 8 miles long. What are you currently reading?
Andy says: I just started “The Bone Clocks” by David Mitchell.


What is the one book that you could read a million times and never get bored with?
Andy says: “I, Robot” by Isaac Asimov.


Last year my favorite read was The Martian by Andy Weir. What was your best read of 2014?
Andy says: I really enjoyed “What If” by Randall Munroe.


This year my favorite read has been The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. What’s the best book you’ve read so far in 2015?
Andy says: Tough one. I’ll go with “The Fold” by Peter Clines.


You’re a writer by day and a superhero by night. (Take off those geeky glasses Superman) What’s your superpower?
Andy says: Teleportation. I’ve always wanted to be able to teleport instantly to anywhere in the world. Like in the book “Jumper”.
Meredith says: I've always said I'd teleport myself to someplace without traffic, most likely a beach.


I have writing spots all over my house: my desk, my couch, the patio, and my bed. Where’s your favorite spot to write?
Andy says: My desk. Boring, I know. I have a tower, not a laptop. So that’s where my computer is.


We’re supposed to love all of our children equally, but there are some scenes I’ve written that really stick out in my mind. Tell us your favorite scene from your book ​The Martian.
Andy says: I really liked the launch of Iris (the resupply probe that fails). I think the scene came together really well and I’m pretty sure I caught a lot of readers off-guard when the booster failed.
Meredith says: I was caught off guard. I had so much hope and then... boom.


Sometimes a little too much of myself slips into my characters. Which one of your characters most resembles you?
Andy says: Oh, definitely Mark Watney.


I’ve always got tunes rocking while I’m writing. Tell us five songs that are on your playlist.
Andy says: Actually, I can’t write with distractions like that. I’ve tried, but I just can’t concentrate with music, so I need silence.


If you could tell an aspiring author one tiny tidbit of information, what would you say?
Andy says:

1) You have to actually write. Daydreaming about the book you’re going to write someday isn’t writing. It’s daydreaming. Open your word processor and start writing.
2) Resist the urge to tell friends and family your story. I know it’s hard because you want to talk about it and they’re (sometimes) interested in hearing about it. But it satisfies your need for an audience, which diminishes your motivation to actually write it. Make a rule: The only way for anyone to ever hear about your stories is to read them.
3) This is the best time in history to self-publish. There’s no old-boy network between you and your readers. You can self-publish an ebook to major distributors (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.) without any financial risk on your part.

Get your copy of The Martian

Connect with Andy Weir

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Webpage

Amazon author page

(This is the famous Andy Weir. Idolize him - or at least read his awesome book)

New Release Tuesday

Please welcome Maggie Toussaint (writing as Rigel Carson) author of G-1 (Guardian of the Earth, Book 1)

For this interview, I met Maggie on the northern tip of our square earth, where the view of apocalyptic devastation is at its best. We had a nice squirrel infused tea and talked about zombies, reading, and writing!

1. It’s the zombie apocalypse and writers have got to stick together to survive. Pick 3 authors to be on your zombie apocalypse killing team and tell us why you’d choose them.
Maggie says: I loved the concept of John Scalzi’s book, Red Shirts, a spoof on the Star Trek regime. When things went wrong in the story, a character found a way to visit the writer and have him rewrite the ending. I’d love to have a writer rework the ending of the zombie apocalypse. Can’t you just see a zombie apocalypse story ending with “and they all lived happily ever after?” ((serious snort))
I’d go with Kindle Scout winner Neal Wooten and his pack of Pit Bulls from Pit Bulls vs Aliens. Nothing like safety in numbers.
I’d also take along my good friend Polly Iyer. Another Kindle Scout winner with Indiscretion, Polly isn’t afraid of tough topics. She could write her way out of anything while I was working on food fight scenes.
Meredith says: I think we're a pretty cool group to hang out with. When the zombie apocalypse hits, I'm going to go looking for my fellow Scout authors.
Maggie says: Yeah, the Kindle Scout crowd certainly believes that an imagination would be a terrible thing to waste.


2. If Stephen King and J. K. Rowling were drowning in a river, who would you save first? And now you have to tell us why.
Maggie says: I’d reach for JK Rowling first. She’s one of my favs. I figure even the river would be scared of Stephen King, so he’d be safe a bit longer.
Meredith says: Hahahaha! I just laughed out loud.
Maggie says: Hey, the man’s got a rep, what can I say? How nice it would be to have such recognizable name branding!


3. We authors are voracious readers. My TBR list is approximately 8 miles long. What are you currently reading?
Maggie says: I’m just finishing up 3 Women Walk into a Bar by fellow Georgian Linda Sands. Her depth of characterization is impressive. Linda is another Kindle Scout winner, and I’m delighted by the choices Kindle Scout is making acquisition wise. I currently have 4 more books to be read on my Kindle, a book on backorder, and a stack of paperbacks waiting for “one day.”
Meredith says: I read '3 Women' and it was awesome!



4. What is the one book that you could read a million times and never get bored with?
Maggie says: My absolute favorite author of all time Jayne Ann Krentz writes under 3 identities. I’ve reread all of her books multiple times, allegedly for craft, though I get sucked into the story every danged time. (How does she do that? Is she my kryptonite?) My favorite opening of hers is from Soft Focus. Check it out on Amazon’s “Look Inside” feature.
Meredith says: Nice! I'll have to check out Jayne.

5. Last year my favorite read was The Martian by Andy Weir. What was your best read of 2014?
Maggie says: What year is it now? Seriously, they all run together. Let me check my reviews… Okay. Got it. Otherwise Engaged by Amanda Quick. An intrepid woman explorer saves a scientist/spy’s life only to discover she’s got a target on her back.
Meredith says: Ooooh, sound interesting. As a fellow science geek, I love sciency reads.
Maggie says: I saw on your bio or somewhere that biochemistry was your thing. I ended up doing a lot of biochem in my science career, but it was sure hard in college. That and microbiology nearly did me in. My final for micro: define metabolism (and she didn’t mean the definition).


6. This year my favorite read has been The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. What’s the best book you’ve read so far in 2015?
Maggie says: I’ve been really busy in 2015, but from my meager list, I chose The Atlantis Gene by AG Riddle. In this book an evolution scientist and a secret agent pair up to discover the Atlantis Gene. (Did I mention I was a scientist in a former life? I’m such a sucker for stories featuring scientists, which is why I finally wrote a series with a scientist as a lead character…)
Meredith says: I'm the same way! Also, I have The Atlantis Gene in my stack of TBR books. I have been following - and completely envious of - AG Riddle's writing career, his start from indie to the big screen is inspiring.
Maggie says: Inspiring is right. These things happen, that’s the miracle for indie writers and newbies today. It’s a new world out there, that’s for sure.


7. You’re a writer by day and a superhero by night. (Take off those geeky glasses Superman) What’s your superpower?
Maggie says: Every person with superpowers seems to have the goal of saving the world. I’d love to have the superpower to make people get along and behave. That’d save the world faster than anything.
Meredith says: I like that. Just behave, people!

Maggie says: Cool! We’re on the same wavelength.


8. I have writing spots all over my house: my desk, my couch, the patio, and my bed. Where’s your favorite spot to write?
Maggie says: A little Magic Eraser will get all those spots out… Oh all right. I’ll get serious. I have an office, but lately I’ve discovered the pluses of the recliner in the living room. Comfy and a tad warmer.
Meredith says: I don't judge. I like being warm when I'm writing. I get angry when I'm cold.
Maggie says: Hmm. Maybe when I’m writing a tense scene I should see if being cold makes the writing stronger. Thanks for the tip.



9. We’re supposed to love all of our children equally, but there are some scenes I’ve written that really stick out in my mind. Tell us your favorite scene from your book G-1, Guardian of Earth series book 1.
Maggie says: Partway through G-1, Zeke is incarcerated but he manages to MacGyver himself out of jeopardy. I love how he refused to give in when all the chips were stacked against him. He fought against an incredible multi-pronged attack to keep him isolated and out of circulation – and he beat the odds. This is a point in the book where Zeke really starts taking charge of his future, where he turns his curiosity and intellect to more real world problems. This is where his destiny and the world’s becomes startlingly apparent.
Meredith says: Sounds awesome. G-1 is on my to-read list, btw.
Maggie says: I am tickled pink that it’s on your horizon. Writing science stuff was easy for me, but writing it at a basic level was a challenge. So far, the reviews have been positive that a) the science is right and b) the geekiness factor doesn’t overwhelm the story vehicle. That was my aim, in any event.


10. Sometimes a little too much of myself slips into my characters. Which one of your characters most resembles you?
Maggie says: I invest a little of myself in every character, but I would be dead wrong if I told you I was my lead character, Dr. Zeke Landry. He’s like off the charts smart. I’m more like Jessie, the older sister of pop star Queen Bea. Jessie is trained as a scientist, but she’s got a lot of walking around sense too. Turns out I admire that in a person.
Meredith says: We science people are just alike.

Maggie says: I have a bit of klutziness and at one time a guy I knew nicknamed me as Grace because of it. I wonder what my medical examiner will say about my poor toes. I bet I’ve stubbed them a kazillion times. I blame the klutziness on the focusing factor. When I’m focused on something, I don’t think of anything else. I become totally absorbed. That’s great for my focal point, not always so great for dinner, etc.



11. I’ve always got tunes rocking while I’m writing. Tell us five songs that are on your playlist.
Maggie says: Now you are going to find out how repressed I am. No music while writing. No noise at all. I’ve got to be able to hear all the voices in my head, you see.
But I play instrumental music on Pandora for editing. I really like this cello version of Royals but I’m blanking on the group’s name.
We have traveling music for the car. Yes, I’m one of those crazy women you see singing their way up and down the interstate. Playlist includes Jimmy Buffet’s greatest hits, Blind Boys of Alabama, classic oldies from the 60s/70s, and of course, Stairway to Heaven.
Meredith says: I love that so many of my fellow scouters listen to cello compilations. I used to play the cello! I was never very good at it though. So, I haven't heard the cello version of Royals so I googled it and if we're talking about the same compilation, I LOVE it!! 

And there's nothing wrong with singing in the car. I blast my stereo and belt it out on my way home from work each morning.
Maggie says: Yes! That’s the one (or an unplugged version of it). It’s so catchy. BTW, one of my kids briefly played the cello, until she found out she had to lug it back and forth to school, then she switched to flute. I love the deep resonant sound. It fills me with joy to hear those notes.


12. If you could tell an aspiring author one tiny tidbit of information, what would you say?
Maggie says: Develop thick skin. This is a business where everyone likes to take a shot at you.

Meredith says: A yes, thick skin is a must. Or stainless steel suit of armor would work.

Maggie says: Wouldn’t it be nice if those protective coatings would make us more immune to bad reviews or rejection letters? But I have a thought about that. Those lows make the highs all the sweeter.

Get your copy of G-1, Guardian of the Earth, Book 1 by Maggie Toussaint writing as Rigel Carson

Connect with Maggie/Rigel!

Facebook | Twitter  | Blog  | Goodreads  | LinkedIn  |  Pinterest  | Booklover's Bench  | Amazon Author Central

(Maggie's into science, she's cool in my book)

____________________________________________________

BIO: From her youthful days of tree climbing and dreams of flying to her career days of pocket-protector geekiness as a toxicologist, Southern author Maggie Toussaint remains riveted by a good story. As a book aficionado, she put into practice what she’d learned and began penning novels. She’s multi-published in mystery, romantic suspense, and science fiction. Dime If I Know, a Cleopatra Jones mystery, won the 2014 Silver Falchion Award for Best Mystery, while her romances claimed top honors in Romantic Suspense from the National Readers’ Choice Award and the EPIC eBook Award. More at www.maggietoussaint.com and www.rigelcarson.com  

The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins

This book holds secrets.
There's a lot of darkness. Lots of wondering about what goes on behind closed doors. People wondering about how much they really know a person. And why is this woman riding on a train day after day after day?
And then everything starts getting pieced together via the thoughts of a drunk, an serial adulterer, and a... narcissistic adulterer.
I guess at the end all I have to say is: Don't marry someone you don't know well.
And now lets talk about the sanctity of marriage. Why oh why must everyone be an adultering whore? Why can't people just get married and not sleep around?

I've read a lot of reviews where TGOTT has been compared to Gone Girl.
They're both thrillers but unique in their own way.
By the time I got done reading Gone Girl, the characters morphed throughout the book into people I couldn't stand.
In TGOTT, I couldn't stand the bad people throughout the entire book. I was sad for Rachel, but the rest of the characters were... well, you'll have to read it and find out for yourself.

It was a good read.
But the adultery turned me off big time.
3.8 stars

PS : I always wonder to myself why books like these sell so well. Is it the thrill, the mystery, the drama of crumbling marriages and secrets kept between spouses? Am I the last human on the planet with an ounce of morality?