Author Amy L. Gale
AUTHOR AMY L. GALE
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Books
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Newsletter
  • Events
  • Reviews and Spotlights
  • The Gale Groupies
  • One Link Page

Keeping Up

What's going on, new awesome things, and all the fun stuff

!Blissful Tragedy

Book Spotlight- Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

3/27/2019

0 Comments

 

Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens

Picture
#1 New York Times Bestseller
A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick

"I can't even express how much I love this book! I didn't want this story to end!"--Reese Witherspoon

"Painfully beautiful."--The New York Times Book Review

"Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver."--Bustle


For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life--until the unthinkable happens.

Perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver and Karen Russell, Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
Picture
Picture
Picture
AMAZON
AUDIOBOOK

Editorial Reviews on Amazon


“A painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature....Owens here surveys the desolate marshlands of the North Carolina coast through the eyes of an abandoned child. And in her isolation that child makes us open our own eyes to the secret wonders—and dangers—of her private world.”--The New York Times Book Review

“Steeped in the rhythms and shadows of the coastal marshes of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, this fierce and hauntingly beautiful novel centers on...Kya’s heartbreaking story of learning to trust human connections, intertwine[d] with a gripping murder mystery, revealing savage truths. An astonishing debut.”--People

“This lush mystery is perfect for fans of Barbara Kingsolver.”--Bustle

“A lush debut novel, Owens delivers her mystery wrapped in gorgeous, lyrical prose. It’s clear she’s from this place—the land of the southern coasts, but also the emotional terrain—you can feel it in the pages.  A magnificent achievement, ambitious, credible and very timely.”—Alexandra Fuller, New York Times bestselling author of Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight

“Heart-wrenching...A fresh exploration of isolation and nature from a female perspective along with a compelling love story.”--Entertainment Weekly

“This wonderful novel has a bit of everything—mystery, romance, and fascinating characters, all told in a story that takes place in North Carolina.”—Nicholas Sparks, New York Times bestselling author of Every Breath

“Delia Owen’s gorgeous novel is both a coming-of-age tale and an engrossing whodunit.”--Real Simple

“Evocative...Kya makes for an unforgettable heroine.”--Publishers Weekly

“The New Southern novel...A lyrical debut.”--Southern Living

“A nature-infused romance with a killer twist.”--Refinery29

“Both a coming-of-age story and a mysterious account of a murder investigation told from the perspective of a young girl...Through Kya’s story, Owens explores how isolation affects human behavior, and the deep effect that rejection can have on our lives.”--Vanity Fair

“Lyrical...Its appeal ris[es] from Kya’s deep connection to the place where makes her home, and to all of its creatures.”--Booklist

“This beautiful, evocative novel is likely to stay with you for many days afterward....absorbing.”--AARP 

“Compelling, original...A mystery, a courtroom drama, a romance and a coming-of-age story, Where the Crawdads Sing is a moving, beautiful tale. Readers will remember Kya for a long, long time.”--ShelfAwareness

“With prose luminous as a low-country moon, Owens weaves a compelling tale of a forgotten girl in the unforgiving coastal marshes of North Carolina. It is a murder mystery/love story/courtroom drama that readers will love, but the novel delves so much deeper into the bone and sinew of our very nature, asking often unanswerable questions, old and intractable as the marsh itself. A stunning debut!”--Christopher Scotton, author of The Secret Wisdom of the Earth

“A compelling mystery with prose so luminous it can cut through the murkiest of pluff mud.”--Augusta Chronicle

“Carries the rhythm of an old time ballad. It is clear Owens knows this land intimately, from the black mud sucking at footsteps to the taste of saltwater and the cry of seagulls.”--David Joy, author of The Line That Held Us


About the Author


Picture

Delia Owens is the co-author of three internationally bestselling nonfiction books about her life as a wildlife scientist in Africa including Cry of the Kalahari.


She has won the John Burroughs Award for Nature Writing and has been published in Nature, The African Journal of Ecology, and many others.

She currently lives in Idaho. Where the Crawdads Sing is her first novel.

WEBSITE

Credits:

All pictures and information was obtained from Delia Owen's website at
https://www.deliaowens.com/ and from Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Where-Crawdads-Sing-Delia-Owens-ebook/dp/B078GD3DRG/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1552377329&sr=8-2

0 Comments

SPRING IS HERE!

3/20/2019

0 Comments

 

IT'S     S P R I N G!

Picture
PHOTO CREDIT

Fun Spring Activities Checklist

1. Plant something beautiful in your garden!
2. Go for a hike.
3. Have a picnic with your loved one(s) at a park.
4. Sit outside at a café and read a book.
5. Draw pictures on the sidewalk with chalk.
6. Skip stones.
7. Spring break VACATION!
8. Drink margaritas in the sun.
9. Enjoy the sound of a spring shower.
10. Smell the flowers.
11. Listen to the birds chirp.
12. Visit a pond and feed the ducks.
13. Go to a Farmer's Market and try something new.
14. Go on a road trip.
15. Cuddle on a blanket and gaze at the clouds.
16. Fly a kite.
17. Run barefoot in the grass.
18. Go to an outside concert.
19. Grab your camera and take pictures of nature.
20. Sleep with your windows open.
21. Have breakfast outside in your pajamas.
22. Take a nap in a hammock.
23. Blow bubbles.
24. Pick a bouquet of fresh flowers.
25. Watch the sunset.
26. Create some art outdoors.
27. Play hopscotch.
28. Have a campfire.
29. Visit the zoo.
30. Build a fort.
31. Go on a bug hunt.
32. Make a bird feeder.

0 Comments

Books to Read (March 2019)

3/13/2019

0 Comments

 

See Me
Nicholas Sparks


Picture
A powerful love story fueled with taut suspense, about an instant connection between two people who are both trying to escape the past, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks.


See me just as I see you . . .

Colin Hancock is giving his second chance his best shot. With a history of violence and bad decisions behind him and the threat of prison dogging his every step, he's determined to walk a straight line. To Colin, that means applying himself single-mindedly toward his teaching degree and avoiding everything that proved destructive in his earlier life. Reminding himself daily of his hard-earned lessons, the last thing he is looking for is a serious relationship.

Maria Sanchez, the hardworking daughter of Mexican immigrants, is the picture of conventional success. With a degree from Duke Law School and a job at a prestigious firm in Wilmington, she is a dark-haired beauty with a seemingly flawless professional track record. And yet Maria has a traumatic history of her own, one that compelled her to return to her hometown and left her questioning so much of what she once believed.

A chance encounter on a rain-swept road will alter the course of both Colin and Maria's lives, challenging deeply held assumptions about each other and ultimately, themselves. As love unexpectedly takes hold between them, they dare to envision what a future together could possibly look like . . . until menacing reminders of events in Maria's past begin to surface.

As a series of threatening incidents wreaks chaos in Maria's life, Maria and Colin will be tested in increasingly terrifying ways. Will demons from their past destroy the tenuous relationship they've begun to build, or will their love protect them, even in the darkest hour?

Rich in emotion and fueled with suspense, SEE ME reminds us that love is sometimes forged in the crises that threaten to shatter us . . . and that those who see us for who we truly are may not always be the ones easiest to recognize.

AMAZON

After We Collided
Anna Todd


Picture
Book 2 of the After series—newly revised and expanded, Anna Todd's After fanfiction racked up one billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the internet's most talked-about book for yourself from the writer Cosmopolitan called “the biggest literary phenomenon of her generation.”

Tessa has everything to lose. Hardin has nothing to lose...except her. AFTER WE COLLIDED...Life will never be the same. #HESSA

After a tumultuous beginning to their relationship, Tessa and Hardin were on the path to making things work. Tessa knew Hardin could be cruel, but when a bombshell revelation is dropped about the origins of their relationship—and Hardin’s mysterious past—Tessa is beside herself.

Hardin will always be...Hardin. But is he really the deep, thoughtful guy Tessa fell madly in love with despite his angry exterior—or has he been a stranger all along? She wishes she could walk away. It’s just not that easy. Not with the memory of passionate nights spent in his arms. His electric touch. His hungry kisses.

Still, Tessa’s not sure she can endure one more broken promise. She put so much on hold for Hardin—school, friends, her mom, a relationship with a guy who really loved her, and now possibly even a promising new career. She needs to move forward with her life.

Hardin knows he made a mistake, possibly the biggest one of his life. He’s not going down without a fight. But can he change? Will he change...for love?

AMAZON

The 100
Kass Morgan


Picture
The first book in the New York Times bestselling series that inspired the hit CW television show.

No one has set foot on Earth in centuries--until now.

Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents -- considered expendable by society -- are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life...or it could be a suicide mission.

Clarke was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. Wells, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves -- but will she ever forgive him? Reckless Bellamy fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And Glass managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth.

Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope.

AMAZON

The Chemist
Stephenie Meyer


Picture
In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life.

She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn't even have a name. And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.

Now she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They've killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon.

When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it's her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers. To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous.

Resolving to meet the threat head-on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of.

In this tautly plotted novel, Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she's one of the world's bestselling authors.

AMAZON

Dead Until Dark
Charlaine Harris


Picture
Sookie's beginning to get used to being surrounded by all varieties of undead, changeling, shapeshifting and other supernatural beings - but even she has her limits. She'd really like to take a while to get over being betrayed by Bill, her long-time vampire lover, and get used to her new relationship with the sexy shapeshifter Quinn - but instead, she finds herself attending the long-planned vampire summit, the destination of choice for every undead power player around, as a sort-of human 'Geiger counter' for Sophie-Anne Leclerq, vampire queen of Louisiana. But the job is fraught with difficulties. Sophie-Anne's power base has been severely weakened by Hurricane Katrina, and she's about to be put on trial during the event for murdering her king. Sookie knows the queen is innocent, but she's hardly prepared for other shocking murders: it looks like there are some vamps who would like to finish what nature started. With secret alliances and backroom deals the order of the day - and night - Sookie must decide which side she'll stand with, and quickly, for her choice may mean the difference between survival and all-out catastrophe.
AMAZON
0 Comments

National Oreo Cookie Day

3/6/2019

0 Comments

 

HAPPY NATIONAL OREO COOKIE DAY!

MARCH 6TH


Homemade Oreo Cookies Recipe

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Photos Credit: https://www.blessthismessplease.com/homemade-oreo-cookies/
Details

  • Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 24 Cookies
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven / Mixer
  • Cuisine: American

Description
Homemade Oreo cookies made with dark cocoa powder that are crispy on the outside with a perfect cream filling in the middle.


Ingredients
Dough
  • 1 1/4 cups butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup dutch processed cocoa or dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups flour
Cream Filling
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 T. vanilla extract
  • Water

Instructions
  1. In a stand mixer, with a cookie paddle attached, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the cocoa powder, salt, and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Add half of the flour and mix. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time until you get a pretty dry dough. You don’t want the dough to be sticky at all and it might even crumble just a little. Don’t be worried about a dry dough…we want a cookie that doesn’t spread when baked and is crispy! Divide the dough into 3 balls and pat them together to form a disk. Cover the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
  2. Now if your world is crazy like mine and 3 hours instead of 15 minutes pass before you get back to baking, let the dough rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. The butter makes the dough super stiff if it’s too cold.
  3. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic from one disk and roll your dough out between two pieces of parchment paper or on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough thin! We are talking 1/4 inch to an 1/8 inch thick. Use a 2 inch circle cutter to cut out the cookies. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes. It’s super hard to tell when a near black cookie is done. I baked mine for 10 minutes the first round and they tasted burnt on the bottom, so you’ll need to adjust as you go. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool.
  4. While the dough is chilling, mix up the cream filling. Using a stand mixer with a cookie paddle attachment, mix the powdered sugar, melted butter, and vanilla extract together. Add 1 teaspoon of water at a time, if needed, until the mixture resembles a thick dough that is about the constancy of play dough.
  5. Divide the filling in half and roll it into a log that is about 2 inches wide. Roll the log in plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge while the cookies are baking.
  6. After the cookies are cool, it’s time to assemble! Remove the filling from the plastic wrap. Using a sharp knife, slice off a piece that is between 1/4 to a 1/2 inch thick. This is the fun part of making your own Oreos. You can have traditional cream thickness, double stuffed, or even triple stuffed! Oh the wonder!
  7. Stack a cookie, cream, and then another cookie. Press lightly together. Repeat, repeat, repeat! Serve with milk – whole milk if you are feeling really decadent!
Recipe Credit: https://www.blessthismessplease.com/homemade-oreo-cookies/
0 Comments
    Picture
    AMAZON
    BARNES AND NOBLE 
     FACEBOOK    
     TWITTER     
     TUMBLR     
     PINTEREST

     GOODREADS

    Picture

    Author

    Animal lover, Author and Pharmacist 

    Archives

    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.