Blog Archives

Aransas Morning: Interview and Giveaway

Image

1

ARANSAS MORNING
by
JEFF HAMPTON
  Genre: Literary Fiction / Family Life
Date of Publication: September 22, 2017
Number of Pages: 304

Scroll down for the giveaway!

When Sam Barnes’ high-flying life in Dallas falls apart, he flees to the coastal town of Port Aransas, Texas and fades into the life of a reclusive beach bum. But things start to change when he meets Dave, a young widower working through his own loss; Shelly, owner of the Dream Bean coffee shop; Bo, a crusty old shrimper; and Allie, Bo’s free-spirited daughter. Together they are tested and forced to confront their own issues. In doing so they discover family and community.


PRAISE FOR ARANSAS MORNING:
“Engrossing characters that keep doing unexpected things. Strong sense of place along the Texas coast and deep knowledge of the culture. This book is about relationships and how ‘family’ and ‘community’ might be redefined.”

“In this heartwarming book, Jeff Hampton took me to a place I’ve never been and captured me with his delightful characters, seaside landscape, and deft use of words to portray a small group of people who came together to create and run the Dream Bean cafe. Great summer reading.”

“I loved the characters, with their flaws and their graces. It is an honest and heart-warming story of redemption coming through community. I’m really glad I read it.”

“Really nice character development, articulating in a very comfortable and readable style the messy, complex, joyous and hopeful ways we build, break and nurture ‘community.’”
“Very quickly in the story, the characters became like friends. The book is engaging and held my interest.”


CLICK TO PURCHASE:
◾   Barnes& Noble  ◾   Jeff Hampton Writer   ◾   
  ◾   Etsy  ◾    Amazon   ◾   

Interview with Author Jeff Hampton

How has being a Texan influenced your writing?

Texas is a big and colorful state – a country unto itself, really – and it inspires stories that are big and colorful.

Why did you choose to write in your particular genre?

I didn’t choose the genre; it chose me. I live in a real world with real people and I like real stories about real people. Science fiction and fantasy can wow us with amazing technology and powers; those stories only work and we only are attracted to them when the characters have emotions and challenges that we can relate to.

Where did your love of books and storytelling come from?

I’m not sure because it’s always been there in one way or another.

 

How long have you been writing?

My education and career have been in journalism and communications, so I have been writing in one way or another for more than three decades.

 

What kinds of writing do you do?

All of my published book writing is fiction, but I’ve also written essays and short memoir pieces and plan to publish them too. My fictional stories usually contain pieces of events and real emotions from my own life, so it makes sense to go ahead and share more of the details through non-fiction writing.

 

What cultural value do you see in books?

The traditional journalism I’ve worked in has been overtaken by social media, but books will never die as long as there are storytellers telling good stories. Movies and television put it all on the screen, but books still allow room for the imagination and that is so important.

 

How does your book relate to your faith?

Many of my stories are about people who are trying to figure out the meaning of life and how they fit into it. And they often discover the meaning of life through community – not acting and living as solo characters but as members of something larger than themselves.

 

What was the hardest part of writing this book? 

The hardest part of writing for me is knowing when to let it go and trust it to readers. I could edit and tinker forever, but if I do that then it never gets published and read.

 

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Not knowing where the characters were going next. I had a broad idea of where the story was going, but my characters become real people, and they don’t always do and say what I think they will do and say when I first start out.

 

Which character from your book is most or least like you?

Dave is most like me. He has lost a wife to illness and is trying to rebuild his life. On the other hand, Dave is much more outgoing than me. I am more of an introvert and a potential loner like Sam.

 

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

Because my fiction is embedded with real life, I had to live and experience more of life before I could write about it. In some ways, I wish I had started writing fiction years ago but the reality is I had to wait, so I would know how to clothe fictional characters in the real joys and sorrows of life.

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

I quit a full-time job a few years ago to focus more on fiction and essay writing, but my writing today includes freelance articles for business and institutional magazines. The paid work is very different, so it is a good counterbalance to creative writing.

 

What are some day jobs that you have held?  Have any of them impacted your writing?

All of my day jobs have required writing – newspapers, magazines, corporate communications, etc. – and I think the newspaper work has instilled in me a brevity that keeps a story moving.

 

What does your perfect writing spot look like? Is that what your ACTUAL writing spot looks like?

I have a wonderful upstairs room with a big window looking out over the neighborhood. It’s a great place to write and was created for that purpose. But the truth is I write wherever I am and whatever I am doing. I’m always thinking, taking notes on an iPhone or iPad, scribbling on pieces of paper. But it all eventually comes together in my upstairs room.

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

Some writers are very focused and disciplined and will tell you they sit down at their desk and hammer it out for hours on end. I start and stop and shift gears a lot. I get stuck on a scene or a conversation, and so I switch gears and work on a freelance project or go work in the yard or run an errand. Doing those other things always sends me back to my desk with fresh ideas.

 

During a 35-year career in journalism and communications, Jeff Hampton has covered and written about topics ranging from business and finance to history and faith. His bylines have appeared in publications ranging from The Dallas Morning News to The New York Times.
He attended Baylor University where he majored in journalism and was editor of the Baylor Lariat campus newspaper. He began his professional career at the Waco Tribune-Herald and has written for newspapers, magazines, businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies.
Hampton has based his life and career in Texas where his interest in observing the people around him has led him to write essays, short stories, and novels that explore relationships and communities in their many forms.
Aransas Morning is his fifth book, following Grandpa Jack, When the Light Returned to Main Street, Jonah Prophet and The Snowman Uprising on Hickory Lane.
Watch for Aransas Evening, a sequel to Aransas Morning, in 2018. 
 ║ Website ║ Facebook ║ Twitter ║  
║ Instagram║ Goodreads ║————————————-
GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
FIVE SIGNED COPIES!
JANUARY 23-FEBRUARY 1, 2018
(U.S. Only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

1/23/18
Promo
A Page Before Bedtime
1/23/18
Promo
Reading by Moonlight
1/24/18
Guest Post
Chapter Break Book Blog
1/24/18
Review
Bibliotica
1/25/18
Excerpt Part 1
StoreyBook Reviews
1/25/18
Excerpt Part 2
Forgotten Winds
1/26/18
Review
Texan Girl Reads
1/27/18
Review
Tangled in Text
1/28/18
Author Interview
The Page Unbound
1/28/18
Playlist
Syd Savvy
1/29/18
Review
The Clueless Gent
1/30/18
Promo
Texas Book Lover
1/30/18
Scrapbook Page
The Librarian Talks
1/31/18
Review
Momma on the Rocks
2/1/18
Review
Missus Gonzo
   blog tour services provided by
  

Derailed Blitz and Giveaway

Image

Reply

Book & Author Details:
Derailed 
by Genevieve Iseult Eldredge
(A Circuit Fae Prequel Novella)
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: January 23rd 2018
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Synopsis:

Syl Skye. Rouen Rivoche. Star-crossed lovers who should be mortal enemies. This is the story of how they met.

A nightly excursion to DC. A goth-rock show. One innocent train ride. That’s all it takes for high school sophomore Syl Skye’s perfectly normal world to come crashing down.

Because unbeknownst to her, she’s a sleeper-princess of the fair Fae—a vessel of Fae power that has yet to Awaken—and there are dark Fae who want her dead, dead, dead.

Rouen Rivoche is one of those dark Fae. Bound to the Agravaine the dark Fae Huntsman who is dedicated to wiping out all sleeper-princesses, Rouen has no choice but to hunt Syl down and spill her blood.

But a chance meeting in a nightclub, a brush of their hands, a lingering look… Despite herself, Rouen is attracted to Syl. And when she lets Syl get away…that’s when their troubles really begin.

After all, every couple has their issues, right?

Find out how Syl and Rouen met in this new prequel novella to MORIBUND, Book 1 of the Circuit Fae…

THE CIRCUIT FAE

.5. Derailed (Moribund prequel novella) – January 23, 2018
1. Moribund – September 12, 2017
2. Ouroboros – March 27, 1018

Perfect for readers of romance, urban fantasy, fairy stories and LGBT.

“Moribund is a little bit Throne of Glass, a little bit Buffy, and a whole lot sexy.” – Skye Allen, author of The Songbird Thief

Excerpt:

In this scene, Syl and her squad are at a club where Euphoria’s playing. Syl’s never seen Euphoria, and she’s excited, but Fiann’s acting weird, treating Syl poorly and trying to bully her into double-dating the Dickinson twins, Brody and Bryce. Syl ducks into the bathroom to catch her breath.

* * * *

I take a deep breath and pat the nail where it rests secretly against my skin. Okay, Syl. It’s go-time. I shove the door open. Head held high, I step out into the flashing lights of the club, and bam! run right into someone.

“Steady on.” Strong hands keep me from falling on my butt, and during our awkward two-step, I catch a glimpse of raven-dark hair and sapphire-blue eyes ringed in gold. Her deep chuckle is like rolling thunder.

“I-I’m sorry.” I look up, brushing my red curls out of my face.

Whoa. My poor heart. She’s gorgeous. Her eyes are all intense and glowy as she searches my face. The ache in my chest gets worse—but also, somehow better.

What is happening? I reach out and touch her hand. Where I want to feel skin, I feel the leather of a glove.

Still, a jolt passes between us.

She lingers, her pretty face a bit dazed. She looks from our touching hands back up. “You…”

She feels it too. Whatever it is.

And dear heaven and all the angels, she’s… Wow. She’s something else. High cheekbones, full lips curved into a smile that’s part mischief, part mayhem. Her bronze skin holds an inner glow even in the dim light of the club, and those eyes… When she looks at me, the club, the flashing lights, all the people—everything falls away and there is only the two of us.

“Who are you?” she whispers, and I hear it because she’s leaned in close, so close I can feel her warm breath on my cheek.

“I…” Introduce yourself already! But I’m all tongue-tied, frozen like the world’s biggest dork. My fingers find the strip of skin between her glove and her sleeve. Ohhhh…so warm and silky, and… What the heck are you doing, Syl?

She chuckles again, more rumbly, rolling thunder. “Are you all right?”

Yes. No. Urgggg… I step back, my cheeks on fire. She smells like all the good things in autumn—crisp leaves and harvest moons and sultry bourbon vanilla. Whoa. I’m getting a little swoony. “I-I’m fine. Really. Are you?”

“Yes, but I’d like to…” She swallows hard, seeming almost shy beneath her super-cool exterior. She licks her bottom lip, and I nearly pass out right there. “Will you meet me after the show?”

Did mine ears deceive me? Girl works fast! Plus, I can tell she’s at least a year older than me. “I…” Say something, silly!

“I’m sorry.” She pulls her hand from mine and steps away.

The loss of her touch leaves me cold. Moments from losing her to the crowd, I pluck up my courage. “What’s your name?”

That smile curves her lips like a kept secret. “I’m Euphoria.”

Euphoria. Whaaaaaaaaatttt? Seriously, Syl, only you could carry on an entire freakin conversation with your goth idol and not even recognize her.

But no…there’s something else, some other reason I didn’t recognize her right off the bat. I just can’t put my finger on it. Plus, I’m still swoony.

“I have to go.” She leans in, whispers in my ear, “After?”

I feel like only my heart can answer that question, but before I can even blink, she’s gone. Like gone-gone. One moment she’s in front of me; the next she’s vanished. Poof!

Euphoria. And she wants to see me “after.”

Crazy. This is crazy.

I shade my eyes from the blue-and-red houselights and look to the stage. After about ten minutes, the house music fades away, and the stage goes dark.

A lone silhouette appears there, backlit. It’s her.

Heat races through my body, my hand tingling from her touch. My stomach does a lazy barrel-roll, and those butterflies everyone’s always told me about? Yeah, apparently mine are Olympic gymnasts, because my whole stomach feels like it’s going for the Gold.

Oooookay. Chill out. I touch the iron nail beneath my dress. Gotta thank Glamma for the lucky pendant.

I step out of the bathroom and beeline toward the stage. I feel feverish, mad as hatter and a March hare all rolled into one.

I only know this: I have to see her again.

I’ve always hated crowds, but without another thought, I push my way to the stage.        Toward Euphoria, and toward the “after” that will bring me back to her.

 

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / iBooks / Kobo

 

 

 

AUTHOR BIO:

Raised by witches and dragons in the northern wilds, GIE writes angsty urban fantasy YA romance–where girls who are mortal enemies kick butt, take names, and fall in love against all odds.

She enjoys long hikes in the woods (where better to find the fair folk?), believing in fairies (in fact, she’s clapping right now), dancing with dark elves (always wear your best shoes), being a self-rescuing princess (hello, black belt!), and writing diverse books about teenage girls finding love, romance, and their own inner power.

She might be planning high tea at the Fae Court right now.

GIE is multi-published, and in her role as an editor has helped hundreds of authors make their dream of being published a reality.

Author Links:
Book Blitz Organized by:
GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)
A mug
Pride Pin
bookish earrings
Copy of Derailed

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Elephant Dreams Review

Image

Reply

ELEPHANT DREAMS

By MARTHA DEERINGER

Genre: Young Adult / Historical Fiction / Sweet Romance

Publisher: Melange Books

Date of Publication: September 2, 2017

Number of Pages: 224

Scroll down for the giveaway!

Desperate to escape her squalid life on the streets of New York City, sixteen-year-old Fiona Finn seeks help at the magnificent Church of the Ascension where Charles Loring Brace, a social reformer horrified by the plight of New York City’s street children, arranges for her to go west aboard an Orphan Train.

Fiona’s homeless, alcoholic father has other plans, however.  He wants Fiona to “work” the streets to support his drinking and pursues her across the midwest until she is forced to abandon the train in Houston to avoid a sheriff bent on returning her to her father.

Alone in the dark on the Texas prairie, Fiona’s terrifying experience with a circus elephant, Bolivar, sets the stage for a future she could never have imagined.

PRAISE FOR ELEPHANT DREAMS:

Elephant Dreams will be featured in the January, 2018 issue of the Historical Novel Society magazine.


“What a story! With scenes to be likened to any Charles Dickens novel, the author, Martha Deeringer, carries the reader on a breathtaking journey through despair and hope that changes as often as the wind changes direction. Great characters, a believable story, an insight into another world, and an empathy for a character that a reader would have to have a heart of stone not to sympathise with. Although billed as a young adult story, this will readily appeal to an adult reader. Very visual writing and the makings of a classic.” — Jane Finch for Readers’ Favorite

“I absolutely adored this novel; I couldn’t find a single thing to dislike about it, other than of course the characters we are meant to dislike. The secondary characters were just as well rounded as the primary characters, leaving the reader with a feeling of contentment at the end of the novel. Each character brought his or her own three-dimensional personality to the novel, giving me a reason to either love or hate them passionately.” — Acwoolet for Online Book Club

 

“I thoroughly enjoyed Elephant Dreams. It is a captivating story with a spunky heroine who is determined to turn her life around. I loved the unique settings that covered New York City slums, an orphan train and a Texas Circus. I would recommend it for teens through adults.” – 5 Stars, Kindle Edition | Verified Purchase

CLICK TO PURCHASE

Amazon  ◾   Barnes&Noble  ◾   Lulu

All Fiona wants is a new life. A better life. New York is a city filled with people struggling to survive. The bitter reality is that everyone is scared and can only think about their own family and livelihood. However, Fiona hopes for more. The children like her roam the streets rather than be sent to the Children’s Asylum or worse. After a frightening attack, she determines that her life will not get better unless she takes a step forward. She walks into the Church and implores the Pastor for help. This brave decision sets her on a unpredictable path and adventure.

Only looking to work and have an honest life, her compassion and willingness bring out the sympathy of others. She discovers many varieties of people that, despite their situation, help her escape her dire situation. The largest and most gentle is Bolivar, a male Indian elephant. Once scared of him, Fiona’s admiration for Bolivar grows as she observes his vitality and kind spirit. I especially liked her passages in her journal about the people and animals in her life.

‘When he walks beside me I feel powerful, even though the power is his and not mine, and when he wraps his trunk around me I imagine it is the arm of a friend.’

Bolivar becomes a way that she can open up and remember what it was like to have a family. With the strength he gives her, she finds herself becoming part of this lively and contrasting family. I was just so enamored about this book. I read so much fantasy and to fall into this gritty and exotic tale with bits of history made the pages fly. I had to stop myself from staying up all night to finish it.

Deeringer made me cry. There I said it. It’s sometimes difficult to connect with characters when I read quite a lot. Yet her characters are so wonderfully written. They struggle and love one another. Aunt Mollie Bailey, the circus owner, is prepared to defend a young girl she just recently met. The contrasting themes and situations in this book make everything stand out and incredibly vivid. I felt like this book had such passion and that Deeringer put a lot of love into it.

Martha Deeringer lives with her husband and their large, extended family on a central Texas cattle ranch. She writes magazine articles, often about history, for children and adults and is a frequent contributor to regional and national magazines. 

Martha also writes Young Adult fiction, occasionally inspired by her teaching experiences or the antics of her children and grandchildren. She loves ranch life and sometimes abandons her writing to cope with assorted issues involving kids, dogs, cats, horses, orphan calves, and occasionally armadillos, coyotes and rattlesnakes. 

 ║ Website ║ Facebook ║ Amazon Author Page ║ Goodreads ║

————————————-

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

THREE SIGNED COPIES!

JANUARY 15-24, 2018

(U.S. Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR

1/15/18 Excerpt Tangled in Text
1/15/18 Bonus Promo! Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
1/16/18 Review Books in the Garden
1/17/18 Guest Post Texas Book Lover
1/18/18 Author Interview A Page Before Bedtime
1/19/18 Review The Page Unbound
1/20/18 Promo Texan Girl Reads
1/21/18 Excerpt Books and Broomsticks
1/22/18 Review Hall Ways Blog
1/23/18 Scrapbook Page The Clueless Gent
1/24/18 Review Syd Savvy

 

 blog tour services provided by

The Revolution Blitz

Image

1

The Revolution
By Alicia Michaels
(The Bionics Novels, #3)
Published by: Crimson Tree Publishing
Publication date: January 18th 2018
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction

Synopsis

 

Blythe Sol has a New Year’s Resolution, but it’s not your typical self-improvement plan. She wants to end the conflict between the government and the Resistance once and for all—by sneaking into Washington D.C. and putting a bullet in President Drummond’s skull. If she can cut the head off the snake, the genocide of the Bionics might finally end. But if she fails, she will surely bring retaliation crushing down upon the entire Resistance.Blythe and fellow soldier Dax Janner are already coping with the loss of people they loved. When their dormant feelings for each other begin to rekindle, they struggle with feeling anything positive after so much suffering. The return of Gage will only confuse matters more. As the terrorist sect known as The Rejects begins to work hand in hand with thegovernment to push the Resistance toward all-out war, the battle will be brought to their doorstep. Will the movement stand tall and conquer—or collapse under the strain and be destroyed for good?The Revolution is the thrilling third novel in the award-winning Bionics series by Alicia Michaels.

 

Purchase
Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

 

Grab book 1 – The Bionics for FREE!
Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

 

 

Excerpt

 

“It’s been two hours,” I say, raising my voice to be heard over the rain. “It’s cold out today. Come inside before you make yourself sick.”

The rain begins to slow a bit, signaling an end to the storm. Turning his head toward me again, he stares at me with his dark, glittering eyes. His face seems stuck in a permanent scowl, causing his forehead to crease and his mouth to pinch at the corners.

“Why?”

I raise my eyebrows. “Why what?”

He sighs. “Why come inside or care about getting sick? Why anything? What’s the fucking point, B?”

Apathy. I know the feeling well.

“What happened to fighting?” I say, reminding him of his words the day Yasmine died in his arms. “I thought you said it was time for us to start winning for once.”

He shakes his head and snorts. The last of the rain has fallen, leaving the sky overcast. The scent of the air after a real storm is missing, and it leaves a pit of longing in my gut. I’ve forgotten that smell, just as I’ve forgotten how to function like a normal person. All I know is death and loss.

“What are we even doing here?” he replies. “I’m tired. I don’t have anything left to fight for. Yasmine was what I had decided to fight for—the chance to have something of my own when this was all over.”

“You can still have that.”

Setting the urn aside, he unfolds his long legs to stand, towering over me with his hands braced on his narrow hips. “Don’t you get it? There is no end … not for us! We are going to fight until we die, and that’s all there will ever be. And what the hell are we trying to gain anyway? A chance to live in fear, cowering underground?”

Standing to face him, I clench my hands into fists at my sides. “A chance to have a life out there when this war is over!”

I raise my hand and point toward the hovercraft hangar, which opens into a tunnel leading to the outside. “That world is just as much ours as it is theirs,” I tell him. “Don’t you want it back? Don’t you want to crawl out of this hole, step into the light, and stop running? We have to fight!”

Bending to pick up Yasmine’s urn, he tucks it under one arm. “I don’t have to do a goddamn thing but be black and die. I got the first part covered, and the second is coming any day now if President Drummond follows through on his warning.”

He starts to walk away from me, but I follow, trotting to keep up with his long strides. “What about me?”

Pausing, he swivels to face me. “What?”

I draw up short before I slam into him, the momentum of my fast pace almost causing us to collide. Swallowing past the lump of grief in my throat, I wrap my arms around myself. “I don’t have anybody else,” I whisper. “My family is dead; Gage is gone. Yasmine became like a sister to me, and I know her death hurt you more than anyone here, but I lost her, too. But before Gage or Yasmine … before the Resistance … we had each other.”

Snorting, Dax rolls his eyes. “So, this is about you?”

Grinding my teeth, I fight the urge to punch him in the face. Could I have been this much of a bitch after Gage died?

“Of course not! This is about us. I will never stop fighting for you, because the man who saved my life deserves a chance to redeem his. And if I’m going to fight for you, then you have to do the same. I can’t do this alone.”

His jaw flexes as he looks away, staring off across the quad. “You aren’t alone. You have the Professor, Olivia, Laura, and Alec. You have hundreds of people who would follow you into hell, and thousands more out there rooting for you even though they can’t actually fight with you.”

I curse under my breath as a tear slips free of my human eye. “What about Agata, huh? You gonna give up on her, too?”

Dax’s eyes glimmer with tears when he looks at me and shakes his head. “I couldn’t save Yasmine. What makes you think I can protect that girl?”

“It doesn’t matter if you can or not,” I insist. “It doesn’t matter if you try and fail, or if you fall short. All that matters is that you fight. It’s okay to be sad right now. Hell, I’m sad, too. But when we’re done being sad, we have to keep moving forward. She would have wanted us to keep going, and you know it.”

Nodding, he sniffs while a few tears track down his chiseled face. “I had stopped hoping, B. She made me hope again, and now she’s gone. It hurts so much.”

Reaching out, I take his face in my hands and pull him toward me, resting his head on my shoulder. He hunches from his massive height and leans into me, wrapping one arm around my waist and holding on as if his life depends on it. His hold is painful, but I endure it, hugging him and holding on just as tight. Loving Dax has always hurt; I am used to this.

“I know,” I whisper, closing my eyes. “But the pain is a good thing. If we can feel the pain, it means we’re still alive. We’re healing.”

About the Author

 

Ever since she first read books like Chronicles of Narnia or Goosebumps, Alicia has been a lover of mind-bending fiction. Wherever imagination takes her, she is more than happy to call that place her home. With several Fantasy and Science Fiction titles under her belt, Alicia strives to write multicultural characters and stories that touch the heart. V-Card, thefirst book of the Sharing Spaces series, was her first Contemporary Romance.
The mother of three and wife to a soldier, she loves chocolate, coffee, and of course good books. When not writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, shopping for shoes and fabulous jewelry, or spending time with her loving family.

 

Author Links

 

 Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Tour Organized By

Dreaming of Books $250 Giveaway!

Image

Reply

Dreaming of Books $250 Giveaway

January 15th to 31st

Here is your chance to win $250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon Gift Card!!

Please support this amazing group of Sponsors who made this giveaway possible!

Sponsor List

I Am A Reader
Rockin’ Book Reviews
Lori’s Reading Corner
Helen Smith
Our Book Confessions
Author Laurie Treacy
The Books You Read
Krysten Lindsay Hager author
Laurisa White Reyes, Author
Simple Wyrdings
Alina Snow Book Adventure
Camryn Daytona
Jennifer Faye, romance author
My Life. One Story at a Time.
Taylor Dean
Wishful Endings
Maureen’s Musings
JeanBookNerd
Unbound Book Tours
CoolCatMysteries
Author A.Gardner
Bookroom Reviews
Glistering: B’s Blog
Laura Vosika/Blue Bells Chronicles
More Than a Review
Living Simply – The Eco Lifestyle
Phyllis @ Among the Reads
La libreria di Beppe
Donna Amis Davis

 

Giveaway Details

$250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon.com eGift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or gift codes via Amazon.com. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the authors, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list.

Palo Duro: Excerpt

Image

Reply

PALO DURO

By MAX L. KNIGHT

  Genre: Historical Fiction / Western

Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.

Date of Publication: September 2, 2017

Number of Pages: 226

Scroll down for the giveaway!

Westward expansion following the civil war ushered in an era of increased conflict between the Southern Plains Indians and white settlers. Peace treaties offered temporary suspension of hostilities, but more often than not resulted in broken promises as the two cultures clashed over land. The construction of frontier forts and towns, the decimation of the buffalo herds, the movement of cattle through Indian lands to burgeoning western markets, – all of these forces threatened a way of life that had existed for centuries.

The Comanche, the Southern Cheyenne, the Kiowa, the Apache all fought to protect their customs and homelands. The clashes were characterized by savagery on both sides – Indian and white. However, finite numbers and options would ensure the tribes’ defeat; they faced certain death or forced relocation and their days were numbered.

Though the Indian wars are the focus of Palo Duro, the novel also captures the spirit of the “Old West” with its depiction of the great cattle drives from Texas into Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado and Montana, the cattle barons and the trail blazers, the outlaws and gunslingers, the lawmen and Texas Rangers, and the settlers and entrepreneurs who built this country. It chronicles an era characterized by heroism, brutality, and bold ventures while paying tribute to a genre that is fading from public consciousness – the western. It is the story of the Southwest United States towards the end of the nineteenth century and the rugged individualism that forged a nation.

5 STAR PRAISE FOR PALO DURO:

This book captured Central Texas in the post-Civil War era better than any other book I’ve read. It was well researched, well written, and easy to read. I enjoyed this book more than Empire of the Summer Moon, the standard setter. I recommend this to readers of any level, even if you dislike history, as this book is that good. – Jeffrey R. Murray, Amazon review

Max Knight brought to life the saga of how Texas tamed their frontier. He presents a colorful experience with characters effectively placed throughout his story. If you have any interest in Texas history this book is a must read. – AmazonJacki, Amazon review

Palo Duro is an exceptional novel, well researched; a must read. – Chuck B., Amazon review

Reading this book is a great way to deepen and appreciate one’s Texas roots – or if you are not a Texan to understand and enjoy what makes Texas, well, Texas! I found this novel to be especially entertaining as well as informative. Made me want to go back and read Lonesome Dove again! – Michael P., Amazon review

In the spirit of the old Western genre of Zane Grey and L’amour, Max Knight pays homage to our national heritage with this fictional but historically accurate labor of love that warms the heart with his vivid imagery and authentic tone of America’s illustrious and sometimes brutal past. – Chester Sosinski, Amazon review

CLICK TO PURCHASE

Apple iTunes  |  Amazon  |  Barnes& Noble  |  GooglePlay Books  |  The Twig Bookshop

Excerpt from Palo Duro

By Max Knight

Quanah Parker was surprised to find his sworn foe standing in front of him. Charles Goodnight had been one of the Texas Rangers that had “rescued” Cynthia Ann Parker and her daughter from the Comanche and returned them to her white “family.” Cynthia Ann had been living with the Comanche since her abduction at the age of eleven. She’d married and bore several children (Quanah amongst them) during her time amongst the Indians, and her rescue had separated her from the only life she really knew. She had been unable to re-assimilate into white society and, after her little girl died from an illness, Cynthia Ann succumbed to inconsolable grief, dying from “a broken heart.”

Quanah Parker blamed the man that now stood in front of him waiting for his response.

“You know I’ve sworn to kill you,” replied Quanah.

“You can do that. But in spite of our pasts, I think you might want to hear me out.”

Quanah gestured to the entrance to his teepee and preceded Charles Goodnight inside. The smell of smoke permeated the air and, as Goodnight surveyed the interior, the scalps on the war lances lying against the hide walls caught his attention. Both men took a seat opposite one another.

“What is it that makes you think you’ll leave here alive?” asked Quanah.

“Well, your own sense of honor won’t let you kill me, at least not here anyway. And, I’ve come to believe you’re an honorable man that only fights for his people’s survival. If that ain’t true and you’re just the savage that others believe you to be, then I guess I’m a dead man.”

“Speak what’s on your mind.”

“I’ve a proposition for you,” Goodnight began. “The buffalo are vanishing and along with them your people’s food source. No matter how hard you resist, the white hunters aren’t going to stop killing them for their hides, and the Army will continue not only to protect those hunters from your warriors but they will pursue you to the ends of the earth. Your numbers are dwindling. However, there is no need for anyone to starve. I can offer you a way to feed the people without conflict.”

“Continue.”

“Let me graze cattle within the walls of this canyon and I’ll provide you with enough meat so your people won’t starve. I only ask that you leave the herd and me alone.”

“The white man has promised food to us before on the reservations. Those promises were lies,” said Quanah.

“I’m not negotiating for the government nor am I making promises on their behalf. I want to live here with my wife and raise cattle. In exchange for peace between us, I promise you meat. I’d rather find some accommodation between us than fight, but I’ll do the latter if I have to.”

“I know you can fight, Goodnight,” reflected Quanah Parker. “The Comanche can also fight, but time is not on our side.”

“War is coming to Palo Duro Canyon eventually,” Charles Goodnight continued. “But I’m not a party to what the military does or don’t do to the Comanche people. I can only speak for myself. I’ve seen enough killing on both sides. I lost my partner to these Indian Wars and I’m prepared to let that go, just as I hope you’ll see that seeking revenge for your mom and little sister won’t bring them back. Many Comanche may yet die holding onto your way of life, but the old ones, the women and the children should not starve to death because the buffalo are gone.”

Quanah sat silently for a time. The winter of 1873 had been brutal. There had been too few buffalo chips to heat the lodges and not enough food for everyone. The “swirling whiteness” had included sleet, snow and ice. The fierce winds had blown away shelters killing people within minutes; livestock had fared even worse. With no shelter the horses so important to the Comanche had frozen to death. Additionally, just as Charles Goodnight had pointed out, the U.S. Army was now relentless in its pursuit of the Quahadi and all the Comanche. Quanah Parker knew Goodnight was right in his assessment that war was coming to Palo Duro Canyon.

Finally raising his gaze to look Goodnight in the eyes, Quanah nodded his head in agreement. Both men stood. Charles Goodnight offered his hand and Quanah Parker accepted the gesture and shook it to seal the deal.

Max L. Knight was born in Panama in 1949, and was raised both in the Canal Zone and in San Antonio, Texas where he now resides with his wife, Janet “Gray.” A proud member of the Corps of Cadets and graduate of Texas A&M University (Class of ’73), he received a bachelor’s degree in English and a Regular Army commission and served the next twenty-four years as an Air Defense and Foreign Area Officer before retiring in 1997 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After leaving the Army, Max spent the next five years working for RCI Technologies of San Antonio, becoming its Director of Internal Operations.

Separating from the company in 2002, he volunteered to be the first docent at the Alamo working within its Education Department before once again serving his country as a Counterintelligence Specialist in Europe, Central America, Asia and the Middle East through 2013. Max speaks several languages including Greek and Spanish. He also holds a Master of Science degree in government from Campbell University. He has written and published two books to date: Silver Taps, a personal memoir of his relationship with his father and a tribute to his alma mater, and Palo Duro, a novel focusing on the Indian wars in the southwestern United States at the end of the nineteenth century.

Blog ║ Twitter ║ Amazon Author Page ║ Pinterest ║ Facebook

————————————-

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

One Winner: Signed copy of Palo Duro + $20 Amazon Gift Card

Two Winners: Signed Copies of Palo Duro

JANUARY 10-19, 2018

(U.S. Only)


a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR

1/10/18 Promo Texas Book Lover
1/10/18 Character Interview The Librarian Talks
1/11/18 Review Syd Savvy
1/12/18 Favorites, Part 1 StoreyBook Reviews
1/12/18 Guest Post Books in the Garden
1/13/18 Review Missus Gonzo
1/14/18 Review Texan Girl Reads
1/15/18 Excerpt The Page Unbound
1/15/18 Favorites, Part 2 A Novel Reality
1/16/18 Review Forgotten Winds
1/17/18 Author Interview The Clueless Gent
1/17/18 Playlist Tangled in Text
1/18/18 Review Hall Ways Blog
1/19/18 Scrapbook Page Books and Broomsticks
1/19/18 Review Reading by Moonlight

 blog tour services provided by

The Phantom of New York, volume 1 – Peter and the Crown Promo and Giveaway

Image

2

Blog Tour Schedule

The Phantom of New York, volume 1 – Peter and the Crown
by A.L. Janney
Genre: MG/YA Adventure
Release Date: December 2017

 

Summary:

‘This is a story about vigilantes and magic.

About prophecy and hope.

About a boy and his hotel.

When twelve-year-old Peter Constantine wakes up in the Crown Hotel with a new identity, life is over as he knows it. But perhaps that’s not such a bad thing…

A dangerous man Peter only knows as “The Client” is after his family, so they’ve relocated to New York City. With help from unlikely friends living at the glamorous hotel, including the ghost on the tenth floor, Peter’s new life begins. Soon, however, he learns of a plot to destroy his new home, a plot only the Phantom can foil.

Peter and the Crown is the first book in the Phantom of New York series, an adventure for readers aged ten and up. If you like smart, funny characters and “can’t put it down” escapades, then you’ll love Alan Janney’s Phantom of New York series.’

 

 

Excerpt:

Chapter Two – The Brown-Haired Baker Girl

On the morning of his fourth day at the Crown, Peter realized with a shock that someone was banging on his bedroom wall. From the other side.

Manos was working on Mr. Banks’s stove, and Jovanna had left for the Laundry, and Peter was lying in bed feeling sorry for himself when the soft banging began. Peter placed his ear against the wall.

A voice on the other side said, “Boy? Boy! Are you still sad?”

Peter jumped to his feet, standing on top of the bed. Unless this hotel was magical, walls didn’t talk. It had to be someone in another room. He pressed his face flat again to listen.

“Are you ever gonna come out? What’s so great about your room?” the voice asked.

Could this person be talking to Peter? It certainly seemed so because Peter was a boy and Peter had decided to never leave his room again. But who—

There was a sharp WHACK on the wall.

“Boy! Answer me!”

Peter gave the wall a soft tap with his knuckles and held his breath.

The wall answered him with a Knock Knock Knock.

“Come outside, boy!”

 

 

On sale for only $0.99 this week!

Buy Links: Amazon | Audible

 

About the Author

Winner of the 2016 National Indie Excellence Award!

You work hard.
I write adventures.
Let me entertain you.

My favorite adventurers: Ender, Frodo and Sam, Rand, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, Katniss, Spenser, Peter and Alicia and Amy (from The Passage), Jack Ryan, Dirk Pitt, and many others, including my two sons and my super hot wife.

 

 

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

Blog Tour Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Missing Issac: Scrapbook Page and Giveaway

Image

9
MISSING ISAAC
by
VALERIE FRASER LUESSE
  Genre: Southern Fiction / Christian / Coming of Age
Publisher: Revell
Date of Publication: January 2, 2018
Number of Pages: 352

Scroll down for the giveaway!

Isaac believed in luck. But from Pete’s point of view, Isaac’s luck had all run out.
When Pete McLean loses his father in the summer of 1962, his friend Isaac is one of the few people he can lean on. Though their worlds are as different as black and white, friendship knows no color. So when Isaac suddenly goes missing, Pete is determined to find out what happened—no matter what it costs him. His quest will lead him into parts of town that he knows only through rumors and introduce him to a girl who will change his life. What they discover together will change the small Southern town of Glory, Alabama—forever.
With vivid descriptions, palpable atmosphere, and unforgettable characters, debut novelist Valerie Fraser Luesse breathes life into the rural South of the 1960s—a place where ordinary people struggle to find their footing in a social landscape that is shifting beneath their feet.

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

PRAISE FOR MISSING ISAAC: 
“Valerie Fraser Luesse’s beautiful story reveals the human heart that always beats beneath the headlines. In the process, she movingly illuminates not only the spirit of a special region but the soul of every human being who ever dared to care. Missing Isaac will break—and then heal—your heart.” 
—J. I. Baker, journalist and author of The Empty Glass 

“Welcome debut novelist Valerie Fraser Luesse to the legions of gifted Southern writers before her. Missing Isaac is the first of what we hope will be many more tales from this talented writer.”—Nancy Dorman-Hickson, coauthor of Diplomacy and Diamonds and a former editor for Progressive Farmer and Southern Living magazines
“Valerie Luesse has an ear for dialogue, an eye for detail, and a profound gift for storytelling. She breathes life into these colorful Southern characters and this quirky Alabama town from the first page.” 
—Sid Evans, editor-in-chief of Southern Living magazine
CLICK TO PURCHASE 
Baker Book House  ║  Amazon
Barnes & Noble  ║  Christianbook.com  ║  iBooks
Kobo   ║  Lifeway  ║  Books-A-Million


/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}


/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Valerie Fraser Luesse is an award-winning writer and a senior travel editor for Southern Living. Specializing in stories about unique pockets of Southern culture, Luesse has published major pieces on the Gulf Coast, the Mississippi Delta, Louisiana’s Acadian Prairie, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. She lives in Alabama.
Website ║ Facebook
————————————-
GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!
Grand Prize: Print Copy of Missing Isaac, Print Copy of Southern Living Annual Recipes 2017, Handmade Leather Journal (9“x5”); 2ND PRIZE: Copy of Missing Isaac + $25 Barnes & Noble Gift Card; 3RD PRIZE: Copy of Missing Isaac + $10 Starbucks Gift Card
January 2-January 11, 2018
(U.S. Only)


/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

1/2/18
Author Interview
Texas Book Lover
1/3/18
Review
StoreyBook Reviews
1/4/18
Top 15 List
Tangled in Text
1/5/18
Excerpt
Texan Girl Reads
1/6/18
Review
A Page Before Bedtime
1/7/18
Guest Post
Books and Broomsticks
1/8/18
Review
Reading by Moonlight
1/9/18
Scrapbook Page
The Page Unbound
1/10/18
Playlist
Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
1/11/18
Review
The Clueless Gent
   blog tour services provided by
  

Holding the Fort: Top Ten List

Image

Reply

HOLDING THE FORT

The Fort Reno Series, Book 1

By REGINA JENNINGS

Genre: Historical Western Christian Romance

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Date of Publication: December 5, 2017

Number of Pages: 353

Scroll down for the giveaway!

With Miss Bell as the Teacher, Everyone’s Bound to Learn an Interesting Lesson


Dance hall singer Louisa Bell has always lived one step from destitution. When she loses her job at the Cat-Eye Saloon, she has nowhere else to go but to her brother, a cavalry soldier stationed in Indian Territory. But he’s run afoul of his commanding officer. Unsure what she can do to help him and desperate for a job, she doesn’t protest when she’s mistaken for a governess at the fort. How hard can teaching really be?


Major Daniel Adams has his hands full at Fort Reno, especially raising two adolescent daughters alone. If this new governess doesn’t work out, his mother-in-law insists she’ll raise the girls herself–far away from the fort. Miss Bell bears little resemblance to Daniel’s notion of a governess–they’re not supposed to be so blamed pretty–but he finds himself turning a blind eye to her unconventional methods. Louisa has never faced so important a performance. Can she keep her act together long enough to help her brother and to secure the respectable future she’s sought for so long?

PRAISE FOR HOLDING THE FORT & THE FORT RENO SERIES:

“The first book in Jennings’ new Fort Reno series is a delightful read that helps solidify what a wonderful and imaginative writer Jennings is. She manages to create unique stories with interesting and well-developed characters while combining humor, mystery and a sprinkle of faith.”

–RT Book Reviews

“In this character-driven series launch, Jennings offers a powerful lesson on the freedom of truth and forgiveness wrapped in a delightful story of love against the odds.”

—Publishers Weekly


“This series launch is a charming historical romance set in 1880s Fort Reno, OK. . . . Jennings kicks off a new series with a light and enjoyable tale that will delight her fans as well as lovers of historical romance.”

—Library Journal

CLICK TO PURCHASE

Amazon     Barnes&Noble    Baker Book House

 

My 10 Favorite Things to Smell at Christmas

By Author Regina Jennings

I’ll admit it, I like smelling things. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent so much time around things that don’t smell good – stockyards, baby diapers, missing sippy cups with curdled milk – that I really appreciate the opposite. I always linger in the candle section of stores and if a friend pulls out an essential oil I haven’t heard of, I’ve got to take a sniff.

Luckily, Christmas is the season for good smells and nothing revives sweet memories like a whiff of the holidays.  So, here’s a list of things I hope you get to enjoy before the season is over:

  1. Peppermint – Nothing signals Christmas like the sight of the red and white candy, but the flavor is even more cheery. My favorite method of enjoying peppermint is Braum’s peppermint ice cream. A bit chilly, but so worth it.
  2. Cinnamon – Whether it’s cinnamon sticks simmering on the stove, or a pie in the oven, cinnamon means take off your coat and sit a spell.
  3. Fireplace – Smoke-filled rooms? If it’s a wood-burning fireplace, count me in! Let it burn so hot that we have to move the stockings to a safe place.
  4. Sugar Cookies – I love the smell of sugar cookies, but do you know what I hate? I hate candles or scenty things that try to replicate it. False friends, how dare you deceive me! Nothing is worse than walking into the kitchen and thinking there’s a plate of sugar cookies waiting for you. For real, people. Don’t do it.
  5. Burberry London – Because a few years ago my sweet husband got me some of this perfume. Whenever I wear it now, I think of opening nicely wrapped little packages.
  6. Snow – Snow has a smell. It’s a clean, earthy smell that lingers after you’ve been making snowballs. Not to be confused with the smell of wet wool mittens.
  7. Pine – Here’s a smell that I don’t mind counterfeiting. Yes, it’d be nice if our Hanging of the Green involved real pine boughs, but it’s just not practical. All the same, pine makes me think that someone just mopped my floor, and there’s no better feeling than that.
  8. Apple Cider – My favorite hot drink! I love holding a steaming cup under my nose until it fogs up my reading glasses.
  9. Pomander (Cloved Oranges) – Have you ever made these? They are easy and rewarding. Just poke some holes in an orange and push cloves into the holes. Viola, you have a sweet-smelling, natural air freshener. This is a great holiday activity to keep the kids busy while you wrap presents. Or at least I assume that’s why my mom always needed us to make them.
  10. Grandma’s House – Whenever I got a package from one of my grandmas, I could bury my nose into it (I’ve already admitted I like smelling stuff), and smell her house. And at Christmas, Grandma’s house was a magical mixture of most of the scents I listed above. Maybe your house is, too. Ask your family and see what they think.

So those are some of the things I’m looking forward to over the next few weeks. Here’s hoping that you will be surrounded by the scents of Christmas, but also by people who love you.

Sincerely,

Regina

P.S. What’s your favorite Christmas scent?

Regina Jennings is a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University with a degree in English and a minor in history. She’s the winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award, a two-time Golden Quill finalist and a finalist for the Oklahoma Book of the Year Award. Regina has worked at the Mustang News and at First Baptist Church of Mustang, along with time at the Oklahoma National Stockyards and various livestock shows.

She lives outside of Oklahoma City with her husband and four children.

Website ║ Twitter║ Amazon Author Page ║ Pinterest ║ Facebook

————————————-

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

December 18-22 & December 26-30, 2017

(U.S. Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

12/18/17 Excerpt 1 Hall Ways Blog
12/19/17 Review Texan Girl Reads
12/20/17 Notable Quotable Books and Broomsticks
12/21/17 Author Video Forgotten Winds
12/22/17 Review StoreyBook Reviews
12/26/17 Excerpt 2 Tangled in Text
12/27/17 Notable Quotable A Novel Reality
12/28/17 Review Missus Gonzo
12/29/17 Top Ten List The Page Unbound
12/30/17 Review Books in the Garden

 

   blog tour services provided by

Bonnie and Clyde: Excerpt

Image

1

BONNIE AND CLYDE:

Resurrection Road

Book One in a New Trilogy

By CLARK HAYS AND KATHLEEN McFALL  

Genre:  Alternative Historical Fiction / Thriller

Date of Publication: April 22, 2017

Pages: 308

Publisher: Pumpjack Press

on Facebook

Scroll down for the giveaway!

In an alternate timeline, legendary lovers Bonnie and Clyde are given one last shot at redemption.

The story begins in 1984 when a reporter gets a tip to meet an old woman at a Texas cemetery. Cradling an antique rifle and standing over a freshly dug grave, the old woman claims to be Bonnie Parker. Turns out, she says, it wasn’t Bonnie and Clyde who were ambushed fifty years earlier. Instead, the outlaws were kidnapped, forced into a covert life and given a deadly mission—save President Roosevelt from an assassination plot financed by industrialists determined to sink the New Deal.

Thrust into a fight against greed they didn’t ask for, but now must win in order to save themselves and their families, will the notorious duo overcome their criminal pasts and put their “skills” to use fighting for justice for the working class?

Cutting back and forth between the modern era where the shocked reporter investigates the potential scoop-of-the-century, and the desperate undercover exploits of Bonnie and Clyde in 1934, Resurrection Road is a page-turning sleep-wrecker.

Bonnie and Clyde. Saving democracy, one bank robbery at a time. 

PRAISE FOR BONNIE AND CLYDE: RESURRECTION ROAD:

“Sex, danger and intrigue, coupled with just the right dose of cheeky humor,” — East Oregonian 

“A Depression-era tale timely with reflections on fat cats and a rigged economic system that still ring true. More than that, the story is an exciting ride, with tight corners, narrow escapes, and real romantic heat between Bonnie and Clyde. Outlaws become patriots in this imaginative, suspenseful what-if story,” — Kirkus Reviews 

CLICK TO PURCHASE

Amazon ▪ Barnes & Noble ▪ Indiebound

EXCERPT from Bonnie and Clyde: Resurrection Road

By Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall

This scene is from early in the book when the young Bonnie and Clyde regain consciousness after being kidnapped by the shadowy government organization. The year is 1934.

“Have you heard the news?” the woman asked. “The infamous Bonnie and Clyde are dead. Gunned down in an ambush. Cut to pieces by four Texas Rangers with Tommy guns.”

She tossed a thick, folded newspaper—a copy of the Dallas Morning News—onto the plain metal table in front of two shackled prisoners, a man and a woman.

“Can you both read?” she asked. “Allow me: ‘Posse kills Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow,’” she said, reading the headlines upside down. “‘Elusive Dallas desperadoes shot to death in Louisiana.’ The pictures really do you justice. You look—I don’t know—taller,” she said to Clyde. “And prettier,” she said to Bonnie.

Clyde bristled and tugged at the handcuffs. His eyes were heavy, his thoughts slow to form. He looked over at Bonnie, and she shrugged helplessly. He’d never seen her look anything less than certain before, even when things were going to hell.

“With so many bullets, your bodies are barely recognizable,” the woman said.

The photographs showed two bloodied corpses. A man and a woman. The bodies were spread carelessly across a greasy wooden floor. An army of excited gawkers looked through a storefront, palms pressed against the glass.

“They may be dead ringers for us, be we obviously ain’t dead,” Clyde said.

“I am the only person in the world right now who knows that to be true,” the woman said. “Take a moment and let the implications of that fact sink in.”

“Is this some kind of joke? Like one of them gag papers or something?” Clyde asked, his voice rising.

“I assure you it’s no joke,” the woman said. “In fact, this may be the most important few minutes of your sorry lives. You get to decide whether you’re really dead, like the papers say, or if you live.”

“Why are we even talking?” Clyde asked. “We killed people. Cops and regular people. We’re guilty as sin and you got us dead to rights.”

Clyde tried to make out where they were. The room was nearly dark. There were no windows, so maybe it was night. It felt damp and smelled like old dirt, used-up engine oil, and onions—a cellar maybe.

“If we didn’t think you were useful, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” the woman said.

“What do you mean, useful?” Bonnie asked, the fire returning to her eyes. The last thing she remembered was being pulled out of the car.

“Ah, so the notorious Bonnie Parker has a voice,” the woman said. “I was starting to worry that maybe your vocal chords were broken.”

“I wish my ears were broken so I didn’t have to listen to you yammering on,” Bonnie said.

The woman pulled up a splintered wooden chair and sat down facing them.“You were a big slap in the face to the bullies trying to take over the whole damn country and ruin it for everyone except them and their cronies. We always knew it was going to end in a violent death—yours, I mean—but until then, you provided a level of excitement that made the fat cats nervous. But when you started killing cops, the story got away from us.”

“Who exactly is the ‘we’ in your story?” Bonnie asked, struggling to make sense of the rapid-fire words coming from this woman’s mouth.

“That’s not your concern. What is your concern is what we could possibly see in a couple of incorrigible lowlifes that would cause us to go to such great lengths to pluck you out of the very mouth of hell and put you in this room.”

“That was gonna be my next question,” Clyde said. “Maybe not in them exact words.”

“You probably wouldn’t have said ‘incorrigible,’ for one,” Bonnie said, amplifying Clyde’s bravado out of instinct. And habit.

“Turns out you’re pretty good at staying alive and getting out of tight spots,” she said. “Or maybe it’s dumb luck. Guess we’re about to find out. Your little crime spree ended two days ago. Now it’s time to give back and help this country of ours stay on track.”

“Fat chance, lady,” Clyde said. “We ain’t never gonna help the law.”

“Oh, I think you will,” she said, leaning back in the chair. “You’re about to earn your lives back.”

“Yeah, what makes you think that?” Bonnie asked, her head finally clearing.

A native of Texas, Clark Hays spent his early childhood there and then moved for a decade with his family around the world following the job of his father, a legendary wildcat petroleum drilling engineer, before finally landing on a Montana ranch. Kathleen McFall was born and raised in Washington, D.C.

Between the two of them, the authors have worked in writing jobs ranging from cowboy-poet to energy journalist to restaurant reviewer to university press officer. After they met in the early 1990s, their writing career took center stage when they wrote the first book in The Cowboy and the Vampire Collection as a test for marriage. They passed. Their debut novel was picked up by Llewellyn (St. Paul, MN) with a first edition published in 1999, making it among the earliest stories in the resurgence and reimagining of the undead myth for modern audiences.

Since then, Clark and Kathleen have published five novels together—the latest reimagines the life of the legendary outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.

Clark and Kathleen have won several writing awards, including a Pushcart Prize nomination (Clark) and a fiction fellowship from Oregon Literary Arts (Kathleen). Their books have been honored with a Best Books of 2014 by Kirkus Reviews, Best Books of 2016 by IndieReader, and a 2017 Silver IPPY Medalist. 

Twitter ║ Facebook ║Instagram

Clark on Goodreads

Kathleen on

Pumpjack Press

————————————-

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

Three Winners Each Win a Signed Copy + $10 Amazon Gift Card

December 18-December 30, 2017

(U.S. Only)


a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

VISIT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:

12/18/17 Teaser Tangled in Text
12/19/17 Excerpt 1 Texas Book Lover
12/20/17 Review Momma on the Rocks
12/21/17 Guest Post 1 The Librarian Talks
12/22/17 Review Chapter Break Book Blog
12/26/17 Excerpt 2 The Page Unbound
12/27/17 Review Hall Ways Blog
12/28/17 Guest Post 2 The Clueless Gent
12/29/17 Excerpt 3 Books and Broomsticks
12/30/17 Review Forgotten Winds

 

   blog tour services provided by