Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 56
November 15, 2024
Blog Tour: JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS TALES OF ROMANCE Anthology
Keep warm thisseason with these 4 tales of holiday romance!
Just in Timefor Christmas: Tales of Romance
with stories by
Shay Lacy,Constance Phillips, Denise Lynn, Mila Winters
Genre: HolidayRomance Anthology
A Fiery Flamingo Christmass by Shay Lacy
What will ignite when a protected witness with aflamethrower meets the hunk next door?
The mob located Gina Weston two days before Christmas, but she refuses to runany more. Except maybe into the arms of her next-door neighbor after heextinguishes her burning flamingo Christmas tree. But are her gun andflamethrower enough to protect her from the lure of this sport hero playboy?
Former home run king Stone "Sledge" Hammer had been bored in thebaseball off-season. Meeting Gianna has given him the chance to be a heroagain, if she lets him in. While he's showing her the true spirit of Christmas,can he get inside her defenses to show her the importance of home?
It's no game they're playing, and it's a must-winagainst the mob.
Christmas Memories by DeniseLynn
When Kelly's missing husband unexpectedly shows up with amnesia right beforethe holidays, will the miracle of the Christmas season help restore hismemories and what they once shared?
Family Reclaimed by ConstancePhillips
Is their new fragile love strong enough for thesefirst tests?
Kayson and Jack swore eternal love to each other. Now all they want is sometime alone to explore the meaning of Christmas as a new family. But the hustleof the holidays while building their dreams at once is testing the strength ofthat vow. Everybody wants a piece of them.
If they give all their time and love away toothers, will they have enough left for one another and their young son?
What She Wants for Christmas byMila Winters
When Leann's hopes for spending Christmas with her daughter are dashed, shelicks her wounds by indulging in a fling with Ben, the cute guy she meets at abar.
All Ben wants for Christmas is to romance the beautiful woman he's had a crushon for years. If Leanne learns all his secrets, she might not give him a chanceto prove they can be great together.
Now, only Leanne can decide if Ben is really whatshe wants for Christmas.
Amazon * Apple* Kobo* Smashwords * Books2Read * Bookbub* Goodreads
Shay Lacy lives in Ohiowith her husband and cat GG.
She writes romantic suspense and erotic fantasyromance. Shay sees story ideas everywhere. Even something as simple as a sequincan spark a new romantic suspense. Many times a story has emerged from hermusing, “You know, somebody could die from that.”
When not writing, she loves to bake, people watch, andshop flea markets and estate sales.
Shay enjoys hearing how couples met and what they loveabout each other. You can find more information about Shay, her books, and howto contact her at her website, www.shaylacy.com.
Website * Facebook * X * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Denise Lynn lives in NW Ohiowith her husband, son and an ever-changing number of 4-legged kids.
She writes medieval romance for Harlequin/Mills andBoon Historical and whatever she feels like writing for herself. Having readromance novels since she was far too young to do so, she enjoys having theopportunity to share her own stories with readers.
In her spare time, she gardens, sews, and basicallyputzes around with any craft project she can get her hands on.
Visit website at www.denise-lynn.comfor more information on her books. Links to her social media pages, to theDenise Lynn Newsletter and contact information are on her site.
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon *Goodreads
ConstancePhillips lives inOhio with her husband, daughter, and three canine kids.
She writescontemporary and paranormal romance novels.
When not writingstories of finding and rediscovering love, Constance loves spending time in thegarden, with her pups, or cooking with her fresh from the garden produce.
If she leaves thehouse, it’s to spend time with good friends or family…or go to an eighties popconcert.
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon* Goodreads
MilaWinters lovesromance. Be it written between the pages of a book, larger than life on the bigscreen or residing in her home. So, of course, she writes it too. That is, when
she’s not workingwith teenagers or hanging out with her wife and their dog Toby.
Creating likeable(and sometimes unlikeable) characters makes her do a happy dance and she hopesher readers enjoy them too. To learn more about Mila, her other stories and howher writing brain works, visit her at www.milawinters.com.
Follow the tour HERE for special contentand a giveaway!
$10 Amazon - 4 winners!
November 14, 2024
Blog Tour: TO DO JUSTICE by Frank S. Justice
TO DO JUSTICE
Frank S. Justice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Historical Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
It’s 1965, summer in Chicago, and it’s hot. Pinkie looks white butis being ‘raised Black’ by shiftless Jolene -- who’s in it for Pinkie’s childsupport check and nothing more. But how did Jolene come to be raising Pinkieanyway? Join this daughter of the city’s meanest streets as she sets out on aquest to find the White woman who gave her birth, braving the inner-city riotsof the turbulent ‘60s to discover who she really is. An IndieReader Best Book;finalist for Chicago Writers Assn. Book of the Year and First Prize, CWA novelcontest; 5 Stars from Reedsy Reviews, Readers’ Favorite and Midwest BookReview.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ExcerptThree:
Cop, he’s one of them greaseball Italians that run thingsaround here. Do their business in them social clubs and ice cream parlors overto Taylor Street and Racine. Walk around smoking cheap cigars and acting likethey own it all. I hear the Irish and the Polish got the cop racket sewed up inother parts of town but around here it’s the dagoes. Doubt if the colored be incharge in any part of town. …
Cop turns from Bettina and smiles down. Seen all kind ofcops in my life—angry cops, tricky cops, cops that act friendly till they getwhat they want. Think this one be the last kind.
I ask what he’s looking after. Says there’s been complaintsabout the hydrant so he ordering it closed.
“It’s a hundred degrees out Mister.”
Cop don’t care. Says it’s against city law to open ahydrant. Says what if there’s a fire on the block, you leave the hydrantrunning ain’t going to be enough pressure to fight the fire. Says anyhow thefire marshal wants it closed so he done called in a fire truck. Going to closeit whether you kids like it or not.
Cop asks who opened it in the first place. I wouldn’t telland get someone in trouble even if I knew though I surely don’t. I say we’rejust kids trying to stay cool on a hot day. Cop says baloney, he knows howthings work, everyone on this street knows everyone else so tell who opened itif you know what’s good for you. Gives us one of them cop looks. Bettina she’sscared but I know better. He’s just a wop in a cop suit, throwing his weightaround.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My Favorite Scene in This Book…
Thisis the one for me.
Myfavorite scene in this book is … well, I have lots of favorite scenes. ‘I loveall my children,’ y’know? But if I have to single out one scene, I choose thevery opening of the novel. The voice is that of my 11-year-old heroine Pinkie,a mixed-race child of Chicago’s mean streets; the time summer 1965, riot season… thus the last line of the following:
Ever since I’m little I be wondering whomy momma is.
It ain’t Jolene. Jolene been raising mebut I ain’t her blood. Reminds me of it every chance she gets. Picked me out ofa trash pile one day, that’s what Jolene says. Like a maggot out of a garbagecan.
If I’m trash I say, why you done it?Just teasing she says, you be worth real money, check for $102.80 on the firstof every month. Calls it her Pinkie check. Long as the Welfare keeps sendingthe Pinkie check, that’s all she cares about, Jolene.
Jolene just laughs when I ask about myreal momma. One day I be finding her though. See does Jolene laugh when thatday comes.
Jolene don’t treat Bettina no betterthan me even though Bettina be blood and flesh to her. Bettina asks who herpoppa was but Jolene pretends she don’t hear. Poor little thing, Bettina,bumping into things like she does. Jolene says Bettina was born with a caul,that’s why she so clumsy. I know better though. Bettina can’t help it.Something wrong inside her head. She plenty smart all right, just somethinginside there don’t work how it’s supposed to, like a doorbell is busted or atoaster don’t pop.
All Jolene cares about is the moneythough, $102.80 a month for me and $94.73 for Bettina. And Bettina’ll be worthmore soon Jolene says, worth as much as you gal, $102.80 a month when she turnsnine. Then in September when you turn twelve, you’ll be worth $106.35, andJolene grins.
No wonder Jolene gets so happy when shetalks about the money. We’re her most valuable property. That’s why I got toprotect my baby sister best I can. Bettina’s my most valuable property. Till Ifind my real momma, Bettina’s the closest thing to kinfolk I got in the world.
Should’ve protected Bettina better thanI did though, the day things got turned upside-down.
** *
These linescame to me as I sat in a hotel room on Chicago’s north side, stranded for fourunplanned days by a freak storm that knocked out the airports. I hadn’tenvisioned the character Pinkie previously. She wasn’t based on someone Iknew*. She just manifested – came down from Somewhere Above and startedtalking. All I had to do was write it down.
*As I got toknow Pinkie, I came to realize she was inspired somewhat by my daughter,who was someone else’s daughter before she became ours. When she was Pinkie’sage, she was in a bad situation – bad neighborhood, bad boyfriend, badeverything. But I wasn’t consciously thinking about my daughter when Pinkie wasintroducing herself.
Another ofmy protagonists came to me this way too. His name is Jesse Owens Trimble but Inickname him Sass because of his smart mouth. Sass is a presence in To DoJustice, Book #3 of my “Chicago Trilogy,” but a protagonist of Book #1, ToLove Mercy; and Book #2, To Do Justice. Like Pinkie, Sass too is astreet kid with no real-life counterpart. And as with Pinkie, Sass just camedown from Up There and started talking.
Many otherTrilogy characters are based on people I’ve known. I’ll single out one, thecharacter I call Dora Barfield. She’s an elderly Black woman from Sunflower,Mississippi, with no more than a second-grade education … but far more than hershare of folk smarts and wisdom. \
There was areal-life Dora – Dora Winfield – who shared this story. Dora Winfield workedfor my (White) family as a housekeeper – though, in those far-off politicallyincorrect times, we called them maids.
Even thoughthe real-life Dora had been in our lives from the time I was 6 through my earlyteens, I hadn’t thought of her in some 40 years. As I started writing thetrilogy, though, she popped into my head same as Pinkie and Sass -- talking.
Talkingabout her life as our domestic, sleeping a night or two every week on arollaway bed in the dining room of our South Side apartment. About being therewith the milk and cookies when my sister Judy and I would come home fromschool.
About … mymother.
Dora, listeningto my mom give her instructions. Dora, thinking her own thoughts about it. Andme the author, now well into mid life, imagining for the first time these veryprivate musings. It was mystical – cool, maybe a little creepy too, magical.
Each Trilogynovel has won awards – lots of them. To Do Justice, the one justpublished, has been named a Best Book by IndieReader. It’s a finalist for Bookof the Year from the Chicago Writers Assn., and also won first prize in CWA’snovel contest. It’s garnered five-star reviews from Reedsy Reviews, Readers’Favorite® and Midwest Book Review.
All creditto the voices inside my head. I couldn’t have done it without them.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Frank S Joseph's “Chicago Trilogy” novels -- TO LOVE MERCY, TOWALK HUMBLY and TO DO JUSTICE -- tell a story of lives forever changed byracial turmoil that marked and marred Chicago at mid century, a great citygoing up in flames.
Frank lived it. He came of age in the ’40s and ’50s as a shelteredWhite boy in comfortable South Side neighborhoods undergoing racial turnoverand “white flight." And in his 20s, as an Associated Press correspondent,he covered the ’60s riots that wracked Chicago’s inner city as well as the '67Detroit riot, where 37 died, and the notorious '68 Democratic NationalConvention street disorders.
Frank left Chicago in 1969, landed at The Washington Post duringWatergate, and went on to a career as an award-winning journalist, publisherand direct marketer. His Chicago Trilogy novels all have won award after award,most recently TO DO JUSTICE winning the Chicago Writers Assn. novel contest andbeing named an IndieReader Best Book
TO DO JUSTICE, Trilogy Book III, is out from Key Literary. TO LOVEMERCY, Trilogy Book I, and TO WALK HUMBLY, Trilogy Book II, are forthcomingfrom Key Literary. TO LOVE MERCY was previously published in 2006 by MidAtlantic Highlands.
Frank and his wife Carol Jason, an artist and sculptor, live inChevy Chase MD. They are the parents of Sam and Shawn.
An IndieReader Best Book
First Prize, Chicago Writers Assn. Novel Contest
Finalist, Chicago Writers Assn. Book of the Year
A Readers' Favorite® Five Star Selection
Five Stars -- Reedsy Reviews
Midwest Book Review - 5 Stars
Website: https://frankjoseph.com/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/p/Frank-S-Joseph-Author-100069277722721
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frank_s_joseph_author/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Theauthor will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
November 13, 2024
Blog Tour: HE. by Gregory Pakis
HE.
Gregory Pakis
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Erotic Horror
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Asexually open-minded couple, Lester and Val, have recently moved into a stylishyet eerie apartment building.
Val'scuriosity is piqued when she starts to receive unusual messages and requestsfrom an anonymous messenger.
Lesteris also cautiously intrigued, as Val starts to fulfill the requests.
Asuspected sex club soon becomes media headlines when a former memberdisappears, and the club is reported to have vacated its last premises.
Asthe messages persist, Lester and Val start to question whether the anonymousmessenger is connected to the clandestine club mentioned in the media, and ifthere is any link between him or the club and the odd newcomers in theapartment next door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ExcerptThree:
She walked over to the kitchen and stared out the windows.Everything was still. An uneasy feeling came over her. She looked back atLester’s door.
was he acting a bit strange lately
he did seem distracted
that night he seemed more excited than usual
wasn’t that a dream
She remembered the things he had said and she felt excitedabout the possibilities. There was another party in a few weeks. They were alsopossibly going to meet with a couple Lester had met online. But she felt dreadabout mixing her and Lester’s energy with others. She wasn’t sure she neededto. She still found Lester compelling; his brooding mysterious presence, hisbody. He took care of himself. And she wasn’t sure there were many men thatcould be with her as intensely.
Her phone beeped. She looked down at it on the kitchentable. It wasn’t
often she received messages. She preferred it that way. Sheread the message.
‘the stencil’
It wasn’t from a contact. That was odd.
what stencil
She’d received her share of messages over the years. Notespressed in her hand. Under her windscreen wipers. Written on napkins in bars oron the back of business cards. But it was usually just a phone number and aname. She then realised which stencil the message was referring to.
did something just click in or out of place
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
BIO
GregoryPakis is an Australian author, film-maker, actor and wacky vlogger.
Hehas written the short story, The Lonely Australian of the Asian Night; the soonto be released horror-suspense novellas, The Regressor and He., and Memoir of aSuburban Hoe-Bo, which is partly an account of when he lived out of a van forten years in Melbourne.
GregoryPakis is also the writer / director of the feature films, The Garth Method(2005) and The Joe Manifesto (2013), which have won national and internationalawards and been distributed through Accent Entertainment, Label, VanguardCinema.
Gregory'smore informal video projects are the feature documentaries, Garth GoesHitch-Hiking (2007) and Garth Lives in a Van (2011) which have screened at filmfestivals in Australia.
Morerecently, he has created the comedy series, suBURPieS and his Wacky Vlog whichcan found on his socials.
Gregoryhas been featured in articles in newspapers, The Age, The Herald Sun, BeatMagazine, Inpress, FILMINK, and the Neos Kosmos. He has been interviewed onradio by the ABC, 3RRR, SYN FM, 3CR.
HE.LINKS
AMAZONSALES LINK
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJYRJK5W
BOOKTRAILER
AUTHORCHAT TO CAMERA VIDEO
WEBPAGE (WITH MEDIA KIT)
CONTACT
GREGORYPAKIS
SITES
FILMShttps://guerillafilmnite.com/
SOCIALS
Instagram /https://www.instagram.com/gregorypakis/
TikTok /https://www.tiktok.com/@gregorypakis
Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/gpakis
YouTube/ https://www.youtube.com/@Films_Books._Vlogs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Theauthor will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
November 12, 2024
Blog Tour: HOW TO REACT WHEN WOKEN AT 3 A.M. BY DRUNK ARGENTINIAN BACKPACKERS WHILE STAYING IN A YOUTH HOSTEL AND OTHER LESSER KNOWN TRAVEL TIPS by Simon Yeats
How to React When Woken at 3am by DrunkArgentinian Backpackers While Staying in a Youth Hostel and Other Lesser KnownTravel Tips
Simon Yeats
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE:
Non-FictionHumorous Memoir
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Book 4 of the hilarious book series that those in the know willwant to read when arriving at Paris airport so they laugh so freaking hard thatit will intimidate any suspicious characters looking to abduct them and sellthem into the human trafficking game.
Lifewas not meant to be easy, Simon Yeats’ father used to tell him. Well, it sureas hell was not meant to be this bizarre and witty. Australian ex-pat SimonYeats shares his stories of travel misadventures and dubious personalintrospection with comedic insights into the unusual and uproarious elements ofliving his life abroad. All while having a sense of Wanderlust as pervasive asMongol hordes in the 12th century.
Fromhow to negotiate getting abused in Los Angeles when you will only drive at 5miles/hr., to what to do when locked out of your hotel room in your underwear,to the emotions of attempting the world’s second highest bungee when you have apathological fear of heights, to how to deal with the trials and tribulationsof staying in a youth hostel with travelers who have no respect for the otherguests.
SimonYeats has gone into the world and experienced all the out of the ordinarymoments for you to sit back and enjoy the experience without the need to emptyyour bank account, get squeezed sitting in a middle airline seat, or deal withborder security at the Ukraine/Russia boundary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ExcerptThree:
That was not one of my three options.
Although, if this is Jack the Ripper, he seems to havegotten well ahead of himself with his raping technique.
It is Con’s work mate.
“What the hell happened?” I stammer.
The guy is barely holding himself upright as he sways infront of me. “I am locked out of my room.”
Well, that would only be a minor inconvenience to anyone ifthey then hadn’t gone to the trouble of disrobing themselves. But there are noclothes in the hallway. It seems Con’s mate had just walked out of his roomnaked.
“Where are your clothes?” I ask.
“I had a shower, and I opened the door to get out of thebathroom and it led me to the hallway.”
“You didn’t wrap yourself in a towel?”
“I was looking for the towel,” he indignantly responds. “Letme show you,” and he forcefully grabs my arm and pulls me down the hallway tohis locked hotel room door. “See, I am locked out. I can’t get in.”
With all the not quite fully awake/not really too drunkexcitement of thinking that there had to be a more radical explanation as towhy Con’s highly inebriated mate could be so careless as to walk out of hisfront door thinking he was opening the bathroom door, I did not think to grabmy room key.
Now there are two of us standing in the hallway, locked outof our rooms.
One of us in his undies. The other one in his birthday suit.
Both of us are now frantic.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Simon Yeats has lived nine lives, and by all estimations, is fastrunning out of the number he has left. His life of globetrotting the globe wasnot the one he expected to lead. He grew up a quiet, shy boy teased by otherkids on the playgrounds for his red hair. But he developed a keen wit and senseof humor to always see the funnier side of life.
With an overwhelming love of travel, a propensity to find troublewhere there was none, and being a passionate advocate of mental health, Simon’sstories will leave a reader either rolling on the floor in tears of laughter,or breathing deeply that the adventures he has led were survived.
No author has laughed longer or cried with less restraint at thetravails of life.
Amazon Author Page:https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CBNQLSPW/about
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authoryeats
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoryeats/?hl=en
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Theauthor will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
November 11, 2024
Blog Tour: MY WAY HOME by Holly Heaton
Join us for this tour from Oct 21 to Nov 15, 2024!Book Details:
Book Title: MY WAY HOME by Holly Heaton
Category: Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7), 32 pages
Genre: Children's Fiction
Publisher: Holly Heaton
Release date: August 11, 2024
Formats Available for Review: print-softback (USA and Canada) and ebook (MOBI for Kindle and PDF) internationally.
Tour dates: Oct 21 to Nov 15, 2024
Content Rating: G: The book follows Kit on a whirlwind of an adventure trying to reclaim a precious item and return it home all while facing external dangers.
Book Description:
Enter the hidden realm of the Little Folk and follow Kit on a thrilling adventure. Can he reclaim an object precious to his people and return home to the Hollow Chestnut? Using his wits and environment, Kit embarks on this miniature odyssey through a lushly illustrated world.
Buy the Book:
Amazon
add to Goodreads~~~
Review: Who says a small boy can’t have abig adventure? Well, that’s exactly what happens when a tiny lad encounters agiant fox trying to steal their acorns and crystals. Can he reclaim what thefox stole? Such a brave and innovative boy!
The illustrations were colorfuland lovely! I was just so captivated by the natural and artistic rendition.
Goes to show that you don’t haveto be big to be brave. But even with his grand adventure, he still sees thatthere’s no place like home and family. A wonderfully crafted tale!
Rating:5 stars
Meet the Author:Whether through pictures, words, or her dad’s castoff camcorder, Holly has spent her life telling stories. She can usually be found chasing exciting bits of history and spending time with her husband, sons, and dog, Wesser, in metro Atlanta.
connect with author: instagram ~ goodreadsSocial Media Links: Facebook: @acornsireadbooktours
Instagram: @holly.h.heaton and @iReadBookTours
BookBub: @laurenireadbooktours
Pinterest: @iReadBookTours
Twitter: @iReadBookTours
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/50871728.Holly_Heaton
Tour Schedule:
Oct 7 - @michellegodardricherauthor – book shout out
Oct 21 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 21 - @this.human.reads * – book review
Oct 21 - @savor.your.reads * - book review
Oct 21 - @acourtofspinesnpages *- book review
Oct 21 - @book_withquotes * - book review
Oct 21 - @adriftinfictionalworld - book review
Oct 22 - Faith And Books - book review / giveaway
Oct 22 - @adeela_books * – book review
Oct 22 - @bearyintobooks * - book review
Oct 23 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / guest post / giveaway
Oct 24 – @bookscape__ * - book review
Oct 24 - My Reading Getaway - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 25 – Library Lady's Kid Lit – book review / author interview / giveaway
Oct 25 - @bookameme * – book review
Oct 25 - @enjoyingbooksagain - book review
Oct 28 – Books for Books- book spotlight
Oct 29 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / guest post / giveaway
Oct 30 – Cheryl's Book Nook – book review / giveaway
Oct 31 – @thisreadergirl * - book review
Nov 1 – Liese's Blog – book spotlight
Nov 4 – @Leannebookstagram – book review
Nov 5 – @onceuponamaltesereader * - book review
Nov 6 – Reading is My Passion – book review / giveaway
Nov 6 - @michellegodardricherauthor * – book review
Nov 7 – @nissa_the.bookworm * - book review
Nov 7 - Older & Smarter?- book review / author interview / giveaway
Nov 7 - A Mama's Corner of the World – book review / giveaway
Nov 8 – FUONLYKNEW – book review / guest post / giveaway
Nov 9 - @jilljemmett * – book review
Nov 10 - @readsandmusic * – book review
Nov 11 – Sandra's Book Club – book review
Nov 12 – China Sorrows – book review / giveaway
Nov 12 - @kiv_coffeeandpages * - book review
Nov 13 – Kim's Book Reviews and writing Aha's – book review / giveaway
Nov 13 - @mariareadsfiction * - book review
Nov 14 – @onceuponafrida * - book review
Nov 14 - @alwaysreadingxo * - book review
Nov 15 - icefairy's Treasure Chest – book review / giveaway
Nov 15 - @whatsenalireads * - book review
Nov 15 - @speedreadstagram * - book reviewEnter the Giveaway:
MY WAY HOME by Holly Heaton Book Tour Giveaway
Blog Tour: THE TRUE ADVENTURER by Robyn Singer
THE TRUE ADVENTURER
Robyn Singer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Science Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
LaylaN’gwa is finally free to attend art school and live a life of peace. She’ssipping spinach smoothies in the quad with her new friends, attending protestsagainst the ongoing war, and studying to fulfill her dream of becoming a greatglassblower.
Layla’sformer friend, Kaya Langstone Bythora-the boy-band-loving cyborg princess ofthe Cykebian Empire-has embraced being evil since killing Yael, and now acts asthe ultimate sword of her mother, Empress Molina. With Kaya’s help, her motherwill become the absolute ruler of the universe by winning the war with theUtozin Authority. Kaya wishes she wasn’t doomed to be a monster but feelsresigned to her fate and just seeks acceptance from her only friend, Layla.
Laylaloves her new life, but she can’t stand back and watch as Kaya is used as aweapon and her old professor conquers planet after planet. As a war rages withthe fate of all life in the balance, Layla and Kaya find themselves on oppositesides. Kaya may be the most powerful cyborg ever designed, but Layla has somenew tricks up her sleeve. Has absolute order snuffed out all freedom, or isthere still room among the stars for a little chaos? Only together can Laylaand Kaya find the answer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ExcerptTwo:
“What’s our ETA, General?”
“We should be reaching Caldey-Cocoon’s atmosphere intwentyfive minutes, Princess.”
I twirled my hair around my finger. “Splendid.”
The voyage from Cykeb had been peaceful. I’d had ample timeto listen to music and shop for art in my room, torture the prisoners I’dbrought along with me in the brig, and take advantage of the other amenities myship offered.
The Winjolla, named after my departed, beloved aunts, wassecond only to my mothers’ flagship, Ricochet Supreme, in terms of grandeur.2400 meters in diameter, it was crewed by a staff of 15,000, all of whom I wasfree to terrorize to my heart’s content, with 30,000 ground troops also livingon board.
I’d gotten to design every aspect of my ship, from itsweaponry, which was capable of leveling small continents, to its torturechamber, which I prided myself on being the most nightmarish chamber of horrorsever devised—putting even Mother’s past works to shame—to its spa, swimmingpool, light squash court, juice bar, and karaoke studio.
The only thing my ship lacked was someone to enjoy all ofthis with, but my mothers rarely ever left the palace, and there was no oneelse worthy of my time. I’d tried forcing some of my lessers to have fun withme in the past, but the only enjoyable parts of those experiences had been whenI‘d blown their brains out. Being better than and above everyone else couldreally suck.
On the bright side, I was almost 14. In just over one year,I’d be allowed to make the members of EZ Street my personal concubines. ThenI’d never be lonely again.
Plus, the highlight of these trips was always thedestination, not the journey. As the crown princess of The Holy CykebianEmpire, and the most advanced cyborg in existence, I had the honor of servingas my mothers’ ultimate sword. If a rebellion took place that our soldierscouldn’t quash themselves, or if initial conquest was met with more resistancethan initially anticipated, I was deployed to handle it. I never failed mymothers. I never would.
“Princess, we’ve arrived.”
Grinning from ear to ear, I rose from my chair in the centerof the bridge. “Beam me down. I’ll let you know when to deploy the troopsacross the planet’s surface.”
“Yes, Princess. Understood, Princess.”
My helmsman did as he was told and a moment later, I wasstanding in the middle of Caldey-Cocoon’s capital city: Jeradoth.
The blood-red sky matched the dirt beneath my boots. Theirarchitecture was cylindrical, all of their buildings the same sickening shadeof green. The air stank of cold macaroni and cheese. From what I’d read, theironly major export was middle- quality feathers.
I’d only been here five seconds, but I couldn’t fathom whatabout this pathetic world its people treasured so much that they wouldn’t wantto be a part of the empire. It wasn’t as if I was complaining, though. If everyworld submitted immediately, I’d never get to have any fun.
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What Did You Like Best About Writing This Bookand Why?
I started writing thefirst book in The Ricochet Trilogy, “The Sunrisers,” in November 2020. I’dgraduated from college earlier in the year and, since Covid was preventing mefrom finding stable work, I was taking my best crack at using the time I had availableto me to become an author. During that time, I wrote four unrelated novels, and“The Sunrisers” was the only one to find a home, with Cinnabar Moth. I had thetime of my life writing my cute and fun space opera romance, and was beyondthrilled when I found out I was going to be a published author.
By the time I wasable to start working in earnest on the final book in the trilogy, my newrelease, “The True Adventurer,” it was Spring 2023, and my life had changed alot. I’d moved from New York to Seattle, I now had a day job, the drama goingon in my personal life would be worthy of its own novel, and it was becomingincreasingly clear to me that I was never going to have as much time to writeas I had previously, and I was never going to be able to write while soperfectly relaxed again. It was also clear to me that my mental health wassuffering, which made it even harder to write. For several months, despitehaving a clear outline, writing “The True Adventurer” felt impossible, and Imade incredibly slow progress.
The best part ofwriting “The True Adventurer” was figuring out what I needed to do to make itwork. I tossed out my originally outlined third act, and embraced the emotionsswirling through me. I embraced the pain I was in, I embraced the struggles inmy own relationships, and I embraced my fear that this would be the last book Iwould ever write, and I rewrote the story to capture these feelings, and tiethem into the trilogy’s themes, and the character’s arcs. “The True Adventurer”is a space opera filled with fantastical concepts, but it’s also the most realstory I was capable of writing.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
RobynSinger is a lifelong New Yorker, and since she was a kid playing with heraction figures, all she’s wanted to do is tell stories. She went to SUNYPurchase to get a degree in Playwriting & Screenwriting with a minor inFilm and has produced several comic books, but she’s always had her eye onbecoming a published novelist.
Asan Autistic, bisexual trans woman, diversity and inclusion in stories arevitally important to her, and she seeks to represent as many groups as possiblein her work. While she wants to show characters of marginalized groupsexperiencing joy, she also draws inspiration from real-world problems whichbother her.
TheSunrisers was her debut novel. The Order of the Banshee is book 2 in the TheRicochet Trilogy. Robyn was the author in residence for the first quarter of2022 for Cinnabar Moth Literary Collections. She writes novels and shortstories of all genres and for all ages, and she continues to produce comicbooks. Her ongoing series, Final Gamble, began publication by Band of Bards in2022.
AmazonAuthor Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robyn-Singer/author/B0BCVQ8JJ6
PublisherAuthor Page: https://cinnabarmoth.com/robyn-singer/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Theauthor will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
November 9, 2024
Review: THE RIVER GIRLS by Melinda Woodhall
A frightened girl shows up at thesafe house and then disappears.
Ever since her sister’s violentmurder at the hands of her abusive husband, Eden has made it her mission tohelp these victims and somehow this mysterious girl, especially when the bodyof a teenage girl washes up on the river. Was it Star, the mysterious girl thatwalked into the shelter, or Jess, the missing girl reported by her incarceratedmother? It was Jess, which meant that Star was still out there and still neededhelp with a gang that was after her and a deranged killer on the loose.
Can Eden, along with a defenseattorney find Star before she becomes the next River Girl?
The River Girls were definitelypiling up and it seemed unstoppable. Right away, this grabs you, piquing yourinterest. There were some slow sections in which characters relay their ownpersonal dark demons, but it was good to see what motivated them. An even morepressing matter arises when they kidnap Eden’s niece. Will her niece be next?
A good and thrilling read!
Rating:4 stars
Review: WRONG EXIT by N.L. Hinkens
It all started with a 2-pal roadtrip from L.A. to N.Y. On one of the first few stops, Cara and Adele find astowaway in their car. The runaway girl talks about an abusive boyfriend thatmay have killed someone. Oh, great! Just what the girls needed, right? RoadRule #1: Never pick up a hitchhiker. I would not be giving a total stranger aride to TN. No way! Soon, all 3 gals take a wrong exit.
“One of us won’t survive this roadtrip. It’s kill or be killed.”
The whole trip becomes a ride ofparanoia—one scary mess of speculations over the whereabouts of the stowaway.And now they have the police and the stalker boyfriend on their tail. Geez!
“One wrong exit led to murder.”
I kind of had my suspicious aboutone of the key players here (and I was kind of right about it,) but I was stillsurprised about the revelation in the end. A good thrilling read!
Rating:4 stars
Review: SHE DIDN’T FALL by Rowen Chambers
It all began at Blair’s 40thbirthday party with her friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Her marriage was inturmoil, her daughter was a moody and rebellious teen, and her fat neighbor hada bad attitude toward everyone. Then someone pushes her down the stairs. Shedidn’t fall.
Blair wakes up in the hospitalwith no memory of what happened. As soon as she gets back to work, she gets anote saying “I know what you did with him.” With who? And who sent this?
The diary prose was kind of slowas Blair mostly questions the so-called accident as she works through all thedrama and construction at her real estate job. It’s kind of hard and not thatinteresting if all we had to go by of what happened were Blair’s spotty memoryand scattered eye-witness recollections of neighbors and colleagues. After awhile, you almost really don’t care who pushed her down the stairs.
Eh, an okay read. Not toothrilling.
Rating:3 stars
Review: SOME DAYS ARE DARK by Miranda Smith
Everyone knew her as thehusband-killer, and, even though there was a new suspect, she couldn’t shakeoff that image.
Story begins by reliving Olivia’sfirst marriage and how she would meet her future dead husband. In the present,new evidence revealed that the homeless guy did NOT kill Olivia’s husband,re-opening the case. Now, it was a hunt for the real killer.
It takes a while to get into thestory, especially when re-hashing the past, but you do get into it. Olivia wasbattling with several elements on top of possibly being a murder suspect againand the killer still being out there. This includes being separated from herson, contending with an ex-husband, and battling out with a new wife. Thepressing question was: who really killed Dane? Always the person you leastexpect.
A good read!
Rating:4 stars
