Flowers From My Garden and a Linky

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Wildflowers in the Western Cape

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My Latest Book Posts:

Dragon’s Reach




Dragons Rising

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My latest Sock Sunday is Dragons Rising Books 1 - 3 by Alisha Klapheke. Enter an exciting world where those living on land are at risk from those in the sea. Meet Vahly, the Earth Queen and the last remaining human, living among the dragon shifters. She must find her magic before it's too late. The Sea Queen wants to drown the whole world with only one island left to go and dragons and elves standing in her way, unless Vahly can find her magic in time to help turn the tide. The dragons have given her a home, but they don't know how to tap into her earth magic. Dragons don't trust elves, but Vahly is desperate. When she stumbles upon an elf who is close to death and missing some of his memories, she's willing to risk her life to help him. #weekend #weekendreads #socksunday #books #ebooks #bookreview #BookReviewer #booklover #bibliophile #bookstagrammers #Bookstagram #bookaddict #indiebook #fantasy #fiction #igreaders @alishaklapheke

A post shared by Tina Morley (@tinarobmorley) on Aug 2, 2020 at 9:50am PDT

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Dragon's Reach

Dragon's Reach

About the Book:

Title: Dragon's Reach | Author: JA Andrews | Pages: 614 | Genre: Epic Fantasy

Book Description:

The truth is neither plain, nor simple.

Sable, a reluctant thief from the slums, can feel truth when people speak. For years she’s been using that skill to try to break free from the vicious gang boss she's indebted to.

Escape comes in the form of an odd set of companions:
-a dwarf running from the past,
-an actor with a magical, glowing tree
-a too-helpful kobold,
-a playwright with a knack for getting stories out of people, and
-a man and woman with suspicious, magical powers.

But Sable’s freedom is short lived.

On the edges of civilization, they discover hidden, terrifying lies in the offers of peace from the brutal Kalesh Empire.

Now, she must return to the city she fled, and along with her companions, attempt an impossible task—convince everyone, including the powerful Dragon Prioress, of the truth.

Except the Kalesh web of lies has ensnared everyone.
With her land, her people, and everything she loves hanging in the balance, Sable is the only one standing between freedom, and certain death.

Purchase on Amazon:

Paperback | Kindle

My Review:

Dragon's Reach is Epic Fantasy with a hint of romance. It's a page-turner of a story that's unique and unpredictable. There's danger at every turn. J.A. Andrews creates colorful characters, brilliant world building, and witty dialogue. This is the first book in a new series and will leave you hanging. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Sable and the others!

3 Favorite Quotes from
Dragon's Reach:

“I think we become better people when we spend time imagining what other people are living through."

“She prayed for your safety and that your heart wouldn’t be broken by the world. That it would stay generous and kind.”

“Only the same law everything else is under. That our own actions shape and change us, even the small ones.” Cintis paused. “Especially the small ones.”

Related Reviews:

A Keeper's Tale and
A Threat of Shadows

How JA Andrews began writing her first book:

My husband was out of town for an entire month and bored every evening. So I made it my goal to send him a chapter a night, just for pure entertainment. I think I ended up writing only about 10 chapters, but I liked them so much that even though I let them sit on a computer neglected for years, the characters and the story kept calling me back. Eventually I pulled them out again and decided to finish the story. It turned into my first novel, A Threat of Shadows. And those early chapters are still some of my favorites.

About the Author:

JA Andrews

JA Andrews is a writer, wife, mother, and unemployed rocket scientist. She doesn't regret the rocket science degree, but finds it generally inapplicable in daily life. Except for the rare occurrence of her being able to definitively state, "That's not rocket science." She does, however, love the stars.

She began writing stories and creating coloring books because these sorts of things need an outlet. And now good markers are a deductible business expense.

She spends an inordinate amount of time at home, with her family, who she adores, and lives deep in the Rocky Mountains of Montana, where she can see more stars than she ever imagined.

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Married 25 Years and a Linky

Last week we celebrated our 25th Anniversary! Hubby surprised me with flowers, red wine, Lindt chocolates, and a dainty necklace with pearls on a silver chain. He made sure to give me something silver for our silver anniversary! I'm wearing the necklace in the photo below. He also wanted to buy traditional roses and went to a couple of stores, but none of them looked all that fresh. I’m glad he bought the proteas instead. They’re stunning and they last longer. There are different varieties of proteas and you can see 2 types in the bouquets below.

Our kids also spoiled us! Jessica made savory crêpes for breakfast with Samantha's help. They were filled with spinach, mushrooms, chopped hardboiled eggs, and a little bit of sour cream. There were some cinnamon and sugar filled ones too.

Amanda baked us an Oreo cheesecake all by herself! She used Preppy Kitchen's recipe. It was her first time trying her hand at piping and she did really well. She also made us the creative card that I featured below.

Our main meal was an afternoon braai (BBQ). We had steak, lamb chops, and pork ribs, enough meat to last us a few days! If you're wondering, that's sweet potato wrapped in the aluminum foil. We had great weather, a sunny winter day with no wind. We’re still on lockdown here in South Africa, so we made the most of it at home.

What did I do for our anniversary? I made a card for Hubby and we’re sharing the wine and chocolates. 😄

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Here's a peek at
my latest post

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Snow-Capped Mountains and Other Photos

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My Latest Book Post:


Elphie Meets the End of the World
A tender story for parents with fearful kids.

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Come link up your Wordless Wednesday

(with or without words) or any picture post

at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.

Join me on this fun and easy blog hop!

I would love for you to follow me on

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

and

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow me on one or more links above or via email.
• Link-up any family friendly post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
• If possible, copy the button code below and add it on your linked post or blog's side-bar.
• And, I'd love it if you could share about this hop on social media.

The Button Code:

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Elphie Meets the End of The World

Elphie Meets the End of The World

About the Book:

Title: Elphie Meets the End of The World | Author: Hagit R. Oron | Illustrator: Or Oron | Genre: Picture Book | Pages: 17

Book Description:

The end of the world is coming. Today. They said so on TV!

When Elphie overhears an older boy talking about the end of the world, he runs home to find a better place to hide. Luckily, Mom and Dad are there and the three of them manage to deal with the dreadful news.

Elphie books is a series of funny and sweet stories featuring a timid young elephant named Elphie. Each story is a different exciting adventure inspired by the daily life of young children. The books address kids and adult alike, and can be read without a specific order.

A free parent's guide with every purchase.

Purchase on Amazon

My Review:

Elphie Meets the End of The World is a tender story about a young elephant named Elphie who hears some scary news and how this affects him. Elphie’s parents realize that he’s scared and try to alleviate his fears by speaking truthfully and putting his thoughts and energy on creating a party instead. There’s an interesting little “fake news” speech bubble toward the end that would make for a good discussion topic for parents and their children. The authors also provide a free resource if you sign up with your first name and email address.

Related Reviews:

Elphie and Dad Go On an Epic Adventure

by Hagit R. and Or Oron

Bravo and Elphie

by Hagit R. and Or Oron

Elphie Goes Trick or Treating

by Hagit R. and Or Oron

Bear with Bear
by Hagit R. Oron

About the Mother-Daughter Team:

Hagit R. and Or Oron

Hagit R. and Or Oron are a mother and daughter who love to create, imagine, laugh and have fun together. Their mission is to bring joy and happiness to kids and parents all around the world. How? One picture book at a time.

More About the Author:

Hagit R. Oron, an award winning author, became an avid reader the minute she learned to read.

During her teens, she worked as a librarian in a public library just to be close to books, where she soon found out that she has book-matchmaking skills, that is connecting the right book to the right reader.

Surrounded by all those great titles inspired her to start writing. She daydreamed her first stories while commuting to the library.

Everything changed when she discovered computer programming and realized that she’s an excellent coder. So, for many years, she wrote tens of thousands of code lines. Most of them began with an if.

But fiction was bubbling inside her and after two decades of coding, it suddenly erupted in the form of picture books. She had to give in.

Now she devotes her days to writing adorable stories for kids. She utilizes her coding experience to bury little Easter eggs in her books, by telling parts of the story with illustrations and by hiding messages aimed at the adult reader inside the text.

It’s her book matchmaking skills that make her stories appeal to a broad audience.

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Indescribable by Louie Giglio

Indescribable: 100 Devotions for Kids

About God and Science

About the Book:

Title: Indescribable: 100 Devotions for Kids About God and Science | Author: Louie Giglio | Publisher: Thomas Nelson | Pages: 208 | Genre: Children's Devotional | Recommended Ages: 6 to 10

Book Description:

Discover the Wonders of the Universe with the Creator. Based on Louie Giglio's popular messages "Indescribable" and "How Great Is Our God," Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God & Science will help kids discover the incredible creation of our indescribable God.

Indescribable displays the majesty of creation with scientific findings, photography, and original illustrations. These 100 devotions encourage awe at God's creativity with an in-depth look at:

• Space, galaxies, planets, and stars
• Earth, geology, oceans, and weather
• Animals: from hummingbirds to dinosaurs
• Our minds, bodies, and imaginations

Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God & Science has sold over 100,000 copies! This book is perfect for children, ages 6-10 years old, and each devotional features a:

• "Be Amazed" section with fascinating scientific facts
• Easy-to-follow, hands-on STEM activity
• Closing prayer

Psalm 19:1 says, "The heavens tell the glory of God. And the skies announce what his hands have made." It's impossible to out-imagine God. He orchestrates time, creates light, and speaks things into existence--from the largest stars to the smallest starfish. God is the powerful, purposeful, personal, unparalleled Creator.

Purchase on Amazon

Our Review:

Amanda (age 12) received Indescribable as a gift from her grandma a couple of years ago. It became a well-loved book that she has read about 4 times.

Amanda keeps the book by her bed. She likes that every new chapter is a new topic about natural science and God. She has learned a lot and thinks it’s very interesting.

I like the way the book is laid out with text and illustrations. It’s easy to follow with cool facts for kids. Louie Giglio helps kids to see God in science and makes learning fun.

About the Author:

Louie Giglio

Louie Giglio is Pastor of Passion City Church and the Original Visionary of the Passion movement, which exists to call a generation to leverage their lives for the fame of Jesus.

Since 1997, Passion has gathered collegiate-aged young people in events across the US and around the world, and continues to see 18-25 year olds fill venues across the nation in pursuit of lives lived for God's glory. Most recently, Passion hosted 40,000 college students and their leaders in four venues linked together across three cities at Passion 2019.

In addition to the collegiate gatherings of Passion Conferences, Louie and his wife Shelley lead the teams at Passion City Church, sixstepsrecords, Passion Publishing and the Passion Global Institute.

Louie is the national-bestselling author of Not Forsaken, Goliath Must Fall, Indescribable: 100 Devotions About God & Science, The Comeback, The Air I Breathe, and I Am Not But I Know I Am.

Louie and Shelley make their home in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Forgotten Magic Anthology

Forgotten Magic Anthology

Book Description:

In the first two Magic Underground anthologies, our heroes faced the seen, the unseen, and the wayward in order to save us all. These same characters now find themselves in a continuing world of trouble because as we know, life can be dangerous!

Forgotten Magic (Magic Underground Book III) concludes these characters’ stories in a breathtaking way as they face betrayal, family, and of course, magic. The stakes are deadly and growing deadlier by the moment! Inside you’ll find stories about:

• An all-inclusive ren-faire with an enigmatic man who plans to destroy it all
• A missing, teleporting chimera in danger of becoming someone’s lunch…or worse
• An open portal that rains magic upon our world, meaning it may already be too late to save
• A weakening magical spell that could lead to a reign of danger and chaos
• An heir and an apprentice who must prove their innocence to keep their nation from plunging into pandemonium
• A sister who must convince herself she’s enough to save the Earth from the wicked…after all, she’s all the Earth has
• A woman who must choose between the mother who abandoned her and those who deserve her help
• And more!

Authors in this anthology include: USA Today Bestseller Joynell Schultz, USA Today Bestseller Melinda Kucsera, Seattle Times regional bestseller & multi-international award winner Raven Oak, Tiffany Shand, Alesha Escobar, USA Today Bestseller Lee French & Erik Kort, H.B. Lyne, Anela Deen, Majanka Verstraete, C.K. Rieke, Devorah Fox, Leah W. Van Dinther, C.S. Johnson, Barbara Letson, Toasha Jiordano, Gwendolyn Woodschild, H.M. Jones, Stephen Wallace, AR Johnston, and William C. Cronk.

Purchase on Amazon

My Review:

I'm reviewing The Mail-Order Witch Episode 3 by Joynell Schultz in the third anthology, Forgotten Magic. This is the final story and a happy conclusion. The overarching mystery of who has been sabotaging Ettie’s reputation and store gets solved. In this cozy magical mystery someone has been tampering with Ettie’s orders for magical items. Stock isn’t being delivered and her orders are being changed. The usual suspects are on her list, but then some new information leads to Ettie adding two people that she trusts! She’s trying to figure out her identity as an individual while also being a newly married couple with Roman. Her store takes most of her time and attention, which doesn’t leave much room for her marriage. Will she figure out how to balance owning a store with being married while catching a saboteur?

I'm also reviewing the short narrative serial “The Ones Who Choose” by C.S. Johnson in the Forgotten Magic anthology. This is part 3 and the conclusion to a heart-wrenching story. It’s possible to read it as a standalone as C.S. Johnson manages to catch you up in a few sentences. After Aidan helps Skyla save a boy bound by Bloodmagic, their utopian society begins falling apart rapidly. She couldn’t have predicted the terrible consequences that follow her act of mercy. Why would the boy that Skyla saves want to go back to his life of suffering? Is the benefit of having a utopian society worth it? Skyla must make a decision before things get worse. I didn’t expect the ending and it almost left me tearful!

Related Review:
Hidden Magic Anthology
Wayward Magic Anthology

More by Joynell Schultz:

Departing: Earth's Only Hope

Rogue Skies

Validated by Valentine's

About the Author:

Joynell Schultz

Joynell Schultz manages the family zoo (literally!) and writes romantic speculative fiction in her (nearly non-existent) free time. She's a pharmacist by training (boring!) but prefers to hang out with zebras and bears or some imaginary characters.

Website

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Nonfiction by C.S. Johnson:

Should I Go to College?

Good Writing is Like Good Sex

More Books by C.S. Johnson:
Kitsuneko
The Princess and the Peacock
Kingdom of Ash and Soot
Prince of Secrets and Shadows
Night of Blood and Beauty
Beauty's Curse & Beauty's Quest 
Across the Floors of Silent Seas

C.S. Johnson Author Interview

About the Author:

C.S. Johnson

C.S. Johnson is the author of several young adult novels, including sci-fi and fantasy adventures such as the Starlight Chronicles series, the Once Upon a Princess saga, and the Divine Space Pirates trilogy. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family.

Website

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Father's Day and a Linky

We celebrated Father's Day last Sunday. Since we're still in lockdown in South Africa, we stayed home and spoiled a well deserving husband and father to our four kids. My hubby is always there for us. He's a rock that we can lean.

I made a fruit salad and crustless quiche for breakfast. For my quiche filling (the one cup of optional ingredients), I added an overflowing cup of cooked bacon and potato with finely chopped fresh green bell pepper.

For lunch (to have with our soup), Samantha baked artisanal bread. It's a no knead recipe and really easy to make! Amanda also got involved and baked chocolate chip cookies. We didn't have walnuts, so she skipped that step and chopped a slab of hazelnut chocolate instead. Check out the links to the recipes. They're really good!

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This evening's sunset taken with my Samsung Galaxy phone's camera. #sunset #sky #pinksky #pinkclouds #magentaskies #orangesky #clouds #silhouette #trees #samsung #galaxy #phone #camera #phonephotography #SouthAfrica

A post shared by Tina Morley (@tinarobmorley) on Jun 22, 2020 at 10:58am PDT

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Here's a peek at
my latest post

on 1camera1mom:

Nature Walk With Dogs

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Come link up your Wordless Wednesday

(with or without words) or any picture post

at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.

Join me on this fun and easy blog hop!

I would love for you to follow me on

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Facebook
Instagram

and

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow me on one or more links above or via email.
• Link-up any family friendly post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
• If possible, copy the button code below and add it on your linked post or blog's side-bar.
• And, I'd love it if you could share about this hop on social media.

The Button Code:

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