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Woods and Wings: Blitz and Giveaway

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WOODS AND WINGS
By M.W. Devers


YA / Fantasy / Action & Adventure
Publisher: Midnight6 Publishing
Pages: 430
Publication Date: November 19, 2024



SYNOPSIS

She never sought the path of a hero. Destiny had other plans.

In the peaceful village of Rhigov, where traditions hold sway, fifteen-year-old Astraya Myna dreams of little more than escaping the confines of her kitchen duties. But when a malevolent force known as Vronti shatters the village’s tranquility, Astraya is thrust into a journey she never imagined.

Guided by a legacy she barely understands, Astraya joins forces with her brother, Raustra, and a small band of allies. Together, they embark on a dangerous quest to protect their home from wingroans, dragon-like creatures whose powers are as formidable as their intentions are mysterious.

As shadows of betrayal and hidden truths close in, Astraya navigates a world where loyalty is tested and power proves both elusive and dangerous. With each step she uncovers more about her family’s past and her own untapped strength, until she must decide: how far will she go to save her people and what is she willing to sacrifice to discover the truth about herself?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

M.W. Devers has been crafting stories since childhood, drawing from a lifelong love of reading that began at age three. The idea for Woods & Wings took root during a family vacation to a theme park, and he’s been dedicated to bringing it to life ever since, beginning in 2022. This is his first published work of fiction.

MWD enjoys the quiet magic of early mornings spent world-building and shaping characters, all from his home in New Braunfels, Texas, where he lives with his family.






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Tough Trail Home: Spotlight and Giveawy

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TOUGH TRAIL HOME
By Marie W. Watts


Women’s Literary / Small Town & Rural / Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Pages: 253
Publication Date: March 27, 2024

SYNOPSIS

“Tough Trail Home is a delightful read about a family coming to terms with each other and their new lives.” –Pamela Stockwell, author of A Boundless Place

The Dunwhitty family is flying high until their carefully choreographed life falls apart during the 2008 Great Recession. Lisa’s firm goes belly-up while Michael’s shuts down after selling faulty heart valves. Desperate, Lisa insists they regroup by seeking refuge in rural Central Texas on land she inherits from a distant relative she barely knows.

It’s not the ranch Lisa remembers, but a ramshackle money pit. Michael and their teenage son, Andrew, despise the place. Only their young daughter, Jessica, is happy. After a bitter argument, Michael moves to the city. As his job search drags on, Lisa begins to plant roots; friendships develop for her and the children. With the help of Michael’s parents, her neighbor, and the remains of her savings, she begins to return the ranch to its former glory. The couple continues to drift further apart, Michael turning his attention to another woman.

A call from the sheriff’s department that their son is in custody jolts the couple to the core. Can they repair their relationship for the sake of their son? Or is it too late?

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

An award-winning author, Marie W. Watts is living her dream of being a writer. Her novel, Tough Trail Home, has received acclaim as a winner of the 2024 PenCraft Seasonal Book Award Summer Competition for Fiction – Women’s Genre; Winner in the 2024 Storytrade Book Awards “Regional Fiction ‐ USA Southwest” category; 2024 Speak Up Talk Radio International Firebird Book Award Winner, and The Outstanding Creator Award for Best Fiction Book of Summer 2024 (2nd place).

Her novel has garnered reviews such as “inspiring,” “fantastic read,” “beautiful scenery, heart, and hope,” and “a wonderful story about resilience and resourcefulness.”

She and her husband live on a ranch in central Texas. In her spare time, she supports a historic house and hangs out with her grandsons.




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The Art of Farming: Spotlight

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THE ART OF FARMING: A NOVEL

BY T.D. MOTLEY

Fiction / Agriculture / Nature / Stewardship

Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing

Pages: 144

Publication Date: August 26, 2024

SYNOPSIS

Sam Bartlett’s formidable antagonist has four legs. Sol, a miniature donkey, schemes daily to outwit his kindly caretaker. This delightful rural drama regales a symbiosis of plants, humans, dogs and livestock, with wild creatures observing from secluded, weedy perimeters. 

Retired from teaching, artist Sam farms thirty acres. His popular paintings of vast prairies at sunset are selling well. He plans to market organic herbs and produce, hiring local after-school teens. Begrudgingly raised on a farm, he once swore that when he grew up, he’d never go back. Time and age break promises.

Elysia boasts a pretty town square, complete with a handsome county courthouse. Sam’s girlfriend, Annie, is a food writer who travels a lot. Bartlett Farm is her sanctuary.

The Art of Farming is a hopeful tale about stewardship of the land, the animals, and of each other. It honors the integrity of agriculture, as expressed in ancient literature and art. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

T.D. Motley writes about art and organic farming. Born in Beaumont, Texas, he has been drawing since the age of three. His family has farmed in Texas since the mid-19th century. For many years, he and his wife, artist Rebecca, marketed their organic, heirloom herbs and produce to North Texas chefs and farmers’ market customers.
Motley is Professor Emeritus of Art and Art History at Dallas College. His drawings and paintings have been exhibited nationally and are included in numerous collections across the U.S. and Texas. He has lectured at the Dallas Museum of Art, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum in Austin, the Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth. He is a contributing author for Eutopia and ArtSpiel and has written about mid-century modern Texas artists for DB/Zumbeispiel and the Grace Museum in Abilene. Motley has received Fulbright grants to Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Motley is the past president of the board of Artist Boat, a Galveston-based nonprofit that teaches students about coastal nature through art and science. He served for several years as chair of the North Texas Fulbright Teacher Exchange Peer Review Committee. Previously, he worked as a printer in the U.S. Air Force, an illustrator for Ling-Temco-Vought Corporation, and a cartoonist for the infamous Dallas Notes from the Underground newspaper. His artworks can be seen at J. Peeler Howell Fine Art in Fort Worth.

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In the Mad Mountains: Spotlight and Giveaway

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IN THE MAD MOUNTAINS
By Joe R. Lansdale


Fiction / Horror
Publisher: Tachyon Publications
Pages: 256
Publication Date: October 15, 2024



SYNOPSIS

“Joe Lansdale squares up to the Great Old Ones―and taps into rich veins of awe and wit, with always a backbeat thrum of cosmic terror.”
―Kim Newman, author of the Anno Dracula series

Eleven-time Bram Stoker Award-winner Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-tep) returns with this wicked short story collection of his irreverent Lovecraftian tributes. Lansdale is terrifyingly down-home while merging his classic gonzo stylings with the eldritch horrors of H. P. Lovecraft. Knowingly skewering Lovecraft’s paranoid mythos, Lansdale embarks upon haunting yet sly explorations of the unknown, capturing the essence of cosmic dread.

A sinister blues recording pressed on vinyl in blood conjures lethal shadows with its unearthly wails. In order to rescue Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn traverses the shifting horrors of the aptly named Dread Island. In the weird Wild West, Reverend Jebidiah Mercer rides into a possessed town to confront the unspeakable in the crawling sky. Legendary detective C. Auguste Dupin uncovers the gruesome secrets of both the blue lightning bug and the Necronomicon.

Exploring the darkest corners of the human psyche, here is a lethally entertaining journey through Joe Lansdale’s twisted landscape, where ancient evils lurk and sanity hangs by a rapidly fraying thread.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe R. Lansdale is the author of nearly four dozen novels, including Rusty Puppy, the Edgar-award winning The Bottoms, Sunset and Sawdust, and Leather Maiden. He has received nine Bram Stoker Awards, the American Mystery Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Grinzane Cavour Prize for Literature. He lives with his family in Nacogdoches, Texas.







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Pintsized Pioneers: Review and Giveaway

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PINTSIZED PIONEERS:
Taming the Frontier, 
One Chore at a Time

By Preston Lewis & Harriet Kocher Lewis


Young Adult / Nonfiction / History
Publisher: Bariso Press
Pages: 184
Publication Date: September 24, 2024


SYNOPSIS

Children tread lightly through the pages of Old West history. Pintsized Pioneers: Taming the Frontier, One Chore at a Time gives frontier children their due for all the work they did to help their families survive. Even at early ages, the youngsters helped families make ends meet and handled chores that today seem unbelievable. Written for today’s young adults, Pintsized Pioneers offers lessons on frontier history and on the value of work for contemporary youth.


In 1850 adolescents 16 and under accounted for 46 percent of the national population, making them an important labor force in settling the country. Pintsized Pioneers examines their tasks and toils starting with the chores on the trail west. Children assisted in providing fuel and water on the trail and at home when they settled down. In their new locations the young ones helped grow food, make clothing for the entire family and assist with the housekeeping in primitive dwellings.

These pintsized pioneers took on farm and ranch chores as young as six, some going on cattle drives at eight years of age. Even Old West town tykes, who enjoyed more career possibilities, helped their folks survive as well. In the end, many pintsized pioneers pitched in to help their families make ends meet. Difficult as their lives might have been, the lessons those children learned handling chores helped them and their country in the years ahead. Those pintsized lessons have contemporary applications to the youth of today.

Targeted at young adults, Pintsized Pioneers is written at a ninth-grade reading level and includes a supplementary glossary. Even so, Pintsized Pioneers is an eye-opener for adult readers as well.


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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Preston Lewis and Harriet Kocher Lewis co-authored three books in the “Magic Machine Series” published by Bariso Press: Devotionals from a Soulless Machine, Jokes from a Humorless Machine, and Recipes from a Tasteless Machine. They reside in San Angelo, Texas.

Preston Lewis has published more than 50 fiction and nonfiction works. The author and historian’s books include traditional Westerns, historical novels, comic Westerns, young adult books, and historical accounts. In 2021 he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his literary accomplishments.

His writing honors include two Spur Awards from Western Writers of America and three Elmer Kelton Awards from the West Texas Historical Association. He has received ten Will Rogers Medallion Awards, and in 2024, he earned an inaugural Literary Global Independent Author Award in the Western Nonfiction category for Cat Tales of the Old West.

He is a past president of Western Writers of America and the West Texas Historical Association, which named him a fellow in 2016.

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Harriet Kocher Lewis is the award-winning editor and publisher of Bariso Press. Titles she has edited have been honored with Will Rogers Medallion Awards, Spur Finalist designations, and Independent Author Awards.

Lewis concluded her 26-year physical therapy career as the inaugural clinical coordinator for the physical therapy program at Angelo State University, where she taught technical writing and wrote or edited numerous scientific papers as well as a chapter in a clinical education textbook.




What a fascinating read about what childhood looked like for pioneers in the 1800’s. This book is a compilation of stories, diary entries, newspaper articles, and much more! It was easy to dive into and get lost into all the research of these stories detailing what life had been like for a child back then. Everyone was integral to life back then, especially the children who had numerous chores and jobs that they needed to attend to. The compilation of these accounts were eye opening. Of course, part of me knew children worked hard, but to really dive into it, to absorb what they went through, it really painted a larger picture of what that looked like.

I had family that were pioneers, so this really touched home for me. Because it gave me an opportunity to really digest what these pioneers went to, it made me think of my ancestors and what it would have been like for them. Some of these stories were so impressive, and I myself could not imagine having my own two year old bring in the cows from the pasture. The responsibility these children had was astonishing and it had made me truly appreciate what we do have today. Life was hard back then and every family member played a vital role to their survival. 

From comparing farm boys to city boys, and what girls did to help, which was much more than just house work, this compilation of stories and accounts will truly draw you in and stick with you. It’s not a long read, but it will for sure astonish you as you dive into the life of a child back then. 

Definitely worth the read, so be sure to check it out!

Rating 5/5

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Lethal Standoff: Character Interview and Giveaway

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LETHAL STANDOFF

by DiAnn Mills

Contemporary Fiction / Christian Mystery & Suspense / Christian RomancePublisher: Tyndale House PublishersPages: 368Publication Date: September 3, 2024

SYNOPSIS

Hostage negotiator Carrington Reed faces her most dangerous challenge yet in Lethal Standoff. Called to a tense situation in South Texas, Carrington must save fifteen hostages held by the armed Kendrix brothers, who demand justice for their father’s unsolved murder. 

Teaming up with investigative reporter Levi Ehrlich, Carrington delves into a web of secrets and lies. As they uncover startling truths, the stakes soar, and so does their undeniable attraction. 

Can Carrington solve the mystery and prevent a deadly outcome? A riveting blend of romance and suspense, this is a must-read for fans of high-stakes thrillers.

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BOOK TRAILER


Character Interviews for Lethal Standoff 

by DiAnn Mills



Superhero Preferences


Carrington and Levi are superheroes in my eyes. I mean, they scare me with some of the things they did in Lethal Standoff. Curiosity got the best of me, and I asked them a few questions about superheroes.


Carrington Reed 


Favorite Superhero:

  • Wonder Woman – Carrington admires Wonder Woman’s strength, independence, and commitment to justice. She wears her costume well, too.


Superhero Carrington Relates to Most:

  • Black Widow – She relates to Black Widow’s complex background, skilled negotiation, and ability to remain composed under pressure. I can see this with Carrington, in a few scenes, my teeth would be chattering too much to talk.


Superhero Capability They Wish They Possessed:

  • Telepathy – Carrington wishes she could read minds to better understand and negotiate with others in critical situations. I’d like that ability when in “negotiations” with my husband!


Levi Ehrlich


Favorite Superhero:

  • Spider-Man – Levi likes Spider-Man’s relatability, wit, and sense of responsibility. I bet Levi would like to scale a few buildings with a flick of his wrist.


Superhero Levi Relates to Most:

  • Captain America – He connects with Captain America’s sense of duty, moral compass, and desire to do the right thing. Levi probably likes those bulging shoulder and chest muscles.


Superhero Capability They Wish They Possessed:

  • Superhuman agility and reflexes – Levi wishes he had these abilities to enhance his photography and journalism work, allowing him to capture crucial moments effortlessly. Levi also thinks he can write better articles with superhuman creativity.


I haven’t decided on what superhero best suits me. What about you?




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ard-winning author DiAnn Mills is known for her gripping romantic suspense novels where readers can Expect An Adventure. With multiple Christy Awards and numerous bestsellers, her stories captivate readers with their depth and intensity. A passionate storyteller and dedicated mentor, DiAnn is also a coffee connoisseur and proud grandmother living in Houston, Texas.

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Hallow: Top 5 and Giveaway

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HALLOW: A FRACTURED FAMILY TALE
A Black Orchid Enterprises Mystery, Book #5
By M.R. Dimond


Mystery / Cozy Mystery / Lawyers & Criminals Humor
Publisher: Rock Rose Press
Pages: 321
Publication Date: May 30, 2024



SYNOPSIS

Family: What you don’t know can kill you.

Young Texas attorney JD Thompson enjoys his life in a small Texas town, where he lives with his ABBA tribute band, college roommates, and seventy black cats that his veterinarian partner rescued before Halloween. Probate cases with inheritance squabbles leave him time to help family members, like when his grandfather receives a surprising present from the past. But the squabbles turn deadly, the present isn’t a gift, and the lovely woman who captures his heart isn’t what she seems. As he stands in ashes with murder on the doorstep, JD races to defend his client, his family, and his home. Can he untangle the dark secrets threatening to destroy everything he holds dear? The walls are already splattered with blood.

Join JD and the quirky Black Orchid Enterprises gang in their fifth Texas mystery as the holiday season rolls in—fall holidays, that is, from High Holy Days to Thanksgiving.

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BOOK TRAILER






Top 5 for 3

HALLOW: A FRACTURED FAMILY TALE by M.R. Dimond


The principals of Black Orchid Enterprises, the series’ amateur sleuths, and three-fourths of the ABBA tribute band MultiABBA are:

  • JD Thompson, attorney, series narrator, pianist, and bass-baritone (Benny)

  • Dianne Cortez, accountant, choreographer, and alto (Anni-Frid)

  • Johnny Ly, veterinarian, bass player, and tenor (Bjorn) 


Here are quick five facts about each to help you keep them straight:






Hear JD’s favorite song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoyNlVQbUPc



Sing along with Dianne’s favorite song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r41exeeQ5vM




Listen to Johnny’s favorite song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEhZCRv8RhE








ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After stints in professional orchestras, law firms, cat rescue, bookkeeping, and technical communication, M. R. Dimond returned to a childhood dream of writing fiction, which has turned out to be about musicians, lawyers, veterinarians, accountants, and cats. Her Black Orchid Enterprises Mystery series, set in her near-native Texas, currently contains five novels with more soon to come.

She has had short fiction published in Strange Horizons, Dancing USA, and various anthologies (most recently in Dreaming the Goddess; Hook, Line, and Sinker; and Riddles, Resolutions, and Revenge), as well as nonfiction articles in various publications.

She holds an MBA from University of Tulsa and is a veteran of writing workshops, including Clarion, Viable Paradise, Jim Gunn’s Center for Science Fiction, and Taos Toolbox. She lives in the wilderness east of Austin, Texas, with her husband and many foster cats.

 

This Time Around: Review and Giveaway

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THIS TIME AROUND
by
Kimberly Packard

Time Travel Romance / Contemporary Women’s Fiction / Romantic Comedy
Publisher: Abalos Publishing
Date of Publication: June 11, 2024
Number of Pages: 286 pages 


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SYNOPSIS

Most of us would jump at a chance for a do-over of our teenage years…but what if our worst mistakes lead to our happily-ever-after?

Josie Gardner’s life revolves around her amazing children and her career. But, when her husband threatens to take her kids in their divorce, and the business she’s put most of her passion, time and money into building is at risk of failing, a panic attack shatters her grip on reality… and the present.

Josie wakes up in her teenage bedroom, thirty years in the past. She’s forced to relive her emotionally devastating senior year of high school — the year she cut her father out of her life, caused one of her best friends to sever ties, and turned away the boy she loved.

Determined to get back to her children in her own time, Josie tries to fix the mistakes she made, in the hope that righting wrongs will send her back to the present. But when tempted by her high school crush Josie faces the real possibility of losing her future for good.

Would you take a second chance for love…even if it meant losing everything?

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This Time Around by Kimberly Packard was such a heartwarming, enchanting modern story! This story follows Josie, a 47 year old who’s life seems to be tearing at the seems. But, before the horrible day is over, Josie is thrust back to her 17 year old self, and gets to relive her senior year of high school. It somewhat reminded me of the movie 17 again, only instead of just having a 17 year old body, Josie is reliving her senior year, but learning so much more about herself. I’m sure we have all questioned “what would we change if we could go back?” And that is the true question that drives this story… what would Josie change? And DOES she change anything once she relives what happens to be a significant year in shaping her life? 

There was so much to enjoy about this book! It’s fast paced, with highly engaging characters. The story itself is very enchanting! I have to admit, I really enjoyed Josie’s relationship with her mother. These two were priceless on the page and lovely to read about. I love how Josie seems to have a new awareness about things regarding her mother, it allowed her to see and understand the choices her mom hade made. 

This book was so fun! And it grasped my full attention, though it was a quick read, it was hard to put down because I so very much loved Josie’s character and I wanted to see what was going to happen to her. 

I highly recommend this book! Perfect read for a summer breeze!

Rating: 5/5


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kimberly Packard is an award-winning author of women’s fiction.

When she isn’t writing, she can be found planning her next trip, asking her dog what’s in his mouth or curled up with a book. She resides in Texas with her husband Colby, a clever cat named Oliver and a precocious black lab named Tully.

Her debut novel, Phoenix, was awarded as Best General Fiction of 2013 by the Texas Association of Authors. She is also the author of a Christmas novella, The Crazy Yates, and the sequels to Phoenix, Pardon Falls and Prospera Pass, and her stand-alone titles Vortex, Dire’s Club and This Time Around. She was honored as one of the Top 10 Haute Young Authors by Southern Methodist University in 2019. Vortex was the 2019 winner of the Pencraft award in Women’s Fiction, and Dire’s Club, was awarded the 2021 General Fiction of the Year by the North Texas Book Festival.



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06/11/24

Ames for the Stars

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06/12/24

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Book Fidelity

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06/15/24

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06/16/24

Boys’ Mom Reads

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06/17/24

The Plain-Spoken Pen

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06/17/24

The Real World According to Sam

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06/18/24

Carpe Diem Chronicles

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06/18/24

It’s Not All Gravy

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06/19/24

Reading by Moonlight

Review

06/19/24

Bibliotica

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06/20/24

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Second Lives: Book Blitz and Giveaway

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SECOND LIVES: 
The Journey of Brain-Injury Survivors
and Their Healers
By Ralph B. Lilly, MD & Diane F. Kramer with Joyce Stamp Lilly
Narrated by Loren C. Steffy & Joyce Stamp Lilly


Audiobook / Biography / Medical Professionals / Neuroscience
Publisher: Stoney Creek Publishing
Listening Length: 6 hours and 21 minutes
Publication Date: February 28, 2024

 NOW AVAILABLE
IN AUDIOBOOK FORMAT! 

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SYNOPSIS

“Discharged from a hospital just means you’re not dead.” These words of Ralph B. Lilly, M.D., describe his early struggle to recover from a traumatic brain injury. Lilly was a forty-four-year-old practicing neurologist sitting on his motorcycle at a red light when a drunk driver rear-ended him in 1980. In the ICU, after regaining consciousness and being told what happened, he asked, “What’s a hospital? What’s a motorcycle?” This tragic experience transformed his life and his approach to his neurology practice: doctors treat those with brain injury; but loved ones heal them.

Second Lives: The Journey of Brain Injury Survivors and Their Healers is written by Dr. Lilly and Diane F. Kramer. After his death in 2021, Kramer completed the book with the assistance of Lilly’s wife Joyce Stamp Lilly. This memoir weaves together Ralph Lilly’s experience with a collage of stories about his patients and their healers. After his recovery, Lilly retrained in the emerging field of behavioral neurology, which focuses on behavior, memory, cognition, and emotion after brain injury.

His clinical skills and expert witness testimony were sought by physicians, survivors, families, and attorneys to secure the best “second life” for survivors. His many patients marveled at his uniquely compassionate approach: “What doctor gives you his cell number and says call any time?” Lilly’s pioneering career spanned forty years from Brown University’s Butler Psychiatric Hospital in Rhode Island to Nexus Health System and private practice in Houston, Texas. He treated ER and hospital inpatients whose loved ones were in acute quandary, as well as outpatients who’d long given up finding a doctor who knew how to help. Lilly’s memoir is full of heart, not science, and will provide insight to general readers, family, and friends of patients with brain injury, as well as those who treat them.

His narration is unintentionally poignant, often punctuated by wry humor. He generously incorporates the words of his patients and their families in telling their stories. Their gratitude for his care is profound. As one former patient said, “Without Dr. Lilly, I’d be dead or in jail.

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BOOK TRAILER




ABOUT THE AUTHORS
A neurologist for over half a century, Ralph B. Lilly, MD had a passion for learning and teaching. A traumatic brain injury in 1980 shifted his focus from general neurology to behavioral neurology, the study of how brain injury affects behavior. After completing a fellowship in neurobehavior at the University of California, Los Angeles, he served as a clinical assistant professor with the Brown University Program in Medicine in Providence, Rhode Island, consulting with psychiatrists looking for possible neurological causes for their patients’ psychiatric symptoms. In Texas, he worked joined what is now Nexus Health Systems and became a clinical assistant professor at The University of Texas in Houston. Lilly focused his life’s work on treating brain-injury survivors and counseling their families, who were victims in their own right. He saw these “healers” as instrumental in guiding the injured loved one to a “new life.” He practiced in Arizona, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Texas, and wherever he was called to help. Before his death in 2021, Lilly lived in Washington, Texas, with his wife, Joyce, three dogs, six cats, and two horses.


Diane F. Kramer retired from the counseling and psychology departments of Austin Community College in 2008 and began writing personal essays, family histories, and fiction. As a volunteer with the Brenham Animal Shelter, she wrote a weekly column on animal welfare for The Brenham Banner Press. Her writing has also appeared in Alamo Bay Press anthologies and blogs Peace through Pie and Drash Pit. She currently writes website copy and press releases for Brenham Lifetime Learning and the Read of Washington County. She lives with her husband and their rescue dog and cat in rural Texas.


STONEY CREEK PUBLISHING



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Just A Hat: Book Blitz and Giveaway

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JUST A HAT
By SHANAH KHUBIAR
Young Adult / Coming of Age / Jewish Fiction / Small-Town Texas / 1970s
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Page Count: 254
Publication Date: July 18, 2023
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Action-packed, humorous, and bittersweet, this 1970s-era coming-of-age novel is more relevant than ever–exploring how a second-generation immigrant kid in a new hometown must navigate bullying, unexpected friendships, and the struggle of keeping both feet firmly planted in two very different cultures.
It’s 1979, and thirteen-year-old Joseph Nissan can’t help but notice that small-town Texas has something in common with Revolution-era Iran: an absence of fellow Jews. And in such a small town it seems obvious that a brown kid like him was bound to make friends with Latinos–which is a plus, since his new buds, the Ybarra twins, have his back. But when the Iran hostage crisis, two neighborhood bullies, and the local reverend’s beautiful daughter put him in all sorts of danger, Joseph must find new ways to cope at home and at school.
As he struggles to trust others and stay true to himself, a fiercely guarded family secret keeps his father at a distance, and even his piano teacher, Miss Eleanor–who is like a grandmother to him–can’t always protect him. But Joseph is not alone, and with a little help from his friends, he finds the courage to confront his fears and discovers he can inspire others to find their courage, too.
Just a Hat is an authentically one-of-a-kind YA debut that fuses the humor of Firoozeh Dumas’s Funny in Farsi with the poignancy of Daniel Nayeri’s Everything Sad Is Untrue.

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Shanah Khubiar is a retired law enforcement officer, and she is now self-employed as a subject matter specialist. She holds a BS and MEd in education from East Texas State University and a PhD in philosophy. A student of her Persian ancestry, she incorporates (Mizrachi) Middle Eastern Jewry into her fiction, examining the historical challenges and triumphs of a different culture and narrative than what usually appears in literature. Khubiar is a sometime resident and always fan of most things Texas.
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Signed hardback copy of JUST A HAT
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