Joy Bounds tells a fascinating story of Joan of Arc, from the viewpoint of her mother Zabillet. The book draws you into the lives of French peasants during the Hundred Years' War and shows how a young girl comes to lead the French army to several victories, how she is put on trial for heresy and burned at the stake, and how her mother helps to clear her name years later.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. The writing is so touching and atmospheric - the book is simply wonderful!

I don't usually read short stories, but I'm really glad I read this collection. The stories are imaginative, the topics are varied and there are lots of unexpected twists. The authors are very skilled at stirring your emotions - I lost count on how many times I felt a lump in my throat and had to reach for tissues...

I very much recommend this book!

This is a wonderful guide for every writer who wants to be more productive - and who doesn't? It contains practical advice and gives step-by-step suggestions with illuminating examples which you can easily put into practice and use to achieve your writing (and other) goals.

Simon Whaley's writing style is humorous, so the book is a real pleasure to read. However, this does not detract from his serious message: fundamentally, it is up to you to adopt a positive mindset and keep on going even when things get tough. Keeping this in mind and following his suggestions on how to do this will empower you and help you to be in charge of your writing (and other areas of) life.

Whaley's enthusiasm for sharing his strategies for remaining positive and productive is so infectious that you can't help but feel motivated. This book is certainly one that I will want to revisit again and again.

Be warned: this book will grip you and won't let you out of its grip even after you've finished reading it. I read the book over a week ago and I am still thinking about the characters and what happened to them.

David Hough is a brilliant story-teller and knows how to take his readers on a touching - and at times heart-breaking - emotional journey. The book is full of surprises, twists and turns. It keeps you guessing until the end. As the story of Douglas Hadleigh's family starts to unfold, you can't help but get sucked into their lives. Hough explores the theme of secrets and shame, and how these can lead to unexpected consequences. He also shows that neither emotional nor physical cruelty is the end, but that love and healing is possible whatever the circumstances.

I very much recommend this book. It's real page-turner and the story is absolutely fascinating. The book is worth every one of its five stars!

This is a highly informative book; at the same time it's full of amusing anecdotes. The author's writing style is very entertaining which made the reading experience really pleasurable. I enjoyed learning more about Finland's past and how the nation was seen by British travellers. Being a Finn myself, it was fascinating to discover how different individual travellers had such differing views on Finland and its people. I very much recommend this book!

This is a must-read book. It is so atmospheric and beautiful, yet it explores painful issues arising from South Africa's past. The plotting is superb as there are so many surprises in store. Pearce's skillful way of weaving the different characters' stories together is simply fantastic. I highly recommend this book.

This is an excellent guide to the underexplored - and fascinating - world of imagery and its links to creativity in general and writing in particular. It offers valuable advice on how to make friends with your right brain, honour this relationship and, as a consequence, release your creative energies. Superb chapters about writing fiction are included towards the end; yet, the insights presented throughout the book are immensely beneficial also to non-fiction writers. This is a must-have book for all writers who want to proceed to another level on their creative journeys.