Bring On Lemons

Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto Let me begin by saying thank you to Nicole at WOW! Women on Writing for the opportunity of participating in this book blog tour. I'm not OKAY is a story that needed telling and Renee Antonia did a lovely job of pulling me in as a reader. It's safe to say those who have experienced anxiety (in youth or otherwise) will find the character of Alejandra to be well written and easy to relate with. Similarly, Alejandra's feelings are laid out so well that even someone who has no personal experience with anxiety or mental health issues will feel empathy as the story unfolds. The author herself admitted in her interview with WOW! that she wishes she had hired someone to help edit I'm not OKAY and with that said, I found that the typos and such didn't take away from the story. I commend Renee Antonia for her bravery in telling this story as well as for self-publishing as a 20 year old. I appreciate the opportunity to read this book a...

About the Book: Laura, who died thirty years ago, enlists the help of a tenacious high school reporter named Rebecca, who is very much alive. Rebecca, although skeptical and conflicted by her supposed encounters with a spirit, determines to learn the truth about Laura’s tragic death. As the clues unravel and their worlds collide, Rebecca finds herself at a dangerous crossroads. Laura, now pulled back into everything she left behind when she died—her old high school and memories of her life and death—has been in training for this exact moment. And nothing means more to her than succeeding at her assignment. It is her one chance to make sure that what happened to her does not happen to anyone else, and especially not to her new friend, Rebecca. Paperback: 296 pages Genre: Fiction/Young Adult Novel Publisher: WiDO (March 2018) ISBN-10: 1937178994 ISBN-13: 978-1937178994 Crossing the Line is available for purchase in print and as an ebook at Amazon , Barnes & Noble , a...

About the Book: Laura, who died thirty years ago, enlists the help of a tenacious high school reporter named Rebecca, who is very much alive. Rebecca, although skeptical and conflicted by her supposed encounters with a spirit, determines to learn the truth about Laura’s tragic death. As the clues unravel and their worlds collide, Rebecca finds herself at a dangerous crossroads. Laura, now pulled back into everything she left behind when she died—her old high school and memories of her life and death—has been in training for this exact moment. And nothing means more to her than succeeding at her assignment. It is her one chance to make sure that what happened to her does not happen to anyone else, and especially not to her new friend, Rebecca. Paperback: 296 pages Genre: Fiction/Young Adult Novel Publisher: WiDO (March 2018) ISBN-10: 1937178994 ISBN-13: 978-1937178994 Crossing the Line is available for purchase in print and as an ebook at Amazon , Barnes & Noble ,...

I get asked all the time about our children's names - so for the sake of posterity and my children's future sanity, here's the scoop! I'm a total name junkie and always said I'd name my first born after my father. So, long story short - since my first born was a girl, her name became Leah (after Grandpa Lee). Now, for the rest of the alphabet gang (there's a huge age gap between #1 and #'s 2-6, and the younger children's names were chosen this way:) A - Andre Nicholas (Andre after my father and Nicholas after a gone too soon friend) - name meaning Andre = man/warrier and  Nicholas = victory of the people. Andre may be small in stature (like his grandfather), but he is not short on intellect or determination. He is quite certainly a strong-willed warrier who is going to change the world around him one small victory at a time! B - Breccan Leland - Breccan derived from the Irish Saint of the Isle of Aran - name means freckled or speckled and Leland =...

Thank you  to WOW! Women on Writing for the opportunity to participate in the book blog tour of Ashes in the Ocean by Sebastian Slovin! You may have caught yesterday's review of this same book - but today Crystal has a little different take on things. Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto:  First of all, I don't think you can read a memoir like this without thanking the author for their bravery. Human nature sometimes allows us to believe that some rocks are best left buried and some skeletons are best left in closets. Sometimes we just need to remember that it's the truth that sets us free and unearthing those rocks to look beneath them or letting those skeletons out so the closet has room for something new can be a very freeing opportunity. Like any labor of love - there will be labor pains. Ashes in the Ocean is filled with the pain of loss, but yet Sebastian doesn't allow himself to be consumed by the sorrow of his father's death. Sebastian honors his fa...

Thank you for Michelle for being today's guest reviewer and thank you to WOW! Women on Writing for the opportunity to participate in the book blog tour of Ashes in the Ocean by Sebastian Slovin! Review by Michelle DelPonte:  As a wife, and mother of two boys, who struggles with chronic depression, I knew I had to read this book. I work full time night shift, come home to get less than two hours of sleep, and must function for my sons. My youngest is 3 and neuro-typical, while my 5-year-old is gifted with an autistic brain. I can honestly say in my 38 years of life, I have gone through a few to many stages where I just wanted life to be over. Thankfully, I have always been blessed with a reason to go on. When my dear friend Crystal posted about Sebastian’s book, I was at one of those low points. I knew I needed to make a change or my kids would possibly grow up without me. It is funny in an ironic way. It is sad to see that we will do just about anything for our kids, but not f...