I’m doing my best to get my books out there. I know they’re good books, but there are many books vying for your attention. I’ve learned that most people I meet want to write and we all have stories to tell, either from our lives or our imagination. I hate saying that means there’s a lot of competition, but if I have to be honest, I must say there’s a lot of competition. So I’ve asked myself what sets a book apart from others. There are only so many things to write about. No matter the place, real or imaginary, the setting or what the struggle is about, what separates books are the characters. It’s always the characters that draw me into a book. I’ve written and frequently rewritten, my people. Unfortunately, I’ve recycled a lot of paper bringing them to life. I won’t call them characters, for they are people. Marcus is someone who’s suffered abuse, many of us do. He’s also known love. Gregor knew abuse but never love. When these men are put together it isn’t just a struggle for their lives, it is the fight of good versus evil, right verses wrong, choosing who they want to be. Those struggles are ones we all face and there will be an emotional connection to their struggle. Their emotional journey, is ours. Kahill, Peter, Becarra, Becky and all the other people who populate my Sister World trilogy are people you’ve seen in the world, those we’re drawn too or those we pull away from. No matter who they are, people you meet in those pages will make you feel something. I want them to bring you into their world, not just have you look through a window, but see through their eyes. I’ll end this post saying that I hope you read my books, but whether you read mine or another’s, I hope you get the emotional journey you deserve.
Tag: reading
READER VIEWS
My first book in the Sister World Trilogy, Sister World The Arrival, received a 5 Star review from Reader Views.
Below is their review of The Arrival
Sister World: The Arrival
Debra Zannelli
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (2019)
ISBN: 978-1727643992
Reviewed by Julie Grayson for Reader Views (08/2025)
5*- Great start to a new series!!
Imagine a world in an alternate universe that’s a mirror image of Earth. What if an evil leader on
that Alt Earth decides to quietly take it over? That’s the premise of Debra Zannelli’s Sister
World: The Arrival. This is Book 1 of the new Sister World trilogy, a story that takes place
across parallel planets.
Welcome to Terah, a world that basically mirrors Earth, but is ruled by an authoritarian regime
under the tyrant Frauliege. She decides to come to Earth because ruling one planet must not be enough. When siblings Kahill
and Cara hear about the evil plot to invade Earth, they escape Terah through a wormhole that
connects the two planets. Their goal is to find their counterparts on Earth, siblings Peter and
Becky, and their scientist father, Dr. Samuel Benjamin.
One of the coolest aspects of this story is TEV, an ingenious device that translates animal speech,
allowing humans to understand them. Suddenly, the creatures of Earth have the potential to be its
biggest allies. From bats stealing weapons to rats swarming enemy soldiers, they bring an
entirely new concept to warfare.
The characters here show great emotional complexity. Kahill is a young man broken by the
cruelty of Terah. His counterpart, Peter, has suffered great trauma. Readers will also meet
Jenny, a character who will be forced to make a brutal decision.
The animal kingdom, thanks to TEV, also plays its part with some amazing characters, including
Bentwing, leader of the bats, and a dog named Spirit. But perhaps the most profound moments
with the animals involve the eagles, who mourn their dead, allowing us to reflect upon our
connection to Earth’s animals.
Sister World: The Arrival is a story of survival, resilience, and unity. Environmental themes
occasionally play out, as evidenced by the delicate beauty of Earth contrasting with the scorched
desolation of Terah.
Some readers may want more on Terah’s backstory, or Frauliege’s motives, and the adult
characters (as compelling as they are) can sometimes get overshadowed by the perils facing the
youth. However, these gaps don’t seem to be the result of careless editing. Instead, they seem to
echo the narrative’s message that the future belongs to the young, the brave, and the
underestimated.
Providing book by book publicity for Indie Authors since 2005.Open this novel and prepare to be taken in by a revolution we never saw coming. In which the
slightest of voices is set to make the most noise. Debra Zannelli’s Sister World: The Arrival is a
tale of speculative fiction offering all the thrills of a swashbuckling adventure as well as themes
of stewardship and sacrifice.
Debra Zannelli Author 