Val Tobin's Blog, page 13

A Date With . . . Val Tobin

Thank you for featuring me on your site, Frank. I enjoyed answering the interview questions.

Frank Parker's author site

My latest ‘Date’ is with novelist and parapsychology graduate Val Tobin who hails from Ontario. As usual I began by asking her to tell me a little about her home state.

I’ve lived in Ontario all my life. What I love most about it is the beauty of the countryside and the tight-knit community we live in.

The downside is the bugs, particularly the mosquitoes in the summer. I’m not a big fan of winter either. I’ve learned to bundle up for it, but that doesn’t mean I’m enjoying it. Some folks here participate in winter sports, but the closest I get to a winter sport is reading in front of a fireplace.

Val writes across several genres but has no strong preference for any, preferring to allow the story to dictate the genre:

For example, when the idea for The Experiencers, book one ofthe Valiant Chronicles series,

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Branding: The Right Way vs. the Wrong Way

Over the past few days, a crazy story has erupted on social media with the hashtag #cockygate. It involves authors (one who’s quite…erm, cocky), Amazon, and trademark law.

Author Faleena Hopkins claims her readers were getting confused by so many romance books having similar titles to hers. That issue isn’t unusual, as a quick look in any genre would reveal that popular tropes often lead to similar titles…

Read more: Branding: The Right Way vs. the Wrong Way

Injury Shortlisted for Best Book Award

[image error]So excited. I received this notice from ReadFreely and would like to politely beg, I mean, request you to please vote for Injury:


 


Hi Val,


 


At ReadFree.ly we’ve started an exciting new competition to crown the Best Book We’ve Read All Year. And Injury has made the shortlist….


 


…So what do you need to do? Nothing really; you’ve already done the hard part, you’ve written the book. However, you may wish to encourage your fans to visit our site and vote for Injury: there’s a link on our homepage, or they can go here – http://www.readfree.ly/bbwray2018/ ….


 


If you’d like to read Injury, you can download it here for #FREE: https://www.books2read.com/injury


 


Thank you for your help and support!

Involuntarily Underpaid Women Mark 6,000 Years Of Not Resorting To Violence

The Out And Abouter

A small gathering of underpaid, but non-violent, women.

As the city of Toronto, and Canada, and the world in general, becomes horrifyingly familiar with the violence that occupies the single space between the words ‘involuntary,’ and ‘celibate,’ a much more ubiquitous movement is quietly noting its sixth millennia of persistence, without resorting to killing anyone.

“The inund movement has been around as long as women have been receiving fewer – if any – wages for the same job as their male counterparts,” says Susan Longamme, the 257th director of the Involuntarily Underpaid movement, a very loose affiliation of pretty much every female who has lived in recorded history. “So, forever.”

“And in all those millennia of not receiving ample compensation for a given task – something that is in fact owed to people; unlike sex, for example – we have driven into exactly zero crowds of innocent strangers; and resorted…

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Giving A Voice To Indies

David Gaughran

A new organization is being formed which is aiming to give a voice to indies – the Indie Author Support Network. The idea was proposed by indie author Marie Force, and it’s still at the very earliest stages, but what I’ve heard so far is very promising indeed – particularly that it will be exclusively focused on high-level advocacy and interfacing with retailers on issues which concern indies.

I’m not a member of any writer organization. I joined one here in Ireland when I first returned home, but didn’t renew after they wouldn’t even take the most basic stand against a local publisher who wasn’t paying his authors.

I know people join organizations for lots of different reasons, whether that’s continuing education or competitions or even just the social/networking aspects at conferences, which are desperately needed in such a solitary profession, and I think those needs are pretty…

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Ian and Daphne’s First Kiss

[image error]I’m thrilled to be featured as a guest blogger on Bonnie Phelps, Author blog. I’m sharing the first kiss between Daphne and Ian from my Romantic Suspense, Poison Pen, which is part of the About Three Authors series.



 “Today on First Kiss Friday, we welcome romance author, Val Tobin, and an excerpt from her Romantic Suspense, Poison Pen…”



Visit Bonnie’s blog to experience the kiss.



 

 

NURTURE Book Tour – The Gods of Winter by Gerald G. Griffin

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Today I’m proud to participate in a book tour promoting Gerald G. Griffen’s new literary fiction novel The Gods of Winter.

Interview with Gerald G. Griffin:

Once readers have read The Gods of Winter, what are you hoping that they take away from it? What feelings and emotions are you hoping they have?

This is one question difficult to answer, for in the end it is not what I want or hope for, but what is to be.

The book is out there, and what feelings and emotions it elicits is up to the readers. Wrapped in a mixture touching upon several genres — mystery, thriller, romance, horror and mystical, the novel offers a wide scope of situations allowing for an abundant range of feelings and emotions to be felt, and it is up to each reader as to which of these feelings and emotions arouse he or she.

My hopes are not involved in this, except for the hope that I’ve written a compelling story.

But to answer what I think you’re really asking, we need to go to my purpose in writing the novel. It was dedicated to Jane A. Valentine, my departed fiancée, portrayed by Gloria Hopkins in the book’s story, and my purpose, through Gloria, was to show what an exceptional person Jane was, really beyond the measure of words. A being with such an exciting, daring spirit for enjoying life to its fullest, thankful to be alive to do so, and passing this joy to others, sparking them to greater heights of wonder. A person with a fiery spirit that could be adorably challenging, but a spirit showered in innocence that could be a quiet jubilation, soothing and caressing, making anyone who came in contact with her to feel good to be alive.

Jane Valentine was a rare creature of God. Her abrupt passing before her time was not only a tragic loss to myself, but a tragic loss to all of humanity who knew her and could have known her if she had not died.

Well, what I want is for those people, and many others, to know her, which brings us back to the purpose of The Gods of Winter.

Beyond the trappings of the novel was the real purpose of the book; always before me as I wrote it, to let the world, or as many people as possible, know of the precious existence of Jane before her memory was lost to time. And sharing Jane’s memory to many was the outcome I wanted to be, above any hoped-for feelings or emotions.

Book Synopsis:

[image error]The stuff of legend. Fiction based on fact. A story to behold. Its humor, laughter, strife, sadness, and tragedy are the stuff of legend.

Bob Daniels, against all odds, becomes a noted psychologist. In unlikely fashion, he meets Gloria Hopkins, a noted stage performer. A rare and daring love ensues, but it’s thwarted by an inexplicable force of madness. The two are pulled into a harrowing journey to save their love, and as they interlock with a range of vibrant characters, in desperation they face the impossible.

The Gods of Winter: A story of pondering gasps, ending in deep awe. 

Title: The Gods of Winter

Author: Gerald G. Griffin

Genre: Fiction – Literary Fiction, Coming of Age, Romantic Suspense

Formats: Paperback

Published by: SBP

ISBN-13: 9781946540102

Pub. Date: October 16, 2017

Number of pages: 356

Content Warning: some adult language and violence

Age Restriction: 19 years of age or older

Purchase at: Amazon.com, B&N, Amazon.ca & Amazon.co.uk

Author Bio: Gerald G. Griffin was born in Flint, Michigan, and graduated from high school there as class Valedictorian. After obtaining his BBA at a local college, he attended graduate school at Michigan State University, receiving his MA and PhD in psychology, by this time married, with two sons. Following graduation, he accepted a position with a psychologist in private practice in Atlanta, Georgia. One year later Gerald set up his own private practice in Atlanta as a consulting psychologist, and his practice eventually grew to the point of necessitating two fully staffed offices at different sites, with a smaller one in his home. During this professional growth, Gerald’s social life also grew, including the fraternity of many friends and the fellowship of a country club. Through all of this, Gerald managed to write three published novels. While in practice in Atlanta, Gerald was listed in Marquis WHO’S WHO in the South and Southwest, Personalities of America and Notable Americans. Nancy Cline, a member of MENSA, said in review of Gerald’s writings: “In this age, yes, there’s a nobility of spirit and the courage to preserve and to protect that nobility. In the field of fiction we have men of great stature. To that list add the name of Gerald G. Griffin.”

Once his sons were grown and out on their own, Gerald and his wife divorced. Caught up in his bachelor wanderings, Gerald reduced his practice to part-time, in one office, while still managing to write, mostly ghost-writing, though he wrote a fourth novel, never published. Then he met Jane Valentine, a well-bred, well-educated lady from London, England with a zest for life and a demeanor to enjoy it. Gerald and Jane became engaged and moved to the bedroom community of Gainesville, Georgia. There, among the small city’s peaceful settings around Lake Lanier, Gerald dedicated himself full-time to writing, turning out the published novel, OF GOOD AND EVIL.

Gerald and Jane’s relationship in Gainesville evolved into a remarkably close, fulfilling love between them, marked by spontaneous explorations and sprees of happy sharing. Then came tragedy. Unexpectedly, Jane died from a mismatch of events, shattering Gerald. Out of this shattering, Gerald was overwhelmed by a compelling urge to write the published novel, THE GODS OF WINTER, fiction based on fact, dedicated to Jane, Gerald’s literary odyssey to keep the memory of Jane — her indomitable spirit, her extraordinary being, her rare caring nature for enjoying life, giving this joy to others — alive, inspiring others, for all time.

Gerald now lives quietly in Gainesville, in a quaint house atop a hill, surrounded by the simple beauty of Nature, woods and wildlife, and the deer Jane so loved, becoming enthralled at their sight, that sight to Gerald now having a touch of Jane’s presence.

Find and follow Gerald on his website, Facebook page and on Twitter.

 

Please Help An Author Fight This Crazy Court Case

David Gaughran

Christina Garner needs our help. She has been fighting a court case over the last year and is running an appeal for donations so that she can continue the fight.

If you haven’t been following this case, it is against a notorious author/box set promoter/marketer/”mastermind” teacher who goes by the name of Rebecca Hamilton – and also runs other author businesses like OTOH Books (formerly GenreCrave).

The name of Rebecca Hamilton may be familiar to you – and if it’s not, ask around. Because of the various suits and countersuits also involve claims of defamation, I can’t go into detail on what happened, but you can read Christina Garner’s eye-opening account on her GoFundMe page.

The most recent legal developments are as follows: as you can read on Christina’s page, Rebecca Hamilton lost her Motion to Quash this lawsuit. Rebecca Hamilton then filed a crazy countersuit against Christina Garner…

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Calling All Book Bloggers and Authors #thebookrobinhoods

[image error]If you love to write, if you love to read, if you love to read and write, then let The Book Robin Hoods be your new hangout.

Here, you will find the Book Thieves, the featured reviewers of the Book Robin Hoods. They are hand-picked, vetted to ensure their honesty and reliability. Once approved, book thieves can receive review requests from authors.

Here, you will find The Storytellers. As a blogger, you can request ARCs from selected authors. Val Tobin’s books are featured on this site! You can find her on the Storytellers page. Read posted excerpts from novels in the Forums and discover your next favourite author.[image error]

Note: The Book Robin Hoods do not work with erotica/nonfiction/graphic horror authors at this time, nor do they work with first-time reviewers, meaning that reviewers have to have previous experience and a running blog or platform, however small.

Form for bloggers to join: https://goo.gl/forms/MWVkZ9EVJkpPHY1y1

 Form for authors to join: https://goo.gl/forms/dbGK2fs9Kh3y23tz1

 

Poison Pen on Pre-Order

[image error]Val Tobin’s Poison Pen is now available on Amazon for pre-order. If you order now, you’ll take advantage of the pre-order price of $2.99. After May 5, 2018, the price will increase to $3.99.

Poison Pen is a stand-alone novel and part of the About Three Authors series, which includes Whoever Said Love Was Easy? by Patti Roberts and Stolen Hearts & Muddy Pawprints by Georgina Ramsey.

When their colleague is murdered, three wanna-be authors can’t help meddling in the investigation, putting themselves on the killer’s radar. Robin refuses to leave the house, Daphne has OCD, and Beth falls asleep at the most inopportune moments. Yet all three find themselves caught in a cat-and-mouse game where anything can happen and no one is safe.

Will they help catch a killer or learn that writing can be murder?

Detective Jacob Turner is a modern-day Columbo in search of a clever killer. Instinct tells him something doesn’t add up. Then, the case becomes personal and the hunt is on…