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Good Talk… Good Talk: Scrapbook and Giveaway

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GOOD TALK. . .GOOD TALK
by
Ginny Andrews
Nonfiction / Humor / Comedy / Essays
Publisher: Ginny Andrews Comedy, LLC
Date of Publication: October 5, 2023
Number of Pages: 171 pages
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Raise your hand if you have ever run into a mannequin in a store and apologized. Continue to keep your hand raised if you want to pre-write thank you notes to those whom you anticipate attending your funeral because you suffer from chronic “way too nice” syndrome. Keep it up high if you have ever farted in church or yoga class. Man, my arm is getting tired!
Most people are awkward during the middle school years, grow out of it, and blossom into mature, well-functioning human beings…I’m still waiting for this to happen. Awkwardness is my hidden talent, although most who know me would tell you it isn’t hidden—it’s written on my forehead. My daily life is filled with epic failures. Sometimes I feel like I’m one big malfunction! As I have gotten older, I just try to embrace it.
After you read this collection of essays, hopefully you will be able to accept your imperfections too! Nope, probably not because I’m still not there! However, maybe my comedy will stick with you like that hemorrhoid you can’t seem to get rid of, like ever—Good Talk. . .Good Talk.

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PRAISE FOR GOOD TALK. . .GOOD TALK:
“Reading Ginny Andrews’s Good Talk. . .Good Talk is a lot like hanging out with that girlfriend that invariably makes you laugh until you cry.” —Lauren Cassel Brownell, author of Zen and the Art of Housekeeping and Dying to Donate “Good Talk. . .Good Talk is a laugh out loud winner, filled with quirky stories reminiscent of Patrick McManus.” —J. Andersen, author of The Breeding Tree, The Gene Rift, and Legacy’s Impact “Anyone with anxiety will totally relate to Ginny Andrews’ humorous tales of the struggle of day-to-day life in today’s world.” —John A.B., Amazon Reviewer






1. Ginny is a former high school teacher and coach. 
2. Book cover image
3. Author bio picture on back of book
4. Cousin Eddie from the movie Christmas Vacation! 
5. Social media picture in back of book 
6. Author bio picture on Amazon, Goodreads, and BookBub 
7. Ginny Andrews Comedy logo





Ginny Andrews is a former high school teacher and coach, who is now an aspiring comedian, speaker, and writer. She would greatly appreciate it if you purchased her book! Door Dash, dog-sitting, used car sales, lawn mowing, and selling random items found in her house aren’t high paying gigs!
◆ WEBSITE ◆ INSTAGRAM ◆ FACEBOOK◆
◆ YOUTUBE ◆ GOODREADS ◆ BOOKBUB ◆
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Finding Comfort: Spotlight and Giveaway

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FINDING COMFORT
Comfort and Joy Trilogy, Book 2
by
Kimberly Fish

Women’s Fiction / Contemporary / Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Fish Tales Publishing
Date of Publication: September 1, 2023
Number of Pages: 312 pages 


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Even with all her experience, Gloria Bachman, retired banker and candy entrepreneur, didn’t see this coming.

Sweeties, the beloved Comfort chocolate shop, was ready for its cameo in advertising extraordinaire Jazzy Mezcal’s famous travel and food show! Comfort town folks had worked hard all summer to get their shops Hallmark-movie ready. On the eve of the TV crews overtaking the town, Gloria’s Chamber of Commerce welcome party gets drenched in a wicked rainstorm. Locals call it a “blue norther,” and a dreaded agent of change. Flooding seems like the worst of their problems until the celebrity TV host turns up dead.

In shock, Gloria’s friends turn to her to figure out who could be responsible for such a disaster. With the TV crew and guests in town for the 8th Street Market’s annual shopping event, suspects are endless. Reluctant to get involved, Gloria would much rather focus on the delicious romance with Mason Lassiter. And she would if a frenemy from Kerrville didn’t haunt her every step. Now as Gardner Rogers treads on her turf, everything feels suspicious.

With all eyes on Gloria to find the truth behind Jazzy Mezcal’s untimely death, she indulges her curiosity for problem solving while trying to disguise how unsure she is about the future with her boyfriend. Disruption in Mason’s world, mayhem in Comfort, and one epic chocolate disaster rouse Gloria to action and make her decide what’s worth fighting for. All she can say for sure, is that no one is finding any comfort in Comfort.


Kimberly Fish has been a professional writer in marketing and media for over thirty years, with regular contributions to area newspapers and magazines. As an accidental historian, she wrote two novels, The Big Inch and Harmon General, both based on factual events in Longview, Texas, that changed world history. Kimberly also offers a set of contemporary women’s fiction novels and novellas, based in the Texas Hill Country, that reveal her fascination with characters discovering their grit and sweet, second chances; all four of the novels have won distinguished awards. Finding Comfort is her latest novel, the second book in the Comfort and Joy Trilogy.


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The Brotherhood of Pandora: Blitz and Giveaway

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The Brotherhood of Pandora
by
David L. Nichols


Historical Fiction / Nautical Fiction / Action & Adventure
Publisher: Moontower Press
November 14, 2022
313 Pages

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To combat Napoleon’s increasing interest in the Caribbean and help pressure France to sell New Orleans to America, Vice-President Thomas Jefferson enlists the aid of friend and naval hero Captain Jacob May. He asks Captain May to wage a clandestine war against the French in the Caribbean not as part of the US Navy, but as pirates.

To accomplish this, Captain May uses the cutting-edge technology of 1799: Girardoni air rifles, Fulton’s self-propelled torpedoes, a submarine, cannons with rifling, and Pandora, a specially modified ship. Pandora’s crew also holds a secret—two women masquerading as able-bodied seamen. Captain May molds his crew into the Brotherhood of Pandora and gives Jefferson chaos in the Caribbean.

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AMAZON │ MOONTOWER PRESS


David Nichols has published three books and a number of articles on building small wooden boats and traditional sails. He also taught wooden boat building at WoodenBoat School and Great Lakes Boatbuilding School. In addition, he wrote and directed an hour-long “how-to” video on wooden boat building and has written many scripts for industrial and commercial films. This background allows him to accurately portray the boats and ships of the late 18th century and weave a cohesive and compelling story. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas, Austin.

◆ YouTube ◆ Goodreads ◆


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Mumentous: Review & Giveaway

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MUMENTOUS:
Original Photos and Mostly-True Stories about Football,
Glue Guns, Moms, and a Supersized High School Tradition
That Was Born Deep in the Heart of Texas
by
Amy J. Schultz
Nonfiction / Photo-Driven Memoir / Women’s History / Pop Culture / Texana
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Page Count: 178 pages
Publication Date: April 25, 2023
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The closest you’ll ever get to seeing someone actually wear their heart on their sleeve is in Texas, every fall, at the local high school homecoming game.
They’re called homecoming mums. They are as bodacious as football, as irresistible as a juicy rumor, and as deep as a momma’s love. Over a hundred years ago when the custom began, mum was short for chrysanthemum, a typical corsage that boys gave to girls before taking them to the big football game. But through the decades, mum went from a simple abbreviation to a complicated shorthand for an eye-popping tradition that’s as ingrained in the culture as it is confounding to outsiders.
Through her original photography and collection of stories from across and beyond the Lone Star State, Amy J. Schultz takes us deep in the heart of mum country. You’ll meet kids who wear them, parents who buy them, and critics who decry them as just another example of consumerism gone wild. But mostly, you’ll discover that just like every ritual which stands the test of time, someone is keeping the tradition alive. Someone like Mom.
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There’s anticipation to the upcoming mum celebrations. Knowing that soon the mini-parade of mums will showcase the halls and events. I remember my mom’s face when she asked me how big I wanted my mum to be, just slightly frightened by the answer. Afterall, the bigger the mum, the bigger the bragging rights. Thankfully for her, I let her know I wasn’t expecting anything over the top. Did it still end up being nearly the size of my head and longer than my torso? Yes. Yes it did.

There was an informal tradition within it though. That mums were meant to be shared. If your friend didn’t have one and wanted to experience it, simply pluck a ribbon and flower from yours and hand it over. Have safety pins in your pocket and great memories to remember years later.

It was hilarious at times hearing the accounts of someone not Texas-born reminiscing about our odd traditions, particularly this one. In fact, it seemed quite common to me growing up. While I never had to huge desire to embrace some of the more Texas sized traditions, it didn’t seem to be odd to me. Though, that could be stemmed from my mom working for the school district and such thing as mums, homecomings, and pep rallies are just normal and happen all the time.

I am very impressed by the detail to history and self experience by the author. What better way to bring a tradition like this more alive than hearing from Schultz herself? There’s joy and humor to this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was a bit like a beginners guide to this niche.

The pictures were a great addition as well. As a reader, you’ll notice quickly that happiness ties them together. The excitement of each subject flying off the page. Schultz goes into the why and how this tradition came to be. From my experience, a lot of this stems from the happiness and silliness it brings. It was very interesting to read about the way mums have spread over Texas and over states as well.

Don’t miss out on the giveaway below! This book would be a great addition as a ‘coffee table book’, ‘conversation piece’, and ‘parent facing mum season guide’. Schultz has a very artistic style of writing and does an amazing job expressing the excitement of mum season.

Amy J. Schultz is an author and award-winning photographer who explores unique aspects of modern culture that hide in plain sight. When she isn’t talking about homecoming mums, Amy is writing, taking photos, working on other creative projects, traveling, snort-laughing, or vacuuming up dog fur.

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First Prize: signed hardback copy + enamel pin;
Second Prize: eBook + enamel pin
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The Killer Enigma: Blitz and Giveaway

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THE KILLER ENIGMA
Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles
Book 16
by BREAKFIELD & BURKEY
Cozy Mystery / Suspense / Cozy Mystery Series
Publisher: ICABOD Press
Coming August 19, 2023
Enough is Enough – JJ rumbled when the paparazzi invaded dinner. JJ and Jo realize privacy doesn’t exist for them. They return to Magnolia Bluff to check on their friends and recapture the small-town anonymity. In Magnolia Bluff, no one suspects their fame. They discount the status of urban legends in favor of acceptance and a quiet, peaceful life. After all, a supermodel needs time and space to recharge between jobs. A geek wants time to adore his wife. Does Magnolia Bluff hold the answers to their prayers? Will their desires get clouded by a hidden secret? Past, present, and future collide in a perfect storm no one expected. JJ and Jo take action to uncover the truth. Chief Tommy Jager likes them but feels they’re a lightning rod for trouble and disruption. Who will live or die to prevent the truth from being exposed? The answers may be in the graveyard with fresh flowers on the gravestone.
Their friends are targets – Their dreams are broken – They must fight
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Charles Breakfield is a 25+ year technology expert in security, networking, voice, and anything digital. He enjoys writing, studying World War II history, travel, and cultural exchanges. He also enjoys wine tastings, wine-making, Harley riding, cooking extravaganzas, and woodworking.
Rox Burkey is a 25+ year applied technology professional who excels at optimizing technology and business investments for customers worldwide with a focus on optimized customer experiences. She writes white papers and documents with a marked preference for fiction.
Together they create award-winning stories that resonate with males and females, young and experienced adults, and bring a fresh new view to technology possibilities today.
Series Social Media:
Rox Burkey Social Media:
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A River of Crows: Guest Post

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A RIVER OF CROWS
by
SHANESSA GLUHM
Fiction / Suspense / Thriller / Revenge
Publisher: TouchPoint Press
Date of Publication: April 18, 2023
Number of Pages: 427 pages
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In 1988, Sloan Hadfield’s brother Ridge went fishing with their father and never came home. Their father, a good-natured Vietnam veteran prone to violent outbursts, was arrested and charged with murder. Ridge’s body was never recovered, and Sloan’s mother— a brilliant ornithologist— slowly descended into madness, insisting her son was still alive. Now twenty years later, Sloan’s life is unraveling. In the middle of a bitter divorce, she’s forced to return to her rural Texas hometown when her mother is discharged from a mental health facility. Overwhelmed by memories and unanswered questions, Sloan returns to the last place her brother was seen all those years ago: Crow’s Nest Creek. There, she is shocked to hear a crow murmuring the same syllable over and over: Ridge, Ridge, Ridge. When the body of another boy is found, Sloan begins to question what really happened to her brother all those years ago. What she discovers will shock her small community and turn her family upside down.

“INSPIRATION: WHERE BOOK IDEAS COME FROM?”

GUEST POST FROM SHANESSA GLUHM

 
Like most authors, I’m often asked, “Where do your book ideas come from?”

As a reader, I’ve been curious where other authors got their famous ideas, so I did some research.

Many of the ideas for Stephen King’s books came to him in dreams, including one of my favorites, Misery. On a flight, King dozed off and had a dream about a popular writer who was kidnapped by a psychotic fan. He woke up, made notes on his cocktail napkin, and started writing Misery that night in his hotel.

Author Suzanne Collins got her idea for The Hunger Games channel surfing one night. On one channel she saw young people competing in a reality TV show, and on another channel footage of the Iraq war. Those two things fused together in her mind, and Katniss Everdeen was born.

J.K. Rowling was stuck on a train when an image of a boy starting wizarding school began to form in her mind. She didn’t have a pen, so she spent the rest of the four hours on the train developing the story of Harry Potter in her mind.  

Children’s author Roald Dahl kept idea books from childhood on. I also have a similar book where I keep my ideas, and those ideas come from a variety of places.

The idea of the twist in Enemies of Doves came from my best friend. But the rest of it? Well, I knew I needed to build up to that twist, and I realized the story had to be set in the past or that twist couldn’t work. I knew what I wanted the title to be, so I realized I had to work doves into the plot somehow. And I knew as a theme I wanted to examine the relationship between brothers.

For A River of Crows, the idea struck as I was listening to the radio while driving in Texas with my youngest son. I passed a creek named Crow’s Nest Creek. At that moment, an old Keith Whitley song came on the radio: “I’m Over You”. In my brain, a connection formed between this song and this creek. I imagined a family torn apart by something that happened at Crow’s Nest Creek. Something that left a father and daughter estranged. I knew this father and daughter were huge Keith Whitley fans, and that the father went to prison the day Keith Whitley died. (I had no idea why yet). And even though this song is seemingly about the loss of a romantic relationship, this daughter associated it with the loss of the relationship with her father.

I also remembered a video I’d seen recently about the intelligence of crows and how they can be trained to speak and mimic human voices.

This creek, song, and YouTube video came together to form a story. By the time I pulled into my driveway, I had a basic plot of A River of Crows outlined in my mind.

It should be noted that I also passed a creek called Cannibal Draw on that drive, and thought that too would be a great name for a book. Thankful a story idea didn’t form then because it would be a much different and darker story, wouldn’t it?

Ideas really do come from everywhere— a favorite movie, a nightmare, a newspaper article, our best friend, a childhood memory, an overheard conversation between strangers, people we’ve loved, people we’ve hated, a small creek we pass by, a song on the radio that stirs something inside of us. Ideas present themselves to us every day and all are bubbling with possibility. Pay attention to where your imagination wanders.

But the fact remains, the ideas are the easiest part. Neil Gaiman puts it like this, “The ideas aren’t the hard bit. They’re a small component of the whole. Creating believable people who do more or less what you tell them to is much harder. And hardest by far is the process of simply sitting down and putting one word after another to construct whatever it is you’re trying to build: making it interesting, making it new.”

But that’s a blog for another time.

Shanessa Gluhm works as a librarian at an elementary school in New Mexico where she lives with her husband and children. It was during her own elementary days when a teacher encouraged Shanessa to share a story she wrote with the class. She hasn’t stopped writing since. Her debut novel, Enemies of Doves was an IAN Book of the Year Finalist in the category of first novel, an NIEA Finalist for cross-genre fiction, and first place winner in the Chanticleer Clue Awards for mystery, suspense, and thriller fiction. When Shanessa is not writing she enjoys birdwatching, reading, and watching true crime documentaries.
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“SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS”: Video Interview and Giveaway

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“SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS”
by Dina Gachman
Grief & Bereavement / Love & Loss / Parenting & Relationships Publisher: Union Square & Co. Page Count: 240 pages Publication Date: April 11, 2023
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A heartfelt exploration about what it means to process grief, by a bestselling author and journalist whose experience with two devastating losses inspired her to bring comfort and understanding to others.
Since losing her mother to cancer in 2018 and her sister to alcoholism less than three years later, author and journalist Dina Gachman has dedicated herself to understanding what it means to grieve, healing after loss, and the ways we stay connected to those we miss. Through a mix of personal storytelling, reporting, and insight from experts and even moments of humor, Gachman gives readers a fresh take on grief and bereavement—whether the loss is a family member, beloved pet, or a romantic relationship. No one wants to join the grief club, since membership comes with zero perks, but So Sorry for Your Loss will make that initiation just a little less painful.
In the spirit of Elizabeth Kubler Ross books like On Grief and Grieving, or C.S. Lewis’s A Grief Observed, So Sorry for Your Loss is the perfect gift for someone who is grieving. With her blend of personal experiences, expert advice, and just a little bit of humor, Gachman has provided a compassionate and compelling resource for anyone looking for grief books.
PRAISE FOR SO SORRY FOR YOUR LOSS: “Gachman perceptively puts words to the uncomfortable realities of loss…and deconstructs its social myths, helping readers feel less alone. Those facing loss will find solace here.” —Publishers Weekly “So Sorry for Your Loss is a monument to the work of remembering and a testament to the immutable love of family and the grief that forever changes us.” —Lauren Hough, New York Times bestselling author of Leaving Isn’t the Hardest Thing “So Sorry for Your Loss is a meditation on loss that reminds us how to go on living.” —Deirdre Fagan, author of Find a Place for Me and The Grief Eaters
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“Dina Gachman Mastering Grief Through Writing”

On Open to Hope podcast, hosted by Drs Gloria and Heidi Horsley

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Dina Gachman is a Pulitzer Center Grantee and a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Vox, Texas Monthly, and more. She’s a New York Times bestselling ghostwriter and the author of Brokenomics: 50 Ways to Live the Dream on a Dime. She lives near Austin, Texas, with her husband and son. Photo credit Jessica Comiskey.
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Winning Maura’s Heart: Excerpt and Giveaway

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WINNING MAURA’S HEART
The Hangman’s Daughters Series, Book # 1
by
LINDA BRODAY
Western Romance / Clean & Wholesome / Historical Fiction
Publisher: Severn House
Date of Publication: March 7, 2023
Number of Pages: 256 pages
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The Calhoun brothers are identical twins but on opposite sides of the law. Cutter is a deputy Marshal, Jonas an outlaw. When Cutter attempts to break his brother out of a notorious gang, they are shot, and Maura finds one of them wounded, close to the mission – but which brother is it?
Maura Taggart is an outcast, the daughter of a hangman and tainted by association – no reputable man wants her as his wife. And now she is homeless, along with her sister and the group of children in their care. Armed with pure grit, she finds a nearby mission where the nuns agree to take them in and set up an orphanage. But trouble is just around the corner . . .
As the stranger regains his strength under Maura’s care an attraction between them grows, yet how far can she trust him? And why has he brought trouble to their door? With the orphanage under threat can Maura trust this handsome stranger both with their safety and with her heart?
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Excerpt from Winning Maura’s Heart

By Linda Broday


Maura lifted her chin. “Does the name Lucius Taggart mean anything?”

Calhoun reeled from the shock. “The hangman is your father?”

This answered everything—why they started the orphanage so far from town, Emma’s shorn hair, the reason neither girl had ever married. 

“Good Lord!” He ran a hand across his eyes.

“So you see why things are the way they are. Keep your pretty words and compliments and save them for someone with a use for them.”

Calhoun threw his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. “Look here, Maura Taggart. I’m not in the habit of paying lip service. Not with you or anyone. I mean what I say, and I meant every word, every compliment. There’s only one thing keeping me from courting you and it’s not your father.” He gave a snort. “I don’t give two hoots about Lucius Taggart.”

“Others have said the same thing but they all left.” Maura lifted her head, her voice quiet. “Forgive me, but I don’t believe you. I’m too old to play games, Calhoun. I’m smart enough to know that life has passed me by.”

“Only if you let it. You’ll never get anywhere by sitting down and giving up.”

“Give up?” she asked sharply. “Is that what you think? We’ve fought hard for everything we’ve gotten. Fought for the right to survive, to take up room on this earth. Wiped spit off our faces and walked away with heads held high. That’s not giving up. But there comes a time when a woman has to face reality.”

She had a point, but he couldn’t accept it.

He got to his feet and hobbled to her in his stocking feet. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “How’s this for reality? I like you and I like spending time with you and no, it has nothing to do with you patching me up. I’m not confusing gratitude with the closeness I feel with you. The only thing that is keeping me from courting you is the fact I have some dangerous business to take care of. The kind that might get me killed. Not only me, but everyone standing close and I won’t do that to you. Understand?”

“I’m trying. In the meantime, I can’t let false hopes take root.” Her voice dropped to an anguished whisper, “That would finish me. Better to have no hope at all.”

“Lady, when I get this settled and I still draw breath, I’m coming back.”

“I can see you mean that.” She put a hand to her throat. “You have to get well before you can ride out and that might be a while.”

“You’re telling me. It’s all I can do to get to the door right now.”

A teasing glint sparkled in her blue eyes. At least the sadness was gone. “See? And you’re talking about walking over to the mission.”

“That’s going to be more than talk. I am going to do that, with or without your help. So there. I’ll go stark raving mad if I have to spend another meal in this room by myself. I want to meet these kids, get acquainted with the nuns. I want to see Baby Juliette and the new puppy and all sorts of things you’ve told me about.” He lowered his voice and lifted a tendril of her hair that escaped from the loose knot on top of her head. “But most of all, I want to sit with you at the table and eat a meal. That’s going to be icing on the cake.”

“Then I should get moving.” She glanced at his boots on the floor. “I guess I’m going to have to help you get those on or you’ll be tearing your stitches out again.”

“That’s the God’s honest truth.”

“Okay then. Sit in the chair, Mr. Stubborn.”

“At least I did get my socks on by myself.” He sat down. “I’m not real sure how we’re going to do this. I can pull on one side with my good right arm and maybe you can pull on the other.”

“We can try it.” 

Calhoun wondered if she realized how close she’d have to get. As hard as they were to get on, there wasn’t any other way. 

And what would that do to his sanity? 

With the fragrance of Lily of the Valley drifting around him, Maura positioned herself and leaned over grabbing the top of his boot. Mere inches away, her nearness had him struggling for breath. 

Both of them tugged but only got his foot in about halfway. Trying again, she leaned down further until she was almost in his lap, pulling and yanking as hard as she could.

His yearning body tried to betray him. He closed his eyes. Not now.

“I’m going to get this on one way or the other.” She blew back a strand of fallen hair.

Before he knew it, she threw her leg across his lap and sat with her back to him. Reaching down, she put her fingers in the loops and gave a big yank. That did it.

“Thank God for a woman who doesn’t give up on boots,” he murmured. The temptation to touch her, to put his hands around her waist, rose up with a strong need that surprised even him.

However, before he could blink, she removed herself from his lap. Her cheeks were bright red. “I’m sorry, but that’s the only way to get them on.”

“Do you hear me complaining?” Darn his grin that tried its best to form. “Only one more to go.”



I’m a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of western romance novels and short stories. Watching TV westerns during my youth fed my love of cowboys and the old West and they still do. On a still day, I can often hear the voices of American Indians, Comancheros, and early cowboys whispering in the breeze here on the high West Texas plains. We refer to this land as “cowboy” country and men here still ride the range just as cowboys of old. My stories focus on family life and almost all have children.
 
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GRAND PRIZE: tote including signed copy of Winning Maura’s Heart, strawberry & chocolate tea, Cowgirl hand lotion, bath bombs, personalized cup;
2nd Prize: eBook copy Winning Maura’s Heart;
3rd Prize: $15 Amazon gift card
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Brutal Season: Cover Reveal and Book Blitz

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BRUTAL SEASON
The Seasons Mysteries Series #4
BY MARYANN MILLER
Police Procedural / Mystery
Publisher: MCM Enterprises
Coming April 10, 2023
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Eighteen-year-old Jamel Frederickson is shot and killed by a white, rookie Dallas police officer. His crime? Being black and mentally ill.
Following that unwarranted death, anger, and violence erupts on the streets, leading to the murders of two protestors who were marching around the downtown federal building.
Detectives Sarah Kingsly and Angel Johnson are thrust into the investigation of those murders, while desperately clinging to the threads of their partnership.
The shootings also raise questions about whether the alt-right white supremacists that invaded the city with their guns and inflammatory rhetoric are responsible.
Will more people get killed?
Is there more than one person out there with an agenda?
When a member of the team, Ryan O’Donnell, is shot while attempting to prevent looting, the tension in the city, and the department, ratchets up even higher. And it deeply affects Angel who’s been pretending she really isn’t falling for this white man.
Angel joins the protests to take a stand against racism in the city and within the department; an action that puts her job, her relationship with Ryan, and her fragile partnership with Sarah at risk.
For her part, Sarah comes to realize that she is not as enlightened as she thought she was, and both women just hope they can come through the personal and professional challenges and end up with something that resembles a true partnership.
While catching the killers in the process.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR BRUTAL SEASON “In the compelling fourth installment of the Seasons Mystery series, Miller once again tackles difficult subjects in this absorbing, page-turning crime thriller.”
—Carrie Rubin, author of Fatal Rounds, a Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize Finalist

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Maryann Miller, an award-winning author, has been in love with storytelling since she was a child and used to scare her sister with stories of the monsters in the cellar.
When she grew up, she started her professional career as a journalist, writing newspaper columns, feature stories, and short fiction for regional and national publications. Her novels are primarily mysteries, with an occasional mainstream novel thrown into the mix.
Miller is the recipient of the Page Edwards Short Story Award for her story Maybe Someday and the New York Library Best Books for Teens Award for her nonfiction book, Coping with Weapons And Violence In School and On Your Streets. Her mystery, Doubletake, was honored as the Best Mystery by the Texas Association of Authors. She took first place in the short story and screenwriting competition at the Houston Writer’s Conference and was a semi-finalist at Sundance for her script “A Question of Honor.” She was also a semi-finalist in the Chesterfield Screenwriting Competition with the adaptation of Open Season, the first book in the Seasons Mystery Series.
When not writing, Miller loves to play on stage and play in her garden. She lives in Texas with her dog and three cats. The cats rule.
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Liberty Bell and the Last American: Notable Quotes and Giveaway

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LIBERTY BELL AND
THE LAST AMERICAN
by
James Stoddard

Alternative History / Science Fiction
Pages: 347 pages
Publication Date: April 4, 2021
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Americans love their Constitution. In seventeen-year-old Liberty Bell’s era it has become a myth.
Centuries after the Great Blackout obliterates the world’s digitized information, America’s history is forgotten. Only confused legends remain, written in The Americana, a book depicting a golden age where famous Americans from different eras lived and interacted with one another during the same time.
Raised on the stories and ideals from The Americana, Liberty Bell joins secret agent Antonio Ice on a quest for her country. But in the Old Forest, forgotten technologies are reawakening. Historic figures such as Albert Einstein, Harriet Tubman, and Thomas Jefferson are coming to life.
The source of their return, a mystery hidden since before the apocalypse, lies waiting for Liberty. Her knowledge of The Americana holds the key to unraveling the riddles of the past.
Will the American continent return to the freedom of Liberty’s forefathers? Or will it descend into a dark age of tyranny? The choices she makes will determine its fate. For, as The Americana says, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it—and forfeit all coupons, discounts, and travel miles.”
Filled with quotations from exceptional Americans, here is a humorous and poignant celebration of America and its Constitution.
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NOTABLE QUOTABLES from

LIBERTY BELL AND THE LAST AMERICAN 

By James Stoddard



In this book, the heroine, Liberty Bell, and her traveling companion, Antonio Ice, meet a number of characters from the past. Much of their dialogue includes their actual quotes. Here are a few of them, along with other quotes from the book. Those quotations which I invented are in italics.


“In the days of the Founders, lightning destroyed whole cities; Pecos Bill the Stormchaser used to tame them, riding the winds on his winged stallion, Mobile.” —Liberty Bell

***


“Don’t hit a man at all if you can possibly avoid it, but if you do hit him, put him to sleep.” —Teddy Roosevelt

***


“We might see almost anything in the land of Lucy Anna: the Old Faithful One walked these woods, his breath blowing steam; the ancient mines, Carl’s Bad Caverns, are hidden here, long abandoned by Snow White and the 49ers. We might run across the White Sands of the Nuklars or the ruins of the Golden Arches.” —Liberty Bell

***


“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” —George Washington


***


“True patriotism is never misplaced, Miss Bell. It is the love of country tempered by an unswerving passion for justice.” —Jesse James (not the one you’re thinking of)

***


“If I could have convinced more slaves that they were slaves, I could have freed thousands more.”  —Harriet Tubman


***


“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” —Thomas Edison


***


“When we were kids, my dad used to tell us if we didn’t go to bed, Santa Claws would fly down from Canada and take us to the Twilight Zone.” —Antonio Ice




James Stoddard’s short fiction has appeared in science fiction publications such as “Amazing Stories” and “The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.” “The Battle of York” was included in Eos Books’ Years Best SF 10, and “The First Editions” appeared in The Year’s Best Fantasy 9 from Tor Books. His novel, “The High House” won the Compton Crook Award for best fantasy by a new novelist and was nominated for several other awards. He lives with his wife in a winding canyon in West Texas.

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LIBERTY BELL AND THE LAST AMERICAN
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FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY,
OR VISIT THE PARTICIPATING BLOGS DIRECTLY:

10/25/22

Hall Ways Blog

Author Audio

10/25/22

The Page Unbound

Notable Quotables

10/26/22

Bibliotica

Review

10/26/22

LSBBT Blog

BONUS Promo

10/27/22

It’s Not All Gravy

Guest Post

10/27/22

Boys’ Mom Reads!

Review

10/28/22

The Book’s Delight

Excerpt

10/28/22

Reading by Moonlight

Review

10/29/22

StoreyBook Reviews

Review

10/30/22

The Plain-Spoken Pen

Review

10/31/22

Shelf Life Blog

Review

11/01/22

Forgotten Winds

Author Interview

11/01/22

Jennie Reads

Review

11/02/22

Rox Burkey Blog

Review

11/03/22

Chapter Break Book Blog

Review

11/03/22

Book Fidelity

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