jbronderbookreviews

The Gateway to Danger: Chelsea Crosses into e-Commerceland by D. Gail Miller

Each of us crosses through the gateway from childhood to adulthood at some point in life. For some, that point comes early; for others, it arrives much later. Once we pass through, we find that we can’t go back. The gateway closes tightly behind us….

Four very different girls have been friends since kindergarten, calling themselves the Nutellas, stuck together by their passion for their favorite delicious, gooey lunch. As they have aged, their disparities have become as pronounced as their similarities, but they have continued to be there for each other through thick and thin.

Now in junior high, Samantha, Dorothy and Brittany rally around their mutual bestie Chelsea on her quest to make her smartphone time more productive, at her father’s prodding, by launching an e-commerce business. This seemingly worthwhile aspiration takes the four out of their childhood comfort zone in American suburbia and into a sometimes dangerous new adult-like world filled with thefts, lawsuits, fraudsters and troubles with legal authorities.

Despite their multiple close calls with disaster, Chelsea and her three tight friends overcome internal conflicts and survive to see another summer vacation. Chelsea cements her friendship with classmate Jeff Buckingham, who proves that a close boy friend can sometimes be very handy to have.

Refusing to be defeated by unfortunate and unjust circumstances, Chelsea sets her sights on a new e-commerce business as summer break dawns.

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About the Author

I am the author of more than two dozen books. Many are targeted for young adults and were written years ago, before the advent of self-publishing. After I became a Christian in the mid-1980s, I felt compelled to write, especially for the young. I also worked as an assistant editor for a Christian publication.

Authors, like many artists, can have a very hard time making an adequate income from their writing. So I took some time off from writing to earn an income through “real” work, mainly working for government agencies and in small retail businesses.

After my mother moved in with us, everything changed. I could no longer be employed for hours at a time outside of the home. My new role as caregiver necessitated that I be at home more. I fortunately quickly discovered the opportunities presented to freelancers (editors, writers, artists) through outsourcing web agencies such as Upwork, Freelancer and Fiverr. Work galore, as long as you didn’t expect to be paid too much per hour.

Most of my assignments involved editing, but I was thrilled to receive a few writing jobs. One of my assignments was writing Amish romance fiction. I did not know too much about the Amish, but I soon learned. Much of what I learned was incorporated in my first published book on Amazon, The Amish Research Guide, basically a guide for other fiction writers interested in writing about the Amish. I watched the progress of my novels on Amazon (all published under someone else’s name, of course) and decided that I might as well write and publish my own books. That way I would not have to follow the prescribed Amish romance formula so rigidly.

So that’s what I am up to now. The writing is great. The marketing is by far the biggest challenge. Once your book is published, how on earth do you get anyone to take a look at it?

My first fictional series, The Light of Dark: Leah, Tobias, Bethany and Jesse, a combination Amish romance and dystopian nightmare, is now available on Amazon.

My Review

5 stars

Samantha, Dorothy, Brittany, and Chelsea have been best friends since kindergarten and now they are in junior high. One day Chelsea’s father has had enough of her wasting her time on her cell phone. He challenges her to do something productive with her cell phone and she decides to start a business with the help of her friends.

What follows is three stories that break down the girls adventures as they create the business, get the product sold, and have many close calls and get into trouble for not following the letter of the law. The girls make new friends and enemies’s along the way and learn a lot about running a business.

This is a wonderful read to follow along as the girls learn about stating and running a business. I even learned a lot from the things they did and the events that happened. I loved how all of the girls were different form their religion, social standing, and families yet they were all there for each other through the end.

This is a wonderful read for any midgrade reader and up. I think it has a great message and is a great learning lesson for kids and adults alike. I strongly recommend checking out this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank the author for the opportunity to read and share this book.