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Book Details:
Book Title: Ponce: What Actually Happened at the Fountain of Youth by Jim Halveron Category: Adult Fiction 18+, 164 pages Genre: Satire / Historical Fiction Publisher: Gail Force Publishing Release Date: November 2021 Content Rating: G – Mentions of violence, but nothing specific. No language.
Book Description:
Two Florida State geology students found the pages written by Ponce de Leon’s chronicler in a dry limestone cave in the northwest panhandle. The original Spanish papers, five hundred years old, were found in relatively good shape, protected from time and moisture in a heavy triple-walled leather case. They chronicle Ponce de Leon’s second expedition to Florida in search of the fountain
of youth.
Jim Halverson grew up in the rural, gold-mining town of Mokelumne Hill, CA and received his MBA from Golden Gate University. He spent part of his life on a ranch and is an avid student of psychology. He recognizes the struggles of all men and women seeking equality and respect. Jim and his wife, Gail, spend their time traveling from their small farm in Forestville, CA.
Is there a Santa Claus? Elves? Reindeer? Do they live at the North Pole? Why haven’t humans ever found them? If you have been following the series, you may have some of the answers already.
Avery Neva (Snow) Tannenbaum was born on her Nana Rai’s birthday and they celebrated it together every year. This year is different. Her Nana has passed away and left a last request.
Toymaker is all about him, and the Hunt for him. But there is so much more going on the just a game and there is more to the Hunt than win or lose.
I love the unique characters and the world they live in. Dangerous and magical, good and bad…and TOYS. Thank you Santa.
Tony Bertauski has a way with words and has written of a fantastical, magical fantasy world, filled with imagination and creativity, weaving the real world, the future, the past, and the present into a present (?).
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Toymaker by Tony Bertauski.
4 Stars
AMAZON SYNOPSIS
The 9th standalone novel in the Claus Universe.
One
Christmas morning, a mystery gift appeared under trees around the
world. It was the exact same gift, inscribed with the maker’s initials
in tiny letters: BT and Company. It was months before anyone knew
exactly what the gift did.
Avery Tannenbaum’s brother was one of
the lucky few to receive one. It was on her birthday when the mysterious
gifts came to life. A contest was announced. It was also on that very
same day Avery’s grandmother passed away.
An eccentric, wealthy
woman, Nana Rai left detailed instructions on how to commemorate her
passing, a celebration to be held on Christmas morning, which just so
happened to be the same day the contest was set to end. Avery’s family
travels to a cold and snowy land to honor her grandmother’s wishes. And
it’s here she uncovers the true purpose of the mystery gift, and why the
makers launched a global contest.
As Nana Rai’s celebration
nears, Avery follows clues her grandmother left behind. BT and Company
are searching for the Toymaker. And Avery knows what they’ll do when
they find him. She becomes part of her grandmother’s plan to stop them.
The real mystery isn’t where the Toymaker is hiding.
It’s why he’s hiding in the first place.
REVIEWS FOR THE CLAUS UNIVERSE
“Amazing rewrites that will astound you!” –Ruth Jackson, Amazon Reviewer
“Best Santa Story Ever!” – Bob, Amazon Reviewer
“Simply lovely.” –jl, Amazon Reviewer
“MY HEART GREW THREE SIZES…” – Amazon Reviewer
“Couldn’t Put It Down.” – Amazon Reviewer
“Fantasy at it’s [sic] finest.” –Carol, Amazon Reviewer
My grandpa never graduated high school.
He retired from a steel mill in the mid-70s. He was uneducated, but he
was a voracious reader. I remember going through his bookshelves of
paperback sci-fi novels, smelling musty old paper, pulling Piers Anthony
and Isaac Asimov off shelf and promising to bring them back. I was
fascinated by robots that could think and act like people. What happened
when they died?
I’ve written textbooks on landscape
design, but that was straightforward, informational writing; the kind of
stuff that helps most people get to sleep. I’ve also been writing a
gardening column with a humorous slant. That takes a little more
finesse, but still informational for the most part.
I’m a cynical reader. I demand the
writer sweep me into his/her story and carry me to the end. I’d rather
sail a boat than climb a mountain. That’s the sort of stuff I wanted to
write, not the assigned reading we used to get in high school. I wanted
to create stories that kept you up late.
Fiction, GOOD fiction, is hard to write.
Having a story unfold inside your head is an experience different than
reading. You connect with characters in a deeper, more meaningful way.
You feel them, empathize with them, cheer for them and even mourn. The
challenge is to get the reader to experience the same thing, even if
it’s only a fraction of what the writer feels. Not so easy.