Lead Story | Self-Publishing Review

Review: God, Grace, Dumb Luck by Phloyd Knucklez

In God, Grace, Dumb Luck, Phloyd Knucklez writes self-deprecating urban prose that explores the connections between his experiences with women, and snapshots of life in short story form with down-on-their-luck characters.

In a way, this is a difficult book to read because it’s not entirely clear if the writer understands how deeply depressed he is, even if his expectations for life are so low as to wear his distress and apathy as a badge of honor. His characters seem to reflect memories and situations he himself has been in, or search for meaning in their dark and squalid settings.[…]

Cate Baum2019-02-11T09:18:45+02:00January 13th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Poetry, Short Stories|

Review: Of Endings and Beginnings by Robert Speigel

★★★★

Understanding why we behave, feel, react and survive the way we do has been a subject of fascination since the dawn of self-awareness. The endless debate of nurture vs. nature, research into the essence of being human, and concerns of destiny and fate have always intrigued our species. In Of Endings and Beginnings: A Memoir of Discovery and Transformation, author Robert Speigel paints a beautiful, tragic, optimistic and brutally honest picture of existence, and also shares a number of tools and strategies to overcome the darkness in your own life, and control the beliefs that will otherwise control […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T05:41:23+02:00January 12th, 2017|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Memoir|

Review: Awakening: Bloodline Book One by Tiera Rice

★★★★½

Tapping into the paranormal and vampire market has been the goal for many YA and fiction writers in recent years, and while the genre feels full to bursting, certain gems stand out, like Awakening from Tiera Rice. The first book of the Bloodline series, this novel creates two gripping tales for readers to enjoy, separated by 600 years, but linked by mysterious and ancient powers.

The book is almost equally split between the Old World and the New; Antanasia is a Romanian vampire from the 1400s, while Nadia is the unsuspecting heroine in present-day NYC, wrestling with emerging powers […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2017-02-17T05:40:43+02:00December 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Fantasy, Vampires|

Review: How to Befriend, Tame, Manage, and Teach Your Black Dog Called Depression Using CBT by Dr. James Manning

How to Befriend, Tame, Manage, and Teach Your Black Dog Called Depression Using CBT by Dr. James Manning is a thorough overview of the causes and solutions of depression. Both a sufferer from depression at a very young age, and now a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, with a number of books tackling depression and anxiety, Dr. Manning takes on this difficult problem from a number of angles in a way that should be helpful both to those suffering from depression and those who want to help.

The conceit of the book at least in the title is like a faux dog […]

Henry Baum2019-02-11T09:40:47+02:00December 23rd, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Psychology|

Review: A MouseKeeper Christmas: The Beginning by Jenny Deason Copeland

★★★★

A MouseKeeper Christmas: The Beginning by Jenny Deason Copeland is a highly original Christmas story about Sara, who solves a very big problem for Santa and the North Pole. Mice are running rampant in Santa’s workshop, slowing down production, so Santa and the elves hold a contest for children to find a solution. Sara has the best idea: every child on the “Nice” list will adopt a mouse during the Christmas season so Santa can get his work done. Sara’s plan goes off without a hitch, and the “Nice” list even grows, as all the children want to take […]

Lysa Grant2019-01-23T12:26:19+02:00December 15th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Children's Books|

Review: No More Magic Wands by George Finney

★★★★

For most professionals not directly involved in the realm of cybersecurity, reading a book on the topic might sound like a cruel and unusual form of punishment. However, the reality is that everyone who regularly uses technology, social media, wireless internet and other staples of modern life should have some modicum of understanding of the issue. In No More Magic Wands, author and cybersecurity expert, George Finney, takes an extremely unique approach to educating the masses on this critical topic, but it may just be strange enough to work.

Through an extended allegory, Finney shares his more than […]

John Staughton, Senior Reviewer2019-01-22T15:25:55+02:00December 9th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Business, Non-Fiction|

Review: Sisters of Moirai by Jill M. Lehman

★★★★

Three girls, Meg, Baby, and Carrie, are Sisters of Moirai. Trapped in a mysterious institution where writing is banned, they write their story at their own peril with a buried pen, blood, dirt. The Suits, those in charge, have a Code of Conduct, and those who do not follow the rules face severe punishment.

Moirai is a strange and dark place, and “Rooms” keep appearing in the building where the girls will face their demons, sometimes almost literally. As they work through their troubles from their pasts, the places they are forced into become psychological battlegrounds – and seeming […]

Naka Jackson2017-02-17T05:40:07+02:00December 6th, 2016|Categories: Book Reviews, Lead Story|Tags: Horror|

Review: Emperor Norton’s Treasure Hunt by William Durkin and Shayne Durkin

★★★★★

In 1955, a year when the American Dream was fresh and alive, the San Francisco Chronicle had stiff competition to remain in business amidst the city’s infamous newspaper wars. Under tremendous pressure to succeed, an idea is born – like a diamond from coal: a treasure hunt. Not just any treasure hunt, but a treasure hunt of the ages. With clues to be given and real-life locations to visit, readers would fight tooth-and-nail across the city to find Emperor Norton’s lost prize… if it exists at all. With colorful characters both human and animal alike, follow along with this […]