tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79910504118283553502024-03-18T17:41:17.597-07:00Fabulous and BrunetteAlly Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.comBlogger2936125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-56371654778020917392024-03-18T00:02:00.000-07:002024-03-18T00:09:13.496-07:00Island Detour by Maria Imbalzano - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQQ0A4BLB83Oe9acB1su_klEuw7ODaAjvbnMat2u-IuT9pZzR5dbD95jisvec7iJENZFaXfcJFlEcVOkKFePgVVdVPdf0TfRyjf-hUM9lblZOgONcV0jzpsBYJ79OWjaLNykeXLxmtDHksuQkluLmeiDa7qUpoTFDtk_Cgc18cfql7MzIHA6HWbbL5EtV/w640-h358/TourBanner_Island%20Detour.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2244" data-original-width="1400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjes492PeiNLUDw7gXPDYv2GvOo37UFjdfPrK9-db3p4AGxAmX5rveGUGI5No3vZNH3nJQHHCf4fMaBM8hqL9SWO-ZGiYPm1-YC24FqydoIix9toIgIYYnOiLOlqbEI-JAlBihDqdsintIDngqKBkL1FUbgw2uzKvmZUEaRePqs-2uhmKu8RmFps4N0wY6-/w250-h400/BookCover_IslandDetour.jpg" width="250" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>Island Detour</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>by Maria Imbalzano</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>GENRE: Contemporary Romance</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Falsely accused of wrongdoing at a Princeton Prep school, Sophie Kearns accepts a temporary teaching position at an environmental school in the Florida Keys to wait out her suspension. The time away is meant to be an anxiety-free escape, but her clashes with the hot but arrogant marine biology teacher, Max Heaton, are anything but tranquil.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Max is determined to start an environmental research institute at the school, but he suspects the gorgeous new Lit teacher, who lacks even the most basic outdoor skills, is there to hinder that dream. Yet, something about her tames the demons from his past, and he can no longer ignore the fire she’s lit inside him.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>EXCERPT THREE:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Just because you have issues shouldn’t mean you can’t trust anyone but yourself.” The second the words were out of her mouth, she knew she’d gone too far. But he had started it. And frankly, she didn’t care if she had struck a nerve.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">His jaw clenched, an almost imperceptible movement. After a few seconds he bowed his head and sighed. Then he turned his back to her, picked up his rod, and cast the line into the ocean. No comeback. No smart remark. A minor victory. Had she really gotten in the last word this time?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Unfortunately, she couldn’t let it go.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“Is that how you deal with conflict? You turn around and ignore it?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">She was definitely pushing the envelope now, but he deserved it. One didn’t just end an argument by turning away. He needed to stick with it. Fight it out. Until the bitter end.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">She watched him in profile, the brooding, detached fisherman whose lips rarely inched into a smile, whose eyes rarely sparkled, and whose cutting words were meant to slice—and hurt. Which they did.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Sophie looked over at Ben, who had remained quiet during their little altercation. He held his finger to his lips as if to say enough.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">She itched to continue but followed his unspoken suggestion. He knew Max a lot better than she did. And sometimes, she just had to let things settle down.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>GUEST POST:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>What Have Been Your Biggest Writing Mistakes and What Lessons Have You Learned From Them?</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">I wish I had just one. Unfortunately, I have several. It’s a good thing I consider myself a lifelong learner since the value of making mistakes is to learn from them.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">The first big mistake I made was in writing my <b><i>Sworn Sisters Series</i></b>. It’s about four women who have been best friends since high school, and are now in their early 30s. Each woman has their own book with their own story, but the other women come in and out of each other’s books.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">The first book in the series, “<b><i>Sworn to Forget</i></b>,” is Nicki’s story, but Sam has a big role in that book. The second book in the series, “<b><i>Sworn to Remember</i></b>” is Sam’s story. I made the huge mistake of having much of these stories take place during the same time period. As a result, when I was writing Sam’s story, I had to keep going back to Nicki’s story to see exactly what they said to each other and what time of year it was when they met at different locations. I also needed to make sure the timeline of Sam’s story coordinated with the time line in Nicki’s. Further, I had to put all the other secondary characters in scenes that overlapped. The lesson I learned was to never have stories in a series overlap. Make them serial in time so I can just write that story fresh, without having to keep going back to a prior story. As a result of my education, the third book in the series, “<b><i>Sworn to Fly</i></b>” takes place after the events of “<b><i>Sworn to Remember</i></b>.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">The next big mistake I made was with “<b><i>Return to Wylder</i></b>.” I wrote the entire book in the third person, which is how I usually write. It wasn’t until I was finished with the book that I decided it would be better if written in first person. I then had to go back and edit the entire book. Lesson Two: decide which point of view I want before I start writing the book.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Another mistake I tend to make with every book (I clearly haven’t learned this teachable lesson) is to info dump. It never fails that when I send each book in to my editor, she asks me to get rid of the first chapter (at least) and start with Chapter Two. I then need to filter in all the information I had in Chapter One throughout the next several chapters. I always agree. This assures that Chapter One starts where it should start – at a life changing moment—and that I don’t bore the reader with backstory. Lesson Three: Before I send the book to my editor, delete the first chapter myself and filter in the information throughout the next several chapters.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Another painful lesson I learned was with the manuscript I am currently working on. It’s the last of the Sworn Sisters books titled “<b><i>Sworn to Collide</i></b>.” My critique partners don’t like my heroine. That is the death knell for a book. The main character can be flawed and should be, but he/she must have some redeeming trait up front to allow the reader to root for them. If the reader doesn’t like the character, then she won’t care what happens to her and won’t want to finish the book. So…I’m working on making her a more likable character up front, despite her flaws. This has not been an easy task and I am now re-writing the book with “then” and “now” chapters to show why she thinks the way she does. Lesson Four: Make my main character likable from the beginning. Don’t wait until I’m halfway through the book to show why she is the way she is.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Just so you know, I did make mistake number three in my new release “<b><i>Island Detour</i></b>.” I had to delete the first chapter. And it was so good! 😊</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="668" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21we_cXjQRozjBzfCBY5J0F_8k32SpI26JGq0slFdKeD3nfvWPrqj6uBnseXmiAEKo5DGkrM0PPXgfnykM29QGt4BJHJ9JQrmh6q2ZLsoYhE2MUK2FoCviufV5MEb3vgajoHmQK7FIgedXEMoTlbDjZWUGC90SNvLsNYL-qvYgH7kAtjbS8KtNX9cJsSC/w400-h256/Screenshot_20240317-205026_Word.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="1221" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ggdWPghmL0HGIarFKO-LXIb9HMto7rmdTnD0wRwBzJ0xcxnhHUuAK_Owr0yqkpKfIR6VPLuZqSQpRFoLRzSy-r1jOfe1dh5iq_hAFUAVpmQZh4XVZG0T2jCt6Zvkk1_4k9k1Mt6-w34_va9pm2zINW4q3VX4EUvMvwE2AMNsiwvnodPO7Z7W1-i4OzzI/w400-h345/Author%20Image%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>Maria Imbalzano</i></b> is an award-winning contemporary author who writes about strong, independent women and the men who fall in love with them. She recently retired from the practice of law, but legal issues have a way of showing up in many of her novels. When not writing, she loves to travel both abroad and in the states. Maria lives in central New Jersey with her husband--not far from her two daughters and granddaughters. For more information about her books, please visit her website at <a href="http://mariaimbalzano.com">http://mariaimbalzano.com</a> where you can also sign up for her newsletter.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>Awards:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Maria is a member of New Jersey Romance Writers and has received many honors and awards for her work including the ACRA Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence Award, the Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers Award, The NEST (National Excellence In Story Telling) Award, the Carolyn Award, Book Buyers Best Award, The Stiletto Reader’s Choice Award, Long & Short Reviews Book of the Month Award (3rd Place for Book of the Year), and Still Moments Magazine Reader’s Choice Award.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH MARIA:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Facebook:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/mariaimbalzanoauthor">https://www.facebook.com/mariaimbalzanoauthor</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Twitter:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/mariaimbalzano">http://www.twitter.com/mariaimbalzano</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Instagram:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/Mariaimbalzano_author">https://www.instagram.com/Mariaimbalzano_author</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Website Link:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="http://www.mariaimbalzano.com">http://www.mariaimbalzano.com</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Goodreads Author Page:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7276749.Maria_Imbalzano">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7276749.Maria_Imbalzano</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Book Bub Profile Page:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maria-imbalzano">https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maria-imbalzano</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Amazon Author Page:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00FG9RI5K">https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00FG9RI5K</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>Maria will be awarding a $15 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-63283286663737133092024-03-18T00:00:00.001-07:002024-03-18T00:08:52.444-07:00In All Things: God's Providence by Dr. John Nuefeld - Book Tour - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZ6zB5EyyT7UMcENQQWDSfShjwUwn8wanDTie1WbUwGznJB49VQ2UeDgNPCvUKcksrjnoqZZMarCSaOkn7i2aC1JXXIn5ugIiOcSHFB0vDwjmDFqymIt5iBGLJTj6XJbURA7Glc0r_huTJ7YEISYdkxEK2LcH3hoQZ1PH5bOnMlhTpdVMulPAlD48A5U/s1200/TourBanner_In%20All%20Things.gif" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZ6zB5EyyT7UMcENQQWDSfShjwUwn8wanDTie1WbUwGznJB49VQ2UeDgNPCvUKcksrjnoqZZMarCSaOkn7i2aC1JXXIn5ugIiOcSHFB0vDwjmDFqymIt5iBGLJTj6XJbURA7Glc0r_huTJ7YEISYdkxEK2LcH3hoQZ1PH5bOnMlhTpdVMulPAlD48A5U/w640-h357/TourBanner_In%20All%20Things.gif" width="540" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"> <b>This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by <a href="http://www.goddessfish.com">Goddess Fish Promotins</a>. Dr. John Neufeld will be awarding a $10 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.</b></span></p><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsgGr6earjTofG6SFh40Ys6qgDaAvEN6RuIa9IX2KjyR0NdEpCaChiD81CeVOWJ3u4Wn-om_N2eBZdI3ISDOWNmnIaKneI8PYRHvi6Czrf5VbgkRqv_ccG46jtLeQuYC2kXWQnY_gXi_BvK4sxXcb-ClEyKYsWaBYhJjqXWVLp3YTBpjjk8zQy8jsNTg/s2752/BookCover%20In%20All%20Things%20%20God%27s%20Providence.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2752" data-original-width="1824" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdsgGr6earjTofG6SFh40Ys6qgDaAvEN6RuIa9IX2KjyR0NdEpCaChiD81CeVOWJ3u4Wn-om_N2eBZdI3ISDOWNmnIaKneI8PYRHvi6Czrf5VbgkRqv_ccG46jtLeQuYC2kXWQnY_gXi_BvK4sxXcb-ClEyKYsWaBYhJjqXWVLp3YTBpjjk8zQy8jsNTg/s320/BookCover%20In%20All%20Things%20%20God%27s%20Providence.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Righteous;">The issue of control is a central question of life. At work, in family, community clubs and schools, with the economy or international politics, the question is, "Is anyone in charge here?" Dr. John Neufeld demonstrates the Bible teaching of God's providence. We are assured that God's Hand is upon everything and everyone, without exception. Dr. John explores God's sustaining grip through the natural world and human endeavor, in pivotal matters or the seemingly trivial, the things we welcome and those we shun. He teaches the impact of God's sovereign rule upon our hearts, minds, work, worship, homes, and nation. We can live in the confidence that God is unfolding His purpose for time and eternity.<br /><br />
What people are saying about Dr. John Neufeld's teaching:<br /><br />
"This is such an important message for us today. Thank you, Dr. John, for your encouragement to view what is presently concerning us in the world from the perspective of God and His providence. That should take a huge weight off our shoulders!"</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>EXCERPT ONE:</u></b><br /><br />
Jesus controls the atoms that make up your body, the ground under your feet, the air you breathe, the world upon which you stand and the universe in which you live. All of it is held together and directed by the Son of God. Furthermore, if Jesus were not constantly, moment by moment, sustaining all these things, the forces that hold the atoms in place would fly apart and all things would cease to be. Everything that exists—past, present and future—does so by His will and permission. Everything that goes on does so under His direction. That’s what we mean when we talk about meticulous sovereignty.<br /><br />
<b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Dr. John Neufeld</i></b>, Bible teacher of Back to the Bible Canada, is well known both nationally and internationally for his excellence in expositional Bible teaching. Dr. Neufeld is passionate about bringing the truth of God's Word to life across Canada and beyond.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH DR. JOHN NEUFELD:</u></b><br /><br />
YouTube:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BacktotheBibleCanada">https://www.youtube.com/@BacktotheBibleCanada</a><br />
Facebook:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BTTBCanada">https://www.facebook.com/BTTBCanada</a><br />
Twitter:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/BTTBC">http://www.twitter.com/BTTBC</a><br />
Instagram:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/backtothebible.ca">http://www.instagram.com/backtothebible.ca</a><br />
Website:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="http://www.backtothebible.ca">http://www.backtothebible.ca</a><br /><br /><b><u>AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK:</u></b><br /><br /><b>
Amazon US eBook:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/All-Things-Gods-Providence-ebook/dp/B0CP8J2Y77">https://www.amazon.com/All-Things-Gods-Providence-ebook/dp/B0CP8J2Y77</a></b><br /><br /><b><u>GIVEAWAY:</u></b><br /><br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f4848" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4848/" id="rcwidget_g4j919wb" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span>
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</div>Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-783327328007513982024-03-14T00:02:00.000-07:002024-03-14T00:21:50.868-07:00A Twist of Hate by T.E. Lorenzo - Book Tour - Blurb Blitz - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2C3t1V2dZ7V7H832nEMbP1D0GMFJ-00fraLeP9KDdIAJl_38m7g3Aepl9jxavnc4vKT2emZfUeApBr7J7I0fstwXVr0g-rH8fziHVhXH7_qvSQKT1eyfDbH0pZYhmV5E6rkVRpFvP3otWRzxYfS_8eQcJ6jgqhdINkRv2ntiYB05sxwobg_1MOOiC7tH/w640-h358/TourBanner_A%20Twist%20of%20Hate.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwycQ_HK-8HWVPY2CjzIMFPlf9mBsyU2I48zYhR1DyVKOfhUqnjdtHbN7QPPGrDjN5mBls2dIQBBPSDvebvGPJ2eQExSOGcohIk61j4Jz_qjtESe0AzuAS4EBP6EFmTqn7LtOTbh4tDbg2QPxsPbPBApDGFmqDkkl5WMo4EJDzCJdc7W4CnQpZlAbRsLDX/w266-h400/BookCover_ATwistOfHateEbookCoverUse.jpg" width="266" /></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>A Twist of Hate</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>by T.E. Lorenzo</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>GENRE: Romance</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>They love to hate each other...</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Natalia is content with hating her co-worker, Adrian. The two can hardly stand being in the same room, despite having worked together for several months. When Natalia agrees to a trip out of town with a friend, little does she know that Adrian will be there, too. This is the time to crank up the hate, right?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">The trip is not what Natalia thought it would be. Forced to spend time with her enemy, she finds there is more to Adrian than meets the eye. Will Natalia push aside her hatred and see the true Adrian?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>With a twist of hate, just maybe...</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>EXCERPT ONE:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">All Natalia could think about was another opportunity to get Adrian to speak to her before they wandered around the desert together. She thought the odds might be in her favor, considering she had overheard Denver mention that he and Adrian would leave for the airport immediately after their shift ended today. Vegas would be at the forefront of Adrian’s mind. Surely he would clear the tension that had grown so awkward and heavy between them before he left.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Further playing into her hands was the special seating arrangement drawn up for the day. Lopez assigned both Adrian and Natalia to desks on the suite level, and they’d be in the same row, four seats apart.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Once she saw this seating chart posted on Friday, Natalia knew she had to crank up the heat for the big day. She dressed in a form-fitting pencil skirt that cut off just above the knees, revealing the Speedy Gonzales tattoo just above her ankle. She had even shaved—in the winter—to make sure her legs were as appealing as possible.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Natalia also wore a blouse that revealed the slightest glimpse of cleavage. She questioned herself as she dressed earlier this morning, wondering why she was putting in so much effort into her appearance to get Adrian’s attention. She hated him, after all.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">It’s not for Adrian. It’s for me. I’m freshly single, going to Vegas in two days, and life is good. I can get sexy all for myself if I want to.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="288" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxp2XbLJI9gc4wXRSu7hoZ6gXt7_rdk0hTB2TzwsMsCpbF1FfnrIoY-EGQHNn-7deN-5r3Kyv_xDj0vA8H83RMZhRJQyFvh8WkSk0buz4W-3xDzJi7eVWT48rFYKJ7eiibK6rkoIwjO5uIFy1rpM6uEEKWtkMHWza3NMWJ_KfiUx6HKOdU4c2COVuDN0zU/w266-h400/Author%20Image.png" width="266" /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>T.E. Lorenzo</i></b> is the debut author of <b><i>A Twist of Hate</i></b>. Having lived through his own enemies-to-lovers story, he believes love can come from the most unexpected of places. When he's not writing, T.E. is likely chasing his kids around, playing baseball, or relaxing with a good book. He is currently living out his happily-ever-after with his wife and three kids in their hometown of Denver, CO. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>BOOK BUY LINKS:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMeZ1voS7jss68A7XLCU95xfw5Pg606kgRn-phdH6URFwGHkOnbDvaoXlPAUW2YzbNC4HPjP9RWOvZJEt_4n8UiNmOd86hwCU-GMhTxvArZb3EsirBiw3rCz3cx9mcREkIymC1I-O6dLaMzbLgu-9PMmc8FWQCH79IURnybRvmv4MggaE0tStpXEBdCBn/w133-h200/BookCover_ATwistOfHateEbookCoverUse.jpg" width="133" /></b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>Amazon:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP2TF94Z">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP2TF94Z</a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>Barnes and Noble:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-twist-of-hate-te-lorenzo/1144416094">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-twist-of-hate-te-lorenzo/1144416094</a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>Kobo:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-twist-of-hate">https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-twist-of-hate</a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>Smashwords:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1485296?ref=5princepub">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1485296?ref=5princepub</a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>Google Play:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/T_E_Lorenzo_A_Twist_of_Hate?id=PbTlEAAAQBAJ">https://play.google.com/store/books/details/T_E_Lorenzo_A_Twist_of_Hate?id=PbTlEAAAQBAJ</a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>5 Prince Publishing:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><a href="https://www.5princebooks.com/telorenzo.html">https://www.5princebooks.com/telorenzo.html</a></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>T.E. Lorenzo will award a $15 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-40697117525306592652024-03-14T00:00:00.001-07:002024-03-14T00:21:37.547-07:00Toothbrush Animal Hunt by Carleen Dehaney - Book Tour - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/02/book-blast-toothbrush-animal-hunt-by.html" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmFaeSyu0P71tmDxu0eCBKzeqx1gCDDuxXhHqAGHNUIFciy01X1cEDPGhl_CbQvHw40GZYHY8s8nvv4JHWtSxfuaJPRYE9rdCJ4Ht_EErZJ8TDlviXsx5m3Y8sqKJ4Z_4VBz5U3CCiFDDquC_KHrbLFORokOKP00xj7W9BINwbT2-IkmgneaqBoFS0MI/w640-h357/TourBanner_Toothbrush%20Animal%20Hunt.gif" width="540" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by <a href="http://www.goddessfish.com">Goddess Fish Promotions</a>. Carleen will be awarding a $10 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour</b>.</div>
</span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0Y551uNW4nvPEgR-yVUTGKKIHFiYUYLxGXe5eNIklAc7qHgbJJqQoB4g4uHjWVyt1-T0D1ongcfcKUktbXeVFa5RlVgEanVuNggsMHEtNF9gB7ODYrumHjbL-Ux8HBi-TK1vTNnhWE2z96JqDRQs6fGqC8Cqio3I3VJYd6E5pO9dwqAQUa5fTmdxEK4/s2700/BookCover_Toothbrush%20Animal%20Hunt.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="2700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0Y551uNW4nvPEgR-yVUTGKKIHFiYUYLxGXe5eNIklAc7qHgbJJqQoB4g4uHjWVyt1-T0D1ongcfcKUktbXeVFa5RlVgEanVuNggsMHEtNF9gB7ODYrumHjbL-Ux8HBi-TK1vTNnhWE2z96JqDRQs6fGqC8Cqio3I3VJYd6E5pO9dwqAQUa5fTmdxEK4/s320/BookCover_Toothbrush%20Animal%20Hunt.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Embark on a delightful adventure with Toothbrush Animal Hunt, the perfect children's book to encourage daily toothbrushing habits in a playful and enjoyable way.<br /><br />
From a clapping sea lion at the beach to a cheeky squirrel in the forest, children will be fascinated as they learn about toothbrushing through the actions and antics of these charming creatures. And don't forget to spot the toothbrushes hidden throughout the pages, making this hunt, a delightful game of discovery.<br /><br />
Say goodbye to toothbrushing struggles and let the adventure begin!</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">
<b><u>EXCERPT TWO:</u></b><br /><br />
</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0Xy2IGm-weR8r2ZMEFTUng9Fy8-2iA2l-qO5cf1XjyzK9bk0YM4iiVYoHyJBHM49Z_XVfste_jVEQPqFFTmOQhbyhv_pFV9oXc7OPWuHKcOqPsRZVbjAz3SyWq496d7HGNrM8VKGELi_rR3JSN3kAl9Ik0FbnRWM5LNI0fQgGga9J-6RjRHmOCkP8js/s1000/Excerpt_2_ToothbrushAnimalHunt.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="985" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp0Xy2IGm-weR8r2ZMEFTUng9Fy8-2iA2l-qO5cf1XjyzK9bk0YM4iiVYoHyJBHM49Z_XVfste_jVEQPqFFTmOQhbyhv_pFV9oXc7OPWuHKcOqPsRZVbjAz3SyWq496d7HGNrM8VKGELi_rR3JSN3kAl9Ik0FbnRWM5LNI0fQgGga9J-6RjRHmOCkP8js/s320/Excerpt_2_ToothbrushAnimalHunt.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><u>
<b>AUTHOR BIO:</b></u></span><div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Meet the author, <b><i>Carleen Dehaney</i></b>! Carleen is a mother and wife. She hails from the UK but now calls Canada home. This enchanting book draws inspiration from a tenacious 2-year-old in need of some toothbrushing magic. Carleen embarked on a whimsical journey, incorporating playful animal sounds into her daughter's brushing routine, and thus, the idea for this captivating book was conceived. Today, her little one, who has since outgrown her toddler years, recites this tale back to Carleen, forging cherished moments between them.<br /><br /><b><u>AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK:</u></b><br /><br /><b>
Amazon US:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Toothbrush-Animal-Hunt-Carleen-Dehaney/dp/0228877024">https://www.amazon.com/Toothbrush-Animal-Hunt-Carleen-Dehaney/dp/0228877024</a></b><br /><br /><b><u>GIVEAWAY:</u></b><br /><br />
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</div>Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-27772556858798686382024-03-13T00:00:00.000-07:002024-03-13T01:15:08.141-07:00Latency by Nathaniel J. Koszer - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75LhOjh_oKRvuVnwy2z0uR8RgWAOLsDuqQNwftzlDZ3i9MBZ22CScNWfCTuMeEC5zSj5twMQxJSVGRHxsATJyxPRx0xy0gGnfJnAo-1wRVKWXyaEKgF_ygU-_EHEuHvIfy5F5PiAbwDWiIm-tJw_C4k6SSRLIiCbjjX74_mYvDkfTDQR2wHYbAyiraL66/w640-h358/TourBanner_Latency.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="991" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpkkgSso3GQhhirgylAbv4fvRP3ujR6Zmo0SsL80SLyc83eDqSSQKvpDg5Nqf3Sd8bjzvyICBsw_h9czOb0Bda_4kWFQgqvAAdSKSpsBKMnl_LQVU1NOTn-Jv7Zp7RXAtr55DjZOYmwioTEzx0-py1I16HWWmduslefC8mD1WAzHi6-Z1VCygdvmdGo2B3/w258-h400/BookCover_Latency.jpg" width="258" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><i>Latency</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>by Nathaniel J. Koszer</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><i>GENRE: Sci Fi Biotech</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Sera is a LO-EC, a human who gained superpowers as an unintended side effect of a biotechnological breakthrough. Her unique abilities allowed her to survive while others like her, including her parents, were exterminated by a world government fearful of their potential.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">After decades of hiding, she meets Naren, another superpowered survivor who has infiltrated the ranks of the military. Together, they form a plan to unite with other surviving LO-ECs, claim vengeance against the forces who murdered their families, and ultimately stoke a worldwide rebellion against the government that wanted them dead.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">The entirety of 26th century Earth’s armed forces stand in their way: Soldiers equipped with terrifying weaponry, armies with electromagnetic cannons, merciless bloodthirsty androids, and Spidre, the World Leader with unnatural abilities of his own. The world brought Sera and the other LO-ECs pain and loss, and they’re determined to return it in kind.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>EXCERPT ONE:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">In the basement of a skyscraper hundreds of stories high, a constant shaking and groaning accompanied the cacophony of breaking glass and falling bricks from the street above. A man and a woman had spent the night here, fearing those sounds meant their building was on the verge of collapse. Finally, the sun rose and the sounds gave way to stillness. The death of the noises gave life to new fears, in that now the man and woman had to take action.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">“Are there any sort of supplies on the cycles?” the man asked. He was bleary-eyed, his face was flush, and even the simple task of standing up seemed to be a struggle.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">“I doubt it,” the woman replied, her expression as beleaguered as his. “And you’re sure there was nothing in these boxes?” she continued, glancing around the small storage room.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">The man shook his head. “Just lots of cleaning supplies. And we can’t risk going back upstairs,” he replied. “I can’t even hear the big one lumbering around, that has to mean they’re searching another building. We need to move now. We’ll worry about supplies after we get out of New Orleans, and after it feels safe.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">The woman nodded and walked over to one smaller pile of boxes. She pulled them away and the room lit up in an orange glow. The boxes had been covering a young girl, no more than six years old, whose skin had trails of orange light swirling across her arms, legs, and face.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">“We need to leave, sweetie. We’re going to find our cycles in the garage, Ok?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">The little girl nodded.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">“Do you remember that woman? Alison?” she asked the girl. “Do you remember where she and her friends live?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">The little girl nodded slowly, while the man’s face furrowed with skepticism.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">“If anything happens to us, you go straight to her. Do you understand?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">“She can’t go to them!” the man exclaimed in an elevated whisper. “They’re a bunch of fanatics!”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">“They are, but they will keep her safe!” the woman responded.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>GUEST POST:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Everyone loves a hero! Tell us all about this genuine character and the inspiration </span><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">behind their development.</span></i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"><b><i>Latency</i></b> is a science fiction thriller with six(!) protaganists all with unique personalities and superpowers. They all get to show off in their own way throughout the story, but it is one character’s desire for revenge that leads to all six characters finding each other and uniting for a greater cause. That character is Sera, and in addition to causing the inciting incident, she also has the most diverse set of inspirations for her character design and development.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><span style="white-space: normal;">For those who haven’t read <b><i>Latency</i></b> yet, it takes place in the 25th century, and focuses on six LO-ECs, humans who have gained superpowers through a malfunction of biotechnology, and are now considered too dangerous for the government to allow to live. Sera is one of the LO-ECs. She can fly, glowing orange swirls of energy visibly ebb and flow within her skin, and she can forcibly expel that energy at will, creating violent bursts of energy that act similar to a bomb blast. She is about five feet tall, skinny, and would be considered African or African American complexion by today’s racial demographics (more on this later).</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><span style="white-space: normal;">The initial idea for the character that became Sera is practically ancient history. In elementary school, I was obsessed with superhero teams (think the X-men and TMNT) and created my own characters that I would invent little adventures for in my head. One character was called Firefly, and her powers resembled what fireflies do in real life. She could fly, she glowed, and she had light based powers that could blind people. Over the years, thanks in large part to the Jean Grey’s Dark Phoenix arc in X-Men and Carol Danvers’ run as Captain Marvel, Firefly’s powers became the energy blast they are today. The look and feel of the energy blast is inspired by Dragonball Z, specifically Vegeta’s massive suicide explosion during the Majin Buu story arc. It is a huge blast of energy that launches out in all directions, with Vegeta/Sera in the center of it.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">The origin story for Sera’s power and the rest of the LO-ECs was inspired almost exclusively by The Matrix. In that movie, humanity has been enslaved by AI robots, and human body heat and electrical synapses are used as fuel by the machines. I was fascinated by that concept, and always thought it would be interesting to see a plot where humans harnessed that power instead of machines. I waited a long time, eager to see a famous writer or producer think up that plot idea themselves, but it never came to pass. Eventually I got sick of waiting and wrote it down myself, and that became <b><i>Latency</i></b>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">Sera’s character design has some inspiration from other science fiction media, but a lot of it was also born out of the story itself. Her height and build came from, ironically enough, the TV show Firefly. In that show there is a female character named River Tam, played by actress Summer Glau. River is about five feet tall, ninety-five pounds, and a relentless, unstoppable hand-to-hand fighter. The size and skill of her opponent did not matter compared to her ferocity. I adored that idea. The concept of someone small, especially a small woman, being by far the most dominant physical force in the storyline was the coolest concept I had ever come across. So, when it came time to write Latency, I couldn’t imagine Sera being any other body type.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">She became a black woman through the story writing process itself. Since the story takes place in the 25th century, I figured and research confirmed by that time in history most of today’s races wouldn’t exist. They would have intermingled so much that no one race could be identified. At the same time, I felt it was important for the reader to know that the characters were what we would consider mixed race today. That meant finding a genuine way for it to come up in conversation. The problem was, if everyone on earth had the same skin color, why would skin color ever come up as a discussion topic? My solution to this was to choose one character to have a different skin color, just through random genetic anomaly as a reference point for conversation. With Sera’s skin already being written as having moving, glowing swirls all over it, making her a black woman made for a cool mental image, and with that her current design was complete.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">I hope everyone enjoyed reading about the many ways that Sera became the amazing character you will experience on the pages of </span><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"><i>Latency</i></b><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">. If you haven’t picked up </span><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"><i>Latency</i></b><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"> already, I hope this exploration of one of it’s badass characters inspires you to do so!</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1536" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOWA-rLHyWYQoFPeY5IhhAPg8J4McM09ulxTiAffp6ocSS1JiKp7stsgpIMCSopPrcdmx-vAWO7gEEWOAq6LNij4PRcijn-AC3lpDtVfoczL2t_cykzWXE6uwlFMP9R-r4ZjIPL5l_9PMAFYn-Q3smd_IxND-tVSBZKIIJ2AUWseuFWfmUUMiSJbfjfc0o/w400-h300/Author%20Image%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><i>Nate</i></b> grew up in Brooklyn NY, but now calls the Bronx home along with his wife and their sons. Nate grew up on all things sci-fi. Partly due to his chronic illness, Nate always had a special place in his heart for the X-Men, and especially the invulnerable Wolverine. This was heavy inspiration for his first novel, <b><i>Latency</i></b> a superhero sci-fi story to be released March 5, 2024.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH NATE:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Website:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><a href="https://natekoszer.com">https://natekoszer.com</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Bluesky:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><a href="https://bsky.app/profile/natejklol.bsky.social">https://bsky.app/profile/natejklol.bsky.social</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">X:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><a href="https://twitter.com/natejklol">https://twitter.com/natejklol</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>BOOK BUY LINKS:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="991" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRINhDZwsXNJCjpRcoYwFCbiFSNWAqDHKLwRq1JHGalRzAQmlvTvtVTy05XuDEm4YuVQQKYMmEJ7kQPtenIUw1izyYRtHEqWS4OXDAG-j-Df6maSuS83klxYC3cFTrPmX8HXIBKhhQPCiiDZNno-SYfmxHukJq89Aw2Sp0-HNK4S1EVJrQBtI-mb4-h0MD/w129-h200/BookCover_Latency.jpg" width="129" /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>Amazon:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Latency-Nathaniel-Koszer/dp/1962308073">https://www.amazon.com/Latency-Nathaniel-Koszer/dp/1962308073</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>Barnes and Noble:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144430187">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144430187</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>Smashwords eBook:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1489470">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1489470</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>Nathaniel will award a $10 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><p></p>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-40502003066647539022024-03-12T00:02:00.000-07:002024-03-12T01:12:16.067-07:00Arlya by Jack Lowe-Carbell - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobAAyctO5q9Wz6MUbf5LCXi-vZ7_m_wzyxLzXdmMHl53sHh4_pv_ujfgX15E0wfbhxhvcfuemJKs-wl9EUcAEvYmkAluDLnH3YO3IqChDyIYfBy3Vo1YbpU3KRtyp1GUP392tnEI9x_cilnOLoJiSzbgQQ6rZtIGjJnhA4MvEQFX3wxemMexNc5vJiSNi/w640-h358/TourBanner_Arlya.gif" width="540" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1733" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5GSlVwkc91sYHB_AypTZbCHBeyH6eMd-pFoDTJuAxOqpSjRPbP066hPqHD-yzDQXq5flplYC3ZYf2DSzJd9Q9FPq8xWrIXOIRjHCkqM8AY9vkAT0Yic2rNsAzpiZE9xGPA8oLZ96tAptRN4O_gu6RBdtdKhY2uLXLWB5UaNawYoSGg2b5LHUAJ64CZK2U/w256-h400/BookCover_Arlya.jpg" width="256" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Arlya</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>by Jack Lowe-Carbell</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>GENRE: Thriller</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Arlya, a small town in Southern Ontario, is rocked by a gruesome crime. Four friends must work together with Detective Dylan Grey to find a pattern, a bike, a clue, and a sister before it is repeated.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">James and his three best friends, Owen, Tommy, and Mike, have just finished school for the summer. The plan is the same as every other year: they are going to build the biggest fort yet, deep in the Dhoon Woods. After stumbling across a tiny, seemingly unimportant wooden hut, a series of crimes take place and their plans change.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Arlya falls into itself. Doors are locked, curtains drawn, bikes are put away, strangers invade, and kids are off the street. In the first week of summer vacation, a dark and disturbing family history is uncovered; friends turn on each other; a storm rolls through town; and a monster is hiding just out of sight, smiling its toothy grin and crawling through the corn.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>EXCERPT ONE:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">One Friday night last summer, the four of them had left James’s house after his parents had gone to bed. They had biked around in the dark, briefly illuminated by the sparse streetlights looming over the side streets. Fog had drifted across the side roads; houses were barely visible through their covered lawns. Somehow, they wound their way to the bottom of Cemetery Hill.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"> <span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“My grandpa is in there,” Tommy had said quietly.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">They had looked out at the long blackness which rose menacingly above them. The trees at the top of the hill had been reaching toward the starry sky.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">James had wanted to bike back. If he had left, the others would have surely followed suit. Mike had glanced at James waiting for his decision.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“My dad was supposed to be buried here,” Owen had said, his voice cracking, devoid of moisture.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">The fog had continued to thicken around the four of them standing stagnant in the road, straddling their bikes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GUEST POST:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Overcoming Writing Obstacles</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Writing this novel was, as I expected it, quite challenging.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">There was a constant little sliver of doubt, every morning, every time I sat down to write. A nagging voice in the background saying, what if you can’t finish it, what if it’s not actually as good as you think, what if today you can’t do it. To overcome this I did what I know how to do, I wrote. I put some words down, even if they were garbage, it’s practice. I would go over a scene in my head again, plan a new one, I thought about characters and there motives, and I reminded myself that even if it wasn’t everything I wanted it to be, I am doing it; I am doing something I have always wanted to do, and aren’t I so lucky to do that.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">That is not to say over the six months that I wrote this novel there were words put down every single day. I actually took an entire month off. I had a pretty serious health scare arise and it became a little obsolete, this idea I had. I was with my family, friends, I was thinking of the future. This strangely enough helped me when I came back to it. I realized it wasn’t quite as daunting as I thought. It wasn’t as integral to making me who I am as I had previously imagined it to. It was just me, at a desk, with a coffee, and an idea, writing something I had come up with, and I was so grateful to do it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">The steps I took from there were quite straightforward. If on a certain day I wasn’t feeling it, I was dreading sitting at my computer, I didn’t, I walked around, I saw friends, I went to the beach. But every day I checked in with myself. Every day I wanted to write I made sure to make time for it, and push away all distractions. It became a bit of therapy for me, an escape.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Now, dealing with the emotions after finishing the novel is a whole other beast I won’t get into now. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Again, I am no pro, but if I could give any advice, it would be to check in with yourself and ask yourself how you are feeling before trying to pour everything into this thing. This isn’t everything, while it may feel like it at times, it is important to also lift your head from the page and look around. I know I struggled with that immensely but when I learned that it made it a lot easier.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Thank you for reading my rant, I would love to hear what others have gone through and how they dealt with it!</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwEZ7-uRy4mmbvS6_Mdo6rTfGZk0g1n6JEvQtoV2xiDt9SL7SRi1G_QgW3IuT1iKNsZWGxVUMohwtZamzfbSvDdf8jJExtdhJtLFd1zHA4VUYU0GMSUuCjwz_ka2QyekBlRlD6Ck9PS2zMxwP0_-B2EN4qCRHVjwLQqjGmRpXiRYV4SHDwU554ochgli7/w400-h268/Author%20Image.jpg" width="400" /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Jack Lowe-Carbell</i></b> is a 26-year-old writer living in Vancouver, BC. <b><i>Arlya</i></b> is his first novel, and it is based in his hometown, Ayr, ON. Thanks to his dad, who read him horror stories when he was far too young, Jack has always loved the genre. His next novel is a tale of horror based in Garibaldi Provincial Park.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH JACK:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Website:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://jacklowecarbell.com">https://jacklowecarbell.com</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Facebook:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/arlyanovel">https://www.facebook.com/arlyanovel</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Instagram:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/jacklowecarbell">https://www.instagram.com/jacklowecarbell</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">TikTok:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jacklowecarbell">https://www.tiktok.com/@jacklowecarbell</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>BOOK BUY LINKS:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1733" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhk-kwDeVctxuZRyCVXqMWsmlH0dWH5ooCWfdfLTMYCHjPWY35Z5KywmeHxvaz-PY60D5-ONXtdec0kX7FEBRAt1N3nuz_RgysESWate41SaODjyCXDd4qkVmjoCEXy-mtdmlpStXdndKv_2P1VBpRHTHO2JCQ56YyX8mhBca2HwFMpefsscmrNE08u-t/w128-h200/BookCover_Arlya.jpg" width="128" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>Amazon US eBook:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><a href="https://amazon.com/dp/1779410964">https://amazon.com/dp/1779410964</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>Amazon CA eBook:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1779410964">https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1779410964</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>Kobo eBook:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/arlya">https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/arlya</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144578780">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144578780</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>Abe Books eBook: <a href="https://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9781779410962">https://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9781779410962</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>Jack will award a $15 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</b></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><br /><p></p>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-89760499971045782212024-03-12T00:00:00.001-07:002024-03-12T00:54:06.589-07:00Picasso's Lovers by Jeanne Mackin - Book Tour - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/02/book-blast-picassos-lovers-by-jeanne.html" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vrhednamOVZcQy9rkThVajUkZWAo1SDQGYYGu-1J7iRs-f-nvfE6kyJTU7HT_bZmJMm2B8pkRDqHiJsWMucF3xpMuXhdDc4PEtxTVE3xakY4mhNFqrfsEfGBrqtNU0wclSpxLlR9MZNoO2yLKmCnn_kn9aW98K0xh49Z2rsuA-pozhwCXAGA3aOCiGs/s400/TourBanner_Picassos%20lovers.gif" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by <a href="http://www.goddessfish.com">Goddess Fish Promotions</a>. Jeanne will award a $25 Amazon <u>OR</u> 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</b>.</div><br />
</span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi71t_6GzOSX8BhEndfPdV5TjWP2lr9x-NmzRUeAPGE6WbPsuzUYU7vJ9DGdRnaPyoGuR37GF9ZRzCQVLwa9RUd2eTpyVNPlqKgwNnOCkft1z660A1Vb_nI2CVq-QQIbiXU1Qr__EczUlSCxENzFnpGhH9wJRYPTw5D0ql7ZGkqwM2_K_eeNp7jPC4DW8/s2397/BookCover_picasso%20cover.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2397" data-original-width="1546" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi71t_6GzOSX8BhEndfPdV5TjWP2lr9x-NmzRUeAPGE6WbPsuzUYU7vJ9DGdRnaPyoGuR37GF9ZRzCQVLwa9RUd2eTpyVNPlqKgwNnOCkft1z660A1Vb_nI2CVq-QQIbiXU1Qr__EczUlSCxENzFnpGhH9wJRYPTw5D0ql7ZGkqwM2_K_eeNp7jPC4DW8/w129-h200/BookCover_picasso%20cover.jpg" width="129" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />You know Pablo Picasso. Now meet the women behind the masterpieces. The women of Picasso's life are glamorous and elusive, existing in the shadow of his fame - until, in the 1950's, aspiring journalist Alana Olsen determines to bring one into the light and discovers a past complicated by secrets and intrique.</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>EXCERPT TWO:</u></b><br /><br />
I have a photo, faded and torn, of two women on a terrace. Their black jersey bathing costumes reach modestly down their thighs and up to their collarbones. Their hair is cut short in a flapper bob of the 1920’s. The women gaze straight into the camera with a hint of defiance. <br /><br />
Beyond the terrace is a calm sea. Even in this black-and-white photo, the blueness of the water shimmers. Sailboats are caught forever on that sea, as are the women, ambered into eternal youth and beauty. Between the terrace and the sea are palm trees with fringed tops and grainy trunks. <br /><br />
If you look long enough at the photo, you can feel the Mediterranean sunshine…<br /><br />
There is a secret folded into the shadows of the photo. <br /><br />
In the bottom right hand corner, there is a third woman, blurred in motion rather than posing. The camera has caught her unaware. She wears a print dress, not a bathing costume, and her is long and braided. The sun, directly behind her, backlighting her, makes her face impossible to see. The light halos the shape of her head so that she is everyone and no one.
<br /><br />
<b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbzKZ6rjT7-Xb7KxEpsd6b527QQ8nmGZTf5M8RcQpZ0DcMytHCQRq4OgomC09_LmCfnHzBFea6-J-Wp0bIVovEmaQiLWI10Ux2J3utCDOi4-rZZVlDZ7z9HbZDnEh2m9VmexRisDSJP0A4wmLCTd_ChgAeOLtDhyC9FF1S1RvD6w1Q2Lk8BHV1jKebfg/s2219/author%20image.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2219" data-original-width="1791" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbzKZ6rjT7-Xb7KxEpsd6b527QQ8nmGZTf5M8RcQpZ0DcMytHCQRq4OgomC09_LmCfnHzBFea6-J-Wp0bIVovEmaQiLWI10Ux2J3utCDOi4-rZZVlDZ7z9HbZDnEh2m9VmexRisDSJP0A4wmLCTd_ChgAeOLtDhyC9FF1S1RvD6w1Q2Lk8BHV1jKebfg/s320/author%20image.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Jeanne Mackin is the author of several historical novels, including The Last Collection, which has been translated into five languages, and The Beautiful American, which won a CNY award for fiction. She has taught in the MFA Creative Writing program at Goddard College and won journalism awards, and is currently at work on her next novel.</span><div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH JEANNE:</u></b><br /><br />
Website:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="http://www.jeannemackin.com">http://www.jeannemackin.com</a><br />
Facebook:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/JeanneMackinAuthor">https://www.facebook.com/JeanneMackinAuthor</a><br />
Twitter:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/JeanneMackin1">http://www.twitter.com/JeanneMackin1</a><br />
Instagram:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/JeanneMackinAuthor">http://www.instagram.com/JeanneMackinAuthor</a><br /><br /><b><u>AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK:</u></b><br /><br /><b>
Amazon US eBook:</b></span><div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Picassos-Lovers-Jeanne-Mackin-ebook/dp/B0C3C2J4FH">https://www.amazon.com/Picassos-Lovers-Jeanne-Mackin-ebook/dp/B0C3C2J4FH</a></b><br /><br /><b><u>GIVEAWAY:</u></b></span><br /><br />
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</div></div>Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-34819472442901238632024-03-05T00:00:00.000-08:002024-03-05T01:06:31.574-08:00Alex by Dianne Hartsock - Book Tour - Exclusive Excerpt - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifMBnl46L090hmJ9_B7DuW91wxBw-X1LRJrjuy2dd3GnEaSbt7itEirafiC8DgwDe07rZ2LtywyA8JYrzAsV9sVYw9JNdHJIgTFfYykABzw_OXmYuDeslrZKhkSMMHrd08_nzcaf4da8bqkfFd-Tz192zTNYEjkCIlKf2TPiGePi5QHY_-MNim-QQJWOaS/w640-h358/TourBanner_Alex.gif" width="540" /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5aUEBVnniLKJM2N-ycK5kyHYofGy1AE7dmBh2t-6S-wKaaDaUapEKmKWff0xZvnQiu_8LRENCCSV6KrQ9zMjV0wiBHn5RI0D1XkZ2N8HSNR8S2ysN8aiy0Wf8SAThkFmfUsW0FxHaQtPg6NDNIlb19xu3XAQ44ziRDjdTbUw5UNrM_BAOMbSVPOR5xiXA/w266-h400/Cover_Alex.jpg" width="266" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Alex</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>by Dianne Hartsock</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>GENRE: Psychological Thriller</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Alex is twenty and confused. He always is. The world presses on him with its horrors and pain, with scintillating auras that bewilder his eyes and drive the migraines deeper. He hears the cries of the children, sees the brutal images of tortured victims. He feels out of control and his mind slips…</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Severely abused as a child, he is left with horrible scars on his body and even worse scars within his mind. Even though it puts him in danger, he’s compelled to help those who call to him. He’s driven, motivated by his visions to rescue them and hopefully uncover the killer. When he can, he helps the police; yet some detectives suspect he’s involved. Often, Alex finds himself alone and afraid in a world he doesn’t always understand.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Ben drew up a chair beside him. “These are the people who have gone missing in the past four months.” He selected a photo of a man in his early thirties. “This is Robert Holmes. He’s the exception, disappearing last year in late July. But we have reason to believe his case is related.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Alex studied the picture. He heard an anguished voice in his mind and knew Robert Holmes was the person he’d seen reflected in his own eyes last summer.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“Mary Sanderlin and Karen Ottoman went missing this spring,” Ben continued. “Stay-at-home moms who disappeared within hours of each other from the same park. Then there’s Kerry Franklyn, a high school math teacher.” He motioned to the picture of a young man with a pleasant smile. “You know about Mariam Kramer,” he went on at the last one, sounding tired. “She was walking home from the park but never made it.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Alex picked up the girl’s picture. She was beautiful, with the same chestnut hair and gray eyes as her sister.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Helen gasped. “That’s how I see her in my dreams. Who could do this? She’s only eleven years old.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“What are your dreams about?” Ben asked.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“It’s evening and Mariam’s running down an empty street. A man’s chasing her. It’s Alex.” she swallowed. “Only now I remember something else. A blackness looms over both of them.” Her voice dropped lower. “I think it means Alex will disappear next.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Brad cleared his throat for attention. “Isn’t it just a dream?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“Maybe. My sister and I are very close, and I almost always know when she’s in trouble. It’s a gift we share. Alex must have some of this same gift.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">She stared at him with a strange glitter in the depths of her eyes that was almost hypnotic. Unexpectedly, she reached over and grabbed his hands. He tried to jerk away, but she wouldn’t let go. He moaned as brutal images flooded his mind once again.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">***</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">The man had been there with his groping hands, hurting her in the dark. She was lonely and frightened.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">He was with the other one now.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">She could hear the screams.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">He was coming!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">***</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Alex yanked his hands away from Helen’s, scrambling to his feet. He backed against the nearest wall in terror, covering his eyes against the blood and despair on the tortured girl’s face. The odor of wet earth filled his nostrils even as it sealed Mariam’s mouth and crushed her still beating heart. He slipped into the darkness with her.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">He came to himself with Jane’s arms around him, on the floor, dazed. Taking a desperate breath, he winced at the stab of pain in his chest. He sat up and rubbed his face, sick and dizzy.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Doctor Beckett let go of his wrist. “Take it easy. You fainted, but your pulse is strong.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“Convenient,” Kramer muttered from where he leaned against the wall.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Ben crouched beside Alex. “Did you see them?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="452" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHZ1Nlj4iH48GbFPlb6bKJ1p847S4wYuuXh38qzrQ6WhqOErzc93QtcN49tpHcHSgy_87rNSdZQRBuLQukZxq6fONeW4eFeD8j7mHBs_Asv5Bd0v-bNaR72xBexqTQ6PsiH3oL8QDnjS_xjBIal5NyGoUKoo5aoZz9YdodEEwRk_wAkcq6UkdzCRG_Otb3/w266-h400/author%20image.jpg" width="266" /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Dianne</i></b> grew up in one of the older homes in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of hardwood floors and secret closets and back staircases. A house where ghosts lurk in the basement and the faces in the paintings watch you walk up the front stairs. Rooms where you keep the closet doors closed tight at night. It’s where her love of the mysterious and wonderful came from. Dianne is the author of m/m romance, paranormal/suspense, fantasy adventure, the occasional thriller, and anything else that comes to mind.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">She now lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. Dianne says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee in her hands, which kindles her imagination.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH DIANNE:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Blog:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://diannehartsock.wordpress.com">https://diannehartsock.wordpress.com</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Facebook:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/diannehartsock">https://www.facebook.com/diannehartsock</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">FaceBook Author Page:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/diannehartsockbooks">https://www.facebook.com/diannehartsockbooks</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Goodreads:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4850270.Dianne_Hartsock">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4850270.Dianne_Hartsock</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Instagram:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/diannehartsock">https://www.instagram.com/diannehartsock</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Dianne will be awarding a $15 Amazon <b><u>OR</u></b> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-28290930540836054492024-02-29T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-29T01:02:25.497-08:00The Spinster, the Rebel, and the Governor by Charlene Bell Dietz - Book Tour - Blurb Blitz - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXJ8QFBKvGT0Z3bljwnWD2X-m485J55BgGyEsmTxMC_8bGJBbBlip37bOzuxwWi1hGNrzj04ANhRnKht-s_sOo2ock0AvthF1LgVn0zH0TeiGFUnCd_34zGfvD1h7fc9Bekmiz21ELV_GKad1YW01LPQNjv-Wo6ma6V7SFrNjVrThbsszA-AJ8D1u2o8b/w640-h358/TourBanner_The%20Spinster,%20the%20Rebel,%20the%20Governor.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFzRa8EYYsSaiF2cwSw6aFUOKRaSQbvk9zPKAOpL0b4VOh9BxUMNg-61IKn2B1Rihu3tbQxrVNAZzT3cMI4wWlH0ZfKkBpFCI5u-w2cGx7-X9iz2bI252owbZhgVDeC315KKke08tKraOypReMV818TL9pLE_lFPdgcVtmkT1sx8s8lI6i5CThJ1QSDHp9/w266-h400/BookCover_SpinsterRebelGovernor2ndEd.jpg" width="266" /></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>The Spinster, the Rebel & the Governor</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>by Charlene Bell Dietz</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>GENRE: Historical Fiction</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Move over Susan B. Anthony. There’s an unsung woman asking for the vote 224 years before you, and murderous rebels and bigoted gentlemen can’t prevent spinster Lady Margaret Brent from wielding her power to defend Maryland settlers from plunder and obliteration.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Lady Margaret Brent, compelled to right wrongs, risks her life by illegally educating English women, placing her family at risk. She fights to have a voice, yet her father and brothers exclude her from discussions. Worried the kings’ men may know of her illegal activities, she flees to the New World where she can enjoy religious tolerance and own land, believing she will be allowed a voice. Once in Maryland, she presents cases in provincial court where she’s hired as the first American woman attorney, but there she uncovers perilous actions, prompting her to build a fort to shield those within from being murdered. Can Margaret Brent’s integrity and ingenuity protect Maryland from being destroyed?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>EXCERPT ONE:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">The Wells girl covered her eyes with both hands. Margaret, ignoring the buzzing of flies and the damp heat of the morning sun, worked to untangle the girl’s words in her mind.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“If the river doesn’t take me, then I shall have my baby alone and will have to live with Master Cole, and I shall never see my dear Tom again.” With that, she burst into tears.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“You do not look like you are about to have a baby. Why do you say your time is up?”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“Master Cole brought me here four years ago. He said after I had worked for him for four years, I wouldn’t owe him a tad more, and now he says I can’t leave, and so I might as well marry him. Lady Brent. I worked hard from early morning until after dark every day, and my time is up. Even the devil would say this isn’t right.” She sniffed and looked away.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Margaret set her jaw. “Heaven help us if other masters here in Maryland treat their servants in this manner.”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“There’s nothing I can do.” She bit her lip. “I thought maybe the next time you talked with Governor Calvert you might say something on my behalf, and I pray my request is not one of cheekiness.”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“Mary.” Margaret called sharply across to the soap making group. “Would you please come here?”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">When Mary finished saying something, she trotted over to the garden. “Hello, Carrie. Are you not feeling well—your face seems flushed?”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“So, you are acquainted with Carrie Wells?” Margaret studied her sister, slipped the basket from Carrie, and moved it into Mary’s hands. “She brought these for us and herbs to scent your soap.”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“Sometimes on Sundays after church Carrie walks with me in the woods and shows me barks, roots, and herbs that heal.” She glanced at the basket. “Why, these are lovely.” She glanced at the young woman, then put her hand on Carrie’s arm. “Are you still having trouble with Jacob Cole?”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“Jacob Cole is about to have troubles with her. Has Giles returned from Kent for Assembly today? Will both our brothers be at the meeting?” Margaret’s frogs roiled inside her.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">How dare these men take advantage of their servants?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“I saw him and Fulke along with some other men heading to Lewger’s home earlier.”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“Come, Carrie Wells. We shall also attend Assembly.”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“But—Margaret,” Mary grabbed her arm. “Certainly, women would not be allowed—”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Margaret shrugged Mary away, snatched Carrie Wells by her hand, and stomped off down the path.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“Sister,” Mary called after her, “you must take off that filthy apron. You’re covered in soil.”</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Margaret jerked it untied and slung it. “There is a difference between God’s soil and men’s dirt. Carrie Wells and I are about to sort this very thing out with all those fine gentlemen of Assembly.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="2121" data-original-width="1740" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1OMmA6hyK0al-nsmciRsCDHg3v7Khy9-9phwcbOIhogr9hpmO5VlFwcsieN3W3vEvJAEb3gZfVD4rkiIsSlDyO7jpqYNO5dLX2LfWBjSErDkSZI5TNC5qxZ7mv-UQ7TnUcxRdgFTOxj7Po64NcB8qOLfoSPyRBOYi4Vc_EV4G6LOcjv2WZcFNLPDmokv8/s320/author%20image.jpg" width="263" /></b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>Charlene Bell Dietz</i></b> lives in the central mountains of New Mexico. She taught kindergarten through high school, served as a school administrator, and an adjunct instructor for the College of Santa Fe. After retirement she traveled the United States providing instruction for school staff and administrators. Her writing includes published articles, children’s stories, short stories, and mystery and historical novels.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH CHARLENE:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Email:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">chardietzpen@gmail.com </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Website:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://inkydancestudios.com">https://inkydancestudios.com</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"> Char Bell Dietz</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">@CharBellDietz </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>BOOK BUY LINK:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaaA2xVvFVkWV2GElxrhTDN_MpxfzXkz-aTPBmpY4waiFMbXkh5gN0_MtBXmiinJp5p6_6glpDMvixNE44KojJw7PBpChQniGXdJmZ3wgMc0tFSG4HQr6S2xnpunsXV3E-H4KTAF-4IMs-1PfDu-AeezDpltyvnrHDEYMG-o4F6khoEhR9hDb4gqye286/w133-h200/BookCover_SpinsterRebelGovernor2ndEd.jpg" width="133" /></b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>AP Books:</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="http://apbooks.net/srg.html"><b>http://apbooks.net/srg.html</b></a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Charlene will award a randomly chosen winner a $25 Amazon <b><u>OR</u></b> Barnes and Noble Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-49641919049926637092024-02-28T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-28T00:49:13.516-08:00Happy Harry: A Magical Golden by Barbara Lampert - Book Tour - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/02/book-blast-happy-harry-magical-golden.html" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YZign4csTM_OcW1EF7F2NmPMKqbdtBpcOtAQsWUbHDd0OSSjJd2qlsEZPuqBarPoL2wUxQBAYd1NqkHxYDyRQwm1thS-0CTOeq4e69ZJ2QKuawEcBKeVAIKKb_mwiATsfNf_f4gNOm_7lSWLT74_jOk2T4g8tREifBKpqv-Kh20amUoWQC87BRPhgLE/s400/TourBanner_Happy%20Harry%20.gif" width="400" /></b></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by <a href="http://www.goddessfish.com">Goddess Fish Promotions</a>. Barbara Lampert will award a $30 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour</b>.</div><br />
</span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsI2ZVnRahhy8ThYshlcD1B1mDg0anMTLb-aShwh7YhwjEVUlxfs4il_C68WSZ_J8PfxhhdEcg4aq9kSSi0rZTF8FuM7kkeKveyy9jlJ12gobtmm53dQJOxrKbsyGJFGefZoR8oJTTM2Z3z8DhzVZdXaFGOZMWL4a54S_bCK-7x9T0bGLvtBl6kXDwJ0o/s3200/BookCover_Happy%20Harry.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2100" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsI2ZVnRahhy8ThYshlcD1B1mDg0anMTLb-aShwh7YhwjEVUlxfs4il_C68WSZ_J8PfxhhdEcg4aq9kSSi0rZTF8FuM7kkeKveyy9jlJ12gobtmm53dQJOxrKbsyGJFGefZoR8oJTTM2Z3z8DhzVZdXaFGOZMWL4a54S_bCK-7x9T0bGLvtBl6kXDwJ0o/s320/BookCover_Happy%20Harry.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">In her dog memoir Happy Harry: A Magical Golden, psychotherapist Barbara Lampert, a lifelong dog lover, tells the story of her beloved Golden Retriever, Harry. Like her first dog memoir, Harry's story comes from her mostly uncensored daily journal and takes place in Malibu, California. <br /><br />
Harry was a genuinely free spirit - wild, and very wolf-like. Did all this contribute to his being exceptionally happy? Perhaps.<br /><br />
Harry was not only the happiest being Barbara's ever known, happy to the very core of him, but also the bravest. More than once in his life, Harry had to face true adversity, and each time, Barbara would look at him in wonder, not fully understanding how a being could be so brave and at the same time continue to be so happy.<br /><br />
Harry literally pranced through life, with a joyous attitude that made being around him like magic. Barbara fell in love with Harry. And as you immerse yourself in Harry's story, it's likely you will too! Happy Harry is unforgettable!</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>EXCERPT TWO:</u></b><br /><br />
Harry had a girlfriend for a while when he was about four or five years old. Probably for a couple of years. Oh he didn’t see her every day, but for that two year-or-so stretch maybe once or twice a week. …<br /><br />
Roxie, a one-year-old Yellow Lab – the taller, leaner hunting type – was beautiful, energetic, and happy. Just like Harry. Roxie lived a few miles from our house, on the Point in Malibu. …<br /><br />
When Harry knew he was going to see Roxie, he would get so excited. He would pant, start running around, tail up, and on the ride over he would stand or pace in the back seat the whole time. So eager, such joy. And when we got there, he would literally go flying out of the car, with David at the other end of the leash. Tail up, full steam ahead. And Roxie, being just a year old and still quite a playful puppy, would go equally berserk when she saw Harry. They would sniff and kiss each other through the openings in the fence. …<br /><br />
Sometimes they would chase each other or run together, with the fence between them. David would run with them, since he had Harry on the leash. A few times Roxie’s owner came out and opened the gate to let Harry and Roxie be together. More kissing, chasing, tails up, sniffing. Both not believing their good luck. Both always bursting with joy the whole time they were together. Such a sight. …<br /><br />
Barney didn’t get nearly as excited as Harry about Roxie and didn’t interfere in their relationship. This was Harry’s territory. And it appeared Roxie only had eyes for Harry. …<br /><br />
It was always difficult to leave, because the whole time we were there Harry and Roxie were inseparable. Whenever Roxie’s owner would come out, we’d talk and laugh about the two lovebirds. It was wonderful seeing Harry and Roxie so happy. How he loved her…<br /><br />
<b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QSv3OltVyztjL8HCA7UW4rK3pL7NwP9ldZXrjvSFQY-X8SZjQO6toggjrz8ka4bdJY9Lu76kwyomkgZ6xZWQdD7Z-dRrCUgQlgkoPBa6OghPBiOIYJ4CHPlcldcz8Nc-BKef-SFAUJsqVrPYHkRbWN1QD2bECZXQS3BsyV51XDDd14tKoVadOduUe04/s1312/Author%20Image.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="1312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_QSv3OltVyztjL8HCA7UW4rK3pL7NwP9ldZXrjvSFQY-X8SZjQO6toggjrz8ka4bdJY9Lu76kwyomkgZ6xZWQdD7Z-dRrCUgQlgkoPBa6OghPBiOIYJ4CHPlcldcz8Nc-BKef-SFAUJsqVrPYHkRbWN1QD2bECZXQS3BsyV51XDDd14tKoVadOduUe04/s320/Author%20Image.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">My passion is dogs! I’ve had dogs most of my life and hope to have at least one by my side always. Dog energy is the best! <br /><br />
I’m the author of two dog memoirs: Happy Harry: A Magical Golden and before that Charlie: A Love Story. Each about one of my Golden Retrievers. (I told you dogs are my passion!)<br /><br />
I’m a psychotherapist, licensed for over thirty years, specializing in relationships. <br /><br />
I was a flight attendant for nine years. And taught sociology at several universities. I have two master’s degrees and a doctorate.<br /><br />
Gardening is another love – not as much as dogs, but right up there! I see my garden as a work of art and garden as much as possible in my free time. I love being in nature.<br /><br />
I live in Malibu, California with my husband David and, you guessed it, our two wonderful Golden Retrievers, Oliver and Henry.</span><div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH BARBARA:</u><br /></b><br />
<a href="https://www.happyharryamagicalgolden.com/happy-harry-a-magical-golden">https://www.happyharryamagicalgolden.com/happy-harry-a-magical-golden</a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMTXK538">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMTXK538</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/barbara.lampert.50/">https://www.facebook.com/barbara.lampert.50/</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/barbaralampertauthor">https://www.facebook.com/barbaralampertauthor</a><br />
<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@barbara.lampert5">https://www.tiktok.com/@barbara.lampert5</a><br />
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/barbaralampert1">https://www.instagram.com/barbaralampert1/</a><br />
<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/drbarbaralampert/">https://www.pinterest.com/drbarbaralampert/</a><br /><br /><b><u>GIVEAWAY:</u></b><br /><br />
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</div>Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-24457103060659128732024-02-27T00:05:00.000-08:002024-02-27T00:45:20.890-08:00Red Planet Lancers by Brian H. Roberts - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3zgzF2Q6pTm1YFkH0xKdypqoaVpEzEl-F7qDMHFwXzNQeFGtFPvB5ituR1D7GX3CyHnYWLpFqPKXWxOHguTQiOxXb8zW7tcPYYxhyUmPdmLgaRjwOQKlmsowwa8F0um-1eQSc_GOEBvkGR0XZVzdPM7xMNUbDOfaPNSsc0S7XDoObCHeaCUABHUbcZjE7/w640-h358/TourBanner_Red%20Planet%20Lancers.gif" width="540" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8uIVIeWr5O-kh6LwZlt5mYa8m0FLe7UVM0oR7fMdeQRv84W3YMnpVojhk-URqtQrNsnvIJBs4MAJzWBZgYS4XqRStv7a3YEqdfmfLadb1BS9RxZHk803CdFsyaKxJzRXFsbQpi0fZwDMzZS712yns4VM9Lfp9XfHarOaBeincnJAdH7QqYLAnjpqI3gR/w250-h400/BookCover_Red%20Planet%20Lancers.jpg" width="250" /></span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Red Planet Lancers</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>by Brian H. Roberts</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>GENRE: Science Fiction Thriller</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>How far will you go to save a friend?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">After sweeping Dallas Gordon and the American base from Earth’s moon, Emperor Zhang Aiguo launches an armada to conquer Ep City and control Mars.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Ruthless Colonel Song Dajing leads his Emperor’s flotilla to defeat EPSILON’s isolated Mars colony. He brings the same armaments he used to defeat Dallas Gordon on the moon, plus a high yield missile to annihilate Ep City and its occupants. The US Space Force, occupied with plans to take back the moon, refuses to intervene.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">In a race against time, Dallas Gordon must organize a mercenary squadron and pursue Song before he can deploy his weapons on the defenseless colony. Ep City commander Genady Antonov must prepare his civilian workforce for the coming invasion and plan for the unthinkable should Gordon fail to reach Mars before Song does.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Taught and fast-paced, Red Planet Lancers builds tension until the exciting climax. Once you start this Earth-to-Mars rocket ride, you won’t want to stop.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>Order your copy today!</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>EXCERPT ONE:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Steve sat back in his chair and folded his hands together. “I’m sure if some stranger asked you why it’s important to stop Zhang Aiguo from kicking us off Mars, you could tick off several good reasons:” he tapped his fingers with the index finger of his opposite hand, “the oxides returned to us are the lifeblood of our autonomous vehicle division—frankly of the entire western world’s microchip manufacturing capacity. That manufacturing capacity is vital for our national security, and the fight to contain Emperor Zhang.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“But did you know that I donate ten percent of my personal wealth to a number of causes? This organization,” he lifted the upper half of his tee shirt off his chest for emphasis, “community colleges across the country that serve low-income communities, organizations that build and manage housing for the homeless with comprehensive drug, alcohol and mental health treatment, remedial job training, and follow-up support. ... “It’s for these reasons that I seek someone to rescue EPSILON from the peril it now faces. In short, I’m seeking a messiah.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Dallas waited for the shoe to drop.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“I’ve procured the weapons. Half a dozen Water Bugs and their lasers. Now I need someone to recruit, train and lead the pilots. Dallas, will you lead this squadron?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Dallas felt like he was being examined under a microscope. Steve’s gaze was unflinching. After what felt like an interminable silence, he blurted out, “Yes. I’ll do it.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GUEST POST:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>My Favorite Scene in Red Planet Lancers…</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Allow me to share a little background before we jump to the scene. Dallas and Ann fell in love just out of college while working as climbing instructors for an outdoor adventure school. They parted ways, she to pursue a PhD, He to become a naval pilot. They reunite years later at EPSILON, but maintain a professional distance, until he is nearly killed on the company’s first mission to Mars. Though separated by 200 million miles, they rekindle their old flame, setting the record for the longest distance romance in human history.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Back on Earth and reunited, they are nearly torn apart when Dallas is named commander of the militia to be dispatched to rescue the Mars base from certain destruction. On an impulse, Dallas asks Ann to accompany him—as his wife! And on an impulse, she says, “<i>Yes</i>.” Facing a looming deadline, they conspire to elope the next day, using their mission director, and his fiancée—Ann’s friend and confidante—as witnesses. Here is the scene:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>* * *</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">They dashed from the car, up the walk, and through the ornate arched wooden front doors. They paused, realizing they were in the back of the ceremony hall. The central aisle was flanked with half a dozen simple wood pews. The entire front wall was glassed, allowing an unimpeded view of the sea on clear days. In the center of the fog-scattered light stood a dignified elderly man wearing a suit and tie, his thinning white hair neatly combed.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">To his left stood Malcom McDowell, resplendent in a black tuxedo. To the justice’s right stood Debra James, her auburn hair pulled into a stunning updo. Elegant strands graced each temple and trailed down her slender neck. She wore a full-length emerald-green evening gown that bared one shoulder and her ample cleavage.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">The two witnesses turned to the nuptial couple. Their eyes locked. All four doubled over, tears flowing, peals of laughter rising to the low ceiling and echoing off the tile floor and wood panel walls.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">After everyone composed themselves, Dallas set his phone on a tripod to video the ceremony. He would send the video to his parents as he broke the news to them. He visualized their reactions—his mom would cry, his dad would laugh. When he and Ann returned from Mars, they would throw a massive celebration, having forgiven their son’s indiscretion.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Then he walked to the front of the small auditorium, exchanging places with Malcom, who took Ann’s arm to escort her to the altar. A prim elderly woman worked a small soundboard. The wedding processional, Pachelbel’s “Canon in D,” filled the room. Malcom stepped forward, Ann’s arm in his.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">She jerked him back so hard he nearly lost his balance. Dallas was shocked—until he recognized Ann’s expression. Her frown and upturned brow sent him as clear a message as if she had yelled out loud, <i>Really?</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">He dashed to the back of the room, snatched the phone from the tripod, and ran over to the lady at the soundboard. He quickly showed her a song from his playlist. She looked at him aghast, as if he were inserting a human sacrifice into the ceremony. But she soon regained her decorum and nodded. Dallas transferred an audio file link to her.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">He ran to the back of the room, reattached his phone to the tripod and resumed the video, dashing back to the officiant and retaking his place as if nothing had happened. His flip-flops squeaked on the polished floor. He smoothed his surfer tee and board shorts. Elvis Presley’s version of “Steam Roller Blues” blared from the speakers. It had originally been penned by folk singer James Taylor as a parody, and both Dallas and Ann, blues aficionados that they were, felt it perfectly combined their love of the blues genre with the playful humor they hoped to maintain throughout their lives together. The foursome—Dallas, Ann, Malcom, and Debra—once more broke into hysterical laughter.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Eventually composing themselves, Malcom and Ann strode up the aisle, she resplendent in her flip flops, beach shorts, and tee, he in his tuxedo. They took their places before the officiant. Debra delicately daubed her eye without smearing her makeup, and the justice of the peace intoned, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today . . .” as the ceremony began.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="779" data-original-width="751" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgXRxyLUHVjLHBPzrGJzwdn02PFkuObi493D8LU0UcXb90haKb0bJ2JcyxlL6d5N1eYFLSxarfmsYTggmMKy60FXz_gBia2Xqh8a9yqSVV5HWyJmMHpX80XyrZ85cMaR4JzB_Ilo_-Tk7PGi0IwT_Js0cU1p8MLUiGt12xRphA9p3w8ac5wuVbn2p_Sc3/s320/Author%20Image%20(2).jpg" width="308" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">In his first life, <b><i>BRIAN H. ROBERTS</i></b> worked as a contractor and civil engineer in bustling Seattle. In his spare time he read novels by the greatest names in science fiction: Andy Weir, Frank Herbert, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, and so many others. As he read these authors’ works, he was inspired to write Sci-Fi Thrillers to engage and entertain readers like him.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">As with so many of us, life intervened. Raising a family, work, remarriage and finally retirement all placed demands on his time. Desiring a change – and time to write – he and his wife traded big city life for the outdoor adventures of Central Oregon. His writing draws deeply on his lifelong loves of science/technology and adventure sports. <b><i>The EPSILON Sci-Fi Thrillers</i></b> is Brian’s first series.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Subscribe to Brian H. Roberts's newsletter – Just Over the Horizon - for regular updates including preorders, new releases, sales, cover reveals, giveaways, and more!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://brianhroberts.com/sign-up" style="font-family: Righteous;">https://brianhroberts.com/sign-up</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Follow him on Facebook:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/bhrauthor">https://www.facebook.com/bhrauthor</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Follow him on LinkedIn:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-h-roberts-792b15212" style="font-family: Righteous;">https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-h-roberts-792b15212</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjW_TP2xX_iV6lpK1grzol9K6eVsFYLB2We1OGhSs8X9iZPemwJ5XNkckQOVsQ3_CPcWlCBhL-3mAz4aLBcoi7W23nE3tM3FPMoC3UpnH9Y_McQbHKslMNAyCwq5bX6cU6_Qb3Fqy66oMa2FEMq6eqcHZm2SXhYkDcMUuWryDN8ihNEAWOIgRpMqzd7goi/w125-h200/BookCover_Red%20Planet%20Lancers.jpg" width="125" /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>Amazon:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/RED-PLANET-LANCERS-EPSILON-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0CQTJ848W">https://www.amazon.com/RED-PLANET-LANCERS-EPSILON-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0CQTJ848W</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Brian will award a $25 Amazon <b><u>OR</u></b> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour. </span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-26295361929538472022024-02-27T00:02:00.000-08:002024-02-27T00:43:33.563-08:00On the Threshold by M. Laszlo - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLsbfjSauq87XjHMrMz36O_ktl0mZpqFdC3GhmbeBOdd3M9742p7tdAZWJI6ytVxsvE1_19U4Pwy7Uh7sKxIsjdnxcK8RHdOR26V7ImlGzmPxZ3Q0g_32a2YU_FZwq21p-U0KrtFBGJ4-4bItSPNMt-dy5li2r9OXWXGKxiFs0xjZlYhVkrH-sR9rjQKDw/w640-h358/tourBanner_On%20the%20Threshold.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-2r0DQykQJcM6DZ7ewYBm8SKLEdCusj9lG9pkPLPUiSLjPXqszgyqZYZRqkEhHXLi8BjjwtnmfYY-z7nKhSMpWVHbMRK0cNy0q5lxMD1J3L_nek672psPO0ZUTNz95NfAG4JuejEdiJJlqRusXQ3RtOelVFc9VTFp3ueyUfByX_g6OjLPhlS0QUL0wuq/w266-h400/BookCover_OnTheThreshold.jpg" width="266" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><i>On the Threshold</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>by M. Laszlo</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Open Sans";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><i>GENRE: Historical Science Fiction</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Open Sans";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Obsessed with learning the origins of the cosmos, the actual meaning of life, and the true purpose of civilization, a fine Scotsman named Fingal T. Smyth dedicates himself to the study of Plato’s most extraordinary ideas. Convinced of Plato’s belief that humankind possesses any and all innate knowledge deep within the collective unconscious mind, Fingal soon conducts a series of bold, pioneering occult-science experiments by which to resolve the riddle of the universe once and for all. However, Fingal forgets how violent and perilous the animal impulses that reside in the deepest recesses of the unconscious mind. And when Fingal unleashes a mysterious avatar of his innate knowledge, the entity appears as a burning man and immediately seeks to manipulate innocent and unsuspecting people everywhere into immolating themselves. Now, with little hope of returning the fiery figure into his being, Fingal must capture his nemesis before it destroys the world.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Open Sans";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><u>EXCERPT TWO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Fräulein Wunderwaffe did not return the smile. Hand on heart, the little girl drew a bit closer. Then, as the hot, animalistic presence undulated all across Fingal’s body, the little girl’s eyes grew wide. Until the little girl’s expression turned to that of a vacant stare.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">A moment later, her feet pointed inwards, she removed her hat and undid her long, flaxen hair.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Again, he cringed. “If you’ve noticed something, ignore all. This hasn’t got anything to do with you.” A third time, he cringed.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">A most ethereal, lyrical, incomprehensible hiss commenced then: from the other end of the winding, decorative-brick driveway, each clay block shining the color of blue Welsh stone, a sleek Siamese cat with a coat of chocolate-spotted ivory had just appeared. And now the creature raced toward his shadow.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">As he looked into the animal’s big, searching, blue eyes, the chocolate Siamese studied the off-center tip of his nose. Then the animal turned away, as if to compare the peculiarity with that of some disembodied visage hovering in the distance.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Out upon the loch, meanwhile, a miraculous rogue wave suddenly arose—and now the swell crashed against the pebbly strand.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Not a moment later, a cool flame crawled across Fingal’s throat. The strange fire rattled, too—not unlike the sound of fallen juniper leaves caught up in the current and dancing against the surface of a stone walkway.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Crivens. By now, the alien, pulsating presence held him so tight that he could barely breathe. Before long, he fell to the earth, and as the dreamlike flame continued to move across his throat, he rolled all about—until the illusory sensation of cool warmth wriggled and twisted and dropped into his neck dimple.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Open Sans";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><u>GUEST POST:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><i>The Burning Man: A Note on the Symbolism</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Some who read my latest work, <b><i>On the Threshold</i></b>, may possibly wonder just what in the world would be the origins of the burning-man figure so central to the story. Without a doubt, the figure very much follows from the famous Burning Man Festival. And honestly, there was no avoiding it. From the fall of 1986 to the spring of 1987, I finished my senior of high school at Miramonte in Orinda, out in Contra Costa County. And back then, we knew about the bonfire rituals taking place on some beach somewhere in the Bay Area—even if none of us were quite old enough to attend. Naturally, our youthful ignorance only made the idea of attending the ritual that much more compelling.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In addition, what could be more fascinating than the idea of torching a burning-man figure? At once, the concept gripped me. At very nearly the same time, in Mr. Schulman’s Government and International Relations class, we discussed the monks who had immolated themselves so as to protest the war in Vietnam. That, too, rattled me—because until that class discussion, I had never heard of such a thing. Even then, though, the basic idea of a burning man resonated—and in the deepest way, too. Clearly, my unconscious mind knew that there must be something of greatest <i>meaning</i> in the idea. And even if it took a lifetime to figure it all out, that was something worth doing. To grasp the meaning of the symbol would be on par with any of the most heartfelt epiphanies a human being might have. I just knew this!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ultimately, <b><i>On the Threshold</i></b> lays the secret bare. My book explains just why the burning man resonates and <i>must</i> resonate so deeply in the human psyche. In my book, too, the people who come to grasp the meaning immediately establish a friendly, inclusive intellectual/spiritual movement by which to share their thoughts and ideas with one another. Obviously, the Ten Principles of Burning Man clearly influenced all of that.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In the interest of full disclosure, I do hope that some Burning-Man attendees will buy my book. In addition, though, it is my hope that people won’t have to buy the book. What an honor it would be if my work were to make people think enough that, in the end, they lend the book to a friend. What an honor it would be if it came to be fairly common to pass the book around.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Whatever happens, I’ll never cease to be thankful for Burning Man. And it’s a good feeling to know that something so positive helped to inspire the making of a well-intentioned book. Let’s not forget that a well-intentioned book is a wonderful thing in this stressful, chaotic world.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">M. Laszlo lives in Bath Township, Ohio. He is an aging recluse, rarely seen nor heard. <b><i>On the Threshold</i></b> is his second release and first with Tahlia Newland’s Awesome Independent Authors.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="657" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUv2HNvwuVKhjXPq_0qsrZyLUg83_ZkK9hGd2Um6dYKJKe-tuCL8N8qIY3d0g5Q2Mqaj_U91HG-cd5nG4JLVi0Au-h7givc0vQ5jf9JNFz7LzG0jIRSGFeOSt7gXLYWfop5ehjT6qE137GKW7l1naRgrFnxBp56Ek_qPPoXEFGKi4t05Ea0F4-RivIHkhq/s320/author%20image%20(1)%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><i>M. Laszlo</i></b> is an aging recluse who lives in Bath, Ohio. Rumor holds that his pseudonym is a reference to Victor Laszlo, a character in the classic film Casablanca. <b><i>On the Threshold</i></b> is his first release with the acclaimed, Australian hybrid house AIA Publishing. Oddly, M. Laszlo insists that his latest work, <b><i>On the Threshold</i></b>, does in fact provide the correct answer to the riddle of the universe. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Open Sans";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><u>BOOK BUY LINK:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b>AIA Publishing:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><a href="https://aiapublishing.com/product/on-the-threshold-m-laszlo">https://aiapublishing.com/product/on-the-threshold-m-laszlo</a></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Open Sans";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">M. Laszlo will award a $25 Amazon <b><u>OR</u></b> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></div><div><br /></div></div>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-44996317688859210572024-02-27T00:00:00.001-08:002024-02-27T00:43:12.770-08:00Brighter Than Her Fears by Lisa Ard - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zS0R9vKGYHqol1JqNkCn5u5AmOMPj6ZJvAiDRL6cpDckYzJbNuqEJPP-AhjEDjyuxc1xS7Gd5NRxS8gvOlQile8WaSQsRJdKieL9PqNsyybdPDuZG8i9HZGYQefSYO3IiI7xnYCEq7Wx8OkvWWWNhS0TcXZFgQoCE3ZiqxYU6RFXE_p16LhQHkGuv19M/w640-h358/TourBanner_Brighter%20Than%20Her%20Fears.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAh2K3IPpXtfUGQktMJkmRtr-P7ttGKozuaIOw1-jG4RlM9KjeWNG9coj86KYBmtDs8p7x2J2KQvUNe4c2VEediyJXww3jcKMiSgB0xULkJoxsqNZ290BLW8dmOrEIkUsryu8UykEa080yuCl-KTlp2HdFKeWK5vtRdE3UfjonxlBR8U5HT5HigbTUTjBR/s1200/BookCover_BrighterThanHerFears.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAh2K3IPpXtfUGQktMJkmRtr-P7ttGKozuaIOw1-jG4RlM9KjeWNG9coj86KYBmtDs8p7x2J2KQvUNe4c2VEediyJXww3jcKMiSgB0xULkJoxsqNZ290BLW8dmOrEIkUsryu8UykEa080yuCl-KTlp2HdFKeWK5vtRdE3UfjonxlBR8U5HT5HigbTUTjBR/w266-h400/BookCover_BrighterThanHerFears.jpg" width="266" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><i>Brighter Than Her Fears</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>by Lisa Ard</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><i>GENRE: Historical Fiction</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">The 19th century women’s rights movement and the rise of public education intertwine with one woman’s story of struggle, perseverance, and love.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">When her father dies and the family inn falls to ruin in 1882, western North Carolina, thirty-year-old Alice Harris is compelled to marry Jasper Carter, a Civil War veteran twice her age. Far from home and a stranger in a new family, Alice remakes herself. She learns to farm tobacco, mothers her stepson, and comes to love her husband.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">However, Alice uncovers pending trouble with the family’s land holdings, which threatens their livelihood on the farm. The growth in Asheville promises a different future—one of manufacturing, transportation, tourism, and wealth. Alice believes this future demands an education and she rebels against the limited rural instruction. She joins forces with other women campaigning for Asheville’s first public schools. Her actions spark the rebuke of the Carter men.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Tragedy strikes and Alice’s newfound security is ripped away. The family challenges her property rights and files for guardianship of her stepson. Battered but determined, Alice turns to the law—and a friendly court clerk—to fight for her independence. Will Alice lose everything? Not if she can help it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Lisa Ard’s debut historical fiction novel will resonate with readers for its parallels, between then and now, on women’s rights, inequality, and racism.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>EXCERPT TWO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">“Alice, I am the man of the house. I will decide if we rent the land or not.” Jasper delivered every word deliberately, punching me straight through. I quivered and my breath quickened.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">“You’ve been teaching me about farming.” My voice shook. “I figured with such a valuable payment, you’d want them to continue on.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Jasper turned toward me. His face was beet red, and a vein in his temple pulsed. “You know very well that’s not the issue. I’ve put up with your high-falutin’ ideas about education. I’ve protected you from those that don’t see eye to eye. But I will not have you wearing the pants in this family!”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">My eyes welled with tears, but I was determined not to show it. I stared at my husband. His clear blue eyes pierced me through.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">“Well, you know who you married!” I stormed through the house and escaped out the back door.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">I wandered in our orchard, dreading a return to the house. The trees surrounded me, but their bare branches didn’t protect me. I swatted at them and they rattled. I’d done the right thing. The tenants were good for us. Why couldn’t Jasper see that? I balled my fists, rubbed my eyes, and a low cry gurgled out. I’d exchanged one confine for another, with the course of my life controlled by men—first my father, then my brother, and now my husband. I wallowed in the old feeling of dependency, familiar as a worn-out coat.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>GUEST POST:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"><b><i>Five Reasons You Should Read My Book</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: "Bree Serif";"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>1.)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It’s a love story.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><i>Brighter Than Her Fears</i></b> tells the story of my great-great-grandmother, Alice Harris, who was compelled to marry a Civil War veteran twice her age. She was long past the age to marry, and her three sisters were married off around the same time. Out of a dire situation comes love, only to see Alice facing tragedy and turmoil again. She rises above it by learning to farm and market tobacco, campaigning for Asheville’s first public schools, and fighting in the courts (when women had limited rights) to secure her independence. Along the way she finds an unexpected love.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>2.)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It’s rich in historical details.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">I researched extensively to portray an accurate story of Alice’s life–and parallel to that–the story of Asheville. Through books, maps, and a lot of historic newspaper clippings, I chronicled the rise of Asheville from sleepy mountain town to tourist getaway, health resort destination, burgeoning manufacturing town, and home of George W. Vanderbilt and his Biltmore Estate.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1496" data-original-width="1023" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Qn9plduJQX_FdWUoTA7Lxn7PzvR76G0GQ25WaY01SpziBeZ7Cv-HtmVPShTImk69H5cTPmFTY-dn6ZNM5VU7whPQKOsScIqGQaRaQgCJPmUGdZUZkYhO1jjK95H92EokkGrsMHFQCdSd29pt9_96sWROU7OXJWkvVBa9hMGGNe6hgmAcqTlpmRhI0XLI/w274-h400/Screenshot_20240220-032230_Word.jpg" width="274" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1022" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2N9jm-O2_wjgUrSqM0C0WkoF7m6F5lsUHL4rYo_NzxIYj5qtUtgv6_uajKTZY5awosUuS45b3VbdwEGqtzm-l6tKJ0PS-csb6O6AMDiJIihd5y40u8BBU-FISAQpkprjWFRwkd-BiBh8wStFld71N-Rq0rid8QAskGsUn47WXdmFviApi3auV0oEzzTAD/w400-h299/Screenshot_20240220-032322_Word.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1025" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8FbjgAF98UC00oe4BHbbB3aJooEpaJnEGuehE4Axb6TBJgIyONbkbd7h-d4bB57kGu5N6voNsm0UuF_GAffojUoOBSRKkEfCoVDQ_9UlkC_qQSqCYDpeg2VhGV8xvnc6I7A8lwXxRY1VnOn4p9pRAK_O1_h7K6fyEF1sxppABewTQrepbYLoUouKT5ca/w400-h300/Screenshot_20240220-032330_Word.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>3.)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The issues in the Gilded Age South (1880s Ashevile, North Carolina) have surprising parallels to today.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Researching Alice’s story exposed so many parallels between then and now and these make an appearance in the novel: women’s rights, racism, the rise of inequality, fighting for public education funding, extortion and embezzlement, political division…. In writing this novel, I realized we’ve been here before. These issues aren’t new. For me, that’s interesting to think about and comforting in a way. Somehow, we found a way forward. Just like Alice.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>4.)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>If you need ideas for your next vacation.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Asheville is a lovely town to visit with a vibrant arts community (dating back to the 19th century), great restaurants, and historic sites such as the Smith-McDowell mansion, the Vance Birthplace, Pack Square, and of course, the Biltmore, which is still the largest private residence in the United States. Stay in the Reynolds Mansion B&B (pictured above) and tell them I sent you! You’ll see a portrait of Susan Reynolds–a character in the novel–and you can take tea on the porch where Alice and Susan discuss their futures. Take my novel with you for ideas. And send me a picture of yourself with my book please!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1038" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-ia5MB-n6YaXvM12NHr-7vP7uzrdgKQKNna6K5T9Z8vbdrkhB3AhgZWKLB7MxpkEaBIiJ96ePow0CNkmHAhu_QgNMHTJr94plrAVoKXJNLtka7fRYi28J6waagLWDuasxmCqhc8n8El39DdprpdSCbd6apR1O9-57FCtumc39048xjtLUC7MeXl4NFbd/w400-h343/Screenshot_20240220-032346_Word.jpg" width="400" /></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>5.)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I offer free virtual book club visits.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">I’m looking forward to discussions with book clubs about the parallels between then and now, the real people and places in the novel, and my research and writing process. I’ll share photographs of Alice, Jennie, other characters, and the real locations throughout the book. Contact me through my website and we’ll make a date!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitihAO8bBgoW1xWkO-QhmTs2oOTMbONE3_QIf1kBIlpablZl3ZdX1MaXMm1NTt3hYLLFeuqlE0aPbRMB5l7WT29hAUWApPEXB2zFHf_5olUxHf6U2SwE7-rbZlB3-KgnoOHPfNEMRfTm7daHrznZtJtLdRWkLBU0Y_MrMsG7Wf9TpVpLUM7rxqhX5SZsYW/s320/author%20image%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><i>Lisa Ard</i></b> is the author of the new historical fiction novel <b><i>Brighter Than Her Fears</i></b>, which is based on her great-great-grandmother’s experience in 19th century western North Carolina. Her previously published children's books include <b><i>Fright Flight</i></b>, <b><i>Dream Team</i></b>, and the Kay Snow award finalist <b><i>Saving Halloween</i></b>. When not writing, Lisa enjoys reading, hiking, golfing and sharing her love of history as a bike tour docent with the Palm Springs Historical Society. She and her husband live (and golf) in both Palm Springs and Portland, Oregon.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Bree Serif";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH LISA:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Website:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><a href="https://www.authorlisaard.com">https://www.authorlisaard.com</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Shepherd:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><a href="https://shepherd.com/search/book/101309">https://shepherd.com/search/book/101309</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Goodreads:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201499087-brighter-than-her-fears">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201499087-brighter-than-her-fears</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Instagram:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/ard_lisa">https://www.instagram.com/ard_lisa</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Facebook:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLisaArd">https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLisaArd</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">YouTube:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@ArdLisa">https://www.youtube.com/@ArdLisa</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Lisa will award a $10 Amazon <b><u>OR</u></b> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-22277488652161812032024-02-22T00:02:00.000-08:002024-02-22T00:11:43.505-08:00The Cyborg's Crusade: Day of the Deus Ex Machina by Benoit Lanteigne - Book Tour - Guest Post - Book Sale - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHT1-57tte8EJACoBO4mZ2obZKiAkfcXDQTkuUXjV5mwoxvKbrzxxHgCnxHjvOHWbpGYSRFOa9lFrSVxz1XPnF8bPGOejnkw3k9R5UZK_3f8LMsctOjVewZHYMH2AJPqN6MfTg1o00jC2SCjlbbqd81reTvPdCxlvoIOguSgf1_2n0VqbDuTs4cd9Fl5HW/w640-h358/TourBanner_The%20Cyborg's%20Crusade.gif" width="540" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8JzLFeamlcABApjItkuP9gv5YJOZGltEQUkDLjYr0xrvA3jibP_DIGKr7hgQgxDLXHGhxW-pcNM-Uqs_9Z9oljBEthMB3Och6LyvDubkXYwBNxdK7-grptlMWwv6s3NbS_wSRnZqY1b0jJeEazrl3sKS-6KFYlUxseQvaI_nLnWJC1RVEboUWynOFU1z/w250-h400/The%20Cyborg's%20Crusade%20covers%20copy.gif" width="250" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>The Cyborg's Crusade:</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Day of the Deus Ex Machina</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>by Benoit Lanteigne</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>GENRE: Science Fiction</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">How did it come to this? My life used to be so simple. Back then, I hated it; I found it boring. Let me tell you: boring’s good. Boring’s great! I should’ve been thankful…</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">It was supposed to be a date like any other for James Hunter, a simple convenience store clerk. Nothing more than watching a movie in the town of Moncton. A place as unknown and unimportant as he considered his own existence to be. And yet, while walking to a cinema, James teleports to another world. There, a hostile crowd surrounds him, including various mutants with strange deformities.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Before he can even gather his wits or make a dash for it, a lone ally presents herself in the form of a winged woman named Rose. An important cultural figure in the country where James appeared, she offers him both protection and a home.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Soon, James learns that this new world is divided by a cold war. On one side is Nirnivia, home to Rose. The other, Ostark, led by a mysterious cyborg. James is unaware that the cyborg has him in his crosshairs, thinking of him as the Deus Ex Machina that will end the war in his favor.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">But, the cyborg is far from the only potential threat to James. Soon after his arrival, BRR, a terrorist organisation, kidnaps him.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">What would a rogue group out for revenge seeking to turn the cold war hot want with someone like James? Is there anyone also aware of this other world who will try to find him? Or is he on his own? If so, how is he supposed to escape? If that's even an option...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>EXCERPT TWO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">The world whirled around James. Soon, all distinct shapes vanished, superseded by a haze of colors. Shades of green, red and blue filled his vision. An agonizing pain flared across his body, and James screamed. His stomach floated up to his throat, while his intestines… he preferred not to think about them. Then, at last, the forms returned, though muddled. The sensation lasted only a few seconds, but it brought James to his knees as he gagged and vomited on the pavement. Once done, he wiped his mouth and coughed. Revolted screams erupted around him.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">James almost mumbled an apology for the mess, but then he realized: who was yelling? He and Nadia stood alone and yet… wait, those dark figures surrounding him on the ground… shadows? And over there, feet and legs… where had these people come from?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Perplexed, James tried getting up, but he wobbled and fell. His new position gave him a view of the trees he had scrutinized before the incident, except they had morphed into a yellow brick building. James’s heart raced and his body tensed. Trying to relax, he took a few deep breaths through his nose and scowled. That stench, a mix of decayed food, feces, and puke, permeated the air. Of course, his own actions explained the last odor, but still, Moncton never smelled so bad. No wonder, with all the garbage littering the street. However, the road he’d strolled along had been so clean just moments ago.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">As he pondered the change in scenery, James’s vision cleared. He took it as a good sign and attempted to stand up again. Though he swayed, he remained on his feet. Perhaps because of his movement, the confused chatter around him intensified. Bronze-skinned people glanced at each other and recoiled, a few pointing at him. James scanned the crowd in search of Nadia. Unable to locate his lover, he found his attention drawn to a stranger in the distance instead. The man held a leash, but without a dog at the end. A pink glob of goo replaced the expected canine. The horror waved its many tentacles, sometimes caressing passersby. James gasped. Covered in perspiration and shaking, he averted his gaze and spotted a young boy with a miniature leg sticking out of his belly through a hole in his shirt.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GUEST POST:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>That's Just Not Realistic</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">In fiction, there’s a complaint I’ve always disliked. It’s common in all media and I’m sure most of you are familiar with it. Here are the famous words: “<i>It’s not realistic</i>.” This game sucks. You have to shoot the enemy soldiers in the head three times. It’s not realistic. I didn’t like this book because the characters were unrealistic. The guy hid in a fridge to survive a nuclear bomb. That’s unrealistic. Now, when someone says that, it’s often true. The thing is, more often than not, that’s not the actual problem. The people who say it think they want realism, but they don’t. Well, some do, but they are the minority. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Let’s look at the whole nuke and fridge fiasco from <b><i>Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull</i></b> as an example. Of course, the scene is ridiculous, and I disliked it too, but not because of a lack of realism. I mean, the first three Indiana Jones movies are filled with ludicrous events that could never happen in real life. For crying out loud, the second one has Indiana Jones jumping off a plane in an inflated boat and he survives. And that’s not even the most insane moment of that movie. So yes, <b><i>Crystal Skull</i></b> was flawed, but being unrealistic was the least of its problems.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Fiction isn’t reality and isn’t meant to be. I’d go further and say it shouldn’t be. Real life isn’t a story or a constrained narrative. If I wrote a book about my life with great accuracy and taking no liberties, it’d end up disjointed. The end would have nothing to do with the beginning. Characters that seem important would vanish without a trace. A bunch of plot threads would be abandoned. Many major plot points would hinge on coincidences. A large part of it would be uneventful and downright boring. New characters would be introduced late in the game with little reason for them being there. And so on… None of this would make a good story, but it’s all realistic. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so common in real life.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">So then, if I’m right about this, why do many demand realism? Because what they want isn’t realistic, but believable fiction, and those two things are very different. If I wrote a book where a character survived 20 gunshots, I’m sure most would feel it’d be farfetched. Yet, this happened in North Carolina, so by definition, it has to be realistic. It’s still unbelievable though. There are countless examples like that. That is where the expression “<i>suspension of disbelief</i>” comes from and that’s why someone can argue a plot twist in a fantasy book is unrealistic when there are dragons around. Impossible things can be believable if they are possible in the context of the created world. As long as your world and characters have consistent rules they follow, you can get away with being unrealistic. It’s when you break these rules you get in trouble. For instance, if I write a gritty spy thriller set on present-day Earth and the main character beats the villain by casting a fireball spell, people will cry foul. However, the same would be acceptable in a sword and sorcery-based fantasy.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">One major area of concern is the characters. You can create a crazy world and make it believable, but readers are demanding of characters. For some, a single action that feels off can ruin the entire story. Again, this is tricky because some real behavior can be unbelievable on the surface. I’m part of a book club, and often someone complained a character was unrealistic when I’ve met people in real life who behaved in similar ways. How to avoid this issue? Unfortunately, I don’t have a simple solution. It helps to keep characters consistent, and always asks if this was an actual person, would they act this way? If the answer is no even for you, then I suggest either you change the plot, or you change the character, so it fits. Answering that question yourself might be difficult, though. That’s why having others read your writing and giving their opinions can be useful.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">So in most cases, it’s more important to make your setting, story, characters, and so on believable rather than realistic. Don’t use what people expect from the real world as a base, rather use what they expect from fiction for your particular genre. But what about those who demand extreme realism? That’s up to you. If they are your target audience, then yes, go for realism. If they’re not though, then I’d say don’t worry about it unless you want realism or are writing in a genre that requires it. Sure, that subset of the population will dislike your work, but you shouldn’t try to please everyone. That’s an excellent way to either never finish, or end up with something bland and lackluster.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">So, my name is <b><i>Benoit Lanteigne</i></b> and I’m a French Canadian (outside of Quebec) who’s trying to write in English. That can be tricky. I’m a computer programmer and I enjoy it. I see many inspiring writers who hate their jobs and hope to quit someday, but that’s not my case. Mostly, I’ve worked on websites and web applications.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Back in school, I enjoyed writing and according to my teachers and classmates; I had a talent for it. Well, not so much for grammar and spelling, but they liked my stories. Once I went to university, I dropped writing as a hobby. There were other things I wanted to focus on, such as my career. Then, in the early 2000s, around 2006 I’d say, I had a flash of inspiration. At first, it was a single character: a winged woman with red hair. I didn’t even know who she was, but the image stuck with me. From there, I began figuring out details about her origins and her world, but I only started writing for real in 2009.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">It’s been roughly 10 years now, and it’s not yet finished. That’s in part because I write in my spare time, and in part because the scope of the project is huge. Maybe too much so. Still, I’m getting close to the point where I could release something. The question is what’s next? Self-publishing? Attempt traditional publishing? Nothing? I don’t know the answer yet, I’m trying to figure it out. Frankly, sharing my writing is difficult for me, and whatever I end up doing, as long as I make it available to people I consider the experience a victory no matter what comes out of it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH BENOIT:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Website:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://thecyborgscrusade.com">https://thecyborgscrusade.com</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Newsletter:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://thecyborgscrusade.com/fanclub.html">https://thecyborgscrusade.com/fanclub.html</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Social Media Link Hub:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://thecyborgscrusade.com/hub.html">https://thecyborgscrusade.com/hub.html</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Facebook:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/people/My-Skeptical-Angel/100055656492122">https://www.facebook.com/people/My-Skeptical-Angel/100055656492122</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">X:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://twitter.com/bl98">https://twitter.com/bl98</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">YouTube:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS80WvrsYaBCOKBVgYwsXTA">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS80WvrsYaBCOKBVgYwsXTA</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">TikTok:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@thecyborgscrusade">https://www.tiktok.com/@thecyborgscrusade</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Instagram:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thecyborgscrusade">https://www.instagram.com/thecyborgscrusade</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK & BOOK SALE INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHB0SSpp7GtgBgqPen5F8WKgxONRgFfeaLz8IzXRvP0N7VSga4ddagiYXm-n1nsSKbi4VCUjfeE56hHxx0m9u7FXAoG7kQWmw2K4aS2G8Eukef1Tm4beXlQHCrZdhjai56LiZFrHgju14l71MLEW528qVjIN68B8SD4Kmp4JOYitOv8ceGmmtYR_aRmyGX/w125-h200/The%20Cyborg's%20Crusade%20covers%20copy.gif" width="125" /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: red; font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>The Cyborg's Crusade: Day of the Deus Ex Machina eBook is on <u>SALE</u> for <u>ONLY</u> $0.99 during the tour. </i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>Amazon:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cyborgs-Crusade-Day-Deux-Machina-ebook/dp/B0CBZZRDZ4">https://www.amazon.com/Cyborgs-Crusade-Day-Deux-Machina-ebook/dp/B0CBZZRDZ4</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Benoit will award a $25 Amazon <b><u>OR</u></b> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></div>
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<div><br /></div>Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-43822767293181361052024-02-22T00:00:00.001-08:002024-02-22T00:11:58.776-08:00Out of Body by Kimberly Baer - Book Tour - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/01/book-blast-out-of-body-by-kimberly-baer.html" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizLnwtR97-DoCh5J5TefiMjygnOqsM0yaLeYy3USN-VbW-PyB6rJ7Aarb6oDA_fzBtmOfhI5ED0mGWSOZ_03pw4f73wn3XqtB0JjbNl0q5HxrWmuAdZphKTSQrVmW2SRTz_6hJmP5vOagjqUDtKkzCTtHST_uJnOIojUVDJVwoOVdOXuxqsvyf55BA35s/w640-h357/Tour%20Banner_Out%20of%20Body.gif" width="540" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by <a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/01/book-blast-out-of-body-by-kimberly-baer.html" target="_blank">Goddess Fish Promotions</a>. Kimberly Baer will award a $25 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.</b></span></div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br />
</span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQ91duPM1_Jn1Gy-Re0-8MNV2bQrWJSeJoWvswZHPJXlB6njVRR3NmURSuxhjTcUxwDu0_fQJjAeAUNLBbPVRz-pY8Q02gDfBOe1TCqLTKP2XDDr4iNjAbhDPqcxhslPSWS6V9PlBC54L5NZ_RN0omANDmkyzMNmFvXH02XVfzcKha92mahmayL25VF8/s2244/Bookcover_OutofBody_w17840_ib.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2244" data-original-width="1400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQ91duPM1_Jn1Gy-Re0-8MNV2bQrWJSeJoWvswZHPJXlB6njVRR3NmURSuxhjTcUxwDu0_fQJjAeAUNLBbPVRz-pY8Q02gDfBOe1TCqLTKP2XDDr4iNjAbhDPqcxhslPSWS6V9PlBC54L5NZ_RN0omANDmkyzMNmFvXH02XVfzcKha92mahmayL25VF8/w125-h200/Bookcover_OutofBody_w17840_ib.jpg" width="125" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br />Those weird dreams Abby Kendrick has been having? Turns out they aren’t dreams after all. They’re out-of-body experiences, like the ones her cousin Logan is having. At first Abby has fun with her new ability, using it to spy on her neighborhood crush and spook a mean girl. But when Logan gets in trouble on the astral plane, the game changes, and Abby must bend the rules of out-of-body travel as she journeys to a distant realm. Her mission is a perilous one, and success is not guaranteed. Can she save Logan and find her way home again? Or will the cousins be lost forever on the astral plane?</span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>EXCERPT TWO:</u></b><br /><br />
The girl slept on, never stirring, breathing deeply. Arms and legs akimbo, hair spread out like disconnected wires, mouth hanging open. Was that how I looked when I was sleeping? It wasn’t pretty. <br /><br />
Something twinkled below me, a translucent silvery cord tethering me to my body. I’d never noticed it in my dreams-that-weren’t-really-dreams, maybe because I hadn’t realized I was out of body. The cord, thick and round as Italian sausage, was weird but reassuring. I assumed it would keep me from getting lost, because no matter where I went, I could simply follow it back to my body. <br /><br />
But how did the cord work? Was it retractable like the cord on our vacuum cleaner? Stretchy like a bungee cord? If so, how far could it stretch? I wanted to test it for myself, but before I could do that, I needed to figure out how to move. For now, I was stuck in place like a stalled weather front. <br /><br />
A few nights ago, I’d traveled all the way to Sorcery Place. I’d gone to Sophia’s house, to Grandma’s. How had I done it? <br /><br />
More important, how could I get back into my body? I gave a psychic grunt, straining toward that sleeping form, but nothing happened. I was anchored to the ceiling as firmly as my physical body was anchored to the bed. <br /><br />
What if I couldn’t get back? What if I was stuck up here forever? <br /><br />
<b><u>AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:</u></b></span><div><b><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></b><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDmz7qv7GiOBRIXa0q8YKk8KgQznzyiBfar-GloHq_sOlkoIW7-sTEymYKrZL8qwAuoWsrcO7SGDRN1BqB6ztvU9fiFAOD-H2SaSqaqdyX3gTtUGOS-7DJMJzBXuigDm5qEk5KercDOV2OmcLwtQ9dWUTzE88QLk8QxuWzEJJfDK4zm4SeFC8E2P01j0/s2016/author%20image.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDmz7qv7GiOBRIXa0q8YKk8KgQznzyiBfar-GloHq_sOlkoIW7-sTEymYKrZL8qwAuoWsrcO7SGDRN1BqB6ztvU9fiFAOD-H2SaSqaqdyX3gTtUGOS-7DJMJzBXuigDm5qEk5KercDOV2OmcLwtQ9dWUTzE88QLk8QxuWzEJJfDK4zm4SeFC8E2P01j0/w150-h200/author%20image.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Kimberly Baer</i></b> is an author and professional editor who was born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a town marginally famous for having endured three major floods. She even lived there during one of them. She enjoys power-walking on days when it’s not too hot, too cold, too rainy, too snowy, or too windy. On indoor days, you're likely to find her hard at work on her next novel or binge-watching old episodes of Survivor, her favorite guilty pleasure. <br /><br />
Kim has had her nose in a book practically since birth. Her first story, written at age six, was about a baby chick that hatched out of a little girl’s Easter egg after somehow surviving the hard-boiling process. These days she writes in a variety of genres, including adult romantic suspense, young adult, and middle-grade. Her books are published by The Wild Rose Press and have won several awards.<br /><br />
Out of Body Book Trailer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYzqrZ2gl-I">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYzqrZ2gl-I</a><br /><br />
Website: <a href="http://www.kimberlybaer.com">http://www.kimberlybaer.com</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/KimberlyBaer14">https://twitter.com/KimberlyBaer14</a><br />
Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kimberlybaer_author/">https://www.instagram.com/kimberlybaer_author/</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKimberlyBaer/">https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKimberlyBaer/</a><br />
Tiktok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@kimberlybaer_author1">https://www.tiktok.com/@kimberlybaer_author1 </a><br />
Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Baer/e/B08D3RVKCH/">https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Baer/e/B08D3RVKCH/</a><br />
Goodreads: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/kimberly_baer">http://www.goodreads.com/kimberly_baer</a><br />
Bookbub: <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kimberly-baer">https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kimberly-baer</a><br /><br /><b><u>BOOK BUY LINKS:</u></b><br /><br />
Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Out-Body-Kimberly-Baer-ebook/dp/B0CQ34D8H5/">https://www.amazon.com/Out-Body-Kimberly-Baer-ebook/dp/B0CQ34D8H5/</a><br />
Barnes and Noble: <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144460559?ean=9781509253074">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144460559?ean=9781509253074</a><br />
Apple books: <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/out-of-body/id6474144928">https://books.apple.com/us/book/out-of-body/id6474144928</a><br />
Bookbub: <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/out-of-body-by-kimberly-baer">https://www.bookbub.com/books/out-of-body-by-kimberly-baer</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY:</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br />
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</div>Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-50255266338870965272024-02-21T00:02:00.000-08:002024-02-21T00:36:33.571-08:00The Babel Apocalypse by Vyvyan Evans - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86SaTqXTpME9_ifRo3nefgvueZSrR7LDfmyGkCmv5mlSoRoxZ5RNnTn0UfYfGeZ-2CwiK4k42phOZ1yFDEWeHwFZsXZK67U1wt0gvsi6hFUm-xBg8eAkv0ppezzTeGlm1AtbHbIqs8iGnkuB0hSqaG37uhlBl8G0fgUlX_auXO4a_dyeqgTHSXSO2pxCi/w640-h358/TourBanner_The%20Babel%20Apocalypse.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJvv6NrhSysrmaegRhKtRiAoWDwzsfRYBfxGRF9vF_oIz53mz3yGjw9Hy_YttuH_N2elBjQT8421SL016v5KjWOB-hx4U9JDLnW0eW4bBc7jnIzMhdnFhNHIObEWdWMeqqm1hfzSy2DfrVCsvS7oCkdJYhv1czhCPRi8079kt1EwsEtwne0j4K3bp05hsc/s320/BookCover_The%20Babel%20Apocalypse%20audiobook%20cover.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>The Babel Apocalypse Audiobook</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>by Vyvyan Evans</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>GENRE: Science Fiction</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Language is no longer learned, but streamed to neural implants regulated by lang-laws. Those who can’t afford monthly language streaming services are feral, living on the fringes of society. Big tech corporations control language, the world’s most valuable commodity.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">But when a massive cyberattack causes a global language outage, catastrophe looms.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Europol detective Emyr Morgan is assigned to the case. Suspect number one is Professor Ebba Black, the last native speaker of language in the automated world, and leader of the Babel cyberterrorist organization. But Emyr soon learns that in a world of corporate power, where those who control language control everything, all is not as it seems. After all, if the mysterious Ebba Black is to blame, why is the Russian Federation being framed for an outage it claims no responsibility for? And why is Ebba now a target for assassination?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">As he and Ebba collide, Emyr faces an existential dilemma between loyalty and betrayal, when everything he once believed in is called into question. To prevent the imminent collapse of civilization and a deadly war between the great federations, he must figure out friend from foe—his life depends on it.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">And with the odds stacked against him, he must find a way to stop the Babel Apocalypse.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>EXCERPT THREE:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">As I was about to glance back at the voices, a light flickered in my peripheral vision, drawing my gaze upward to the night sky. A soft white glow, high up in the dark. At first it was indistinguishable from the airway lights. But it persisted, the size of a small disk at first, before shifting to red-orange, getting larger. At that point I realized it definitely couldn’t be a hover car. This was farther up, probably low Earth orbit, which explained the initial white. But the shift in coloration—that meant a detonation, producing nitrogen dioxide, which turned deep orange when mixed with air. A gaseous cloud has reached the atmosphere, I thought. I was witnessing a chemical explosion in space large enough to be visible to the naked eye. But what was exploding?</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">As I continued looking up, the orange grew in intensity until it flared across the skyline, illuminating the entire landscape around me with an eerie red-orange. It was only then that I became aware of the newly hushed silence of the drunken revelers nearby. And the silhouettes of other people too, who had also stopped and peppered the pedestrian corridor. We were all now strange red creatures, watching transfixed in rapt silence as the night sky was on fire. And just as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone; the orange light faded back into a deep well of pitch black.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GUEST POST:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Reasons You Should Read My Book (Based on Published Reviews):</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><i>“…a science fiction version of a Dan Brown book mixed with James Bond.”</i> (<b>SFBook.com</b>)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><i>"<b>The Babel Apocalypse</b>...explores the sheer transience and fragility of human language as well as evoking the philosophical question of what it means to be human."</i> (<b>Babel Magazine</b>)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><i>"Part of a new series of by linguist Vyvyan Evans: what will happen if (when?!) most of the world’s people are “chipped” with tech that streams Unilanguage technology controlled by corporations. And what will happen when there is an outage. A great addition to the corpus of linguistic sci-fi."</i> (<b>Literary Ashland</b>)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><i>“…a thrilling sci-fi mystery set in a high-tech future where language is no longer learned but streamed to neural implants. Powerful corporations control the technology, and when a cyberattack causes a global language outage, detective Emyr Morgan is tasked with finding the one responsible. What he discovers leads him to question everything he’s ever known…We recommend it to readers of cyber-punk and dystopian fiction, especially those with a passion for linguistics!"</i> (<b>Reedsy Discovery: Recommended Read</b>)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><i>"…an impressively complex storyline with numerous bombshell plot twists, emotionally compelling characters, and weighty themes concerning the power of language and the danger of humankind’s becoming overly dependent on technology…the pace becomes breakneck and the action nonstop, leading up to a stand-up-and-applaud conclusion that not only satisfies, but sets the stage for the next installment."</i> (<b>Kirkus, starred review)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><i>"I was hooked by the perfect blend of Sci-Fi, mystery, and thriller, and the author's unique method of crashing a near-future Earth society."</i> (<b>Reedsy</b>)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><i>“…a cyberpunk tale in the tradition of Neal Stephenson...This is a very, very well-written book...If you are into cyberpunk dystopias, this is a well written take on the topic."</i> <b>(Medium)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><i>"<b>The Babel Apocalypse</b> is a cyberpunk-esque story that involves the weaponization of language against the world's population, power struggles, and the targeted use of information."</i> (<b>The Real World According to Sam</b>)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5F05apVkroInreQOjsH5nkMC_JWqc9jbrrzcBjmoKaE8H0MftetiUSSLzxPykANuI7II5NzKFUcXZK3l39eHZCy7Ini-LT8MOBfJArMRpg-Jf5KWKCNA7jHJURjKoNrbR215jdZ938f9ea_ybqUtD4wVpui0UQKP1j7GGkyO87ntGCj53EdnW5-iYmzh/s320/Author%20Image%20(3).jpg" width="311" /></b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Dr. Vyvyan Evans</i></b> is a native of Chester, England. He holds a PhD in linguistics from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., and is a Professor of Linguistics. He has published numerous acclaimed popular science and technical books on language and linguistics. His popular science essays and articles have appeared in numerous venues including 'The Guardian', 'Psychology Today', 'New York Post', 'New Scientist', 'Newsweek' and 'The New Republic'. His award-winning writing focuses, in one way or another, on the nature of language and mind, the impact of technology on language, and the future of communication. His science fiction work explores the status of language and digital communication technology as potential weapons of mass destruction.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Book website (including ‘Buy’ links):</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="http://www.songs-of-the-sage.com">http://www.songs-of-the-sage.com</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Author website:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.vyvevans.net">https://www.vyvevans.net</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Youtube channel:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@vyvevans">https://www.youtube.com/@vyvevans</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Twitter:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://twitter.com/VyvEvans">https://twitter.com/VyvEvans</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Facebook:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Vyvyan.Evans.Author">https://www.facebook.com/Vyvyan.Evans.Author</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Instagram:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/nephilim_publishing">https://www.instagram.com/nephilim_publishing</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Vyvyan Evans will award a copy of the Audiobook of the Featured Book, "<b><i>The Babel Apocalypse</i></b>," to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-34491228097088064872024-02-21T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-21T00:35:59.459-08:00Secrets of a Gay Man Growing Up in the 1950s by Jonathan Feinn - Book Tour - Blurb Blitz - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilAEK4CF06OD8eV0rgVWSyT9AqrTuOQBv7OygH8FC_chn8WuIr84SbGpSkr1b-hV-VqIoi3Mtji0n_zN7d9X_shYMU4rc3p7BlNDz3_l54ulrH3UnAkeH7dLq7DKpW0gT8kOvz0JIPakb79KdzBOCVSjN2MYTFMfYlPeN5_XKcLawXrr6jMQYZuHuxP8lV/w640-h358/TourBanner_Secrets%20of%20a%20Gay%20Man.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1650" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHy9kzp_6ykNKCvpv7XOYY9HtX5ZUMWVbdv1rBIAKOOvUWs8FHVWIMSCRpHZloBfbQE6KiZdylYnAdATSSFHyFYy7t21WIsUMBJ5xmasojoYEEt7LhTdtKTZGLcFhOkjBY_qpA8ybq_e_NSqsQeMOaRSO_duja3aHKa_IPVQsl_tu7shthFX5Zpcx_-eew/w259-h400/BookCover_Secrets%20of%20a%20Gay%20Man.jpg" width="259" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><i><b>Secrets of a Gay Man Growing Up in the 1950s</b></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>by Jonathan Feinn</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>GENRE: Memoir</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>The Blessing of Self -Acceptance</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">I decided to write my memoir when I reached my mid-eighties. Given the gift of longevity, I felt a strong need to review my life openly and to recall both the joyful moments as well as the days and nights of feeling anguish and hopelessness. Highlighting events and experiences in my life has given me the opportunity to better understand the emotional and physical cost over the years of denying the person I am and the pain of self-rejection.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>EXCERPT THREE:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">My travels broadened my perspective to better understand the cultural differences among peoples in the world but just as important was my increasing awareness all peoples strive to fulfill similar hopes and dreams.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Among the important learnings for me was to become aware I could travel independently and was significantly more adaptable than I had thought. I was aware of my openness and desire to learn from others and developed a major respect for the different ways people strive to meet their challenges in life. I’m grateful to so many for their hospitality and openness in allowing me to learn and to share in differing customs and traditions, some which were quite different from my own experiences. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">My new perspectives led to feelings of deep respect and appreciation for all that I learned. I now know differences in language can be managed and handled and people everywhere share the same significant life tasks including the need to feel accepted and loved as they are; to find satisfaction in their work, to find love within their family and community and a hope their children will have opportunities to fulfill their potential. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">I’m grateful to the Thai family I lived with for a year who were so generous and caring and respectful to me. The parents were professionals and had two young children. They kindly shared their home with Sung Wien who cared for the home and the children and prepared the evening meal for us each day consisting of many different dishes. I’m deeply appreciative of the Sri Lankan family I’ve known for more than 30 years who now live in Paris. I’ve known their three young adult children since their early childhood and am grateful for their on-going love. It brings special joy to me.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>Jonathan holds</i></b> a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois and was trained to serve both as a teacher and administrator providing guidance to staff and to children and adolescents with identified emotional disturbance and behavior disorders. He has served as a consultant to differing programs in both public and private school settings and was the director of a high school off-campus learning center serving students who required part-time placement outside the main building.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">He has held faculty positions at National College in Evanston, Illinois and Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania where he taught students studying for both Master’s degrees and state certification. Prior to his retirement, he taught gifted elementary students in a ‘pull-out’ program. He is currently retired and continues his love of travel. To date he has visited 22 countries where he developed meaningful and lasting friendships with people in differing settings throughout the world.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2550" data-original-width="1650" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivIqTyc2WL-shqEcDm9Af5po2vL3uUTmDqDbqhRfHWPO-8UgxeYm38Qpo7grj6WaUgP7y27lEctXO7iaCkSrWNMW8YCbxG-f9GI9HDBMpdT6p8foxOXkzsgM_QrTuT-S39oRy6VnthE5BvxTSTJI5nwZFxIlk4vreXZsmJQniofz3oGrnl8g8J59DXJMxb/w129-h200/BookCover_Secrets%20of%20a%20Gay%20Man.jpg" width="129" /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>Amazon:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Gay-Man-Growing-1950s/dp/1614688540">https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Gay-Man-Growing-1950s/dp/1614688540</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Jonathan will be awarding a $25 Amazon <b><u>OR</u></b> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-71243612855451910952024-02-20T00:02:00.000-08:002024-02-20T01:17:32.270-08:00If the Duke Dares by Darcy Burke - Book Tour - Exclusive Excerpt - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3WI2j79JcGMEHkBP2qb2IHATqbaEc1e5Sk91UpwKebxHbk-q_iYPpgZ14h2SNLMfCP4XQ-W0q2ZPOPOQX7TQZtKi8AOmrqJitAkn7kOute6DixR1lphRvfWanyF0p1AqHKcRa-XG0r1SW-I0u13Vjrw6zQiF6q-5fohGN_NTSXzVyVhPq5u3Ft9mNRyP7/w640-h358/Tour%20Banner_If%20the%20Duke%20Dares.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYo-TFRh4UmebsJIiAvqRodfnshiYZuVtYPa3yOaulzs33OGF-pWaaUhJGcLhZ_kE13UDwz5dMCIWTonQhTBXyWRnCpanoiIVquC_WC5kGkkbAm46jsYG1MWhqHrKWkUvBFaacm6C4Jxm5-PpPUGPXmlUj9k3UqFpgCemXGCWx_nxfo0HSKbgRtZNMCmu/w266-h400/BookCover_If%20the%20Duke%20Dares.jpg" width="266" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><i>If the Duke Dares</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b>by Darcy Burke</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><i>GENRE: Regency Historical Romance</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Playfair Display";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Incorrigible flirt Acton Loxley, Duke of Wellesbourne is in need of a duchess. En route to greet a potential bride, he encounters a most intriguing and captivating widow who completely distracts him from his task. However, she disappears before he can deepen their acquaintance. Acton begrudgingly goes to meet his bride, unaware she and the widow are one and the same.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">When Persephone Barclay’s younger sister is compromised, Persephone must wed before the scandal spreads. Her parents scramble to present her to the Duke of Wellesbourne; except he’s precisely the kind of rogue she has now vowed to avoid. Taking flight to avoid a match, Persephone runs straight into her would-be betrothed and pretends to be someone else. But dash it all, the duke proves to be irresistibly charming! If she remains in his company, she’ll end up in the wicked scoundrel’s clutches.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Even worse, her second attempt at escape lands her in increasingly poor circumstances. With nowhere to turn and her safety at risk, she may have to accept help from the one man who threatens her resolve—and her reputation.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Playfair Display";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Persephone tipped her head up. “It does look as though it could rain,” she agreed just as a drop landed on her nose. “Oh!”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“Was that a raindrop?” he asked.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“Yes.” She was already scrambling to her feet.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Acton bottled the ale and jumped up. The rain began to fall more steadily. Then lightning flashed within the clouds. He snatched up the blanket as he shouted, “Go!”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Persephone dashed to the coach and quickly climbed inside. Acton followed, handing her the ale and the blanket before hoisting himself up. He moved too quickly, though, and hit his head as he pushed in.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“Ow.” He winced before collapsing on the rear-facing seat, massaging his forehead.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Persephone set the bottle and blanket aside and moved to the other seat. “Let me see.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">He lowered his hand, to reveal his reddened flesh. Persephone gently touched the area. “The skin isn’t broken. But it’s awfully red.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“I’m blaming that chair-bed.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Bemused, she couldn’t make the connection. “Why?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“Last night, I thought I was too tall for it. Today, I thought I was short enough to make it into the coach without hitting my head.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Persephone laughed, and his gaze met and held hers.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Their faces were so close. She could see a faint freckle at the base of his nose that wasn’t really visible from a nonintimate distance.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“I love when you laugh. It’s so unreserved and…real. You aren’t like other young ladies. You don’t simper. Or flirt. Or pretend to be anything you’re not.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Playfair Display";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="500" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PqvyGgGgvZn2DU7vzN1gQLLaofEeciv_H_Rj5X-R8L2UVKFo1HtJB4wC0MjteImQStSs3HcGaCG2KSXjy0n0PGyx_qYAvjuAGuXAamBN8RDuE026Mg5dl2toJjiq38z_25Kv9gyldIeKeQGSm_F5y0ifqTIsuenqhB0dhfeJt6rvKGRzX9aVSmrCJn6i/s320/author%20image%20(2).jpg" width="320" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of over sixty captivating, compelling historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. Her novels have been translated into five languages and are also available as audio books. Join her Reader Club at <a href="https://www.darcyburke.com/join">https://www.darcyburke.com/join</a>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming, teacher husband, artist daughter, and writer (yes!) son. They’re a crazy cat family with two Bengal cats, a small, fame-seeking cat named after a fruit, a rescue Maine Coon with attitude to spare, an adorable former stray who wandered onto their deck and into their hearts, and two bonded boys who used to belong to (separate) neighbors but chose them instead. You can find Darcy in her comfy writing chair, folding laundry (which she loves), or enjoying game night with the family. Visit Darcy online at <a href="http://www.darcyburke.com">http://www.darcyburke.com</a> and follow her social media: Facebook at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/darcyburkefans">http://www.facebook.com/darcyburkefans</a>, Instagram at <a href="http://www.instagram/darcyburkeauthor">http://www.instagram/darcyburkeauthor</a>, and Pinterest at <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/darcyburkewrite">http://www.pinterest.com/darcyburkewrite</a>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">If the Duke Dares website link: <a href="https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares">https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>BOOK BUY LINKS:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1A_ZwXsvNNwfZn_ALI9ucjFUYUozxqs42SjIoJsE3QkA91YlAKcBAHmosnHruzH5seeb1dndnzfhFWLD1jy0GWDU3rIu0hZU1EJexHshoSRw7uYm357a5sz4OjSlYiV3smWyu48A_HN_Oz3tTDJFsXI4O0Vvhg69SzmTdJldb4uRd9p_KA-ox6cUj_nM/w133-h200/BookCover_If%20the%20Duke%20Dares.jpg" width="133" /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Amazon:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><a href="https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-Amz">https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-Amz</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Apple:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><a href="https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-App">https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-App</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Barnes & Noble:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><a href="https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-BN">https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-BN</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Google Play:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><a href="https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-GP">https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-GP</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Kobo:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><a href="https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-Kobo">https://geni.us/IftheDukeDares-Kobo</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Playfair Display";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Darcy will award a $25 Amazon <u><b>OR</b></u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) <b><u>PLUS</u></b> Swag to a randomly drawn winner (<b><i>Swag US/Canada Only</i></b>) via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-46174724556618720272024-02-20T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-20T01:15:59.789-08:00Descendants of Atlantis by Courtney Davis - Book Tour - Blurb Blitz - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuvR-dKK2jvqj3PuTJTwkaq2vC0cIX5AAXM4K2bWfj_grH9iF7dsA7R4Jxk2p8HLKEtyVRArQsqIZF3rKSJSdQeKZNQDZEyKKJva84XMxzq48uVIzq4m14GodPxP3KDMjPKQyL1jf_5EqYluoseDfWVUhMHrz2B9T2sAKKcFbWG4MGMHHzbDlu2RSIbs4t/w640-h358/TourBanner_Descendants%20of%20Atlantis.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGdASGDkfiY8uYjLzdREUYLc5WxU-JGhRP07ytKwblEzYwmwwSw5Gymdep6BhjT3V5O8FZTIUPOprQFgQuStDclZVYrmz5HMNvzmtwILtreLUJyhOEtXPPDMpzGZ0JmMEtpFYiTTUJfciCqGMswi5HoI3gUpPDRHN-GHfQcZVUa6Srsyid-UE5ED_ETF2z/w266-h400/BookCover_DescendantsofAtlantisEbookCoverUse.jpg" width="266" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>Descendants of Atlantis</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>Courtney Davis</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><i>GENRE: Fantasy Romance</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Sorcha is a descendant of the Atlantean people, a race of humans who were once the blood slaves of the vampires of Atlantis. She grew up knowing that the vampires were enemies, the werewolves were beasts, and the witches were their friends. When she starts to question the situation her clan has been put into with the witches, a vampire who haunts her erotic dreams comes to the rescue. Samson didn't grow up in Atlantis and didn't choose to become a vampire. He hates what he has to do to survive, and can't imagine ever deserving love. When he finds a Descendant of Atlantis near death and nurses her back to health, he expects her to run at the first opportunity. When she offers him her willing body, he knows he would do anything to keep her, and that means hiding his monstrous side. But you can't love someone if you're hiding part of yourself. One look at Samson and Sorcha knows she erased him from her memory on purpose, but why? What could he have done to make her risk such a dangerous spell? With battle on the horizon and Descendants in trouble, will Sorcha's memories be the end of any chance at Samson's happiness, or will it lead to a new understanding of what these monsters really are?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>EXCERPT THREE:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“Don’t worry, I’m the biggest predator in this ocean,” he grinned and flashed his fangs.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">It should have scared her she supposed, but all it did was make her tingle with anticipation. What was wrong with her?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">He pushed the boat back toward land, then pulled her in for a kiss, seeming to have no trouble staying afloat. She felt a rise of panic as the boat drifted away.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“Katherine, I will always keep you safe,” he promised and took her hand. “Now, follow me, we will swim fast and hard, straight down. The vortex will start to pull and when it does, things will go fast.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“You won’t let go of me?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">“Of course not,” he promised. “Now, take a deep breath.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">She did, and then they were underwater and against every instinct, she was letting him drag her down toward the bottom. Soon her lungs began to burn, and panic swelled and just when she thought the panic might be too much, she felt a pull all over her body, a push behind her and a sucking in front. She was thrown through the water so fast she couldn’t have stopped it if she’d wanted to. She stopped swimming and clung to Ian’s arm with both hands. Her mind started to fuzz, she was desperate for air, and she was sure he was wrong.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOWIJqyyHqLmV9ErfGePhbOVueFp8P2yeJElEOWhV3n6VmxBpEOknYA4WcBuIOoxh7DcEiFs6gJtiRdiTw75zw9zIYqvXYqnJDhPtTai2fJ9GpseAu-flANSKUe4iy9MOltSXwSt3tyE9RDvEOEiHECVcQPqqGNhJAinIv7J3ldk73dhWHMvVNLUGM5qS/w266-h400/Author%20Image%20(1).jpg" width="266" /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Courtney Davis is an author of urban fantasy/paranormal/supernatural fiction with a little romance and humor thrown in. She loves creating worlds and exploring human, and inhuman, interaction. She lives in North Idaho with her husband and children where she teaches and enjoys time spent relaxing in the summer sun and winters by the fire. She has always had an affinity for reading and writing and a goal to make a career of it. There is no greater joy than to know her words took a reader out of reality for a time and into another world.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH COURTNEY:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">AUTHOR WEB PAGE:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="http://authorcourtneydavis.com">http://authorcourtneydavis.com</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">5PP PAGE:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="http://www.5princebooks.com/courtneydavis">http://www.5princebooks.com/courtneydavis</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">FACEBOOK AUTHOR PAGE:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/authorcourtneydavis">http://www.facebook.com/authorcourtneydavis</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">INSTAGRAM: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/authorcourtneydavis">http://www.instagram.com/authorcourtneydavis</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">TWITTER:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="http://www.twitter.com/authorcdavis">http://www.twitter.com/authorcdavis</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">TIKTOK:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="http://www.tiktok.com/authorcdavis">http://www.tiktok.com/authorcdavis</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">GOODREADS AUTHOR PAGE:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22124381.Courtney_Davis">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22124381.Courtney_Davis</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">BOOKBUB AUTHOR PAGE:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/courtney-davis-d140b5d2-64db-40c0-8004-4fdff2e339c6">https://www.bookbub.com/authors/courtney-davis-d140b5d2-64db-40c0-8004-4fdff2e339c6</a></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Libre Baskerville";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>BOOK BUY LINKS:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvPuUq7CnfvBKYNJfZeGJhLK_t1q8fX1qf6vGWGlQrstK1DtkK-NG5y8V46i9TqRUF0hepajS2fbPVuatnltj_ZrZV-LcIBtcNf1tX1FzVMT-QRiHQiHswQfu0n252XLBJvYtp5LQwN0WsA_fljxPKhBwQmZjaM-HZmUfdiFrh7GCtPsGsyzjc9t3-EHv/w133-h200/BookCover_DescendantsofAtlantisEbookCoverUse.jpg" width="133" /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">AMAZON:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Descendants-Atlantis-Courtney-Davis-ebook/dp/B0CP31ZQ92">https://www.amazon.com/Descendants-Atlantis-Courtney-Davis-ebook/dp/B0CP31ZQ92</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">APPLE:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/descendants-of-atlantis/id6474148164">https://books.apple.com/us/book/descendants-of-atlantis/id6474148164</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">BARNES AND NOBLE:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/descendants-of-atlantis-courtney-davis/1144417244">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/descendants-of-atlantis-courtney-davis/1144417244</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">KOBO:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vampires-of-atlantis-1">https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/vampires-of-atlantis-1</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">GOOGLEPLAY:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Vampires_of_Atlantis/MkW5zwEACAAJ?hl=en">https://www.google.com/books/edition/Vampires_of_Atlantis/MkW5zwEACAAJ?hl=en</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Libre Baskerville;">Courtney is awarding a $15 Amazon <b><u>OR</u></b> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-28360212508689404802024-02-15T00:02:00.000-08:002024-02-15T00:02:06.873-08:00Tales of the Yankee Clipper: Stories and Reflections on Joe DiMaggio by Jonathan Weeks - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPWIlVYhNHTaDImR6NWLjghxgd0YZBD-BwQdgToimgkJFQ5t3V94zI2foSlCN1IJxxs4utTSrnBqd0dCUqea9LaSm2DNYlRJQF1EntJc6oXMbzvPwg_jbolYCzWLlxsWPmAW7BD25hQi3OOA56rQAOp4jKGqyqcIQLxseTCgSasrMNsdrzPNK1k1h0hbE/w640-h358/TourBanner_Tales%20of%20the%20Yankee%20Clipper.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQZKDiY6s7CiXWGmoeq1Oxq3N2YwHA-XJmB-DtPY_nyMjrSnWE3QPYG3XFqenmnPzaKlIlpdxJm1-HMcFO0mATkFMbsRoQSv_bp6YeaI8_47_xZXgrPSQMoOVu0y1O0sOdY9KcNEk-y5f_QqN0zaXmoh8grnCxLIVnf31dncf4DAaFQ11t-URU1T9BjIm/w266-h400/BookCover_Yankee%20Clipper.jpg" width="266" /></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Tales of the Yankee Clipper:</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Stories and Reflections on Joe DiMaggio</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>by Jonathan Weeks</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>GENRE: Non-Fiction Sports Biography</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">There has probably never been a professional baseball player more of a puzzle than Joe DiMaggio. DiMaggio had a talent for keeping his emotions suppressed and his innermost thoughts to himself. Few could say that they really knew him. And even the ones who did found him to be unpredictable. He was a walking contradiction. He was quiet, but not necessarily shy. He could be both gracious and abrupt, approachable or aloof depending on the situation. Although he came across as humble, he had a tremendous sense of entitlement. He was complex, secretive, inscrutable. There were many layers to the man who came to be affectionately known as the “Yankee Clipper.” DiMaggio always felt that his actions on the field should do the talking for him. And for the most part, they did. To many, DiMaggio personified elegance, style, and grace. An impeccable dresser, he was married to two glamorous actresses. On the field, he glided almost effortlessly, never having to dive for a ball and rarely (if ever) making a mistake on the basepaths. He became the living embodiment of the American dream and a symbol of the country’s so-called “greatest generation.” But as time marched on, DiMaggio grew increasingly distrustful of the people around him. It was understandable—inevitable even. The third book in Jonathan Week’s Yankees trilogy contains an abundance of anecdotes, statistics, and other little known facts about the Yankee Clipper.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>EXCERPT TWO:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>YANKEE STALKER</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">While recovering from an injury at the beginning of the 1949 campaign, DiMaggio began receiving love notes from a woman he was not acquainted with. At the same time, letters started turning up at the offices of various New York gossip columnists. They were signed by a woman calling herself “Junior Standish,” who claimed to be in a romantic relationship with the Yankee slugger. DiMaggio was familiar with a Broadway dancer of the same name, but had never actually dated her. When a handful of columnists reported that the two had become a couple, DiMaggio and Standish both made public statements to the contrary.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">The plot thickened when the mysterious letter-writer attempted to make contact with DiMaggio at his hotel. After being turned away, she sent a note threatening suicide if her efforts to meet him were thwarted in the future. Alarmed by this turn of events, Yankee PR-man Arthur Patterson contacted the police and enlisted the help of a bodyguard to protect Joe.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">While police were investigating the matter, another note containing suicidal threats was delivered to DiMaggio’s hotel room. Hoping to produce some tangible leads regarding the author’s identity, details were leaked to the press. A 30-year-old woman was eventually taken into custody. While being interrogated by the assistant district attorney in Manhattan, she suffered a mental breakdown, screaming hysterically and threatening to kill herself. Police transported her to a Bronx hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Doctors agreed to release her into the custody of her father on the condition that she seek counseling and leave DiMaggio alone. She agreed to the arrangement and never bothered Joe again. Her identity was not disclosed to the press.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Incidents of a darker nature had plagued major-league baseball on prior occasions. A few weeks before DiMaggio’s stalker was taken into custody, a 19-year-old office worker named Ruth Steinhagen shot Phillies’ first baseman Eddie Waitkus in a Chicago hotel room. The troubled teen, who had developed an unhealthy obsession with Waitkus, ended up in a state psychiatric hospital, where she remained for three years. Waitkus recovered and played six more seasons. A similar scene had unfolded in 1932, when Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges was shot at the Carlos Hotel in Chicago by a showgirl named Violet Popovich. Jurges had broken off a casual relationship with Popovich, prompting her to behave irrationally. The infielder was shot twice—once in the hand and again in the ribs—but returned to action that year. He played in the majors until 1948.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GUEST POST:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>There are so many engaging stories about Joe DiMaggio it’s difficult for me to settle on one favorite. But in the interest of captivating readers who may not be die-hard fans of the sport, there is one generic tale that comes to mind. This particular anecdote can be found at the end of Part II in my book and is entitled <i><b>Steinbrenner’s Failed Murder Plot</b></i>.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Born into a wealthy family, Yankee owner George Steinbrenner lived a life of privilege. After making a fortune as CEO of the American Ship Building Company, he assembled a group of financiers to purchase the Yankees from CBS. Although the Yankees won several World Series titles during Steinbrenner’s tenure, his time with the club was wrought with controversy. Fickle and tempestuous, he went through more than a dozen managers between 1973 and 1990. His favorite victim was Billy Martin, who he fired and rehired several times. In 1974, Steinbrenner was suspended for making illegal contributions to President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign. Another suspension followed in the early-‘90s after he paid a Bronx gambler to dig up dirt on one of his players.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Despite his problems with other Yankee personalities, Steinbrenner was particularly fond of DiMaggio. He believed that Joltin’ Joe was a good luck charm and, when the Yankees made the playoffs in 1996, he made sure that DiMaggio attended all of the home games. He even let Joe sit in the owner’s box.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Steinbrenner wanted to commission a statue of DiMaggio to be put in center field at Yankee Stadium. He also sought to have a DiMaggio statue erected in Central Park. In order to complete both projects, he needed Joe’s permission. The retired Yankee slugger stubbornly rejected the proposal, commenting, “As long as I am still walking, there is no way I will have anyone build a statue of me in this city. When I’m dead, they can do whatever the hell they want.” Joe had declined similar offers from New York City officials, who reportedly wanted to rename East 56th Street and the Major Deegan Expressway in his honor.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Shortly after Steinbrenner’s statue proposal, DiMaggio was invited to Yankee Stadium to watch a game in the owner’s box. George always went to great lengths to make Joe feel comfortable. All of the Yankee idol’s favorite beverages and snacks were readily available. On this particular occasion, Steinbrenner had added a new Philly cheese steak vendor. He raved about the quality of the sandwiches and insisted that Joe sample one. DiMaggio was very particular about what kind of foods he would eat, but eventually agreed. After finishing his sandwich, Joe complained of stomach discomfort and asked his companion to bring him home immediately.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><span style="white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Joe’s friend ignored multiple traffic laws getting him back to his apartment in haste. Upon arriving, Joe rushed off to the bathroom in obvious discomfort. “I don’t know what the hell Steinbrenner fed me,” he said from behind the bathroom door, “but I think he’s trying to kill me so he can put up that statue of me in center field.”</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Jonathan Weeks has written several sports biographies and two novels, one of which was a posthumous collaboration with his father. He grew up in the Capital District region of New York State and currently works in the mental health field.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH JONATHAN:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Blog:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="http://www.jonathanweeks.blogspot.com">http://www.jonathanweeks.blogspot.com</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Goodreads Author Page:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5862273.Jonathan_Weeks">https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/5862273.Jonathan_Weeks</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge2eY5XGXKRY4uURazPbxCOXEngSj8rmRMWgAHXkMAGPunFKE8cqFYuVN5xAm_gVyH1osYOk-EC8LAPqiJkLJtOOKNnx8arcxAP7V-9O7KJ09BO9xJiGbL8yWnhDEsyU2UYIy8HZq5iKp5kexEcb5WpFG90zarG__YivDFGeayPPwudg-jlfb-Te4_yy1f/w133-h200/BookCover_Yankee%20Clipper.jpg" width="133" /></b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Amazon US eBook:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Yankee-Clipper-Reflections-DiMaggio-ebook/dp/B0CKBLVMM5">https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Yankee-Clipper-Reflections-DiMaggio-ebook/dp/B0CKBLVMM5</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Jonathan will award a randomly drawn winner a $25 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) via Rafflecopter during the book tour.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></p>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-26126234719103611522024-02-15T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-15T00:00:28.559-08:00Mamacadabra by Carrie Monroe O'Keefe - Book Tour - Blurb Blitz - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2023/12/blurb-blitz-tour-mamacadabra-by-carrie.htm" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyaBl3Bftu0YAfKb-RS4lO0jB71VAir9ayJpNqF7-RsZfCa6GIiKhIXs_7SVLsgAhx915a5-0LybrilqfK-9uteoIkS4JTJ86lj9DUT7MBy3c9zOMlMLakfOvJeULelqli_RkNcOPI6eDVXlPfodNnw4U4E0uDB5EEznzzhTbH1DRIxSgkyJ8lo1D5cps/s400/Tour%20Banner_Mamacadabra%20%281%29.gif" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by <a href="http://www.goddessfish.com">Goddess Fish Promotions</a>. The author will award a $25 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn commenter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on thetour.</b></div><br />
</span><blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGX8kGk1kP2dvzIGGeNDq1gnjOmhlpAAAVCTLUxWdSuEsSibrmWXa96ich9wrB3kVHAeTvbIZblTH5S9w3yq88FeGef7KFrhADDzc179fIS2IbUpJgbI5ShvYIO1FeJWvlS9Xqe-6SE0VPhMxzM1q3ah4xw2_a4ZB3LcUr72y5__3kpSaHfnnnV2VYX6M/s3750/BookCover_Mamacadabra.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3750" data-original-width="2566" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGX8kGk1kP2dvzIGGeNDq1gnjOmhlpAAAVCTLUxWdSuEsSibrmWXa96ich9wrB3kVHAeTvbIZblTH5S9w3yq88FeGef7KFrhADDzc179fIS2IbUpJgbI5ShvYIO1FeJWvlS9Xqe-6SE0VPhMxzM1q3ah4xw2_a4ZB3LcUr72y5__3kpSaHfnnnV2VYX6M/s320/BookCover_Mamacadabra.jpg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Starting her third year of marriage, Carrie Monroe O’Keefe had already been on the roller coaster of extreme highs and lows of a newly blended family. Thinking she could do a better job of navigating marriage, stepmotherhood, working full time, and all of the things, she embarked on a year of “what if.”<br /><br />
Settling into her role as wife and mom, she tried to find ways to do things better, see things differently, and reframe her thinking to create a better home for her family and to feel more at home herself. With humor, unwavering honesty, vulnerability, and sarcasm, Carrie finds her way through the year and to her true self.</span></blockquote><div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><b><u>EXCERPT TWO:</u></b><br /><br />
From Chapter: <i><b>This House is Not a Home (Currently) </b></i><br /><br />
It’s a bright Saturday morning and I’m looking around my kitchen wondering when, exactly, I let it get THIS bad. The dishwasher has been run, but nobody has bothered to unload it, resulting in piles of dirty dishes in and around the sink. There are empty cereal boxes lined up, I assume, so I can cut out the Box Tops for Education labels…because I’m the only one who can what…use scissors? Break down the boxes for recycling? Throw away the empty bag inside the boxes that once held cereal? <br />
<br />
Speaking of recycling, there’s a bag of recycling on a stool waiting to be taken out on our “next trip” out of the house. It’s been there for three days and we have, in fact, left the house several times in those three days. <br />
<br />
The clincher, though, is the kitchen table. Our puppy has a best friend that lives next door. He comes over to our back deck door and barks for Sullivan to come out to play. They wrestle, run around, investigate, bark at each other, bark at passersby, lay down to rest, and then start over. When they’re out and I’m working or writing, I bring my laptop up to the kitchen table so I can check on the dogs from time to time. <br />
<br />
At this very moment, I’m sitting at my kitchen table and surrounding my laptop are: <br />
<br />
•One little girl’s black shoe. <br />
•One little girl’s gold shoe. <br />
•One little girl’s pink slipper. <br />
•The Nancy Drew book we’re currently reading. <br />
•Large bag of colored pencils. <br />
•Pair of my husband’s dirty socks. <br />
•Empty napkin holder on its side. <br />
•The art project brought home by my littlest little girl. <br />
•Pad of paper with my work notes scribbled on it. <br />
•Three place mats (one was a casualty of yesterday’s juice fiasco). <br />
•One black marker. <br />
•Work documents of my husband’s. <br />
•A partially completed drawing. <br /><br />
My kitchen table isn’t even big! How, or perhaps a better question is WHY, is there so much sh*t sitting on it?!! And does anybody else find it a teensy bit disconcerting that there are two shoes, a slipper, and dirty socks on the table at which we EAT OUR MEALS? Anyone??? <br />
<br />
<b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEkFSOlgZELuGaKCmONmydMZ1B8QfD2KXJreGGQkUIka0vFR8Je-EvUsBDV-lxpYZoK5YNeDkLJn8JzHivIfHPtznQtDMrSeyveRbOn1bzNLoFR-jYKk0t3bSXdn-N2AJqMY2aIjEDRz2nb3LibBkHD_dR0OW7z91BfzwevNM1j7X2rBIcqW9tKjTjWY/s1800/author%20image.jpeg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEkFSOlgZELuGaKCmONmydMZ1B8QfD2KXJreGGQkUIka0vFR8Je-EvUsBDV-lxpYZoK5YNeDkLJn8JzHivIfHPtznQtDMrSeyveRbOn1bzNLoFR-jYKk0t3bSXdn-N2AJqMY2aIjEDRz2nb3LibBkHD_dR0OW7z91BfzwevNM1j7X2rBIcqW9tKjTjWY/s320/author%20image.jpeg" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Carrie Monroe O’Keefe started blogging about her life by sharing stories of marriage, stepmotherhood, and how to navigate it all on mamacadabra.com in 2012. People said they loved reading the posts, so she kept writing. In addition to blogging, she released her middle-grade fiction book, The Whole Truth, in 2019. <br /><br />
Carrie lives outside of Minneapolis with her husband, two daughters, and dog Finlay. <br /><br /><b><u>CONNECT WITH CARRIE:<br /></u></b><br />
Website: <a href="http://www.mamacadabra.com">http://www.mamacadabra.com</a><br />
Instagram: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/monroeokeefe">http://www.instagram.com/monroeokeefe</a><br /><br /><b><u>BOOK BUY LINKS:</u></b><br /><br />
Barnes and Noble:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144367657">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144367657</a><br /><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;">Amazon:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Bree Serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mamacadabra-Poof-Youre-mom-now/dp/1733629939">www.amazon.com/Mamacadabra-Poof-Youre-mom-now/dp/1733629939</a><br /><br /><b><u>GIVEAWAY:</u></b><br /><br />
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-69561188863066218852024-02-14T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-14T01:07:14.912-08:00Secret Admirer Pact by Bernadette Marie - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIVcf31GGEjEwcEmVLSj-U-mAaGusUKmI1AEdhP903cZ6RwaBOWzL2104szZ4EI_i6zu4sOlcWcKYbLawBCCJB5M3YJZtfzVTavuOeE9mrzn0AI8ZLNAgKA8in-RKkiCx-qrgfRXAzgX6i1qofAWrV3zBJ8VvnFr4hLPyutQS781vO_vxAMiJSF9KAQvhn/w640-h358/TourBanner_Secret%20Admirer%20Pact.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0XVJv4MjQhyULfTZEfg04O85tBnGGyhVBHu9TzODDmF4hYbkKeZoGLQLa2wC1EgWTd5FycgqbkSDSMYZEnBN1pnROKFKG4UUnJaJRnD1CtX1QSI-MYcVsDNLHC5_GVkD_7KVkrHv7CzE_qV2MRAa8D8_wxSG7w1MDzT47fNAjTPXYgLflSI01ZyvDvWvR/w266-h400/BookCover_SecretAdmirerPact.jpg" width="266" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><i>Secret Admirer Pact</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b>by Bernadette Marie</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Playfair Display";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><i>GENRE: Romance</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Playfair Display";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">When Will seeks to rekindle a flame with his ex-girlfriend, his best friend Monique reluctantly suggests a plan involving secret admirer notes to divert his ex’s attention. In a surprising turn, Monique finds herself infatuated with her new boss, prompting Will to reciprocate with anonymous tokens of affection. However, as the deceptive game unfolds, both Monique and Will come to realize that the heartfelt sentiments expressed in the secret admirer notes were their own true feelings. So, what happens if the plan works? What happens if it doesn’t?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Playfair Display";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>EXCERPT ONE:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“Happy New Year, sweetheart,” he says, his words slurred from champagne.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“Sure,” I say, letting my eyes close. “Can’t even imagine anything happy about it.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“Cynical,” he teases, but I don’t have the energy to argue with him.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Lifting my head, I sit back in my chair, and scan a look over him. Will’s hair looks like he just rolled out of bed, but that wasn’t how he looked when he’d brought me home. Alcohol and stress has had him raking his fingers through it until now it stands on end.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Will is a handsome guy, though lacking in any fashion sense. He’s my ride or die friend, has been since middle school, and I adore him.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“Are you going home?” I ask, noticing his eyes blink slower, or maybe my eyes are blinking slowly.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“No. Since you begged me to drink away the old year with you, you’re going to have to let me sleep on your couch.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">I was hoping he’d say that. I don’t want him to leave. Tonight, I want the company.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“Do you think she’s home?” I ask.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Will leans his elbow onto the table, resting his head in his palm, and he watches me. I move to mimic him, placing my elbow on the table, and my head in my hand.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“She’s home,” he says. “I’m just afraid that maybe she’s not alone.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">I reach for his other hand, and lace our fingers together.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“You know your living situation makes no sense, right?” I say.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“I know that more than anyone,” he admits.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">“I mean, who lives with their ex?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>GUEST POST:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><i>What is Your Favorite Motivational Phrase and How Do You Apply it Your Writings? Life? Etc.?</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><i>“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”</i></b> — Earl Nightingale</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Embrace this empowering mantra: "Time is going to pass anyway, so you might as well accomplish as many things as you can dream up." How often have you found yourself wanting to achieve something but hesitating due to the perceived time commitment? Many times, we let the inconvenience of a lengthy process deter us from pursuing our dreams.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Consider the scenario of undertaking a year-long course. The initial thought of dedicating such a substantial amount of time can be discouraging. Perhaps you've contemplated writing a book or starting a fitness routine, only to dismiss the idea because of the perceived time constraints in your daily schedule. Yet, upon reflection, you realize that the hours spent binge-watching a TV show could have been invested in working towards your goals.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Now, rewind to a moment in your life when you committed to something significant despite the time it demanded. Personally, for me, it was enrolling in cosmetology school. The course spanned nine months, a considerable commitment alongside managing my own salon. I recall wavering, rescheduling appointments, but ultimately persevering. The reward? Twenty-nine years ago, I earned my license, enhancing the services offered in my salon and securing a steady income for my family.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Reflect on those instances where you pushed through the time barrier to realize your ambitions. It's essential to recognize that time will pass regardless. Instead of letting it be a hindrance, let it be a motivation to live your best life and accomplish your dreams. As my favorite quote says, <b><i>“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”</i></b> Act now, for time is a valuable resource meant to be utilized for realizing your aspirations.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b style="font-family: "Playfair Display";">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTk9jlahf1IhZTvsNbOXGpp1L3NT0XJ3lAGH069ygdyrdqkXgPVn8QS9h-pN9D0ug_C95Df9HgsczTsp1oZ7-685g3xv2KfEUN_tWGhyphenhyphenKOy3dmHiXZDWJFUl1tuKJStVaSZzqTlOcQWu4vrkgmzg0tUdwurGoGfZoM7CD7vgYhyphenhyphenkg9sI7dHDbemi44F1Gs/s320/Author%20Image%20(2).jpg" width="256" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Bestselling Author Bernadette Marie writes contemporary romances and believes in Happily Ever After. The married mother of five believes in love at first sight, quick love, and second chances. An avid martial artist, Bernadette Marie is a certified instructor and holds a third degree black belt in Tang Soo Do. She loves Tai Chi, traveling to Disney parks, and having lunch with friends. When not writing, or running her own publishing house, Bernadette is probably immersed in a Rom Com, from which she will often quote one-liners.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH BERNADETTE MARIE:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Facebook:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorbernadettemarie">https://www.facebook.com/authorbernadettemarie</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Instagram:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/authorbernadettemarie">https://www.instagram.com/authorbernadettemarie</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">TikTok:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@authorbernadettemarie">https://www.tiktok.com/@authorbernadettemarie</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Email:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">info@bernadettemarie.com</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Website:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><a href="https://www.bernadettemarie.com">https://www.bernadettemarie.com</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">5 Prince Publishing Author Page:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><a href="https://www.5princebooks.com/bernadettemarie">https://www.5princebooks.com/bernadettemarie</a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>BOOK BUY LINKS:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzwOCydXEK2NCAXltUoHTlyrDQXFF1DaIEFZiKBSGvxdXXl55kdTX9Vd4zXhfk8Ka-4ylgXBb1kF_hy_lxLge0HyHaLY8KPzOyknePrbOmn_L3fmime1f0DgtQKZnADPN7ZHgvUsBlRp3P8K1KnWThaMjB4Bf9KDZZQkgk-CL18cDhE_76LGx6HEJN4Rhm/w133-h200/BookCover_SecretAdmirerPact.jpg" width="133" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">AMAZON:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP4T78KG">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP4T78KG</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">BARNES AND NOBLE:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"> <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144426105?ean=2940185950555">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144426105?ean=2940185950555</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">SMASHWORDS: <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1485967">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1485967</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">Bernadette Marie will be awarding a $25 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-9534295070128919102024-02-13T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-13T01:09:38.444-08:00Fanny Fitzpatrick and the Brother Problem by Dana Hammer - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0PMz-xS4AUM2qze8ylETvlofPB37RhQVrW8X8VHM97yf4cEPXBFa5CfqpedYQGImoW4gteEUu1Q2oMPxLLpKUgkILrh_PTquWmqA6ftb9bz1FDAQ4G797ATTp-0fv6cRIok5W1dDeExqz-a5P0L5OP3H1nGp5bOaS2opD0eNsICWP-wGPMG4dP8dle1R/w640-h358/TourBanner_Fanny%20Fitzpatrick%20and%20the%20Brother%20Problem.gif" width="540" /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="1002" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN_idtvQ8U7RbcQviZd8G5Gqx1j9EJ7hTotG7Ql4XlJDOknVgftHTXTS1rDOvi9qkU8Q5gajEsP-NT4VQZdqAkCxIgocBGLL4OaVckyQB38PziIF-9-lDfGN7snmV75PBcXwYIYugDr61orcmTfIsP4YOeBQEQ2pWr_Uggl-fXWXHXeQn0Obb7CaFPawLD/w261-h400/BookCover_Fanny%20Fitzpatrick%20and%20the%20Brother%20Problem.jpg" width="261" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Fanny Fitzpatrick and the Brother Problem</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">by Dana Hammer</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>GENRE: Middle Grade Greek Mythology</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Dion Isaacs (the reincarnation of Dionysius), Athena’s brother, is wreaking havoc. After to an unfortunate bee-venom poisoning at his wine business, he is down on his luck and crashing at Athena’s place. But the former god of wine, feasting, and excess is a bad influence on Fanny’s best friends, with his partying, wacky business schemes, and general debauchery. Sure, Dion is a fun guy. But there is such a thing as too much fun, and Fanny seems to be the only one who sees it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Meanwhile, Fanny’s mother is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, which basically means she pukes all the time, because she’s pregnant. With her mom unable to work, her dad is taking extra shifts to make more money, and things are getting tense at home. Fanny is excited to be a big sister, but all this sickness and stress over money are starting to take their toll on her.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Can Fanny save her friends from Dion’s negative influence, while also solving her family’s money problems? Of course she can. She’s Fanny Fitzpatrick.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>EXCERPT TWO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">I hope Mom doesn’t have breast cancer. She would have told me about that though, right? You don’t hide cancer from your only daughter. That would be messed up. I get out of bed and pad down the hallway until I get to the bathroom. The puking is louder now, and I can hear Mom gasping between retches. I knock on the door.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“Mom? Are you OK?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“I’m fine, Sweetie.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Then she retches again.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“No you’re not Mom! You’re sick! Do you want some Sprite?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Mom gives me Sprite when I’m nauseated, and it usually helps.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“Mom? I think you need to see a doctor. You’re not getting better.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“Fanny! Go away!”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">I don’t know what to do. My dad has already left for work, so he can’t help. I think about calling an ambulance, but then I remember that 911 is only for emergencies, and I don’t think this counts as an emergency.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“Mom, I’m gonna call an ambulance,” I say.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“NO!”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“But Mom—”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“Fanny, go decorate the tree!”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">This stops me for a moment. Decorate the tree? Why?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“Why?”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">“I’m not feeling up to it. Go decorate the Christmas tree. It’ll be a big help.”</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">I stand by the door, not knowing what to do. Is Mom trying to be tough, like the time she hurt her ankle and refused to go get X-rays, and she just limped around the house for a week until it swole up to like twice its size, and Dad finally made her go to the hospital, and it turned out she’d FRACTURED IT? Should I be like Dad and put my foot down and call an ambulance?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GUEST POST:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><i>Ways to Deal With Rejection, as a Writer</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">I once heard that Stephen King saved up all of his rejection letters and pinned them to a wall, and used them as motivation to succeed. All due respect to the master, but that would totally demotivate me, and absolutely crush me. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Of course, rejection is a major part of writing professionally, or doing any kind of art professionally. Absolutely everyone who submits writing will get rejections; I don’t know a single writer who has not. And this is where the weak are weeded out. Because to survive as a writer, you need to be able to handle rejection and NOT GIVE UP. There are some qualities and processes that can help you with this. Here are a few.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">1)<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>If you’ve ever been emotionally abused, use this to your advantage.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">People from happy homes, who form loving, healthy relationships with romantic partners and friends are at a serious disadvantage when dealing with rejection. They have no idea how to take hurtful comments, negative criticism, or silent dismissal. But not you, you lucky damaged writer! You have built up a thick membrane around your heart. When a publisher or agent says “This does not meet our needs at this time” you remember that time a man who “loved” you called you a trashy idiot cunt, and suddenly “not meeting their needs” doesn’t seem like such a terrible insult.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">2) Have an enormous ego.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">I would argue that most artists have big egos. This is not a design flaw, it’s a feature. In order to create and send your creation out into the world, you have to believe in yourself, and believe that you have something important and fresh to bring to the world. When you get rejected, your ego will protect you. Your ego will tell you that these agents and magazines and publishers don’t know what they’re talking about. They don’t appreciate your genius. You will think of all the artists who were not rewarded in their time, and you’ll count yourself among them. Is this an attractive quality? No. But it is an important one, and you should absolutely cultivate your gigantic ego. Just don’t let it show on the outside, because people will not like it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">3) Know that judges and gatekeepers are not gods.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">I sometimes enter screenplays into script contests. This is a fun thing to do, and it helps you network and sell scripts. You get to go to film festivals and have your picture taken on red carpets and meet interesting people. But, in over the course of attending several film festivals, I started meeting screenwriting judges. And not judges for small festivals, for BIG PRESTIGIOUS festivals. Here’s the ting. I always assumed that to be a judge for a prestigious film festival, you had to have special skills, or some kind of experience in the industry. You don’t. These judges are just…people. Usually they are people who have some kind of screenwriting experience, but they are not producers or professors or even professional screenwriters. This doesn’t mean they are bad; just that they aren’t necessarily better than you. So take their rejections for what they are — one person’s opinion.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">4) Have a sense of humor about yourself.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">If you can’t laugh about your rejections, you are bound to experience a lot of internal darkness and anger. There’s a story I sometimes tell about the time I got drunk and wrote a short story and immediately submitted it to a VERY prestigious publication. Without editing it. I will not name this publication, but you’ve heard of it. Of course, it was rejected, because, drunken, unedited writing is not my best work. Also, it was about Chairman Mao and Ghandi in a three legged race at a church picnic, so you know…not a crowd pleasing premise. Was I ashamed of myself the next morning, when I woke up and realized what I had written, and where I had sent it? Um, yeah. Yeah, I was. But you know what made me feel better? Reading that god-awful short story I’d written, out loud, to my friends. We all had a good laugh at my expense, and I WAS OK WITH THAT. Not only was I OK with that, but it made me feel a whole lot better about the whole thing. If you can laugh at it, you can live with it, right? Right.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">If you are in a creative field, you are going to experience rejection. It’s just part of it. But if you keep going, you will probably find your markets, and your people. And if you don’t, at least you know that you had the fortitude to try. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1298" data-original-width="1946" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyoD4HkkFeYFi0B-FVeqPA-5xPV_gzyMkq2ZK7lya2zKkGhjfwtv1OmxnHPInQ_reHZSd9tRSxKwYPDY9mErTzLIFMHwi1MpeN8IaY2sgBv3oh8_pqHK9bfLNKXjOv8d0qD5lXjDTvL4Kj2gButdvNFToz8pnqbyRzfnMGMbfY4RbWdAKPkVd5nRXu3Tc_/s320/author%20image%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Dana Hammer is a novelist, screenwriter and playwright. She has won over forty awards and honors for her writing, few of which generated income, all of which were deeply appreciated. She is not a cannibal, but she is the author of A Cannibals Guide to Fasting. Dana is also the author of middle grade fantasy My Best Friend Athena which was inspired by a desire to write something her 9 year old daughter could read.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH DANA:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.danahammer.com">https://www.danahammer.com</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>BOOK BUY LINKS:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fanny-Fitzpatrick-Brother-Problem-Hammer/dp/1962308014">https://www.amazon.com/Fanny-Fitzpatrick-Brother-Problem-Hammer/dp/1962308014</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144280278">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144280278</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Dana will be awarding a $10 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div></div>
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f4788" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4788/" id="rcwidget_dxwihhtd" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">a Rafflecopter giveaway</span></a>
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Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-68398160566524055582024-02-12T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-12T00:06:38.254-08:00Go, Gabbie, Go! by Hollie Noveletsky - Book Tour - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/01/book-blast-go-gabbie-go-by-hollie.html" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieD_ARTWoZlCJlf72zI6dFkk_ugBh_u4KCPTE97y1FSAF53Rr8gSbkrgt7ZYySMbaWhE3rmQa330fHZlP-Jcp0QTLHs_qAqSwb8iG-IA5mahcTi-c6A66ElKIcdeVNWQSl3bV7UEWpTOzOW1zm5ic1UZ-TZK-lsV71d-xyeAHZc0f9u9KwFdI6Q0NtdXw/w640-h357/TourBanner_Go%20Gabbie%20Go.gif" width="540" /></span></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by <a href="http://www.goddessfish.com">Goddess Fish Promotions</a>. Hollie Noveletsky will award 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.</span></p>
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCdAtiE0kVbL_PTUP0Q_b3_4qXkCxxAY-og_V_OXKLZMZpSV4g-i_NXtTU1D8am5M7mNFI2vF5VOnVGEhbOC8hE_-Prw99C58QmZVgT4gDG4NouypMN6PAwyyH6Tt1QBVUYApJNHVkBzTYb_kTv2drpgtJJvf69TJrTaSDffkvdAIXoQqYDDmNPEUoTM/s3301/BookCover_GoGabbieGo%20Cover.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2772" data-original-width="3301" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCdAtiE0kVbL_PTUP0Q_b3_4qXkCxxAY-og_V_OXKLZMZpSV4g-i_NXtTU1D8am5M7mNFI2vF5VOnVGEhbOC8hE_-Prw99C58QmZVgT4gDG4NouypMN6PAwyyH6Tt1QBVUYApJNHVkBzTYb_kTv2drpgtJJvf69TJrTaSDffkvdAIXoQqYDDmNPEUoTM/w200-h168/BookCover_GoGabbieGo%20Cover.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /><br />Go, Gabbie, Go was written as a gift to my illustrator and friend Gabbie Studley. Gabbie is a young woman with a big dream to fly. The only thing bigger than Gabbie's dream is her heart. Read along as Gabbie achieves her dream of flight. Thank you, Gabbie, for your beautiful illustrations and friendship.</span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="2554" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqlJlvNDjPY0TJVS7JbgXMsuL2c_DnjGKpOqFmuKG19WsrBucPN9Gv0oHw9FjgptdUjbR6_3PpX0hfry2M14Kdm8VPM3yagsC9SiQP5UB6bIXeA2uvnNpicLSVbW49HBpL_qY0d1bnjnXwTf1B3Cxbm_ekTT6BpQ9ogT7lTqEcU8Cepz3iRcw4BkUddY/w640-h250/excerpt-(2).jpg" width="540" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /><b><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></b></span><div><b><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></b><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;">The author is an ornery old woman who lives with her crotchety old husband in the woods of New Hampshire. Her greatest joy is watching her grandson, Pip, on his great adventures.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><u>CONNECT WITH HOLLIE:</u></b><br /><br />
Website: <a href="https://pipsgivingseries.com">https://pipsgivingseries.com</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083314358420">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083314358420</a><br /><br /><b><u>AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK:</u></b><br /><br />
Amazon Buy Link: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Go-Gabbie-Hollie-Noveletsky/dp/0228888182">https://www.amazon.com/Go-Gabbie-Hollie-Noveletsky/dp/0228888182</a><br /><br /><b><u>GIVEAWAY:</u></b><br /><br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f4825" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4825/" id="rcwidget_5erj927e" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span>
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</div></div>Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991050411828355350.post-84359903391654478942024-02-07T00:00:00.000-08:002024-02-07T01:46:48.703-08:00Hand of the Gods by Miriam Newman - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/01/standard-tour-hand-of-gods-by-miriam.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5F_-wX8Q3nt6pIzOIlnCszqxoXQcoZUx22genP7YmtfNPMfjDOYpQD25mx_K04usrmDMqx5jvX9otRod7XumcCRC1GsuO4YN6IdZt5mWCXIghUGFHf7PiCcjcFwAB3Tv2jVMhEBOi-8upL6OK2oI0iUBepNp3mwqYfzAgcJYPbCKIXIKLLXHSOt5v0wnQ/w640-h358/TourBanner_Hand%20of%20the%20Gods%20copy.gif" width="540" /></a></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Hi, lovelies!! It gives
me great pleasure today to host Miriam Newman and her new book, “<i>Hand of the
Gods</i>,” 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.</span></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 16pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $20
Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!
Also, come back daily to interact with Miriam and to increase your
chances of winning!!</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Thanks for stopping
by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck
in this fabulous giveaway!!</span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/01/standard-tour-hand-of-gods-by-miriam.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="676" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03eYU7KNM57AIGw0qKhf2LABkfpPLracSmkFwgePW7HaGrNqO2tmK4rLlX0njniI65uAYtky03EhNP0yjp-bVhdtt4mmUI5eRHJDtNbSuTIorDqVlJFLEsAfBDdopjvNmh2YxlMeZxYUFMC-SRnXJpJIxcHMgpgGVL3lif2jay5lVm02hVnusiaFP_In9/w270-h400/BookCover_Hand%20of%20the%20Gods.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Hand of the Gods<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #00b0f0; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">The Sahra Chronicles Series<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #ffc285; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Book 2<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 22pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">by Miriam Newman</span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">GENRE: Historical
Fantasy Romance</span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="font-family: Righteous; font-size: 16px;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><u>BOOK BLURB:</u></span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Those
who survived the Battle of Grandfather Mountain are said to be in the Hand of
the Gods. No one will need that more
than Sange, sister of Arak clan chieftain Javrik. Drawn to Arman Garimandi, the Omani cavalry
officer who saved her people during the siege, she shocks her family by
marrying him despite her brother's caution that someday he will break her
heart. Blindly in love, she follows
Arman to two different forts where he is ordered. At the first, danger comes unexpectedly in
the form of another woman And at the
second, she finds herself an unwitting pawn--possibly even a prisoner--between
two powerful nations.</span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="font-family: Righteous; font-size: 16px;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><u>EXCERPT ONE:</u></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Sunny
Omana had felt strangely like home to Arman, probably because he had heard
about it all his life. And then, when their army had defeated the Domidian
hordes that had conquered it and sent him to scout the upper portions,
inhabited by nomadic Arak tribes, finally he knew life had given him another
chance, probably undeserved after the things he had done, but a chance all the
same.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">He
was looking at her now, sitting on her small Arak horse, framed against vast
green plains below them where wind moved in circles and waves through wild
grasses. Low purple and tan foothills rose from them, shadowed by clouds, and
beyond those were mountains so steep that snowcapped them even in the midst of
summer. Domidians on the other side had never crossed them in force. That was
why the eastern portion of Arak lands, where Sange had never been, was spared
the slaughter those in the center faced as Domidians who had occupied southern
Omana fled forces drawn from the compact of nations who freed it from them. Now
those mountains harbored their remnants, swelling ranks of brigands who had
been there for years. It was a dangerous place, but she had packed up and taken
horse with him when his orders sent him there. Just as his father’s Emperator
had sent him to exile in a foreign land, the one in Arman’s time had done the
same. The difference was that in his, Arman had found the last woman he would
ever love.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Wisps
of hair had escaped her headscarf, strands of gold flying in the wind,
occasionally touching her sculpted cheeks. She had a mouth made for kissing and
eyes as green as gems, oddly ringed with a darker shade outlining the iris like
some elfin creature. Every feature was delicate, her body a wonder and a
pleasure to him. She was young and she was hope, when he had lost all of his.</span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="font-family: Righteous; font-size: 16px;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><u>GUEST POST:</u></span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Everyone loves a hero!
Tell us all about this genuine character and the inspiration behind
their development.</span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Boy,
oh boy, do I love this hero, and I really didn’t expect to. Arman Garimandi, whose name makes my other
characters laugh because they think it sounds like a rhyme, began as a minor
character in Book I of the series, <b><i><span style="color: #00b0f0;">Light of
the Gods</span></i></b>.</span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">In
that book, my main character is an Arak nomad chieftain’s son, Javrik. Finding his peaceful, pastoral tribe
threatened by rampaging invaders, he realizes his warriors and weapons are
outmatched and he goes looking for allies.
The ones he finds are a small contingent of foreign cavalry commanded by
Arman.</span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">By
the time I had exhausted my pretty comprehensive mental inventory of ancient
and Medieval weapons and battle tactics and assigned them to Arman, I fell in
love with the way he used them. And even amidst all this chaos, he still finds
time to meet Javrik’s sister, win her and marry her just when they think
they’re all going to be annihilated.
That’s my kind of guy. He
deserved his own book and got it in <b><i><span style="color: #00b0f0;">Hand of
the Gods</span></i></b>.</span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="font-family: Righteous; font-size: 16px;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><u>AUTHOR BIO:</u></span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">I
fell in love long ago with fantasy poetry driven by myths and legends, as well
as stories of heroes and battles.
Ancient Celtic writings were my special passion, along with the Roman
Empire, Roman Britain, the Norman invasion of England, and tales of the
Vikings. My first book emerged when I
was an...ahem...youthful 52. Well, I’m
not 52 any more and up to 34 books and it’s been a great run.</span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Retired
from many years in social work, now I pass my days writing, researching and
living with a pack of highly demanding rescue dogs. I write in every genre I please and you can
see my books at <a href="http://www.miriamnewman.com">www.miriamnewman.com</a>.</span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="font-family: Righteous; font-size: 16px;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><u>CONNECT WITH MIRIAM:</u></span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Website:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="http://miriamnewman.com">http://miriamnewman.com</a></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Website:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="http://thedarkcastlelords.net">http://thedarkcastlelords.net</a></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Blog:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="http://miriamnewman.com/blog">http://miriamnewman.com/blog</a></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Blog:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="http://thecelticroseblog.blogspot.com">http://thecelticroseblog.blogspot.com</a></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Email:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">mrmireland@aol.com</span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Facebook:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMiriamNewman">https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMiriamNewman</a></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Twitter:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.twitter.com/miriamnewman">https://www.twitter.com/miriamnewman</a></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">BookBub Author Page:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/miriam-newman-cf7ca8bf-caab-4b7e-a6f2-7db5490d9215">https://www.bookbub.com/authors/miriam-newman-cf7ca8bf-caab-4b7e-a6f2-7db5490d9215</a></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Goodreads Author Page:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3146550.Miriam_Newman">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3146550.Miriam_Newman</a></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Amazon Author Page:<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://amzn.to/38ED8hG">https://amzn.to/38ED8hG</a></span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="font-family: Righteous; font-size: 16px;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><u>BOOK BUY LINKS:</u></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/01/standard-tour-hand-of-gods-by-miriam.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="676" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJmmrl0pwcrgFUq0i3aVGibGTKDbQK3135EmlFfOWrA9O_GxYQRgwUYajYHP8NqZJBhlKljNq37XyfPSuSAdNH5Ym39zO1c8qwfBmsO6e59ZwvCJRlquY8orA-aLBnE-bLS_GLdXV4GT90Wi45fO2hJOKFP05AFY_2S61Vc-Rxr2RiS7XbLBdKrqp17WJ/w135-h200/BookCover_Hand%20of%20the%20Gods.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Amazon US Kindle eBook:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://amzn.to/496h131">https://amzn.to/496h131</a></span></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Amazon CA Kindle eBook:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CQQL1SHP">https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CQQL1SHP</a></span></b></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144515969">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144515969</a></span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #339966; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Smashwords eBook:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1497018">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1497018</a></span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="font-family: Righteous; font-size: 16px;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span style="color: #3333ff; font-size: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;"><u>GIVEAWAY INFO:</u></span></span></b></p>
<b><span style="color: #ffc285; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Righteous;">Miriam will award a
$20 Amazon <u>OR</u> Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly
drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.</span></span></b></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f4812" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4812/" id="rcwidget_xv0ro70c" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
<div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">**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**</span></b></span></p>
<b><span style="color: #2f5496; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;">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.</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/01/standard-tour-hand-of-gods-by-miriam.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="900" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6SP7QQaSxFWLMez2dbiCYuXAFWNaU5icaLLlVnSid0MPdVZl81TEC3IpqjPPQB-dXNVMTsbd2vsUyyNFBTldOmAEAQ0X_M2TO2uRluJBrW4Pc0ylx1R4ZX_l75Kf6lFfj3SsPIq7VmMJor9Bpgr3z9-QsCE_09BhBuNU-5s3FR1CEOIFW1dc8ZZy4x4A/w640-h118/WebsiteHeaderforGoogleForm%20copy.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>Ally Swansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11478866573221215579noreply@blogger.com6