GUARDIANS IN BLUE
by
Ken Bangs 

 Genre: Historical Fiction / Mystery
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Date of Publication: March 31, 2016
# of pages: 382

A fatherless boy growing up in a small Texas town is taken under wing by the local lawmen. They work with the town leaders to provide his basic needs and help him escape the shame and poverty of his circumstances. One in particular becomes his guardian.

He teaches the boy about life, how to face his fears, that honor is more important than comfort and that defending those who cannot defend themselves is the highest duty of a man.    

The boy learns the lessons well. He hears the call and his heart opens to it. He too becomes a Guardian.

 This is the novelized story of the authors’ thirty-seven years service in law enforcement and public safety. It is unique in that the reader is given an inside look at what motivates one to the calling and the process of becoming a police officer.

It is told from the first person perspective of one who walked a beat in downtown Dallas at the age of 19, answered the calls as a radio patrol officer and worked the cases as a detective.

It gives an inside look at the understanding of not only the criminal act but the issues that lead to criminality and the processes by which criminal justice professionals identify and apprehend those responsible for given crimes.

Drawing on interviews/interrogations of criminals the author provides an exposé of the experiences, the anger, and the fantasy that captures the mind and controls the will of those who rape, rob, and kill.

PRAISE FOR GUARDIANS IN BLUE:

“As a man who was privileged to work the streets with Ken Bangs, I can tell you that he was the Guardian.  If you want to understand police work at the base level, then The Guardians is a must read.  It goes beyond the violence and the sensationalism and gives you a window into the hearts and souls of those men and women who ride toward danger when everyone else runs away.”

— Doug Sword, Captain of Police (Retired), Dallas Police Department

“Guardians In Blue is an action packed book about actual crimes from the Dallas Police

files.  These cases as retold by Ken bangs come alive in a format that makes you feel

like you are at the location and involved in the investigations.”

— Gary Holly, Retired Police Officer

“The story is so realistic; it so reveals the rawness of life experienced by a police officer that any who have ever worn the badge will be drawn in as they see themselves in the Guardians.” — G. David Payne, Lieutenant of Police (Retired), Dallas Police Department

  PURCHASE LINKS:

  AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BLACK ROSE WRITING

GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN GUARDIANS IN BLUE

10-4                                                                       Received and will comply

40-Roger                                                              Agreed

.410 guage                                                          Small bore shotgun

.12 guage                                                             Large bore shotgun

#4 shot                                                                 Largest pellets available for .410

#7 shot                                                                 Smallest pellets available for .410

00 Buckshot                                                        Largest pellets available for .12 guage

CAPERS                                                                Crimes Against Person; crimes committed

                                                                                against an individual as in an assault

Clear / In-service                                             Ready for calls

Clear one man                                                  A one officer unit ready for calls

Clear two man                                                  A two officer unit ready for calls

Code 3                                                                  Proceed to call using red lights and siren

Code 4                                                                  Cancel further response              

Copy That                                                            Message Understood

CSS                                                                         Crime Scene Search (for evidence)

DRT                                                                        Dead Right There

ETS                                                                         Estimated time of separation

FTO                                                                        Field Training Officer, one who trains rookies

Guardian                                                             One who is dedicated to the safeguarding of 

                                                                                another

Hi-Jacker/Jacker                                              Armed robber

Indict                                                                    Grand Jury action finding probable cause to

                                                                                Proceed to trial

Minor 7                                                                Motor vehicle accident with no injuries

No-Bill                                                                  Grand Jury action finding no probable cause

                                                                                Proceed to trial

Parole                                                                   Release from prison before full sentence

                                                                                is served

Posse                                                                    Street language for criminal gang

Probation                                                            The suspension of jail sentence following

                                                                                conviction

Rabbit                                                                   Electronic tracking device

Red Ball Express                                               Transportation unit in WWII staffed by 

                                                                                African American troops

Red Birds/Yellow Jackets                             Slang term for Barbiturate depressants

Signal                                                                    Classification of call, i.e. minor 7

Signal 30                                                              Code used to inform dispatch that an officer

                                                                                has a prisoner in custody

Signal 41                                                              41 proceeds felony in progress calls

Smack                                                                   Slang term for the drug heroin

Snitch                                                                   Informer

Speed                                                                   Slang term for Powdered Methamphetamine

Traffic                                                                   Stopping a vehicle for a traffic law violation

Tush Hogs                                                           Particularly brutal criminals

Ken spent 35 years in public safety. A veteran of the United States Army, he was with the military police in the Alaskan Command.  He holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University, M.S. in Human Relations / Business Management from Amberton University, and a Doctorate of Ministry in Christian Counseling from Jacksonville (Florida) Theological Seminary.  Ken and his wife, Trudy, have been married 46 years. They live in McKinney, Texas.

FACEBOOK | AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Check out the other great blogs on the tour! 

6/28    My Book Fix Blog – Review

6/29    Books and Broomsticks – Excerpt #1

6/30    Missus Gonzo  – Review

7/1       The Crazy Booksellers – Promo

7/2       StoreyBook Reviews  – Author Interview #1

7/3       The Librarian Talks – Review

7/4       It’s a Jenn World – Guest Post

7/5       The Page Unbound  – Excerpt #2

7/6       Country Girl Bookaholic  – Review

7/7       Margie’s Must Reads – Author Interview #2

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THE MEMORY OF US
by 
Camille DiMaio
Genre: Historical Romantic Literary Fiction
Publisher: Lake Union Press
Date of Publication: May 31, 2016
Number of Pages: 400

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Julianne Westcott was living the kind of life that other Protestant girls in prewar Liverpool could only dream about: old money, silk ball gowns, and prominent young men lining up to escort her. But when she learns of a blind-and-deaf brother, institutionalized since birth, the illusion of her perfect life and family shatters around her.

While visiting her brother in secret, Julianne meets and befriends Kyle McCarthy, an Irish Catholic groundskeeper studying to become a priest. Caught between her family’s expectations, Kyle’s devotion to the Church, and the intense new feelings that the forbidden courtship has awakened in her, Julianne must make a choice: uphold the life she’s always known or follow the difficult path toward love.

But as war ripples through the world and the Blitz decimates England, a tragic accident forces Julianne to leave everything behind and forge a new life built on lies she’s told to protect the ones she loves. Now, after twenty years of hiding from her past, the truth finds her—will she be brave enough to face it?

ADVANCED REVIEWER PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:

“Powerful, emotional, and amazing read.”

“A smashing debut!”

“Brilliantly told and executed.”

“Will make you cry in the best way possible.”

“This is a beautiful story of redemption, love, and honor.”

“I fell in love with the characters.”

“I’m not sure if I have ever had such a range of emotions with a book.”

“This is one of the best books that I have read!”

“Touching and funny and tragic and beautiful.”

“Packs a powerful, emotional punch.”

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Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? 

I would say that women’s fiction chose me, rather than me choosing it.  When I had the idea for the story, it naturally fit in to a genre that embodied a woman’s journey, with historical and romantic elements.

Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from? 

From an early age, I always saw my mom reading, and I developed the same love for it.  She drilled me in vocabulary lessons and even cleaned bathrooms in bingo halls to supplement tuition at private school, where I received an excellent education in English and literature.  She also read everything I wrote as a kid and thought it was publishable.

How long have you been writing? 

I have been writing blogs and stories for as long as I can remember, and even had twenty-two pen-pals as a teenager just because I love to write so much.  When I set out to write a novel, though, it took me six years between conception and publication.  After having four children, I have to say that my book baby had the longest gestation period!

What cultural value do you see in writing/reading/storytelling/etc.? 

I think there is tremendous cultural value in reading and writing.  It is the best way to help us identify with people in circumstances either similar or different to ours.  It expands our knowledge of the world, of facts, of places, of personalities better than anything else I can imagine.  It is also an excellent escape – and I know that I need to wind down often and just immerse myself in reading a story.

How does your book relate to your spiritual practice or other life path?

There is a priest in my book, so I did draw from my Catholic faith to be able to write about him authentically.  It also informed how far I would go with romantic themes in the book.  I personally find in literature and in movies that what is left to the imagination is sexier than what is spelled out for you.

What do you think most characterizes your writing?

I love vocabulary, so I would like to think that using precise and beautiful words is a strong point for me.  I don’t want them to be common, nor do I want them to be intellectual.  I just want them to be perfect for the situation.

What’s something fun or funny that most people don’t know about you? 

I have three kidneys!

Camille is an award-winning real estate agent in San Antonio who, along with her husband of 18 years, home schools their four children. She has a bucket list that is never-ending, and uses her adventures to inspire her writing. She’s lived in Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California, and spends enough time in Hawai’i to feel like a local. She’s traveled to four continents (so far), and met Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. She just about fainted when she had a chance to meet her musical idol, Paul McCartney, too. Camille studied political science in college, but found working on actual campaigns much more fun. She belts out Broadway tunes whenever the moment strikes, and forever stays up late reading “just one more chapter”. There’s almost nothing she wouldn’t try, so long as it doesn’t involve heights, roller skates, or anything illegal. “The Memory of Us” is Camille’s debut novel. Her second, “Before the Rain Falls” will be released in the spring of 2017.

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CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

6/21    Missus Gonzo  — Review

6/22    Books and Broomsticks– Promo

6/23    The Page Unbound  – Author Interview #1

6/24    Texas Book Lover  – Guest Post

6/25    The Librarian Talks – Review

6/26    Country Girl Bookaholic  – Excerpt

6/27    It’s a Jenn World – Author Interview #2

6/28    Byers Editing Reviews & Blog  — Review

6/29    Forgotten Winds – Book Trailer

6/30    Margie’s Must Reads – Review

7/1       Blogging for the Love of Authors and Their Books – Promo

7/2       The Crazy Booksellers – Author Interview #3

7/3       My Book Fix Blog — Review

7/4       StoreyBook Reviews  – Author Interview #4

7/5       Hall Ways Blog         – Review

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FINDING DOROTHY SCOTT

Letters of a WASP Pilot 

By Sarah Byrn Rickman

Genre: Military History / Biography

Publisher: Texas Tech University Press

Date of Publication: May 30, 2016

Number of Pages: 288

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More than eleven hundred women pilots flew military aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. These pioneering female aviators were known first as WAFS (Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron) and eventually as WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots). Thirty-eight of them died while serving their country.

Dorothy Scott was one of the thirty-eight. She died in a mid-air crash at the age of twenty-three.

Born in 1920, Scott was a member of the first group of women selected to fly as ferry pilots for the Army Air Forces. Her story would have been lost had her twin brother not donated her wartime letters home to the WASP Archives. Dorothy’s extraordinary voice, as heard through her lively letters, tells of her initial decision to serve, and then of her training and service, first as a part of the WAFS and then the WASP. The letters offer a window into the mind of a young, patriotic, funny, and ambitious young woman who was determined to use her piloting skills to help the US war effort. The letters also offer archival records of the day-to- day barracks life for the first women to fly military aircraft.

The WASP received some long overdue recognition in 2010 when they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal-the highest honor that Congress can bestow on civilians.

PURCHASE FROM TEXAS TECH PRESS:

http://www.ttupress.org/

email: ttup@ttu.edu

phone: 800.742.2982

The Statue of Liberty Is Green!

Excerpted from Chapter Six, Finding Dorothy Scott

July 30, 1943, Dorothy wrote to the family:

I just got back from the most adventuresome trip I’ve ever had! It was an AT-6 trip to Newark, NJ. This was a trip I’ve long wanted! We left Dallas early the morning of July 26th. I got up at 5 a.m. On the way out, I buzzed Helen’s and my new house and also Penn and Paul out in the boat.

It went quite routine until we left Meridian, Miss., headed for Atlanta, GA. Over Birmingham we ran into a local thunderstorm so I radio’d in for a weather report. I deciphered the code to mean CAVU—or “perfect” weather, but actually it was so rough I couldn’t hold the paper still. So “Phooey” tap I and tell ’em I’m comin’ in.

We land ok and I walk into the weather hangar. “Ah yes,” they said, “A special just came in—real storms.”

Well, we stayed over nite (hmm– good steak) and cleared the next AM again. This time the report was low scattered clouds– very minor. A half-hour out, the “low scattered” had boxed in solid behind and below us. Again I tried the radio but no answer, so we turn around.

Whew! Going back to Birmingham, the area had fogged up nearly solid so I went on instruments. Boy! That was work. The other two kids hung on my wingtips and I followed that beam like a homesick angel. Just as we got over it I saw the field and headed in. Talk about being grateful at being on solid ground again! Those kids were a-thankin’ me too—and I was a-thankin’.

We got off again that afternoon and made it to Richmond, Va. All the rest of the trip we had visibility only from 3 to 8 miles—which is seeing ahead not at all and down just some.

The next day was a gay one. We flew to New Castle where I got to see some of the old gang—when I’d left them in Jan. I hadn’t even known what an AT-6 was for sure.

From New Castle I led them right over Philadelphia, then Wash. DC where I looked down on FDR and Wash. Monument, etc. Then we headed into New York and I got enough “lost” to fly over Manhattan’s skyline and the Statue of Liberty. (It’s green!) Then we delivered our planes and had 3 hrs ’til plane time. That we spent on a bus trip and subway ride.

Dorothy was flight leader. She and two new WAFS had taken three AT-6s to Newark to be put aboard a Liberty ship 3 bound across the North Atlantic. Dorothy had hoped to remain overnight in New Castle the night of July 27, to see her fellow WAFS still stationed there, but the weather delays earlier in Birmingham prevented it. Ferry pilots were authorized to fly a half an hour after sunrise to a half an hour before sunset, so the three, still flying in iffy weather and with darkness approaching, landed and spent the night in Richmond, Virginia, instead.

There, they relied on the local Red Cross for food and transportation after securing their airplanes. Red Cross volunteers had organized in many towns and cities where ferry pilots landed regularly. Cokes, coffee, donuts, sandwiches, and carrot sticks were in good supply because restaurants frequently were not available. The volunteers then drove the pilots to their hotels and picked them up in the morning to get them back to the airport. Dorothy thanked them profusely.

As for New York City, Dorothy, good navigator that she was, was not lost as she flew toward it. Though she had never been there before, by looking at the charts she could judge just how far off the route she needed to stray in order for them all to get a good look at Miss Liberty. In spite of the haze that was omnipresent over the big city and its environs, the statue and the skyscrapers reached for the clouds above them in all their vertical glory.

Sarah Byrn Rickman is editor of the official WASP of World War II newsletter, the author of five previous books about the WASP, and an amateur pilot. In addition to her books, Sarah is the author of numerous magazine and journal articles about the WASP.

Sarah is a former reporter/columnist for The Detroit News (Michigan) and former editor of the Centerville-Bellbrook Times (Ohio). She earned her B.A. in English from Vanderbilt University and an M.A. in Creative Writing from Antioch University McGregor.

Sarah was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and grew up in Denver, Colorado. She now lives in Colorado Springs with her husband, Richard, and their black Lab, Lady.

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6/1       Hall Ways Blog              — Review
6/2       StoreyBook Reviews     — Excerpt #1
6/3       My Book Fix Blog          — Author Interview #1
6/4       Forgotten Winds           — Review
6/5       Books and Broomsticks — Guest Post
6/6       Texas Book Lover          — Author Interview #2
6/7       Missus Gonzo               — Review
6/9       The Crazy Booksellers   — Author Interview #3
6/10     It’s a Jenn World           — Review

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NO OTHER WILL DO
by
Karen Witemeyer
Genre: Historical Western Romance / Inspirational
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Date of Publication: June 7, 2016
Number of Pages: 368

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Men are optional. That was the credo Emma Chandler’s suffragette aunts taught her and why she established Harper’s Station, a women’s colony that offers a fresh start to females in need. But when a dangerous and shadowy assailant tries repeatedly to drive the women out, Emma is forced to admit they might need a man after all. One who can fight. And there is only one man she trusts enough to ask.

Malachi Shaw has finally earned the respect he’s always craved by becoming an explosives expert for the railroad. Yet when Emma’s telegram arrives, he rushes back to Texas to repay the girl who once saved his life. Only she’s not a girl any longer. She’s a woman with a mind of her own and a smile that makes a man imagine a future he doesn’t deserve.

As the danger intensifies, Emma, Mal, and the ladies of Harper’s Station must choose between safety or risking everything to fight for their future.

PRAISE FOR THE BOOK:

“Witemeyer’s latest is an entertaining read with plenty of drama and action, a smidgen of suspense and two main characters with perfect chemistry . . . And of course, the romance is tender and sigh-worthy—a key reason why her readers keep coming back for more.”  

—RT Book Reviews

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AMAZON      BARNES & NOBLE     CHRISTIANBOOK.COM

Mal slowed his mount and took stock of the rest of Harper’s Station. A tight cluster of businesses lined one side of the road. A handful of other buildings scattered beyond. Not much there to covet that he could see.

A creak of a door focused his attention back on the station house. A young woman emerged from inside and stepped onto the covered porch. A sophisticated woman with dark hair pulled back from her face and wound into an intricate bun at her nape. A grown-up woman of means and mission.

Mal’s heart thudded in his chest as he halted his mount. After all the letters they’d exchanged over the years, he’d thought he’d been prepared to see her again. He’d been wrong.

She curled her fingers around the railing post and leaned forward to look at him. Her brows arched slightly. “Malachi?”

The name fell from her lips so softly, he doubted he’d actually heard it. Must’ve just read the shape of it on her mouth. A mouth within a face achingly familiar yet changed.

Mal stared. He couldn’t help it. His little Emma had grown into a handsome, well-put-together woman.

The long tan skirt she wore swept the porch steps as she slowly descended. Her ivory blouse puffed up slightly at the shoulders, nipped in nicely at her tiny waist, and swelled over curves he hadn’t remembered being quite so . . . pronounced in the thirteen-year-old girl he last saw.

His collar seemed to tighten around his throat. “Malachi? Is that you?” She’d reached the bottom stair, her hand falling away from the post.

“Yep.” The short, scratchy croak of an answer wasn’t much of a howdy after ten years, but it was all he could manage.

Then she smiled. No, it was more than a smile. Her entire face lit up with such joy it nearly knocked him from his horse.

He’d forgotten. Forgotten what it felt like to have someone look at him like that. Like the world had suddenly gotten better because he’d arrived.

Unable to withstand her beaming a moment longer, Mal jerked his attention down to his saddle and concentrated on dismounting without doing something stupid like falling on his rear. He hoped his impassiveness would dim her enthusiasm enough for him to get a grip on his sputtering brain and allow him to think of something slightly intelligent to say.

He should have known better.

The instant his boots hit the dirt, she hit him. In a full-on, no-room-to-breathe hug.

Winner of the HOLT Medallion and the Carol Award and a finalist for the RITA and Christy Award, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer writes historical romance to give the world more happily-ever-afters. Karen makes her home in Texas, with her husband and three children.

FACEBOOK | WEBSITE | Bethany House Facebook | Bethany House Twitter

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CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

6/1       Missus Gonzo               — Excerpt #1

6/2       My Book Fix Blog          — Review

6/3       Books and Broomsticks — Author Interview #1

6/4       StoreyBook Reviews     — Guest Post

6/5       Margie’s Must Reads    — Review

6/6       A Novel Reality — Promo

6/7       The Page Unbound       — Excerpt #2

6/8       Byers Editing Reviews & Blog     — Review

6/9       Country Girl Bookaholic — Author Interview #2

6/10     The Librarian Talks        — Review

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LOST PATH TO SOLITUDE
(A Follow-Up to Dogs With Bagels)
by
Maria Elena Sandovici
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Date of Publication: February 12, 2016
# of pages: 315

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Once you leave home, can you ever return? Two characters, mother and daughter, contemplate this question in Lost Path to Solitude. Twenty-five years after leaving Romania in order to follow the man she loves to New York, Maria Pop still struggles with accepting her decision. She is determined to go back and recapture the poetry and joy of life in Bucharest, even at the expense of risking her marriage. Meanwhile, her daughter, Liliana, second-guesses her own choice of moving to a small town in Southeast Texas, ironically called Solitude, where she finds herself lonely, bored, and nostalgic for the fast pace of life in New York City. Facing the claustrophobic social climate of a town that goes to bed early, as well as the constrictions of her emerging academic career, Liliana longs for something that would give her existence meaning. The parallel soul-searching and the frustration they experience does little to bring mother and daughter closer. Instead, as each struggles with finding her own place in the world, they become increasingly critical of each other. Will their relationship survive the growing pains they each must suffer in their quest for self-fulfillment?

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How long have you been writing?

Since I was eight. My first book was cringe-worthy. My mother kept it until I seized and destroyed it. I’m not sorry.

What did you find most useful in learning to write?  What was least useful or most destructive?

Two books helped a lot: Stephen King’s On Writing, and the classic Elements of Style by Strunk and White. I recommend these to all writers.

I can’t say anything was destructive. We all have inner demons that hold us back, make us question ourselves, and keep us from writing. Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way can help overcome such impediments. Other than internal factors, such as being stuck, anything one gets exposed to can help. Even reading bad writing can hone one’s aesthetic sensibility. Especially reading one’s own bad writing, armed with a will to improve it, and with the knowledge that persistent editing will make it better.

What cultural value do you see in writing/reading/storytelling/etc.?

Is entertainment a cultural value? I hope so. Beyond entertainment, though, stories are about emotions. A good story should help us put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and feel what they feel with such intensity that it leaves us changed, capable of greater understanding and empathy for the human species.

Who are some of your favorite authors you feel were influential in your work?  What impact have they had on your writing?

I love Jane Smiley. There’s a simplicity about her writing that I adore. But ultimately as we grow as writers, we become more and more ourselves

What do you like to read in your free time?

I like to read fiction. I must read every day. I prefer novels written by women where the characters are female. I like complex characters, characters that are flawed, and therefore make interesting mistakes. I can’t read books where everybody’s virtuous and behaves as they should.

What literary character is most like you?

Scarlett O’Hara

Do you have any strange writing habits you’d like to share with your readers?

In a pinch, I’ll write on the Notes app in my phone. I’ve written entire chapters of novels that way.

Where is one place you want to visit that you haven’t been before?

Big Bend!

What do your plans for future projects include?

I want to publish a book of poetry in my dog’s voice. I love thinking of the ways in which she perceives the world.

Maria Elena Sandovici moved to Texas on a Greyhound bus in the summer of 2005. It would be the beginning of a great adventure. Born in Bucharest, Romania, a place she loves and where she returns often, she’d spend the requisite time in Manhattan to call herself a New Yorker, but also to know she was looking for something else. Her debut novel, Dogs with Bagels, is very much a New York story: the story of an immigrant family forging new identities for themselves in the city that never sleeps.

Her second novel, Stray Dogs and Lonely Beaches, is the story of a young woman traveling the world in search of herself. This theme persists in Lost Path to Solitude, her third novel, in which characters suffering an identity crisis are caught in a search for the ideal place to call home. Three locales dominate the story: New York City, Bucharest, and an imaginary, caricaturized town in Southeast Texas, called Solitude.

In addition to writing fiction, Maria Elena Sandovici paints every day. She has a studio at Hardy and Nance Studios in Houston, and also shows her daily watercolors on her blog, Have Watercolors Will Travel, accompanied by essays about whatever inspires or obsesses her at any given moment.

To support her art and writing, she teaches Political Science at Lamar University. She is also the well-behaved human of a feisty little dog.

Her favorite places in Texas are Houston and Galveston.

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5/23   Missus Gonzo  –  Review

5/24   It’s a Jenn World – Author Interview #1

5/25   Country Girl Bookaholic  – Promo

5/26   Forgotten Winds  — Review

5/27   Texas Book Lover  – Guest Post #1

5/28   My Book Fix Blog – Excerpt

5/29   Hall Ways Blog – Review

5/30   The Page Unbound – Author Interview #2

5/31   StoreyBook Reviews      – Review

6/1     A Novel Reality – Guest Post #2

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EVERY BRIDE HAS HER DAY

(Brides With Style #3)

By Janice Thompson

Genre: Contemporary Christian Romance

Publisher: Revell

Date of Publication: May 17, 2016

# of pages: 352

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Another Delightful Romance from the Queen of Romantic Comedy

Katie Fisher is ecstatic. Pro basketball star Brady James has proposed, and she can’t wait to start planning their life together. She’s confident she’ll make it down the aisle this time– but it still may be easier said than done. A high-society Houston bride has Katie and the Cosmopolitan Bridal team scrambling to get the perfect dress done in time for her spectacular wedding. Meanwhile, Katie finds herself bombarded with everyone’s competing visions regarding her own special day– and she’s beginning to worry that her own ideas will get lost in the crossfire. Will she ever manage to settle all of the details for her perfect day? Or will bridal shop chaos and overzealous friends and family make a mess of everything? Fan favorite Janice Thompson gives readers what they’ve been clamoring for: another funny, romantic romp with a Texas twang.

PRAISE FOR THE BRIDES WITH STYLE SERIES:

“Readers will fall in love with Katie.”–Library Journal

“A feel-good romantic comedy of subverted expectations. . . . Readers will laugh and sigh along with Katie as she comes into her own, discovering a life and love beyond her dreams.”–Booklist

“Romantic comedy at its best. I highly recommend it!”–Cara Putman, award-winning author of Shadowed by Grace and Where Treetops Glisten

“A delightful mix of romance, inspiration, and humor.”–Judy Christie, author of Wreath, A Girl in the Wreath Willis series

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Every Bride Has Her Day is the third addition to the series. While I didn’t read the first two, it was still fairly easy to jump right into the rambunctious mood of Katie’s life. This book is so quirky and down to earth. I throughly enjoyed it. Katie’s excitement shines through when her boyfriend Brady proposes to her. It isn’t long, though, before everyone in her life suddenly has an opinion and wants to ‘help’ her plan the wedding. I honestly had flashbacks of my own family drama when reading Katie’s struggles with taking control of her own wedding. I too have been experiencing wedding roulette and it made it all the more hilarious and easy to connect to these characters. A big family with even bigger opinions can be difficult, but in the end they have big hearts that only want a happy ending.

I loved Katie’s relationship with Brady and their strength in each other. In fact, all of the couples in this book had their own uniquely wonderful and strong relationships and it was refreshing to read a romance book with conflict between something other than the couples.

I loved the moments where Texas truly shined through this book. Having lived in different parts of Texas, it was really easy to fall into the style and laugh at the Texan quirks of the book. I rated this book so well because I genuinely laughed out loud at parts. Any book that has me smiling and reading pages at lightning speed will definitely get top marks.

Janice Thompson is an expert at pulling the humor from the situations we get ourselves into and offers an inside look at the wedding business, drawing on her own experiences as a wedding planner. She is the author of the hugely popular Weddings by Bella series, the Backstage Pass series, and the Weddings by Design series, as well as Every Bride Needs a Groom and Every Girl Gets Confused. She lives in Texas.

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  May 17 – May 31, 2016

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HOW TO BE A TEXAN: THE MANUAL
by
Andrea Valdez
Illustrated by Abi Daniel
Genre: Texas Customs / Social Life / Humor
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Date of Publication: May 3, 2016
# of pages: 208, 58 B&W Illustrations

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There are certain things every Texan should know how to do and say, whether your Lone Star roots reach all the way back to the 1836 Republic or you were just transplanted here yesterday. Some of these may be second nature to you, but others . . . well, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to have a few handy hints if, say, branding the herd or hosting a tamalada aren’t your usual pastimes. That’s where How to Be a Texan can help.

In a friendly, lighthearted style, Andrea Valdez offers illustrated, easy-to-follow steps for dozens of authentic Texas activities and sayings. In no time, you’ll be talking like a Texan and dressing the part; hunting, fishing, and ranching; cooking your favorite Texas dishes; and dancing cumbia and two-step. You’ll learn how to take a proper bluebonnet photo and build a Día de los Muertos altar, and you’ll have a bucket list of all the places Texans should visit in their lifetime. Not only will you know how to do all these things, you’ll finish the book with a whole new appreciation for what it means to be a Texan and even more pride in saying “I’m from Texas” anywhere you wander in the world.

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A native Houstonian who has worked for Texas Monthly since 2006, Valdez is the editor of texasmonthly.com. She has written on a wide range of subjects, including more than forty columns on activities every Texan should be able to do, which provided the inspiration for this book. She also helped Texas Monthly launch The Daily Post and TMBBQ.com.  FOLLOW ON TWITTER

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May 3 – May 17, 2016

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5/5       Blogging for the Love of Authors and Their Books — Author Interview #1

5/6       Forgotten Winds         — Review

5/7       StoreyBook Reviews    — Excerpt #1

5/8       All for the Love of the Word – Page Preview #1

5/9       Book Chase     — Review

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5/15     Hall Ways Blog  — Review

5/16     Byers Editing Reviews & Blog — Promo

5/17     Missus Gonzo               — Review

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PRAYERFUL PASSAGES

Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation, and Divorce

by Jack H. Emmott

Genre: Religion / Spirituality / Devotional

Publisher: Outskirts Press

Date of Publication: February 9, 2016

# of pages: 64

The power of asking God for help while struggling to save a marriage, separating, divorcing, or rebuilding life is the driving force behind Prayerful Passages:  Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation, and Divorce by Jack H. Emmott.  The fifty-six prayers are practical, touching on all shades of difficulty.  They are specific and short; accessible and comforting; inspiring and inspired.

In Prayerful Passages, Jack has opened the doors of comfort and healing to guide a Christian struggling with the anger, loss, and grief that inevitably arise during the separation, divorce, and reconciliation stages of a marriage in peril. Open the doors of your own heart to God’s grace and healing. These prayers will aid you in your journey.

PRAISE FOR PRAYERFUL PASSAGES:

In Prayerful Passages, Jack Emmott, with profound clarity, helps faithful people struggling in their marriage to find not only the words they need to pray, but also the Divine Presence and power they need in challenging life circumstances. — Rev. Stuart Bates, Rector, St. Francis Episcopal Church, Houston

****

This book will make an ideal gift for a friend or family member going through divorce. I wise the families I’ve seen in family court had been able to make their difficult passages with these eprayers in their hearts and on their lips.  This book would have alleviated their anguish.— Frank Rynd, J.D., Former Family Law Judge

****

A compelling sharing of compassion—this book shows the impact a prayerful, Christ-centered life can have on the human spirit. What a powerful read . . . I was wowed by its wisdom. — Larry R. Cook, CPA

****

All you have to do is open to the table of contents to see the brilliance of this wise voice that pushes us all to see the world as a more inclusive, loving place where we are all perfectly imperfect children of God. Jack offers his reader empathy, wisdom and redemption for the human spirit. Don’t miss the wisdom of a man who has lived into surrender at an early age as his polio left him trapped in an iron lung to survive. But, he didn’t just survive; he blossomed and thrives today, venerating the love of the Divine for all of us. This is a must-read for all of us who want to live more fully into our loving relationships.— Micki Grimland, LCSW, Owner and Chief Psychotherapist, Southwest Psychotherapy Associates

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Prayer for the Best Words to Tell Our Child/Children about the Divorce Almighty Father, the time has come for us to tell our child/children that we are divorcing. In prayer, please give us the best words to tell our child/children about this difficult decision. As parents, please give us the patience to wait until we can tell the child/children together.

Heavenly Father, please help our child/children understand that the divorce is not something he/she /they caused. Please give us the words to reassure our child/children that the divorce is not his/her/their responsibility to fix or repair. After the divorce, may our child/children live in two separate, happy homes with parents who love them dearly. Let our child/children know that we will never abandon him/her/them, just as You never abandon anyone who truly believes in You. Amen.

©Jack H. Emmott III

What makes Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation, and Divorce appealing is the courage, calling and faith of its author Jack H. Emmott. In 1954, just as the Salk vaccine was entering massive medical trials, Jack was stricken with polio and paralyzed from the neck down. With faith in God and selfless help from his parents, educators, healthcare providers, and later his wife

Dorothy and his close-knit family, he became a successful lawyer, civic leader, volunteer, inspirational speaker, author, and song writer. Though today confined to a motorized wheelchair, he has long navigated as a full member of society.

As a member at Gray Reed & McGraw in Houston, Texas, with over thirty-five years working in family law, Jack primarily focuses on collaborative law, a resolution option for divorcing couples. In collaborative process, couples mutually agree to voluntary disclosure of relevant information, which is much faster and less expensive than formal discovery. The children are protected and shared, not divided like property.

His life experience and abiding faith in God led Jack to write Prayerful Passages: Asking God’s Help in Reconciliation, Separation, and Divorce. Jack says, “The exact words of the title Prayerful Passages literally came to me one night during evening prayer. I felt, at that very moment, I had received an invitation from God to write a book of prayers to help others and to please the God who had always accompanied me in the darkness of disability.”

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5/4 Missus Gonzo – Review

5/5 Books and Broomsticks — Author Interview #1

5/6 Hall Ways Blog – Review

5/7 It’s a Jenn World — Promo

5/8 My Book Fix Blog – Excerpt #1

5/9 Texas Book-aholic – Review

5/10 Book Crazy Gals – Author Interview #2

5/12 The Librarian Talks – Review

5/13 A Novel Reality — Author Interview #3

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The Patience Trilogy

By Beth Fehlbaum

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Fiction

Publisher: Steady On Books

Date of Publication: March 29, 2016

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Courage in Patience begins Ashley’s story. . .

Courage to endure.

Courage to survive.

Courage to overcome.

Tenacious 14-year-old Ashley Asher claws her way back to normalcy after enduring six years of an unimaginable Hell. Uprooted from her negligent and selfish mother, Ashley finds solace in the safety of her father’s home. Building a relationship with her stepmother, she’s finally able to open up and confront the past that haunts her.

With the help of her stepmom, therapist, and a group of troubled adolescents, Ashley battles her demons, struggling to find the normal teenage life she’s always wanted. Can Ashley find the strength and courage to overcome the horrors of her past while fighting for the future she so deserves?

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Hope in Patience continues the story. . . 

Hope to heal.

Hope to grow.

Hope to evolve.

Still shattered from the horrific events of her childhood years, 15-year-old Ashley Asher is barely holding it together. Battling her vicious and vile mother who still sees her as the villain and not the victim, Ashley’s stuck in a cycle of self-injury and self-hatred as a result–despite the many people who trying to pull her out of it.

Adolescence is hard, but throw in a new school, a new family, and a father she hardly knows, Ashley’s need for self-destruction and pain intensifies. Her new therapist, Dr. Matt, may be unconventional with bizarre antics, but he’ll do whatever it takes to pull Ashley out of the doldrums. Ashley just wants a crack at normalcy. But can her counselor and the friends and family who love her teach her that “crazy is the new normal” and that nobody has it easy?

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Truth in Patience concludes the story. . .

Truth in the past.

Truth in reality.

Truth for tomorrow.

Finally adjusting to life in small town Texas, Ashley Asher sees a glimmer of what happiness really is. Even her new relationship with the attentive Joshua Brandt shows promise of a first romance. But Ashley’s fear of intimacy after years of unspeakable abuse may cause friction and distance in their relationship.

Determined to prove to her that she’s healing, Dr. Matt, her beloved therapist, shows her that “life is messy.” And he doesn’t know how messy it is about to get. When her mother decides that Ashley belongs back in their hometown with her, Ashley is forced into another family feud that she isn’t prepared for. Refusing to leave behind the new life she created in Texas, Ashley and her mother go head-to-head. But can Ashley finally find the courage and strength to battle her demons when her mother might be the biggest demon of all?

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Truth In Patience is the last of the Patience Trilogy but actually the first that I read. This was a revealing tale in the depth and struggles from abuse. Ashley is a confused character, trying to overcome the adversity of her life and appear what is considered ‘normal’ for the people worried about her. Beth Fehlbaum takes very real and heartening stages on how grief and abuse can affect us. With such sensitive topics; she builds a meaningful and tearful journey for Ashley, other important characters, and the crucial developmental stage they are in.

Honestly it was challenging to read all that Ashley endured, which makes it all the more important that we listen, understand, and do something in times like these. Ashley suffered in not only Charlie’s control but her mother’s neglect and it made me incredibly emotional to think that children are afraid to tell the truth about these situations.

Ashley shows courage in standing up and sharing what has happened to her. She shows courage in getting up every day despite her depression and continuing to work through her lapses. It’s with the support of her family, therapist, friends, and teachers that she can begin to communicate what she really needs. Not what others want from her. She is a wonderful character that finds the truth and freedom. 

 

In addition to writing Young Adult Contemporary Fiction, Beth Fehlbaum is a secondary English-Language Arts teacher who frequently draws on her experience as an educator to write her books. She has a B.A. in English, Minor in Secondary Education, and an M.Ed. in Reading.

Beth is a featured author on the 2015-2016 Spirit of Texas Reading List- High School. She is the author of the Kirkus Starred Reviewed Big Fat Disaster (Merit Press/F+W Media, March 2014) and The Patience Trilogy: Courage, Hope, and Truth (Steady On Books, 2016).

Beth is a member of the RAINN (Rape , Abuse, Incest National Network) Speakers’ Bureau. She has a following in the young adult literature world and also among survivors of sexual abuse because of her work with victims’ advocacy groups. She has been the keynote speaker at the National Crime Victims’ Week

Commemoration Ceremony at the Hall of State in Dallas, Texas and a presenter for Greater Texas Community Partners, where she addressed a group of social workers and foster children on the subject of “Hope.”

Beth is a a survivor of a traumatic childhood, like Ashley in The Patience Trilogy, and the day-to-day manager of an eating disorder much like Colby’s in Big Fat Disaster. These life experiences give her a unique perspective, and she writes her characters’ stories in a way meant to inspire hope.

Beth lives with her family in the woods of East Texas.

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TWITTER  UncommonYA

 

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Each win autographed copies of all three books in The Patience Trilogy

Plus a $50 Amazon Gift Card

5 WINNERS: 

Each win autographed copies of Courage in Patience 

Winner names drawn 4/19, 4/24, 4/27, 4/30, 5/3(US ONLY)

  April 19 – May 3, 2016

 

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TRUTH IN PATIENCE

April 19 – May 3 , 2016

4/19 Margie’s Must Reads – Review                                           4/27 My Book Fix Blog – Review

4/20 Books and Broomsticks – Author Interview #1         4/28 Forgotten Winds – Hope Excerpt

4/21 Missus Gonzo – Courage Excerpt                  4/29 Byers Editing Reviews & Blog – Author Interview #3

4/22 The Librarian Talks – Review                                  4/30 Because This is My Life Y’all – Guest Post

4/23 The Crazy Booksellers – Promo                                          5/1 Texas Book-aholic – Review

4/25 It’s a Jenn World – Guest Post                                         5/2 Hall Ways Blog – Truth Excerpt

4/26 StoreyBook Reviews – Author Interview #2              5/3 Blogging for the Love of Authors and Their                                                                                                                       Books – Review

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HELL TO PAY
(What Doesn’t Kill You, #7)
An Emily Romantic Mystery
by
Pamela Fagan Hutchins
Genre: Romantic Mystery
Publisher: SkipJack Publishing
Date of Publication: March 26, 2016
# of pages: 383

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Book Summary:

Big-haired paralegal and former rodeo queen Emily has her life back on track. Her adoption of Betsy seems like a done deal, her parents have reunited, and she’s engaged to her sexy boss Jack. Then client Phil Escalante’s childhood buddy Dennis drops dead, face first into a penis cake at the adult novelty store Phil owns with his fiancée Nadine, one of Emily’s best friends. The cops charge Phil with murder right on the heels of his acquittal in a trial for burglarizing the Mighty is His Word church offices. Emily’s nemesis ADA Melinda Stafford claims a witness overheard Phil fighting with Dennis over a woman. Before he can mount a defense, Phil falls into a diabetic coma, leaving Nadine shaken and terrified. Meanwhile Betsy’s ultra-religious foster parents apply to adopt her, and Jack starts acting weird and evasive. Emily feels like a calf out of a chute, pulled between the ropes of the header and the heeler, as she fights to help Phil and Nadine without losing Betsy and Jack.

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1. How has being a Texan influenced your writing?

Oh my gosh, in every way! My protagonists are Texans, my settings include Texas. One of my favorite authors is a Texan (Larry McMurtry). Texas permeates my novels.

2. Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? 

My favorite books have always had heart, humor, and suspense, so when I started writing stories, that is what I wanted to achieve. Ultimately, I guess you’d say I write romantic mystery. But I also wanted women with strength and intelligence in my novels, and I hope I’ve achieved that.

3. What was the hardest part of writing this book?

The hardest part of writing Hell to Pay was that I’d just had surgery and had a reaction to the anesthesia that has had a permanent impact on my memory. Even though I write two novels a year, and thus had written the previous six novels in the prior three years, I had trouble remembering them, and even remembering what I had written the same day much less the day before. I’ve tried to develop a sense of humor about it, but it did make it much more challenging than my other novels!

4. Who are some of your favorite authors you feel were influential in your work? What impact have they had on your writing?

I am very influenced by other authors. For characterization, I hope I learned from Larry McMurtry. For emotion and setting (o glorious setting), I tip my hat to Pat Conroy, who I will miss so much. For humor, I love the first few Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. For a butt-kicking female protagonist, Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski takes the cake. And for amateur sleuthing in the mystery world, I love Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Peter Fischer’s Jessica Lansbury in Murder, She Wrote.

5. Are you a full-time or part-time writer? How does that affect your writing?

I’m full-time! Which gives me more time to procrastinate (just kidding). When I was working full-time at a job other than writing, I scrapped to find enough time to write. Now that writing is full-time, I find that I’ve had to figure out how and when I do what activities best. The job of writing involved story planning, outlining, first drafts, rewrites, and the job of publishing takes 50% of my time away from writing, especially now that I have seven novels, two box sets, and six nonfiction books out. I write best, it turns out, in the early afternoon. So I spend my mornings on the business of publishing, and my afternoons on my stories.

Pamela Fagan Hutchins writes overly long emails, best-selling, award-winning mysteries (WINNER USA Best Book Award, Fiction: Cross Genre, Finalist) and hilarious nonfiction. The Houston Press named her as one of Houston’s Top 10 Authors (2014). She is a recovering attorney and investigator who resides deep in the heart of Nowheresville, Texas and in the frozen north of Wyoming. Pamela has a passion for great writing and smart authorpreneurship as well as long hikes with her hunky husband and pack of rescue dogs, traveling in the Bookmobile, and her Keurig. Download her mystery Saving Grace, free everywhere, and visit her website or drop her a note at pamela at pamelahutchins dot com.  And if you would like her to visit your book club, women’s group, writer’s group, or library, all you have to do is ask.

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4/11     Margie’s Must Reads                   Review

4/12     Blogging for the Love of Authors and Their Books  Promo

4/13     The Page Unbound                    Author Interview #1

4/14     All for the Love of the Word     Review

4/15     Because This is My Life Y’all     Guest Post #1

4/16     My Book Fix Blog                        Excerpt

4/17     It’s a Jenn World                         Review

4/18     A Novel Reality                           Author Interview #2

4/19     Texas Book Lover                      Guest Post #2

4/20     Hall Ways Blog                           Review

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