Monday, September 28, 2015

My Summer In Review

Summer is officially over. And since I'm having a hard time thinking up blog posts at the moment, my mom suggested I talk about my summer. What a summer it was. Super busy, super crazy, both online shareable and un-online shareable.

First off, right before summer officially started, but when it already had felt like summer for weeks down here in the great state of Georgia, I moved an hour away from the house where I spent most of my growing up years. Out of the Shire and into the woods, to a house that, from the front, kind of looks like it must be bigger on the inside. (Well, the Whovian in me must say that, the basement's half underground, so you can't see much of it from the front.) And then I released my third book and launched my first blog tour.

Then also the week before summer officially began, I worked at the Classical Conversations Parent Practicum Play Camp again. I just love sitting on the floor in the corner of the room with a bunch of preschoolers crowding around listening to me read myself hoarse. Honestly, I really, seriously do. So yes, I preferred the group of kids who liked books to the group that was so loud you couldn't hear anything. But I loved it, and the teen helpers were really helpful this year. I want to do it every year.

I joined the worship team at church, which I love, in spite of the days when I'm one of two instruments.

And I helped my dad build a basement. Honestly, that was most of my summer. Going from this



to this.

(Not all the rooms, just my very awesome bedroom and the library)

We put up walls, hung drywall, put up doors (NEVER AGAIN), added trim, did a lot of painting... We hired people to finish the drywall and do the electricity and plumbing, and the carpet was installed by the people we bought it from, but we did everything else ourselves. It. Was. Hard. But it's very worth it.

We celebrated Independence Day with some friends and drove home in a downpour half way through the fireworks. Still had a lot of fun, though.

I snapped a violin string playing the third movement of "Summer" from "The Four Seasons." Thanks, Vivaldi. ;)

My sister had her first cello recital, playing "In Dreams" only a few months into starting the instrument.

I won my first NaNo, finishing the first draft of my well beloved (by me) outer space dystopian. And wrote a blog series about fixing America. And did Google Hangout video chats with some very awesome online friends.

We watched Lord of the Rings Extended Edition for the first time! And I realized anew just how good and inspiring LOTR is, and how much I love Samwise Gamgee.

I got a new library card!

Half-Blood came out and I got a copy!


We went to the apple orchard store, which is a lot closer than it used to be, and had our traditional fried apple pies. Just gotta say, the antique stores around there are not antique stores. They're yard sale stores.

We had a nerd party and invited some campaign friends over to have a fantastic time watching the first Republican presidential debate, then our honorary sister spent the night for the first time so we could hang out, introduce her to The Princess Bride, play games, and create an impromptu, ridiculous, extremely fun Doctor Who episode called "Planet of the Hats."

There were TWO articles about Creighton Hill published in local newspapers. 

I worked on very thorough edits I got from Kendra E. Ardnek on The Crossways, and did a little work on a Sleeping Beauty retelling that I love, and still mean to finish in time for the Rooglewood Press contest this December.

We celebrated my sister's birthday, I found The Book Thief at a library book sale, got feedback on the rest of Time Captives and Espionage, and had my first migraine in almost a year all in one week.

I started my second semester of orchestra. Methinks it's going a bit better than the last, since most of the time the percussionists have actually shown up.

Our friend came for another sleepover, and we played lots of games, goofed off, and introduced her to BBC Merlin and Lord of the Rings. Extended Edition, of course.


A friend came with my family to Celebrate Freedom, where we got to see Big Daddy Weave, Michael W. Smith, and Casting Crowns. And talk about Broadway musicals and period dramas. Because that's just the kind of people we are.

We watched Up in the park in our new little town, when it felt like September, instead of like we were hanging onto August.

I spent a lot of time sewing and listening to Little Dorrit (have I mentioned I love Dickens?) because I was getting ready for a festival in my old town where my sister and I were selling doll and children's clothes, books, stuffed animals, and little Sculpey figurines. It was a good first festival, and we got to see people we hadn't seen in a long time. Plus, I got to watch my old dance studio perform, and realize anew that all the girls I danced with are graduated and the little girls are now the big girls. And you can find the not yet sold merchandise in the Klay Kottage and Shire Stitches Etsy shops.

 

Then on the last official day of summer, also known as Hobbit Day, I released the cover of The Crossways! I love this book.


And got the proof Saturday.


I even managed to read an interesting assortment of books, though after several kids' books, I found myself in desperate need of a good adventure.


And now it's Autumn, and we had a Beyond the Mask movie night which was awesome, where our living room was packed full of people, and I'm working on getting The Crossways ready for release (I'll still take blog tour sign ups through Wednesday), not feeling ready for my recital on Saturday, even though I can generally play my part of Bach's "Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor" just fine, well, with Bernadel rosin, anyway, working on something very special for the Espionage cover, I'm going to go camping, publish The Crossways, finish my Sleeping Beauty, read some more good books, and wonder where all that time went when it's all the sudden New Years'. So that was my summer, though I probably forgot some things I could have mentioned. How was yours?

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

The Crossways News!

I have big news today! Yesterday, I spent a lot of time on the computer formatting and website editing and getting things ready for publishing. Today I ordered my first proof copy! I obviously don't have it yet, but here are some screenshots of the digital proof.



I'm really super excited about this. And about this!

http://www.amazon.com/Crossways-Time-Captives-Book-ebook/dp/B015OTSCJ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443008730&sr=8-1&keywords=time+captives+the+crossways

That's right, you can pre-order The Crossways on Kindle now! That way, it'll be delivered actually shortly before the release. The one eBook I pre-ordered came a bit before midnight, and I've heard the same thing from a friend who has done multiple Kindle pre-orders. 

http://www.morganhuneke.com/the-crossways.html

And I set up a PayPal button for signed copy pre-orders. Those will take a little longer, since I'll have to wait for my own shipment, but I'll send them ASAP.

Last, but not least, let's talk blog tour. I've got quite a few people signed up already, but I still have room. I'll close sign-up next Wednesday, so now's your chance to volunteer to help!




So there you have it. Pre-orders, and blog tours, and I'm getting really excited for this release! How about you?

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

The Crossways Cover Reveal!

It's Hobbit Day! It's Bilbo and Frodo's birthday today, and time to talk about the awesomeness of Lord of the Rings....

Actually, yes, it is Hobbit Day, but that's not the purpose of this post. I accidentally scheduled my cover reveal on Hobbit Day, so I get to give you something in honor of "our birthday" like hobbit birthday traditions. So...

Today's the day! I can finally share the cover of The Crossways! My favorite Time Captives book gets to show its face to the internet. But first I want to share a little something about Creighton Hill.

http://www.amazon.com/Creighton-Hill-Time-Captives-Book-ebook/dp/B00XV5R5XG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441729805&sr=8-1&keywords=time+captives+creighton+hill

Today only, Creighton Hill is free on Kindle! So if you haven't begun your journey with the Time Captives yet, this is a prime opportunity, just in time to be ready for book 2.

Now for The Crossways. 

“M’lady, it has been fairly well confirmed that the Redona was hidden away by the merfolk at the conclusion of the Great War instead of destroyed as was commanded. My brother has confirmed to me Joseph’s belief that it was concealed at the Crossways.”
Toarna pressed her fingertips together in thought. “It must be recovered and destroyed as was at first intended.”

Emily, Allan, Jill, and Joey have been reunited with their long lost ancestors. But with that reunion comes the true beginning of their quest: free the rightful king of Calhortz so that he may be restored to his throne. The Redona, the only object that can free him from his long imprisonment, is rumored to be concealed in The Crossways, a mountain across the sea which cannot be entered.

A slave since birth, Adriel’s resentment and hatred towards the strytes only grows as his family is continually ripped from him. He longs for the freedom the Time Captives are prophesied to bring, but he doubts their existence, just as he doubts God’s love. Circumstances in Calhortz are so dire. How could they ever improve?

Who can enter The Crossways? Will the king ever be freed? Or will the slaves of Calhortz lose all hope of freedom before it is even offered to them? 

The Crossways is the second book of the Time Captives trilogy, a tale of faith, family, fantasy, and a fight for truth and freedom.

 

Time Captives: The Crossways will be released on October 19th, 2015. Stay tuned here and on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus for updates!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25990964-the-crossways?ac=1

A bunch of very awesome friends are helping share my cover today! Make sure to visit their blogs and read the interviews some of them did as well!


What do you think of the new cover? Are you excited for The Crossways?

Thursday, September 17, 2015

It's My Constitution

In honor of Constitution Day, I wanted to share this awesome, fun video that explains what the Constitution is, why we have it, and why it matters to us today. It's my Constitution, and it matters to me. Enjoy!


P.S. Doesn't Travis do a really good job playing dumb? I've known him for 14 years, so I'm at liberty to say things like that. ;) Yes, he is only playing, he really does know the Constitution, they all do. I've learned most of what I know about the Constitution and our Founding Fathers from the Loudermilk family.

Monday, September 14, 2015

Introducing Eleanor

Some of you may recall the strange affair of the Phantom of the Opera, a mystery...Sorry, my sister wanted to watch Phantom again last week, and I couldn't let her watch it without me.

Via Pinterest
What I meant to say is: Some of you may recall the redheaded Time Captive by the name of Eleanor who appeared briefly in Creighton Hill. You may also recall my addictive use of flashbacks, or what I like to call "the Once Upon a Time effect." So you may be interested in knowing that the character featured in flashbacks in this book is Eleanor.

I'm not quite sure how it ended up being her. Probably because only a handful of them really wanted their backstory known, she was one of them, and since I somehow got it fixed in my mind that she went to sea, she was the perfect one for this book (there's a lot of sailing involved). She started out in my mind as a pretty normal girl. She grew up during the Great Depression with only brothers, three of them, I think, which made her resourceful and adventurous. She did sort of like stories, as she tries at first, rather unsuccessfully, to compare Calhortea to Oz. But she grew so much as I wrote about her. Her fears became known to me, her desires, her friendships. And yes, now that I'm older, when I introduce a character of the opposite gender of the one in question, I immediately try to ship them, even when I know I can't make it canon. You'd think as the author I could make my ships canon, but I can't always. Just think "School Reunion," Doctor Who, Series 2. But I'm getting off topic. I do that a lot. Just ask Kendra and Amanda.

Once I decided Eleanor went to sea, I decided she had to somehow connect to Captain Jeremy Herb. It was a little difficult to get the dates to work out, but I managed, and so, through Eleanor, you get to see his backstory as well. Did I mention I love backstory? I blame OUAT, even though I think I'm falling out of the fandom.

I also discovered how difficult it is to do story research on sailing. Or maybe I just had a bad library and unhelpful search terms. Anyhow, I ended up gleaning a lot of stuff on how to write on shipboard from The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi. Fantastic book, very complicated and mysterious. Not nearly as creepy as Something Upstairs. I also applied what I learned visiting replicas of the Nina and the Pinta. I wanted to give Eleanor as realistic a setting as I could. And I couldn't help throwing in a few orphanage references later on in her story. Hey, I was a huge fan of Annie as a child. 

Eleanor turned out to be one of those easy to develop characters. Sure, it ended up being kind of depressing to write her, since she ends up being a rather depressed person, but she's another one of those characters whose life I want to fix. Never mind the fact that I'm the one who ruined it in the first place. I love her. Her backstory continues into Crannig Castle, where she finally finds some conclusion for her woes. 

Side note, her name comes from Eleanor Roosevelt. I really kind of don't like Eleanor Roosevelt, feminists and progressives really aren't my thing, but I do like her name, and well, I was cheating. Rather than looking up period names for the older Time Captives, I just named them after presidents and First Ladies from the era. Jonathan is the first to not be named after one. Well, aside from Samantha. She was named after the American Girl.

The cover reveal for The Crossways is next Tuesday! Stay tuned! And if you want to help by posting the cover on your blog, you can still sign up here and I'll get you the info ASAP.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

War Room Review

War Room by the Kendrick Brothers


Tony and Elizabeth Jordan have it all—great jobs, a beautiful daughter, and their dream house. But appearances can be deceiving. Tony and Elizabeth Jordan’s world is actually crumbling under the strain of a failing marriage. While Tony basks in his professional success and flirts with temptation, Elizabeth resigns herself to increasing bitterness. But their lives take an unexpected turn when Elizabeth meets her newest client, Miss Clara, and is challenged to establish a “war room” and a battle plan of prayer for her family. As Elizabeth tries to fight for her family, Tony’s hidden struggles come to light. Tony must decide if he will make amends to his family and prove Miss Clara’s wisdom that victories don’t come by accident.

Miss Clara
Wow. Where do I even start? So I just got back from War Room. (Well, at the time of writing, it's a scheduled post.) This was my first time seeing a Kendrick Brothers movie in theaters. And what an experience. Let me just say that this is a movie everyone needs to see. I rarely cry at fiction, but I had tears in my eyes multiple times. "I laughed, I cried, it moved me, Bob." It was so powerful. It was inspiring. And seeing it in theaters just made it even more amazing. Sitting there in a packed theater, hearing the crowd react to the various elements of the story, seeing how many people came out for this movie, it was amazing. And at the end, everyone clapped. I've never been to a movie where people clapped at the end before. (Granted, I've only been to the movie theater 13 times, and in all but like 2 of them there were hardly any other people in the theater, but still.)

Tony Jordan
Now, I want to talk about the film quality. I'm not one of those people who will promote a poorly made film just because it's Christian. Maybe I'm a story snob. I don't care. I believe Christians have a responsibility to make high quality entertainment. I'm not going to rave about films with poor filmography. I'm not going to promote films with bad acting. If a movie has a poorly written narrative that tries to do too much at once and thus causes the whole thing to suffer, I'm going to pick it apart and identify all the things they did wrong. Not all of the Kendricks' films are high quality productions. I actually had a conversation Sunday about how their first film, Flywheel, is difficult to watch because the acting and filmography are so bad, the conclusion being that they should remake it now that they know what they're doing, since they actually had a really good story with a really good message.

Liz Jordan
War Room is not one of those poorly made films. I have one complaint about the quality, and one only. The robber who tries to hold up Liz and Miss Clara was very unconvincing (like, not at all convincing). Other than that one maybe 30 second long scene, if that, the quality was that of a fully professional film. And honestly, I've seen bigger name films that I have more technical complaints with.

The writing was fantastic. While I had a handful of writing complaints with Courageous, I can't think of any with War Room. It was a tightly written narrative, the characters had unique and realistic ways of speaking, and that dialogue. Oh my goodness, I must see it again to memorize it. The Kendricks know how to sprinkle in the humor. I mean, whenever I wanted to laugh at something, so did everyone else in the theater. They know how to make you cry. And they know how to write a powerful story that really means something.

Danielle teaching her daddy double dutch
Now that I've hopefully convinced you that this is a quality film and not some hokey, cheesy Christian flick like so many I've suffered through on Netflix, let me talk to you about the story itself. This is a story about the power of prayer. That is the main theme, and yet there is so much more. It is a story about broken people. People whose family is on the brink of destruction. A couple that never communicates. A woman who is fed up with her husband. A man who is quite literally considering cheating on his wife. Parents who don't really even know their sweet, cute ten-year-old daughter. And a little old lady (she reminds us of my great grandma) who teaches them the power of prayer. The story focuses on Elizabeth Jordan (called Liz by basically everyone except Miss Clara) and her struggles with her jerk husband Tony (ironically, the gang leader from Courageous). Their daughter Danielle is also an important figure in the story. Liz is a real estate agent whom Miss Clara calls to sell her house. But Liz becomes so much more to Miss Clara than simply her real estate agent. Miss Clara sees in Liz a woman who needs the help Miss Clara needed herself. She teaches Liz to stop fighting her husband. To recognize the real enemy. To rely on God. To let Him do the fighting for her.

Miss Clara's War Room
And Miss Clara shows Liz her "war room," the closet where she spends so much time fighting in prayer. The way we're supposed to fight. 

I don't want to say too much more for spoilers' sake, but there are struggles, dark secrets brought to light, tough situations, and hope. Restoration. A happy ending. Sure, I expected a good ending, considering who made the movie, but that didn't make it any less amazing and powerful and inspiring. From the applause at the end, I suspect the other moviegoers felt the same way I do: This is an amazing film, so, so good. It means so much.

Miss Clara's answered prayers
I'd heard a lot about how good War Room is. I was told I needed to see it. Now I join in with all those people. War Room is a fantastic movie, and you need to see it. Everyone needs to see it. And learn about the amazing power of prayer. 


Monday, September 7, 2015

A Time Captives Turn of Events

Or how Adriel saved Time Captives.


I've mentioned Adriel many times. With good reason, he's my favorite. And after reading chapter one of The Crossways, which I posted two weeks ago, I'm hoping you're curious.

You might be wondering, who is this guy? Whatever happened to the Time Captives? Why does he exist?

The answer is simple. The Time Captives were the most uncooperative characters I'd ever worked with. I'd dragged them along as far as I could at the time, but they were being so ornery. They would hardly talk, even to each other. Most of them refused to show any personality. No one would tell me what they were going to do next. All of the Hubbards from the past had zero backstory, which made them especially hard to work with. Plus, I still had Anna along instead of Emily, and I was trying to stay inside Jill's head...a really bad idea. I was ready to give up on the project. I really was. Yet somehow I knew not to.

What did I do instead? I said to myself, "I've never explored what it's like for the Calhortans. Why don't I do that?" So I said "See ya later" to the Time Captives and relocated to a new setting.

I knew already that the people were slaves, so that meant I would be writing about slavery. I really don't know how I decided I would write about a boy. But I went through our very tattered baby name book (my sisters and I love names and we've been creating characters and fictional families since, well, since I was like, two, and baby name books are handy for that) and wrote down a list in the front of my notebook of all the interesting and unusual real names I thought I could use for Calhortans. Very few on that list do not appear in the story. One of the first names on the list is Adriel. And somehow I decided to use it.

I'm not sure how I decided to start off with a whipping either. It just happened. Because I gave Adriel a name and all of a sudden he was a full three dimensional character. His stubbornness, his rebellious streak, his devotion to his sisters...it was all there. And he rarely gave me any trouble. There was one point where he was dragging his feet, but I can hardly blame him, considering the circumstances. For a while, I didn't know what Adriel had to do with the Time Captives, but he ended up having an extremely important part to play.

I consider Adriel the character who saved Time Captives. With him, I finally wanted to write the story again. I finally loved my characters. I finally wanted to know more about them. I finally had something that worked. Of course, there were still some major things that I had to change, but I wanted to write the book again. And that's how Adriel saved Time Captives.

I still have room in the cover reveal and blog tour! You're more than welcome to participate!



Friday, September 4, 2015

WPFP Blog Tour: Interview With Amber

I'm not yet done telling you about Water Princess, Fire Prince. It's just too good to stop. :) This is an awesome book. You can read my full review here. Today, I have an interview with the villain of the story, Amber. But first, the cover and description.

When the Lady Dragon does come,
Hold fast, do not fear, do not run.
Your Water Princess will fight,
Fire Prince will set all to right.
Each shall come from a Fall,
Their union will save you all.

 Despite the fact that she's on track for competing in the Olympics, and he's practically raised his younger brothers since they lost their mom in a car accident, Clara Mandras and Andrew Stevenson are pretty much normal teens. They have normal hopes, normal dreams, and they live in a normal world.

All this is torn away from them when they are thrust into another world and declared Water Princess and Fire Prince. With no experience ruling a country, meeting each other for the first time, and being expected to fight the Lady Dragon – an evil sorceress plaguing the world of Rizkaland – Clara and Andrew are underprepared and inexperienced. Unless they learn to work together despite their standing opposition, Rizkaland's hope will be lost.

 What is to come will change their lives forever.

 
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24022364-water-princess-fire-prince


And now my interview with Amber. 

Hello, Amber. Welcome to my blog. What are three things someone just meeting you should know about you?

Hello, thank you for having me over to your quaint little blog. What would I have people know of me? Well, for one, I am a powerful queen, and as such I demand respect. Secondly, and not so young as I appear, and I have seen the passing of over five thousand years, I have seen the rise of two worlds, and I’ve seen two worlds die. And third, my time shall come.

How did you get the ability to turn into a dragon?
Lintooalintae was a land of dragons. True, humans came at length, for they will colonize any world, but when Granite and I first came, there were only dragons, and it was they that we were given rule over. However, they rebelled against us. We fought against them, at times allying ourselves with the various peoples who had set up kingdoms in our world. At length, we succeeded, and put all of the dragons to death.

As part of my victory, I took a scale from the dragon that had fancied himself their leader, and twisted its magic for my own work. They had used their scales for evil, I use it for the better good.

Do you actually hate the Water Princess and the Fire Prince, or are they just standing in the way of a general goal of world domination?
I find them mildly annoying, yes, but I don’t hate them. My fifteen years in Klarand were at their end, and I needed to retreat so that I can prepare for my conquest of Rizkaland in a thousand years. They weren’t standing in my way – I used them to cover my retreat. I’m a brilliant strategist.

Do you think it hurts Laura to see you acting like a villain? Do you care?
Laura is a complicated person that even I can’t hope to understand. The strangest things make her sad. I know she understands my plans, but she doesn’t seem to appreciate my methods. It’s for the greater good.

Tell me honestly, what do you think of your husband Granite?
He has some of the strangest habits, and can be annoying laid-back, and I wish that he’d work with me instead of against, but I honestly don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have him. He’s been part of my life for so long, to lose him would be like losing part of myself.

Do you love him?
Of course I do. He’s my husband. We’ve stood beside each other for five thousand years.

Are you scared by the prophecy concerning the Tela Du?
No. Either of us can win, I have every intention of being that one.

Do you like the way you’re portrayed in your book?
I came to Klarand both times to strike fear in the hearts of the people, so that they would fear me, and grow overconfident when I retreated. When I come to Rizkaland for my fifty years, they won’t stand a chance.

Excerpt from Water Princess, Fire Prince 

      With that thought, she turned to the Fire Prince with the exclamation, “Movie magic, I love it.”
      He turned towards her with a confused expression on his face. “Movie magic?”
      She pointed towards the chasm. “Don’t you just love movie magic?”
      He got the joke this time and chuckled. “Water Princess, this isn’t a movie,” he pointed out. He sighed. “It’s real life. Our life.”
      “Oh.” She let the silence sit for several seconds before she added. “I just keep getting mixed up.” She sighed. “But now that you mention it, you’re right. I just don’t think this is a movie. Probably just a book.”
      “A book?”
      “And, knowing our luck, not even one of the good ones. Probably some self-published work.” She shook her head. “I’d hate to know what the cover art looks like. Probably some photoshop fail.”
      He laughed. “That would be just our luck.”

Author Bio:

Kendra E. Ardnek loves fairy tales and twisting them in new and exciting ways. She's been practicing her skills on her dozen plus cousins and siblings for years, "Finish your story, Kendra", is frequently heard at family gatherings. Her sole life goal has always been to grow up and be an author of fantasy and children's tales that also glorify God and his Word. You can read more about her on her blog,knittedbygodsplan.blogspot.com.

Free Kindle Books!

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Flight School Review

http://elishapress.com/flight-school
So you’re graduating from homeschool. Now what?

 On the verge of adult life, Chris Rivera is eager to get started on his career as a director of Christian movies. But he’ll have to do it without his best friend Ben, who has traded childhood toys for law books... and a very pretty study partner.

 Meanwhile, Jessie is getting a lot of attention from conservative neighbor John and trendy friend Galen – each of whom, for drastically different reasons, seems a little too good to be true.

 In the face of hard questions and big temptations, how do you know which choice is right? And where do you get the courage to make it?

 ******************************************************************

I don't really read much contemporary fiction. I mostly read adventure stories (both sci-fi and fantasy), historical fiction, and classics, so this was rather outside of my general reading genres. However, it was a fairly enjoyable read. Flight School never became a page turner for me, but I did enjoy reading it.

I did really like the filmmaking aspect of the book, since I've always been interested in making movies...never tried it, though. The message of keeping the right priorities was also a good one. As much as we may want to do things in this world, if we aren't truly doing it for God, even if we say we are, it could compromise our principles, and that is never a good thing. The theme did seem a bit...over obvious...at times, but it still worked. I also found the Mullerites interesting, particularly the conversation about how they keep the world out thinking it will keep them good while neglecting to realize that it's really a heart matter, that you have to fix the root of the problem, not the externals. With certain recent news, that was quite relevant to the things I've been thinking about.

The characters seemed fairly well developed. Unfortunately, while it does sort of work as a standalone, I felt I was missing a lot by not having read the first book. I didn't really understand the family or friendships, or where the characters were coming from. So I think it would be a good idea to read The Sparrow Found a House first. I could relate fairly well to Jessie, though I'm not sure I really got into her head. The character point of view wasn't terribly deep, but I probably only noticed because I just edited my own book to fix slips in deep character POV. Ben's story felt kind of irrelevant to me, but I'm sure that with the first book it's not. And while I don't think these characters are ones that will stick with me forever (like the Doctor, or Jill Pole, or Jace), I am curious to see what happens next in regards to Jessie and John's possible relationship, especially considering that he's a Mullerite and she's not.

If you're looking for an adventure story, Flight School is not it. If you're looking for something to keep you on the edge of your seat, Flight School is not it. Honestly, there's not much of an actual antagonist, mostly just contagonists. But if you're looking for a story about young adults trying to figure out what to do with their lives, a story about aspiring filmmakers, a story about a family trying to live a Christian life and encourage their neighbors to do the same, then Flight School is the book for you.

I received a free ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed are my own.