Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 39
March 20, 2025
Spotlight: SASQUATCH, BABY! by Bethany Browning
Genre: Humor
Summary: You've never seen a custody battle like this. After her posh Napa Valley friends expel her for committing an unspeakable betrayal, trustfundian underachiever Tabitha Eggs retreats to the redwood forests of Del Norte County, California to drink herself to death. But when she stumbles over two decomposing corpses near her new home—among a growing list of other frightening, unexplainable experiences—she's convinced that walking into a raging wildfire is preferable to whatever waits in the woods. Her plans are foiled when she’s kept alive by a curious Sasquatch (who adores salad dressing and is overjoyed by luxury body wash), and they create a bizarre and everlasting union.
Author Bio:
Bethany Browning lives and works in a redwood forest. Her debut horror novella, Sasquatch, Baby!, and the first in her cozy mystery series, Dead Spread, are both available in eBook and paperback. Plus, War of the Wills, a film she co-wrote with George Dondero, is watchable on Amazon Prime. Her award-nominated short fiction can be found in Halloween Horrors, Stories We Tell After Midnight, The HallowZine, Mudroom, JAKE, Filth, Esoterica, Flash Fiction Magazine and dozens more. For more information and to read her short stories and other published work, visit bethanybrowning.com.
Social Media:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21960868.Bethany_Browning
Purchase links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sasquatch-Baby-Bethany-Browning-ebook/dp/B0C4ZNY2HH/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sasquatch-baby-bethany-browning/1143869560
March 19, 2025
Blog Tour: SELENA FLOWERS AND THE PHANTOM TIDES by Ella English
The Merblood Saga, Book 2
YA Fantasy
Date Published: 02-25-2025
Publisher: Spider Web Press
Something strange is going down in the sleepy seaside village of Madderly Bay. Best friends Selena and Chloe are stuck in the most boring summer ever—until food starts coming to life and running wild in the streets.
But that’s just the beginning. Earthquakes start shaking the village, and creepy claw marks show up, hinting at something dark stirring beneath the waves. Only Selena and Chloe know the real story about the zombie mermaids they faced before—and now they’re worried the threat they thought was gone might be back.
As the tremors get worse and the water turns a scary green, the girls have to figure out what’s awakening in the depths before it’s too late. With their friend Zelda and her magical squid, Glowella, by their side, they’ll risk everything to save both the human and magical worlds from a danger that could destroy them all.
In this thrilling adventure, Selena and her friends have to face their fears and dig up some serious secrets between the human and magical worlds. With their village and the ocean in danger, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Can they figure out what’s messing with the sea before it’s too late? Or will they realize that saving their town—and both worlds—might be way harder than they thought?
About the Author
Ella English grew up in the heart of London, where the hustle and bustle of city life met summer adventures at her grandma’s house on the Kent coast. Exploring tide pools and collecting seashells, she developed a love for the ocean and a knack for creating imaginative worlds that she now brings to life through her writing.
Now living in Baltimore, Maryland, Ella is the author of The Merblood Saga, a dark fantasy YA series that plunges readers into a haunting underwater realm filled with cursed mermaids, ancient magic, and buried secrets. The first book, Selena Flowers and the Cursed Ruby, has been a hit with young readers, drawing them into its mysterious and dangerous world.
Ella also writes and illustrates Kitty in the City, a whimsical series about a singing cat named Katy who takes New York City by storm. The latest installment, Katy in Central Park, will be released in June 2025.
When she’s not weaving dark magic or drawing cats, Ella is kept busy by her two mischievous felines who make sure she stays entertained and grounded. Follow her adventures (and plenty of cat cameos) on Instagram @EllaEnglishAuthor or visit www.ellaenglish.com for more.
Contact Links
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March 18, 2025
Blog Tour: SPOONS by J. Corn
Children’s, Self-Help, Grief, Loss, Illustrated
Spoons is a sweet story about enduring loss and finding hope. At some point, every family will face the loss of a loved one, and the Spoon family is no different. Children and adults can find comfort from the lessons in this book and apply them to their own family stories.
Review: Follow a family of spoons in thischarming, little tale as we learn about vibrant colors and heaven. In thisbook, the kid spoons ask all about where their grandma went when she died. Themother spoon explains about death, how she still misses Grandma, and what shewas like when she was alive.
I thought this was a nice story ofthe remembrance of a loved one. The illustrations were cute with awatercolor-stain quality.
A touching and colorful tale!
Rating:4 stars
About the Author
Throughout her life, J. Corn has dealt with grief: first losing her mom at a young age, then her husband leaving her a single mother of two, and most recently her father. The grieving process has taught her the importance of talking about your loved one after they're gone. No one should suffer alone or in silence. Corn hopes that SPOONS will encourage families to share stories about their loved ones, even when it's dificult. She and her children are active members of their community grief counseling center. SPOONS is Corn's debut book.
About the book Spoons is a sweet story about enduring loss and finding hope. At some point, every family will face the loss of a loved one, and the Spoon family is no different. Children and adults can find comfort from the lessons in this book and apply them to their own family stories.
Contact Links
Instagram and Threads: @jcorn.books
Purchase Link
March 17, 2025
Book Blast: THE ADVENTURES OF THE UNICORN POO by Reice Godfrey
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Reice Godfrey will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Join Sonny and Bailee on their adventure to find a magical Unicorn. The only way to find the magical Unicorn is to follow the trail of POOs until they find a rainbow-coloured, cotton-candy smelling, glitter-covered POO.
Read an Excerpt
Once upon a time there was a little boy called Sonny and a little girl called Bailee.
They were going to go on an adventure to find a magical Unicorn.
Bailee asked Sonny, “How are we going to find a Unicorn?”
Sonny said, “We have to find some Unicorn POO!”
About the Author: Join Sonny and Bailee on their adventure to find a magical Unicorn. The only way to find the magical Unicorn is to follow the trail of POOs until they find a rainbow-coloured, cotton-candy smelling, glitter-covered POO.
AMAZON.COM: https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Unicorn-Poo-Reice-Godfrey/dp/0228878942/ref=sr_1_1
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March 15, 2025
Review: PARACHUTE KIDS by Betty Tang
An Asian family takes a familyvacation to California. Then the vacation soon turns into a stay. Loved theillustrations! Loved the funny expressions and the dynamic poses. And the storydefinitely grabs you.
These kids had to assimilate to anew culture with American names and not being able to speak or read English.Kids can be quite cruel to newcomers. How DO they eat soup with chopsticks?Needless to say, the sad kids were anxious and angry. How come the kids got tostay but the parents had to go? They were all visiting, weren’t they? So, nowthe kids were stuck in America without their parents. Whoa, that’s gotta betough. Through it all, the kids deal with laughter, mockery, and bullying.Funny how they confused a can of dog food as dinner.
Story is a wonderful, illustrativedisplay of how 3 Chinese kids try to fit into a new culture that hasn’taccepted them. The fights that the siblings get into with each other can getpretty intense. Instead of sticking together, they were drifting apart. Thecomic strips were so hilarious!
These kids get a hard reality towhat America is really like, especially the American Health Care System. Forthese kids, the American Dream was a nightmare.
With love, bravery, and humility,these parachute kids have an incredible American journey. Loved this tale!
Rating:5 stars
Review: A FATAL FOCUS by Cindy Bell
This story kicks off with a murderin the woods and Bobbie was looking to get the inside scoop. Turns out thevictim was actually a friend of Bobbie’s boss, who recently had a fall-out withthe victim, which make her a suspect for the police. Can Bobbie spy on her bossto get to the truth? Right away, the mystery gets to you. As always, there wereseveral suspects to consider, including Bobbie’s boss. Could a photograph beworth killing over?
A good mystery!
Rating:4 stars
Review: NIGHT GAMES by R.L. Stine
Anyone up for some NightGames—adventures in the dark?
At first, I thought this wouldinvolve some deadly prank against the school’s most hated teacher. But then,oddly, we deviate to last winter when the kids join Spencer at the cabin. Thispart really brought this down to a mild crawl. What happened to the excitementof the Night Games?
This read wasn’t as good as Ithought it would be. It was okay, but not great.
Rating:3 stars
Review: THE STREETS OF PANIC PARK by R.L. Stine
In this book, a group of kids facesomething called The Menace. It’s mostly a bunch of dialogue and talk offrightening the kids, but I didn’t really see much else happening. It’s apretty mild read. Eh, okay, but not the greatest.
Rating:3 stars
March 14, 2025
Blog Tour: THE ALCHEMICAL WIZARDS by Sybrina Durant
Book 3
Children Earth Sciences
Date Published: 11-01-2024
Publisher: Sybrina Publishing
In this periodic table book, 20 Alchemical Wizards present Magical Elements of the Periodic Table. Each wizard wields a magical staff tipped with an element which gives them unique powers. Areg starts out Book 1 of the Alchemical Wizards by introducing the important element Argon on his element page. Thurwin rounds out the Book 1 elements by presenting facts and other fun information about the metal, Thulium on his element page. Another elemental favorite is Galoa, who represents Gadolinium. It gives her the power to control and manipulate electromagnetic waves, rendering her a formidable force in the world of technology and communication. Phova is truly magical, as Phosphorus gives her the ability to manipulate light and create illusions. She can control the intensity, color, and direction of light, allowing her to bend it to her will. The Alchemical Wizards, along with their techno-magical unicorn and dragon friends from the first 2 Magical Elements Books are the perfect group to introduce you to metals and other elements in the Periodic Table. Hopefully, the Magical Elements of this periodic table book will spark an interest in the magical and real world properties of all the metals and other elements known today. You may be surprised at how prominently they feature in our every day lives. Each element page in this book contains terms that might not be completely familiar to the reader
Review: A fun and cool way to learn theperiodic table and the science behind the elements. Good for those that areinto wizards. Great for kids!
Rating:4 stars
About the Author
Sybrina Durant is the author of several children's books meant to help make learning fun.
Contact Links
Purchase Link
March 13, 2025
Book Blast: BAD ORDER by Mike Elliott
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Mike Elliot will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
This is the incredible true story of railroad worker and union official Mike Elliott, targeted by his railroad employer, BNSF Railway Company, for his safety-related activities. As the union's state legislative board chair, Elliott was the top safety official in the state, and the voice for over 900 rank & file locomotive engineers operating trains around the clock, every day of the year.
When his members reported a plethora of trackside signal malfunctions on the BNSF Seattle subdivision, Elliott went to the railroad first, asking that they fix the problems. When the BNSF failed to act, he contacted the government's regulatory authority, the Federal Railroad Administration. That led to an FRA inspection of over 130 miles of the railroad's track and signal systems turning up hundreds of federal defects – all with potential to put workers and the public at risk.
What followed was a retaliation plot reminiscent of the Nineteenth Century Robber Barons: A management-staged conflict at work, police called in, arrest, jail, criminal charges, and termination from his job – not once but twice.
The wrath, influence and power of North America's largest freight railroad is unleased in full force and in an all-out attack on a whistleblower's life, liberties, and career. An amazing journey of one man's righteous battle against impossible odds and the nearly unlimited resources of a multi-billion-dollar corporation.
Read an Excerpt:
I began my railroad career in 1995 on the Burlington Northern Railroad. Within three years, I was certified in two railroad operating crafts: Conductor and Locomotive Engineer. Concurrently, I became involved with the local railroad unions, taking a keen interest in safety, especially crew fatigue. For several years, I held a division level safety position— Legislative Representative—working local safety issues in Pasco and Yakima, Washington. Concurrently, I headed a state-level union safety office, 1st Vice Chair to then-Chair Mark K. Ricci, PhD. But in 2007, I was moved up to Chair of the Washington State Legislative Board when, quite unexpectedly, Mark resigned mid-term. So began six of the most impactful years of my life. My chief responsibilities as Chair were to advocate for the safety and welfare of our 900 members—not only on the two Class I railroads, BNSF and Union Pacific, but also on Amtrak, Sounder commuter trains, and Tacoma Rail. I hoped my work would help improve workplace safety and, ultimately, prevent tragedies. In the late spring and early summer of 2010, I received complaints about vegetation overgrowth blocking the view of signals on the tracks between Tacoma and Vancouver, Washington—about 133 miles of tracks. Interestingly, most of the complaints were from my Union Pacific membership whose jobs running trains co-exist with BNSF on that segment of railroad track. I knew it wasn’t that UP train crews just liked to complain or that BNSF train crews didn’t care. More likely, BNSF train crews had learned from bitter experience that management retaliation was the reward for those who dared to be the “squeaky wheel.”When I use the word “complaints,” I’m not talking about petty gripes. Not at all. These were legitimate safety complaints about the signals controlling train movement along “double-track” territory known as the BNSF Seattle Subdivision, a segment of right-of-way where BNSF and UP share track in a joint-use arrangement. The complaints were a straight-up red-flag warning from professional train crews who worked the line on a regular basis. These warnings needed to be heard; their complaints needed to be heeded. And they required immediate action.
About the Author: Mike Elliott was born and raised in Washington State. He enjoys the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest, classic rock & roll music, vintage stereo gear, home cooked meals, and Seattle Mariners baseball. He lives in Tacoma, Washington.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224714537-bad-order
Buy Link: https://amazon.com/dp/1779626037
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