This blog feature amusing and heartwarming stories about our late Leonberger dog Bronco, as well as other Leonbergers. It also has a lot of information about the Leonberger breed, the history, care, training, Leonberger organizations, etc. I also wrote a Leonberger book, which I am featuring in the sidebar.
In this my Leonberger blog I sometimes post about topics other than Leonbergers, including non-Leonberger books that I like and want to promote, and this is one of those. With this post I would like to promote a very entertaining and thrilling book called Detour on the Eternal Road by John W Howell. He recently visited my blog on his book tour but I want to post about his book one more time. This time the focus is my review of the book. Below I am giving some information about the paperback and Kindle version of the book. I bought the paperback version of the book.
Paperback – Independently published (January 2, 2025), ISBN-10 : 1733573143, ISBN-13 : 978-1733573146, 297 pages, Item Weight : 1 pounds, dimensions : 5.5 x 0.67 x 8.5 inches, it cost $14.95 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Kindle – Keewaydin Lane Books; 1st edition (February 7, 2025), ASIN : B0DT4Q1FBR, 267 pages. It is currently $2.99 on Amazon.com. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Front cover of Detour on the Eternal Road. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the paperback version of the book.
Amazon Description of Detour on the Eternal Road
The third book in the Eternal Road series. Sam and James are dragged into another strange assignment when a couple of souls on The Eternal Road drop off the radar. Archangel Michael gives them specific orders to resolve the issue and get Billy Ray Chitwood, the national race car champion, and Dale Earnhardt, his guide, back on the task of finding Billy’s Eternal Home.
Finally, meeting up with Billy Ray and Dale, the foursome finds themselves in the future where World War III has devastated the country. The team discovers the cause of the start of the war and vows to mitigate that circumstance and save the world from devastation. They encounter their old nemesis, Lucifer, who has in mind trading preventing the war in exchange for Sam accepting his offer to be his queen.
Since Lucifer’s offer is a non-starter, Sam and James must overcome Lucifer’s interference and work to change the course of history, or humankind is doomed.
When you die there are guides helping you to find your way. When racecar driver Billy Ray Chitwood dies, he gets lost in time and space and his guide, the famous but dead racecar driver Dale Earnhardt, is missing. Upon the orders of Archangel Michael, Sam and James, the expert guides of this series, step in to save the situation. But what is causing this unusual situation? Well, Lucifer is. Lucifer has some nefarious plans that could mean the end for the whole world, a World War III. Can the team, Sam and James, Ray Chitwood, Dale Earnhardt, and the archangel Michael figure out what is going on and prevent doomsday?
This is a whimsical and amusing detective and mystery story. Lucifer appear as a cigar chomping man that reminded me of Loki in Avengers. He is an arrogant, reckless and a rude trickster but also entertaining and he has some charm. The angels appear human, and the team is traveling around the world and back and forth in time in an Oldsmobile 1956. Don’t worry about the time travel, they can’t change the past, just the future. As you can guess the setting isn’t particularly realistic but that is intentional. The important features are the humor, the clever plots, the fast-paced action, the surprising plot twists at the end, and above all the intelligent and entertaining dialogue featuring some interesting philosophical thoughts.
I have not read the first two books in the series yet, but I think this book stands on its own. It did not feel like I missed something important. I was intrigued and thrilled by the various mysteries that cropped up along the way. I wanted to find out who was responsible for the various mishaps and strange things that happened. Was it Lucifer or a greedy and power-hungry human, or both? And who is Lucifer really? I found the dialogue to be amusing and very entertaining. The character development was strong, with likeable main characters, though Lucifer was unkind and untrustworthy, as expected. I highly recommend this entertaining and unique thriller.
Back cover of Detour on the Eternal Road. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the Kindle version of the book.
About the Author of Detour on the Eternal Road
John is an award-winning author who after an extensive business career began writing full time in 2012. His specialty is thriller fiction novels, but John also writes poetry and short stories. He has written Seven other books that are on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.
John lives in Lakeway, Texas with his wife and their spoiled rescue pets.
I’m very pleased to have John W. Howell here today to celebrate his latest release, “Detour on the Eternal Road.” I bought the paperback version from Amazon. It is 297 pages and cost $14.95. I loved reading this very entertaining book. If you want to read my Amazon review for the book, click here.
Front cover of the Detour on the Eternal Road. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the paperback version of the book.
I am now handing over the word to John.
It is so nice to be here with you today, Thomas. Your blog has had some amazing entries. I have enjoyed your warm memories of your Leonberger Bronco and Daisy your dear pug. I also enjoy the times when you discuss various kinds of beer. I am an IPA fan and do identify with those times. I want to thank you for offering to host me on this stop on the tour. My latest book Detour on the Eternal Road is book threein the Eternal Road Series. Here is the blurb.
Blurb
Sam and James are dragged into another strange assignment when a couple of souls on The Eternal Road drop off the radar. Archangel Michael gives them specific orders to resolve the issue and get Billy Ray Chitwood, the national race car champion, and Dale Earnhardt, his guide, back on the task of finding Billy’s Eternal Home.
Finally, meeting up with Billy Ray and Dale, the foursome finds themselves in the future where World War III has devastated the country. The team discovers the cause of the start of the war and vows to mitigate that circumstance and save the world from devastation. They encounter their old nemesis, Lucifer, who has in mind trading preventing the war in exchange for Sam accepting his offer to be his queen.
Since Lucifer’s offer is a non-starter, Sam and James must overcome Lucifer’s interference and work to change the course of history, or humankind is doomed.
Excerpt
James and Sam give each other a nervous glance. Sam offers a subtle signal to James and says, “Okay. You remember we convinced you we were from a different time. Well, Billy Ray is from a different time too. We want to help him remember where he’s from and get him back on a road he needs to travel.”
Wyatt frowns. “Back on a road? What does that mean?”
Sam looks up to the sky in frustration when she realizes Wyatt won’t let it go until he gets the whole story. James shrugs, so Sam sighs and says, “James and I are like angels. Our job is to escort people’s souls along the Eternal Road until they find the place they want to spend eternity.”
“Dead people?”
“That’s right.”
With his thumb, Wyatt pushes back his hat. “Why’re you interested in Billy Ray? He’s very much alive.”
Billy Ray leans forward in the seat. “Yeah, I may be old, but I’m still kickin’.”
Sam glances at James, shakes her head, and looks back at Wyatt. Carefully, she drops her voice, “I don’t want to upset Billy Ray, but he is not who he thinks he is.”
Wyatt places his hands on his hips. “Okay, I’ll bite. Who is he?”
“He’s a young man who got in a serious accident and didn’t survive.”
“What’s he doing here?”
Sam brushes a strand of hair out of her eyes. “Someone we don’t want to name interrupted his trip. Billy Ray’s guide came up missing, too.”
“You don’t want to name? What kind of hocus pocus are you talking about?”
James steps forward. “Every time we name this person, they appear. I’ll tell you right out you don’t want that person here.”
Sam frowns. “Wyatt, you believed us when we showed you how we came from another time, right?”
“Sure, and I still believe you.”
“Well, forces of evil have taken our friend Billy Ray and placed him in the same time as you.”
Author Bio
John is an award-winning author who after an extensive business career began writing full time in 2012. His specialty is thriller fiction novels, but John also writes poetry and short stories. He has written Seven other books that are on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions.
John lives in Lakeway, Texas with his wife and their spoiled rescue pets.
In this my Leonberger blog I sometimes post about topics other than Leonbergers, including non-Leonberger books that I like and want to promote, and this is one of those. With this post I would like to promote a wonderful fantasy novel, called Tale of the Seasons’ Weaver by D. Wallace Peach. Below I am giving some information about the paperback and Kindle version of the book.
Paperback – Independently published (January 2, 2025), ASIN : B0DNXKS4D4, ISBN-13 : 979-8300966072, 308 pages, Item Weight : 1.17 pounds, dimensions : 6 x 0.7 x 9 inches, it cost $12.00 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Kindle – Independently published (January 2, 2025), ASIN : B0DMKLLW9C, 310 pages. It is currently $3.99 on Amazon.com and free with Kindle unlimited. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Front cover of the Tale of the Seasons’ Weaver. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the paperback version of the book.
Amazon Description of Tale of the Seasons’ Weaver
“Already the animals starve. Soon the bonemen will follow, the Moss Folk and woodlings, the watermaids and humans. Then the charmed will fade. And all who will roam a dead world are dead things. Until they too vanish for lack of remembering. Still, Weaver, it is not too late.”
In the frost-kissed cottage where the changing seasons are spun, Erith wears the Weaver’s mantle, a title that tests her mortal, halfling magic. As the equinox looms, her first tapestry nears completion—a breathtaking ode to spring. She journeys to the charmed isle of Innishold to release the beauty of nature’s awakening across the land.
But human hunters have defiled the enchanted forest and slaughtered winter’s white wolves. Enraged by the trespass, the Winter King seizes Erith’s tapestry and locks her within his ice-bound palace. Here, where comfort and warmth are mere glamours, she may weave only winter until every mortal village succumbs to starvation, ice, and the gray wraiths haunting the snow.
With humanity’s fate on a perilous edge, Erith must break free of the king’s grasp and unravel a legacy of secrets. In a charmed court where illusions hold sway, allies matter, foremost among them, the Autumn Prince. Immortal and beguiling, he offers a tantalizing future she has only imagined, one she will never possess—unless she claims her extraordinary power to weave life from the brink of death.
In the lyrical fantasy tradition of Margaret Rogerson and Holly Black, D. Wallace Peach spins a spellbinding tale of magic, resilience, and the transformative potency of tales—a tapestry woven with peril and hope set against the frigid backdrop of an eternal winter.
I don’t read a lot of books in the fantasy genre but when I was a teenager, I read C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia and J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels (Hobbit, Lord of the Ring, etc.) I’ve never lost my fascination for fantasy, and I still frequently read science fiction novels. I am so happy I came across this delightful read. It is a great novel for older children, young adults and adults alike.
In Erith’s world there are humans and animals as well as magical beings said to be charmed. For the most part they stay on the Isle of Innishold in the lake of Dryftweel. There is an enchanted forest and four kingdoms, winter, spring, summer, and autumn. The charmed often have magical powers, and some of them look scary and some of them are dangerous. Erith, who is part human and part charmed, a halfling, has a unique skill and a unique job, and that is to weave the seasons. She is a Seasons Weaver. The entire world depends on her.
One winter day human hunters defile the land of the charmed and kills the Winter King’s white wolves. The enraged Winter King decides to take revenge on all humans. He sets out to cancel spring by preventing Erith from weaving. His objective is to let winter remain until all humans are dead. This also means the death of nature and all mortal creatures. What the Winter King does not seem to understand is that it could mean the end of the charmed beings as well. Can Erith prevail against the powerful Winter King? Luckily the brave and handsome Autumn King steps up and helps her.
This is an intense and fast paced adventure filled with intrigues, magic, fierce battles, and I think several dozen different kinds of magical beings. There are amusing creatures and funny creatures such as Nobbin, huge and powerful creatures, shape shifting creatures, witches, dangerous and scary creatures, evil frog like evil creatures, and kings, and queens. In addition, there are some obvious themes. Erith must learn to trust her abilities, to be confident and find her strength, and use her wonderful imagination. She is much more powerful than she thinks she is. Her story is an inspiration for all of us.
I loved the author’s imagination and the fantastic world she is skillfully forming in the reader’s mind. I loved the captivating storytelling and the lyrical and magical prose. The author is certainly a weaver herself, a weaver of tales and imagined worlds. In the book the charmed creatures come to realize that they were dependent on human minds and belief for their existence. Is it also the other way around? A manifestation of the mental nature of reality if you will. In any case, I highly recommend this fascinating book.
Back cover of the Seasons’ Weaver. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the Kindle version of the book.
About the Author of Tale of the Seasons’ Weaver
A long-time reader, best-selling author D. Wallace Peach started writing later in life when years of working in business surrendered to a full-time indulgence in the imaginative world of books. She was instantly hooked.
In addition to fantasy books, Peach’s publishing career includes participation in various anthologies featuring short stories, flash fiction, and poetry.
She’s an avid supporter of the arts in her local community, organizing and publishing annual anthologies of Oregon prose, poetry, and photography. Peach lives in a log cabin amongst the tall evergreens and emerald moss of Oregon’s rainforest with her husband, two owls, a horde of bats, and the occasional family of coyotes.
For book descriptions, excerpts, maps, and behind the scenes info, please visit D. Wallace Peach Books
This post is another themed 25 Leonberger photos. This time the theme is Leonberger puppies. Below is a list of previous themed 25 Leonberger posts I’ve made.
Also don’t forget to check out my new blog if you haven’t done so.
Below are the 25 Leonberger Puppy Photos
This is a photo of our Leonberger Bronco when he was three months old.This is a black and white photo of our Leonberger Bronco when he was three months old.Baby (German Shepherd) is playing with our four months old Leonberger Bronco.Ten Leonberger puppies. My guess is that they are about two months old. Shutterstock-ID:561107710 by Akbudak Rimma.Ten Leonberger puppies with mama. Shutterstock-ID: 561107650 by Akbudak Rimma.Leonberger puppy Stock Photo ID: 561111403 by Akbudak Rimma.Leonberger puppy. My guess is that he is around two months old. Shutterstock-ID: 629624396 by TOM KAROLA.A Leonberger puppy running in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2056502327 by Nikky de Graaf.Two light colored Leonberger puppies playing. My guess is that they are three months old. Shutterstock-ID: 2141564415 by AnetaZabranska.Leonberger + Chihuahua Stock Photo ID: 2166660069 by cynoclub.Leonberger Puppy Stock Photo ID: 2233375083 by VeronArt16Two Leonberger puppies. Shutter stock Photo ID: 2294202331 by Olga Shusters.A Leonberger puppy standing in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2390810457 by VeronArt16.Two Leonberger puppies running in the snow. Shutterstock Stock Photo ID: 2390810463 by VeronArt16.Leonberger puppy on a white sofa sitting next to pink flowers. Asset id: 561113224 by Akbudak Rimma.Leonberger puppy running on green grass Asset id: 629624387 by TOM KAROLALeonberger portrait with cristmas background Asset id: 763087333 by Liliya KulianionakClose up of Leonberger puppy Asset id: 1835879938 by Sarah HattonLeonberger puppy in front of white background Asset id: 1910154892 by cynoclubLeonberger puppy in front of white background Asset id: 2511987683 by cynoclubA Leonberger puppy in front of white background. The puppy is maybe three months old. Asset id: 2526895887 by cynoclubLeonberger puppy in front of white background. It is a little older, maybe four months. Leonbergers aren’t fully grown until they are close to two years old. Asset id: 1973707379 by cynoclubYoung Leonberger, maybe 4-5 months old. Stock Photo ID: 2170918265 by cynoclub.Young Leonberger, maybe 5-6 months old. Leonbergers aren’t fully grown until they are close to two years old. Stock Photo ID: 2192241957 by cynoclub.Young Leonberger, less than a year old. Leonbergers aren’t fully grown until they are close to two years old. Stock Photo ID: 2089116934 by cynoclub.
This is a Leonberger blog, but I post about books that are not about Leonbergers but other types of books I love and want to promote. With this post I would like to promote a truly great novel featuring Neanderthals. The book is called Endangered Species by Jacqui Murray. I recently participated in a so-called virtual book blast for this book. It is a special promotion. This post is just about my review for this book. The virtual book blast is the important post and if you did not see it yet please click here. Below is a list of some additional book blast posts for this book. If you know of additional ones, please tell me in the comments.
Virtual Book Blast for Endangered Species – Darlene Foster – Click here
Virtual Book Blast for Endangered Species – Liz Gauffreau – Click here
Virtual Book Blast for Endangered Species – Carol Cooks – Click here
Virtual Book Blast for Endangered Species – John Howell – Click here
Virtual Book Blast for Endangered Species – Booomcha, Kymber Hawke – Click here
Virtual Book Blast for Endangered Species – Miriam Hurdle – click here.
To see the Neanderthal super fact post (given to me by Jacqui Murray) – Click here
Below is an overview of the three formats of Endangered Species
Paperback – Structured Learning LLC (January 2, 2025), ISBN-10 : 1942101643, ISBN-13 : 978-1942101642, 301 pages, Item Weight : 1.15 pounds, dimensions : 6 x 0.68 x 9 inches, it cost $15.99 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Kindle – Structured Learning LLC (January 2, 2025), ASIN : B0DJ9Y7PQ8, 323 pages. It is currently $4.99 on Amazon.com and free with Kindle unlimited. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Audiobook – Structured Learning LLC (January 4, 2025), ASIN : B0CY6YQL83, It is currently $1.99 on Amazon.com. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Front cover of Endangered Species. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the paperback version of the book.
Amazon Description of Endangered Species
Savage Land is the third trilogy about prehistoric man in the series, Man. Vs. Nature.Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth’s history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, and raging fires burned the land. Each of the tribes considered themselves apex predators. Neither was. That crown belonged to Nature and she was intent on washing the blight of man from her face.
Endangered Species is Book One of the trilogy. Yu’ung and her Neanderthal tribe must align with Fierce and his Tall Ones—an advanced tribe of humans. Even then, survival is not ensured. The story starts in the Altai Mountains of Siberia as they prepare for a cross-continent journey to a new home away from the volcano’s devastation.
Join me in this three-book fictional exploration of Neanderthals. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthals family.
Something Big Happened 75,000 Years Ago. We The People Are Still Here.
When I was a teenager, I read a few of Jean M. Auels novels about pre-historic humans. I loved them and I saw the movie. Now I am reading Jacqui Murray’s novels about pre-historic humans. Jacqui Murray’s books are even more fascinating and very realistic and well researched. Her books also cover a larger time interval starting 1.8 million years ago. The story in this fairly new book takes place 75,000 years ago when our planet was home to several human species including Homo neanderthalensis or Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens. The focus of the story is on a tribe of Neanderthals calling themselves “the people”. Homo Sapiens (people like us) are referred to as “tall ones”. There were also other humanoid species alive at the time such as Homo erectus and Denisovans and they are referred to as “uprights” in this book. Well, all homo species are referred to as uprights in this book.
Something very bad is about to happen. Something that threatens the survival of all homo species. You can guess what from the front cover. There is a vision, or a spirit, of a Homo erectus woman called Xhosa who provide help and wisdom from the spiritual realm. Some central characters are Yu’ung, a female Neanderthal who is a healer and the leader of her tribe, Fierce the leader of a Homo sapiens tribe, Jun or Shanadar a young Neanderthal man and his canines Ump, White Streak (and a few more), who are sent by Xhosa on a special mission. I loved the canines (related to wolves). As a side note I can add that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens could interbreed despite being considered different species because the concept of species is complex.
The many adventures recounted in this book are fascinating, intense and captivating and there is something interesting and fun happening on every page. The character development is detailed and well done. Despite being so ancient and so different from us modern people, the humanoids in the book come alive in your imagination and you are transported into a different world from long ago. I found myself cheering for and caring for a Neanderthal woman and loving a wild dog. One passage that I found to be so intense that I was breathless was when Jun/Shanadar saved the life of a drowning canine pup called Blaze. What a job he had, saving a pup and saving the world. Did all this happen for real? I don’t know, but it could have. I loved this book. It is a page turner, and I highly recommend this book as well as her previous books.
Back cover of Endangered Species. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the Kindle version of the book.
About the Author of Endangered Species
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also the author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy.
When not writing, she is grad school teacher, author of over a hundred tech ed resources including K-12 technology curricula, and an Amazon Vine Voice. You can find her resources at her publisher, Structured Learning LLC. She lives in So. California with her husband of forty years, Labrador Casey, and lots of contact with her adult children, one a Cdr in the Navy, the other a SFC in the Army. Feel free to reach out to Jacqui at her blog, WordDreams, or her social media platforms.
This is a Leonberger blog but sometimes I post about books that are not about Leonbergers but that are other types of books I love and want to promote. This book is an intriguing thriller about a beautiful female psychopathic killer by the name Marie, and it is told from her perspective. It is both creepy and amusing at the same time as well as unique and definitely a page turner. I guess you can say it is lighthearted horror but above all a good story. The author, Sara Flower Kjeldsen, has expertise in psychology, which makes the story more realistic.
Paperback – Independently published (April 29, 2020), ASIN : B087SD51PT, ISBN-13 : 979-8621061050, 96 pages, Item Weight : 5.4 ounces, dimensions : 6 x 0.24 x 9 inches, it cost $15.99 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Kindle – January 30, 2020, ASIN : B084D88547, 98 pages. It is currently $3.99 on Amazon.com and free with Kindle unlimited. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Front cover of Marie. Click on the picture to buy the paperback version (Amazon US) of the book.
Amazon Description of Marie
Marie has always been a violent girl. She has no remorse for those she kills. Once she takes out her husband, she will have everything she has ever wanted. That is until the pool boy gets in her way. After she kills him, something strange happens. Psychopaths aren’t supposed to feel guilt. She doesn’t care about anyone. So why is her latest victim haunting her dreams? Marie is the story of a stunning young woman who is forced to face her own heartlessness.
Is she going to kill him? That depends. Did he see her face?
Marie is a psychopath. Her range of emotions is limited. She feels no compassion, no love, she has no conscience, she is fearless, selfish and greedy, and she feels superior to people with normal feelings, which she considers to be stupid, weak and irritating. In addition, she has a sadistic streak. She is a proud beautiful trophy wife with a boring normal but rich husband. He is in love, but she is using him, the great manipulator that she is. She hides her inner craziness very skillfully and fools everyone. One day Brad, the pool boy catches her drowning a bunny rabbit in the pool for her own amusement after finding a paper with her plot to murder her husband. He realizes she is mentally sick and offers to find her a psychiatrist at the college where he studies. Well, what do you think will happen to Brad?
The author has expertise in psychology, so this is a realistic depiction of a female psychopath, but what makes it even more interesting is that the story is told from the perspective of Marie. Usually, you don’t get to be inside the head of the psychopath, the focus is on the victims, for example, as in the movie No Country for Old Men (Anton Chigurh). The story is both creepy and amusing at the same time. Marie is undoubtedly evil, but she is funny and clever. Can a psychopath be cured? Perhaps not in a conventional sense but strange things can happen. I loved this story. It was very engaging, fast-paced, entertaining and full of surprises. I highly recommend this page turner.
Back cover of Marie. Click on the picture to buy the paperback version (Amazon US) of the book.
About the author Sara Kjeldsen
Sara is a Canadian multi-genre author who loves tea and adventures. This is a list of her published books. This is her blog.
This is my 300th blog post for this blog and today I am reviewing and promoting a very good book on poetry, Sun Haiku: 365 Days of Sunshine by Dawn Pisturino. I bought the paperback version from US Amazon. I should mention that the focus of my blog is Leonberger dogs, but I also blog about other things.
Paperback – Publisher Horse Mesa Press (November 30, 2024), ASIN : B0DPDL87CJ, ISBN-13 : 979-8991244749, 74 pages, Item Weight : 5.8 ounces, Dimensions : 6 x 0.17 x 9 inches, it cost $6.99 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Kindle – Publisher Horse Mesa Press (November 29, 2024), ASIN : B0DPCV65KT, 65 pages, it costs $3.99 on US Amazon but is free with Kindle Unlimited. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Front cover of Sun Haiku: 365 Days of Sunshine by Dawn Pisturino. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the paperback version book.
Amazon’s Description of Sun Haiku
This collection of traditional and non-traditional haiku is dedicated to the sun and its effects on people, animals, and the environment. Many ancient cultures worshipped the sun as the giver and sustainer of life. As the center of our solar system, life on Earth depends on the sun to grow and thrive. Of course, like anything else, too much of a good thing can have negative consequences: skin cancer, drought, cataracts, shriveled up crops, and more. That’s why we do what we can to protect ourselves while taking advantage of the sun’s positive energy. Come join me in honoring the most important body in our solar system!
To see my Review of Sun Haiku on Amazon Click Here
The Sun Gives Us Life and Death. Poems for the Mind and Spirit
Sun Haiku is a delightful poetry book featuring 365 Haiku poems about the sun, followed by a few leap year poems, two short stories, and two longer bonus poems. The poems cover a lot of sun related topics. The poems tell us that the sun gives us warmth, light, colors, beauty, sustenance, birds and flowers, uplifting freedom, it heals the mind and spirit, but it can also burn us, give us cancer, and cause draught. Be careful. The poems elaborate on the midnight sun, the solar system, and the death of the sun and the white dwarf star that it will become.
The poems are imaginative, original, clever, captivating, and a lot of fun to read. The stories were also imaginative, original and intriguing. I think my favorite poem was the bonus poem at the end called summer heat. I think it was the longest poem in the book stretching one and half pages. The words and the verses were full of life and evoked beautiful, dreamy visions of nature and sunshine. The author dedicated her book to her brother, a man who loved the outdoors but died from skin cancer. This background added an emotive aspect to her sun poems. I highly recommend this beautiful book of poems.
Other Books by Dawn Pisturino
I’ve posted about a few of Dawn Pisturino’s books.
Back cover of Sun Haiku: 365 Days of Sunshine by Dawn Pisturino. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the Kindle version book.
About Dawn Pisturino
Dawn Pisturino’s international publishing credits include poems, short stories, and articles. Her debut poetry book, Ariel’s Song: Published Poems, 1987 – 2023, earned five-star reviews and ranked #60 on the Amazon Best Seller list for Haiku & Japanese Poetry. Her short chapbook, Lunar Gazing Haiku, became a #1 Amazon New Release in six categories.
Haiku for the Midnight Hour, her third book, achieved #1 Amazon New Release status in three categories. Her fourth book, Sun Haiku: 365 Days of Sunshine, climbed to #1 Amazon New Release in Japanese Poetry & Haiku. She is a member of several author organizations.
When I was a teenager, I read a few of Jean M. Auels novels about pre-historic humans. I loved them and I saw the movie. Now I am reading Jacqui Murray’s novels about pre-historic humans. Jacqui Murray’s books are even more fascinating and very realistic and well researched. The latest Jacqui Murray book I’ve read is Endangered Species, the first book in her new series Savage Lands. This book is set to take place 75,000 years ago among Neanderthals and ancient Homo sapiens. I love all her books, but especially Endangered Species. You can read my Amazon review for Endangered Species by clicking here. I was also happy that she included canines as heroes in the book (Ump, White Streak, etc.) I am a dog lover after all.
Today I’m very pleased to host Jacqui Murray to help launch her new series.
Surprise! Neanderthals Never Lived in Africa
Neanderthals were widespread despite numbering only about 100,000 at a time. Their remains have been found in many areas of Eurasia, including:
Krapina, Croatia
Weasel Cave, Russia
La Ferassie, France
Denisova Cave in the Altai Mountains, Russia
Sha Cave, Iraq
Kebara Cave, Israel
La Chapelle aux Saintes. France
Feldhofer Cave, Germany, the Neander Valley of Germany
Ortvale Klde, Georgia
Here’s a good map of their spread:
Yellow indicates where the Neanderthals lived.
Though their tribes covered a vast swath of geography, where you won’t find them is Africa. Yes, you will find their genetics, but this likely comes from African natives mating with Neanderthals in Eurasia and returning to Africa.
Summary
Savage Land is the third prehistoric man trilogy in the series, Man. Vs. Nature. Written in the spirit of Jean Auel, Savage Land explores how two bands of humans survived one of the worst natural disasters in Earth’s history, when volcanic eruptions darkened the sky, massive tsunamis crossed the ocean in crushing waves, and raging fires burned the land. Each tribe starring in the story considered themselves apex predators. Neither was. That crown belonged to Nature and she was intent on washing the blight of man from her face.
Endangered Species
In Endangered Species, Book One of the trilogy, Yu’ung’s Neanderthal tribe must join with Fierce’s Tall Ones—a Homo sapiens tribe–on a cross-continent journey that starts in the Siberian Mountains. The goal: a new homeland far from the devastation caused by the worst volcanic eruption ever experienced by Man. How they collaborate despite their instinctive distrust could end the journey before it starts or forge new relationships that will serve both well in the future.
Badlands
In Badlands, Book Two, the tribes must split up, each independently crossing what Nature has turned into a wasteland. They struggle against starvation, thirst, and desperate enemies more feral than human. If they quit or worse, lose, they will never reunite with their groups or escape the most deadly natural disaster ever faced by our kind.
Join me in this three-book fictional exploration of Neanderthals. Be ready for a world nothing like what you thought it would be, filled with clever minds, brilliant acts, and innovative solutions to potentially life-ending problems, all based on real events. At the end of this trilogy, you’ll be proud to call Neanderthals family.
Trailer for Endangered Species
Book Information Endangered Species
Paperback – Publisher : Structured Learning LLC (January 2, 2025), ISBN-10 : 1942101643, ISBN-13 : 978-1942101642, 301 pages, Item Weight : 1.15 pounds, Dimensions : 6 x 0.68 x 9 inches, it currently cost $ 15.99 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Kindle – Publisher : Structured Learning LLC (January 2, 2025), ASIN : B0DJ9Y7PQ8, 323 pages, it costs $4.99 on US Amazon but is free with Kindle Unlimited. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Audio – ASIN : B0CY6YQL83, Narrator : Virtual Voice, Listening Length : 8 hours 1 minutes, it costs $1.99 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Book Information Badlands
At the moment the only the Kindle version of Badlands is available for preorder. Again, the publisher is Structured Learning LLC and the release is scheduled for April 15, 2025. It cost $4.99 on US Amazon. Click here to pre-order it from Amazon.com.
Excerpt: Chapter 1 of Endangered Species
75,000 years ago,
What we call Germany today
Jun was lost. Again. He gripped his thick-shafted spear in one hand, throwing stones in the other, and brushed aside the prickle of fear that flooded his body.
It wasn’t being alone that worried him. This was his first time hunting with the clan. He’d wanted to do well.
Initially, Jun had kept pace with the hunters, his strides long and easy, eyes firmly locked on the back of the male in front of him, but—as too often happened—he became distracted by a bird’s call and wandered off to find it, maybe talk to it. Someone shouted his name, far away and so muted, he barely heard it. He didn’t respond, of course. Upright voices would frighten the bird if it hadn’t already fled. He hunkered into the underbrush, reduced his breathing, and squatted there long … longer … but the bird fell silent.
I’ll look for it next time I’m out here.
He stood. Feet spread, ears perked, he twisted around, and to his horror, didn’t recognize where he was. Nor did he hear the sounds of his fellow hunters moving along Deer’s trail.
I wandered farther than I intended, and hurried away, through the leaves and dirt, hoping to find Deer’s trace or his clan’s prints, but found neither so he shouted. The sound echoed harshly through the trees.
No response.
They can’t be far. By now, they must know I’m not with them.
He hugged his arms around his chest, suddenly cold, and tilted his head up. Sun had moved, a lot. Instead of worrying him, it comforted him.
I’ll stay here until they return.
He crouched, picked at the forest’s hearty overgrowth, ate a few worms, and waited. No one came. He called several times, but all he heard were insects, a snake slithering, and squirrels chattering.
I’ll go where Deer is.
He knew where the herd headed because he’d followed it several times to where it ate the fresh young grasses, safe, it thought, from prying eyes. He trotted down what he hoped would end up their trail, searching for trace, listening for the rustle of hide-covered bodies passing through dense brush carrying carcasses. Finally, later than expected, he found Deer’s path, but they didn’t stop in their usual place. They must have known they were being stalked—the hunters were noisy—and trotted into a scree pile as though knowing that would conceal prints, which it did. Jun could either keep wandering until he re-located the clan’s path or make his way back to the camp.
He checked Sun, but it was now hidden by clouds.
He crouched, comfortable in his waiting. No one would be surprised. He often returned late with tales of an excursion rather than armloads of meat to feed the clan. The group would have ejected him, forcing him to make his way alone, but his mother was the clan healer and wouldn’t allow it. She was training him to take over when her stiff joints and failing eyesight meant she could no longer fulfill her duties. He had no interest in illnesses, but understood he must fulfill some duty or lose the tribe’s protection. As a result, he assisted her if he couldn’t avoid it and learned enough about herbs and mulches and poultices to be tolerated.
None of which helped him now.
I can’t wait, and scrambled up a hillock, found a landmark he knew, and headed toward it along a debris-laden forest floor, head up, eyes shut to concentrate on a panoply of delightful odors. He heard the hiss but as background noise to his meandering daydreams. By the time it stiffened his hackles and his eyes popped open, it was too late.
Snake!
Jun stabbed with his spear, to frighten not kill, but missed. Snake didn’t. A blur of movement and pain seared through Jun’s body. He collapsed with a thud and Snake slithered away. Jun attempted to stand and crumpled.
I’ll crawl along the path. The hunters will see me on their way back. Sweat broke out across his forehead. As will predators.
He scuttled into the dirt-clotted root ball of a towering tree, sharing the cozy space with worms, slugs, and spiders.
I’ll call out if I hear someone.
He tamped down the pain and dug through his shoulder sack. No surprise, he forgot to restock his treatments. He tried to blink the dust from his eyes and then rubbed, using the cleanest part of a grubby finger. He mulled over what to do as his ankle swelled bigger than his calf and heat flushed through his body. Everything around him spun and his eyes drooped. The more he strained to think, the more his head throbbed. He tucked his legs against his chest and imagined Snake’s poison infecting his insides.
How do I stop it before it stops me?
He solved it by passing out.
The scrape of a foot awoke Jun. Every part of his body hurt, but he managed to crack one eye. An Upright female not his kind strode toward him, a spear in one hand and a blistering frown on her face. He should say something, but his mouth was too dry.
She acts like she knows me.
He tried to rise, but no part of his body cooperated so he stared at her, worried and somewhat disturbed by the dark fury she directed at him.
Why is she so angry? I’ve done nothing to her.
Seeing his swollen red ankle did nothing to soften her attitude. Disgust washed over her in waves and her fists clenched a rough-hewn lance so tightly, the whites of her knuckles gleamed.
There is something familiar about her….
She had the small skull, long limbs, and narrow torso of a Primitive, lacking the musculature common to Jun’s kind. And it hit him.
“Xhosa?”
She growled in response, a sound so like hatred, he would have pulled back if the tree trunk didn’t stop him.
The female Xhosa visited his dreams often and they got along well. They discussed topics no one shared his interest in—where the herds went during their migrations, why Spider’s thin silken strands were so strong, why Sun left if Moon arrived. Did one orb fear the other or had they arranged to share the sky in this way? These types of curious queries annoyed everyone in his tribe, but excited Xhosa.
“Why are you here? I only see you in dreams.” He squiggled, attempted to stand, and collapsed. “Am I dreaming?”
“No, Shanadar. You have forced me to come in person. Night is approaching. It is not safe to be out here alone. Return to your homebase. I have plans for you and being eaten by Cat isn’t one of them.”
Her lips didn’t move nor were her words the clan’s, but he understood what she said. He wanted to ask why she cared if the night stalkers ate him, but what he said was something else entirely.
“Snake poisoned me.”
Shock flashed through her eyes and she scowled. “I see. You won’t be leaving on schedule.”
His head spun, started to ask what schedule, but stopped himself. Whatever the answer no longer mattered.
“Xhosa. Snake killed me. Well, there are treatments for Snake’s venom, but I didn’t bring them. Mother has them, but I can’t get to her fast enough. And the hunters—I don’t know what happened to them. They should have come by now….”
His voice trailed off. Talking exhausted him. Still, he owed her one more explanation. “Whatever your plan, it can no longer include me.”
She dismissed him with a flip of her fingers. “You’re not going to die, Shanadar. Come. My kith can take care of you.”
“Shanadar,” he mumbled. “She keeps calling me Shanadar.” She didn’t explain why and he didn’t ask. Or mind.
But he did ask about kith as Xhosa yanked him to his feet—foot, the injured one dangling uselessly above the ground—encircled her arm around his waist and draped his around her shoulder before replying.
“You call your group a clan. Ours is kith. The Tall Ones are a band, the Canis Pack.”
Tall Ones? He tried to make sense of her answer, but the words got lost in his muddy thoughts.
I’ll ask later.
They slid through the forest, well beyond his clan’s area and Deer’s favorite eating spots, past a tree tall enough to touch Sun. He’d never seen it before. Did it just grow? Soon, they reached a gathering of Primitives the size of Jun’s clan crouched by an overhang. All had low foreheads, prominent brow ridges, and body shapes like a shorter version of the tall slender strangers who occasionally passed through the clan’s territory—
That’s who she called Tall Ones!
The kith members wore long wraps or capes like Xhosa’s, unsewn, as though they simply cut a hole in a pelt big enough for their head to push through. No capes or wraps, and foot coverings were fur or bark strapped to feet.
But the dark, deep eyes, fixed on the new arrival, shone with intelligence. They blinked a greeting before resuming their work.
“They expected us?”
“No. They have adjusted to strangers trailing in here with me.”
Jun’s eyes popped open. “Other Uprights?”
She chuckled, the first smile he’d seen from her since she showed up. “Usually pawed and tailed.”
He had no idea what to ask about that and didn’t bother trying. Ignoring the growing ache in his leg took all his energy. She has much to explain, but it will wait until I recover.
Xhosa pushed him gently toward a boulder. “Crouch there.”
He collapsed. His good leg was numb. Even if she hadn’t told him to rest, he couldn’t have gone farther. The relief to his pounding ankle was overwhelming. He stilled his entire body, his breathing shallow as another Primitive approached, holding supplies eerily similar to those Jun’s mother carried. Then, before he could blink, she cut across Snake’s puncture and squeezed. He started to scream, but stopped because he felt nothing. The poison dried up and Xhosa scrubbed the puncture. Once she deemed it clean, she applied moss to suck out new impurities, as his mother would. All Xhosa’s ministrations were like his mother’s except Xhosa’s didn’t hurt. Mother’s always did.
Xhosa rotated back on her heels with a grunt of either satisfaction or hopelessness. Jun was too hot, tired, and sick to care.
She stood. “I will deposit you where I found you. You will awake groggy, feeling unwell, but you will be fine.”
When I awake? What does she mean?
“I am—”
But Xhosa wasn’t listening.
Author Bio
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular prehistoric fiction saga, Man vs. Nature which explores seminal events in man’s evolution one trilogy at a time. She is also author of the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers and Building a Midshipman , the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. Her non-fiction includes 100+ books on tech into education, reviews as an Amazon Vine Voice and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics.
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The focus of this blog is Leonbergers but sometimes I post about books that are not about Leonbergers but that I want to promote. Today I am posting about Green Earth (Science in the Capital Trilogy) by Kim Stanley Robinson, a thick book. It is 1,088 pages to be exact. I gave it four stars, not five, so I am not entirely enthusiastic about it. It featured a few pages of anti-capitalist rhetoric (the author is very left-wing), which I found to be annoying and out of place, as well as some distracting dialogue and subplots that I thought the book could have done without. A book with more than 1,000 pages should be as lean and fast paced as possible.
I am still promoting it because I think Kim Stanley Robinson’s books in general are very good books and it is one of the more prominent books in a relatively new genre that is gaining significant traction, so called cli-fi, or climate science fiction. Cli-fi deals with the impacts of climate change and global warming and is one of the fastest-growing literary subgenres. Major publishers are releasing more titles in the genre and some cli-fi works are being adapted into films, TV series, and other media formats. Amazon typically lists these books as science fiction. It is a subgenre to keep an eye on.
Paperback – Publisher : Del Rey; Abridged edition (November 3, 2015), ISBN-10 : 1101964839, ISBN-13 : 978-1101964835, 1088 pages, Item Weight : 2.22 pounds, Dimensions : 6.1 x 1.9 x 9.2 inches, it cost $ 19.39 on US Amazon. Click here to order it from Amazon.com.
Front cover of Green Earth. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the paperback version of the book.
Amazon’s Description of Green Earth
The landmark trilogy of cutting-edge science, international politics, and the real-life ramifications of climate change—updated and abridged into a single novel
More than a decade ago, bestselling author Kim Stanley Robinson began a groundbreaking series of near-future eco-thrillers—Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, and Sixty Days and Counting—that grew increasingly urgent and vital as global warming continued unchecked. Now, condensed into one volume and updated with the latest research, this sweeping trilogy gains new life as Green Earth, a chillingly realistic novel that plunges readers into great floods, a modern Ice Age, and the political fight for all our lives.
The Arctic ice pack averaged thirty feet thick in midwinter when it was first measured in the 1950s. By the end of the century it was down to fifteen. One August the ice broke. The next year the breakup started in July. The third year it began in May. That was last year.
It’s a muggy summer in Washington, D.C., as Senate environmental staffer Charlie Quibler and his scientist wife, Anna, work to call attention to the growing crisis of global warming. But as they fight to align the extraordinary march of modern technology with the awesome forces of nature, fate puts an unusual twist on their efforts—one that will pit science against politics in the heart of the coming storm.
Praise for the Science in the Capital trilogy
“Perhaps it’s no coincidence that one of our most visionary hard sci-fi writers is also a profoundly good nature writer—all the better to tell us what it is we have to lose.”—Los Angeles Times
“An unforgettable demonstration of what can go wrong when an ecological balance is upset.”—The New York Times Book Review
An Interesting but Frightening Vision of the Future plus some Unnecessary Filler
In a future that is not too distant climate change / global warming is beginning to cause havoc. An island nation founded by Tibetan refugees is washed away due to sea level rise, the west Antarctic ice sheet is breaking up, the arctic ice disappears in the summer, the gulf stream is beginning to shut down, there’s severe storms, floods, extreme heat and drought, as well as extreme cold. Washington DC is ironically hard hit by natural disasters. The story is focused on Washington DC and to a lesser degree San Diego, California. There are scientists looking for solutions and politicians deflecting and other politicians who act on the problem.
One of the main characters is Frank Vanderwals, a respected scientist working for the National Science Foundation, falls in love with a woman, Caroline, who is involved in a very dangerous high level political intrigue and plots. He is homeless for a period of time during which Washington DC is hit by a record winter storm. Other characters in the book are Diane, who is the director of the National Science Foundation, Senator Phil Chase who is running for President, scientists Charlie and Anna Quibler and their children Nick and Joe. Charlie is an advisor to Phil Chase. Yann Pierzinski is a genius scientist who developed some algorithms that may be important for human genome editing and for solving climate change. I can add that the National Science Foundation is a real organization that I have a special connection with because they funded robotics research I did when I was young. I thought this was a fun aspect of the book. Other organizations mentioned were often made up.
This book has a lot to offer. There’s interesting science, climate change discussions, political intrigue, deadly games, thorough and well-done character development, and a lot of interesting subplots. The plot is rich and complicated but for the most part interesting. I enjoyed the discussions on gene editing, climate change, and the discussion on how to prevent the shut down of the Atlantic current. I enjoyed the discussions on Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, Yann Pierzinski’s algorithms, and Frank’s experiences as a homeless man. I slept in tents in the forest in northern Sweden when I did my Swedish army service and it was 40 below, so I very much identified with Frank during the winter storm in Washington DC. Some creepy but interesting features of the plot were the secret microchipping of people and the possibility of manipulating voting machines. I have a lot of good things to say about this book.
A few things I did not like about the book was that some of the dialogues and subplots seemed unnecessary and contained references to drugs or detailed romantic courtship that seemed out of place and added more pages than necessary to a book that is 1088 pages long. Sometimes the character development was too slow and featured unnecessary details. Frank was throwing frisbees with homeless people for a considerable amount of pages. Both Frank and Charlie seemed a bit incompetent despite their high-level positions. I also did not appreciate the leftwing / socialist propaganda around page 500. I realize that is how the author views the world, but it is not how I see things. The book seems to take place somewhere between 2030 and 2050 based on the futuristic technology and science described as well as the effects of climate change and yet there are payphones and Vietnam veterans. But maybe people will live longer, and payphones will make a comeback. Overall, I liked the book, and I recommend it, even though I think it would have been better, and 100 or 200 pages shorter, if the content I just complained about had been taken out.
Back cover of Green Earth. Click on the image to go to the Amazon page for the Kindle version of the book.
Canis Lupus Familiaris, the dog, is a close relative of the grey wolf. Dogs and wolves share a high percentage of DNA and are in fact the same species. They can mate and produce offspring referred to as wolf dogs. However, keeping wolves or wolf dogs as pets is not recommended. Our late Leonberger dog Bronco was in fact accused of being a wolf by a little boy and he was accused of being a bear by a neighbor. The boy was very close to being right.
Leonbergers are big dogs, and little boys may think they are wolves, but Leonbergers are very friendly.Mini Australian Shepherds like our dog Rollo may look like wolves but are rarely mistaken for wolves. A quacking duck can be very scary to little mini–Australian Shepherds.
Are Big Dogs Wolves ?
The short stories below are from my book “The Life and Times of Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle, Stories and Tips from Thirteen Years with a Leonberger”. A Leonberger is a large type of dog, a so-called giant breed, closely related to Saint Bernards, and allegedly also Great Pyrenees dogs Newfoundland dogs. Bronco weighed 140 pounds when he was not overweight.
Bronco was a big dog. Once when I was walking Bronco around the neighborhood, a neighbor who always let his black Labs run loose saw us. He shouted to his wife, “Honey, get the dogs inside! Someone is walking a bear out here.” I guess letting your large dogs run loose isn’t a problem until someone walks a dog much bigger than yours.
On a number of occasions, we’ve met people who said to us that Bronco is the biggest dog they’ve ever seen. However, there are bigger dogs. We’ve met bigger English bullmastiffs and bigger Great Danes.
One day I took Bronco into PetSmart, and after I did my shopping, he and I were standing in the checkout line. Bronco was very quiet and well-behaved, but a boy ahead of us in line became quite alarmed when he saw us. He shouted, “Look! A wolf, a wolf, a wolf!” He pointed his finger at Bronco. His mom tried to calm the boy, but he would not stop shouting. He didn’t seem to be afraid of Bronco, but he was really concerned that there was a big wolf in the pet store. I tried to explain to the boy that Bronco was not a wolf. He was just a big dog.
Since our neighbor called Bronco a bear, I am including a second image from Kevin’s post that I think illustrates what our neighbor saw as I walked passed his house. Well, I had only one Leonberger/Bear and I don’t have antlers or a beard, and our neighborhood does not have that many trees. Other than that, it is spot on.
Finally, a beautiful Nordic Lullaby sung by Jonna Jinton. Jonna Jinton is a Swedish singer who lives nearby Örnsköldsvik in northern Sweden, which is the town where I am originally from (now I live in Dallas, Texas). So, if you watch the video, the nature you see is from my old neighborhood.
The Lullaby is about a wolf who is hungry and cold, but he can’t have the singer’s baby for dinner. But she could offer a pig tail. What some may find remarkable about the Lullaby is that the mother being threatened by the wolf shows the wolf empathy. The existence of the stomach creates conflict between us creatures. To see the English translation turn on subtitles.
Leonberger Life 