Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 147
February 15, 2023
Blog Tour: SHINE HIS LIGHT by Marie McGaha
Shine His Light
by Marie McGaha
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GENRE: Christian devotional
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BLURB:
Life is the journey we take on our way to Heaven. It's not easy, it's not pretty, and sometimes, it's downright difficult. However, we have an Advocate unlike any other, Jesus Christ. In Shine His Light, the author uses scriptures and her own life lessons to help others get through the bumpy spots.
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Excerpt One:
When I was a kid, the series “Star Trek” was the greatest sci-fi show on TV, with the most up-to-date special effects. People disappeared in the transporter, we saw the Enterprise fly through the stars at warp speed, and of course, we saw really strange people and creatures from other planets. Sometimes, the planets were inhospitable and wouldn’t support life as we know it, so the crew moved on.
Of course, it didn’t take long for technology to leap forward and when I watch the old “Star Trek” episodes now, the special effects seem so antiquated, they’re something we laugh about. We can take what is already there and turn it into something better, something brand new and more efficient but we can’t take nothing and turn it into something. Only God can do that.
When God’s Spirit hovered over the face of the waters, He did not think it was inhospitable or that nothing could ever come from it. God looked at the waters and thought, I can make dry land. I can make light. I can take some of that dirt and form a human being. And that is exactly what He did. But He did not stop there, He formed a human being from a pile of dirt and then, He did something remarkable, He breathed His own Spirit into that pile of dirt and gave it life. That pile of dirt became the first man—a living, breathing, moving, thinking person. And God said it was “very good.” Up until then, everything created was called “good,” but man and woman were “very good.”
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Topic: What do you hope readers will gain from your book?
Living in today's world is getting more and more difficult. The corruption of governments, law and order, and the very morals and values we've been raised by are eroded more and more.
In my book, Shine His Light 3 Instructions in Life, I want to give the readers hope and show them that no matter how the world seems to spin out of control, there is still hope and peace in our lives. Like a tornado or hurricane, when the spin, everything on the outside is being torn apart, in the eye of the storm, it's calm.
Using everyday situations in Shine His Light 3, I hope to show that the truths of the Bible are still true today and applicable to our lives. Life is never easy and bad things happen to good people but no matter how bad life gets, we can still have peace in our mind and spirit. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, and when we place our faith in Him, we learn to depend on His love, mercy, and grace even when life is at its worst.
AUTHOR Bio:
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Chaplain, author, editor and inspirational speaker, Marie McGaha lives in the beautiful Ozarks of southeast Oklahoma. After losing the love of her life, Nathan, Marie returned from the mountains of Idaho to their native home where she lives with a houseful of yapping furbies, pigs, chickens, and a horse named Horse! She attends Family Praise & Worship and is very grateful for her church family and their support. Shine His Light 4, the final book of the series, is due out next spring.
Amazon Buy Link
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BCS7K29V
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMarieMcGaha/
https://twitter.com/Marie_McGaha
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariemcgaha/
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GIVEAWAY
Marie McGaha will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
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February 14, 2023
Blog Tour: STANDING STRONG by Tina Brandau
Book Details:Book Title: Standing Strong: The Real Life Story of Overcoming Adversity and Becoming Unstoppable in Life and Business by Tina Brandau
Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18+), 154 pages
Genre: Memoir / Self-Help / Inspirational
Publisher: Red Sky Publishing
Publication Date: May 3, 2022
Content Rating: G: no bad language no sex etcBook Description:
Is it possible to stand strong regardless of what life throws at you?
Standing Strong is a vulnerable, candid, and dramatic look into a forty-year-old woman’s journey when she found herself in the midst of a long healing process after a sudden and unimaginable accident. The doctors said she would never again function beyond that of a young child. Tina shares the story, the steps she took, and the life lessons she learned, including the unique view of the world she experienced along the way. No one gets out of this life unscathed, everyone faces stresses, challenges, setbacks, and adversity. Can you stand strong regardless of what life throws at you? Yes! Let Tina Brandau share with you the system, principles, and practices she used to help you see that anything is possible.
Become unstoppable . . . and stand strong!BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon
add to goodreads
Review: The diary narrative begins with an over adulating and hyperactive praise on the author’s love for running, camping, and Halloween. It was very fast and filled with such gusto. One day while camping, the most awesome run of her life quickly turns into a life-or-death situation. At first, she couldn’t figure out what was going on. All she knew was that there was blood and pain. Disoriented and confused, she’s rushed to the hospital. The narrative becomes a frenzy of chaos at this point.
No one ever survives a fallen tree, but she was glad she did.
Afterwards, it becomes a long and grueling healing process. The way she describes everything, it’s like you’re experiencing it all yourself. It’s hard (almost impossible) for a self-sufficient and self-reliant person to rely on others for every, little thing.
“If there was a problem, there was a solution, and I would find it to fix the problem. Everything could be figured out.”
The author described her struggles and turmoil quite eloquently in this captivating memoir. I can’t even imaging having a brain injury, but the whole book surely depicts it well. After her accident, the author had to relearn EVERYTHING. It was a long and arduous process. At times, it was long, slow, and repetitive.
In the second half of the book, the author explains the steps she took to stand strong and create a new outlook on life. Aim right. Stop the shoulds. Cultivate curiosity. Such simple and basic life lessons that we can all implement.
The author’s story is truly inspirational. A good memoir and self-help book.
Rating: 4 stars
Meet the Author:Tina Brandau is the premier life, leadership, and business “Success Coach.” She is an author, international speaker, coach, and founder of Success Coaching Solutions as well as a business executive of thirty years, wife, mom, lifelong learner, and serial entrepreneur. She believes the biggest challenge in life is to become all that you have the possibility of becoming.
For Free Tools visit www.livestandingstrong.com
connect with the author: website ~ goodreads
STANDING STRONG Book Tour Giveaway
February 13, 2023
Blog Tour: MY BEST FRIEND ATHENA by Dana Hammer
My Best Friend Athena
by Dana Hammer
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GENRE: Middle Grade Fantasy
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BLURB:
Fanny Fitzpatrick has the coolest best friend ever. Athena is smart, and pretty, and brave, and kind. Fanny loves her friend, but sometimes, she feels a little jealous of how perfect Athena is.
But even “perfect” girls make mistakes, and Athena makes a big one when she accidentally turns the school bully into a cockroach. He was picking on their friend Gemma and Athena lost her temper and her magic powers just slipped out right in front of Fanny.
Now Fanny knows that Athena isn’t an ordinary girl – she’s the reincarnation of a Greek goddess, powers and all – and now she needs Fanny and Gemma’s help to hunt down the bully-turned-cockroach and turn him back into a human boy.
Fanny doesn’t want to spend all her time looking for a cockroach. She’s got the Junior Miss Super Pretty Pageant to prepare for, if she can get over her stage fright. Besides, Athena’s Dad, Zeus, has forbidden the girls from meddling with any more cockroaches or magic, and Zeus is a god you don’t want to mess with.
Fanny has to make a choice. Should she pursue her pageant dreams, or risk Zeus’ wrath to find the cockroach-boy? What’s the right thing to do? And how do you hunt down a cockroach anyway?
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Excerpt One:
Normally, when I arrive at school, I’m tired and cold and grumpy, but not today! Because today I’ve got the World’s Coolest Necklace, and everyone’s gonna notice it and give me compliments. It’s a “statement” necklace, and I got it at an old lady’s estate sale yesterday. I was shopping with my best friend, Athena, when I saw it. It was sitting on a dresser, with a bunch of other jewellery, but this necklace was the only one that caught my eye. It’s a large octopus, with jewel-covered tentacles, and two pearls for eyes. I tried it on, and it looked like the tentacles were reaching around my neck, trying to choke me. I’d never seen anything so cool in my life. It was $20, which was more than I had, but luckily Athena was there, and she bought it for me. Athena always has lots of money, because she’s a rich kid, but that’s NOT why I’m friends with her.
Anyway, she saw how sad I was that I couldn’t afford the necklace and she just bought it for me, probably because she has excellent taste and could see what a great investment it would be. She said it was “quirky” and “an interesting piece,” which I happen to know is code for “high fashion”.
My mom said it was “tacky garbage” but she doesn’t know about fashion. She mostly wears gym clothes, even when she’s not at the gym, and she never wears jewelry, except her wedding ring.
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What was the inspiration behind this story?
Until My Best Friend Athena, my writing was mainly focused on adult themes, especially horror-comedy adult themes. This is a fun way to write, and I have no intention of quitting, but now that I have a child, it seemed like a good idea to write something that I could share with her. She’s at the age now where she’s aware of my career, and is interested in what I write about. So I decided to write a kid-friendly book that would still be entertaining to older readers.
I wanted a heroine who was smart, funny, and relatable — someone I would have wanted to hang out with when I was eleven. I think Fanny hits all those marks. I also wanted to explore preteen friendships, which are often fraught and dramatic. I wanted my characters to be good people who care about each other, but are human, and experience jealousy, insecurity, anger, and selfishness. These are kids after all — except Athena, of course, who is thousands of years old. But she’s a Greek goddess, so she’s allowed to have flaws, just like humans.
To be honest, I don’t have a background in Greek mythology, or even a strong interest in it. I remember studying it a little in high school, and liking some of the stories, but that’s about it. So I wouldn’t say Greek mythology was MY inspiration, but it was obviously AN inspiration, since I borrow characters, powers and symbols from the pantheon. It’s not exactly canon, but I hope that I paid an acceptable homage to Athena, Zeus, Atlas, and any other characters I brought in to this world.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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Dana Hammer is a novelist, screenwriter and playwright. She has won over forty awards and honors for her writing, few of which generated income, all of which were deeply appreciated. She is not a cannibal, but she is the author of A Cannibals Guide to Fasting. Dana is also the author of middle grade fantasy My Best Friend Athena which was inspired by a desire to write something her 9 year old daughter could read.
https://www.facebook.com/Dana-Hammer-Author-Page-1707631229449685
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10794904.Dana_Hammer
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Friend-Athena-Dana-Hammer-ebook/dp/B0BHH74MNM/
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GIVEAWAY :
Dana Hammer will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
February 11, 2023
Review: I HEARD THAT SONG BEFORE by Mary Higgins Clark
An elegant mansion with a dark and disgraceful history. What harm could there be with holding a charity event there? The owner of the mansion, Peter Carrington, deemed a “person of interest” in the disappearance of one woman and the death of another, thought this would be a good way to show he had nothing to hide.
Meanwhile, a terminally ill woman—the mother of the missing woman—refuses to die until she finds out what happened to her daughter that night at the mansion. Things get more interesting when Kay, the library fundraiser organizer, ends up marrying Peter Carrington, a possible murderer. Kay, deemed “the librarian who married the billionaire after a whirlwind romance,” had an unwavering faith in her new husband; but when he starts sleepwalking and they find the dead body of the missing woman buried in the estate grounds, Kay doesn’t know what to think. Everyone wants to see Peter Carrington fry.
Should Kay be worried about her new husband’s suspicion of drowning his first wife? Could it possibly have to do with a song Kay heard before? Kay was determined to prove her husband’s innocence of the murders of his late wife, the rich neighbor, and her father.
A fascinating and perplexing mystery full of layers! It just keeps you wondering what the real story is in all this. What was the real truth?
MHC has done it again! Another addicting read!
Rating: 5 stars
Review: KISS THE GIRLS AND MAKE THEM CRY by Mary Higgins Clark
Gina was a freelance reporter. It began with an arduous search for “CRyan,” a name on a random email she received about a story. Unfortunately, when she finally found the woman, the woman was dead, killed in an apparent accident. Was it really an accident? Gina intended to find out.
What was the “terrible experience” Cathy Ryan had at REL News? The case takes Gina to Aruba for further investigation.
Two years ago, we learn of the sexual harassment charges against an important public figure at REL News and how the chain of command covered up all the allegations. Now I get the meaning of the title. Kiss the girls and make them cry. Many women were fondled by a pervert at REL News and were paid to keep quiet. But all this silence was dangerous as two of those women were dead.
Interesting spin on this whole MeToo Movement. It can be a little long and slow at times, but it was still fascinating how far this whole scandal reached.
A good read!
Rating: 4 stars
Review: A HOPELESS DISCOVERY by Daniel Carson
Hopeless had itself another dead body and the sheriff needed Hope’s help. What Hope saw was the body of a dead goat. What? A goat murder? Hope was expected to solve a goat murder? Stupid sheriff
Although story had that witty commentary that I loved in previous books, the goat angle just wasn’t interesting. Looking at the lives of goats? It was boring.
My HOPELESS DISCOVERY was my disappointment in this story. Plus, I couldn’t help but figure that I tried to read this book before and I couldn’t even do it then.
Rating: 2 stars
Review: SOMEONE ELSE’S DAUGHTER by Linsey Lanier
For 13 years, Miranda Steele had been looking for her missing daughter. A mysterious letter signed “Someone Else’s Daughter” might give her some hope. Or was this merely false hope? Perhaps, but she just had to find out.
This started off well with a tough chick working a man’s job, and the premise of finding a lost daughter was certainly interesting. But it just started going downhill from there. At that point, we were getting long narratives with little info. Somehow Miranda gets involved in the possible kidnapping and murder of a rich girl in the county.
This was an okay read, but it was much too slow for me. Needed more excitement. Get me SOMEONE ELSE’S book!
Rating: 2 stars
Review: KILL GAME by Adam Nicholls
Very slow start. Very slow period.
The slow pace was basically comprised of describing every little thing and action. In chapter 1, the killer was hauling a body in the trunk. In chapter 2, Bella was working out every muscle in the gym. The sentences were overly descriptive without saying much. I wanted to get on with the story already. I should’ve been hooked from page 1 on the story, not be bogged down by so many useless details.
So disappointed in Adam for this.
Rating: 1 star
Review: GOOD AS DEAD by Adam Nicholls
These stories were a little long and hard to get into, which was surprising coming from an Adam Nicholls book. His Mason Black series was great, which made me look forward to this collection of short stories by the same author. Unfortunately, these stories weren’t great. In fact, this book certainly was AS GOOD AS DEAD.
Rating: 2 stars
February 9, 2023
Book Blast: THE METAPHYSICAL DETECTIVE by Kirsten Weiss
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kirsten Weiss will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Midlife Magic and Murder... and a Dog Named Dog.
When Riga Hayworth finds her new client dead, she smells a setup of metaphysical proportions. Now, to find a killer, Riga must travel from San Francisco to the underworld of Greek mythology... and make it back alive.
Donovan, Vinnie, Pen and Brigitte – the story that started it all. The Metaphysical Detective is the prequel to the Riga Hayworth series. If you like Gen-X, no-nonsense heroines and supernatural with your mystery, you’ll love The Metaphysical Detective.
Buy this quirky paranormal women’s fiction and explore the magical world of Riga Hayworth today!
Read an Excerpt
She studied the paper heart for a long moment, then took it into her study and stuck it with a magnet to the whiteboard there, beside the others. The hearts formed two rows, lined up in order received:
Bee mine
I love U
U R sweet
Let’s kiss
My love
I adore u
When the first heart had arrived, she’d shrugged it off. At the second’s arrival, Riga had been irritated enough to dust for prints.
There weren’t any.
By the fourth, she’d rigged a discreet camera to watch her door. But when she reviewed the tape, all she saw was an empty doormat, followed by a quick blip of electrical snow, and in the next shot the valentine was there.
Next, she’d placed a camera against the peep hole in her door. The view from the fisheye didn’t reach the doormat, but it would capture anyone who came near. Valentine number five arrived, and there was nothing on the tape – not even a blip of white noise.
She couldn’t magically ward the hall, because her neighbor used it too. Magic couldn’t solve everything – not that she hadn’t tried. Her attempts to use the valentines to magically reveal her stalker had failed. It was as if he didn’t exist.
The construction paper was a common brand. Schoolchildren used it. She’d called in a favor and had the ink analyzed. It was from a normal felt-tip pen. There was only one anomaly. The smudges of dirt on each valentine came from a local park.
It was driving her batty.
About the Author:
Kirsten Weiss conjures up action-packed witch mysteries based on contemporary and historical magical practices. Her witchy heroines aren’t perfect (and neither are their familiars), but they’re smart, they struggle, and they succeed. Kirsten writes in a house high on a hill in the Colorado woods and occasionally ventures out for wine and chocolate. She is best known for her Doyle Witch and Riga Hayworth paranormal mystery books. Are you ready to be enchanted? Just turn the page and… voila!
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