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Writing and reading are my passions! My dream to be a writer began, when as a five year old child I would ask my mother to write down the stories I would make up about talking dogs.
Since growing up and becoming further educated with a Bachelor's Degree in English (I have an affinity for classic literature), a Master's Degree in Leadership, and a degree in Ultrasound, I have begun to pursue that dream in hopes of one day making it my career. I have many interests and ideas so my ultimate goal is to release works of fiction in multiple genres. Fantasy will always be my first love however, as I have always had an intense imagination that threatens to inundate me if not expelled onto paper.
Aside from writing, I enjoy physical activities like running and yoga. I am blessed to have an amazing family, close friends and two beloved canine companions.
Reviewed by Rosie Malezer for Readers' Favorite
The Grey Eyed Storm by Christie Stenzel is the first book in the Occuli series. Remy Verbetta had been just twelve years old when her mother, Emmery, had taken her own life. Her nine-year-old sister, Makayla, had vanished without a trace soon after. On her eighteenth birthday, Remy is not only given a necklace which her mother had always worn, but also discovers (after sleepwalking to her mother’s grave) that she is one of the seven varieties of Occuli, easily identifiable by eye color, each with a variety of powers which can affect others as well as the elements around them. As an additional birthday gift, Remy receives a bodyguard from her cousin, Ruby, in the form of a boy, Zias, whom Remy had been having dreams about for quite some time. At school, Remy finally meets the new boy in town, Drake Cook, and cannot help but be startled by his eyes; it is never good to know that a Reaper has arrived. Unable to determine whether Drake is good or evil, and trying to decipher her mother’s and her grandmother’s memories, Remy finds herself in a race against time to figure out who she can trust in order to save her kind from obliteration.
Without a doubt, The Grey Eyed Storm is one of the most in-depth and entertaining paranormal books I have ever read. Christie Stenzel’s introduction to the Occuli series leaves me desperately wanting more and I look forward to reading the rest of the series when it is released. Living in a spiraling world of heartache after her mother and sister are both gone, the main character discovers on her eighteenth birthday that nothing in life is what she thought it to be. As her powers come into effect and she finds out who and what she truly is, Remy spins through a pinwheel of emotions that strike without warning, making her wonder whether or not she is going crazy. Each of the characters is well-written and brings an important element to the story as a whole, whether good or evil. I fully enjoyed The Grey-Eyed Storm and recommend it to all die-hard lovers of the paranormal who enjoy mystery, humor, romance, adventure and excitement in a mind-bending tale of magic which eclipses all others.
