Monday, January 12, 2026

Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: Marie Conner, A Leading Lady: Her Life and Civic Leadership in a Bygone Era by Elle Mott Cover Reveal

 


Marie Conner, A Leading Lady: Her Life and Civic Leadership in a Bygone Era
by Elle Mott

COMING IN MARCH!

About Marie Conner, A Leading Lady

Marie was born a girl. That was only her first mistake, according to her father.

      In an era when daughters and wives are not supposed to be concerned with matters outside the home, Marie is determined to prove him wrong. To do this, she must break down barriers placed on women in society, overcome difficulties that befall her, surpass hardships from the Great Depression, and then face an inevitable relocation.

      Marie steps into her community and into the hearts of many people to give her time and help with their needs. She wants nothing in return other than her father’s acceptance as a worthy woman and yet, she gains much in return, even if it is not her father’s praise. This is Marie’s story—of a rise from her girlhood angsts to become a leading lady—and much more.

COVER REVEAL

About Elle Mott

Elle Mott writes creative nonfiction. This is her third book. She is the author of “Out of Chaos: A Memoir” and “People Helping People.” Her other writing pieces have been featured in literary journals, news magazines, and anthologies. She has a background working in libraries, both at the college level and, for more than ten years, at the public library in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. While library work is her livelihood, writing is her passion. Elle grew up in Oregon and now makes her home in the suburbs of northern Kentucky with two cats and several pet birds.

Author Links

Website: https://ellemottauthor.com

AllAuthor: https://allauthor.com/author/ellemott

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elle-mott-author

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellemott.author

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/elle_mott

Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/ellemott

Purchase Links – Coming Soon

MARIE CONNER COVER REVEAL PARTICIPANTS

January 12

FUONLYKNEW             

Cozy Up With Kathy  

Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books     

Maureen’s Musings   

Christy’s Cozy Corners           

Books, Ramblings, and Tea

Sapphyria’s Book Reviews    

Sarandipity’s 

Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book    

Rebecca M. Douglass, Author           

Guatemala Paula Loves to Read    

Excerpt: 

Chapter 15

“Love”

Pages 207 – 208

 

 

I opened the shop at 10:30. The first thing of course is building a fire in a wood heater. The wood is rather wet, no kindling and no axe. But we always get it started. By this time, we have quite a group of people in the shop. They are there for various reasons. Saturday, 89 people came to the shop. Some came for help, some out of curiosity, and some to buy. Today the first thing I must do is drive nearly to Berline to aid a lovely old couple. It is nearly 1 p.m. when I arrive back in Lebanon.

            We prepare a hasty lunch in our little kitchen and as I try to eat a few bites I receive the most wonderful gift that could have come to the shop. Our telephone had arrived. Nothing was ever needed more. The number is 7042. I felt my day had been full. Also, during this time, I interviewed three people while I was at a cup of tea and a sandwich, trying to get a bite in now and then. I was able to help all three people due to those who had made purchases during the morning. You see, the shop is a place to help one another. The one who pays helps the one who needs and the one who gives the articles helps the other two and I am sure the giver is repaid by the joy she brings. 

            Since the opening of the shop, I have had a dream of a sewing room, but we have never had time to get the room cleaned out because it was the room where things needing repair or cleaning was kept. Now the barn that is directly behind the shop has been almost completed so that we were able to remove these things to there. With one helper and so many to wait on it seemed an impossible task. But again, a wonderful thing happened. A mother and daughter who are old friends of mine walked in and offered to help. We certainly could use them, and they worked all afternoon. Several old people without transportation wanted boxes of things delivered so my trusty pick-up and I were out in the rain off and on all afternoon, so you can imagine how time flies when we are that busy. My closing time came only too soon. We had not completed the renovation of the room needed for sewing. I went to the home of a helper who had to stay home all day with two grandchildren. Her daughter relieved her of this job in the evening, so she and I went back down after a bite to eat, and at 12 midnight, we had the room in apple pie order and now my dream has come true. Anyone who has an hour or so to spare and wants to drop in and do some mending or tie quilts will now be able to do so.. Of course, all I need now is a sewing machine and ironing board for this room. I purchased a nice machine from a woman who needed money, but someone needed the machine so badly and of course I now do not have one.

            Saturday, a beautifully dressed person came in and looked around and asked, “What is this place?”

            She understood what I meant when I answered her. “It is the heart of Lebanon.”

           

 

  

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Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: Spy in Saigon: A Kat Lawson Mystery by Nancy Cole Silverman

 

A Spy in Saigon: A Kat Lawson Mystery
by Nancy Cole Silverman

About A Spy in Saigon


A Spy in Saigon: A Kat Lawson Mystery
Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Vietnam
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Level Best Books
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 25, 2025
Paperback
Print length ‏ : ‎ 230 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8898201173
Digital
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0G2THCGQB
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The truth will set you free – or it will kill you.

Kat Lawson’s new undercover assignment has turned deadly. A trip to Vietnam to write a travel feature for Journey International while making a drop to deliver cash and passports for a top-secret operation has gone awry. Kat has a choice to make and a target on her back. She can live with a secret, or she can reveal a truth that puts her in the crosshairs of an enemy sworn to kill her. With the lives of trafficked children at stake in a country where agents and double agents trade secrets, Kat must choose between the acceptance of a truth that will forever change her life or living a lie that will save the lives of others.

About Nancy Cole Silverman

After 25 years in news and talk radio, Nancy Cole Silverman retired to write fiction. Her crime-focused novels have attracted readers throughout America, and her short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies. Silverman writes the Carol Childs and Misty Dawn Mysteries (Henry Press) and the Kat Lawson Mysteries (Level Best Books). For more detailed information, visit www.nancycolesilverman.com

Author Links
Website www.nancycolesilverman.com
Facebook www.facebook.com/nancy.cole.silverman.2025

Purchase LinkAmazon

TOUR PARTICIPANTS

January 5 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT

January 6 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW

January 6 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

January 7 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

January 8 – Carstairs Considers – REVIEW

January 8 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 9 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

January 10 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST

January 11 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR GUEST POST

January 12 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

January 13 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – SPOTLIGHT

January 13 – Hall Ways Blog – SPOTLIGHT

January 14 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT

January 15 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW

January 16 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT

January 17 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

January 18 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

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Celebrate Lit Presents Fatal Past Author: Sarah Hamaker

 

About the Book

Book: Fatal Past

Author: Sarah Hamaker

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: October 14, 2025

Dr. Eve Davenport has forged a life for herself far from the pain of her past. But when she foils the kidnapping attempt of Ethan Smith, she comes face-to-face with the boy’s father, Jefferson Smith—the high school sweetheart who broke her heart and left her with secrets she’s buried for nearly a decade. Jefferson can’t believe the woman who saved Ethan, his late twin brother’s son, is Eve—the girl he once loved and lost. But as the danger mounts, Jefferson and Eve must confront their tangled history and uncover who is behind the attacks targeting Ethan and Eve.

 

Click here to get you copy!

 

 

About the Author

Multi-award-winning and best-selling author of inspirational romantic suspense, Sarah Hamaker loves writing books “where the hero and heroine fall in love while running for their lives.” She’s an AWSA certified writer and speaker coach, and podcaster of “The Romantic Side of Suspense.” She and her husband are therapeutic foster parents with UMFS. Sarah lives in Virginia with her husband, four children and two cats.

 

 

 

 

More from Sarah

Life has a funny way of mirroring fiction at times, and that happened to me with Fatal Past—but not when I was writing it! I wanted my hero’s (and heroine’s) son to be school-age but not too old, so I picked second grade, which put him at age 7. This is such a fun age, as they are independent and inquisitive, and you start to really see their personalities develop.

Little did I know when I wrote this last fall that I would be teaching twenty-three second graders as a long-term substitute this current school year! I began in mid-September and will continue through early March while their regular teacher is out on maternity leave. It’s been challenging but rewarding as they expand their knowledge and build on their kindergarten and first-grade foundations.

Your turn—how has something you read resonated with you lately? Has a storyline mirrored something happening in your own life?

Sarah

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, January 31

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 1

Books Less Travelled, February 2

Stories By Gina, February 3 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 4

Texas Book-aholic, February 5

Simple Harvest Reads, February 6 (Author Interview)

Blogging With Carol, February 7

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 7

Artistic Nobody, February 8 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 9

Cover Lover Book Review, February 10

Bizwings Blog, February 11

Fiction Book Lover, February 12 (Author Interview)

Holly’s Book Corner, February 13

For Him and My Family, February 13

Giveaway

Fatal Past Celebration Tour Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card, an ebook copy of Fatal Past, a paperback copy of Truth, the limited collection of four short novels that includes Fatal Past, signed by all four authors, and 75Fatal Past-themed socks!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://gleam.io/k1w6L/fatal-past-celebration-tour-giveaway

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Time for Courage by Rob Currie

 

During WWII, when the Nazis hunt Jewish children, the kids’ only hope is help from the Dutch Resistance. But these brave volunteers are outgunned, outmanned, and all they have is each other.

In this sequel to
Hunger Winter, thirteen -year-old Dirk and his family move to a farm near Utrecht, Netherlands, in January of 1945. When the Nazis focus on capturing Jewish children to send to gas chambers, Dirk’s family intervenes. Their methods include providing ration cards and finding families to hide Jewish children and teens.

With edge-of-your-seat action and suspense, the reader follows Dirk and his family as they work with the Dutch Resistance to protect the children and battle the zeal and determination of the Gestapo to find the children and send them to their deaths.

Amazon

 

About The Author 



Life conspired to get Rob Currie to write the novel, Hunger Winter. His father is a World War II veteran, his wife is Dutch, and his son wrote a short story about World War II in the Netherlands. Research revealed astonishing details about the Dutch experience of the war which begged to be turned into a novel.

Born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, he graduated from Cornerstone University and went on to earn a master's degree and doctorate in psychology from St. Louis University. He has taught psychology at Judson University since 1987. His hobbies include playing basketball, cooking, and writing humorous poetry.

 

My Review


 

A read that should be mandatory for all teens, we need to never forget!
Setting is Netherlands, and the German's have a stronghold here, and are after a people with a religion they now hate. They are also after those who are actively sabotaging their efforts, and helping others escape their evil.
This story is set in January 1945, and as I'm reading, with danger all around I can't help but think if it were only a few months later.
This book highlight these people, who risk everything, some very young and yet actively helping!
Such a great job the author has done with showing what was actually happening, and although fictional, some of the things are factual!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Tyndale House, and was not required to give a positive review.

The Storm by Rachel Hawkins


 St. Medard’s Bay, Alabama is famous for three things: the deadly hurricanes that regularly sweep into town, the Rosalie Inn, a century-old hotel that’s survived every one of those storms, and Lo Bailey, the local girl infamously accused of the murder of her lover, political scion Landon Fitzroy, during Hurricane Marie in 1984.

When Geneva Corliss, the current owner of the Rosalie Inn, hears a writer is coming to town to research the crime that put St. Medard’s Bay on the map, she’s less interested in solving a whodunnit than in how a successful true crime book might help the struggling inn’s bottom line. But to her surprise, August Fletcher doesn’t come to St. Medard’s Bay alone. With him is none other than Lo Bailey herself. Lo says she’s returned to her hometown to clear her name once and for all, but the closer Geneva gets to both Lo and August, the more she wonders if Lo is actually back to settle old scores.

As the summer heats up and another monster storm begins twisting its way towards St. Medard’s Bay, Geneva learns that some people can be just as destructive—and as deadly—as any hurricane, and that the truth of what happened to Landon Fitzroy may not be the only secret Lo is keeping.

Amazon 

 

About The Author


Rachel Hawkins (www.rachel-hawkins.com) was a high school English teacher before becoming a full-time writer. She lives with her family in Alabama, and is currently at work on the third book in the Hex Hall series. To the best of her knowledge, Rachel is not a witch, though some of her former students may disagree.

 

My Review


 This story takes place on the very coast of Alabama, St. Medard’s Bay, and it is described as a beautiful setting. However, we are reminded of the many hurricanes that have hit this area.
This is a story where the past hits the present, but most I never saw coming. Deaths by storm or murder. You will be asking yourself, and then knowing the facts, believe storm.
There were so many revelations, and big surprises, and in the end I wondered whom would survive!
There sure is a lot of danger here!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

Sunday, January 4, 2026

The Last Father-Daughter Dance: A Short Story by Lisa Wingate

 

Olympic silver medalist Kalista Brooks has built a successful life in California, complete with a thriving sports technology company and a handsome fiancé. But when her father’s heart condition takes a critical turn, she rushes home to Atlanta. There, her father makes a surprising request: to relive favorite memories from all four seasons in just one month at their old farmhouse in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

With help from the community and her long-lost sidekick Calvin Calhoon, Kalista creates a tapestry of cherished moments—dogwoods in bloom, homemade blackberry jam, autumn bonfires, and a magical winter evening that will live forever in her heart. But as father and daughter share these precious weeks together, Kalista discovers that time has a way of revealing what matters most. In the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains where she grew up, she learns that sometimes the sweetest seasons of life come when we least expect them.

Amazon 

 

About The Author


 

Lisa Wingate is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Before We Were Yours, which has sold more than three million copies and been translated into over forty languages worldwide; Shelterwood; The Book of Lost Friends; and the nonfiction book Before and After, coauthored with Judy Christie. Wingate is an Oklahoma Book Award finalist, a Goodreads Choice Award winner, and a Southern Book Prize winner. She lives in the Hill Country of Texas and the mountains of Colorado.

 

My Review


 

This a very short read, with a lot of emotions packed in.
A daughter that has made her father proud comes home to help his recover after surgery, only things are not as they should be.
What happens when she decides to lift his spirits is so heart warming, and she doesn't do it alone, he has touched so many lives!
This is a beautifully written love story, and I wished there was more!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Amazon Original Stories, and was not required to give a positive review.

Friday, January 2, 2026

Celebrate Lit Presents: The Goodness of Unicorns Author: Kayla E. Green

 

About the Book

Book: The Goodness of Unicorns

Author: Kayla E. Green

Genre: YA Noblebright Fantasy

Release Date: October 21, 2025

One girl determined to heal her sister and another looking for purpose in a nation on the brink of war. And unicorns—with a twist you’ve never seen before.

It’s Rowan Tritonia’s sixteenth Naming Anniversary. Her plans for the day never included a headache that causes her to almost faint on a day meant for celebration. When the world comes back into focus, her brown eyes have changed to magenta. But what scares her more is that everything around her is now black and white coupled with a mysterious ability to see the light and shadows in a person’s soul. Then a local cleric implies that Rowan could have the power of Sight, a gift which has only been seen in the stories of unicorns in the Book of Verimor, an ancient text. Rowan is perplexed. Why would Verimor give her something she never asked for instead of answering her greatest prayer to help her younger sister, Blythe?

News of the girl with Sight quickly travels beyond Rowan’s local village. When the King of Wisteria learns of her gift from a letter, he summons her to the castle. With growing political tensions from neighboring nations, Rowan may be able to provide the aid they desperately need. Linnea, the king’s sister and his primary advisor, prays that Rowan has truly been blessed by a unicorn and can save the nation and its people from encroaching darkness.

Meanwhile, back at home, Blythe, sets out on her own journey. She feels helpless, tied down by the pain that keeps her homebound most of the time. Although she wears a smile to comfort those around her—especially her family—Blythe wonders if her life will ever amount to anything more than fading into the background. Is she truly too broken for any greater purpose, or can Verimor still use her?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Kayla E. Green is an author and poet who writes to remind others—and herself—that light always prevails over darkness. When she isn’t writing, reading, or spending time with her family, she loves singing loudly and off-key to KLove Radio and pretending she’s a unicorn. Fittingly, her debut novel is The Goodness of Unicorns. Kayla has also written an award-winning YA fantasy novella, Aivan: The One Truth, and an inspirational poetry collection, Metamorphosis. Kayla also has stories, poems, and devotionals featured in various anthologies, and she has several flash fiction stories available through Havok Publishing

 

 

More from Kayla

Do you enjoy reading book dedications? The Goodness of Unicorns’ dedication reads:

For my twin sister and first friend, Kari:

My world, and the world at large, is brighter with you in it.

May everyone who reads this find the strength in their own journeys to embrace the beacon of hope God has placed in their hearts for both themselves and those around them.

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15, NIV

It will come as no surprise to those who read the book’s dedication that TGOU is a story about two sisters who are best friends; but, like any relationship, conflict happens. And, sometimes, it arises from the best of intentions.

Sisters, navigating chronic pain, finding purpose and learning that bravery doesn’t always look like charging into battle are all elements you will find in The Goodness of Unicorns. Join sisters Rowan and Blythe in the world of Wisteria where they each have important choices to make for the sake of light, goodness, and one another.

Blog Stops

Simple Harvest Reads, December 20 (Author Interview)

Inspired by Fiction, December 21

Artistic Nobody, December 22 (Author Interview)

CeCe Reads and Sings, December 22

Stories By Gina, December 23 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, December 23

Fiction Book Lover, December 24 (Author Interview)

Vicky Sluiter, December 25 (Author Interview)

Texas Book-aholic, December 26

The Lofty Pages, December 27

For the Love of Literature, December 28 (Author Interview)

Tell Tale Book Reviews, December 29

Blossoms and Blessings, December 30 (Author Interview)

Paula’s Pad of Inspiration, December 31

Guild Master, January 1

Blogging With Carol, January 2

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kayla is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card, journal, pen, and unicorn themed item!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/3f287/the-goodness-of-unicorns-celebration-tour-giveaway


Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours Presents: Marie Conner, A Leading Lady: Her Life and Civic Leadership in a Bygone Era by Elle Mott Cover Reveal

  Marie Conner, A Leading Lady: Her Life and Civic Leadership in a Bygone Era by Elle Mot t COMING IN MARCH! About Marie ...