LASR Anniversary Scavenger Hunt: Will Rise From Ashes by Jean M. Grant

August 28, 2019 By 3 Comments


Thanks for joining us on our 12th anniversary scavenger hunt! There are two ways to enter to win and it’s easy to play– first read the blurb below, then answer the question on the first Rafflecopter. You might win a $100 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC. Follow and visit authors social media pages on the second rafflecopter and you’re entered to win another $100 Amazon/BN GC!

Young widow AJ Sinclair has persevered through much heartache. Has she met her match when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, leaving her separated from her youngest son and her brother?

Tens of thousands are dead or missing in a swath of massive destruction. She and her nine-year-old autistic son, Will, embark on a risky road trip from Maine to the epicenter to find her family. She can’t lose another loved one.

Along the way, they meet Reid Gregory, who travels his own road to perdition looking for his sister. Drawn together by AJ’s fear of driving and Reid’s military and local expertise, their journey to Colorado is fraught with the chaotic aftermath of the eruption. AJ’s anxiety and faith in humanity are put to the test as she heals her past, accepts her family’s present, and embraces uncertainty as Will and Reid show her a world she had almost forgotten.

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Ten Cool Facts about Yellowstone National Park by Jean M. Grant – Guest Blog and Giveaway

May 30, 2019 By 12 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jean M. Grant will be awarding $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Ten Cool Facts about Yellowstone National Park
Why am I talking about this park? Well, if you read the blurb for Will Rise from Ashes, you’ll see that the story takes place after the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts. Yup! There’s a gigantic supervolcano nestled in northwestern Wyoming. The book is not an apocalyptic or dystopian story, but rather a story of a mother’s physical and emotional journey and her determination in the wake of a huge natural disaster that will forever alter not only her world, but everyone’s.

Yellowstone is a scientist’s Disneyworld. My background is in science, and I love the world around us. I got the chance to travel to Yellowstone twice, once as a kid, and once a few years ago with my own children. So, how about a few interesting facts about this first national park of the United States?

  1. Yellowstone is a geothermal wonderland with over 10,000 hydrothermal features: geysers, hot springs, mudpots, steam vents, and over 500 geysers.
  2. We used a cool IR (infrared) thermometer to measure the heat of the fizzing hot springs on our trip around the Upper Geyser Basin at the park. One reading: 165oF!
  3. The park is the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined, covering 2.2 million acres.
  4. Yellowstone is a supervolcano. Two massive magma bodies bubble beneath the park.
  5. There are hundreds of unique bird, fish, and mammal species in this gem of a park. Some signatures: bears (black and brown/Grizzly), bison, and wolves. Because of extensive programs, endangered species now flourish in the park.
  6. Over 5 million people visit the park annually.
  7. Old Faithful has been very true to its name, erupting approximately every 90 minutes.
  8. Yellowstone has had 3 caldera-forming eruptions over the past 3 million years (2.1 million, 1.3 million, and 640,000 years ago, respectively).
  9. The VEI scale measures explosivity of volcanoes and runs from 0 to 8.
  10. To date over 92 people have died in the park, mostly from falling into burning hot springs, off ledges, or tempting fate with a bison.

Will it erupt again? Yes. Soon, like tomorrow? Not likely.

Where can you learn more? I have piles of geology, volcano, and Yellowstone books at home, but the USGS and Yellowstone National Park websites are great resources to get accurate facts. Happy digging, my aspiring geologists!

 

 

Young widow AJ Sinclair has persevered through much heartache. Has she met her match when the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, leaving her separated from her youngest son and her brother? Tens of thousands are dead or missing in a swath of massive destruction. She and her nine-year-old autistic son, Will, embark on a risky road trip from Maine to the epicenter to find her family. She can’t lose another loved one.

Along the way, they meet Reid Gregory, who travels his own road to perdition looking for his sister. Drawn together by AJ’s fear of driving and Reid’s military and local expertise, their journey to Colorado is fraught with the chaotic aftermath of the eruption. AJ’s anxiety and faith in humanity are put to the test as she heals her past, accepts her family’s present, and embraces uncertainty as Will and Reid show her a world she had almost forgotten.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Even from far away, I recognized the man’s plaid long-sleeved shirt and the large backpack, but now he was walking alongside a bike on his approach.

“Hey, look! It’s that guy you drove past this morning!”

I shuddered inwardly. Well, karma just bit me in the butt.

“How did he catch up with us?” Motherly instinct took over as I rose, my legs wobbly. “Will, stay there. Here, take this,” I said, handing him the tire iron.

“We already tried that, Mom.”

“Not for that, Will.”

He scratched his brown hair, which was overdue for a cut, and looked at me, confusion wrinkling his brow.

“Be my wizard, Will. It’s your sword.”

“Wizards have wands.”

“Will…”

The circuit connected. “Oh…yes, Mom, I’ll protect you!”

I smiled faintly. “Thank you, honey.” I didn’t want to explain further that it was me protecting him. I didn’t want to say that if something happened, to run and hide in the woods. Because he would run and hide. Then what? Who would come help?

I shoved my hand into my front jeans pocket to nestle my fingertips around the pocket knife I had given Harrison for our wedding anniversary. The man slowed his bicycle as he drew nearer. He gave me an understated, yet significant, nod. The nod of understanding, of kindness. I didn’t buy it.

“Hello, again,” he said.

Ouch.

About the Author:

Jean’s background is in science and she draws from her interests in history, nature, and her family for inspiration. She writes historical and contemporary romances and women’s fiction. She also writes articles for family-oriented travel magazines. When she’s not writing or chasing children, she enjoys tending to her flower gardens, hiking, and doing just about anything in the outdoors.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ BookBub ~ Amazon Author Page
 

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Finding the Right Words by Jean M. Grant – Guest Blog and Giveaway

March 20, 2019 By 18 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jean M. Grant will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Finding the Right Words

I had a fun time researching slang and vernacular for my New Zealander, Matiu, in Soul of the Storm. I watched YouTube videos, pored over various websites, and ran the manuscript by a few native New Zealanders for accuracy. How much is too much slang and Kiwi-isms? Not sure. My accuracy readers helped me with that. Just enough of a sprinkle to build the character’s voice and for the reader to wonder: what does that mean? Oh, that’s cool.

Some of my Kiwi favorites in this story:

Choice, sweet as, bugger/bloody (used sparingly), egg, mate, bro, all good, cuz, good as gold, cheers, straight-up, chocka, footy, knackered, nah yeah, jandals, gumboots, Godzone, tramping (no, it’s hiking; get your mind out of the gutter!), Aotearoa, hokey pokey, she’ll be right, plus a handful more…

And a few Maori sayings are sprinkled in, too:

Kia Ora (Hello, Good day), Ata mārie (Good morning), Po mārie (Peaceful night to you), plus a few more Maori words.

While I was at it, I helped my Massachusetts-born Charlotte and my local Vermonters along:

Creemees, brookies, townies, bubbler (bubblah), wicked, Cah (okay, I could not resist this one as I, too, live in Massachusetts though I wasn’t born here), flatlanders (non-Vermont city folk), plus more here and there.

I’m a chart-making writer, so when I develop any characters, regardless of historical or contemporary, I also leave a spot for their preferred slang, expletives, proper or vernacular phrases, and other little ‘isms that make them who they are. My characters also like filler words, but my editor had advised me to limit those little beasts. Even though people tend to use them in conversation in real life, they don’t translate as well on the page for a reader (words such as yeah/yup, mmphmm, och, err, gripes, eh, ugh, hmm, uhm, aye, oh, etc.). In my historical novels I also use Gaelic and Norse words. Just a sprinkle. Just enough.

So how much is enough? Who knows! Words and how we use them add another layer to character and story authenticity. I do enjoy a good dusting to my characters to bring their personalities, upbringing, culture, and lifestyle to life on the page. And I hope you enjoy reading them, too!

Charlotte MacGregor lost the thrill of conquering mountains five years ago when her sister disappeared on a hiking adventure without her. Still guilt-ridden, Charlotte heads for a vacation to rustic Vermont with a friend—where she’s surrounded by reminders of her devastating loss and plagued with unanswered questions.

Matiu Christiansen is an outdoors buff. He works multiple jobs to save for his dream of owning an outfitter in New Zealand. He’s never quite felt at home in the United States and he yearns for his Maori roots, but his attraction to Charlotte puts a kink in his plans to move home later this year.

Thrown together by coincidence, Charlotte and Matiu form a kindred bond through their shared love of the outdoors. Can Charlotte surmount her demons to assist Matiu on a rescue when a late-season snowstorm hits? And can Matiu help Charlotte heal from the pain of the past?

Enjoy an Excerpt

She went to feel her ring on her finger with her thumb…but the ring wasn’t there. That old habit would not die even years later.

A dog bark intruded. The man crossed to the back door. “Reka, sweet girl, take your nap. Only a few hours here and then home, okay?” He spoke to her like a father to a toddler. The dog barked again. “A swim and walk this morning weren’t enough for you?”

He approached the dog, petted it, and whispered affections.

Charlotte made a soundless “Aww” and kept perusing.

The man returned, nearer. Residual sweat traced his brow. He pointed to a selection of books in the middle. “These are the best. Depends on what you’re looking for. Honest reviews or glorified fantasies?”

“Honest reviews, always.”

He stroked a hand through his neck-length black hair, the longer top layer falling over his forehead. He squatted and withdrew a few books from the lower shelf. “You could go with the popular or famous names, sure, but I like these authors.” He handed her one.

A book on South America sat in her hands. She muttered, “Thanks. Don’t need that one.”

“Oh, already been there, eh? All good, all good.” He took it and shoved it back on the shelf. “Where do your dreams lie then?”

She swallowed. No, I wasn’t there in that way. I was supposed to have been there. Five years ago. Instead she said, “Well, Vermont for now.”

“You’re in luck. I’m from Willow Springs.”

About the Author: Jean’s background is in science and she draws from her interests in history, nature, and her family for inspiration. She writes historical and contemporary romances and women’s fiction. She also writes articles for family-oriented travel magazines. When she’s not writing or chasing children, she enjoys tending to her flower gardens, hiking, and doing just about anything in the outdoors.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | BookBub Author Page | Amazon Author Page

Buy the book at The Wild Rose Press.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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