Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Spring Fling Giveaway HOP




Spring Fling Giveaway Hop
May 1st – 7th
Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & Eve’s Fan Garden

WOOHOO!!!  Another Giveaway HOP!!

This giveaway is International and it's for $15 to the Book Depository....Book a good book to read outside in the beautiful weather that's HOPEFULLY coming our way soon!!  Thanks for following my blog and I hope you come back soon!!


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Follow the HOP and GOOD LUCK!!

Have No Shame Book Blast






Have No Shame by Melissa Foster


The racially-charged prejudice of the deep South forces eighteen-year-old Alison Tillman to confront societal norms—and her own beliefs—when she discovers the body of a hate crime victim, and the specter of forbidden love turns her safe, comfortable world upside down.
Alison has called Forrest Town, Arkansas home for the past eighteen years. Her mother’s Blue Bonnet meetings, her father toiling night and day on the family farm, and the division of life between the whites and the blacks are all Alison knows. The winter of 1967, just a few months before marrying her high school sweetheart, Alison finds the body of a black man floating in the river, and she begins to view her existence with new perspective. The oppression and hate of the south, the ugliness she once was able to avert her eyes from, now demands her attention.
When a secretive friendship with a young black man takes an unexpected romantic turn, Alison is forced to choose between her predetermined future, and the dangerous path that her heart yearns for.
HAVE NO SHAME is an emotionally compelling coming of age novel featuring a young woman who cannot reconcile the life she wants with the one she’s been brought up to live.Have No Shame will resonate with anyone who has ever fallen in love, and those who have been forced to choose between what they know in their hearts to be true, and what others would like them to believe.





GIVEAWAY



1 Winner will receive a gift bag full of goodies, including:
-Snacks
- Signed copy of CHASING AMANDA
- Signed copy of COME BACK TO ME
- Signed Copy of MEGAN’S WAY
- 1 Pink Journal




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About Melissa Foster:
Melissa Foster is the award-winning author of four International bestselling novels. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, the World Literary CafĂ©. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on  Fostering Success. Melissa is also a community builder for the Alliance for Independent Authors. She has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.
Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.
Visit Melissa on The Women’s NestFostering Success, or World Lit Cafe. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.
Find Melissa Foster:
Facebook, Twitter, FB Fanpage

PRAISE FOR HAVE NO SHAME:
“A gripping and poignant novel dealing with a subject once taboo in American society.” Hagerstown Magazine
“Have No Shame is a powerful testimony to love and the progressive, logical evolution of social consciousness, with an outcome that readers will find engrossing, unexpected, and ultimately eye-opening.” Midwest Book Review
“A historical novel of love and its triumph, told with a unique and compelling voice.” Bestselling Author Kathleen Shoop
.
“Have No Shame is a delightful eye opener and a rather poignant book that everyone everywhere should put on their must-read list.” Readers’ Favorite
“A dynamic and heartwarming tale of young love, giving testament to those who struggled so we can live in an integrated society.” Author Rachelle Ayala
“…a stunningly impactful read.” Rabid Reader Reviews
“A book that brings the evilness of racial bigotry to light, through the eyes of one awakening to its reality.” Cindy Smith, avid reader
“[HAVE NO SHAME] Perfectly catches the South at the dawning of the Civil Rights Movement. Melissa Foster takes us on an adventure that twists and turns unpredictably to a tense climax that renders this novel a true page-turner. This is undoubtedly the best novel I have read in a long time.”  Roderick Craig Low, Author of ‘Promises of Love and Good Behaviour’
“This book is not just a story; it’s an experience.” Author G.E. Johnson

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Unbreakable Book Blast


Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris



Four months after Ben disappeared through the portal to his home universe, Janelle believes she’ll never see him again. Her world is still devastated, but life is finally starting to resume some kind of normalcy. Until Interverse Agent Taylor Barclay shows up. Somebody from an alternate universe is running a human trafficking ring, kidnapping people and selling them on different Earths—and Ben is the prime suspect. Now his family has been imprisoned and will be executed if Ben doesn’t turn himself over within five days.

And when Janelle learns that someone she cares about—someone from her own world—has become one of the missing, she knows that she has to help Barclay, regardless of the danger. Now Janelle has five days to track down the real culprit. Five days to locate the missing people before they’re lost forever. Five days to reunite with the boy who stole her heart. But as the clues begin to add up, Janelle realizes that she’s in way over her head—and that she may not have known Ben as well as she thought. Can she uncover the truth before everyone she cares about is killed?

Here is where you can buy Unbreakable



About the Author:


Elizabeth Norris briefly taught high school English and history before trading the southern California beaches and sunshine for Manhattan's recent snowpocalyptic winter.

She harbors dangerous addictions to guacamole, red velvet cupcakes, sushi, and Argo Tea, fortunately not all together.

THE GIVEAWAY


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Saturday, April 20, 2013

The Space Between: Tour, Guest Post, Review and Giveaway


Guest Post


Day in My Writing Life

I wish I could say a day in my writing life was exciting and full of writerly mystique. In my dream world, it would go something like this:

8 a.m.-9 a.m.: Enjoy my coffee and a walk on the beach
9 a.m.-10 a.m.: Workout
10 a.m.-12 noon: Bang out 4,000 words while sitting on my balcony overlooking the beach or even sitting on the beach (because in a dream world, sand doesn’t get in your keyboard)
12 noon-2 p.m.: Out to lunch with someone noteworthy (or even my husband)
2 p.m.-4 p.m.: Meetings or conference calls with film producers and foreign publishers
4 p.m.-5 p.m.: Socialize online with fans and other authors
5 p.m.-9 p.m.: Family time complete with a home cooked, healthy meal or out to a nice restaurant and good conversation
9 p.m.-12 midnight: Read a good book

Alas, life is not a dream. Ideally, though, I would love to have a typical day like this:

8 a.m.-9 a.m.: Enjoy my coffee by the pool while checking email and social media
9 a.m.-12 noon: Write 3,000 words while still sitting by the pool
12 noon-1 p.m.: Lunch with my husband or a friend, or if by myself, with a good book
1 p.m.-3 p.m.: Publishing and marketing tasks
3 p.m.-5 p.m.: Write another 2,000 words or, depending on where I am in the process, prepare for a new or upcoming release
5 p.m.-6 p.m.: Workout
6 p.m.-10 p.m.: Family time with some kind of meal together, updates on our day and a TV show or two
10 p.m.-12 midnight: Read a good book

But life is not ideal, either. Here’s the reality:

7 a.m.: Wake up when the husband’s alarm goes off
8 a.m.: Force myself to roll out of bed, stumble over the dogs, somehow manage to brew a cup of coffee with the Keurig without spilling something (maybe)
8 a.m.-10 a.m.: Check email, Facebook, rankings and sales, Facebook, email, Facebook, maybe Twitter if I remember, Facebook, put out any kid fires
10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Go to the writing cave, stare at the screen, maybe write 1,000 words if I’m lucky, stare at the screen some more or maybe at the wall, look up something on the Internet and oh, while I’m here, I better see what’s going on on Facebook (don’t want to miss anything), get distracted with photos and links and everyone’s interesting lives and another hour goes by, realize I have 15 minutes to write 2,000 more words. Write 50. Wonder why my stomach hurts…oh, yeah, missed breakfast and now lunch.
1 p.m.-2 p.m.: Grab some kind of (usually unhealthy) snack while catching up on email, Facebook (it’s been thirty minutes, something might have happened!), industry news, etc.
2 p.m.-6 p.m.: Answer fan mail, blog, create marketing materials, do publishing/business stuff, check in on Facebook, research something new in the industry, maybe poke my head into Twitter, check Facebook again, jot down ideas for a new book idea, research for current WIP (Work In Progress), check Facebook, realize I have 15 minutes again to write those 1,950 words. Write 100 until the other people who live in the house dare to bang on the door because they’re hungry.
6 p.m.-7 p.m.: Missed my workout. Dang. Cook something fast and semi-unhealthy or call for delivery of something many people wouldn’t call food.
7 p.m.-9 p.m.: Sit in the living room pretending to have family time while everyone’s engrossed in some silly TV show, checking Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter or texting someone not in the house (or sometimes even each other), answer kids’ requests, er, sorry, needs (because the world will end if they don’t get whatever it is they’re asking for tonight), maybe have a 10 minute quality conversation.
9 p.m.-10 p.m.: Come back to the writing cave, stare at the screen, check in on a Twitter chat or Facebook, stare at the screen, yawn.
10 p.m.: Second wind hits!
10 p.m.-1 a.m. (or sometimes 4 a.m., same difference): Write those 1,850 words plus a whole lot more.
1 a.m. (or later): Fall into bed exhausted (luckily I’m still in my pajamas, so I don’t even have to change!), begin to drift off, brain comes up with BEST IDEA EVER, tell myself it’s so good there’s no way I’ll forget it, fret for thirty minutes that I’ll forget it, grab pen and notepad and by light of cell phone, jot down ideas, drift off again, brain starts rattling off a list of all the things I forgot to do today and what I need to do tomorrow. At some point, brain finally shuts down – usually about an hour or two before the husband’s alarm goes off.

Reality isn’t so glamorous, huh? But the truth is I love my days. I love what I do, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Except maybe that dream world up above. I wouldn’t mind that so much.


 About Kristie Cook:
Kristie Cook is a lifelong, award-winning writer in various genres, from marketing communications to fantasy fiction. She continues to write the Soul Savers Series, a New Adult paranormal romance/contemporary fantasy, with the first four books, Promise, Purpose, Devotion and Power available now and the next book coming in June 2013. She’s also written a companion novella, Genesis: A Soul Savers Novella, currently available. Over 200,000 Soul Savers books have been sold, with Promise peaking at #54 on the Amazon Top 100 Paid list and at #1 in the Amazon Fantasy category.
The Space Between kicks off her second New Adult paranormal series, The Book of Phoenix.
Besides writing, Kristie enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and riding on the back of a motorcycle. She has lived in ten states, but currently calls Southwest Florida home with her husband, three teenage sons, a beagle and a puggle. She can be found at:

Author's Website & Blog: http://www.KristieCook.com
The Book of Phoenix Website: http://www.TheBookofPhoenix.com
Soul Savers Series Website: http://www.SoulSaversSeries.com

Where to buy The Space Between:




http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/The-Space-Between/book-DvZWUyXtBk2zKiiaU6X4ag/page1.html

Praise for The Space Between

“This is a completely new twist on the idea of a timeless love story with a paranormal twist unlike any other. The connection between the two characters is bone deep and resonates beautifully. I will never forget this novel.” ~ Heather McCorkle, Author of the fantasy Channeler series


“Kristie has done it again! Her Soul Savers series is my favorite by far and yet The Space Between is easily the best book she’s ever written! It's dangerous, suspenseful, and smokin’ hot.” ~ Marissa, Comfortably Read Book Reviews

“The Space Between is an amazing story of life, love and fates. Author Kristie Cook has you hanging on the edge of every page. This book stays in your head well after the last page.” ~ Mindy, Forbidden Reviews

**Mature Content** Recommended for ages 17+ due to sexual situations and language.




Title: The Space Between
Author: Kristie Cook
Publish Date: Published April 5th 2013

Synopsis:
When Life Falls to Pieces, Answers Lie in the Space Between After a month-long dance tour through Italy, 20-year-old Leni Drago returns to Georgia to care for her great-uncle, only to find him gone, the home they shared empty and any evidence he ever existed wiped out. All that’s left is a journal she can’t open. Jeric Winters has been searching for a piece of his past for over a year, only to reach a dead-end in Georgia. When an urgent and magnetic pull draws him out of his hotel room, he comes face-to-face with the beautiful dancer who’s been haunting his dreams day and night. Jeric’s one to stay away from—a bad-boy, hit-it-and-quit-it type—but Leni can’t escape the fervent feelings between them. As their own existences begin to crumble around them and shadowy forms that are more monsters than men attack, they realize there’s more to the connection between them than physical fascination. To solve the riddle their lives have become, they must embark on a journey that requires them to face their pasts and release their true souls. And they must do it fast—dark ones from another world are closing in, intent on killing them. Permanently.
The Space Between….to reveal anymore of the story than what is written in the synopsis above would just be a cruel way to spoil such an amazing read.

 I chose to go into this story not knowing anything about it, because, Kristie Cook is such a creative author and storyteller. I knew without a doubt that I would be mesmerized. I was and then some.

Have you heard that opposites attract? Well, that’s Leni and Jeric. Their hot and steamy attraction can’t be denied. It goes way deeper than the soul mate concept.

First of all, I loved the unique names for the characters in this story. It is refreshing to read names that are new and sure to stay in your mind.  I loved the whole concept of the reincarnation, going back and forth from the present to the past, and giving clues to Leni and Jeric on revealing their true destiny.  The magnetic pull to each other was simply brilliant.  The attraction, hotness and steamy desire will make you breathless for their souls to unite in more ways than one. Of course, there are the dark and evil beings trying to come between that destiny, which leads to action and chaos.  The Space Between is a clever and unique paranormal journey of forever love on a complete new realm of imagination.  I can NOT wait to see where The Book of Phoenix will go next!

My Over All Rating:


The Giveaways

You can enter on each blog to win a $5 gift card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble.



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Grand Prize Giveaway

Kristie will be hosting a major giveaway on her site at the end of the tour for a $200 gift card or a swag bag full of goodies! 

Head over to enter HERE

or


The Tour Schedule

April 1

April 2

April 3

April 4

April 5

* ~ * ~ * FACEBOOK PARTY * ~ * ~ *
April 5
8-10 p.m. EDT

April 6

* ~ * ~ * UK/INTERNATIONAL CHAT & PARTY * ~ * ~ *
April 6
8-10 p.m. UK Time
(3-5 p.m. EDT)

April 7

April 8

April 9

April 10

April 11

April 14

April 15

April 17

April 18

April 19

April 20

April 21

April 22

April 23

April 24

April 25

April 26

April 27

April 28

April 29

April 30


Thursday, April 18, 2013

Earth Day Celebration Author Stephanie Lisa Tara Book Tour, Review and Giveaway- MG

Title: Eliza’s Forever Trees Author: Stephanie Lisa Tara Publish Date: Published 2012 by Wee Words LLC 

Synopsis:
ELIZA'S FOREVER TREES: Where has mother gone? Mothers don’t leave. Mothers stay, forever. Mothers are like redwood trees, those special forever trees that grow hundreds of feet high and live for thousands of years. Mothers read storybooks aloud. They know the power of a story. Power that can even make the wrong-beats of a child’s heart go away. Maybe the monarch butterfly was right? Perhaps they should make the journey. The one that was too long, and too far, for a girl with a wrong-beating heart. Yet there was someone in the redwood forest that Eliza just knew could help. Not just any someone. Another mother. The first mother. The one, Eliza’s own mother had spoken of. Great Mother Redwood. The very first, the oldest and wisest redwood tree of them all. She, who started the forest thousands of years ago, might know where mother had gone. It seemed impossible. To find one who had never been seen, one who had only been spoken of? Yet. Mothers dont leave. They are like redwood trees. They stay, forever. Eliza decided she must try. She would put one foot in front of the other, slowly. She would take small steps. She knew the butterfly would be patient alongside her. Down the path. To the forever trees. To find Great Mother Redwood.
Eliza decides to travel to find Mother Redwood, to ask her one question, “Where did her mother go?”






My Over All Rating:





Earth Day....I love working out in my yard planting flowers and the garden.  There's nothing like that first ripe red tomato right out of the garden that I always try to make sure to eat.
So much can be done to preserve the earth no matter how small the job may be.
We have a tree in out back yard that was starting to split.  I knew if we lost that tree, we would lose not only the shading, but the wonderful creatures that live there.  So we put a stainless steel rod between the two branches that were causing the split.  After time, the tree has grown together and healed itself.  And we saved that tree.  It is just amazing what nature can do.





The Tour Schedule
4/1

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Author Praise

Stephanie Tara Lisa has been nominated for many awards including the Mom's Choice Award, DIY Award, The Chocolate Lilly Award, Golden Ink Award and more. 

"Snowy White World to Save cleverly introduces young children to environmental awareness and global warming by making them aware of what is happening to our planet, and what they can do to help save it. Ms. Tara provides a wonderful resource guide at the back of the book that encourages young readers to further educate themselves on the subjects so they, too, with their parents, will become global citizens." --Actress and Activist Sharon Stone

What do a mouse, a trapeze and a library have in common? The answer lies within the pages of the Little Library Mouse, by Stephanie Lisa Tara. 
A nameless mouse jumps into action, through rhyme, as the library is closed for the evening. We're invited on a journey as the mouse "sails on a sentence" and becomes library book characters, including a ship, a wild animal and a circus act.
Tara enchants us with her storytelling as she makes a library tour exciting, encouraging literacy and reading. Little Library Mouse is to be applauded for its light-as-a-feather rhymes, a style Tara undoubtedly perfected while earning a B.A. in English.
The illustrations, by Alex Walton, are bold, confident, full-page drawings of a mouse as he takes on the identity of the story he becomes.
This exciting adventure is sure to please the preschooler set and would also make a great baby shower gift. It would also be an excellent jumping-off point for parent/teacher and child to create new rhymes, based upon
Tara's format.
Armchair Interviews says: This story, as with the Man on the Flying Trapeze, "floats through air with the greatest of ease." Bravo, Little Library Mouse...bravo!
 -- Armchair Interviews, "armchairinterviews.com", 2006

Stephanie Lisa Tara's Personal Sites:


GIVEAWAYS



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"Due to overwhelming response, Stephanie Tara has decided to double your sweepstakes prize IF you are willing to WRITE A REVIEW (1 word to 100 - your choice!) on any of her book's amazon pages. moms-helping-moms! Add your voice to other mom's voices! And all together - we add our voices toMother Earth's voice—this Earth Day, April 22, 2013!"



Meet the Author




About Stephanie Lisa Tara:
I've always believed that magic hides in special places. As a child, people would often stare at my bright red hair, which was very, very bright indeed.
Unfortunately, I developed a bad habit of making up rhymes about all of them, and they soon became funny characters. I didn't have much time to think about being different; fanciful lyricisms danced in my head, and no one was safe!
Since then, I've come to believe that storytelling has the power to inspire a deep love of language and learning. Words tripping off the tongue in somersaults that stick to your thoughts like taffy-- those are the things that stay forever in the mind.
I've lived in many special places: on a farm, in a city skyscraper, on a tropical beach, and in the beautiful country of
France. Now I live in northern California, between the redwood forests and the sea. Even though I'm an adult, I'm still as silly as ever.
Many nice words have been used to describe my books, such as fun, engaging, delightful, and whimsical. Some folks say that I deliver timeless messages of love for kids and parents to share again and again; this makes me very happy. I hope that you'll enjoy my stories, too. Captivating children with language is something that I believe in, and I strive to live my life with this always.
--Stephanie Lisa Tara

www.StephanieLisaTara.com

Other Books by Stephanie Lisa Tara


I'll Follow the Moon by Stephanie Lisa Tara and illustrated by Lee Edward Fodi

On a quiet, moonlit beach, a baby green sea turtle stirs from a dream of home. Slowly, slowly, with a tap, crick, crack, the baby turtle embarks upon a mysterious nighttime journey. Gentle, tender verse and enchanting illustrations carry this tranquil tale from sand to sea.

Gorgeous watercolors chronicle the journey of a baby sea turtle from its hatching to its first swim in the sea. -- Kirkus Reviews, September 2005

Find more on the 
amazon page, including illustrations, reviews and a detailed description.  This book has been republished by the author in paperback,though is still being published by the publisher, Brown Books, in hardcover.

Snowy White World to Save by Stephanie Lisa Tara and Illustrated by Alex Walton


 It s a headline we all have seen: Global warming is melting the Arctic. Once the Arctic sea ice has vanished, the majestic polar bear, a magnificent creature who needs the sea ice to survive will vanish, too. The ice is home to the bears, as well as to their primary food source, the ringed seal. Polar bears feed, mate, travel, den, and give birth on the ice. Some scientists say polar bears will be extinct within fifty years if something isn t done, and soon.

Gwynne Fair & Shining by Stephanie Lisa Tara and illustrated by Lee Edward Fodi

Gwynne, Fair & Shining is a twenty-four page children's book, written in verse, about a young girl who learns she is special and can be anything she wants to be.
Stephanie Lisa Tara's joyful verse will delight readers in her third book, Gwynne Fair & Shining. Poor little Gwynne is the maid of a grumpy old knight who stomps about the castle terrifying her. Then, one night, she hears enchanting music and the voice of her long lost grandmother calling to her to believe in herself once more. Gathering her courage, Gwynne flees the castle and enlists the aid of her animal friends in the nearby woods. With them beside her, Gwynne returns to the castle, faces down the awful knight, and -- with the aid of her fairy godmother and a magic flute -- finds the confidence to become who she always was deep down inside: a fair and shining princess! Lee Edward Födi's illustrations sparkle with gold glitter as they propel readers through this magical, spinning, dancing adventure. Your young readers and listeners will be rooting for Gwynne as she battles belittling bullies and self-doubt to realize her dreams. -- Books of Wonder, New York City; Peter Glassman December 2007 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.




AND that's not all...PLEASE scroll down to the next post to check out Stephanie Lisa Tara's newly released Turtle Book!!