Hey, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Donna Balon and her new book, “Sam Time,” 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 Donna and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
Sam Time
History Professor Slips into the Past and Befriends Ulysses S.
Grant
by Donna Balon
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GENRE: Historical Fiction, Time Travel
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BOOK BLURB:
When her fiancé is away on business, lonely Samantha Hunter despairs and absorbs herself in historical research. Her nighttime dreams being so vivid, Samantha believes she’s traveling to a past century. As she navigates the Victorian era rules of dos and even more don’ts, she charms Ulysses S Grant while struggling to maintain her present-day romance.
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EXCERPT ONE:
During the night, Samantha had a vivid dream. She was in a rural town wearing her Victorian-style dress. The weather was cool so she wrapped the crocheted afghan around her shoulders. And her sockless feet were cold in her slip-on shoes.
The few men she saw were in worn, soiled work clothes and walked with purpose. The so-called roadways were not paved but dirt paths. No cars or trucks, but horses and carts. A few wooden one-story buildings scattered here and there.
This must be a dream in which the clock has been turned back, Samantha thought. But where am I?
She strolled, aware she had not seen any other women. Pulling the afghan around herself snugly, she walked with her head tilted down to avoid catching the eye of any man in whatever this place was, glancing up often to learn more of her surroundings.
Then two women hurried toward her, each carrying a wooden bucket of water. Their cotton dresses hung to their ankles, with full skirts gathered at the waist of fitted bodices. Plain white cotton bonnets covered their heads, and shawls were wrapped around their shoulders. They looked at Samantha disapprovingly. Her dress was too fancy for this rural town. Moreover, she wasn’t wearing a bonnet or hat; a bare head was a means of solicitation by prostitutes. She hugged her body with the afghan, which served as a shawl to hide her uncorseted torso.
The dream seemed authentic. Despite her uneasiness, she thought, Enjoy the dream. If I don’t like it, I’ll wake myself up.
Around a corner, she spotted a few men in uniform. Soldiers. Maybe the army. This might be a small town next to an army fort, Samantha guessed. Still, not a good place for a woman.
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GUEST POST:
Ulysses S Grant, My Inspiration
People know Ulysses S Grant was a winning general of the Civil War and U.S. president. His face is on the fifty dollar bill. This novel gives a reader an interpretive view of the personal side of Grant while showing the highs and lows of his intriguing life.
Grant was a kind and handsome man. His West Point roommate Fred Dent suggested Grant meet his oldest sister Julia. When Grant paid a visit to the Dent house, Julia was not there because she was enrolled in boarding school. Her younger sisters, Nellie and Emma, were there, and they were smitten with Grant. Emma described him as a most handsome man, with light-blue eyes. One can imagine, Nellie, only two years younger than Julia, writing to her sister, “If you don’t like him, I do!”
After a long engagement (interrupted by the Mexican-American War), Grant married Julia. She gave birth to a son and was pregnant with a second, when Grant left home for an army assignment out West. He was gone for over two years. Depressed, Grant drank.
Although disputed by some, most historians believe Grant was forced to resign from the army because he arrived at his post drunk. His journey home took a few months during which he tried to collect money he entrusted with so-called friends who were swindlers. He was penniless. At this nadir, few would have ever guessed one day his man would be the President of the United States.
Grant
cherished being a father and husband. But the couple struggled financially. He
failed at farming and other business endeavors.
When the Civil War started, Grant desired a Union officer position. Lacking in political acumen, Grant endured the humiliation of sitting in General McClellan’s waiting room over two consecutive days. The general refused to meet with Grant. McClellan surely heard the rumors of Grant’s drinking. A congressman, however, advocated for Grant as a Colonel. Before the war’s end, Grant was promoted to Lieutenant General, the same position as George Washington.
After a two-term presidency, Grant sailed around the world with his wife. He was celebrated everywhere; large crowds gathered to see the most famous man in the world.
He was living the good life in New York City. But the wealth was only an illusion; Grant had invested in a company engaged in a Ponzi scheme. Once again he was penniless, but now everyone in the world knew. The humiliated American icon never made another public appearance. Soon after he died of throat cancer.
In his memoirs, Grant talks about Lincoln. “[He] gained influence over men by making them feel that it was a pleasure to serve him. He preferred yielding his own wish to gratify others, rather than to insist upon having his own way. It distressed him to disappoint others.”
This passage was projection on Grant’s part: he’s talking about himself. Grant recognized those admirable traits in Lincoln because he too possessed them.
My wish is that readers complete the Sam Time novel having gotten to know and like Grant while enjoying the story.
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AUTHOR BIO:
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Author Donna Balon debuts Sam Time, a novel well-researched and professionally edited by quality talent from the publishing industry. Donna resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband.
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CONNECT WITH DONNA:
Website:
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/41018186.Donna_Balon
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/184399876-sam-time
Amazon Author Page:
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AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon US Audiobook:
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Sam-Time-History-Professor-Befriends-ebook/dp/B0CB6XHV7V
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/Sam-Time-History-Professor-Befriends/dp/B0CJBJBFL1
Amazon CA Audiobook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Sam-Time-History-Professor-Befriends/dp/B0CGK5S157
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Donna 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.**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.
Thank you so much for hosting.
ReplyDeleteThis post is so eye catching! Your website is fabulous! Thank you for hosting my book promo.
ReplyDeleteThe cover looks great. Sounds like a book I would enjoy.
ReplyDeleteI really like the cover and excerpt.
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