Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 70
April 14, 2024
Review: GIRL TOWN by Carolyn Nowak
The drawings were okay, but I feltthat there was too much going on with a lot of text that you can’t really read.I couldn’t get into it. Too hard to understand.
Rating:2 stars
April 12, 2024
Blog Tour: THE FALLENWOOD CHRONICLES by Leslie D. Soule
THE FALLENWOOD CHRONICLES
Leslie D. Soule
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GENRE: Fantasy
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BLURB:
TheFallenwood Chronicles is the ongoing story of Ash Kensington, a young woman whofinds herself transported into a fantasy world, where she must take up arms ina battle of Good vs. Evil, against the Dark Lord Malegaunt. Tragedy strikes herlife in the real world, but she finds friends in Fallenwood, like her mentorWill Everett, a talking cat named Greymalkin, and a court jester named Terces.Working together, they battle against the odds as Ash faces attacks from theworld and from within. Eventually Ash finds the strength within herself, toattempt the fight against Malegaunt, against overwhelming odds, come what may
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Excerpt One:
Her heart racedand she breathed slowly, trying to calm her frazzled nerves. Glancing around,she wondered how far off the road she’d wandered. She knew it had been middaywhen she’d started running, and now looking up into the star-filled sky, it hadto be late into the night. A rush of air greeted her the moment she reachedthis strange part of the forest, before her eyes had temporarily forsaken her.The wind whipped around her from all sides. She backed away from where shestood, and the wind felt like it was whooshing up from a precipice. Ashleypaused to allow her eyes to adjust to the dark. When her sight returned, sherealized that she was standing nowhere near a cliff—it was just an unfamiliararea of forest. Suddenly, a ball of fire hurtled overhead in an arc toward her.Her mind screamed at her to run, but she found that her legs wouldn’t move. Theflaming orb continued its descent, burrowing itself into the soft ground onlyinches away from Ashley’s boots. Two men rushed toward her, arguing all thewhile as Ashley stood immobilized. Her bones were in revolt. Her brainscrambled for an alias to give out to the men if they asked, but she could onlycome up with Ash, because she was looking at the little pile of soot at herboots. “Deflected,” the man in the lead announced.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
LeslieD. Soule received her M.A. in English from National University. She is ascholar, artist, citizen journalist, and martial artist. She has been anestablished writer for a decade, and has novels published by Melange Books,Terror House Press, Gypsy Shadow Publishing, and Nat 1 Publishing. TheFallenwood Chronicles is her 4-book fantasy series and features the novelsFallenwood, Forgetting Fallenwood, Betrayer, and Retribution.
Twitterhandle: @Fallenwood1
BuyLinks:
Amazon–
BookOne: https://www.amazon.com/Fallenwood-Leslie-D-Soule-ebook/dp/B00OJR1KEA/ref=sr_1_2
BookTwo: https://www.amazon.com/Forgetting-Fallenwood-Leslie-D-Soule-ebook/dp/B00HOXV4OW/ref=sr_1_1
BookThree: https://www.amazon.com/Betrayer-Fallenwood-Chronicles-Book-3-ebook/dp/B073RRKRGM/ref=sr_1_1
BookFour: https://www.amazon.com/Retribution-Fallenwood-Novel-Leslie-Soule-ebook/dp/B08D6T81QM/ref=sr_1_1
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GIVEAWAY
Arandomly drawn winner will be awarded a $25 Amazon/BN gift card.
a Rafflecopter giveawayApril 11, 2024
Blog Tour: A CURE FOR SPRING FEVER by Barbara Robinson
A CURE FOR SPRING FEVER
Barbara Robinson
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GENRE: Paranormal Romance
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BLURB:
Forcenturies, Gamekeepers have used their magical abilities to create a bufferbetween the creatures who dwell in the enchanted forest and the sleepy coastaltown that sits in its shadow. When Gamekeeper Stan Ross’s magic begins to fail,he must find out what went wrong, then fix it before the two worlds collide.His hit or miss magic has already led to a few close calls so he journeys tothe Sacred Isle searching for answers and advice. Finding a cure proveselusive—until Stan encounters a kitchen witch who captivates him body and soul.Lynnette Peters is healing from her own wounds, however, and it isn’t clearwhether she’s ready to open herself to the possibility—or the peril—of love.
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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT
Maybe thereweren’t any hidden hurdles. Maybe she was just unlucky in love – but that’swhat she needed to ask the ancestors when she approached the grove and made heroffering. She told herself that she just wanted the ancestors to guide her, andmaybe bless her with a bit of self-awareness. Then she smiled, a littleruefully. Who was she kidding? If they put Prince Charming in her path, it’snot like she would turn him away.
Lynnettecrested a little hill, and the grove of oak trees came into view. Rising atleast forty feet above her, the trees had been planted in concentric rings,with an altar placed at the center of the clearing. She approached slowly,feeling the wind rise a little as she placed her offering on the altar andcalled upon her ancestral guardian spirits.
“Mothers of mymother,” she began, “I honor you with my words and with my deeds, and I call toyou across the ages. I offer you a gift, and I beg that you look favorably uponme. I ask that you open my heart to love, and that you bless me with the wisdomto recognize it
when it comes.”
Having said herpiece, Lynnette sat a while in the quiet grove, marveling at how the shiftinglight gave the illusion of movement. The wind lifted her hair and for a momentit felt like her mother’s caress, smoothing back the soft wisps of curls.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Barbara Robinson is an author of contemporary and historicalromance set against a backdrop of magical realism. She is a deep thinker andtea drinker who finds inspiration in myths and folktales, poems and ballads,and academic writing on a variety of subjects. Diagnosed with autism andgiftedness as an adult, she enjoys exploring themes of neurodiversity andopposing character perspectives in her writing.
She is an avid gardener and lover of nature who works out plotlines and character sketches while nurturing her garden, walking in the woods,or sitting by the shoreline watching waves. She is known for world buildingthat features rich and immersive detail, supported by meticulous research andcareful observation.
Barbara lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, in the shadow of ancientmountains that lie along the Bay of Fundy coast. These rugged vistas shape herstory settings, while providing the perfect backdrop for life with her husband,her hounds and her dragon (Pogona Vitticeps). She has a Bachelor of Arts fromthe University of King’s College and a Master of Arts at Dalhousie University,and she recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing from theHumber School for Writers (Humber College, Toronto).
Website: https://www.barbararobinsonauthor.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraRobinsonWrites/
Amazon:Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Spring-Fever-Jelly-Beans-Things-ebook/dp/B0CVHHR5ND/ref=sr_1_1
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GIVEAWAY
The author will award a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner
April 10, 2024
Blog Tour: CHASING THE DRAGON by Mark Towse
CHASING THE DRAGON
Mark Towse
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GENRE: Vigilante Crime Thriller/Horror
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BLURB:
Atown on its knees, dread's bony fingers wrapping around its throat andsqueezing, death rattles soon to follow.
Drugs,filth, and a lack of human decency are starving it of hope.
IntroducingSimon Dooley, our trauma-driven wannabe superhero, the relentless voice of hisdead mother pleading with him to "end the chaos." Dressed in aleotard and armed only with a dozen dog poop bags, Simon's plight will find himfalling in love and going head to head with the seediest characters walking thestreets.
Thetown needed a hero... it got Reformo.
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Excerpt One:
It’s happening.It’s finally happening.
I strip off infront of the full-length mirror, part self-admiration for my new frame and partsorrow for the shy and squeamish young boy who first walked the corridors ofthe youth detention centre.
Okay, not TheRectifier. What then? Captain Justice has been done, you muppet! The Shadow?Nope. Been done, too. The Silhouette? Too jazzy. Unable to wait any longer, thehairs bristling on the back of my neck, I carefully lift the costume from thebed and slip my arms through.
Oh, yes!
It’s as thoughelectricity runs through my veins. I feel alive, reborn. I feel—
“I’m asuperhero.”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Mark Towse is an English horror writer living inAustralia. He would sell his soul to the devil or anyone buying if it meant hecould write full-time. Alas, he left it very late to begin this journey,penning his first story since primary school at the ripe old age of forty-five.Since then, he’s been published in over two hundred journals and anthologies,had his work made into full theatrical productions for shows such as The NoSleep Podcast and Tales to Terrify, and has penned fourteen novellas, includingNana, Gone to the Dogs, 3:33, and Crows. Chasing The Dragon is his debut novel.
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mark-Towse/author/B07H8DBS31
Twitter: @MarkTowsey12
Website: https://t.co/icMAn0LFpd
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/towseywrites/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.towse.75
Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Dragon-Vigilante-Justice-Thriller-ebook/dp/B0CR6PNZLQ/
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GIVEAWAY
Theauthor will award a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveawayApril 8, 2024
Blog Tour: HIDDEN TREASURES AT LITTLE LAKE by Dawn Lenée Reed
Children's Mystery
Date Published: January 29, 2024
Publisher: Mindstir Media
It seemed like it would be another quiet, summer morning of fishing for 11-year old Charlie, her older brother, Finn, and his best friend, Tyler. Their friendly lakeside town in west Michigan was usually peaceful and a bit boring during summer vacation for these three mystery-loving middle schoolers. Little did they know, they were about to stumble upon a thrilling treasure hunt with tricky clues and a sinister thief who is determined to beat them each step of the way. Join these three amateur detectives for a small town Michigan mystery with twists and turns that will keep you guessing.
EXCERPT
“What kind of a girl name is Charlie, anyways?” saidtwelve-year-old Tyler with a smug smile on his face. On a lazy summerafternoon, Tyler couldn’t think of anything better to do than pick on his bestfriend Finn’s younger sister.
Charlie used every bit of her eleven-year-old strength notto respond and completely ignore Tyler’s dig, knowing how disappointed he wouldbe to not get a reaction. She kept working on organizing her tackle box,getting ready to head out fishing with the boys.
Tyler’s brown eyes flashed with irritation, but quicklychanged to satisfaction as he blurted out, “I imagine your mom must have knownyou wouldn’t be much of a lady when she picked the name Charlie!”
Charlie, unable to remain quiet a moment longer, calmlyreplied, “And your mom must have known you would make quite the lady when shenamed you, Tyler Francis Welch.”
Tyler’s face turned red as Finn burst out laughinghysterically.
“Why don’t you stop trying to make fun of her, Ty?” Finnsaid through his laughter. “She is always one step ahead of you, Tyler Francis!”
“Francis was my great-grandfather’s name…it used to be a boyname all the time back then,” Tyler mumbled defensively as he ran his handthrough his thick brown hair. “C’mon, let’s go fishing,” said Tyler, giving upon a comeback as he shook his head in defeat and started walking slowly downthe drive, carrying his pole and tackle box.
“One of these daysI’m gonna tell him your name is really Charlotte,” Finn whispered to Charliewith a small smile.
Charlie’s eyes got huge and then narrowed to slits as sheglared at her older brother. “You wouldn’t dare!” Charlie whispered with asmuch threat as she could muster.
Finn strode off, laughing good-naturedly as he swung hispole and tackle box, following Tyler down the drive. He was easy-going andliked to laugh, especially when his best friend and little sister sparred.
Charlie really wasn’t like most girls her age. She enjoyedbeing outdoors, fishing, gardening, and doing many other hobbies that mosteleven-year-old girls would find gross or boring. She really did have a skillwith words too. Somehow, she always had a witty comeback at just the righttime. Tyler would never admit it to her, but he admired her ability to brushoff his insults and easily put him in his place.
Review: A hidden treasure and three youngkids always up for a good mystery. Just like the movies—clues with riddles andtreasure. What a fun hunt! But the word “treasure” is both exciting anddangerous as people around a small town get wind of this. There was a thiefwilling to do whatever it took to find that treasure, putting these kids on atime clock. Can they find the treasure before the thief does?
I liked this story. I especiallyliked that Charlie—the only girl—was the smart one figuring out all the clues.With good instincts and great smarts, the kids figure out the mystery of thelake.
A quick and fun read!
Rating:4 stars
About the Author
Contact Links
Instagram: @dawnlineereedbooks
Purchase links
Book Blast: RED KINGDOM by Rachel L. Demeter
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rachel Demeter will award a copy of the ebook for Beauty of the Beast, the first book of the series, to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Little Red Riding Hood reimagined with a dark and realistic twist.
Princess Blanchette’s world shatters when the Black Wolf tears apart her castle and everything she holds dear. All she clings to is the vow she made to her grandmother on her deathbed.
Hailed as the people’s champion, Sir Rowan Dietrich liberates the capital in a quest for vengeance. He takes Winslowe Castle with an army at his back and his wolf, Smoke, at his side.
United by a shared cause and powerful attraction, Rowan and Blanchette embark on a journey of self-discovery and redemption—a path filled with loss, transformation, and ultimately, the healing power of love.
Can Norland’s resplendent princess, with her captivating beauty and spirit, tame the fabled Black Wolf?
Inspired by the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Red Kingdom is a passionate historical romance about the enduring quest for love and the longing for a world at harmony. It is a standalone novel.
Read an Excerpt
Death at her feet. Death in her home. Death in the air.
Death screamed in every corner of her mind.
Then Blanchette saw him.
Rowan Dietrich, the fabled Black Wolf of Norland, strode through her castle like a waking nightmare. His armor was crudely made, black as the surrounding night, the helm’s dark metal twisted into the shape of a wolf’s snarling head. But the most striking thing about him was his height. He towered above the other fighters and battled with a chilling methodicalness. How he moved and fought frightened Blanchette the greatest.
He looked collected. Even mildly amused. As if this were nothing more than a game. Blood soaked his sword as the blade whirled, whipped, slashed, and claimed lives in a macabre dance of death. And that wolf clung to his heels, its muzzle wet with blood, snarling and leaping at any man who dared come close to its master.
Monster. Demons.
The Black Wolf of Norland had always had a mist of legend around him. She remembered the stories her mother and governess had often whispered after the feasts and in the dark of the night.
“To me,” the Black Wolf called to a soldier a few yards away, his deep voice effortlessly carrying above the tumult. He didn’t need to yell, not even over the mayhem. The force of his tone was enough.
One of her father’s guards raised his blade, but too slowly. Rowan Dietrich’s longsword cut his head off, then came flashing back in a terrible two-handed slash that took another soldier in the leg.
With quivering anger, she realized that this man—this wolf, this beast—was the reason the sky was falling on her family. She clutched the dagger, wishing she could stand a chance against this mountain of a man. How good and right it would feel to plunge the blade deep into his heart and avenge what would likely be the end of her family’s dynasty.
Of course, she’d never survive him or his demon wolf. And if she was ever to avenge her family, if she was to keep her promise, survival meant everything.
About the Author:
I live in Sunny California with my dashing husband, who inspires my romance novels every day!Writing has always been an integral part of my identity. Before I physically learned how to write, I'd narrate stories to my mom, and she'd record them for me.
I graduated from Chapman’s film school, where I often received the feedback on my scripts, “Your stories and characters are great, but this reads like a novel!” That’s when I realized my true calling.
In my free time, I frequent reptile expos, lift double my body’s weight, and indulge in dinosaur trivia.
I'm passionate about writing stories that explore what it means to be human and to be loved. My books focus on hope, courage, and redemption in the face of adversity.
Buy Links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CTK1TB8N
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940167675704
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/Search?Query=9798224439089
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/x/id6476895016
Social Links
Instagram: https://instagram.com/racheldemeterauthor
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@rldemeter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rldemeter/
Twitter: https://x.com/RachelLDemeter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7791305.Rachel_L_Demeter
a Rafflecopter giveaway
April 3, 2024
Blog Tour: OFF THE BOOKS by Dana King
OFF THE BOOKS
Dana King
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GENRE: Hard-boiled Private Investigator
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BLURB:
NickForte has lost his detective agency and makes ends meet doing background checksand other paperwork. He pays for everything else through jobs he takes for cashand without any written contract. What starts out as a simple investigationinto a traffic accident exposes Forte to people who have truly lost everythingand have no viable hope of reclaiming their lives. That doesn’t sit well withForte, leading him and his friend Goose Satterwhite to take action that endsmore violently than anyone expected.
“Thereturn of Chicago private detective Nick Forte, the tough protagonist of twoShamus Award nominated novels, is well worth the wait. Nick’s latest escapadeOff The Books—the first in nearly six years—will surely earn additional praisefor the acclaimed series.”
-J.L.Abramo, Shamus Award-winning author of Chasing Charlie Chan.
"NickForte reminds me of Robert B. Parker's Spenser: a PI with a finely tuned senseof justice who doesn't take anyone's s***. Any fan of hardboiled detectivefiction is in for a helluva ride."
--ChrisRhatigan, former publisher of All Due Respect Books
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ExcerptTwo:
I’m a professional snoop. People’s privacy went only as faras the task at hand in my profession. I executed search warrants as a cop andopened more drawers than an Ethan Allen quality control inspector since I wentprivate. Tonight I felt as if I was violating something sacred as I lookedthrough what passed for personal effects in that trailer. Beside each bunk weretwo banker’s boxes that held what appeared to be all the earthly possessions ofthe men (and women?) who lived here. Most were family photos. Children’sdrawings. Bibles and small statues of saints. A T-shirt or two. The random pairof jeans. I had no idea how often supplies were replenished. Must have beenlike Red Cross day in the POW camp this place kept reminding me of.
Bare bulbs suspended from the ceiling with reflectors abovethem were the only light sources. No clocks. A small shrine to the Virgin Maryoccupied a corner of the kitchen.
What little fresh air I felt came through screened vents inthe ceiling. I pulled a bunk over so I could peek through and found vent coverssix inches above the opening. Air could pass through, but nothing else. Acrylicshields swung up to cover the vent in cold weather.
I photographed it all. After saving about fifty images Ireturned everything to where it had been and let myself out. Made sure the lockwas in the same position I found it. Walked back to my car with my head on aswivel, alert to anything that might be a threat, or possibly useful when Icame back.
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Topic: Without spoilers, please describe your most pivotalscene and why it's important to the story.
In Off the Books, Chicago private investigator NickForte is hired to travel to Lundy, Illinois, to investigate a traffic accident.Lundy is in farm country near Normal, but don’t look for it on a map. I made itup.
Even Forte thinks it’s BS, but it pays, so he goes. Somethingis fishy about how the local police aren’t handling the case, but he’s stillnot too impressed. He stops in a convenience store on the way back to his hotelone day and notices the clerk’s attention is riveted on something Forte can’tsee; the man appears frightened.
Forte wonders if the place is being robbed and, being Forte,sets down his purchases to see what’s what. He looks down a hallway at the backof the store in time to see the men’s room door swing shut. He follows up tofind a man trying to climb out a window above the sink that is in no way largeenough to accommodate him.
Forte grabs the man’s ankles and drags him back inside tofind a twenty-something dressed in a dirty tee shirt, jeans, and cheap sneakers;the man speaks no English. Forte’s Spanish is high school-caliber and much ofthe scene is a combination of sign language and awkward translation until Fortecan figure out the man is an undocumented worker who finds himself in asituation where…
Let’s just say he finds himself in a situation he has nogood way out of and was not of his own making. Forte isn’t someone to let suchthings slide, especially as he’s taken an instant liking to the man.
It’s a pivotal scene in the truest sense, as the entirestory turns from what it had been about to what it’s going to be about afterthis. And the two are related.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Offthe Books is Dana King’s sixth Nick Forte private investigator novel. Two ofthe earlier books (A Small Sacrifice and The Man in the Window) received ShamusAward nominations from the Private Eye Writers of America. Dana also writes thePenns River series of police procedurals set in a small Western Pennsylvaniatown, as well as one standalone novel, Wild Bill, which is not a Western. Hisshort fiction appears in numerous anthologies and web sites. He is a frequentpanelist at conferences and reads at Noirs at Bars from New York to NorthCarolina.
WEBSITE
BLOG
OneBite at a Time https://danaking.blogspot.com
@DanaKingAuthor
https://www.facebook.com/dana.king.735/
BUYLINKS
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GIVEAWAY
DanaKing will award a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.
a Rafflecopter giveawayBlog Tour: WHEN THE OCEAN FLIES by Heather G. Marshall
WHEN THE OCEAN FLIES
Heather G. Marshall
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GENRE: Women's Fiction
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BLURB:
Anemail from a stranger tells Alison Earley that her natural father, whom she hasknown for only six years, has died suddenly. What begins as a short trip backto Scotland for a funeral soon becomes a journey that puts adoption, sexuality,and identity on a collision course as Alison finds herself caught between thelife and family she has so carefully constructed on one continent and thefamily from which she was taken on another.
Shunnedby her father's family, reunited with her natural mother, and reconnected witha long-lost love, Alison finds herself trying to shepherd her youngest childtowards college while questioning everything she thought she knew aboutherself.
Whenher natural mother uncovers a series of letters written to Alison from thegrandmother she never knew, resurrecting stories of generations ofwomen--stories long buried by patriarchal rule--Alison realizes that she mustfind the courage to face and reveal the secrets of her own past. At what cost,though? And who and what will be left in the aftermath?
Whenthe Ocean Flies explores the pain of separation and abuse, and the power oflove to heal even over huge gaps in time and geographical distance.
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Excerpt One:
Bluemicrofiche, the image yellowed. Alison perched on the edge of the chair. Therewas her name. Not her name, now. Not Alison. The one she started with: Jayne.Jayne Kerr. The handwriting small and neat. Mother’s name: Mary MacGilavryKerr.
Jayne.
And Mary.
The tightsignature at the bottom: her mother’s signature. She lifted one hand to thescreen. Her chest clenched. She pulled her notebook from her bag, copied thename, as though she was likely to forget. Father’s name ______________.
Heat. Redcheeks in this gray basement. She wished she were stoat, or beaver, watercreature, able to dive down. Cool, dark water. She held her breath. Held hertears. Who are these people? This Mary? This Jayne? Who am I? Jayne and Alison,like two separate people, with two separate lines of possibility, one body. Nofather. She couldn’t look at it a second longer.
She pushed thechair back, suddenly taken by the need to burst up, out, back to light and air.
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GUEST POST
Topic : Whatwas the greatest challenge in writing this book and how did you overcome it?
Getting myself outof the way! I am an adoptee and I started toying with the idea that wouldultimately become When the Ocean Flies when I first met my biologicalparents—my mother nineteen years ago and my father seventeen years ago. Thereunion process brought up lots of questions for me—who am I and what evenmakes me who I am? How true is the narrative that we believe about ourselves—theone we are given by the people we grow up amid, by time and place? Can wechange it? Insert a plot twist?
I read a lot aboutthe adoption experience from the adoptee perspective, and I knew I wanted towrite about it, too, but that I wanted something larger (and more compelling)than my own life. I wanted to write fiction, not memoir.
As I wrote, my ownlife kept inserting itself. I’d start down a fictive path and find myselfhaving wandered off into memoir territory. I finally gave in. This might havebeen the long way home, so to speak, but it worked for me. I had to allowmyself to write my actual story first. I ended up with over six hundred pages.Having those words on the page did three things. It was a clearing out thatallowed me to open space internally, emotionally to explore what the novelmight be, to really dig into the fiction I wanted to create. Yes, based onevents in my own life, but not the actual places, people, events. It affirmedthat I truly did not want to write memoir. And it allowed me the distancerequired to write well and to explore key ideas: who we are as individuals andwomen, what causes us to alter ourselves for the promise of acceptance andbelonging, how we can connect even over huge gaps in time and geographicaldistance, and how we might heal and live full and satisfying lives.
Once my own life wasout of the way, I was able to connect deeply with wholly fictional characterslike Eilidh, the grandmother who writes the letters in the novel. I wasunbounded by what had happened and fully open to what might happen nexton the page.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Heather G. Marshall is an adoptee, author, speaker, teacher,coach, and traveler. Her short fiction has been published in a variety ofjournals, including Black Middens: New Writing Scotland, and Quarried, ananthology of the best of three decades of Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel. Herfirst novel, The Thorn Tree, released in 2014 (MP Publishing). Her TED talk,“Letting Go of Expectations,” centers around her adoption and reunion. Hersecond novel, When the Ocean Flies, released in February 2024 (Vine Leaves Press).In her writing, Heather explores family, adoption, women (especially olderones), the natural environment, and how these intersect. When she isn’twriting, she likes to hike, travel, practice yoga and meditation, do a wee bitof knitting, and, of course, read. Originally from Scotland, Heather iscurrently based in Massachusetts.
Links to Heather’s socials
Website: https://heathergmarshall.com
Substack: https://heathergmarshall.substack.com
Instagram: @heather_g_marshall https://www.instagram.com/heather_g_marshall
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.marshall.3956
Buy links for When the Ocean Flies
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/when-the-ocean-flies-heather-g-marshall/20885419
Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/when-the-ocean-flies/heather-g-marshall/9783988320452
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-the-ocean-flies-heather-g-marshall/1144381375
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GIVEAWAY
HeatherG. Marshall will award a randomly drawn winner a $20 Amazon/BN GC.
a Rafflecopter giveawayApril 1, 2024
Blog Tour: GUINEA PIG POWER by Ben St. James
GUINEA PIG POWER
Ben St. James
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GENRE: Childrens
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BLURB:
JoinFuzwald and Rex, two guinea pigs with a secret life! By day, they're yourcuddly pets, but when the moon rises, they transform into unlikely superheroes,thanks to a special lab-made treat. In this heartwarming and amusing rhymingstory, follow their nighttime escapades as they tackle daring missions, rescuekittens, and maintain order in their tiny world. With impeccable disguises andunwavering courage, Fuzwald and Rex prove that heroes come in all shapes andsizes. Enjoy this delightful tale that will tickle your funny bone and warmyour heart, reminding us that even the smallest among us can be the mightiestheroes.
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EXCERPT
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Review: Meet Fuzwald and Rex, two pets youcould hold. The guinea pigs reminded me of Ren and Stimpy. So cute and funny. Byday, they were just regular guinea pigs. But, by night, they were super pigs.Whoa! This is their story of how it all began.
The rhymes were cute and thedoodles were even cuter.
If you like how the Ninja Turtlesstarted, you’ll enjoy these super rascals.
“So remember this tale, of ourheroes so true, with top secret powers and goals to pursue.”
A nice read!
Rating:4 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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GIVEAWAY
The author will award a $10 Amazon/BN GC to arandomly drawn winner.
Blog Tour: THE FAMILY THAT FINDS US by Phoenix Blackwood
THE FAMILY THAT FINDS US
Phoenix Blackwood
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GENRE: LGBTQIA+ Coming of Age
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BLURB:
Pheehides her secrets well, until they become too much to bear. Her biggest secretis one she’s kept even from herself. Her longest-kept secret is one that hurtsher every day. Her final secret is one that will set her free.
Ina school that doesn’t accept them, Phee, Theo, and Alex fight for a communityclose to their hearts. The community desperately needs the trio to help therest of them leave the shadows without fear of violence and discrimination.Through some heroic activism, the three push the school officials to theirlimits — forcing them to act — for better or worse.
ForPhee, the fight for a place where she can be herself doesn’t stop when she getshome. The strain of taking care of her alcoholic and abusive mother threatensto break Phee away from her family bond forever. Her mother can go from a messydrunk to an angry one in an instant, turning Phee’s home life from anobligation to a war zone.
Theo’shouse offers respite to Phee. With compassion scarce in her life, Alex and Theoare Phee’s light in the dark. They protect and cherish her. At Theo’s, Phee isfree to be herself and explore her identity safely — her chosen family ready tocatch her if she falls. That’s what family does, how family finds us when wefeel lost and alone.
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Excerpt One:
“Thank you, my preciou-ous-es son.” She slurred her words asshe spoke into the table, and I sighed inaudibly.
At least she wasn’t angry-drunk. This was the drunk I couldhandle, the drunk I knew how to care for. I’d been doing it half my life, itwould be strange if I weren’t good at it by now. I finished the dishes and laidthem out on the drying rack after wiping them dry with a kitchen towel, thensat down in the chair next to her at the table.
“Do you need anything, mom? Have you eaten? Drank anything?”
“Mmno.” She rolled her face to look at me, her deep darkeyes glistening but not completely there.
I got a plastic cup from the cupboard and filled it withsome ice water and handed it to her. Her hands shook as she tried to lift thecup from mine, so I helped her guide it to her mouth and take a couple sips,then set it back down on the table in front of her. I rummaged through thefridge to pull out some milk and went to the pantry for some cereal. Only, aslifted the milk to pour, I felt objects hit the side of the carton. I openedthe cap to take a whiff and gagged; the milk was sour. Sighing, I dropped thecarton into the trash and opened the barren fridge to search for anotheroption.
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GUEST POST
Themain character in The Family that Finds Us, Phee, is driven so completely by aneed to be herself. She’s spent her life forcing herself to be what everyoneelse wants, and it really comes to a head in this book. She can’t do itanymore, she can’t lie to herself, about herself, about who she is and wants tobe. So desperately, she wants to please everyone around here, and she’s triedso hard to do so to a point that she’s hurting herself. It’s impossible toplease some of the people in her life, give them what they want all the time.Their actions show no consideration for her needs and wants, yet she feels anaccountability to consider theirs in every decision she makes.
Thingsstart to fall apart around her as it becomes harder and harder to deny who sheis. She confides in her best friend, Theo, and finally admits her true identityto herself as well as them. Self-denial being her biggest obstacle, she mustnow face a new one: her tumultuous relationship with her mother. Her motherhadn’t reacted well when she’d come out as gay — what wrath would the news thatshe was trans bring upon her?
Soshe decides to keep it a secret, play the game of being her mother’s preciousson when she’s at home. It’s a game that hurts and does so much damage, itleaves Phee crawling out of her skin in every waking moment. Behind the lockeddoor of her bedroom, she experiments with her presentation, letting herself bemore feminine and less like a boy hiding in baggy band t-shirts.
AtTheo’s house, she can be free. Theo’s girlfriend, Alex, is eager, if not a bitover-enthusiastic, about giving Phee the makeover of her dreams. They spendhours picking out clothes, doing makeup, braiding hair, all the things Pheewished she’d experienced in her childhood, the things she’d longed for. Sheexplains her longing for Theo’s confidence to be themself, even in the awfulenvironment of the school the three of them attend.
Theschool is another difficult obstacle for Phee – she’d been bullied before, eventhough she hadn’t really even come out as gay. She’d never had a boyfriend,never expressed interest in anyone. Apparently her cobbled together facadehadn’t been enough to fool the other kids at school, even though she’d beendoing a pretty good job fooling herself. Theo had always been there to stand upfor her, and she knew they’d always have her back, but what about the timeswhen Theo wasn’t around?
Whatwill Phee’s future hold, and how will she overcome these obstacles? Will sheever truly feel safe enough to be herself? Find out in the final book of theSurviving Youth Trilogy, The Family that Finds Us.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Born and raised in New England, Phoenix has always been a creative– whether it’s painting or writing. From a very young age, Phoenix hasenvisioned and created characters, writing them into existence and exploringthem through visual arts. Having graduated to first-time short story author,Phoenix is embarking on a journey towards novel writing as they finally bringcharacters they’ve known for years into the world. Phoenix is neurodiverse andintersex and hopes to bring more representation to both topics with theirwriting. They believe in creating relatable characters that people can findthemselves in and empathize with.
Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Family-That-Finds-Us-ebook/dp/B0CQVC7WQ3/ref=sr_1_1
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