Book Review: Storming

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Description: In the high-flying, heady world of 1920s aviation, brash pilot Robert “Hitch” Hitchcock’s life does a barrel roll when a young woman in an old-fashioned ball gown falls from the clouds smack in front of his biplane. As fearless as she is peculiar, Jael immediately proves she’s game for just about anything, including wing-walking in his struggling airshow. In return for her help, she demands a ride back home . . . to the sky. 

Hitch thinks she’s nuts—until he steers his plane into the midst of a bizarre storm and nearly crashes into a strange airship like none he’s ever run afoul of, an airship with the power to control the weather. Caught between a corrupt sheriff and dangerous new enemies from above, Hitch must take his last chance to gain forgiveness from his estranged family, deliver Jael safely home before she flies off with his freewheeling heart, and save his Nebraska hometown from storm-wielding sky pirates. 

Cocky, funny, and full of heart, Storming is a jaunty historical/dieselpunk mash-up that combines rip-roaring adventure and small-town charm with the thrill of futuristic possibilities.

I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure. ;) I loved the characters; complicated, realistic Hitch and stubborn, sweet Jael were an awesome flying duo. (I grinned every time she scared him.) ;) I couldn't help liking Griff in spite of myself, and Walter was sweet. His big moment was so unexpected! The author did a good job making me thoroughly hate the antagonists. Don't ask me to pick my least favorite. Oh, and the Berringers made me laugh! Good job making Hitch apologize for that horrid "joke", boys. They were responsible for the comic relief sprinkled amongst a ton of heart-pounding action (except when it slows down enough to make you cry. Grrr.). Seriously amazing. I would not recommend this book for younger readers because of intense action (including infliction of knife wounds and people falling from great heights without parachutes), some slight romance, and Hitch's past which makes people automatically doubt his motives towards women.

Best quote: “I will tell you in car.” She gestured to J.W.’s jalopy. “Should I drive?” “No, you should not drive.”


Altogether, I found this to be a great read for young adults who enjoy dieselpunk. ;)

Book Review: Behold the Dawn

By Sarah Holman

I have to begin this review by saying that I stayed up ‘til 1:00 in the morning to finish this book the day after I got it. I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in a very long time.


Behold the Dawn by K. M. Weiland is set during the third Crusade. If that doesn’t ring a bell, this is when Robin Hood and Ivanhoe were saving England from Prince John. Here is the books description from the website you can order the book from (go here also to see the trailer).

Marcus Annan, a tourneyer famed for his prowess on the battlefield, thought he could keep the secrets of his past buried forever. But when a mysterious crippled monk demands Annan help him find justice for the transgressions of sixteen years ago, Annan is forced to leave the tourneys and join the Third Crusade.


Wounded in battle and hunted by enemies on every side, he rescues an English noblewoman from an infidel prison camp and flees to Constantinople. But, try as he might, he cannot elude the past. Amidst the pain and grief of a war he doesn’t even believe in, he is forced at last to face long-hidden secrets and sins and to bare his soul to the mercy of a God he thought he had abandoned years ago. 

The sins of a bishop.

The vengeance of a monk.

The secrets of a knight.

This book had an extremely relevant and powerful message and an ending that will leave you gasping for air. Some elements make this unsuitable for young children however I think that ages 13 and up can read it, with parents’ permission of course.

Order it today!

Books and Short Stories by K.M. Weiland

A Man Called Outlaw

All his life Shane Lassiter revered the man who stood in place of the father he'd never known. Nathaniel Wilcock took Shane into his own home, loved him as a son, and placed within his grasp the largest ranch in the Wyoming Territory. But Shane had heard the stories. He knew the whispers about the fugitive gunman who stood against Wilcock during the land wars that rocked the valley thirty years ago. In Wilcock's eyes, the gunman was a vigilante and an outlaw and as such he had died. To the people of Hangtree, he was a hero-a martyr who stood against corruption and injustice. When Wilcock's greed endangers the only woman Shane has ever loved-a woman who holds the secret that could resurrect everything for which the outlaw fought-Shane finds himself a place not so very different from that of the outlaw. He must make a decision, the shadow of which will be cast over the lives of all those he loves. A decision between truth and power-between honor and life-between right and wrong.

Behold the Dawn

Marcus Annan, a tourneyer famed for his prowess on the battlefield, thought he could keep the secrets of his past buried forever. But when a mysterious crippled monk demands Annan help him find justice for the transgressions of sixteen years ago, Annan is forced to leave the tourneys and join the Third Crusade. Wounded in battle and hunted by enemies on every side, he rescues an English noblewoman from an infidel prison camp and flees to Constantinople. But, try as he might, he cannot elude the past. Amidst the pain and grief of a war he doesn't even believe in, he is forced at last to face long-hidden secrets and sins and to bare his soul to the mercy of a God he thought he had abandoned years ago.

Outlining Your Novel; Map Your Way to Success

Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success will help you choose the right type of outline for you, guide you in brainstorming plot ideas, aid you in discovering your characters, show you how to structure your scenes, explain how to format your finished outline, instruct you in how to use your outline when writing the first draft, reveal the benefits of outlining, and dispel the misconceptions.

The Memory Lights

A short story (9,000 words) by K.M. Weiland. Even as she scrabbles for a living as a pickpocket on the streets of Victorian London, Mary somehow knows her terror of the streetlamps holds the key to her forgotten past. But not until she and her conman protector are drawn into a daring prison break will she come face to face with the horrifying memory of the night that shattered her life and trapped her in a world of darkness.

The Saddle Daddy Rode

A short story (2,000 words) by K.M. Weiland. For as long as Lail McGurney can remember, her father has managed his ranch and lived his life with a stalwart faith in a God he believed would never abandon them. Now, as Lail watches leukemia eat away her father’s life, she must discover a faith of her own and the strength to say goodbye.

One More Ride in the Rain

A short story (7,000 words) by K.M. Weiland. In the waning days of the American Civil War, three Confederate cavalrymen and their wounded sergeant are forced to take refuge in a widow’s shack. One more battle looms on the horizon—one more battle none of them want to fight—and they must each make a decision that will influence the rest of their lives: to run or to fight?

Please Welcome....

 K.M. Weiland!!

Okay, please tell the readers a little bit about yourself.

I’m a homeschool alumnus who grew up surrounded by books. I lived in my own little world as a kid. I was always playing at something, imagining I was a captured WWII pilot or a world champion barrel racer or the kidnapped daughter of a gunfighter. The great thing about being a writer is that you never have to outgrow that childlike make-believe. One day, when I was about thirteen, I decided to start writing down my favorite stories, only to discover that I enjoyed the writing part just as much as the making believe part. I published my first book, the historical western A Man Called Outlaw, in 2007. I haven’t looked back since.

2.      What keeps you writing?

Writing is sort of like spontaneous combustion for me. It just happens. “I write therefore, I am,” or perhaps even more accurately, “I am, therefore I write.” I would write even if no one bought and read a book. I would write if I never earned a dime from it. In fact, if I had to, I would probably pay for the pleasure. Writing is a way of both expressing and discovering myself. I learn as much about life in my writing as I put what I learn from life into the writing. So really, it isn’t so much a question of what keeps me writing as it is what could keep me from writing?

3.      How has being homeschooled affected your writing?

Honestly, I can’t think of anything about being homeschooled that hurt my writing. The flexibility of a homeschool curriculum allowed me to learn in the manner best suited to both my personality and my interests. I seriously doubt I would have had nearly as much time to devote to my writing (I ran a newsletter called Horse Tails throughout high school) had I attended public school. It also encouraged the self-discipline and ability to work by and for myself—skills that have become more and more important, the further I advance in my writing career.

4.      Which book has been your favorite book to write so far and why?

To paraphrase Dickens, authors aren’t supposed to have their favorite children, but my medieval epic Behold the Dawn still manages to maintain a special place in my heart. Aside from the fact that it was a comparatively uncomplicated book to write, I’m still just as much in love with those characters as I was when I first created them. Marcus Annan—surly, broken, and good-hearted—and crazy, funny, irreverent Peregrine Marek were such a blast write.

5.      What is the best piece of writing advice you were ever given?

The one that comes to mind right now is the admonition that if I didn’t take my writing seriously, no one else would. This was particularly valuable in combating the guilt I occasionally felt for taking the time to make writing a priority. But once I realized that I was the only one who could make it a priority, I got serious and started making it clear (as tactfully as possible) to others that my writing time was not to be taken lightly. That has made all the difference.

6.      Is there anything else you would like to add?

Just that the opportunity and desire to be a writer are tremendous blessings. As people who are able to dig deeper into our own world by creating new facets of it in our stories, we are blessed to see life with details magnified and colors heightened. It’s not hard to wake up every morning and be thankful for that.

K.M. Weiland writes historical and speculative fiction from her home in the sandhills of western Nebraska. She is the author of the historical western A Man Called Outlaw and the medieval epic Behold the Dawn. She blogs at Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors.