Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 158

Blog Tour: A SCHOOL OF DAUGHTERS by Kate René MacKenzie

 

A SCHOOL OF DAUGHTERS

by Kate René MacKenzie

 

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GENRE:   Literary Women’s Fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

It’s funny how things sneak up on you…

 

Kate Willoughby is a champion for throwaways—discarded dogs and cats, abandoned horses bound for slaughter, and all creatures great and small. But now it's Kate who's alone in a hostile world like a dog dumped by the side of a road. Is there a champion for Kate?

 

After 22 years of marriage, Kate loves her husband, Brian, with an even greater passion than when she spoke her vows. “My world spins on his axis,” she often says. But when Kate finds a love letter to Brian from Micky, she’s torn between proving Brian’s innocence and nailing him to the wall with his guilt.

 

Throughout her marriage, Kate has been trusting and trustworthy —to a fault, friends have said. Now, she steals into Brian’s emails and accesses his credit card accounts, phone records, bank statements, friends and activities, discovering the metaphoric iceberg beneath Brian’s affair.

 

Turning to the one constant in her life, Kate is guided by her family of animals: shelter dog Molly; Premarin horse Quinn; packrat Winston; owls Albert & Victoria; Stubby, the chipmunk; rattlesnake Cassandra; and Phineas, the determined grosbeak. These wise and wonderful teachers, along with a wild menagerie on her Arizona ranch, deliver lessons on life, love, and letting go. But it’s Molly, in a heartbreaking act of courage, who leads Kate back to her true self, before she became lost in love with Brian.

 

Shining a light on the childhood events and adult choices that, like steppingstones, brought her to this moment, Kate illuminates a familiar and well-worn path. Narrating her story with equal doses of heartache and humor, Kate comes to understand that nothing sneaks up on you that isn't already here. Learning from Phineas, the determined grosbeak, Kate realizes that even after a devastating injury, you can soar again.

 

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EXCERPT #1

 

“I will never do this again.”

 

It’s Christmas, five years ago. There is a mound of dirt in the corral and Chance is five feet under it.

 

Our Thanksgiving hosts, Felicity and Barry, have trailered over one of their horses so Petunia won’t be alone…

 

After 18 years in Alaska, stuck in a stall and paddock, Chance was supposed to enjoy many years of sun and warm and wide open spaces in Arizona. Truth be told, the main reason I moved to Juniper Verde was so Chance and Petunia could finally be horses. Chance’s life in Arizona wasn’t supposed to end after only 15 months.

 

Felicity and I stood in the drizzle, watching Petunia and Sabrina get to know each other.

 

"You’ll get another horse,” Felicity said.

 

Numbed by my sudden loss, I knew better.

 

Felicity looked at me. “You love too much.”

 

I heard Felicity’s accusatory assessment and felt…anger.

 

How is it possible to love too much? How can you put limits on love, miserly rationed in appropriate doses? Love is nothing if not everything. It’s every tick, every beat, every breath.

 

Love is…what love is. It shouldn’t be controlled, like a simmering pot, fearful of boiling over.

 

Love done right has no regrets. There is grief, certainly, at loss—sometimes overwhelming grief that empties you. But while sorrow hollows, love comforts and eventually… eventually... fills us with gratitude for having the courage to love with such abandon, with such hope, when we know the future is uncertain.

 

Not loving doesn’t insulate us from pain, it robs us of joy. We should all love too much, knowing that love’s loss will absolutely devastate us. If we don’t know that, feel that, then we don’t love enough…

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Kate Rene’ MacKenzie is the women’s fiction alter ego of romance novelist and Golden Heart nominee Maggie McConnell (Spooning Daisy). Kate (and Maggie) spent her childhood overseas, the daughter of US diplomats. Attending college in Illinois, she volunteered at the local humane shelter, eventually becoming director. While earning a BA in Art and then an MBA, Kate worked at various jobs including go-go girl, bartender, and teaching assistant. At 26, she sold her 280Z and packed her dog and cat into a Ford truck and drove the Alcan Highway to Alaska where she spent 23 years exploring The Last Frontier in a single-engine Cessna. Her next adventure was in Arizona on a no-kill ranch at the end of the road. A vegan and animal rights advocate, Kate provides a sanctuary for all creatures great and small, but her immediate family includes horses Quinn and Hershey, and cat Noelle.

 

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/School-Daughters-Kate-Rene-MacKenzie-ebook/dp/B08RJYMQVS

 

 Websites:

 

https://www.KateReneMacKenzie.com

https://www.Maggie-McConnell.com

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaggieMcConnellwriter

 

Amazon buy link for Maggie McConnell/Spooning Daisy:  

https://www.amazon.com/Spooning-Daisy-Otter-Bite-Romance-ebook/dp/B015VA3O10/

 

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GIVEAWAY :

 

The author will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to two randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: ARE YOU A PINEAPPLE? by Kathryn A. Zolman

 

Book Details:

Book Title:  Are You A Pineapple? by Kathryn A. Zolman
Category:  Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7),  38 pages
Genre:  Children's Picture Book
Publisher:  Mascot Books
Release date:   May, 2022
Content Rating:  G. Suitable for everyone.Book Description:

Kevin has a beautiful new puppy! But what should he name her? He wants to find a name that is unique, just like her. Kevin knows the puppy is special, but he’s about to find out just how smart she is when she helps Kevin choose her own name!Buy the Book
Amazon ~ B&N 
BAM ~ indiebound ~ Bookshop.org
Mascot Books
add to goodreads

 

Review: Kevin has a new puppy, which he loved so much. But what to name the puppy? Was she a Lady or a Princess? I loved the sneering and bored expressions that the dog gave after each suggestion.

The puppy plops on the floor at the name Pepper. Too cute!  

The puppy found a flower name so boring that it fell asleep. Just darling!

Wow, naming a puppy is harder than one thought.  Toaster? Sugar? Coffee?  

The reactions just reminded me of my own puppies (who are now dogs, I guess.) See how happy the dog is when she finally chooses her name.

Illustrations were so adorable and colorful. A fun read for all ages to enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars

 

Meet the Author:
Kathryn A. Zolman never expected to write a children’s book, but when Pineapple came into her life and she heard the story of how this sweet, smart dog got her name, she thought it would make a fun book for parents to read to their children. Pineapple is a Bull Mastiff, German Shepherd, Chow mix, and much like a real pineapple, she knows how to stand tall and is very sweet on the inside!

Kathryn is an avid dog lover. Along with her husband and daughter, they have raised three Doberman Pinschers, each with their own unique personality and character. Kathryn is an advocate for not only raising children to respect all animals, but also to be thankful for the pure joy that they bring to our lives. In writing this book, Kathryn seeks to spread a positive message and hopes it will help children express more gratitude in their lives.

connect with the author: instagram  Enter the Giveaway:ARE YOU A PINEAPPLE? Book Tour Giveaway

Blog Tour: FILM BLUE by Patricia Leavy

 

Film Blue

by Patricia Leavy

 

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GENRE: Women's Fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

Reminiscent of Sex and the City meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Patricia Leavy’s Film Blue is a captivating and inspiring story about the pursuit of dreams and what it truly means to live a “big” life.

 

A couple of years after finishing college, Tash Daniels has put her love of filmmaking on the back burner. She’s working retail, club-hopping, and scraping by to pay the rent. Usually attracted to the wrong guy, she’s at a loss when she finally falls for the right one. Sexy deejay Aidan is living his life authentically as an artist and encourages her to do the same. Will she open her heart? Will she bet on herself and her dreams? Is a girl with a dream truly on her own in the world? Tash’s friends are along for the journey: Jason Woo, lighthearted model on the rise; Penelope Waters, earnest graduate student with a secret no one suspects; Lu K, fiercely independent hot-girl deejay; and Monroe Preston, the glamorous wife of a Hollywood studio head. Frequently bathed in the glow of the silver screen, the characters show us how the arts can reignite the light within, pushing us to confront our fears so we can choose how to live in the present. Film Blue is a novel about following our passions, the hidden side of our dreams, the power of art, what it means to truly live a “big” life, and finding the people to go with us on our journey. A tribute to 1980s pop culture set against the backdrop of contemporary New York and Los Angeles, Film Blue celebrates how the art we experience and make can shape our stories, frame by frame.

 

 

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Excerpt One:

 

After grabbing a hand basket and making a beeline to the freezer for some ice cream, she started searching for the items on Penelope’s list. As she fumbled for the note, mumbling, “Ah, where is that stupid thing?” she heard a voice say, “Maybe you’d have better luck if you shut your eyes and put your hand in.”

 

“Huh?” she queried, looking up at the six-foot-tall guy standing before her, dressed from head to toe in black. He had bleached blonde spiky hair, high cheekbones, a strong jawline, and a piercing through his right eyebrow that she thought was simultaneously cool and disgusting.

 

“You know, sometimes if you’re looking too hard, you can’t find anything.”

 

“Uh, yeah,” she said, staring into his evergreen eyes. Oh my God, he’s seriously hot.

 

“Here, tell me what you’re looking for and I’ll shut my eyes and stick my hand in for you.”

 

Raising her eyebrows, she said, “How stupid do you think I am? Maybe I should just go outside and scream, ‘Somebody rob me!’”

 

He laughed. “Fair enough, but you try it.”

 

Tash smirked and stuck her hand into her bag without looking. “Uh huh, here it is!” she exclaimed as she pulled out the small, crumpled paper. “That’s uncanny.”

 

“Sometimes you just have to concentrate less, you know? What’s so important, anyway?”

 

“Oh, it’s just my roommate’s grocery list. She’s pretty uptight so I can’t screw it up. You wouldn’t believe the things she writes, like ‘two organic red apples and flax seed powder,’ whatever the hell that is. Anyway, I should probably get back to shopping.”

 

He smiled and waved his arm, to indicate she could pass by. With only a few aisles in the small store, Tash bumped into him again in the produce section.

 

“Should I even ask what that’s about?” she remarked while giggling, looking at the twenty or more coconuts in his basket.

 

“Oh, these are for a party I’m deejaying for a couple of friends over at NYU.”

 

“They’re serving whole coconuts?” she asked, mystified.

 

He laughed. “People try to get them open. It’s like a drinking game kind of thing. It’s pretty funny.”

 

“Gotcha. Do you go to NYU?”

 

“No, I went to school in Chicago and moved to New York after I graduated. I’m a professional deejay. I’m just doing this party as a favor.”

 

“So, what kinds of clubs do you spin at?” she asked.

 

“Uh, well, tomorrow I’ll be spinning at the Forever 21 store in Times Square.”

 

She smiled. “Well, do you get a discount at least?”

 

He laughed. “Didn’t think to ask for that. So, what’s your name?”

 

“Natashya, but my friends call me Tash.”

 

“I’m Aidan. Do you live around here?”

 

“Just a block away. I share a place with two roommates.”

 

“Pretty awesome area, good for you.”

 

“Yeah, well we’re in like the only non-restored building in the neighborhood. Don’t get me wrong, I love living here and it’s pretty close to my work, but we’re not in one of the swanky buildings with a marble entrance. It’s more like splintery wood floors and a scary old-fashioned elevator that makes me want to take the stairs.”

 

He smiled. “What’s your work?”

 

“I work at a couple of stores in SoHo.”

 

“For the discount, right?” he joked.

 

She laughed. “Well, nice to meet you but I’ve gotta finish up and get going.”

 

“Sure, me too. Maybe I’ll see you around. If you’re not busy, stop by Forever 21 tomorrow.”

 

“I have to work.”

 

“Well, can I maybe get your number?” he asked.

 

“Why don’t you give me yours instead?”

 

“Sure, that’s cool.” He put his coconut-filled basket on the ground and held out his hand. “Give me your phone and I’ll put it in.”

 

“You don’t want me to have to search my bag again. Here,” she said, handing him the note with Penelope’s grocery list. “Do you have a pen?”

 

He smiled and pulled a red crayon out of his pocket. “Don’t ask,” he said as he wrote his number on the little paper. “Here,” he said handing it to her. “See ya.”

 

“See ya,” she replied.

 

When she casually glanced around the store a few minutes later, he was gone. She brought her basket to the checkout. The cashier asked, “Did you find everything you needed?”

 

“Yeah, yeah I did.”

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Patricia Leavy, Ph.D., is a bestselling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chair of Sociology and Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. She has published over forty books, earning commercial and critical success in both fiction and nonfiction, and her work has been translated into many languages. Patricia has received dozens of accolades for her books. Recently, her romance collection Celestial Bodies: The Tess Lee and Jack Miller Novels (https://www.amazon.com/Celestial-Bodi...) was the 2022 Firebird Awards first-place winner for Romance. The book also received 2022 International Impact Book Awards for Women’s Fiction and Romance, a 2022 NYC Big Book Award for Distinguished Favorite Anthology, and a 2022 Literary Titan Gold Book Award for Fiction. Patricia has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2016 Mogul, a global women’s empowerment network, named her an “Influencer.” In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” She lives in Maine with her husband, daughter (when she’s not away at college), and her dog. Patricia loves writing, reading, watching films, and traveling.

 

https://patricialeavy.com/fiction/

https://www.amazon.com/Film-Blue-Novel-Patricia-Leavy/dp/1737862433

 

 

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GIVEAWAY

 

Patricia Leavy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: THE MARRIAGE LIST by Ella Quinn

 

The Marriage List

(The Worthington Brides)

by Ella Quinn

 

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GENRE: Historical Romance

 

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BLURB:

 

 

By popular demand, USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn returns Regency England’s beloved extended family, The Worthingtons, for the first in a sparkling new spin-off series! Determined to tame the marriage market on their own terms and make advantageous love matches, three confident sisters draw up a list of qualities they expect their new beaus to meet. But as they are about to discover, people are hardly ever perfect and the road to love is far more thrilling and interesting than they could ever have imagined…

 

As part of a large, rambunctious family, Lady Eleanor Carpenter has gained some knowledge of what makes a successful marriage. She’s even compiled a list of essential qualifications in a potential husband. John, the Marquis of Montagu, seems of good character (check), with money enough to support a family (check). But what of the many other requirements on her list?

 

Montagu, meanwhile, believes the key to a comfortable life lies in marrying someone quiet and docile. Yet the one lady who captivates him could hardly be more different to what he envisioned. Lady Eleanor is as opinionated as she is lovely, determined to improve working conditions for coal miners, even at risk to her own safety.

 

From evenings at Almack’s to carriage rides in Hyde Park, this Season will contain many pleasures—and a few surprises that compel both John and Eleanor to rethink their expectations. For one thing is certain: love will not be defined by any list . . .

 

 

 

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Excerpt One:

 

John, the Marquis of Montagu, had noticed the three young ladies headed for the gate, and his gaze lingered on the one riding closest to him. She had a fine seat. Perhaps he should add that to his requirements for a wife. Since he’d arrived in Town, he had found himself distracted by the problems at home. Fortunately, it was still early, and the Season had not yet begun. He had to find a wife. His mother and sister would nag him until he did. And it was his duty. If only there was an easy way to go about it. Perhaps he’d meet some gentlemen who were looking for likely husbands for their daughters and John could arrange a match. Of course, the lady would have to agree. He didn’t want a wife who didn’t want him.

 

“We need to discover a way to meet them,” Giffard, the recently elevated Marquis of St. Albans, heir to the Duke of Cleveland, said.

 

“If they’re making their come outs, we will not be able to avoid it.” John had already decided what he wanted in a spouse. Someone who was not interested in politics, or causes, or charities. A lady who would not bother him about what he should do. He’d be happy if she read nothing but novels and knew only polite conversation. In other words, someone the exact opposite of his mother and his twin sister. An arranged match was looking better and better.

 

“I need a lady who will be acceptable to my father.” Giff scowled. “Excellent bloodlines are important. She must also be intelligent and not afraid to stand up to him. He detests cowards.”

 

“I’m surprised he did not make a match for you.” John’s mother had tried that with his sister to no avail and had suggested she provide him a list of names. Of course Aurelia’s godmother had helped her stand her ground until she’d found Lytton and married him. John had been lucky that the lady his father had wanted him to wed eloped with another man before they married. But that was four years ago. He’d been the head of the family for over three years, and it was time to take a wife.

 

Take a wife. It was his mantra until he completed his task.

 

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GUEST POST

Hello everyone! Thank you, Sandra, for having me on your blog.

I was asked what makes my books different from others of my genre. There are a number of things. My books deal with families in a way other historical romances really don’t. They are more like something you’d read in an historical fiction sage. Some authors will bring family members back briefly, but in my books they all have fairly substantial roles to play. Whether it’s giving advice, and a lot of that goes on. Trying to solve the hero’s or heroine’s problems without the hero or heroine knowing about it or colluding with a family member of the other party to bring the hero and heroine together. Even the younger children and the Great Danes play a roll. For example in The Marriage List younger members of the family let the youngest Great Dane loose as a potential suitor enters the house to see if he likes large house dogs. In another scene a five year old makes sure the hero knows there are mandatory family gatherings. While one brother-in-law wagers with another brother-in-law how long it will take the hero to come up to scratch. This makes for a lot of characters. In other words, very much like families of the era used to behave. I am also a stickler for historical fact. That incudes not only the dress of the time, but also mannerisms, titles, food, transportation, laws, even what building materials were used in houses to name a few things. My romances are also comedies which is pretty easy considering all of Polite Society’s rules governing young ladies. I had one reader tell me she fell off her couch laughing. I do, at time, deal with serious subjects, but I write them with a very light hand. My world is generally Regency England, and although my characters are on the liberal side of the Whigs, they adhere, mostly, to the strictures and mores of the time. If they color outside the lines, they are very careful to keep it within the main family.

 

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

USA Today bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side (political science professor and lawyer). Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.

 

She is married to her wonderful husband of almost forty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, a Great Dane named Lilibet, and a cat named Winnie. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true lived on sailboat for three years. After cruising the Caribbean and North America, she completed a transatlantic crossing from St. Martin to Southern Europe. She's currently living in Germany, happily writing while her husband is back at work, recovering from retirement. She expects to be back on the boat in 2022.

 

Ella loves when readers connect with her.

 

Author Contact and Social Media:

 

Website:  https://www.ellaquinnauthor.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7044274.Ella_Quinn

Bookbub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ella-quinn

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Ella-Quinn/e/B00CAE0FSQ

 

Buy Links:

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Marriage-List-Worthington-Brides/dp/142015446X

 

 

 

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GIVEAWAY

 

 

 

Ella Quinn will be awarding $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: BALLROOM BLITZ by Natalie Cross

 

Ballroom Blitz

by Natalie Cross

 

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GENRE: Romance Suspense

 

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BLURB:

 

In the glamorous world of ballroom, love and dancing do not always mix.

 

Professional dancer Anita Goodman has learned that lesson the hard way. With her studio and her reputation on the line, she has to take a chance on the last person she ever wanted to partner with: her best friend.

 

Patrick O’Leary has loved Anita since high school, but he has languished in the Friend Zone for long enough. He will take this last chance to prove to her that love is greater than winning.

 

Neither of them realize that conquering their rising attraction won’t be their biggest obstacle. Someone does not want them to be together, and will stop at nothing to get their way.

 

Love, dance, and danger. It’s a Ballroom Blitz.

 

 

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Excerpt One:

 

The ballroom still thrummed with the clack of heels and the slide of suede, though its last inhabitants had vanished over an hour before. Applause and cheering from the final night party echoed across the hallway. The tables were strewn with hair pins, empty water bottles, and sweaty towels tossed with exhilaration before another heat. The perfume of sunless tanner and hairspray drifted toward the apex of the ballroom’s ceiling, and it almost seemed that a few notes of a Viennese waltz still clung to the utilitarian white hotel tablecloths.

 

Rapid footsteps broke the waiting silence. Stilettos from the click click click, glimmering with crystals, a few of which scattered from the shoes with a brackish clatter as the heels struck the parquet of the ballroom floor. Heavy breathing, panting. “No!” A stumble as one heel of the red satin crystal-encrusted stilettos snapped. Sobbing.

 

Then another pair of footsteps, flats, fashionable. Something hard, with an edge that might draw blood. These footsteps were measured. No panic. No anxiety. Calculating.

 

The sobs intensified. “Please, please, please, no, I didn’t do anythi—”

 

A gurgle, a grimace, a thud. The wash of silk from a bone-white evening gown susurrated along the cold parquet floor. The scent of copper flooded the air.

 

A grunt, a vicious exhale, an audible sneer.

 

Then the ballroom closed upon itself again. The tables, the cloths, the chandeliers, the lights. All waiting for its new secret to be discovered.

 

 

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What have you learned from being a published author?

 

When I started my writing journey, it was as an escape from the realities of parenting in lockdown while maintaining a full-time career. Reading and writing offered me a chance to exist in a different world.

 

Once I had finished my first manuscript, which was for Ballroom Blitz, I did not fully appreciate the time and effort that would go into publishing. In my naivete, I thought, “I’ll send around a few queries, and when no one takes me up on it, I’ll just pop it up for self-publishing.”

 

That was foolish. I had no idea of the complexity of publishing, from crafting the perfect query to draw interest from agents and publishers, to the intricacy and small-business entrepreneurial spirit necessary for self-publishing. Everything, from cover choice, to editing, to formatting. It’s a whole new world, one entirely separate from my other career.

 

At the same time, I learned that there is a wealth of support out there for authors, whether published or unpublished. There are writing support discords, groups who meet on TikTok or Facebook to write and share ideas, beta and sensitivity writers, and copious websites dedicated to supporting authors on their journey to publication.

 

Thank heavens for all of them.  What I’ve gleaned from my interactions with other published authors is that the key is flexibility. If one strategy doesn’t pay off, you try another. This path worked for one author, but if it doesn’t work for you, try something different. The beauty of publishing nowadays is that there are options.

 

It’s a wide, beautiful world out there, and somewhere there is a place for the novel only you can write.

 

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Love is an adventure.

Natalie writes romances and cozy mysteries featuring women who want to be seen and the men and women who cannot look away from them.

 

Natalie lives in Los Angeles, where writing is an acceptable way to avoid sunburn. She is mom to two lovely young munchkins who despise brushing their hair and eat way too much cake. She is unapologetically terrible at taking selfies.

 

Ballroom Blitz playlist available at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7LHlIjrZEKsD1aDyJAxLAU

 

Newsletter sign up: https://nataliecrosswrites.com/nlsignup1/

 

Follow Me on:

 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/nataliecrosswrites

Facebook: www.facebook.com/nataliecrosswrites

Tiktok: www.tiktok.com/natcrosswrites

 

Buy Links for Ballroom Blitz:

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/3yV6r6

 

 

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GIVEAWAY

 

Natalie Cross will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: I’VE GOT MY EYES ON YOU by Mary Higgins Clark

Kerry’s body was found floating in the pool when Aline came home that day. Was it a drowning? Or did someone hit her over the head? There was a party the night before, so the suspect list was long. But who would want to hurt Kerry? One of the cops’ main suspects was Kerry’s jealous boyfriend. The whole town said he did it, but Aline wasn’t so sure. The evidence against him was too overwhelming that it was too easy—too convenient.

A neighboring boy that was very fond of Kerry recalls the “Big Guy” hitting her over the head and dumping her in the pool. Did the police arrest the wrong guy?

The interesting thing about MHC novels is that her stories are told in various character perspectives, which you’d think would be confusing and annoying, but it’s actually easy to keep track of and just fall into the mystery.

A compelling mystery that just keeps you guessing.

 

Rating: 5 stars

Review: WHILE MY PRETTY ONE SLEEPS by Mary Higgins Clark

Neeve Kearny, along with her retired police commissioner dad, never did find the true killer behind her mother’s murder. An owner of an established clothing shop, Neeve was the personal consultant of Ethel Lambston, a notorious freelance writer. Neeve was the only one that suspected Ethel might be missing.

Meanwhile, there’s a hit on Neeve’s life. When word got around that the head mobster that vowed revenge on the Kearny family was being released, Neeve’s father was understandably concerned.

This one was a little slower with Neeve running around trying to figure out Ethel’s whereabouts. More than halfway through, the dead body of Ethel Lambston was finally discovered. Question was: who killed her?

Another nice mystery!

 

Rating: 4 stars

Review: SCARED IN LITTLE LEAF CREEK by Cindy Bell

What’s Halloween without some scary costumes and a haunted trail? And, of course, a dead body. That body would belong to the rude costume store clerk whom Stephanie had an incident with. But it turns out the guy had tension with other people in town, including the mayor. Could it be that mysterious person in a clown costume?

A nice Halloween mystery!

 

Rating: 4 stars

Review: THE LOTTERY WINNER by Mary Higgins Clark

Stories featuring lottery winner sleuthing duo Willy and Alvirah.

After returning from a trip, the couple find a body in their closet. A trip to Cape Cod reveals the murderous conviction of the lady next door. Willy is kidnapped for ransom. Can Alvirah and Willy help a luckless woman who was cheated out of her winnings by her lousy husband?

Light, quick mystery reads for the most part. However, some of the stories can be kind of long-winded at times. The last 2 stories weren’t that great and were too long.

Okay reads.

 

Rating: 3 stars

Review: MEXICO, MARGARITAS, AND MURDER by Wendy Day

Wasn’t too fond that chapter 1 started off in the middle of a chase in Mexico. That’s like coming in in the middle of any story. In the next chapter, we go around talking about funerals and breaking a dead man’s shoulder. The whole thing feels uneventful for most of the time. Just couldn’t really get into it.

 

Rating: 1 star