Bring On Lemons

Yes, it's true...my book reviews are more lemonade than lemons. For every 5 star review, trust me...there's a pile of books that didn't keep my interest, were poorly edited, or were just plain awful. The hard part is I was raised hearing my father say "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" So - how exactly do I write a book review for a book that was awful? I guess I just sit down and do it and try to be as tactful and sensitive as possible. The problem is, I know these authors have poured their heart and soul into their work...it would be like telling someone they have an ugly baby...how do you do that? I've decided that I'm not going to write lengthy reviews that are negative and I am not going to attack the author personally (no brainer, right?) but I did grab a stack of books from my library and review them on Amazon and Goodreads tonight. Out of the fourteen books I reviewed, some were 5 stars but not worthy of a ...

Book Review: Cracks in the Sidewalk by Bette Lee Crosby By Crystal J. Casavant-Otto Cracks in the Sidewalk peaked my curiosity from the word go. As Claire explained her desire for a large family I found myself immediately drawn to her. As an only child myself, I completely understand the desire to surround one’s self with children and dreams of grandchildren. My heart broke when she received the news that she would only have one child. I could only imagine Claire’s incredible joy when she was blessed with three lovely grandchildren. I actually stopped reading Cracks in the Sidewalk when Claire’s daughter began having troubles with her pregnancy. I am 31 weeks pregnant myself and the details of Crosby’s writing and how the characters feel so real just hit too close to home. I was able to put the book down but I still couldn’t put the characters out of my mind. It reminded me of a close friendship, you can go quite a long time without talking to someone but they are so embedde...

As you know - Crystal (that's me) is a Blog Tour Manager for WOW! Women on Writing. Here's what's going on with the tours this summer: Want to host one of the WOW! touring authors? Upcoming Author Tours:   If you have a blog or website and would like to host one of our authors below, we are still accepting a few choice blogs to participate in our Partnership Program.   Come and join the fun! Please e-mail us at  blogtour@wow-womenonwriting.com  and put "Blog Tour Partnership" in the subject line. Please tell us the author you are interested in and your available dates. We'll get back to you with the details if you are accepted. We look forward to hearing from you! Content for your blog:  All of our touring authors are available for interviews, or they will provide a guest post on a topic related to the writing process or their book. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ...

The picture on the left was taken the day I brought my daughter home from the hospital. This picture hangs in our living room (and has for the last 6+ years) as a reminder of how small and precious she still is. It's our job as parents to point her in the right direction, remind her that she is beautiful smart and funny, and surround her with love. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too hard on the children. Am I too hard on them? Too hard on myself? Do I expect too much from others? I have plenty of these sorts of questions and not many answers. What I do know is this: once someone is gone it's too late to handle them with care and lavish them with love. Tonight I'm reeling from a phone call I received telling me someone had hung themselves but I'm not necessarily talking about absence by death. Once my children are in college, it's a little difficult to hold them on my lap and baking them some banana bread doesn't have quite the same effect as making it togethe...

Before we begin, I want to introduce you to my friend Donald Dempsey. Don is an inspirational individual who is a lemonade maker in my book. Life has thrown more lemons at Don than you and I can even imagine and yet he has taken each one and added some sugar and laughter and turned those bitter lemons into the biggest, sweetest, most refreshing pitcher of lemonade! It has been my honor and privilege to work with Don as he releases his memoir, Betty's Child . There were chapters that were downright painful to read and I cannot believe that someone lived through such abuse and neglect and has become a funny, caring, and wonderful person. Since today is my birthday and this is my blog - I get to do anything I like, and I have a special treat for YOU (in this order): Guest Post by Donald Dempsey Titled "Homecoming" Rafflecopter Giveaway of Betty's Child (#BCDempsey) by Donald Dempsey - YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A SIGNED COPY!!!!!! Photo of Donald and His Biography I...

My mom makes me crazy! The only thing we've agreed on in my 36 years on this planet is we will never agree. As a child I would imagine that I had been adopted ... but I was so in love with my dad that I would dream up a scenario where he had an affair and I was only sort of adopted. I hoped my dad was my dad but that my mom had been some sandal wearing musician. Alas, my mom is my mom. She definitely drives me crazy, but I also love her in a way only a daughter can. I am protective of her, I am proud of her, and don't tell her this ... but I think she's one of the toughest ladies I know. She's the reason I'm stubborn, but she's also the reason I'm confident, musical, and positive. Family dynamics such as this are hard to wrap our heads around. How can you love someone and yet being in the same room raises your blood pressure to near dangerous levels? Why is it that my best friend in second grade could beat up on her brother but when I kicked him in the shi...

Not So Long Ago, Not So Far Away Book by Trisha Slay Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto I don’t remember watching Star Wars and I was born two months after it was released in theaters, but novelist Trisha Slay made me feel as if I had been there in the theater taking in each frame of the film. Slay’s novel ,  Not So Long Ago, Not So FarAway  was so well written that I imagined myself a troubled teenager, coming of age and being transformed during the summer months of 1977. Erika (the lead character) is the reason I loved this book, because she is every teenager girl; awkward in her own skin and unsure of herself. Not only does she struggle for acceptance, but struggles will self-doubt. Erika doesn’t see what the rest of the town sees which makes her character so real. Erika had been the chunky side-kick to her teen beauty queen best friend, Cassie. When Cassandra disappeared, all the attention moved to Erika who had been plotting Cassie’s escape. Each question ...

If you know me at all, you know I love a good party! Now - virtual parties aren't quite as much fun as the real deal because hugging is so...well...awkward and impossible? right? I have had the recent pleasure of meeting the acquaintance of a lovely woman name Julia. Julia has quickly become my friend as we are kindred spirits with our love of music, reading, and writing. We also have come to find out that both of us are bassoon players (although one of us was awful and I refuse to say which that was). If you are interested in meeting Julia for yourself, I'd encourage you to  "like" her on Facebook  where she will soon be inviting you to a virtual book launch party for her very first book: Loving the Missing Link . But wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start at the beginning by telling you about Julia: About Julia Asel Thomas: Julia Asel Thomas writes stories with vivid descriptions, authentic dialogue and revealing narration. Her deb...