Sandra’s Reader and Author Blog Party – giveaway

November 4, 2024 By 5 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Sandra will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC via rafflecopter to one randomly reader and will award a free Bronze Book Promo Package to a randomly drawn writer.

What started off as a simple book blog that posted the personal reviews of the site owner has grown into a site where authors and readers can connect. Since then Sandra’s Book Club has given away books, gift cards, done reviews, tours, and offered free promotion to authors.

To celebrate all the readers and authors that have been a part of our blog, we’re throwing everyone a Reader and Author Blog Party! We’re also including one prize for readers and one prize for authors.

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How I Use Social Media as an Author by Henrik Wilenius – Guest Blog and Giveaway

November 1, 2024 By 3 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will award the winner’s choice of an audiobook set via Spotify or a digital book set of THE RISE UP TRILOGY. Click on the tour banner to see the other stop on the tour.

How I Use Social Media as an Author
I must admit I was at first very apprehensive about using social media. I guess most of the writers feel the same way. More often than not, we’re a bunch of introverts who don’t want to draw attention to ourselves, only to our writing. Maybe, it was also because I had been spoiled by my Finnish publishing house (WSOY). There was no social media when my first book came out. My publisher arranged all the interviews. Before and after my book came out, I must have had about twenty interviews on TV, Radio, and newspapers/magazines, and it really drained me. I don’t like to talk about myself. But The Rise Up Trilogy was self-published and I soon realized I didn’t have an option whether to be active in the social media or not.

It’s been a long learning curve. Before I had published the Rise Up Trilogy, I had very little presence in the social media. But then, like all the other unknown writers, I really needed to learn a new skill set. Fortunately, I had found a great virtual assistant company (taskbullet.com) to help me with graphic design, with my website and other related stuff. I decided I was going to keep my personal life out of it as much as possible, showing my face as little as possible. Instead, I let my writing do the talking. I started making 30-60 second videos first on TikTok, then on Instagram. To my surprise, I really enjoyed making them and some of them went even viral, gaining over million views. Unfortunately, after two viral posts, the views and likes dropped dramatically on Instagram. I would get just few hundred or few thousand views. I assume it was because of the exposing corporate and government corruption is considered political, even if it takes place in a fictional world. On TikTok, I’ve been banned temporarily by then already many times, but I could still pull a good number of views from non-controversial posts. But it’s fine. I already had dozens of good posts about the Rise Up Trilogy and I decided to take a pause from posting new material until I figured a way to get my viewers back. Anyway, social media posts don’t have much impact on book sales or podcast downloads even they go viral, at least in my case.

Next, I became active participant in animal rights and climate change discussions, but I found myself recycling same ideas in different context over and over again and got bored. This is not my thing. I’m a storyteller and through stories relay my ideas and understanding. That’s where these ideas come alive. I also tried posting political commentary not connected to my stories but after just one post, I learned that it was not my thing either. There are plenty of great commentators out there, and I better stick to things I’m good at.

The Rise up trilogy is a coming-of-age story about Hashim, Alex and Maryam, three best friends on the threshold of adulthood. Before they can find their place in this world, they must come to terms with their past and learn to confide in each other as they are confronted by intolerance, ignorance, and corporate greed that threaten to rob them of their future. Inspirational, harrowing, intense and deeply moving, this trilogy presents a ray of hope amidst terrible hardship, misfortune and loss.

Book One: Catch You if You Fall

High school best friends Hashim, Alex, and Maryam must confront real-life issues that loom for Gen-Z today, including the climate crisis, corrupt politics, and racial and gender equity.

When Hashim turns eighteen, he receives a grant from his Mosque that will send him to an Ivy League in New York. His devout Muslim family couldn’t be more proud. And to support their young son on his journey, they arrange a wife for him. There’s only one problem: Hashim is gay.

Hashim’s best friend Alex is struggling with a difficult home life, a non-present father, and financial issues that prove particularly painful when all his friends are planning to go off to college and leave him behind.

Standing confidently alongside these two boys is Maryam, a headstrong Muslim girl who bucks her traditional roots by becoming a vegan activist.

It doesn’t take long until certain evil forces start to draw these three even closer, as their futures and the wellbeing of their community and the world is threatened. They are called to act.

Book Two: Merry Farm

In the second installment of the Rise Up Trilogy, best friends Hashi, Alex, and Maryam stumble upon a huge government coverup. When more people get sicker and sicker, and nothing about the outbreak makes news, it becomes clear the corruption goes up high.

As the three attempt to expose and stop a tragedy that could kill thousands, they end up framed as the bioterrorists responsible for this exact crime, and a team of hitmen is dispatched to hunt them down. As they grapple with their own growing pains, Hashi, Alex, and Maryam hurry to outrun the disaster, prove that they are innocent, and do what they feel is right.

Book Three: Collusion

Now a well-known activist, Maryam, along with her two best friends Hashim and Alex, is chosen by the President of the United States to draw up a proposal to help fight climate change, mere weeks before superstorm Roxanne makes landfall in the Northeast.

After the President’s Future Rescue Advisory Board hears their climate proposal to set heavy taxes on meat, dairy and carbon emissions, and someone leaks it to the press, chaos spreads across party lines. A few months since they stopped a deadly virus in its tracks, the three uncover a conspiracy on the highest level of the legislative branch.

While the deadly hurricane wreaks havoc along the eastern seaboard, destroying the U.S. Naval Command in Norfolk, Virginia, and hitting New York City with devastating force, Maryam, Hashim, and Alex grapple with forces beyond their control in the government.

How will their stories unravel? What do their futures hold as they mature into adults in a world that may not accept them? Find out in this last book in the Rise Up Trilogy.

Enjoy an Excerpt from CATCH YOU IF YOU FALL

“And it’s going to happen tomorrow,” Hashim said as he crouched on the couch.

Alex drew his brows closer, but soon his forehead smoothed. “Seriously?” he said and studied Hashim’s face. “Wow. We need to get you out of this mess.”

Sharing his predicament with his best friend had calmed Hashim’s nerves. Not that he had told the whole story, like the fact that he was gay. However, that was a piece of information he had only shared with God, though unwillingly, because from Him, you can’t hide a thing.

Alex’s eyes grew wide. “But you’re just turning eighteen, for God’s sake. Isn’t it a little early to get engaged?”

Hashim pressed his lips together and winced. You tell me.

“His mom knows that once Hashim has committed to an engagement, he won’t break it,” Maryam said. She had been following the conversation from the other side of the room, giving the guys some space after she saw how upset Hashim was when he came in. “Without a solid religious reason to back out, that could shame the whole family,” she added. “People won’t greet you anymore or return your calls. You become a nobody.”

About the Author: Henrik Wilenius is the author of the Rise Up Trilogy, a young adult coming-of-age story about Hashim, Alex and Maryam confronting real-life issues like climate change, corrupt politics, animal cruelty and racial and gender equity.

The Rise Up Trilogy is now available also as an audiobook and a weekly serialized audiobook podcast on all the major platforms.

Previously, Henrik as published two books (an autobiographical coming of age book and a YA novel) by a major publisher (WSOY) in Finland before switching to English and self-publishing. The Rise Up Trilogy was inspired by his fifteen-year stint as a volunteer in a Red Cross Youth Shelter and by his vegan activism.

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The Cat Who Chased Ghosts by Nic Minnella – Spotlight and Giveaway

October 31, 2024 By 3 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In a sleepy little town, an ordinary-looking cat hides an extraordinary secret that will transform his owners’ lives forever.

When the Thompson family inherits a dilapidated old house, their overprotected son Timmy forms a strong bond with Whiskers—a chronically lazy tabby who’s not what he seems.

As Timmy explores the house’s mysteries, a chilling discovery puts his courage to the test. With the help of Whiskers and some newfound friends, he must face supernatural forces beyond his imagination and rescue a soul in peril.

The Cat Who Chased Ghosts is a spine-tingling tale about bravery, loyalty, and the magical power of friendship (human and feline) that will thrill readers of all ages, reminding us that sometimes the most extraordinary heroes come in the most unlikely packages.

Enjoy an Excerpt

“Yes, Whiskers was called out on important business,” she carried on casually, as if commenting on the weather.

Timmy frowned, confused. He checked Mrs. Krantz for signs that she might be joking.

“Called out? By whom? On what business?”

“He wouldn’t tell me, now, would he?”

Timmy was at a loss for words. Jasper had been right: the woman was cuckoo.

“You seem perplexed, my dear,” she said with a hint of condescension (or so he thought). “Do you think only humans have business to attend to? Have you never heard of Puss in Boots, or the Three Little Pigs, or the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland?”

“Those are just stories. They aren’t real,” Timmy snapped, now convinced that the old lady was mocking him. The Three Little Pigs, for Pete’s sake! Did she take him for a toddler?

“Narrow-minded, are we?” Her lips smiled, but her eyes didn’t. “Let’s see . . . yes, here it is.”

She handed him a book.

Its cover featured a whimsical drawing of a cat in a wizard’s hat, and it was both big and heavy. Quite a few pages were on the verge of falling out like it had been opened and closed too many times. Timmy could barely make out the title in the dim light.

“From Bastet the Goddess to Puss in Boots: A History of Magical Felines,” he recited.

About the Author: Nic Minnella has worked in journalism for twenty-plus years. She’s also a part-time translator and a full-time cat enthusiast. When she’s not occupied with any of the above activities, she’s often traveling to faraway places or daydreaming about them.

“The Cat Who Chased Ghosts” is her first published work of fiction, a middle grade supernatural mystery tale where a boy and his cat must confront ghosts and spirits to save their loved ones from the clutches of darkness.

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10 Things You Don’t Know About Us by Elysia and Mark Stevens – Guest Blog and Giveaway

October 30, 2024 By 6 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The authors will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

10 Things You Don’t Know About Us
1. How We Met: We met in the military, and it’s a funny story! As a little girl, I once told my mom I would be Elysia Ashley Stevens one day, inspired by a crush in kindergarten who shared the same last name as Mark (no relation). Fast forward 17 years later, and I met Mark Andrew Stevens, my husband, a charming sailor who swept me off my feet and we lived happily ever after as the Stevens’s.

2. Mark the Romantic: On our fifth anniversary, Mark surprised me with a beautiful poem and a diamond ring. He buried the bottle in the sand at a local lake close to our house. While out for a walk, I spotted the bottle and started to kick it, thinking it was a treasure map. To my surprise, it was a real treasure!

3. Our Amazing Kids: We have two wonderful teenagers who truly are a joy. We really hit the jackpot with these two—hardly any headaches at all!

4. Hall Passes: My hall pass was Ryan Reynolds, but now that he’s married to Blake Lively, it’s Henry Cavill. Mark always jokes that his is the girl at Starbucks, but deep down, it’s actually Kate Beckinsale. I guess we both have a thing for people from the UK!

5. Beverage Preferences: Mark enjoys red wine and straight whisky—yuck! I don’t drink at all.

6. Our Pets: We have a fat cat named Charlie, and an adorable fluffy dog named Clementine.

7. Cruising Adventures: We love cruising! Our next journey will be on the Carnival Liberty out of New Orleans on August 10, 2025. Feel free to come say “hi!”

8. A Celebrity Lookalike: Some people say I resemble Sandra Bullock!

9. Favourite Movie: I love Dirty Dancing and Mark loves Stand by Me.

10. Funny story: One time when we first started dating, we found ourselves in an indoor amusement park that had a closed ride on hydraulic legs that spun around and was supposed to simulate a roller coaster. Being the romantic that he is, Mark decided to take his seatbelt off before the ride started so that he could sneak a kiss and naturally the ride started just as he leaned in.

While Mark thrashed around like a shoe in a dryer, we had a friend that was waiting in line to go next on the ride but when he heard all the racket, he decided that it wasn’t necessarily the ride that he was looking to get on. When the door finally opened and we got out, Mark looked like a stray cat that just got beat around like dice in a Yahtzee cup! I think that this story set the foundation for all the adventures ahead of us.

Whenever things seem to fall apart around Daisy, romance novels are her way of escaping. When immersed in a novel, she can imagine herself in the story as the lead female character. Still, the difference between her and the typical female character in her novels is that she is not your average damsel in distress.

Daisy was raised by a military father who ensured his daughter knew survival skills and how to protect herself. Following in her beloved father’s footsteps, Daisy joined the army and met Justin. Eventually, Daisy’s dreams would come true. While on a decompression stop after a deployment overseas, she finds herself at the Lachlan Castle in Scotland. There, she is thrown back in time to the era she loves to read about, but things are nothing like she imagined.

When Daisy befriends a bonnie Scottish lass, she finds herself in a haven under the roof of the girl’s brother, a laird named Alick. It becomes clear that the laird is constantly challenged by the many nuances of Daisy’s status as a modern-day female soldier as she attempts to navigate the dangerous life in medieval Scotland. While trying her best to fit in, Daisy stumbles upon a psychotic baron named Thomas, who loves to torture women and is fascinated with her.

Both Laird Alick and Baron Thomas want to tame the lioness in Daisy but for different reasons. But Daisy is ill-prepared for medieval love or warfare and must train her heart and head to face what’s coming next.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Two floors below mine, I felt safe that I would come out of this situation unscathed, so I decided to sneak out a little squeaker to relieve some of the pressure. If I learned anything from this situation, it was this: you can spend your whole day out and about and not see one goodlooking guy, but if you blow one little fart in an elevator, one will suddenly appear like Houdini.

As the ding chimed and the elevator doors opened one floor below mine, I sheepishly stood in my stench, staring into the face of a tall, muscular, blond-haired, brown-eyed hunk of a man. I could tell he didn’t appreciate the treat that I left for him. So, there was only one thing to do in this situation, and that was to stay cool and collected, as though nothing had happened, even though it was pretty evident that I had just dumped my guts. The look he gave me as he
stopped in his tracks and raised one eyebrow before turning and pressing the button for the thirtieth floor made me blurt out the first thing that came to mind.

“Do you smell popcorn?” I said. Instantly, I regretted my words, as heat rose to my cheeks.

He gave me a sideways smirk and faced the doors as they closed, replying, “I am not sure where you buy your popcorn, but if it smells like that, I wouldn’t recommend buying it again.”

About the Author Hi, I am Elysia Stevens, and I am a big fan of rom-coms, which should not be a surprise after reading this story. Most would describe me as eccentric in my personality, which really stands out in my choice of attire. I love to wear fun socks, and every Friday I celebrate “Fabio Friday” by wearing a Fabio T-shirt for all to enjoy (luv ya, Fabio!). Thankfully, my husband, Mark Stevens, has a lot of patience because I can’t sit still for more than five minutes at a time and always have my head in the clouds. He has been my partner in life for over eighteen years, and there is nothing we can’t and don’t tackle together. My husband’s taste generally ranges from Stephen King to classic literature, but being the great guy he is, he not only read my rom-com novel but also co-authored it with me! Unfortunately, he still doesn’t understand the appeal of a good naughty scene in a book, but I won’t hold that against him.

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Dying for Monet by Claudia Riess – Spotlight and Giveaway

October 29, 2024 By 8 Comments

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

Dying for Monet, book 5 of Riess’s art history mystery series, opens on a gala evening auction at Laszlo’s, an upstart auction house in New York City. After a much sought-after Impressionist still life painting is without notice withdrawn from the auction block, its broker is found dead at the foot of an imposing statue in Laszlo’s courtyard. Amateur sleuths Erika Shawn and Harrison Wheatley are once again drawn into an investigation involving an art-related homicide, this time with one sharing an unnerving coincidence with violent crimes occurring abroad.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Greenwich, Connecticut January 5, 1927

It was time. The mavericks, all thirty of them represented at the first Impressionist Exhibition in Paris, 1874, had passed away. Not that a clean sweep was essential to the plan, but there was a sense of closure about it, as useless yet gratifying as an account ledger balanced to the penny.

The framed canvases were propped up against the far wall of the living room like hostages awaiting their release. The overstuffed couch with its mesmerizing pattern of exotic birds had been moved into the dining room to clear the wall space for them. The drapes were drawn and the room was bathed in artificial light, yet the paintings seemed to be standing out in the open, beneath the sky. It was the sheer vibrancy of color that created the illusion, Elizabeth Barden thought, as she surveyed the display, guilt creeping into her enjoyment of it. Though there’d been no law against it, it had been criminal to have kept these luminous visions in the dark all these years. If only she hadn’t been bound by a promise!

She remembered her parents sitting her down at the kitchen table in this very home, thirty-three years ago it was, the two of them planting themselves opposite her, looking more grimly serious than she’d ever seen them. She was fourteen years old at the time and not yet settled on what to make of herself, looks and intelligence ratings still torturously pending. She imagined she was about to hear that she’d been adopted or had three months to live. What they told her was less dire, but required a more sustained focus to take in. The paintings would be her legacy, they said, but in order for this to be the case, she must follow their instructions down to the letter. She had to clasp their hands in hers—as good as swearing on the bible—and promise to do so. The mood lightened only once during the interview, and that was when she’d pronounced the artist’s name as if it rhymed with “bonnet.” “Monet,” her mother had corrected, grinning. “Mow the grass. Neigh says the horse.”

The memory did not draw a smile. How could it, when these prisoners stood before her in dutiful formation? How brilliantly they’d persevered without a trace of reproach marring their freshness! And wasn’t it curious, how her gaze seemed to be drawn—and return when it wandered elsewhere— to the still life of a Wedgewood vase teeming with flowers—gladioli, lilies, wildflowers; a riot of color she would hardly call “still.” Not her favorite genre, still life, but she’d felt the same sort of instant affinity to this painting as she’d had with her lover, Jacob, not at all her type, but upon an exchanged look, bound to him body and soul. And of course, in a manner of speaking he, too, like the painting, had been hidden for far too long from the embrace of natural light. She must free him, too, from the dark. She had been intending for a year—what was she thinking, more than a year—to tell her most dear but tiresome husband of her affair and the necessity for a divorce. The imminence of the afternoon’s scheduled event strengthened her resolve. She would end the secrecy tonight.

Hard to believe that barely one hour from now, unless God or chance intervened, the transaction would be under way. The wealthy young art collector, Lewis Keller, along with the gallery owner who had used his networking skills to nose him out and was serving as broker in the deal, would soon be rapping at the door of the sprawling old ranch-house where Elizabeth had lived all her life, half of it with her husband, Wallace. The gallery owner’s entourage of packers and transporters would be on hand as well. The collector, a bit wet behind the ears, she’d discovered when he’d first come to look over the paintings, had seemed to rely more on the gallery owner’s aesthetic judgment than on his own. Like a pet owner forced by circumstances to give up her precious charge, she hoped that the man to whom she was relinquishing the paintings would treat them with the care they deserved.

Before withdrawing to her room to freshen up, Elizabeth stepped into the kitchen to see how her husband was coming along with the needless crudité platter he was arranging for their guests.

“Ah, Wally,” she said rather sadly, thinking of what was ahead for the poor man tonight, “an unaccompanied champagne toast would have been quite sufficient.”

“I know, Liz, I know,” Wallace said, putting down the knife with which he had been slicing carrots into sticks. “But you must admit, a little gesture of thoughtfulness goes a long away.” He tapped his apron-bibbed chest for emphasis.

“You’re right, dear,” Elizabeth agreed, gritting her teeth at his habit of speaking in aphorisms. The knife was lying on the counter unattended, and she imagined, for an instant as fleeting and pleasant as a sunny landscape striking an Impressionist’s eye, of stabbing him with it.

About the Author: Claudia Riess has worked in the editorial departments of The New Yorker and Holt, Rinehart and Winston, and has edited several art history monographs. Stolen Light, the first book in her art history mystery series, was chosen by Vassar’s Latin American history professor for distribution to the college’s people-to-people trips to Cuba. To Kingdom Come, the fourth, will be added to the syllabus of a survey course on West and Central African Art at a prominent Midwestern university. Claudia has written a number of articles for Mystery Readers Journal, Women’s National Book Association, the Sisters in Crime Bloodletter, and Mystery Scene magazine. To read more about Claudia and her work, visit the author’s website.

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The Goblin King’s Mischief by D. Lieber – Spotlight and Giveaway

October 28, 2024 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. D. Lieber will be awarding a $10 Bookshop gift card (so you can support your local bookstore!) to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A promise unkept. A love she can’t forget. This wily human will do anything to reclaim the heart of the Goblin King.

Lady Melody Piobaire never lost faith her first love would come for her when she was forced from his side. That is, until she finds out he doesn’t even know who she really is…doesn’t even know she’s human. To make things worse, she’s the promised mistress of the sidhe king. Rather than bear Tir’s heir, she devises a plan to win back her true love in the most goblin of ways.

Orphaned elf Aodh never forgot what it was like growing up on the mean streets of Goblintown. And now, as Goblin King, he’s dedicated to being the just and attentive ruler the neglected goblins deserve. So when a spoiled human who knows nothing of what it means to be a goblin tricks him into marriage, he’ll do anything to be rid of her.

Melody is certain she can win Aodh’s heart again, so she isn’t prepared for his hot and cold hostility. Aodh is unsettled by the forward human in his home and the way she seems to know just how to get to him.

What can Melody do if her only love no longer wants her, or worse, no longer exists?

Enjoy an Excerpt

I looked up at Aodh, taking in the face I used to know so very well. His features had sharpened in the last ten years. His thick hair—which had been quite messy when it was shorter—now fell in long locks that could no longer hide the pointed tips of his ears. The groove between his straight nose and wide lips had deepened, and he still had a tiny break in the hair of his left eyebrow, a scar too small to see if not for the space where the hair no longer grew.

I took in the sight of him, memorizing the small changes that had taken place since the last time I’d seen him. He’d grown both taller and wider—his shoulders now the broad and strong shoulders of a man. Though, despite the added years, his eyes had changed the most. They were much darker than I remembered, not in color but in substance. He’d helped me as I knew he would, but he no longer had that carefree glint in his eyes. The lack of that little light of mischief hurt more than anything else.

“Miss?” he called. “Where do you live? What’s your name?”

I let my mouth widen in a smirk of bravado. “Me? My name is Lady Melody Píobaire, daughter of the Earl of Piskishire.” I swallowed my heart. He’s not going to like this. Raising my left hand, I displayed the ring I’d just sneaked from his finger onto mine. “I’m the goblin queen, and you can come for me at Maplecrest, my family home, whenever is convenient for you, husband.”

About the AuthorD. Lieber has a wanderlust that would make a butterfly envious. When she isn’t planning her next physical adventure, she’s recklessly jumping from one fictional world to another. Her love of reading led her to earn a Bachelor’s in English from Wright State University.

Beyond her skeptic and slightly pessimistic mind, Lieber wants to believe. She has been many places—from Canada to England, France to Italy, Germany to Russia—believing that a better world comes from putting a face on “other.” She is a romantic idealist at heart, always fighting to keep her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds.

Lieber lives in Wisconsin with her husband (John) and cats (Yin and Nox).

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5 Pros and 5 Challenges of Writing in My Genre by A.Y. Chan – Guest Blog and Giveaway

October 25, 2024 By 4 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

5 Pros and 5 Challenges of Writing in My Genre

I love middle grade. I read it all the time ‘for fun” even though I’m well out of the target age range. While there are many reasons I chose to write my debut in this genre, there are also many challenges I’ve faced in doing so. Let’s get down to it!

PROS

Pro #1: The Joy and Optimism of Middle Grade

Middle grade kids are in that sweet spot where they’re young and bright-eyed, but old enough to start understanding the world and have a keen curiosity about how it works. I love stories that tap into this curiosity, helping kids develop a deeper sense of self and showing them a world full of hope and possibility.

Pro #2: Promoting the Love of Reading

Growing up, reading was my refuge. There’s something really special about fostering that same love of reading in children. Knowing my stories might be a source of joy for a young reader is incredibly fulfilling.

Pro #3: No “Awkward” Scenes or Swearing

This might not be considered a pro for everyone, but I like not having to deal with overly lovey-dovey scenes, adult themes, or even the occasional cuss word. Writing middle grade allows me to focus on the adventure, friendship, and growth of my characters.

Pro #4: The Dynamic Kidlit Community

The kidlit writing scene is so vibrant and supportive. Groups like SCBWI and Inked Voices are filled with friendly and lovely people and interacting with fellow writers has been a wonderful experience, full of camaraderie and encouragement.

Pro #5: Encouraging Imagination and Creativity

Middle grade books are the perfect playground for imagination. These stories often include fantastical elements, magical adventures, and creative problem-solving, which can ignite a child’s creativity and fuel their dreams.

CHALLENGES

Challenge #1: Middle Grade Dialogue

The biggest hurdle is to not sound like an adult trying to sound like a middle grader. It can be awkward and cringy, and young readers can spot it from a mile away. Authenticity in dialogue is crucial and can be challenging to master. I struggled with this when I first started writing middle grade and I went through a lot of thought, observation and too many rewrites to count!

Challenge #2: Finding Your Middle Grade Voice

Beyond just getting your middle grader dialogue right, your entire story needs to adopt a middle grade tone. Everything from vocabulary to plot and situations needs to be appropriate and true to that age group. While you may want to give your characters the freedom to travel independently, it’s not realistic. For example, where are their parents? Why aren’t they in school?

Challenge #3: Ensuring Positive Role Models

Middle graders are still learning and can be impressionable. It’s important to make sure your characters set good examples (or at least try their best to!). Adults and even YA readers might know better, but middle graders may still be figuring things out, so you need to be mindful of this when making decisions for your characters.

Challenge #4: Book Promotions

You can’t promote your book directly to middle grade readers. The gatekeepers are parents, teachers, and librarians. Reaching these gatekeepers effectively can be a real challenge, as they are the ones who will ultimately introduce your book to kids.

Challenge 5: Keeping it Engaging Without Being Overly Complex

Middle grade readers are beginning to explore more complex narratives. However, striking the balance between an engaging plot and one that’s not too convoluted can be tricky. You want to challenge your readers but not overwhelm them.

Mo Seto, martial arts movie star! Has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Too bad there’s a height restriction to audition. But 12-year-old Modesty (Mo) Seto has never let her height get in the way before, not when she became a black belt, or when she fought the meanest boy in her class, and she’s not going to let it stop her this time! Now if only she can figure out a way to grow five inches and fool everyone at the auditions…and find time to search for her missing father (who just might be harboring a dangerous secret of his own). Join Mo on an adventure (and audition) of a lifetime and find out if powerful things really do come in small packages!

Publishers Weekly calls THE LEGENDARY MO SETO “Adrenaline pumping”, Kirkus Reviews says it “Packs a punch”, and Booklist calls it “Remarkably relatable.” Leap in and join the fun!

Enjoy an Excerpt

I may be small, but I am fierce. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. Over and over again. Fierce.

“Charyeot,” the taekwondo tournament referee says in Korean. Attention.

I snap my arms to my sides.

“Kyeong-nae,” the ref says. Bow.

I turn to face my opponent, Dax Washington. His dark skin glistens with sweat. We dip our heads.

I look up to see Dax towering over me, his eyes stormy.

It suddenly occurs to me how much “fierce” sounds like “fears.” Not that I’m scared or anything. I’m not.

“Sijak!” The ref throws up his hand. Begin! Immediately Dax’s large fists hammer down like a hailstorm.

Well, maybe I’m a little worried.

Dax lunges. I block his front kick with my forearm. I flinch and reel back. The ref blows his whistle, but Dax doesn’t stop. I barely have time to move before—oof—another kick nails me in the elbow.

Okay, fine. I’m totally panicking.

About the Author: A. Y. Chan grew up in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area reading all the middle grade and young adult books she could get her hands on. To this day, those remain her favorite genres. After achieving her black belt in Taekwondo, she explored other martial arts, such as Wing Chun, Hapkido, and Muay Thai. These days, she continues her martial arts training some mornings, writes in the afternoons, takes long walks to muddle out plot points, and falls asleep reading.

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Flamingo Cafe by Jackie Kang – Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

October 24, 2024 By 4 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A storm is brewing off the coast of Florida, but chaos has already made landfall for four women of Palm Beach society. Abigail, a self-appointed Cuban princess and queen of the WAGs, suddenly finds herself penniless and on the streets. Claudia, a Greek entrepreneur and CEO of a prestigious international clothing line, is entering her golden years only to realize secrets can weigh you down. Cassy, a barista and owner of the Flamingo Cafe, is doing her best to recover from a tragic past. Meanwhile her best friend, Bri, also harbors a secret: a romantic tet-a-tet with Cassy’s brother Nick. Each woman has played her part in a society obsessed with appearances and secrecy for years. So, when Hurricane Odette blows through town, exposing those secrets, it’s no surprise their lives collide like a clap of thunder. Only one thing is certain: if they don’t work together, Mother Nature will teach them the hardest lessons of their lives.

Enjoy an Exclusive Excerpt

What a morning. I can’t believe it is already past noon, and I haven’t heard from one single person. I’m exhausted from cleaning the broken glass and picking up the mess that greeted me this morning.

I step back until I rest my head on the palm-frond- decorated wallpaper behind me and let out a slow breath. The lip of the hot pink wains-coating that covers the lower third of the wall presses into my hips, and I adjust my shoulders to relieve the pinch on my backside. Settling into my empty surroundings, I count to three and try to remember what my therapist taught me about dealing with a crisis. Not that I’m experiencing a crisis. Or maybe I am. I don’t know. I’m so exhausted from this morning that I can’t think straight.

I rack my brain and try to remember the requirements for calling an event a crisis. Destruction. A quick glance at the front door, where the sun is illuminating the duct tape holding the cardboard in place over the broken window, confirms what I already know. Yes, there is definitely destruction. And although I’ve done a decent job over the last few hours of cleaning, the thoughts of the white bookcase lying in a heap across the wood-planked floor, the overturned gold stools with the pink tufted cushions smashed and lying on their sides, and the palm frond wallpaper devoid of its racks and now riddled with nail holes are all images of destruction that are now burned into my memory for a lifetime.

I mentally check the first box as I recall another requirement. Being in immediate danger.

Well, there is cash missing from the register, but thanks to the nightly deposit I make, it’s not a large sum of money. Thank God no one was here when it was taken. Instinctively, I reach down and rub at the goose bumps on my arm. I don’t even have to look down to know they are there. The mere idea of violence in the café has my stomach roiling. I suck in a lungful of air and remind myself that Zoe and I weren’t present when the actual break-in happened and that the perpetrator is now long gone. Which means I am not, in fact, in any immediate danger, and this particular situation doesn’t qualify as a crisis.

About the Author

When not spending her time creating make-believe people and places, Jackie Kang lives in Kirkland, WA with her very real family of 1 husband, 2 dogs, and 3 children. In her past life, Jackie has held jobs as a personal trainer, a spa manager, a dental assistant, and an office manager, but her true love is writing and sharing a well-crafted story. Jackie is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.

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10 Things Most People Don’t Know About Me by Petie McCarty – Guest Blog and Giveaway

October 17, 2024 By 7 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

10 Things Most People Don’t Know About Me

1. I have a bachelor’s degree in Zoology because I wanted to be a zookeeper—which I never did—but my education did help me a great deal in my job as an aquatic biologist and permitting specialist at Walt Disney World.

2. I have six brothers and sisters, and I’m not the oldest. 😊 Three are biological and three are adopted, each at two days old, came home from the hospital to us.

3. I can play the piano. I just don’t. We sold our piano 20 years ago, but it’s an ability like riding a bike—once you learn, you can still play. With some practice. 😊

4. My favorite exercise in the world is riding my electric bike, usually 9-10 miles per day, but at least 5 miles.

5. I can play the harmonica, all of 2 songs, but since one is Happy Birthday, I do it frequently when I call siblings, nieces, nephews, or friends for their birthday. It’s better than my singing.

6. My grandpa, uncle, father, brother, and brother-in-law were all Lutheran ministers, which makes me a preacher’s kid. And yes, I know what they say about preachers’ kids. . . we learned all our bad habits from the deacon’s kids.

7. I met my husband at Disney. His office was across the street from the lab where I worked at the time and had the only Coke machine for two miles. I was a Coke-a-holic at the time and drank 2+ quarts of pop a day (yes you read that right, two). So I had plenty of reasons to run into him, and the rest as they say is history.

8. I write my stories in longhand and shorthand, mostly shorthand, then type them and edit as I go.

9. My one famous-person meet: I rode an elevator with Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks. Just us. We did visit and he was the nicest guy ever. When he shook my hand, his fingers went halfway up my forearm his hand was so big.

10. I’ve ridden Small World over 475 times. Yes, you read that right too. I started out at Disney as a Tour Guide in the Magic Kingdom and Small World was on our tour.

The Cinderella Romances…Fall in love with the fairy tale all over again.

Modern-day Cinderella stories that provide unlimited opportunities to retell the classic fairy tale, happily with returning characters to share in these adventures.

Cinderella Busted

Once upon a time, in Jupiter Island, Florida . . .

Billionaire developer, Rhett Buchanan, is forced to inspect a shipment of priceless trees and meets the girl of his dreams instead. A bit jaded where women are concerned—since most are gold diggers—Rhett falls head over heels for the Jupiter Island socialite who only wants him, not his money. Except she isn’t the glamorous socialite she appears to be.

She’s the gardener . . .

Betting on Cinderella

Once upon a time in Biloxi, Mississippi . . .

Garrett Tucker inherits his grandfather’s casino empire and steps into the reclusive billionaire’s shoes as the new “Prince of Vegas.” Discovering embezzlement in his newly purchased casino in Biloxi, Garrett goes in undercover. His prime suspect? The new finance supervisor . . . a feisty brunette who stole his heart at first sight.

Andi Ryan moves to Biloxi to care for her godmother. Taking a job as finance supervisor for the renovated Bayou Princess casino, she discovers someone is skimming from the till. Andi starts her own investigation, worried she will be blamed for the theft when the handsome new owner discovers her godmother likes to gamble.

Industrial espionage is afoot at the Bayou Princess, and Garrett and Andi are soon forced to work as a team to prove her innocence and save the casino before it’s too late.

This swoonworthy modern-day fairy tale joins the other stories in the Cinderella Romances series. Each provides a new opportunity to retell the classic fairy tale, happily with returning characters to share in these adventures.

Par for Cinderella

Once upon a time in Cedar Key, Florida . . .

Golf resort developer Aidan Cross is at loose ends. Something feels missing from his life, but that something isn’t women. He has too many women chasing him now. To confuse things even more, his yacht breaks down off-shore of his next project site in Florida, and Aidan falls for his only competition in the small town—a woman who wants nothing to do with him or his rakish charm.

Casey Stuart is stuck living in Cypress Key, unwilling to abandon her uncle or the golf course they manage together. She doesn’t quite trust the stranger Aidan who shows up in town looking for work, and she vows to steer clear of him and the danger their intense chemistry provokes. Aidan’s stay is temporary, and falling for him promises only heartbreak.

But Casey needs Aidan’s help when she discovers Cypress Key’s mayor is making underhanded business deals, and she ends up on the wrong side of the powerful crook. Aidan steps in to rescue her, but secrets from his past threaten to bogey their new-found affair.

This swoonworthy modern-day fairy tale joins the other Cinderella stories in the series. Each provides a new opportunity to retell the classic fairy tale, happily with returning characters to share in these adventures.

Enjoy an Excerpt from Book One: Cinderella Busted

“Do you buy a lot of plants here?” Buchanan suddenly asked.

Her head snapped up from examining a bent gray frond. She swallowed. “Buy?”

“You must be one of the nursery’s best customers as well as you know the stock and know your way around here.” He gave her that slow, sexy smile again. “Are you buying landscaping for business or pleasure?”

Oh good grief! He thinks I’m a customer.

But why wouldn’t he? Today, she was dressed like one. Surely, he could tell from their conversation she worked here at the nursery.

Or not.

He waited for a response. So that was why he had asked her to help him! She grinned. She couldn’t help it. She felt like Cinderella masquerading as a princess at the ball. Maybe she could just avoid answering his question altogether.

She guided him to the end of the aisle, made the turn to the fifth row of trees, and aimed their steps toward a cluster of Monterrey pines.

Buchanan put a hand out to stop her. “I hope you’ll let me take you to dinner to thank you for helping me, Lily.”

About the Author: Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—”The Most Magical Place on Earth”—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her “day” job to write her stories full-time. These days Petie spends her time writing sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and her cozy-mystery-with-romantic-suspense series, the Mystery Angel Romances.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in No Angels for Christmas.

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Encounters with Old Coyote by Laura Koerber

October 15, 2024 By 5 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

“One thing about people—they need to tell stories. They can’t stop themselves. Stories all the time. That’s how they understand things.” So said Coyote to Andrea, shortly after she died. Andrea had never believed in any kind of afterlife or gods, so she was surprised to find herself still somewhat alive, floating in the form of a ghost in the soft, dry desert air of Nevada. She was even more surprised to meet a supernatural being with a coyote’s face, antlers, and the supplies for making coffee.

“I don’t understand why I’m a ghost,” Andrea said.

Coyote set his coffee cup down on the dirt beside his rock. He glanced at Andrea, grimaced, and said, “Okay, I’ll try to explain. Since you humans like stories, I’ll try to explain that way. I’ll tell you some stories.”

So come along with Coyote and Andrea as they share stories about life and death, spiders in the bathroom and how Andrea lost her bra at a truck stop, enemy gods and pottery shards, adventures in vomit, what scientists say about dark matter and the fifth force, and other topics both sublime and ridiculous.

Enjoy an Exclusive Excerpt

For me high school wasn’t really about having adventures. It as more like missed opportunities. I was so shy, I literally didn’t make eye contact with people. I lived in my imagination, a classic case of a kid with imaginary friends. My imaginary friends were always in trouble doing exciting things, but I was a watcher, an eye. I floated through the day, watching other people and thinking.

I told myself stories all the time. While walking to school, while walking down the hall at school, while walking home, while swinging on the swing in the back yard, while laying in bed at night, I told myself full length serials, episode by episode. Funny thing is, I never once thought of writing the stories down. I didn’t think of myself as a writer.

Every now and then I came up for air and looked around at the real world. I remember climbing out the window of my bedroom and sitting on the roof of the room we called the study. I was fourteen or fifteen, and I remember thinking about how someday I was going to die. My life would end. I tried to make myself really realize the fleetingness of life, the inevitable nature of death, the relentless passage of time.

I remember looking at the pattern on the sleeve of my cotton blouse and telling myself that I would never ever forget that moment in time, just sitting on the roof and looking at a spot on my sleeve. Every moment counts because none will be repeated and sooner or later you run out.

I couldn’t imagine being old or dead, but I knew it would come, so I made myself a promise. I promised myself that at the end of my life I would not be disappointed in myself. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, but whatever I did, I wanted to not be disappointed.

About the Author: I live on an island in the Puget Sound with my husband and my dogs. I am a retired teacher, presently doing in-home care for disabled people while volunteering at a cat rescue

My degree is in art, and I am a painter, graphic artist, and ceramic sculptor. The writing started about five years ago, a surprise to me and everyone who knows me, since I had never written anything before. To my immense gratitude, my first book received outstanding reviews and made the Kirkus Review list of one hundred best indy books of 2015.

Since then, I have written ten books. People seem to like them; I get lots of four and five star reviews. My books are a bit unconventional; I mix magical realism with dystopia in many of them. My stories tend to be character-driven and include ghosts and spirits.

I think I learned to write by reading. I am a voracious omnivore of books.

Read the Kirkus Review.

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