New Release – Sue Jorgensen by Ken La Salle @KenLaSalle #sciencefiction

Posted on July 7, 2023 by fundinmental

I fell in love with these covers and Ken La Salle, along with the Miblart team of Ukraine have done an outstanding job creating a brand for the Breakthrough series, a science fiction series sure to capture your imagination. It did mine and I eagerly look forward to the next book in the series, The Deaths and Life of Arturo Delgado.

Ken La Salle left it up to me to title his guest post. What do you think? Did I do it justice?

BREAKTHROUGH BUCKET LIST IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

Do you have a bucket list?

I do.

Strange as it may seem, however, my bucket list has little to do with things I didn’t accomplish in the real world so much as it is about the stories I have not, yet, told and really want to. Every book takes a little more time from my life and I realized, sometime ago as I neared my mid-50s, that I should get to those stories I really want to tell before another month or another year or another decade passed.

You don’t put tiny excursions on your bucket list, though, so I decided to turn those tales into a series as grand as possible, one that would be “bucket list worthy.”

I began by writing a novel about Max Dedge, a guy who basically just wants to help. But he was put behind a gun, paid to kill people, instead. Years later, having put down his gun and taking his own path, he finds himself hired to solve some bombing only to end up with a wizard on his arm and the fate of a world in his hands.

This first novel in the series that I call “The Breakthrough” was Max Dedge in the Time of the Uniborg. Being an independent author spurred by inspiration, I slapped on a cover, released the novel, and moved on to the next book in the series.

That next book, which has just been released, is Sue Jorgensen: Queen of Space. Sue’s just a small-business owner, a single mom, who is thrust into an unscrupulous galaxy when her son is taken from her by aliens. While Max’s story focused on the fantastic, Sue tried to keep hers down to Earth… or, at least, in this solar system.

This is when I began to realize that The Breakthrough, filled with offbeat characters and otherworldly adventures, is a story about regular people saving what little of their lives they can from a cruel universe. If they’re lucky, they’ll save a bit more. And all of this happens as a terrible force is coming to destroy the solar system. They can see it coming. They know what’s going to happen. But is it too big for them? Can they possibly stop it?

But I couldn’t just slap a cover onto Sue. Sue, Max, and The Breakthrough demanded better. A story this big needed cover art just as expressive. I was fortunate to work with the Miblart team from Ukraine, who turned my covers from snapshots into murals that display the expansive story before you.

The third novel in this series, The Deaths and Life of Arturo Delgado, will be coming soon with more books to follow and I hope you join me for the rest of The Breakthrough, my personal bucket list.

Mr Wonderful kept me motivated and on the move for so many years, that now I am older I find myself content spending a lot of time at home, in our little piece of Paradise. I do have one thing on my bucket list that I have never done. I want to go down the Gulf side of Florida, from home, Pensacola, to the tip of the Florida Keys: air boating through the Everglades, swimming with the Manatees at Crystal River, visiting the mermaids at Wicki Wachee Springs State Park and seeing the green flash at the tip of the Forida Keys.

Do you have a bucket list?

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Ken La Salle has done an excellent job of creating a brand for The Breakthrough series with his covers. They are gorgeous and hint at the action and adventure inside…so, prepare yourself. Sue Jorgensen will definitely be a bumpy ride.

Sue Jorgensen’s worst day did not begin when the Golden Gage Bridge was destroyed….

“…you’re going to regret ever getting in this car if you don’t get out this second.”

And that is how the story begins. Sue and her son getting into her own ‘car’ and ending up on an alien ship. They take her son and Sue will not quit until she gets him back. When the car took off, I thought of Back To The Future and ET, with a little something extra

Ken La Salle has a twisted sense of humor that I love and it shines in Sue Jorgensen. Half the time I didn’t know whether to be pissed off or laugh out loud.

Sue Jorgensen does have sex with an alien. Do they do it different? Well, she does wonder if that explains the thing he does in bed.

Sue Jorgensen recruits help to rescue her son:

“A pirate can be a fighter, but also a lover, the kind of guy who rescues a maiden, steals her purse, and uses the money to save a puppy.”

We have Abrogines, who want to destroy our world and everyone in it, Stinkers, who are a people from…well, I think you can guess what their planet is made of, and more. The Collective is an amalgamation of the other species. They are nonviolent.

I love when Pod, a sentient machine, puts her on a spaceship full of virgins. They talk like the Fonz and the simplest flirtation has them swept off their feet. When Sue kissed Zanks cheek, she never could have predicted what would ‘pop up’ and I did laugh out loud. OMG! I won’t tell you because it is so good and so funny, you need to be as surprised as I was to get the full enjoyment of Sue’s situation. Ken describes Zanks as a walking Muppet.

Aliens know that we are a violent species and the ‘idiots of the galaxy. Earth is in danger and it won’t end in Sue Jorgensen, so be ready for Book III.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Sue Jorgensen by Ken La Salle.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Sue Jorgensen never imagined she’d find herself standing on the deck of an alien ship, escaping the chaos on the Earth below, ascending in a heavily modified Plymouth – when aliens take her son!

She started her morning as she always did as a restauranteur in the wilds of Washington, making the coffee and cleaning the countertops when a stranger happened by and sat at the counter. He showed her news clips of a shattered Golden Gate Bridge, destroyed by aliens and a man named Max Dedge, a private investigator who he claims has brought doom to the world. All at once, the reality she has known is replaced with space-faring Plymouths, gravity drives, and a mad dash into space.

Somewhere between space and terra firma, Sue Jorgensen finds herself in a new galaxy – one that is being taken apart for scrap by interstellar corporations with no interest in human life. Now, she will have to find a strength she never knew existed, to pick herself up when she’s thrown back to Earth and find her son in the vastness of space.

With the help of semi-sentient machines, mind-controlled dreamers, and an iron will, Sue Jorgensen will travel to the farthest reaches of sanity drawn by the power of her love for her son – to find the Queen of Space within herself, to discover that nothing is what it seems.

And that we all need rescuing.

Book One of The BreakThrough took readers to a whole new world. Sue Jorgensen returns them to Earth, and nothing will be the same.

Genre: Action and Adventure, Aliens, Fiction, Science Fiction
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 23, 2023Series
The BreakThrough (#2)

ABOUT KEN LA SALLE

Born on an 18th century mining ship, Ken La Salle is not his name. He just likes it. He writes about whatever he damn well pleases, hoping to build more of a cult following than a readership just for a cut on the robes. Looking for the mainstream but sticking to the shore, you can find out more about Ken La Salle at the imaginatively named www.kenlasalle.com.

MY KEN LA SALLE REVIEWS

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Cover Reveal – Max Dedge in The Time of The Uniborg by Ken La Salle @KenLaSalle

Posted on January 26, 2023 by fundinmental

I am a fan of Ken La Salle’s and have read a number of his books. He crosses many genres. I read Max Dedge and loved it. The old cover, with the mountains, does hint at the adventure inside, but the new cover….eye catching.

Amazon / Goodreads

I love the new cover.

ABOUT MAX DEDGE IN THE THE TIME OF THE UNIBORG

The BreakThrough is coming, and with it Doom for earth.

Max Dedge is the only person standing in its way and he doesn’t even know it. He’s too busy snapping pictures of unfaithful spouses from the dark as he wonders what happened to his life. He may not have a license but those who have employed his services call him a sleuth. Others use the term “adventurer,” while others still just call him a jerk. Max may tend to agree, taking shadier and shadier jobs as his own marriage falls apart. The only relationship he can rely on is with his phone and even that is a little one-sided.

But don’t worry about Max. He might be starting his day hanging from a tree, but odds are pretty good he’ll end it by falling between worlds.

Edward Cazwell, billionaire entrepreneur and mystery unto himself, says he’s hiring Max to solve a series of bombings. Max doesn’t know the first thing about bombings, is a whole lot more comfortable chasing shady husbands and wives. But what starts as a hired job investigating bombs takes a turn when Max lands in a different world.

Now, he’ll have to leap from castle walls, escape certain death, and even burn down a bar or two as he chases one clue into another all leading to the same impossible, inescapable conclusion. Max Dedge may not be aware of it, may be stumbling into it, but you can be sure he can sense something’s up. And it’s something far bigger than one amateur detective can solve.

The end of the world is coming and Max Dedge first has to find his way home. Buckle up because its gonna get crazy…

ABOUT KEN LA SALLE

MY KEN LA SALLE REVIEWS

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Work of Art II: A Reflection of Masks by Ken La Salle @KenLaSalle

Posted on March 25, 2022 by fundinmental

I love the cover for Work of Art by Ken La Salle. It fits the story to a T.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

“Art can be many things, a flower, a stage, and even a mask. We all wear masks. It takes an artist to see a reflection.”

Think about it…are you one person when at home alone, another when with a spouse or child, another at work…

Andy wondered, “Had I done it? Had I really taught kids something?” He hadn’t believed in art, but he is learning as much…or maybe even more…than the kids in his class.

It had all started with Joseph and one flower, blooming into a garden, gathering an unlikely cast of characters. It transcends the art. It was mutually beneficial as they all learn some of life’s lessons.

“…when has life ever been fair…?” Has it treated you fairly?

How do you teach, inspire, create without killing a child’s dreams? And what about the parents. Granted, this is not the best neighborhood, or the best school, but who’s raising the children? Even more important, who is feeding the children? My heart breaks for Joseph…and the others.

I have gotten to know the characters better in this second book and am more invested in their lives, their futures. These kids are labeled and I am sure some of them are considered ‘throwaway’ kids. What I loved the most about them, was how they came together, doing what they felt needed to be done, and figured it out on their own. Andy is drug along for the ride.

“Don’t ever say I don’t help. Do I back into it most of the time with no idea how I got there? Sure. But I do help.” And that describes Andy Hollis. He has his own struggles, has been to jail, been homeless…

I have so many notes for Work of Art by Ken La Salle. This is a difficult book for me to review. I am having a hard time expressing my feelings. I feel it is an indepth glimpse into humanity, showing the good, the bad, and the ugly.

I hope there are a lot more of these kids out there, refusing to acknowledge that ‘you can’t do that.’

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Work of Art by Ken La Salle.

GOODREADS BLURB

Joseph has painted his flowers.
A masterpiece sits in concrete.
Andy Hollis, ersatz instructor of art at Santa Ana High School, has won… if slightly.
He has inspired a classroom of artists, leaving him to decide who will be chosen for the next work of art. Can one high school art club keep shaking the world with its creations or will the art destroy the club? Every brush stroke is crucial and Andy doesn’t know how to paint.
Meanwhile, in a certain parking lot, Joseph’s flowers have taken on a life of their own, garnering unexpected interest with unbelievable results. Andy is faced with a restless artist with a surprising, new following and a work of art that refuses to stay put.
And what about the mysterious artist, Tom? Where has he disappeared to? How can he keep all of his promises? Or does he have something else in mind for the artists? For Andy? Something dark and devastating?
Andy Hollis is no artist but he may need to become one in ways he could never expect. Art can be many things, a flower, a stage, and even a mask.
We all wear masks.
It takes an artist to see their reflection.

ABOUT KEN LA SALLE

MY KEN LA SALLE REVIEWS

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

How Do You Share Your Books? @KenLaSalle

Posted on November 3, 2021 by fundinmental

I would like to welcome Ken La Salle to fundinmental, as he shares his thoughts about Sherry-ing books (lol)

Nobody ever tells you what’s going to happen to your books.

Most of us, if we’re readers, probably have a few books up on a shelf. Those more devoted of us have books on a few more shelves, and in a box somewhere, maybe filling our storage units. Or is that just me?

Either way, we go through our lives, reading, buying books, buying some more books, and maybe buying even more books. Do you know what you’re going to do with your books?

Because, until recently, I had no idea. I’m 56 years old and have no children and started to think my books would simply get donated to charity after I passed, or burned in a fire at the end of a long line along with a sled named Rosebud.

Until recently, that is.

While I’m not a father, I should also mention that I’m not the best uncle in the world, either. My favorite nephew, Hayden, recently turned 16. He’s a great kid but a bit too good, if you know what I mean. I decided that what he needs is a bit of corruption, a little taste of subversion.

You might think of subversion as “trolling” or being a contrarian but it’s more than that. Subversion is about seeing the world more as it is than we would like it to be and undercutting those systems or inclinations we might have towards ignoring reality. I wanted to help my nephew learn to see everything he was taught in school not to consider, and did it with books.

It didn’t take a lot of books. Only six. My directions instructed him to hold on to them, not to push himself into reading them but to read them at his leisure. You can’t force subversion, after all.

These books included:

A Modest Proposal, Jonathan Swift. I read this in high school and didn’t believe anyone could be as deliberate and cutting, certainly not before my time. Eating Irish children may not be Sunday manners but I felt it was just right for a 16 year old boy.

Naked Lunch, William S. Burroughs. One of the least wholesome books you’ll ever want to read and also no pushover. The book takes thought to understand while it’s pushing out images of talking posteriors; what more could a boy want?

Bluebeard, Kurt Vonnegut. I gave this book to my father for his 50^th birthday but he refused to read it because it had swear words. I figured my nephew would appreciate them. And, for my money, Vonnegut rarely wrote so beautifully.

Little Mike, Yours truly. Here’s how I introduced this book to my nephew: “The world’s going to shit, but that doesn’t mean we can’t see it for something more. That’s what subversion is all about.”

The Pinball Effect, James Burke. Non-fiction can be just as subversive as fiction and, while James Burke was no revolutionary, he taught the essential lesson of connection, showing how everything in our world is connected to everything else, physically, historically, you name it.

A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn. An honest history of the United States. A way to love your country without making excuses for it. I think young Americans (not the David Bowie kind) can use a message like this.

The Worst Case Scenario Handbook. This was more of a pamphlet than a book but it was given to me at a young age and, while I never read it cover to cover, picking it up and reading it now and then reminded me of my mortality. And, though my nephew isn’t nearly the rabble rouser his father or I had been in our youth, a little insurance is never a bad thing.

This box of books was never intended as homework. I would never want Hayden to feel as though he has to read them. But I saw an opportunity to reach out to this young man I care very much for and share a few of the books I love, which shaped who I was at a young age.

What box of books could you give away? Who would receive it? Would your theme be subversion or something more intriguing? Or something more relaxing? In the age of digital media, it’s a shame to simply allow our printed pages to molder and rot, to go unattended in our passing. Instead, we have shelves filled with gifts, wisdom to share.

And I say let’s share it.

It’s funny that you chose to share this at this time, Ken. I have been going through my bookks and seeing what I can part with. Now that I have a kindle and find so many free books and review books, I doubt I will reread anything, sooooooo…I am trying to decide how to share them. I have found a place online that I can call and they will come and take them away……

ABOUT KEN LA SALLE

MY KEN LA SALLE REVIEWS

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Grotesquely Funny – Little Mike by Ken La Salle @KenLaSalle

Posted on April 7, 2021 by fundinmental

I have been reading Ken La Salle’s work for some time now and he never ceases to amaze me with his creativity and ability to spin a tale…and some of them are pretty far out there. LOL And I love it.

I was very curious about the cover, because I knew Ken La Salle just couldn’t find the right thing, so I asked him to write up a guest post and share his thoughts about it. The story is very original, unique and…well, it’s very hard to describe, but if you like something that can shock you and make you stretch your mind, this could be for you.

So….welcome Ken.

IN HIS OWN WORDS…

“Seat of the pants” is much more than a style of writing; it really is a way of life. And this is especially true in the writing world where book release dates and cover reveals are just as strategic as the handsome stranger entering in the third act.

For me, though, strategy can get boring sometimes. I was working on Heaven Enough when I was first captured by this strange notion of art as torture, which was only my first glimpse into the world of Little Mike. As strange as this notion was, I knew I couldn’t create a traditional outline or structure – or anything. Little Mike revealed itself much like a sculpture locked in stone, freed by the tiniest chips.

Because Little Mike was such a different kind of book, I talked up the idea with some friends just to see their response to some of the ideas presented and, after I wrote the novel, I managed to corral my first beta readers. I knew there would be pushback to some of my ideas but I was pleased to see the story connect in such a powerful way.

Agents and publishers turned Little Mike away in droves, however. Still, I had to believe that the reactions of my readers meant far more than the publishers and agents who turned their noses up at the mention of a Muslim prostitute. This was, of course, before my editor asked, and I’m paraphrasing, “Are you sure?” This was before two cover artists told me the cover was impossible to create and a third cover artist told me he couldn’t “draw funny.” (Not that anyone asked…)

Seat of the pants style, my wife and I bought a doll, found a place to shoot the cover, and brought Little Mike to life ourselves.

“Seat of the pants” is not a guaranty of success; it is an offer of adventure, a ticket to unexpected destinations. I hope Little Mike takes you someplace unexpected, just as it did for me.

You accomplished your mission, Ken. You definitely took me somewhere I couldn’t have gotten on my own and I LOVE IT! Keep up the great work.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

“The country needed more pollution and dumber children, I guess.”

WOW! I mean…WOW! Ken La Salle blew me away with this grotesquely hilarious glimpse of what our future could behold.

Ken La Salle writes some of the most wildly entertaining, unique, and creative stories I have ever read and Little Mike hits all the marks.

I love the simple cover and it sure doesn’t give anything away. He worked on the cover for quite some time.

Ken La Salle’s version on the have and have nots, and the decline of the human race is…

BEWARE: There is graphic violence and his version of the end of the world, man, oh man…bereft of all hope, surviving while waiting to die…sure don’t see much to live for.

Perversion, depravity. Totally twisted. Laughs and disgust. Need a strong stomach…and maybe a puke bucket. LOL

A satire on the state of the union and what the future could hold for us. Think you have it bad…these characters show that it can always be worse.

Who is better off? An optimist? A pessimist? A realist?

Thought provoking. Soul crushing. Hopeless and hopeful. Had me questioning myself and my responsibilities towards the world we live in.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of Little Mike by Ken La Salle.

GOODREADS BLURB

He’s come to destroy the world.
We beat him to it.
Welcome to a world where you have to suck the KKK for breakfast and people fight for the right to be warehoused. Welcome to a world where television is free just as long as you never turn it off, where opioids are delicious and safe, mostly, where the streets are filled with the bodies of the dead, worms are blessed, and children are tortured for the sake of art.
And into this world awakens Little Mike.
Little Mike is a doll.
Little Mike doesn’t know why he’s woken up. He doesn’t know that he means the end of humankind. He’s too busy being traded for sexual favors, watching Reality TV, and searching for the last shreds of human hope in the same landfill where they’d deposited their decency and their intelligence.
Dystopia is a word that gets thrown around a lot but what do you call a world where the future has been stripped of its meaning? Where the petty greeds of humanity eclipse survival? Where corporations have data-mined the human heart… and no one can see beyond the latest distraction… and human history culminates in silent surrender?
You’d call that the world of Little Mike. It only sounds like the world where you live.

ABOUT KEN LA SALLE

GIVEAWAY

Want a glimpse into Ken La Salle’s world? Now is your chance. Ken is offering 3 ebook copies of Little Mike. Entry is easy peasy. All you have to do is leave a comment answering the question and leaving your requested format and email:

Are you…An optimist? A pessimist? A realist?

Please share the love.

MY KEN LA SALLE REVIEWS

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway for Heaven For Now by Ken La Salle @KenLaSalle

Posted on February 26, 2020 by fundinmental

Heaven for Now by Ken La Salle is book III in the Heaven series. His work is thought provoking, making me ask the question, what is my version of Heaven?

The series has some wonderful covers that hint at the story inside.

If you would like to read my review, you can find it HERE. You will also have another chance to win a copy for yourself.

Amazon / Goodreads

GUEST POST

I have been reading Ken La Salle’s stories for a while now and he covers many genres. He never ceases to entertain me. I just finished reading Heaven for Now, Book III in the Heaven series. He leads an interesting life, going on his own life affirming adventures and I think you will find his thoughts on Romance interesting. I know I did.

I don’t know the first thing about writing a romance novel.

But having gone through one divorce and having stood by my best friend as he lost his wife to leukemia, I guess I know something about heartbreak and loss.

How or why the idea for Heaven Enough originated as I hiked on the Pacific Crest Trail just outside of Warner Springs is something I’ll probably never figure out. The story came to me all at once and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was a simple, quiet story about a man who had lost everything, which is how you feel when you lose someone you love. Heaven Enough felt like such a departure for me that I even drove my wife, Vicky, out to Warner Springs and pitched the idea to her beside that same trail.

Most of my previous stories had been quite a bit louder.

And Heaven Enough picked up a few readers and a lot of great reviews. The book holds a special place in my heart precisely because I don’t know the first thing about writing a romance novel. Instead, I wrote the kind of love story that is born out of loss and pain and regret. Not a fairy tale but something real.

And when a few readers began asking me what happened after the events in Heaven Enough, I began to wonder as well. I had not planned a trilogy but that didn’t really matter. I wanted to see it happen.

You should know that I had a good laugh at the notion that I, an author who has forever disparaged any romantic fiction, would be releasing a trilogy of… again, not romance novels. How about this, instead: A trilogy about adult, grown up people who have been hurt by love, wondering if love is worth all the hype, and discovering that the value of love and meaning of life can only be measured by how much you’re willing to open your heart.

At least, those are my thoughts. Coming from someone who doesn’t know the first thing about writing a romance novel, you should expect the Heaven series to take you in different directions and even surprise you at times.

I’ve already been asked if Matt Murphy will return and I can assure you he will. But I’m gonna give him a few years off to rest. He’s gonna need it. Heaven Enough, Heaven Denied, and Heaven For Now are all available pretty much everywhere in ebook and paperback and you can also find Heaven Enough in audio wherever audiobooks are sold online.

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts Ken. I look forward to our next adventure, be it zombies, cookies, horror or romance. Bring it on!

GOODREADS BLURB

What would it be like to have heaven enough?
When Matt Murphy married his second wife, Heather, Paul and Neal were by his side. Neal, the brother of his first wife, Diva, had unwittingly sent Matt after Heather. Paul, also known as the cross-dresser Babette, was the only other person who knew Heather before her death.
Seeing two strands of his life come together at his wedding and fall in love made sense to Matt, somehow.
But it didn’t make sense to Neal. As far as Neal had been informed, he wasn’t gay. Though he could never deny his love for Paul, how can Neal grasp what such an admission would mean in his life?
Now, Paul has disappeared and Matt agrees to look in his last known location, Puerto Vallarta, home of sand and sun and – despite Matt’s searching – absolutely no sign of Paul. And when Matt Murphy meets Marisol Saucedo, a physical trainer who makes her living by teaching her students to beat people up, his search for Paul stops as his fascination for Marisol blooms.
What will become of Paul and Neal? How will Matt make sense of their lives when he can’t make sense of his own? Is love enough when it requires a leap of faith into a scary, new world? Can you use logic to find the answers? Or is it better to simply surrender to the moment, to the inebriating temptation that is love?
Any decision will change their lives forever…

ABOUT KEN LA SALLE (From Amazon)

Author and Playwright, Ken La Salle grew up in Santa Ana, California and has remained in the surrounding area his entire life. He was raised with strong, blue collar roots, which have given him a progressive and environmentalist view. As a result, you’ll find many of his stories touching those areas both geographically and philosophically. His passion is intense humor, meaningful drama, and finding answers to the questions that define our lives.

Website / Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / Goodreads

GIVEAWAY

Ken La Salle is offering one copy of Heaven For Now to one lucky reader. Entry is easy peasy. Simply answer the question:

What, to you, is the most important element in a romance novel?

You will also have a second chance on Wednesday, 3.26.20, so be sure and come back.

Giveaway ends 3.4.20.

MY KEN LA SALLE REVIEWS

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Giveaway & Review – Heaven For Now by Ken La Salle @KenLaSalle

Posted on February 24, 2020 by fundinmental

Heaven for Now by Ken La Salle is book III in the Heaven series. His work is thought provoking, making me ask the question, what is my version of heaven?

The series has some wonderful covers that hint at the story inside.

I will be sharing his thoughts on romance in an upcoming post scheduled for Wednesday, the 26th of February. I hope you will stop by, because I believe it will add to your reading enjoyment of the Heaven series and offer another chance to win a copy for yourself.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Ken La Salle writes thought provoking novels with quirky characters and humor. He makes me question myself, right along with his characters.

Whenever I read a Ken La Salle story, I find myself reading between the lines, at times adding my own interpretation of events.

Matt has been dealt some tragic blows in his life and finds himself adrift, but he never gives up on love. No job, nowhere to go, no reason to get there, until Paul disappears. Where has he gone? Why has he gone?

Now, Matt is on a plane to Mexico, in search of Paul and the adventure begins as soon as he gets off the plane. How is he ever going to find Paul? He doesn’t know where to go or how he’s going to get there.

But, he is also on a journey of enlightenment, trying to find a purpose in his life. On an Australian walkabout, if you will. Lost, with no direction.

His friends are a comical group of characters and he finds himself in some humorous situations. At times, I could see the events unraveling right before my eyes.

Matt has come full circle and is so much better for it. It’s not one single event that makes us who we are, but a lifetime of journeys. We don’t stay the same, and each event adds to our makeup. We learn, we grow, we gather those who mean something to use, who make us a better person.

Ken La Salle takes us on a life affirming journey, through death and sadness, humor and laughs, love and contentment, and I always enjoy the ride. He has a distinctive writing style and unique characters. I find his stories eye opening, making me look at myself in a way I never thought I would while reading a fictional novel.

I kept flipping between a three and four rating. Seeing I don’t do half stars, I always round up.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Heaven For Now by Ken La Salle.

GOODREADS BLURB

ABOUT KEN LA SALLE (From Amazon)

Website / Twitter / Facebook / YouTube / Goodreads

GIVEAWAY

Ken La Salle is offering one copy of Heaven For Now to one lucky reader. Entry is easy peasy. Simply answer the question:

What, to you, is the most important element in a romance novel?

You will also have a second chance on Wednesday, 3.26.20, so be sure and come back.

Giveaway ends 3.4.20.

MY KEN LA SALLE REVIEWS

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Cover Reveal – Heaven For Now by Ken La Salle @KenLaSalle

Posted on December 18, 2019 by fundinmental

I am a huge fan of Ken La Salle’s, and if you take a glimpse at the guest post he shared HERE and the review links below, you’ll see why. Now, I want to share his latest with this fabulous cover of Heaven For Now.

BLURB

When Matt Murphy married his second wife, Heather, Paul and Neal were by his side. Neal, the brother of his first wife, Diva, had unwittingly sent Matt after Heather. Paul, also known as the cross-dresser Babette, was the only other person who knew Heather before her death.

Seeing two strands of his life come together at his wedding and fall in love made sense to Matt, somehow.

But it didn’t make sense to Neal. As far as Neal had been informed, he wasn’t gay. Though he could never deny his love for Paul, how can Neal grasp what such an admission would mean in his life?

Now, Paul has disappeared and Matt agrees to look in his last known location, Puerto Vallarta, home of sand and sun and – despite Matt’s searching – absolutely no sign of Paul. And when Matt Murphy meets Marisol Saucedo, a physical trainer who makes her living by teaching her students to beat people up, his search for Paul stops as his fascination for Marisol blooms.

What will become of Paul and Neal? How will Matt make sense of their lives when he can’t make sense of his own? Is love enough when it requires a leap of faith into a scary, new world? Can you use logic to find the answers? Or is it better to simply surrender to the moment, to the inebriating temptation that is love?

Any decision will change their lives forever…

MY KEN LA SALLE REVIEWS

I didn’t realize I had read so many, each unique in their own way. I have laughed and cried my way through them, and I eagerly wait for the next one…

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Ken La Salle Writes Of #Zombies, #Romance, #Love, #Art, #Cookies, #Fantasy @KenLaSalle

Posted on March 3, 2019 by fundinmental

GUEST POST BY KEN LA SALLE

I am so excited to have you here today, Ken. I have read books from you that have dealt with cookies, zombies, personal success, magic, fantasy and love. I have enjoyed each and every one. You are here to share your thoughts about your Heaven series. So…let’s begin.

Grief is Funny

(Emotional Honesty in Heaven Denied)

So, I’m sitting in a radio-show studio, just before going on the air – this was a couple of years ago – and one of the hosts asks me a question I’d been hearing a lot that still took me by surprise. Were we going to see a sequel to Heaven Enough?

I say the question took me by surprise because, ever since the day I put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to write my first novel, I always had sequels in mind. Most of my brainstorming for any novel includes some strategizing as to where I take that story next.

But Heaven Enough was a different kind of novel for me. The idea sprang forth fully self-contained. For a novel about a man who had lost his wife to later find love on the Pacific Crest Trail; what more was there? I had even taken my wife on a drive through Warner Springs, telling her about the characters and pointing out where they would go, finishing with a definite conclusion – Heaven Enough would be a stand-alone story.

As so often is the case, life had other plans. The story of Matt Murphy and Heather Brooker and this unlikely pairing of one broken man who insisted he wasn’t with one indominable woman who bore a tragic secret caught on rather unexpectedly. Here and there, readers would inquire after a sequel. Until the day came when I was sitting in that studio and I realized that my readers were right: Heaven Enough needed a sequel.

… As it turned out, my publisher wasn’t interested. Too much time had passed since the first book’s release, I was told. I’d be smart to move on.

But if I was smart, I wouldn’t be a novelist. I had spent too much time thinking about a sequel to let it go – not just one but two! My publisher, Limitless, while not interested in the sequels, released me from my contract so that I could self-publish all of the Heaven novels. All that was left was to write them.

The smart move would be to follow that sad tale of Heather and Matt with a more upbeat chapter. Everyone was asking about Neal and Babette, the flamboyant cross-dresser who appeared towards the end of the first novel. Perhaps, some suggested, I focus more on them.

While I knew that might make for a more marketable title, I also knew Matt wasn’t finished with Heather. Babette and Neal will have their moment, of this you can be sure, but I couldn’t move on until Matt could move on. Only… how could Matt move on? Heather’s story was wrapped in a tight bow. Where could Matt turn to share his awful grief?

In Heaven Enough, I made it clear that Heather was not only alone in the world, she’d also never married and was still a virgin. That is ironclad. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t have a life, that she didn’t love. And, if the Heaven novels are about anything, they are about love and opening ourselves up to love. And, so, I planted an imaginary photograph on an imaginary Internet for Babette to find, a photograph of a much younger Heather with a much younger man posing outside of a chapel in Las Vegas.

That was all Matt would need. I knew Babette wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut, especially with a little help from Neal and Babs, Matt’s mother. Once he knew some strand of Heather’s life remained out there, somewhere, Matt would step onto the pages of a new novel, a more complicated novel than Heaven Enough. Part Bromance, part romantic comedy, part road trip, the new novel would touch on missed opportunities and regrets, love in all of its forms and coming to terms with who you are after who you are is almost unrecognizable.

That novel, I titled Heaven Denied.

Heaven Denied is now available in ebook and paperback, with an audiobook on its way. You can also pick up Heaven Enough in ebook, paperback, and audiobook. Look for the third novel in this series, Heaven For Now, coming late this year.

Congratulations, Ken, for having written a love story that has stuck with me, making me look inside myself, not just along for the ride. I am happy we will have a third book, and I hope you will put me at the top of list when it becomes available for review.

See My Reviews:

I didn’t realize I had read so many, each unique in their own way. I have laughed and cried my way through them, and I eagerly wait for the next one…

Take a look at these fabulous covers:

Wormfood Island Cookies: Sluts of the Snack World Once Removed False Starts: Mistakes & Missteps Growing Up In The 70s Work of Art: An Intention of Flowers Climbing Maya Max Dedge in The Time of The Uniborg Heaven Enough Heaven Denied

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
I am an Amazon affiliate/product images are linked.
Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

Searching For Answers – Heaven Denied by Ken La Salle @KenLaSalle

Posted on February 8, 2019 by fundinmental

I read Heaven Enough, Book I (see my review HERE) some time ago and loved it, so I am very excited to share Ken La Salle’s new sequel, Heaven Denied.

What do you think of the awesome cover?

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Matt has not lost one wife, but two, taken before their time. Heaven Denied is a look into his psyche to see how one person deals with grief, the desperation of loss and the need to know….

Ken La Salle has a way of digging deep into my mind, raising questions and making me wonder what I would do. How would I handle the loss of someone so important to me that I cannot let them go. He gets inside my head, scrambling all my perceptions to the point where I get Matt’s motivation, his need to do something.

Matt needs…I don’t think he knows what he needs and I love that his mother is by his side as he searches. And Eric? Is he just along for the ride?

Ken La Salle walks his own line, as do his characters, and that shines through in his writing. They muddle through life, like the rest of us, looking for love and happiness. I love that his books do more than entertain me, they make me think, to read between the lines, to look into myself and ask the hard questions.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Heaven Denied by Ken La Salle.

GOODREADS BLURB

What would it be like to have heaven enough?

For just a few, brief days on the Pacific Crest Trail, Matt Murphy knew. He fell in love, faced his true self, and came to understand what was really important in life – until the woman he fell in love with died and his life was cast into the chaotic emptiness of grief. Within that emptiness, Matt lost his wealth, his job, and everything that helped his life make sense.

Matt believed he could accept that if it really was the price of true love… Until he learned that the woman he loved had already been married.

Where that left him and what it meant for the love he thought they shared, Matt couldn’t know. His only recourse would be to meet the man who had married his love and understand what that love had meant to him. How could he have lost her? How could he have pushed her aside? How could he have given her up when losing her broke so much of what was left of Matt’s heart?

Matt is going to have to find out. Even if it means blundering through another relationship, driving into a lake, just a bit of kidnapping, and possibly facing the kind of man he really is, was, and always will be.

The results of which could change Matt’s life forever…

MY KEN LA SALLE REVIEWS