Cecily Wolfe's Blog: The Start of Something New, page 12
August 30, 2018
The Little Gate-Crasher - Paperback Giveaway!
The Little Gate-Crasher
Mace Bugen might have been an achondroplastic dwarf, 43 inches tall with an average size head and torso set on small, twisted legs—but that didn’t mean he was an idiot or a pushover. In truth, he was smarter than most; over the years, he learned to effectively turn what society in those days called a handicap into a powerful tool he could use to his advantage.
“When I was a kid,” he once said, “I’d ask myself, Why is that guy on the football team? Why can’t I be on the team? Why didn’t God give me the height so I could be the hero?”
“Then at some point I figured it out: I gotta do something special to let ’em know I’m me.”
In The Little Gate Crasher: The Life And Photos Of Mace Bugen, I remember my amazing great-Uncle Mace Bugen through his journey as a first-generation Jewish-American kid in working class Philipsburg, NJ to becoming the first celebrity selfie-artist—way ahead of his time.
Featuring vintage photos of Mace with his exploits, The Little Gate Crasher captures three decades of American pop culture, seen through the unique lens of Mace and his gate-crashing exploits.
Underneath his antics, we meet a complex man who continually defies others expectations and meets life on his own terms. Mace becomes a successful businessman and devoted son to his aging parents. But in his gate-crashing antics, we best get to see Mace’s unique combination of guile, cunning and sense of entitlement, which he used to engineer photos of himself with some of the biggest celebrities of his day. If people were going to stare at him all of his life, he would give them something to see.
The Little Gate Crasher features over 50 vintage photos of Mace with celebrities, athletes and politicians, including Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Muhammed Ali, Richard Nixon, Jane Russel, Joe DiMaggio and more.
Amazon US – https://www.amazon.com/Little-Gate-Cr...
Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Gate-...
Author Bio – Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer is an experienced educator, author and speaker. At Jewish Learning Venture, she works as Director of Whole Community Inclusion and leads disability awareness programs for the Philadelphia Jewish community. Her most recent book The Little Gate Crasher, a memoir of her Great-Uncle, who overcame society’s prejudices about dwarfism to lead a remarkable life, was one of the national book selections for 2017 Jewish Disability Awareness & Inclusion Month. Gabby writes for and edits The New York Jewish Week’s The New Normal: Blogging Disability and is also a featured Philly parenting blogger for WHYY’s newsworks. Gabby holds a B.F.A. in theatre and creative writing from Emerson College and an M.A. in Jewish Studies from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.
Social Media Links –
www.gabriellekaplanmayer.com
@gabkaplanmayer
https://www.facebook.com/littlegatecr...
Giveaway to Win a paperback copy of The Little Gate-Crasher (Open to US & Canada only)
*Terms and Conditions –USA / Canada entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Author Interview:
1. What is your latest book about?
My latest book is “The Little Gate-Crasher,” a memoir of my amazing Great-Uncle Mace Bugen. When my Great-Uncle Moishe “Mace” Bugen was born in 1915, it became quickly apparent to my great-grandparents Sarah and Jakie that something was different with their fourth child. Mace had a normal size head and limbs but his skeleton was curved and there was a hump on his back. He was diagnosed as a dwarf and ultimately grew to be 43 inches tall.
In those days, parents were instructed to send away children with any kind of disability--but my great-Grandparents would never dream of treating Mace any differently from his siblings. He worked in the family grocery store, went to school, became Bar Mitzvah. Mace was raised with the confidence that he could do and become whatever he wanted—despite society’s prejudices against people of small stature and his own mobility challenges.
My Great-Grandmother expected Mace to become a success and he never disappointed his mother. Besides becoming a real estate tycoon and a leader in the Jewish community, Mace was known for an unusual hobby—over 30 years, he would overcome the limitations of his size to stage photos of himself with some of the biggest celebrities, athletes and politicians of his day. Mace was frequently seen on RKO newsreels and was even named by gossip columnist Walter Winchell as the “little gate crasher.”
In The Little Gate-Crasher, I capture the life lessons from Mace’s grand adventures: his unstoppable spirit that shows there’s value in every person and his courage to face whatever obstacles life sends your way.
2. What inspired you to write it?
My Grandmother Minerva, my Great-Uncle Mace’s older sister, was a wonderful storyteller and told me many stories about her childhood as I was growing up—she had grown up in a completely different circumstance, as a daughter of immigrants who had recently come to America and who worked hard in their grocery store to make a living. It was the Great depression and every penny counted. My Grandma shared many stories about her brother Mace and how impressed she was by his ability to not pity himself for being a dwarf and to not think less of himself—even though others teased or jeered at him.
When my Grandmother died, Mace’s photo album with his amazing celebrity photos was passed down to my Mom. My family and I would look at it and marvel as the unique history Mace created of pop culture from the mid-40s to the mid-70s—he had “celebrity selfies” with Ella Fitzgerald, Joe DiMaggio, Nixon, Ali—all of the famous athletes, politicians and entertainers of the era.
As I looked at the photos, I thought of Mace’s story and wondered not only how did he manage to get these photos considering his limited mobility—but why? What did these photos mean to him and what we can learn from there? A great story emerged—of a confidant man given a significant challenge who viewed himself as no less than anyone else, despite the message that society continually gave him.
3. How long did it take you to research and write “The Little Gate-Crasher”?
It took me about a year from when I began to completion of the final draft. I was really blessed to have an amazing editor Mike Sager, who also wrote the forward to the book and was an enormous help in shaping the story.
4. What’s it been like to promote your book?
It’s been really fun! I love to be out talking about the book and hearing people’s reactions to Mace’s story. I’m working on a total of 18 big book events in 2018 and also do smaller events for book groups. I Skype or facetime in to book discussion groups right in people’s living rooms all over the world from my home in Philadelphia. It’s so much fun—and costs no fee to the book group.
5. How can people purchase the book and get in touch with you?
The Little Gate-Crasher is available on amazon and I love to connect with readers on twitter (@gabkaplanmayer) and facebook. You can also reach me via my website www.gabriellekaplanmayer.com
August 20, 2018
Giveaway - Five Paperback Copies of The Competition!
Thank you to YA Interrobang for this great giveaway opportunity!
FIVE paperbacks of The Competition are up for grabs! For more details: http://www.yainterrobang.com/the-comp...
FIVE paperbacks of The Competition are up for grabs! For more details: http://www.yainterrobang.com/the-comp...
August 17, 2018
Facebook Hop - Prizes Include an Amazon Gift Card!
There's only a couple of more days to enter to win prizes in this hop, which promotes The Plus Sign Anthology. Seven authors have come together to tell tales of heart-break, happiness, and all the unplanned parts of pregnancy. All proceeds for this anthology will go to the Winchester Beacon of Hope Emergency Shelter in Winchester, Kentucky. For more information, please visit http://beaconofhopeky.org.
Stop by here: https://www.facebook.com/ceciwolfe/po...
Good luck and happy hopping!
August 15, 2018
The Uprising Series: The Gathering by Bernadette R. Giacomazzo - Blog Blitz
The Uprising Series tells the story of three freedom fighters and their friends in high — and low — places that come together to overthrow a vainglorious Emperor and his militaristic Cabal to restore the city, and the way of life, they once knew and loved. In The Gathering, Jamie Ryan has defected from the Cabal and has joined his former brothers-in-arms — Basile Perrinault and Kanoa Shinomura — to form a collective known as The Uprising. When an explosion leads to him crossing paths with Evanora Cunningham — a product of Jamie’s past — he discovers that The Uprising is bigger, and more important, than he thought.
PURCHASE LINKS
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/198...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
AUTHOR BIO
The Gathering Author
With an impressive list of credentials earned over the course of two decades, Bernadette R. Giacomazzo is a multi-hyphenate in the truest sense of the word: an editor, writer, photographer, publicist, and digital marketing specialist who has demonstrated an uncanny ability to thrive in each industry with equal aplomb. Her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and many, many more. She served as the news editor of Go! NYC Magazine for nearly a decade, the executive editor of LatinTRENDS Magazine for five years, the eye candy editor of XXL Magazine for two years, and the editor-at-large at iOne/Zona de Sabor for two years. As a publicist, she has worked with the likes of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and his G-Unit record label, rapper Kool G. Rap, and various photographers, artists, and models. As a digital marketing specialist, Bernadette is Google Adwords certified, has an advanced knowledge of SEO, PPC, link-building, and other digital marketing techniques, and has worked for a variety of clients in the legal, medical, and real estate industries.
Based in New York City, Bernadette is the co-author of Swimming with Sharks: A Real World, How-To Guide to Success (and Failure) in the Business of Music (for the 21st Century), and the author of the forthcoming dystopian fiction series, The Uprising. She also contributed a story to the upcoming Beyonce Knowles tribute anthology, The King Bey Bible, which will be available in bookstores nationwide in the summer of 2018.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS –
https://www.facebook.com/bernadetterg...
https://www.instagram.com/bg_takes_pics/
https://twitter.com/bg_writes_stuff
August 13, 2018
A Snap Decision - A Prequel Short Story to The Competition
Happy Monday, friends! Today I am happy to be participating in the Navigating Indieworld Summer Blog a Day event, in which each day brings a new post from a blogger or author. You can stop by Kay MacLeod's website for more details, where she has each day and feature listed: http://kaymacleodbooks.com/summer-blo... - you can also join the Navigating Indieworld Facebook group for giveaways and events, and to meet new authors and find great books.
Because I have a new YA releasing next month, I thought I would write a story about something that happens a few months before that novel opens. Something that tells a little more about one of the characters, and the emotional aspect of what is going on her life at that point. No spoilers, just a peek at what The Competition will continue. Without further ado, here it is! Thank you for reading.
A Snap Decision
Mary Sofia didn’t mind staying after school to meet with Ms. Dacha. What she did mind was her teacher’s failure to mention why she wanted to speak with her. Her life had been lived on the sharp edge of a knife since she was a little girl, and she avoided uncertainties like she avoided boys. Or other kids her age. Or anyone, for that matter.
She didn’t have time for anyone. She had to focus on her grades and stay out of trouble. Once upon a time someone she loved took the fall for her, and now she had to make it right.
As she turned the corner of the hallway after leaving the books and folders she didn’t need to take home to the shelter in her locker, she noticed three students leaving Ms. Dacha’s room. Did the teacher talk to them about the same thing she would her? They didn’t look upset. One of them actually looked happy, and all three were talking animatedly, the happy one gesturing with one of her hands as if she was writing something in the air. What was that about?
She kept her head down and stared at the worn carpet by her feet as she continued to walk towards Ms. Dacha’s room. No one would notice her. The only kids who did were the boys in the neighborhood who called out to her, undeterred by her refusal to acknowledge them. They were bad news, and her family had enough of that to last a lifetime.
The last person she wanted to see was standing at the teacher’s desk when Mary Sofia stepped through the doorway. Jada, who looked more nineteen than seventeen, with her aloof beauty and overconfidence, glanced at Mary Sofia once, then twice, as if she hadn’t believed her eyes the first time she saw her. Mary Sofia sat in one of the desks and looked at the Smart Board, avoiding Jada’s gaze.
The Penultimate? What was that?
Those two words were written on the board, with a date almost a month in the future. Mary Sofia already knew that she didn’t have plans for that Saturday, or any Saturday, but that didn’t mean she was interested in whatever it was. Maybe if it would look good on college applications, though . . .
“Ladies, so glad to see you. Have a seat, Jada.”
Jada backed up a few steps and slid into the first desk in front of Ms. Dacha’s. The teacher remained standing and went over to the words on the board, tapping her index finger beside the letters.
“Have either of you heard of The Penultimate before?”
Mary Sofia shook her head.
“Isn’t that a writing contest?”
Jada spoke as Mary Sofia kept her eyes front. A writing contest? How did that work?
“You’re right, Jada. It’s only for students in the eleventh grade, and teachers can choose who they want on their teams. I’ve asked the two of you here because I’d love to have you participate.”
The woman looked at Mary Sofia, and Mary Sofia shrugged, stretching her shoulders a moment longer than necessary just to relieve some of the tension.
“Why?”
She asked before she thought, and once the words were out, Mary Sofia was embarrassed. I need to keep my mouth shut, she reminded herself.
“You are two of my best writers. Everything you submit, whether it is an essay, a report, or a freewriting exercise, is excellent. This contest is very competitive, and you have to be able to write under pressure, and with an open mind.”
“An open mind to what?”
Jada spoke the question echoing in Mary Sofia’s mind. She still didn’t want to be friends with Jada, who had once spoken terrible words to her during the worst time of her young life, but she was interested in Ms. Dacha’s answer.
“Different prompts. New ways to approach the writing process. Working together as a team.”
Teamwork? With Jada?
Mary Sofia raised her hand. The teacher shook her head.
“Don’t do that. It’s just the three of us.”
Mary Sofia nodded.
“How do we write as a team? Is it some kind of shared writing project? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
When Ms. Dacha sat heavily in her desk chair, Mary Sofia stole a glance at Jada, who was frowning.
“I don’t think either of us are team players, Ms. Dacha. Seriously.”
Ms. Dacha just shook her head.
“Getting to that in a moment. What I want to explain first is that this event ends at the state tournament, and the winner gets a full scholarship to Finley College.”
Full scholarship? To Finley, the most expensive and exclusive college in the state?
“Of course, you have to be accepted when the time comes before the scholarship can be used. The most important thing is that you make it to the state level and have a chance to win that scholarship. We have a few weeks to work on your writing, with timed practice, to be ready for that first level of competition.”
What was going on? Was this really a chance to win a full scholarship? Not to any school, but the most prestigious college within driving distance. Not that she had access to a car or even had a driver’s license, but still.
“I don’t understand, Ms. Dacha.”
“Okay, Mary Sofia. Let me explain everything, and then you and Jada can let me know if you’re in. I really hope you are.”
As the teacher began to talk about districts and regionals, about prompts and timing, Mary Sofia slid her gaze towards Jada, who was watching her in turn. Jada looked nervous, but excited in a more reserved way than the girl Mary Sofia had just seen in the hall. Jada noticed Mary Sofia looking, and offered her a tentative smile. Mary Sofia looked to the front of the room again, ignoring Jada’s expression, and wondered how much teamwork was involved. It didn’t seem like much.
If Jada kept her distance, there won’t be any problems, she thought. They had nothing in common, and nothing to talk about, so nothing needed to be said except if it related to Ms. Dacha’s event.
“I’ll let you know,” she told the teacher twenty minutes later, unsure if she had understood everything that had been said. Jada made her uncomfortable, and she was annoyed with herself for allowing someone to get under her skin.
Leaving the room wasn’t the ending she had hoped for, however. As soon as she started walking down the hall towards the school entrance, she heard Jada’s voice calling out behind her. Could she deal with her old enemy for a few months if it meant an opportunity for such a high stakes scholarship? It took her a few moments before she slowed her steps and allowed Jada to catch up, wondering if she was making the right decision.
Because I have a new YA releasing next month, I thought I would write a story about something that happens a few months before that novel opens. Something that tells a little more about one of the characters, and the emotional aspect of what is going on her life at that point. No spoilers, just a peek at what The Competition will continue. Without further ado, here it is! Thank you for reading.
A Snap Decision
Mary Sofia didn’t mind staying after school to meet with Ms. Dacha. What she did mind was her teacher’s failure to mention why she wanted to speak with her. Her life had been lived on the sharp edge of a knife since she was a little girl, and she avoided uncertainties like she avoided boys. Or other kids her age. Or anyone, for that matter.
She didn’t have time for anyone. She had to focus on her grades and stay out of trouble. Once upon a time someone she loved took the fall for her, and now she had to make it right.
As she turned the corner of the hallway after leaving the books and folders she didn’t need to take home to the shelter in her locker, she noticed three students leaving Ms. Dacha’s room. Did the teacher talk to them about the same thing she would her? They didn’t look upset. One of them actually looked happy, and all three were talking animatedly, the happy one gesturing with one of her hands as if she was writing something in the air. What was that about?
She kept her head down and stared at the worn carpet by her feet as she continued to walk towards Ms. Dacha’s room. No one would notice her. The only kids who did were the boys in the neighborhood who called out to her, undeterred by her refusal to acknowledge them. They were bad news, and her family had enough of that to last a lifetime.
The last person she wanted to see was standing at the teacher’s desk when Mary Sofia stepped through the doorway. Jada, who looked more nineteen than seventeen, with her aloof beauty and overconfidence, glanced at Mary Sofia once, then twice, as if she hadn’t believed her eyes the first time she saw her. Mary Sofia sat in one of the desks and looked at the Smart Board, avoiding Jada’s gaze.
The Penultimate? What was that?
Those two words were written on the board, with a date almost a month in the future. Mary Sofia already knew that she didn’t have plans for that Saturday, or any Saturday, but that didn’t mean she was interested in whatever it was. Maybe if it would look good on college applications, though . . .
“Ladies, so glad to see you. Have a seat, Jada.”
Jada backed up a few steps and slid into the first desk in front of Ms. Dacha’s. The teacher remained standing and went over to the words on the board, tapping her index finger beside the letters.
“Have either of you heard of The Penultimate before?”
Mary Sofia shook her head.
“Isn’t that a writing contest?”
Jada spoke as Mary Sofia kept her eyes front. A writing contest? How did that work?
“You’re right, Jada. It’s only for students in the eleventh grade, and teachers can choose who they want on their teams. I’ve asked the two of you here because I’d love to have you participate.”
The woman looked at Mary Sofia, and Mary Sofia shrugged, stretching her shoulders a moment longer than necessary just to relieve some of the tension.
“Why?”
She asked before she thought, and once the words were out, Mary Sofia was embarrassed. I need to keep my mouth shut, she reminded herself.
“You are two of my best writers. Everything you submit, whether it is an essay, a report, or a freewriting exercise, is excellent. This contest is very competitive, and you have to be able to write under pressure, and with an open mind.”
“An open mind to what?”
Jada spoke the question echoing in Mary Sofia’s mind. She still didn’t want to be friends with Jada, who had once spoken terrible words to her during the worst time of her young life, but she was interested in Ms. Dacha’s answer.
“Different prompts. New ways to approach the writing process. Working together as a team.”
Teamwork? With Jada?
Mary Sofia raised her hand. The teacher shook her head.
“Don’t do that. It’s just the three of us.”
Mary Sofia nodded.
“How do we write as a team? Is it some kind of shared writing project? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
When Ms. Dacha sat heavily in her desk chair, Mary Sofia stole a glance at Jada, who was frowning.
“I don’t think either of us are team players, Ms. Dacha. Seriously.”
Ms. Dacha just shook her head.
“Getting to that in a moment. What I want to explain first is that this event ends at the state tournament, and the winner gets a full scholarship to Finley College.”
Full scholarship? To Finley, the most expensive and exclusive college in the state?
“Of course, you have to be accepted when the time comes before the scholarship can be used. The most important thing is that you make it to the state level and have a chance to win that scholarship. We have a few weeks to work on your writing, with timed practice, to be ready for that first level of competition.”
What was going on? Was this really a chance to win a full scholarship? Not to any school, but the most prestigious college within driving distance. Not that she had access to a car or even had a driver’s license, but still.
“I don’t understand, Ms. Dacha.”
“Okay, Mary Sofia. Let me explain everything, and then you and Jada can let me know if you’re in. I really hope you are.”
As the teacher began to talk about districts and regionals, about prompts and timing, Mary Sofia slid her gaze towards Jada, who was watching her in turn. Jada looked nervous, but excited in a more reserved way than the girl Mary Sofia had just seen in the hall. Jada noticed Mary Sofia looking, and offered her a tentative smile. Mary Sofia looked to the front of the room again, ignoring Jada’s expression, and wondered how much teamwork was involved. It didn’t seem like much.
If Jada kept her distance, there won’t be any problems, she thought. They had nothing in common, and nothing to talk about, so nothing needed to be said except if it related to Ms. Dacha’s event.
“I’ll let you know,” she told the teacher twenty minutes later, unsure if she had understood everything that had been said. Jada made her uncomfortable, and she was annoyed with herself for allowing someone to get under her skin.
Leaving the room wasn’t the ending she had hoped for, however. As soon as she started walking down the hall towards the school entrance, she heard Jada’s voice calling out behind her. Could she deal with her old enemy for a few months if it meant an opportunity for such a high stakes scholarship? It took her a few moments before she slowed her steps and allowed Jada to catch up, wondering if she was making the right decision.
August 12, 2018
Summer Blog a Day Event!
Tomorrow I will be participating in the Navigating Indieworld Summer Blog a Day Event (http://kaymacleodbooks.com/summer-blo...), and right here on my Goodreads blog I will be posting a never released before prequel short story to my upcoming YA, The Competition.
I just got the finished paperbacks of The Competition in the mail yesterday, so I am super excited to share this story in a few weeks (9/18) as well as the prequel story tomorrow.
Stop by the Navigating Indieworld Facebook page for ongoing giveaways and discover new authors and books to love: https://www.facebook.com/groups/navig...
I just got the finished paperbacks of The Competition in the mail yesterday, so I am super excited to share this story in a few weeks (9/18) as well as the prequel story tomorrow.
Stop by the Navigating Indieworld Facebook page for ongoing giveaways and discover new authors and books to love: https://www.facebook.com/groups/navig...
August 1, 2018
Teen Librarian Toolbox - YA A to Z
I am thrilled to have the opportunity to guest post today over at Teen Librarian Toolbox, one of my favorite tools I use to stay connected and updated with and by other librarians for work.
Click over (the above link) to read more about my upcoming YA, The Competition, including the inspiration behind the story.
Click over (the above link) to read more about my upcoming YA, The Competition, including the inspiration behind the story.
July 28, 2018
The Invisible Case by Isabella Muir
The Invisible Case
A shocking death turns a homecoming into a nightmare.
It's Easter 1970 in the seaside town of Tamarisk Bay, and for one family the first Easter of a new decade brings a shocking tragedy. Amateur sleuth and professional librarian, Janie Juke, is settling into motherhood and looking forward to spending time with her family. When her Aunt Jessica is due back from Rome after nine years travelling around Europe, she arrives back in town with a new Italian friend, Luigi, and the whole family soon get embroiled in a tangle of mystery and suspicion, with death and passion at the heart of the story.
As time runs out on Luigi as prime suspect for murder, Janie has to use all of her powers of deduction in the footsteps of her hero, Hercule Poirot, to uncover the facts. Why did Luigi come to Tamarisk Bay? What is the truth about his family?
As Luigi's story unfolds, tragedy seems to haunt the past, present and unless Janie acts fast, possibly what is yet to come.
Amazon US - https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Case...
Amazon UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invisible-Ca...
Author Bio –
Isabella Muir is the author of Janie Juke series of crime mysteries - all set in Sussex.
'The Tapestry Bag' is the first in the series, followed by ‘Lost Property’. Now - 'The Invisible Case' - the latest in the series is available for pre-order from Amazon.
The 'Janie Juke mysteries' are set in Sussex in the sixties and seventies and feature a young librarian with a passion for Agatha Christie. All that Janie has learned from her hero, Hercule Poirot, she is able to put into action as she sets off to solve a series of crimes and mysteries.
Isabella has also published 'Ivory Vellum' - a collection of short stories.
She has been surrounded by books her whole life and – after working for twenty years as a technical editor and having successfully completed her MA in Professional Writing - she was inspired to focus on fiction writing.
Aside from books, Isabella has a love of all things caravan-like. She has spent many winters caravanning in Europe and now, together with her husband, she runs a small caravan site in Sussex. They are ably assisted by their much-loved Scottie, Hamish.
Social Media Links –
TWITTER @SussexMysteries
FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/isabel.muir.96
WEBSITE: www.isabellamuir.com
Giveaway – Win a signed copy of The Invisible Case (Open Internationally)
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I have tapped into my Italian roots for Janie Juke’s newest mystery and have enjoyed immersing myself in happy memories of Italy, as well as benefiting from first-hand research, courtesy of my Italian relations.
Having an Italian mother, as well as cousins who live in Rome, I’ve been lucky to have the chance for loads of trips to that beautiful country. I think I was about four years old when I first visited and since then not many years pass when I don’t make at least a flying visit.
In the first chapter of The Invisible Case we find Janie’s Aunt Jessica travelling from Rome to return to her home town of Tamarisk Bay after nine years exploring Europe. As I wrote the opening scenes I was there with Jessica on that long train journey from Rome. When my brothers and sisters first did the journey as little ones we sat in an ordinary seated compartment. It was only later that we moved upmarket to couchettes and were able to stretch out.
In The Invisible Case Jessica and her travelling companion, Luigi, enjoy their breakfast in the dining car. But as children we had all the excitement of a picnic breakfast on our laps! It makes me smile now to think about how we downed our cornflakes with evaporated milk, as though it was a meal fit for royalty! Fortunately, most of our trips were made as a family, which meant we filled a compartment, so no danger of annoying other passengers with our endless games of I-spy.
On our return journeys we spent hours munching our way through the abundance of fruit that kind aunts and uncles donated to us for our travels. On one occasion I remember an uncle arriving at Rome station to say goodbye and handing over a suitcase full of grapes!
During our holidays my dad took us on long walks around Rome and, even though my aunt lived quite a way from the station, dad insisted we had to start all our walks from Roma Termini, which is the setting for the opening chapter of The Invisible Case…
‘Each of the thirty-two platforms at Roma Termini buzzed with comings and goings. Friends laughing as they ran along the platform, arm in arm. A husband hugging his wife before waving her off with a loud ‘Ti amo’. It was an orchestra of sound; trolley wheels that needed oiling, loud conversation, even music, all combining to make it difficult to pick out the tannoy announcement that the Paris train was preparing to leave.’
One of my favourite places in Italy is the pretty port of Anzio. Anzio lies just about an hour away from Rome and is a favoured resort for Italian holidaymakers. There is a gentle buzz about the place, with wonderful fish restaurants all along the port and bars on every street corner. In The Invisible Case we learn about Anzio, not only as the present-day home town of Luigi, but also as the location for a key part of the plot, when the story looks back at the war-torn Anzio of 1944.
This third book in the Sussex Crime series isn’t the only one where Italians feature. In Lost Property we meet Rosetta Summer, who runs the Summer Guest House on the seafront in Tamarisk Bay. In The Invisible Case we meet her again when Luigi goes to stay with her. She is a charismatic Italian, with a talent for putting on the most wonderful Italian feasts.
Writing about those feasts reminded me of all the wonderful Italian meals I have had, courtesy of aunts and uncles. You know you are in Italy when you reach the end of a four-hour feast and you think you will burst if you even look at one more thing, and a kindly aunt says: ‘You must have some fruit, after all, it’s only water’!
Janie’s Aunt Jessica has had a wonderful time during those nine years travelling around Europe, she loved every minute – especially her time in Italy. Do you get the sense I may just bit a touch envious?!
Only time will tell how and when my beloved Italy will pop again in my stories – if you want to keep tabs, then visit my website at: www.isabellamuir.com or follow me on Twitter @SussexMysteries or visit my Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMuir...
July 26, 2018
Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab
Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab
Barnabas Tew, a detective in Victorian London, is having a hard time making a name for himself, probably because most of his clients end up dead before he can solve their cases. His luck is about to change, though, for better or worse: Anubis, the Egyptian god of the dead, notices him and calls him to the Egyptian underworld. A terrible kidnapping has occurred; one that promises to put an end to the status quo and could perhaps even put an end to the entire world. It is up to Barnabas (along with his trusty assistant, Wilfred) to discover the culprit and set things to right. Can he turn his luck around and solve the most important case of his life?
Purchase Link - mybook.to/Barnabas
Author Bio – Columbkill Noonan lives in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where she teaches yoga and Anatomy and Physiology. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines. Her first novel, “Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Missing Scarab” by Crooked Cat Books, was released in 2017, and her latest work, “Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Nine Worlds”, is set to be released in September 2018.
In her spare time, Columbkill enjoys hiking, paddle boarding, aerial yoga, and riding her rescue horse, Mittens. To learn more about Columbkill please feel free to visit her website (www.columbkill.weebly.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ColumbkillNoonan) or on Twitter (@ColumbkillNoon1).
Social Media Links – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColumbkillNo...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/columbkillnoon1?l...
July 24, 2018
Insightful New Review of That Night
I woke up to an incredibly insightful and provocative review of That Night by librarian Sabrina Carnesi, who is also on the In the Margins national book committee, which longlisted That Night earlier this year.
https://brichislitspot.blog/2018/07/2...
Ms. Carnesi gets all the gritty details of the problems going on that lead to Kayla's death, and how the adults and society in general are missing these issues in real life - which is what led me to write this heartbreaking story.
Thank you so much to Sabrina and the ITM committee for bringing That Night to the attention of readers, teachers, parents, and librarians!
https://brichislitspot.blog/2018/07/2...
Ms. Carnesi gets all the gritty details of the problems going on that lead to Kayla's death, and how the adults and society in general are missing these issues in real life - which is what led me to write this heartbreaking story.
Thank you so much to Sabrina and the ITM committee for bringing That Night to the attention of readers, teachers, parents, and librarians!
