Frosty the Soulman

FROSTY THE SOULMAN

By Don Lubov

Self-Published: October 4, 2013

32 color pages

Children's / All Ages / Spirituality

ABOUT THE BOOK: As a picture book, Frosty introduces important concepts to the young reader. His story of life is inspirational in a generic sense that appeals to both secular and religious audiences. In 612 words, Frosty the Soulman experiences love, death, the wonder of creation, the joy of popularity, the pain of abandonment, a cruel death, transcendence, and enlightenment.

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☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃

The book's spine is across the top!

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: If I had to sum-up Frosty the Soulman in one word, it would be "unique." From the unique format (the spine is on top, so you flip the pages up) to the unique concept, there is nothing cookie-cutter about this story. Don't let the book's title fool you -- this is no knock-off story about Christmas magic; rather, it's a metaphor for the cycle of life and death and afterlife.

 “Fortune shines on me. I am truly complete.”

Lubov’s writing style is also unique. The majority of the story is told from Frosty’s point-of-view in a somewhat stream-of-consciousness approach. Readers share as Frosty becomes sentient and grateful, then proud and haughty, then alone and scared and dying. The sentences vary from simple and straightforward to poetic and rhythmic, with a nice play on words to end the story.

Author Don Lubov is also the illustrator, and he credits his wife with painting the sketches. The pops of color really add dimension to the book, and the sketches are quite expressive and complement the text so that Frosty has real personality and human characteristics.

As for the format, I’m not a huge fan of the book being arranged with the spine at the top. That switch from the standard combined with the size of the book will make it cumbersome for little hands to hold it and flip the pages.  However, the text size and font are appropriate, and there is lots of white space, so young readers won’t feel overwhelmed with words. My copy had some ghost-text that showed on many of the pages (and not bleed-through text). Overall, the format detracted and distracted from the story for me, but it didn’t ruin it. Hopefully there will be a reprint at some point.

“This book is dedicated to adults who read to children.”

In keeping with the author’s dedication, I recommend Frosty the Soulman as a read-along for parents and their children. A snowman is brought to life, briefly fêted and quickly abandoned, suffers a painful (and somewhat gruesomely illustrated) death – and then, he lives! Given the emotional extremes that happen in just thirty-two pages, a child needs an adult – but not just any adult -- to comfort and counsel.  And that’s my warning: The themes are heavy and open to a variety of very personal interpretations. Kids are going to ask questions; as such, educators and those who aren’t personally related to a child could get stuck in a tough spot trying to explain the story to a little one.  

For something completely different from the norm, give Frosty the Soulman a try and challenge your children -- and yourself -- to think at a deeper level.

Thank you to the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my honest review – the only kind I give.

☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃☃

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Don Lubov has written about spirituality and stress relief since 1971. He is the author of 9 books. 10 years successfully teaching his “Six-Step Path” at College of Central Florida Sr. Center, MTP College, and The Lifelong Learning College in The Villages, FL. He has taught his unique brand of meditation to over 2,000 people, who subsequently achieved a level of inner peace. Don has been happily married since 1976. 

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Death Dragon's Kiss ~ Book Launch, Review, & Author Interview!

BOOK LAUNCH & REVIEW!

Kiser, T.K. (2017). Death Dragon's Kiss:The Manakor Chronicles Book #2. Saint Pancratius Press. 

Middle Grade to Young YA / Sci-Fi / Fantasy

157 pages

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BLURB: Would you betray yourself for someone you love?

Carine and the princes are back in the second installment of the Manakor Chronicles: Death Dragon's Kiss.

The dragon Kavariel's continued absence from Navafort unleashes a new threat and from North Esten to the royal family, no one is safe.

Desperate for an answer, Carine, David, and Giles encounter stealthy creatures, journey deeper into Navafort, and teeter precariously at the moral edge of good magic and bad, all while shadowed by a mysterious girl from a foreign land.

But even as they band together to protect life and the kingdom, the biggest threat to everything is each other.

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: In this second book in the Manakor Chronicles series, main character Carine is a little older, but she’s still struggling with her old magical demons. She recognizes that her magic (much like people do) has two main modes -- good and evil – and that the gray area between is sometimes difficult to navigate. Add to that the difficulties of being a teenager who may or may not be in love, and who has some self-doubt and feels unworthy and even inferior at times, and you have a believable protagonist, flaws and all. There is a large dose of teen angst this round, but it is a great balance to the superhero factor so that readers can enjoy realistic characters.

The book can stand alone, but readers will miss-out on a lot of awesome back-story by not reading The Firebrand Legacy first. Author T.K. Kiser provides some necessary references for readers so there is never any confusion about what’s going on – curiosity, perhaps, about what happened to get our characters to this point – but never confusion.

I really enjoy that despite Death Dragon’s Kiss being set in a clearly magical and fantastical world, there is also some science at play with the reminder that most myths are based on some fact. It’s a subtle addition to the story line that underscores that it’s okay to ask questions and not accept everything at face value just because others have done it that way. The story also reinforces to readers that doing the right thing is quite often not the easiest path to take and can be downright difficult. The struggles in the book are real.

As with book one in the series, the writing continues to be excellent in Death Dragon’s Kiss. Sentences and dialogue flow naturally and descriptions enable readers to have that “fly on the wall” feeling of being there, right in the middle of the action. Also in the same vein as book one, BAM! Book two has a FABULOUS ending that leaves readers hanging and chomping at the bit for more adventures! I cannot wait for the next book in this series (check out the Bonus interview below for some news).

There is no sexual content of any kind, but this book travels into coming-of-age range and feelings beyond the platonic are beginning to be explored, as are bigger, more serious themes and consequences of choices. Some scenes are intense, and death and devastation are more widely felt. Though the first book has a younger reader appeal, Death Dragon’s Kiss moves solidly into middle grade, young-young adult range.

Thank you to the author for providing me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: T.K. Kiser writes young adult fantasy adventure fiction in Greenville, South Carolina. She loves stories about quests, battles, and good’s triumph over evil because they reveal things about real life. When she isn’t writing, she’s supposed to be writing, but instead procrastinates by bothering her husband and cooking allergy-free food. Her first novel, The Firebrand Legacy, was published on December 8, 2015. Author Links: 

FACEBOOK     TWITTER    WEBSITE   GOODREADS

BONUS! 

QUICK FIVE QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

BY THE AUTHOR!

Why did you choose to write fantasy?

I write upper middle grade fantasy adventure, and I love it. I love writing for 10 to 14-year-olds because I really believe in people that age. This is a time when childhood fades away; one decides who she really is, what kind of person she wants to be. I write fantasy because the power of beauty and love in the world is sometimes most easily explored as magic. Finally, I write adventure because life is an adventure. A book is a chance to examine your own life by living the most powerful moments in someone else’s for a while.

What cultural value do you see in books and storytelling?

Books help us learn from other’s mistakes; they help us practice empathy, putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes; they challenge us, giving us space and time to unpack aspects that may have disturbed or inspired us. Finally, books are social; you can share and discuss a book. Some people think stories are for escaping life, and there can be a time for that, but even more importantly, a good story gives us insight into our own lives.

How does your book relate to your life path?

I believe that nothing in life is pointless, that in fact there is a great destiny for each of us, if we choose to seek it. In The Manakor Chronicles, the whole magic system depends upon a call from the Etherrealm. Everything and everyone is made for a purpose; their fulfillment, peace, and joy depend on being attentive to that purpose and answering the call with courage.

What projects are you working on at the present?

I am working on The Manakor Chronicles Book #3 (!!!) and a spin-off book about a minor character whose story I can’t wait to share.

What’s your favorite quote?

I love Mother Teresa’s quote, “Do small things with great love.” A small thing, with great love, is no small thing at all.

RELATED:

Click for Hall Ways Review

The Ceruleans Anniversary ~ ~ ~ Guest Post & Giveaway!

Happy Anniversary, Ceruleans!  

 

Click for Hall Ways Reviews:

Death Wish (I)

Forget Me Not (II)

Wild Blue Yonder (III)

Devil and the Deep (IV)

Darkly, Deeply, Beautifully (V)

Buy the Books:

Amazon   Kobo   iTunes   Barnes & Noble

It's been two years since the first book in the Ceruleans series was published, and I'm helping celebrate the relaunch of the novels with gorgeous new cover art and under the author's real name . . . Say hello to CHARLOTTE WILSON!  I was super curious about why Charlotte chose to first write as Megan Tayte and what brought her to the point of having a "big reveal." So I asked her about it, and she was kind enough to share the back-story with me. Read on, and then be sure to enter the giveaway of a print set of the full five- book series!

 

 

Guest Post

What’s in a name?  ‘Coming out’ from behind a pen-name

by Charlotte Wilson

A decade ago, my first book was published – under a pen name. A strange choice, perhaps, given that I run The Book Specialist, a writing and editing business; surely demonstrating my ability to author a book makes good business sense? It does (which is why I published later books under my professional name, Charlie Wilson). But that first book required sensitive handling, because its content was very personal.

A golden rule of business: draw a line between the personal and the professional, and then respect that boundary.

When I began writing my Ceruleans series, it soon became apparent to me that this was another very personal writing project. The central themes of the books – most notably grief – relate to personal experiences. I began writing intending on publishing as Charlie Wilson, but the further I got into the writing, the more that name held me back. The answer was logical: publish under a pen name.

So I did. Two years ago I published the first Ceruleans book under the name Megan Tayte. Megan, because I love the name; Tayte for the Tate Modern art gallery, London, one of my favourite places on the planet (the added ‘y’ made it a unique name). I created a little brand around that writing name, and over the next year I grew that as I published four more books. In marketing terms, it made good sense to continue on down this road.

But…

The thing about writing under a pen name is that while it can be liberating – you’re cushioned to a degree from criticism and judgment – it’s also a) hard work and b) uncomfortable.

Why hard work? Because you’re handling a whole set of media for the pen name as well as your own, which means multiple email accounts, multiple social media accounts, multiple websites. I ghostwrite all the marketing channels for one of my clients, which meant I’d got to the point of having at least three Facebook accounts open simultaneously on different browsers: overload and confusion were rife.

It was the discomfort, though, that really pushed me to make a change – a feeling of being slightly out of step with who I need to be. Anyone who reads The Ceruleans gets a feel for me as a person; I’m a heart-on-my-sleeve kind of writer. Increasingly, I came to see that being wholly authentic and ‘owning’ my words is really important to me.

‘Coming out’ meant a whole lot of work relaunching The Ceruleans and bringing my fiction into The Book Specialist. It also meant getting brave: being ready for clients – from fellow authors to publishing houses and organisations – to be able to read my fiction and consequently know a lot more about me.

Every day at my desk I still write under more names than Charlotte/Charlie Wilson. That’s the nature of ghostwriting, after all. But when I look up at the shelf and see the new-edition Ceruleans books with my name on the covers… I feel centered. That’s who I am. That’s how I write for myself, as myself.

What’s in a name? A defining sense of self.

 

About Charlotte Wilson

Once upon a time a little girl told her grandmother that when she grew up she wanted to be a writer. Or a lollipop lady. Or a fairy princess. ‘Write, Charlotte,’ her grandmother advised. So that’s what she did.

Thirty-odd years later, Charlotte is a professional writer. For authors and publishers, she writes and edits books as The Book Specialist. For herself, she writes soulful, coming-of-age romance for young adults.

Charlotte grew up in the Royal County, a hop, skip and a (very long) jump from Windsor Castle, but these days she makes her home in a village of Greater Manchester with her husband and two children. When she’s not reading or writing, you’ll find her walking someplace green, baking up a storm, or embarking on a DIY project. She recently achieved a lifetime ambition of creating a library in her home to house her ever-increasing collection of books. She pretends not to notice that the shelves are rather wonky.

You can find Charlotte online at:

WEBSITE    TWITTER     FACEBOOK     INSTAGRAM    GOODREADS

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

Print set of the whole five-book series! Ends 2/28/17

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