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Thursday, August 25, 2022

Who Says You Can't Go Home? by Andria Henry - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Andria Henry and her new book, “Who Says You Can't Go Home?” here on FAB!!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

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

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

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

Camden Lake Series

Book One

by Andria Henry

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GENRE:  Contemporary Romance

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BLURB:

When Toronto party girl Kylie is fired from her perfect job, she's forced to do the one thing she never wanted to do: go home. Returning to her sleepy hometown is her definition of failure. She drags herself back to the lakeside town of Camden with her tail between her legs, and she'll do whatever it takes to get back to the big city.

When Derek runs a routine traffic stop on a speeder, the one person he never expects to see in Camden again is Kylie. In fact, he barely recognizes her. She doesn't look like the quiet, sweet girl he had a crush on in high school.

Kylie's brother offers her a job back in the city if she can prove she’s changed her ways. She finds the perfect opportunity, but it means working with Derek to save the town’s waterfront. Can she look past their feud and get the job done?

Can she avoid falling in love with him and complicating her plans to return to the big city?

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EXCERPT THREE:

Derek had arranged to meet with Kylie the next day. She had asked for a few days to make some phone calls, and they were meant to meet at the cafĂ© that morning. His stomach roiled thinking about how completely immature he’d been the night before.

He was off duty and found himself unsure of how to dress. Normally he would have just thrown on jeans, whatever plain T-shirt was at the front of the drawer, and a long sleeve plaid shirt over top. When he checked his outfit in the mirror, everything looked so country.

It wasn’t like he was going to show up in a three-piece suit, but he didn’t want to feel like a bumpkin talking with her. Everyone else in their group of conspirators was either working or had family obligations, so it was only going to be the two of them. Plus, he should probably try to make a good impression and start over. In the end, he went with jeans and a tee, but threw on a navy blue knit sweater over top.

“Whoa,” Cate said when he came down the stairs to find her and Charlie sitting at the kitchen table. “Why are you so dressed up?”

“Meeting,” Derek mumbled and stalked over to the coffee maker.

“Uh huh.” Her eyebrow rose.

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GUEST POST:

Four Ways to Deal with Rejection as a Writer

Rejection in life is hard. Rejection in publishing is inevitable.

Even the best of the best of New York Times bestselling authors knows the sting of rejection. In fact, Stephen King tells in his book On Writing about a long nail he stuck into the wall above his typewriter at the beginning of his career. Every time he received yet another rejection letter, he would push it on to the nail with the rest and let it fuel his determination to keep writing.

Of course, knowing that rejection happens to every writer is one thing, but dealing with that punch in the gut when it comes your way is entirely another.

So, from my own experience, I give you: Four Ways to Deal with Rejection as a Writer (or just a human really)

1.)   Let go of the illusion of control. Once you’ve written a story and put it out in the world you have relinquished control of it. You can’t control how anyone else will receive it, interpret it, or feel about it. It’s out of your hands. The only thing you can control is that next story, so keep writing.

2.)   You are not your work. As writers, we put our heart and soul into our artform. It’s really easy to feel like a rejection of our work is a personal attack. But we have to keep reminding ourselves that one book or one story is not even our whole career, let along our whole selves. So, when that rejection comes, take some time to do something you love that is not writing. Give your heart a chance to remember that you also love painting, or dancing, or roller skating, or that you’re a killer board game player, or that you make the best chocolate chip cookies. There are so many more aspects of YOU. And YOU aren’t going to let this rejection keep you down for long.

3.)   Celebrate the process. You know what I did with my very first rejection letter? I posted about in on social media, I told all my friends, I gave it pride of place on the giant white board that hangs above my desk. You know why? I was PROUD. That was my first real proof that I was doing the work. I not only wrote a book, but I polished it and put it out into the world. Did you know that most of all books ever written are never even finished? Celebrate each victory as it comes; they are all important!

4.)   Never stop learning. Sometimes, our skills just aren’t there yet and that’s okay. Sometimes we have this amazing idea and this grand plan for the most epic of stories, but our skills in writing craft just don’t match up with that vision. Yet. So, we need to approach our writing careers as perpetual students. Take courses, read craft books, find supportive writing groups. Be open to feedback and different opinions, and you’ll find your skills growing until you’re ready to bring that big idea to life.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Andria Henry is the author of adult sweet romance and romantic comedy, as well as young adult and middle grade science fiction and fantasy. She firmly believes that coffee is a food group, the holiday season starts on November 1st, and that stories are our most important resource. She lives with her husband, kids, and furkids in Hamilton, Ontario.

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CONNECT WITH ANDRIA:

Website:

https://www.andriahenry.ca

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/andriahenryauthor

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/andriaontherun

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.ca/andriaontherun

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/andriaontherun

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/andriaontherun

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61069031-who-says-you-can-t-go-home

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/3R7AXJs

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3AnOPZ3

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3dUATOW

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Who-Says-You-Cant-Home-ebook/dp/B09ZSRHP2D

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Who-Says-You-Cant-Home/dp/1957228660

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/who-says-you-cant-go-home-andria-henry/1141450053

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/who-says-you-can-t-go-home-1

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/who-says-you-can-t-go-home-1

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

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


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Silver to the Heart by Brien Feathers - Book Tour - Guest Post - FREE Book!! - Giveaway - Enter Daily!!

Hi, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Brien Feathers and her new book, “Silver to the Heart,” here on FAB!!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $30 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Brien Feathers and to increase your chances of winning!!

This eBook is available for FREE during the book tour!!!  See below for more details.

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

Silver to the Heart

by Brien Feathers

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GENRE:  Dark Fantasy, Urban Fantasy (Adult, Not YA)

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BLURB:

 So begins the apocalypse, with death and a story of love 

An old soul (several centuries old), the lover, fighter, and telekinetic Drake receives an order to safeguard Ana, a mortal with Elder Talent.

Ana, an artist beset by haunting visions, falls for the perfect stranger while venturing home to mediate emergent family chaos.

Past-warlord and present commander Sasuke wields his telepathic might to outwit Council traitors in an effort to save the human realm and its Guardian from a new Dark War.

Criminal and light bender Lou, now sought by the Council to answer for his sins, seeks shelter with the Reverend—an Elder fit to bypass rules of magic meant to be unbreakable.

As time’s last grains of sand deplete, an ancient battle may renew, with pieces of the fractured realm imperiling man’s modern world. Though few on Earth are cognizant, dark days now lie ahead. . .

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One fate, two paths, six singular perspectives, and plethoric danger.

Contemporary fantasy at its polychromic finest—pure delight.

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EXCERPT TWO:

Arrogant men stood different, carried themselves different, and smirked when they should smile. The redhead clearly enjoyed his own company and Ana dug people who loved themselves—narcissists. Her therapist would say that was a problem, but she wasn’t here, so who cared?

Tilting his head in a question and looking directly at her, the redhead arched an eyebrow; she’d been staring at him. A normal person would have smiled, maybe even waved, but Ana rolled her eyes and turned back to the bar. Because I have no game.

“Here, girl,” said the bartender, and her drink appeared. When Ana exchanged her card for the bourbon, he asked, “Open tab?”

“Nah, I’m about to be out of here.”

“Aight girl.”

“Hey, how old is the kid over there? The redhead on the terrace, six o’clock,” asked Ana. She lived alone and had no dignity, so why not?

The bartender stared behind Ana, squinting. “I carded him already.” Yeah, because Ana looked like she was from the liquor license revoking… agency?

“I’ve seen him in here before. He’s all right,” said the bartender answering the question Ana hadn’t asked. “The blonde is hot, though,” he continued.

“Is he looking at me?” Ana asked.

“Nope, he’s looking at the blonde.” With that, he took her card and turned.

Ana threw a glance over her shoulder—carefully. He was talking to a blonde wearing an off-the-shoulder black dress. The woman’s face was turned away from Ana but the snooty attire said ‘not a college kid’.  Perhaps he liked older women, which was good, because Ana wasn’t eighteen or nineteen… or however old he was. At twenty-seven, she was already trying to rob cradles—she would need more than one therapist soon.

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GUEST POST:

Falling in Love with the Main Characters

Silver to the Heart, Book 1 of the Light of Adua series; therefore the entire series, is written with multiple point of view characters. So I have a handful of main characters, not just one, and I love them all. Even the side characters and the villains, I love them. Because if I don’t, why would a reader?

Whenever I give voice to a character, it comes from a place of empathy. Everyone, even villains, think they are doing the right thing— which I think is how real people are.

Set in modern-day New Orleans (most of the time), Light of Adua is a dark fantasy series with vampires who are all centuries old, and at the end of ‘Silver to the Heart’, they are at war with the supernatural. So, I have to fathom, how a diverse cast of characters, some of whom are actual warlords from Japan’s era of Warring States, would behave in such a situation, and I see a lot of grey area for morals and ethics. 

For example, one of my main characters is a 318-year-old Russian telekinetic vampire who’s lived in New Orleans since the founding days of the city— so, he’s southern. At the beginning of ‘Silver to the Heart’, he’s kind, funny, nice, and lives worry-free frequenting bars and courting human women. Whilst on a mission, he falls in love with Ana, a twenty-seven-year-old human girl from Maine. But when the dark war begins his supposed ethics, as well as love for Ana, will be tested.

Vampires in this story are escaped souls from a realm of magic that had fallen to eternal night, and when Drake’s memory of former life awakens, he remembers he loves another. Throughout the series, he has an intense and obsessive relationship with another character whom he claims is like a father to him— a five-hundred-year-old telepathic Japanese warlord vampire. The telepath’s name is Sasuke, and Drake is more protective of him than he is of Ana because he’s known him for over three centuries. And this is how all my characters are: they are complex, have past wounds, and when push comes to shove, they have dark tendencies and compromising morals.

I don’t try to make my characters lovable by forcing black and white good vs evil on them, but I do write them as who they are, so (hopefully) a reader can understand why they do what they do— even if they don’t agree with them. None of my characters meander through the story, they all have strong wills and wants that make them collide with one another.

Even my main villain, a templar knight who’s gone mad, thinks he’s saving the world by ridding it of humans— because he believes humans are evil. This is not in Book 1 by the way, in Book 1, he’s long dead. How does that work? Well, let me show you… Book 1 is perma-free, please give it a shot.

So in short, I don’t set out trying to make characters lovable, but I do hope you fall in love with them as I have, despite their many, many flaws. Because we are all flawed and isn’t that beautiful?

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AUTHOR BIO:

Brien Feathers is a fantasy author living in the land of permanent frost, horses, and Mongols. She likes reading, writing (of course), riding (horses and husbands), drinking dark beer, and checking things off a to-do list.

Although she claims to love everyone equally, she really loves her youngest son the most. He has autism superpowers that allow him to speak all types of rare languages including drumbeats, elevator dings, and police sirens.

Miss Feathers loves grey days, orange cats, and all creatures human or otherwise. And she hopes you will love her world (fantasy) and people (characters) as well.

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CONNECT WITH BRIEN FEATHERS:

Website:

https://brienfeathers.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Brienfantasy

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/brien_feathers

TikTok:

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

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21919155.Brien_Feathers

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59536026-silver-to-the-heart

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/3PNTSb3

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BOOK BUY LINKS & FREE BOOK INFO:

**The Silver to the Heart eBook is available for FREE during the book tour!!!**

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3AG1OXB

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3R8207e

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Silver-Heart-Light-Adua-Book-ebook/dp/B09JJQSDF2

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Silver-Heart-Light-Brien-Feathers/dp/991925696X

Apple Books eBook:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/silver-to-the-heart/id1588444350

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silver-to-the-heart-brien-feathers/1140251834?ean=2940164639587

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silver-to-the-heart-brien-feathers/1140251834?ean=9789919256968

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/silver-to-the-heart

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/silver-to-the-heart

Universal – Books2Read:

https://books2read.com/u/bwakY0

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Brien Feathers will be awarding $30 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Ugly by Kelly Vincent - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hi, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Kelly Vincent and her new book, “Ugly,” here on FAB!!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Kelly and to increase your chances of winning!!

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

Ugly

by Kelly Vincent

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GENRE:   Contemporary YA

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

BLURB:

Sophomore Nic Summers tries to ignore the taunts of “ugly lesbian.”

Because she’s not sure they’re entirely wrong. But she also has bigger concerns for now, including prepping for the school’s art contest. And while she isn't certain of her sexuality, she does know her life is on the verge of falling apart when her best and only friend, Sam, drops the bomb that her family’s moving to Scotland. Together, to soften the blow and distract themselves from the inevitable, they start Operation Social Interaction for Nic—or OSIN for short—to try to find her some new friends.

But it’s an uphill battle for the introverted teen artist.

As Sam’s last day nears, Nic's self-confidence wavers even more, and she starts questioning everything. If lesbian doesn’t feel quite right, maybe she’s transgender? It isn’t until she stumbles across the label “gender nonconforming” that things start to make a little more sense, and fall into place. But finding the right label doesn’t really tell her what to do next, and before she knows it, Sam is gone.

Mustering all her resources, Nic realizes she needs to find her own path and live her own truth.

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EXCERPT ONE:

All afternoon, I obsessed over the whole Carlos thing. Could he really like me?

Admittedly, it could have simply been that I was there, and he was bored. But I didn’t think so. I had a good feeling about this.

About time.

I missed having my eraser in chemistry because I decided to sketch out the periodic table while the teacher rambled on about something or other, and I messed it up counting out the transition metals. Plus, I’d need it over the weekend. Once I was on the bus, I put my headphones on and cranked up some Killers.

My asshole brother Caleb flicked me on the head when he passed me, heading for the back. He was such a douche now.

Still, the only thing in my head was Carlos, and how he maybe liked me.

My best friend Sam—short for Samantha, but she’d die if I called her that—was always getting on my case about not being brave enough socially, so I tried to think of what I could do that would be proactive and maybe even bold. We had a plan, called Operation Social Interaction for Nic—or OSIN for short—to wrangle some friends for me. She’d be proud if I did something on my own. I just had to figure out what.

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

This book is a very intriguing and compelling book about acceptance, diversity, resilience, and overcoming social norms!!

I really enjoyed the strong, inspiring, and encouraging messages the author has skillfully weaved into the story.

This book is on the longer side with 387 pages across 89 chapters.  This book is written with many chapters, some comprising of only a couple pages.

At this time this book is not part of a book series and can be read as a standalone.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend it!!  I think all Contemporary YA book readers and coming-of-age book fans will like this book too!!  So, add it to your TBR List and get to reading – you won’t be disappointed!!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations**

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AUTHOR BIO:

Kelly Vincent wrangles data weekdays and spends the rest of her time playing with words. She grew up in Oklahoma but has moved around quite a bit, with Glasgow, Scotland being her favorite stop. She now lives near Seattle with three cats who help her write her stories by strategically walking across the keyboard, with her first novel, Finding Frances, a fine example of this technique. She has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from Oklahoma City University’s Red Earth program.

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CONNECT WITH KELLY:

Website:

https://kellyvincent.net

Blog:

https://kellyvincent.net/blog

Email:

kelly@kellyvincent.net

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Kelly-Vincent-Young-Adult-Author-106808441724806

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/kvbooks

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/kvbooks

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/kvbooks

TikTok:

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

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kelly-vincent

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/ugly-by-kelly-vincent

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19868573.Kelly_Vincent

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60859050-ugly

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/2HE7K75

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3R5WH8z

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3CGBPAT

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Ugly-honest-heartfelt-gender-nonconforming-ebook/dp/B09YLGV9LX

Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Ugly-Kelly-Vincent/dp/1958342009

Apple Books eBook:

https://books.apple.com/us/book/ugly/id1621261103

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ugly-kelly-vincent/1141396237

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ugly-27

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/ugly-27

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Kelly will be awarding a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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

Monday, August 22, 2022

Them Days by Glenn P. Booth - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hello, lovelies!!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Glenn P. Booth and his new book, “Them Days,” here on FAB!!  For other stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Glenn and to increase your chances of winning!!

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

Them Days

by Glenn P. Booth

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

GENRE:   Fiction – Historical – Coming of Age

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

BLURB:

“This heartfelt story grabs the reader from the very start and doesn’t let go. Fans of historical fiction are in for a treat.” – The Prairies Book Review

Discrimination, war in Europe, a pandemic. . .

Sofiya, a young Ukrainian immigrant, experiences all of this and more. It could be 2022, but it's Manitoba in the early 1900s.

Sofiya is the third consecutive girl born on a poor homestead near Gimli in 1903. She is bright and feisty but nothing more is expected of her than to be a domestic, and at age thirteen she is sent to be a maid to a wealthy family in Winnipeg. There, she experiences the condescension of the English towards the 'Bohunks', while her half-brother is interned during WW1, deemed an enemy alien.

While the Great War is raging in Europe, an undeclared war between the classes is being fought at home. This conflict comes to a head in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 when the working classes rise up against their English masters, shut down the city and demand a better deal. The city is divided and everyone must choose a side.

Them Days takes you on Sofiya's journey, as she discovers what it means to be an immigrant and a woman, struggling to find love and her identity – at the same time that Canada is breaking free from Mother England's apron strings.

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EXCERPT ONE:

“In them days, we wuz poor but happy.”

You’re probably laughing at how trite this is. But I’ve heard my sister Helen, and several other members of my family, speak those exact words more times than I care to remember. And it’s exactly how they remember “Them Days.”

For us, Them Days goes back to growing up north of Winnipeg on marginal farmland at the turn of the 20th century. Like tens of thousands of Ukrainian and other Eastern European immigrants, my family had come searching for a better life in Canada, lured by the promise of free land.

For the most part, the promises were kept, although, as it would turn out, a few “extras” were thrown into the deal. Unfortunately for my family, like many Ukrainians, they had requested land with wood on it. Back in the old country, they had often frozen through long winters on the Steppes because of a lack of wood for building fires. The Canadian government’s land agent obliged, and they were given some scratchy stony ground near Gimli, Manitoba, where the fertile prairie gives way to swampy Boreal forest. But it had wood!

With this endowment, it was bound to be a hard life. But my sister still remembers it as a time of happiness.

Memories—how they play tricks on us—and how they vary from person to person. It never ceases to amaze me how my family members remember the same events so differently.

It was a warm June day in 1982, the last time the seven of us who had survived to late adulthood had gotten together for an informal family reunion. We were sitting in my youngest sister’s trailer, which was parked on the old family homestead. None of us were regular drinkers, but the occasion had inspired my brothers to have a little whiskey, and my sisters and I were sipping some white wine.

Sure enough, whether it was the heat, the alcohol, or just our age and the occasion, my siblings waxed maudlin. And it didn’t take long before Helen spoke those familiar words, “In them days…,” and my brothers nodded in agreement. Soon, happy stories of Them Days came pouring out like a prairie river spilling over its banks in the spring.

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GUEST POST:

Fierce Female Lead Characters: How to Create Strong Role Models in Books

One what might ask why, as an older white male, I’ve published two novels with a strong female lead character in each book?

For me the answer is simple. My parents split before I was four, my father left never to be seen again, and my brother and I were raised by a single mom. When she died just before my 14th birthday, we ended up living with our grandmother, whose husband was a lifelong alcoholic. I grew up seeing how challenging life is for women, particularly under difficult circumstances. When I began writing, it seemed natural to me to honour the women in my life and, by extension, all women who are struggling for equality and freedom of expression.

So what are the important aspects of developing strong female characters?

1.)   They have to face challenges, normally from both their family and from society

2.)   Their family/society has expectations for them that don’t match their dreams and aspirations

3.)   It’s a struggle to pursue their dreams and to pursue what they believe is right. They face setbacks and there are costs to their actions, such as being alienated from their family and losing friends

What are the key traits of strong female characters?

1.)   They are persistent!  They continue to pursue what they believe in no matter how often they get knocked down by friends, family, co-workers, on-line haters, etc.

2.)   They are self-reliant! They may have doubts about themselves, but life quickly teaches them that if they want to get where they want to go, they have to rely on themselves (although they may of course seek allies).

3.)   They’re not perfect! They make mistakes, may mis-judge people and situations, and aren’t always the smartest person in the room. They have quirks/flaws to which readers can relate and which will endear them to those same readers; e.g. sleeping in and missing appts, binge eating, fretting over appearance issues, falling for jerks, etc.

4.)   They are true to themselves! No matter how much society tries to force them to conform, they fight to hold on to their identities, whether they be gay, bi, atheist, a jock, a nerd, whatever – they don’t let the world change their fundamentals.

5.)   They are resilient!  I know this is somewhat of a restatement of #1, but I think resiliency is the most important characteristic of strong female characters both in novels and in life.

Why is it important to have strong female characters in novels?

1.)   Throughout history, society (largely men) have tried to force women to conform to societal norms, with little regard to women’s needs.

2.)   I’d like to believe that part of the human experience should be that we all have the opportunity to develop to our full potential, and women have too often been ‘kept down’ by society.

3.)   By depicting strong female characters who can overcome society’s restraints and taboos, hopefully we can inspire young women to aspire to be all that they can be. When women can grow closer to their true potential, we’ll all be better off.

Q.  So why should you read “Them Days”.

A.  Sofiya is an engaging lead female character who faces and overcomes numerous challenges faced by Ukrainian immigrants to Canada. Although it’s a story set in the past century, it is very much relevant to the issues we are facing today.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Glenn was born and raised in Winnipeg, where he lived with his Ukrainian grandmother, Helen Lesko, after he and his brother were orphaned just before his fourteenth birthday. He grew up listening to Helen’s stories about ‘Them Days’ growing up on the homestead near Gimli, and life in Winnipeg in the late 1910s and 1920s.

Glenn attended the University of Manitoba and the University of Alberta where he respectively obtained his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts (Economics) degrees. Among other jobs, he subsequently worked with Canada’s National Energy Board, where he held positions including Chief Economist, Executive Director of Corporate Planning and External Relations, and Executive Director of Communications and Human Resources.

Glenn has published one other novel, Demons in Every Man, a murder mystery set in the Calgary oil patch, published by Friesen Press in 2019.

The author lives in Calgary with his Brazilian-born wife of 36 years, Elisabeth. Glenn and Elisabeth have two grown sons who are now successfully making their way in the world. Glenn enjoys returning to Winnipeg every summer to visit with his cousins and old friends, and to enjoy cottage life on Lake Winnipeg. While in Calgary, he loves scrambling and hiking in the Rockies, as well as mountain biking and X-country skiing with friends. Of course, Glenn is also an avid reader.

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CONNECT WITH GLENN:

Website:

https://glennpboothauthor.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/GlennPBooth

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19300151.Glenn_P_Booth

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60980642-them-days

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon US Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/3PJBmR0

Amazon US Paperback:

https://amzn.to/3ACOz9W

Amazon US Hardcover:

https://amzn.to/3Cr6922

Amazon CA Kindle eBook:

https://www.amazon.ca/Them-Days-Glenn-P-Booth-ebook/dp/B09YNSK548

 Amazon CA Paperback:

https://www.amazon.ca/Them-Days-Glenn-P-Booth/dp/0228878438

Amazon CA Hardcover:

https://www.amazon.ca/Them-Days-Glenn-P-Booth/dp/0228878446

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/them-days-glenn-p-booth/1141393328?ean=2940165844430

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/them-days-glenn-p-booth/1141393328?ean=9780228878438

Barnes and Noble Hardcover:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/them-days-glenn-p-booth/1141393328?ean=9780228878445

Book Depository Paperback:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Them-Days-Glenn-P-Booth/9780228878438

Book Depository Hardcover:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Them-Days-Glenn-P-Booth/9780228878445

Indigo Chapters CA eBook:

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/them-days/9780228878438-item.html

Indigo Chapters CA Paperback:

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/them-days/9780228878452-item.html

Kobo US eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/them-days

Kobo CA eBook:

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/them-days

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Glenn will be awarding a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

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