​Winnie Award Winner at the Equus Film Festival. Best Equine Rescue book.
Dinky: The Nurse Mare’s Foal is the story of one little foals fight for survival after being taken from his mother within hours of his birth. Dinky, takes us on a poignant trip through the heart and mind of an animal, who was born for the sole purpose of producing milk in the mare. In the elite world of horses, Dinky was considered a by-product, a ‘junk foal.’

Dinky’s story will resonate with animal lovers, as well as anyone who has adopted. Although a horse, his story has been called an adoption story. The reader can follow him through the heartbreak, cruelty, loneliness, and finally to happiness in his forever home. His story is based on true events. Each event from the moment the author met Dinky actually happened, though it is the author’s interpretation of what he might have been thinking and feeling during the occasions described in his story. His early life which is unknown has been fictionalized by the author and constructed through research and imagination.

There are many wonderful animal rescue leagues, many are very empathic to these young animals, though some are not. Since Ms. Bishop has no knowledge of Dinky’s early days she used the latter to enhance the strength of his story.

It will break your heart, open your eyes, lift you up, and teach you much about horses. It is suitable for all ages.

​Cyrus Webb
TOP 500 REVIEWER
5.0 out of 5 stars Marta Moran Bishop's DINKY shows the reader that all life is valuable
Reviewed in the United StatesIf you have had the pleasure to spend any time with Marta Moran Bishop you know that she is a lover of life. That is true in the way she treats humans as well as animals. The story of Dinky is one that should give all of us pause, and since Marta allows us to see the world through Dinky's eyes we are able to realize just how important all life is.

To know that some consider life easily expendable once it has served its purpose is difficult enough, but imagine being the one looked at as being worthless and less than. How would you feel knowing that to some what you have to offer is more valuable than your life. Through Dinky the Nurse Mare's Foal we see Dinky handle life in a new environment and how some saw him worth saving and wanted to help him survive and thrive.

The book is entertaining but it's hard to read it and not think what if Dinky was a human being. How would you feel in that situation? Would you give up or do all you could to live a healthy happy life.

Prepare to be spellbound. Barbara Frances' long-awaited third novel, “Shadow's Way,” takes you to the coastal, deep South, where the past and the present mingle in a gothic tale of insanity, murder, and sexual intrigue.
You'll meet the beautiful Elaine Chauvier, former actress and proprietor of Shadow's Way, her family's antebellum home; the esteemed Archbishop Andre Figurant and his fallen identical twin, Bastien; newly arrived Ophelia and Rudy, here to explore their Chauvier roots and their ties to Shadow's 
Way; and the mysterious Madame Claudine. Under a veneer of piety and graciousness, i.e., the questions: What is good? What is evil? What is reality? ​

Martha Iglehart
5.0 out of 5 stars Mysterious, Suspenseful & Dramatic

Barbara Frances keeps you turning the pages of Shadow’s Way. I found it mysteriously suspenseful as it pulled me in and out of places in time both familiar and unfamiliar to me. I loved getting to know the characters and each part they played in this highly intriguing story. Halfway through the book I became anxious in wanting to know how this story would end. Barbara Frances did not let me down. She tells a great story! 

​Ms. Francis’ novel Shadow’s Way, had me enthralled from page one, it kept me reading until so late into the night that I used a flashlight in order not to wake my husband.
I’ve always enjoyed reading gothic tales, but this one went beyond most that I had read. The synopsis was correct, past and present mingled and left me on the edge of my seat. Was G – G – Daddy a real paranormal experience or a figment of Elaine Chauvier’s imagination, which got worse as she sunk deeper into insanity?
I loved the various characters that Ms. Francis brought into play as needed to heighten the story. They were well rounded and interconnected in ways that one has to keep reading to get the full picture.

Lottie's Adventure: Facing The Monster, is an action-packed children's book written especially for ages 8 through 14. Children will enjoy this exciting read while also improving their reading skills. Twenty-nine chapters filled with twists and turns keep kids reading to discover the outcome.
Lottie, a lively ten-year old Hispanic girl, longs for something new and different in her life. Her summers up to this point have all been, more or less, the same. Then the arrival of a magical letter and a TV newscast transforms her vacation time in a high adventure.
​Her great adventure includes trying to relate to a cold, estranged, and rich grandmother, freeing a kidnapped ten-year-old African American boy from a locked room, hiding him in a safe place, and then fleeing with him from a kidnapper who is always just a step or two behind.

​Lottie's Adventure is a vibrant chapter book mystery for preteens that emphasizes the importance of intergenerational communication and love as well as the immense value of thinking beyond cultural stereotypes. To develop a new moral code or vision, both these elements are crucial. Perhaps the most striking quality of "Lottie's Adventure: Facing The Monster" is its powerful positive energy. Featuring a spunky 10-year-old Hispanic heroine, "Lottie's Adventure" keeps interest high and pages turning with exciting plot twists and turns and believable cliffhangers that just keep evolving. The author allows her characters to develop very naturally, with total authenticity. There are many excellent ideas embedded in the story, not the least of which is that people, even wise adults, can learn to admit they are wrong. "Lottie's Adventure" goes a long way towards building a viable alternative to prejudice, and for that and many other reasons, it is highly recommended juvenile reading for kids age 10 and up.

​While reading Barbara Frances’ chapter book Lottie’s Adventure: Facing the Monster, I was swept back to the books of my childhood. A place where tweens helped each other and became heroes without the use of make-believe or magic brooms. Just plain old smarts, ingenuity, and integrity.
I was engrossed in the story of Lottie, a Hispanic girl, as she helped Charles Ray a black boy, who had been kidnapped escape and confront the bad guy, outsmarting him, while facing their own fears. The friendship that grew between the two was a lesson in how people all want the same things out of life regardless of their upbringing, race, or nationality.

It is a compelling and wonderful tale that I’d recommend to both adults and the tween alike

​“Our kids, my, my, Gracie” laughed Bud. “Where did we go wrong? One marries God, another a Jew and the last one, the devil!”

Texas, 1951. The Wolanskys—Grace, Bud and their three grown children—are a close-knit clan, deeply rooted in their rural community and traditional faith. On their orderly farm, life seems good and tomorrow always holds promise.
But under the surface, it’s a different story. Grace is beset by dark memories and unnamed fears, calmed only by practicing a secret obsession. Their son Andy has said no to becoming a farmer like his dad and, worse, has fallen in love with a big-city Jewish girl. Youngest child Regina is trapped in a loveless marriage to an abusive, alcoholic husband. Even “perfect” daughter Angela’s decision to become a nun unleashes consequences no one could foresee.
And then Ceil Dollard breezes into town.
Ceil—wealthy, sophisticated, irrepressible—is like a visitor from Mars. She’s a modern woman. She drives a car and wears pants. She blows away tradition and certainty, forcing Grace to face her fears and brave a changing world. Through Ceil, Grace learns about courage and pleasure—but at the risk of losing Bud.
Barbara Frances’ sparkling, richly human novel takes you back to a time when Ike was president and life was slower, but people were the same as now. You’ll encounter a cast of characters storm-tossed by change, held together by love. Written with compassion, humor and suspense, Like I Used to Dance will charm you, warm you and even squeeze a few tears, from its opening number to the last waltz.

M. M. Bishop Award-winning author and poet
5.0 out of 5 stars WILL SURELY BECOME ONE OF THE CLASSICS IN LITERATURE
Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2020
It is easy to see how Like I Used To Dance by Barbara Frances won awards. It is a novel that should easily find its way into classic literature. It is not just the story of the Wolanskys, who live in a small farming town in the nineteen-fifty’s, but the story of life, and how even generations of family issues can affect each new generation unless something happens to break the cycle.
Ms. Frances paints a picture of each character, their weaknesses, as well as the strength in their character. From Grace, and Bud, their three grown children, to neighbors, and friends, each is drawn with a fine pencil, fully formed, and genuine, some are people you wish you knew, and others you would like to string up. Yet, each is so well crafted as to be able to see them in your life, or town.
Whether she is painting the generous nature of Bud, to the horror of Billy Ray, Ms. Frances brings us a full picture of life as it was, and life as it still is. Many things may have changed in our world, underneath there is still an underbelly of both the beauty and ugliness of human nature.
Like I Used To Dance was not a book that I could easily put down, but sat up till the wee hours of the morning reading.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

​Lifted me up!
I honestly felt that I was a constant & very close onlooker in this story! I could feel the sand swirling around me, it's grit in my mouth. Each story told by another traveler kept me alert, anxious, and excited! With each experience the Magi had.... the author made me feel that I was one with the characters. I was a character! Whether it be a suffering animal eager to please my master. Or a man drinking and playing games with other men. And believe me these are not activities that I would be an eager participant! Ugh and the raw odor of men was thick and real! This story was REAL and I will miss watching and playing my part !!!
Bytallon

​E.A. Sharpe wrote an absolutely wonderful story that will give you a lift and show what commitment to a goal will bring to you.
It is the story of a Magi who missed his fellow Magi on their quest to find the child whom the star and prophecy spoke of. Yet he sets out on his own, and through hardship, and delays he gives all he has to help those in need along the way.
Years later he feels he is too late, but is he?
I loved this short book of Artaban’s quest to find Christ and believe it is a story that is a great read at any time of the year, especially at Easter.

​5.0 out of 5 stars A love letter
Reviewed in the United States
Verified Purchase
The author and his wife are among my, and my wife’s, closest friends. Whatever else this book is it is a love letter from Bill to Barbara -- and it’s beautiful. It’s also I think a marvelous acknowledgement of how we learn from our significant other how to love them. Our job is to be ready, willing and able. Bill’s stress on the importance of mindfulness, communication and feeling-management reflect the current teachings of neuroscience and psychology today, and millennia of social wisdom. But the reason this works affects me strongly, and will others I imagine, is precisely because it is far less the result of his academic mastery of all this than an expression of his own personal, inward journey. I feel him as my brother here, not as a student feels a teacher.

​M. M. Bishop Award-winning author and poet
5.0 out of 5 stars  IT MADE ME THINK AND TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT MY OWN ACTIONS
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2020

Mr. Benitez’s book RELATIONSHIP helped me take a long hard look at what I could do better in all my relationships and in particular those with my husband.
What part do I play in the issues that arise in our marriage on a daily basis?
I found this book extremely helpful and insightful too.

Oil Is Vanishing From The Cisco Field And Revealing It Becomes A Death SentenceNewly trained and ready to rock her first assignment, Gwynn Reznick goes undercover posing as an accountant for the Prudell Energy Company. After fending off the unwanted advances of a company executive, she stumbles on a murder scene staged to look as an accident. Then she learns another employee died in a suspicious oil well accident and a large quantity of oil is missing from the Cisco field.
˃˃˃ A Wild Mix Of Action, Adventure And Mystery All In One Fast-Paced Thrill-Ride!Her boss (and boyfriend) Ruben calls and warns Gwynn not to go poking her nose where it doesn’t belong and to wait for his directions. She promptly ignores his orders and sets out to solve the case, which quickly spirals out of her control as she ends up on the perpetrators’ hit list. Will Gwynn be able to maintain her cover”"or risk everything to crack the case?
˃˃˃ This One Will Have You On The Edge Of Your Seat Until The Very End!Any reader who enjoys action, adventure, murder mysteries, or just a plain good read will love Cisco Bandits: A Gwynn Reznick Mystery.

AA Pearce
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting and Suspenseful ThrillerReviewed in the United States on April 21, 2015
Verified Purchase
I love thrillers, but the one thing I’m always missing is a story with a strong female in the lead role. And that’s exactly what this book has. Gwynn Reznick is a resourceful young woman, who knows her stuff when it comes to stealthy, undercover operations, and she uses all her skills and charms to get the job done. The one thing I really loved about this book is how the author managed to portray Gwynn as a skilled undercover operative, or PI, in a world of high stakes business without sacrificing her femininity, or having her do her job using seduction, etc. which seems to be the stereotypical role of women in thrillers.

Overall, the book is very well written and well paced. The author has a clear and concise writing style and I had no trouble picturing the scenes in the book as they unfolded. The twists and turns will keep you guessing right up to the end, and, believe me, you’ll be glued to the page for the duration. I know I was!

Highly recommended for all thriller fans!

​She sat motionless…
…her body tense with anticipation.
What happened next nearly stopped her heart.
In this world, nothing was as it seemed. There must be someone who pulled the strings, but it was hard to say who was behind the plot. She had to focus. Nothing else mattered. She needed answers.
But at what cost?
If she continued…
…she might never get to sleep.
That's what happens when you start reading this anthology. You'll be transported into 13 different worlds of intrigue and suspense. Each page will make you continue to the next, because these Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling story tellers are masters of their craft.
What hides in the shadows?
Sleep can wait.
You'll love the hours of joy from reading these stories, because the twists, turns, and richly imagined characters will stay with you for a long time. Isn't that what a good book is supposed to do?