Wishing You Peace and Joy this Holiday Season.

With so much uncertainty ahead, our families are paramount to our happiness.
May you find joy and peace, and purpose for helping others in the human family and also in our animal kingdom. I'll spend time this holiday with my children, now teens, my husband, his family, my dog, and bad kitty, and forget the world at large for a day or two.

After the New Year those who stand for truth and justice, to protect our most vulnerable under the fascist regime taking hold of the USA, will return with renewed intensity to remove those in power destroying OUR democracy.  It doesn't belong to them!  




On another note, my Novella, THE UNMOVING SKY now has an Audio Book!  Yay.

Amazon Review

"A truly GRIPPING read!"


I had fun previewing an advance reader copy of K.L. Hallam’s suspenseful debut novella, THE UNMOVING SKY. It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. From the start, the set-up is ripe for action: brothers Jackson and Artie run off into the woods to escape their drunken dangerous father, but they get lost and take refuge in a cave to wait out a storm. I won’t recount much more to avoid spoilers, but someone else is hiding out there, too, and the tension ratchets up even further. I liked how Hallam keeps increasing the stakes and maintaining a brisk pace to create a page-turner. She also explores several serious themes, from alcoholism and domestic abuse to teen pregnancy and terrorism, in the course of this fast-paced adventure.


website: klhallam.com

MG Book Review: Almost Paradise by Author Corabel Shofner

Almost Paradise by Corabel Shofner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I received an ARC for an honest review. A repost from my review on Kidliterati 

“I believe places can heal. I believe science can heal. I believe God can heal. And I believe my hands can heal. It is best to use all of the above to get maximum results.”

Twelve-year-old, Ruby Clyde has a strong voice. She has a strong heart. She’s had to be the parent in the relationship with her mother. Her mother, like a child who needs caring for, and her stinky boyfriend Catfish winds up getting them all in deep trouble with the law.

One morning, Ruby wakes up to find she and her mother are being carted across the country, and her mother’s boyfriend, Catfish, whom she can’t stand, is in control. When he finds out her mother has a twin sister, who’s a nun, he wants to head over there and stay a while. But Ruby’s mother won’t have it. The sisters have been estranged for decades. Taking matters into his own hands, Catfish’s criminal mischief shocks Ruby and her mother to their cores and chaos ensues.

In the scramble, Ruby stays hidden from the mayhem and finds herself alone. The pig they rescued from the IQ Zoo used its leash (nylon pantyhose) to drag her to safety. With nowhere to turn, Ruby decides to go undercover and find her mother’s twin sister. After finding her, Ruby learns that her mother’s been arrested and must go on trial.

I found much to relate to in ALMOST PARADISE. Such a good story about what it’s like to feel abandoned and unloved. But Ruby is tough and she loves her mother, no matter what. We learn much about sacrifice from some of the secondary characters, like Ruby’s aunt Eleanor, the nun and the attorney Joe Brewer. Sprinkled throughout, are tidbits about the legal system and family court. Many references to faith and God, and I suppose with a nun as a major character that’s to be expected.
There are delightful twists, and endearing characters, making this feel true and timely in these important times when children need solace and comfort from life’s hard knocks. And that ending had me in tears!

“People heal each other, and it takes time.”




View all my reviews