by Alan Black
Great action, wonderful word visuals of the planetoid city, the spaceships and the mining operations along with a multitude of colorful characters made Chewing Rocks hard to walk away from. When I got to the arbitration scenes with Therese Cleasemount, I just simply couldn't put my iPad down; actually found myself chuckling now and then. I think maybe our justice system could learn a little bit from Miss Cleasemount.
Chewing Rocks was simply a joy to read.
By James Paddock (author of Deserving of Death)
STEEL WALLS AND DIRT DROPS
Worth reading as it's a pretty good mil sci-fi with plenty of action
Hard hitting and had a decent plot. I enjoyed the depiction of a mutiny very much. Most times I read any fiction about a mutiny it's usually over fast and rarely gone into detail over…
Over all well worth the read
By Roknar (review on Amazon)
TITANIUM TEXICANS
Another amazing story
… a remarkable science fiction action adventure for the young and young at heart. It is a good old-fashioned space opera with good guys vs. bad guys. We have enough action to keep the adventurous entertained, enough romance to keep the lovers diverted, and enough humor to keep the rest of us reading.
Tasso Menzies is a 16 year old boy who has had to bury his grandfather, literally! And his only remaining relative sells him off to a space going freighter filled with Texans of Mexican descent. This coming of age story wraps us up as we watch Tasso grows from being a lost young boy to a maturing young adult in unknown and confusing environment.
This is written for all ages, while there is some violence, and brief nudity it is much less than a youngster will see on cable TV. There is minimal cursing and it has been brilliantly written to give the reader a smooth engaging story.
By NonStop (review on Amazon)
THE FRIENDSHIP STONES
(BOOK ONE OF AN OZARK MOUNTAIN SERIES)
A Heartwarming and Innocent Look at Life
Settle in and get ready to read a heartwarming coming of age story for a young and innocent young girl living in an isolated and poverty-stricken area of the Ozark Mountains in the 1920s. LillieBeth has only known the most basic and simple pleasures of life, food on the table, the love of family, and her unfailing belief in the teachings of God, her teacher and her Sunday Services. She is twelve years old, an age where she starts to notice boys, starts to fantasize of being married, but only in the most innocent of ways. She is still able to enjoy playing outdoors when there is time, but as her life progresses, her responsibilities grow and she becomes determined to do what God would want and share her time with those who are the least likely to have anyone to be their friend, because they need love the most.
LillieBeth attempts to befriend a bitter old soldier who trusts no one and makes no bones about not wanting her on his property. Determined, she returns over and over, in spite of a horrendous experience that could have ruined her, had she not been so emotionally strong. When her world comes crashing down and her family is forced to move out of their run down home, perhaps all of the good she has always tried to spread will come back to her through God’s mysterious ways.
The Friendship Stones by Alan Black is one of the most beautifully written tales I have ever read, part historical fiction, part inspirational reading, part coming of age, told through the mind and heart of a twelve-year-old girl, the innocence of youth and the times shines through like a glittering diamond. Alan Black took me to a time and place I have never been to and yet, I could see it plainly in my mind, the simple joys of life and giving and being happy with what one has, while struggling to survive. Let go of your mind’s control and you will experience the dusty roads, the rocky fields and poverty that is all these people have known. There is no fast action, no great adventure, no thunderous preaching, just a journey that can be savored and reveled in through the eyes and heart of young LillieBeth.
Had I missed reading The Friendship Stones I would have missed some of the magic of books.
By Dii at Tome Tender (top 500 Amazon reviewer)
THE GRANITE HEART
(BOOK TWO OF AN OZARK MOUNTAIN SERIES)
I look forward to the next book.
I bought this yesterday! Again, this book, the second in the series of Ozark Mountains, is so refreshing. I was sad that it ended. I look forward to the "next" book. (It's coming soon!)
I shared with my sister, that Alan has expertly woven God in the storyline. She has now bought "The Friendship Stones" (See my review on this book) in the Kindle version at Amazon. The fact that a mother and son could team up together and give us high quality AND fun reading, it's just absolutely wonderful. The glossary at the end of the book is great learning. Made me laugh at how many I knew!
Enjoy reading!
By Frances Villa (review on Amazon)
THE HEAVIEST ROCK
(BOOK THREE OF AN OZARK MOUNTAIN SERIES)
This book is different from the usual crime stories I read in that it takes place in the Ozark Mountains and the characters really stand out. After the main character Grace's husband Clayton is murdered, the story goes on with her and a twelve-year-old fearless girl begins tracking down his killers. The girl LillieBeth however is sometimes referred to as a woman by Grace, which is something I don't get. She's only twelve! But, they fearlessly go on the trail of the murderers. LillieBeth heads right in where most people wouldn't go - straight into the Lion's Den, you might say, and it is enjoyable (I almost said "watching her") reading of her antics as the book travels on. Most readers will enjoy this book.
Go get it!
By Lila L. Pinord (author or Skye Dancer)
CHASING HARPO
Enjoyable Read to the end
I really enjoyed Chasing Harpo. I connected well with the characters, especially Harpo the Orangutan. To read some of the story from his POV was delightful and refreshing. The story keeps you immersed from start to finish with believable characters and plot. Well done to Alan on this one!
By Amanda L Mackey (author of She Who Dares Wins)
A COLD WINTER
I love it when the author can pull you in and ...
Let’s go on a expedition with one brave ,determined, gutsy woman on her own to defend and protect what she has.
Once again, Mr. Black takes you on a journey where you are right there in the moment forgetting the cares and concerns of the everyday and he puts you right in the adventure he is telling. You can see the cold vapor of the air, feel it seeping into your bones, grasp the situation in hand, and know the decisions you are making are going to have a huge impact on your survival.
I love it when the author can pull you in and leave you wanting more to the point you just can't stop reading you are so lost in the moment. Mr. Black is that kind of author
By Tammie (review on Amazon)
About the author
Alan Black has been writing novels since 1997 when he started Eye on The Prize. His writing tastes are as eclectic as his reading preferences. Alan admits that he loves writing much more than editing and the whole publishing process. Marketing of his work leaves him as baffled as the whole string theory thing.
Alan was born in central Kansas and grew up in Gladstone, Missouri. He graduating from Oak Park Senior High School and eventually earning a liberal arts degree from Longview Community college. He spent most of his adult life in the Kansas City area. The exception came at the orders from the U.S. Air Force when he was stationed in Texas, California, Maryland, and Japan. He and his wife were married in the late 70s and moved back to Independence, Missouri, but now live in sunny Arizona. He says the dry desert air stimulates his creativity more than the juicy air in Missouri (pronounced here as ‘misery’) and he has yet to shovel sunshine out of the driveway.
His desire to write started in the second grade. He was given an assignment to write a short story about Greek mythology. His teacher took the time to call his parents and express her appreciation of the story. Although neither o
f his patents remembered the incident, it had an impact on him, eventually leading him to write Eye On The Prize, taking two years to complete. He has gotten faster since then completing a recent manuscript in three weeks
Alan Black is a #1 bestselling author on Amazon and Kindle for Metal Boxes, a young adult, science fiction, military, action adventure. He has published ten novels. Black is a self-published multi-genre writer. One writer friend called him ‘timeless’ because he wrote historical books, novels based in the present and tales of the future. His main goal is to write story driven novels with scifi novels that are more character and action driven than focused on science, story driven historical books that are not history lessons and entertainment based literary fiction.
Alan Black's vision statement:
“I want my readers amazed they missed sleep because they could not put down one of my books. I want my readers amazed I made them laugh on one page and cry on the next. I want to give my readers a pleasurable respite from the cares of the world for a few hours.
I want to offer stories I would want to read.”
For more about the author - www.alanblackauthor.com