Unbound by Kirsten Weiss - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kirsten Weiss will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Three Witches and a Metaphysical Detective…

Riga just wants to mentor three young witches and go home. Doyle witch Jayce wouldn’t take help if it landed on her. But when a man is murdered in front of their eyes, these two must learn to work together. Because a dead man is the least of their worries… Jayce Bonheim loves magic and Doyle, California. But she and her small town have been paying a deadly price for the fairy gate she and her sisters can’t close. Now, a society of dark magicians has returned to town, a deadly winged monster has come through the gate, and an old friend has been murdered. And the new mentor who’s supposed to help Jayce and her sisters seems to have an agenda of her own…

It was supposed to be a simple training gig for Riga Hayworth, not a murder investigation. Still reeling from a tragic mistake in her past, she’s determined to stay retired. But the murder and the town’s magic seem tied together. Can Riga resist the lure of an investigation?

A thrilling and funny paranormal mystery, packed with magic, mystery, and murder. Perfect for fans of Mercy Thompson, Supernatural, and Charlaine Harris. Buy Unbound and start reading this page-turning witch mystery.

Read an Excerpt:

Dear Ms. Hayworth:

Where to begin? I suppose I must begin with my hometown, Doyle, which is located on a fairy gate. A fairy queen came through that gate in the 1800s, decided she liked the look of the place, and stayed. It did not go well.

In all honesty, I’m not sure if that’s the beginning of the tale either. It’s only as far as our records go. At any rate, the fairy queen tormented the town until the Bonheim sisters, triplets and witches, booted her out. However, when they returned the queen to her land, they were unable to completely shut the door behind her.

That’s when we learned the queen’s presence in our world had had its benefits. It seems she prevented other creatures from Fairy from invading our world. Now that the queen is gone, they’re returning.

The Bonheims have done a yeoman’s job dealing with these incursions. But the open gate has attracted the attention of dark magicians, including, most recently, a black lodge.

You’ve been recommended as someone with deep experience in dealing with both black lodges and solo practitioners of the dark arts. I propose to engage you to mentor the Bonheim sisters in magical self-defense. Enclosed is a retainer, in the hope that you will accept the commission.

(Please note there are two Doyles, so be sure to come to the correct Doyle, located between Angels Camp and Bear Valley. Please note there are also two Bear Valleys. The one nearest to Angels Camp is the correct one).

Sincerely,
Helena Steinberg

About the Author:

Kirsten Weiss has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer re-runs and drinking red wine. The latter gives her heartburn, but she drinks it anyway.

Now based in Colorado Springs, CO, she writes genre-blending cozy mystery, supernatural and steampunk suspense, mixing her experiences and imagination to create vivid worlds of fun and enchantment.

If you like funny cozy mysteries, check out her Pie Town - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/pie-town-mysteries, Tea and Tarot - https://www.kirstenweiss.com/tea-and-tarot-mysteries, Paranormal Museum- http://www.kirstenweiss.com/the-perfectly-proper-paranormal-mus-1 and Wits’ End - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/doyle-cozy-mystery-series books. If you’re looking for some magic with your mystery, give the Witches of Doyle - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/doyle-witch-cozy-mysteries, Riga Hayworth - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/riga-hayworth-paranormal-mysteries and Rocky Bridges - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/rocky-bridges-mysteries books a try. And if you like steampunk, the Sensibility Grey - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/sensibility-grey-steampunk-suspense series might be for you.

Kirsten sends out original short stories of mystery and magic to her mailing list. If you’d like to get them delivered straight to your inbox, make sure to sign up for her newsletter at her website. Website: http://www.kirstenweiss.com
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kirstenweiss/
BookBub: http://www.bookbub.com/authors/kirsten-weiss
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kirstenweissauthor
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kirsten.weiss
Email: kweiss2001@kirstenweiss.com (she’ll answer you personally…which may be a good or a bad thing, depending on your perspective.)

KIRSTEN'S OTHER BOOK SERIES:

Sensibility Grey Steampunk Suspense - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/sensibility-grey-steampunk-suspense
Tea and Tarot cozy mysteries - https://www.kirstenweiss.com/tea-and-tarot-mysteries
Pie Town cozy mysteries - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/pie-town-mysteries
Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum cozy mysteries - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/the-perfectly-proper-paranormal-mus-1
Doyle Witch - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/doyle-witch-cozy-mysteries
Doyle Cozy - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/doyle-cozy-mystery-series mystery novels
Riga Hayworth - http://www.kirstenweiss.com/riga-hayworth-paranormal-mysteries

AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK: 

Amazon Kindle eBook: http://amzn.to/3y9hC0M

Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/3y8n2Jv

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is 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.

Tour Book by Rachel Pfennig Hales - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rachel Pfennig Hales will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

BLURB:

It’s show night. You’ve bought tickets and are waiting with your friends. The lights drop. The darkness swells in anticipation. A collective cheer grows. A breath of silence. Then, that first chord screams from the > speakers. Lights flash to flood the stage, radiating as the concert comes to life.

We are there, too, in the dark under the show, behind it, and above it. > Each prop or cool trick, every costume or scene change requires the hidden help of someone behind the scenes. In a few hours, you will have gone home, but we will still be here, tearing it all down. We will pack up the gear, load up more than a dozen tractor trailers, and head out to the next city. Tomorrow, we will build the production again in a new building. We’ll greet another audience. We’ll put on another show.

From load in to load out, watch a production build toward show time. Hear true stories from the rock and roll roadies who’ve helped create the world’s biggest concert tours with interviews from dozens of touring technicians.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT ONE:

I feel the buzz of my alarm before I hear it. The vibration starts slow and soft, gradually growing both stronger and louder. It doesn’t matter. I will silence it altogether before anyone else can hear it. It is dark as I snooze the alarm. I try to avoid looking at the screen so my eyes will stay adjusted to the limited light in our sleep area. I know it reads 5:36 a.m. My body is tired, but my mind is already churning. I doubt it ever really stopped in the four hours since I curled up to sleep, but that’s the pace on tour. There are eight other people sleeping either below, next to, or behind me. I always try to claim the top, front, driver’s-side bunk in the bus. There are usually six beds on each the left and right hand sides, stacked three tall in the middle of the bus, separated by a narrow hallway. Twelve people makes for a crowded ride, so the ideal range is seven 15 Hours Until Show Time 8to ten, leaving a couple of bunks open for overnight bags. At least in the United States. I used to sleep on the top right, in the back row of bunks. Only a thin wall separated my head from the TV mounted in the corner of the lounge, and all night long, I could hear whatever was happening back there. Steady, thumping bass, violent video games, porn. It didn’t take long to decide the front bunks were more my style. Some people prefer the bottom, but I don’t mind climbing the other beds like a ladder to reach my nook up high. Once I’m up there, I am alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR INFO:

Rachel Pfennig Hales has always loved show business. From theater as a child, to a brief stint in television production, she found her niche in live event production. Rachel was able to start her career touring around the world with the Black Eyed Peas, and then with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Now, she is the Client and Community Development Manager at Rock Lititz, helping with various touring rehearsals and building up the live event culture on campus. Rachel also does a lot of writing, within the live event industry and beyond. She has BAs from DePauw University, an MA in English Studies from National University, and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Goucher College.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH RACHEL:

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/rapfenhales

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21459950.Rachel_Pfennig_Hales

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57949742

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Paperback:

http://amzn.to/3AmYkXZ

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tour-book-rachel-hales/1139103274

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is 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.

Eat Your Heart Out by Shirley Goldberg - Book Tour - Book Sale - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Shirley Goldberg and her new book, “Eat Your Heart Out”!  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 $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Shirley and to increase your chances of winning!

This eBook is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!!  See below for more details.

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

Eat Your Heart Out

by Shirley Goldberg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Romantic Women's Fiction

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

When a tyrant in stilettos replaces her beloved boss, and her ex snags her coveted job, teacher Dana Narvana discovers there are worse things than getting dumped on Facebook. Time for the BFF advice squad, starting with Dana's staunchest ally, Alex—hunky colleague, quipster, and cooking pal extraordinaire. But when the after-hours smooching goes nowhere, she wonders why this grown man won't make up his mind.

Alex Bethany's new lifestyle gives him the confidence to try online dating. What he craves is a family of his own until a life-altering surprise rocks his world. He knows he's sending Dana mixed messages. Alex panics when he thinks he's blown his chance with his special person. From appetizers to the main course will these two cooking buddies make it to dessert?

Funny and bittersweet, Dana and Alex's story will have you rooting for them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT THREE:

“He’s here. Don’t look!” Noelle’s voice dropped to a whisper. “With a date. Your nine o’clock. He’s facing this way.”

“Who?” Noelle had a knack for making something as mundane as vacuuming into the dramatic.

“Oh, for God’s sake, our own former Mr. Big. Who else?”

If I turned my head and shot my eyeballs to the far left, I could see Alex in profile. With a blonde. I turned a few degrees more, tilting my neck, keeping my head straight.

“It’s not working,” Noelle said.

“What’s not working?”

“It’s obvious you’re looking at him.”

Seeing him on his home turf, relaxed, in charge, and preparing dinner had made me imagine Alex in all sorts of homey mini scenarios far removed from the classroom. Those knives. The pungent scent issuing from the old-fashioned crock pot. And that apron! Talking, getting real, sparring with his friend Jewel. And now with a date, so…unexpected. “What should I do?” A ridge of unease in my stomach.

“For freak’s sake. We’re acting like adolescents.” Whatever else she said was lost in the rising volume of talkers outdoing one another, cell phone alerts, and behind the scenes shouts and pans clanging whenever the doors to the kitchen whipped open.

“Should I wave?”

Noelle shrugged, then turned and aimed a jumbo smile in Alex’s direction at the same time I gave into sheer nosiness, twisting around to get a good look.

His interest level in his date, judging by how far he was leaning over the table to talk to her? Looked like a 9.5 out of ten.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MY BOOK REVIEW:

This book was such an exciting, entertaining, romantic read that kept this reader fully engaged to the last page!!

I thoroughly enjoyed the entertainingly witty banter between Alex and Dana!!  There is so much humor found all over the pages that will be sure to bring many smiles!!

There are some predictable scenes.  However, there are still a few unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it!!  I think all romantic women’s fiction readers and romance fans will 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.**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

Shirley Goldberg is a writer, novelist, and former ESL and French teacher who’s lived in Paris, Crete, and Casablanca. She writes about men and women of a certain age starting over. Her website http://midagedating.com offers a humorous look at living single. Her books FINISH THIS and dating in mid life, and her friends like to guess which stories are true. Eat Your Heart Out is the second book in the series Starting Over. Middle Ageish, the first, is available now. Her characters believe you should never leave home without your sense of humor and Shirley agrees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH SHIRLEY:

Website:

https://sixtyandme.com/author/shirley-goldberg

Website:

http://midagedating.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/midagedating

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/mylifeasadate

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/shirleygoldbergauthor

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shirley-goldberg

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/eat-your-heart-out-by-shirley-goldberg

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3916624.Shirley_Goldberg

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56936933-eat-your-heart-out

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/33eUNwa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO:

**The Eat Your Heart Out eBook is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!!**

Amazon Kindle eBook:

http://amzn.to/395Mmps

Amazon Paperback:

http://amzn.to/395rb77

Apple Books eBook:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/eat-your-heart-out/id1552301489

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eat-your-heart-out-shirley-goldberg/1138734045?ean=2940162478133

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eat-your-heart-out-shirley-goldberg/1138734045?ean=9781509235391

The Book Depository Paperback:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Eat-Your-Heart-Out-Shirley-Goldberg/9781509235391

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Eat-Your-Heart-Out/Shirley-Goldberg/9781509235391

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Shirley will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is 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.

The Lockdown Tales by Alan Whelan - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Alan Whelan and his new book, “The Lockdown Tales,” here on FAB!!  For other stops on his 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 $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Alan and to increase your chances of winning!!

Thanks for stopping by!!  Wishing you all lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!!

The Lockdown Tales

by Alan Whelan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Fiction - Contemporary

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Seven women and three men leave the city to avoid a pandemic. They isolate together in a local farm, where they pass the time working, flirting, eating, drinking, making music and above all telling stories. It happened in Florence in 1351, during the Plague, and gave us Boccaccio's Decameron.

Seven hundred years later, in Australia, it happens again. The stories are very different, but they're still bawdy, satirical, funny and sometimes sad, and they celebrate human cleverness, love, courage and imagination.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

READER REVIEWS:

Check out what readers are saying about “The Lockdown Tales,” the newest book from Alan Whelan!!!

"Alan Whelan brings us a clever, sensual and sometimes poignant collection of stories that would make Boccaccio proud"

~ Tangea Tansley, author of A Question of Belonging

"An old frame for a sharp new snapshot of contemporary Australia"

~ Leigh Swinbourne, author of Shadow in the Forest

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT ONE:

It was late and getting cold by the time Margo’s story was done. I reflected that she’d come a long way, in the three weeks she’d been here. She’d got close to Sue and Stuart, and they’d helped her believe that she could come back from Harry’s death.

Stuart and Danny pushed my barbecue back to the house, with Sue and Margo helping to keep it steady. This time it didn’t tip over.

Bran and Astrid stayed close to the fire, which had died down from a bonfire to a campfire. Jayleen and Bob stayed close. Bob had slept through most of the stories and was now awake, and enthralled by the night, the lake and the fire. I heard Astrid say, “The beast with three backs!” She punched Bran, amused.

He put his arm round her and drew her close. Bob climbed onto Astrid, so Jayleen took her place beside Bran, and he put his other arm round her. The night was cold. I had no idea if he really did want a threesome, but if he did I thought his chances were still close to zero.

Grace had relented after a stoned night of mostly ignoring Amelia. They walked back to the house together. I didn’t fancy Amelia’s chances much, either. But I knew that I’d make no declarations to Amelia unless her infatuation with Grace had been resolved and gone.

I collected empty bottles and put them in my pack. I probably missed some, but I’d check the ground in the morning. I shrugged the pack on and trudged back to the house.

When I reached the verandah I turned and took one last look at the fire and the lake. Astrid was kissing Bran, with intent, and Jayleen had snuggled in tight against his back. I wondered if I’d underestimated his chances. Though I still didn’t know if he had any threesome intentions. I decided it didn’t matter and I didn’t care, though no doubt it would mean a lot to them.

I shut the door behind me and went up to my bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GUEST POST:

Author Alan Whelan Talks About the Lockdown Tales

The cover of The Lockdown Tales tells readers a lot about the book, though it’s not all obvious at once. Here’s the cover:

It shows the book’s cast, the ten people whose paths you follow through the book, and who will gather each Friday to tell you stories. The first thing you notice, if you look at the back cover, is that this image is an updating of an older painting.

Here’s that nineteenth century painting, “A Tale from the Decameron”, by John Waterhouse.

The first thing the front and back cover images tell you is that we – humanity – have been here before. The Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio, is set in 1347, when the Black Death was sweeping through much of the world. It imagines seven women and three men getting out of the city to stay together in the country, where they dance, flirt, make music and above all tell each other stories.

The Lockdown Tales is set in 2020, where, in reaction to a different pandemic, seven women and three men leave the city to stay together in the country. The cover picture echoes the medieval scene, and shows the continuity between the two time periods.

The second thing the cover tells you, once you start to see the differences between the two images, is that things change. In the original painting the two people on the steps, with stories to tell, are men, and a line-up of women listen attentively while the men talk. In the 2020 picture the two story-tellers are women, and the group listening are more diverse, in gender and ethnicity.

Other changes are also telling. In the Waterhouse painting there’s a man and woman standing apart from the others, perhaps forming a romantic relationship. In the new picture there’s a couple, but it’s two women. The tractor by the wall, in 2020, emphasises that these people work on the farm to earn their keep. In 1347, the ten figures had servants, and did no work.

Note that the woman at the far left of the foreground group is picking flowers in 1347, while in 2020 she’s sneakily checking her cellphone.

The idea of using an updated version of the Waterhouse painting for the front cover was mine. But it was brought into reality by the Canadian artist “Floyd”. He often illustrates children’s books, and there was something in the freshness and innocence of his style that attracted me. He did a magnificent job, in this cover.

I love that image, and I’m very grateful to Floyd!

As for the book itself, it follows seven women and three men who leave their city in the early stages of Covid-19’s arrival and get together on a farm. I came to love and care about them as I wrote them, and I hope you will too.

Grace Chan is a Chinese student, in Sydney to work on a doctoral thesis on Chinese and Western attitudes to time.

Danny Darrock, a former policy adviser to the NSW Government, got fired for trying to tell a Cabinet Minister not to do something cruel and stupid.

Dr Margo Collona is in mourning for her younger brother, who died of Covid-19.

Bran O’Siodhachain survived a brutal case of Covid-19 but lost his girlfriend and his job.

Sue Pullar, a chemist, is worried about Margo’s mental health, and looks after her.

Stuart Pullar, an architect, is older than the other two men, and more practical. He also looks after Margo, and plays honky-tonk piano.

Astrid Flagstad used to organise parties for very rich people, in exotic parts of the world, before Covid-19 hit and travel stopped. She’s happy being unemployed and failing to learn the ukulele. Bran, she thinks, is nice.

Jayleen Harcourt is the mother of four old Bob. She had a supermarket check-out job, which left her terrified of catching Covid-19 and bringing it home. She agrees with Astrid, about Bran.

Amelia Appelstein is Grace’s doctoral supervisor, who finds herself attracted to her student.

Gail Haut owns the farm on which nine of her friends are staying. She is generous and observant. She is a little in love with Amelia, whose attention is elsewhere.

Each has a story to live and issues to resolve. And every Friday, they tell stories of their own: funny, sad, often bawdy, sometimes satirical, always unexpected and always very human.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR BIO:

Alan Whelan lives in the Blue Mountains of NSW, Australia. He’s been a political activist, mainly on homelessness, landlord-tenant issues and unemployment, and a public servant writing social policy for governments. He’s now a free-lance writer, editor and researcher.

His story, There Is, was short-listed for the Newcastle Short Story Award in June 2020, and appeared in their 2020 anthology. His story, Wilful Damage, won a Merit Prize in the TulipTree Publications (Colorado) September 2020 Short Story Competition, and appears in their anthology, Stories that Need to be Told. It was nominated by the publisher for the 2021 Pushcart Prize.

His book The Lockdown Tales, using Boccaccio’s Decameron framework to show people living with the Covid-19 lockdown, is now on sale in paperback and ebook.

His novels, Harris in Underland and Blood and Bone are soon to be sent to publishers. He is currently working on the sequel to The Lockdown Tales and will then complete the sequel to Harris in Underland.

Alan Whelan co-wrote the book, New Zealand Republic, and has had journalism and comment pieces published in The New Zealand Listener and every major New Zealand newspaper, plus The Australian and the Sydney Morning Herald.

He wrote two books for the NZ Government: Renting and You and How to Buy Your Own Home. His stories also appear in Stories of Hope, a 2020 anthology to raise funds for Australian bushfire victims, and other anthologies.

His website is alanwhelan.org. He tweets as @alannwhelan.

His phone number is +61 433 159 663. Enthusiastic acceptances and emphatic rejections, also thoughtful questions, are generally sent by email to alan@alanwhelan.org.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONNECT WITH ALAN:

Website:

https://alanwhelan.org

Email:

alan@alanwhelan.org

Phone Number:

+61 433 159 663

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/alannwhelan

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21465128.Alan_Whelan

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56931387-the-lockdown-tales

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/3dhDbnW

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

http://amzn.to/3x5FB10

Amazon US Paperback:

http://amzn.to/35Umk6y

Amazon US Hardcover:

http://amzn.to/3A5CdFb

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/022884052X

Amazon UK Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08SCQ132Q

Amazon UK Paperback:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lockdown-Tales-Disobedience-Patience-Stories/dp/022884052X

Amazon AU Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Lockdown-Tales-Disobedience-Patience-Stories-ebook/dp/B08SCQ132Q

Amazon AU Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/022884052X

Apple Books eBook:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/lockdown-tales-disobedience-love-patience-other-stories/id1548072263

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lockdown-tales-alan-whelan/1138592053?ean=2940164780449

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lockdown-tales-alan-whelan/1138592053?ean=9780228840527

Barnes and Noble Hardcover:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lockdown-tales-alan-whelan/1138592053?ean=9780228840534

The Book Depository Paperback:

https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Lockdown-Tales-Alan-Whelan/9780228840527

The Book Depository Hardcover:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Lockdown-Tales-Alan-Whelan/9780228840534

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Lockdown-Tales/Alan-Whelan/9780228840527?id=8214976565196

BAM! Books-A-Million Hardcover:

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Lockdown-Tales/Alan-Whelan/9780228840534?id=8214976565196

The Bookshop Paperback:

https://bookshop.org/books/the-lockdown-tales-disobedience-love-patience-and-other-stories-9780228840534/9780228840527

The Bookshop Hardcover:

https://bookshop.org/books/the-lockdown-tales-disobedience-love-patience-and-other-stories-9780228840534/9780228840534

Indigo Chapters CA Paperback:

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-lockdown-tales-disobedience-love/9780228840527-item.html

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-lockdown-tales

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-lockdown-tales

Smashwords eBook:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1063049

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The Wall by David Pereda - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

This post is part of a book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. David Pereda will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

THOMAS BERTRAM is an American living in San Salvador with his fiancée CECILIA. They own a popular neighborhood restaurant and plan to wed soon. Thomas's dream is to obtain a resident visa for Cecilia and return to the United States.

DOMINGO JIMENEZ and his wife BLANCA own a small repair shop across the street. Domingo's dream is to move to America as well so that his seven-year-old daughter NANCY can grow up speaking English and having a good education and a better life than he and Blanca had.

When armed gang members invade their neighborhood to demand "protection" money and threaten them with death if they don't pay, Thomas and Domingo's dreams for the future take on a new perspective. They decide to flee the country with their families through Guatemala and Mexico to seek asylum in the United States.

But their journey is more challenging than expected, and they face a myriad of difficulties and must overcome multiple obstacles that put not only their dreams but also their lives at risk.

Read an Excerpt

Plodding in a caravan in the blistering sun with hundreds of other human beings was a new experience for Domingo—and for Blanca and Nancy, too.

Domingo guessed it was also a unique experience for most crowd members based on their looks and actions. There were people of all ages and types in the mob, including children a lot younger than Nancy. Young men and women wore shorts and T-shirts or tank tops, and many listened to music on headphones as they bounced on colorful tennis shoes. Older members were bundled in jackets and hid their faces from the harsh sun under outsized straw hats as they slogged forward with determination. A few of the people were so old they could hardly walk, hobbling along trying to keep up with the wandering procession. Some of the older children kicked an old soccer ball around or streaked through the crowd screaming and laughing, playing a game of tag, occasionally bumping into someone who invariably hurled angry epithets at them. Several of the younger children were crying and complaining about the heat and the confusion. Dozens of the women were pregnant or carrying recently born babies in their arms, some of them bawling because of hunger or a need for a diaper change. The grounds were littered with discarded items—empty bottles, dirty diapers, cereal boxes, even used toilet paper.

Domingo was amazed at the lack of prominent individuals leading the caravan and maintaining a modicum of order and hygiene. From the very beginning, the march had no leaders and no guides. They had all gathered at El Salvador del Mundo Plaza in central San Salvador at dawn and started moving at around 8 am, when someone sitting under a tree smoking a cigarette stood and yelled, “Vamos!”

And that was it. The caravan started moving, unhurriedly and inexorably, like a gigantic snake uncoiling itself to go in search of something to eat.

They had been on the road for a week now. Although their faces were baked red by the sun, they hadn’t advanced much. Domingo worried that all the food and water he brought along wasn’t going to last more than another week or two. The stress of the trip had already cracked the rosy shell of initial optimism, and reality had begun to seep in—disgruntled rumblings about the speed of the caravan started to surface, and two episodes of theft reported. Tempers flared a few times, usually only resulting in loud arguments and name-calling, but twice ending in fistfights that had to be broken up by others.

A young man named Octavio, traveling with two friends close to Domingo and his family, told him about two thousand people from different parts of El Salvador were in the caravan. They were strangers and suspicious of each other, which was the reason for all the problems.

About the Author:

David Pereda is the award-winning author of eleven thrillers and mainstream novels. His books have won the Lighthouse Book Awards twice, the Royal Palm Awards, the National Indie Excellence Awards, and the Readers Favorite Awards twice. He has traveled to more than thirty countries around the world and speaks four languages.

Before devoting his time solely to writing and teaching, Pereda had a successful international consulting career with global giant Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked with the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, and Qatar, among others.

A member of MENSA, Pereda earned his MBA from Pepperdine University in California. He earned BA degrees in English literature and mathematics at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He loves sports and has won many prizes competing in track and show-jumping equestrian events.

Pereda lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where he teaches mathematics and English at the Asheville-Buncombe Community College.

Website: http://www.davidpereda.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Pereda-Writer/345490998614
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidPeredaAVL
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/davidmpereda
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/David-Pereda/e/B002BML17Q%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B095137M8S/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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