Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 117
June 16, 2023
Blog Tour: BLACKOUT TRAIL by Linda Naughton
Blackout Trail
by Linda Naughton
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GENRE: Post-Apocalyptic Sci-FiThriller
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BLURB:
DoctorAnna Hastings is no stranger to disasters, having spent much of her career asan aid worker in conflict zones around the world. Yet when an electricalphenomenon known as an EMP brings down the power grid, Anna faces catastropheon a scale she never imagined. She must learn what it means to be a doctor in aworld deprived of almost all technology.
Asthe blackout causes planes to fall from the sky, Anna crosses paths withdevoted father Mark Ryan in the chaos at the airport. Mark convinces Anna totravel with him and his seven-year-old daughter Lily to their family’s cabin inremote Maine. There Mark hopes to reunite with his wife, and find a safe refugefrom a society on the brink of collapse.
Journeyingacross a thousand miles of backcountry trails, they will face a daily struggleagainst nature. Their biggest peril, though, may come from their fellowsurvivors. As Anna grows closer to Mark and Lily, she resolves to see themsafely home. But can she hold onto her humanity in a world gone mad?
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Excerpt One:
It wasn’t just our baggage carousel that had stopped; they all had. Both theoverhead lights and the computer screens showing the baggage carouselassignments had gone dark too. The only light streamed in from thefloor-to-ceiling windows lining the perimeter of the baggage claim area. Whyhadn’t the emergency lights kicked on?
The automaticsliding doors had also stopped, confounding a gaggle of college kids trying toleave. Beyond the doors, an ominous stillness had replaced the constant bustleof parking shuttles, cars, and taxis creeping along the pickup lane. Thereshould’ve been engine sounds. Horns. Something. Now there were just a bunch ofconfused and pissed-off people getting out of their vehicles.
Grumbling fromthe other passengers gave way to a stunned hush. Panic bubbled just beneath thesurface. You couldn’t set foot in an American airport these days without beingbombarded with reminders of terrorism. Everyone looked at each other, the samequestion written on our faces: Was this some kind of attack? What should we do?I expected some sort of alert or explanation over the loudspeaker, tellingeveryone to remain calm, but none came.
A thunderouscrash from the opposite end of the terminal had me ducking and covering myhead. Metal screeched on metal, accompanied by the tinkle of shattered glassand an ear-splitting grinding sound. A chorus of terrified cries erupted aroundme. I’ll admit it—I screamed too. I caught a glimpse of a plane fuselagecrashing through the airport ceiling before plowing into the ground.
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T
opic: Pleasedescribe a pivotal scene in this story and how it affects the characters.
Early in Blackout Trail,the main characters Anna and Mark realize the extent of the electromagneticpulse and the impending collapse of society. Mark enlists Anna in his plan totake his young daughter, Lily, and hike to their family’s cabin in rural Maine.They’re going to need supplies for the journey.
The “getting geared up” sceneis a hallmark of apocalyptic fiction, often reading like a laundry list of gearspecs and survival tips. Here, though, the characters aren’t survivalists. Annais a doctor, and Mark an engineer. Their inexperience shines through in thisscene as they try to figure out what they’ll need.
Things get messy when apolice officer catches them looting, pitting their sense of morality againstthe harsh reality of their situation.I particularly like this exchange as theycome to terms with the laws they’ve broken:
Mark said, “The world weknew—its rules—it ’ s gone. We ’ re just realizing it sooner than everyone else.”
I heaved a sigh. “ I just didn ’ t think it would happen so quickly. Or that we ’ d be the ones leading the charge into anarchy.I hope you ’ re right about all of thisEMP stuff.”
“ I don ’ t.” When I shot him a confused look, Mark ’ s mouth pressed into a thin line. “ Anna, if I am right,millions of people are going to die. And I don ’ t know what the world isgoing to look like after. I hope to God I ’ m wrong.”
He had a point. The onlything more unsettling than the thought of facing a judge for all of this wasthe thought of not facing a judge, ever, because the world as we knew it wasover. “ Yeah. Well. Compared tothat, I guess sending postcards to each other from jail isn ’ t such a bad alternative.”
He snorted softly, but themirth was short-lived.
Neither of us believed hewas wrong.
How far one can go tosurvive without losing their humanity is a recurring theme throughout thestory, and it’s exemplified in this scene.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Linda Naughton has been writing stories for as long as she canremember. She is the author of several novels, children’s books, and the blogSelf-Rescuing Princesses. A proud geek and gamer girl, she enjoys sci-fi,disaster movies, and role-playing games. She is a software engineer, paramedic,and mother of two.
Book Links:
Amazon (eBook/Paperback/KU): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BP696W3W
Paperback (wide): www.lindanaughton.com/blackout_trail.html
Links:
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GIVEAWAY
Linda Naughton will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawnwinner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 13, 2023
Blog Tour: BEST BUDDIES, WHAT'S IN A NAME? by Mother Melania Salem
Book Details:
Book Title: Best Buddies: What's in a Name? by Mother Melania Salem
Category: Children's Fictions (ages 3-7), 32 pages
Genre: Children's Picture Book
Publisher: Holy Assumption Monastery
Release date: December, 2022
Content Rating: G - This is a children's picture book. It does deal with homelessness, but in a way that is appropriate for young children. There is nothing graphic and no bad language. Book Description:
What happens when a homeless dog befriends a homeless teen? Join them and find out!BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon
Assumption Monastery
Review: A homeless boy meets a namelessdog. What’s in a name? See what names the boy comes up with.
The images were colorful, but theywere a bit stiff and lacked some luster. There was very little clarity andcontrast in the pictures. It seemed like the same picture was used quite a bit.There was no movement to the characters. I usually like pictures with a lot oflife.
The story was short andsimple—just a basic story about a dog. And who doesn’t love dogs, right?
A cute story about man’s bestfriend.
Rating:3 stars
**** FREE PROMO **** THE AUTHOR IS GIVING AWAY FREE PDF COPIES OF THE BOOK DURING THE TOUR VIA BOOK FUNNEL:DOWNLOAD: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/rdzfhtm2tn
Meet the Author:Mother Melania is the Abbess of Holy Assumption Monastery in Calistoga, CA. She grew up in a house that always had tons of children around, her poor parents had to read to her till they were hoarse, and from the moment she learned to read, she always had her nose in a book. So, it was only natural for her to grow up to write children's books.
She has written three series of specifically Orthodox children's books - all in verse - which celebrate the high points of God's work of salvation in the Person of Christ. Her remaining series teach children the virtues in a fun, non-preachy way.
Fearless and Friends chronicles the lives of Fearless the Fireduck (think 'fireman,' except that he's a DUCK) and Charity the Church Mouse and their friends, who get in and out of trouble based on the wisdom (or lack thereof) of their actions.
The Adventures of Kenny and Scooter is a minimal-word series featuring six-year-old Kenny and his irrepressible Boston Terrier Scooter, who take turns getting into trouble and rescuing each other from their foolish antics.
teachesWith all her books, Mother Melania is trying to celebrate virtue and God's saving work in our lives.
connect with the author: website Enter the Giveaway:
June 12, 2023
Blog Tour: HEALING KISS by Amanda Uhl
Healing Kiss
by Amanda Uhl
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GENRE: Paranormal Romance
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BLURB:
To save her dying sister…
LillianMilano channels energy from the healthy to heal the sick, which makes her anincredible nurse. But her gift puts Lillian and those she loves in danger froman organization that will stop at nothing to exploit her talent. When hersister becomes gravely ill, wealthy computer genius Tristan King is the one manwith enough vitality to save her sister’s life. But being near him threatens toexpose her secrets and destroy the walls she’s built around her heart.
Shebargains with a billionaire.
Tristandoesn’t believe in the supernatural and is wary of emotional entanglements. Buthis beloved mother is dying, and his lying ex-fiancée won’t leave him alone, sohe strikes a deal: In exchange for his help, Lillian must pose as his date fora hospital fundraiser. As the pair work together to save their loved ones, theyconfront a spiraling web of secrets that threatens their growing feelings foreach other. The choices they make will either destroy their lives or heal theirhearts.
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Excerpt One:
“Oh.” She gasped and stumbled out of the stranger’s reach.
“After you.” The stranger paused, gesturing for her to go infront of him, his deep voice causing her heartbeat to accelerate even more.
She hesitated, but he made no move to grab her, so she slippedby him. His height made it easy for her to bend her head and avoid meeting hisgaze. Still, she caught a glimpse of a firm jawline, dark hair, and a blackcomputer bag strung over one shoulder as she passed.
She continued moving toward the infectious disease wingwhere Hannah was staying, the beat of her heart matching the tap-tap-tap of hershoes against the floor. The man followed behind. No one else was nearby, soshe could hear the soft tread of his shoes. She quickened her pace, her breathcoming faster now. Her stomach did a flip, and her throat tightened, preparingher to flee or scream if the situation demanded it.
She reached Hannah’s room. Bile rose in her throat when sherealized the man’s footsteps stopped when she stopped.
She grabbed the doorknob and glanced to the side. The manwas no longer there. She let her breath out in a rush and leaned her foreheadagainst the door to recover her equilibrium. Get a hold of yourself, Lillian.Not every strange guy was one of Kinetica’s men, looking to grab her. She’dbeen so panicked, she hadn’t even taken the time to check the man’s vitality.
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Review: Lillian had a life-saving gift,which she was going to need every ounce of to save her sister from this deadlyvirus.
“Healing even a minor sicknesssapped her strength. Tackling a severe illness like Hannah’s could kill Lillianif she wasn’t careful.”
Even more dangerous was that shehad come out of hiding and a dangerous organization was hunting for her.
It was looking rather bleak…untila light of hope in the shape of a charming billionaire presents itself—possiblythe answer to her sister’s dilemma.
A trade was made. He visits thehospital and she becomes his date. The layer work for a typical fakerelationship premise was set.
Nicely written and overall compelling.The narrative was so rich and descriptive with some trivial lag and length attimes. I thought the concept was fairly interesting. It didn’t quite make sensehow Tristan could be the cure to the sister’s illness. What was so specialabout Tristan? How did Lillian’s power work exactly? And why was it thatLillian could cure Tristan’s mother—and everyone else—but not her own sister?
Lilliam spent most of her timepretending and hiding. But one thing she could not pretend on were her emergingfeelings for Tristan.
Story had a good combination ofmystery, suspense, and romance, but, overall, it felt kind of mild to me. Ididn’t quite get the “thrill” of the chase or the romance. It felt kind of longand complicated for me.
Like I said, the idea was uniquelyfascinating, and this book would surely be a change of pace for romance readers.
Rating:3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Award-winningauthor Amanda Uhl has always had a fascination with the mystical. Having drawnher first breath in a century home rumored to be haunted, you might say she was"born" into it. After a brief stint in college as a paid psychic,Amanda graduated with a bachelor of fine arts in theatre and a master's degreein marketing. Over the past twenty years, she has worked as an admissionsrepresentative and graphic designer, owned her own freelance writing company,and managed communications for several Fortune 500 companies, most recentlyspecializing in cyber security and data. Amanda is an avid reader and writesfast-paced, paranormal romantic suspense and humorous contemporary romance fromher home in Cleveland, Ohio. When she's not reading or writing, you can findAmanda with her husband and three children, gathering beach glass on the LakeErie shoreline or biking in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Website: www.amandauhl.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/amandauhlauthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AuAuthor
Instagram: https://instagram.com/amandauhlauthor
Pinterest: https://instagram.com/amandauhlauthor
BUY LINKS:
Amazon -- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZK7KGDF
Apple -- https://books.apple.com/us/book/healing-kiss/id6446814223
Barnes &Noble -- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/healing-kiss-amanda-uhl/1143265131?ean=2940167112902
GooglePlay -- https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=bqu1EAAAQBAJ
Kobo -- https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/healing-kiss-2
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GIVEAWAY
Amanda Uhl will be awarding a $25Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
June 10, 2023
Review: MURDER AT COTTONWOOD SPRINGS by Dianne Harman
Brigid was glad to have a new homein her hometown of Cottonwood Springs, CO. Meanwhile, two adulterers werethinking how convenient it would be if the person standing in their way—thewife—were dead.
As you read through the simple andrather engaging narrative, you see the potential suspects piling up. Severalpeople had it in for Lucy. They couldn’t wait to get their revenge on her. Thestory does take a while as it goes around giving out all the potential suspectsBEFORE the murder even happens. Meanwhile, we’re getting into Brigid’s possiblenew romance situation with her new neighbor. Like I said, it was slow. It kindof made me wonder when we would get to the dead body already. When was thatgoing to happen? Don’t get me wrong, it was still a nice read. Still, someonewas going to kill Lucy, right?
Finally, the dead body wasdiscovered at the 50% mark. It was kind of a long time for the body to show up,but, fortunately, the read was short and light, which made it easier to getthrough. It was interesting because usually we get the list of suspects AFTERthe murder, but here we get it way before so it gets our minds speculatingright off the bat. Once Brigid starts investigating, it’s really just a processof elimination.
What makes it a 3-star read wasall the wasted narrative on trivialities. Did we really need a whole chapter onBrigid at the shooting range and learning how to shoot a gun? No, we didn’t.Another thing that bugged me was that the story too often relayed the sameinfo—what readers already knew—over and over again.
This was almost a 4-star read, butit wasn’t quite there for me. It was a decent and mild mystery. I might checkout the rest of the books in the series...or I might not.
Rating:3 stars
Review: MOCHA, LATTE, MALICE, AND MURDER by Sara Bourgeois and Savannah Marlake
Two sisters that owned and ran asmall coffee shop in a small town. The narrative was nice and simple, but itwas much too slow. There was a lot of useless talk about the shop, the weather,and one of the girl’s crush on the hunky cop. When do we get to the murder? I wasjust getting too bored here. We were wasting too much narrative on the dulltrivial stuff. Just wasn’t into it.
Rating:2 stars
Review: MURDER AND MARBLE CAKE by Nancy McGovern
Rachel, broke and homeless, had nochoice but to return home to run her aunt’s bakery. The storyline seemed mildwith a decent narrative, but it didn’t grab me right away. It was explainingtoo much. Was she going to get to the baking soon? Because if we get to thebaking, we get to the dead body, right?
Eh, this wasn’t quite what I wasexpecting and it DEFINITELY wasn’t to my liking.
Rating:2 stars
Review: CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE MURDER by Joanne Fluke
Hannah Swensen was our maincharacter. Story kicks off rather slow with long narratives on trivialities.Who really cared if Hannah’s mom was a shrew that wanted to marry off herdaughter to any living male? Wow, this really took a long time—too long, infact—to even get to the remotely interesting parts. I couldn’t even get halfwayinto chapter 1. Yeah, it was THAT BAD.
Rating:1 star
June 9, 2023
Blog Tour: BITTERSOULS by L.A. Morton-Yates
Bittersouls
by L.A. Morton-Yates
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GENRE: YA Fantasy
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BLURB:
A Shade. A Storm. A Soul.
Cursedwith forbidden knowledge, 19-year-old Dela must hide her secret from hernomadic tribe or face exile into the frozen wasteland of the Bitters. When shebecomes separated from her people during a blizzard, a mysterious and dangerouswanderer named Talon promises to help her find her way back to them. Shequickly learns that nothing is what it seems, that her curse may actually be a gift,and that the Bitters are far more dangerous than she could have imagined.
Packedwith unexpected twists, Bittersouls is a mixture of survival, adventure, andslow-burn romance that is sure to get your heart pounding.
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Excerpt One:
A Shade
Something movedat the edge of the horizon. It was like a shadow, black as a cloud but movingfast across the snow plain. Time seemed to stop, but Dela could feel herselfsliding forward as if she were standing on a lake of ice. Freja was stillyelling, but she couldn’t hear her. Her arms were flailing, but Dela hardlynoticed.
A wave oflights moved in front of the thing, jumping and turning, quick as sparks. Itwas like a field of quails fleeing into the sky before a coming wolf, but thewolf—the shadow—followed them. The closer it got, the more the shiver rackedher spine. She knew exactly what it was, though she’d never seen one. No one inthe congregation had. There were no stories. No whisperings. Only a name.
“Shade.”
Freja stared ather, bewildered into silence. Perhaps she was going to speak, but then—
“Shade!”
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Please describe your most impactful scene and why it’simportant to the story
In Bittersouls, Dela transforms from a naive butwell-meaning girl to a fierce and self-sufficient woman. There are many turningpoints in her journey, some more subtle than others, but a lot of her characterarc has to do with the conflict between two opposing ideals:
1. Protect yourself. Others will fail and betrayyou, and risking yourself for them will probably just get you both killed.
2. Protect others. Without people you can trustaround you, you won’t survive the Bitters—and you certainly won’t find anymeaningful happiness.
In many ways, this is a decision that every person facesevery day. We can choose to focus inwardly—prioritizing our needs and desiresat the expense of others when the need arises. Alternatively, we can choose toprioritize others, giving of ourselves selflessly, but sometimes openingourselves up to pain, betrayal, and disappointment.
Mercy. The word floated acrossher mind, a common name for such an uncommon act. Did it not have its place outhere? Was this not proof enough of that? It took strength, she realized.Judgement. As she could bring death, so could she bring life. It was that lifethat she owed herself, if only she could take control and do what she had setout to do.
Bittersouls,Chapter 19
Dela’s journey through the Bitters has her bounce back andforth between these ways of thinking. In the emotional climax of the story, shemust finally make a choice. Are those really the only two options? For her towin, do others have to lose? For others to win, must she lose? Herdecision compels her to face her fears and confront something that she’s spentover a third of the book running from.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A life-longlover of the magic of storytelling, L.A. wrote his first story at the age of 7and has been writing ever since. Speculative fiction, particularly fantasy, hasalways held a special place in his heart for the uniqueness of the places andthe questions it can address. Though veiled by apparent strangeness, he hasalways seen it as capable of revealing deeper truth about our own reality.
L.A. graduatedfrom Montana State University in 2015 with Honors in Biochemistry and a minorin Music Composition. This helped nurture his critical thinking and researchskills which continue to be instrumental to his writing. During his collegiate years, he also met thelove of his life, Julie, whom he later married. At once his greatest supporterand his staunchest critic (when he is wrong, which is more often than he’d liketo admit), she has been an integral part of his creative process ever since.
In February of2018, L.A. became the father of his first son, Griffin. His second son, Tiber,was born in December of 2019 and his third son, Malachi, was born in January of2022. Though life has become considerably busier since he became a family man,L.A. continues to work on writing in what little spare time he can find. Hehopes to one day pass on his love of literature to his sons.
Links:
Substack- www.lamortonyates.substack.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lamortonyates/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/authorlamortonyates
Twitter - https://twitter.com/lamortonyates
Buy on Amazon -https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQFLM7D4
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GIVEAWAY
L.A. Morton-Yates will be awarding a $20Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Blog Tour: TALES OF THE FORGOTTEN FOUNDERS by C.W. Allen
Tales of the Forgotten Founders
by C. W. Allen
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GENRE: Middle Grade Fantasy
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BLURB:
Zed and Tuesday ought to be living the good life.After all, it’s not every day two kids take down an evil dictator and their momgets put in charge of an entire dimension. But after moving into Falinnheim’spalace, they learn that life as royalty isn’t as carefree as they’d imagined.
Mysterious hidden passages aren’t the only secretslurking within the palace walls. When the siblings discover a stash of bannedbooks, they realize everything they’ve been told about Falinnheim’s historymight be a lie. And though contact between worlds has been cut off forcenturies, returning home might not be as impossible as their parents claim.
Could the adventures of a runaway monk, a reluctantviking, a silent ambassador, and a rebel librarian hold the solutions to bothproblems? To find the truth, Tuesday and Zed will have to learn the stories ofFalinnheim’s forgotten founders.
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Excerpt One:
For some oddreason, Bastian started laughing. “Now you’re just messing with me,” he said,wagging an accusing finger at Tuesday. “London’s imaginary!”
Tuesday staredat him, perplexed. “No?”
“Oh come on,”Bastian insisted, “London’s in a bunch of stories. Peter Pan and SherlockHolmes both talk about London, and they aren’t real either, you know.”
“Wait, now youknow Sherlock Holmes, too? He wasn’t in any of the books you showed us.”
“That’s becausehe’s not from a book,” Bastian said with a shrug. “Here, see for yourself.” Hescooted over to the jumble of papers on the crate shelves and pulled out adog-eared magazine. He flipped past several black and white illustrations untilhe found the page he wanted, then handed it to Tuesday.
“The Valley ofFear,” she read aloud, “a new Sherlock Holmes story by A. Conan Doyle.” Hereyes flicked to the page heading. “The Strand magazine. January, 1915.”
“See?” saidBastian smugly. “London’s just a place from stories. Like Oz, or Neverland.” Helaughed again. “I mean, it’s not like there’s really a land called India fullof talking animals, just because The Jungle Book says so.”
Zed tried tobreak the news to Bastian without making him feel stupid. “Look, we know thestories are made up, but those are all real places. Well, not all ofthem—Neverland and Oz are imaginary—but India and London are real.”
“Have you everbeen there?” Bastian argued.
“Well, no,” Zedwas forced to admit. “But I’ve seen them on maps.”
Bastian justrolled his eyes. “Stop trying to prank me. Next you’ll be saying there reallyare giant wind storms in a place called Kansas.”
“There are!”Tuesday protested.
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If you could sit andchat with any author (living or dead,) who would it be and what 3 questionswould you ask?
Here’s the thing: it’s hard to meet yourheroes. You run the risk of discovering they’re actually people. So rather than an author I admire immensely, and whosewriting directly influenced mine, I think it would be safer to chat withsomeone I simply find interesting. Agatha Christie is the indisputable Queen ofMystery, but her writing was also laced with classism, racism, antisemitism,and xenophobia. The colonial era British Empire worked hard to instill theseviewpoints in its citizens, probably because it’s a lot easier to justifytaking over the world if you think the rest of the world needs you to fix it. Ican’t entirely blame Agatha for being influenced by the environment she livedin—but all the same, I wouldn’t exactly call her my hero. So for this exercise,she’s the perfect interview subject.
The Queen of Mystery created one real-worldmystery of her own. In December 1926, Agatha Christie went missing for elevendays. She left her young daughter with a house maid and drove away without anexplanation. Her car was found abandoned, with the headlights still on and herluggage left behind. Her philandering husband was suspected of having murderedher. Fellow mystery writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle hired a clairvoyant to divinewhat had happened to Agatha. Things were looking grim—until she turned up in ahotel in Yorkshire, claiming to be a South African tourist named Theresa.Witnesses claimed that when her husband came to identify her, she didn’t seemto recognize the man she had been married to for the last twelve years.
Agatha Christie lived forty-nine more yearsand went on to a celebrated career, during which she gave countless interviewsand even wrote an autobiography. BUT SHE NEVER EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED. Did anervous breakdown bring on a bout of amnesia? Was it a publicity stunt? Was shegetting back at her unfaithful husband? Did she just need some alone time? Ihave waaaay more than three questions to ask her. Of course, I can’t be surethat her answers would be true. But knowing Agatha, it hardly matters. Whetherunvarnished truth or wild fiction, whatever she had to say on the matter wouldbe a fascinating tale.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
C.W. Allen is a Nebraskan by birth, a Texan byexperience, a Hoosier by marriage, and a Utahn by geography. She knew shewanted to be a writer the moment she read The Westing Game at age twelve, buttook a few detours along the way as a veterinary nurse, an appliance repairsecretary, and a homeschool parent. She writes long stories for children andshort stories for former children. When she’s not writing, she helps otherwriters hone their craft as a board member of the League of Utah Writers.
Her debut novel Relatively Normal Secrets is thewinner of the Gold Quill Award, being named the best children’s book of theyear by a Utah author. The Falinnheim Chronicles series continues with TheSecret Benefits of Invisibility (Cinnabar Moth, 2022) and Tales of theForgotten Founders (Cinnabar Moth, 2023). She also has shorter work publishedin numerous anthologies. Keep up with her latest projects at cwallenbooks.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cwallenbooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cwallenbooks
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2983485.C_W_Allen
Website: https://www.cwallenbooks.com
Newsletter sign up: https://www.cwallenbooks.com/contact
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GIVEAWAY
C. W. Allen will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawnwinner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Blog Tour: THE COBBLER by Steve Madden
The Cobbler
by Steve Madden
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GENRE: Memoir
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BLURB:
Everyone knows Steve Madden's name and hisshoes, but few are familiar with his story. Over the past thirty years SteveMadden has taken his eponymous shoe company from the fledgling startup hefounded with a mere $1,100.00 to a global, multi-billion-dollar brand. ButMadden's mistakes, from his battle with addiction to the financial shortcutsthat landed him in prison, are as important to his story as his most iconic shoes.In this raw, intimate, and inspiring book, Madden holds nothing back as heshares what it took to get here and the lessons he's learned along the way.Readers are treated to the wild ride though his rise, fall, and comeback. Butthey will also walk away uplifted by a man who has owned up to his mistakes,determined to give back.
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Excerpt One:
I fidgeted inmy tux, restless as ever, as the supermodel Winnie Harlow stood onstage talkingabout my career, my brand, and me. These events always felt surreal. I nevergot used to them, and it was hard to focus on what she was saying as thoughtsflooded through my brain. Is my jacket straight? Do I have all the notes for myspeech? It’s nice that Winnie is wearing a pair of my shoes.
“Steve Maddenhas been called many things,” Winnie said from the podium. That’s for sure, Ithought.
“Mogul,” shesaid, pausing for effect. “Icon.”
I could haveadded to that list. As a kid, I was called things like stupid and lazy, a painin the ass who couldn’t shut up and sit still. Nobody knew then that I had anattention disorder that kept me from focusing, or that such a thing evenexisted. In my teens and twenties, I was called other things: a partier, a wildman. But at the height of my addiction, when I was either out crashing cars orhiding in my apart- ment, isolating myself from the world, my life was anythingbut a party.
It wasn’t untilI turned thirty and got clean that people started calling me things that werepositive: creative, charismatic, someone who was on the pulse of trends andknew how to create a cool product for a good price. When I look back, thoseyears were the best—hustling and fighting, clawing my way to the top of anindustry that was loathe to accept an outsider like me. But they were also theyears when I made my biggest mistakes fueled by impatience and a replacementaddiction: money. After my downfall, the names I was called were the mosthurtful, even though they were true: a criminal, a convict, a mere number asfar as anyone running the facility I was locked up in cared to know.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A man who wearsmany hats-and shoes-Steve Madden cannot be described in one word. He is anentrepreneur, an award-winning designer, and a business titan whose eponymouscompany is currently worth 3 billion dollars. On the flip side, he is anex-con, a recovering addict, and a devoted family man. Over the past thirtyyears, the provocative shoe designer built a booming brand and nearly lost itall to The Wolf of Wall Street, only to rebound by giving back and creating aglobal empire. Through it all, he hasn't forgotten his humble beginnings or hiscore consumer, resulting in millions of adoring fans worldwide. Considered thefashion footwear mogul of the twenty-first century, Madden has an innate senseof what's hot, what's next, what's exciting, and more importantly, how thiswill translate to the customer. He is also an active philanthropist and mentorwho supports a number of organizations that help those in need of a secondchance.
https://www.amazon.com/Cobbler-Disrupted-Industry-Grace-Stronger/dp/B0BLC2BT86/
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GIVEAWAY:
Steve Madden will be awarding $25 Amazon or Barnes andNoble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
