Fool for Books Giveaway Hop

Fool for Books Giveaway Hop

April 1st to 7th

Tomorrow is April Fool's Day, but every day is a day to be a fool for books!  

For This hop I am giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card. You choose which book you want, and all you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter below!!

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Kregel Publications Presents: Hands of Darkness (Book 2, Lure of the Serpent) By Heather James

 Hands of Darkness

By Heather James

Evelyn Barrett has a new job, a new baby, and a new life-of sorts. Nearly crushed by the horrific abduction and murder of her daughter (book 1, Unholy Hunger), Evelyn is moving on as best she can.

No longer allowed to practice law, she is recruited by one of the detectives from her daughter's case to become a police consultant. Her inaugural case becomes a baptism by fire as she joins the hunt for a chillingly methodical and sadistic serial rapist and murderer.

Her revulsion and anger fuels a passion for justice . . . and then it becomes personal. Her friend and law school roommate, Jen, becomes a victim. The rapist has made a catastrophic mistake with Jen: he has left her alive and able to talk.

Filled with the chilling tension of Unholy Hunger, Hands of Darkness explores the emotional and spiritual consequences for all involved when justice and compassion collide head-on with the darkest examples of human depravity.

About The Author


Heather James is the author of the upcoming “Lure of the Serpent” Series through Kregel Publishers, suspense novels that pack quick wit into the high heels of attorney turned vigilante, Evelyn Barrett.  In addition, Heather is a practicing lawyer and columnist in California. Her columns focus on the humorous aspects of marriage and parenthood. Heather is married and primarily works at home, raising two young sons.

 NOTE:!!!! Today you can get this book free!!

My Review:

Once again Evelyn is encountering evil. If you read the first book in this series, you know the heartbreaking parts of her life. Now when life looks like it is smiling on her, evil reappears.
We being this book with a very pregnant Evy. Owen is on his way, a new start, and a glimpse at happiness again. We are considering a new job and leaving Fresno, heading to San Diego. Away from, the evil that consumed Evy and Eddie.
Of course, evil is everywhere, and no one can be free of it. It touches our lives, and will again touch Evy. Come along and be ready for some grip your seat in fear, but also some very touching moments. Ms James, has done it again, I could not leave this book alone. It is a page turner. I do recommend that your read the first book in the Lure of the Serpent Series, Unholy Hunger. It will leave you in tears. This book does stand alone, and enough information given, to let you know what is going on.


I received this book from Kregel Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.

Fortune Cookie by Josi Kilpack Book Blast

   

Fortune Cookie

  Sadie Hoffmiller has always liked things to be just so. A place for everything and everything in its place. Order over chaos. And of all things Sadie should be able to control, her own wedding is at the top of the list. With the big day just three weeks away, Sadie is busily adding the final touches to her wedding plans but the arrival of a mysterious letter from San Francisco changes everything. The only person Sadie knows in San Francisco is her older sister, Wendy, whom she hasn’t seen since their mother’s funeral nearly fifteen years ago. Sadie has faced off against murderers and criminals in recent years, yet the possibility of reconnecting with her sister is both overwhelming and frightening. Sadie soon discovers, however, that the letter is just the beginning when Wendy’s world turns out to be a place of unanswered questions, twisted truths, and more than one person with a motive for murder. The more Sadie digs into her sister’s past, the more she places her own future at risk.

Amazon * Deseret Book * Barnes & Noble

Culinary Mystery Series

Tour Schedule

 

Author Josi S. Kilpack
Josi S. Kilpack hated to read until her mother handed her a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond when she was 13. From that day forward, she read everything she could get her hands on and accredits her writing “education” to the many novels she has “studied” since then. She began writing her first novel in 1998 and never stopped. Her novel, Sheep’s Clothing won the Whitney Award 2007 for Mystery/Suspense. Lemon Tart, the first book in the Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series was a finalist in 2009. Josi currently lives in Willard Utah with her husband, children and super-cute cat.

Website * Twitter * Blog

       

Blast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 4/30/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer Presents: Unplanned Motherhood

 

Unplanned Motherhood is a non-fiction collection of short stories written by moms and dads about their funny inspirational or motivational journey as a parent. Unplanned Motherhood is based on the web series created by Lena Sledge.

Unplanned Motherhood is a comedy web series for perfectly imperfect families, starring Lena Sledge as Layla, a wife and mother of five that gives parenting advice on her real life mommy blog. Her unique parenting style contradicting with her perfect parenting advice lends to a distinct brand of humor. With each episode we see Layla teaching her kids life lessons as she discovers more about herself and the advice she gives to her readers. Unique to this web series is the actual blog that Layla writes where she gives the perfect parenting advice and after many of her posts, follows the tag line; to see how I really handled the situation watch this week's episode.

This web series is special because the viewers of the web series and the readers of the real life blog get to interact with Layla and let her know if her advice is on the money or share their own parenting advice. To follow the Unplanned Motherhood blog go to www.lenasledge.com. Stay tuned. Unplanned Motherhood debuts March 28th!!!!

If you'd like to submit a short story to be included in the book Unplanned Motherhood, send 500 words or less tosonnybrookfilms@yahoo.com. Short story must be clean, family friendly as well as funny, inspirational or motivational.

 

Facebook * Youtube

 

Sneak Peek:

 

 

Unplanned Motherhood Cast

Starring Morgan Hamilton as Sonny, Stefani Colvin as Brooke, Grayson Kilpatrick as Deacon, Aidan Heuer as Spoon, and Ari Heuer as Ari.   Episode 1:


 
  

  

Author Lena Sledge
Lena Sledge is an awarding winning author. Her first book, a collection of short stories called If I Had My Way, won the 2012 African American Literary Award for Best Short Story/Anthology. Her short film, Grandma's Hands, won 3rd place at the River City Film Festival in March 2014. Her most recent project, a comedy web series called Unplanned Motherhood debuts on March 28th on Youtube. Lena Sledge has collaborated on many literary projects as well as tv and film projects. She offers advice, resources, and tips on writing, navigating the independent film industry as well as reviews and highlights about upcoming books and authors. Lena Sledge also enjoys photography, you can view some of her photography work on her website as well as Flickr.

Youtube * Facebook * Twitter * Website

Flickr * Pinterest * Blog * Goodreads * Amazon

       


Blast Giveaway $100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 4/21/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't Stick Sticks Up Your Nose! Don't Stuff Stuff in Your Ears! by Jerald S Altman, Richard Jacobson

There's no getting around it. Kids are curious and kids will be kids. But this can lead to putting themselves at risk for serious injury- not to mention costly healthcare expenses for Mom and Dad. After 15 years of practice, Dr. Jerald Altman is never amazed by what kids will put into their nose and ears. Through fun illustrations and clever rhyming schemes, Don't Stick Sticks Up Your Nose! Don't Stuff Stuff In Your Ears! is the perfect way to teach kids not to put dangerous objects where they don't belong.



About The Authors 

Jerald Altman is an Otolaryngologist-Head and Neck Surgeon (ENT Doctor). After publishing many peer-reviewed journal articles, he recognized the need for a children’s book dealing with a common problem in his practice. He was recognized as a Phoenix Top Doc in 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013.

He is a general Otolaryngologist and he loves taking care of children’s ear, nose and throat issues. Accordingly, the idea for this book came from his pediatric patients and their incessant need to put things where they shouldn’t go!
He is married, has 3 children and lives in a suburb of Phoenix. He enjoys wood turning as a hobby and climbs Camelback Mountain regularly. While he enjoyed the experience of co-authoring his first children’s book with Richard Jacobson, he has no idea what a topiary or tables cape is!

Richard Jacobson studied architecture at Yale University and has spent most of his adult life designing interiors, landscapes, tables capes, clothing… and just about anything else that can be fashioned in a creative way. He enjoys training dogs, birds and topiaries in his spare time. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona but since he travels extensively to play in duplicate bridge tournaments, he climbs considerably fewer mountains than his co-author.
He once collaborated with his co-author’s (then) seven-year old daughter on a painting for her newly-decorated bedroom. Asked by her mother how she had enjoyed the experience, she replied bluntly, “He’s a little controlling.” Years later, her accurate judgment tempered the rhyming verses he used to gently guide young children’s behavior.

My Review: 

 

Don’t Stick Sticks Up Your Nose, Don’t Stuff Stuff In Your Ears, is really a delightful help book for parents of toddlers. The pictures are enticing for youngsters, and the rhyming words draw their attention.
We all know how little ones like to put things, where they don’t belong. A help book for pointing out to little curious ones that it is not ok. They can chew on the cardboard book as you read along, and eye-popping drawings show what can go wrong.
For parents now there is a book that might help with that frustration and rushed visits to the doctor or emergency room. The book is co-authored by a physician, and I’ll bet he has surely run into these problems.
When I shared this with our six year old, he was delighted with the rhyming and the pictures of what these kids do with stuff. He would never have done any of this, oh no, not him. Then I remind him of things. Oh No!! Guess he doesn’t, or chooses not, to remember.
This is one cute, eye drawing, sturdy book, that you really should add to your child’s library.

I received this book from New Shelves Distribution, and was not required to give a positive review.

Pump Up Your Book Presents Fog City Strangler Virtual Book Publicity Tour

Pump Up Your Book is pleased to bring you Greg Messel’s Fog City Strangler virtual book tour February 3 – March 28!

 


Title: Fog City Strangler
Author: Greg Messel
Publisher: Sunbreaks Publishing
Pages: 453
Language: English
Genre: Mystery/Romance
Format: Paperback, Kindle
As 1958 nears an end San Francisco is being terrorized by a man who calls himself the “Fog City Strangler,” who preys on pretty young blonde women.  The strangler announces each murder by sending a note and piece of cloth from the victim’s dresses to the local newspapers.
Private eye Sam Slater is worried that the Fog City Strangler may be eyeing his beautiful blonde wife, stewardess Amelia Ryan. Sam’s angst mounts as the strangler continues to claim more victims. His anxiety is further fueled when TWA launches an advertising campaign with Amelia’s picture on a series of billboards plastered all over the city. Sam fears the billboards may attract too much attention–the wrong kind of attention.
Meanwhile, Sam and Amelia are hired to try to find the missing daughter of a wealthy dowager who fears she has lost her only child. The missing woman went for a walk with her dog on Stinson Beach, near San Francisco, and seemingly vanished into thin air. The woman’s husband arrived at their beach house and found the dog running loose but there was no trace of his wife. The police are stumped in their investigation.
As Sam and Amelia look into the disappearance of the woman on the beach they discover that nothing is as it seems at first glance. On a stormy night a shadowy figure sets fire to the beach house where the couple is staying–hoping to stop their investigation.
Fog City Strangler is a stand-alone thriller but is part of the Sam Slater Mystery Series–Last of the Seals, Deadly Plunge and San Francisco Secrets.

Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE.

Greg Messel grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and now lives in Edmonds, Washington on the Puget Sound with his wife, Carol.  Fog City Strangler is his seventh novel and is the fourth in a new series of Sam Slater mystery novels. Greg has lived in Oregon, Washington, California, Wyoming and Utah and has always loved writing, including stints as a reporter, columnist and news editor for a daily newspaper.
Follow news about Messel’s writings and books at www.gregmessel.com.

Connect & Socialize with Greg!

TWITTER | FACEBOOK

Greg Messel is giving away a 3 book set of his Sam Slater Mystery Series (Last of the Seals, Deadly Plunge and San Francisco Secrets AND a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
• One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive the 3 book set and $25 Amazon Gift Card.
• This giveaway begins February 3 and ends on March 28.
• Winner will be contacted via email on Monday, March 31, 2014.
• Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

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The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Ira Levinson is in trouble. At ninety-one years old, in poor health and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash. Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago. Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together – how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families. Ira knows that Ruth can’t possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage.

A few miles away, at a local rodeo, a Wake Forest College senior’s life is about to change. Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school. Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward -- even life and death – loom large in everyday life. As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans -- a future that Luke has the power to rewrite . . . if the secret he’s keeping doesn’t destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth. Sophia and Luke. Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience. Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart.




 About The Author

As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his mother a homemaker, then optometrist's assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school, graduated valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of Notre Dame.

After breaking the Notre Dame school record as part of a relay team in 1985 as a freshman (a record which still stands), he was injured and spent the summer recovering. During that summer, he wrote his first novel, though it was never published. He majored in Business Finance and graduated with high honors in 1988.

He and his wife Catherine, who met on spring break in 1988, were married in July, 1989. While living in Sacramento, he wrote his second novel that same year, though again, it wasn't published. He worked a variety of jobs over the next three years, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone, and started his own small manufacturing business which struggled from the beginning. In 1990, he collaborated on a book with Billy Mills, the Olympic Gold Medalist and it was published by Feather Publishing before later being picked up by Random House. (It was recently re-issued by Hay House Books.) Though it received scant publicity, sales topped 50,000 copies in the first year of release.

He began selling pharmaceuticals and moved from Sacramento, California to North Carolina in 1992. In 1994, at the age of 28, he wrote The Notebook over a period of six months. In October, 1995, rights to The Notebook were sold to Warner Books. It was published in October, 1996, and he followed that with Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road (2001), and Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The Guardian (2003), The Wedding (2003), Three Weeks with my Brother (2004), True Believer (2005) and At First Sight (2005) all with Warner Books. All were domestic and international best sellers and were translated into more than 35 languages. The movie version of Message in a Bottle was released in 1999, A Walk to Remember was released in 2002, and The Notebook was released in 2004. The average domestic box office gross per film was $56 million -- with another $100 million in DVD sales -- making the novels by Nicholas Sparks one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood.

The film rights to Nights in Rodanthe, True Believer and At First Sight have been sold, and Nicholas Sparks has written the screenplay for The Guardian, though he has not offered it for sale at this point.

He now has five children: Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie, and Savannah. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and children.

His ancestry is German, Czech, English, and Irish, he's 5'10" and weighs 180 lbs. He is an avid athlete who runs daily, lifts weights regularly, and competes in Tae Kwon Do. He attends church regularly and reads approximately 125 books a year. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually.

My Review:

This is one book that I never wanted to end; from the beginning to the end it was great. The story is based on a romance lasting over 60 years, and another just beginning. You will wonder what they in connection, although I thoroughly enjoyed Ira and Ruth’s long relationship, all of its twists and turns and great passion.
When the story begins with Ira in a precarious position, he lost control of his car and has gone through the guide rail and hanging down a hill. The weather is horrible and he is badly injured, but with his life hanging by a thread, his beloved Ruth spends time with him. It appears he is delusional, but oh how wonderful the story is as they spend time with each other.
Another young couple has a chance meeting at a rodeo. Luke is a bull rider, and Sophia is a senior at Wake Forest. To make a long story short, Luke becomes Sophia’s knight in shinning armor when he comes to her rescue as her former boyfriend is accosting her. You wonder what a rodeo feller and an art major will have in common, and how possibly can the two stories have any thing to do with each other. As the story unfolds, will be amazed, and love how these stories do finally meld together.
One starts back prior to WWII and the lasting results that the war has on their relationship. How I loved being in that car with Ira and Ruth, here she has passed on, but she is scolding him. So sweet! He shares with us his mind pictures of Ruth throughout their lives, down to what she was wearing on that particular day.
Coming off her break up Sophia is not ready for a new relationship, but meeting Luke seems to have changed that. Can it be real, or a rebound romance? While I love the spark between them, I kept waiting for something to happen to Luke. This book is a real page-turner, you will not be able to put it down until you are done and know the answers to a lot of questions.

I received this book through Readers Favorite, and was not required to give a positive review. 

Love Redeemed (New Hope Amish #2) by Kelly Irvin

In the second book of the New Hope Amish series, acclaimed author Kelly Irvin spins a tale of romance, grief, and redemption deep in Amish country.

Phoebe Christner is thrilled when the families of her close-knit Amish community decide to spend a week at the lake. She feels she's earned a break...and it doesn't hurt that Michael Daugherty will be coming along. They'll find ways to spend time together--she's certain of it--and their romance will have time to blossom.

But when tragedy strikes, Phoebe and Michael are torn apart by their pain and the knowledge of their guilt. As they both cope with the loss of a loved one, they will come to discover that they are worthy not only of each other's love, but God's love.

A tender novel of faith and family set in the heart of Amish country.

Purchase

About The Author

Kelly Irvin's latest book in the New Hope Amish series, Love Redeemed, releases in March 2013. She is the author of the Bliss Creek Amish series and the New Amish Amish series. The first series includes To Love and To Cherish, A Heart Made New, and Love’s Journey Home, published by Harvest House. Love Still Stands, the first book in her spin-off series New Hope Amish, released in September 2013.

Kelly recently signed with Zondervan to publish a three-book series set in Bee County, Texas. The first book in the Lone Star series is set to release in 2015.

Kelly has also penned two romantic suspense novels, A Deadly Wilderness and No Child of Mine, published by Five Star Gale in 2010 and 2011.

The Kansas native is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and Sisters in Crime. She also serves as secretary of the ACFW San Antonio local chapter Alamo City Christian Fiction Writers.

A graduate of the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism, Kelly has been writing nonfiction professionally for thirty years. She studied for three semesters at the University of Costa Rica, learning the Spanish language. As a journalist, she worked six years in the border towns of Laredo and El Paso.

She has worked in public relations for the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department for 19 years.Kelly has been married to photographer Tim Irvin for twenty-six years, and they have two young adult children. They recently became grandparents for the first time. In her spare time, she likes to write short stories, read books by her favorite authors, and play with her new granddaughter. 
http://www.kellyirvin.com


Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/sic4oyVOYDU

My Review:

Kelly Irvin has written a compelling page-turner. It is so about forgiveness of one another, and oneself. How could a really happy family, go from one extreme to another in almost a fraction of a second?
When tragedy hits a family, it can pull everyone together, or yank them forever apart. This what happens to the Christner family, and with their Amish background you hope that they will be able to heal. This tragedy though, touches other lives, and throughout the story, one point keeps rearing it head, forgive yourself. That seems to be the hardest of all, yes you can put the blame on someone else, and they all did, beside themselves. Also you see where it is hard not to hold a grudge against someone.
What I found was that living your faith in God, really means exactly that. Not just a pick and choose, but all of It.! You are going to wonder if there will ever be peace in this family, or community again. If they are all going to be able to live there faith?
Come and spend some quality time with the Amish of New Hope.

I received this book through First Wild Card Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review

Pump Up Your Book Presents Directory of Federal Prisons Virtual Book Publicity Tour

Pump Up Your Book is pleased to bring you Christopher Zoukis’ and Dr. Randall Radic’s Directory of Federal Prisons: PrisonLawBlog.com Federal Buereau of Prisons Facility Directory virtual book tour March 3 – May 30!

 

Title: Directory of Federal Prisons
Author: Christopher Zoukis & Dr. Randall Radic
Publisher: Middle Street Publishing
Pages: 145
Language: English
Genre: Reference/Law
Format: Kindle


The DIRECTORY OF FEDERAL PRISONS: PrisonLawBlog.com’s Federal Bureau of Prisons Facility Directory by Christopher Zoukis and Dr. Randall Radic is a comprehensive, yet succinct, guide to the contact information and basic character profile information of every prison within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, plus all private prisons under contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons to house federal inmates.
It is an essential guide for everyone who knows anyone incarcerated within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and sets the standard for basic character profiles and contact information for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
This electronic guidebook enables attorneys, family members and friends of federal prisoners, journalists, government officials, prison volunteers, and members of the general public to quickly locate the contact information and inmate correspondence address of every prison within the Federal Bureau of Prisons and every private prison which houses federal inmates.

Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE

 

About The Author

Christopher Zoukis is an impassioned advocate for prison education, a legal scholar, and a prolific writer of books, book reviews, and articles.  His articles on prison education and prison law appear frequently in Prison Legal News, and have been published in The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, Blog Critics, and Midwest Book Review, among other national, regional, and specialty publications.
Mr. Zoukis is often quoted on matters concerning prison law, criminal law, prisoners’ rights, and prison education.  Recently, he was the focus of an article at Salon.com concerning America’s broken criminal justice system and potential solutions to the current crisis.
When not in the thick of the battle for prison reform, prison education, or prisoners’ rights advocacy, Mr. Zoukis can be found blogging at PrisonLawBlog.com, PrisonEducation.com, and ChristopherZoukis.com.

ABOUT RANDALL RADIC

Randall Radic is the Senior Editor and Chief Operating Officer of Middle Street Publishing (MSP), where he superintends PrisonLawBlog.com and PrisonEducation.com, and manages all of MSP’s print and online endeavors.
After graduating from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in the classics, Dr. Radic matriculated at Agape Seminary, where he received the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology, and then Trinity Seminary where he received the degree of Doctor of Theology.
Dr. Radic is the author of several non-fiction books, including Blood In, Blood Out: The Violent Empire of the Aryan Brotherhood (Headpress, 2011), The Sound of Meat (Ephemera Bound Publishing, 2008), A Priest in Hell: True Crimes of America’s Clergy (ECW Press, 2009), and Terminal Disaster: Inside the Money Machine (Sunbury Press, 2012).
Dr. Radic has appeared on National Public Radio and A&E Television discussing prison education and America’s prison gangs.

Pump Up Your Book Presents To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis Virtual Book Publicity Tour

Pump Up Your Book is pleased to bring you Andra Watkins’ To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis virtual book tour March 3 – April 30!

Title: To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis
Author: Andra Watkins
Publisher: Word Hermit Press
Pages: 300
Language: English
Genre: Historical fiction/Paranormal/Suspense
Format: Paperback, Kindle


Is remembrance immortality? Nobody wants to be forgotten, least of all the famous.
Meriwether Lewis lived a memorable life. He and William Clark were the first white men to reach the Pacific in their failed attempt to discover a Northwest Passage. Much celebrated upon their return, Lewis was appointed governor of the vast Upper Louisiana Territory and began preparing his eagerly-anticipated journals for publication. But his re-entry into society proved as challenging as his journey. Battling financial and psychological demons and faced with mounting pressure from Washington, Lewis set out on a pivotal trip to the nation’s capital in September 1809. His mission: to publish his journals and salvage his political career. He never made it. He died in a roadside inn on the Natchez Trace in Tennessee from one gunshot to the head and another to the abdomen.
Was it suicide or murder? His mysterious death tainted his legacy and his fame quickly faded. Merry’s own memory of his death is fuzzy at best. All he knows is he’s fallen into Nowhere, where his only shot at redemption lies in the fate of rescuing another.  An ill-suited “guardian angel,” Merry comes to in the same New Orleans bar after twelve straight failures. Now, with one drink and a two-dollar bill he is sent on his last assignment, his final shot at escape from the purgatory in which he’s been dwelling for almost 200 years. Merry still believes he can reverse his forgotten fortunes.
Nine-year-old Emmaline Cagney is the daughter of French Quarter madam and a Dixieland bass player. When her mother wins custody in a bitter divorce, Emmaline carves out her childhood among the ladies of Bourbon Street. Bounced between innocence and immorality, she struggles to find her safe haven, even while her mother makes her open her dress and serve tea to grown men.
It isn’t until Emmaline finds the strange cards hidden in her mother’s desk that she realizes why these men are visiting: her mother has offered to sell her to the highest bidder. To escape a life of prostitution, she slips away during a police raid on her mother’s bordello, desperate to find her father in Nashville.
Merry’s fateful two-dollar bill leads him to Emmaline as she is being chased by the winner of her mother’s sick card game: The Judge. A dangerous Nowhere Man convinced that Emmaline is the reincarnation of his long dead wife, Judge Wilkinson is determined to possess her, to tease out his wife’s spirit and marry her when she is ready. That Emmaline is now guarded by Meriwether Lewis, his bitter rival in life, further stokes his obsessive rage.
To elude the Judge, Em and Merry navigate the Mississippi River to Natchez. They set off on an adventure along the storied Natchez Trace, where they meet Cajun bird watchers, Elvis-crooning Siamese twins, War of 1812 re-enactors, Spanish wild boar hunters and ancient mound dwellers. Are these people their allies? Or pawns of the perverted, powerful Judge?
After a bloody confrontation with the Judge at Lewis’s grave, Merry and Em limp into Nashville and discover her father at the Parthenon. Just as Merry wrestles with the specter of success in his mission to deliver Em, The Judge intercedes with renewed determination to win Emmaline, waging a final battle for her soul. Merry vanquishes the Judge and earns his redemption. As his spirit fuses with the body of Em’s living father, Merry discovers that immortality lives within the salvation of another, not the remembrance of the multitude.

Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE

I’m Andra Watkins. I’m a native of Tennessee, but I’m lucky to call Charleston, South Carolina, home for 23 years.
I’m the author of To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis from Word Hermit Press. It’s a mishmash of historical fiction, paranormal fiction and suspense that follows Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark fame) after his mysterious death on the Natchez Trace in 1809.
I like:
1             hiking
2            eating (A lot; Italian food is my favorite.)
3            traveling (I never met a destination I didn’t like.)
4            reading (My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo.)
5            coffee (the caffeinated version) and COFFEE (sex)
6            performing (theater, singing, public speaking, playing piano)
7            time with my friends
8            Sirius XM Chill
9            yoga (No, I can’t stand on my head.)
10        writing in bed
11          candlelight
I don’t like:
1             getting up in the morning
2            cilantro (It is the devil weed.)
3            surprises (For me or for anyone else.)
4            house cleaning
5            cooking


You can email me at readme(at)andrawatkins(dot)com. You can also visit my website at www.andrawatkins.com or follow me on Google+,Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest and Goodreads.

Summer of Joy by Ann H. Gabhart

For Jocie Brooke, the summer of 1964 certainly was eventful, but it's nothing compared to what's coming to Hollyhill, Kentucky, and the Brooke family next. The past is coming to call, threatening to destroy the relationships that everyone thought were so strong. Two people--one thought to be gone for good and the other no one's ever heard of--are making their way to the small town. And it promises trouble for everyone.
This complex and beautifully written story is the perfect conclusion to The Heart of Hollyhill series. With true-to-life family drama, refreshing humor, and characters readers have come to love like dear friends, "Summer of Joy" will delight Gabhart's fans.




 

About The Author

Ann H. Gabhart grew up on a farm in Kentucky. By the time she was ten she knew she wanted to be a writer. She's published over twenty novels. She and her husband have three children and nine grandchildren. She still lives on a farm not far from where she grew up. She loves playing with her grandkids, walking with her dog, reading and, of course, writing. Her Shaker books, set in her fictional Shaker village of Harmony Hill in the 1800's, are popular with readers. The Outsider was a Christian Fiction Book Award Finalist in 2009. Her Heart of Hollyhill books are Small Town, America books set in the 1960's. Angel Sister, a Rosey Corner book set during the Great Depression, will be followed by Small Town Girl. Visit Ann's website http://annhgabhart.com or her two blogs, One Writer's Journal, www.annhgabhart.blogspot.com, and the Hollyhill Book of the Strange, www.hollyhillbookofthestrange.blogspo.... Giveaways several times a year.

My Review: 

I so enjoyed me return visit to Hollyhill, KY, and the Brook family. In fact, I hated to leave!
This is the summer of 1964, Vietnam War time, no cell phones, a quieter time, but hard time. David Brook is still running the newspaper, and being the Pastor at Mt. Pleasant. He is also hoping to have a new start in life and include Leigh.
Things are still active at the Brook home, with Aunt Love, Jocie, David, Tabathia, and sweet little Stephen Lee. I can just picture this house; it is not large, but so filled with love. Makes you wonder how Dee-Dee could have left, even for the greener pastures. Life is funny at times, and now some of the things you think you have gotten past, and left behind, have started to return.
There are some so hysterical things that happen you will have a hard time not laughing out loud. We still have loveable Wes, and his Jupiter life, what a blessing he has been in Jocie’s life. Zelda keeps everyone on their toes, and she ends up wanting to hide under her desk, but as Zelda does recover, she is back at managing everyone’s life, and sometimes it is good that she does.
We are going to face some evil, or misguided people, in the form of a teacher, and some parents. Will this family be able to weather all of this and end up with life back to some kind of normalcy? Once you open the cover, you will not want to leave. Enjoy!

I received this book through the Publisher Revell and their Blogger Tour, and was not required to give a positive review. 

Pump Up Your Book Virtual Tours Presents: Still Life with Strings by L.H. Cosway Blitz

 Today is release day for L.H. Cosway's new contemporary romance, Still Life With Strings!

 

Title: Still Life with Strings 

Author: L.H. Cosway 

Publisher: L.H. Cosway  

Pages: 350  

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publication Date: March 24 2014

Book Summary: 

My name is Jade Lennon and I stand still for money.

The night I saw Shane Arthur watching me everything changed. A man in a suit always catches my eye, but it was the way he looked at me that was different. Like he knew me or something. He didn’t know me, especially not in my costume. My sobriety rests on staying away from men, but there was something about him that made me throw caution to the wind.

After all, I was never going to see him again, right?

Wrong.

Standing still isn’t the only way I make my money. I also bartend at a concert hall. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Shane was going to show up there. Not only that, but he’s the most recent addition to the orchestra. So now on a daily basis I have to resist one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever met and he plays the violin. For me that’s one hell of a deadly cocktail.

He wants me to teach him how to live. I’m not sure how much a twenty-six year old recovering alcoholic who works in a bar and moonlights as a living statue can teach a world class concert violinist, but I’m sure going to try.

Still Life with Strings is a story of music, art, sex, magical realism, and romance that you will never forget.

 
PURCHASE LINKS:

Barnes & Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/still-life-with-strings-lh-cosway/1118904653?ean=2940045755122

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/417505

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/still-life-with-strings/id838582487?mt=11

Excerpt:

They call me the Blue Lady.

The more poetic would say a dark angel, or an unexpected, fantastical surprise standing upon the mundane street. I wear a long midnight blue dress, a matching wig, white paint on my hands and face, and glorious, feathery blue wings affixed to my back.

I feel like a gap in reality, a moment where people can pause mid-stride and say in a breathy, wonder-filled voice, wow, look at that. For the more cynical, wow, look at that nutjob.

Perhaps for a moment someone will think that they’ve stepped into a world where normal is not the rule anymore, that the extraordinary is. That my wings aren’t false but real, that my skin is really this white, my hair really this blue.

Unfortunately, none of it is real.

But it’s nice, isn’t it, for a brief moment to imagine that it is?

In reality I’m a twenty-six-year-old woman with a stack of bills I’m struggling to pay and two younger siblings who are reliant on me to keep a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, and food in their bellies.

I do this living statue act whenever I have the free time. It gives me an artistic outlet, while also making me some much-needed cash on the side. Admittedly, I don’t normally do it at one o’clock in the morning in the middle of Grafton Street, but it’s a Saturday. That means there’ll be lots of tourists. More to the point, lots of drunk tourists with loose pockets and even looser inhibitions about who they hand over their cash to – such as women who stand very still while dressed like a Manga fairy.

I stare directly ahead, unblinking, controlling my breathing using a qigong method, just as I hear the recognisable loutish shouting and laughter of a stag party up ahead. When they come into my line of sight, I see that they’re all wearing black T-shirts with their nicknames written across the back and Jack’s Stag Weekend across the front.

No shit.

I am an island, an inanimate object among the to and fro of humanity. I brace myself for the possibility that the stag party is going to be trouble. Moments later, one guy stands in front of me, waving his hand in my face and trying to get me to blink. How original.

Sometimes I feel like those guards who stand outside Buckingham Palace. And like those long-suffering buggers, I have also perfected the art of remaining still and giving no reaction at all.

“Are you blue all over?” he slurs with a drunken sideways grin.

As a street performer, you have to take the rough with the smooth. When you put yourself out there, you’re going to encounter every facet of society: the good, the bad, and the drunk off their arses. Kids are the best. They haven’t yet lost the sense of wonder that makes them stare up at you and truly believe you’re some sort of blue-fairy-bird-woman-thing.

“That’s a real nice rack,” says another of the stag partiers.

Yeah, you try carrying it around all day and dealing with the back problems, and then tell me how nice it is, I think. Soon they lose interest and continue on their way. A half an hour passes, and several more pedestrians throw some coins into my hat.

The moon is full tonight, a round white orb perched amid the stars. I want to go up there and see what everything looks like from on high. I flutter my wings and prepare for flight, flapping them through the air and then leaping into the sky. My ascent is an easy one. I pluck a star out of the blackness and stick it in my blue hair as an adornment. When I reach the moon, I find a comfortable spot and sit. Leaning my chin on my hand, I gaze back down at the street. The people look like tiny black ants, the buildings like less brightly coloured blocks of Lego.

I blink, and I’m back on my box, back on the street. I was never really on the moon. My wings are a pretty accessory, but they’re useless for flying. Sometimes I can imagine things so hard that I feel like they’re really happening.

About the Author:

L.H. Cosway

L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books. 

Her latest book is the contemporary romance, Still Life with Strings.

Visit her website at www.lhcosway.com.

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