What a month!  I don't want to hash over last month too much, if you want to know all about New Orleans go read the blog.  Let me just say we all had an incredible time.  Jody got to meet Lee Child on her birthday however she did not get to go on a paddle boat ride.  It all balances.
 
We shipped "stuff" home from New Orleans.  It should arrive by the end of the week.  We have signed bags, books and piles of stuff from "Promotion Alley".  The best part is that we are giving it away, sort of.  Look for our annual Charity Raffle to start later this month.  This year all the money we collect from your raffle ticket purchases will go directly to the Aloha Community Library.  Our little Library started as a grass roots effort and has blossomed.  They have already grown out of their original space and moved into a bigger space.  They have met all the criteria to apply to the Washington County Library Cooperative and it has been approved, now we just wait for the 2015 bond measure.  But, people, we have a real library that is still operating on 100% donations so come help them out, have some fun doing it and maybe you'll win one of the fabulous prizes.  Below is a sneak peek at some of the prizes:

Raffle tickets are only $1 - watch for more details on Facebook and in-store.

Coming up, we have book signings almost every weekend, so keep an eye out or just plan your shopping trips on Saturday afternoons and you will catch some of them.  Even if you don't want to buy a book, it is so much fun getting to know these authors.  They are our neighbors, show them some love.  Here is a quick line-up:

School will be out soon, we are planning a summer reading program not just for kids but for the grown ups too. Check it out and lets all read some books.

 

Have a great month!,

WORLD WEAVING 2014
by Minnette Meador

Dragons, wizards, magic… ray guns, teleportation, aliens… whether revolution, relativity, or relatives, worlds out there just ain’t what they used to be! At one time, fantasy novels were so easy; wizards fought dragons, damsels in distress were rescued by the hero, and villains were hoisted on their own petards. Not so much anymore. These days the heroes are the damsels in distress, the wizard’s magic is unpredictable at best and the bad guys… now they’re kind of sexy and maybe not so bad. Of course, that’s the fun of it; there is nothing more satisfying than a story that takes a sudden and unexpected twist that no one saw coming… especially the writer.

One of my greatest joys is sitting down and contemplating “What if…” What if the hero and heroine are on opposite sides of a war? What if you had to race across country when you’re seven months pregnant to save your people? What if you have to escape slavery to save your children? What if you lived with hundreds of ghosts? What if you are pregnant with a demon child? What if the guy that’s stalking you is an insane two thousand year old elf? What if saving mankind was in the hands of a lunatic?

This month we are releasing the 2nd edition of my epic fantasy series, STARSIGHT, with a free Kobo giveaway of the first book through Jan’s Paperback (see downloading details below). You heard it... FREE! One of my favorite “what ifs,” STARSIGHT asks: What if a child you loved had to be sacrificed to save your world?

Trenara never thought she would have to guide a student she loved to become a messiah, but it is the only way this Starguider can salvage her world. Torn between her devotion to Joshan and the fate of her kind, the only people she can trust are a grizzly old soldier and a giant everyone thought was a ghost. Their weapon; a ten-year-old boy who finds his childhood gone and his hands filled with a power he couldn't possibly understand--or control. Together they must destroy a psychotic enemy and a religious order they have all taken vows to protect.

I hope you can join us this month for a journey I’m sure you won’t forget… Here’s to “What Ifs!”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Somewhere between thirty and dust...red hair, blue eyes...six kids, one slightly used husband, and any number of pets from time to time... wanttabe hippy... wanttheirmoney yuppie... pro musician and actress for 20 Years... native Oregonian... lover of music, beauty, and all things green. Willing slave to the venerable muse. Minnette currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband, having replaced the children with one dog. The dog, Pierre, pretty much runs the show.

Meet Minnette Meador at
Jan's Paperbacks
Saturday June 28th 1-4pm

FREE eBOOK!

Download your free copy of
STARSIGHT
here
*limited time offer*

This is a story of friendship, family, home, ice cream and of course magic.  It truly is a magical tale.  Felicity Pickle collects words, she sees them hanging around people and things, some of the words sparkle, some glow or slither, some are shaped like wings, some are star shaped and the ones that Felicity loves the most she writes in her blue notebook.

This is the story of Felicity, her family, and how she helps a town find the magic it had lost.  This is a story truly worth reading and absorbing.  I loved it and it is suitable for all ages, if the age is too young to read, then someone who can read should read it aloud. –Jody

This book took me by surprise.  Before reading it, I would never have called myself a ‘western historical romance’ person.  Historical, yes.  Romance, yes.  But not western.  This book made me change my tune a little.  Really the only ‘western’ part about it was that it is set in Montana and they ride horses.  What I really enjoyed were the descriptions of ranch life in the 1800’s.  The author also made the characters believable and likeable (or unlikable if you aren’t suppose to like them).  If you like historical romance, there is no reason you wouldn’t like this book too.  -Jill

A stunningly beautifully written book that takes place in feudal Japan, this novel is the first in a series of 5 novels.  Hearn writes with vivid color about the religious intolerance and political fighting that
caused normal people in the very poor villages to suffer terribly at the hands of warlords.  I especially became very aware of the treatment of women during this time while also appreciating the scenic beauty of Hearns writing as the main male protagonist walks thru the woods watching a heron fishing in the river as the mists rise about him.

The primary protagonists are two very young people, a 15 year old girl who is being kept as hostage by a warlord so that her family won't fight against this warlord and a 16 year old boy who returns from gathering mushrooms for his mother to discover his village being burned and everyone laying dead around the village square.

The boy is rescued by a good warrior and protected, becomes almost royalty while the girl is promised in marriage to insure her families agreeing to the warlords goals of taking on more of the countryside.

The writing is dramatic and gave me a sense of the era.  There is a bit of romance, a bit of lost love and a hero's death and finishing this book made me want to go directly to the second in the series "Grass for his Pillow".

There is a prequel that outlines some of the earlier back story but I was warned by the person who recommended the books to me that if I enjoyed mystery and buildup, that I should read the prequel AFTER the first book.  After finishing the first book, I wanted so much to continue the story that I didn't get the prequel but instead went on to book 2.

This is an unusual book, violent yet gentle-The hero is not a Jack Reacher or Mitch Rapp but instead a man with quiet honor who gives up his goals to protect a young man's life.

I recommend this for young adults and up. –Elle (Jan’s Customer)

This is the second book in the Crashers series, and it was just as good as the first one - full of edge of the seat action.  Once again, we have insight into the “go team” when an airliner or any other plane crashes.  We learn about the specialties and how the investigation might progress.  There are bad guys, corrupt guys and heroes.  Book three is waiting and I can’t wait to get started.  -Debbie