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Showing posts with label #travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #travel. Show all posts

Thursday, November 7, 2024

How to React When Woken at 3am by Drunk Argentinian Backpackers While Staying in a Youth Hostel and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips by Simon Yeats - Book Tour - Blurb Blitz - Giveaway - Enter Daily!



How to React When Woken at 3am by Drunk Argentinian Backpackers While Staying in a Youth Hostel and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips
by Simon Yeats

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GENRE:   Non-Fiction Humorous Memoir

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BOOK BLURB:

Book 4 of the hilarious book series that those in the know will want to read when arriving at Paris airport so they laugh so freaking hard that it will intimidate any suspicious characters looking to abduct them and sell them into the human trafficking game.

Life was not meant to be easy, Simon Yeats’ father used to tell him. Well, it sure as hell was not meant to be this bizarre and witty. Australian ex-pat Simon Yeats shares his stories of travel misadventures and dubious personal introspection with comedic insights into the unusual and uproarious elements of living his life abroad. All while having a sense of Wanderlust as pervasive as Mongol hordes in the 12th century.

From how to negotiate getting abused in Los Angeles when you will only drive at 5 miles/hr., to what to do when locked out of your hotel room in your underwear, to the emotions of attempting the world’s second highest bungee when you have a pathological fear of heights, to how to deal with the trials and tribulations of staying in a youth hostel with travelers who have no respect for the other guests.

Simon Yeats has gone into the world and experienced all the out of the ordinary moments for you to sit back and enjoy the experience without the need to empty your bank account, get squeezed sitting in a middle airline seat, or deal with border security at the Ukraine/Russia boundary.

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EXCERPT TWO:

I stagger out of bed. I am barely able to stand. It is not the effects of the alcohol in my system, but the ungodly bodily confusion of being abruptly woken from a rapidly achieved deep sleep. The decline in physical coordination is no different than pounding six whiskey shots with beer chasers over a two-hour period and then waking up the next morning with a massive hangover after passing out in a large coil of rope in the parking lot of a casino.

My mind swirls fretfully with questions. Is it Con? But why would he be pounding on the door if he has a room key? Was the self-serve burrito from 7-11 that far past its due date that he got Salmonella and lost his mind?

Was it hotel security coming to notify me they found my wallet on the floor of the front lobby? Surely they would be more discreet at 1 am than to take to my room door like they were Seal Team 6 bursting in on Osama bin Laden.

Was it Jack the Ripper?

Of the three possibilities, the final one seemed to be the most probable as I stumbled across my hotel room in my underpants.

I pull open the door to reveal a completely naked man standing in the hallway outside.

Sweet mother of God!

That was not one of my three options.

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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS:


Simon Yeats has lived nine lives, and by all estimations, is fast running out of the number he has left. His life of globetrotting the globe was not the one he expected to lead. He grew up a quiet, shy boy teased by other kids on the playgrounds for his red hair. But he developed a keen wit and sense of humor to always see the funnier side of life.

With an overwhelming love of travel, a propensity to find trouble where there was none, and being a passionate advocate of mental health, Simon’s stories will leave a reader either rolling on the floor in tears of laughter, or breathing deeply that the adventures he has led were survived.

No author has laughed longer or cried with less restraint at the travails of life.

Amazon Author Page:

TikTok:

Instagram:

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GIVEAWAY:

Yeats will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner.


 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, September 6, 2024

How to React When Woken at 3AM by Drunk Argentinian Backpackers While Staying in a Youth Hostel and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips by Yeats - Book Tour - Cover Reveal - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Welcome to the Cover Reveal of Book Four of the LESSER KNOWN TRAVEL TRIPS series, How to React When Woken at 3am by Drunk Argentinian Backpackers While Staying in a Youth Hostel and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips. Yeats will be awarding a $20 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.

Book 4 of the hilarious book series that those in the know will want to read when arriving at Paris airport so they laugh so freaking hard that it will intimidate any suspicious characters looking to abduct them and sell them into the human trafficking game.
Life was not meant to be easy, Simon Yeats’ father used to tell him. Well, it sure as hell was not meant to be this bizarre and witty. Australian ex-pat Simon Yeats shares his stories of travel misadventures and dubious personal introspection with comedic insights into the unusual and uproarious elements of living his life abroad. All while having a sense of Wanderlust as pervasive as Mongol hordes in the 12th century.
From how to negotiate getting abused in Los Angeles when you will only drive at 5 miles/hr., to what to do when locked out of your hotel room in your underwear, to the emotions of attempting the world’s second highest bungee when you have a pathological fear of heights, to how to deal with the trials and tribulations of staying in a youth hostel with travelers who have no respect for the other guests.
Simon Yeats has gone into the world and experienced all the out of the ordinary moments for you to sit back and enjoy the experience without the need to empty your bank account, get squeezed sitting in a middle airline seat, or deal with border security at the Ukraine/Russia boundary.

EXCERPT ONE:


Big Wednesday was my first day at work as a liftie on the Burgess Creek lift at the Steamboat ski resort as a wide-eyed 20-year-old. I do not remember the exact date, but I am absolutely certain it was a Wednesday because everyone who was present at the resort that day referred to it as ‘big Wednesday.’

Overnight, between ‘ordinary Tuesday’ and ‘big Wednesday,’ the town and resort received a mammoth amount of snowfall. It absolutely dumped. A biblical amount of snow. Even though I do not recall snow being mentioned once in either the old testament or the new testament. But I could have missed the reference.

And Moses went up the mountain at God’s direction and there was fresh dump of powder snow, and he cried out, “ye verily, gonna cut me some wicked turns.”

To get to work on my first day, I take the shortcut straight down the hill to the main road and bus stop. I am decked out in my official Steamboat resort onesie ski suit. The snow level is over my belly button. It is like wading through waist high surf for a half mile.

I scramble onto the bus, and I am on my knees huffing and puffing while dripping with sweat.

An inauspicious start to the day.

AUTHOR BIO:

Simon Yeats has lived nine lives, and by all estimations, is fast running out of the number he has left. His life of globetrotting the globe was not the one he expected to lead. He grew up a quiet, shy boy teased by other kids on the playgrounds for his red hair. But he developed a keen wit and sense of humor to always see the funnier side of life.

With an overwhelming love of travel, a propensity to find trouble where there was none, and being a passionate advocate of mental health, Simon’s stories will leave a reader either rolling on the floor in tears of laughter, or breathing deeply that the adventures he has led were survived.

No author has laughed longer or cried with less restraint at the travails of life.

CONNECT WITH YEATS:


Amazon Author Page:
TikTok:

Instagram:

AMAZON BUY LINKS:



Amazon US Kindle eBook:

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:




**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Lesser Known Travel Tips Series by Yeats - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Lesser Known Travel Tips Series
Books 1 - 3
by Simon Yeats


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GENRE:   Humor / Memoir

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BOOK SERIES BLURB:

The Lesser Known Travel Tips memoirs are a hilarious series of travel misadventures and dubious personal introspection by Australian author Simon Yeats, who from an early age learned that the best way to approach the misfortunes of this world is to laugh about them.

Simon shares his comedic insights into the unusual and uproarious elements of living life as an Aussie ex-pat and having a sense of Wanderlust as pervasive as the Spanish Flu in 1918 or hordes of Mongols in 12th Century.

From how to keep yourself entertained when unwittingly forced to watch 11 hours of live sumo wrestling in Japan, to surviving heartbreak in India at the hands of a French flight attendant, to 48 hours spent in Nepal that qualify as the funniest most gut wrenching travel experience since Captain Bligh was set adrift in the Pacific, to his unsuccessful attempts at avoiding going to a brothel in Thailand. From what to do when several people converge to rob you after midnight on a deserted Copacabana Beach, to how to save the Sierra Mountain Range from a wildfire outbreak due to a lack of quality toilet paper, to where not to go in Tijuana when trying to locate the origins to stories of the city’s mythical adult entertainment, to how to save yourself from drowning when caught in a storm while sailing off the California coast. From how to outwit the Italian police while trying to find parking in downtown Genoa, to how to negotiate exploring the Roman ruins of Plovdiv, Bulgaria while on crutches, to how to impress the German Mafia with 80s dance moves, to how to leave a lasting impression on a crowded bar in Gothenburg, Sweden after combining alcohol and antibiotics.

Simon Yeats has gone into the world and experienced all the out of the ordinary moments for you to sit back and enjoy the experience without the need to break a leg, contract Dengue fever, or rupture a pancreas.

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EXCERPT FIVE:


From How to Survive Making Yourself Look Silly While Dancing with the German Mafia at a Bavarian Nightclub and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips - Book Three

British Airways flight BA114 from JFK to London Heathrow landed on time at 9.20am on Friday, March 14th.

Kid in candy store meets the ultimate sugar rush.

Twenty-nine years, 351 days after I was born, I finally step foot in the country that gave humanity the names of every square on the Monopoly board. If my doctor was worried about my impulsive behavior being a sign of ADHD when I was five, then the entire medical fraternity would be absolutely perturbed seeing the level of hyperactivity I have walking through Heathrow customs at age 29 years and 351 days.

Children would not get this excited waiting to be served a stick of cotton candy at the state fair after snorting cocaine.

But today is what life is all about. Moments of pure joy like this.

I walk out of the arrivals gate and am greeted by a mass of people in thick overcoats, gloves, and parkas. I am in shorts. The weather in New York had been unseasonably warm, such that I felt comfortable enough wearing shorts to go to the airport. The weather in London was the same. Brisk but not freezing. And I have so much energy just from the exhilaration of being here that I am sweating. Everyone stares at me like I am Taylor Swift, wearing a scuba mask, while breastfeeding a baby in public.

My good mates Sheilds and Jim are at the airport to pick me up. They have no trouble picking me out of the crowd. I look like I am on a pogo stick bouncing along inside the steady stream of travelers who are not anywhere near as thrilled as I am to be here.

Sheilds’ eyes go as wide as saucers when she sees what I am wearing.

“Why on earth are you in shorts?”

“Can we drive past Big Ben on the way to your home?”

“Don’t you think you will be cold?”

“Is there a fish and chip shop close by, where we can get some fish and chips wrapped in newspaper?”

“It is chilly outside.”

“What are we going to see first? Trafalgar Square? Piccadilly Circus? Euston Road?”

“Don’t you have any warm clothes?”

“How long would it take us to drive to Loch Ness?”

The entire drive from the airport to Putney, they could not understand why I was not shivering with cold. I could not understand why they were not jumping out of their skin with excitement we were in London.

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GUEST POST:

Background of the Lesser Known Travel Tips Book Series

My book series Lesser Known Travel Tips is all about discovering everything a person would want to find out about themselves and the world through traveling and from the spectacular disasters that can happen when away from home and then how to frame those failures in a positive light so that on your return home the slide night doesn’t turn into a real downer for all your guests. (For younger readers, slide night is what people used to do in the 70’s and 80’s after they came home from a vacation and they would show slides to all their friends who would come to the house.)

I have had my fair share of spectacular debacles while traveling and living abroad and I carry them like a badge of honor. Everyone has been to the Eiffel Tower, but how many people go to the Eiffel Tower and end up enraging a group of scam artists trying to bilk naïve tourists out of their money by playing a rigged game of find the ball under the cup? Is it my fault that I know how they are cheating and loudly exclaim it to the group of spectators who have amassed around them? That was a community service. Most people would just stay silent and be embarrassed to speak up. I used to be like that as well. But the experiences that a person has when traveling will change them for the better, always for the better, and that is the purpose of the book series. To show people it is okay to be afraid of the world but to get out there and see it, anyway. It is okay to be a fish out of water, we all are, but if you keep your eyes and ears open and your head down, you will more than probably end up with an enthralling story or two to tell your guests on slide night that will make them more considerate of the fact you opted for the much cheaper wine option at the store that you are now serving them.

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

AUTHOR BIO:


Simon Yeats has lived nine lives, and by all estimations, is fast running out of the number he has left. His life of globetrotting the globe was not the one he expected to lead. He grew up a quiet, shy boy teased by other kids on the playgrounds for his red hair. But he developed a keen wit and sense of humor to always see the funnier side of life.

With an overwhelming love of travel, a propensity to find trouble where there was none, and being a passionate advocate of mental health, Simon’s stories will leave a reader either rolling on the floor in tears of laughter, or breathing deeply that the adventures he has led were survived.

No author has laughed longer or cried with less restraint at the travails of life.

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

CONNECT WITH YEATS:

Amazon Author Page:

TikTok:

Instagram:

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AMAZON BUY LINKS - HOW TO START A RIOT IN A BROTHEL IN THAILAND BY ORDERING A BEER AND OTHER LESSER KNOWN TRAVEL TIPS - BOOK ONE:


Amazon US Kindle eBook:

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

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AMAZON BUY LINKS - HOW TO AVOID GETTING MUGGED IN RIO DE JANERIO BY SINGING SONGS BY THE POLICE AND OTHER LESSER KNOWN TRAVEL TIPS  - BOOK TWO:


Amazon US Kindle eBook:

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

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AMAZON BUY LINKS - HOW TO SURVIVE MAKING YOURSELF LOOK SILLY WHILE DANCING WITH THE GERMAN MAFIA AT A BAVARIAN NIGHTCLUB AND OTHER LESSER KNOWN TRAVEL TIPS - BOOK THREE:


Amazon US Kindle eBook:

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

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

GIVEAWAY:

Yeats will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

Thursday, August 15, 2024

The Lonely Australian of the Asian Night by Gregory Pakis - Book Tour - Book Blast - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Gregory Pakis will be awarding a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner. Please click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Hookers and hawkers.
Mosques and mosquitos.
Paul has had enough of Southeast Asia.
He's only here ‘cos it's cheap.
He's on the run from police after leaving Australia.
No, that place wasn't much better either.
Well, it was when he was young.
When his life was full of promise. An up-and-coming boxer. And he had friends. And fun.
Then a bit of bad luck later and he found himself on the run in outback Australia. Paranoid. Hiding from shadows. The heat. The dust. The sweat.

Next stop, Southeast Asia.
EXCERPT ONE:

Cigarette in mouth, Paul stood on the hotel balcony and stared nervously out into the hot Cambodian night. He hated Asia. He didn’t know why so many loved it. Of course deep down he knew - cheap holidays. But to Paul, Asia was hell - hot, dangerous and always just a bit of bad luck away from some sort of disaster.

Not much could be seen from his balcony. His hotel was down a small street off the main road that led to the tourist centre of Siem Riep. He could see people drifting down the main road, mostly tourists clutching dollar beers. Directly across from him was the construction site of a new hotel.

Paul took another drag from his cigarette, grabbed his beer off the balcony railing and walked back into the hotel room. He looked at his boots next to his duffel bag. He was sick of those stinky boots. He looked at the grime on the duffel bag. That grime was from India. Indian grime was unique. Black. Oily. Nowhere else that he had been in Asia left that kind of grime. It came mostly off the train floors. As he stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray, he remembered what his feet looked like in thongs at the end of those long train trips - black.

AUTHOR BIO:


Gregory Pakis is an Australian author, film-maker, actor and wacky vlogger. He has written the short story, The Lonely Australian of the Asian Night; the soon to be released horror-suspense novellas, The Regressor and He., and Memoir of a Suburban Hoe-Bo, which is partly an account of when he lived out of a van for ten years in Melbourne.

Gregory Pakis is also the writer / director of the feature films, The Garth Method (2005) and The Joe Manifesto (2013), which have won national and international awards and been distributed through Accent Entertainment, Label, Vanguard Cinema.

Gregory's more informal video projects are the feature documentaries, Garth Goes Hitch-Hiking (2007) and Garth Lives in a Van (2011) which have screened at film festivals in Australia.

More recently, he has created the comedy series, suBURPieS and his Wacky Vlog which can found on his socials.

Gregory has been featured in articles in newspapers, The Age, The Herald Sun, Beat Magazine, Inpress, FILMINK, and the Neos Kosmos. He has been interviewed on radio by the ABC, 3RRR, SYN FM, 3CR.

CONNECT WITH GREGORY:
 
Website - Books:

Website - Films:

Website - Media Kit:



AMAZON BUY LINKS:


Amazon US Kindle eBook:

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

Amazon AU Kindle eBook:



**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those fabulous community outreach projects and awesome giveaways on here**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Resilience Stories and Lessons From An Ardent Photographer by Ron B. Wilson - Blurb Blitz - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Ron B. Wilson and his new book, “Resilience Stories and Lessons From An Ardent Photographer”!  For other stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Ron and to increase your chances of winning!

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

Resilience Stories and Lessons From An Ardent Photographer

by Ron B. Wilson

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GENRE: Travel, Photography

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

BLURB:

Ron B. Wilson's impressive 30-year career as a professional traveling photographer has taken him all across the United States and the world, from Cuba and India to South Africa and Morocco. Always with his camera in hand, Ron has captured moments of unforgettable history, including the tragedy of 9/11 and the fallout of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The common theme that binds all these stories together has been undefeatable resilience. Ron's journey will inspire readers to live, learn and better understand the everyday struggles of communities across our vast planet. Photographers eager to learn more about their craft will find practical lessons accompanying every story, and non-photographers can appreciate the life lessons that come from the art of capturing the human condition. For lovers of travel, photography, art or humanitarianism, this book is a must-read.

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

EXCERPT ONE:

Just before 9 a.m. on September 11, 2001, I got a phone call from my friend Lilly, a photojournalist working for the Miami Herald. She told me there was a small plane crash at the World Trade Center, near my place, and wondered if I could go downtown to shoot some photos. We both interned for the Herald years ago, and if nothing else, she figured, I could get published in the paper.

I quickly got up, grabbed my gear, film and batteries, and ran out the door.

I lived on 23rd Street in New York City, near a subway stop. Leaving my apartment, I walked into a splendid September day: low humidity, abundant sunshine. It was a Tuesday, primary day for the upcoming municipal elections, which would decide the successor of Rudy Giuliani. Later that day, the polls would close early and end up being postponed for two weeks.

I jumped on the downtown 6 Train, anxiously wondering what was happening. All the other riders were already talking about “the accident” in ominous voices and hushed tones, an air of mystery wafting throughout the crammed train.

I made it to Canal Street before the entire train line stopped. The conductor’s voice crackled over the intercom, informing us that trains were no longer traveling southbound. Our journey was over. We needed to get off.

By the time I peeked above ground, having climbed what seemed like endless stairs ascending into the streets of lower Manhattan, I already knew this was no accident.

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

AUTHOR BIO:

Ron B. Wilson's impressive 30-year career as a professional traveling photographer has taken him all across the United States and the world, from Cuba and India to South Africa and Morocco. Always with his camera in hand, Ron has captured moments of unforgettable history, including the tragedy of 9/11 and the fallout of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The common theme that binds all these stories together has been undefeated resilience. Ron's journey will inspire readers to live, learn and better understand the everyday struggles of communities across our vast planet. Photographers eager to learn more about their craft will find practical lessons accompanying every story, and non-photographers can appreciate the life lessons that come from the art of capturing the human condition. For lovers of travel, photography, art or humanitarianism, this book is a must-read.

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CONNECT WITH RON:

Main Website:

https://artstyleflow.com

Portrait Website:

http://www.ronbwilson.com/newsite

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/ronnie.wilson.739

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/ronbwilson

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/ronbwilson

YouTube – Recent Speech on Book:

https://youtu.be/ABgPFg5iZ14

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronbwilson

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ron-b-wilson

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/resilience-stories-and-lessons-from-an-ardent-photographer-by-ron-b-wilson

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20961383.Ron_B_Wilson

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56248324-resilience-stories-and-lessons-from-an-ardent-photographer

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/2PawBGF

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/2NJ47Ua

Amazon Paperback:

https://amzn.to/394pMNZ

Amazon Audiobook:

https://amzn.to/2QwPW5L

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/resilience-stories-and-lessons-from-an-ardent-photographer-ron-b-wilson/1138639670

The Book Depository Paperback:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Resilience-Stories-and-Lessons-From-An-Ardent-Photographer-Ron-B-Wilson/9780578808307

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Resilience-Stories-Lessons-From-Ardent/Ron-B-Wilson/9780578808307

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Fragments of French, an Unexpected Journey of the Heart by Wanda St. Hilaire - Book Blast - Book Trailer - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Hi, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Wanda St. Hilaire and her new book, “Fragments of French, an Unexpected Journey of the Heart”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win an exciting prize pack including fabulous prizes such as a ribboned beret, a Paris coin bag, AND an eBook copy of the featured book!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Wanda and to increase your chances of winning!

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


Fragments of French, an Unexpected
Journey of the Heart
by Wanda St. Hilaire

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

GENRE: Memoir (Travel)

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

BLURB:

After a harsh brush with her mortality, shadowed by a premature divorce, Wanda St. Hilaire pledges to be true to her primary passion—living ardently through travel. On the fateful day her life intersects with Jean-François, a charming Frenchman, on a bustling street in Lisbon, every fiber of her being feels as though she has finally entered the doorway to a magical world that she knew existed since she was a young girl.

St. Hilaire turns a complicated romantic ballet full of missteps into a collage of people, places, and cultures. Fragments of French is an exquisitely detailed travelogue of Portugal, Canada, France, and Mexico, filled with minor characters who delight with their humanity. However, what really makes this tale a standout is a gift for pacing and description to rival Tom Wolfe.

The hero’s journey is not only for the characters of our favorite stories or mythical legends. At some point, each of us receives the call to adventure. Fate summons the hero; we can refuse the call, or step into something that will turn our lives upside down, and potentially change everything we know to be true.

From feeling “completely disarmed, no fortress standing”, to embracing her untethered strength, the author turns this account of living life out loud into lessons for us all.

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

EXCERPT FOUR:

French words from my childhood pop into my head at opportune moments, surprising me. On our family visits, my French grandfather whom, to my seven-year-old eyes, looked like a wizened turtle, walked me to the cheese factory near his home. Hand in hand, we would saunter ever so slowly, and he would mutter foreign words to me. His horrid wife, Step grand-mère—the Wicked Witch of Winnipeg—made the grandchildren speak only French in her presence, and I am oddly grateful to her at this moment.

Jean-François asks if I am concerned about our age difference. To my mind, age is determined by the essence and energy of a person. I have known people who are biologically thirty, yet exude the air of a person many decades older. I know my energy is younger than my thirty-five years, and this is what concerns him, but the eight years between us is as insignificant as dust in the wind.   

The castle looms over this ancient section of the city, making the evening more dream-like. The cultural blend and integration of the inhabitants creates an exotic atmosphere. With Brazilian, Latin, and African influences from the former Portuguese colonies, I am moved by the cadence and archaic soul of the music. My body involuntarily sways to each new rhythm, and I close my eyes to breathe in the antiquity of my surroundings.

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BOOK TRAILER:


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AUTHOR BIO:


Her prime passion is the thrill of travel—of experiencing other cultures, traditions, lifestyles, and languages—thus expanding her perspective.

Wanda St. Hilaire has a predilection and passion for all things Latin, and she believes life is too short not to do what you love, where you love. She spends time writing in Mexico for inspiration, and to escape the frozen landscapes of Alberta.

Through writing, St. Hilaire shares what she’s learned from the high peaks of adventure and love, to the dark valleys of illness and heartbreak. Her mission is to help people overcome the self, and tap into their wise inner guidance system. Her wish is to inspire others to live true to their unique and beautiful nature.

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CONNECT WITH WANDA:

Website:

Website:

Blog:

Email:
destinoex@aol.com

Facebook:

Twitter:

Pinterest:

LinkedIn:

Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page:

Amazon Author Page:

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AMAZON BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

Amazon Paperback:

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

GIVEAWAY INFO:


Wanda will be awarding a ribboned beret & Paris coin bag with an E-book of Fragments of French to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.  International offer.


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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.