R.J. SullivanBesprekingen

#1 issue-Creepy ghost sex that was anything but sexy. I cringed at the thought and then it got evil-ish.
#2 issue- The female MC was a bit of a spoiled princess brat.
#3 silly story
Not cozy, not scary, not fun, and not interesting.

Short stories and collections are like a cornucopia of snacks for me. And I binged with these.

There are ten stories in this collection. Some are flash fiction, super short. And then there are some longer ones. All of them made me ‘think.’

Since they are short stories, I can’t really say much without spoilers. Instead I’ll give you some snippets from my head.

If you were offered the chance to see inside your loved ones head and find out how they see you, if they really love you, would you? Should you?

Never, ever put on strange head gear. Especially if your father invents psychic gizmos.

Good cop, better cop? Split the difference? This was such a strange, twisted tale and my favorite in the collection.

How an infant’s memory can get so twisted out of whack. I had to laugh at the ending.

Two young lovers and a second chance angel.

A computer that makes you smart? I’ll take one, please.

Sometimes it’s better not to keep a secret.

It’s true. The past should stay in the past.

Just how big is the universe and what cause the Big Bang?

The last story and my second favorite. What you get when you cross a vampire with a…..

All of these were great. All of them made me think. While they’re short in words, those words were strongly written.

You’ll zip through this collection in no time and reach the end feeling a bit out there. Take a step into the outof.

Maxine wants to be loved. That should not be too much to ask, loved for who she is, not because she is a Hollywood sex symbol even if that symbol is from the distance past. RJ takes readers on a wild ride through a fans obsession. Where the icon takes her biggest fan for a ride he will never forget.

Daryl, loves Maxine even if he is young enough to be a grandchild of Maxine's. However, his obsession has gone a little too far. When Daryl buys a piece of paper with Maxine's signature, he gets more than he bargained for. Daryl learns that his obsession might just want him for eternity.

I love a good phantom story. Growing up I was always reading The Bell Witch. Since I live less than an hour from the actually bell witch area it was something to scare the teens. Something, that we would laugh about together as a group, but go home alone and wonder if anything was true. The author gives readers a glimpse into what might happen if we take our obsession a little too far.

This is a standalone book with the series character Rebecca Burton. Join me in reading this great new series by RJ Sullivan. I know you are asking what is so great about this. Well, everyone loves ghost stories. We have all heard them around a campfire. We enjoy having someone try to scare us. We go to haunted houses during the fall. We all love the thrill from watching the minds put together a haunting. While we run from the guy with a chainsaw.

Yet remember the author has made this haunting easy. Reading will not have to go far to get their fix for this haunting. They can stay in the comfort of the own home while learning what not to purchase from their favorite famous icon. You never know Rebecca Burton might not be able to help remove the haunting from your life.

Become part of the Haunting. Just remember Daryl and Maxine the next time you purchase a piece of memorabilia.

Thanks for an amazing read RJ and Seventh Star Press

The bunnies and I give this book 5 carrots.

The published gifted me this book for an honest review. I received no compensation for reading/reviewing this book. To form your own opinion please support the author and purchase your own copy.

Blue is the perfect heroine for teens; tough, blue-haired, punk, loyal, conflicted, determined. And Virtual Blue, though the second book about her, provides the perfect introduction for readers (like me) who’ve not met her before. The author balances backstory with present, revealing only what naturally feeds into the plot. He balances a daughter’s affections for a once-absent father against those for a now-absent mother, leaving me eager to learn more, but not feeling at all conflicted about what I’ve missed. The story entices readers with nicely muted romance, and carries its characters, via healthy doses of pizza, into the virtual realm of a video game where suddenly, all goes wrong.

Chip and Phil are naturals as game designers and entrepreneurs. Their real-world skills power a wonderful plot, deeper and scarier than Tron, with magical artifacts and complex interactions, all convincingly portrayed as the results of lines of code.

If you’ve ever wondered how game characters feel when they’re temporarily killed, this is the book for you. If you’ve wondered about the interface between real-world, virtual, and magic; if you’ve wanted to see women set free from their feelings of inadequacy, and men loyal to a fault; if you want great relationships and fascinating questions, scary quests, horror where the bites are lit with bytes... this is the book for you.

Virtual Blue is just plain gripping, exciting, fun. Enjoy, and watch out for more.

Dislcosure: I was given a free ecopy when I hosted the author on my blog. This is my honest review.

Ah, the tried and true ghost story. Some malevolent spirit decides to vent its rage and despair on some hapless nobodies who must then battle this other-worldly force to save their own lives and those of the ones they love. It’s been done time and time again—in film, in television, in books. And if R. J. Sullivan’s Haunting Obsession was just more of the same old tropes, I don’t think it would have really caught my interest. But Sullivan has taken old trope and put a new spin on it, which makes Haunting Obsession a delectable read.

And that’s good news for you folks because the publisher, Seventh Star Press, is putting up a paperback copy and two electronic copies of the book for a giveaway. For rules and entry instructions, see the Rafflecopter widget below.

Now as for the book itself… well, instead of trying to describe the plot myself, why don’t I just let the back cover do the talking for me?

“She wants to be loved by you…alone!”

Daryl Beasley collects all things Maxine Marie, whose famous curves and fast lifestyle made her a Hollywood icon for decades after her tragic death. Daryl’s girlfriend, Loretta Stevens, knew about his geeky lifestyle when they started dating, but she loves him, quirks and all.

Then one day Daryl chooses to buy a particularly tacky piece of memorabilia instead of Loretta’s birthday present. Daryl ends up in the doghouse, not only with Loretta, but with Maxine Marie herself. The legendary blonde returns from the dead to give Daryl a piece of her mind—and a Haunting Obsession he’ll never forget!

Of course, it isn’t only a piece of her mind she gives him. He also gets a piece of ass, a brush with death, and a very irate girlfriend. Oh, but let’s not dwell on those details. You want to have something left to read about, don’t you?

So, Maxine Marie is obviously a stand-in for Marilyn Monroe. I mean, the alliterated “M’s” make it obvious enough, but the character’s history and personality mirror the real MM’s life as well (for why Sullivan didn’t use the real Marilyn for his story, see the answer to the question in my recent interview with him). Thus it should come as no surprise that one of the things that makes this novel so entertaining is the way Sullivan taps into the idol worship and sex appeal of a bygone movie icon and weaves it into a sinister ghost story. Even more than that, though, he insightfully captures the loneliness of such a figure and how that loneliness can be transmuted into something hateful and possessive—in life as in death. Kudos there, for sure.

The characters are well-drawn, the type of people you could imagine in every day life, and therefore, the reader winds up identifying with them. Plus, they’re geeks, which warmed my nerdy heart to its icy core. That’s one of the signs of a good writer—someone who can craft believable characters (lies, essentially) and endear them to you. And did I mention the illustrations? That’s one good thing (of many) about Seventh Star Press. They always include some jam-up illustrations in their publications, and these did not disappoint. The writing itself was good—not blow-me-away-good, but good, solid writing. And while the plot itself was a tad predictable, it still entertained, so I’m not one to complain. Overall, I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. It was a good, short read, well-written, entertaining, and innovative.

http://www.ireadabookonce.com/2012/09/review-giveaway-haunting-obsession-by-r.ht...

We all know society is still enamored with Marilyn Monroe, even though it's been so many years since her untimely death. I know a lot of girls who still idolize her, and geez how many tattoos people have of her that I have seen. I myself am not nearly as untraced with her as a lot of people, but I can respect who she was to history. So I was a bit intrigued in this story, wanting to see if it was going to be enjoyable or just too cheesy/someone cashing in on the Marilyn craze.

Turns out it was actually pretty good. Loretta reminds me of one of those women who puts up with her boyfriend gaming all the time, but then her patience starts to run out. The thing I liked about Loretta though is she isn't a push over, and she isn't afraid to say when she thinks things have gone to far. She doesn't make excuses for anyone.

Since this is well a shorter book, I don't want to tell you too much about it because its so easy to give away to much information about novellas and take all the fun out of reading them. But the pace was pretty good, the writing solid, and a nice quick read. It was fun to read, I liked the characters, and the paranormal/society elements were good. There are definitely some adult topics in here so I wouldn't recommend for younger readers. But I do think just about anyone can find something they enjoy in this short read. So give it a try.

Fiona ("Blue")--against her wishes--moves with her mother to a small Indiana town. At first, it seems that all Blue has to look forward to is the day she'll become a legal adult and can move back out, but then she is drawn into an exploration of a dark incident in the town's past--and attracts the attention of a restless spirit with unfinished business.

RJ Sullivan takes the time to develop his characters, investing them with depth, secrets, and real emotion. Third-person scenes within the overall first-person narrative develop the driving incident from the past, and what seems to be a straightforward path toward the intersection of the two takes several surprising twists into dark and dangerous territory. Solid storytelling, clear and evocative prose, and compelling characters make this a memorable read, one I very much enjoyed.