Linnea Tanner's Blog, page 22
December 11, 2022
The Fortune Keeper Deborah Swift Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub #FortuneKeeper #HistoricalFiction @swiftstory @maryanneyarde
I am pleased to welcome Deborah Swift as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between December 5th — December 16th, 2022. Deborah Swift is the author of the Historical Fiction, The Fortune Keeper (Italian Renaissance Series), which was released by Quire Books on 24th November 2022 (412 pages).
Below are highlights of The Fortune Keeper, Deborah Swift’s author bio, and my review of her gripping novel.
To follow the blog tour, CLICK Tour Schedule
HIGHLIGHTS: THE FORTUNE KEEPER
The Fortune Keeper
(Italian Renaissance Series)
By Deborah Swift
(Blurb)
Count your nights by stars, not shadows ~ Italian Proverb
Winter in Renaissance Venice
Mia Caiozzi is determined to discover her destiny by studying the science of astronomy. But her stepmother Giulia forbids her to engage in this occupation, fearing it will lead her into danger. The ideas of Galileo are banned by the Inquisition, so Mia must study in secret.
Giulia’s real name is Giulia Tofana, renowned for her poison Aqua Tofana, and she is in hiding from the Duke de Verdi’s family who are intent on revenge for the death of their brother. Giulia insists Mia should live quietly out of public view. If not, it could threaten them all. But Mia doesn’t understand this, and rebels against Giulia, determined to go her own way.
When the two secret lives collide, it has far-reaching and fatal consequences that will change Mia’s life forever.
Set amongst opulent palazzos and shimmering canals, The Fortune Keeper is the third novel of adventure and romance based on the life and legend of Giulia Tofana, the famous poisoner.
‘Her characters are so real they linger in the mind long after the book is back on the shelf’ – Historical Novel Society
NB This is the third in a series but can stand alone as it features a new protagonist. Other two books are available if reviewers want them.
Trigger warnings:
Murder and violence in keeping with the era.
This book is available to read Kindle Unlimited
Buy Links:
Universal Link • Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU
AUTHOR BIO: DEBORAH SWIFT
Deborah Swift is a USA TODAY bestselling author who is passionate about the past. Deborah used to be a costume designer for the BBC, before becoming a writer. Now she lives in an old English school house in a village full of 17th Century houses, near the glorious Lake District. She divides her time between writing and teaching. After taking a Masters Degree in Creative Writing, she enjoys mentoring aspiring novelists and has an award-winning historical fiction blog at her website www.deborahswift.com
Deborah loves to write about how extraordinary events in history have transformed the lives of ordinary people, and how the events of the past can live on in her books and still resonate today.
Recent books include The Poison Keeper, about the Renaissance poisoner Giulia Tofana, which was a winner of the Wishing Shelf Readers Award and a Coffee Pot Book Club Gold Medal, and The Cipher Room set in WW2 and due for publication by Harper Collins next Spring.
Social Media Links:
Twitter • Facebook • Website • Pinterest • Bookbub • Amazon
REVIEW: THE FORTUNE KEEPER
The Fortune Keeper by Deborah Swift is the third novel in the Italian Renaissance Series which is based on the life of the historical figure, Giulia Tofana. The gripping, fast-paced historical fiction novel has elements of suspense, mystery, and political intrigue. In the late fall of 1643, Venice is awakening into a scientific era that often conflicts with the beliefs of the Catholic Church. Anyone professing that celestial bodies can foretell your destiny is under the watch of the Roman Inquisition, responsible for prosecuting individuals accused of a range of crimes according to Roman Catholic law and doctrine. It is against this dangerous backdrop that Mia Caiozzi is secretly studying astronomy with a mentor. She believes advances in astronomy improve the accuracy of astrology. And thus, her beliefs put her in danger with the Catholic church.
The danger is compounded by Mia living with her stepmother, Giulia, who is hiding in the Jewish Getto to escape the repercussions of her dark past. Duke de Verdi’s family believes Giulia, renowned for her poison Aqua Tofana, has murdered their brother and seeks to avenge him. A mysterious friend of the De Verdi family has moved to Venice for the purpose of finding this elusive poisoner who has been blamed for some of his assassinations. When Mia attends a lecture about astronomy, she bumps into a medical student working part-time as a gondolier to pay for his training, meets a charming merchant, and sits next to a Dominican monk. Little does she know how the planets and stars will align to determine her fate with these men. In the city’s shadows, unbeknownst enemies spin a web of political intrigue, murder, and vengeance around her to entangle her. To escape their entrapment, she must outmaneuver both an assassin and the Roman Inquisition.
Author Deborah Swift has written a complex, plot-driven story filled with twists at every corner. A gifted storyteller, she transports the reader into the shadowy world of Renaissance Venice with surreal descriptions of buildings, canals, and elaborate masks. “The tall arched windows were filled with honeycomb glass from Murano which distorted the view of the canal outside, twisting every building into something shimmering, yet grotesque. He blew on his hands; the air was cold enough to freeze wine.”
The suspense is gripping and the action scenes are riveting. It’s uncertain whether the alignment of planets and stars signals Mia’s forthcoming independence as a woman or her death for defying church doctrine. I especially enjoyed the characterization of the archvillain who kept my heart throbbing as I anticipated whom he would murder next in his quest to find Giulia. Disguised in a mask, he secretly stalks his victims and murders them in distinctive ways. Though the author does an admirable job of filling in the backstory without being overwhelming, details from the previous books would have provided more insight into the motives of some of the characters. Although I enjoyed reading Mia’s story of seeking independence as a woman and solving the murders, she sometimes made questionable decisions, despite her best instincts, and came across as too naive for the challenge.
I recommend The Fortune Keeper to fans of the existing series, and Deborah Swift’s writing to historical fiction readers everywhere.
December 6, 2022
The Founding Michael L. Ross #historicalfiction #biographicalfiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @MichaelLRoss7 @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to introduce Michael L. Ross as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between November 28th — December 9th, 2022. Michael L. Ross is the author of the Historical Fiction / Biographical Fiction, The Founding (Across the Great Divide: Book 3), which was released by HistoricalNovelsRUS on 6th December 2022 (480 pages).
Below are highlights of The Founding, Deep, the author bio of Michael L. Ross, and an excerpt from his book.
To follow the blog tour, CLICK Schedule Page
HIGHLIGHTS: THE FOUNDING
The Founding
(Across the Great Divide: Book 3)
By Michael L. Ross
(Blurb)
Two men, two dreams, two new towns on the plains, and a railroad that will determine whether the towns—one black, one white—live or die.
Will Crump has survived the Civil War, Red Cloud’s War, and the loss of his love, but the search for peace and belonging still eludes him. From Colorado, famed Texas Ranger Charlie Goodnight lures Will to Texas, where he finds new love, but can a Civil War sharpshooter and a Quaker find a compromise to let their love survive? When Will has a chance to join in the founding of a new town, he risks everything—his savings, his family, and his life—but it will all be for nothing if the new railroad passes them by.
Luther has escaped slavery in Kentucky through Albinia, Will’s sister, only to find prejudice rearing its ugly head in Indiana. When the Black Codes are passed, he’s forced to leave and begin a new odyssey. Where can he and his family go to be truly free? Can they start a town owned by blacks, run by blacks, with no one to answer to? But their success will be dependent on the almighty railroad and overcoming bigotry to prove their town deserves the chance to thrive.
Will’s eldest sister, Julia, and her husband, Hiram, are watching the demise of their steamboat business and jump into railroads, but there’s a long black shadow in the form of Jay Gould, the robber baron who ruthlessly swallows any business he considers competition. Can Julia fight the rules against women in business, dodge Gould, and hold her marriage together?
The Founding tells the little-known story of the Exodusters and Nicodemus, the black town on the plains of Kansas, and the parallel story of Will’s founding of Lubbock, Texas, against the background of railroad expansion in America. A family reunited, new love discovered, the quest for freedom, the rise of two towns. In the end, can they reach Across the Great Divide? The Founding is the exciting conclusion to the series.
Praise for The Founding:
“Michael is an excellent storyteller and has done a wonderful job depicting Luther, and the other black characters in this book. He has done his homework and depicts many historical facts about Nicodemus in a most enlightening and creative way. It has been a pleasure working with someone who has made a concerted effort to get things right.”
~ Angela Bates
Nicodemus Descendant/Historian
Executive Director
The Nicodemus Historical Society and Museum
Buy Links:
Universal Link • Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU
AUTHOR BIO: MICHAEL L. ROSS
Michael Ross is a lover of history and great stories.
He’s a retired software engineer turned author, with three children, and five grandchildren, living in Newton, Kansas with his wife of 39 years. Michael graduated from Rice University and Portland State University with degrees in German and software engineering. He was part of an MBA program at Boston University.
Michael was born in Lubbock, Texas, and still loves Texas. He’s written short stories and technical articles in the past, as well as articles for the Texas Historical Society.
Across the Great Divide now has three novels in the series, “The Clouds of War”, “The Search”, and the conclusion, “The Founding”. “The Clouds of War” was an honorable mention for Coffee Pot Book of the Year in 2019, and an Amazon #1 best seller in three categories, along with making the Amazon top 100 paid, reviewed in Publisher’s Weekly. “The Search” won Coffee Pot Cover of the Year in 2020, and Coffee Pot Silver Medal for Book of the Year in 2020, as well as shortlisted for the Chanticleer International Book Laramie Award.
Social Media Links:
Website • Twitter • Facebook • LinkedIn • Instagram • Book Bub • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads
EXCERPT: THE FOUNDINGExcerpt 4:
Topeka, September 1876
Luther wiped the sweat away from his head. The stifling heat beat down, and the forge glowed. He couldn’t imagine autumn around the corner. Sighing, he picked up a hammer and worked on flattening the iron that was to be a mechanical corn planter. He’d heard about the design and had written to the patent office to get plans and a license. He was surprised to find the patent holder was another black man from forty years prior. They sure never had machines like this when he was at the Clay plantation in Kentucky. He turned the iron, pounded two more strokes, and saw a man in the doorway to the shop. He was about done with that piece anyway, so he plunged it into the water to cool, laid down the hammer, and cleaned his hands on his apron.
Luther walked over to the doorway, and in better light, he could see the man was black, with a triangular brand mark on his right cheek. The man wore a long black coat, even in the heat, a slouch hat, and a clerical collar.
“Afternoon, Reverend. What can I do for you?”
“I’m Reverend Simon Roundtree. Someone told me that you and your family here know most of the black folks around and that you’re originally from Lexington, Kentucky.”
Luther frowned and moved back toward the forge. “Somebody talks too much.”
Luther picked up the hammer again and heated an iron bar in the forge.
“Is it true?”
Luther turned toward him. “Yes, sir, it is. But I don’t much like talking about the slave days. I know we are free now, but I still look over my shoulder, ’specially round white folks. I have been betrayed by black folks too. My sister died because of it. Makes a man wary.”
Simon pointed to his cheek. “Think I don’t know? I understand that. But what if I told you that you got a chance to come to the Promised Land, to freedom, own your land, answer to nobody?”
Luther set the hammer down again. “I’m listening.”
“I’m partners with a white man named William Hill. We’re platting out a town in western Kansas. A colored town. I’m from Dry Lick, Kentucky, north of Lexington and Georgetown. I pastor the Mount Olivet church there.”
Luther stroked his chin. “How many people has this town got?”
Simon said, “Well, ain’t got any right now.”
“And where is this town with nobody?”
“Almost fifty miles north of Fort Hays. And before you ask, thirty-five miles north of Ellis and the railroad. But the railroad is coming.”
“I been out there. I worked the railroad. Ain’t nothin’ out there but a hell hole with jackrabbits in the summer and frozen wasteland in the winter.”
“There may be nothin’ there now, but think—a black town! We could start everything from scratch. Real freedom! And everything will change when the railroad comes through. Businesses, easy shipping for crops, and the land is good.”
“Mm-hmm. I’ve wanted somethin’ like that, but it sounds like freedom to starve. I hear you, but I can’t see how it could succeed. For the railroad to come, you gotta raise money and pay for building a depot. There are no trees for wood. That’s gonna take a lot of people.”
“That’s where you come in. I have families back in Lexington that will jump at the chance to get land. But they’ll have to come on the train, not by wagon. They won’t be able to bring much. A few will bring horses and plows, but not many. They’ll need tools made—plows, planters, all kinds of farm equipment, just like what you’re making there.”
Luther chuckled. “And I s’pose these black families are flowing with cash to pay for all these things.”
“No, no, they ain’t. But God will provide, just like when Moses led the Israelites to the Promised Land.”
Luther raised an eyebrow. “I seem to recall those Israelites near died of thirst and starvation, not to mention Egyptians. I read the Good Book. And I’ve fought the Cheyenne.”
“Sure, the Israelites had to fight against a whole bunch of kings, but ain’t we been fighting our whole lives? Fight the white man to keep your family together, to learn to read—that’s how I got this!” He pointed at the brand on his face. “White man decided I got too smart for my own good, or at least for his good. Fighting for food, the right to walk down the street without someone saying, ‘Hey, black boy, pick that up.’ We didn’t ask to come to this country, but we’re here. We’re full citizens by the law. Now we just got to make folks respect us and show what we can do. This black man gonna get free and work to enjoy all the good Lord gives. What about you?”
Luther considered, pounding a few strokes. “Folks here in Topeka sure don’t respect a black man. Let’s say me and my family go with you. What about this white man, this Hill fella? How do you know he ain’t gonna just steal you blind, leave you in the wilderness with nothin’?”
“I do have papers for the land. Each family pays Hill five dollars for the land and opportunity. It’s all the white folks had when they came to America and more than we’ve had in a century. If you come back with me to Lexington, just for a time, you can help convince families to come. You’ve been around there. You know what it’s like. You can testify.”
“Let me think it over. I’ll talk to Ruth and my in-laws. My father-in-law is a blacksmith too Getting a little old, but he taught me everything I know. Come by the house for supper tomorrow.” Luther picked up a pencil and scribbled the address, handing it to Simon. “They can meet you, and we can decide.”
December 5, 2022
Book Spotlight The Hearts of All on Fire Alana White #HistoricalMystery #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @alanawhite1480 @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to spotlight the Historical Mystery, The Hearts of All on Fire (The Guid’Antonio Historical Mysteries), by Alana White in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held on December 6th, 2022. The Hearts of All on Fire was released by Atmosphere Press on September 27th, 2022 (392 pages).
Below are highlights of The Hearts of All on Fire and Alana White’s author bio.
To follow the blog tour, CLICK Tour Schedule
HIGHLIGHTS: THE HEARTS OF ALL ON FIRE
The Hearts of All on Fire
The Guid’Antonio Historical Mysteries
by Alana White
(Blurb)
Florence, 1473. An impossible murder. A bitter rivalry. A serpent in the ranks.
Florentine investigator Guid’Antonio Vespucci returns to Florence from a government mission to find his dreams of success shattered. Life is good—but then a wealthy merchant dies from mushroom poisoning at Guid’Antonio’s Saint John’s Day table, and Guid’Antonio’s servant is charged with murder. Convinced of the youth’s innocence and fearful the killer may strike again, Guid’Antonio launches a private investigation into the merchant’s death, unaware that at the same time powerful enemies are conspiring to overthrow the Florentine Republic—and him. A clever, richly evocative tale for lovers of medieval and renaissance mysteries everywhere, The Hearts of All on Fire is a timeless story of family relationships coupled with themes of love, loss, betrayal and, above all, hope in a challenging world.
Buy Links:
Amazon Canada: Kindle Paperback
Amazon Australia: Kindle Paperback
Barnes & Noble: Paperback
Bookshop: Paperback
Waterstones: Paperback
Parnassus Books (Nashville, Tennessee): Paperback
AUTHOR BIO: ALANA WHITE
Alana White’s passion for Renaissance Italy has taken her to Florence for research on the Vespucci and Medici families on numerous occasions. There along cobbled streets unchanged over the centuries, she traces their footsteps, listening to their imagined voices, including that of her protagonist, Guid’Antonio Vespucci and his friends, Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo, Lorenzo de’ Medici.
Alana’s first short story featuring real-life fifteenth-century lawyer Guid’Antonio Vespucci and his favorite nephew, Amerigo Vespucci, was a Macavity Award finalist and led to the Guid’Antonio Vespucci Mystery Series featuring “The Sign of the Weeping Virgin” (Book I) and “The Hearts of All on Fire” (Book II).
She is a member of the Women’s National Book Association and the Historical Novel Society, among other organizations. She loves hearing from readers, and you can contact her at her website, www.alanawhite.com.
Social Media Links
Website • Twitter • Facebook • Instagram • Pinterest
November 30, 2022
Book Spotlight The Captain’s Woman Holly Bush #HistoricalRomance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @hollybushbooks @cathiedunn
I’m delighted to spotlight the Historical Romance, The Captain’s Woman (The Thompsons of Locust Street), by Holly Bush in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held on December 1st, 2022. The Captain’s Woman will be released by Holly Bush Books on January 10th, 2023 (218 pages).
Below are highlights of The Captain’s Woman on the Air and Holly Bush’s author bio.
To follow the blog tour, CLICK Blog Tour Schedule
HIGHLIGHTS: THE CAPTAIN’S WOMAN
The Captain’s Woman
(The Thompsons of Locust Street series)
by Holly Bush
(Blurb)
Meet the Thompsons of Locust Street, an unconventional family taking Philadelphia high society by storm…
1870 ~ Muireall Thompson has taken her duties seriously since her parents died on the family’s crossing from Scotland to America in 1854. As the eldest sibling, their death made her responsible for her family and left little time for a life of her own. But now her brothers and sisters are adults; even the youngest is nearly ready to face the world on his own. What will she do when she is alone, other than care for an elderly aunt and volunteer at the Sisters of Charity orphanage? Has the chance for a husband and children of her own passed her by?
Widower Anthony Marcus, formerly a captain in the Union Army, is a man scraping the bottom of his dignity and hanging on to his honor by the barest thread. Reduced to doing odd jobs to keep a roof over his dear daughter Ann’s head, he often leaves her with the Sisters of Charity while he is out seeking steady work with a decent salary that will allow him to move from their single-room living quarters.
After an initial meeting that finds Muireall and Anthony at odds, a tentative friendship forms as they bond over their mutual affection for Ann. As friendship leads to passion, can a wealthy spinster and a poor soldier overcome their differences in station to forge a future together? Just as Muireall finds the courage to reach for her own happiness, Anthony’s past rises up between them and an old enemy reemerges to bring the Thompson family down once and for all. Will the divide between them be insurmountable, or can they put aside pride and doubt for a love worth fighting for?
Pre-order/Buy Links:
International Buy Link 
Amazon US Amazon UK Amazon CA Amazon AU
Kobo iBooks Barnes & Noble Google Books
Holly Bush writes historical romance set in the U.S.in the late 1800’s, in Victorian England, and an occasional Women’s Fiction title. Her books are described as emotional, with heartfelt, sexy romance. She makes her home with her husband in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Connect with Holly at www.hollybushbooks.com and on Twitter @hollybushbooks and on Facebook at Holly Bush.
Social Media Links:
Website Twitter Facebook Book Bub Amazon Author Page Goodreads
November 25, 2022
Colorado Barnes & Noble Book Fair Nov 26-27 Supports CO Authors Hall of Fame #BNBookFair #books #gifts #Aurora #Glendale @COGreatAuthors @JudithBriles @BNBuzz
In Colorado this weekend? Join me and other local authors for the Barnes & Noble Book Fair to be held at two different locations in Colorado this weekend (November 26 – 27, 2022) as shown below:
Saturday, November 26th
Southlands B&NAuthor Event
6300 S Main St (Suite N101),
Aurora, CO
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, November 27th
Glendale B&N Author Event
960 S Colorado Blvd, Glendale CO
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Books are the perfect holiday gift. We’ll be there to sign, sell books, and support the Colorado Author’s Hall of Fame and its scholarship opportunities for writers. Barnes & Noble has been a generous supporter of Colorado Authors and the AuthorYOU community in conjunction with Dr. Judith Briles. Any books and other store merchandise purchased by visitors at the B&N store on either day will generate a donation to support the Colorado Author’s Hall of Fame, which provides funds to support the Aspiring Authors Scholarships.
I’ll be there with my books along with author award-winning fiction and nonfiction authors of all genres: adult, YA, juvenile, and children’s books.
November 22, 2022
Welcome to Day 3 of the REIMAGINING NEON Blog Tour featuring Author, Linda C. Mims! @boom_lyn @linneatanner @RRBC_Org @RRBC_RWISA @4WillsPub @4WP11 #TheNeonHouses
GIVEAWAYS
(3) $10 Amazon gift cards
Please leave Linda a comment below or anywhere along the tour,
for your chance to win one of her awesome giveaways!
REIMAGINING OLD STORIES
It’s time to go back and revisit the short stories and novellas you wrote years ago and tucked away. Did you print them as hard copies, stick them in an envelope, and place them on the back of the shelf? Or did you remove them from your hard drive and place them on a memory stick? It’s a cinch they weren’t half bad. I’m betting your terrible is another man’s “kinda good”. So, if they have even a glimmer of worth, why not freshen them up for 2023?
Let’s say your old novel was three quarters complete, but you couldn’t figure out where you’d take it. How about someplace new and different? If it started out as a romance, why not make it dark by turning your love interest into an obsessed stalker, or better yet, a vampire? Instead of trying to figure out if he loves her, your heroine must figure out if he wants her dead.
If mysteries and thrillers aren’t your genre, it’s okay to stick with the romance angle. What matters is you already have the bones of a story which would take you days or weeks of writing to recreate. Renew, restore, and reimagine that story.
How to Reimagine My Story
Read through it, editing out cliches and staid phrasing. Edit into the conversation some of the slang and phrasing of today? Update your plot with today’s politics, technological advances, scandals, or reality television nonsense.
Have you traveled since writing the old tale? Place the action in that new locale? You always said you’d put it in a story one day. Make today the day. Play up the beauty of the scenery and what it felt like driving along the coast. Were you on a motorcycle? How would that have played out with someone chasing you at high speeds?
Were buildings torn down or destroyed where you live? How did that make you and your community feel? Describe those feelings and make your efforts to save the structure a new part of your old story. Let it impact the character and add to his conflict.
Don’t hang on to old pages and chapters that aren’t relevant even if you love the way you turned a phrase or made the words flow. It’s difficult to destroy your words, because they cost you dearly, but more than likely, new, more effective words will spring up in you with way less effort as you write from this place of new imaginings. That’s the beauty of being an artist.
Your old writings have sat on the shelf long enough. Now, as you read them with fresh eyes, you see how to make them relevant for this current time. Get excited about what you will produce! And guess what? You’re the only one who knows you wrote those pieces ten, fifteen years ago.
BOOK BLURB: THE NEON HOUSES
What would you do if you were the daughter of a cult hero who boasted a past life full of exciting, colorful exploits? Suppose the thing that made your mother a cult hero was also inside you. Now, imagine spending your whole life trying to hide it—until you shared the heart-stopping death of someone close to you. Supposed that death brought you face to face with the gift of the neon houses.
New Chicago and its neighboring town, The Southland, are vastly different worlds in circa 2087, but Dr. Noel Kennedy is an expert at navigating both worlds. As the Deputy Chief of Schools in The Southland, Noel has perfected being a solid, middle-class citizen. Not even her husband, Fredrick Kennedy, truly understands what she is.
When Zarah Fisher, Noel’s young protégé, is murdered on a deserted street in The Southland, Noel knows the exact moment Zarah takes her last breath. Though miles away, Noel feels the girl’s terror, and hears her anguished screams inside her own head because of an inheritance that has left her with extraordinary gifts.
Can Noel find justice for Zarah without risking it all? Murder, mayhem, and suspense abound in this action-packed page-turner.
More than a mystery, The Neon Houses thrills the reader with scenes of a futuristic 2087. Autoplanes, body planes, and flying buses are the norm. Robots and androids cook, clean, and serve the affluent, while dystopia lurks just around the corner.
AUTHOR BIO: LINDA MIMS
Linda Mims is a writer, a dreamer, and an educator, who hails from a quiet village just south of Chicago. Her stories are mainly about urban characters who are engaged in mystery and mysticism. Her hope is that while entertaining and informing, she’s also sending the message that humans aren’t that different and all each of us want is a better world.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the AUTHOR’S TOUR PAGE on the 4WillsPublishing site. If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and her work!
November 14, 2022
Book Spotlight Wolves of Wagria Eric Schumacher Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour #Viking #HistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub @DarkAgeScribe @cathiedunn
It is my pleasure to spotlight the Historical Fiction / Historical Action, Wolves of Wagria (Olaf’s Saga Book 3), by Eric Schumacher in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held on 15th November 15th 2022. Wolves of Wagria was just released by Bodn Books today, 15th November 2022 (344 pages).
I’ve read Forged by Iron (Book 1) and Sigurd’s Swords (Book 2) in the epic Viking saga. Eric Schumacher masterfully captures the essence of the characters in what I consider one of the best Viking age novels available. I look forward to reading the third book in Olaf’s Saga.
Below are highlights of Wolves of Wagria and Eric Schumacher’s author bio.
To follow the blog tour, CLICK Tour Schedule page
Wolves of Wagria
(Olaf’s Saga Book 3)
by Eric Schumacher
(Blurb)
Three kingdoms. Two friends. Only one way to survive.
For fans of Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden comes the tale of Olaf Tryggvason and his adventures in the battle-scarred kingdom of Wagria.
It is AD 972. Olaf Tryggvason and his oath-sworn protector, Torgil, are once again on the move. They have left the Rus kingdom and now travel the Baltic Sea in search of plunder and fame. But a fateful storm lands them on the Vendish coastline in a kingdom called Wagria.
There, they find themselves caught between the aggression of the Danes, the political aspirations of the Wagrian lords, and the shifting politics in Saxland. Can they survive or will they become just one more casualty of kingly ambitions?
Find out in this harrowing sequel to the best-selling Forged by Iron and Sigurd’s Swords.
Buy Links:
This book is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
Universal Link • Amazon UK • Amazon US • Amazon CA • Amazon AU
AUTHOR BIO: ERIC SCHUMACHER
Eric Schumacher discovered his love for writing and medieval European history at a very early age, as well as authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Bernard Cornwell, Jack Whyte, and Wilbur Smith. Those discoveries fueled his imagination and continue to influence the stories he tells. His first novel, God’s Hammer, was published in 2005.
You can follow Eric Schumacher on Amazon or by joining his newsletter at https://www.ericschumacher.net/readers-club.
Social Media Links:
Website • Twitter • Facebook • LinkedIn • Book Bub • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads
November 13, 2022
#Blog Tour and @Giveaway Saddled Hearts by Jan Sikes #RomanticSuspense #ContemporaryRomance @JanSikes3
It is my pleasure to welcome Jan Sikes again and to host Day 15 of hrt SADDLED HEARTS BLOG TOUR being held from October 19 through November 18. She is the author of the Romantic Suspense / Contemporary Romance, Saddled Hearts (The White Runes Series, Book 3), which was released by The Wild Rose Press, Inc on October 19, 2022.
Below, Jan Sikes discusses the process of writing her series and provides highlights from her book.
***
Thank you, Linnea, for offering to host a stop on the Saddled Hearts blog tour. Your support is much appreciated.
Today I want to talk about the process of writing a series. Characters get introduced in the first book as secondary players, then wind up with a book of their own. When I finished Ghostly Interference, I immediately knew that Vann Noble needed his own story, his happy ending. It was also in the first book I knew I wanted to write Colt Layne’s story.
I brought all the characters from the first two books into Saddled Hearts in some way or another. Some of them only got a mention, and others played parts in scenes. I loved bringing it all together in a culmination.
Here are a few examples where I could bring several characters from book one:
EXCERPT 1:
Jag finished attaching an iPod to the speaker system, and music blared. He lowered the volume before joining them. “I’m happy you’re here, Sage. Rena will be here soon with little Sam.”
“Wonderful. The baby is growing fast. Charlotte shows me pictures of him all the time. Will she and Damien be coming out?” She stood on her tiptoes and placed Colt’s hat back on his head, only lopsided.
“They’ll be here when the music starts. Hey, I’ve gotta run.”
EXCERPT 2:
Now it was time to relax and enjoy the rest of the event. She felt a satisfaction in knowing she’d contributed to the welfare of the horses.
“Sage!”
When she turned, Jag’s mother, Charlotte, and husband, Damien, hurried toward her, so she waited for them. “So glad you guys made it. You just missed the excitement.” She gave them both a quick hug.
EXCERPT 3:
“I really want you to meet my neighbors, Vann and Nakina Noble. I think you have a lot in common with Nakina. She has the gift of seeing, as in psychic visions.” Colt took a bite of his sandwich.
“I’d love to meet them. Will they be at the benefit?”
“No doubt they would, but Nakina is due to deliver their first baby any day. But at some point, I want you to meet them both.”
“I’d like that.” She meant it. She’d love to meet everyone in Colt’s world.
***
I’d love to hear your thoughts about characters showing up in each book of a series. Does it feel like visiting an old friend? Let’s talk!
Jan, I enjoyed reading about the various secondary characters you introduced in Books 1 and Books 2. One of the aspects that I like about your series is that each of the primary characters has a story to tell, but you also delve into secondary characters who add a rich texture to your story. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone, but weaving similar characters into each book makes me feel at home again, visiting old friends.
HIGHLIGHTS: SADDLED HEARTS
BOOK BLURB:
Colt Layne owns the Layne Horse Sanctuary. He lives an idyllic life between caring for the animals and playing music with his band. That is until a stranger appears with unreasonable demands. When someone murders the man, Colt is arrested. He’s been framed, but by whom and why?
He needs to talk with his deceased grandfather. But that’s impossible. Or is it?
Sage Coventry is gifted with the ability to communicate with the deceased. Skeptical but desperate, when Colt consults with her, he gets more than messages from beyond the grave as she breezes into his heart with sweet patchouli fragrance and tempting lips he longs to kiss.
The race against time to clear his name and save the ranch launches them on a mission that brings shocking revelations.
BOOK TRAILER: SADDLED HEARTS
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GIVEAWAYLet’s go on a scavenger hunt! Hidden
within the blog posts are clues you
will need to look for.
The theme is “Things You’d Find On
A Ranch.”
When you find these clues, email
your answers to me at
With CONTEST
In the subject line.
The person with the most correct
entries will win a $25 Amazon Gift
Card!
The runner-up will receive an eBook
November 10, 2022
Squire’s Hazard Carolyn Hughes #TheCoffeePotBookClub #BlogTour Medieval #HistoricalFiction @writingcalliope @cathiedunn
It is my pleasure to introduce Carolyn Hughes as the featured author in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between October 31st — November 11th, 2022. Carolyn Hughes is the author of the Historical Fiction, Squire’s Hazard, (The Fifth Meonbridge Chronicle), which was released by Riverdown Books on 6th October 2022 (417 pages)
Below are highlights of Squire’s Hazard, author bio of Carolyn Hughes, and an excerpt from her book.
To follow the blog tour for SQUIRE’S HAZARD, CLICK Blog Tour Schedule
HIGHLIGHTS: SQUIRE’S HAZARD
Squire’s Hazard
(The Fifth Meonbridge Chronicle
by Carolyn Hughes
(Blurb)
How do you overcome the loathing, lust and bitterness threatening you and your family’s honour?
It’s 1363, and in Steyning Castle, Sussex, Dickon de Bohun is enjoying life as a squire in the household of Earl Raoul de Fougère. Or he would be, if it weren’t for Edwin de Courtenay, who’s making his life a misery with his bullying, threatening to expose the truth about Dickon’s birth.
At home in Meonbridge for Christmas, Dickon notices how grown-up his childhood playmate, Libby Fletcher, has become since he last saw her and feels the stirrings of desire. Libby, seeing how different he is too, falls instantly in love. But as a servant to Dickon’s grandmother, Lady Margaret de Bohun, she could never be his wife.
Margery Tyler, Libby’s aunt, meeting her niece by chance, learns of her passion for young Dickon. Their conversation rekindles Margery’s long-held rancour against the de Bohuns, whom she blames for all the ills that befell her family, including her own servitude. For years she’s hidden her hunger for retribution, but she can no longer keep her hostility in check.
As the future Lord of Meonbridge, Dickon knows he must rise above de Courtenay’s loathing and intimidation, and get the better of him. And, surely, he must master his lust for Libby, so his own mother’s shocking history is not repeated? Of Margery’s bitterness, however, he has yet to learn…
Beset by the hazards these powerful and dangerous emotions bring, can young Dickon summon up the courage and resolve to overcome them?
Secrets, hatred and betrayal, but also love and courage – Squire’s Hazard, the fifth MEONBRIDGE CHRONICLE.
Buy Links:
This book is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
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The paperback is available to buy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Waterstones.
AUTHOR BIO: CAROLYN HUGHES
CAROLYN HUGHES has lived much of her life in Hampshire. With a first degree in Classics and English, she started working life as a computer programmer, then a very new profession. But it was technical authoring that later proved her vocation, as she wrote and edited material, some fascinating, some dull, for an array of different clients, including banks, an international hotel group and medical instruments manufacturers.
Having written creatively for most of her adult life, it was not until her children flew the nest several years ago that writing historical fiction took centre stage, alongside gaining a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Portsmouth University and a PhD from the University of Southampton.
Squire’s Hazard is the fifth MEONBRIDGE CHRONICLE, and more stories about the folk of Meonbridge will follow.
You can connect with Carolyn through her website www.carolynhughesauthor.com and on social media.
Social Media Links:
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Chapter 1
Someone must have sent word up to the house, for his grandmother was awaiting him.
‘My darling boy,’ she cried, as Piers shoved open the heavy bailey door and ushered Dickon into the great hall. A welcome mantle of muggy warmth at once enfolded him. He threw off his damp and chilly cloak and eased off his soggy gloves, letting them all fall onto the floor, as his grandmother came forward, her arms outstretched. ‘How glad I am to see you.’
He was glad to let himself be embraced. ‘And I you, Grandmama,’ he said, and meant it, more so this time than he’d ever done before.
She took his arm and drew him over to the fire, blazing in the wide stone hearth and sending its smoky billows skywards up the towering chimney. He slumped down onto a nearby bench, all of a sudden exhausted and looking forward to his bed.
But Grandmama was eager for conversation. ‘How was your journey? Not too onerous? Or cold?’
‘Bayard made it easier. But the cold…’ He grimaced and, despite the fire’s heat, his whole body gave a shudder. Yet he managed a rueful grin. ‘It’s a pity Christmas is in December. Riding from Steyning to Meonbridge in midsummer would be almost a pleasure. Perhaps I’ll ask his lordship if he can change our annual holiday to June?’
His grandmother threw back her head and laughed. ‘What a wonderful idea. But even as powerful a man as Raoul de Fougère cannot alter the Church’s calendar.’
He shivered again, then couldn’t stop, and Grandmama called to a servant to bring a fur-lined wrap. Moments later, a snug fox fur was enveloping his shoulders, and he held out his icy hands towards the fire and kneaded at his fingers.
Piers came over, bearing a cup of steaming spiced ale. ‘Here, my lord, this’ll warm you up.’
‘I’m not sure I can hold it,’ said Dickon, grimacing again. ‘Best put it on the table.’ Leaning forward, he wrapped his hands around the cup and waited for his tingling fingers to thaw out.
‘Do tell me your news,’ said his grandmother, after they’d shared a little supper in the privacy of her chamber. They were sitting before the fire until it was time to retire to bed. ‘Last Christmas, you were so full of excitement about your new life at Steyning. Has this year been even better?’
Dickon bent down, pretending to fiddle with the buckle on his shoe. He was sure his face must betray the anxiety that had built up during the long ride home. He’d tried to work out what he was going to tell his grandmother about his squiring life. As he rode, he practised what to say, about the training and about his move to the earl’s personal retinue, though not why it had happened. But now he was confronted with the need to say it, he feared he might without intention betray the truth.
‘Actually, Grandmama, I’m very tired,’ he said at last, glad, as he sat up again, that the light in the room was dim enough to conceal his face. ‘Do you mind if I tell you all about it in the morning?’
It wasn’t that he’d never lied to her before: he’d become quite practised at it as a boy. But those lies had been trifling matters, not a bald concealment of something so humiliating as being dismissed from Sir Eustace’s service.
‘Oh, my dear boy,’ she cried, ‘of course. How unthinking of me to keep you from your bed, when you must be so weary from your journey.’ She leaned across and patted him on the arm, her smile tender. ‘In the morning, then.’
In his own chamber, Dickon was alone a while, though Piers would soon come to share it with him, as he’d done for many years when he was younger. He rolled out the truckle from beneath his fine oak bed in readiness for Piers, then threw himself down upon his own mattress. He felt bad about putting off his grandmother, when she was so eager to hear his news. Maybe, by the morning, he’d feel both stronger and more certain about how to paint his life at Steyning in the most favourable light.
November 8, 2022
Book Spotlight A Shape on the Air Julia Ibbotson #historical #timeslip #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @JuliaIbbotson @cathiedunn
I am delighted to spotlight the Historical Romance / Timeslip Mystery, A Shape on the Air (Dr DuLac series, Book 1) by Julia Ibbotson in The Coffee Pot Book Club Blog Tour being held between November 7th — November 11th, 2022. A Shape on the Air was released by the author on October 9, 2021 (220 pages). Other books in her series include The Dragon Tree (Book 2) and The Rune Stone (Book 3)
Below are highlights of A Shape on the Air and Julia Ibbotson’s author bio.
To follow the blog tour for A Shape on the Air, CLICK Tour Schedule page
HIGHLIGHTS: A SHAPE ON THE AIR
A Shape on the Air
(Dr DuLac series, Book 1)
by Julia Ibbotson
(Blurb)
A haunting Anglo-Saxon time-slip of mystery and romance
Can echoes of the past threaten the present? They are 1500 years apart, but can they reach out to each other across the centuries? One woman faces a traumatic truth in the present day. The other is forced to marry the man she hates as the ‘dark ages’ unfold.
How can Dr Viv DuLac, medievalist and academic, unlock the secrets of the past? Traumatised by betrayal, she slips into 499 AD and into the body of Lady Vivianne, who is also battling treachery. Viv must uncover the mystery of the key that she unwittingly brings back with her to the present day, as echoes of the past resonate through time. But little does Viv realise just how much both their lives across the centuries will become so intertwined. And in the end, how can they help each other across the ages without changing the course of history?
For fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, Christina Courtenay.
PRAISE FOR A SHAPE ON THE AIR
“In the best Barbara Erskine tradition …I would highly recommend this novel” – Historical Novel Society
“Amazing …a really great book …I just couldn’t put it down” – Hazel Morgan
“Well-rounded characters and a wealth of historical research make this a real page-turner” – Amazon review
“Enthralling” – Amazon review
“Julia does an incredible job of setting up the idea of time-shift so that it’s believable and makes sense” – Amazon review
“Viv/Lady Vivianne … lovely identifiable heroine in both time periods … I love her strength and vulnerability. And Rory/Roland is simply gorgeous!” – Melissa Morgan
“gripping … a very real sense of threat and danger, an enthralling mystery … a wholly convincing romance, across both timelines” – Anne Williams
Buy Links:
This novel is available on #KindleUnlimited
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Julia Ibbotson is fascinated by the medieval world and the concept of resonances across time. She sees her author brand as a historical fiction writer of romantic mysteries that are character-driven, well-paced, evocative of time and place, well-researched and uplifting page-turners. Her current series focuses on early medieval dual-time/time-slip mysteries.
Julia read English at Keele University, England, specialising in medieval language/ literature/ history, and has a PhD in socio-linguistics. After a turbulent time in Ghana, West Africa, she became a school teacher, then a university academic and researcher.
Her break as an author came soon after she joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme in 2015, with a three-book deal from Lume Books for a trilogy (Drumbeats) set in Ghana in the 1960s. She has also indie-published three other books, including A Shape on the Air, an Anglo-Saxon timeslip mystery, and its two sequels The Dragon Tree and The Rune Stone. Her latest, Daughter of Mercia, is the first of a new series of Anglo-Saxon dual time mystery/romances where echoes of the past resonate across the centuries.
Her books will appeal to fans of Barbara Erskine, Pamela Hartshorne, Susanna Kearsley, and Christina Courtenay. Her readers say: ‘compelling character-driven novels’, ‘a skilled story-teller’, ‘evocative and well-paced storylines’, ‘incredible writing style’, ‘intricately written’, ‘absorbing and captivating’, and ‘an absolute gem of a trilogy’.
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