​"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: Facing the Monster great story and Barbara is a great story teller and her skills are brilliantly reflected in this book for children 8 to 80.

What a refreshing plot. All of the characters are so believable. Lottie seems like someone that you have known who lives across town, down the street, or maybe even your next door neighbor. We need more stories like this one that show just how important family connections are. The older and younger generations connect in such a loving way as Lottie showed so much compassion for someone not of her race or gender. How awesome! There are lots of readers, young and old, who will find this and intriguing tale.
Wanda Hasley, Retired Teacher

​M. M. Bishop Award-winning author and poet

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFULLY TOLD CHAPTER BOOK FOR THE TWEEN

I bought this book at the local bookstore for my niece and just had to read it too.

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.

Candy b
5.0 out of 5 stars The suspense was unbelievable
Elaine Chauvier ran a bed and breakfast from her Antebellum home.
Archbishop Andre Figurant had just finished Mass and was seeing his parishioners out.
Bastian Figurant is the identical twin of the Archbishop.
Ofelia was Elaine's half-sister and was the child of her father's second wife.
Rudy was both Ofelia and Elaine's cousin and he was coming to visit.
Elaine thought she had gotten rid of the family but Ofelia was here and Rudy was coming in a week or so. She did not want to share Shadow's Way and she wouldn't.
Lanita worked for the Archbishop for six years as his housekeeper
A mystery set in the south just before a big hurricane comes to land. I enjoyed it and it was complicated with surprises, twists, and turns. It was well written and moved smoothly. The characters were well developed and interesting. The author did an excellent job keeping all the things together. It was coherent, laid out intelligently and kept your attention till the end. I don't usually read Mystery but this was a good one and I was glad I got the chance.
I received this ARC from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

​hightack

Wonderfully satisfying
​
My husband and I both read this book and loved it. It has memorable characters, magic, good and evil, and wonderful clothes! It is terrific commentary on spirituality vs. religion and relations between the races and social classes in the South. In short, this book is entertaining without being dumb.

Sparkling rocks, family secrets, and seductive liesMia’s advertising career masks a side job in the family business―the business is thievery and the competition kills. Partnering with her brother, Andy, Mia is drawn into a short timeline to plan a diamond heist to make good on Andy’s double-cross of the crime boss who hired him for the prior job. Openly teasing the mark, Mia plays with the jeweler’s attraction to her, insinuating herself into his life, gaining his confidence. When Andy’s past threatens them both, Mia abandons the heist and disappears. The mark, under Mia’s spell, hides and protects her from danger. They are both in peril as her brother’s stalker closes in on them. Alternating between ecstasy and fear, she has to make a fateful decision.
Is she placing her trust in the wrong man? Can a relationship built on lies become real?

​"This novella is written in an exciting, fast paced style. Just as each day flies by with new mysterious happenings, so does the actual reading. The character development is intriguing as the reader is soon cheering on the two burglars, hoping they will solve the mystery of who is on their trail...Author Inge-Lise Goss has developed an engaging and intriguing mystery in Diamonds and Lies."--Deborah Lloyd, Readers' Favorite Reviewer

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.

​Reading Lottie's Adventure was an imaginative excursion back to the heart of that warm summer day from my childhood when I quickly hopped on my bike and furiously rode down the street to save the deaf children from the evil ice cream man who came only to make fun of them. I think the spirit of Lottie lives in all of us and is celebrate in this delightful tale of innocence that know no social boundaries or limited thoughts but rather heart driven compassion!
Hailey Helm, Co-owner, Tinsel Delights, LLC

​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.

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?

Lee Broom
5.0 out of 5 stars
Southern suspense at its finest!
Format: Kindle Edition
Very intense book! Shadow's Way is a suspenseful, amazing story that centers around an antebellum home on the Gulf Coast that is the life's blood of Elaine Chauvier, a woman of aristocracy that boasts of ties to Robert E. Lee. It's a multi-layered story that seems to be a history of the house and its inhabitants, who have many secrets and obsessions. It turns it to be a horror story of a crazy woman who is out to kill anyone who gets in her way or who tries to take her precious home, Shadow's Way. It's a story of ghosts and sordid pasts, and a shameful history of the local catholic church. The people in the town who are related to Elaine or acquaintances are unaware at first of all the twisted plans and goings-on of the main lady of the house, but they soon find out when unexpected things start happening. It's a vivid, startling tale that I highly recommend, because I just couldn't stop reading this one until the very last word.

​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.

​“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. 

You'll Be Hooked on This Book
Verified Purchase
After only a few pages I was hooked by Like I Used to Dance and Barbara Frances' gifts as a storyteller. She creates multidimensional characters who are so real that I found myself thinking about them in between sessions with the book, and she weaves a plot that is by turns suspenseful, funny, touching and gripping. Set in a rural Texas community more than sixty years ago, the book explores social, racial and family themes -- many of which continue to resonate today. But above all, it's a great read! It will take you places where you've never been, from a KKK meeting that is both sinister and pathetic, to a heartbroken man's encounter with a mystical fox. Barbara Frances writes with insight, compassion, full knowledge of the human heart, and lots of twists, turns and surprises. Highly recommended.

M. M. Bishop Award-winning author and poet
5.0 out of 5 stars WILL SURELY BECOME ONE OF THE CLASSICS IN LITERATURE
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

​Start making money now as a handyman using only your home repair skills. Twelve chapters of valuable how-to information teach you how to:
*Find new customers
*Price every job to ensure profit
*Get paid in full for every job
*Expand your skills for profitability
*Use the Internet to increase profits
*Keep customers coming back and giving referrals
*Handle your accounting and taxes
*Become a highly paid home repair expert

Everything you need to know to succeed financially as a handyman. No fluff or hype, just down to earth details on exactly how to make money using your present skills.

​Five Stars by Jeremy
Great book written by a good man
Good useful information for anyone with a home repair business. I enjoyed
the read and will use the information in my business. 

Grady HarpTop Contributor: Children's Books
 
HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER
5.0 out of 5 stars `Relationships are not about competition between partners. It should be about giving and taking.'
Reviewed in the United States
Verified Purchase
A. William Benitez's career is not as a therapist (his work included the construction business, governmental housing official, woodworking, IT manager for Hyatt Regency, founder of Positive Imaging, LLC writing and publishing) and he succeeds in this book about Relationships because of the gentle manner in which he relates his insights. He has an innate understanding about relationships that work (he is currently happily married for 23 years in a very strong and sustainable marriage) and ones that fail (his first marriage of 17 years ended in divorce) and has the courage to admit that he is one half of each relationship - a gratifyingly honest approach to view life in retrospect as well as with introspection. Or as he states, `My goal with this book is that, as an individual, parent, grandparent, spouse, and lover, I might be able to share just a small amount of information you might find of value.'

As far as the structure of this warm book of supportive guidance is concerned the author states, `This book contains ten chapters entitled: What Is Love, What is a Good Relationship, Fostering and Nourishing Relationships, Harming Relationships, Mutual Respect, Boundaries, Marriage, Breakups and Divorce, Helpful Tips, and Final Thoughts. All the chapters contain information based almost exclusively on personal experience that I hope helps to create safe, happy, and healthy relationships.' And from that platform for discussion, we join Benitez in a drawing room atmosphere of heart to heart conversations about each of the topics he outlines.

His highlighted phrases scattered through the book are gems to ponder, phrases like `Love is caring for another person enough to want for her what she wants for herself, even if what she desires is not in your best interest.' After making statements such as this, Benitez dissects it, amplifies it with either personal experiences or postulated ones until we understand the concept completely.

So much of what is shared here is not earthshakingly original: there are therapists and erudite textbooks that serve that purpose. The reason Benitez succeeds is that he is so open and straightforward in the way he discusses those elements of humanity that must be respected in every individual in order to bond with another individual. His suggestions on how to nurture a relationship are simple but so often forgotten (as in the infinitely important art of conversing), his explanation of how to respect boundaries is as solid as anyone has written, and his definitions of how relationships can be harmed is especially poignant (and he is not afraid to discuss spousal abuse openly).

A few other phrases that stand out: `Regard your partner with consideration, appreciation, and acceptance just as she is, not as you believe she should be. Accept and value your partner's point of view even if it differs from yours. Honor your partner's right to privacy by not intruding, interfering, or spying.' `Boredom and predictability can hurt relationships as can the lack of joy and spontaneity.' This is a book of wisdom from experience - one that will touch many aspects of each reader's viewpoints and hopefully will provide examples for change where change is needed. Grady Harp

A Man Goes Up in Flames.
Was it an accident or murder?
Gwynn Reznick returns as a rookie private investigator…
…to find the truth.
Placed in an accounting role to watch the key players up close, she uncovers financial irregularities while delving into clues that lead her into dangerous situations. To obtain information, she becomes entangled with a tough crew of oil field workers. Their interpersonal jealousies and mysterious pasts intersect to obscure the truth.
Unraveling connecting threads that link to multiple disappearances, Gwynn discovers she’s pitted against polished criminal professionals and finds herself in the center of a devious scheme.
Money shortages and illicit affairs…
…point to several suspects.
Will her sleuthing blow her cover before her backup team arrives?</p
Any reader who enjoys action, adventure, murder mysteries, or just a plain good read will love Burning Water, the third book in the Gwynn Reznick series.

​Serenity...

HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWER
5.0 out of 5 stars ~~Lots of sleuthing in this one~~
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2021Verified Purchase
Gwynn Reznick is at it again! This novel contains some 'super sleuthing' by Gwynn and, in addition to the mystery of a murder, the author has written a novel containing a lot of excitement and thrills.

Starting with a man engulfed in flames, the action intensifies from there. The H & E Oil Company offers employment for Gwynn as she attempts to assist in a mystery in the office environment. What is going on with this oil company? Lots of missing details to begin with but one thing is for certain and that is no matter what , the oil must keep flowing!

The author writes a skillful murder mystery which offers several solutions in this 'who dun it'. One by one, the clues are unraveled and the murder is solved.

Characters are well defined and definitely contains a multi-level plot...The addition of strong female characters enhances the story, as well...Rosie, the safe cracker, did entertain me at the end of the novel...Would like to meet her in person!

Lots of thrills, action and a really intriguing mystery will keep the reader entertained until the last page is turned.