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Wednesday, May 21, 2025

The Atrocities of Hope: An Analysis of the 'Nigeria Problem' by Michael Olukayode - Book Tour - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Michael Olukayode will be awarding a $10 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Nigeria is dealing with a level of disorderliness that is neither compatible with functionality nor with long life. Our problems did not start today; they have been with us for as long as we have existed as a country. But just like a disorder left untreated, our problem has incapacitated us, and the rate of deterioration is currently becoming alarming.

The long-term survival of our country is no longer as assured as it used to be. We are on a slippery slope with nothing to hold on to.

This book attempts to answer the 'what', 'why', 'who', and 'what is next' of our problems. As is always the case when truths are discussed, be ready to be offended.

But if you are open-minded enough to be offended and not switch off and open-minded enough to be offended and keep reading – you might learn one or two things at the end of this book.

EXCERPT TWO:


Nigeria as a country has been on a downward trend for decades, and anyone in touch with reality can see this. Of course, some will cloak wishful thinking with the shawl of patriotism or deny by faith the level of suffering going on in the country today, but it only takes an honest reflection for even the most positive ‘patriot’ to accept that things are not going well for our nation and that the probability of a better tomorrow is non-existent . . . if we continue down the same path.

Like most Nigerians, discussing the problems of Nigeria and praying for its peace, progress, and prosperity have been parts of my life since I have been old enough to think and pray.

But despite all the prayers, Nigeria has maintained its downward journey. Being burdened with an inquisitive mind and the ability to think about thoughts, I have contemplated the Nigeria question from an early age. I have always asked: Why are Nigeria’s better days always in the past?

Why does Nigeria keep going backward despite all the fasting and prayers?

I eventually outgrew fasting and praying for Nigeria to work—because I knew prayer without work is a waste of time and energy—but despite stopping the prayers and the fasting, I could not stop thinking about the ‘whys’ of our problems.

AUTHOR BIO:

Michael, a self-described realist with a touch of cynicism, is a UK-based, Nigerian-trained psychiatrist and the author of The Atrocities of Hope: An Analysis of the 'Nigeria Problem.'

Michael's lived experience in Nigeria, his inquisitive mind, and his ability to pull back and observe despite being involved combine well with his skills as a mental health expert to create this work.

Michael is a fellow of the West African College of Physicians, the Faculty of Psychiatry, and is an affiliate member of the Royal College of Psychiatry. He plies his trade as a psychiatrist in the Northwest of England. He describes himself as a member of a speciality that helps you in the fight against your worst enemy: yourself.

Michael is a husband, a father, a brother, an uncle, a friend, a neighbour, a member of the public, a lover of music, and a lover of movies and books.

CONNECT WITH MICHAEL:


Instagram:

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Cowboy Watch by Petie McCarty - Book Tour - Blurb Blitz - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Cowboy Watch
by Petie McCarty


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GENRE:   Romantic Suspense


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BOOK SERIES BLURB - THE WATCHERS SERIES:


The Watchers Series—Fallen angels cast out of heaven by the archangel Michael for coercing with Satan to gain control. Some of these conspirators—duped late in the game by Satan’s lies—doubled back to seek redemption for their unwitting betrayal. Offered parole in exchange for penance, these Watchers are given the toughest bodyguard missions with little leeway for success.

One last chance.
These are their stories . . .


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BOOK BLURB - COWBOY WATCH - BOOK ONE:


Someone—or something—wants Kellen out of town . . .


Kellen Brand’s inheritance comes as a monumental shock—a rundown farm she doesn’t want and one paroled Watcher all her own. Kellen’s eccentric mother believed Watchers to be fallen angels seeking penance by guarding individuals who had lost their way. Seriously? A Watcher? Only her mother . . .

Since Kellen vows no sane woman would choose to live in Riverside, she’s on a mission to dump the old farm fast and to the first buyer who comes along. Unfortunately for her, the only buyer is a resort developer, spurned by a townful of objectors and one handsome cowboy—her neighbor, Luke Thornton. Luke must block Kellen’s farm sale or risk exposure of his own family’s secrets. He can ill afford his immediate and compelling attraction to his new neighbor.

Someone is watching Kellen, but not who she thinks. Someone deadly and intent on scaring her out of town. Or worse. Luke has a hellish choice to make—step in and rescue Kellen from her threats, or to protect his family, stand by and watch . . .

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EXCERPT ONE:


“And you are on my front porch because?” he barked, while holding the skittish stallion in place. Windsor had had his head, and he wanted it again.

Kellen’s eyes went wide with guilt. “I was just—”

“Snooping?” Windsor sidestepped to the right, forcing Luke to twist around in his saddle to hold eye contact.

She stiffened and her brilliant green eyes flashed with temper. “I was not! You-You—” She stamped her foot.

“Owner?” he said, unwilling to let her off the hook for an instant. Not when he had her good and cornered. Thank God, Windsor kept him so busy he didn’t ogle her like a schoolboy.

“No, I was going to say—”

The horse reared and pawed the air, effectively cutting her off. Of course, Luke’s little heel nudge and rein tug instigated the ostentatious display. He swiftly turned the horse back around so he could face her.

“So, why are you here? On my front porch. Peeking in my windows.”

She gave him a glare fit for the devil. “I was not peeking. I was trying to see if anyone was home.”

He waited.

Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t want anything.” She hesitated. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Well, if you didn’t want anything and you weren’t doing anything . . .” He eased the powerful horse right up next to her though she stood her ground on the bottom step. “. . .then you must need a ride home.”

He snatched her off the step before she could answer and counted on the little spitfire having the presence of mind to swing her leg over the horse when Windsor took off. She didn’t disappoint him. The stallion streaked for the break in the tree line, and she clung to him like a tick on a coon dog.

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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:



Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—"The Most Magical Place on Earth"—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job to write her stories full-time.

These days Petie spends her time writing new Cinderella series tales, her new The Watchers series, sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and more contemporary romance standalones to go along with her two previous releases—Any Fin For Love and Ambush in the Everglades.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who will make a cameo appearance in the upcoming Book 2 of The Watchers, Christmas Watch.

Visit Petie's website online at http://www.petiemccarty.com or her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty.

BIO Social Media:

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AMAZON BUY LINKS:



Amazon US Kindle eBook:

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

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GIVEAWAY:


Petie will be awarding a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, May 16, 2025

Teardown by William Campbell Powell - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Teardown
by William Campbell Powell


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GENRE:   LGBT+ Romance


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BOOK BLURB:


Growing up in a dead-end, Thames Valley town like Marden Combe, Kai knows there’s no escape without a lot of talent, hard work—and luck.

Two weeks before the Clayton Paul Blues Band plans to set out on tour to Germany, their singer quits, and drummer Kai takes matters in hand. With bandmates Jake and Jamie, they recruit a talented new singer—the enigmatic Dominique—as the new face of the band and set out on the road to Berlin in a rickety white van.

Dogged by mishaps and under-rehearsed, the band stumbles through their first shows, zig-zagging between chaos and brilliance. But as the first gig in Berlin draws near, the band begins to gel. They’re clicking with their audience, and even the stone-hearted Kai starts to crumble under the spell, first of Dom and then…of Lars.

As the end of the tour approaches, Kai must make hard choices. Dom? But she’s keeping a dark secret. Lars? Not after the acrimony of their last parting. The band? Or will that dream crumble too?

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EXCERPT ONE:


The bus stank of commuters. It wasn’t like a night bus, granted, but the mix of sweat and cheap scent—and the pungency of diesel—was another reminder of how much I hated Marden Combe.

A Thames Valley town like every other Thames Valley town, Marden Combe had a posh, blingy bit, where the bankers, footballers, and celebrity chefs lived. The rest ran the spectrum from dilapidated through demolished to barely affordable modern rabbit hutches. The old town centre was closing down, and the new shopping centre was gridlock hell.

The bus lurched and swung left, past a school named for a long-dead parliamentarian. Or possibly a royalist. I ought to know; it had been my old school till I’d turned sixteen. But it had all seemed irrelevant to the more immediate problem of not getting picked on for being different. There were a dozen ways and more to be different, whether it was for being too ugly, too geeky, too slow on the uptake, too shy, too dark, not dark enough, having a funny accent, or a fundy religion, or being neurodivergent, being too posh, being too poor, liking the wrong music, or football team, or playing oddball sports, or using last year’s tech; not liking girls, not liking boys, not liking either, liking both. Plus others, plus combinations. By more than one marker, I was weird, and I hadn’t always kept my head down. But there’d definitely been no bullying at Sir Long-Dead-Parliamentarian School. Or Royalist, as the case may be. Oh no.

That didn’t come close to summing up the suffocating, hope-crushing, soul-sucking, shit-brown hole that is Marden Combe. I needed to escape.

If I had a plan, it was that music would save me…

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GUEST POST:


What is your favorite motivational phrase and how do you apply it your writings? Life? Etc.?


Hi, and thank you for inviting me to write about my favourite motivational phrase. I didn’t have to think hard about it – it’s a phrase that has been a part of my work ethos for most of my working life, though I formulated it comparatively recently:

“Push my boundaries”


Ten years ago I had just heard that my debut novel – Expiration Day – had won a minor award, and would I like to go to the annual World Science Fiction Convention in Spokane, WA. No, it wasn’t one of the big awards, so I’d have to pay for my own flight, accommodation and convention membership. But, why not? It was the first in a lifetime opportunity, and it might be the once in a lifetime opportunity.

The slight softening of the blow was learning that membership was half-price if I went on at least 5 panels. There were a few obvious ones – e.g. Hard SF for Teens – but for the rest? So I wrote “push my boundaries” on the form – that was the first time I’d used the phrase – and hit ‘send’.

And then I waited, to see what they’d pick for me.

Oh. Poetry in SF. That would probably have been bottom of my list. But I had written a little poetry for Expiration Day, so … yeah! Go for it! Push My Boundaries!!

And the poetry panel came, and I offered stats and my opinions on poetry in SF. I read out one of my poems to an OK response. PMB.

And then it was over. At which point my neighbour on the panel turned to me and said to me “You’re William Campbell Powell. Author of Expiration Day, right?” and I agreed, wondering where this was going. “I’d like to make an audiobook of Expiration Day.”

Wow!

And so it came to be – but he’d never have come across my book if I hadn’t been on that panel. He only bought it because it was in my bio and we were on the panel. PMB for the Win!

There’s another formulation for PMB that I like. It’s not as catchy as PMB, but it’s served me well in my career in software development. It’s “When asked, say yes”. In most of my roles, at some time I’ve been propositioned thus: “We hired you for your skills in X, but we need you now to learn Y.”

It’s meant I’ve never got stale in my career. It’s meant that when one role goes sour, or redundancy looms, I’ve got a breadth of skills to fall back on.

And in my writing life, PMB has helped me explore new genres. There’s no manual for writing an enby romance. There’s precious little acknowledgement in fiction that non-binary people exist, let alone that they can be the main character. PMB. From early on, I realised that I was going to have to write a whole novel – Teardown – without ever using a pronoun to reference Kai. PMB. I had to build a mental picture of Kai that excluded any overt sexual characteristics. PMB.

So how can you push your boundaries today?


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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:



William lives in a small Buckinghamshire village in England. By night he writes speculative, historical, crime and other fiction. His debut novel, EXPIRATION DAY, was published by Tor Teen in 2014 and won the 2015 Hal Clement Award for better than half-decent science in a YA novel—the citation actually says "Excellence in Children's Science Fiction Literature".
William’s latest novel - TEARDOWN - was published 10th December 2024, by NineStar Press in the US; it is an LGBT+ romance/road-trip.

His short fiction has appeared in DreamForge, Metastellar, Abyss & Apex and other outlets.
By day he writes software for a living and in the twilight he sings tenor, plays guitar and writes songs.

My Websites:

Facebook:

Instagram:

BlueSky:

My Comps for the Book:
The novel combines elements of LGBTQIA+ romance with Road Trip fiction, and - with its focus on music - might sit alongside Taylor Jenkins Reid’s ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ (2016) or Dawnie Walton’s ‘The Final Revival of Opal & Nev’ (2022), or - with its focus on (Kai's) gender-ambiguity and relationships - near Camille Perry’s ‘When Katie Met Cassidy’ (2018) or Beth O’Leary’s ‘The Road Trip’ (2022).

One USP:
The book is about a band and contains original songs, for which I have created demos – see/listen:

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BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO:



**Teardown eBook is on SALE for ONLY $0.99 during the book tour!!!**


Amazon US Kindle eBook:

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

Amazon UK Kindle eBook:

Book Website:

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GIVEAWAY:


William will be awarding a $20 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, May 15, 2025

Surviving the United Nations by Robert Bruce Adolph - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!



Surviving the United Nations
by Robert Bruce Adolph


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GENRE:   Non-Fiction


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BOOK BLURB:


This is the astonishing true story of a US Army Special Forces soldier who became a warrior for peace. In his humanitarian and peacekeeping missions for the United Nations he dealt with child-soldiers, blood diamonds, a double hostage-taking, an invasion by brutal guerrillas, an emergency aerial evacuation, a desperate hostage recover mission, tribal gunfights, refugee camp violence, suicide bombings, and institutional corruption. His UN career brought him face to face with the best and worst of human nature and he shares it all here.

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EXCERPT TWO:


I had accomplished an area study on the country before departing Sarajevo—an old habit instilled in me by military training. You see, if time permits prior to the deployment of a Special Forces team on mission, the unit would enter isolation for as much as a week prior in preparation. During that period an area study would be developed among the twelve members of the team. Essentially, an area study examines all aspects of a country or region that might impact mission accomplishment. Knowing the history of a country is often key to understanding its future.

Sierra Leone had been established on the west coast of the African continent in 1787 by Great Britain as a home for freed slaves. It is about half the size of the American state of Illinois and became a crown colony in 1808. From that time until 1961, when it became an independent nation-state, the country was ruled by the British. In retrospect, the native population was not well prepared for self-rule.

There was a succession of coups. Government changed hands several times. In 1991, Corporal Foday Sankoh, a former soldier of the Sierra Leone Army, began a military campaign (insurgency) against the national warlord of the moment, Major General Saidu Momoh. Sankoh led what came to be known as the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). The RUF generally focused its attentions on the inland—controlling diamond-producing areas, and the Sierra Leone/Liberia border area in the east and south.

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GUEST POST:


My Favorite Scene in Surviving the United Nations:


My favorite scene, and the hardest to write, is the bloody aftermath of the suicide bombing. The jihadist bombing of the UN Headquarters in Baghdad in 2003, which claimed 22 lives, was the most devastating terrorist attack you could imagine. The sights, sounds, and feelings of that day are burned into me. It was important for me to try to share striking details to illuminate the event. Not just the blast but the chaos and confusion after the Baghdad attack. Every detail mattered: the cries of the wounded to the weather. I wanted to put you there.

“The sound was an indescribably low-pitched yet outrageously loud multi-tiered rumbling. I have never or since heard anything quite like it. I could not tell initially what it was, only that it seemed to last for several seconds. I felt the air move inside my lungs and then all around me. For the briefest of moments, there was no air to breathe. The sound was an indescribably low-pitched yet outrageously loud multi-tiered rumbling. I have never or since heard anything quite like it. I could not tell initially what it was, only that it seemed to last for several seconds. I felt the air move inside my lungs and then all around me. For the briefest of moments, there was no air to breathe.”

I was deeply angry and hurt. It took me a while to accept that I was an actual victim of terrorism. The attack resulted in twenty-two dead and more than one-hundred fifty wounded, including my wife. I was lucky and only lost some hearing. The suicide bomber sat on top of approximately a ton of explosive material. The explosion was deafening.

What may make my book a page-turner is that every word is real. Every emotion is raw. Every mistake has consequences. Contrary to popular belief, death seldom has meaning. Violence is often proven stupid. And, finally, justice is not always served. Reality, when reading it, cannot be denied, and is recognized by readers. The lessons learned are invaluable.

I am an ordinary man who has lived an extraordinary life, and grateful to still be alive.

 As the author, I make this promise - the book will not bore you.

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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:



Robert Bruce Adolph is a retired UN Chief Security Advisor & US Army Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel. He holds master’s degrees in both International Affairs (Middle East Studies) from American University’s School of International Service and National Security Studies and Strategy from the US Army’s Command and General Staff College.

Adolph served nearly 26-years in multiple Special Forces, Counterterrorism, Psychological Operations, Civil Affairs, Foreign Area Officer, and Military Intelligence command and staff assignments in the US and overseas. He also volunteered to serve on UN peacekeeping missions in Egypt, Israel, Cambodia, Iraq and Kuwait.

After he retired from active military service in 1997, he began a second career as a senior UN Security Advisor. Among his positions he served as the Chief of the Middle East and North Africa in the UN Department of Safety and Security.

Website:

LinkedIn:

Facebook:

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GIVEAWAY:


Robert will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Only in September by Cynthia Flowers - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Only in September
by Cynthia Flowers


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GENRE:  Women's Fiction


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BOOK BLURB:


When Jacqueline follows her trusty Labrador Bailey down a hidden path to the beach, she's unaware that her vacation plans on a small island off the New England coast has already taken her life in a new direction. Running into an unassuming local beach comber stirs new thoughts, desires, and a self-determination she never knew she possessed. Jacqueline will need to trust her instincts and make the most of what fate has in store if she wants the future that, until now, she has only dared to dream of.

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EXCERPT TWO:


During their return trip on the trail, they happened upon a series of small cottages. One of them was having exterior repairs done. The sudden screech of a buzz saw gave them a startle. Bailey was off leash and ran over to investigate. Stephen called after her.

The buzz saw suddenly stopped. Then someone from behind the cottage exclaimed, “Hey, I know you.”

The person behind the voice rushed out from behind the cottage and came into view. It was Michael. He looked at Jacqueline. Their eyes locked. She was happy to see him, and he seemed equally pleased to see her. Bailey jumped up on Michael like she had when they first met earlier in the week at the beach.

“Hey, there.” Michael motioned to Jacqueline. His smile was unavoidable.

Jacqueline slowly walked toward him. She didn’t want to seem too eager in front of Stephen.

“Do you two know each other?” Stephen inquired.

“Well, sort of,” Michael said with a chuckle. “We met at the beach the other day. Or, I should say, our dogs met at the beach. We just happened to be tagging along.”

Jacqueline broke her silence and elaborated further about how the pooches got along famously. “I meant to make it to the beach again before setting sail, but the week got away from us.”

“Don’t need to apologize to me. It’s Serendipity you need to square with. But unfortunately, she’s not with me today. Maybe another time,” Michael suggested.

“Considering we’re on the early afternoon ferry tomorrow, I don’t think that’s possible,” Stephen said deliberately and looked at Jacqueline to finish what he started. Instead, she looked down at Bailey to avoid Stephen’s gaze.

“Oh, well, I suspect you’ll be back, “Michael shot back. “It’s seldom that someone visits this island only once.”

As they started off, she lingered behind Stephen for a moment to clip Bailey’s collar to the leash and took the opportunity to mouth at Michael, “See you in the morning.”

He acknowledged her invitation with a wink.

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MY BOOK REVIEW:



This book, Only in September, is an intriguing, captivating, and compelling women's fiction read! I felt immediately whisked away to this beautiful, tranquil, tiny tear drop island known as Block Island, and became fully immersed into Jacqueline and Bailey's story.

This book, Only in September, follows main character, Jacqueline and her adorable chocolate Labrador Retriever Bailey. Jacqueline and Bailey visit Block Island, but unlike the previous four year's vacation trips, this year is wildly different, as it's full of mysteries, secrets, vulnerabilities, and new adventures. What seemed like just a regular, yearly trip becomes anything but, when Jacqueline begins to see her life in a new light filled with exciting new possibilities and opportunities she's only dreamt of. Can Jacqueline find the strength, self-determination, and courage to follow this new path?

Only in September, is an inspiring and beautifully told story of a women's journey to true happiness, self-discovery, and well-being.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it!!  I think all women's fiction readers will be sure to like this book too!!  So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations**

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AUTHOR BIO:


Cynthia Flowers, a recently retired advertising professional, now grant writer, resides with her husband and four-year old Labrador named Eddie, at their “sanctuary” in Upstate New York, Although previously published, this is Cynthia's first book of fiction. Early on in grade school, Cynthia looked forward to creative writing class and enjoyed reading her stories aloud to her eager classmates.

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AMAZON BUY LINKS:



Amazon US Kindle eBook:

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

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GIVEAWAY:


Cynthia Flowers will be awarding a $10 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, May 8, 2025

Shooting Stars Above by Patricia Leavy - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Shooting Stars Above
by Patricia Leavy


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GENRE:  Romance


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BOOK BLURB:


For fans of Colleen Hoover comes an emotionally charged contemporary romance about a internationally best-selling novelist and a federal agent fighting to heal past wounds.

Tess Lee is a world-famous novelist. Her inspirational books explore people’s innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel—but despite her extraordinary success, she’s been unable to find personal happiness. Jack Miller is a federal agent working in counterterrorism. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. He’s dedicated everything to his job, leaving nothing for himself.

The night Tess and Jack meet, their connection is palpable. She examines the scars on his body and says, “I’ve never seen anyone whose outsides match my insides.” The two embark on an epic love story, but old traumas soon rise to the surface as Jack struggles with the death of a loved one and Tess is forced to confront her childhood abuse. Can unconditional love help heal their invisible wounds? Together, will they be able to move from darkness to light?

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EXCERPT ONE:


“So, what do you do?” she asked.

“I’m a federal agent with the Bureau—counterterrorism. I joined the military right out of high school, Special Forces. I was in the field, often deep undercover, until about a year ago, when I took a desk job as the head of my division.”

“Wow, you’re like the real-life Jack Bauer. You even look a little like him, with that whole rugged, handsome hero thing you have going on,” she said.

He blushed and ran his hand through his light brown hair. “I promise you I’m no Jack Bauer, even on my best day. People thought that character was so tragic, but the real tragedy is that Jack Bauer doesn’t exist, and you’re stuck with guys like me.”

She smiled. “What made you choose that line of work?”

“My parents raised me and my siblings to value community, to be patriotic. My father was in the military and then became a firefighter. The idea of service always seemed important. I wanted to serve my country, to protect people. It’s hard to explain, but when I see someone innocent being threatened, I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to protect them. I know it sounds cliché, but I feel like it’s my purpose in life.”

“That’s noble,” she remarked.

He shook his head. “The lived reality often isn’t. When you spend most of your life in the abyss, it gets pretty dark.”

“A residue remains, right?” she asked.

He looked at her intently, a little surprised. “Yes, exactly.”

“I understand. You convince yourself it’s all been for something that matters more than you do, that whatever part of yourself you sacrificed was worth it, because it simply has to be.”

He looked at her as if she had read his innermost thoughts. “Yes,” he said softly. “Tell me, what do you do?”

“I’m a novelist.”

“What are your books about?”

“That’s a difficult question to answer. I guess I wanted to write about everything: what it means to live a life, why it’s so hard, and how it could be easier. To walk people through the darkness, in a way. Perhaps my goals were too lofty, and in that respect, each book fails more spectacularly than the one before.”

The bartender smirked.

Tess wistfully said, “Maybe reality can never live up to our dreams.”

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GUEST POST:


Describe What Steps You Take to Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Work/Life Balance


Work/life balance is a tricky thing. One of the issues is that sometimes we think that means things are always perfectly in balance. This is totally unrealistic and can make us feel like failures. The truth is, many of us do not have work lives where everything is the same every day. Many of us have busier or higher stress times. The same is true in our personal lives. Sometimes the people and relationships we care about need a lot from us, and sometimes they don’t. So, to me, work/life balance is about my overall life, not any one day or week or month. Writing is an integral part of my daily routine. It’s about more than doing my job or getting words on a page. It's about my mental health and joy. To me, writing is oxygen. I don’t feel good without it. So, I write every day—weekends, vacations, and holidays. I don’t write all day, every day, but I do write every day. A normal weekend routine in my house is to write in the morning and then go out with my husband for the afternoon and dinner, or we’ll go to a café together and I’ll write while he reads a book, before we do whatever else we’re doing that day. On vacation, I get up early in the morning and write for a couple hours while my husband exercises or goes for a walk. Sometimes I have an especially busy time and devote most of my time to my job. For example, when I’m on a deadline to review copy edits or page proofs, or during a book release when I’m doing promotion. There are other times when I’m just on my own writing and I make extra time for people I love, meeting a friend for lunch or seeing my adult daughter. So it’s not always the same, but overall, my life has balance. I never sacrifice the people I love, but I always make time to write.

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AUTHOR BIO & LINK:



Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College. She has published more than fifty books; her work has been translated into many languages, and she has received more than one hundred book honors. Recently, her novel The Location Shoot was featured in Ms. Career Girl's “10 Perfect Books to Get Your Fall Reading List Started” and She Reads in “Novels to Read if You Love Classic Movies” and was the 2024 Best Book Awards First Place Winner in Women’s Fiction. Patricia has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” Patricia lives in Maine and serves on the board of the London Arts-Based Research Centre. In addition to writing, she enjoys movies, art, reading, and travel.

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GIVEAWAY:


Patricia will be awarding a $10 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.




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God and Petroleum by Roberto Aguilera - Book Tour - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Roberto Aguilera will be awarding a $10 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

It's been many years since God planted in my heart the idea to author this book. To do so I relied on science and engineering, looking deep into the earth a few thousand feet, dreaming of petroleum reservoirs I could not see, and evaluated them using mostly indirect sources of information. Petroleum hydrocarbons in earth are of organic origin (they form from dead plants and animals) and are intimately related with water. I also had to look to a different scale deep into the universe when it was created 13.77 billion years ago to try to understand the origin of hydrogen, the birth of the first hydrogen star (the seed star), its explosion in a supernova, and the repetitive births and explosions of subsequent stars that led eventually to the formation of elements such as carbon and iron and to hydrocarbons in the universe. These are hydrocarbons of inorganic origin.

Then I moved into the micrometer scale of human cells and to top research informing us that we are very close to chimpanzees, and a very persuasive discussion about evolution that I agree with. The book of Genesis tells us that God created man and woman in the sixth day, and that he formed man in the seventh day of the dust of the earth and woman of the rib of man. At first glance all of this seems contradictory, but it is not. This book shows that available science supports Genesis' seven days very well. They do not contradict each other.

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It is the Big Bang. This is the beginning of our universe when space, time and gravity were created. Only God is eternal, but the universe, time, space, and gravity are limited. The Big Bang occurred approximately 13.77 billion years ago (13,770 mya; mya = million years ago). And our solar system has been around for about 4.6 billion years. This corresponds to about one third of the life of the universe.

Monsignor Georges Lemaître, a Belgian Catholic Jesuit priest (1894–1996), mathematically developed the concept and theory of the Big Bang. Lemaître developed his ideas using as a base Einstein’s studies on the theory of relativity and the laws of gravitation published in 1915. At the time Lemaître published his theory in Belgium in 1927, scientists thought that the universe was eternal and unchanging as suggested by Newton’s laws. Aristoteles (384–322 BC) had previously posited the idea that the universe is eternal and unchanging.

AUTHOR BIO & LINK:


Roberto Aguilera is professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Calgary (Canada) and president of Servipetrol Ltd. He specializes in the evaluation of naturally fractured, tight and shale petroleum reservoirs worldwide. He has authored and co-authored six books dealing with petroleum engineering subjects and over 300 technical papers. He has rendered training and/or consulting services in over 40 countries worldwide. This is his first book linking God, His creation, and the benefits of petroleum to humanity while debunking alarming claims about its use.

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