Hello
lovelies! It gives me great pleasure today to host Sara R. Turnquist and her
new book, “The General’s Wife”! For
other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the
banner above or any of the images in this post.
Be sure
to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $50 Amazon or Barnes &
Noble Gift Card. Also, come back daily
to interact with Sara and to increase your chances of winning!
Thanks
for stopping by! Wishing you lots of
luck in this exciting giveaway!
The
General's Wife
by Sara R. Turnquist
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GENRE: Historical Romance
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BLURB:
“Go home!” Ismene is speechless as she
reads those words written in blood on the walls of her new home. The young,
raven-haired Grecian beauty had traveled all the way from her homeland to marry
the Pharaoh’s top general. But she never expected this. The hatred of the
Alexandrian mob for their Greek rulers is right in front of her. It is the
first of many threats she will receive.
Things are escalating out of control. Damaged crops and horses turned loose at night are one thing. But when Ismene receives a death threat, it becomes clear that there is a spy within her own household. She would turn to her husband to deal with this issue, except he left for battle by order of the Pharaoh. Not knowing whom to trust, she fears for her safety as well as the entire ruling class of Egypt.
Things are escalating out of control. Damaged crops and horses turned loose at night are one thing. But when Ismene receives a death threat, it becomes clear that there is a spy within her own household. She would turn to her husband to deal with this issue, except he left for battle by order of the Pharaoh. Not knowing whom to trust, she fears for her safety as well as the entire ruling class of Egypt.
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EXCERPT THREE:
“Can
you please take this blindfold off?” Ismene loved surprises, but couldn't stand
the waiting. Alistair had risen early to prepare a special breakfast for them
and served her in bed. Then he had told her that he had something special
planned for them today—a special place for them to visit.
“Not
yet,” Alistair said as he gripped her waist. Their chariot went over a bump
which caused him to pull her to him even more tightly. She smiled at the feel
of his secure embrace; even after this short time it still caused butterflies
in her stomach.
She
felt the chariot continue to move down the smooth path with a little rocking
here and there as the wheels found imperfections in the road.
“We're
almost there, I promise,” he assured her. His voice was close to her ear and it
gave her warm chills. She thought of the feel of those lips on her neck. There
wasn't much time to daydream, though, because, true to his word, it wasn't much
longer before she felt him slow the horses and still the chariot.
“Ready
for your surprise?” he asked.
“Yes!”
She feigned exasperation.
Only
then did he reach up, untie her blindfold, and let it fall. “The great Library
of Alexandria.”
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GUEST POST:
REVIEWS: TO READ OR NOT TO READ
I am an
author. My books have. And, while many people have enjoyed my work, there are
those that do not. And they will let the whole world know about it through
their reviews. I have read some of these reviews. And cried. And cried. And
cried.
Putting
out a book into the world is like putting out a piece of ourselves. We become
quite vulnerable to everyone's opinion. And, for some reason, we believe that
everyone is going to love our work. We may say we don't, but, in our hearts, we
seem to think they will.
I
received the advice long ago to NOT read reviews. Period. Did I take that
advice? No. Because I thought I could handle it. Could I? Nope. So, my support
group was left picking up the pieces of my broken confidence. Now, I know (a
little) better. And I am the one advising authors NOT to read reviews. Why?
It is one
person’s opinion. There is not a whole lot to gain from one person's opinion.
Especially someone from a random walk of life who is not a writer and doesn't
understand the context of your work. If you must read reviews, read through
this lens: it is their opinion. What can I gain? Can something they are saying
make me a better writer? If so, you can walk away more informed. If not, it is
not worth dwelling on.
Believe
it or not, there are those out there who thrive on writing bad reviews. I know,
I attracted one. Honest. This reviewer's profile stated that he/she enjoys
dishing out harsh reviews on authors that deserve them. Maybe I did deserve
some of the things he/she had to say. It was my first novel. I have learned SO
MUCH since then. But the tone of the review was definitely meant to tear me
down, not simply review the book. So, be aware of this. It's just best not to
go there.
Having
“haters” must mean you hit a chord. What on earth could you have possibly done
to upset someone so much to leave not just a negative review, but a nasty
review in some cases? This must be something beyond you. Maybe something in
your book did strike a chord that made them uncomfortable. This is what I'm left
thinking.
Having
negative reviews is a part of it. All authors have negative reviews. Look up
"Pride and Prejudice". Yep...negative reviews. Can you believe it?
Poor Jane Austen is, as they say, "turning over in her grave" I
suspect. Not a chance. People come in all shapes and sizes and walks of life
and experiences. So, there are going to be those that just don't care for your
work. Just as much as there will be those that love your work. It's not you,
it's because we, here on earth, are blessed with wondrous diversity.
I truly
hope I have given you some reasons to ignore negative reviews, or at least,
take them in stride. Better yet, let's not even read them. But that means we're
not reading any reviews. Well, that's okay. As much as we like the warm fuzzies
that come from positive reviews, they, too, can have an impact on our writing.
And I choose to write from the places of my inspiration rather than write to my
critics (positive or negative). But that's me. And that is how I handle my art.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Sara is originally from middle TN. After a short stint in
Memphis, where she earned a degree in Biology and began a career as both a Zoo
Educator and a Sleep Technician, she then followed a dream to work for a large
zoo in Orlando, FL as an Educator. Once she and her husband started their
family, they moved back to Tennessee. Sara and her husband now enjoy a full
life with their three beautiful and very active children. Sara enjoys many
creative outlets – singing, piano, drawing, drama, and organizing anything. And
even though she has enjoyed her career as a Zoo Educator, Sara's great love of
the written word continued to draw her to write. She has always been an avid
reader and, for many years, has been what she terms a “closet writer”. Her
travels and love of history have served to inspire her to write Historical
Fiction. Sara has made several trips overseas to the Czech Republic. Her time
among the Czech people and the landscapes of the country inspired her and
greatly influenced her work on her debut novel, The Lady Bornekova, set
in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic. Sara is also a member of the ACFW.
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CONNECT WITH SARA:
Website:
Twitter:
@sarat1701
Facebook:
Pinterest:
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BOOK
BUY LINKS:
Amazon:
Barnes
& Noble:
Kobo:
Smashwords:
iTunes:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Sara R. Turnquist will be awarding a $50 Amazon or Barnes and
Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase made I may receive a small commission to help support this blog. This does not cost you anything, it just
helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and
Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions. Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not
Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are
solely responsible for the giveaway prize.