To the Books We Love website of Author Debra TashVisit Debra's Personal Website and Read her Bio by clicking this link
Novelist Cassandra Latham‑Stanislavsky is determined to cling to her forties, that final hurrah before a woman slips over the abyss into fifty. But holding on isn’t going to be easy, not with mourning her mother’s recent death and trying to kick‑start her literary career after a two‑year spell of writer’s block. As Cassie edges toward the bottomless pit of mid‑life angst, a journal written by her Revolutionary War ancestor may just help her connect the past to the present and make peace with her future. With a touch of humor, Cassie copes with monumental change ‑ from her daughter and only child rushing into marriage to being uprooted from her ancestral Vermont home – to finally acknowledging that the invention of polyester stretch pants was a darn good idea after all. Cassandra Latham‑Stanislavsky strives to survive this pivotal passage, a time when autumn falls in every woman’s life.
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"The plot is complicated and swift. The fast pace is fun to read and makes a lively tale... It is a mass of contradictions that glues this tale together into a satisfying blend of history and romance. Tash has that touch of magic that flows into the written word. She’s talented with a flair for history. So be sure CHALLENGE THE WIND is on your to-be-read list."
--Brenda Ramsbacher, Scribblers, RIO Member President, Reviewers International Organization, 2004-2006
"With the right balance of history, action and love, Challenge the Wind is a book to be remembered. I recommend this artfully written novel to anyone, especially history buffs."
--Cynthia Ward, Reviewer, eBook Reviews Weekly
" If you like a well-researched historical tale, then give Challenge The Wind a try. Highly recommended. The drama, action, and romance will keep you glued until the end. "
--Marianne LaCroix, Love Romances
"Dancing in Circles by Debra Tash is an afternoon sitting on the porch swing enjoying the breeze...the book is worth a look."
--Alicia Cathers , Rountable Reviews.
"I certainly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for something that will leave them with a warm fuzzy feeling."
--Suzanne Claud, Reviewer BookIdeas.com
" Debra Tash has crafted a saga of complexity, freshness, and inspiration. Dancing In Circles kept me glued to the page hoping that Minnie and Alfredo would be able to reach beyond the walls that kept them apart and find love. I hope that Ms. Tash continues to share her profound insight into the human soul with us. "
--Dena, Fallen Angels Review
" Young and old alike will delight in DANCING IN CIRCLES, and if you don’t like
Victorious Roman general, Quintus Caecilius Metellus, comes to Delphi, the center of creation, to seek a blessing from Apollo for his conquest of Greece. Instead the commander finds his fate, seen by a young priestess in a mystical vision: they are one. Timarete, the young priestess, Oracle of Delphi, haunted by strange dreams, fears Metellus even before his arrival. Yet, Timarete cannot deny her vision. She will love him. And through that love, cut short by the rebellion of her people against powerful Rome, the priestess will awaken the long forgotten compassion of a man hardened by a violent world.
"Tash is a powerful storyteller, breathing life into ancient times, making their stories real and immediate, relevant to modern readers. Questions of life and death, of love and hate, motives of revenge and love, bring her characters vividly to life. Moreover, Tash's obvious scholarship and love of the period gives the novel an authenticity, a flavor and spirit seldom-matched in historical fiction. Remarkable! Very highly recommended."
-- Cynthia Penn, Wordweaving
"Debra Tash has created a beautiful heartfelt story with in-depth characters and an interesting storyline. Her characters grab the readers attention with their first appearance and keep it to the end. I was drawn to the plight of Timarete and Metellus, pulling for them to love one another. It was a joy to watch their love blossom. WOMAN OF STONE touched my heart in a special way and is truly a book not to be missed by anyone."
-- Robin Peek, Under the Covers Reviews
Along the fertile plains of ancient Mesopotamia a slave finds he must trust a vision given to him by an unearthly stranger. Will Sargon be the first man in history to forge an empire? The maiden's song might just unlock his destiny; this ethereal melody sung by the beautiful woman he rescued from death. Sargon might win his dream and it could be the woman he comes to love who may help him claim it.
"I congratulate Tash on her research abilities, writing skills, and imagination and creativity, and highly recommend THE MAIDEN'S SONG to historical buffs and romance fanatics."
-- Patricia Spork, Wordweaving,
"Novels set in ancient Sumer are few and far between and if you enjoy stories set in the ancient world as much as I do, then you will enjoy reading one set in a different place and time to the norm."
--Rachel Hyde, Myshelf.com
"The Maiden's Song is a wonderful story of
Michael Ryan, born in a Chicago brothel, with a mother who turned him out at the age of eleven, is a barnstorming pilot. There is only one thing he wants, an untroubled home. Meeting Jake Stimpson, the prodigal son of a powerful family, Michael becomes one of the Masters Of The Air—first by rum-running across the Mexican border, to later founding one of the country's first airlines. Michael, however, never wins that untroubled home. It's his granddaughter, Rachel, haunted by her own secret, who must solve the puzzle of her family's despair...
* * *
Jean Abel was part of his soul, her deep brown eyes warming his memory. He could still inhale the sweet scent of her hair as she hung her head while she read to him. Her soft voice would always whisper to him a promise of something decent and clean. He loved her like someone loves a perfect vision, with all the aching hope a body could hold. He would always love her, even now when she lay in her grave. Jean Abel was one of the few people in his life who'd ever showed Michael the least bit of kindness. He had to believe she was still there, a thin vapor of hope trailing the dusty wind. He needed to believe in a home where he could be somebody at last. He pulled the blanket about him even more, closing his eyes, not a sound stirring the still, empty night air.
"In telling the story of Michael Ryan, aviation pioneer and California farmer, the strides of the aviation industry form a backdrop as Ryan works his way up from street kid to pilot and war hero to landowner, his rise mimicking the American Dream. He creates problem for himself with both his stubborn reactions to life events and his adamant refusal to reveal his secrets to his family as he ages. It is up to his granddaughter Rachel, a child of the seventies, to resolve the conflicts of his life...Their story is vibrant, all too human and compelling." Women On Writing, Diane McDonough
"MASTERS OF THE AIR is an excellent book. It grabs you from the beginning, swoops you up in their lives, and then delivers you safely back to reality..." Roundtable Reviews, Tami Brady
