Aubrey Wynne's Blog, page 35
August 31, 2022
Véronique’s Journey by Patti Flinn – read an excerpt and enter the giveaway
Véronique’s Journey
Patti Flinn
Publication date: September 1st 2022
Genres: Adult, Historical
In 18th century France, the choices for a young black woman of modest means are slim.
Véronique Clair loves her parents and their small home in the countryside of Burgundy but dreams of using her talent for sewing and embroidery to make her own way, without having to rely on a man.
When Véronique’s well-meaning parents find her a suitor of elevated station their happiness turns into her despair. Véronique must make the difficult choice between agreeing to an arranged marriage–with its promise of elevated status in society–or embark upon an unpredictable journey across France and into a world she’s never known.
…for a young woman of honor, only the heart can guide the way.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo
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EXCERPT:
The pastor began to speak but was interrupted as a former childhood friend of mine entered behind us, causing many of us to turn around and look. She was red-faced with embarrassment. Big with child and holding onto the hand of two small children on either side of her and sporting a freshly blackened eye. She held her chin up and hustled her babies into a seat as her husband came in behind her, his face a mask of arrogance, daring anyone to say anything. He took the seat beside his family, slouched in the chair like a pouting child.
I leaned to whisper to my mother, eyes still on the man. “He will beat or breed her to death. The bastard. When he was courting her he had nothing but fine words about how well he would treat her. Now she is stuck with him, forever.”
“Oui,” Maman nodded, her pretty features turned down in a frown. “It is a shame. He is angry that he is a married man…”
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August 30, 2022
Wrapped Around My Heart by Heather Alexander – an excerpt and giveaway
Wrapped Around My Heart
Heather Alexander
(The Kincaid Brothers, #1)
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Publication date: August 29th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Savvy New York designer, Emma Cole, inexplicably falls through time and into the arms of the most intriguing man she’s ever met—Wyatt Kincaid, a hunky cowboy living in 19th century Montana. Their attraction is instantaneous, but the secrets they each carry may keep the two apart.
When a mysterious string of fires set off a chain of events, the couple must come together to uncover the perpetrator.
Fate brought them together through time, but will their love be strong enough to keep them united through the centuries?
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks
—
EXCERPT:
A sudden crash outside the garage sounded like a car wreck at high speed or, more precisely, a head-on collision. The ground beneath Emma’s feet shook. She lost her balance and stumbled toward the door. Outside, she expected to see a horrible motor vehicle accident and bodies strewn everywhere.
But there was no crash.
No cars.
No one.
Nothing else, except the house and…
She turned back to the garage. Her breath caught in her lungs. What had been the spotless three-car garage was now a two-story wood barn. A buckboard sat to the side. A tall windmill towered behind the wood structure; on the opposite side, a horse grazed in a paddock.
And one very tall and handsome man with piercing blue eyes that rivaled the Montana sky stood before her. His thick blond hair caressed his forehead. He wiped his hands on a rag, then tucked it into the side of his denim overalls. His rolled-up shirt sleeves exposed tanned muscular forearms. Where did he come from?
She glanced at the house, at him, then back again, and trembled involuntarily. The house had suddenly changed. It looked different—the roof had shingles. Smoke billowed out of the chimney, the smell filling her head.
“Ma’am?” The man’s gaze swept over her from head to toe; a gentle smile touched his lips. Something akin to recognition flickered in his eyes. “Are you…lost?”
Who is this guy, why is he here, and how the hell did my life just get turned upside down?
Author Bio:
Heather Alexander writes time-travel, contemporary, and historical romance.
Since she was a child, Heather has been fascinated with time-travel stories and the Old West. After visiting several ghost towns in Montana, she was inspired to combine the two and wrote her first time-travel romance, Wrapped Around My Heart. A Long Island native, she now lives in the south with her family and spends all her free time with her two beloved fur babies. She is currently working on the next book in the Kincaid Brothers series. More information about Heather and her writing is available at booksbyha.com.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Twitter
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August 29, 2022
My Thirty-First Year (and Other Calamities) by Emily Wolf
Welcome to the book tour for My Thirty-First Years (And Other Calamities) by Emily Wolf!
My Thirty-First Year
Publication Date: August 2, 2022
Genre: Women’s Fiction/ Modern Contemporary/ Family Fiction
12 April 2022… Zoe Greene is approaching her 30th birthday not with celebrations in mind, but by recovering from an abortion, planning a divorce, negotiating family drama, and later, reentering the modern dating pool. Using humor and unfiltered truth (and Zoe’s favorite rock band, U2), Houston-based author Emily Wolf’s debut, My Thirty-First Year (And Other Calamities), illuminates the realities of womanhood, and connects to them through shared challenges, resilience, and hope.
“Years ago, I benefited from a safe and legal abortion. I didn’t need the abortion to save my life. I needed it to live my life—fully and freely. I want my women readers to reflect on or anticipate their twenties and thirties and be able to say something out loud, mourn something, laugh at it, or release it,” said Emily.
“Bad romance, messy divorce, traumatic abortion … and rock and roll. There’s a ring of authentic experience in Emily Wolf’s surprisingly light-hearted novel about some very heavy topics.”~ Neil McCormick (author of Killing Bono)
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About the Author
Emily is an ardent feminist, U2 fan, and native Chicagoan. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Emily now lives in Houston with her husband, children, and dogs. She volunteers with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast and with her synagogue’s Board of Trustees and Social Justice Core Team. Emily has published several essays in the Houston Chronicle and regularly shares new writing at emilyvwolf.medium.com.
Emily Wolf | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Book Tour ScheduleAugust 29th R&R Book Tours (Kick-Off) http://rrbooktours.com
B is for Book Review (Spotlight) https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com
@inspired.j.reads (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/inspired.j.reads/
@leirajadewrites (Review) https://www.instagram.com/leirajadewrites/
Timeless Romance Blog (Spotlight) https://aubreywynne.com/
August 30th Riss Reviews (Review) https://rissreviewsx.wixsite.com/website
@marvsbooks (Review) https://www.instagram.com/marvsbooks/
Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com
August 31st @gryffindorbookishnerd (Review) https://www.instagram.com/gryffindorbookishnerd/
Nesie’s Place (Spotlight) https://nesiesplace.wordpress.com
Liliyana Shadowlyn (Spotlight) https://lshadowlynauthor.com
September 1st @amber.bunch_author (Review) https://www.instagram.com/amber.bunch_author/
Bunny’s Reviews (Spotlight) https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/
September 2nd The Faerie Review (Review) http://www.thefaeriereview.com @
bookqueenbee (Review) https://www.instagram.com/bookqueenbee/
Book Tour Organized By:
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August 26, 2022
Bonus excerpt from The Genes of Isis by Justin Newland with giveaway
Hi Aubrey, many thanks for hosting this stop on the blog tour, kindly arranged by Goddess Fish in promotion of my novel, The Genes of Isis.
Here’s an extract from the book. It’s from the end part of Chapter 8, The Lore of Erasure.
… A cock began to crow, splitting the early morning vapours. The birdsong grew in both intensity and volume. The first sliver of dawn crept through the cell opening. For the Pharaoh’s people, the rising sun would bring a welcome respite. But for Berux and his family, it would bring a crushing end to their lives.
The cellar man thrust the door open. In walked the Guardian of Justice.
“It is time,” Lasec said, a malevolent grin on his face that befitted his function as executioner.
Lasec hauled the terrified man out of the cell and down the corridor, halting at a pair of oval doors. Outside were a heap of discarded headdresses, skirts, shirts, and dresses. Amongst the jumble, there were even some pectorals and jewellery. Berux knew what to do and with reluctance, he took off his clothes and sandals. Horque rather liked the symmetry of the Solarii creed that said one left life as one entered it: naked.
The Guardian of Justice pulled open the doors to the Court of Erasure. The distant pale stirrings of dawn shone through a large window opening. In the centre of the court was a plinth topped by a fearsome black diorite statue of a man with the head of a jackal: Anubis, God of the underworld, protector of the dead. Clustered around him were a score of glum, dejected people: Berux’s wife and the rest of his close relatives. They stared blankly into space, hardly bothering to hide their modesty. Only Evera, Berux’s wife, looked up when the condemned man entered the court and threw him a glance full of daggers. As he staggered past her, she spat at him, her face contorted in a spasm of hate.
Horque peered through his whites to see into the astral. From what he gauged, the mercurial Lasec had conjured the required lethal mix of energies from the astral light. When the first emerald green ray of dawn slanted into the court and caressed the statue of Anubis, it would splinter into a multitude of smaller rays, like sunlight through glass, searing into each person, suffocating their bodies of breath and life. It was a good death. Any death that was quick was good.
“You’ll also need this,” he said and handed Lasec the Rod of Erasure, a sycamore club as thick as a man’s forearm. Lasec ran his fingers over its elaborate jackal etchings and faience inlay. The man clearly relished his work.
Anyone caught in the chamber when the rim of the sunburst over the horizon would perish; this was not the time to loiter.
“Lasec, we have to leave. Dawn is upon us.”
Lasec hurried from the chamber and the cellar man slammed the doors shut. All of a sudden, Lasec lurched back towards the doors.
“What’re you doing?” Horque said, blocking his way. “You can’t go back in there.”
“I … I left the Rod of Erasure in the court,” Lasec stammered.
A single terrifying scream split the air. A moment later, dawn struck, filling the court with a cacophony of blood-curdling cries. After a long and painful pause, the cellar man threw the doors open and Horque pushed past him. The stench of death was obnoxious. Berux and his family lay scattered around the court, their bodies still twitching as their ka left them for the last time.
“Protector, over here.” Lasec called to him, pointing to a woman’s corpse.
“That’s Evera,” Horque said. In her hand, she clutched the bloodstained Rod of Erasure. Her body lay next to her husband’s, whose head had a gaping hole from which oozed a ghastly mass of blood and gore, the only visible sign that death had thrown a veil on the court.
“What happened here?” the cellar man asked, screwing up his face in confusion.
“It’s obvious, she murdered him.” Lasec chuckled.
“I don’t understand. She knew he was going to die anyway. Why take the trouble to smash his brains out?” the cellar man asked as he scratched his scrotum.
“You don’t understand the joy of revenge.” Lasec sighed in admiration.
That man has a black heart, Horque thought. “You left the Rod of Erasure in the court,” he said aloud. “You were meant to remove it to prevent this kind of thing happening.” He pointed to the crimson pool seeping out on the floor.
“I – I left the court in haste – because you told me to,” Lasec stammered, a look of feigned surprise on his face.
“Clean it up.” Horque said, spitting out each word, “then do your job. Astral erasure. Berux only. See to it.”
Lasec grabbed the bloodstained Rod of Erasure and turned to the cellar man. “There he is.” He pointed at Berux. The cellar man tucked the Rod underneath Berux’ neck so it formed a kind of wooden pillow of death. With the cold eye of an assassin and in one swift movement, Lasec twisted Berux’ neck, snapping it over the Rod with a loud crack. Berux’s neck hung limp and twisted like a chicken’s.
“Done,” Lasec said, a malicious smile dancing on his lips. “You sure you don’t want me to do the others. It’s no trouble.”
“No,” Horque said. “Berux is the only one.” Breaking his neck permanently erased his ka and the entirety of his record from the astral light: that way, his wickedness could never in the future influence someone else to do the same. The cleansing of Ma’at and the astral light was complete. That was a boon. Dealing with Lasec was not.
“Now,” Horque said to him, “do you think you can organise their burial, or will you mismanage that as well?”
Lasec glanced at him and started lugging the bodies into a pile.
The stench of death in the court was overpowering, so Horque left the two men to their work. On his way out, he wondered whether he could curtain Lasec’s worthless life in the same way as Berux. That prospect would have to wait for another day.
The Genes of Isis
by Justin Newland
GENRE: Mythological Fiction / Fantasy
BLURB:
Akasha is a precocious young woman who lives in a world where oceans circulate in the aquamarine sky waters.
Before she was born, the Helios, a tribe of angels from the sun, came to Earth to deliver the Surge, the next step in the evolution of an embryonic human race. Instead, they left humanity on the brink of extinction and spawned a race of monstrous hybrids.
Horque is a Solarii, another tribe of angels, sent to Earth to rescue the genetic mix-up and release the Surge.
When Akasha has a premonition that a great flood is imminent and falls in love with Horque, her life becomes an instrument for apocalyptic change. But will it save the three races – humans, hybrids and Solarii – from the killing waters?
Excerpt
She willed her ka towards Du’at, the realm of the dead, and quickly located the pair of columns at its entrance, the colossal Anubis Gates. She expected to find the jackal-headed Anubis operating its gates, but they appeared unguarded. Her voyage to the underworld couldn’t be easier – she’d enter Du’at, find the Hall of Truth, and rescue Horque’s ka.
As she approached, a curtain of force shimmered between the gates. On it silky, misty surface appeared a thousand faces – young and old, happy and sad, and all strangely familiar people she’d met in her lifetime, human and Solarii – until one only remained. No. It couldn’t be. It was her own face. She was so startled she nearly ruptured the precious umbilical connection to her physical body. Was it a mirror? No, it was a replica. It was more than that. It was her double.
The guard to Du’at was Issa herself. The face stared back at her, inspecting her, a most unnerving experience. To be investigated by oneself. She felt naked to the core.
“What do you want?” The double even spoke in her own voice.
“Entry to Du’at,” she replied.
“This is the realm of the dead. You’re still alive; go back to where you belong.”
The face of her double stared back, eyes unflinching, scrutinising her inner being. There was nowhere to hide from oneself.
“No, I can’t do that. Let me in. My son must live again.”
“Many come to plead for their loved ones. Don’t think you’re the first,” the face snarled. “Enter here at your peril, because you’ll never leave.”
“What does that mean? I’m more powerful than a mere guard dog,” she scoffed. “Let me pass.”
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Justin Newland is an author of historical fantasy and secret history thrillers – that’s history with a supernatural twist. His stories feature known events and real people from history which are re-told and examined through the lens of the supernatural. He gives author talks and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Bristol’s Thought for the Day. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England.
His Books
The Genes of Isis is a tale of love, destruction and ephemeral power set under the skies of Ancient Egypt. A re-telling of the Biblical story of the flood, it reveals the mystery of the genes of Isis – or genesis – of mankind. ISBN 9781789014860.
“The novel is creative, sophisticated, and downright brilliant! I couldn’t ask more of an Egyptian-esque book!” – Lauren, Books Beyond the Story.
The Old Dragon’s Head is a historical fantasy and supernatural thriller set during the Ming Dynasty and played out in the shadows the Great Wall of China. It explores the secret history of the influences that shaped the beginnings of modern times. ISBN 9781789015829.
‘The author is an excellent storyteller.” – British Fantasy Society.
Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation reveals the secret history of the Industrial Revolution. ISBN 9781838591885.
“The novel explores the themes of belonging, outsiders… religion and war… filtered through the lens of the other-worldly.” – A. Deane, Page Farer Book Blog.
His latest, The Abdication (July, 2021), is a suspense thriller, a journey of destiny, wisdom and self-discovery. ISBN 9781800463950.
“In Topeth, Tula confronts the truth, her faith in herself, faith in a higher purpose, and ultimately, what it means to abdicate that faith.”
https://www.facebook.com/justin.newland.author/
Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Genes-Isis-Justin-Newland-ebook/dp/B07D7FMDZG/
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Irresistible by Darcy Burke with giftcard giveaway
Irresistible
by Darcy Burke
GENRE: Historical Romance (Regency)
BLURB:
Jessamine Goodfellow has spent six Seasons avoiding the parson’s trap, and spinsterhood is finally within her grasp. A brilliant scholar, she longs for adventure and new experiences, things her family frowns upon. Presented with the opportunity to use her puzzle-solving talent on a secret mission for the Foreign Office, Jess eagerly accepts. Even when it means posing as the wife of a scorchingly attractive Scotsman who she must also covertly investigate as a possible double agent.
Lord Dougal MacNair, the new Viscount Fallin, has always completed his assignments for the Foreign Office alone. Now he’s saddled with an overly enthusiastic amateur partner. She possesses a remarkable intellect, but something about her isn’t quite right, and after two failed missions, Dougal is certain someone is working against him. Battling their secret suspicions, Dougal and Jess dive deep into their cover as a married couple, which arouses temptations they find irresistible. Danger is all around them, but it’s their hearts that may be the most imperiled.
Excerpt:
“Have you ever given up on a cryptogram?”
“No.”
“And I imagine some of them weren’t easy.”
She exhaled. “No, they were not.”
“I assumed as much. I know you, Jess, and you’re tenacious.”
“We haven’t even known each other a fortnight,” she scoffed. “Not officially anyway.”
“What does that mean, ‘officially’?”
She took a generous drink of brandy. “We have met before. Four years ago. I remember it distinctly.”
“Four years ago?” Damn, now he felt terrible. “How can you be sure?”
She gave him a haughty look of certainty that quite frankly pricked his desire. “Because I am. You asked me to dance at the Edgemont Ball.”
He’d danced with her. Four years ago. And never again. Worse, he didn’t remember it. He was an absolute cad. “I should have remembered you. I can’t imagine why I didn’t.” he said softly.
Sentiment, which he preferred to indulge in small, manageable doses, threatened to send him to her chair, to take her hand and beg her forgiveness. A husband would do that. A lover. He was neither and since they were alone, there was no reason to continue the pretense. Only, he was fairly certain he was no longer pretending.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Darcy Burke is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sexy, emotional historical and contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily ever after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations. Click here to Join her Reader Club.
A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, artist daughter, and imaginative son who will almost certainly out-write her one day (that may be tomorrow).
They’re a crazy cat family with two Bengal cats, a small, fame-seeking cat named after a fruit, an older rescue Maine Coon with attitude to spare, and a collection of neighbor cats who hang out on the deck and occasionally venture inside. You can find Darcy at a winery, in her comfy writing chair, or binge-watching TV with the family.
Her happy places are Disneyland, Labor Day weekend at the Gorge, Denmark, and anywhere in the UK—so long as her family is there too.
Social Links
Website https://www.darcyburke.com/
Reader Group Newsletter https://smarturl.it/DBReaderGroup
Facebook https://smarturl.it/DarcyBurkeFB
Darcy’s Duchesses Facebook Group https://smarturl.it/Duchesses
Instagram https://smarturl.it/IGFollowFB
Twitter https://www.twitter.com/darcyburke
BookBub https://smarturl.it/DBbookbubfb
Goodreads https://smarturl.it/grfollowfb
IMPOSSIBLE Buy Links
AMAZON https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Q2PVNM5/
APPLE https://apple.co/3nek4A9
NOOK https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/impossible-darcy-burke/1140862602?ean=2940160998404
KOBO https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/impossible-46
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Celestial Bodies: The Tess Lee and Jack Miller Novels by Patricia Leavy
Celestial Bodies: The Tess Lee and Jack Miller Novels by Patricia Leavy
GENRE: Romance/Women’s fiction
BLURB:
Heart-warming and wonderfully romantic, written with the sharp wit of Candace Bushnell and the sensitivity of Meg Donahue, comes best-selling author Patricia Leavy’s tour de force about learning to balance darkness and light in our lives.
Celestial Bodies is a series of six novels that follow the epic romance of Tess and Jack: Shooting Stars, Twinkle, Constellations, Supernova, North Star, and Stardust. An exploration of the power of love, each novel focuses on love at the intersection of another topic: healing, doubt, intimacy, trust, commitment, and faith. While external threats occur in each book, this is ultimately a story about internal threats—the audio playing in our own heads.
Tess Lee is a world-famous novelist. Her inspirational books explore people’s innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Despite her extraordinary success, she’s been unable to find happiness in her personal life. Jack Miller is a federal agent who specializes in counterterrorism. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. He’s dedicated everything to his job, leaving nothing for himself. The night Tess and Jack meet, their connection is palpable. She examines the scars on his body and says, “I’ve never seen anyone whose outsides match my insides.” The two embark on a beautiful love story that asks the questions: What happens when people truly see each other? Can unconditional love change the way we see ourselves? Their friends are along for the ride: Omar, Tess’s sarcastic best friend who calls her Butterfly; Joe, Jack’s friend from the Bureau who understands the sacrifices he’s made; and Bobby and Gina, Jack’s younger friends who never fail to lighten the mood. Along the way, others join their journey: the female president of the United States, with whom Tess bakes cookies and talks politics; the Millers, Jack’s childhood family; and many others. Celestial Bodies is about walking through our past traumas, moving from darkness to light, learning to live in color, and the ways in which love—from lovers, friends, or the art we experience—can heal us. Written as unfolding action, this collection moves fluidly between melancholy, humor, and joy. It can be read for pleasure or selected for book clubs.
Excerpt
At the end of the evening, they all bundled up and stumbled out of the bar.
A homeless man standing on the sidewalk asked, “Can you please spare anything?”
The group stood around awkwardly, but Tess walked right up to him. “Hi. I’m Tess, this is Jack, and these are our friends.”
Jack stepped directly behind Tess in a protective stance.
“What’s your name?” Tess gently asked the man.
“Henry,” he replied.
She smiled, pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of her pocket, and handed it to him. When he took the money, she held his hand. Surprised, he looked at her and said, “You’re very kind. Thank you.”
“Getting kind of cold out,” she said, still holding his hand.
“Sure is.”
She took off her cashmere scarf and held it out. “Here, please take this and try to stay warm.”
“Wow,” Joe muttered.
“Oh, I couldn’t,” Henry said.
“Please, I insist.”
“Thank you,” he said, taking the scarf. “Someone must have taught you to do unto others.”
“No, someone taught me there are no others. Good night, Henry.”
She turned to her friends, their mouths agape.
Henry looked at Jack, who hadn’t moved, and quietly asked, “Is she some kind of angel?”
“Yeah, something like that,” he muttered.
Tess walked over to Omar and hugged him. “Our usual breakfast on Thursday?”
“Yes, Butterfly.”
“Good night, guys,” she said to her friends.
They all said goodbye. Jack took Tess’s hand and walked her to his car. He opened her door and she got in. When he closed the door, he looked back at Henry, who was wrapping the scarf around his neck and smiling.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Patricia Leavy, Ph.D., is a bestselling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chair of Sociology and Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. She has published over thirty-five books, earning commercial and critical success in both fiction and nonfiction, and her work has been translated into many languages. Patricia has received dozens of accolades for her books. Recently, her novel Shooting Stars won the 2021 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite Contemporary Novel, her novel Film won the 2020 American Fiction Award for Inspirational Fiction, the 2021 NYC Big Book Award for Chick-Lit, and the 2021 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite Chick-Lit, her 3-novel set Candy Floss Collection won the 2020 American Fiction Award for Anthologies and the 2021 NYC Big Book Award for Anthology, and her novel Spark won the 2019 American Fiction Award for Inspirational Fiction, the 2019 Living Now Book Award for Adventure Fiction, and the 2021 National Indie Excellence Award for New Adult Fiction. She has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2016 Mogul, a global women’s empowerment network, named her an “Influencer.” In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” She lives in Maine with her husband, daughter (when she’s not away at college), and her dog. Patricia loves writing, reading, watching films, and traveling.
Website: www.patricialeavy.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WomenWhoWrite/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricialeavy
Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Celestial-Bodies-Tess-Miller-Novels-ebook/dp/B09WZGRGML/
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GOD’S INTERVENTION: A SECOND CHANCE FOR HUMANKIND by Kenneth B. Little and Helen Davies with a guest post, excerpt, and giveaway
God’s Intervention : A Second Chance for Humankind
by Kenneth B. Little and Helen Davies
GENRE: Fiction – Literary
BLURB:
Humans are on the brink of disaster…
In the United States, President Samuel Cummings has taken the reins of a deeply divided country at a time when nuclear, chemical, biological and cyberthreats loom.
Things look bleak until God’s emissary Sarah, a composite of 40 million female souls from Heaven, arrives on Earth with the message that God is intervening in human affairs to save the human race from itself. God, she explains, is the life force of the universe, the only intelligent form of energy. People who help others grow their own life force will join God in Heaven. However, many humans are more inclined toward hatred, intolerance and greed and so God is intervening to course-correct them.
The first thing Sarah does is to announce God’s edict of ‘thou shalt not kill’ to the world. Anyone who tries to kill another person—or who enables someone to do so—will die instead. As commander-in-chief, Cummings must call back his military troops or risk his life. He must then deal with both the fallout and benefits of the dissolution of America’s military-industrial
complex.
Sarah’s mission is to establish a new world order that is kinder, better and united. As she guides the world through this evolution, President Cummings begins to notice a depth in his own soul that makes him both a better man and a better leader.
Sarah remains on Earth for one year to help the world come together, and
leaves behind a legacy of hope—a second chance for humankind.
Excerpt
Immediately on alert, and with as much bravado as he could muster, he stuttered, “What in the hell are you doing here . . . ?” He punched a button on his desk and yelped, “Security!” as loudly as he could, expecting his personal bodyguard, Don Taylor, to rush into the room and usher this intruder out posthaste . . . but Don didn’t come.
Instead, the woman continued to stand in front of him as bright as a satellite in space. Glowing, it seemed.
“You must leave immediately!” he shouted at her, but she appeared unperturbed by his anxiety and did not move. “Now!” he yelled again, this time with more fervor as he pointed toward the door.
When she did not react, he slowly glanced around the room and noted an unnatural stillness. The usual electronic sounds that were part and parcel of day-to-day life—like lights buzzing and clocks ticking—were absent. It was like he was in a vacuum of some sort. He started to realize that he was alone with this woman and that no one was going to save him.
Don’t panic, he told himself, and he calmed down a little. He glanced quickly at her and had the uncomfortable sensation that she was flitting around the room. He looked away, at the door behind her, still hoping Taylor would bust through and usher her out, but nothing happened.
Finally, he managed to muster the words, “Where did you come from . . . ?” and then his tongue tied itself into a knot, and further speech failed him as he felt the full power of her presence.
This was no ordinary woman. She seemed to suck the oxygen from the room, leaving him light-headed, and oddly light-hearted as well. As he felt himself being somehow drawn to her, he could hear his heart beating as if in anticipation of something delightful, though his rational mind told him it was probably just due to surprise and shock. He fought to hide his odd mix of feelings from her by reminding himself that she was an intruder. The truth of the matter, he told himself sternly, is that this woman breached White House security in order to threaten me in the Oval Office.
Guest Post from Kenneth B. Little:
Why does humankind need a book like yours at this time?
We are all passengers on a ball of molten rock hurtling through space at more than 1.5 million miles an hour. There are now almost 8 billion of us but in our daily lives most of us never stop to think that our destinies are inextricably linked.
We pollute the air, land and sea and kill other life forms for food or just because they get in the way of our ever-growing population.
Sixty years ago I learned how to hide under my desk at school if the Russians launched a nuclear attack on North America. Today, school children can find out how to make a nuclear bomb on the internet. Nine countries now have nuclear weapons and terrorist groups will soon be deploying “dirty” bombs.
Chemical, biological and cyber weapons can readily be developed by any country or terrorist group using modern technology.
I like to retain a positive outlook on life and I deplore all of the science fiction novels that depict a dystopian future for planet Earth and its inhabitants.
However, if we as a species cannot come together to be at one with ourselves soon, a dystopian future it will be!
“God’s Intervention: a second chance for humankind” assumes divine intervention, with the god-like and impish emissary Sarah sent to trigger the necessary course-corrections.
With Sarah at the helm, saving humankind is a light-hearted and inspirational journey. Helen and I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as we enjoyed writing about it.
But what if divine intervention is not forthcoming?
I am planning a sequel that will address how humans could make the course corrections necessary to avoid a dystopian future without divine help. The journey would take decades and would be very difficult.
I can only hope that I live long enough to finish the plan and that humankind has sufficient resolve and time to implement it.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Kenneth B. Little is a 72-year-old retired business executive who is unhappy about how the state of the world has deteriorated during his lifetime.
The human population has ballooned from one billion to nearly eight billion, and people have moved off the land into massive cities where they have no ability to survive on their own. Instead, we rely on massive electrical grids energized by power plants largely burning fossil fuel; we’ve developed industrial complexes and global transportation systems that also rely on fossil fuel; we’ve created corporate farms that promote animal cruelty and destroy the soil by overusing chemicals; we’ve decimated our ocean marine life by dragging the ocean floor; we’ve created plastics that pollute land, rivers, lakes and oceans; and, of course, we’ve created nuclear, chemical, biological and cyber weapons that are now in the hands of unstable countries and terrorist organizations.
In short, we are racing headlong into a series of mass extinction events.
At seventy-two, Ken felt motivated to try to create a better world for his grandchildren by writing a fiction book full of non-fiction ideas that could potentially correct many of the world’s problems. Realizing that the only two avenues toward this were themes of divine intervention or mass extinction, he chose divine intervention as the solution, creating a scenario where God could step in to save humankind.
Ken wrote his initial manuscript during the Covid-19 lockdown, a 70,000-word overview that his wife told him read like a textbook. Deciding to see professional help, he engaged Tellwell Publishing to do a critical edit, which was performed by Tellwell editor Helen Davies.
Helen was intrigued by the storyline but, like Ken’s wife, felt it needed a lot of work to develop the characters and make it more engaging. With Tellwell’s blessing, Ken then contracted Helen to do just that. Thus began a most unusual and successful collaboration!
Says Ken:
Helen and I are completely different people. She is a writer, musician, and farmer. I am the grumpy old man who watches European business news when I get up at 3:00 a.m. We live as far apart as possible in Canada. She lives in Victoria on the West Coast, and I live in Fredericton on the East Coast. We have never met, yet we talked for nearly two hours on our first phone conversation. Usually, I never talk for more than five minutes with anybody on the phone. What unites us is that we share a passion for this story, and for the idea of a better, more united world.
During the writing process, Helen routinely sent me edited chapters, one at a time, always with the tagline, “I hope you like it.” I like it very much; the story I wrote that sounded like a textbook now brings tears to my eyes.
God’s Intervention: A Second Chance for Humankind is a story of hope.
We hope you like it.
Kenneth B. Little and Helen Davies
Connect with the Authors
WEBSITE https://godsintervention.info/
GOODREADS https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61046275-god-s-intervention
Get a copy of God’s Intervention
AMAZON.COM https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228863953
AMAZON.CA https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0228863953
KINDLE https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Intervention-Second-Chance-Humanity-ebook/dp/B09Z7MCDG3/
INDIGO CHAPTERS https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/gods-intervention-a-second-chance/9780228863960-item.html
BARNES & NOBLE https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gods-intervention-kenneth-b-little/1141419998
SMASHWORDS https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1144762
BOOK DEPOSITORY https://www.bookdepository.com/Gods-Intervention-Kenneth-B-Little-Helen-Davies/9780228863953
BOOKTOPIA https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=9780228863953
WALMART https://www.walmart.com/ip/God-s-Intervention-Paperback-9780228863953/385986603
WATERSTONES https://www.waterstones.com/book/9780228863953
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Short Stories for the Long Haul by John T. Buckley
Welcome to the tour for this new collection of short stories called Short Stories for the Long Haul by John T. Buckley.
Short Stories for the Long Haul
Expected Publication Date: August 12th, 2022
Genre: Anthology/ Fantasy/ Sci-Fi/ Crime Fiction & More A collection of short stories that explore the human condition. Everything from a self absorbed wannabe quarterback who gets his shot, to a woman who marries her dog…
Purchase Here!
About the Author
John T. Buckley is a 47 year old writer from Maine who’s been writing most of his life. He also loves to paint and seeing the world. He studied at University of Southern Maine as well as at SMTC in Cape Elizabeth. Fun fact, John T. Buckley was once the lead singer in a band called Mammyth.John T. Buckley | Facebook | Twitter
Book Tour Organized By:
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August 4, 2022
Blackmail by Amelia Wilde and a paperback giveaway
Blackmail
Amelia Wilde
Publication date: August 2nd 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Bristol Anderson will do anything to protect her younger siblings. Even if it means embezzling from the company where she’s a temp. No one will find out. And the wealthy owner of the investment firm will never notice.
Except Will LeBlanc doesn’t miss a thing.
He could call the police, but he has more interesting plans for her. In the copy room. On the conference table. Under his desk.
The coldhearted venture capitalist will make her pay back every last cent.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play
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Author Bio:
Amelia Wilde is a USA TODAY bestselling author of steamy contemporary romance and loves it a little too much. She lives in Michigan with her husband and daughters. She spends most of her time typing furiously on an iPad and appreciating the natural splendor of her home state from where she likes it best: inside.
Amelia is a USA Today best selling author from northern Michigan. Be her friend!
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon
GIVEAWAY!
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August 1, 2022
Home to Clare Harbor by Jacie Middlemann with giveaway
Home to Clare Harbor
by Jacie Middlemann
GENRE: Clean Contemporary Women’s Fiction – Christian
BLURB:
They started out as strangers…but didn’t stay that way for long…
A devoted granddaughter willing to do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe. Strangers who meet during the worst of conditions and become friends in the midst of chaos. Unexpected romance under the most unlikely circumstances. A puzzling mystery with its roots in historical events that took place centuries ago. And a storm that hides an ominous purpose that could change all their lives forever.
Sara knows before she walks into her grandparent’s home that her grandmother’s greatest fear will never be the storm or the threat it poses but instead the unknown that lays just beyond her front door. She knows too its cause and grieves that there is nothing she can do to change it.
Throughout the years of his career John has covered numerous battlefields including those that are a result of nature’s unyielding tempest. He fears this might be the worst one yet.
Mel didn’t expect to spend more than a few days in the large house where they’d taken refuge. She figured the storm would pass by and then they’d be off to their next assignment. The last thing she expected was David Payne.
Despite the fact that Lance was the bane of her teenage years, Tish knows that without the help of her father’s assistant, that the trip to North Carolina likely would have been a lot more challenging than it was. She’d been unequivocally terrified but his presence gave her strength she didn’t realize she had. She wasn’t certain how she felt about that…or him…or that he no longer irritated her the way he used to.
When Gary arrived at his family’s home in the mountains of North Carolina, he’s relieved that Sara and her grandparents along with their elderly friends are already there. But he is unable to take an easy breath until Tish finally arrives with Lance…and is not at all surprised at what he hears from Lance about their trip and the potential dangers they’d just barely been able to avoid.
He’s determined to do everything he can to keep their location safe…and unknown. Their knowledge, skills, and ingenuity are their greatest defense. For a time they would have to depend on themselves…it hadn’t take long to discover that the storm was never their greatest threat…but what is could change all their lives for the immediate future…or longer.
If you enjoy uplifting and heartfelt women’s fiction, young and older heroes and heroines filled with courage and compassion as they share joys and triumphs, and united they face and overcome tremendous challenges and tragedy.
NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99.
Excerpt:
“I’m so sorry, dear. I know I’m being foolish,” Maisie said quietly.
“No one could ever accuse you of being foolish, Grandma,” Sara said meaning every word. “We’re in a scary situation that none of us have ever been in before. You’d be far more foolish if you claimed it didn’t bother you.”
“It’s not just the storm,” Maisie admitted slowly but she kept her eyes steady on those of the young woman sitting next to her.
“Tell me, Grandma,” Sara asked softly. She knew sometimes if her grandmother was able to give voice to her fears it helped to diminish them.
Lord only knew that she’d talked with enough professionals to learn ways that could successfully help her grandmother to cope with the many fears that too often held her in their grip. She knew at the moment the primary one came from not being in familiar surroundings…not being in her own her home. Everything else was peripheral to that.
But at the moment there was little she could do to remedy the greatest of her fears.
“I won’t be able to go home, will I?”
The trembling voice that was filled with so much more than just fear broke Sara’s heart. She knew it was the exact same fear of so many others who were her grandmother’s age.
“Oh, Grandma.” She wrapped her arms around the frail shoulders that had once been so strong and sturdy. They had been her buffer against the world for so many years during her childhood and all the years after. She could do no less for her now.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Jacie Middlemann lives in Texas with her husband and a couple of cats who believe they rule…and sometimes they do.
When she’s not watching classic sitcoms or working on a needlework project for one of her kids, she loves to read women’s fiction and sometimes a good mystery suspense.
https://www.amazon.com/Jacie-Middlemann/e/B00J87TCGE
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7793731.Jacie_Middlemann
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MDHKCT6
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