ABOUT THE PRODUCT:

Self-exploration is not a solitary journey--often, it's the interactions we have with others that teach us the most about ourselves. These notecards, filled with inspirational quotes and Meera Lee Patel's resonant illustrations, are the consumate expression of the interpersonal side of introspection, the perfect token to send a friend or person in your life who you want to thank, who is going through a rough time, or whom you want to encourage. These note cards come in our standard format, a keepsake box housing 12 cards--each with a different quote illustrated by Meera--and 12 envelopes.

AMAZON LINK: 
​https://www.amazon.com/Start-Where-You-Note-Cards/dp/0451498771/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506047840&sr=8-1&keywords=start+where+you+are+note+cards

MY REVIEW:

3 stars.  Although I liked the illustrations, and personally enjoyed some of the sayings on the cards, the sayings are odd.  These are not the sayings one expects on cards, and I can't think of a time when I would ever send these out to anyone. These aren't the typical thank you, condolences, congratulations, or invitation cards I expect. There honestly isn't a time I can think of when it would be appropriate to send these cards to anyone. 

DISCLAIMER: I received a free copy of this product in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to write a positive review, just an honest one.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Best Advice I Ever Got Came From Someone Who Couldn’t Speak a Word
RaeAnna Gullifer
 
            I was always told “You are not living until you have done something for someone who could never repay you.” At first that really did not make much sense, why couldn’t someone repay you? If not with money then with a task in return, it baffled me. That was until the day I met Aspen.
            Aspen is a Weimaraner; gray as a mouse with the most piercing blue eyes you have ever seen. She has these lanky legs, ears nearly larger than her head, and is as klutzy as a newborn giraffe. Stubborn is not even close enough to explaining the hard headedness of this girl. I had no idea the world I was walking into that day, but despite it all, I learned something no one else on this planet has ever taught me, all thanks to this stubborn dog.
The first time I saw her she was confined in a small white kennel along a large wall of cages. She was tiny, almost too tiny for her assumed age, cuddled up on a torn blanket to get her off the grated floor of the cramped cage. The pet store was busy with people in awe of the adorable and rowdy puppies just behind the glass. But not Aspen. She lay quietly, a full bowl of food next to her and a pile of vomit next to that. When her lack of play and energy was seen most people grew bored of her and walked away, leaving her to sit and suffer in pain alone. I could see the sorrow behind those glacial eyes.
            She was sick. A nasty little parasite that overran the puppy mill she came from was making its way through her intestines, eating them from the inside out. Not to mention her tail was docked at home with nothing but scissors and super glue, so she had ripped it open by chewing the nub off. She was so sick that the storeowner did not even want to waste the money to try to save her. He told a lady that questioned him about the sickly looking dog that “Some puppies aren’t born right, she was messed up from the start.”
He made it seem like he was doing this dog a favor by giving it a cage to sleep in. He just wanted to let her die. It was cheaper than calling a vet. Her eyes pleaded for help. You could see her fear and pain. Fueled by anger I bought her and spent three days fighting for her life with the best vets Pennsylvania had to offer. I was ready to fight for her; I could see that she was not ready to give up. She wanted to live.
            Her first stop was the emergency vet. We sat there until well after two in the morning, scrounging up what money we could to make sure they would save her life. Poor girl could barely stand and spent every minute or so passing nothing but blood and some awful looking goop out of her system. They did all they could for her to get her stable. At seven in the morning I returned and drove her to my vet, about thirty minutes away. My vet met me outside and instantly began setting up this unnamed and dying pup on multiple apparatus. After closer and more thorough examinations, my vet determined that not only was a parasite eating its way through her intestines, but pneumonia also plagued this young girl, causing her to cough up blood. To top all that off, her open wound on her tail meant surgery to remove another vertebra to ease the pain.
            I have to hand it to my vets; they worked tirelessly for three more days to save this dog’s life. Monitored her day in and day out for any change or break in her condition. There were moments when I feared I had walked into that store a moment too late: that I just wasn’t meant to save her.
            Finally came that moment where what I was always told made perfect sense. I was sitting in a tiny exam room at the vet’s office. The tan colored walls mixed with the light tile floor. The sound of dogs barking for attention just outside the door was nonstop. The vet sat in a chair across from me, excited to explain the progress this still unnamed puppy had made and how she won her fight for her life. I was so absorbed in the chilling eyes of my new dog that I barely paid attention to the vet. We won; we actually won that fight. This tiny little ten pounds of ears and legs actually survived. The joy exploded through her vibrant eyes, that typical puppy energy was showing already.
            She sat, wide-eyed, on the floor next to me. Her eyes were the same piercing blue, but this time they had a new, cheerful light to them as she nibbled on my fingers and slapped at my hand in play. She was happy, for the first time, you could see her joy. She gazed at me in awe, never once breaking from me. I was this stranger that brought her to get poked and prodded, yet she romped around and climbed on me as if I was the one that brought her into this world. We barely knew each other, but I had never been more in love.
The $2,500 vet bill never even made me blink after I locked eyes with her. I finally got it. I spent every dime I had on a dog that barely had a chance and I did it without hesitating. She could never get me that money back, she could never work it off; all she could do was stare at me with those bright, happy, arctic eyes and I never felt more alive.
 
Edited by Lara. K

Title: The Bacchanal
Authors: Donald McCarthy, TS Hall, Lorraine Nelson, Kathryn Hearst, Shannon Hollinger, John Kaniecki, Ray Dean, John Robinson, Thomas Kleaton, Joe DiCicco, Sean Taylor, and Teel James Glenn
Publisher By: Dreaming Big Publications, 2016
Reviewed By: Corinthia Mitchell
​
About the Book
An artist whose love for his wife has horrific results.

A babysitting job gone horribly wrong.

A talent agency that promises success no matter what; even if you are the one standing in the way.

This chilling collection of modern horror stories is sure to have you peeking warily around corners and walking just a bit faster down dark streets. Full of both creepy events and morbid humor, The Bacchanal stands as a testament to humanity’s love of being afraid and of frightening others.

Humanity’s fear of the unknown and fascination with the supernatural are masterfully depicted in these eleven stories. Though the supernatural elements are the centerpiece of the collection, it is the believable actions of the ordinary humans, both evil and well-meaning, that will send shivers down readers’ spines.

Review, Rating 5/5
As a huge horror nut I’m always willing to curl up with any book that hints towards the macabre, but am a bit sketchy about collections (because there’s always a few duds to slog through).  Reading The Bacchanal, however turned out to be one of the most enjoyable short story horror collections that I’ve ever read. The Bacchanal didn’t have a single story that I didn’t enjoy on some level, and every writer’s style was distinct enough to make their story stand out amongst everyone else’s.

What I enjoyed the most while reading The Bacchanal was that each story seemed to play with a distinct type of horror. No two stories read the same because the tone or the approach to the horror genre varied from writer to writer. One story could be gruesomely ghoulish while another could write such a twisted turn a reader could suffer from whiplash.

From the collection, despite enjoying them all, there were a few that stood out from amongst their horrific companions:
“The Encouragement Specialists” by TS Hall is about a talent agency that promises success no matter what, but, as the contracted finds out, with horrific consequences towards whatever is blocking their contractor’s success.

“No Experience Necessary” by Lorraine Nelson is another horror story about a babysitter trapped in home where things are not how they seem.

“Mountain of the Lost” by Shannon Hollinger is a griping tale of a group of girls who end up lost in the mountains before being chased by a psychotic killer.

“Art Imitates Death” by Sean Taylor is a fascinating take on a grieving artist trapped in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.

The Bacchanal is a horror collection that I’d recommend to any reader looking to add to their bookcase.

DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.

About Authors (Taken from bios included in book)

Donald McCarthy is a writer and a teacher. He has published in anthologies and magazines, his work ranging from horror to articles on the economy. He is afraid of cheese. His website is www. donaldmccarthy.com.

TS Hall (when he’s not chained to the keyboard) can be found slinging cardboard at the local comic book shop, or bingewatching horror movies on Netflix. Born and raised in the darkest parts of Appalachia, he now lives in Florence, Kentucky with his wife and three daughters. His writing can also be found in the Pebble Lake Review.

Lorraine Nelson. Global citizen. Lifelong writer. Voracious reader. Frequent traveler. Avid moviegoer. Geeky sci-fi fanatic. Lover of cupcakes.

Kathryn M. Hearst is a southern girl with a love of the dark and strange. Besides writing, she has a passion for shoes, vintage clothing, antique British cars, music, musicians and all things musical (including theatre). Kate lives in central Florida with her chocolate lab, Jolene; and two rescue pups, Jagger and Roxanne. Her short stories have been published in various anthologies. Her debut novel, Feast of the Epiphany, will be out in June 2016, followed by The Spirit Tree and Feast of Mercy Fall 2016. www.kathrynmhearst.com.

Shannon Hollinger with degrees in Crime Scene Technology and Physical Anthropology, hasn’t just seen the dark side of humanity – she’s been elbow deep inside of it! She currently lives in New Hampshire where she is owned by two terriers and, when allowed, spends her free time writing and climbing mountains. To see where you can find more of her work, check out www.shannonhollinger.com.

John Kaniecki resides in Montclair, New Jersey with his wife Sylvia of over eleven years. John volunteers as a missionary at the Church of Christ at Chancellor Avenue which is in the inner city of Newark, New Jersey. John is a writer and poet. He has two poetry books “Murmurings of a Mad Man” published by eLectio Publishing and “Poet to the Poor, Poems of Hope to the Bottom One Percent” by Dreaming Big Publications. In addition he has a science fiction collection entitled “Words of the Future” published by Witty Bard and a horror novella “Scarecrow, Scarecrow” published by Fat-Lip Press.

Ray Dean was born and raised in Hawaii where she spent many a quiet hour reading and writing stories. Performing in theater and working backstage lead her into the delights of Living History, creating her own worlds through writing seemed the next logical step. Historical settings are her first love, but there is something heady about twisting the threads of time into little knots and creating new timelines to explore. There are endless possibilities that she is just beginning to discover.

John Robinson is a dad and author living in Middle Tennessee. His work has been published by Crowded Quarantine, Zimbell House, and Jitter. He can be contacted at his Facebook page John Robinson/ Literal Remains. (https://www.facebook.com/literal.remains)

Thomas Kleaton is a freelance horror writer. He has had stories published in The Horror ’Zine, and several anthologies including Cellar Door: Words of Beauty, Tales of Terror; The Horror Zine Magazine Summer 2014; Spooky Halloween Drabbles 2014 and 2015; and What Has Two Heads, Ten Eyes, and Terrifying Table Manners? He lives in the woods near Auburn University, AL, with his wife, Sheila.

Joe DiCicco is a 31 year old author from New York, who writes horror, thriller, and dark fantasy and sci-fi. He has a degree in environmental conservation and is an avid nature and animal lover. When not writing he enjoys music, cooking, astronomy, and spending time outdoors. His story, Feed My Queen, was previously published in 2013 by Vamptasy Publishing. He also has a fantasy short, The Last Druid, published in the Mystical Bites anthology by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing, as well as a horror short Her Nook, published at innersins.com. He has another horror short, Amped, that will be published in Death Wound Zine in April of 2016.

Sean Taylor is an award-winning writer of stories. He grew up telling lies, and he got pretty good at it, so now he writes them into full-blown adventures for comic books, graphic novels, magazines, book anthologies and novels. He makes stuff up for money, and he writes it down for fun. He’s a lucky fellow that way.

He’s best known for his work on the best-selling Gene Simmons Dominatrix comic book series from IDW Publishing and Simmons Comics Group. He has also written comics for TV properties such as the toprated Oxygen Network series The Bad Girls Club. His other forays into fiction include such realms as steampunk, pulp, young adult, fantasy, super heroes, sci-fi, and even samurai frogs on horseback (seriously, don’t laugh). However, his favorite contribution to the world will be as the writer/editor who invented the genre and coined the term “Hookerpunk.”

Teel James Glenn. Winner of the 2012 Pulp Ark ‘Best Author of the Year.’ Epic ebook award finalist. P&E winner ‘Best Thriller Novel’, “Best Steampunk Short”, Multiple finalist “Best Fantasy short stories,” Collection” Author of the bestselling Exceptionals Series, The Maxi/Moxie Series, The Dr. Shadows Series, The Renfairies series and others.Visit him at  www.theurbanswashbuckler.com

Dunkirk
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, and Harry Styles
Rated PG-13
Reviewed by Ariel Barreras
 
ABOUT THE MOVIE
Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.
​
MY REVIEW
Rating: 5/5
I am going to come right out and say it: I think this is one of the best war movies I have ever seen.  This movie is extremely realistic to what happened during the evacuations of Dunkirk and is heartbreaking.  Christopher Nolan, the writer and director, made a bold choice to not have too much dialogue in the film, resulting in no backstory for any of the characters.  In my opinion, this worked out for the best.  We do not know any of these characters, but who they are does not matter.  We feel for them regardless of their personalities and their stories.  We only see them as people trying to survive in a war that they were practically forced into, but they do not surrender.  There are different characters in different storylines in the movie and they are all inspiring and tear-jerking.  A few of the actors in this film have worked with Nolan before and have made names for themselves because of Nolan, but there are a lot of unfamiliar faces that deserve a lot of attention for their amazing performances.  These new actors include Fionn Whitehead and Harry Styles, who are both naturally talented actors and I hope to see them in more movies.  The war scenes are very realistic and distressing, so if you do not like violence, be aware of what you will see.  However, this is an amazing movie that I can see making it to the 2018 Oscars.    

​About the Book
Bobby MacAllister and Noel Simpson are cousins, who visit their Uncle Eb in Maine for the summer. There they embark on an adventure to discover the story of their ancestors and the secrets of the ghost, Olivia, who stays in the house. Together, with family friends and partners from the town, they uncover the truth of a long lost love story. Olivia MacAllister, Who Are You? is a fun fiction chapter book for children aged 7 to 10. Will you be inspired to learn about your ancestors’ past like Bobby and Noel?
 
My Review
3 out of 5 stars
This book is a fun romp through a family’s history. Although a lot of what the two children discover about their family is dark and violent, the children are hardly ever talked down to or sheltered. This is refreshing to see and makes the story more interesting. However, they don’t really end up learning much about their family. Mostly, the book is the same story told several times with only a small amount of new information given each time.
 
While the title makes you think the book is about the mystery of Olivia, her story is told very early in the novel. Although there is a twist, the pacing of the book suffers due to the early reveal and little further intrigue added after. More family secrets are alluded to but never addressed. There is more information given about the family late in the book but by then the addition is just confusing and makes the reader wish the entire story was the children learning several things about their family’s very interesting past instead of just hearing the same story repeated.
 
Nevertheless, the story is fun and exciting at times and could really inspire a child’s imagination and peak their interest in learning their own family’s history. This book encourages adventures, creativity, and the quest for knowledge. A great read for children, and a fun adventure.
 
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
 
About the Author
Celine Rose Mariotti was born in Derby, CT, and a is a lifelong resident of Shelton, CT. She is a graduate of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT majoring in Business Administration with a minor in English.

Title: Bright
Author: Mary Paddock
Published By: Dreaming Big Publications, 2017
Reviewed By: Jessica B
 
Genre: Supernatural Thriller
Pages: 312
 
Rating: 4/5 Stars
 
Bright surprised me in both positive and negative ways. Without writing spoilers, I will attempt to compose my thoughts. After about 50 pages in, the book took a dark turn I was not expecting. From reading the synopsis of the book, I created an entirely different plotline in my head for what I thought was going to happen. The twist, to be honest, had a negative effect on my initial rating of the book. However, I pushed through and continued reading, interested to see where it would go. I was pleasantly surprised with how the book turned out and where the author took the plot. What kept me engaged was the complexity of the plot and the number of characters within the novel. Chapters varied on perspective and kept my attention, as the scenes moved quickly.
 
Although the plot developed into something I didn’t think I would like, I will admit I was wrong. I do think the book would have been interesting if it continued how I originally thought it would. However, the author took various twists and turns that ended up keeping me engaged, and I believe will keep others engaged as well.
 
For those interested in this novel, I will give a few warnings I wish I had before reading it. One, don’t take the synopsis to heart too much. I think this was my mistake. If I had gone into the story with a blank slate, I wouldn’t have been disappointed in the beginning. Also, the genre of supernatural thriller is a bit of a stretch. I can see where the title fits, but I think marketing it just as a thriller would suffice.
 
I ended up giving Bright a 4 out of 5 because the author continued to surprise me as I read. If I had stopped after the first plot twist, my rating would have been much lower. However, I enjoyed the author’s writing style and for that reason rated the novel higher. 
 
About the Book:
Hannah Whitfield is tired of living a lie. She's been so caught up in hiding her affair from her husband, Jeff, and her three children that she cannot remember the last time she was honest with anyone, including her lover, Clint. Telling Jeff the truth is the hardest thing she's ever done, but she expects Clint to understand when she ends the affair. After all, he's the one who said "When it's over, it's over." Instead, he spends months stalking and intimidating Hannah. At last, Hannah believes she has finally convinced him to give up, and she and Jeff go camping. But Clint follows, and his actions alter the course of Hannah's destiny forever.
 
About the Author:
Mary Paddock lives with her family in the Missouri Ozarks. To date, she's written four books, and numerous short stories. Her short work has been published in a variety of venues. Mary's an avid gardener, loves long walks, and good books. In her spare time, she rescues strays, flea market china, and abandoned ideas.
 
 
DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
 

About the Book:
 The end of an Empire, The rise of a Queen

Emory Fae enjoys leading a quiet, normal life. That is until two mysterious, and handsome soldiers show up at her apartment, and the life she knew is instantly whisked away. Memphis Carter and Brokk Foster come from the magical and war ridden world of Kiero, and upon Emory's arrival she will discover she is the long lost heir to the Royal Line and is thrown into the Black Dawn Rebellion with a dynamic role to ignite the rebels and reclaim her throne.
 
With both men being darkly woven in her past Emory uncovers hidden secrets, a power held long dormant, and will soon realize there are worse things than supernatural humans, love, loss, betrayal, and a Mad King.
 
Some things are better left in the shadows.
 
My Review: Maddy
​ 3 stars. I really enjoyed the strong beginning of this book. Where it started to get muddled was in the middle, with all the different perspectives taking over. I’ve never been much of a fan of having three…four different perspectives in a book, namely because half the time the author doesn’t handle it well- the characters all come off as the sounding the same, their perspectives are no more unique than the one in the chapter preceding it and there’s nothing more annoying than reading the exact same scene over four times. In this book, you had to glance up to remember who was supposed to be taking the lead in this chapter, as with third person it becomes more difficult to recognize which one had that chapter- though first person is no better, honestly. The plot, for being executed in 180 pages, is rather interesting and the world these characters come in is rather intriguing too.
For the length it’s an interesting book, not much different from other fantasy works in terms of plot type or the various elements in it.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.

About the Author: Mallory McCartney currently lives in London, Ontario with her husband and their two dachshunds Link and Lola. Black Dawn is her debut novel, the first in a series. When she isn’t working on her next novel or reading, she can be found day dreaming about fantasy worlds and hiking. Other favorite pastimes involve reorganizing perpetually overflowing bookshelves and seeking out new coffee and dessert shops.

About the Book:
What if you found a way to compel someone to support your own ambitions?

But, all the while, this newly devoted follower continued to believe their own free will was intact?

Political advisor, Asha Kharjal, has mastered the mysterious science of directly manipulating the subconscious.
He can literally rewire us.

And for the good of mankind, he’s going to. Whether we like it or not.
 
 MY REVIEW: Maddy
3 stars. This is a really interesting book. It’s very technical and because of that it is somewhat dry unless you have a deep love of the genre and can fathom half of what the author is talking about. Not much of the terms are explained and the reader is supposed to keep reading to make sense of whatever is confusing to you in the greater scheme of things. New characters are treated much the same. It’s not really a bad thing, don’t get me wrong, but it makes it difficult to stay engaged. The plot of the story’s very interesting and on some level enjoyable; I kind of wish one plot line had been picked over the other instead of tossing the reader back and forth. I felt they warred with each other a bit, but I think it’s a common practice with the genre type and since I don’t read these types of books that much, it could just be me. 

Rating: 2/5 Stars - Jessica
 
I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis drew me into reading the novel, but unfortunately I couldn’t stay hooked. I got about a third of the way through and couldn’t continue (and it’s rare for me to give up on a book, especially when doing a review of one). I didn’t understand the plot fully or how Asha could manipulate one’s subconscious. I didn’t grasp all the rules or techniques Asha used in his manipulation and training of others to aid him.
 
There were two separate plotlines occurring throughout the book that I assume would intertwine at some point, but I never made it there. Also, there were a decent amount of characters that I couldn’t keep straight because of the lack of traits unique to them. It was hard to connect to any of the characters because I didn’t feel I knew enough about them to establish a connection to root for one over the other.
 
I think this book has a lot of potential and will be the right fit for certain audiences. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the writing style and therefore wasn’t engaged enough with the plot or characters to continue reading. Perhaps one day, with a different mindset, I will return to Disconnected and form a different opinion! 

Review, Rating 4/5 - Corinthia
“Disconnected” was a fascinating read that I couldn’t put down. Balancing between a Sci-Fi adventure with a dash of the fantastic the story delves deep into human connection and moral obligations. The story is told through two main protagonists, Asha and Sarah, who have very different lives. Asha is the leader of a group like cult who are manipulating the thoughts and emotions of politicians around them to create an utopianesque world, while Sarah is trapped in an underground medical experimentation group that’s trying to discover the cure for dementia. As the plot thickens these two character’s story ultimately end up overlapping and becoming interwoven with each other’s.

I mostly enjoyed “Disconnected” and its two main storylines, but I did find myself more inclined to take the time and invest myself into the lives of Asha and his acolytes. A majority of the characters in that setting seemed more fleshed out and their moral compasses were tested more often. It was fascinating to read and be a part of their lives as I saw some characters push the boundaries of their morals until they caved while others overcame their challenges, no matter how difficult, to stay true to what they believed. In contrast this made Sarah’s conflicts and storyline seem dull and underwhelming to read. However, this could be due to the fact that the amount of world building and explanation for the mind manipulation for Asha’s storyline was more refined than Sarah’s moral struggles and the Bio-medical portions.

Overall, I would recommend this book to those who love long stories that are mainly character centric with a great sense of world building. Nick Lloyd will deliver a writing style that is smooth and an experience that will rewire how you feel about the bio-thriller genre!


​Review: 3 Stars  - Larissa
Disconnected has an incredibly interesting premise which I had never come across before, which is why I took it on for review even though it is a departure from the kinds of things I usually read. I was intrigued, not only by the idea of humans having these subconscious connections with one another, but also how that idea would work in a thriller. Seeing the moral implications of being able to manipulate these connections playing out on a global political and corporate scale was fascinating. I also thought that Nick M. Lloyd did a great job interweaving the various storylines. They were all intricately connected (which I guess is appropriate given the premise) and tied up really well at the end. I thought the characters were also really strong and well-crafted. All of them exist within a sort of grey area morally, even - and especially, often - the idealistic ones. At times I'd find myself rooting for a character even though they had done awful things previously because all of them are multifaceted and live complicated lives.

Despite there being so much about this book I enjoyed, it took me a while to get into it. It wasn't that it was slow paced, but for some reason it took me longer than usual to get pulled into the story and the characters. It might have had something to do with much of the story being told through Asha's point of view, especially at the beginning. It made sense to have it be like that since he is the leader of those able to manipulate the subconscious and gives us a lot of the exposition. But I definitely got more into the story as I spent more time with the other characters. Also, even though the idea of the subconscious is explained really well for the most part, it still felt a little bit confusing at times. This could partially be because it is so well though out and elaborate, but I wonder if there could have been another way the anatomy and rules of the subconscious connections could have been explained that would have made it clearer.

Fans of science fiction should definitely check Disconnected out, but is crosses genres so well that readers of contemporary political and medical thrillers should enjoy it too.

Leave
Aaron Hwang

​
                The first time I saw the boy on the roof, I was trying to catch a falling leaf. This was one of the things Mr. Dominguez had told me about: that if you caught a falling leaf you could make a wish. Our new backyard didn’t have much, but it did have a lot of leaves, and I had a lot of wishes.
I swiped at a big candy red maple leaf, and wondered who Mr. Dominguez would invite to his barbeques now that our family had moved away. I reached out for a slim yellow leaf, and it danced away. A stiff gust blew and leaves evacuated their branches, fluttering away like colorful birds.
I jumped and spun, but the faster I grabbed the faster my colorful wishes slipped away. I twirled, looking up at a blue sky full of reds and yellows, and that was when I saw Kevin. He was perched on the roof like a squirrel, staring at the big tree that dominated the backyard.
                My first instinct was to go get Mom and Dad, before remembering that they were the reason I went outside.
The spot where the boy was sitting was right outside my bedroom. I knew it from the dreamcatcher I’d hung in the window. It was a place where the roof of the porch formed a little shingled balcony.
                “Hey,” I shouted at him. “Get down from there!”
                He didn’t look down. His lips moved, like he was saying something to himself.
                “Hey!” I said. “Hey! HEY!” He ignored me and so I found a little pebble on the ground and threw it at him. It skittered off the shingles on his right.
                “I don’t like that,” he said, finally looking down at me. “Stop throwing. You’re too loud. Too loud! My name is Kevin.”
                “Hi Kevin,” I said, “I’m Ashling.”
                Kevin stared for a second and then looked back to the tree. “Ashling. Ash. Fraxinus,” he said, like the words were puzzle pieces he was fitting together. Don’t throw any more things. Don’t throw any more things at me.”
                “What did you just call me?” I said, but Kevin didn’t answer. He started muttering to himself and rocking his head slightly.
“What are you doing on our roof?” I asked. My neck hurt from looking up so much.
                Kevin didn’t reply, and his rocking became more vigorous. “What are you doing?” I shouted, as loud as I dared. “Hey, be careful!”
                “Stop yelling!” He suddenly hollered. “Go away. Leave. I’m fine.”
                I froze, wondering if anyone had heard his shouts. But the angry voices inside the house never stopped.
                “Leave,” Kevin repeated. “Or come closer. I don’t like this. You’re too far. Too much shouting.”
                “Come closer?” I said. “You want me to go up there?”
                “Yes. Or leave.” 
                “How am I supposed to get up there?” I said.
                “Climb,” Kevin said.
                “I can’t climb up there!”
                “Stop yelling,” Kevin said, “I don’t like yelling.”
                I looked at the house. The windows looked dark, showing nothing but a reflection of what was outside: me, the backyard, and the tree.
                “Yeah,” I said to myself. “Me neither.”
                I went inside as quietly as I could, but I don’t know why I bothered. Nobody could have heard me over the shouting. There was something sharp and broken on the floor, like a vase or a plate. Avoiding the sound of voices, I padded up to my room. It was smaller than my old bedroom. There was mold growing on the ceiling shaped like South America.
I climbed onto my bed to boost myself to the window. I pushed it open and swung myself over to the shingled platform below.
                “Oof,” I said as I looked over the edge. It was higher than I’d imagined. I walked over to where Kevin was perched. “Hello again,” I said.
                “Fraxinus,” Kevin muttered to me, and then looked back at the tree. “6873,” he said, “6901…” He was 10 or 11, I decided. Older than me, but just by a year or two. I was about to say something else, when he said, “I was wrong. I don’t like this. You should leave. Why are you here?”
                “You’re the one who’s on our roof!” I said. “Why are you here?”
                “Why are you here?” Kevin shouted back.
                “Because I live here,” I said. “Now stop yelling, nobody likes yelling!”
                Kevin blinked at me, and then looked back to the tree. “You don’t live here,” he said, finally. “Nobody lives here.”
                “I do live here.” I pouted. “We moved here five days ago.”
                Kevin stopped and thought about this. “Ok,” he said, finally. “Alright. But you can’t live on the roof. That’s where I sit.”
                “That’s okay,” I said, “I think we just want the inside anyways.” I looked back down at the backyard, filled with reddish brown leaves, the color of alphabet soup. “How did you get up here?” I asked.
                “There’s a tree in the front,” Kevin said, “I’m a good climber. I like trees.”
                The shouting had risen inside the house, but it was like a television playing in a distant room. I couldn’t tell the voices apart. I sat down, like Kevin, dangling my feet over the edge.
                “That’s neat,” I said, “what do you like about them?”
                “Trees go slowly,” Kevin said. “They change slowly. I’m like a tree. This is when they change most, so I like to come up here every week and count how many leaves are left, so I know what’s been changing. This is my favorite tree,” he said, pointing to the biggish tree in the middle of our backyard. “It’s a paperback maple, Acer griseum, or 血皮枫,” he said, all words that I didn’t understand. “Very rare in North America. See the way its bark peels back and curls? Like cinnamon. It can serve as a garden centerpiece even in the winter.”
                I looked down at the tree and its trunk. I’d never really thought about it before, how the bark peeled off the trunk in little sliced rolls, like a tornado of knives had just passed through.
                “It looks like it’s hurt,” I said, “or sick.”
                “Paperbacks suffer from genetic defects,” Kevin agreed sagely, “their seed viability is down to one to eight percent, which is why they’re so rare.”
                “No, what I meant was –” I began, then changed my mind. “My favorite trees are Christmas trees,” I said.
                “Those aren’t a kind of tree,” said Kevin.
                “Yes they are.”
                “No they’re not.”
                “Yes they are.”
                “No they’re not.”
                “Then what do you put ornaments on when it’s Christmas?” I asked.
Kevin opened his mouth, then closed it again.  “Most Christmas trees are evergreen conifers, such as spruce, pine, or fir,” he concluded.
                “But they are trees.”
                Kevin had no response to that, so he went back to counting leaves. “7001, 7052…”
Inside the house, somebody was yelling my name. I wondered if I should get up.
“7134, 7146…” Kevin was still counting.
The shouting from inside was getting louder.
“Ashling! Ashling!”
The leaves were swirling around, and I hoped one would blow up here. I wanted my wish. Nothing happened, and I wondered how long I could make it last. I listened to Kevin counting leaves. I listened for a long time.
 “11049, 11073… You’re still here,” Kevin said, finally. “Why?”
                I shrugged, and hugged myself against the fall chill. “Maybe I just like it out here,” I said, “maybe I just like trees.”
 
Edited by Lara Kehinde.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Paperback and ebook from Dreaming Big Publications and author Celine Rose Mariotti


ABOUT THE BOOK:
Senators Andy Thompson and Hunt Wagner lead the way in a spirited debate on a new health care bill and whether or not to stop President Robinson and Secretary Von Schumann from sending troops to Botswana. A real adventure begins when Senator Thompson is kidnapped and Brian Travors, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State is suspected of being involved. Senators Hunt Wagner and Darius Clemens head a committee hearing to get to the truth. President Robinson suffers a heart attack and Vice-President Barry Newman takes over temporarily.

Amazon Link:
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/154881055X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504826956&sr=8-1&keywords=kidnapping+of+senator+and+thompson

REVIEWERS: Email Kristi at dreamingbigpublications@outlook.com to request your free electronic review copy today!