The Devil & Preston Black - Jason Jack Miller - A Review

One afternoon I was on Twitter I clicked "follow" for a publishing company,  I browsed through lists of authors and started adding some of my favorites. Suddenly people started following me back or following me 'fresh' - I found a whole world of authors and book bloggers that I never knew existed.

Because of that afternoon I found an amazing bunch of  'indie' published authors with some really great books! One of those people is Jason Jack Miller - author of The Devil & Preston Black.

Jason Jack Miller is a writer, photographer and musician (and a teacher). You can find out more about him on his blog.

From Jason's blog:

The Devil & Preston Black 

You'd think finding a song named after you on an old record would be kind of cool. But that's not how it goes down for Preston Black.

What starts out as a search for his old man turns into a quest for an original version of "The Sad Ballad of Preston Black". Turns out the song is about his deal with the devil, a deal Preston doesn't really remember making.

When the devil decides it's time to cash in things get really interesting. People he loves get hurt, and Preston starts to wonder if a long fall into an icy river is his only way out.

Lucky for Preston, he has help. A music ethnographer with connections in some of Appalachia's darkest hollows convinces him that his salvation can be found in the music. Preston can buy that. It's the hexes, curses and spells he has a hard time with.

And it's the ghost of John Lennon who convinces Preston to do something about it.

Jason was kind enough to give me a free e copy of his novel and I promised to write a review once I was finished reading his book. As it turns out I started and finished The Devil & Preston Black in a little more than a day, it was that good. From page one I was hooked and couldn't wait to see how the tale unfolded.

Black is a man in his late(ish) 20's who is faced with a decision - follow his dreams of being a rock star ( or at the very least a well loved musician ) or join the grown-up world and get a 'real' job.
Woven in to the tale is a musical journey - Black is in a record shop one afternoon and finds an album with a song on it - it would seem the song is about him. He embarks on a journey of self discovery that afternoon to find out more about the song, to find out if the song is about him and to find out whether or not he made a deal with the devil that he is pretty sure he didn't make.

Music means something different to all of us, the common thread is that everyone loves music. Miller has done an exceptional job of weaving this tale around the world of music. There are references spanning 9 (and probably more) decades of music and it doesn't matter if you know a darn thing about any of it - you are drawn in time and time again wanting to know more. ( I had to stop reading the book just to look up different instruments and musicians because I was so enthralled with the descriptions in the novel). Pretty amazing that I can read a fiction novel and learn so much at the very same time.

You don't have to be a musician or even like a specific type of music to love this novel.
Miller writes a tale that takes us to great spots little known in urban/rural America. You feel as if you are there experiencing things with Preston Black as he fights for his soul and reaches for redemption from this life he's been cursed with.

I won't say more about the plot - I don't want to ruin anything for you.
I will tell you that this book is 5 star quality - you'll be glad you read it, promise.

You can read the first 100 pages on Jason's blog http://jasonjackmiller.blogspot.com/p/devil-and-preston-black.html
Alternatively you can purchase it for your e-reader from Smashwords or Amazon.com

Hi there, How are you today ? What can I get for you ?

It's Friday - that means my work week is just starting, I'm a server aka a waitress and I love my job.

I went to school to become a nurse and after 2 years I realized it wasn't the job for me, what I really wanted to do was be a server - for life. Yep I love it that much. Meeting new people from all over the world and getting to know regular customers locally makes me happy. Everyone has a story to tell and learning about people is so much fun.Plus I love food, and what better place to get to talk about it and learn about it that in a restaurant ?

You know what else I have learned ? Some people think I am lower than them because I am serving them their meals. They talk down to me, they call me names (really bad names) and they are just plain rude. Do you know I make less than minimum wage while I am serving ? I rely on tips to make a decent wage. If you can't tip for good service and good food you probably shouldn't go out to eat, of course I realize not everyone can afford to leave a giant tip - but a gesture of a dollar or 2 is always nice, it shows you appreciate the service you received.

Here's some interesting information about tipping customs around the world All about Gratuity

I completely understand if you aren't satisfied with your service and you choose not to leave a tip - however I am always doing my absolute best to ensure you have an enjoyable meal and a nice time when you are sitting in my section. If you are unhappy with something mention it nicely, I will do my best to correct the problem and if I can't personally do anything I will pass on your concerns to the management.

Please realize I am not the one who owns the restaurant nor am I the person who created the menu or who cooked your meal - all I did was take your order and bring you what you asked for, and I did it really nicely. Don't yell at me because we don't carry something, because your whatever was cold or because you are just having a crappy day. I am not the cause of it. But if you are unhappy please refer to the above mentioned statement regarding it being my pleasure to correct the problem to the best of my ability.

So readers please remember the next time you go out to eat (or get a hair cut or have your nails done etc) We in the service industry are working for our tips - most of us love our jobs and work really hard to make sure you have a good experience at our establishments - consider that when you are paying your bill next time :)

Enjoy your weekend everyone !

Tourism means I have a job

You travel and go out to eat or shop in local area stores, your money is directly affecting the economy of the place you are visiting in a positive way. I thank you for that.

Why oh why is it that I sit in a community that needs tourists to come here and help to support our economy and listen day in and day out to 'locals' bitching about how much they hate tourists.

Hello locals - these horrible tourists buy your products, eat in your restaurants and stay on your hotels and campgrounds. Without them you would not have a business as successful as you do.

These tourists pay my bills, I rely heavily on tips being a server to supplement my income. I appreciate every penny I get.

My husband works in tourism organizing events for tourists and locals alike, without tourists he wouldn't have a job - because of you we are both employed and we love our jobs.

Let me thank each and every one of you for coming to my community to see what we have to offer! I appreciate you and your families. I hope you all come in droves to visit us this year and next and for every year after that. I hope that the locals don't make you feel unwelcome because we need you and we like you.

Maybe you'd like to come to my community on your vacation - check out the area - we have some pretty cool stuff happening this summer  http://www.saublebeachevents.com/ or http://www.wiarton.ca/

Awesome Peanut Butter Cups

This afternoon I wanted something peanutbuttery (ya I am using that as a word) so I made my own peanut butter cups.

I can create a recipe all by myself - I'm normally afraid to do this but these turned out super well ! The kids loved them, the hubby said they were "really good" and I thought they were yummy !


1 bag milk chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter plus 1/2 teaspoon (not light - crunchy or smooth)
1 cup icing sugar
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix peanut butter, icing sugar, graham crumbs and salt until mixed well - it should be the consistency of cookie dough. Roll about 1 teaspoon worth each for 24 into balls, set aside.

Melt chocolate in microwave on half power, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn (this takes about 2 minutes)
You can use the double boil method but honestly the microwave is just easier. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon peanut butter and stir until smooth.

Using mini muffin liners spoon a small amount of chocolate into each liner and spread to coat sides.
Place the balls of peanut butter filling you have made into each muffin liner and flatten slightly.
Reheat the chocolate for 15 seconds or so and top each mini liner filled with peanut butter centre with chocolate, smooth it out so it looks pretty.

Refrigerate for about 1 hour and eat them all at once :) (or not cause you might get sore teeth because they are so decadent)
Enjoy !
These are so so good, they are so close to reeses peanut butter cups - you will be amazed !

Spring is around the corner !

The little ladies and I were doing some house cleaning this morning (me cleaning them helping to make more messes) and I realized that the girls need shoes for the spring and summer that is fast approaching. I figured we'd head out to Walmart or the mall and see what was available in the next couple of weeks.

I sat down to enter a few contests for the day and came across a great giveaway over at Family Focus Blog

 Umi -  shoes look fantastic and comfy and they are oh so cute ! We looked through the styles and the girls found a couple pairs each that they like.

We are hoping for a win on this one so we can give the shoes a try, who knows they are so cute I may just have to order a couple sets before the nice weather arrives.

A Curvy Review - Gerry Bartlett - Real Vampires Have Curves

Gerry Bartlett's Real Vampires Have Curves was a whim choice from a list of books available at my library via E-borrowing.
I was immediately hooked on Glory - a humorous independent vampire with a beautiful size 12 waist line with clearly far too many choices in the handsome men department, 1 book would not do, I NEEDED more.
Not only did I borrow and read this book in less than 2 days, I immediately went back for more and read the first 5 novels in a little more than a week.

Bartlett has a real talent for making the reader see a part of themselves in the beautifully developed characters she writes about -from Glory (Glorianna St.Clair) the strong willed trouble attracting made vampire to Valdez her companion and body guard shifter labradoodle you fall in love over and over again.
For anyone that loves a good romance/mystery with a healthy dose of laughs added into the mix, these books are for you.
I would absolutely recommend these to lovers of the genre and to any woman that wants to get lost for a little while in a wonderfully woven world of paranormal intrigue and romance.
Check out Ms. Bartlett on her website http://www.gerrybartlett.com/

Food Costs Just Keep Rising

I work in a grocery store in a small town. When I moved here with my family I noticed that because we are a tourist area prices were higher than most other shops in the bigger cities, having moved from a large city I had a bunch of stores to compare prices too. As well as being a frugal shopper I felt prices here were just too high.

Over 12 months later I am now employed at the grocery store I once believed was over priced, not the case anymore.

Prices are insane for healthy food items such as iceberg lettuce and celery ($3.49) for either one, Avacado ($2.49) each, but hey you can pick up a bag of chips for .99 cents or a box of Joe Louis for $1.50. Milk just went up in price 40-60 cents per 4 liter bag, a 1 litre carton went up 10 cents - so 1 litre of whole milk is $2.49 - I can purchase 1 litre of cola for $1.19 - something about this screams wrong to me.

How are parents supposed to stay within a budget and feed their families a well balanced diet when it's becoming more and more difficult to purchase healthy items for their families?

As a family of 5 our average grocery bill excluding cleaning supplies and toiletries and baby items (diapers and wipes) is approximately $250.00 every 2 weeks. We do not buy much in the way of ready to prepare foods such as boxed potatoes, rice mixes, frozen dinners etc, 85% of our purchases are items that we use to prepare home cooked meals from scratch.

Forget about baking, making a batch of cookies or muffins is far more expensive than buying ready made packaged items. I've priced it out - it's scary.

We have decided as a family to plant a small vegetable garden this summer and see if we can keep our produce costs down by growing our own food. On the list so far are zucchini, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, peas/beans, herbs of all sorts and we are trying to come up with more ideas so we don't necessarily have to purchase them on a regular basis. In growing our own I am hoping we can take even a small amount off of our grocery bills each month July - September, that's only 3 months but every little bit helps when you are trying to stick to a budget.

What do you grow at your house? Do you have any hints or tips for us? This will be our first foray into the gardening world and we don't want anything too difficult to grow or cultivate.

Wish us luck - and let us know what grocery prices are like where you live! How do you and your family save money in the grocery store ?