SPR | Self-Publishing Review

The Trinity Prophecy by Marissa Kinzel

A unique, colorful, and creative new fantasy, The Trinity Prophecy by Marissa Kinzel, with illustrations by Melissa McManus, is a treat for fans of high fantasy. At times feeling like an RPG with LGBT themes, this character-driven story has a lot to offer fantasy fans: expert world-building, romance, and a twist-driven storyline. Aimed at a young adult audience, the book has important messages about friendship and diversity that are core to the story, but never hits these notes too hard. The vivid illustrations enhance the video-game quality, as they have the feel of a cutscene, and help keep the story […]

SPR2021-07-19T07:10:18+02:00July 19th, 2021|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Historical Accuracy by Steve Campbell

Utilizing a remarkably wide range of references, author Steve Campbell has gathered a lengthy aggregation of historical facts to explore the biblical accounts of the life of Jesus in Historical Accuracy.

As Campbell makes plain, there is ample reason to question one’s ordinary assumptions about Jesus, as it is limited to biblical text and standard accepted lore. This is especially the case when examining the notion of the promised land, the afterlife, and the oft-cited apocalypse. His goal is to uncover the real fact upon which such issues are based.

Beginning with Old Testament history, the author catalogs and […]

SPR2021-08-04T03:19:23+02:00July 17th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: History Book Reviews, Religious Book Reviews|

An Interview with Roar Mikalsen: Author of Human Rising

Roar Mikalsen is the author of six books which are changing the world one at a time. His authorship covers a large area ranging from cosmology, mysticism, self-help, and consciousness research to power politics, human rights law, drug policy, constitutional interpretation, and social engineering. He is the founder of the Alliance for Rights-Oriented Drug Policies (AROD), an organization which addresses drug policy reform from a perspective of human rights, and a nominee of two prestigious human rights awards (Vaclav Havel and Martin Ennals).

A platform for his work is Life Liberty Productions, a publishing house and consulting agency dedicated to […]

SPR2021-07-14T04:06:02+02:00July 14th, 2021|Categories: Interviews|

An Interview with Roar Mikalsen: Author of To Right a Wrong

Roar Mikalsen is the author of six books which are changing the world one at a time. His authorship covers a large area ranging from cosmology, mysticism, self-help, and consciousness research to power politics, human rights law, drug policy, constitutional interpretation, and social engineering. He is the founder of the Alliance for Rights-Oriented Drug Policies (AROD), an organization which addresses drug policy reform from a perspective of human rights, and a nominee of two prestigious human rights awards (Vaclav Havel and Martin Ennals).

A platform for his work is Life Liberty Productions, a publishing house and consulting agency dedicated to […]

SPR2021-07-14T04:05:50+02:00July 14th, 2021|Categories: Interviews|

Review: Behind the Paint by Marve Hendry

In his second poetry publication, Behind the Paint, Marve Hendry emphasizes the masks we wear to hide ourselves from a multitude of life’s quandaries, and occasionally, even from ourselves.

This emotive and engaging collection is divided into five sections, with each heading beginning with “Behind the…” In “Behind the I” the poet opens with “to whom it may concern” in which he examines and questions some common assumptions:

I can’t begin to imagine
where do beautiful things go
sometimes I can
but then I feel I shouldn’t

In “Diaries of an Insomniac,” the poetic protagonist tries to stay awake […]

SPR2021-07-28T08:34:05+02:00July 9th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Poetry Book Reviews|

Review: Overboard Opportunities by Andy Simko

Family values, joys, and crises form the framework for Overboard Opportunities, an engaging saga by debut novelist Andy Simko.

The Hutchfields – Grampa, Granma, and their daughter Emily, her husband Mike, and their two children Jacob and PJ – are close-knit and hardworking, but each one has small secrets and big plans. Their adventures begin when Grampa is building a sidewalk, helped clumsily by Jacob, who is most adept, it seems, at asking questions and arguing about the answers. But Jacob, if not a cement expert, is a baseball whiz and proud of it, and Grampa is supportive of […]

SPR2021-07-26T02:43:00+02:00June 27th, 2021|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Texting Mia by Michael Jean DuBois

Michael Jean DuBois captures nearly two years of his life via phone messages with his sister in Texting Mia, an experimental memoir that grips the heartstrings with unvarnished honesty.

The vicissitudes of fate land the author and his sister, Mia, back in the home of their Haitian parents as they both try to find a new path forward. As expected, long-dormant wounds reopen and old family trauma bubbles to the surface. The author holds little back as he recounts the upbringing with his parents, and the brutality he and his sister experienced at their hands. As they did when […]

SPR2021-06-16T09:04:49+02:00June 16th, 2021|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Memoir Book Reviews|

An Interview with Jimmie Martinez: Author of Summer of Haint Blue

As a lifelong residence of New Orleans, Louisiana and metro area, Jimmie Martinez, at 76 years old, writes about the city he loves and the turbulent times he grew up in. Martinez is the author of four novels set in New Orleans: The Battle for New Orleans: The Casino Wars, Rigged, Righteous Road, which was awarded the Editor’s Choice from iUniverse, and Cajun Chameleon. The four-term Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards, the quintessential Cajun, said Cajun Chameleon is “Masterfully written. Jimmie captures the true essence of life in the 60s in South Louisiana.”