Location: Australia
Member Since: July 18, 2010

Stacey Danson


Biography

My biography "Empty chairs" written under my pen-name of Stacey Danson is published by Night Publishing.

Where to find Stacey Danson online

Website: http://staceydansonemptychairs.blogspot.com
Twitter: pursoot
Facebook: Facebook profile
LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/pub/suzannah-burke/23/5bb/2a3
Blog: http://sooozsaysstuff.blogspot.com

Books

This member has not published any books.

Stacey Danson's favorite authors on Smashwords


Smashwords book reviews by Stacey Danson

  • Heart of Glass on July 18, 2010
    star star star star star
    Author L A Dale has captured this reader with her wonderful ability to involve you emotionally in the outcome of a love story that spanned almost a decade. Bella Stone is a character we can all identify with, a warm, funny and endearing young woman, with all the dreams and aspirations of Ms everywoman. The authors ability to make Bella real enough to cry for is marvelous. ChicLit?...unashamedly, Romance?... definitely. Put down able...not a chance..it's addictive page turning fiction. I am delighted to own my copy, now excuse me...back to "Heart Of Glass."
  • Knifing the Famous! on July 20, 2010
    star star star star star
    Carolyn Allen has crafted this work with the intimate knowledge a daughter has of a father. John Watson was a complex man. He was a pioneer, a seeker of wisdom, a keeper of secrets. The narrative is warm and yet pulls no punches. Carolyn has looked back and reflected honestly on her father. A man who could indeed change the face of a nation if asked. A well paced, often humorous, and rivetting read. I am pleased I have now purchased my copy. Suzannah Burke.
  • Color Me Grey: Book One of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles on July 23, 2010
    star star star star star
    Author J C Phelphs has created a marvelously fast-paced adventure with the petite MC Alexis Stanton a package of 5'4" dynamite, with long straight hair and a serious attitude if you cross her. Alexis has a very interesting background including special services training{Private yet}. A wealthy and connected family, with an Admiral for a daddy. Alexis has to draw her own conclusions on just what it is daddy does for the government. Her inherited sense of adventure send her on an interview for a most unusual position. This is an unusual book, written for a market tired of adventures that only include the undead and people with a nasty overbite. It moves fast, the characterizations are clever yet believable, and the adventure is full on. I look forward to reading the other books in this series. I have no hesitation in recommending this for a fast paced read.
  • Loisaida -- A New York Story on Aug. 09, 2010
    star star star star star
    If it were indeed possible to give this a rating higher than 5 gold stars I would do so happily. This book is gutsy, tight and hard...as are the characterizations Marion Stein has crafted. make no mistake people these aren't one dimensional read it and forget it characters. These people breath, sweat, deficate and fornicate. Survival of the darkest in the food chain, where hunger is a disease of the soul. You don't need to have been there to be there...she ushers you in, gives you a scent, a taste, and you are swiftly addicted. Hi fast and devastatingly real. I own the book, and like any good little addict will tell you, I must have more. Brava.
  • Whirl of the Wheel on Oct. 06, 2010
    star star star star star
    "The musty smell of wood and chalk dust hit Connie’s nostrils. She fell forward onto a sloped wooden desk, knocking hard into her funny bone. ‘What on earth . . ?’ exclaimed Charlie-Mouse, his voice echoing around the empty room. He slid off the back wall and into a seat behind her, scraping hard at her combats. But she didn’t move a muscle. She couldn’t – even though her elbow ached madly and she wanted to shake away the pain ricocheting through her body. Neither could she make a sound  her mouth was sealed tight and her tongue glued to the back of her teeth. She moved only her eyes. Hanging portraits of kings, queens and prime ministers glowered back. The background scream of the overhead gas lighting, the whipping of the wind and the shrieks from outside added their challenges to her senses. Stay calm, breathe, and relax. Everything’s fine. Someone came into the room. Startled, she nodded and smiled politely, clicking her heels in perfect time across the polished floor. The outside noise built to crescendo as the lady opened the door and blew sharply on her whistle. At once the shrieks fell and the playing children – with small boxes dutifully strung across their bodies – hurried into line. ‘Be quick about it,’ the lady instructed. The room filled – they moved along the lines of desks – shoes plain and practical, laced and buttoned, and polished in black or brown. Two to a bench seat – their backs a combination of coloured cardigans, pinafores, pullovers, shirts and tanktops." ***An excerpt from this lovely book, children and the young at heart will all enjoy the tale. A mini history lesson easy to digest and the adventures a three delightful characters suddenly caught in a time and place unfamiliar and frightening. Author Catherine Condie is to be applauded, she has researched her book well, and anyone reading can be safe in the knowledge that her portrayal of War ravaged 1940's England and the evacuation of it's young people is accurate. The three central characters are a delightful cross patch with the volatile Connie, her brother Charlie-Mouse and the much misunderstood nasty character of Malcolm all coming to grips in a world they have no way of being prepared for. Magic, time travel and adventure all entwined in a clever fast-paced and most enjoyable book. A five star book to be sure.
  • 33 Days: Touring In A Van. Sleeping On Floors. Chasing A Dream on March 21, 2011
    star star star star star
    We all have dreams. Some of us pursue them, relentlessly, and often to the detriment of anyone or anything that gets in our way. Some of us say, “It’s all too hard” and then spend the rest of our damned lives wondering...” What if?” This is about four amazing human beings that chased their dream. Without causing damage to anyone else on the journey…at least not with intent. In 1987, four young men shared a common dream. They hungered for that bright shining star in their sky, and they had the guts to go in search of it. They didn’t understand on the day they left L.A just how deeply committed they would need to be to the music and each other. The 33 days of their journey altered their lives forever. Bill See the author kept a journal of those 33 days that changed the lives of he and his friends. I am so glad that he did, for had he not; I may have never had the delight of taking that trip with him, here and now in 2011. For such is the quality of this Author’s work that you can’t be anywhere else, you are there, in the van, on the road, meeting sleazebags, saints, and sinners in all the wrong places at all the right times. Meet the band members of Divine Weeks: Bill See: The author of this book and the singer with the band it all begins with Bill; he was 22 years old and hungered after a dream. Not to be super famous, not to live a life of "sex drugs and rock’n roll", that’s not what this was about. He believed that it would be for the good of all and not merely about the dreams of one. His dysfunctional early life had him searching for a pristine moment of clarity, a moment when all the pain and the insecurity would merge and become a musical voice, a musical voice of honesty, a musical voice of integrity. The music and the making of it, the memory, the chance to do it and get it right! How many of us wish we had the balls to go for it and make it happen? I smell the back of the van after days on the road, no windows, no air, all fodder for memories he recounts that will make you laugh out loud just before your eyes fill with tears and you catch yourself nodding in agreement and understanding. Bill See is a fine author; he brings the pages alive and makes you belong for the duration of the journey... you share it from the inside. Meet Raj: The lead guitarist. A young man raised in the belief that family and tradition were all there was. Raised to believe that seeking an individual dream was somehow betraying what and who you were. Of the four band members, Raj’s and Bill's stories touched me deeply; they struggled with the yearning to make it as a part of this thing, this music, and this band. They fought against everything they had been taught to believe; to just once…just once; step outside the family and their demands and go for the dream. The moments of reflection into their individual personas show just how very close the band members became. They were brothers, unasked, and unrelentingly... brothers all. Meet George: The Bass Player. Larger than life and twice as funny…ultimately belonging to the band allowed him to move beyond his preplanned and preordained life. Meet Dave: The drummer Dave is a street smart survivor, with a huge heart and the gift of the gab. He has the ability to keep the guys centred when this road trip hits the dark edges. Meet Ian: The Road Manager...The only non band member on the tour…The doer of all things miraculous, Ian’s steady hand, and calm demeanor helped keep the dream on track. I read this book way ahead of schedule. Naively thinking I could pick it up and put it down over a period of time. Wrong! I began reading and the sunrise startled me into finding I had read all of it throughout the night and had lost myself in its pages. Do yourselves a favor folks, if you only read one non-fiction book this year make it this one. I am left with a knowing smile on my face and the realization that I have just shared in something quite wonderful. A couple of quotes from the book. "This book is for everyone who’s stood at their crossroads with a dream screaming inside wondering whether to choose the road that goes off the map or fold up their tent and head back home. " “It’s not about the having and getting, it’s about the being and becoming...we’re artists, wounded birds…descending, ascending…always chasing the muse."
  • Morgan's Choice on July 30, 2011
    star star star star star
    What a fabulous read. I enjoyed this work from word one and held my breath often in the journey through the pages. The pacing is relentless, yet peppered with a wry humour and an authors certain knowledge that the characters are hers to command, and command she does. As a reader I was under no illusion that I wouldn’t react to the characterizations. You can’t help but like and care about the outcome of their situations. This plot is well thought out, nothing jars the reader, from the outset of the novel you are caught up in the survival of the central character…Morgan Selwood… So let me introduce her; Morgan Selwood; you won’t forget her after you are introduced; she is a character that gets into the psyche and raises more than a smile and your blood pressure... Tough, smart, resilient and in control of herself…as good a way as any to begin describing “Supertech” Morgan Selwood. A ‘Supertech’? So what is a Supertech? A Supertech, is bio-engineered from birth, a living, breathing, complex and at times downright cantankerous woman with a supercomputer embedded in her brain. Make no mistakes though, Morgan is all female, and then some, added to that she possesses an incredibly high IQ and attitude to spare! Her eyes are artificial so she can link wirelessly with a computer; her eyes see so much more than a mere human can possibly see. Most people can’t make direct eye contact with her, she simply will not back off or look away, her silvery mercurial eyes can take the ability to speak away especially in the male of any species. She is one feisty woman, outspoken, and not a team player if less than honorable intentions are afoot, she will ensure that someone pays the price for any lack of integrity. So, what happens when she is in a craft that is running out of air? The Curlew, her ship, has one month left…one month before guaranteed death for both Morgan and her co-worker Jones. Their distress signal is heard, and a rescue seems to have occurred, but by whom? The ship is taken in tow by a craft that neither Morgan Selwood nor her co-pilot Jones can be certain won’t end in death of a different kind. An attack from another craft, and they are boarded…rescued but from what? And by whom? The aliens appear to be almost human. With the exception of their catlike eyes, and customs that relegate the male of the species in total control of the females. Not a happy situation for the feisty outspoken ‘supertech’ her skills do not include pandering to the whims of male ego’s… The ego of one particular male needs no stroking…Admiral Ravindra, a man of courage, integrity and power...a man that makes a white dress uniform look like it was designed with only him in mind. So what happens when Morgan’s unstoppable force meets Ravindra’s Immoveable object? Chemistry…with a capital ‘C’. Author Greta Van der Rol writes beautifully, and the scenes between Ravindra and the lovely Morgan are handled with a touch both erotic and extremely sensual. Morgan discovers herself caring for this dominant man. Caring more than she believed possible. Their relationship has much to weather. Can he trust her? What chance do they have when she appears to have betrayed his people? What lured her into believing that what she was doing was right? I have no wish to spoil this story for the reader. It is fast paced and well written. The history of the human race and beliefs that date back thousands of years are interconnected with those of the Admiral Tavindra’s race… the Mirka. The race known as Bunyada are their enemies…but are they terrorists…or freedom fighters? And what of the alien ship? Who or what is Artemis? Will Morgan Selwood and Admiral Ravindra be able to defeat an intelligence created to destroy ‘primitive cultures’. Author Greta Van der Rol has a deft touch, combining a well-drawn science fiction plotline with romance and adventure, with enough of the romance to more than satisfy those that enjoy it, yet not compromising the integrity of the science fiction setting. Well written, fast paced, and intriguing. I have no hesitation in recommending this to all those that enjoy a provocative and enjoyable read.
  • Linda Loves...? on Sep. 24, 2011
    star star star star star
    Ménage a trois…from the french meaning ‘household of three’. It’s a term used frequently in literature . Love triangles, tend to appear most often when utilizing a man’s favorite fantasy world of one man with two women. Usually in the context of ‘whoo-hoo let’s talk about sex, baby !’ What happens when the situation is far more than a sexual fantasy, what happens when the situation is between one woman…and two men ; one of whom the female lead character is married to ? Linda Loves… ? is what happens folks. Meet Linda, married and very happily so to Tom. Linda is a warm, loving soul who garners great pleasure in caring for her husband, especially in his current needy state of being wheelchair bound with a badly broken leg. She is endlessly patient, occasionally bossy, and very much in love with her husband. She has no such female fantasy of another man in her life or her bed. Meet Tom, Linda’s wheelchair bound spouse. He is very much in love with his wife, appears to be incredibly needy and not necessarily the strongest male on the planet ; his needs would try the patience of a saint at times. Linda does not profess to being a member of the sainthood. Meet Adam, handsome, isolated, independent and fiercely proud. He is currently living in the dilapidated remains of what once was his family estate, known locally as “The Castle Linda and Adam meet, introduced by Linda’s lovable dog “Archie”. From the outset they collide and keep right on a collision course that will lead them on to each others arms and ultimately each others beds. If you expect this book to take you over familiar ground, ground that has been covered often in literature, you would be wrong. Author Jillian Brookes-Ward has cleverly and beautifully taken this love triangle beyond the expected. In doing so she explores the emotional depths of each character, bringing them to life with clever and insightful glimpses into what motivates them to react. These people become very real, and intensely likeable under her clever penmanship, they go beyond a one dimensional image and we care about them. I found myself in turn, exasperated, angry, happy, sad, irritated and finally content…just the way I would respond to a dear friend caught up in a situation such as this. There are promises made and broken, an attraction that can’t be simply shut down, and love explored on so many different levels. I will not spoil this for the reader by revealing too much. Suffice it to say, Linda falls pregnant…and the resulting storm of emotion and ultimately surprising ending will hold you enthralled. I give this book a five out of five review. It earned it.
  • Danger Danger on Nov. 08, 2011
    star star star star star
    I have been eagerly awaiting a new book by Author Gerry McCullough, having read and enjoyed her marvelous debut novel Belfast Girls. The new book exceeded my expectations. The story of twins separated at birth is not new…what is new is Author McCulloughs marvelous interpretation of parallel lives. The emotional intensity of the characters is beautifully drawn. You care for these people. I turned the pages rapidly; eager to learn more of their lives, their loves and their fear. This book is a thriller, the action is fast paced, the depth of characterization mesmerizing and highly visual. Author Gerry McCullough serves us a feast with this book. The women in this work come from utterly different backgrounds and it is a measure of this authors talent that both Katie in her working class world and her twin Annie the high flying party girl are wonderfully sympathetic characters. Each of them are likeable, and you can’t help but care what happens to them. They share poor taste in their selection of their men folk as well. Those choices lead them into much danger. With perfect timing and page turning action this book is addictive, and simply unputdownable. A great choice for a Christmas gift in my opinion.
  • House of Silver Magic, Book One of The Magic Series on Nov. 22, 2011
    star star star star star
    John Booth has been a favorite author of mine for a while now, and I am delighted to find another of his works available. "House Of Silver Magic" the first in a brand new Magic series. Meet the Grange family. Mandy the eldest at fifteen, followed by William and twelve year old Jenny. With the mother Eleanor ever present to keep a watchful if disbelieving eye on her 3 children. The relationship between the siblings is crafted with a sure knowledge of young people and their interactions. The dialogue is marvelously accurate. When husband and father James Grange dies in mysterious circumstance the powers that be appear to turn on the shocked and bereaved family, forcing them out of their home without a place to turn and no money. Until their solicitor arrives with strange instructions and a cheque for 30,000 pounds. His instructions make no sense to the family, how is it possible that they could win at auction a millionaires home for such a paltry sum. But win the house they do, and their adventure into the world of magic and mystery begins. The three youngsters each have strange instances of seeing what can't possibly be there....Or can it? Meet the Dees. The beautifully described magical protectors of the home. They are there to defend the occupants that are of "the blood'. The relationship develops between the three Grange children and the protectors of the 'Source' What follows is a young adult reader's delight, and older readers me included will enjoy Author John Booth's marvelous powers of description and clever, well delivered dialogue. Evil doers intent on murdering the Grange family...carrying magic silver from the mysterious 'Source' Mrs. Constance and her psychopathic son are the very epitome of evil, characterizations so well drawn that the reader can despise them without effort. What follows is reading pleasure as good versus evil. With enough twists and turns to keep readers satisfied and interested. The retaliation of the Dees against the murderous Mrs. Constance and her deranged son will have young readers satisfied that justice prevailed. The pacing is masterful. The plot line just terrific...and the intricate weaving of these things and that x factor all authors crave make this a must read for not only young adults, but for all readers that remain young at heart. I look forward with pleasure to the remainder of the series. Highly recommended. This book would make a wonderful Christmas gift for young and old alike.
  • House of Silver Magic, Book One of The Magic Series on Nov. 22, 2011
    star star star star star
    John Booth has been a favorite author of mine for a while now, and I am delighted to find another of his works available. "House Of Silver Magic" the first in a brand new Magic series. Meet the Grange family. Mandy the eldest at fifteen, followed by William and twelve year old Jenny. With the mother Eleanor ever present to keep a watchful if disbelieving eye on her 3 children. The relationship between the siblings is crafted with a sure knowledge of young people and their interactions. The dialogue is marvelously accurate. When husband and father James Grange dies in mysterious circumstance the powers that be appear to turn on the shocked and bereaved family, forcing them out of their home without a place to turn and no money. Until their solicitor arrives with strange instructions and a cheque for 30,000 pounds. His instructions make no sense to the family, how is it possible that they could win at auction a millionaires home for such a paltry sum. But win the house they do, and their adventure into the world of magic and mystery begins. The three youngsters each have strange instances of seeing what can't possibly be there....Or can it? Meet the Dees. The beautifully described magical protectors of the home. They are there to defend the occupants that are of "the blood'. The relationship develops between the three Grange children and the protectors of the 'Source' What follows is a young adult reader's delight, and older readers me included will enjoy Author John Booth's marvelous powers of description and clever, well delivered dialogue. Evil doers intent on murdering the Grange family...carrying magic silver from the mysterious 'Source' Mrs. Constance and her psychopathic son are the very epitome of evil, characterizations so well drawn that the reader can despise them without effort. What follows is reading pleasure as good versus evil. With enough twists and turns to keep readers satisfied and interested. The retaliation of the Dees against the murderous Mrs. Constance and her deranged son will have young readers satisfied that justice prevailed. The pacing is masterful. The plot line just terrific...and the intricate weaving of these things and that x factor all authors crave make this a must read for not only young adults, but for all readers that remain young at heart. I look forward with pleasure to the remainder of the series. Highly recommended. This book would make a wonderful Christmas gift for young and old alike.
  • House of Silver Magic, Book One of The Magic Series on Nov. 22, 2011
    star star star star star
    John Booth has been a favorite author of mine for a while now, and I am delighted to find another of his works available. "House Of Silver Magic" the first in a brand new Magic series. Meet the Grange family. Mandy the eldest at fifteen, followed by William and twelve year old Jenny. With the mother Eleanor ever present to keep a watchful if disbelieving eye on her 3 children. The relationship between the siblings is crafted with a sure knowledge of young people and their interactions. The dialogue is marvelously accurate. When husband and father James Grange dies in mysterious circumstance the powers that be appear to turn on the shocked and bereaved family, forcing them out of their home without a place to turn and no money. Until their solicitor arrives with strange instructions and a cheque for 30,000 pounds. His instructions make no sense to the family, how is it possible that they could win at auction a millionaires home for such a paltry sum. But win the house they do, and their adventure into the world of magic and mystery begins. The three youngsters each have strange instances of seeing what can't possibly be there....Or can it? Meet the Dees. The beautifully described magical protectors of the home. They are there to defend the occupants that are of "the blood'. The relationship develops between the three Grange children and the protectors of the 'Source' What follows is a young adult reader's delight, and older readers me included will enjoy Author John Booth's marvelous powers of description and clever, well delivered dialogue. Evil doers intent on murdering the Grange family...carrying magic silver from the mysterious 'Source' Mrs. Constance and her psychopathic son are the very epitome of evil, characterizations so well drawn that the reader can despise them without effort. What follows is reading pleasure as good versus evil. With enough twists and turns to keep readers satisfied and interested. The retaliation of the Dees against the murderous Mrs. Constance and her deranged son will have young readers satisfied that justice prevailed. The pacing is masterful. The plot line just terrific...and the intricate weaving of these things and that x factor all authors crave make this a must read for not only young adults, but for all readers that remain young at heart. I look forward with pleasure to the remainder of the series. Highly recommended. This book would make a wonderful Christmas gift for young and old alike.
  • Highland King on Dec. 07, 2011
    star star star star star
    Jeff Blackmere has written a marvelous tale combining equal parts myth, legend, history and imagination presenting the reader with a thrilling and moving sequel to Draegnstoen. The waring factions in the Royal families of 5th century Scotland and Northern England have torn the country in parts for generations. Greed and lust for power has murder as it’s constant companion. This is more than a book of bloodied heroes and villains. It is a book of forceful and quite wonderfully graphic descriptions and you the reader are right there experiencing the fearsome sounds and scents of bloody and ferocious battle. Doncann is the man destined to become The Highland King. Doncann is banished as a child and wrongly blamed for the death of his cousin to gain ascension to the throne of…his grandfather. Doncann is raised as a Cruthnie of Maetae and he begins the long journey to gain his rightful place as the King that will unite the lands and bring an end to bloodshed. He is trained in the art of swordsmanship and battle techniques by the shadow goddess Scathach, Patron of The Cruithni. Doncann doubts his heritage, but stands firm in his desire to understand the legend and accept the responsibility of the throne he was born to sit. Author Blackmere has woven a tale of loyalty and betrayal, of deep seated hate and abiding timeless love. In a time when woman stood and fought alongside the men in the fierceness of battle and died a dreadful and bloody death. The characterizations are rich, the dialogues is perfect and the names given historically accurate. The depth of emotion of the central characters adds a warmth and dimension to this work, making it far more than just Historical Fiction, it has layers of splendid imagery, with battle scenes that are memorable and crafted well, a love story that spans a generation and dialogue that plays gently on the ear of the reader. I enjoyed this reading experience immensely and came back to reality with a jolt and the satisfaction of having read a book that took me to a different time and a different place. That in my view makes this an absolute must read.