Find out the latest indie author news. For FREE.

ADVERTISEMENT

THE LAST SNAPSHOT

Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)

The Last Snapshot is the first book in my series entitled "The Age of Force & Neon" - a new novel series that begins in Berlin with Rena Steiner and ends in Las Vegas during the 1970’s where her hidden diary exposes the secrets of her past. Professionally edited by the renown editor John Paine of New York fame and reviewed by hundreds of readers, this story will bind your heart with such a grip that you may become in many ways, the hero, finding heartache, despair, happiness and joy in the least expected places. It's a sweeping physiological saga of historical proportions combining heroism and courage interwoven with romance, despair, endurance and passion. Not written for the faint of heart, The Last Snapshot feels like a life-cleansing salve as it unfolds in a way that can both break and restore a broken heart. If you are willing to enter this realm, this era of shameful insensitivity and obstinate gentleness, you will smile with a weary heart, you will dance on feeble knees and you will find your own way to stumble upon the rocky mountain path to reach the glorious stars.
Reviews
Gary Dolzer, Actor, Voice Overs

“It is not the type of happiness that can be destroyed or stolen or beaten out of you, but the type that takes a man to his last breath with a hearty share of gratitude and grace”. The Last Snapshot

That’s my favorite quote from this incredible piece of literature.

 

From one writer/performer to another, this work deserves a serious review. So here we go……

As sorrows blossom into joy, so will your heart collapse then expand, when you read this book. Shall I admit that, even as I pen this review, my heart, maybe even my soul still vibrates from just finishing this incredibly rare read. 

 

Yes, it’s a World War 2 story of hate and love, but the questions are universal, the answers almost extinct truths. When will we learn to stop the hate, the unreasonable prejudices that divide us, driving us to our knees, driving us farther into the darkness?  Well. let's start right here, with this book.  Within these pages is a story of two hearts fragmented and tormented by hatred, sinister delusions and war.  Two hearts that learn to reach across the chasm, touch, and find the common ground that can bring humanity together in a promised land called....Peace.

 

In the military we were taught “light discipline”. In the dark of night, the light of a match can be seen 50 miles in the distance. I believe it is also true, that the light of a single heart can be seen through eternities. Yes, all wars are full of darkness, but this author strikes the match for Rolf and Rena and in doing so, I believe these characters will live forever inside the hearts of those who still feel, who still dream, who still hope. Few writers manage this stroke of language mastery!

 

Usually I can devour a book with dispatch, but this one?  Oh no—here is one to savor! This novel exudes a wit and an author dedicated to the exactitude of historical relevance and insistence upon distinction. Morningstar exceeds even my often lofty expectations with an obviously “inspired” voice, intelligence, and above all ….passion. I repeat, above ALL ….passion!

 

I shan’t tell the story, too much of it.  That would diminish your discovery.  You need to be free to immerse yourself, bathe in the craft of wordsmithing, a delicate and fading art in the era of tech and electronic slave masters.  A delectable treat for the palate, should not be described - it must be tasted. Jambalaya Creole is a delectable treat for the palate, but describe it? It must be personally experienced. Believe me, just try Jambalaya Creole -  just buy this book!

 

But I will tell you this;

The author’s "writing voice" is distinctive; it crackles with the sense of authenticity. Beautiful. One masterfully written historical gem. These words are from me, a student of history and civilizations, describing a work of historical fiction although the dusty tramp down the trails of the past are more my niche.  

 

Trust me, I am known for a forthright tongue! Here in these pages are words to taste, to feel, roll around in the mind and imagination. The author illuminates the characters with words that are sharp but also gentle, so the multiple facets of each are distinctively genuine. She wields words and phrases sharp as a scimitar, and she can cut until the pages bleed, or more often, until the pages weep, and then smile.

 

Although unlikely, Ms. Morningstar writes with a passion that seems to define her every step in this mortal sphere. If they aren’t her own steps, then perhaps there is a spirit roaming about in her soul demanding her attention. Here’s what I am trying to say. When a character leaps from the page into your heart within the first few paragraphs of a story, it’s a good measure of writing talent.  When the characters “breathe’, and you actually see them not as pages, not as letters on those pages, but as living entities of flesh and emotion – that is true talent.  Here this author excels. The characters are solid, well-defined, and vivid. 

 

Read!  Walk in the shoes of Rena and Rolf, day by day, month by month. Truly waltz and crawl, starve and be filled just at the moment when all hope seems lost. You will recognize in them your own reflection in the mirror, and your heart will ache with the times and troubles, and then soar, almost to the stars.  Morningstar illumines them with words that prick, words that engage, at times, every cell of your humanity.  Not only will you be there inside those days, those hearts, if you are anything like me, this read is both a plunge into the stark reality of hate and a coming home of the heart.

 

Hummm, this thought just hit me. Maybe this author, Morningstar (think about that!) is related to the infamous Don Quixote, a person keen at tilting windmills and slaying dragons, challenging the unchallenged, a future legend who will one day rest in peace, hoping her gifts to our species will someday, someway kindle a light in the darkness. She seems like that sort of spirit.

 

Yes, yes! That is, after all, much of the charm of “The Last Snapshot”. The work is profound, redolent with feelings and authenticity, truly a gift of contemplation. It encompasses much of the human experience, rings true as any non-fiction tale of the times, and transports the soul, transcends time and space, and, wow, I’m going on and on. Well, I promise you - you will “go on and on” too after you digest this delicate, astounding piece of literature! No spoiler, but expect to be shaken, enlightened, and definitely very surprised by the twists and turns and that very astonishing finale.

 

One last comment for the author:

Outstanding literature! As a reader of one book per day, I tend to rush, breeze over, speed read, etc. It’s quite difficult to find the right words here, but your book, rather, your written word put the breaks on my composure – on so many levels. Although I believed I knew this history, this time period inside out, I’ve never lived it personally – until now. Shall I thank you for awakening me from my slumber or chastise you for the blow to my heart? Seriously, your writing is breathtaking and I will forever be your fan. How did you ever invest so much of your guts and sinew into this work and survive? The authenticity you managed pierces unabashed. I felt your rage and fear and immaculate love, but most of all I felt the race against time, the race against fear and your solution, such a simple solution. A flame in the darkness - I walked away from your story finding what I had lost – HOPE.

 

Synopsis

"A heart-pounding pace, The Last Snapshot is an emotional roller coaster journey. Rena and Rolf are two vulnerable characters caught up in the most horrible of times; Warsaw 1942. Living every detail of their ordeal within these pages is a true life changer. The historical accuracies are uncanny as if the author had gone back in time!” C. Howell

 

The Last Snapshot is the first book in my series entitled "The Age of Force & Neon" -
a new novel series that begins in Berlin with Rena Steiner and ends in Las Vegas during the 1970s where her hidden diary exposes the secrets of her past.

 

Professionally edited by the renown editor John Paine of New York fame and reviewed by hundreds of readers, this story will bind your heart with such a grip that you may become in many ways, the hero, finding heartache, despair, happiness and joy in the least expected places. It's a sweeping physiological saga of historical proportions combining heroism and courage interwoven with romance, despair, endurance, and passion. Not written for the faint of heart, The Last Snapshot feels like a life-cleansing salve as it unfolds in a way that can both break and restore a broken heart. If you are willing to enter this realm, this era of shameful insensitivity and obstinate gentleness, you will smile with a weary heart, you will dance on feeble knees and you will find your own way to stumble upon the rocky mountain path to reach the glorious stars. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Loading...