The Power of Music

Music - the universal language, expressed beautifully by Ji-Hae Park. I will let her tell her story in her own beautiful way. It's a story of the power of music.

 

Reading and writing are my passions, but very close behind is music. It does all the things that reading and writing do, without a word. It carries us away. It takes us back in time or to a future that we dream of. It takes us deep within ourselves and beyond ourselves. It expresses our sorrow and our joy. It's the expression of our hearts. It unites us regardless of who we are, where we are from, or what our journey has been. It unites us as human beings that share the same emotions.

The following video is another of Ji-Hae Park. In this one she performs some gospel music. I don't think it matters that the words that go with the music are religious, you don't know that just from watching the video. What you do know from watching the video, is that the music is so very important to her. Her passion, her connection with the music is obvious, and contagious.

"You don't have a soul. You are a soul". - C. S. Lewis

Music touched the soul of Ji-Hae Park. Such is the power of music. 

Enjoy.

Passion Makes All the Difference

I agree completely with Ms Graham. It is passion that makes a dancer great. I would extend that to any kind of artist. Great musicians aren't great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion. The same for great singers, painters, writers, any kind of artist. Which is not to say that technique is not important, it is. But it's the passion that makes the artist stand out.

I was never by any stretch of the imagination a great musician or dancer, but I have done both. I miss both greatly and want to do both again.

I was very good at both, not great, but very good. One thing I learned has really stuck with me over the years. There were songs I knew by heart and loved to play on the piano. I practiced them over and over and over until I didn't need music.  I didn't think about it. I just put my hands on the keyboard and played. It was at these times that I was my best.

"Exhale" by Kendall Grey

EXHALE

by KENDALL GREY

COVER DESCRIPTION

The man of Zoe Morgan’s dreams isn’t only real, he’s interested. In her. But her boss wants her too, and is leveraging his unsolicited advances with the threat of blocking the huge promotion she's after. When he places a spy on her research team, the intense stranger discovers more than he should, and Zoe fears hiding a relationship with Gavin Cassidy from her boss is the least of her worries. The whale she must protect has been marked for death, and Zoe's old enemy Scarlet is eager to deliver the killing blow. To both of them.

Australia’s Sentinels must find and lock the door into the Dreaming before Fyre Elementals launch another attack on innocent dreamers. But corruption and distrust abound, and Gavin believes someone on the Sentinel council is in league with the Fyres. As he reluctantly embraces his new role as council leader, Gavin must not only keep Zoe safe from Scarlet's vengeful clutches, but organize a Sentinel defense strong enough to prevent a full-blown Elemental war—with a traitor fighting by his side.

*This book contains graphic language, sex, and violence. Not suitable for readers under the age of 18.

**The author will donate all profits from the sale of the JUST BREATHE trilogy to programs that educate people about whales and the challenges they face.

MY REVIEW 

"Exhale" continues the story begun in Kendall Grey's book "Inhale".  It is the second in a series of three and I enjoyed it more than I did "Inhale".  

by Chinese artist An He

I understood the Elements theme a bit better in this book, which made it easier to follow.  That part of the story hasn't hooked me so far though.  And, like in "Inhale", I wasn't crazy about some of the metaphors in this book. There are other pieces in this book that do have me completely pulled in and eager to read about in "Just Breathe", the last in the series.  In fact, as soon as I finished "Exhale" I downloaded "Just Breathe" to my Kindle and started reading right away.

Zoe and Gavin are so completely, passionately, truly in love.  I may have to have a word with Ms Grey if they don't end up together at the end of "Just Breathe"!  Their desire for each other, the sexual attraction, is smoking hot.  The descriptions of their sexual experiences on a physical, emotional, and mental level pull you in.  I found myself reading faster when things started to heat up and smiling or raising my eyebrows when one said something especially seductive to the other.  

Zoe and Gavin's love story is more than sexual attraction though - part of what makes it so appealing.  They each have obligations outside of their relationship that they have to fulfill.  The theme of the Elements in the story creates its own challenges for their relationship.  They know that although they want each other immensely, there are other considerations and they love each other enough to respect those other considerations.

There is one other character that I must mention - Scarlet.  God help me if I knew the woman it would take everything in me to not smack her upside the head!  She is sexy and gorgeous and conniving and evil to the core.  She has a ravenous appetite and doesn't care what she has to do to satisfy her appetite.  She has many agendas in the story and is one of those characters that you love to hate.

We learn more about both Gavin's and Zoe's families in this story and are introduced to a couple of new characters.  I literally gasped in one scene when there was a revelation about one of these new characters.  A revelation I didn't see coming at all.  

Ms Grey also gives us another very well done ending.  In fact, this one is way better than the one in "Inhale", and I liked the one in "Inhale" very much.  Get out the hanky people!  You're gonna need it!

I admit that I am hooked at this point.  I can't wait to find out what happens with Zoe and Gavin and I hope that Scarlet gets everything she deserves.  And, I can't forget to mention the beautiful story about the whales. It's sweet and touching and I hope they are treated with the grace and respect that such gorgeous creatures deserve as the series winds down.

If you read "Inhale" but haven't read "Exhale", do something about that.  Hold on to your heart.  Be prepared to smile and cry and find yourself giving advice to characters.  "Exhale" is a ride you don't want to miss.   

About the Author

Kendall Grey, word wrangler, whale warrior, wicked wench, and lover of tongue-tripping alliteration, was born without an off-switch between her brain and mouth. She's been called the "Flux Capacitor of Twitter" (@kendallgrey1) and "A little package of love all wrapped up in F-word paper," but she's really just a maniacal writer relaying eyewitness accounts of the rave inside her head. She writes urban fantasy with strong romantic elements and also dabbles in erotica and horror on occasion.

Kendall lives off a dirt road near Atlanta, Georgia, but don't hold that against her.

You can connect with her here:

justbreathenovels.com
kendallgrey.com

ONE BITE TO PASSION 

BY MARYLYNN BAST

Overall “One Bite to Passion” is average.  I pushed my rating from 2 out of 5 stars to 3 for two reasons: great sex scenes and two engaging characters. 

Many women, including me, can relate to Paige.  She has a few extra pounds, is average-looking, and middle-aged.   She is the central character in the story and has some powerful sexual experiences.  It’s refreshing to read about an average middle-aged woman having powerful sexual experiences in a time when most modern romances involve gorgeous, thin, young women.   Her partner is a gorgeous, young man named Casey who truly cares about her.  He doesn’t sleep with her out of pity.  He doesn’t sleep with her as part of some plan to use her to get something.  He sleeps with her because he loves her and he makes her feel beautiful because he genuinely sees her as beautiful.  Awesome. 

“One Bite to Passion” has a vampire element to it, but Paige’s growth is at the heart of the story.   Her self image is  damaged from a dead marriage to a man who no longer appreciates her.  She doesn’t feel attractive or worthy of attention from him or anyone else. Although she struggles with her affair, Paige justifies it as Casey shows her that she is beautiful and desirable. We sympathize with her adulterous relationship because we understand her belief that it is a healthy choice for her.

On the downside, the writing style itself was boring.   I wanted to know more about some specific experiences that Paige had with her husband.  A couple are provided in the book, but I wanted more.  I also wanted a clearer description of the various settings.  Give me a vivid image of what the buildings look like, what did they make her think of, did they remind of anything?  Give me some background on Casey.  That could be done without spoiling the resolution of Paige’s issues.  Has he been married?  What does he think and feel when he sees Paige? What was his first exposure to vampires?   Tell me more about Rosa. We know that she is Paige’s best friend and that she cheats on her husband on a regular basis, but I wanted more details of some experiences they had together over the years.  In general,  I wanted much more character development. 

The sex scenes were strong and compelling.  Descriptions of the physical, as well as the emotional and mental aspects, were vivid and engrossing.  We get inside Paige’s head and understand her conflicted feelings.  We are privy to her purely sexual thoughts as well as her feelings about herself, Casey and her marriage. 

Paige’s periodic attraction to other women should be either cut from the story or more fully developed as part of the message about Paige discovering herself sexually.  Part of that could be experimentation with other women.  If the writer chooses not to make that part of Paige’s journey, however, then there is no reason to mention it and it should be cut. 

I have one issue with the generally well-done pinnacle of the story.  A large amount of information is provided in a few pages, which is a variation from the pace and writing style of the remainder of the book.  I would like to see some balance from this perspective.  Give me more plot and character development throughout the story.  The story needs a steady supply of information,  not a light supply for the largest portion of the book and then large amounts of it at the end.  The pacing and the flow of the story changed dramatically.  This needs to be balanced.

This is a fun, easy read.  The sex scenes will pull the reader in, and there are some good themes.  Overall, however, it’s average, due to some structural and style issues with the writing itself.

Book Cover Description

On a business trip to Japan, Paige has just found happiness with Casey, an exciting, young man with a passionate interest in Paige. After a night of wild sex, feels like a new woman. Drawn to Casey, Paige can’t refuse him even though he says he wants to possess her and she learns he is a vampire. Then Paige's unfaithful husband, Dalton, shows up. He has supposedly broken off his affair, but Paige suspects he is still seeing his mistress. Soon, Paige begins to notice disturbing things happening around her and discovers she has become the center of a battle between covens who consider her The Chosen One. But when she faces the greatest peril of her life, and Casey shows up to help, Page realizes she is willing fight the covens side-by-side with him, if it means the chance of a future with this vampire she has come to love.

About the Author

MaryLynn Bast moved to Las Vegas in 2010 from Texas, where she grew up. She works as a consultant with a contractor for the US Military, traveling from base to base across the US and around the world. Whenever possible, MaryLynn enjoys spending time with her husband, children and friends. In her free time she writes paranormal romance, erotica, loves to read and travel.

For more information check out her blog at: http://heartofawolfseries.blogspot.com/

This is the first of the “at-least-weekly” entries about my work-in-progress book that I committed to in my New Year’s Resolutions.

Since many of you are reading about my book the first time, allow me to introduce you to my main character – Brandy Hill. 

Brandy’s ex-husband was mentally, emotionally, and occasionally physically, abusive. She went through a very dark time when they split up, and 10 years later has not fully dealt with their marriage and breakup. 

One good thing came from their marriage – April. April recently left for college, and the time alone has allowed Brandy’s mind to go to her past, resulting in another struggle with depression. 

This story (which, so far, has no title) is about Brandy finally facing the demons in her life, freeing herself from them, and giving herself permission to be happy again. It’s also about her helping April work through the damage done by her parents’ failed marriage and her own painful experiences with her father. This story is also about Scott, the man that Brandy falls in love with, who has a failed marriage and issues of his own. 

This is the story of a perfect, realistic love. It’s about two people who truly love each other, flaws and all. They acknowledge and accept each other’s flaws. They push each other. They tell each other what they need to hear, not always what they want to hear. They are always there for each other. They both mess up. They are both human. They each have problems. Through it all, they remain passionate lovers and best friends.

If you'd like to know a little more, please click here to go to my page about Brandy and Scott.  Stay tuned for more!