Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 97

Book Blast: POETRY FROM MY HEART by Paul Guerin

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Paul Guerin will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

"Poetry: writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm."

"Poetry: a literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm."

Poetry means different things to different people. For me, it is all about feelings. If it captures the emotions of the reader, a poem will resonate and fill the soul. It can mean everything to one person and not much at all to another. The mood of the reader, and no one else, determines the outcome.

For example, love poems are wonderful when you are in love, and their passion is amazing. If you are facing adversity, however, love poems likely will just annoy you.

In this second book, Poetry from my Heart: The Journey Continues, I have again divided the poems into categories which will fit your mood no matter what you are experiencing at the time you choose to explore them. There should be something for everyone, whether you are in love, out of love, hurt, lonely, angry, abandoned, or facing other challenges in your life.

Poetry has a healing power that nurtures the soul and quietens the mind and so I hope that whatever your situation is in life, you have found something here that helped you safely on your own journey.

Read an Excerpt



The green hills of Ireland

The green hills of Ireland are calling to me
I hear their soft whisper wherever I roam
No matter whether on land or on sea
The green hills of Ireland keep calling me home

I lived in old Ireland as a young lad you see
And I left my heart there on some mossy hillside
Now I yearn to go back to set my heart free
And awaken a dream I can no longer hide

For I love your high mountains and windy seashore
Your hills and your streams rolling down to the sea
And I long to go home to my lost land of yore
And return to the Irish that’s deep within me

Now sheep in the pastures are calling to me
From the craggy rock walls that keep them inside
While the streams that run down from the mountains so free
Speak sparkling with hope and a joy they can’t hide

I long for the ocean on the Wild Atlantic Way
And the crazy coast road that winds in and out
And the sea breeze that whispers I hope you will stay
And the people all happily wandering about

I remember the old priory standing in ruins
Near Castletownroche with its bridge and its mill
I recall all the pubs with their loud Irish tunes
And my mind wanders back where my soul lingers still

I miss all the people so friendly and kind
With their musical language and soft Irish smiles
How they welcomed me home with a grace so refined
That I felt their great love from thousands of miles

The green hills of Ireland keep calling to me
Come home now we’re waiting to see you once more
For you know in your heart it’s the place you must be
So return again Irish to your green land of yore

About the Author: Paul Guerin is an Irishman. He was born in September 1946 in Castletownroche, a small townland village in County Cork, Eire.

It was there in Castletownroche that his romantic imagination was sparked as he came to love and appreciate the magic of his surroundings. Those early experiences were the genesis of his poetry that emerged in later life.

As a young adult, Paul lived in London, England, where he became a chartered accountant.

At age 25, restless for adventure, Paul moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where he still resides today.

Paul is happily married and is a proud father and grandfather.

Paul writes poetry as the inspiration comes to him. As long as his mind, body and soul are willing companions and his spark of inspiration remains alive, he will continue to write.

This book is Paul's second publication in his Willing Heart series. His first book was published in the Spring of 2022 and is called Poetry from My Heart: A Journey through Feelings. The book reached #1 on Amazon’s Kindle chart in British Poetry and #2 in Poetry Anthologies November 2023.

For more information visit http://www.paulguerinpoems.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60876796-poetry-from-my-heart
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulguerinpoems

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Poetry-My-Heart-Journey-Feelings-ebook/dp/B09XFFQ5GW/ref=sr_1_4

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Book Blast: THE WORLD COUNCIL by Norm Meech

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Norm Meech will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Ricky Montgomery had just graduated high school in June 1976 and was enjoying life as an 18-year-old teenager. He was hired by the Dawson City Police Force, and after graduating from police college he was assigned to work as an undercover operative in a motorcycle gang.

Ricky, although happy, was struggling living his double life as a cop and biker. Then it happened: during a biker war, Ricky's life was saved by agents from the World Council (TWC). TWC was created by the world's leaders to prevent manmade disasters from happening and to liaise with aliens who have been monitoring mankind for hundreds of years. TWC's mandate, with the assistance of aliens, is to ensure mankind's continued existence.

TWC is a highly secretive organization, whose agents have the ability to travel through time, to change history, and to take lives to save lives. Ricky becomes a TWC agent and discovers that TWC's command staff is making unethical decisions, hiding secrets about aliens and trying to reduce the world's population through biological warfare. Ricky teams up with other agents and tries to save mankind and the world from disaster.

Read an Excerpt

There were overhead cranes that slid on the metal tracking in the ceiling running the distances of the corridors. I was not sure why, but my gut was telling me there was something really strange going on. Something wasn’t right, I really felt like I was in danger. We were walking in a large group and being a Prospect I was at the back of the pack. Although I was walking, I became scared something was wrong. I didn't even have a gun with me. This was supposed to be a peaceful patch-over.

Then it happened, the shooting started. There were muzzle flashes all over the place. It appeared that we were surrounded and the guys were being shot and were dropping everywhere. Some of the guys were trying to return fire, but the shots appeared to be coming from everywhere.

I suddenly observed these strange metal objects rolling around with guns shooting at us. Something was killing us and there was blood everywhere. Suddenly these metal walls started falling from the roof, blocking doorways and corridors herding us into areas, to be slaughtered.

I had taken cover behind a large metal shelf and I heard somebody yelling at me to climb up the ladder to the roof. I looked over to the right and two corridors over someone else was climbing up another ladder to the roof.

I looked again and the guys were still being slaughtered. Out of fear and self preservation I climbed the ladder as fast as I could. Although I was afraid of heights I was more scared about being shot and killed.

I periodically glanced down and it was so strange, those mechanical things were still rolling around firing shots at everyone. I got to the top of the ladder and saw that there was a metal platform to stand on. I stood on the platform and I glanced down to where the other guy had climbed to. He had pushed some type of button and suddenly he went shooting down the corridor ceiling on some type of overhead crane track out of sight.

I saw some buttons on the adjacent panel and l pushed the green button. Holy shit! I went flying down the ceiling. It was a fast ride, like I was almost travelling through time. It appeared to have taken me thousands of feet in a few seconds. Then suddenly I stopped and I looked around. Off in the distance I still saw these weird metal walls dropping from the ceiling. They were blocking corridors and exits. They were still isolating the guys into smaller areas, to be slaughtered.

I then saw the adjacent guy diving into a room just before a metal wall blocked his exit. The large metal wall came down fast, then slowed for a few seconds before locking into the other metal wall. I looked to my left and saw a strange thing. There was a group of people all dressed in white coloured laboratory coats, rushing around in a room that had a large window overlooking the warehouse.

I was concerned that a metal wall was going to come down and that I was going to be trapped so I decided that I had to jump through the window and escape into that room. I took a few steps and jumped through the window as a metal wall started to come down. Shit!, I was going to be squashed and I was going to lose my legs. At the last second I was able to lift both my legs out of the way, while flipping over on my back. With a clang the metal wall crashed down.

I was laying on my back trying to figure out what the fuck was going on when I saw an Asian girl approaching me. She said, “Hi Rick, I’m Irene and I’m glad you were able to get out in time. You have to come with me now.”

“What the hell is going on?” I managed to ask.

She looked at me, “I will explain everything to you in a few minutes but we have to get decontaminated right away.” She turned and started walking. “Follow me, stay close and do what I do.”

About the Author: Norm Meech has been retired for nearly two years, capping a distinguished forty-four-year career in policing. He fondly recalls the camaraderie of work friends forged during his tenure and the unique experiences as a police officer.

While missing aspects of his former profession, Norm keeps himself engaged by maintaining fitness and pursuing various hobbies. Additionally, he channels his creativity into writing, aiming to produce a book annually. His latest work delves into science fiction, inviting readers to ponder questions about the existence of aliens, unidentified flying objects, government involvement in secret conspiracies, the potential for time travel, and the impact of human activities on the planet. Norm hopes readers enjoy the fictional stories he crafts, sparking contemplation and curiosity.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Norm-Meech/100078187723504/
Wordpress.com: https://normmeech.wordpress.com/about-author/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/normmeech

Amazon buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/World-Council-Norm-Meech-ebook/dp/B0CLGPHWCX/ref=sr_1_1

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Review: BITTER PAST by Caroline Fardig

 

 

**2nd Time Review **

 

“No body farm, no way! Not ever,not today!”

 

That was the picket slogan amongthe student body protesting a body farm at the college.

 

Ellie Matthews was a criminologyprofessor at the college and future assistant of the body farm. When touringthe old clown park—AKA future site of the body farm—they find their first body,which belonged to one of the student protesters.

 

Of course, Ellie’s colleague,Cooper, was suspected of the murder since it was his property and especiallysince he had an affair with the student last semester. Somehow Ellie getsdragged back into forensic field work, especially when a second student isfound dead. Were the two deaths linked?

 

The mystery was alluring andEllie’s witty and sassy tone just brings the story to life. The scientific andforensic jargon can get a little too specific and too daunting. After some timeof this, the read becomes long and slow at times. I would’ve preferred thechapters to be shorter. The read was honestly going strong with my rating of 4stars, but the length and pace of it brought it down to 3.5 stars. The bestpart was how it all boiled down to a good ending, which made this a good readfor me. I’ll definitely check out the rest of this author’s books. I’m glad Igave this book a 2nd review.

 

Rating:3.5 stars

Blog Tour: THE LOCATION SHOOT by Patricia Leavy

 

The Location Shoot

by Patricia Leavy

 

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GENRE: Romance

 

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BLURB: Controversialfilmmaker Jean Mercier is shooting a film on location in Sweden. While spendingthe summer creating his latest work of cinematic art, he lives in a nearby innwith his lead actors: Albie Hughes, British veteran of stage and screen;Charlotte Reed, British indie film queen; Michael Hennesey, American TVheartthrob; Willow Barnes, fallen former teen star looking to make a comeback;and Finn Forrester, legendary Hollywood movie star. Mercier invites his friendElla Sinclair—a beautiful, bohemian-spirited American philosopher known for herprovocative writing—to stay with them for the summer. When Ella arrives, Finnis instantly enchanted by her, and soon they fall madly in love. Finn wants toplan a life together, but Ella harbors fears and convinces him to wait untilthe film wraps to decide their future. In a case of life imitating art, thefilm they are creating explores “the big questions” and prompts the stars toreflect on the crossroads they face in their own lives. How will theirexperiences on location affect them when they return home? The answers won’tcome until months later, when the cast and crew reconvene on the red carpet atthe Cannes Film Festival—but their revelation will make for one unforgettablenight.

 

 

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Excerpt One:

 

Soon they weresoaking in the tub, surrounded by the soft glow of candlelight. Ella leanedagainst Finn and sighed contentedly as he wrapped his strong arms around her.

 

“I thoughtabout you all day today,” he said.

 

“You did?”

 

“I couldn’t getthe image of you with those kids out of my head. You were such a natural withthem.”

 

“I’m crazy fortiny humans, always have been. I love their curiosity, big imaginations, bigemotions. When a toddler is overjoyed, it’s infectious. They can’t contain itand it just oozes out of them. They feel everything so fully, so honestly, withtheir whole selves.”

 

“Do you want tohave children of your own?”

 

“Finn…”

 

He squeezed herwaist and said, “Have you ever thought about it?”

 

“Have you?” sheasked, turning to face him.

 

“Ella, I wouldlove to have a family with you someday, when we’re ready. Do you want to have afamily with me?”

 

“Well, yes,but…”

 

“But what,baby?”

 

“I would wantto have children with you, but I wouldn’t want to have them without you.”

 

“What do youmean?”

 

“The way I grewup, it just made me not want to do it on my own.”

 

“You wouldn’tbe. We’d be together. I’m not going anywhere.”

 

“Finn, there’smore than one way to be alone. You spend your life flying around the world toshoot movies and attend film festivals. Where would that leave me? Alone.”

 

“Sweetheart, ifwe choose to have a family someday, some things would obviously change. I’vebeen thinking about this since we met, but I didn’t want to bring it up andscare you away by asking too much too soon. But after I saw you today, Ithought we could at least talk about it. It’s just a conversation.”

 

“You’ve beenthinking about it all this time?”

 

“Yes,” he said,gently running his fingers down her arm.

 

“What have youbeen thinking about?”

 

“Well, we couldtake some time to be alone together, to travel. If we had a child, you wouldboth travel with me to film sets. I can get the studio to rent us a house. We’dhire a nanny and any other kind of help we want so you could write, I could work,and we could all be together. When our oldest is school aged, I would only takejobs in LA, except maybe in the summers when we could all still travel as afamily. We could show them the world. Being a husband and father would be mypriority. You wouldn’t go to so much as a single doctor’s appointment aloneunless you wanted to. If I had to give up acting and be a stay-at-home dad,that’s fine too.”

 

“Wow. You’vereally thought about this.”

 

“Well, yeah. Ican’t help it. Our future spilled out before me when you told me you love me.But it’s just a fantasy. Sweetheart, there’s no pressure. Until today, I didn’teven know if children were a possibility. If we live our lives together, justthe two of us, I’d be perfectly happy.” He planted a soft kiss in her hair.

 

“Just afantasy?” she asked.

 

“Yeah, for now.Do you ever fantasize about our future?”

 

She nodded.

 

“Tell me.”

 

“Well, I alwaysimagined that I’d keep working, but less than I do now. I’d want to spend timewith my babies.”

 

“Babies?” heasked. “How many?”

 

“Three. Twogirls and then a boy. I don’t care about gender, it’s just what I imagine.”

 

He rubbed hershoulder. “Tell me more.”

 

“They’d alllook like you,” she said.

 

“Oh, see, in mymind each one of them looks just like you.”

 

She smiled andhe kissed the tip of her nose.

 

“Keep going,”he said.

 

“Well, I likeyour idea of traveling together. I imagined that…”

 

“What, baby?”

 

“It’s silly.”

 

“Tell meanyway.”

 

“Well, it’sjust a fantasy, but I can picture us buying a little house in the Frenchcountryside for summers and holidays. You know, one of those old stone houseswith wooden beams on the ceilings and a wood-burning stove, with plenty of roomoutside for the kids to roll around in the grass and a space for me to write.”She crinkled her nose and shook her head. “I told you, it’s silly.”

 

“Not to me. Ithink it sounds perfect,” he said, kissing her. “So, two girls and a boy, huh?I should warn you, I’ve always liked traditional names, like Emily and Sarah.I’m guessing you gravitate toward more free-spirited names like Lula Belle orBlue Moon. I’m prepared to fight you on this.” He playfully put up his dukes,but she grabbed one of his hands and kissed it.

 

She laughed.“Actually, I was thinking if we had a girl, maybe we’d call her Betty. It’scompletely traditional, but modern too. I don’t know. It’s just a thought.”

 

“Betty, huh? Ilove it. And you know what else? I love you.” He stopped to stroke the side ofher face. “I love you so much, Ella. There’s no fantasy we can’t make a realityif we choose to. Come on, sweetheart. Let’s dry off and slip into bed. I wantto show you exactly how I feel about you.”

 

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What was the hardest part about writing this book and howdid you overcome it?

 

I wrote this book during the lockdown.Like so many others, I was bored at home, binge watching movies, double fistingpotato chips, and filled with existential doom. I wanted to escape to someplacejoyful, romantic, and creative. Due to the pandemic, I was thinking about thebig questions of life, and so I decided to write a novel about a group making afilm about the meaning of life and living together in seclusion. Given thetopic of the film, my heroine became a philosopher, Ella Sinclair, and theheart of the novel is a romance between Ella and Hollywood movie star FinnForrester. Because of the pandemic, I was literally immersed in the story-worldseven days a week. I was doing nothing else during that time except writing thenovel. It was my escape from the reality we were all living in and really, itwas my whole life while I was working on it. The hardest part of writing it waswhen it was done. I always feel emotional when I finish a novel. It’s hard toleave the story-world and characters you’ve spent day in and day out with. Ialways feel a bit blue letting them go. This time it was much worse. Not onlydid I absolutely love writing this book and I had fallen completely in lovewith the characters, but it had been my whole life. Writing the book was myreason to get up each day. It was all I had during that time. Finishing it feltlike a massive loss. Suddenly, my reason to get up and race to my office eachday was gone. To deal with it, I dragged out my rounds of revisions for as longas I could, rereading, tweaking, adding, editing. Finally, I found inspirationfor the next novel. Once I started writing it, I was fine. That’s what italways takes to leave one story behind, starting the next.

 

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning,best-selling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology,Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of GenderStudies at Stonehill College. She has published more than forty books; her workhas been translated into many languages, and she has received more than fortybook honors. Her last novel, Hollyland, was featured on She Reads in “The MostAnticipated Romances of Spring 2023” and was the 2023 Firebird Book Awards 1stPlace Winner in Pop Culture Fiction and 1st Place Winner in Summer/Beach Read.Patricia has also received career awards from the New England SociologicalAssociation, the American Creativity Association, the American EducationalResearch Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, andthe National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by theNational Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “PatriciaLeavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” Patricia lives in Maine. In additionto writing, she enjoys art, reading, and travel.

https://www.amazon.com/Location-Shoot-Novel-Patricia-Leavy/dp/1647425670

https://www.amazon.com/Hollyland-Novel-Patricia-Leavy/dp/1647422965

 

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GIVEAWAY 

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

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Blog Tour: HUDSON AT THE TRACK by Alexis Levesque

Hudson at the Track

by Alexis Levesque

 

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GENRE: JUVENILE NONFICTION /Sports & Recreation / General

 

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BLURB: Discoverthe importance of safety gear, perseverance, and bike maintenance in thisthrilling motocross adventure. Let the story be the starting point of yourchild`s imagination. Encourage them to step outside of the book into the worldof motocross where they set the limits and make anything possible.

 

 

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EXCERPT

 

 

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Review: Hudson loves to ride his dirtbike. But before he does, he makes sure that he practices proper safety andincludes a list of items. When he has all his gear in check, Hudson is off onthe track. It is important to never give up. Just because you fall off is noreason to stop trying.

A cute story about fun and safety!

 

Rating:4 stars

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Alexis Levesque is from Québec, Canada, and alwayshad an interest in motocross. Fueled by this passion, he embarked on a creativejourney to craft a children's book centered around motocross, featuring his sonHudson as the main character. Today, Alexis, along with his family of four,resides in New Brunswick, Canada.

 

Social media

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mx_kids_book/  

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

 

https://www.amazon.com/Hudson-at-Track-Alexis-Levesque/dp/0228868173

 

 

 

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GIVEAWAY

Alexis Levesque will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawnwinner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: SEX CRIMINALS Vol. 1 by Matt Fraction

 

Having sex to stop time. Well,that was…different.

 

Some of the text was hard to readso I couldn’t get the full story, but the pictures paint it rather well. Agirl’s sexual awakening slowly brings about her special “gift.” Story relaysher experience with sex and time. The guy frozen in mid-hump was kind of funny.Wow, the whole world freezes, eh? The little doodles of the sex positions werea little weird. Is that really possible?

 

The graphics were colorful, butthey were chaotic and weird. There was some crude humor in it, which was kindof nice but also a little weird at times. This story was all about the “how” ofher sex power. Then she meets someone just like her and the two go on a sexualcrime spree. Cool!

 

An okay read. Not enough for me tocontinue the series.

 

Rating:3 stars

Review: 10 DIRTY EROTIC FANTASIES by Lacey Harper

Stories are a little slow to beginwith, but they do get down and dirty in the end. There’s a lot of time spent onoral, which you can only take so much of before becoming dull and redundant.Stories pretty much sounded the same to me, even though the author tried toinclude a variety of sex from one-on-one to group. Eh, these were okay reads.

 

Rating:3 stars

Review: THE NEW HIRE by Ellis O’ Day

 

“Her looks and her body were afleeting gift that time would soon destroy.” And that was why Desiree—theproduct of desire and so appropriately named—was trying to get a job at a sexclub, Le Petite Mort Club, to secure her financial future.

 

It was kind of slow to kickstartthings with the card and pool game in the beginning. She doesn’t want to havesex on her first night at the club, but will a handsome and powerful man changethat? Instead, the man offers her a deal.

 

“I can help you avoid the cheap,the violent, and the poor, and those that are just not that good at givingpleasure.” He could help her make more money and get out of there faster.

 

It does take a while to get to herfirst, who was a sexy cowboy. Not bad for a first. There’s too muchexplanation. By the time you get to the actual sex, you’re not that into itanymore.

 

A pretty decent read, but thiswill surely be it for me and I won’t be continuing the series.

 

Rating:3 stars

Review: THE DIARY OBSESSION by S.M. Pratt

 

One man and two women…and theirdiaries detailing the explicit sexual adventures. The diary entries here weremuch slower and seemed to blather on needlessly. And we get these diary entriesfrom both women, women that often pine for one another. I didn’t get to any sexstuff because I was so bored out of my mind. Was there even any sex? I don’tknow. This was nothing like the previous book series, The Stewardess Diaries,which were quicker and way hotter. This one was just a big, FAT FLOP. What awaste!

 

Rating:1 star

Review: SILENCED IN LITTLE LEAF CREEK by Cindy Bell

 

Christmas snow was just theperfect condition for a car crash and a dead driver. But was it the treacherousdriving conditions? No, someone had cut the brakes. Dynamic duo Cassie andTessa were on the case.

 

One twin down, then the other getswhacked, too. Did this have anything to do with their criminal past? Or wasthere a possible hit list on a group of volunteer carolers?

 

A good mystery!

 

Rating:4 stars