B.L. Bruce's Blog, page 15

April 15, 2015

Award-Winning ‘Adventure Inward: A Risk Taker’s Book of Quotes’ by Climber, Adventurer, and Author Jonathan Wunrow

A wonderful book. Adventure Inward does a great job of explaining many existential issues concerning life, death, and one’s purpose.

– Avery Griffin, Author of The Demon Rolmar


An excellent compilation of inspiring, humorous, and thought-provoking quotes sure to get anyone, no matter their hobbies, pastimes, or interests, thinking deeply about their world and what it means for us, as humans, to look inside ourselves. Each chapter is adorned with Wunrow’s clear voice and unfailing insight into the human psyche in the presence of “risk” and the many ways this can be interpreted.

– Bri Bruce, Publisher and Author of The Weight of Snow


Inspiring reading! Wunrow has written a wonderful gem for all those who appreciate, or want to better understand, the human urge to adventure. 

– Logan, Amazon Customer Review


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2014 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER

2014 PINNACLE BOOK ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER

2014 USA BEST BOOK AWARDS FINALIST


Adventure Inward: A Risk Taker’s Book of Quotes

Jonathan Wunrow

Life is Twisted Press

Paperback published April 1, 2014

$3.99 (eBook), $10.95 (Trade Paperback)


Written for adventurers and non-adventurers alike, Adventure Inward’s collection of quotes and insights will inspire thrill seekers and risk takers of all sorts, encouraging personal exploration and offering insights into the ultimate adventure: inward. Through his own experiences as an avid mountain climber, the author uses quotes to explore the nature of why extreme sports enthusiasts do what they do, and how their risk taking impacts them and those around them. The fifteen topics explored in Adventure Inward offer perspectives on life, death, purpose, and meaning, not just for risk takers and extreme sports enthusiasts, but for people of all walks of life.


JON WUNROW is a parent, husband, adventurer, grant writer, cabin builder, Tribal consultant, adolescent therapist, and Green Bay Packer fanatic who occasionally finds time to plan and enjoy extreme adventures all over the world. In addition to pursuing his current goal of climbing the highest peak in every country in North, Central, and South America with his Australian climbing partner, he has also hiked the 2,650 mile Pacific Crest Trail, completed a two-month canoe trip in Northern Canada, climbed Kilimanjaro with his son Seth, and has had adventures in dozens of countries around the world. Some of his country high points include Denali (Alaska), Sajama (Bolivia), Aconcagua (Argentina), Orizaba (Mexico), and Julianna Top (Suriname). After living and raising his son in Sitka, Alaska for sixteen years, the author now resides in Bloomington, Indiana with his amazing and supportive wife, Leslie. Jon Wunrow is also the author of High Points: A Climber’s Guide to Central America (2012).


Check out the author’s website at www.jonathanwunrow.com


eBOOK AND PAPERBACK NOW AVAILABLE AT AMAZON!



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Published on April 15, 2015 09:51

March 26, 2015

Praise for Award-Winning Poetry Collection “The Weight of Snow”

2014 International Book Awards Finalist in the Poetry Category

2014 San Francisco Book Festival Honorable Mention, Poetry Category

2014 USA Best Book Awards “Poetry” Category Finalist


Featured on the USA Book News’s 2014 USA Best Book Awards Website 


Image


PAPERBACK AVAILABLE ON AMAZON  $8.99


eBOOK AVAILABLE ON AMAZONGOOGLE PLAY, iTUNES, BARNES & NOBLEOMNILIT, AND KOBO  $2.99



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Praise for The Weight of Snow


“The poems in The Weight of Snow are heartfelt, skillfully written, and keenly observed fragments of the natural world and our lives there. Bravo.” 


  - Gary Young, Poet Laureate of Santa Cruz County,  Award-Winning Author of PleasureNo Other Life, and Braver Deeds


“[Bruce] is the worthy heiress of Mary Oliver.”


- John Gilchrist


There is nothing to say that would be as lyrical and eloquent as this poet’s language. She writes as a daughter of California’s wild places. . . . Make space, Gary Snyder, Jane Hirshfield, and Ellen Bass, there is a new poet climbing and swimming her way up to claim her place among you. 


– Karen K LewisAuthor and Executive Director at Mendocino Coast Writer’s Conference


READ MORE REVIEWS HERE




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In The Weight of Snow, author B. L. Bruce explores the many plights of the human species, from the mysteries of the heart and the inescapability of death, to the depths of human emotion. Told from the perspective of a poetic naturalist, Bruce shares her appreciation of the wild, illuminating the profound in the mundane while chronicling the natural world as both an observer and as an irrefutable part of it. Her poems focus strongly on image and locality, conjuring the imaginations of readers and celebrating the beauty in the follies of the human condition and its capacity to grip the soul.


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Published on March 26, 2015 12:58

March 13, 2015

AUTHOR SPECIAL: Custom Book Cover Design starting at $99

Custom eBook Covers $99

Custom Print Covers $135


When you supply your own image or graphic.

Service includes 3 mockups and 2 changes.


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TO VIEW COMPLETE DESIGN PORTFOLIO, PLEASE DOWNLOAD HERE


Please email bribruceproductions (at) gmail (dot) com for more information.


* * * * *


OTHER DESIGN & PUBLISHING SERVICES:


– Editing

– Book interior layout design & formatting for both traditional printers & print on demand providers

– Book Printing through CreateSpace or other traditional printers or print-on-demand platforms

– eBook conversion

ISBNbarcode, and Cataloging-in-Publication block set up & assignment

– Book reviews

Account set up with all major eBook retailers, including Apple, Google, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo & more.

– Social media marketing, book promotions, and creation of marketing collateral, such as magazine ads, media kits, & more.

- Publishing consultation services


Other services include:


– photo manipulation/editing for events, products, portraits, & more

– basic website design

– marketing materials (press kits, flyers, etc.)

– magazine & newspaper advertisements

– wedding & special event invitations & announcements

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– website banners

– posters

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– buisness cards


Please visit http://www.bribruceproductions.squarespace.com

for more information and samples of my work.


CLICK HERE FOR TESTIMONIALS



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Published on March 13, 2015 13:40

March 12, 2015

eBook Giveaway!

FREE eBook edition of author and outdoorsman Todd Bruce’s Nine Passes: Fly Fishing through the Past and Present of the High Sierra (published February 2015 by Black Swift Press) in exchange for an honest review. 


Nine Passes, Todd Bruce’s deeply personal account of his 300-mile backpacking expedition through the Sierra Nevada, is informed by the author’s vivid sense of history and enduring love of the land. Retracing the route of Charles McDermand, an outdoorsman and writer whose landmark 1946 travelogue The Waters of the Golden Trout Country sparked a national interest in the region, Bruce draws upon his fly fishing expertise and his keen familiarity with the land to illuminate the subtleties of the Sierra Nevada’s flora, fauna, and topography.


Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00070]


Bruce’s five-week trek took him along McDermand’s seventy-year-old route, where he hiked the back country, fished the lakes and streams, and climbed the high mountain passes of trailblazers past—one of whom was Bruce’s great grandfather, George R. Goldman.


The trout waters he explores are those of McDermand, of George Goldman, and of Bruce’s kin: Bruce’s mother, father, and siblings, as well as his own young self, who fished those same glinting pools in the previous decades. Nine Passes is a collation of more than six decades of change in the Sierra fisheries, the story of a family, their bonds, and their memories, the techniques and practices of the fly fishing artistry, and the shifting human attitudes that have sculpted these granite-laden mountains.


Learn more at www.ninepasses.com or on Amazon


IF INTERESTED, PLEASE SEND QUERY TO:

BLACKSWIFTPRESS (at) GMAIL (dot) COM


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Published on March 12, 2015 15:47

February 25, 2015

BOOK REVIEWERS WANTED: “Nine Passes: Fly Fishing through the Past and Present of the High Sierra” by Author and Outdoorsman Todd Bruce

BOOK REVIEWERS WANTED!


FREE eBook edition of author and outdoorsman Todd Bruce’s

Nine Passes: Fly Fishing through the Past and Present of the High Sierra (published February 2015 by Black Swift Press)

in exchange for an honest review. 


Nine Passes, Todd Bruce’s deeply personal account of his 300-mile backpacking expedition through the Sierra Nevada, is informed by the author’s vivid sense of history and enduring love of the land. Retracing the route of Charles McDermand, an outdoorsman and writer whose landmark 1946 travelogue The Waters of the Golden Trout Country sparked a national interest in the region, Bruce draws upon his fly fishing expertise and his keen familiarity with the land to illuminate the subtleties of the Sierra Nevada’s flora, fauna, and topography.


Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00070]


Bruce’s five-week trek took him along McDermand’s seventy-year-old route, where he hiked the back country, fished the lakes and streams, and climbed the high mountain passes of trailblazers past—one of whom was Bruce’s great grandfather, George R. Goldman.


The trout waters he explores are those of McDermand, of George Goldman, and of Bruce’s kin: Bruce’s mother, father, and siblings, as well as his own young self, who fished those same glinting pools in the previous decades. Nine Passes is a collation of more than six decades of change in the Sierra fisheries, the story of a family, their bonds, and their memories, the techniques and practices of the fly fishing artistry, and the shifting human attitudes that have sculpted these granite-laden mountains.


Learn more at www.ninepasses.com or on Amazon


IF INTERESTED, PLEASE SEND QUERY TO:

BLACKSWIFTPRESS (at) GMAIL (dot) COM





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Published on February 25, 2015 10:05

February 15, 2015

NEW RELEASE: “Nine Passes: Fly Fishing through the Past and Present of the High Sierra” by Todd Bruce

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00070]


NINE PASSES:

FLY FISHING THROUGH THE PAST AND PRESENT OF THE HIGH SIERRA

by Todd Bruce

(Black Swift Press, 2015)

978-0-9914503-2-9





A V A I L A B L E   I N   T R A D E    P A P E R B A C K   O N   A M A Z O N



SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, February 10 – Local author, Todd Bruce, of Santa Cruz will release his debut book, Nine Passes: Fly Fishing through the Past and Present of the High Sierra on February 15, 2015 through Black Swift Press. A book launch party will follow this spring.


Nine Passes, Todd Bruce’s deeply personal account of his 300-mile backpacking expedition through the Sierra Nevada, is informed by the author’s vivid sense of history and enduring love of the land. Retracing the route of Charles McDermand, an outdoorsman and writer whose landmark 1946 travelogue The Waters of the Golden Trout Country sparked a national interest in the region, Bruce draws upon his fly fishing expertise and his keen familiarity with the land to illuminate the subtleties of the Sierra Nevada’s flora, fauna, and topography.


Bruce’s five-week trek took him along McDermand’s seventy-year-old route, hiking the back country, fishing the lakes and streams, and climbing the high mountain passes of trailblazers past—one of whom was Bruce’s great-grandfather, George R. Goldman.


The trout waters he explores are those of McDermand, of George Goldman, and of Bruce’s kin: Bruce’s mother, father, and siblings, as well as his own young self, who fished those same glinting pools in the previous decades. Nine Passes is a collation of more than six decades of change in the Sierra fisheries, the story of a family, their bonds and their memories, the techniques and practices of the fly fishing artistry, and the shifting human attitudes that have sculpted these granite-laden mountains.


A B O U T   T H E   A U T H O R


As an experienced backpacker and outdoorsman, author Todd Bruce has cultivated a deep knowledge and endless love of the natural world. Starting at age four with a fly rod in his hand, his life lessons progressed through the teachings of his family and mentors, and eventually he achieved the rank of Eagle Scout.

His passion for the outdoors led him to pursue a degree in forestry at Humboldt State University. His thirty-two year career as a firefighter began with fighting wildfires for the United States Forest Service. In 2011, he retired at the rank of captain from Santa Clara County Fire Department.

He continues to chronicle his expeditions and share his mastery of the backcountry. Bruce currently lives in Santa Cruz, California.


LEARN MORE AT www.ninepasses.com


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Published on February 15, 2015 08:38

February 3, 2015

NEW RELEASE from Nationally Award Winning Author M. Reed McCall: ‘Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven’

“Intensely moving and beautifully written, Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven will open your heart and stay with you long after the last page is turned.” USA Today bestselling author Julianne MacLean


“An engaging and entertaining exploration of a large family’s life in a small town…McCall’s fluid writing, eye for detail, appreciation of rural life, and her ability to stir the reader’s empathy guarantee an absorbing and moving read.” Margaret Porter, award-winning and bestselling author of A Pledge of Better Times


MooseTracks_Cover


Elena Wright Maguire has a problem: for nearly two decades, she’s used sheer will to hold together her safe, predictable, and mostly fulfilling life. Then she’s involved in a fender bender and all bets are off. She’s forced to confront a tragedy from long ago that threatens the sense of security she’s worked so hard to create. But as the aftershocks of the past unfold, it seems they just might have something to offer—for Elena and for us—in the journey of navigating the sometimes heartbreaking challenges of the here and now.


 Set in the foothills of Upstate New York’s Adirondack Mountains, and spanning events over four decades, M. Reed McCall’s humorous, poignant, and endearing novel is a tender foray into the emotional landscape of family, friendship, and the kind of love that transcends boundaries, weaving an inspiring tale about what it means to hang on before learning to let go . . . and remembering how to keep living when you lose someone you love.


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Nationally award-winning author M. Reed McCall grew up in rural Upstate New York as part of a large and loving family. Before becoming a writer, she first considered a career in national security, studying for a brief time at the University of Leningrad before completing undergraduate degrees in Russian and English back in the United States, followed by a master’s degree in English literature.


As Mary Reed McCall, she published seven historical romance novels with HarperCollins Publishers. Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven is her first work of contemporary fiction. Mary makes her permanent home in New York State with her husband and children. When she is not writing or involved with family activities, she teaches high school and college-level English.


Please visit her on the web at www.mreedmccall.com.


M. Reed McCall’s latest book

is available at the following retailers:


AMAZON (Trade Paperback & eBook)

KINDLE

BARNES & NOBLE

KOBO

iBOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

ALL ROMANCE





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Published on February 03, 2015 12:01

NEW RELEASE from Nationally Award Winning Author M. Reed McCall: ‘Moose Tracks on the Read to Heaven’

“Intensely moving and beautifully written, Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven will open your heart and stay with you long after the last page is turned.” USA Today bestselling author Julianne MacLean


“An engaging and entertaining exploration of a large family’s life in a small town…McCall’s fluid writing, eye for detail, appreciation of rural life, and her ability to stir the reader’s empathy guarantee an absorbing and moving read.” Margaret Porter, award-winning and bestselling author of A Pledge of Better Times


MooseTracks_Cover


Elena Wright Maguire has a problem: for nearly two decades, she’s used sheer will to hold together her safe, predictable, and mostly fulfilling life. Then she’s involved in a fender bender and all bets are off. She’s forced to confront a tragedy from long ago that threatens the sense of security she’s worked so hard to create. But as the aftershocks of the past unfold, it seems they just might have something to offer—for Elena and for us—in the journey of navigating the sometimes heartbreaking challenges of the here and now.


 Set in the foothills of Upstate New York’s Adirondack Mountains, and spanning events over four decades, M. Reed McCall’s humorous, poignant, and endearing novel is a tender foray into the emotional landscape of family, friendship, and the kind of love that transcends boundaries, weaving an inspiring tale about what it means to hang on before learning to let go . . . and remembering how to keep living when you lose someone you love.


* * * * *


Nationally award-winning author M. Reed McCall grew up in rural Upstate New York as part of a large and loving family. Before becoming a writer, she first considered a career in national security, studying for a brief time at the University of Leningrad before completing undergraduate degrees in Russian and English back in the United States, followed by a master’s degree in English literature.


As Mary Reed McCall, she published seven historical romance novels with HarperCollins Publishers. Moose Tracks on the Road to Heaven is her first work of contemporary fiction. Mary makes her permanent home in New York State with her husband and children. When she is not writing or involved with family activities, she teaches high school and college-level English.


Please visit her on the web at www.mreedmccall.com.


M. Reed McCall’s latest book

is available at the following retailers:


AMAZON (Trade Paperback & eBook)

KINDLE

BARNES & NOBLE

KOBO

iBOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

ALL ROMANCE





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Published on February 03, 2015 12:01

January 27, 2015

“Pulse” & “Forbearance” published in Issue 30 of Damselfly Press

Below is an excerpt from my latest publication in Damselfly Press‘s issue 30–my poem titled “Pulse” that is set to appear in my next collection, The Starling’s Song (2015)


PULSE


Listen to the Poem


Eating blue mussels

from the perfect domes

of their shells, you twist

a slice of orange into

the foam of your beer.

We argue over the height

of the bridge above the

Noyo River. The water

is like concrete, you say.

I believe someone would

survive. As if I had yielded,

I sat silently regarding

a woman’s leap from

the Golden Gate, the

monstrous voice that

told her to jump. From

across the table, you

place your hand on mine.

I feel the wild coursing

of your pulse, the proof

of our lives in our hands.


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Bri Bruce is an editor, graphic designer, and publisher from Santa Cruz, California. With a bachelor’s degree in writing from UC Santa Cruz, her work has previously appeared in The Sun Magazine, The Soundings Review, and The Monterey Poetry Review, among others. Bruce is the award-winning author of The Weight of Snow.


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Published on January 27, 2015 15:53

January 19, 2015

BLOG TOUR: ‘Johnny Nothing’ by Ian Probert

“Great new kids book alert! My two are in hysterics reading Johnny Nothing by Ian Probert (and I am too).”


- Jane Bruton, Editor of Grazia


“Oh, Wow! Dark, sordid, grotesque and hilarious are only a few words I can conjure up to describe this hilarious book.”


- Lizzie Baldwin, mylittlebookblog


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Critics are comparing Ian Probert to Roald Dahl, and deeming Johnny Nothing a modern successor to Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.


Johnny Nothing is best-selling author Ian Probert’s first ever children’s book–although adults are enjoying it, too. The story of the poorest boy in the world and the nastiest mother in the universe, the book is earning rave reviews. Children and grown-ups are all laughing at this incredibly funny kids book.


WATCH THE TRAILER HERE


To celebrate the paperback launch of Johnny Nothing we are offering a free Kindle copy of the book to the first 100 people who Tweet the following message:


@truth42  – I’m reading Johnny Nothing by Ian Probert. http://geni.us/3oR8 #YA #Kindle #kidsbooks


The first ten readers who answer the following question will also receive a signed print of one of the book’s illustrations.


Q: What is the tattoo on Ben’s arm?


Send your answers to truth42@icloud.com


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IAN PROBERT has been scribbling down words ever since he learned to spell the phrase: ‘Once upon a time…’. He is the author of Internet Spy, Rope Burns and a bunch of other titles. Internet Spy was a bestseller in the US and made into a TV film. Rope Burns is a book about why books shouldn’t be written about boxing. Ian has also written things for a shed load of newspapers and magazines. When Ian was a student he used to write lots of letters to the bank manager.


For more, visit http://ianprobert.com


Follow author Ian Probert on Facebook! 


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Johnny Nothing
is available at the following retailers: 


Amazon


iBooks (iTunes)





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Published on January 19, 2015 10:39