Cathrina Constantine's Blog, page 65

Celebrate the Small Things

I Almost Forgot to Celebrate the Small Things!! Sorry this is sooo late!

1. I'm walking again. Not outside in the tundra, but on the treadmill.

2. My son got engaged! WOW! Big Celebration!

3. As you know my second book TALLAS came out last Saturday!

4. I'm Healthy! What could be better, right?

Thanks to Scribblings of an Aspiring Author for this blog hop!

What are You Celebrating?

INSECURE WRITER'S SUPPORT GROUP

Thank You To Alex J. Cavanaugh for this Wonderful Support Group. Press on Alex's name and join in this monthly group. This month Alex's co-hosts are Sheena-Kay Graham, Julie Musil, Jamie Ayres, and Mike Swift.


This month has been very busy. I haven't had time to get too neurotic. On February 1st my second book, TALLAS was released, and that can make a writer ecstatic and fraught with doubts. It's out there to be reviewed and criticized. And again, I need to roll with the punches. I'm getting pretty good at rolling...

Admittedly, I wasn't as nervous this second time around. Though, I still have a problem with self-promotion. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all my blogger friends who helped me in promoting TALLAS.

How has your month been?


I do have a request for assistance today. I don’t ask for this kind of support often, but if you can help, I’d really appreciate it.
From February 4 – 10, CassaFire will be 99 cents at Amazon and my publisher’s site. This is the first time they have ever run a promotional special like this and have ads running at several sites, including BookBub. I’m the guinea pig, so hopefully the promotion rocks the house! 

Below are some Tweets and the last one is for Facebook, blogging, or whatever. If you can help me spread the news, I would greatly appreciate it! And if you haven’t picked up CassaFire, this is a good week to do so. And bonus – CassaStorm was also reduced to $3.99! 

Reminiscent of the action-driven stories of Robert A. Heinlein's early fiction - Library Journal. CassaFire only .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

This is a book of inner and outer journeys, of inner and outer adventures, mysteries and revelations. CassaFire .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

“Top Gun Meets Battlestar Galactica” Amazon Best Seller and Pinnacle Award Winner CassaFire on sale .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

“CassaStaR is the cake. CassaFirE is the cherry.” Amazon Best Seller and Pinnacle Award Winner CassaFire on sale .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

From the Amazon best-selling series - A Pinnacle Book Achievement Winner! CassaFire by Alex J. Cavanaugh on sale .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr

“Top Gun Meets Battlestar Galactica” Alex J. Cavanaugh’s CassaFire on sale .99 http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr #SF #99cents

“…delivers on the promise of its predecessor, combining military action sequences and political intrigue with strong, memorable characters. Reminiscent of the action-driven stories of Robert A. Heinlein's early fiction…” - Library Journal
Alex J. Cavanaugh’s CassaFire just .99 for a limited time! 
Amazon - http://tinyurl.com/qaz7kxr



TALLAS GIVEAWAY
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You can find me over at Julie Flanders Blog Today! Hop on over.

Prah & Constantine Review: The Woman He Loved Before

We're Back! A New Year and A New Prah & Constantine Review. Nana Prah is enamored with the author Dorothy Koomson and she picked The Woman He Loved Before and I'm glad she did.

This was my first time reading a book written by Dorothy Koomson and I was delighted. By the time you swipe or turn the first page she has you in her clutches needing more. 

The beginning is cute as Libby labels Jack as an arrogant man out for one thing only. Jack eventually breaks down her defenses by explaining the love he held for his first wife, who died, and hasn't kissed another woman in three years. Libby falls, big time. 

Jack and Libby marry. After a terrible car accident, the reader is brought back as she remembers Jack, and to the present trying to survive the car crash, the scenes are intense. Libby is having a hard time recuperating, and she feels Jack is still in love with his first wife, Eve. When a detective shows up and practically accuses Jack of trying to kill his second wife, Libby starts to feel insecure and unsure of her husbands feelings for her.

Libby thinks she's hallucinating when Eve suddenly appears. Eve leads Libby to unearth her diaries which explains in detail Eve's pain-staking life. Through these diaries the reader relives the life of Eve while also staying in the present. The marriage of Jack and Libby is in turmoil. And after reading Eve's diary, she feels her own life is in danger.

Needless to say, I've given more spoilers than normal. I liked The Woman He Loved Before. The book is lengthy full of mystery and romance and an enjoyable read. 

The Blurb for The Woman He Loved Before:

Libby has a nice life with a great job, a gorgeous husband and a big home by the sea. But she's becoming more unsure of Jack's feeling for her - and if he is over the mysterious death of Eve, his first wife.

When fate intervene in their relationship, Libby decides to find out all she can about the man she hastily married and seemingly perfect Eve.

Eventually Libby stumbles across some startling truths about Eve. As she begins to unearth more and more devastating secrets, Libby becomes frightened that she too will end up like the first woman Jack loved...

Now Let's All Hop Over To Nana Prah and Read Her Review!


Cassa and Ninja Captain Updates

From February 4 – 10, CassaFire will be 99 cents at Amazon and my publisher’s site. This is the first time they have ever run a promotional special like this and have ads running at several sites, including BookBub. If you can help me spread the news, starting Tuesday, I would greatly appreciate it. I will have some promotional Tweets and snippets posted on Wednesday. I’m the guinea pig, so hopefully the promotion rocks the house! 

A wonderful and eloquent review of CassaStorm was posted on  Amazon last week. I don’t usually post snippets of reviews, but I had to share:
This tale is basically a story of the struggle of a family pulled and wrenched in many ways by the frantic circumstances which are thrown in their path. They alone have the key to saving the universe from destruction. It is at once terrifying and uplifting.
It is a space story at its best. Through the fascinating plot, we are poised at a point which is critical to the safety of the galaxy. It is a great study of bravery and love. 




TALLAS GIVEAWAY

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TALLAS RELEASE DAY!!

HIP HIP HOORAY! TODAY'S THE DAY!



I had to show the full cover because it's sooo awesome! Thanks to Melissa Stevens from The Illustrated Author!Since people thought the 3 headed snake looked like fish she was kind enough to add the forked tongues. See Them? Here is the Blurb: In a decimated world, setting foot outside the protected village of Tallas is certain death—or so they say. Mutations caused by those in the wilderness have plagued Tallas’s citizens—or so they say… 
For Doogan and Keeyla their belief in a Free Tallas has lost its glimmer. And when their young son, Fabal, is given a very dangerous assignment, they risk everything to protect him. Fleeing Tallas, they head for the wilderness. But when they are ambushed by cruel Mediators, Doogan is recaptured, and while Keeyla and Fabal escape, she is severely injured. Can the two of them survive in the wilderness? Will Doogan get away from the clutches of the Mediators? And are the terrible legends about the monsters beyond the walls of Tallas true?
Now a little snippet:             Keeyla tumbled in a mesh of legs and arms, and to top it off, an intense bite rippled through her flesh. Clawing frantically to prevent the downhill spiral, she became aware of spewing fluid saturating her shirt. Grappling fingers were rewarded with a brittle root which slowed her momentum and brought her to a standstill. With a downward gander she recognized she was a mere foot from an eroded precipice. Clutching the root she endeavored to right herself. 
It happened so fast. She didn’t have time to compensate. The weathered tree root splintered, propelling Keeyla backwards over the cliff.
Buy Links: AmazonBarnes & NobleBlack Opal Books
GIVEAWAY





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Celebrate the Small Things

Press on Scribblings of an Aspiring Author and join in the weekly Celebration!
Doctors found a doosy of a blood clot in my Mom-in-Law's leg. She's on med's, doing well. Sounds like a weird thing to celebrate, but I am. Think of the consequences if this clot wasn't discovered.
My second novel will be officially released tomorrow, February 1st! TALLAS! It seems soon after the release of my debut novel, Wickedly They Come, but that was in the making 5 years ago. And TALLAS I wrote 2 years ago. Don't think I'm a writer fiend, because I'm not.  
Joined the A to Z Challenge for the second time. I have the badge on the side on my blog, press on it and add your name to the list!
Celebrating the survival of an arctic blast over the last 2 weeks!
What are you Celebrating?

Review of Tanya Lloyd Kyi's Novel: ANYWHERE BUT HERE

Cole’s small town is a trap he’s determined to escape 
in this fresh and moving debut novel that balances 
loss with humor.
Ever since his mom died, Cole just feels stuck. His dad acts 

like a stranger, and Lauren, his picture-perfect girlfriend of 

two years, doesn’t understand him anymore. He can’t ditch 

his dad, so Cole breaks up with Lauren. She doesn’t take the 

news very well, and Cole’s best friend won’t get off his case 

about it.

Now more than ever, Cole wants to graduate and leave his 

small, suffocating town. And everything is going according to 

plan—until Cole discovers the one secret that could keep 

him there…forever.


My Review:

Tanya Lloyd Kyi writes the perfect voice of a teenage boy 

filled with mental anguish, though, hides his feelings 

through his chaotic thoughts. After the debilitating death of 

his mom, Cole is floundering, full of depression and doesn't 

know how to manage his life now that she's gone. He 

believes that by moving out of the hick town of Webster his 

life will somehow get better. While reading Anywhere but 

Here, I chuckled, I groaned, and I shook my head and 

wanted to knock sense into Cole. I cringed and felt his pain, 

especially as he hides his innermost feelings. With only a 

father who's on a year bender, there's no family for him to 

turn to. Cole keeps screwing up---until the end.




Tanya grew up in Creston, B.C. She began her writing career as a high school poet, producing pages and pages of work that her mother loved and her best friend religiously archived (possibly for a future blackmailing scheme).
She enrolled in creative writing at the University of Victoria, intending to specialize in poetry. She soon found herself out of place among talented but pale people dressed all in black, who seemed to exist entirely on coffee. She elected to specialize in non-fiction instead. After completing her degree, she worked as a graphic designer for several years before switching to full-time writing.Tanya now lives in Vancouver, B.C., with her husband Min, who claims to be the world's only Burmese occupational therapist. They have two children.Since 2001, she's written more than 15 books for middle grade and young adult readers.

TALLAS GIVEAWAY:a Rafflecopter giveaway

Countdown to TALLAS!

Only 6 Days Until TALLAS!


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Celebrate the Small Things

Thank you to VikLit at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author. Press on her name to find out more and join the list for these Friday Celebrations!

I'm running extremely late today with my post due to the fact of driving into the city for a very early appointment with a pediatric cardiologist. 

With that said I am Celebrating the perfect heart of my very first GrandBaby!! By the way it's a Boy!!

What are you Celebrating?

What Day Is It?

Okay, I admit I'm stagnant and needed a funny!

 Camel cracks me up! It's been a week of frigid temps here in New York. Barely hitting the 10 degree mark and it's time to hibernate. Hope all is well in your neck of the woods!

Celebrating the Coffee Hop

This fun Coffee Hop is created by Micheal Di Gesu. All we have to do is tell what we like about coffee!

 Inhale the tantilizing perfume of brewing Colombian coffee. At six a.m. even before my eyes slit, I'm adsorbed with the fragrance. Reflexively, I smile. My waking thought is yummm...What better way to begin the day. (A massage might be nice, too)

With my eyes at half-mast, I float (clunk) down the stairs to where the perfectly timed coffeemaker has finished brewing. I pour a steamy cup and with both hands hover the mug beneath my nose. Ah-h...
By the time I inhale and drink that fresh cup of coffee, my adrenaline starts pumping. I'm alive. Then I look in the mirror---More caffeine needed--- Stat.

I'm a coffee addict. And an addict needs their fix. (Have you ever seen an addict without their fix?) Needless to say, I only require two to three hits, I mean, cups in the morning and I'm set for the day. 

What I love about freshly brewed coffee is not only the roasted savory flavor, but that morning jolt I need to get this body in motion.
What do you like about Coffee?


Also today is Friday and Celebrate the Small Things Hop. Go to Scribblings of an Aspiring Author and add your name. It's a Friday post about your little celebration for the week. 

This week I'm celebrating the Cover Reveal For my next novel, TALLAS!

And Celebrating Coffee!

What is your weekly Celebration?




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