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Monday, January 30, 2023

Love All by Liza Malloy - Book Tour - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Liza Malloy and her new book, “Love All,” here on FAB!!  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 $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Liza and to increase your chances of winning!!

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

Love All

by Liza Malloy

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GENRE:   Contemporary Romance (Steamy)

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BOOK BLURB:

College students Nate and Olivia are a perfect match on the courts—and in the sheets. Everywhere else, they’re polar opposites and sworn enemies. But as the chemistry builds, a figure from Olivia’s past unexpectedly pops back into her life and the couple realizes they have more in common than they thought. Are these star-crossed lovers doomed to repeat their parents’ mistakes, or can they build a life together once the final set is played?

This book is a standalone, steamy, new adult/college, sports romance, 77k words. Tropes include enemies to lovers, he falls first, and billionaire.

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EXCERPT THREE:

Olivia stopped abruptly and I nearly slammed into her chest as she swiveled to face me.

“I don’t get it,” she said. “Last night, you couldn’t have been less interested. And now you’re threatening to stalk me?”

I hadn’t expected that. “Not interested? I am the picture of interested when it comes to you. You just caught me off guard last night. I’m used to this—to you hating me. So when you suddenly seemed to be coming on to me, I just wanted to make sure it was for real and that you weren’t being forced to seduce me by some brilliant terrorist. Despite what you think about all of us guys, consent still matters to most of us.”

Her eyebrows furrowed together as she tried to piece together everything I’d just said. “I don’t hate you.”

“You’ve literally told me you hate me at least a dozen times.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, I don’t. You’re annoying and arrogant and entitled and demanding and self-absorbed and—”

“Olivia,” I interrupted. “You started to tell me that you don’t hate me, but all of these words suggest otherwise.”

That earned me a half smile.

“You frustrate me. But I think I could see us being friends. Except…”

“Except you want to jump my bones every time you see me?”

She scowled.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Liza Malloy writes contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She’s a sucker for alpha males, bad boys, dimples, and muscles, and she can’t resist a man in uniform. Liza loves creating worlds where her heroine discovers her own strength and finds her Happily Ever After. When Liza isn’t reading or writing torrid love stories, she’s a practicing attorney. Her other passions include gummy bears, jelly beans, and the occasional marathon. She lives in the Midwest with her four daughters and her own Prince Charming.

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CONNECT WITH LIZA:

Website:

https://www.lizamalloy.com

Email List Sign Up:

http://eepurl.com/gnuROD

Email:

authorlizamalloy@gmail.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/authorLizaM

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/authorlizam

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/authorlizamalloy

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/authorLizaM

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@authorlizamalloy

LinkTree:

https://linktr.ee/authorLizaMalloy

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/liza-malloy

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/love-all-a-steamy-sports-romance-by-liza-malloy

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18966268.Liza_Malloy

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63240463-love-all--a-steamy-sporta-romance

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/36e4CZC

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3ZDV4UA

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3w4ysPB

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Love-All-Steamy-Sports-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BLP2RT46

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Love-All-Steamy-Sports-Romance/dp/1950478378

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-all-a-steamy-sports-romance-liza-malloy/1142839564?ean=2940185687321

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-all-a-steamy-sports-romance-liza-malloy/1142839564?ean=9781950478378

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/love-all-11

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/love-all-11

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

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Liza 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

**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 fabulous community outreach projects and 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.

Friday, January 27, 2023

The Pepper Peach Murder by Meg Benjamin - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Meg Benjamin and her new book, “The Pepper Peach Murder,” here on FAB!!  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 $20 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Meg and to increase your chances of winning!!

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

The Pepper Peach Murder

A Luscious Delights Mystery Series

Book One

by Meg Benjamin

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GENRE:   Cozy Mystery

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BOOK BLURB:

Roxy Constantine is the jam queen of Shavano, Colorado, and she’s fine with it. Not that things couldn’t be better. Her social life is a bust, and she’s still recovering from a bad experience as a line cook in Denver. But things are looking up when she meets local chef Nate Robicheaux. Roxy would like to get closer to Nate, but she’s fending off the unwanted attentions of another local, Brett Holmes, who won’t take no for an answer. When Brett threatens to derail Roxy’s appearance on a national cooking show, the two have a very public fight. A few days later, Brett is found murdered in his restaurant kitchen, and suddenly Roxy’s a prime suspect. Now Roxy, Nate, and her other friends must find out the truth about Brett’s background and his murderer before the town of Shavano decides Roxy’s reign as jam queen is over for good.

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EXCERPT ONE:

It would be better for him to hear it from you than to discover it on his own.

Nate’s voice still echoed in my ears. For a moment, I wished I’d asked him to come with me. But I had to face this on my own. It was my disaster, after all.

I climbed up the stairs to the front door, pausing for a moment to check the directory on the wall inside. The chief’s office was on the first floor, right down the hall. Once I turned in that direction, there’d be no going back. I’d be committed to confessing.

I walked down the corridor, feeling like I was going to the executioner’s block.

There was a receptionist for the chief’s office along with the county attorney and the sheriff. I didn’t recognize her, which was just as well. This visit wasn’t something I wanted shared on social media.

She looked up expectantly. “Yes?”

“I need to see Chief Fowler.” I was amazed that my voice was steady.

“Do you have an appointment?”

I shook my head. “He’ll want to talk to me. Tell him it’s Roxy Constantine.”

The receptionist picked up her phone and dialed a number, turning away from me as she spoke.

Of course, I wasn’t absolutely sure Fowler would want to see me. Maybe he’d be too busy. Maybe he wasn’t interested. Maybe…

The receptionist glanced up at me. “Go on in. He’ll see you now.”

So much for hope. I opened the office door and stepped inside.

Fowler was sitting at his utilitarian, city-issued desk. He gazed up at me with that same unsmiling, inscrutable look he always seemed to wear. I wondered if he ever smiled. Probably not at people like me, people he suspected of murder.

I cleared my throat. “I have some things to tell you.”

He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. “Sit down, Ms. Constantine. I’ve been expecting you.”

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GUEST POST:

Overcoming Writing Obstacles: How Jam Became My Jam

For the past twelve or thirteen years, I’ve been writing romances, both contemporary and paranormal. But I also read a lot of mysteries—they’re some of my favorites. So when I wanted a break from my romance routine, I decided to try writing a mystery series. In fact, I decided to try a cozy mystery series.

Cozy mysteries have several typical features. First, they’re usually from the heroine’s point of view, and they’re usually written in first person. And the heroine usually has some kind of interesting occupation when she’s not solving crimes. I don’t exactly know how to characterize these occupations other than to say they’re frequently something many of us would like to do ourselves. There are a lot of innkeepers in picturesque small towns, for example. Bookstore owners show up frequently. There are bakers and caterers and crafters of all sorts.

Writing in first person from the heroine’s point of view wasn’t a problem for me, but the possible occupation for my heroine took some thinking. I like to cook, and I’ve written several romances where the heroine/hero is either a chef or chef adjacent (e.g., Don’t Forget Me, Hungry Heart, Love in the Morning, Wild Love) but for this series I wanted something different. So what could I have my heroine do? After a few false starts, I settled on jam.

Why jam, you might ask? Well, part of the reason comes from my hubs’ jam obsession. Whenever we go traveling, we check out the local souvenir stores, and my hubs usually buys a couple of jars of jam. Over the years, I’ve had a chance to taste a lot of homemade jam, much of it delectable. And I started to consider making some jam myself, although not seriously enough to actually do it. Or not seriously enough until Roxy Constantine and her Luscious Delights jam company entered my life.

Although I’ve been known to write about things I’ve never actually done (like raising chickens in Fearless Love), when it comes to cooking, I like to work from experience. That meant I needed to try making some jam myself so I could describe Roxy’s efforts realistically. And that meant—gleep—figuring out how to make jam at home. At first, I thought I’d need to buy a canning kettle and related paraphernalia, like a jar lifter. But after doing a little research, I decided to start out with refrigerator jam, which requires little more than a jam pot and some jars and lids.

Fortunately for me, my first effort was raspberry jam. It may be possible to ruin raspberry jam, but I think you’d have to work at it. All you need are raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice. And what you get is just…divine. It tasted so great, I wanted to do more. I tried blackberries and blueberries and strawberries, and then I switched to stone fruit and did apricots and peaches. They weren’t all winners (blueberry jam is meh), but they were all edible. And some were surprisingly tasty. And they filled up my freezer with half-pint jars of fresh fruit taste that definitely brightened a Colorado winter morning.

Finally, I decided to try making some pepper peach jam, Roxy’s specialty. The first go round tasted more like pickled peaches (and taught me to avoid jam recipes that involved vinegar), but then I got some super ripe local peaches and some bright red poblano peppers from my garden and, glory be, it was both gorgeous and delicious (I’m attaching a pic of a jar).

So lucky for me, I chose an occupation for my heroine that has endless possibilities and that’s made my summers a constant search for the best produce from the locals. I even made some wine jam this winter. And yes, it will show up in a later book.

So I hope you’ll like my jam-making detective. And more than that, if you like to cook, I hope you’ll give jam making a try yourself. Roxy and I both swear by it.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of romance. Meg’s Konigsburg series is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box and Brewing Love trilogies are set in the Colorado Rockies (all are available from Entangled Publishing). Her new cozy mystery series, Luscious Delights from Wild Rose Press, concerns a jam-making sleuth based in the mythical small town of Shavano, Colorado. Along with contemporary romance, Meg is also the author of the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix and the Folk trilogy from Soul Mate. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers. Meg’s Web site is http://www.MegBenjamin.com. You can follow her on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/meg.benjamin1), Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/megbenjamin), Instagram (meg_benjamin) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/megbenj1). Meg loves to hear from readers—contact her at meg@megbenjamin.com.

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CONNECT WITH MEG:

Website:

http://www.MegBenjamin.com

Email:

meg@megbenjamin.com

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/meg.benjamin1

Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/megbenj1

Pinterest:

http://www.pinterest.com/megbenjamin

Instagram:

http://www.instagram.com/meg_benjamin

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/meg-benjamin

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-pepper-peach-murder-a-luscious-delights-mystery-book-1-by-meg-benjamin

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2869971.Meg_Benjamin

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75700564-the-pepper-peach-murder

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/3w6AVZL

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3ZDF1Ga

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3QKRALK

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Pepper-Murder-Luscious-Delights-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BKYJPN22

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Pepper-Murder-Luscious-Delights-Mystery/dp/1509246924

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-pepper-peach-murder-meg-benjamin/1142562360?ean=2940186700838

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-pepper-peach-murder-meg-benjamin/1142562360?ean=9781509246922

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-pepper-peach-murder

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-pepper-peach-murder

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

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Meg 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

**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 fabulous community outreach projects and 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.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Gingerbread Dead by Lori L. Robinett - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hey, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Lori L. Robinett and her new book, “Gingerbread Dead,” here on FAB!!  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 Lori and to increase your chances of winning!!

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

Gingerbread Dead

by Lori L. Robinett

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

GENRE:   Cozy Mystery

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

BOOK BLURB:

This fun cozy mystery features a “colorful display of Christmas suspense and intrigue” perfect for lovers of true crime and mysteries.

Jessica Barker blogs about true crime for an online magazine. Blogging for others is far from her dream job, but she's willing to pay her dues so that someday she'll have a podcast of her own.

Then, Jess witnesses what appears to be her next-door neighbor in distress and Jess is the only one who seems to care. When the cops dismiss her as a bothersome true crime reporter with an overactive imagination, Jess must delve into the life of her mysterious neighbors, Rory and John Regan – with hints at embezzlement and gambling – before someone ends up dead.

Lori L. Robinett introduces a new series about the adventures of an aspiring podcaster that will appeal to fans of true crime and cozy mysteries.

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EXCERPT TWO:

The officers finished their interrogations and huddled together on the front porch, comparing notes. Jess studied her neighbor, who had black streaks down her face where her mascara had run. The woman stared at nothing, her lower lip pooched out a bit and the corners of her mouth turned down.

The two officers motioned for the husband to join them, and they helped the woman to her feet. She still swayed slightly and her head bobbled. Though she resisted weakly, her husband took her arm and led her inside, thanking the officers before closing the door.

Jess couldn’t believe her eyes. Stunned, she rushed forward. “Wait! You’re just going to leave her there?” She stood in their way, feet planted wide.

The older cop studied her for a beat, then sighed heavily. “Seems they had a bit of an argument earlier this evening and the missus had a bit too much to drink.” He spoke slowly, like he was explaining something to a child. He held out his arms and moved forward, herding Jess and Mrs. Miller away from the front porch.

Taking a step back, Jess settled her fists on her hips. “Listen, this is serious.”

The younger officer elbowed his partner, leaned in close and whispered something. He hooked his thumb toward Jess.

Snodgrass leaned forward, eyes narrowed as he examined her face as if just meeting her. “You’re that true crime reporter, aren’t you?”

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

This book, “Gingerbread Dead,” is a quick, fun, entertaining cozy mystery filled with quirky characters and intriguing story lines!!

This book is a super-fast read that I was able to devour in just a couple of hours!!

Gingerbread Dead,” follows the main character, Jessica “Jess” Barker, a true crime blogger who witnesses suspicious activity while spying on her new neighbors, John and Rory Reagan.  Jess struggles walking that fine line between being a nosy next-door neighbor and a concerned nearby resident.  As Jess is all too familiar with people committing nefarious acts, she knows she can’t just ignore her neighbor, Rory, who she saw fall down and who could possibly be hurt or in trouble or needing help, so she decides to run across the street to make sure everything is okay.  As Jess is greeted by Rory’s husband, John, she expresses her concern and worry about his wife possibly injured inside, he shrugs off her claims insisting she is mistaken, that his wife is fine, and asks her to leave.  Still troubled by what she witnessed, Jess demands on checking on the wife, who finally makes it to the door, only to seem quite sickly, dazed and confused, slurring her words, but not asking for help.  Another neighbor, Mrs. Edna Miller, hears the commotion and calls the police.  Jess is relieved that the police are on the way and will help get this all sorted out.  Unfortunately, the police take John’s side, that his wife is just drunk, no crime was committed, and that Jess, a crime reporter can’t help but see crime everywhere she looks and is trying to stir up some drama.  Feeling defeated Jess returns home and tries to let it go, maybe she is making something out nothing?  Perhaps she misread the whole situation?  But curiosity keeps getting the better of her as she knows what she saw, and deep down she knows Rory is in trouble.  Jess decides to continue keeping a watch on the Reagan’s next door and to dig deeper to find out the truth.  Was Rory drunk like her husband said?  Why isn’t John at all worried about his wife?  Could he be to blame?  Did he do something to her?  Could it be domestic violence?  Jess is determined to find out, leading her to dig up even more motives and suspects.

I really liked the main character, Jess as she is a fellow animal lover, rescuer, and supporter of the animal shelters.  Jess is smart, honest, kindhearted, caring, and persistent.  She does struggle with anxiety issues and defines herself more of the loner type having few friends and often as one who prefers staying at home.

I enjoyed the realistic story line about witnessing something and trying to decide whether to act or ignore it.  While I think many people probably would have brushed it off, not wanting to get involved, and just carried on, I think in today’s world, we all need to remember the famous line, “see something, say something,” and more importantly think about if the situation was reversed, wouldn’t you want someone stepping in to make sure you’re okay.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad people out there doing bad things, and if you see something suspicious, like someone looking or being hurt or injured, you can’t just idly standby or turn your back on them.  So, I appreciated the author shining a light on this theme and creating empowering characters like Jess and Edna who stretched the importance of, “we women have to look out for one another.”

I also liked that this book followed an attempted murder, unlike most cozy mysteries that start right out with an actual murder.  While the two crimes may seem similar, they are most certainly handled quite differently, and that is why it was so believable that the police dismissed Jess and her so-called “wild imagination.”  Not to mention, this book taking place in small town, Tranquility, Missouri, where people there just don’t commit such heinous crimes lol.  Without a doubt I imagine those towny cops would say just so.

While I enjoyed reading this book, I must admit I had a few digs about this book.  First off, many of the pages felt repetitive.  For example, on just one page, (page 36) Jess repeatedly mentions three different times how she hopes the husband isn’t at the hospital.  While I understand her not wanting to run into him and her anxiety all riled up, these repeated scenes and sentences felt a bit annoying as they kept being retold.  Secondly, I’m assuming these are typos, but it was very confusing reading Jess’s friend being referred to as Brendan AND Brandon interchangeably.  At first I almost thought this was another character, but no, over the course of the book his name changes.  So does the police officer who is referred to both as Officer Kluesner AND as Officer Grant.  Very puzzling!!  Also, while I truly feel this book has strong potential, I was bit baffled by the strange story lines that were started but were never followed up or fully explored.  For example, the Alisha Greene story line that is introduced.  An intriguing plot point that is left hanging with no closure or further explanation.  Another example, the doctor at the hospital was bringing in a social worker and security to talk to with Rory about her situation, but on the next page she’s already returned home.  These and a few others held interesting story lines that should have been explored or at the very least followed through.  While I’m not sure on the author’s page limit, I feel like some of these themes should have addressed, perhaps had the repetitive scenes been cut the author would have had the room to finish these leads.

This book is a super quick read at only 93 eBook story pages (106 total eBook pages cover to cover) across 16 short chapters.

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

While this book is part of the Christmas Cookies Book Series which is comprised of 80 books, each written by a different author, this book, “Gingerbread Dead,” can be read as a standalone.  While this book series focuses on holiday reads featuring Christmas Cookies and other holiday treats, each book is not specifically related.  However, Lori L. Robinett, the author of this book, “Gingerbread Dead,” does hint at this book possibly becoming a series of it’s own, following true crime blogger, Jess Barker.

All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it!!  I think all Cozy Mystery readers and holiday mystery book fans 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**

Did you find this review helpful???

If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R2D03MC1WU9XHS

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AUTHOR BIO:

Lori L. Robinet is a paralegal by day, writer by night. She’s the author of several books, including mysteries, thrillers, and contemporary western romance. She also offers online writing courses through WriteScouts (her signature course is Blank to 50K). Lori and her husband of 25+ years live on a hobby farm in central Missouri maintained for the comfort and enjoyment of their Beagle and Snorkie and two rescue calico cats. When not writing (or reading), you can find Lori crafting or indulging in her TV addiction. Her favorite authors are Stephen King, Tierney James, Carolyn Paul Branch, Micki Browning (and soooo many others!).

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CONNECT WITH LORI:

Website:

http://lorilrobinett.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/LoriLRobinettauthor

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/LoriRobinett

TikTok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@writer1701

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lori-l-robinett

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/gingerbread-dead-by-lori-l-robinett

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8290968.Lori_L_Robinett

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62802221-gingerbread-dead

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/3H7CWen

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

BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3XBeUOk

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BGCD5DYW

Apple Books eBook:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/gingerbread-dead/id6443531212

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gingerbread-dead-lori-l-robinett/1142330118

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/gingerbread-dead-1

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/gingerbread-dead-1

Universal eBook:

https://mybook.to/W56QdQy

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

GIVEAWAY INFO:

Lori will be awarding $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) 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 fabulous community outreach projects and 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.

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

The Phantom Glare of Day by M. Laszlo - Book Tour - Book Sale - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host M. Laszlo and his new book, “The Phantom Glare of Day,” here on FAB!!  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 and Noble Gift Card!!!  Also, come back daily to interact with M. Laszlo and to increase your chances of winning!!

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

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

The Phantom Glare of Day

by M. Laszlo

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GENRE:   Historical (Metaphysical) Fiction / Coming of Age Fiction

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

BOOK BLURB:

In this trio of novellas, three game young ladies enter into dangerous liaisons that test each one’s limits and force them to confront the most heartrending issues facing society in the early twentieth century. The Phantom Glare of Day tells of Sophie, a young lady who has lived a sheltered life and consequently has no idea how cruel public-school bullying can be. When she meets Jarvis, a young man obsessed with avenging all those students who delight in his daily debasement, she resolves to intervene before tragedy unfolds. Mouvements Perpétuels tells of Cäcilia, a young lady shunned by her birth father. She longs for the approval of an older man, so when her ice-skating instructor attempts to take advantage of her, she cannot resist. Not a month later, she realizes that she is pregnant and must decide whether or not to get an abortion. Passion Bearer tells of Manon, a young lady who falls in love with a beautiful actress after taking a post as a script girl for a film company—and is subsequently confronted with the pettiest kinds of homophobia.

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EXCERPT TWO:

London, 29 September, 1917.

Early that morning at the Chelsea Court Hotel, Cäcilia finally realized that last month’s assignation with her ice-skating instructor had left her pregnant. For the longest time, she paced about her suite and debated the question of what might be the best way to tell him. Whatever she said, Herr Wechseljahr would be galled. The old man would almost certainly accuse her of being marriage-minded, and he would insist that she had planned everything all along. At some point, too, he would be sure to lament her upcoming debut.

“For so long, I’ve been choreographing that glorious ice ballet,” he would tell her. “And you treat me like this?”

At nine o’clock, when Cäcilia reached Empress Avenue Ice Arena, she continued into the grand antechamber but then stopped. How do I tell him the bad news?

In time, the wintry air of the electric skating palace made her teeth chatter. Worse still, the aroma of the snack bar’s freshly-brewed, Cadbury drinking chocolate happened to be very strong that day—strong enough to make her retch.

The ice arena’s various loudspeakers crackled to life, and as she continued to convulse, a warped recording of Édouard Lalo’s “Ballade à la lune” commenced.

As the music played, several diminutive schoolgirls laced up and ventured off into the imponderable beauty of the oval rink.

Cäcilia climbed into the hard-oak terrace, and she watched the most winsome of the children perform a fan spiral.

The Lalo recording concluded, and the vast skating palace grew as quiet as the ruins of the Colosseum.

Cäcilia’s thoughts turned to Knightsbridge Casino. One week earlier, she had lost a considerable amount at the baccarat table. As such, she did not have sufficient funds to hire someone to tend to a newborn baby. Before long, she turned to one of the loudspeakers.

If only another recording would begin—and disrupt the quietude, the solemnity.

From the direction of the snack bar, the aroma of Cadbury drinking chocolate grew even more sickly-sweet. Worse yet, the scent of the pungent Cocoa Essence had begun to commingle with the smoldering lampblack odor of the rubber tiles surrounding the boards.

Down on the ice, the little girl from before, the one who had performed the fan spiral, commenced a series of intricate step sequences.

And now the door to the grand antechamber opened, and Herr Wechseljahr made his entrance. When he reached the terrace, he flashed a proud, fatherly smile and greeted Cäcilia with his customary Roman salute.

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GUEST POST:

7 Musts That Every Story in My Trans-Genre Must Have

The Phantom Glare of Day is a trans-genre work that seeks to truly help people to grasp and to face very real and very difficult aspects of life. This metaphysical kind of trans-genre writing is not complicated at all, though. In fact, this kind of writing is quite simple and has only seven musts.

First: the protagonist or point-of-view character must be able to teach the reader something.

Second: this kind of metaphysical, trans-genre work must have a moral center. It must be abundantly clear that the point-of-view character does not wish anyone harm.

Third: both the story and the well-intentioned characters within said tale must be honest or sincere. If the protagonist fails to live up to this ideal, nevertheless, the character should at least realize that he or she ought to make a change.

Fourth: the writer must market a metaphysical trans-genre work to adults only. At the very least, the reader must be exceedingly mature. Remember, as simple as my own novellas are, all metaphysical fiction works traffic in profound ideas.

Five: no matter how pernicious the stakes, the protagonist must strive to make intelligent decisions. Even if the point-of-view character is too afraid to make an intelligent or wise decision, nevertheless, the character must be aware of that fact. At the very least, when the character’s poor decisions unleash a series of unintended consequences, the point-of-view character or protagonist ought to readily recognize the problem. That kind of awareness should make the character relatable to the reader because every reader has made decisions that he or she regrets. Moreover, every reader has experienced a scenario in which he or she had to make amends for a bad decision.

Six: even if the main character has specific beliefs and political aspirations, the main character must be aware of how crucially important it is to be at least a little bit objective. Even better, the protagonist ought to realize that peace of mind comes from the psyche or intellect itself. In other words, if the protagonist understands that politics cannot solve the problems of the world, the reader’s relationship with that protagonist becomes that much more personal or immediate.

Seven: even if the main character is prone to stress, confusion, and mental illness, said character must at least value the kind of lucidity that comes with having an analytical mind and a good memory. Why? It comes down to the fact that a clear-thinking character is a character that a reader can trust.

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AUTHOR BIO:

M. Laszlo is the pseudonym of a reclusive author living in Bath, Ohio. According to rumor, he based the pen name on the name of the Paul Henreid character in Casablanca, Victor Laszlo.

M. Laszlo has lived and worked all over the world, and he has kept exhaustive journals and idea books corresponding to each location and post.

It is said that the maniacal habit began in childhood during summer vacations—when his family began renting out Robert Lowell’s family home in Castine, Maine.

The habit continued in 1985 when, as an adolescent, he spent the summer in London, England. In recent years, he revisited that journal/idea book and based his first work, The Phantom Glare of Day, on the characters, topics, and themes contained within the youthful writings. In crafting the narrative arcs, he decided to divide the work into three interrelated novellas and to set each one in the WW-I era so as to make the work as timeless as possible.

M. Laszlo has lived and worked in New York City, East Jerusalem, and several other cities around the world. While living in the Middle East, he worked for Harvard University’s Semitic Museum. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio and an M.F.A. in poetry from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York.

His next work is forthcoming from SparkPress in 2024. There are whispers that the work purports to be a genuine attempt at positing an explanation for the riddle of the universe and is based on journals and idea books made while completing his M.F.A at Sarah Lawrence College.

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CONNECT WITH M. LASZLO:

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-phantom-glare-of-day-by-m-laszlo

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22078734.M_Laszlo

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59892921-the-phantom-glare-of-day

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BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO:


**The Phantom Glare of Day eBook is on SALE for ONLY $0.99 during the book tour!!!**

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3ZCT0w3

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3CRVP2A

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Phantom-Glare-Day-Three-Novellas-ebook/dp/B09NPVPXFF

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Phantom-Glare-Day-Three-Novellas/dp/1684631750

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-phantom-glare-of-day-m-laszlo/1141227221?ean=9781684631766

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-phantom-glare-of-day-m-laszlo/1141227221?ean=9781684631759

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-phantom-glare-of-day

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-phantom-glare-of-day

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

M. Laszlo will be awarding a $50 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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