Babs Hightower's Blog, page 88
September 28, 2015
Dixie Moon by Shirleen Davies blog tour & giveaway
Description:
Gabe Evans is a man of his word with strong
convictions and steadfast loyalty. As the sheriff of Splendor, Montana,
the ex-Union Colonel and oldest of four boys from an affluent family, Gabe
understands the meaning of responsibility. The last thing he wants is another
commitment—especially of the female variety.
Until he meets Lena Campanel…
Lena’s past is one she intends to keep
buried. Overcoming a childhood of setbacks and obstacles, she and her friend,
Nick, have succeeded in creating a life of financial success and devout loyalty
to one another.
When an unexpected death leaves Gabe the sole
heir of a considerable estate, partnering with Nick and Lena is a lucrative
decision…forcing Gabe and Lena to work together. As their desire grows,
Lena refuses to let down her guard, vowing to keep her past hidden—even from a
perfect man like Gabe.
But secrets never stay buried…
When revealed, Gabe realizes Lena’s secrets
are deeper than he ever imagined. For a man of his character, deception and
lies of omission aren’t negotiable. Will he be able to forgive the deceit? Or
is the damage too great to ever repair?
Excerpt:
“I hope I’m not too late.” Lena stopped
behind Gabe’s chair, ignoring the venomous look on Nick’s face.
No one spoke as they took in the dress she’d
chosen. Discarding her usual clothing with full-length sleeves and conservative
neckline, she wore a bright green dress of silk, cut low in the front, with
capped sleeves and black lace, a black shawl draped over her back and arms. The
dress hugged every curve, leaving little to the imagination. The deep red
lipstick and rouge replaced the minimal makeup she’d always preferred.
“Um…that’s quite a pretty color on you,
Lena.” Abby’s gaze shifted between Lena, Nick, and Gabe, knowing Gabe hadn’t turned
to see her attire.
“Why, thank you. It’s a dress I’ve been
wanting to wear for some time.”
Gabe’s eyes narrowed as he shifted in his
seat, and for the first time, saw what everyone else already had.
“What the hell?” He shot from his chair,
taking her by the arm. The muscles in his jaw tightened and his eyes flared as
he took in her outfit. He’d never seen her dress as one of the girls in the
saloon, and he sure as hell didn’t like others to see her like this. “Do you
want to tell me what you think you’re doing dressed like that?” His low,
controlled, deep drawl should have been a warning of the inner turmoil about to
explode.
Her eyes widened as if in surprise. “You
don’t like my dress, Gabe? I borrowed it from Deborah. She mentioned it is a
customer favorite.” Smoothing the skirt with her hands, she looked up, resting
her gaze on Caroline. “Are you going to introduce me to your new lady, Gabe, or
should I do it myself?”
Tightening his grip on her arm, he turned her
toward the stairs. “Go ahead without us. Lena and I need to talk,” he called
over his shoulder as he guided her out and up the stairs to her room. “Key.” He
held out his hand.
Lena crossed her arms, refusing to do as he
asked.
“Fine.” One strong kick and
the door broke loose, flying open and slamming against the wall.
“Inside.”Bio:
Shirleen
Davies writes romance—historical, contemporary, and romantic suspense. She grew
up in Southern California, attended Oregon State University, and has degrees
from San Diego State University and the University of Maryland. During the day
she provides consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses. But her
real passion is writing emotionally charged stories of flawed people who find
redemption through love and acceptance.
She now lives with her husband in a beautiful town in northern Arizona.
Author links
Website
Blog
Google+
Amazon
Author Page
Tsu
Buy Links
Amazon
iBooks
The post Dixie Moon by Shirleen Davies blog tour & giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
September 27, 2015
The Edge of Nowhere Book Trailer
A video you must see. A great book by a great author.
The post The Edge of Nowhere Book Trailer appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
September 25, 2015
The Business of Love by Anna James Book Blitz
Behind their united front, they’re butting heads—and fighting their hearts.
Forevermore,Book 1
Sophia Hamilton can’t believe her late stepfather split the family firm three ways. With her hard-earned master’s degree, she and her stepbrother, Allen, are perfectly capable of running the firm. Instead, she’s forced to share the reins with Dante Leone. The man who split her heart in two.
Six years ago Sophia fell hard for Dante, but when he discovered she was a starry-eyed nineteen to his twenty-eight, he shut her out. Worse, Allen’s defection from the firm has left Dante with controlling interest.
Dante is having a tough time seeing Sophia as anything other than the woman who lied to him. Yet her resignation isn’t the moral victory he intended. He feels her absence deep in his heart—and the company plunges deeper into turmoil.
Sophia returns on one condition: equal partnership all the way. But their redoubled efforts aren’t working. And soon it becomes clear someone is bent on destroying not only her stepfather’s legacy, but any chance of a future with Dante.
Warning: Contains a no-nonsense hero who thinks he can manage his heart as easily as he manages money, and the one woman capable of adjusting his risk tolerance for love.
Buy Links:
About the author:
Anna James – Contemporary Romance Author
Anna James writes heartwarming contemporary stories with strong, confident heroes and heroines who conquer life’s trials and live happily ever after. She has been writing professionally since 2010, is a member of RWA (Romance Writers Of America), CTRWA (Connecticut Romance Writers of America), CORW (Charter Oak Romance Writers) and CRW-RWA Contemporary Romance Writers – Romance Writers of America. Publishing credits include five novels, six novellas and one short story.
Anna is married to a wonderful husband who spends countless hours picking up the slack around the house so she can pursue her dream of writing, and is the proud mother of five fabulous children, and a big, loveable rescue dog the entire family adores.
Although she’s lived in several locations throughout her life she now calls Connecticut home. When not writing, she can be found spending time with family and friends.
Follow the author:
Website
Goodreads
The post The Business of Love by Anna James Book Blitz appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
September 23, 2015
Pre-order Sale The Edge Of Nowhere by C.H. Armstrong
Pre-Order Sale
September 22, 2015– The Edge Of Nowhere is now up for pre-order on iTunes. You can find more information about it here. A Tale of Tragedy, Love, Murder, and Survival by C.H. Armstrong.
Description
The year is 1992 and Victoria Hastings Harrison Greene—reviled matriarch of a sprawling family—is dying.
After surviving the Oklahoma Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, Victoria refuses to leave this earth before revealing the secrets she’s carried for decades.
Once the child of a loving family during peaceful times, a shocking death shattered her life. Victoria came face to face with the harshness of the world. As the warm days of childhood receded to distant memory, Victoria learns to survive.
No matter what it takes.
To keep her family alive in an Oklahoma blighted by dust storms and poverty, Victoria makes choices—harsh ones, desperate ones. Ones that eventually made her into the woman her grandchildren fear and whisper about. Ones that kept them all alive. Hers is a tale of tragedy, love, murder, and above all, the conviction to never stop fighting.
Category: Fiction & Literature
Expected Release: Jan 26, 2016
Publisher: Penner Media Group, LLC
Seller: Penner Publishing
Print Length: 375 Pages
The post Pre-order Sale The Edge Of Nowhere by C.H. Armstrong appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
September 22, 2015
The Edge of Nowhere and El Reno, OK as seen on Today Show and more.
NBC’s Today Show ran a segment on it this morning 9-21-15, and HBO’s “The Vice” are running their documentary on his visit this Sunday. The links are below.
NBC Today Show Video on Vice Episode and El Reno Correctional Facility: http://www.today.com/news/take-exclusive-look-president-obamas-visit-federal-prison-t45186
Vice Episode on HBO: http://www.hbo.com/vice/episodes/vice-special-report-fixing-the-system/01-vice-special-report-fixing-the-system/video/vice-special-report-fixing-the-system
Courtesy of The El Reno Tribune
The Edge of Nowhere and El Reno, OK
For some people, home is a specific location. It’s the place you grew up. It’s the backyard where you and your best friend pitched a tent every summer. Or maybe it’s a favorite climbing tree or the lake where you caught your first fish. For me, home is about those places, of course, but it’s also the people. It’s the police officers who treat me as an old friend only because they had my father as a teacher some forty years ago. It’s the editor of the local newspaper who still remembers a 16-year-old me and promptly answers an e-mail asking for a “favor,” even though he’s not seen or heard from me in nearly thirty years. It’s the town mayor who answers a general “shout out” to everyone on Facebook for help relating to the town. We’ve not talked in 25 years, but his response is to send a personal message asking, “What can I do to help?” and then doesn’t hesitate to say “yes” to whatever the request, so long as it’s within his abilities to provide. For me, home is certainly the location; but, more than that, it’s the people – the people of El Reno, Oklahoma.
My debut novel, The Edge of Nowhere, is set in El Reno – a town of roughly 18,000 people and located about twenty miles west of Oklahoma City. This is no mistake or accidental act. When I sat down to write my novel, it never occurred to me to set it anywhere else. Before the first words ever hit the page, I knew without any doubt that it must be set in El Reno – not so much because of the town, but because of the history and the people who make up the town. El Reno is home,
The Edge of Nowhere is a novel inspired by the experiences of my grandmother, who was widowed at age 28 and raised a combined fourteen children and stepchildren in the midst of the worst disaster to ever hit American soil – the 1930s Dust Bowl. Though the story itself is a product of my imagination, many of the anecdotes contained within are based upon family stories passed down from my father’s generation. Many of these stories took place in El Reno, or very nearby in the surrounding towns, and the same families who lived there and farmed the land during the era my book is set are still there, farming those same lands by newer generations. They’re a resilient people, taking hardship in stride and always lending a hand to a neighbor in need. It’s just what they do.
El Reno is the definition of a small town. It’s not really a place that people move to; rather, it’s a place you go back to because the values taught there haven’t changed since it was settled with the first of the 1889 Land Runs. It’s a town where most people know each other, or at least know people in common. And it’s a town where people come together to help each other at the slightest hint of need. It’s a friendly town, embracing newcomers into their inner circle of friends. El Reno residents – and Oklahomans in general – don’t know a stranger. It’s no secret that I’m very proud of my home and the people who live there.
Last week, I was especially proud as El Reno played host to the first sitting president to ever visit a federal prison. As part of his reform message, President Barack Obama met with prisoners at the Federal Correctional Institution – a medium security prison in El Reno. Whatever your political leanings, there can be no doubt that it is a huge honor for a small town to welcome a sitting president, and El Reno did exactly that and with style.
Residents lined the streets and children waved flags larger than themselves in hopes of catching a glimpse of possibly the world’s most powerful man. All political agendas were left at home. El Reno hospitality would not allow for dissention. They were welcoming the President of the United States into their living room, so to speak, and anything other than a gracious welcome would be rude. Hospitality is ingrained into every resident, and that’s what President Obama received: Old Fashioned El Reno Hospitality.
I’m proud of my hometown and the people there. Though I’ve been transplanted in Minnesota for nearly 23 years, Oklahoma will always be home and El Reno will always hold my heart. Seeing my friends and neighbors represent our small town with such pride and respect, I’m doubly happy with my decision to set The Edge of Nowhere – a novel set in Oklahoma and about the Oklahoma resiliency – in the small town that embodies the values that my main character fought hard to instill in her children.
For more information about this novel, visit my website or follow me on Facebook.
About the Author:
C.H. (Cathie) Armstrong is a 1992 graduate of the University of Oklahoma. Her debut novel, “The Edge of Nowhere,” will be released in January 2016 by Penner Publishing
Catherine Armstrong and Penner Publishing are happy to bring you The Edge of Nowhere releasing in early 2016. We could not be prouder of the wonderful story and the state of Oklahoma.
The post The Edge of Nowhere and El Reno, OK as seen on Today Show and more. appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
September 21, 2015
Cover reveal DREAMS OF HER OWN by Rebecca Heflin & giveaway
DREAMS OF HER OWN
Dreams Come True #3
Rebecca Heflin
Releasing November 2015
Soul Mate Publishing, LLC
Can even the unlikeliest of dreams come true?
He
sees a spinsterish misfit.
If the Guinness Book of World Records had a category for the world’s most
boring life, Millie Stephens knows she would hold the record. After the plain,
strait-laced personal assistant is saved by a total stranger from becoming New
York City’s latest traffic fatality, she has a disheartening epiphany: her
life’s highlight reel didn’t exist. Determined to step out of the shadows and
take a walk on the wild side, she starts Millie-style – by making a list.She sees a stereotypical thug.
That total stranger, bad boy Ian Brand, is more than the sum of his parts.
Beneath that sexy, tattooed exterior is a man with a painful past who’s
desperate to both hide and overcome his disability in the pursuit of his
dreams. But his decision to bid on a large construction project could both lead
to his downfall and reveal his secret.
Will Millie and Ian look beneath the surface and see there’s more to each other
than meets the eye?
If the
Guinness Book of World Records had a category for the world’s most boring life,
Millie Stephens knew she would hold the record.Bundled up in her brown wool coat against the chill of a New York fall, she
hurried down the Brooklyn sidewalk to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription
for her boss.
As personal assistant for best-selling romance author, Darcy Butler-Ryan,
Millie kept her calendar, edited her manuscripts, handled her social media, and
through her agent, Gloria Madison, scheduled her public appearances, among
other duties. Since Darcy had become pregnant, Millie had also taken it upon herself
to run errands and generally oversee Darcy’s health and well-being.
Thus, the trip to the pharmacy for Darcy’s anti-nausea medication.
She consulted the day’s to-do list to see what other errands were on it. Lists
were her life. They provided organization, structure, and a sense of
accomplishment. She loved ticking things off her list so much that if she
accomplished something that wasn’t on the list, she’d write it down just so she
could have the pleasure of marking it off.
She had a list for everything. Errands. Tasks. Books to be read. Special dates
to remember. If something needed doing, she had a list for it, all
appropriately categorized, of course. Shoving her errand list into her coat
pocket, she stopped at the corner and waited for the walk signal. As soon as
the light changed, she stepped out into the pedestrian crosswalk, anxious to
get to the pharmacy and out of the cold. She glanced to her left and froze, as
a delivery truck barreled down the street as if the red light meant nothing. And
as if she truly were invisible.
Fear stole her ability to move and she scrunched her eyes closed hoping death
would at least be quick. She strived for invisibility, but now she’d give
anything to stand out.
Next thing she knew she was yanked from behind and hauled up against a hard
object, bands of steel around her waist, her feet dangling in the air.
“Are you okay?” a gruff male voice asked, his breath warm in her ear.
She nodded, unsure if she could do any more than that.
“I’m going to set you back on your feet. Do you think you can stand?”
Nodding again, she realized the hard object at her back was a man’s chest, and
the steel bands were his arms. She slid down his body and felt the sidewalk
beneath her feet. A wave of dizziness washed over her.
“Breathe,” her rescuer encouraged. He turned her to face him, his hands on her
shoulders, and she looked up and into eyes the color of a winter-gray sky,
earnest with concern. His already tousled sandy blond hair ruffled in the wind
whipping around the corner, and his chin bore the stubble so many women were
fond of.
She inhaled deeply, drawing in the scent of something spicy and leathery.
“Better?”
She nodded, still speechless.
“You should always wait after the signal changes before you cross a street.
I’ve got an appointment. You’re sure you’re okay?”
She nodded.
“Be more careful next time,” the stranger in the leather jacket said before he
turned to walk away.
Millie managed to put one foot in front of the other for another block before
coming to a bus stop and collapsing onto the bench. Her legs shook, her hands
quivered, and she struggled to take in a deep breath. All she could think about
was how your life was supposed to flash before your eyes when confronted with a
near-death experience, and hers . . . didn’t. Instead it was like a film
projector that had run out of film – just a blank screen.
What did that mean?
It meant, Millicent Grace Stephens, that your life has been so boring that the
highlight reel was nonexistent. Her thirtieth birthday was right around the
corner, and what had she accomplished with her life?
Not much, that’s what.
Sure, she had a bachelor’s in literature, summa cum laude, with a focus on the
Middle Ages from Sarah Lawrence College. She had a job she loved. And she could
support herself. Other than that, she might as well have become a nun for all
the excitement her life held.
She recalled the hard strength of her rescuer’s chest against her back. The
rough and tumble look of him. She’d bet her first edition autographed copy of
Edith Wharton’s Age of Innocence, that his life wasn’t boring. That if he had a
near-death experience he’d have a highlight reel worthy of an action
movie.
Rising on still-wobbly legs, she drew in a long, slow breath, and resumed her
errand in an I-almost-died daze.
Rebecca
Heflin is an award-winning author who has dreamed of writing romantic fiction
since she was fifteen and her older sister snuck a copy of Kathleen Woodiwiss’
Shanna to her and told her to read it. Rebecca writes women’s fiction and
contemporary romance. When not passionately pursuing her dream, Rebecca is busy
with her day-job as a practicing attorney.Rebecca is a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), Florida Romance
Writers, RWA Contemporary Romance, and Florida Writers Association. She and her
mountain-climbing husband live at sea level in sunny Florida.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads
The post Cover reveal DREAMS OF HER OWN by Rebecca Heflin & giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
Sol of the Coliseum by Adam Gaylord blog tour
Sol of the Coliseum
Follow Along to Read Reviews, an Excerpt, and Spotlights.
Survival is an act of defiance.
About Sol of the Coliseum:
Deep in the bowels of the Coliseum of the mighty Astrolian Empire, the orphan, Sol, is raised by a makeshift family of guards and fellow slaves to become the most famed Gladiator in all the land. Alongside K’nal, his giant Frorian fighting partner, Sol must battle cunning warriors and fantastic beasts to delight the crowd and stay alive. But when an oppressed populace transforms Sol into a revolutionary folk hero, the Empire sends its most ruthless assassin to put an end to the uprising. Sol’s only chance is to do what no slave has ever done: escape from the Coliseum and the only home he’s ever known.
Follow the Blog Tour:
http://saphsbookblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/tour-schedule-adam-gaylords-sol-of.html
Title: Sol of the Coliseum
Author Name: Adam Gaylord
Genre(s): Epic Fantasy, Adventure
Tags: Fantasy, Adventure, Epic, Coliseum, Gladiator
Length: Approx. 259 pages
e-Book: 978-1-987976-10-6
Paperback: 978-1-987976-09-0
Release Date: September 17, 2015
Publisher: Mirror World Publishing (http://www.mirrorworldpublishing.com/)
Read an Excerpt:
A baby’s cry.
Grall was sure that was what he’d heard. In the depths of the Coliseum a person became accustomed to various cries of pain or despair. Prisoners, men broken physically or mentally, called out in the night. Spoils, the women given to victorious fighters to do with whatever they saw fit, cried out often. The beasts, crazed by captivity and seclusion, howled and cackled. Even Grall, though the proud young guard would never admit it, sometimes fought back tears that came in the dark. Over time, one could learn to block out the sound completely.
But the cry of a child, an infant, a sound that had no place in this world, could not be ignored.
Grall made his way slowly down the roughly-carved stone hall, unenthusiastic in his search for the sound’s origin. He knew what was expected of him when he found the child. His stomach clenched at the thought.
“I don’t need this,” he thought aloud, his voice barely a whisper. “I should be in bed.” In truth, only minutes before he had lain wide awake, willing dawn to come and give him a reason to abandon his tossing and turning. With the day came his duties; blessed menial tasks he could lose himself in, briefly forgetting his loss.
Grall had come to the Coliseum only a few months before. He had been a guard in the city of Astrolia, capital of the Astrolian Empire, until he refused to participate in a drill using live captives. His protests changed nothing. The captives had died regardless and he had yet again angered his captain, the man that controlled his fate. As punishment he had been transferred to the Coliseum, a post feared by guard and soldier alike. Far more than the danger and brutality, what inspired dread for the post was that for all intents and purposes the Coliseum was a closed system. Be you slave or guard, once you entered it you probably didn’t leave. He had begged his captain, promising him utter obedience. But for the Captain, Grall had made it personal. It mattered not at all that Grall’s young wife had just given birth to their first son. Neither did it matter that he would probably never see either of them again. Even if he managed to be one of the few to live long enough to see retirement, his son would be grown with children of his own.
He had been all for packing their meager belongings and making a run for it, but his wife’s cooler head had prevailed, as always. They lived in the middle of the Astrolian Empire, two week’s hard ride in any direction from free lands if they had a mount, which they didn’t. She was still weak and sore, not yet recovered from a difficult childbirth. Most importantly, they had a brand new baby. In the best of times the road was no place to raise a child, and they would be in hiding.
“No,” she had answered stoically through her tears, “you will go to the Coliseum. You will send us your pay. I will raise our son.”
He protested and argued to the point of exhaustion, vainly fighting the logic in her words. Eventually he conceded, packing his bag and leaving his family, barely started, standing at their doorstep.
He still grieved for the son he would never know.
And now there was this.
“I don’t need this,” he repeated to himself, stopping outside the door to the women’s barracks.
They had promised to take care of it.
He knew the mother. She was a slave in the luxury boxes. As sometimes happens, one of her wealthy male patrons had an eye for her and he raped her after she refused his advances. She’d hid the pregnancy well at first but eventually her condition became all too obvious. Grall had been sent to deal with it. The women of the barracks had assured him that though uncommon, such things were not unheard of. The baby would be disposed of in a quiet manner. He had relented.
An infant howling down the halls was not a quiet manner.
Grall took a deep breath and opened the door. His broad frame and barrel-chest filled the doorway while he let his eyes adjust to the dimly-lit barracks. Women were sitting awake in their bunks, eyeing him with considerable disdain. He made his way down the candlelit center aisle toward the source of the disturbance, avoiding the hostile glares and trying to keep his face passive. He didn’t want to be here any more than they wanted him here. The object of his quest lay wrapped in a blanket and was held by a rather large cook. He saw the mother lying in a bed off to the side, unmoving. The sheets were soaked with blood but it was her face that drew his gaze. She had obviously been beaten, badly.
“She panicked,” the cook said flatly to answer his unasked question. “She confronted the father. He did that and she gave the last of her strength giving birth to this boy. We’ve named him Sol.”
A heavy silence settled over the room; the baby was finally quiet, as if showing respect to his deceased mother. Grall’s gaze lingered on the dead slave, her many bruises contrasting with her pale skin and long blonde hair. In life she had been beautiful, a curse for a woman in the Coliseum. In the peace of death she still held her beauty, despite the violence she had encountered.
“And now you’re here,” the cook broke the silence accusingly.
“I’m sorry. Melina was well liked,” he said, attempting civility.
The cook nodded. “She never let this place get to her.”
He nodded, recognizing the compliment. There was a long pause.
“You can’t keep it,” he said plainly, surprised at the feeling he was able to keep out of his voice. Several hisses sounded behind him. The cook neither responded nor moved. She just sat holding the child.
“You know the rules as well as I.” He could feel the animosity radiating onto his back from the bunks.
“What life could he hope to have here?” he asked, almost pleading, bristling at the tone of his own voice. He was a guard of the Coliseum; he didn’t need to explain himself. Who were these women and this cook who sat unmoving? Had they taken care of things as they promised, he wouldn’t have to be down here at all.
He straightened up. “I’ll deal with it,” he said firmly. Moving the last few paces toward the cook, he felt the women stir behind him. The cook made to strike him and several cries of protest sounded as he reached for the baby. But something unexpected happened, something amazing. As Grall reached for the bundle, his hand was met by the child’s. Without fear and with a strong little grip, the baby grabbed one of Grall’s fingers and held. He froze, as did the women.
Had it been any other guard, hard and embittered with years of service, nothing would have changed, but for Grall that tiny hand struck with the force of a blow. He shuddered visibly, staring wide-eyed at the child. All was still. Grall knew his duty, what was expected of him. The problem with duty was that it belonged in the Coliseum and he was no longer in the Coliseum. Looking at this tiny baby, feeling it holding his hand, the guard was home.
The little hand holding his finger melted Grall’s resolve. The women saw it immediately and smiles passed around the bunks. Grall didn’t see them, he only saw the child. He sighed and then without a word he slowly straightened, turned, and walked back the way he had come.
From that moment on, Sol was a child of the Coliseum.
Purchase Links:
Amazon
Kindle http://amzn.to/1i60QIx
Paperback http://amzn.to/1K34I4v
Mirror World Publishing
ebook http://mirror-world-publishing.myshopify.com/products/sol-of-the-coliseum-e-book
Paperback http://mirror-world-publishing.myshopify.com/products/sol-of-the-coliseum
Meet the Author:
Adam Gaylord lives with his beautiful wife, daughter, and less beautiful dog in Loveland, CO. When not at work as a biologist he’s usually hiking, drinking craft beer, drawing comics, writing short stories, or some combination thereof. He’s had stories published in Penumbra eMag, Dark Futures Magazine, Silver Blade Magazine, and Plasma Frequency Magazine, among others.
The post Sol of the Coliseum by Adam Gaylord blog tour appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
September 20, 2015
Shelter Valley Stories Blog Tour & Giveaway
On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
Book Tour Grand Finale for
Shelter Valley Stories
By Tara Taylor Quinn
If you missed any of these stops, go back and get to know Shelter Valley and the stories found there…
Katie’s Clean Book Collection – Shelter Valley Guest Post
I want to introduce you to Shelter Valley. It’s a fictitious town in Arizona, but one that has stood the test of time. While the scenery is spectacular and the weather divine, the backbone of Shelter Valley, what keeps people coming back for, are her people. In Shelter Valley they believe in second chances. If you are kind to others, you’re welcome to stop by. And if they take you in, you’ll have friends and champions for life.
Mythical Books – My Sister, Myself Guest Post
On this particular visit to Shelter Valley, you’re going to meet Tory Evans. She’s only twenty-six but circumstances, experience and a sharp intelligence make her more aware of some things than she’d like to be. You’ll get to know Tory from the very beginning of this story—but only you and one other person in Shelter Valley know that she’s Tory Evans; everyone else believes she’s her older sister, Christine. . .
Mel’s Shelves – Becca’s Baby Excerpt
The stick had turned blue. Another mistake in a day that seemed to be full of them. The stupid thing wasn’t supposed to turn blue.
At forty-two, Rebecca Parsons had firmly believed she was on her way into early menopause. A welcome relief from the monthly inconvenience she’d endured for thirty years. For many, many of those months, the inconvenience had been accompanied by bitter disappointment – not pregnant – until she’d eventually given up hope.
Teatime and Books – White Picket Fences Guest Post
Now, here are two interesting people. They’re both attractive, successful, honest and hardworking—and they’re both living at home at a time when they should be starting families. Because underneath all the smiles they have scars no one else can see. They touched me, I think, because they’re like a lot of us who put on our smiles to face the world when deep inside there’s pain most people never know about. . .
deal sharing aunt – My Sister, Myself Excerpt
“This is incredible,” Phyllis said. She took hold of Tory’s shoulders, turning Tory to face her.
“They think you’re dead, that you’ve been cremated.”
Tory nodded wearily, her eyes overflowing with tears. “The death certificate I have is my own.”
underneath the covers – White Picket Fences Excerpt
Maybe she needed a fence.
Yeah.
Looking around the perimeter of her front yard, noticing how it ran right off to the sidewalk without so much as a by-your-leave, she nodded. That was it. When she was growing up, she’d always had this image of a home with a picket fence. Probably got it from watching too many reruns of The Donna Reed Show or Leave It to Beaver.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Randi slid off her boulder and went back inside. Thank goodness that was settled. She probably didn’t have time this break to install a fence, which was fine with her; she could go to Phoenix and play as good a round of golf as she was still capable of playing.
But come spring break, she’d get this done.
All her life needed was a white picket fence.
The Written Adventure – Friendship in Shelter Valley Guest Post
And if you want to be friends…I’ve started a Friendship board on Pinterest. It’s an open board. Anyone can follow to post. The only caveat – it’s only about friendship. No sales. No causes – no matter how worthy. It’s just a feel good place for a friendship fix. We post personal pictures of us with our friends, pictures of celebrity friends, and lots and lots of friendship quotes. Sometimes we post good morning hugs. We’ve got over 1200 pinners – adding an average of 300 a month – and thousands of pins. That’s a lot of friendship. We’d love to have you join us at: https://www.pinterest.com/tarataylorquinn/friendship/.
Zerina Blossom’s Books – Shelter Valley Stories Guest Post
I think women are the strongest creatures on earth. It takes a lot more internal strength to open yourself up to nurturing those with whom you come in contact – because of the risk of being hurt – than it does to plow over anything in your path. Or to disregard everyone in your way. And women, overall, are nurturers.
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin’ – Review
Holy smokes what an amazing book!!! Not what I expected, but yet wasn’t too sure what to expect. On the edge page turner no doubt!
Harlie’s Books – Review
I highly recommend My Sister, Myself. Powerful, poignant and beautifully written. Slow building romance can be a downer for some readers but with Ben and Christine, it makes sense. In fact, the sweetest of it just reminds me what romance is all about. The friendship, the courtship and then the declaration.
For a Limited Time! Grab all three books on sale!
Becca’s Baby
(Shelter Valley Stories, #1)
by Tara Taylor Quinn
Adult Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 297 pages
February 15th 2002 by Harlequin Books
Meet Will and Becca Parsons, who ve lived in Shelter Valley, Arizona, all their lives. Shelter Valley means everything to them. Home. Family. Security. Love. Everything that matters is right there in that town.
Will and Becca have been married for 20 years. It s a good marriage a contented marriage marred by only one disappointment: their inability to have children. But their dream of a baby has gradually been replaced by other interests, other goals.
In any case, Will and Becca are in their 40s now.
It s too late for babies.
Except it s not. Because Becca s pregnant. And that reality throws their carefully ordered lives into complete disarray.
A baby after all these years.
Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Harlequin
My Sister, Myself
(Shelter Valley Stories, #2)
by Tara Taylor Quinn
Adult Contemporary Romance, Suspense
Paperback & ebook, 304 pages
May 31st 2002 by Harlequin Books
She’s not who she says she is! Tory Evans is living her sister’s life. Christine is dead, murdered by Tory’s vengeful ex-husband, and now – for her own survival – Tory has taken on Christine’s identity. Her name, her job, her new home in Shelter Valley, Arizona.
He’s reinventing his life. Ben Sanders is a divorced father who’s come to Shelter Valley to resume the education that was interrupted years before. He’s intrigued by one of his professors, the woman he knows as Christine Evans. She’s smart, she’s beautiful – and she’s hiding something. She’s also off-limits.
Despite that, despite the secrecy and the danger, Tory and Ben are drawn to each other. Second chances really do exist. Especially in a place like Shelter Valley…
Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Harlequin
White Picket Fences
(Shelter Valley Stories, #3)
by Tara Taylor Quinn
Adult Contemporary Romance
Paperback & ebook, 298 pages
June 21st 2002 by Harlequin Books
What’s missing in Miranda Parson’s life? Nothing, she thinks–until she meets handsome, caring veterinarian Zack Foster and discovers an intense desire that shakes her safe and familiar world. Trouble is, a heart-weary Zack prefers his romances short and sweet and isn’t looking for commitment to any woman. Yet the longing that ignited between them couldn’t be resisted for long. But for true love there needs to be true risk–so will Zack and Miranda’s quiet lives ever be the same again…?
Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Harlequin
The author of more than 70 original novels, in twenty languages, Tara Taylor Quinn is a USA Today bestseller with over six million copies sold. She is known for delivering deeply emotional and psychologically astute novels of suspense and romance. Tara is a recipient of the Reader’s Choice Award, a five time finalist for the RWA Rita Award, the Reviewer’s Choice Award, the Bookseller’s Best Award and appears frequently on bestseller lists, including #1 placement on Amazon lists. Tara is the past-president of Romance Writers of America and served eight years on that board of directors. She has appeared on national and local TV across the country, including CBS Sunday Morning and is a frequent guest speaker. In her spare time Tara likes to travel, climb Arizona mountains, and inline skate.
Tara is a supporter of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you or someone you know might be a victim of domestic violence in the United States, please contact 1-800-799-7233.
Website – Goodreads – Facebook – Twitter – Pinterest – Instagram
Tour Giveaway
GRAND PRIZE (to one winner): An eBook set of books 5 through 14 of the Shelter Valley Stories (Just Around the Corner, Born In the Valley, Sheriff of Shelter Valley, Nothing Sacred, Somebody’s Baby, Sophie’s Secret, Full Contact, It’s Never Too Late, Second Time’s the Charm, and The Moment of Truth) – INT
Print books of the last three books in the Shelter Valley Stories (The Shelter Valley Scholarship books: It’s Never Too Late, Second Time’s the Charm, and The Moment of Truth) – US only to one winner
e-book set of Born in the Valley and Sheriff of Shelter Valley – INT to one winner
Ends September 25th
The post Shelter Valley Stories Blog Tour & Giveaway appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
September 18, 2015
Acclaimed novels by Katherine Neville now available
Praise for The Eight
“A big, rich two-tiered confection of a novel…a rousing, amusing game.” –San Francisco Chronicle
“With alchemical skill, Neville blends modern romance, historical fiction, and medieval mystery…and comes up with gold.” –People
“A fascinating piece of entertainment that manages to be both vibrant and cerebral…few will find it resistible.” –Los Angeles Times Book Review
“Even readers with no interest in chess will be swept into this astonishing fantasy-adventure, a thoroughly accomplished first novel…Neville has great fun rewriting history and making it all ring true. With two unbelievable heroines, nonstop suspense, espionage, murder, and a puzzle that seems the key to the whole Western mystical tradition, this spellbinder soars above the level of first-rate escapist entertainment.”
–Publishers Weekly
THE EIGHT
By Katherine Neville
Katherine Neville’s immensely popular historical quest novels The Eight, A Calculated Risk and The Magic Circle are available as eBooks for the first time from Open Road Media. A #1 international bestseller in 40 languages, The Eight made edge-of-your-seat historical thrillers popular long before Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. The Washington Post declared The Eight “a feminist answer to Raiders of the Lost Ark” and has captivated readers since its publication in 1988.
About The Eight:
Empire building was not Charlemagne’s only legacy. Within his chess set is a terrible power, a devastating power, a power no one should have. To protect the world, nuns assigned to keep the set hidden away dig up Charlemagne’s bejeweled, mystical chess set and hide its pieces across the globe so that no one could ever use its powers for ill.
Now, someone is trying to unleash the terrible power held within that ancient chess set—and only three women, from two different eras, can stop them. In the 20th century, a young computer expert named Catherine Velis has been pulled into this power struggle that spans more than two centuries, leading her on a quest that will risk her life against diabolical forces more powerful than she could have ever imagined.
Also available from Iconic eBooks – Open Road Media:
Katherine Neville’s novels have been published in more than 80 countries, enriched by her 20 year career as an international computer executive and consultant, which took her to live in six countries on three continents and 26 of the United States.
Visit her at: http://www.katherineneville.com/
####
THE EIGHT
By Katherine Neville
Iconic EBooks from Open Road Media
The post Acclaimed novels by Katherine Neville now available appeared first on ~*~Babs Book Bistro~*~.
September 17, 2015
PERISH IN THE PALM by Kari Lee Townsend, review, guest post and giveaway
Perish in the Palm
by Kari Lee Townsend
Perish in the Palm
(A Sunny Meadows Mystery) (Volume 4)
4th in Series
Cozy Mystery
Paperback: 274 pages
ISBN-13: 978-151208194
E-Book ASIN: B011AXSMDM
Synopsis
Sunny’s life is finally on track. Her fortune-telling business in the quaint town of Divinity, New York is running smoothly, her parents have finally stopped interfering, and her boyfriend Detective Mitch Stone has moved in with her. But then her life derails, leaving the palm of her hand empty and her dreams just out of reach. With Sunny’s mischievous cat Morty under foot and quirky Granny Gert flitting around, cohabitation with Mitch becomes nearly impossible. Then Sunny’s parents show up for her best friend’s wedding, causing all sorts of trouble. Sunny’s future is put on hold when the innkeeper’s lifeline is literally cut short at the reception, and Sunnys’ mother is named the prime suspect. Sunny must use her clairvoyant abilities to clear her mother’s name and take her life back in her own hands before the real killer gives a whole new meaning to ‘till death do us part…
My Thoughts:
This is the 4th book in the Sunny Meadows Mystery. I love this series and the author. Sunny is helping her friend with her wedding with involves her parents showing up which never goes well. Sunny’s mother is accused of murder when a person dies at the reception. Between Morty and his freakiness and Mitch over protectiveness of Sunny you can’t go wrong with this twister of a story.
Guest Post:
My Journey to Publication
Getting published is one of the most rewarding yet difficult things to do. I truly believe being a writer is who we are and not just what we do. I have always written. When I was little, I wrote poems and short stories. Then as I grew older, I went into English and teaching because I loved to read and write. After I got hooked on reading romance novels, I found myself changing the endings or asking myself “what if” about many aspects of the book. It finally occurred to me that maybe I should try writing a book of my own.
My first attempt at writing a novel was a western romance. I never finished it, and trust me it will never see the light of day. My next attempt was a cowboy romance that took me five years to write and ended up being about five books because I refused to give up on it. I made all the classic mistakes. Later I revamped the story and finally landed an agent so I guess it was worth it, though I would not recommend that process. Accept when it’s time to walk away from a manuscript and move on. My next novel was a romantic comedy followed by a mom lit. None of those books sold.
Editors always said they loved my voice and the writing was solid, but they either already had something similar on their list or they were looking for something else to fill a slot. It was difficult not to become frustrated. That was when it dawned on me that you could be a great writer with a fabulous story but the publishing game was all about luck and timing. You have to have a plot that fills a need and fits into a slot on a publisher’s list at that time. And if you try to write to their needs, by the time you finish your story, chances are their needs have changed. I learned to pay attention to the market, keep up with industry news, and write smarter and faster. Never sit back and wait for an editor’s response. Jump into your next idea so that if an editor says they like your voice and asks what else you have, you will be ready.
It took me sixteen years to get published, three of which were with my agent. I started trying different genres and writing several partials to see what might stick. My agent landed a three-book deal on just a partial for my teen superhero series. Then just six months later she submitted a cozy mystery for me, but once again the editor loved my voice and asked what else I had. That was when I came up with the Fortune Teller Mystery series. My agent landed me another three-book deal on just a synopsis, and the rest is history. Since then she’s sold two other mysteries for me, and we’ve self-published my romance novels so that everything I’ve written is now available.
My latest venture is in women’s fiction, so cross your fingers and hope I hear more good news soon. With the market constantly changing, new doors have opened up in traditional, digital, and self-publishing. Authors need to be willing to change as well. Be open and be flexible. You never know what you might enjoy writing and find success in. The point is to never give up. So yes getting published is hard, but staying published is even harder, yet it’s still the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done.
Thank you so much for having me here today. It’s been a blast. If you’re a reader, happy reading and enjoy! If you’re a writer, I hope to see you on the shelves someday 
