The gourmet cooking classes by
the guest chef were supposed to be a fun thing for the hotel guests at Dune
House. Instead, Suzie and Mary had a murder on their hands, and every one of
their guests was a possible suspect. Once again, it was fun following the clues
with these girls. A good read!
Rating:
4 stars
A mysterious drowning. The
body only turned up because it got tangled in the netting. Was it murder? Of
course, it was! Could the competition in the yacht race have been so fierce
that someone would kill for it? It was up to B&B owners Suzie and Mary to
find out. A good mystery!
Rating:
4 stars
Children's Book
Date Published: April 14, 205
Publisher: MindStir Media
✨ A heartwarming rhyming story that teaches kids the power of kindness, confidence, and self-acceptance.
In You Don’t See What I See, children meet a group of charming animals who feel insecure about their unique traits. From floppy ears to bumpy shells, each animal believes their differences make them less special—until kind words from their friends reveal the truth: what they thought were flaws are actually their strengths.
Through lyrical rhymes and beautifully illustrated pages, this story shows children that the way they see themselves is not always the way others see them. By encouraging gratitude, kindness, and compassion, the book helps kids celebrate their individuality and recognize their true value.
● Encourages Positive Self-Talk – Shows how kind words can change negative thoughts into uplifting ones.
● Builds Confidence & Resilience – Inspires young readers to believe in themselves and appreciate their strengths.
● Fosters Empathy & Gratitude – Reminds kids to be kind to others while also being gentle with themselves.
● Engaging & Fun – Written in playful rhyme with vibrant illustrations that captivate young readers.
● Perfect for Families & Classrooms – A wonderful read-aloud that sparks conversations about self-worth, kindness, and emotional growth.
● For Ages 4–8 – Ideal for preschool through early elementary school children.
✨ Whether at bedtime, in the classroom, or as part of social-emotional learning, You Don’t See What I See is a book children will want to read again and again—while carrying its life-changing message with them forever.
Review: This is the story about ugly animals discovering their inner beauty. The illustrations are cute and fun.
“Your differences are beautiful. And how grateful you should be.”
A great story about being happy with who you are. A wonderful read! Loved it!
Rating:
5 stars
Ashley Sadrnoori – Author, Teacher, and Advocate for Children’s Growth
Ashley Sadrnoori is an educator, author, wife, and mom dedicated to inspiring children to embrace their uniqueness. With over 12 years of experience as a middle school English teacher on the North Shore of Massachusetts, she has recently transitioned into a new role as a K–2 ESL teacher. Her mission is to help young learners build strong language skills while fostering confidence and self-expression.
Ashley’s classroom philosophy centers around creating safe, supportive spaces where every child feels valued. She believes that when children are encouraged and cared for, they flourish academically and personally.
Her journey into writing children’s books stems from a lifelong love of literature and a desire to use stories to teach important life lessons. Inspired by her own struggles with self-doubt and the transformative power of kind words, Ashley wrote You Don’t See What I See to help children develop self-belief, resilience, and empathy.
At home, Ashley is a proud mother of energetic twin boys and the family’s beloved dog, Raven. Parenthood has deepened her understanding of the emotional needs of young children and strengthened her commitment to writing stories that uplift and empower.
Mitchell Rose and the Bologna Massacre is a crime story that explores the last fifty years of cross-fertilisation between the Italian criminal underworld, its secret services, politics and the judicial system.
When Mitchell Rose is called to Milan by Remo Rhimare, a local judge who wants him to investigate the Bologna bombing of 1980, he knows it would make more sense to turn the job down.
To make things even more complicated, Rhimare also wants Rose to rein in his errant daughter, who is becoming increasingly wayward.
As Rose begins to investigate, the two missions surprisingly become one, culminating in a dreadful dramatic climax.
What was your favorite scene to write in
this book and why?
That’s a really horrible question because I
think it’s almost impossible to answer truthfully.
Let’s say I enjoyed the first chapter because
it just began to flow so naturally. The main character, a private investigator
Mitchell Rose, is in his office and he is trying to tell his partner that he
has been called to go to Milan to investigate a case from the 1980s. She is
understandably perturbed, yet he accepts the job and the story begins. He takes
a flight to meet a judge, Remo Rhimare who is heading up a judicial review. At
the same meeting, he comes across an unseemly politician, who he threatens with
a cocktail glass. A beautiful blond woman disappears into the bathroom. I feel
the ball is rolling and consequently, the characters just developed so quickly.
I guess this could be my favourite part of
the book because it was when I really realised that I had something concrete in
hand. I was going to be able to produce a novel relatively quickly without
struggling with plot, motivation or characters too much. From that point, Mitchell
Rose just keeps pushing forwards, like he wants something to happen. The other
characters tend to collide with his will to command the situation. He is
stylised, cryptic, pushing a door open with a gun in his hand, nudging forward.
In the past I have written several short
stories, and clearly when you do that you question as to whether they could be
made into novels. Five thousand words, on any particular subject, is never
going to be too strenuous a task. I realised after the first chapter that
Mitchell Rose was going to be much more than a short story. Hopefully, much
more than just one novel!
I figured that I had come across a
character who was troubled, in an existential way. He is looking to find the
truth, do what’s right, reach some sort of conclusion, which I guess is how I
believe I think we should all be spending our lives. It also emerges that there
is a certain comic element to Mitchell Rose. He would want to be the last great
action hero, an iconic symbol of freedom, but he doesn’t quite make it. He’d
likely misspell freedom or mispronounce it.
When I do readings from the book, I read
most of this first chapter and I also read from a torture scene in chapter 15. In
my opinion, this scene is really engaging because it analyses the psychological
elements of fear and volition. I enjoyed the fight scenes and the scenes when
Mitchell Rose was knocked back by the women he comes across within the book.
The fight scenes are appealing to me as a writer because I get to play out how
I would like to behave in a street fight. I triumph with wit and cunning. Street
fights rarely finish that way.
What I like most today when rereading is
that the book still surprises me. When I pick it up, I have forgotten certain
jokes or descriptions or emotions that I come across. (Alzheimers!). At the
moment, we are working with my translator on the book Italian and as we work
with the phrases and dialogue, new meanings and nuances come to light. I
doubted that would be possible if the book were just a straightforward
detective story.
In a galaxy nearly conquered by Reptuuls, one boy will change everything,
not by destroying them, but by befriending them instead.
Kuro-Sil: The Book of
Humans, Reptuuls, and God
Book 1
by Michael Small
Genre: Science Fiction Fantasy
I am the Chronicler, hear my story:
In the year 5027, humanity will be enslaved by an alien race called the
Reptuuls.
But what if I told you a young boy befriended their oppressors?
Orren Hawkins is a boy with a dream: to make friends with the Reptuuls, no
matter the cost. It won't be easy due to the Reptuuls hatred of humanity. But
by the grace of a long forgotten God, Orren has found two great and unusual
friends, and they must learn to work together to rescue enslaved humans, as
part of their destiny to unite man and Reptuul under God.
There's just one problem: Orren is himself a drulak, a slave of Reptuuls. Can
he still accomplish his dream?
Will you dare read the true story of a forbidden friendship no government wants
exposed? Then welcome, one and all, to the legend of the Kuro-Sil!
"This book was so different from anything I’ve read and I enjoyed it.
Small did such a great job with this storyline and plot." - Yvette Garcia,
Goodreads, 4 stars
"I found the whole concept of this book fascinating." "It’s a
brilliant debut from the author." - Tami Wylie, Goodreads, 5 stars
Michael Small didn't plan on becoming an author. He
initially wanted to be a video game programmer, though he couldn't wrap his
head around the subject. But he always had a story to tell, and seeing how woke
and especially anti-Christian messaging had started infesting modern
entertainment, he dropped out of college in 2016 and taught himself how to
write, spending the years since creating his own world, which became his debut
novel Kuro-Sil: The Book of Humans, Reptuuls, and God.
Michael is a Christian and goes to church regularly, using
his faith to inspire his stories. He is also an avid gamer, and has been
playing video games since he was three. He mainly likes pop culture stuff like
movies, tv, and more recently manga, but he likes to try many things, like
going on walks and drives, and working out (though he's not a pro at it).
He is currently thirty two years old and lives in Washington
state.
Website * X * Instagram * Bookbub
* Amazon
* Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
Enter the Kuro-Sil: The Book of Humans, Reptuuls, and God Giveaway
