Tag: Book Blasts and Blog Tours

Book Spotlight: THE HERO’S LOT

heros lot tour





The Hero’s Lot

Riveting Sequel from Christian Fantasy’s Most Talented New Voice.

When Sarin Valon, the corrupt secondus of the conclave, flees Erinon and the kingdom, Errol Stone believes his troubles have at last ended. But other forces bent on the destruction of the kingdom remain and conspire to accuse Errol and his friends of a conspiracy to usurp the throne.

In a bid to keep the three of them from the axe, Archbenefice Canon sends Martin and Luis to Errol’s home village, Callowford, to discover what makes him so important to the kingdom. But Errol is also accused of consorting with spirits. Convicted, his punishment is a journey to the enemy kingdom of Merakh, where he must find Sarin Valon, and kill him. To enforce their sentence, Errol is placed under a compulsion, and he is driven to accomplish his task or die resisting.


Hero’s Lot is the Sequel to A Cast of Stones


A Cast of Stones

An Epic Medieval Saga Fantasy Readers Will Love.

In the backwater village of Callowford, Errol Stone’s search for a drink is interrupted by a church messenger who arrives with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Desperate for coin, Errol volunteers to deliver them but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he’s joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom.
Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom’s dynasty is near an end and a new king must be selected. As tension and danger mount, Errol must leave behind his drunkenness and grief, learn to fight, and come to know his God in order to survive a journey to discover his destiny.




Author Patrick W. Carr

Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.




Blog Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 8/14/13

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Guest Post, Excerpt and Giveaway – SWEET MERCY by Ann Tatlock



Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock
ISBN:  9780764210464 (paperback)
ISBN:  9781441261496 (ebook)
ASIN:  B00B85M16C (Kindle edition)
Publication date: May 1, 2013
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers


When Eve Marryat’s father is laid off from the Ford Motor Company in 1931, he is forced to support his family by leaving St. Paul, Minnesota, and moving back to his Ohio roots. Eve’s uncle Cyrus has invited the family to live and work at his Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge.

St. Paul seemed like a haven for gangsters, and Eve had grown fearful of living there. At seventeen, she considers her family to be “good people.” They aren’t lawbreakers and criminals like so many people in her old neighborhood. Thrilled to be moving to a “safe haven,” Eve is blissfully unaware that her uncle’s lodge is a transfer station for illegal liquor smuggled from Canada.

Eve settles in to work and makes new friends, including an enigmatic but affecting young man. But when the reality of her situation finally becomes clear, Eve is faced with a dilemma. How can she ignore what is happening right under their very noses? Yet can she risk everything by condemning the man whose love and generosity is keeping her and her family from ruin?



The Book Diva’s Reads is pleased to host a guest post by author Ann Tatlock and provide an excerpt from Sweet Mercy.


Meet the Cast of Sweet Mercy 
by Ann Tatlock

Eve Marryat, our narrator, is a likeable 17-year-old girl who really only has one major flaw: she’s a bit smug. She’ll tell you so herself, though she’s much older than 17 when she’s willing to admit to it. She’s a loyal and loving daughter to her parents, Drew and Rose Marryat, though she’s rather critical of sister Cassandra, who was drawn to the life of speakeasies, hip flasks and illicit love affairs that catapulted her into marriage and motherhood sooner than she had hoped.

Drew is laid off from the Ford Plant in Minnesota and the family is invited by Cyrus Marryat, Drew’s brother, to return to Ohio and help him run the Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge. Eve is happy to leave crime-ridden St. Paul (and sister Cassandra) behind to go live in idyllic Mercy, Ohio. Uncle Cy seems like a hero to Eve, but there’s more to him than meets the proverbial eye.

In Mercy, Eve befriends Marlene Quimby, who introduces Eve to her first love, Marcus Wiant. Marcus is the son of the sheriff and works with Marlene’s boyfriend, Jimmy Fludd, at the gas station across from the lodge.

Two more young men enter Eve’s life, the first being her step-cousin Jones, a reclusive albino who lives and works at the lodge. The second is a fellow she knows only by the name of Link, a drifter who lives at the shantytown up the river and comes by the lodge occasionally for a hot meal and a cold drink.

In spite of Eve’s best hopes, the island is not so idyllic, the lodge is full of secrets, and no one is quite what Eve thinks they are, including Eve herself. The summer of 1931 is a season of discovery for Eve, and a time when she comes to know the meaning of sweet mercy. 




Excerpt

From Chapter 1:

 “Well, that’s easy,” I said. “It’s easy to love Uncle Cy.” After all, he was my ticket out. He was my ticket to a new life. We were leaving the city of sin behind. No more bootleggers, brothel-keepers, gangsters, corrupt lawmen, kidnappers, or murderers. We were on our way to Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge in Mercy, Ohio, on the Little Miami River. We were on our way to the Promised Land.

Daddy gave me one more glance in the rearview mirror before settling his eyes on the road for the long haul ahead. Mother wiped at tears one last time before resignedly stuffing her handkerchief back into her pocketbook. She turned her face to the window, her features delicate and gentle in profile, her soft brown hair pulled into its usual knot at the back of her head.

I too settled back for the ride. As the newly awakened Minnesota landscape rolled by, I noticed the morning edition of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on the seat beside me. Clear of the city limits and facing the long stretch of open road toward Wisconsin, I picked up the paper to pass the time. When I saw an advertisement on page six for Wilson Tailors, I shook my head and clicked my tongue softly. Even the tailors were making money from the fallout of St. Paul’s sleazy underworld. In bold type the proprietor, Mr. Edmund Wilson, boasted: “Bullet holes rewoven perfectly in damaged clothes.”





Ann Tatlock


Ann Tatlock is the author of the Christy-Award winning novel Promises to Keep. She has also won the Midwest Independent Publishers Association “Book of the Year” in fiction for both All the Way Home and I’ll Watch the Moon. Her novel Things We Once Held Dear received a starred review from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly calls her “one of Christian fiction’s better wordsmiths, and her lovely prose reminds readers why it is a joy to savor her stories.” Ann lives with her husband and daughter in Asheville, North Carolina.




Tour Giveaway



1 winner will receive a copy of 3 of Ann’s Books

Sweet Mercy, Travelers Rest and Promises to Keep

Open to US & Canada Only

Ends 5/21/13

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Book Blast: DAVID’S SONG

davids tour


David’s Song

Taken from the book cover: Annie only ever really loved two men in her life. One broke her heart, the other married her. Four children and fifteen years later, Annie’s marriage is in jeopardy. Money is tight and her husband questions the very foundation of their relationship. When Annie is unexpectedly given the opportunity to see the young man who broke her heart — a man who is now a megastar in the music industry — Annie is faced with choices. Choices that will determine what is of more value — a second chance at lost love and unfulfilled dreams or commitment, trust, and love built on years of experience.

A psychologically subtle, yet compelling tale about how the instinct and need for love overcomes self-doubt and personal inadequacy.






Author A.R. Talley

April R Talley was born and raised in the Rubber City, Akron, Ohio in 1959.  She is the youngest of six children.  She attended Brigham Young University for a time, but withdrew to work fulltime for Osmond Productions in Orem, Utah as a member of The Osmond production staff.  After a brief stint working in television, she returned to Akron to finish her education.  She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Mass Media Communications in 1981.   April later worked as vice president and part owner of a dance and sportswear boutique.  Married in 1982, she is the proud mother of seven children and is deeply involved in volunteer work for her church.  April spends her time working on future projects, caring for home and family, and traveling.  David’s Song is her debut novel and the first of a trilogy.


Praise from reviews on Goodreads.com

“Not just your typical romance novel”  – Tracy Williams

“David’s Song is great read that leaves you thinking about the story and pondering your own relationships”.  – Anna Pavkov

“Sucked me in from the 1st page”  – Jill Walker

“Loved this book . . . could not put it down!”  – Dana Vieira







Book Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 5/12/13



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Book Blast: DEAD RUNNING by Cami Checketts



Dead Running

Cassidy Christensen is running.
Running from the mercenaries who killed her parents.
Running from a scheming redhead intent on making her life miserable.
Running from painful memories that sabotage her dreams of happiness.

With two very tempting men competing for her attention, she hopes she’ll finally have someone to run to, but can she trust either of them? When secrets from her past threaten her family, Cassidy decides to stop running and fight for her future.



Dying to Run

Cassidy Christensen wants to run.

Captured by the traffickers who killed her mother, her only hope is Dr. Tattoo, a man she loves but nobody trusts. When she finally gets a chance to run, someone else she cares about is taken. Running might be her only chance at survival, but she won’t allow another family member to be killed in her place.

This must-read sequel to Dead Running will have you laughing, biting your nails, and hoping for more.






Purchase








Author Cami Checketts

Cami Checketts is married and the proud mother of four future WWF champions. Sometimes between being a human horse, cleaning up magic potions, and reading Bernstein Bears, she gets the chance to write fiction.

Cami graduated from Utah State University with a degree in Exercise Science. Cami teaches strength training classes at her local rec and shares healthy living tips on her fitness blog: http://fitnessformom.blogspot.com.

Cami and her family live in the beautiful Cache Valley of Northern Utah. During the two months of the year it isn’t snowing, she enjoys swimming, biking, running, and water-skiing.


Links








#BookBlast Giveaway

Details
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
$50 Gift Card to Running Chics
Ends 1/31/12
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 http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



Book Blast: YOURS AFFECTIONATELY, JANE AUSTEN




Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen




Was Mr. Darcy real? Is time travel really possible? For
pragmatic Manhattan artist Eliza Knight the answer to both questions is
absolutely, Yes! And Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley Farms, Virginia is the
reason why!




His tale of love and romance in Regency England leaves Eliza
in no doubt that Fitz Darcy is the embodiment of Jane Austen’s legendary hero.
And she’s falling in love with him. But can the man who loved the inimitable
Jane Austen ever love average, ordinary Eliza Knight?




Eliza’s doubts grow, perhaps out of proportion, when things
start to happen in the quiet hamlet of Chawton, England; events that could
change everything. Will the beloved author become the wedge that divides Fitz
and Eliza or the tie that binds them?








Praise for Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen

O’Rourke’s sequel to The Man Who Loved Jane Austen brings the reader a skillfully choreographed romance and smartly old-fashioned love story that is poignant and completely enthralling, while being laden with well-researched details to satisfy any Austen fan.
~Regina Jeffers


Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen is a sweet Austen related romance with a time travel twist.
I felt the author captured Jane Austen’s voice very well and I enjoyed reading her thoughts and reactions as the story flowed.


~Naida the Bookworm




Imaginative, fresh and endearing. Well done!


~Ann Channon (Jane Austen House Museum)







Purchase


Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Smashwords







Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage






With its rough gray shingles and weathered slate roof, Sea Pines cottage seems, at first glance, past its prime. But inside this remote fisherman’s house, a driftwood fire crackles in the fireplace, brightly colored rugs cover the floor, and cozy cushions dot the worn, welcoming furniture. A young man named Robert has retreated after the war, planning to spend his days writing, tending to the local lighthouse, and nursing his injuries. For company, he adopts a young Golden Retriever puppy named Meteor.


Robert and Meteor spend months in quiet companionship, until the day Robert rescues a young woman from a storm at sea. Strong-willed and intelligent, Laura sees past Robert’s injuries to the proud, passionate man beneath, and–with some matchmaking help from Meteor–they begin a new life together at the cottage. But even Meteor’s tireless devotion can’t protect his cherished family from all of life’s unexpected challenges–hurdles that will teach each of them lessons of courage, faith, friendship, and the enduring love that can sustain us through life’s coldest seasons. 








Praise for Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage

This story is unashamedly a sweet love story, perfect for a Christmas read, and will bring a tear to the eye of even the most cynical of us!
~Anne

I just knew from the moment I read the forward that this was going to be a very sweet and touching story. And I was right!
~Sophia Rose


Purchase


Amazon * Barnes & Noble






Author Sally Smith O’Rourke

Sally Smith O’Rourke is a surgical scrub nurse at the City of Hope national cancer research hospital in Duarte, California and resides in the near-by Victorian village of Monrovia.

With her late husband, author Michael O’Rourke (aka F.M. O’Rourke) Smith O’Rourke owned and operated a medical advertising company where she used her diverse talents to produce and co-write teaching films and videos. Working not only with major medical and surgical manufacturing companies but also network television. These endeavors ultimately led to a collaboration on two feature films (direct to video) and three published novels.

The wife and husband writing team of Sally Smith and Michael O’Rourke, being long-time fans of Jane Austen, wrote The Man Who Loved Jane Austen released by Kensington Books in 2006. Kensington followed that very successful effort with The Maidenstone Lighthouse in 2007 and Christmas at Sea Pines Cottage in 2009, both also collaborative projects by Smith and O’Rourke. Published after her partner and spouse’s untimely death in 2001, the publisher chose not to use the names Michael O’Rourke and Sally Smith (as the manuscripts were presented), releasing all three books under Sally Smith O’Rourke.

Yours Affectionately, Jane Austen is Sally Smith O’Rourke’s first solo novel.







Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter 










$50 Book Blast Giveaway
Ends 12/23/12

Open to anyone 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’s permission. 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. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Book Blast: WAITING BOOTH by Brinda Berry

The Waiting Booth by Brinda Berry
ISBN: 9781937976552 (paperback)
         2940012768070 (ebook)
ASIN: B005D7F7US (Kindle)
Publication Date:  July 15, 2011
Publisher:  Etopia Press
     




The Waiting Booth by Brinda Berry

A missing boy, government agents, an interdimensional portal… Mia has one goal for her senior year at Whispering Woods High-find her missing older brother. But when her science project reveals a portal into another dimension, she learns that travelers are moving in and out of her woods in the most alarming way and government agents Regulus and Arizona are policing their immigration. Mia’s drawn to the mysterious, aloof Regulus, but it’s no time for a crush. She needs to find out what they know about her brother, while the agents fight to save the world from viral contamination. But when Regulus reveals that he knows Mia’s secrets, she begins to wonder if there’s more going on than she thought…and if she was wrong to trust him…

Purchase:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository





Praise for The Waiting Booth:
“The book kept me on the edge of my seat with its perfect balance of teenaged angst, interdimensional portals, and a fractured family.”
~ Author Christine Ashworth

“The description was so good I could easily see things as they happened…like a movie playing in my mind as I read. I just love Regulus. He’s my kind of hero for sure.”
~ Author Lynn Rush





Author Brinda Berry

Brinda Berry lives in the southern US with her family and two spunky cairn terriers. She has a BSE in English and French and a MEd in Learning Systems Technology. She’s terribly fond of chocolate, coffee, and books that take her away from reality. She doesn’t mind being called a geek or “crazy dog lady”. When she’s not working the day job or writing a novel, she’s guilty of surfing the internet for no good reason.



Links:


Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter 

Goodreads * Youtube * Google+




The Waiting Booth Book Trailer:









Book Blast Giveaway Details:
$100 Amazon Gift Card or $100 PayPal Cash from Author Brinda Berry
Ends 11/1/12
*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry.  Simply enter it when you follow Brinda and leave the others blank.


a Rafflecopter giveaway



 Open to anyone 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’s permission. 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. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.