tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19508511559245852232024-02-18T19:29:12.222-08:00♥ Desert Rose Word Candy ♫For the Love of Books...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10616737691423289109noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-59922487848826582642019-08-23T13:52:00.000-07:002019-08-23T13:52:56.972-07:00Random UpdateHiya! I figured I should pop in and post an update really quickly.<br />
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Seeing as my last post was Nov. 2018, I think my idea of a short break has obviously turned into something a bit bigger.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-MwPUSH5dZFXfFWxjrtDxoxzO_Lbr2sfMGHF9Xf0z-hi3buXQob3DN78btQ_8NMsmwimZi-XczeUQBaTJ-8_SHs3UQDw7qAbwO7Z_nOfht4IXKxgdlfC1YKFDs50pKhOw8eXjxEohLWk/s1600/selena+gomez+idk+shrug.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="500" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-MwPUSH5dZFXfFWxjrtDxoxzO_Lbr2sfMGHF9Xf0z-hi3buXQob3DN78btQ_8NMsmwimZi-XczeUQBaTJ-8_SHs3UQDw7qAbwO7Z_nOfht4IXKxgdlfC1YKFDs50pKhOw8eXjxEohLWk/s320/selena+gomez+idk+shrug.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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As much as it pains me, I don't have much free time to read any more. What little spare time I get, I spend writing. I still love to read, but I'm definitely no longer a kid who has a bunch of free time, looking for productive ways to fill it.<br />
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I will continue to post here when I do get a chance to read a book, and I will still do my best to knock out the books I've agreed to review, although I'm no longer taking review requests, as I can not guarantee I'll be able to read regularly any time soon.<br />
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Realistically though, this blog has gone from active to random at best, and that's honestly okay. I miss being an active blogger, but my life is 1000x busier than it was when I started this and was really rocking it. Everything has it's season, and I'm not able to be what I was before. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick it back up again once the season I'm in has passed.<br />
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For those who still follow, I appreciate and love the heck outta you! I hope you enjoy the posts I'll throw up in the future, and if you can spare it, send me some good vibes and reading love, ya girl needs it.<br />
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Much love and peace my dudes.<br />
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Ciao for now.<br />
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~Rose<br />
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<br />Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-9305023466359534912018-11-02T04:00:00.000-07:002018-11-02T04:00:05.807-07:00"Pushback" by John E. Stith!Hiya peeps! I'm excited to share this brand new release with you today! It just came out yesterday, fresh off the presses, so be sure to check it out!<br />
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<b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Pushback</span></i></b></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40698564-pushback?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Pushback" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM5UR4sQWjCk7X61rJcmbTzsT8uCcufQcH4uUn2WiW1Y3C44qPr5krSyeD1aHC-HpA55T44hIaWv8AI_hUxcN8fsaI4eWC_tI8gTjMd1OZTEpXBTVk5ycGmmB67m1eGSau5Q8pwWpn3Yr2/s320/Pushback.jpg" width="212" /></a><span style="color: #0c343d;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Publisher</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">ReAnimus Press</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Released</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">November 1, 2018</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Length</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">336 Pages</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40698564-pushback">Goodreads</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pushback-John-Stith-ebook/dp/B07G67LDXR">Amazon</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">At his ten-year high-school reunion, Colorado investment counselor Dave Barlow, who suffers from PTSD, finds he doesn’t know one person there, and soon realizes he must outwit an unknown antagonist before he winds up dead.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">“Some people dream about going to their high-school reunion in their underwear. Dave Barlow goes to his and finds himself worse than naked — unrecognized. A lovely, twisty thriller that moves like a roller coaster — racheting up the suspense, then plunging into crisis, or doing a swift loop-the-loop through flashbacks of PTSD before the climb stars again.” — Diana Gabaldon, New York Times bestselling author of the Outlander series.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">“PUSHBACK is a fast-paced crime novel guaranteed to keep you reading into the night. Accelerating through enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, PUSHBACK ramps up to a heart-pounding ending that will leave you breathless. Stith, known for his award-winning science fiction, really brings it home in his debut mystery. Bring on the next installment!” — Chris Goff, author of RED SKY</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.neverend.com/biography"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGb8E02-R-f3AdxcYCsc-cyMuyAmIwpL-oKNgehCtCcYKTcXPoQBjI92rCZ26JYgqebsP3_rSH728wzbwwolA1dxpGeHh9pUvVdBK5_NCJj5sJso9b74upBBtn5Ke2e6zOlzq2gyJkoNf/s640/About+the+Author+dark+blue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/73455.John_E_Stith" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" John E. Stith" border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="401" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiKzsmxnvbQYeFpKjpg6MP9eAwgTLQxK4pdPMxwET4BO-RuuFYA9K4NLYKWL0W7UQTVdHxOTjPtHFK2QVjN2ck7eyMRTYJO3ZwUUf5V817O3If6declSRxl_xok0fwHEBlX4YTNkqW189w/s200/John+Stith+Headshot.jpg" width="163" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Science fiction and mystery author John E. Stith writes across many worlds. His books have been translated to French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Russian and are even available in braille for the sight-impaired. His science fiction stories have been categorized as “Hard science fiction,” a label given to those stories thoroughly researched to play fair with the rules of science; something any die-hard SciFi fan can appreciate. <i>Pushback</i> is his debut into the mystery, though readers will find both suspense and thrills in his SciFi novels, as well.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Stith holds a B.A. in physics from the University of Minnesota, has served as an Air Force Officer, where he worked at NORAD Cheyenne Mountain Complex. The passion for science runs in his family, as his father George worked at the White Sands Missile Range on such projects like the rocket sled.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">He has appeared on a live nationwide PBS broadcast or Science-Fiction Science-Fact (SF2) and his work has also been sold to film and television. His novel Reckoning Infinity was chosen as one of Science Fiction Chronicle’s Best Science Fiction Novels, Redshift Rendezvous was picked as a Nebula Award nominee and Manhattan Transfer received an honorable mention from the Hugo Awards and a nomination from the Seiun Award in Japan. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">Stith is a member of Science-Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), Mystery Writers of America (MWA), Writers Guild of America (WGA), International Thriller Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers (RMFW), Colorado Author’s League and Mensa. He currently lives in Colorado Springs.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">~ Connect with John E. Stith Online~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://neverend.com/pushback">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://tinyurl.com/AuthorJohnEStith">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="http://facebook.com/JohnEStithWriter">Facebook</a> ~<a href="http://twitter.com/johnestith">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfclt-t0QUx_t4gtArkejDS7BJ3vGGj3h-YToWjgxc2bcUAaS6RX-2nd1RrBSxVO4tx1GL1U0n_67L-G_l1kywcuPqQhhwrRVntwMJlZWi3eQXIuTdOmEVjWK7H7HrQUQg-P056aMcS90/s640/Excerpts.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 14.4pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Around this time I started feeling paranoid. After the hit and run and the poisoning, I was now in a world where things that used to seem impossible now seemed possible. I pulled over onto the shoulder.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 14.4pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I could turn around right then. I wondered if I was having a spidey-sense moment or if I was acting like a scared rabbit. Were these people going to make me fearful of every shadow, or was I going to live my life? I knew Sharon was a friend of Allison’s. It wasn’t like I truly knew her as a person, but I’d been introduced once at a party. I could play safe and blow off this appointment. Then, assuming for the moment that this really was legit, she would look elsewhere for an investment counselor. And she might tell all her friends about “unprofessional behavior.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I finished chiding myself for being so quick to start living in fear. Having a backup plan couldn’t hurt, though. I dialed Bruce’s line. I would tell him where I was and ask him to call the police if I didn’t call him back in twenty minutes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">No bars. Crap.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I resolved to go a little farther and call when I had service.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Minutes later the green street sign for Goshawk appeared. A left took me onto a narrow dirt road leading through the trees, through a clearing, and deeper into the forest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I stopped again. Still no bars. I resumed my journey.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Fences lined many of the properties. I got the feeling people this far out valued their privacy. I remembered visiting a client in the Springs who lived next door to a home that sported a warning sign with an image of a gun, along with words to the effect that nothing in the house was worth dying for. My reaction had been that probably no possession in the home was worth killing a human being for, but we all see the world differently.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I was definitely going to be late, but since I had no service, going back to call Bruce would make me even later. Goshawk. I knew that was some kind of bird of prey, but I couldn’t picture anything but a generic image of a falcon. Now that I thought about it, I was probably ten or fifteen miles north of the town called Falcon. I wondered what it was with killer birds out here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">About a mile farther along the road, it turned to the right. Finally a dilapidated fence and a neatly lettered sign saying “Kelso” appeared. The sign felt comforting. I turned in. The driveway was deeply rutted and overgrown with grass, angling deeper into the woods. I didn’t bottom out in the Ford despite it not being a truck or an SUV, but it felt close at times. I pulled up in front of a slightly run-down log farmhouse that didn’t feel in keeping with the smooth, polished voice I’d heard on the phone.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I checked my phone for a signal. Still no bars.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I shut off the engine. My hand stayed on the key. I felt like going home, and then felt foolish. But I also started feeling even more paranoid. I surveyed my surroundings.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">No other car was in the driveway. Rutted tracks led around the side of the house, so Sharon could have parked around back. I got out of the car and listened. Wind through the pines was the loudest sound. The air held no hint of booming woofers, growling mufflers, ringing phones. Instead of the sounds of civilization or the uncivilized sounds of civilization, the faint sounds of bird calls were all that reached me. I just about got back in the car and got out of here.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">This visit was seeming like an even worse idea all the time, but I walked to the porch. Three wooden steps led up to a wooden porch about six feet by ten. It was bordered by a railing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The wood’s appearance suggested one of those scenarios where you plant a foot and it goes right through a plank, but the flooring felt solid enough.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 14.4pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The house didn’t have a doorbell. Instead, a small pull cord was mounted next to the door frame, presumably to ring a bell inside. I stood in front of the door and reached for the pull. And I hesitated.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The pull cord looked new.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I was feeling like a finicky cat who had found medicine in the mix too many times. I’d seen too much stuff like this in the movies and my thudding heart pounded louder. Instead of pulling the cord, I knocked. Loudly.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 14.4pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The sound was jolting in the quiet. I found myself reviewing the pros and cons of staying. On the pro side, if Sharon were legit, I could make some money. On the con side, everything else. No sound of footsteps came from inside. No “Coming!” rang out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I peered in the window. Rising hair on the back of your neck is actually a real thing.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The interior was hard to resolve, partly because it was dim, and partly because the window was dirty. I shifted position, thinking about how foolish I would look. Fear of looking foolish had probably motivated more bad decisions than I could count. And after those bad decisions, I always felt worse than foolish.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I moved my head again, trying to see inside. And then I felt chilled. I was sure I was looking at a line that stretched from near the door to a dark doorway eight or ten feet away. I couldn’t be sure, but a faint gleam looked to me to be a barrel. A gun barrel. Pointing at the door.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">My brain replayed a gun scene from the past. I saw muzzle flashes as my mother shot my father. I don’t know if the muzzle flashes were there in reality or if my memory had been enhanced with scenes from action movies. I felt sick and afraid.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I took some deep breaths and looked around. I saw no one. I could see no one in the house either, but that made sense if the door was booby-trapped.</span></span></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-48960755385430411382018-10-26T04:00:00.000-07:002018-10-26T04:00:00.475-07:00"Madam Velvet's Cabaret of Oddities" by Nancy Stohlman!Hiya peeps! Happy early Halloween! =D<br />
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I'm sharing a fun book with you today, released just in time for the spooky season! What's even more fun, is it also celebrates the 250th anniversary of the circus!<br />
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Check out this collection of flash fiction, featuring vaudeville stories of the weird, absurd and bizarre cabaret. Step right up to meet a woman so determined to be a star, she'll try <i>anything</i>! There's also a guest post by the author Nancy Stohlman, where she talks about why she thinks people enjoy taboo and oddly grotesque things.<br />
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Check it out, and be sure to drop a comment and share the post with anyone who enjoys odd stories! =D<br />
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<b><i><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;">Madam Velvet's Cabaret of Oddities</span></i></b></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42379225-madam-velvet-s-cabaret-of-oddities" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Madam Velvet's Cabarat of Oddities" border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="468" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfaoNuVNSINpVZ2FGWS_Ew7n0Q44MhAD6wHtFuWRhEciYiESyUhPzZndUnQiVTli3U_fgoEycRujvBiNe7pmzohCDpI4Rej_hBcSPce9HjKhE-8Lt-05xA0ubdoFECu4hgWqxKE14J9Dgr/s400/Mad+V+Front+Cover.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #783f04;">Nancy Stohlman</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Length</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #783f04;">101 Pages</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Released</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #783f04;">October 5th, 2018</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Publisher</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #783f04;">Big Table Publishing</span></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42379225-madam-velvet-s-cabaret-of-oddities">Goodreads</a></b><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Madam-Velvets-Cabaret-Oddities-Stohlman/dp/1945917458"><b>Amazon</b></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Step right up and meet a woman so determined to be a star she’ll try anything, including spray on Instant Fame! Meet her reflection, who dreams of a life of her own and manages to find love on the Internet! See the man desperately trying to earn a world record in the most bizarre way possible! Learn the origins of the Four-Legged Woman and the Human Skeleton! Clown mothers, suicidal ringmasters, cult leader who teach the cha-cha and Alaska Jackson’s Traveling Medicine Show…each one takes center stage in this vaudeville of flash fiction. Flash fiction, microfiction, short-short stories… regardless of the name, it’s all the same—a compressed story that packs a punch. Enter a cabaret of the weird, the absurd, and the bizarre with this bold and bawdy new collection.</span><br />
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<a href="https://nancystohlman.com/about/"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwYm1xZByu3GuIDuSsK0Be1zwl_78-Q_jbkaVQI2KjD-hrHYh_T2evSig4F_wnMchDQE9pAjNW94WWwVepslJd5OFT92hiZwS5mSnHkS1Sp-fm0ZapHBWAH1kWEmjsi0Q4zA3wqYCvpzd_/s640/About+the+Author+light+red.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/218912.Nancy_Stohlman" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Nancy Stohlman" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVFsGAIU-1XSWr4IUMRLV_kKX8Fv7D-O2_-4UIh1DSNLFbkcYdN0cY9EIrOALNbQywwZwXi_rq_P6ljMfjT8B7O5w8MFFxomclgjGlFUT8xNnHXGcdoun5D8K7N_odJTaSmSSxGMdgcxB/s200/IMG_E0767.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Nancy Stohlman is the author of the flash collections <i>Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities</i> (forthcoming 2018), <i>The Vixen Scream and Other Bible Stories</i> (2014), the flash novels <i>The Monster Opera</i> (2013) and <i>Searching for Suzi</i> (2009), and three anthologies of flash fiction including <i>Fast Forward: The Mix Tape</i> (2010), which was a finalist for a 2011 Colorado Book Award. She is the creator and curator of The Fbomb Flash Fiction Reading Series, the creator of <i>FlashNano in November</i>, and her work has been published in over 100 journals and anthologies including the forthcoming <i>Norton anthology New Microfictions </i>(2018). She lives in Denver and teaches at the University of Colorado Boulder.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">When she is not writing flash fiction she straps on stilettos and becomes the lead singer of the lounge metal jazz trio Kinky Mink. She dreams of one day becoming a pirate.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">~ <u>Connect with Nancy Online</u> ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="https://nancystohlman.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/218912.Nancy_Stohlman">Goodreads</a></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo18WsTAyGR3CB_H89LtDNusnFGDjqKqhFQFA5URrPW5edBg6ga_iyRcywaiH0Ng1q2k33Z9FsGN0310QN9bGsSPSn1cD_9RyaW-POwMhdd1lE0d4kOj5LCXZzZYLDDPFJQ06g2ZJYRAFd/s640/Guest+Posts.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The Odd, Grotesque and Taboo—Why We Can’t Look Away</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">By Nancy Stohlman</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">A few years ago, I went to the Freak Circus show on Venice Beach in California (I’ve been told it’s closed now). They had a variety of acts—from The Sword Swallower who doubled as The Fire Eater to The Rubber Woman who could spin her arm in the socket to a man with a congenital deformity that left his body covered in golf-ball sized tumors. When he took off his shirt he told us to look. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Look, he said</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. See me</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why do we look? Or look away? And why do we </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">want</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to look? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why does this--the odd, the taboo--fascinate us so much? We've been told it's not polite to stare, but that message is at odds with our natural curiosity to see what is different. So we are forced to create freak shows and other opportunities to stare with impunity, a dirty little secret we share between the looker and the seen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I began research for my new flash fiction collection,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">which is an homage to the bizarre—clown mothers and suicidal ringmasters and a reflection who has run off with a can of Instant Fame--my favorite discoveries were the stories of the actual people who were once a part of the vaudeville circuit. There were familiar characters like the Bearded Lady and the Little People, and popular shows like the Four-Legged Woman, but there were also other “oddities” we might not find so odd today, like The Tattooed Man, the Strong Man (with bulging muscles) and the Long-Haired Lady (with hair to the floor). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">In one part of my book, I retell and reimagine the real stories of these old vaudevillians. And while I fictionalize much of what I write, the kernels of truth remain, as in these stories:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The Human Skeleton</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> Art Ward was a normal kid until the age of 14 when he began to rapidly lose weight. The doctors could not explain it, calling it some unknown wasting disease. As an adult, unable to keep a job, he finally joined the circus sideshow as The Human Skeleton. </span></span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-1d6ee26f-7fff-969d-5ff4-f502544b5ea8" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Art was not the only Human Skeleton act but he was the most notorious. Known for his carousing and womanizing, he allegedly tried to leave the circus many times, but his gambling debts always forced him to return. At the time of his death he weighed 43 pounds.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Flea Circus</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> The first man to harness a flea was a watchmaker in 1509, who used them to demonstrate the inner mechanisms of a watch. By the 1800s, fleas were regularly fitted with permanent gold wires around their necks and attached to tiny circus rides such as chariots, carousels or Ferris wheels. When the fleas jumped they “moved” the contraptions. Sometimes the fleas were glued to the circus ring holding tiny instruments and the floor was heated. As the fleas struggled to escape they appeared to “play” the instruments.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">#</span></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Some of the more disturbing internet rabbit holes I went down were real leper colonies and an actual exhibit at the Bronx Zoo called “The Missing Link”, where tribal people from Africa were exhibited next to monkeys.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe we like to think we have come a long way since those days. Thankfully the Bronx Zoo exhibit</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was shut down after two days, and no longer would we consider the Tattooed Man or the Strong Man a true anomaly worth paying to see. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But our desire to look is still there. Today’s vaudeville circuit might contain a different cast of characters: The Man with the Split Tongue! Girl with Silicon Breasts! The Man with the Removeable Leg! A Woman with Face Lift! The 700-Pound Man! ADHD Boy! We are still voyeurs, only taboos have changed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently I did a reading at Spoken Word Paris and had picked “Circus/Carnival” for the evening’s theme. And to everyone’s surprise a woman with blue hair showed up to perform during the open mic. A</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">little person with blue hair. A comedian. And this blue haired comedian began her routine by saying, “I wasn’t even sure if I should show up tonight once I saw what the theme was,” and worked it right into her routine. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The man in Venice Beach told us his biggest fear was passing down his deformity to his children.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Perhaps, in a world that keeps trying to erase boundaries between people but never really succeeds, the most loving thing we can do is to not avert our eyes?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In that regard,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Madam Velvet’s Cabaret of Oddities</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is really just another stage, another window. Each of the stories are like little keyholes, like 1-minute peep shows where you put in your quarter and the curtain rises. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Go ahead and look. </span></span></div>
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Be sure to check out this collection, and let me know what you think in the comments below!</div>
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Also, just for fun, what are you doing for Halloween this year? What's your favorite spooky book? Drop a comment and let me know!</div>
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Thank you for visiting!<br />
Have a fantastic day! =D</div>
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<br />Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-89899880234127435462018-09-13T04:00:00.000-07:002018-09-13T14:30:07.425-07:00"Magic Harvest" Book Tour Stop with Giveaway & Review!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://xpressobooktours.com/2018/06/21/tour-sign-up-magic-harvest-by-mary-karlik/"><img alt=" Book Tour" border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxi_Zo4ZOUSMv30TW2GAjVNYfOg0E9wASrB3KlGvla8dG_BON58otK9EfyXQsD7BmC2ePBnK5auABlYWZhCAN8db1YUS6tK8o9TYXJ10mEfDc2XaxP6SyV96kmoaKKUImEVHqkoT1ucnm/s640/MagicHarvestTourBanner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hiya peeps! I'm super excited to share this book with you today. It looked so good, I just had to review it! Check that out below, along with book and author info! =D</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #741b47; font-size: x-large;">Magic Harvest</span></i></b><br />
<span style="color: #741b47; font-size: large;"><b><i>Fairy Trafficking #1</i></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38884547-magic-harvest" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Magic Harvest" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpC6ChzxXq0TePgpIYrbSwMpwdoVWuujLVWiYotojeKV6GqRtzjaJt2dVG8pLtNL_0LxS1F6iRSvGcCdxHsCidNRWZinWvHM6lswDBK0zNUqGiSdRBEUSq36CEwFbi0BLonNO0CBDSBveI/s640/MH.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">~<u>Author</u>: </span><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Mary Karlik</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">~<u>Publisher</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #274e13;">Ink Monster LLC</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">~<u>Published</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #274e13;">September 18th, 2018</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #274e13;">Fantasy, Young Adult</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38884547-magic-harvest">Goodreads</a></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/magic-harvest-mary-karlik/1128119650?ean=9781943858460"><b>Barnes and Noble</b></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/magic-harvest/id1355864952?mt=11">iBooks</a> ~ </b><b><a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/magic-harvest">Kobo</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Harvest-Fairy-Trafficking-Book-ebook/dp/B07B6HP7YY/">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Young fae girls are disappearing.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Layla has never belonged to the fairy realm – at least, half of her hasn’t. She’s never known anyone with human blood, not even her father. When she was three, the dragon Fauth attacked the fairy festival, murdering her fae mum & stepfather. Frankly, some fairies think she should’ve been eaten too.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">As she grew, despite being called names like “fuman” for being a half-blood, she’s discovered that being half-human isn’t terrible. She may lack magic, but she is immune to iron sickness, and she can wield a sword with elven skill.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Magic in the human world is disastrous.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Sixteen years later, when Layla’s half-sister is kidnapped and taken through a portal to the forbidden human realm, Layla rushes to the rescue. She’s older and stronger, and she’s not about to let her last living family member be taken from her without a fight.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Only someone who belongs to both worlds can find the truth.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">The portal spits her out in the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, but neither her sister or the kidnapper are anywhere to be found. Stuck in a world she only knows from school books, Layla forges unlikely alliances to find her sister. As she becomes tangled in the dark world of fairy trafficking, magic harvesting, and murder, Layla will have to find the strength within if she is to survive and save her sister.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.marykarlik.com/about-mary-karlik/"><img alt="About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiooLqW0l0l2iLmRInD_xOh6D8ln3GnuX44SGkSWbxa_vn9Ch3jKW3phx7v14HyJkReIy4kQnDa8z4okeYbA8T49rU_4-dFYhyphenhyphenN7hIja2O4NsUyPUYsmkCI8_twjrhsGTYBv7Lrw6bNNf8E/s640/About+the+Author+dark+pink+script.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13725528.Mary_Karlik" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Mary Karlik" border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="338" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbsGH1pgQJrg1P-UzKnsKiwLaY1feryg2MF8Y4OaoOTopafWXxNU8t6o7gsI9aV7qWTOMBUKfK-Txb086LZXMcsRCpKObryZRqedSU0bnIbyvvgUUxxtlJWPewhVw1Y45WE8i-21W5VgFs/s320/Mary-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Mary Karlik has always been a dreamer. When she was a teen, she read <i>The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe</i>, and then sat in every wardrobe in her Nanna’s home, trying to open the door to Narnia. She didn’t find it, but she did discover her voice as an author: one filled with her young adult self, and grounded in her roots as a Texan and her Scottish heritage, nourished by obscure Scottish folklore.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">You can find her Texas roots in her YA contemporary romance Hickville series , which has been described as “100% solid storytelling,” and begins with <i>Welcome to Hickville High</i>, a “lovely story about growing up.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">She digs deep into her Scottish roots – there is magic there, she just knows it – for the forthcoming YA epic fantasy Fairy Trafficking series, beginning with <i>Magic Harvest</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">She makes her home in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains of Northern New Mexico where she is a certified professional ski instructor, but she also loves visiting Scotland where she is currently studying Scottish Gaelic at the University of Highlands and Islands in Skye. Mary also earned her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, has a B.S. degree from Texas A&M University, and is a Registered Nurse.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Mary currently serves as the President of the Young Adult Chapter of Romance Writers of America and looks forward to raising a glass or two of gin and tonic with her fellow writers every year at RWA’s national convention.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~ <u>Connect with Mary Online</u> ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.marykarlik.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13725528.Mary_Karlik">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MaryKarlikAuthorPage/">Facebook</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/MaryKarlik">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2529196092"><img alt=" My Review" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyoTKMU4BP2e74UmwkH7GLRh94DuQ1982nZ9Us8UIDAHY9qByG_hNkooZlRgVs8H8h8SBK_noAf0kEA1CRMB3MrqvKmv8z80LclmI-F4aZCFsFDiJJLC2E9eyKonSSjCwtLZ_yYXjUn5bM/s640/My+Review+Plum.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="750" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugCJ_Ub07AGXdyZ2GQyuQmvoRT1iWB-jhKjGZR521Z_NTA9YAQFg7M86IvdG0wag9tK1SGvrVmoKfIfoz0_4Y3SMPS3ye2Fc6BkBf9ojvreEif10tRFyplFgYzPzPjEPNhIbrRmkntvE_/s320/4+.5+Roses.jpg" width="320" /></div>
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One of the better books I've read this year.<br />
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A good fae story will have me as an instant fan, although they have become few and far between. I had all but given up on finding a good fae story this year at all, but this one knocked it out of the park! Danger, action, magic, and just enough humor to keep it floating, this story was exactly what I needed.<br />
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Layla is a character I went back and forth with liking, but in the end, I found her relatable and endearing. Esme was the same way, and together they made an interesting set of characters, even from the first page. In truth, all the characters seemed well developed, and most went through some sort of growth in the pages of this book, which is always a must in a good story.<br />
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The writing was fluid, albeit somewhat choppy. I don't mind the writing style, and while it would most likely fit better with a contemporary action story, it didn't distract too much from the fae magic happening. I enjoyed the mix of suspense and humor, as well as a lot of the word choices and phrasing. I would definitely read the sequels to this series starter.<br />
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Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was a fantastic adventure, and left me wondering what would happen next. I would recommend this to any fairy story fan, and look forward to seeing more from this author in the future.<br />
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<i>*I was given a complimentary eCopy of this book, from the author via Xpresso Book Tours, to read in exchange for an honest review.</i><br />
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<a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33870edf46/"><img alt=" Giveaway!" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QpBc87OkTQ-bennghubrez3kvw0-WhH4kui8eu-Cmbd23JFrmTWmOm0lE4Yeyn9LzqPU9vULYrHtm88GrvFrTfD5mm2fI4wWPTBEmdS-UzfeWrzq7WZLaU-lBBw3bGasS8JSzgc-X1Nh/s640/Giveaway%2521.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Thanks for visiting! Have a fantastic day! =D</b></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-90721856874715783282018-08-09T04:00:00.000-07:002018-08-09T04:00:05.399-07:00"The Gathering" Tour Stop, with Excerpt & Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://xpressobooktours.com/2018/05/15/tour-sign-up-the-gathering-by-bernadette-giacomazzo/"><img alt=" Blog Tour" border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NMlobdxkmaruRlc_Fa0AJoyQwLdH-_b51Rc1tJviQTVTa8CHbD8NZt0atMPYh9gj3YzIVqeo7sHJDswIn_oyFs_l2wrNQij55U_iylY8P0MHVFg6xcT5WESMPkpTSaif4gz_LhjUUMht/s640/TheGatheringTourBanner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hiya peeps! <i>The Gathering</i> sounds like an epic book, and I'm excited to share it with you today! I've got an exclusive excerpt for you to sample some of the story, and a #giveaway at the end of the post, so be sure to enter!</div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><i style="font-size: xx-large;"><b>The Gathering</b></i></span></h3>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><i><b><span style="font-size: small;">(The Uprising, #1)</span></b></i></span></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39279875-the-gathering" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" The Gathering" border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="368" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-3Wvl4mANQECfgz1A3xwMVb8rNR8lXODx5j-qyMCEPP7nrbE-pYmNxP_vfMf1XMXFhQ0RVD-aGanUHkvtF3Aub6mLxgpCF-hPw_eGSnjpKB-7tJ0kH0CbYXPj_yaJtFbnBpH8uQiHI9g/s640/Gathering.png" width="428" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Bernadette Giacomazzo</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~<u>Released</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;">March 31st 2018</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~<u>Length</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;">148 Pages</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Adult Fiction, Dystopian</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39279875-the-gathering">Goodreads</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gathering-Book-One-Uprising-ebook/dp/B07BR19171/">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">The Uprising Series tells the story of three freedom fighters and their friends in high — and low — places that come together to overthrow a vainglorious Emperor and his militaristic Cabal to restore the city, and the way of life, they once knew and loved. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">In <i>The Gathering</i>, Jamie Ryan has defected from the Cabal and has joined his former brothers-in-arms — Basile Perrinault and Kanoa Shinomura — to form a collective known as The Uprising. When an explosion leads to him crossing paths with Evanora Cunningham — a product of Jamie’s past — he discovers that The Uprising is bigger, and more important, than he thought. </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.bernadettegiacomazzo.com/bio/"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5DtEhzXQd0o0cAGanHHJZfQsImQFTxVTJ8NiVYvYmsG89fEY_M7NKlx20rZDXZQVCMd3BIAghAkn_RI1MfwlsWW6SBWV651Kjjt0LdqQD85_T9JiTOdWd0sgYKcDnGbwqg1G2sh5t6107/s640/About+the+Author+dark+blue+fancy+script.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17823659.Bernadette_Giacomazzo" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Bernadette Giscamazzo" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwJAi1RPWGd379wiVtZfeTZ4kJaY1_ob16Ndbun6d50S_TKpYeuHtYdjlaVZvmLCbQjaVaIEk0vM17OGOqCFsHVmjjMrWx2DT5crEf03aMPVYvKrqm-5unl3c_rbhXSSorJviT-gBKuwr/s1600/Bernadette.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">With an impressive list of credentials earned over the course of two decades, Bernadette R. Giacomazzo is a multi-hyphenate in the truest sense of the word: an editor, writer, photographer, publicist, and digital marketing specialist who has demonstrated an uncanny ability to thrive in each industry with equal aplomb. Her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and many, many more. She served as the news editor of Go! NYC Magazine for nearly a decade, the executive editor of LatinTRENDS Magazine for five years, the eye candy editor of XXL Magazine for two years, and the editor-at-large at iOne/Zona de Sabor for two years. As a publicist, she has worked with the likes of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and his G-Unit record label, rapper Kool G. Rap, and various photographers, artists, and models. As a digital marketing specialist, Bernadette is Google Adwords certified, has an advanced knowledge of SEO, PPC, link-building, and other digital marketing techniques, and has worked for a variety of clients in the legal, medical, and real estate industries.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; text-align: center;">Based in New York City, Bernadette is the co-author of Swimming with Sharks: A Real World, How-To Guide to Success (and Failure) in the Business of Music (for the 21st Century), and the author of the forthcoming dystopian fiction series, The Uprising. She also contributed a story to the upcoming Beyonce Knowles tribute anthology, The King Bey Bible, which will be available in bookstores nationwide in the summer of 2018.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLF0tJJWc9cxg6UH_ev4Iw9Tn_K26ykVj2Tl9RCB29fUjxm1U-TUFMFmkkjlBTiKfceQ9i-CJAn5cveKuW9ml7UW4swv2m-b7gsqrWWqxmEP9TML_DdTF9FIN1vQf7_0j63M1HSXTpMzTG/s1600/Excerpts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLF0tJJWc9cxg6UH_ev4Iw9Tn_K26ykVj2Tl9RCB29fUjxm1U-TUFMFmkkjlBTiKfceQ9i-CJAn5cveKuW9ml7UW4swv2m-b7gsqrWWqxmEP9TML_DdTF9FIN1vQf7_0j63M1HSXTpMzTG/s640/Excerpts.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Chapter Three</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Jamie</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Emperor has a daughter?” I asked with genuine wonder and revulsion. “Who would be desperate enough to fuck that stubby dick?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Step</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> daughter, actually,” replied Kanoa. “I met her when she was still a baby. Precious little thing. She wasn’t much of a fuss-bucket, either, thank God. Loved to laugh. Chubby, bubbly, did the normal eat-cry-shit your diapers-and-sleep thing that babies do. But he made sure to keep her locked away at school for all these years. ‘For her protection,’ he told us. But the implication was that, when she was old enough, she would be ‘presented’ to all of us and accepted as a princess for the people. ‘The Chosen One,’ if you like.” He scoffed. “What absolute horseshit. He kept her locked away because it wasn’t his real kid – like we didn’t know – and he wanted to hide her so people wouldn’t ask questions.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“A daughter, huh?” I pondered. “How old is she? What’s her name?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kanoa rolled his eyes. “Why? You want her number? Goddamn, Jamie, you’re still that horny old rock star at heart, aren’t you?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“How about you eat my ass, Kanoa?” I snarled. “You know goddamn well I haven’t gotten laid in 20 years, and I’m not looking to change that by fucking the daughter – step daughter, half daughter, adopted daughter, whatever the fuck – of the man who wants my head on a platter like I’m John the fucking Baptist. No, seriously, what’s her story? Name, age, rank and file? Does she even </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">men?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Man, listen, the last time I saw her, she couldn’t have been more than six years old. I have </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">no </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">fucking idea what she’s like now,” Kanoa replied. “How long have we been on the run? Fifteen years? I’d say she’s gotta be about 21 years old now.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s about how old our baby would be</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, I thought to myself. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My son – our son – would be a young man right now, if things were…different.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“But if you’re asking me for her name, rank, and file, as you put it,” finished Kanoa, “believe me when I tell you that I sincerely do </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">remember at all.” He sighed, then pushed away his now-empty plate, and continued. “I just wanted to put that part of my life behind me, when I left to go on the run with you guys. I deliberately forgot everything. But occasionally, when I look out at this city – and what I helped make it become – I’m filled with such </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">regret</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Like, what the fuck did I do? How the fuck did we get here? And” – he shook his head and looked at the floor – “why didn’t I listen to my father? Why didn’t I go with them?” He ran his fingers through his silky black hair. Unlike Basile and myself, Kanoa didn’t have a single grey hair – a fact which never ceased to amaze either one of us, but which also occasioned many a snarky comment amongst us about what sort of witchcraft Kanoa was practicing to look so much younger than the rest of us.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Kanoa,” offered Basile, “listen to me. You can’t blame yourself. None of us can. Yes, it was wrong, but shit – we did what we had to do to survive. They took our families from us. Me, Jamie, all of us…”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kanoa shook his head. “No, Basile,” he said, softly. “No. I had a family. I still </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">have </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a family. Nothing I could have done back then was justified by anything. That’s why this” – he made a circle with his hand, indicating us, and what we were doing – “this is just the beginning of making things right.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I sighed. “Just leaving,” I said, “was the start of making things right.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Basile nodded, then gathered our plates. “We gotta finish getting ready and we gotta get out there. How many of them do you think we can take out at once, Supreme Allied Commander Shinomura?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kanoa laughed, darkly. “Well, Brigadier General Perrinault, I think you and Major General Ryan can take out at least twenty of them, if we get out there within the next hour.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“One whole battalion,” I said with wonder. “How weak do they make them, these days? Back when we were in command, it took a nation of millions to hold us back, and even then, there were no guarantees.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Basile gave us a wan half-smile. “That’s why Emperor wants us back so badly,” he remarked. “We were the best he’d ever had, and we trained others to be even better than we were. That he wants to kill us…well, that’s the old ‘if I can’t have you, no one can’ trope, isn’t it?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I sighed. “Great. Our Emperor’s nothing more than a jealous boyfriend with orange skin and a little dick. But we knew that already. So where are we heading tonight?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The three of us walked to the window and peered to our right. Kanoa wrinkled his nose, as though he were picking up a transmission that neither I nor Basile could hear. “Essex Street,” he said simply. “Corner of East Houston. Something’s going on over there.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I inhaled sharply. “Home of the old Mercury Lounge,” I said. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kanoa wrinkled his nose again. “Yeah, I guess,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. “This ain’t my city, man. I’ll leave it to you to tell us what’s up around here. Or what used to be up around here.” He shook his head. “I can’t even imagine what it was like…before all this.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That’s another story for another day, man,” I replied, winking at Basile. “Basile knows a few stories, but maybe if it took you less time to wash your ass, I’d tell them to you too.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Basile grabbed a black towel and started to make his way towards the bathroom. “Speaking of washing my ass,” he said, “I gotta get presentable. I can’t go out there smelling like feet and ass the way the rest of you do.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kanoa saw an opening and dived for it. “Why, Basile?” he asked. “You got a hot date?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Basile, sensing the bait, smiled wickedly and nodded his head, continuing to walk toward the bathroom. “Yeah, Kanoa. With your mother.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kanoa let out a guffaw. “Fuck you mean, Basile? You trying to get me to call you Daddy or something?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Basile stood in the bathroom door jamb, then turned to face Kanoa. “Nah, Kanoa,” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice as he delivered the zinger. “It’s bad enough that’s all she calls me.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">He dropped his pants before us both, then laughed hysterically as he turned back around and started the water for the shower.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">“Fuck you mean,” he murmured to himself, but clearly referring to Kanoa, “comin’ out here struttin’ the runway and shit. I’m too sexy for my shirt type shit. Actin’ like we goin’ for lobster and shit.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">He looked back at us both, then yelled, “Fuck outta here!” before slamming the door to our howling laugher. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7999999999999998; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">After we finished wiping away our tears of laughter, Kanoa and I turned the radio on to a repeat broadcast of Uprising Radio, hoping to hear Vector Prime’s voice. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">It took a minute – static, poor reception, a radio that had seen better days – but we finally got the broadcast to come on, albeit a bit jammed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Uprising…” came a voice crackling through the radio, “Vector Prime to the Uprising. The Emperor’s Ball…” – more static – “keep your soldiers on the ground in the old Bowery. Battalions…” – more static – “Essex and the corner of East Houston. Vector Prime, signing off. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Long live the Uprising! Long live New York City!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There’s something familiar about that voice, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I thought to myself as I switched off the radio. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">My face, to Kanoa, must have asked my question. “What’s up, J-Ry?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c7d5b7ea-7fff-0b19-25cb-80b1227a73a2"></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">My answer came out in a dream. “Vector Prime,” I said. “I know her.” </span></span></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-14008368404931824942018-04-06T04:00:00.000-07:002018-04-08T18:15:50.481-07:00"Looking for Dei" Book Tour & Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="850" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdL8UZ4wlJAkUVGAj6I_Vy58nKZ5zoMv9t5h3FBJEHMsIUsI8Vzsmo1zJgBdNbJLV-FJx59M3w_CC-W9FkWBjzTw1cb4DofRMSIVszrODXgawDbSUMuyxIyK8j_-BVSOFcfvp5GRXxtKA9/s640/Looking+for+Dei+tour+banner.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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Hiya guys and dolls! Check out this awesome new young adult fantasy! If the cover doesn't grip you, I'm sure the blurb will. There's also a giveaway at the end of the post - be sure to enter for your chance to win an awesome prize!</div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><b><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;">Looking for Dei</span></i></b></span></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36611334-looking-for-dei" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Looking for Dei" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1028" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwd-AJlLnrMqV3SI1TFYok4ZHfu6u1oIe3S6W4hJFJkTvNQHm3KdcvfjexGqeMHmMdy1lupJ0SsDOnVuT6msIa2JTLKQdueJ8RXvB38w2aiAM8YkouI-DvytW0Ut9VkQ4ObzYvFIBpFpY/s640/eBook+cover_20171019.jpg" width="410" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #783f04;">David A. Willson</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~<u>Released</u></span>: <b><span style="color: #783f04;">March 23rd 2018</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #783f04;">Young Adult, Fantasy</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/looking-for-dei-davwillson/1128000324?ean=2940155140030"><b>Barnes and Noble</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/793420"><b>Smashwords</b></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/looking-for-dei">Kobo</a> <span style="color: #274e13;">~ </span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/looking-for-dei/id1350253461?mt=11">iTunes</a></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078KNKC7D"><b>Amazon</b></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Fifteen-year-old Nara Dall has never liked secrets. Yet it seems that her life has been filled with them, from the ugly scar on her back to the strange powers she possesses. Her mysterious father refuses to say anything about her origins, and soon, she and her best friend must attend the announcement ceremony, in which youths are tested for a magical gift.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">A gifted youth has not been announced in the poor village of Dimmitt for decades. When Nara uncovers the reason, she uses her own powers to make things right. The decision sets her on a path of danger, discovery, and a search for the divine. In the process, she learns the truth about herself and uncovers the biggest secret of all: the power of broken people.</span><br />
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<a href="http://davidawillson.com/about/"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga73Y0BQgA0Uzb0pxV3EJp-8r1Bu6uXFTSZCzcPRYOpAgn-A_t_XWNNx0sURP1nezOML2pryTwqFGEbCPN5-c9q5D3LNLMbM4iWYA7G8f2wHttuIHFenbv_8g-IP27MfbYzzpK2MCwKwL7/s640/About+the+Author+light+green.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16057925.David_A_Willson" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" David A. Willson" border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2YAqubJumhKLupd_wtxrN9HS85VbuxLMTr8b9r-h4QJYv36aeS-qJMCOOOiLi6Bf79CJJP1F5-Fpfv65TabNqxU8kpxJXJL3vSUiLK8gp559gz32Gycv4Fekc6_Zfx6ZY16efKUFgPW0N/s1600/david+a.+willson.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">David A. Willson is fantasy novelist who lives in the great land of Alaska with his wife and five children. His passions are faith, movies, books, coffee, traveling with his beautiful lady, and hanging out with his wonderful kids.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~ <u>Connect with David Online</u> ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><a href="http://davidawillson.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16057925.David_A_Willson">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lookingfordei/">Facebook</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/looking-for-dei-davwillson/1128000324?ean=2940155140030"><img alt=" Teaser #1" border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="481" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sqOqLRlCLvxaze6d_Y-RSRvaMnsnbXQxDUt1uXicB5qkoK7zVsjnn9x54A5CZ7KI_hWN9l3NLm_YG35TwHWzeEzJlO362oWIOtaiCge-o-o7VxBRDG4T9wXjG7R6cX7Z0UuXUtIhDUZn/s400/mapfinal_20180224.jpeg" width="301" /></a></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-21753831609684703272018-04-05T04:00:00.000-07:002018-04-05T04:00:19.410-07:00"Through the Glass" Blitz with Guest Post & Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://xpressobooktours.com/2018/02/09/blitz-sign-up-through-the-glass-by-erica-kiefer/"><img alt=" Book Blitz" border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixGf4Nfdb_7AHVJzYK8W_smtgnFP2ZE6B1di-KVEg99cjDsY3holtSS3NYi1bR_V7ONEPQEkOSUXe9EoBbMKGLx8-U4uece6SULYrs1wZryvaywOstPelIRhjWFSDm42xM1wEMaYo3FpN/s640/ThroughTheGlassBlitzBanner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hiya guys and dolls! Check out this suspenseful romance, by Erica Kiefer! I've included a guest post by the author (with pictures!) about what it was like to create this series, as well as a giveaway!</div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="text-align: start;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Through the Glass</span></i></b></span></span></h3>
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="text-align: start;"><b><i>The Window Series, #2</i></b></span></span></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38393691-through-the-glass" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Through the Glass" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPD46VJCcZpnHuBzGkEa2pizyN3M3IkodDfiIg5QIuyzIb8HLXa6tB9mXUmehSXuARbqoM1jKOVw8gVLOUiX7zWX22Qwu8ILJLiTKM0CTX_XY09AF_juMVIB5YNRiJqbjye6oym9EUlmh/s640/TtG.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Erica Kiefer</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~<u>Publisher</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.cleanteenpublishing.com/ctp-pulse/">CTP Pulse</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~<u>Published</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;">April 3rd 2018</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Romance, Suspense, Young Adult</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38393691-through-the-glass"><b>Goodreads</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/through-the-glass-erica-kiefer/1127929765?ean=2940155122104"><b>Barnes & Noble</b></a></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/through-the-glass-5">Kobo</a> ~ <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/through-the-glass/id1345593031?mt=11">iBooks</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079MGWGLG/">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Still reeling from the discovery of her twin sister, Olivia struggles to face her mother’s betrayal. As Olivia and her friends seek to unravel the dark mystery of how and why the twins were separated, tensions escalate when Emma runs into her sister’s ex—who assumes she’s Olivia. When honesty is abandoned for more secrets and lies, the fallout between the sisters only intensifies. As they sift between truth and deception, it becomes clear that matters of the heart are not as transparent as they may seem.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">A page-turning mystery laced with romance and emotional drama, <i>Through the Glass</i> is the satisfying conclusion to the Window Series duology by Erica Kiefer.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079MGWGLG/"><img alt=" Teaser #1" border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="960" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAA35m5BuCrZcwDleg_A_RfPgleyLq-5Ec-ayHGhiQSdPi89y2aHVoKQzlL0wbiT7Gd1uEMyxn6Xp2zEhVvqHPDvNw1ndTqT0qilFbyAYpD8SNkyNZw1X__bAKvxAmkUev0XxJ57e4vBQ/s640/The+Windows+Series.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://ericakieferbooks.com/blog/"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6RrVcyj8pbGx7i-vXltNdCYv0qwb4iWvdqCpyV1SpLHGJMpm_QXJh3c8yPUxKz_KYi5SJqzSOwKJiAsDZSQ7Aaw2RRwL5pONwhlGl92VQXtFSRnx-ojLTPZM9jfFkGRnf_Wl3yIxbhIy/s640/About+the+Author+light+blue+script.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7371047.Erica_Kiefer" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Erica Kiefer" border="0" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi81k9jPkfFlAEYTDkp_Y56kLe0o6F33DVS9coHCtrOlsqigQoO-ZlKRsI5noiF5eqY8Efi0Z03mViJTPoYVMso3Mgkl0REUOMORa5y5JRBu9OxKHJeEICnNDsn0lxy-kGk96AVg679Psj2/s1600/Erica.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Erica Kiefer’s debut novel <i>Lingering Echoes</i> was published by Clean Teen Publishing in November 2013. She continued the series with <i>Rumors </i>(A Lingering Echoes Prequel) and her newest release Vanishing Act. All of her books can be read as stand-alone contemporary YA fiction, touched with romance, emotional drama and suspense. With a degree in Recreation Therapy from Brigham Young University, Erica’s experiences working with at-risk youth have influenced the realistic and relatable nature of her writing. Her first inspirational non-fiction entitled <i>Borrowed Angel</i> (published in April 2014 with Currawong Press) describes the loss of her infant son and her journey towards healing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Married since 2005, Erica resides in Las Vegas, Nevada with her four children and can often be found satisfying her sweet-tooth with chocolate-chip cookies and a glass of milk. Now and then, she dusts off her collegiate rugby skills and dives back into the game.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #0c343d;">~ <u>Connect with Erica Online</u> ~</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://ericakieferbooks.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7371047.Erica_Kiefer">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/ericarockkiefer">Twitter</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ericakieferauthor">Facebook</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079MGWGLG/"><img alt=" Teaser #2" border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1000" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylALDDijTRl0JidoPKtZ3VVBw31JYb8RkFEWmnkemC4YHJP2vA_YqudfqOuhRWlRtEiqi46T9YutcSLM-75-FeNa4rQ497iI6NBaxHR0xSTYon_puFnNJXNQafX8yczGmKU1-cRlPSWPK/s640/2+book+banner+window+series.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKC1yW2oXNXK7vipH3f_N5PspF_6V6ZduR2-FYyduFPo9WLvPyNEMgRNLw7B1trVmcuZMlDMcwg0SnPZCMAgEajve4oocHIUKdnwMbwa5UT6a4lroEMjYB3owAs3LqDSMDr6JdmoVXvgr/s640/Guest+Posts.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People often ask what it takes to write a book. Here’s a look at how I created the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Window series</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, made up of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Second Window </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(book 1, released in December 2017) and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Through the Glass</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (upcoming sequel releasing on April 3rd, 2018!). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">My ideas often pull from emotions I have felt in my own life, or experiences I’ve been through to some extent. However, the bulk of my brainstorming happens on road trips, when I’ve successfully trapped my husband in the car with me for hours! With the kids situated in the back with snacks, movie devices, and coloring books … after a considerate amount of time on the road, I pull out a notebook and give my husband a gleeful look. “It’s time,” I say with a hint of theatrics, and he’ll sigh and roll his eyes like he’s dreading the next few hours (when in reality, it’s fun to see his eyes mirror mine, lighting up as we discuss scenarios and characters.) Here’s my husband acting cool, like he’s not just as excited as I am to be plotting. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img height="233" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/EHG8-SYq6pWNZPz3Q-sNs9Q6BEvNkEd-LccIGq8Oiteo3YOVqw_Ud4gUQCKMIwAP77ko7UkjS65se1XCJ465D4Z2uL6B4Otetq6aXtEnW_DXLAPKjwnc_rgtJ4SvoSSAidU_pCmvpiWN4kvXLQ" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="415" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img height="278" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/lFmIIcibEeWVZ5dHaee6xoIpRNQfXZKjRJyP---Msz-2SswVhc4OSeQ_oLfCVbVcQ1UwUMNEHeCNLgN4Lf2E9Hruf0oanKcQ7MkIl6BkSyZ2XXHJg9bxF2-qqPX-_MaIJ5gGGa8NLO_HFY5fxg" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="405" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The six-hour trips from Las Vegas, Nevada to South Jordan, Utah have been good to us! The inklings of book one (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Second Window) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">began after my husband shared a conversation with me that he’d had with another attorney. This attorney told him a bizarre story about how he’d witness some odd interactions with a set of parents and their child. The wheels started turning as I thought, that with a dramatic amount of tweaking, I might be able to make something more of this odd behavior. (Yay for weirdos!) So began the creation of a new book that eventually split into a duology when the plot took on more depth than I’d planned. My initial conclusion just wasn’t satisfying enough to be summed up so quickly in one book, and so I set off to write a sequel for the very first time in my writing career.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The setting takes places in Kingman, Arizona, a city two hours south of Las Vegas. However, some of the scenes were inspired </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eight years ago</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> when I went four-wheeling in Gunnison, Utah! My husband and I cruised around on a four-wheeler, exploring some open land with a friend. Since I wasn’t driving, I spent the time day-dreaming about a young couple trapped in a flash-flood while out in the middle of nowhere. I still remember pestering my husband with random outbursts of, “Hey! What would happen if… What would you do when…” (He humored me, as usual, ‘cause he’s the best.) At one point, we also came across an abandoned trailer that offered some sketchy material. These ideas made their way into book one after years of hibernation! So, for anyone looking for writing tips, the first thing I say is not to discount any idea. Write them all down because someday it just might fit perfectly with one of those stories floating inside your brain. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img height="264" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/CH90UjXooNqHwq5hDBgdoBbJn5gxXyep3DlojlzClGfI25Vc55tapahWynbq_qAFpzx8tVtdHgJeAegZKNkcomnsNXKuVdhquK0saLpEHSUyZSyNLHiWlL90WO0N3XzPokV8s6Rc5cENydVD5A" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="352" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">My husband, Dan, and I driving through Gunnison, UT</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img height="276" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/NFL4NqkvZKiSnoVc4yreTbFPi0vrxhe0AhjDfeAHvTN-Ahm8p3aicug8iQtQ2TWWaPQUCWe6Y8MPwXyGSLhgI04bJYHgIGaMIBOWMK3H9SZkXtZkPFZdVxvAPeC0gDSQtF4UevPZTfW-vhNneg" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="368" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The abandoned trailer that was so trashed inside! This is where Olivia Cole and Andre Steele have an intense discussion in book one (The Second Window)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Creation is a process. Even when you think you know exactly where your story is headed, be sure to drop the rigidity once in a while and open the door to those imaginative juices. While writing this series, I had a good idea of where I wanted it to go. However, the best parts arose organically through stimulating conversation with my family. Discussing multiple options molded the plot just right. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve loved the complex layers in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Window Series </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and hope you do, too!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><u>Blitz-Wide Giveaway</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Clean Teen Publishing Mystery Box</span></div>
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<br />Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-36356872089168596872018-03-29T04:00:00.000-07:002018-03-30T16:45:15.591-07:00"Moral Panic" Blog Tour & Guest Post!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.rogercharlie.com/moralpanicvbt"><img alt=" Blog Tour" border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="1500" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA84-3kF3KlH8kfCLgfmxTbW-dgJOYKKbtfQg79PP7B1BVc-BHIaEEarlGoT09RvZ5lNTNrF7f3LvfDy-nlIqyfdVk2uiO61Rm0gamvojyuo2lKt7V8aX7LxW0pnR9Tjb-76TlwFefidzF/s640/MORAL%252BPANIC.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hiya guys and dolls! I've got a sci-fi adventure for you guys. Check out the guest post from the author, all about the best part of writing thrillers/crime novels! I actually live pretty close to this author geographically at the moment, and am excited to be able to support a local author!</div>
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Check it out!</div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;">Moral Panic</span></i></b></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38330718-moral-panic?ac=1&from_search=true" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Moral Panic" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1036" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9tkNI7FA8EribNQoZrDtrhGPFTsMeTqPrKg4eISAjObVdZ_SjM7qnt8eLnW5HPzEi2T_R8vWtDzwLNYJQD5j3oFMCct747h9EFdu6-UguMk_i5EsivEatVm32Jrdq8j75RO8g1q0oHL0/s640/Moral+Panic+e+Book+Cover.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #783f04;">K.M. Ecke</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~<u>Released</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #783f04;">March 16th, 2018</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~<u>Length</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #783f04;">250 Pages</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #783f04;">Adult Fiction, Sci-Fi</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38330718-moral-panic?ac=1&from_search=true">Goodreads</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Panic-Darknet-Surveillance-Nightmare-ebook/dp/B079TJL9RQ">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">If anything can be hacked, nothing can be trusted.</span></b></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Tanner Moore is at the top of his game in the high stakes world of big technology. As chief technology officer of Paragon, the largest corporation in the world, he is about to release the greatest convenience innovation in the history of commerce: drone delivery service to every inch of the globe.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13;">But when an interview with journalist Amy Noral is secretly recorded and published by the clickbait media, Tanner’s fall from grace is swift and brutal.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; text-align: center;">Tanner is fired, publicly condemned as a terrorist for comments he never made, and kidnapped by a mysterious vigilante group who use surveillance data to track and kill their enemies. Tanner must navigate their underground world full of violent zealots and mental manipulation to find his way to freedom, or see his drone technology used as the most advanced assassination tool ever devised.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Moral Panic explores the collision of the most extreme elements of politics, ideology and technological media manipulation. It navigates through a maze of modern surveillance with a skeptical eye on the data-driven world we live in, to bring an awareness of the possibility of such a story coming true in the real world.</span></div>
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<a href="https://thedreamflow.com/"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHvlgaoMDxNVoJ3Ii9U3Q0moj1obsrhTRRHdOwB6tsqQHX4Iyp5K2EyC99iXNJHOUFhP3hiE2FaVHr-yxW5ELtG0E28cNUEKY9MC6GqNSeiPFxBvOCCzWYmWcR1xjKly9rVmJXvqTeWwl/s640/About+the+Author+yellow+tan.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/69416515-k-m-ecke" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" K.M. Ecke" border="0" data-original-height="1446" data-original-width="963" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgtNp-YeO143gz5o32B-BQue82zCE8YdDDIJqOT3yWW9eO-FFbLwMYKu9Da3ehYXXBcj8lNuRLLxoFGNiQGbrMhFpXdmNugQFHrm_aWoQ2zP-F9ld_sNJepNArXyif-aGN8fTsLF_sdHl/s320/KM+Ecke_1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Hailing from the original birthplace of the atomic bomb, Los Alamos, NM, K.M. Ecke is an organic, free-range, preservative-free, philosopher-poet using universal truth to battle cultural insanity. Ecke, which is German for ‘corner’, is the child of a physicist and musician and grew up at the corner of creativity and logic. After ten years of existential exploration and creative experimenta<span style="text-align: center;">tion, he releases his debut novel Moral Panic, along with an album of lyrically-focused songs, Change of Mind via his independent creative collective The Dream Flow.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Ecke strives to deliver a strong story with inherent value to his readers. The author is well-versed in writing, including essays, songs and poetry, the last of which the author finds the most efficient form of expression, and thus, the best way to improve his writing practice. </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Initially intending for law school, a business law class changed his direction, and Ecke chose to pursue writing, soul-searching and creative projects. After several years of odd jobs learning about different pieces of the world, he began his own private music teaching business and attended Colorado Film School for a year and a half to study filmmaking. After 18-months in his program, he veered to his own path and established Dream Flow Media, the home to all of his creative endeavors; publishing, music and all additional branches of the many-faceted visionary. Along with his own creations, he strives to bring other artists into the fold to develop a creative collective for a variety of multimedia projects. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="text-align: center;">Ecke also works as a filmmaker for local non-profits and bands, and hopes one day to see Moral Panic on the big screen. The author lives in Denver, Colorado and hosts a storytelling micro-podcast Myths, Metaphors, and Morality. For more info, visit the author online at </span><a href="http://thedreamflow.com/" style="text-align: center;">TheDreamFlow.com</a><span style="text-align: center;">. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~ Connect with Ecke Online ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><a href="http://www.thedreamflow.com/">Website</a> ~ </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/69416515-k-m-ecke">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/thedreamflow">Twitter</a> ~ <a href="https://www.youtube.com/thedreamflow">YouTube</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/thedreamflow">LinkedIn</a> ~ <a href="https://www.reddit.com/over18?dest=/user/thedreamflow">Reddit</a></div>
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<b><i>What do you find to be the best part of writing in the crime fiction/thriller genre, and is it as exciting to write as it is to read?</i></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">The best part about writing a darknet cyber crime technological thriller, is the</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">problem-solving moment of discovery.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">Imagine this, you’re at the end of a long eight-hour slog through another revision</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">pass of your book. That morning, you discovered there’s a massive plot-hole you hadn’t considered.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">It’s staring you in the face, laughing at you with its devilish semi-colons and</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">closing parentheses ;)</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">You want to destroy your computer. You want to put an end to this story which</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">has tortured you with its irritating complexity. <i>Why didn’t I write that f#$*ing children’s book instead?</i> You think to yourself, doubting every decision in life which brought you to this moment, because you know this story can only be saved with a full rewrite of several chapters you spent weeks crafting.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">You walk around your neighborhood pacing, muttering to yourself strange</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">imaginations of the characters you’ve created, searching for the logical explanation for their character motivation. Children pass you on the street throwing halloween candy at your face. The hard kind, the stale stuff they left on the counter for months. Women look away in horror as you stare into the depths of the serial killer you’re trying to understand.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">Out of nowhere, you’re kidnapped and robbed at gun point and then berated</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">mercilessly for having no money to steal.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">The kidnappers drop you off in an alley downtown, and as the halloween candy</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">melts from your face and you’re crying in a puddle of your own tears, a kindly homeless woman comes up to you and whispers something in your ear.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">“Get a real job, you chump!” She says right before she whistles to her pack of</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">rabid street dogs who chase you down the alleyway, biting at the heels of your shoes and your dwindling pride.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">You jump the fence into a deserted warehouse, taking shelter amongst a group of</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">immigrant refugees fighting for their lives. The police come by to sweep the area, mistaking you for an escaped convict wanted by the FBI.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">They forego the refugees, hit you with a Taser, and drag you to jail. The</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">kidnappers took your wallet, leaving you without any identification to prove your</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">innocence, so the cops throw you in solitary confinement for a week.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">As you sit there in your cell, counting the tiles on the wall to stave off the</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">boredom, you take a piece of cheese from the sparse dinner shoved through the slat in your jail door, and you start writing incoherent prophesies of dystopian nonsense.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">As your cheese-pen dwindles to a crumb, the guards arrive at your cell door to let</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">you out. When they see the cheese graffiti on the wall, they cross the room to beat you into a pulp with their nightsticks, and as the sound of your cracking bones reverberates around the cell, you suddenly understand your main character’s suffering.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">You have a glimpse of inspiration, and the solution finally presents itself. You</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">barely feel your bones breaking as you smirk with satisfaction at the cleverness of your twist. The shock immaculate. The satisfaction sublime. The audience’s favorite character dead on the floor.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">You sit in the lobby of the police department until the mayor personally arrives to</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">apologize for the misunderstanding, offering you a settlement check which will fund your next novel. Still mired in the stupor of brain damage caused by the night stick beatings, you stand up and rip the check up dramatically, thinking it’s a citation for publicly sympathizing with the homeless.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">You walk out, head held high, armed with the solution to your plot-hole, as looks</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;">of absurd confusion cover the faces of the mayor and her police squad.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">Is writing a thriller novel exciting? You’re goddamn right it is.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">-K.M. Ecke</span><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moral-Panic-Darknet-Surveillance-Nightmare-ebook/dp/B079TJL9RQ">Check out <i>Moral Panic</i>, available on Amazon!</a></b></div>
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<br />Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-86612227548628811472018-02-15T04:00:00.000-08:002018-02-15T04:00:08.882-08:00Cover Reveal for "Something of Substance" by Tia Souders!Hiya guys and dolls! Check out this awesome cover for an upcoming young adult contemporary novel! =D<br />
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<i><b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;">Something of Substance</span></b></i></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38397420-something-of-substance" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Something of Substance" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3d3h8aHgVWgI0Dn1oMFE0wlcHxs4j6pe7vtXvOveAs4A3n6zWXcOkYFaPDr2hUQgPDllFuZGIAC9vnYPQ1EP6fsGZEItxF-fkHhxZItSgnLCf2-DfyDGPx5kcGRAZeMfyrhvw_r9TMNET/s640/SomethingofSubstance_Ebook_Amazon_preview.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">Tia Souders</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Released</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">March 28th 2018</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">Young Adult, Contemporary</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38397420-something-of-substance">Goodreads</a></b></div>
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<b style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">Seventeen-year-old Grace Michaels is determined to be thin, even if she dies trying.</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">Part of the in-crowd at Providence High, she is steps away from being asked out by the most desired guy at school, winning a prom queen nomination, and her parents’ approval. If she can just get skinny enough, be pretty enough, and popular enough.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">But Grace is thin on the outside and fat on the inside. No amount of weight-loss ever seems enough. Convinced the melting pounds will solve her problems, every pound lost brings her closer to her goals. But flesh and bone can only hide the weight of her secret for so long before it kills her.</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #660000;">Fans of the emotional and thought-provoking contemporary YA fiction, such as <i>Before I Fall, Tell Me Three Things</i>, and <i>All The Bright Places</i> will fall in love with Souder’s heart-wrenching novel, <i>Something of Substance</i>.</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #660000;">…Coming March 28th, 2018!</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #660000;">Be notified when <i>Something of Substance</i> releases –<a href="http://eepurl.com/deIqg5"> Subscribe to Tia’s mailing list</a>!</span><br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="1600" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0n6njSkHi25pB9wPxIJzV4CqcrXKD98c5uodfpY_3Mz-AqNh4yRnKdI3fqvHgQecpmi_WOgeuJrCJdTlGcg8Hfx2M-m7TOYJCZSZc_aKfRFS9bcdT4TVaeuWRpMZ8Axfu5-7iGZn1J6tw/s640/sosteaser3.png" width="640" /></div>
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<a href="http://www.tiasouders.com/about.html"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVKsPNHLSnTMNSREdMJBaRTxqxLDmdiCHkpmFMztjPjXqA6qEzTmKYoCn9gY4tyiKhvnLRu0u2Fly2uBYbS1YTN3sdkYAWoOZsCDw1oiv0cqQ_Vmt_7rU8abaDjUd20kx5YJ3pMzVWWbX_/s640/About+the+Author+light+blue+fancy+script.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17601332.Tia_Souders" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Tia Souders" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_quj-RqcsyU0n4ZCW2NRBw-RgMGtEKXiBlH9MEbietnG0JQjMgFECzf4j149dtuvd4XG5rq_TYPvxGjz-5M8Xd_eSsL_8gVv5pq2uhywlaMOkGbyJPPDgbTOoYvGDOlsTqEqfhyphenhyphenn4LuvE/s1600/17601332.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Tia Souders is the author of bestselling women’s fiction novel, Waiting On Hope and the upcoming award-winning young adult novel Better Than This (formerly titled Freedom Road). When she isn’t writing, she’s likely renovating their century home. She’s a wine-loving, coffeeholic, with a sweet tooth and resides on a farm in rural Ohio with her husband and children.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">~ Connect with Tia Online ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://www.tiasouders.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17601332.Tia_Souders">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tiasoudersauthor/">Facebook</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/359632431141710/">Facebook Street Team</a> ~ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tia.s.writes/">Instagram</a></span><br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="1600" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3OoW3wx1rYAbAEoYhZcdA9JE9poaPiW0J8ArO6ObVBWqsAJ0kQsKd6c9-B44VqreJNB1sZ-Ip0GlcV_S8DYh2WVvRIShS0k4iw8zA0htnNXKYQxHH6HXfz2sgzL2K3fHzS634og_wj5H4/s640/sosteaser2.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlByTZLpU4F6NpeYFD8I3TlHG6auhQNX_xRUsX_0PBk8mbn5eiNWuwHiZhXbO_nToKg10P6NbuUNSNT2I9FRS1nHb8XThjmfDnfjRmWSBHgRXJdSD6fjgpww8A_bPeWoqIbclMGOJJRLU/s640/Excerpts.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I count the days until prom like I count calories. Ninety-eight days. Thirteen hundred calories.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I almost puke at the number.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thirteen hundred</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Maybe. I’m not even sure, which scares me more than the weight of the number.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">How could I not keep track? And how could I go over? Do I really have no self-control? If I keep this up, I’ll be right back where I started—fat and unpopular.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">My forehead beads with sweat and my fingers twitch, as I glance at my alarm clock—only three a.m. I turn on my side, then get up, knowing there’s no falling back asleep now. Not with all the numbers running through my head. Not with the fat I must’ve stored throughout the night resettling on my thighs like it found its way back home.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I tip-toe away, out of bed, afraid someone might hear me, which is unrealistic since my mother’s snore rivals a bass drum and my father sleeps like the dead. As for my sister, Kelly, she couldn’t care less what I do.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">When I come to a stop in front of the full-length mirror on my bedroom door, I don’t even take the time to assess my silhouette in the moonlight. Instead, I lift the soft cotton of my t-shirt. My eyes home in on my ribs, barely visible under a layer of fat, then move to the paunch above the drawstring of my pajama bottoms. I poke at the skin there and grimace at the cushion I find. All I see are the two cookies I ate at Cara’s house last night and I wonder how many calories were in each bite. Fifty? Twenty-five? I have no idea and my ignorance scares me. I had fun and felt too safe, too included. I let those feelings cloud my judgment and lull me, blanket me into false security, where I allowed myself to lose control.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stupid</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As I lower my shirt, I silently berate myself, then drop to the floor and lie on my back. With closed eyes, I cross my arms over my chest and start sit-ups. I count as I go. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One. Two. Three</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I do this until the memory of the cookie fades and my abdomen aches. When I can do no more, I stand back up and bend forward in a deep lunge. I ensure my knee touches the ground each time, my legs at perfect ninety-degree angles. Ten laps around my room, I tell myself, then I’ll try and go back to sleep.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I once read sleep burns more calories than lying awake, something about your body recalibrating your metabolism. I don’t buy it. Regardless, there’s no way sleep burns more than lunging, so as my thighs begin to burn and catch fire, I allow the sensation to ease the fluttering in my chest and the rise of bile in my throat.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Right lunge. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It will be okay. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Left lunge. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ll be okay.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I won’t gain ten pounds from two cookies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">But I could gain one.</span></span></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-5c6b4e1f-9189-29b3-957c-15142bce5d96"></span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">When I finish, slightly sweat-damp and out of breath, but feeling a tiny bit better, I get back under the covers of my bed. Though I’m too hot with the thick comforter pulled up tight under my chin, I leave it there because it will make me sweat. And while perspiring won’t burn excess fat, it might help me lose water weight, giving me the tiniest bit of peace to help me relax into the mattress and slip off into a light slumber.</span></span></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-41851450401037288442018-02-13T04:00:00.000-08:002018-02-13T04:00:00.820-08:00Book Blitz & Giveaway for "Curiouser and Curiouser" Steampunk Alice in Wonderland!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hiya guys and dolls! Check out this amazing <b>Steampunk Alice in Wonderland story!</b> How awesome is that! Check it out, and be sure to enter the fantastic giveaway at the end of the post!</div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Curiouser and Curiouser: Steampunk Alice in Wonderland</span></b></i></span></h3>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><i><b>Steampunk Fairy Tales</b></i></span></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35174857-curiouser-and-curiouser" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Curiouser and Curiouser" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS6K5My6p_qEeGCj0h8VzvbvZRXncCt5T2f9qr7xv8PS7_gu0Pd8bH62_GigQCnCm6sVRO2PuQk6ld8ldaoTxR5x7yLQ6PrCRzWdSRRbFoIfOyLM1i6tT449Wz4zEBXzd8iDyKPj1EEkfG/s640/CC.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #274e13;">Melanie Karsak</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">~<u>Published</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #274e13;">July 17th 2017</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">~<u>Genres</u></span>: <b><span style="color: #274e13;">Adult, Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Retelling, Steampunk</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">To save the Hatter, Alice must work with the one man she despises so much that she might still love him.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">Alice thought she’d turned over a new leaf. No more working for Jabberwocky. No more making deals with the ruthless Queen of Hearts. No more hanging around The Mushroom with tinkers, tarts, scoundrels, and thieves in London’s criminal underbelly. But she’d been bonkers to dream.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">Hatter’s reckless behavior leads Alice back to the one person she never wanted to see again, Caterpillar. Pulled into Caterpillar’s mad schemes, Alice must steal a very big diamond from a very royal lady. The heist is no problem for this Bandersnatch. But protecting her heart from the man she once loved? Impossible.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">Sometimes love is mad.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0692910549/"><img alt=" Teaser #1" border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="300" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2mq8Vj9PsKIU9jjN9NnaBQmRg0Ur0CA1VROhgK4F1BcxWFUbRcRSaxNKBRJET4xMymk77mZ-Rezt4ky8sBOfp6MrMzUjbT1I6jY-gjP982f1ATHG420tJk0THgMs6BgnuQWQ5XDh2u9g/s400/bb+99+cents.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.melaniekarsak.com/p/press-kit.html"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8w7R7K5Mx2Jm5tyFDIUJw2jErE-FYmg1vXYig7ZSLJjE19XXEigA29D27RmsQxKDlGk7LGOFZ_uIcMLeY5s7osyIfwNMdfYW7uSd5RAZ-rvHu7k9D6hzsYGbQmeKM8PFiprOVQhZNQ7y/s640/About+the+Author+light+blue+hw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6539577.Melanie_Karsak" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Melanie Karsak" border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASxVsucyosMuSNd91WICmi1_YFj08S2LmjgKTgMrXBcD2Or0PRf8BbPrPxgW1XZtCPk3BDEUVLMr2HEaGt5_sBgV2htwVN0ZwyyyeXwVMJf5aL1Zk4ebP7OnMbhTEjULf4iXU-Rrl100Z/s1600/Melanie.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #274e13;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melanie Karsak is the author of The Airship Racing Chronicles, The Harvesting Series, The Burnt Earth Series, The Celtic Blood Series and Steampunk Fairy Tales. A steampunk connoisseur, zombie whisperer, and heir to the iron throne, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.</div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~ Connect with Melanie Online ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://www.melaniekarsak.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6539577.Melanie_Karsak">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/melaniekarsak">Twitter</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelanieKarsak">Facebook</a> ~ <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/melaniekarsak/">Pinterest</a></span></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-34427240110873936182018-01-23T04:00:00.000-08:002018-01-23T15:53:42.227-08:00"Right Kiss. Wrong Guy." Blitz with Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hiya guys and dolls! Check out this brand new contemporary romance from Clean Teen Publishing! I've got a giveaway for you as well, at the bottom of the post!</div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Offsides, #2</span></b></i></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35837069-right-kiss-wrong-guy" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Right Kiss. Wrong Guy." border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpfIFeNDY0oY4zn_cORzMfWtEmBTvJTFYKBoxjQoOCujXUHDGgVWmCpaomIbf2F3ukr1Yx2WDPCfznL3aFtHdX0L3nVoiQ7nK6RbJIICNeiN48aS0vcBECG1Wf57KzjgrKCYAK4H-U342r/s640/RKWG-ebook-final.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Natalie Decker</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">~<u>Publisher</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Clean Teen Publishing</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">~<u>Published</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;">January 23rd 2018</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35837069-right-kiss-wrong-guy">Goodreads</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Right-Kiss-Wrong-Offsides-Book-ebook/dp/B077GG615H/">Amazon</a></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">You’d think a girl with the most romantic name in the world would have her pick of boyfriends.</span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #7f6000;">But Valentine’s Day sucks when you’re single. Just ask Juliet Valentine, whose last name happens to also be the name of the most dreaded made-up holiday ever.</span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #7f6000;">A romantic at heart, this year is especially hard on Juliet. Her sister, Layla, is in a new relationship, her mom’s match-making business is doing great, and her school’s new fundraiser is “Love-Grams.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">Juliet’s miserable, a little jealous, and lonely.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">Quarterback Jared Black is the most popular guy in school. A star athlete, Jared tops the most-eligible bachelor list year after year. But to Juliet Valentine, he’s all but invisible. She isn’t impressed.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">Jared’s never had to work hard to get the attention of a girl before. Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, and he’s determined to ask Juliet out. After all, if Tyler can win over Layla, Jared ought to have a shot with Layla’s sister.</span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #7f6000;">Unlike Tyler and Layla, charm, flattery and good looks won’t work on Juliet. So with the V-Day dance coming up, Jared uses the school’s Love-Grams to let Juliet know how he feels. Should be simple enough, right?</span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #7f6000;">Wrong. Each attempt ends up either in the trash or thrown in someone’s face. Juliet won’t play his game.</span><br />
<span style="color: #7f6000;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #7f6000;">Now, without a date to the dance Jared realizes it’s going to take a Hail Mary to win the girl of his dreams.</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Right-Kiss-Wrong-Offsides-Book-ebook/dp/B077GG615H/"><img alt=" Teaser #1" border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1000" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3jtoZXxoMxnCV7hM0FCSAwgg0qC5QfrblXVXvzJoabo1Y9ts-4aM8JF2SHoXAZGIqKxiOmxcO7Xo3R0Kw00QuPZLHIfiVRKL8ihTg9RCQ60hdpCSxQzvE9PkVIj4dqbkC5s9-jV5GlLU/s640/RKWG+SAMPLE+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Natalie.Decker.0711/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Natalie Decker" border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkWaz1fPqVLHbKnMU4pHRv49KgT53M4fO_l6XGVFwCTPt09LbHyEMHMLkR0MqCPxkJjlcEnxiTKhlj-gGFDAhnBZTfFKi4VbrY_95cl278s1_8BiSf1apUN-4sZWJ2rPpDPtZLHc1nMJM/s320/Natalie.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="color: #0c343d;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Natalie Decker is the author of <i>Rival Love</i> series and the Scandalous Boys series. She loves oceans, sunsets, sand between her toes, and carefree days. Her imagination is always going, which some find odd. But she believes in seeing the world in a different light at all times. Her first passion for writing started at age twelve when she had to write a poem for English class. However, seventh grade wasn't her favorite time and books were her source of comfort. She took all college prep classes in High school, and attended the University of Akron. Although she studied Mathematics she never lost her passion for writing or her comfort in books. She's a mean cook in the kitchen, loves her family and friends and her awesome dog infinity times infinity. If she's not writing, reading, traveling, hanging out with her family and friends, then she's off having an adventure. Because Natalie believes in a saying: Your life is your own journey, so make it amazing!</div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~ <u>Connect with Natalie Online</u> ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.authornataliedecker.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7487891.Natalie_Decker">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/AuthorNatDecker">Twitter</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Natalie.Decker.0711/">Facebook</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Right-Kiss-Wrong-Offsides-Book-ebook/dp/B077GG615H/"><img alt=" Teaser #2" border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="1000" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRgZfW9DER6kwGHTpYg7DtXAyLMVcPvwcBxqcO-xP2a7UIC-8vWmGKC4L6gynVqN1AnjZ1yezRySBukP2TGzqbc56iq9ox-bwyF-xrrBaDFi8au57YeuDAUGqWO15CqCZVQcKDNgbveoU/s640/RKWG+SAMPLE+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">$15 Starbucks gift card + eBook copy of <i>Right Kiss. Wrong Guy.</i></span></div>
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<b>Thanks for visiting! Have a great day! =D</b></div>
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<br />Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-75016797013618055342018-01-19T04:00:00.000-08:002018-01-19T04:00:22.826-08:00"Deadly Sweet" Blog Tour with Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://xpressobooktours.com/2017/10/24/tour-sign-up-deadly-sweet-by-lola-dodge/"><img alt=" Deadly Sweet" border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCOXXUr8pCaGFKVq9fU786H8-8Rj2ccc-WkMAfkdrzVyQJflgmpdKtXCAWmVY028mqYUT8Ou3K1CF_ywgYkyadGdA9_aVroo2EjSTR8uybOGBGO_SwPlWugOvyC_9A7TF7Y7Y-SK3yMrY/s640/DeadlySweetTourBanner-1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hiya guys and dolls! I'm participating in a book tour today, for <i>Deadly Sweet</i> by Lola Dodge! With plenty of magic, mystery, and sugar, it's sure to be a hit! Check it out, and let me know what you think in the comments below! =D<br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Deadly Sweet </span></i></span></h3>
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<span style="color: #351c75;"><i>Spellwork Syndicate #1</i></span></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34970554-deadly-sweet" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Deadly Sweet" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="302" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrkT59i6DA-aKYPGxUGfakGnE3H85DD9FfCIGOaHfv56Zs3EGzcBQhctK2eSZcM_3Cda29E8AeM4huJKg-yDOwL2kZZE7PDcnN4vADOqIp-AQybjkeqzQ4za6yDRMOrj5AxQEbGfqDn7w/s640/34970554.jpg" width="403" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <span style="color: #741b47;"><b>Lola Dodge</b> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">~<u>Publisher</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #741b47;">Ink Monster LLC</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">~<u>Published</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #741b47;">January 16th 2018</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #351c75;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #741b47;">Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34970554-deadly-sweet">Goodreads</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWJND2X/">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/deadly-sweet-lola-dodge/1126051985">Barnes & Noble</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/deadly-sweet/id1220107648?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4">iTunes</a></b> ~ <b><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/deadly-sweet">Kobo</a></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">For fans of Hex Hall,The Magicians, Practical Magic, and Food Wars!</span></b><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Anise Wise loves three things: baking, potion making, and reading her spell books in blissful silence. She might not be the most powerful witch in the suburbs, but enchantment is a rare skill, and her ability to bake with magic is even rarer. Unfortunately, witches have a bad rep, and Anise’s dream of attending pastry school crumbles with each rejection letter.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Then her great aunt Agatha pops out of the woodwork with a sweet offer. If she signs on as Agatha’s apprentice, Anise can have all the training and ingredients she’s ever imagined, and she’ll inherit the family bakery.</span><br />
<span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #351c75;">The catch? Studying with Agatha means moving to Sedona—a dangerous otherworldly power center where her aunt is a key player in the magical community’s shady dealings. And the last apprentice? Assassinated.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #351c75;">Now Anise is next on the hit list. If she can’t find and stop whoever wants her dead, she’ll be more toasted than a crème brulee.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #351c75;">Who knew baking cakes could be so life or death? </span></b><br />
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<a href="http://www.loladodge.com/category/blog/"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghSl3c-Mm64uD7fjPpZOFOFtK7EzWOoBGgzlk_S3Fd5nJHDTjd78HTYoldGmSkIWo7Ngeqi0QYrB4yi_kHOLzE5dG2r6ouO7RekVuDD_uOt8WX5ANRB3pkkVdO0tqI3fFWa8oFBcPxDVI/s640/About+the+Author+dark+red+fancy+script.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5826088.Lola_Dodge" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Lola Dodge" border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJptA7Z8vuYwLoMDEB-2U1Pb9Omm_jfNvu5SklcXGwhPq-WnEenOYWJXXYbQLl5U2xsFTlxkDaHTrfL7QITqDCLiom0gLf6OkqvbBoUmxWmWeK9cmImd9CBvIDxYjMbaeZ-TCCTRhqos/s1600/Lola-Dodge-Author-Editor.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #741b47;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">Lola Dodge is a compulsive traveler, baker, and procrastinator. She earned her BA in English from Stonehill College and MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University–and hasn’t stopped moving since. When she’s not on the road, Lola spends her time indoors where the sunlight can’t melt her, writing or bingeing on anime and cherry soda. She can be summoned in a ritual involving curry, Hello Kitty idols, and a solid chocolate pentagram.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">~ Connect with Lola Online ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><a href="http://www.loladodge.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5826088.Lola_Dodge">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/Lola_Dodge">Twitter</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LolaDodge">Facebook</a></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXNuZNHU0NDCUKRsm2oVYJLEL-J5IcyFThnEg85E5TDX2K7LHdQ6Cgf8EaKcq77tdaGiHW8irp7jwZLmDMmDAIN8IRKPIhA1a37NfWfvnbpcQ-QJ595U7AhXDGDMBE2S1okVR44Onnl48/s640/bright+purple+on+black+my+review.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pA9FRKybHPrcReXhhkOTxsqSbOXCCkqlifGxEHBKM5FpKc-_aYOFpFSz9mQ5Pg3Sh-DZTRyyLu3gJ5VFKna2eOMT5JK_6tqSZfcM1aQsUWuw2AGh3d0bZEF6oKdrRoD5S8D8E3lP44M/s1600/4+Roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="750" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2pA9FRKybHPrcReXhhkOTxsqSbOXCCkqlifGxEHBKM5FpKc-_aYOFpFSz9mQ5Pg3Sh-DZTRyyLu3gJ5VFKna2eOMT5JK_6tqSZfcM1aQsUWuw2AGh3d0bZEF6oKdrRoD5S8D8E3lP44M/s320/4+Roses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Magic and mystery - what could be better?</div>
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Anise loves to bake, and wants to attend pastry school. With a rejection from every single school she applied to, you'd think she'd give up. Especially since they rejected her because she cooks using spells and enchantments, and magic gets a bad rap. What's a young witch to do?</div>
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Luckily for her, she has an aunt who just happens to be looking for a new apprentice, and the gig comes with the family bakery passing down to her. The only downfall is the last apprentice was assassinated, and by taking the position, she's put a bulls-eye on her back. Can she figure out who wants her dead, before they get her?</div>
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Mystery and suspense are mixed into this sweet, modern novel, and even through traveling to magical Sedona, the story doesn't lose it's tangible feel. Anise seems like a real person, perhaps someone you knew in school, but can't quite remember. She is a fun character to follow, with quirks and a lack of grace that makes her endearing. I laughed out loud several times, which was a nice balance to the suspense and mystery of who was lurking in the shadows.</div>
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While it is set up to be the first book in the series, it ended well, lacking a dramatic cliffhanger. It could be read as a standalone, and be satisfying enough to read even if the second book isn't available yet. I would recommend this to others, especially paranormal and magic fans, and thank the author for the opportunity to read and review.</div>
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<i>*I was given a complimentary eCopy, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.</i></div>
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<b><span style="color: #20124d;">P.S. Isn't that cover gorgeous!? Definitely eye catching. ;)</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Open to U.S. and Canada</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Deadly Sweet Prize Pack</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">Let me know what you guys think of this book in the comments below!</span></b></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-2134610080617982242018-01-12T04:00:00.000-08:002018-01-12T20:16:20.141-08:00"Into the Air" Blog Tour with Author Interview & Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://yaboundbooktours.blogspot.com/2017/11/blog-tour-sign-up-into-air-by-ak-downing.html"><img alt=" Blog Tour" border="0" data-original-height="237" data-original-width="640" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0yeRPQLRXW2Mja6MW5hGSM5mqMB9alvsYkckaoRKS1-5axR_4ADQlKh8I1Epgl-ElBHYF0avNlfnogEiwfbdS9YnDbjaQWwsbDw3p7vdfSjBTTlTdVspcZc7UY6YucLXRSbXStz9szo3o/s640/into+the+Air+tour+banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hiya guys and dolls! Check out this blog tour for <i>Into the Air</i> by A.K. Downing! If you're a fan of young adult sci-fi fantasies, this is one you'll love! There's also an author interview and giveaway! =D</div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: x-large;">Into the Air</span></b></i></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35966888-into-the-air" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Into the Air" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-lZThSF4Qt6DnkbJb_eYNzBPyDaJlNbOjLURvJAD71WwS17aTW9gUVC_9NwR-ak7TwXrVZWZ21KDGYBLLMxVGOJ4218ivnBagdAZlgd_Bn2NqvZsjz6H_6YqJ5zRZfXl4JOKXhN1CYDb/s640/35966888.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #274e13;">A.K. Downing</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~</span><u style="color: #0c343d;">Released</u><span style="color: #0c343d;">: </span><b><span style="color: #274e13;">August 2017</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~</span><u style="color: #0c343d;">Genres</u><span style="color: #0c343d;">: </span><b><span style="color: #274e13;">Young Adult, Sci-fi, Fantasy</span></b><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35966888-into-the-air"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Goodreads</span></a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Into-Air-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01M0N4NO5"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Amazon</span></a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/into-the-air-a-k-downing/1125279804?ean=9781537721552"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Barnes & Noble</span></a></b></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">When Mia Bryn escapes her underground compound and travels into the air, she never imagines her world will explode. Separated from her father and attacked by creatures she never knew existed, Mia flees into the forest. Within hours, she finds an abandoned girl, discovers a link to her missing mother, and meets beautiful, golden-eyed Archer. But why is an ordinary girl from a compound being hunted? And how can Mia survive in a world she knows nothing about?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.akdowning.net/blog"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-E3lexHm8Ks7P4gpDgiRk4kVSNs6HH6BZ2Yg4aHmhnvTwEVZQEPrBvMUA1NtW4SWiUQ1ktfTiSceMliAawQgBRTTtZmH8030aIVir7_1Qs_Zk-E98NxsGVYC5yv575krT8XBj-yZeNK6t/s640/About+the+Author+light+blue+fancy+script.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15904078.A_K_Downing" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" A.K. Downing" border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn7re514NiSfB5li8pTAlcwPcUQ4ns4rUDtqlfT6TZo2TYjlbnqb4zMQ1XVmNyawVeBbixIGrT26XICh2iV3gvFaYG-nY9A-v-0KHIpfQ1h96IllhRqLtvVH2G5OOXbN6x7UgCxWbcZ-Rh/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">A.K. Downing's young-adult novel, Into the Air, is a 2017 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist. Set in a post-apocalyptic world, the story follows the adventure of teenager Mia Bryn as she leaves the safety of her underground compound and tries to survive in a world no one has inhabited for more than a hundred years. Growing up in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, Aimee spent her summers exploring the fields, woods, and orchards of her grandparents' farm. She was inspired by prepper shows and survivalist websites to create a story that weaves together the best aspects of young adult fiction – adventure, teenage angst, and a hint of romance. Aimee studied graphic design at Kent State University and currently works as a Creative Director. She enjoys history and camping and feels there is no better way to see the world than from the top of a horse.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">~ <u>Connect with A.K. Downing Online</u> ~</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="https://www.akdowning.net/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15904078.A_K_Downing">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/AKDowning111">Twitter</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AKDowning111/">Facebook</a> ~ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/akdowning111/">Instagram</a></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeskR_fTMzvCdPwB89gg3WzdVAc9J_yx5EsCmPN-azNKlCdQM3QjsdCN2M72qcmOjCUjmhq0wu-lb6xY0HH34dXNDuhcnY7wtDjYMtrX5IimWDOSJVz-g65GJQZrCIjF95UZ_RvHtZ8my/s640/Author+Interview.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<i><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">*Provided by YA Bound Book Tours.</span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><i>What is your favorite book? </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">I love to read different genres, but YA is my favorite. I love the fast pace, action, and romance. I found a few new authors this year that I absolutely adore, and their stories now top my list of books to recommend: Sarah J. Mass – <i>A Court of Mist and Fury</i>; Maggie Stiefvater – <i>The Raven Boys</i>; and Cassandra Clare – <i>City of Bones</i>.</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;">What is the most recent book you’ve read? </span></i></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">I just finished <i>A Court of Mist and Fury</i> by Sarah J. Maas. Somehow I JUST discovered Maas and can’t get enough! I’m heading to the bookstore to buy <i>A Court of Wings and Ruin</i>.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;">Who is your author role-model?</span></i><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">I love the wit of Charlaine Harris, the epic storytelling of Diana Gabaldon, and the teenage angst of Cassandra Clare.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;">Where is your favorite place to write? </span></i></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">In the car. It’s when my head is clear and the dialogue flows. Ideas come to me all the time, though. I have notebooks, pieces of napkins, and pads of paper everywhere!</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;">Do you base characters off of people in your life?</span></i><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">I’m sure all authors are inspired by the people around them – influenced by people they know or encounter. The stubborn, lumbering giant; the skate-board dude that makes you laugh; your first crush. And although my characters are fictitious, they are all very real to me. I know what they like, what bugs them, how they’ll react in different situations.</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;">How do you read a book (i.e. cover to cover, read the last page first)? </span></i></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">I read cover to cover, although I skip ahead sometimes to make sure someone isn’t dead!</span><br />
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<i><span style="color: #274e13;">What is a writing goal you have? </span></i></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">To finish The Air Series before my daughter is in high school. Look for the Book 2 in Spring 2018!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><i>If you could sum up your writing style in a word or phrase what would it be? </i></span></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><i>Into the Air</i> doesn’t neatly fit into one category. It’s a post-apocalyptic story, but takes place a century after “the catastrophic event,” and focuses on a healing earth. It’s science-fiction in the sense that it takes place in a future world, but it doesn’t rely on new technology – the world has returned to bows and arrows. And it’s fantasy because my main character has “powers.” I’ve called it a YA Adventure, but it really encompasses the best of a few different genres.</span><br />
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-59132148276416508812018-01-11T04:00:00.000-08:002018-01-11T07:15:58.090-08:00"The Phantom of New York" Blog Tour with Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://yaboundbooktours.blogspot.com/2017/11/blog-tour-sign-up-phantom-of-new-york.html"><img alt=" Blog Tour" border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="640" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiowV3U4gVqxx-1VM4vhOPRs_xuWTfozbxffxyPxWKC23f-gWAb3FLMuge9XpofMfVt2qaeeC9IO7L2qbkI-O9AI9Ii6KKc6Q4qFfahanJlh6s-CisrwjEAYlEdZioApi27Mc5ys3Tqj2wx/s640/The+Phantom+of+New+York+tour+banner+NEW.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hiya guys and dolls! Check out this fun adventure, fit for fans of middle grade/young adult fantasy. There are some teaser pics from the author, and a giveaway at the end of the post! =D</div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: x-large;">The Phantom of New York</span></b></i></h3>
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<i><b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Volume 1 - Peter and the Crown</span></b></i></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36953964-the-phantom-of-new-york" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" The Phantom of New York" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jZktS9UIz2Pk2oiv5G-A76yQ3yuDQniCwPho6KlbeKvISHTH9fQb5V2NKA3RyujyC3-x_-wF0O9Cwp5kGNOTv2eJUH6xZFGJvfEiFvV3o4pg9wLUWElc4gNnXB833z33V4nOYd9qV0JA/s640/36953964.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Author</u>:</span><span style="color: #783f04;"> <b>A.L. Janney</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Released</u>: </span><b style="color: #783f04;">December 2017</b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span><span style="color: #783f04;"> <b>Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adventure</b> </span></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36953964-the-phantom-of-new-york"><span style="color: #783f04;">Goodreads</span></a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Phantom-New-York-Peter-Crown-ebook/dp/B077XN2FG7"><span style="color: #783f04;">Amazon</span></a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/Peter-and-the-Crown-Audiobook/B0789VCB5W/ref%3Da_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1514864378&sr=1-1"><span style="color: #783f04;">Audible</span></a></b></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;">This is a story about vigilantes and magic. About prophecy and hope. About a boy and his hotel. </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;">When twelve-year-old Peter Constantine wakes up in the Crown Hotel with a new identity, life is over as he knows it. But perhaps that’s not such a bad thing...</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;">A dangerous man Peter only knows as “The Client” is after his family, so they’ve relocated to New York City. With help from unlikely friends living at the glamorous hotel, including the ghost on the tenth floor, Peter's new life begins. Soon, however, he learns of a plot to destroy his new home, a plot only the Phantom can foil. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><i style="text-align: center;">Peter and the Crown</i><span style="text-align: center;"> is the first book in the Phantom of New York series, an adventure for readers aged ten and up. If you like smart, funny characters and “can’t put it down” escapades, then you’ll love Alan Janney’s Phantom of New York series.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://alanjanney.com/blog/"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4DxPiIVh0c42_S9LeQIr2dJt9bc2p8X8GIlbQUfiIEBpbb55bxoJq9z5VtbY8QLcfu2DKy5uKUVm1Xq48fDaGyIyNQefIjuBVcJFIhVkl8trCsNm7J2GruhWB1nSOOoCaW-L_M5cfbON/s640/About+the+Author+dark+blue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13884472.Alan_Janney" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Alan Janney" border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaZx9uBTsiUQRC-cMxwaKhyphenhyphenPEobS_PkrUEJo9oPtMOMOiYP-ry-PchIEjdAGFKB4RGTW87UmlyZdtwUNRZwHbTYT6cRvfmQYrZ1yyGBEPPEb6Z5v4elC-Z27l0ut-s0mw9oPnbtE-n48dJ/s1600/download.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Winner of the 2016 National Indie Excellence Award!</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">You work hard. I write adventures. Let me entertain you. My favorite adventurers: Ender, Frodo and Sam, Rand, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, Katniss, Spenser, Peter and Alicia and Amy (from The Passage), Jack Ryan, Dirk Pitt, and many others, including my two sons and my super hot wife.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #783f04;">~ <u>Connect with Alan Online</u> ~</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><a href="http://alanjanney.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13884472.Alan_Janney">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/AlanJanney">Twitter</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/aljanney">Facebook</a></span></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-46600888196788536772017-12-21T04:00:00.000-08:002017-12-21T04:00:14.948-08:00“The Truth of Letting Go” by Amy Sparling!*Blitz with Excerpt & Giveaway!*<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hiya peeps! I've got a brand new contemporary romance to share with you today, and it looks great! Check out the excerpt, and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post! =D</div>
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<i><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: x-large;">The Truth of Letting Go</span></i></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36349405-the-truth-of-letting-go" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" The Truth of Letting Go" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzFjzglhtiLOh5fxtOTqUlYkQjqIEpe71gjteqWynHwL_UUXsNV-F7sVEmv0LiA9KazAnDxtl2Hl2vO4vDIA4R-YrVgQ7AzO_UtnlWaaOHarraP3H2oSG3vggMNZdj5TGzDlZ91F05-aEx/s640/TTOLGeBook.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Amy Sparling</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Released</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">December 19th, 2017</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Genres</u>: </span><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36349405-the-truth-of-letting-go">Goodreads</a></b><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0765L2YQL">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; text-align: center;">The summer before senior year, Lilah Monroe’s parents take a nine-day trip, leaving her as the guardian of her bipolar cousin, Cece. When Cece’s parents died tragically five years ago, she and her brother moved in with Lilah. Her brother soon went missing and was presumed dead.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; text-align: center;">Lilah and Cece couldn’t be more different. They used to be best friends, but high school has changed them both. Lilah likes order, schedules, and a tidy room. She has plans for her future and won’t let anything derail it, not even Cece whose life is constantly on the edge of chaos. Cece is messy, erratic and sensitive. She also has a reason to believe that her brother is still alive. Despite Lilah’s reservations, Cece tracks down an old friend who believes her theories. Ezra happens to have gotten really handsome since Lilah last saw him. Too bad they never really got along when they were kids.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d; text-align: center;">Knowing the odds are stacked against them, Lilah breaks all of her parent’s rules for order and reason and joins forces with Cece and Ezra to set out on the road in an old RV in hopes of finding her dead cousin. Lilah and Ezra have a love connection amid the chaos, and when they discover what really happened to Thomas, it’s a truth no one saw coming. One that just might get them killed.</span></div>
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<b style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.instafreebie.com/free/zbq0e">Read the first 5 chapters for FREE!</a></b></div>
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<a href="http://www.amysparling.com/about.html"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzAOu7L5uToP_mfqghkb7WsBrDzaYFyjZX6FLt8yp3k2iRcO62aNWAIqS7GnBeAHcRi_e6KzhvmVOTREIRhRr_9t6ruzwNXwjLDUzjOh2WuomgUdbrqazLvviXTm61NxCrmm4YlsIN-RrH/s640/About+the+Author+light+blue+fancy+script.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5841781.Amy_Sparling" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Amy Sparling" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9tzXnLNtQ5bqcrID30YWWL39fXhgQUdKOBW7pguYc1glBkekR4UpSbiJentflRnHytPWBXfhFPhPeBTPRjjGB9yjgtJLI_zmv_D7JKJNhqOUMAFIzvCo8Vs3sEyuLChnNzym9OuHXe9u/s1600/amy+sparling.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">In case you didn't know, Amy isn't my real name. It's a pen name I use to publish books and novellas for teens that have a romantic theme.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">I chose the name Amy Sparling when I independently published my first book, Deadbeat. I wasn't sure if I would keep the pen name at first--I wasn't even sure if I'd keep publishing. But I got incredibly lucky and found a group of young adults who loved my stories and kept asking for more. You guys seriously have made my writing hobby into the greatest part of my life. I will continue writing books under this name for as long as my readers want them!</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">If you'd like to be the first to know about new book releases, sign up for my newsletter.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;">~ <u>Connect with Amy Online</u> ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><a href="http://www.amysparling.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="http://amysparling.blogspot.com/">Blog</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5841781.Amy_Sparling">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/Amy_Sparling">Twitter</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAmySparling/">Facebook</a> ~ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/writeamysparling/">Instagram</a> ~ <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/authoramy/?autologin=true">Pinterest</a> ~ <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Amy-Sparling/e/B008383KQC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?qid=1460856285&sr=8-2-ent&linkCode=sl2&tag=stay617-20&linkId=11d7b934db43a9e743bd19ef9fd8857d">Amazon</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.instafreebie.com/free/zbq0e"><img alt=" Excerpt" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilwcukou-ONjfoQxV1Fdtgsq7i44h9jxzpVNGxSQAflXhopmPFSavntHV1OL6ZM_ibivqNQV-ruyVj-BwXelgs957TEiXjXakRkyJxErCaCYnLsLscmku9F4TI4yefgpiblYUnkOshanYK/s640/Excerpts.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">He parks the golf cart and jogs up to us, and so help me God I can’t take my eyes off the way his shirt stretches across his shoulders. It looks sweaty and probably smells disgusting but here I am imagining ripping it off with my hands. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Jesus, Lilah, get it together.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Ezra hugs Cece, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, like he really means it. I watch his eyes squeeze shut, the sincerity of his gesture giving me this weird pain in my chest. “I’ve missed you,” he says when he pulls way. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">“I don’t recall us being friends,” Cece says, lifting an eyebrow. “But I get the sentiment.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">He laughs and it’s at this very second that he looks over and notices me, like really recognizes me, for the first time. “Lilah?” He says it like he doesn’t believe it. Like I died too, and now I’m a ghost and I’m the last person he expected to see here with my cousin, who used to be my best friend and has lived with me for half a decade. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">“Is it really that surprising?” I say.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">His lips—long, smooth, and the perfect shade of pink—split into a grin and he rushes over to me. I’ll admit, I’m wanting one of those hugs he gave to Cece, if only to confirm that he does smell like sweat, so I stand up and let him throw his arms around me.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">And yeah, he smells. But beneath the sweat, there’s a hint of summer sunshine and men’s deodorant. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">It’s possibly the best hug ever.</span></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-55788450031206827832017-12-19T15:52:00.000-08:002017-12-19T15:52:15.341-08:00"Tainted Legacy" by Tabitha Peattie!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://yaboundbooktours.blogspot.com/2017/11/blog-tour-sign-up-tainted-legacy-by.html"><img alt=" Book Tour" border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="850" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz4cUyZ2a6yAbkh6BDN8Uq5hLshQo-QYAmL_1CH5s6OD8vlRAXMX7GMVeCneO9b53Vih-q_q20J7NHQgsRCgV1O0wf1hxA0P5frz1BNyWDA9cMYcAKubIVPmts6IKA5jHB3MBsQJ_FkFMe/s640/Tainted+Legacy+tour+banner+NEW.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hiya peeps! Check out this spotlight for a fairly new young adult fantasy romance novel! It's the first book in the Ash Academy Series, and has received wonderful feedback so far!</div>
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Check it out!</div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;">Tainted Legacy</span></b></i></h3>
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<i><b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: large;">The Ash Academy Series, Book 1</span></b></i></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36107964-tainted-legacy" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Tainted Legacy" border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="245" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Bh-zlcdakG9g5268T-uQrxWOo6bfuXu-lCr9pWdKo0_g1E1NHUFB_iYP9MslaCYEP8yARDiiGLlou1SeeDkW0hlG4yPkSN1dI16vN4OB6UXy3FyBCeIJAKc-leM7iYwTXrghQUHEQGIh/s640/tainted+legacy.jpg" title="" width="452" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Author</u>: </span><b><span style="color: #783f04;">Tabitha Peattie</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Released</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #783f04;">August 25th 2017</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Length</u>:</span><b> <span style="color: #783f04;">350 Pages</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Genres</u>: </span><b><span style="color: #783f04;">Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36107964-tainted-legacy">Goodreads</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074LZLTY2">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">What would you do if your parents had committed the worst crime in history? </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">Who would you turn to if the laws, meant to protect you, were corrupted? </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">When is it ok for all the good people to do bad things and the bad people to do good things? </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">How can you fall in love with the person who was destined to hate you? </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">Welcome to the world of the world of the Gifted. </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">Ava has always lived on the fringes of society with her close-knit family. Ever protected, loved and sheltered until the day it’s time to start at Ash Academy. </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">Nothing is as it seems, as Ava finds out that everything she thinks she knows is tainted. Tainted by death, lies and deceit. It is her job to learn the truth and stay true to herself despite the darkness all around her. </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">No one survives that kind of drama alone. Through Ava’s discovery of their society and her place in it, she will find kindness and support in the most unlikely places. </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">From the Ashes we Rise! </span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">A gripping first book in the Ash Academy series. This book is a full-length novel with a HEA and no cliff-hangers. Step into a magical world about love, loss and self-discovery. </span></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjapOCsRS2O8a4FVObCgmGP8iPAIPZqnKenilscK78f1n57sjrV5MVDNPKOh5iFPZulzHKL_c60oqHBwZqSw2c5t8T3GQX_vb_tG2LnKTPVFSjnwxC3XGDQ1k4S3w8IeZHcJNvjDFV3sKX7/s640/About+the+Author+light+blue+fancy+script.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17091550.Tabitha_Peattie" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Tabitha Peattie!" border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgML0agRUq319HHXb18Ocp5z43yt9ge-TOauhPQkHl3W5PPEJFAvKJVdFa8izDoKgAtOrluaVJ86CCPhtOTYh4BJsW9SDTGNV6IleBHgOn2hnalLfObejpzZmVPEMGU1yFMxtz7tHXaZz0b/s200/tabitha+peattie.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">I have been writing for 6 years and have written a number of books. I am really excited to start publishing these and see if others love my books like I do. I'm influenced by so many authors and books that I couldn't list them all the! All my stories have a theme of overcoming what nature has given you as this is something I have really experienced in life. I have struggled with MS since I was 17. This is something which has given me the strength and the experience to be able to write about the lowest lows and the highest highs.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~ <u>Connect with Tabitha Online</u> ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17091550.Tabitha_Peattie">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/tabithapeattie">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<b>Thanks for visiting! Have a great day! =D</b></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-33406088757151067182017-12-18T04:00:00.000-08:002017-12-18T04:00:25.233-08:00"Heartbreaker" Blitz & Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://xpressobooktours.com/2017/10/24/blitz-sign-up-heartbreaker-by-lila-felix/"><img alt=" Book Blitz" border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrl_F_IKHbpyDI38S9aTEBBq95CNAg5pL3F3zdd06oNcooA9GI29-FSQCWQxe8XVvdZNYA-sag-Rod1cMz-tCPoN_U9gHb6eI4mCTiLvA2-QqSo91tf6wvfIDEzf3bxmN9mpoxQ7J597XP/s640/HeartbreakerBlitzBanner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hiya peeps! I've got a new release for you guys, fresh from Clean Teen Publishing! My post features a giveaway, so be sure to check it out, and leave a comment before you leave!</div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="text-align: start;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">HeartBREAKER</span></i></b></span></span></h3>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="text-align: start;"><b><i>AnguiSH, #2</i></b></span></span></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36469829-heartbreaker" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" HeartBREAKER" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hZod_74dPlfFTW9oer9CSvBumMnHvK7qMTBhXjDhz5MkRaPqZz49Kv-C3l5s0mL4LXKivxo4mY8b2IUBF1X2z51ZEhLECSEWW6Tj9oTQ_nNzebo4gnd2UvJrLQnTZzKaGG1BMv3N3PgD/s640/HeartBREAKER.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #4c1130;">Lila Felix</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~</span><u style="color: #0c343d;">Publisher</u><span style="color: #0c343d;">: </span><b><span style="color: #4c1130;">Clean Teen Publishing</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~</span><u style="color: #0c343d;">Published</u><span style="color: #0c343d;">: </span><b><span style="color: #4c1130;">December 18th 2017</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~</span><u style="color: #0c343d;">Genres</u><span style="color: #0c343d;">: </span><b><span style="color: #4c1130;">Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36469829-heartbreaker"><b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Goodreads</span></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heartbreaker-AnguiSH-novels-Book-2-ebook/dp/B076NVYSRF"><b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Amazon</span></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-breaker-lila-felix/1118624565?ean=2940154596081"><b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Barnes & Noble</span></b></a></div>
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<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/heartbreaker/id1299748850?mt=11" style="color: #0c343d; font-weight: bold;">iBooks</a><b><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span><span style="color: #4c1130;">~ </span><a href="https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/heartbreaker-56" style="color: #0c343d;">Kobo</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Breaker James is no longer the boy locked in a prison of his own making. He’s not afraid to leave his house, and he doesn’t need Ash twenty-four hours a day, just to function—just to breathe.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Hell, lately it feels like he might not need her much at all anymore.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">He’s a heart breaker, pure and simple. Turns out love is easy when you’re secluded from the outside world. Maybe Ash is the one who is afraid now…afraid she’s done her job a little too well. Can she learn how to let Breaker love her, now that he doesn’t need her to be his crutch?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">HeartBREAKER is the endearing companion story to Lila Felix’s best-selling AnguiSH novel. Fall in love with Breaker James all over again!</span><br />
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<img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJatCRBuzSpEg0XglhykGh5pyoQbP_qXh53OZdu2LtSpi2z2LntS_T1v6snyxhaV5wkASu0WVKtO3NiewHRJRZRLt-8Zte9Oq_6lRjoHoDKC-pGGECJSu1ZLiuWFJ6a_nu22kZVLPYqc4s/s640/About+the+Author+light+blue+hw.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6519682.Lila_Felix" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Lila Felix" border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoOuXWIDj7amYu8k_INYH12UxJ1P_XDgQ_N-Iucf0XcXxbYwRyul-xLu5IRY8M258jCuyQ-BaY30hyphenhyphenEIV8cxBx_BHtygmc0eYqf0N39gz16r2_irdBVUNnQ-OV_JH8Uo_LlJqH2ghtS2q/s1600/Lila.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;">Lila Felix is full of antics and stories. She refused to go to Kindergarten after the teacher made her take a nap on the first day of school. She staged her first protest in middle school. She almost flunked out of her first semester at Pepperdine University because she was enthralled with their library and frequently was locked in. Now her husband and three children have to put up with her rebel nature in Louisiana where her days are filled with cypress trees, crawfish, and of course her books and writing. She writes about the ordinary people who fall extraordinarily in wild, true love.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;">~ <u>Connect with Lila Online</u> ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #4c1130;"><a href="http://www.lilafelix.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6519682.Lila_Felix">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_134266471"></span>Facebook<span id="goog_134266472"></span></a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/authorlilafelix">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251232220"><img alt=" Giveaway!" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUf-ECu92DEF1faHORHgEXMAum7IFJ31yVRpV3e5o94XGeYaY9RYLX16EMAoVScTzobN2LO_FrsCmaJZAB4R1M4pEdRaTpPnKHVwOMu8GAW8QhvwQ77RKusNgUI0BHTMPftfwF3MBMu_Q/s640/Giveaway%2521.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: #274e13;">Blitz-Wide Giveaway</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Open Internationally</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Clean Teen Publishing Mystery Box</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> (Intl winner would get eBook prizes)</span></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="d04251232220" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251232220/" id="rcwidget_ika7nvub" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: #274e13;">a Rafflecopter giveaway</span></a>
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<b>Thanks for visiting!</b><br />
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<b>Have a great day! =D</b></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-16450368367777909742017-12-16T04:00:00.000-08:002017-12-16T04:00:49.066-08:00Day 12 of 12 Days of Clean Romance feat. Cami Checketts!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33617" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/12-Days-Cami-Checketts.png" height="400" width="400" />
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<strong><span style="color: #0c343d;">How to Kiss a Billionaire by Cami Checketts</span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2koZ9sS"><img alt="" class="alignleft wp-image-33643 size-full" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/How-to-Kiss-a-Billionaire.jpg" height="475" width="316" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"> <em><strong>Sassy meets swoon-worthy in this fast-paced contemporary romance.</strong></em>
Miriam Salisbury escapes to Oregon to avoid a boyfriend who won't take no for an answer, killing her beloved cat to prove it. When her father sends Clay Browning to protect her, she's certain he's lost his mind. As far as she's concerned Clay's experience is limited to posing for the camera, charming women, and making fun of her. He's been teasing her since they were children and she's never gotten over the way he threw crawdads at her at church picnics.
Clay retired from the military and entered the world of private security. When he gets the call to protect Miriam he's excited to be around his lifelong crush. As expected, he teases her nonstop and the only thing he takes seriously is her security. He knows she'd never give him a chance and he can't help but give her a hard time.
After Miriam is dumped in the freezing ocean on a crabbing expedition and Clay saves her from drowning and freezing to death, she takes a second look at her hired gun. But opening up to him is more terrifying than facing her stalker.
As events escalate to a frenzied climax, Miriam and Clay must put aside past grudges in the hope of finding a lasting love for their future.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><strong>Praise for series:</strong>
"Cami Checketts is an expert at sending a flurry of butterflies straight to the heart! If you love the beach, a dash of suspense, and some toe-curling, swoony romance, then the Billionaire Beach Romance series is definitely for you.” Katie Watkins, Book Reviewer, Katie’s Clean Book Collection
"I LOVE these sweet romances! I love that each of them is a mini escape. You almost feel as though you've traveled to a warm destination even though it's cold and snowy where you live. I love that I can pass them to either my daughter or my grandma and never have any concern about the content. And the characters in these are amazing! I love them all!” Cathy Jeppsen, Book Reviewer, My Book a Day</span><br />
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Miriam closed her eyes as Clay’s arms came around her and held her tight.
“Whoa, darling, if I would’ve known I’d get this reception, I would’ve broken into your house years ago.”
Miriam pushed away from him, stumbling from the realization that he hadn’t changed. Clay was a vicious flirt and never took anything seriously. She shoved at his chest, but he didn’t budge. He was real and he was here, and unfortunately for her unsteady nerves, it didn’t look like he was going away. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“Your daddy hired me.”
“My daddy … hired you?” She glared at him. “For what? A pinup model?”
He smiled and tilted his head to the side. “I know I look good, but I actually have a few skills in protection too.”
“You do not. All you’ve ever been good at is spending your billions of dollars and getting women to simper at your feet.” She knew he’d been in the military for four years after high school, but after that, he appeared to be the ultimate player. At least, it looked that way in the online photos she’d seen, when she’d googled him. Okay, it was pathetic that she’d googled him, but he was Clay Browning, a.k.a. Miriam’s dream man.
He spread his arms, and she couldn’t help but notice the definition from his forearms and biceps up through his shoulders and chest. Maybe he should find a shirt that wasn’t so … form-fitting. “Hey, I’ve got lots of talents. What can I say?”
Miriam pushed out a huffy breath. “You are not here. This is all some kind of crazy fantasy.”
“I know I’m the stuff fantasies are made of, but I really am here.” He sauntered a step closer, and that spicy cologne made her stomach heat up. “You want to enact some of those fantasies you’ve been having about me?”
She put a hand on his chest to keep him from coming any closer. Those muscles were real. Yikes. She dropped her hand and stepped back. “For one second, just for one, be serious. Why are you here, and how did you get in my house?”
Clay rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. Sheesh. What did he do with biceps that defined? Wrestle bulls?
Focus, Miriam!
“Your daddy called me, said Greg was threatening and stalking you and I had to find you. So I found you, and now I’m here to watch over you.”
Watch over you? She would not survive with this man in the same town, let alone the same house. Her throat was dry and all those daydreams she used to have about him rotated through her mind.
“How did you get in?” she demanded.
“I told you: I have skills.” He smiled and finally admitted, “I was special ops in the Army and I’ve worked in private security since then.”
“You’re being serious now? This isn’t some bull crap line that Clay Browning is giving me?”
He smirked. “You can believe whatever you want, sweetheart.” He took a step closer, and her legs betrayed her by not backing up. “But do believe that I’m here and you I and are going to get real cozy.”
Miriam looked over his gorgeous face. She clenched her trembling hands together and swallowed hard. “I’m not one of your flavors of the week, Clay.”
He leaned in and sniffed her. “Ah. Yeah, I think you are. Vanilla with a hint of chocolate. My favorite flavor this week.”
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><strong style="text-align: start;">Author Cami Checketts</strong><span style="text-align: start;"> </span></span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #0c343d;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-33646" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Cami-Checketts.jpg" height="266" width="177" /></span></strong></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">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. She 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.
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.camichecketts.com/"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33370" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-website.png" height="100" width="100" /></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/camicheckettsbooks/"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33372" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-instagram-1.png" height="100" width="100" /></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/CamiCheckettsAuthor/"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33373" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-facebook-1.png" height="100" width="100" /></a></span></center>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Also by Cami Checketts</span></h3>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">Don't miss the rest of the Billionaire Beach Romances:
Shadows in the Curtain
Caribbean Rescue
Cozumel Escape
Cancun Getaway
Trusting the Billionaire
Onboard for Love
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shadows-Curtain-Billionaire-Beach-Romance-ebook/dp/B00LBEGSAU/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=d59acd24470db6dcd60ba810f08f6067" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00LBEGSAU&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00LBEGSAU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Caribbean-Rescue-Billionaire-Beach-Romance-ebook/dp/B06Y62MSF7//ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=6698c6a6427fbd023b884c1e8f55f92a" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B06Y62MSF7&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B06Y62MSF7" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y8XBSYJ/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=9efb2c49e042252b89305f5058ebde00" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B06Y8XBSYJ&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B06Y8XBSYJ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></center>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0713Z6NH7//ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=5257eb0904c55d34bcd54dbc3c96536b" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0713Z6NH7&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B0713Z6NH7" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0758XZ5KR//ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=608aaf40834dc147579767fbe2dd6509" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0758XZ5KR&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B0758XZ5KR" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071FPQKWB//ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=1896c08f98cce23c6822dc9656cfeeff" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B071FPQKWB&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B071FPQKWB" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></center>
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">Giveaway Details</span></strong></h2>
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">Ends 12/31/17</span></strong></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">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 <a href="http://iamareader.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">I Am A Reader</a> and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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<b>Thanks a bunch for visiting! If you haven't checked out the previous days for this tour, be sure to check them out for exclusive content, giveaways, and 12 awesome clean romance novels to keep you warm this season!</b></div>
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<b>Have a great day! =D</b></div>
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<br />Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-46526852690972760992017-12-15T04:00:00.001-08:002017-12-15T04:00:24.978-08:00Day 11 of 12 Days of Clean Romance feat. Lucy McConnell!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33614" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/12-Days-Lucy-McConnell.png" height="400" width="400" />
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<strong><span style="color: #0c343d;">Marrying Miss Kringle: Lux by Lucy McConnell</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><em><strong>Christmas Magic is changing and the Kringle Family scrambles to keep up in this fun and entertaining, sweet Christmas romance from Author Lucy McConnell.</strong></em>
A normal electrical substation takes two years to build; but, Lux has 365 days to install one at the North Pole or Christmas Magic will overload the factory and send them back to the Dark Ages.
The one man on the planet with the know-how, the education, and the time to help Lux finish the substation before her Noel deadline, is also the one man who sends sparks through her heart and surges through the power system.
If Lux kisses Matthew Quik—again!—she could blow up Santa’s workshop before she has a chance to save it. If she doesn't kiss him, she may lose him forever.</span><br />
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<strong>Praise for the book:</strong>
"For getting me in the mood for Christmas, and the romantic aspect of this holiday even before Thanksgiving, I’m happy to give Ms. McConnell the 5 STARS I’ve given her book."
"Marrying Miss Kringle: Lux is a funny, tender, magical adventure into the sparkles of Christmas Magic and the sparks of human love."
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2BbfTy1"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33423" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/KindleUnlimitedBuy-snow-Button.jpg" height="75" width="306" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"> Lux’s cheeks dusted pink. With her red hair and fair skin, she should have flushed bright red, but only this sprinkling of pink appeared, like she’d been dusted with pink powdered sugar. Why did this woman bring to mind sweet things like powdered sugar and chocolate and kisses at sunset? He gave his head a mighty shake. “You fell in the water.” “I know.” At least, he thought he knew. Everything had happened so fast. He’d fallen asleep and woken up when the ice cracked. He plopped his feet to the floor only to have them land in several inches of water. His stove had tipped over and the hot metal had melted clear through the ice. There must have been a crack in the ice nearby. “We pulled you out.” “We?” Quik adjusted the blankets over his arms. He could only imagine Lux and Ginger and Frost tearing his clothes off. Lux made to adjust her glasses, but they weren’t there. She looked around like they’d fallen off and she didn’t know how. So he wasn’t the only one thrown off by all this. Quik’s eyes traveled lower to find her bare shoulders and her skintight tank top. He jerked his eyes back up to her face, hoping she hadn’t caught his wandering eye. “Me and Dunder.” She chewed her lip. “My reindeer.” “Of course.” The situation was going up in weirdness. Having used up all his ability to care about propriety, Quik leaned back against the seat. He was in the bottom of a fancy velvet-lined sled. Yep. Weird. His eyes dropped shut. “You cut my pants?” he asked. “I’ll get you new ones,” offered Lux. “Did you cut my shirt too?” “No!” She was offended. That was kind of cute. “Too bad. I needed a new shirt.” He half smiled.
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<strong style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Author Lucy McConnell</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Award-winning author, Lucy McConnell, loves Christmas, romance, chocolate and Elvis.
She started out as an editor at an advertising agency before moving on to teach in the marketing department of the local community college. She loved teaching and often misses the academic environment.
Lucy retired from teaching and began to write articles and sweet romance novels. She has been published in national magazines, newspapers, short story compilations, and she writes cookbooks under the name Christina Dymock.
If she's not at the computer, you can find her trying to keep up with her husband and four kids on the ski slopes, in a boat, in the kitchen, or on a horse.
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="https://lucymcconnell.wordpress.com/"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33370" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-website.png" height="100" width="100" /></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/LucyMcconnellBooks/"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33372" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-instagram-1.png" height="100" width="100" /></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Author-Lucy-McConnell-1489446874414208/"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33373" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-facebook-1.png" height="100" width="100" /></a></span></center>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Also by Lucy McConnell</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Marrying-Miss-Kringle-Lucy-McConnell-ebook/dp/B01MG5KZB2/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=630c21d3c9cdfa5d3a0db7945a45f80a" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01MG5KZB2&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B01MG5KZB2" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Candy-Counter-Heiress-Ridge-Romance-ebook/dp/B06Y4T4QH8/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=e7e487b2bcc67637242989b867de92f8" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B06Y4T4QH8&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B06Y4T4QH8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Christmas-Snow-Valley-Romance-ebook/dp/B00O2I8X7S//ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=5c5ca0367e0e0bc0f7c23dafee750c69" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00O2I8X7S&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00O2I8X7S" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></center>
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">Giveaway Details</span></strong></h2>
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">Ends 12/30/17</span></strong></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">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 <a href="http://iamareader.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">I Am A Reader</a> and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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<b>Thanks for visiting! Be sure to check back tomorrow for the last day of the tour, featuring Cami Checketts!</b></div>
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<br />Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-1201180819340061272017-12-15T04:00:00.000-08:002017-12-15T04:00:01.952-08:00Beauty and Beastly: Steampunk Beauty and the Beast!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy2iRFeILY0OOkEoJ0zvUDAmgzGZs-AXpTDAGjSpPdu2rkA_-LdDY7BKH1uAaI8LsRC9BExl-DKCx4EvppVaY-pDYI296N0SIrbmVoJ6P5cnxFOiCQo4_Relc6Z_zA65jicgOF6AQHrwy/s640/BeautyAndtheBeastlyBlitzBanner.png" width="640" /></div>
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Hiya peeps! I've got a book blitz today that I'm so excited for! If you've been following my blog for any amount of time, you undoubtedly know I <i style="font-weight: bold;">love</i> <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>, and pretty much any retelling of it. I also love steampunk stories, so this is probably a book tailor written for me.</div>
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I'm stoked to share it with you guys, so check it out, and be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post for a chance to win some awesome <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> themed prizes!</div>
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<span style="color: #660000;"><span style="text-align: start;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Beauty and Beastly</span></b></i></span><span style="text-align: start;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Steampunk Beauty and the Beast</span></b></i></span></span></h3>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><i><b><span style="color: #660000; font-size: small;">Steampunk Fairy Tales, #1</span></b></i></span></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36007958-beauty-and-beastly" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Beauty and Beastly" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8oKJCOmLYbxBmz2-JYKB6OZG9Yw1E628tZV1ZnY2yKhcgikJF7zPXWHKgxtvTf-flXpoXPUdBdDksWYvC4chC8dX78ZJL5nFqUppeM58S4BUn0aaXj2TOMMveO7UkRK0VfLP8rQGRAPc/s640/BaB.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Melanie Karsak</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Publication </u></span><span style="color: #660000;"><u>date</u>:</span><span style="color: #7f6000; font-weight: bold;"> December 6th, 2017</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #7f6000;">Adult, Fairy Tales, Steampunk</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36007958-beauty-and-beastly"><b>Goodreads</b></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074MQCWKL/"><b>Amazon</b></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">In this tale as old as time, Isabelle Hawking must tinker a solution to a heartbreaking mystery.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">When Isabelle Hawking and her papa set out from London on a sea voyage, Isabelle is thrilled. Visiting foreign courts, learning from master tinkers, and studying mechanicals is her dream. And it doesn't hurt that the trip also offers Isabelle an escape from her overbearing and unwanted suitor, Gerard LeBoeuf.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">But Isabelle never arrives. Swept up in a tempest, her ship is lost.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">Isabelle survives the storm only to be shipwrecked on a seemingly-deserted island. The magical place, dotted with standing stones, faerie mounds, and a crumbling castle, hints of an ancient past. Isabelle may be an unwilling guest, but her arrival marks a new beginning for the beastly residents of this forgotten land.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #660000;">See how NY Times bestselling author Melanie Karsak puts a steampunk spin on the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.melaniekarsak.com/p/press-kit.html"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKGsMfqtvXSlMLz2TyY-cP4Ts8lXh4cE_5VMkL1b4PdFLYx6ay8tkZ8m_2Mkbuoxz0h2K6zwaEbjJ9e9Al8FDGWsdpcfUhCBK5r44fH1NT8269f2U6cR52CF6QMgp3WXLqFtiVK2WuwI3/s640/About+the+Author+light+blue+hw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6539577.Melanie_Karsak" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Melanie Karsak" border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiRRjls2KC67ACBq3UvlqZ-ndF9Cm5bzRY_MwBwr9UAo0-j5Y5xKqFu6SH5HxWBVSuY3w90RfgAWWQb3mvepLK61Vtjukk2loF0xq1377QQwfGWNm5zgUtfRKP8u0nldMJOjLZu7d7Kwb4/s1600/Melanie.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Melanie Karsak is the author of The Airship Racing Chronicles, The Harvesting Series, The Burnt Earth Series, The Celtic Blood Series and Steampunk Fairy Tales. A steampunk connoisseur, zombie whisperer, and heir to the iron throne, the author currently lives in Florida with her husband and two children. She is an Instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;">~ <u>Connect with Melanie Online</u> ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #7f6000;"><a href="http://www.melaniekarsak.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6539577.Melanie_Karsak">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/melaniekarsak">Twitter</a> ~ <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMelanieKarsak">Facebook</a> ~ <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/melaniekarsak/">Pinterest</a></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: #274e13;">Blitz-Wide Giveaway</span></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3T6bju2rAZ5vQ0tDd0R9GfAwDDSIWSuLK2pF70oC6zeWkF8__Lnw8l7CxYTQwbTQTx37NonGu6BYtxFpTyIUv7v_LS_Zy7VSAAvmRZGtsSa3M5-mtvZNuo0dOoYlbHfjQ0BmOopfb3SG/s1600/Giveaway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1001" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo3T6bju2rAZ5vQ0tDd0R9GfAwDDSIWSuLK2pF70oC6zeWkF8__Lnw8l7CxYTQwbTQTx37NonGu6BYtxFpTyIUv7v_LS_Zy7VSAAvmRZGtsSa3M5-mtvZNuo0dOoYlbHfjQ0BmOopfb3SG/s320/Giveaway.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"> Open Internationally</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Disney’s Belle Funko Pop</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Writing Journal</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Beauty and the Beast Light-up Rose Cup from Disneyland</span></div>
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<b>Thanks for visiting! Have a great day! =D</b></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-51536479953433272712017-12-14T04:00:00.001-08:002017-12-14T15:08:33.808-08:00Day 10 of 12 Days of Clean Romance feat. Annette Larse!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33512" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-Days-Annette-Larsen.png" height="400" width="400" />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2Am2W1P"><img alt="" class="wp-image-33517 aligncenter" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Books-of-Dalthia.jpg" height="173" width="600" /></a>
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<strong><span style="color: #0c343d;">Just Ella by Annette K. Larsen</span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2AkiTFC"><img alt="" class="alignleft wp-image-33511 size-full" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Just-Ella-Cover.jpg" height="500" width="333" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more severe than she'd imagined.
"I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I stared into the darkness beyond my window, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Gavin. He was gone, and I wondered if he would have been better off if he had never met me."</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><strong>Praise for Just Ella</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"> "This book is so well written it felt just perfect. Honest. I loved it from beginning to end." -Aimee Brown, Getting Your Read On
"Full of those tender moments you want to go back and read again, plus exciting moments, clever humor, and some suspense as well." -Jana, The Writer's Assistant
"Loved every second of this book. It was engaging, eventful, beautifully written and hard to put down. It's wonderful for all ages!" -Jen, Goodreads
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"> #1
He gave me a sad smile and shrugged. “I apologize if my bluntness offends you. I figured you would leave if you were upset by me.”
“That would be very rude of me.”
“It’s what I’d expect.”
“Why? Because that’s what a noble would do?”
“Well.” The confusion was back, forcing him to make a slight concession. “Any other noble.” It was somewhat gratifying that he no longer felt compelled to lump me with the nobles he despised. However, the fact remained—I wasn’t a noble. And I knew he would think even less of me when he knew what I was.
I wouldn’t lie. “I told you, I’m not—”
“Come now, Ella. Your tree climbing hasn’t got me fooled.” He used an almost paternal tone, his eyes laughing. “You are nobility, aren’t you?”
I buried my hurt. “No, I’m something worse.”
“Oh, come now, I don’t think that badly of people. The only thing that might be worse is royalty.” How charming he was, even when insulting me.
I stood silent for a moment, wondering if he would catch on. When he continued to gaze at me, I simply said, “Exactly.”
A look of horror crossed his face and I gave him a sad smile before turning to leave.
“Oh,” I heard him stuttering behind me, sounding utterly mortified. “No, I…my apologies, miss—Your Highness,” he corrected himself sharply. “Princess, I’m so very sorry, I…”
I shook my head as I turned to face him again. He looked so different: the confidence, the grin, the amusement were all gone, replaced with a look akin to physical pain. “It’s all right,” I said quietly. “You’re not wrong.” I should have inclined my head, waiting for him to bow before I left. Instead I lifted my hand in farewell.
#2
I wanted to have a friendship with this young man, and in order to do so, I knew I had to be honest. “Because of who I am, it’s often difficult to judge a person’s sincerity.” He didn’t say anything, so I went on. “I’ve heard countless flattering words in my life, about anything and everything I do. I never know who to believe.” I tried to look at him, but couldn’t. “It makes friendships difficult; friendship requires sincerity, not flattery.” I glanced up and saw that his expression appeared a bit bewildered, like he had seen something for the first time—something confusing.
“I can understand that,” was his eventual response.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I never shared confidences with anyone.
He walked closer, which surprised me in and of itself, and sat down next to me. I was speechless, and relieved when he started a conversation.
“So,” he said, turning toward me, “tell me the most absurd thing someone has said to you in order to flatter their way into your good graces.”
A smile broke over my face as comments began flying through my head, from the most blundering to the most eloquent compliments. “Oh,” I sighed in amusement, “I don’t know that I could pick just one.”
“So, tell me more than one.”
That was the beginning for us. It was tentative and shaky, but I came back the next day and the day after. We continued to talk and I continued to explore.
#3
He laughed along with me, then became serious. “Might I ask you something?”
“Of course.” I found it curious that he would ask. I thought we had moved beyond that.
He hesitated for just a breath before asking, “What would happen if someone found us here together?”
My shoulders tensed, but I willed myself to maintain my composure. “What do you mean?”
He narrowed his eyes. “You know what I mean. How much trouble would I be in?”
My gaze fell to my fidgeting hands. “You wouldn’t.”
“I wouldn’t?”
“My mother would know it was my idea. I wouldn’t let the blame fall to you.” He seemed puzzled by my response. “I’m the one intruding,” I clarified. “You’re only doing your job.”
“You’re not intruding.”
I smiled. “I have to go.” I stooped to pick up my slippers and walked away from him. “Meet me here tomorrow morning.”
“Is that an order?” he asked lightly.
“No,” I said over my shoulder before lifting the hem of my skirts and hurrying gingerly along the winding stone path. Just before I slipped out of sight, I glanced back to see him looking mystified.
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<strong style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Author Annette K. Larsen</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">I was born in Utah, but migrated to Arizona, Missouri, and Virginia before settling in Idaho.
Though I dabbled in writing throughout school, being an author seemed like an unattainable dream. It took me seven years to write my first book, Just Ella. During that time, I taught myself how to write a novel. Not the most time effective method, but it gave me an education I wouldn’t have received from a class or a how-to book. Something about the struggle of writing without a formula or rules worked for me.
I write clean romance because I love it. Jane Eyre is the hero of my youth and taught me that clinging to your convictions will be hard, but will bring you more genuine happiness than giving in ever can.
I love chocolate, Into the Woods, ocean waves, my husband, and my five littles. And I love books that leave me with a sigh of contentment.
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://www.annetteklarsen.com/"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33370" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-website.png" height="100" width="100" /></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/authoraklarsen/"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33373" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-facebook-1.png" height="100" width="100" /></a><a href="https://twitter.com/Annetteklarsen"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33369" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-twitter-1.png" height="100" width="100" /></a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/annetteklarsen/"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33372" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-instagram-1.png" height="100" width="100" /></a></span></center>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Also by Annette K. Larsen</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KC7YXSQ//ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=4aa3f8be6c85d25f80bd92e774eac0ca" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00KC7YXSQ&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00KC7YXSQ" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V5A3GZU//ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=f59cfeb55dc08305b8e176a4acc0ba95" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00V5A3GZU&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00V5A3GZU" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></center>
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">Ends 12/28/17</span></strong></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">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 <a href="http://iamareader.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">I Am A Reader</a> and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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<b>Thanks for visiting! Check back tomorrow for day 11, featuring author Lucy McConnell!</b></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-82455812798994074152017-12-14T04:00:00.000-08:002017-12-14T04:00:16.834-08:00"Monsterland" by Michael Okon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://yaboundbooktours.blogspot.com/2017/10/blog-tour-sign-up-monsterland-by.html"><img alt=" Book Tour" border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="850" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxw7teAovR4Q1V6FsQz2ztdoYcsKsbnodTBghI2yvgsYYDYemamPR_Kb8VzR0xCb17nfoL7kWYTA71Kyak_o05cd9JwIHo5TlklG0P0RboCXAB96MxibYF1skhSB3pYVh0kA4lc1FlhNz6/s640/Monsterland+tour+banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hiya peeps! I've got a fun book for you today, fitting for any fan of paranormal humor. I've included two trailers for you to watch, and see if it catches your attention.</div>
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Check it out!</div>
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<i><span style="color: #660000; font-size: x-large;">Monsterland</span></i></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35995948-monsterland" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Monsterland" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1052" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhDNHnBxWh6ej3qgY79bA6tlCh5lL2U3czXruXDjeCAD_iN9bRK-xKzGHv4q6gBq5EK-4z5ZVkS_BTBMgu8IJ6nme9SeByOxAjRo_eLy9lWawhySsjJYMtEwFZIcUN2qTRcPB6mNfR1EQ/s640/Monsterland+W+BORDER.jpg" title="" width="420" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Author</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">Michael Okon</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Released</u></span>: <b><span style="color: #444444;">October 13th 2017</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Publisher</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">Wordfire Press</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #660000;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">Young Adult, Paranormal</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35995948-monsterland">Goodreads</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0751F3B3S">Amazon </a></b></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">Welcome to Monsterland, the scariest place on earth. When world markets are decimated by a crippling plague, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, Vincent Konrad decides to place monsters in a theme park setting to promote education and tolerance. Copper Valley is chosen as the primary site for the park in the United States. Wyatt Baldwin, a high school senior is dying to go to the opening and when he lands special passes to the park, he and his friends are expecting the experience of a lifetime. After all, in a theme park where real zombies, werewolves, and vampires are the main attractions, what could possibly go wrong?</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzssjg8BTVoehj87N-TwfyzEH46xv6V_wfnL7KKHBcHIDdmapvrbS2oIxkCXt_kWnzmaYloa9M_W_iHYiEiFjIQWiua9GvSp70t5L25t3YcMNpm7TYJWiD7h4J3eenbHJJSqogksiM-4Y/s1600/MONSTERLAND+GIF+2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="720" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzssjg8BTVoehj87N-TwfyzEH46xv6V_wfnL7KKHBcHIDdmapvrbS2oIxkCXt_kWnzmaYloa9M_W_iHYiEiFjIQWiua9GvSp70t5L25t3YcMNpm7TYJWiD7h4J3eenbHJJSqogksiM-4Y/s640/MONSTERLAND+GIF+2.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.michaelokon.com/"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoi-MyS-V5_ETVJ6O7qqbIo_1s5ljZNhnT91xFSwX3QNGwaoaLTDu1W0Cr_nZJoB3WDBY2QhanPlFP0B2h6gRHvtoUpnBu02b2u-38q-A4AmqZOifu4_bNClzFLJDGJ8v4XOTZroCvYOHb/s640/About+the+Author+dark+blue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17091819.Michael_Okon" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Michael Okon" border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="1600" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja06fWaBMEq8F_ClmlvofgLnsxwoAAdAW9oWvKXdWdtr8c5RYd4O-YoGJtvVT3xQe-G5jimOV1r0yek3SI0DnpdmqPECxVnVhUg9-xscWGf0ZKNm34m2DmwAd9F8w9807kZGddH5A46Foi/s320/michael+okon+headshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">Michael Okon is an award-winning and best-selling author of multiple genres including paranormal, thriller, horror, action/adventure and self-help. He graduated from Long Island University with a degree in English, and then later received his MBA in business and finance.Coming from a family of writers, he has storytelling is his DNA. Michael has been writing from as far back as he can remember, his inspiration being his love for films and their impact on his life. From the time he saw The Goonies, he was hooked on the idea of entertaining people through unforgettable characters. Michael is a lifelong movie buff, a music playlist aficionado, and a sucker for self-help books. He lives on the North Shore of Long Island with his wife and children. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;">~ <u>Connect with Michael Online</u> ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444;"><a href="http://www.michaelokon.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17091819.Michael_Okon">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="http://twitter.com/IAmMichaelOkon">Twitter</a> ~ <a href="http://instagram.com/iammichaelokon">Instagram</a> ~ <a href="http://facebook.com/iammichaelokon">Facebook</a> ~ <a href="http://snapchat.com/add/iammichaelokon">Snapchat</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytKKV32qKtdzx_lSypbYMQjo1QDdIYUyjJx8Zg9FyRLRGnRDk6lftfNRGQgO-p5VYYOE33tChyphenhyphenwcBQJCCDcrvkznwH8-O1giv4R7DjaLRM795WtFTJtHkzUoOJPwr4DOOk5wsuPj7Jihv/s1600/MONSTERLAND+GIF+1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytKKV32qKtdzx_lSypbYMQjo1QDdIYUyjJx8Zg9FyRLRGnRDk6lftfNRGQgO-p5VYYOE33tChyphenhyphenwcBQJCCDcrvkznwH8-O1giv4R7DjaLRM795WtFTJtHkzUoOJPwr4DOOk5wsuPj7Jihv/s640/MONSTERLAND+GIF+1.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Thanks for visiting! Have a great day! =D</b></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-74468931500741140262017-12-13T04:00:00.001-08:002017-12-13T04:00:42.473-08:00"Rebirth" Dystopian Review & Epic Sale Event!Hiya peeps! I'm super excited to share a fantastic series event with you today. The author is having a massive sale for the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Retribution-Praegressus-Project-Book-5-ebook/dp/B076YCP99R/">5th Book in the Series</a> - the <b>first three books in the series free for the week</b> (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rebirth-Praegressus-Project-Book-1-ebook/dp/B06XJNVQ2P/">Rebirth</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XQ8TYYR">Renegades</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071J324R3">Retaliation</a>) to celebrate the release of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076YCP99R/ref=series_rw_dp_sw">book 5, Retribution</a>! That is epic! You can read the first three books free, and believe me, you'll want to. If you're a fan of the Hunger Games, Stranger Things, or any dystopian fantasy, you'll want to add this series to your collection.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">~ About the Series ~</span></b></h3>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076ZSDBTS?ref=series_rw_dp_labf"><img alt=" Teaser #1" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1200" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn65cMPv4jTAaLOXxiNYce7YZw7vAH6VZgz05R6Qlh10hdK7ZowKJQ70qk75O0D2bmQXAGv7GvOoGHtGVdjLGk1RcmyNvm0fehpUsENGuhOgETpWx6TMh9zk1LnXEI_6u1prkZyub_vA8/s400/Three+Books+%25282%2529.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">The United States have fallen. A new power has risen in North America, but now a terrifying virus is spreading across the countryside. Once infected, people change, mutating into superhuman creatures known as the Chead. Wherever they walk, death follows. Desperate to defend its citizens, the government launches the Praegressus Project – an experimental program to enhance the human race.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Elizabeth Flores was just a normal girl – until the Chead slaughtered her parents and made her a fugitive. With winter approaching she seeks refuge in the city of Sacramento, but the hunters are waiting. Abducted off the streets, she’s spirited away to a facility deep in the Californian mountains. There, Liz wakes in an iron cage – and she’s not alone.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">In the opposite cage, Christopher Sanders stands wrongfully accused of treason. Along with Liz, he has just become a volunteer in the Praegressus Project. Stripped of their rights, they will soon learn there is little separating humanity from the monsters they seek to destroy. The two must work together if they want to survive, but even then, their chances are slim. Of course, only the lucky get to die.</span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #274e13;">Blending the insane experiments of Stranger Things and the haunting dystopia of the Hunger Games, fans will love this thrilling new series. Discover a future where the powerful rule without mercy, and nothing is ever as it seems. With hints of YA Dystopia, Genetic Scifi, Urban Fantasy and just a touch of Romance, the Praegressus Project truly has something for everyone. Enter a new world with New York Times Bestselling Author Aaron Hodges.</span><br />
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<b>Check out my review of book 1 in the series, <i>Rebirth</i> before you pick up your copies <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076ZSDBTS?ref=series_rw_dp_labf">HERE</a>! =D</b></div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #0c343d; font-size: x-large;">Rebirth</span></b></i></h3>
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<i><b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Praegressus Project #1</span></b></i></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34691903-rebirth" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Rebirth" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrOZywEMoxooaLYsNYIJsOv_mJ08lBRQnb5FtEnIGe5yX6026tvJHcEhQ5kzqc5ajbYDStUHM67cWGQ04n_fXfVT91vPsbikYRjChhcD4fnurQCE5MUQiIflu1x3e1RLXpthuRtaPeTRU/s640/34691903.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Released</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #274e13;">March 27th 2017</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Length</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #274e13;">268 Pages</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #274e13;">Dystopian, Sci-Fi, Fantasy</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34691903-rebirth">Goodreads</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rebirth-Praegressus-Project-Book-1-ebook/dp/B06XJNVQ2P/">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">The United States have fallen. A new power has risen in North America, but now a terrifying virus is spreading across the countryside. Once infected, people change, mutating into superhuman creatures known as the Chead. Wherever they walk, death follows. Desperate to defend its citizens, the government launches the Praegressus Project – an experimental program to enhance the human race.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">Elizabeth Flores was just a normal girl – until the Chead slaughtered her parents and made her a fugitive. With winter approaching she seeks refuge in the city of Sacramento, but the hunters are waiting. Abducted off the streets, she’s spirited away to a facility deep in the Californian mountains. There, Liz wakes in an iron cage – and she’s not alone.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">In the opposite cage, Christopher Sanders stands wrongfully accused of treason. Along with Liz, he has just become a volunteer in the Praegressus Project. Stripped of their rights, they will soon learn there is little separating humanity from the monsters they seek to destroy. The two must work together if they want to survive, but even then, their chances are slim. Of course, only the lucky get to die.</span><br />
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #0c343d;">Blending the insane experiments of Stranger Things and the haunting dystopia of the Hunger Games, fans will love this thrilling new series. Discover a future where the powerful rule without mercy, and nothing is ever as it seems. With hints of YA Dystopia, Genetic Scifi, Urban Fantasy and just a touch of Romance, the Praegressus Project truly has something for everyone. Enter a new world with New York Times Bestselling Author Aaron Hodges.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.aaronhodges.co.nz/about/"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH7ap-eBmEDyrUJ7f4bK_p6Sfvfkymhz2dUQ-zSnPmNna2wXkWwozTLyU-LvYq0w_wIkVz6cQ-jbiYPCJWJ_1wisrEEJjvXosCvFxSn09eowIMRmP-uVHL0COBwRbifIPBIsSxR0f4O44/s640/About+the+Author+green+script.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14713614.Aaron_Hodges" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Aaron Hodges" border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVnx_HCiKgYJVaNe7uimcLMsf0iFaUVAya-I_BWsKlbreJuapwrzCV6ZYkBVZ6fDG2_6XZd761sPavu8wXedBUNWAWh7TCJoE3E72wLiMAGk1yd5DOCup_7c54pIi3HXMO28ynXuMwNyc/s200/14713614.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">Aaron Hodges was born in 1989 in the small town of Whakatane, New Zealand. He studied for five years at the University of Auckland, completing a Bachelor's of Science in Biology and Geography, and a Masters of Environmental Engineering. After working as an environmental consultant for two years, he now spends his time traveling the world in search of his next adventure.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">~ <u>Connect with Aaron Online</u> ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><a href="http://www.aaronhodges.co.nz/">Website</a> ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14713614.Aaron_Hodges">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/aarondhodges">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYEzLZYjjXaB3SKWHXOsUR9f4rLN0fWdK5L9dBy717KvtusFlBHz9WNhBSrw1l_Tul02r-KrO3dcL5yIMrMg5tkFI7SWsxjSggin_ujKo9DJKXlWPg7i_YsAh3hA7EDOqMfWX-6Mx-As/s640/Dark+red+on+black+my+review.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuQSjuvpWpxjk0wZtdOYp2VCRUoDpOwEnfLYRf4Uo_ORCmbM4bwp5gsoK66sfeRwxmkrbKC0jFKhXfVtGLNMDrH0ZSyJMBo2rj86tN8EisCoF8SM3SeNRuCQST_G0V5q73eXFq8dUvWw/s1600/5+Roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="750" height="53" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxuQSjuvpWpxjk0wZtdOYp2VCRUoDpOwEnfLYRf4Uo_ORCmbM4bwp5gsoK66sfeRwxmkrbKC0jFKhXfVtGLNMDrH0ZSyJMBo2rj86tN8EisCoF8SM3SeNRuCQST_G0V5q73eXFq8dUvWw/s320/5+Roses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is fiction, right?</div>
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Books that pull me in so much it seems like a new reality, are beyond amazing. I adore books written that well, with a story engaging enough to be so fully encompassing while I explore it. While it's obvious this series is fiction, it's written well enough to be a fantastic escape into a dystopian adventure, and one I enjoyed more than most in the genre.<br />
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Liz and Chris are in unique situations, brought together for a common reason: kidnapped and held hostage by the government, voluntold for an experimental project. While they struggle to survive, and wish for death, they learn more about themselves, the modern world they find themselves in, and secrets they wish they'd never uncovered.<br />
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Starting the series off, <i>Rebirth</i> sets the stage for a thrilling series that would definitely become a favorite for me, I'm sure. The first book in the series is already in my top five best books of 2017, and I'm ecstatic to have had the chance to read it. I hope to experience the rest of the series in the future. Everything I've seen from Aaron Hodges so far is impressive, and he's an easy go-to author for when I need a book I know I'll enjoy.<br />
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I highly recommend this book and series, and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!<br />
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<i>*I was given a complimentary eCopy of this book, from the author, to read in exchange for an honest review.</i><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076ZSDBTS?ref=series_rw_dp_labf"><img alt=" Teaser #2" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1200" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9M53WDgbHq-s9rEkn_z_iy5vh1KmixDfpKeYGOakosXgcp6p-HDx0cfqV8I3-jctPfzNgsvHwOCYFpLjK_-73LPDdK6tbuh-815wJs6neQlaNmE_v266AhhXjNSdJsqW23peMVox1HFc/s400/Three+Books.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Be sure to take advantage of the <i>limited-time</i> sale going on right now, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076ZSDBTS?ref=series_rw_dp_labf">pick up the <b><i>first three books</i></b> in the series</a>! </div>
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Thanks for visiting - have a fantastic day! =D</div>
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<br />Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-23138337899384644422017-12-13T04:00:00.000-08:002017-12-14T15:08:16.739-08:00Day 9 of 12 Days of Clean Romance feat. Heather B. Moore!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33488" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-Days-Heather-Moore.png" height="400" width="400" />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2i1yTUB"><img alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-33490 size-full" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Falling-Covers-2.jpg" height="302" width="580" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">The Falling Series</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Contemporary Romance Novellas from USA Today bestselling author Heather B. Moore.</span></div>
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<strong style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Falling for Sydney</span></strong></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Sydney has been the perfect friend, the perfect daughter, and Rian checks off on her perfect fiancé list. But when Sydney notices a strange truck parked in her fiancé’s parking spot, she’s in for the surprise of her life. Not only is Rian not who she thought he was, but his brother Jake is about to turn her life upside down.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><strong style="text-align: start;">Falling for Maria</strong><span style="text-align: start;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"> At twenty-six, Maria is holding out for the perfect man to share the rest of her life with. Josh seems to be that man, but after months of dating, their relationship is at a stand-still. Maria plans to nudge Josh forward, but when the company she works for is bought out, her new boss Walker seems determined to change Maria’s idea of the perfect man. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Once a year, June Dawson goes on vacation with her best friends from high school. When she arrives in Maui, she realizes she's the odd-woman out. With Sydney engaged, and Maria nearly so, June wonders if anyone will ever fall for her. Then June meets Lance, their gorgeous next door bungalow neighbor at the Maui resort, and she's definitely charmed. But after her recent breakup, June refuses to fall for gorgeous, or charming, again. </span><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2AeWsnq"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33361" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-amazon-square.png" height="150" width="150" /></a> </span></div>
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<strong style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Author Heather B. Moore</span></strong></div>
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<img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-19734" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/heather-moore.jpg" height="266" width="190" /></span></div>
<span style="color: #0c343d;"> Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women's fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah. Heather is represented by Jane Dystel of Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret.
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://hbmoore.com/"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33370" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-website.png" height="100" width="100" /></a><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/37783537691/"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33373" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-facebook-1.png" height="100" width="100" /></a><a href="https://twitter.com/heatherbmoore"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-33369" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/12-days-twitter-1.png" height="100" width="100" /></a></span></center>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="http://hbmoore.com/contact/"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-33471" src="http://www.iamareader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Newsletter-1.png" height="80" width="357" /></a>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;">Also by Heather B. Moore</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Picture-Perfect-Aliso-Creek-Book-ebook/dp/B011ANCN5K/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1512002421&sr=8-4&keywords=heather+moore+picture&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=ee87db61b148ba7683a776f0620850fd" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B011ANCN5K&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B011ANCN5K" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Third-Times-Charm-Aliso-Creek-ebook/dp/B00AJRLI7S/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1512002435&sr=8-1&keywords=heather+moore+third&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=8266f3fa843612176bf58067c423e750" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00AJRLI7S&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00AJRLI7S" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fortune-Cafe-Tangerine-Street-Romance-ebook/dp/B00J0CWFV6/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1512002451&sr=8-1&keywords=heather+moore+fortune+cafe&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=badbf3411224b60fe7f6778e8f7fec65" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00J0CWFV6&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00J0CWFV6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></center>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ocean-Away-Heather-B-Moore-ebook/dp/B01NAPCVRN/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1512002465&sr=8-1&keywords=heather+moore+ocean+away&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=1ff98cc9b4fa29f3048e37fc4f1c440a" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01NAPCVRN&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B01NAPCVRN" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Grand-Tour-Timeless-Victorian-Collection-ebook/dp/B076K52QF1/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1512002470&sr=8-1&keywords=heather+moore+grand+tour&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=348d9972ab397a2cbfee2d6c472f6e38" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B076K52QF1&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B076K52QF1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ruth-Heather-B-Moore-ebook/dp/B0758JVB2G/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1512002475&sr=8-1&keywords=heather+moore+Ruth&linkCode=li3&tag=12dayscr-20&linkId=f5fb1dc3853e0910832afe617ed85f1b" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0758JVB2G&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=12dayscr-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=12dayscr-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B0758JVB2G" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span></center>
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">Giveaway Details</span></strong></h2>
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #274e13;">Ends 12/27/17</span></strong></div>
<span style="color: #274e13;">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 <a href="http://iamareader.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">I Am A Reader</a> and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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<b>Thanks for visiting! Be sure to check back tomorrow for day 10, featuring Annette Larsen!</b></div>
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<b>Have a great day! =D</b></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1950851155924585223.post-11286109025270391202017-12-12T06:00:00.000-08:002017-12-12T06:00:39.355-08:00C.R. Richard's 2017 Holiday Tour!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.rogercharlie.com/2017-holiday-tour-with-cr-richards"><img alt=" Holiday Tour" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVYNtMGHPaE8wykB_DRWdWvscTNiEk2JX6K_ccFFIB4freoTUa0KdcCQv0XUR6NlCze3zvRJCEXDzC9S742VVPkfazhd48O2hLjlSvVDcWXT_r85iPO2AwVJgrWsyQogRFRefmuKArTA/s400/Tour+Badge.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Author C.R. Richards is in the holiday spirit, and giving away some incredible gifts this month! Check out my post for her "Stocking Full of Prizes" tour for your chance to win some incredible items:</div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/USAopoly-CL006-398-Firefly-Clue-Game/dp/B00L9OPFL0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511893383&sr=8-1&keywords=Clue+Firefly">Clue Firefly</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.stashtea.com/">A Stash Tea Gift Set</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.ghirardelli.com/">Ghirardelli Chocolate</a></div>
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Amazon Gift Card</div>
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A Snuggly Stuffed Lion</div>
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Signed Copies of Both Books in the Heart of the Warrior Series</div>
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Check out the exclusive author interview before you enter the <i style="font-weight: bold;">two</i> giveaways available at the bottom of the post!</div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Obsidian Gates</span></span></b></i><i><b><span style="color: #783f04;">Heart of the Warrior, #2</span> </b></i></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36502812-the-obsidian-gates" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" Obsidian Gates" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMJhe0i4JKrAzDZ50oNSF495FtCnMt-SRIslmO_WcaAf9OhpTdNIHzXw0YsuEOvR4-17K0nF3ISMFKvfT91TIMPAhJUyRGCnsz4HLt6YvybsQ34CpabJ-HBW7FR-Hb1Yt3SnBznl_YWE/s640/The+Obsidian+Gates+Book+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~<u>Author</u>:</span><b><span style="color: #444444;"> C.R. Richards</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~<u>Released</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">November 17th 2017</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~<u>Length</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">585 Pages</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">Fantasy, Adult Fiction</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36502812-the-obsidian-gates">Goodreads</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Obsidian-Gates-Heart-Warrior/dp/0990669459">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;"><span style="text-align: center;">The epic tale continues. A new covenant has been forged in the chaos of war. Its price is nothing less than </span><span style="text-align: center;">the Bearer of the Lion Ring's soul.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;">The rivalry for dominance over the continent of Andara has taken a dark turn. Eternal enemies - the Jalora and the Sarcion - pit their forces against one another in bloody battle. Good weakens, betrayed by the very humans it has sworn to protect. Valdeon, its stronghold on Andara, falls to sword and flame. The fires of its destruction are set alight by barbaric invaders from across the sea. Their brutal hand conquers the land in a night, exiling the Lords of Valdeon - Sacred Guard of the Covenant. Cut off from the center of their power, the Jalora's greatest heroes are helpless to defend their homeland.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;">Hope still lingers. Seth D'Antoiné, Bearer of the Lion Ring, journeys to the great Obsidian Citadel seeking a magical relic, the Book of Ancients. Its power could hold the key to Andara's defense. He alone can open its pages, sparking the magic into life and restoring the Jalora's waning power. Finding the book won't be easy. Elusive Obsidian Gates - appearing and then vanishing again by their own will - keep the secret of the book's location well hidden.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #783f04;">In the depths of the mountain fortress, he finds treachery and intrigue hiding within its walls. Can Seth open the Book of Ancients before the Sarcion's men find him? Or will the power of Good leave the land forever? Andara's future awaits behind the Obsidian Gates…</span></span></div>
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<i><b><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: x-large;">The Lords of Valdeon</span></b></i></h3>
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<i><b><span style="color: #783f04; font-size: large;">Book 1</span></b></i></h3>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27240503-the-lords-of-valdeon" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt=" Lords of Valdeon" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfbrlrky7zMNT87KEKJCr8Xc6bTe8VhiFoLlQZWggD45VPN-G5xPGQegZgcHLQLPQkixTvlZXqkLMfxeMzmZ8889yqLlYgepWinSkV7KuhyrUQJJP5uy9pNIfij57MBPrcO7JLQ5f05kU/s640/The+Lords+of+Valdeon+Book+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~<u>Released</u>: </span><span style="color: #444444;"> <b>November 1st 2015</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~<u>Length</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">448 Pages</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">~<u>Genres</u>:</span> <b><span style="color: #444444;">Fantasy, Adult Fiction</span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27240503-the-lords-of-valdeon">Goodreads</a></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0990669432">Amazon</a></b></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">A new series from award winning Author, C.R. Richards: The epic tale of two men begins. The first - a man of honor trying desperately to turn his country from civil war. The other - a boy struggling to discover his destiny before agents of evil find him first.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">Coveted by two ancient enemies of a long forgotten age, the continent of Andara holds the key to victory in an endless struggle for dominance. Eight hundred years have passed since the god-like Jalora struck a bargain with the first King of Valdeon. The Lion Ring, symbol of the covenant and conduit of power, gives its bearer incredible abilities. The ring's borrowed magic protects the people of Andara from covetous evil, but there is a price. As with most predators, the Lion Ring must feed. Only the blood of the D'Antoiné family line will satisfy its hunger.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #783f04;">A rival for Andara's treasures, the Sarcion has waited impatiently for its time upon the land. Whispers of treason in the right ear aid its treachery. The King of Valdeon mysteriously disappears, leaving his lands in danger of a civil war by the hand of a murderous usurper. His Lion Ring is lost and the covenant is broken. The Jalora's power begins to seep away from the land. Evil's foot hold grows stronger. Can the Lords of Valdeon, Sacred Guard of the covenant, stop the tides of war? Or will Andara fall into chaos? The future rests in the blood of a boy...</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #274e13; font-size: x-large;">Praise for Heart of the Warrior Series</span></b></h3>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">“The Obsidian Gates (Heart of the Warrior Book Two), by C.R. Richards, is a gripping tale of courage and sacrifice as the men who have sworn to save their land Andara battle the evil forces intent upon gaining command of it. The appealing, vividly-drawn characters struggle to overcome centuries of political intrigue as well as mysterious powers arrayed against them. In this sequel to The Lords of Valdeon, (Heart of the Warrior Book One) the award-winning Richards continues this sweeping adventure in breathtaking style.” - Yvonne Montgomery, Author of the Wisdom Court Books, <i>Edge of the Shadow; A Signal Shown; All in Bad Time</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">“C.R. Richards is an excellent storyteller. The story carries you along at a good pace, while maximizing suspense and piquing your curiosity. As an adult, I loved it, and I think my teenagers would enjoy it, too.” </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">“I was hooked! There’s something about these characters that just made me need to know what happens to them all!”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">“C.R. Richards is an amazing writer. Amazing…my expectations are high for upcoming books in the series.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">“Intense and involved” </span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">“This is not your typical evil vs good story. It grips you through the entire journey and has your full attention.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">“Great blend of suspense, intrigue and adventure. Highly recommend this read.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;">"This book is like the Night Circus in its extensive descriptions, mixed with Star Wars' family feud, with a hint of fantasy and mystery mixed in. I think this is an amazing start to the series, and my expectations are high for the nextbook!" </span><br />
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<a href="http://crrichards.com/About.html"><img alt=" About the Author" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mNbmGckA9kjVoowGyL3SyA0zAsa-2Kut2vTt5bFLv6lyMO5wvaVrVqmkElvrvgPQpupKT58_2f7GLonurqsMf7e5aDqm7lKO2BcMBz6Og_PuPoHU1tQ0hK_9dFdTr6DZAz8UzZYPAxM/s640/About+the+Author+green+script.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6916667.C_R_Richards" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt=" C.R. Richards" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ON2g9ZsrWkN7x4aP2lyYYnWuA1Tb0des0f4vnC9c5vcnFxzAq48D8QMNZ8vsCz0L2eaWS3HZmQaPSQolqSdt2JlvjNa_cJcY5i7lFsLs6mAXqOq0Sw_hVMpWii9kOGNdO94hhFWKgj8/s320/Richards-BIO.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">A huge lover of horror and dark fantasy stories, C. R. Richards enjoys telling tales of intrigue and adventure. Having began writing as a part-time columnist for a small entertainment newspaper, Richards has worn several hats: food critic, entertainment reviewer and cranky editor. She has now published a handful of novels, including Phantom Harvest - book one in The Mutant Casebook Series - which took home the EPIC eBook Award for Fantasy in 2014. Richards beat out entries from the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and other English speaking countries. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;">The youngest of five army brats, Richards was born on a military base in Utah. She spent much of her childhood in the back of her family’s sky blue station wagon on trips to see her grandmother - who would show her how to spot faeries in the backyard. <i>“Sometimes she’d put candy in small silk slippers and tell us the pixies had done it,”</i> says Richards. <i>“She’s the one who gave me my love of fantasy creatures.” </i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;">Her most recent literary projects include the horror short story, Lost Man's Parish and the newly-released dark fantasy thriller, Pariah. She is an active member of <a href="http://rmfw.org/">Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers</a> and Horror Writers Association. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;">In November, Richards releases her epic dark fantasy novel <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Obsidian-Gates-Heart-Warrior/dp/0990669459/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1508876418&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=C.R.+Richards+-+The+Obsidian+Gates">The Obsidian Gates</a>, the second installment in the Heart of the Warrior series. Through her storytelling, Richards aims to reach lovers of fantasy who are exploring alternatives to the traditional status quo. Her message is simple: One person can be a catalyst for change.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #741b47;">~ <u>Connect with C.R. Richards Onlin</u>e ~</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47;"><a href="http://crrichards.com/">Website</a> ~ <a href="http://tinyurl.com/AuthorCRRichards">Goodreads</a> ~ <a href="http://facebook.com/authorcrrichards">Facebook</a> ~ <a href="http://twitter.com/CR_Richards%20Instagram">Twitter</a></span></div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRQTahGCnZI1sU8zzOtWTHhxJ98mYgZ4XfKj4NlGYLDKP0Y2T4LuAU_PAe3l3RiFRA7tEgqqNuCiktzT4TxdGGKUJnIIFhi32FUtdQkShh-l577R12iPCcy0EueDDKpTmKswnOoXnyjU/s640/Author+Interview.jpg" width="640" /></div>
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<i><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">*Provided by <a href="http://www.rogercharlie.com/2017-holiday-tour-with-cr-richards">Roger Charlie</a></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Obsidian Gates</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the second book in your </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heart of Warrior</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> series. Can you catch readers up on where you left off in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lords of Valdeon?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Seth is the new Bearer of the Lion Ring. He and his squire, Riley, are on the run from the same blood thirsty creatures who murdered his father - Edmund the Leo. Escaping Marianna, with the help of Xavier the Wolf, they set sail aboard a cargo ship headed toward the mainland of Andara. Seth is determined to find answers about his parents and the family behind their murders.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Julian, after arranging Edmund’s murder, continues his attempts to kill the new Bearer of the Lion Ring. He tries to pursue Seth, but is stopped by the invading Jackal. Julian is taken to their command ship to find he’s been outsmarted by the Jackal General, Lord Gorman. Hopes of seizing the throne of Valdeon begin to Dwindle. Julian isn’t one to be easily stymied. He begins plotting for new ways to exact his revenge.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">What do you think will surprise readers most about this new chapter in your series?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The main characters in the series are devastated by loss in book two. They have their homes and their loved ones torn away by invaders. I think the readers will find encouragement in their ability to endure through all the trials they face.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Was there any special research you conducted while writing </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Obsidian Gates?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I love doing research and had several topics to pursue in this book: old schooners and potential designs to turn them into airships, basic military ranks and protocol, and my favorite - visiting Key West for location ideas.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Epic Fantasy’s take big imagination! Can you tell us how the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heart of the Warrior </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">series</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">came to fruition?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">All my story ideas start with one pivotal scene I envision in an intense and vivid dream. The first seed of an idea for the Heart of the Warrior Series came to me when I dreamed of a boy from the 18th century. He was kneeling beside his mother's grave in a cemetery beside a high seaside cliff. A strange man joined him there. The scene made me wonder who the man was and his relation to the boy. They were strangers. I could tell from the man's dress, he was a foreigner.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I began to ask several "What if" questions to flesh out the story: What if the man was the boy's estranged father? What if his mother had hidden him in the remote village? WHY? Who are these people and what brought about the tragedy that bound them to one another? I wanted to find out and the only way to get to the truth was to write the first book.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">What fascinates you the most about writing?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The act of creating art - whether it be writing, music or visual art - is a miracle. We begin with a blank surface. The object we create when we've finished isn't done by the holder of the pen or the brush - something guides our hand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I'm always fascinated when I go back and read a passage out of the novel I'm working on. Very rarely do I remember writing the words. It's almost as if my mind goes and retrieves the story from another realm. I think, perhaps, this is the reason I work so hard to finish each story. I don't know where they come from or why they come to me. I just know I've been given the responsibility to bring them out and make them available for everyone to read.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Was that part of what made you want to pursue life as an author?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">I'd always dreamed of being a writer. Unfortunately, I gave up on the dream for many years while I pursued other careers. Eventually I became a miserable and depressed mess. I turned to the one thing I knew would make me happy. Once I picked up my pen and paper again, I never stopped.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">People glibly throw around the term, "Living the dream." I am living my dream. I can't wait to get out of bed in the morning and share my unique vision with the world via my stories. It really does make a huge difference in your life. Purpose gets you out of bed in the morning with hope and happiness. It makes your outlook positive and productive.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Who has influenced you the most in your writing?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">My father was an amazing person. He lied about his age to join the army during WWII. Dad was captured and taken on the death march. He faced hard challenges his entire life, but he always kept trying. He taught me to be tough and to work for what I want in life.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dad was also a beautiful artist and a writer. He never sought fame, but was always supportive of his creative children. Though Dad passed away several years ago, I still hear his voice in my head during those hard times. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep going. You'll make it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Have you ever had a mentor, or someone who sparked your passion?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll never forget the year </span><a href="http://www.josephfinder.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York Times Best Selling author Joseph Finder</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> came to the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers conference here in Denver. He is so kind and supportive - no matter the level of success he achieves, he remains genuine. His workshop changed my outlook on writing. He told us our first draft of the book would be terrible. Accept it. Then just write the crappy draft (his words!). The important thing is to finish. You can correct all your mistakes later. Essentially, he gave me permission to not be perfect. My books can never be perfect, because I'm an imperfect human being and that's okay.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">What kind of other works (books, scripts, poems etc.) have you had published?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I coauthored a horror romance novel (out of print), before deciding to go out on my own. My first solo dark or urban fantasy novel, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Phantom Harvest</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, was traditionally published. The three books that followed were all Indie Published: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lost Man's Parish</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pariah</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Lords of Valdeon</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I've also been a freelance journalist and columnist in local newspapers and entertainment magazines.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What’s next for the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heart of the Warrior</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> series?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Book Three (In the works right now) takes the story to an isolated marsh where Seth must search for the fabled “Creed of the Guardian.” It won’t be easy. Their outpost is surrounded by treacherous bogs and fierce predatory creatures. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">The perils outside the walls of the outpost can’t compare with the dangers from within. Many of the rangers in Seth’s new battalion have seen his raw power. They fear he will lose control of the destructive force of the Lion’s Roar. Others fear what his mixed blood means for the future of the Legion. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #0c343d;">Only by finding the Creed of the Guardian can put their minds at ease and restore the Jalora Legion’s hope.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ea92d68f6"><img alt=" Giveaway!" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="900" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdgQDCA4BBjG88_iDYzP7kZaXDJpI3z-yEBQOnFeTCWcQte6KfD8MTbmwNfEy7y6POuX5D5hK6zyc-_IJzi560diEJRG9yilIurwafqy_WYW8ZlrgccJOttLRhyphenhyphen9b7Fv6a1XORkQ1Suw/s640/Giveaway%2521.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">1st Giveaway!</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #274e13;">In addition to the grand prize giveaway below, the author is offering a second prize to readers on my site, who comment on your post with their favorite holiday film! Anyone who comments will be entered to win a package with a signed copy of both books in C.R. Richards' series! So, go leave a comment, answering the question:</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">What is your favorite holiday film??</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #274e13;">2nd Giveaway!</span></b></div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="ea92d68f6" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ea92d68f6/" id="rcwidget_96e97nos" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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<b>Thanks for visiting! Have a great day! =D</b></div>
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Desert Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02095098854552687110noreply@blogger.com0